Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCI No. 4, January 29, 2016 by Atlanta Jewish Times

Swastika Defaces Courtroom

swastika found carved into the courtroom door of a Fulton County state judge is being investigated by the Fulton Sheriff’s Department. A swastika in a circle with “3rd Reich” etched beneath it was found on the door of Judge Jay M. Roth. A picture of the vandalism was posted Tuesday, Jan. 19, on the Facebook page of WAGA/Fox 5 reporter Dale Russell. At this writing, Roth has not commented. Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Roth to the court in 2009, and he was re-elected in 2014. The Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region office in Buckhead also has yet to comment. A statement issued by Fulton County State Court Chief Judge Myra H. Dixon on behalf of the Superior and State courts said in part: “It is paramount that matters of the court are conducted in an environment that is free of prejudice, discrimination or acts of intolerance. For these reasons, the Courts of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit are deeply saddened and concerned to learn that a swastika was etched in the courtroom door of one of our colleagues. Acts of bias and public displays of prejudice are offensive, divisive and contrary to law and public policy.” ■

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Perdue Blocks Court Bid

epublican Sen. David Perdue has killed the judicial nomination of a Jewish Republican in DeKalb County who would have been Georgia’s first Latino on the U.S. District Court. Perdue issued a statement Thursday, Jan. 21, that he would not sign off on Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of State Court Judge Dax Lopez for the federal bench. President Barack Obama nominated Lopez in July. Lopez, a member of The Temple, was first appointed to the State Court by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2010. Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region Director Mark Moskowitz sent letters supporting Lopez to Perdue and

Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson on Jan. 6. Moskowitz called the judge “a smart, compassionate lawyer” who would serve on the federal court “with honor, conscientiousness and distinction.” “We are deeply troubled that Dax’s nomination … has become controversial,” Moskowitz wrote. The controversy came from anti-illegal-immigration activists, who lobbied hard against Lopez because he served on the board of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials for several years until resigning after his federal nomination. GALEO as an organization has advocated for changes to the immigration system and for a path to citizenship for

AJFF Names Kasdan Icon

DANCE REVOLUTION

An Alvin Ailey performance in February gives new life and meaning to the music of a Jewish composer silenced by the Holocaust. Page 9

VISITING ISRAEL

Our special Travel section views Israel through the eyes of a rabbi, a lawyer, a college student and a high-schooler who have been there amid the current wave of violence. Pages 17-22

PICTURE PERFECT

Walking around the Amato house in Buckhead is like going to a salon in 19th-century France. Page 24

illegal immigrants and against mass deportations. “I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors,” Perdue said in a statement. “I am particularly concerned with his continued participation with this organization and his public comments after he became a state judge. Unfortunately, our personal meeting, while cordial and informative, did not fully alleviate my concerns.” By custom, the Senate gives a state’s senators veto power over judicial nominations of their constituents. Isakson, a Republican seeking re-election this year, had said Lopez should get a hearing. ■ • Judge’s reaction, Page 6 • Perdue’s betrayal, Page 10

Light for the Ages Photo by Eli Gray, Gray Imaging

Ben Hirsch sets an example of remembrance during the candle-lighting ceremony at the start of Am Yisrael Chai’s annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday night, Jan. 24. Hirsch, who escaped Germany as a child on the Kindertransport and settled in Atlanta, is an architect whose works include the nearly 51-year-old Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery. International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 falls on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, and Am Yisrael Chai marked the occasion this year by inviting one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, human rights activist Thomas Buergenthal, to speak. More, Page 8

INSIDE

Opening Ideas ��3 Calendar ��4 Candle Lighting ��4 Opinion ��10 Education ��14 Israel �� 16

Travel �� 17 Business ��23 Home �� 24 Arts �� 26 Obituaries ��28 Crossword ��30

he Atlanta Jewish Film Festival used the Force at its opening night by announcing Lawrence Kasdan as the first recipient of the Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts. The world’s largest Jewish film festival and its partner in the award, online publication ArtsATL, kept secret the existence of the Icon Award and its winner until the 16th annual festival’s opening Tuesday night, Jan. 26. The announcement was due after the AJT went to press. The Icon Award will be presented each year to someone who has upheld the tradition of artistic excellence in film, informed directly or indirectly by a Jewish subject or sensibility, and who inspires pre-eminence in filmmaking worldwide. The award is one of the festival’s most dramatic moves to grow its profile since becoming independent in August 2014. Kasdan, 67, a screenwriter, director, producer and four-time Oscar nominee, will accept the award at a gala May 22. He co-wrote “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and he and son Jon wrote the 2018 Han Solo spinoff. His writing credits also include “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Body Heat,” “The Big Chill” and “The Accidental Tourist,” the last three of which he directed. ■ • More festival coverage, Pages 26-27

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OPENING IDEAS

Golden-Hearted Answers

Dear Jake’s Mom, I was touched by the strength of your love for your son. Although all parents love their children (most of the time, anyway), your overpowering love inspired me. Every word of your narrative spoke volumes of warmth and caring. I advise you to take a step back. It is healthy for children to know they are capable of making decisions and handling the ramifications. It builds their confidence and self-esteem, the buzzwords of our generation. Allow Jake to continue spreading his wings by choosing his friends. And truthfully, does life have to be a popularity contest? As long as Jake has people to call friends, does it matter if he and his group are a little different? Will that make him a less successful person in any aspect of his life? Your earliest prayers, that he should achieve his potential, can be realized. I predict he will be a great husband, father and breadwinner even though as a teen he isn’t hanging with the in group. He has the trademarks of success: compassion, sensitivity and love for others. So let go of the worries, take some deep breaths, and be proud of your golden-hearted child. Wishing you many eight-hour nights of solid sleep, A Fellow Mom Dear Jake’s Mom, Your concern regarding your son’s tendency to embrace and befriend the underdogs is valid. Perhaps he gravitates in that direction from insecurity and a strong desire to be needed. These are deep-rooted issues that need to be fleshed out and rechanneled in a healthy direction. Therapy or speaking to a mentor could give him an inner window as to why he is acting in this manner and whether there is something in his selfperception and resultant behavior that should be addressed and changed. What can you do? Since this appears to be a neighborhood problem, can you enroll him in extra-curricular activities that these particular “Bens” don’t attend? Have you considered NCSY, the JCC, organized sports, music,

art? There are unlimited options and outlets that combine healthy activities within a vibrant social framework. Hopefully, the friends he will meet in any of these situations can be brought home, balancing his relationships with the unfortunate pariahs. Best of luck, Dave, school basketball coach and fitness instructor

Shared Spirit By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

Dear Jake’s Mom, If only all of us had such problems. What would you prefer, to have a sensitive, caring son who reaches out to the less fortunate or to be the parent of a bully? Think about what others endure. Do you know how many furious calls I’ve received over the years? From the day my Mikey started school, my phone began ringing and hasn’t stopped. Mikey is in the 10th grade. Irate parents and administrators don’t hesitate to inform me of my son’s latest misdemeanors, which run the gamut of verbal and physical aggression. Yes, we’ve been to every therapist in Atlanta, so please spare me. My advice to you, Jake’s Mom, is to chillax, as my children say. Enjoy your sweet, sensitive child who looks out for the welfare of the downtrodden. And while you learn to enjoy a night’s sleep, I will continue tossing and turning, agonizing over my child, who appears not to own a conscience and relentlessly causes pain to others. Will Mikey ever be an upstanding husband, father and productive part of the community? I hope and pray he will; miracles do happen. In addition to the crushing burden of raising a challenging child, know that it is embarrassing for me to appear in public. Wearing the distinctive badge proclaiming that I am Mikey’s Mom, I imbibe countless reproachful looks, angry comments and ostracism. People are quick to judge and assume this monster is my fault. I know I’ve put forth massive effort over the years, yet this child persists in his ways. As much as I’m tempted to give up because I’m tired, I will persevere. As long as there’s life, there’s hope. Good luck to you, Jake’s Mom. Enjoy your son, Mikey’s Mom ■

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

he dilemma: Mom worries about her son, who befriends the social misfits at school. Although Jake is “normal,” peers treat him as a pariah because he socializes with boys who don’t fit with their peer group.

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CALENDAR SUNDAY, JAN. 31

THURSDAY, JAN. 28

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Tickets are available for “The Law,” about the Jewish lawyer who pushed for legalized abortion in France, and several other screenings today. The festival continues through Feb. 17. Tickets are $9 for matiness and $13 for most evening shows; ajff.org or 678-701-6104.

Parenting class. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, begins its three-session program aimed at first-time expectant parents, Bet Is for Baby, at 10:30 a.m. The program continues at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 7 and concludes with Shabbat lunch at 1 p.m. Feb. 13. Free; aasynagogue.org.

Conexx women. Becky Blalock and Kris Robinson discuss taking chances in corporate America after dinner and networking at 5:30 p.m. at Signature FD, 1230 Peachtree St., Suite 1800, Midtown. Admission is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers; www.conexx.org.

Read With the Rabbi. InterfaithFamily/Atlanta’s book club discusses “Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay” with Rabbi Malka Packer at 3 p.m. at Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. Free; www.facebook. com/events/179039702449438.

Cultural destruction lecture. Curator Melinda Hartwig and archaeologist Hilary Gopnik talk about historical preservation and the looting and destruction of artifacts in the Middle East at 7:30 p.m. at Emory University’s Carlos Museum, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Atlanta. Free; www.carlos.emory.edu.

SATURDAY, JAN. 30

Open mic. Club-K, the Saturday night kosher hotspot at The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, holds an open-mic and jam session at 8 p.m. Free; www.thekehilla.org/club-k.

Inclusiveness reception. The Greater Atlanta Jewish Abilities Alliance holds the Power of One reception at 5 p.m. at the Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, to honor those in local Jewish organizations who have made gains to include people with disabilities. Free; atlanta.fedweb.jewishfederations.org/ page/s/2016-power-of-one. Embracing imperfection. Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA program presents Rabbi Mark Borovitz for a discussion on addiction and recovery

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parshah Yitro Friday, Jan. 29, light candles at 5:47 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, Shabbat ends at 6:45 p.m. Parshah Mishpatim Friday, Feb. 5, light candles at 5:54 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, Shabbat ends at 6:51 p.m. called “T’Shuvah as Judaism’s Antidote to Perfection” at 5 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; HAMSA@ jfcs-atlanta.org.

TUESDAY, FEB. 2

Film screening and discussion. University of Georgia professors Cas Mudde and Dawn Bennett-Alexander discuss racism, anti-Semitism and current events after a screening of “Hate: A Journey to the Dark Heart of Racism” hosted by the Athens Jewish Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the UGA Special Collections Libraries Auditorium, 300 Hull St., Athens. Free; athensjff.org. Kishinev lecture. Stanford University professor Steven Zipperstein addresses the 1903 Kishinev pogrom and its impact at 7:30 p.m. in the Tenenbaum Family Lecture at Emory University’s Carlos Museum, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, the kickoff event of the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies’ Contested Jewish Futures symposium, which continues Feb. 3. Free; www.js.emory.edu.

SUNDAY, FEB. 7

HONORING RABBI DANIEL & BLUMA ESTREICHER SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Couvert $100 per person

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

5PM COCKTAILS 6PM DINNER & PROGRAM

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BETH JACOB ATLANTA 1855 LAVISTA ROAD

For reservations & sponsorship opportunities:

p: 404.633.0551 www.bethjacobatlanta.org

“A n d t h o s e w h o t e a c h To r a h t o m a n y s h a l l s h i n e l i k e t h e s t a r s f o r e v e r ” (Bava Basra 8b)

Blood drive. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Drive, Buckhead, hosts a citywide Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Use sponsor code JWV at www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment. Judaica making. Sculptor Gary Rosenthal leads the creation of Judaica, from mezuzot to candlesticks, out of personal mosaics at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, at 11:30 a.m. The price depends on the pieces you want to make; register by Feb. 1 at bit.ly/1nvGU54.

TUESDAY, FEB. 9

Grief support. Nancy Kriseman, au-

thor of “The Mindful Caregiver,” leads a support group at the Renaissance on Peachtree, 3755 Peachtree Road, Buckhead, at 2 p.m. on “It Still Hurts: Healing After the Death of a Spouse.” Additional sessions are held on the second Tuesday of March, April and May. Free, including valet parking; 404-240-7811.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10

Asking why. The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute’s six-session “Jewish Course of Why” begins at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs, for $75; at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, for $69; or at Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Roswell Road, East Cobb, for $89; www.myjli.com/index.html.

SUNDAY, FEB. 14

Valentine’s yoga. Rebecca Holohan leads partner yoga to deepen the connection between couples, followed by Thai massage techniques for relaxation, at 4 p.m. at the Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, near Candler Park. Open to singles ($18) or couples ($30), including yoga beginners; sojourngsd.org/calendar. Arava benefit. Israeli singer Noa performs at 7 p.m. at Kennesaw State’s Bailey Performance Center, 488 Prillaman Way, to benefit the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Tickets are $40 to $65 or free if you join Arava’s Friends Circle; arava.org/join-us/atlanta.

MONDAY, FEB. 22

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

Corrections & Clarifications

• A review of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival documentary “Breakfast at Ina’s” in the Jan. 15 issue may have left an incorrect impression about the circumstances of the around-the-world sailing trip by Bill Pinkney, Ina Pinkney’s husband. He worked five years to raise the money for the solo circumnavigation of the globe. • The date of the InterfaithFamily/Atlanta office-warming party and the Beit Reuven Chabad mezuzah hanging was incorrect in the Jan. 15 issue. The separate celebrations occurred Jan. 10. Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

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Remember When

10 Years Ago Jan. 27, 2006 ■ The sixth Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s opening night drew more than 400 people to Atlantic Station, where a reception at the Fox Sports Grill preceded the screening of “A Bridge to Peace,” a documentary featuring Theodore Bikel, Tamara Brooks and a troop of Bosnian musicians on a tour of Poland. Bikel and Brooks attended the opening and spoke before and after the screening. ■ The b’not mitzvah ceremony of Ashley and Lindsey Rosenberg of Atlanta, the twin daughters of I.J. and Beth Ann Rosenberg, was held Dec. 3 at Temple Sinai. 25 Years Ago Jan. 25, 1991 ■ At Ahavath Achim Synagogue last Sunday, 200 Jews joined in singing “G-d Bless America” and the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.” At Shabbat services, synagogues swelled with congregants praying for the safety of Israelis

and U.S. armed forces. These events were typical of the strong show of solidarity by the Jewish community after unprovoked missile attacks by Iraq on Israeli civilians. ■ Janet Elise Bowen and Philip Michael Goldstein married Dec. 23 at Congregation Etz Chaim. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack R. Bowen of Marietta. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert S. Goldstein of Marietta. 50 Years Ago Jan. 28, 1966 ■ “Southern Jewry is making a unique contribution to both the nation’s health and human relations at the 52-year-old Levi Memorial National Arthritis Hospital in Hot Springs,” David M. Blumberg of Knoxville, the hospital board chairman, told The Southern Israelite in an interview during his visit to Atlanta to confer on preparations for the benefit dinner featuring Sandy Koufax on Feb. 1. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Morton L. Kaye of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter, Phyllis Sheila, to Stanley Magrill, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Magrill of Nashville.

