Atlanta Jewish Times, VOL. XCV NO. 6, February 29, 2020

NEXT ISSUE: 18 UNDER 18 AND CAMP

VOL. XCV NO. 6

Health & Wellness Arts & Culture Cater to Your Inner Self

CORONAVIRUS AMERICAN AND ISRAELI DOCTORS TALK FACTS VS. FICTION.

JEWISH ADOPTIONS NEW GEORGIA BILL COULD AFFECT PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIONS.

5780 PURIM GAZETTE AJT WELCOMES DR. FRESSER'S GROUNDBREAKING WORK.

FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 4 ADAR 5780

PUBLISHER

MICHAEL A. MORRIS

michael@atljewishtimes.com

MANAGING PUBLISHER & EDITOR KAYLENE LADINSKY

kaylene@atljewishtimes.com Executive Assistant

JODI DANIS

jodi@atljewishtimes.com

EDITORIAL Associate Editor

RONI ROBBINS

roni@atljewishtimes.com Sr. Staff Writer & Web Editor

EDDIE SAMUELS

eddie@atljewishtimes.com Staff Writer

PAULA BAROFF Contributor & Proofreader

LEAH R. HARRISON leah@atljewishtimes.com

Contributors This Week ALLEN H. LIPIS BOB BAHR CHANA SHAPIRO DAVE SCHECHTER FLORA ROSEFSKY JAN JABEN-EILON KEVIN C. MADIGAN MARCIA CALLER JAFFE RACHEL STEIN TERRY SEGAL TIFFANY PARKS

ADVERTISING

THIS WEEK

Art & Soul What do arts and culture and health and wellness have in common? Many have within us a creative nature that when unleashed, adds to our well-being and reveals our authentic self.

Our cover story introduces our health and wellness section. Rabbi Hillel Norry shares his wisdom as a spiritual leader who serves as a jail chaplain and preaches a healthy lifestyle as a vegan and black belt in Taekwondo. He also offers some of his vegan recipes.

In other health and wellness news, we explore the coronavirus, which has impacted the U.S. and Israel. The AJT takes a look at the Jewish view of organ donation. We talk with two dentists about sleep apnea and the benefits of a healthy mouth.

Chabad Intown on the BeltLine hosts an Israeli professor from Duke University and MIT known for his TED Talks about modifying human behavior. There are also stories about elder care and breast cancer awareness in this issue.

Arts and culture articles include the centennial anniversary of the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties. As one Jewish festival spotlighting films ends, we preview the upcoming spring performances of

the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival.

There’s so much creativity in the Jewish community, demonstrated through various art exhibits around town, theater productions and a puppet show. In cultural news, we spotlight a Russian caviar maker and former actress-television talk show host in our midst with the celebrity photos to prove it.

Among our dining stories, healthy eating and art combine to bring you a feast for your senses. We’ll keep you entertained with our annual Purim shpiel and describe the multi-cultural experience that is our spotlighted Chai Style Art. Our Lowdown is community leader Steve Labovitz. We also update you on the retirement and replacement of Temple Kol Emeth’s rabbi Steve Lebow.

Plus, the uproar over discriminatory adoption bills and a legal challenge by a documentary filmmaker refused permission to speak at Georgia State University when she wouldn’t agree to refrain from Israel boycotts.

Talking about young students, next week we bring you our annual 18 Under 18 issue and provide the last in our threepart series of camp features.

Cover photo: Rabbi Hillel Norry shares his wisdom as a vegan, black belt and jail chaplain.

CONTENTS LOCAL NEWS ���������������������������������� 6 ISRAEL NEWS ������������������������������� 12 OPINION ����������������������������������������� 14 PURIM ���������������������������������������������� 18 HEALTH & WELLNESS ��������������� 20 ARTS & CULTURE ������������������������ 34 CHAI STYLE ����������������������������������� 51 DINING �������������������������������������������� 54 COMMUNITY ��������������������������������� 56 NEW MOON MEDITATIONS ����� 63 CALENDAR ������������������������������������� 64 OY VEY �������������������������������������������� 68 BRAIN FOOD ���������������������������������� 69 OBITUARIES ���������������������������������� 70 CLOSING THOUGHTS ����������������� 72

Senior Account Manager

BRENDA GELFAND

brenda@atljewishtimes.com Senior Account Manager

MICHAL BONELL

michal@atljewishtimes.com Account Manager

SHERI OKUN

sheri@atljewishtimes.com

CREATIVE & MEDIA Creative & Media Designer

LILLI JENNISON

lilli@atljewishtimes.com

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Community Relations Director

JEN EVANS

jen@atljewishtimes.com Intern

ELIANA WEISS JORDAN FOX

GENERAL OFFICE 404.883.2130

The Atlanta Jewish Times is printed in Georgia and is an equal opportunity employer. The opinions expressed in the Atlanta Jewish Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Ga. POSTMASTER send address changes to Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328.

Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite www.atlantajewishtimes.com ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC © 2019 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 5

NEWS Georgia Anti-BDS Law Challenged

By Dave Schechter

Martin was to have been paid a $1,000 honorarium, plus expenses.

The BDS movement seeks to apply Georgia’s law intended to thwart the economic and political anti-Israel BDS (Boypressure to force Israel cott, Divestment and to change its policies toSanctions) movement ward the Palestinians, is being challenged in including construction federal court by a docin the West Bank, often umentary filmmaker referred to by religious whose invitation and nationalist Jews as to speak at Georgia Judea and Samaria.

Southern University The Georgia chapwas withdrawn when ter of the Council on she would not pledge American-Islamic Reto refrain from boyAn invitation for filmmaker Abby lations, the CAIR Legal cotts against Israel.

Martin to speak at Georgia Southern Defense Fund, and the When Abby Marwas withdrawn when she wouldn’t sign a state-mandated pledge to Partnership for Civil tin refused to sign the refrain from boycotts of Israel.

Justice Fund filed suit state-mandated pledge, her invitation to be the keynote speaker at Jan. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the the 2020 International Critical Media Lit- Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta, eracy Conference at Georgia Southern’s naming as defendants Steve Wrigley, Savannah campus was withdrawn, and chancellor of the Board of Regents of the the Feb. 28-29 conference subsequently University System of Georgia, and Kyle Marrero, president of Georgia Southern. was canceled.

“Ms. Martin’s concerns appear to Georgia law requires that anyone signing a contract valued at $1,000 or be related to requirements of a state law more with a state agency sign the pledge. enacted in 2016. The University System

6 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

of Georgia is reviewing the matter with not boycott Israel.”

Martin told a Feb. 11 news conference, the Georgia Attorney General’s office,” according to identical statements sent to “I will not forfeit my constitutional rights by signing this pledge.” the AJT from John LesShe said that much of ter, Georgia Southern’s her work supports the vice president for comBDS movement and munications and marthat involves pro-Palketing, and Aaron Diaestinian organizations. mant, vice chancellor Martin created of communications for the Media Roots webthe University System site, which describes of Georgia. itself as “a citizen jourNeither Wrigley nalism project that nor Marrero has issued reports the news from a response to the suit at Edward Ahmed Mitchel is executive this writing. director of CAIR Georgia, which is one outside of party lines while providing a colThe suit states of the plaintiffs in the federal suit. laborative forum for that Martin’s invitation to speak “conditioned an invitation conscious citizens, artists and activists to to speak at an academic conference on the unite.” She is producer of a documentary Plaintiff agreeing in writing to abandon film, “Gaza Fights for Freedom.” Martin her First Amendment-protected journal- has worked for RT, a Russian state-owned ism about and political advocacy for the television network, and for TeleSUR, a rights of Palestinians,” and alleges viola- Venezuela-based television network.

At the news conference, Edward tions of the First and 14th Amendments to Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR the U.S. Constitution.

The plaintiffs asked the federal court Georgia, said, “That oath applies whether to issue an injunction against enforce- you are a substitute teacher who wants to ment of the Georgia law and for the stat- work for our public school system, whether ute to be declared “unconstitutional and you are a construction worker who wants unenforceable statewide,” and they are to build something for our state, or whether you are a journalist seeking $1,000 in comwho wants to speak at a pensatory damages for state university.

Martin.

“Imagine if durThe media confering the civil rights ence, according to its movement, the state of website, “is designed to Alabama passed a law aid current educationsaying if you want to al leaders, future teachwork for our state, you ers, youth, and other cannot participate in concerned citizens in the Montgomery bus their understanding boycott,” Mitchell said. of mass media and its Georgia Gov. Naimpact on the events than Deal signed SB that shape our daily 327 into law on April lives. Promoting criti26, 2016. cal media literacy is The law amended essential in excavating the Georgia code “to social inequalities and prohibit the state from fostering participatory entering into certain democracy during the John Lester said the University System contracts with an in21st century.” of Georgia is reviewing the matter with A “Memorandum the Georgia Attorney General’s office. dividual or company unless such contracts of Agreement” sent to Martin in September 2019 included a re- contain a certification that such individual quirement that “You certify that you are or company does not presently conduct a not currently engaged in, and agree for boycott of Israel and will not conduct such a the duration of this agreement not to en- boycott for the duration of such contract; …”

Similar anti-BDS laws exist in 28 gage in, a boycott of Israel.”

According to the suit, “Martin emailed states, either passed by legislatures or in response: “As I’m sure you know, a lot of enacted by executive order. Challenges to my work advocates the boycott of Israel ... the laws in several states are making their [and] I cannot sign any form promising to way through the federal courts. ì

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 7

NEWS

New Bill Could Affect Jewish Adoptions

By Jan Jaben-Eilon

Southern division of the Anti-Defamation League. “Allowing a taxpayer-funded “Jews need not apply.” That was the child placement agency to discriminate message from South Carolina’s largest is outrageous. No child should be denied foster care agency, a loving foster or Greenville-based adoptive home Miracle Hill Minsimply because of istries, which rea prospective parceived government ent’s religion, sexfunding despite ual orientation or refusing to serve identity. We urge people based on the state legislareligious beliefs or ture to not pass the sexual orientation. bill.”

Under proposed According to Georgia Senate Bill the ADL, under 368, adoption and this proposed bill, foster care agencies any state-licensed in this state could ADL’s Allison Padilla-Goodman agency could deny calls the Senate bill “immoral.” also reject prospecthe placement of tive Jewish and other minority couples children into loving and stable homes while receiving government funding. free of abuse and deprivations based The proposed legislation has out- on its religious or moral objection to an raged many in the Atlanta community. otherwise qualified applicant because of “It is shocking that the state of the person’s sexual orientation, gender Georgia is considering a bill that openly identity, faith, religious beliefs or other sanctions discrimination against Jews, personal characteristics.

LGBTQ people and others,” stated Allison “We’ve seen these religious freedom Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the cases across the nation with other issues

8 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

like baking a wedding cake [for same-sex tion. “In the Christian community, the marriages] or allowing employers to dis- laypeople are very comfortable showing criminate to ‘protect’ religion,” Padilla- up en masse.” He added that he doesn’t Goodman said. “Adoption should not be think the Jewish community fully understands how the a religious freedom legislation will afissue. These groups fect Jews, “while are attacking with the gay community religion rather has understood for than protecting rea long time.” ligion and they’re Lesser said getting more crethat anti-Semiative.” tism in this counLeslie Andertry hasn’t come son, executive dithrough the legrector of the Jewish islative level, but Community Relarather the social tions Council of Atlevel, so the Jewish lanta, says the proRabbi Joshua Lesser says the proposed community doesn’t posed legislation bill is “fundamentally un-American.” understand the goes against Jewish values. “The Torah states that we need to threat. “While people feel more empowhelp the widow and orphan,” she said. But ered to speak out directly against gays, she also pointed out that the language in Christian triumphalism is more directed the legislation is “overly broad and could at Jews,” he said. “Jews will be affected allow for all kinds of discrimination even if they’re not targeted through the language, but based on religion. the legislation is This would give reagainst anyone ligious groups carte who is not Chrisblanche to do what tian.” That’s why they want, without Lesser believes any opportunity for that the Jewish remedy.” community needs Anderson sugto form coalitions gests that, based on with the Hindu previous religious and Muslim comliberty proposals munities to fight in the state, she the legislation. doesn’t expect this And, he adds one to pass the Georthat this is clearly gia General AsThe Torah tells us to protect the widow and sembly. But Rabbi orphan, which this legislation would not, said a civil rights issue.

“The idea that cerJoshua Lesser of JCRC Executive Director Leslie Anderson. tain segments of Congregation Bet Haverim states clearly, “We should act society can discriminate because of relias if it would.” And he believes that this gion or sexual orientation is fundamentally un-American.” kind of legislation Jeff Graham, “will need a physiexecutive director cal presence at of Georgia Equality, the Capitol. These Inc., goes so far as to kinds of hate-based warn that the lanlegislation bring guage of the bill is out their support“written so broadly ers. If we don’t that faith-based show up,” he said, agencies could even it will look like it’s refuse to place a not important to child” who is a mithe community. nority or is part of Unfortunately, the LGBTQ commuLesser said that the nity. Created to suppattern in the JewJeff Graham of Georgia Equality warns that the legislation could allow faithport gay, lesbian, ish community is based adoption and foster care agencies bisexual and transto expect the rabbis to refuse to place a minority child. gender communiand organizational executive directors to fight the legisla- ties in Georgia, Georgia Equality contends

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

Start your 2020 off right with 20/20 vision on your financial future Contact our team at Financial innovations

that “lawmakers are playing politics with the lives of the 12,000+ children waiting for loving homes in Georgia’s adoption and foster care system, all because some extremists want to discriminate against LGBTQ people.”

According to Georgia Equality, research shows that same-sex couples are four times more likely than opposite-sex couples to be raising adopted children and six times more likely to be raising foster children.

Graham told the AJT that while the people behind the legislation are the same evangelical groups who have opposed same-sex marriages and have proposed other “religious liberty” bills, they

are putting the state on a slippery slope.

“A lot of people are surprised that Georgia is one of the few states that don’t have non-discrimination statutes,” he said.

Ultimately, Padilla-Goodman said, this legislation is “immoral. Who can say which parents can love a child? The Jewish community should be very concerned. It’s safe to say that, if passed, this legislation will greatly disfavor Jewish parents. With heightened anti-Semitism, this is not the time to further divide the country.” She added that “anybody could be affected. This is our collective issue, which could affect atheist families, Muslim families, interreligious families as well as gay families.” ì

Laura K. Schilling, J.D., CPA, Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA®), is principal and founder of Financial Innovations, LLC and Laura K. Schilling, Esq, CPA, CSA, Estate Innovations, LLC. She is licensed to practice law in Georgia and Florida. Laura has been published in Forbes Magazine as well as Best Self Magazine.

Clients benefit from Laura’s legal, accounting, and financial planning expertise. This diverse background enables her to review a client’s financial situation from many different perspectives.

Securities offered through Triad Advisors, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Financial Innovations, LLC. Financial Innovations, LLC is not affiliated with Triad Advisors, LLC.

Laura K. Schilling, J.D., CPA, CFP®, CSA® Financial Innovations, LLC and Estate Innovations, LLC

6111 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Suite F101 Atlanta, GA 30328 Main 404-458-0065 laura@financialinnovations.biz www.financialinnovations.biz

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 9

NEWS

Future of Black Jewish Solidarity

Rabbi Michael Bernstein discussed holiness outside of traditional religious contexts.

By Eddie Samuels

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

10 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

cline of black-Jewish cooperation after the deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Following the Atlanta Jewish Film and Rabbi Joshua Heschel.

Festival’s opening night screening of Walker, a counselor, grew up in an “Shared Legacies: The African-American African American Jewish community.

Jewish Civil Rights Alliance,” leaders and “Hebrew was taught to me by peomembers of Atlanta’s black and Jewish ple who looked like me,” he said. “It was communities Feb. 19 came together at only when I moved to the South that my Ponce City Market for a discussion on the black-Jewish experience became rare, film and the future of the partnership. not because we don’t exist but because Sponsored by Alliance for Black Christianity is the norm, and my exisLives, The Global tence in the South Purpose Approach, can be met with 18 Doors, March skepticism and haon Georgia, Jewtred.” ish Community He shared Relations Council, questions he’d Justice Fighter and been asked while NAACP Atlanta, the in Jewish spaces, evening featured such as, “Did you a panel discussion convert?” and moderated by Dr. when he answered Tarece Johnson, an in the negative, educator, activist “Are you sure?” To and diversity probridge the gap, he fessional. suggested educaPrior to the tion had to be the Richard Rose is president of the NAACP Atlanta. panel, Rabbi Malka first step.

Packer-Monroe of 18 Doors, formerly “There needs to be education about InterfaithFamily, whose office is a short what being Jewish looks like, … It doesn’t walk from the event location, welcomed have a color,” he emphasized. the over 50 attendees.

Raggs is an active member of the The panel included black and Jew- Jewish community whose children ish leaders as well as black Jews who have attended the Atlanta Jewish Acadshared their experiences. emy, The Epstein School and The Weber Panelists were activists and educa- School. She explained that even as her tors: Richard Rose, Rabbi Michael Ber- son is one of the most popular kids in nstein of Gesher L’Torah, Marla Cureto, school, she has to have different converLaMar Walker, Victoria Raggs, Chinita sations with him than his peers do with Allen and Leslie Anderson. their parents.

With the film as a backdrop, one “What makes him very different is common question during the discussion that I have to explain to him that when was: What happened to change the part- you see a police officer, unlike your nership between African Americans and friends, you have to be very careful,” she Jews? In part, the film touches on the de- said. “No one else in his class has to hear

NEWS

Panelists were, back row: LaMar Walker, Marla Cureto, Chinita Allen and Victoria Raggs. Front row: Leslie Anderson, Richard Rose and Rabbi Michael Bernstein.

Dr. Tarece Johnson moderated the panel discussion, touching on the film “Shared Legacies,” and black-Jewish solidarity.

Marla Cureto explained that accurate history education was an essential aspect of relationship building and working toward the future.

that.”

Cureto explained that accurate history-telling is essential to bringing communities together, whether that is around slavery, the Holocaust or more recently education on immigration.

Anderson reflected on her experience at Atlanta’s solidarity event after the anti-Semitic stabbings in New York and New Jersey, and how tangible fear in the room was.

“I realized that fear may be the same that our African American friends – particularly African American Jews – feel when there is a police officer sitting at the doors of a synagogue,” she said.

One theme touched on in the film and discussed by the panel is the role that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict played in dividing many black and Jewish voices in recent years. Bernstein reflected on his experience following along on Twitter as those marching in Ferguson received advice from Gazans on what to do if tear gas is used.

Rose, president of the NAACP Atlanta, summed up the topic.

“Being against Trump doesn’t make you anti-American. Being against Netanyahu doesn’t make you anti-Israeli and being against some Israeli policies does not make you anti-Jewish,” he said to applause from attendees.

The evening concluded with concrete steps forward, first and foremost voter registration and combatting voter suppression. Also, of the utmost importance, Georgia’s hate crimes legislation, which is currently awaiting a state Senate vote; Confederate monument removal; and the upcoming 2020 census, which is used to determine funding as well as representative distribution.

Johnson shared her reflections following the event.

“My hope is for this discussion to continue, for relationships to be created and strengthened, and for deliberate actions to happen in collaboration and solidarity,” she said. ì ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 11

ISRAEL PRIDE

NEWS FROM OUR JEWISH HOME

Yeruham Mayor Tal Ohana

Yeruham Hopes for VaccineMaking Factory

The Southern Israeli city of Yeruham is hoping to become home to the country’s first vaccine manufacturing factory.

The city is calling on international firms to set up a local joint venture, offering a government grant and the workforce of a local drug manufacturing plant.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly supported a Health Ministry initiative earlier this month to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant in Israel, The Times of Israel reported.

In December, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said Israel should set up a factory to produce vaccines.

“The global vaccine industry is concentrated and limited,” Litzman wrote in a letter to Netanyahu, asking him to support the initiative. A local vaccine factory will independently produce flu and possibly other vaccines, according to the Hebrew news website Ynet.

“In light of the health minister and the prime minister’s initiative to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant in Israel, I have been working with regulators at the various ministries to make this happen in Yeruham,” Yeruham Mayor Tal Ohana told The Times of Israel.

“My aim is to set up a vaccine manufacturing factory that will be export oriented to nearby markets, and ensures a steady supply of vaccinations for the Israeli population,” she said.

Today in Israeli History

The hunger strike in the final phase of the labor action began at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in mid-June.

March 2, 1983: The Israel Medical Association launches a lengthy strike to try to win doctors a substantial pay raise.

Before a settlement June 26, the labor action escalates to a hunger strike.

March 3, 1950: The Iraqi government retracts a ban on emigration of Jews going to Israel. In response, Israel launches Operation Ezra and Nehemia, which airlifts nearly 120,000 Iraqi Jews by January 1952.

12 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Startup Trying to Create Coronavirus Masks

An Israeli startup based in Ramat Gan said it could have the ability to create long-term use coronavirus resistance masks using a nanotechnology process it developed at Bar-Ilan University, according to The Times of Israel.

The firm, Sonovia Ltd., says that it managed to create masks and protective textile equipment using a patented technology process that blocks the penetration of bacteria and fungus. Jason Migdal, in charge of business develop-

22 of Israeli spy Wolfgang Lotz and his wife, Waldrud. Lotz is implicated in letter bombs sent to foreign scientists in Egypt.

Feb. 29, 1948: Lehi militants bomb train cars carrying British troops on the Cairo-Haifa rail line north of Rehovot, killing at least 27 soldiers, in retaliation for the Ben Yehuda Street bombing in Jerusalem a week earlier.

March 1, 1920: An Arab militia attacks the Jewish agricultural community of Tel Hai on the border between Palestine and Syria. Eight Jews are killed, including Joseph Trumpeldor.

Sonovia Ltd. uses nanotechnology to create fabrics shown effective against bacterial and fungal infections.

ment at Sonovia, said the same method could be used to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Migdal said Sonovia sent textile samples to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing so its lab could test the method.

The textiles are impregnated with zinc. Studies have shown that nanoparticles of zinc, silver and graphite are viral inhibitors, so the firm “has good reason to believe” its process could be used to fight viruses, Migdal told The Times of Israel.

“We have demonstrated clear bactericidal activity against a broad spectrum of infections in laboratory tests,” he said.

A study at a European hospital showed that when the impregnated fabrics were used in protective clothing, there was a “significant reduction” of infections.

The face masks are meant for repeated use so they “could be distributed effectively where they are needed most in China as well as being more sustainable to the environment and the local economy,” Migdal said. ì

Photo by Dr. Avishai Teicher via PikiWiki // A memorial to the victims of the

suicide bombing stands outside the Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv.

March 4, 1996: A Palestinian from Ramallah detonates a 45-pound bomb packed with nails outside Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Center, killing the Hamas bomber and 13 Israelis, five of whom are 13 or younger.

March 5, 1934: Daniel Kahneman is born in Tel Aviv. With cognitive psychologist Amos Tversky, he writes the foundational text of prospect theory, earning him the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

March 6, 1975: An eight-man PLO team attacks the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv. Sayeret Matkal commandos kill seven terrorists and capture the eighth the next day. Three Israeli soldiers and eight civilians are killed.

March 7, 1965: Egyptian authorities release details about the arrest Feb.

March 8, 1949: David Ben-Gurion’s Mapai forms a governing coalition with the United Religious Front, the Progressive Party, the Sephardi and Mizrahi Communities, and the Democratic List of Nazareth after Israel’s first national election.

March 9, 1932: Pinhas Rutenberg and the Palestine Electric Co. open a hydroelectric power plant at Naharayim. It supplies much of the electricity in Palestine until its destruction during the War of Independence.

March 10, 1960: Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower meet for more than two hours at the White House while American Nazis and Arabs protest outside.

Photo by Bukvoed via Wikimedia Commons // A surviving Davidka mortar is

displayed at the Givati Brigade Museum in Metsudat Yoav, Israel.

March 13, 1948: The Davidka, a wildly inaccurate mortar designed and manufactured at the Mikveh Israel agricultural school, is used in combat for the first time in Jaffa’s Abu Kabir neighborhood.

March 11, 1911: Haim Herman Cohn, who serves on Israel’s Supreme Court for 21 years, is born in Germany. He combines Jewish, Ottoman, Roman and British traditions to create Israel’s legal system in 1948.

March 14, 1972: Israel’s Black Panthers, who seek equality for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, steal crates of milk meant for wealthy Jerusalem neighborhoods and hand them out across poor neighborhoods. ì

March 12, 2004: Natan Yonatan, one of Israel’s greatest poets, dies at age 80. A native of Kyiv who grew up in Palestine, Yonatan almost immediately gained recognition when he started writing poetry in 1940.

Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details.

ISRAEL NEWS Special in Uniform Commands Atlanta’s Attention

By Eddie Samuels Turning 18 can be a sad time for many Israelis with special needs. As their peers are off beginning their military service, those with special needs may receive a letter calling them in for a medical examination to disqualify them, and it can further separate them from Israeli society. Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia is aiming to change that moment into a more positive one.

Attia served almost 28 years in the Israel Defense Forces in the armored corps, logistics among others. For the past five years, he has served as the director of Special in Uniform, a program that gives Layla Rothberg, a student at The Israelis with special needs the chance to Davis Academy, makes toys for meaningfully contribute to the IDF and Special in Uniform's K-9 Unit. perform essential support tasks for it.

Early last month, Attia sat down with anymore,” he said. the AJT to discuss the evolving role of his Participants’ wellbeing after their organization, inclusion in Israel more service is always at the forefront of Attia’s broadly, and what brought him to Atlanta. mind.

“The program was established on “We give incentives to companies to the belief that we consider each person’s hire them, and Israel has passed a revodisability a special lutionary law that ability, that everyone companies above a has something to give certain size must creif you just help them ate opportunities for find it,” he said. “When someone with special they come to the army, needs,” he said. “Forit isn’t charity; they are tunately, 70 percent of doing essential jobs our graduates are findlike anyone else.” ing jobs in the Israeli While the tasks market.” vary for each Special While the proin Uniform particigram is centered on pant based on aptitude current service, his and interests, some soldiers’ futures never Special in Uniform participants examples include custray far from Attia’s fill a variety of necessary roles linary preparation, head. for the Israel Defense Forces. working with mechan“It’s a nice proics, quality assurance or even computer gram to have while you’re serving, but we programming. aim to make it like the Hotel California, He also explained how his soldiers’ ‘You can check in any time you want, but presence can increase morale for others you can never leave,’” he joked. “We make on the same base. the transition a path. Those last three “Ben-Gurion University did a study a months are focused on teaching you that few years ago that showed that each place the army is over and that you’re going to there are people with special needs serv- be much more responsible for yourself.” ing, the rates of negative behavior and disSpecial in Uniform has group homes cipline go down,” he said. “We also see the for graduates and is ever expanding the bonds forming between typical soldiers depth of its programming for those who and special needs soldiers and they can re- have moved on. With the program just 14 form some of the thinking around people years old, most of its graduates are still in with special needs.” their 20s and 30s, but that doesn’t stop AtThat reform can have lasting effects tia from looking farther ahead. on his soldiers’ futures.

“Our perspective is currently 10, 20 “In the long run, these soldiers and and 30 years ahead, but we’re talking in commanders may be CEOs or bosses who the far future about elderly homes for our hire people with special needs because participants and hopefully I will still be they saw what they were capable of in the around to help out with that,” he said. army and the idea isn’t foreign to them Turning his attention to his time in

Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia spoke to students at The Epstein School on Tu B'Shevat about JNF's work. He also spoke to Davis students.

Atlanta, Attia noted that supporting a participant costs an average of $10,000 a year and a battalion of 12 to 20 costs an additional $100,000.

“I am here in Atlanta to raise funds for our program. We are funded by JNF [Jewish National Fund]; 60 percent comes from JNF, 25 percent from Israeli compa-

nies, and the other 15 from contracts with the ministries of welfare and education,” he explained.

While in town, he spoke to JNF’s major donors, students at The Davis Academy and The Epstein School on Tu B’Shevat, as well as a JNFuture culinary class at “Yes, Chef!”

A warm and friendly gathering place of Latin American Cuisine, where your neighborhood community comes together to feel at home.

DRINK SPECIALS DAILY

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night HAPPY HOUR Monday-Friday 3pm to 6pm BRUNCH Saturday-Sundays 11am to 3pm www.mojaverestaurant.com 6450 powers ferry road, Atlanta, GA 30339 | 770-858-1720

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 13

OPINION In Private, Will They (Really) Vote for a Jew? In this great nation, anyone – even a Jew – can grow up to be president of the United States.

That is, with the posDave Schechter sible exception From Where I Sit of a Socialist, according to a Gallup survey of 1,033 adults conducted between Jan. 16-29.

The good news for politically ambitious Jews is that 93 percent said they were willing to vote for a Jewish candidate “If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be [fill in the blank].”

