Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCIII No. 3, January 26, 2018

STILL LEARNING

Israelis’ actions don’t reflect their love of the land, an ecologist says. Page 25

VOL. XCIII NO. 4

TU B’SHEVAT, PAGES 25-27 LOOKING BACK HAVING FUN Tu B’Shevat in 1948 was a big deal as the Jewish state’s birth neared. Page 26

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Events for the holiday include fruit tasting, rock painting and tree planting. Page 27

JANUARY 26, 2018 | 10 SHEVAT 5778

Righteous Gentile’s Light Shines in Atlanta A child survivor of the Holocaust who transformed world financial markets gave credit to two men and two nations Sunday night, Jan. 21, at Sandy Springs’ Westin Atlanta Perimeter North.

Leo Melamed, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange chairman emeritus who invented financial futures and moved futures trading onto computers everywhere, was the keynote speaker at Am Yisrael Chai’s “Conscience and Action” event ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.

Melamed and his parents fled Poland to Lithuania when he was 7, thanks to the foresight of his father. They then received a warm welcome in Japan, which they reached with a transit visa issued by Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara, whose acts of conscience in defiance of his government saved an estimated 6,000 Jews.

Am Yisrael Chai dedicated the event to Sugihara, whom Melamed called one of the most righteous men in the world.

He has spent decades helping the Sugiharas publicize the diplomat’s heroism.

One of Sugihara’s grandsons, Chihiro Sugihara, also spoke at the Jan. 21 event. Even though his grandfather was only 5-foot-4, he said he remembers him being like a big refrigerator — solid outside and beautiful and fresh inside.

Congregation Ariel Rabbi Binyomin Friedman’s father-in-law, Rabbi Yehudah

Photos by Michael Jacobs

Rabbi Binyomin Friedman shows a montage of the nearly 100 descendants of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehudah Dickstein, who was saved by a transit visa from Chiune Sugihara. See more photos at atlantajewishtimes.com.

Dickstein, who died in October, was one of the thousands saved by Sugihara.

Drawing on the Talmudic lesson that saving a life is like saving a world, Rabbi Friedman said, “This heroic man saved many thousands of worlds.”

Am Yisrael Chai is bringing its Daffodil Project — an effort to plant 1.5 million daffodils in memory of the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust — to Japan to honor Sugihara.

But Melamed, whose life was saved

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and fortune made through forward thinking, didn’t limit his focus to the past.

Speaking during a federal government shutdown linked to the fate of immigrants, Melamed said he and his parents reached Chicago as refugees with no money, no family and no clout, but the United States enabled him to use his talents and his imagination to reach the top.

“This country gave me that opportunity,” he said. “This is the greatest country in the world.” ■

INSIDE Candle Lighting �������������������������� 4 Israel News �����������������������������������5 Opinion ���������������������������������������10 Sports �������������������������������������������18 Arts ���������������������������������������������� 22 Education ����������������������������������� 24 Obituaries ���������������������������������� 28 Crossword ���������������������������������� 30 Marketplace ������������������������������� 31

While Joshua Sampson provides accompaniment on the violin and Eden Guggenheim stands at her side, Holocaust survivor Suzan Tibor lights one of the memorial candles at the start of the Am Yisrael Chai ceremony.

Holocaust survivor Janine Storch lights a memorial candle with the help of Emma Novitz.

KING’S LEGACY

Approaching the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Jews in Atlanta disagree over what the civil rights leader would think of Israel today and how they should carry his dream forward. Page 13

2017 Pinch hitter Program Organized by Achim/Gate City B’nai B’rith Lodge 0144 and the B’nai B’rith Center for Community Action

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Achim/Gate City Lodge of B’nai B’rith extends our sincere thanks to all of the volunteers who participated in the Pinch Hitter Program on Christmas Day, 2017 and a special Yashir Koach to our volunteer hospital coordinators (noted with **) and their assistants (noted with *) without whom the Pinch Hitter Program would have been impossible to produce.

— Harry Lutz, Chairman

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Julie Abels Nina Altman Jared Amdur Zachary Amdur Josh Astarita Lisa Astarita Sayre Balk Gail Barr Joshua Barzilay* Cobi Beresin Dina Beresin Eva Beresin Todd Beresin Irma Bloch** Ray Boorstin Manuela Bornstein Barry Brager Noah Brager Ceclia Branhut Amy Braunstein Joan Brenner Larry Brenner Diane Cohen Harold Cohen Sara Cohen Shelley Coleman Craig Colsky Shira Colsky Milton Crane Randy Cohn Vance Dietz Liza Dolensky Erika Eberhardt Rodney Eberhardt Mark Edelstein Teri Edelstein Terry Egdal Arona Elk Shea Ellison Eden England Lance England Liam England Talia England Tamar England Jessica Epstein Karen Fedder Carl Feigenbaum** Carol Feinberg Robert Feldman Sheri Feldman Allison Fellner

Dan Fellner Eli Fellner Maddie Fellner Andrew Fine Linda Flinn Gisele Frame Hilary Freedman Emily Friedenberg Lee Friedenberg Ryan Friedenberg Susan Friedenberg Betsy Gard Jackie Goldstein Abigal Goodman Ben Goodman Jeff Goodman Joy Goodman Sophie Goodman Jonathon Goodman* Sacha Goodson Paula Gorlin Nina Granow Larry Greenberg Leslie Greenberg Stewart Greenberg** Claire Gross Linda Halpern Marcelo Herszenhaut* Jeffrey Hirschhorn Justin Hodges Nathan Holden James Hoover* Jeffrey Horwitz Jonah Horwitz Amy Hurewitz Ian Hurewitz Ariel Isaacs Avi Isaacs Meir Isaacs Raizel Isaacs Rivca Isaacs Tova Isaacs Gary Jackson Robert Jaric Matthew Kaler Rick Kanfer Hallie Kaplan Jonah Kaplan Karen Kaplan Rachael Kates Julie Katz

Steve Kaufman** Steve Kramer Lois Kravitz* Jerry Kravitz** Ben Krebs Brian Krebs Josh Krebs Tracy Krebs Andrew Kronitz Avigayil Landman Richard Lapin Kathy Levin Mike Levin Barry Levine Rebecca Levine Sara Lewin Scott Lewin Sara Lewin Scott Lewin Stacy Lewin Chaya Lieberman Art Link** Jeanie Lipsius Zena Lovenger David Lurie* Rosanne Lutz** Gavin Lyons Gilbert Lyons Eve Mannes Harvey Mannes Klara Menaker Sherri Mesquita Alex Michaels Barry Minkoff Alan Moses Ellen Moses Adele Northrup Betty Obregon Jodi Pardue Sam Perlman Terri Pesso** Ethan Pierce Hannah Podhorzer Brandon Rabinovitz Mark Rackin Fran Redisch Debbie Rodkin Jules Rosenberg Andrea Rosenthal David Rosenthal Milton Rosenthal

Joel Roth Raye Sabel Zachary Sanderson Alex Schulman** Claire Schwartz Cindy Sedran Barry Seidel Rona Seidel Madolin Seldes Danielle Seligmann Felice Seligmann Marvin Shams Eileen Shapiro Leon Shelkoff Daniel Shmalo Roz Shore David Shulman Malka Shulman Marsha Shulman Simmi Shulman Jeff Silberblatt Stan Sloan Allan Slovin Esther Sokol Helen Sonsino Aviva Stern Craig Strickman Lisa Sturt Ray Taratoot Steven Teitel Sharon Teper Elissa Terris Marc Thalheimer Alex Tirado Lori Trachtenberg Dan Weinberg Jeffrey Weinberg Karen Weinberg Lynne Weiner Brian Weiss Kevin Weiss Denise Whitlock Alan Wind Joel Wine Lane Wolbe Donna Wolff Barry Yahr Yang Yang Jay Zandman Betsy Zeff

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MA TOVU

Diverse Parenting Roads styles. When you’re on, your routines are followed. When I’m on, the house runs according to my rules.”

“What rules?” I quip, and Stan shoots me a wounded look.

“Don’t you understand?” I say.

“You’re making me into the Wicked Witch. Mommy is the stickler who tolerates no nonsense, and Daddy is all fun and games. Plus, they feel like

Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

whenever I say no to something, they can just turn to you, and you’ll accede to their demands — if not immediately, the next time Mommy leaves the house. This doesn’t feel like a partnership. We’re parenting on two diverse roads, and it shouldn’t be like that.

We’re a team. We need to figure out how to complement each other, not work against each other.”

“When I’m with our children,” Stan says, “I just want to have fun.

Build good memories. Life has enough stress. Shouldn’t home be a haven?”

“We have to figure out a compromise,” I insist. “You can still romp around with them without going overboard. They don’t have to indulge in every kind of nosh on the planet each time I step out the door. And they can clean up their rooms and do their homework before you launch the party. That way, I’m not painted as the mean one. We’ll be sharing the job together. Especially because you’ll present it as ‘Mommy and I want you to do X, Y and Z. And then we got you this fantastic treat that you can enjoy afterwards.’ ” I pause so Stan can absorb what I’m saying.

“Then we’ll become a unit, a welloiled machine that works in harmony.

Don’t you want that?” I ask.

This is one sample of myriad conversations, yet no visible change has occurred. I see the same scenarios time and time again and feel wedged into the persona of a harsh, demanding parent, while Stan enjoys being the gentle, kind, indulgent one. I’m frustrated and don’t know how to proceed.

Is it possible to co-parent effectively when spouses have such diverse styles and attitudes? ■ To have your suggestions published, email rachels83@gmail.com.

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Young and idealistic, Stan and I reveled in our similarities and quickly realized that our match was made in heaven. Engagement and marriage ensued, and we were blessed with a lively brood: two boys and two girls.

As the kids grew, we both wondered where our similarities had gone; somehow, our differences became glaringly apparent.

Contrary to the stereotypical view of men and women, Stan is the softie, while I am the stickler for order and discipline.

Snacks and meals must be healthy, and treats should be given occasionally. Bedtime is non-negotiable, and homework must be completed before play time.

While the kids occasionally grumble that their friends don’t have to put up with so many rules, I feel confident that these safeguards and routines provide security.

And then, enter Stan, stage right.

Whenever I go out and Stan is on duty, trouble begins. I come home, and a scene of bedlam greets me.

Bowls and spoons sticky with remnants of ice cream and sprinkles litter the table, and potato chip pieces and licorice bits are strewn in every direction. The kids are wearing dopey, high-on-junk-food expressions, with glazed eyes and goofy smiles.

I rein in my churning fury, reminding myself that it is never healthy to address an issue in the heat of the moment and that I should just wait until I recover and feel able to deal with the situation calmly.

“How was your meeting?” Stan asks, cantering around the room with a squealing 2-year-old on his back.

“Great.” I indicate the royal disaster in the kitchen and living room with a sweeping motion of my hands and a question mark in my eyes.

“Oh, that.” Stan flashes a childish grin. “I was planning to deal with that before you came home, but we were just having so much fun.”

Yeah, I know.

If it were a rare occasion for me to be greeted by this kind of havoc and utter disregard for the way I like our home to run, I could swallow it. But it happens constantly, and it undermines the standard I’ve worked so hard to put in place. So what to do?

Stan and I have discussed this repeatedly.

“Why can’t we agree to disagree?” he says. “You and I have different

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CALENDAR THROUGH FEB. 15

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Film fest. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screens movies every day at half a dozen locations. See the schedule at bit. ly/2DzEi2E. Tickets are $15 after 4 p.m. and on weekends, $13 for seniors, students and children, and $12 for weekday matinees; ajff.org.

FRIDAY, JAN. 26

Winter Wonderland Shabbat. YJP Atlanta holds happy hour at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 at Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Poncey-Highland.

Tickets are $18; bit.ly/2mAthCM.

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SARAH MOOSAZADEH sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Contributors This Week RABBI JONATHAN CRANE RABBI DAVID GEFFEN YONI GLATT JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE KEVIN MADIGAN MARIANA MONTIEL ERIC M. ROBBINS DAVE SCHECHTER EUGEN SCHOENFELD TERRY SEGAL RACHEL STEIN

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Design

DARA DRAWDY

COMMUNITY LIAISON JEN EVANS

SATURDAY, JAN. 27

SHABBATunes. Rabbi Brian Glusman brings Shabbat music to young families at 11 a.m. at Bach to Rock, 12315 Crabapple Road, Alpharetta. Free; www. atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161.

Dance. The Koresh Dance Company performs at 8 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $25 for JCC members, $38 for others; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4002.

Havinagala. The fundraiser for the JF&CS PAL Program starts at 9 p.m. at the Hangar at Peachtree, 2007 Flightway Drive, Chamblee, at DeKalbPeachtree Airport. Admission is $60 in advance, $70 at the door ($100 VIP); 501auctions.com/havinagala2018.

SUNDAY, JAN. 28

Bonds lunch. Lilly and Mark Antebi are the honorees and Jewish Policy Center Senior Director Shoshana Bryen is the featured speaker at an Israel Bonds lunch at noon at Congregation Or VeShalom, 1681 North Druid Hills Road, Brookhaven. Tickets are $40; RSVP at conta.cc/2FJbUZg or 404-817-3500.

jen@atljewishtimes.com

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JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

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THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

AIPAC annual event. New York Times columnist Bret Stephens speaks at 5 p.m. after a reception at 4 at Mercedes-

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Beshalach Friday, Jan. 26, light candles at 5:44 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 27, Shabbat ends at 6:42 p.m.

Yitro Friday, Feb. 2, light candles at 5:51 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, Shabbat ends at 6:49 p.m.

Corrections & Clarifications

The first name of Burrill Crohn, the gastroenterologist for whom Crohn’s disease is named, was incorrect in a Jan. 12 preview of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s annual Torch Gala.

Benz Stadium downtown. Tickets are $125 for AIPAC club members, $175 for others; acritchfield@aipac.org or 678254-2634.

Dance. The Koresh Dance Company performs at 5 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $25 for JCC members, $38 for others; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4002.

MONDAY, JAN. 29

Sex trafficking. The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown, holds a panel discussion with state Sen. Renee Unterman, federal prosecutor Richard Moultrie and Wellspring Living founder Mary Frances Bowley at 7 p.m. Free; RSVP at bit.ly/2DtH70O. Parenting advice. The Berman Center and the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta present “How to Raise a Mensch” with lecturer Nili Couzens at 7 p.m. at the Galloway School, 215 W. Wieuca Road, Buckhead. Admission is $18; www.jwcatlanta.org/events.

Infertility support. Ashley Marx facilitates a Jewish Fertility Foundation group in Toco Hills at 7:30 p.m. Free; RSVP to www.jewishfertilityfoundation.org/support for the location.

