Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCI No. 6, February 12, 2016

ISRAEL-Y

Special Camp Section Pages 14-18

From its new home, Beit Reuven Chabad is launching a camp to take kids on virtual trips to Israel.

Page 15

WONDERFUL

Camp Living Wonders builds confidence while moving toward independence — its campers’ and its own. Page 14

Atlanta

INSIDE

VOL. XCI NO. 6

SPOTLIGHT

WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM

Given a week at Camp Flix, two teens produce a short strong enough for the Jewish Film Festival. Page 17

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 | 3 ADAR I 5776

Shearith Israel Finds Its Rabbi

Rachel Stein �����������������������������3 Calendar ���������������������������������� 4 Candle Lighting ��������������������� 4 Local News �������������������������������5 Opinion ����������������������������������10 Israel News ����������������������������13 Camp ���������������������������������������14 Education �������������������������������19 Arts ����������������������������������������� 23 Home ������������������������������������� 26 Obituaries ����������������������������� 28 Crossword ����������������������������� 30

BIG NIGHT

Congregation Beth Jacob’s annual dinner will honor Rabbi Daniel and Morah Bluma Estreicher for their decades of shared devotion to Torah teaching. Page 6

BIG DAY

The University of Alabama’s Jewish life helps persuade a soccer goalie from Epstein and Riverwood to sign with the Crimson Tide. Page 21

BIG STAGE

Joel Grey explains the story behind his life story, “Master of Ceremonies,” before appearing this month at the Marcus JCC. Page 23

C Photo by Michael Jacobs

Little Old Ladies

Olivia Ozias (left) and Harlow Rosen, members of the Davis Academy’s Mechina kindergarten prep program, do some serious construction with plastic cups while dressed up as part of a much older generation during Davis’ celebration of the 100th day of school Thursday, Feb. 4. Kindergartners from Dunwoody Springs Elementary School crossed Roberts Drive to help their peers mark the special day. More photos, Page 20

AJA Picks Head of School

A

tlanta Jewish Academy has hired Rabbi Ari Leubitz to serve as head of school, effective July 1.

The successor to Rabbi Pinchos Hecht, who has led the school through the 2014 merger of Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta High School, was announced by AJA President Ian Ratner on Monday, Feb. 1, after a search led by Nancy Weissmann and Chanina Falk.

Rabbi Leubitz has led Oakland Hebrew Day School since August 2012 and thus will be the second educator in a year to move from the San Francisco Bay Area to lead a Sandy Springs day school.

Epstein School Head of School David Abusch-Magder came from the Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco.

“I am drawn to the opportunity to head AJA because I believe that my own

experience, vision and skill set align well with what the school needs as it moves from its strong tradition to its future as a bright light in the Jewish and secular educational communities nationwide,” Rabbi Leubitz said in a statement from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, where he was ordained in 2006.

A joint AJA statement cited the rabbi’s experience in Judaic studies leadership, teen engagement and business.

“Rabbi Leubitz is an educational visionary and a pastorally oriented rabbinic leader,” said Ruthie Strosberg Simon, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah’s director of placement and alumni affairs.

Rabbi Leubitz and his wife, Florence, an audiologist, have three children, Eliana, Aviva and Ezra, who will attend AJA in the fall. ■

ongregation Shearith Israel brought a 1½-year search for a successor to Rabbi Hillel Norry to an end Friday, Feb. 5, by announcing the hiring of Rabbi Ari Kaiman.

Rabbi Kaiman, who moved to Cobb County with parents Jay and Natalie Kaiman when he was a teen and joined Congregation Etz Chaim and its USY chapter, will take his new post in mid-July.

He has served as the assistant rabbi of Congregation B’nai Amoona in St. Louis the past five years. In a letter to his new congregation, the rabbi said B’nai Amoona has allowed him to experiment with new ideas and develop programs.

“I am ready to rise to the challenges of leading Shearith Israel to a bright future,” he wrote. “We will share our blessings with Intown Atlanta and do our part in making our community a great and holy place to live.”

Rabbi Kaiman grew up in Pensacola, Fla., before moving to East Cobb and attending Walton High. He met wife Emily as a University of Florida freshman.

The couple worked at Camp Ramah Darom during and after college. “Most of the skills I use every day as a rabbi were learned there,” he wrote, “and I’m so glad to be back in Ramah Darom territory.”

He and his wife will celebrate their 10th anniversary in June. They have four children: twin girls Amalia and Eliana, 6; daughter Maayan, 4; and son Shai, 2.

Rabbi Kaiman will succeed interim Rabbi Melvin Sirner, who arrived in August to fill the gap while Shearith Israel searched for a permanent rabbi.

Rabbi Norry chose not to seek a new contract after 13 years at Shearith. ■

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

OPENING IDEAS

The Marriage Storm introvert and enjoy solitude, while she loves socialization. I am careful with our spending, yet she is loose with the purse strings. We both have good jobs and earn a respectable living, but I don’t condone extravagance. I also seek to put away money for our retirement, while Sharon constantly wants to remodel our home and waste time

Shared Spirit

By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

and resources on exotic travel plans and getaways.

Sharon has grown cold and distant, and that has filtered down in her behavior toward the children.

She tends to their physical needs but doesn’t care to spend time with them, understand what makes them tick or just enjoy their company. Like items on her to-do list, once they’re checked off for the day, she is free to move on with her life. It was different when they were younger. She was the quintessential mother, buoyed and invigorated by her role.

Part of me feels as if it’s too late for us and divorce is inevitable. We are two cars zooming toward each other with no way to avoid a collision. The other part cries out to give it one more chance.

There was great potential at the beginning of our journey. Perhaps we just have to dig to unearth the buried treasure and scrub with all our strength to clean off the years of accumulated tarnish.

Divorce frightens me, saddens me. My divorced friends don’t seem like the happiest members of society.

Many of you know me. I am the smiling, successful friend and neighbor sitting next to you in synagogue and waving to you in the supermarket. But beneath the veneer is a world of pain.

I asked Rachel to print my problem, hoping that someone will offer me guidance. I look forward to hearing from you and getting my life back on track.

Sincerely, In the Eye of the Storm ■ Dear Readers, Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Please email your comments by Monday, Feb. 15, for inclusion in the next column.

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

G

ray, menacing clouds loom low in the sky, portending a fierce storm. Suddenly the siren sounds, growing louder and more strident. Jagged streaks of lightning flash, thunder rumbles and roars, and the black heavens rip open to unleash a barrage of golf-ball-size hail.

Tornado in the area! Everyone take cover immediately!

OK, relax, folks.

There’s no real tornado. I was simply trying to paint a picture. Those atmospheric conditions are an apt description of my home life situation. A devoted husband and father, I am in my mid-40s, standing at the brink of a yawning abyss.

When my wife and I married 15 years and a lifetime ago, the sun was always smiling in my life. There was nothing we couldn’t accomplish, and we wove rosy dreams together. Yet as the years have trudged by, we have become broken vessels, our edges sharp and jagged.

Communication takes place in either of two ways: It can be sterile and cold, directed toward household issues, or it is violent and sharp as we argue yet again. Do any of you play ping-pong? Can you picture the tactic of slamming the ball across the net to get your point? That’s how it is between Sharon and me, only there is no winner in our game.

Midlife crisis? I don’t think so.

Our marriage has been eroding for many years. It is simply reaching a crescendo, and I wonder about the best resolution. We’ve tried marriage counseling, yet it hasn’t yielded beneficial results. Our home is too small for two parents engaged in constant battle.

Do we divorce or remain married? Is it better to divide into two homes and become a splintered family, including all the anguish that comes with that package? What is the best situation for our three children, ages 8, 12 and 15?

Marriage is a commitment, and I feel that I gave it my all. But it takes two partners to make it work. We both know the ironclad rule that you’re never supposed to fight in front of the children. Yet when Sharon denigrates me in front of them, I find it almost impossible not to respond.

Once upon a time, we shared so many similar interests. It also seemed that we were mirror images of one another. Yet our differences have become stark with the passage of time. I am an

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CALENDAR ONGOING

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The festival continues through Feb. 17. Tickets are $9 for matiness and $13 for most evening shows; ajff.org or 678-701-6104.

FRIDAY, FEB. 12

Acoustic Shabbat. Marcus JCC Rabbi Brian Glusman, Drew Cohen, and Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA program hold a sober, soulful, musical Shabbat celebration at 7 p.m. at San Francisco Coffee, 1192 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. Free, with food and beverages available for purchase; www. atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13

Inclusion Shabbat.

Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, celebrates Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month with a 9 a.m. service featuring people with special needs and comments from PearlAnn Horowitz and Rebecca Cheskes on inclusion in the Jewish community. Free and open to the public; shearithisrael.com or 404-873-1743.

SUNDAY, FEB. 14

Sunday at the movies. The Marcus JCC, Congregation Gesher L’Torah and Congregation Dor Tamid invite North Fulton families to Area 51-Aurora Cineplex, 5100 Commerce Parkway, Ros­ well, at 10:30 a.m. for a screening of “Kung Fu Panda 3,” including popcorn, a drink and a treat for each child. Free; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.

Valentine’s yoga. Rebecca Holohan leads partner yoga to deepen the connection between couples, followed by Thai massage techniques for relaxation, at 4 p.m. at the Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, near

Candler Park. Open to singles ($18) or couples ($30), including yoga beginners; sojourngsd.org/calendar.

Religious freedom discussion. The New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, holds a panel discussion over a light dinner at 6:45 p.m. on “Government Restrictions of Religious Freedom” with Rabbi Moshe Goldfeder, Josh Kahn, David Schoen and Aaron Saltzman. Free; RSVP to NewTocoShul@gmail.com.

Arava benefit. Israeli singer Noa performs at 7 p.m. at Kennesaw State’s Bailey Performance Center, 488 Prillaman Way, to benefit the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Tickets are $40 to $65 or free if you join Arava’s Friends Circle; arava.org/join-us/atlanta.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16

Moms and tots. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, holds its Babyccino class on mitzvot around the house at 11:30 a.m. for moms and tots up to age 2½. The cost is $12; hs@chabadnf.org or www. chabadnf.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18

Lunch and learn. Rabbis Ellen Nemhauser and Lauren Cohn lead a class at noon at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Bring a dairy lunch or purchase food at Goodfriend’s Grill.

Free and open to the community; www. atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.

Romantic twinkle. Dr. Mitzi Rubin discusses how to keep monogamy hot while dealing with fertility issues at the monthly meeting of the Wo/Men’s Infertility Support Havurah at 7 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; www.wishatlanta.org.

Habima Goes Green

“S

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

hrek the Musical, Jr.” is the production for the 23rd year of Jerry’s Habima Theatre, Georgia’s only theatrical company featuring actors with special needs under professional direction.

The show about the green ogre and Princess Fiona will run from Thursday, Feb. 25, to Sunday, March 6, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center under the direction of Mary Nye Bennett, whose local stage experience includes the Atlanta Lyric Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Actors Express and Theatre in the Square. The show’s run begins during Jewish Disability Awareness & 4 Inclusion Month.

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Janet Cadranel and Mona Shuman are this year’s co-chairs of Jerry’s Habima Theatre.

“For years, I have been a part of this special theater as a patron and a supporter, but now I am seeing what happens behind the scenes as well,” Shuman said.

“Having experienced this remarkable theater over the past two decades, I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of emotions that are felt by the actors, their families and the audiences,” Cadranel said.

The show stars Luke Davis as Shrek, Jared Brodie as Donkey, Margaret Whitley as Princess Fiona and

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parshah Terumah Friday, Feb. 12, light candles at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 13, Shabbat ends at 6:57 p.m.

Parshah Tetzaveh Friday, Feb. 19, light candles at 6:07 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 20, Shabbat ends at 7:03 p.m.

Corrections & Clarifications

• In an article Feb. 5 on Hadassah’s Breast Strokes fundraiser and the Schube family, the cause of death for Maxx Schube’s sister was incorrect; she died of ovarian cancer. Also, Dr. Diane Alexander performed Rochelle Schube’s reconstruction after a double mastectomy but not the mastectomy itself.

• In a column Jan. 15 about the Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah, a description of the facility was incorrect in saying prayers are etched in gold lettering into the tiles, and the name of volunteer and donor Adrienne Boyer was misspelled.

SATURDAY, FEB. 20

Breast cancer fundraiser. Greater Atlanta Hadassah holds the Big Reveal for Breast Strokes, Hadassah Bares All for A.R.T. (Awareness, Research & Treatment), at 8 p.m. at the Stave Room at American Spirit Works, 199 Armour Drive, Buckhead. Admission is $36 for those 36 and under, $54 for others until Feb. 12, then $65; www.hadassah.org/ events/breaststrokes or 678-443-2961.

SUNDAY, FEB. 21

Artscape. Jewish Family & Career Services’ annual benefit for JF&CS counseling services provides children ages 18 months to 10 years with experiences with visual arts, music and dance from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Sensations Therafun, 1704 Chantilly Drive, Atlanta. Admission is $50 per family in advance or $65 at the door; www.artscapeatl.org.

MONDAY, FEB. 22

Parenting discussion. The Alefbet Parenting Program of Congregation Beth

Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, discusses “The Secret to Effective Parenting,” including three popular parenting books, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free; RSVP requested to 770-3997622 or risa@bethshalomatlanta.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 Jewish film series. Bob Bahr leads “Fitting In — A Short History of Jewish Film in America,” a six-week course looking at classic films and the changing Jewish community, beginning at 10 a.m. at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown. Tuition is $49; the-temple. org or 404-873-1731.