But only 45 percent said that they would vote for a Socialist, while 53 percent said they would not. Gallup left unexamined the electoral chances of a Jew who also is a Socialist. Even atheists fared better, with 60 percent willing to vote for a presidential candidate with no belief in a god.

The idea (if not the fact) of a Jewish president has climbed steadily since 1937, when 46 percent told Gallup that they were willing to vote for a Jew, while 47 percent said they would not, and 8 percent had no opinion. In 1958, 62 percent answered in the affirmative. The 70 percent barrier was crossed a year later, the 80 percent threshold in 1965, and the 90 percent mark in 1999. The 93 percent figure was unchanged from April 2019.

Of course, some people might hesitate to tell a pollster they wouldn’t vote for a Jew. The question remains a hypothetical, as neither the Democrats nor Republicans have nominated a Jew as their standard bearer.

In 1978, only 26 percent were willing to vote for a “homosexual” (the term Gallup used through 2007), while today 78 percent would support a “gay or lesbian.”

In 1958, only 38 percent were willing to vote for a “Negro” (the term used through 1971), but today 96 percent would vote for a “black.” Just 33 percent were willing to vote for a woman in 1937, but today 93 percent say would do so.

By various categories, the avowed willingness to vote for a Jew: * College graduates, 98 percent; education no further than high school, 87 percent * Whites, 95 percent; non-whites, 87 14 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

percent * Women, 94 percent; men, 91 percent * Age 18-34, 95 percent; age 35-54, 91 percent; age 55 and older, 92 percent * Democrats, 95 percent; Republicans, 92 percent; independents, 92 percent * Moderates, 95 percent; liberals, 92 percent; conservatives, 91 percent Relevant to the 2020 race, 69 percent were willing to vote for a candidate age 70 or older, while 31 percent were not.

That might reassure the Jews seeking the Democratic nomination: Bernie Sanders, who turns 79 in September, and Mike Bloomberg, whose 78th birthday was in February. Among other septuagenarian hopefuls, Joe Biden will turn 78 in November and Elizabeth Warren 71 in July.

Republican incumbent President Donald Trump turns 74 in June.

This column was written before the Nevada caucus and South Carolina primary, but since Sanders’ narrow victories in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary and as Bloomberg spends significantly in advance of the March 3 Super Tuesday primaries, there has been a spike in the Jewish press in articles contrasting the pair. And on Twitter, Jewish political arguments proliferate.

Sanders and Bloomberg appeal to different Jewish constituencies, the former to those who identify with the progressive wing of the party and the latter to those more centrist or not wanting Sanders to be the nominee. Unless one or the other drops out (which seems unlikely) or until the Democrats’ convention in July, the sniping between Jews backing Sanders and those either supporting or willing to accept Bloomberg seems destined to continue.

Mindful that an estimated 71 percent of the 2016 Jewish vote went to Hillary Clinton and that the last time a Democrat failed to win a majority of the Jewish vote was Jimmy Carter’s 45 percent in his unsuccessful 1980 re-election bid, a majority can be expected to vote for the Democratic nominee, Jewish or otherwise. Depending on who that is will determine whether their Jewish backing is closer to Clinton’s or Carter’s.

At least as of this writing, those who say they would vote for a “generally well-qualified” nominee who happens to be Jewish may have an opportunity this November to affirm that statement in the privacy of the voting booth. ì

Alluring

cosmetic & Family Dentistry

COSMETIC, IMPLANT & GENERAL DENTISTRY FOR THE FAMILY.

An international leader in cosmetic, implant and general dentistry for more than three decades, Dr. David Mastro’s patients travel world-wide for his Atlanta cosmetic dentistry and report that he is one of the country’s top cosmetic and general dentists.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY DENTIST, NOT YOUR ORDINARY DENTAL OFFICE.

DR. DAVID MASTRO 80 Mansell Road Roswell. Georgia 30076 770.642.9900 1.888.SeeMySmile alluringcosmeticdentistry.com

Dr. Mastro is a unique dentist with his artistic expression developed through years of hand crafting crowns, veneers and bridges. Today, with the aid of the most advanced technology available, Dr. Mastro can care for patients’ complete dental needs from oral surgery and implants to fillings and general cleanings. Dr. Mastro is legendary for quality dentistry and for transforming smiles for people from all walks of life.

OPINION Letter to the editor, Re: New Bill Could Affect Jewish Adoptions Jan Jaben-Eilon’s article is most informative. I would have valued a link where we could write our legislators to plea to decline support of this bill rather than have to hunt and many forget to take action.

I have been a foster parent and foster grandparent to children through the Jewish Family Service when I lived in Toledo, Ohio.

Thank you for all you do in keeping our Jewish community connected in the Greater Atlanta area.

Evelyn Asher, Atlanta

Letter to the editor, Re: January 22, 2020 article titled: “Story of Survival in Philippines during Holocaust” In 2013, a documentary film, “Rescue in the Philippines,” began receiving accolades for its depiction of historical events concerning refugee Jews fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe for the Philippines. However, there are specific claims made in the film that are either not supported in the documentary evidence or are outright fabrications. This film asserts that a family of Jewish businessmen, known as the Frieder brothers, conceived the rescue plans over games of poker with prestigious gambling partners such as Manuel Quezon, president of the Philippines, Paul V. McNutt, U.S. high commissioner to the Philippines, and then Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower, senior aide and chief of staff to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. There is absolutely nothing in the documentary record, including those of the Frieder Family Collection of documents housed in the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee archives in New York, that even allude to these esteemed poker games, let alone discussions concerning Jewish refugees. Family stories handed down generationally should not be professed as historical evidence when they cannot be substantiated with any documentation.

“Rescue in the Philippines” overlooks the actual documented events that resulted in Paul V. McNutt bringing the proposal of Jewish refugee rescue in the Philippines to President Quezon, an idea discussed between McNutt and Jacob Weiss, a friend and political colleague of McNutt’s during his time as governor of Indiana. Jacob’s brother, Julius, worked for a Jewish Relief Agency in NYC, the Refugee Economic Corporation, and it is he who urged his brother Jacob, per the REC’s request, to discuss the matter with McNutt during a visit McNutt made to Washington D.C., in February 1938.

In March 1938, McNutt took the idea to President Quezon, who fully supported it and McNutt then turned to the officers of the Jewish community in Manila and asked for their efforts in devising the mechanics for such a rescue plan. This is when the Frieders, along with other members of the Jewish Refugee Committee in Manila, were introduced to the idea.

In connection with the specious tale of the poker game origins for the rescue plan, there is the continued assertion throughout the film that then Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower was an active participant in the plan that brought 1,300 refugee Jews to the Philippines. The DVD’s front cover boldly displays the official photo of Eisenhower when he was promoted to U.S. general of the Army, Supreme Allied Commander, wearing his new rank, a five-star cluster on his uniform’s shoulder strap, taken in February 1945 – six years after he left the Philippines. This notion of Eisenhower at the center of this rescue is a complete canard. Although the Frieder brothers were friends with the Eisenhowers and did enjoy many games of cards, there is nothing in the documentary record, not even at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, to show that Eisenhower was involved in any way whatsoever with these rescue plans. All statements made in the film about this implied involvement of Eisenhower in the rescue are innuendos meant to depict historical facts that simply are not true, thus distorting the real evidence. Eisenhower played no part in the resettlement of Jewish refugees in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, these sensationalized, erroneous stories of Eisenhower and his poker companions devising Jewish rescue plans over card games have taken on a life of their own across the internet. Newspaper and magazine columns, along with screenplays and scripts for spin-off movies and other documentaries are relying on the false information portrayed in this film, thus misconstruing the veracity of the true facts about Jewish refugee rescue in the Philippines. It is my hope that your organization will help in furthering the true story of the inception, creation, and execution of Jewish rescue efforts in the Philippines by circulating this op-ed.

Bonnie M. Harris, Ph.D. lecturer, Department of History, San Diego State University

16 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

OPINION Letter to the editor, Ed Rappaport attempts [in the Feb. 15 issue] a trifecta on rehabilitating the reputation of Hannah Arendt, Nazi philosopher Martin Heidegger and Georg Soros. In order to save space, he had to delete certain facts. Hopefully I will be given the space to add the additional facts.

Heidegger joined the Nazi party in 1933 after his dalliance with Ms. Arendt. However, the revelation of the Heidegger Black Notebooks, recently published and quoted in sources unfriendly to Israel such as The Guardian and The Nation, reveal Heidegger to be an active anti-Semite years before he joined the Nazi party.

Let’s turn to Hannah Arendt. Her claim to fame is her reporting from the Eichmann trial. Her writing evoked controversy because she seemed to be sympathetic to Eichmann and much less so to his victims in Eastern Europe. My accusation about Ms. Arendt is more damning than consorting with an anti-Semite like Heidegger. I accuse Arendt and Heidegger of sharing the same ideology as the Nazis in viewing Eastern European Jews as “untermenschen,” which could perhaps be translated in a sense in English as “deplorables.”

In terms of Soros, Mr. Rappaport fails to cite the original source of the accusations against him, namely the [Steve] Kroft interview on “60 Minutes.”

I do not fault a 14-year-old boy for doing what he had to do to survive during the Holocaust. However, the cold indifference that Soros exhibited during his interview is in striking contrast to what I heard from Holocaust survivors and read in their memoirs. Soros has engaged in many efforts, none of which I support, and is not a friend of the Jewish state. It is not anti-Semitic to criticize Jewish public figures like Soros, just as one can criticize other bad Jews like Leon Trotsky and Karl Marx.

Dr. Jack L Arbiser, Ph.D., Atlanta The AJT welcomes your letters. We want our readers to have an opportunity to engage with our community in constructive dialogue. If you would like your letter to be published, please write 200 words or less, include your name, phone number and email, and send it to editor@atljewishtimes. com.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 17

PURIM The 5780 Purim Gazette The AJT again welcomes professor Essie Fresser to our pages. Our loyal and adoring readership avidly looks forward to her annual summary of Atlanta’s most significant stories, and the AJT management team is eager to oblige. Dr. Fresser, chair of the Narishkeit Department of Shvitzer College in Loganville, is a noted intellectual and awardwinning, intrepid reporter, best known for her groundbreaking work on sentence parsing and the insidiousness of acronyms.

What’s in the Name?

Google Maps/Chabad On-going Study

Ben Tobox, owner of Crockpot, a popular soup and stew kosher restaurant chain in Ypsilanti, Mich., decided to try his luck in the South. He was in a hurry to equip his kitchen, purchase furniture and order signage for his new venture in downtown Atlanta in time for the busy winter holidays.

Desiring to employ local workers, he hired two young men who offered to barter in exchange for creating a large neon sign for the building façade. Tobox happily agreed and concentrated on indoor matters.

Tobox couldn’t figure out why there was a nonstop stream of eager customers who rushed in and carefully scrutinized the entire premises, appeared disappointed, then usually left without ordering anything or even looking at the menu.

It took a few days before he checked the front of his restaurant.

In retrospect, Tobox says that the youths, although claiming to be competent spellers, were no doubt improperly influenced by their personal lifestyles and the pervading contemporary culture.

The name on the restaurant sign explained everything:

Google Maps, in its 2018 usage review, discovered that “Directions to Chabad synagogues in Atlanta” is its largest request category, surpassing previous leaders: Directions to McDonald’s and directions to Walmart. The imminent addition of new Chabad centers in the metropolitan Atlanta area, including Atlantic Station and Ponce City Market, underscored the popularity of the Orthodox outreach organization, prompting Google to probe deeper into the unexpected finding. Obviously, something unique propelled a religious organization to such popularity, and knowledge of the secret was definitely marketable.

To this end, a volunteer task force of Jewish men and women who had no previous Chabad experiences, was formed to infiltrate the organization. At the end of the year, at the 2019 annual Google Maps usage review, Chabad again held the number one spot, and two more Chabad enterprises were on the drawing boards: a matzah factory at Stone Mountain and a shomer Shabbat makerspace at the DeKalb airport.

The study of Chabad popularity was meant as a one-year endeavor; however, when excused from their assignments, the Google task force members unanimously requested a second year of enlistment. They claimed that it would take at least another year of immersion to find homes in walking distance of Chabad synagogues, negotiate day school tuitions, and completely reequip their home kitchens.

Up against the wall, Google chose not to accept their secondyear entreaty, due to the overwhelming requests of worldwide employees in their research division to relocate to Atlanta. ì

A quick learner with entrepreneurial spunk, Tobox immediately added brownies and hash to his bill of fare.

One spray keeps ‘em away • Do humans “bug” you more than insects?

NEWS FROM OUR JEWISH HOMELAND

• Are you bothered by people you don’t like?

• Do you find stun guns cumbersome?

Try Garlic Breath Today!

18 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Pest Control Invention Garlic Breath

Garlic Breath

When Shira Ryde graduated from the Technion, she took a job with Vantz-Off, makers of popular non-toxic pest control products. An introvert, she was disturbed by outgoing coworkers who got too close and invaded her personal space. Could she use her expertise to create a safe, but effective deterrent for human pests? Ryde recalled the strong reactions of family members when her Uncle Izzy was in the room. His offensive halitosis inspired her to invent Garlic Breath. A single, properly aimed aerosol shpritz from this product has the intense repulsing power to stop unwanted interaction from up to 10 feet away. Although Garlic Breath is not a big success in Israel, it is expected to be hugely popular in the American market where people don’t like to be bothered. ì

PURIM

ASK THE REBBITZEN Dear Rebbitzen Va

hsser,

hsser, Dear Rebbetzin Va

ve a very nice to a wedding. I ha ite wh ar we to ste s bad ta now that I’ve lost I’ve heard that it’ oks good on me lo ly al fin I ich wh tin dress, onth, just in case white lace and sa wedding next m a to it ar g in we in to d ga ds. I want . I’ve already starte quite a few poun n’t fit in the future wo it I do? d ld an ou ck sh t ba ha ht to Duluth. W gain my weig ed ov m gs tin ee m Watchers since my Weight te hi W Plight in

Dear Plight,

Dear Okay,

I researched this important question in a number of rabbinic sources. There are no set-in-stone laws about this, but the prevailing opinion follows: guests at a wedding, in which the bride is dressed all in white, are encouraged to wear a different color or fade into the background and miss the schmorg.

There is debate as to whether “no white” incudes off-white, cream, ecru and taupe, but beige is generally considered to be perfectly acceptable. Interestingly, this holds true even if members of the wedding party are clad in beige, but they probably won’t like it, and why make trouble?

Rabbi Moses Maimonides favored dark neutrals, advising against red, yellow and purple; however, later commentators have no problem with aubergine and violet. A few sages even accept maroon, although this is a minor opinion, never followed by Jews from the Balkan countries.

During the middle ages, some rabbinic authorities allowed wedding guests to wear patterned garments, but plaid and polka dots were considered especially inappropriate, and beading was deemed to be trashy. Crystal beads, however, were an exception to this rule. In Hungary, headwear was expected to match, not contrast with, clothing, yet the upper classes often broke this admonition and were not immediately excommunicated, as was the unfortunate case 100 years earlier with a woman named Henya.

She was the guest at a wedding of the daughter of Shmerl Kapinsky, a town leader, and showed up in a dark blue dress trimmed at the hem and sleeves in rabbit fur, which was considered snooty and showy, and, as she was a full-figured woman, the outfit was, shall we say, snug. This incident has been graphically documented, and I learned about the case when I was a seminary student. I saw a drawing of Henya in the classic volume of commentary, titled (in translation from the Hebrew): “What to Wear, and When to Wear It.” The detailed illustration of Henya and the vivid description of her communal punishment serve as a cautionary tale for all time.

One last thought, dear Plight. Get to Duluth ASAP.

Buy an animal lover a gift subscription to the Purim Gazette and receive Rebbitzen Shprintza Vahsser’s new pamphlet: “Don’t Name Your Jewish Pet Beelzebub” FREE!

My daughter just brought her class hamster home an There’s a feral ca d wants to keep t that hangs arou it. nd outside, but th we’re perplexed ab is is al l new for us, and out a name. Plea se he lp us .

Okay With Rodent s

azette

The Purim G

5780

I get this query a lot, and I must answer it honestly. I suggest that you avoid trite names like Twinkletoes, Lovebomb, and Fuzzyrump, which are so common. Stick with the classics. In my own overextended family, we have two Joshuas (dogs), one Rivka (iguana), one Eliezer (parrot) and several Solomons (rabbits). Do keep in mind that, among Ashkenazi animals, new pets are not named after living older pets. As in so many other things, Judaism is easier for Sepharadim, who can use a really good name for multiple co-existing generations.

To my readers: For a list of appropriate pet names, buy an animal lover a gift subscription to this paper and receive my new pamphlet, “Don’t Name Your Jewish Pet “Beelzebub.” ì Rebbitzen Shprintza Vahsser receives thousands of queries daily. In this annual column, she selects the questions she considers most important for the writers, their families, their neighborhoods, their nations and the Jewish people in general.

Bocce for Challahs Make new friends while you earn food.

Don’t Name Your Jewish Pe t “Beelzebub”

Ciabatta, brioche, and multigrain options for the tradition-averse Impress your family by using the word pallino in casual conversation Monthly challah-awarding and olive-tasting

Registration opens at 10 a.m. April 1 at Prado Boccinalia court Open to all adults, including seniors whose knees are OK. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 19

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Charismatic Rabbi Reinvents Himself H i l l e l Norry says his children get around explaining “all the weird things” he does, such as teaching Taekwondo, postMarcia ing YouTube Caller Jaffe vegan cooking videos, and visiting prisoners in jail, by simply stating, “He’s a rabbi.”

Growing up in Rochester, N.Y., after public high school and on to Brandeis University with an eye towards an academic career, Norry recalls, “It was only after an extended trip to Jerusalem that I decided rabbinical school was the way to combine academics with spirituality.”

Following the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he taught after ordination, he led a congregation in Manhattan before coming to Atlanta’s Congregation Shearith Israel in 2002. Then, after 13 years as its senior rabbi, he decided,

“While I loved being a teacher, spiritual guide and caretaker of congregants, I was ready for a change.”

Just how much change? Norry’s story is rooted and routed by his grandparents Ruth and Sol Singer, who were Jewish Atlanta leaders, combined with Mom Sharon Norry’s craftsmanship in the Judaic arts.

While carrying on traditions, he has a self-deprecating attitude about being a typical (astrological) Taurus. “I have strong opinions. Once I sink my teeth in, I don’t give up lightly. My children make fun of me for taking things too seriously.

We make fun of each other. I can dish it out and I can take it. They all have their own personal approach to Jewish living but are not heading towards the rabbinate.”

Martial Arts He started studying Taekwondo more than 10 years ago when his kids began lessons at Atlanta’s United Tae Kwon Do. He was impressed by the master, and became a black belt, (now third-degree) working towards the title of master as a

Sharon Norry, the rabbi’s mother, made this tallit around 1984 for the family.

Norry’s fried tofu

fourth degree. He has been an instructor for four years, teaching children and adults.

“There are so many spiritual, physical and mental benefits to martial arts like discipline, self-defense and confidence, balance, respect for others, focus, concentration, flexibility, and a deeper understanding of who I am and of what I am capable. It also helps define and reach significant goals, both on and off the mat.

There are many connections to Judaism, … I am working on writing a book about that very topic.”

in 2002, three generations of my family had their own. She was a perfectionist and specialized in old-fashioned looms. I also have a solid white one for the high holidays.”

Family Legacy Norry characterized his grandparents, the Singers, as practical dreamers, undeterred and with a deep concern for the people. He said they gave of themselves with humility, confidence, wisdom and Southern charm. “They taught me to speak my mind loudly and clearly, and to listen openly and with love for others in my heart. They also taught me to give. If you have more, they would say, ‘then you give more’.”

His mom married young at 19, launched her three boys, then returned to the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she learned her crafts: weaving, lace, knitting, sculpture, sewing and dyeing. She was known for her keepsake Judaica such as ark curtains, Torah covers, and hundreds of tallit. “We had her art just naturally around our house. These tallit were hand woven, hand tied and meticulously designed. When she died 20 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Prison Outreach Five years ago, the DeKalb County Sheriff visited Shearith Israel to meet the members after services. Later Norry got a call asking if he would be the Jewish community liaison and a jail chaplain. “I had never done anything like that, but I made fast friends with the lead chaplain, and continue to find it meaningful and rewarding. I visit both Jewish and non-Jewish inmates, provide Jewish literature to those who ask for it, streamline the process for getting kosher meals, and help the Jewish residents celebrate holidays.

It is very important work, and I enjoy it.”

Vegan Eating He became interested in vegetarian eating after reading John Robbins’ book “Diet for a New America.” It was compelling and offered vegetarianism as a way to have a positive health impact on both the environment and animals. “I began by eliminating meat, gave up fish 10 years later, eggs and dairy 10 years subsequently. A slow and steady move toward a vegan diet equals care for oneself, the world and for G-d’s creatures and creation as the pillars of Jewish vegan eating.”

Norry thinks that being vegan begins with the psychological benefit of knowing one’s diet is under one’s control, where

HEALTH & WELLNESS Vegetable oil Apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg brand) Bragg Liquid Aminos (available in grocery store and health food store) Fresh squeezed lemon juice Fresh ground pepper (a lot) Liquid smoke (optional, a teaspoon for the whole pot)

Norry ranks his vegan paella as his best dish.

food originated, how it got to the plate, reducing the suffering of G-d’s sentient creatures. It’s beneficial for heart health, reducing risk of digestive tract cancers, improving digestion, and providing optimal nutrition and energy. He believes his best dish is vegan paella.

Overcoming negative ideas about eating vegan, he said, “Some think it’s restrictive, or difficult, but it is neither of those things. We live in a golden age of vegan foods and options. The only thing I don’t eat is animals. Vegan eating is liberating, uplifting, healthy. I can’t imagine eating any other way. “ Check out Norry’s YouTube videos, including The Vegan Pantry, and how to make polenta, Rustic Pesto Tofu and Carrot Hot Dogs.

Remove the hard spine of the collards. Stack the leaves, roll like a cigar, and cut into very thin strips (chiffonade).

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the fresh ground pepper, vinegar and liquid aminos. Stir together. Add the collards and cook until they are soft.

The greens will reduce in size significantly and give some liquid to the mix. Add the optional liquid smoke. Add more vinegar and aminos (or even a little vegetable broth) if you need more liquid, or to taste. Add the lemon juice, and more pepper at the end. ì

Here are two of his recipes: Southern Fried Tofu Extra-firm tofu Egg replacer (I use Bob’s Red Mill) White flour Salt (a pinch for each tofu brick you use) Pepper (a lot, always a lot) Oil for frying Rest the tofu on several layers of paper towels and gently press the tops with paper towels. The goal is to keep the shape of the tofu and remove as much water as possible, so be gentle. Break the bricks of tofu into smaller, rough shapes, 8 to 10 per brick. Prepare the egg replacer in a large bowl and mix the salt and pepper with the white flour in a pie plate.

Heat the oil. Dredge the tofu in the egg replacer, then in flour to coat completely.

Fry in small batches till golden. Drain on paper towel.

No ‘Hock’ Collard Greens Collard greens (organic is better) Garlic to taste (more is better), chopped ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 21

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Separating Coronavirus Myth From Fact Stoking fears around the globe, the coronavirus outbreak has continued to grow and tensions are rising alongside it. As of pubEddie Samuels lication time, more than 2,600 have died globally as a result of the virus, most in the Hubei province of China, but also in Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.

Emory University’s Dr. Marybeth Sexton is an assistant medical school professor in the department of infectious diseases. She spoke to the AJT about the virus, recommendations for combatting it, and understanding the realities around the outbreak.

“There are a lot of viruses in the coronavirus family. Some of them cause what we think of as the common cold, and others are more serious like MERS [Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome]

22 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

and SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome],” she said. “This is kind of in the middle of those two groups, in the sense that, like MERS and SARS, it can cause life-threatening respiratory infection, … but the mortality rate is much lower than what we’ve seen with SARS and MERS.” In discussing myths that she saw in the early days of the outbreak, Sexton explained that fear can overstate the reality of the disease.

“The risk assessment is that in the United States right now you are hundreds of times more likely to come into contact with somebody with the flu than this, … influenza is a significantly bigger threat than coronavirus here,” she said.

Sexton deferred to the CDC’s judgment when discussing the likelihood of seeing coronavirus or COVID-19 in the U.S. “I agree with their assessment that it’s likely that we will see additional cases like this in the United States, especially because we know that person-toperson transmission is occurring,” she said. “A lot of people are pretty mildly

Photo via Israeli Embassy in Japan // Israelis who were aboard the Diamond Princess

cruise ship quarantined off Japan are seen on a plane bringing them to Israel.

ill with it, so you can have people who coast of Japan that was quarantined for don’t rise to the level of seeking medical nearly two weeks. Its passengers includcare or getting tested, which can allow ed Americans, who recently returned home against the CDC’s recommendasomething like this to spread.”

As for what steps Sexton would ad- tions, according to The Washington vise, she said: “The only thing I would Post.

Also on the ship were 15 Israeli travrecommend are the good, common sense things we recommend during respira- elers, 11 of whom returned home Feb. 21 tory virus season, … things like washing under the care of Sheba Medical Center, your hands, not touching your face and Tel HaShomer, in Ramat Gan. That day covering your cough or sneeze and try- also marked Israel’s first case of the virus, as one of the ing to avoid travelpassengers tested ing if you are sick.” positive for COVOn the topic ID-19. The woman of ongoing rein her 70s has not search, Sexton yet shown any said that there symptoms and is were two avenues: the wife of anothvaccines and treater patient being ment. treated in Japan “There’s some along with the othresearch on vacer three Israelis. cine development The passenthat has gotten a gers had previouslot of interest, and ly pleaded to be that’s important released from the when you have Dr. Marybeth Sexton explained that the flu is currently a far greater risk quarantine aboard something which to Americans than coronavirus. the ship and could can spread internationally,” she said. “Typically for most be seen on video singing “Am Yisrael viral infections, treatment is supportive Chai,” on a bus to the airport in Japan.

Professor Elhanan Bar-On, direccare — basically giving support until one’s own immune systems can take tor of Sheba’s Israel Center for Disaster care of the problem — but there may be Medicine and Humanitarian Response, some anti-viral medications that are ef- is heading up the medical team dealing with the quarantined patients. fective.

“After the government of Israel gave “There is also research about how to best diagnose it quickly and effectively, us the mission to host and care for our which is important from an infection citizens returning from the Diamond control and public health perspective,” Princess in Japan, Sheba Medical Center will provide for all of their medical and she added.

Among the stories closely moni- personal needs during their stay. We are tored as part of the outbreak is that of doing everything we can to prevent the the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the spread of COVID-19 in Israel,” he said.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Photo via Israeli Embassy Tokyo // Officials

wearing protective clothing wait for Israeli passengers to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where they spent two weeks in quarantine.

Photo by Heidi Levine via AP // Israeli professor

Galia Rahav, head of infectious diseases at Sheba Medical Center, shows one of the rooms in which returning Israelis with suspected exposure to coronavirus will stay under observation and isolation.

The location of the quarantine is in that different from the flu, which have an isolated complex, separate from the been treated accordingly,” Afek said.

On Feb. 23, the central hospital campus Health Ministry suggestand features a small outed that Israel may close door area, allowing paits borders to noncitizens tients some space outside to combat the spread of confined rooms, acof the virus. While the cording to professor Arstatement on its webnon Afek, deputy director site was removed within general of Sheba Medical hours, it came shortly Center. As for the first Isafter a plane from Seoul, raeli case of coronavirus, he explained that prepa- Photo via cdc.gov // On its website, South Korea, was turned around with only Israeli rations began weeks ago the CDC includes a detailed breakdown of frequently residents permitted to to combat any spread. asked questions and in-depth disembark.

“Sheba Medical Ceninformation on COVID-19.

The decision folter had already prepared lowed the news that about 200 students itself for any potential outbreak of COwere ordered to quarantine themselves VID-19 weeks ago, so if anyone becomes following contact with a different group ill, we are well prepared to deal with it. of South Korean visitors who may have It is important to note that nearly 80 been exposed to the virus.

As of publipercent of COVID-19 patients around the world have had a non-complicated cation, Israel’s borders remain open to version of the virus, with symptoms not travelers. ì

SEE WHAT ALL THE BUZZ IS ABOUT! ALL DAY BREAKFAST. GOURMET BISCUITS. HEALTHY LUNCH CHOICES.

Sara Hanna photos

EGG, CHICKEN, CURRIED CHICKEN AND TUNA SALAD SCOOPS AND SANDWICHES. FRIED CHICKEN LIVERS. TURKEY OR PASTRAMI REUBENS, CUBAN SANDWICHES. (404) 963-1080 City Walk 227 Sandy Springs Pl NE suite 506, Sandy Springs, GA 30328 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 23

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Can Jews Donate Organs?

