Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCI No. 26, July 1, 2016

INSIDE: SIMCHAS, PAGES 18-41 O, CANADA

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Looking for more than dinner and dancing? Check out venues where you can play after you pray. Page 28

After seeking rabbinical consent, Jan Levie turns palm reading into party entertainment. Page 38

www.LeeBrant.com INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Israel News ������������������������������6 Opinion ������������������������������������7 Local News ����������������������������� 12 Education ������������������������������ 42 Business �������������������������������� 44 Sports ��������������������������������������45 Arts ����������������������������������������� 46 Obituaries ������������������������������50 Marketplace ��������������������������52 Crossword ������������������������������54

VOL. XCI NO. 26

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Elliott Levitas has a response for Republicans who support Donald Trump. Page 7

Ron Brummer nears the end of a dream three-year assignment as Israel’s deputy consul to the Southeast. Page 14

BUY ONLINE

Online Judaica retailer ModernTribe is for sale to the right kind of entrepreneur. Page 44

NEW NEST

Take a tour of the Falcons’ under-construction MercedesBenz Stadium 11 months before it opens. Page 45

Anti-Jewish Acts Rose In ’15, ADL Says

A

‘VILE’ TRUMP

GOING HOME

JULY 1, 2016 | 25 SIVAN 5776

Hoop Dreams and Other Things

As the Fourth of July approaches, the summer season is about halfway over at the Marcus Jewish Community Center and other Jewish day camps. Summer scenes at the JCC, which offers more than 100 day camp options, include Asher L. shooting at the Atlanta Hawks basketball camp and Karen G. participating in the Take the Cake baking camp. More information on JCC camps is available from www.atlantajcc.org/camps or 678-812-4004.

2 Jewish Jackets Go Pro

B

oth Brandon Gold and Matthew Gorst, the star Jewish pitchers for Georgia Tech, have chosen to forgo their senior college seasons and signed professional baseball contracts.

But the Johns Creek High School graduates aren’t being rushed to start their minor-league careers.

Gold, who signed with the Colorado Rockies on June 14, three days after being drafted in the 12th round and 350th overall, did not pitch in any of the Boise Hawks’ first 11 games in the Class A

Northwest League.

The team has a crowded bullpen with 19 pitchers.

Gorst, who was drafted eight picks after Gold by the Boston Red Sox in the 12th round, waited until June 24 to sign a contract. He told The Atlanta JournalConstitution that he struggled with the decision to end his college career.

Gorst was assigned to the Lowell Spinners in the Class A New York-Penn League and, like Gold, had not pitched as of Monday, June 27. ■

nti-Semitic incidents on college campuses almost doubled, and anti-Semitic assaults increased by more than half in 2015, the Anti-Defamation League reported Wednesday, June 22.

None of the violence occurred in Georgia, which did see an increase from seven incidents in 2013 and 13 in 2014 — 12 cases of “harassment, threats, events” and one act of vandalism (swastikas at Emory University) — to 16 in 2015.

Three of the Georgia incidents in 2015 were vandalism; the rest, including a threatening voicemail at Congregation Gesher L’Torah in Alpharetta, were classified as harassment, threats or events.

Overall, the annual ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents shows a 3 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents nationwide to 941 in 2015 from 912 in 2014: 508 harassment acts, threats and events; 377 acts of vandalism; and 56 assaults, up from 36 assaults in 2014.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said that for every incident reported, another likely goes unreported.

ADL reported 90 anti-Semitic acts on college campuses in 2015, compared with 47 the year before. But Greenblatt said most Jews feel safe on campus. ■

No Paper July 8 The AJT staff is taking a week off to celebrate the Fourth of July, so you have extra time to read this week’s thickerthan-usual issue packed with simcha goodness. We’ll be back with a look at Atlanta’s Jewish nonprofit leaders July 15. Happy Independence Day.

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JULY 1 â–ª 2016

MA TOVU

Pulling the Plug understand the value of lying in bed, helpless and suffering, there must be a purpose. We are mortal with limited understanding. G-d who knows and sees all has a plan, and we bow our heads in deference to His omniscience.

Euthanasia, or legalized murder, is frightening. Family and medical personnel decide when a life is no longer worth living.

Shared Spirit

By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

Besides the religious objections, there are logical challenges. How many times has someone woken from a coma even after everyone has given up hope? During the past several years there were two instances in our own community in which the patients’ organs were shutting down and we were prepared for the worst. In a remarkable display of divine providence, both people experienced a full recovery.

Just imagine if the plugs had been pulled in order to benefit people who had a fighting chance. After all, we’ve heard the drill. Life support is costly and shouldn’t be wasted on someone who’s going to die anyway. And, we are told, why should the patient suffer longer? Isn’t it an act of kindness to remove his torment?

But if the patient could speak, wouldn’t he jump at the chance to live?

I know ALS is different. At this time, it is a death sentence. But every moment of life has inestimable value, and it is not within our jurisdiction to decide how to resolve these dilemmas.

I called a rabbi to speak to Jerry.

A wall of obstinate silence was Jerry’s response to the intervention. His decision was final, and he was not interested in being dissuaded.

Jerry, I would never judge you, and I pray never to be in your predicament. I hope you have found peace.

The picture of Jerry continues to flicker in my mind and heart, so I turn to you, fellow readers. Can you share your feelings and tell me what you would have done in my place?

Please send responses by Monday, July 11, for the July 22 column. I look forward to hearing from you. ■ Shared Spirit is a column in which people write in to share personal dilemmas. Readers are encouraged to assist by offering meaningful advice.

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S

ome people shudder at the thought of frequenting hospitals.

But for me, spending time within that framework has been my way of giving, my heart naturally gravitating toward people in need of TLC because of medical issues. Perhaps growing up with a special needs brother who was in and out of hospitals was G-d’s way of grooming me to help out in this way.

My name is Becky. I work full time as a speech pathologist, and I volunteer weekly in a hospital. Some visits rev me up, and I feel like I accomplished the world by cheering up someone in need. Other times, the bleakness of the patient’s situation surrounds me like a cloud, and I find it difficult to dispel the heaviness.

I have learned so much from the people I visit. They often teach me incredible life lessons and remind me of a gift I no longer take for granted: my health. That gift brings priceless opportunities, including the ability to imbue meaning into my days.

The memory of one recent visit gives me no rest. The dialogue went along these lines.

“Good morning, Jerry. How are you feeling today?”

Stricken by ALS, Jerry was paralyzed, only able to shift his eyes. Using a special computer, Jerry “spoke” using eye movement.

“I’ve made a decision.”

I waited.

“I’ve decided to die. They’re going to pull the plug later today.”

I gasped, my eyes filling and spilling over. What could I say? What should I do?

“Jerry, have you spoken to a rabbi?

Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yup, I’m sure. There is no value in my life like this, and no rabbi can tell me differently. I can’t take it anymore. I’m a prisoner in my own body.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “May G-d give you peace on your journey.”

I left the room with conflicting thoughts swirling through my mind. I felt complicit in murder. Should I call a rabbi in spite of Jerry’s wishes?

As a religious Jew, I know life-anddeath decisions are not in our hands.

We are compelled to seek rabbinical guidance and are not allowed to exercise free choice. Every moment of life is precious and sacred, invested within us by G-d. It is up to Him and only Him to bestow life and to terminate it.

He created each of us with a unique mission, so even if we don’t

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CALENDAR Atlanta

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DAVID R. COHEN

Book talk. Emily Giffin launches her latest novel, “First Comes Love,” in a conversation with Mara Davis at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets, including a copy of the book, are $29 for JCC members, $34 for nonmembers, or get two tickets free as a patron of the Book Festival of the Marcus JCC; www.atlantajcc.org/bookfestival or 678-812-4002.

FRIDAY, JULY 1

Pool party. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, invites all to welcome Shabbat at the swimming pool and splash park at 5 p.m., with blessings at 6. Free; www.atlantajcc.org or rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 3

Memorial barbecue. Chabad of Peachtree City, 632 Dogwood Trail, Tyrone, holds a barbecue at 6:30 p.m., followed by a memorial service marking 30 days since the death of Susan Shapiro. Free; www.chabadsouthside.com.

david@atljewishtimes.com

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JORDAN BARKIN • PAULA BAROFF RABBI RICHARD BAROFF RABBI PETER BERG • YONI GLATT JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH R. HARRISON • ZACH ITZKOVITZ MARCIA CALLER JAFFE BENJAMIN KWESKIN • RABBI YOSSI LEW KEVIN MADIGAN TOVA NORMAN • RABBI MALKA PACKER EDDIE SAMUELS DAVE SCHECHTER EUGEN SCHOENFELD • CECILY SPINDEL RACHEL STEIN • RACHEL WASSERMAN

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JULY 1 ▪ 2016

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THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2016 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

MONDAY, JULY 4

Kosher BBQ. Chaim Goldfeder brings kosher Texas barbecue to Atlanta for a one-night Fourth of July event at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, from 5 to 8 p.m. Food such as brisket, chicken and hot dogs will be sold. Admission is free; www. bethjacobatlanta.org or 404-633-0551.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6

Cultural history course. Bob Bahr teaches “Movies, Music and Spirit,” a six-session, weekly interfaith examination of the influences in the 1940s and 1950s that set the United States on the path to the civil rights movement and other societal changes. Classes meet at 10 a.m. at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, on July 6, 13 and 20 and

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Shelach Friday, July 1, light candles at 8:35 p.m.

Saturday, July 2, Shabbat ends at 9:36 p.m.

Korach Friday, July 8, light candles at 8:33 p.m.

Saturday, July 9, Shabbat ends at 9:34 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, on July 27 and Aug. 3 and 10. The fee is $49; templesinai. wufoo­.com/forms/z281eq21h7206f.

MONDAY, JULY 11

Open audition. The Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St., Midtown, holds an open-call audition starting at 9 a.m. for country singers/guitarists to star in the premiere of Janece Shaffer’s “Troubadour” from Jan. 18 to Feb. 12 next year.

Email emily.kleypas@alliancetheatre. org to guarantee an audition slot.

Monster art. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, welcomes children ages 3 to 6 for a series of openhouse art lessons between 10 a.m. and noon in the “Where the Wild Things Are” exhibit. This week’s lesson is about drawing light and dark on top of shapes. Free for Breman members.

For nonmembers, two children are free with each paid $12 adult admission; www.thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13

Jewish Breakfast Club. Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens speaks at the monthly meeting of the JBC at 7:30 a.m. at Greenberg Traurig, 3333 Piedmont Road, Suite 2500, Buckhead. Admission, including a kosher bagel-and-lox breakfast, is $15; jbc@atljewishtimes. com or atlantajewishtimes.com/ jewish­-breakfast-club.

Film screening. “Oriented,” a docu-

mentary about three gay Palestinians living in Tel Aviv, is shown by the Atlanta Pride Committee, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, in cooperation with Out on Film and SOJOURN, at 7 p.m. Free; www.facebook.com/ events/164333017298363.

THURSDAY, JULY 14

Teen summer stock. The comedy “Urinetown: The Musical” premieres at 8 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Shows also are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16, and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, July 17.

Tickets are $15 for students, $22 for adult JCC members and $28 for others; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4002.

MONDAY, JULY 18

Monster art. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, welcomes children ages 3 to 6 for a series of openhouse art lessons between 10 a.m. and noon in the “Where the Wild Things Are” exhibit. This week’s lesson is about drawing monsters with fur and scales. Free for Breman members. For nonmembers, two children are free with each paid $12 adult admission; www.thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

TUESDAY, JULY 19

Decatur school history. Tom Keating, a member of The Temple, discusses the Decatur school system and how it held school on Saturdays instead of Mondays from 1902 to 1932 to keep out Jewish students, the topic of his 1998

Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

Remember When

10 years ago June 30, 2006 ■ Ten Georgia legislators recently returned from a trip to Israel sponsored by Michael and Belinda Morris through the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange.

“The country and the cities are much more beautiful than I imagined,” said Sen. Kasim Reed, D-Atlanta. “I expected for Jerusalem to be that beautiful, but Haifa and Tel Aviv are extraordinary in their own right.”

■ The bar mitzvah ceremony of Joshua Adam Kalish of Marietta, son of Louis and Betty Kalish, was held Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006, at Congregation Etz Chaim.

25 Years Ago July 5, 1991 ■ A four-day display at a Sandy Springs Kroger was de-

signed to show the convenience of keeping Jewish dietary laws because many kosher foods are available at supermarkets. Organized by Dassie New of the Chabad Center, the exhibit included Miller Lite, Bac’n Bits and Ajax.

■ Lisa and Jerry Stein of Dunwoody announce the birth of a daughter, Traci Michelle, on Jan 19.

50 Years Ago July 1, 1966 ■ A.J. Weinberg, an Atlanta business executive, has become a founder of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. There are more than 900 founders, each of whom has made a contribution to the medical school of at least $25,000. Weinberg announced his foundership at a dinner held by the Atlanta Friends of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Taitz of Atlanta announce the marriage of their daughter, Barbara Claire Taitz, to Michael Amato, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Amato of Atlanta, on Sunday, June 12, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

CALENDAR Corrections & Clarifications

Two items were misplaced in the Remember When feature for June 24.

The Congregation Etz Chaim bat mitzvah ceremony of Shana Beth Freedman of Atlanta, daughter of Steve and Peggy Freedman, took place July 4, 1991, and should have appeared in the 25 Years Ago section. Joshua Mathew and Rachel Lia Dressler, children of Dan and Irina Dressler of Atlanta, were born Sept. 16, 2005, and their birth announcement should have appeared in the 10 Years Ago section. book, “Saturday School,” at a lunchand-learn session at noon at the Historic DeKalb Courthouse, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur. Free (bring your own lunch); www.dekalbhistory.org.

Dinner and learning. Rabbi Karmi Ingber discusses “The Summer Sun and the Cycle of Jewish History” at 7 p.m. at the Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Admission is $15 for members, $18 for others; www.thekehilla­ .org/ kabblah-and-cocktails.

Eizenstat Lecture. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a conversation with lecture sponsor Stuart Eizenstat at 7:30 p.m. at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead. Free; aaysnagogue.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

Book talk. Lauren Weisberger talks about her new novel, “The Singles Game,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org/ bookfestival or 678-812-4002.

FRIDAY, JULY 22

Pool party. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, invites all to welcome Shabbat at the swimming pool and splash park at 5 p.m., with blessings at 6. Free; www.atlantajcc.org or rabbi.glusman@atlantajcc.org.

FRIDAY, JULY 29

Community service. Atlanta’s Reform congregations hold their annual joint service at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell. Free.

J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

SUNDAY, JULY 24

Israeli artisans. The Sisterhood at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, holds an exhibition and sale of work by Israeli jewelry makers, weavers, Judaica creators and other artists from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Free; bethshalomatlanta.org.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home New tools to fight cervical cancer. Ramat Gan’s Biop Medical has devised a device capable of scanning the cervix, detecting early signs of cancer and identifying the best place to biopsy. The device is due to be released in 2017.

Defense in cyberspace. With 45 countries present at the sixth annual International Cybersecurity Conference in Tel Aviv, the United States and Israel signed a joint declaration of cooperation on cyber defense.

App victory in Asia. Israeli apps Tekoia, Castle Builders and Bazz took three of the top four prizes at the Asia Smartphone Apps Contest in Hong Kong. The Israeli applications represented onethird of the finalists in the competition.

Young inventors on display. The student winners of Israel’s 10 regional invention competitions presented their innovations in Tel Aviv to a panel of judges, who will select a winner to represent the nation at a 42-country competition in Europe.

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

Lowest unemployment rate in 33

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years. Israel’s May unemployment rate of 4.8 percent is the nation’s lowest since 1983, despite slowing economic growth.

Emotions on the mound. A University of Haifa study indicates a potential link between the perceived emotions of a baseball pitcher and the batter’s success. A pitcher perceived to be happy is more likely to give up extra-base hits, according to the study.

Israel, Turkey nearing reconciliation.

Israeli and Turkish officials are finalizing details of an agreement on normalized relations between the nations. The deal is expected to be signed in July.

Genesis Prize for violinist Perlman.

Tel Aviv-born violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman received the third annual Genesis Prize from British actress Helen Mirren, who emceed the event after rejecting calls for a boycott of Israel. Perlman said the $1 million will in large part go toward encouraging and developing classical Israeli musicians.

F-35 unveiled. The American-built F-35

Lightning II, known as Adir in Hebrew, is set to become the future of the Israeli air force. The first of 33 of the fighter jets Israel is buying was unveiled at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas, where Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman got a view of the advanced technology in the cockpit. Part of the F-35 is assembled in Marietta.

Celebration of immigrants. The Knesset has created Aliyah Day to celebrate Jewish immigrants and acknowledge their contributions to Israel throughout its history. The holiday will take place in the fall on the seventh day of Cheshvan.

Ethiopian heritage center launched.

After a four-year delay since the Knesset passed a law calling for its establishment, the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center held its launch event in Jerusalem’s convention center. The center is years away from completion, but the launch marked Israel’s first steps to preserve Ethiopian Jewish heritage.

First transgender officer at D.C. event.

Lt. Shachar, the Israel Defense Forces’

first openly transgender officer (identified by only one name by IDF policy for active-duty soldiers), spoke at a Pride Month event at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. He said it “is the right of the world to be free to be whoever we want to be.”

A ring for Blatt. Knesset member Nachman Shai of the Zionist Union wants fired Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt, an Israeli-American, to join players and team officials in receiving a ring for the Cavaliers’ NBA championship. In a letter to team owner Dan Gilbert, who is Jewish, Shai writes: “We were proud of one of our own, David Blatt, when you appointed him as the head coach of your team.”

Jerusalem park to go hi-tech. 40-acre Gan Sacher is Jerusalem’s largest public park. Built in 1963, it is to be made safer and greener. The upgrade includes smart lighting, new irrigation, park-wide Wi-Fi and a coffee shop.

Compiled courtesy of israel21c.org, Haaretz, The Times of Israel and other news sources.

OPINION

Reject Vile Trump; Make America Greater

Sometimes it takes time to see that a con man is selling snake oil, but once people spot this fraud, they reject the message and the messenger.

In the case of Trump, the situation

Guest Column

By Elliot Levitas

is far worse because of the real danger posed by having someone with his erratic and volatile temperament near our atomic arsenal, much less having his finger on that nuclear trigger.

Trump’s irresponsible statements compound his unfitness. For example, people who are concerned about the security of Israel should be worried about Trump’s proclaimed “neutrality” when it comes to the conflict between Israel and those who want to see it wiped off the map.

Similarly, all of us should be worried about someone who wants to jeopardize our security by degrading NATO and proposing that Japan and South Korea get atomic weapons. The list of Trump’s unhinged remarks is both long and disturbing.

When it comes to credibility, even Trump himself cannot believe he will deport the 11 million people he talks about. Trump’s bluster may appeal to some people, but when they realize it is just snake oil, most will say, “I’ve been deceived by a politician again.”

Trump recently fired his campaign manager to put on a more presidential false face. But the problem is not the campaign manager. The problem is Trump himself and whatever false image he adopts for the moment.

We now know him for what he is, whatever deceptive mask he puts on.

In short, Trump must be exposed and rejected by the vast majority of Americans — especially by principled Republicans, such as George Will, Brent Scowcroft and Henry Paulson, who, in this case and at this time, must put country above party.

