Atlanta Jewish Times, No. 48, December 18, 2015 by Atlanta Jewish Times

LIGHT NIGHT

Preparing its full lineup, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival reveals its opening-night blockbuster. Page 21

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AND SAVE

Jewish Heritage Night with the Atlanta Hawks offers much more to cheer for before tipoff than after. Page 27

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Trump Plan ‘Despicable and Indefensible’ AJA Students Win $1,000, Give It Away By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

n a stage with some of the city’s top Protestant pastors, Sherry Frank’s impassioned speech stood out Monday morning, Dec. 14, amid an interfaith call to stand with Muslims against fear and prejudice. “How dare the demagogues and bigots of today not honor the basic principles of our Constitution and our nation and welSherry Frank come the stranger and include, value and honor the magnificent ethnic and religious diversity of America?” said the former Atlanta head of the American Jewish Committee. Four times she repeated, “It is despicable and indefensible to suggest a ban on Muslims entering our country.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed that ban a week earlier, inspiring the Rev. Gerald Durley, pastor emeritus of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, to organize the Faith Over Fear rally at the King Center. “We want to let Georgia know that this is a unified group,” Durley said of the

HEROIC NIGHT

Friends of the IDF supporters hear from a Yom Kippur War hero and the sister of a Gaza casualty while recalling a year of achievements. Page 6

38 faith-based groups backing the event, which drew about 75 people. In addition to Frank, representatives of the Jewish community included The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg, Ahavath Achim Synagogue’s Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal and Myrtle Lew in, Congregation Bet Haverim’s Rabbi Joshua Lesser, Congregation Or Hadash’s Photos by Michael Jacobs Rabbi Mario Karpuj, the The Rev. Gerald Durley listens as Rabbi Peter Anti-Defamation League’s Berg expresses outrage at anti-Muslim political Mark Moskowitz and Shelrhetoric Dec. 14 at the King Center. ley Rose, the AJC’s Harold The Rev. Bernice King cited Proverbs Hershberg, Interfaith Community Initiaand her father Martin Luther King Jr.’s tives’ Judy Marx, the Jewish Community writing in labeling Trump’s proposal not Relations Council’s Noah Appley and Lois Frank, and Atlanta Interfaith Broadcast- only unacceptable, but also a form of violence. “We must refuse to be silent in the ers’ Audrey Galex. “Jews cannot stand idly by today and face of such hateful and hurtful rhetoric.” She invited Trump to King Center watch our Muslim brothers and sisters training on nonviolence and conflict recsubject to such inhumane treatment, onciliation. Moskowitz, the ADL’s Southespecially because of the atrocities of a east director, added that Trump needs to few,” Rabbi Berg said. He called Trump’s go back to school for American history. suggestion to close the borders to Mus“I know from my Jewish commulims unconstitutional, un-American, and nity’s tragic experience during the Hoharmful to the United States’ standing in locaust what the price of silence yields,” the world and efforts to fight terrorism. “He makes a mockery of this season” Frank said. “I will never remain silent when Chanukah celebrates religious when evil prevails in our midst.” ■ Survivors react to Trump, Page 15 freedom, the rabbi said.

FROM THE ASHES

Congregation Beth Shalom celebrates the restoration of its Holocaust Torah, which survived burning to take its place in regular worship. Page 16

INSIDE

Calendar 3

Education 18

Candle Lighting

Arts 21

Simchas 4

Chanukah 22

Israel 6

Sports 27

Opinion 10

Obituaries 28

Business 13

Crossword 30

tlanta Jewish Academy students won by not quite winning Landmark Automotive’s Atlanta Teen Safe Driving contest this month. The Morrow car dealer organized a high-stakes contest to encourage teen drivers around the area to understand safe driving practices and sign a pledge not to text and drive. Landmark offered $10,000 to the high school that gathered the most pledges from students, their parents and other adults in their communities over two months ending Dec. 5. The top two schools were AJA and Kennesaw Mountain High, whose enrollment from ninth through 12th grades is roughly four times that of AJA’s lower, middle and upper schools combined. Landmark announced the winner at its showroom Friday, Dec. 11. The AJA students planned to apply the prize to the school’s annual fund for tuition assistance, given to 52 percent of AJA students. Kennesaw Mountain won the top prize, however, and its students said the money would go to their Shop With a Mustang program, in which high-schoolers take underprivileged elementary school kids shopping for holiday gifts. The AJA students at the announcement — Jesse Cann, Gil Vayner, Avi Greene, Dauren Parker, Rachel Kahen, Shira Solomon, Nicole Nooriel, Ellie Parker, Oryah Bunder, Ruby Jacobs and Maia Dori — decided on the spot to donate their $1,000 second-place prize to Shop With a Mustang. “After hearing about all the incredible things that you guys do with the money,” Dori said, “we wanted to give you our check to help support your cause.” ■

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DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parshah Vayigash Friday, Dec. 18, light candles at 5:13 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, Shabbat ends at 6:12 p.m. Parshah Vayechi Friday, Dec. 25, light candles at 5:17 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26, Shabbat ends at 6:16 p.m. Interfaith friendship. Yemeni peace advocate Mohammed and American Jewish Committee ACCESS leader Daniel Pincus discuss Mohammed’s story and Muslim-Jewish partnership at AJC Atlanta’s AJC University program at noon at the AJC office at 6 Piedmont Center, 3525 Piedmont Road, Buckhead. Lunch is $10; www.ajcatlanta.org. Uhry play. Alfred Uhry’s “Last Night of Ballyhoo,” part of his Atlanta Trilogy, shows at 8 p.m. at Act3 Productions, 6285-R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $15 to $23; www.act3productions.org or 770-241-1905.

SATURDAY, DEC. 19

Uhry play. Alfred Uhry’s “Last Night of Ballyhoo,” part of his Atlanta Trilogy, shows at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Act3 Productions, 6285-R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $15 to $23; www. act3productions.org or 770-241-1905. Shabbat after-party. The Melava Malka Musical Jam & Party, featuring a nightclub atmosphere suitable for all ages, is being thrown by the Kehilla in Sandy Springs, 5075 Roswell Road, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5; thekehillaorg.shulcloud.com/melava-malka. Senior dance. The 3 Score More or Less group of Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, offers vodka, latkes, and dancing to the music of the ’50s and ’60s with the Grey Matters Band at 7 :30 p.m. Admission is $15; RSVP to Norman Marinoff at nsm1553@yahoo.com.

SUNDAY, DEC. 20

Film festival preview. Bob Bahr and Emory’s Matthew Bernstein look at the 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and offer their best bets among the narrative features at 3 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Doc-

umentaries are the topic Sunday, Jan. 3, at 3 p.m. at Temple Sinai. Registration is $25 for both programs; ajff.org. Film festival preview. The Ahavath Achim Sisterhood and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival present a sneak peak of the 2016 festival with Judy Marx, cochair of the AJFF film evaluation committee, at 6:30 p.m. at Berman Commons, 2026 Womack Road, Dunwoody. The evening starts with pizza and salad and ends with dessert and coffee. Admission is $10; RSVP at aasynagogue. org/caring-communitysocial-action/ sisterhood.html.

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THURSDAY, DEC. 24

MatzoBall. The holiday party for adults under age 40 is at the Havana Club, 3112 Piedmont Road, Buckhead, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tickets are $30; matzoball.org/ our_events/matzoball-atlanta.

FRIDAY, DEC. 25

Christmas fun. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, hosts a family day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with movies, inflatables, basketball, swimming and more. Free; brian.glusman@ atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.

THURSDAY, DEC. 31

History of Jewish Atlanta. “Eighteen Artifacts” ends its run at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Museum admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, $4 for children 3 to 6, and free for members and younger children; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

Advice. Beyond Investing.

THURSDAY, JAN. 7

Intro to Judaism. Rabbi Brian Glusman teaches the Brill Institute for Jewish Learning’s “Taste of Judaism” class at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 7 p.m. for anyone curious about Jewish tradition. Free; www. atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4152.

Evan S. Fishman Senior Vice President–Wealth Management 1200 Abernathy Road, Suite 1850 Atlanta, GA 30328 678-441-1020 800-241-7258

Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

Corrections & Clarifications

• The owner of Judaica Corner is Janet Afrah. Her name was incorrect in an article about the store Dec. 4. • Howard Leopold created the chanukiah used by Congregation B’nai Israel at the public lighting ceremony in Fayetteville on Dec. 6. His name was wrong on the front page of the Dec. 11 issue.

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

FRIDAY, DEC. 18

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SIMCHAS

Bertha Diener: Lucky at 100 By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

t’s all about luck. That concept came up a lot during the Saturday, Dec. 5, festivities to honor Bertha Diener, who turned 100 that day. “At the moment I’m in pretty good shape,” Diener said during an interview as the party was getting started. “I can still walk. I can still talk. I’m a little bit unusual. Most people my age aren’t as lucky as I’ve been.” The event, held at Buckhead’s 103 West, was organized by Diener’s daughter, Marilyn Feingold, 72, and attracted many friends and five generations of family members. “I hope I’m not wearing her down,” Diener said of her only surviving child. “At my age you need someone like that. I’m lucky to have her.” Diener said she was reluctant to celebrate the milestone and first said no when Feingold suggested a party. “The more I thought about it, I figured, ‘What the heck have I got to lose?’ And there are people here that I’m really so happy to see from the past. They’ve been very nice to me. I’ve never had a

“Most people my age aren’t as lucky as I’ve been,” Bertha Diener says.