In December, Atlanta Rabbi Mayer Freedman donated one of his kidneys to a New York grandfather, helping to prolong his life Roni Robbins and improve its quality. Freedman and his three brothers made a pact to each donate a kidney in honor of their father, who lived for 10 years after a successful heart transplant before dying of pancreatic cancer in 2018.

One brother donated his kidney in July, another is scheduled for March, and the last brother is waiting to be matched with a recipient.

Donating a kidney can be compared to donating blood or bone marrow by the vast majority of authorities on Jewish law.

They agree with medical experts that we can live well with one of our two kidneys and that the surgery is relatively minor without lasting repercussions. That’s why

24 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Rabbi Mayer Freedman and his brothers decided to donate kidneys in their father’s memory.

the brothers chose to donate kidneys.

They also knew the need for organs is great. More than 5,300 Georgians are waiting for a kidney, pancreas, heart and/ or liver transplant, according to LifeLink of Georgia, the state’s main organ procurement organization. One organ donor can potentially save the lives of up to eight people and one tissue donor can change the

lives of up to 75, LifeLink reports.

There are risks with any surgery. Freedman developed a blood clot in his lungs after his kidney removal surgery at New York University, but he was told it was a very rare complication. Earlier this month when he returned to NYU for a checkup, he coincidentally met the only other known donor through the New York-based Renewal – a

private Jewish organ donation registry – to have the same minor setback.

While kidney donations from live Jewish donors have gained popularity in Orthodox circles locally and beyond, donating organs at death remains a contentious subject, with differences of opinion among Jewish authorities and no consensus.

The AJT consulted a number of experts in Jewish law, death and organ donation about the topic.

The Jewish perspective about live donations hasn’t changed; science has, said Rabbi Michael Broyde, an Emory University law professor known as an expert on Jewish law and ethics. “It’s not a change in principles, but an appreciation of data” that supports it, he said. “Consensus develops when scientific change develops and people see the facts. As science improves, the mitzvah (good deed or commandment) becomes easier and the consequences are diminished, Broyde said.

“Medicine has dramatically improved to show that live donations are safe. Everybody should be encouraged to do them.”

Broyde added that Judaism mandates saving a life if there’s little pain or risk to do

HEALTH & WELLNESS Noticing a lack of information about so. “If you come to me and say, ‘your blood marrow is a match for me,’ I feel com- organ donation and the Jewish laws surpelled” to donate. “It’s trivial on my part rounding it, Jewish funeral director Eddie Dressler started a new website, DonateOand life-saving to someone else.”

He explained further, “You don’t have neEight.com (18 is chai or life). “The goal to jump in a river to save someone. You is to educate the local Jewish community might drown.” But if the chances of drown- about organ donation. I feel like we should ing are slim, it’s a mitzvah to save a life, do our research about what it is, the benefits and drawbacks to it,” said Dressler, Broyde said.

On the other hand, there’s no agree- owner of Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care.

DonateOneEight will provide general ment among Jews on harvesting organs after a person is declared brain dead. Most information, explain what organ donation medical and legal authorities accept brain is, and provide Reform, Conservative and death as death, and organs can be donated Orthodox views, he said.

“It’s important to me that the Jewish at that point as long as there’s a recipient and the body is kept on a ventilator, said community is educated about donation Cassie Borderieux, a liaison between Life- and I don’t see anyone providing a reLink of Georgia and the coroner or fu- source.” He said most people learn about organ donation when neral home, including they are faced with a life Dressler’s Jewish Funeral and death situation, but Care. his website will help arm Jewish authorities them with organ donadiffer as to whether brain tion information long dead is really dead, and if before that time, to make it’s not, whether removinformed decisions. ing organs at that point is “I don’t want the tantamount to commitJewish community to feel ting murder, Broyde said. pressured when they’re “It’s sinful to kill a person, dealing with death. We but not a sin to desecrate need to educate them the dead to save a life.”

Rabbi Michael Broyde spells in advance, before they Broyde detailed the out the debate about living have to consider it.” debate among Jews on donations compared to For Freedman, rabbi the subject. harvesting after brain death. of Congregation Anshi “Some Jewish law authorities rule that when total and com- S’fard, donating a kidney, despite the resultplete brain death takes place, a person is ing complication, was “totally” worth it.

“It’s very scary sounding,” he said of then legally dead as a matter of Jewish law, even if their heart is still beating and their the blood clot, “but really it’s not such a big deal. It was painful for me when I devellungs are still breathing,” he said.

“Others rule that when total and com- oped the clot, but once I was back on pain plete brain death takes place, a person is medications, I felt fine.” He said he was off then legally dead as a matter of Jewish law, those within a few days and back to a full even if their heart is still beating and their work schedule within two weeks.

“It’s the most amazing feeling in the lungs are still breathing artificially (respirator/thumper). Yet others rule that even world to help save someone’s life. There’s when total and complete brain death takes very little that compares to that. When one place, a person is not legally dead as a mat- donates a kidney, they not only give the reter of Jewish law so long as their heart is still cipient back their life, they also prevent the beating and their lungs are still breathing. recipient’s [wife or husband] from losing a Yet others rule that even when total and spouse, the recipient’s children from losing complete brain death takes place, a person a parent and the recipient’s other relatives is not legally dead as a matter of Jewish law from losing a grandparent, sibling or even so long as either their heart is still beating child.”

Freedman also helped improve the reor their lungs are still breathing.”

Waiting for a “cardiorespiratory” cipient’s quality of life. Before he received death means the organs are likely no lon- Freedman’s kidney, when he finally felt like ger functional, he added. “If we could dig he recovered from one bout of dialysis, it up all dead people and save lives, we’d dig was time for the next session.

The experience was enriching for them up.”

So the debate continues about wheth- Freedman’s family too, he said. “I want my er a brain death ruling is sufficient. “I [six] children to be givers, and what better would say slowly more brain-dead dona- way to teach that to them than for them to tions will be allowed.” In the meantime, see me give of myself to help someone else?

Jews faced with the decision should do … It’s such an amazing opportunity to teach children what’s important in life.” ì their own research.

Shopping around for insurance? Don’t.

Let your local Trusted Choice Independent Agent shop for you and find the right coverage. Protect all that you’ve built with a company you can trust.

PERSONAL – COMMERCIAL – LIFE – HEALTH – DISABILITY – LONG TERM CARE Serving our community’s needs for over 50 years

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

www.siegelinsurance.com 2987 Clairmont Road, Suite 425 • Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: (404) 633-6332 • Toll Free: (888) 275-0553 Andy N. Siegel CPCU, CIC, AAI • Sheldon Berch

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 25

HEALTH & WELLNESS

A Healthy Mouth May Mean a Healthier Body Hugh Flax was inspired to become a dentist while a senior in high school by watching the transformation in life of his mother, Bob Bahr France Flax, after a year of dental work. His family had just moved from Massachusetts to North Miami Beach when she completed 12 months of treatment with the family dentist, George Brooks.

“When it was done,” Dr. Flax said recently, “she just glowed. I told myself that if I can help slay the ‘dragons of fear’ like she went through and help people get better, that was the right place for me.”

In his new book published last year “A Smile is Always in Style,” the internationally known specialist in cosmetic dentistry describes his mother’s experience and the effect it had on him. For the first time in her life, his mother could smile and eat with confidence. What Dr. Flax saw then still inspires him almost 50 years later.

“All these years,” he writes, “I’ve wanted patients to not only have a beautiful and believable smile, but also to bring joy to everyone by having them always love their appearance and how healthy their mouth feels.”

Flax is a past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a founder of the Georgia Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He not only believes, as he comments in his book, that “a great smile is the window to the soul,”

26 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Dr. Hugh Flax practices a holistic approach to dentistry.

Dr. Flax’s new book largely explores the world of cosmetic dentistry.

but that a healthy mouth can transform our lives.

According to an independent study by the AACD, a great smile projects more confidence, makes an individual more approachable and even sexier, and helps to create higher self-esteem. Over the years, he’s come to think of himself as more than just someone who cares for teeth, but as a “physician of the mouth,” he said.

“In the early 90s, I realized that all these different parts of the mouth actually integrated with each other. And so, the bite affected the shapes of the teeth; the gums affected the stability, the teeth and all those things.”

While much of his book is devoted to a discussion of recent advances in improving the look and feel of our teeth,

he also devotes a chapter to the relationship between oral health and general well being.

As the Mayo Clinic described in a 2018 report, there’s a strong connection between oral inflammation and infection and other health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and even fetal gestation. The Mayo report went on to say that those who suffered from periodontal or gum disease were up to 40 percent more likely to have a chronic condition.

The National Institutes of Health reports that these conditions may be prevented in part by regular visits to a dentist. In 2007, however, less than half of all Americans over the age of 2 visited the dentist in the preceding year. It is a statistic that has remained, according to

the NIH, essentially unchanged over the past decade.

This fall, the U.S. Surgeon General is planning to release a comprehensive report on oral health in America, the first such report since the initial Surgeon General’s national assessment in 2000.

As evidence of the link between a healthy mouth and a healthy body has increased, the new report will seek to describe how successful America has been in increasing dental and oral care.

According to preliminary work, the report will seek to identify challenges and opportunities that have emerged since the publication of the first report and articulate a vision for the future. It is also expected to emphasize poor oral health as a public health issue.

“Good oral health,” as the NIH puts it, “allows a person to speak, taste, touch, chew, swallow and make facial expressions to show feelings and emotion. Poor oral health has serious consequences.”

Here in Georgia, the state was ranked in the top 20 for best overall dental health last month by WalletHub. Georgia was rated 18th on the list.

Dr. Flax likens all the factors that go into making up good oral health to the colored squares on a Rubik’s Cube. The challenge with the cube is to line up all the colors and get them to match. Good oral health, he believes works in a similar way.

“Each side of the Rubik’s Cube,” he believes, “correlates to their medical history, their habits, the strength of their bones, the strength of their teeth and the way their bite fits together. If we get all those pieces to match and fit, like solving a Rubik’s Cube, we can get long-term results that improve their oral and their physical health.” ì

Louis DeJoseph, MD See why patients come from all over the world to experience the amazing results from Dr. DeJoseph and his highly skilled medical and aesthetics teams in Atlanta, GA.

1994

3,120 The number of facial injectables performed at Premier Image each year.

The year he received his undergraduate degree in molecular biology, graduating cum laude at King’s College.

He received his doctorate of medicine from Penn State.

DeJoseph completed his residency in otolaryngology/ head and neck surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and was one of only 38 surgeons selected worldwide to undergo further specialty training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery in affiliation with Emory University.

2017

The year DeJoseph was co-chair of the national meeting for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, sharing knowledge with leaders among the most talented facial plastic surgeons from around the world.

30328

75

Percentage of patients that are referred by friends and family and other physicians.

The Atlanta ZIP code in which Premier Image recently opened their new state of the art Cosmetic and Laser Surgery Center and Med Spa (6085 Barfield Road NE, Ste. 100)

3

“My goal is to establish a trusting relationship from the start, allowing for better communication and better results. I feel that by helping patients feel good about themselves, I am improving their quality of life.”

10,000+

The number of board certifications DeJoseph holds: American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board for Laser Surgery.

The number of facial surgeries and laser procedures DeJoseph has performed in his career.

Out of 42 Fellowship programs in the U.S. for specialized training in facial plastic & reconstructive surgery.

1

150+ The number of QT Mini face- and necklifts performed by DeJoseph each year.

7

Average amount of days it takes to recover from DeJoseph’s trademarked QT Mini face-lift and neck-lift. He’s known for delivering natural results, low downtime and minimal bruising.

1970

The year that Premier Image Cosmetic & Laser Surgery was founded. It was Georgia’s first cosmetic surgery center to specialize in complete specialty aesthetic plastic surgery for both face and body procedures. Premier Image performs procedures ranging from simple to extreme, including plastic surgery, as well as nonsurgical lowdowntime procedures.

1-888-455-FACE 6085 Barfield Rd NE, Suite 100, Atlanta GA 30328

premierimage.com | www.facebook.com/picosmeticsurgery | Twitter: @premierimageATL BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Dentist Helps Patients Sleep Soundly It used to be called Pickwickian syndrome. Joe, a character in Charles Dicken’s first novel, “The Pickwick Papers,” is always asleep, even during errands, and snores as he waits tables. Joe was a source of ridicule and laughter; his nickname was “fatboy.”

Tiffany Parks “We now know that Guest Columnist snoring can be a sign of a potentially serious medical condition called sleep apnea,” said Sheri Katz, an Atlanta dentist who specializes in sleep apnea. “The throat is like a long tube. Some people’s throats relax too much as they sleep and their breathing becomes interrupted for seconds and even minutes at a time. People with sleep apnea tend to have more medical problems.”

Katz has dedicated her life to help people combat sleep apnea. She started her career after graduating from Emory University Dental School and was one of the earliest doctors to experiment and use oral appliance devices to treat sleep apnea, making her one of the most sought-after doctors in the field.

“In the early days, one of the only options for people with sleep apnea was a CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure]. Not all patients could tolerate a CPAP.” Even worse, people who had severe sleep apnea

Elastic Mandibular Advancement Appliance (EMA)

Dr. Sheri Katz tries to clear up misconceptions about sleep apnea.

had to have tracheotomies, in which a breathing tube is surgically inserted, to relieve symptoms. So, Katz believes oral appliance devices have been an effective alternative for sleep apnea patients.

“I work as part of a team of doctors. A doctor will refer a patient to me. Many times a sleep study test will confirm that the patient has sleep apnea.”

By the time people see Katz, they have been suffering many years with uncontrolled blood pressure, cardiac problems, severe tiredness and headaches.

According to Katz, the common misconception about sleep apnea is that only obese people suffer from the condition. However, slender people can have sleep apnea and not know it until their condition gets worse.

Men suffer from sleep apnea twice as much as women.

However, when women reach menopause, their numbers increase. Also, a person doesn’t always have to snore to have sleep apnea, she said.

Along with oral appliance devices, Katz said people can elevate their beds for better airway flow. People can also lose weight, exercise, and if someone has sinus problems, fixing them will alleviate throat inflammation.

Despite all of the current research on sleep apnea, there are still some who don’t trust the facts.

“Many people who don’t believe they have sleep apnea usually end up taking more blood pressure medicine and their medical problems only get worse.”

She urged people to pay attention to those annoying medical problems that don’t seem to be going away like tiredness and high blood pressure. Pay attention to your partner if he or she snores at night. These symptoms could all be related to sleep apnea, she said.

Katz is an adjunct assistant professor at Emory’s Department of Medicine. She teaches medical students how to properly treat patients with sleep apnea. In addition to serving as a diplomate for the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, Katz was past president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Her wide of range of patients is evidence of her care and expertise.

“When I treat people with oral appliance devices, I make sure that it is comfortable for night-time sleep and that it is actually working. An overnight sleep study test usually confirms if the oral appliance device is working. After treatment, couples can sleep together again. People who were irritable become more relaxed, and tired patients have so much more energy in life and in the workplace.”

Katz urges people to seriously talk to their doctors if they suspect that they have sleep apnea. People can die from the condition if it goes untreated.

Katz’s husband, Dr. Ian Katz, is a general surgeon at Emory’s Decatur Hospital. She and her husband attend Congregation Shearith Israel. ì For more information about Katz’s work, visit her website, oralappliancetherapy.com.

28 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Zimmerman Shares Tips to Tackle Disputes

By Eddie Samuels

Dr Barry Cohen has been a respected orthodontist since 1988 and is a Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. In mid-2017, Dr Matt Cohen joined the practice to make a strong father/son team. At Cohen Orthodontics, we provide interceptive treatment, comprehensive adolescent as well as adult orthodontic treatment with traditional appliances, metal and clear braces and Invisalign for all ages. Our goal is to work with you every step of the way to ensure your treatment is as relaxed, convenient and rewarding as possible.

Visit our website at www.bcohenortho.com Check out our Google reviews!

4721 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd Dunwoody, GA 30338 770-394-0002

500 Concord Rd SE Smyrna, GA 30082 770-432-5455

Holiday Move-in Specials

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED “BEST VALUE SENIOR LIVING & MEMORY CARE” IN THE HEART OF SANDY SPRINGS ALL - INCLUSIVE RATES Community Is Almost Finished with New Updates, Call Now for your Discounted Renovation Special

CALL TODAY 404-843-8857

690 MOUNT VERNON HWY, SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328 VERNONSPRINGS.COM

CURT@VERNONSPRINGS.COM 30 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

bers, additional areas for conversations between elders and their families can inAttorney Rebecca Zimmerman has clude housing options, timing of selling a been mediating disputes for more than family home, and when is it time to stop seven years, handling driving. about 150 conflicts “When it comes to each year. She spoke me in the context of a to the AJT to share her mediation, the framethoughts on conflict, in work is to help each pargeneral, and some of ty talk about their unthe challenges that arise derlying concern,” she around elder care and said. “Most of the time, estate distribution, in the participants come particular. to the mediation table “What I love about with a single solution mediation is that you’re mindset – they are in giving people the opporwhat I like to call their tunity to resolve their ‘stuck place.’ My job own disputes, rather is to help each person than having a court do identify what is going Rebecca Zimmerman explains it for them,” she said. on beneath the surface. that mediation can be a useful “Conflict can be so preFor the senior person, it tool for resolving disputes outside of the courtroom. occupying, and it takes is often a fear of losing all your time and energy.” independence.”

Turning specifically to the topic of Zimmerman stressed that no one elder care, she explained that such deci- answer fits every problem. “There really sions can be trying for any family. are as many answers as there are people “When there’s a history of not being I talk to,” she said. “Also, I think a lot of able to communicate well, it can be help- people don’t realize mediation is a reful to have a third party there to manage source that’s available before going to an that conversation,” Zimmerman said. attorney.

“It’s very important that all parties have As for what appeals to her about an opportunity to express their concerns, mediating disputes, she explained that as there are different dynamics that in- watching a resolution take place is very fluence how people communicate with rewarding. each other.”

“If I can help somebody resolve a Among the most challenging situ- dispute and come away feeling like I ations facing families are when health didn’t force anyone to do anything, but care decisions for aging parents need to just helped them find the way to move be made. on, that’s what I want,” she said. “And “When we’re talking about adult if I can’t, I don’t view it as a failure for siblings trying to assist with managing me or for mediation, I just hope that I’ve the care of their parents, some factors helped them think differently about the include: where do the siblings live, what situation.” are the financial capabilities of the all the She shared a few tips for avoiding parties involved, and what resources are conflicts, specifically when dealing with available,” she explained. caretaking: As a mediator, Zimmerman’s role 1. If you are the caretaker, keep other would be to bring those parties together family members fully informed. and facilitate discussion.

2. Ask other family members to “It could be that they need some fi- share their opinions to ensure your judgnancial counseling or guidance on how ment is clear and that they are a part of to manage the financial piece of it,” she the care. said. “If that’s the case, it may mean they 3. If another party is the caretaker, need an attorney who specializes in elder request to be kept in the loop; do not decare who can explain whether Medicaid mand. Visit often and help carry the emois appropriate or if there are VA benefits tional burden. involved. Or it could be a geriatric care 4. When possible, gather nearby manager or senior social worker who family members and create an action would be a good resource.” plan that divides responsibilities.

While healthcare can be a big part 5. Do not expect divisions of labor to of those discussions among family mem- be “fair.” ì

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Cure in Our Lifetime Breakfast Marks 5 Years

By Eddie Samuels After raising $200,000 at its fourth annual breakfast last year, Atlanta’s A Cure in Our Lifetime is aiming even higher for its fifth. Co-chairs Jennifer Fink and Jody Goldstein set their sights on $250,000 for the March 11 breakfast at Cherokee Town & Country Club.

The pair spoke to the AJT about the organization and its role in supporting breast cancer research.

“Jen and I are really passionate about giving 100 percent of our proceeds to breast cancer research, and A Cure in our Lifetime had a chapter in Chappaqua, Jennifer Fink, left, and Jody Goldstein N.Y., where Jen had lived and she’d particat the fourth annual Cure in Our ipated in it,” Goldstein said. “We decided Lifetime spring breakfast. we’d bring that to Atlanta.”

Goldstein herself is a seven-year Elizabeth Comen from Memorial Sloan survivor, and Fink’s mother, a 19-year Kettering Cancer Center will deliver the survivor. Making research the sole focus, keynote speech. they’ve raised over $500,000 in the past “We really want to focus on the adfour years with steady growth each year. vancements that have happened in reThis year’s beneficiaries are the search in the last five years, and often Breast Cancer Research Foundation and five years marks a significant milestone Glenn Family Breast for a breast cancer Center at Emory survivor,” Fink said.

Winship Cancer In“For us, it’s our fifthstitute. year anniversary “From day one, and that’s exciting, we want 50 percent … so we want to of the money to stay celebrate that milein Georgia,” Fink stone.” said. “It’s really imThe past few portant that we supyears have also feaport research here tured remarks from locally. … Winship is a local survivor. making such strides This year’s speaker in breast cancer reis Jamie Dean, who search and we’re so lost her mother Laine Kilburn speaks at the third annual proud to have that to breast cancer Cure in Our Lifetime spring breakfast. in Georgia.” months before findThe other half goes to BCRF, which ing out she herself was diagnosed. has been a partner since the event’s beLaine Kilburn was the survivor who ginning, and which the duo says supports spoke at the third breakfast, an event that some of the most promising research on moved her to become even more involved a national level. with the organization.

As for what makes the breakfast spe“Jen had invited me to the first breakcial, Fink explained that everyone in the fast, but I had just been diagnosed and room has some personal connection to wasn’t ready to go,” Kilburn said. “I was breast cancer. invited to speak at the third and thought, “With a statistic like one in eight ‘I don’t know if I can do that,’ but they women having breast cancer, either most helped me to write my story down and I women are either a survivor themselves ended up speaking at the breakfast.” or they know someone going through it What stands out in Kilburn’s mind is or who has been through it,” she said. “Ev- the informative nature of the breakfast. eryone has a connection to the disease.

“I think having someone who can We aim to keep it positive and support come in and explain the research and the the ongoing research.” trials and show where the money we’re Past keynote speakers include Amy raising is going makes it really special.

Robach from “Good Morning America,” And you have a group of people there and authors Amy Silverstein, Annie who have all been touched by breast canParker and Geralyn Lucas. This year, Dr. cer in some way, and the common goal is

Joan Robach, Jennifer Fink, keynote speaker Amy Robach, Jody Goldstein, Laine Kilburn and Landon Lanier.

so powerful.”

A Cure in Our Lifetime is an entirely volunteer-run organization, and Fink emphasized the mission of supporting groundbreaking research locally and around the world.

“Because we have very low overhead, we can dictate 100 percent of where the money goes,” Goldstein said.

“With our executive board we make all decisions as a group and get to be very thoughtful on where it goes and what we support.”

To purchase tickets for the fifth annual A Cure in our Lifetime spring breakfast, visit atlantacure.org/donate. Sponsorships are also available.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 31

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Ariely LIVE! Unravels Human Behavior

A sold-out crowd of 230 awaited Ariely’s arrival.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

est and coldest moments, there is life and growth. The sun, soil, seeds and Dan Ariely, an Israeli Duke Univer- water are greater as a whole than the sity professor whose TED Talks are seen sum of its parts.”

When Ariely took the stage, he by 15 million viewers, engaged a sell-out crowd Feb. 9 at the Historic Academy of paced in his casual Israeli style. Born in Medicine at Georgia Tech in conjunc- New York and raised in Israel, he is the author of three New York Times besttion with the Intown Jewish Academy.

As professor of psychology and be- selling books. Known for his clunky havioral economics at Duke, and previ- red-toned shoes, he began by explainously MIT, Ariely’s mission is to deliver ing that his asymmetrical beard resulted from a fire achis insight about cident. human behavior Tr a g i c a l l y, and how to mold he was mixing it into a mainmagnesium for stream position. a teen program Introducing rally, which exhim was Rabbi ploded and reAri Sollish, disulted in years of rector of the hospitalization.

IJA at Chabad He explained Intown on the all the varying BeltLine. At the segments of his event attended own busy busiby 230, the colorness model. In ful fruit, nut and addition to his date Tu B’Shevat academic work buffet contrastat Duke, he coned with the elsults with govegant black and Professor Ariely tries to balance ernments and white marble friction and motivation to change companies. An floors of the hisoften irrational human behavior. example of modtoric academy.

Sollish began the event by compar- ifying human behavior was a consuling the New Year for Trees demarcation tation with the Israeli government on before the holiday and looking for- product food labeling where red circles ward to the next upcoming botanical were used to indicate bad or unhealthy year. “The sap is rising inside the trees, ingredients and green circles for good. which may look cold and baron on the “My third life is working on startups.”

Ariely involved the audience by outside. Under the surface, something is happening. Often just after our dark- asking for a show of hands in honestly 32 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Rabbi Ari Sollish greets Duke University’s Dan Ariely.

responding to personal questions: Who stuff put so low down it's hard to actexts while driving? Has unplanned or cess? That’s friction.”

A particularly poignant consultaunprotected sex? Washes hands in the bathroom? The bottom line is “people tion was his work with the Kenyan govdo not change behavior with more ernment in motivating impoverished evidence. There is no limit to human people to save weekly for emergency use stupidity. Example: putting a high fine and the mechanics to inspire self control. on texting results in more accidents “We hate losing more than we enjoy winbecause people dangerously lower the ning” appeared a lot in his analyses. His biggest laugh, also phone under the seen on one of his steering wheel.”

TED Talks, was, He made “In Soweto, peothe point about ple spend a year’s how free offers income on funeror 10 percent off als versus a wedor 20 percent ding like we do in off don’t necesthe U.S. Because sarily change for a funeral, you behavior. Based only have one!” on two factors, The bottom friction and moline is we flawed tivation, Areily humans have iranalyzed how rational behavior. working with Ariely’s non-acapharmaceutidemic language is cal companies meant to educate to shift pill usthe wider public: ers from brand Nadia Bilchik chats with event co-sponsor We’re in a world to generic led Susan Weinstein before Ariely’s presentation. of temptation. At to a litany of trial and errors to arrive at the desired the supermarket, doughnuts win.

Concluding with a Jewish subtext, results. He lamented, “Sometimes giving a bonus then taking it away gets Ariely posed, “More religious Jews have a desired change. Also, texts posed as more space to deal with other things coming from one’s child get a good re- because they are not tempted all the sponse, … just like assessing how much time and struggling to make decisions. friction balances how much fuel to add You can’t be 90 percent vegetarian and for a rocket getting into outer space. Or decide, ‘Is this the day’? The more Orrefrigerator shelves, why is the healthy thodox the Jew, the more liberated.” ì ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 33

ARTS & CULTURE Jewish Atlanta’s Influence on Roaring 20s This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Jazz Age, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties. For that reason, the AJT recently visited Tiffany Parks the William Guest Columnist Breman Jewish Heritage Museum to learn how Atlanta’s Jewish community influenced this fascinating decade. Jeremy Katz, director of the museum’s Cuba Family Archives, revealed how Atlanta’s Jazz Age Jewish community positively impacted the city’s trajectory, despite the dramatic changes inside and out of Jewish Atlanta.

“Jewish businesses were flourishing during the 20s,” Katz said.

Many Jewish businessmen still embraced the belief of the late Atlanta Constitution editor Henry Grady that entrepreneurship would make Atlanta the most advanced city in the South.

In 1925, Jewish businessmen respond-

34 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

ed even more strongly to the Chamber of Commerce’s Forward Atlanta campaign, a movement created to build and attract even more businesses to Atlanta.

Jacobs Pharmacy, M. Rich & Bros. Co. (Rich’s), and Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills represented three of the largest Jewishowned companies that were founded during the late 1800s but flourished during the 1920s and beyond. These companies significantly grew Atlanta’s economy. [A March 26 tour of the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills, focusing on its Jewish history, is part of the Phoenix Flies celebration of Atlanta historic sites next month.]

Also, companies such as Prior Tire, Bass Dry Goods, Apex Supply, Massell Lumber Co., and Barkers Bakery provided much needed services to Atlanta’s 1920s community, and many Jewish businesses employed African Americans when white businesses would not.

Many Jewish people with German heritage had already assimilated into Atlanta during the 1800s. However, the 1920s brought in an influx of Eastern European Jews.

“During the 20s, many Eastern Europeans came to America escaping the

Photos from The Breman Museum archives // Ella Menko Joel stands in front of

her car wearing flapper garb in 1920.

Adelade Mayer Kriegshaber stands with Fannie Spielberger (Boorstin) in front of the 'Victor Flyer.'

pogroms of Russia. When they came to Atlanta, the Eastern European Jews and the already established German Jews clashed with each other. There were divisions,” Katz stated.