Mikvah and pregnancy. Caryn Hanrahan and Mother-Mother Massage & Yoga Therapy Founder Rebecca Leary Safon lead a session on “Immersion and Meditation: Rituals for Pregnancy and Beyond” at 7 p.m. at the Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; rsvp@atlantamikvah.org.

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

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

Marc Wollam as Lord Farquaad. Also appearing are Bess Winebarger, Sam Gross, Patrick Robinson, Michael Silver, Mike Pelton, Mark Boehm, Michael Schwartz, Robert Grollman, Michelle Cristal, Cynthia Outman, Ali Sims, Sadie Levy, Julia Ervin, Sean Wyatt, Patrick Demick, Billy Connell, Philip Flores, Anna Kathryn Pate, Stacy Anderson, Kelly Umstead, Linda Danzig, Evan Nodvin, Evi Papazoglou, Adib Vojdani, Michelle Martes, Todd Besmertnik, Bayley Bristow, Hannah Keen, Katie Rouille, Carmine Vara, David Kilbourne, Mark Benator, Thomas Blackwell and Justin Thompson.

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 25 and 27 and March 2, 3 and 5 and 3 and 7 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 6. For Marcus JCC members, tickets are $25

Photo by Jennifer Bienstock

“Shrek the Musical, Jr.” features (from left) Jared Brodie as Donkey, Margaret Whitley as Princess Fiona, Bess Winebarger as Dragon and Luke Davis as Shrek.

for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger; for nonmembers, the prices are $35 and $15. Call 678-812-4002, or visit www.atlantajcc.org/boxoffice. ■

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10 Years Ago Feb. 10, 2006 ■ Steven Green took over the Jewish National Fund office on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs at the start of January, replacing Jay Tenenbaum, who moved to Jewish Family & Career Services. Green had gained the trust of JNF’s regional president, Michael Miller, while regularly attending JNF board meetings as the media and public relations officer of the Israeli Consulate General.

■ Trey and Jessica Harmes of Acworth announce the birth of their twin daughters, Emma Marie and Avery Elizabeth, on Sept. 21.

25 Years Ago Feb. 8, 1991 ■ The war against Iraq is more than a just war; it is milchemet mitzvah, an obligatory war, Rabbi Arnold Goodman said during a rally at The Temple on Monday to show solidarity with U.S. troops and Israel. The senior rabbi of

Ahavath Achim Synagogue delivered the most hawkish declaration, saying, “There can be no successful outcome if Saddam Hussein is not deposed.”

■ Rabbi Richard Baroff, the spiritual leader of Temple Beth David in Snellville and son of Phyllis and Philip Baroff of Bridgeport, Conn., married Raina Jill Schmuckler, daughter of Eugene and Shaindle Schmuckler of Atlanta, on Sunday, Jan. 27, at Beth Jacob Synagogue.

50 Years Ago Feb. 11, 1966 ■ Israel’s Cabinet decided unanimously Sunday that everyone in Israel is entitled to pray “at any place in any form.”

The decision followed a report to the government by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol about alleged pressures against a group of Reform Jews who had worshipped in a hall belonging to B’nai B’rith in Tel Aviv, then were said to be expelled.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Victor S. Leaf of Atlanta cordially invite relatives and friends to the bar mitzvah of their son, Steven Alan, at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at Shearith Israel Synagogue.

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LOCAL NEWS

Opening Doors and Hearts

Beth Jacob to honor Rabbi Daniel and Bluma Estreicher

By R.M. Grossblatt

W

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

alk down the hall of Atlanta Jewish Academy’s Upper School campus in Doraville and you’ll see poster-size photos of students and teachers at work and at play.

Beneath each photo is a one-word caption, such as “Academics,” “Friendship” or “Laughter.”

One caption reads “Torah,” and the photo shows Rabbi Daniel Estreicher sharing a teaching moment with a student.

On Sunday, Feb. 28, Congregation Beth Jacob is honoring Rabbi Estreicher and his wife, Bluma, at the Orthodox synagogue’s annual dinner in Heritage Hall. The theme of the evening is “Igniting Souls,” an appropriate title to honor a couple who have made their life’s mission one of spreading Torah.

Rabbi E, as he’s affectionately called by his students, has taught Torah to high school boys and girls at Yeshiva Atlanta, now AJA, for over 40 years. His wife, known as Morah Bluma at Beth Jacob’s preschool, has taught for 22 years.

In 1974, after a year of study in Israel, the Estreichers moved to Atlanta with their infant son, Naphtali. As soon as they arrived, Rabbi E started teaching Gemorah (Talmud), Chumash (Bible), Jewish law and parshah (the weekly Torah reading) at what was then called Yeshiva High School of Atlanta.

He introduced his students to concepts and encouraged learning after school and sleeping in the sukkah, often inviting them to his own sukkah and other holiday and Shabbat meals.

For many years, sleeping bags and blankets covered the Estreichers’ living room floor each Shabbat morning.

Even today, every Thursday night a former student of Rabbi E’s drives in from Athens and sleeps over until Sunday.

And for his AJA 10th-graders, Rabbi E presides over a Shabbat table with joy, song and words of Torah.

The Estreicher home is open to all during the week as well as on Shabbat.

As a student, Rabbi Mordechai Pollock, the director of the Jewish Marriage Initiative and COO of CBS Watch Material in Norcross, was often a guest.

He remembers that once during the week Rabbi E opened his home for a school committee dinner meeting.

After the food was served, a student asked Morah Bluma if she knew about the dinner ahead of time. “No,” she 6 said, “but that’s what we’re here for.

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That’s what we do.”

Rabbi Pollock said she deserves half the credit for everything her husband accomplishes.

Pam Glinsky, a registered dietitian, wife, mother and graduate of Yeshiva Atlanta, is co-chair of the dinner table host committee for the Feb. 28 event.

She said it’s an honor to do it for Rabbi E. “He is warm and caring, nonjudgmental — a wonderful role model.”

In 1985 the Estreichers moved with their growing family to Baltimore, where Rabbi E became assistant principal of Bais Yaakov. They returned after two years to Atlanta, where the rabbi felt as if he was accomplishing more.

“My husband sees potential in every student,” Bluma said. “He has a very patient and listening ear.”

Patience is also one of her character traits. After the Estreichers moved back in 1987, she led a play group for 3-year-olds in her home. That effort lasted four years until AJT columnist Chana Shapiro, then Beth Jacob’s program director, seeing how much the children loved her, asked Bluma to consider working at the synagogue’s preschool.

“She was beloved by the children and still is,” says Lydia Schloss, co-owner of the Spicy Peach and former director of the preschool. Morah Bluma taught Devora Schloss, Lydia’s daughter, and recently her grandson Eitan Teller and granddaughter Atara Schloss.

For 22 years Morah Bluma has guided 2- and 3-year-olds, sometimes from 9 to 5. “They’re like little sponges, soaking up everything,” she said. “I love helping these little neshamas (souls) get started on their way.”

Some of Morah Bluma’s preschoolers grow up to become her husband’s students. They come from Toco Hills, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs — all over.

After they graduate, they usually stay connected, often later bringing spouses to meet their beloved high school rebbe.

Before they graduate, Rabbi E, a guidance counselor at AJA, encourages his students to spend a year in Israel.

“Going to Israel changes their whole lives,” he said.

Actually, Rabbi E and his wife have changed the lives of many of his students.

“Rabbi Estreicher always believed in us,” said Daniel Feldman, a former student who lives in Israel with his wife and children. “He never judged us

Photos by R.M. Grossblatt

Rabbi Daniel Estreicher teaches a class at Atlanta Jewish Academy.

Rabbi Daniel Estreicher personifies the teaching of Torah at Atlanta Jewish Academy.

Morah Bluma Estreicher teaches her preschool class at Congregation Beth Jacob.

for our actions or mistakes. … Through Rabbi E, we connected to Torah, davening and doing mitzvahs.”

In December, Rabbi E visited his 2015 high school graduates who were learning in a yeshiva or seminary in Israel. As soon as they knew that their rebbe was in Jerusalem, former students young and older gathered to greet him. Feldman, who was one of them, said, “He’s a constant source of chizuk (strength) and bracha (blessing).”

Janet Afrah, who was a student of Rabbi E’s in the 1980s and whose children were also taught by him and Morah Bluma, said the Estreichers are “very public figures but also very private.” Afrah, who owns Judaica Corner, explained, “You can be open with them

as much as you want and have peace of mind that they will never share your information with anyone.”

What they do share is their passion for teaching Torah. “Their single purpose,” Rabbi Pollock said, “is sharing Torah and loving other Jews.” ■ Who: Rabbi Daniel and Bluma Estreicher What: Congregation Beth Jacob annual dinner Where: Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills When: 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28 Tickets: $100; www.bethjacobatlanta. org/annual-dinner-2016 or 404-6330551 by Feb. 15

LOCAL NEWS

Sa g e P er i m et e r

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Photos by David R. Cohen

The Marcus JCC’s Rabbi Brian Glusman emulates Dikembe Mutombo’s signature finger wag as he introduces the basketball great to the crowd.

Dikembe Mutombo gets in on the finger-wagging action.

Dikembe Mutombo says he is passionate about improving the living situation in his native Congo.

Mutombo: Athletes Must Be Socially Responsible

F

ormer Atlanta Hawk Dikembe Mutombo is regarded as one of the best defensive players in NBA history, but he’d rather be remembered for his charitable work after his retirement.

On Thursday, Feb. 4, the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee visited the Marcus Jewish Community Center as part of its Edgewise Speaker Series and spoke about his work to build a hospital in his native Congo. He personally spent $15 million on the $29 million, 300-bed hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.

Although he is not Jewish, the 7-foot-2 former center embodies the Jewish ideal of tikkun olam (repairing the world).

“I’m more proud of what I’m doing now that what I did in the NBA,” Mutombo said. “My goal in life is to just help people.”

The 49-year-old retired from the National Basketball Association in 2009 but has been active in humanitarian work since 1997 when he started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in the Congo.

Mutombo, who speaks nine languages, is also the NBA’s global ambassador and serves on the boards of the National Constitution Center, Special Olympics International and the CDC Foundation. In 2013, Mutombo appeared in a celebrated GEICO auto insurance commercial parodying his shot-blocking ability.

Joined by Dr. Lillian Schapiro on the stage of the Marcus JCC’s Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, Mutombo told the crowd that current NBA players need to be more socially responsible to communities in need.

He pointed to LeBron James as a player who has given back to his community through his LeBron James Family Foundation.

“I have to pass my torch to the next generation of athletes,” he said. ■

Sa g e A l p h a ret t a

11405 Hayne s Br i dg e R d, A lp ha re tt a , G A 3 0 0 09 770 5 69 -9 1 99

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Europe’s Islamophobia Complicates Israel Attitudes

By Rebecca McCarthy

T

he Islamophobia sweeping across Northern Europe has had unforeseen consequences, said Cas Mudde, a professor in the University of Georgia’s School of International and Public Affairs. It has spawned a pro-Israel movement and even an effort to institute Israeli studies.

Some people in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, for example, see Israel as the great enemy of Muslims, who are increasingly unwelcome in those countries. Of course, Mudde said, beneath the surface of Islamophobia is anti-Semitism.

Mudde counts extremism among his academic interests. He and UGA Terry College of Business professor Dawn Bennett-Alexander spoke Tuesday night, Feb. 2, after a showing of “Hate: A Film” by Israeli Nadav Eyal.

Bennett-Alexander is a lawyer and a specialist in employment law who is passionate about teaching students how to “operationalize diversity.”

Screened in the UGA Special Collections auditorium, the film was a runup to the Athens Jewish Film Festival,

which begins in early March. About 60 people attended the free showing.

The movie takes journalist Eyal across Europe, where he interviews such people as a Greek racist propaganda writer with no sense of history (at one point, the writer says Jesus wasn’t a Jew but a Galilean) and a German journalist. He also talks with a popular, smiling, creepy neo-Nazi, with Jewish men and women, with a health minister, and with an anti-Semitic folk singer-turned-tolerance advocate.

It’s chilling to see footage of masked members of Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn organization marching through dark streets, holding candles and singing.

Greece’s economic troubles lead many of its citizens to fall back on familiar tropes — that the Jews control the banks and that the Jews have all the money. That, Mudde said, is antiSemitism.

He studies European politics and said the anti-Semitic stereotype of “Jews controlling the world” is central to the far-right movements of Eastern and Southern Europe. Mudde said such anti-Semitism is confined to social

movements instead of political parties.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says in the film that it’s “a gift” for Germany to be home to 100,000 Jewish people, a sentiment that Mudde finds “remarkable.” He said leaders across Europe are defending their Jewish residents and encouraging Jews not to emigrate from their countries.

Legally, Jews are well-protected: In Germany, it’s illegal to deny the Holocaust, and anti-Semitic speech faces much tougher penalties than Islamophobic speech. In France, a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist was fired in 2009 for drawing an anti-Semitic cartoon.

Mudde said anti-Semitism in Europe is multifaceted. It began as religious prejudice, morphed into racial prejudice and today is political.

Many Europeans have strongly negative feelings about Israel in relation to the West Bank and Gaza. Mudde said those feelings become anti-Semitic when people say, “The Jewish nature leads to those crimes.”

After living in Europe, Mudde said he appreciates the freedom of speech accorded to people in the United States.

