Atlanta VOL. XCI NO. 8
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
FEBRUARY 26, 2016 | 17 ADAR I 5776
Photos by David R. Cohen
Final Feeding Frenzy
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s closing night documentary, “In Search of Israeli Cuisine,” plays out in real life as some 1,400 attendees go on a quest for Israeli food after the mouthwatering movie Tuesday night, Feb. 16. Festival Executive Director Kenny Blank, with Development Director Lesli Greenberg, maintains calm at the center of the storm at the Woodruff Arts Center. More on the festival, including the Audience Award winners and a decline in attendance, Pages 23-25
INSIDE
Calendar ���������������������������������� 2 Candle Lighting ����������������������3 Opening Ideas ������������������������ 4 Opinion ����������������������������������� 9 Israel News ����������������������������12 Finance ����������������������������������� 15 Elections ���������������������������������18 Arts ����������������������������������������� 22 Home ������������������������������������� 26 Health & Wellness �������������� 28 Crossword ����������������������������� 30 Cartoon �����������������������������������31
SEC PRIMARY
Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — all just preliminaries for Georgia and 13 other states March 1; see what the candidates have to offer. Pages 18-21 Inside: Finance, Pages 15-17
OIL INSIGHTS
J. Paul Getty buillt the world’s biggest personal fortune in the oil industry, but what would he do with prices around $30 a barrel? Page 15
INTERESTING TIMES
Ed Mendel offers some common sense to keep your cool through good markets and bad. Page 16
Etz Chaim Hires Rabbi
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ongregation Etz Chaim has found the replacement for the man who has led it through most of its 40-plus-year existence. The Conservative East Cobb congregation announced Wednesday, Feb. 17, that Rabbi Daniel Dorsch will succeed Rabbi Shalom Lewis as senior rabbi in July. “Rabbi Dorsch is passionate about the role of the shul in creating meaningful Jewish experiences. His energy is infectious and his ability to connect is uncommon,” Etz Chaim President Todd Surden said in a press release. “Rabbi Dorsch will be tireless in his efforts to engage all members of our community by exemplifying a spirited love of Jewish observance and Torah.” Rabbi Dorsch is the associate rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston,
N.J., where he has served since earning ordination, as well as a master’s degree in synagogue school education, from the Jewish Theological Seminary in mid2010. The native of Perth Amboy, N.J., who grew up in Marlboro, N.J., and Wynnewood, Pa., said he is excited and humbled by the opportunity to work with the team at Etz Chaim. “During our visit we were really impressed with the high level of warmth, kindness, and I guess you would say Southern hospitality that exuded from everyone we met,” said Rabbi Dorsch, who visited with his wife, Amy, and toddler son, Zev, during the Martin Luther King Day weekend. “We were just completely blown away by the people we met when we were interviewing.” ■ • Interview with Rabbi Dorsch, Page 6
The Kehilla Raises $145K In 24 Hours
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n online crowdfunding campaign exceeded its goal by 45 percent and raised $145,204 in 24 hours for The Kehilla in Sandy Springs. The donations are part of The Kehilla’s main fundraiser, Kehilla Fest, set for March 20 at the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. Like the money raised from the $36 concert tickets, Rabbi Karmi David Ingber said, the funds will go toward the congregation’s year-round operations. As much as the total raised, however, Rabbi Ingber is excited by the number of donors, which he said exceeded 380 people among the 339 donations and the three groups matching each gift. “That for me is the best part of this whole thing. It shows the reach that we’re having,” the rabbi said. “It’s very humbling and a beautiful thing for us.” The Kehilla was one of 25 outreach organizations participating in the Association of Jewish Outreach Programs’ United Kiruv Giving Day from 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17. In the all-or-nothing format — an organization had to hit its fundraising goal or none of the pledges would count — all 25 groups made it, bringing in $5.4 million against a $4.5 million cumulative goal. A group had to have three matchers provide $1 each for every $1 pledged, so a $1 donation was worth $4. Rabbi Ingber said The Kehilla doesn’t have individuals who could pledge $25,000 or more in matching funds, but supporters formed into matching groups based on the ways they have benefited from the congregation’s programs: Friends of The Kehilla; the Jewish Outreach Group; and the Association for the Wellspring of Torah. “I really want to thank everyone for being part of it,” the rabbi said. Thirty volunteers formed a call center at the Ingber home so that each donation would motivate more people to give. Rabbi Ingber acknowledged some nerveracking times and “points where I started to get a little bit concerned, but we felt we were going to get there.” ■