According to retired engineer William Gary’s oral history in the Breman archives, “The German Jews lived on the North side. They went to the Temple. They didn’t wear yarmulkes …They drove to schule. The women sat together with the men at services, and at their parties they (whisper this part) ate treife!”

Eastern European Jews were more re-

ligious and attended congregations Ahavath Achim and Shearith Israel.

Amidst this internal rift, the Atlanta community was drastically changing on many levels. Technology was on the rise.

Autos were quickly replacing horse and buggies. “… We did get a car. My grandmother … never got used to the idea of an automobile. She was afraid it would just blow up …,” states Josephine Heyman, a 1920s Jewish resident of Atlanta.

Atlantans went to the Loew’s Grand Theatre or Paramount Theatre to view

ARTS & CULTURE talkies. In 1922, WSB was Atlanta’s first radio station, and the first program to broadcast the weather and other market news, news flashes, and jazz. Women in Georgia were finally able to vote in 1922, even though the 19th Amendment was ratified and adopted by Congress two years earlier in 1920. Anna Teitelbaum Wise was a Jewish suffragette who advocated for women’s rights in Atlanta. She was the first female graduate of Georgia Tech.

Many Jewish suffragettes supported the National Council of Jewish Women.

In 1925, the Southern Israelite newspaper, the precursor to the Atlanta Jewish Times, was founded. It epitomized the 1920s' rapid culture of consumption. The newspaper was packed with ads to buy everything from Merita breads to Coca-Cola.

Newspapers such as the DeKalb New Era featured Margaret Sanger’s controversial birth control ads, and jazz was the soundtrack of the decade. Young Jewish women defied their parent’s Victorian rules and bobbed their hair and wore knee-length skirts. Men and women smoked together in public.

Dwight Andrews, an Emory University music professor, told the AJT, “Jazz was loved by many races because it sounded like the future. It w a s t h e music that seemed to embody a [freer] society.”

Jazz was so pervasive that later the Ghetto Swingers, a Jewish jazz band, played Benny Goodman to mentally escape the evils of the Theresienstadt ghetto.

However, some changes at the time were more sinister, like the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.

“There was a resurgence of the Klan in 1915, after the lynching of Leo Frank. Klan membership surged even more during the 20s,” Katz said.

The Klan was threatened

by Jewish immigrants, Jewish progress, and Jewish leniency towards African Americans.

Also, Jewish soldiers returned from Europe after World War I as heroes. This added to the Klan’s ire.

They were a reminder that the 1920s held a lot of dangers for Atlanta’s Jewish population. The

memory of Frank’s lynching still clung to the Jewish community. The Southeast chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, founded in 1913, grew even stronger in the 20s, mainly as a result of the Frank tragedy.

Retired dentist Marvin Goldstein’s oral history details his father’s 1920s business with the U.S. Penitentiary and his interactions with the KKK. He had a contract with the federal government to collect white duck clippings. Mail bags were made out of these clippings. He would also pay the Klan to collect the old sheets they wore. An African American employee would collect the sheets to be taken to a factory and turned into white writing paper. Goldstein noted that everything was about business back then. However, any attempts to have friendly social interactions between Jews and the Klan were strictly forbidden, even dangerous.

Jews still could not join mainstream white organizations, so they created The Standard Club, the Progressive Club, and the Don’t Worry Club. Many colleges such as Harvard University had quotas for admitting Jews. And even in Atlanta, Emory’s dental school, founded in 1916, discriminated against Jews.

In 2012, Emory publicly apologized to the Jewish community for discriminating against Jewish students in its dental program from 1948 to 1961.

Nevertheless, Atlanta’s 1920s Jewish community was as vibrant, active and complex as the decade in which it was a part. And, although the Roaring Twenties has long past, the Jewish legacy of the 1920s can still be seen in Atlanta today through strong business models such as The Home Depot, founded

by Jews, and through community events such as the recently-ended Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, believed to be the country’s largest.

The fascinating lives and voices of Goldstein, Heyman, and many more 1920s oral histories and artifacts can be found at The Breman Museum. It’s packed with stories still waiting to be discovered about that period in history. ì ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 35

ARTS & CULTURE

Alterman Plans Expansion of AJMF Calendar Calling its March event a “spring showcase” suggests – correctly, as it happens – that the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival has more planned for later in the year.

AJMF ExecuDave Schechter tive Director Joe Alterman enthusiastically talks up the four shows planned for March 12-15, while being a bit cagey about what he is planning down the road.

Alterman, a highly regarded jazz pianist who continues to tour, is beginning his second Rabbi Micah Lapidus, director of AJMF Executive Director Joe Alterman hopes to attract a slightly older year leading the 11-year-old festival. In his debut Jewish and Hebrew studies at The audience, to potentially help sustain the festival financially. season, Alterman slimmed down the program Davis Academy, will lead a musical and unabashedly booked acts likely to attract Shabbat for young professionals a slightly older audience, one that potentially March 13 at the UrbanTree Cidery. could help sustain the festival financially.

The March program demonstrates the diversity in Jew- will be featured when Duchess, a trio of female voices – Hila- formed jazz renditions of music by Leonard Bernstein. Styish music, a term that Alterman acknowledges has no single ry Gardner, Amy Cervini, and Melissa Stylianou – performs listically, Duchess “is like Charlap meets Midge Maisel,” Aldefinition. “I’m still not really sure. …The deeper you get, the March 12 at The Woodruff Arts Center. terman said, referencing the fictional lead character of the more you kind of figure out that you’re never going to figure Alterman knows Gardner from his years in New York, Amazon Prime series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” it out, and that’s kind of the beauty of it.” He does say, how- including events at which they both performed, and lauds Rabbi Micah Lapidus, director of Jewish and Hebrew ever, that “For me, personally, I think that the story makes her stage presence. He anticipates that Duchess may attract studies at The Davis Academy, will lead a musical Shabbat the music Jewish, more than the music makes it Jewish.” an audience similar to that which attended the opening of for young professionals March 13 at the UrbanTree Cidery.

Jewish contributions to The Great American Songbook the 2019 festival, pianist Bill Charlap and his trio, who per- Lapidus has composed most of the music for “The Well,” a program of Southern preaching, music and Judaism that is held monthly at The Temple.

Jerry Wexler, who is credited with coining the phrase “rhythm and blues,” will be remembered March 14 at City Winery, when the ATL Collective performs the music of Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin, among other African American artists whose careers were advanced by the journalist-turned-producer.

The tribute to Wexler gives Alterman another opportunity to explore the interaction of Jews and African Americans in popular music, as he did with 2019’s ATL Collective tribute to Chess Records, a Chicago record label created by two Polish Jewish emigres. “Not everybody knows those stories and how important they are,” Alterman said.

The quartet of shows concludes March 15 at The Temple, as the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society performs “Annelies: The Diary of Anne Frank,” a full-length choral work of 14 movements, based on the life Annelies Marie Frank, a Dutch Jewish girl who died at age 15 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February 1945.

Not yet written in ink, but penciled into Alterman’s planning, is another “showcase” several months away, with four to six acts, on dates yet to be announced. Without divulging the acts he hopes to book, Alterman hinted at performances highlighting the “Jewish imprint” on jazz, bluegrass, show tunes and maybe, just maybe, comedy.

Next up on the AJMF calendar is a showcase for Jewish teenage musicians to be held May 3 at Gypsy Rose, a music venue in Roswell. Alterman said contacts are being made through schools and elsewhere to attract bands and individual performers.

In December, AJMF will sponsor its second annual Christmas Eve “Egg Drop,” advertised in 2019 as “the prom36 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

ARTS & CULTURE ised land for anyone up for Chinese food, for three hours a day and maintains a busy 2000’s bar mitzvah party music, and gener- professional calendar as a jazz pianist, peral holiday merriment.” The inaugural event, forming at various venues in Atlanta, as well as at the Birdland “a great party,” atTheater and the tracted 400 people, Blue Note jazz club many in their early in New York; Win20s, Alterman said ter’s Jazz Club in Alterman’s Chicago; The Jazz plans to continCorner in Hilton ue discussion of Head, S.C., and, in blacks and Jews in April, at the Alberta American music Bair Theater in Billmay see a replicaings, Mont. tion of the format In addition, used in November, Alterman is writa public conversaing “digital booktion between muAs the opening act of the AJMF “spring lets” (an updated sician-author Ben showcase,” Duchess, a trio of female voices, will perform Jewish contributions version of album Sidran and the Rev. to The Great American Songbook March liner notes) for Dwight Andrews 12 at The Woodruff Arts Center.

Wynton Marof First Congregational Church in downtown Atlanta, an salis, possibly the best-known figure in event drawing 200 people co-hosted by the American jazz, a trumpet player, composer, teacher and church, AJMF, and leader of the Jazz the William Breat Lincoln Cenman Jewish Heriter Orchestra, in tage Museum.

New York. The col“One of my laboration came take-aways from about through my first year was New York connecthat I realized the tions, leading to programming defiMarsalis reading nitely worked but Alterman’s other that we do need to writings on jazz, as pivot in some way well as listening to to become a little the Sandy Springs more inviting to The Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic native at the keynon-Jews and a litSociety will perform “Annelies: The Diary of Anne Frank,” a full-length choral board. Alterman tle more appealing work based on the life of Annelies Marie has completed two to Jews,” Alterman Frank, on March 15 at The Temple. such booklets for said.

The hiring of a single staffer has albums by Marsalis, the first titled “Jazz freed Alterman to concentrate more on for Kids” (“Baa Baa Black Sheep” swings) expanding AJMF’s donor base and scout- and the second “Inferno,” an interpretaing potential performers. On the business tion by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonist side of the ledger, Sherman Irby the festival’s operof the first part ating budget has of Italian writer increased from Dante Alighieri’s about $180,000 14th-century epic when Alterman poem “The Divine took over in 2019 Comedy.” Work on from AJMF founda third booklet is er Russell Gottunderway, this one schalk to about for a recording of $220,000. Among Duke Ellington’s the funders Alterjazz symphony, man expressed “Black, Brown and particular thanks ATL Collective will perform a tribute to Beige.” ì to were the Helen record producer Jerry Wexler, who advanced the careers of numerous African American Marie Stern Meartists, in a show March 14 at City Winery.

Tickets for morial Fund, The Molly Blank Fund (through The Arthur Duchess and the ATL Collective shows can be M. Blank Foundation), and The Marcus purchased through the festival website, AtlantaJMF.org. Tickets for “The Well” and “Annelies” Foundation.

Alterman practices his primary craft are free but require registration online.

29th Annual Atlanta

PURIM PARADE & Festival SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2020

RADE 1o1n:0L0avAisMta RPoAad from

Cyclone Swings!

12-3:00P M FESTIV Beth Jaco AL 1855 b Parking L

22’ Slide!

Professional Face Painting!

Costume Photo Booth!

Turbo Tubs!

Free Kids Show!

Toddler Play Area! e ine! m Costum Cotton Candy!

Co

cob Beth Ja Mill to Houston

avista Lot Road

INCLUSIV E exper festival and senience friend sorypartnerly room in ship wit h

Festival Food!

Free Float Registration for businesses or organizations!

Pre-purchase tickets and avoid the lines!

b e t h j ac o bat l a n ta . o r g / p u r i m f e st i va l

EVENT SPONSORS ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 37

ARTS & CULTURE

Feldman Gets Creative With Jewish Events A recent honoree on the AJT’s 40 Under 40 list is playing a crucial role in two major Jewish events in March: David Feldman and his 3 Owl agenKevin C. Madigan cy partners are working on a rebrand of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival as well as a presentation at the national meeting of the Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative.

As director and founder of 3 Owl creative agency, Feldman and his team have also been working on brand identity and content for JumpSpark Atlanta, a program developed by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to connect Atlanta’s Jewish teens with opportunities for professional growth.

3 Owl hosted a week-long immersive marketing workshop for JumpSpark students during the venture.

A South Carolina native of Russian descent, the 33-year-old Feldman is a founding faculty member of The New School in At-

Photos by Aaron Schorch // David Feldman working with JumpSpark students.

lanta and was a judge at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, which recognizes the startup work of Atlanta’s college students.

He recently moderated a branding panel at OPEN Atlanta’s annual event and just published his first Forbes article, “Why Branding Takes So Long (And Why It’s Worth the Wait.”

The AJT spoke with Feldman about his backstory and projects.

AJT: You will be presenting a talk called Communicating Across Diversity at the Jewish Teen Funder Collaborative. Can you elaborate?

Feldman: We’re going to be talking about how you can build a brand that is sustainable and continues to support an everevolving organization. That’s one piece of it. The other one is that we realized within each organization people don’t necessarily talk to each other; the funders aren’t going to talk to the people who do the day-to-day operations, … so how do you build stakeholder alignment across leadership; how do you have a message on a website that’s inclusive of both parents and teens? There’s no right answer but what we’re going to be doing is working through some exercises to give people the tools for their specific organization. We’re going to talk about best practices and run a couple of workshops so that’ll be a good tool kit to walk away with.

AJT: You do quite a bit of lecturing as part of your job, including at your alma mater, Emory University.

Feldman: I’ve been really grateful for the network and the professors there at Emory. I never knew that I was into lecturing, but one of my professors asked me to speak after I graduated and I loved it.

AJT: Talk about your current project with the AJMF. Feldman: We’re in the middle of this awesome rebrand for the festival, working really closely with (AJMF director) Joe Alterman in the process of renaming it; seeing how you take that name that’s really descriptive and create something that’s unique and uniquely Jewish without hiding the fact that it’s Jewish. It can be challenging when you’re trying to define Jewish music.

That’s a big piece of it, making sure that Atlanta can really own Jewish music however we end up describing it or codifying it.

AJT: How else are you working with the AJMF? Feldman: It’s an entire visual identity: what does the logo look like, what do the colors look like, their posters, their website; what does the language look like and how do you communicate it? It always goes be-

38 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

yond a pretty logo; we qualify that from day one. We ask clients: where do you want to be in two years; what is your pie-in-the-sky for 10 years from now? We are building you a brand that’s going to help you get to those goals. Everything is standardized, so as they grow as an organization, the messaging is consistent no matter who’s talking about it.

AJT: You have degrees in business and music, right?

Feldman: I went to Emory to get a degree in the arts, but my parents said they would pay for my education if I also did a business degree. I was always interested in both, so I was writing music and playing guitar, really getting to be creative, and also got to do these business classes. I’m still very left and right brain. … It gave me the balance that I needed, but I started applying for jobs and realized it was going to be tough to find something super creative and also analytical in the business world. That kind of defined my career direction in general. I’ve been able to marry the two in my career through nonprofits and I’m grateful that both of those have played a large part in my life.

AJT: So you’re a guitar player?

Feldman: My mom is a classically trained pianist and my dad is an entrepreneur. We’re from Russia, so I got piano training early on and then classical guitar training from the age of nine. I didn’t really pick up rock ‘n’ roll until I was 15. At Emory I did classical guitar in year one, and then jazz guitar years two to four.

AJT: Do you still play now?

Feldman: Occasionally I play with ATL Collective, and I’ll play at friends’ weddings –nothing big – in a side band; just having fun with it. I’ve gotten deeply involved in music and a lot of music clients through the nonprofit (ATL Collective) that I help.

Through that, we’ve gotten really connected to the Atlanta music scene in general, working with a lot of music venues and festivals, so I’ve gotten to work with a variety of different fields in the music industry. ì

ARTS & CULTURE

ORT Plans Arsty/Eatsy Event in the City On March 15 ORT Atlanta will host its inaugural O/ART and the City event in collaboration with Atlanta’s thriving art community and to celebrate the city’s people, art and culture while bringing awareness to ORT’s mission of impacting lives through education.

“We are honored to be able Marcia to support local artists in our Caller Jaffe community while also shining a light on this outstanding organization, which is found in 35 countries,” explained Delilah Cohen, co-chair of O/Art and the City.

Staged at the Stave Room in Midtown Atlanta, O/ART and the City is an evening featuring one-of-a-kind works of art designed by 44 of Atlanta’s top emerging and nationally recognized artists. Photographers, painters and artists of other mediums were hand-selected by local art advisors and challenged to create an original masterpiece centered around the specific theme, “Inspiration by Education.”

The artwork will be auctioned off at the event, and all proceeds will go toward ORT’S work to improve the school and the facilities at the Kfar Silver Youth Village in Israel.

Recognizing the impact it can make, O/ART and the City supports ORT’s goal of bridging the gap between aptitude and opportunity, providing tools for disadvantaged students from under-served communities to be more successful.

Artists were sent a video about ORT and given the theme “Inspiration by Education,” around which to build their submissions. One local featured artist, Adam Podber, is working on a new work for the event, reaching back into Jewish elements from his 2019 Chabad exhibit and tying it into a more contemporary piece. “This will be a simple, positive message combining acrylic, oil-based, and aerosol paints with neon accents.”

Artist Jenny Kamin is presenting a velvet-like floral bouquet painting, “For you: With thanks and gratitude,” lovingly expressing student-to-teacher appreciation.

Columbian-born artist Esteban Patino, who’s in the rotating collection at Atlanta’s High Museum, is known for his use of symbols, manipulation with language, and speech bubbles. He describes his ORT piece as inspired by the many smiles he’s seen in kids when they play with art or have the sensation of learning. “Art is an incredible connector, a gift that unites people from different ages, backgrounds, races.

The {ORT} video reminded me of the opportunities I’ve had while engaging with young minds.”

Sandy Springs artist Susan Proctor prepared a 20-by30-inch mixed media on canvas of an abstract figure of a woman with arms and wings representing freedom, entitled “Knowledge is Freedom.” She used actual textbook pieces with acrylic under paint. “The musical light bulb on the figure’s head represents old music that I learned as a child.” She also wrote an original poem to accompany the mixed media.

At the event, there will be tiered opportunities to become a sponsor. There will also be several items up for auction, such as the highly sought after four tickets to “Hamilton” at the Fox Theatre, which includes a tour of the theater and a delicious catered lunch.

ORT America is the primary fundraising arm of World ORT, believed to be the largest nongovernmental education

Event chairs Justine Cohen, Delilah Cohen and Lesley Berman.

Students from many ORT schools meet to learn and share their different backgrounds and cultures.

and training organization in the world. ORT’s educational and vocational programs provide its students with the best possible educational preparation, social services assistance, and financial support to remain in school and break the cycle of poverty. To date, ORT has impacted the lives of millions of students, regardless of their backgrounds or religious beliefs, equipping them with a high-caliber education and the technological training needed to become productive members of their communities.

“We support a global educational network, schools, colleges and vocational programs throughout the world,” said

Rachel Miller, director of ORT America, Atlanta region.

O/ART and the City runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at 199 Armour Drive. Parking is complimentary. Food stations will be built around countries where ORT schools are located.

The wine tasting is being led by a certified sommelier and will also feature wines from Argentina, France and Spain. ì Tickets start at $85 and can be purchased at ortamerica. ticket.qtego.net. The evening will include a dinner buffet, open bar, wine tasting, plus other surprises. Must be 21 or older to attend. For more information, call 404-327-5266.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 39

ARTS & CULTURE

When Art Partners with Science A b o u t a dozen Jewish artists are among the more than 100 joining Georgia climate scientists in a free art exhibit next month to help Flora Rosefsky inspire action “Touching Roots,” photography about global

by Susan Pelteson, questions the warming. The Women’s Caucus for Art of future of ancestral forests.

Georgia’s Art + Activism is sponsoring the upcoming exhibit, One Earth/One Chance, of abstract works on paper inspired by at the Clarkston campus of Georgia State beautiful seaside and garden settings. She University’s Perimeter College. The event said the piece was chosen because it hinted includes a panel discussion March 12 with at ominous change embedded in the beauclimate scientists. ty of nature.

The AJT spoke From Jesse Bathwith several Jewish rick’s statement on the artists from Georgia WCAGA’s website, she whose work will apdescribes what fuels pear in the exhibition her art making is the about their aesthetic urgency for action, and intellectual views advocacy and truth on global warming. telling. Messages of sciThe artists represent a entific facts are found mix of Jewish religious within the leaves of her affiliations and ages. collage, “an accurate Atlanta artist and portrayal of the weight “We Can No Longer Clown Round, psychologist Karen of the evidence.”

Climate Change is Real” by Eve Mannes Schwartz said she Bathrick stated implores rapid action from global leaders. believes that collabthat she believes artorative efforts acknowledging intercon- ists “are the mirror reflecting the beauty nectedness, such as the one that generated and intricate design of creation, sounding the exhibition, is how to address the chal- an alarm to be stewards we were meant to lenge of global warming. Schwartz said she be of Mother Earth.” As a lifetime organic chose her artwork for this show with the gardener, she states “that change is not a idea that art may help us approach difficult possibility; it is rather a reality.” She makes subjects that might otherwise be avoided. some personal observations with her art, “The global warming crisis infiltrates stating that she no longer sees a sky that every aspect of our environment but may was once filled with migrating monarch show up in ways that appear visually butterflies or remembering when bees were beautiful, especially plentiful, where today at first. High or low sometimes flowers go water levels, burnt unpollinated. out landscapes, unWhen Eve seasonal foliage and Mannes circumnaviblooms are all indicagated Iceland in the tors of environmental Arctic Circle this past disturbance, but may summer, the temperinvite complacency ature was 70 degrees. as we witness transiShe saw firsthand tions and transforhow icebergs were mations that embody melting in Greenland. beauty, along with the Mannes told the AJT ugliness of a destrucit was that trip that “An accurate portrayal of the weight tive human hand on compelled her to creof the evidence” collage by Jesse our natural environate “We Can No LonBathrick reflects ecosystem fragility. ment,” she said. ger Clown Round, CliSchwartz’s collage and mixed media mate Change is Real.” To create it, she used piece in the show, “Pods,” is one of a series mixed products: imported papers, chop40 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Hannah Podhorzer’s digital print “Flower Hamsa” incorporates Tree of Life, sun and moon symbols.

sticks, upholstery cords and trim, appliques, verse.”

Margie Osheroff, in her online deStyrofoam and dried plant material.

“Flower Hamsa,” one of Hannah Pod- scription of her figurative sculpture horzer’s works, originally was a black and “Waves of Memory,” states that the work white amulet composition, but she later “depicts the angst that comes to all huadded color digitally using a computer. On mans as they experience the destruction WCAGA’s website, she stated, “The state of of the environment.” She continues to say that “Sadness prevails global warming feels as the woman rememlike a continual act of bers the beauty of naviolent discord – the ture before it fell into a opposite of peace.” toxic decline.”

Sandrine Arons Callahan Mctold the AJT that her Donough, WCAGA photograph, “Rusted Art+Activism chair, said Sunrise,” presents of the exhibition that “the confrontation be“this collaboration of tween a sunrise over artists with scientists the forest near my will provide pathways house with the back of to resources and actions a logging truck from that individuals can the rail depot a mile adopt to aid in lowering away. The overlapping the rising temperature, contrast speaks to the and eventually reverse inner struggle we face Margie Osheroff’s sculpture, “Waves global warming.” ì in our daily lives beof Memory,” expresses sadness tween choosing comof nature’s toxic decline.

The One Earth/ fort at the expense of the air we breathe and the earth that sus- One Chance panel discussion begins at 7 p.m. March 12 in the Fine Arts Department tains us.”

Susan Pelteson’s photography, “Touch- of GSU-Perimeter College, Clarkston caming Roots,” questions if forests will remain pus. The exhibit runs through March 30. for future generations, imploring viewers Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Fridays 8 a.m. to to “replenish, renew or perish.”

Richard Stone uses macro-photog- 5 p.m. For more information, visit www. raphy in his work “Eye of God” to enlarge wcaga.org.

Flora Rosefsky, a member of WCAGAclose-ups of tree barks. In his online statement, Stone indicates “within a tree’s GA ART+Activism, is a contributing writer smallest details lives the breath of the uni- for the AJT.

ARTS & CULTURE

Hirsch Brings History, Passion, Most Decently

By Marcia Caller Jaffe Inspired by the 1923 Broadway debut of “God of Vengeance” by Jewish playwright Sholem Asch, “Indecent” tells the story of a kiss between two female actors (one playing a prostitute, one a brothel owner’s daughter) that led to the arrest of an entire cast for obscenity. With vivid theatricality underscored by a live Klezmer musical ensemble, seven actors portray more than 40 roles in this fascinating exploration of faith, sexuality, and art appearing from March 4-29 at the downtown Theatrical Outlet.

Five of the seven actors are Jewish in addition to the violinist/musical director, the understudy/sound designer, and beloved director Mira Hirsch.

Photo by Casey Gardner Photography // “Indecent” cast front row: Clayton Landey,

Stephanie Friedman, Christina Leidel. Row 2: Andrew Benator, Mira Hirsch From the Director (director), Pamela Gold. Row 3: Brian Kurlander, Brandon Michael Mayes.

Veteran hometown Hirsch relates it best and most personally: “I’ve been interested in directing ‘In- demanded that the JCC pull the plug on way, falling in love with theater, and changdecent’ since I first learned of it, as I have the production, as he felt it could do great ing the direction of his life for it. a connection with the material going back harm to Atlanta’s Jewish community “Working with director Mira Hirsch over 20 years. In 1998, as artistic director through its portrayal of a Jewish brothel brings me full circle in my journey through owner. ‘A shande for the Atlanta theater. My first show in Atlanta of Jewish Theatre of the goyim,’ as the Yiddish ex- was ‘Brooklyn Boy’ at Jewish Theatre of the South, I coordinated a copression goes. The show production with 7 Stages of went on without incident.

Sholem Asch’s ‘God of VenBut the experience defigeance,’ which is the playnitely left me feeling deeply within-a-play in ‘Indecent.’ connected to my historic “It was particularly counterparts depicted in noteworthy because not ‘Indecent.’ only was it a rare staging “‘Indecent’ will be very of the Yiddish classic, but interesting to our Jewish it was directed by Obie community, as it encapsuAward-winning New York lates 50 years of Jewish histheater artist Joseph Chaitory – from immigration, kin, and featured Atlanta to making it in America, theater icons Frank Wittow to the Holocaust, and to Mcand Del Hamilton in the “Indecent” is at Theatrical Outlet from March 4-29, Carthyism. It’s a love letter lead roles. inspired by the 1923 “God of to Yiddish, to Jewish culture “A few interesting Vengeance” by Sholem Asch. and to the theater. It is a things happened during that rehearsal process that further connect brave and audacious play in a time when we need bravery and audame to ‘Indecent.’ We were ciousness. I’m so proud to visited by three graduate be working on it and can’t students from Yale Drama wait to share it with Atlanta School, one of whom was audiences.” working on her graduate thesis entitled ‘The People The Actors vs. God of Vengeance.’ That Andrew Benator grew young woman turned out up in Atlanta and attended to be Rebecca Taichman, Congregation Or VeShawhose thesis project later lom, where his grandparbecame ‘Indecent’ when Photo by Casey Gardner ents were founding memshe turned it over to playPhotography // Atlanta native bers. Playing the stage wright Paula Vogel. And, in Andrew Benator plays the manager in “Indecent,” his a case of life imitating art, stage manager in “Indecent.” character sees the entire our production was almost shut down before it ever opened when a progression of the play-within-the-play member of the AJCC’s board of trustees from first public reading through to Broad-

South, where Mira was the founding artistic director. More recently, I played Sam, the pickle man in ‘Crossing Delancey’ at the Alliance Theatre.

Brian Kurlander discovered acting after a stint in All American Wrestling competing for the U.S. One of his past fabulous Atlanta roles was in “My Name Is Asher Lev.” He plays multiple roles in “Indecent:” two elders in the middle segment.

“This play is so beautiful for the Jewish community and the community at large in speaking to today’s anti-Semitism. The play is also disturbing since retribution is taken against innocent people. Sometimes we don’t want to face reality and only deal with the perceptions of ourselves.

“The play is a wonderful ensemble piece and uses Yiddish, French, Spanish and Chinese. It is hysterically funny and astoundingly poignant," said Kurlander. ì Tickets range from $15 to $50. Order early for the best prices at theatricaloutfit.org or 678-528-1500. Theatrical Outfit is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta at 84 Luckie St NW. For best parking, use the LAZ Parking garage (100 Luckie St. NW) next to the theater and purchase a parking voucher in the lobby.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 41

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Porgy and Bess’ and its Jewish Roots This year is shaping up as the “Porgy and Bess” year on the American musical stage. In the fall, The Metropolitan Opera debuted Bob Bahr a highly successful new production, seen in high definition video on Atlanta theater screens earlier this month. Local productions in the next several months are scheduled in Birmingham, Alabama, Philadelphia and at The Kennedy Center in Washington.

Beginning March 7, The Atlanta Opera will bring the beloved work by George and Ira Gershwin to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre for a series of performances.

The musical director of the Atlanta performances, David Charles Abell, considers the work about African American life on Catfish Row in Charleston, written by the two Jewish Gershwin brothers from a book by DuBose Heyward, as an

42 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

enduring American masterpiece.