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LOCAL NEWS

Blocked Nomination Sparks Disappointment, Anger

tate Court Judge Dax Lopez’s bid for a federal judgeship is over, but he said even the critics who sank his nomination failed to tarnish his judicial record. “While I am disappointed in the outcome, I take immense pride in the fact that not one of my detractors was able to find issue with any portion of my judicial record, a record that reflects fairness, efficiency, and a fierce fidelity for the law as it is,” the Jewish Republican originally from Puerto Rico said in a written statement. It was The Temple member’s first public comment on the controversy sparked by his nomination to the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia, submitted by President Barack Obama in late July. Lopez had declined to comment to the AJT and other media, awaiting his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer any questions and defend himself from the attacks of anti-illegal-immigration activists such as D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society. Lopez will not get that opportunity, however, because Sen. David Perdue, a fellow Georgia Republican, exercised his privilege under Senate custom to halt a nomination to a federal court in his state. Without naming

the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, Perdue pointed to participation in a “controversial organization” as the source of concerns for himself and for unnamed Judge Dax Lopez colleagues, “making Judge Lopez’s final confirmation unattainable.” Fred Hicks, who managed Lopez’s judicial election campaigns, said recently that Perdue met with the judge for only 15 minutes in December. “I expected to receive a full and fair vetting process. Indeed, as a judge, I appreciate the need to hear all sides of an issue before making a decision,” Lopez said. “Unfortunately, given the divisive politics that now permeate even judicial nominations, I was deprived of an opportunity to address any concerns about my nomination directly and in my own words in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.” Georgia’s senior senator, Republican Johnny Isakson, expressed disappointment that Lopez won’t get a hearing. Local Republican Jewish Coalition head Chuck Berk declined to comment

on Perdue’s decision or on the possible repercussions for Republican efforts to gain Jewish votes in November’s presidential election. But Antonio Molina, who chairs the Georgia Democratic Party’s Latino Caucus, was quick to try to turn the situation to his side’s political advantage, claiming that Perdue’s decision on “such an accomplished Georgian” reflected an out-of-touch GOP. Lopez was named a state judge in 2010 by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, a cousin of the senator’s. He had the approval of a panel formed by Georgia’s U.S. senators to assess possible federal judicial nominees; that group included Josh Belinfante, who was counsel to Perdue’s 2014 campaign. Leading Republican lawyers sent the senators a letter supporting Lopez in October. Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region Director Mark Moskowitz not only strongly endorsed Lopez, a graduate of the ADL’s Glass Leadership Institute, but also attacked Lopez critic King in letters to the senators Jan. 6. King has a history of making bigoted statements against immigrants and of writing for a website that publishes racist and anti-Semitic articles, Moskowitz wrote. After Perdue killed the nomina-

tion, Moskowitz expressed dismay that King and other “extreme voices” may have influenced the decision, which King celebrated on his blog. King shrugged off the criticism from “the race-baiting ADL” in comments to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Nancy Zirkin, the executive director of the Washington-based Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, questioned whether Georgia will ever have a Latino federal judge. “Working with a highly respected, bipartisan Latino organization should not disqualify anyone from being a federal judge. At the very least, Senator Perdue should have afforded Dax Lopez, a conservative state judge with bipartisan support, the courtesy of a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Zirkin said in a statement. Lopez indicated that any unfairness with which he was treated will not alter his actions as a state judge. “I love and respect the law. My commitment to following the law and to ensuring justice for all will remain steadfast and unwavering,” he said. “It has been my honor to serve the citizens of DeKalb County, and I look forward to continuing to serve them with honor and distinction.” ■

Orrock: Expect Real Legislative Action in March By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

he Georgia General Assembly is a quarter of the way through its 40 workdays for the 2016 session, but Sen. Nan Orrock says the real action won’t start until mid-March. That’s because primary qualifying for legislative seats is March 7 to 11, and state representatives and senators planning to seek re-election want to avoid upsetting constituents and inspiring party challenges until it’s too late for opponents to get on the ballot, Orrock told the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta at its annual legislative preview session Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Congregation Or Hadash. Few legislative districts are competitive between the parties, so the primaries are the key, said the Atlanta Democrat, in her 30th year in the legislature. With presidential primaries set for March 1 in Georgia and other Southern states, legislators and political activists also will be distracted by 6 national politics throughout February.

AJT

Sen. Nan Orrock

Shelley Rose

Orrock expects the action to be fast and furious starting March 14 because legislators “want to get out and get running” for the May 24 primaries. Election years aren’t typically the time for major legislation, but some important issues are on the docket. Still on the table from last year is Senate Bill 129, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which proponents claim offers assurances of the free exercise of religion and which opponents see as a license to discriminate against the LGBT community. “I don’t think they’re going to pass that bill,” Orrock said. She said the business community is prepared to fight the legislation for fear of losing $1 bil-

lion in commerce if it becomes law, based on the experiences of states that passed similar measures. At least three other bills explore the line between Harry Heiman protection for LGBT rights and freedom of religion. Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, has introduced S.B. 284, the First Amendment Defense Act, offering protection to officials and nonprofit groups opposed to same-sex marriage. Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, has introduced legislation to guarantee that businesses (H.B. 756) and clergy (H.B. 757) don’t have to participate in such weddings. Shelley Rose, the senior associate director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region, said the ADL has real concerns about religion being changed from a shield to a sword by those bills, which have proponents among evangelical Christian leaders. “They need to hear from us that all

the religious community is not in the same camp,” she said. Rose also said the ADL is working with law enforcement and legislators to line up support for hate-crimes legislation, a national ADL priority, but she doesn’t expect a bill to pass this year. Two other JCRC legislative priorities, increased access to quality health care and quality early childhood education, were addressed at the meeting by Harry Heiman of the Morehouse School of Medicine and Mindy Binderman of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, respectively. For once, Orrock said, the legislature has money to play with this year after enacting a transportation tax increase last year. Not that lawmakers will be spending a lot of time debating the spending: She said the House and Senate spent the entire day of the JCRC meeting holding budget hearings that used to be spread over two weeks. That condensed schedule, she said, is all about the control that leadership can exert “when you don’t give people a lot of time to see what’s in the bill.” ■

LOCAL NEWS Marcus Jewish Community Center board member Josh Rosenberg is the first winner of the Steven and Janet Cadranel Biennial Young Leadership Award, which will pay for Rosenberg to attend the JCC Association of North America biennial in BaltiJosh Rosenberg more in May. The award recognizes new leaders and honors the Cadranels and their children, plus the Asher, Morris and Max Benator families and the Albert Tenenbaum family. “I am extremely grateful for the selfless leaders and mentors I have benefited from in my life,” said Steven Cadranel, the president of Arris Realty Partners and a past president of the Marcus JCC. He said he and his wife “can think of no more deserving recipient for its inaugural grant than Josh. His leadership and commitment to the MJCCA and our community will be felt for generations to come.” Rosenberg, a principal with Bessemer Trust, said he was honored to receive the award. “I commend Steven and Janet for their visionary gift and for investing in the future leadership of the MJCCA.” Rosenberg is co-chair of the Marcus JCC’s Erwin Zaban Leadership Development Program. In addition to attending the biennial, Rosenberg will be a part of the JCC Association’s Esther Leah Ritz Emerging JCC Leaders Institute. “This institute was designed to help future leaders in the Jewish communal world,” Rosenberg said. “I look forward to meeting with other JCC leadership and bringing back some of their successes to our community.”

Boxt Bound for Israel

Temple Kol Emeth Rabbi Erin Boxt will join more than 300 Reform rabbis from around the world at the 127th annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis from Feb. 23 to 28 in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Rabbi Boxt and other rabbis will meet with Knesset members and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, as well as other thinkers, activists, politicians and leaders. Rabbis also will travel to the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya for a conference on Israeli policies. “It’s important for Reform rabbis to have a presence in Israel, to show that we are committed to an Israel that is based on our shared values of

democracy, pluralism, peace and inclusivity,” Rabbi Boxt said. Some rabbis will participate in the Tel Aviv Marathon to raise money for Reform Judaism in Israel. Some will take part in an LGBT tolerance march in Jerusalem.

Samuel’s Next Big Case

When the AJT last reported on lawyer Don Samuel, the Congregation Shearith Israel member was speaking in December about the legal status of our privacy rights, but he is best known for taking on such high-profile criminal cases as the murder trial of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Expect to see a lot of Samuel with his latest client: DeKalb County police Officer Robert Olsen, who was indicted Thursday, Jan. 21, on murder charges for fatally shooting naked, unarmed Air Force veteran Anthony Hill in Chamblee in March 2015.

Olens Georgian of Year

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, the highest-ranking Jewish official ever elected statewide in Georgia, was named Georgia Trend magazine’s 2016 Georgian of the Year for his collaborative efforts leading the state’s legal affairs. Among the issues cited by the magazine are improvements to the law on open government records and meetings, a campaign about the dangers of prescription drugs, and work with Sen. Renee Unterman and others to toughen the prosecution of sex traffickers. The magazine also named Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank to its Most Influential Hall of Fame, where he joins Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, a longtime member.

Athens Fest Next

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has just begun, but it’s not too soon to make plans for the next film festival, the Athens Jewish Film Festival, which will be held from March 19 to 22. Opening night will be at the Georgia Museum of Art with a gala and screening of “Dough,” in which Jonathan Pryce plays a kosher baker whose profits rise in smoke. The rest of the festival will be held at Ciné Bar Cafe Cinema, concluding with the documentary “Deli Man.” Other films on the schedule include “Zemene,” “Above and Beyond,” “A Borrowed Identity,” “Chagall-Malevich,” “Apples From the Desert,” “The Last Mentsch” and “Victor Young Perez.” Details and tickets are available at athensjff.org.

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

JCC Names Young Leader

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LOCAL NEWS

Lucky Night for Atlanta

Am Yisrael Chai celebrates Auschwitz survivors By Rena Gray

man who considers himself lucky to be one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz helped Holocaust education and awareness organization Am Yisrael Chai mark 71 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp Sunday night, Jan. 24, at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North in Sandy Springs. “Courage and Compassion: A Lucky Child Survives Auschwitz” came three days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In addition to keynote speaker Thomas Buergenthal, the “lucky child” who grew up to be a human rights advocate, the event was dedicated to survivors of Auschwitz and highlighted the experiences of survivors who live in Atlanta. Survivors and their family members lighted candles in tribute to those who perished in the Holocaust. After singing the American and Israeli anthems, the crowd of more than 900 people was addressed by Am Yisrael Chai President Andrea Videlefsky, Israeli Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer, and Rabbi David Blumenthal, a Jewish studies professor at Emory University. Buergenthal began his narrative by addressing the question of why he named his memoirs “A Lucky Child.” How could a survivor of Auschwitz re-

Photos by Eli Gray, Gray Imaging

Thomas Buergenthal says he and fellow Holocaust survivors have an obligation to make sure genocide doesn’t happen again to anyone.

fer to himself as lucky? While the family was in Poland waiting for visas that would not be of much use, a friend of Buergenthal’s mother persuaded her to seek the advice of a fortuneteller, who predicted terrible things in the family’s future. “You didn’t have to be a chochom in 1939 to know that things are going to be bad for the Jews,” Buergenthal said to audience laughs. But he said the fortuneteller continued, “You have a son, a lucky child, and he’s going to get through it all.” Buergenthal’s account, though sprinkled with lucky encounters, was not without Holocaust horrors. He shared few examples, however, scrap-

ing the surface enough to set the tone but choosing to focus on the instances that led to his survival. One of his earliest fortuitous experiences occurred at the liquidation of the Kielce ghetto, where Buergenthal and his parents were sent from their hometown. As was common in camps throughout the Holocaust, children were the first to be eliminated, and here was no exception. When it became clear that the Germans were separating the children from the rest of the group, Buergenthal, at his father’s suggestion, boldly approached the German commander to assert that he could work. “And he let me live.” His luck followed him to Auschwitz. Normally, new arrivals at the camp immediately went through a selection process. The children, the elderly and the sick were sent to the gas chambers. But because Buergenthal and his group came directly from work camps, they were assumed to be qualified for work, and there was no selection. “People might call me meshuggana for saying I was lucky when I came to Auschwitz,” he said, “but I was lucky.” As one of the youngest Auschwitz survivors, Buergenthal devotes as much time as he can to publicizing his

Holocaust survivors, including keynote speaker Thomas Buergenthal, take turns lighting candles during the ceremony before Buergenthal’s speech.

story and urging his audience to seek out those of others. “Everybody has a different story, and it’s all the same story,” he said. “I feel that those of us who survived the camps really have an obligation to make … a commitment to make sure that these things don’t happen again, not only to Jews, but to other people in the world.” ■

Anti-Semitism Thrives in Germany, Journalist Says By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Photos by David R. Cohen

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Right middle: Eldad Beck presents an example of recent anti-Semitic Jewish caricatures in German newspapers. Above: Eldad Beck’s “Germany, at Odds” suggests that Germany hasn’t confronted its anti-Semitic past. Right top: Oded Shorer, the economic affairs director for the Israeli Consulate, says Eldad Beck’s book shattered his perceptions of the relationship between Israel and Germany. Right bottom: AJC Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker introduces Eldad Beck at Congregation B’nai Torah.

ldad Beck wants us to revisit our views on the relationship between Germany and Israel. The Israeli journalist and author has been the Berlin-based correspondent of Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth since 2002. On Thursday, Jan. 21, he spoke at Congregation B’nai Torah to discuss his latest book, “Germany, at Odds.” “All that we know of Germany is not true,” Beck said. “Let me propose to you another interpretation of the country.” The Haifa native pointed to a recent survey that found more than 50 percent of Germans think Israel’s present treatment of Palestinians is similar to what the Nazis did to the Jews during World War II. Beck said the worrisome results can be traced back to German anti-

Semitism and how German authorities, local media and the Jewish community have dealt with it. The recent influx of more than 1 million Muslim refugees into Germany has also played a role. “Germans have not learned from the past,” he said. Beck brought up numerous examples of German media bias and blatant anti-Semitism toward Israel. Israelis, he said, are often portrayed in the German media as soldiers and in that sense dehumanized, while terrorism is romanticized with headlines like “The Shortest Way to Heaven.” He showed examples of anti-Semitic Jewish caricatures in German media that are strikingly similar to the anti-Semitic propaganda that was prevalent in Nazi Germany. Beck questioned whether Germans have really confronted their past and, as a result, how strong Germany’s relationship is with Israel and Jews in general. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Dance Gives Life to Voice Hitler Silenced By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

he rise of the Nazis meant the demise of Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff, whose jazz-inspired, avant-garde classical compositions were blacklisted as the work of a Jew. Under German occupation in Prague starting in 1939, Schulhoff desperately tried to escape to the United States, then to the Soviet Union, but he was arrested in 1941 and died the next year at the Wulzburg concentration camp in Bavaria. The intention was to silence Schulhoff, but although he never made it to America, his music did. His percussive 1925 piece “Ogelala,” about a preColumbian Mexican warrior, provides the score to a complex dance called “No Longer Silent,” being performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater twice at the Fox Theatre in mid-February. “Thank you for bringing Schulhoff to life again,” Lili Baxter, the director of the Breman Museum’s Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education, said during a panel discussion about the work Wednesday night, Jan. 20, at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “So many artists were silenced.” She sat next to the choreographer who created the dance in 2007, Robert Battle, who has been the Alvin Ailey

artistic director since 2011. Battle said famous composers turned the commission down before his alma mater, Julliard, asked him in 2007 to create a dance using music writPhoto by Michael Jacobs ten by victims of (From left) Robert Battle, Lili Baxter and Derreck Kayongo take the Nazis. He said audience questions at the National Civil and Human Rights Center. he found the mu“Sometimes even in the darkest, sic interesting, and “No Longer Silent” most awful times, there’s something is his impression of Schulhoff’s life in about music, there’s something about dance. dance and movement (and) inspiring Modern dance is about being seen words like Maya Angelou’s that give us and heard, Battle said, and is an exa sense that, yes, we can create a better ample of art as a weapon of change. “There are echoes of what history can world,” she said. Part of the specific power of “No teach us,” he said. The goal is “to have Longer Silent” is its connection to the work that shakes our consciousness enduring issue of refugees. Both Kayand calls on our heart.” Music can say things that can’t be ongo and Baxter are former refugees fully expressed in words, said Derreck who were welcomed by the United Kayongo, the new CEO of the rights States. But Baxter, who was born in a center. He broke into an a cappella displaced persons camp in Sweden in “We Shall Overcome” to demonstrate 1946, noted that the door was closed to music’s power to express revolutionary Schulhoff and millions of others before ideas. Baxter compared “We Shall Over- World War II. When the United States come” and its role in the civil rights and 31 other countries met in Evian, movement to “The Partisan Hymn” and France, in July 1938 to discuss the its inspiration for Jews who resisted the growing crisis of Jews trying to escape Hitler, only the Dominican Republic Nazis.

offered to accept any refugees, and Baxter said that was a cynical attempt to lighten the population compared with neighboring Haiti, not a genuine humanitarian effort. The failure of the Evian conference gave Hitler a green light, she said, leading directly to Kristallnacht a few months later. Such big-picture history, even when it parallels modern problems, can be lost on students. Baxter said history reaches young people when something old like “Ogelala” is made new through a creation like “No Longer Silent” that tells one person’s story. The lessons learned about persecution and injustice three-quarters of a century ago translate to teens’ lives today as a message against bullying and for mutual respect and human rights. “The key to human beings is rights,” Kayongo said. “If you can understand rights, you can understand everything.” ■ What: “No Longer Silent” Who: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Where: Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., Midtown When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 13 (other dances are part of those programs and will be performed other nights that week) Tickets: $25 and up; www.foxatltix. com or 855-285-8499

Suitcase to Survival

Paula Gris shares story of her family’s defiance of Nazi death

he crowd to see Paula Neuman Gris speak leaked out of the announcement hall, and people gathered in the lobby to watch on a TV screen, including many of Gris’ friends. Her story Sunday, Jan. 17, for the Breman Museum’s “Bearing Witness” series began with the birth of her sister, Sylvia. A curfew limited the times when Jews could leave their homes, but her mother, Etka, went into labor at night. In an act of rebellion, amid labor pains, she went through the streets, risking arrest or being shot, to reach her Jewish midwife and deliver her baby. “In the morning, she wrapped the baby up in the blanket that she had brought and walked back to the house. And there I was, standing and waiting for her,” said Gris, who was still a toddler after being born in 1938. “I think

it was probably the last time that I retained some kind of sense of childhood in me. Until the end of the war, my mother and I were in a partnership … to stay alive and to keep this child alive.” In 1941, the Jews in Chernovitz, Romania (now Ukraine), received the order to get ready to leave. The order stated, under a directive to “cleanse the Earth,” they had two hours to pack two bags, and they would leave. Gris’ father, Simon, had been hauled off as slave labor by the Russians in 1940. Her mother realized she could not pack two bags because she needed one hand to carry the baby. So she packed one, hiding money and papers in the corners and jewelry to bargain with someday, and they left. “Our little blue suitcase is the only thing that we have that came from our home in Chernovitz and traveled with us through a series of places until it

landed in a glass case at the Breman Museum,” Gris said. “She packed into that suitcase some photographs, some documents that she thought would help us to get out of there or help her to somehow find my father and ransom him out. She packed some diapers for the baby, a towel, some soap.” Gris thinks she asked whether they could pack her blanket or her bear, but her mother said no. Instead, Paula had to carry a soup can. That was the last time she cried until the war was over. In November 1941 the order came to transport the Jews to Transnistria. The cattle cars were filled with people who only wanted to go home. It was a cold winter, and the trip produced high mortality from the cold and the fear. Her mother got a small paper that allowed them to stay in the ghetto for nine months, delaying their deportation until June 1942.