America is great, and that is the way we can make it greater. ■ Elliott Levitas, who served 10 years as a Democratic congressman from Georgia, is of counsel at law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in Midtown. This column is a response to Bernie Marcus’ pro-Trump column in the June 10 issue.

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J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

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merica is great — now.

America can become even greater when its citizens put our country above our party. We diminish our nation when we put our party ahead of our country.

I can speak to this from my personal experience.

In 1966, while I was serving as a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, my party nominated a racist segregationist, Lester Maddox, as its candidate for governor. I knew the right thing to do was to put the interests of our state above my party, so I worked to elect the Republican nominee, Bo Callaway, instead of supporting the racist candidate of my party.

It troubles and saddens me to see too many Republicans putting their party above their country by supporting an unqualified and dangerous candidate solely because he is a Republican.

Normally I would not use disparaging labels even if they are factually true. But that seems to be the language that Donald Trump understands.

Trump likes to label people: “Lying Ted,” “Little Marco,” “Crooked Hillary,” “Pocahontas.” The factual label that applies to Trump is “vile.”

In this case that is not name-calling. It is a statement of fact. A dictionary definition of vile is “morally bad,” “extremely unpleasant,” “shameful” or “disgusting.”

A person who mocks a disabled individual is vile.

A person who demeans a true war hero is vile.

A person who attacks a woman’s judgment because of her menstrual cycle is vile.

Trump factually qualifies as vile on all three of these tests and many others.

America has elected some great presidents, some good ones and some not so good. We even have elected a few crooked presidents. But I cannot recall America electing a vile president.

We should not start with Trump.

We should never let such a person sit in the same chair or have the same office as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy. In fact, most people do not want to associate with such a person.

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OPINION

After Orlando, Feeling Unsafe at Home

M

y heart sank when she pulled her hand away. My partner and I were walking through the Nashville airport to pick up our rental car when I reached out to touch her.

We were on our way to her cousin’s wedding in a rural Southern town.

Raised in a conservative community in the Bible Belt, my partner has a strong, visceral reaction to public displays of affection.

In the airport that day, her gut instincts insisted that she was not safe.

Not here. I wanted to hold her tight and assure her that we were OK in this setting full of security and passersby. But for her, holding my hand felt dangerous.

I grew up in upstate New York.

And while I didn’t have any openly gay friends, family or even acquaintances as a child, I never got the message that being gay was unsafe, evil, a reason to go to hell. It wasn’t discussed, but when, with the flip of her hand, my grandmother lovingly called her hair-

dresser a fagelah (gay man in Yiddish), she let me know how she felt.

“That’s so gay” was a popular

Guest Column

By Rabbi Malka Packer

phrase used by my fellow preteens to describe something they didn’t like. It wasn’t exactly good to be gay in Niskayuna, N.Y., but it wasn’t bad, either.

It wasn’t until we moved to Atlanta last year that I started to understand my partner’s inherent fears.

While Atlanta is a progressive city in the middle of a conservative state (the blueberry inside a strawberry), we still reside in the Dirty South, the Bible Belt, the place where homophobic and transphobic legislative bills about gender and sexuality are prominent.

Over the past year, both my partner and I have changed our attitudes around being openly queer in our city.

As she has become more comfortable, she tends to be the one to reach for my hand when strolling down the BeltLine bike path, and she plants a sweet kiss on my cheek while waiting in line at Home Depot.

While this makes me so happy, I’ve become more fearful myself. In fact, I was the one who felt nervous when we bought our home last month.

I wondered what our new neighbors would think of us. I wondered if the location would be a safe place for a queer couple to live.

“How can we know?” I asked myself. When a neighbor came by to introduce herself, I didn’t know if I should call my beloved my partner. My roommate? My friend?

When I learned the news of the shooting in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, I went from sad to heartbroken to scared. Honestly, I’m still scared today. What will be the backlash? Am I truly safe in Atlanta?

Do we need to be more careful in public spaces?

When we go camping in the North Georgia mountains, should we

act like friends around fellow hikers?

Do we need to avoid nightclubs and large queer gatherings? If the largest mass shooting in the United States took place in the biggest gay bar in Orlando, are we safe anywhere?

As a queer rabbi, as an activist, I try to calm myself, reassure myself. I tell myself that the answer is action.

I tell myself that the world is getting better, safer. I tell myself that laws are changing, if slowly. And I will continue to march and shout and demand change. I will sign petitions, protest at the Capitol and contact my senators. I will do all I can to fight.

But right now, for me, the most important form of action isn’t fighting.

It’s something smaller, more personal.

The best protest I know is simply to reach for my beloved’s hand as we walk down the streets of Atlanta. To say to my neighbors, to the South and to the world, “Here we are, living, despite everything. Isn’t it beautiful?”

To say to everyone, “Love is love.” ■ Rabbi Malka Packer is the director of InterfaithFamily/Atlanta.

Religion Requires Action Toward LGBT Equality

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ednesday, June 15, I gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church with many of my fellow clergy to participate in a vigil for victims of mass shootings. In the wake of the Orlando massacre, many people of faith were looking for answers, for some sort of sanctuary or guidance in the face of an event that tested many of our personal faiths.

That sanctuary was full of people of different religions who had come together to make sense of the tragedy, and I posed this question to us all: What makes this shooting different from the others?

The answer to that question, I hope, will be that this time we will change our world into one where senseless acts of violence are not only condemned, but prevented by eradicating the hate that exists in our country.

Throughout the spring the Georgia legislature debated and ultimately passed legislation that would have encouraged discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 8 people. House Bill 757 was widely seen

AJT

by members of the LGBT community, as well as people who have been the target of vitriol, as a step backward.

I am grateful that our governor

Guest Column

By Rabbi Peter Berg

stepped in and vetoed this bill that attempted to cloak discrimination in the disguise of religious freedom. It was this necessary action that saved our state from creating laws that would have damaged our state’s reputation.

But that action does not make up for the hurtful environment that LGBT Georgians still encounter every day.

Over the past six months, more than 140 bills seeking to discriminate against the LGBT community were introduced in state legislatures across the country. And, sadly, many federal laws are not much better.

Too many people still do not realize that gay and transgender people can be fired based solely on who they are. There is real anger directed toward these communities that too often

is completely ignored.

Even more troubling is that some of our houses of worship have allowed hateful rhetoric against the LGBT community to fester and spread. This is not acceptable.

True religion calls us not only to mourn and pray for victims of tragedies like the one in Orlando, but also to demand equal treatment under the law for all of G-d’s children. We have to do more than just speak out against senseless acts of violence.

The massacre in Orlando is just one more reminder of the long way that we have to go to show our LGBT brothers and sisters that we are doing more than just paying lip service to equality.

Georgia needs a civil rights bill in our state’s legislature that does not focus solely on the rights of religious people — a bill that protects all of us, regardless of sexual orientation,

gender identity, race, nationality, and, yes, religion. Georgia is one of only five states that don’t have statewide laws that broadly protect civil rights.

The question that I asked from the pulpit on that Wednesday night still echoes in my mind: What makes the Orlando shooting different from all of the others?

Nothing — unless we make sure that we learn the right lessons from this tragedy and act to make our world better for our children.

We have work to do to make sure that Georgia is the best, most welcoming state it can be. Let us start by making sure that our laws no longer support the idea that the LGBT community is a target for hatred. ■

True religion calls us not only to mourn and pray for victims of tragedies like the one in Orlando, but also to demand equal treatment under the law for all of G-d’s children.

Peter Berg is the senior rabbi at The Temple.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Clinton Should Cross Aisle for VP Pick Snowe made history as the first Republican woman to gain a full-term seat on the venerable Senate Finance Committee. She also served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, a good credential for a person who would be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

A Fresh View

By Jordan Barkin

Snowe has a rare gift for advocating her stances in a strong yet approachable manner. She said in a National Public Radio interview: “People deserve … better representation. They deserve institutions that are going to solve problems. That means the president and the Congress have to work hand in glove and override their political differences or their political ambitions for the sake of the country.”

Doesn’t that sound like the type of person you wouldn’t mind seeing on your TV the next four years?

It has often been noted the past

Olympia Snowe of Maine left the Senate in 2013.

year how this election season is unique.

Trump’s antics have divided the Republican Party, and his success in the primaries could be a result of his appeal to disaffected voters.

Some have attributed Bernie Sanders’ unexpected popularity to a similar sentiment among Democrats to reform Washington.

Clinton needs to show her understanding that most Americans value solutions over partisan rhetoric. Sure, she could pick a run-of-the-mill Demo-

crat as her vice presidential candidate, but such a selection might make her look like just another empty suit.

To win, and to lead after elected, Clinton needs to become less rote and partisan. Running with Snowe would send a strong message.

Leaders need advisers they trust, and I imagine that Hillary would feel more comfortable around the calm, seasoned, genial Snowe than the feisty Sanders or the sharp-tongued Elizabeth Warren. With this comfort level established, Snowe could go on to explain to Clinton where Republican legislators are coming from. Empathy is a powerful tool.

Better yet, Snowe has demonstrated the independence to tell Clinton if she is about to make a mistake. Rankand-file party politicians often lack this trait.

Most important, Olympia Snowe would be a responsible and substantial vice president who could inspire a more sensible era of governance. ■ Jordan Barkin, a freelance writer for various Southern publications, is a former associate editor of Veranda, a Hearst magazine. He lives in Buckhead.

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E

lections are a numbers game, and Hillary Clinton would win if she chose Olympia Snowe, the famously moderate Republican former senator from Maine, as her running mate. Those Republican and independent voters who are wary of Donald Trump would consider Clinton more seriously if she selected a running mate who shares their values.

Plus, having two women on the same ticket would ensure positive (or at least neutral) media coverage and would portray Clinton as less of a stale insider. The Clinton name may be a throwback to the 1990s, but an all-female ticket would be fresh and historic.

And Snowe is not just any politician. She has been well respected by the news media and independent voters for over two decades. Snowe, who has a practical bent toward policy, was named one of America’s best senators by Time magazine in 2006. The terms “centrist” and “bipartisan” have been used often to describe the former Maine senator, who served from 1995 to 2013.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Our View

EU Opening

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JULY 1 ▪ 2016

he United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union looked like bad news for Israel.

After all, the referendum cost Israel a friend in British Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned after his failed campaign to remain in the EU. And the British exit not only raises the prospect of renegotiating trade agreements with the United Kingdom, but also creates the possibility of an EU collapse, complicating Israel’s economic and diplomatic relations with its most important markets.

But beyond the anxiety of uncertainty, the “Brexit” offers reasons for optimism. Cameron’s most likely successor, former London Mayor Boris Johnson, also is a strong supporter of Israel, and the British Labour Party might dump its anti-Israel leader, Jeremy Corbyn, for his lethargic opposition to the EU exit.

From a long-term perspective, Israel is already working to diversify its economy by looking eastward to the likes of India and China, so Europe’s potential tough times won’t necessarily envelop Israel.

Most important, the EU’s internal turmoil might drag its attention away from the Middle East and stop its planned meddling in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute — a problem that can be resolved only when Israelis and Palestinians are willing to sit down and deal with each other directly without preconditions.

Such negotiations won’t happen through the peace conference proposed by France and supported by other EU members. The sympathetic audience offered by EU diplomats would only encourage Palestinian intransigence in the mistaken belief that Europe would force a pro-Palestinian settlement on Israel if the Israelis didn’t willingly accept such a deal.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas proved that point in a speech to the European Parliament on Thursday, June 23. He told blood libels: • He accused rabbis of calling for the poisoning of Palestinian wells.

• He said terrorism will end worldwide “once the occupation ends.”

Meanwhile, he refused to meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who also was in Brussels, and, rather than endorse negotiations, he said the only solution is the 2002 Arab peace plan with no changes.

That Arab peace plan isn’t a bad starting point for real talks organized by Egypt and endorsed by Saudi Arabia, without European interference.

In Cairo, Abbas would find confirmation that his fellow Arabs, beneath their anti-Israel rhetoric, have no love for the Palestinians and are happy to have a strong Israel as a counter to Iran.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Sunni Arab nations will never love Israel, but they know they can work with Israel and have no reason to fear it — unlike the nearly 40-year-old regime in non-Arab, Shiite Iran. With the region’s other non-Arab power, Turkey, renewing its friendship with Israel, the Palestinians would find more pressure and less support within a peace process of and for Middle Eastern nations.

While France, Germany and the rest of Europe confront the reality that they don’t live in a post-nationalist utopia just yet, the Palestinians might realize it’s time to grow up and do the hard work at the 10 negotiating table to earn their own nation. ■

AJT

Cartoon by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

ADL Misfires on Gun Control

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he political spectacle of Rep. John Lewis leadfirst anniversary of the Charleston church shooting, ing a Democratic sit-in on the House floor and Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, June 22 and 23 accomplished at least one immigration and police searches. thing: It brought new light to the Anti-Defamation Gun control is not a new ADL issue, according League’s support for gun control. to its website. It has favored increased regulation ADL has always been the organization standing of gun sales since 1967 in recognition of a pervasive on the front lines against anti-Semitism in all its inculture of guns and violence among extremists — vidious forms, and it makes sense that the organizathe hate groups ADL confronts every day. tion’s century-old mission to opIts policy pose the defamation of the Jewish recommendations people has expanded to battle all include expanded forms of discrimination and to background checks Editor’s Notebook defend civil rights in general. to cover all purBy Michael Jacobs That’s why I was surprised chases of firearms mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com when I saw ADL cheering on the and ammunition, gun control sit-in. waiting periods for ADL urged Facebook followsuch purchases, and ers to share a “Disarm Hate” image with the message more research into gun violence.

“SHARE in support of the sit-in on the House floor ADL also has actively challenged efforts to comin support of gun safety measures. #DisarmHate pare gun control advocates to the Nazis or to suggest #HoldtheFloor.” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt that if only the Jews had been armed, they could tweeted: “Wow. Inspiring. Thank you @repjohnlewis have stopped the Holocaust. for leading charge to #disarmhate on House floor It’s understandable how ADL’s anti-hate mis2day #NoBillNoBreak.” sion led to a quest against gun violence, and one of Normally, I’d call ADL Southeast Region Directhe two bills being advocated at the sit-in matched tor Mark Moskowitz, but though the sit-in was led ADL’s call for expanded background checks. by an Atlanta lawmaker, ADL Southeast stayed silent It’s the second measure that presents a conflict on guns. Instead, the ADL Southeast Twitter feed and with ADL’s place as a civil rights organization: a Facebook page focused on the annual anti-Semitism proposal to bar anyone on the no-fly list from buying report released the day the sit-in started (see Page a gun.

1) and the ongoing struggles for a restored Voting Criticism of that bill came from across the Rights Act and hate crimes laws in all 50 states. political spectrum because the existence of that list, I tried to ask the national ADL office why it let alone its use to limit rights, is a constitutional jumped into the gun control argument and buried nightmare. We don’t know how many people are on its own news about the latest anti-Semitism trends it or why, and once you’re on it, it’s all but impossible — the issue upon which it was founded in 1913. to get off it. You don’t have to be a conspiracy theoBut ADL did not respond to a phone message or rist to fear the abuse of such a list, which involves no an email, so I have no explanation for the organizaburden of proof by the government. tion’s priorities during a week packed with news of ADL does great work. But the organization fires ADL interest, including the 50th anniversary of the far off target when it blindly supports any gun conmurders of voting rights workers in Mississippi, the trol idea under the cover of disarming hate. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

‘This Is What a Feminist Looks Like’

Reflections on the state of women by JWF Atlanta executive director ity, he reflected on the state of women, the policy changes his administration has supported, and the work still left

Guest Column

By Rachel Wasserman

to be done. He said, “Progress is not inevitable. … Our progress has been the result of countless men and women.”

He noted that “we’re still boxed in by stereotypes of how men and women should behave. … We need to keep changing the attitude.”

He shouted: “We need equal pay for equal work! We need paid family and sick leave! We should guarantee paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave too. That is how you value family. It is accounting for the realities of how people live today.”

He affirmed everything we know, everything we discuss at our meetings, everything our network stands for.

Unfortunately, I had to leave before Oprah and the first lady spoke, but I caught it on live stream.

I also attended two breakout sessions, labeled solutions seminars. The first was called “Leading on Leave: Solutions to Increasing Women’s Workplace Participation,” and I learned from politicians, small-business owners and managers of large companies (EY, Patagonia, Spotify) about the ways they have made paid family leave work: “The worker wins, the employer wins, the community wins.”

The second seminar was about pay equity, during which I learned about case studies from the city of Boston and from large and small businesses about the bold steps they took to ensure equal pay for equal work.

At both of these sessions, one thing was clear: Although there is still a lot of work to do on a national and local level, change is happening, we can learn from and replicate success stories, and there is a growing light at the end of the tunnel.

The ribbon woven throughout the day was clear: These issues are not

women’s issues, and they are not family issues. They are community issues.

They are economic issues. They are moral issues.

When governments and businesses put women at the top and prioritize women, girls and families, they are more successful.

When we at Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta sit down to discuss educational programming, potential advocacy efforts and issue areas for grant allocations, we are joining a train that is already running. There are amazing people — politicians and celebrities, yes, but also regular people like you and me — working tirelessly toward gender equality.

I was so inspired both by what we have done and by what we can do.

The first lady closed her conversation with Oprah by saying, “We can never be complacent and think that we have arrived. The work continues.

The question is ‘What are you going to do? What are you going to change?’ ” I look forward to answering those questions with Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. ■

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s a social activist whose No. 1 passion is empowering women’s voices, June 14 was like a whirlwind dream come true for me. At the invitation of Jewish Women International, I was one of 5,000 attendees at the White House’s first Summit on the United State of Women. As I reflect on my experience, I want to share my thoughts.

Upon taking office, President Barack Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that our priorities are considered in every agency, in every one of the administration’s policies and programs, and in pieces of legislation he supports. The summit, which was cohosted by the council and the Office of the First Lady, celebrated the progress that has been made and highlighted continued areas of work toward true gender equality.

The summit focused on a few key areas: violence against women, health and wellness, economic empowerment, entrepreneurship and innovation, educational opportunities, civic engagement, and leadership. If these issue areas sound familiar, it is because they are also the ones we address through our Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta grant allocations and educational programs.

Throughout the day I was privileged to hear speeches from Vice President Joe Biden, whose passionate speech about violence against women was so chilling, you could hear a pin drop; Warren Buffett, who, along with Goldman Sachs, has invested in 10,000 female small-business owners; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who led us in a chant: “When women succeed, America succeeds!”

I also heard remarks from celebrities who have taken on the issues of women and girls as their own: Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Arquette, Connie Britton, Tory Burch, Kerry Washington — the list goes on. The summit also included “ideas for action” presentations from dozens of changemakers from around the country.

The highlight of the day for me was when the president addressed the audience. As he walked onto the stage, he proudly announced, “This is what a feminist looks like!”

The president spoke for a long time, and through humor and sincer-

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LOCAL NEWS

ZBT Convention To Celebrate Centennials

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Jewish Breakfast Club

he upcoming Zeta Beta Tau international convention in Atlanta will feature a Pulitzer Prize-winning speaker, according to Laurence Bolotin, the executive director of ZBT International.

This convention also will celebrate the 100th anniversary of three ZBT chapters that are in or near Atlanta: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama. The three chapters will be individually recognized for their centennials.

The convention will take place at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead from July 21 to 24. Bolotin said approximately 500 people are expected to attend.

“It’s going very well. We’re really putting the finishing touches on our convention at the moment, and we have registration going very well. We have some excellent speakers that are scheduled,” Bolotin said.