He added that as a tenured professor,

5 Added to Holocaust Panel

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

A Sandy Springs City Council member, a retired rabbi and the owner/ publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times are among five people added to the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust at a Capitol ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Joining the commission are Andy Bauman, a Temple Sinai member and lawyer who represents District 6 on the Sandy Springs City Council; Rabbi Philip Kranz, who retired to emeritus status at Temple Sinai in 2006 after 26 years as the senior rabbi at the Reform congregation; Jody Franco, a longtime Jewish community volunteer and Atlanta native who serves as a docent at the Holocaust Commission’s “Anne Frank in the World” exhibit in Sandy Springs; Robert Wittenstein, a former Dunwoody City Council member and current president of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association who serves on the national and regional boards of the Anti-Defamation League; and Michael A. Morris, who served in various capacities with a wide range of Jewish and other nonprofit organizations, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, before buying the AJT at the end of 2014.

The five are officially the selections of House Speaker David Ralston, 8 although he turned to advisers such as

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he can speak more freely than can an adjunct instructor, whose job depends on student evaluations. The arrangement is undermining academic freedom, he said.

Bennett-Alexander said she believes that extremists are isolated and insular, reinforcing one another’s ideas of reality and becoming resistant to reason.

The role of the university is to help people see there are different realities.

Because UGA is the flagship institution of the state’s public colleges and universities, Bennett-Alexander said, the university and its graduates affect the lives of millions of people. She wants students to leave the school knowing there is a “reality besides their own.”

Bennett-Alexander said she has studied slavery, the Holocaust, and the Trail of Tears, when thousands of Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Muscogees and Seminoles were driven from their lands in the Southeast to Oklahoma. After reading books on Andrew Jackson, she said, she understands why he removed the Indians — she doesn’t agree with his decision, she added, but she understands it. ■ who was among the children pictured behind barbed wire in a famous photograph taken on the day of liberation from Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945.

Nazi-hunter Beate Klarsfeld gave the keynote address, and the U.S. Military Academy Jewish Choral Group closed the program.

Music to Emory’s Ears House Speaker David Ralston swears in (from left) Jody Franco, Rabbi Philip Kranz, Robert Wittenstein, Andy Bauman and Michael A. Morris as members of the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust on Jan. 19.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and state Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, to make his picks.

By statute, the 15-member commission consists of five appointees each by the governor, the lieutenant governor and the House speaker.

Gov. Nathan Deal swore in his five appointees — Chuck Berk, Evan Jacobs, Sara Kogon, Lisa Olens and Claire D’Agostino — on Dec. 16. D’Agostino, a reappointment, also was named the commission’s chairwoman.

The other members, all appointed

by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, are Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple, Elizabeth Price, Mark Scheinfeld and Linda Selig, with one vacancy.

Photo by Simone Wilker

AJC Atlanta representatives Jen Pardee (left), the development director; Sylvia Gorg, a board member; and Dov Wilker, the executive director, attend the International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the United Nations on Jan. 27.

U.N. Remembrance

The executive director of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, Dov Wilker, led a local delegation to New York to join AJC representatives from around the country at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations.

The event included speeches by Holocaust child survivor Haim Roet, an Amsterdam native who now leads efforts to honor Jews who rescued other Jews from the Nazis, and Marta Wise, an Israeli who spoke on behalf of Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon and

The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University on Thursday, Feb. 4, unveiled its Joel A. Katz Music Is Medicine Collection of platinum records, autographed guitars, handwritten lyrics and other items donated by Joel Katz, an entertainment and media lawyer with Greenberg Traurig.

The gift of the priceless collection coincides with the T.J. Martell Foundation’s establishment of the Joel A. Katz Music Is Medicine Fund to support cancer research at Winship.

The artists represented by the three dozen items include Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, George Strait and Alan Jackson.

The Joel A. Katz Music Is Medicine Collection is in the Tunnel Level of the Winship Cancer Institute building and is free and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LOCAL NEWS

Rabbis, SOJOURN Decry Religious Liberty Bills

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

A

Photo by Kevin Madigan

Rabbi Pamela Gottfried says she “cannot sit idly by while my neighbors are threatened.”

Rabbi Pamela Gottfried, a teacher at the Weber School, said Jews have an obligation to protect everyone.

“These bills use words like freedom and protection to misdirect our attention away from their true purpose, which is to allow discrimination under the guise of religion. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, these bills seek to harm the most vulnerable in our society. I cannot sit idly by while my neighbors are threatened. We must intervene,” she told the crowd.

“People have to speak about discrimination and what compassion looks like, and this is not what it looks like,” SOJOURN Chair Leanne Rubenstein said. “We need to treat each other fairly, and we have to tell our lawmakers that this is mistake. If we don’t show up, nobody knows what we’re thinking. I’m tired of wasting time on legislation on discrimination when we have so many other things to deal with.

When we don’t have a hungry child, when we don’t have a homeless person in Georgia, when all kids have a fair education, then we’re making progress.”

Hijacking religion for discrimination, Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder said, “is a terrible thing. I believe in the sanctity of all humans, and that includes LGBTQ members of the community.”

Rabbi Malka Packer, the director of InterfaithFamily/Atlanta, said: “I’m here for basic human rights. Religion for me isn’t about exclusion; it’s about inclusion and how we can support everyone in our world.”

Congregation Bet Haverim member McKenzie Wren said understanding and tolerance are fundamental to Judaism. “If we’re going to bring people together, we have to come from a place of love. If we exclude people, we’re never going to build understanding. Showing support for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, and those who are excluded, is really important to me.” ■

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cold wind and flurries did not deter several hundred people from rallying midday Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the state Capitol’s Liberty Plaza against religious liberty legislation they say could legalize discrimination.

Speakers from various faiths led the protest of eight bills in the General Assembly that could allow certain discriminatory practices, especially against the LGBT community, under the veil of religious freedom.

“We are here to turn up the heat on this very chilly day,” said Jeff Graham, the executive director of Georgia Equality. “Our focus is that these religious exemption bills are bad not just for Georgia, but dangerous for so many of us. Bills created in this session would create exemptions so that some would not have to follow the same laws as the rest of us. That is dangerous territory.”

The rally was part of the revived fight over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. RFRA was shelved last year after Rep. Mike Jacobs added nondiscrimination language in the House Judiciary Committee, but that bill now is joined by several written in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage in June.

On Feb. 2, rabbis joined an impromptu news conference organized at the Capitol by Faith in Public Life to respond to a Georgia Baptist Convention event supporting the bills.

Georgia and Mississippi are the only states without civil rights protections, and Georgia is one of five with no legislation covering rights in public accommodations, Graham said.

Calling it “moral ineptitude,” Simone Bell of Lambda Legal said Tuesday: “Too many of our state senators and representatives are spending our tax dollars in the name of their distorted and ideological views of Christianity.”

She called it a travesty that so many people who revere the Constitution “only do so until such time as it does not fit their old and tired narratives of who is worthy of protection.”

Rebecca Stapel-Wax, the executive director of SOJOURN, told the AJT that Georgians and their legislators need to know discrimination is not tolerated.

“If you discriminate against one group of people, then everyone is at risk, and it’s critical that we are all very strong about that.”

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Our View

Full Disclosure

I

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

srael is the Middle East’s only functioning democracy. Supporters of Israel emphasize that truth because it’s a powerful argument for why the United States and other republics should stand with Israel.

All Americans have a connection with Israel through such shared values as due process, religious liberty and freedom of expression.

So any infringement on those values must be judged not only on its success at addressing a specific problem, but also on the damage it does to Israel’s international support, especially in the United States.

For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Knesset members were justified in their outrage that three Arab lawmakers visited the families of terrorists killed in recent attacks.

The visit gave the impression of endorsing efforts to kill Israelis in the streets.

But banning the trio from legislative debates for two to four months — they still get to vote — sets a dangerous precedent for limiting how lawmakers represent the people who elected them. We’re uncomfortable with a majority restricting the behavior of lawmakers from a religious or political minority, and we fear that the punishment will be used by enemies near and far to label Israel as undemocratic.

A bigger issue is legislation requiring nongovernmental organizations that receive more than half their funding from foreign governments to declare that fact in official reports. The bill passed the first of three required readings, 50-43, on Tuesday, Feb. 9.

The legislation covers all NGOs but is seen as targeting left-wing groups that focus on the Palestinians’ plight or on Israel’s shortcomings. Those NGOs tend to draw support from foreign governments, while right-wing groups rely on private donors.

Israelis have legitimate reasons to wonder why, with all the problems in the world, organizations in their tiny nation are deemed worthy of funding from foreign governments. Imagine how we would feel if a national protest movement were secretly financed

by China, Iran or North Korea. At the very least, we would re-evaluate demonstrators’ demands.

Unfortunately, the actual effects of the legislation are less important than the perception. The United States, for example, has warned that it could have a chilling effect on democratic debate.

In an ideal world, Israeli democracy would be allowed to operate without outside money — public or private — playing a part and without foreign governments commenting on pending legislation. But in an ideal world Israelis wouldn’t have to fear being knifed or shot or run over every day.

We doubt that having to disclose its funding would deter Peace Now, which has called the bill “a hate crime against democracy,” and we suspect that the information would change few if any opinions about that group and about others critical of Israeli policies and actions. So why bother?

It’s wrong for us, from the safety of Atlanta, to tell Israelis how to handle legislation they see as related to national security. We can only urge Netanyahu and others in the government to consider the longterm damage to Israel’s image they are risking to do 10 little more than score some political points. ■

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Yaakov Kirschen, Dry Bones

Has Era of Political Ideas Arrived?

A

s I write this column, former kibbutznik The difficulty of reaching people without Bernie Sanders has an early lead in New telephone land lines usually is blamed for the wild Hampshire’s Democratic primary against a fluctuations and inaccuracies in polling, but I think candidate with the best chance yet to become the the flood of information about candidates plays first female president, and he is sure to become the just as big a role. Our opinions about candidates are first Jewish candidate to win delegates there. more pliable today because many of them are new to Meanwhile, a former Jewish mayor of New York, the national scene and we know we’re going to learn Michael Bloomberg, is considering pouring a billion more about them until the moment we cast ballots. dollars or so of his personal Third, this could fortune into an independent be a historic elecrun for president because of his tion, not because of Editor’s Notebook displeasure with the discourse on which demographic the Republican side. That ballot, boxes the winner

By Michael Jacobs for what it’s worth, defies the checks, but because mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com WASP image of the GOP with a of how we get there. couple of Hispanic senators, a The United black neurosurgeon and a female States is unusual former Fortune 500 CEO. among the world’s democracies in that our national The heavy turnout of voters in Iowa and New elections are about personality, not ideology. Sure, Hampshire indicates extreme excitement about the we have hard-core conservatives and liberals (or pro2016 presidential election, yet Bloomberg reflects a gressives), but it’s no accident that while the United common disgust at the overall quality of the field.

Kingdom chooses among parties labeled ConservaWe’re less than three weeks from the March tive, Labour and Liberal Democrat, we pick between 1 primary in Georgia and other Southern states; the malleably named Republicans and Democrats. neighboring South Carolina goes to the polls even Presidents revered by many, from JFK to Ronald sooner, Feb. 20. As many of us begin paying serious Reagan to Barack Obama, were elected because attention, what are we to make of our options? of likability and charisma. Bill Clinton famously First, a nation that elected nonentities Franklin followed James Carville’s dictum “It’s the economy, Pierce in 1852 and Warren G. Harding in 1920 bestupid,” to win the presidency in 1992, but the first cause they were pretty faces shouldn’t fear sinking thing he did after the election was hold an economic to new depths in the quality of our candidates. summit to figure out what policies to implement.

Maybe this year will be different. A general elecSecond, a lot of the discontent with this field tion between democratic socialist Sanders and hardreflects familiarity breeding contempt. The Internet, core conservative Ted Cruz would highlight starkly cable news, long campaigns and an unprecedented different visions for this nation and its federal govschedule of nationally televised debates have given ernment. For good or bad, we would have a choice of us more knowledge about also-ran primary candiideologies, not personalities, perhaps ushering in an dates than we had about presidential winners in the era when we vote on ideas instead of looks.

20th century. We can’t help but find a gaffe, a flawed On the other hand, we could wind up with Hillpolicy or an experience gap for every candidate, and ary Clinton vs. Donald Trump. ■ it’s easy to throw our hands up in disgust.

OPINION

Letters To The Editor

Record Reason to Stop Lopez

Stay Away From Noa

Singer Achinoam Nini (Noa), a known Palestinian sympathizer, is invited by the Arava Institute to perform on Feb. 14 (“Singer Noa’s Career Arc Brings Her to Kennesaw,” Feb. 5). Those of us who support Israel are rightly shocked and outraged. This travesty of a concert should not be happening.

We here in Atlanta who support Israel should avoid promoting her.

— Deborah Bettsak, Atlanta

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

As a first-generation child of legal immigrants, I am sensitive to any immigration issues. I did not know that Judge Dax Lopez was Jewish until after Sen. David Perdue correctly blocked his nomination (“Perdue Blocks Court Bid,” Jan. 29). I reached the same conclusion as Senator Perdue based on Judge Lopez’s membership in GALEO and on his longtime support for illegal immigration and for taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants.

Besides Senator Perdue, other elected officials opposed the Lopez nomination, including the Georgia Chapter of Hispanic Patriots, at least five Georgia state representatives, at least nine Georgia state senators, and the Cobb County, Gwinnett County and Union County sheriffs.