Photo by Cole Seidner

Paula Gris is shown as she was during World War II.

Gris reiterated the idea that the methods used to destroy millions of Jews differed among countries, with Auschwitz highlighting efficiency over the weathered ways of Transnistria. Her mother worked in a rock quarry while Paula and her sister learned to hide and stay quiet. They waited for their mother to come home, then waited for morning. Every day was fearful. There was no energy to play because the “fear made people lethargic.” Gris said that had she stayed another month, she has no doubt that she would have died there. Instead, she, her mother and her sister survived the war 9 and escaped to the West. ■

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

By Cole Seidner

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OPINION

Our View

Dream Betrayed

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

n Monday, Jan. 18, U.S. Sen. David Perdue issued a statement honoring Martin Luther King Jr., whose “actions to advance justice continue to inspire us all to do better.” Two days later, Perdue blocked justice and betrayed King’s ideals. The first-termer scuttled the U.S. District Court nomination of a fellow Georgia Republican, Dax Lopez, because of concerns about “his longstanding participation in a controversial organization.” That controversial organization isn’t the Communist Party or domestic terrorists ready to seize Fort McPherson, nor is Lopez tied to neo-Nazis or the Klan, neither of which would likely welcome the Jewish Latino from DeKalb County. No, the dread group is the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. For Lopez, a Latino elected official as a state judge, being part of GALEO is about as radical as Congressman John Lewis being a member of the NAACP. In fact, the NAACP, with its responses to issues of concern to the black community, such as police shootings and Confederate memorials, could be seen as every bit as controversial as GALEO, whose offense is activism for Hispanics, even those here illegally. Standing up for Latinos puts GALEO on the wrong side of a rabid group of activists for whom absolutism on immigration — no illegals, no amnesty, no reform, no exceptions — is a political litmus test. That rabid group has the ear of Perdue, who gave far less time to Lopez than to people such as D.A. King, a rhetorical warrior against “the vast, corporatefunded illegal alien lobby.” To put King in perspective, he wants to oust Rep. Tom Price, one of the most conservative members of the House Republican leadership, for being too soft on immigration enforcement. King threatened the political futures of Perdue and senior Sen. Johnny Isakson if Lopez even got a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. By custom, the Senate does not consider judicial nominations unless the senators from the nominee’s state give the go-ahead. Isakson told King that Lopez deserved a hearing. Perdue, whose cousin Sonny Perdue made Lopez a judge in 2010, disagreed. We’re not sure which possibility is worse: that Perdue is scared of King or that he agrees with him. There’s no reason to believe every member of the GALEO board, on which Lopez served, agrees on every decision and every position, any more than we expect unanimity among the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta board. Regardless, we reject the idea that membership in a mainstream advocacy group should be grounds for automatic rejection. Lopez did not deserve confirmation for being Jewish or Latino or Republican. Nor should he have been rejected for those associations or any others, including GALEO. Judging an individual requires examining his actions, beliefs and court decisions. We don’t know how Lopez would have done under committee scrutiny, although the vehemence with which his opponents fought his hearing leads us to suspect he would have won over the Senate. The point is that Perdue, by prejudging the judge, betrayed Martin Luther King’s dream to see people judged by the content of their character. The senator 10 thus betrayed all the people of Georgia. ■

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Patrick Chappatte, The International New York Times

Farewell to AJT’s Heart and Soul

ran Memberg, as a member of the editorial had heard in the community. (Fran was amazingly staff of the Atlanta Jewish Times, was one of plugged in to Jewish Atlanta for someone who wasn’t the first people I met when I moved to Atlanta from around here.) to work for this newspaper in 2005, and more than a It’s no secret that the AJT went through turbudecade later, I can admit that I underestimated her. lent times the past 15 years. Editors, writers, publishIt was easy to do. After all, Fran was tiny, quiet ers, ad salespeople, owners and even offices came and not prone to assert herself. and went, but Fran was a constant. She held on She was also the backbone of the Jewish Times. longer than anyone with a more volatile, less steely As community editor, Fran disposition could handled the most important have, and she, as items in the paper. Our readers much as anyone, deEditor’s Notebook differ on what they like to read serves credit for the in the news and opinion sections paper’s survival. By Michael Jacobs and whether they care about arts, When I came mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com business and sports. But almost back to the AJT, Fran everyone turns to the simchas was one of the first and looks through the event calpeople I asked to endar, and those sections constituted Fran’s domain. write for the newspaper again. The AJT and I needed Not coincidentally, those are the areas where her at least as much in January 2015 as in August the AJT of today falls far short of the AJT of 10 years 2005, and although she was frail from a long health ago. Now, we might have one simcha announcement battle, she agreed. every couple of weeks; then, we had pages of births, Once again, we were fortunate to be graced by b’nai mitzvah, engagements and weddings each her contributions. Each of them — the local angle issue, plus the Simcha Spotlight, which I am certain on the Streit’s factory closing, a kidney donation, Bet was the most read story every week. Haverim’s purchase of the old Young Israel building, Fran, who managed the flow of announcements an educational foundation working with hospitalat a time when they came in on handwritten forms ized children, the personal bonds of the Friendship she had to type up, had a flawless ability to read beCircle — was special. Few would have appeared in tween the lines to find great human interest stories the AJT without Fran to suggest and execute them. and the common sense to recognize that every once It hurts to write these next words: We won’t see in a while she just had to make the best of a relaFran’s byline again. She died Thursday, Jan. 21, suctively dull bunch of celebrations. cumbing to the disease that had sapped her strength Fran had a great nose for the news, and it and made her wither in body without denting her made the whole paper better. While maintaining an mind or spirit. impressive calendar, she picked out — months in Her loss is greatest, of course, to her husband, advance — the events we needed to cover and those Don; her sons, Michael, Matthew and Larry; and her we should preview. She always came to our weekly grandchildren, including those yet to be born. I hope they can take comfort from knowing that in the stoeditorial meetings with a file folder stuffed with ries that will go untold, all of us in this community story ideas based on calendar items, news she had will feel the loss of the nicest person I knew. ■ spotted in other publications or online, or things she

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OPINION

Resist Georgia’s ‘Freedom’ of LGBT Discrimination resources have been devoted to an issue that is irrelevant. Georgia already has legitimate religious protections. However, these bills blatantly attempt to discriminate against gay and trans-

Guest Column By Rebecca Stapel-Wax

gender people. Georgians are often incredulous that our gay and transgender citizens can be fired, can be denied housing and can lack access to health care simply because of who they are — and because Georgia has no statewide civil rights protections. In other states we have seen the disastrous impact of this type of legislation. The convention industry and corporations take their money and talent elsewhere. At a time when our economy is of grave concern and there has been a tremendous move-

My Friend Fran

unday, Jan. 24, at noon, I stood in the cold near the light patches of snow at Crest Lawn Memorial Park as Rabbi Karmi David Ingber spoke about my dear friend Fran Memberg a”h, who died after a long, valiant battle with a muscular disease. Rabbi Ingber of The Kehilla, which Fran and her husband, Don, helped start, spoke about the many attributes Fran possessed. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, writer and mentor. Several years ago, when I was struggling to sit down at the computer and write an article or essay, I needed that mentoring. When she saw something I wrote that she liked, she emailed me right away and said, “This might be your niche.” She also emailed me addresses where to send my freelance work, readily sharing her contact information. With Fran’s encouragement, I kept writing. Rabbi Ingber said that in researching her articles, Fran never looked for controversy. She always searched for the good. That made sense when one of the speakers said Fran wrote a column on simchas for the Atlanta Jewish Times. The speaker

pointed out that Fran probably wrote about the simchas of many of the

Guest Column By R.M. Grossblatt

people attending her funeral. Many family members spoke about Fran’s love of life: the importance she placed on writing thank-you notes; the recipes that she shared, like the chicken soup and beef stew that her sons now make and her famous challah that everyone enjoyed. The most poignant speech was by Don, who told how he and Fran met over 40 years ago. As each person spoke, the temperature rose, melting the patches of snow. It was almost as if Fran, my friend, my writing mentor, who had been full of life until her most recent illness, was smiling again. Maybe she was mentoring all of us to look for the good in life, including beautiful weather ahead with more simchas. May her memory be for a blessing. ■ • See Fran Memberg’s obituary, Page 29.

ment toward gay and transgender equality, these efforts are baffling. And they are antithetical to the foundation of Judaism. Last year 19 Atlanta-area rabbis attended rallies, wrote position papers and spoke from the pulpit because they were aghast that religion was being used to discriminate. There was not a rabbi in our city who endorsed this legislation. In response to these proposed bills, Peter Berg, The Temple’s senior rabbi, recently sent out a communitywide email. He wrote, “I am a Rabbi and I stand squarely against any legislation that would permit people or businesses to use religion as an excuse to deny service, shelter, or employment to LGBT Georgians. … That gives religion a bad name.” It might go without saying, but I am quite certain that when specific legislators consider their need for religious protection, they aren’t considering Jews. These bills are too reminiscent of

the past, when portions of the community were targeted for being different from the dominant culture. As Rabbi Berg referenced, one of our basic Jewish teachings is to treat others as you wish to be treated. We have a T-shirt emblem at SOJOURN with a twist on the Bible’s commandment; rather than “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), we prefer to love our neighbors even if they are not like ourselves. Almost everyone in our community knows and/or loves someone who is gay or transgender. We would never intentionally hurt them. That is why we can’t let this legislation pass. Contact your representatives today. In practicing your freedom of speech and religion, insist that they represent your Jewish ethics and ideals. Let them know that you do not support discrimination. ■ Rebecca Stapel-Wax is the founding executive director of SOJOURN: The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity.

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JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

n Thursday, Jan. 21, in the Georgia legislature, Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, introduced the fourth religious exemptions bill of the legislative session. His bill, called the First Amendment Defense Act, would allow publicly funded organizations across Georgia to claim religious exemptions from nondiscrimination laws and discriminate against same-sex couples. It has been less than three weeks since the 2016 legislative session began, and legislators have introduced similar bills claiming to protect religious freedom: the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, S.B. 129, which was introduced in last year’s part of the session; H.B. 756, which would allow private businesses to discriminate against LGBT people; and its sister H.B. 757, the Pastor Protection Act, which would affirm already-safe First Amendment rights. This is the third consecutive year that time, money and multiple

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OPINION

Reflections on Terrorism

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

hat occupies our attention is terrorism. We feel threatened by the events in Paris and in the United States. Perhaps our heightened fear results not only from the events, but also from the TV portrayal. The viewing public is led to believe that terrorism is something new and is rooted in the aggressive nature of Islamic teaching. Neither is necessarily true. Terrorism has existed in the past and will probably exist throughout the human future. Is it due to Islam’s teachings? I cannot deny that Islam is aggressive compared with Buddhism, but it is no more aggressive than Christianity was and perhaps still is. Because Middle East terrorists use Islam to justify their acts, we blame terrorism mostly on the nature and teaching of that religion, forgetting that Christians used their religion to justify their terrorism in the past. I do not justify terror in any form. The terror that I experienced in the Holocaust was enough for me. I oppose any form of human insanity, especially killing in the name of G-d. I do wish to live in a sane world just as much as did Micah and Isaiah, and just like them I would like to live in a world without fear. To achieve such a state, if we ever could, we need to understand the reasons why people are willing to act insanely. Our sages in Pirkei Avot tell us that to make any judgment of people’s action, we must first stand in their place. In short, we must seek to understand the reason for terrorism so that we may alter the conditions that bring it on. Let me propose that if we wish to understand the reasons for presentday terrorism, we must begin by looking at it from the terrorist point of view. We must see terrorism from their perspective. What we call terrorism they call wars of liberation. This was true when the founders of these United States began their war of liberation, which the British considered an act of rebellion and terrorism. Relativism also holds true when we wish to differentiate between who is a hero and who is a traitor. One side’s heroes are considered by the other side as traitors. Hero and traitor depend on who won the war. I am fairly sure that all those 12 thousands of soldiers who were

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declared by Germany as heroes and were decorated with various crosses and medals hid their decorations after the war somewhere deep under their shirts in their chifforobes. The more a German soldier was decorated by his state, the more likely that he would be

One Man’s View By Eugen Schoenfeld

considered a villain by the victors. The same holds true about terrorists. While we in the Western world see them as villains and criminals, their own people see them as heroes who will be rewarded not only in this life, if they survive, but also in the next life with the pleasures of 72 virgins. Wars have always been a tragic event for people. War forces us to kill, and we are taught to accept the probability of being killed. The moral issue of killing is, however, not clear to me. In the past morals related to war were somewhat clearer. These morals were based on differentiating combatants from noncombatants. This differentiation made killing the enemy legal and perhaps even morally justified, but only when the action was directed at combatants. Combatants wore uniforms; noncombatants were civilians who, theoretically, were safe from war action. This is precisely the issue of the Amalekites’ behavior in the Torah. The Torah considers them evil because they violate the rules of warfare. Shortly after the Israelites depart Egypt, the Amalekites attack them from the rear, killing the old, the infirm, the women and the children — the defenseless noncombatants who should not be engaged in battle. The Torah therefore declares the Amalekites evil and proposes that G-d will punish them and that their memory will be erased from history. But World War II changed things. Many former Russian and French soldiers discarded their uniforms after the fall of their country but remained combatants with the blessing of their countrymen. Hence, a pseudo-military organization arose to fight an invading army with whatever means possible. These were the members of the Resistance in France and the Partisans in the Russian forests. The Germans called them terrorists. Still, the mem-

bers of these pseudo-armies observed the rule of attacking only the enemy — that is, the German army — without forays into Germany to terrorize the population. That was left to the military. To understand the motivation of pseudo-armies such as Islamic State and al-Qaida, I wish to relate my own indoctrination into what some called a terrorist organization. In my early teens I was imbued with a perspective that could have influenced me to become, in today’s view, a terrorist. In 1939 at age 14, I joined Betar, a revisionist Zionist movement founded on the ideologies espoused by Ze’ev Jabotinsky. I and my friends became Anglophobes. We expressed our hostility toward the British by singing a Hebrew song, “Ali-Baba,” with great gusto. The lyrics of “Ali-Baba” included: “The English police — may its name be erased forever, and we will dance the Ali-Baba when we shall murder them.” What brought on this urge to fight Britain, perhaps as terrorists? The song expressed my anger against Britain, which ruled Palestine. I and many young Zionists believed and hoped that England, a modern and supposedly moral country, would open the gates to our homeland. Lord Balfour, the British foreign secretary, in a letter sent to Lord Rothschild in 1917 declared that the British government looked favorably on the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. But Britain reneged on its promise, and in 1939, a scant six months after Kristallnacht, the British government issued the MacDonald White Paper, which rejected the Balfour promise and under Chamberlain’s administration reduced Jewish immigration to Palestine to a trickle. In 1939 Germany’s Judenrein policy was in effect. My reaction to this British anti-Semitic declaration was anger. The tragedies that we Jews experienced in the last two millennia were to be experienced again. As I see it, Islamic terrorism is influenced by historical Christian hostilities against Muslims and by rising forms of colonialism. No doubt, as I stated earlier, Islam is an aggressive religion. It seeks a power position in the world. It challenged Christianity’s attempt to become the universal (i.e., Catholic) religion. The Theodosian Code (380 C.E.) declared that Christianity was the only legitimate belief and that other beliefs were advocated by foolish and

ignominious madmen and heretics who not only would be chastised by G-d, but also should be punished by the church authorities according to the will of heaven. This was also true in Islam. Based on the Quran, Muslims declared that Islam alone carried G-d’s new message to the world from the Prophet Muhammad and that those who refused to accept this view not only would be punished by G-d, but also should be punished by Islamic states. What about attacking innocent civilians? Is this not terrorism? Let us not forget that since World War II we have erased this distinction. Have we not killed civilians in carpet bombing and in the firebombing of Dresden? Isn’t our policy to treat all the people with whom we are at war as combatants? Don’t we use a new phrase, “collateral damage,” to justify civilian casualties as an unfortunate aspect of modern warfare? It is time that we get uninvolved from inter-Islamic problems as though they were still our colonies. We must free Islam and let Muslim society mature, evolve, change and follow its own bent. Most important, we must cease being a nation of missionaries preaching to anyone and everyone our political beliefs. No longer do we need to practice or support colonialism in whatever form. Instead of going to war, let us be content to secure the land in which we live. We must cease seeking domination of others and instead be content with spending our energies for the improvement of our own country. Most important, we must cease to offer human sacrifices to a new Molech, a new god of war, and to its followers who feel that all problems can be solved by war. Let us stop believing that the only solution to problems with other nations is war. It is a fallacy to believe that problems are solved with the stick and that bigger problems are solved with bigger sticks. Our fallen soldiers fought heroically, but they unfortunately were the burned sacrifice offered by the worshippers of the new Molech. They are the victims of unnecessary wars and of power-greedy politicians. We must break the cycle of aggression. Remember the teaching of Hillel, who cautioned us when he saw a skull floating on the water. He said: Because you drowned others, others have drowned you, and those who have drowned you shall themselves be drowned. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