TUESDAY, JAN. 30

Vietnam talk. Temple Sinai, 5645 Du-

pree Drive, Sandy Springs, marks the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive at noon with a viewing of the relevant episode of the Ken Burns documentary and a panel discussion among military veterans. Free; www.templesinaiatlanta.org/event/vietnam-lessons-learned. html.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31

Babyccino. The program for babies up to 2½ years old and their mothers explores holidays at 10:30 a.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. Free; RSVP to hs@ chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000.

Wall activist. Women of the Wall Executive Director Lesley Sachs speaks at Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, at 7:30 p.m. after a reception at 7. Free; www. shearithisrael.com or 404-873-1743.

Sex trafficking discussions. Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, hosts forums for middle and high school students and for their parents at 7:30 p.m. Free; www. etzchaim.net/hiddendangers.

THURSDAY, FEB. 1

Wall activist. Lesley Sachs speaks at Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, at 7:30 p.m.

Free; www.etzchaim.net/wow.

Find more events and submit items for our online and print calendars at the Atlanta Jewish Connector, www.atlantajewishconnector.com.

Remember When

10 Years Ago Jan. 25, 2008 ■ Jacob Wright, who teaches the Hebrew Bible at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, is a winner of the 2008 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise for his 2004 book, “Rebuilding Identity: The Nehemiah Memoir and Its Earliest Readers.” The prize includes $10,000.

■ The b’not mitzvah ceremony of Haley Allen Zwecker and Lindsey Samantha Zwecker of Atlanta, daughters of Mark and Lori Zwecker, was held Saturday, Oct. 13, at Temple Sinai.

25 Years Ago Jan. 22, 1993 ■ U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob has given Cobb County

four months to create a large display of nonreligious, historical items that would include a plaque with the Ten Commandments and a quote from the Christian Bible. That plaque, already on display at the county courthouse, was the subject of a First Amendment case brought before Shoob.

■ Amy and Michael Egerman of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Melanie Rose, on Nov. 3.

50 Years Ago Jan. 26, 1968 ■ Israeli Cabinet member Yoseph Saphir is scheduled to speak at the inaugural meeting of the Atlanta Jewish Welfare Federation at the Jewish Community Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Sidney J. Rosen of Atlanta announce the engagement of daughter Jo Anne Rosen to Kenneth Martin Klein, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Klein of Jamaica, N.Y.

ISRAEL NEWS

Nonprofit Arrives to Aid Local Israeli-Americans and be accepted.

Jaffe: To what can we look for-

Jaffe's Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Shaked Angel, shown with his young children, has been in Atlanta since July.

Jaffe: Share your background.

Angel: I grew up on Kibbutz Zikim on the border between Gaza and Ashkelon. In 2009, I became an emissary for the Jewish Agency and a camp director out of New York. In 2016 I joined the IAC as educational director for children from birth to college. This past July, I moved my wife and young children to Atlanta.

ward?

Angel: Feb. 9, Friday night, Kabbalat Shabbat dinner at the Chabad of East Cobb for all ages. It will be a beautiful candle lighting and dinner led by lay leaders. We’re inviting all to be part of this experience: $10 per person or $50 maximum per family (bit.ly/2DwkXez).

Jaffe: What are some of the programs already in progress?

Angel: Keshet — community, language and culture for younger kids.

We offer great tools with a subscription to help build Jewish identity plus a kit with activities (arts and crafts, Hebrew skills) for holidays like Tu B’Shevat or Chanukah that one can do at home. This is run by lay leaders, currently all Israeli women, and there are two divisions: ages 4 to 6 and 7 to 8.

Eitanim (strong) is … a projectbased learning symposium for teens which encourages leadership and entrepreneurship along with Jewish values. It’s held at the Weber School and mentored by project managers.

Mishelanu (our own) is a pro-Israeli campus program targeting Emory, UGA and Georgia Tech to foster leaders and provide a home for IsraeliAmerican students. These students are able to explore and strengthen their Israeli-American and Jewish identities through culture, language, heritage and a strong connection to Israel.

Some are from intermarriages, meaning a Jewish American married to an Israeli. We want them to feel at home

Jaffe: Much has been said about discord between American Jews’ expectations and experiences with Israeli-Americans or Israelis not sharing the traditional vision of community support.

Angel: The IAC has two main objectives: the first, to create space for the Israeli-Americans to become a community; the second is to engage the Israeli-American community with the Jewish American community and strength this bond. There are many stereotypes regarding the IsraeliAmerican community; we aim to remove this barrier. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but this is what we are here for. As Israelis, we need to understand that to live a meaningful Jewish life, we need to put our resources into that and make sure our children are equipped to have a strong, clear identity.

Thinking about generations to come, our goal, our most important mission, is to form Israeli-American engagement within the Jewish community. After all, we are one nation. In the final analysis, we have each other’s backs. ■

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Joining the alphabet soup of Jewish organizations in Atlanta is the IAC, the Israeli-American Council. Sabra Shaked Angel has launched the group’s 16th regional office.

“Our goal is to be more integrated and aligned with American Jews and create a space within the already successful Jewish organizations like the JCC, Federation, synagogues, rather than reinvent the wheel,” Angel said. Information is available by visiting www.israeliamerican.org/atlanta or by contacting Angel at shaked@IsraeliAmerican.org or 917-999-8407.

Angel estimates that Atlanta has 12,000 to 15,000 Israeli Jews, roughly 10 percent of the Jewish community.

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ISRAEL NEWS

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Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Bridge of peace. Israel plans to link Haifa to Jordan via the Jezreel Valley railway. Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has allocated 15 million shekels ($4.4 million) in the 2019 budget to extend the railroad from Beit She’an to the Sheik Hussein crossing at the border with Jordan. The immediate result of the extension would be the reduction of the number of trucks on the road, which carry a significant amount of cargo from Israel’s landlocked neighbor to Israel’s ports. But Katz called it “a bridge of peace,” as his vision is to see the rail line connect Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to the port in Haifa, once hostilities between the Arab states and Israel end.

Waze cleared. Iran has unblocked Google-owned mobile navigation app Waze, Iranian website Tasnim News reported Tuesday, Jan. 16. The use of the app was blocked in March, reinstated in September and blocked again in October. Waze CEO Noam Bardin said in March that the block came after the app gained popularity in Iran. Launched in Israel in 2008, Waze was acquired by Google in 2013 for $1.3 billion.

JAN 24 thru FEB 15 GET S

TICKET

E=MC museum. A former planetarium at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will be converted into a museum dedicated to Albert Einstein, the father of the theory of relativity. Einstein bequeathed his personal archives to Hebrew University, of which he was a founder. The $5 million museum and

visitors center will be dedicated to those archives. The museum will make use of the old planetarium’s rectangular space and dome to house the physicist’s archive, a research area, temporary exhibitions, a souvenir shop, a preservation and photography room, and a conference hall.

What’s in your back yard? It’s amazing what you can find in your back yard in Israel. One family in the Galilee town of Eilabun discovered under their home a 2,000-year-old labyrinth of caves used for storage by the Jewish residents during the Roman occupation.

Arak ’n’ roll. Arak is the traditional alcohol of choice in countries such as Iran and Iraq, but the liquor has made a resurgence in Israel in recent years.

Once considered the drink of old Middle Eastern men playing backgammon, arak is now the chosen spirit of young Israelis and is gaining popularity and respect among professionals, alcohol enthusiasts and Israel’s elite. Israel is buzzing with a handful of boutique arak producers. The trend comes hot on the heels of the global Greek food trend, which changed how people perceived anise-based liquors such as ouzo and their relation to fine dining and culture. It also comes amid a boom in Israeli craft beer, wine and spirits.

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com, israel21c.org, timesofisrael. com and other sources.

NOW! AT

AJFF.ORG JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Photo by Noam Feine

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Israel Photo of the Week Still Independent The family of Bechor Shalom Sheetrit, a signatory of Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the nation’s first minister of police, participates in a re-enactment of the Declaration’s signing Sunday, Jan. 14, with other grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who signed the document in May 1948. The event served as a kickoff of preparation for February’s first Israeli Congress on Judaism and Democracy. Congress Chairman Haim Taib says, “The Declaration of Independence serves as a shining example of the crucial balance between Judaism and democracy, emphasizing the dual role of Israel in offering a home to Jews from around the world while also retaining a democratically elected government and full equality of social and political rights to all its citizens.”

ISRAEL NEWS

Today in Israeli History

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

Jan. 26, 1919: Chaim Weizmann warns in a letter to British Gen. Arthur Money, the head of the military administration in Palestine and an opponent of the Zionist cause, that unless world Jewry secures a place of its own, it will face a catastrophe.

Jan. 27, 2001: A week of discussions between Israeli and Palestinian leaders concludes in the Egyptian resort town of Taba. Based on the Clinton Parameters, laid down Jan. 7, the talks take place at the height of the Second Intifada, and both sides say significant progress has been made.

Jan. 28, 1790: Sephardi Jews living in France are granted equal rights and

JANUARY 26 â–Ş 2018

Napoleon is depicted granting emancipation to the Jews in 1791.

given French citizenship by the National Assembly. Ashkenazim, the majority of France’s Jews, are denied citizenship and must wait until September 1791 to be emancipated.

Jan. 29, 2005: Israeli writer, playwright and filmmaker Ephraim Kishon dies at the age of 80 in Switzerland.

Jan. 30, 1933: The same day that Adolf Hitler is appointed the chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg, Recha Freier establishes the Committee for the Assistance of Jewish Youth, which is renamed Youth Aliyah and helps more than 11,000 Jewish children escape the Nazis.

Jan. 31, 1961: Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigns over the Lavon Affair, a controversy about a botched covert operation in Egypt in 1954. Elections in the summer of 1961 return BenGurion to office.

Feb. 1, 1979: After 15 years in exile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran, two weeks after the shah, who has been friendly to Israel, flees the country.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Jerusalem’s Status in Israel’s Early Years Sixty-eight years ago, on Jan. 23, 1950, the Knesset voted to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel. That vote did not anchor Jerusalem’s status in Israeli law — that would come in 1980 — but the proclamation was a strong statement about the centrality of Jerusalem in Jewish history and its importance to the new country.

This moment in the early years of Israeli statehood is helpful in understanding the Jerusalem issue today. The city has been thrust into the spotlight by President Donald Trump’s announcement last month about moving the U.S. Embassy and by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech to the PLO on Jan. 14.

After the 1948 War of Independence, Jerusalem was divided by the armistice agreement negotiated between Israel and Jordan. In December 1949, the U.N. General Assembly reiterated its desire from November 1947 for Jerusalem to be placed under a separate, international regime by passing Resolution 303.

While the debate on Jerusalem was taking place at the United Nations, the Knesset took up the issue.

Menachem Begin, the leader of the opposition Herut party, while applauding Prime Minster David Ben-Gurion for proclaiming “Jewish Jerusalem will never again accept alien rule,” took an even stronger stance.

Guest Column

By Rich Walter

Begin said: “The representatives of other countries must be told quite clearly that the Jewish nation has made its decision concerning Jerusalem. … The acknowledgment of the existence of ‘Jewish Jerusalem,’ implying that some other Jerusalem exists, has enabled other nations to conclude that some parts of the nation are prepared to relinquish certain sections of the city. This must stop.”

Three weeks later, the Knesset met for the first time in Jerusalem, and discussions began the next month on whether to legally anchor the city as Israel’s capital. Begin favored legislative action including reference to all the city, even that part under Jordanian control, while others felt that no

Photo courtesy of knesset.gov.il

The Beit Froumine building on King George Street in Jerusalem was the Knesset’s home from March 1950 until the current building opened in August 1966. From late December 1949 until March 1950, the Knesset met in the Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem; before that, it met in Tel Aviv.

additional action was necessary after the government had moved the Knesset to the capital.

The compromise was the resolution passed Jan. 23, which stated, “Whereas with establishment of the state of Israel, Jerusalem once more becomes the capital; Whereas practical difficulties which caused the Knesset and government institutions to be temporarily housed elsewhere have now for the most part been removed and the government is carrying out the transfer of its institutions to Jerusalem …”

Responding to criticism that the resolution was not sufficient, Ben-

Gurion said the declaration “stressed only a series of facts — historic facts and actual deeds that had been accomplished — it did not outline aspirations.”

At the same time a motion to locate all government offices in Jerusalem was defeated. The prime minister outlined why he was opposed to moving the Foreign Ministry specifically: “We do not want to cut ourselves off from the world — not from Russia, nor America, nor Czechoslovakia (Israel’s primary arms supplier at the time) — who have sent their ministers to Israel if not to its capital.”

Just as today, while there was mostly consensus about Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital, there was debate over the nuances of the issue and how the decision could affect the young Jewish state’s relations with foreign powers. In 1980, Jerusalem would be legally declared the capital when a Basic Law was passed July 30. The Center for Israel Education has compiled a Jerusalem timeline that can help you learn more about the history of the city and this evolving issue. ■ Rich Walter is the associate director for Israel education at the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org).

New Consulate Political Adviser Seeks Stronger Ties

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Maya Fidelman’s attraction to people instead of molecules made her forgo a position at Teva Pharmaceuticals to pursue a career in politics, a passion she is fulfilling as the Israeli Consulate’s new Israeli political adviser.

Fidelman’s political career began during a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while she was studying for her master’s in diplomacy. After she spoke with some staff members, Fidelman was told about a job opening as a research analyst and decided to enroll.

After nine months of testing, similar to what diplomats undergo, Fidelman was accepted by the ministry.

In Jerusalem, Fidelman conducted research on Europe, Asia and the United States and managed political affairs.

She also composed correspondence between embassies about strategic developments related to Israel. Fidelman also met with different diplomats, 8 which inevitably led to her encounter

with Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, the consul general to the Southeast, and an invitation to work in Atlanta.

“I thought about the move for a very long time because it meant leaving Israel,” Fidelman said. “Although I have traveled to the States several times, it’s my first time living in Atlanta and abroad, but I think I made the right decision and am very happy about it so far.”

Before she accepted her role at the consulate, Fidelman composed strategic papers at the ministry and analyzed political affairs in favor of Israel, such as resolutions to help fight the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement at the United Nations.

“I really hope my previous experience will serve me well,” she said. “I am still learning about the political climate in Georgia, and it’s all extremely exciting, but I’m sure my academic background will help me.”

In addition to working with the current political adviser, Fidelman will help maintain bilateral relations

between Israel and the Southeast, oversee the response to any state laws that could affect Israel, and report changes in the region’s political climate to the ministry.

As the Israeli political adviser and an Israeli herself, Fidelman hopes that bilateral relations between Israel and Europe will continue to strengthen and believes that common concerns such as security and counterterrorism will lead to greater collaboration. She also hopes that President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will lead to similar recognition by European countries.

One of Fidelman’s goals is to place Israel in a positive light. She said, “Israel has so many great universities and is very modern, and although we face terrorism, we are dealing with it and are strong, and I think this is something that is important to transfer to Americans.”

Fidelman also hopes to establish a connection to Israel among American Jews and minorities in the Southeast.

