Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCI No. 30, August 5, 2016

INSIDE: BACK TO SCHOOL, PAGES 24-33 REVIVAL

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DARK HISTORY

Atlantans are playing a key role in boosting ORT America and the Hodayot youth village. Page 24

Tom Keating shares the latest research on why Decatur public schools met on Saturdays early in the 20th century. Page 25

WELCOME

The new Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael principal, Rabbi Avrohom Tkatch, finds a nurturing environment.

Page 30

Atlanta

www.LeeBrant.com INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Local News �������������������������������6 Opinion ���������������������������������� 10 Health & Wellness ��������������� 14 Home ������������������������������������� 24 Obituaries ������������������������������26 Marketplace ��������������������������28 Cartoon �����������������������������������28 Food ����������������������������������������29 Crossword ������������������������������30 Israel News ���������������������������� 31

2 TRUMPS One columnist sees Donald Trump as perfect for America and Israel; another sees the terrifying side of his followers.

Pages 11, 12

APPLE A DAY That’s the prescription from Experimac’s Neil Kent for school success. Page 18

FALL KICKOFF It’s no surprise Arthur Blank is everywhere as the Falcons open training camp. Page 20

EDUCATION IN ART JELF benefactors Marianne and Stephen Garber are surrounded by beauty. Page 34

VOL. XCI NO. 30

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AUGUST 5, 2016 | 1 AV 5776

Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe

Hadassah Greater Atlanta lifetime members Linda Rosh and Susan and Butch Frumin attend the opening plenary of the National Convention on Monday night, July 25. See full coverage of the event, which combined wisdom from Sam Olens with an award for Gwyneth Paltrow, on Page 8.

Hadassah Helps Push for Health Equity

By R.M. Grossblatt The Hadassah National Convention downtown at the Marriott Marquis was more than a celebration of women; it was also an assessment of medical progress.

A plenary session Wednesday, July 27, on “Advocating for Gender Equity in Medical Research” captured both aspects.

Walking into the hotel’s Atrium Ballroom to see hundreds of the nearly 1,000 registered convention delegates was overwhelming and inspiring.

To begin the session, Hadassah National President Ellen Hershkin presented an award to Nanette Wenger, a professor of medicine in cardiology at Emory University, for her pioneering research in women’s cardiovascular health.

Hershkin called Wenger a “trailblazer.” A Hadassah life member since 1962, Wenger led multiple studies showing that women react differently to cardiovascular disease than men do.

In 1984, Wenger said, more women than men died of cardiovascular disease, even though people thought of it as a

health problem for men. By 2013, because of education, fewer women than men died from heart disease.

Wenger said this is one area where women don’t mind being second.

Photo by R.M. “I challenge each of Grossblatt you to provide for Nanette Wenger our daughters and granddaughters the information available for our sons and grandsons.”

Trish Vradenburg, co-founder and vice chair of UsAgainstAlzheimers, presided over a panel discussing the rights of women in medical research.

Besides Wenger, the panelists were Phyllis Greenberger, the immediate past president and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research, and Pamela Ouyang, a cardiology professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the director of the Johns Hopkins Women’s Cardiovascular Health Center.

Ouyang is also the American Heart Association’s national spokeswoman for the Go Red for Women campaign.

Vradenburg described Alzheimer’s, which took her mother’s life, as the “most feared disease that causes so much despair.” A former TV writer who lightened her message with humor, Vradenburg said there is hope against Alzheimer’s but also a need for support in promoting the effort. “If I can’t count on Jewish women,” she said, “I might as well pack it in.”

The panelists encouraged women to take part in clinical trials. Patients in those trials usually do better than those not in trials because they receive more medical attention, Ouyang said. “Of course, nothing we do is without risk, but there is incredible benefit for the future.”

I hope that the hundreds of women in the audience are sharing with their Hadassah chapters across America the importance of gender equity in research into Alzheimer’s, heart disease and other health issues. The future lives of women and men then could extend upward like the towering floors of the Marriott. ■

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MA TOVU

Bowing Out Of My Sister’s Wedding sanctify G-d’s name among the nations. But we have a separate mission in this world, hand-delivered by G-d ever since we became His people on Mount Sinai thousands of years ago.

That mission includes a commitment to G-d and His commandments, one of which is not to intermarry.

Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

“Can I go and stand on the sidelines?” I asked my rabbi.

“No, Dovid. By attending the ceremony, you will be showing tacit approval for what they are doing. I’m so sorry. I know how hard this will be for you. But you can’t attend.”

For a moment I toyed with the idea of becoming an airline steward. I could simply be out of town unexpectedly because of some travel glitch, and the whole issue could be avoided.

Although my heart ached, I understood this was not a time to show weakness. Love, yes. Respect, of course.

Like Pinchas of old, who stepped forward to slay a fellow Jew for living with a Midianite princess, I intuited that my time had come. I had to stand up for G-d and for Judaism, even if my family wouldn’t understand.

“You’re breaking up the family!” my parents said. “How can you do this?”

“You’re ruining my wedding!” Lisa yelled. “Why are you so selfish?”

Bowing my head, I walked out of the kitchen and left the house.

Their pain resonated within me, and I picked up my pace, trying to outwalk the angst. I didn’t want to cause them such aggravation. But what could I do?

G-d said I can’t attend this wedding. And just as I must show respect and love for my family, don’t they have to show respect for the way I follow my religion and uphold my principles?

Dear readers, what would you do in my position? Can you put yourselves in my shoes?

Please respond no later than Monday, Aug. 8, to have your response printed in the Aug. 19 column. ■ Shared Spirit is a column in which people share dilemmas, and readers assist by offering meaningful advice.

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Clasping the cream-colored envelope, I traced the gold-embossed letters with my finger. My heart plummeted as I read the names inside, and I wondered about the repercussions of this newest saga in my family.

I wasn’t always religious or a fanatic, as I am now called. I grew up in the Reform tradition, and my parents and siblings were content with the level of our Judaism.

But something in me yearned for more; a yawning chasm that couldn’t be satisfied. The weekly services with organ accompaniment and the Hebrew school education that ended at 13 left me feeling empty.

So I searched -- an investigation that ultimately led to several years in an Orthodox yeshiva in Israel.

My family gaped when I returned clad in black velvet yarmulke, tzitzit and white shirt tucked inside black pants; they anxiously tried to find the son and brother they used to know.

My rabbis and teachers emphasized how important it is to live peacefully with my family. “Don’t let your newfound zeal turn them away from you,” they urged. “Show plenty of respect and love, and hopefully you’ll be able to bridge the gap.”

So I tried. I really did. I went out and bought my own small pots and a few other utensils and prepared my own food so as not to trouble my mother. I was always polite, and I prayed a lot, begging the Almighty for assistance. But they were angry.

“You mean you won’t eat this chicken stir fry and beef vegetable soup?” My mother was aghast. “I went out of my way to make it for you! This used to be your favorite dinner!”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I mumbled. “I appreciate all of your hard work.”

“Sure,” she groused, glaring at me.

“Some appreciation.”

But when my sister, Lisa, announced her engagement, I knew I was in trouble.

“Now don’t cause friction,” my father warned. “This is your sister’s time, and we want her to be happy.”

A few weeks later I gulped, staring at the pile of invitations waiting to be addressed. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to go to the wedding.

You see, the Torah says a Jew is forbidden to marry a gentile. We respect everyone and are enjoined to

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CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Blood drive. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, plays host to a citywide blood drive co-sponsored by Jewish War Veterans Post 112, Congregation Shearith Israel and Fulton Lodge No. 216 F&AM from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Make an appointment at redcrossblood.org, sponsor code JWV, or just walk in.

Matot-Masei Friday, Aug. 5, light candles at 8:16 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 6, Shabbat ends at 9:13 p.m.

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

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AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

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Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2016 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

Back to shul. Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, welcomes Rabbi Ari Kaiman and offers lunch and music from the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free; shearithisrael.com.

Pool party. The Sixth Point and AAspire gather at a private home in Buckhead (address provided when you sign up) from 2 to 5 p.m. Free if you register by noon Aug. 5 or $5 at the door; form. jotform.com/61945821510958.

MONDAY, AUG. 8

Monster art. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, welcomes children ages 3 to 6 for a series of openhouse art lessons between 10 a.m. and noon in the “Where the Wild Things Are” exhibit. This week’s lesson is about using oil pastel art to scratch out a monster. Free for Breman members.

For nonmembers, two children are free with each paid $12 adult admission; www.thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

FRIDAY, AUG. 12

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

Jewish mourning. Beyond Grief found-

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

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

Weekend at Barney. Camp Barney Medintz holds a special weekend for adults ages 21 to 35 to enjoy the North Georgia mountains from Friday to Sunday. The $99 fee includes cabin accommodations, kosher meals and entertainment, with registration due Aug. 5; www.atlantajcc.org/pldb-live/ young-adult-weekend-32211.

SUNDAY, AUG. 14

Olympic documentary.

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

Free; holocaust.georgia.gov.

Picnic. Congregation Ner Tamid holds a 10th anniversary barbecue at 1 p.m. at Swift-Cantrell Park, 3140 Old U.S. Highway 41, Kennesaw. Details: 678264-8574 or events@mynertamid.org.

Righteous gentiles. Vision Baptist Church, 1125 Alpha Drive, Alpharetta, hosts a musical drama of “The Hiding Place,” Corrie ten Boom’s true story of how her Dutch Christian family tried to save Jewish neighbors from the Nazis, at 4:30 p.m. Free; 770-456-5881.

MONDAY, AUG. 15

The

short

Monster art. The Breman Museum,

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

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

Remember When

10 years ago Aug. 4, 2006 ■ U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Feldman is retiring after 32 years on the bench. Feldman worked his fair share of highprofile cases. He signed the arrest warrant for Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, and he set the bond for the couple accused of stealing the Coca-Cola recipe.

■ Jason and Jordana Heaven of Atlanta announce the birth of their son Samuel Henry on June 15. He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces.

25 Years Ago Aug. 9, 1991 ■ Rabbi Ilan Feldman, who had served as assistant rabbi to his father, Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, for 10 years, was installed as the senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Jacob.

Rabbi Feldman is a founder of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel and remains active in the organization.

■ The bat mitzvah of Rebecca Ann Pierce is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 11, at Etz Chaim Synagogue. Rebecca is the daughter of Jackie and Steve Pierce.

50 Years Ago Aug. 5, 1966 ■ Defending Cy Young Award winner Sandy Koufax, who became a Jewish hero last October when he chose not to pitch Game 1 of the World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, is signing autographs for $4.95 ahead of his Los Angeles Dodgers’ contest against the Atlanta Braves. The left-hander is meeting fans at Elson’s Lenox Book Store.

■ Marilyn Patricia Steine, daughter of Rose Steine and the late Morris Steine of Atlanta, married William Warren Boyd, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Boyd of Orange, Texas. Rabbi William Mailev officiated at the wedding, which took place at Beth Yeshuran Synagogue in Texas.

1440 Spring St., Midtown, welcomes children ages 3 to 6 for the last of its open-house art lessons between 10 a.m. and noon in the “Where the Wild Things Are” exhibit. The final session applies earlier lessons to create 3D monsters. Free for Breman members.

For nonmembers, two children are free with each paid $12 adult admission; www.thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

JNF golf. Jewish National Fund honors Alan Lubel, a past Southeast Region copresident, at the ninth annual Sam P. Alterman Memorial Golf Tournament at the Standard Club, 6230 Abbots Bridge Road, Johns Creek, starting with registration and lunch at 1 p.m. Entry is $300 per player or $200 for those under age 25; jnf.org/golf2016 or 404-2368990, ext. 852 (Marcy Friedland).

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 17

Hate crimes. The Anti-Defamation League holds a panel discussion on “Hate Crimes: Political Rhetoric, Reality and Action” after light refreshments at 6:30 p.m. at Alston & Bird, 1201 W. Peachtree St., Midtown. Free; atlanta. adl.org/event/hatecrimespanel or 404262-3470.

Falcons forecast.

Atlanta

Falcons

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

FRIDAY, AUG. 19

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

SATURDAY, AUG. 20

Divorce boot camp. A crash course for women considering or going through divorce, including legal, financial and emotional information and support, is offered from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza. Free; registration and information through Debbie Dorman, 770-377-4941.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24

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

JOIN US FOR

The Jewish Breakfast Club with featured speaker DR. ROBERT FRIEDMANN Dr. Robert R. Friedmann is director of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at Georgia State University.

Specializing in International terrorism and Incitement

Wednesday, August 10th 7:30 am – 9 am 7:30 am Reception • 8:00 am Program

Being held at Greenberg Traurig 3333 Piedmont Rd NE #2500

Reservation Required

RSVP at JBC@atljewishtimes.com • $15.00 cash payment at the door

JBC

Jewish Breakfast Club

Kosher dietary laws observed.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

CALENDAR

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Today in Israeli History

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

Aug. 5, 1995: Famed Israeli composer Menachem Avidom, whose compositions helped lay the groundwork for future Mizrahi and Sephardic musicians in Israel, dies in Tel Aviv.

Aug. 6, 1923: The 13th Zionist Congress is convened in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, where delegates discuss the Palestine Mandate and the prerogatives of the Palestine Zionist Executive, which guides Jewish immigration and settlement.

Aug. 7, 1970: Israel, Jordan and Egypt sign a cease-fire agreement, ending the 196770 War of Attrition.

Aug. 8, 1924: Israeli film pioneer Lia Van Leer is born Lia Greenberg in Beltsy, Romania (today Moldova).

Aug. 9, 1982: Chez Jo Goldberg, a Jewish deli in Paris, is attacked by two terrorists wielding grenades and machine guns. Six people are killed, and 22 others are injured. The attack is believed to have been planned and carried out by the Abu Nidal Organization,

Photo courtesy of the National Library of Israel

Menachem Avidom, shown presenting Albert Einstein a copy of his Symphony No. 2 “David” in 1949, died Aug. 5, 1995.

an international Palestinian terrorist group.

Aug. 10, 1920: After the San Remo conference in April 1920, the Allies and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Sevres in the town of Sevres, France, dissolving the Turkish empire.

Aug. 11, 1929: The Jewish Agency, which would hold its first meeting on Aug. 12, the day after the conclusion of the Zionist Congress, expands to include world Jewish representatives. With so many Jews having immigrated to the United States the previous four decades, an American presence in the Jewish Agency has become financially and politically significant for Zionism’s key growth in the United States.

The power to see inside. Shoham’s Aspect Imaging develops small, affordable MRI scanners. Its nonclaustrophobic WristView scans limbs, and Embrace scans newborns. WristView has just received the European CE Mark to add to its existing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

Good feelings deadly for bacteria. Scientists at Haifa’s Technion Institute have stimulated the feel-good center in mice and discovered that their immune cells could kill twice as many bacteria as the immune cells of nonstimulated mice. The results could explain the placebo effect.

Snack vegetables to replace fast foods.