“It will never go out of fashion, Abell said. “I hope people will always appreciate its greatness, the greatness of the storytelling, the greatness of the music. It’s an opera. It’s not a musical and you know it’s a great work of art.”

When it debuted in 1935, the Gershwins turned down an offer from the prominent Jewish Wall Street banker Otto Kahn to debut the work at The Metropolitan Opera. Kahn, the board chairman of The Met, could only offer a limited run for what the two brothers like to call their folk opera. They partnered instead with The Theatre Guild, which presented the work like a Broadway musical, at New York’s Alvin Theatre, with eight performances a week, including two matinees. There was even a tryout for the show in Boston.

But the success of the large and some might call sprawling work was apparently not just due to the musical genius of the Gershwins. Much of the credit for the successful Broadway production can be attributed to the director of the production, Rouben Mamoulian, who was born to Armenian Jewish parents in the Rus-

Photos by Karli Cadel/The Atlanta Opera // The Atlanta Opera ensemble with

Frederick Ballentine, far left with feather in hat band, as Sportin’ Life.

sian Republic of Georgia. He apparently by a Ukrainian chorus in New York in edited the work, shaped the production the years before he wrote ‘Porgy and in critical ways and even helped to create Bess.’ And he played me this song. And I thought, you know, it does sound a lot like a new ending.

The completed story of how these im- ‘Summertime.’ It’s got that same melodic portant Jewish creative figures worked to- shape. And one of Gershwin’s grandgether is told in a 2013 book “On My Way: parents came from Odessa, Ukraine. So The Untold Story of Rouben Mamoulian, there’s, you know, something to be said George Gershwin and Porgy and Bess” by for that connection.”

The Gershwin brothers were known the opera historian, Joseph Horowitz.

He recounts how Mamoulian, who to have taken great care to faithfully porhad never seen a black person until he tray the music and speech of African Americans and their Gullah arrived in America at dialect in Charleston. the age of 25, came to George Gershwin lived head the drama school on Folly Island outside at the Eastman School Charleston, soaking of Music in Rochester, up black culture and N.Y. Nonetheless, he music in local black directed the original schools and churches non-musical stage veras he began writing in sion in 1927 of “Porgy” 1934.

by Heyward that inWhen the work spired the Gershwin work before going on George Gershwin, left, who wrote the debuted on Broadway music for “Porgy and Bess;” DuBose in the fall of 1935, he deto direct and re-edit Heyward, center, who wrote the story; scribed it as “the greatthe musical version in and Ira Gershwin, who wrote the lyrics. est music composed in 1935.

Horowitz based his book on a re- America.”

That opinion was perhaps confirmed vised script of “Porgy and Bess,” with critical changes in Mamoulian’s hand, 50 years later, in 1985, when “Porgy and which can be found in the director’s ar- Bess” finally entered the repertory of The Metropolitan Opera. chives at the Library of Congress.

The opera historian Horowitz, in reBut the Jewish roots of Porgy and Bess may be seemingly deeper than just viewing this season’s revival of the work in how it was shaped for the stage. Abell by The Met, its first in nearly 30 years, detells of a concert performance that he scribed it in glowing terms.

“The Met’s vigorous new staging,” conducted in Ukraine that led to a conversation he had with those he worked he wrote in The American Scholar magawith there. They pointed out that one of zine, “manages to vindicate a controverthe most beloved works from the show sial cultural landmark and seal its statwas based on a Ukrainian song that Ger- ure as the highest creative achievement shwin, who was born Jacob Gershowitz, in American classical music.” ì might have heard sung as a child.

Bob Bahr is lecturing for six weeks on “The management of the Opera House told me that the melody for ‘Sum- “Revisioning Broadway: Jews, Film and the mertime,’ was inspired by a Ukrainian American Musical” beginning March 17 at folk song that Gershwin heard sung Temple Sinai.

ARTS & CULTURE

Burmenko Elevates Friendly Bat and Puppets

By Marcia Caller Jaffe “Stellaluna,” a book by Janell Canon, has thrilled children since 1993 with its tale about a young fruit bat who gets separated from its mother and is adopted by birds. To be more specific, a Gambian epauletted bat has a healing message by uniting both its bird and bat families to deliver a healing message, you guessed it, “so needed in these divisive times.”

Local educator Sara Shapiro BurAtlanta native Burmenko ties in pre- and post-production menko heads the eduinteractive workshops for children, and is often seen cational and digital around the world through her programming. efforts for the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts and expands how bats affect our ecosystem, their life “Stellaluna” to a wider audience. It was cycle, the types of bats in Georgia, and among the top 100 children’s books she gives an overview of the original based on a 2007 poll by the National book’s story. “I am really excited to also Education Association and the top 100 offer pre- and post-show experiences. picture books of all time in a 2012 poll We teach children how to be a good

by School Library Journals. audience and let them meet the puppeBurmenko’s parents were both edu- teers to see them ‘unhidden,’ how the cators. Father Rabbi Zvi Shapiro moved costumes work, how the set moves, and the family to Atlanta to be the headmas- what things are made of. Also, the Q&A ter of The Epstein School; and mother is very engaging.”

Chana Shapiro, an English teacher, let Bats have often been maligned in her find her own way in becoming a different cultures; and this story por“newer age” educator. trays them as “friendly and dog-like.”

“My journey took me from the Ye- Burmenko notes, “After all, they eat shiva High School to a kibbutz and Is- harmful bugs like mosquitoes and help raeli college, then Georgia State, social the environment. They are often porwork studies and early childhood educa- trayed negatively on TV and in movies, tion,” Burmenko said. “Initially I sought yet they are really sweet creatures.” a career away from education but found “Stellaluna” bridges the gap bemy niche. As a student teacher, a profes- tween her bird and bat families, addresssor opened my eyes to opportunities be- ing how we can be so different and yet sides those in a classroom.” feel so much alike. Notions of diversity, After finding a home at the Center “the other” and inclusion are explored. for Puppetry Arts, she initially volun“It’s a classic story of finding one’s teered (1999), then joined the staff by place in the world and accepting othcoordinating tours, writing scripts, or- ers for what and who they are,” said Jon ganizing docents, and providing digital Ludwig, the center’s artistic director. learning and educational core curricu- “With birds and bats as the central prolum outreach to schools in both live and tagonists in the story, the book is perinteractive social studies, language arts, fectly suited to be adapted for the pupand science programs. In between, she pet theater.” took a maternity leave for 18 months.

The challenge in this production is “Our programs have been seen in nine that the puppets will fly, resulting in a countries and all 50 states. Some topics cast of bird and bat rod puppets that will have been butterflies, Native Americans, be manipulated using “overt puppetry,” and other live puppet shows.” a style in which the puppeteers are visiIn both pre- and post-show experi- ble. It is performed on a set that is larger ences, Burmenko heads lessons about than any production ever seen before at

Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

All-inclusive ticket prices vary but start at $19.50 for members and $25 for nonmembers. The price includes entrance to the CreateA-Puppet Workshop, where guests can make, decorate and perform with their own “Stellaluna” rod and string puppet. The ticket also covers admission to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, featuring what is believed to be the world’s largest collection of Jim Henson puppets and one of the country’s largest The Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts is currently featuring collections of global pup“Stellaluna,” based on the popular children’s book about bats. pets. ì Tickets are available online at puppet.org or by calling 404the center.

873-3391.

For those who qualify, Georgia The show is recommended for ages 4 Natural Gas is offering a 25 percent disand up. Performances are through March count for four with code GNG25.

8, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 43

ARTS & CULTURE

Riga Native Shuel Explains His Fishy Tales

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Shuel said.

At the back of the warehouse, they have Caviar, diamonds, both hot and cold smokchinchilla are age-old ing. The cold room for terms that bring forth nova and lox is set at 70 images of extreme to 80 degrees. The hot wealth and delicacy. A smoker runs at 145 deblock off North Cobb grees for about 30 minParkway, Gary Shuel utes. Shuel explained. operates Atlanta Smoke“Typically in the smoker house Products, where at one time, we would there is sparse English, have 150 paddlefish but an olfactory overwrapped in strings for load of specialty smoked holding, weighing 10 fish products that have pounds each. The more become so dear to Jewwe smoke, the deeper ish gastronomy.

A native of Riga, Gary Shuel monitors the temps on Shuel sells black caviar for $200-$600 a pound. Some call it “black gold.” the flavor. Paddlefish is a cousin to sturgeon. Fish Latvia, Shuel lines the his smoking machinery. is tested routinely at a front of his facility with Russian products ranging from Ukraini- understood smoking fish. After his very where he learned the fish business. “I got lab in Norcross to maintain the highest an rye bread, blintzes, pear caramel cake, modest bar mitzvah, he majored in eco- in the crosshairs of 9/11 and had to work of health standards.”

Shuel’s caviar is imported from pickles, Siberian dumplings, whole fro- nomics in Riga, but felt that he had no to get the right papers.” zen cherries, and ohhhh the fish: smoked future there. He came to Stone Mountain Now partnering with Uzbekistani nearby rivers and lakes such as the Missteelhead trout, salmon belly, traditional in 2001 where he worked in golf course Jew Seva Sagalchik, they operate the sissippi. He explained that the average lox and nova, white fish chums, and red maintenance. After studying English and smokehouse, where the brining, ship- fish around 3 to 5 years old is cut up to and black caviar. figuring out immigration laws with a ping, sales and production take place. yield 4.5 pounds of roe. The eggs have Shuel grew up with a family that stint in Canada, he moved to Jacksonville, They have five employees, many walking to be washed and salted before they are around in plastic knee boots to sludge packaged. Black caviar sells for from through the saltwater behind the scenes. $200-$600 a pound. Red caviar from salmon goes for $40Atlanta was chosen be$60 per pound. Atlanta cause of its access to cenSmokehouse is not kotral shipping and ports. sher. Shuel relates that About 40 percent of the black roe yielding the business is retail. You hackleback and sterlet can go to the counter and fish are not kosher, but buy items. Interestingly, the red salmon could be the business is located (if under supervision). adjacent to Goldbergs Buying from fishermen bagel company headis regulated by the state, quarters. Berta Mebel, and Shuel eschews workanother Riga native who ing with bootleggers. knew his family and Aquaculture, the Shuel as a child, said, production of delicacies “We love Gary’s herring such as cured fish, is also and caviar, especially big business in Canada, on Wednesday, when it China, Iran, Italy and goes on sale, ... a whole Rows of salmon belly Saudi Arabia. A kibbutz herring for under $3. My line up to be smoked. on the Dan River in Israel husband Lev gets busy at home trimming the herring. We add is in the mix. The word “caviar” is from onions and a bit of oil; and it’s far bet- Persian meaning “egg bearing.” Caviar ter than what you get in a jar.” The other has multi vitamins, including omega 3 60 percent of the business is wholesale, and B12. Perhaps the most famous, beconducted with notable accounts such as luga caviar, is from the Siberian region.

Shuel is married and the father of The Fresh Market, Inland Seafood, New England Marine, Roswell Provisions, and two. He tries to visit his parents Raya and upscale restaurant Le Bilboquet in the Efim in Latvia annually. ì Shops Buckhead. Atlanta Smokehouse Atlanta Smokehouse Products is open also ships pallets of seafood to San Francisco and Brooklyn. “Our customers re- to the public most days at 10 a.m. and Sunally load up on caviar and white fish to day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at make salads on the Jewish holidays,” 1700 Enterprise Way, Suite 107, Marietta.

44 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

ARTS & CULTURE

Once, Arlene Peck Knew Almost Everyone

By Bob Bahr She walks and talks a little slower these days, her voice is a little softer than it once was, but in so many ways, Arlene Peck is still the same charismatic scene stealer she always was, with a full head of fiery red hair and the thousand-watt smile she flashes so easily.

In a long and action-filled life, this mother of three has been an internationally syndicated newspaper columnist, a television talk show hostess in Hollywood, a world traveler, a prison reform activist at Atlanta’s maximum security federal penitentiary, the author of two books and a parttime movie actress with a membership in Nobel Prize winner and author the Screen Actors Guild.

Elie Wiesel in 2008 with Peck.

Long before there were “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” there was a nonstop, Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, to the one time one-woman reality show called Arlene Peck. king of daytime TV, Art Linkletter, and from “It the genes, the gene thing,” she says Vidal Sassoon to Arnold Schwarzenegger. knowingly in a recent interview with the Her book even reserves a few pages AJT. “My mother was a legend. Molly Green- for herself and how, when she unexpectberg. She was a very successful commercial edly found that she was without a guest one real estate maven. She could talk to anyone day for her show, she talked for 30 minutes about anything.” about men, women and relationships.

And so, it seems, “Whether in L.A or so could her daughter Atlanta,” she said during Arlene, who parlayed the monologue, “finding a reputation as a feara good man is truly like less newspaper columputting a saddle on a nist for the forerunner cow. You work and work of the Atlanta Jewish and finally get it on the Times, the Southern Iscreature. You then look raelite, into an abrasive, and say, ‘What’s the no-holds-barred syndiuse?’” cated columnist who In the same chapsounded an early alarm ter she had this comabout European antiment about women: “…

Semitism and the rapid another difference berise of Islamic fundatween LA and Southern mentalism, and covered women: every LA womIsrael’s 1993 military an is so ‘nipped and campaign in Lebanon. tucked’ that pool parties Arlene Peck’s book, “Before Botox: I Later she moved have more plastic in the Knew Them When … Twenty Years to Southern California pool than a Tupperware of Celebrity Interviews,” published where her ability to party.” in 2017, recounts her meetings with mix and mingle and such celebrities as Elvis, Vidal Sassoon She particularly her sharp wit won her recalls how a public reand Arnold Schwarzenegger. a twice-weekly talk lations person arranged show for Comcast cable, talking to a steady for her to attend a fancy event at the Los stream of A-list and not so A-list stars.

Angeles Hilton but cautioned that she could “Celebrities were everywhere in Los only attend the cocktail reception, not the Angeles.,” she recalls. “On every corner dinner. you’ve got someone, and they all had public Nevertheless, she wandered into the relations people who were eager to get their ballroom anyway and found a place card clients on my program.” marked Peck and sat down, like she beHer book, “Before Botox: I Knew Them longed there. Across from her sat Paul NewWhen … Twenty Years of Celebrity Inter- man and his wife, Joanne Woodward, but views,” published in 2017, recounts her the evening did not go as she had planned. meetings with everyone from the King of “In a few moments this woman sits

The entrance to Arlene Peck’s apartment at Huntcliff Summit is filled with memorabilia.

down next to me and she says, ‘Hello I’m Barbara Sinatra and this is my husband Frank,’” she remembers. “I said to myself, if I have a heart attack right here, I could die happy. But then I heard this man behind say in a booming voice, ‘I beg your pardon, I think you’re in my seat.’ It was Gregory Peck. A guy from food and beverage escort-

ed me out.”

These days, Arlene Peck lives in a modest one-bedroom apartment at Huntcliff Summit, a Sandy Springs retirement community, where the snapshots of her with just about anyone who was anyone line the walls.

There’s a photo of an ever-smiling Peck and a youthful Dustin Hoffman, an aging Martin Balsam, along with Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Steve Allen, Shimon Peres, Elie Wiesel, Joan Rivers, and Pat Boone, among so many others. Like the ever-present Leonard Zelig in the 1983 Woody Allen movie of the same name, Peck was seemingly everywhere, the friend of everyone.

Some of the photos on the wall have begun to fade and Peck, after a string of serious health issues, is starting to lose some coloring, herself. Her “service dog,” a toy poodle named, appropriately, Star, has replaced all the celebrities she once hung out with. Still, she says she has no regrets and although she sometimes misses the bright lights, she’s happy.

“The highlight of my day now is a bingo game,” she says. “I got so excited the other day. I won a bingo game where I covered my entire bingo card and yay! I won $7.”

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 45

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Mamma Mia!’ Here They Go Again The chorus of the “Mamma Mia!” theme song, “Here I go again, my, my, how can I resist you?” could just as well describe the popular Broadway Roni Robbins musical being performed by Jerry’s Habima Theatre March 12-20 at the Marcus JCC. This is the 27th musical production of the theatrical company, which features actors with special needs alongside professional actors from the community. This is only the second season in recent history in which all the lead roles are played by adults with developmental disabilities, according to Rachel Fox Weitz, production chair.

Also unique about this production is that about 20 percent of the cast are either new or returning after several years.

One such actress is Amy Kahn, who has been in 12 productions, but is returning to the stage after 15 years. She left Habima Theatre to work full-time as a clerk with

46 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Rachel Fox Weitz, production chair of “Mamma Mia!” enjoys watching the excitement among cast members.

Photo by Heidi Morton // “Mamma Mia!" dancing queens Katie Rouille (as Rosie),

the IRS, but said she missed the stage and decided to return after viewing Habima Theatre’s production last year of “Xanadu.”

“I really felt I missed being up there,” said Kahn, who is 49. “So when auditions rolled around, I signed up.” She will be part

familiar with Broadway will know them, … of the “Mamma Mia!” ensemble this year.

Kahn recalled some of her favorite with everyone clapping and singing along.”

In terms of the cast, Weitz said, “they past roles, including Frenchy in “Grease,” have shown they Miss Adelaide in can do all different “Guys and Dolls,” shows, different and Yenta in “Fidroles with different dler on the Roof.” music. It’s really “It changed my impressive.

The whole perspective cast is very excited on life,” Kahn said and having a wonabout Habima Thederful time with atre. She has a develit. It’s one of these opmental delay but programs where lives independently once you come one with limited supyear, you’ll always port. “I feel more want to come back confident.” in future years.

Of the proThat’s inspiring. ductions, she says, “I tell people, “it’s hard work, but ‘you’ll be crying worth it in the end.

Amy Kahn has performed in 12 and laughing at … Without hard productions, but this is her first one after the same time.’ work we wouldn’t a 15-year absence from the stage.

It’s such a magical be where we are.”

Kahn also believes her mother, who experience for the audience and the cast died five years ago, would want her to re- members.”

She especially enjoys watching the turn to the stage. What is she most looking cast members, “how excited they are the forward to about performing?

“Showing people what I am able to do day of the show and how talented. Cast members return year to year. Watching and being proud.”

In the future, Kahn hopes to land a lead them grow year to year as actors is one of role like she’s had in the past. “One thing at the highlights.”

Habima Theatre is produced under a time. … I know I can’t get a big role this one the MJCCA Blonder Family Department of because I am just coming back.”

Weitz said Habima Theatre has per- Special Needs and the Department of Arts formed different types of productions over + Culture. ì Tickets for MJCCA members are $25 for the years, including classic musicals such as “Oklahoma,” along with kid-friendly, “Shrek,” adults and $10 for children 12 and younger; $35 for nonmembers and $15 for children 12 “Aladdin,” and “The Addams Family.”

This production “matches a classic with and younger, and can be purchased at atlancatchy, fun tunes. Even those who are not tajcc.org/habima or by calling 678-812-4002.

Bess Winebarger (as Donna), and Margaret Whitley (as Tanya).

photo: Philip Groshong

The Gershwins’

PORGY AND BESS George Gershwin, DuBose & Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin

Mar 7, 8, 10, 13, 15 | Cobb Energy Centre

404-881-8885 | ATLANTAOPERA.ORG

ARTS & CULTURE

AJT Celebrates With Young Artists

Daniel Weinstein poses with his Chanukah menorah artwork.

Davis Academy fifth grader Leora Sokol and her brothers pose with the AJT, pointing at her submission.

Winners of the AJT’s Chanukah art competition met at Binders Art Supplies and Frames in Buckhead Feb. 16 to eat kosher cookie cake, drink juice, and collect their prizes. Surrounded by art from the Woodward Academy, which lined the walls of the gallery where the recep-

tion was held, about 40 people gathered to celebrate with the winners, including the young artists' siblings, parents, and grandparents.

Jen Evans, the AJT’s community relations director, presented the awards to the winners as their relatives clapped

Lilli Jennison, AJT creative and media designer, cuts a cookie cake honoring the Chanukah art contest winners.

Daniel Weinstein and family with the cookie cake celebrating the winners.

and cheered. Prizes of $5 were given to 10 first place entries; $10 gift cards to two runners-up; and $25 gift cards to four, first-place winners. The grand prize went to Goldie Treyf, an Atlanta Jewish Academy eighth grader, who won a $50 gift card.

“The kids were excited to spend their gift cards,” said Lilli Jennison, AJT’s creative and media designer. Many of the children planned to use their prize money to buy new art supplies from Binders immediately following the party. Some of the artists even said they were going to start working now on

their art submission for next year’s Chanukah competition.

One of the winners, Daniel Weinstein, in pre-K at The Davis Academy, was thrilled to receive his prize. He even did a little dance. “Daniel strutted up to receive his gift card,” Evans said, laughing.

Another winner, Binny Schulgasser, a Torah Day School of Atlanta sixth grader, had started working on his art of a spaceship at the end of the summer.

He spent months on his submission and was very proud to be chosen.

A big thank you to the Binders staff for their hospitality and sponsorship. ì

We Buy Diamonds We Buy Gold

Max Haviv

Graduate Gemologist 48 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Haim Haviv Owner

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 49

ARTS & CULTURE

Music as Midrash Shapes Reform Worship

By Bob Bahr Reform Judaism’s focus on a more personal and participatory musical worship experience was explored earlier this month at The Temple in Atlanta. Elana Arian, who performs frequently before Reform congregational audiences around the country, described the experience as “musical midrash,” the process of putting new melodies to traditional words of prayer.

Traditional midrash is the way Jewish rabbis and scholars search for contemporary meaning in familiar religious texts, but according to Arian, music can create new meanings as well.

“The putting of a melody to any form of prayer is a kind of midrash,” she said at her Feb. 1 appearance. “We know there are many different ways to pray, but the first person to say we could feel that prayer more if we could sing it, was creating a midrash. Every melody is in fact an interpretation of that form of liturgy.”

More personal and interpretive forms of midrash in Jewish worship were slow to catch on, particularly in large and

50 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

The Temple’s Cantor Deborah Hartman, left, joins Elana Arian in performance at the Music as Midrash class.

influential congregations like The Temple, where stately melodies performed by a classically trained cantor and carefully rehearsed choir were the norm through much of the 20th century.

That all began to change in the 1970s, under the influence of composers and performers like Debbie Friedman, who was strongly influenced by the folk revival in youthful popular music in the 1960s. She combined lively, memorable

Friedman was particularly influential in making prayers of healing an important part of the modern American Jewish worship tradition. Her melody and interpretation of the “Mi Shebeirach” healing prayer was adopted by numerous congregations, regardless of their denominational affiliation and is said to have revitalized the offering of prayers for recovery from illness.

Under the impact of her influence, forms of worship that expressed a more emotional vulnerability and openness became the standard in Reform Judaism.

Elana Arian’s performances Friedman told an interviewer for are available on CD. JewishTVNetwork.com, posted on YouTube soon after her death in 2011, that and often accessible melodies that could her midrash was written about the words easily be sung by worshippers with tradi- before the recitation of the “Amidah” (sitional Hebrew liturgy and original lyrics lent, standing prayer) and spoke most directly about how she saw her work. in English.

“G-d, as I stand alone,” she wrote of According to Arian, that new sense of informality didn’t always sit well with the midrash, “I pray my heart will sing more conservative congregants of the time. out to you so many thoughts and fears “The accepted cantorial style then that I have. May I open my lips in prayer.”

For Arian, who came to know Friedwas meant to bring us to a really elevated place, a place on a higher plane. There’s man well before her untimely death, she was a family really a place for friend and menthat in our wortor whose influship,” she said, ence was per“however, when sonal.

Debbie Friedman “She taught started to create that to get conher own melodies nected to the for prayers, you words of the litcan imagine what urgy is to make people thought of them live in our that. People were own mouth and in very threatened Debbie Friedman, who died in 2011, our own body. So was a seminal force in bringing greater by that idea, like, participation into the worship experience. it’s not just about how dare you.”

Gradually, Friedman’s musical mi- the realm of G-d and what G-d does, but drash approach, which spoke to both the about what we do.”

For the musical followers of Friedintellectual and emotional traditions of Judaism, began to win converts. Under man, the battle of the future direction of the influence of a new generation of can- Reform Judaism is largely over. Except tors, who, beginning in 1975 included siz- for special holiday services, such as those able numbers of women, the emphasis on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the began to shift away from performances classical tradition in worship has largely admired for their form and beauty to faded.

That was one of the ideas behind more direct forms of participation in the documentary, “A Cantor’s Head,” feaworship.

“Debbie would answer this question tured at the just-ended Atlanta Jewish of why are you composing a new melody Film Festival.

But for Arian and for many who refor something we already have with her idea of music as midrash,” Arian pointed vere the influence of the musical midrash out. “Every melody for every essential that Friedman brought to Jewish sacred piece of text that you have was a midrash music, that was all for the good.

“We are always stronger when we by that composer. For Debbie, it was a foundational idea of her work and gave open the doors more,” she emphatically rise to an entire generation that reinter- suggested. “As a people we are always preted text that was quite old and made stronger when we open and open and open the doors.” ì them feel new.”

Photos by Duane Stork // The great room focuses on Lesley’s sister Susan Woolf’s triangle oil depicting the

“Hostel Crisis.” On each side are Bedouin weavings. The found object airplane hovers above.

Chai Style Art

Multifaceted artist Lesley Price relaxes on her staircase wearing a colorful acetate necklace by South African Beverley Price. Beside her is one of the postcards preserved from her father's youth in Germany.

Price’s Versatility Reveals Deep Roots, Talent A tour of the Price home is akin to a suspense novella, was making records from around 1880. Thus, they escaped traversing cultures and countries with stops in Deutsch- with much of the family’s valuables. We even have the red land, Johannesburg and now Brookhaven. In their 1996 gramophone supposedly used by Marlene Dietrich in the house anchored by heart of pine floors, Lesley and Cliff “[Murder on the] Orient Express” movie.

Price are at home in all corners of the world.

Here you see much of their oil paintings, furniture and Memory laden, Lesley reveals her fascination with photographs. The most sentimental thing was my father’s craft and process as she documents her family’s life in Ger- childhood postcards, which I have turned into an art form. I many alongside a formidable collection of enlarged them on fine rice paper and used enSouth African art. “We were collecting South caustic beeswax to achieve the artistic layered African art in the 1970s long before it became finish. Large versions of the series “Lieba Papa” popular,” she said. were on display in the atrium of the HartsfieldCliff, one of the developers of The View at Jackson Atlanta airport in 2010.

Chastain and Lofts at the Park, enjoys found The dramatic photograph of my grandobjects that are both definitive and familiar. father chatting with my step-grandfather in Lesley, an avid animal rescuer for Furkids, the dining room illustrates the graph of the enjoys the scampering of numerous cats and rise and decline of Germany. I have their passone Lhasa Apso, Tumi, who reigns as king of ports where they were Xed out from citizens the jungle. Lesley takes numerous curtain Marcia to noncitizens. Upstairs is my great-greatcalls as she masters several art forms to relate Caller Jaffe grandfather’s siddur and a gramophone reher stories with imprinted designs. History cord of my father’s bar mitzvah speech. loves company.

Dare to take the Price tour.

Jaffe: Lay out your personal artistic journey.

Price: I first became a fashion designer in my father 's Jaffe: Share your family’s journey out of Germany. clothing factory in Johannesburg. I also took up pottery in Price: They left Berlin in 1933 before Nazi occupation. South Africa. Later in Atlanta I became a kitchen designer My grandfather Max Lesser manufactured clothing in for Poggenpohl and SieMatic [Atlanta Decorative Arts CenBerlin. My great-grandfather had a recording studio and ter].

Using infrared film, I have won prizes for my photography, the newest of which was part of Atlanta Celebrates Photography 2019.

The black and white images I shot of Rabbi Yossi New’s first daughter’s wedding that was held in Piedmont Park. I shot these using my first film camera, a Nikon 90s. As the light dimmed and using a slow shutter speed, I achieved the blurred images in an effect I still like to use in my work today.

Jaffe: Your sister is an accomplished artist.

Price: Susan Woolf, who has a doctorate in art and resides in South Africa, created earlier paintings depicting the sadness of apartheid. Her newer work “Talk To Me,” a language for both sighted and blind people, was displayed at the MoMA in Manhattan. She was also featured on a postage stamp in South Africa in 2010 for this.

Here we have several of her oils: In the great room, the triangle showing Zulus wielding sticks in political upheaval was displayed at the Carter Center. “Hostel Crisis,” a truly terrible time in South Africa.

“The Train” upstairs is also part of the crisis series.

My sister and her daughter threw oranges out of the train to little boys. Older boys stole the oranges, and she was horrified. Message: “Think carefully how you give charity.”

Also, “Crisis” black and white charcoal in the dining ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 51

CHAI STYLE Rescued cat Butterscotch relaxes on this entrance antique yellow wood desk with original ink stains from a mission station in Natal, South Africa. The framed spun glass piece is from Price’s great-great-grandfather, circa 1861.

