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Reform Rabbis Receive a Call to Justice

By Marita Anderson Jewish Atlanta buzzed with activity from March 19 to 25 as the city hosted four major Jewish conferences that attracted hundreds of rabbis, community leaders, philanthropists and innovators from around the country.

While the Jewish Funders Network, The Collaboratory and the National Council of Jewish Women convened at Buckhead hotels, the Central Conference of American Rabbis gathered in Midtown at the Loews Atlanta. The CCAR’s 128th convention attracted 550 rabbis from the Reform movement, including the largestever delegation of Israeli Reform rabbis to the United States.

The visitors’ overwhelming response to Atlanta is that we are a city of impressive growth with a notable history that is particularly relevant to our times.

The CCAR convention focused on “being a rabbi in turbulent times,” a theme based on members’ most urgent concerns. All the professional sessions were closed to the media so the rabbis could feel safe to discuss issues of ethics, as well as spiritual and leadership challenges.

The overarching tone of many of the CCAR events and panels was geared toward facilitating conversation about how to lead politically divided communities with courage and hope.

Photo courtesy of Central Conference of American Rabbis

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is flanked by two pastors from Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Natosha Reid Rice and the Rev. Raphael Warnock.

In the context of this year’s theme, the CCAR convention was fortunate to be in Martin Luther King Jr.’s hometown, with its rich civil rights history and with no shortage of contemporary faith leaders who deal with adversity as a matter of course.

One public panel symbolic of the intention to inspire was a conversation among Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and two pastors from King’s spiritual home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and the Rev. Natosha Reid Rice.

Reed joked that he was “swimming in the shallow end” as a politician among religious scholars whose eloquent narratives brought the audience into deeper waters. But the weaving of political and

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clergy perspectives was an example of theology becoming animated in the practice of life.

Warnock, who has a close friendship with The Temple’s senior rabbi, Peter Berg, reminded the audience about the continued relevance of the first motto of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by King in the 1950s: “to redeem the soul of America.”

Warnock recognized that people are easier to reform than institutions and emphasized the importance of private actions in “broadening communal space so that everyone can breathe.”

The all-Christian panel shared a language with the Reform rabbinic crowd, seamlessly moving through Old Testament and prophetic texts while also

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quoting Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

The speakers understood their audience and were careful to sidestep theological differences, choosing to focus instead on shared black and Jewish history as American minorities, including the participation of Jews in the civil rights movement.

A noticeable pivot took place when Warnock raised the subject of America as the mass incarceration capital of the world. He called for an interfaith alliance to stand together and “do justice, not just contemplate justice.”

Reed, an early and active supporter of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, was unabashedly partisan in his evaluation of the Trump administration as one that “disrespects clarity,” and he urged faith communities to uphold a framework of integrity that keeps politicians accountable.

Reid Rice encouraged the rabbis to “be willing to fight for the people who don’t look like you.”

Warnock called it an interfaith moment, recalling King’s words that we are all “tied in a single garment of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” The overwhelming feeling in the room was of camaraderie, hope and inspiration. ■ • Civil rights experience special for visiting rabbis, Page 14

PASSOVER RECIPES From a new take on gefilte fish to a series of Persian dishes and a variety of healthy holiday classics, prepare for Pesach with recipes, shopping options and hunger awareness. Pages 20-28

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MA TOVU

Laughs and Tears hears someone knocking and sees KGB in the doorway? They said, “Abram, we’ve come to arrest you.” With a wink, they offered “or you can give us something you treasure most, and we’ll part ways.” Abram yells, “Roza, my precious love, the KGB is here for you!”

My mom reminded me of a quote

by Sholem Aleichem, the beloved

Guest Column

By Marita Anderson

Ukrainian Yiddish writer: “This is an ugly and mean world, and only to spite it we mustn’t weep. If you want to know, this is the constant source of my good spirit, of my humor. Not to cry out of spite, only to laugh out of spite, only to laugh.”

Humor showed courage to challenge the status quo, and satire, as a vehicle to expose the absurdity of ingrained injustice, was a way to lighten the load of a difficult life.

Jews have a long history of sarcasm and mockery, as even the Torah has some intentionally funny episodes.

“There weren’t enough graves in Egypt, so you brought us to die in the wilderness?” the Israelites mock Moses in Exodus 14:11.

You can almost see the Israelites shrugging their shoulders and putting out their palms in utter bemusement.

When G-d tells Sarah that she will give birth to a son in her old age, she laughs at the idea of having sex with her husband (Genesis 18:12). Hers was not a joyful chuckle, but a sarcastic chortle: “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment — with my husband so old?”

Oftentimes, we have no idea why something is funny. It is almost a primal experience, with laughter that bubbles up from the depth of our belly.

On a chemical level, laughter induces endorphins, which help us relax.

Whatever it is, we can certainly use some humor in our lives right now.

Maybe Solomon was on to something when he wrote in Ecclesiastes, “So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that G-d gives them under the sun.” ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

My family lived in Odessa during the Communist regime until the Soviet Union imploded in 1990 and there was nothing to hold us back from leaving.

I grew up listening to grown-ups share terrifying stories of hardship, poverty and anti-Semitism, but what I remember with even better clarity are moments of communal hilarity.

Many an evening was spent with family and trusted friends exchanging well-rehearsed jokes and polishing new material.

In hushed voices, everyone took turns, even the most introverted, in jokeoffs that produced suffocating belly laughter and body shaking.

The hostility toward the Jewish community and the constant pressures on Jews as a persecuted minority did nothing to prevent moments of intense joy derived from humor and constant self-deprecation. Perhaps making fun of oneself was a kind of inoculation from the sting of being despised.

A good joke, or anekdot in Russian, was often delivered as a lament with all the gesticulations of Tevye asking G-d, “So what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?”

And gallows humor from the edge of the grave was par for the course.

Culturally speaking, Odessa was the humor capital of the Soviet Union, and its annual Humorin, or day of humor on April 1, was a rare public display of howling laughter and tears.

I remember my mom preparing for Humorin by studiously reading and rereading notebooks of typedup jokes, which were available only to those in the know. On April 1, we would stroll down Primorsky Boulevard, near the seaport, where joke tellers lined the street and pedestrians huddled close in groups to catch a laugh.

Caricature artists hawked their talents to long lines of tourists, and pantomimes entertained the little ones.

The city was alive with joy, even when there was nothing to be particularly happy about.

Amid predictable conformity, the jokesters had an insight into truth that was too difficult or dangerous to tackle head-on, so they found roundabout ways to pin it down, protected by the shield of laughter.

Did you hear the one about Abram, who opens the door after he

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“Atlanta Collects.” The second part of the exhibit of privately held art, covering contemporary work, is at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Museum admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, and $4 for children 3 to 6; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

Vayikra Friday, March 31, light candles at 7:40 p.m.

Saturday, April 1, Shabbat ends at 8:36 p.m.

Tzav Friday, April 7, light candles at 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, April 8, Shabbat ends at 8:42 p.m.

Start of Pesach Monday, April 10, light candles at 7:47 p.m.

Tuesday, April 11, light candles after 8:44 p.m.

Wednesday, April 12, holiday ends at 8:45 p.m.

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Contributors This Week RABBI RUTH ABUSCH-MAGDER MARITA ANDERSON ARLENE APPELROUTH MARK FISHER RABBI DAVID GEFFEN YONI GLATT • JORDAN GORFINKEL RACHEL FAYNE GRUSKIN LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE JEFFREY KUNKES BEVERLY LEVITT • BELINDA OSSIP DAVE SCHECHTER PAULA SHOYER RICH WALTER PATRICE WORTHY

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THURSDAY, MARCH 30

Reconstruction. Georgia Tech’s Wardlaw Center, 177 North Ave., Midtown, hosts “Resilient Atlanta,” a symposium on the Civil War and its aftermath, including several Jewish speakers, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free; RSVP to chris.mcdermott@gatech.edu.

Andrew Jackson. Brandt Ross discusses whether Jackson was a hero or a villain with the Edgewise group at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 10:30 a.m. Free for members, $5 for others; matureadults@atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3861.

Book talk. Emory professor and Congregation Bet Haverim member Benjamin Reiss talks about and signs copies of his new book, “Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World,” at 4:30 p.m. at the Emory bookstore, 1390 Oxford Road, Atlanta. Free; bit.ly/2npR4VW. Passover class. The Atlanta Kosher Commission offers a class in preparing for the holiday at 8:15 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs. Free; kosheratlanta­.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

Art show. The Alefbet Preschool at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, holds an opening for a showcase of art by 3-yearolds and pre-kindergartners, including music by Atlanta Jewish Academy

ninth-grader Zach Mainzer, at 5 p.m.

Free; alefbetpreschool.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

Film screening. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival co-sponsors the Atlanta Film Festival’s showing of “Menashe” at 7:30 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta, and closing party at 9 at Old 4th & Swift. Tickets are $37.50 with the promo code AJFF; atlantafilmfestival.com/2017/menashe.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

Daffodil Dash. The annual 5K and 1-mile run/walk to benefit Am Yisrael Chai starts at 9 a.m., with registration at 8, at Brook Run Park, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. Registration is $25 until 5 p.m. March 31 or $30 race day for adults and $12 for those 10 and under; daffodildash.org.

Mini-mission. Federation holds “Mission: (It’s)Possible,” its second annual mini-mission for adults under age 40, at 9:30 a.m., starting with the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, and including the Jewish Family & Career Services Kosher Food Pantry and the Packaged Good. The $18 includes lunch; jewishatlanta.org/event/ under40-mini-mission or 404-870-1614.

Puppetry Passover. The Marcus JCC

holds a family celebration from noon to 4 p.m. at the Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Springs St., Midtown, with a Passover puppet show, songs with Rabbi Brian Glusman, a performance of “The Dragon King” and more. Tickets are $15.37 with the promo code Pass25; bit.ly/2nH7jjB. Film screening. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival co-sponsors the Atlanta Film Festival’s showing of “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer” at 2:45 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta. Tickets are $10 (use code AJFF for a 25 percent discount); atlantafilmfestival.com/2017/norman.

Steak and Torah. Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, presents its Man Seder, combining a four-course steak dinner, craft beers and bourbon, and insights to share at your Passover seder at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $54 for Young Israel members, $60 for others; www.yith.org or 404-3151417.

Parenting tips. Kollel Ner Hamizrach and the Atlanta Scholars Kollel offer a symposium on keeping children physically and spiritually safe during Pesach at 8:30 p.m. at the Gavant home, 1437 Biltmore Road, Toco Hills. Email dkapenstein@gmail.com for details.

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

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Remember When

25 Years Ago March 27, 1992 ■ Conservative Rabbis Mark Zimmerman of Congregation Beth Shalom and Shalom Lewis of Congregation Etz Chaim have taken on kosher supervision of two businesses, venturing into an area that had been entirely under the authority of the Orthodox-sponsored Atlanta Kashruth Commission.

Rabbi Zimmerman is certifying the kashrut of The Royal Bagel, which lost its hechsher in 1988 because it stays open on Saturdays; the business now will transfer ownership to a non-Jew during Shabbat. Rabbi Lewis is certifying Patricia Singer’s home-based catering business, Do It in the Kitchen.

■ The bar mitzvah of David Paul Vener of Roswell, son of Neil and Charlene Vener, will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4, at Temple Kol Emeth.

■ Cindy and Dan Siegler of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Blair Elizabeth, on Feb. 24.

50 Years Ago March 31, 1967 ■ Israeli Consul General Zeev Boneh has announced the opening in Atlanta of a regional office of the Government of Israel Investment Authority. Managed by A. Makleff, the office in Midtown Atlanta will work in close cooperation with the consulate to bring business and investment to Israel.

■ The United Nations Commission on Human Rights voted in Geneva this week to form a new office, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The 20-7 vote had the support of the United States, Britain and Israel and culminated a long battle led by the United States and Israel.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Aaron D. Elson of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter, Adrian Sue Elson, to Neil Howard Fleishman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Fleishman of Fayetteville, N.C.