chance to reciprocate, and it’s just wonderful to have them here.” During a post-lunch presentation, Diener’s granddaughter Rachel Feingold asked, “How many people do you know who are 100 years old, play bridge three times a week, use an iPad to play solitaire and are still actively involved in the stock market?” Calling her “a woman ahead of her time,” Rachel recounted events from Diener’s long life to illustrate her tenacity and single-mindedness. “Men always admired her gusto and determination to make money, and some of the women she knew just didn’t understand her. Bertha didn’t just accept the status quo and allow luck to determine her future; she made luck happen.” Diener was born in Iron Moun-

tain, Mich., to Tobias and Eta Schlaffer. That same year, 1915, Alexander Graham Bell made the first transcontinental telephone call, as Rachel pointed out. “As a child, she was the only one of the Schlaffer girls who worked (in a grocery store), and, boy, did she work hard,” Rachel said. “The money she saved allowed her the luxury of attending summer camp. Camp is one of those youth experiences which her children and grandchildren would later take for granted, but not so for Bertha, whose parents had very little money. Bertha was determined to attain the experience that many of her friends had but which her family could not afford. Clearly, when it came to making her own luck, Grandma started at a young age.” The family moved from Michigan to Georgia when Diener was still little. “Atlanta is a little too busy. I tell you, I left here 50 years ago, and there were 750,000 people living here. I come back, and it’s 6 million! It’s still a beautiful city, but it’s gotten too big,” Diener said. What else bothers her about modern life? “I’d hate to tell you about the

Photos by Kevin Madigan

Multiple generations gather at 103 West on Dec. 5 to celebrate Bertha Diener’s 100th birthday.

changes I’m not happy with, so don’t ask me. There are a lot of them, and they’re not good, and they’re not going to get better,” she said. “I have days when I’m not happy — I think everybody does.” But she added, “I’m happy to be here, and to be a little sane is something else again. It’s a nice day to be seen.” ■

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

Bat Mitzvah Samantha Rose Miller

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Samantha Rose Miller of Johns Creek, daughter of Melissa and Mark Miller, became a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Temple Emanu-El. Samantha is a seventh-grader at the Davis Academy. She has two brothers, Max and Evan. She is the granddaughter of Ruth and Joseph Miller of Photo by Scenesations Photography Wayland, Mass., and Sandra and Terry McNeil of Mashpee, Mass., and Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Mike Ashapa of Foxboro, Mass. For her mitzvah project, Samantha held a dress mitzvah sale, in which her classmates brought and “sold” their mitzvah party dresses. She raised $800, which she donated to Bert’s Big Adventure to help kids with cancer and other serious illnesses take a trip to Walt Disney World.

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LOCAL NEWS

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10 Years Ago Dec. 16, 2005 ■ A senator named Isakson and a Benator who’s an Isaac’s son — freshman Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, the Community Achievement Award winner, and former ORT chapter President Asher Benator, ORT’s Man of the Year — shared the spotlight Dec. 11 at the $200-a-plate tribute dinner for the Atlanta chapter of American ORT. ■ The bar mitzvah ceremony of Eric Sinsley of Marietta, son of Josh and Debbie Sinsley, was held Saturday, Dec. 3, at Temple Beth Tikvah. 25 Years Ago Dec. 21, 1990 ■ Atlanta supporters of Jonathan Pollard raised about $10,000 over the weekend for the convicted spy’s defense fund. Pollard, an American Jew, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for selling U.S. military secrets to Israel.

The gathering at Gilbert Bachman’s home drew 40 people, including members of the Atlanta branch of Citizens for Justice, formed in June to seek Pollard’s release. ■ Sugar and Scott Eisenberg of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Cara Ellen, on Nov. 27. 50 Years Ago Dec. 17, 1965 ■ Eugene Oberdorfer, 69, founder of the Oberdorfer Insurance Agency, died Friday, Dec. 10. A native of Atlanta, Mr. Oberdorfer was a pioneer in the area of service by the Jewish community for men and women in uniform through the Jewish Welfare Board. He served under Gen. John Pershing on the Mexican border, was an Emory professor of military science during World War I and retired from the National Guard as a brigadier general at age 33. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Sylvan Saks of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter, Susan Carol Saks, to Jerry Lee Levine, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Levine of Shreveport. A July wedding is planned.

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Neither do we. At the American Hebrew Academy, a one-of-a-kind boarding high school experience awaits your child. An academically rigorous environment where Jewish identity is nurtured, the Academy opens the doors to your child’s future. It’s everything a high school should be, and some things you never dreamed it could be. What doors can we open for your teenager? Learn more at www.americanhebrewacademy.org or call (336) 217-7070. Now accepting applications for 2016-2017.

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ISRAEL NEWS

FIDF Celebrates Soldiers, Support for Mission

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

eading supporters of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces gathered at The Temple on Tuesday, Dec. 8, to pay tribute to what Southeast Region Chairman Garry Sobel called “modern-day Maccabees.” “Their job is to look after Israel, and our job is to look after them,” Sobel said, noting that the region was just $50,000 short of hitting its $1 million goal as the year nears its end. He shared slides from a recent national FIDF mission to bases in Israel, including the Sharon Base in the Negev, where he planted trees in the sand a year or so ago and where “now we see the glorious library, synagogue and sports complex, all built by the FIDF.” FIDF Southeast Executive Director Seth Baron said the purpose of the “Legends and Heroes” program was to focus on the soldiers and FIDF’s success at supporting them. He said the organization ensured that more than 9,000 soldiers in need could serve free of financial burdens by providing welfare assistance throughout the year, including over 22,000 holiday

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gift vouchers.” FIDF’s efforts included support for more than 50 Lone Soldiers from the Southeast, 30 of them from the Atlanta area, and for the Southeast Region’s adopted unit, the Combat Intelligence Brigade, which has become the IDF’s largest brigade and earned the title “The Eyes and Ears of Israel.” One of the emotional highlights

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

of the night was a speech by Lt. Inbal Greentzwig, 22, an IDF education officer, whose twin brother, Avi, was killed in 2014 in Operation Protective Edge while trying to rescue a fellow soldier after carrying another wounded comrade to safety. Greentzwig said her brother died the way he lived: taking care of his family and friends. She said he would probably wonder about all the fuss over him, including the awarding of one of Israel’s top

Photos by Greg Mooney, Atlanta Photographers

Gathering at the FIDF event Dec. 8 are (from left) Maj. Erez Ezer, Lt. Inbal Greentzwig, Melory Walters, Maj. Gilad Pasternak, Lt. Kim Hertz, Sgt. Eran Mordel and Maj. Yardena Katz. Ezer and Katz are stationed in the Atlanta area while working with Lockheed Martin. Hertz and Mordel served as lone soldiers from Atlanta.

military decorations. “ ‘After all,’ he would say, ‘I was just doing what was expected of me and of every soldier in the IDF,’ ” his sister said. “But, as always, Avi did more, much more. He paid the supreme price.” His commander, Maj. Gilad Pasternak, who was about five feet from Avi when he was killed, also attended the FIDF event because he is completing an eight-month course at Fort Benning in Columbus. Also there was Avi’s girlfriend, Melory Walters, who is joining Greentzwig on a U.S. tour to support FIDF. “In many ways, the IDF and its soldiers would not be what they are today without you,” she said. “I believe that with all my heart, and, for that reason alone, I wanted to share with you the story of my twin brother, Avi.” Israeli national hero Zvika Greengold, for whom the Zvika Force was named, also told his story, describing the tank battle he led against Syrian tanks in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War. That action earned him Israel’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor. “It means the world to me now, with the world in turmoil and Israel’s defamation by the media, that we support those who help defend that great country,” Atlanta-area lawyer Ben Levy said. “It’s a matter of survival.” Barry Schwarz, also a local lawyer, said: “These young people make an incredible sacrifice and deserve our support. Plus, on a lighter note, my daughter finds these soldiers very attractive.” Sobel’s compelling thought for the evening: “These soldiers’ roles are not to take lives, but to save them. Just look at the miracle of the Iron Dome in Gaza.” ■

Lt. Inbal Greentzwig meets retired Marine 1st Sgt. Michael Dickerson, an Iraq veteran who works with the Navy ROTC program at Harrison and North Cobb high schools.

Garry Sobel, the FIDF Southeast chairman, offers praise for Israel’s modern Maccabees while Lt. Inbal Greentzwig and Maj. Gilad Pasternak listen.

Yom Kippur War veteran Zvika Greengold speaks at The Temple.

Lt. Inbal Greentzwig talks about the death of her brother in Operation Protective Edge last year.

ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Self-healing artificial skin. Researchers at the Technion have created a flexible material that could be used as artificial skin. It is sensitive to touch and can heal itself automatically within 30 minutes of damage, according to research published in the Advanced Materials journal. Crowdsourcing insomnia solutions. Crowdsourcing platform Sleep ASAP, based in Jerusalem, offers insomniacs help for their sleeping problems. In a recent study, Sleep ASAP analyzed personality traits and sleep habits of 2,500 participants and determined the reason for the insomnia in 99 percent of cases.

ror attacks Nov. 13, 4.1 million people checked in with friends and relatives using Facebook Safety Check, a technology developed by Facebook Israel’s research and development department. The app then sent messages to 360 million people to inform them that their loved ones were safe. Juice-flavored water cups. The Right Cup has developed a fruit-scented cup that tricks the brain into thinking it is drinking juice instead of plain water. CEO Isaac Lavi created the product after contracting diabetes and being forced to avoid sugary drinks. Using Indiegogo, the company raised more than three times its $50,000 target. 3D printing in metal. Startup Xjet, based in Rehovot, has developed technology to print 3D objects made of metal (current 3D printing uses plastic). It could revolutionize the production of custom-made metal objects, a process that now requires an expensive mold for liquid metal.

New bridge between Israel and Jordan. A bridge is to be built across the Jordan River to connect Israel and Jordan as a key part of the Jordan Gateway project — a joint industrial and business area spanning the river that is a natural border between the countries.

600 million mites to Colombia. Bio-Bee at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu is providing up to 600 million predatory mites to Colombian farmers. The mites eliminate harmful species of mites that are decimating Colombia, enabling farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and meet ecological requirements for exports.

Israeli app vital after Paris attacks. During the 24 hours after the Paris ter-

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

Photo by Kobi Gideon, Government Press Office

Lighting Up a Presidential Partnership

Using a less-than-traditional approach, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, light a chanukiah for the fourth night of Chanukah during a visit to the White House and President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Rivlin told Obama: “We know, Mr. President, that you have lit the candle for the last seven years to show the right way for your people and for the entire world, and we are very sure that the eighth candle that you will light in the next year will be the same and show the whole world how to fight what we should not accept.”

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

Missing protein, lost hearing. IsraeliU.S. research has discovered that the absence of the protein RFX in many elderly people causes hearing loss. The protein maintains tiny hairs (cilia) in the inner ear. When these hairs die, a person becomes deaf. The researchers believe that their discovery will help develop treatments to restore hearing.

