Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCII No. 1, January 6, 2017 by Atlanta Jewish Times

LEADERSHIP

Tom Rosenberg applies Jewish camp expertise at the American Camp Association. Page 16

INSIDE: CAMPS DAY DREAMS

At two new sites, In the City Camp provides multiple day camp options. Page 18

SILVER BELLS

Share the memories from Camp Coleman’s celebration of Bobby Harris. Page 19

Atlanta VOL. XCII NO. 1

WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM

JANUARY 6, 2017 | 8 TEVET 5777

Carts Carry Southside Chanukah Lessons Embassy Move Says ‘Game Over’ By Vicki Leopold

Seven decorated golf carts topped with menorahs, some twinkling with lights, lined up at Fresh Market about 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, to parade to the Peachtree City Center, where latkes, doughnuts, games, gifts and crafts awaited at Chabad of Peachtree City’s third annual Chanukah lighting ceremony. Fun commenced soon after the carts arrived. Children made candles, designed edible menorahs, received face-painted menorahs, spun dreidels, won prizes and watched jugglers. About 120 people listened as Rabbi Yossi Lew explained why the shamash is above rather than alongside the other candles: When you light “someone else’s light, you get the top seat.” Peachtree City Mayor Vanessa Fleisch took time away from her family on Christmas to light the first candle. A surprise guest, Israel Defense Forces soldier Ariel Gonen, stationed at Fort Benning during a six-month exchange with the U.S. military, lighted the second candle. Gonen had discovered the menorah lighting during an online search for anything Jewish outside Atlanta and made the trek from Columbus. Rabbi Lew gave his Chanukah message in four parts: • The miracle of the Maccabees is that a small clan was counted out but

DREAM JOB

Anat Fisher-Tsin spent 12 years helping build an Israeli government agency from 20 to 600 employees, then decided to start over for the chance to represent her nation overseas. Page 22

Two of seven carts are ready to roll in Chabad of Peachtree City’s first golf cart menorah parade.

achieved a clear victory over the Syrians, a mighty empire. “Never say, ‘I can’t,’ ” the rabbi said, because if you want it and work for it, it can happen. • What is “perfect” keeps evolving. On the first night of Chanukah, it is perfect to light one candle, but two are needed the second night to make it right, and so forth. As people, we grow and improve, day by day. • “Everyone benefits from the warmth and light of the menorah — everyone. When in a dark room, instead of kvetching about the darkness, search for a candle to light.” • “The Jewish people and the country of Israel have been dealt a severe blow by someone who claimed to be a friend,” the rabbi said, referring to the U.N. resolu-

TOUGH TURF

Scott Selig hits the pinnacle of his industry, assembling a $400 million Midtown project and being named Commercial Realtor of the Year, while refusing to lose the battle of his life. Page 24

tion two days earlier. Allowing countries that “represent lawlessness, human restriction and chaos to vote against Israel is totally unfair, one-sided and immoral” and represents a “stab in the back to a country that has done everything in its power to embrace peace.” U.N. Resolution 2334 “has no meaning and will have no meaning. The Jewish candles of the menorah have been lit for 2,000 years, and the Jewish candles of the menorah will never be extinguished, and we will never stop lighting the candles that will bring warmth, blessing and light to the world. We will not worry about the darkness in the room, but we will light the candle in every dark place.” ■ • Photos from more Chanukah celebrations, Page 6

INSIDE Calendar �� 4 Candle Lighting �� 4 Israel News ��8 Opinion ��12 Business �� 24 Simchas �� 26 Obituaries �� 27 Marketplace �� 28 Crossword �� 30

On June 1 new President Donald Trump will be required to make official a decision he repeatedly has said he has already taken: whether to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A 1995 U.S. law requires the move but allows the president to sign a six-month waiver in the interest of national security. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama always signed the waiver, as Obama did again Dec. 1. That waiver expires about a week before the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War. Trump has vowed to move the embassy. “It’s a big deal, and I think he will do it,” Jerusalem City Council member Arieh King said Dec. 7 in Atlanta. The concern is that placing the embassy in Jerusalem, even on the western side of the 1949 armistice line, would spark violence among the Palestinians and perhaps across the region. But King, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, said an embassy move would have a pacifying effect by telling the Arabs, “ ‘Game over. Stop thinking about things that you will never get, OK?’ And once the Arabs will understand that it is game over, they will stop playing. This is what we’re missing here. Because they think that they really can get something, they are doing all kinds of activities, including terrorist attacks.” He said most Palestinians then would be willing to become Israeli citizens. His prediction conflicts with statements from Palestinian leaders. “I think it’s good also for the Muslims themselves,” King said. “It will calm down the flames between themselves.” ■ • Relief at Trump presidency, Page 8

Atlanta’s Fin

Outside P

Catering For L

Book Your

Atlanta’s Finest Persian Cuisine

Outside Patio (‫ )פטיו בחוץ‬ Full Bar (‫)בר מלא‬ Catering For Large And Small Events (‫)קײטרינג לארועים גדולים וקטנים‬

Book Your Next Holiday Party (‫)שרײן את מסיבת החגים שלך‬

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

SuﬁsAtlanta.com I 1814 Peachtree St NW I Atlanta, G

SufisAtlanta.com I 404-888-9699 1814 Peachtree St NW I Atlanta, GA 30309 Under new ownership.

MA TOVU

The Time to Speak Is Before There’s Pain Recap: Linda meets up with her friend Jillian, who ecstatically shares that her daughter, Sandy, is engaged. When Linda hears the fiancé’s name, Jakie Abramson, she is tormented by the knowledge that, as a school-age child, Jakie manifested clear symptoms of some type of mental health disorder. Is Linda obligated to relate what she knows about Jakie? She doesn’t want to dissolve the couple’s future happiness, but she wants to do the right thing.

information. Would you be able to live with yourself if somewhere down the line Sandy got divorced and you could have prevented the pain? If there are children, the anguish will have increased exponentially. The couple might not get di-

What If the Tables Were Turned? Tough dilemma; I feel for you. Perhaps Jakie is a stable young man now, and his unruly history was a passing childish phase. So many youths struggle, and once maturity sets in, they become different people. But even if Jakie’s condition was not ephemeral, with the right therapeutic interventions, there is a strong possibility that he has conquered the problem and will be a wonderful husband and father. So why should you rock the boat and destroy a young couple’s hopeful dreams? Imagine that your child stood on the cusp of engagement. You are brimming with joy and gratitude and share your news with a friend. If this friend were privy to information about the fiancé, wouldn’t you expect her to share it with you? What kind of friend would withhold information that could have massive repercussions for your child and her entire future? I’m not saying it’s easy; doing the right thing is often paved with thorns. Wishing you luck with the confrontation, Leon Donald

vorced, yet they could be suffering from Jakie’s illness behind closed doors. Then, too, the liability would be yours — the blame of a family living in pain that could have been prevented. Realize that not every person is open to hearing truth. Friendships can be tossed aside, even those of many years, because of what one party views as hurtful and insensitive remarks. Yet Jillian’s possible reaction should not be your gauge as to how to conduct yourself. You have to be true to yourself. Be courageous! Rabbi Judith Klein

Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

Seek Rabbinical Advice We often think we have to make decisions on our own. Locked within a maze of confusion, how do we know which way to turn? We were not created alone. We have people, qualified leaders, who are equipped to answer questions when the going gets tough. I would advise you, as a thinking Jew, to flesh this out with your local rabbi. A rabbi spends years immersed in Torah learning, imbibing G-d’s wisdom and direction. A sincere rabbi will never think he has studied enough Torah and will continue to spend time plumbing its depths on a daily basis throughout his life. And if a question arises that he doesn’t feel qualified to answer, he will humbly turn it over to an even more qualified sage to guide him in guiding you. It is to this type of leader that I suggest you pose your dilemma. As Joseph said to Pharaoh’s courtiers when they were distressed by their confounding dreams, “Do not interpretations belong to G-d? Relate it to me, if you please” (Genesis 40:8). Warmly, Rabbi Y. Fishman ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Be True to Yourself Perhaps a little investigation is in order. Put on your detective hat and see whether you can sniff out some more up-to-date information about Jakie. What do his peers say about him now? Does he have a rabbi? If you hear conclusively good reports, then it would seem that his history is just that — history — and doesn’t need to be shared with Jillian and her daughter, Sandy. However, if you hear anything disturbing that could adversely affect a marriage and children, it is your obligation as a caring friend to share the

Shared Spirit

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CALENDAR Atlanta

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

PUBLISHER MICHAEL A. MORRIS michael@atljewishtimes.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER KAYLENE LADINSKY kaylene@atljewishtimes.com

ADVERTISING Senior Account Manager

BRENDA GELFAND brenda@atljewishtimes.com Senior Account Manager

MICHAL BONELL michal@atljewishtimes.com Account Manager

SARAH MOOSAZADEH sarah@atljewishtimes.com

EDITORIAL Editor

MICHAEL JACOBS mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Associate Editor

DAVID R. COHEN david@atljewishtimes.com

Contributors This Week YONI GLATT RACHEL FAYNE GRUSKIN LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE KEVIN MADIGAN LOGAN C. RITCHIE DAVE SCHECHTER CHANA SHAPIRO RACHEL STEIN RICH WALTER PATRICE WORTHY

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Design

DARA DRAWDY

CIRCULATION Circulation Coordinator

ELIZABETH FRIEDLY efriedly@atljewishtimes.com

CONTACT INFORMATION GENERAL OFFICE 404.883.2130 KAYLENE@ATLJEWISHTIMES.COM The Atlanta Jewish Times is printed in Georgia and is an equal opportunity employer. The opinions expressed in the Atlanta Jewish Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, Ga. POSTMASTER send address changes to The Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328. Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2017 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce

Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Hearing aids. Peachtree Hearing audiologist Melissa Wikoff speaks about advances in hearing technology at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, as part of the Edgewise Speaker Series. Free for JCC members, $5 for others; matureadults@atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3861.

Vayigash Friday, Jan. 6, light candles at 5:26 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, Shabbat ends at 6:25 p.m. Vayechi Friday, Jan. 13, light candles at 5:32 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Shabbat ends at 6:31 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 7

AJFF preview. Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, holds a Havdalah service at 7 p.m., followed by a sneak peek at the 2017 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival with Judy Marx over dessert. Free; RSVP to dlee@or-hadash.org.

SUNDAY, JAN. 8

Bearing Witness. Holocaust survivor Helen Weingarten shares her experiences, including Auschwitz and slave labor, at 2 p.m. at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Free; www. thebreman.org or 678-222-3700. Summer expo. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta holds a teen summer experiences expo with representatives of camps, travel programs, study programs and more from 2 to 4 p.m. at the 7/10 Grille at Stars and Strikes, 8767 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Free; stanenbaum@jewishatlanta.org.

MONDAY, JAN. 9

Fashion history. The exhibit “Fashioning a Nation: German Identity and Industry, 1914-1945” opens at GoetheZentrum Atlanta, Colony Square, 1197 Peachtree St., Midtown, with a panel discussion on the Jewish role in German fashion history at 7 p.m. Free; www.goethe.de/ins/us/atl/ver/ en16079394v.htm or 404-892-2388.

TUESDAY, JAN. 10

Jewish Art Zone. The after-school club for kindergartners through second-

graders focuses on Shabbat on four Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. The cost is $15 per week or $50 for the session; www. chabadnf.org/jaz or 770-410-9000.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11 Babyccino Mommy & Me. The play group for babies up to 2½ years old focuses on Shabbat for four Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. Free; www.chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000. AJFF preview. Bob Bahr presents his best bets for the forthcoming Atlanta Jewish Film Festival during an ORT Atlanta event at 7 p.m. at the home of Linda and Bill Reif, 630 Galway Drive, Roswell. Admission is $18; bit.ly/2hFpuQ9.

THURSDAY, JAN. 12 Yom Kippur War. Pediatrician Itzhak Brook, an Israeli medic in the Six-Day War and a battalion physician in the Yom Kippur War, speaks about the effects of the 1973 war on Israeli society at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, in the Edgewise Speaker Series. Free for JCC members, $5 for others; matureadults@ atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3861. European populism. American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Office holds an open board meeting over lunch at 11:45 a.m. at 103 West, 103 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead, with German Consul General Detlev Ruenger speaking about the rise of populism in Europe. The cost is $35; bit.ly/2iXryYY. Interfaith gratitude. Ramah Darom, 70

Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

Remember When

25 Years Ago Jan. 3, 1992 ■ The U.S. Jewish community must stop ignoring its biggest component, the baby boomers, who represent a third of America’s 5.5 million Jews, according to population researcher Barry Kosmin, who will speak about his national findings at an Atlanta Jewish Federation public forum Jan. 7. ■ Congregation Beth Jacob, under new Senior Rabbi Ilan Feldman and with a new facade under construction, is ready for a new approach to outreach, says Chana Shapiro, a seven-year Beth Jacob member who became the Orthodox congregation’s program director in November. Being an observant Jew doesn’t mean you can’t have a hoot, she says. ■ The bat mitzvah of Lindsey Weiner of Marietta, daughter of Laurie and Richard Weiner, will take place at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 11, at Temple Sinai. ■ Sherri and Stephen Phillips of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Hilary Suzanne, on Dec. 2. 50 Years Ago Jan. 6, 1967 ■ Congressman Benjamin Rosenthal of New York has urged the United States to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “We will never achieve a lasting settlement of the Middle East crisis unless we impress upon the Arabs that their war against Israel is condemned by the international community,” he wrote Secretary of State Dean Rusk. ■ The bar mitzvah of Michael Allen Berger of Atlanta, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Berger, will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Zaban of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter Laura Rachel to Marshall Brent Dinerman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Dinerman.

