Atlanta Jewish Times, VOL. 99 NO. 1, January 1, 2024

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JANUARY 15, 2024 | 5 SH'VAT 5784

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Correction and Clarification: Iren Heller Gerstl’s 20th yahrzeit was incorrectly published as an obituary in the Dec. 31, 2023, edition. Atlanta Jewish Times regrets the error and wishes to clear the record.

Cover Photo: Israeli Police presents new evidence of sexual assult by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

CONTENTS NEWS ��������������������������������������������������� 6 ISRAEL ���������������������������������������������� 20 BUSINESS ���������������������������������������� 22 SPORTS �������������������������������������������� 26 OPINION ������������������������������������������� 28 HEALTH & WELLNESS ������������������� 32 ARTS & CULTURE ��������������������������� 40 DINING ���������������������������������������������� 44 CALENDAR ��������������������������������������� 46 KEEPING IT KOSHER ���������������������� 50 BRAIN FOOD ������������������������������������ 51 OBITUARIES ������������������������������������� 52 CLOSING THOUGHTS �������������������� 56 MARKETPLACE ������������������������������� 58

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 5

NEWS Community Shines Light on Sexual Assult by Hamas

By Jan Jaben-Eilon If nothing else, the Dec. 15 candlelighting ceremony, “Shine the Light,” sponsored by several Atlanta Jewish organizations at The Temple to underscore the brutality of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel – and especially vicious violence against women that day – assured the community that non-Jews had not forsaken them.

In her emotional remarks at the program, The Temple’s Rabbi Loren Lapidus noted the silence many Jewish progressive groups experienced from those whom they thought of as allies but expressed her relief that many of the interfaith friendships in Atlanta had not disappeared after all. This was evidenced by the women who participated in the candle lighting on the last day of Chanukah.

In addition to women leaders of a handful of local Jewish organizations, candle lighters included President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Carol McDonald, publisher of Atlanta Daily World Alexis Scott, CEO of Atlanta Women’s Foundation Kari Love, Execu-

Approximately 75 people from across the Atlanta community participated in the Dec. 15 event.

NCJW Co-President Stacey Hader Epstein (left), Lisa Freedman of JWFA, and NCJW CoPresident Susan Gordon opened the program.

light a candle,” Templeton told the AJT on Christmas Eve. “I have a lot of Jewish friends and I could tell that the Oct. 7 attack wasn’t just something that happened on the other side of the world but

was very personal.” Templeton said she had reached out to Stacey Hader Epstein, one of two co-presidents of National Council of Jewish Women Atlanta Section after Oct. 7, “so she just reached back out

tive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia Andrea Young and rector of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church the Rev. Patricia Templeton.

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to me” when NCJW, the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, Temple Sinai, Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon, and Hadassah quickly put together the Dec. 15 program.

Epstein, NCJW Co-President Susan Gordon, and Lisa Freedman of JWFA opened the program, after which the candle lighters each spoke a line, some about speaking up for the Israeli women, some for the hostages still in captivity in Gaza and some about standing in solidarity with all women. After each woman spoke, she lit a candle of the menorah. The event concluded with Cantor Tracey Scher and Rabbi Lydia Medwin, both with The Temple, leading everyone in song.

The Chanukah program resulted from a small roundtable held eight days earlier to “brainstorm messaging and action in response” to what the Jewish women leaders felt was a lack of condemnation by the non-Jewish world. When he heard of the proposed candle-lighting ceremony, The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg “jumped on the idea to bring people together,” said Epstein.

The invitation to the small group of women to attend the roundtable stated that it was seen “as a starting point, with the potential to enlarge our group to include our friends from other faiths who stand with us in our horror.” The Dec. 8 roundtable had followed the Dec. 4 special session of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women entitled “Hear Our Voices,” at which national CEO of NCJW Sheila Katz spoke of a “ripple effect” emanating from that meeting.

In late December, Epstein said her

group plans to “debrief” in January and figure out how to expand the ripples of conversation outward into the wider community. She pointed out that the month of March is International Women’s Month.

After the candle lighting ceremony ended, Epstein said “many, if not most,” of the 75 attendees thanked her for giving them the opportunity to support their Jewish friends. “Most of the people who showed up were not Jewish.”

In fact, Templeton said members of her church attended the event which she called “very powerful.”

Andrea Young said that the ceremony was important because “it gave people the opportunity to come together from different parts of the community. I think that one of the very beautiful things about the ceremony was that it found ways to phrase our common concerns from different perspectives. When crises happen, it’s so important that people can find things to agree on. What happened on Oct. 7 was horrendous, shocking.”

Oct. 7, of course, was when thousands of Hamas terrorists and their allies toppled Israel’s border fences and invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, brutally raped women and girls and abducted some 240 people into Gaza, where half are still held hostage.

Epstein said her group “definitely felt empowered” after the Chanukah candle-lighting program and how the awareness of the Oct. 7 massacre is rippling into the community.

According to Young, that is the “power of Atlanta. People will come together and pledge to work together. That’s what makes Atlanta a special place.” ì

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 7

NEWS

Jewish Priorities Under the Gold Dome

By Dave Schechter An informal survey — a reporter asking people he knows — finds many unable to name their state representative or senator.

This might be a good time to find out, as the Georgia General Assembly convened Jan. 8 for its 2024 session.

This year’s top legislative priority for Jewish Atlanta’s communal organizations is — as it was last year — to place in the state code a reference to the definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Last year’s debate was framed by incidents of anti-Jewish leaflets being thrown onto properties in areas with Jewish populations — among them the driveway of state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Fulton County Democrat, and the singular Jewish voice in the legislature.

This year’s backdrop is Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas-led, Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 240 from

kibbutzim, towns, and an outdoor music festival in southern Israel.

“I believe that if this bill cannot pass now, when the world can see that anti-Zionism frequently crosses into antisemitism, it will not pass until there is a dead or injured member of the Jewish community,” Panitch said.

She noted that Georgia’s hate crimes statute was passed into law only after the February 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 23-year-old African American, who was pursued and killed by three white men while jogging in a neighborhood near Brunswick, Ga. The IHRA definition reads as follows: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The IHRA definition is controversial less for that wording than its 11 accompanying examples of antisemitism. Several

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Defining antisemitism again is a top priority for Atlanta’s Jewish communal organizations during this year’s state legislative session.

deal with Israel, including accusing Jews outside of Israel of dual loyalty, comparing Israel to Nazis, calling Israel “racist,” “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” and applying standards to Israel “not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

The measure’s opponents contend that those examples could be used to stifle speech about Israel. Proponents reject that assertion, contending that the definition — which they label the “gold standard” — will be employed by prosecutors to determine if a crime was motivated by anti-Jewish animus and by state agencies to deal with internal issues.

If passed and signed into law, Georgia would join the 33 states that have adopted the IHRA definition via legislation, resolutions, executive orders, or proclamations. More than 40 countries (including the United States, per an executive order by then-President Donald Trump) and 1,100 non-governmental institutions also have adopted the IHRA definition.

The strategy favoring a reference to the IHRA language, rather than including the wording itself, is designed to block attempts to amend the definition.

Last year, a bill overwhelmingly cleared the House but died in the Senate when an attempt to alter the wording prompted its lead sponsors — Cobb County Republican Rep. John Carson and Panitch — to ask that it be pulled from consideration.

“In speaking with lawmakers, there is a different understanding of the importance of the definition,” said Dov Wilker, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, who cited “the language that’s being used, the type of rhetoric we are hearing in response to the war.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater

Atlanta employs Rusty Paul — the president of iSquared Communications, Inc., as well as the mayor of Sandy Springs — to lobby on the community’s behalf.

“We have worked with Rep. Carson and Rep. Panitch to reinforce with Senate leaders the importance of retaining the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism which is the standard in most states and has survived several court challenges,” Paul said. “This issue has attained critical status given the significant recent rise in antisemitic activity.”

Beyond the antisemitism definition, other priorities include increasing Medicaid reimbursements to meet current costs, an item of importance to Jewish Family & Career Services and other social service providers and expanding access to the program, which serves lowincome and disabled Georgians.

“The state has a long history of underfunding Medicaid programs. That is driving more providers from the program since reimbursements fail to cover service costs. Medicaid patients are finding it harder to access providers willing to accept them. The state has accumulated a record surplus, and we will work to get some of those resources shifted to Medicaid to improve access,” Paul said.

The need to increase reimbursement rates is critical for the William Breman Jewish Home and other providers of home and community-based services. Increased funding would aid recruitment, training, and retention of professionals and support non-profits that serve these clients.

Georgia is one of 10 states that have rejected expansion of Medicaid coverage.

Republicans have indicated a willingness to consider accepting federal funds to

NEWS expand Medicaid in exchange for relaxation of the certificate of need rules that govern construction of hospitals.

Terri Bonoff, CEO of JF&CS, also urged the legislature to “ensure compliance” with the mental health parity law passed last year under the leadership of then-House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, who died in November. “This is in response to the urgent, increased need for mental health care and rising caseloads, particularly among children, youth, and families,” she said.

School vouchers likely will return to the agenda. House Democrats last year were joined by a number of Republicans to halt a Senate measure that would have provided $6,500 to families of students who leave public schools in favor of private schools or home schooling.

The legislature also may consider expansion of an education tax credit program, known as Student Scholarship Organizations, utilized by the ALEF Fund, which provides scholarships to Jewish day schools. The state makes available $120 million in tax credits, with individual filers eligible to receive a $2,500 tax credit and joint filers $5,000 for SSO donations. Businesses can receive a maximum credit of $25,000.

State Rep. Esther Panitch is determined to have the state legislature formally adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

“We have worked with Rep. Carson and Rep. Panitch to reinforce with Senate leaders the importance of retaining the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism which is the standard in most states and has survived several court challenges,” said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul.

“The program is annually oversubscribed, which means credits are prorated rather than the dollar-for-dollar credit expressed in the law. Meanwhile, a state

auditor’s analysis shows the program actually saves the state money while giving parents flexibility and assistance to choose sending their students to Jewish

day schools,” Paul said.

A June 2023 report by the state auditor said that in calendar year 2022, a total of 18,743 scholarships were awarded to private school students, in amounts ranging from more than $10,000 to less than $1,000. While the report said that “the exact fiscal impact cannot be determined,” it also held that the program’s “fiscal impact is driven by expenditure reductions resulting from fewer students in public schools, which offsets the forgone tax revenue.”

Another proposal circulating among Jewish organizations would establish a state version of the federal Non-Profit Security Grant program utilized by religious institutions and non-profits to afford security enhancements. In fiscal year 2023, the federal program provided $305 million in such aid. In fiscal 2022, more than $2.4 million was distributed to religious institutions and non-profits in designated high-risk urban areas in Georgia and more than $4 million was shared elsewhere through the state.

Panitch also would like to see a state law that increases penalties for people who surreptitiously distribute hate material, such as antisemitic flyers, on private property. ì

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NEWS

Artist Nicole Headlines ‘Flow’ at MACoM

Steffi Nicole’s “Rebirth” wallpaper with gold glitter.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe Art mavens know that Atlanta native Steffi Nicole is one to watch as a burgeoning artist emblazing her own unique

10 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

brand of spirituality, bold colors, feminism, and splashes of happiness in both small and huge offerings.

In late December, MACoM chose her to be the featured artist with a presenta-

Steffi and sister, Ricki, at the MACoM opening night presentation.

tion and stimulating exhibit -- which is still available for public viewing through the end of February -- with her 30 original pieces ranging from $63 - $3,600.

MACoM, Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah, allows a sacred space for Jews to encounter ritual immersion and sponsors an annual art exhibit at their Mt. Vernon location in Sandy Springs.

Nicole was featured in the Atlanta Jewish Times Chai Style art column on Dec. 23, 2021, and has earned her credentials in both the Jewish world and public and private home installations around the city and BeltLine. She earned a Master of Art in women’s spirituality and studied at SCAD for a Master of Art in design management after receiving a BA in communications. She now labels herself as an “environmental, digital, and mixed media artist.” Thus, multiple folks in the Jewish community mentioned Nicole to MACoM who was seeking a new artist-inresidence.

Nicole stated, “My artwork incorporates my scholarship of herstory. The last 5,000 years we have been living within history at the cost of exiling and rejecting the Feminine. I channel the Feminine Energy which is translated in my pieces.

The female themes that many people see are a reflection of this energy.”

In the last six months, her installations have included the art room at the Berman Center, basketball court for Michelob Ultra in the West Side, eight murals for the Kiddo’s Learning Center, a lobby entrance mural for First Step, and embellished wallpaper for a private Jewish residence in Morningside. Her pri-

mary work is interior installations from wallpaper, murals, wall art, fine art for private and commercial clients primarily from word-of-mouth. She operates an Etsy shop where she sells fine art, clothing, planners, and prints, and is exploring how to expand her e-commerce presence.

Nicole has been contacted by out-ofstate corporations -- most recently, a nonprofit from Philadelphia for headquarters/lobby design. She said, “I first engage in a full discussion about what emotions and mood they want visitors to feel when they come in. Then, I make a digital presentation for their approval.”

Nicole works with acrylics and mixed media often layering found objects like discs off a flapper style dress and thick ribbons of luscious paint. She works on multiple pieces at a time and usually sits down in front of a canvas with no firm plan in mind.

She said, “When I do murals and installations, of course I do digital plans and mockups; otherwise, I lean on my ‘deep flow.’”

Some see her work as women through portals discovering themselves which aligns with an arm tattoo she got in Tulum, Mexico. She takes inspiration from the late Swedish artist Helen Klint whom she attributes to being her “expander” and seeing similarity in their mystic styles.

Her pieces utilize the energy of Shekinah and have specific prayers incorporated. She created Judaic pieces including an “October 7” piece that sold at the MACoM exhibit; and “Be the Light

NEWS

“Transforming” interactive mural being installed at The Berman Center.

Steffi models her “Mermaid Mami” workout outfit.

“Inner Light” (20x24”) mixed media on canvas, contains discs from a vintage dress trim.

I,” “Be the Light II,” and “Returning to the Flame,” that memorialize the first Chanukah after Oct. 7 to express “our Jewish ability to be the light despite such dark times.”

MACoM Executive Director Michelle Day stated, “At MACoM, we value the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah, enhancing the beauty of Jewish rituals. Steffi, our resident artist, brings dynamism, vibrancy, and beauty to our space, creat-

ing a welcoming environment. Her work reflects the feminine spirit and encourages inner connection. We’re honored to have her. Steffi’s open house was a success, with art sales and meaningful discussions on Mikvah with an engaged audience.”

For more information, visit www.

SteffiNicole.com or @SteffiNicoleB on Instagram or email hello@steffinicole. com. ì

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 11

NEWS

Temple Emanu-El Plants Seeds of Holocaust Education

Students at Hightower Trail Middle School are pictured after planting a memorial daffodil garden // Photo Credit: Lori Bohrer

By Rich Lapin Have you ever noticed how the open petals of daffodils resemble a Star of David? The leadership at Atlanta-based

The Daffodil Project (daffodilproject.net) capitalized on the imagery to recall how Jews were forced to wear Stars of David on their clothing during the Holocaust.

As a result, daffodils have bloomed into

a meaningful metaphor in countering antisemitism.

Founded in 2010 by Atlanta-based Andrea Videlefsky, The Daffodil Project “aspires to build a worldwide Living Ho-

locaust Memorial. The project goal is to plant 1.5 million daffodils in memory of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust and in support for children suffering in humanitarian crises in

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Students gather around Holocaust survivor Hershel Greenblat after a daffodil planting at Mount Vernon Middle School.

A group of students plant daffodils at Johns Creek High School.

the world today. To date, it has supported the planting of over 960,000 daffodils in 571 locations worldwide.”

The project implements its vision by working with global partners including synagogues, churches, schools (elementary, middle, high schools, and universities), city parks and botanical gardens. In Sandy Springs, the Reform Jewish Congregation Temple EmanuEl became an active partner of The Daffodil Project in 2015 and has planted more than 2,000 daffodils, according to its committee leader Lori Bohrer. Temple Emanu-El teen leader, Avi Frank, has shown great leadership at daffodil plantings at Temple Emanu-El and at Centennial High School.

“Our focus is to combat antisemitism and spread the message of tolerance for all by planting daffodils because they represent our poignant hope for the future,” Bohrer told the AJT. “They are resilient and return with a burst of color each spring signifying hope, renewal, and beauty. As part of the synagogue’s multi-faceted initiative to combat antisemitism, it’s our commitment to bring the Daffodil Project to at least five new schools each year. For example, this past fall, we held daffodil planting events at Mt. Vernon Middle School with Holocaust survivor Hershel Greenblat, Paul Duke STEM High School with survivor Ilse Reiner, Johns Creek High School,

Hightower Trail Middle School, Peachtree Middle School, and North Springs High School. What is so gratifying is what occurred after Mr. Greenblat’s presentation late one morning. The class’s students filed into the school cafeteria for lunch and noticed that he was there. They surrounded him and were eager to ask even more questions.”

Bohrer continued, “We are working with schools in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties. Our committee makes the initial contact with the schools. Sometimes it involves a committee member or another congregant to make an introduction to the school. This part of the process takes time and often involves relationship building.

“Our work is meaningful and results from Andrea Videlefsky’s vision, along with our synagogue’s dedicated committee members Jessica Goldberg, Gerri Penn, Patti Lipsey, Beth Liess, Jeff Jacobson, as well as congregants Julie Mokotoff, Wendy Frank, Stephen Blick, and wife, Beth Blick. The Daffodil Project gives us the opportunity to educate younger generations on the lessons of the Holocaust.”