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January 28th

LOCAL NEWS

Trivia After Torah

Anshi S’fard has fun by launching a game show Shabbat morning By Leah R. Harrison

utreach has gotten creative at Atlanta’s oldest Orthodox synagogue. Saturday morning, Dec. 5, marked the premiere of “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” at Congregation Anshi S’fard in Morningside/Virginia-Highland. According to Anshi’s website, “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” is “a new and exciting game show” in which contestants are chosen from the Shabbat service audience to answer questions on topics ranging from the weekly Torah portion and upcoming holidays to Jewish-American history and facts about Israel. The winner receives a prize valued at $50. There is even a consolation prize, so no contestant leaves emptyhanded. Although services begin at 9:30 a.m., the game show starts around 10:45 Inspiring students from 1 8 months to 8th grade and lasts approximately an hour. Comspringmont.com • 404.252.3910 munity members may attend either or both portions of the Shabbat morning celebration. Because of the coming New Year’s Atlanta’s Finest Persian Cuisine holiday, “Good Shabbos, Atlanta” will return Jan. 9, but it will run on the first Outside Shabbat Patio morning ! Full ofBevery ar month from February forward. Having arrived from Phoenix in Catering For August, Large ARabbi nd Small Events Mayer Freedman and his wife, Shani, are casting a welcom ing net from their long-established neighborhood synagogue. The rabbi Book Your Next Holiday Party said, “Everyone is welcome, and every one fits in.” Rabbi Freedman sported a special “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” necktie (‫ )פטיו בחוץ‬ (‫)בר מלא‬ and watch for the game show’s debut, which was held after a few test runs of the idea. His matching cuff links have (‫)קײטרינג לארועים גדולים וקטנים‬ yet to arrive. After all joined in to sing the theme song, “Am Yisrael Chai,” Rabbi Freed(‫)שרײן את מסיבת החגים שלך‬ man explained the scoring system and the rules for the game, including the lifelines: poll the auSuﬁsAtlanta.com I 1814 Peachtree St NW I Atlanta, availability GA 30309 of I 4five 04-‐888-‐9699 dience (twice); ask a predesignated per son (twice); and use a Chumash (once). Numbers were handed out to all interested in playing, and Rabbi FreedExpires 1/31/2016 Expires 1/31/2016 man spun the number wheel to select Excludes major holidays Excludes major holidays the two participants. Categories for the premiere were the week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev; facts about Chanukah; and Chanukah observances or traditions. Under new ownership. Questions ranged from doable to

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Newly arrived from Phoenix, Rabbi Mayer Freedman is trying “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” as a fun way to spark study and excitement at the city’s oldest Orthodox synagogue.

A “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” mug serves as a consolation prize.

Rabbi Mayer Freedman already wears a special tie and watch for the game show, and cuff links are on the way.

challenging and included: In his dream in this week’s Torah portion, how many sheaves of corn bowed down to Joseph? In Israel, what letter is added to the dreidel? Who is the father of the Maccabees? On more than one occasion the “Jeopardy!” theme song was hummed while a contestant deliberated. Audience members had to resist the urge to help the player if they knew the answer. The competition was tight, and in the end the point leader won a gift certificate to Chai Peking, while No. 2 received a coveted, limited-edition “Good Shabbos, Atlanta!” coffee mug. The congregants were warm and welcoming for the intimate gathering. The show was fun and thoughtfully orchestrated, and all who attended, from age 17 months on up, had a good time and a good Shabbos. Anyone who attends services or the show at Anshi S’fard, 1324 N. Highland Ave., is invited to stay for the Kiddush luncheon that follows. What do you have to lose? ■

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AJT 9

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OPINION

Our View

Muslim Hope

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

ne of the predictable, unfortunate results of Islamist-motivated terrorist attacks is a rise in anger misdirected at Muslims in general. Sure enough, in little more than a week after 14 people were slaughtered Dec. 2 in San Bernardino, Calif., the Anti-Defamation League tracked more than three dozen threats against Muslims. Mosques have been defaced. And, of course, Donald Trump sparked a rhetorical firestorm with his insistence on an antiMuslim policy that would be unique in American history — barring potential immigrants and visitors alike based on nothing more than their religion. But the 7 million Muslims in the United States, as well as all of us who treasure religious liberty, should appreciate at least two positive developments. The first is the unified response in support of the overwhelming majority of Muslims who, like the overwhelming majority of Jews, Christians, Hindus and all others in this nation founded on religious liberty, just want to live in peace and pursue happiness. In the Atlanta area, we have seen Jews, Muslims and Christians come together at Mercer University on Dec. 6 to refuse to be enemies. We have seen Jewish Voice for Peace rally in Toco Hills on Dec. 10 to decry Islamophobia (we regret that JVP touted its wrongheaded views on Israel, but its positions on Muslims and refugees were on target). We have seen more than three dozen faith-based organizations stand together at the King Center on Dec. 14 to insist that we in Atlanta, the city too busy to hate, put faith above fear. We hope not only that Muslim families take heart from such rallies, but also that those who are tempted to lash out at innocent Muslims pause and recognize that their neighbors are against them. We also hope that those displays of interfaith support strengthen the second positive development: the official launch of the Muslim Reform Movement. Two days after the San Bernardino shootings, a dozen brave Muslim leaders held a press conference in Washington to make the kind of announcement so many critics and skeptics of Islam have clamored for. “We are Muslims who live in the 21st century. We stand for a respectful, merciful and inclusive interpretation of Islam. We are in a battle for the soul of Islam, and an Islamic renewal must defeat the ideology of Islamism, or politicized Islam, which seeks to create Islamic states,” the reformers declared. “We reject interpretations of Islam that call for any violence, social injustice and politicized Islam. Facing the threat of terrorism, intolerance, and social injustice in the name of Islam, we have reflected on how we can transform our communities based on three principles: peace, human rights and secular governance.” The Declaration for Muslim Reform endorses tolerance, freedom of religion and speech, and women’s and minority rights and rejects terrorism, oppression and bigotry. It’s a simple argument for an Islam that embraces the 21st instead of the seventh century. While we must do everything to destroy Islamic State and similar groups that would destroy us, their ultimate defeat must be achieved on the battlefield of ideas. That fight must be waged within Islam itself, 10 and this declaration is a powerful opening volley. ■

AJT

‘We Are All Jews Here’

ack in early November I visited my parents in hain, the word went out that the Jewish POWs were Virginia, taking advantage of the fact that the to identify themselves the next morning. General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of The highest-ranking American prisoner was North America was being held in Washington. Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds of Knoxville, Tenn. He That meant it was back to my childhood synaordered all the men, Jews and gentiles, to muster the gogue for Saturday morning services Nov. 7, which I next day before the German camp commander. knew would be special because, after years of urging Stern, who was a noncommissioned officer by my mother, Congregation Beth Emeth was finally himself and stood closed to Edmonds, recounted holding a Veterans Day Shabbat. that the German ofRegardless of stereotypes, ficer shouted, “They Jews have been as likely as anycannot all be Jews,” Editor’s Notebook one else to serve in the military, to which Edmonds By Michael Jacobs and that was clear throughout replied, “We are all mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com the service as veterans from Jews here.” World War II through AfghaniStern and stan and Iraq received honors on another Jewish POW the bimah while we in the pews there that day, Lester read through a program with the military exploits of Tanner, have testified that the camp commander congregants’ late parents and grandparents. pulled out a pistol, held it to Edmonds’ head, and The stories shared during the service and the threatened to shoot him dead if he did not identify Kiddush lunch included the everyday heroics of the Jews. wartime and the often-mundane service in peace But Edmonds insisted that the 1,000-plus men or on the home front. Too many of the veterans had behind him were Jews and that they were required to at least a brush with anti-Semitism; all of them, offer only name, rank and serial number, and those whether they recognized it or not, had been heroes. men did not waver in backing him. The Germans But I didn’t realize how historic one story was. eventually backed down, keeping the Jewish prisPaul Stern was a U.S. soldier in World War II; oners with the general population, and the war in today, he and two more generations of his family are Europe ended a little more than three months later. members of my parents’ Conservative shul. It took more than 70 years after that heroic He told of being captured in the Battle of the moment, and 30 years after Edmonds died, but Yad Bulge in December 1944 and being sent to a POW Vashem this month declared the master sergeant to camp in Germany. And he told us the remarkable be one of the Righteous Among the Nations. He is story of an Army master sergeant who saved the the first American soldier so honored. lives of Stern and scores of other Jewish prisoners. I didn’t know of the forthcoming honor when Stern spoke, only that he and some unknown numThe Germans were known to segregate Jewish ber of fellow American Jews were saved that day so prisoners of war from other POWs. On the Eastern that he could stand in a synagogue social hall all Front, captured Jewish soldiers were often sent to those years later to tell the tale and remind us why death camps. In the West, the likely destination was he, Edmonds and their peers deserve to be known as a slave labor camp, where survival was rare. the Greatest Generation. ■ In late January 1945 at Stalag IXA near Ziegen-

OPINION

The American Citizen

the most learned among us explained the story behind lighting a menorah and the accompanying prayers, which those of us who are Jewish then chanted. The designated topic, population migration around the world, was chosen a couple of months ago, after the photograph of the Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach sparked debate

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and before acts of terrorism turned that lava flow into a volcanic eruption spewing invective on the campaign trail, on the airwaves and online. The discussion leader posited that one side considers the issue of resettling refugees in this country primarily as a matter of security while the other regards it primarily as a matter of justice. That does not mean, though, that those concerned about security aren’t also interested in justice or that those interested in justice aren’t also concerned about security. The rub comes when one side decries the other’s priorities as misplaced or invalid. A better outcome is possible, we were told, if those interested in justice first acknowledge concerns about security and if those concerned about security first acknowledge the interest in justice. The director of an agency that has resettled thousands of people from oppressed and war-ravaged nations into our community was a guest at dinner. These refugees, who have been vetted in a process that can require more than a year, are grateful to be in America, she said. For now, they want only to find jobs to shelter and feed their families and to educate their children, she said. There is time for them to learn the rough-and-tumble ways of America’s advanced citizenship. As the political campaign makes your blood boil, keep in mind these words, written a couple of years ago by a real rabbi: “A community’s destiny does not rise and fall based on how it handles its times of harmony and consensus, but on how it responds to its moments of greatest discord and disagreement.” ■