Susan Woolf’s “Train” in bold tangerine and emerald tones emotes passengers throwing food out of a moving train.

room depicts violence in Soweto.

Jaffe: What work of others do you collect?

Price: We focus on found objects and South African pieces. Cliff adores these wire motorcycles, the model airplane flying in the great room ceiling and the yellow road front-end loader, a toy built accurately to scale by a worker in the gold mines.

We love anything that is unusual. Encasing the fireplace, Bedouin woven pieces, an entrance to a Bedouin tent, a baby pouch and a woven rug that was used on horses.

The dining room basket by Billie Ruth Sudduth (North Carolina) is similar to her piece in the White House. She

actually traded for a very fine Zulu beer strainer.

We exhibit other international credentialed South African artists, many of whom participated in City Gallery East 1996 for the Olympics “Common and Uncommon Ground: South African Art to Atlanta” sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.

We have many works by William Kentridge, known for his charcoal film animations, and Peter Mthombeni, whose ceramic “Child Shouldering Adult Responsibilities” 1996 is in our great room. The bowl next to it is by Ardmore Studios.

Willem Boshoff is known as strongly intellectual for his visual poetry, often using South African sand and soil.

In the Price dining room, encaustic works “Lieba Papa” are from postcards of Price's dad growing up in Germany.

These images were reproduced as 4-by-4-foot framed works hung on the pillars of the atrium at the Atlanta airport. Basket by Billie Ruth Sudduth, and the charcoal on paper is part of the Susan Woolf “Crises Series.”

Retired real estate developer Cliff Price dotes over found objects like this wire loadgrader purchased from a mine worker.

52 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

CHAI STYLE

This Peter Mthombeni ceramic “Child Shouldering Adult Responsibilities” 1996 sits next to a bowl from Ardmore Studios South Africa.

Others are by Victor Pasmore, Claude Jammet Tait and Gladys Mgudlandlu.

my granny’s dishtowels (Messertuch or knife cloth) layered with Struwwelpeter.

Jaffe: What is in your lower level?

Price: One of the bodies of work in my studio is 1889 glass negatives that I bought from an estate. My interest was in the beautiful costumes. This was also produced in the printmaking studio and layered with beeswax.

My first solo show in Atlanta was about growing up in South Africa influenced by “My Sucker Thumb Story” as Struwwelpeter circa 1850, a scary German storybook about a little boy whose thumb was cut off. The image has

Jaffe: What will you do next?

Price: I plan to tackle cold wax painting and another project where I photographed a burned-out piano factory on Peters Street. The fire was accidentally started by firecrackers years ago. The original building was a candy factory in what was then an Atlanta industrial area (1902).

I enjoy a mixture and anything that is unusual! ì

Lesley’s studio houses more of her encaustic pieces from numerous shows.

This wooden totem pole is from Central Africa.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 53

DINING Eat Real, Do Good, Karma-Inspired Healthy Food G l u t e n - with comfortable benches and orange acfree Southern cents. The wall painting of Harold the Karinspired Karma ma llama elicits a smile.

Farm in BuckA few of us old-timers recalled the longhead portends a gone Veggieland on Pharr Road. Karma friendly casual Farm goes beyond by balancing the art of a t m o s p h e r e what’s fresh and in season by day in a smorwith a wide va- gasbord of surprises and staples – all without riety of cafete- guilt of pesticides and additives. Buckhead ria-style healthy resident Ruth Katz noted, “We have known Marcia and hearty of- the family for years and were probably one Caller Jaffe ferings. of their first customers. We like everything Just west about the place. I need gluten-free choices of Peachtree Street and two blocks east of and like the avocado salad, free-range the Atlanta History Springer Mountain Center is this locally chicken, black-eyed owned farm-to-table peas and brownies. fast casual restauMy husband, who rant with pans of is not glut-free, likes a variety of homeeverything!” made healthy items.

The daily Do not be scared off menu is also dairy by the healthy imand whole nut free, age, there are dozens with a sustainabilA custom designed lemon kale side, and of proteins, salads, ity focus. Karma sautéed Japanese sweet potatoes surround hot and cold sides, Farm is the brainthe vegetarian Venezuela style arepa. soups, fresh-made child of McCall and juices and sweets. The open space is lined Scott Wilder, a husband and wife team who

Shop from our expanded selections of kosher wines from around the world, both mevushal and non-mevushal, all certified kosher. If we don’t have what you are looking for in the store, we are happy to order other selections for you!

3719 Old Alabama Road Johns Creek, GA 30022 (Marlow’s Shopping Center) 770-884-2450 54 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

This display board explains the Karma Farm concept.

The avocado and Scottish salmon bowl is a menu fave.

respectively left the children’s boutique cloth- and out based on local market availability. ing and financial businesses when their son Our favorites were the roasted cauliflower developed a nut allergy. They got the idea in mustard, cider vinegar BBQ sauce, and the wood-grilled smoked four years ago, and recentsalmon salad, Mama’s ly celebrated their one-year spicy noodles, and lemonanniversary. flavored kale. We sampled McCall said, “Here three soups that were all we are with two teenagers hearty. and three dogs working Desserts are firstsix days a week attractcome first-served, and ing this diverse crowd of some are not vegan. We diners who appreciate had the very rich chocoour quality and embrace latey brownie, cinnamon us. We see dating couples, donut, and an addictive loyal customers from Kencrumbled organic oats nesaw, Johns Creek, BuckCo-owners McCall and Scott “Oat Crack” in hardened head, and bikers from the Wilder are passionate about maple syrup reminiscent BeltLine who routinely eat healthy food and community of pralines. Blueberry and with us.” She continued, service. Harold the Llama is in “People now realize that the background at Karma Farm. chocolate banana muffins are popular menu items. they don’t need fillers in Healthy beverages abound: Local Montheir food. Also note that our ‘Dirty Dozen’ fruits and veggies like celery, strawberries, tane (Callaway Gardens) sparkling water, are organic.” To be gluten-free, coconut ami- organic teas (like strawberry basil green, turmeric ginger), zero water, lattes, lemonno is used as a soy substitute.

McCall handles the register and so- ade and Yirgacheffe Ethiopian coffee are cial media, greets guests, and develops the just a few.

The Wilders take the “Do Good” in their menu. Scotty manages the finances and makes Karma Farm’s signature arepas. mission motto seriously. McCall was proud They are pockets made of yucca root with a that the mayor’s office sent representatives mashed potato consistency that are grilled to study their green/recycling formula.

“With all this volume, and stuffed with a vawe are 90 percent comriety of ingredients. Repostable and have only ferred to as a “wonderone trash bag a day!” ful mess,” we had Scott’s A sign on the wall Arepa ($10.24) with husays, “If you can’t feed mus, avocado, organic a 100 people, just feed sundried tomatoes, srione,” Mother Teresa. racha, spinach, Vidalia That’s why they support onions and vegan ranch the No Kid Hungry Atdressing. It was a warm, A variety of items are labeled lanta, where for every rich package. Pre-Columin the cafeteria-style line. meal sold, one is donated bian arepas are a staple in Venezuela and in some Mexican and Sal- locally.

Take out is also popular. ì vadorian diets. They are flat, round, unleavened and spilt for sandwiches.

Karma Fam is located at 54 Pharr Road.

Using the term “food inclusive,” Karma Farm has rows of choices. Vegan mac and It’s closed Sunday and closes at 3 p.m. Monday cheese, organic spicy cubed Japanese sweet and Saturday. Tuesday through Friday hours potatoes, 10 meat options; items come in are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

DINING

Gourmet Artisan Deljou Goes for Full Approach

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Servings: 6 to 8 3 medium fennel bulbs 1 cup green olives (pitted) ½ cup parmesan, shaved ½ cup champagne vinegar ½ cup olive oil Salt to taste 1 small lemon, juiced 1 large orange, zested and juiced 1 large orange, segmented

One wave of this dining era includes not only eating well, but doing so at home, visually embracing food in the realm of art, supporting local farmers, and an almanac approach to what’s in season where. Hopping to America in 2004, a book “French Fennel salad with olives, Roasted butternut squash with feta, oregano, Roasted acorn squash with Women Don’t Get Fat” parmesan and orange Aleppo pepper, almond and pomegranate tahini, sumac, za’atar and mint

by Mireille Guiliano explained the imporof a vegetable and elevate its texture and tance of what’s fresh, in season and at music, food and culture. hand. If the tomatoes aren’t ripe and AJT: You say that you have different flavor, pushing the boundaries of how What You’ll Need: Cutting board, large bowls, knife, we view or treat something as simple as plump, don’t force imports from South ways of cooking. What are they? peeler, microplane, America, move on to Deljou: I want to a carrot. Naturally, I pull mandoline, tongs something else. challenge people to view from the flavor profiles Now fresh, oftendining and cuisine as so of my Persian heritage, Wash fennel bulbs; millennial eyes seek out much more than “three but also enjoy exploring remove outer layer if training and experience meals a day” or the basic Indian, Thai, Israeli, and bruised and tough. With to “pop up” with innovastructure of “appetizer, Latin American flavors. your knife, separate the tive menus in individual entree and dessert.” My I find inspiration in the bulb from the stalks houses or even empty specialty lies in seasonal commonalities between and fronds and set storefronts as tempovegetable-centric shared various cultures around aside. With your manrary venues. Add in fasplates that are influ- the world. doline, adjust the knob cination with unusual enced by texture, color on the back for semiAJT: What are some herbs and ethnic spins, and worldly flavors. thin cuts. Using a bowl, and voila, we have priMy philosophy tips that you have discovplace the fennel bulb on vate chef Nadia Deljou. “taste as you go, season ered that make for better top and slide down the entertaining?

A Sandy Springs naas you go” encourages A graduate of The Weber School Deljou prepares lentils with blade continuously to Deljou: Sharing, tive, Deljou graduated both my guests and stuand International Culinary braised sweet potatoes.

Center, Nadia Deljou focuses produce even and conconnecting. from The Weber School, dents to cook with intu- gathering, on ethnic cultures, individual Georgia State University, ition. I believe recipes Music is a big part of what we do here at sistent slices. menu creation, and seasonality.

On a cutting board, thinly cut stalks the International Culiprovide great guidelines Delle. We like to engage with our guests nary Center in New York, and the real and are the genesis of inspiration, but it’s in various ways, be it through the food and fronds. Toss in a bowl with the rest training ground in Manhattan where she important to understand that we all taste we’re cooking, the sonic atmosphere of the sliced fennel. Tear olives in half, worked at renowned Michelin-starred top differently. I hope to empower people to we’re creating, or the connections and shave strips of parmesan with a vegetashelf restaurants. Operating in Atlanta as trust their instincts and notice the great- relationships that come out of the dinner ble peeler, and toss in orange segments.

In a mixing bowl, zest orange with parties. We continue the conversation Delle Dining, she charms even the most er context behind cuisine. outside of our dinners through monthly microplane, and juice lemon and orange. discerning palates.

AJT: Share your formal training in newsletters, where we share one “must- Add vinegar and whisk in olive oil to try” ingredient, one original recipe, and make a citronette. Season to taste. Toss Taste her world of curation and en- the art of cooking. everything together to combine ingreditertaining ideas.

Deljou: I’ve been cooking for large one current favorite musical album. ents, then toss in dressing and serve imgroups of people since age 11, but in 2018 AJT: What are the trends you see up mediately.

AJT: How would you describe Delle I attended the “Farm to Table” program The salt will begin to wilt the fennel, Dining? at the International Culinary Center in and coming for 2020? Brussels sprouts so season right before serving. Taste as you Deljou: I host intimate pop-up din- New York, spearheaded by Dan Barber are on every menu it seems!

Deljou: I think our culture is be- go; season as you go. I don’t really believe ners, curating a five-course dining expe- of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Upon gradurience elevated by beverage and music ating, I worked in various culinary con- coming more and more intentionally in recipes. I think they provide great guidepairings. We also host communal-style texts, most notably Jean-Georges’ ABCV interested in locality, seasonality, and lines and are the genesis of inspiration. So, cooking classes and dinners focused on in Union Square, a high-end vegetarian/ celebrating the integrity of ingredients. use this as a tool. If you feel you want more We’re starting to see more vegetables vinegar, more orange, or if it needs more a specific cuisine and culture. Right now vegan forward restaurant. stand alone and the integration of ethnic salt, go for it. We all taste differently, so use we’re exploring the food and music of Iran.

AJT: What are your personal best flavors like tahini, sumac, harissa, and this recipe as your canvas and fill in the gaps yourself. Eat well. Cook often. ì za’atar into Western menus.

The pop-up dinners aim to expose dishes? Ethnic cuisines? our guests to new flavors and sounds Deljou: I focus mostly on vegetableFor more information, www.delledinHere’s a sample of Deljou’s recipes: and encourage lasting connections and forward food, because there’s so much ing.com or visit Deljou on Instagram, www. memories. They are immersive, sensory variety in taste and application. Some of instagram.com/nadiadeljou experiences that lie at the intersection of my best dishes highlight the complexity Fennel Salad ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 55

COMMUNITY Pampered at Spa Sydell and Pricci This month room. To our surprise, the massage beds finds us again were heated, which is an added treat as you in our beloved slip under the warm and crisp sheet and Buckhead! To blanket. We each selected a gentle and calmour delight, we ing Swedish massage, which helped loosen were invited up any tension we walked in with and left us to the new and unwound. improved Spa Next came our traditional Sydell facials.

Sydell on the Our aestheticians inquired about our skin corner of Pharr and skincare routine. Jen was a bit skeptiJen Evans & and Peachtree cal about getting a facial. Her last facial was Michal Bonell roads, adjacent five to seven years ago and she had a very On the Town to The Shops bad experience being overly sensitive to the Buckhead At- products that were used on her. Jen has senlanta. Parking is readily available and vali- sitive skin in general but was pleased with dated, with free valet as an option. her aesthetician Brook Franklin’s knowlA luxurious 5,500-square-foot haven edge and the care Brook took on her skin, welcomed us with the goal of using products specific to her relaxation and rejuvenation. skin type, and recommending Spa Sydell is proud to offer its products and treatments that distinguished day spa treatwould benefit her. Our facials ments, including assorted masresulted in clean, healthy, glowAfternoon of pampering sages and facials. They are also ing skin. Oh, and did we menat Spa Sydell. stoked to lead Atlanta’s Med tion that the facials include a Spa Market with medical-grade aesthetic full body experience with a shoulder, neck, procedures such as injections, fillers, laser chest, hand and foot massage? Just what we therapies for repairing sun damage and hair needed. Ahhhhh! removal, medical-grade facials and peels, and Showered and feeling fabulous, we CoolSculpting. hopped, skipped and We were invited jumped down the street to luxuriate in a masto Pricci, Buckhead Life sage and a facial. We Restaurant Group’s were welcomed by two Italian concept. Pricci lovely receptionists who is a contemporary Italanswered our questions ian restaurant with a and led us to the changmodern and creative, ing room, which offers yet authentic menu orFresh, light and delicious smoked lockers, showers, and a chestrated by Chef Piero Scottish salmon with capers and white char fish on toast. steam room. Each lockPremoli, who knows the er contains a thick robe for you to change art of combining classic cuisine with modern into, as well as slip-on sandals. We proceeded flair. After earning his culinary and hospitalto the tranquil waiting area and were quickly ity degrees, Chef Piero apprenticed throughwelcomed by our massage therapists, who out Europe and made his way to the United led each of us to a warm and dimly lit private States, establishing his career in noted res-

56 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Jen and Michal with Pricci’s Chef Piero Premoli.

Rich and decadent pasticceria called Bomba topped with Chambord marinated raspberries and blood oranges.

taurants and hotels like Trump Taj Mahal in the Tortellini di Zucca, a traditional artisanal Atlantic City and New York City’s Café Fiorel- pasta. The halibut filet was pan braised with lo. He has made Pricci his home since 2005 cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, rosemary, Taggia olives, Sciacchetra wine served on and has dedicated his roasted Jerusalem artichokes. This passion and creativity, combination had all the right commaking Pricci one of plimentary flavors and the fish was Atlanta’s best Italian light and delicious. The tortellini restaurants. were filled with roasted pumpkin Chef Piero was and parmigiano, smoked ricotta and excited to present us brown butter topped with a feast, accomwith roasted almonds, panied by great wine. amaretti cookie crumHis January menu was bles and optional fresh inspired from the rusgrated truffle. tic dishes of osterias For dessert, Chef around Italy. All of the Piero sent Tiramisu dishes are made up of Haley delivers with espresso soaked simple ingredients but a bottle of soft genoise, layered with are robust in flavor. pink, elegant soft mascarpone We started out with a and fruity Rotari rosé. cream and a pasticcefew cocktails from the Cocktails Della Casa menu. Michal had the ria called Bomba, with a Peruvian chocolate very light Rotari Rose wine and Jen had the mousse center, topped with Chambord-marAperol Spritz, made with prosecco, Aperol inated raspberries and blood oranges.

The wine kept flowing as we sat and and a splash of soda water served over ice chatted in this traditional Italian ristorante and garnished with a slice of orange.

Our first course brought to us by our with its fabulous décor and ambiance that waitress Haley was a light sampling of cured makes you feel like you’re in Italy. Italian music playing through the smoked Scottish salmon speakers added to the topped with capers on a atmosphere as well. We bed of mixed greens and did not feel rushed and white char fish on toast really enjoyed our meal points. Curing of the in a relaxing booth. meats is done on premWhat dinner should be, ises and all are superbly nice conversation over flavorful. delicious food, good Our next course wine and great combegan with the Insalata pany. Stupendo!

Di Finocchi E Arance, inspired by the province of You can view Trapani. This simple salInsalata Di Finocchi E Arance, a ad made up of baby fri- beautiful salad with a light and a zestful Pricci’s menu at www. buckheadrestaurants. see gems, Sicilia oranges, dressing, was unique and delicious. com/restaurant/pricci/ shaved fennel, Gaeta olives, red onion topped with an orange bal- and see what services Spa Sydell offers at https:// samic vinaigrette and pecorino chucks, was www.spasydell.com/. ì light and delicious. The orange flavors really To have us review your event or restaupop in your mouth.

Our entrees included the Halibut In rant, contact us at 404-883-2130, jen@atljewUmido inspired by the Genova province and ishtimes.com, or michal@atljewishtimes.com.

The Lowdown I Bet You Didn’t Know …

Steve Labovitz

Atlanta is chock full of interesting movers and shakers, some bent on creativity, empire building, activism, and some on just plain having fun and living the good life. Lean in to hear some off the cuff remarks about what makes attorney Steve Labovitz tick.

Labovitz is a senior partner with Dentons law firm specializing in business at its intersection with government. He has represented businesses with issues at the local and state levels, including working with companies and firms to create public-private partnerships, those whose projects need economic incentives, and working with jurisdictions to create economic development opportunities.

He has also used his background in government to help cities and counties create tax incentives to spur development in blighted areas, including the renovation of stadiums here and countrywide.

Labovitz graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and received his law degree from Emory University. After practicing law for about 20 years in a smaller firm, he became chief of staff for former Mayor Bill Campbell. During the hectic years around the 1996 Summer Olympics, Labovitz was instrumental in the development of the business district in and around Centennial Park.

He has been a longtime executive committee member of the American Jewish Committee and is deeply involved in the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, serving as festival chair in its second through fifth years, and as initial board president when it became an independent organization. Previously he was on the board of Jewish Family & Career Services and the Atlanta Jewish Federation His friends call him “Labe.”

I’ve been told I look like: like: When I had hair, Paul McCartney. Lately more Billy Joel.

Last time I was starstruck …

Meeting Nelson Mandela in 1995.

My most exotic vacay was …

Easter Island.

My worst habit is: Lacking patience.

I’m reading: reading: “The Suspect” by Kent Alexander, “Sapiens”

by Harari, and the newish John Grisham book “The Guardians.”

Last time I danced …

At my brewery birthday party. I do like to dance.

What advice would you give to a 21-yearold Steve?

Understanding that good health is the most important value.

Most unusual job: job: Working at a steel mill in Pittsburgh.

My kids say I am too …

Preachy.

My last fashion disaster…

My wife catches me BEFORE I leave the house. ì

Reported by Marcia Caller Jaffe

ATLANTA JEWISH JULY 12, 57 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMESTIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2019 2020 || 57

COMMUNITY

Lebow Prepares to Pass Torch at Kol Emeth

Dave Schechter

As a 5-year-old, Steve Lebow wore a clip-on tie when he attended services at Temple Emanu-El, the Reform synagogue in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where his father was congrega-

tion president.

The boy noticed that “Up on the stage there was a guy, and the guy tells a story.

After the story is done, the guy sings a song.

After the song is done, we all go in the next room and have a cookie.”

I can do that, he thought.

On a Sunday morning a couple of years later, Lebow entered the bedroom of Irving and Rita Lebow and asked how to spell “ambition” and, soon after, how to spell “congregation.”

Curious, Lebow’s parents found him using a crayon to write a letter of application to the Hebrew Union College, in Cincinnati, the training ground for Reform rabbis. Lebow still has the letter he received from HUC in 1963, informing its youngestever applicant that he first would have to graduate college. And after graduating from Kenyon College, in Gambier, Ohio, Lebow entered HUC. He was ordained in 1983, then worked for three years as an assistant rabbi at a synagogue in New Orleans. Friends introduced him to Madeline Sable, who was teaching education at Tulane University; they were wed within a year and have been married for 35 years.

When a recruiter from the Central Conference of American Rabbis called in 1986 with an offer to be the first full-time rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Lebow replied, “That sounds like a slam dunk idea. Where’s Marietta, Georgia?”

Now Lebow – currently the longestserving rabbi in Atlanta – is preparing to retire. [Note: An announcement was made Feb. 21 that, pending approval by the congregation at a March 8 meeting, Lebow will be succeeded on July 1 by Rabbi Lawrence Sernovitz, who currently leads Nafshenu, a congregation in Cherry Hill, N.J.] A couple of miles from Kol Emeth is the Conservative Congregation Etz Chaim, which became the first synagogue in Cobb County when it was founded in Marietta in 1975. Rabbi Shalom Lewis was the longestserving until he assumed emeritus status last year. Kol Emeth, founded in 1982, was Cobb County’s first Reform congregation.

58 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Steve Lebow and Madeline Sable in 1986, when he became rabbi of Temple Kol Emeth.

Madeline Sable and Steve Lebow today.

Lebow and the new rabbi, who will When Lebow arrived, it numbered fewer than 40 families. “I’ve been a bricks- start July 1, will overlap for three months, and-mortar kind of rabbi. That was what during which time Lebow will impact what was called for, because there was no Reform he can about Kol Emeth and then step back.”

“A goal is to allow a presence in Cobb Counnew rabbi to successfully ty. I had to be a builder,” lead that pulpit, and in he said, over an early order to do that, I have lunch at a restaurant to make myself scarce,” near Buckhead.

Lebow said. After a time, Before building its he plans to return to home on Old Canton teach a class and, beginRoad, Kol Emeth met at ning in 2021, hopes to anMt. Zion United Methodnually deliver the yizkor ist Church, at the former sermon at Yom Kippur.

Atlanta Jewish ComIn “retirement,” Lebmunity Center at Shirow will exercise his rabley Blumenthal Park in binic chops at three small Cobb County, and at The congregations: Rodeph Catholic Church of the Lebow is currently the longestserving rabbi in Atlanta.

Sholom Congregation in Transfiguration.

Kol Emeth grew quickly – perhaps too Rome, Ga., the Jewish Congregation of Blue fast, Lebow acknowledges -- reaching 800 Ridge in the north Georgia mountains; and families, though the number today is half Shalom b’Harim, which meets in Gainesville, that. “The reason I became a rabbi was to Ga. Lebow believes he may have been the first work with individuals, to help them find rabbi locally to conduct a same-sex marriage their own spirituality. When you are the ceremony. He will continue to conduct wedrabbi of a very large congregation, much of dings and funerals for unaffiliated Jews.

Other items on Lebow’s 16-point retirewhat you do is corporate responsibilities of governance and fundraising,” his least fa- ment to-do list include writing scholarly articles (he also holds a doctorate from HUC); vorite aspect of the job, he said.

“The rabbinate is the last profession for continuing to publish mystery, horror and generalists. You have to be good with little science fiction stories; helping homeless children. You have to be good with older families through the group Family Promise; people. You have to be engaging with teen- taking guitar lessons; and earning his red agers. You must be reachable to people who belt in Kempo karate.

Then there are the 30,000 comic books, are married. You have to give good sermons.

You have to give good classes. And there’s along with action figures, and toys from the not a single rabbi that’s fantastic at every- 1960s that occupy the first floor of his home thing,” Lebow said. He added, “The rabbi near the Marietta Square. Such a comic needs to be a capable fundraiser and able to devotee is Lebow that he writes analyses for oversee the synagogue’s physical plant and Marvel comics fan sites.

Lebow will stay busy, which is good interact harmoniously with the staff.”

Lebow’s advice to those selecting his for Sable, a former psychotherapist, who is successor was, “It’s got to be a mensch. Pick a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Homea rabbi who can be there at difficult times. Services.

They have two daughters: Shira-Rose That’s the kind of rabbi people need.”

Sable Lebow Andres, 31, who works in the software business in Washington, D.C., and Julia Rena Sable Lebow, 25, a film editor in Los Angeles, and songwriter and lead guitar of Guppy, an indie rock band receiving favorable reviews.

Madeline has been “my conscience,” Lebow said, encouraging his engagement on civic issues, even if they did not directly impact his congregants. “I sort of fell into it.

I wasn’t planning on being a social activist,” he said.

Lebow marched in January 1987 to integrate Forsyth County and campaigned against a 1993 resolution passed by Cobb County commissioners that promoted “the traditional family structure” against “the lifestyles advocated by the gay community.”

Activism has its cost, including threats that, for a time, required bodyguards. In 2001, when the pastor of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church banned Lebow from delivering the baccalaureate speech to the Walton High School graduating class, saying that a non-Christian preaching would “dishonor” Jesus Christ, the event was moved to the Cobb County Civic Center.

As for his most celebrated activism, “I had studied the case of Leo Frank, but I did not remember the lynching had occurred in Marietta, Georgia, until I arrived in Marietta,” Lebow said.

He has been a constant voice seeking exoneration for Frank, the Jewish manager of a downtown Atlanta pencil factory, whom Lebow and others believe was wrongly convicted in the 1913 death of 12-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan. Her family lived in Marietta. A cabal of Cobb County men, angry that Gov. John Slaton commuted Frank’s death sentence to life in prison, kidnapped him from the penitentiary in Milledgeville and lynched Frank in a Marietta woods near Frey’s Ginn Road before dawn on Aug. 17, 1915.

Lebow, who enjoys the irony of a rabbi living in Marietta, has led memorial services in Frank’s name, placed plaques near the lynching site, helped arrange for placement of a permanent memorial, and urged Fulton County authorities to re-examine Frank’s conviction.

A quarter-century ago, Kol Emeth gave Lebow a “life tenure” contract. Last year, he decided that it was time to step away.

“One of the lessons of the Torah is that success is always multi-generational.

Nobody gets it right in their own lifetime.

There’s always somebody who comes after you that builds on what you did,” Lebow said. “The Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes, says, one generation comes and another generation goes.” ì

COMMUNITY

Chabad Intown Proves Foresight Is 2020

ADVERTISEMENT - Paid for by Chabad Intown

Jewish teens network in CTeen, a club with fun programs and meaningful projects.

It’s a springlike Sunday morning and Chabad Intown Atlanta buzzes with activity.

Runners and electric scooters are whizzing by on the BeltLine trail just yards away.

Inside Chabad Intown’s new two-story, 21,000-square-foot brick building, children are learning Hebrew and Judaics; millennials are mixing in Jeff’s Place Café; yogis are working out in a yoga studio; graduate students are reading in a sleek coworking space, and seekers of all ages are enjoying Kabbalah and Coffee.

Thanks to the vision of founders Rabbi Eliyahu and Dena Schusterman, Chabad Intown has created a true community center in the heart of hip Atlanta.

The Chabad Intown center is bringing Judaism to the BeltLine—one of the biggest redevelopment projects Atlanta has ever undertaken. Similarly, the $12.5 million building campaign to support the center is the biggest project Chabad Intown has undertaken since its founding 24 years ago.

Meeting People Where They Are “We’re meeting people where they are, literally and metaphorically,” declares Rabbi Schusterman. “Unaffiliated Jews of all ages are on the BeltLine. They’re looking for good restaurants, arts and culture, community service they can be involved in, and a Jewish experience that’s comfortable to connect with.”

Chabad Intown obliges, with everything from art exhibits to straight-up Torah study to talks like “Cheating Death: True Stories of Near-Death Experiences.”