A Day for the Trees

n Shabbat, Jan. 23, a dusting of snow fell on Atlanta, and the temperature barely rose above freezing — a day fit for neither animal nor vegetable. But the sun returned Sunday, Jan. 24, and created a cool, crisp but pleasant day for Trees Atlanta’s annual Tu B’Shevat tree planting. Dozens of volunteers took advantage of the respite from the cold, wet weather of the previous week to line the residential streets in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood with young trees in time to mark the new year of the trees, which ran from the evening of Jan. 24 to the evening of Jan. 25. ■

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Photos by Eli Gray, Gray Imaging

A: Tyler Brown digs in to prepare a place for a tree. B: Erik Kolesar, Charlotte Kolesar and Amanda Barnett combine their efforts for a new tree resident of Kirkwood. C: Those familiar orange Home Depot buckets are used to carry water to the freshly planted trees. D: As she does every year, Myrtle Lewin of Trees Atlanta and Ahavath Achim Synagogue helps facilitate the planting. E: Greg Maelzan and Karen Burgess secure a spot for a tree in the narrow strip between the sidewalk and the street. F: Leah Zigmond and Eva Masarek help welcome families to the tree planting. G: Emilia Stark and Max Tinter enlist some young help. H: Bruce Ribner finishes the planting of a tree. I: Volunteers put their backs into the tree-planting effort. J: Neil Norton and Lee Vandrills get down and dirty during the planting. K: The Tu B’Shevat planting is a family affair. L: Jewish Atlanta’s Johnny Appleseed, Ranger Robby Astrove, pitches in with the Kirkwood planting.

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AJT

ACROSS 2. Honor (20:12) 3. Voice (19:19) 4. Ox (20:14) 6. Name (18:4)

DOWN 1. Eat (18:12) 3. Holy (19:6) 5. Seek (18:15) 7. Altar (20:23)

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

• The library book you borrowed was missing 5 pages. • Your white shirt had a pen mark across the back of it.

Can you judge these situations favorably?

you be the judge

As we read about the events at Har Sinai, remember what Rashi says in Parshat Behar - as with shmita, all the principles and its finer details were all stated from Sinai."

PARSHAt LESSON

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

CROSSWORD

• Moshe and his father-in-law reuniting. (18:5) • Yitro giving advice to Moshe on how to judge the people. (18:13)

Act out these scenes with friends and family:

PARSHA SKIT ideas

Courage: Dream big and set high goals even if others think you can't reach them!

R H N R I S E E N

F W D A T E R E W

L H T E M S A T E P

A E I H V E R Y V S

H A L R N U U P T L

T T E A E B O M N E

Brought to you by:

I O D Y L O H A N

F C D R I H T S T

www.thefamousabba.com

WORD FIND

Find the bold italic words on this sheet. The unused letters spell a secret message!

Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, heard everything that HaShem did for the Jewish people and came to Moshe in the desert. Moshe accepted Yitro’s advice to set up a system of judges to ease Moshe’s burden. In the third month after leaving Egypt the Jewish people arrived at Har Sinai. At Sinai, HaShem told Moshe to tell the people that if they listen to HaShem the people will be His beloved treasure, a kingdom of ministers, and a holy nation. The people were commanded to sanctify themselves and prepare for receiving the Torah. Thunder and lightning, a heavy cloud, and shofar blasts preceded HaShem’s giving of the Torah; then He said the Ten Commandments: to know HaShem, not to recognize other gods, not to take HaShem’s name in vain, to sanctify the Shabbat, to honor one’s father and mother, not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to bear false witness, and not to be jealous. The entire people saw the thunder and flames, the sound of the shofar, and the smoking mountain and they trembled and stood far away. HaShem commanded the Jewish people to build an altar to offer sacrifices.

SLATE

NROOH

YEKODN

YADS

FIG

‫ק‬

‫לז‬ ‫כה ס‬ -‫ י ÷ ז‬x‫ד‬

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

400 300 200 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

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

‫כה קב ק‬ ‫ד‬ x ‫ ב‬- ‫ כב‬x ‫ יב‬+ ‫א‬

One thing that was seen at Har Sinai.

gematria

Are the following things from the written or oral Torah? • Grace After the Meal • To blow the shofar on Rosh Hashana • To recite the Shema • To Fast on Tisha b'Av

DATE

GRAPE

SPELT

written or oral law

BARLEY WHEAT

Which one is different? (Hint: The 7 Species of Israel)

spot the difference

The Torah doesn’t say much about me. I had one brother. I had a very famous father and my mother had 6 sisters. My uncle was the first High Priest. My parents gave me my name because my father said "I was a stranger in a foreign land”.

WHO AM I?

(Hint: The Ten Commandments)

HRETA

(scramble)

20 SHEVAT 5776 PARSHAT YITRO

ESUHO

WORD CMRLESAB

SUPER SHABBat SHEET

good trait OF THE MONTH

CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 4:30 P.M.

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

EDUCATION www.atlantajewishtimes.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Bomb Scare, No Bomb at AJA

The Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School in Doraville was evacuated in response to a bomb threat Tuesday morning, Jan. 26, but no explosives were found. Doraville police and the DeKalb County bomb squad responded to the threat, which was called in around 10 a.m. While they searched the private Jewish high school, students, staff and faculty were evacuated to the parking lot of Northwoods United Methodist Church a block away. “They called us, and we evacuated the building to make sure all the kids were safe,” Doraville police spokesman Gene Callaway said at the scene. “Baruch HaShem, nothing happened.” Students and teachers were allowed back in the building just after noon, and Doraville police left the scene shortly after. An investigation into the threat is ongoing, according to police. AJA sold the building last year to the Tapestry Public Charter School as part of the Jewish day school’s move to consolidate all students on its Sandy Springs campus in the future. For now, AJA and Tapestry share the building. Visit www.atlantajewishtimes.com for updates on this developing story.

One and Done

For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s $58 million budget for tax credits to support private schools was gone on the first day of applications. Last year, when the Georgia Department of Revenue began processing applications for the Qualified Education Expense Credit on Jan. 1, the total requested that day exceeded the cap, and each person received a prorated credit worth 63.4 percent of the full amount earned. This year, application processing began Jan. 4, and demand for the credit was even higher. As a result, the Department of Revenue expects the prorated credit for each person to be 53.36 percent of the requested amount.

All-State at Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin Academy sophomore Isaac Reiss has been selected to play trumpet in the Georgia Music Educators Association’s All-State Concert Band. It will be Isaac’s third time performing at All-State. The first performance will be SaturIsaac Reiss day, Feb. 6 at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, and the second will be at the Classic Center in Athens on Saturday, March 5. John Madden, professor of music and director of the symphonic band at Michigan State University, will conduct Isaac’s group. Isaac has played with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta and now plays with the Rialto Youth Jazz Orchestra and a small jazz combo at Georgia State University under the direction of Gordon Vernick. He also plays with renowned jazz artist Joe Gransden.

Sophomore Rem Hellmann planned the King Day program. “Having gone through similar struggles, we should be present for the black community,” Rem said. “The conSherry Frank versation about black rights in America — and even Latino, Asian and Muslim rights in America — has nothing to do with political views or religious beliefs. It has to do with love for other people, for America and for our world.”

Day Schools Unite

Five of North America’s leading Jewish day school organizations and networks — PARDES: Day Schools of Reform Judaism, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network, the Schechter Day School Network and the Yeshiva University School Partnership — have agreed to form an integrated Jewish day school organization. The decision recognizes that a combined day school organization (NewOrg until a name is finalized) will more effectively meet the diverse needs of schools by pooling the talent, exper-

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Black-Jewish Learning

Sherry Frank, the former longtime head of the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta office, explained the roots of Atlanta’s Black-Jewish Coalition as the featured speaker at the Weber School’s special Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. Frank said the coalition began as concerned citizens, including Congressman John Lewis, campaigning for the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. “There’s a history of blacks and Jews marching together and dying together,” Frank said. “Increasing the understanding and interaction between Jews and blacks starts with a conversation.”

tise and resources dispersed among the five agencies. The new organization will offer an expanded set of programs, services and networking opportunities to benefit the more than 375 schools and close to 100,000 students served by the separate groups, as well as any other schools interested in participating. NewOrg is committed to improving financial health and educational excellence in Jewish day schools. It will work with individual schools, groups of schools, and professional and lay leaders to strengthen skills and build capacity in areas of teaching and learning, leadership, governance, affordability, recruitment, retention, fund development, and endowment building. The organizations’ leadership voted for integration after nearly a year of planning involving two people from each group and representatives of the Avi Chai Foundation. That planning team worked with heads of schools, other professionals, lay leaders, funders and others on a business plan. “The formation of a single, integrated day school organization will optimize the quality of services we provide to the schools we serve, giving them the resources they need to build the strongest possible future,” the planning team said in a statement.

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JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Photo by David R. Cohen

Doraville police establish a perimeter around the AJA Upper School the morning of Jan. 26 while the DeKalb County bomb squad sweep the building and search for explosive devices.

Under the QEE Credit, taxpayers can apply for a dollar-for-dollar credit on their state income taxes for donations made to organizations that distribute the money as scholarships at private schools. One example that works with many of the Jewish day schools and some preschools is the ALEF Fund, an independent nonprofit organization established by and housed with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. The good news is that unused credits can be carried over to future tax returns for up to five years. The bad news is that there’s no sign of the General Assembly raising the $58 million cap even as the credit grows in popularity each year.

AJT 15

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Arab rescue team. The existence of a 60-member search-and-rescue team wearing Israel Defense Forces uniforms in the Israeli Arab town of Abu Gosh may surprise you. The team’s leader, Muslim Imad Jaber, said: “We rescue people. It doesn’t matter gender, race or religion. Our goal is to save human lives.” Israeli help for India. The World Bank’s International Finance Corp. has launched TechEmerge — a project matching top Israeli health technology innovators with interested health care providers in India. India needs Israeli technology to address a rise in noncommunicable chronic diseases. Smart streetlights. Gaash Lighting, based at Kibbutz Gaash, is installing its Apollo LED streetlights in the southern Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam. The lights not only save energy, but also include WiFi repeaters, security cameras, temperature and air quality sensors, and systems to measure traffic congestion. Spotting water leaks from space. Rosh Ha’ayin-based startup Utilis Israel

uses readily available satellite images to pinpoint underground water leaks. Spectral microwave imaging, plus Utilis’ patented set of algorithms, tracks the signature of drinking water as it leaks from distribution pipes. Cancer treatment to fight Alzheimer’s. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have discovered that PD-1 blockers used as cancer treatments can destroy the plaque in the brain that causes Alzheimer’s disease. The blockers keep the immune system working to fight disease and repair damage in the body. Aging with dignity. In Israel, although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, Ezer Mizion provides caregiver services, a counseling center, an empowerment center, walking groups, a variety of workshops, visits by volunteers and a Bonding With Motion program. Foods that trigger autoimmune diseases. Scientists at the Technion in Haifa and in Germany have discovered evidence that certain processed foods damage the intestine and weaken its resistance to bacteria, toxins and other

hostile elements. This “leaky gut” syndrome increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases. Childhood spine repair. Australian, Canadian and American children are traveling to Europe and Israel for the Israeli-developed ApiFix nonfusion treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (twisted spine).

as A-Wa, or “yes” in Arabic slang. They are descendants of Yemeni Jews who immigrated to Israel decades ago. Their YouTube videos have had more than 2 million views and are extremely popular in Yemen and other Arab states. A-Wa will perform at the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival with Jaffa Road on Saturday, March 26, at Terminal West.

More potential natural gas. Seismic surveys have located an estimated 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea at Israel’s new Daniel natural gas field. The discovery is of similar size to the massive Tamar deposit being extracted.

Farmhouse unearthed after 2,700 years. A 2,700-year-old farmhouse was discovered during recent excavations before the construction of a neighborhood near the town of Rosh Ha’ayin, just east of Tel Aviv. Archaeologists uncovered the ruins of a Byzantine monastery built on the site 1,200 years later.

Songs for Schubert. In honor of Franz Schubert’s birthday Sunday, Jan. 31, the Schubertiade takes place in Israel. There are concerts at the Israel Music Conservatory in Tel Aviv, Hechal Hatarbut in Rishon Lezion, the Mishkan Performing Arts Center in Ra’anana, and the Mormon University in Jerusalem.

Feeding the poor. For the 1.6 million Israelis living under the poverty line, hunger is a reality, but 8,000 Pantry Packers volunteers distribute monthly food boxes to more than 40,000 families in 24 cities. The Colel Chabad-run volunteer center celebrates its third anniversary Sunday, Jan. 31.

Headliners a hit with Arabs. Sisters Tair, Liron and Tagel Haim are known

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

Israel Photo of the Week

Torah Honors IDF Dead JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Photo by Kobi Gideon, Israeli Government Press Office

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Jan. 14, helped complete the final letters of a Torah scroll dedicated to the memory of fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The event continued an August welcoming ceremony at the Western Wall for 73 Torah scrolls in memory of IDF soldiers. Those Torahs were sent to cities around Israel, and representatives of Yad Lebanim and the Defense Ministry’s Unit for Commemorating Fallen Soldiers brought one scroll to the prime minister to help inscribe the final letters. “The completion of this Torah scroll expresses the sanctity of life and the great pain that we feel over the loss of our sons and daughters,” Netanyahu said. “But this is the price of our life, and this is the great difference in the history of our people. Before we established the state, we were like a leaf blown about by the wind. They freely slaughtered us and killed us; today, we can strike at our enemies and frustrate their aims of annihilation.”

TRAVEL 5 Campgrounds OK’d

The Israeli Tourism Ministry approved granting 2.5 million shekels ($628,000) Jan. 11 to support efforts to establish five overnight campgrounds with 1,432 beds: Park Savir in the Central Arava; Kibbutz Beit Haemek in the Western Galilee; Ein Zivan on the Golan Heights; Ahuzat Hazan at Har Gilo; and on the Spice Route in the Negev. The Tourism Ministry is contributing about 20 percent of the 10,736,000 ($2.7 million) cost of the projects to promote budget travel. “I meet not only Israelis, but also pilgrim groups who are looking at ways to reduce the cost of their visit to Israel, and there is insufficient supply of overnight camping lots in Israel,” Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi said. “The modern tourist stays in luxury hotels but also enjoys a few nights’ camping.” Travelers spent a record 365,000 nights in Israel Nature and Parks Authority campgrounds in 2015. A report from the authority shows that the most popular camping spots were in the south of the country for Israelis (with about 100,000 nights), as well as Hurshat Tal in the Galilee and beaches (about 70,000 nights each). The authority improved campgrounds last year with hot showers, barbecue areas, family picnic tables, and the opportunity to rent tents, mattresses and other equipment. Israel has about 60 campgrounds, 22 of which the INPA operates.

Fines for Fake Stars

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JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Jan. 6 approved Tourism Ministry regulations allowing fines of up to 9,000 shekels (about $2,260) for hotels that publish misleading and unofficial star ratings. “We are putting an end to the widespread deception of consumers and stopping the unacceptable method of hotels awarding themselves star ratings that do not match the actual standard of the hotel,” Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said. Israel has a voluntary system of star ratings, and only about 25 hotels have registered, including the Yehuda, David Citadel, Mamilla, Jerusalem Gold and American Colony in Jerusalem, the Gilgal and Arbel Suites in Tel Aviv, and the Hod Hamidbar at the Dead Sea. An additional 16 hotels are being rated. According to the requirements of the Tourism Ministry, hoteliers have pledged that at least 100 hotels will join the star system. If hotels don’t meet that goal, the Tourism Ministry could make the ratings process mandatory.