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fictional president of the United States once said: “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, ‘You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.’ ” America isn’t easy, but even with its flaws, this 239-year-old experiment in self-governance remains the gold standard for people living in lesser forms of rule around the world. America is advanced citizenship, yet too many Americans appear not to want it bad enough. They complain loudly but fail to utilize the tool so valuable that people around the world risk their lives in hopes of achieving it: the right to vote. These days, American citizenship is putting up one hell of a fight. Blood is boiling, and we’re still more than 10 months from Election Day on Nov. 8, 2016. The teenager at home recently asked if this would be the most important presidential election in the nation’s history. Every presidential election is the most important, I told him. The sound and fury on and off the campaign trail signify that this election will be a referendum of sorts on American values: the role of immigrants in shaping and reshaping this country’s future; when to rely on diplomacy and when to deploy the armed forces; the responsibilities of corporations to their employees; honoring the lives of our elders and educating our children; and the balance between protecting the homeland and safeguarding civil liberties. These are complicated issues. Demagoguery, slogans, labels, applause lines and provocative appeals — from any point on the political spectrum — are attempts to offer simple, comforting answers where none exists. I recalled the words of that fictional president after the most recent gathering of our dinner and discussion group. The seven dozen homemade latkes we brought were devoured by Jew and gentile alike. On that first night of Chanukah,

AJT 11

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OPINION

Are We to Succumb to John Wayneism?

tarting in my early teens, when my hometown was occupied by the Hungarians with their antiSemitic and restrictive laws, I dreamed of living in a free country. I hoped to settle in a country based on a rational political view — a view that led, at least in theory, to the ideals espoused by the French Revolution — and to be freed from the restrictive shtetl, where Jewish life was governed by Chassidim, such as the followers of the Munkacser and Szatmarer rebbes, whose perspectives on Judaism resided in the principle of fear. Since childhood I was influenced by American movies, especially the Andy Hardy series, in which the jubilation of life and American freedoms were projected by Mickey Rooney, Ann Rutherford and Judy Garland. The life motto was, at least to this young boy, ad astra per asperata (reach for the stars). From these movies, I, an impressionable young teenager, assumed that the United States was the country of my dreams, the country where indi-

vidual freedom was elevated above all other ideals. Right after liberation from the Holocaust, because of linguistic skills, I was employed by the Army medical corps as a translator and a public relations person conveying the survivors’ messages to the hospital staff. Two years later, when I fled from Czech communism and returned

One Man’s View By Eugen Schoenfeld

to Germany, I became an officer in the service of the United Nations, working for and with the American Joint Distribution Committee. In my association with the U.S. Army as a social worker, my view of America was reinforced, albeit because in my work I never encountered black soldiers, the problem of race never entered my consciousness. In 1948 I was given a temporary student visa. I entered the United

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States and immediately encountered a different America, one in which the freedoms of thought and belief, which I assumed were the foundation of this country, seemed to be absent. That was the period of Richard Nixon’s House Un-American Activities Committee. Even more devastating to me as a college student was my encounter with the dominance of a Nazi-like spirit reflected by the hideous ideals espoused by “Tail Gunner” Joe McCarthy, the junior senator from Wisconsin. Now, as nonagenarian, I am again confronted with fearmongering politicians. Once again I am forced to see the ugly espousal of fear and lies advocated by some who seek the presidency of the United States. Once again in their attempt to gain power, their poisonous, vile views are spread by their vampirelike fangs, similar to the Nazi ideologies of the 1930s. One candidate for the presidency is a man whose posturing stance, dictatorial manner and speeches devoid of truth make him a proponent of the big lie and the big promise technique, similar in content and body language to the great villain, Hitler. Not far behind him in popularity is a skilled surgeon, a person who doesn’t bring and foster enlightenment but instead seeks to take us back to the darks days of theocracy that forced people to escape Europe and come here — and I am scared. I am enveloped by a deep, depressing fear, what in Hebrew is called pachad (trepidation), and I fear that what I experience is also affecting the American psyche. It seems to me that the United States has become infected by the fear virus, a condition that is central in the biblical description of the “Tocheychah,” the warning of human-created evil conditions. And, in spite of President Roosevelt’s caution in his 1933 inauguration speech that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, many people in this country are still willing, as were the Germans in the 1930s, to give up the constitution and its teaching of freedom and the Bill of Rights for the promises espoused by

an egomaniacal person with not only foolish, but dangerous and insincere promises, and to exchange the constitution for his bombastic and unachievable solutions to complex problems. I am distressed that we, the people of the United States, or at least a great many of us, are willing to give up reason and escape from our constitutional freedoms and exchange our democracy for a form of totalitarianism and for the promise of security and for the idea that we must be the dominant force in the world — ideas that are as phony as the proverbial $3 bill. Look at the Founding Fathers. Look at their ideals. Look how they helped to develop a new world founded in the spirit of freedom and justice. Then ask: Where are our Washingtons, Jeffersons, Adamses and Lincolns? Where are the statesmen with visions and with humanistic ideals who were seeking to establish and bring out in us a commitment to universal human moral ideals? Are we digressing from Torah-like idealism into utter mediocrity and at worst into utter stupidity? Sure, we are being attacked by evil forces, but are we not strong enough to withstand such threats without giving up our ideals? Have we lost our ability to raise ourselves above the crass, primitive paganism that exemplifies the idealism of our foes and continue to advocate that this country is a place of refuge governed by a humanistic-oriented ideology that will make this country another prophetic Zion? Or have we indeed merely lowered our visions of the future and accepted the lowest level of belief of Sodom, that of distrust of strangers? Are we to follow the totalitarian desires evident in Europe that at the same time have become hostile to Israel? Or can we become, once again, a great nation advocating a scared belief of universal morals? Let us not be tempted by the dark side and become obsessed with fear to the point that we become frightened by the rustle of leaves. The future is in your hands, American voters; therefore, be careful and choose wisely. ■

Write to Us The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes your letters in response to articles we run and in regard to issues of interest to our Jewish community. Letters should be no more than 400 words. Longer opinion pieces may be considered for use as guest columns. Submit letters at atlantajewishtimes.com or email them to mjacobs@ atljewishtimes.com. Include your town or city of residence (for publication) and a phone number (not for publication) for verification purposes.

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BUSINESS

Applying Painful Experience

Near-fatal accident at 19 motivates new owner of home health care business By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

shoulder and cracked back bones, as well as third-degree burns, but Levy calls himself fortunate. “I am lucky I was not paralyzed,” he said. “I always had a good attitude, and my family would vouch for that. Yeah, I have aches and pains, but I don’t walk around complaining. I am fortunate.” After surgeries, physical therapy and his recovery journey, Levy began a career in home health care. His goal was to prove how life experience can create an opportunity for personal success. “I can relate to my clients no matter their age,” he said. Now a passionate home health advocate, Levy said that building relationships is the reason for his success. He has developed relationships with hospital case managers, social workers, hospice and home health providers, senior facilities, and rehabilitation facilities. “There are so many providers in this industry. The key is to differentiate and continue to educate referral sources on their options. It’s about proving

Daniel Levy and his wife, Sarah, have their hands full with twin boys.

your value to the family that you take care of,” he said. In the coming year Levy is planning for continued growth of the company, including expanding the company’s licensure. Outside work, he stays busy on the tennis court while he and his wife, Sarah, raise infant twin boys. His best advice? “You’re never too old to look both ways before crossing the street,” he said with a smile. ■

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andy Springs-based Advantage Private Home Care boomed this year after the company’s purchase by Daniel Levy, who knows from personal experience the value of the services his company provides. Levy left corporate America to purchase the home care management company in the second half of 2015 and immediately increased coverage from six to 23 counties in the greater Atlanta area. He brought on a business development officer and more nursing staff and now employs more than 100 people. Advantage Private Home Care provides services including nutrition, personal care, fall prevention, and assistance with medication, outings and medical appointments. Veterans are a significant population the company serves. Levy’s standards guide his goal to meet all new families in person before they leave the hospital. With 16 years in the home health care industry, Levy

said that if his company cannot help, he will offer other resources to families in need. “I can relate to people,” he said. “I have been on the other side.” Levy grew up Daniel Levy knows both sides in Columbus in a of the health care Conservative Jewbusiness after his ish family of three long recovery from children. He spent a car accident summers at Camp when he was 19. Judaea and went to the University of South CarolinaAiken on a tennis scholarship. The summer he was 19, Levy worked as a valet at an intown restaurant. He was hit and dragged by a car, was pinned under the vehicle, and sustained life-threatening injuries. Levy was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he stayed for a month and spent his 20th birthday. His injuries included a broken back, a dislocated right hip, a cracked knee, a broken collarbone, a broken

AJT 13

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LOCAL NEWS

Pro-Muslim Rally Sparks Progressive Claims By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Jewish-led demonstration Thursday, Dec. 10, against Islamophobia linked the defense of Muslims to a range of progressive issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement and criticism of U.S. aid to Israel. The rally came three days after Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called for a ban on all Muslim visas to the United States in response to the terrorist slaughter in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2. It also occurred while Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal faces off against the federal government over food stamps for Syrian refugees settled in the state. But Ilise Cohen, who organized the event at the intersection of North Druid Hills and LaVista roads for Jewish Voice for Peace, said that maintaining an alliance against injustice requires looking at the big picture and addressing more than anti-Muslim rhetoric and vandalism against mosques. About 40 people attended the rally during the evening rush hour. It was part of a series of Chanukah demonstrations Jewish Voice for Peace held in cities across the nation in the name of “rekindling our commitment to justice.” That organizational commitment, which includes support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, involved repetition of an eight-point statement every few minutes throughout the one-hour demonstration as the fourth day of Chanukah ended.

Left: Rally organizer Ilise Cohen reads the Jewish Voice for Peace statement. Right: Activist Brian Sherman seeks support from passing motorists.

Jewish Voice for Peace demonstrators line up at the corner of LaVista and North Druid Hills roads Dec. 10.