CALENDAR Corrections & Clarifications

The first name of the mother of AJT Chanukah Art Contest winner Ari Gordon was incorrect in the Dec. 23 issue. Her name is Lynn Gordon.

Infertility support. Intimacy coach Rachel Welfeld speaks about infertility and intimacy at the monthly meeting of the Jewish Fertility Foundation’s Wo/ Men Infertility Support & Help group at 6 p.m. at MACoM, 700-A Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP@JewishFertilityFoundation.org or 404-275-9678 (Lynn Goldman). China photography exhibit. Artist Steve Steinman’s photography exhibition, “China: Tradition and Change,” running through March 3, opens with a presentation at 6 p.m. at the Ventulett Gallery at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.stevesteinmanfineart.com or 404-808-3343. Human trafficking. Rotary Clubs hold a screening of the human trafficking film “8 Days,” followed by a panel discussion moderated by CNN’s Lisa Cohen, at 6:30 p.m. at North Springs Charter High School, 7447 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP at www. brookhavenrotary.org. Fashion history. Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta, Colony Square, 1197 Peachtree St., Midtown, continues its exploration of Jewish-German fashion with a panel discussion on “Creativity vs. Commerce” at 7 p.m. Free; www.goethe.de/ ins/us/atl/ver/en16091088v.htm or 404-892-2388.

FRIDAY, JAN. 13

Sushi, sake, spirituality. Jump-start your Shabbat with Chabad of Cobb’s monthly Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat at 5:20 p.m. at 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb. Free; 770-565-4412. MLK weekend. Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, kicks off its observance of the Martin Luther King Day holiday with a Friday night service that includes the Rev. Jeffrey Ott and the choir from Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday night at 7:30, Or Hadash screens the Andrew Young film “Making of Modern Atlanta,” followed by a panel discussion among Dan Gordon, Howard Maziar and Andrea Young.

Our Lady of Lourdes, 25 Boulevard, downtown Atlanta, invites the Or Hadash community to Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday. Or Hadash assembles goody bags for Cafe Europa participants at 11 a.m. Monday, then hears from Atlanta Daily World Publisher Alexis Scott at 11:40 a.m. Free; RSVP for weekend events by Jan. 11 at bit.ly/COH13-MLK.

SUNDAY, JAN. 15

Book event. Clinical psychologist Michael Breus, a graduate of Riverwood High and UGA, speaks about his book “The Power of When” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for others; www.atlantajcc. org/bookfestival or 678-812-4005.

MONDAY, JAN. 16

Day of service. The Packaged Good, 5517 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, marks Martin Luther King Day by inviting the community to enjoy snacks, hot chocolate and a DJ while helping pack 2,000 care packages for the Community Assistance Center and Homeless at Heart from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free; thepackagedgood.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 17

Torah on Tap. YJP Atlanta discusses current events and other topics over dinner at 8 p.m. at Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown. Free; www.eventbrite.com/e/torah-on-taptickets-30526254850.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18

THURSDAY, JAN. 19

Hunger exhibit. Mazon’s “This Is Hunger” traveling, interactive, 45-minute experience stops at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, for programs at 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Free; register at least 24 hours in advance at bit.ly/2i1qYVZ. Frankly Speaking. NCJW Atlanta holds its monthly women’s discussion group moderated by Sherry Frank at noon at 6303 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP by Jan. 18 to christineh@ ncjwatlanta.org.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Darom Lane, Clayton, at 6 p.m. hosts an evening of gratitude to the firefighters and emergency management personnel who responded to the recent wildfires in North Georgia. Free; www.facebook.com/events/1833671506908276.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

Coming to Light the Menorah Across Metro Atlanta The last week of 2016 brought a flurry of Chanukah events in public venues to supplement home observances. With the Festival of Lights starting Dec. 24 and ending Jan. 1, many families had more flexibility to celebrate the season because children were out of school and some offices were closed. Chabad of Peachtree City started

a new Southside tradition by holding a golf cart menorah parade leading to its downtown Chanukah party Dec. 25. Chabad Intown took its giant chanukiah on the road for lightings and parties in Virginia-Highland on Dec. 25, at Decatur Square on Dec. 26, at Atlantic Station on Dec. 27 and in Avondale Estates on Dec. 28. The Jewish Federation of Greater

Atlanta brought the East Cobb and North Fulton Jewish communities together for a menorah lighting and party at Temple Beth Tikvah on Dec. 27. Jewish Heritage Night brought renewed good luck to the Atlanta Hawks, who won for the third time in the Chabad of Georgia-sponsored Chanukah event’s four-season history by topping the New York Knicks 102-98 in

overtime Dec. 28. And the night before Marietta Square dropped a replica of the Big Chicken to celebrate the start of 2017, Congregation Ner Tamid brought together a diverse crowd of more than 200 people for a candle lighting, dreidel games, hot chocolate and free children’s books from the PJ Library on Dec. 30. ■

Photo by Jenna Gutenstein

Congregation Ner Tamid Rabbi Joseph Prass gets help from a member of the crowd to light the menorah at Marietta Square.

Peachtree City Mayor Vanessa Fleisch takes time out on Christmas to help Chabad of Peachtree City Rabbi Yossi Lew light the menorah.

Chabad of Peachtree City Rabbi Yossi Lew has the assistance of Israeli soldier Ariel Gonen with the second candle.

The Federation Chanukah party wouldn’t be complete without an ugly Chanukah sweater contest.

Chabad Intown Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman has the comfort of family at the Va-Hi celebration.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

The lights are not limited to the menorah at Chabad Intown’s Decatur Square party.

The menorah isn’t the only thing super-sized with Chabad Intown.

Scott and Erin Miller enjoy the fried food of the season at Chabad Intown’s Virginia-Highland party.

(From left) Temple Kol Emeth Rabbi Erin Boxt, Temple Beth Tikvah Rabbi Alexandria ShuvalWeiner, Beth Tikvah Cantor Nancy Kassel and Congregation Etz Chaim Rabbi Daniel Dorsch join the Federation party Dec. 27.

The appropriately named Light family enjoys the Federation celebration of the Festival of Lights at Beth Tikvah.

Rabbi Ari Sollish lights the Chabad Intown menorah for the third night of Chanukah at Decatur Square.

JANUARY 6 â&#x2013;ª 2017

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home $25,000 neuroscience award. Pediatrician and neuroscientist Gilad Evrony, a Jerusalem native working in Boston, was awarded the Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science in November. Evrony sequences and analyzes the genomes of individual brain cells to detect mutations. Power tunnel. The Israeli national water company Mekorot and an Austrian partner have begun construction on an 8-mile-long tunnel from Eshtaol, near Beit Shemesh, to Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. When it is completed after three years of work by a massive machine with a 170-ton mining head, the tunnel will be the longest in the world for carrying water under pressure and will help connect the five desalination plants on the Mediterranean coast to the rest of the water system. Health informatics. The Jerusalem College of Technology and the Univer-

sity of Toronto have jointly developed Israel’s first degree program in the field of health informatics, which involves managing and analyzing data to support the best treatment for patients. U.S. medical center to use Israeli scanner. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the P-ARTIS upright CT proton scanner from Lod-based PCure. Now the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center will be the first U.S. site to use the scanner for patients with lung cancer.

customers globally in three years, including users in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Helping Ugandan children. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Project TEN has set up its third volunteer center in Africa. Partnering with a coalition of organizations, the center in Namulanda, Uganda, between Kampala and Entebbe, will focus on education, health care, agriculture and the arts.

Facebook live with brain surgeries. More than half a million viewers in December watched live broadcasts on Facebook of brain surgeries at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. The live videos promoted the work of the new brain center.

Health care for India’s poor. The Pears Challenge, run by the Pears Program for Global Innovation at Tel Aviv University, is focusing on creating affordable health care solutions for poor and lower-middle-income Indians. The winners of the 2017 challenge will be flown to India to meet investors and clients.

Hands-free smartphone’s Arab reach. Sesame Enable’s hands-free smartphone for people who can’t use their hands has reached more than 1,200

High-energy award. David Faiman of Ben-Gurion University has been given the David Ben-Gurion Award for his life’s work researching and promot-

ing renewable energy. The prize is presented to people whose “actions fulfill David Ben-Gurion’s vision and follow his legacy.” Robotic hazmat identification. Petah Tikva-based Laser Detect Systems has developed the SpectroDrone, which can identify explosives and other hazardous materials from several yards away. The system uses a multiwavelength laser, a range finder, a highresolution camera and an algorithm and can be placed on an aerial drone, a robot or a ground vehicle. Getting a shared ride in New York. Commuters in New York can now use their Israeli Gett app to request a Gett Together. For $3 they will be picked up by a professional driver and dropped off along set routes during designated commuting hours. Other passengers along the route may share the vehicle. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other sources.

Israel Lucky Clinton Lost, Land Fund Leader Says By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Jerusalem City Council member Arieh King was eager for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump even without the U.S. abstention on U.N. Resolution 2334. King visited Atlanta on Dec. 6 and 7, more than two weeks before the U.N. Security Council voted 14-0 to chastise Israel for the growth of its West Bank settlements, including housing in East Jerusalem, to which the Dec. 23 resolution emphasized Israel has no right under international law. But King, who lives on the east side of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives and is the founder and director of the Israel Land Fund, whose mission is to help Jews buy land on both sides of the Green Line, said international pressure led by President Barack Obama has succeeded in freezing Jewish housing construction in East Jerusalem for years. The same projects make headlines at every step of the bureaucratic approval process, King said, but actual building doesn’t begin. As an example, he said a friend has the proper zoning but can’t do anything with his land in East Jerusalem, even though his Arab 8 neighbors on both sides have built.

Arieh King says the best thing Atlantans can do to strengthen Israel is buy property in housing developments in and around Jerusalem.

“I can bring you official letters showing that (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is not allowing Jews to build in East Jerusalem” because of Obama administration criticism, King said. He said Hillary Clinton led the attacks on Israeli settlement policy and on the municipality of Jerusalem when she was secretary of state, so he was relieved that she did not win the presidency. King’s optimism about better times for Israel during the Trump administration is as much about that relief as about confidence in Trump. “I’m also happy that people around Trump aren’t afraid to say the right things, meaning Jews should build any time anywhere around Jerusalem,” King said. King is representative of the Israeli right wing and the settler community that Secretary of State John Kerry criti-

cized Dec. 28 as primary obstacles to a two-state solution. Kerry warned that Israeli settlements are creating facts on the ground that could make the peaceful coexistence of two states for two peoples impossible. King used the same terminology in describing his efforts with the Israel Land Fund: “I am hoping by making these facts on the ground we will cause the government to act as they didn’t act the past 15 years.” Starting Jan. 20, when Trump takes office, King’s primary fear will shift from foreign pressure to internal politics. He blamed Israel’s Gaza disengagement in 2005 on Ariel Sharon’s effort to distract the public from a corruption investigation that was getting closer to him, and King wants to be sure Netanyahu doesn’t do something similarly dramatic and dangerous while facing his own family corruption investigation. “I just hope that our government would not do wrong things and make mistakes when we have again this positive president and the support of the House and the Senate,” King said. City planning should not be the concern of the prime minister, he added. “In Jerusalem, unfortunately, the real mayor is the prime minister.” One obstacle to expanded Jewish

land purchases in Jerusalem is a law that treats Arabs differently from Jews, King said. Arabs who own land in East Jerusalem must live there or risk losing their residency rights. That law makes those Palestinians “Zionist prisoners” and insanely prevents them from moving away, said King, who wants the law changed. Another move that would treat East Jerusalem’s Arabs just like West Jerusalem’s Jews also would shake up the city’s demography: King is fighting for both sides of the city to get the same government services, infrastructure and cultural programming. That change would improve Palestinian life, but King also thinks it would draw more Jews to East Jerusalem. Ultimately, King hopes many Atlanta Jews, including the crowd he spoke to Dec. 6 at Congregation Beth Jacob, join the move to settle the Holy Land by making aliyah. But in the interim, he urges Jewish Atlantans to visit Israel and invest in the real estate. And if you’re visiting, don’t just stop at the Kotel, he said. Walk around the neighborhood, see other archaeological sites, and get to know the people and their lives. “It gives us a good feeling that what we are doing means something,” King said. ■

ISRAEL NEWS

President Bill Clinton walks between Ehud Barak (left) and Farouk al-Shara.

Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. Jan. 6, 1942: Jacob Toledano, who was born in Tiberias in 1880 but with other Jews of North African descent was expelled to Corsica by the Ottomans at the start of World War I, returns to the land of Israel to take up the post of the Sephardi chief rabbi of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Jan. 7, 2010: University of Haifa Professor Gershon Galil announces that he has deciphered a Hebrew inscription written in a proto-Canaanite script around the time of King David in the 10th century B.C.E. The text, on a pottery shard found in 2008, tells readers to protect slaves, widows and orphans, rehabilitate the poor, and support strangers. Jan. 8, 1978: Rose Luria Halprin, who served twice as the national president of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, dies at the age of 83 in New York. Jan. 9, 1837: Hayim Nahman Bialik, Israel’s national poet, is born in the village of Radi, near Zhitomir in Volhynia in northwestern Ukraine. Jan. 10, 2000: Seven days of peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara in Shepherdstown, W.Va., end without any resolution. Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy says the sides aren’t close to a deal that would return at least part of the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for peace. Jan. 11, 1961: The Egoz, a ship on its 12th mission to bring Moroccan Jews to Israel, sinks, drowning 44 immigrants, half of whom are children. Jan. 12, 1989: Maccabi Tel Aviv defeats the CSKA Red Army team 97-92 in basketball in Moscow, the first competition for Israeli athletes in the Soviet Union since it cut off relations with Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Today in Israeli History

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL NEWS

Celebrating the Holidays at Akko’s Inclusive Festival By Jessica Halfin On a chilly winter morning in the seaside Israeli city of Akko, choral harmonies rose into the air and bounced off a vaulted stone ceiling. The voices belonged to the 30 women of the Naama Women’s Choir and rang in two holidays that happened to fall on the same date: Christmas and Chanukah. In the background, the traditional Islamic call to prayer could be heard from the mosque next door, blending perfectly with the choir’s “Ave Maria” in a true display of modern life in the Western Galilee, a region that is Sandy Springs’ sister city in Israel. The concert was held in the beautifully restored Jewish National Fund (JNF) Western Galilee Tourist Information Center, which promotes the region’s tourism and businesses. Once an abandoned structure, it now plays host to the awe-inspiring music at the annual Winter Festival. In its fifth year, the festival, from Dec. 22 to 24, was hosted by Western Galilee Now, a consortium of small businesses, wineries, tour operators, artisans and more, to usher in and celebrate the winter holidays while introducing the general public to the varied cultures living side by side in the Western Galilee. Each year the festival takes visitors through a series of culinary and crafting workshops, concerts, tours, feasts and storytelling sessions.

The Naama Women’s Choir performs at a Christmas Eve/Chanukah concert at the annual Western Galilee Winter Festival in Akko. Stained glass in the ceiling adds a special glow to events inside JNF’s Western Galilee Tourist Information Center.

One such guided tour took visitors along the cobblestone streets of Akko’s Old City. Passing through hotels thoughtfully constructed around the ruins of city walls and water cisterns, the tourists encountered the bubbling energy of young children at play. Emerging from an elevator, the tourists were greeted by a breathtaking view of the ancient city from the roof of one of the Old City’s buildings. Amnon Gofer and Ayelet Bar-Meir, two of Western Galilee Now’s tour guides, directed the visitors’ attention to the Mediterranean Sea, the land and the marks of the many great civilizations that have tried to conquer Akko.

Reflecting the many invasions, this ancient port city can feel like modern-day Istanbul or a crusader-era European city. “What makes Akko so special is not just the mix of people from all religions who live and coexist in this city,” Gofer said. “What’s exciting is that things are always growing and changing here. Both below and above the ground, there is always something new to discover. Wherever you look, there is something special to be found.” The stops on the special holiday tour included an old Templar neighborhood, identified by its signature white-and-blue houses, and a Sufi Mus-

lim shrine. Under the yellow and blue stained glass at JNF’s Tourist Information Center, the choir serenaded the crowd with another melody, only this time not a Hebrew song or an English carol, but a solemn Arabic hymn. At the end of the hymn, visitors and tourists whispered well wishes and chag sameach (happy holiday) to one another. The crowd remained to partake in the candle lighting for the first night of Chanukah, while Christians around the city prepared for their Christmas Eve dinner. Pnina Inbar, the founder and conductor of the Naama Women’s Choir, told the crowd: “Our concerts always hold a special feeling, but this one was very moving for all of us. Just having the opportunity to sing in these renewed historical and spiritual spaces in Akko’s Old City, among the wonders and hustle of the city and with such a fantastic crowd, has made this year’s festival especially unique for all of us.” Inbar’s moving words are what the Western Galilee is all about: people from different faiths and walks of life coming together to take part in one another’s holiday ceremonies and customs. In Akko, coexistence isn’t “happening”; it’s the norm. ■ To learn more about Jewish National Fund’s work, visit JNF.org. To plan a visit to the Western Galilee, visit Western Galilee Now at westgalil.org.il.

2017 Marks Milestone Anniversaries for Zionism By Rich Walter Center for Israel Education

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

One hundred twenty years ago, in August 1897, nearly 200 delegates from across Europe and as far away as the United States gathered for three days in Basel, Switzerland, to attend the First Zionist Congress. The delegates, representing a variety of Jewish backgrounds and interests, had been convened by Theodor Herzl, a journalist, lawyer and author. The congress would create the World Zionist Organization from disparate musings about Jews reconstituting as a nation in their ancient homeland. The meetings set in motion the political and practical building blocks that led to the creation of Israel as a Jewish state in May 1948. 10 Addressing the delegates, Herzl

proclaimed: “We want to lay the foundations of the edifice which is one day to house the Jewish people. The task is so great that we may treat of it Theodor Herzl in none but the addresses the First Zionist Congress. simplest terms.” That year, 1897, marked the beginning of the organized movement toward Jewish self-determination, but it is far from the only important milestone we will observe during this year of the “7.” One hundred years ago, in November 1917, the British issued the Balfour Declaration, articulating support for “the establishment in Palestine of a na-

tional home for the Jewish people.” Marking the achievement of the international legitimacy that Herzl so desired, the contents of the 1917 Balfour Declaration were included in the 1922 League of Nations Articles of Mandate for Palestine. Seventy years ago, on November 29, 1947, the Zionist movement received a further bolstering of international legitimacy when the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181, calling for the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. In just 50 years since the historic gathering in Basel, the movement had achieved success, and six months later the state of Israel was born. Fifty years ago, in June 1967, Israel’s stunning victory in the Six-Day War led to a fivefold increase in its territory as well as control over more than

1 million Palestinians. Israel’s victory in six days has affected the country in a variety of ways. The results of the war have shaped domestic and foreign policy and Israel’s relations with the Jewish Diaspora. These are just three examples of why 2017 is an important year of reflection on many milestones in the history of Jewish self-determination. Over the course of the year, our Center for Israel Education will highlight these and other important “7” milestones on our website, ww.israeled. org. Included will be educational materials for learners of all ages so that they may immerse in the valued context of a special history. ■ Rich Walter is the associate director for Israel education at the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org).

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL NEWS

Kerry Speech Leads to Call for Small Steps

Secretary of State John Kerry has warned that the situation on the ground risks cementing in place a one-state solution, under which Israel could be Jewish or democratic but not both.

threat of its veto. He said the United States could have gotten much more balance in the measure, such as affirmation that Israel is a Jewish state. Kerry offered support for that position in his speech Dec. 28, in which he laid out six principles for a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians: • Provide for secure, defensible, recognized borders that are based on the pre-1967 lines with negotiated land swaps and result in a contiguous Palestine. • Establish two states for two peoples with mutual recognition and full rights for all citizens. Kerry specified that Israel should be recognized as a Jewish state and that the rights of Israeli Arabs must be protected. • Provide a just resolution for Palestinian refugees, including compensation for losses, new homes and acknowledgment of their suffering. Kerry did not use the phrase “right of return” but did say the refugee resolution must respect Israel’s fundamental character as Jewish and democratic. • Establish Jerusalem as the capital of both states while maintaining the religious status quo. • Ensure Israel’s security while ending the occupation and establishing a demilitarized Palestinian state. • End the conflict and all outstanding claims between Israel and the rest of the Middle East, launching an era of normal relations and peaceful coexistence. Makovsky, who worked with Kerry during his 2013-14 effort to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, said Kerry’s principles align with the ideas laid out by Presidents Bill Clinton in 2000, George W. Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2011.

Kerry’s speech marked the first time a major U.S. official specified that Jerusalem should be the capital for two nations, Makovsky said, and the secretary of state took a middle ground on refugees by saying that their resolution could not undermine the principle of two states for two peoples. Other minor differences involved terminology or emphasis rather than real substance. The timing of Kerry’s speech creates some drama with a peace conference scheduled for Jan. 15 in Paris, Makovsky said. Israel is not participating in that gathering, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations has urged the United States to skip it as well. Although Kerry said the United States remains opposed to a solution being forced on the two sides by the United Nations, there are concerns that the U.N. Security Council will try to pass a resolution based on Kerry’s six principles, with the endorsement of the Paris conference, before Obama leaves office Jan. 20. It might have made more sense for Kerry to deliver such a speech in the spring of 2014 after PA President Mahmoud Abbas refused to respond to a proposal from the secretary of state, but other world events, such as the fighting in Ukraine and the rise of Islamic State, pushed aside the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, Makovsky said. “I do think he cares deeply about this,” Makovsky said about Kerry. “I think it was a noble effort to try to hit a home run.” But he said that after the United States failed to hit that home run of a final agreement in the closing days of the Clinton administration, through the efforts of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007-08, and under

David Makovsky

Kerry, it might be wise to try incremental steps. Right now, because of a lack of trust and leadership, Makovsky said, a final agreement isn’t possible. He presented examples of hitting singles that would benefit Israel and the Palestinians. On settlements, he said the United States and Israel should take a more nuanced view that differentiates between building in the settlement blocs that are widely expected to become part of Israel under the land swaps of a final deal and those settlements built east of the separation barrier in the West Bank. Israel could then offer not to build east of the barrier, leaving 92 percent of the West Bank off-limits to settlers. In return, the Palestinians could dismantle the foundation that makes payments to the families of terrorists. Center for Israel Education President Ken Stein asked Makovsky to project the effects of the U.N. resolution and the Kerry speech in six months — with June bringing the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the statutory deadline for President Donald Trump to proceed with moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem or to sign a six-month waiver of that shift. There is a historical injustice in refusing to put the embassy where the Israeli government is based, and the embassy would end up in Jerusalem under a final agreement, Makovsky said. “But the Mideast isn’t always focused on rationality.” ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

After three strikes swinging for home runs in the Middle East, it’s time for the United States to play small ball and hit some singles, analyst David Makovsky argues. “Whenever it’s all or nothing in the Middle East, it tends to be nothing,” said Makovsky, the Ziegler distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute and the director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process. He spoke to more than 1,000 people on a conference call organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs on Thursday, Dec. 29, the day after Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a 70-minute speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kerry spent most of his speech defending the U.S. abstention Dec. 23 on U.N. Resolution 2334, which had the support of the other 14 members of the U.N. Security Council. That resolution, the first one critical of Israel that the Obama administration has allowed to pass the Security Council, reiterates the U.N. view that Israeli settlements are “a flagrant violation under international law,” including housing built in East Jerusalem. Most of the operative clauses of the resolution focus on the settlements as a major obstacle to a two-state solution. The resolution calls on Israel to halt and reverse settlement activity, rejects any changes to Israel’s borders as they existed before the Six-Day War in 1967 without a negotiated agreement, urges other nations to distinguish between Israel and the territories occupied since 1967 (as the European Union does with its labeling of imports), and asks for a report from the U.N. secretarygeneral every three months on actions in response to the resolution. Kerry and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, argued that the United States had a moral obligation not to veto the resolution because of the threat settlements pose to the hope for a two-state solution, even though they oppose the use of the United Nations to impose a peace deal. They noted that the resolution calls for an end to incitement to violence and a condemnation of terrorism, although those clauses don’t name the Palestinians or the Palestinian Authority. Regardless of the role the United States played in the creation of Resolution 2334, Makovsky said the United States failed to use the “enormous negotiating leverage” it held based on the

For the AJT’s view on December’s developments, see Page 12. For the reactions of American Jewish organizations, see Page 14. For more details on the U.N. resolution and the Kerry speech, visit At11 lantaJewishTimes.com.