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TRAVEL

JNF Lawyers Mission Finds Normalcy, Inspiration

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

esilience and humanity are two of the characteristics of Israeli society that I observed in a recent law and justice mission trip to Israel: resilience in the continuation of vibrant life, commerce and tourism as normal, which belies the image that we receive from reports of terror attacks, and humanity in the extreme kindness and caring demonstrated by the Israeli community partners and social service agencies that we visited. Thus, just before Thanksgiving, I was fortunate to be one of 31 lawyers, judges and law enforcement officials who participated in a weeklong study mission sponsored by the Jewish National Fund USA and its Lawyers for Israel Society. Our trip included lectures and meetings with law professors, judges, prosecutors, the deputy national public defender, practicing attorneys, Chief Inspector Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the Israel Police, and officials of the Israel Military Justice System. We saw confirmation that Israel is a democratic nation governed by the rule of law with a well-established civil and criminal justice system available to all Israeli citizens. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Yona Yahav, the longtime mayor of Haifa, a city with a diverse population and history of coexistence among Arab and Jewish residents, and to visit communities and social service agencies supported by JNF in the Galilee and Negev. Before the formal trip, I visited friends representing different sectors of Israeli society. I enjoyed dinner in Jerusalem with a young, American-born social media entrepreneur, Eliyokim Cohen (son of Richard and Sheryl Cohen, whose brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Danielle Cohen, live in Ros well). Cohen founded Jews News, one of the largest Jewish-content Facebook sites, with over 1.2 million followers. I then headed to the Arava in the southern Negev for a weekend with Ezra and Debbie Ravins at their lovely home in Zofar, a moshav farming community on the border with Jordan. Ezra and Debbie are true pioneers. As newlyweds they moved to the Arava over 30 years ago to farm the land and raise five children; one of their daughters, Netta, lives in Zofar with her husband, Dany, and two daughters. Ezra is the former mayor of the Central Arava Council and recently completed a two18 year stay in Atlanta as a JNF emissary.

AJT

In addition to learning about the rigors of desert agriculture (they grow peppers, primarily for export) and touring ancient Nabatean sites, I had the adventure of accompanying Ezra across the border to his farmland inside Jordan. A product of the border adjustments in the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, this arrangement to

Guest Column By Alan Lubel Alan Lubel plants a tree in the Halutza community, where JNF honoree Yedidya Harush offered a helping hand.

Alan Lubel visits the Supreme Court, where the JNF lawyers mission heard a presentation on the Israeli legal system.

allow Israelis to continue to farm land in Jordan stands as a little-known example of coexistence and cooperation. Legal System and Terrorism During the JNF trip, we gained an appreciation for the role lawyers and the legal system have in promoting stability, normality and humanity. While Israeli law is an amalgam of Turkish, British Mandate and Israeli statutory law, many concepts and procedures are familiar to U.S. lawyers, such as protection for intellectual property rights. Despite lacking a written constitution, Israel has a well-developed constitutional jurisprudence. The Israeli Supreme Court heard more than 9,000 cases the past year, compared with fewer than 100 by the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to acting as an appellate court, the Supreme Court sits as the High Court of Justice with original jurisdiction primarily regarding the legality of decisions of state authorities. Exercising a relaxed concept of justiciability, the court rules on petitions when it considers it necessary to grant relief in the interest of justice. Faced with Islamic State and Iranian-backed militants on Israel’s borders, we also learned how Israeli lawyers are on the forefront of dealing with terror-

ism. Israel has pioneered the concept — gaining recognition in the West — that because terrorist acts are equivalent to acts of war, traditional criminal law and procedure may be inadequate. Instead, internationally recognized rules of war, including principles of military necessity, proportionality and humanitarianism, are applicable. Israel assigns an independent legal officer to each military unit. As one officer explained, the importance of law is not just to protect territory, but “to protect the values of Israel,” including individual and human rights. Another highlight was hearing Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the founder of Tel Aviv’s Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, a civil rights institute providing representation and resources for terror victims. The center is a world leader in combating terrorist organizations and regimes that support terrorism. Following the model of the Southern Poverty Law Center in its landmark legal actions against the Ku Klux Klan, Shurat HaDin has represented victims to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments against terrorist organizations and against countries and entities that aid and abet terrorist activities and to tie up terrorist funding through enforcement actions. The law center has brought an action against Facebook over anti-Israeli hate speech and incitement to violence. Developing Communities No JNF trip to Israel would seem complete without planting trees. While we were no exception, our tree planting took on special significance because we planted fruit trees in the new Halutza region community of Yevul in the northwestern Negev, hard by the borders with Gaza and Egypt. (These communities were settled by Israelis displaced from Gush Katif when Israel

withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.) Joining us that day was Yedidya Harush, the dynamic Halutza leader honored last spring at JNF’s community breakfast. Besides planting trees, we met young families with newborns and observed a school and housing being built. Our group hoped that the growth of our fruit trees would parallel the development of these young families. We visited several partner programs and social service agencies that are examples of JNF’s vision for improving the lives of all Israelis. We toured the ALEH Negev state-of-theart residential facility, which provides medical and rehabilitative care for people with severe cognitive and developmental disabilities. This facility is the home to over 500 adults and serves more than 12,000 children and young adults each year on an outpatient basis. And no part of our trip was more inspiring than our visit to the Palmachim air force base, where we met young Israelis with special needs who are serving their country and receiving job training through the Special in Uniform program supported by JNF. A central lesson of our trip was summed up by Yohav, the Haifa mayor and a childhood family friend of Atlantan Aviva Gruber Postelnik’s. While this longtime political leader shared a sophisticated depth of knowledge on Middle East and world affairs, as well as a quick wit, he offered a simple explanation for the harmonious relations among the residents of Israel’s thirdlargest city: respect and honor for the traditions and cultures of all groups. For information on future legal missions, contact me or JNF/Atlanta. ■ Alan Lubel (alubel@lubellaw.com) is a lawyer in Buckhead and co-president of JNF’s Southeast Region.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Israel Despite Everything

V’

af al pi cheyn, v’lamrot hakol, Eretz, Eretz, Eretz Yisrael, “Nevertheless, despite everything, all Jews yearn for Eretz Yisrael.” My wife, Cheryl, and I recently returned from Israel. We went to celebrate two family weddings despite what the Israelis refer to as the Matzav (the Situation). David Suissa on www.aish.com in a great article, “Fear in Jerusalem,” calls this the “knife intifada, the latest version of the Arab war against the Jews.” After failing for 68 years to crush Israel with regular armies, suicide bombers, rockets, tunnels and the like, the enemy has now stumbled onto a brilliant strategy: Strike ordinary people anywhere, any time, any place, with ordinary weapons, like a kitchen knife or a car. Israel’s enemy is using Israel’s open society against itself, turning the country’s vibrant street life into the new battlefield. In this latest war, the choice targets are pedestrians. There’s no Iron Dome that can stop a knife that pops out of a terrorist’s pocket and no roadblock that can stop a car that barrels into pedestrians waiting for a bus. There’s no intelligence that can alert you to random acts of street terror. This is the One-Second Intifada, and there’s no easy way to stop it. Suissa writes: “There are different kinds of fears. Some fears are specific — you can stumble into a dangerous neighborhood, receive a bad diagnosis from a doctor or get caught up in a legal battle. Remove the circumstance, and the fear goes away. Other fears, however, are more generalized and random. You never know when something bad might happen. Violence can strike you anywhere, any time, any place. It is the latter fear that is permeating the city of Jerusalem these days. Every face is a potential assailant; every car a potential weapon.” I have visited Israel often the past 45 years — through wars, riots and intifadas — but I cannot ever before recall being afraid to walk its magical streets. Yes, during previous intifadas I would avoid large crowds or buses. But on this visit I always had to watch my back, and I noticed that other pedestrians were watching me, too. After all, I do look like a terrorist, don’t I? Israeli resiliency has overcome so many threats, but it is being severely tested by this One-Second Intifada. While we were in Jerusalem, we walked the streets by day and night,

visiting the sites and eating at the amazing new kosher restaurants — so amazing that I gained 10 pounds. But all the time, even on Shabbos — we had a can of Mace strapped to our belts. It was so eerie how normal it all seemed. In fact, Cheryl remarked as we were driving back from celebrating her birthday at the Dead Sea how she was just beginning to feel safe. The

Guest Column By Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis

next morning we read in The Jerusalem Post how two Palestinians stabbed a beloved rabbi at the Jaffa Gate to the Old City and how another Jew was killed in the melee. We had been there the day before. True to form, CNN’s headline reporting the attack read: “Four die in violent stabbing at Jaffa Gate.” And CBS was worse: “2 Palestinians killed after stabbing attack in Jerusalem.” But how the media report what happens in Israel is a discussion for another time. We thought we were safe when we left Jerusalem for a week in Tel Aviv, and we did feel safe walking the streets of Tel Aviv. But when we returned home, we received a text from our son, who was still there, not to worry because they were safe even though there was a shooting in Tel Aviv at a pub on busy Dizengoff Street just four blocks from where he was staying. I saw the video of the killer calmly buying vegetables in a grocery store before pulling out an Uzi submachine gun from his backpack as he exited the store and firing indiscriminately, killing two and wounding seven. Don’t get me wrong. I would go back to Israel tomorrow if I had a good reason to return. Despite everything we read and hear, Israel is an amazing place to be. Israel is no longer the backwater country it used to be — a place where you had to bring your own toilet paper. Israel has become a world leader in technology, medicine, agriculture and cinema. A remarkable cultural renaissance has sprung up the past decade. The arts, music and theater scene are world class. New hotels, restaurants and high-tech parks have sprung up. New highways are sprouting everywhere, and tourism has been at record levels — until now.

This Matzav has darkened the picture. The hotel people and cabdrivers I spoke to told me that business is way down. Ben Yehuda Street, the usually mobbed pedestrian mall in the heart of new Jerusalem, is quiet. Few joined us for the free breakfasts at the King Solomon Hotel in Jerusalem because so few guests were staying there. This Matzav is threatening a treasured aspect of Israeli society: its extraordinary street life. Take that away and you rip out Israel’s heart. Israel’s enemies seem to understand this. These new acts of terror don’t come with grievances or demands. As they stab innocent people or ram their cars into children, the killers are not agitating for a higher minimum wage or better health care. They’re aiming to rip out the heart of a society that loves life. It’s not just Israel anymore, as the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino make clear. A couple of Islamic State-backed New Year’s Eve terror attacks were foiled, thank G-d. But they were jolting. In New York, the FBI arrested a man charged with planning an attack on a bar New Year’s Eve to prove to Islamic State, which encouraged the at-

tack in an email, that he was worthy of joining the jihadists in Syria. At the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, police in Munich warned of a “serious, imminent threat” by Islamic State suicide bombers and told people to stay away from the city’s main train station. This time of year we read about the Jews in Egypt and how they began to expand. They grow and prosper so much that the new Pharaoh can’t stand it. So he enslaves them, but they continue to grow. He then commands the Hebrew midwives to throw the Jewish newborn boys into the Nile. But even this doesn’t work. The Jews continue to survive and grow. And the Jews today will continue to survive, grow and thrive nevertheless. The world must stand firm against terrorism of any sort and thus tell Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Iran and whomever that it won’t work, that we will continue to live, to grow and to thrive. When I think back on my visit to Israel, I think about that famous Israeli song that I began with: V’af al pi cheyn, v’lamrot hakol, Eretz, Eretz, Eretz Yisrael. Despite everything, Israelis and all Jews declare: Israel is here. We’re here. If you have a problem with that, deal with it! ■

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

TRAVEL

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TRAVEL

Birthright Opens Eyes to Israel’s Value By Will Finkelstein

eorgia Tech Hillel organized a Birthright Israel trip that left Atlanta on Dec. 15 and returned Dec. 27. The bus carried 39 students, mostly from Georgia Tech, but they included several from Georgia State and one from Georgia Southern. Hillels of Georgia sent its Israel fellow, Moran Shabo, and Daniel Bekerman, the Jewish life coordinator at Georgia State Hillel, as the two Birthright staffers. Here are the thoughts of one of the students. I have always been the type of person who felt he had to visit a place to have any actual connection to it; one can only experience so much from hearing others’ anecdotes. Growing up, I was always told that Israel was a marvelous place by people of all ages. Many would even add that it was necessary for the continuation of our religion and the Jewish people as a whole. I would listen respectfully, thank them for sharing their experience, reflect on their words but have difficulty relating. I had only ever been in the United States, where I had always seen diverse Jewish culture and a thriving society permitting many levels of observance. Could this not be our home?

After having the chance to travel throughout Israel, basically free of charge thanks to Taglit-Birthright, I realized how wrong I had been about where we should consider home. The modern-day existence of the state of Israel is a miracle when you consider all that the Jewish people have been through. Seeing the combination of a modern, industrialized society alongside historical and religious sites in a highly contested geographic region restores pride and the hope that we are not leaving. In 10 days we were able to have a traditional tourist experience enhanced by stories and activities revolving around cultural, historical, religious and political understanding. Going through this adventure with 38 other American young adults, mainly from the Atlanta area, two Hillel staff members and four Israeli ones, and an additional eight Israeli soldiers and hearing about how the trip affected each one of them proved how effective and stimulating this program is. Hearing the others was impressive to me because many of them had experienced Israel at some point before. In the end, everyone could agree, with no dispute, that Israel is an infinitely meaningful location, crucial to our existence.

The Georgia Tech Hillel Birthright group visits the Western Wall.

The Birthright group wears some of the Dead Sea mud.

I am privileged to have been able to take part in a program funded so heavily by donations and other gestures of tzedakah. Hillel, Taglit and Israel are all amazing blessings for me to have felt, and I plan to return to Israel throughout my adult life. ■

Above: A camel ride is part of the Birthright experience for the Georgia Tech group. Below: The Hillel Birthright group celebrates arriving in Israel.

Will Finkelstein is a Georgia Tech sophomore from Macon majoring in public policy and French with a minor in international affairs.

High-Rise to Keep Canaanite Citadel

he remains of a 3,400-year-old Canaanite citadel near the beach in Nahariya will be incorporated into the basement of a high-rise apartment building planned by the Kochav Co., the Israel Antiquities Authority announced in early January. When the apartment building is complete, the archaeological find will be open to tourists. The large excavation, which the

Israel Antiquities Authority conducted with youth groups, including students from Shchakim High School in Nahariya, was carried out as part of the Kochav project, which includes underground parking. The excavation directors, Nimrod Getzov, Yair Amitzur and Ron Be’eri, said the fortress likely was an administrative center for mariners who sailed along the Mediterranean coast in the

final centuries before the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land. A dock probably was alongside the citadel. The fortress was destroyed by an intense conflagration at least four times and rebuilt. Cereal grains, legumes and grape seeds were found in the burnt layers. Artifacts at the site include ceramic figurines of humans and animals, bronze weapons, and imported pottery. ■

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Photos by Guy Fitoussi and Eran Gilvarg, Israel Antiquities Authority

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A: The excavation is on Balfour Street in Nahariya. B: The pottery fragments are from vessels imported from Cyprus and Greece 3,400 years ago. C: These female figurines date to the Late Bronze Age. D: This stamped jar handle dates to the Middle Bronze Age. E: This arrowhead is made of bronze. F: After the excavation, part of the archaeological remains will be displayed in the new high-rise over the site. G: The director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Hasson, and representatives of the Kochav Co. tour the site.

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TRAVEL

Tourism to Israel Drops 3 Percent

Foreign Visitors to Israel in 2015 Source: Central Bureau of Statistics. Tourist arrivals include day visits and cruise ship stops.

spend the night. Counting just those who stayed overnight, Israel had 2.808 million visitors in 2015, down 4 percent from 2.927 million in 2014 and 5 percent from 2013. Tourism from the United States, the No. 1 source of visitors to Israel, increased about 2 percent in 2015 from 2014 to 586,000, but decreases of 26 percent from Russia to 392,000 and of 10 percent from the United Kingdom to 184,000 more than offset the U.S. gain. For the first half of 2015, foreign tourists contributed $9.9 billion to the Israeli economy, the ministry said. Jerusalem was the most popular city for foreign tourists, 77 percent of

Semester Supplies Lessons in Loving Israel

By Lissie Levitt

whom visited there. Tel Aviv-Jaffa was visited by 69 percent, followed in popularity by the Dead Sea area (48 percent) and the Galilee, including Tiberias and Sea of Galilee (35 percent). The Tourism Ministry said tourists overall expressed very good satisfaction with Israel, rating their trips 4.4 out of 5 on average. Archaeological sites, tour guides and organized tours received high ratings (4.5), but visitors were less happy with the value for their money (3.1), access to sites for people with disabilities (3.3), taxis (3.4) and cleanliness of public bathrooms (3.5). “We enter 2016 with an unprecedented budget for overseas market-

Countries of Origin for Tourists to Israel Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, January through November 2015

ing and with increased flight capacity, thanks to the open skies policy and Tourism Ministry incentives for Eilat winter flights,” Halevi said. “I invite tourists and pilgrims around the world to include Israel, the land of creation, in their vacation plans for 2016.” ■

FAMILY TRIP TO ISRAEL july 5-17, 2016

hen I stepped out of Ben Gurion Airport with two 50-pound duffels, a guitar and a couple of carry-ons, I walked into a land I would call school, synagogue and home for the next four months. One of the special things about Israel is the many ways you can view it. On our trip, we went on a five-day hike, a journey from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. Not only did we schlep through Israel, but we saw the stars at night, hiked through some pretty cool places during the day, and in the end entered the Mediterranean with a sense of accomplishment and smiles. We also enjoyed a five-day basic training meant for Israeli teens, during which I pushed myself and fell in love with Israel and its people even more. Our largest trip was a pilgrimage to Poland, where I saw Jewish life and learned about my own family. On a day-to-day basis, I lived on Kibbutz Tzuba in the Judean Hills outside Jerusalem. Between classes during very long school days, I got to look out

Source: Central Bureau of Statistics

Photos courtesy of NFTY-EIE

Left: Lissie Levitt explores a cave in Israel. Right: She lived on Tel Tzuba in Israel.

at gorgeous views, learn about myself, and really call Tzuba my home. We also went on several field trips for Jewish history to places such as the Old City, Tel Aviv and the Sea of Galilee. Reflecting on my incredible four months, I feel that Israel was more than my school, synagogue and home. Israel became everything to me that was happening on a daily basis. NFTY-EIE truly changed my life and helped me develop a long-lasting love for Israel. ■ Temple Kol Emeth member and Milton High junior Lissie Levitt spent the fall semester at the NFTY-Eisendrath International Experience High School in Israel.