A federal judge is nominated for life. Past actions are considered as part of the evaluation process. Judge Lopez openly advocated for illegal immigration and the so-called rights of illegal immigrants. Nominees for federal positions are held accountable for past actions and affiliations, and Senator Perdue correctly held Judge Lopez accountable for his past actions and affiliations.

The Anti-Defamation League’s long history of fighting anti-Semitism does not excuse attempting to connect Lopez nomination dots that do not exist. Instead, the ADL is inferring bias because people do not agree with the organization’s Lopez endorsement. Accusing D.A. King of anti-Semitism for campaigning against this nomination has no basis in truth or fact.

Illegal immigration costs the taxpayers of Georgia about $2.4 billion a year, of which $1.4 billion is for K-12 education, net of any taxes collected.

Illegal immigrants depress the wages of minorities and take jobs away from unemployed American citizens.

— George Nathan, Atlanta

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Reflections for the Elections

W

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

e have entered the election year. This process began almost a year ago with 16 candidates in one party and four in the other seeking the privilege of being elected president of this country.

More than ever during my sojourn in this country, the electorate is confronted with a diversity of candidates. The questions all of us must face before the Georgia primaries March 1: How will I chose? What are the criteria by which I will judge the candidate?

And judge I must.

As we make this choice, each of us must reflect on two essential criteria: the personality of the candidate and the ideals he or she espouses. Each of us uses our own experiences and ideals to make a choice.

What are mine? As an adult, I have been, and continue to be, influenced by Jewish heritage — that is, the qualities I gain from the teaching of our sages — and of course by my personal history, dominated by my Holocaust experiences.

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As I listen to the news and to the candidates’ discourse and demeanor, I ask: What kind of character should a candidate have to make a good leader?

From a Jewish perspective, I look back at Moses. What made him a great teacher and leader? Our sages tell us it was humility. Humility is a person’s acknowledgment that he or she does not have the answers to all questions.

One Man’s View

By Eugen Schoenfeld

Most important, I look at the advice of our sages: A can that has but one dinar (silver coin) when shaken is loud, but one that is full of dinars even when shaken is quiet. Therefore, the more bombastic one appears, the less desirable he is as a candidate.

Overbearing loudness is a sure sign that a person seeks to compensate for lack of knowledge with noise.

Quietude, not shouting, shows true self-assuredness. The wise man does

not have to shout to become visible; his wisdom and lack of aggression make his qualities self-evident.

I have had enough of war. Though war is sometimes necessary, it is the least desirable way to settle disputes.

We have created far too many widows and orphans and parents without the love of their children.

The most important ideal in Judaism is that of peace. I was taught that Aaron, the high priest, was not known because of his priesthood, but because he was a seeker of peace. But since the end of World War II, this nation has continually been at war.

It seems to me that for whatever reason, far too many people in this country believe that power is the solution to all problems. I constantly hear people lamenting that the loss of our prestige is the result of our lost power.

We have become obsessed with the belief that a greater army and its use will not only solve the problem, but also give us dominion over the world and thereby prestige.

Many candidates believe that fear of the United States will ipso facto bring peace. Such people have not advanced in their views since Theodore Roosevelt and the ideologies advocated by colonialist countries.

“Send in the army” is our solution to all political problems. But we have sent the army, and we have hardly solved any problems.

All the wars we have engaged in — Korea, Vietnam and the multiplicity of conflicts in the Near East — have not led to peace, but merely to a continuity of war and an increasing number of pseudo-heroes.

As an ancient Jewish sage asked in regard to the many wars Israel waged, I ask: Do we wish to make this nation a country of invalids (baaleh moom)? So many of our youths come back from these wars physically and emotionally impaired. I do not wish to vote for a presidential candidate for whom the solution to problems comes through power, confrontation and the subjugation of others.

Of course, there are conditions when war is inevitable. The last of such wars ended with the defeat of Hitler — or the wars of self-defense that Israel fought for physical survival.

These are wars for which one can say eyn brerah — we had no choice.

But most of our wars are the consequence of being boastful, using a declaration that is similar to one Goliath tauntingly directed at David: a

boast of strength.

I seek in a president an understanding of the true meaning of tzedakah, one who has a true understanding of the principle of justice.

The Torah teaches us that justice arises from a true concern with and understanding of the well-being of all.

Justice starts when all people are given an equal chance at life.

I seek a person whose central concern is the well-being of all. This is rooted in the principle of soneh betzah, a person who is not affected by those with wealth. The function of a government is to equalize the playing field, to provide opportunities for all.

That principle was inherent in the Homestead Act, a law that advocated an ideal unique to this country: giving a person some land and leaving it up to that person to create his success. It’s the ideal of meritocracy.

I seek a person for whom human rights stand above property rights, which were designed for the perpetuation of wealth. I seek a person who believes in meritocracy and wishes to counteract the natural advantages of the wealthy.

I seek a person who believes that the wealth of a nation and its future are rooted in the achievement of the next generation. He who denies the opportunities to the children of the poor merely impoverishes the greatness of this country. Intelligence and creativity are not the sole domain of the children of the wealthy.

My final concern is to find a person who knows the meaning of tachliss, best translated as pragmatism.

I grew up being confronted with the issue of pragmatism, with the question “Will it work?” Ideals and knowledge are important, but as Rabbi Gamliel taught, study and knowledge must be combined with worldly knowledge to translate ideals into action.

I have always been influenced by Durkheim, a Jewish sociologist at the turn of the 20th century, who said: “What good is science and knowledge if it cannot bring some comfort to people and a better place to live in?”

It is in this sense that a president must be able to translate ideals into achievable goals. That can be achieved only if a person is capable of making self-interest and class interests subservient to collective need.

Now my task is to decide which of the various candidates comes closest to possessing the qualities enumerated above. ■

ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Golden arteries. Researchers at BarIlan University are developing gold nano-rods to help identify and treat blocked arteries. The tiny gold particles are absorbed by macrophages in the blood to illuminate problem areas.

Combining them with good cholesterol can clear the blockages.

A high-def image of your eye. Scientists at the Technion Institute have developed innovative imaging technology to capture fine, high-quality optical images of the retina (including blood vessels and neurons) noninvasively.

Free cervical screening devices for Kenya. Tel Aviv-based MobileODT has donated 20 of its Enhanced Visual Assessment cervical cancer screening devices to health care providers in Kenya.

On World Cancer Day (Feb. 4), nurses trained by Rotary International were screening over 700 Kenyan women using the devices.

Basketball for special needs. Israel’s first basketball league for people with special needs has launched in Jerusalem. Israel has many special needs teams, but there had been no official or organized framework for them.

Helping Arab employment. In 2015, more than 8,000 new participants visited the 20 employment centers set up for the Arab, Druze and Circassian populations in Israel. The centers helped 13,600 people find jobs, and 24,000 received assistance.

An Israeli mall in Arab town. Supermarket magnate Rami Levy is building a $50 million shopping mall in the Israeli Arab town of Al-Ram near Ramallah. Levy anticipates that Jews and Arabs will shop at the mall and will travel from Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Israel to host Forbes 600 under 30.

Forbes is holding its Under 30 Summit EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Asia) in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from

April 2 to 7 with 600 young entrepreneurs and game changers from around the world. One-third of the participants are from Israel.

Strengthening relations with India.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj came to Israel, seeking areas where the two countries can cooperate.

Speaking from Jerusalem, she stressed the importance of Israeli-Indian ties and said the “potential of our relations” could be much greater. Meanwhile, the number of visitors to Israel from India in 2015 increased by 13.5 percent from 2014 to around 40,000.

Producing oxygen in outer space. Roni Oron, 13, won a Satellite Is Born award from the Israel Space Agency for her design of a system to produce oxygen in outer space. Her BioSat uses algae, carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, mirrors and photosynthesis. She will develop the satellite at a NASA summer camp in Florida.

Power from the open road. Rosh Ha’ayin-based ElectRoad has developed a dynamic wireless power transfer that charges electric buses from the roads they are being driven on — no need for a battery or charging spots. ElectRoad has won a grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.

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Amazon’s revolutionary T-shirts. Rosh Ha’ayin-based Kornit is revolutionizing the custom-printed textile market with its digital garment printing technology. Now Amazon plans to use the Kornit system to digitally print shirts upon the receipt of online orders.

Israel Trail now on Google Street View.

In honor of Tu B’Shevat, the 680-mile Israel National Trail became the first such trail uploaded to Google’s Street View service after 250 people from Israel’s Society for the Protection of Nature and Google filmed the path for three months. It is accessible to users of Google Maps.

Rocking Israel like a hurricane. German rock band Scorpions will perform at Tel Aviv’s Menorah Mivtachim Arena on July 14 as part of the group’s 50th anniversary tour. It is the band’s third time in Israel, after 2010 and 2012.

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

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

Breakthrough for HIV. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have destroyed the AIDS virus using peptides containing multiple copies of HIV’s DNA. Combined with existing medications, the peptides activate the cell’s self-destruction mechanisms.

There was no sign of the virus after two weeks. Human trials are next.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CAMPING

Living Wonders Builds Toward Permanent Home

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

F

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

our years after its founding, Camp Living Wonders is approaching a pair of homecomings.

First, Director Noah Pawliger said, the camp is looking at some office space in Sandy Springs — nothing big or fancy, just a place for him, an administrative assistant, the new program director and a second program director he hopes to hire before camp this summer so they don’t have to work remotely.

Second and more important, the camp for Jewish kids with developmental disabilities is closing in on a permanent home, either in north Georgia or western North Carolina. Finding and developing that space will mark a major step in unlocking the potential of Living Wonders.

For example, Pawliger said, last year the camp’s intake committee couldn’t get through the intensive interview process with all of its applicants because the work couldn’t start until he secured a location in January.

Having a permanent home will allow

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Living Wonders to open registration for the next year on the last day of camp.

“This population deserves better,” Pawliger said. “They deserve the opportunity to know that they’re all ready for next year.”

After this year’s version of what he called the “arduous, painful process” of leasing a campground, Living Wonders intends to have 60 to 65 campers in Clarksville. But as an example of the problems of being a camp without a home, Living Wonders has to bring in bathroom pods — each with three toilets, three sinks and three showers — to place next to the cabins.

“We want to be able to give them the best opportunities to feel as great and special as they are and, as our campers say, as normal as they are,” Pawliger said.

The lack of a permanent facility also has prevented the camp from bringing in people with physical disabilities and mobility issues, even though Pawliger said the staff is ready to grow to meet that need.

Depending on when Living Wonders finds its forever home and how

much work the site requires to get the basics in place, the camp will stop being a collection of wandering Jews by 2018 and as early as 2017.

Pawliger said he expects to grow to 180 to 200 campers per session from across the nation at the permanent location, but he won’t rush things.

“When you’re dealing with this population, it has to be a delicate growth and scientific growth. … It’s very important that we’re honest with ourselves every step of the way.”

While the camp will always be Living Wonders’ primary focus, the master plan includes a year-round retreat center using a kibbutz model — a place where adults with special needs can live and transition to full independence through an immersive work and life experience. Those adults will run the center with the necessary support staff.

The only place in the world with kosher, fully accessible retreat centers is Israel, Pawliger said.

Meanwhile, this summer will mark the second year of Migdal Or, a fully inclusive staff training program for special needs and neurotypical peo-

ple. About half of last year’s trainees are graduating to the status of full staff members this summer, Pawliger said.

One of the exciting things about the program, he said, is the caliber of the program applicants who do not have special needs. “I think they recognize that if they do this program and train with us, they’re going to be able to write their ticket to work at any camp or anything like this in the camping world, but it’s also a life-changing experience.” ■ To Learn More Camp Living Wonders is holding two upcoming information sessions in the Atlanta area, which, despite being the camp’s home base, doesn’t send as many campers as Director Noah Pawliger would like.

The first session is at 11:30 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Sandy Springs home of Rob and Michelle Leven. The second will be in March at the Toco Hills home of Rabbi Ilan and Miriam Feldman. Contact Pawliger at noah@ camplivingwonders.org or 678-8882259 for details.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CAMPING

Israel in Brookhaven

Chabad center launches camp taking weekly virtual trips

A

new summer camp is offering something a little out of the ordinary this year. Beit Reuven Chabad is planning to take kids on a tour of Israeli cities — in Atlanta.

Liba Gurary, the organizer of Camp Gan Israel, described it as a trip to Israel with no passport required. “It’s a whole new concept we’re calling the Israel Experience,” she said during an interview at her office on ChambleeDunwoody Road in Brookhaven.

“A lot of parents would love to take their kids to Israel for the summer, but maybe they can’t afford it or it doesn’t work out logistically, so this gives them a taste of Israel right here,” she said.

“Each week is another stop in a different city, and all the activities and trips are themed around cities in Israel. So the first week they’re going to stop in, say, Tel Aviv, so that will be a beach water-park trip, actually going to a Clayton County beach. It’s like a lake beach; it looks really good,” Gu-

rary said. “It’s hard to find a beach in Atlanta. I did work hard on that one.”

The camp is a project of Chabad of Atlanta, directed by and run out of the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta’s new home. It serves the Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Buckhead areas. Gurary’s father is Rabbi Yossi New, Chabad of Georgia’s regional director.

Gurary, co-director of the Chabad Israeli Center with her husband, Rabbi Menachem Gurary, said, “A lot of camps are the same: They’re good and fun, but I think we’re going for something new and original.”