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

Peace Failure

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

The Obama administration delivered a Chanukah present most of the Jewish community didn’t want when the United States abstained on the U.N. Security Council’s Resolution 2334 on Friday, Dec. 23. President Barack Obama has received plenty of deserved criticism for not vetoing what’s probably the most anti-Israel resolution regarding the settlements since Jimmy Carter was president. The overwhelmingly negative, bipartisan reaction to the abstention (some of which you can read on Page 14) speaks to the measure’s lack of balance. We can’t say whether organizations such as J Street and New Israel Fund have revealed an uncommon devotion to peace or an unfortunate partisan preference in their support for Obama’s decision. As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggressive response to the resolution and to Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech Wednesday, Dec. 28, we suggest that now is not the time to obsess over a possible U.S. role in the resolution’s creation. We also think it’s a mistake to go to diplomatic war with allies and potential allies because they voted the wrong way on one resolution that is insulting and counterproductive but doesn’t substantially change the official U.N. view of Israel and the settlements. But while Israelis and their democratically elected government decide what is in their best interest, it is Obama’s job to act in the best interest of the United States, not necessarily in the best interest of an ally and certainly not out of any personal grudge against a foreign leader or his domestic friends. Unfortunately, we can’t conceive of any positive result, so we believe that Obama failed in his responsibility. We’ve repeatedly heard the administration’s explanation that the United States had to act to stop the settlements from eliminating the possibility of a twostate solution, but the insistence on treating housing in Jerusalem and neighboring blocs the same as settlements east of the separation barrier is a failure of nuance and U.S. diplomacy that moves us away from the solution Kerry mapped out with his six principles. Trying to shame Israel in the biased United Nations while hardly slapping the Palestinians on the wrist is a good way to get Israelis to dig in, lest they appear to succumb to international pressure. Meanwhile, a victory in that international forum is likely to embolden the Palestinians to keep pursuing an imposed solution instead of negotiating with Israel. No one in the Obama administration has laid out any process to get from today’s mutual anger and sense of betrayal to renewed talks between Israelis and Palestinians, let alone to rebuild trust and make actual progress toward a final agreement. Kerry buried his policy vision under a defense of the U.N. abstention and presented no way forward to achieve his six principles, which are nothing new. It’s clear the Obama administration, like so many U.S. administrations before it, is out of ideas and full of frustration with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We can only hope the president leaves bad enough alone in his final weeks in office and doesn’t pull any further surprises, such as enshrining Kerry’s principles in another U.N. resolution or recognizing a 12 Palestinian state with unrecognized borders. ■

Cartoon by John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri

Rejection of the ‘Jewish State’ cupation or amid Palestinian Authority corruption, “Asking Israel to be recognized as a Jewish state how honest would you be is like saying, ‘The U.S. is if a pollster asked sensitive not for Americans; the questions? U.S. is for white folks,’ ” Editor’s Notebook Rudoren said middlePalestinian-American By Michael Jacobs age and millennial Paleslawyer and George Mason tinians generally expect to University lecturer Noura mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com gain a one-state solution in Erakat said on CNN after time, so they don’t accept Secretary of State John the idea of a Jewish state. Kerry’s speech Wednesday, I’m not on the ground in Hebron or Ramallah Dec. 28, just as she had the same day on MSNBC. to ask Palestinians what they think, but Erakat took Her passionate rejection of what should be an time from her PR activism to respond to an email easy issue — the Palestinian acceptance of Israel as seeking clarity about her opposition to a “Jewish a Jewish state, a natural outgrowth of the U.N. vision state”; whether a change in phrasing, such as “homefor splitting the area between the Jordan and the land of the Jewish people,” would be more acceptMediterranean into two states for two peoples — able; and whether she supports a two-state solution. reminded me of New York Times reporter Jodi RudoAlthough her reply was not as clear as her ren’s visit to Atlanta in May for a J Street discussion. rejection of “Jewish state,” it was interesting. She Rudoren, formerly based in Jerusalem, said that said she fights anti-Semitism in all its forms, but “I when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu don’t believe that a state is the adequate response to demanded Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewthe perennial Jewish question, and I certainly don’t ish state as part of a framework for peace talks, she think that persecution of Jews justifies the ongoing was surprised but thought he was giving Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas an easy negoti- forced transfer and marginalization of Palestinians.” That’s not a ringing endorsement of a two-state ating chip. But Abbas angrily rejected the demand. solution. At best, it’s an acceptance of Jews as resiKerry, however, didn’t say anything in his dents of a future Palestine. speech about Palestinian resistance to two states for Erakat is just one person, albeit a person who two peoples. Beyond boilerplate lines about rejecting frequently represents the Palestinian side in U.S. meviolence and condemning terrorism, he didn’t say dia. But her position poses a more fundamental probmuch at all to criticize the Palestinians. lem for a two-state solution than the settlements. His underlying assumption is that most people As Israel has shown in the Sinai and Gaza, on both sides want a two-state solution; they just houses can be abandoned and people moved. Or lack the trust and leaders to get a deal done. people can put their commitment to being in a But while polling data and commentary point particular place above their desire to live as citizens to that assumption being true on the Israeli side, of a particular country. But if Palestinian decisionthere’s no reason to believe it applies to the Palmakers and influencers don’t believe that Jews are a estinians. Polls are mixed, and it’s hard to rely on people entitled to a homeland, like the Palestinians Palestinian polling anyway. If you were living under themselves, there’s no peace to negotiate. ■ Hamas or in a refugee camp or under military oc-

OPINION

Pray for the President?

For centuries Jews have prayed for the welfare of rulers in the lands they inhabit. Such prayers continue as the United States prepares for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as its 45th president (though the prayers’ fervency may depend on your politics). Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) enjoins Jews to “pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive.” Traditionally, this was achieved by reciting the Hanoten Teshu’ah LaMalakhim (He who gives dominion to kings), which dates to the 16th century. But a new nation required prayers that spoke to independence, not subservience. A prayer read in 1784 at New York’s Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest (founded in 1654) congregation in the country, named, among others, Gen. George Washington of the Continental Army, who five years later was elected the first president. That prayer said: Mayest Thou grant intelligence, wisdom and knowledge to our lords, the rulers of these thirteen states. … As Thou has granted to these thirteen states of America everlasting freedom, so mayest Thou bring us forth once again from bondage into freedom. While many Orthodox congregations remain faithful to the Hanoten Teshu’ah (or a version modified to mention the United States and its leaders), there have been attempts to replace it. Tefilot Yisra’el (Prayers of Israel), published in 1848, offered the Ribon Kol Ha’Olamim (Master of the Universe), attributed to Rabbi Max Lilienthal, a German emigre and chief rabbi of three Orthodox congregations in New York. Brandeis University’s Jonathan Sarna wrote that by “abandoning both the groveling tone and the sense of dependency reflected in Hanoten Teshu’ah, it radiates optimism and selfconfidence.” Among its verses: Pour down the bounty of Your

goodness upon the President, and the Vice President of the United States. Let their prosperity be like a river, their righteousness like the waves of the sea. In their days may kindness and truth meet each other, righteousness and peace kiss. Great shall be their honor; through Your help and in Your strength they will greatly exult. In the current Reform prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, “For Our Coun-

From Where I Sit By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

try” includes these words: Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance, May they govern with justice and compassion. The prayers recited in most Conservative and Reconstructionist congregations draw inspiration, if not exact phrasing, from “A Prayer for the Government,” authored in 1927 by Talmudic scholar Louis Ginzberg: We invoke Thy blessing upon our Country, on the government of this Republic, the President of these United States and all who exercise just and rightful authority. Do Thou instruct them out of Thy Law, that they may administer all affairs of state in justice and equity, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, right and freedom may forever abide in our midst. Unite in loyal and loving accord all the inhabitants of our country, so that men of all races and creeds may find in their common citizenship the bond of a true brotherhood which shall banish all hatred and bigotry and shall safeguard the ideals and free institutions which are our country’s pride and glory. May this land under Thy providence be an influence for good throughout the world, uniting men in peace and freedom and helping to fulfill the vision of thine inspired Seers: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall men learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4) These days, I find the need to “safeguard the ideals and free institutions which are our country’s pride and glory” (and envied by much of the world) particularly relevant. Rather than petition for divine intervention to achieve the aims of “A Prayer for the Government,” Americans might be wise to take on that responsibility themselves. ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

“Rabbi, may I ask you a question?” “Certainly, Leibesh.” “Is there a proper blessing for the tsar?” “A blessing for the tsar? Of course. May G-d bless and keep the tsar … far away from us!” (From “Fiddler on the Roof”)

O P E N I N G E A R LY 2 0 1 7

First Community January 14 & 15 OPEN HOUSE 10am to 4pm

Live, Love, Thrive

is our philosophy that we integrate into everything we do because we recognize the importance of seniors staying active and purposeful.

470-238-6400

Call us to better understand the Phoenix difference in senior care. 13943 HIGHWAY 9 N

www.p hoenixsrl iving.c o m

Do you live in Sandy Springs, Chastain, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Atlanta?

Central to all, this gem in Sandy Springs has you covered. Incredibly low prices and an amazing selection on all beer, wine and spirits.

THE NEWEST AND MOST HIGHLY RATED SOUGHT AFTER BOTTLE SHOP!

Wine, Spirits & Beer

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

• Very competitive pricing • Huge diverse selection of Bourbons, Scotch, Tequila and more. • Expansive wine department from collectible to daily drinkers • Phenomenal service and knowledgeable staff • Clean, safe, and fun shopping experience

4600 Roswell Road Suite D-110 Atlanta, GA 30342

404-843-1050 LOCATED NEXT TO SPROUTS IN THE GATEWAY SHOPPING CENTER

OPINION

Jewish Groups Criticize U.N. Action, Kerry Speech Most American Jewish organizations that responded to the U.S. abstention on U.N. Resolution 2334 on Friday, Dec. 23, or to Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech five days later were critical. Among them: • Jewish Federations of North America — “The Administration’s decision undermined a core principle of American foreign policy that has been embraced by Democratic and Republican Administrations for decades: that the only route to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct negotiations between the parties. It also upended its own principled stance against UN resolutions that isolate Israel. … And the Obama Administration ignored the advice of 88 Members of the U.S. Senate who urged the President in September to reject such resolutions.” • Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman Stephen Greenberg and CEO Malcolm Hoenlein — “The resolution further marginalizes the United Nations and is a stain on the name and reputation of each country that voted for it. Every honest and objective observer can clearly see that it is Palestinian rejectionism that blocks progress in the peace process. The Security Council has abetted this obstructionism by allowing Chairman Abbas to resort to the international body in an effort to avoid the responsibilities that would be entailed in direct negotiations with Israel. While the damage is done, we hope that remedial measures can be adopted in the future that will bring a moral context, honest assessment, and clear vision for a more positive future.” • Anti-Defamation League National Chair Marvin Nathan and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt — “We are outraged. … We know that Israeli settlement activity is of concern to the U.S. and many members of the international community and are pleased that Ambassador Samantha Power recognized the centrality of other issues obstructing the peace process, including Palestinian incitement and a complete unwillingness to engage in bilateral negotiations. However, we are incredibly disappointed that the U.S. still chose not to exercise its veto power and stop this resolution at the Security Council.” • American Jewish Committee — “While we reject hyperbolic assertions that President Obama and Secretary Kerry are anti-Israel, we continue to believe that Resolution 2334 was un-

balanced and merited a U.S. veto, and that the UN — which has declined to take serious action on far more deadly and destabilizing conflicts — has once again proven itself incapable of rendering fair judgment of Israel.” • American Israel Public Affairs Committee — “It is particularly regrettable, in his last month in office, that the president has taken an action at odds with the bipartisan consensus in Congress and America’s long history of standing with Israel at the United Nations. AIPAC expresses its appreciation to President-elect Trump and the many Democratic and Republican Members of Congress who urged a veto.” • Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO David Bernstein — “We want to make clear that we strongly support a two state solution and do not begrudge — in fact, we applaud — the US Administration for its desire to play a constructive role in resolving the conflict. The six principles that Kerry articulated at the end of his remarks detailing how the conflict should be resolved are in accord with parameters offered by previous Administrations. However, we do believe that abstention at the UN Security Council was counter-productive to reaching such a peace deal.” A few organizations, however, were supportive, including: • J Street — “This resolution conveys the overwhelming support of the international community, including Israel’s closest friends and allies, for the two-state solution, and their deep concern over the deteriorating status quo between Israelis and Palestinians and the lack of meaningful progress toward peace. It is also a clear signal that the international community’s patience with an occupation of almost 50 years has limits.” • New Israel Fund CEO Daniel Sokatch — “Israel’s true friends around the world are sending a clear message: settlement expansion, the Outpost Bill, serious talk of annexing parts of the West Bank, and the outrageous financial investment in settlers at the expense of the Israeli public are leading Israel to a dead end. By allowing this resolution to pass, President Obama has made a difficult and perhaps unpopular choice. But his abstention is an important demonstration of his enduring belief in a better future for Israel that, I hope, will be heard as the act of a true friend in Jerusalem. All of us who care about Israel’s future need to stand with our president today.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Letters To The Editor Trump Is Like Hitler

In the Dec. 23 edition, David R. Cohen reports Israeli journalist Eldad Beck’s view that there is no comparison between methods to seize power used by Adolph Hitler and Donald J. Trump (“Journalist: No Comparison Between Trump, Hitler”). But history shows the methods are the same. Both men employed the classic tools of power-hungry demagogues. They start by addressing disaffected citizens who suffer real or imagined economic and social deprivation. The demagogue convinces these people that their misfortunes are attributable to an easily identifiable minority. According to Hitler, it was the Jews. According to Trump, it is Mexican and other minority immigrants. The demagogue presents himself as a savior: He and he alone is the answer to the problems of the underclass. At rallies the crowds are stirred to a fever pitch by accusations of dishonesty, disloyalty and mental instability against the opposition. Violence is tacitly encouraged. Crowds are stirred to chant slogans such as “Lock her up.” The demagogue threatens, if elected, to incarcerate his opponent for unsubstantiated crimes. The election is described as rigged by the establishment, and the candidate vows that he will not accept the results if he is the loser. Hitler did all this, and so did Trump. Both were successful. The demagogues believe they are infallible. If they fail in any respect, they blame others, not themselves, for the results. Demagogic tactics worked well for Hitler. But their presence in an American election threatens the viability of democracy. A journalist who doesn’t see the similarities between Hitler’s tactics and Trump’s has not read, or understood, the lessons of Nazi Germany. Those of us who perceive the threats must act aggressively to ensure that Trump’s way is an aberration and not the way of the future. — David F. Rock, Sandy Springs