You’ll enjoy a host of unique visits and tours throughout Israel as well as deluxe accommodations. Float in the Dead Sea, take a Jeep ride in the Galilee and much more. B’nai Mitzvah services available.

land only: $3490 for adults, $2490 per child 12 and under (rooming with 2 adults)

Please call SRI Travel @ 770-451-9399 for more info and other available dates!

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

ourism to Israel declined in 2015 for the second consecutive year, with the number of visitors, 3.133 million, down about 3 percent from 2014, the Tourism Ministry said Jan. 4. The numbers in 2014 were depressed by Operation Protective Edge in Gaza during the summer. Compared with 2013, the number of visitors in 2015 was down 11.5 percent. The 2015 totals are preliminary based on estimates for December. “Looking back at 2015, we see that the entire world is facing a new geopolitical reality. Terrorism has reached places once considered safe tourism destinations. Together we must develop strategies to deal with this new reality, and the main tool is to continue our daily routine, including tourism,” Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi said in a press release. He said Israeli tourism showed resilience by dropping only 3 percent in 2015 despite the global turmoil and the rise of individual but deadly terrorist attacks late in the year. The 3.13 million visitors include those who make day trips to Israel or stop with cruise ships and thus don’t

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TRAVEL

Europe Close to Home

Quebec City provides a drivable taste of the continent

f you want to experience a beautiful, European-style city without crossing the Atlantic, put Quebec City on your bucket list. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this charming city of half a million people high on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence River has narrow cobblestone streets downtown, gorgeous views, buskers, an abundance of bistros and boutiques, five centuries of history, and French panache. Almost everybody in this Frenchspeaking city is fluent in English. Americans are welcome, and the U.S. dollar has favorable buying power against the Canadian dollar. Dating to the early 17th century, Quebec City shows its French and British colonial heritage as well as its Canadian side with the only walled city in the United States or Canada. Besides historical fortifications, this bustling port city offers quaint shops, modern cruise ships, the impressive Chateau Frontenac Hotel (built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1893), great restaurants, shops, museums and a lively arts calendar. Check out the must-see attractions at www.quebecregion.com/en. Getting There Quebec City is accessible by highway, air, train, boat or car. The nearby Charlevoix region is accessible by train, car and boat from Quebec City: • Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) has frequent commercial airline service to U.S. and international destinations. • The nearest cruise port is downtown in the Old City riverfront. • Via Rail, the national passenger train system of Canada, serves Quebec City with many trains per day and connects with Amtrak at Montreal. • By car, Quebec City is on Canadian Autoroutes 40 and 20 east and west. From the United States, Autoroute 55 connects to Interstate 91 in Vermont.

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When You Are There • Enjoy a meal at a sidewalk cafe in season. We liked 3 Brasseurs, but there are scores of good ones. • Have dinner at an upscale restaurant like Le Graffiti. • Tour the city on Le Bus Rouge (hop on and hop off) or via a horse22 drawn carriage.

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• Explore the city’s rich history and culture. In Two or Three Days Places to see and things do for a short stay: • Parliament Hill (Quebec Provincial Parliament).

Simply Smart Travel By Jeffrey R. Orenstein jorenstein@SimplySmartTravel.com

C • The walled Old City (La Citadelle fortifications and museum, Europeanstyle shops, galleries, restaurants, and the imposing Chateau Frontenac Hotel). • A ride on the funicular or a walk down to the Old Port from Dufferin Terrace in front of the Chateau Frontenac to explore shops, galleries, bistros and history. For Longer Stays These additional activities are worth the time: • Place Royal • Jacques-Cartier National Park, 32 miles north. • Montmorency Falls Park and its gorgeous falls, taller than Niagara. • A round-trip train trip down the St. Lawrence River to Baie St. Paul in the Charlevoix region. The scenery along the river is spectacular, and the Charlevoix area is beautiful with summer touring and winter skiing. While in Baie St. Paul, explore Rue SaintJean-Baptiste; eat at the Mouton Noir, presided over by French chef Thierry Ferré, with a spectacular terrace overlooking a river; and visit galleries in the warm weather. Stay at Aux Portes du Soleil or the Germain. What to Wear Quebec City is an urbane and cosmopolitan place where you can spice things up with interesting colors, festive sweaters and blouses for women and comfortable jackets and slacks for men. Ties are not needed. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Charlevoix has more of a smalltown atmosphere, so casual is fine. Jewish Quebec Quebec City is not a notable center of Jewish culture or activity,

A D

E Photos by Jeffrey Orenstein

A: Quebec City’s charming Old Port area awaits visitors who venture down the hill from the Chateau Frontenac and the Dufferin Terrace’s spectacular view. The funicular (in the background) and steps are available to move up and down the hill. B: Baie St. Paul in the Charlevoix region features pleasant shops and restaurants. C: The Dufferin Terrace overlooks the Old Port and the St. Lawrence riverfront. The Chateau Frontenac is on the right. D: As seen from the Dufferin Terrace, the Chateau Frontenac is an imposing structure. E: Ahead on the rail line from Quebec City to Baie St. Paul along the St. Lawrence River is the trip’s only tunnel.

although Jews have had a presence in the city and surrounding area since the 18th century. The Jewish population was not much more than 125 families until the mid-20th century and has probably dwindled since. Montreal and Toronto are far more Jewish. The city has one synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel Ohev Shalom. At a Glance • Mobility level — Moderate if you want to walk the city’s steps and hills (recommended). Those who cannot or don’t want to walk a lot can take taxis and horse-drawn carriages almost everywhere in the Old City. • When to go — Year-round. Summer, fall and winter festivals are popular. Summer is beautiful, and

winter, though cold, is a bustling time in Quebec City. • Where to stay — The Fairmont Chateau Frontenac is the best upscale choice overlooking the St. Lawrence. Nearby are many large and small hotels, including the charming Hotel Grande-Allee, a 10-minute stroll from the Frontenac. • Special travel interests — French Canadian culture, Canadian history and year-round outdoor activities. ■ Jeffrey Orenstein is a syndicated travel writer who lives on Florida’s West Coast. He and his wife, Virginia, enjoy simply smart travel and writing about it. Check out their travel ideas, articles and blog at www.SimplySmartTravel.com and facebook.com/SimplySmartTravel.

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BUSINESS

Israeli Transportation Tech Pays Off for UPS By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

mile here and a minute there can save UPS millions of dollars a year by applying innovative technology to transportation. “If we can save one mile every single day on every one of our 55,000plus drivers — and that’s just in the U.S. — that’s worth $50 million a year to us. If we’re able to shave a minute off those drivers, that’s worth $15 million a year,” Chuck Holland, the vice president of industrial engineering for UPS, explained during the latest Israel, Innovation, Impact seminar on intelligent transportation Tuesday, Jan. 19. The Conexx: America Israel Business Connector session was at the Sandy Springs headquarters of UPS. “We’ve been around for 100 years. We have

just over 400,000 employees. We operate in over 200 countries and territories with vehicles and aircraft,” Holland said. “We deliver 15 million packages a day and pick up from Photos by Kevin 8 million customMadigan ers a day.” Chuck Holland, A handheld the vice president of industrial device used by deengineering for livery personnel UPS, talks about called the DIAD the importance (delivery informa- of transportation efficiency for tion acquisition the company. device) is a key component, he said. “It’s really an assistant to our driver. We started developing the DIAD in

the late 1980s and deployed it in 1990. We’ve had access to data from this for 25 years. The first generation was built in Israel for us by Motorola, and (eventually) we were able to buy it off the shelf with only minor modifications.” When it came to the fourth DIAD generation, adding a GPS chip was not obvious. Now, “every time a driver completes an activity in the DIAD at a business or residence, when they hit ‘stop complete,’ we capture what the GPS coordinates are,” Holland said. “As a result, we have an address associated with a place on earth, with its coordinates, for over 250 million points.” In the late 2000s the company launched Telematics, a set of applications analyzing information from each vehicle and integrating GPS reports with delivery and driver data. “We can literally simulate what

UPS has come a long way in its truck fleet over a century.

the driver did all day long,” Holland said. “It assists us with our work measurement as well. We’ve reduced excessive idling by 15 minutes by way of Telematics — one minute per driver is worth in excess of half a million dollars a year. We’ve reduced our backing (reversing) occurrences by 25 percent. It all improves their personal safety and serves our customers better.” ■

Steve’s Going on Tour

Grossman plans changes for Sandy Springs music venue

fter four years in operation and more than 1,500 musical performances, Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs could be headed to a new location or many locations. In the next few months Grossman plans to start presenting shows at venues such as restaurants across Atlanta’s northern suburbs in addition to his Sandy Springs location. “We’re looking to expand what we do in music,” Grossman said, “especially in North Atlanta but outside of that area as well in terms of booking music in places where music fits. We’ll be announcing shortly some of the venues that we’ll be using.”

Steve Grossman, with wife Heleen, is motivated by the chance to serve music more than food at Steve’s Live Music.

His current space, which is leased through July, will still host musical acts, but Grossman said he plans to explore other venues unless he can find a restaurant partner, ideally one as passionate about food as Grossman is about music. “I’ve discovered that running a res-

taurant is not my passion, but music is,” Grossman said. “Given the fact that there is a limited amount of time to do both, I’m focusing on the music side. A lot of venues only want to bring in music as a background to the food. I wanted to bring in food as a background to the music.” This past Christmas Eve, Steve’s drew a big crowd with its first Jew Jam, featuring Tony Levitas and The Helpers, but the food was a problem for some attendees. Steve’s will host the opening night of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival on March 10, featuring New York-based jazz group the Hadar Noiberg Trio. The venue on Hilderbrand Drive has hosted the opening night of the festival each year since Steve’s opened in 2012 and

regularly holds AJMF teen open-mic events. Steve’s also hosts jam sessions each week, including Irish music on Monday and bluegrass on Tuesday. It’s unclear where those jams would move if the Sandy Springs venue closed. “If a restaurant comes in that’s the right fit, the jam sessions will continue at Steve’s,” Grossman said. “If not, jam sessions will continue in Sandy Springs, I can guarantee you that. I just don’t know if it’s going to be at the current location or a different one.” For now, Grossman said he isn’t going anywhere. Steve’s lists performances scheduled as far out as April 1 on its website, www.steveslivemusic. com. ■

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By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

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Art Helps Picture 19th-Century Paris in Buckhead

r. Albert Amato and Maria Guarisco-Amato collect houses as others collect candlesticks or coffee mugs: frequently and gloriously. A blended family, they combined and acquired homes in Asheville, Lake Rabun, Naples and Sandy Springs, plus a farmhouse in Ellijay. Maria, who owns the Madison Gallery on Miami Circle, inherited (with her siblings) her father’s collection of 18th-to-20th-century marine and genre art. Their 7,500-squarefoot Buckhead home and pool house let the art do the talking. Maria certainly has the eye and glides along as a lithe dancer describing the pieces in perfect French. Jaffe: Why all these homes? Are they all different? Maria: I don’t think we NEED any more homes, but it’s wonderful that I have more space to see and show art. Each home has a different style, but the art is basically the same period. I do not buy art to match a house. It’s what I love and collect that counts. Jaffe: Albert, how do you fit in to the design phenomenon? Albert: Charmingly, we were introduced to each other by Maria’s interior designer, Joy McClain. I collect fine sterling silver pieces, watches, coins and guns. Some of my prizes work well with Maria’s paintings: This silver champagne chiller and tea service from 1857 is comfortable in the dining room with her traditional furniture. The silver animals from South Africa are individually named after real creatures. They reside under Yon’s French 19th-century painting “Afternoon at the Beach.”

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Jaffe: Your living room reminds me of a parlor in the traditional sense of a Parisian hotel particulier. Maria: It’s a mixture. I bought this Napoleon III older-style desk in New York. The 19th-century painting by Paul Madeline (1863-1920), “Le Sechage des Drapes,” is post-impressionistic. The piano is a Sohmer, similar to the one owned by Calvin Coolidge and Irving Berlin. This fabulous Connecticut tree painting is by Reynolds Beal. Albert: What’s also unique is this bronze collection of prehistoric horses, “Mares at Play,” based on cave 24 drawings from the Dordogne Valley in

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France by artist Star York. Maria: Over the fireplace, note the scarlet hair tones in the Henner painting (19th-century Paris). It has a tonalist, soft quality. The only pastel chalk in here is Barbizon’s L’Hermitte. Jaffe: Your French accent sounds authentic.

Chai-Style Homes By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Maria: My father was a Louisiana pioneer in oil and gas. I was a French literature major. Our family spent many years traveling to Europe and New York, collecting 1700s to 20thcentury marine and genre art. I’ve been to Europe many times since then to buy art for the gallery and myself. I started collecting in the ’70s. My first painting was by a Dutchman, Pieters.

Jaffe: Albert, you have strong Sephardic roots. Any influences here? Albert: Actually, my 95-year-old mother is an amateur artist. But the most meaningful tradition we have with her is going as a family to the Or VeShalom kitchen to make burekas. My parents inspired me to become a collector and appreciate art at a young age. Jaffe: There are a plethora of wave and beach themes in your large paintings. Maria: I am fascinated by how light hits the water, moves and looks different at different parts of the day. The big “Sea” in the breakfast room is by Kenzler. In the library is a John Hilverdink (19th century) of the light accenting the crashing waves. Albert: Also, the library displays a large sterling trophy cup. Silver that is hammered by hand with elaborate details is my favorite. My friend Mark Antebi (Atlanta Silver), an expert in silver, steered me to quality collectible antique pieces. Also in here are some works from Cuba. We visited the art school in Havana and were surprised to find that Castro lets them thrive. Primarily modern and graphic art, all well done. Jaffe: The foyer sets the tone of the magnificence inside.

B Maria: I like this charming painting by Simon of a Brittany village in gouache, which is milk-based watercolor. When I was rearing children, I often collected that theme like this “Child Reading” (William Owen) with the background landscape like the old-style 18th-century masters. This sculpture was my father’s by a wellknown American, Harriet Frishmuth. As a contrast, California impressionist Nyholm crafted this coastal scene (19th century). Jaffe: The front entrance geisha painting is so striking. Maria: Funny story there. It’s by an Englishman, Stuart Hobkin (19th century), “Blue Kimona.” The British wanted to show that they were well traveled and glamorized exotic

women. It was a fad of that time. Jaffe: The pool house beckons with stately charm. Maria: We added it and entertain out here. The maritime art is thematic. This impressionistic painting of the Amalfi coast is rather loosely done. Marengo did this red-and-white boat painting. We had these camplike chairs recovered in a casual fish pattern. Albert: The air flow here is pleasant when we open all the French doors. We like to eat and entertain here. Jaffe: It’s rather formal how your master bedroom has its own foyer apart from the main mezzanine. Albert: This is a house from the

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’40s that has expanded. This area is based around Maria’s mother’s hutch with art on both sides. Maria: In the master, see the pale mint-green Italian four-poster bed; I had to have it. Saw it in a window in ADAC. The two most important paintings in here are “The Dawn of Hope” over the fireplace (Gerhartz), which is an angel expressing hope in face of a sad time, and Hubert’s “First Communion With Nuns.” It looks like a wedding scene, but it’s not. Jaffe: Hard to have nuns in a wedding procession. As a collector, if you could wake up tomorrow and have one more piece, what would it be? Maria: Hmm. I’ve always wanted a Bouguereau, but it looks like I missed the boat on that. Jaffe: Well, with this maritime art, you haven’t missed many boats. ■

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Photos by Duane Stork

A: Albert Amato and Maria Guarisco-Amato pose in front of JeanJacques Henner’s painting of a scarlet-haired girl. B: The front foyer mezzanine paves the way for the art inside. C: The master bedroom offers “The Dawn of Hope” by Daniel Gerhartz over the fireplace and “First Communion of the Nuns” by Hubert (left). D: “Blue Kimono” by Englishman Stuart Hobkin shows off British airs of exoticism. E: The Guarisco-Amato library houses an antique sterling trophy amid Cuban art. F: In the parlor, a Sohmer piano and Napoleon III-style desk complement a Connecticut tree painting (right) by Reynolds Beal. G: The dining room showcases Albert Amato’s sterling silver punch bowl and Frenchman Edmond Charles Joseph Yon’s painting “Afternoon at the Beach.” H: Maritime art adds charm to the boat house, where the couple likes to dine al fresco alongside camp-style chairs. I: “Mares at Play” by Star York represents prehistoric horses from 34,000-year-old drawings in the caves of Dordogne, France. J: Maria Guarisco-Amato fell for this Italian four-poster bed while window shopping at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center.