More information on the organization is available at www.daffodilproject.net/ or worldwidedaffodilproject@ gmail.com. ì

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Lori Bohrer contributed to this report.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 13

NEWS

Holocaust Memorial Restoration at Greenwood Begins

By Mike Weinroth The Holocaust Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery is being readied for this year’s Yom HaShoah observance on May 5. The memorial’s restoration is being made possible by generous financial gifts from dozens of local individuals and family foundations to Eternal Life-Hemshech.

After almost 60 years, the Holocaust Memorial is showing its age. To preserve the monument for future generations, restorative work had to be accomplished by a company that works on places of historical significance. Greg Jacobs, of Landmark Preservation, along with other staff, have begun the renovation process. Scaffolding has been installed for the work that lies ahead. Jacobs commented that all outdoor monuments are subject to weather conditions without protection. His company does not want to over-restore. They want the memorial to remain sound and in good condition.

Pieces of granite have cracked so new mortar will be used to patch areas needing reinforcement. Rusted metal will be replaced with newer weather-resistant material. The six torches had to be redesigned internally to accommodate a new electronic system that will make lighting the torches simpler and safer to accomplish. Metal brackets that were used to affix bronze plaques to the interior walls need repairing and the plaques themselves need polishing. There was a darkened plaque that mentioned an urn with ashes in it. As initial work began on the granite blocks, several had to be removed. As they were removed, a small vessel appeared that contained ashes from the Dachau Concentration Camp.

This memorial is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation was made in 2008, seven years earlier than most historic sites.

This acclamation was most unusual because the standards require that places of historic significance must exist for at least 50 years to gain this recognition.

The monument met several criteria for being considered; however, its final selection was based on the areas of significant architecture and social history. Nominations recognized by the National Register begin with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The building of this monument to honor and memorialize the Six Million was completed in 1965. Leon Rosen (z”l) was the first chairman of Hemshech (which lit-

14 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Renovations are underway to restore the Holocaust Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery.

Pieces of granite have cracked so new mortar will be used to patch areas needing reinforcement.

Landmark Preservation will perform the renovations to the Holocaust Memorial.

The memorial will be fully renovated in time for this year’s Yom HaShoah ceremony on May 5.

erally means “continue”) in 1963-64.

Survivor Ben Hirsch (z”l) was the architect who designed the original plan for the Holocaust Memorial. Hirsch came to Atlanta when he was nine years old and escaped on the Kindertransport, along with four of his oldest brothers,

from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to Great Britain. He spoke no English when he arrived in Atlanta in 1941. He attended public schools in Atlanta and graduated from Georgia Tech, having majored in architecture. Over his lifetime he designed synagogues and churches of many dif-

ferent denominations all over greater Atlanta.

The featured speaker at the 2024 Yom HaShoah ceremony will be George Rishfeld, a child survivor from Warsaw, Poland. For more information contact Eternal Life-Hemshech@gmail.com. ì

NEWS

CMCH Students Debut Theater Production

Chaya Mushka Children’s House elementary and middle school girls performed “A Light for Greytowers,” on Dec. 20.

By Chana Shapiro On Dec. 20, Chaya Mushka elementary and middle school’s fourth through eighth grade girls performed “A Light for Greytowers,” as the school’s first fullscale theatrical production.

The musical play, based on a book

by Eva Vogel and Ruth Steinberg, takes place in a Victorian orphanage. It follows one courageous orphan’s struggles to hold onto Judaism and empower the other orphans despite the headmistress’ determination to remove all connections to Jewish life from the girls in her care.

According to Chaya Mushka school principal Leah Sollish, the play was chosen to highlight the talents of the middle school girls and also involve the younger girls. Importantly, the play reflected the values of the school and established a precedent, style, and tone for the future.

Finding the right play was an arduous process; ultimately, Atlanta director Rachelle Freedman, who had taught the master acting class at a summer acting conservatory in Los Angeles, suggested using the script from “A Light for Greytowers,” a film by the conservatory director, Robin Garbose, which was adapted from the famous book, with music by her husband, Yitzhaq. Many Chaya Mushka students were familiar with the book and movie on which the play is based.

Freedman, who directs productions

at several Atlanta Jewish schools, included all the girls in Chaya Mushka’s fourth through eighth grades, an unusually wide age group. Happily, the bonhomie and upbeat spirit of the girls was evident throughout the months of working on the production, in which Freedman taught acting techniques, held auditions, and staged the dialogue and musical numbers. Freedman met sections of the large cast twice a week, initially dividing the cast into three age-related groups; then, as the performance date neared, she held full-cast rehearsals, ultimately at the Atlanta Jewish Academy, where the play was performed.

Chaya Mushka parents were pleased that all rehearsals -- except for the final week of production, with the full cast on the AJA stage -- were held during the school day, negating the necessity of cast members needing to stay after school to rehearse. Principal Sollish remarks, “This arrangement worked well because the excitement for the play spanned five and a half months and didn’t inconvenience parents with too many out-of-school practices.”

Sollish added drama as part of the school curriculum for the entire first semester of the school year. Mandatory auditions were held for the seventh and eighth grade girls, who were expected to get the biggest parts, and many fourth and fifth graders opted to audition as

Chaya Mushka debuted the school’s first full-scale theatrical production, “A Light for Greytowers,” featuring female students from fourth through eighth grades.

well to express their own abilities and talents.

Asked how she was able to work with such a diverse cast, Freedman answers that the girls learned from one another and supported one another. “The younger actors learned nuance by watching the older actors,” Freedman notes, “and the older actors learned from the younger ones to leave their inhibitions at the door. It’s a beautiful process!”

Sollish adds, “The play was incredibly successful, infusing the school with great energy and joy. The sounds of song echoed throughout the hallways, and the collaborative support, kindness, and encouragement between the girls were amazing to see.”

She anticipates that a full-length play will become an annual school event, and she mentions that “every little CMCH girl (Chaya Mushka Children’s House pre-fourth grade elementary school) is now eagerly counting the years until it’s her turn!”

To support the Chaya Mushka show, Atlanta Jewish Academy’s technical director, Breit Katz, designed and ran the play’s sound and lighting. Freedman, who also directs performances at AJA, says, “We are thankful to the AJA administration for making the timing work for us and lending us mic stands.”

Chaya Mushka staff members Sara Silverman and Leah Lipsiker gathered

props and managed them during the play and created the playbill. Shterny Adelman, a Chaya Mushka teacher, ran the spotlight for the show, and teacher Mushka Kesselman painted the sets. Costumes were handmade or borrowed from Temima High School, another school at which Freedman directs productions.

Parents were understandably surprised and delighted at the performance, because the school had never before presented a full-length play, notably a musical with a large cast, an endeavor typically involving high school students, not younger girls.

One parent exclaimed, “The show was unbelievable! The play showcased every girl’s talent!” Another parent added, “Perfectly cast, perfectly executed. Our girls feel so proud!” One mother enthusiastically said she was “so grateful to Leah Sollish and Rachelle Freedman for giving our girls a chance to shine!”

Sollish reflects on the impact of producing the school’s first play, “A Light for Greytowers’ serves as a beautiful example of our students embracing and expressing their unique gifts. It was a spectacular showcase of their talents.

I hope everyone who saw it in person, reads about it in the paper, or watches the video will be inspired to reflect on their own gifts and how they can contribute to making our world a lighter and brighter place.” ì

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 15

NEWS

Jewish Climate Nonprofit Opening Atlanta Hub Adamah, North America’s leading Jewish environmental organization, is launching Adamah ATL, a regional community impact hub. In partnership with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), and with the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Adamah ATL will mobilize the local Atlanta community around Adamah’s areas of national programming while leveraging GIPL’s expertise engaging faith communities in practical climate solutions and advocacy in Georgia.

Jewish institutions across Atlanta will have access to the resources of Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition—a network of Jewish community organizations that recognize the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change and are committed to taking action. Adamah ATL will work with synagogues, Jewish day schools, camps, and other organizations by offering handson, regionally informed support in identifying and implementing climate solutions. Jewish institutions will also have access to award-winning Jewish environmental programs and events.

Furthermore, Adamah’s youth empowerment initiatives will provide unique opportunities for Jewish high school and college students to engage with climate action while strengthening their Jewish identity.

“Adamah is thrilled to be expanding our work to Atlanta,” said Jakir Manela, Adamah CEO. “We are tremendously grateful to our partners at the Atlanta Jewish Federation for their visionary support for this work, and to our allies at GIPL for their leadership in sparking a powerful local Jewish voice for envi-

Adamah is set to open a Jewish climate nonprofit hub in Atlanta // Photo Credit: Adamah

ronmental justice and climate action. We look forward to working in deep collaboration with these partners, and many others, to ignite and inspire vibrant Atlanta Jewish life in deep connection with the Earth.”

GIPL has a longstanding relationship with the Jewish community in Atlanta and beyond. Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal of Ahavath Achim Synagogue currently serves as vice chair of GIPL’s board of directors and many of the organization’s most active Green Teams are in Jewish congregations in Atlanta.

“We believe the Jewish voice for envi-

ronmental justice is one vital to curbing our present climate crisis,” says Codi Norred, executive director of GIPL. “It is our belief that Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and Adamah may do more for our climate and Atlanta together than apart.”

Adamah ATL’s founding director is Joanna Kobylivker, who became GIPL’s first Jewish community organizer in May 2021.

At GIPL, Kobylivker established the Jewish Climate Action Network of Georgia to grow Jewish engagement around climate advocacy in Georgia. Many synagogue leaders have participated in GIPL’s campaigns to ensure a cleaner future for all.

Going forward, Kobylivker will work across the two organizations in a joint position, both as the Adamah ATL director and GIPL’s organizer for Jewish communities. Locally, Adamah ATL and GIPL will work together to grow GIPL’s annual Jewish community engagement opportunities, such as the Reverse Taschlich river clean up in September, as part of the Jewish New Year/Rosh Hashanah, and Tu B’Shvat tree plantings in January, in honor of the Hebrew birthday of the trees. ì Compiled by AJT Staff

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NEWS

Hadassah Champions Response to Hamas War Rapes Hadassah, the largest Women’s Zionist Organization in America with nearly 300,000 members in the United States, puts the spirit of Jewish resilience front and center. Hadassah women continue to speak out as members are calling for a stronger global response to war crimes against women.

Hadassah co-sponsored an emergency session of the United Nations on Dec. 4, 2023, to bear witness to testimonies of Hamas’ brutal acts of gender-based violence against Israeli women and girls on Oct. 7 and to demand UN action. Fifteen key Hadassah leaders attended this event, hosted by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN and co-sponsored by Shazur/Interwoven, The World Zionist Organization, The National Council of Jewish Women, and Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

Hadassah is helping to lead the U.S. call for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, and calls on UN Women to condemn Hamas for its horrendous treatment of women and girls. Signa-

Lynn Owens and Simone Wilker, HGA Zionist Affairs Chair, show signs of support for Israeli women and girls.

tures were gathered from more than 80 organizations to demand further action from the UN. Hadassah Greater Atlanta, in a similar call to action, co-sponsored an event, Shine The Light, with several Jewish women’s groups here in Atlanta on Fri-

day, Dec. 15, at The Temple. The co-sponsoring organizations were Hadassah Greater Atlanta, Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, The Temple, National Council of Jewish Women Atlanta, Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon Atlanta, Jewish Family & Career Services Atlanta, Jewish

Community Relations Council Atlanta, MACoM, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Women’s Philanthropy, and Temple Sinai.

Simone Wilker, Zionist Affairs Chair, Hadassah Greater Atlanta, explains, “Our Atlanta Hadassah members are busy training to become better advocates as we support Israel and women’s causes and fight antisemitism. We are expanding our efforts to pass legislation in the State of Georgia that defines antisemitism using the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition.”

Hadassah Greater Atlanta, the metro Atlanta chapter of Hadassah, is comprised of more than 3,000 members. Hadassah will continue to advocate at the UN, at the Georgia Assembly, and in local communities. Their advocacy makes an impact as Hadassah’s goal is to “Make our Voices Heard.”

To learn more about Hadassah’s advocacy efforts, go to: hadassahsupersouth.com/actioncenter?r=qr. ì Compiled by AJT Staff

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NEWS

AJFF Announces 2024 Festival Lineup

By Bob Bahr The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has officially unveiled the 60 films selected for its 24th annual presentation. The early presentation at the Breman Museum on Jan. 7 was led by the museum’s director Leslie Gordon and longtime AJFF executive and artistic director Kenny Blank. They gave festival fans a look at over a dozen trailers for some of the most important films in this year’s lineup. A more complete listing of the full schedule debuted on the AJFF comprehensive website, www.AJFF.org the following day, Jan 8.

It was an early look at the festival’s selections, which begin on Feb. 13. There will be 14 days of theatrical screenings in five local theaters. That’s followed by an encore of about one-third of those same films being offered via online, on demand virtual screenings for another 10 days, before the closing night theatrical screening on March 7.

A committee of 150 volunteers labored over the summer and early fall to screen more than 650 films that were submitted this year. Forty narrative features and documentaries made the final cut, along with 20 short films that will be screened in three additional programs.

The opening night film is “Irena’s Vow,” an absorbing, suspenseful production, based on a true story of a young Polish Catholic housemaid who shelters a dozen Jews during the Holocaust literally under the nose of Nazis, in the basement of the home in which she works for a German military officer.

Blank was surprised and delighted by the quality of the films that were evaluated, given the dip in recent production due to the pandemic. Blank describes this year’s selections as among the strongest lineup that the festival has ever presented.

“I think truly, this year, what we are offering is really amazing. We have a really strong, eclectic mix of films. It’s a great banner year, I think, for Jewish cinema.”

There are three world premieres, six North American premieres, and over a dozen films being shown in the Southeast for the first time. Among the most highly anticipated of the premieres is “Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre,” a documentary directed by Israel filmmakers Yossi Block and Duki Dror about the tragic events of Oct. 7, 2023.

The documentary describes, as it happened, the attack by Hamas terrorists on an open-air music festival not 18 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

The Breman Museum’s Leslie Gordon (left) and AJFF’s Kenny Blank appeared at the film festival kickoff at the museum Jan. 7.

The multiple award winner, “Seven Blessings,” is one of 17 feature films about Israel in this year’s festival.

The closing night film is about TV puppeteer Shari Lewis and Lambchop.

“Irena’s Vow,” a Holocaust drama about how a Polish Catholic housemaid saved a dozen Jews, is the AJFF opening night showcase.

Noam Cohen was one of the survivors who was interviewed for the Israeli documentary, “Supernova - The Music Festival Massacre.”

far from the Gaza Strip. The tragic attack killed 364 civilians, wounded many more, and resulted in 40 hostages. The screening is being sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast.

The festival program guide describes it as a compilation of videos from cameras that some of the terrorists wore, from the phones of the victims, from dash cams and first responders’ recordings.

The AJFF says it’s “a vivid, emotionally charged immersion into the nightmarish ordeal.”

Nearly half of the 40 feature length films in this year’s festival were produced either in Israel or feature aspect of life in the Jewish state. Among them is “Seven Blessings,” a drama tinged with comedy about a Moroccan Jewish family wedding that brings together a Moroccan bride and a French Ashkenazic groom. It won

Best Film and nine other honors at Israel’s most recent Academy Awards.

Also being screened is the latest critically acclaimed film by the distinguished Israeli director Avi Nesher, “The Monkey House.” There’s a documentary about Golda Meir’s war diaries of the 1973 Yom Kippur War and “Home,” an explosive drama about the Ultra-Orthodox world in Israel.

One of the chairs of the film section committee, Hazel Gold, an Emory University professor, describes the offerings as providing a good close up of Israel during this very important moment in the country’s history.

“These are films that really give you a terrific insight into the nature of Israeli society. There are musicals, there are dramas, there are comedies. They cover all the genres.”

Altogether there are films from 20 countries in this year’s festival, including a documentary about the controversial Jewish American author, Norman Mailer, the American comic actor, Gene Wilder, and the closing night film about the brilliant American performer, Shari Lewis, and her beloved puppet, Lamb Chop.

In a world increasingly dominated by a hodgepodge of huge, impersonal online streaming services, the AJFF has once again assembled a carefully curated selection of dramas and true-life stories that, according to Blank, can engage and enlighten all of us.

“There’s no replicating that magic of the big screen and the shared reaction.

It’s that energy that comes from seeing these movies together as an audience.

And that’s what the festival is all about — creating community.” ì

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ISRAEL PRIDE

NEWS FROM OUR JEWISH HOME Notre Dame, Cleveland State, Emory Univer-

A group of participants arrived in Jerusalem to volunteer at Israeli NGO in show of solidarity amid heightened wartime need.

Yad Sarah Welcomes Young Americans for Volunteer Program Yad Sarah, Israel's largest nongovernmental social and healthcare service provider, announced the arrival of a cohort of 18 young Jewish North Americans who have joined the ranks of its volunteers through Birthright Israel Onward, a department of Taglit-Birthright Israel. This initiative is sup-

Today in Israeli History

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman represents Israel at the flag-raising ceremony at CERN on Jan. 15, 2014. // By Laurent Egil, CERN

Jan. 15, 2014: A flag-raising ceremony at the Geneva headquarters of the European Organization for Nuclear Research marks Israel’s status as the 21st full member of the 60-year-old organization known as CERN. Jan. 16, 1948: All 35 Haganah soldiers in a convoy bringing supplies on foot to the blockaded Gush Etzion settlements are killed in a day of fighting with Arab troops. Nearby British troops do not intervene in the battle.

Jan. 17, 1986: Spain becomes the last Western European nation to open formal diplomatic relations with Israel, a condition for Spain to gain admission to the European Community, the precursor to the European Union.

Jan. 18, 1991: The morning after U.S.-led allied forces launch airstrikes on Iraq at the start of the Persian Gulf War, eight Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel. Seven people are wounded, and residential buildings are damaged in Haifa and Tel Aviv.