Bnei Darom-based Origene Seeds is developing a range of snack vegetables as replacements for fast-food snacks. The Sweet Drops mini cucumbers and peppers have a long shelf life, and they will be marketed in special packets as “finger food” for work, school or leisure.

The first woman in charge of a power

plant. Rinat Avrahami Karniel is Israel’s first female power plant director.

She has been appointed the head of Ashkelon’s Rutenberg Power Station, one of the two largest in Israel. Karniel has two master’s degrees and has worked for Israel Electric for 20 years.

Druze to head IDF Medical Corps.

Druze physician Badar Tarif has been named the Israel Defense Forces’ senior medical official. Tarif will be promoted to brigadier general and take up the post of chief medical officer. He is the first Druze to hold the position.

Border opened for Syrian aid. For the first time since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Israel has formally opened its border to deliver humanitarian aid into Syria. Moti Kahana, the founder of Israeli nongovernmental organization Amaliah, said medicine, food and schoolbooks are transferred to a safe zone around Quneitra.

Physics and math medals. Israel was 19th of the 87 countries competing in the Physics Olympiad in Zurich, winning three silver medals and a bronze.

Israel ranked 22nd among 109 countries that took part in the Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong, winning three silver and three bronze medals.

Drip irrigation for mushrooms. Tel Aviv-based Netafim has developed Mushroom Master, the world’s first drip irrigation system for mushrooms.

It reduces reliance on expensive heavy peat casing soil to hold large amounts of water. Underground irrigation also avoids bacterial infestation.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Energy hub in Tel Aviv. Enel, a multinational energy producer based in Italy, has opened the largest innovation hub to be launched by an Italian company in Israel. The hub will foster up to 20 startups in technologies from cybersecurity to big data, smart metering, digital technology and analytics.

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Israel’s largest Olympic delegation.

The Olympics will open in Rio on Friday, Aug. 5, with the largest delegation Israel has ever sent — 47 athletes in 17 sports — and an expected 10,000 Israeli fans. Israel sent 37 athletes to London in 2012 but failed to win a medal.

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other news sources.

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LOCAL NEWS

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Paltrow Glows Amid Adoring Crowd

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The ballroom of the Marriott Marquis was electric Monday, July 25, on the opening night of the Hadassah National Convention, while women danced across the stage to “Happy” as they were introduced as club leaders.

Granted, some were more comfortable than others doing the bump and grind in high heels, but the spirit in the room was palpable as 993 attendees represented Hadassah’s 330,000 members.

“The Power of Our Dreams” was the theme of the four-day 98th national convention. I have been a member for years but never before understood the full magnitude of the good work done by Hadassah.

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens kicked off the gala opening plenary before the appearance of Oscar-winning movie star and lifestyle personality Gwyneth Paltrow.

Olens told of losing his mother as a 5-year-old and being sent from Miami to New Jersey to be reared by his Hadassah-loving aunt. He said he learned the power of giving and tikkun olam (repairing the world) when the family bakery gathered leftovers to donate to the needy rather than sell them the next day.

Olens, Georgia’s highest-ranking Jewish elected official, emphasized three ways he’s making the world better as attorney general: the annual food bank collection competition among law firms and law schools; education for high school students about the hazards of prescription drugs; and a crackdown on sex trafficking.

“No more $100 fines,” Olens said about those who abuse teens for sex.

“They can be put in jail.”

Janice Weinman, Hadassah’s executive director and CEO, outlined Hadassah’s life-altering medical progress and its challenges. She also vowed to fight the double standard under which “it’s OK to murder Jews and pull innocent people out of their homes and beds.”

She talked about Hadassah Medical Center’s top ranking and its progress in using embryonic stem cells to improve eyesight in patients with macular degeneration.

Weinman told about a Palestinian woman whose life was saved through a new artificial liver support system.

The woman sent a thank-you note call-

ing the Israeli doctors “angels.”

Turning to Hadassah’s membership, Weinman touted programs to engage members using social media and to combat the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement by educating women who might be in corporate boardrooms. Another

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

program will use action alerts in a nonpartisan way to reach out to politicians.

Hadassah is challenging younger women from each region to get involved and identify their peers as possible members, she said. (The crowd appeared to be largely composed of older women.)

Finally, Paltrow appeared in a peach blush pantsuit. She did not disappoint as she accepted her first award from a Jewish organization “based on the example she sets using Hadassah’s values.”

Paltrow, the daughter of non-Jewish actress Blythe Danner and Jewish film and TV director and producer Bruce Paltrow, referred to herself as a “power shiksa.” She said she looks “waspy” but is “mostly Jewish” because her mother married a nice Jewish boy descended from rabbis in Poland.

“Bruce was strongly intertwined in Jewish values,” she said, adding that the family celebrated all the holidays.

Paltrow, who now identifies with a kabbalistic approach, said the matrilineal definition of who is Jewish seems antiquated, “but who am I to challenge?”

She told the delighted audience that her boyfriend is TV writer, producer and director Brad Falchuk (“Glee,” “American Horror Story”), son of former Hadassah President Nancy Falchuk. Paltrow looked toward Nancy Falchuk and said, “I hope you can tolerate a few Easter eggs thrown into the mix.”

Joseph believed in dreams, Paltrow said, and “Hadassah dreams in a way that women’s power alleviates darkness around the world by channeling light and bringing peace.”

She promotes a healthy lifestyle

LOCAL NEWS

Gwyneth Paltrow answers questions at the opening plenary.

Phyllis Cohen, who is organizing Hadassah Greater Atlanta’s centennial observance, joins Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens at the opening plenary of the Hadassah National Convention.

Participating in a Hadassah plenary session’s discussion of trends in the Jewish communal world are (from left) Hadassah Executive Director and CEO Janice Weinman, Council of Young Jewish Presidents officer Zoya Raynes, Hadassah Vice President Carol Rosenthal, American Jewish Committee Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker, Hadassah President Ellen Hershkin, and former Jewish Federations of North America board Chair Kathy Manning.

through her Goop website and product line, but she said the Goop approach is to have “vodka or french fries on occasion” while concentrating on eating nutrient-dense foods.

Some jewels surfaced during Paltrow’s question-and-answer session with Hadassah President Ellen Hershkin: • Paltrow has never been to Israel.

Hadassah executives immediately offered a tour, to which she said, “Game on.”

• Her most challenging film role was the title part in Jane Austen’s “Emma.” She had to learn to play piano and speak with a British accent.

• Her favorite role was Margot

Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

• Sometimes the challenging films come out terribly, but she has to soldier on to finish them.

• Her best friend (unnamed) lives in Atlanta.

• Winning the best-actress Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love” was emotional and bittersweet because her father and grandfather were too ill to attend the 1999 ceremony.

• She has a lot left to accomplish by pivoting careers to her Goop platform. She even learned to analyze a profit-and-loss statement.

“I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew,” Paltrow said. ■

“Most everything went off without a hitch,” local convention co-chair Esther Panitch, an Atlanta criminal defense lawyer and a rising Hadassah star, said in an interview.

Panitch said she began preparations in August 2015, and the Hadassah National Convention was a labor of love and in her genes because her mother is the president of Hadassah Greater Miami.

Panitch was thrilled that Hadassah Greater Atlanta hosted the event during the Atlanta chapter’s centennial year.

Esther Panitch is The convention coincided with the four nights pleased with how the of the Democratic National Convention in Philadel- convention turned out. phia, but Panitch said that was just a coincidence.

“These meetings are planned years in advance. Next year is St Louis, by the way.”

Panitch challenged the perception that the convention crowd was “on the older side” by defining “younger” as 46 and under. She said that the younger crowd had separate functions on other nights and had a “fabulous time celebrating and dancing.”

“We all have a common goal of working together to make the world a better place,” she said. ■

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Hadassah Convention a Hit

AJT 9

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

Settler ‘Termites’

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Short of going full Cynthia McKinney, Congressman Hank Johnson couldn’t have done much more to anger the Jewish community than to compare termites and Israelis living on the West Bank.

The Lithonia Democrat has admitted as much through clarifications and apologies since using the termite line during a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel gathering held in Philadelphia on Monday, July 25, in connection with the Democratic National Convention.

“The language I used was not only unacceptable but it was hurtful,” he wrote in a message to constituents. “I deeply regret using this terrible metaphor. It was not only nonconstructive, it was wrong.”

Johnson has said he was simply reaching for a vivid metaphor for the way West Bank settlements’ rapid expansion has undermined hopes for a Palestinian state. But there’s no way to parse the comparison without concluding that it involves, intentionally or not, the equation of Jewish settlers with termites.

That’s a particularly vile association because the Nazis justified the extermination of Jews by portraying us as vermin. Anyone who compares Jews to termites, or Jewish construction to termite construction, is just begging to be accused of anti-Semitism.

To his credit, Johnson seems to understand that.

His apologies have been genuine, not the phony “I’m sorry if anyone took offense” type. He is reaching out to Jewish leaders to make amends. He is meeting with the Atlanta Jewish Times (look for an article Aug. 12).

But, pending that interview, we fear that the congressman offers much more to worry about than one careless, stupid remark.

Unlike McKinney, whom he defeated 10 years ago to win a seat in Congress, Johnson doesn’t hate Jews, many of whom have been crucial supporters; he doesn’t spout conspiracy theories accusing Jews or Israelis of carrying out false-flag terrorist attacks.

But his attitude toward Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has changed in recent years, and he spoke July 25 as someone who has earned a reputation as a leading congressional critic of Israel.

That day he criticized Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while lamenting conditions for the Palestinians. He portrayed Israelis as the villains and Palestinians as the victims, ignoring Palestinian terrorism, incitement

by Palestinian leaders and rocket fire from Gaza.

Johnson accused Israelis of stealing Palestinian houses left vacant for even a single night, then raising “Jewish flags” above them. He spread the false claim that Israeli law enforcement trains U.S. police to operate as a militaristic occupation force, and he endorsed the equally false and offensive idea that Islamist terrorism against the West would vanish if only Israel lived in peace with a Palestinian state.

All of which makes sense when you consider Johnson’s audience: people gathered by the American Friends Service Committee and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Both groups back the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, and both would be happy if Israel ceased to exist.

Why was Johnson speaking to such an anti-Israel gathering? That’s the question he must answer to re10 store good ties with the Jewish community. ■

AJT

Cartoon by Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com

Presidential Voting Not Either/Or So the two major-party tickets are set: RepubliOh, and a senator from Illinois named Barack cans Donald Trump and Mike Pence vs. Democrats Obama wouldn’t have been elected president in 2008.

Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. I suspect most More often than not, history shows, the times Americans would feel better about voting for either make the president rather than the other way around. vice presidential candidate than either presidential Despite all the noise and anger, it’s rare when a nominee, but this is the race we have. president pushes us outside a narrow policy range.

My biggest hope is for Libertarian nominee Reagan’s biggest domestic achievement was making Gary Johnson to rise enough in the polls to force his a 70 percent income tax rate (the top rate when he way into the fall debates and thus took office) inconshow there is an alternative. ceivable to generaIf you judge support for Istions of Americans.

Editor’s Notebook rael in terms of aid, Johnson isn’t Obama’s top

By Michael Jacobs your guy; as a Libertarian, he achievement may be mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com opposes foreign aid. But if you’re making a singletired of seeing the White House payer health care put all the pressure on Israel to system conceivable. make concessions, Johnson is viSo many other able: He has said we should support Israel and let it presidents’ most important contribution was to set work out its own solution with the Palestinians. the field for their successors.

Johnson would pass the debate threshold for George H.W. Bush prepared us for eight years of sure if he had the support of the 3 percent to 5 Bill Clinton, eight years of a second Bush and now, percent who favor Green Party candidate Jill Stein, a perhaps, four years of a second Clinton. If we’d electnonpracticing Jew who wants to boycott Israel. ed President Mike Dukakis in 1988, we would have Johnson has little chance to win, but he has gone through the same recession and fought the no chance if people wrongly believe that a vote is same war to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, wasted if it’s not cast for a Democrat or a Republibut we wouldn’t have elected Bill Clinton in 1992. can. Your vote is never wasted if you give it to the Look back to 1856, when the Republican Party candidate you believe is best for the job. ran John C. Fremont as its first presidential candiIn the long run, losing one election isn’t a disasdate. He lost a multiway race to James Buchanan, a ter; sometimes, a loss is beneficial. contender for worst president ever. If Fremont had Jimmy Carter was a bad president, but if he had won, Abraham Lincoln, who tops most presidential lost to Gerald Ford in 1976, Ronald Reagan wouldn’t rankings, would not have been elected in 1860 or have been elected in 1980. Losing a close election probably any other year. in 1976 was good for the Republican Party, and the Maybe it’s time for the Republicans, like the outcome worked well for the rest of us.

Whigs they replaced, to fade away, or maybe the On the flip side, Democrats were despondent shock and awe of Trump vs. Clinton will spark a when John Kerry lost to George W. Bush in 2004, but GOP revival. Either way, the path forward for the Kerry would have been stuck with two wars and a nation is more promising if instead of voting against real estate bubble ready to burst. The only changes Trump or against Clinton, people choose a candidate would have been a couple of Supreme Court names. they actually like. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Trump Good for Jews, Israel and America

United States have no constitutional protections or rights. None! Keeping Americans safe from domestic and foreign enemies is the No. 1 responsibility of the president.

Hillary Clinton advocates open borders and amnesty. Additionally, she wants to allow hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Middle Eastern refugees into our neighborhoods without vetting. When terrorists infiltrate, Americans are less safe, especially Jews, Christians, homosexuals and other “infidels.”

Before we can solve a problem we must identify it.

Clinton believes that the mass murders in San Bernardino and Fort Hood were mere examples of workplace violence. The horrific murders in Orlando were the work of a lone wolf or home-grown extremist. Clinton ignores shouts of “Allahu Akbar” before the carnage and can’t connect obvious links to Islamic State and other Islamic extremists. She refuses to even utter the words “Islamic terror.”

Her solution: more weapon bans and gun control. If that was the answer, Chicago would be the safest city

in America.

Trump is the law-and-order candidate. He tells it like it is, without the double-speak and political correctness of a career politician. He promises to fight and defeat Islamic terror to keep Americans safe.

Israel and Jews are the canaries in the coal mine. The world doesn’t care when Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and their cousins spill Jewish blood. Morphed into Islamic State and al-Qaeda, they are spreading their tentacles and killings around the world.

Trump understands; Clinton views global warming as a more immediate and bigger threat.

Trump’s position on Israel has been greatly mischaracterized.

Staunchly pro-Israel and one of its largest private donors, he understands that successful negotiations with the Palestinians for a true and lasting peace require a mediator who doesn’t impose his will on the parties. Peace cannot be imposed from the outside but must be negotiated by the parties themselves. That is the only “neutrality” he espoused.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas avoids direct negotiations, letting the Quartet, European Union, Russia, United States or U.N. Security Council try to squeeze Israel for concessions without compromising in return. Not a good formula for successful negotiations, nor the Trump way.