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ARTS

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Unlikely Lineage Fits Film

Jewish-Japanese-American director tells story of righteous Japanese gentile By Leah R. Harrison

had the pleasure of speaking with Cellin Gluck, the filmmaker of “Persona Non Grata,” just before he left for Shabbat dinner this month at a friend’s house in L.A. In trying to understand his motivation for making a movie about a righteous Japanese ambassador during World War II, I had many questions about his background and upbringing. That’s where things got interesting and complex. Born in Wakayama, Japan, Gluck is the son of a Japanese-American mother who was born and raised in California and a Jewish dad who grew up in a kosher home in New York. His mother’s family came to America from Japan in 1896, and she was born here in 1919. Although American, Gluck’s mother was sent to the Japanese internment camp at Rohwer, Ark., in 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor. “Yeah, that’s enough to make your skin crawl,” Gluck said. “There was the Oriental Exclusion Act. Orientals weren’t considered to be citizens; white guys couldn’t marry Orientals.” He added sarcastically, “I mean, you know, there’s a whole bunch of our history we should be real proud of.” His mother later pursued her education and career in New York, where she met her future husband around 1946 after his voluntary service in the Navy. The couple ended up in Japan, where Gluck was born. He spent his formative childhood in Japan, attending an American school. “I say jokingly I didn’t know I was Asian until I came to America because in Japan, all of us whiteys and halfbreeds, we were all considered to be

non-Japanese. We were gaijin; we were foreigners. So I grew up being told by an entire nation that I was American,” Gluck said. “And then when you come to the States for Cellin Gluck the first time, you start finding hyphenated Americans — you know, Japanese-Americans, Mexican-Americans, German-Americans, Italian-Americans, kiss-me-I’mIrish-American. What’s that all about? What’s wrong with just being American?” As did most of his schoolmates, Gluck left Japan to go to college in the United States. He graduated from Pitzer College in California with honors from Pomona, still with no film experience but with a keen interest in theater. “I went to school to be an engineer, and then I graduated an actor.” He went to New York to pursue acting and ended up working in advertising for a Japanese company. Although that job brought him to Japan a few months a year, directing his first commercial took him back to Los Angeles, where his work eventually evolved into filmmaking. Because they had worked together on a previous project, Japanese Academy Award-winning actor Toshiaki Karasawa accepted the starring role in “Persona Non Grata” with the proviso that Gluck direct. A project for the film division of Nippon Television, “Persona Non Grata” was created as a redemptive Japanese film marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

It tells the story of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Kaunas, Lithuania, during the war. The movie shows the character development of Sugihara from a young statesman at the Japanese Foreign Ministry to an empathetic soul who, defying his government and at great personal risk, saved thousands of Jews by isToshiaki Karasawa plays Chiune Sugihara, and suing them visas so they Koyuki is his wife, Yukiko, in “Persona Non Grata.” could leave Lithuania and were done in Japan. escape Hitler’s grasp. Gluck said the cherry blossoms As a result of his actions, Sugihara became known by his government as a are computer graphics, and Karasawa’s persona non grata, or an undesirable, so daughter designed the Japanese costumes. it is an appropriate name for the film. Gluck made a point of saying he “We wanted to create a film that would let the world know about Sugi- “was given the best of both worlds. … hara, but as I’m sure you get the feeling It makes perfect sense to have shot from the film, it’s the classic tale of a in Poland because, even though the classic hero, in the sense that extraor- events took place in Lithuania, most of dinary things happening to ordinary the Jewish refugees that he saved were people and the way in which they react Polish Jews who had escaped to Lithuis what creates a true hero,” Gluck said. ania.” He spoke of having great Japanese “And that was our goal. He did what he believed was right, and his actions actors whom he took to Poland, “the ended up making him a hero. He didn’t best of the Polish actors playing who set out to become a hero. It found him. they should be playing, which are PolHe was a man that was driven by his ish people,” and a talented Polish crew. He said he felt fortunate to be able to conscience.” With meticulous attention to cin- tell the story that way, which felt apematography, costumes and set design propriate. Although Gluck achieved acclaim and a sweeping musical score throughand professional success in Japan for out, “Persona Non Grata” has the feel his work on films such as “Lorelei” of a big-production movie epic. Gluck said, however, that the budget was $6 (2005), “Sideways” (a 2009 remake of million, which is not large by Holly- the American hit) and “Oba, the Last wood standards. The film was shot in Samurai” (2011), “Persona” best brings Poland, then the director’s cut was pre- together his rich and complicated Jewpared in Los Angeles. Post-production ish-Japanese heritage to tell a story that and a substantial amount of editing needs to be told. ■

‘Persona Non Grata’: A Desirable Story By Leah R. Harrison

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

ased on the true story of Japanese diplomat Chiune (pronounced Sempel) Sugihara before and during World War II, “Persona Non Grata” is a hero-making tale of epic proportions. With attention to detail and sweeping, luscious cinematography, filmmaker Cellin Gluck brings to life the story of Sugihara, showing how a Japanese consul with intelligence, backbone and a strong moral compass 26 can come to be considered one of the

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Righteous Among the Nations by the government of Israel. The story begins in Manchuria in 1934 with a young Sugihara bent on keeping his beloved Japan from becoming embroiled in the inevitable international conflict set in motion by Hitler and the Third Reich. The film follows him as an employee of the Japanese Foreign Ministry stationed first in Tokyo, then sent to open an embassy in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1939 with the charge of learning the state of affairs in Europe and keeping an eye on Soviet expansion plans.

In Kaunas he encounters a member of the Polish underground, who comes to be a friend and confidant, helping to make him aware of and sympathetic to the plight of the Jews in Europe and those in his new community who are becoming ensnared in Hitler’s net. Sugihara became known as Japan’s Schindler and is credited with issuing 2,139 visas while ambassador in Kaunas without the expressed permission of his government to do so. It is estimated that he is responsible for the lives of now 40,000 descendants of

those Polish Jews he helped escape by issuing them visas to Japan. Aptly named, the film tells the story of how Sugihara became a persona non grata, or an undesirable, in the eyes of his own government by following his conscience and, at risk to his family and position, doing what was within his power to ease the plight of others. Lest we forget, and in homage to the righteous who undertook great personal risk, “Persona Non Grata” is a previously little-known story worth knowing and a film worth seeing. ■

ARTS

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Egoyan: Honor to Open Film Festival

he 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival opened Tuesday, Jan. 26, with a screening of the Holocaust survivor revenge story “Remember.” While Benjamin August, the screenwriter of the drama starring Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau, was scheduled to attend the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre showing and speak about the film, Oscar-nominated director Atom Egoyan couldn’t attend because of scheduling conflict. Instead, the Canadian filmmaker spoke to the AJT a few days before the AJFF premiere. AJT: What made you decide to make this film? Egoyan: The moment I read the screenplay, I felt that it was a character unlike any I’d ever read about or seen in any film. It just felt completely original and a very exciting way to deal with this question, which is how do we live with horror? What does it mean after all this time to experience some-

thing as horrifying as what these characters have witnessed? AJT: This film is sort of a departure from your previous work. It’s a completely linear story with Director Atom Egoyan says the no flashbacks. Did starring role in that factor into your “Remember” choice at all? was made for Egoyan: Exactly. Christopher Here was a script that Plummer. was able to deal with similar subject matter as my previous films but in a much simpler way. I was very impressed with that. AJT: From Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau to Jurgen Prochnow and Dean Norris, this film has an impressive cast of veteran actors. How tough was it to cast? Egoyan: I had worked with Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau way back on an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” if you can believe that. This script came out, and I just thought they would be perfect for it. I

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just think that Christopher Plummer is one of the finest actors in the English language, and I’m a huge fan of his. This role was written for him, and I was just praying that he would respond as strongly as I did. AJT: If he hadn’t been able to take on the lead role, did you have anyone else in mind? Egoyan: I don’t know. I just had him in mind, and what happens sometimes when you read a script is you fall in love with an actor doing it, and then you have to go through a major readjust if they’re not available. I didn’t have to go through that with this role. AJT: What about the supporting cast? Did you have any trouble finding the right actors? Egoyan: That was more challenging because we had to find German actors who could speak English well enough for you to believe that they’d been living in America for all this time. Our first choice there was Maximilian Schell, but he passed away just weeks after we cast him. So with the exception of Heinz Lieven, we had to go with

AJT: This film has some striking similarities to Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.” Did you draw any inspiration from that film? Egoyan: I think “Memento” is a huge influence. The main difference though is that “Memento” is nonlinear and is actually more in keeping with the style of some of my earlier films like “Exotica” and “The Sweet Hereafter.” Even though it’s inspired by a film like “Memento,” it’s told in a completely linear way. I know from (August) that “Memento” was a big influence for him. AJT: Your film is showing on opening night of the film festival. What does it mean to you to be selected as the first film people will see? Egoyan: First of all, it’s an honor to be chosen as the opening film. “Remember” is a film that promotes a lot of discussion. It’s a film that is deceptively simple. You think you’re watching one story, and you’re actually watching something quite different. The film creates a very strong collective response, and I’ve really enjoyed watching the film with audiences. ■

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By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

a younger generation of actors like Bruno Ganz and Jurgen Prochnow to play those roles.

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OBITUARIES

David Finkelstein 86, Atlanta

David Ritz Finkelstein, 86, died Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, at his Atlanta home. David is survived by his loving wife, Shlomit; his children, Daniel Finkelstein and wife Kathy Mitchell, Beth Bosworth and husband Dennis Norkse, Eve Finkelstein, and Aria Ritz Finkelstein; his grandchildren, Sarah, Jesse, Michael, Nora and Evan; and his great-granddaughters, Lola and Sofie. David earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT. After being the chairman of the physics department and the dean of natural sciences and mathematics at Yeshiva University, David came to Atlanta as the physics chairman at Georgia Tech, where he was a professor of physics until retirement. For over two decades David was the editor of the International Journal of Theoretical Physics. An internationally respected scientist, David is known for his Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates, foundational to the understanding of black holes. He also contributed to the theory of quantum mechanics and space-time. Some of his discoveries are presented in his book “Quantum Gravity.” After his retirement, David continued to make great progress in his quantum understanding of space-time. In the 1960s, David and his first wife and three children went south to Tougaloo College to participate in the fight for human rights for all, regardless of race, one of many examples of his commitment to social justice. With his subtle sense of humor, love of nature and people, and joy in sailing, David won the hearts of all who knew him, and he will be sorely missed. David was a member of Congregation Or Hadash. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services, led by Rabbi Analia Bortz and Rabbi Mario Karpuj, were held Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Ralph Kahn

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

85, Atlanta

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Ralph Kahn, 85 years old, of Atlanta (son of Philip and Bertha Kahn of Charleston, S.C.) has passed on to the great ballfield in the sky. Originally from St. Phillip’s Street in Charleston, “Little Ralphie” or “Kubla,” as he was known in Charleston, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, reaching the rank of sergeant temporarily until his boxing skills found a target of higher rank. He attended the University of Georgia, where he met his beloved wife, Rhalda, while coaching sorority basketball. He often stated that his life was greatly improved from that day forward. He spent the next 45 years dedicated to working with his father-in-law at Rubin Brothers, where he retired as president in 1996. He enjoyed being an integral part of raising his four sons — and many of their friends. He will always be loved for his sense of humor, his taste in barbecue, coaching sports, and his encouragement and concern for others. Ralph spent the last 60 years bringing all he had to life and was never concerned with taking things from life. He has always been a vibrant part of his Atlanta community. He leaves behind his loving wife of 61 years, Rhalda; four sons and their wives, Michael and Susan, Richard and Kelly, Philip and Fredricka, and Brian and Alicia; grandchildren Leah and Brian Smith and Rachel, David, Elise, Erin, Jared, Jenna, Dana and Lindsay Kahn; in-laws Larry and Edie Cohen and Leslie and Nermine Rubin; Charleston cousins; his lifelong friend Sam Appel; numerous nieces and nephews; and many friends and all the kids he coached in the Atlanta community. He was predeceased by his brother, Julius Rosenblatt, and his sister, Evelyn Kirshstein. Ralph had the good fortune to have lived a long life surrounded by his wife and sons and many friends, in addition to the great fortune to have had one of the most caring and compassionate caretakers, Marcia Reid, over these past three years. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Monday, Jan. 25, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. Donations may be made to Jewish Family & Career Services or Weinstein Hospice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Robin Kirby Atlanta

Dr. Robin Royal Kirby, beloved therapist, healer, mentor, mother and wife, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in Atlanta. She is survived by her husband, 28 Richard Kirby of Peachtree Corners; her three children, Brandon (Rebecca), Jen

www.atlantajewishtimes.com and Erin; and her two grandchildren, Redon and Cora. Robin was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., where many of her family and friends still reside. She earned degrees from Webster College and Washington University of St. Louis and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Georgia State University. Robin was an invaluable presence to those who knew her, inspiring creativity, love and light. She was an integral part of the Atlanta Jewish community, serving as a longtime Hebrew school teacher and USY youth director. Robin had an active practice in psychology and the healing arts. She co-authored multiple books on spiritual development and self-healing. She will be deeply missed. Please send donations in her name to the Wellness Institute in Issaquah, Wash. A graveside service was held Sunday, Jan. 24, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Alan Landis 64, Atlanta

Alan Landis, May 9, 1951 – Jan. 24, 2016. Alan L. Landis, age 64, died Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, at his Atlanta home, surrounded by his family after a short but brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Alan was predeceased by his father, Paul Landis, and is survived by his loving husband, Ritchie Crownfield; his mother, Rhona Landis; siblings Kerry and Linda Landis, Evan Landis, and David Herndon; nieces and nephews Lori and Matt Spett, Rabbi Pinchas and Nomi Landis, and Michael and Rebecca Landis; nine great-nieces and great-nephews; and an extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. Alan graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with highest honors, including Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, he embarked on his career as a very well-respected certified public accountant with Birnbrey, Minsk, Minsk & Perling. Alan was diagnosed with HIV in the early 1990s but was not afraid to tell people about it, especially if telling his story might influence teens to get the necessary facts to keep themselves healthy and safe. Alan’s presentations were more like a conversation with a friend — open, honest, nonjudgmental and passionate. Because of his unique style of teaching, teens were in awe of him and often referred to him as “Uncle Alan.” Alan had an adventurous spirit and zest for life, which manifested in extensive travel and a love for the arts. Like his father, he was a great theater enthusiast and supporter. As for travel, Alan was frequently flying, sailing or driving to exciting destinations near and far. But his favorite destination of all was in the presence of his beloved family and husband, Ritchie. Alan was involved in many community organizations, including Project Open Hand and the Metropolitan Atlanta Community AIDS Fund, and was the president of the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network. Alan was instrumental in starting the LGBT inclusion program at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal officiating; burial followed at Greenwood Cemetery. Donations may be made to Weinstein Hospice or the Ahavath Achim Synagogue LGBT Inclusion Fund. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Fran Memberg 69, Brookhaven

Fran Memberg, age 69, of Brookhaven died Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Fran grew up in Lancaster, Pa., and earned a B.A. from Penn State University. She worked as a middle school English teacher in New Jersey, then for public relations firms in New York City and Atlanta, where she worked for the original Underground Atlanta. Fran was a stay-at-home mother to her three children while she did freelance writing for the Atlanta Jewish Times, the Dunwoody Crier, and other newspapers and publications. Her articles and stories always focused on the achievements of people’s lives and careers. She loved challenges, which is why she enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and watching “Jeopardy!,” especially because her son Michael was a contestant on the TV show. Fran was a great cook and made delicious challahs for Shabbos every week. Having guests to enjoy potato latkes and lunch for Chanukah was a tradition, among many other Jewish traditions she loved to do. Anyone who met or worked with her could only love her because she was so sweet, kind and considerate. Survivors include her loving husband of 40 years, Don Memberg; son and

OBITUARIES daughter-in-law Larry and Lorena Memberg of Silver Spring, Md.; son Matthew Memberg of Arlington, Va.; son and daughter-in-law Michael and Beryl Memberg of Atlanta; brother and sister-in-law Leslie and Enid Zwirn of Indianapolis; and two grandchildren. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Memorial donations may be made to the Membergs’ synagogue, The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30342, or www.thekehilla.org/payment.php. A graveside service was held Sunday, Jan. 24, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Karmi David Ingber officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Bonnie Lee Parker 63, Atlanta

Bonnie Lee Parker, 63, a native of Atlanta, died peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. She was born June 5, 1952, to Sydell and Milton Pergament. Bonnie was preceded in death by her husband of 19 years, Jim, and her father. She is survived by her daughters, Ashley Vargason (Alex) and Lindsey Mejia (Julio); her sons, Shawn Perkins (Courtney), Dylan Pichulik and Shane Parker; 13 grandchildren; a sister, Barbara Capilouto (Eli); and her mother. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Friday, Jan. 22, at Greenwood Cemetery with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal officiating. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Linda Ross 67, Stoneville, N.C.