20 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

ported by the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and Mosaic United.

Program participants, motivated by a shared sense of responsibility and a desire to make a positive impact in Israel, have chosen to dedicate their winter holidays to contributing to Yad Sarah's vital work as part of its Emergency Wartime Relief Campaign.

The volunteers have been placed in various Yad Sarah departments and will engage in a variety of tasks, ranging from assisting with medical equipment repairs, organizing inventory, installing at-home hospital units, and washing and folding laundry. Their activities will also contribute to Yad Sarah services at Shaare Zedek Medical Center as well as the organization’s “Yirmiyahu 33” Rehabilitation & Wellness Hotel that is sheltering ill and mobility-challenged evacuees.

The volunteers range in age from 18-40 and hail from cities across the United States.

They will spend up to six hours a day, five days a week volunteering in their respective units at Yad Sarah headquarters in Jerusalem where they are also provided accommodations.

Jan. 19, 1990: Arthur Goldberg dies in Washington at 81. Goldberg left the U.S. Supreme Court to become the ambassador to the United Nations in 1965 and helped draft Security Council Resolution 242 after the June 1967 war.

Jan. 20, 1942: Nazis convened by Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee draft the plans for the “Final Solution” to European Jewry through deportation to deadly slave labor camps and mass murder.

Destruction in the wake of the brutal Hamas attack on Oct. 7 // Photo Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

US Jewish Scholars Travel to Israel in Show of Support A senior delegation of Jewish studies scholars from various U.S. universities recently arrived in Israel to express support as it wages war against the Hamas terror organization.

The initiative originated from Yeshiva University faculty and swift participation from colleagues at Hebrew Union College and Jewish Theological Seminary as well as additional support from scholars at institutions such as Catholic Theological Union, Rutgers University, Washington University, Jan. 23, 1950: The Knesset votes 60-2 to adopt a Cabinet-drafted resolution declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Mapam and Herut abstain. The no votes are two Communists who favor an international status for Jerusalem.

Jan. 24, 1941: Dan Shechtman is born in Tel Aviv. He becomes Israel’s 10th Nobel Prize winner with the 2011 chemistry prize for the discovery of crystals that grow without a repeating pattern, known as quasicrystals.

Jan. 25, 1956: Israeli Ambassador Abba Eban and U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles discuss a proposed $50 million weapons deal to counter a Soviet sale to Egypt, but President Dwight Eisenhower isn’t interested.

BILU pioneers work the fields of Moshava Gedera in 1910.

Jan. 21, 1882: BILU, whose name comes from Isaiah’s “Beit Yaakov lekhu venelkha” (“House of Jacob, let us go”), is founded by 30 students in Ukraine, setting the groundwork for the First Aliyah of Zionist immigration.

Jan. 22, 2013: After the dissolution of the parliament over a budget dispute in October, Israel votes for the 19th Knesset. The right wing loses seats, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is able to form a government after eight weeks.

Hamas supporters celebrate victory in parliamentary elections Jan. 26, 2006. // Kent College

Jan. 26, 2006: Hamas wins 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council during elections in which 77% of eligible voters cast ballots. Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, wins 43 seats.

sity, Reed College, and more.

“It is heartwarming that Conservative, Reform and Orthodox congregations and communal organizations from around the country quickly joined in to help,” Professor Steven Fine, director of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, said. “This is Klal Yisrael [the Jewish people] forging new bonds at a moment of crisis, a wonder to watch.”

According to organizers, the Jewish Studies Scholars Solidarity Trip to Israel in Crisis has as its first goal visiting Israeli academic institutions, scholars, and students who are affected by this war, and using their expertise as Jewish scholars as part of the war effort.

The participants explored Kibbutz Kfar Azza and Kibbutz Yad Mordecai, which were brutally attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7 and were slated to meet with scholars at Bar-Ilan University and Tel Aviv University, visit the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, and visit to the new Israel Antiquities Authority campus, and learn about the work of archaeologists at war.

Compiled by AJT Staff Jan. 27, 2001: Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Taba, Egypt, conclude after a week of progress based on the Clinton Parameters, but Ariel Sharon rejects the discussions when he is elected prime minister 10 days later.

An 1806 painting depicts Napoleon emancipating the Jews across his empire.

Jan. 28, 1790: The National Assembly of revolutionary France decides to give citizenship to Sephardi Jews after debating Jewish rights in December. The majority Ashkenazim are not emancipated until September 1791.

Jan. 29, 2004: Israel frees more than 430 Arab prisoners to win the release of an Israeli businessman abducted in Dubai in October 2000 and the bodies of three soldiers captured that month by Hezbollah and killed.

Jan. 30, 1933: Recha Freier founds the Committee for the Assistance of Jewish Youth on the day Adolf Hitler is appointed the chancellor of Germany. Later renamed Youth Aliyah, the program rescues more than 11,000 Jews.

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

ISRAEL Synagogues Help Congregants Process Israel War

By Jan Jaben-Eilon

30 lives in the first few days in the field.

The effort is personal for a few Beth As the Atlanta Jewish community Tefillah congregants. The sons of two still grapples with the trauma of the Oct. families are serving in the IDF, while an7 Hamas attack on Israel, including the other member volunteered to rejoin the hostage taking and the retaliatory war IDF, leaving behind a wife who is seven months pregnant. against the terrorist group Beth Tefillah also that is based in Gaza, locontacted other Atlanta cal synagogues struggle congregations to celebrate to provide support and Chanukah with a fundeducation to their congreraising concert on Dec. gants. The programming 14. Reform Temple Emathese congregations are nu-El and Conservative offering appears to reflect Congregation B’nai Torah the philosophies of their co-sponsored the concert. leadership.

Referring to its outreach “I very much preach to non-Orthodox congreaction,” said Congregation Congregation Shearith Israel gations, New said, “My atBeth Tefillah Senior Rabbi Rabbi Ari Kaiman said his titude is whenever we can, Yossi New. “Our congregacongregation is “a community we do, and we should.” tion is very much action of a lot of voices. My role is Congregation oriented. A mitzvah is as to help Shearith Israel be a Shearith Israel Rabbi Ari powerful as a bullet.” platform” for those voices.

Kaiman stresses that there Thus, Beth Tefillah created an organization called Atlanta is no official opinion espoused by the conFriends of Israel which identified various gregation. “Shearith Israel is a commucharities to which it contributes the mon- nity of a lot of voices. My role is to help ey it has raised. So far, the Sandy Springs Shearith Israel be a platform” for those congregation has raised more than voices.

“Voices of Shearith Israel” is that $150,000, of which $80,000 has already been spent. Besides buying supplies for platform specifically created to allow consoldiers on the front, it has raised money gregants to share their reflections and esto purchase two ambulances for Magen says in the wake of the Oct. 7 devastating assault on outdoor conDavid Adom, Israel’s nacerts, more than 20 comtional emergency medical, munities, and a number disaster, ambulance, and of army bases in Israel not blood bank service. far from the Gaza Strip.

One organization At“We have a disclaimer saylanta Friends of Israel has ing that we’re not articupartnered with is Global lating a right way to feel,” Action Institute which has said Kaiman. delivered 67 duffel bags of About a dozen essays supplies to front line solso far have been posted, diers. Global packed, flew, written by Kaiman and and trucked these bags Rabbi Natan Trief, director of other rabbis as well as directly to military bases adult learning & PNK Learning various congregants. On at the Gaza border where Center librarian at Temple the synagogue’s website, Israeli soldiers are based Sinai, said the Hamas attack has opened a “lot of scars that the “Voices of Shearith before entering Gaza.

Another organization are always on the Jewish soul." Israel” are described as is Butterfly Network, a for-profit group “personal,” and possibly “a little raw. We that manufactures mobile ultrasound hope this effort will lift up the voices of technology. This technology enables sur- our community, so that we feel a little less geons with the Israel Defense Forces in alone in our grief, sorrow, fear, and anxithe field in Gaza to identify shrapnel and ety. Perhaps we’ll even gain a measure of bullets inside soldiers. Using a wand and comfort and strength. Maybe even hope.”

According to Kaiman, there are a an iPad, the IDF surgeon can see inside “bunch of different opinions” and “a mix muscle, bone, and tissue.

According to Beth Tefillah, after de- of emotions” among his congregants. “It’s livering its first wand, the congregation not for me to decide,” he said. Some of the received a call from the father of one of contributed essays are volunteered, some those surgeons on the front line in Gaza are solicited, but every week there’s a difsaying that Beth Tefillah’s donation saved

October 23, 2023: Art installations in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art as reminder of the over 200 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7: Bring them home now! sign.

ferent voice. He acknowledged that there’s Senior Rabbi Ron Segal recently returned a “challenge to articulate what we’re feel- from a short volunteer mission there. ing.” But he emphasizes that there’s no When he was there, barely a month after the Hamas attack, Trief found a variety “right way to feel.”

On Jan. 7, Shearith Israel, in conjunc- of emotions among Israelis. There was a tion with Congregation Or Hadash and combination of hopelessness and hopeAhavath Achim Synagogue and the Atlan- fulness. “On a superficial level, there was ta Rabbinical Association, hosted Masua a picture of unity,” he said. But he also suggested that the trauma the Sagiv, the Koret Visiting country experienced will Assistant Professor of Jewlast generations. “It was a ish and Israel Studies at terrible lesson in humilthe University of Califority.” nia-Berkeley and a ScholTemple Sinai is planar in Residence of the Shaning a congregational lom Hartman Institute for mission to Israel at the bea presentation on Israel ginning of February. “Not entitled “Navigating Deep for first-timers,” the trip Crisis as a People.” will combine volunteer Three days earlier, on work with education.

Jan. 4, Temple Sinai held a “I very much preach action,” Among the Sinai con“crash course” in the ArabIsraeli conflict presented said Congregation Beth Tefillah gregants, “there’s a thirst Senior Rabbi Yossi New. “Our for knowledge” and a “lot by congregant Beth Brown congregation is very much of confusion. There are who has a Master’s degree action oriented. A mitzvah a lot of scars that have in Jewish history and who is as powerful as a bullet.” opened,” he said, scars has developed a comprehensive curriculum in response to the that are always on the Jewish soul. “That trauma is coming to the surface. Folks reHamas attacks and ongoing war.

The congregation has already held ally want to talk about Israel. They need a half dozen sessions about the war, said a sense of community and unity. People Rabbi Natan Trief, director of adult learn- want to be heard and need to process.”

Rabbi New emphasizes that the Jewing & PNK Learning Center librarian at Temple Sinai. Trief has convened several ish community “cannot afford to be depodcast episodes in which he interviews pressed. When people are depressed, they experts on topics such as antisemitism on lose energy. That’s a victory for the enemy.

There was a method to their madness,” he campuses and Israel at war.

Trief participated in a Reform rab- added, speaking of Hamas. “We cannot bis fellowship trip to Israel on Nov. 14 and succumb.” ì ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 21

BUSINESS Hadassah Celebrates 2024 Delta and El Al Started Installation and Chanukah Codeshare Jan. 1

HGA 2024 Board: (front row, from left) Joan Solomon; Judy Bart; Nancy Schwartz, HGA president; Terry Nordin; Linda Liss; (back row, from left) Simone Wilker; Michele Weiner-Merbaum, S.E. region president; Judy Lebow; Faith Shatzman; Phyllis M. Cohen; Stephanie Pure; Anita Otero; Mindy Cohen; Lara Rush; Sybil Ginsburg; (not pictured) Betty Fendrick, Sandy Bailey, Liz Goldstein, Katie Kloder, Deborah Kloder, Annie Loventhal, Marsha Bernstein, Marci Abrams-Feinstein, Linda M. Hakerem, Barbara Melkin

Hadassah Greater Atlanta held its installation of officers and board on Dec. 10 at Maggiano’s, Perimeter Mall. Installing officers were Rachel Schonberger, MD, Hadassah national marketing & communication co-coordinator, and Shirley Michalove, a past president of Hadassah Southeastern Region who co-authored the script but was unable to attend.

Dr. Schonberger discharged and thanked the outgoing board and installed the incoming officers and board. Nancy Schwartz was installed as president for a second term. She thanked Leora Wollner and Rosalie Agrow, co-presidents of the HGA Ketura Group, for organizing the event. A presentation was made by Dana Waxler, national annual giving co-chair from Chattanooga, who thanked all existing donors and welcomed new Keepers

22 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

and Chai Society annual donors.

Guest speaker was Esther Panitch, State Representative, Georgia House of Representatives District 51. A Hadassah Life Member, Representative Panitch spoke of her family ties to Hadassah. As the only Jewish State Representative, she encouraged members to visit the Capitol in person to make their voices heard and to show support for the upcoming bill in Georgia to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

The attendees also celebrated Chanukah with early lighting of the fourth candle and a raffle. To learn more about Hadassah in Atlanta, go to www.hadassah.org/chapter/greater-atlanta.

Compiled by AJT Staff

Delta Air Lines and El Al began code sharing on Jan. 1, providing travelers with more options.

By Jan Jaben-Eilon While Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines first announced its planned code sharing agreement with Israeli El Al Airlines last June, the result of this partnership is only starting to impact Atlanta-area travelers in the new year. That’s because the cooperation was officially launched for bookings on Dec. 18, but only for travel as of Jan. 1.

The planned code sharing is particularly significant because Delta is still not providing nonstop service to Tel Aviv due to the war that broke out Oct. 7 after the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1,200 – mostly civilians – injuring thousands more and abducting more than 200 hostages, half of whom are still in Gaza.

Almost immediately, Delta stopped flying to Israel from Atlanta, Boston, and New York-JFK. The flights to and from Atlanta and Boston have been “canceled indefinitely.” The flights between JFK Airport in New York and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, initially suspended through February, have now been suspended until March 29. That route will continue to be evaluated by Delta.

But with the code sharing agreement now in effect, Southeast travelers can fly on Delta to Boston, Miami, Newark, and JFK (and Los Angeles if they want to fly west to go east) and – on the same ticket

– fly El Al to Israel. Starting April 15, El Al will also be flying to and from Fort Lauderdale.

As Delta and El Al both explain, customers who purchase tickets combining El Al and Delta flights can “perform” a single check-in for the entire journey.

This includes obtaining a boarding pass at the departure point and tagging luggage through to the final destination.

The two airlines also boast an expanded route network for passengers on both non-stop and connecting flights.

Frequent flyer club members can also earn and redeem points on flights through both El Al’s Matmid program and Delta’s SkyMiles. In addition, effective Jan. 15, “top tier travelers can benefit from exclusive privileges” on Delta flights, including preferred seat selection, extra baggage allowance, priority check-in and boarding.

Once Delta restores service to Tel Aviv, El Al’s code will be added to Delta’s non-top Tel Aviv flights.

“Delta remains steadfast in our long-time commitment to serving consumers and businesses who depend on convenient, high-quality air service to and from Tel Aviv,” said Alain Bellemare, Delta President-International. “Through our codeshare agreement with El Al, we will offer customers more convenient travel options between North America and Israel.”

BUSINESS

Festival of Lights at The Coca-Cola Company

Four Generations Attend ‘Annie’ at The Fox

The Coca-Cola Company celebrated Chanukah with planned festivities, including a party with latkes, sufganiyot, chocolate gelt, and music.

After a four-year hiatus due to the pandemic, The Coca-Cola Company once again celebrated Chanukah at its global headquarters, including both Jewish and non-Jewish associates. There were Chanukah festivities Dec. 7 as part of a broader holiday event, followed by a Chanukah party Dec. 11 that included latkes, sufganiyot, chocolate gelt and holiday music.

Evan Charles, a 27-year veteran of the company, organized the event, along with Rabbi Ari Sollish, leader of the Torah Center of Atlanta. “When we light the menorah, it is a reminder that light triumphs darkness and good conquers

evil,” Charles said.

Bea Perez, EVP and global chief communications, sustainability & strategic partnerships officer, spoke about the beautiful traditions of Chanukah and her support of the Jewish community at Coca-Cola. She stressed the importance of inclusivity, tolerance, and building a community where everyone is accepted, regardless of background and race. Rabbi Sollish led the menorah lighting. The celebration included more than a dozen senior Coca-Cola executives.

Compiled by AJT Staff

(From left) Four-year-old great-granddaughter Emmie Chinsky, granddaughter Allie Chinsky, proud matriarch of the family, 90-year-old Bunnie Maron, and daughter-in-law Debbie Maron.

By Bob Bahr A matinee performance of “Annie,” the Broadway musical on a national tour that stopped at the Fox Theater, attracted four generations to a performance during Chanukah.

The legendary musical, which

opened in 1977, won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. The music and lyrics were written by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Martin Chanin, both Jewish Americans. It ran for six years on Broadway and, judging from these fans, it is still a crowd pleaser.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 23

BUSINESS

2023 Pinch Hitter Program Christmas is a sacred holiday for our Christian brethren – a day of worship, goodwill, and togetherness. Businesses typically close for the day so employees may spend the holiday with their loved ones. However, essential services, such as hospitals, nursing homes, police, and fire stations must stay open on Christmas.

But thanks to the Pinch Hitter Program and its cadre of volunteers, many of those essential employees were, in fact, able to enjoy the holiday away from work. Since 1980, the Pinch Hitter Program has served as an annual opportunity for Jewish Atlantans to give back by going to work for non-medical healthcare workers on Christmas Day. Achim/Gate City Lodge of B’nai B’rith extends their sincere thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the Pinch Hitter Program on Christmas Day, 2023, and a special Yasher Koach to the volunteer hospital coordinators (noted with **) and their assistants (noted with *) without whom the Pinch Hitter Program would have been impossible to produce.

