Atlanta VOL. XCI NO. 49
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
DECEMBER 16, 2016 | 16 KISLEV 5777
Urban Core Lures Jewish Atlanta’s Future By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
AJFF Reveals First 7 Films The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival isn’t unveiling its full 75-film lineup until Jan. 6, but it has revealed the first seven titles: • “Across the Waters” — This basedon-real-events feature depicts the escape of Danish Jews to Sweden during the Nazi occupation. • “Bang! The Bert Berns Story” — Filmmaker Brett Berns tells the story of his father, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee for writing and producing such songs as “Twist and Shout,” “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Under the Boardwalk.” • “The Freedom to Marry” — This documentary follows key people in the court fight to legalize same-sex marriage. • “Harmonia” — A contemporary retelling of the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar sets the story in the world of the Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra. • “The Last Laugh” — Ferne Pearlstein’s documentary wonders whether it’s ever OK to use the Holocaust for humor. • “On the Map” — Maccabi Tel Aviv plays the “Miracle on Hardwood” basketball game against a Soviet juggernaut in the 1977 European Championships. • “Paradise” — Russia’s Oscar entry is a Holocaust story about three people told in black-and-white flashbacks. The festival runs from Jan. 24 to Feb. 15. Tickets go on sale Jan. 18. ■
CHRISMUKAH EVE
Young Jewish adults who like vodka, tequila, latkes or the traditional Chinese food have options all around town to celebrate starting Chanukah and not observing Christmas the night of Dec. 24. Page 14
Inside and outside the Perimeter, we all need Atlanta to keep thriving, according to an expert Jewish panel. Without Atlanta, “we’re Mississippi,” said Maria Saporta, the dean of local business reporters, who grew up in the city. “We’re not even Mississippi,” said A.J. Robinson, the president of Central Atlanta Progress. They joined Jamestown CEO Matt Bronfman and WSB-TV reporter Aaron Diamant on a panel hosted by Bronf man’s company at its signature Midtown development, Ponce City Market. Robinson said young adults are moving back into the city because of the appeal of dense, walkable development. “The urban core is doing density, and I think it’s changing us in an incredible way,” he said, adding that he thinks most of those singles and couples will stay in the city while raising schoolchildren. About 100 people attended the event Thursday, Dec. 8, organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Business & Professionals Division. The setting was significant. Bronf man said Ponce City Market is an example of the “interesting projects” Atlanta needs to keep young professionals moving into the city, and Robinson said the mixed-use project along the BeltLine has set the standard for the vibrant, innovative atmosphere in Midtown. Midtown should be first in the region with driverless cars through an effort involving Georgia Tech on North Avenue, Robinson said. “We are way ahead of the rest of the region on some issues.”
KOSHER SALE
The Atlanta area’s only fullservice, sit-down, kosher-certified restaurant, FuegoMundo, is thriving and profitable; it’s also for sale. Chef-owner Masha Hleap explains what she has in mind. Page 26
A.J. Robinson (left), Maria Saporta and Matt Bronfman share the spotlight at Ponce City Market on Dec. 8.
That edge poses a risk, Saporta said. “We need to be strong as a region.” Other challenges include affordable housing (Bronfman suggested incentives for developers); development in Southwest Atlanta (Robinson said some gentrification is necessary to draw capital); the school system (Robinson and Saporta said Atlanta has long relied on transplants to raise the population’s education level); and traffic and transit. Traffic is “an ongoing crisis that just doesn’t seem to end,” Robinson said. But he sees hope in the rapid changes in Gwinnett County, which he expects to vote for a MARTA extension. Once Gwinnett embraces rail transit, the dominoes could fall in North Fulton and even Cobb County, he said. Those areas will just be a decade or more behind the central city. Atlanta is “still a great place to invest,” Bronfman said, because housing is cheap and the infrastructure and amenities are superior to the rest of the Southeast. “We’re the tallest midget in the circus.”
The challenge for the Jewish community is providing the services needed by young professionals and families intown after generations of Jewish flight into the northern suburbs. Most synagogues, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Family & Career Services are well outside the Atlanta city limits. Bronfman said the traditional Jewish model of the synagogue and Federation doesn’t appeal to millennials. “We gotta wake up,” Robinson said, urging communal leaders to recognize the differences in a generation more tied to phones than cars. “What are we going to offer this generation? How are we going to create a Jewish life for these folks?” Saporta suggested going back to the future with a call to social justice, reminiscent of the Jewish community’s involvement in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Such an effort plays to Atlanta’s strengths, she said. “Be a voice for a progressive city. That’s what made Atlanta what it is.” ■
INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Israel News ������������������������������6 Opinion ���������������������������������� 10 Local News ����������������������������� 14 Education �������������������������������22
Business ���������������������������������25 Obituaries ������������������������������27 Simchas ����������������������������������27 Marketplace ��������������������������28 Health & Wellness ���������������29 Crossword ������������������������������30