“I want to reach out to the Hispanic community to promote Israel and share information that is in favor of the Jewish state,” she said. “I think any time we are dealing with anti-Semitism or harassment, we have a common thread we share with minorities and can use it as a platform to teach more about Israel and issues that are important to us all.”

Fidelman holds a degree in physical chemistry as well as a bachelor of arts in political science from Tel Aviv University. To help celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, the consulate is bringing the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra to the Southeast — if it can raise $300,000, including at least twothirds of the total by the end of February.

“As an Israeli and someone coming from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I think being Jewish and Judaism matters all over the world,” Fidelman said, “and is something I would like to get involved in to help American Jews continue their support for Israel.” ■

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JANUARY 26 â–ª 2018

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

D.C. Dreams

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Congress did what it does best when it ended the brief government shutdown by postponing action on immigration issues for almost three more weeks.

Jewish and other faith leaders have largely united behind the so-called dreamers, those who were illegally brought to this country as children and often know no life except as Americans.

The highest-profile Jewish-led demonstration was organized by Bend the Arc, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Anti-Defamation League at the Russell Senate Office Building. Held Wednesday, Jan. 17, two days after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the protest was a classic act of civil disobedience: a knowingly illegal, nonviolent statement by more than 100 people that a few hours in police custody and a fine were a small price to pay compared with deportation for dreamers.

At least two Jewish Atlantans, Leah Fuhr and Abbie Fuksman, were part of that Capitol Hill protest, and they deserve praise for representing Jewish principles of justice, equality and world improvement.

They put into practice the convictions expressed by such national organizations as American Jewish Committee, American Jewish World Service, B’nai B’rith, Hadassah, HIAS, the National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish Women International, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, New Israel Fund, and the rabbinical associations of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements.

Within Georgia, an interfaith letter to Republican Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue, urging them to support pro-dreamer legislation, had the support of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, Congregation Or Hadash, Congregation B’nai Torah, Temple Sinai and Temple Emanu-El. We’re confident many other Jewish leaders share the belief that their religious values and their humanity compel support for people and families who are American in all ways except the letter of the law.

We agree that our Jewish values, our immigrant experience and our basic empathy demand action on behalf of the dreamers. But we can’t ignore that practical problems complicate any solution.

As many as 800,000 people were protected under the discontinued Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but the total number of immigrants who came to this country illegally before age 18 is estimated at 3.6 million. Any legal status for them has implications for several times as many relatives, as well as other would-be immigrants who have followed the rules and now face the possibility of being bumped aside by those who didn’t.

Finally, addressing the needs of the current dreamers without improved border security and a comprehensive approach to a range of necessary reforms to our patchwork immigration policy only sets us up to face further waves of dreamers.

We want the dreamers to stay and be secure in their status as Americans. But it’s a fantasy to think legislation can or should be enacted for them while ignoring other immigration issues. Our dream is that Congress, in an election year, will make the tough choices and compromises in less than three weeks 10 that it has avoided for at least three decades. ■

Cartoon by Yaakov Kirschen, The Jerusalem Post

Sinai Enters Its Prime at 50 The Atlanta metro area has more than 40 Jewish man to make a $50,000 donation if the congregation congregations. I never like to use an exact number survived 50 years. for fear of overlooking an emerging kehillah (comThe Kabbalat Shabbat service before the dinner munity) as Atlanta grows in all directions. drew about 800 people, forcing the kind of satelliteBut the exact number now isn’t nearly as impor- parking/shuttle-bus setup usually reserved for the tant as the exact number 50 years ago: six. We had High Holidays and inducing jokes after three days The Temple, Ahavath Achim, Or VeShalom, Anshi of canceled school about climate change producing S’fard, Shearith Israel and snow on Yom Kippur. newcomer Beth Jacob (then Sandy Springs Mayor only 25 years old).

Rusty Paul, whose city Editor’s Notebook Put another way, six formed around Temple

By Michael Jacobs times as many congregaSinai 37 years after the mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com tions have opened and encongregation was born, dured in the past 50 years offered congratulatory as opened and survived remarks from the bimah to through the previous 101 years of Jewish organizastart the service. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of tion in Atlanta. the Union for Reform Judaism, overcame a week of Beginning that boom — post-Six-Day War? postfrigid Southern weather and Delta Air Lines cancelTet Offensive? post-MLK and RFK assassinations? — lations to deliver a sermon celebrating a congregawas Temple Sinai, which opened as Atlanta’s second tion he described as a leading light of his movement.

Reform congregation in the fall of 1968.

Temple Sinai began with 30 people; it now has Sinai is celebrating all year, as befits a jubilee. roughly 1,400 families. But the raw numbers don’t Special Friday services — recognizing, for reflect its true impact. example, people with a 50th birthday or a 50th wedIt has launched or helped found food rescue ding anniversary — will be held monthly. Special organization Second Helpings, homeless support events include Sinaistock for a groovy Purim in group Family Promise and Sandy Springs’ CommuMarch, the “Saturday Night Live”-inspired Sinai nity Assistance Center. It likely has more members Night Live in April, a family carnival in August, a on the national Union for Reform Judaism board mitzvah day in October and a gala in November. than any other congregation, Rabbi Jacobs said. Its Sinai launched its yearlong jubilee with a Friday senior rabbi, Ron Segal, is the president-elect of the night celebration Jan. 19, which doubled as a 50th Central Conference of American Rabbis. birthday party for Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair As Rabbi Jacobs said, Temple Sinai “attracts Beth Schafer, who composed a song, “HaYashan leaders, grows leaders and shares leaders.”

Yitchadesh,” for the occasion.

Now it gets to lead a rising wave of similar, if The night included an overwhelming dinner for smaller, jubilees at Atlanta congregations in the next 480 people miraculously crammed around circular 15 to 20 years. tables in the social hall, where a faux time capsule Schafer’s new song perhaps said it best, for from 1968 was opened. It included stock in Eastern Sinai and for Jewish Atlanta as a whole: “Let’s give Airlines; a congratulatory note from that year’s thanks and dream again/What we do is never done/ Heisman Trophy winner, O.J. Simpson; and a written The blessing is the journey/A new day has begun.” ■ promise from former Sinai President Arthur Hey-

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

A Message for All Unjust Leaders: Hands Up Pharaoh’s pursuing army. When all are safe on the other side, Moses again raises his hand above the sea, sending it crashing back upon itself and

Letters To The Editor

Samaria (called “the West Bank” when Jordan illegally occupied the areas between 1948 and 1967) take up only 2 percent of the land in dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Businesses in those communities offer muchneeded employment to Palestinians, at the same pay level and with the same benefits as those of Israeli employees.

In addition, they are places where Israelis and Palestinians can meet on a one-to-one basis, a necessary step toward the dream of two states for two peoples coexisting peacefully.

That is not the goal of NOPSC or others pushing the BDS agenda. They should not be described as “pro-Palestinian groups,” but as “BDS proponents.” Space permitting, “anti-Israel, BDS proponents” would be even better.

— Toby F. Block, Atlanta

BDS, ISIS, Hamas Don’t Care About Palestinians “Dry Bones” got it right (“In Gaza, ISIS and Hamas Are in a Fight to the Death,” Jan. 19 cartoon). Neither ISIS nor Hamas seeks to improve the lot of the Palestinian people. They are content to see the Palestinian “refugees” remain in limbo, used as a propaganda tool to delegitimize Israel and kept poor and desperate so that they acquiesce to being used as human shields in Gaza and are easily incited to attempt to kill Israelis, earning their families stipends from the Palestinian Authority.

What is true of ISIS and Hamas is true of the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee, which hoodwinked the City Council into passing a pro-BDS resolution (“BDS Strikes in New Orleans,” Jan. 19).

Jewish communities in Judaea and

From the ARA

By Rabbi Jonathan K. Crane

drowning the Egyptians.

Miriam then takes a timbrel in her hands and leads the community in song and dance to celebrate G-d’s single-handed victory over the Egyptians.

Another popular scene is Moses holding his hands up while Israel battles Amalek. Israel, under Joshua’s leadership, falters when Moses lets his hands down but prevails when they are aloft.

Aaron and Hur take it upon themselves to give Moses a seat and assistance by holding each of his hands up and steady for the rest of the day, enabling Joshua’s military success. G-d then instructs Moses to inscribe (by hand) a document that G-d will blot out the memory of Amalek.

The parshah ends with Moses building (by hand) an altar named Adonai-Nissi: “Hand upon the throne of Adonai — for Adonai will be at war

Civility Long Gone

Harold Kirtz bemoans a lack of civility (“Striving for Civility in Our Community and Nation,” Jan. 12). In addition, he bemoans the loss of the small-l liberalism that the Jewish community

with Amalek throughout the ages.”

It may comfort many that G-d’s hands remain active in this world, specifically in the tasks of eliminating sources of terror and harm. Yet I am more inspired by the first mention of hands in this parshah: “Adonai stiffened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gave chase to the children of Israel. As the children of Israel were departing with a high fist (b’yad ramah), the Egyptians gave chase to them.”

Can you see their hands held high, high in defiance of an unjust regime?

This was then and remains today a powerful signal of social solidarity and of resistance to power gone awry.

Remember John Carlos and Tommie Smith, the black athletes who stood atop the podium at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, each with a gloved fist raised aloft, signaling their solidarity with the black power movement then sweeping the United States?

Carlos recalls: “I had a moral obligation to step up. Morality was a far greater force than the rules and regulations they had. G-d told the angels that day, ‘Take a step back — I’m

gonna have to do this myself.’ ” He continues: “The first thing I thought was the shackles have been broken. And they won’t ever be able to put shackles on John Carlos again.

Because what had been done couldn’t be taken back. Materially, some of us in the incarceration system are still literally in shackles. The greatest problem is we are afraid to offend our oppressors.”

Raising our fists against tyranny may be scary, yet we must do it for society’s sake. Whether we are leaders like Moses, John or Tommie, whose hands everyone can see; or like Aaron and Hur, who support those visible leaders; or like Joshua’s soldiers, wielding weapons for a just cause; or like Miriam’s troupe building culture; or the masses in general — we are to raise our fists. We are to raise our hands in defiance of racial injustice no less than sexual predation.

In every age and in every society, may we have the courage, like G-d, to raise our hands against ignorance and arrogance. ■

thrived under. Predictably, he assigns all the blame for this to Donald Trump.

Civility and small-l liberalism have been dead for some time. President Barack Obama called people like me “bitter clingers,” and Hillary Clinton called us deplorables.

I date the loss of civility to the late 1980s, when Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork was rejected strictly on

ideological grounds and party lines.

Kirtz seeks dialogue with us uncivilized natives. Most of us are too busy trying to hold down jobs and keep our families together.

What we would like can be paraphrased in a memorable line from “Fiddler on the Roof”: “G-d bless the czar, and keep him far away from us.”

— Herbert Kaine, Berkeley, Calif.

Rabbi Jonathan K. Crane is the Raymond F. Schinazi scholar of bioethics and Jewish thought at Emory University’s Center for Ethics, an associate professor of medicine at the Emory School of Medicine and an associate professor of religion at Emory College.

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Your hands can make or break society. In the digital arena, where much of modern life plays out, your hands type and click. In the real-world arena, your hands cook, fold, drive, soothe.

Your hands cut surgically into bodies, pick up trash, plant orchards, build cities, lay tracks. Your handshake greets others and seals deals.

Just as your hands can connect people, they can also divide. Your hands can gesture rudely, bundle into fists or worse: They can go where they are unwanted and do unthinkable things.

The power of our hands is indisputable. Choosing how to use our hands is our task in every moment.

Hands play a vital role in this week’s parshah, Beshalach; the word for hand (yad) occurs at least 17 times.

At times the word refers to actual hands, while at others it indicates the power hands wield.

The hands it speaks of are Moses’, yet sometimes the parshah refers to G-d’s own hands, a few times to the hands of the Israelite people as a whole and once to Miriam’s hands.

The most famous incident is when Moses holds his hand over the Sea of Reeds. The waters split, disclosing a dry path for the Israelites to flee

11

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OPINION

An Immigrant’s Vision for This Country I am an immigrant.

Not precisely. I entered this country on a student visa. I had a scholarship to Washington University, and even though my uncle Saul, my father’s brother, a citizen who came here long before World War I, extended an affidavit to assume responsibility for my welfare, I could not get a visa as an immigrant.

I had to content myself to come as a student and hope for the best.

While in the ghetto in Munkacs, just a few days before being driven by soldiers to the infamous trains, the family decided that should we survive, we would meet in St. Louis, or at least we would contact Saul and move away from Europe and hope for a fresh start.

Alas, three of my five family members never returned. With my father, I came back to learn that my city no longer belonged to Hungary or Czechoslovakia, but to the Soviet Union.

I never trusted Russia, regardless of whether it was czarist or Communist. It was a country where antiSemitism was a part of the population; its ideals were spread by priests and politicians alike.

Two days after coming back to my town, I fled and ended up in

Prague, hoping to continue my childhood dream of becoming a physician.

Not even a year later, the formerly democratic Czechoslovakia, a country guided by the liberal ideology of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, professor

One Man’s Opinion

By Eugen Schoenfeld

of sociology at Charles University and the nation’s first president, had dropped its constitution and become a satellite of the Soviet Union.

Once again, I packed my meager possessions and fled. I, like so many other Jews, sought refuge in hated Germany, now occupied by the United States. I became an employee of the United Nations Welfare Organization and worked for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

My first task was to seek entrance to the United States, and even after two years of waiting, the best I could do was to come as a visitor to continue my studies. Thanks to Congress and the leadership of President Harry Truman, however, I and all others whose homes fell behind the Iron Curtain were granted U.S. citizenship.

Over two years ago, to my surprise and delight, I received on my 90th birthday a letter from President Barack Obama, who wrote: “You are part of an extraordinary generation that, in the face of unspeakable evil, showed the courage to preserve and the strength to thrive.”

I migrated to the United States with thousands of other Holocaust survivors. We asked for nothing, merely for a chance to work, to succeed not only for our benefit, but also for the country’s. And we did.

But above all else, I achieved the one thing that all people have a right to expect: human dignity.

The allocation of human dignity is a fundamental belief of Judaism. I learned this principle early in life: “He who whitens another person’s face in public (that is, shames him) loses his portion in the world to come.”

A human being, regardless of his economic status or degree of learning, is entitled, by virtue of being human, to dignity and humane treatment. The Founding Fathers knew this and stated it in one of the greatest documents ever produced, the U.S. Constitution.

One merely has to look at Maimonides’ treatise on charity. He cautions us that, above anything else, we must take care when we practice tzedakah — the Torah-ordained justice

commonly defined as charity — that we do not shame any person who, in his misfortune, has come to seek help.

Being poor does not cost someone his sensitivity. Many studies related to the Great Depression have shown that people who were down and out refused to seek help, lest by so doing they would lose dignity. I know, for I have been in that position.