Heartfelt thanks go also to the sponsors: Capital Investment Advisors; Siegel Insurance--Auto-Owners Insurance; Publix Supermarkets Charities; Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC; Coldwell Banker--Debbie Sonenshine; Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care; Kessler and Solomiany, PC; Loventhal Insurance Group and Toco Instant Printing.

For more information about the program, contact Harry Lutz at 678-485-8179 or email hslutz_fsa@yahoo.com.

Compiled by AJT Staff

2023 Pinch Hitter Volunteers

Amy Hurewitz and Harry Lutz

Craig and Reid Kaplan, Sheila Muldoon, Lane Wolbe

Matt Green, Rae Sirott, David and Tova Goldshmidt, Kat-I van Morblue, Harry Lutz

Michelle Goodelman

Stan Sloan 24 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Rita and Fred Chaiken

Sherri Adair Sarah Anderson Leslie Anderson John Astarita Lisa Astarita Charlotte Barrios Leo Barrios Lisa Barrios Gloria Benamy Arnold Berry Heleen Berry Carrie Bickwit **Irma Bloch David Bohn Benjamin Borthwick Julia Borthwick Jeri Breiner Alan Buchalter Brandon Buchalter Molly Buchalter Pam Buchalter Fred Chaiken Rita Chaiken **Bob Cohen Sandra Craine Randy Crohn Benjamin Deitchman Vance Dietz Carol Draisen Benjy Dubovsky Marilyn Dubovsky Erika Eberhardt Joshua Eberhardt Rodney Eberhardt Joab Eichenberg-Eilon Arona Elk Eden England Lance England Talia England Karen Fedder Rob Feldman Sheri Feldman Angela Galanter Greg Galanter Paula Galanter Avi Goldschmidt David Goldschmidt Debra Goldschmidt Tovah Goldschmidt Zev Goldschmidt Michele Goodelman Sara Goodelman Debbie Gordon

Emma Gordon Marley Gordon **Matthew Green Lara Gutierrez Bruce Harris Mindy Harris Sadie Harris Sharon Hochdorf Amy Hurewitz Ian Hurewitz **Gary Jackson Denise Jacobs Adelaida Jaramillo Camilo Jaramillo Sebastian Jaramillo Matthew Kaler Craig Kaplan Frances Kaplan **Gary Kaplan Reid Kaplan Ann Kay Chari Kornheiser Michael Kornheiser Eileen Kramer Richard Lapin Sharyn Lazarnick Lauren Levin Mike Levin Sophie Levine Ari Lewis Deborah Lewis Maya Lewis Stewart Lewis Kira Lord Myrna Lubin *Becky Lutz **Rosanne Lutz Gilbert Lyons Brian Mailman Emma Mailman Grace Mailman Melanie Mailman Carole Masters Bob Mayer Lou Milakofsky Shelley Milakofsky Barry Minkoff Donna Mishkin Lauren Monet Bonnie Moscovitch Jay Moscovitch Sheila Muldoon Howard Newman

**Tony Nicholls Lynn Oves Helen Perkel Jane Perlman Faye Pous Katerina Richardson Amy Robertson Beth Rodecker Andrea Rosenthal *David Rosenthal *Milt Rosenthal Sandra Rothbard Jacob Rothenberg **Helen Scherrer-Diamond Alex Schulman Jenna Schulman Marci Schulman Seth Schulman Cindy Sedran Gabi Seplovich Debby Shilling Spencer Shilling Daniel Shmalo Gwenn Silverman Stan Silverman Will Simmons *Rae Sirott Harper Slemons Rebecca Slemons Stan Sloan Allan Slovin David Sokolik Sharon Sokolik Alyson Spector Dana Spector John Spector Terri Speigel Gabrielle Starr Todd Starr Sandi Still Michelle Swislow Bill Travis Shellie Travis Kat-I van Morblue Abe Wachter Leslie Wachter Julie Warsett Lane Wolbe Donna Wolff Sarah Zaslaw Betsy Zeff

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SPORTS Gealer Secures Backcourt Spot for Stanford A couple of summers ago, as Benny Gealer was gearing up for the 2022 Maccabi Games in Israel, during which he would be USA David Ostrowsky Maccabi’s sole high school player, Stanford University started showing significant interest in the slender point guard who had led Rolling Hills Prep to two California 2AA Southern Section titles.

Gealer, fresh off graduating from Rolling Hills as a valedictorian that spring, had been weighing his options for playing college hoops, one being a full scholarship offer from UC Riverside. But then came the most enticing choice as the prestigious world-class university from his home state swooped in – albeit not with a pledge for a full-ride scholarship, but rather an invitation to be a preferred walk-on for the men’s basketball team.

As if that made a difference.

“I couldn’t tell my mom or my dad otherwise. I don’t think they would have let me pick another school,” Gealer recalled when speaking to the AJT last month.

Still, there were lingering concerns.

Would being a “preferred walk-on” among full scholarship recipients equate to being a second-class citizen? Meanwhile, there was no getting around the hefty price tag of a Stanford education, which runs north of $80,000 per year (including tuition and room & board).

“Before coming to Stanford, I was a little worried, like what does a preferred walk-on even mean?” said Gealer, who ultimately found out the designation did, in fact, mean a guaranteed roster spot. “I didn’t really fully know about how I was going to be treated or what was my role on the team.”

But … “It [being a preferred walk-on] was super positive overall. I felt like they treated me like every scholarship player.

I was just a player on the team.”

Despite partially tearing his ACL during his very first preseason practice at Stanford merely weeks after returning from the Maccabi Games – and subsequently being shelved for the first eight games of the regular season – Gealer produced in limited action as a freshman, quickly earning the respect of his teammates … and eventually that highly coveted full scholarship.

26 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Stanford sophomore guard Benny Gealer (white jersey) is one of the most dynamic Jewish college basketball players in the country this year and hopes to help guide the Cardinal back to March Madness // Photo Credit: Scott Gould/ISI Photos

“The greatest feeling was gratitude, to be honest,” Gealer responded when asked how it felt to receive Stanford’s 13th and final scholarship spot heading into his sophomore year. “I was proud of myself. I always have a chip on my shoulder, just being a smaller Jewish basketball player. I consider myself the underdog so I’m always playing with this chip on my shoulder. I felt like I deserved this scholarship, no question. I knew once they offered me the opportunity to be a walk-on in the beginning, I wasn’t just like, ‘Oh, that’s it. I got what I wanted.’”

Akin to a professional ballplayer signing a lucrative multi-year extension, receiving a full athletic scholarship provides great financial security (especially in this day and age) but doesn’t exactly alleviate other pressures intrinsic to highoctane athletic competition.

“I don’t feel like there’s a lot less pressure at all,” reasoned Gealer. “I actually feel like nothing’s really changed other than I just have a free education pretty much, which I’m extremely grateful for.

If anything, I’m working way harder. I’m

going to work my butt off to be the best possible player to give Stanford the best possible opportunity to win.”

For Stanford, whose last Final Four appearance was in spring 1998, the wins haven’t come so easily this year. Just like every other high-powered Division I program, Stanford grinded through a first half of the season marked by uneven competition against mostly non-conference (Pac-12) foes. Less than a week after a breezy 95-70 win over Eastern Washington (Gealer poured in a careerhigh 13 points that evening), the Stanford Cardinal dropped a couple nail-biters to heavyweights Arkansas and Michigan in the nationally televised Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Following a shocking upset win over then No.4-ranked Arizona on Dec. 31, Stanford entered the new year and final two months of the 2023-24 season – a schedule comprised exclusively of Pac-12 opponents -- with a 6-6 record, good for a middle-of-the-pack spot in conference standings.

While this winter the Cardinal may still be a bit of a long shot to make

their first NCAA tourney since 2014 (the women’s team is a different story as it is firmly in the running for a national title), the team has a promising young nucleus with not just Gealer assuming a more prominent role but also the notable contributions of his backcourt mate, freshman sharpshooter Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

“I think we have a team this year that could make the tournament,” offered Gealer. “I think there is potential to leave a legacy and bring this program back up, but I don’t know if it’s on the top of my mind. I’m more just, ‘Can we get the next win?’”

Of course, knocking off Pac-12 opponents is but one part of the Stanford basketball experience; the other, likely more time consuming one, is handling the rather rigorous course load.

“It’s more challenging than at most universities, but it’s manageable,” acknowledged Gealer, who then quickly made a point of adding, “it’s nice to be busy. Right now, if you have nothing, it’s like, ‘What do I do with my time?’” ì

SPORTS

Steinberg Reflects on 30 Years with Atlanta Hawks

By David Ostrowsky The Atlanta Braves hadn’t yet won a World Series in Atlanta. Preparations were well underway for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Dominique Wilkins was still with the Atlanta Hawks.

It was January 1994 and Jon Steinberg, less than a year after graduating from Radford University, was joining the Hawks as their new assistant director of media relations. After landing an unpaid-turned-minimum wage paying internship with the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) the prior summer, Steinberg, upon being hired by Arthur Triche, former VP of public relations for the Hawks, was eagerly awaiting his first full-time NBA gig. Did he ever think three decades later, he himself would be the Hawks’ VP of public relations and celebrating a 30-year anniversary with the franchise?

“I would have laughed,” responded Steinberg, the son of a Reform rabbi who was born in Miami but whose family later settled in Portsmouth, Va., when he was nine. “It wouldn’t have felt possible.

I would not have thought that I would be with the same organization or maybe even in the same industry this many years later. I almost think if I look too far back or count the years, I’m going to start feeling old and I don’t want to do that.”

In his now three-decade NBA journey – as he’s had a front row seat to watch such megastars as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, and so many others through the years -Steinberg has cultivated a well-deserved league-wide reputation for being an extremely pleasant, affable, and unassuming PR guru. Unsurprisingly, when he’s asked to reflect on the 30-year milestone, there’s very little for which Steinberg personally takes credit.

“I think to have any type of longevity in any job nowadays, certainly in the sports/entertainment industry, you have to have luck,” Steinberg, who also serves as the Hawks’ de facto team historian, added. “I’m also fortunate to work with an incredible ownership and senior leadership group and also just in general be surrounded by a group of very talented people who give me the freedom, the resources, the confidence, the autonomy to play my small role in the organization.”

The “small” role of being the Hawks’ vice president of PR requires a large time commitment, particularly this time of year. For home games, which Steinberg

As one of the longest-tenured employees in the Atlanta Hawks organization, Jon Steinberg has earned the respect of generations of players and countless media members // Photo Credit: Atlanta Hawks

constantly works, he is typically in the office around 8 a.m. and doesn’t leave until 11:30 p.m. (Yes, this means the basketball game is but a sliver of the actual workday.) For the past decade, he has worked the overwhelming majority (as in 95 percent) of road games, which, for a husband and father of two children such as himself, continues to present significant challenges – ones that are intrinsic to many careers in pro sports.

“The most challenging part is far and away time spent away from family,” acknowledged Steinberg, who makes it a point to share such insight when he is speaking to students and young professionals aspiring to work in sports. “I have a very understanding family, but it’s still difficult. Maybe it helped a little bit that I was already working in this industry when I met my wife and when we had our children, but it doesn’t make it any easier. There’s no way to replace some of the time that you’re not at home. It’s extremely challenging. There’s no way around it -- to work in this industry and not have to make some sacrifices.”

When Steinberg cut his teeth in the world of NBA public relations in the mid'90s under the wing of Susan O’Malley (former president of the Washington Bullets/Wizards), the landscape of the league was vastly different from its current iteration. For one, there were seemingly only two teams – the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets – winning titles. Now,

there is tremendous parity, not to mention dozens of new countries represented across franchises whose valuations have skyrocketed.

“It was definitely a popular league nationally and internationally when I started, but I think the growth of the game globally has been incredible and the most notable change from when I started,” added Steinberg, who accompanied the Hawks to Abu Dhabi for preseason games in fall 2022.

Undoubtedly, another gargantuan development that has impacted the life of an NBA PR staffer has, of course, been the technological innovations that have forever changed the world. While the changes have been profound (i.e., many players go on social media to express themselves, web-based news outlets populate the press box), the core function of Steinberg’s position – safeguarding the best interests and privacy of the players, coaches, and front office personnel while accommodating the local/regional/national/international media’s needs -- has remained a constant.

“I think that is a fine line between promoting and protecting,” said the veteran Hawks employee. “I think managing that balance is my responsibility and the responsibility of my group. I think it’s why my job exists to be a check and a balance between what the organization wants and needs and what the media needs to do their job. I don’t think a day

goes by that I don’t think about the importance of straddling that line. That is a daily part of the job and I think probably the most important part.”

There are many other parts, too, some of which may not necessarily fit the traditional definition of a PR professional. On road trips during the 2020-21 season, when the pandemic was still raging, Steinberg and his colleagues would unload luggage, tag bags, and deliver them to players’ rooms so the hotel staff wouldn’t have to touch the belongings.

During away games, it’s also fairly common for Steinberg to handle player and staff ticket arrangements. Meanwhile, as the team historian, Steinberg produces a quarterly newsletter that goes out to Hawks alums, many of whom he has forged relationships with. And then there’s the games themselves, which, counting Summer League and preseason, have amounted to nearly 2,000 over the 30-year span.

“I have not forgotten any single playoff series,” said Steinberg. “I can confidently say that. There are probably some regular season games over the span that maybe I don’t remember. I need to look at a box score.”

One thing he hasn’t done is work the NBA Finals on behalf of the Hawks’ PR department, about which he remarks, “I hope I get the chance to find out. One of my sincerest hopes is that we get that opportunity sooner rather than later.” ì

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 27

OPINION A Walk Through Medieval Jewish History These are tough times for Jews.

(So, when have times not been tough? asks the offstage announcer in the back of my mind.)

Dave Schechter “In fourFrom Where I Sit teen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” That ditty has helped countless schoolchildren memorize a date in history.

Fourteen hundred ninety-two was also the year that the Spanish monarchy ordered the expulsion of its Jewish population.

I had planned this column for the AJT’s Oct. 15 edition but shelved it following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks in which terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 more.

It was written following our week in Barcelona at the end of September, during which we took a day trip to Girona, 38 minutes to the northeast aboard a “high

speed” train, though the distance (100 kilometers/63 miles) was too short to open the throttle all the way.

As well as being a mecca for professional cyclists and the backdrop for scenes in “Game of Thrones,” the picturesque city offers one of Europe’s best preserved medieval Jewish quarters.

In the 1st century B.C.E. (Before Common Era), the Romans built a fortress, the Forca Vella, on the eastern bank of the Onyar River. The first recorded Jewish presence in Girona, some two dozen families, dates to the late 9th century C.E. The Jewish Quarter was established within the fortress in the 12th century.

In the Catalan language, the Jewish Quarter was known as “El Call,” which translates variously, including as a little street or alley. We walked along narrow, cobbled streets and stairs to the Museum of Jewish History, built into the remains of the last of Girona’s three synagogues.

The small, well-appointed museum tells the story of a community that thrived from the 11th to 13th centuries, then suffered degradations that culminated with the ex-

NEURO CARE

28 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

More than 500 years after expulsion, Girona’s Jewish Quarter attracts tourists.

pulsion order of 1492.

The remains of a mikveh, discovered within the museum site during an excavation a decade ago, are visible. Other exhibits focus on family life, how the Jews of Girona lived, worked, and prayed, along with their culture and relations with non-Jewish Girona.

The museum houses an institute named for Bonastruc ca Porta, the Catalan name of Moshe ben Nahman Gerondi (“Moses son of Nahman the Gironan”), known as Nachmanides or as Ramban. In 1263, this Biblical commentator, Kabbalist, and chief rabbi of Catalonia argued the Jewish position in a famed debate — the Disputation of Barcelona — with a Dominican friar, himself a Jewish convert to Christianity, over whether Jesus was the Messiah.

Sitting in the museum’s courtyard, with the only sound coming from a breeze blowing through the greenery, my gaze was drawn to a large Star of David mosaic in the floor. Even in these tranquil surroundings there is an inescapable awareness of what befell the Jews in Girona and throughout Spain.

A municipal website says that “In the 14th century the ‘Call’ of Girona was a place of existence where both Jews and Christians had their homes and workshops.” But in 1391, thousands of Spanish Jews, including dozens in Girona, were killed in pogroms, spurring conversions to Christianity.

By the mid-1400s, the municipal government prohibited Jews from living west of quarter, even requiring the closure of doors and windows facing the street called Carrer de la Forca. Jews eventually were barred from living outside the quarter, from operating shops in certain areas of the city, or

from touching a variety of food items.

Presaging indignities five centuries later, another order read: “No Jew over the age of 15 shall leave the call or venture into the city without his/her Jewish outfit and without the red circle seen on the front of his/her clothes in a prominent place.”

Girona’s Jewish population, which peaked at about 1,000 in the 13th century, declined to about 200 by 1449.

The Alhambra Decree, the “Edict of Expulsion,” issued on March 31, 1492, by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, ordered that within four months Spanish Jews convert or be exiled. Estimates of the number who fled range from 40,000 to 200,000, while another 100,000 to 200,000 converted to Catholicism (though some risked practicing Judaism in secret).

Before a July deadline, the leaders of Girona’s Jewish community sold the premises of the last synagogue to the Catholic church.

For nearly 500 years, that structure remained private property. Over the past 30 to 40 years, though, civic honor has been restored to the history of a people expelled for their religious beliefs.

Preserving the Jewish Quarter has been good business, providing another reason for tourists to visit, while promoting good relations with Spanish Jewry (today numbering about 20,000, with maybe 125 in Girona), the global Jewish diaspora, and Israel.

A city website describes the Jewish Quarter as “one of the city’s most emblematic areas . . . clear evidence of the importance of the Jewish culture in Girona.”