Those speakers include Sam Massell, the only Jewish mayor of Atlanta; Mike Luckovich, a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist; and Lori Hart, who will speak about student advocacy.

Bolotin said ZBT is particularly excited about having such high-profile speakers.

Luckovich, the longtime cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his editorial cartoons. Like Massell, who was part of ZBT at the University of Georgia, Luckovich is a ZBT alumnus, having been a member of the University of Washington chapter.

Massell, besides speaking at the convention, will be honored with ZBT’s Man of Distinction Award.

“The amazing thing about Sam is how available he is to lend anyone a helping hand,” ZBT Foundation President Bruce Weinstein, an alumnus of the University of Alabama chapter, said in a statement announcing the award. “He is the ultimate mentor, and he has been my role model … since I have lived in Atlanta.”

Another Jewish Atlantan, Mike Wien, an alumnus of ZBT’s Colorado State chapter, will receive the Stephen P. Ehrlich Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Fraternity by an Alumnus Volunteer.

“Mike is invaluable on both a national and local Atlanta basis. He is a sought-after speaker for both alumni

Sam Massell

Mike Wien

and undergraduate groups,” Weinstein said.

ZBT will recognize former George Washington University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, an alumnus of the fraternity’s Columbia University chapter, as its Man of the Year.

“It is truly the honor of the fraternity to celebrate the spirit of innovation in higher education and the devotion to public service championed by Dr. Trachtenberg,” ZBT International President Matthew Rubins said.

The final major ZBT award at the convention, the Riegelman-Jacobs Award for Outstanding Interfraternal Service, will go to University of Alabama System Chancellor Robert Witt, an honorary ZBT brother.

Weinstein said Witt’s support was crucial for the Greek system’s growth across the University of Alabama. “In particular for ZBT, he oversaw and spearheaded increasing Jewish enrollment, which was directly responsible for Psi Chapter doubling its size.”

The rest of the convention will involve a variety of sessions like the Centennial Lunch, where the three chapters will be celebrated.

Convention attendees can choose among four tracks with educational breakout classes: Growing Yourself, Creating Change, Ethical Leadership, and Supporting and Challenging Others. There is also a track allowing undergraduates and young alumni to sign up to be mentored by ZBT alumni.

Registration is open at zbt.org.

“We have a very strong alumni base in the Atlanta area,” Bolotin said. Several thousand alumni are in the area, and the convention is being planned mainly by different alumni associations.”

“There are many ways local alumni and friends can participate,” Bolotin said. “There are opportunities for alumni to attend one event or participate in the entire weekend.”

Bolotin will also deliver a State of the Fraternity speech. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Brummer Completes Prize Assignment

Deputy consul praises Southeast as one of Israel’s friendliest places

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

R

on Brummer looks at his three years in Atlanta as deputy consul general for Israel as his reward for the three years he represented his country in the hostile environment of Chile.

Brummer called his experience in Atlanta a “huge contrast” to Chile, which he described as “one of the most anti-Israeli environments possible,” with an influential Palestinian community of some half-million people, the largest outside the Middle East.

Brummer will return home in midJuly, having completed his tour of duty in the consulate that has been responsible for six Southeastern states: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

“So supportive, very Zionist, one of the friendliest places to Israel in the world, I guess, if not the friendliest,” Brummer said of the Southeast.

“People are very friendly. People want to cooperate with you just because you are Israeli.”

Israeli Deputy General Consul Ron Brummer reads the military order of the day during May’s Yom HaZikaron observance at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

During an interview at the consulate in a Midtown office building owned

by Selig Enterprises, Brummer said Israel enjoys the support of all of the governors, including Georgia’s Nathan Deal, the U.S. senators, and almost all of the members of the U.S. House.

His successor as deputy consul general will be Anat Tsin, a Foreign Ministry cadet in her first posting. Tsin, who at 39 has moved from Israel’s Interior Ministry, will have little overlap with Brummer, though she has visited

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Atlanta for a week of orientation and met members of the Israeli community during a Lag B’Omer celebration at the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta.

Brummer, 37, said his family has loved living in Atlanta. “We’ve had the time of our lives here,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed every minute of living here, from a personal point of view.”

He said another city in the region, Nashville, is his favorite place to visit.

His wife, Ayelet Avrahami, has worked out of the consulate as the director of the Israeli House program of Israel’s Ministry of Absorption, which aims to keep Israelis living in Atlanta connected to their homeland. Their boys, Maayan, 3, and Peleg, 6, have attended Atlanta Jewish Academy.

All are looking forward to being closer to family, Brummer’s in Ramat Gan and his wife’s in Ra’anana.

Brummer joined Israel’s foreign service after leaving a career managing a public relations firm. Being a diplomat is “a fascinating job, the most fascinating I could have chosen.”

Fascinating but not without its challenges. “Israeli diplomats are not being rewarded as they should, and, unfortunately, many Israeli diplomats are leaving the ministry because of that,” Brummer said, diplomatically not discussing wages except to say he took a pay cut to work for his country.

“I wish that our government will acknowledge the importance of Israeli diplomats and pay them accordingly.”

As for his own future, “I want to keep doing things for Israel. This is what I’m driven by, and this is why I joined the ministry,” he said. But he does not know his next assignment.

Returning diplomats often work at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem for a couple of years before being posted to another country.

As deputy consul, Brummer helped manage operations of the Atlanta consulate and gave particular attention to bilateral economic issues and outreach to the Jewish, Christian, African-American and Hispanic communities in the region.

A special challenge Brummer encountered was persuading Israelis, particularly those in the business community, to consider locating in the South rather than traditional locales like New York, Miami and California.

When Brummer arrived three years ago, the local Israeli community was estimated at 5,000 to 7,000. Today, he said, Atlanta has one of the nation’s

fastest-growing Israeli communities, estimated at 10,000 to 12,000 people and perhaps as high as 15,000. There are parts of Alpharetta, he joked, where Hebrew is heard more than English.

Brummer acknowledged that more work is needed to improve relations between the local Jewish and Israeli communities. “We are culturally different, and that is why sometimes you need a lot of artificial mechanisms to try to get them together. It doesn’t happen naturally,” he said. “It’s not that easy to get water and oil together. You have to oil the water a little bit and water the oil a little bit to get them more together. We are succeeding, very gradually, but it’s happening.”

As an example, he said a growing number of Israelis have become active with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which works to ensure support for Israel at all levels of government in the United States.

Other challenges are more difficult.

From colleagues in other U.S. consulates, particularly in San Francisco and Chicago, Brummer has heard what he termed “horror stories” about the reception received by Israeli diplomats at campuses where the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement has taken root.

Elements of the BDS movement have “infiltrated” some Southern campuses — Brummer mentioned the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and “even at Emory, the most Jewish university in the South” — “but there is nothing to compare” with the hostility that exists elsewhere, he said.

Among the periods that presented the greatest challenges to Israel’s diplomatic corps was Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, during which rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces engaged Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups from the air and on the ground.

Brummer said government officials and most of the people of the Atlanta consulate’s region were “very supportive” of Israel’s actions. “There is a huge difference between the atmosphere here and the atmosphere in other parts of the United States,” he said.

Aside from a small number of what he termed “weirdos” from Jewish Voice for Peace protesting outside the building

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Anat Tsin, visiting Atlanta in May with her husband, Oded, is due to assume the position of deputy consul general in mid-July.

that houses the consulate, “the Jewish community here is very Zionist, very pro-Israeli. The amount of criticism we received during Protective Edge was minor, in the Jewish community and outside of it.”

Brummer acknowledged that Israel faces a challenge in maintaining its historically positive relations with the leadership of the African-American community, while a segment of the community supports the Palestinian cause. He admitted frustration with the notion of intersectionality, by which pro-Palestinian activists “manipulate their story” to equate their efforts with the struggle of the Black Lives Matter

movement. “There are parts of the African-American community that don’t see Israel the way that, for example, Martin Luther King saw Israel,” he said.

The consulate has made a priority of its relationship with the administration and students of Morehouse College, a school known for educating future leaders in the African-American community.

On other campuses, the consulate has encouraged Jewish and non-Jewish pro-Israel groups to build coalitions with Hispanic, Muslim and black students, seeing those student groups as more effective proxies for the Israeli government than its consulate.

The opposite situation exists when the consulate engages with evangelical Christians. Brummer said his colleagues elsewhere in the United States are envious when he tells them of the applause, not to mention the hugs and kisses, he receives when representing Israel at gatherings of Christian Zionists. “It’s something that comes from the bottoms of their hearts. It’s a real, genuine support that is based on the Bible, obviously. The level of support that we get from the evangelicals here is overwhelming, and it’s amazing.”

The status of non-Orthodox Jews in Israel is a stickier issue, one that

concerns many American Jews. Brummer understands the concerns of nonOrthodox Jews over such issues as access to the Kotel and discrimination in some aspects of Israeli law. Pointing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements of support for the non-Orthodox cause, Brummer said, “I really believe that this prime minister and many other ministers in this specific government understand the importance of egalitarianism and not to let Jews feel they are second class.”

Beyond Brummer’s departure, a major change is coming to the consulate only months after it survived an effort — not by the Foreign Ministry, but by the Finance Ministry — to close it.

The closing of the consulate in Philadelphia has required the redrawing of the map of which Israeli consulates handle which states. Pending approval by the U.S. State Department, responsibility for Mississippi and Alabama will shift to the Miami consulate Aug. 1, while Atlanta adds West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri.

While those new states, particularly Missouri, have less in common with Georgia and the Carolinas than do Alabama and Mississippi, the role of the consulate’s diplomats is the same: to advocate the interests of Israel. “A

good lawyer represents his client. My client is the state of Israel. My personal beliefs and thoughts are, first of all, absolutely irrelevant, because I have a sacred cause bestowed upon me. I represent a sacred cause, the state of Israel,” Brummer said. “I represent the Israeli government. It may be this prime minister or that government, I don’t care. I represent a cause, I represent the state, I represent the government. I think that’s the key for being a good diplomat — understanding that it has nothing to do with your personal beliefs. It has to do with you serving a cause.

“I have served this cause for eight years, since I joined the Foreign Ministry, and I hope to be serving this cause for many more years under Prime Minister A, Prime Minister B or Prime Minister C.” Brummer would like to return to the United States someday as an Israeli diplomat. “I can tell you that I only now, after three years, understand, fully understand, the significance of the United States to not only the well-being, but the mere existence of the state of Israel,” he said. “The most important work that Israeli diplomacy has to do is here, in the United States, maintaining and improving the relations with our best ally.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

Pride Seder Uplifts Amid Mourning

By Benjamin Kweskin

A

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

tlanta’s Pride Seder, an annual part of Pride Month, was scheduled for Friday, June 24, long before 49 people were gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando, but the massacre at Pulse on June 12 made the seder all the more meaningful for the more than 100 people who attended.

The event was held just two days before the first anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States, but the Pulse massacre was a reminder that the LGBTQ community still has reason to feel threatened in this country.

LGBTQ Americans, including Jews, for decades have been institutionally and legally discriminated against, harassed, abused, marginalized and essentially forced to live as second-class citizens.

In recognition of the need for inclusivity and for collective healing, Congregation Bet Haverim played host to the Pride Seder to remember the recent victims, celebrate past challenges and victories, and honor the LGBTQ community in general.

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Photos by Benjamin Kweskin

More than 100 people attend the Pride Seder on June 24 at Congregation Bet Haverim.

Adding symbolism, the seder was hosted by a congregation founded by gay men in a building previously used by an Orthodox synagogue, Young Israel of Toco Hills.

Each place setting had a fun activity people could fill out individually: a “gender unicorn” showing the possible spectrum of gender identity. On the op-

posite side of the page was a blank outline of a gingerbread person to be filled in as you see yourself: male, female or other.

Shortly before the Shabbat candles were lighted, Gayanne Geurin and Melanie Hammet sang a song recently written by LGBTQ activist Melissa Etheridge honoring the nightclub’s victims, titled “Pulse.”

Co-facilitated by Rabbi Joshua Lesser of CBH, Rabbi Malka Packer of InterfaithFamily/Atlanta and SOJOURN, much of the evening was led by members of Bet Haverim’s LGBTQ Teens and Allied Teens.

Some of the participants spoke about their own experiences and struggles.

One young woman’s story was especially poignant: She identifies as a “queer African-American Muslim” who grew up in Orlando, and she was personally affected by the shooting June 12. Attending the seder was an opportunity to feel safe and welcomed, she said.

Teenager and Bet Haverim congregant Mattie Laing helped lead the actual seder, which was strong in symbolism and emblematic of LGBTQ rights struggles. Linking the overarching Passover theme of freedom and justice to that of the LGBTQ community, the seder plate itself (set on the teens’ table) held seven symbols, correlating to the seven colors on the famous Pride flag created by artist Gilbert Baker in the 1970s.

Baker was commissioned to design the flag by his friend Harvey Milk, the Jewish political activist and first openly gay American elected official.

Seder attendee Jessica Ozar said:

A Jewish Pride flag flies outside Congregation Bet Haverim on June 24.

“It was very powerful listening to the teens, and their experiences and stories made me think about the variety of experiences and differences we have. It is great to see that there is a group of teens that can comfortably come together.”

The seder included a version of the Four Questions specific to the evening’s themes, and the Maggid, the telling of the story, retold the story of Stonewall, the watershed uprising that saw gay rights become more prominent nationally. Coincidentally, President Barack Obama named the Stonewall Inn a national landmark a few hours before the seder.

“I got chills during the Maggid portion of the seder as we shared the story of my queer ancestors at Stonewall,” Rabbi Packer said. “I was also deeply moved as queer youth from our community stepped into their power. They shared their strengths and concerns of the next generation.”

When the Ten Plagues were read aloud, complete with dipped fingers, they focused on humanity’s plagues of discrimination, oppression, family rejection, homophobia, suicide, and other pernicious, man-made societal afflictions.

The Concluding Prayer was simultaneously inward-focusing and outwardly affirming. In part it reads, “Source of Life … the brilliance of our spirits gives us hope and strength to live with integrity, true to our mind and hearts. … We feel Your presence … guiding us to claim our rightful place in our rich Jewish tradition and culture. We have come together to choose life, to choose blessing, and to experience the grace of being whole and at peace.” ■

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SIMCHAS

Freundlichs Grow Into Montreal Move

By Arlene Caplan Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com

T

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

he years in Atlanta have been rich and meaningful for Rabbi Yehezkel (Chatzkal) Freundlich and his wife, Rifki.

When he announced he would be leaving Atlanta this summer to become the pulpit rabbi of a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Montreal, the reaction at Congregation Beth Jacob, where he served as the associate rabbi, was swift and passionate.

“What are we going to do without you?” one congregant asked in a Facebook post.

Rabbi Y, as he’s called, said that when he and his wife moved to Atlanta in 2001, he had just finished his formal learning at Yeshiva Ner Israel in Pikesville, Md. He was offered a shortterm position in a kollel and moved to Atlanta to establish an Orthodox boys school.

“We moved to Atlanta with four other families,” he said. A single donor wanted to begin Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael.

Rabbi Y helped get it started and became its head of school in 2014. Today the school boasts a student body of 42

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Students from Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael celebrate their former head of school.

Photos by R.M. Grossblatt

Rabbi Yehezkel Freundlich, with the support of one of his seven children, thanks the Beth Jacob community during a farewell ice cream social in Heritage Hall on June 19.

(see graduation, Page 43).

“In order for a Jewish community to thrive, a traditional yeshiva environment must be available,” said Rabbi Y, who is proud to have been a part of the school’s beginnings and its continued

Children line up for ice cream at the farewell party for the Freundlichs.

growth and development.

When he thinks about the 15 years he has lived in Atlanta, the 40-year-old rabbi said his time here has brought growth, change and opportunities.

He went back to school and earned a master’s degree in counseling from Georgia State University in 2006.

The next year he became the associate rabbi at Beth Jacob in Toco Hills.

He and Rifki arrived in Atlanta with one child. They’ll leave in July with seven children, six of whom are Atlanta natives.

Their destination is Congregation Beth David Jerusalem, which serves the Jewish community in Cote St. Luc and Hampstead, suburbs of Montreal.

“It’s an exciting time for that shul, which has been without a rabbi for a year. The lay leadership want their shul to thrive and succeed,” said Rabbi Y, who is excited to be the rabbi charged with that goal.

He characterized leaving Atlanta as “bittersweet.”

“We grew up here. I am very grateful to Rabbi Ilan Feldman for his guidance and for giving me the space and ability to be creative. We got lots of nurturing here, and now it’s time to take it to another community,” Rabbi Y said.

Beth Jacob is searching for his replacement.

Rifki Freundlich has made a large impact, particularly among the young couples in the Beth Jacob community.

She said Atlanta, from the first time she saw it, also has made a big impact on her.

“We came for a weekend and fell

Rabbi Ilan Feldman has been assisted by Rabbi Yehezkel Freundlich since 2007.

Young Israel of Toco Hills Rabbi Adam Starr joins Rabbi Yehezkel Freundlich for his farewell party.

in love. It was right before 9/11. We were both so excited, I couldn’t even sleep,” she said.

When the young rabbinic couple moved to Atlanta, they rented an apartment on LaVista Road in a complex teeming with young Jewish singles.

“We connected with so many young people,” she said, “and there was so much excitement in the beginning.”

After 15 years, the rebbetzin said she is still in love with Atlanta.

“Our time here has been wonderful,” she said. “I’m grateful to have spent time raising our family here, which has so many open, warm, loving people. We grew up here and raised our family here.”

Though they are selling their home and taking all of their belongings to Canada, the Freundlichs are not leaving Atlanta forever.

Ephraim Freundlich, their son, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah at Beth Jacob on Sept. 11, then will have another celebration in Montreal two weeks later.

“We don’t have to say goodbye,” Rifki said. “We’re saying, ‘See you in September.’ ” ■

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SIMCHAS

Community Caring Carries Kenter to Canada

By Paula Baroff

A

fter seven years at Congregation B’nai Torah, Rabbi Eytan Kenter is preparing his family for the move from the Deep South to the Great White North.

It is a big change from Atlanta to Ottawa, but it is the right community for his step up to be the senior rabbi of a congregation.

“You know, depending on how the election turns out, we’re getting ahead of the real estate boom,” he joked.

Ottawa is Canada’s capital but has a small-town feel, Rabbi Kenter said.

There are fewer than 15,000 Jews in the city but enough to warrant “one of everything” in terms of Jewish resources (including a day school for his toddler son, Boaz).

His new congregation has around 800 family units.

The synagogue is new, the result of a merger between two smaller ones, which is a prime factor in Rabbi Kenter’s choosing it over other options.

“Most jobs that you come into are either a rabbi leaving because he had issues with the synagogue or a beloved, longtime rabbi leaving that you’re going to have to follow,” he said. “This is interesting because it’s a brand-new synagogue. It comes with the opportunity to kind of build something from scratch. Nothing’s in stone; you get to decide who you want to be in a way, which is exciting to me.”

Because B’nai Torah was his first job after rabbinical school, Rabbi Kenter has spent the past seven years discovering who he wants to be as a rabbi.

“Being a pulpit rabbi is not a job; it’s a lifestyle choice,” he said. “It’s something you’re always doing, whether it’s business hours or not. I always say that I thought I was going to Target, but I was really going to discuss bar mitzvah dates.”