It distresses me that a president of the United States, a country that was constituted by the flotsam and jetsam of the world, by the tired and poor huddled masses, should have so little humanity as to shame people who have to live in poverty and ignorance.

Our greatness should not be based on wealth, but on a humane and moral perspective. Our greatness should be measured by our commitment to establishing the peaceful world dreamed

by Isaiah and Micah.

The greatness of our president should not be determined by the loudness of voice or the biting of insults, but by the wisdom to listen to the transcendent whisper declaring that our world is one, just as He is one, and each of us carries that sacred spark demanding justice and dignity.

I hope that this country will change and become honored for our decency based on a humane vision of the world. ■

Israel: Atlanta’s Ultimate Learning Journey

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

By the time you read this, a diverse group of 70 Atlanta Jewish community leaders, representing more than 30 organizations, big and small, will have arrived in Tel Aviv for the ultimate Front Porch Learning Journey — an immersive week in Israel.

It’s a challenge to get 70 busy Atlantans in one room, so bringing this group to Israel is nothing short of a miracle. Individually, we are a mixed multitude of community volunteers, rabbis, program directors and change makers from every stream of Judaism. Collectively, we are The Front Porch in Israel — #TFPinIsrael if you want to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and I hope you will.

We are traveling to Israel with a unique kavannah (intention), not as tourists, but as curious and committed 12 partners. We have a mindset to build

bonds as a community of leaders, affirm and deepen our ties to Israel, and immerse ourselves in Israeli innovation.

Our trip has no time allotted for

Guest Column

By Eric M. Robbins

shopping or sightseeing, but it does include time for difficult conversations, for small group work and for personal reflection. As we coalesce as a group, we’ll create a precious infrastructure of human capital and relationships so that when we come home, we’ll be primed and ready to co-create the 21st century Jewish community Atlanta needs to become.

In my view, this is the most consequential trip Jewish Atlanta has ever

undertaken. We’re going to Tel Aviv, Lod, Yokneam, Gush Etzion, Jerusalem and the Belz Synagogue, meeting with Palestinian peace activists, and touring an IDF field hospital. Our itinerary plows new ground, connecting us with the latest Israeli experiences on immigrant absorption, urban renewal, technology, senior care, LGBTQ communities and the challenge of religious pluralism.

Every day we’ll reflect on what we’ve seen and extract big insights: What are the big shifts from 20th to 21st century Israel? What is our responsibility to each other? What would a “living bridge” between Atlanta and Israel look like?

Here’s a sample day from our itinerary: Monday, Jan. 29 Visit the Taglit Innovation Center, a major player in Israeli research and development and entrepreneurship.

Stop at Impact Labs to understand

how the outsized impact of Israeli innovation has met human needs around the world. Explore Jindas: Urban Regeneration, a project to promote the multicultural city of Lod’s vitality as a model for success in Israel and its influence on surrounding neighborhoods.

As Atlantans, we’re tremendously proud to be the home of one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in North America — just ask any of the 10,000-plus Israelis who have moved here to study or work and experience our way of life. Now it is our chance to turn the camera on Israel, to travel with hearts and eyes wide open and bring our insights home.

We can’t wait to report back to you and share what we’ve seen, what we’ve felt, and how it has changed us. ■ Eric M. Robbins is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

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SPECIAL REPORT

MLK’s Uncertain Jewish Legacy

Some try to live up to King’s dreams while others focus on his vision of Israel

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

Over 70Movies

Janice Rothschild Blumberg is one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s surviving friends.

ers. The night before, King delivered what came to be known as his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. He was 39.

How King’s relationship with the Jewish people might have evolved is a matter of speculation. What is certain are the words King spoke while alive.

King first appears in an online archive of The Southern Israelite (which was renamed the Atlanta Jewish Times in January 1987) on Page 2 of the July 25, 1958, edition, reporting on his May 14 speech in Miami Beach to the national convention of the American Jewish Congress.

2018

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JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

In life, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was an outspoken friend of the Jewish people and an admirer of the nascent nation of Israel.

King spoke to numerous Jewish audiences, frequently linking Jewish history to the struggle of AfricanAmericans to overcome racism.

There are men and women in Atlanta’s Jewish community who knew King personally and treasure those memories. For others, King has inspired their life’s work. King’s Jewish legacy continues as young people study his life and the ideals he espoused.

We are just past the King Day holiday and on the cusp of Black History Month in February of the year that marks the 50th anniversary of King’s death. He was killed by a single rifle shot at a minute past 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, as he stood on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where he had gone in support of the city’s striking African-American sanitation work-

“My people were brought to America in chains. Your people were driven here to escape the chains fashioned for them in Europe. Our unity is born of our common struggle for centuries, not only to rid ourselves of bondage, but to make oppression of any people by others an impossibility,” King said.

“There are Hitlers loose in America today, both in high and low places,” he said further on. “As the tensions and bewilderment of economic problems become more severe, history(’s) scapegoats, the Jews, will be joined by new scapegoats, the Negroes. The Hitlers will seek to divert people’s minds and turn their frustrations and anger to the helpless, to the outnumbered. Then whether the Negro and Jew shall live in peace will depend upon how firmly they resist, how effectively they reach the minds of the decent Americans to halt this deadly diversion. …

“Some have bombed the homes and churches of Negroes; and in recent acts of inhuman barbarity, some have

13

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SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 13

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

bombed your synagogues — indeed, right here in Florida.”

Three months later, on Oct. 12, 1958, The Temple in Midtown Atlanta was bombed.

The Temple bombing was seen as retaliation by white supremacists for Rabbi Jacob Rothschild’s support of the civil rights movement. Rabbi Rothschild and his wife, Janice, became personal friends of King and his wife, Coretta.

When King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 14, 1964, a dinner in his honor was planned by a committee composed of Rabbi Rothschild, Archbishop Paul John Hallinan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Atlanta Constitution Editor Ralph McGill and Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays.

Tickets for the dinner, scheduled for Jan. 27, 1965, at the Dinkler Plaza Hotel, were $6.50 apiece.

When Atlanta’s white, conservative business community showed little interest in honoring King, a not-soveiled “you need us more than we need you” message from the highest echelons of Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters spurred the sale of 1,500 tickets.

14

In his introduction of King, Rabbi Rothschild said: “In striving to create a world of brotherhood and dignity for every man, in seeking to achieve contentment and fulfillment in every human heart, he sets an example of conduct and goals for all men. For surely without tranquility of the human soul then the dream we have of a peaceful world lies forever beyond the grasp of mankind. …

“Yes, you gather to honor a man, but you honor a city as well — a Southern city that has risen above the sordidness of hate prejudice. You — rich and poor, Jew and Christian, black and white, professional and lay, men and women from every walk of life — you represent the true heart of a great city. You are Atlanta. You — and not the noisy rabble with their sheets and signs that threatened to slog sullenly the sidewalks beyond these doors.”

King told his audience: “Anyone sensitive to the present moods, morals and trends in our nation must know that the time for racial justice has come. The issue is no longer whether segregation and discrimination will be eliminated but how they will pass from the American scene. The deep rumbling of discontent that we hear today is the thunder of disinherited masses,

John Eaves believes that King would have been active against the Vietnam War and for a two-state solution if he had survived.

rising from dungeons of oppression to the bright hills of freedom.

“These developments should not surprise any student of history. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself. The Bible tells the thrilling story of how Moses stood in the Pharaoh’s court centuries ago and cried, ‘Let my people go.’ This is a kind of opening chapter in a continuing story. The present struggle in our country is a later chapter in the same unfolding story. Something within has reminded the Negro of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.”

When someone, in this case King, is a friend, “it’s hard to conceive of that person as being a real icon,” said Janice Rothschild Blumberg, the rabbi’s widow.

“My first impulse is that his legacy is so much bigger than what Jews think about,” she said. “You know the Jewish expression, from Moses to Moses (Maimonides), there’s no one like Moses. I really believe that decades from now, Christianity will have that kind of expression, from Martin Luther to Martin Luther King, because he made this monumental change in Christianity.”

She said his message “is that you judge people by the content of their character, and it resonates so with me because my mother had taught me that, in almost the same words. That’s the secret to getting along in this world.”

Rothschild Blumberg added: “King was different. I would say better, not just different. He made it possible for people, for more people to think more carefully about other people having the same qualities.”

The Temple today is led by Rabbi Peter Berg.

“When Dr. King was assassinated 50 years ago, a majestic moral force in America was silenced,” Rabbi Berg said.

“But his spirit has grown even stronger through the years. There are those among us who try to compartmentalize their loyalties in America and in the world. Some of us mistakenly say, ‘If I am a Jew, I must direct all my energy and giving and concerns to the welfare of my people.’ Others say, ‘If I am African-American, my only brothers and sisters who truly understand me are my family of African-Americans.’ And others of different creeds and colors offer similar, narrow philosophies. This kind of parochialism never worked in the past and will certainly not work in our world today. Dr. King taught us that we are all G-d’s children. If we don’t work together, if we don’t care for each other and work for the liberation of all suffering humanity, then we are neither Jews nor African-Americans nor authentic children of G-d.”

Former Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Eaves is a member of Rabbi Berg’s congregation.

“I am an African-American, and I am a Jew. They are not mutually exclusive identities, for one impacts the other in my interpretation of the life and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Eaves, whose grandfather converted to Judaism.

“I believe that Dr. King should be viewed by Jews in the same manner in which we view other great men and women of our faith who were a part of the prophetic tradition. An analysis of King’s speeches reveals that he spoke of liberation like Moses, he championed justice like Amos, he advocated for the Rabbi Peter Berg poor like Micah, he emphasizes the devoted his life for social action he saving his people believes would like Esther, and he have been King’s embraced the messifocus today.

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anic ideal of Malachi,” Eaves said.

King made numerous statements that evince support for the Jewish people, though one written in a supposed “Letter to a Zionist Friend” — “AntiSemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: Anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitic, and ever will be so” — is believed by researchers to be a hoax.

A similar comment, however, was King’s reported rebuke to criticism of Zionists during a dinner conversation with students from Harvard University while he was in Boston on Oct. 27, 1967, during a stop on a fundraising tour for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (created as an outgrowth of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott of 1955-56).

Seymour Martin Lipset, then a professor of government and sociology at Harvard, was in attendance and wrote about the dinner in the December 1969 edition of Encounter magazine.

Lipset reported that when one of the young men present criticized Zionists (the dinner being four months after the Six-Day War), King said, “Don’t talk like that! When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking

anti-Semitism!”

A 1963 graduate of Emory University, Lois Frank has long been a leader in Atlanta’s Jewish community and nationally, most notably through the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

To this day, she remains amazed that, as the chair of the Emory Student Colloquium, she cold-called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and got King to agree to speak.

She was no less amazed that day in May 1962 when she picked up Martin and Coretta King in her Volkswagen Beetle and found hundreds of students waiting when they arrived on campus.

King told an eventual audience estimated at 1,000 that “if democracy is to survive, all discrimination must be ended as it is destroying the soul of our nation,” the student newspaper, The Emory Wheel, reported.

“My memory of MLK’s talk at Emory, aside from the tremendous crowd that showed up with no support or encouragement from the university: … His speech was erudite, intellectual and framed in the language of university students … using philosophy, culture and even music to make his points. He was brilliant and inspirational,” Frank said.

“No question, my one takeaway

was that he was masterful in speaking our language,” she said. “He was probably the first speaker/lecturer I heard outside of my professors who spoke on the level of challenging our intellects.”

King’s legacy is integral to the bus trips across America that Billy Planer leads through his Etgar 36 program.

The trips, which attract Jewish teens from across the country, begin in Atlanta and include visit to sites associated with the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Birmingham and Memphis.

Planer grew up at Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Buckhead and became its youth director, as well as youth director at congregations in Washington, D.C., and Highland Park, Ill. “We are basically following in his footsteps the whole trip. The idea of building the beloved community is what we are trying to do when we teach the teens that when they engage with people they may disagree with, to try to find the humanity in the person on the other side of the table or political divide, so that while we may disagree, we don’t demonize, and we can continue to grow together into this more perfect union,” Planer said.

“King’s life still rings strongly with teens today. They know his quotes and

his belief in nonviolence. They also enjoy studying the 1967-68 King, who was a more complicated figure than we celebrate today, so I think the teens like the conflict and the complicatedness of his life. We really drive home that the message and lessons of the civil rights movement did not end with passage of the Voting Rights and Civil Rights bills or his assassination, but it continues and is very relevant today when dealing with incarceration, marriage equality, distribution of economic wealth, etc.”

Hannah Podhorzer, a member of Congregation Bet Haverim, is a 21-yearold junior at Elon University in North Carolina.

“Martin Luther King was introduced to us as the central civil rights figure. I think he still is viewed that way by many of us,” Podhorzer said.

“At the same time, I believe there is this curiosity about who else defined that time, maybe those who didn’t have entire textbook chapters dedicated to them or streets named after them. I certainly hold an interest in discovering further the names and stories that didn’t make it into our mainstream history textbooks.

Continued on page 16

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

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SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 15

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

“Nonetheless, I would say that I think of him as a mensch, and perhaps that is where his legacy lies with the Jewish people for my generation — serving as a historical display of the depths of that word.”

Fifty years ago, Israel’s representative in Atlanta had a less charitable view of King.

The Israel State Archive marked the 45th anniversary of King’s death by releasing documents that included a classified letter that the Israeli consul in Atlanta, Zeev Dover, sent in August 1962 to his embassy in Washington.

Dover wrote that he “places great importance on forming connections with the black leadership” (suggesting that books about Israel and Judaism be sent to black colleges), but “in my opinion the time is not yet ripe for his visit to Israel.”

King represented “the militant wing of the civil rights movement,” Dover reported, adding that important organizations “are not in agreement with him and oppose his methods” and that King had alienated moderate AfricanAmericans.

A formal government invitation to King, who in 1959 had visited East Jeru-

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salem holy sites and cities under Jordanian control, could harm ties with Southern states that felt threatened

by King’s prominence in the AfricanAmerican community, Dover wrote, advising that “in any case, we should not be the first country that gives King so-called international status.”

Dover suggested “shelving the idea until the right moment” and added, “Our efforts to enter into discussions with different factors in the black community must be done … without being overly conspicuous.”

The idea was shelved until early 1967, when plans were announced for King and perhaps 5,000 others to make a pilgrimage to Israel as an SCLC fundraiser.

Those plans were derailed by the war that began June 6 when Israel, under threat from its Arab neighbors, preemptively struck the armed forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Within days, Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, the Gaza Strip from Egypt, and the eastern sector of Jerusalem, including the Old City, from Jordan.

Though some in the civil rights movement more militant than King identified with the Arab nations, in late May he had signed an open letter to

President Lyndon B. Johnson published in The New York Times, urging American support for Israel.

Aides returned from a postwar trip to Israel suggesting that the visit go forward.

The contents of King’s July 24 conference call with advisers are known because the FBI wiretapped the phone of a key adviser, Jewish businessman and lawyer Stanley Levison.