Certainly, a change in attitude from the treatment the Jewish community suffered back when “Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” ì

OPINION

Georgia’s Economy, Security Depend on Safe & Supported Israel Hearts are breaking, and families are hurting worldwide at the sight of the extreme violence and terror being experienced in Israel Bruce Thompson right now. As Guest Contributor a father and a Christian, I am devastated. As Georgia’s Labor Commissioner and a businessman, I am highly concerned economically. Not only has Israel been a staunch ally of the United States in our battle against terrorism, but the state of Georgia has created a robust economic partnership with Israel and Israeli companies. As Israel’s war against the terrorist organization Hamas continues, Georgia’s economy could be negatively affected.

The leaders of our country must do all they can to hold Hamas accountable for the wreckage they have created and continue to ensue upon the Israeli people. As leaders in Georgia, we must convey to our citizens the crucial and strategic relationship between our state and Israel.

Georgia is home to 26 Israeli-owned companies which together employ over a thousand people. These companies range from manufacturing to software, cybersecurity, and several other sectors. As Georgia leads the country economically, we owe immense thanks to the Israeli people who chose to bring their companies to our state.

In addition to hosting these Israeli companies, Georgia has a phenomenal trade relationship with Israel. Last year, Israel imported $332.5 million worth of goods from our state. Similarly, we relied on Israel for $841.8 million of goods imported for our citizens. Georgia is the sixth most reliant American state on Israeli goods. Of the 50 American states, Georgia ranks 8th in goods exported to Israel.

Overall, that’s a trade value of $1.2 billion that we have benefited from as we continue to see growth in our economic partnership with Israel (these statistics show a 50 percent growth in overall trade between Georgia and Israel since 2018).

This reliance on each other for goods

is made possible in part by the port in Savannah that runs two lines per week from South Georgia to Haifa. It is difficult to precisely determine the economic and labor impact of the Israeli-Georgia relationship, but we know the trade routes’ vast influence. Major industries such as trucking and logistics, gasoline, and local port labor rely directly on the IsraeliGeorgia port route. These are not just our valuable partners but our supporters.

Let’s put the economic benefits aside.

We also have Israel to thank for their efforts to help us lead the country in cybersecurity, as Israel fuels the intelligence hub in Augusta with an intelligencesharing partnership. Israel works with Georgia’s intelligence industry to ensure our safety and security and that of our nation. Israeli leadership has made it clear that the safety of all Americans is a genuine concern for them.

The economics behind our state’s relationship with Israel is essential to me because, as Georgia’s Labor Commissioner, I know how important our state’s economy is for the well-being of our residents. What Hamas has done is terrible from a humanitarian perspective, but the economic implications of their terror could profoundly impact the financial and security status of our state. We must hold Hamas accountable and end their reign of anguish over Israel. Our state’s relationship with Israel, our major economic partner and investor in our state’s security, tremendously depends on it. ì

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Copyright © 2023 Jewish Family & Career Services of Atlanta, Inc. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 29

OPINION

Letters to the Editor The AJT welcomes your letters. 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 kaylene@atljewishtimes.com.

Letter to the Editor,

Disclamer to our readers: This section of the newspaper is a forum for our community to share thoughts, concerns and opinions as open letters to the community or directly to the newspaper.

As a letter to the editor, we proof for spelling and grammatical errors only. We do not edit nor vet the information the letter contains. The individual signing the letter is accountable for what they share.

Letter to the editor,

The case against Israel in the International Court of Justice is so ludicrous that it would be laughable if it didn’t present such a threat to Israel, her leaders, and her people. Hamas broke a ceasefire to deliberately attack Israeli civilians, torturing, murdering, and abducting many. Furthermore, Hamas’ violations of the rules of Armed Combat (such as hiding weapons in schools and apartment buildings, storing munitions in hospitals and mosques, firing missiles at Israeli population centers from Gazan population centers, having women approach Israeli troops with explosives hidden under their modest clothing, running summer camps where children are given weapons and trained to use them) guarantee that Israel’s exemplary attempts at avoiding civilian casualties will not be 100% effective.

Even before Israel responded to Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Palestinians in Gaza were suffering as Hamas diverted monies and supplies donated for the people’s benefit to Hamas’ efforts to destroy Israel. Hamas claimed that an Israeli blockade (actually an embargo on war materiel) prevented Hamas from developing the enclave’s economy. Yet, the “blockade” didn’t prevent Hamas from building an extensive network of well-supplied terror tunnels under Gaza (which eventually led to the collapse of numerous apartment buildings when Israel destroyed the tunnels dug beneath them).

Hamas is threatening to inflict many October 7’s on Israelis. Imposition of a ceasefire now would stop Israel from eradicating Hamas and permit the terrorists to eventually make good on their threats. Instead of abetting Hamas’ evil, the ICJ should be investigating Hamas’ genocidal plans. The Hamas Charter clearly states that negotiations are futile, the conflict can be settled only by Jihad (Holy War), and it is a Muslim’s duty to work for the destruction of Israel.

Toby F. Block, Atlanta, GA

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U.S. Plans for Two-State Solution Appear Stymied, By Jan Haben-Eilon, Dec.27, 2023 Eight times, the Palestinians were presented with land for peace proposals. One from the UN, another from the USA, and six from Israel. All eight were rejected without responsible counteroffers. The reason these peace offers were rejected is that the Palestinians claim all of Israel is stolen land and all its people occupiers. If one of the parties refuses to accept the legitimacy of the other, there is no possibility for peace and obviously, no two states living in harmony. It would appear that the U.S. government is living in a dream world to base its Middle East policy on a two-state solution when it knows that one of the parties refuses to accept the legitimacy of the other. Carrying on with an impossible policy has to be a political decision not one based on reality. Even the rich Gulf oil states are impatient with Palestinian intransigence. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have recommended that Palestinian president Abbas resign so that Palestinian society can reform itself to a: be qualified rule Gaza, and b: accept Israeli legitimacy so as to function in the peaceful Middle East that both these countries have embraced.

Larry Shapiro, Calgary, Alberta Canada

Letter to the editor,

Particularly with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, current and past, one can observe widespread ideological/political partisanship via news and commentary. There’s an ugly external politics of polarization, perhaps in part for its own sake.

Within social media the polarized views are especially amplified, including, if not especially, those of non-Jews and non-Palestinians.

While the conflict can and does arouse a spectator sport effect or mentality, many contemptible news trolls residing outside the region actively decide which ‘side’ they hate less thus ‘support’ via politicized commentary posts. I anticipate many actually keep track of the bloody match by checking the day’s-end death-toll score, however lopsided the numbers.

Frank Sterle Jr., White Rock, B.C. Canada, V4B 4B5

OPINION

99 Years and Counting...

Dear Readers, I couldn’t be more pleased and grateful to have the honor of serving our community over the last decade. I have watched our publication go through many changes, challenges, leadership and even ownership.

While the ebb and flow of change is something that I have come to appreciate over the last few years, I know that it has cost our community great loss along the way.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all our Kaylene Ladinsky readers for your support and loyalty to read the news, call Editor & Managing our office with news tips and email press releases.

Publisher When I become the editor in 2018, my first order of business was to redesign the paper to be more inclusive and feature a diverse pallet of interests. Focus controversial topics on the issue of discussion and the differences of opinions. Keeping our news fresh and identifying how current events directly affect Jewish Atlanta.

This issue begins a very special volume, it’s the first of our ninety-nineth year of publishing your local Jewish community newspaper.

We are already planning an event you will not want to miss for our centennial celebration. You will not want to miss the experience.

I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce the important role you play, whether you’re a vendor assisting in the production, contributor and writer out there chasing down each story, an advertiser assisting in the financial means needed to print each issue, the amazing staff who works so hard for, for so little, because we believe in our mission; and most of all, our fearless leader and my closest friend, Michael A. Morris, for believing in our community and every one of you enough to steer this publication into its 100th year of making sure that we have an institution whose mission and purpose is, “Keeping Jewish Atlanta Connected.”

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HEALTH & WELLNESS Mazer Touts Raw Diet as ‘Natural High’ Eating a diet of only uncooked and non-processed foods is not a fad. Before there was fire, one can image the “natural” diet of early Marcia homo sapiens.

Caller Jaffe While some tout a raw diet’s benefits for weight loss, others tire of the rigidity and potential drawback of not getting enough calories.

Local chef and holistic health coach Debra Mazer sums it up this way: “The idea behind raw food is that it contains digestive enzymes when heated under 118 degrees. Enzymes give us energy, and food with enzymes takes less energy to digest. If you think about it, humans are the only species on planet Earth who cook their food. Eating raw food can be a very energizing, detoxifying, and clarifying experience.”

32 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Debra Mazer at the 25th anniversary of Google, where she was a psychic reader.

Debra Mazer’s books are “OpenEyed Heart-Wide Haggadah” and “Retreat Recipes for Yoga Lovers.”

Mazer also suggests that variations, like 80 percent raw, might work for some people and stated, “Eating a 100 percent raw food diet can be very strict, although there are more resources for plant-based

eating now than ever. Not everyone wants to do 100 percent raw, and that’s OK! However, you’d be surprised at all the raw vegan recipes that are possible: burgers, creamy soups, cakes, mac and cheese,

cookies, and meatballs.”

Mazer, who grew up in Philadelphia, earned a B.A. in sociology and women’s studies from Brandeis. Her professional holistic certifications include Reiki practitioner, ordained interfaith minister, holistic health coach, and prayer warrior.

She is also a professional psychic and worked at Everlasting Life, a raw food café in the West End, owned by Hebrew Israelites.

Her interest in healthy lifestyles began in the 1990s when she became vegetarian in high school, and later, went vegan in college. Now at 45, she is “mostly vegan, and enjoys lots of raw food.” When Mazer was 100 percent raw, she found that “her depression and seasonal allergies vanished and experienced milder menstrual cycles.”

A raw vegan diet is full of healthy fats: avocados, nuts, seeds, and coldpressed oils. Mazer’s favorite fruits include durian, soursop, cherimoya, and fresh figs. Protein comes from nuts, seeds, sprouts, and greens. Spirulina, she declares, has twice as much protein as red

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Green smoothie containing kale, avocado, mango, apple, raw honey, and spirulina, topped with bee pollen, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds.

meat/cow. Mazer’s guiltfree treat “Hot Love Chocolate Truffles,” is sold through her website, shipped to famous Hollywood glitterati, carried at Strive Foods in Sandy Springs. They are sweetened with local raw Georgia honey. Actress Rosario Dawson and global yoga teacher Shiva Rea are clients.

She said, “I also make a raw vegan pizza that everyone loves! And there is nothing like a great marinated kale salad, which can be surprisingly filling. I also love smoothies!”

Mazer stated, “As a certified holistic health coach, I recommend following the diet that is right for you, and I don’t push 100 percent raw food, or even 100 percent vegan, unless it’s what you’re drawn to.

I believe everyone is different; however, adding more raw food in the form of fresh

fruits and vegetables, juices, smoothies can be an energizing experience.”

Mazer offers personal chef services, catering, and delivery. She concluded, “The Waking Dream Café, my email address, is an encouragement to live our dreams in life. It implies that life is magical, and we’re meant to live our highest timeline in life. Eating more raw food has definitely helped me do that. It is truly a natural ‘high.’”

Mazer is the author of “Open-Eyed Heart-Wide Haggadah,” a plant-based, multicultural, multi-spiritual, and “gently non-Zionist” Passover ritual guide.

Published in 2010, it was featured in The Jewish Daily Forward, VegNews, and Today.com, and is beloved by actress Alicia Silverstone, where she credited it on TheKindLife.com. ì

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Mazer’s Top 5 Tips for a Healthy Start to 2024 - Drink more water (spring water or filtered).

- Read ingredient labels and don’t eat anything with ingredients you can’t pronounce, or don’t know what it is.

- Shop at your local outdoor farmer’s market and start buying fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables.

- Eat leafy green vegetables: salads, green smoothies, steamed, etc.

- Eat whole foods (foods in their whole form: brown rice, quinoa, beans; not just “whole grain” breads or cereals, but the actual whole grain or whole bean, whole fruit, or vegetable.)

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Manischewitz, JScreen Partner for Genetic Screening JScreen, the national Jewish genetic testing service, which is headquartered at Emory University, and Manischewitz, the venerable Bob Bahr kosher brand, have joined forces on several large college campuses across the country to encourage students to enroll in the JScreen program.

The marketing effort, which was launched just prior to the start of Chanukah and the winter holiday season, offered information about the genetic screening tool along with free “Comfort Food for the Soul" packages of Manischewitz products.

This is the first time the program has teamed up with a national consumer brand in its 10-year history. According to JScreen’s Director of National Outreach and Marketing, Hillary Regelman, joining forces with the 135-year-old kosher

34 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

JScreen’s campus outreach program was accompanied by free Manischewitz products.

products firm has been a win-win situation.

“We’re both tapping into the Jewish community in different but similar ways,” Regelman says. “Manischewitz is focused on family traditions, gathering families around the table, particularly

JScreen’s reproductive genetic test screens for 224 genetic diseases and disorders that put Jews at risk.

during the holidays. And JScreen is focused on building healthy families and keeping our families healthy. So, to me, it makes so much sense.”

JScreen has been particularly aggressive in marketing its reproductive screening service on college campuses.

With the support of donors like the Marcus Foundation, it offers to screen students for a wide range of inherited genetic disorders for a nominal fee. The cost of the test on college campuses like Emory can be as low as $18. Regular price for the test, which is still a considerable

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One of Manischewitz’s Chanukah products that were aimed at a new generation was Crypto Gelt chocolate coins.

bargain, is $149. The test also includes free genetic counseling and the ability to access individual test results at any time in the future.

On JScreen college campuses like Rutgers, Cornell, Yeshiva University, NYU, and Georgetown, as well as Emory, where JScreen operates ongoing marketing programs, it’s an unprecedented opportunity to familiarize Jewish young people, no matter how assimilated they may be. Their genetic inheritance as Jews, as Regelman points out, is an unchanging part of their make-up.

“We’re particularly interested in students who maybe, don’t do Jewish stuff, They don’t go to synagogue or attend Jewish events. But when we advertise on their college campuses, they realize, well, I am Jewish. It’s in my DNA, and you can’t run away from your DNA even if you’re the most unaffiliated Jewish person.”

The most recent JScreen test analyzes a quick saliva sample for 224 genetic diseases that Jews are particularly susceptible to. They range from Gaucher Disease, which is a bone marrow disorder, and Tay-Sachs, which affects enzymes in children, to very rare conditions like Bloom Disease and Walker-Warburg Syndrome, an often fatal muscle disease.

The boost that Manischewitz is giving JScreen’s efforts among young Jews is also aimed at lifting the spirits of these same young people who are experiencing an almost unprecedented level of organized antisemitic bullying and violence on many campuses.

The chief marketing officer for Manischewitz, Shani Seidman, says that the products the company is giving away on campuses delivers an important mes-

sage.

“After Oct. 7, antisemitism snowballed on campus and with everything that was happening -- that we really just wanted to support Jewish students. That when they came to JScreen events and they leave, they can leave with our ‘care packages’ … something that’s comforting and maybe a taste of home, It’s something we’re really proud and honored to be part of.”

It’s also a way to reconnect with a new generation of consumers for Manischewitz, which once was a towering presence in the Jewish food marketplace.

The company was sold in 2019 after several failed attempts to revitalize the brand. The buyer was Kayco, a large family-owned marketer of dozens of familiar kosher food and beverage items, notably the Kedem kosher wine products that are widely distributed.

In the next several months, Seidman hopes to introduce a number of new products with the old Manischewitz label that may resonate with young Jewish families and the 18- to 24-year-old demographic that JScreen is also pursuing.

“We plan to take the Manischewitz brand into the modern world and engage with young people, and young families, people looking to explore Jewish culture through food.”

So, along with the matzos and macaroons, the gefilte fish and the soup, as well as all those new products, if these young Manischewitz customers pick up a JScreen test kit, all the better.

“We all know that health is a priority, and genetics and genetic health is really like, it’s the future,” Regelman says.

“It’s absolutely incredible technology.” ì

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Committed to Weight Loss for 2024?

By Marcia Caller Jaffe Setting New Year’s resolutions to lose weight dates to before Jane Fonda’s call to fitness.

A recent Forbes New Year’s resolutions study showed that the top objectives for 2024 were fitness, weight loss, and improved diet. Advice ranging from the Mayo Clinic to Atkins points out that 80 percent of resolutions fail.

Argentinean-born Marisa Schor weighs in with her experience as a credentialed dietician to get and stay on the road to manage weight loss.

She stated, “If I could give one and only one [piece of] advice to my clients is … start your day with breakfast. Not just a bar ‘on-the-go’ (candy wrapped in a healthy costume) but a nutritious breakfast containing carbs, protein, and vitamins … as simple as egg salad on wheat, high fiber cereal with milk and fruit.

Don’t wait for lunch on an empty stomach. I encourage people to enjoy the foods, but I also teach what is healthy balanced nutrition. Our bodies will utilize protein, carbohydrates, and fats when-

ever it needs. It’s not going to ‘wait’ until you consume a particular food group.

So those claims about eliminating food groups from a diet in order to achieve health make no sense to me. I just stick to the science.”

Shor’s practical advice for losing and maintaining a healthy weight: * Replace oil with cooking spray. One tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories. If you use a non-stick spray instead of frying, you will automatically save extra calories. And does anyone use only one tablespoon of oil? * Swap your evening ice-cream dessert with a cup of low-calorie yogurt. Choose the kind that contains a maximum of 10 grams of sugar per cup.