Six- to 12-year-olds will learn about the history, art and customs of each place they “visit” and will participate in related games. “For activities, we will have a sports tournament day,” Gurary said. “We will have a shuk day, like a carnival in a market setting. For the south, we have a kibbutz day with camel rides. We will have an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) day, and we’re going to be baking a different Israeli food each week, like burekas, falafel and our own

Rabbi Menachem Gurary and Liba Gurary direct Beit Reuven Chabad in Brookhaven.

pita.”

More universal items on the menu will include pizza and chocolate, Gurary said.

Haifa, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva and Safed are the other cities on the list.

The camp will include swimming and last from June 27 to July 29 at a cost of $250 per week ($200 before March 1), and Gurary said a security firm has been contracted to keep an eye on things. More information and registration are available through www.cicatlanta.com/camp or 404-252-9508.

Gurary said she is aiming for 50

children this summer. “I think we can get there, maybe even more. I really hope so.”

The mother of five knows all about summer camps, having worked as a counselor starting at age 15. Gurary has been a teacher for years and runs a Hebrew Sunday school. She said the new camp will benefit the kids and offer them a special insight into Israel.

“They will come out with a nice sense of the Jewish homeland — what’s so special about it, why we should be interested in it,” she said. “I’m really excited; I think it will be really cool.” ■

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 15

CAMPING

B”H

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een tour group Etgar 36 celebrated its bar mitzvah Saturday night, Jan. 31, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, commemorating 13 years since the educational and politically themed program set off on its first summer excursion in 2003.

Founder and Director Billy Planer thanked those responsible for the fruition and functioning of Etgar 36 and asked each group to rise, beginning with his parents and continuing through sponsors, past participants and supporting staff.

In addition to the summer trips, Etgar 36 (www.etgar.org) offers two civil rights journeys for youth groups, schools, adult groups and groups of friends from September to May. One trip heads to Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham, while the other goes to Memphis, adding in the history of rock ’n’ roll.

Etgar, the Hebrew word for challenge, describes the way the teens are challenged to critically evaluate their own opinions and those of others.

The number 36 is double the value of chai, the Hebrew word for life, representing the dual identity of American Jews. Leading this type of double life presents its own set of challenges, ones that Planer charges his participants to consider.

He explained his belief in experiential education, which in this case consists of traveling to sites of historical or political importance and speaking with people and organizations that represent different sides of issues, as well as people who were involved in the important events.

To Planer, good experiential education should challenge people to leave their comfort zones. “On Etgar 36 we are teaching teens and adults to think.

This means they should be … made uncomfortable, made to struggle.”

“What’s incredibly powerful about programs like Etgar 36 … is the fact that Billy takes kids out on the road to hear personal stories,” said Julie Rhoad, the CEO of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. “That young people learn from these personal stories I think is some of the most powerful education you can give.”

The bar mitzvah celebration included the screening of Etgar 36’s first documentary, produced by a participant of one of Planer’s civil rights trips, Brian Overbye. The film aims to provide

Photo by Rena Gray

Etgar 36 founder Billy Planer discusses the ideas about experiential education behind his organization.

a window into the educational philosophy and to capture the elements that make the trip unique.

The film opens with a shot of Planer addressing the summer 2014 group before it sets out on its journey. “I give you permission to leave school behind and spend a few weeks saying what’s on your mind, not what you think I want to hear,” he says.

With that declaration reverberating throughout the program, the group in the film hears from an array of speakers, including gun rights lobbyist Clark Aposhian; Rabbi Mark Borovitz of Beit T’Shuvah, a synagogue for recovering addicts; Martha Hawkins, who braved internal and external opposition in opening her own restaurant in Montgomery, Ala.; and conservative activist Jim Pfaff, who speaks out against same-sex marriage.

“We emphasize the importance of talking to people you disagree with,” Planer said. “What’s the point of only talking and listening to people who … think like you?”

The teens in the film consider weighty material, such as the juxtaposition of Aposhian’s presentation with that of Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed in the Columbine shooting.

“Part of my core educational philosophy is to show that there’s something to be gotten from everything,” Planer said.

The documentary was followed by a panel composed of Aposhian, Pfaff, Rabbi Borovitz and Hawkins, asked primarily to recount their respective impressions of the teens and their questions. Although a diverse group, all agreed that the teens had touched their lives in ways they would never forget. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CAMPING

AJFF Premieres Film by Camp Flix Teens

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h, the magic of summer camp: the sun and fun, new friends, and no parents in sight. Bursting with creativity and enthusiasm, an Atlanta camp was magic for two Jewish students who crafted a film festival success.

Maddi Barnard, 16, and Charli Shapiro, 13, together produced a short film, “In Our Eyes,” which had its world premiere at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Just less than three minutes in length, the film was a byproduct of Camp Flix at Emory University. It was produced and shot at the campus chapel.

Camp Flix (www.campflix.com) teaches screenwriting, directing, sound and lighting to students ages 11 to 17 over one week. Current filmmakers and industry professionals visit to teach mechanics and form. The camp this summer has sessions June 12 to 17 and July 17 to 22 at Emory and July 10 to 15 at Oglethorpe University.

Campers produce a short film by

week’s end by working in small groups.

The overnight campers work all day on films; at night they have the option of additional projects. One evening, Charli found herself with an idea but no group to work with. She and Maddi met for the first time, explored concepts and brainstormed. Soon they were recruiting other campers, and two Jewish counselors fell into place.

“One night a counselor pulled us over and said, ‘Here’s your group.’ Maddi liked my idea, I liked her idea, and I knew it would work well,” Charli said.

The girls worked so diligently that counselors had to remind them to go to sleep.

“We worked hard on it for two or three nights in a row until 4 a.m.,” she said.

Charli, a seventh-grader at High Meadows School, recalled: “We knew we wanted to have stereotypes, both dark and positive. We came up with a bunch of ideas and wanted to end with the word ‘self-acceptance’ but didn’t have time to shoot that one.”

In addition to learning the mechanics of filmmaking, Charli discovered what stays on the cutting room

floor.

As the daughter of two filmmakers, David and Ilene Shapiro, she said her week at Camp Flix boosted her previous knowledge.

Sticking to the camp’s theme of tolerance, Charli and Maddi used Jewish knowledge and experiences to lay out each scene.

Maddi’s Charli Shapiro (left) edits films she created at Camp Flix. visual essence is films.” displayed through Charli, the director, and Maddi, the main character’s face, a powerful tool used to convey messages of posi- the cinematographer, joined Camp Flix tive and negative adjectives. The film is founder Tom Karsch, who is also Jewish, as guest speakers at the two screenfree of dialogue.

The girls experienced a surge of ings of the festival’s Shorts Program 2. enthusiasm for their project: 27 camp- The film is also available online.

“This was an opportunity for the ers volunteered to act in the film.

After being nominated for the At- kids to really speak about the issues of lanta Jewish Film Festival, Charli said, the day and how they were affecting “I knew ours was more of an AJFF film them personally,” Karsch said. “It was because it was about Judaism. Others an eye-opening project that produced had cool concepts; there were good four really interesting short films.” ■

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 17

CAMPING

Barney’s Inspiration

Two alumni reflect on strength of staff

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t’s only mid-February, but alumni of Camp Barney Medintz are likely having visions of cabins, lakes, trails and dining halls.

Summer camp registration time is upon us — when families of returning campers and those with children who may be going to camp for the first time are thinking about summer plans.

A former camper looking back on the Camp Barney experience and a current camper looking forward to the summer talked about their time on the 540 wooded acres 75 miles northeast of Atlanta. Both were so inspired by their experience as campers and by the counselors that they wanted to become counselors to give back to the place.

Jacob Meyer, 18, a premed major, spent 11 summers as a camper and counselor. “When you’re at camp, it seems like forever; it’s like a paradise,” he said. “Those memories are products of the staff — the environment they create and the impact they made.”

Jayme Dinnerstein, 16, a junior at Alpharetta High School, is looking at spending more summers at Camp Bar-

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ney, including becoming a counselor.

She also touted the staff. “So many … have inspired me, one being Rosie Arkin. Rosie was my counselor in Giborim and Alufim, and she was also my SIT (staff in training) unit head this past summer. She is the most optimistic and selfless person I’ve ever met and is a perfect example of what a Camp Barney staff member encompasses.”

She said Camp Barney teaches lessons about community, friendship, love and happiness. “I can honestly say that I feel happiest when I am at camp and that it has showed me how to be a better person in every way possible.”

Meyer said it is important for Camp Barney to “continue to teach the staff that one summer is so much more than one summer; it is a forever that is full of memories, rolled into just one month for these kids. When these campers grow up and become staff, their forevers will shape how they impact the new generation of campers.”

Approximately 80 percent of Barney staff members are returning staffers and/or former campers.

“Our staff return to Camp Barney because it is the place that holds the best memories for them, they enjoy working with children, and they want every camper to thrive, grow, and have even more fun than last summer,” Barney Director Jim Mittenthal said.

The Camp Barney experience has taught Dinnerstein how essential Judaism is in her life. “Before I went to camp, I went to synagogue and Sunday school, but Judaism never really clicked for me there,” she said. “Something about the way Barney operates — the services under a beautiful chapel overlooking the mountains and being able to sing meaningful songs with my friends — made me realize how incredible my religion is.”

Jewish customs and culture are woven into everyday life at Camp Barney. Campers enjoy Jewish music, learn about Israel and Israeli dance and culture, and take part in Shabbat rituals.

“My Judaism has been strengthened in every way because of Camp Barney,” Dinnerstein said. “My camp friends began signing up for BBYO, so I did too, and BBYO has become a major part of my life — something I would not have been introduced to without camp.”

Mittenthal said the fondness with which Dinnerstein and Meyer speak about their camp experiences directly relates to Camp Barney’s essence. ■

EDUCATION

Myth Overshadows Kishinev’s History

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he most famous pogrom of the czarist era, the incident than made the word “pogrom” itself famous, was a minor if ugly and deadly outbreak of violence compared with other anti-Jewish slaughters.

But through a combination of coincidences and propaganda, the Kishinev pogrom of 1903 has become cemented in Jewish consciousness as the epitome of state-sponsored violence against Jews, Stanford University professor Steven Zipperstein argued Tuesday night, Feb. 2, in the annual Tenenbaum Family Lecture at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum.

“Why this? Why did this leave the impact that it did?” Zipperstein, who is completing a book about Kishinev’s lasting impact, asked the packed reception hall.

Kishinev itself was a little-known frontier town in the Russian Empire’s province of Bessarabia (now Moldova) when the rioting broke out April 19 in response to the application of the blood libel to the deaths of two children. By the time troops took action to stop the violence on the third day, 49 Jews were dead, nearly 600 were hurt, houses had been destroyed, businesses had been pillaged, and at least 40 Jewish women had been raped.

It was horrible violence that reflected national and local anti-Semitism. But it all occurred along only six or seven streets that were little more than alleyways. The toll wasn’t much worse than the Gomel pogrom later in 1903, was far lower than what occurred during a spike in violence in 1905, and paled compared with the anti-Jewish violence in the wake of the Russian Revolution.

Zipperstein said it now appears 150,000 to 200,000 Jews were killed in the first few years after the revolution, including 2,000 slain within hours in the town of Proskurov.

But “those attacks are almost entirely forgotten,” he said, while Kishinev is used as the “quintessence of horror” and the prism through which violence to and by Jews is viewed to this day.

Men as different in outlook as Benjamin Netanyahu (referring to the Toulouse Jewish school killings in 2012) and Noam Chomsky (addressing the massacres of Palestinians in Leba-

nese refugee camps in 1982) have used Kishinev as a touchstone.

“How is it that this particular moment managed to chisel itself onto contemporary Jewish history, chisel itself so as to give it a far-reaching meaning even for those who never heard of the town, know nothing of its details, but nonetheless draw lessons from it?” Zipperstein asked, calling it “a moment that cast a shadow so deep, so wide, so variegated as to leave its imprint on Jews, on Jew-haters … ever since.”

Before Kishinev, pogrom was one of many words for such violence used in Russia, and it was almost unknown outside Russia. By 1904, it was one of the three best-known Russian words in the non-Russian-speaking world, along with vodka and czar, Zipperstein said.

He said the popular mythology of Kishinev played a role in the development and propagation of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” rising Jewish emigration from Russia, a more militant form of Zionism, the Balfour Declaration and even the formation of the NAACP. “Mythologies do make history,” he said.

Kishinev was close to Romania and served as the home to Zionism’s correspondence bureau under an otherwise obscure doctor named Yakov Bernstein-Kogan. As the violence occurred, dispatches were smuggled across the border, and Bernstein-Kogan spent 1,500 rubles to reach the world’s wire services by telegraph, Zipperstein said.

The Hearst newspaper chain sent a reporter, Michael Davits, who checked in first with Bernstein-Kogan, then, in the Hearst way, sensationalized the story and exaggerated the toll. The Forward published daily front-page articles about Kishinev from April to June and saw its circulation soar.

A forged letter purported to be from Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve, whom Zipperstein said was a rabid anti-Semite, was used as evidence that Czar Nicholas II’s government had ordered police not to intervene in the slaughter.

Hayim Nahman Bialik wrote the epic poem “The City of Slaughter” a year later, and Kishinev’s place in Jewish myth and history was secured.