Obama Betrays Maccabees

President Barack Obama gave lip service to the Jews who have fought for freedom and kept to their ideals despite all odds (“Obama’s Farewell to Chanukah Charms,” Dec. 23). But he stood on the side of the evildoers when he failed to tell our U.N. representative

to veto the Dec. 23 U.N. resolution that places the onus on Israel for the lack of resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We are constantly reminded that Israeli communities are built on land the Palestinians claim for their state. Never mind that the evacuation of Israeli communities from Gaza did not see the establishment of a mini-state; rather, Gaza became a place where double war crimes are committed (missiles are fired at Israeli population centers from Gazan population centers) and Israeli-supplied cement is diverted from civilian construction to the building of tunnels to facilitate the abduction and murder of Israelis. Never mind that the Palestinian Authority does not intend to grant citizenship to the descendants of Arabs

who fled the Arab-initiated 1948 war against Israel. The PA insists that Israel accept them, even though they have been raised in a society that reserves its highest honors for those who have murdered Jews. Never mind that Mahmoud Abbas has urged his people to “violently resist the occupation” while refusing to negotiate on several Israeli proposals for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Never mind that Abbas also insists that the conflict will not end when a peace treaty is signed. It’s time for the United Nations to stop enabling the intransigence of the Palestinian leaders. Aid to the Palestinians should be conditioned on the building of the infrastructure needed by a viable state in which the “refugees”

will become productive citizens willing to live in peace in their own state alongside the nation-state of the Jews. Might we even dare to suggest that, just as 1.2 million Arabs have full civil rights in Israel, Jews wishing to live on land of religious and historic importance to them should be able to have full civil rights even if that land comes under Palestinian governance? — Toby F. Block, Atlanta

Write to Us

The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes letters and guest columns from our readers. Send your submissions to editor@atljewishtimes.com. Include your name, the town you live in, and a phone number. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

OPINION

CAMPS

Local Camp Veteran Leads National Group By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com Tom Rosenberg is passionate about introducing summer camp to every child in the United States. In his new role as CEO of the American Camp Association, Rosenberg’s goal is to get every boy and girl to camp for a week. Rosenberg is a 30-year veteran of Jewish camping. He served as the executive director of Camp Judaea and spent 20 years at Blue Star Camps. His extensive camp leadership covers for-profit and nonprofit camps. His past involvement with ACA includes roles as national treasurer and board member and board president and treasurer of ACA Southeastern. Now he commutes from Atlanta to the Indianapolis base of ACA, which has over 10,000 individual members and nearly 3,000 member camps. Rosenberg knows that partnerships with organizations and government entities make camp a possibility rather than a dream. “I feel passionately that camp is essential for every boy and girl to live a more successful life,” he said. He cited Oregon’s Measure 99, which was approved Dec. 13. Known as the Create an Outdoor School Education Fund, the measure is designed to provide fifth- and sixth-graders with a weeklong outdoor school program. Most areas of the country need more camping facilities and opportunities, Rosenberg said. “Many children don’t have the resources to go to summer camp, and there are not enough programs. ACA is trying to expand camps, increase the number of camps, help directors attract campers and market to parents.”

ACA is the leader in research to tell how camp can be transformative for children. As the national accrediting body of day and summer camps, ACA works to imAfter 30 years of prove standards, experience in the advocate youth Jewish camping development, perworld, Atlanta form background resident Tom Rosenberg has checks, maintain been the head of licensing and the American Camp make a commitAssociation since ment to safety. early October. “A lot of my work is engaging volunteers,” Rosenberg said. “We want volunteers to understand what we do and why camp is essential. In the Jewish community, camp has been around for 100 years. In other cultures, it’s not as well known.” Research 360 is ACA’s new strategic arm that focuses on research and evaluation to improve camp experiences for youths. Research 360 is working with universities in general research that aggregates outcomes in the field. “We have a lot of anecdotal information on what the camp experiences provide. We are now moving to empirical research, which points to specific outcomes,” Rosenberg said. “For example, career readiness, life skills, confidence and skills to prepare for college, work and life. Having a camp experience away from parents gives kids grit and information to see what they need, the ability to try new things. Most research has been in one niche.” The goal is to create a louder voice on the positive outcomes of camp. ■

Advice on Summer Camp Shopping for summer camp can be intimidating. How expensive is it? What type of camp does your family need? Do you have restrictions around ability, location and dates? Here are Tom Rosenberg’s tips on sending kids to camp.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

• Tap into local resources. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, synagogues and other Jewish organizations offer scholarships. Don’t rule them out. Call camps and tell them how important camp is to your child. Most directors will bend over backward to make it happen.

• Shop around. There are so many types of camp — day camp, overnight camp, camps that excel in science, sports, dance, Lego robotics. Determine what your child loves and go from there. • Ask for help. Today, many grandparents and other family members will contribute to a child’s camp fund. • Take a tour. Think your child isn’t interested in camp? Show him the whole picture. Call ahead to several camps and take a tour. Once he sees the facility, he may change his mind. ■

JANUARY 6 â&#x2013;ª 2017

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CAMPS

In the City Covers Same Turf From New Sites By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Founded in 2012, In the City Camp has steadily grown to the point that it served 440 different kids over eight weeks at a pair of locations in Druid Hills and Sandy Springs last summer. To meet the growing demand from families of all levels of religiosity, the camp is moving to two news locations this summer — Congregation Shearith Israel in Morningside and Atlanta Jewish Academy in Sandy Springs — with bus service from locations such as Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs and Young Israel of Toco Hills and before and after care available at both sites. The intown camp offers eight oneweek sessions from June 5 to July 28; the Sandy Springs location offers four oneweek sessions from July 10 to Aug. 4. The camp features activities from ga-ga (a variant of dodge ball) to Jewish and Israeli cooking (with an expanded curriculum including the history of various dishes) to off-the-beaten-path field trips. Among new offerings this summer are archery, a low ropes course and a tinkering lab. Rising kindergartners to middle school students attend the camp. High school and college students and even parents work at the camp. In the City is a day camp based on an overnight camp model. Campers are encouraged to sign up for multiple weeks in a row to make strong friendships and sample all that the camp offers. The camp is divided into two age groups: Kid Camp serves rising kindergartners through fifth-graders and offers a half-day option; Tween Camp is for sixth- through eighth-graders.

High school and college students make up the staff of In the City Camp counselors.

Kid Camp participants dress in blue for a color war.

Arts and crafts are among the many activity choices at In the City Camp.

Each day, campers arrive to a list of activities. They choose two morning options, eat lunch, have free time, and move on to swimming and afternoon activities. Tween campers benefit from a tight-knit group of just 22 kids each week with a dedicated staff. Tweens also embark on a weekly overnight field trip. The Jewish content for the tweens can be sophisticated. Past campers heard about bullying from the Anti-

Defamation League and met a Kindertransport survivor. Last June, the Foundation for Jewish Camp named In the City one of eight camps awarded a national grant to engage and enroll a more diverse camper community. In the City Camp is using the grant to create a Camp Ambassador program to bring interfaith, Russian, Israeli and LGBTQ families and Jews of color into the summer program, enhancing what is already recognized as an inclusive

and diverse community. That inclusiveness is important because In the City maintains connections throughout the year. Campers receive a directory with friends’ names and contact information. Camp reunions are held during the offseason. Playdates and gatherings are encouraged through the camp’s Facebook page. And the camp partners with other Jewish organizations for events such as the Intown Mega Challah Bake Junior held in November. ■

More Options for Jewish Day Camps

In the City Camp is one of several Atlanta Jewish alternatives to a sleepaway camp. Among the others: • The Marcus Jewish Community Center has the biggest operation (www.mjccadaycamps.org), running day camps at Zaban Park in Dunwoody, Emory University intown, Congregation Dor Tamid in Johns Creek and Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb, with free bus transportation. The Marcus JCC has more than 100 options for rising pre-kindergartners through rising 10th-graders. Aside from traditional camp activities, the programs include sports, performing arts and a range of specialties. Among the new options this year are Pokémon Adventure, which includes hunting with the “Pokémon Go” app; an introduction to golf; a boot camp for Broadway-style musical theater; Marine Mania, which includes a visit to the Georgia Aquarium; and a construction camp. The day camp program also has added a weeklong sleepaway sports camp and a space camp that takes participants to Huntsville, Ala., for the final three days. Registration opens at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, for return-

ing campers and one week later for new campers. • Chabad of Cobb hosts Camp Gan Israel (www.cgicobb. org), serving 2½-year-olds through rising fifth-graders, for four weeklong sessions from June 26 to July 21. Activities include water play, kosher cooking, gardening, music, sports, science, art and a weekly Shabbat party, as well as two field trips a week. The oldest campers go on an overnight camping adventure. Campers also get to choose one elective activity per week. The camp has room for rising sixth-grade girls as counselors in training. Registration is open. • Registration is also open at Chabad of North Fulton’s own Camp Gan Israel (www.cginf.com). The Alpharetta/ Johns Creek camp also offers four weeklong sessions from June 26 to July 21, providing sports, games, crafts and other activities to children ages 2 to 11. One difference, aside from location, is that the East Cobb camp provides a hot kosher lunch each day; in North Fulton, campers bring a kosher bag lunch from home. A grant in memory of camp director Rashi Minkowicz has lowered tuition in North Fulton to $200 per week for a limited time. ■

CAMPS

Photos by Score Photo

Miriam Chilton, the Union for Reform Judaism’s vice president of youth, congratulates Bobby Harris. Paul Reichenbach, Harris’ boss as the director of URJ camps and Israel programs, is right behind her.

One of the celebration co-chairs is Bert Rosenthal, a Coleman parent and the next camp board chairman, who was a counselor when Bobby Harris arrived.

Coleman alum Adam Lowitt, who has shared four Emmys for his work on “The Daily Show,” entertains the crowd.

The Coleman celebration draws 230 people to the social hall at Temple Emanu-El. The camp has its offseason office in the building.

Arty Party Raises $60,000 for Coleman

A crowd of 230 people turned out Nov. 19 at Temple Emanu-El for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a celebration of 25 years of Bobby Harris’ leadership at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Coleman. The gala, featuring entertainment by “The Daily Show” writer and Coleman alum Adam Lowitt, raised $60,000 for arts programming at the camp in Cleveland. ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Bobby Harris is surrounded by friends, colleagues and admirers at the Coleman gala.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Timeless Friendship Crosses Many Lines By Patrice Worthy Sitting in a high-rise in the heart of Buckhead are two women in their late 80s, laughing over stories of their friendship. They met in Atlanta as young women when Josephine Hurt needed a job and Virginia Saul needed a housekeeper. Hurt applied for the job and was hired on the spot, and for 65 years she remained the housekeeper for the Saul

family. She retired in August, and recently the two women discussed the 6½ decades they spent together. The women — one white and Jewish, the other black and Christian — were in their early 20s when their story together began in postwar Atlanta before the civil rights movement. At the start, the employer-employee relationship was like the blind leading the blind. “It was a relief having her help-

Come see us at Ticknors Men’s Clothiers, Atlanta’s newest spot for high end casual, sportswear, and quality men’s tailored. Located on the upper level (next to Mayor’s jewelers) Ticknors carries finer brands such as Robert Graham, Bugatchi, Tommy Bahama, and Coppley clothing.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Ticknors Men’s Clothier • Phipps Plaza 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE #2012A

Atlanta, GA 30326-1222 (404) 946-5808

ing,” Saul said. “I didn’t know anything, and she didn’t know anything, but we learned together.” The lives of these two very different women of the same age evolved into a complicated friendship. Saul is the wife of Milton Saul, who built a fortune as the owner of Saul’s Department Store. She dedicated much of her time to the Jewish community by volunteering for Hadassah and serving as chapter president in 1964; she was one of the three honorees at Hadassah Greater Atlanta’s centennial celebration in late October. She was the vice president of the Women’s Division of the Atlanta Jewish Federation and eventually served as board chair. Saul’s roles in the Jewish community put demands on her time, and she needed help maintaining her home, so she hired Hurt. The two women laughed as they recalled fumbling through child rearing and cooking, a task neither woman knew much about. It was Saul’s father, Ben Diamond, who taught Hurt how to cook kosher. “Virginia wasn’t much of a cook; the kids wouldn’t eat her cooking,” Hurt said with a laugh. “They would eat my cooking and Mr. Saul’s cooking, but not hers.” Hurt, a self-described country girl from McDonough, was accustomed to being treated as inferior to whites. Fighting for civil rights was unheard of when she was growing up in Henry County, and as a young woman she shied away from the progressive politics of Atlanta. “I had never been around that many black people,” Hurt said. “I was used to the way things were.” During her time as a housekeeper, Hurt did all the laundry, cooking,

Josephine Hurt and Virginia Saul have been friends for more than 60 years.

cleaning and child care. Saul had one child, Karen, when Hurt took what felt like a dream job. “She had this cute little girl with these big curls. She took to me, and I took to her.” Over time, Hurt became more than the help; she was the backbone of the family. As a staple in the Saul household, Hurt was well known in the

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS Sauls’ social circles. She was treated well by family and friends, and no one ever criticized Saul for their closeness. Saul said the two were the envy of her friends. “Everyone wished they had a relationship like I did with Josephine,” Saul said. “Everyone thought it was great. In all the years she worked for us, she never missed a day of work, and you just can’t find good help like that anymore.” Hurt attended get-togethers with Saul, but, like any friendship, it was complicated. Hurt was an employee, and her status came with certain boundaries even though she was considered a part of the family. She did not participate in Rosh Hashanah or Passover, for example, because she was busy cooking and serving the meal. And, as an employee, she did not join the nightly family dinners. “She did not eat at the dinner table with us because she was an employee,” Saul said. “It’s like my husband’s employees did not eat dinner with us, but when it was just the two of us, we ate together.” “Why come you never learned me to speak Jewish?” Hurt asked Saul. Saul answered with a laugh: “Because I didn’t know how to speak it either.” Asked if she regrets anything about their relationship, Saul said she wishes she had guided Hurt in a different direction. “It was an unequal friendship, and I wish I would have pushed her more to get an education so she would have had more,” Saul said. “I felt guilty because she had so much to offer, and she was working as a housekeeper.” Hurt didn’t want to get an education. She even passed up a job at Bell-

Members of the two families celebrate Josephine Hurt’s retirement.