To reach a deal, both parties must genuinely want peace and be willing to negotiate directly -- ingredients currently missing. With no daylight between our interests, any genuine peace agreement that Israel signs will also benefit the United States.

Trump knows global Islamic terror is not caused by the IsraeliPalestinian issue or construction in Jerusalem or the West Bank. U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 established a basis for Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, reaffirmed in Resolution 338, and codified a “just and lasting peace” without mention of borders.

The requirement for Israel to return to pre-1967 borders or the 1949 armistice Green Line is a myth that hasn’t died.

We all know too well that Clinton is surrounded by anti-Israel voices and Arab money. Who can forget that Yasser Arafat was the most frequent overnight guest at the White House during Bill’s presidency? Vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine is supported

by J Street, which is widely regarded as anti Israel. He boycotted Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress and supported the Iran deal.

Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, recently wrote: “The United States is retreating from the Middle East.

The adverse implications of this policy shift are … the acceleration of Tehran’s drive to regional hegemony … risk of regional nuclear proliferation … the spread of jihadist Islam … detrimental to Israel’s national security.”

Clinton, as secretary of state, orchestrated this retreat and represents a continuation of the Obama doctrine.

President Donald J. Trump will reverse this weakness. His priorities to secure our borders and fight terror will benefit our allies and all Americans. ■

part of the team that moved records — written and pictorial — to the new building, now in its 36th year of use.

In a guestbook I found an inscription of the Buchmans from August 1910. I knew of Jacob Buchman because he was the president of Congregation Shearith Israel in 1910-11. He interviewed my grandfather in November 1910 and, with other leaders, brought Rabbi Tobias Geffen to Atlanta.

Rabbi Geffen preserved the contract signed on the day in November 1910 when the cornerstone of the educational alliance on Capitol Avenue was set. Jacob Buchman was a fine Hebraist, and he wrote my grandfather’s first contract in Hebrew. It was a threeyear contract at a minimal salary.

Lillian Buchman, from what I heard from my grandmother Sara Hene Geffen, was active with Ida Goldstein and L.J. Levitas in the Daughters of Zion, revived in 1911 with women as well as teenage girls.

After Henrietta Szold founded Hadassah in 1912, it became evident that a chapter south of Baltimore was needed.

From what my mother’s mother, Bubbe Birshtein in Norfolk, Va., told me, Norfolk had a Hadassah group in 1914 or 1915, then Atlanta followed.

In the many conversations in our home on North Highland Avenue in 1950s between Rae Frank, the Southern regional president of Hadassah, and my mother, Anna Geffen, the editor of the Hadassah regional magazine, Dix-

iegram, there was the feeling that Lillian Buchman was the guiding light for Hadassah’s founding in Atlanta.

My grandfather’s handwritten 1918 listing of the members of the Shearith Israel Sisterhood shows that Lillian Buchman was the only Shearith Israel member of Hadassah; the rest of the women listed as founders were from Ahavath Achim and the first Conservative synagogue in Atlanta, Beth Israel. Rabbi Hyman Solomon, the Beth Israel rabbi in 1916, was the speaker at the founding because he was the leading Zionist in Atlanta at the time.

In the same period, probably in 1917, a chapter of Mizrahi Women was founded at Shearith Israel.

— Rabbi David Geffen, Jerusalem 11

thorough security screening procedures must be implemented. Plain old common sense. Trump has the will, personal conviction, strength of character and law on his side.

Foreigners without a nexus to the

Letter To The Editor

Hadassah’s Shearith Ties

It is interesting to read about the founding of Hadassah in Atlanta in 1916 (“Hadassah Through 10 Decades,” July 22). I would like to provide information to broaden the story a bit.

In the summer of 1910 Lillian and Jacob Buchman were the first Atlanta Jews to visit Eretz Yisrael. They spent August mostly in Jerusalem.

I first learned of their visit 35 years ago when I was working in the public relations department in the new building of Shaare Zedek Hospital. I was

Guest Column

By Mitchell Kaye

Mitchell Kaye served five terms in the Georgia House of Representatives and is a frequent traveler to Israel.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

There are three major reasons why Donald Trump is the best candidate for Jews, Israel and America: He will secure the borders to stop illegal immigration, fight Islamic terror, and assist Israel in negotiating her own peace deal with Palestinians, not imposing a solution.

Today, America is in global retreat. Our enemies don’t fear us and are emboldened, and our allies don’t trust or respect us. An America that is strong and asserts its historical leadership role will always be good for her citizens and her allies. Donald Trump will be that president.

It is irrelevant how many Jewish advisers, friends and family members presidents have.

Richard Nixon, for example, was a raving anti-Semite, blaming Jews as the root of his problems. However, when Golda Meir came calling for help during the dark days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Nixon ordered massive, around-the-clock airlifts of critical war materials. Although we believe the “Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), Nixon was the instrument in His plan.

Trump will secure our borders to prevent terrorists and violent criminals from penetrating our nation with other illegal immigrants. He believes we are a nation of laws, not executive decree. Trump doesn’t oppose the concept of immigration but instead believes that it must happen legally and that immigrants must be properly vetted.

Before we allow refugees from terror hotspots to enter our country,

AJT

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Trump Backers’ Anti-Semitic Taunts and Threats

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

I’m 25 and Jewish, and never once in those 25 years have I personally experienced anti-Semitism.

Until this election cycle.

I wasn’t ignorant. I knew the atrocities of the past, knew Jews were still targets here and around the world, but I never experienced it. I grew up in an Atlanta suburb. There were Jewish kids in all of my public school classes, so not only did I never experience antiSemitism, but I also never experienced the unsettling feeling of being “the other.”

Then a month ago Donald Trump tweeted a graphic using the Star of David. You probably saw it. Hillary Clinton. Piles of cash in the background.

The caption inside the star read, “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever.”

The image first appeared on a neo-Nazi message board. Draw what conclusions you will from that.

The Trump campaign quickly took down the tweet and replaced it with the exact same graphic but with a circle pasted on top of the Star of David. The image was changed, but it’s the Internet. We saw it. You can’t erase it.

So, OK. Let’s give Trump literally all the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he didn’t pull it from the neo-Nazi site, or he didn’t know the tweet was going out, or he didn’t realize it was a Star of David. After all, the star is red and filled in.

But even with all that leniency, any decent politician, or person, would’ve apologized after receiving the backlash that the message was akin to Nazi propaganda. Trump could’ve even gotten away with a fake, halfhearted apology like “I’m sorry if your feelings were hurt.”

But he offered nothing. Why? Because his supporters loved it.

Hate has always been in this country, but Trump brews and boils it. When I tweeted my outrage at the anti-Semitic graphic, I expected a few responses calling me an overreacting liberal Jew. What I ended up receiving was far worse.

Trigger warning for the rest of this article.

One person sent me a picture of a frog wearing Nazi garb and standing in front of Auschwitz’s gate with the caption “You get a gold star!”

I was disgusted, so I took a screenshot of the picture and asked 12 my followers to report the account to

AJT

Guest Column

By Laura Silverman SilvermanEditing@gmail.com

Twitter.

I thought that was the end. I went downstairs to have dinner with my family. When I got back online, I had dozens of hateful and threatening notifications.

Many told me to take a nap in an oven. I was sent more pictures of the Auschwitz gates, one Photoshopped so the words we all know instead read, “Not an argument.”

My first instinct was terror: Report the offensive tweets and put my account on private. But then I remembered the words of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, who had died that very day: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

I understand why many people go private and silent. It’s triggering.

Terrifying. Just decades ago we were slaughtered by the millions for our religion. There’s no shame in fear and wanting to hide.

But I knew silence would help only me, and I wanted to help many, so I posted screenshots and asked people to please report and share.

The flood of support was overwhelming, from friends, authors I admire and older Jews who’ve been fighting this fight since before I was born.

But the threats still sneaked in through the support.

The images in particular terrified me. Pictures of starved men from concentration camps. A picture of a pile of ashes with the words “Straight outta Auschwitz.”

This wasn’t a one-time incident.

While I watched and live-tweeted the Republican National Convention, the flood of hate came back. Messages like “It’s time for you to flee for Israel.

If you wait too long it’s the ovens for you” and images like Trump standing in front of a photoshopped American flag with a swastika instead of 50 stars.

And it continues. While writing this article, I received an email from “Annudah Shoah” which read “They know about you!: You Zionist K***.

Do you really think you can stop Mr. Trump? You Israeli supremacists have

These are barely fit-for-print examples of the Twitter hate flung at Laura Silverman.

no chance.”

OK, I want to step back for a second, because this is just my experience. My Jewish experience. I’m not even the main target; I just know the signs.

My Muslim friends, my LGBTQA+ friends, my friends of color, my female friends and so on also receive threats from Trump supporters. Many of them also experience this hatred in real life; so far, I’ve had the privilege of enduring it only online.

People say Trump isn’t really racist, Islamophobic, sexist, anti-Semitic, etc. People say he just does and says inflammatory things for votes.

People don’t understand that’s just as dangerous.

Trump has created a toxic atmosphere where death threats from white supremacists are the new norm, where former KKK leader and infamous Holocaust denier David Duke is running for the U.S. Senate, something he hasn’t tried since the 20th century, where everyone understands exactly whom Trump and his supporters want to “take back” their country from.

And don’t say Trump supporters aren’t Trump. A leader is his followers,

and he is nothing without followers.

Trump blows the white supremacist dog whistle, and his bigoted supporters respond, gain power and threaten others because — why? They’re sick of being politically correct? No. I’m not deluded enough to think I can persuade a Trump supporter to get off the train, but if you’re planning to abstain or vote for a third party in this election because you refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton, please think hard about that decision.

I hope Clinton will move the country forward, but at worst she’ll keep the status quo. Trump wants to move the country backward and set it on fire.

Do you care that I’m being threatened? Are you being threatened without realizing it?

Dangerous words lead to lethal actions. So, please, reflect hard on your vote this November; if not, you might accidentally vote against yourself. ■ Laura Silverman is an author, freelance editor and publishing consultant. Her debut novel, “Girl out of Water,” comes out in May. Follow her on Twitter at LJSilverman1.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Temple Evolved From Center of Worship to Identity cal G-d who brought us out of Egypt and established us as an independent entity — and we could not accept and elevate Roman emperors or their idols to the status of our G-d.

The Temple as a symbolic representation of independence became central in the Maccabean revolt in

One Man’s Opinion

By Eugen Schoenfeld

167 B.C.E. Although the Temple was important for the performance of the sacrifices, the rebellion was primarily a political act that led to the establishment of the Maccabean dynasty.

By the time the Romans destroyed the second Temple, the ancient cultic religion was being superseded by a new institution, the synagogue, a place where prayers were accepted in lieu of the Temple sacrifices.

The synagogue became the house of prayer, and study was substituted for sacrifices, becoming the new avodah, or holy work. Gemilut hasadim, acts of kindness, became a substitute for animal sacrifice to atone for sins.

The following story about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who is noted for saving Judaism, suggests that the Temple became a symbol of history rather than a place for cultic sacrificial worship. Right after the loss of the second Temple in 70 C.E., ben Zakkai walked with a student near the Temple ruins, and the student lamented that we had lost our capability to be redeemed from our sins through sacrifice.

The rabbi responded that we had a far better way to atone for our sins: through acts of kindness. To ben Zakkai, the Temple ceased to have a significant function. At best, it assumed a function as a symbolic representation of our nationhood and identity.

Of the thousands of Jews taken captive and settled in Babylon, only a fraction of them returned to Judaea 70 years later when Persian King Cyrus permitted Jews to return to their land, and the largest portion among them were the Levites and Kohanim, the Temple servants and priests. The rest of the Jews remained in Babylon in a more economically advanced country.

The Temple and Judaea had lost their significance to Jews who in 70 years found life in Babylon preferable.

Only about 50,000 exiles returned. To

the rest of the Judeans, their historical homeland retained only a symbolic significance, and they felt only that it was their mission to support that land in the same manner as Diaspora Jews support Israel today. It was their duty to financially support the restoration of the Temple and the country.

Babylonian Jews developed their new way of life, in which the synagogue and prayer replaced the priestly performances in the Temple. It is thus

understandable that most people who returned with Ezra were priests and Levites, who would have served in the Temple and for whom the primary function was to rebuild the Temple.

The new Temple served to maintain a Jewish identity for the Judeans who remained in Babylon and continued to dream of a glorious Jerusalem. ■ Next week: How the dreams of Israel evolved in the Diaspora.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

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

What made the kingdoms of Israel and Judaea so different that residents of the former could not retain their Jewish identity in exile?

While Israelites and Judeans may have differed in the social conditions of their land of exile, the Israelite connection to Jewish beliefs was far weaker than that among the Judeans.

When the 10 northern tribes for economic and social reasons seceded from the southern tribes, they also underwent a great change in identity. The Temple, central to Jewish life in Judaea, had lost its importance to the Israelites.

In many ways they were discouraged from participating in the pilgrimage holidays, lest they lose their political independence.

The Temple, the symbol of the relationship between the people and G-d, was in Jerusalem. Israel tried to replicate the Temple at Bethel and Dan but eliminated the essential Jewish rejection of idol worship and the belief that G-d existed outside Israel.

Israel’s religion reverted to idolatry with statues of bulls, which they called Elohim. This reversal led to the re-establishment of a territorial G-d, whom they could worship in Israel but could not take into captivity.

By contrast, Judeans took into exile the idea of the Torah, which enhanced the development of synagogues while maintaining the yearning to return to the Temple.

The idea of the Torah was instrumental for exiles’ retention of their identity as Jews. Judeans thus maintained their memory of the land of the Temple as a national symbol and their wish to return. The dream of Judaea became greater than Judaea itself.

This is a desire later expressed by Yehudah Halevi: “My heart is in the East, and I am in the end of the West.”

When the second Temple was destroyed nearly 650 years after the Babylonians destroyed the first Temple, it was a national calamity not only because we lost a building, but also because we lost the mechanism through which we related to G-d. The loss of the Temple was tantamount to the loss of the cultic function, but, more important, we also lost the symbol of Jewish independence.

We worshipped G-d — the histori-

AJT 13

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Suppressed Emotions Emerge in Ill Health

Temple Kehillat Chaim

A Reform Synagogue in Historic Roswell

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Prospective Family FUNday Sunday, August 7th, 2pm

AJT 14

RSVP: 770/641-8630 • kehillatchaim.org

Temple Kehillat Chaim

1145 Green Street •Roswell GA 30075 770/641-8630 • kehillatchaim.org

Did you know that unresolved grief and loss can manifest as sadness, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, fatigue and hormone imbalance?

Did you know that you can naturally restore your innate wholeness?

We all experience grief and loss — from losing a pet or a loved one to suffering a miscarriage to sending a child off to college. Grief and loss are part of our human experience.

Sometimes after a loss the best we can do is denial. We often bury these experiences, and the effects strike the body. Chronic headaches, neck tension and sinus issues are all related to mental stress.