Joe Schertzer, 27, a fourth-year medical student at Emory University, says one of his favorite events was Shabbat 360, for which Chabad Intown rented out the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. “They had a huge crowd. I met a lot of people there.”

“That’s one of the biggest draws for me,” adds Schertzer, a Florida native.

“Chabad Intown has a great way of uniting young people in Atlanta and getting us involved in the community.” He also enjoyed

Chabad Intown provides Jewish experience for children in the “in-town” Atlanta community.

Chabad Intown’s annual Chanukah menorah lighting keeps the Jewish flame burning from generation to generation.

“In true Chabad spirit, we just want people to do Jewish,” the rabbi says. “We want them to feel completely embraced without judgment and grow in their Judaism at their own pace.

“Our objective is to create a buffet of opportunities. When you’re ready to eat more on the buffet, come and eat more.”

Intown Jewish Preschool offers a creative, progressive Jewish environment that nurtures a child’s individual style of learning.

Chabad’s Lag B’Omer barbecue and brought fellow Jewish medical students to a white party on the roof of Ponce City Market, where everybody dressed in white.

Elliot Dordick, a 23-year-old Georgia State University student from Los Angeles, agrees. Reading a patent law textbook with his earphones on in the coworking space this Sunday morning, he takes a break to sing the praises of Chabad Intown.

“I have law school a few days a week, and on the other days this is my hub,” Dordick says.

He continues: “Chabad Intown has provided an infrastructure for my own personal growth. We had minyan this morning. On Wednesday nights there’s Torah learning for young professionals. My friends and I show up and meet people in our demographic who we might not necessarily have met otherwise. I come to services Friday and Saturday. This is a reliable place for inspiring Jewish conversation, especially on Shabbat.”

Dordick likes that he has become part of a community of Jews not only his age, but also his parents’ age and older. “If I didn’t show up, people would wonder where I was!”

Chabad Intown fans may vary in demographics, but they share a quest for Jewish meaning. A broad array of programs meet the need, appealing to singles, young couples, young families, working adults and retirees.

There’s Always a Tempting Buffet The Schustermans and colleagues Rabbi Ari and Leah Sollish, founders of the popular Intown Jewish Academy, along with Rabbi Chaim Aaron and Chava Green and soon Rabbi Leivy and Shelbelle Lapidus, directors of the YJP Young Jewish Professionals program, have a knack for appealing to the urban, largely unaffiliated community in a way that allows them to explore different degrees of their Judaism.

For instance, in the upstairs 1,700-square-foot sanctuary, the rabbis hold services and Torah classes. The space also hosts lectures, special events and community gatherings.

Meanwhile, on the ground level facing the BeltLine, Jeff’s Place Café is a safe space dedicated to the broader community and those in recovery. Multiple 12-step groups hold recovery meetings in the space. “One of the groups asked if we could host spiritual study focused on Torah. That’s a great story of serving the needs of the community,” reports Rabbi Schusterman.

Also occupying the 17,000-squarefoot lower level are classrooms, a lounge, meeting rooms, workshop spaces, art rooms, coworking spaces and staff offices.

Parties with a purpose bring more life to the facility, such as a recent Super Soul party to benefit the homeless with free meals and clothing during the week of the Super Bowl.

The Future Looks Bright Chabad Intown charges a participation fee for many of the programs, but has no membership dues.

An ambitious $12.5 building campaign called Vision 2020 is underway to complete the purchase of the new facility at 730 Ponce de Leon Place. Funds raised also will cover the construction of a new Intown Jewish Preschool building one-half mile down the BeltLine near Piedmont Park.

In the quiet phase of the campaign, Vision 2020 already has brought in $7 million. In addition, an anonymous donor has given a $1.5 million challenge grant.

The donor will match other contributions up to $1.5 million.

The anonymous donor has naming rights to the Chabad Intown facility on the BeltLine. Other donors will have opportunities for naming for the Intown Jewish Preschool campus and dedications for the lobby, kitchen, offices, classrooms, Jeff’s Place, school playground and other areas.

Chabad Intown welcomes and appreciates everyone’s involvement, no matter how large or small their donation.

For more information about Chabad Intown’s Vision 2020 campaign, visit https://buildingintown.com or e-mail Rabbi Schusterman at rabbi@chabadintown.org.

Paid Content by Chabad Intown ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 59

COMMUNITY

Robbins Explores Global Duty in Rwanda

Photos by Dunya Rodrigues // Eric Robbins

shares his story with Rwandan youth at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.

Robbins visits the Kigali Genocide Memorial marking the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Eric Robbins, president and CEO of Jewish organizations, Jewish lay leaders, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, journalists and opinion-shapers representvisited Rwanda earlier this month with ing diverse communities and perspectives.

Robbins said of the mission, “Jewish other international leaders to explore and Israeli people are having a tremenglobal Jewish responsibility.

The trip was called InterAct Global dous impact in Rwanda. I want my comand was spearheaded by OLAM, a plat- munity to understand that we cannot form of Jewish and Israeli international think about only the problems in our own development organizations founded in backyards — we are all connected. And hunger, poverty, lack 2015, and its partners. of education or acThe delegation on the cess to clean water in InterAct Global inauany part of the world gural study trip for impacts all of us,” he high-level influencers said. “Participating in from the U.S., Britain immersive experiences and Israel met with like InterACT Global people and groups tryis also a great way ing to alleviate hunger, to strengthen Jewish reduce poverty and imEric Robbins visits Agahozo identity and relationprove access to educaShalom, a village for orphaned and ships between Israel tion, affordable energy vulnerable Rwandan youth modeled and the diaspora.” and clean water. after an Israeli youth village.

The trip was orThe contingency explored the impact of Jewish and Israeli ganized in partnership with the Gesher international development and service proj- Leadership Institute, the Society for Inects and studied the idea of Jewish responsi- ternational Development – SID Israel, bility to non-Jewish vulnerable populations. and Shalom Corps. It was funded by the Participants in the immersive study Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family trip included CEOs and chairs of major Foundation and the Pears Foundation. ì

60 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

2020 BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

Support your favorites FROM Jewish Atlanta

VOTE for the chance to WIN PRIZES! Your vote automatically enters you into the “2020 Readers’ Choice Drawing” featuring: Visa Gift Cards • Zoo Tickets • GA Aquarium Tickets • Gift Certificates to stores, restaurants and more!

Voting closes March 15, 2020 DON’T WAIT! VOTE FOR THE BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA AT: www.atlantajewishtimes.com/best-of-jewish-atlanta-2020

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 61

COMMUNITY

THE SONENSHINE TEAM

Atlanta’s Favorite Real Estate Team

SIMCHA SPOTLIGHT

DEBBIE SONENSHINE Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Internationally, Certified Negotiator, Luxury, New Homes and Corporate Relocation Specialist Voted Favorite Jewish Realtor in AJT, Best of Jewish Atlanta

Debbie Sells Houses!

#1 Coldwell Banker Team in State

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

SOLD in the Last Few Weeks!

NOW IS THE TIME TO SELL! Give Us a Call! direct 404.250.5311 | office 404.252.4908 Follow Us On Facebook

Debbie@SonenshineTeam.com | www.SonenshineTeam.com ©2018 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Operated By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC.

Mazel Tov

Ruth Heinemann Ruth Heinemann of Marietta turned 95 Feb. 25.

A Holocaust survivor, Heinemann is the mother of Julie and Rich Powsner of Cary, N.C., and Susan and Steve Berman of Kennesaw. She is the proud grandmother of David Berman of New York, N.Y., and Dan Berman (Betsy Steed) of Brooklyn, N.Y. Heinemann is crocheting a blanket for her first great grandchild due this summer. She spends much of her time exercising, playing bridge, reading, attending services at Congregation Etz Chaim and visiting friends.

B’nai Mitzvah Notices: January

Avery Abt, daughter of Rachael and Jay Abt. Kaitlyn Goldberg, daughter of Susan and David Goldberg.

Sarah Mekelberg, daughter of Kirsten and Philip Mekelberg.

Connor Printz, son of Rachel and Adam Printz.

Molly Richin, daughter of Dana and Daniel Richin.

February Etan Gerber, son of Civia and Benjamin Gerber, became a bar mitzvah Feb. 1 at The Temple.

Micah Solomon, son of Cristy and Andy Solomon, became a bar mitzvah Feb. 8 at The Temple.

Meyrav Malino, daughter of Jill and Daniel Malino, became a bat mitzvah Feb. 15 at The Temple.

Olivia Nelson, daughter of Hilary and Stuart Nelson, became a bat mitzvah Feb. 22 at The Temple.

Jacob Bass, son of Meredith and Craig Bass, became a bar mitzvah Feb. 22 at The Temple.

Have something to celebrate?

Births, B’nai Mitzvah, Engagements, Weddings, Anniversaries, Special Birthdays and more ...

Share it with your community with free AJT simcha announcements.

Send info to submissions@atljewishtimes.com submissions@atljewishtimes.com..

62 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Adar: 30-Day Joy Challenge Rosh Chodesh Adar began at sundown Feb. 24.

During the month of Adar, our joy increases. We know that in the Northern He m i s p h e r e , Dr. Terry Segal spring is right New Moon Meditations around the corner. Soon there will be buds on the trees, longer hours of sunlight, birdsong, and the frog chorus will lull us to sleep at night.

Each year during Purim, we joyfully celebrate the time when Queen Esther saved the Jewish people with her mindful courage. But is that enough, in 2020, to increase our joy all month? For most, the answer would be, probably not. So what is? That’s the task I’d like to invite you to explore this month.

According to the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Formation, Adar’s zodiac sign is Pisces, and wherever we have Pisces in

our own chart, it makes us dreamers. Do you consciously dream of being joyful?

The Hebrew letter for the month is kuf.

This letter dips below the line, urging us to look more deeply within, to see what drags us down and away from joy.

The tribe is Naphtali, which in some translations means, “sweetness to me.”

That’s what to consider for Adar, what brings sweetness and joy to your life? The sense is laughter, which in and of itself, increases joy. And finally, the controlling organ is the spleen, which helps to filter blood and plays a part in the immune system. The way we eat, both regarding nutrition and the mindful or mindless style, affects the energy of this organ. It’s important for digestion of food and information that’s processed emotionally.

How do we use this to increase our joy? Let’s extend the meditation focus for our discovery.

Meditation focus: Grab a pen and a sheet of paper and sit in a comfortable position. If you are able to sit on the ground, there are extra perks, but if not, sitting on the floor or a chair is just fine. If you sit on the ground, however, you have the

NEW MOON MEDITATIONS added benefit of receiving “grounding” or “earthing.” More and more clinical studies are being done to demonstrate the positive effects of connecting to Mother Earth and Mother Nature. Grounding appears to have a positive effect on inflammation, cardiovascular disease, muscle damage, chronic pain and mood, on the human body, especially with regard to connectivity between living cells. This process seems to support and restore the body’s natural defenses.

Once in position, take a few deep and cleansing breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth, releasing your breath and tension in your body in an audible sigh. Envision your muscles and nerves also letting go of tension as they smooth, lengthen and release.

Set your timer for 10 minutes and write your answers, in list format, to the question, “What brings me joy?” Don’t think about your answers, but write in stream of consciousness fashion, anything and everything entering your awareness that increases your joy.

You might write: my dog, my spouse, my children, grandchildren, best friend,

flowers, new shoes, waxing the car, a particular song, restaurant, type of food, name of a specific movie, playing cards with friends, etc. Keep writing for the full 10 minutes, noting if you are struggling to come up with answers or need to run over the 10 minutes.

Then take my 30-day challenge to do one thing each day that increases your joy. Refer to your list and observe which things that increase your joy you haven’t done for a long, long time. Why is that? If there are limitations, what can substitute for that activity?

This is different than just being grateful for one thing each day that brings you joy. This exercise puts you in the action seat of making the joy happen.

Don’t be afraid to start a habit of doing this and increasing your joy each day beyond Adar. Keep a running list and add to it. Post it somewhere where you’ll see it often. Then schedule a realistic slot for each activity on your calendar or they will simply remain as intentions and likely not occur. What would you have to let go of to become someone who experiences joy every day? ì

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 63

CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 29-MARCH 15

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29 Book Club – “Dinner at the Center of the Earth” – Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Join The Sixth Point at Brash Coffee to discuss Nathan Englander’s Jewish thriller “Dinner at the Center of the Earth.” Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2O9QcUd.

Camp Jenny Bingo – Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, from 6 to 9 p.m.. Join Beth Tikvah’s youth group for its annual fundraiser for Camp Jenny. $15 per person, includes dinner and eight bingo cards. For more information, www.bit.ly/3198Dh4.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Terumah Friday, February 28, 2020, light candles at 6:15 p.m.

Saturday, February 29, 2020, Shabbat ends at 7:11 p.m.

Tetzaveh Friday, March 6, 2020, light candles at 6:21 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, 2020, Shabbat ends at 7:16 p.m.

Ki Tisa Friday, March 13, 2020, light candles at 7:26 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 2020, Shabbat ends at 8:22 p.m.

“the soul of the Spanish guitar,” Pablo Sáinz Villegas has become a worldwide sensation known as this generation’s great classical guitarist. With his “virtuosic playing characterized by irresistible exuberance” as described by The New York Times, Sáinz Villegas thrives over a continuous search for innovative ways to inspire diverse communities of society. The evening begins with a solo program, then the artist is joined by versatile bassist Pedro Giraudo and master percussionist Nacho Arimany for “Americano,” a musical journey of song through the Americas. $50 per ticket. For more information, www. bit.ly/38Rn8sa.

to be packaged for a local homeless shelter. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, www.bit.ly/3aQHMus. Theater Event: “And Then They Came for Me” – Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Presented by Hadassah Health Professionals, this multimedia presentation has been performed annually at Georgia Ensemble Theatre for the past 22 consecutive years. Two childhood friends of Anne Frank, Eva Schloss and Ed Silverberg, recount their stories via video as professional actors portray them on stage. $18 per person. For more information, mbscheier@gmail.com or 404-2165909.

MONDAY, MARCH 2

SUNDAY, MARCH 1

Purim Off Ponce: Myths, Mystics & Muses – The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, from to 7 to 11 p.m.

Join us for our Myths, Mystics & Muses-themed 14th annual Purim Off Ponce, Atlanta’s best costume party. We’ll be honoring the annual Michael Jay Kinsler Rainmaker Award recipients. Come be mythic with SOJOURN at Purim Off Ponce Feb. 29. This event is 21+. For tickets and more information, www.bit. ly/38PPRh4.

Pablo Sáinz Villegas: Americano Trio – Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, from 8 to 10 p.m. Praised as

Horim and Me Playgroup – Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway NE, Marietta, from 10 to 11 a.m. Etz Chaim has a new monthly playgroup called Horim and Me (Horim is parents in Hebrew).

Heather Blake will play guitar and there will be lots of play time. For parents and children, birth to 14 months. For more information, www.bit.ly/2RULsmk.

Mitzvah Makers: Baking for Good – Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Atlanta, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

This year the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is taking its PJ Our Way families on a journey of doing good, working together, and of course, having fun. Kids ages 8 to 12, join your PJ Our Way friends for an afternoon of baking muffins, all

view of the world at large, personal failures, the feminine role, current trends and events, and more. $10 per class, $59 for the full series.

For more information, www.bit. ly/32H8cJT.

Rosh Chodesh Society - Insight : Eternal Garden – Chabad Intown on the BeltLine, 730 Ponce De Leon Place NE, Atlanta, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

“Insight” is a remarkably transformative experience that unveils the purpose, beauty and power buried within ourselves, our destiny and all of existence. It does so by distilling the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s unique wisdom and infusing our lives with the ability to see things beneath the surface. Explore the Rebbe’s broad

TUESDAY, MARCH 3 Middle East Middle East Negotiator Aaron David Miller Speaks – Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aaron David Miller, an expert on U.S. foreign policy who serves as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will deliver the annual Tillie and Max Stein Family Lecture at Congregation Or Hadash on the topic “Crises, Cosmic Oy Veys and Cri de Coeurs: What 25 Years of Traveling the Negotiator’s Highway Taught Me About Life, Leadership, Winning and Losing.” The well-timed lecture will come the day after Israelis elect a new Knesset for the third time in a year. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2SCP9gU.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 JBN Breakfast Series – Chabad Intown on the BeltLine, 730 Ponce De Leon Place NE, Atlanta, from 7 to 9 a.m. Join in for JBN’s Breakfast Series “How I Built This” with some of Atlanta’s most successful founders.

Find more events and submit items for our online and print calendars at:

www.atlantajewishconnector.com

Calendar sponsored by the Atlanta Jewish Connector, an initiative of the AJT. In order to be considered for the print edition, please submit events three to four weeks in advance. Contact community relations director, Jen Evans, for more information at jen@atljewishtimes.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13 AJMF Presents: The Wind-Down: A Young Professionals Musical Shabbat –

Urban Tree Cidery, 1465 Howell, Mill Road NW, Atlanta, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Come celebrate Shabbat with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival as we present The Well. A combination of Southern preaching, great music and Judaism, this evening service is specifically curated for young professionals. Featuring original compositions, talented guest artists, spiritual gatherings and authentic honest messaging, The Well prides itself on strong Jewish roots and an inspired vision of the future. Come with spirit, leave with soul. The evening is in partnership with The Temple, Temple Sinai, and Temple Emanu-El, with the music mostly composed by Micah Lapidus, who is an Atlanta-based Jewish songwriter and composer. While most days he’s educating young minds at The Davis Academy, Lapidus’s musical passion has brought him to exciting venues across the city to perform, including Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Ebenezer Baptist Church. His most recent album, “Hello, Goodbye, & Peace,” is a celebration of the human spirit through a Jewish lens. Free. To register, www.bit.ly/2SD56n3.

Enjoy a gourmet breakfast spread and network with Atlanta’s successful businesspeople. For more information, www.bit.ly/2uIfj9A.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5 Healing Our Warming Planet – Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 Lavista Road, Atlanta, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Meet Dr. Kim Cobb and learn about her pioneering new ways to draw down carbon and heal our warming planet. Dr. Cobb is a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech and one of the leading experts in the world on the causes of climate change. In the last years she has redirected her work toward finding sustainable solutions to the climate challenge and to drawing down carbon. She is co-leader for the Georgia Drawdown project, which aims to make Georgia carbon neutral by 2030.

Free. For more information, www. bit.ly/2O8Zsry.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6 Shabbat, Me & Rabbi G – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 5 to 6 p.m. Bring your children to the JCC for a Shabbat celebration

featuring fun songs with Rabbi G. Program begins at 5 p.m. with an activity and/or craft followed by songs and blessings with Rabbi Brian Glusman, concluding with a visit from the popular “Weinstein School Shabbat Dinosaur.” Challah and grape juice will be served. Free and open to all. For more information, www.bit.ly/2VnuIFE.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 Tot Shabbat – Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Atlanta, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Filled with music, laughter, spirituality and soul, join us one Saturday a month for Tot Shabbat. Rabbi Rachael and Rabbi Max have crafted a program to bring together those little ones from birth to age 5 to feel the rhythm of Jewish music and Jewish time. Meet other parents with children of the same age and be a part of

a loving and engaged group. Open to the community for tots and their loved ones. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/388PqPx.

SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Family Purim Celebration @ The JCC – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 10 a.m. to noon. The program will begin with Purim songs, and a special performance in the Morris & Rae Frank Theatre.

Children and adults are encouraged to wear costumes. Fun for the entire family and free hamantaschen. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2u24PBR.

Purim Carnival With a Cause – Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Atlanta, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join Temple Emanu-El’s annual Purim Carnival and help create care packages for Metro Atlanta “Food Deserts,” where low-income communities have no grocery store within a one-mile radius of a neighborhood. It’s open to the public, FREE and your chance to show your kids how they, too, can volunteer and help support great charities that benefit families, right here in our own backyards.

29th Annual Atlanta Purim Parade & Festival – Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 La Vista Road, Atlanta, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join hundreds of people from all around Atlanta for this annual Atlanta pre-Purim tradition. There will be a costume parade with original floats, followed by a festival packed with food, rides, music and fun. Trophy for best float, free kids show, face painting, carnival rides, and so much more. Free. For more information, info@bethjacobatlanta.org.. info@bethjacobatlanta.org Purim Carnival – Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, from noon to 2 p.m. Join Beth Tikvah for its Purim carnival featuring a pasta lunch, face painting, fortune telling, games, music and

more. $10 per adult or child, up to $30 max per family. For more information, www.bit.ly/2uzkoS9.

MONDAY, MARCH 9 Divorce & Separation Support Group – Jewish Family & Career Services, 4549 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, from 6 to 8 p.m. Join this biweekly support group facilitated

by Helen Kotler Ph.D., LPC. $25 per session. To join the group, hkotler@ jfcsatl.org or call 404-210-9571.

Monday Night Parsha – Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, from 7 to 8 p.m. weekly. As Chabad of North Fulton begins the new annual cycle of Torah reading, consider joining this new class by Rabbi Gedalya Hertz on the weekly parsha. Free.

For more information, www.bit. ly/34E5JS1.

“Starwars Episode Purim” at Beth Shalom – Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, from 5 to 10 p.m. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Mordechai and Esther saved the Jews. Join Beth Shalom for Purim fun, music, games, dinner, a children’s costume parade and megillah reading. Free. For more information, www.bethshalom.net/.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12 The Loadstone – Chabad Intown on the BeltLine, 730 Ponce De Leon Place NE, Atlanta, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Navigating Judaism’s moral compass. Do human beings really know right from wrong, or do we just think we do? Join in for a thrilling learning adventure as they explore Judaism’s position on morality, ethics and law. $36 per person.

For more information, www.bit. ly/2Sizg03.

AJMF Presents: Duchess in Concert – Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Meet Duchess, a jazz vocal trio known for its tight harmonies and rhythmic experimentation.

Hailing from New York by way of Toronto, sisters Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou charm audiences with their sure-footed choruses and carefree shows. Their musical performances channel the inspiration and tradition of the swing-era Boswell Sisters, all wrapped into a contemporary package. $36 to $80 per ticket. For more information, www.bit. ly/2SjE2dV.

THURS., MARCH 12 – SAT., MARCH 14 Othello: The Remix – Stillwell Theater, Kennesaw State University, 471 Bartow Ave., Kennesaw, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and 4 to 6 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Described as charismatic, wildly inventive, funny and sophisticated, the Q Brothers bring a must-see regional premiere to the Atlanta metro area. $20 to $25 per ticket. For more information, arts.kennesaw.edu.

impacted history, a story of cooperation and brotherhood that inspires us still today. $35 to $50 per ticket. For more information, www. bit.ly/2tNuK04.

Casino & Silent Auction – Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, from 7 to 10 :30 p.m. Join in for an evening of gaming and socializing! $36 per person. Price includes hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, gaming chips and dessert. Cocktail attire encouraged. For more information, www.bit.ly/31N8PTa.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13 Shabbat Sasson – The Monthly Musical Friday Night Service – Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway NE, Marietta, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Come be part of their Friday night musical service. They are looking for musicians of all ages, so if you play an instrument that enhances the ruach of Shabbat, join them. The service is followed by a potluck dinner. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2KGOyGZ. AJMF + ATL Collective Relive the Soul of Jerry Wexler – City Winery, 650 North Ave. NE, Atlanta, from 7 to 11 p.m. ATL Collective curates an evening with some of the best music ever recorded, a retrospective created or inspired by black artists empowered by a Jew. Listen as we share the story of black and Jewish communities working together to create a breadth of work that has

SUNDAY, MARCH 15 Hunger Walk 2020 – The Home Depot Backyard, 1 Backyard Way, Atlanta, from noon to 4 p.m. The Hunger Walk Run — an annual 5K walk and “fun run” that began in 1984 — is an event of the Atlanta Community Food Bank that unites our community to raise awareness and critical funds for local hunger relief. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank and other local nonprofit organizations that support food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and other programs for people in need of food assistance.

These benefiting partner organizations help recruit participants and receive a percentage of the funds raised to support their direct hunger relief programs. For more information, hungerwalk@acfb.org or call 404-419-1723.

Connector Chatter Welcome New Directory Member MetroDerm

www.atlantajewishconnector.com

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North In conversation with John Visconti How long has your organization been in Atlanta?

The hotel has been open and operating for over 30 years.

In conversation with Taylor Terrell How long has your organization been in Atlanta?

What is unique about your organization?

17 years What is unique about your organization?

MetroDerm is the home to multiple dedicated, professional providers, including dermatologists, dermatopathologists, physician assistants, a plastic surgeon, and a vascular surgeon. Having a diverse set of providers allows MetroDerm to provide a full range of offerings and personal, customized care to each of its patients whether their needs fall into the category of general dermatology, Mohs surgery, vascular care, cosmetic dermatology and aesthetics, or plastic surgery.

Do you have a volunteer and/or intern program?

Not at this time.

Westin Brand is focused on our guests' well-being and health.

We have “Six Pillars of Wellness,” which are all supported by specific offerings: Play Well, Move Well, Work Well, Eat Well, Feel Well and Sleep Well.

For example, our Sleep Well amenities include our Heavenly Bed, Sleep Well Menu and Sleep Well Lavender Balm.

All our Pillars of Wellness have a list of supporting amenities, services and product offerings.

Do you have a volunteer and/or intern program?

Yes, we hire international hospitality students from around the world into our intern programs, which provides them with hands-on experience in their field of study.

Directory Spotlight Hadassah Greater Atlanta In conversation with Joan Solomon How long has your organization been in Atlanta?

Hadassah Greater Atlanta, the metro Atlanta chapter of Hadassah, has existed for more than 100 years. Founded in 1916, HGA is comprised of 3,617 members and associates.

What is unique about your organization?

Hadassah is a strong global membership organization supporting medical care and research at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. In Greater Atlanta, Hadassah spearheads important women’s health education and advocacy initiatives, including: the Check-It-Out® educational program, which teaches high school teens about body awareness, breast cancer and healthy lifestyles. Chesed honors excellence in Atlanta’s Jewish teens who represent synagogues, day schools, and Jewish organizations in our community. Date with the State is an annual event where Hadassah members meet with Georgia legislators to voice opinions on state issues that affect women. Training Wheels is a Jewish educational program that brings preschool children together with their families to learn how to celebrate Shabbat and the Jewish holidays; and Young Judea is the Hadassah Zionist youth movement.

Do you have a volunteer and/or intern program?

We are a volunteer-based organization. We are ALL volunteers. We volunteer whether we’re raising awareness and funds for the research and treatment of many of today’s most prevalent diseases such as ALS, MS, and Parkinson’s disease. And so many others are marching in the district and meeting with local elected officials, having letter campaigns on issues that affect us such as the anti-hate bill and reproductive health. We volunteer to feed the hungry in Atlanta in several ways: cooking, donating and serving. We mentor, we encourage our members to mentor and support each other. We are volunteers who believe in healing the world.

JEWISH JOKE OF THE WEEK

OY VEY! HAVE I GOT A PROBLEM... land very grateful to mmer and was su Dear Rachel, e th saw of I d en en nosedive wh a at the very gratitude took a y M I moved to Atlant s. ol ent ho om sc m y da was at that one of the Jewish ring up at me. It sta e m era job teaching in na sp ’s de ew ph ed the job so dents with my ne (If only I didn’t ne . ng rti e the list of my stu sta m t en ge ev t fore ? Now, don’ if I should quit be th-grade student fif y m e t. m that I wondered or co pp be ra t to had a grea n nephew, about and we’ve always d, ki r us ately!) My very ow io Fo lic p. de flo ry s doomed to y dearly. He’s a ve r, the recipe seem he ac r te fo wrong. I love Dave e ns elf se ys on -n I chided m aunt becomes no odel student, and m a s wa is But when doting y th ve e nc Da , la ar w to ba s of the school ye I am not sure ho , the first few week been acting out. ’s he ly, r, brother-in-law te te la t sis y Bu tion. nship with m tio la re y my nervous reac m g in ct out adversely affe tightrope act with ew. and beloved neph spiration, In r Fo ng pi Ho Dayna Shafer

An End to the Medical Profession?

Hette was talking to her best friend Freda. “You know, Freda,” Hette said, “Being a doctor these days isn’t as great as it used to be. There are now many kinds of scientists around with much more prestige than doctors.

It therefore follows that in the future, many Jewish boys are going to become scientists instead of doctors.”

“I can’t agree with you at all on this one,” Freda replied.

“Why on earth not?” Hette asked.

“Because, my dear Hette,” Freda said, “it’s much more difficult to say, ‘My son, the nuclear physicist.’”

Joke provided by David Minkoff www.awordinyoureye.com

YIDDISH WORD OF THE WEEK Bissel

‫ביסל‬ A small amount, "a pinch of" something (cf. Austrian/Bavarian bissl, a dialectal variant of the more standard German bisschen, "a little bit")

Hi, Dayna, What a challenging situation! The factors in this equation seem unbalanced and very difficult to resolve. So, what is the solution? If I found myself in your situation, here are some things I would try.