“Almost everything is forgotten, but some things remain,” Zipperstein said, “and it’s not inevitable as to what remains.” ■

Chattanooga

CAMPWALKABOUT

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 19

EDUCATION

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2016

Summer Connection

A: Davis Mechina students Odel Madar (left) and Katie Vogin have fun with the easy way to stack cups.

B: Dunwoody Springs kindergartner Michael Mwangi joins Davis Mechina students Ariana Kosoy (center) and Abby Rosenkoff for some jumping around.

C: Sixth-grader Alon Rogow, a Davis Middle School Leadership Institute ambassador, helps kindergartner Judd Brown build a plastic pyramid.

D: Kindergartners Ikerian Hill (left) and Justin Shenk work on their sit-ups.

E: A visiting Dunwoody Springs kindergartner has the attention of Davis peers Avana Saitowitz (left) and Emma von Springer and teaching assistant Dana Rifkin.

F: (From left) Dunwoody Springs kindergartner Edgar Duran joins Davis kindergartners Benny Jannett and Jack Solomon and Davis Mechina student Riley Kropp for some cup construction projects.

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

Davis’ Big Day

AJT 20

Great Variety of Summer Camps!

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hursday, Feb. 4, proved to be a day of celebrations for the Davis Academy. It was the 100th day of the school year, and the kindergartners invited their peers from across the street at Dunwoody Springs Elementary to join them for an educational carnival in the gym. The event included exercises for the mind and body and returned the hospitality Dunwoody Springs had offered in inviting Davis kindergartners to the Fulton County public school to talk about Chanukah

in December. Joining the fun were members of Davis’ Mechina kindergarten prep program, costumed as elderly people.

That night, Davis’ A boys basketball team won the Division 1 Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference championship with a 40-38 overtime win against the Galloway School. The Lions ended the season 12-1 and joined the B boys and B girls basketball teams as division champions. ■

EDUCATION

Riverwood Senior Signs With Crimson Tide Soccer

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

is back for our 9th year in Atlanta

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Alex Plavin celebrates signing with Alabama on Feb. 3.

Backed by mother Susan, sister Mandi and father Barry, Joey Goodman signs to play football for Harvard on Feb. 3.

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Furman-bound Lydia Morris (fourth from right) joins 19 other Woodward seniors to mark their college signings Feb. 3.

seven freshmen will bring to the team in his second year at the university. He said Plavin “is a good shot stopper and is comfortable playing off her line. She reads the game well and is a very good communicator.”

Also celebrating college signing day Wednesday, Feb. 3, were Woodward Academy’s Lydia Morris, the daughter of Belinda and Michael Morris, who will play volleyball next year at Furman University, and Walton High School’s Joey Goodman, who will play football at Harvard University.

Please send news of any other local Jewish students signing to play college sports next year to david@atljewishtimes.com. ■

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

iverwood International Charter School senior Alex Plavin has signed with the University of Alabama to play soccer for the Crimson Tide.

Plavin, a goalkeeper for Tophat Soccer Club in Buckhead, holds the Riverwood school record for lowest goals against average (0.59), most shutouts (13) and most wins (14).

“It was my dream and real intent to play Division I soccer in the SEC,” said Plavin, the daughter of Tally and Stanford Plavin. “It’s just a really good balance between academics and athletics. When I stepped on campus at Alabama, the team was really warm and friendly. I just felt like they had a good culture going on.”

After helping lead Tophat to three consecutive state championships from 2013 to 2015, she was approached by Emory University and American University but ultimately chose Alabama.

Two of her Tophat teammates, midfielder Logue Shamburger of the Westminster Schools and forward Chloe Maize of Cleveland, Tenn., also signed with Alabama.

“Alex is an exceptional goalkeeper,” her Tophat coach, Troy Garner, said in a Crimson Tide news release.

“She has great hands and is a very good communicator. She pays attention to her position in great detail, has a great work ethic and will be a wonderful teammate.”

A member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Plavin first played organized soccer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center when she was 4. The Epstein School grad said a significant Jewish population was one of her criteria in selecting a university, and Alabama has a growing Jewish student body after years of recruiting Jewish students from the Atlanta area.

“Alabama has a Hillel on campus, which was a huge part of having the opportunity to go there,” Plavin said.

“Getting involved locally is a great opportunity and something I look forward to.”

In the fall Plavin will compete for playing time at goalkeeper with redshirt junior Kat Stratton and fellow freshman Emilie Saksvig of Richmond, Va. Alabama Coach Wes Hart said he is excited about the competition his

SPORTS BROADCASTING CAMP

• Boys and Girls 10-18 will have an opportunity to learn from the Pros

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ACROSS 2. Heart (25:2) 4. Fifty (26:11) 5. Flower (25:34) 6. South (26:18) 7. Candle (25:37)

DOWN 1. Staves (25:13) 3. Table (25:28) 5. Curtain (26:31)

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

(Hint: Menorah, Parshat Terumah, Ch. 25)

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WORD CMRLESAB

• Half-brother of Yitro, full brother of Dan and nephew of Rachel.

• Niece of Yehuda, grand-daughter of Leah, inlaw of Yitro.

GENEALOGY

1

Complete the crossword by translating each English word into Hebrew. Use the parsha reference for help.

CROSSWORD

Jews fast on me. The walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the Holy Temple on me, as was the destruction of the tablets with the Ten Commandments.

WHAT DATE AM I?

Humility: The next time you do something really great, be careful not to brag about your accomplishment.

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WORD FIND

Find the bold italic words on this sheet.

The unused letters spell a secret message!

HaShem said "they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in thier midst" and directs Moshe to collect donations for the building of the Sanctuary, its vessels and the priestly garments, including: • Aron: Made of acacia wood, covered with gold, with rings on both sides permanently inserted.

• Kaporet: Two kruvim of gold, hammered out on the cover with wings spread upward.

• Shulchan: Table made of acacia wood, covered in gold and a gold crown all around, with dishes for the lechem panim (show bread).

• Menorah: Made of pure gold, hammered out, with six branches and knobs, flowers and lamps.

• Y'riot: Ten curtains made of twisted lines with turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, woven with a design of kruvim.

• Krashim for the Sanctuary: Planks made of acacia wood, standing erect, covered with gold.

• Parochet: A partition made of turquoise, purple and scarlet wool, placed up on four pillars of acacia wood to be a separation for the Holy of Holies.

• Altar: Made of acacia wood with horns on four corners and covered with copper.

• Chatzer: The courtyard to the Sanctuary surrounded by curtains 100 cubits long by 50 cubits wide.

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4 ADAR 1 5776 PARSHAT TERUMAH

CINNAMON

COPPER

‫לו‬ ÷‫ו‬

‫א‬ ‫ע‬ + ‫ א‬- ‫סה‬

‫ז‬

‫מט‬ ÷‫ז‬

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

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

‫ח‬ ‫ש‬ ‫ט‬ x ‫ ה ÷ י‬+ ‫יא‬

Two items used to build the Sanctuary:

gematria

• Someone ate the whole dessert that you made.

• A parent forgot to give you a healthy snack for lunch.

Can you judge these situations favorably?

SCARLET

SILVER

you be the judge

SPICES

GOLD

spot the difference

Building a shed Opening a folding chair Knocking a nail into a wall Locking a door

Which one is different? (Hint: Contributions to the Sanctuary)

• • • •

The act of building on Shabbat is called boneh and is forbidden. Are the following examples of boneh?

SHABBat

• The construction of the Aron. (25:10) • The construction of the Altar. (27:1)

Act out these scenes with friends and family:

PARSHA SKIT ideas

SUPER SHABBat SHEET

good trait OF THE MONTH

CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 4:44 P.M.

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

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ARTS

Willkommen, Joel Grey

‘Master of Ceremonies’ heads to the JCC

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ne of nine actors to win a Tony and an Oscar for the same role, Joel Grey will make a Page From the Book Festival appearance at the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Thursday, Feb. 18, to discuss his life and career as revealed in his new memoir, “Master of Ceremonies.”

Best known as the enigmatic Master of Ceremonies in the 1966 Broadway musical “Cabaret,” Grey can be credited with parlaying a character with “no words, no lines, no role” into a stage presence for which he, and the musical, received huge audience and critical acclaim. “Cabaret” was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 1967 and won eight, including a best actor award for Grey.

After starring in the Broadway show and national tour of “George M!” — about George M. Cohan — Grey recreated his “Cabaret” role in the 1972 film alongside Liza Minelli under the exacting direction of Bob Fosse.

“Master of Ceremonies” describes in great detail the evolution of Joel David Katz, born in Cleveland in 1932, from the time he was bitten by the theater bug at the Cleveland Playhouse at age 9, through “The Borscht Capades” with his father and nightclub performances as a teenager, to life on the East and the West coasts, all in relentless pursuit of a career on Broadway.

The book follows Grey as a performer, husband and father through a period of self-actualization and personal growth after his divorce. As he writes: “I never imagined that would mean living as a gay man. Having spent so many years pushing those feelings down, I didn’t know how to be ‘gay.’ ” All is set against the backdrop of social attitudes in America — from postWorld War II conservatism, through the 1980s AIDS panic, to the eventual relaxation of societal boundaries.

Grey brings us to present day, where he has happily come to live his intended life. “If you don’t tell the truth about yourself, life is a ridiculous exercise,” he writes. “I’m still singing (in the same key), still dancing (but slower), and, finally, getting a lot of my heart’s desire.”

In a phone interview this month, after expressing how excited he is to be coming “down to Atlanta,” Grey answered a few questions about his life and career and about what might be next for him.

AJT: Your book tells of your great love of acting, but many see you as a song-and-dance man. How do you perceive yourself?

Grey: When I was 9 years old … I was hungry, hungry for an identity.

I went to see a show at the Cleveland Playhouse, and I looked at the stage (it was a children’s performance — my mother took me), and I knew in that moment what I was going to do, and I said to my mother, “I want to do that.” … From then on, that’s all I ever wanted, was to be a good actor. And all the other things that I’ve done are secondary to that.

AJT: The role of Emcee in “Cabaret” was pivotal for you. Can you explain what set that apart?

Grey: Well, I had an idea about a character that had never really been seen before. It was a kind of a dark vision … not the usual musical comedy thing. I saw the Emcee as a sort of a Hitler figure in the way that he pushed everybody around and lied and cheated — and entertained at the same time.

He fooled the people. He fooled the audience, and I always thought that was what Hitler did. He said, “Follow me, and there’ll be bread on every table,” and the people did.

AJT: That was your own interpretation, correct? Do you think someone else might have read it differently?

Grey: I think someone who didn’t want to see it would come up to me after the show and say, “Oh, you were so funny!”

And I would think to myself, “What show did you see?” … The darker aspects were necessary.

AJT: Do you think that made all the difference — in the trajectory of your life and your career?

Grey: It’s going that extra mile of delving and revealing … and probably my attention to difficult themes in “Cabaret” or whatever I took on. There were usually easy ways to do

Photo by Henry Leutwyler Joel Grey

recting it.

AJT: You’ve gone through such an evolution. How would you describe yourself professionally at this point?

Grey: An actor. A photographer. A father. A husband. And an author! And that’s pretty exciting, to have something like that in my 80s.

AJT: And personally?

Grey: Happy. Satisfied. Full of gratitude. And also very, very interested in tomorrow.

think the “Master” part of the title is about overcoming challenges, mastering.

AJT: Looking back, what would you say is the biggest thrill of your life?

Grey: Probably, professionally, winning the Tony, since the theater was my dream. … That meant a great deal to me.

AJT: What’s still out there?

Grey: I’m at the right place for a man of my age, and I’m so full of excitement about new things and learning things and accomplishing and appreciating. I know I want to direct again, soon, and I’m working on my fifth photography book (you can see them at joelgreyphotographer.com), and being ready for whatever comes. … There’s a lot of interest in what’s out there in this life that we get to live once, and I’m excited about that. ■

AJT: What compelled you to write the book?

Grey: I’ve always wanted to do it.

I always thought I would do it, and I Who: Author and Oscar winner Joel Grey When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18 Where: Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4002

Master of Ceremonies

By Joel Grey Flatiron Books, 256 pages, $27.99

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

By Leah R. Harrison

things, and I never wanted to do that. I always wanted it to be dimensional and complex, and that was very much achieved for me in performing in “The Normal Heart” and then years later di-

AJT 23

ARTS

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‘Disgraced’ a Must-See

Play challenges ideas about race, religion

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

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print to get tickets to the Alliance play “Disgraced,” which ends Sunday, Feb. 14.

When my hotsy-totsy Manhattan friends were bragging about “Disgraced” in 2013, it was featured on my favorite (and almost only) TV show, “Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood.” So I was ready to see it locally — or was I? Knowing that the plot was woven around Pulitzer Prize-winning Muslim playwright Ayad Akhtar’s ambitious script, for which he has been criticized

by Jews and Muslims, we were catapulted along a roller-coaster ride of surprises.

Many — some say too many — controversies are aired and cleverly written. The plot centers on Amir (dazzlingly played by Andrew Guilarte), an ambitious corporate lawyer in a Jewish firm who attempts to mask his ethnic identity.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution re-

viewer Wendell Brock gave the play an A-minus grade and wrote: “ ‘Disgraced’ crystallizes the fraught nature of the day. We see terror lurking at every corner. But deep down in our souls, we know the enemy is within us.”

Almost Donald Trumpian, did you ever wonder whether Americanized “friendly” Muslims privately cheered at 9/11, thinking that America got what it deserved? Do Israelis cheer when an Arab outpost is destroyed? (Of course, nothing is comparable to 9/11, but you get the drift.)