CALENDAR

TUESDAY, APRIL 4

Passover preparation. Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder leads a discussion on “Passover Dips: A Celebration of Passover Foods & Dishes” at 10 a.m. at MACoM, 700-A Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; info@atlantamikvah.org or 404-549-9679.

Film screening. Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival show “Brave Miss World,” about the abduction and rape of Israeli beauty queen Linor Abargil in Italy in 1998, and hold a panel discussion and dessert reception at 7 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs.

Tickets are $18; jwfatlanta.org/events.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5

interactive, mystical seder at 7:30 p.m. after services at 6:30. Tickets are $56 for adults and $8 for children ages 4 to 12; www.chabadofcobb.com.

First seder. Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown, holds a community seder at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children; chabadintown.org/community-passover-seder.

First seder. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek, presents a gourmet seder at 8 p.m.

RSVP by April 5. Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for children over 3; www.chabadnf.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

Second seder. Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, holds a family-friendly seder at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under for members, $5 more for nonmembers; templesinaiatlanta.org/ worship/passover.

ACCESS Latino event. American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS young professional group holds Hava Tequila, a night of socializing and storytelling, at No Mas Cantina, 180 Walker St., Atlanta, at 7 p.m. The cost is $10; www. ajcatlanta.org/havatequila2017.

Second seder. The Sixth Point holds its community seder at Heritage Sandy Springs, 6110 Bluestone Road, Sandy Springs, at 6 p.m. RSVP by April 7. Tickets are $50 each or, subsidized by the Sixth Point, $30 for adults and $20 for children; thesixthpoint.org.

Antibiotic resistance. Jay Steinberg, the chief medical officer at Emory University Hospital Midtown, discusses the crisis of resistant bacteria at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside.

Free; shearithisrael.com.

Second seder. Congregation Ner Tamid, 1349 Old Highway 41, Suite 220, Marietta, holds a home-cooked community seder at 6:30 p.m. Registration is $10 for members and $18 for nonmembers by April 4 and $15 and $15 after that; www.mynertamid.info/ getting-involved/event-registration.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

Comedy show. Jerry Farber performs standup for the Edgewise group at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free for all; www.atlantajcc.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

Exodus run. Congregation Ner Tamid, 1349 Old Highway 41, Suite 220, Marietta, holds a 5K and 1-mile fun run, including an Exodus costume contest, at 8 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children; bit.ly/2nvi9sE. Afikomen scavenger hunt. Temple Sinai holds its family Passover adventure at 10 a.m. at East Cobb Park, 3322 Roswell Road, East Cobb. Free; templesinaiatlanta.org/worship/passover.

MONDAY, APRIL 10

First seder. Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb, holds an

Second seder. Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, holds a seder at 6:30 p.m. RSVP by April 4.

Tickets are $25 for member adults, $30 for nonmember adults, $15 for children, with a $100 maximum per family; www.congregationbethaverim.org/ event/passover-seder.html.

Second seder. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, holds a community seder at 7 p.m. RSVP by April 4. Tickets are $54 for adults, $26 for children 10 and under; bit.ly/2o0TnSa. Second seder. Congregation Or VeShalom, 1681 N. Druid Hills Road, Brookhaven, holds a seder at 7 p.m., right after services. RSVP by April 3.

The cost is $40 for adults and $25 for children for members, $60 and $35 for nonmembers; office@orveshalom.org.

Israeli Teen Accused Of JCC Bomb Threats The arrest of an Israeli-American teenager in Ashkelon on Thursday, March 23, might resolve the bomb threats made this year against the Marcus Jewish Community Center and dozens of other JCCs and Jewish institutions, but it does not mean organizations should reduce their vigilance.

“While Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism is pleased another suspect has been arrested in connection with threats targeting JCCs, anti-Semitism across the U.S. remains a very serious problem. It is critical that communities stand in solidarity to denounce and combat hatred and terrorism,” AIAAS said in a statement released after the arrest exactly one week before the new organization’s first meeting at Temple Emanu-El. The suspect, whose identity is being withheld under Israeli police order, is 18 or 19 years old. Israeli authorities arrested him at the request of the FBI, The Forward reported, after an investigation involving both countries that began after the first of at least six waves of bomb threats against JCCs, including the Marcus JCC, in early January.

“Today’s arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents for hate crimes against Jewish communities across our country,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs. I commend the FBI and Israeli National Police for their outstanding work on this case.”

It is not clear whether the suspect will be extradited to the United States or will stay in Israel to face extortion charges. Yedioth Ahronoth reported that he is suspected of making more than 1,000 threats to institutions in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia the past two years.

Haaretz said Israeli police had been investigating the threats since 2015, but the breakthrough came only after President Donald Trump sent a team of 12 FBI agents to Israel.

The suspect’s public defender, Galit Besh, said he has a serious medical condition — identified by Israel’s Channel 10 as a nonmalignant brain tumor going back to at least age 14 — and it could affect his behavior, The Times of Israel reported.

“He’s the guy who was behind the JCC threats,” Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, according to The Times of Israel.

More than 160 fake bomb threats have been made against Jewish institutions in the United States and Canada since Jan. 9, the day the Marcus JCC and 15 other JCCs received threats by phone.

The Marcus JCC received an email threat early March 15 that lacked details specific to the Dunwoody center.

The JCCs in Birmingham and Nashville also have been threatened multiple times, and the centers in New Orleans, Charlotte and Augusta are among the others targeted during at least six waves of threats.

The suspect has also been linked to bomb threats against Delta Air flights.

He used a sophisticated array of equipment and anonymous accounts to disguise his identity and the origins of his calls and email messages, but he slipped up at least once and failed to route his Internet connection through a proxy server, revealing that he was in Israel, The Daily Beast reported.

He is not being blamed for all the U.S. threats — a disgraced St. Louis reporter was arrested March 3 in connection with a few hoax threats — and he had nothing to do with toppled Jewish tombstones and other anti-Semitic vandalism in the United States.

“Even though it appears that the main culprit behind the majority of these attacks has allegedly been identified, anti-Semitism in the U.S. remains a very serious concern,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “JCCs and other institutions should not relax security measures or become less vigilant.”

JCC Association of North America President and CEO Doron Krakow thanked law enforcement for vigilance and acknowledged being troubled at the suspect’s Jewish identity. “Throughout this long-running period of concern and disruption that we are hopeful has come to an end, JCCs have had the opportunity to review and assess our security protocols and procedures, and we are confident that JCCs are safer today than ever before.”

The Secure Community Network, a project of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Council of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, announced two days before the arrest that it had hired counterterrorism expert Charlie Payne in 5 response to the bomb threats. ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

MONDAY, APRIL 3

Women’s seder. ORT Atlanta holds its annual women’s seder, include recipe sharing, at 7 p.m. at the home of Delilah Cohen, 820 Stratford Court, Sandy Springs. Admission is an $18 donation; bit.ly/2mLtgyW.

ISRAEL NEWS

ISRAEL NEWS

Diaspora Jew Sought For Independence Torch

By Rabbi David Geffen Israeli Minister of Sports and Culture Miri Regev announced Sunday, March 26, that for the first time a notable Jew from another nation will be invited to light one of the 12 torches kindled at the opening ceremony for Independence Day on Mount Herzl.

Previously, only Israelis representing certain categories have been chosen for the honor.

World Jewry is so important, Regev said, that “they should have a torch” on Yom HaAtzmaut.

Israelis have reacted favorably to the idea, seeing Jews everywhere as one people.

How will this man or woman be chosen?

Jews around the world can submit nominations the next few weeks.

In Atlanta, suggestions should be brought to the Israeli Consulate General in Midtown, to be passed on to Re-

gev’s ministry in Jerusalem.

This is a dramatic moment for world Jewry. On visits to Israel, you have seen plaques on buildings and at forests. You have seen buildings named for donors who live outside Israel. Now someone will light an Independence Day torch for the Jews of the world.

The torch lighting to open Independence Day began in 1950 after Theodor Herzl’s remains were moved to Mount Herzl from Vienna. The Independence Day opening ceremony in 1949 was a service in downtown Jerusalem.

With Mount Herzl firmly established on the second anniversary of the state, young people carrying torches marched to the grave. Their initiative inspired David Ben-Gurion and his ministers to establish the torch-lighting ceremony.

Few Israelis can get tickets for this annual event because they are reserved for tourists, so come on over. ■

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Chai billionaires. The new Forbes list of 2,043 billionaires in the world includes 18 Israelis, from No. 145, Eyal Ofer, 66, a real estate and shipping magnate worth $8.9 billion, to No. 1,940, Morris Kahn, 87, worth an even $1 billion from the software industry. Mobileye’s chief investor, Shmuel Charlap, is in line to make the list next year via the company’s sale to Intel.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Waste to plastic. Infimer Technologies, based in Avihayil, has a patented process that removes minerals from household waste and turns the remaining polymers and cellulose into thermoplastic material for anything from toolboxes to lawn furniture to plumbing. The company opened a factory at Kibbutz Barkai in mid-2015 to manufacture material on an industrial scale.

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Homage to refugees. Tel Aviv street artist Murielle Cohen has begun a collage series depicting refugees “from the perspective of humanity, beyond the separation of religions and beliefs.” Cohen wants viewers to ponder that statement when observing her “Refugees,” executed on walls and buildings in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood and surrounding areas.

The first in the series is the most personal for the artist: It depicts Jewish refugees from the Holocaust.

Drinking history. Archaeologists excavating near Ramle were expecting to find ancient artifacts but happened on hundreds of liquor bottles belonging to British soldiers from World War I. The excavation was carried out in the fields of Kibbutz Netzer Sereni as part of the construction of Highway 200. The archaeologists found flint tools that are 250,000 years old. But they also found hundreds of century-old liquor bottles.

Jerusalem to Tel Aviv in half an hour.

A rail line set to open in early 2018 will revolutionize travel between Israel’s two biggest cities. It takes about an hour to drive the 37 miles from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, though traffic jams often lengthen the trip. The high-speed rail route will take less than 30 minutes, including a stop at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The line will service Tel Aviv’s four rail stations and a new transportation hub alongside Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station.

Compiled courtesy of Israel21c.org and other sources.

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ISRAEL NEWS

AJA Upper School Dives Into Israeli Politics ideas as well as bring ideas from my previous experiences, such as the AIPAC Schusterman High School

Guest Column

Atlanta Jewish Academy highschoolers get a taste of the chaos of coalition politics Monday, March 27.

By Rich Walter

Summit. Together with the rest of the planning committee, we were able to create an interactive, thought-provoking week for the AJA Upper School students to enjoy.”

Engaging American Jewish students with the Israeli political system should be an important cornerstone of Israel education.

Helping learners understand how and why certain issues become part of a party’s platform and the process by which those issues become law is critical in the way we connect with and understand current events in the Jewish state, as well as the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Without a strong scaffolding in the Israeli political system and process, American Jews lose important context and perspective.

That problem is especially true when we disagree with a Knesset decision, try to understand how a coalition government creates policy, or are alienated by the actions of the prime minister.

“As someone already interested in civics, this year’s seminar topic was particularly engaging,” AJA senior Zoie Wittenberg said.

Zoie, who also works as an intern with StandWithUs, added, “Comparing

and contrasting the American government, which I am rather familiar with, to the Israeli government, which I like to pretend I understand — honestly, do any of us really understand coalition government? — evoked heated discussions and debates.”

The program will continue each of the next two academic years at the academy with in-depth examinations of Israeli culture, society and foreign relations. ■ Rich Walter is the associate director for Israel education at the Center for Israel Education.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

This week (March 27 to 31), in Year 2 of a four-year partnership between the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org) and the Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School, students have been immersed in the world of Israeli politics.

Over the course of the week, AJA ninth- to 12th-graders are spending 15 hours learning about Israel’s election system, the function of the various branches of its government, the role and platforms of political parties, and the inner workings of the Knesset.

CIE designed the curriculum and program in conjunction with a group of AJA students, applying input from a team of Judaics faculty members led

by Rabbi Reuven Travis.