The Jewish tradition has a unique ritual for mourning. Seven days are spent sitting on a low bench to mourn and be present with one’s grief.

However, even years after a loss, the body can hold the shock or trauma as if it happened yesterday. I see this every day in my practice.

Our bodies are storehouses of all our experiences: beliefs about ourselves, our conditioning, our past and present hurts and traumas.

All our thoughts, feelings and perceptions play key roles in how our bodies and minds are functioning today.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that 85 percent of all diseases have their roots in emotions.

For example, internalized anger can affect the nervous system and immune system. Chronic anger can create elevated blood pressure, hives, asthma, migraines, lower back pain, depression, muscle tension and even a shortened life span. Feelings of grief

can catalyze loneliness, isolation, depression and anxiety. Stress can compromise the immune system and raise cortisol levels, creating hormonal imbalances, loss of sleep and other negative symptoms.

So what can you do?

• Writing is one way to move the energy of emotion. Even writing a let-

Guest Column

By Gedalia Genin gedaliahdoc@gmail.com

ter and not sending it can be effective in communicating something you would not do in person.

• Creativity of any kind — painting, jewelry, woodworking, gardening, poetry, dance, clay — is a way to move out of the story and to energy. It’s like alchemy.

• Meditation, prayer and intention are ways of coping with grief and loss.

Our thoughts create our emotions and our reality. They create a certain frequency that can be raised with sound, color and movement, leaving us with a sense of feeling grounded and present.

• Feel the feelings, honor them, but choose a healthy way to express them.

Simply allowing someone else to listen without judgment is helpful.

Although denial is one way to cope, other alternatives allow for integration and wholeness. ■ Gedalia Genin (www.gedaliahhealingarts.com), an alternative health practitioner and naturopath at CentreSpring MD, is passionate about helping women and children transform health using natural modalities.

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AJT 15

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LOCAL NEWS

Film Introduces Human Side of Refugee Crisis

By Benjamin Kweskin

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Refugee camps “are a short-term solution for a long-term problem,” a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees official says in the documentary “Salam Neighbor.”

But the average refugee spends roughly 15 years in camps, and only 1 percent ultimately settle in a new country, JD McCrary, the executive director of the International Rescue Committee’s Atlanta office, told about

AJT 16

50 people gathered at Congregation Bet Haverim on Wednesday, July 20, to watch the documentary about Syrian refugees in a camp in Jordan.

While half the world’s resettled refugees, generally 70,000 to 80,000 per year, are taken in by the United States, only about 1,800 Syrian refugees entered last year, including roughly 75 who came to Georgia.

The Syrians are part of the largest number of refugees globally since World War II, and McCrary reminded

Syria’s 5½-year civil war has created at least 4.5 million refugees, most of whom have fled to other countries.

“Escaping a war is only the beginning of their story,” the film says. The movie follows two American twentysomethings who attempt to humanize people languishing inside and outside the camp.

Left: The Jewish community has a tradition of responding to the needs of refugees through agencies such as HIAS. Particularly poiRight: JD McCrary, who leads IRC Atlanta, provides gnant is the story of context to the documentary “Salam Neighbor” after Raouf, a young boy who the screening at Congregation Bet Haverim. wants to be a doctor. His the audience that their camps are often father recalls that before the war Raouf neither temporary nor havens. was excited about school, but after the “Salam Neighbor,” which is avail- building was bombed by the Syrian reable on Netflix, is largely set in the gime, the boy became traumatized and Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan — the refused to continue his studies.

Others featured include Ismail, world’s second largest. a university student from Damascus The camp is under UNHCR authorwho was studying to be a French teachity and holds roughly 85,000 people in er and has a flair as a chef; Ghoussoon, an area 2½ by 1½ miles. The UNHCR a single mother of three who ekes out a provides tents for all families and, with living making bows for hijabs 30 minthe help of nongovernmental organizautes away in Mafraq; and Umm Ali, tions, supplies basic daily rations. who makes art recycled from trash.

Ghoussoon says her children attend Jordanian public schools, but they may go only after the Jordanian students finish for the day. In Turkey, by contrast, many Syrians are unable to send their children to public school.

Only half of refugee children receive any education, the film says.

The young Americans secure credentials to live in the camp, but then are told that they won’t be allowed to stay overnight because Jordanian authorities cannot protect them from gangs and robbers who might think they have money or other valuables.

Though they are able to film inside the camp for 10 months, the Americans leave each night for the city of Mafraq.

Crucially, the two realize that 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan live outside the refugee camps. Those who remain can’t leave and work without a Jordanian sponsor, making them beholden to a cash-strapped U.N. agency.

The Za’atari camp maintains some semblance of an economy as a small city and boasts a market dubbed “Champs-Élysées.” Some people piece together ramshackle homes.

But the camp lacks proper sewage and has an overloaded electrical grid.

Few options are available, though, for people waiting out a civil war that has caused more than 300,000 deaths. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Gail Solomon, Mike Kessler (center) and Jack Fishman celebrate the Red Cross award for the quarterly Jewish community blood drive.

AA Blood Drive Honored

The American Red Cross recently honored Ahavath Achim Synagogue for hosting the Jewish community’s quarterly blood drive since 1968.

Gail Solomon, the drive’s chair the past eight years, accepted the Red Cross’ Sponsor Group of the Year award at a volunteer recognition ceremony at Turner Field’s 755 Club on June 21.

Fulton Masonic Lodge No. 216 and Jewish War Veteran Post 112 launched the quarterly blood drive in 1949. The event moved to AA, which became a cosponsor, in 1968 under the chairmanship of Jerry Fields.

Congregation Shearith Israel became a co-sponsor this year.

“When my mother had surgery for colon cancer, she needed 9 pints of

blood on the operating table to save her life,” Solomon said. “In her memory and for those who need blood to live, I will continue to donate blood as long as I am able.”

Healthy people give blood from age 17 into their 80s, she said. “Elliott Rich from Shearith Israel and Richard Siegel from Ahavath Achim Synagogue have given more than 17 to 18 gallons of blood each.”

Jack Fishman has given blood regularly for more than 40 years and is now a leading donor of platelets, which can be given much more often than whole blood.

“We are now up to 268 consecutive quarters” of holding the blood drive, said Mike Kessler, a member of the Fulton Masonic Lodge. “It’s the oldest continuous blood drive in the city of Atlanta, perhaps even in Georgia or the U.S.” The goal is to collect 100 pints of blood each quarter. The next drive is Sunday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at AA, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead. Walk-ins are welcome, but you can save time by making an appointment at www.redcrossblood.org (enter code JWV). Contact Solomon at 404351-1900 or gailsol@gmail.com with any questions.

Sharks Love Game Givers

Game Givers, a nonprofit founded

by Jewish Atlanta teenager Max Rubenstein, won praise from a panel of judges at San Diego Comic-Con’s Pop Culture Shark Tank on Friday, July 22.

Game Givers (www.gamegivers. org) provides video games to hospitalbound children. The organization also hosts fundraising video game tournaments. Game Givers has raised more than $53,000 and has received more than 1,000 donations of new and used video games and consoles.

Rubenstein and the heads of three other startups pitched their concepts to the Shark Tank panel, which unanimously supported Game Givers for the potential of its business concept. Judges were also impressed by Rubenstein’s poise and professionalism.

The panel “was an awesome experience,” the 16-year-old Galloway School student said. “I was impressed by the other companies that participated alongside of me, and I gained a lot of valuable experience presenting to business leaders. The experience also gave me even more confidence in the business concept behind Game Givers and its potential to make a positive difference in the lives of kids across the country and around the world.”

AJC Pushes Issues at RNC

Georgia state Sen. Judson Hill (RMarietta) was part of a panel discussion on anti-Semitism hosted by American Jewish Committee at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. It was one of two panels AJC organized.

Joining Hill on July 19 were Congressman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and Suhail Khan, the senior fellow for Muslim-Christian understanding at the Institute of Global Engagement. Julie Rayman, AJC’s director of political outreach, moderated the discussion.

Hill said anti-Semitism is growing but in different forms, in part because of the anonymity of platforms such as Twitter. “People will say things behind a computer that they’ll never say to your face.”

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was featured during an AJC discussion on global issues July 20.

Corker warned of a global shift toward isolationism, seen in the British vote to Sen. Bob Corker leave the European Union and in opposition to the TransPacific Partnership.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

LOCAL NEWS

AJT 17

BUSINESS Photos by David R. Cohen

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Experimac Brings Apple Back to School

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Neil Kent has been an Apple fanatic for 30 years, so when he heard about the opportunity to open his own Apple store, he jumped at it.

Kent opened the first Experimac franchise off Roswell Road in Sandy Springs almost two years ago. The shop specializes in all things Apple, including repairs, upgrades and sales of used machines.

“Every great thing that has ever happened in my life was somehow tied to Apple and its products,” Kent said.

“That was the draw for me: I get to own my own Apple store.”

Kent grew up a mile from Apple’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. He said the company was behind some key moments in his life, from transitioning into white-collar work in the late 1980s while selling computer peripherals to meeting his future wife and stepson.

He worked for Apple for nearly five years before taking an event management job in San Francisco. The long commute took too much time from his family, so he followed an opportunity to Atlanta.

Once here, Kent worked with a business broker to open his own business and learned about a small computer shop in West Palm Beach, Fla., looking to franchise. The chance to work with Apple products again went against his original plan but was too tempting to reject.

“I was certain when I started my search that I did not want a franchise, and I did not want a startup,” he said.

“But here I am in a franchise and the

very first franchisee. So you can’t be more of a startup.”

Since he took the plunge in November 2014, Experimac has grown to five locations in Georgia and 50 across the country.

According to Kent, the business model works because Apple computers, phones and tablets are built to last.

He said he regularly works on MacBooks that are 5 to 8 years old.

“All Apple devices work together so well,” he said. “Everything just syncs.

The fact that every morning I hit a button and my screen comes on, it just works.”

Kent and his three employees have found success repairing and selling used Apple products. He said customers are amazed at how much they can save by buying a used MacBook or iPad instead of a new one.

With school starting up, Kent is getting ready for his busiest time of the year. Last August his shop sold out of its inventory.

“We want parents to know that we’re here for their back-to-school needs. We will literally save a family $400 to $1,000 off their computer. We think of it as the smart shopper’s alternative to the mall,” Kent said.

In the end, he said, he finds joy in helping people, and he brags about his 119 five-star reviews out of 120 on Facebook, Google and Yelp. That last review? Only four stars.

“When I have a mom come in crying because her hard drive crashed and every photo of her kid is on there,” he said, “the days when we’re able to retrieve that data for them are the days that thrill me the most.” ■

SPORTS

Playoffs Start For Synagogue League As the summer draws to a close, so does the annual Atlanta Men’s Synagogue Softball League. Postseason play in all three divisions began July 31 for the 23-team double-elimination tournament.

In the A league, nine-time defending champion B’nai Torah easily handled Ariel 16-6 in the opening round but was defeated in the second by The Temple 18-8 and will face the winner of Ahavath Achim and Dor Tamid on Sunday, Aug. 7, to attempt to move on to the quarterfinals.

Beth Tefillah, the top seed in A, won two close games to move on to the semifinals against The Temple.

The B league’s opening round featured a trio of tight games, with the highlight being Etz Chaim’s clash with Chabad. The two squads took an 8-8 tie into extra innings, and Chabad sealed the win with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Or Hadash and Young Israel, which defeated Beth Tikvah and Chabad, respectively, will face each other Aug. 7 for a trip to the semifinals.

In the C league, Beth Shalom and Sinai 2 will face each other in the quarterfinals Aug. 7. ■

Aug. 7 Schedule East Roswell Park 1:30 — Beth Tefillah vs. Temple | Temple 2 vs. Beth Tikvah 2 2:45 — Or VeShalom vs. Ariel | Beth Shalom vs. Sinai 2 4 — Ahavath Achim vs. Dor Tamid | DTEC 2 vs. B’nai Torah 2 5:30 — Kol Emeth vs. winner of DTEC 2/B’nai Torah 2 | B’nai Torah vs. winner of AA/Dor Tamid

Ocee Park Beth Jacob vs. Emanu-El 10:15 — Gesher L’Torah vs. Etz Chaim | Chabad vs. winner of Beth Jacob/Emanu-El 11:30 — Beth Tikvah vs. winner of Gesher L’Torah/Etz Chaim

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

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AJT 19

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Starting quarterback Matt Ryan is joined by two other QBs, Matt Simms and Sean Renfree.

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One of the Falcons’ most expensive offseason acquisitions, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, spends some time after practice with his young son.

Falcons running back Tevin Coleman is expected to play a bigger role this year.

The Atlanta Falcons officially began training camp Thursday, July 28, and team owner Arthur Blank joined the rest of the Falcons players, staff and coaches during the drills at the team’s Flowery Branch headquarters.

The Falcons finished last season at 8-8 after starting 5-0 and look to improve in 2016 with the big-splash signings of center Alex Mack, wide receiver

Mohamed Sanu and first-round draft pick safety Keanu Neal.

The team hasn’t had a Jewish player on the roster since opting not to resign offensive lineman Gabe Carimi in 2015.

The regular season begins Sunday, Sept. 11, vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ■

Blank Busy as Falcons Begin Training Camp

SPORTS

Softball, Soccer Help Schools Kick Off Fall Summer break is over, and student athletes at the Davis Academy, Atlanta Jewish Academy, the Weber School and the Epstein School are ready to get back on the field, court and track for the fall sports season. Here are some highlights of what to watch for at some of Atlanta’s Jewish day schools.

Weber

AJA

Atlanta Jewish Academy’s varsity volleyball team is continuing summer workouts while preparing for the fall season. Coach Lesley Thompson is confident that AJA will have an exciting season with eight returning players, including seniors Naomi Moosai and Brooke Ratner, and a strong group of

The Atlanta Jewish Academy middle school volleyball team finished first in its division last season.

freshmen. The first game is Thursday, Aug. 11, at St. Francis.

The middle school volleyball team also has high hopes. Under Coach Penny Eisenstein, the middle school team has won 85 percent of its games and last season finished first in the division.

The middle school season starts Sept. 1.

AJA’s middle school soccer team is trying to repeat last year’s first-place division finish. Its first game is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Davis

The Davis Academy’s 2016 Athletes of the Year, Simon Ben-Moshe and Madison Kamean, graduated in the spring with the Class of 2016.

Davis has hired Erin Sweigert as the newest member of the physical education staff; she is coaching soccer this year. Preseason training for Davis Middle School fall sports (volleyball, softball, soccer and cross country) begins Aug. 9 to 11; tryouts take place the following week.

Epstein

The Epstein School is looking to build on last year’s success with a large eighth-grade class.

Softball, boys basketball, baseball, and boys track and field all posted top four finishes last year.