B’nai Torah’s senior rabbi, Joshua Heller, said he has been fortunate to have Rabbi Kenter as his first associate rabbi because he is a rabbinic rarity: a generalist with something to share in many areas. “Rabbi Kenter was an incredible part of our community. He was a skilled teacher — his students for what was supposed to be a six-session class demanded that it continue every year. He loved working with people of all ages. He was unbelievably devoted to his work; even when Staci was facing

life-threatening illness, he continued to give us so much of himself.”

Executive Director Natalie Sarnat credited Rabbi Kenter with helping B’nai Torah focus on social action and the inclusion of people with special needs and with creating the synagogue’s mitzvah festival and its CBT Includes Me initiative. “He has raised the bar for the adult education we provide to our community,” she said. “But most of all Rabbi Kenter has encouraged us all to have compassion in all aspects of our synagogue life.”

He interviewed at several congregations but decided on Ottawa after visiting. He and wife Staci ZemlakKenter are in the process of getting everything in order — an international move means new credit cards, phone numbers and imported cars — and will have to move in a few stages to the house they are renting.

Ottawa is driving distance from Rabbi Kenter’s family in New York, so they will get to spend a few days together in the city on the way north. He even has coveted tickets to the Broadway musical “Hamilton.” He said with a smile, “I bought them in September.”

Atlanta has prepared him for Ottawa, he said, because both communities are known for being warm and welcoming.

Rabbi Kenter joked about Canada’s stereotypical reputation for being nice but said it was true when he visited. He said he experienced a similar reaction from the Atlanta Jewish community when he first came here. With his family in New York, the community feel of Atlanta was welcome and one of the reasons he thought it was the right choice at the time.

“Congregation B’nai Torah really cares about its members and cares about the community at large,” he said, noting the importance of focusing on individual congregants.

Rabbi Kenter said he has learned many things at B’nai Torah that he wants to bring to his new job, but mainly he hopes to carry with him the value of community.

“One of the things that I learned being in Atlanta is that Southern hospitality is a real thing,” he said. “People are friendly. People are nice. People want to get to know you. People want to welcome you into their homes and into their lives. And that value is something I want to carry with me to any community I enter into.” ■

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SIMCHAS

Chabad Reaches Forsyth

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

A

celebration of Shavuot on Sunday, June 12, at the home of Rabbi Levi Mentz and his wife, Chaya, served to launch Chabad of Forsyth while a permanent location is found.

Rabbi Mentz, whose father-in-law is Chabad of Georgia head Rabbi Yossi New, moved here from Los Angeles in 2014 and has run the JCrafts workshop program for children.

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

AJT: Tell us about the new Chabad.

Rabbi Mentz: We’ve opened up a center in the County of Forsyth to service the enormous northeast Georgia region, which goes from Lake Lanier all the way up to Dahlonega. Of course, we’ve always had a small Jewish community, but being close to Atlanta, that’s changing. Our vision is to create a dynamic Jewish community for families that are living in these counties and this area; they should have all the services they need, whether it is education for children, education for adults, for Jewish lifecycles, and Jewish celebrations throughout the year. It’s not

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like “Oh, now I have to drive miles and miles away to get what services I need as a Jew or drive miles and miles to join another community.”

We finally have a place of our own.

It’s very exciting, and all I can tell you is that it’s been very much grass-roots, with some amazing people and amazing families that live in this region who had gotten together and said, “We want to have something amazing. We want to do something special for ourselves, for our families.”

That’s where I came into the picture, really just bringing it all together and making this happen. Funnily enough, we’re talking today, but on Sunday we celebrated the holiday of Shavuot, and it was amazing because it was the first formal Jewish community event that had ever taken place, and we had just under a hundred people that came together. It’s just amazing.

It is pretty special because if you want to look at it from a historical perspective, the first time we as a people ever came together in a community for a service was at Mount Sinai when we got the Torah. We all stood there as a community, and we experienced the

receive the Ten Commandments again.

Pretty epic, if you want to talk about epic, right? It was really, really beautiful.

AJT: Do you have any concerns about creating competition for Chabad of North Fulton?

Rabbi Mentz: Absolutely not. …

The Jewish community is the whole reason we’re there, and we formed another branch there because the Jewish community had been asking for it for a long time. It’s almost like asking a question, like when North Fulton was set up, the first question that came up was “Is this bringing competition to the Chabad of Sandy Springs?” It’s a weird question. Chabad opens up new centers. It’s a different region and a different place, you know what I mean?

Chabad doesn’t open new places to hurt itself; Chabad opens places to help the Jewish community.

Rabbi Levi Mentz (left) and Jeremy Lefkovits

first Jewish service. I guess 3,328 years later for the new Jewish community in northeast Georgia we did the same; we all got together for the first time to

AJT: OK. Let’s get back to your Chabad. How do you see its future?

Rabbi Mentz: The long-term vision is that we’re going to create an example of a vibrant, amazing Jewish community. If you’re a Jew anywhere in the world and you want to talk about a Jewish community that’s awesome

SIMCHAS and unbelievable, you’re going to say, “Go to Forsyth County; go to northeast Georgia.”

That is something that is amazing.

Having all the services, from young to old, from A to Z, there will be nothing lacking. That’s the long-term vision: synagogue, community center, the works.

Now in the short term, our first goal is launching JUDA, our children’s educational branch; it’s got to be one of the most innovative concepts that’s ever been announced. JUDA will be a place for children to sign up for computer school. The kids will be begging their moms, “Let’s go, let’s go.” It’s a completely new system that we are very excited to unveil. The first day of JUDA is Aug. 21, and I would encourage everyone who has Jewish children to sign up.

AJT: Do you know what the Jewish population in Forsyth County is?

Rabbi Mentz: Yes. There are currently 1,700 Jewish families, estimated.

AJT: But how have you been reaching them? And how do you know there are 1,700 families?

Rabbi Mentz: Well, we have our ways, through different resources. The way we’ve reached out is, we have over a hundred-and-something contacts already. That has happened through call-ins to central Chabad with people saying, “We want a center,” and people saying they want more Jewish life and that it’s too far to drive to other places.

You know, “We want to have something of our own.” Basically, that’s how Chabad does it everywhere. There’s been serious interest for a while now — people saying they want something close to home. In Forsyth County there has never been a formal Jewish presence. ■

J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

AJT: What else do we need to know?

Rabbi Mentz: The foundation of our Jewish community is built on love and acceptance. I reached out to every single Jew living in the northeast Georgia region; they are already part of the community by virtue of who they are. I encourage them deeply to get involved and join this amazing, grass-roots community. This is being done by real people, just like them, and this is the time to get involved and be part of something really magical. I would encourage them to reach out to us in three ways. The first way would be to go to JewishForsyth.org. I would encourage them to go to our Facebook page. They can also reach us at MyJuda.org.

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SIMCHAS

Mazel Tov to All

M

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

azel tov, like shalom, is that rare Hebrew term that is known by almost everyone.

In its Yiddish iteration, mazel taf, it means congratulations. The older Hebrew term means good luck. Specifically, mazel tov signifies the hope that you have the good luck that comes from living under a propitious constellation of stars visible in the night sky.

Mazel in Hebrew means a star constellation. Mazel tov, the best-known Hebrew/ Yiddish/Jewish expression of all, is the product of rabbinical astrology.

Astrology at first glance would not seem to have much to do with Judaism. In fact, because it is forbidden in Vayikra (Leviticus) in the Torah and condemned by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as by the greatest of all Jewish philosophers, Maimonides, one would think that astrology would be rare among the Jewish people. But one would be wrong.

Although the Torah is clear on the subject, it appears that the Jews could not stay away from astrology. There were different systems of astrology.

For instance, we all know that the Chinese have a 12-year zodiac cycle in which each year is represented by a different animal. I was born in 1958, the year of the dog. Anyone who has dined in an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant has seen this zodiac on a placemat.

The Egyptians also developed a sophisticated astrological system. The 12-part zodiac that the Babylonians developed — and that folks to this day consult — probably was invented

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in ancient Egypt and borrowed by the Mesopotamians.

The zodiac we normally associate with astrology, the one used to cast horoscopes, comes from ancient Babylonia. It is this system that brings together in the birth chart (the horoscope) the planets, the houses (12 places on Earth that correspond to 12 parts of the personality), and the 12 signs of the zodiac, which correspond to 12 times of

Guest Column

By Rabbi Richard Baroff

the year. I was born Jan. 13, so my sign is Capricorn, the old goat.

The signs of the zodiac we now have reflect the Greco-Roman tradition, which was greatly developed from the Babylonian model. The Babylonians cast horoscopes, but it was the Greeks who to turned the practice into a science.

The very word zodiac comes from the Greek for a circle of animals. The names we use for the zodiac (Gemini, Aries, Aquarius, etc.) are Roman. By the way, the Hebrew word mazel can be translated as zodiac.

The Jews were exiled by the neoBabylonian tyrant Nebuchadnezzar in 586-7 B.C.E. This began a long association with Chaldean (Babylonian) culture. (Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees in very ancient Mesopotamia.)

As rabbinic Judaism took shape, both within Eretz Yisrael and within

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Mesopotamia (the land between the to make accurate star charts used by Tigris and Euphrates rivers), many Christopher Columbus himself on his Babylonian ideas found their way into fateful voyage in 1492.

In that year also the Jews were exJewish religion and culture. Astrology as we know it made its way into Jewish pelled from Spain. Zacuto went to Portugal. His charts helped another great life from the Chaldean experience.

The very word Chaldean came to explorer, Vasco da Gama, make his way to India in the late mean astrologer.

1490s.

We learn from Most of the Talthe Bible that Daniel, a In medieval times and court Jew in the time of even more so during mudic rabbis and medieval philosophers — the Persian Empire — the Renaissance, even Saadia Gaon and over 13 centuries after many Christian Solomon ibn Gabirol Abraham — called the — believed that astrolastrological wizards kings, queens and ogy was accurate. More Chaldeans. The sages of other nobility amazing still, even the the Talmud used Chalhad Jewish court Litvak rationalist Elijah dean for astrologer, following the example astrologers. This was the Vilna Gaon thought of the Book of Daniel. especially so in Spain. astrology was real.

The Jewish mystics Chaldean still is used following the Kabbalah for astrologer.

If you go to a Renaissance festival, generally followed astrology as well. you may very well have your horo- The great Kabbalist Nachmanides was scope drawn and read by a Chaldean prominent in this regard.

Since the Haskalah, the Jewish enwizard. Astrology became popular in the Renaissance. Of course, astronomy lightenment in the 1800s, the intellectual leaders of the Jews became more became important as well.

Some important astronomers — rationalistic. They decided as a whole Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, for that Maimonides was right after all. Asexample — were believers in astrology trology was hokum; astronomy alone to one degree or another. It appears was science. This thinking was ironic that the Jews became particularly in- in that astrology became more popular volved in astrology in the 1500s. At that than ever before in the 19th and 20th time astrology and astronomy, like al- centuries.

But not for the Jews. At least not chemy and chemistry, had not yet sepathe intellectual ones. But all Jews at rated from each other.

In medieval times and even more weddings and b’nai mitzvah celebraso during the Renaissance, many Chris- tions still say, “Have a lucky constellatian kings, queens and other nobility tion” — mazel tov.

Also this: Zol zein mit mazel. Good had Jewish court astrologers. This was luck (astrologically speaking). ■ especially so in Spain.

The greatest of all the Jewish court Rabbi Richard Baroff is the president astrologers was the Spaniard Abraham Zacuto. He used an advanced astrolabe of Guardians of the Torah.

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From your lavish affair to an intimate gathering, we can accommodate up to 200 of your closest family and friends! Contact our Professional Planner Dana Cates at dcates@wyndham.com for a tour & quotes.

SAVE 10% OFF STANDARD PRICING BY MENTIONING YOU FOUND US IN THE JEWISH TIMES! • Experience our 10 Million Dollar Renovation!

• Complimentary Parking & Shuttle Service

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• Great location right off 285 on Powers Ferry

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6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30339 (770) 955-1700 www.wyndhamatlantahotel.com

404-939-3813 Richard Siegal, Pianist, 404-994-7507 Sephinta Zarka Music, 141 Meriwether Circle, Milledgeville, www.sephintazarka.com, 404-479-1719 Vibe Entertainment, 2080 Peachtree Industrial Court, Suite 107, Atlanta, www.vibeentertainmentinc.com, 404257-0206

Event Venues & Hotels

Alpharetta Convention and Visitor Bureau, 178 S. Main Street, #200, Alpharetta, www.awesomealpharetta. com, 678-297-2811 Andretti Entertainment, 1255 Roswell Road, Marietta, www.andrettikarting. com, 678-496-9530 Atlanta Events Center, 1150 Peachtree St., Atlanta, www.atlantaeventcenter. com, 678-793-0030 Defoor Centre, 1710 Defoor Ave., Atlanta, www.defoorcentre.com, 404591-3809 Embassy Suites-Perimeter, 1030 Crown Pointe Parkway, Sandy Springs, www.embassysuites3.hilton.com, 770394-5454 Fernbank Museum, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta, www.fernbankmuseum.org, 404-929-6339 Game X, 275 Baker St., Suite B, Atlanta, www.gamexatl.com, 404-525-0728 The General Muir, 1540 Avenue Place, Suite B-230, Atlanta, www.thegeneralmuir.com, 678-927-9131 Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St., Atlanta, www.georgiaaquarium.org,

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

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Photographers & Videographers

Affordable Photography, 3000 Old Alabama Road, Suite 119-195, Alpharetta, www.affordablephoto.com, 770-992-1529 Blue Orchid Productions, 2184 Zelda Drive, www.blueorchidproductions. com, 404-275-2290 Chuck Wolf Photo Design Bar, 3763 Roswell Road, Atlanta, www.photodesignbar.com, 404-709-2981 Current Pixel, 5975 Roswell Road, Suite A125, Sandy Springs, www.currentpixel.com, 404-256-4108 Eric Bern Studio, 400 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, www.ericber-

nstudio.com, 404-252-0209 Gray Imaging Photo, www.grayimagingphoto.com, 770-284-0395 Harold Alan Photographers, P.O. Box 88744, Atlanta, www.haroldalan.com, 770-730-8911 Kissed With Light Photography, 655 Huntwick Place, Roswell, www.kissedwithlight.com, 404-538-4977 Michael Rosser Photography, 3905 Remington Way, Marietta, www. michaelrosserphotography.com, 770516-4332 Paula Gould Photography, www. pmgphoto.com, 404-310-2094

Event Planners

Atlanta Party Connection, 330 Highlands Court, Alpharetta, www.atlantapartyconnection.com, 770-744-5750 Balloons and Events Over Atlanta, 1231 Collier Road, Atlanta, www.balloonsover.com, 404-231-3090

Jewelers

D. Geller and Son, 2955 Cobb Parkway, Suite 230, Cumberland, www.dgeller. com, 770-955-5995 LeeBrant Jewelers, 127 Perimeter Center West, Sandy Springs, www. leebrant.com, 770-551-8850 Solomon Brothers Fine Jewelry, 3340 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, www.solomonbrothers.com, 404-266-0266

Beauty

For the Sole Foot Spa, 6690 Roswell Road, #550, Sandy Springs, www. ftsole.com, 404-254-3758 Keri Gold Salon, 1258 W. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, www.kerigoldsalon. com, 404-990-3200 Premier Image Cosmetic & Laser Surgery, 4553 N. Shallowford Road, Suite 20B, Atlanta, www.picosmeticsurgery. com, 770-457-6303

Sweet Peach Wax & Surgaring Studio, 206-A Johnson Ferry Road, Sandy Springs, www.sweetpeachwax.com, 404-481-5488

Clothing & Accessories

Chic Occasions, P.O. Box 144, Marietta, www.chicoccasions.com, 770-257-9007 Le Dress Boutique, 205 Johnson Ferry Road, Sandy Springs, www.ledressboutique.com, 404-842-1955 Nina McLemore, 110 E. Andrews Drive, Suite 3, Atlanta, www.ninamclemore. com, 404-841-8111 Ticknors, 3500 Peachtree Road, Suite 2012A, Atlanta, www.ticknors.com, 404-946-5808 Under the Pecan Tree, 5482 ChambleeDunwoody Road, Dunwoody, www. underthepecantree.net, 678-694-8704 Zimm’s Dry Cleaning, www.zimmsdrycleaning.com, 404-227-4426

TWO SOPHISTICATED ATLANTA HOTELS… ONE REFINED APPROACH

SOCIAL EVENTS Whether hosting a wedding, anniversary celebration, birthday, family reunion or straight up party, TWELVE’s staff will help you make it perfect. Our team of event planners and caterers knows how to set the right mood, serve the right foods, create spaces that flow and make your event one to remember.

The customizable event space can be configured for gatherings up to 700 guests. Dance the night away amid the soaring elegance of our Ballroom, or host a sunset cocktail party on an outdoor terrace. Revel in the ambient cool of our gourmet restaurant, LOBBY. A truly exclusive destination, with subtle eye for detail, TWELVE Atlantic Station offers an inspiring alternative to the typical Atlanta event locations. At TWELVE, we’re on your time.

Upscale. Comfortable.

TWELVE Atlantic Station Easy. TWELVE Hotels offer 361 17th Street NW Georgia 30363 environments like no Atlanta, other.

Equal parts urban chic and casual comfort, our Atlanta hotels combine the CORPORATE EVENTS convenience of tohome Elevate your next Atlanta meeting extraordinarywith heights at TWELVE Atlantic Station, where simplicity in service and setting refined boutique offerings that lends crisp focus to any event. Relax in designer, all-suite accommodations.

Select fromevery a host of venues.

Select the perfect cater to your indulgence. state-of-the-art boardroom. Host a banquet in the elegant Ballroom. Enjoy the convenience of Wi-Fi access throughout the property.

Host your next important event within our exceptional Atlanta meeting space and count on our expert concierges, event planners and caterers to provide a refreshing escape from the conventional.

At TWELVE, we’re on your time.