First, I would sit down with my sister and express my feelings.

“Sis, this setup is really hard for me, you, and for Davey. But I want to do the right thing. So, when issues arise, how would you like me to deal with them? I am not willing to sacrifice my relationship with my nephew – or with you! But I can’t treat Davey differently in the classroom; the other kids will pick up on it, and it won’t be healthy for him or for them. I really need your help and support.”

Hopefully, your sister will respond well to your overture. Most parents want their children to succeed, and part of achieving success entails accepting the natural consequences caused by their actions, whether they are positive or negative. In addition, I’m sure she also wants to maintain and cherish the sisterly bond between the two of you.

Next, I would take Davey out for some special one-on-one aunt-nephew time.

Over ice cream or pizza or donuts, I would aim to have the following exchange.

“Davey, you know how much I love you. You’re the greatest nephew, I adore you, and nothing will ever change that.”

I would allow a minute for that message to be absorbed.

“Davey,” I would continue, “as your teacher, I have to treat you the same way I treat my other students. So, even though I love you, if you don’t do your homework, you might have to stay in for recess and complete the assignment. Or if you disrupt class, you might get detention.

Do you understand why this is necessary?”

Davey will probably nod.

“Sure,” he might say. “No one will like me if I’m the teacher’s pet! Also, it wouldn’t be fair.”

“You’re right on the mark, Davey! Thank you for understanding. But remember, out of school, I’m Aunt Dayna, NOT Ms. Shafer. And you’re my Davey. So, we’re still going on hikes together and having all kinds of good times, right?”

If you see that your little talk has been forgotten by the time consequences must be administered, you can always add in a private incentive program. Why not offer Davey a special outing for a week’s worth of great effort? Tell him that you see it’s hard for him to resist the urge to have fun with his friend during class (or fill in the blank with whatever behavior he is exhibiting). Then you can design your incentive system however you like. Incentives are usually powerful motivators for kids. Warning: they are very difficult for adults to sustain beyond a few weeks! With that in mind, I would recommend keeping the incentive plan relatively small for a limited duration, the goal being to get Davey back into the routine of performing well so that excelling will be its own reward. If needed, you can always devise a new plan.

And Dayna, keep in mind that February is now over. With spring break, Passover, and Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, the end of the school year is not that far off!

Wishing you strength and wisdom in navigating your aunt-teacher relationship, Rachel ì Atlanta Jewish Times Advice Column Got a problem? Email Rachel Stein at oyvey@atljewishtimes.com, describing your problem in 250 words or less. We want to hear from you and get helpful suggestions for your situation at the same time!

68 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

BRAIN FOOD

Purim Folk

ACROSS

By: Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Easy 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

15

14 17

24

27

28

32

25

29

30

33

49

35

38

40 42

31

34

37

39

13

22

23

36

12

19

21

26

11

16

18

20

48

8

41

43

44

46

47

50

51

45

52

53

56

57

58

60

61

62

63

64

65

54

55

59

1. Many Jews do this on Purim 6. Purim month 10. All messed up, in slang 14. "Harry Potter" summoning spell 15. Whoever's in it is out of it 16. Hawaiian dance 17. Animated Cheetos loving queen?

20. Raptors, on the scoreboard 21. Elton John musical 22. Grim expression 23. 80's TV alien 24. "A ___ technicality" 26. "Arrested Development" actress from the Middle East?

32. Pants accessory 33. Bob born Zimmerman 34. Beersheba to Hebron dir.

36. Young socialites (Abbr.)

37. Cuts a film together 38. Ignores the Commandments 39. ___-mo replay 40. "A Fish Called Wanda" Oscar winner Kevin 41. Need when creating a themed crossword puzzle 42. Noise making Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayer?

46. What the Sabbath is for 47. Egg farm resident 48. Travelocity mascot

25. Stats considered in Cy Young voting 26. Key's comic companion 27. Inedible grease?

28. One who's hooked 29. Going out, as a fire 30. Like many a remark from Severus Snape 31. Word with peace or city 32. Anti-Israel letters 35. "___ Einai" 37. Trees along many avenues 38. Omen 40. What Mordecai would not do before Haman 43. Jews formed them to fight on Purim 44. Football Hall of Fame's state 45. Rap and classical 48. "___ chatimah tovah" 49. Call at a crowded bakery 50. Look at creepily 51. "Cheers" actress Perlman 52. Like some wine and cheese 53. Brand of dental rinse 54. "A Jew Today" writer Wiesel 55. Linden and Holbrook 57. Drumstick 58. "And Sisera gathered together ___ his chariots" (Jud. 4:13) 59. One way you might spell "mom" in Israel

51. "Geshem" in Israel 53. "Mouth" in Israel 56. Animated ape who enjoys reading the Purim scroll?

60. Connector of wheels 61. Robert ___ (Civil War general) 62. Outlook messages 63. 1 and 66, briefly 64. Merry 65. Some jazz instruments

DOWN

1. Verified datum 2. Rebound vocally 3. Dell competitor 4. Miriam to Moses, for short 5. Sums 6. Won a tennis serve with no return 7. Her sidekick is Boots 8. "Better Call Saul" channel 9. Cheering word 10. "___ Waldo?"

11. Car 12. Lobster feature 13. Funny Madeline in many Mel Brooks movies 18. '60s stereo system 19. Zac of "The Greatest Showman" 23. "Crafts" go-with 24. Salt, to ice

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION 1

S

14

2

E

3

A

T

R

A

C

H

I

V

R

E

S

E

L

E

20 23

30

A

38

R

43

31

S

U

M E

32

S

E

R

E

G

A

L

D

A

T

H

A

N

E

N

A

B

E

O D

D

E

T

V

27

N 44

J

O

A

T

H

M R

I

N

N

33

R

39

L

A

18

28

S A

25

34

J

A M E 45

48

A

49

B

29

40

S P

E

54

O R

46

I

R

G U

S

55

L

L

A

T

O C

E

A

N

W A

Y

N

E

N

E

42

U

A

A

70

M

N

S

67

I E

I

R O M O

B

T

O R

19 22

L

51

R

U

I

35

13

D

A

P

61

A

O U

A

64

N

E

12

L

L

60

P

16

R

O N R

50

26

41

W A

11

S

S

A

21

A

M O O

10

A

C

69

9

L

M A

66

8

A M P U

I

63

7

L

L

53

C

15

A

24

P

E

47

6

S

A

59

L

5

B

52

15 Years Ago // February 25, 2005 ì Almost all the boys from Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael decided to take up ice hockey. Rabbi Allan Meyerowitz and his family had recently moved from Canada and started the program. He joked: “You have to have hockey in the synagogue [in Canada] to be a good rabbi.” ì Camp Coleman launched an initiative to change how young Jews are inspired by prayer. “We’re meshing prayer into daily activities and transforming its religious aspect into a full, living spiritual experience,” said Rabbi Amy Morrison, camp education director.

N

A

17

Remember When

4

36

P

37

T

S

D

M U

S

56

T

62

57

E

58

R

O

L

E

I

N

E

S

E

R

E

C

T

N

E

S

T

S

68 71

65

is no way I could ever teach in the classroom what they learn through hands-on experiences during this sensational trip,” teacher Judy Lipis said. ì Susan and Joshua Paul of Decatur announced the birth of their twin daughters, Jordan Asher and Rachel Lauren, Oct. 18, 1994. The twins were given the Hebrew names Yarden and Rachel at Congregation Beth Jacob.

50 Years Ago // February 27, 1970 ì The Atlanta Section National Council of Jewish Women was presented with an award from the Georgia Association for Mental Health for one of its community service projects. The award was in recognition of “outstanding service to mental health through the Council Day TreatRabbi Allan Meyerowitz ment Center.” started an ice hockey team ì Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Taitz and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Goldstein at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. invited relatives and friends to the bat mitzvah of their daughters, Phyllis 25 Years Ago // February 24, 1995 Michaelle and Paula Marie at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. An oneg Shabì Forty-three sixth graders from the Greenfield Hebrew Academy visited the U.S. bat followed the ceremony.

Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., and saw what space camp would be like. “There ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 69

OBITUARIES

Jean Hanks Baumgarten

Matilda (Tillie) Cohen

Jean Hanks Baumgarten, 94, passed away Feb. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C., area but moved to Atlanta with her husband and children in 1953.

When younger, Jean was an active member of The Temple and a business owner who traveled the world with her husband, the late Hans J. Baumgarten. They were married almost 70 years. Jean was the beloved matriarch of our family, devoting her life to us. She will be missed immeasurably.

She is survived by five children, eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and other loving family members: Daughters Susan (Don) McCarter, Ellen (Sam) Waldman, Nancy B Butler, and Kathy (Jim) Scheer; son David (Kwiyoung) Baumgarten; grandchildren Elisa Waldman of Charlotte, N.C., Andrea Waldman, Adam Bloom, Emily Scheer, Drew Scheer and Zion Baumgarten of Atlanta, Amanda Weissman of Asheville, N.C., and Allison Scheer Martin of Jerusalem; great-grandchildren Michael and Tristan Scheer, Orah Arnold-Waldman, Bo and Hanna Jean Allison, Dovid, Ephraim and Shmuel Martin, Emma Bloom, Avi and Reyna Weissman.

She is also survived by sister-in-law Doris Baumgarten of Aiken, S.C.; nieces Linda Baumgarten of Atlanta, Ann Traylor of Charlotte, N.C., and Sharon Mills of Raleigh, N.C.; nephew Stephen Hanks of New York, N.Y., and cousins Marion and Heather Adams of Greensboro, N.C., Ryan Adams of Athens, Ga., and Ken Prager of Atlanta.

Graveside services were Feb. 17, 2020 at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the youth scholarship fund at The Temple, where the family were lifelong members, or any charity of your choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Matilda (Tillie) Cohen, 88, died peacefully at home Feb. 15, 2020, in the arms of her family. She was born in Atlanta April 8, 1931, to Sarah and Abraham Romano, of blessed memory, and she and her brother Victor Romano have called Atlanta home all their lives.

She was widely known for her intelligence and sharpness of mind and was one of the best businesswomen in Atlanta, singlehandedly running a Florida vacation condominium rental business. She was known as Ms. Tillie to her customers, and her business thrived due to return customers who trusted her personal care, friendliness, concern and dedication. She was a friend to many, and her warm and caring personality, sense of humor and sharp wit made being with her delightful and fun. She had amazing insight into life and people. Everyone who knew Tillie admired her great courage and strength.

She died from complications of breast cancer after her strength, tenacity and bravery allowed her to survive it for many precious years.

Being with loved ones brought Tillie the greatest happiness. She was the matriarch of her family, deriving great joy and delight from the lives of her family, which extended much beyond relatives.

Tillie was revered for her strength and selflessness when it came to her family, devoting 14 years to care for her beloved son, Albert, and afterwards her much loved husband, Victor, who had both suffered traumatic injuries.

She valued family above all else, and dedicated her life to her loved ones, which included her husband of 64 years, Victor Cohen, and son, Albert Cohen of blessed memory.

Survivors include her son Louis (Darline) Cohen; daughter, Joy (Michael Grieb) Cohen; eight grandchildren Carrie (Ryan) Duncan, Aaron Cohen, and Alegra, Alexandra, Harrison, Anastasia, Graham, and Autumn Grieb; and three great grandchildren Gabriella Kamler, and Cohen and Hunter Duncan.

Her dedication and love for her family, friends and even strangers has always inspired those around her and will continue to inspire all that had the honor of having her in their lives. She will be greatly missed by her family and extended family, including her nieces and nephews and many cousins.

Memorial donations may be made in honor of Tillie Cohen to Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Shepherd Center or the charity of your choice. Graveside services were held Feb. 17, 2020, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999. An online guestbook is available at www.edressler.com.

94, Atlanta

Howard Jess Chaliff 86, Atlanta

Howard Jess Chaliff passed away peacefully Feb. 9, 2020. He was born in 1933 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Irwin and Ida Chaliff.

He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in civil engineering. This led to a successful career in Atlanta, serving as senior vice president of Parsons Brinckerhoff, from which he retired in 1988. While there, among other things, he was one of the original project managers for the MARTA rail line.

After retirement, he was hired as a consultant to finish the stalled rapid rail line project in Taipei, Taiwan, finishing the project in three months. During his career, he also worked in Brazil, Venezuela, Israel, Texas, New York and California. He received a distinguished service citation from the city of Los Angeles for his input on various projects.

Howard was known as a fun-loving, responsible family man, who enjoyed taking the entire group on many cruises and vacations. He set a wonderful example for his children, grandchildren and all who knew him. Howard was an avid bridge player and admitted terrible golfer who enjoyed charitable work, civic responsibilities and playing the ukulele. While in ukulele class he met his future companion, Beverly Struble, and they enjoyed 19 years together. He always referred to her as the “love of his life.” Survivors include son Michael (Marla); daughters Susan (Neil) Moskowitz and Joanne (Tim) Cole; and grandchildren Jason, Pamela, Ryan, Jake, Carly and Savannah. He is also survived by his loving companion Beverly Struble and his dog Buster. He was predeceased by his brother, Jimmy Chaliff.

The family would like to thank Dr. Thanmaya Reddy, her staff and the staff at Towne Club Windermere for their kindness and care.

Graveside services were held Feb. 12 at Arlington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Canine Companions or CURE Childhood Cancer. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Managing Publisher Kaylene Ladinsky at kaylene@atljewishtimes.com or 404-883-2130, ext. 100, for details about submission, rates and payments. Death notices, which provide basic details, are free and run as space is available; send submissions to editor@atljewishtimes.com.

70 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

88, Atlanta

Anne Witten Ellison 106, Atlanta

Anne Witten Ellison, 106, of Atlanta and formerly of Charleston, S.C., passed away Feb. 15, 2020.

Anne was born Nov. 25, 1913 in Baltimore, Md., the daughter of the late Benjamin Witten and Sarah Levine. She was the widow of Arnold Ellison.

She is survived by daughters Elaine Ellison Rittenbaum of Atlanta and Paula E. (Rick) Woolf of The Villages, Fla.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Graveside services were held Feb. 17, 2020, in the Brith Sholom Beth Israel Cemetery in Maryville, S.C. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr Downtown Chapel.

A memorial message may be sent to the family at www.jhenrystuhr.com.

‫זיכרונה לברכה‬

OBITUARIES

Brian Gershon 40, Marietta

Brian Gershon, 40, of Marietta, passed away suddenly Feb. 9, 2020, while in Antarctica.

Born Feb. 12, 1979, in Atlanta, Brian graduated from Pope High School in Marietta and attended Florida State University. He is survived by his parents Stan and Rose Gershon of Marietta; brother and sister-in-law David and Jamie Harris-Gershon of Pittsburgh; nieces Mayan and Tali Harris-Gershon of Pittsburgh; aunt and uncle Sharon and Howard Wexler of Atlanta; cousins and many friends around the world.

Brian, the owner of PG Computing, was a brilliant computer programmer and technician and an accomplished photographer. He also spent much of his time as a volunteer bush pilot, but Brian was no ordinary pilot. He was someone who spent his time and energy flying to remote areas of Tanzania and Guyana to bring medical personnel and supplies that provided health care to underserved populations. He worked around the globe, usually in philanthropic pursuits. Brian also spent three summer sessions working with the U.S. Antarctica program.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Remote Area Medical, 2200 Stock Creek Blvd., Rockford, Tenn. 37853, or Best Friends Animal Society, 4874 South Atlanta Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30339.

Graveside service was 2:30 p.m. Feb. 28, at Arlington Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999. Sign online guest book at www.edressler.com.

Elaine Shapiro 93, Atlanta

Elaine Shapiro, 93, passed away peacefully Feb. 9, 2020. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of Benjamin and Rae Levy. She met the love of her life, Morris, at the Labor Day Dance in Columbus, Ga., and they married six months later, Feb. 8, 1948.

Elaine loved her days in Columbus, where she was involved in the synagogue in every way. She never missed an event or a trip to the beach. When she and Morris moved to Atlanta, she cherished every moment spent with her grandchildren.

They had a wonderful family, including Sherry (Barry), Stan (Cheryl), Debbi (Randy) and Rae (Louis); eight loving grandchildren: Benjamin Kaplan, Perrin and Adam Shapiro, Jeremy (Kelly) and Brian Chartash, Sam, Matthew (Chelsea) and Taylor Weintraub; and great-grandson Max Chartash.

We will remember her brisket, chocolate cake and especially the warmth of her smile.

A funeral service was held Feb. 11 at Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta with burial immediately following at Arlington Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Etz Chaim, Congregation Beth Shalom or Weinstein Hospice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Sonia Jean Aftel Sifen 91, Atlanta

Sonia Jean Aftel Sifen, loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt, died peacefully in her sleep Feb. 17, 2020, at the age of 91, surrounded by loved ones.

Sonia was born Nov. 16, 1928, in Norfolk, Va., to the late Sam and Emma Aftel. She studied at the College of William & Mary and after marrying the love of her life in 1948, devoted her life to being a loving and caring role model to family, friends and Jewish community, serving in many volunteer roles as well as working with the family business. In 1955, Sonia and Paul moved from Franklin, Va., to Griffin, Ga., where they opened a business, and by 1960, they had joined Congregation Ahavath Achim and moved to Atlanta.

Sonia was active in the community and was a president of her Hadassah chapter. Sonia most enjoyed family. She enjoyed her active Jewish social work as well as tennis, mahjong and bridge. She will be deeply missed by friends and family far and wide.

Sonia is preceded in death by loving husband Paul Sifen. She is survived by her children Ron (Lois) Sifen, Phyllis (Fred) Turner, Reid (Debra) Sifen, and Marty Sifen; seven grandchildren Erica (Zack), Scott, Shaina, Menachem, Meir, Lindsay, and Melanie; and three great-grandchildren, Sasha, Aaron, and Zoe, and significant other Lee Kritzer.

A funeral service was held Feb. 20 at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Contributions can be made to The William Breman Jewish Home. Shiva and meal were held following services at Temple Sinai.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 71

CLOSING THOUGHTS The Boulevard of Broken Dreams M a n y years ago, I took a trip to the West Coast, and kept a diary over those six days. I came in contact with the broad range of humanity, Allen H. Lipis from the highly The Bottom Line disciplined to the neglected, from the caring to the lonely.

It brought me face to face with what I want out of life, and why I am here after all.

My train of thought began with a famous picture of Humphrey Bogart, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, all sitting in an all-night diner late at night. The picture is called “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams” because of the tragic endings for these three great movie stars. Each died early in life: Bogart to cancer, Dean in a motorcycle accident, and Monroe by suicide.

As I passed the mass of humanity in the airports, I thought how many of them have a boulevard of broken dreams. I remember passing a car that had recently been in an

accident. The car was upside down, the roof smashed in, glass everywhere, police cars with flashing lights and police directing traffic. The driver was already gone, probably to a hospital, and I wondered whether someone’s dreams were literally shattered in just a few seconds.

The next day I drove through Santa Monica to the beach. What shocked me was the large numbers of homeless sleeping on the grass, in the parks and on the beach. In Los Angeles, hundreds of homeless were outside the missions waiting for a meal. I passed two policemen checking the papers of two poorly dressed men, who looked like they could be aliens. Once again, I thought about the boulevard of broken dreams; how many of these men had dreams that were no more.

As I walked down the tourist path at the beach in Venice that day, I again was amazed at the number of fortune tellers in one place.

These fortune tellers had tarot cards, beads and rocks, astrology books, signs and whatever else one needs to be a psychic. The fact that there were more than a dozen of these wizards of the future attests to the fact that people want to know their future, want to see

if their dreams will come true.

And while we may dream dreams of greatness, dreams of glory and excellence, we put up with the mediocrity of the world we live in. While one side on the boulevard at Venice Beach was selling fortunes and dreams of the future, the other side was selling gaudy gifts, cheap T-shirts and junk food.

There were at least 200 such shops and this, too, attested to the low levels people stoop to bring someone a gift. What a contrast between dreams and reality. What a contrast between the mediocrity we live with versus the dreams we have of greatness.

Somehow this theme about the dreams we have and the reality we live stayed with me that whole weekend. I spent the better part of the weekend attending a family bat mitzvah. At the party that night, I was impressed with the degree of commitment of so many people, people who were determined to live their dreams. To name a few, there was: • The 9-year-old boy full of independence and doing it his way.

• The woman who came without her husband.

• The newlyweds: She was pregnant,

and he was in love.

• The father in his 50s who had a new girlfriend.

• The aunt in her 70s who had broken her arm the day before.

• The grandfather who was still married to his invalid wife.

• My mother, a widow, insisted on attending every celebration.

Each of them in their own way was living out their dreams, unwilling to take less because their commitment to life was too precious.

All this put me in touch with my own dreams and my own boulevard of broken dreams. There is the feeling that so much that we do has little impact. There are the unfulfilled promises, the wasted time to be productive, and the failure to help others in time of need. To really make a difference in life is no easy task.

What it all means is that you get to choose your life every day. You decide whether to merely dream your dreams in bed or to live them alive, kicking and being productive every day.

The Bottom Line: To be great or not to be: you choose each and every day. ì

MARKETPLACE

ADVERTISE WITH THE

MOHEL

Rabbi Abi Nadoff

404-883-2130 72 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Call: 844-MOHEL-ABI (844-664-3522)

SimpleCircumcision.com

COMPUTER

MARKETPLACE ADVERTISE WITH THE

PHOTOGRAPHY

Quality Professional Photography, Weddings, Events, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

Right Image Company 404-452-2333

404-883-2130 CRUISE

CARS

MY EXPERTISE IS YOUR TICKET TO AN AMAZING JOURNEY!

Everyone Knows Someone Who Loves Their SUBARU

Top producer with all major cruise lines and tour companies.

Recommended

by Jewish Times Readers

• Custom planning by land and sea • River cruise specialist • Individual and group arrangements • Escorted land vacations

AUTOMOBILE Winner of Salesman of the Year Award for 3 consecutive years

Ralph Kurland Sales Representative 905 Ernest Barrett Pkwy, NW Kennesaw, GA 30144

Barbara Diener Land & Cruise Specialist

770-740-9099

cell: 678-665-1024 dealership: 770-419-9800 ext. 312 rkurland@subaruofkennesaw.com www.subaruofkennesaw.com

bdiener@cruiseplanners.com www.travelsmartdreambig.com

AUTOMOBILE FINANCE COMPANY LOOKING FOR PARTNERS/INVESTORS CALL WILLIAM NOW 404-446-6146 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE 8 MILLION IN ACCOUNTS RECEIVALABLES IN PREVIOUS BUSINESS

Experienced in all aspects of travel.

Travel Smart, Dream Big!

Call me to test drive any of our new or used cars!

BEVERAGES

BAGELS

DOUBLE DIGIT ANNUAL RETURN! GENETICS

Navigate Genetic Counseling, LLC

Understand your genetic risk and be proactive.

Indications for Genetic Counseling Include: - Cancer genetics risk assessment - Reproductive risk counseling - Family history of genetic disease - Review of previous genetic test results - Gamete/embryo donor screening - Proactive genetic health screening Genetic counseling and test coordination services provided by Jamie K. Dokson, MS, LCGC, Licensed and Certified Genetic Counselor Appointments available via telephone, HIPAAcompliant video conferencing, or in person.

Contact Jamie at jamie@navigategc.com or 404.969.5590 to schedule an appointment. www.navigategc.com ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 73

MARKETPLACE COLLECTIBLES

TUTOR

THE DUSTY COIN, LLC

“Shekels For Your Collectibles”

• Coins • Bullion • Jewelry • Flatware •

404-263-2967 Strict Confidentiality • References Upon Request Member: ANA, NGC & PCGS HOME

Stella Tarica Gordon Tarica Tutoring Stellagordon835@gmail.com 678-592-3155 call or text • Writing and reading comprehension • Certified in 5-12 grade English curriculum • ACT and SAT prep • College bound and grad school essays • Georgia Milestone preparation 5-8

Serving students since 1986

HOME

STANLEY PAVING

Asphalt Paving, Patching & Seal Coating

COMPUTER

FAKAKTA COMPUTER BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

DESKTOP & LAPTOP REPAIR HOME/BUSINESS NETWORKING

10% OF PROFITS THR

PERFORMANCE UPGRADES2019 WILL BE DONATE APPLE DEVICE SUPPORT

JEWISH CHARITIES.

VIRUS/SPYWARE REMOVAL

404.954.1004

Same DayDAMON.CARP@GMAIL.COM Appointments • Reasonable Rates • All Services Guara

10% OF PROFITS THROUGH 2020 WILL BE DONATED TO JEWISH CHARITIES.

• Same Day Appointments • Reasonable Rates • All Services Guaranteed

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

COMPUTER

COMPUER HOUSE CALLS

Voted #1 by Atlanta Jewish Community

770-527-3533 www.HealthyComputer.com

As Seen On

Closets, pantries, garages, offices and more!

404-255-0589

Atlanta Custom Closets Rick Moore www.closetpro.net

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

INSURANCE

PROTECT THE THINGS YOU CHERISH THE MOST Stephanie Holtz Your Local Agent

1954 Airport Road Suite 210, Chamblee, GA 30341 sholtz@farmersagent.com • Contact me for a free coverage review • Get the most value for your coverage • Insurance you can tailor to meet your needs

Specializing in driveways & small parking lots Family Owned & Operated since 1969

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

CALL NOW FOR 10% OFF SPECIAL 770.962.7125 770.480.1698 cell

It’s Time to Call for Help!

HOME

HOME

Control. Entertain. Secure.

Affordable Home Technology Solutions 4K TV’s Home Audio/Sonos Home Networking Smart Homes AV Wiring

Call 470-246-4509 today!

For Home, Auto, Life and Business.

Restrictions apply. Discounts may vary. Not available in all states. See your agent for details. Insurance is underwritten

by Farmers Insurance Exchange and other affiliated insurance companies. Visit farmers.com for a complete listing of companies. Not all insurers are authorized to provide insurance in all states. Coverage is not available in all states.

Life Insurance by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, 3120 139th ave. SE, Ste. 300, Bellevue, WA 98005

74 | FEBRUARY 29, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

B

A

Free 30 Minute In-Home Site Survey Call us Today 404-229-4180 taki@waveintegration.net

MARKETPLACE SECURITY

FOLLOW

Susann Davis

:

Security Sales Representative

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Development Corp. for Israel | 404-817-3500 Eleventh Series Jubilee Bonds 2.68% Eleventh Series Maccabee Bonds 2.53% Eighth Series Mazel Tov Bonds 2.82% Eighth Series eMitzvah Bonds 2.82%

w w w. At l a n ta J e w i s hTi m e s .c o m F O R M O R E O F W H AT YO U N E E D

ADT Security Service Corporate Office 1965 Evergreen Blvd Suite 150 Duluth, GA 30096

212-470-7546

susanndavis@adt.com

ADT Always There TOWING

RUGS

Finest Antique Rugs Best Prices

Best of Atlanta Award 2014 & 2015 Buy, Sell, Trade, Appraisal, Cleaning, Repair

ATW TOWING, LLC CASH & FREE REMOVAL FOR JUNK, UNWANTED AND DISPOSABLE CARS, VANS AND TRUCKS DEAD OR ALIVE

CASH FOR JUNK

CALL FREDDIE – 404 -399 - 8480

Antique Rugs since 1976

40% OFF

Carehelper Elise carehelperelise.com earonson99@gmail.com 770-500-4137 Professional references upon request

I’m looking to help others with daily tasks and provide companionship.

Being aware that many people need help as they age, and may not have family near, I can be of assistance.

Oriental Rug Shop 5548 Peachtree Blvd.

Chamblee, GA 30341 770.452.0430 PersianRugParadise.net

HOME CARE

Among the services I provide are: • Groceries and prescriptions pick-up • Preparation of meals • Transport to/from doctor appts • Light housekeeping & organization

Cleaning & Repair of All Rugs

With coupon. One per family.

HOME

HOME CARE

HOME

MAKING UGLY KITCHENS BEAUTIFUL FOR 41 YEARS!

Let us make your kitchen beautiful again!

Before

404-664-1174 Home Renovations Handyman Services Over 20+ years Home Depot Experience

Follow us on Facebook Ray’s Roswell Renovations www.raysroswellrenovations.com Call us at 404-664-1174 for a free estimate!

No Inte re 6 or 12 st months Same as Cash (if qu alified)

After We Use Real Wood!

FREE In-Home Consultation

Extra Military & Senior Discounts Available!

15% OFF

With Complete Kitchen Re-Facing Not valid with any other offers.

SAVE 40%-60%

Off New Cabinet Replacement

Family Owned & Operated

Kitchen Fronts of Georgia

Call or Text Us Now

404-455-3139

www.kitchenfrontsofga.com

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES FEBRUARY 29, 2020 | 75