Epstein hopes to turn that momentum into some Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference championships. ■ The Epstein School track and field team finished third at the MAAC Middle School Track & Field Championships in May with strong performances from (from left) Eitan Ventura, Avi Young, Jay Satisky, Tal Brill, Isaac Jaye, Ella Gamson and Josh Aronstein.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

As the Weber School heads into its first year of competition in the Georgia High School Association, it does so with two of its most successful programs carrying the torch and the second-year Rams softball team looking to build some respect in Class A competition.

Weber’s volleyball team will play a full schedule of area and nonarea matches. With the additions of transfers Jolie Seir and Fiona Neidorf to a roster featuring 10 returning players and four seniors, the Rams are looking forward to a solid season. They open with a nonarea match at Atlanta International School on Friday, Aug. 12.

Going into his fifth season, Rams cross-country head coach Kristan Moses fields a young but talented roster of girls and boys. Led by Luke Pearlman, Brent Rodgers, Andrew Freedman, Sydney Rein, Courtney Berman and Hannah Krinsky, Weber looks to make some noise in one of the fastest crosscountry regions at any level in Georgia.

In the second year of Rams softball, head coach Scott Seagraves is looking for his young roster to continue building a softball tradition. Jessica Seagraves and Lindsey Gelernter lead the way this season with new pitcher Liana Slomka. The Rams open at Holy Innocents’ on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

AJT 21

ARTS

Temple Bombing Key To Alliance Season

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

By Patrice Worthy

AJT 22

The 2016-17 Alliance Theatre season draws on stories of the past and present to take audiences on journeys of private sacrifice made by those who stand up for freedom.

The Alliance season commemorates the 150th anniversary of The Temple by performing “The Temple Bombing” from Feb. 22 to March 12. It follows the events that led to the 1958 attack in response to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild’s unwavering support of the civil rights movement. Janice Rothschild Blumberg, the rabbi’s widow, said the timing is significant because of the similarities between the past and present.

“I think it’s important to know the past to guide the future. People don’t know how similar this was to what is going on now and what was going on in the African-American community,” Blumberg said. “There were drive-bys in the African-American community that were not being reported. The bombing of The Temple was the beginning of the end because it was the beginining of them knowing it would be made public.”

The Alliance stays with the civil rights movement with “Too Heavy for Your Pocket” by Jiréh Breon Holder, the winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition and former Kenny Leon Fellow.

Running Feb. 4 to 26, the play follows two couples navigating the Jim Crow South. Like “The Temple Bombing,” this intense play explores the true cost of freedom by turning a microscope on interpersonal relationships.

Blumberg said she is proud of the city’s evolution since the bombing and is most pleased with the changing cultural landscape. “The most exciting change is diversity,” she said. “I love to see all the things Martin Luther King Jr. made possible for us.”

Mark Kendall, a member of Dad’s Garage, is pushing the envelope with “The Magic Negro and Other Blackity Blackness, as Told by an AfricanAmerican Man Who Also Happens to Be Black,” a one-man show March 24 to April 15.

“Listen up: The Braves have moved to Cobb County, and in a strange turn of events MARTA has built a rail line to Cobb County. This is what we have all been waiting for: We can finally take black crime to Cobb County,” he joked. “And if anyone asks if you’re Ste-

vie Wonder because you have a grand piano on a MARTA train, the answer is always yes!”

The fictitious turn of events highlights issues behind the slow progress of expanding public transportation in Atlanta and emphasizes the delusions that often fuel racism.

Jewish playwright Janece Shaffer delivered the biggest surprise of the recent preview evening when she talked about her latest work, “Troubadour.”

The love story, whose premiere run is Jan. 18 to Feb. 12, revolves around an aging country music legend and his son.

Shaffer explores themes of endings, unlikely pairs and finding your voice. Shaffer, who wrote “The Geller Girls,” said she wanted to write a story about country music beyond the cliché of the typical American country tale.

“I didn’t want to write a piece where people are sad,” she said. “I wanted to write a piece where people play music because they’re musicians.”

To complete the score, Shaffer said, she stalked Kristian Bush of Sugarland. They wrote the first song over biscuits, and from there “Troubadour” was born. After rehashing the story, Shaffer introduced Bush, who performed a song from the play.

“It’s hard to tell I didn’t know these people,” Bush said about the music he wrote for the play. “The story takes place at the Grand Ole Opry, and I just played there last week. It looks the same, so I had to make it sound the same.”

The Alliance season opens with the premiere of “The Prom” from Aug. 18 to Sept. 25, continues with “Ugly Lies the Bone” Sept. 16 to Oct. 9 and “Moby Dick” Oct. 12 to 30, and includes “Courtenay’s Cabaret: Home for the Holidays” Dec. 2 to 24.

More details and tickets are available at alliancetheatre.org. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Book Fest ‘Society’ High for Woody Allen Plots 4-Part Prologue The Marcus Jewish Community Center hasn’t announced the full lineup for the 25th Book Festival of the JCC in November, but it is bringing in four headlining authors in September to get readers warmed up for the main event.

The ol’ ball coach, Steve Spurrier, kicks off the season of festival prologues with a free event Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m. The former football coach at the University of Florida, the University of South Carolina, Duke and the Washington Redskins will sign copies of his memoir, “Head Ball Coach: My Life in Football, Doing It Differently — and Winning.”

The book tracks Spurrier’s life from his childhood in Tennessee to his Heisman Trophy-winning playing career and his coaching days in college and the pros, including a national championship with the Gators.

You have to buy a book at the event to get it signed, and Spurrier won’t sign any memorabilia.

Tickets for each of the other three prologue events are $10 for JCC members and $15 for nonmembers.

Joby Warrick appears at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 13, to talk about this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for nonfiction, “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS.” Warrick’s narrative draws on access to high-level CIA and Jordanian sources to trace how the terrorist organization grew from something President Barack Obama could dismiss as the junior varsity to become the scourge of Europe.

Novelist Carl Hiaasen talks about his latest work, “Razor Girl,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22. The comic novel tells the story of Merry Mansfield, the book’s eponymous scam artist.

Kristin Hannah brings the series of prologues to an epic close at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, with her novel about two sisters in World War II, “The Nightingale,” which she’ll discuss with former Atlanta Journal-Constitution book columnist Greg Changnon. Amazon named the novel one of the five best books of 2015.

All four events will be held at the JCC’s Zaban Park campus, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.

To purchase tickets, call 678-8124005, or visit www.atlantajcc.org/ bookfestival.

Tickets for the Book Festival itself, which is scheduled for Nov. 5 to 20, will go on sale Sept. 1. ■

I am not a worshipful Woody Allen fan from his early zany works, such as “Bananas” and “Take the Money and Run,” so before dedicating a Saturday night to him, I researched “Café Society,” his newly released film about a 1930s Jewish Bronx native who moves to Hollywood, where he falls in love with the secretary of his powerful uncle (Steve Carell), an agent to the stars.

After returning to New York, he’s swept up in the elegant world of high society as a glamorous underworld nightclub manager. The early reviews were cautious at best, including pans

like “Allen at 80 is tired and lazy.”

The New York Times weighed in via reviewer A.O. Scott on July 14, who wrote: “ ‘Café Society,’ Woody Allen’s new movie, comes wrapped in a double layer of nostalgia.”

Dorothy Fierman Carrillo, who teaches a Woody Allen course, “Themes, Discussion, Reaction,” at Emory University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, said: “This was not his best, although the sets, scenery and costumes were superb. If you are a diehard fan, go see it. If not, you can skip.”

So I gambled that “Café Society” was worth the price of a Lefont senior ticket, and I was not disappointed.

I fell for Jesse Eisenberg’s conflict-

ed search for love and legitimacy.

Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart tantalizingly play Allen’s muses for an awkward, shlumpy boy charming the WASPy girls with his naiveté and selfproclaimed “Jewish exoticism.”

Meanwhile, the Eisenberg character’s family back in New York make for a bucket full of Jewish angst.

“I pray all the time, but nobody answers me,” his parents say. With the Yiddish response: “Sometimes no answer is an answer.”

I give “Café Society” a double chai.

The old cars, hairstyles and costumes alone were worth the price of admission. And can we ever resist the temptation of our first love? ■

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 23

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

ORT Reclaims Past to Revive Its Future

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

When Marty Greenberg was hired as CEO of ORT America a year ago, he knew it was a turnaround job. The educational organization born as a way to lift Jews out of Russian poverty in the 19th century had lost it name recognition in the 21st century.

Sixty years ago, Greenberg said, if you had stopped 100 Jews on the street, all of them would have known what ORT was. Now, he said, 99 of them would have no idea.

“People don’t know us anymore.

They don’t know ORT,” Greenberg said during a visit to Atlanta in mid-July. An assessment among staff and supporters concluded that ORT had fallen to the fourth tier of Jewish charities.

Greenberg blamed changes in society and the passage of time for American Jews, most of whose ancestors arrived in this country by 1920. “As you get further from the immigrant experience and you become more successful in America, it’s harder to remember that people out there need to be pulled up by their bootstraps and need to get educated and taught how to work.”

AJT 24

The renovated Panovka Family Lounge is helping students feel at home at Hodayot.

So the organization launched a strategic plan dubbed “2 for 2 and 42”: In two years, by Jan. 1, 2018, ORT America aims to move up two levels to the second tier, with operations such as the Weizmann Institute and Friends of Ben-Gurion University, and to increase its annual fundraising by 42 percent, from $7 million to $10 million.

The interim goal for 2016 is to increase fundraising $1 million by shifting targets from social ORT members — the kind who used to pay $36 to be part of the organization — to major donors. The strategy seems to be working, Greenberg said. “I’m confident, optimistic, that we’re going to reach it, and

The auditorium, whose needs include a new stage, is the next target for Atlanta donors to the Hodayot project.

we want Atlanta to be part of it.”

The immediate way ORT’s Atlanta chapter has become a part of it is through the extensive modernization of the Hodayot youth village in the Galilee. Donors such as Hilly Panovka and the family of the late Joe Cohen, who was a national ORT president, have contributed to the overhaul of the dining hall, the student lounge and the science lab to make those facilities the envy of students anywhere.

Greenberg said that not only didn’t he have anything like the new Hodayot lab, unveiled this summer, but neither did his children when they attended Jewish day schools.

He said one of Hodayot’s high school students couldn’t stop laughing and crying out of disbelief when she first saw the renovated lab. “There it was,” Greenberg said, “what the work is all about.”

The school auditorium, at a cost of about $100,000, is next on the renovation list, but the work at the school is unlikely to end. Greenberg said it’s like fixing up your home: As soon as you put in new carpet, you realize you have to get new furniture.

Atlanta’s relationship with Hodayot is setting a standard for ORT, Greenberg said. ORT America’s Israeli affiliate, Kadima Mada, is taking over a run-down youth village in Israel, and the Detroit chapter is adopting it for renovations along the same model of cooperation.

“Atlanta should be very proud,” Greenberg said of Hodayot. “I believe the day will come when people will visit and it will be gorgeous and we’ll have to remind them how it used to be.”

While ORT looks toward a brighter future for its Israeli programs and its U.S. fundraising, it’s also holding on to an important part of its Russian past.

ORT began in 1880 in St. Petersburg, and the organization still provides science, technology, engineering and math education at 16 Russian schools. But those ORT STEM programs get no government funding, and the private money is running out.

So ORT has launched a campaign to finance the 450 students at its original St. Petersburg facility, the Gunzburg School. It costs $550 a year for each student; ORT is seeking donors of $1,100 to cover two years and secure the future of the program. Greenberg hopes Atlantans will be part of that half-million-dollar campaign.

If all goes according to plan, ORT America will have a big mission to Russia when school opens in 2017 to celebrate its success and the extension of a 135-year commitment to the education of Russian Jews. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Decatur Keeps Silent About Saturday School The origins and reasons for a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule for Decatur’s public schools remain mysterious, educator and author Tom Keating acknowledges.

Keating, the author of the 1999 book “Saturday School: How One Town Kept Out ‘the Jewish’ 1902-32,” spoke to the DeKalb History Center on Tuesday, July 19, about Decatur’s use of Saturday instead of Monday for classes early in the 20th century.

At a scant 60 pages, Keating’s book was criticized at its release for being short and for raising more questions than answers. The lunchtime discussion at the Historic DeKalb Courthouse expanded on the topic based on recent research involving the school board members who implemented what Keating called “this peculiar practice.”

“This had been a practice on and off — mainly on — from 1902 and lasted till 1932,” Keating said. “The story was not easy to learn about; it was buried.”

The Christian defense of holding school on Saturday instead of Monday was that the practice allowed students to worship on Sunday without worrying about homework and preparation for class the next day.

In the book Keating speculates that the policy actually was created to preclude Jewish families from living in Decatur. “The years of this practice have never been acknowledged by the city nor apologized for, neither by the city commission nor by its school board, though the board did acknowledge it. Maybe the story of Saturday school will be lost in the graveyard of selective history.”

An audience member asked Keating what triggered the rule in the first place. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t find out. People didn’t talk about it, though women were more forthcoming than men to discuss it. If you ask someone why they did the deed, they’re not always eager to tell you.”

Another attendee wondered what pushback the school board received from the Jewish community. Not much, apparently. “A prominent rabbi told me those folks weren’t going to services anyway. You already had, from the 1840s until 1924, an influx of three generations of German-background Jewish folk,” Keating said. “But then you had Russian ones coming. … There was pushback against them, so there was

no time for a secret that nobody talked about.”

He added: “It was not so much a secret as it was a mystery and something that was never uncovered. The good old days were not really good old days. The 1920s was one of the most bigoted (decades) in the 20th century.”

Keating said his own grandfather, who moved to the United States from Ireland in 1913, would have seen plenty of signs reading, “Catholics need not apply here.”

Were there any Jewish children who actually attended Decatur public schools on Saturdays?

“Yes,” Keating said, mentioning two or three families near the end of

the 30-year period.

“Saturday school is an early example of the tension between inclusion and exclusion,” he said. “Anti-Semitism was played out in Decatur in a unique manner, and for that reason alone it’s worth researching and sharing.” ■ Since publishing a brief history in 1999, Tom Keating has continued researching the reasons behind Decatur’s holding of public school on Saturdays early in the 20th century.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 25

EDUCATION

Anti-Semitic Backlash Smacks 14-Year-Old Poet

By Carlie Ladinsky

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A Jewish Atlantan’s 14-year-old son took social and traditional media by storm with his poem “White Boy Privilege,” only to face a wave of negative comments, including some laced with anti-Semitism.

The YouTube video (youtu.be/ g4Q1jZ-LOT0) of teen actor Royce Mann reciting his poem, which won the Paideia School’s 2016 poetry contest, went viral and produced a viral backlash.

One YouTube comment reads, “What you have isn’t ‘white privilege’ it’s ‘rich kid privilege’ (looks like ‘rich white Jewish kid privilege’), idiot!”

Royce, whose poem touched a nerve as the nation debated violence by and against police, said he is not Jewish but “the Jewish faith is very much a part of who I am. My dad is Jewish, along with much of my extended family. It makes me sad to see how much anti-Semitism still exists in our world.