Cohen and Roberts Andrews, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, took turns reading the statement, which echoed the points featured on eight candle signs held by fellow demonstrators: 1. We will not be silent about antiMuslim and racist hate speech and hate crimes. 2. We condemn state surveillance of the Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities. 3. We challenge through our words and actions institutionalized racism and state-sanctioned anti-black violence. 4. We protest the use of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism to justify Israel’s repressive policies against Palestinians. 5. We fight anti-Muslim profiling and racial profiling in all its forms. 6. We call for an end to racist policing #SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter.

7. We stand against U.S. policies driven by the “war on terror” that deA target and monize Islam and devalue, kill Muslims. A 8. We welcome Syrian refugees and stand strong for immigrants’ and refugee rights. That range of issues appealed to Jewish activists such as Brian Sherman, who held a “Honk for Peace” sign Thursday. Perhaps 15 passing vehicles honked over the course of the demonstration. Sherman said he’s a rally regular, from protests of war and police violence to events calling for action against climate change. “All of these injustices are linked,” Cohen said. “If we leave out one, we’re saying it isn’t important.” She said the war on terrorism denigrates Muslims, and she criticized the U.S. record of military actions and alliances in countries such as Syria,

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Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. But Cohen was vague about what the United States should do now, aside from welcoming Syrian refugees and cutting off military aid to Israel “until it no longer occupies Palestinian territory.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Trump’s No Hitler, but Some See Danger

wo works of graffiti depicting Donald Trump as Adolf Hitler in front of a swastika elevated a comparison that had been made at times throughout the billionaire’s Republican presidential campaign. The two street paintings were found Wednesday, Dec. 9, two days after Trump announced his proposal for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, leading to comparisons to Jews being denied entry to the United States while fleeing Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s. “For us, it’s a double whammy of despair,” Mark Moskowitz, the AntiDefamation League’s Southeast director, said of the swastika graffiti. Trump’s proposal is “deplorable and against everything America stands for” as a refuge against religious persecution, Moskowitz said, but “we believe the swastikas belong where they belong, and that’s in historic displays in museums. It shouldn’t be used as part of political discourse.” Even after the Philadelphia Daily News made the Trump-Hitler comparison on its front page with the headline “The New Furor,” Dov Wilker said the swastika graffiti surprised him. “It’s a problem. I believe that it minimizes what the Holocaust is or was and what Hitler did,” said Wilker, the regional director of the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter. “That in no way supports what Trump is saying. I find it despicable. But is he equal to Hitler? No, he is not equal Hitler.” A couple of Atlanta’s Holocaust survivors had different opinions about the comparison. Eugen Schoenfeld, an AJT columnist whose thoughts on fearmongering politicians are on Page 12, said he sees some of the mannerisms and body language of Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Trump, as well as the commitment to using the big lie to persuade people. Also like Europe’s past Fascist leaders, Schoenfeld said, Trump seems to believe that no one is as strong as he is and that no one else can solve the nation’s problems. He said the great danger with Trump is that he doesn’t stand for anything except gaining personal power, so it’s hard to predict what he would do with the power of the presidency. “Hitler came with a specific notion of how he saw the world,” said Schoenfeld, a survivor of Auschwitz. “Trump

doesn’t have that. He merely responds to things in a way that appeals to some part of the population of the United States,” then uses his poll percentages to justify any ideas for using power. Schoenfeld worries that Americans are fearful enough to give up their freedoms to someone like Trump who promises to act forcefully to secure the nation. “We are in a situation where it could lead to a totalitarian United States.” Benjamin Hirsch, who came to the United States as a child after escaping Germany on the Kindertransport, thinks Trump is just manipulating the media for attention when he makes bombshell announcements and pro-

posals. “He comes off as a buffoon,” Hirsch said, “but I think he’s a pretty brilliant guy.” Hirsch said he was able to come to the United States only because an organization ensured that he wouldn’t wind up on welfare. He also said that when he was 15 and wanted to go to a Young Judaea conference in Birmingham, he had to get government permission and notify officials when he returned. So he doesn’t see a problem with setting restrictions on refugees. “If that’s what the country needs,” he said, “fine.” He said Trump doesn’t scare him as much as Jesse Jackson used to when he spoke, nor does the recent use of swastika imagery upset him as much

as neo-Nazis marching in Skokie, Ill., did in 1977. What does bother Hirsch is when Jewish organizations purport to speak for Holocaust survivors on such issues without talking to survivors. “I don’t think people should be speaking for us. That includes (former ADL National Director) Abe Foxman; he doesn’t speak for us,” Hirsch said. Fellow survivor “Elie Wiesel doesn’t speak for me. Want to know what we’re thinking? Ask us.” Wilker agreed. “We should hear from survivors about this,” he said. “Unfortunately, we will soon be in a world with no survivors, and we have to be equipped to respond.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Holocaust Torah Brought Back to Life By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

Torah that is more than 200 years old and suffered severe damage during the Holocaust was unveiled anew at a special dedication Sunday, Dec. 13, after a meticulous restoration. The event at Congregation Beth Shalom, led by Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, began with a procession of the scroll around the grounds of the Dunwoody synagogue and concluded with a presentation featuring several key players in the yearlong project. “We have been blessed with the ability to restore it and to make this Torah usable again,” Vera Newman, who chaired the restoration committee, said during an interview. The project has created a lot of ruach (spirit) in the synagogue, she added. “This is a very tight group. They embraced this project with passion.” The scroll, which dates to at least the late 1700s, was once deemed unrepairable. “It was in a synagogue that was torched by the Nazis or their sym-

Photos by Kevin Madigan

Left: Flanked by the restoration committee’s chairwoman, Vera Newman, and Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, Ellen Doft holds an award she received during the Torah rededication ceremony. Right: Now free of fire damage, the restored Torah is read inside Congregation Beth Shalom. The plan is to make regular use of the scroll.

pathizers, and this one was partially burned,” Rabbi Zimmerman said. Its provenance remains something of a mystery. It probably came from what was then Czechoslovakia, the rabbi said, and it ended up in a London synagogue. “By the time it got to us, it was in the worst of conditions — soot, grime. There were panels that were totally burnt. The irony is we discovered that we had this rare jewel: an old Torah that had been written in a very delicate,

special way on a special parchment in a tradition that is really unknown today, that nobody can replicate,” he said. “It languished for decades. We had a very special responsibility to bring this back to life.” The Torah will not be relegated to the status of an artifact: The congregation plans to incorporate it into its regular activities. “This little Torah has had its journey,” Newman said. “It’s going to be put in the ark, used and loved and cared for.” ■

Walking under a chuppah, Ellen Doft carries the restored Holocaust Torah around the outside of Congregation Beth Shalom and then into the Dunwoody synagogue as part of the rededication ceremony Sunday, Dec. 13, the eighth night of Chanukah.

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LOCAL NEWS

Emory Hires Health CEO

Jonathan Lewin, a member of the Baltimore Jewish community, has been named Emory University’s executive vice president for health affairs, executive director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, president and CEO of Emory Healthcare, and chairman of the board of directors of Emory Healthcare. Lewin will Jonathan Lewin begin his Emory responsibilities Feb. 1. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Lewin to the Emory leadership team,” Emory President James Wagner said in annnouncing the hiring Thursday, Dec. 10. “Dr. Lewin joins us from Johns Hopkins Medicine with an impressive track record of innovative and high-impact research, exceptional patient care, and visionary administrative acumen. His insights as a leader, clinician and researcher will benefit our patients, faculty, students and staff, as well as the state of Georgia and beyond.” Lewin is the senior vice president for integrated health care delivery and co-chair for strategic planning for Johns Hopkins Medicine. He serves as a Johns Hopkins University professor and chairman of the radiology and radiological science department, and he is the radiologist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, with secondary appointments as a professor of oncology, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering. “I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to join such a strong leadership team and to be a part of a truly exceptional university,” Lewin said. Before Johns Hopkins, Lewin led the magnetic resonance imaging division and was vice chairman for research and academic affairs in radiology at Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of Cleveland, where he did his residency in diagnostic radiology. Lewin is a 1981 graduate of Brown University and received his medical degree from Yale University in 1985. He is a fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and of the American College of Radiology. He is a national leader in radiology, serving as the president of the American Roentgen Ray Society, president of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology, president-elect

Federation Hires Kutner

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has hired Renee Kutner as its vice president of marketing, putting her in charge of all marketing efforts for the agency. Her first day was Dec. 7. Kutner spent most of her career at advertising firm Fitzgerald & Co. The past six years she owned an organizing business, Peace by Piece Organizing. Her volunteer work in the Atlanta Jewish community the past few years included cochairing the steering committee that oversaw the Renee Kutner merger of Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta into Atlanta Jewish Academy and serving as a campaign manager for Young Israel of Toco Hills as it raised the money for its new building. She has a bachelor’s in economics

from the University of Michigan and a master of business administration from UCLA. She lives in Toco Hills with her husband, Davi, and three children.

Yemin Orde Picks Arogeti

Friends of Yemin Orde has added former Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Chairman Robert Arogeti to its board of directors for a three-year term starting Jan. 1. “Robert offers a wealth of advocacy experience in the Atlanta community and for Israel and will make a valuable contribution to advance the mission of our organization,” said Karen Sallerson, the organization’s executive director. “The Arogeti family has supported Yemin Orde for nearly 20 years, and we are thrilled to welcome Robert to the board.” Friends of Yemin Orde is the U.S. fundraising arm of the Yemin Orde Youth Village and Yemin Orde Educational Initiatives in Israel. The youth village is a haven that provides a quality education to approximately 440 emotionally fragile immigrant and Israeli-born at-risk youths. YOEI is an independent organization that brings Yemin Orde’s educational methodology, the Village Way, to other youth villages and schools in Israel.

Arogeti has hosted Yemin Orde youths in his Atlanta home and organized Atlanta fundraising and informational programs. He recently retired as a partner of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne. “Being at Yemin Orde in June 2014 with my wife and daughters reminded me of a mantra I try to live by: living life being Jewish every day. That has been the essence of Yemin Orde since I first visited the village in the mid1980s,” Arogeti said. “After 30 years of being an advocate, a funder, a believer and a champion of Yemin Orde, I am honored to be asked to serve on the Friends of Yemin Orde board.”