ACCOMMODATIONS • • • • • • • • •

101 spacious one or two-bedroom suites ranging from 700 to TWELVE Atlantic Station 1200 square feet 361 17th Street Full-sized, fully-equipped gourmet kitchens NW DistinctAtlanta, living and sleeping areas Georgia 30363 Flat-screen televisions with satellite programming Deluxe Sealy Posturepedic beds 10-foot exposed ceilings Floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies TWELVE Centennial Park Work desk with ergonomic chair Spacious bathrooms, most with separate tub and shower

400 W. Peachtree Street Atlanta, Georgia 30308

www.twelvehotels.com | tasevents@twelvehotels.com | 404-961-1212

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404-581-4000 Georgia Freight Depot, 65 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta, www. dceatlanta.com, 404-656-3850 The Georgian Club, 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700, Cumberland, www. georgianclub.com, 770-952-6000 Hilton Garden Inn-Perimeter Center, 1501 Lake Hearn Drive, Sandy Springs, www.hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com, 404-459-0500 Hyatt Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina, 4000 Summit Blvd., Brookhaven, www.atlantaperimeter. regency.hyatt.com, 404-303-7700 Lake Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, www.lanierislands.com, 770-945-8787 Omni Hotel CNN Center, 100 CNN Center, Atlanta, www.omnihotels.com/ hotels/atlanta-cnn-center, 404-6590000 Rumi’s Kitchen Persian Cuisine, 6112 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, www. rumiskitchen.com, 404-477-2100 Sage Perimeter/Sage Woodfire Tavern, 4505 Ashford-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, www.sagewoodfiretavern. com, 770-804-8880 Sherwood Event Hall, 8610 Roswell Road, #200, Sandy Springs, www.sherwoodevent.com, 678-643-9324 SlingShot Entertainment, 6344 Cash Court, Peachtree Corners, www.slingshotplay.com, 678-585-2268 Spring Hall, 7130 Buford Highway, Suite A-100, www.spring-hall.com, 770-613-9973 Stars and Strikes Sandy Springs, 8767 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, www. starsandstrikes.com, 678-965-5707 Sufi’s Atlanta Persian Cuisine, 1814 Peachtree St, Atlanta, www.sufisatlanta.com, 404-888-9699 Three Sheets, 6017 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, www.threesheetsatlanta.com, 404-303-8423 Tongue & Groove, Lindbergh City Center, 565 Main St., Atlanta, www. tandgonline.com, 404-261-2325 Twelve Hotel Centennial Park, 400 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta, www.twelvehotels.com/centennialpark, 404-4181212 Westin Atlanta North, 7 Concourse Parkway, Sandy Springs, www.westinatlantanorth.com, 770-395-3900 Wyndham Atlanta Galleria, 6345 Powers Ferry Road, Sandy Springs, www. wyndhamatlantahotel.com, 770-9551700

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Some Playful Places For Your Next Party

By Leah R. Harrison

T

he Atlanta area is replete with adventurous, exciting, innovative and plain old fun options for special events. From venues that are outlandish and whimsical to groundbreaking and downright awesome, these places enable you and your guests to let loose beyond the dance floor after celebrating a bar mitzvah, wedding or other simcha.

One of the newest kids on the block to help you unleash your inner child is The Roof at Ponce City Market, which offers three distinctive components, each with a captivating view of the Atlanta skyline: • Skyline Park features old-fashioned carnival games and amusements, including 18 holes of minigolf, a Heege tower free fall and a three-story slide built into the classic PCM sign.

With a tasteful carnival concessions menu and a capacity of 500, the park is available for private and semiprivate parties.

• Set to open this fall, Nine Mile Station is a classic beer garden concept alongside the park, with indoor and outdoor patio dining for 400.

Craft beers on tap, a sharable menu, and a comfortable lounge atmosphere with communal tables and a fireplace complement the sweeping views. It will be available for events alone or in conjunction with Skyline Park.

• A private event venue, Tower Ter-

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Above: Miniature golf is featured at Skyline Park on The Roof at Ponce City Market.

Below: The iconic Heege tower on The Roof at Ponce City Market adds to the skyline.

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race has 6,500 square feet of wooden deck and a 4,800-square-foot, semipermanent tent strung with market lights to go with the view of the skyline. With a full catering kitchen, Tower Terrace is available for weddings, corporate events and other parties.

The Roof at Ponce City Market www.poncecitymarket.com skylineparkatlanta.com 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown Contact for Skyline Park and Nine Mile Station: Mandy Slater, mslater@ slaterhospitality.com Contact for Tower Terrace: Brad Gibson, 404-900-7900, brad.gibson@ jamestownlp.com While we could not list every fun venue in the area, here are more of the playful options for celebrations of every size, temperament and budget.

Most of the representatives, even at the newest venues, were familiar with and appreciative of the Jewish community.

Give them a call. They’ll be happy to help you.

Andretti Indoor Karting’s breathtaking Sky Bar can handle 350 guests.

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games andrettikarting.com 1255 Roswell Road, Marietta Contact: Shannon Rucker, 678496-9509, shannon@andrettikarting. com 11000 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell Contact: Sharon Bagley, 678-3527674, sbagley@andrettikarting.com Amusements at both locations include multiple tracks with Sodi karts (gas in Roswell and electric in Marietta, which opened in October), full-lane laser tag, a suspended, two-story ropes course, an arcade with more than 120 games, CXC simulators, and the only XD Dark Ride 7D interactive movie experience in Georgia. In-house food and beverage service includes kosherstyle options, and kosher dining can be accommodated. Parties from 10 to 1,200 for a full facility lock-in can be booked. The Marietta location offers

SIMCHAS over 10,000 square feet of private event space, including the Grand Room (400 people), the stunning Sky Bar (350), and suites for 10 to 1,050.

Dave & Buster’s can accommodate 20 to 2,000 for games that will make them scream and shout.

Dave & Buster’s www.daveandbusters.com 2215 D&B Drive, Marietta Contact: Lissette Mathus, 770-9515554 4000 Venture Drive, Suite 15, Duluth Contact: Heather Montgomery, 770-497-1152 5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy., Suite 441, Lawrenceville Contact: Heather Montgomery, 678-847-5400 With the ability to entertain parties of 20 to 2,000, all three Atlanta-area Dave & Buster’s locations have multiple private spaces to accommodate parties of varying sizes. Using Power Cards preloaded according to your budget, guests enjoy hundreds of state-of-theart games, midway amusements and classic video games, with the ability to collect winnings and submit them for prizes. The custom buffet is purchased per person in attendance; no outside catering is permitted. The Lawrenceville location has a 16-lane bowling alley available for events. An Alpharetta location is due to open in 2017.

Jimmy’s Mad Mad Whirled funzoneatlanta.com 2854 Delk Road, Marietta Contact: Derrick Davis, 770-9534040, ext. 3, funzoneatlanta@yahoo. com Available for partial or fullbuilding lockdown access, Mad Mad Whirled boasts two Whirlyball courts, a laser tag arena and an arcade area,

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Jimmy’s Mad Mad Whirled offers two Whirlyball courts.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

SIMCHAS as well as a 2,000-square-foot theater room (think mitzvah video). For those feeling nostalgic, a DVR with Dance Dance Revolution is an option within the arcade. You may use the on-site catering service or bring in an approved caterer of your choice. The two party rooms accommodate either 100 or 200 people in this 30,000-square-foot entertainment complex.

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Main Event Entertainment www.mainevent.com 3101 Cobb Pkwy., Cumberland Contact: Cameron Daniels, 678-932-4182, cameron.daniels@ mainevent.com 10700 Davis Drive, Alpharetta Contact: Jennifer Price, 770-5219100, jennifer.price@mainevent.com In addition to 24 bowling lanes with black lights, lasers, fog, music, and above-lane video screens available for logos, photos and videos, Main Event has a suspended Gravity Ropes course, multilevel laser tag, minigolf, rock climbing, an arcade with more than 100 games and more. Two meeting rooms with full, complimentary audiovisual equipment can be used for up to 100 people, and a full-facility, allyou-can-play, four-hour shut-down for parties of 150 to 1,500 is an option, in-

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Main Event offers laser tag.

cluding on-site buffet catering and full beverage service. So after you pray, you can eat, bowl and play at Main Event.

Monster Mini Golf w w w. m o n s t e r m i n i g o l f . c o m / marietta­ 2505 Chastain Meadows Pkwy., Marietta Contact: Marcus, 770-423-2212, marietta@monsterminigolf.com For an electrifying experience, try Monster Mini Golf’s indoor, glow-inthe-dark 18-hole course and arcade for two to three hours of fun for up to 250 people. You can buy out the full facility, and private catering is allowed. An entertainment team with an internal radio station ensures fun and laughter as your guests enjoy “black lights, cool music, mini golf and monsters” in Marietta.

A quaint bridge and waterfall are part of the charm of Mountasia in Marietta.

The Painted Pin features highgloss, high-end amusements.

Mountasia www.mountasiamarietta.com/ index­.html 175 Barrett Pkwy., Marietta Contact: Joshua Espinoza, 770-4227227, joshua.espinoza@palaceentertainment.com A “hidden gem” with beautiful landscaping, waterfalls and caves, Mountasia Marietta is among the most affordable of our listings. Offering three safari-themed, fully lighted, 18hole minigolf courses, a quarter-mile go-kart track with two figure eights, and a 75-game arcade room, Mountasia provides a great value to a loyal clientele. A full-property lock-in is available for 100 to 300 people, and private catering can be brought in for a 15 percent upcharge. Joshua Espinoza and the enthusiastic staff are happy to help with your event.

The Painted Pin www.thepaintedpin.com 737 Miami Circle, Buckhead Contact: William Stallworth, 404814-8736, william@thepaintedpin.com With 20 bowling lanes and classic games including indoor bocce ball, PopA-Shot, table shuffleboard, ping-pong, Skee-Ball, Southern skittles and giant Jenga, the Painted Pin is an upscale boutique bar and whimsical play land smack in the heart of Buckhead. Owner William Stallworth has assembled a renowned food and beverage staff (noted chef Thomas Collins, mixologist Trip Sandifer and advanced sommelier Justin Amick) to offer carefully curated and sophisticated alley fare (courtesy of two Neapolitan-style pizza ovens), mixed drinks and wines for up to 400 private party guests. A semiprivate area is also available with eight lanes,

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The Painted Pin has a spacious bar and lounge area.

flat-screen TVs and lounge-style soft seating, or an indoor courtyard with interactive games may be reserved. The Painted Pin is an exciting new addition to the intown entertainment scene.

SlingShot Entertainment slingshotplay.com 6344 Cash Court Northwest, Norcross Contact: Stephanie Gil, 678-5852268, ext. 592, events@slingshotplay. com At an unprecedented 130,000 square feet and less than 1 year old, SlingShot houses a 14-lane bowling alley, an arcade, a stage with live music, a massive indoor play structure, a full restaurant and bar, pool tables, and state-of-the-art amusements, including SODI electric go-karts and the largest indoor, interactive ninja obstacle course in the nation. And if you didn’t know that was a thing, it is. The course was designed by Jason Huewe from the “American Ninja Warrior” TV show, and ninjas from the series are on site, providing interactive experiences and instruction throughout. The unique course is SlingShot’s biggest selling point right now, according to sales manager Stephanie Gil, providing healthy and active play.

Private and semiprivate areas throughout are available in this bright, airy space that easily absorbs up to 1,000 people. Full-facility buyouts are an option in this flexible and customizable facility. Dining options include regular and kosher-style catering, and arrangements can be made for kosher or special dietary requirements.

Stone Summit Climbing & Fitness ssclimbing.com 3701 Presidential Pkwy., Doraville Contact: Tyler Roberts, 678-7209882, troberts@ssclimbing.com 2801 George Busbee Pkwy., Kennesaw Contact: Michael Baker, 770-5456227, mbaker@ssclimbing.com An unusual way to work out and entertain, Stone Summit Climbing & Fitness offers hours of healthy, engaging fun for ages 18 months through centenarian. Staff assistance is available for specific areas, events and first-

time climbers, and an upstairs area with shorter, easier climbs is dedicated to children.

The whole facility, with a capacity of 900, is also available for closedown, but book early. Atlanta general manager Tyler Roberts gratefully acknowledged that Stone Summit hosts a lot of b’nai mitzvah parties and is already booking into 2018. Private catering may be brought in, and two private rooms are available.

Topgolf topgolf.com/us 1600 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd., Midtown Contact: Jamila Bell, 404-475-4000, jamila.bell@topgolf.com 10900 Westside Pkwy., Alpharetta Contact: Christine Bausano, 470-

Topgolf can accommodate parties of 12 to 612 — or more if you rent the whole facility.

299-7017, alpharettaevents@topgolf. com For the avid golfer or curious novice, Topgolf provides a unique party choice. With most locations offering three levels and over 100 hitting bays, with climate control and a full-service wait staff, this high-tech approach to golf enables guests to refine their swings or test their abilities in a highly

Topgolf has multiple lounge bars. One has pool tables.

social atmosphere. The golf balls in each bay are microchipped for seamless target tracking and point scoring.

You can rent bay spaces with integrated private party rooms using on-site catering services for parties of 12 to 612; a full-facility buyout is an option for larger parties.

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The Wisteria Lanes lounge includes billiards.

Wisteria Lanes offers a contemporary lounge area and bar.

Wisteria Lanes At Emory Conference Center Hotel www.emor yconferencecenter. com 1615 Clifton Road, Atlanta Contact: Guido Brun, 404-712-6019, gbrun@ecch.emory.edu Wisteria Lanes is Atlanta’s only on-site hotel bowling facility. Nestled within the Emory Conference Center Complex Hotel, Wisteria Lanes offers

six state-of-the-art lanes with “cosmic” bowling, a high-end lighting and sound system, comfortable lounge areas, pool tables, and a game room. Food service through the conference center is available; outside catering from approved vendors is also an option. Ideal for groups of 30 to 150, the venue also can be used for a youth party in conjunction with the adjoining ballrooms or the adjacent Silverbell Pavilion. ■

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Wedding Mansfield-Kaye

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Amy and Mitchell Kaye of Marietta announce the marriage of their son, Jared Matthew Kaye, to Hannah Gabrielle Mansfield, daughter of Gail and Daniel Mansfield of Peachtree Corners.

Hannah is the granddaughter of Louise Nussman of Delray Beach, Fla., and the late Joel Nussman and the late Lillian and Lester Mansfield, formerly of Newburgh, N.Y. Jared is the grandson of Ellen Kaye of Roslyn Heights, N.Y., and the late Elliott Kaye and Lynda Lind of St. Pete Beach, Fla., and the late Donald Lind.

The ceremony and reception were held June 19, 2016, at the Westin Atlanta North hotel, co-officiated by Rabbi Ephraim Silverman of Chabad of Cobb and Rabbi Berl Goldman of Chabad of the University of Florida.

Jared graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science in business administration and a minor in real estate. He is a real estate broker with the Molloy-Kaye Retail Group of Marcus & Millichap in Atlanta, specializing in the investment sales of retail assets throughout the Southeast. Hannah graduated from the University of South Carolina, earning a bachelor of arts in early childhood education. She is a special education teacher at Henderson Mill Elementary School.

After a honeymoon in Hawaii, the couple lives in Sandy Springs. ■

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Spring Hall Offers All-Occasion Elegance

By Benjamin Kweskin

S

pring Hall is an upscale wedding and reception facility that offers versatility, style and service.

Located at 7130 Buford Highway in Doraville, Spring Hall features elegant and sophisticated decor. New owner Eti Lazarian has relaunched the facility with fine touches so that any special event, from weddings and corporate events to anniversaries and private parties, is something people talk about and remember.

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

AJT: Tell us a bit about yourself and your family. How long have you been living in Atlanta?

Lazarian: I was born in Jerusalem and lived in Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv. I met my husband in Israel working for then-Prime Minister Sharon in the finance department for his party, Likud. I had just finished my M.A. in marketing. I was career-oriented and interested in security and politics. My husband, Chaz Lazarian, is also Israeli and is an attorney. The first time we met, he was in Israel for business. After only three months of dating, I moved

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AIPAC and FIDF. We are very supportive of FIDF — as someone who was in the army, I know firsthand that a care package means the world. We also are active in Chabad Israeli Center.

I love Atlanta; we have everything here.

I’m also a very active photographer, and I love shooting — I could do it from dusk to dawn. I’m trying to involve my girls with Israeli soldiers and teach them about their sacrifices. For examEti Lazarian, with husband Chaz and two of their daughters, ple, during their birthcelebrates her 40th birthday recently at Spring Hall. days and Chanukah, to Atlanta with Chaz. Together we have we give gifts to homeless shelters. The three girls, and they all attend Davis girls are able to choose two gifts each, Academy: Mia, 5; Noa, 7; and Ella, 9. We but the rest go to area homeless shellive in Dunwoody. ters. I don’t want to raise too privileged girls. I also take my girls to work someAJT: What is your involvement in times so they know how hard I work. In the Jewish and Israeli communities? addition to Hebrew, they are learning Lazarian: We are very active in some Spanish and Farsi, since my hus-

band’s family is originally from Iran.

AJT: In addition to Spring Hall, you and your husband own several other businesses in the Atlanta area.

What are those?

Lazarian: We are in purchase mode now. Chaz has an investment firm that works with clients from all over the world, especially regarding real estate. I do property management and deal with the rental units from our lofts we own and manage downtown.

AJT: Tell us about the idea behind Spring Hall since you recently took over management.

Lazarian: The center is managed

by Global Forum (which we also manage). We have been able to work on Spring Hall since last February. Here, all the wedding and event planning is separated. But in Israel everything is coordinated and tied together — that is our goal. Tell us what you want, and we’ll take care of everything else.

When I first saw Spring Hall (by chance), everything was already spick and span, and I was floored how pretty and spotless everything was. It was im-

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Spring Hall (spring-hall.com) brings European-style elegance to Buford Highway about a mile north of I-285.

maculate and up to our personal standards. Obviously our priority (for adult occasions) is entertaining adults, but I noticed that often children are left without being entertained. Since February, we built a beautiful VIP room for kids with games so they can have something to do while adults can have their time without worrying.

highway is up and coming, and real estate is booming there.

AJT: What would you like to convey to the Jewish community regarding

Spring Hall can accommodate 350 people for a seated dinner.

your businesses?

Lazarian: The Jewish community is big on name recognition, but our venue competes in beauty and is just as gorgeous as any other place in Buck-

head or downtown. Our facility is stateof-the-art. You get the venue you want for a fraction of the cost for the nicest hotels. ■

AJT: Why did you choose Buford Highway as a location? Some would say that is a very strange or unique place for an upscale venue.

Lazarian: I don’t see it like that, and in fact it is actually an advantage.

It’s closer than people think. There is no traffic, no parking fees. And you don’t have to travel all the way downtown. It’s a mile from the Perimeter, 12 minutes from my house. Also, the facility is as nice as the nicest hotel in Atlanta. The designers paid attention to every single last detail. The advantage is that since we manage the Global Forum as well, it’s not an issue if your party goes overtime.

AJT: What is in store for you and your family and Spring Hall in the next few months and years?

Lazarian: We will have a new, full kosher kitchen that has already been checked by several rabbis and kashrut authorities. Many kosher caterers here already work with us. Plus, Buford

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AJT: Aside from its location, what makes Spring Hall stand out? What incentives would attract potential clients?

Lazarian: Spring Hall is a one-stop shop: If you want a Moroccan DJ with Indian food and Pakistani décor, our designer can create all of that. The Jewish community here is actually very diverse, and we can make your event as accurate, authentic and appropriate as you wish. We’ve had Indian, Persian and Israeli weddings. The Moroccan DJ we use is exceptional, and he used to work at Havana nightclub.

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‘The Bagel Cafe That Could’ Meet the man behind Bagel Boys Cafe

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com With more than three decades in the bagel business, John Lamb knows his way around a toasted bagel and schmear.

In June, the 50-year-old owner-operator of Bagel Boys Cafe opened a location in Sandy Springs to go with his two shops in Alpharetta. Bagel Boys is the second-largest local bagel chain in metro Atlanta, behind Goldbergs with nine locations.

Lamb moved to Atlanta in 2000 to manage the Einstein Bros. Bagels at Hammond Drive and PeachtreeDunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, less than a mile from his newest Bagel Boys location.

He talked to the AJT about his vision for Bagel Boys and why his bagels can stand up to the best the city has to offer.

AJT: So how did Bagel Boys get its start in Alpharetta?

Lamb: I worked for Einstein’s for 10 years from their inception in 1995

me to make my own schedule and be in charge. On the business side, I hired a consulting firm because I had never created a concept from scratch. They really helped me with my recipes and my menu as well as my business plan, financing, site selection, all of that.

John Lamb named his Bagel shop, which now has three locations in metro Atlanta after his three sons and his brothers.

and spent the last four years, from 2000 to 2004, at their store on Hammond Drive. While I was there, I got constant phone calls from people complaining about how there were no bagels in Alpharetta. Einstein’s made the decision to push back franchising, and I wanted my own store, so we opened the first Bagel Boys Cafe in Alpharetta

in 2005.