It is a huge problem that is often overshadowed by other awful types of prejudice. No one should be discriminated against for their beliefs, especially the Jewish people, who have been persecuted for hundreds of years. It is time for the world to grow up. It is time for people to realize that someone’s race, gender, sexuality and religion do not dictate who they are on the inside.”

Royce’s father, Barry Mann Stewart, said he was raised in Reform synagogues in New Jersey and Florida, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah, and traveled to Israel several times, including a Jewish Federation study mission.

“I am not a practicing Jew but consider myself culturally Jewish and committed to many of the basic values of our faith,” he said, adding that he and his wife, Sheri Stewart Mann, “have conducted our family life and raised our sons in a humanistic tradition, honoring both our Jewish heritage and other faith traditions. I’m extremely proud of Royce for the wisdom and empathy he exhibits in his slam poetry and performances. I’m saddened but not surprised that people have taken advantage of the anonymity of social media to express ignorant, hateful, anti-Semitic views.”

Most of the negative comments about “White Boy Privilege” cite Royce’s Jewish heritage.

“While he slams all white people, he, because of his Jewishness, is more likely to get accepted to ivy league

schools, get a high paying position at a financial firm or bank upon graduation, etc.,” one commenter wrote.

Another wrote: “Yes, and ironically, I’ll bet this little poRoyce Mann em-writing bastard was taught to hate all Muslims — especially Palestinians; guaranteed he’d never write a poem about Jewish privilege in Israel; no, I’m sure he thinks it’s fine and dandy that Jewish people keep Palestinians out of their neighborhoods, put them in open air concentration camps, kill children playing soccer on the beach or just walking along the street, and keep them from certain jobs.”

Royce has appeared this summer on several talk shows and shared more of his thoughts about racial equality.

In the beginning of his poem, he specifically addresses “middle- and upper-class white boys,” so he does realize that not all white youths are privileged.

But he recognizes that white privilege is present even when its beneficiaries don’t see it or acknowledge it.

He confirms major changes since the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s but argues that there is a long way to go even though textbooks make it seem as if the problem is solved.

“To be honest I’m scared of what it would be like if I wasn’t on the top rung if the tables were turned and I didn’t have my white boy privilege safety blankie to protect me,” his poem says.

Yet the spread of the poem has undermined that safety as the hateful comments have piled up.

Royce’s mother, who grew up Christian and now considers herself agnostic, said she is distressed but not surprised by the anti-Semitic hate directed at the younger of her two sons.

“The current political climate seems to have exacerbated fellow humans’ feelings that it’s fine to direct threats of physical harm, death, and insults and obscenities at a 14-yearold and his family via the mail, on our home phone, and in hundreds of places on the Internet and via social media,” she said. “While he still insists on reading some of the comments regularly, he says that it motivates him. I can only assume that others who have stood for change have been able to use the same motivation throughout history.” ■

EDUCATION

Weber Director of Admissions Rise Arkin joins a group of Camp Barney Medintz campers this summer for a “Why Be Jewish” discussion. The answers ranged from “Because it’s awesome” and “Jews have a good military” to “Tradition” and “Community.”

By Arlene Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com

When the Weber School opens for the 2016-17 school year Monday, Aug. 15, its 235 high school students can expect a ramped-up curriculum and an enthusiastic faculty.

Rabbi Ed Harwitz, who has been the head of school for three years, talked about the nondenominational Jewish day school in Sandy Springs, which has added many electives he calls “innovative and creative.”

“At Weber we have an active collaboration between students and faculty,” the educator said. “During the summer three groups of students called me and said they had ideas for new courses.”

A new travel-study program was implemented, and a new athletic team will be added, he said.

Rabbi Harwitz is proud to lead a school where the students know they can express their desires and have the administration respond.

“For Weber to be a great Jewish high school, we need their ideas,” he said.

This year Weber will have a dance program, a theater program and other electives that contribute to students having many options and opportunities.

The school is introducing specialty courses that last for only 20 days.

Rabbi Harwitz said these courses will be unusual and enriching.

Just as the Weber curriculum takes into account the views of the students as well as the knowledge of the faculty, the school prides itself on integrating Jewish and general learning.

“This is contrary to Jewish tradition,” Rabbi Harwitz said.

Jewish schools frequently separate Jewish studies Rabbi Ed Harwitz from general studsays it’s important ies, but the Weber that the students philosophy has its have a say in the course offerings. roots in the Talmud.

“Maimonides laid out a vision to fully integrate philosophy, politics and history. It’s one world of learning. We teach science and literature but have a Jewish studies perspective,” Rabbi Harwitz said.

One new course at Weber addresses the right to privacy. The classes will take into account U.S. constitutional law, look at the right to bear arms, and address liberty and freedom.

Students will be asked how Jewish law speaks to those issues.

“An important aspect is our students will emerge with a variety of skills allowing them to compare Jewish history and law to their American counterparts,” the head of school said.

Rabbi Harwitz said the world needs young people who are educated to think in integrative ways. The unified curriculum at the high school is designed to do that.

“We have a higher calling,” Rabbi Harwitz said.

“We want to be true to Jewish tradition and Jewish education while integrating two different sets of standards to live in the 21st century. Our curriculum reflects a high level of creativity and innovation.” ■

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Students Help Weber Innovate in Classroom

AJT 27

EDUCATION

Davis Academy Building Dramatic Possibilities

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

By Eddie Samuels

AJT 28

On the verge of completing its newest building, the Davis Academy has a clear goal for the upcoming year: growth.

The latest addition to the Reform day school sits in the space once occupied by the lower school cafeteria. It is to feature a 600-seat theater, among other rooms.

The groundbreaking was held in February, and the building is on track to be finished in December and unveiled in January. Though still a work in progress, the possibilities are endless for the theater, Associate Head of School Drew Frank said. In the immediate future, the school’s spring musical and graduation ceremony will take place there, and Frank said TEDed and TEDx events might even be on the horizon.

While the theater is the most striking feature of the new building, it includes a number of new rooms for students, including spaces for video editing, music and prayer.

“We’ve had a number of rooms that we’ve used for years that have done a fine job,” Frank said. “Those rooms were not specifically designed with those functions in mind, and now we’re getting to create unique spaces.”

He said he’s excited about the new idea lab. “It is a room with a concrete floor, ductwork exposed. Kids can get in there and do woodshop of old and tinkering, coding, soldering of new. It will be a beautifully messy place.”

In addition to the new education spaces, the building features a kitchen for made-from-scratch meals. Davis has had a questionable reputation for its lunch service, something Frank is well aware of. The new kitchen will be run by Sage Dining Services, The building is the product of a campaign to raise $7.5 million. The foundation and basic structure are complete, and internal walls and structures are being finalized. The building is far from finished, but the vision for the space is evident after only a few minutes inside.

It doesn’t take long to see how excited the administrators are about the expansion; it’s their focus as they gear up for the back-to-school season. Though the new school year is not bringing too many other changes, Frank said one goal is to focus on creating one community across its two

“Having that theater space opens a number of doors for us,” Davis Associate Head of School Drew Frank says.

campuses, which are about a half-mile apart.

“We made a conscious effort about two years ago to move toward K-8 administrative roles,” Frank said. “It’s been a really nice fit. Last year we expanded the all-school Kabbalat Shabbats. This year we’re looking at ways to bring different grades or classes down here (to the lower school) for individual mentoring or leading the lower school students.”

In addition, Rabbi Micah Lapidus is producing the school’s third album.

The previous albums included a number of prayers set to contemporary tunes, arranged by Rabbi Lapidus.

“We’re always trying to evolve,” Frank said. “I think a lot of this is about looking to the future. We now have this space that presents all kinds of opportunities. We could bring in a keynote speaker for a conference down the road. Not that our facility ever lacked, but having that theater space opens a number of doors for us.”

Going into its 24th year, Davis shows no signs of slowing down as its evolution continues.

“There will be a lot that changes between the beginning of the year and the end of the year,” Frank said. “For example, we’ll start the year with everyone bringing lunches and eating off plastic tables in what used to be a classroom and end the year with a beautiful new cafeteria and food made from scratch.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

TDSA Administrators Plan Parental Partnership

By R.M. Grossblatt

Peshie Kasloff, the new director of general studies, says she loves to be in the classroom.

children are not insulated from these events,” he said. He urged the adults, as parents and teachers, to give the children a sense of “security and timeless values.”

At the end of his speech, Rabbi Gottlieb told the parents, “I look forward and am delighted to have you as a partner.” Then, in introducing Kasloff, he said he also looks forward to working with TDSA’s new head of general studies.

“You are entrusting your children to me, and I take it very seriously,” Kasloff said.

Born and raised in Montreal, she was a teacher and assistant principal in Canada. The past 18 years she served as a principal and teacher in Denver.

She was granted a master’s in curriculum and instruction and a doctorate in educational leadership. Kasloff said that her favorite place to be is sitting at a table with the children. “I have a beautiful office,” she said, “but I love being in the classroom.”

In addition to her educational qualifications, Kasloff is a certified life coach with a special interest in positive psychology. She uses her life-coaching skills to help children and adults solve problems. She believes in giving children “what they need to feel good … and personalize their education.”

To the parents, she stressed that “we need to be clear in our expectations” and “consistently follow through.”

Like Rabbi Gottlieb, Kasloff looks forward to working as a team with teachers, students and parents. She added that she is also working closely with Linda Rabinowitz, who will assume the position of academic dean.

Rabinowitz has been with Torah Day School for 31 years and will continue to chair the school improvement committee to monitor and maintain accreditation. She will also implement Title I and II programs, research and develop curricula, oversee technology, and coordinate extracurricular activities.

All three administrators are working to ensure a smooth transition and success for the students in the upcoming year at TDSA. ■

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Torah Day School of Atlanta introduced Rabbi Elimelech Gottlieb, its acting head of school, and Peshie Kasloff, the head of general studies, to a room full of parents Wednesday, July 20, at the home of Barry and Judith Levitt.

Rabbi Gottlieb, an educational consultant and founding director of the Institute for Day School Management, which trains heads of school, assured the parents that he shares their vision for success. Quoting Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, he said, “The home can do little without the school.

But the school can do nothing without the home.”

The son of Holocaust survivors, Rabbi Gottlieb grew up in Scranton, Pa., where his parents gave him the foundation for a life devoted to others.

As a teenager, he lived in New York. He then attended the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva in Israel and then in Queens. The yeshiva, which awarded him smicha (rabbinic ordination), emphasized outreach along with personal refinement and growth in character.

Rabbi Gottlieb holds a master’s in education from Long Island University and a specialist certificate in education from Yeshiva University. He has worked in the field of education as a teacher, principal and consultant for over 25 years and is completing his doctoral research through YU. At the meet-and-greet session, Rabbi Gottlieb asked, “What are the predictors of success?”

He said the least predictor of success is intelligence. Then he cited a book written by Benjamin Bloom: “Developing Talent in Young People.”

Bloom writes that high achievers have three things in common: “practice, supportive parents and devoted teachers.”

Rabbi Gottlieb, who is succeeding Rabbi Joshua Einzig, agrees.

“Devoted teachers have to love what they’re doing and love the kids,” he said. And “they must use effective instruction to engage and challenge their students.”

He said children will respond to warmth and challenge from teachers as well as parents. The rabbi extended his own warmth and challenge to the parents. “My door is open to all of you,” he told them. “It’s great to disagree … just not in front of the children.”

Taking the national news seriously, Rabbi Gottlieb noted that the previous four had brought attacks in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Nice, France. “Our

Rabbi Elimelech Gottlieb endorses the idea that the keys to student success are practice, supportive parents and devoted teachers.

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EDUCATION

It’s Never Too Early YOY’s New Principal to Prepare for College. Impressed by Atlanta

By R.M. Grossblatt

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Our approach will impact your child’s success in college and in life.

Take the time to explore our website.

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Contact Steven W. Cook, PhD swc@collegebridge.net or 404.983.4573

Share your Simchas with Your Atlanta Jewish Community for Free

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

• • • •

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Birth Announcements Weddings Bar/Bat Mitzvahs Anniversaries

Visit www.atlantajewishtimes.com/simchas to submit your announcement and photos or call 404-883-2130

Rabbi Avrohom Tkatch is moving to Atlanta to become the menahel (principal) at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. “Atlanta has a unique yeshiva serving students with a wide range of backgrounds,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity in a positive environment.”

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael offers high schools boys a classical yeshiva education with a fully accredited college prep general studies program. For the new school year, Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael has 50 boys attending from local families, including 17 ninth-graders.

Growing up in Overland Park, Kan., Rabbi Tkatch attended the Yeshiva of South Bend, Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem and Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J. He joined an outreach kollel in Bensalem, Pa., then moved to South Bend, Ind. For the past 11 years at Yeshiva of South Bend, he served as the 12th-grade rebbe; he was the principal for seven of those years.

In preparation for accepting the position at YOY, Rabbi Tkatch traveled south three times to visit the Jewish boys high school. He said he saw serious Torah learning coupled with a challenging general studies program.

“The whole environment is nurturing,” he said. “The yeshiva is on a very nice private campus with a new

outdoor basketball court that allows that teenage energy an outlet.”

While visiting the school, Rabbi Tkatch taught a Gemorrah (Talmud) class and gave a talk on mussar (character development) Rabbi Avrohom Tkatch to the entire is the new principal at student body.

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael.

He met the other rebbeim and talked extensively with Rabbi Meir Neuberger, the rosh yeshiva.

“Rabbi Tkatch has a lot of experience in the menahel role,” Rabbi Neuberger said. “He has a very nice balance of strong presence and warm understanding of high school boys and their needs.”

The new menahel sees a healthy balance already in place at the school, where students are challenged and respected for their individuality.

Rabbi Tkatch, who enjoyed meeting people in the community, described Atlanta as “very friendly.” He plans to move into the Toco Hills neighborhood with his wife, Elisheva, and children. ■

Temima Keeps FOCUS, Adds Assistant Principal

By Tova Norman This year at Temima, the Richard and Jean Katz High School for Girls, students will meet a new assistant principal, Shira Rubin.

With over 10 years of administrative experience, Rubin will supervise general studies teachers, expand blended learning and help steadily increase technology use in the classroom.

Temima’s general studies curriculum expands and adapts regularly to give students as many educational opportunities as possible.

After the pilot year last year, Temima once again received funding from the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta for a career and self-discovery curriculum called FOCUS (Finding Occupations, Careers, Universities, Success) to

help the graduates be better prepared for life after high school.

While the general studies program continues to advance to meet student needs, it is the Torah education that sets Temima students apart.

“They have to be prepared in every way as well as every other American teenager, but there is this added dimension,” Principal Miriam Feldman said.

“They have to focus on continuing to carry Judaism into the future. … Without them it will not be inculcated into the next generation.”

A Temima student is expected to focus not only on her studies, but also on her life purpose as a Jewish woman.