In the aftermath of Israel’s victory, King said, “I’d run into the situation where I’m damned if I say this and I’m damned if I say that, no matter what I’d say, and I’ve already faced enough criticism, including pro-Arab. I just think that if I go, the Arab world, and of course Africa and Asia for that matter, would interpret this as endorsing everything that Israel has done, and I do have questions of doubt. … Most of it would be Jerusalem, and they have annexed Jerusalem, and any way you say it, they don’t plan to give it up.”

King could not shake his doubts.

“I frankly have to admit that my instincts, and when I follow my instincts, so to speak, I’m usually right …

I just think that this would be a great mistake. I don’t think I could come out unscathed.”

Two months later, on Sept. 22, 1967, King wrote to Mordechai Ben-Ami, the president of the Israeli airline El Al, which was to handle part of the flight Rabbi Ruth package.

Abusch-Magder “It is with the emphasizes the deepest regret that I need to create a welcoming, cancel my proposed inclusive Jewish pilgrimage to the community.

Holy Land for this year, but the constant turmoil in the Middle East makes it extremely difficult to conduct a religious pilgrimage free of both political overtones and the fear of danger to the participants,” King said.

He promised to revisit the plan the following year.

It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to know how King’s views on Israel might have changed, though statements in the months before his death, such as those related to his decision not to visit Israel, offer hints.

On March 26, 1968, King addressed the 68th annual convention of the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, in a question-and-answer session with Rabbi Everett Gendler.

King discussed both the IsraeliArab conflict and why some AfricanAmericans resented Jews.

“Probably more than any other ethnic group, the Jewish community has been sympathetic and has stood as an ally to the Negro in his struggle for justice,” King said.

“On the other hand, the Negro confronts the Jew in the ghetto as his landlord in many instances. He confronts the Jew as the owner of the store around the corner where he pays more for what he gets. In Atlanta, for instance, I live in the heart of the ghetto, and it is an actual fact that my wife in doing her shopping has to pay more for food than whites have to pay out in Buckhead and Lenox. We’ve tested it.

We have to pay 5 cents and sometimes 10 cents a pound more for almost anything that we get than they have to pay out in Buckhead and Lenox Square, where the rich people of Atlanta live.

“The fact is that the Jewish storekeeper or landlord is not operating on the basis of Jewish ethics; he is operating simply as a marginal businessman.

Consequently, the conflicts come into being.”

King acknowledged divisions over Israel within the civil rights movement.

“The response of some of the socalled young militants again does not represent the position of the vast ma-

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jority of Negroes. There are some who are color-consumed, and they see a kind of mystique in being colored, and anything noncolored is condemned.

We do not follow that course in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and certainly most of the organizations in the civil rights movement do not follow that course.

“I think it is necessary to say that what is basic and what is needed in the Middle East is peace. Peace for Israel is one thing. Peace for the Arab side of that world is another thing. Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity.

I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.

Peace for Israel means security, and that security must be a reality.

“On the other hand, we must see what peace for the Arabs means in a real sense of security on another level.

Peace for the Arabs means the kind of economic security that they so desperately need. These nations, as you know, are part of that Third World of hunger, of disease, of illiteracy. I think that as long as these conditions exist, there will be tensions, there will be the endless quest to find scapegoats. So there is a need for a Marshall Plan for the Middle East, where we lift those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder and bring them into the mainstream of economic security,” King said.

Nine days later, King was assassinated.

Dov Wilker, the Southeast regional director of American Jewish Committee, suggested that Jews have a somewhat narrow view of King.

“I think it’s about a champion of civil and human rights, a supporter of Israel and the Jewish people and the self-determination of Zionism,” Wilker said. “Nobody chooses to remember him about the work that he was doing before he died, around wages and economic reform and housing.”

People don’t think about the fraying of the black-Jewish alliance from the mid-1960s civil rights movement, Wilker said. “We don’t talk about what the evolution of the relationship was, what the struggle was that King might have had within his own organizations toward the Jews. We’re able to look back and think positively.”

“Coretta maintained Martin’s disdain for conflict, war and violence,” Frank said. “I feel sure they would be somewhat sympathetic to the Pales-

tinian cause, but they were both totally supportive of the state of Israel and understood deeply the suffering of Jews before and after the state was established. They were thoughtful and very fair, not necessarily knee-jerk Liberation Theology proponents, as many pro-Palestinian human rights activists are today.”

“I often wonder what Dr. King would be preaching about today if he was living amongst us still,” Rabbi Berg said. “How would he react to those who are so intolerant of others? What message would he have for a society that still neglects its children? Surely Dr. King would cry out against a society that neglects healing the sick, clothing the naked and feeding the poor. And we should too.”

“Dr. King was an unrelenting champion of peace. I believe Dr. King would have spoken out boldly for the two-state solution as he did against the Vietnam War,” Eaves said.

Jesse Benjamin was born in Israel and raised in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States before returning to Israel as a teenager. Today he is an associate professor in Kennesaw State University’s sociology department and its School of Conflict

Management, Peacebuilding and Development.

“I believe strongly that King would have been a strong and consistent critic of Israel had he lived on. … After 1967 and the Six-Day War (referred to

by Palestinians as the Naksa, the setback), almost the entire progressive black world rapidly lost illusions of Israel as anti-colonial and shifted to siding consistently with Palestinians. This is undoubtedly what King would have done and is precisely what his close comrades, like the late Vincent Harding, did in fact do,” Benjamin said.

“As we meditate on King’s legacy for Jews 50 years later, I think the primary lesson is that the proud Jewish tradition of standing on the right side of history has been endangered by Western assimilation, identification with whiteness and with imperial privilege. Too often today, Jewish individuals, communities and organizations stand against social justice, on the wrong side of history, though it should be said that the exceptions to this general rule are finally growing, especially in the work of JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace). King’s legacy requires Jews and all people of conscience to fight against whiteness and white privilege,

for all poor people’s rights, and return to visionary solidarities like those embodied in BLM (Black Lives Matter) and BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions).”

Ruth Abusch-Magder is rabbi in residence and education director for Be’chol Lashon, an organization that promotes racial and ethnic diversity in the Jewish community.

“I try to honor the MLK legacy of really creating equality and inclusion and honoring individuals for their work to ensure that the voices of Jews of color and ethnically diverse Jews are celebrated,” Rabbi Abusch-Magder said. “We have an obligation to ensure that our community is as welcoming as we ask the rest of society to be and as inclusive as we hope the rest of society could be.”

King “was a man who was capable of complex thinking and coalition building and really looking into where people were. Had he lived he would have continued with those pieces,” she said. “He would have been a different kind of force for good in our world.

His intellect and his strategic capacity were exceptional, and those would have been a blessing to all of us in America.” ■

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SPECIAL REPORT

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SPORTS

LOCAL NEWS

Jewish Teen Athletes Needed for Youth Games Maccabi USA is looking for Jewish athletes and volunteers to represent the United States at the first Maccabi Youth Games in Israel from July 22 to Aug. 1.

The United States is sending boys and girls born in 2002 to 2004 to compete in basketball, futsal, soccer, baseball, softball, rugby 7s and volleyball.

There will be six days of competition followed by three days of touring based in Jerusalem.

In addition to the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel and South Africa are sending athletes to the games, which will be held in and around Haifa.

Two Atlanta-based coaches are traveling with Team USA to Israel: girls softball coach Bryan Lewis and boys basketball coach Jeffrey Marcus.

The Maccabi Youth Games are different from the JCC Maccabi Games, a competition held at different locations in the United States each summer for Jewish youths ages 13 to 16 on teams representing cities.

Atlanta is a host for the 2019 JCC

Maccabi Games.

The Maccabiah, the Jewish world games held every four years in Israel, includes a junior division for ages 15 to 18, but the Maccabi Youth Games are for ages 14 to 16 only.

The Maccabi Youth Games are expected to draw around 1,200 participants.

“Maccabi USA is at the forefront of keeping Jewish pride on the map,” said Marc Backal, the general chairman of the 2018 Maccabi Youth Games USA organizing committee. “Not only in sports, but through a very successful combination of experiences that revolve around sports. The magic of Maccabi is the perfect mix of experiences that successfully strengthens the Jewish heart and mind for the lifetimes of those involved.”

Interested athletes can apply at maccabiusa.com/2018-internationalmaccabi-youth-games.

The cost for teens to participate in the games is $4,600, which includes flights between Israel and the New York metro area. ■

Photos by Leah R. Harrison

Michael Robinowitz and Ron Einhorn grab some quiet time to talk in the lobby.

“Rock the Shtetl” event organizers Robin Rosenberg, Howard Zandman and Sara Duke celebrate a job well done.

Rabbi Ari Kaiman can barely contain himself as Michael Rosenzweig emcees a visit from the mystic from the East, aka Howie Slomka, in a throwback to the Carnac the Magnificent shtick performed by Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.”

Emily Kaiman surprises her husband and brings down the house at the party with a rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song,” which Rabbi Kaiman played for her in an airport when they were dating.

Shearith Israel President Rick Kaplan, Sharon Neulinger, and Ana and Eric Robbins are all smiles at the end of the evening.

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Shearith Rocks Shtetl in Style

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The Old Fourth Ward Afro Klezmer Band rocks the shtetl.

Congregation Shearith Israel celebrated the installation of Rabbi Ari Kaiman on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19 and 20, with the help of scholar in residence Rabbi Brad Artson, the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and vice president of American Jewish University in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Artson is Rabbi Kaiman’s teacher and mentor.

The weekend culminated with a capacity crowd at Emory University’s MillerWard Alumni House. The “Rock the Shtetl” party featured the Old Fourth Ward Afro Klezmer Band and gourmet Lower East Side kosher catering by The General Muir. The upscale shtetl delicacies included potato knish and gefilte fish round hors d’oeuvres, a pickled vegetable table, a hand-blended chopped chicken liver bar, amazing latkes, an extensive spread of smoked fish, including sable and trout, and an indulgent brisket dinner. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

From Spanish Algebra to Bukharian Revival Abraham bar Hiyya (1070-1136) was a Jewish mathematician, astronomer and philosopher considered one of the most important figures of the scientific movement in which the Jews of Spain, Provence (France) and Italy served as intermediaries between the Muslim and Christian traditions.

Also known as Rabbi Hayya, Savasorda ha-Bargeloni (“the Barcelones”) and Abraham the Spaniard, he was given the title nasi (prince) of the Jewish community.

Among his original works is the first mathematical treatise in Europe that contains the solutions to the quadratic equation we still study today in basic algebra: ax2+bx+c=0! This work is known as Eibbur ha-Meshihah ve-haTishboret (“Treatise on measures and calculations”) and was translated to Latin as Liber Embadorum (1145). It was the first time quadratic equations were seen in Latin.

This text by Abraham bar Hiyya is cited as one of the sources of Liber Abaci by the famous Italian mathematician Leonardo de Pisa (Fibonacci).

He served as mathematician and astronomer to Alfonso I, the king of Aragon from 1104 to 1134, and he helped the counts of Barcelona to distribute their territories.

and harsh Muslim regime.

By the end of the 19th century, however, the Bukharians were a flourishing, prosperous community numbering nearly 20,000 people in more than 30 cities and towns. A small group had made aliyah to Jerusalem.

The religious revival began with the arrival of an emissary from Safed,

The Sephardic Corner

By Mariana Montiel

Rabbi Yosef Mammon Maravi, and here is where we make the connection with our Sephardic diaspora.

Rabbi Mammon (also known as Rabbi Maimon) took it upon himself to rekindle religious observance, and he introduced the Sephardic liturgy to the Bukharian Jews.

Born in either Tetouan or Meknes in Morocco, Rabbi Mammon was a descendant of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, and he was trained in

the Spanish-Portuguese tradition.

As well as Hebrew, Arabic and French, he spoke Ladino in its Moroccan variant, known as Haketia.

Rabbi Mammon made aliyah to teach in a yeshiva in Safed. During his search for money in 1793 he arrived in Bukhara. The region was under the control of Muslim fundamentalists who pressured the Jews to convert to Islam. The community was isolated from major centers of Jewish learning because of a policy of closed borders.

Rabbi Mammon decided to stay in Bukhara and dedicate his life to the community. He established yeshivas, and his children continued his work.

Early 19th century travelers to Bukhara describe the impact of Rabbi Mammon. Rabbi David D’Beit Hillel, an emissary of the Ashkenazi Perushim community of Safed, met two Bukharian Jews who were on their way to Eretz Yisrael when he was in Baghdad in 1827. They told him about the activities of Rabbi Mammon. He testified that “the entire conversation was conducted in Hebrew, that they were scholars and well-versed in Jewish customs and

Hebrew religious texts.”

Rabbi Mammon was highly thought of among the Bukharian Jews, who called him Or Yisrael (the Light of Israel). He saved them from spiritual assimilation, and because of his influence and that of the students who came after him, he developed a deeply rooted and faithful Jewish community.

He died in Bukhara. Among his descendants we find author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and a former first lady of Iceland, Dorrit Moussaieff.

At Congregation Or VeShalom, this history is dear to our hearts. Our Sephardic congregation has a large component of Bukharian Jews.

By a twist of fate, here in Atlanta we again experience the solidarity and complicity of two Jewish communities apparently so far apart in geography and in diasporic history. However, once we know the trajectory of Rabbi Mammon, we understand that this union is not a matter of chance. ■ The Sephardic Corner is a monthly contribution of Congregation Or VeShalom to the greater Jewish community.

Into Bukhara

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In our second section, we share an anecdote about a Sephardic community after the expulsion from Spain in 1492. This time our protagonist is a Jewish community whose roots go back long before 1492.

The Bukharian Jews are considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia.

According to some ancient texts, Israelites began traveling to Central Asia as traders during the reign of King David more than 3,000 years ago.

When Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon, he encouraged the Jews he liberated to settle in his empire, which included areas of Central Asia. In the Middle Ages, the largest Jewish settlement in Central Asia was in the Emirate of Bukhara.

In the beginning of the 16th century, the area was invaded and occupied by nomadic Uzbeks, who established strict observance of Islam. By the end of the 18th century, the Bukharian community was small, numbering between 3,000 and 5,000, was poor, and lived under the rule of a fanatical

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LOCAL NEWS D.C. Dreamers Protest Includes Atlantans Jewish Atlantans Leah Fuhr and Abbie Fuksman were among more than 100 people who held a sit-in at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 17, to demonstrate support for legislation legalizing the position of so-called dreamers in the United States.

Bend the Arc Jewish Action organized the demonstration with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Anti-Defamation League and 15 other Jewish organizations. It involved 86 rabbis and other Jewish activists, as well as immigrants, all of whom converged on Capitol Hill in support of people who were brought to this country illegally as children.

The U.S. Capitol Police made 82 arrests because demonstrations are illegal in Senate buildings. Those arrested were fined and released, Fuhr said.