Add granola for crunchiness, and you just saved over 150 calories! * Pick a smaller size plate. Many of us “eat with our eyes,” so use a 9-inch plate to satisfy your needs and feel full without overdoing it. Aim to fill half of the plate with vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein, and the rest with starch (potatoes, rice, corn, legumes). * Use applesauce instead of oil for

Dietician Marisa Schor examines clients’ needs to arrive at the best plans.

She also works in a hospital setting for more seriously ill patients.

baking. When making goodies like cake, muffins or bread, substitute all or most of the oil or butter with applesauce. * Substitute zucchini or heart of palms pasta for wheat pasta. If you’re in the mood for pasta, veggie noodles save calories and add extra antioxidants and fiber. * Eat some protein with every main meal. Protein foods (like eggs, nuts, fish) keep you full longer and help prevent sudden sugary cravings.

The goal is to find new ways to cut unnecessary calories and decrease chances of unwanted weight gain. Being a “mindful” eater has tremendous benefits to maintain a healthy weight in the long run.

Hailing from South America, Schor made Aliyah with her family to Netanya, Israel. After completing military service there and becoming proficient in multiple languages, she worked in the travel industry. Upon immigrating to California, Schor earned an MBA in nonprofit administration, before shifting to her real career passion -- nutrition and dietetics -- including tough chemistry classes and 1,200 hours of clinical field 36 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

work while working as a Zumba instructor (which she still does).

She also became a specialist in two other areas: obesity and weight management, and nutrition support. Now she works as a clinical dietitian in a hospital system and sees patients with congestive heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes, kidney complications, geriatric swallowing issues, tube feeding, and/or cancer patients with poor appetites who need urgent nutrition optimization.

Schor teaches and Zooms classes for the general population for $45 a session by sharing stories, recipes and cooking methods, and overall support. Classes are in sets of four, 90-minute sessions spread over two weeks. She glowed, “The typical positive feedback at the end of the series about how much was learned makes my heart full."

Schor proffers, “We as dietitians know there are coaches, but as a credentialed dietitian, I’m able to ‘read’ each client and personalize exact needs. I also assess blood laboratory test results. This is the first step in the process of evaluation.

It’s the actual ‘mirror’ of what happens internally.” ì

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Smiling Myles Faces Rare Syndrome

By Marcia Caller Jaffe In many ways, two-year-old Myles Dunn is a normal and healthy toddler, ever busy finding his place in the world.

As the middle of three young children, his sisters, Dylan (4) and Blakely (1), offer continuous opportunities for him to learn all the normal skills and behaviors of being a little brother, big brother, son, and friend.

Along the way, parents Jamie and Michael Dunn reached a point of instinct based on the age-old maxim of “children develop at their own pace” that brought the Dunn household to an unexpected twist. In November 2023, after months of doctors’ visits, therapies, and other head-scratching observations related to Myles’ delayed gross motor, fine motor, and speech development, a diagnosis was reached. As diligent parents, their persistence in better understanding the root causes of Myles’ development led them to new frontier in life’s challenges.

Myles became the 141st known case in the world of SHINE Syndrome, also known as DLG4 Synaptopathy, an ultra-rare neurodevelopmental disorder.

SHINE Syndrome prevents the brain from accurately converting basic messages into their intended responses, resulting in impaired motor skills, increased stress reactivity, and other unpleasant conditions, including seizures.

This disease also can cause development regression beyond the skills the child has developed.

SHINE Syndrome is caused by variants/mutations in the DLG4 gene. The DLG4 gene is found on the 17th chromosome and is an important gene that encodes the protein PSD-95, which plays a major role in brain development and function through its implications in synaptic strength and plasticity. These mechanisms, along with PSD-95’s role in organizing and interacting with other proteins, represent a gene with many capabilities of which, when altered, can induce susceptibility to SHINE Syndrome.

In this case, SHINE Syndrome serves a chronic cap on Myles’ ability to flourish while the family possesses a menacing uncertainty of how his future may unfold. As with most genetic disorders, each case is different and symptoms, catalysts, and overall conditions vary. Following delays in achieving some of his two-yearold developmental milestones, genetic test results revealed this scarcely known disease. As a de novo case, his parents do

Sisters, Dylan and Blakely, interact with Myles, who is known for his smile.

not possess this disease and believe his diagnosis amounts to “sheer bad luck.”

Dad, Michael, proclaimed, “Myles’ superpower is his happiness for life and intrinsic ability to interact with all kinds of people. I’ll never forget when the photographer taking his newborn pictures said, ‘I’ve never seen a two-week-old smile so much.’”

Mother, Jamie, added, “Candidly, I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I remember the day that his smile became his trademark. We are grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received since sharing Myles’ news publicly.”

Michael concluded, “We are also forever thankful for Myles’ physical therapists giving us honest feedback, his

Two-year-old Myles Dunn has the support of his loving and astute parents who provide him with the best pathways to enjoy and succeed in life. Also, they have a noble goal of finding a cure and connecting with others.

primary care physician for ordering the right ‘next-best’ actions – one of which was his neurologist that thought to authorize what ended up being the precise genetic test he needed, and the close-knit DLG4 support group of families affected by this disease. Given the novelty of this disease, I’m confident this disorder exists in a rather large number of people, some of which may be further along in life but have spent years trying to understand their condition.”

As a guidepost, the Dunns perform two things Myles’ neurologist prescribed: support his progress and become experts in this ultra-rare disease by integrating and connecting everyone and everywhere possible, proclaiming, “There is no time to sit on the sidelines and let some-

body else search for a cure.”

Jamie summarized, “If, over the next few years, we can learn more about it and ultimately find a cure, we can’t think of a better and broader way than to help unite medicine, technology, and community around children in need.”

Ultimately, the Dunns’ advice is pretty simple … “Be active in your children’s lives, listen to doctors, but always be vigilant and listen to your parental instincts when something just doesn’t add up.”

Donations to the DLG4 Research Fund on behalf of Myles and this growing community can be made at: secure. givelively.org/teams/dlg4-research-fund/ help-us-fund-a-gene-therapy-treatmentoption-for-patients-with-dlg4/myles-sfundraiser. ì

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 37

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Atlanta Group Home Has Open Spots The Atlanta Group Home enables young adult children with developmental disabilities to live independently in a group home setting.

The facility, which offers six rooms, currently has two openings available and is looking to create a waiting list if enough demand is warranted.

AGH officially opened in April 1984 when six inaugural residents and two house parents moved into the residence, located on Margaret Mitchell Drive in Northwest Atlanta.

“The home was a dream brought to life by the tireless leadership, devotion, and commitment by the late community leader and philanthropist, Frances Kuniansky, flanked by Rachiel Berger and several others who shared a vision for the future that could enable their young adult children, who were affected with developmental disabilities, to live independently and thrive in a group home setting,” according to a news release.

“Whether it was convincing the neighborhood to approve difficult zoning requirements, leaning on her husband, Harry’s, construction firm to build out

The Atlanta Group Home opened in April 1984.

There are currently two openings available at The Atlanta Group Home.

AGH enables young adult children with developmental disabilities to live independently in a group home setting.

a comfortable residence for AGH, or single-handedly raising the funds needed to ensure long-term sustainability for AGH, Frances was the lynchpin and driving force behind AGH’s long-term viability.”

Myron Golub, longtime former executive director at the Jewish Tower, served more than three decades as AGH’s lead manager, forging a relationship between AGH and its neighbors, now known as the Jewish HomeLife Communities (Jewish

Tower, Breman Jewish Home, and Aviv Rehabilitation). AGH officials noted that several of the facility’s residents, both present and past, have spent many hours volunteering, working, and participating in activities on the Jewish HomeLife campus.

“In their prime, [AGH] residents were always on the move, commuting to their daily jobs on public transportation, traveling on ‘family’ vacations to the

beach, on cruise ships, and destinations near and far. As the years have gone by, the pace has slowed, the jobs have settled into a semi-retirement mode, and the home is still providing love, nurturing, and community for its residents and those associated with AGH.” For more information, contact Atlanta Group Home at 404-352-3095. ì Compiled by AJT Staff

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ARTS & CULTURE Nostalgia at Your Fingertips During New Year

By Bob Bahr One of the important gifts that entertainment technology has presented to us over at least the past decade or so is the ability to return so easily to the past.

Never in human history has it been so easy to explore our cultural inheritance close up than it is today. The untethering of the American mind from broadcast television and movie theater screens has brought us into a time when we have at our fingertips a veritable cornucopia of memory.

But if that almost limitless selection from the past was not enough, we have before us a selection of offerings that came out this past year, and are now online, so we can go way back when, from the comfort of our easy chair.

Consider then, that in the past year, we have had before us a selection from the Jewish past that has been almost unrivaled as prominent popular culture offerings. What comes to mind most quickly is the oddest and most successful double bill in recent memory, “Oppenheimer,” the three-hour-plus examination of the rise and fall of what was once one of our most important co-religionists, J. Robert Oppenheimer; although, he would deny that he worked very hard at claiming most of us as relatives. When asked what the J in his name stood for, he would often answer it stood for nothing, although he knew quite well it stood for Julius, which made his name somewhat more semitic than he was comfortable with.

If you were so inclined you could pair this serious examination of the dawn of the atomic age with all its attendant social and political consequences with a dreamlike romp in our childish psyche, “Barbie,” a creation in real life by the Handlers, Ruth and Elliot, who, right after World War II founded a toy company named Mattel. They helped shaped the female imagination for decades by allowing them, starting in 1959, to have as their childhood companion, a female doll that was totally grown up, Barbie.

A few years later, a doll that was a totally grown-up man came along as a companion. It was an idea that had generally escaped the imagination of toymakers up until then, and its successful marketing made the Handlers and their real-life children, Barbie and Ken Handler, exceedingly rich.

And what about that movie about an Israeli prime minister, who is misled about the intentions of Arabs plotting a 40 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Barbra Streisand’s autobiography, “My Name is Barbra.”

“Barbie,” featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling

“Oppenheimer,” by director Christopher Nolan

devastating attack on the Jewish state on Yom Kippur that shakes Israeli society to its very core? No, it is not a film set in October 2023, it is “Golda,” a film that follows three weeks of anguish Golda Meir suffered in 1973 when her military advisers didn’t quite believe that the governments of Egypt and Syria were serious about their intentions to wipe Israel off

the map.

Watching the film when it was previewed by the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival in August and watching it again after Oct. 7, brings one face-to-face with the inescapable conclusion that the general staff of the IDF never go to the movies.

When I viewed it again in early December with a group of about 30 Jewish

friends, you could hear the proverbial pin drop. What were all those intelligence officers thinking in 1973 and what were they thinking forty years later, to the day, in 2023?

And while we are considering the chinks in our collective suit of armor, we have yet another film about a flawed hero, who for all his brilliance and wild

ARTS & CULTURE

LIVE CLOSE TO YOUR PASSIONS

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Bradley Cooper is Leonard Bernstein, prosthetic nose, and all in “Maestro,” new to Netflix.

“Golda,” starring Helen Mirren

success, can’t quite seem to get his life together. Of course, that is Bradley Cooper as the Jewish maestro, Leonard Bernstein, who is paired with Carrie Mulligan as his wife, Felicia. It lands on Netflix just in time for the nonstop entertainment viewing that is so much a part of the December holidays.

As if all these journeys back in time were not enough, along comes one of our favorite octogenarians who has presented us with almost 1,000 pages of her fascinating life story. Surprisingly, it is

an engaging, skillful retelling of all the ups and downs and ins and out of a wondrous life.

Of course, it is the long-awaited autobiography of 81-year-old Barbra Streisand, “My Name is Barbra.” She had promised us this book in 2016, but considering all the hard work she has put into this, she is excused. If you prefer the audio book with Babs, herself reading, it is also available. It runs a little over 48 hours, which makes it a good choice if you are taking a really long interstate drive. ì

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 41

ARTS & CULTURE

Neranenah Recalls Cantorial Tradition in Concert

By Bob Bahr For its program on the fourth night of Chanukah, Neranenah, the Atlanta Jewish musical festival, brought Cantor Gideon Zelermyer from Montreal for its holiday concert. Several of the musical numbers in the evening reflected the traditional repertoire of chazzanut, the musical culture of the golden age of cantorial music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Zelermyer is the cantor of Montreal’s famed Congregation Shaare Hashomayim, the oldest in Canada, which was founded in 1846. It is one of the few remaining synagogues in the world which carries on the traditions of the great choral synagogues that existed in pre-Holocaust Europe. In Montreal, on each Shabbat and on each Jewish festival and High Holy Days, Cantor Zelermyer dresses in a clerical robe and wears the traditional cantorial hat with a full choir and leads the worshippers in prayer.

But it was not to pray that Cantor Zelermyer came to the intimate Studio

Cantor Gideon Zelermyer, who performed for Neranenah in the 1,800-seat sanctuary of Congregation Shaare Hashomayim.

Theater of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Expertly accompanied

by Stephen Glass from his Montreal congregation, Zelermyer emphasized music for what Neranenah called “An Evening

of Light,” that wove together numbers from pop and Broadway and music in English and Hebrew, that often had the knowledgeable members of the audience singing along to Zelermyer’s beautiful,

classically trained tenor voice.

Zelermyer paid particular attention to his congregation’s most famous member, the poet and song writer, Leonard Cohen. His work with Cohen on the sing-

GET TICKETS NOW!

February 17, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. citysprings.com (770) 206-2022 42 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

ARTS & CULTURE

The memory of Leonard Cohen dominates present day Montreal, the home of Cantor Gideon Zelermyer.

er’s final album, “You Want It Darker,” won for him and his synagogue choir a Grammy Award in 2017. Sadly, Cohen, who was seriously ill during the recording of the CD, passed away shortly before the presentation. Zelermyer participated in the funeral in Montreal and in Cohen’s burial, alongside the gravesite of his grandfather and great-grandfather who were past synagogue presidents.

Shortly before his passing, Cohen told the French language arts review, Le Dernier Empereur, that the synagogue exerted a strong influence on him as a youngster. He had his Bar Mitzvah there and the memory of the music stayed with him to the end.

“Even as a boy I loved the singing,” Cohen said. “It is what made compulsory synagogue attendance enjoyable. I’ve wanted to work with the cantor and the choir for a long time. The touring years interrupted this intention.”

As part of his evening in Sandy Springs, Zelermyer sang what he considered to be Cohen’s most Jewish song, “If it Be Your Will,” which paraphrases the final confessional prayer of the viddui, as well as it is the response by the congregation to the priestly blessing of the Cohanim during the High Holidays.

Zelermyer noted that his relationship during Cohen’s final months had started with a High Holidays greeting he sent to the singer in the last year of his life.

“He wrote back to me the most remarkable email that I’ve ever received,” he said. “’May your voice reach that place with a capital P and bring down the blessings.’ My reaction,” Zelermyer recalled, “was I’ve never heard a more succinct description of what it is that I do as a can-

tor as I stand in front of the congregation and become the emissary for the prayers and to channel them upward. And he understood that, and that put into motion the request to do the backing vocals for the release of “You Want It Darker.”

The emotional highpoint of the evening, though, seemed not to come from Cohen’s music, but rather, from the words and music of Naomi Shemer, the Israeli songwriter who has been described as the “first lady of Israeli music.”

Her composition of “Yerushalayim Shel Zaav, Jerusalem of Gold,” became a kind of anthem for Israel after the success of the 1967 Six-Day War and the recapture of Jerusalem after 2,000 years of exile.

Likewise, her adaptation of McCartney and Lennon’s composition of “Let It Be” became the song most associated with the darker times that followed the 1973 combat during the Yom Kippur War against Egypt and Syria.

As Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin wrote in his blog for the Religious News Service, Shemer turned the phrase, let it be, let it be in its Hebrew translation -- lu yehi, lu yehi -- into a prayer that says, please, please G-d. Zelermyer dedicated his performance of Shermer’s lyrics to the memory of Rose Lubin, the lone soldier from Atlanta, who was murdered while serving in Jerusalem. In that context, the lyrics were heart rendering.

There is yet a whitle sail on the horizon Set against the dark and heavy clouds, All that we ask for, let it be And if in the windows by evening The festive candles shall flicker All that we ask for, let it be. ì

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DINING Fast Food Market Entry is All Greek

The Cobb Parkway location has a casual slant with white bricks accented by red chairs.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe With an affinity for Greek food, a collective “we” longs for the connectivity to a robust Israeli falafel, the ripe tomatoes, fresh cheeses, pita-like bread, hummus, gyros, kabobs, platters, herbed dressings, ending in a gooey, yet crisp, baklava.

Some of us “oldies” long for the days when the Joel Brenner’s Shipfiefer opened on Peachtree/Buckhead before expanding and crashing. Last fall, the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill entered the Atlanta dining scene with its first Georgia location at 3155 Cobb Parkway in Cumberland Point Center, with plans to soon open in Roswell on Holcomb Bridge Road.

Make no mistake, the Great Grill is a franchise with fast food that bills itself as “a modern take on classic tastes created from family recipes, contemporary and timeless.” It is not chef-driven nor a destination for a special occasion or romantic dining.

The franchise Great Greek concept bloomed from a friendship made in 2015 44 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Always reliable: house made hummus alongside a traditional falafel wrap at the Great Greek.

between a restaurateur and real estate exec in Nevada where they fell for a local restaurant’s family recipe for baklava ice cream. Backing up, the first Great Greek was founded by a Greek Armenian family in 2011. Locations now are independently owned and concentrated in California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and more, while the website lists many as “coming soon.”

Thinking about the market flood of chicken/Mexican/burger/bowl fast food franchises, those two friends were onto something tapping into the Mediterranean “pita wrap” market.

The Cumberland location seats 60 in 2,500 square feet which is spacious enough. There is free easy strip parking out front with a painted white brick walled interior. Entering hearing contemporary rap music could advance it up a notch substituted with lyrical Greek tunes, invoking belly dancers to establish the mood against the TVs on the wall.