“She has to do everything everyone else does and much, much more,” Feldman said. “Her life has to be focused on meaning.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

By Eddie Samuels In his second year as the Epstein School’s head of school, David AbuschMagder, known to the students as Dr. D, said that while many changes are occurring, the constants are the community and the dedication to the students.

“My first year was joyful and warm,” Abusch-Magder said. “It was a year to build relationships and get to know the community. I needed to understand the community and the school before I start assessing what we should do. In many ways that’s still transpiring.”

A number of new staff members have been brought on this year, including Shelly Kalb as the principal of the elementary school, Rabbi Lisa Gelber, Ronit Amihude as the principal of learning, teaching and innovation, and Laura Weiss as the director of recruitment and enrollment.

“Our newly configured senior educational team is fully staffed and energized,” Abusch-Magder said in his back-to-school letter to the community.

“This team will work collaboratively to move Epstein forward by building and strengthening our community and program.”

The goal for this year, he said, is to get the team on board and to work together to outline specific goals and move the school to the next level.

“We’re looking at the student experience, from 18 months to eighth grade.

We have 500 different learners. They’re all going the same direction, but they all take slightly different paths.”

Abusch-Magder said part of his goal in hiring new staff was to combine different ideas within the community.

“Bringing in new blood allows everyone, even people who’ve been here 10 years, to ask, ‘How did you do it where you used to be?’ or ‘I think we could change this.’ ” Epstein as a whole is working on several major initiatives, among which is a strategic plan that is on track to be published sometime this fall. AbuschMagder has focused on this plan because it enables him and others to outline goals as well as expectations for the school and the community.

“It shows where we are now, where we are going and how we plan to get there,” he said.

Epstein has begun revitalizing its endowment campaign, which had been dormant for close to a decade. Abusch-

David Abusch-Magder says his first year at Epstein was about building relationships and learning about the community.

Magder pointed to the astounding increases in the costs of education the past quarter-century as creating the need for the campaign.

“I would say that we’re a school full of innovators,” said Abusch-Magder, who, as a former laboratory scientist and a patent holder, knows innovation. “We have new technology, new goals, and we continue exploring what it is that we’re doing and how we can improve it.” ■

AJA Constructing Identity

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Atlanta Jewish Academy’s new head of school has learned the reality behind two Atlanta clichés: Southern hospitality is real, and the summer is unimaginably hot and humid.

Fresh from Oakland, Calif., Rabbi Ari Leubitz said he and his family are feeling at home as they settle into Jewish Atlanta and he begins to position AJA as an authentic, immersive, educationally progressive Jewish experience.

“I’m just looking forward to having the kids in the building and getting the year started,” Rabbi Leubitz said.

Those students will find some new administrators and faculty, including a second Israeli couple to help with the Hebrew immersion program.

The biggest change will be the construction site in the middle of campus.

Rabbi Leubitz said he is learning more about the fine details of building than he ever wanted to know.

The first part of the construction program — renovating the Lower School space for this school year — is on pace to be ready for the start of

classes, and he has been assured that the second stage — building out a High School space to consolidate all of the academy on one campus — also is on schedule, Rabbi Leubitz said.

With the physical work proceeding as planned, the new head of school can focus on the AJA family.

“My No. 1 goal is to meet people,” he said. With a student body of 550, “I’m trying to meet every family over the course of the year.”

One positive he has found is the depth of community interest. He has no shortage of advice from graduates, students’ parents and others.

But Rabbi Leubitz hopes longtime community members will take a newcomer’s word that preconceptions about AJA’s predecessors, Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta High, don’t apply to what is still developing into a different, unified school.

Some of that unity requires finetuning the organization to enable a new identity to emerge. Rabbi Leubitz doesn’t know exactly what that new, authentic Jewish identity will be; instead, he’ll learn as the year goes along.

“That’s the luxury of being new here.” ■

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Epstein Personalizing Student Experience

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Moshe taught the Jewish people the laws of vows and oaths. HaShem told Moshe to take revenge on the Midianites, so Moshe formed a group to go fight them and won the battle. No Jews were hurt so the officers brought extra offerings as a “thank you” to HaShem. The Jewish people acquired a lot of gold and silver from the Midianites - HaShem commanded them to kasher vessels which were once owned by non-Jews. Per their request, the tribes of Reuven and Dan, who were shepherds, received permission to live on the eastern side of the Jordan rather than in Israel. The Torah gives a recap of the journey of the Jewish people in the desert since leaving Egypt. HaShem instructed Moshe to tell all the Jewish people when they enter Israel to destroy all the places that were used to worship false gods. HaShem also reminded the people that the land is an inheritance from HaShem specifically for the Jewish people. The borders of the land are defined. Someone who accidentally kills another person must go to a city of refuge.

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torah Fun MATOT MASEI 5776 WORD FIND

Can you discover the Secret Message? Find and circle the bold, italicized words from the Torah summary in the Word Find. Write the unused Word Find letters in the spaces below to spell the Secret Message.

Have Fun!

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Which one is different?

Hint: The Torah borders of the Land of Israel

ZIN SHEFAM

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CHEVRON

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CROSSWORD Complete the crossword by translating each Hebrew

word into English. Use the parsha reference for help.

1

ACROSS

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AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

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AJT 32

2. ‫( עיר‬32:26) 3. ‫( שבועה‬30:14) 5. ‫( דם‬35:21) 7. ‫( מצרים‬33:38)

DOWN

1. ‫( ברזל‬35:16) 2. ‫( בקר‬31:38) 4. ‫( חדש‬33:3) 6. ‫( יום‬30:6)

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SECRET MESSAGE

____ _______ __ ___ ____ ___ __ ___ ____ __ ________

gematria

The Jews camped here after Rissah:

‫מב‬ – ‫לז‬

‫ת‬ x‫א‬

‫ח‬ + ‫כב‬

‫ת‬ ÷‫פ‬

‫י‬ x ‫י‬ ‫ק‬

‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת‬ 400 300 200 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

9

WORD CMRLESAB

KEIFN _____ EFACAR ______

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Hint: Items to tovel in a kaylim mikvah before usage

CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 6:52 P.M. weekly chinuch podcast - OVER 100 posted! parsha + chinuch < 5 minutes www.thefamousabba.com/podcasts

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EDUCATION Instant Donations

Grant for AJA, Berman

Atlanta Jewish Academy students have been frequent visitors at Berman Commons since the nonprofit assisted living home opened in Dunwoody last year. Upper School students often choose Berman Commons as a fun way to fulfill community service requirements, and younger students rehearse musicals and perform holiday programs for the appreciative audience.

Thanks to a Legacy Heritage Better Together grant, the intergenerational relationship between Berman Commons and AJA will be even stronger in the new academic year.

“Connecting the younger generation with the residents at Berman Commons has been a wonderful experience for us,” said Amanda Bunder, AJA’s service learning coordinator. “Seeing our students interact with their elders, learning from them and giving back to them in return is just amazing. Now the Better Together grant is enabling us to do even more to bring them together.

We’re looking forward to including our Middle School students in our visits and service learning, as well as adding more joint programming for the students and residents.”

Micah Frankel, a 10th-grader, is looking forward to spending more time with the residents. “When I work with the elderly,” he said, “I feel as if I am making people joyous and putting a smile on their faces.”

Anshel Roth, a senior, found that he gained more from his visits than he gave: “Getting to hear the story of a Holocaust survivor from the man who lived through it touched me.”

Bunder appreciates the goals of the Legacy Heritage Better Together program, which seeks to integrate aspects of Jewish living (Torah, avodah, gemilut hasadim), promote Jewish leadership in young people and encourage connections between age groups.

“It makes the students feel good,” Bunder said, “and the residents feel like they haven’t been forgotten.”

New TDSA Board Torah Day School of Atlanta, which has a new administration (see Page 29), elected a new board of trustees in late July.

Rabbi Menachem Deutsch is the board president, joined by Vice President Rabbi Eli Kerzner, Treasurer Yisrael Herscovici, Secretary Pesha Izenberg and Parliamentarian Sara Robbins. The other trustees are Eric Adelman, Levi Afrah, Yaakov Berendt, Kim Cohen, Les Czuper, Karen Kaplan, Betty Minsk, Robin Saul, Jordan Tritt and Michelle Winer.

Club J With 11 Schools

The Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Club J after-school program opens for the year Monday, Aug. 8.

Participants, who do not have to be JCC members, enjoy planned activities, supervised homework time, outlets for physical activity and the chance to make friends.

The program runs Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. and is open to boys and girls in prekindergarten through fifth grade. Bus

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

AJA junior Deborah Broyde shares a persuasive argument with Berman Commons residents in preparation for the AJA Upper School’s annual Cause Fair last school year.

Pita Palace and Broadway Cafe have made it easier for people to contribute to Torah learning by installing CharityPad terminals at their Toco Hills restaurants.

With the swipe of a credit card, a customer can make a donation to any or all of the following educational institutions in the neighborhood: • Torah Day School of Atlanta • Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael • Kollel Ner Hamizrach Collectively those three institutions teach Torah from kindergarten through adulthood.

If you include your email address when making a donation, CharityPad sends you a donation receipt.

transportation to Club J at Zaban Park at 5342 Tilly Mill Road in Dunwoody is provided from 11 schools: Austin Elementary, Chesnut Charter Elementary, the Davis Academy, Dunwoody Elementary, Kingsley Elementary, Kittredge Magnet, Montgomery Elementary, Peachtree Charter Middle, the Epstein School, Vanderlyn Elementary and Atlanta Jewish Academy.

Three-, four- and five-day programs are available. To register, visit www.atlantajcc.org/clubj.

Email clubj@atlantajcc.org or call 678-8123899 for more information.

AJT 33

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JELF President’s Passions Extend to Art, Kitchen Marianne Daniels Garber, community leader, author, educational consultant and president of the Jewish Educational Loan Fund, enjoys a quiet moment at her Sandy Springs home as she explains her passion for volunteer work.

Alongside husband psychologist Stephen Garber, founder of the Behavioral Institute of Atlanta, she shares a glimpse into their home life.

Their tasteful home, redesigned (several times)

by Marianne’s brother, architect Stanley Daniels, brings together a refreshing collection of pieces, from Rosenthal crystal, Eric Blum’s haunting encaustic paintings, a Venske & Spänle “Smurf,” and Ed Moulthrop’s wooden bowls to a realistic tapestry by Maine artist Alan Magee. A colorful sculpture by Tom McLaughlin sets the stage for surprises like a wall hanging of film footage by Laura Mills.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Jaffe: Your home celebrates the family. What went into that?

Stephen: We wanted our home to be comfortable and easy for our four children — a place to celebrate holidays and enjoy each other. Our dining room table, which once seemed generous in size, no longer accommodates everyone. We love art, but our most precious art is in the den: the self-portraits our children created as they grew up. We cherish them.

Jaffe: Your kitchen looks well appointed. Are you a gourmet cook?

Marianne: I’ve tried to follow my mother’s lead making traditional Jewish dishes like gefilte fish from scratch.

After she passed away, I became the family baker, even publishing her handwritten recipes in a cookbook, “I Remember Mama,” benefiting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. I recently prepared the desserts for a niece’s wedding at Callaway Gardens. Can you imagine transporting 30 iced cakes 100 miles in June? I was quite nervous. Red velvet, German chocolate and Italian cream cakes, Oreo brownies, and my mother’s famous poundcake all made it safely to the wedding.

Jaffe: What goes on in your backyard garden?

Stephen: My passion is the vegetable garden planted with heirloom 34 tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash,

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kale and cucumbers. Marianne tries to keep up with the harvest by making cold cucumber soup, gazpacho, grilling vegetables, and sharing the bounty with family and friends.

Jaffe: The tzedakah box collection is a natural tie-in.

Marianne: When our children were at the Epstein School, I helped

Chai-Style Homes

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

start Yom Tzedakah, which encouraged families to undertake a charitable activity together, modeling the importance of helping others and tikkun olam. Our collection is one more way to do that, from the JNF blue box of my youth to tzedakah boxes made of brass, wood, ceramics and pottery from places like Israel. The most unusual is from St. Petersburg, Russia, where a congregant was selling ones he created for his synagogue.

When the tzedakah boxes became full, our kids decided where to donate the funds.

Jaffe: How did you get involved in JELF? Stephen: My late father, Al Garber, grew up in Atlanta as a resident of the Hebrew Orphans Home, for which he was forever grateful. He was sent to college by them and even took time off from college for a short period to help run the home when the director unexpectedly passed away. He believed that a college education was the key to success and wanted to be a mentor and repay the kindness and opportunities given to him by the Jewish community.

Marianne: I learned much from Dad about appreciation. He was such a brilliant and positive man, a great mentor and friend to so many. He would tell us that we were the disadvantaged ones because we could never appreciate an apple as he did. For the kids in the orphanage, apples were a delicacy. Al was a very successful businessman and a true mensch who inspired all of us.

Fast-forward to today: I am proud to be a part of JELF, which is the oldest continuous nonprofit in the state of Georgia. Currently, 722 Jewish students from a five-state region are benefiting

A from over $5 million in interest- free loans. These are last-dollar loans that ensure students can fulfill their dreams of higher education. This year we will award loans totaling $800,000, bringing our total since 1961 to almost $11 million. We are proud of a 99 percent repayment rate, and many of our alumni are presently involved in JELF and making a difference in their own Jewish communities.

Jaffe: Tell us about the upcoming event on Aug. 30 at Flourish, the new Legendary Events venue.

Marianne: It’s going to be amazing, featuring Jesse Itzler, founder of Marquis Jet, which he sold to Berkshire Hathaway; creator of Zico Coconut Water, which was sold to Coca-Cola; a former MTV rapper; and co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. Jesse is married to Sara Blakely (Spanx founder/CEO), with whom he has four children. He’s an inventor, entrepreneur, an extreme athlete and a fabulous speaker. He has written a fun and motivating book about his experiences training with a Navy SEAL. Every dollar raised during the evening will help more needy Jew-

ish students. Tickets start at $54 ($36 for 40 and under). For more information, go to www.jelf.org/itzler.

Jaffe: How can folks get involved with JELF? Marianne: We have all types of committees for different individuals interested in helping, as well as events for all ages, including the younger generation. Besides the money we raise for the loans, we also need to heighten awareness so that Jewish students who need us know about our mission. Interest-free loan granting is very confidential, but there are indeed Jewish families in hardship situations, bankruptcy, illness, etc., as well as those who just need a little help. A traditional college loan of $5,000 may charge as much as $2,650 in interest alone (based on a generous 4.6 percent interest rate). So the fact that a loan is interest-free can make a big difference.

Working for community causes such as JELF, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, my synagogue or the Tower of Talent benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is my pleasure. I am honored to do so. ■

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Photos by Duane Stork

A: Stephen and Marianne Garber and bichon Joey sit in front of a bold Vaccaro painting on custom furniture designed by Charles Gandy. The white “Smurf” by Venske & Spänle rests on the table.

B: The Garbers’ master bedroom has a rock textile by Maine artist Alan Magee above lighted Ed Moulthrop wooden bowls.