“I never planned on being arrested for my beliefs, but … it was a historic and bold action that I was proud to participate in,” Fuhr said in a statement to the AJT. “I traveled from Atlanta to fight for those who could lose their jobs and families and be deported, all because we have a president and

“As the Jewish community intimately understands, at its best the United States has been a beacon of hope for refugees and immigrants around the world facing persecution or seeking a better life for themselves and their families,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “Congress must act immediately to ensure nothing less. A clean Dream Act is a moral imperative for the heart and soul of our nation.”

Leah Fuhr is seen in the middle of the Bend the Arc demonstration in Washington on Jan. 17.

Congress who no longer believe in the American dream. My Jewish faith and ancestry are informed by my people’s past struggles to survive hate and racism, and I was not afraid to be arrested for my peaceful, public protest in support of other immigrants who should be allowed to stay in America.”

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs held a Capitol Hill press conference with Latino organizations the same day, echoing the call for “a clean DREAM Act” that would grant permanent residency and provide a path to citizenship for dreamers who graduate from high school.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, created by President Barack Obama and canceled by President Donald Trump, covered as many as 800,000 dreamers; the total population is estimated at 3.6 million.

Beth Tikvah Extends Rabbi

Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner and Temple Beth Tikvah have announced a 10-year extension of their contract.

Rabbi Shuval-Weiner, who was an associate rabbi in Overland Park, Kan., agreed three years ago to become the third senior rabbi in the 30-year-old history of Beth Tikvah, a Reform congregation in Roswell with almost 500 families.

“Temple Beth Tikvah congregants have become part of my family, and this community is now home,” Rabbi Shuval-Weiner said in a news release from Beth Tikvah. “TBT is an energetic, creative congregation that takes pride in its many accomplishments during its first three decades but is always looking ahead to ensure it continues to

meet the spiritual, educational and social needs of its diverse membership and the broader community.”

Under Rabbi Shuval-Weiner, Beth Rabbi Alexandria Tikvah expanded Shuval-Weiner its chavurah program to affinity groups that bring congregants together around such shared interests as hiking, meditation and photography.

Beth Tikvah hosted its first Tzedek Fair in September, attracting more than 20 nonprofit organizations recruiting volunteers and sharing their missions.

The rabbi recently led congregants on a trip to Israel, the first such congregational trip in several years, and has worked with Cantor Nancy Kassel to further integrate music into worship.

“From her first days as our spiritual leader, Rabbi Shuval-Weiner has had a positive impact on all aspects of our congregational life,” Beth Tikvah President Harlan Graiser said. “We are thrilled that she will continue to lead us well into the future and are excited about the energy, compassion and creativity she brings to this role.”

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LOCAL NEWS

Sara Franco, Carol Cooper and Ilene Engel founded the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta five years ago.

(From left) Emily Sanders, Karen Paz and Amy Arogeti are ardent JWFA supporters.

More than 300 people attend the JWFA luncheon at The Temple, decorated in black and white stripes accented with hot pink.

Woman Power Shakes Snow off Temple Rafters Midweek snow could not chill the enthusiasm of the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta luncheon at The Temple on Friday, Jan. 19. Despite a twoday postponement from Wednesday because of the weather, over 300 enthusiastic women and a few men rode the wave of the sea change in women’s rights.

“JWFA Ignites: 5 Years, 3 Founders and 1 Mission” celebrated the fifth anniversary of the only organization in Atlanta focused on social change for Jewish women and girls and honored founders Carol Cooper, Ilene Engel, and Sara Franco. The event drove home JWFA’s gender equality mission and its mantra that women collectively have might and impact.

JWFA Chair Debbie Kuniansky thanked all who made the logistics of the last-minute date change work, “from Steve Selig, who had the parking lot cleared of snow, to Sandra Bank, whose kosher catering carried the days over, to The Temple and staff. … Everyone got the job done.”

Jewish women and girls are just as limited by gender inequality as is the general female population, Kuniansky said. “Economic insecurity, domestic violence and lack of leadership opportunities hold women back from reaching their full potential.”

She lavished praise on the fund’s executive director, Rachel Wasserman, who “without a doubt is the best Jewish professional I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Wasserman spoke about her four children, two of whom are twins, a boy and a girl. “In reality, their opportunity to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a scientist or mathematician is not equal. But I am confident that this will change.”

She described the panoply of projects receiving JWFA grants, such as

mentoring Orthodox girls in career opportunities, helping those in abusive marriages or with eating disorders, and supporting a range of projects in Israel.

Her role is more than a job, Wasserman said. “It’s a passion and duty.”

As the three founders took the stage, a video portrayed how they poured their hearts and souls into creating this “powerful magic” five years ago: “These three got it done. Softhearted yet strong, honest, giving, respected and admired.”

Engel quoted Melinda Gates, “‘A woman with a voice is a strong woman.’ We are moving the needle. We have 32 partner organizations where we are seeing broad and sustainable changes.”

Cooper said, “We have learned philanthropy together.”

Franco added, “Our work truly feels important.”

Aliza Abusch-Magder, a Weber School junior, captured the podium in describing her participation in two JWFA-funded programs: jGirls Magazine, which serves as an online connector for national Jewish community and Jewish female role models and explores topical teenage concerns, and Weber’s Respect My Red/iClub, a pilot program to prevent sexual assault, harassment and abuse.

“We want girls to be believed and feel supported. We dialogue on issues like date rape and the #MeToo movement,” Abusch-Magder said. She identifies as a “post-denominational Jew” and said JWFA runs the gamut of religious vectors in Judaism.

A message was read from trailblazer Rabba Sara Hurwitz, a grantee who could not rearrange her flight from New York. Rabba Hurwitz is the president and co-founder of Yeshivat Maharat, the first Orthodox yeshiva to ordain women. “The formula for success is not IQ, but grit, passion and persistence,” she said. “Our yeshiva re-

cently graduated 19 female rabbis.”

In the audience, trustee Debbie Sonenshine said: “The beauty of JWFA is our ability to make social change.

Many organizations are Band-Aids.

This promotes foundation changes.

I also appreciate that we all have an equal vote … not related to the check we write or our level of activity.”

Event chairs Martha Berlin, Lisa Greenberg and Laura Soshnik executed a grand theme from start to finish.

Those approaching the podium were showered with upbeat songs, such as

Katy Perry’s “Roar.” Wasserman was introduced with Wonder Woman banners.

The scrumptious healthy buffet included “Oprah’s Chopped Salad,” “Oprah’s Tuscan Kale Salad” and “Oprah’s Fragrant Quinoa” alongside maple-glazed salmon with mango salsa. The Hawaiian bean and Mulligatawny soups sated winter appetites.

Kuniansky closed the session with an emotional plea to keep our hands dirty (with work) and collectively make an impact. ■

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Yair Lapid Relives Father’s Turbulent Life

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com Tommy Yosef Lapid is viewed as one of Israel’s most controversial figures, mostly because of his secular, leftist views. Readers can learn who the Israeli politician, journalist, and television and radio presenter really was in “Memories After My Death” by Yair Lapid.

Yair Lapid writes the chronicle of his father’s life in the first person. As readers flip through the pages, they receive a glimpse of Tommy Lapid as a young child as he struggles to survive

in a ghetto during the Holocaust. With only each other to rely on, he and his mother escape World War II and travel to Israel, where a new life awaits them.

Without his father by his side, however, Lapid must learn how to make it in the world and remember the lessons his father taught him.

After forgoing an opportunity to become a taxi driver, Lapid decides to try his hand at writing, which inevitably leads to a three-decade career in journalism. While stationed in London, he covers countless stories and makes a name for himself as an author, playwright and poet.

Yet his most notable memories arise from his life as a politician while serving as the deputy minister of justice in the 16th Knesset. Lapid’s resounding positions against the ultra-Orthodox and commitment to the Shinui party lead to his fame and support among a new generation of Israelis seeking a government they can rely on.

Each chapter reveals Lapid’s struggles in life, his unforeseen tragedies and his moments of happiness as he recounts family vacations, political achievements and journalistic accolades.

It’s no surprise that “Memories Af-

ter My Death” has become Yair Lapid’s latest best seller and is one of the bestwritten books I have read in a while. ■

Memories After My Death

By Yair Lapid Thomas Dunne Books, 336 pages, $27.99

See Nurit Galron’s Greatest Hits Live

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

One of Israel’s most beloved vocalists is coming to Atlanta for a performance at City Winery on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Nurit Galron, who broke into the Israeli music scene in the late 1970s with a self-titled debut album, will perform a set of her greatest hits as part of a five-city U.S. tour that also includes Palo Alto, Calif., Los Angeles, New York and Boston from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6.

It will be Galron’s first performance in Atlanta in more than 35 years.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been to Atlanta,” she said. “All I remember from last time is how amazed I was at the big airport there. This time I’m looking forward to making some new memories.”

Galron, who lives in Tel Aviv, helped usher in a new era of Israeli music in the late 1970s and 1980s. She took part in the legendary 1978 Nuweiba Pop Festival, which became known as

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the “Woodstock of Israel.”

Galron’s tour is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of her 1988 album, “Something in the Heart,” which is her most critically acclaimed and best-selling album.

It was her first real rock album and spawned several No. 1 hits in Israel, including “This Is How We Separated,” “That You Know,” “Love Song” and “This Is the Rain,” which all remain popular in the country.

“I will be performing some of my favorite songs and some of my greatest hits for the audiences on this tour,” Galron said. “I will also be playing a few new songs from my more recent albums.”

Although the landscape of Israeli music is far different from 40 years ago, Galron remains focused on the future. In 2015 she released her 19th album, “Awakening.”

“I think music in Israel has

changed a lot since I started my career, but so has music in the world. I try to change my music as well, but the process for making music remains the same,” she said.

The Israeli population in Atlanta is much larger than it was the last time Galron visited, but the singer still hopes to see some familiar faces at her show Jan. 31.

“Who knows?” she said. “Maybe I will see some of you that were here the last time I came to Atlanta.” ■

Who: Nurit Galron Where: City Winery Atlanta, Ponce City Market, 650 North Ave., No. 201, Old Fourth Ward When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31 Tickets: $40 to $60; citywinery.com/ atlanta/nurit-galron-1-31-18 or 404946-3791

Israeli singer Nurit Galron is performing in Atlanta for the first time in 35 years.

ARTS

Photo courtesy of Koresh Dance Company

The Koresh Dance Company is based in Philadelphia.

Koresh’s Dances Move Across Mideast, Emotions Dance is a form of storytelling for Koresh Dance Company’s artistic director, Ronen Koresh. It’s also a platform to share his Yemenite culture.

Koresh comes from a long line of dancers, most notably his mother, who would accompany him to folk dances. He later became interested in club dancing. “It was something that I noticed that people were noticing, and when I danced, I noticed that people were noticing me,” he said. “My expression in dance gave me a lot more attention than anything else and was a tool for me to communicate with people.”

After taking dance classes at a young age, Koresh sought to improve his technique and create his own art form. He draws his inspiration from hidden desires, his youth and his surroundings, which help him express his point of view. “To put these concepts into dance is like an artist painting their own world,” Koresh said. “It’s a nice escape, and in that world, I can be and do whatever I want to do.”

Today Koresh uses dance as a form of exploration rather than storytelling.

“I think in the beginning it was more of a narrative, and today it’s more about discovery and content.”

He draws influence from Yemenite and Israeli culture. “I can’t remove who I am and where I come from and try to celebrate my heritage through my choreography,” he said. “When people go to a show, they travel and get to see new things. I try to expose people to different worlds.”

Middle Eastern countries inspire Koresh to choreograph certain dance steps, lines and circles, but he said his style is constantly changing. “I find that style is a limitation, and when you remove all those staples and stigmas, you are free to do whatever you want to do.”

Koresh’s dances incorporate music ranging from classical to industrial to contemporary bordering on hip-hop.

He also draws his inspiration from human relationships. “Everything human beings do relates to relationships. … It’s all about communication and relations between people.”

Koresh tries to focus on different aspects of relationships. “There are so many ways that people express love.

For example, some are more romantic than others, and some are more aggressive. But I am a great believer in exploring that topic because … as time changes, our relationships change as well, especially how we communicate in today’s technological era.”

The dance company is working on two projects addressing intimacy and external influences, “Inner Sun” and “Matters of the Heart.” The former describes Earth’s mechanism and its inner core, which resembles the planet’s soul. The latter is about people’s hearts and their emotions and reactions.

“In the end, if the audience leaves inspired, you did your job,” Koresh said. “Inspiration comes from somebody giving you 100 percent. Everybody knows how difficult dance is and that dancers don’t get paid much yet sacrifice everything they have.” ■

What: Koresh Dance Company Where: Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, and 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 Tickets: $25 for JCC members, $38 for others; www.atlantajcc.org/boxoffice or 678-812-4002

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EDUCATION

Double Standard for Free Speech Seen on Campus

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com Jewish college students can go to school anywhere and nowhere to feel safe, former University of California President Mark Yudof told a packed room at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead on Tuesday night, Jan. 16.

Yudof, an emeritus law professor at UC Berkeley, spoke as the chair of the advisory board of the Academic Engagement Network, a faculty organization committed to opposing the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement while affirming freedom of expression on college campuses.

Challenges to campus free speech have increased the past decade, partially to suppress hate speech, which Yudof said has no legal definition. Many universities are trying to set parameters for acceptable speech while weighing the costs of security for inflammatory speakers and the effects of professors’ bad behavior.

The estimated cost of security for a speaking appearance by white supremacist Richard Spencer or former Breitbart provocateur Milo Yiannopou-

Photo by Sarah Moosazadeh

As a university president and as a visiting speaker, Mark Yudof says at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead on Jan. 16, he has faced protests, been threatened and been prevented from talking.

los, including barriers, metal detectors and police, is $600,000 to $1.4 million, Yudof said.

That high price for free speech has had a chilling effect on academic departments and campus organizations, which have become hesitant to invite controversial speakers.

Yudof noted that the First Amendment does not make an exception for hate speech, so vilifying Jews or African-Americans or degrading other groups is constitutionally protected.

“People disagree about what hate speech is … but it happens on campuses all the time … and makes people believe they have a mindset that makes them

hateful,” Yudof said. “Yet abstract advocacy even of unlawful actions is protected.”

Jewish students are by and large happy on campus but do not feel safe, he said.

Yudof offered some broad techniques universities can use to promote civility without infringing on the First Amendment or damaging the positive exchange of different opinions.

He said many universities are lax at punishing bad behavior. “Universities have a therapeutic aura about them. … It would help if they would enforce their own rules.”

Some rules at universities are too

ambiguous and need to be cleared up, he said. “It’s crazy that people can come to campuses with automatic weapons and torches. It makes no sense at all in terms of the safety of the faculty, staff, students and physical property.”