South because she valued her relationship with the Sauls. As the housekeeper, she received the same monetary bonuses as the employees of Saul’s Department Store. She ate at whites-only establishments such as the Colonnade Restaurant with Saul’s parents, and if anyone complained, Theresa Diamond, Saul’s mother, quickly put the offender in his or her place. Hurt lived with the Sauls for several years. She had her own side of the house, but the living arrangements led to Hurt’s hours being extended. “I loved working for the Sauls, but the only thing I didn’t agree with was them going out every night while I was living there,” Hurt said. At a time when many blacks relied on the bus and boycotts required them to walk to and from work, Hurt enjoyed the luxury of driving. She drove Saul’s car on her weekends off and even received multiple cars from her employer. Hurt said she was sheltered from the racism that affected most blacks in the 1950s and ‘60s because she didn’t ride the bus and spent most of her time

in the Saul household. “I never thought she was going to learn how to drive,” Saul said, but “she’s had five cars.” The two women smiled but wouldn’t disclose what happened to each of the cars. Instead, they laughed and kept talking. Hurt needed a driver’s license to shuttle the kids to and from school. She got them ready for school in the morning and cooked all their meals. She also took them on excursions during the weekends. Hurt never had children but views the three Saul children, Karen, Michael and Barbara, as her own. The children come to visit her at her senior citizen residence in the Atlanta neighborhood of Mechanicsville, call often and send her money. The Sauls continue to pay her a salary as long as she needs it. Still, when she was alone, with her thin, gray hair combed back and slightly curled and the wrinkles on her 88-year-old face reflecting a lifetime of hard work, she acknowledged that her time as a Saul employee wasn’t perfect. “Have you ever been in a work

situation and you hoped it would get better?” Hurt said. “Virginia was never with the children. She loved to play cards every day she could, and her special day was Wednesday.” While Saul attended social engagements, Hurt had the burden of raising three very different children with individual preferences. “It was hard raising three children,” Hurt said. “I had two sets of diapers because Michael and Barbara were a year and a day apart, so I was potty-training two babies.” Because of his demanding work schedule, Milton Saul left the household duties to Hurt and his wife, but he was well aware of Hurt’s contributions. “She was a mind reader. She knew what you were thinking, and you couldn’t fool her,” he said. “She gave me advice more than I gave her. One time I asked her opinion, and she told me things about my children I didn’t know.” Hurt’s workload lightened when the children left for college. By that time she was raising six of her greatnieces and -nephews and caring for a dying brother. She took in the six children when her niece became addicted to drugs. It was a move that required the help of Milton Saul. “I knew if the kids went into foster care, they would separate them. I didn’t want that to happen, so Mr. Saul did the paperwork so I could have them,” Hurt said. Milton Saul said Hurt deserves everything the Sauls have done for her. “She was a member of the family,” he said. “Whatever we’ve done for her, she would’ve done for us if the shoe was on the other foot.” ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Live in the Vibrant and Charming Community of Tucker Two Bedroom Apartment Homes Starting at $1,600

LOCAL NEWS

Fisher-Tsin Finds Fit In Atlanta Consulate By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

THE SONENSHINE TEAM Atlanta’s Favorite Real Estate Team

DEBBIE SONENSHINE STAR NEWMAN KATIE GALLOW Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Internationally Certified Negotiator, Luxury, New Homes and Corporate Relocation Specialist #1 Sales Associate in Sandy Springs Office Voted Favorite Jewish Realtor in AJT, Best of Jewish Atlanta

#2 Team Coldwell Banker Atlanta

Debbie Sells Houses!

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Fabulous Home in St. Ives Country Club!!

Johns Creek $675,000

• Directly on the Golf Course! • Big Secondary Bedrooms Upstairs • Gorgeous Hardwood Floors on Every • Terrace Level w/ Rec Rm, Office/ Level Bedroom, Full Bath, Spa-Style Sauna, Shower & Changing Room • Desirable Master on Main w/ Doors Leading to Private Deck • Additional Golf Cart Garage in Basement • Large Eat-in Kitchen Overlooks 2-Story Great Room

direct 404.250.5311 office 404.252.4908

Debbie@SonenshineTeam.com | www.SonenshineTeam.com

©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Operated By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a place where you can make dreams come true, Anat Fisher-Tsin says. “I always thought a diplomatic job is the most interesting job in the world because you get to dream big, then when you tell the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that this is your dream, they just tell you, ‘Then go and do it,’ ” Israel’s deputy consul general to the Southeast said. Fisher-Tsin should know. Although it wasn’t as simple as dreaming it and making it happen but instead was a two-year process, she’s proof of the ministry’s ability to make dreams come true. She decided after 12 years with Israel’s Immigration Authority, which she helped build from 20 to 600 employees as a legal adviser, that she was ready for a new challenge. She knew people at the Foreign Ministry and landed a spot in a cadet class of 26, where she was in the majority as a woman but in the minority as a mother of three closer to age 40 than 30. She also supplemented her government experience with 12 years of education at Bar-Ilan University, where she studied criminology and law, journalism and communication, and negotiation and conflict management. “I think you could say that I am not the average MFA cadet,” Fisher-Tsin said. But as she told the AJT in an interview in October, 2½ months after she arrived in Atlanta from Petah Tikva at age 39 with husband Oded and their three sons (ages 4 to 11) for her first diplomatic posting, she felt after each conversation about the Foreign Ministry that “this is where I want to be.” That same phrase could apply to Atlanta, which Fisher-Tsin said was her first choice for her first three-year stint abroad, and to a consulate, where she deals with culture, politics, business and other fields beyond passports and visas. “You get to represent your country, and that’s very important for me,” she said. She felt the lack of that bigger service role during her one year in private law practice before she went to work for the Israeli government, originally with the Interior Ministry. “There is something when you work

One oaf the appealing things about being a diplomat, Anat FisherTsin says, is that “you get to do something different every day.”

for your country, when you represent the people and you’re responsible for the changes in the society.” She’s helping demonstrate the contrast between society in Israel and many of its Middle Eastern neighbors. She and Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, the consul general in Atlanta, form a rare but not unique female team at the top of an Israeli diplomatic mission. “In Atlanta, the sky’s the limit. It’s such a friendly place, and you get the feeling that people want to work with you and want to cooperate,” Fisher-Tsin said. “You can dream. People want to do things. They want to work together.” In some countries and U.S. regions, Israeli diplomats must play defense on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and battle the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. But “this is not the main thing that we are dealing with,” Fisher-Tsin said. “We are very fortunate when it comes to that.” The consulate covers Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Georgia. “In Atlanta, you can decide to do something and then just do it, and you get the feeling that anything is possible,” she said. “The city’s friendly. People are interested in knowing Israel and getting to know Israel, and not just the Jewish community.” As a result, the consulate can work with partners on projects such as this fall’s six-week Exposed dance festival, which brought elite Israeli talent to Atlanta. Fisher-Tsin doesn’t yet know what she’ll do to leave a mark equivalent to that groundbreaking festival. “I can say I am glad I got to start in Atlanta because this is a place of doing things, not just trying to do things. You can actually get the experience. … You can actually think of a plan and then execute a plan.” Someday, she said, she hopes that experience will help her gain the title of an Israeli ambassador. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Slotin: Progressive Issues Are Right for 6th District One Democrat’s bid for a comeback has paved the way for another Democrat to give politics one more try. But while Hillary Clinton’s presidential run came only eight years after she failed in a bid for the same office and less than four years after she left the office of secretary of state, former state Sen. Ron Slotin, 53, has been out of politics more than 20 years, last appearing on a ballot when he failed to unseat Rep. Cynthia McKinney in 1996. With his two children in high school and his “Votin’ for Slotin” campaign slogan ready to go, the native Jewish Atlantan and Sandy Springs resident has found a promising opening — with Clinton’s unintended help. Clinton’s loss allowed Donald Trump to nominate 6th District Congressman Tom Price (R-Roswell) for health and human services secretary. If the Senate confirms Price, a special election will be held to fill his seat. The fact that Clinton lost by only 1 percent in the 6th District, a Republican bastion, has given Slotin hope. “I was waiting for the right time and the right opportunity, and this is it,” Slotin said. His strategy is simple: All the candidates, regardless of party, will be on one ballot, so he’s hoping for several Republicans to split the conservative vote while he finishes in the top two to make a runoff. Then, with the nation watching the outcome of one of the first congressional races since November, he wins the runoff and sends Trump a message “that a majority of voters want a fiscally smart, socially progressive agenda that represents the mainstream voters of America.” In an interview with the AJT, Slotin said he will have an edge in name recognition not only because he served in the legislature and ran for Congress, but also because of his lifelong involvement in a Jewish community that is concentrated in the 6th District. The district runs from East Cobb in the west to Johns Creek and Suwanee in the east and from Brookhaven in the south to Milton in the north. Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell and Alpharetta are part of the 6th. Slotin guessed that 70 percent of Jewish Atlanta is in the district, providing him a solid base of support. His involvement with the basketball boosters at Lassiter High School, where his children go, and with youth basketball

in East Cobb expands his ties beyond the Jewish community, as does his career as a small-business owner in marRon Slotin’s website, keting and as www.votinforslotin.com, chief marketincorporates a political ing officer for slogan that dates to an an executive uncle in the 1960s. search firm. Slotin said people will remember him for being accessible as a legislator, “the main criterion you want in an elected official,” and for being the

hardest-working campaigner. But he said most of his support will reflect his progressive agenda with fiscal responsibility, a combination he said represents the district’s beliefs. “There’s a whole host of issues where I see the government going the wrong direction, so this is what has spurred me to get involved and go into government again,” Slotin said. He said those issues address the district’s quality of life or reflect a progressive agenda, if not both: a vision for transportation that relies on public transit instead of roads; support for public school systems and teachers against vouchers and other school-choice ini-

tiatives; resistance to any weakening of protections for clean air, clean water and green spaces; and protection of the elderly, women’s reproductive rights, and marriage equality, including opposition to any federal religious liberty legislation meant to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ people. Education and transportation aren’t typically federal issues. But Slotin said he could provide the leadership to pull state and local officials together to act on transportation and to ensure the Atlanta area maximizes its share of federal funding, and he vowed to fight any federal policy changes that would undermine local school control. ■

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

BUSINESS

Realtor of Year Selig Thrives With Vigor, Vision Scott Selig, 46, has been front and center in the news on many topics. Having won the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors’ Realtor of the Year award in December, he heads Selig Enterprises’ acquisition of crown-jewel parcels to gentrify, modernize and change the face of central Atlanta. Selig was diagnosed with cancer in October but has chosen to wield the “power of positivity” toward the disease and his recovery. Jaffe: Was it a foregone conclusion for you to go into the family business? Ever want to be a dentist or a lawyer? Selig: Growing up, I really had no clue about a firm direction. After securing an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia, I went into the pay phone business. Then I sought marketing positions. Most leads steered me back to my own family business as an eventuality. Jaffe: How would you describe your responsibilities at Selig Enterprises? Selig: I focus on acquisitions and government affairs. In terms of acquisitions, for example, we recently announced an upscale new project, 1105 West Peachtree, a $400 million project to include office space, multifamily and a high-end hotel (with 150 rooms). It took me nine years to accumulate the property, which was basically derived from three parcels. We are working on redeveloping Manuel’s Tavern, and we own 9 acres on Cheshire Bridge, waiting to find just the right project.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Jaffe: So the key to success in real estate development is … Selig: Waiting for and recognizing the right timing. We will hold on to

land for the perfect fit. Jaffe: Was winning the Atlanta Commercial Realtor of the Year a high point for you? Selig: I appreciated the award as an acknowledgment by my peers. For 15 years, I have served as our watchdog for government affairs, fighting

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

against things that are not good for our industry. I did not do it for recognition. If there is a wall, I figure out how to get around it. My job is to protect and persist. Jaffe: You recently were on the cover of the Sunday Atlanta JournalConstitution Business section, detailing a dust-up with Mayor Kasim Reed, which was an example of your courage. In my opinion, he went overboard with unjustified personal insults. Selig: No comment. Jaffe: You are lauded for your public face to confront your cancer diagnosis. Your Scott Strong Facebook group, for example. For such a young man in the prime of life with children, this cannot be easy. You speak about it very matter-of-factly. Selig: I feel fine. It is what it is. I can sit and wonder, “Why me?” And “It’s not fair.” But I chose to have a positive attitude and attack the disease. I will die with cancer, not from it. Jaffe: How do you spend your free

Scott Selig, shown with parents Steve and Janet Selig, has gone through radiation and chemo treatments and had an operation on his liver, and he has been accepted into a research trial.

time? Selig: I do a lot of community work (like the Buckhead Coalition and the Midtown Alliance executive board), which can involve early breakfasts and late evenings. My main priorities are my kids. I try to make every soccer and basketball game. I cherish most the times I can take them to visit other cultures and see how the cities have developed over time. I’d say Italy was our favorite. I like to hike and can be seen walking around Chastain Park.