“Being part of the planning process for Israel Seminar Week made me feel like I have a voice in what goes on at school,” said Thelet Bunder, a senior at AJA who served on the student planning team.

“I was able to help come up with

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli Sea Exhibit Stops at Aquarium

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Israel is a tiny country, but the sea under its control doubles its size.

“People have to notice that Israel has a sea, and that sea is 50 percent of the area of the country,” said Arik Rosenblum, the executive director of EcoOcean, a nonprofit protecting the marine and coastal environments of Israel and its region. “That half has wonders in it, from archaeological finds to a source of drinking water to the ability to find natural resources.”

EcoOcean operates Israel’s only privately owned marine research vessel.

Through April 26, the Georgia Aquarium is hosting an exhibit by the entrance of the Ocean Voyager Built by the Home Depot gallery featuring EcoOcean’s work in the Mediterranean.

The interactive display details Israel’s plans for the sustainable development of its coast and includes a quiz and underwater artifacts discovered by EcoOcean’s research vessel.

Before Atlanta, the exhibit stopped

Find EcoOcean’s traveling exhibit on Israel’s sea inside the Ocean Voyager tank at the Georgia Aquarium through April 26.

at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and was part of the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America in Washington, where it was seen by Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta CEO Eric Robbins. He made connections to bring it to Atlanta.

“This is a perfect way of talking about Israel in a nonpolitical fashion in a way that presents Israel as a country taking responsibility for its piece of the sea and the surrounding region,” Rosenblum said. “One of the most important lessons we can learn is that ecology has no borders.”

EcoOcean, based at Kibbutz Sdot Yam near Caesarea, is collaborating

with several Middle Eastern countries in a project to compile all the data ever collected on the Mediterranean Sea. The project includes nine observatories, four of them in Arab countries that don’t have diplomatic ties to Israel.

EcoOcean will maintain the center of operations for the project in Israel.

EcoOcean’s exhibit will head to Chicago next, and Rosenblum hopes to get the exhibit into more places, specifically at university Hillel houses.

“We’re really proud of being at one of the largest and most impressive aquariums in the world in the Georgia Aquarium, and we thank the staff and leadership for hosting our exhibit,” Rosenblum said. “We’re hoping that people will see it here and want it to come to their state.” ■ What: “Israel Sea the Future” Where: Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St., downtown When: Through April 26 Information: www.georgiaaquarium. org/experience/explore/events/ ecoocean

Photo courtesy of Jon Marks Photography

Allison Lerer, Samantha Sater, Jeremy Lynn and Matt Spruchman play some blackjack.

Photo by David R. Cohen

FIDF Southeast Chairman Garry Sobel unwinds with a drink from the open bar.

All In on Blue and White

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Southeast held its third annual young leadership casino night March 11 and raised $20,000 for the many projects and programs FIDF supports.

The money was raised through a 90-item silent auction that included sports memorabilia, high-end bottles of liquor and other gifts. FIDF also brought in funds through the sales of casino chips, which could be cashed in at the end of the night for raffle tickets in a prize drawing that included Atlanta United and Atlanta Hawks tickets.

Several IDF lone soldiers attended the event at the 8 Westside Cultural Arts Center. ■

Photo by David R. Cohen

Kevin Rabinowitz and David Tillem catch up at casino night.

Photo courtesy of Jon Marks Photography

FIDF’s casino night offered Vegas-style games, including blackjack, craps and roulette.

Today in Israeli History

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

March 31, 1979: The Eurovision Song Contest, an annual competition with representatives of member countries of the European Broadcasting Union, is held in Jerusalem (the Gali Atari performs first time since “Hallelujah” with its start in 1956 Milk & Honey at that it happens the 1979 Eurovision contest. outside Europe) and is won for the second consecutive year by an Israeli song, “Hallelujah,” performed by Gali Atari and Milk & Honey.

April 1, 1925: Hebrew University officially opens in Jerusalem on Mount Scopus during a ceremony featuring Zionist and British leaders, including Chaim Weizmann and Lord Arthur James Balfour, as well as representatives of universities around the world.

Judah Magnes is the first chancellor.

April 2, 2011: Biologist Yoel Margalith, who was born in February 1933 in Cantavir, Yugoslavia and survived the Holocaust, dies. Margalith immigrated to Israel with his mother and sister in 1948. His work included the discovery of a bacterium that is lethal to most mosquitoes.

April 3, 1949: Israel and Jordan sign an armistice agreement, the third of four Israel reaches with its Arab neighbors to end the War of Independence. The deal with Egypt was signed Feb. 24, and the agreement with Lebanon was completed March 23. The last armistice, with Syria, is signed July 20.

April 4, 1920: Riots break out in Jerusalem’s Old City during the Muslim Nebi Musa pilgrimage festival. The violence against Jews leaves nine dead and hundreds wounded.

April 5, 1974: Richard Crossman, 66, who supported Zionist efforts while serving on the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry after World War II, dies from liver cancer in England.

April 6, 1923: Shoshana Netanyahu is born in Danzig, which is now Gdansk, Poland. She becomes the second woman to serve on the Israeli Supreme Court.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL NEWS

Photos courtesy of Jon Marks Photography

Emory’s Ken Stein, who heads the Center for Israel Education and Institute for the Study of Modern Israel, is the guest speaker at the Ahavath Achim/Israel Bonds event honoring Margo Gold, the president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Ahavath Achim board member Richard Swerdlin (left) and synagogue President Rob Wildstein flank honoree Larry Gold.

Ahavath Achim honorees Larry and Margo Gold pose with the Israel Bonds Star of David Award.

Carl Capelouto presents the Israel Bonds Star of David Award to Mindi and Scott Miller at the Temple Emanu-El dinner.

Emanu-El Rabbi Scott Colbert, who is retiring at the end of June, presents the Star of David Award to Mindy and Noah Rosner.

Sold on Supporting Israel With Bonds Achim Synagogue. Tamar and Guy Harari get their turn in the honor spotlight over brunch Sunday, April 2, at Congregation Or VeShalom. (Registration was due Monday, March 27, but if you’re interested in the $40 event, you can try contacting Tracie Bernstein at tracie.bernstein­@ israelbonds.com or 404-857-1065.) ■

Arthur Katz, who serves as Temple EmanuEl’s co-president as well as the chairman of the Israel Bonds Atlanta Advisory Council, and Emanu-El Senior Rabbi Spike Anderson attend the congregation’s honor dinner.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Israel Bonds Atlanta has kept busy of late with events honoring representatives of specific synagogues. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, a dinner at Temple Emanu-El presented the Star of David Award to Mindi and Scott Miller and to Mindy and Noah Rosner. On Sunday, March 19, Margo and Larry Gold were the honorees at a brunch at Ahavath

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OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

The Resistance

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Some 18,000 people, including hundreds from Atlanta, met in Washington this past week for the AIPAC Policy Conference and got quite a show.

Alan Dershowitz demonstrated what members of a Conexx mission to Israel saw in November: a machine that pulls drinking water out of thin air.

More important, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley showed that there’s a new sheriff in town at the United Nations. Israel still has far more enemies than friends in that global bureaucracy, but the Palestinians should recognize that the Obama administration’s acceptance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 in December was an aberration in U.S. policy.

That clarity is crucial because the Palestinian leadership, such as it is, will enter bilateral talks only when it understands that all other paths to statehood are blocked. If Mahmoud Abbas’ eternal four-year term as president ever ends, we hope his successor will see the necessity of direct, two-party negotiations.

All of which makes us wonder about the thinking of the thousand or so protesters who gathered to oppose AIPAC. To those Jewish protesters, led by the anti-occupation IfNotNow, AIPAC is the bogeyman, the embodiment of a monolithic, inhuman enemy known collectively as the Jewish Establishment, an entity that they insist doesn’t represent them or the overwhelming majority of American Jews.

The resistors see the establishment as blindly pro-Israel, pro-occupation, anti-Palestinian and antiMuslim, fueled by shady big donors, and so devoted to Israel, right or wrong, that it aligns with alt-right anti-Semites to get more support for Israel.

It’s the kind of dark vision of abusive Jewish wealth and power that Jew-haters have long used.

It’s no wonder that IfNotNow members have adopted aggressive “nonviolence” that leads to arrests and violent confrontations: If those who disagree with you are all-powerful monsters thwarting the will of the majority, if they are causing oppression and suffering, what action isn’t justified against them?

That’s the danger of this new Jewish resistance.

We’re all for active opposition to people in power.

We’re all for people exercising their rights to demonstrate and speak out — especially if we disagree with their opinions. We appreciate a vigorous debate and reject the idea that any human is right about everything all the time.

But these protesters on the left are too perfectly mirroring the worst elements of the extreme right they profess to hate. They practice for-me-or-againstme absolutism and refuse to see fellow Jews as people, refuse to see nuance, refuse to acknowledge that well-meaning, intelligent people can disagree on the means if they share a vision of the ends.

Like Israel itself, AIPAC and other Jewish institutions are far from perfect. But AIPAC, like most of the groups IfNotNow opposes, wants what’s best for Israel and the Jewish people.

Those who have different ideas about what is best should try persuasion instead of demonization, recognize that mentioning Islam and terrorism in the same breath doesn’t mean someone is Islamophobic, and understand that when we see the world in black and 10 white, we miss most of the reality and all the beauty. ■

Cartoon by Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle

The Jewish Future Is Now The Collaboratory is the least known and hardresources. est to explain of the recent rush of national Jewish Under new CEO Eric Robbins, Federation may organizations meeting in be headed in that direcAtlanta, but it might be the tion. It’s no accident that most important.

Federation employees, inEditor’s Notebook The Collaboratory is cluding Robbins, were easy where Jewish social entreto find at the conference.

By Michael Jacobs preneurs with great ideas It also was no accident mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com about how to enhance Jewthat the fifth annual Colish life build the networks laboratory was held at the and gain the tools that will Grand Hyatt Buckhead, the support and sustain them in the decades to come. same hotel as the Jewish Funders Network, and beI heard about only a few of the innovative, nextgan immediately after that conference of big Jewish generation organizations working in pockets of the philanthropists ended. Inevitably, ideas need money.

Jewish community across the country over roughly A key post-Collaboratory event was a pop-up 27 hours Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21 and 22. giving circle, during which all participants got a But from the growth of the work of chevra taste of what it’s like to be a philanthropist, assess kadisha (burial societies) to the suicide-preventing your own charitable principles (local vs. global, Jewsupport for Jews who leave the ultra-Orthodox comish vs. secular) and apply them to sort out which of munity, from Persian Jews in Los Angeles to Jewish many worthwhile causes to support. collegians studying abroad, from an artists’ retreat This giving circle event, organized by Amplifier in New York to an urban farm outside Chicago, Jews and Slingshot, emphasized how innovative Jewish are launching and sustaining creative responses to Atlanta is. Six organizations based or operating specific needs they identify in the community. in Atlanta made pitches: the Atlanta Jewish Music Gatherings such as The Collaboratory facilitate Festival, Jewish Kids Groups, JScreen, SOJOURN, the spread and reinforcement of the good ideas and OneTable and Moishe House. provide a forum for lessons learned about what can Each of eight tables had $700 to donate, thanks go wrong. They also offer reassurance to innovators to an anonymous funder, and each had its own dedevoted to specific solutions to specific problems in bate about which group should get the money. an era when focused, streamlined efforts not only My table picked JScreen. The music festival, can succeed, but are the preferable approach.