He also said universities need better intelligence. “You have to know what people are up to at demonstrations. … There are a lot of police officers who spend a lot of time on social media websites to determine how dangerous the demonstration is going to be.”

Even if all the steps are taken, Yudof said, universities will still experience a rough road in the next five years. “The legal principles are not really clear, and the animosities are very high. … One of the things that is happening and is unavoidable is that by standing up for free speech principles and by having speaker invitations withdrawn … you morally lift up bad people.”

He added: “My prediction is that we will eventually work this through. …

I think we will eventually get it right, but it revolves around a certain level of flexibility but also respect for our democratic traditions.” ■

AJA Girls to Put on New Play

The Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School girls chagiga production this year is an original play written by the students called “The Might of Right,” a story of courage and valor.

Bubbie Chaya recounts how one community worked to save its schoolgirls amid extreme pressure and adversity from a dark world.

The show is exclusively for a female audience. The performance Sunday, Feb. 4, is at 2 p.m. after high tea at 1:15. The performance Monday, Feb. 5, is at 7 p.m. after bedtime tea at 6:15. Both are at the AJA campus at 5200 Northland Drive in Sandy Springs.

Tickets, available at chagiga2018. brownpapertickets.com, are $18 in advance or $20 at the door for women and $15 in advance or $18 at the door for girls. AJA students’ tickets are $12.

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Apply for AJC Internship

24

Applications are due Friday, Feb. 9, for American Jewish Committee’s Goldman Fellowship, a paid, eight-week summer internship for rising college juniors and seniors and graduate students in AJC and partner offices in the United States and overseas.

Visit ajconline.wufoo.com/forms/ mf1wkjn10ecfet to apply. Email cohend@ajc.org with any questions.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

TU B'SHEVAT

Ecologist Finds Israelis Separated From Nature

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com A prominent ecologist and educator says Israel has a long way to go in terms of environmental sustainability.

Ken Leinbach, the founder of the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, found that residents of Israeli cities are disconnected from nature, despite having an affinity for the land itself.

“Everything over there is pretty complex,” Leinbach said in a telephone interview as Tu B’Shevat approached.

“There is a lot of love of land; that’s what Zionism is about, right? But as far as the actual treatment of the land, I was surprised how little consciousness there was. From the individual behavior perspective, I was expecting to find a higher level and how it impacts land.”

Israel is known for its water conservation and ingenious use of energy, Leinbach said, “so you have this high level of technical understanding, but at the ground level it doesn’t seem that different from anywhere else.”

Leinbach was part of an ecological Partnership2Gether delegation from

Milwaukee to Israel last year.

In writing about that trip, he praised the longterm thinking demonstrated in Jewish National Fund’s planting of millions of trees over more Ken Leinbach is known for commuting than a century, to work in Milwaukee but he also exby bicycle or kayak. pressed shock at the garbage he saw.

“People fight for the spiritual meaning of land yet seem to miss the very basic respect and care for it,” he wrote.

Leinbach last year also wrote the book “Urban Ecology: A Natural Way to Transform, Kids, Parks, Cities, and the World.”

He will speak at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum as part of its author series Thursday, Feb. 22, as a guest of Trees Atlanta, addressing sustainable design, urban environ-

mental education, precarious planetary conditions, fundraising and green living, among other topics.

“I just got back from Guatemala, and it’s the same thing down there.

People seem to think if you put something in water, it will go away, or you can throw your trash on the ground and someone else will pick it up. It’s a human problem, a universal truth,” Leinbach said.

The cities of Tiberias and Nesher in Israel are interested in creating a model based on Leinbach’s initiative from the Urban Ecology Center, which involves educating communities in city neighborhoods about conservation, sustainability and the environment and protecting and preserving natural areas such as parks and lakes.

“It’s also about offering people in an urban environment opportunities, such as volunteering and jobs, that

they often don’t get. It’s offering a way of thinking,” he said.

Leinbach, who commutes to his Milwaukee office by bicycle or kayak, also helped start the Academy for Systems Change, which he describes as “an international think tank that focuses on how to get systems in place to better handle the magnitude of the problems we’ve created.” His motivation for getting involved in this kind of work is the desire to change human behavior.

“My belief is that we as a species on this planet are already headed into some danger zones in the way in which we’re handling infrastructure and ecological resources that sustain life,” Leinbach said. “Our collective actions are causing larger problems, but it’s the individual actions that impact the big picture, so if we’re not careful, we’re going to make some pretty big blunders.” ■

Who: Ken Leinbach, executive director, Urban Ecology Center What: Lecture on urban ecology Where: Carter Presidential Library and Museum, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 Tickets: Free; www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/events

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TU B'SHEVAT

Tu B’Shevat Plants Crucial Symbolism in Israel

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Excitement reigned in the U.S. Jewish community in January 1948.

The world had entered the countdown for the establishment of a Jewish nation as defined by the partition plan approved by the United Nations on Nov. 29, 1947. Rabbi Avraham Silverstone chose to capture the fervor of those heady days through the spirit of Tu B’Shevat, the “old-new holiday,” as he labeled it.

“Where there is life, there is hope for new strength,” he said. “The festival that has survived the hostile interference of men and nature, just like Am Yisrael’s steadfastness through the centuries, has been revived and brings us renewal once again.”

He shared with his readers a description of the communal tree planting on Tu B’Shevat at Yesod HaMaala in 1884.

That settlement was founded by members of the First Aliyah, 12 families from the Russian Empire who immigrated to the Hula Valley.

“Last week we planted a grove mutually with all the company, more than 1,500 trees.” A specific count followed. “There were 708 etrogs and 100 pomegranates, 400 figs and mulberries. And we shall plant, with G-d’s will, other types of plantings, for aside from the large profits from the fruits, which with G-d’s help will be successful, we shall need also good health, for humans are one with the trees of the fields, and without them they do not have a good life.”

Even a divine purpose was noted.

“We plant, as the Creator of the Universe showed us, to plant as He did, for it is written in Genesis, ‘And the Lord G-d planted a garden eastward, in Eden.’ ” Silverstone stressed that this planting of trees at Yesod HaMaala had dual meaning — to support health and to imitate the biblical actions of G-d.

What was the true intent of the holiday as the rabbi sensed it 70 years ago? “Jews outside of the homeland fill up their blue-boxes, and their children bring dime bank ‘treecards’ to religious school to underwrite the reforestation of Eretz Yisrael, which plays a vital role in this national renaissance.”

Silverstone in 1948 strongly believed that “in the free and independent New Judea we may look forward 26 to a bright future for ourselves, for

our land and for this delightful folkfestival.”

On that Tu B’Shevat in 1948, rabbis and educators recalled a most dramatic event at the end of the 19th century in Eretz Yisrael — November 1898, to be exact, when Theodor Herzl made his first visit to the homeland of his people. In his diary he described

Guest Column

By Rabbi David Geffen

planting a cypress tree in Motza, just outside Jerusalem.

With the hope of meeting Kaiser Wilhelm, who visited the Holy Land in 1898, Herzl traveled from the coastal settlements of Mikve Israel and Rishon Lezion toward Jerusalem for a possible audience and stopped in Motza on the way.

Herzl entered the village to a warm welcome and reception. When the sun started to set, he looked out at the land of Judaea and saw “a variety of lights of brilliant colors reflected upon its hills.”

He knew he had to plant a tree there, so Herzl climbed the hill and placed a young cypress tree into the earth. That tree grew quickly, so that “six years later it stood tall and statuesque, signifying to the settlers the Jewish people’s return to Zion.”

In 1901 a major step was taken at the World Zionist Congress when the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet was established. Tree planting has been a special activity of JNF, working diligently to redeem the land.

In a study of Tu B’Shevat, Israeli historian Yael Zerubavel noted how Jewish educational institutions helped JNF by “socializing the children to give weekly donations to the JNF blue box, teaching them (in the words of a famous Hebrew song) that every penny counts and contributes to the redemption of the land.”

When Henrietta Szold visited Eretz Yisrael for the first time in 1909, she began to see the possibilities of the homeland reborn. In her comprehensive article on the trip in the American Jewish Yearbook, she described the Tu B’Shevat celebration she witnessed.

“There was the future in the processions of schoolchildren, on whose breath the world stands, as they wend their way singing to Motza on Hami-

sha Osher be-Shevat (Tu B’Shevat), the Palestinian children’s Arbor Day.” She captured their joy “as they placed the tiny seedlings into the soil, watering them carefully and hopeful that they would grow into tall trees pushing their way against the sky.”

Szold captured the potential of the land by comparing it to a fastdeveloping American state: “Palestine has the conditions and the opportunities of California. The soils in various parts of our homeland are adaptable for all sorts of growth.” She stressed that the “success of the reforestation work already underway may well offset the dearth of wood in the country.”

As World War I ended and the British Mandate was established, the Palestine Restoration Fund, Keren HaYesod, called for a $10 million campaign whose goals were the purchase of land in Palestine, the preparation of Palestine for Jewish settlement, and the maintenance and development of work in progress in Palestine.

An attractive propaganda poster was commissioned by the New Palestine journal of the Zionist Organization of America for the campaign.

Through 10 poignant illustrations, the planting, developing and striving by those living in Eretz Yisrael brought home the message “Let us rise up and build.”

In 1928 an artistic depiction of children planting on Tu B’Shevat in the vicinity of Jerusalem underlined the authentic meaning of the holiday.

Zeev Raban, a leading member of the faculty of the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem, drew a series of pictures capturing the celebration of all the Jewish festivals in Eretz Yisrael. They appeared in a little book, “Hageinu” (Our Festivals), published in New York under the sponsorship of Jewish educator Zvi Scharfstein. The goal was to show the world the “Jewish home” in Palestine and the “Hebrew home” in Jewish communities as they existed at the time.

Raban’s illustrations in “Hageinu” capture the celebration of the Jewish holidays and Shabbat in varied locales in the Jewish homeland.

Yom Kippur, for example, is observed in the Istanbuli synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. On Shavuot a procession of children, from Yemenite to Ashkenazi, carries bouquets of flowers. Lag B’Omer is depicted on the shores of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). On Shabbat a mother lights the candles as her children encircle her.

Batsheva Goldman-Ida, the curator of a Raban retrospective at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art 20 years ago, explained in the catalog how the artist used as models children he knew, including his own. For example, in the illustration for Shabbat, his daughter Ruth is shown in a 1920s frock and red shoes ordered from Paris.

Raban, who trained in Europe, joined the Bezalel faculty in 1912 at the invitation of the director, Boris Schatz.

In that pre-World War I period, he experienced the spirit of the growth of the land as a result of the initial aliyot.

Even though the draconian rule of the Ottoman Turks was ever present, the Jews in Palestine laid the foundation of the cultural renaissance of the mandate period.

Once the British took over with Lord Samuel as the first high commissioner, the 1920s became a time of constant growth in the Jewish homeland. Goldman-Ida explained the role played by Raban: “The body of his work took form parallel to the historic events (leading to the establishment of the state).

His is not the work of a hermit or a recluse; on the contrary, Raban was a propagandist … actively involved in creating the ethos of the emerging country. His artistic motifs were to become those of a majority Jewish culture.”

When we look at the colorful Raban drawing of children planting in the vicinity of Jerusalem with the Tower of David in the background, we observe the delight of the 1920s on this soil. The boys are wearing pith helmets to protect them from the sun. Their spiffy ties create a most fashionable outfit. Their dress is similar to that of the Jewish Palestine Guides, those important pioneering figures.

The poem in Hebrew facing the illustration has a beat most fitting to Tu B’Shevat, the new year of the trees: To the field! To the field!

In pairs we go out together!

Each of us with tool in hand A miniature gardener Let us go out — let us go out Into the field let us move!

This year as we watch the young and the old marching out to plant — to make the soil blossom and bloom — we can again be inspired by Tu B’Shevat, a day on which we plant for the future as others have done. No matter how difficult it may be, hazorim bedimaa berina yikzoru: We will reap in joy. ■

TU B'SHEVAT

Party With the Trees Tu B’Shevat, the new year of the trees, starts Tuesday night, Jan. 30, and ends the next night. Two of the traditional ways to celebrate are to plant trees and to hold a seder involving a feast of fruits. Here are some of the options for observing the holiday around Atlanta.

The annual Tu B’Shevat tree planting with Trees Atlanta is a family affair.

SUNDAY, JAN. 28

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31

5 p.m. — The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, holds a family celebration aimed at young children, with Rabbi Brian Glusman, activities, samples of fruits and nuts, and a birthday cake for the trees. Admission is free to all. RSVP at bit.ly/2G7Pcdy; contact Rabbi Glusman at 678-812-4161 or rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org for details.

7 p.m. — Jordana Bernhard is the guest speaker at the Jewish Women’s Circle celebration held by Chabad of

Peachtree City at the home of the Lews, 219 Kelvington Way, Peachtree City, with wine, salads, exotic fruits and food for thought. Admission is free, but a $15 donation is suggested. RSVP to Shternie Lew at 678-595-9277, or visit www.ChabadSouthside.com.

7 p.m. — The signature Kabbalah & Cocktails program at The Kehilla in Sandy Springs, 5075 Roswell Road, holds a Tu B’Shevat seder, starting with dinner and cocktails and continuing with a lecture at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for Kehilla members and $18 for others; admission is free for those who have signed up for the Legends of the Talmud series. Register at www.thekehilla. org/kabbalah-and-cocktails.

SATURDAY, FEB. 3

1 p.m. — Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, holds a family seder featuring fruits and nuts associated with Israel and four cups of grape juice. The minimeal is free. RSVP to Brooke Rosenthal at cambryabrooke@gmail.com; see more details at www.aasynagogue.org/ event/tu-bshvat-seder.

9 p.m. — The Cohen Brothers Band provides the music for Havdalah as YJP Atlanta samples the fruits of Israel, kosher wine and kosher cheese at Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave, Poncey-Highland. Tickets are $5; register at www.eventbrite.com/e/winecheese-havdallah-tickets-41575700038.

SUNDAY, FEB. 4

12:30 p.m. — The annual community tree planting arranged by the Marcus JCC, Trees Atlanta and other Jewish partners begins with a Tu B’Shevat celebration with fruits, nuts and other refreshments at Gordon White Park, 600 Hopkins St., Southwest Atlanta, near a newly opened section of the BeltLine, followed by the planting at 1 p.m. Leah Zigmond provides children’s programming. Parking is at 1310 White St. Participation is free; bit.ly/2n70yG7. Email aagreening@gmail.com or call Myrtle Lewin at 404-209-3196 for more information.

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

10:30 a.m. — The Davis Academy’s Cub Club, for all children 5 and younger and their parents, offers music, crafts, games and more at the Davis Lower School, 8105 Roberts Drive, Sandy Springs. It’s free. RSVP at www. davisacademy.org/cubclub; email lmirsky@davisacademy.org with any questions.