Above: Three generations of Seligs — Scott, Sam and Steve — attend the UGA-Georgia Tech game in November. Below: Scott Selig spends time with son Cooper and his buddies.

Jaffe: With your government experience, would you consider seeking public office? Selig: I wouldn’t rule it out, but not any time soon with all I have on my plate — and, of course, running a company.

you really focus?

Jaffe: What can we learn from your experience? Selig: We have to appreciate what’s right in front of us. We realize our impact without truly trying. What can you accomplish when

Jaffe: So your mantra is … Selig: You can never do wrong by doing right. Jaffe: Last word: We admire you and wish you a full and speedy recovery. ■

Your GO TO Specialists for all YOUR REAL ESTATE Needs RE/MAX AROUND ATLANTA David Shapiro Jon Shapiro DShapiro@remax.net JonShapiro@mindspring.com 404-252-7500 404-845-3065 404-845-3050 www.jonshapiro.com

LIFESTYLE

Just Jew-ish? As an older millennial, I realize there are characteristics shared by many of those my age and younger. The participation trophies are plentiful. We know our way around an emoji. Many of us are 30 and living with our parents “just to save money.” But there’s another element at play in the 18-to-34 Jewish community: the Jew-ish millennial — someone who relates more to the culture behind Judaism than the religion itself. Asked about religion, I might say, “I’m Jew-ish.” Both my parents are Jewish. I went to Hebrew school and was bat-mitzvahed. I took advantage of Birthright to visit Israel and get to know my heritage a little more. I go to The Temple’s young adult services once a month. But I go to services mostly to see friends. I can’t remember the last time I opened a prayer book on a holiday. I’ve forgotten most of my Hebrew. Bacon is a staple at my place, and my JDate account has long gone cold. How Jewish am I? Is this a trend? I’ve attended quite a few Jewish young adult events for the AJT. These events can be daunting because I typically don’t know anyone, but they’re always interesting. I’ve bowled, met in bars over drinks, participated in trivia and walked through the holiday lights of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The events were sponsored by different organizations, but most have one thing in common: You’d be hard pressed to find anything outwardly Jewish aside from a table with bagels and lox or maybe a stray attendee on the phone with his or her mother. Most of the people I’ve met at the events consider themselves Reform. Many haven’t stepped into a synagogue since childhood, if at all. So why

do they come to Jewish events? They come to meet like-minded people. They come to make friends. They come to date. They come to commiserate about overprotective families, compare camp stories and discover the friends they have in common. When I asked a group why they braved the cold to bowl last month,

The Social By Rachel Fayne Gruskin

one girl’s emphatic answer was in part because of her mother’s gentle (or not so gentle) prodding to meet someone Jewish. The others smiled, rolled their eyes and laughed in agreement. They come because they understand one another — because no matter whether we go to synagogue, keep kosher, or date and even marry within our faith, we’re still Jew-ish. The ish is ever present. It’s the pride we feel upon seeing a lone menorah or box of gelt amid aisles of Christmas ornaments and wreaths. It’s the feeling we get when we understand even a small percentage of Bubbe’s Yiddish. It’s going to a bowling alley or a bar or the Botanical Garden and meeting someone whose mother has also called twice that week to make sure she has sufficient winter clothes. Religious or not, the ish is there. And we can all understand it. ■ Young adult columnist Rachel Fayne Gruskin graduated from the University of Central Florida and attended The New School with some postgraduate work at Columbia University. She teaches writing at Georgia State, hosts and produces cable programming, and can be seen on AIB.

Call to place your catering order today. www.cinnaholic.com Vegan/Kosher Pareve Bakery Edgewood Retail District 1230 Caroline Street • Little Five Points UNDER SUPERVISION OF THE ATLANTA KASHRUTH COMMISSION

404-343-0805

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

We offer freshly baked cinnamon rolls, cookies and brownies.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

SIMCHAS

Still Happily Married After 75 Years

Helen and Irving Lipsky wed two weeks after Pearl Harbor By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com “There aren’t that many people who celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary,” Temple Sinai member Ina Enoch said about her parents, married in 1941 just after the United States entered World War II. Enoch, a child and adolescent psychologist, introduced Irving and Helen Lipsky to the AJT at her Sandy Springs home, though the Lipskys, now in their mid-90s, occupy an apartment at an assisted-living facility in Buckhead. “We’ve been there going on eight years,” Irving Lipsky said. “Came from Charleston, South Carolina — lived there 40 years. It was hard to leave, very hard. I became ill, and the children said, ‘It’s very difficult to come and visit and help; please come here.’ I was retired then, so my wife and I agreed, and here we are.” Mutual friends introduced the two at a New York party when they were teenagers. “I asked her to dance. She accepted, and we both liked dancing, and after that time I never let her go,” Irving said. They tied the knot two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. “The plans were made,” Helen said. “We didn’t want to change them.” “The war broke out, and they wanted to take me immediately because I worked for a firm that was making torpedoes,” Irving said. “They wanted me to go to the Navy, of course. I wanted to join the (Army) Air Force. It’s a funny thing: If you get hurt, you’d rather get hurt in the air and die (instead of) the

Birth Shalom Aron Jaffe

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

Estee (Rosenberg) and Judd Jaffe announce the birth of Shalom Aron Jaffe in West Bloomfield, Mich. The grandparents are Bobby and Sharon Rosenberg and Dr. Dennis Jaffe and Marcia Caller Jaffe. The baby was named for two greatgrandfathers: Shalom (Sam) Rosenberg and Harry (Aar26 on) Caller. ■

Helen and Irving Lipsky have been married 75 years.

water. … That was my theory.” Irving, who had never been in an airplane, became an instrument flying instructor for four years in Wilmington, Del., and then Nashville. Helen got a job as a secretary at DuPont. “They were not really interested in hiring Jewish people,” she said. “I made no bones about it. I said, ‘I’m Jewish.’ So I worked for them for years. They treated me very well.” The couple experienced a radical change of lifestyle when they moved to the segregated South in 1946, settling in Charleston. Irving was a department store manager in New York, and the company offered him his own, much bigger location in South Carolina. Irving noticed on arrival that black people stepped well out of his way when he walked down the street. Confused, he was told by colleagues that local law required it. “I saw a Southern way, a different

Helen and Irving Lipsky wed two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

way of doing things, which I didn’t like because I wasn’t used to it, you know?” Irving said. He later advertised for a bookkeeper. “A black woman applied, very nicely dressed, quite educated; her husband was a captain at the Air Force base. I tested her, asked questions; she came out with flying colors. Afterwards, a group of about 10 white people came in and said, ‘We understand you have a black woman working here in your office.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘she’s very good.’ ‘We don’t care; we don’t allow it. If you give us any lip, we’ll burn you down.’ So I threw them out.” Instead of burning the building, he said, they broke the six or seven windows he had at his office. Word got around that the store was friendly to blacks. “They said, ‘We feel at home here,’ so I had a nice clientele of black people.” The couple made a name for them-

Engagement Robbins-Stein

During World War II, the Lipskys lived in Wilmington, Del., then in Nashville.

selves as volunteers, with Helen helping at a hospital and Irving giving his time to veterans, among others. “Don’t go into a VA hospital,” he said. “I saw what was going on there, and I felt sick.” The Lipskys won accolades for their efforts, including South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto. “We went to Israel three times just to volunteer, for about a month,” Irving said. “The third year we received the Ben-Gurion Award. They felt we were helping people. It sounds corny, but we were just making them smile.” With three children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Helen and Irving attribute their longevity to altruism and the fact they talk to each other. “We are very happy together; we are old friends,” they said, almost in unison. ■

Doug and Mollie Robbins of Atlanta happily announce the engagement of their son, Gordon Todd Robbins, to Karen Lynn Stein, daughter of Dr. Lee and Jan Stein of Memphis. Gordon graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors from the University of Georgia in 2012 and graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in 2016. Gordon is doing his residency in internal medicine at Emory University. Karen was a Charter Foundation Scholar and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2013 with a degree in both international business and marketing. Karen is the brand marketing manager at Spanx Inc., based here in Atlanta. Gordon is the grandson of the late Arthur and Frances Robbins of Atlanta and Bobbie Miller and the late Harold (Flash) Gordon of Memphis. Karen is the granddaughter of the late Sol and Bess Stein of Atlanta and Rebecca and Fernand Brackstone of Memphis. Karen and Gordon will be married at Temple Israel in Memphis, where both the bride’s and the groom’s parents were married, on May 28. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OBITUARIES

Patricia Aronoff

Funeral services were held at Greenwood Cemetery on Friday, Dec. 30. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

85, Atlanta

Sandra Weiss

Patricia Sabin Aronoff passed away Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Born June 2, 1931, in New York to Bert and Estelle Sabin, she had been an Atlantan since the age of 4. She grew up in Morningside and was in the first graduating class at Grady High School. Pat married the late Marvin C. Aronoff on June 25, 1950, the day the Korean War broke out, and they were married for 52 years. She is survived by her three children, Craig (Jane), Cathy and Terry (Beth); six grandchildren, Lara Dorfman, Emily Teck, Alex Miller, Brett Coburn, Kimberly Coburn and Leah Aronoff; and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Donald Sabin. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were due to be held Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. In her honor, donations may be made to Temple Kol Emeth or the Atlanta Humane Society. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Richard Kirschbaum 74, Atlanta

Richard Bert Kirschbaum passed away Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, surrounded by his loved ones. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1942, Richard was the son of Rebecca and Samuel Kirschbaum. He was a businessman who was highly dedicated and accomplished in his career, having served as executive vice president in the textile manufacturing company where he began his career as a mail clerk some 30 years earlier. He is survived by his wife, Linda; son Stephen; daughter Robin; and granddaughters Rachel and Leah Kirschbaum. Richard will be remembered for his impeccable work ethic and his indomitable strength and humor. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial donation to the Alzheimer’s Association of America. His funeral was held at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs on Friday, Dec. 30. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

52, Roswell

Sandra Weiss, age 52, of Roswell passed away Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. Sandra is survived by her beloved husband, Chagay “Guy” Weiss; her daughter, Isabela Weiss; her parents, John Marion and Nehama Jarrett of Byron; brother and sister-in-law John Peter and Ellen Jarrett of Roswell; sister Tamara Jarrett of Byron; nieces and nephews; and an extended family in Nicaragua. Sandra was a lover of life and people. Animals were her passion, along with reading. She will be remembered for her spirit, support, friendship, love and fantastic insight. Her independent spirit defined her and inspired us. Her humor and unique observations on life guided and enriched our lives. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Angels Among Us Pet Rescue (www.angelsrescue.org), an animal rescue group that Sandra supported, or Jewish National Fund (www. JNF.org) to plant a tree and make the desert bloom. A graveside service was held Wednesday, Dec. 28, at Arlington Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

Frank Nochumson, 58, of Opelika, Ala., father of Shawn Nochumson, son of Janice Nochumson and brother of Suzanne Lubel, on Nov. 28. Zelda Schlackman, 76, of Kennesaw, wife of Irwood Schlackman and mother of Elise Steinberg and Michelle Perez, on Dec. 16 Marjorie Septow, 87, of Chicago, mother of Temple Sinai member Linda Bachmann and Carol Septow, on Dec. 11. Diane Shulman, 73, of Atlanta, mother of Andy Shulman and Stacy Shulman, on Dec. 14.

Continued on the next page

Daniel Lee Pickholtz 67, Pittsburgh

Daniel Lee Pickholtz, age 67, of Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Dallas, son of Lawrence I. Pickholtz of blessed memory and Beatrice Gordon Pickholtz of blessed memory, brother of Israel (Frances) Pickholtz of Jerusalem, Jean (Jeffrey) Moskowitz of Arad, Israel, Carol Drot of blessed memory, Judy (Haim) Bohm of Elkana, Israel, Amy (Ronald) Kritzman of Buffalo Grove, Ill., and Sarajoy Pickholtz of Wheeling, Ill., and uncle and great-uncle to dozens and dozens, passed away on Friday, Dec. 23, 2016, Kislev 24, 5777. Daniel was a religious educator, and over 1,000 bar and bat mitzvah celebrants thanked “my tutor Dan” from the pulpit. He was a lifelong musician who played the piano and other instruments and loved to dance. Daniel was loved by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh (hillelpgh.org/secure/donate) or the Spondylitis Association of America (www.spondylitis.org/Shop/Product/Donation).

Cecelia Saul Cecelia Saul passed away surrounded by her family on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, after a long, meaningful life of 94 years. Cecelia, known to her beloved as Mama Cici, was born in Atlanta on March 29, 1922, to Miriam and Ben Isenberg. She was an only child who was dearly loved by her family, immediate and extended. She was preceded in death by her everdevoted and adoring husband of 50 years, Irving Saul, and her son Randy Saul. Cecelia, a true fashionista, was a classic Southern belle in every sense of the term. Above all, her devotion to her family was unconditional and unwavering. She is survived by two children, Danny (Miriam) Saul and Charlene (Doug) Lampe; four grandchildren, Jamie (Michael) Rindsberg, Courtney (Joe) Pincus, Marshall (Terri) Saul and David Scheuer; and her great-grandchildren, Benni and Ryan Rindsberg.

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

94, Atlanta

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OBITUARIES

Raymond Yarfitz 93, Reserve, La.