OneTable and Jewish Kids Groups each won one taThere was a time when the Jewish community ble. Four tables chose SOJOURN, viewing its LGBTQ needed an organization such as Federation to be support programs as life-or-death measures. Only everything to all people, collecting donations and Moishe House walked away without a donation. delivering services. Now, perhaps, while Federation The important thing isn’t that SOJOURN has continues to provide core support for foundational an extra $2,800; it’s what comes next. All the energy institutions such as day schools and summer camps, and excitement of the conference won’t mean anyits increasingly important role is to identify comthing if the innovators and funders alike don’t apply munity issues, incubate innovators responding to their new lessons and new connections to change those problems and connect them to sustainable the Jewish world, one creative solution at a time. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Why I Am Voting for Judson Hill Hill was in the state Senate for over 10 years and had a distinguished record of legislation. He fought for lower home taxes and was instrumental in saving the HOPE Scholarship when it was near bankruptcy. He was

Guest Column

By Jeffrey Kunkes

in the forefront of having the state of Georgia buy $15 million of Israel Bonds. He was a major supporter of the state giving money for Federation’s Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities project, which is the blueprint followed by many states.

Most important, Hill drafted and guided to passage legislation that prevented Georgia from doing business with or investing in businesses doing business with Iran. This past year he was the leader in getting Georgia to stop doing business with entities that

boycott, divest from or sanction Israel.

The Jewish community owes Judson Hill for his bold initiatives, which are being copied in other states.

Also under the Republican leadership, communities starting with Sandy Springs and including Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Johns Creek and Milton were liberated as independent cities, free of a stifling county government.

Under Republican state government, unemployment has dropped, the state budget runs a surplus, and Georgia has made the list of the top five states to do business for five years.

If you have any doubt about this renaissance, drive from Sandy Springs to South Georgia and see the headquarters for Mercedes, then Porsche and finally the Kia factory. When you watch “The Walking Dead” or countless other shows, watch the credits for the “made in Georgia” logo. Only Hollywood is ahead of us in movie and television production.

But the Democrats have put up a new singing group running for Congress: Jon Ossoff and the four nobodies.

The plan is to anoint Ossoff (just as the

party hacks anointed Hillary Clinton and undercut Bernie Sanders) and let the Republicans slug it out. Our district is being invaded by Democratic operatives going door to door and looking like Scientologists praising Ossoff. Millions of dollars are pouring in.

However, there is no there there with Ossoff. Young, yes. Handsome, yes. A bright future, possibly. But accomplishments, no. Lives in the district, no. Legislative experience, no.

I have yet to hear any ideas or policies from Ossoff. I know he served as a staffer with Rep. Hank Johnson, who thinks Jews are like termites, and has the endorsement of Rep. John Lewis, who boycotted the Trump and, oh, I forgot, Bush inaugurations.

Our district deserves better. We do not need an obstructionist, but rather someone with successful legislative experience. Our district has been served admirably by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Johnny Isakson and Price. We need to keep up this high standard, ignore the noise and coalesce around Hill, who supported the Jewish community when we needed it. ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Just when you thought it was safe to walk around the neighborhood and talk again to old friends who voted for the other person, the people of the 6th District are being dragged back into a contentious election to replace Dr. Tom Price, who served this district fantastically for over 12 years but is now the secretary of health and human services.

The primary date is Tuesday, April 18. New political signs are sprouting up like cherry blossoms.

This is an open election in which all candidates run against one another, and, if no one wins a majority, the top two face off in a runoff June 20.

The Republicans have 11 candidates in a field of 18, which shows the diversity and strength of leadership in this district. But this large number could split the vote and allow a Democrat to sneak into the top two.

The top four Republicans are former state Sens. Judson Hill and Dan Moody, businessman Bob Gray, and former Secretary of State Karen Handel.

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OPINION

Letters To The Editor

Sugarman Shined in Scouts

The first person to recognize Rabbi Alvin Sugarman’s potential (“Our View: Dean of Rabbis,” March 24) was Josiah Benator, the famous Scout master of Troop 73. A spiritual man, Mr. Benator believed that his group of Scouts in the early 1950s should daven when on a camping trip over Shabbat.

He picked the future Rabbi Sugarman to speak to us in the wilderness.

I had the good fortune of being in the troop, and once in a while I got the opportunity to lead the services as well.

As Rabbi Sugarman developed before he went to Hebrew Union College, he spent Shabbatot with my late parents, Anna and Louis Geffen, who also understood what a gift he had and encouraged him to become a rabbi.

I have been privileged to watch Rabbi Sugarman from Israel as he led The Temple, as he studied and wrote his doctorate, as he was cited as one of the outstanding individuals in Emory’s history, and as he labored for the Jewish and general communities of Atlanta.

For me, it is a moving coincidence

that Rabbi Joshua Heller, whose inauguration I attended, is the son of my late classmate Rabbi Zachary Heller, a noted Conservative movement figure.

We wish Alvin and his wife, Barbara, many more delightful years with each other and their children and grandchildren. Atlanta should be proud that a native son has risen to such spiritual heights.

— Rita and Rabbi David Geffen, Jerusalem

A Vote for Ossoff

I am supporting 6th District Democratic congressional candidate Jon Ossoff because Jon is a promising candidate who is very intelligent and poised and is a phenomenal speaker. I have had the opportunity to meet him three times, and I believe he is what our community needs to turn things around for Georgia.

I am feeling very unsettled with what I am hearing from the Trump administration. This is our chance as a community to tell the world that the people in Georgia’s 6th District do not agree with how the White House is running our country and do not share President Donald Trump’s values. Jon will be our voice in Washington.

— Sandi Strasberg, Dunwoody

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Paying for Protection In August 2014, an article provocatively titled “End the ‘Jew Tax’ ” appeared on The Huffington Post.

At the time, the war in Gaza was blamed for a spike in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment.

“The poisonous impact is deeply personal for every Diaspora Jew. My family and many others pay what I’ve dubbed the ‘Jew Tax’; that is, the portion of our suburban Chicago synagogue dues that goes for surveillance cameras, alarms and a security guard on duty during services and when kids are in Hebrew school,” wrote Michael Millenson, a “religiously serious” Jew (who also is an expert on health care economics).

He revisited the subject in January 2015, when French Jews were attacked.

“I wrote in August how some Jewish organizations have taken down identifying signs and how one Jewish day school protects its parking lot with thick steel gates designed to deter would-be car bombers. I lamented that the anti-Israel anti-Semites who cannot put us in ghettos have slowly forced us to build our own walls. The problem has steadily grown,” he said.

The “Jew tax” came to mind when my congregation sought donations to enhance security.

By the time you read this, we will know more about the young man arrested in Israel in connection with bomb threats telephoned and emailed to Jewish institutions in the United States and other countries (see Page 5).

Even if his arrest clears up those threats, the gravestones in Jewish cemeteries have not toppled by themselves, synagogues are not vandalized by remote control, and online hatred is not expressed by accident.

To be clear, anti-Semitism has plagued the Jewish community for years, irrespective of who sits in the Oval Office (though the current occupant’s election campaign did seem to embolden a particular strain of bigot).

Incidents the past few months have prompted Jewish institutions to examine their security.

The website of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, which received threats by telephone and email, includes a page welcoming online donations to its security fund. Bomb threats also have been called in to Atlanta Jewish Academy and the Atlanta office of the Anti-Defamation League.

“In the world of security, there are

always improvements you can make,” said Cathal Lucy, the 25-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service who has managed the security portfolio for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta since October 2015. “Emergency action plans are live documents. That’s something

From Where I Sit

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

that should be reviewed continuously.”

Lucy praised his predecessor, Dick Raisler, who made Atlanta one of the first federations to create a community security program and in 2014 hosted the first conference of federation security directors.

“We are kind of like the template, if you will, for other federations,” Lucy said.

He meets every three months with a committee whose 100-plus members represent Jewish institutions. He maintains contact with the Secure Community Network, an arm of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Yearround, he keeps institutions informed, works with them on training their staffs and makes security inspections.

“Security is expensive, and things cost money to implement,” Lucy said.

“It’s kind of difficult to inject security changes instantly when a situation happens.”

Jewish institutions have taken advantage of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

Since 2007, Atlanta’s Jewish community has received nearly $3 million.

Three weeks ago, “when children are being evacuated from daycare centers in response to repeated bomb threats and Mosques are deliberately being set on fire,” 19 U.S. senators sent Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly a letter urging an increase in the program’s funding from $20 million in fiscal 2017 to $50 million next year.

But President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would fold that money into general emergency preparedness grants given to the states, a prospect that JFNA objected to in testimony before Congress.

My congregation asked for $50.

Another congregant suggested using multiples of 18. So $54 it was. ■

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MARCH 31 â–ª 2017

LOCAL NEWS

Reform Rabbis Find Civil Rights Inspiration

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

By Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder

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There were many kippot and long, dark, curly heads and even some kippot on long, curly locks along Peachtree Street from March 19 to 22 as Atlanta played host to the annual convention of the largest rabbinical association in the world, the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis.

More than 500 visiting rabbis were treated to Southern hospitality and the best of Atlanta.

“It has been a wonderful experience for all the Atlanta rabbis to welcome our colleagues and to give them a taste of the best of what our beautiful city has to offer, most especially to share dear friends with our colleagues, like Mayor Reed and Reverend Warnock, and our best and brightest teachers, such as Deborah Lipstadt, Ken Stein and Paul Wolpe, to name just a few,” said Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple.

In his presentation to the convention, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed drove home the strong relationship he has with the Jewish community.

Asked by a convention attendee how Jews should respond when they see potential allies involved in anti-Semitic behavior, Reed was unequivocal: “Call me. I can hold my own community accountable. Let us take a forwardlooking position.”

He noted that when Black Lives Matter activists demanded that he break the relationship between Atlanta and Israeli police, he immediately refused.

Reed encouraged rabbis to build friendships like the one he has with Rabbi Berg and to “reach out to people you respect and have a conversation.”

For Rabbi Beth Singer of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, who is deeply involved in civil rights in California, “Nothing beats the experience of attending worship services at the Ebenezer Baptist Church with Reverend Warnock. Dr. King’s sister was in the congregation with hundreds of other exuberant worshippers. Being in a room filled with blacks, Jews and a shared passion for G-d’s spirit of justice was a taste of how things should always be everywhere.”

Justice was an important theme throughout the convention, which included an address by Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder Joseph J. Levin

During the CCAR convention in Midtown, Rabbi Peter Berg also plays a role at the Jewish Funders Network convention at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead.

Jr., himself a Reform Jew, who spoke of the broad rise in hatred and discrimination in the recent past and compared the current environment to his own experiences growing up during segregation. “We have seen a rejection of diversity. Arguably we are back to an era where bias is not hidden, but open and explicit.”

The Jim Crow era and the role of Jews in the fight for civil rights were brought home with visits to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and to The Temple for an exclusive showing of “The Temple Bombing” in the sanctuary.

Rabbi Larry Bach of Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, N.C., said those experiences were a strong reminder of what inspires his rabbinate.

According to all who were interviewed, one of the most powerful elements of the convention was the act of being together, connecting with colleagues and friends, discussing the challenges of the modern rabbinate, and getting inspiration.

“One cannot be a Jew alone,” said Temple Sinai Rabbi Ron Segal, who moved up to the position of CCAR president-elect during the convention.

“The presence of community is essential for us to fulfill our ritual, emotional and spiritual needs as Jews.

The same is certainly true for rabbis as well,” Rabbi Segal said. “In a professional calling which can be isolating and even a bit lonely at times, our annual CCAR convention provides an important opportunity for rabbinic colleagues to come together and experience an educationally rich and spiritually rejuvenating sense of community. And when our Jewish world is encountering challenges and external threats which demand a strong and unified voice and response, the importance of being together as a community of rabbis is even more vital, as we can learn from expert teachers, leaders and thinkers about when and how best to use our collective rabbinic voices.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

By Patrice Worthy The changing community makes it nearly impossible to define a standard Jewish identity. For example, Jews of color are the fastest-growing demographic, and political views are becoming more diverse.

During the second plenary session of the Jewish Funders Network conference in Buckhead, Yehuda Kurtzer spoke of how the Jewish community can navigate the shifts and still thrive.

“We Jews in America have been living through revolutions classified in themes as ethnic, political and institutional,” said Kurtzer, the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America’s president. The revolutions of the 20th century were catastrophic, but the revolutions now are slower and are changing Jewish behavior and meaning.