LifeLine Donations Doubled

Through Dec. 31, Atlanta-based Anisa International is matching donations to the LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit animal welfare organization trying to make Atlanta a no-kill community for animals next year. Anisa will match up to $25,000 in donations. In its third year managing animal services for Fulton and DeKalb counties, LifeLine has increased lifesaving by over 50 percent at those shelters to 85 percent and has increased adoption rates by 98 percent. Visit www.lifelineanimal.org/ great-holiday-match to donate.

WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARENTS EVEN IF THEY’RE A HANDFUL. DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

Local Briefs

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AJT 17

EDUCATION

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or the seventh year in a row, Emory Hillel hosted a display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to commemorate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Quilt on the Quad displayed 800 quilt panels, each memorializing someone who died of AIDS, in the largest collegiate display of the quilt. Accompanying the display were speakers, performances, free HIV testing and a community partner fair. ■

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Epstein thirdgraders Ryan Merlin and Noah Leavitt participate in Computer Science Education Week’s An Hour of Code.

o enrich the Epstein School educational and technology experience, all first- to eighth-graders participated during Computer Science Education Week from Dec. 7 to 13 in Computer Science Education Week’s An Hour of Code, a grass-roots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide. Technology specialist Helene Marcus, media specialist Gordon Carswell and 21st-century learning coach Emily Khan facilitated sessions. Students explored computer programming in a fun, interactive environment and perhaps gained inspiration to become future programmers. The job market in computer science is growing at twice the rate of the average field. “In 15 years we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and writing … and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner,” Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said. ■

EDUCATION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Temima Twirls Into Hearts for Chanukah By R.M. Grossblatt

lisheva Beck, an alumna of the Richard and Jean Katz Temima High School for Girls, watched “Twirl & Zip: A Chanukah Trip” at the Chaya Mushka Children’s House, where her sons attend preschool, on Tuesday, Dec. 8. She designed and painted scenery for Temima’s first “Twirl & Zip” show in 2004. Marveling at this year’s performance at Congregation Beth Tefillah, she said: “It’s so professional.” Similar comments were heard when the girls performed at the Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Weinstein School, Temple Sinai, The Temple’s Weinberg Early Learning Center, Atlanta Jewish Academy and Congregation Beth Jacob. “When are you going on Broadway?” an AJA teacher asked. But Broadway wasn’t Temima’s destination. The girls’ focus, said Gitty Golding, Temima’s activities coordinator and the producer of “Twirl & Zip,” was “to teach the real story of Chanukah and bring its message to Jewish children all over Atlanta.” A major part of that message is

helping the children discover the secret weapon of the Jews, which is learning Torah and doing mitzvot. About every two years, Temima presents “Twirl & Zip.” In the other years, the students stage a bigger production. As with other shows, Temima Principal Miriam Feldman, the writer of the play, presented to her students at Cafe Night how to achieve the goals of the show and grow in the process. The girls then took ownership. For about four weeks they attended Sunday and late-night rehearsals, painted scenery, made costumes by hand, created props, and sent out publicity. Golding said the long working hours brought out the talent and creativity of the girls and strengthened their ability to learn from one another. “It was a great bonding experience,” Golding said. Members of the community helped. As assistant producer, Chava Goldberger, also an alumna, shared the responsibility for the production. Ruth Goldstein, who has volunteered for many Temima plays, directed the girls in reinforcing and making costumes. Every existing costume was touched up, and new ones were made.

Dizzy the Dazzling Dreidel, the trees, latkes and other costumes were redone. While the basic script stayed the same, changes were made to upgrade the show. Two years ago a song with dancing to the tune of “Candlelight,” made famous by Yeshiva University’s Maccabeats, was added. This year Dizzy was updated with a dreidel phone. To strengthen the singing, a second-level choir was added in the back. For several years Rachelle Freedman has helped direct plays for Temima (she also directs plays at Torah Day School). “With every play, we see girls blossom and grow,” she said. “They have an opportunity to shine and use their talent to make the show shine.” The faces of the children in the audience shined when they saw characters such as Dizzy, Torah, Siddur, candlesticks, latkes and Chanukah gelt come alive. To the joy of the children, those and other characters greeted them after the show. The children received original “Twirl & Zip” coloring/ activity books and large round stickers that read “I went on a Chanukah Trip with Dizzy.” In a thank-you note, Deena Weintraub, the head of the parents group at

Photos by R.M. Grossblatt

Above: Preschoolers at the Chaya Mushka Children’s House seem captivated by the “Twirl & Zip” performance Dec. 8. Below: “Twirl & Zip” draws a packed Heritage Hall at Congregation Beth Jacob on Dec. 6.

the JCC, wrote that as soon as she and her 4-year-old son came home from “Twirl & Zip,” he asked her to read aloud the coloring/activity book. Dassie New, the Chaya Mushka preschool director, wrote, “All of the teachers said it was the best performance we’ve ever had here and that the girls were so kind.” ■

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AJT 19

AJT

20 4 3

Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/vayigash

I was a joyous holiday in the days of the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. On this date, cutting of the wood for the main altar in the Holy Temple was completed for the year. Also, on this date the last of the generation of the spies died.

wHat date AM I?

___ Ezra Hasofer died ___ The Torah was translated into Greek ___ Story of Chanukah ___ Story of Purim

Number the following events in the order they occurred.

historical timeline

7 5 DOWN 1. Donkey (45:23) 3. Wagons (45:21) 5. Men (46:32) 7. Drink (43:34) ACROSS 2. Spies (42:30) 4. Daughters (46:14) 6. Give (45:22) 7. Year (47:9)

Complete the crossword by translating each Englishword into Hebrew. Use the reference from Book of Bereishit for help.

CROSSWORD

• A parent bought a flavor of ice cream that you don’t like. • The book you ordered from the store took 3 weeks to arrive.

Can you judge these situations favorably?

you be the judge

Compassion: Show concern for someone who is not feeling well or is having a bad day.

P I

A M

I Y

K Y

W G

O W M

www.thefamousabba.com

T R

O W O

Brought to you by:

E S

WORD FIND

Find the bold italic words on this sheet. The unused letters spell a secret message!

Yehuda approached Yosef to ask for Binyamin to be released so Yaacov would not be upset. After hearing Yehuda, Yosef showed himself to his brothers and asked, “I am Yosef, is my father still alive.” Yosef told them not to be worried and also explained the years of famine and hunger in Egypt. Yosef sent his brothers to bring his father Yaacov back with them to Egypt. On Yaacov’s way to Egypt, HaShem tells him not to fear and He will make Yaacov a great nation there and bring him out of Egypt. A total of 70 people from Yaacov’s family went to Egypt. Yosef wept when he saw his father. Yosef settled his brothers in Goshen. Yaacov met Pharoah and blessed him. Yosef continued to give food to all the people during the famine in return for their money, cattle and land. The Jews were fruitful and multiplied.

7 TEVET 5776 PARASHAT VAYIGASH

SHEEP

HORSES

‫ה‬ +‫ה‬

‫נח‬ ÷ ‫כט‬

‫ת‬ -‫ק‬

‫ש‬ 9

weekly chinuch podcast - OVER 100 posted! torah + chinuch < 5 minutes www.thefamousabba.com/podcasts

400 300 200 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת‬

‫לד‬ +‫ו‬

How many members of Yaacov‫'י‬s family came to Egypt?

gematria

SFTA

KEREG

DONKEY

MONEY

(scramble)

‫י‬ x‫ז‬

GEIES

LSWAL

(Hint: The Tenth of Tevet)

ZRAE

NRSLATETA

WORD CMRLESAB

BREAD CLOTHES

spot the difference

An egg hatched by a chicken Cholent on the stove since Friday Snow that fell A defrosted challah roll

Which one is different? (Hint: Items the Eyptians traded for food during the famine)

• • • •

‫( נולד‬nolad) is something that is created on Shabbat. Are the following examples of nolad?

SHABBat

• Yosef revealing himself to his brothers. (45:2) • Yosef introducing some of his brothers to Pharoah. (47:1)

Act out these scenes with friends and family:

PARSHA SKIT ideas

SUPER SHABBat SHEET

good trait OF THE MONTH

CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 3:58 P.M.

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

EDUCATION www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Film Festival Plans Opening to Remember More, the General Muir, Ouzaria, Paces & Vine, Il Giallo Osteria & Bar, Restaurant Eugene, Rumi’s Kitchen, South City Kitchen, Sprinkles Cupcakes, and Batdorf & Bronson. The film program will begin at 7:30 p.m. Last year’s opening night, featuring the documentary “Above and Beyond,” drew 2,000 people. That audience launched the festival toward record attendance of more than 38,600, making the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival the largest of the more than 200 Jewish film festivals in the world. Tickets for the 2016 festival, which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 17, go on sale Jan. 10. The festival will announce the schedule Friday, Dec. 18. Look for the lineup at atlantajewishtimes.com that day and in the Dec. 25 print edition. Emory University film professor Matthew Bernstein and Bob Bahr will provide a two-part overview of the festival and their best bets Dec. 20 and Jan. 3. A $25 fee covers both programs, each of which will be held at 3 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Visit ajff.org to register. ■

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scar will play a starring role in the opening night of the 16th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Oscar-nominated director Atom Egoyan’s “Remember,” starring Academy Award winners Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau, will open the festival as part of a Sweet Sixteenthemed gala at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. “Remember” focuses on Auschwitz survivor Zev Guttman (Plummer), who at age 90 is losing his memory and recently lost his wife. Fellow survivor Max Rosenbaum (Landau), who lives in the same nursing home, pushes Zev to go on a cross-country search for the Nazi who had their families killed. The suspense film, which premiered at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in September, is scheduled for its U.S. theatrical release Feb. 12. The gala will start at 5 p.m. and feature live music, an open bar, and food from Bistro Niko, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, Del Frisco’s Grill, Dolce, For All Occasions and

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AJT 21

CHANUKAH

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A: With the guidance of Rabbi Isser New, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed lights the shamash on the chanukiah. B & C: The Chanukah celebration in the Capitol includes the traditional festival fare of sufganiyot and latkes. D: With students from the Chaya Mushka Children’s House behind him and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in front of him, Congregation Beth Tefillah Rabbi Yossi New addresses the gathering in the South Wing of the Georgia Capitol on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 10. E: (From left) Rabbi Levi Mentz, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and Rabbi Yossi New pose in front of the large chanukiah, lighted to mark the fourth day of the festival.