Raymond Henry Yarfitz, 93, a resident of the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve, died Friday, Dec. 30, 2016. A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Yarfitz moved to the New Orleans area in 2013 from Atlanta, where he resided for 60 years, most recently at the Atlanta Jewish Tower. Mr. Yarfitz was born in 1923, the son of Benjamin and Hattie Yarfitz. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Marcia Bogart Yarfitz of Atlanta, and his brother, Leo Yarfitz of Boynton Beach, Fla. He is survived by his daughters, Diane Schleifstein (Mark) of Metairie, La., and Renee Wholey of Thornton, Colo.; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

An Army veteran of the European theater during World War II, Mr. Yarfitz was an active member for many years of Atlanta Post 112 of the Jewish War Veterans, including serving as its commander. He also volunteered at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Atlanta for more than 20 years and assisted with numerous blood drives with the Atlanta chapter of the American Red Cross. Mr. Yarfitz graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and Pace College in New York. He moved to the Atlanta area in 1952 after living in New York after his return from the war. He retired in 1992 after holding positions as comptroller and accountant with a variety of businesses in the Atlanta area, including Shirley of Atlanta and Sunbrand. He was an active member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta and Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation in Metairie. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either Ahavath Achim, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave. NW, Atlanta, GA 30327, or Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation, 3737 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie, LA 70002. Graveside services were due to be held Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Greenwood Cemetery with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

GENERATOR SERVICES

COMPUTER SERVICES

COMPUER HOUSE CALLS

Also Lending in Florida & Southeastern States When it comes to finding your perfect home, it’s important to have options. The same is true when Whenitit comes comes to finding perfect home, it’s When findingyour your perfect deciding on yourtomortgage. That’s why wehome, offer important to have options. The same is true iswhen it’s important to have options. The same a wide variety of mortgage options to fit yourtrue deciding on youronmortgage. That’s why we offer when deciding your mortgage. That’s why particular needs: a wide varietyvariety of mortgage options options to fit yourto fit we offer a wide of mortgage yourparticular particular needs: • Purchases andneeds: Refinances • Purchases and Refinances Conventional, & VA • Purchases andFHA, Refinances •• Conventional, FHA, & VA Jumbo Loans with no Conventional, & PMI VA •• Jumbo Loans FHA, with no PMI 100% Financing Financing for Doctors •• 100% Jumbo Loans with no PMI for Doctors

Voted #1 by Atlanta Jewish Community

770-751-5706 www.HealthyComputer.com

• • • • • • •

• 100% Financing for Doctors

Jay Givarz Jay Givarz

Senior Mortgage Banker

678-522-2343 jay.givarz@lionbank.com 678-522-2343 jay.givarz@lionbank.com NMLS# 203728 NMLS# 203728

fakakta computer?

770-251-9765

24/7 Power Protection Hands Free Operation | Professional Installation

I’ll drive to you! → Desktop & Laptop Repair → Home/Business Networking → Performance Upgrades → Apple Device Support → Virus/Spyware Removal

GENERATORS 24/7 POWER PROTECTION

RECOVERY RESOURCES

SPA SERVICES

10 OFF $

Fast Appointment Scheduling Reasonable Rates All Services Guaranteed

with this ad

404-954-1004

Pain relief Improved sleep Improves acne Reduces headaches

Paper Mill MASSAGE & JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

damon.carp@gmail.com

SPA

255 Village Parkway Ste 420 • Marietta

As Seen On

It’s Time to Call for Help!

Generator Sales & Service, Inc. www.perkinselectric.com

Senior Mortgage Banker

PC, MAC, iPhone/iPad Service Home & Commercial Service Virus/Malware Removal Laptop Screen Repair Data Recovery/Forensics Wireless Corporate Networks We beat competitor pricing!

404.660.6762 | www.gotoswan.com

FOLLOW THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES ONLINE.

Open 7 days a week 10:00am - 9:30 pm Sunday Open at 12:00

Tenth Series Jubilee Bonds ($25,000 minimum) for 10 Years

3.96

Tenth Series Maccabee % Bonds ($5,000 minimum) for 10 Years

3.81

Seventh Series Mazel Tov % Bonds ($100 minimum) for 5 Years

3.47%

Seventh Series eMitzvah Bonds ($36 minimum) for 5 Years

3.47%

(404) 817-3500 Atlanta@Israelbonds.com Development Corp. for Israel Member FINRA Effective through January 14, 2017

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

MARKETPLACE IT SERVICES

HOME SERVICES

Power up. Technology should simplify.™

HOME SERVICES

Subscribe! 1-year subscription for home delivery of the Atlanta Jewish Times: $65 in Georgia, $89 outside of state, delivery by U.S. mail. To subscribe, go to

www.atlantajewishtimes.com/subscription.

For more information, please call 404-883-2130.

Births, B’nai Mitzvah, Engagements, Weddings, Anniversaries, Special Birthdays Have something to celebrate? Share it with your community with free AJT simcha announcements. Submit them at atlantajewishtimes.com, or email them to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

Visit our website www.AtlantaJewishTimes.com for More of What You Need. REAL ESTATE SERVICES

I T S O LU T I O N S

SIDING I WINDOWS I PAINTING STUCCO I ROOFING I GUTTERS

IT SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

877.256.4426

www.dontsweatitsolutions.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES

Alan Rothenberg REALTOR®

678-772-5629 (mobile) 404-531-5700 (office)

770-203-0002 • SuperiorPRO.com

alanrothenberg@kw.com

WHAT’S YOUR HOME WORTH? GET YOUR FREE HOME MARKET ANALYSIS NOW.

For Great Discounts Visit SuperiorPRO.com/Offers

50% off

Any Family Portrait Packages, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Social & Corporate Events Just mention you saw our ad in the Jewish Times!

410-804-6408

richard@rmbstudiosllc.com www.rmbstudios.zenfolio.com

Each Keller Williams Realty Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

VIDEO SERVICES

SENIOR SERVICES

If You Live Alone You Need LIFEWatch! 24 Hour Protection at HOME and AWAY! Solutions as Low as

$1 a Day!

FREE Shippingn FREE Activatio Contracts NO Long Term

AS SEEN ON

No Landline? No problem!

Cellular & GPS Units Available!

“I have peace of mind... t.” Mom remains independen

Fall Detectors Also Available

Ask about our AARP discounts

CALL NOW! 800.809.3352

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

4 Ambulance 4 Police 4 Fire 4 Friends/Family

MONITORED

IN THE USA

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Christmas at Eleanor Roosevelt Junior High

JANUARY 6 ▪ 2017

It was my first year of teaching. I was married to a man from New York City, starting our life together in his hometown. I knew that the only way I, with only one semester of student teaching under my belt, would make it as a high school English teacher in the New York public school system was to be ready for a job in a neighborhood where it might be hard to get teachers. In preparation for this reality, I persuaded the education department at Washington University to allow me to student-teach at a roughand-tough “alternative” school in downtown St. Louis. As it turned out, there were few high school job openings in New York, and no one wanted a newcomer. So I dug deep into my storehouse of Plan B’s, and, through a connection with my new father-in-law, I contacted Lorraine Adelston at Eleanor Roosevelt Junior High. She hired me, sight unseen. This distance hiring might surprise you, but she wasn’t concerned. Mrs. Adelston ran the tightest ship in Manhattan, with experienced teachers, an excellent relationship with the invincible Teachers Union, and enough self-confidence to take on the challenges of seething community unrest. It was the perfect lab in which I could learn how to be a true educator, and I soon found a cadre of mentors and friends. A colleague, Hope, got me involved in student productions and crazy projects. I led activities for special students on both ends of the academic arc and organized off-site trips (20 teens on the subway). In other words, I threw myself into my job and worked hard to broaden the experiences of my students. I felt they were as fond of me as I was of them. We all looked forward to winter break. Though at least half the teachers at Eleanor Roosevelt were Jewish, Christmas was the time at which we were rewarded for our efforts. The atmosphere in the teachers’ workroom was heady with anticipation. Math teacher Olga took me aside the day before winter break began. “Let me tell you about tomorrow,” she advised. “Bring in lots of shopping bags because every one of your students, no matter how poor, will bring you a 30 Christmas present. Come prepared.”

The next day I put a bunch of Waldbaum’s grocery bags under my desk. I rehearsed the proper response to the gifts I was about to receive, even though, given the economy of the community in which I worked, the presents would be small. I was eager to

CROSSWORD 2

see what kinds of things the different personalities would give me. I had two classes before my lunch break, but, to my surprise and disappointment, both groups came and left, only wishing me “Merry Christmas!” In the teachers’ workroom, I ate my tuna sandwich as I watched other teachers opening their gifts. Perfume and costume jewelry prevailed. My colleagues, of course, noticed that I had come in empty-handed, but they were decent enough to say nothing. I had four more classes to teach that day, with one break in between. Again, my students were actively participating in my fun pre-holiday lessons, cheerfully wishing me “Merry Christmas!” The grocery bags remained empty. During the break the other teachers were kind enough not to ask what I had received. It was now clear to one and all not only that I was the least popular teacher in the school, but that my students didn’t even care enough to pretend to like me. I was a self-deluding failure. I decided to apply for an opening at the Waldbaum’s near our apartment. At the end of the day, ninth-grader Marvin Rudolph ran in (without permission), followed by dozens of my students. Cesar Brito carried a gigantic box adorned with about a hundred ribbons. “Open it! Open it!” everyone shouted. I did. It was a hamster, in a cage, with a running wheel. “We had to get you something different because you’re different!” Marvin explained. “We all chipped in! We knew you’d love it!” They were very proud of themselves, and I decided right then and there to scrap my plan to apply for a job at Waldbaum’s. ■

14 17

24 27 33

35 40 44

42 46

ACROSS 1. Bava ___ (Talmud Tractate) 6. City that doesn’t allow Jews to enter 11. “___ the love of G-d!” 14. Biblical brother often paired with Gad 15. Norman Lear’s “___ the Family” 16. Oliver Stone’s “___ Given Sunday” 17. Cartoon family that breaks all the commandments? 19. YU’s high school for boys 20. Mother who brokered a temporary cease-fire in the 1982 Lebanon War 21. Unreturned serve for Sela 22. Jerusalem or a national park in 62-Down 23. Israeli news site 24. Avraham’s oldest 27. Mix (the cholent) 29. Toward Genesis 32. They’re near this puzzle 35. One of 49 37. Mark of Cain, e.g. 38. Bird locale for doing the mitzvah of Shiluach HaKan 40. What some might do at the Kotel on 9 Av 42. “Young Frankenstein” hunchback, and others 43. Allergen in most challah 45. Kippur and HaZikaron 47. Jew 48. Empire that ruled Jerusalem for 400 years 50. “The Plot Against America” author 52. Yoni Netanyahu helped free several of them 54. ___ Olam 58. Steven Bochco’s “Blue” cop show 60. David’s was 70 at his end

37 41

By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

“Getting Animated”

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

Chana’s Corner

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

might be idoltarous 30. First name in Israeli basketball 31. ___AQ, where many Israeli stocks are traded 32. 2013 best picture winner with 52-Across 33. Yutz 34. Cartoon that’s pure treif? 36. Star of Steven’s “Jaws” 39. Respected an elder 41. Make like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s class 44. Actress Portman 46. Greatest of the prophets DOWN 49. Voldemort’s snake that 1. Mashuga like the Joker tries to kill Radcliffe’s Potter 2. How some look after 51. Maker of kosher (and fasting 3. “___ Will Be Blood” (Day- treif) gummies 53. Simmons and Kelly Lewis film) 55. Jewish Federation funder 4. Does teshuva, in a way 56. Work by Gershwin or 5. Ben Canaan and Gold Mozart 6. Where Israel is outlined 7. Idina’s queen of Arendelle, 57. Bird locales for doing the mitzvah of Shiluach HaKan and others 8. Say “G-d willing by you” at 58. Har where 46-Down died 59. JCC alternative a wedding, e.g. 9. Rav Chen or City (viewing 62. See 22-Across 64. Rob Reiner’s “A ___ centers) 10. Response to a Talmudic Good Men” 65. Frank McCourt memoir Q 11. Cartoon about a gentile or a contraction for Lazarus man of the house? 12. “I’m ___ you!” (I’m no yutz!) LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 13. Baseballer 1 W 2 E 3 B 4 M 5 D 6 B 7 L 8 U 9 E 10F 11A 12D 13S 14 15 16 Braun I S E E M A I R S O L A H 17 18 19 F A R S I B L I P R O R Y 18. Bialik 20 21 22 E I G H T D A Y S A W E E K who played 23 24 U R I N O V “Blossom” 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 P I G G I E S T O O E A S Y 22. 1983 33 34 35 36 A N O A M I K O L R E N E Woody Allen 37 38 39 N A U I O N title character 40S E M 41 42 43 44 S P E C S A T C H B O O T 25. Recent red 45 46 47 48 E T Z I O N I H E Y J U D E states of those 49 50 T W O L E N in blue states? 51W 52E 53C A N W 54O 55R 56K I T O 57U 58T 59 60 61 62 26. Chagall, E L U D E L E A P V L A D 63 64 65 e.g. A I R E R A N N A A L M A 28. Poles that 66R E E L S 67M O E D 68K A E L 61. Shtetl locale 63. Rock genre of Joe Trohman’s Fall Out Boy 64. Cartoon about writer R.L.’s ancestors? (with “The”) 66. What ppl. used to use to tape “The Nanny” 67. Esa ___ 68. End an IDF mission early 69. Common tree in Israel 70. Rabbi Avi who made headlines 71. Simcha dances

JANUARY 6 â&#x2013;ª 2017