“Once upon a time, there was an us and there was a clear them. A common Judaism of 21st century no longer holds sway,” he said.

Some Jews feel left behind, but Slingshot board chair Sara Rueven said we’re gaining as a community by being open to change. She said the many organizations popping up to serve millennials are helping Jews move forward.

“We’re gaining the soul of Judaism,” she said. “These organizations are training grounds for young Jews and giving them opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Change is nothing new to Judaism.

April Baskin, the vice president of audacious hospitality at the Union for Reform Judaism, said: “Our sacred book the Torah teaches us how to navigate this. I think as a people our operational model is weak. We need to learn how to be in more effective relationships.”

Though the Torah has bound Jews for thousands of years, it also has fueled evolution within society. Although Judaism is expanding and assimilating more into mainstream society, Kurtzer said the success of Jews has always depended on authentic Jewish ideology.

“We as a Jewish people do our best when we’re presenting a counterculture idea to society,” he said. “That is to say the Torah is a counterculture document. When we as a people do what we believe is right, we more effectively influence culture, and then it doesn’t matter about the numbers. What matters is the message.” ■

Revolutionizing Jewish Philanthropy

By Patrice Worthy Lisa Eisen, vice president at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, stood in front of Jewish Funders Network members at a conference session on Jewish philanthropy in this new political era and said, “Let the revolution begin.”

The JFN session aimed to guide philanthropic organizations in unpredictable times. Seven tables were designated with topics such as creating spaces for dialogue, strengthening the center, fighting anti-Semitism and bigotry, supporting service and social action, promoting civic education and engagement, advancing women’s leadership, and cultivating U.S.-Israel ties.

Those talking points are areas in which Eisen said Jewish philanthropic efforts must be increased. “Everybody in this room has the resources, the knowledge and connections to make the change we need in the new era,” she said. “We need to look in unlikely places inside and outside the Jewish community for new partners.”

She emphasized coalition building as a skill that can stabilize many not-

Photo courtesy NCJW

National Council of Jewish Women CEO Nancy Kaufman speaks at her organization’s convention, which was held days after the JFN conference less than a mile away. For coverage of the NCJW convention and more from the JFN gathering, visit www.atlantajewishtimes. com and read our April 7 issue.

for-profit organizations in the sandbox of political and social change.

Amid uncertainty, solutions must be adaptable for various outcomes, which to Eisen means embracing diversity. “We need to all think differently.

It’s our chance to grow, learn and become more effective as a community.”

Lisa Hofheimer, the financial director at the Lee Liberman Foundation, an organization that uses the testimony of genocide and Holocaust survivors as educational material to build empathy, said her foundation is launching a farming initiative to build

bridges within the community.

“We’re looking at neutral spaces where people can convene that is independent of where they stand politically or religiously,” she said.

Having difficult conversations with those who hold opposing views is important for the future, said Nancy Kaufman, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, which opened its triennial convention in Buckhead a couple of days after JFN ended its conference. She said dialogue and engagement are essential to help women feel a sense of empowerment.

“We can’t just talk to ourselves. We need to talk to Muslim women, bluecollar women and women who didn’t vote to find out what they are thinking,” Kaufman said.

Overhauling business as usual is the only way Jewish philanthropic organizations will succeed in the new era, Eisen said. As she made her final remarks, she reiterated the need to find new solutions to millennial problems.

“What got us here won’t get us there,” she said. “The same old strategies that got us here today won’t get us to tomorrow.” ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Torah Guides Change

15

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HOME & GARDEN

Topol Designs for Living, Not Fashion

By Patrice Worthy Stan Topol has a penchant for a well-decorated room.

The celebrity interior designer and owner of Atlanta-based Stan Topol & Associates worked under the legendary designer Billy Baldwin in New York. Originally from Greenville, Miss., Topol got his start at Delta State University after a short stint at Tulane, which came to an end after he was caught living in the French Quarter with a woman.

He studied fine art and taught interior design at the Art Institute of Atlanta. His claim to fame is working on the Atlanta home of Elton John.

Topol talked with the AJT about interior design and how to bring comfort and style into any home.

AJT: Looking at your work, I notice your style provides more comfort than most interior designers. How would you describe your work?

Topol: My style is different; it’s called comfortable. You want your client to be able to move through a room without bumping into anything. Interior design is not fashion. I don’t follow trends; I follow what people like. Today, furniture is too low. It’s all about the TV, and I’m all about conversation. It’s much more expensive to do something trendy than to do something stylish and classic.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

AJT: How do you begin the process of designing a client’s home?

Topol: I like to walk through their home to see what they wear and where

16

Stan Topol, who has designed for Elton John several times, worked from this sketch to develop the living room in the singer’s Atlanta apartment.

they sit. When I walk through the house, I walk through the living room because I don’t understand not enjoying the living room. I am adamant about the master bedroom and living room, and I always think about who looks good in the room. I also go to the closest and look at what they have and what they think they look good in.

AJT: How do you look for a standout piece?

Topol: A lot of finding great pieces and getting the best pieces is education.

For example, I fly to South America if I’m looking for Jean-Michel Frank because he escaped from Germany, and I know where Jews went. I bought a lot of Jean-Michel Frank for clients.

AJT: What was it like designing the home of Sir Elton John?

Topol: I did Elton John’s apartment here in Atlanta three times and some additions. I also did a small house for

one of his friends. He interviewed two designers and chose me. He handed me an off-white rose because that is the coloring he likes. said, “Can you make my apartment look like this?” And I said, “I sure can.” It was the coloring he liked. Elton has taste, and it was a beautiful marriage between an interior designer and a client. I took him to Miller Gallery in New York and helped him start his photography collection.

AJT: Do you normally introduce your clients to different artwork and/ or artists?

Topol: My background is in fine art. A few of my clients like my eye. I got one of my clients to purchase the largest Helen Frankenthaler piece in the Southeast, and the artwork in Elton’s apartment was all me.

AJT: What is your advice to someone who is preparing to design a home?

Stan Topol likes to combine classic looks with comfort in his interior designs.

Topol: If you choose an interior designer, make sure you choose someone who understands the style in which you want to live. I think before a person hires an interior designer they need to think about what the person has done. A room shouldn’t look pretentious; pretention is for people who don’t know what they’re doing.

AJT: What are your must-haves for a room?

Topol: A comfortable chair to sit in and a piece of art that’s an investment. ■

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HOME & GARDEN

Farmer-Educator Takes Root at Federation When Eric Robbins was hired as the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s CEO last spring, he spoke of his desire to shake things up, do things differently, maybe even have an urban farm.

Federation isn’t in the farming business yet, but it does have its first farmer on staff. Emily Blustein, who grew up in Madison, Wis., joined Federation in early March as a Jewish Outdoor Food, Farming & Environmental Education fellow.

“She’s going to be creating all kinds of new spaces where people can connect with nature, can connect with our heritage,” Robbins told the audience at a “Why Be Jewish?” program March 9 at the Selig Center.

JOFEE is a program of Jewish environmental group Hazon, best known in Atlanta as one of the beneficiaries of the Israel Ride fundraiser.

Hazon is in the second year of a three-year JOFEE pilot program in which fellows are trained to spread education about food, the outdoors and sustainability. Each fellowship lasts a year with an interested organization, which joins Hazon and community donors in financing the program.

Federation has two of the 18 fellows in the 2017-18 class. In addition to Blustein, Federation’s Birthright Israel engagement associate, Ryan Kaplan, is a JOFEE fellow, although his focus is on teaching sustainability and healthy living to young adults.

Blustein is teaching about food and getting hands-on with urban farming programs for all age groups.

“Urban farming is really intriguing to me. I really like that,” the 30-yearold said, explaining that the chance to bring farming to people where they live was part of the appeal of coming to Atlanta instead of being based at a retreat center. (As a side benefit, the vegan has discovered Cinnaholic’s “life-changing” cinnamon rolls.)

Blustein’s fellowship, which runs until January, aims to make connections among Atlantans’ everyday lives, their environment, their food and the Jewish community most are ignoring.

“It’s out of the box. It’s Jewish engagement in a different way,” said Stephanie Wyatt, Federation’s vice president of engagement and leadership development. The hope is that Jews who express an interest in environmentalism and sustainability through such efforts as growing their own food and donating fresh produce

Emily Blustein doesn’t usually wear the stereotypical farmer overalls during classroom lessons, although they are practical when she’s outside. Instead, she often finds herself in costume while teaching about food and the environment.

to food banks will begin to see those initiatives through a Jewish lens.

It’s all there in the Torah, Wyatt said, from leaving the corners of fields for the poor to giving the land a rest every seven years.

It’s also all there in Blustein’s background. Although she didn’t grow up on a farm in Madison, she went to school with children from farm families and went to day care on a farm.

She said she always had an interest in where food came from and learned as early as age 5 about protecting the soil: Her family couldn’t have a vegetable garden because the soil had high levels of lead.

She attended a two-year outdoor

environmental education program at Prescott College in Arizona, but she realized she wanted to do more than be an outdoor tour guide.

She went to Israel and lived and worked on an educational farm in Modi’in that specialized in teaching permaculture, which is an effort to achieve sustainable agriculture by making connections among all the elements on a farm, including the people.

“It’s a really beautiful way” to farm, she said.

When she returned to the United States, she enlisted in an AmeriCorps farm-to-education program in Madison under the Agriculture Department.

Then she heard about Hazon’s

JOFEE fellowship. “ ‘Wow, that really sounds like they’re kind of describing everything that I like, and it’s all in one place.’ So I was really excited to apply,” Blustein said.

Applying the lessons of permaculture, she hopes to build JOFEE connections across the community during her limited time here and make Jewish Atlantans hungry for more.

She’ll spend two months this summer based at Camp Ramah Darom, but Federation intends for her to be a resource for other Jewish camps and, if the logistics work, to rotate among them.

Back in Atlanta, she’ll be available to work with schools, synagogues and other organizations. She’ll help Jewish Family & Career Services with its giving garden on its renovated Dunwoody campus and participate in programs with the Marcus Jewish Community Center. She’ll spark collaborations with the likes of Souper Jenny Levison and Levison’s new anti-hunger nonprofit.

Maybe she’ll even help Federation start its own garden, if not its own urban farm. ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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HOME & GARDEN

Leibowitz Breaks Boundaries With Color and Light Sandy Springs resident Harriet Leibowitz can be found working in her monochromatic home photography studio or hanging upside down on a yoga swing from the center of the ceiling.

It’s a light-filled room that is energized by the activity, whether it is making pictures, celebrating the holidays or quietly meditating.

The remainder of the house zings with Leibowitz’s works: floor-to-ceiling figures, colored squares, nudes, dancers and flowers.

She calls them “scrims of colors — all about light, space, movement and mystery.”

Leibowitz is constantly searching for projects for the interpretation of her own observations. She has works in public and private collections: the High Museum of Art, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Sir Elton John Photography Collection, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, IBM, CocaCola and the Four Seasons Hotel.

Her printed media exposure includes Vanity Fair, Vibe, “The Male Nude,” “The Nude in Contemporary Photography,” Atlanta Magazine, and Town & Country. She is represented in Georgia by Alan Avery Art. She is known for pushing the edge of her film, resulting in provocative and sensual studies of gender and self-identity.

The house itself is an engaging backdrop for her work. There is a Ben Smith woodcut, a mid-century modern chandelier, a salon wall of classic photographs, and displays of assembled Legos, Asian chests, and an array of family photos.

Her husband, Henry, a retired orthodontist and accomplished potter, displays his ceramics. His work creates organic spaces to complete the pleasing and offbeat vision.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Jaffe: You’re a local Grady High School gal. Were you always artistic?

Leibowitz: I was always involved in creative endeavors and spoke my own language. Originally, I painted, particularly figures and faces, but explored all media until I found the magic and power in a photograph. My formal training is an M.F.A. degree from Georgia State and a B.S. degree from Boston University. I was able to immerse myself in the history and phi18 losophy of photography. It enabled me

to be fearless and to embrace experiment and examination as part of the creative process.