10:30 a.m. — Jewish National Fund’s JNFuture young professionals group starts the day by volunteering for two hours at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta, then holds its annual Tu Beer’Shvat party at Orpheus Brewing, 1440 Dutch Valley Place, Atlanta, at 1 p.m. You may attend either or both events free. RSVP to rsvpatl@jnf.org; contact Arielle Levy at alevy@jnf.org or 512-410-1483, ext. 946, with any questions.

11:30 a.m. — Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, holds a community seder with food, music and other family activities. The cost is $5.

Register at www.yith.org/event/tubshvatseder.

3 p.m. — In preparation for the community tree planting the following Sunday with Trees Atlanta, the Marcus JCC and host Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, hold a rock-painting party for the community.

Paint messages and pictures promoting love, kindness and nature on rocks that will be used at the planting. Admission is $5. RSVP at bit.ly/2G86KX5; contact Lauren Chekanow at 678-812-4107 or lauren.chekanow@atlantajcc.org with questions.

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SIMCHAS

Birth Drew Hennes

Tracy and Marc Hennes and big sister Emily of Westfield, N.J., announce the birth of their son and little brother, Drew Mitchell Hennes, on Dec. 14, 2017.

He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20½ inches long.

The proud grandparents are Karen and Michael Himmelstein of Roswell and Peter and Monica Hennes of Toms River, N.J. Drew’s great-grandparents are Bettye and Harry Baer of Atlanta, Harold Himmelstein of Boynton Beach, Fla., and

Elizabeth Loch of Willingboro, N.J. Drew is named in memory of his great-great-grandmother Dora Fisher and his great-grandfathers Maurice Hennes and Michael Loch.

Wedding Scheinbach-Greenberg

Nancy and Michael Greenberg are proud to announce the marriage of their son Dr. Jake Greenberg to Dr. Ilyssa Scheinbach.

Ilyssa is the daughter of Linda and Dr. Alan Scheinbach of Old Westbury, N.Y. They were married Nov. 11, 2017, in Maspeth, N.Y. and are now living in West Hartford, Conn., with their dog, Colbie.

East Cobb • Priced to Sell Fast! • $375,000

Engagement Segal-Noll

Dr. Terry and Fred Segal of Roswell are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Sage Segal, to Aaron Noll, son of Dr. and Mrs. Gregg Noll of Indiana.

Sage is the granddaughter of the late Jeanne and Leo Margoluis and Blanche and Leonard Segal. Aaron is the grandson of Flor and Marino Chaves of Costa Rica and Shirley and Tom Noll of Indiana.

Sage graduated with highest academic honors from Indiana University’s School of Education and has returned to Georgia to work with her brother, Jordan, at his Nest Cafe as the general manager, barista, cook and baker.

Aaron graduated with highest academic honors from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and completed his first year of graduate school. He will graduate in the spring with a master’s degree in environmental science and will move to Georgia.

A November wedding is planned.

OBITUARIES

Sam Glass

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

92, Atlanta

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Sam N. Glass, age 92, of Atlanta died Thursday, Jan. 18. 2018.

Sam was born in Milledgeville to Bessie and Benjamin Glass on June 18, 1925.

The family moved when Sam was 7 to Atlanta, where he attended elementary school and Boys’ High and continued on to Georgia Tech. His education was interrupted by a stint in the Army, serving stateside. He went on to graduate with an electrical engineering degree. Shortly thereafter, he married the love of his life, Tillie Franco. Sam and Tillie raised their three children in Atlanta.

Sam spent 36 years working as an aeronautical engineer at Lockheed and was a successful NuTone dealer in the greater Atlanta area. He could fix anything and was always tinkering with something. If our TVs didn’t work or a lamp shorted out, you took it to Sam — everybody did. His garage was full of people’s stuff that he was fixing, and they didn’t seem to mind waiting for it. That’s just how it was back then. Sam always had a smile on his face and whistled while he worked.

Despite their busy life and raising three children, Sam and Tillie always found time for Wednesday Night Date Night. Sam’s family was always most important to him. In his earlier years, Sam enjoyed traveling, swimming, dancing, bowling, playing cards, playing tennis, getting together with family and friends, being involved in his children’s activities, and attending baseball and football games.

This warm, loving and gentle-man is survived by his wife of 70 years, Tillie; children Barbara (Tommy), Susan (Bruce) and Frank (Jillian); grandchildren Wessley, Kayla, Chelsea, Arielle and Colette; great-granddaughter Alice; and several nieces and nephews. The Glass family would like to thank Sam’s caregivers, Carrie, Comar, Lou, Michael and Pat. The family also greatly appreciates the care and support provided by Bridgeway Hospice.

Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Congregation Or VeShalom, the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of one’s choice. A graveside service was held Monday, Jan. 22, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla officiating. Arrangements

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

OBITUARIES

Rella Maier 91, Sandy Springs

Rella Maier, 91, died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.

She was the beloved wife of the late Herbert. She was the loving mother of Peter (Christy) Maier and Paula (Bennet) Alsher; adored grandmother of Lora, Rachel (Ben Martin), Hannah (Danny Sirdofsky) and Jacob; and devoted sister to the late Bennie Sklut and Rose Patinka.

The service was held Sunday, Jan. 21, at Westlawn Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel in Norridge, Ill. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jewish United Fund, www.juf.org. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals — Buffalo Grove Chapel, 847-229-8822, www.cjfinfo.com.

Gladys Misner 89

On Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, Gladys Misner, 89, departed this life, much loved, respected and ultimately dissatisfied with how much you were eating.

A mother of four, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of three, she leaves the head seat of a large table painfully vacant. Known as Mom, Gramma, Gittel and The Queen, Gladys made friends with everyone with whom she crossed paths, leaving lasting impressions on countless lives.

Gladys Gloria Auerbach was born Aug. 24, 1928, in Passaic, N.J., the last of seven children of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. She grew up in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, N.Y. She raised her family with her adoring husband, Jack, in Beverly, Mass.; Levittown, N.Y.; and Atlanta, where they operated several businesses, including Mi-Glad Enterprises. A woman ahead of her time, she was the brains behind many commercial ventures and was never afraid to speak her mind.

A sharp wit, she was well-known for her boundless sense of humor and generous spirit and was an avid reader of both The Wall Street Journal and the National Enquirer. The party always seemed to follow Gladys, from cruise ships to casinos.

Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Misner, granddaughter Alexandra Misner, and her six older siblings. She is survived by her son Spencer and treasured daughter-in-law Judith of Chattanooga, Tenn.; son Bruce (Sheri) of Tampa, Fla.; son Tracy (Adrienne) of Johns Creek; and daughter Serena Cohen of Los Angeles. She also leaves behind grandchildren Gavin (Fran) Misner of Salisbury, N.C., Alyssa Misner of New York, Drew (Ann) Misner of Brussels, Belgium, Jillian Misner of Washington, D.C., Jason Misner of Portland, Ore., Kimberly Misner of Chattanooga, Adam Misner of Chattanooga, Ethan Misner of Chattanooga and Jack Cohen of Los Angeles; great-grandchildren Clara and Charlotte Misner of Salisbury and Ayden Misner of Chattanooga; and dear friends Jim and Yvonne Hammet and Marilyn Czachor. Gladys also had love and deep gratitude for the dedicated nursing staff of Regency Park Health and Rehabilitation in Dalton.

A funeral service was held Tuesday, Jan. 16, at H.M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel in Sandy Springs. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Samuel Grinzaid, 88, of Atlanta, father of Jimmy Grinzaid, on Jan. 15.

Miriam Krinsky, 92, of Portland, Maine, mother of Avner Eisenberg, Scott Eisenberg, Cary Eisenberg, Joel Eisenberg and Carol Eisenberg, on Jan. 11.

Ruth Lebovitz, 97, of Atlanta, mother of Temple Sinai member Michael Corenblum, on Jan. 12.

Ruth Marks, 69, of Decatur on Jan. 9.

Bruce Nadel, 75, of Roswell on Jan. 15.

Winifred Rich, 82, of Atlanta, mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Amy Warner and William Rich and sister of Betty Gusdorf and Madeline Smith, on Jan. 12.

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

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Death Notices

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

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Shevat Asks Us to Be Conduits of Holiness

JANUARY 26 ▪ 2018

Rosh Chodesh Shevat began Wednesday, Jan. 17, the day it snowed.

Our task during Shevat is to bring holiness down from the heavens into our mundane lives. We had extra help that day with the snow’s magical qualities. The city shut down, and we stared out our windows at the blanket of crystalline purity covering everything.

Even better was going outside to experience it in snowball fights, playing with the dog and building snowmen. The grass and pavement were hidden.

The boundaries between homes were blurred, appearing as if our yards were joined as one vast surface. The routine activities of everyday life ceased, and we held our breaths for just a moment.

My romanticized vision of the water carrier in the sky, symbol for Aquarius, had him pouring water out of the vessel, and, through the whispers of Hashem’s breath, it froze and fell to the earth as snow.

There’s holiness in freshly fallen snow. It’s pristine, untouched and unspoiled, like the neshama (soul).

On the full moon of Tu B’Shevat, the 15th day of the Hebrew month, is the new year for the trees, marking the end of the rainy season in Israel.

We plant trees to celebrate milestones, commemorate those who have passed and honor our commitment to the preservation of the environment.

Trees provide us with fruit, nuts, flowers, shade, shelter and comfort.

They act as timekeepers, as well, when we count the rings of their longevity.

Calculating the age of a tree makes us mindful of our protection of it, allowing it to grow and flourish during its first three years, offering it to Hashem in its fourth, and tasting it in its fifth.

Trees are structures of divinity, and cultivating patience is a holy act.

After the gluttony and heaviness of the winter holidays, this time of year is associated with cleaner eating, with a focus on improved health and mindfulness. Television chefs turn their attention from fat-laden casseroles and carb-loaded recipes served up before sweet treats to plant-based entrees and fruit for dessert.

That is in keeping with the fruits and intentional tasting of our food that are hallmarks of Shevat. During this month, especially in Kabbalistic 30 traditions, it’s customary to eat many

different fruits.

The First Twelve Fruits are to be enjoyed in order, with the challenge being to taste up to 30 fruits. Red and white wines are served for the four cups of a seder. In some celebrations, a blush and an amber wine are also included to coordinate with the seasons.

CROSSWORD “A Very Disney Tu B'Shevat”

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Challenging 1

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ACROSS 1. It’s the truth 5. What many often do in Eilat 10. Treif meats 14. Like Haman 15. Pooh’s author 16. It won’t fly on Shabbat?

17. A brother-in-law of Jared’s 18. Pass over 19. Ayelet (Zurer) played her in “Man of Steel” 20. “Moana” song for Tu B’Shevat?

23. Recurring theme for Berlin 26. Brian of music, who is a big 35-Across supporter 27. Help palindrome 28. “Sleeping Beauty” (or “Maleficent”) song for Tu B’Shevat?

33. Its value is 40 34. “Kacha-kacha” 35. Letters by those who dislike Israel 36. “Frozen” song for Tu B’Shevat?

40. Kiryat Moshe to Rehavia dir.

42. “Rabbi, is there a blessing for the ___?” (“Fiddler” line) 43. Caesar known for his strength and humor 46. “Enchanted” song for Tu B’Shevat?

51. Cherubs, on the scoreboard 52. Huge Ming 53. Band created and managed by Lou Pearlman 54. “The Little Mermaid” song for Tu B’Shevat?

59. Opening for a shekel 60. “Bambi,” e.g.

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New Moon Meditations

Blessings are recited before and after each new fruit is tasted. Symbolism is inherent in these foods.The order of the First Twelve Fruits: • Wheat, used to feed animals, serves as a reminder for us to curb our animalistic tendencies.

• Olives give their best oil when crushed, speaking to the strength and fortitude of our people to endure.

• Dates, unshaken by the winds, offer inspiration to be steadfast.

• Grapes take many forms, delicious as they are or as raisins or when transformed into wine. Each of us has the same potential.

• Figs when ripe must be picked right away. They remind us of the urgency to do good deeds.

• Pomegranates have 613 juicy, jeweled seeds, matching the 613 commandments given to us to fulfill.

• Etrogim (citrons) remain on the tree throughout all four seasons.

• Apples take 50 days to ripen and mirror our own ripening in the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot.

• Walnuts have four sections, like the acronym for Hashem’s name. Like many humans, they have hard shells and are soft inside.

• Almonds represent enthusiasm because almond trees are the first to bloom. We must be enthusiastic when doing G-d’s work.

• Carobs take the longest to grow and teach us that there’s a sweet reward for patience.

• Pears of all varieties maintain a similarity, much like people of the earth.

Meditation focus: Take several moments to sit quietly and imagine yourself as the channel between the heavens and the earth. What holiness might you receive that you can bring to your daily life? ■

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Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

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the face of Moses 39. “Who practices witchcraft, ___ who interprets omens” (Deuteronomy 18:10) 40. Creator of many gods and monsters 41. It’s very important in 40-Down’s work DOWN 43. Like a diffident maidel 1. Creation in Genesis 44. Particle studied by Bohr 2. What Aaron might have 45. Mo. that sees a lot of called his big sis 61-Across, in Judaism 3. Judge for 40 years 47. Norse war-god 4. Many a San Fran worker 5. Drake (not the Jewish man) 48. Sect with a schism in 2006 6. Vikings family 49. Greeting from a 7. “East of Eden” director definitively non-Jewish Kazan 8. Zuckerman from “90210” character 50. Worthwhile 9. ___ off 51. Disobeys the Tenth 10. It doesn’t exist in Commandment Judaism, essentially 55. Bluesy James 11. Bad Bashar 56. Green and Gabor 12. Leaves high and dry 57. What Caleb didn’t do, 13. Barbecue sides even in his old age 21. Handy to have 22. Joke response, nowadays 58. Baseball team with a previous owner who had 23. 1-Down, e.g. positive words about Hitler 24. Blood, in a series 25. Chan. that might air Billy 62. “Barefoot” Garten 63. 1-Down, once Wilder films 64. Some Asimov characters; 29. Honey or flower abbr.

30. Former Giant star Umenyiora 31. “It shall be blocked from you for three years, LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION ___ be eaten” S A U C E A M P S A J A R (Leviticus A G L E T N E R O B A L E 19:23) K A T E H U D S O N S C O T 32. “Charlotte’s I S R N O A S M O K E D P A U L R U D D B R B Web” initials C O A T E D A B L E R 36. Michele of H A M L E T R A D S A L E ABC’s shortA G E W E S Y O M C I A lived “The B U L B D O H S I C K E R Mayor” S A B O T N E P A L I 37. Casspi’s R U G G A L G A D O T team, on the G L O R I A D A E U R I scoreboard A E O N J E W I S H S T A R 38. One B I K E O M A N I N D I A B O Y S P L O T S emanating from S A S S 66. “___ Day’s Night” 67. Del Boca Vista condo, e.g.

68. Creator of Genesis 69. Guns N’ ___, band that rocked Tel Aviv in 2017 70. Einstein locales

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