AJT: What made you want to open your own place, and what was the process?

Lamb: I’m entrepreneurial at heart, and I wanted to work for myself.

We also have a 13-year-old son on the autism spectrum, and it really helped

AJT: How do you keep your store unique as you expand to now three locations?

Lamb: The phrase locally owned and operated is on my door on all three stores. I don’t have a strong desire to franchise for that reason. My store in Alpharetta is right next to Starbucks, so there’s one of the biggest national brands in the country next to little old me, the bagel cafe that could. The bottom line is none of these national chains that I compete with can ever hire anybody that cares as much as I do about service, the product, employees or the community. They just can’t do it.

AJT: Let’s talk about your bagels.

What makes them different?

Lamb: Their high-end ingredients.

The stuff we use is definitely not the cheapest that you can get. It’s expensive. I don’t necessarily have to pass that cost along because we sell a lot of them, but it’s a good recipe. I steam my bagels. I know there’s a lot of New York boiled bagels out there, and I’ll compete for the other 49½ states. I’ll put my everything bagel against anyone’s, boiled or steamed.

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

AJT: What are the differences in a steamed vs. a boiled bagel?

Lamb: It’s just a different way of cooking the crust. It leaves the bagels a bit crisper. A boiled bagel gets a little chewy, and it’s a little denser. A lot of times they’re also bigger, which means more cream cheese and more calories.

So we steam it, and we’ve been real successful doing so.

AJT 36

AJT: Businesswise, what’s going to be the cornerstone of this newest location?

Lamb: Sales are kind of like a three-legged stool. You have breakfast, lunch and catering. Any location for me has to be a home run for two of those three. Catering and lunch are absolutely home runs here. Breakfast is just going to take a little time. Costco across the street and Home Depot have a lot of weekend traffic, so I just want to get into people’s routines. It’s a process. ■

AJT

37

J ULY 1 â–ª 2016

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ow a staple of Atlanta-area celebrations, Jan Levie and HandyEntertainment.xyz were not always known as providers of arcane entertainment. It all started with a Halloween event at Montgomery Elementary School in Brookhaven at which she was tasked with performing a few scary stories for the children.

“One of the parents had to step away, and she asked me to fill in,” Levie said. “She had some kind of crystal ball, and I couldn’t really tell what to do with it, so I told someone to stick out their hand, and I read their palm.

It was astonishing; people started lining up.”

That night gave Levie the first inkling that she had more to offer telling fortunes than a few PTA performances. A Handy Little Company was born in 2009. It grew into her current venture, HandyEntertainment.xyz.

“By October 2009, I was applying for my occupational license. I wanted to apply as a fortuneteller, but it’s illegal in many cities, so I got the license as an event entertainer,” Levie said.

“I went to Rabbi Joshua Lesser before I started the business to ask what he thought and make sure what I was doing was OK,” the Congregation Bet Haverim member said. “He cited two passages of Torah: It says stone the soothsayers here, and it says lift up your oracles, so it’s not entirely clear.”

Perhaps best known as her character Naja Elieva, Levie began making a name for herself, bringing a long-forgotten style of performance to celebrations throughout Atlanta. With a variety of characters at her disposal, Levie still most often performs as Elieva, a character borne of a myriad of influences.

“Naja Elieva is my name in pig Latin, as devised by my at-that-point 9-year-old son. A woman told me Najiai in Arabic meant ‘G-d is my savior,’ and Eliava from the Hebrew ‘G-d is my father,’ ” Levie said.

The other characters come almost entirely from client ideas or concepts for different events.

Originally focused on the iconic elements of fortunetellers, such as Tarot, palm, tea leaf and coffee ground readings, the performances and products have become more varied. Levie still offers the same style of performances on which she built the business, but also

Jan Levie contributed her “Zoltan Live” fortunetelling show to the festivities at the Jewish community tent at Atlanta Pride last October.

new products, including her signature chocolate ganache “lipsreading” kits.

Fortunetelling is not a field that has seen a great deal of innovation over the past few centuries, but Levie said she has been making strides to incorporate modern practices. “I’ve been targeting technology companies because part of my goal is finding places that you wouldn’t think of doing what I do and putting it in there.”

Levie remains best known for her fortunetelling at events, including her “Zoltar Live,” which mimics the appearance of the classic carnival machine, and her palm readings, the very thing that launched her business.

At the core of the process, evident to anyone who visits the HandyEntertainment.xyz website, is a sense of humor. For example, the front page includes a link to “sign up for our stupid and sporadic newsletter.”

Even as her business grows, Levie believes that the personal touch is paramount to her success.

“It’s a question of trust,” she said.

“It’s not something people read an ad and say, ‘That’s what I want.’ It’s all reliant on somebody knowing someone who knows me and how I work.”

Levie is looking to expand. “I’ve been developing auxiliary jobs; I do it all myself at the moment.”

She hopes to be able to break down her production into small jobs and provide some work experience for people with developmental disabilities. ■

AJT

39

J ULY 1 â–ª 2016

SIMCHAS

Photo by R.M. Grossblatt

Ilene and Jon Miller respond to the tribute to them at the Temima graduation June 16.

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or years Ilene Miller has attended the graduation ceremony of Temima, the Richard and Jean Katz High School for Girls, because she was inspired by the students and the school.

“Never did I imagine that I would be a part of it,” she said in her tribute response at the graduation ceremony Thursday, June 16.

Miller and her husband, Jon Miller, were honored at the Temima graduation for their contributions to the school.

Nearly 200 people attended the event honoring the 10 graduates and the Millers in Congregation Beth Jacob’s Heritage Hall.

In their tribute response, the Millers explained that neither of them grew up in communities with Jewish day schools. Jon Miller said that growing up in Kentucky, he did not have another Jewish family in town, but he did have The Beatles. And it was a Beatles song that kept coming to mind when he thought about Temima: “All You Need Is Love.”

“Love of G-d, love of Torah, love of self-potential and love of giving to others,” he said. “As the name Temima implies, Mrs. (Miriam) Feldman builds a complete and perfect school. You are all an inspiration to Ilene and me.”

In his charge to the Class of 2016, Congregation Ariel Rabbi Binyomin Friedman, a teacher at Temima, said the Millers should also be an inspiration to the graduates.

Rabbi Friedman teaches a weekly course on Jewish communal issues for Temima seniors, who examine how the Jewish people handled tough issues over the centuries.

“Soon you will be making these decisions,” he told the graduates. “You’re the ones. That is why it’s important to understand what has gone on before us.”

He told the graduates to keep images in their minds of kedushah (holiness), such as: • Rabbi Elchonon Bunim Wasserman, who never abandoned his commitment to the Torah even as he was taken to his death by the Nazis.

• Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the former head of the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease but continued to lead the school, teach and put on tefillin each morning, all without any medication.

• The teachers at Temima.

“Each and every one of your teachers is trying to give you the experience of Har Sinai,” the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, Rabbi Friedman said.

Finally, he said, they should look at the Millers.

“Look at what they do and how they spend their time,” he said, pointing out that they attend Torah classes throughout the city, that Jon Miller attends minyan each morning, and that they attend simchas, dedications and siyums (celebrations of Torah learning) throughout the community. “All of the things that express our values, our Torah aspirations, the Millers will be there.”

The rabbi added: “They are people who have chosen to dedicate themselves to G-d, Torah and the Jewish community.”

Rabbi Friedman told the graduates that when they are faced with the challenging images of the world, they should close their eyes and “conjure up kedushah.”

“Those images will stand you in good stead and able to make the right decisions,” he said. “Kedushah: That is the image that you will take away from Temima into your lives.”

As this year’s graduation class transitions into life outside Temima, the school will transition to a new assistant principal. Assistant Principal Judy Limor is leaving after 11 years to take a position as the assistant head of

school at the GLOBE Academy.

Richard Cook, Temima’s history teacher, explained what Limor meant to the teachers. “She brings new ideas to old teachers,” he said. “I could never have been as effective as I am in reaching the students without her help. It’s hard to imagine a Temima High School without Mrs. Limor.”

But Limor said she’s not saying goodbye. “Over the years we have become family, and family doesn’t say goodbye,” she said. “Temima will always hold a place in my heart.”

Each year, Temima graduates who are interested in speaking are given the opportunity to address the crowd. Six graduates chose to do so this year.

Danielle Gershon spoke about changing old habits. “My experience in high school showed me that I have the powers to create new initiatives.”

Tziporah Kaplan spoke about acting with courage, even in the face of difficult situations. “Acting with courage is hard; that is a fact. But hard is not bad.”

Miriam Stein spoke about how a catalyst can change a person. For her, that catalyst was Temima. “Temima helped bring out my potential.”

Chaya Chana Freitag spoke about how seeing G-d’s hand in your daily life can help overcome stress. “Even though I can’t control what will happen, I know what will happen, G-d wanted to.”

Ruthie Friedman spoke about the process of becoming an adult and writing her own story, as well as how her support system, family, school and community helped her write the first chapters of her story. “Guess who is making the decisions now,” she said.

Devorah Rachel Levitt spoke about being a positive force in the world.

She said she needs to have “positive thoughts, trust in G-d and self-acceptance, so when I’m squeezed, love comes out.”

At the end of the speeches, Head of School Miriam Feldman presented each graduate with her diploma and a final personalized message.

Jean Katz, who usually helps Feldman present the diplomas, attended the ceremony with her husband, Richard, but she did not assist with the diplomas because of an injury. Instead, she was presented with a flower, while Limor held her place for next year.

“This is always a difficult moment for me, as each girl has become entwined in my heart,” Feldman said.

As Ilene Miller said earlier, thatlove is evident.

“I’m always in awe of how Mrs. Feldman’s team teaches with such love,” she said. ■

J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

SIMCHAS

AJT 41

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Brick by Brick, Birthright Builds Memories

“B

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

eing here, seeing the sites — their locations — cannot compare to anything you read in the Torah or learned in Hebrew school. I mean it, guys. I really do,” our fearless tour guide, Eytan, said as he led us to the Western Wall.

The monstrous stones seemed to stretch on forever. I stood at the wall, unsure what to think or do. My first day in the Holy Land on a Birthright Israel trip, and here I was, standing in front of arguably the holiest site of all.

I did not feel a sudden connection to my ancestors or the urge to recite prayers I’d repeated countless times in my synagogue at home.

Instead, I just stood, taking in the quiet murmurs and davening of other visitors around me.

After leaving the wall, I continued to reflect. Maybe I wasn’t meant to have an immediate connection but instead to find the spark for curiosity about my ancestors and history. It is this spark that would stay with me for the remainder of the trip.

“Trust me on this. You’re going

AJT 42

to love them. After five days, you’ll be hugging each other like you’ve been best friends your whole lives,” Eytan said, prepping us to meet the seven Israel Defense Forces soldiers who would join us for our journey.

The first bus ride with the soldiers consisted of the typical small-talk questions: “What’s your job in the army?” “Do you like it?” “Is it hard?”

By that afternoon, we were walking around the Israel Museum and

Guest Column

By Cecily Spindel Emory University Class of 2018

sitting outside, pining for the next iced-coffee break, no longer divided between Israelis and Americans (and one Canadian) but rather operating as one giant group of friends.

“We’re all going to be in one tent.

Like one big, happy family. I love you guys. I really do.” Although we were probably asleep, mouths slightly open

Cecily Spindel (left) says no one moment defined her unforgettable Birthright trip.

and headphones in as Eytan said that, I’m sure he beamed at us with a big, cheesy grin plastered to his face. And the Bedouin tent was exactly how he described it: a place where the group ate together, roasted marshmallows together and slumbered together.

But none of that happened before the infamous camel ride.

People ask me if I felt unsafe in Israel. Only once: when dismounting the camel. After coming to a sudden halt, the camel dropped to the ground, front knees first, at which point I thought I might slide off its neck, back legs second. I was sure I’d fall into Becca.

“I just need 20 minutes of focus, guys, and then you can take all the selfies you want. Wait, does anyone want some chocolate? Harry, I brought the dark chocolate for you.” Our sleepy eyes were suddenly wide awake at the breathtaking sun above Masada.

With the temperature rising quickly, Eytan found a shady spot for us to sit. He passed around chocolate bars while vibrantly recounting the history of the Jews with King Herod and the Romans, all within the early hours of the morning.

The day continued with a hike in Ein Gedi and a salty, sunny and superb float in the Dead Sea. “I’m leaving for the beach at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. If you want to come, be down in the lobby at that time, and we can walk through Tel Aviv together. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but you won’t want to miss this beach.” Eytan’s opinion on the beach persuaded everyone to join him.

With a late wake-up call, we felt rested and rejuvenated. So rested, in fact, that at the beach, many of us fell back asleep amid the hundreds of people on the shore, Aroma iced coffees planted next to us in the hot sand.

A trip to the busy Shuk HaCarmel allowed our group to dabble in Israeli bargaining, eat an exorbitant amount of gummi candies, and, of course, purchase another falafel and smoothie.

“Do not bring anything with you. You’re all going in the water. It’s

going to be so much fun, guys.” Eytan practically leaped off the bus when we arrived at the Jordan River rafting site in the Golan Heights.

This “whitewater rafting” trip, more like a lazy river, had the group darting between rafts, lending hands to those who jumped into the water, singing songs and debating which raft would float down the course fastest.

A muddy bus ride home ended the day in Akko with the presentation of the “Mystery Moses” gifts we had purchased in Tel Aviv for one another (most popular gift items: hamsa key chains, hamsa bracelets and food).

“I’m going to miss you guys so much. You’re all the best. You really are. I mean that.” As Eytan led us around Tzfat, his emotions showed.

We dodged jewelry displays on the cobblestone streets, passed countless juice bars and learned about the teachings of the Kabbalah. Everywhere I looked, a sky blue covered doors, railings and building decor.

I sensed the mystical ambience inherent to this timeless city. An artist explained to us the methodology behind his geometric paintings, which led all of us to stare in awe at the art that covered the studio, noticing how each shape represented a number, carrying greater meaning.

This final day ended in hysterics as our group put on a talent show for one another. At this point, no longer did I feel like a participant on a Georgia Hillel Birthright trip. Rather, I felt like a member of a community. A community of Jews who each discovered a new part of Judaism in his/her life on these short 10 days. A community of friends who helped one another learn, try new things and discover what makes Israel such a unique country.

Thinking back to my experience at the Western Wall, I realized that I was not supposed to feel an instant relation to any one site. One moment did not define the trip for me, but each moment added its own lesson and memory that together created a defining trip. ■

EDUCATION

The members of the Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael Class of 2016 listen to speakers at their graduation.

Rabbi Mayer Neuberger helps Herschel Siegel celebrate his diploma.

Photos by Zach Itzkovitz

Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich, who is leaving Atlanta after two years as Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael’s head of school, shows off a parting gift: a framed photo of the student body.

Rabbi Shimon Wiggins (left) and Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich flank new graduate Naftali Maman.

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8 Yeshiva Graduates Reinvigorate Covenant

C

ongregation Beth Jacob’s Heritage Hall was the place to be Monday, June 20, as Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael of Atlanta graduated eight young men.

Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael is a high school for boys with a student body of fewer than 50.

Among its students are native Georgians, as well as boys from other states and other countries, for which the school arranges boarding. The school blends a traditional Talmudic curriculum with a secular college prep program.

The graduates of the Class of 2016 are Daniel Filreis, Yoyo Grossblatt, Avrumi Lewis, Naftali Maman, Yehuda Oppenheim, Chagai Perez, Simon Schoen and Herschel Siegel.

Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich, the outgoing head of school, thanked faculty members for a successful school year and for the positive impressions they made on the students.

In a d’var Torah, Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Mayer Neuberger compared the school’s mission to Talmudic imperatives and lessons from the Tanach. He alluded to Ruth’s solidarity with her mother-in-law, Naomi.

“We are supposed to follow Ruth’s example in establishing a covenant with Hashem,” Rabbi Neuberger said, “to reinvigorate our commitment to His mitzvot.”

Rabbi Freundlich used the phrase nefesh b’nefesh (soul in soul) to understand the school’s mission and to prescribe a lifestyle to each graduate.

The graduates individually addressed the crowd, reflecting on their time at the yeshiva with humor, insight and nostalgia while exuding confidence in the ability to succeed in the future.

Rabbi Shimon Wiggins, the school’s principal, presented the boys with diplomas and sent them off as ambassadors of the school and representatives of the “sweetness” of Hashem and His mitzvot. ■

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J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

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AJT 43

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

BUSINESS

ModernTribe Seeks Perfect Match

By Paula Baroff

T

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

ired of running the day-to-day business of her online store, ModernTribe founder and owner Jennie Rivlin Roberts did something she calls unorthodox: She sent out an email blast and posted on social media to find someone to buy the business.

She took the search public after trying the typical process of hiring a broker to find people. Rivlin Roberts said she got a couple responses that way, but they weren’t the type of buyer she was hoping for. And the response wasn’t close to what she is getting as a result of her social media appeal.

“The response has been overwhelming,” she said in an interview Thursday, June 23. “I’ve had two calls this morning, I had a call yesterday. I’m sad I didn’t do it earlier.”

Rivlin Roberts said that success came from going to her customers to find a buyer. She’s optimistic she will get written offers soon.

“There’s like 10 different parties I’ve been in contact with since Monday,” she said. “Several of them are customers. Some of them have met me at

AJT 44

Jewish functions over the years, and I’m so excited. People are excited about the idea of owning ModernTribe.”

The online Judaica store specializes in fresh and modern products. Rivlin Roberts expanded into a brick-and-mortar store in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood but closed it in March after two years. “It was this huge undertaking in terms of stress,” she said. “It’s a physical experience.”

After nine years, running the website also is beginning to drain her.

“I’m tired,” Rivlin Roberts said. “I really want to step back and take some time off.”

She is looking for a specific type of buyer: one who will make ModernTribe her own but have a passion for the fundamental mission of the store. “It’s for the new generation of American Jews.

It’s about mind-set — the idea that it’s open, it’s welcoming.”

Left: Jennie Rivlin Roberts started ModernTribe with a product she and her husband invented, No Limit Texas Dreidel, and found great success with Thanksgivukkah — the confluence of Thanksgiving and Chanukah — in 2013.

Above: This is the flier ModernTribe has used to seek a buyer through social media.

Part of Rivlin Roberts’ ModernTribe vision has always been Jewish education with a welcoming atmosphere, and she hopes that will continue after she is gone. She worked hard to keep her physical Judaica store warm and open to all and has kept that brand online. “Whether it’s gay Jews, intermarried couples, people who come to Judaism from all walks of life — that’s the basic core of what I think ModernTribe brings to the table. It is a place that is appealing to people approaching Judaism from many different places. I hope the person has that appreciation and wants to continue that.”

Rivlin Roberts explained that one driving force behind her original business idea, besides the desire for better holiday decorations, was the uncomfortable feeling she got walking into many Judaica stores. She wanted to avoid making Jews who were not necessarily traditional in practice or mentality feel that way in her store.

Rivlin Roberts noticed in her physical store and at festivals that people would stop and ask questions about Judaism. She loves that ModernTribe has sparked an interest in Judaism and learning.

“I think it has so much to offer the world in terms of meaning and ritual and being a guide for how to live our lives a meaningful and purposeful way,” she said. “Treating other people with kindness and compassion and healing the world. For me, it was being open and loving and offering good customer service, treating people fairly.