Jaffe: What about photography specifically appeals to you?

Leibowitz: It’s a medium for expression. I capture the light, the space, the moment. Photography is like magic in expressing an idea. Photography plays with reality and perception.

Chai-Style Homes

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Jaffe: How has technology affected your photography?

Leibowitz: I originally had a dark room. Now it’s a computer room. My studio is where I work on making the magic happen. It’s where my models and I work together to achieve a synchronicity that has meaning and delights the eye and mind. For me, it happens in the camera without a lot of post-processing.

Jaffe: You have a reputation for being rather edgy. From where does that stem?

Leibowitz: So here you will see most of my work centers around form and figures. Edgy? A photographer should be able to capture the other side of what you expect. It’s my job as an artist to enlighten, inform and inspire, to bring to an image more than what is physically present. There is a dark side. There is a bright side. I create a vision, but it is open for anyone’s interpretation. Everyone can bring their own experience to an image and find meaning that is particular to them.

Jaffe: Some of your work represents the LGBT community. Would you call that your niche?

Leibowitz: In the 1990s I began exploring form and finding light in the inherent beauty everyone possesses.

The images are about optimism, honor and dignity. Many of the models are gay, but it makes no difference to me if they are gay, straight or trans. They gave generously and freely, and we made work that transcends the physical and addresses the humanity in all of us.

Jaffe: Who are some of your favor-

Photos by Harriet Leibowitz

“Boys Club”

“Full House”

“Geishas”

ite photographers?

Leibowitz: I find inspiration from artists who are not necessarily photographers. I’m a fan of Kandinsky, who is credited with creating the first abstract paintings based on an inner spirit and beauty. Robert Longo, who examines gender, power and angst, is another artist that I admire. And let me not forget Francis Bacon and his highly emotional and rough paintings.

As for photographers, I like Harry Callahan’s images of his wife.

They are simultaneously tender and formal — the ultimate expression of an artist and his subject. I also adore the work of Gregory Crewdson, who sets an elaborate tableau. He shoots small-town America and cinematic large scenes with movie crews. His dramatic lighting makes for a surreal experience.

Jaffe: You have traveled the world, yet I don’t see any National Geographic-type photos.

Leibowitz: When I travel, I want to enjoy just that experience. On the other hand, photography has given me 35 years of worlds of experiences I would not have had otherwise. I

“Mortal”

certainly understand photographing what we witness. It creates a solid memory to testify that we have been there. It gives us the ability to hang on just a little longer. I just choose to assimilate the observation into my overall experience. I do have plenty of images of my travels; some of the places are just so overwhelming that I have to record them. My work is more something I create in my head than something I respond to.

Jaffe: What’s left for you to conquer?

Leibowitz: Not sure I can conquer anything, but I can certainly continue more exploration. The fun is in this process. I will always have questions about our perceptions and interpretations as opposed to what is really happening. My plan is to continue making images that transcend their aesthetic and tell a meaningful story.

Jaffe: Do people mistake you for world-famous photographer Annie Leibovitz?

Leibowitz: Sometimes. … People do ask me if I am related. It’s a logical question. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

HOME & GARDEN

B

A

C Photos by Duane Stork

A: Harriet Leibowitz poses in her entrance with her white-figured photograph “Silhouette #4” on the left and Ben Smith’s woodcut “Orpheus With Lyre” on the right.

B: An Asian chest on the left accents four colorful Leibowitz squares, titled (clockwise from top left) “Powder,” “Burnt Orange,” “Mudd” and “Magenta.”

C: Positioned above the master tub is Harriet Leibowitz’s 2006 photo “Translucent.” The black-and-white “Larry” is on the right.

D: Two life-size Harriet Leibowitz photos, “Garnet” and “Vermillion,” contrast with Henry Leibowitz’s white ceramics on the dining table.

E: The study features Harriet Leibowitz’s photograph “Dialogue,”. with a display of Henry Leibowitz’s pottery on the left.

F: Harriet Leibowitz takes a break in her home photography studio.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

D

E

F

19

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JNF Cooks Kosher With Susie Fishbein Susie Fishbein, America’s kosher lifestyle cook and celebrity chef, prepared lunch Thursday, March 23, at Carole Salzberg’s East Cobb home for Jewish National Fund women.

Fishbein, who was named to the Forward 50 as one of the most influential Jews in America, is known for her easy, elegant and healthy recipes in the “Kosher by Design” cookbook series. I own “Kosher

by Design Lightens Up” and “Kosher

by Design Short on Time.” Other books include Passover, kids and entertaining.

Strictly approved by Orthodox rabbis, her work expanded into Reform and Conservative kitchens because of the books’ appeal: full-color, FULL glossy pages of food displays formed WARRANTY by her top-shelf team, including a florist from the Plaza Hotel, Manhattan event planners and table-setting experts.

Fishbein, a mother of four and former public school teacher, prepared eggplant-and-tomato tart, cold carrotcoconut vichyssoise and salmon primavera for a group of 30 women in East Cobb.

She said she is a “big Atlanta fan” because her daughter attended Emory University.

Beth Gluck, the Southern Zone director of JNF, extolled the good work JNF does in research and development for agriculture and in maximization of Israel’s water resources.

She described her favorite project, which hosts 1,400 farmers on the Jordanian border to learn the modern techniques Israel develops and shares.

Gluck said, “Over 50 percent of the attendees are women learning in the

classroom and fields.”

Fishbein added, “Israel does not get sufficient publicity of the good they do sharing know-how in needy places like Africa.”

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Fishbein: Luckily, I am as busy as ever. My weekly cooking demo schedule for 2017 is almost full and includes great stops like this one in Atlanta. I just returned from running my annual Culinary Tour of Israel, which takes place each February. I write a column for Mishpacha magazine and always have other pots simmering. Last summer I launched the first-ever-ofits-kind Kosher Culinary Institute for kids for the NJY Camps. The facility was built to my specifications and is state of the art as far as kids’ Withcooking this Money Mailer schools go. Follow me on the NotSusie valid with any othe Fishbein’s Fan Page on Facebook and Expires 2/3/14 on Instagram at Susie Fishbein.

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PASSOVER Event chairwoman Carole Salzberg opened her home for days of preparation.

Tips From Fishbein • Make your own vegetable stock and freeze it. It’s healthier (less sodium) and tastes better.

• Even if you are at home trying to launch a cupcake business, take yourself very seriously so others do.

• Get to know your fishmonger. Quality fresh fish does not smell. I’m not wild about Costco fish or prepackaged fish.

Susie Fishbein prepares primavera salmon for the JNF women.

flavor, and I had to find ingredients to stand in for my easy go-to ones like puff pastry. This is much closer to the way I cook today but it was newer to me at that time.

I love each of the books like a child. Each represents a special time and a place in my life.

as putting food on my table is something I never have to think twice about but never take for granted.

Jaffe: What advice would you give young people today for setting up their own kitchens and developing cooking

• Learn more cooking techniques instead of following recipes. I myself never took a cooking class.

• My favorite go-to topping is Honeycup mustard — goes on fish, chicken, dips.

• Israel gave the eggplant to Italy, who initially derided it as “crazy apple.” An old Arab saying is “Do not marry a woman who cannot prepare eggplant in 40 ways.”

habits?

Fishbein: Don’t over-buy, don’t over-plan and don’t overcook. Having a closetful of gadgets is fine and fun, but I can do 90 percent of what I know how to do with a good knife and a cutting board. When you are entertain-

ing, put your menu and shopping lists on paper so you are not tempted to make too many dishes. Plan as if you are dining at a fine restaurant: a soup/ salad, an appetizer, one (maybe two) mains, a vegetable, a grain and a single dessert. No dessert buffets needed. ■

Jaffe: What is your husband’s favorite meal?

Fishbein: He is a big fan of my Yemenite beef soup from “KBD Cooking Coach” and my roast turkey from the original “KBD.” Jaffe: What process do you go through to publish or endorse a new recipe?

Fishbein: I get an idea, either through discovery of a new spice/ingredient or by inspiration from dining out or travel. I work on the recipe, most often multiple times, to get it right. I used to hold tasting parties where groups of people would evaluate batches of 10 recipes. Sometimes there is no getting it right, and I move on.

Jaffe: You’ve been called “easygoing and gracious.” To what do you credit your success?

Fishbein: My mantra is “Have no ego, do your job well, and go home to your family.” Repeat the next day.

Jaffe: Do you have any favorite Jewish charities that you are involved in?

Fishbein: I am a big fan and supporter of Masbia, the only kosher soup kitchen in the New York area. Feeding people a healthy meal and a dose of dignity is the most basic of good deeds.

This speaks especially strongly to me

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Jaffe: You grew up in a kosher home. Were your mother and grandmother old-fashioned schmaltz cooks?

Fishbein: My mother is and my grandmother was awesome. Strong, capable, amazing and talented women in so many ways, just not in the kitchen.

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Hunger Seder Responds To Food Insecurity

By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com The seventh annual Atlanta Community Hunger Seder will be held at Ahavath Achim Synagogue at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 13, the fourth night of Passover.

All synagogues, Jewish organizations and other groups interested in anti-hunger activism are encouraged to join AA, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta, The Temple, Congregation Shearith Israel, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and others in promotion and sponsorship of the event.

The original Mazon/Jewish Council for Public Affairs Passover Hunger Seder Haggadah, created in 2014, has been modified to include anti-hunger agencies and issues relevant to Atlanta. With the four cups of wine reenvisioned to symbolize breaking the bonds of hunger in Atlanta, the Hunger Seder is an eye-opening, interfaith experience full of information and opportunities for advocacy.

Three hands-on activism components that were added to last year’s seder will be incorporated again. Participants will: • Learn about an array of local

anti-hunger agencies and initiatives through brief presentations and personal contact and be able to sign up to engage throughout the year with any organizations of interest at an on-site marketplace.

• Fill out postcards to endorse timely hunger-related issues and antihunger legislation.

• Package leftovers after the meal in individual containers, which will be taken directly to an awaiting Second Helpings Atlanta truck. All who are able will then caravan to distribute the meals to people in need.

Reaction to the addition of this final activism component last year was overwhelmingly positive. Participants found the immediacy of the food delivery to those in need to be impactful and rewarding.

The bountiful Atlanta Kosher Commission-certified meal will again be provided by Jodie Sturgeon and her team at For All Occasions and More.

Again spearheading the seder are AA Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal and the JCRC’s Harold Kirtz, along with a steering committee of representatives of several community agencies.

Registration is $36, and people are encouraged to subsidize an additional attendee if they can. ■

What: Atlanta Community Hunger Seder Where: Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13 Registration: $36, due by Wednesday, April 5; aasynagogue.org or form.jotform. com/70264020524140 Sponsorship: Contact Harold Kirtz at hkirtz@hotmail.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

PASSOVER

Gluten-Free, Organic And So Many Macaroons Moses Bester is checking the Passover inventory list twice at the Kroger at the Toco Hill Shopping Center.

Toco Kroger Helps Stock Pantries in Six States

By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com On a Passover shopping spree last year, I met a woman from South Carolina who had driven to Kroger at the Toco Hill Shopping Center to get her holiday items. She makes the same pilgrimage annually.

Why does she drive so far for kosher-for-Passover food for her family?

For the variety and selection.

The Kroger at 2205 LaVista Road is in an area known as an epicenter of observant Jewish life in Atlanta. To service the needs of the Toco Hills community, the store has more than 600 items in an expansive section designated for Passover shopping, in addition to seven fully stocked kosher-for-Passover freezer cases and a large refrigerated dairy section.

The offerings of holiday-specific wines increase each year.

In early March, several busy stockers were neatly perfecting displays and double-checking items against a 16-page inventory after the delivery of a second large truckload. Eight people had been filling shelves full time the two days prior.

One of the stockers said he thinks the Kroger Passover selection is not only the largest in Atlanta, but “probably the biggest south of Baltimore and north of Boca.”