Each actor carries his own weight.

Of special note is local Jewish star Andrew Benator, who plays Isaac, the Jewish art curator married to an AfricanAmerican lawyer. When asked about his experience in “Disgraced,” he said: “It’s been thrilling. The play dives headfirst into sensitive topics in an incredibly smart and articulate way, and the characters’ positions are nuanced and complicated. It offers no easy answers because there are none. It’s a rare piece of writing of the kind that actors dream of getting to play.”

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Amir (Andrew Guilarte) and Isaac (Andrew Benator) delve into tough issues in “Disgraced.”

Audience member Jim Bauer said: “ ‘Disgraced’ seemed confrontational from beginning to end. The moral could be that one might refrain from saying what another does not need to hear.” “ ‘Disgraced’ played billiards with my brain,” Jim Watt said. “Two religions, two races, two genders explode in the melting pot called America — more specifically, Manhattan condos.

Ayad Akhtar’s play was both powerful as well as cliché. ‘Disgraced’ will leave you disturbed about who we are. Are we the adults we believe we’ve grown to be, or are we really just the children we once were? Go see it. You will talk about it for weeks to come, and that’s what good theater is about.”

“I found the play to be very intense and well acted. However, I left very disturbed with the notion that our faiths may always be at odds over Israel,” Susan Shapiro said.

In a session sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, playwright Akhtar said, “Go see the play with someone with whom you like to argue.”

He said some traditionally dressed Muslim women came to see the play and sat on the front row. They later approached him to say that they came to understand how not to rear their chil-

“See the play with someone with whom you like to argue,” playwright Ayad Akhtar says.

Local actor Andrew Benator says the “Disgraced” script is the kind of writing “actors dream of getting to play.”

dren to be like him.

The acting, the chic set, the costuming and the arrows slung are all worth 90 minutes without an intermission — like carrying 20 pounds of flour in a 10-pound sack. ■ What: “Disgraced” Where: Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St., Midtown When: Through Sunday, Feb. 14 Tickets: $20 to $68; www. alliancetheatre.org/disgraced or 404733-5000

Something for Everyone Feb. 19

— Education

Look for these Feb. 26 — Finance upcoming special sections in your March 4 — Atlanta Jewish Music Festival Preview Atlanta Jewish Times: March 11 — Camp

To advertise in these or any other issues, call 404-883-2130.

Send story ideas to mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com.

ARTS

10 Films Set for Encores

T

he Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has chosen eight narrative films and two documentaries for encore showings Wednesday, Feb. 17, the final day of the 16th annual festival.

Seven of the 10 movies had the maximum five scheduled screenings, reflecting organizers’ anticipation that they would be hot tickets.

The choice of the encore films is based on popular demand within the limitations set by filmmakers and distributors. The 10 films: • “Atomic Falafel,” an Israeli farce about potential nuclear war with Iran, extremely spicy street food, and the heroic efforts of a few teenagers to save the world for hip-hop. After five scheduled screenings, the encore shows are at 1:35 p.m. at UA Tara Cinemas 4 and 6:40 p.m. at Lefont Sandy Springs.

• “East Jerusalem West Jerusalem,” the documentary about the making of David Broza’s Israeli-Palestinian album of the same name. The film played only twice in one night, followed each time by a Broza show. Without Broza, the movie returns at 9:05 p.m. at Lefont.

• “Fire Birds,” an Israeli comedy revolving around a burned-out, divorced, son-of-survivors cop as he plunges into the survivor social scene to investigate an apparent murder. A five-timer during the festival, it’s playing at 11 a.m. at Tara and 6:30 p.m. at Lefont.

• “A Grain of Truth,” a tense Polish murder mystery in which an outcast investigator tries to solve ritualistic slayings without giving in to a town’s blood-libel obsession. After five screenings, it returns at 1:35 p.m. at Lefont.

• “The Grüninger File,” a drama based on the real-life story of a Swiss

border policeman who risked everything to smuggle Jews across the border from Austria and protect them. If you missed the four screenings, you can catch it at 1:45 p.m. at Lefont.

• “The Kind Words,” the melodramatic and often humorous quest of three Israeli siblings to find their real father in France after their mother’s unexpected death. It had five festival screenings and returns at 11 a.m. at Lefont and 8:40 p.m. at Tara.

• “The Midnight Orchestra,” another story of an Israeli’s return to the family’s old country to get to know his father, in this case after the father’s death in Morocco, where he had been a famous musician. After five screenings, it shows at 4:05 p.m. at Lefont.

• “The People vs. Fritz Bauer,” a biopic of the Jewish prosecutor in Germany who defied his country to help catch Adolph Eichmann. After its fifth soldout screening Feb. 16, it is showing at 6:05 p.m. at Tara and 8:55 p.m. at Lefont.

• “Wedding Doll,” the bittersweet story of a young woman (acclaimed Moran Rosenblatt) with special needs who hopes to find independence and love at a toilet paper factory. After five screenings, it’s back at 3:50 p.m. at Tara and 4:15 p.m. at Lefont.

• “What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy,” a surprising documentary about the very different opinions two sons of Nazi war criminals hold about their fathers. Like the Broza film, this had only two scheduled screenings; its third is at 11:10 a.m. at Lefont.

Tickets are $13, available at ajff. org, via 678-701-6104 (with a $2.50 service fee per order) or at the festival box office during shows. ■

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Photo by David R. Cohen

Je Suis Michael

AJT Editor Michael Jacobs introduces the documentary “Je Suis Charlie” at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Thursday, Feb. 4, by showing the crowd at GTC Merchants Walk the Jan. 16, 2015, issue, the first under owner Michael A. Morris. The newspaper features an Atlanta solidarity rally held in response to the terrorist killings in Paris at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo (the focus of the film) and a kosher supermarket.

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

倀攀爀昀攀挀琀 昀漀爀 欀椀搀猀 愀最攀搀 㐀⬀ 䘀刀䔀䔀 䄀一䐀 伀倀䔀一 吀伀 䄀䰀䰀

AJT 25

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Schlossbergs Share Rare Collection With Museums

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etired gynecologist Michael Schlossberg, a former member of the board of directors of the High Museum of Art, knows from memory the story behind each piece of art in his Buckhead home.

The Schlossbergs flew to New York in a flash when a dealer said he had a group of Picasso drawings consigned by his daughter, Maya Widmaier-Picasso.

To keep the collection fresh, they spend a month a year in Paris. Art & Antiques Magazine has lauded Lana and Michael Schlossberg as “one of the Top 100 art collectors in America” six times. Forbes has profiled them.

“The Schlossbergs’ passion for collecting rare and beautiful works of art is contagious,” said John Tilford, the curator of the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. Lana, an aficionado herself, is Michael’s muse and reins him in as he gets wound up in professorial detail.

The doctor could give a course standing on one foot with no notes on any of his artists. He said: “I always think about who owned what and how it looked in its original setting. Drawings are so personal in showing the soul of the artist and the trials of creation.”

Jaffe: How does a boychick from Brooklyn get involved with art?

Michael: As a child I visited many of the great museums in New York. I was a born collector: baseball cards, stamps, coins, comic books. Every time I buy something new, I feel like a kid getting an electric train set. All three of our children are collectors. Our son Richard grew up with a Calder in his room and still has it in his own house.

It’s a family passion.

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

Jaffe: I saw the exhibit at the Oglethorpe Museum. I thought the Barrère plasters contained in sealed jars were memorable, as well as Rodolphe Salis’ extremely rare drawing of the Emperor Napoleon III. Salis was the founder of the cabaret Le Chat Noir, which was the first bar to have entertainment — poets and such.

Michael: “The Sorrow of Too Many Joys: Satire in 19th Century France” ended in December. Actually it was our fourth at Oglethorpe. We like to relate to students and show the art in intimate settings. Satirical art pokes fun at corruption. … Out of our 26 600-plus pieces, 67 were there. There

AJT

are letters, drawings, original stone lithographs before offset printing.

Also, a tandem course is taught at Oglethorpe. Names in that collection: Dantan Jeune, Daumier, Charlet, Carjat, Forain, Manet, Nadar.

Jaffe: The art in your home has more recognizable, glitzy names.

Chai-Style Homes

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Lana: We have Picasso, Rodin, Seurat, Degas, Matisse. … My private salon is a tribute to novelist George Sand, who was a feminist, I’m actually just completing. That’s why my favorite Paris museum is Musée de la Vie Romantique — very intimate and has the re-creation of Sand’s parlor, which inspired me. The Gauguin mask is one of only two. Ours was acquired from the estate of Walter Chrysler Jr., and the other in the Musée d’Orsay.

Jaffe: It’s a dramatic contrast to have Russian nested figures with George Sand. Did you use a designer?

Lana: Gene McIntosh pulled it all together. We wanted a minimalist backdrop to showcase the art. We keep the blinds drawn to protect the drawings from the sunlight.

Jaffe: As we enter from your private elevator, wham! The art soars when the door opens. What are we seeing?

Michael: The armoire is British, 1840. The Picasso is “Study for the Sailor,” which is probably a self-portrait because of the horizontally striped shirt, which he typically donned. I love the Matisse, “Study of Lydia,” and the Jean-Baptiste Greuze, “Study for the Marriage Contract,” done with red sanguine chalk.

Jaffe: This study setting contains over 4,000 books.

Michael: The large blue oil is by …

Moses Soyer, “Two Hippie Girls.” There is a group of medallions by David d’Angers — over 70 drawings, letters, bronzes and plasters of his. The drawing is by Corot, one of the most important artists of the Barbizon school.

Jaffe: Is this statue Rodin?

A

B Michael: No, “The Expulsion” is

by Leonard Baskin. He portrays himself as Adam and his wife as Eve. Next to it is a Picasso fashioned from cracker boxes made for his daughter. It is a decoupage that is owned by Bette Ann (Schlossberg’s daughter). Also, this bronze head of a warrior is by Antoine Bourdelle, “A Study for a Monument in Montauban,” Bourdelle’s birthplace.

Jaffe: What’s your favorite in the master bedroom?

Lana: The three statues by David d’Angers were homages to the great King René. It really puts you back in time. D’Angers was a genius and designed the Pantheon.

Here is the Seurat that the MOMA borrowed for their exhibition “Seurat: The Drawings.” The drawing by Gus-

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E

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H

Photos by Duane Stork

tave Doré shows the first fable of Fontaine, “The Grasshopper and the Ant.” Doré illustrated 3,000 books, like “Don Quixote,” the Bible and “The Legend of the Wandering Jew.” Jaffe: Explain this vertical display in the dining room.

Michael: You gravitated to the Jewish artist Pissarro: self-portrait surrounded by his children. Also works

by Gericault, Manet and Ingres (study for the Spanish ambassador painting found in the Petit Palace in Paris).

Jaffe: Where are you off to next?

Michael: The “Star Wars” movie.

We’re big fans. Cecil B. DeMille and some of the great directors like Lucas got their ideas from studying the illustrations of Doré.

Jaffe: If you could wake up tomorrow and have one more piece, what would it be?

Michael: Doesn’t matter. My next acquisition — be it major or minor — still excites me.

Jaffe: There’s not an inch of space to place anything else.

Michael: I’m happy with my collection. I enjoy it every day. Some say it’s a type of insanity. So be it. ■

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FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

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A: The black “Mask of a Savage” bronze by Gauguin is recognized as a self-portrait, and Georges Rouault’s drawing “Studies for Fleurs du Mal” (top left) show the multifaceted art lining the angled walls.

B: Michael Schlossberg compares his rare Doré first edition to a drawing of Fontaine’s first fable. The Schlossbergs house over 4,000 books in their library.

C: The living/dining expanse glows with works by Pissarro, Seurat, Vuillard, Millet and Degas.

D: Renoir’s “Fifer After Manet” (1884) was shown in the High Museum in 1994 and the Oglethorpe museum in 2010.

E: Michael and Lana Schlossberg enjoy the plaster French monarchs by David d’Angers in their master bedroom.

F: Picasso’s pencil drawing “Study for the Kiss” (1967) G: This 1894 bronze warrior head by Antoine Bourdelle is “Study for the Memorial of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 at Montauban,” the artist’s birthplace.

H: “The Expulsion” by Leonard Baskin is said to portray the artist and his wife as Adam and Eve. I: Lana Schlossberg relaxes in her salon, decorated as a tribute to feminist George Sand.

J: The Schlossberg foyer includes Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s “Study for the Marriage Contract” in red chalk; a Picasso watercolor on cardboard of a clown mask, made to amuse his daughter; Matisse’s “Study of Lydia”; and Picasso’s “Study for the Sailor,” which possibly is a self-portrait.

AJT 27

OBITUARIES

Sherry Friedman 79, Atlanta

Sherry Friedman passed on peacefully Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in her Atlanta home after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born in Macon on March 16, 1936, to parents Zelig and Sylvia Wolf.

On April 29, 1956, she married Holocaust survivor Henry Friedman. Two years later on Feb. 27, they gave birth to their only child, Stephen Alexander Friedman.