A Capitol Celebration

ity and state leaders gathered at the Georgia Capitol on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 10, in celebration of the Festival of Lights as the fifth night of Chanukah approached. Mayors Kasim Reed of Atlanta, Rusty Paul of Sandy Springs and David Belle Isle of Alpharetta were in attendance, along with Rabbis Yossi New, Isser New and Levi Mentz from Chabad of Georgia. “I am honored to participate in this year’s Chanukah celebration and ceremony to light the menorah with Chabad of Georgia because it gives me the opportunity to recognize the contributions of our city’s Jewish community,” Reed told the small crowd at the event, which was not open to the public. “Chanukah celebrates the spirit of resilience and dedication of the Jewish people, who have faced adversity and persecution with fierce dedication. I extend my warmest wishes to all those celebrating Chanukah in the city of Atlanta.” ■

CHANUKAH

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A: Rabbi Yossi Lew completes the lighting of the chanukiah at City Hall in Peachtree City on the eighth night of Chanukah. B: Peachtree City Mayor Vanessa Fleisch lights the shamash for Rabbi Yossi Lew. C: Just as Rabbi Yossi Lew attended the first-night menorah lighting held by Congregation B’nai Israel in Fayetteville, so Rabbi Rick Harkavy joins the Chabad of Peachtree City lighting on the eighth night. D: Showing no sense of rivalry on the south side, many of same people who packed Heritage Park in Fayetteville a week earlier crowd into the Peachtree City town square Dec. 13. E: Latkes and doughnuts, the traditional fried foods of Chanukah, await the crowd in Peachtree City.

By AyAd AKhtAr // DirecTeD By SuSAn V. Booth

Fayette’s Lighter Side

s dusk arrived in Peachtree City on Sunday, Dec. 13, people began congregating at City Hall for Chabad of Peachtree City’s third annual menorah lighting ceremony to mark the eighth night of Chanukah. Tables were set with latkes, homemade doughnuts and coffee. Children were busy with crafts, and the Fayette County High School brass band began to warm up. Almost 80 people were ready and waiting when Rabbi Yossi Lew of Chabad of Peachtree City (chabadsouthside.com) began the ceremony. He introduced Peachtree City Mayor Vanessa Fleisch, who welcomed the crowd and received the honor of lighting the shamash (helper) candle. Jews at the gathering reflected that the public lighting gave them a sense of connection and solidarity with Jews ev-

erywhere, as well as an appreciation of freedom and a sense of pride. Rabbi Lew started the tradition of a public menorah lighting and celebration in Peachtree City in 2013 when one of his congregants offered to build a large-scale chanukiah, and the Peachtree City Council granted permission to set it up in the town square. The last night of Chanukah this year thus began much as the first night did: with a public lighting of an oversize menorah in Fayette County. The first night of the festival was commemorated by refreshments, children’s crafts, live music and a lighting in downtown Fayetteville, sponsored by Congregation B’nai Israel (bnaiisrael.net) and its new rabbi, Rick Harkavy. Where once the south side of Atlanta featured a dearth of Jewish celebration, it now has become a regular freilach (merry dance). ■

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By Vicki M. Leopold

AJT 23

CHANUKAH

F Photos by David R. Cohen

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

A: The Temple Emanu-El youth choir sings Chanukah tunes before the lighting of the menorah Dec. 13. B: Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal listen to Temple Emanu-El Cantor Lauren Adesnik and Rabbi Spike Anderson sing prayers for the eighth night of Chanukah. C: Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal welcome Rabbi Scott Colbert, Cantor Lauren Adesnik and Rabbi Spike Anderson. D: The ballroom of the Governor’s Mansion is packed during the menorah lighting. E: With her daughter at her side and Rabbi Spike Anderson watching, Israeli Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer lights the Chanukah candles. F: The Governor’s Mansion’s holiday decorations include a table decorated with classic Chanukah décor.

AJT 24

Festival’s Real Deals

he Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood created the annual Chanukah display at the Governor’s Mansion, and as a result, Emanu-El played a featured role in the menorah lighting ceremony first lady Sandra Deal hosted at the mansion Sunday, Dec. 13, to mark the eighth night of the Festival of Lights. The Reform congregation’s youth choir, Shir Hachovim, performed for the final hour of public holiday tours of the Buckhead mansion before the ceremony. In addition to the first lady and Gov. Nathan Deal, the event included Israeli Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer and Emanu-El’s clergy, Rabbis Spike Anderson and Scott Colbert and Cantor Lauren Adesnik, and Emanu-El bused members to the mansion for the celebration. ■

CHANUKAH

Photo by David R. Cohen

Congregation Ner Tamid’s large menorah draws a crowd in Glover Park at Marietta Square for the last night of Chanukah on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Northern Exposure

A special soiree Tuesday, Dec. 8, enables women to enjoy wine, friendship and festivities at Chabad of North Fulton, including (seated from left) Caron Hoffer, Megan Herring, Mindy Goldenberg and Tracy Herring and (standing from left) Henya Minkowicz, Bella Spector, Tonia Minkowicz, Rhena Spector and Shayna Morse.

Ultimately, it’s your experience that matters. To be sure, we’re proud of our 27 years of experience in senior living. But, to us, what really matters is your experience at our communities. We do everything with that idea clearly in mind. So, go ahead, enjoy yourself with great social opportunities and amenities. Savor fine dining every day. And feel assured that assisted living services are always available if needed. We invite you to experience The Piedmont for yourself at a complimentary lunch and tour. Please call 404.496.5492 to schedule.

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AJT 25

CHANUKAH

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

D: “The sun never sets on the Jewish people,” says Nissim Reuben, who says India’s Jewish community is the only one in the world never to experience anti-Semitism because Hindus have welcomed Jews since at least the sixth century B.C.E. E: Indian Consul General Nagesh Singh promises that the Chanukah party at his consulate will return next December. F: Among the people lighting menorahs at the Israeli party Dec. 13 are Seth Baron, the executive director of the Southeast Region of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces; Congregation Or Hadash Rabbi Analia Bortz; and Jacquelyn Allen, the executive assistant to the Israeli consul general.

Light in the Darkness

C Photos by Michael Jacobs

A: Some of the dozen chanukiot burn brightly at the Israeli Consulate reception Sunday night, Dec. 13. B: AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker addresses a packed room at the Indian Consulate event Saturday, Dec. 12. C: Flanked by Consuls General Judith Varnai Shorer and Nagesh Singh, Congressman Hank Johnson tells the crowd at the Indian Consulate party Saturday, Dec. 12, that he looks forward to increasing collaboration between Israel and India and an ever-stronger U.S.-Indian-Israeli relationship.

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AJT 26

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enorah lightings held by consuls general on the final two nights of Chanukah shared the Festival of Lights with non-Jews and celebrated the importance of holding on to the light amid the darkness of events such as the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. On Saturday night, Dec. 12, Indian Consul General Nagesh Singh joined with the American Jewish Committee to host a lighting and kosher vegetarian Indian dinner at the Indian Consulate in Sandy Springs. In addition to Israeli Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer and representatives of the Jewish and Indian communities, the guests included Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson. It was the local Indian Consulate’s first Chanukah party, but it followed an example set by the consulate in New York and the embassy in Washington. Singh promised to make the event an annual celebration.

Nissim Reuben, an Indian Jew and an AJC official, helped Singh and his staff organize the event. Reuben said India has a vibrant Jewish community of 5,000, and there are 85,000 Jews of Indian origin. Singh was among the guests the next night when Shorer and the Israeli Consulate hosted a Chanukah reception at the consul general’s Buckhead home. Republican Congressman Tom Price, Atlanta City Council member Kwanza Hall and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul also attended, along with Attorney General Sam Olens and Rabbis Hayyim Kassorla, Joshua Heller, Analia Bortz, Mario Karpuj, Shalom Lewis, Scott Colbert and Brian Glusman. Shorer emphasized the importance of embracing the light, just as she had the night before when she said, “We shouldn’t let the darkness get into our lighted rooms.” ■

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www.SpiveyHall.org Glenn Miller AJT Ad.indd 1

10/7/2015 2:12:28 PM

D A: Menachem Loebenstein lights the menorah while Rabbi Isser New looks on. B: A lucky Jewish fan gets a chance to watch pregame warmups courtside. C: Emily Hanover, a group sales consultant for the Hawks who helped make the arrangements for Jewish Heritage Night, joins (from left) Rabbi Levi Mentz, Rabbi Isser New and Rabbi Yossi New. D: Prodezra Beats performs at center court after the lighting of the menorah.