So it may come as no surprise that the store draws Passover shoppers from six states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Betzalel Yochanan, the kosher foods manager at the supermarket, said the Passover order goes in around November. This year the store started stocking the Passover shelves seven to eight weeks out and will constantly fill in items until the holiday.

There is an air of mutual appreciation between the store and the surrounding Jewish community. Chaya Leah Starkman, who was at Kroger

doing her Passover shopping early, before the shelves were depleted, said: “Betzalel does a really, really good job.

He brings in great items. … He’s a gem.

He’s very dedicated, and if you want a product, he’ll get it for you. He’s really done a lot for the Kosher section.”

Glynn Jenkins, the public relations director for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, said he believes the Toco Hills and Fountain Oaks stores provide two of the largest kosher-for-Passover selections in Atlanta. “We appreciate and value our loyal customers and will continue to expand our different lines of kosher products in our Kroger Atlanta stores.” ■

A trip to the Toco Hills Kroger shows that no moss grows under the feet of kosher-for-Passover food manufacturers. The holiday section reveals specialization, health-consciousness, variety and innovation in a milieu that used to be stodgy, unhealthy and not particularly appetizing.

The selection of kosher-for-Passover wines continues to increase in volume, quality and varietals. From Sauvignon Blanc to Merlot, the venerable Mogen David is no longer your only choice for the required four cups.

An overwhelming trend is glutenfree. Sticking out on the first end cap as you approach the holiday section is a display five shelves high of gluten-free items, including original, fiber, cracked pepper, salt and pepper, onion and pepper, garlic and rosemary, and Shehakol matzah. There are three kinds of gluten-free cake mixes and four types of crackers. Options also abound for glu-

ten-free matzah and cake meals, as well as soup mixes. More gluten-free items are scattered throughout the section.

The option of tapioca starch instead of potato is not new, but now you can pick white almond or coconut flour over matzah cake meal.

Atlanta’s groundbreaking Foodman’s Matzolah has a new challenger in Manischewitz matzah granola.

From organic whole wheat to spelt, and the classic thin tea to egg, Kroger offers 10 types of matzah from five manufacturers, packaged singly and in multipacks.

And have you seen the choice in macaroons? It’s no longer just almond or even rocky road. Now you can choose from cappuccino chip, carrot cake, sugar-free coconut, hazelnut chocolate, mint chocolate and pistachio orange.

The plethora of Passover options does present one problem: With all these choices, and with the bread of affliction now seeming less so, what do we have left to complain about? ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com

Photo by Leah R. Harrison

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PASSOVER

Swimming New Direction With Gefilte Fish

By Beverly Levitt It’s a funny thing about gefilte fish: Nobody loves these floating fish balls in a jar; we’re just used to them.

They sort of show up, and we eat, no questions asked, even on a night when we’re supposed to question everything. Could it be because everybody’s bubbe made it, and all the mothers served it? Or maybe it’s because every year bottles are left from the previous year, and nobody has the heart to throw them out. They taste as if they’re meant to last forever.

Until recently, I thought these slightly sweet, slightly musty hors d’oeuvres of three kinds of fish floating in a gelatinous sea accompanied by an overcooked carrot were one of the sacred foods we were supposed to eat at the seder. But they aren’t in the haggadah, and they are not among the six symbolic foods on the seder plate.

Contrary to popular opinion, gefilte fish had a rather auspicious beginning. Its most accomplished ancestor was the French quenelle, the melt-inyour-mouth, mousselike dumpling that was the bright star of Lyonnais cuisine.

It was popular on Shabbat because the deboned delicacy fit into the Talmudic prohibition of borer, not working on the Sabbath to remove parts of food that were inedible, such as separating the fishy bones from the flesh.

Ground fish was combined with eggs, onions, matzah meal and spices and poached, producing a lovely or murky gelatinous substance, and was served cold with a relaxed carrot and some breathless chrain (horseradish).

Chef Jeff Nathan, co-owner of Abigael’s in Manhattan, likes to mold gefilte fish into a loaf, dress it up with vegetables and slice it by request.

Chef Ido Shapira of Tel Aviv carefully removes the bones of a delicate whitefish, leaving the head and tail intact, then fills it with a flaked fillet and a myriad of compatible components and gently poaches it.

Although Shapira accessorizes the dish with the traditional horseradish, he also creates a riff on the root by welcoming another Japanese horseradish, wasabi, to the seder table. But by the time Shapira gets through with it, it bears little resemblance to the fiery green paste that is capable of burning

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our mouths when we dip sushi into it.

As a further riff on the whitefish, pike and carp of our Passover staple, Shapira offers a delicate salmon cake.

Salmon Cakes From Ido Shapira, chef/owner of Cutlet Catering, Tel Aviv Makes 24 cakes 1 pound wild salmon fillet ¼ cup matzah meal ½ cup water or fish stock ¼ cup shallots, chopped 1 egg 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon cracked red peppercorns Canola oil for frying Mix the matzah meal with the water or stock and set it aside for at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place the fillet in the oven, skin side down, and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until inside is slightly pink. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.

With a fork, flake the fish into a shallow bowl. Add the matzah meal mixture, shallots, egg, salt and pepper.

Over medium heat, pour the oil into heavy skillet to ¼ inch up the sides.

Scoop the fish mixture with a table-

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spoon and carefully drop it into the hot oil, patting it down with the back of the spoon to make small, delicate fish cakes.

Do not crowd the pan. Fry on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes each. Serve with wasabi sauce.

Cucumber-Wasabi Sauce 3 tablespoons wasabi powder 1 cup Japanese cucumber, peeled and seeded, in quarters 1 teaspoon chopped chives ½ cup kosher mayonnaise ½ teaspoon sesame oil, divided In a small bowl, mix the wasabi powder and 2½ tablespoons cool water. Place the cucumber in a food processor; pulse until chunky. Add the chives, mayonnaise, oil and the wasabi; puree until thoroughly mixed. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate.

To serve, pour a pool of wasabi sauce on the plate, then a dollop of the cucumber sauce sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and finally, the fish cake.

Stuffed Gefilte Fish From Ido Shapira, Tel Aviv Makes 12 servings Whole whitefish, 1-2 pounds, boned, with the head and tail intact 3 quarts poaching liquid Stuffing ½ pound whitefish fillet, cut into chunks 1/3 cup matzah meal ½ cup cold poaching liquid Olive oil for frying 1 cup coarsely chopped onions 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon light-brown sugar 1 tablespoon chopped chives Salt and pepper to taste For the stuffing, soak the matzah meal in the cold poaching liquid. Sauté the onions in olive oil until transparent, and place in a refrigerator to cool.

Place the fish chunks, onion, egg yolk, sugar, matzah meal, salt, pepper and chives in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until the mixture is thoroughly combined and has a smooth texture.

Stuff the fish with the mixture.

Tie the fish with kitchen string so that it remains intact while cooking. Place the fish in the cold poaching medium.

Bring the water to just below a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the fire but leave the fish in the poaching liquid. Place the whole pot in an ice bath. Remove to a platter.

To serve, place the fish on a serving tray atop rosemary, Italian parsley and Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing lemon wedges. Garnish with white and Challah Bread Stuffing purple (beet-flavored) horseradish. ■

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Dining Out for Holiday

Persia Spices Up Seder

By Rachel Fayne Gruskin

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Cooking might not be on your menu this Passover, though avoiding chametz during the holiday provides particular challenges for eating out.

Here are three restaurant options for authentic (though not kosher) Passover eating, either for a seder or for another meal, between Monday night, April 10, and Tuesday night, April 18.

Goldberg’s Bagel Company & Deli www.goldbergbagel.com While many of the items on the catering menu are also available to diners at the restaurant, Goldberg’s concentrates its Passover efforts on customers who order ahead and have food brought to their homes.

Brisket and charoset are among the most popular dishes on the deli chain’s Passover menu, but nontraditional offerings are available as well.

Broccoli and cauliflower with lemon and fresh herbs, squash casserole, and veggie farfel kugel are standouts.

Customers also have the option to order a full seder plate from Goldberg’s, as well as individual items for it, such as the shank bone and the bitter herb. Call 404-256-3751 for catering.

Goldberg’s can be found in six metro Atlanta locations: Alpharetta, Dunwoody, East Cobb, Buckhead, Toco Hills and West Paces Ferry Road.

The General Muir www.thegeneralmuir.com The intown deli offers a Passover breakfast and brunch special in addition to the traditional dinner favorites.

The special runs from April 10 to 16 and features matzah brei as well as grilled pastrami and cinnamon sugar with roasted apple charoset.

The restaurant also is serving seder dinners on the first and second nights of Passover. Diners are encouraged to bring haggadahs, follow their own traditions and conduct seders at their tables.

The full menu and a la carte items are available for catering.

Chef Todd Ginsberg, who catered last year’s Black-Jewish Seder, will prepare a traditional six-course seder meal that includes house-baked matzah, gefilte fish, red-wine-and-shallot-braised brisket, celery root and parsnip puree, and flourless chocolate cake.

Bakery offerings and seder plates with symbolic elements are available.

Dinner is $48 or $68 with a wine pairing. The full menu can be found

on the website. The deadline for dinner reservations and catering orders is Tuesday, April 4. Call 678-927-9131, or email shelley@thegeneralmuir.com for reservations.

The General Muir is at Emory Point, 1540 Avenue Place, B-230, Atlanta.

Haven Restaurant and Bar havenrestaurant.com Haven, which usually is closed on Mondays, will open April 10 to serve a first-night seder for the first time.

Chef Stephen Herman’s menu includes such traditional items as matzah ball soup, brisket, charoset and tzimmes, as well as some fresh takes, including sweet Vidalia kugel, matzah popovers and Brussels sprouts latkes.

The family-style feast will start at 6:30 p.m., and the chef will lead the seder himself.

The cost is $65, and reservations are required at 404-969-0700 or through the website.

Haven is in Village Park Place at 1441 Dresden Drive, Suite 160, in Brookhaven. ■

Look eastward beyond Jerusalem for a boost of seder variety with traditional Persian Passover recipes.

Charoset This recipe originates in Mashad, Iran. My grandmother, mother and I create the dish every Pesach.

1 cup walnuts 1 cup pistachios 1 cup almonds 1 cup hazelnut 1 cup red raisins 1 cup yellow raisins 2 cups pitted dates 2 cups chopped apples ½ cup pomegranate juice Grind the nuts in a food processor for a grainlike consistency. Place the raisins, dates, pomegranate juice and apples in the food processor and combine to form a pastelike consistency.

Combine the ground nuts and fruit.

Fesenjan (Pomegranate Chicken) 1 medium onion, chopped 5 tablespoons oil

2 chicken breasts, chopped 2 cups chicken stock 2 cups toasted, ground walnuts 1 cup pomegranate molasses 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and turmeric In a 6-quart pan, sauté the onion, oil, salt, pepper and turmeric until golden brown. Add the chicken and stock, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the walnuts, pomegranate molasses and sugar and stir well.

Choresht Beh Aloo 1 medium onion, chopped 5 tablespoons oil 1 small clove garlic 2 cups chicken or beef, chopped 2 cups water 2 medium quinces, chopped 2 cups prunes, chopped 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons lime juice In a 6-quart pan, fry the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add the chopped meat and water, cover the pan, and simmer until the meat is completely cooked. Add the tomato paste, lime juice, quinces and prunes and stir well everything is fully cooked. ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

PASSOVER

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PASSOVER

Recipes From Soup to Nuts and Beyond Passover is a time for kitchen creativity, and the AJT is happy to offer a variety of recipes to make the most of the seder and the nights beyond it without chametz.

Paula Shoyer’s book, “The New Passover Menu” was published in 2015.