Location is important in this space

This classic Greek salad supported a grilled salmon fillet.

which does a robust business lunch crowd, offers easy access to Truist Park, and is walkable to the AMC Parkway Point movie complex. On a Sunday night, there were very few other diners. The staff was friendly as orders are taken at the register reading from the menu board on the wall behind, and later brought to the table.

Interesting and traditional appetizers were Tirokafteri, feta plus cream cheese with roasted papers and pita for $6.99; Melitzanosalata, roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic served with pita $6.99; Dolmades grape leaves (rice based) $6.99; Tzatziki Greek yogurt, labne $6.99; Spanakopita, puff pastry with feta and spinach, and four dip combo $15.25.

Of course, in-house-made hummus.

Our entrees were falafel ($10.99) and classic Greek salad with grilled salmon.

There are plenty of mix and match and make your own options … sandwiches, some entrees that include side salad and choice of rice, French fries, or Feta fries.

A Great Greek plate with falafel with all the works is $15.99. Of note, “next time,

try lemon potatoes.”

The kid’s menu has grilled cheese pita, gyro plate $11.99, Souvlaki plate, and the requisite pizza at $7.99, all of which come with sides and a small drink.

A most unique, mouthwatering menu item was the baklava ($6.49) with thin layered walnuts and honey syrup atop a more finely blended dark bottom layer. The baklava ice cream is a crowd pleaser for $6.99 with crumbled baklava folded in the cold vanilla bean “dream cream.” Mom’s rice pudding flavored with cinnamon is only 370 calories. Also on the dessert menu is unusual Kourabiedes cookies topped with powdered sugar.

Bottom line: The Great Greek is a welcomed addition to Atlanta’s casual fast food ‘scape with the right expectations. No need to dress up!

The Great Greek has a catering menu and is open seven days a week starting at 11 a.m. Items are indicated as gluten free, dairy free, or vegetarian. All items have calorie range indications. For more information, call 678-502-7779. ì

You’re invited! Join us for these great events at beautiful

HEARTIS BUCKHEAD. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 11 a.m.

“New Year, New You!” in partnership with Piedmont Hospital. Registered dietitian and diabetes educator Tonya Curry, MBA, M.S., RDN, L.D., will provide the information and motivation we need to get the new year off to a healthy start! Cedric Kelly of The Community Wellness Center at Second-Ponce will offer easy exercise options. Light lunch provided.

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.

Claudia Saleh, a native Israeli, licensed tour guide, and founder/CEO of MagdalaVR360, will lead us on a virtual reality tour of the Holy Land and provide archaeological and historical context for each amazing location we visit.

Tonya Curry

Thursday, Feb. 22, noon Claudia Saleh will whip up a delicious Israeli and Purim cooking demonstration and share scrumptious Middle Eastern dishes.

To attend any or all events, please RSVP by phone or text to 770-833-0926.

Claudia Saleh Independent Living – Assisted Living – Memory Care 2051 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 | HeartisBuckhead.com

CALENDAR

JANUARY 15-31 Jewish Women’s Torah and Tea – 8 to 9 p.m. Weekly women’s in-depth and fascinating exploration of the chassidus book of Tanya. Register at https://bit.ly/3TlT4ja.

MONDAY, JANUARY 15 MLK Family Day of Service - 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Celebrate MLK Day with meaning, movement, and music!

Preschool-age children and their families are invited for a morning of social action, song, movement, and a chance to make a difference in our community. Together we will answer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s challenge that we “do something for others.” Learn more at https://bit.ly/3RJatjl.

Knit and Crochet Group - 1 to 3 p.m.

Join Dor Tamid and crochet and knit beanies for premature babies from home. Learn more at https:// bit.ly/3VY3R1j.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 Jewish Women’s Torah and Tea - 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. Join the Jewish Women’s Circle of Decatur for a weekly discussion on the Parsha and contemporary Jewish issues. Find out more at https://bit.ly/3T8oR4B.

NCJW/ATL MLK Day Mitzvah Marathon - 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join us for a day of mitzvah projects at the NCJW office. Learn more at https:// bit.ly/41BwjtH.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 Brain Health Bootcamp – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join a fun, social class to strengthen your mind and body to stay sharp! With age serving as the greatest risk factor for cognitive impairment or memory loss, JF&CS is taking action with the Brain Health Bootcamp. The first of its kind in Atlanta, it is designed to provide memory enhancement techniques through cognitive stimulation, physical exercise, education, and socialization. Join by visiting https://bit.ly/451GNDC.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 Brain Health Bootcamp – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join a fun, social class to strengthen your mind and body to stay sharp! With age serving as the greatest risk factor for cognitive impairment or memory loss, JF&CS is taking action with the Brain Health Bootcamp. The first of its kind in Atlanta, it is designed to provide memory enhancement techniques through cognitive stimulation, physical exercise, education, and socialization. Join by visiting https://bit.ly/3tPwMs3.

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 Diana Cole for more information at Diana@atljewishtimes.com.

46 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Tot Shabbat - 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tot Shabbat at Congregation Dor Tamid is a Shabbat Program geared for children to laugh, meet new children, make new friends, and explore the wonders of Judaism in an exciting fun way! The service is filled with songs, prayers, blessings, stories, snacks, and a place where a kid can be a kid when they pray to God. RSVP at https://bit.ly/3rBmduN.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20 FRIDAY, JANUARY 19 Scholar-in-Residence with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield - Join Congregation Etz Chaim and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield for a weekend of topics including Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, All In: How a Forever People Builds A Forever Community, and Rabbis Behaving Badly Or Brilliantly: Talmudic Life-Lessons For Today.

RSVP at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD.

Weekend Retreat - Join the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta (JWCA) for a weekend of inspiration, delicious food, and fun! Learn more at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD. Shabbat, Me, & Rabbi G - 5 to 5:30 p.m.

Join us in the JCC lobby for this fun monthly Shabbat celebration with Rabbi G! Children will enjoy Shabbat songs, blessings, challah, and grape juice with their friends. All are welcome to this free and open event! Learn more at https://bit. ly/3sknPdh.

Scholar-in-Residence with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield - Join Congregation Etz Chaim and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield for a weekend of topics including Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, All In: How a Forever People Builds A Forever Community, and Rabbis Behaving Badly Or Brilliantly: Talmudic Life-Lessons For Today.

RSVP at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD. Weekend Retreat - Join the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta (JWCA) for a weekend of inspiration, delicious food and fun! Learn more at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD.

Gan Katan (PreSchool) -10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Congregation Or Hadash is thrilled to introduce a monthly drop-off preschool program at Machon Hadash this year! The program is designed for 3-5-yearolds and is taught by a wonderful, warm, experienced Jewish preschool teacher. After the children finish up each week, we invite parents and kids to stay for childfriendly snacks and schmooze, and for kiddush lunch, too. All are welcome - you do not need to be a member of Or Hadash. Register at https://bit.ly/3KtkKxb.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21 Scholar-in-Residence with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield - Join Congregation Etz Chaim and Rabbi Brad Hirschfield for a weekend of topics including Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, All In: How a Forever People Builds A Forever Community, and Rabbis Behaving Badly Or Brilliantly: Talmudic Life-Lessons For Today.

RSVP at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES Torah Reading: Bo Friday, January 19, Shevat 9, 5784 Light Candles at 5:36 PM Saturday, January 20, Shevat 10, 5784 Shabbat Ends 6:35 PM Torah Reading: Beshalach Friday, January 26, Shevat 16, 5784 Light Candles at 5:43 PM Saturday, January 27, Shevat 17, 5784 Shabbat Ends 6:41 PM

Judaica Donation Drive at Etz Chaim - 2 to 4 p.m. L’dor V’dor Judaica rescues Jewish ritual objects from thrift shops, estate sales, and the trash to give it another life by rehoming it to a new family thus giving new life to a rehomed family. If you have Judaica you no longer use, consider bringing your Judaica to L’dor V’dor while they are at Etz Chaim. Find out more at https://bit.ly/47hzCr7.

Weekend Retreat - Join the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta (JWCA) for a weekend of inspiration, delicious food and fun! Learn more at https://bit.ly/3TD4dMD.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23

SPACE (Supportive Parenting of Anxious Childhood Emotions) - 9 to 10:30 a.m. Please join Congregation Dor Tamid to learn about how to communicate better with your child when they are anxious. Register at https://bit.ly/48xiv5y.

Mazal Tots: Baby and Me - 9:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Welcoming a new addition to your family is a joyous occasion, and finding a supportive community to share the journey makes it even more special. Introducing Mazal Tots, a unique gathering designed to foster connections, provide resources, and celebrate the beautiful journey of parenthood. With dedicated agespecific sections, Temple EmanuEl caters to the needs of families with infants (0-5 months), movers and groovers (6-17 months), and toddlers (18 months yrs), creating an inclusive space for all. Find out more at https://bit.ly/41FaLw8.

Israel Bonds and OVS Tribute Brunch - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join Israel Bonds and Congregation Or Ve Shalom Honor members Angie and Skip Weiland. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/3S0gQ1Z.

Annual Holocaust Remembrance Event - 7 to 8:30 p.m. In Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Am Yisrael Chai presents a powerful and unforgettable event: COURAGE and CONVICTION – The Holocaust in Lithuania. Get the Zoom link by visiting https://bit.ly/41EuXhC.

MONDAY, JANUARY 22

Bearing Witness Stories from the Holocaust - 2 to 3 p.m. Unforgettable Stories from The Holocaust with Holocaust Survivor George Rishfeld (Poland). Holocaust survivor and Breman Museum speaker George Rishfeld presents his remarkable story of resilience at this free presentation. Reserve your seat at https://bit.ly/3TFXmBU.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers - 10 to 11:30 a.m. This program from AgeWell Atlanta helps family caregivers reduce stress, improve selfconfidence, learn different ways to communicate, and increase ability to make tough decisions.

Interactive lessons, discussions, and brainstorming will help you use the tools and put them into action for your life. Classes consist of six in-person sessions held once a week. Register at https://bit. ly/3RXf1E2.

Brain Health Bootcamp – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join a fun, social class to strengthen your mind and body to stay sharp! With age serving as the greatest risk factor for cognitive impairment or memory loss, JF&CS is taking action with the Brain Health Bootcamp. The first of its kind in Atlanta, it is designed to provide memory enhancement techniques through cognitive stimulation, physical exercise, education, and socialization. Join by visiting https://bit.ly/3tPwMs3.

Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Dorsch - 12 to 1 p.m. Join Rabbi Dorsch for his monthly Torah Study on a variety of topics. This program is at 1 Concourse Pkwy, (King/Queen buildings) in the lobby conference room named “Virginia Highlands”. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3QRGwgH.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24 Welcoming Your Village: Resources, Help and Boundaries– 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Helping moms and caregivers create a more manageable life for themselves. Welcoming Your Village: Finding resources, asking for help, and setting boundaries. Register at https://bit.ly/47cOs1T.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 47

for Reiser is special guest and acclaimed Atlanta jazz musician Joe Alterman. Following the comedy set, Reiser will answer audience questions. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/41DEuW6.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 An Evening with Paul Reiser - 7:30 p.m.

Please join the MJCCA for a wonderful evening of comedy featuring Emmy-nominated comedian, actor, television writer, bestselling author, and musician Paul Reiser—one of Hollywood’s most prolific creators. Reiser is best known for his iconic ‘90s hit comedy series, "Mad About You!" Reiser currently stars in two hit shows for Netflix: "Stranger Things" and "The Kominsky Method," for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Reiser recently took his first step into superhero glory, joining Season 3 of Emmy-nominated "The Boys" on Amazon Prime. He also starred in the critically acclaimed Hulu series, "Reboot." Opening

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 Canadian Brass - 8 to 10 p.m. As the world’s most famous brass group, Canadian Brass is known for its extraordinary ability to perform many types of music at a preeminent level, exhibiting a full range of musical styles—from trademark Baroque and Dixieland tunes, to Bach, Handel, Gershwin, and Duke Ellington. This concert will also feature two works with select Emory Brass students for a double brass quintet. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/3NKVowe.

AM YISRAEL CHAI

COURAGE and CONVICTION

—————— Presents ——————

—————— with ——————

COURAGE AND CONVICTION The Holocaust in Lithuania

ELLY GOTZ

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024

Holocaust survivor, Elly Gotz shares his story as a survivor of the Kovno Ghetto and the Dachau concentration camp.

Grant Gochin and Silvia Foti share their family stories and their work for truth and justice.

GRANT GOCHIN SILVIA FOTI SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024 VIRTUAL EVENT

Havinagala: A Party for PAL - 8 to 11 p.m. JF&CS will be hosting Havinagala at Illuminarium, with hundreds of Young Professionals, light bites, drinks, DJ, a silent auction and more. All proceeds benefit PAL, Atlanta’s only Jewish Big Brother/ Big Sister program. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/3tAWvIc.

Mazal Tots: Baby and Me - 9:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Welcoming a new addition to your family is a joyous occasion, and finding a supportive community to share the journey makes it even more special. Introducing Mazal Tots, a unique gathering designed to foster connections, provide resources, and celebrate the beautiful journey of parenthood. With dedicated agespecific sections, Temple EmanuEl caters to the needs of families with infants (0-5 months), movers and groovers (6-17 months), and toddlers (18 months yrs), creating an inclusive space for all. Find out more at https://bit.ly/41FaLw8.

RSVP REQUIRED SIGN UP/DONATE:

Bit.ly/AYCEvent (855)665-4234

48 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

www.daffodilproject.net

Brain Health Bootcamp – 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. Join a fun, social class to strengthen your mind and body to stay sharp! With age serving as the greatest risk factor for cognitive impairment or memory loss, JF&CS is taking action with the Brain Health Bootcamp. The first of its kind in Atlanta, it is designed to provide memory enhancement techniques through cognitive stimulation, physical exercise, education, and socialization. Join by visiting https://bit.ly/451GNDC.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31

www.amyisraelchaiatlanta.org

www.amyisraelchaiatlanta.org

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30

Jewish Women’s Torah and Tea – 8 to 9 p.m. Weekly women’s in-depth and fascinating exploration of the chassidus book of Tanya. Register at https://bit.ly/3TlT4ja.

NO CHARGE TO ATTEND

Panel Discussion moderated by Nadia Bilchik

Powerful Tools for Caregivers - 10 to 11:30 a.m. This program from AgeWell Atlanta helps family caregivers reduce stress, improve selfconfidence, learn different ways to communicate, and increase ability to make tough decisions.

Interactive lessons, discussions, and brainstorming will help you use the tools and put them into action for your life. Classes consist of six in-person sessions held once a week. Register at https://bit. ly/3RXf1E2.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28

7:00-8:30 PM EST

amyisraelchaiatlanta@gmail.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 29

Play Tamid - 9:15 to 11 a.m. Play Tamid is led by Rabbi Jordan of Congregation Dor Tamid. Enjoy crafts, songs, fun activities, and more. Play Tamid is for kids under 4 years old with their parents/guardians. Register at https://bit.ly/44Dl0BF.

Jewish Women’s Torah and Tea - 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. Join the Jewish Women’s Circle of Decatur for a weekly discussion on the Parsha and contemporary Jewish issues. Find out more at https://bit.ly/3T8oR4B.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 49

KEEPING IT KOSHER

Sheet Pan Pancakes Pancakes are a fluffy and delicious way to start your day, but they do require quite a bit of attention and effort. These sheet pan pancakes are baked in the oven!

You can use the same toppings for the whole pan or customize sections. Yields: 12 square pancakes!

Ingredients 2 cups Glicks Flour 1/2 cup sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 cup oil or melted butter 1 teaspoon Gefen Vanilla Extract

JEWISH JOKE

The Vacation Shlomo and Moshe are talking one day about vacations.

Shlomo says, “I think I am just about ready to book my winter vacation again, but I’m going to do it differently this time. In the past, I have always taken your advice about where to go. Three years ago, you said to go to Eilat. I went to Eilat and my wife, Ruth, got pregnant. Then two years ago, you told me to go to Bermuda and Ruth got pregnant again.

Last year, you suggested the Canary Isles and, as you know, Ruth got pregnant yet again.”

Moshe asks, “So what are you going to do different this year, Shlomo?”

“This year,” replies Shlomo, “I’m taking Ruth with me.”

Toppings Options sliced strawberries blueberries Glicks Chocolate Chips sliced bananas Gefen Maple Syrup, for drizzling

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 10×15-inch cookie sheet with Gefen Parchment Paper.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the sheet pan and top with desired toppings.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Cut into squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Serve with maple syrup.

Source: Kosher.com Recipe by Sara and Yossi Goldstein Photography and Styling by Faigy Murray 50 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

YIDDISH WORD Farshlepteh Cranky Adj. The state of a person who is always in a bad mood, even when good things happen. The attitude of a perennial kvetcher (complainer).

“Don’t even bother telling a joke to Mitzi. She won’t laugh. She’s farshlepteh cranky.”

From the old Yiddish farshlepteh krenk, meaning “endlessly sick,” but often generalized to mean anything endless.

A Traditional Family?

ACROSS

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BRAIN FOOD

11. Expressing views 51. Daughter #2 12. Where King M’Baku currently 52. Intelligence, slangily 1. London’s hrs.

4. Channel that rarely fits its name 54. Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, e.g. reigns 18. “...he went his way ___ his own 55. Husband #3 these days land” (Ex. 18:27) 57. “L’chaim!”

7. Volcanic coating 58. Sock-in-the-gut responses, in 20. Bit of sea treif 10. Lay the groundwork for 25. Pitcher Josh and comic Bill comics 13. They come before OU 26. Bocelli of opera fame 59. Elba of “Thor” 14. “But of course!”