It’s all part of me processing my Judaism. I’m hoping whoever takes over the business shares that love.”

Rivlin Roberts is excited about what the new owner can bring to the table. “They have new ideas, fresh ideas, fresh passion. It makes me feel so great,” she said about some potential buyers she has spoken to. “It’s my baby,

and I love it. It’s been nine years, and I’ve done so much with it. I’m interested in other business ideas and areas I want to work in. I’m ready to make a change, and hopefully they’ll take it in the direction that I started, which is creating a fun, open, modern Jewish lifestyle brand.”

Rivlin Roberts plans to work with the new owner for a year as a mentor, providing support and demonstrating processes and systems. She also will offer the knowledge gained from “so many setbacks,” she said. “In fact, I would love to do a talk on all the lessons I learned over the years. There’s no better learning than building a business from the ground up because you’re involved in every little piece of the business. I’ve made so many mistakes.”

She has spoken to some interested parties in Georgia, so ModernTribe might remain an Atlanta-based company with appearances at festivals and other local events.

“I want to thank the Atlanta Jewish community for all these years of support and customers and partnering — we’ve partnered with so many people doing so many fun things,” Rivlin Roberts said. “I want Atlanta to know I’m really looking forward to whatever it is I’m doing next and always looking for people who have interesting ideas, who maybe want to partner with me and maybe do something exciting.”

She has some ideas she hopes to work on — after some much needed vacation.

“I love that leadership development piece. I love teaching,” she said. “I love urban development. Atlanta is going through a major transformation — that’s part of the reason I was so interested in being downtown. I don’t know what I’m going to end up doing. Before I do anything, I’m going to let myself dream a lot.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

SPORTS

Inside Arthur Land

Mercedes-Benz Stadium set to open next June

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

I

Westside on Rise Besides the promise to spur economic growth throughout the city, the team behind Mercedes-Benz Stadium has pledged to revitalize the long-neglected Vine City and English Avenue neighborhoods across Northside Drive.

That revitalization includes the establishment of the Westside Neighborhood Prosperity Fund by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which will make strategic, philanthropic investments in the neighborhoods. The site of the Georgia Dome will become a park built as a “gateway to the Westside.”

An Architectural Wonder Mercedes-Benz Stadium will stand some 30 stories high and will be a striking feature of Atlanta’s skyline. The building’s retractable, eight-petal roof, designed to open or close in less than seven minutes, will be the first of its kind in the world.

Another feature will be the stadium’s “window to the city,” a glass wall that stretches from the main plaza to the roof looking over Atlanta’s skyline.

Lights, Camera, Action The fan experience will start before people enter the stadium. The exterior of the building will be covered in LEDs that can change color on demand.

Inside the building, a 58-foot-high, 360-degree, high-definition halo video board will be the largest video board in the world at 64,000 square feet and will be complemented by a 110-foothigh “mega column” video board adja-

League games continue July 10. Full results online at atlantajewishtimes.com.

Photos by David R. Cohen

Less than a year before the scheduled opening, cranes fill the stadium construction site.

The building is designed with many escalators for ease of movement, says Scott Jenkins, the general manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

* Indicates team has tie game

AMSSL Standings — Week 4 A Division

One of the stadium’s most striking features will be its “window to the city,” which will offer a view of Atlanta’s skyline.

Mike Gomes shows off one of the completed concession stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

cent to the window to the city.

Need more screens? The stadium will house around 2,000 flat-screen TVs. The field will be lighted by LED sports lights rather than traditional metal halide lamps. This setup will be more energy-efficient and easier to control and will enable all lights, interior and exterior, to be part of the show.

“When the Falcons score a touchdown, the entire city will know,” said Mike Gomes, the senior vice president of fan experience for Blank’s AMB Sports & Entertainment Group.

to be whole dollar amounts with tax included to cut out change in cash transactions.

Chow Down The Falcons have widely publicized the stadium’s fan-first pricing — $2 hot dogs, soft drinks with free refills, $3 nachos and $5 domestic beers — but Gomes told the stadium tour group that fan-first pricing will extend to all concession items and all events at the stadium, including the 2018 college football national championship, the 2019 Super Bowl and the 2020 NCAA Final Four.

The stadium’s concession stands were designed by Gomes, whom Blank hired from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to oversee the fan experience.

Gomes said a crucial part of that experience is minimizing wait times.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will have more than 650 locations for concession sales. Each station was designed to get fans out of line and back to the game quicker through such features as selfservice soda fountains for fans to refill their own drinks and prices calculated

Going Platinum Mercedes-Benz Stadium is attempting to become the first professional sports arena to earn LEED Platinum certification, the highest level for the environmental performance of a building. The sustainable features include a rainwater collection facility and solar panels to power electric vehicle charging ports, as well as the LED lighting, which will reduce energy use by as much as 50 percent.

According to Falcons President Rich McKay, the first event at the stadium is likely to be an Atlanta United soccer match.

The Georgia Dome’s last event will be in March. Demolition is planned to be completed by the end of 2017. ■

Wins

Losses

Beth Tefillah *

5

0

B’nai Torah

4

1

Dor Tamid

3

2

Temple

3

3

Or Veshalom

2

3

Ahavath Achim *

1

3

Sinai

1

4

Ariel

1

4

B Division

Wins

Losses

Chabad

4

0

Or Hadash

4

2

Beth Tikvah

4

2

Gesher L’Torah

3

3

Young Israel

3

3

Beth Jacob

2

4

Emanu-El

1

4

Etz Chaim

1

5

C Division

Wins

Losses

Beth Shalom *

4

0

Kol Emeth

3

2

Temple 2

4

3

Dor Tamid/ Etz Chaim 2

2

2

Beth Tikvah 2

2

3

Sinai 2 *

2

3

B’nai Torah 2

1

4

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J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

n less than a year, the grand vision of Arthur Blank will be realized when Mercedes-Benz Stadium opens its gates. The state-of-the-art building, due for a June 1 opening, aims to set the standard for multipurpose stadium design while taking the fan and guest experience to a new level.

Replacing the Georgia Dome, which has been the home of the Atlanta Falcons since 1992, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will also be the home of Atlanta United FC, a Major League Soccer expansion team beginning play next spring.

The AJT was invited to tour the stadium construction site Thursday, June 23, as part of a hard-hat media tour.

Here are a few things we learned.

Synagogue Softball Week 4

AJT 45

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ARTS

All Aboard With Ted Marcus

T

ed Marcus, who recently tapered off his law practice to open Mammoth Car Wash in Peachtree Corners, has an actionpacked “hobby cave” on the lower level of his house.

An avid collector of model trains, Marcus boasts of interlocking twists of train tracks that make Spaghetti Junction look tame. Also in his spare time, he’s a volunteer for the Sandy Springs police Citizens on Patrol unit.

Jaffe: OK, Ted, what’s with the trains? Your face lights up just like a child around them.

Marcus: True, one of my greatest pleasures is to run the trains for young children and seeing their reaction and amazed faces. When I left for high school, my mother gave away my train collection. Fast-forward to when my son Matt was 8; we acquired a new set, which we are saving for future grandchildren.

I have hundreds of train engines and train cars, mostly from the Norfolk Southern and Southern Railways lines. Some of my set is autobiographical. See the custom-made cars: Marcus

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

and Sons Lumber, Ted’s Tires, Marietta Diner and favorite junk food: Twizzlers, Coke Zero and Doritos. On the other side of the wall, you see the model car carrier collection, which includes several Corvettes on railcars.

Jaffe: You also were one of the originators of the Kosher Kar Show (for classics) at Congregation Or Hadash, started three years ago, which has now grown to over 40 fabulous vehicles. Thus, you also have real Corvettes.

Photos by Duane Stork

Ted Marcus, head conductor and engineer, shares his love of model trains.

Marcus: I have two, one of which I drive every day. I belong to the Amazing Corvettes Club and attend car shows to display my 1982 Corvette. I call her “White Shark.” No name for the navy-blue one, but less than 2,000 were made with that color and oak top and interior. The blue one made the trip to the 50th anniversary of

Corvettes in Nashville and also was on the 50th anniversary cruise with the National Corvette Museum.

Jaffe: I was blown away when you put oil into the model train to make smoke that smells like burning diesel fuel fill the air. It’s the icing on the cake. ■

‘Urinetown’ to Wash Over JCC in July

T

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

he Marcus Jewish Community Center is kicking off its 2016-17 theater season with “Urinetown: The Musical,” the center’s seventh annual teen summer stock production.

“Urinetown” is a comedy about greed, love and revolution at a time when water is worth its weight in gold.

The satire sends up the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theater itself.

In a city like New York, a water shortage caused by a 20-year drought leads to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. People must use public

AJT 46

Photo by Karen Rooker

“Urinetown” features (from left) Chris Blount, Mackensie Eckenfels, Joey Carter, Jordan Rich, Josh Bussey, Abby Remaley and Ethan Steinberg.

amenities regulated by one malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs.

A hero decides he has had enough

and plans a revolt to lead the people to freedom.

Brian Kimmel, the Marcus JCC’s director of arts and culture, is directing the production, with choreography by Eileen Edwards and musical direction

by John-Michael D’Havilland.

“Urinetown” stars Steve Young as Officer Lockstock, Thainara Carvalho as Penelope Pennywise, Jordan Rich as Bobby Strong, Abigail Remaley as Little Sally, Jeremy Cooper as Dr. Billeaux, Joey Carter as Mr. McQueen, Alyssa Lawson as Senator Fipp, Carley Vogel as Hope Cladwell, Ethan Steinburg as Old Man Strong, Jake Kessloff as Hot Blades Harry, Ethan Steinburg

as Tiny Tom, Mackensie Eckenfels as Soupy Sue, Eshé Likens as Little Becky Two Shoes, Chris Blount as Bobby the Stockfish, Bryce Greene as Caldwell B. Cladwell and Alyssa Lawson as Josephine Strong. ■ What: “Urinetown: The Musical” When: Thursday, July 14, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 16, at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 17, at 1 and 5 p.m.

Where: Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody Tickets: $15 for students, $22 for adult JCC members, $28 for adult nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4002

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ARTS

The Closer to Home, the Deeper the Cut

R

achel Shine has more than enough going wrong with her life in Jerusalem.

Having battled fertility problems with her husband, she’s now divorced.

Having survived a terrorist attack, she’s suffering post-traumatic stress — awkward for a psychologist, particularly amid the deadly violence of the Second Intifada. Having lost her faith, she’s estranged from the increasingly Orthodox mountaintop kibbutz where

she grew up and where her parents and her two childhood best friends still live.

In Jane Berman’s “Unkosher Slaughter,” Rachel doesn’t think things can get much worse — until they do.

Just before Pesach, the rebbe of her kibbutz is butchered in what appears to be a ritual murder. The suspect is the religiously fervent husband of the rebbe’s daughter, one of Rachel’s two best friends. The kibbutz’s entire economy, based on Orthodox vacationers staying at the kosher hotel, is in danger.

It all hits far too close to home for Rachel, who can’t help getting involved

in the hope of restoring normalcy to life.

Berman’s murder mystery is predictable in some ways, from the killer’s next victim to Rachel’s love interest.

The pleasure in “Unkosher Slaughter,” however, comes not from solving the crime, but from getting to know Rachel and the other characters.

Berman also succeeds in incorporating uniquely Israeli elements into her story. Some of those elements, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, anchor the novel in a specific place and time. Others — including the mistreat-

Unkosher Slaughter

By Jane Berman Pardes Publishing, 326 pages, $15

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ment of the elderly (in this case, Holocaust survivors), the conflict between secular and religious life, infertility, and basic greed — make the story feel universal.

If Berman has a flaw, it’s that, in an effort to provide several plausible suspects, she presents a depressingly large number of ways that people harm one another. But she also creates an excellent piece of entertainment for reading on the beach or beside the pool. ■

AJT 47

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ARTS

Feiler Unshutters Southern Jewish Eye for History

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

M

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

ore than just appreciating the arc of history, Andrew Feiler has an eye for connecting past and present.

Feiler is a fifth-generation Georgian, a son of Savannah who left the South for 15 years before returning two decades ago to make Atlanta his home.

His Jewish education came at Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, founded in 1733, the third-oldest congregation in the United States. Today, as a member of The Temple, he will help plan the commemoration of that congregation’s 150th anniversary next year.

His parents’ lessons of civic involvement he now applies as an adult.

Even the building he lives in has a special history.

While his vocation is managing the family real estate business and working as a management consultant, Feiler’s avocation is photography, and in that field he is gaining notice.

His book, “Without Regard to Sex, Race, or Color: The Past, Present, and Future of One Historically Black College,” bears witness to the abandoned spaces left by the demise of Morris Brown College.

“The images are populated with ghosts. There are no people in these images. In every image you can feel the presence of people,” Feiler said.

Morris Brown, a historically black college established in 1881, lost accreditation in 2003 because of financial mismanagement and saw its student body drop from a couple of thousand to a few dozen. The college has sold property from its campus on Atlanta’s west side, allowing it to emerge from bankruptcy and begin the process of seeking reaccreditation.

Published by the University of Georgia Press in conjunction with the Georgia Humanities Council, “Without Regard to Sex, Race, or Color” was a finalist in the specialty book category in the 2016 Georgia Author of the Year Awards presented by the Georgia Writers Association.

The book features 60 photographs Feiler shot over a year with the blessing of the school’s administration, along with 10 archival photographs from the Atlanta University Center’s Robert W. Woodruff Library archives, as well as five essays.

Feiler described the images as “an 48 iconography of educational spaces”:

AJT

Photo by Paul Perdue

Andrew Feiler, who grew up in Savannah, is a member of The Temple.

the classrooms, hallways, laboratories, locker rooms and other spaces common to schools.

The book is not just a story of historically black colleges and universities, he said. “This is a story of education and the American dream.”

Solo exhibitions of the archival photographs and 25 of Feiler’s shots are scheduled for display at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, opening in September, and the Southeast Center for Photography in Greenville, S.C., next May. Closer to home, pieces of Feiler’s work will be in group exhibitions in July at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, in August along the Atlanta BeltLine as part of a national project, “The Fence 2016,” and in September at the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia.

All of this attention is rewarding for the 54-year-old, who began taking pictures as a 10-year-old with a Kodak Instamatic, with its square format.

“Relatively early I started doing things like pointing it straight up, pointing it straight down, taking the square and turning it as a diamond,” he said. “And my parents encouraged that behavior.”

Photo by Andrew Feiler

The swimming pool is abandoned at Morris Brown’s John H. Lewis Complex.

That was eight to 10 cameras ago.

After graduating from Savannah Country Day School in 1980, Feiler received a degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. There he encountered differences, large and small, between Southerners and Northerners.

When it came to American history in high school, Northerners reached the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. “We got to 1945,” said Feiler, who traces his Georgia family back to Joseph Feiler, who arrived from Posen, Germany, in 1855, fought with the Georgia infantry in the Civil War and may have been a peddler. “They spent one week on the Civil War and didn’t know about Reconstruction. We spent three weeks on the Civil War and two weeks on Reconstruction.”

Feiler discovered in the North the concept of hyphenated identification, such as Italian-American, Irish-American and German-American. In the South, he said, identification tended to be along racial lines, white or black.

After Penn, Feiler worked on Capitol Hill in Washington and on Wall Street in New York. He earned a mas-

ter’s in modern history from Keble College, Oxford, followed by a master of business administration from Stanford University. Feiler joined the Boston Consulting Group in Boston, then opened its Atlanta office in 1995.

The past two decades his lens has had a Southern exposure.

“I had a love-hate relationship with the South. I never thought I would necessarily come back to the South,” Feiler said. “One of the things that brought me back to the South was an appreciation for Southern culture — that the South continues to have a unique history, a unique set of values, unique art, unique food traditions, unique sports, cultural phenomena — and I relish those things that make the South unique.”

As he reconnected with Southern culture, Feiler said, he gravitated to Southern stories and themes such as race, justice and progress. “I think that my voice as a photographer is a Southern voice.”

The Morris Brown project is an example. After the Civil War, some 120 colleges were established to educate African-Americans, including six in Atlanta. Feiler spoke with admiration

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ARTS

Andrew Feiler’s “Without Regard” was a part of the 2015 Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center.

of how the remaining 100-plus schools are 3 percent of the colleges in America but account for more than 10 percent of the African-Americans who go to college and more than 25 percent of the African-Americans who earn degrees.

“That stunning statistic replants this story in the midst of this core societal debate we’re having today. How do we create opportunity in America?

How do we create an on-ramp to the middle class?” he said.

Morris Brown was unique among HBCUs not only because it was one of the few founded by African-Americans (members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church), but also because it made a college education accessible to students from the lower economic rungs of African-American society.

Feiler knew Samuel Jolley Jr., who was the president of Morris Brown in the mid-1990s and returned in 2004 to help recovery efforts, from their time together in Leadership Atlanta. A series of introductions led to the school’s current president, Stanley J. Pritchett Jr. At their first meeting, Feiler told Pritchett that he did not know where the project would take him, but he

knew it had potential. “This has race.

This has history. This has class. It has religion. It has economic opportunity.

It has education.”

The book opens with an essay by Robert James, the president of Carver State Bank in Savannah and a family friend. A minister encouraged James, a poor boy from Hattiesburg, Miss., to attend Morris Brown.

James went on to earn an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Morris Brown created a path that has earned members of James’ family six degrees from Harvard.

“My interest in these themes clearly is grounded in my Jewish roots, my Jewish heritage. I also think that there are other photographers that could have shot this work,” said Feiler, who added that he got the necessary access because of the trust of Pritchett and of William “Sonny” Walker, the vice chairman of the Morris Brown board, who died June 14. “That comes out of my civic work, and that emanates from my Jewish heritage and from the example my parents set of civic engagement.”

His father, Edwin J. Feiler Jr., served as the president of Leadership

Chattahoochee Brick Co. profited from the forced labor of African-Americans, including hundreds of wrongly convicted men bought illegally after the Emancipation Proclamation. Hood advertised that his were “non-convict bricks,” and the outcry over this “Slavery by Another Name” (the title of Doug Blackmon’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the period) eventually put the Chattahoochee Brick Co. out of business.

Feiler and Adams plan to open the Brickworks Gallery in a portion of their home.

While he arranges exhibitions of the Morris Brown photographs, now scheduling into 2018, Feiler is engaged in other photographic pursuits, including projects on how nature is reclaiming the site of a former greenhouse behind a historic mansion; a look at the urban core of the city, where the races come into greatest contact; locales where color provides inspiration in the urban environment; and the decay of abandoned railyards.

History has helped Feiler refine his eye and his identification. “Being a Southern Jew, I don’t usually lead with being Jewish. The assimilationist impulse remains strong among Southern Jews. But the more I thought about my voice as a photographer, I realized how rooted that voice was in my Southern roots and my Jewish heritage. That heritage is front and center in how I describe my artistic voice. I found that to leave that out was to leave out some49 thing essential.” ■ J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

Photo by Andrew Feiler

This stained glass window is in the chapel at Morris Brown College’s Fountain Hall.

Savannah in the 1970s; his mother, Jane, was its first female president in the early 1980s. Husband and wife also served as president of Congregation Mickve Israel, Jane again being the first woman in that role.

Andrew is the oldest of their three children, the others being Bruce, the author of several best-selling books, and Cari.