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

or the third consecutive year, Philips Arena was the site of one of Atlanta’s largest Chanukah celebrations. Candles burned brightly before the Atlanta Hawks played the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, Dec. 12, with thousands of Jewish fans in attendance. It was the team’s only home game during Chanukah. “Who would have thought that inside the Hawks stadium we would be lighting a menorah?” said Rabbi Levi Mentz of Chabad of Georgia. “Sharing light, positivity and good will, especially on Chanukah, is inspiring. We want to give a huge thanks to the Hawks or-

ganization and everyone involved for making this evening so amazing.” Joining Rabbi Mentz for the pregame festivities were Chabad Rabbis Yossi New and Isser New and representatives of the Hawks. Jewish hiphop artist Prodezra Beats entertained the crowd with two songs from his EP “Proud to Be.” Fans who bought early tickets for Jewish Heritage Night through Chabad were allowed on the court for warmups and created the tunnel that Hawks players ran though during player introductions. The Hawks won their past two Chanukah Jewish Heritage Night matchups over the Los Angeles Clippers, but they were crushed by the Spurs, 103-78. ■

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

Hawks Lit Up After Chabad Lights Menorah

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OBITUARIES

Morton Harvey Epstein 85, Sandy Springs

Morton Harvey “Big Mort” Epstein, 85, of Sandy Springs passed away Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. Born May 4, 1930, in Birmingham, Ala., to Alice and Ivan Epstein, both of blessed memory, he graduated from the Georgia Military Academy (now Woodward Academy) and the University of Alabama. After moving to Atlanta in 1967, Morton enjoyed a long, successful career in design and architecture and was the sole proprietor of Architects Designers & Associates. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife, Mary Dunn Nagle. He is survived by his son, Morton Epstein Jr.; daughter-in-law Brenda Sipple; stepchildren Boyd Turner and Mary Jo Goolsby; brother Burt Epstein (Sandra); and many nieces and nephews. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Tuesday, Dec. 15, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Elana Perry officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption, www.atlantapetrescue.org. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

Thelma Syme Sarles 84, Marietta

Thelma Syme Sarles, 84, of Marietta passed away peacefully Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. She was born and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She met her husband, Harold Sarles, at a wedding in Toronto. They married and lived in Buffalo, N.Y., before retiring and moving to Atlanta in 1989 to be near their children and grandchildren. Her greatest pleasure was spending time with her grandchildren. She was a member of Temple Beth El in Buffalo and Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta. Thelma was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Harold Sarles, D.P.M., and her eldest daughter, Ellyn Ruth Holt. She is survived by her brother, Allen (Bernice) Mlotek of Toronto; daughters Nan Mullman and Debbie Rogers and sons-in-law Donald Rogers and Chet Holt; her beloved grandchildren, Adam Holt, Risa, Samuel, and Brooke Mullman, and Jamie and Jason Rogers; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She will be warmly remembered by all who knew her. A graveside service was held Sunday, Dec. 13, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Steven Lebow officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CURE Childhood Cancer. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

Death Notices

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David Ball, 28, of Atlanta, son of Elizabeth Ball and brother of Missy Rivner, Kitty Ball and Hoopie Ball, on Dec. 6. Ruth Carson Becker, 89, of Atlanta, mother of Heleen Berry, Cheryl Scobel, Ed Becker and Jeanne Siegel, on Dec. 2. Joseph Blumberg, a Temple Kol Emeth member, on Dec. 5. Lawrence Dixon of Fresno, Calif., stepfather of Temple Kol Emeth Religious School Principal Rebecca Tullman, on Dec. 8. Nathan Effel of Sandy Springs on Dec. 14 Marilyn Ruth Malitz Fastow, 80, of Houston, mother of Congregation Or Hadash member Stephanie Kupor, Shelley Fastow and Wayne Fastow and wife of Leon Fastow, on Nov. 18. Kelly Flaherty, 57, of New Albany, Ohio, husband of Sandra Flaherty and father of Melaina Flaherty and Madison Flaherty, on Dec. 5. Norma Goldberg, 79, of Marietta, a Temple Kol Emeth member and mother of Jackie Jordan and Wendy Goldberg, on Nov. 23. Moshe Levy, 90, of Atlanta, husband of Hana Levy and father of Mirie Levy and Lisa Staimez, on Dec. 11. Roger Linden, 53, of the Bronx, N.Y., brother of Richard Linden of Roswell, on Dec. 7. John Benjamin Markus of Atlanta on Dec. 10. Nancy Ruth Mazur, 67, of Virginia Beach, Va., mother of Temple Sinai member Cheryl Spitalnick and Dan Mazur and wife of Alan Mazur, on Dec. 6. Marion Zaglin, 88, of Atlanta, husband of Frances Fitterman Zaglin and father of Carl Zaglin and Ellen Zaglin, on Dec. 6.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

A Visit From Great-Uncle Louie

DECEMBER 18 ▪ 2015

his is the time of year when my relatives were in a good mood. For the store owners, customers who saved their money all year were now spending it. My parents’ shop bustled with women who made their final layaway payments for holiday dresses and beaded sweaters. It was the only time when men came in, to buy presents for the women in their lives. (A lot of lingerie made its way into silver gift boxes.) The educators in the family were thrilled, too, free of lesson plans, papers to grade and crowded classrooms. Everybody was happy. My worldly Aunt Cylvia displayed her “Chanukah bush,” a plump evergreen festooned with dreidels and Jewish stars. She and Uncle Harry threw a big New Year’s party with gifts for everyone. Both sets of my grandparents had classic European menorahs. After lighting the candles and singing “Maoz Tsur” and other songs from Hebrew school, we ate heaping platefuls of latkes. Maternal and paternal grandparents considered gifts to be goyishe. We received Chanukah gelt, a half-dollar from each set. Post-b’nai mitzvah, we were raised to a dollar. The highlight of the season, however, had nothing to do with parties or food. It was the visit by my GreatUncle Louie, my maternal grandmother’s older brother, who came for his annual bath. I’d better explain that. Uncle Louie lived on Biddle Street, in a derelict neighborhood in downtown St. Louis. He had a room somewhere, but none of us had ever seen it. He sold newspapers on a corner from early morning until nightfall. My father occasionally took us downtown, with the idea that we needed to get a taste of the real world. Whenever we came upon a poor person hawking pencils or trinkets, my father gave us a nickel. We put the coin in the cup, but we didn’t take the item. “You don’t need a pencil,” my father told us, “but that man does because he can sell it to somebody else.” Biddle Street was not the sort of 30 neighborhood in which one would

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enjoy a leisurely stroll, but my father kept us searching. “I know Uncle Louie lives around here,” he’d say, or “Let’s find Uncle Louie. I want a paper.” We knew that both St. Louis papers were delivered to our house daily. My brother and I were fascinated

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the Force Be With Jew” CROSSWORD “May By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Medium

By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

22 25

29 32

ACROSS 1. Asher ___ … 5. Schindler of “Schindler’s List” 10. Word before Yisrael 14. False god of war 15. Didn’t dine in the sukkah 16. Jewish frat 17. Weapon for an Israeli Jedi? 19. Scotch not used for Kiddush 20. Ian Kinsler played at this level, once 21. Fit for David or Achashverosh 22. How Michaels’ show is broadcast 23. Esau felt it for Jacob 25. Bounty-hunting prime minister? 28. “___ Monday,” tune by Susanna Hoff’s band 29. Letter that can be long 30. Long in Ben Younger’s “Boiler Room” 31. Farmar, once 33. Sight for Eilat divers 34. Seconds, in Israel 35. Frum part of the Force? 39. ___ Yikra 40. Make like Moses hitting the rock, e.g. 41. ___-mo, effect used by Kubrick 42. In a ___, might need some tzedakah 43. Wrap in Nichols’ “The Birdcage” 44. Where Warren Buffet bought chametz from Rabbi Jonathan Gross 48. Wookie of the tribe? 51. Rabbi Weil of the OU 52. It’s the least antiSemitic country in the world, according to the ADL 53. NYU arts name 55. Like the Rova 56. (Just a) bissel

and perplexed that Uncle Louie had no bathtub. Did he have a sink, a toilet, a chair, a table, a bed? My father assured us that Louie had a bed and shared a toilet. My mother said, “It’s his choice,” and our questions made my grandmother cry and my grandfather scowl. The second important thing about Uncle Louie was that he never changed. Every year, he had the same coat, hat, eyeglasses, facial wrinkles, limp and odor. He had no phone, so my family never knew what time he’d arrive, but it was always during the Sunday of Chanukah when he knew all of us would be at his sister’s house. Mysterious Louie fascinated us. First, he put a box of his secret personal possessions under the bed he would sleep in. Then he ceremoniously entered the bathroom, armed with clean towels and washcloth. After at least an hour of bathing, he called out, and Grandma handed him a brand-new set of underwear and a clean shirt. My grandfather, a tailor, provided him with a new pair of trousers. In his spiffy clothes, Louie entertained us with hilarious stories about life on Biddle Street. He gave each of us a $2 bill and sang funny songs. Then a couple of hours later, Louie had a little talk with my grandmother and put on his old coat and hat, and my father drove him back downtown. Louie asked to be dropped at a corner and never let my father know where he lived. My father reported that Louie’s departing words were always the same: “I’ll see your beautiful family next year! Make sure your kids stay in school.” He did, and we did. ■

Chana’s Corner

27. Yiddish pops, for short 32. Former Adam Brody show 33. Itzhak Perlman gift 34. The Negev, e.g. 35. “The greatest thing in the world,” according to Billy Crystal’s Miracle Max 36. It’s prepared before Shabbat 37. Piece of Talmud 38. What some might call really slow cantors 39. Nickname Jonas Salk could have shared with DOWN Julius Erving 1. Balak’s curser 2. Grande who practices 43. Some Stern degs. 45. ___ Zara Kabbalah 3. What Israel did in 1967 46. Female foe of Daniel in the “Harry Potter” films (landwise) 4. Hero in a Sam Raimi film 47. Garfield on screen 49. Get on an Israir flight and TV series 50. Buenos ___, home of a 5. Sinai springs kosher McDonald’s 6. Guy in need of a 51. Joe who’s a yutz shidduch, maybe 54. Marvel(ous) Lee 7. Grill item 56. Particle studied by 8. El Al, e.g. Bohr 9. Makeup for Estee 57. Jewish beginning at Lauder? night? 10. Gush ___ 58. They work on this 11. Unlike matzah 12. Many Jews have one publication, briefly on 11 Tishrei 13. What Diodotus Tryphon did to gain Jonathan Maccabee’s trust LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 18. Israel S C R U B M A C E S S K A has made A L O N E I R I S H T A B several with L A V I D A L A T K A A D L neighboring S P A S U D S Y M E L E E lands S I T E H A R A S S 22. Jeremy G E L T D O W N T O N I G H T who played O P U S E S O B E S E with Casspi B I G T R A A N O 24. ShortS A C H A D W A R F S lived job for B E A T S B Y D R E I D E L S Ben Stiller in S T R A P S I N N S “Zoolander” H E A T H E L F I N C F L 26. ___ up A R M A L L O F M E N O R A (starts looking A N I L E A S E R I P E N like Goldberg) H E S T O N E D S P E E D 57. Lord of Passover? 59. Like Shabbat after about 25 hours 60. Best group in the IDF, perhaps 61. Savior of many a Jew during WWII, e.g. 62. You might need one’s help for this puzzle 63. Kind of question asked before a l’chaim celebration 64. Clarinetist Artie

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