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 51

OBITUARIES

William David Cabot

Doris L. Frank

Dr. William David Cabot passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at his home in Sandy Springs.

Dr. Cabot was born in New York City on May 19, 1944, to Irena and Dr. Nathan Cabot. Bill graduated from Pelham High School before attending Hobart College where he received a B.A. in 1966. It was at Hobart that Bill met his lifetime and lifelong beloved Susie. They married in 1968 and celebrated their 55th anniversary last June.

Bill received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in Memphis in 1970. During his internship at Albert Einstein in New York, he developed a passion for orthopedic surgery.

He then completed his residency at Montefiore Medical Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery in 1975, moving to Atlanta to open his medical practice. He became board certified and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery as well as a Fellow of the Disability-Evaluating Physicians, Bill practiced for many years joined by his brother, Dr. Anthony Cabot and fellow orthopedist, Dr. Rafael Urrutia.

In addition to operating upon and helping thousands of patients, he developed a special interest in alternative medicine and participating on committees in these areas of the Academy. He excelled in the treatment of neck and back disorders, opening the Southern Back and Orthopedic Center, also concentrating on the treatment of osteoporosis. He held the position of Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at both Emory Adventist Hospital and Cobb General Hospital in Cobb County.

Dr. Cabot has numerous publications to his credit and is the author of two books.

He was on the Board of Directors of the Kid’s Chance charity and also served as Clinical Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Bill was a true Renaissance man, never tiring of not just learning, but excelling in many skills. His passion for flying airplanes earned him an instrument rating and several personal aircraft. His love of black and white photography began as a teenager and expanded into color and digital photography, having taken many classes which eventually led to gallery exhibitions. He loved playing drums and even tried his hand at the trombone. In recent years, playing golf with his golf buddies at Indian Hills was one of his greatest joys.

As a family, Susie and Bill loved skiing, taking many, many trips to Colorado but maybe most of all, they shared a love of boating. Starting with a ski boat on Lake Lanier, they became the proud of owners of the Bradam, a 65’ Hatteras on which they cruised from Maine to the Bahamas together for many years – “chasing Fall.” Sharing this love with family and friends, anyone spending time on the Bradam left wanting to come back as soon as possible. Bill could tell story after story to anyone who would listen, and all loved to listen. He had a fabulous sense of humor from which all who loved him benefited. In every part of Bill’s life, he searched for deeper meaning, and he spent inordinate amounts of time thinking, sharing and trying to understand life. He had a huge presence and left an enormous hole in the lives of those who knew and loved him.

Bill is survived by his adored wife of 55 years, Susie, and their two sons, Brandon in Charleston, S.C., and Adam (Lina) in Newtown, Penn. Bill is survived by three terrific grandchildren, Madison, Charlotte, and Connor. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Anthony Cabot (Betsy), and his sister, Virginia Gordimer (Dick) and nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held graveside at Arlington Memorial Park at 10:00 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22. Contributions in Bill’s memory may be made to Friends of IDF, www.support.fidf.org or any charity of your choice. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Doris L. Frank (nee Horowitz), age 100, passed away in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 6, 2024. She was born on Jan. 22, 1923, in Wilmington, N.C., to Sarah and Jacob Horowitz.

During WWII, Doris moved to Washington, D.C., with two friends where she helped the war effort by working for the government.

She married the love of her life, Harold Frank, in 1947, with whom she shared almost 60 years of marriage. Arriving in Atlanta over 75 years ago, she and Harold went on to adopt the role that was most important to her, and of which she was most proud: she became the mother of three children. As much as her children looked up to her, they were far from the only ones. She soon became the family matriarch, always striving to make the family closer, at which she excelled.

Doris was extremely proud of being Jewish and it was always important to her to be identified as a Jewish American. When her family went to Israel and the plane landed to the applause of all on board, Doris burst into tears of profound joy.

Doris is survived by her three children, Bill (Linda), Jackie (Gail), and Natalie, five grandchildren, Angie, Adam, David, Leah, and Danielle, seven great-grandchildren, and countless cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her five siblings, Lucille, Esther (Bernie), David (Belle), Coleman, and Nathan.

Please sign the online guestbook at www.jewishfuneralcare.com. In lieu of flowers, in her memory, please make donations to a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank her healthcare providers for their care, compassion, and love, helping navigate this transition in the most positive way imaginable, allowing her to maintain her dignity and independence.

Graveside services were held Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., at Arlington Memorial Park at 201 Mount Vernon Highway. Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla officiated. Shiva was held immediately after the funeral at the home of Shayna and Morgan Howard.

Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

79, Sandy Springs

52 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

100, Atlanta

Eleanor Jacobson 88, Atlanta

Eleanor Jacobson (z”l), age 88, of Atlanta, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Jan. 2, 2024. She was born in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 26, 1935, to Meyer and Marie Jacobstein. She was raised in Atlanta and attended Grady High School where she graduated with honors.

She met her future husband, Jerry Jacobson, in Miami, Fla., and they were soon married in Atlanta on July 4, 1959, at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue by the late Rabbi Harry Epstein.

Eleanor was involved in Hadassah where she served as Vice-President, was a life-time member of Beth Jacob Sisterhood, and a charter member of the Athletic Club Northeast. In her later years, she stayed busy performing administrative duties in her son’s CPA business. Being a typical southern Jewish mother, her biggest pleasure in life was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Eleanor, or Ellie as her friends liked to call her, was pre-deceased by her husband, Jerry Jacobson, and parents, Meyer and Marie Jacobstein. Survivors include her daughter, Lynnda Baron, and son, Scott Jacobson, and wife, Amy; grandchildren, Jason Baron, Marissa Froomkin, and husband, Chad, Zachary Baron, and Joshua Jacobson, and future bride-to-be, Allison Gelfarb; and great-grandchildren Asher, Ethan, and Sadie Froomkin.

Contributions in honor of Eleanor’s memory can be made to Congregation Shearith Israel, The Epstein School, or the charity of one’s choice.

Eleanor leaves behind a legacy of character, kindness, humor, and the most distinct Southern accent ever heard. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-4514999.

OBITUARIES

Ed Levine 92, Decatur

Ed Levine of Decatur, Ga. (formally of Lilburn) died Dec. 28. Born in Greenfield, N.J., to Ruth and Julius Levine, he spent his youth working at his family’s gas station and later at their farm in upstate New York. He and his brother, Burt, followed their sister, Shelia, south to Atlanta, where he met his loving wife of 58 years, Nina.

Ed received his bachelor’s in education from the University of Alabama and a Masters and Specialist degrees in Social Work from the University of Georgia. He loved helping kids live up to their potential as a teacher, coach, and through his volunteer activities. His first job in Atlanta was at Ed S. Cook Elementary School and later did social work with DeKalb County Schools. He was a strong believer in positive reinforcement— “just brag on kids when they do well.”

When he wasn’t teaching or coaching, he kept busy with many interests, but his family always remained at the forefront of his attention and affection. He loved his children, always coaching and entertaining them, teaching them lessons like the Golden Rule. He loved garage sales and flea markets (his favorite was Lakewood) towing his kids around as they looked for antiques, coins, stamps, and his favorite antique postcards. A lover of history, postcards gave him a unique view of world events, both in the scenes depicted and correspondence written upon them. He loved playing bridge and played regularly for over 60 years, and he would say “he was above average” but everyone knew he was much better than that. He was always rating everything, especially food. “That bagel was a b plus.” He loved talking to people and knew no stranger. An animal lover, there were always animals in the house and even an occasional raccoon, which he fed on the deck for decades. On family trips it was normal to stop the station wagon to help a boxer turtle cross the road. That really sums up his life, a man always doing what he could to help those in need.

Ed was predeceased by brother, Burt Levine, and son-in-law, John Battaglia, and is survived by his wife, Nina, son, Jeoff, and wife, Min, son, Greg, and partner, David Gunderson, daughters, Kim Battaglia and Pam Haggerty, 11 grandchildren, sister, Shelia Gregor, and sister-law, Patsy Levine. In lieu of flowers, send donations to PAWs Atlanta, World Wildlife Fund, or Trees Atlanta. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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OBITUARIES

Nathan Mordler

Marla Kay Schwartz

Nathan Mordler, 77, of Dunwoody, died Dec. 26, 2023. In the loving memory of a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Nathan cherished family above all else, working tirelessly to ensure a good life for his beloved wife and three cherished children. Mr. Mordler was preceded in death by his wife of over 44 years, Alyce Mordler, and is survived by his sons, Michael Mordler (Krassi Mordler); Jason Mordler (Cindy Goldberg); daughter, Jaime Brooks (Stephan Roode); grandson, Levi Brooks; and sister, Judy Edge (Phil). His legacy lives on in the warmth of family bonds he cultivated throughout a life dedicated to love and hard work. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Marla Kay Schwartz (née Kay) passed away surrounded by her cherished family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy Kay Samuels (née Deutsch), and Ernest D. Kay, as well as her sister, Linda Tirnauer (née Kay). Marla graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1965 and pursued her passion for education and fine arts, earning a BS in Education with a minor in Fine Arts from Kent State University.

Marla dedicated her career to teaching art, impacting students of all ages from kindergarten through adulthood in various school systems including Cleveland, Euclid, Maple Heights, and Cleveland Heights-University Heights. In her later years, she transitioned to an artisan business, utilizing the trapunto method to craft fabric products.

Marla showcased her creations at mall shows across Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and Northern Kentucky, earning the endearing moniker “The Pillow Lady” through her brand, Pillows Plus by Marla.

Marla’s legacy lives on through her loving husband of 49 years, Edward (Eddie – Stevie), her daughter Johanna (Craig) Kaiser, her son Jacob (Lindsay Duncan) Schwartz, and her beloved grandchildren, Eden and Jesse Kaiser. Funeral arrangements are being handled in Atlanta by Dressler’s and in Cleveland by Berkowitz-Kumin.

The funeral service was on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023, graveside at Bet Olam in Beachwood, Ohio, within the Park Synagogue section at 10:30 in the morning.

In remembrance of Marla’s vibrant spirit and commitment to causes close to her heart, in lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory are welcomed with suggested donations to ALEPH, the Rose and Lawrence Schwartz Holocaust Education Fund (750 White Pond Drive, Akron, Ohio 44320), Park Synagogue (Cantor Pisman Fund), Bnai Torah (Cantor Fund), or to Cure HHT. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

77, Dunwoody

Steven Harvey Orenstein 82, Kansas

Steven Harvey Orenstein, 82, of Leawood, Kan., died on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023.

Graveside services were held at 10:00 a.m., on Friday, Dec. 29 at Mount Carmel Cemetery, located at 5529 Ditzler Road in Raytown, Mo. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be sent in Steven’s honor to Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City (jfskc.org).

Steven was born on Nov. 12, 1941, to the late Max and Bernice Orenstein in Atlanta, Ga. He graduated from Henry W. Grady High School and earned a business degree from Emory University. He had a multifaceted career, including being an owner of O&B Shoes, Inc. in Atlanta, and an insurance representative. Steven was a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park for many years.

Steven was selfless, resilient, and loyal. He was most proud of being a loving father. In addition to his parents, Steven was preceded in death by his beloved sister, Gail Orenstein Kahn (Jerry) and his in-laws, Irving and Lillian Baker. He is survived by his former wife, Nancy Levinson (Robert), daughter, Erica LaFata (Jason), granddaughter, Bella, and sister-in-law, Marilyn Pace.

His family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to Butler Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Butler, Missouri for providing compassionate care to Steven.

75, Cleveland, Ohio

Hilda Scott Tenenbaum 92, Sandy Springs

Hilda Scott Tenenbaum, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and known affectionately by her family as “Poozie,” died peacefully on Dec. 24, 2023, at the age of 92. Hilda is survived by her brother, Joe Scott Jr., and four children: David Tenenbaum of Sandy Springs, Ga.; Elena Bennett of Savannah, Ga.; Elisa Tenenbaum of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Karen Ribot (Hugo) of Cartersville, Ga. She also is survived by eight grandchildren: Alix Lane (Chris), Molly Bebo (David), Sydney, Max, and Sara Beth Ribot and Jeffrey, Joe Joe, and Joanie Tenenbaum, as well as four great-grandchildren.

Born in Randolph County, Alabama, to Cora and Joe Scott, Hilda was the third of seven children. She grew up on a farm in LaGrange, Georgia. In the late 1940s she left “the country” to attend Piedmont School of Nursing in the big city of Atlanta. Graduating in 1951 as a Registered Nurse, she worked on medical and surgical wards as well as outpatient surgery at Piedmont Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital. It was no surprise that she met her husband of 67 years, Raymond Tenenbaum, M.D., while working in the hospital. She stepped back from nursing to raise four children. Once the children were grown, they moved to Dalton, Georgia, where she returned to surgical recovery nursing at Hamilton Memorial Hospital. During her time in Dalton, Hilda was actively involved in the community. She was President of the Whitfield-Murray County Medical Auxiliary. She was instrumental in founding the local chapters of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and the AIDS Alliance of Northwest Georgia. Hilda was President of her synagogue, Temple Beth El and a member of Hadassah. Most recently, she was a member of Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Rome, Georgia. Hilda was a voracious reader, lifelong avid gardener, bird watcher and Mahjongg maven. She loved being outside, bird watching and working in her prolific garden. Her family regularly enjoyed the abundant bounty of fresh vegetables. She was well known for her green thumb, especially when it came to her beloved daylilies and would regularly win “Yard of the Month” when they lived on Mt. Paran Parkway. Hilda was devoted to her family and will be greatly missed.

Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Editor and 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.

54 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES JANUARY 15, 2024 | 55

CLOSING THOUGHTS Jacket Hide and Seek I feel sure, my beloved readers, this is not the first time I’ve mentioned “the apartment in The Bronx.”

You will recall, this is where Shaindle my mom, dad, Schmuckler and my two Shaindle’s Shpiel sisters lived. It would be a big fat fib if I wrote about my apartment in Staten Island, given I never lived there.

So, to continue with my missive of the day … in our apartment in The Bronx, my sisters and I shared this one fairly small closet in the hallway across from the rather large bedroom my two sisters and I shared. My parents had their own closets and, of course, their own bedroom.

Our closet boasted a pole across the width of said closet. On either side of the closet, it contained strategically placed shelves.

This closet was where we hung our coats, jackets, hats, gloves all of which lived po-

56 | JANUARY 15, 2024 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

litely and quietly until we required their services.

Never that I can recall, did any of our belongings play the game of hide and seek with us. Hidden in this small piece of property, in a box I would hide, were some of my very special and most private items of interest. My diary for example, some crushed flowers; letters (remember the lost art of the handwritten letter? Wasn’t it a wonderful form of communication?)

Also hidden were copies of various plays, which I dreamed I would star in one day. Virtually impossible to notice, given how well hidden it was, was the money I earned working summers and after school.

Years working in summer camp gave me some spending money. Ah, summer camp, where I learned who I was, what I was capable of, how to twirl a baton, shave my legs, and kiss boys. During the school year, at 3 p.m. sharp, the bell would ring, announcing my high school classes were over. This is when I would head out for my job at Alexander’s department store on Fordham Road, in The Bronx! The paychecks I received each week increased my wealth by leaps and bounds.

My wealth had to be protected from curious family members. Supporting my teen lifestyle required financial independence. With this wealth, I was also able to give my sisters allowances -- one of my mantras is: I love being the rich uncle.

I bought my first winter jacket with this wealth. I felt such pride seeing it hanging in the closet mentioned above.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to fly up north to visit one of my sisters who is living in New Jersey and spend a little time with some dear friends. My sister strongly suggested I bring a jacket which would keep me warm in the cold, the rain, or if I was fortunate enough to get to play in the snow. (I was not so fortunate -- it did not snow.)

As a gift from one of my friends, I received a pair of beautiful gloves. When I was going through airport security on my way home from New Jersey to Atlanta, I was forced to stuff these gloves into the pockets of my jacket. I did not want to lose them. There were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting in the line to pass through security. Some were waiting with a modicum of decorum, others waited

impatiently, all were waiting for the same moment when they were told to go ahead and move through security. It was a total ballagon (mess). People shoving, yelling at the security personnel, I was on edge and anxious to move on.

I sincerely hoped my flight home to Atlanta would be uneventful. I carried with me my child-sized suitcase which was just big enough to hold all my belongings and fits so comfortably in the space above the seats. My jacket would not fit in the suitcase, so I carried it through security, placing it in one of the bins. When I was cleared to continue, I collected my suitcase and backpack and rushed out to my gate.

I was totally unaware my jacket was in a playful mood. Hide and seek was its game of choice. I did not realize I was sans jacket, until I speed walked the hundred (or so it seemed) miles to my gate.

It was too late to go back to security.

My jacket won this round of the game. I sure hope it is happy wherever and with whomever it is now living. I also hope it has an appropriate closet to live in. Most of all, I hope its new owner is playful and loves the game of Jacket Hide and Seek. ì

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EVENT LEADERSHIP Event Co-Chairs: Brooke Berman & Emma Rinzler ✧ Auction Chair: Charlie Burstiner

host committee Kaylin Berinhout ✧ Logan Botnick ✧ Drew Eichel ✧ Ethan Fialkow ✧ Abby Greenberg ✧ Jared Kerker ✧ Sarah Koplin Jonathan Olens ✧ Samantha Paulen ✧ Jojo Rinzler ✧ Nate Sauer ✧ Daniel Schwartz ✧ Jessie Schwartzman Adam Segal ✧ Allison Sherman ✧ Justin Silver ✧ Danielle Spelfogel ✧ Zoë Toporek ✧ Bailee Yoels

HONORING Nate Rubin Joel Libowsky Big PAL of the Year

Must be 21+ to attend @volunteerwithjfcs