“In the Savannah that I grew up in, if my parents didn’t like something, they would pick up the phone and try to change it,” Feiler said. “They might lose, but they could fight the battle. It’s what I call small-town empowerment.

Most big cities don’t function that way, but for various reasons of history and culture Atlanta does. No matter where you’re from, if you want to be engaged in making this community a better place, you can put forth your ideas and energy. That’s one of the key elements of what drew me to Atlanta, and it’s the key to why I’ve been very happy here.”

He said that impulse toward community engagement is rooted in the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and his photography comes from the same place.

Twenty-one years after returning to the South, Feiler and his partner, the artist and “reformed lawyer” Laura Adams, live in the former B. Mifflin Hood Brick Co. office, a distinctive brick structure along the BeltLine in Virginia-Highland.

Hood moved from Baltimore after the Civil War and began a brickmaking business in Atlanta, where the

AJT

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OBITUARIES

Enoch Goodfriend Dies of Cancer

G

oodfriend Glatt Kosher Catering Co. founder Enoch Goodfriend died Sunday, June 26, 2016, from complications of his battle with cancer.

The funeral was held the next day at Congregation Ariel.

Goodfriend is survived by his wife, Kim, and his children, Miriam and Avi. Goodfriend was the son of Polish immigrants and Holocaust survivors Isaac and Betty Goodfriend. His father served as the cantor at Ahavath Achim Synagogue for more than 30 years, and he grew up as part of that congregation.

Enoch Goodfriend himself was a fixture of the Atlanta Jewish community. He, along with his family, belonged to Congregation Ariel. His company, Goodfriend’s Grill, was the caterer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center from 2009 until this year.

“The MJCCA leadership and staff are deeply saddened by the passing of Enoch Goodfriend, an integral part of our JCC family. The MJCCA had a terrific partnership with Enoch and Goodfriend’s Grill for 6-plus years,” Marcus JCC CEO Jared Powers said. “Enoch didn’t just rent space at the MJCCA; he was a true partner. The successful busi-

Enoch Goodfriend sings “The Partisan’s Song” at the 2015 Yom HaShoah ceremony.

ness he brought to the agency in 2009 provided meals and refreshments for hundreds of community activities, programs and events, serving preschoolers and campers, MJCCA members and staff.”

Outside of his business ventures, Goodfriend was a constant presence throughout Jewish Atlanta. He was involved with organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Jewish National Fund, which gives an award named for his parents each spring.

He could be seen every year singing “The Partisan’s Song” in Yiddish at the Yom HaShoah observance organized by Eternal-Life Hemshech at the Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery.

“Enoch was the kindest, sweetest, most loving and generous man,” said Karen Lansky Edlin, a fellow child of Holocaust survivors and the head of Hemshech. “When describing a true mensch, his smiling face would come to mind. His family and the community have lost a special soul.”

Enoch Goodfriend attends this year’s Yom HaShoah observance May 1.

Goodfriend clearly was struggling with his health at this year’s Yom Ha­ Shoah ceremony in May but still managed to lead “The Partisan’s Song.”

“Enoch had a big heart and a genuine love of the Jewish community, which was always evident in everything he did,” Powers said. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to Enoch’s wife, Kim, a longtime friend and staff member of the MJCCA, and to Avi and Miriam, his children. May Enoch’s memory be a blessing to all who knew him.” ■

Sidney Freedman

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

93, Marietta

AJT 50

Sidney Freedman, a passionate, nearly lifelong Atlantan who touched all who knew him with his warmth, honesty, humor and determination, passed away Monday, June 20, 2016. He was 93.

Sidney was the last surviving son of the late Louis and Ida Freedman. His brothers, Morris Freedman, Albert Freedman and Morris Warshaw, preceded him in death.

An Atlantan for almost 90 years, Sidney graduated from Boys’ High and entered Emory Dental School in the midst of World War II. He left dental school and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served as a medic. As he put it, “I didn’t know how long I was going to live, and there was a whole big world out there, so I figured I should damn well go see it.” After the war he returned to find that his dental school credits wouldn’t be honored, so he opened a pawnshop with his brother Morris Warshaw to support his brother Albert through medical school.

The business transitioned into the floor and wallcoverings business, Crescent Floorcovering Inc. He retired in 1990. Sidney was a member of Congregation Etz Chaim and a Scottish Rite of Atlanta Mason. He was an avid Hawks fan and the longest season ticket holder: His booming “Go Hawks!” will be missed from Philips Arena. His love story with Anita is one for the ages. They had a special bond that transcended five children, 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren and multiple houses, simchas and tragedies.

Sidney’s hunger for adventure and desire to explore the world never faded, and he traveled far and wide with Anita and their family: China, Israel, Russia and Turkey, to name just a few. Sidney and Anita were each other’s true partners in the journey of life and were soul mates in every sense of the word. Sidney was a beloved husband, a doting father, a “pachepa” to his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, and a man whose hallmarks — his spirit, wisdom, humor and grace — continue to be a guiding force for his family. Sidney and Anita created rich traditions around holidays, simchas and milestones, and it’s a legacy his family will carry on in the generations to come.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 68 years, Anita Freedman, and their children: Linda Idelson (Charles) of Fort Myers, Fla., Peggy Freedman (Mi-

OBITUARIES chael Bressler), Sandra Freedman, Ken Freedman (Robyn), Kathy Schwartz (Herb) and Debbie Shuping (Andy) of Atlanta. He was blessed with 12 adoring grandchildren: Ileanna DiGiacinto (Jimmy), Jennifer Idelson, Monica Idelson, Melissa Bank (Shaun), Michelle Nance (Patrick), Margaux Freedman, Hilary Freedman (Michael), Morgan Freedman (Davis Dolezal), Erica Nooromid (Michael), Chaim Schwartz (Menucha), Valerie Shuping and Graham Shuping. His loving great-grandchildren include Steele and Darrbe Idelson; Jonathan and Dalilah DiGiacinto; Micah, Alexis and Ryleigh Bank; Holden Nance; and Noa Nooromid.

His laughter, humor and jovial nature will be missed by all. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, Marietta, GA 30068, or the Jewish War Veterans at www.jwv.org. A graveside service was held Wednesday, June 22, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Shalom Lewis officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Joan Stein 75, Atlanta

Joan Buchwald Stein, 75, loving mother, sister-in-law, grandmother and Mema, died peacefully Friday, June 17, 2016, surrounded by family.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mrs. Stein moved in 1962 to Atlanta, where she resided until her death.

Mrs. Stein leaves behind her daughters, Jackie S. Bold and fiancé Marc Horvath, Sharon Fox and husband Jeff, and Laurie Sanders, and sister-in-law Helaine Buchwald. She is also survived by grandchildren Wesley Bold, Alysha Bold, Justin Fox, Jordan Fox, Madison Sanders, Lexie Horvath and Max Horvath and by niece Julie Perlson and her husband, Marc.

Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association. Graveside services were held on Sunday, June 19, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Erin Boxt as the officiant.

Odded Zamir Odded Zamir, 76, of Stone Mountain passed away Monday, May 30, 2016.

Born in Jerusalem, the 17th generation of his family born in Israel, he lived the last half of his life in the United States. By any standard he lived more than a full life yet left us far too early. A renaissance man, quite literally a master in anything he touched, Odded lived and did more in one lifetime than many of us could imagine in five lifetimes. A musician, first in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as an entertainer for the troops for years, including during the Six-Day War. Thereafter Odded was a nationally recognized recording artist with awards including recognition for his version of “Shalom Hanoch,” the first cover version ever authorized by famed musician Arik Einstein.

Odded led a second life as a renowned structural engineer after graduating top of his class from the Technion, the most famous of institutions in Israel.

His third life was as an inventor with exceptional success from revolutionizing the music industry by inventing the predecessor to the mixer of today, labeled by critics at the time as “a stunning example of human ingenuity,” to inventing a revolutionary hair-removal product for women that could have itself been any normal person’s single life accomplishment. His fourth life was as a real estate investor, playing his game of Monopoly, as he called it, in only the way he knew and could do it.

None of these lives Odded lived was as important to him as his life with his family, from his loving wife, Lucy, to his sisters, Hagit and Rivka, to his daughter Zohar and her two children, Chen and Tomer, to his daughter Donna and her three sons, Jacob, Aiden and Ari. He lived for his children and grandchildren and, if asked what he was most proud of in life, he would undoubtedly say his family.

He is survived by them — his wife, sisters, daughters and grandchildren — as well as many other loving family members and friends who dearly miss him. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

Sophie Galblum of Atlanta on June 21.

Theodore Golin, 90, of Atlanta, father of Temple Sinai member Suzy Greenfield and David Golin, on June 21.

J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

76, Stone Mountain

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OBITUARIES

Chabad Loses Vital Partner South of City

By Rabbi Yossi Lew

T

Photo courtesy of Chabad of Peachtree City

Susan Shapiro studies the menu at Decks in Tiberias on June 2, three days before her death.

and you and I are left to be partners.”

I realize now how partnership governed Susan’s life in three areas.

The first area is the one in which I personally was the most involved: her partnership with Chabad of Peachtree City and our activities all over Atlanta’s south side from the moment we began.

Susan was involved in everything we did at Chabad and with every person who attended Chabad services, activities and functions. If she didn’t know someone, she made it her business to begin schmoozing with that person. She was usually the first one to greet our newcomers. She made every individual feel welcomed.

But Susan’s partnership with Chabad was even more than that. Any function we had, whether a Friday night meal, a festival meal or a women’s event, Susan had a knack of knowing how to participate. She always paid in advance, usually three times the price we were asking. She said she wished to support the endeavor and provide for

one or two who could not afford to pay.

She would volunteer to bring cutlery, napkins and so forth. She insisted on helping Shternie cook, bake, fry and so forth. It was Susan helping make latkes for Chanukah, hamantaschen for Purim, dairy food for Shavuot and all sorts of things for other times.

It was Susan who made all the photocopies needed for our classes.

It was Susan encouraging many others to attend, to participate and to be inspired.

Susan was the first person to sign up for our trip, which turned out to be her final journey in this world.

I can’t imagine where we would be without Susan. I can’t imagine how Chabad of Peachtree City will be able to replace this special and beloved person.

Another aspect of Susan’s partnership is the love for her family.

Susan was a bubbly character. She talked a lot, and she did most of her talking about family. Susan’s devotion to her family, including her husband,

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J ULY 1 ▪ 2016

he first Torah class established

by Chabad of Peachtree City is “Judaism 101,” which takes place every second week. It lacks a set curriculum. It deals with topics in Judaism, usually chosen by the participants.

In our five years of these classes, I arrived once with notes in my hand.

That was four years ago, and the topic was the elections. It was a complicated topic, and I wanted to be sure to discuss all the points I had prepared.

Susan Shapiro looked at me in disbelief and said, “Rabbi, I have never seen you with notes.”

I felt like a schoolboy reading his presentation from a paper. I asked Susan if she wanted me to continue without the notes. Oh, no, she said, it was just funny to see me this way.

I never used notes again — until Susan’s funeral Friday, June 10, when I could not trust myself to remember what I needed to say after the most trying and complicated week.

We were in the holy city of Jerusalem, on the final morning of our “Recall Relive” trip, Sunday, June 5, when Susan abruptly felt ill and died.

The shock, the deep loss and the immense sadness enveloped us all.

I returned to Atlanta with her remains and with five years of memories of this pillar of our growing community on Atlanta’s south side.

When it was realized that only four of us would be traveling on the trip to Poland and Israel, Susan looked at me in the way only she would look at someone, and she said: “Rabbi, Patty and Richard (Gullick) are one couple,

Larry, her daughters, Amy and Shari, and her grandson, Joseph, brought her here in the first place, choosing to move away from a New York lifetime to be close with her family.

Susan’s personalized license plate in Coweta County was “A Bubbe.” I guarantee that no one else in this county has anything like that license plate.

It makes sense that she talked nonstop about Joseph, the grandson who turned her into a bubbe. And her devotion to Larry and her constant references to him in our conversations were an indication of her true love, her true partnership.

The third partnership was Susan’s partnership with G-d.

Susan was an amazing Jew. She was not the most observant, but I attest that her love for Judaism and G-d was incredible and inspiring. And she began to take small steps toward acting, not merely feeling, more Jewish.

In what turned out to be one of our final one-on-one conversations, Susan shared how her life had become more meaningful with her attention to kosher observance. She had not become fully observant, but it was a beginning.

She was proud of how it made her feel.

Wouldn’t you know that her partnership with G-d became revealed in her passing? She died in the holy city of Jerusalem. She lay on her bed, and the next second she was gone. There was no pain, no suffering and no warning.

The only way to show respect, honor and love to our Susan is to learn from her and make that spirit — that partnership with your fellow person, your family and your G-d — stronger and better. ■

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

Black Sheep Flies North

I

JULY 1 ▪ 2016

am sitting in a penthouse in Montreal built by my uncle, who was born and raised here, along with my mother and another brother.

He has been telling me stories about how he grew up, including experiences of anti-Semitism and violence.

He remembers a grade school teacher who punched him, and he responded by “beating him up so he never lifted his hand against me again.”

Bigger than life, my uncle can’t understand why everyone doesn’t share his worldview. He’s quick to share his values and criticize anyone whose actions he doesn’t understand. For instance, he emphatically said there’s no reason anyone should ever be late.

For anything.

I had missed my 6 a.m. flight from Atlanta and was admonished to try harder and do better.

It didn’t matter that I could rationalize what happened. I hadn’t been sleeping well, and I carefully planned when to finish packing and when to leave for Hartsfield-Jackson Airport: Pack the night before, and get up and get dressed early enough to press the Uber app on my iPhone by 3:45 a.m.

Packing was complicated. I needed outfits for a b’nai mitzvah celebration in Montreal, a granddaughter’s sixth birthday in Silver Spring, Md., and a grandson’s seventh birthday in Toronto, where I had to adhere to the modest dress code of my grandchildren’s religious school.

My suitcase had been filled with toys and books for all seven grandchildren for a month. Packing for myself was a last-minute activity. At 4:15 I told myself, “Press the Uber app.”

First Uber couldn’t find my location. I typed my address. The screen changed, and another address appeared. I took a deep breath and did it again. And again.

By the time the driver arrived, I doubted I would get to the Air Canada ticket counter early enough.

I was right.

It wasn’t even 5 a.m., but the counter was deserted. Someone from the neighboring Southwest counter said the agents had left to work the gate.

I hadn’t printed my boarding pass or sent one to my smartphone. Dan always did that, and I’m still working on responsibilities I used to take for granted he would do. What a long list.

With no boarding pass, I couldn’t 54 go to the gate. I called Air Canada

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and grimaced at the message saying I could expect to be on hold 35 minutes.

The next Air Canada flight was six hours later. The airline’s website warned I’d have to purchase a new ticket for more than $500. Vowing never to be late again, I boarded that flight and made it to my destination.

As sweet as it is to stay with my aunt and uncle as my first cousin’s

CROSSWORD

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

“Blinding Agreement”

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

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twins become b’nai mitzvah, being here is bittersweet because of a long family rift.

My two uncles stopped talking to each other more than 20 years ago, making my family grist for the gossip mill of the close-knit Montreal Jewish community. At my uncles’ ages, they’re unlikely ever to make peace.

When I was growing up, I never understood it, but I had to accept that family members sometimes were treated like outlaws. If my grandparents were angry at a sibling, they demanded that my mother and her two brothers have nothing to do with those family members, or else.

“Or else” was left unsaid.

I remember visits to Montreal with my mom. Sometimes we would visit her aunt and would laugh, drink tea and have cookies, but other times I wasn’t allowed to mention her name.

My grandmother said her sister-in-law was having too good a time “hullying” when she should have been by the bed of her husband, my grandmother’s younger brother, who was in a terminal condition in a nursing home.

It didn’t make sense to me, so I called my aunt on my own, knowing to keep this to myself.

Family grudges were held indefinitely. But once in a while someone would be forgiven, and the family ties would bind again.

I refused to keep a scorecard or play this game of “now we’re related and now we’re not.” I always invited all my relatives to any simcha Dan and I hosted, turning me into a black sheep.

I accept that role and fantasize about becoming the mediator who unites my fractured family.

I’m a dreamer. ■

ACROSS 1. “Shalom ___” (Bill Clinton) 6. Snakes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” 10. Israeli sign with a hand 14. Sam behind “The Evil Dead” 15. Superman’s mother played by Ayelet Zurer 16. Jerusalem Botanical Gardens equipment 17. “Fuller House” grandpa Bob 18. Second plague animal 19. Chevron alternative?

20. Fiddler who played Beethoven’s “Minuet in G” on “Sesame Street” 23. Tefillat ____ (dew prayer) 25. Troop grp. the Marx Brothers performed for 26. States assuredly (before a beit din) 27. Designer who had a hit collection for Target 32. Woody Allen’s Hall 33. It’s equal to 10 34. Syringe 38-Down at Einstein 37. What Judah Maccabee refused to do in his last battle 40. Izevel tried to have this prophet killed 43. “Unclean though we ___” (Numbers 9:7) 44. Some YU degs.

46. “Job” for Mickey Cohen 47. Chief Sephardi rabbi of Israel 51. Its last flight to Israel was in 1991 54. “Hast thou not heard long ___ how I have done it” (2 Kings 19:25) 55. Levy collector 56. Co-star of “The Mindy Project” and “Neighbors” movies 61. Many (but not a majority) in Israel 62. Prophet believed to have anointed Yehu king 63. Bathsheba’s Hittite

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boats in Eilat) 35. Kraft Stadium sound 36. Hangs 10 in Bat Galim 38. See 34-Across (Abbr.)

39. “Devil” voiced by Mel Blanc 41. Like some cold Aroma drinks 42. Ming whom David Stern announced as the No. 1 pick of the 2002 draft 45. Tweed married to Gene Simmons 47. Lashon hara chatter, Down Under Down 48. Mother, to Matan 1. Greenberg hit a lot of 49. Like many who visit Yad them: Abbr.

Vashem 2. Israeli bond rating 50. “Rock and Roll, Hoochie 3. Moon Knight or The ___” (song David Lee Roth Punisher, e.g. sang in 1975) 4. It’s the truth 5. “Puttin on the ___” (“Young 51. Joel’s instrument 52. Ohio sister city of Kiryat Frankenstein” number) Ekron 6. Last name of The Rif 53. “Sababa,” in ’50s U.S. 7. France’s Nicolas who’s slang against boycotting Israel 57. Jewish deli staples 8. Stage accessory in 58. Actress Skye of “Say “Fiddler” Anything” 9. 6-Across, for one 10. Educator Alice who won 59. King David might have strummed one the Israel Prize in 2007 60. Many a Jewish practice: 11. The Velvet Fog Abbr.

12. One of three for Daniel 64. Scotty’s “Yes” to Kirk Day-Lewis 65. Herzl or Sinai 13. Some kibbutz workers 21. Sing a niggun 22. Levi’s Stadium sound LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 23. Gadot’s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 O L A H A I S L E Wonder Woman M A R C 14 15 16 A M A H B O C A G O L A N wears one 17 18 19 G O N E W I T H T H E W I N D 24. Ed of “Up” 20 21 22 28. El Al planes A S T 23R O 24 S E 25R A 26 A D D S E M O E S S are up in it 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 O L D M A N A N D T H E S E A 29. Start of a 36 37 38 C E O N O G O Y E N T L chodesh?

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(Possible pre-shidduch date question) 70. Dispatched (like angels) 71. Jerusalem Botanical Gardens equipment

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