The white ceramic on the left was acquired on a trip to Italy.

C: Marianne Garber’s tzedakah box collection goes back to her Jewish National Fund blue box.

D: The living room features Eric Blum’s encaustic work, which the Garbers find “fascinating,” alongside golden sculpture by Hector Najera.

E: The Galleria Design kitchen provides a backdrop to Marianne Garber’s baked goods, based on the cookbook she created of her mother’s recipes, and fresh vegetables from Stephen Garber’s garden.

F: The Garbers’ most treasured art is their children’s self-portraits.

G: Near the top of the stairs, Laura Mills’ “Film Footage” turns old CNN media scraps into an artistic wall hanging from the Marcia Wood Gallery.

H: The Garbers bought their first painting at Piedmont Park and now display it above a colorful sculpture by Tom McLaughlin.

I: Rosenthal crystal lights up the foyer.

J: A folk clown by Howard Finster provides a whimsical spark.

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OBITUARIES

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation or the American Cancer Society. A celebration of Roberta’s life is being planned for a later date. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Roberta Abrams Atlanta

Roberta Cherry Abrams of Atlanta passed away Monday, July 25, 2016.

Survivors include her daughters, Hillary Abrams (Atlanta) and Monica Dick and her husband, Larry Dick, with their children, Ryan and Scotti Elizabeth, and puppies, Cubby Jr. and Dodger (Huntington Beach, Calif.); her sister, Linda Berkowitz (New York); and niece Lisa Anzelone and nephew Steven Berkowitz (New York).

Roberta raised two wonderful daughters, put them through college and worked full time until age 75. Her career path spanned many years at Piedmont Hospital, the Internal Revenue Service and Manhattan Construction Co. Roberta volunteered tirelessly with many organizations, often with the hope of helping the less fortunate. She instilled strong morals and values in her family, always emphasizing the importance of having integrity and good character.

Roberta will always be an inspiration to everyone who knew her vitality for life. She was a force to be reckoned with and a true fighter for what was right. Her family will uphold her legacy of honor, truth and respect. Our gratitude and love go out to her caregivers and dear friends: Dorothy, Regina, Marilyn and Earlene.

The love they shared with Roberta, her family and each other is overwhelming.

Arlene Gerson 78, Atlanta

Arlene “Lenni” Caplin Gerson, age 78, of Atlanta passed away at home after a long series of health issues on Friday, July 29, 2016.

She was born in Great Neck, N.Y., to Irene and Murray Caplin, of blessed memory. Lenni attended the University of Oklahoma, where she met the love of her life, her college sweetheart and her husband/soulmate for 53 years, Marvin “Greer” Gerson. After getting engaged on the Eiffel Tower, they settled in New York City and later moved to Woodmere, Long Island, N.Y. They moved to Newport Beach, Calif., and then Dallas, Texas, where they stayed for 30 years to be closer to family. In 1997, Lenni and Marvin moved to Atlanta to be closer to their daughters; however, they always rooted for their beloved Oklahoma Sooners and Dallas Cowboys.

Lenni will always be remembered for being a wonderful wife, sister, mother, Mom Mom, Di Di, aunt and good friend whose unconditional love, coupled with her quick wit and dry sense of humor, will never be forgotten. Lenni was preceded in death by her loving husband, Marvin, of blessed memory. Survivors include her daughter Dina Gerson, Atlanta; daughter and son-in-law Tobi and Gil Lyons, Atlanta; son Gary Gerson, Austin, Texas; brother and sister-in-law Rick and Cheryl Caplin, Roslyn, N.Y.; brother Ken Caplin, Irvine, Calif.; and grandchildren Gavin, Hayley, Brett and Kevin.

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OBITUARIES In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Weinstein Hospice.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Funeral services were held Monday, Aug. 1, at Temple Sinai. Interment followed at Arlington Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Frances Goodman 90, Atlanta

Frances Kaplan Goodman of Atlanta passed away on her 90th birthday Wednesday, July 27, 2016, surrounded by her immediate family.

She was born in Macon on July 27, 1926.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Esther Kaplan, and a brother, Leonard Kaplan. Frances attended Marjorie Webster in Washington, D.C., and was active in her family furniture business until its sale to Bassett Furniture Co. in 1969. She became a successful real estate agent in Dallas, Texas, as well as Atlanta.

Throughout her life, she loved her family and her synagogues, particularly Temple Beth Israel in Macon and Temple Sinai in Atlanta.

She is survived by her sons, Michael (Linda) and Marty (Eileen) Friedman; a daughter, Nancy Friedman Smoller; grandchildren Leslie (David) Landau, Elliott (Heather) Friedman, Marci (Brent) Suddeth, Scott Friedman, Lauren Smoller and Adam (Jillian) Smoller; six great-grandchildren, all of Atlanta; and a host of beloved friends and family.

Frances lived in Atlanta the past 30 years and at Huntcliff Summit the past eight. Strong-willed to the end, she lived life to the fullest and was always ready to party. A special thank-you goes to her best friend and companion, Gerald Scheidt, as well as the staff at Huntcliff, ResCare HomeCare, the pharmacists at the Northridge Kroger, Weinstein Hospice and the One Group. Everyone was always warm

and caring, and the family truly appreciates all of the support.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Weinstein Hospice or the charity of one’s choice. A memorial service was held Sunday, July 31, at Temple Sinai. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Annette Schwartz 91, Marietta

Annette Schwartz of Marietta passed away Monday, July 25, 2016, at the age of 91.

She was born in Sacramento, Calif. Her parents, Nathaniel and Lena Alexander, moved to Georgia when she was 6 months old to live on a farm in Douglasville. Annette graduated from Girls’ High, and when the men went to war, she went to work. She started at Georgia Power, laying out and designing tracks for streetcars. She met her beloved husband, Leonard Schwartz, after World War II, and they married in 1953. During her 50-years-long marriage she moved into structural work and became a structural drafter at several locations in Atlanta until she retired.

Annette loved to travel and took many trips with Leonard on trains and planes all across the country and Canada. A few years after Leonard passed, Annette moved into the Renaissance on Peachtree, which brought her great joy. She was an avid mah-jongg and bridge player, had a wonderful artistic ability, and enjoyed painting and drawing. Annette was a member of ORT for many years.

During her time at the Renaissance she became increasingly ill and needed help.

The angels sent the most caring folks: Dee Williams, her sister, Leola, and Latonya Thomas treated Annette with respect, kindness and care and always had her dressed to the hilt for dinner, her favorite meal.

Annette was greatly loved by her family. She is survived by her son, David Schwartz, and her daughter, Natalie McDorman. She was a loving bubbe to her grandchildren, Nathan Schwartz, Alex Schwartz, Rebecca Knight and Melody Knight.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Emory Winship Cancer Institute or to the Alzheimer’s Association. Please sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. A graveside service took place Wednesday, July 27, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Ellen Ullman 76, Atlanta

Ellen Barbara Ullman, age 76, of Atlanta died Monday, July 25, 2016.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 20, 1939, to Emanuel and Marie Wymor.

Beloved wife, mother, sister and grandmother. Married to her husband of 55 years, Eddie Ullman; son and daughter-in-law Brett and Susan Ullman; son and daughter-in-law Bryan and Jill Ullman; son Keith Ullman; brother Larry Wymor; grandchildren Stephanie, Sydney, Ryan, Lauren, Cory, Drew and Jacob Ullman and Alex, Zac and Sydney Rosengarten.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Marcus Jewish Community Center Mature Adults Program and Congregation Etz Chaim. A graveside service was held Friday, July 29, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Shalom Lewis officiating.

Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

AUGUST 5 ▪ 2016

Death Notices

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Daniel Barash, 74, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., father of Jon Barash, on July 22.

George Cohen of Miami, father of Congregation Beth Shalom member Mona Wolmer, on July 28.

Jared Cohen, 29, of Irvine, Calif., son of Temple Sinai members Myles and Debbie Cohen and brother of Kandice Cohen and Gabriel Cohen, on July 25.

Jonathan Kamran on July 23.

Carl Marcus of Atlanta on July 24.

Anne Saker, 99, of Perth, Australia, grandmother of Congregation Or Hadash member Michael Zusman, on July 20.

Herb Spector, 74, of Sandy Springs, husband of Terry Spector and father of Courtney Bondroff, Jodi Kimmel, Elise Browner and Evan Goldberg, on July 28.

Yakov Spektor of Atlanta on July 26.

CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

Rosh Chodesh Av begins Friday, Aug. 5. Av was, and still is, a month of intensity. We remember the Day of Disasters, the destruction of the first and second temples on the 9th of Av nearly 650 years apart, as the lowest point of the month.

By contrast, the 15th of Av is the highest. This is the midsummer’s day known as the holiday of love. Astrologically, the masculine energy from the sun is at its yearly peak, and the feminine energy of the moon is at its monthly peak. These converge to create an opening for one to find a soulmate.

Av is the hottest month of the summer in our part of the world. Current events make us aware of imbalance in the energies.

There is violence, hatred and destruction.

Political leaders are ego-driven, and the divisive attitudes make people’s blood boil. There have been wildfires raging out of control, and the heat index has also broken records.

We look to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation), energy medicine and astrology to understand more about how to deal with these strong energies. The zodiac sign for Av is Leo; the Hebrew letter, tet; the tribe, Shimon; the sense, hearing; and the controlling organ, the left kidney.

During August’s new moon phase, predictions suggest that the heated acts of violence may worsen before there is some relief. This is the last new moon before the solar eclipse Sept. 1.

It’s time to make plans for how we will progress.

Leo, symbolized by the lion, is the zodiac fire sign of Av. Each of us needs to harness the energy of poised Leos to become strong leaders within our own families and communities, fiercely protecting our safety and rights, while maintaining the qualities of dignity and honor. A Leo off balance becomes bossy and self-serving.

The Hebrew letter tet is a vessel, with a little section of hidden goodness tucked within it. We need to protect and nurture that goodness.

The tribe is Shimon, the only tribe Moses does not bless at the end of the Torah. Members of Shimon were associated with acts of debauchery and corruption, known as the sins of Pe’or.

These themes of heated lust mistaken for love, hedonistic swapping of love partners and discord remind me of

the themes present in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which takes place during Tu b’Av, the holiday of love.

Passion, control, love and hate become convoluted as the characters wrestle with these energies. Parental control is challenged, and potions confuse and confound the four major Athenians, who often can’t distinguish

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Easy 2

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reality from illusionary dreams. Chaos ensues with the seasons falling out of sync when there is discord between the king and queen of the fairies.

Peace is not restored for anyone until they settle their differences, and the order of the universe is in place once more. This doesn’t feel far off from our present-day life.

The sense this month is hearing.

To hear, in Hebrew, means to understand. We hear presidential candidates make claims, defend, argue and boast.

We’re required to go beyond just hearing to understanding and discerning who will be most able to lead our country and make wise decisions that affect us.

With the controlling organ of the left kidney, we seek balance between the masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) aspects of both kidneys and look for the equilibrium within our own personality traits. The kidneys process out impurities through bodily fluids and manage metabolic heat.

Our best decisions are not made in a clogged, overheated state; instead, they demand that we are clear and cool-headed.

Av of ancient times, as Av of 2016, contains contrasting emotions of grief and hope. Each of us has a vote and an opportunity to consider the issues of love and hate, tolerance and intolerance, despair and optimism. Do we need to learn through crisis, or can we grow by training ourselves to hear what’s beyond the words?

Meditation Focus If we are truly in the darkness before the dawn, what preparations must we make? What must we reconcile within ourselves in order to find balance and align with Hashem? ■

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20. Brooklyn’s J with many kosher eateries: Abbr.

22. Most severe (like Sekila) 24. Seasonal greeting 28. Hudson’s Penny and Adams’ Lois 29. Lingus that might connect to El Al 30. Efes 31. T’chelet, e.g.

32. We make one for shalom 34. Il ___, Mussolini title 37. Actress Gershon 41. Rice-John musical performed at Hebrew University in 2014 42. Wise ones 43. A.k.a. for 16-Across 44. Arnaz who worked with Jesse Oppenheimer on “I Love Lucy” 45. Song with Hu 46. Joseph was one, once 47. Ima, in England 49. Make chosen 51. Kylo’s sci-fi dad 52. Sends (all of one’s belongings to Israel) 55. Middle holiday period 58. The Baba Sali’s nationality 60. A Gershwin 61. It’s the truth 62. Actresses Gardner and Haddad 64. Zayn who got into hot water for tweeting “#FreePalestine” 68. Jay who donated an ambulance to United Hatzalah

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New Moon Meditations Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

“Proper Pronunciation”

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DOWN 48. The Shoah Foundation’s 1. That’s life?

Calif. school 2. Annex (the Golan) 50. City where Bibi went to HS 3. Dew blessing 4. West Bank and Gaza Strip 52. Refine (a metal menorah) 53. Simpson that said 5. Beach in Israel with the “That Yentl puts the ‘she’ in same name as a ’90s trio yeshiva” 6. “And G-d saw that it ___ 54. Sherlock Holmes’ Adler, good” (Gen. 1:12) who was never actually 7. Middle America locale of confirmed as Jewish Beth Israel Synagogue 8. Notable rebel with a parsha 55. “Shalom ___” (Clinton) 56. Where a truly happy 9. See 71-Across kallah might walk 10. Major low point in the 57. Adumim go-with Torah 59. “Along ___ a Spider” 11. Eppes follower 12. Expire, like a subscription (movie with music by Jerry Goldsmith) to Moment Magazine 63. They might spend next yr.

13. Some Elite gums 21. Label that released Pink in Israel 65. “Viva ___ Vegas” (Elvis Floyd’s “The Division Bell” hit) (sans Roger Waters) 23. Like Judah Maccabee as 66. Garten who’s the “Barefoot Contessa” a general 67. Kahane’s party 24. Many a Jewish house across the world 25. Place to LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION do a mitzvah E S T E E B L A M E S I R E D S H E L L M I N I M A M O R E involving birds’ T H E K I N G A N D I L I M E S eggs S E E E L L E T A C T 26. YU alums I C Y L A O S I I I A N T I 27. Part of T H E B I R T H O F A N A T I O N a rhyming, G A M E S T I N E S M E A R Y prophesying O P E N S A V S B O O O N T H E W A T E R F R O N T duo R N A A N I A P A R T 31. Guillermo H A T T E D A G U E S A G E R ___ Toro (he I T S A W O N D E R F U L L I F E directed Ron G L A D W O O E S S A D A Y Perlman in H A R P S O R E I B N “Hellboy”) E N D O R D E L I V E R A N C E S T O L E G R A V E A V R A M 33. “The E S H E T T I A N A Chosen” author T A M E D 69. Former Israeli PM 70. A Haim sister 71. With 9-Down, a J.J. Abrams movie 72. Makes like one involved with 10-Down 73. Name of a major Jewish holiday (or half of a minor holiday)

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Av: Despair and Hope

CROSSWORD

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