Linda Terry Ross, 67, of Stoneville, N.C., died Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, in Eden, N.C. Born in Atlanta, Linda was the daughter of the late Ralph Edwin Terry and Doris Castleberry Terry of Fairburn. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 1975. She worked for 39 years as a loving mother. She enjoyed playing with her grandchildren, quilting and caring for her pets. She is survived by her children, Shannon Smiley and husband Steve of Spartanburg, S.C., Eric Ross and wife Molly of Grand Forks, N.D., Sean Ross and wife Annie of Pittsburgh, and Ivan Ross and wife Justyne of Durham, N.C.; five grandchildren, Rebekah, Jude, Helen, Anne and Jack; and brothers Rick and Cecil. Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Jeoffrey Ross; parents-in-law Jerome and Harriet Ross; and brother Edward Alan Terry. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Funeral services were Wednesday, Jan. 27, at The Temple with Rabbi Loren Lapidus officiating, followed by burial at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Saul Scherr Saul Scherr, 89, of Roswell died peacefully Sunday morning, Jan. 24, 2016. He was two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. Saul was born in the Bronx, N.Y., to Freida and Morris Schlomowitz, both of blessed memory. He was a first-generation American of Romanian descent. He served heroically in World War II and the Korean conflict. He was a television repairman by trade. He and Helen, his lifelong love and wife of 64 years, raised their family in Yonkers, N.Y. The family has lived in the Atlanta area for over a decade. Saul is survived by his wife, Helen; daughter Robin King and her husband, Gerry; son Warren and his fiancée, Elizabeth Lehman, who was also one of Saul’s caregivers for two years; grandchildren Alyssa (David) Drishpon and Jared King; great-grandchildren Julia and Harrison Drishpon; sister Sylvia Chortek; caregivers Myasia Scott and Mary Cancado; and many nieces and nephews. Sign the guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Ephraim Silverman officiating. Memorial donations may be made to Chabad of Cobb, Jewish War Veterans or Halcyon Hospice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

89, Roswell

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

CROSSWORD “Heroes & Villains”

Back to the Beach

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

20 23 26

32 34 42

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

45 51

56 60

64 71

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63 69

44 47

10 18

ACROSS 1. Amt. of cinnamon in charoset, perhaps 4. Heavenly plane? 10. Moroccan appetizers 16. Evil 17. Having to pay an eye for an eye 18. Like a waxless Havdalah candle 19. Batgirl (1997) 22. Seder matzah on Pesach Sheni, probably 23. Treif sushi choice 24. Goldman who wrote “Being Jewish” and “The Search for G-d at Harvard” 25. Supergirl (1984) 30. Emergency button on a kfir plane 31. 1776 and 1948: Abbr. 32. 1976 Kiss hit 33. Call from a korban 34. Lex Luthor (2016) 41. Technically his presidency ended in 2009, but … 44. “I concur!” 45. IDF woe 46. Wonder Woman (2016) 50. Ant-Man (2015) 53. “Yalla!” 54. Cookie the OU says is dairy, but it really isn’t 56. Kfar Hanokdim and Ein Gedi 57. Spider-Man (2012) 63. Read V’Zot Habracha, say 64. Paul Newman’s “Nobody’s ___” 65. Conservative youth org. 68. Patriots owner 71. The Green Goblin (2002) 75. Joshua or Elisha, e.g. 76. David Bryan (Rashbaum) of ___ Jovi 77. Go through Golani training 78. Black Widow (2010) 84. “But ___ our little village of Anatevka.” 85. Security checkpoint request 86. Samuel priest 87. Israel bonds, e.g. 88. Gable in a Selznick classic, and others 89. Lists avoided by Braun and Davis: Abbr.

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DOWN 43. What the Nile once did 1. Schmutzy 47. (Jimmy) Stewart’s role in 2. One involved in making meatHenry Koster’s “Harvey” kosher 48. The OU is one 3. Small bottles (Rambam 49. Common offering at the might have had) end of a Shabbat meal 4. Sci-fi classic with Yaphet 51. Response to a Billy Eichner Kotto tweet 5. She sang “Titanium” for 52. “Sababa” David Guetta 55. Was Howard Stern on AM 6. Pas, in Yiddish ___? 7. Greenberg would often 58. Figure at a Hapoel Holon produce one game 8. “___ My Sons”: Arthur Miller 59. Creature on the side of play Bloom’s Legolas 9. The Jordan River in 60. Syria, in 1948 Tasmania has one, but Israel’s 61. Letters needed to use the doesn’t Siddur app on an iPhone 10. Lock from Rogen 62. PG James Caan movie 11. Output of this paper: Abbr. 65. Like a new pair of tefillin 12. Objective for olim 66. Torah, e.g. 13. Be meshuga for 67. Cespedes who powered 14. Similar to ancient Hebrew Wilpon’s team into the playoffs 15. Matzah alternative 68. ___ varnishkes ingredient 69. Options for Sephardim on 20. Dan Gilbert’s OH team, on Passover the board 70. Some months 21. Always, to Lazarus 71. Make a note in a Talmud 26. Stat Ian Kinsler leads all 72. Shtick Jews in 73. Etrog covers 27. Moonves of CBS 74. 1 of 100 in this puzz. 28. Ended a fast 76. Stiller and Savage 29. ___ List (Zuckerberg and 79. Started Shabbat Bloomberg might be on) 80. Their logo has a fist in it: 30. It’s more than 5776 years Abbr. 33. Burger Ranch listing 81. Andean cholent ingredient, 34. Car featured on Weiner’s perhaps “Mad Men,” for short 82. Hamor or Nevo 35. Zeh, in Mexico 83. It split the Jordan long ago 36. Child who provides tsuris 37. Black or LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Red S T O N E S S A T I N A 16 38. Treif birds 15 O N S H O R E A G E N O R M in Oceania 17 18 G R A N D M A F E A S T E D 39. Lift (for an 19 20 21 22 A S E A T O E R F E R on-leave IDF 23 24 25 26 T N T H U N K I R I S soldier) 27 28 29 30 31 32 R A G A B I E 40. Roams like 33C E N T R E 34 35 I L L S T A T the Jews for 40 E R A S E R 36 37 38 F R I N G E S years 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 41. Ottoman A S P S O R G A N D R E I 49 50 51 who ruled the T H A I R K O M O D E R N 52 53 54 55 Holy Land U A S S P I T I A I N 56 57 58 59 60 in the 19th D E L T S E T H G P S 61 62 63 64 65 66 century F E R R A R I H E A T E R S 42. Barbara 67 68 A D R A T E S T U N I S I A of “Mission: 69 70 P O C K E T T U R N S A Impossible” Corner

c orner

y cousin’s son, an Atlanta up five steps to the front porch. Luckipatent attorney, owns a ly, the windows were open. I called out beach house on Amelia Isto the woman, who opened the door land in Fernandina Beach. It’s a rental without hesitating. She was dressed in property that stays occupied most of a red nightie, and I was glad it was me, the time. For unknown reasons, it was available for the last According To Arlene week of 2015, and Miles offered use of the property By Arlene Appelrouth to his mother, her husband aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com and their 3-month-old Labradoodle, Gigi. I got an email from rather than Dan, who was going to ask Janet for us to join them. I love the for directions. ocean and often long to spend time She told us that she didn’t know swimming, scuba diving or just gazing Miles but that 123 was farther south at its grandeur. on the same street. Dan and I didn’t have anything We drove the few blocks and special planned for that week, so we could not find went. 123. ActuWe ally, most of the intended to houses didn’t leave early in even have visthe morning, ible numbers, so on the day but we were we drove the fairly certain 375 miles there was no 123 we would be Ocean Road. able to enjoy I called the ocean. Bob’s cellphone Intentions again. Still no don’t always answer. I tried turn into his wife Janet’s realities. It cellphone. was close to My call went 6 p.m. by the straight to voice time we got mail. into my car. Arlene spends some time with 3-month-old Gigi. We drove I knew up and down that wouldn’t be a problem for my Ocean Road, looking for Bob’s car. No cousin Bob. He rarely goes to sleep luck. before 1 a.m. It was 12:30 in the morning, and We had the address on Ocean we were tired. Road, but when we got there, that ad“Why don’t we sleep on the dress didn’t exist. beach?” I said to my husband of alI’ll call Bob, I told Dan, but there most 45 years. wasn’t an answer to his cellphone. I There was no way he would condidn’t have the phone number of the sider that solution to our problem. house line and didn’t know what to do. My mind flashed back to when I left a message. Dan wasn’t in my life. Most of the houses on the street When I graduated from the were dark, except for one where you University of Florida, with a degree in could see a woman in what looked like news-editorial journalism, I contina living room. ued working as a reporter for The “Why don’t you knock on the door Gainesville Sun. I had worked full time and ask if she knows which house writing for them while completing belongs to Miles?” I said to Dan. my degree. My plan was to work as an Dan didn’t want to knock on investigative reporter, but the editor a stranger’s door after midnight. I needed someone to do soft news. understood his reluctance, but it was I stayed on, but after a few the only way to find out where Miles’ months I decided to do something difhouse was. ferent. I had always wanted to travel I got out of the car, walked on the but never had the opportunity. I had sandy path to the house and climbed

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was willing to do it again, even though I didn’t have a sleeping bag. Dan reiterated he had no interest. “What about me?” he asked. “You can sleep in the car if you like,” I said, thinking that solution was evident. We continued driving up and down Ocean Road. We turned down a street and saw a tall man waving his long arms. My cousin Bob is 6-foot-3. I thought it might be him on the porch. It was. He had listened to my message on his cellphone and went outside looking for us. We were relieved. The time on the beach was a perfect way to end 2015 and begin 2016. ■

want to go to Europe?” My parents drove me from Gainesville to New York, the whole trip trying to dissuade me. I traveled through Europe and decided to check out Israel. After three or four months working on a kibbutz, Ein Hashofet, I wanted to be on the sea. Most people go to Tel Aviv for a few days on the beach, but I’m a scuba diver and headed south to Eilat, which in 1969 had few hotels. Fernandina Beach has remarkable sunsets. But there was a community of “Please wait until you marry and about $1,200 saved and booked a oneyoung people like me camping out on go to Europe on your honeymoon” was the beach. I bought a sleeping bag and way trip on a ship from New York to her advice. Genoa, Italy. joined the group. “Mom,” I said, “who knows if I’ll My mother told me that Jewish Fast-forward to the last week of ever get married? But even if I do, how 2015. girls didn’t run around the world by I had slept on the beach once and do I know the man I marry will even themselves.

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Remember the JBC at Snack n Shop? 2015 Pinch Hitter Program Organized by Achim/Gate City B’nai B’rith Lodge 0144 and the B’nai B’rith Center for Community Action

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 2015 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.

JANUARY 29 ▪ 2016

Harry Lutz, Chairman

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Nina Altman Jonah Arazi Judi Arazi Hannah Arazi Elaine Aronoff Joel Axler Eden Axler Elane Axler Gail Barr Joshua Barzilay ** Sydney Benator Debbie Benator Bruce Benator Dina Beresin Todd Beresin Cobi Beresin Eva Beresin Margie Berinhout Howard Berkowitz Mariah Berkowitz Ellen Berman Ray Boorstin Cecelia Branhut Joan Brenner Larry Brenner Bob Brenner Dara Brenner Jaron Brenner Sam Brenner Phyllis Brusco-McLay Mike Century Rob Cherof Richard Cohen Lawrence Cohen Robert Cohen ** Milton Crane Sheila Cranman Katherine Cranman Caroline Cranman Randy Crohn Rowena Cromer Neil Davidoff Richard Davidoff Liza Dolensky Sam Draisen ** Shana Dukette Helen Ehrlich

Steven Ehrlich Jay Eidex Larry Ellison Shea Ellison Dara Epstein Melody Euchman Carl Feigenbaum ** Carole Feinberg Zachary Feldberg Elaine Feldberg Robert Feldberg Robert Feldman Sheri Feldman Jerry Feldman Al Finfer Penny Finfer Shayna Fix Linda Flinn Ezra Flom Iris Freedman Ed Garcia Cheryl Garfinkel Wayne Garfinkel Stephen Goldfarb Jane Goldner Steve Goldner Jackie Goldstein Felissa Goldstein Benjamin Goodman Jonathon Goodman * Freida Gottsegen Ivie Graiser Harlan Graiser Leslie Greenberg Jane Greenberger Harriet Grossman ** James Hoover * Bernice IsaacQuintana Isadore Jackson Gary Jackson ** Nancy Jacobs Robert Jaric Hannah Kahn Herschel Kahn Sam Kahn Matthew Kaler

Wendy Kalman Jeff Kalwerisky ** Rick Kanfer Robin Karlin Sid Karlin Joseph Katz Steve Kaufman * Elaine Koenig Ron Koenig Adam Jamie Komesar Melissa Kornfeld Steve Kramer Eric Kravitz Lois Kravitz ** Jerry Kravitz ** Brian Krebs Josh Krebs Ben Krebs Tracy Krebs Andrew Kronitz Michelle Lafer Max Lafer Richard Lapin Edward Levin Art Link David Lurie * Rosanne Lutz ** Gilbert Lyons Gavin Lyons Steve Mahan Eve Mannes Harvey Mannes Bob Maran Bob Mayer Michelle Meltzer Martin Meltzer Hannah Meltzer Ronnie Merlin Melissa Miller Max Miller Evan Miller Samantha Miller Mark Miller Jay Miller Janet Miller Barry Minkoff Frank Moiger

Alan Moses Ellen Moses Sheila Muldoon Mary Nadler Linda Nadler Tony Nicholls Janice Nodvin Adele Northrup Paul Oberman Stephen D Osheroff Sherry Perchik Jerry Perchik Cameron Perchik David Perchik Ross Perloe Sydney Perloe Michael Planer Mindy Planer Austin Planer Dani Planer Michael Podolsky Erica Pomerance Tobi Pomerance Jimmy Pomerance Richard Quintana Maton Rabman Ethan Rabman Gail Riesenberg Maxine Rock David Rock Debbie Rodkin Faye Rosenbaum Robbie Rosenbaum Sallie Rosenbaum Max Rosenbaum Lou Rosengarten Milton Rosenthal David Rosenthal Brooke Rosenthal Avram Eli Rosenthal Ariela Rosenthal Sandy Sarlin Joyce Schechter * Patricia Schiffman Alissa Schor Alex Schulman ** Tamara Schwartz

Marcello Schwartz Julie Scott Bob Scott Sarah Scott Robby Scott Cindy Sedran Barry Seidel Rona Seidel Madolin Seldes Felice Seligmann Marvin Shams Gail Shattah Daniel Shmalo Roz Shore Louise Short Stan Sloan Allan Slovin Helen Sonsino Aryeh Stein Aviva Stern Lisa Sturt Judy Sutter Leslie Swichkow Ron Swichkow Harvey Tauber Steven Teitel Sharon Teper Frank van der Sommen Jean van der Sommen Karen Weinberg Doug Wexler Jeff Willard Alan Wind Joel Wine Roz Winston Lane Wolbe Samantha Wolff Susan Wolff Donna Wolff Geri Wu Sarah Yarbrough Ronald Zell Anita Zipperman Barry Zipperman Nace Zipperman Leah Zipperman

Heartfelt thanks go also to our sponsors:

Bennie’s Shoes; Publix Supermarkets Charities; Sarlin Wellness Way; Aarons, Grant & Habif, LLC; Kessler and Solomiany, PC; Loventhal Insurance Group; Co-Create a Website; and Toco Instant Printing

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE RELAUNCH OF

The Jewish Breakfast Club With Our First Featured Speaker

Mike Leven Wednesday, February 10th 7:30 am – 9 am 7:30 am Reception • 8:00 am Program

Being held at Greenberg Traurig 3333 Piedmont Rd NE #2500

Reservation Required

RSVP at JBC@atljewishtimes.com $15.00 cash payment at the door We require a reservation because the breakfast is catered and we need to be able to plan

JBC

Jewish Breakfast Club BROADWAY Café