She began her life of service in the Jewish community by serving as the president of Hadassah in the 1970s and continued with that organization, becoming a lifelong member. In 1962, out of concern for her child and husband and the belief that we are all of one race, the human race, Mrs. Friedman became involved with politics. She worked on the campaigns of Congressman Charles Weltner, a future Georgia Supreme Court justice, and Gov. Carl Sanders. She was active with the Young Democrats and was awarded the prestigious Spirit Award by Congressman Ben Jones. This special award was retired after the presentation to Sherry Friedman. Not only were Mrs. Friedman’s concerns on a state level, but she also served on the DeKalb County Democratic Executive Committee, leading to an appointment to the Georgia Democratic Executive Committee that she held for many years.

Her various levels of involvement included being appointed state Senate doorkeeper by Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard, and she held that position for eight years.

She was also appointed by Lt. Gov. Howard to the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. In 1986, Sherry Friedman was noted as the first volunteer for the Martin Luther King federal holiday celebration. She continued to work closely with Coretta Scott King and the Salute to Greatness Dinner, where she served for 30 years. Mrs. King honored Mrs. Friedman by asking her to serve on the steering committee of the 30th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington. The Friedmans were invited to be present at the Lincoln Memorial, the ending place of that march.

Beyond the community and state levels, Mrs. Friedman’s active voice continued to be heard as she was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Con-

www.atlantajewishtimes.com vention in 1996, 2000 and 2004. In 2012, Sherry Friedman received the Thomas B. Murphy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Democratic Party of Georgia at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Annual Dinner.

Throughout their marriage, Sherry was a scheduler and companion to Henry in educating children and adults alike about the Holocaust and Henry’s life journey as a survivor. They spoke to many schools and organizations throughout the city. This work led to Michael Bond and the Atlanta City Council’s recommendation that March 16, 2015, be proclaimed Henry Friedman Day. They were awarded this proclamation with a reception at Atlanta City Hall with many dignitaries, representatives and friends from the many areas of life that she so memorably touched. Sherry Friedman was a strong and remarkable woman whose indomitable work in society lives on and who will be sorely missed.

Graveside services for Sherry Friedman were held Thursday, Feb. 4, at Greenwood Cemetery with Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Congregation Or VeShalom, 1681 N. Druid Hills Road NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319; the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org; or to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

Nathan Kramarow 89, Atlanta

Nathan Kramarow, age 89, died peacefully at home Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.

Nathan was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Ruth; his children, Robin Kramarow (Jonathan Mintz), Ellen Kramarow (Jared Garelick) and Margo Tepper (Marc Tepper); and grandchildren Michael, Sarah and Benjamin Mintz, Hersh and Hannah Garelick, and Rachel and Jessie Tepper.

Nathan was born June 2, 1926, in New York City to Frank and Lena Kramarow. He was a graduate of City College of New York and received a master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. He was a mechanical engineer and sales representative in the metal forging industry, retiring only recently. He had a sharp mind and a quick wit. He enjoyed reading in English and Yiddish. He loved music, both classical and contemporary, with a special fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan. Most of all, he found joy in his family as they found joy in him.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice. A graveside service was held Sunday, Feb. 7, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

Joan Srochi

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

90, Atlanta

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Joan Printz Srochi died peacefully at her Atlanta home Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at the age of 90.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Stanley M. Srochi; her children, Connie Dierks (Bill), Bruce Perretz (Mary) and Scott Perretz (Wendy); her grandchildren, Eric Dierks (Jillian), Karen Dierks, David Perretz, Alex Perretz, Margo Perretz, Alissa Perretz, Jordan Perretz (Amanda) and Jake Perretz; and her greatgrandchildren, Noa and Eli Dierks and Sawyer Perretz. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She also leaves behind her devoted caregivers, Emily, Christine, Marjorie, Delta and LaShunda.

She was an avid golfer and had an unparalleled sense of humor. Family and friends will always miss her warmth, integrity and exuberant personality.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Services were held Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Ellman Chapel at Ahavath Achim Synagogue with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. A private interment followed. In lieu of flowers, donations

OBITUARIES may be made to Weinstein Hospice or the Atlanta Humane Society. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

Bruce Stein 62, Atlanta

Death Notices

Jacob Altschuler of Marietta on Feb. 6.

Thelma Greenwald of Marietta on Feb. 7.

Murray H. Leff, 89, of London, Ontario, husband of Stella Leff and father of Steven and Karen Leff, Vivian and Randy Maxwell, Kathy Leff, and Nanci Frank, on Jan. 30.

Wyman Strachan of Newnan on Feb. 3.

Dorothy Suvalsky of Atlanta on Feb. 5.

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Dr. Bruce Stein of Atlanta died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at the age of 62.

He was born in Brooklyn and raised in Woodmere, N.Y. He attended Hewlett High, where he developed a disdain for the rules and met some of his closest lifelong friends, and he spent summer days at Atlantic Beach with his parents, Howard and Irene Stein, and his sister, Cindy Goldberg. He developed an early vivacity and determination for sports, which he later brought to bear in all other aspects of his life. He completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA, experiencing all that California had to offer a native New Yorker. In Los Angeles, he met Lisa Stein, his lifelong friend and partner of 30 years. More school brought them back east, where he pursued a medical degree at Georgetown University and later residency at New York University.

Long hours in the operating room were balanced with lifelong friendships forged, weekend beach trips to Long Island, and the bustle and excitement of the city. Their firstborn, Max, brought joy into their lives, and suddenly their small Sutton Place apartment seemed much smaller. In the summer of ’87, they followed his parents south to start a family. Family remained a mainstay of his life.

Bruce poured love and devotion into raising his children, and he valued his role as a father to offer guidance and instill confidence in them. He led by example: coaching sports teams, editing English papers late into the night, and balancing his commitments as a doctor with those as a father, brother and son.

He took great pride and joy in offering his counsel to his children while also cherishing the daily interactions he had with his patients. His medical counsel was just an extension of the same kind of love he showed his family, and his personality came alive at the hospital with his colleagues. Bruce valued his relationships above all, and his love for life was contagious. He opened his home, which became a gathering spot for his family and friends throughout his life. He was playful and sarcastic with a devilish sense of humor that brought levity to everyone he touched.

His spirit is carried on by his loving parents, Howard and Irene Stein of Atlanta; children Max Stein and fiancée Parisa Karimi, Sam Stein, and Sophia Stein; sister and brother-in-law Cindy and Howard Goldberg of Atlanta; and nephews Greg Goldberg and fiancée Jenny Foldvary, Alex Goldberg, and Jacob Goldberg.

The family would also like to express their utmost gratitude to Brittany Whitmore and the other wonderful caregivers over the years for their compassion and devotion in times of need.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shepherd Center (give.shepherd.org/charitable-giving), a place that brought hope and healing to Dr. Stein and many thousands of others just like him. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. A graveside service was held Sunday, Feb. 7, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbis Bradley Levenberg and Neil Sandler officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

60 Days of Bliss

R

FEBRUARY 12 ▪ 2016

osh Chodesh Adar I began Tuesday, Feb. 9, marking a time of increased joy, good fortune and miracles. In leap years like this, we experience heightened bliss for 60 days during Adar I and II. We seek divine sparks in Judaism and apply them to our current experience of life through the wisdom of Kabbalah, astrology, energy medicine and psychology. We need to feel that we’re empowered by, rather than victims of, these energies and influences, as if given a weather report suggesting we take an umbrella on days that forecast rain.

This month’s zodiac sign is Pisces; the Hebrew letter, kuf; the ruling planet, Jupiter; the tribe, Naftali; the sense, laughter; and the controlling organ, spleen.

We strive to construct our own mazel, making it less about luck and more about conscious intention achieved through quieting ourselves, connecting and aligning with our Creator, then sharing our good fortune with others. The Talmudic statement Ein Mazel L’Yisroel suggests that not luck but Divine Presence has guided the Jewish people to survive.

Haman thought himself wise to choose the 7th of Adar as a weakened day for the Jews because it was the date Moses died. What he didn’t know was that Moses also was born on the 7th of Adar, and therefore the date brought greater mazel.

Each of us carries a divine spark of Moses’ soul. Our continuation defies the expected and supports the notion of assistance from HaShem and energies beyond our scope.

The sign of Pisces, represented by the fish, offers protection from the evil eye. The eye of the fish in an amulet, or at the center of a hamsa (the hand of Miriam in our tradition), may be blue or green because light-colored eyes were deemed unusual in cultures where dark eyes were prominent.

There are two fish, swimming in opposite directions, so we must all balance the Piscean traits we possess.

The positive energies are sensitivity, emotionality, compassion, creativity and intuition. The negative include melancholy, lack of initiative, laziness and escapism.

Kuf means “monkey” and suggests playful, agile movement. The actual letter has a tail that dips below the 30 line. That’s a clue to all things hidden.

AJT

Queen Esther, the Purim heroine, hid her real name, Hadassah, and her identity as a Jew. The name Esther was taken from the Hebrew word seter, meaning “hidden” or “secret.”

As we move toward new leadership in our country, a practical application of these tools can aid in decisions leading to tikkun olam in our broken world. As fish dive into murky waters and remain unseen, people

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CROSSWORD “Working Out”

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

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Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

hide aspects of themselves. It’s a time to explore what remains hidden and what is revealed.

The ruling planet, Jupiter, represents abundance, grace, honesty, good deeds, loyalty, wisdom and bliss. These help us feel expansive and joyful.

Naftali is the tribe. It is the last of the 12 tribes and translates as “sweetness is to me.” Adar is the 12th month, and there is sweetness in having come through the cycle of the year.

Laughter is Adar’s sense. We’re said to be of good humor when we laugh. “Humors” in Hippocrates’ time referred to the four fluids in the body: yellow and black bile, phlegm, and blood. They coincided with the seasons and emotions expressed when imbalanced.

The spleen, Adar’s controlling organ, transforms food digested in the stomach and uses it for nutrition in the body, energy and the production of quality blood. We should monitor ourselves (and our presidential candidates), like our spleens, to be sure there is balance with no inflammation or swelling (of egos) and proper disposal or movement that eliminates toxic waste (and blockages that can divide the system into functional and nonfunctional).

We take in and release breath, align ourselves with HaShem, then drink in Adar’s sweetness until we can’t tell the difference between “Blessed is Mordecai!” and “Cursed is Haman!”

Meditation focus: In your mind’s eye, dive deeply into uncharted waters to find your truth. What do you believe will bring about tikkun olam? Who will best represent your beliefs? Stay open to secrets revealed, and don’t miss an opportunity to express gratitude and joy. ■

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17. Dress a kallah 18. Pareve Twizzler bite 19. They should be uninteresting from Jew to Jew? 20. Work out device for Jonas Salk and Maimonides?

23. Play for a yutz 24. Schnozes 25. “Aladdin” prince voiced

by Scott Weinger 28. Sadducee, e.g.

30. Makes like a really boring rabbi 33. Matzah exercises?

37. Fleet Israel never had 38. Relating to a “cholent bean” organ 39. Title for Rabbi Israel Brodie 41. Uncle of Hur 42. Crowned girl’s name 44. Lifting weights after a meal?

46. Device used on David Simon’s lauded HBO show 48. The least anti-Semitic country, apparently 49. “Solaris” author Stanislaw 50. Develop, like a citron 52. King before Jehoshapat 55. Exercises over Black and Klugman?

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63. NFL star Foster with a very un-Jewish sounding name 64. The Witch of Endor

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Ilan Rubin 29. Brilliant display, like a Chagall show 31. Foe of Harry 32. Talmud lengths (in English vernacular) 33. Go through a Bar Kochba cave 34. String a tallit again 35. Take an uzi from DOWN 36. Levi to Dan 1. The biggest star in the 40. What Pharaoh did after world (who is neither a Jew each plague nor a gentile) 43. Islamic State inflicts it 2. Lymph masses 45. Da ___ (city in Vietnam) 3. “___ to Himself,” Ben 47. 1972 Bob Fosse musical Jonson poem that mentions 51. One Reese’s in “E.T.” Japhet 52. Pitching like Sandy 4. “Frasier” actress Gilpin Koufax 5. In ___, sing like the Miami 53. Make like Sarah Hughes Boys Choir 54. Actor Ed 6. Implies, as the written 55. What a moving service Torah often does can give to the soul 7. Acts like a yenta 56. Gehazi after he 8. Chassidic leaders becomes a leper 9. Barometer for Sanders 57. Woody Allen’s “The 10. Missing from Sayeret Curse of the ___Scorpion” Matkal, say 58. City in southern Israel 11. It’s passed down in the 59. Time zone in Boro Park mishpacha 60. Resort that might have 12. Yes Ahava products 13. Many Jews in Fl. 61. ___ judicata 21. Ilan Rubin, drummer for Nine ___ Nails 22. Like Jonah, when he runs LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 25. Israel’s J A B P R A D O S T R A P 14 15 16 Gali (with a E D U H O T E L I R A B U 17 18 19 L E N I N video game last S A Y L I T T L E 20 21 22 S P I E L S O B E S I T Y name) 23 24 25 E T N A B A S I N S 26. What 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 S H A A R S T E A M S Madoff did to 33 34 35 36 many investors 37 T H E 38A R T I 39S T 40 S 41P I N B I O I C Y U R I E N L 27. “What 42 43 44 45 46 I S L A H A R P O M A R X would you do 47 48 49 B A A B A A Y E S E S if ___,” words 50 51 52 53 54 55 S M I L E R H A R A 56 57 58 59 60 at the start of I N V O I C E A C A C I A Savage’s “The 61R O A L D 62A 63N 64D D O M U C H Wonder Years” 65A R A V A 66D A Y A N 67T I E 28. Set part for 68S A D E H 69S T E R N 70E N D

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