Fruit and Nut Granola From Paula Shoyer, “New Passover Menu” Gluten-free Makes 8½ cups Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes Cook time: 45 to 50 minutes May be made 1 week in advance Equipment: measuring cups and spoons; jelly roll or large roasting pan; large bowl; silicone spatula; liquid measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl; cutting board; knives; 1-gallon freezer

Photo by Michael Bennett Kress

Fruit and Nut Granola is good enough to eat all year.

bag or airtight container I love the Passover granola recipe I premiered on my blog, thekosherbaker.com, and published in “The Holiday Kosher Baker.” It includes whole-wheat matzah farfel (½-inch or smaller matzah pieces), which gives the granola a terrific crunch. This time I created a granola that is all-natural and gluten-

free. My family loves it so much that they want it in the house all the time.

We eat it in yogurt, as a cereal with milk and as a snack.

Ingredients 1½ cups dried coconut flakes 1½ cups pecan halves, chopped into ½-inch pieces 1 cup cashews, chopped into ½-inch pieces ¾ cup walnut halves, chopped into ½-inch pieces ¾ cup whole almonds, chopped into ½-inch pieces 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup maple syrup or honey 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 teaspoons light-brown sugar ¾ cup dried cranberries ½ cup raisins ¾ cup chopped dates or dried apricots (no larger than ½-inch pieces) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes ½ inch up the sides of the pan, or use a roasting pan. Place the coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon and salt in the pan and toss.

presents…

The Prime Ministers Soldiers and Peacemakers

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 7:00 PM

Lefont Sandy Springs • Parkside Shopping Center 5920 Roswell Road C-103 • Atlanta, GA 30328

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

In partnership with:

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General Admission: $20 Purchase at: www.Wiesenthal.com/atlantaspecialscreening2017 The film follows the experiences of the late Ambassador Yehuda Avner during the years he worked for Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin. Based on Ambassador Avner’s best-selling book, The Prime Ministers, the film examines Rabin’s election as the country’s first native born Israeli leader in 1974, his negotiating the first bilateral treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1975, the dramatic events surrounding Israel’s rescue of hostages in Entebbe in 1976, the tense relationship between newly elected US President Jimmy Carter and Rabin and Rabin’s subsequent downfall in a financial scandal involving his wife Leah. Starring the voices of Michael Douglas as Yitzhak Rabin and Christoph Waltz as Menachem Begin and introducing Nicola Peltzas the voice of Esther Cailingold, The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers is full of emotion and rich history with rare, never before seen photos and film footage.

In a 1-cup liquid measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil and brown sugar; heat in the microwave oven for 45 seconds or until the sugar dissolves. Stir well. Pour the syrup over the nut mixture and toss to coat.

Spread the nut mixture evenly on the prepared baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the nuts are browned.

Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Mix in the dried cranberries, raisins and dates. Store in a freezer bag or airtight container.

Variations: • For vanilla flavor, add 1 teaspoon vanilla or 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar to the mixture of maple, oil and sugar.

• Substitute pistachios or hazelnuts for any of the nuts.

• Substitute any dried fruit, such as plums, mangoes or figs.

Photo by Michael Bennett Kress

Thin slices mean that Chicken Scaloppini With Mushrooms cooks quickly.

Chicken Scaloppini With Mushrooms From Paula Shoyer, “The New Passover Menu” Serves 6 to 8 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes May be made 2 days in advance Equipment: measuring cups and spoons; cutting board; knives; 1-gallon freezer bag; large frying pan with 2-inch sides; 9-by-13-inch roasting pan I was thrilled when my local kosher butcher started selling boneless chicken already cut into really thin slices because the slices cook in minutes.

Ingredients 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup potato starch or matzah cake meal ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste 8-10 chicken scaloppini or boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced or pounded

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8 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut into slices 1/3- to ½-inch thick 8 button mushrooms, cleaned and cut into slices 1/3- to ½-inch thick ½ cup white wine ½ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the potato starch, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag and shake to mix. Add the chicken breasts, three at a time, close the bag, and shake to coat. Shake off the excess.

Add the breasts to the frying pan and cook for 2 to 4 minutes per side or until you see some browned parts. Transfer the cooked chicken to a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan. Repeat with the rest of the chicken, and keep it warm in the oven.

To prepare the sauce, add the mushrooms to the same frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add the wine and thyme and cook for 2 minutes more or until the wine starts to evaporate. Add the broth and lemon juice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until the sauce thickens a little.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Pour the sauce over the chicken, turning the breasts to coat both sides.

Add salt and black pepper to taste, and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Serve immediately, or place into the oven to keep warm until serving.

Tip on cleaning mushrooms: For years we were cautioned against fully washing mushrooms because they could absorb too much water. The best way to clean mushrooms is to rinse them under a light stream of water and wipe off any dirt. Dry well and wipe or rinse off. Now experts also recommend this method.

Triple-Chocolate Biscotti From Paula Shoyer, “The New Passover Menu” Gluten-free Makes 24 to 36 cookies Prep time: 10 minutes Bake time: 44 minutes May be made 5 days in advance Equipment: measuring cups and spoons; jelly roll pan or cookie sheet; microwave-safe bowl or double boiler; whisk; silicone spatula; knife; cooling rack These cookies are both chewy and crunchy at the same time. The outside is a little hard, but the center remains soft. I double this recipe because these

cookies disappear so fast.

Ingredients 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces 1 cup sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa 1 tablespoon potato starch 1½ cups ground almonds ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet

Photo by Michael Bennett Kress

Triple-Chocolate Biscotti are chewy and crunchy.

with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate using one of the methods described below. Remove the chocolate from the heat source, add the sugar and oil, and whisk well. Add the eggs and mix. Add the vanilla sugar, cocoa, potato starch, ground almonds and salt and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and mix to distribute them.

Divide the dough in half and shape into two loaves, each about 9 by 3 inches. Place both loaves on the lined jelly roll pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes (do not turn off the oven). Cut each loaf crosswise into ¾-to-1-inch-thick slices. Place the cookies, cut side up, on a parchment-covered cookie sheet (or the jelly roll pan again). Bake for 14 more minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch on the outside but still feel soft on the inside. Check them after 10 to 12 minutes so that you don’t overbake the cookies.

Let cool 5 minutes on the pan, then slide the parchment and cookies onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tip on melting chocolate: To melt chocolate, you can use the top part of a double boiler or a microwave oven.

A double boiler is a specially designed saucepan that has a top bowl that fits snugly over a saucepan. For either

method, first break or chop the chocolate into 1-inch pieces.

To melt the chocolate over a double boiler, you place water in the bottom of the saucepan and the chopped chocolate in the insert. When you bring the water to a simmer, it gently melts the chocolate in the insert. You can create your own double boiler by placing 2 to 3 inches of water in a medium saucepan and resting a medium metal bowl containing the chopped chocolate on top. Stir the chocolate occasionally, until all has melted.

To melt chocolate in a microwave oven, place the chocolate pieces in a microwave-safe bowl, such as a large glass bowl. Heat the chocolate for 1 minute at high power. Remove the bowl from the microwave oven and give the chocolate a good stir, mixing the melted pieces into the unmelted ones, for 30 seconds. Heat for 45 more seconds and stir well again. If the chocolate is not completely melted, heat it for 30 more seconds and stir. Repeat this process for 15 more seconds if necessary.

Do not heat the chocolate in the microwave oven for several minutes straight or it will burn.

Carrot, Orange and Fennel Soup

Continued on the next page

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

PASSOVER

27

PASSOVER A longer marinade time strengthens the flavor of Orange and Ginger Roast Chicken.

Belinda Ossip of JF&CS is passionate about sharing delicious, healthy, nutritious food.

A swirl of sour cream or Greek yogurt enhances Carrot, Orange and Fennel Soup at a dairy meal.

COMMUNITY PASSOVER SEDER Tuesday, April 11 6:00pm Heritage Sandy Springs

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Open To All Generations!

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Find more details and register at thesixthpoint.org The Sixth Point is an independent, non-denominational Jewish community for adults in their 20s and 30s (ish).

From Belinda Ossip, JF&CS Serves 6 Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1 cup chopped fennel Sea salt 3 pounds carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon orange zest ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground allspice 8 cups vegetable stock or water 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ teaspoon maple syrup or honey Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, fennel and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, allspice and a pinch of salt and sauté until well combined.

Pour in ½ cup of broth and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the remaining stock or water and another pinch of salt and cook until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth, each time adding the cooking liquid first, then the carrot mixture.

Return the soup to the pot over low heat, stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and maple syrup or honey, and gently reheat slowly.

Tip: Top with a swirl of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Orange and Ginger Roast Chicken

From Belinda Ossip, JF&CS Serves 6 Ingredients 1 5-to-7-pound chicken 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1½ teaspoons sea salt 2 oranges, zested and juiced, rind reserved 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, plus 1 3-inch piece of unpeeled fresh ginger, halved lengthwise 2 cloves garlic 2 cinnamon sticks Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Mix the paprika, coriander and cinnamon, then divide the mixture in half and stir 1 teaspoon of salt into half.

Rub the salted spice mixture over the outside of the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon salt inside the chicken.

Using your fingers, gently lift the skin on both sides of the breast to loosen it from the meat. Rub the remaining spice mixture, the orange zest and the grated ginger under the skin of each breast, massaging lightly into the meat.

Place the garlic, cinnamon sticks, ginger pieces and orange rind inside the cavity along with half the orange juice.

Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a baking dish, breast side up.

Roast until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thigh and the juice runs clear, about 1 hour. Let the chicken rest at least 10 minutes before carving. Just before serving, pour the remaining orange juice over the chicken.

Tip: Let the chicken marinate 4 to 24 hours to enhance the flavor of the spices and orange. ■ The Paula Shoyer recipes are reprinted with permission from “New Passover Menu,” copyright 2015 by Paula Shoyer, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. Belinda Ossip is a holistic health practitioner for Jewish Family & Career Services’ Health Power Initiative who provides health consultations and workshops to all divisions within the agency as well as to the staff. She received her training as a certified holistic health coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York and received a certificate in plantbased nutrition from eCornell, a subsidiary of Cornell University.

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BUSINESS

Siblings Bring Healthy Revolution to Gelato

By Rachel Fayne Gruskin Lovers of dairy-free and kosher desserts have a new health-conscious option in East Atlanta Village. Tucked into the narrow halls of the Global Grub Collective is Revolution Gelato, a small Atlanta operation run by Jewish siblings Jared Olkin and Leah Sitkin.

Embracing his Jewish heritage by making the desserts kosher and a healthier lifestyle by making them cruelty- and dairy-free, Olkin began by testing flavors in his kitchen. His use of alternatives such as cashew milk and inspiration from the exotic spices of Israel after a trip there helped his passion for healthier and more flavorful desserts emerge.

Once a carnivore, Olkin gained a love for vegetables and more nutritious food on that trip, which also influenced his palate. Using a newfound appreciation for healthier ingredients and a knowledge of ice cream from his mother’s creamery when he was growing up, he began churning out flavors

Siblings Leah Sitkin and Jared Olkin run the Revolution Gelato stall at the Global Grub Collective in East Atlanta Village.

at Revolution Gelato.

Olkin later recruited sister Leah, and the retail store in East Atlanta Village was born. Perfect 10 Foods, which distributes King of Pops, also jumped

on board, and now Revolution flavors can be found in Sevananda, Whole Foods and others.

Revolution’s mission of being good for you and better for the planet remains. All serving materials are plantbased. The ingredients are largely organic and locally sourced, and Revolution still is competitively priced.

“We’re a mission-based business, and that higher purpose guides every decision we make,” Olkin said. “That goes for everything, from ingredients and nonprofit partners to growth goals.”

New things are on the horizon for Revolution Gelato. Favorites such as chocolate and cardamom are stay-

ing on the menu, but Olkin and Sitkin are adding flavors to the lineup. Seasonal offerings like beer gelato, created through partnerships with local breweries, locally made toppings and shakes also are in the future.

The company’s presence at festivals and other events also is growing, and the gelato shop last fall won the Taste of Atlanta award for best dessert.

Revolution’s owners hope their message of plant-based, healthy and local products resonates with the community. “What could be more quintessentially Jewish,” Olkin said, “than trying to solve big societal problems with delicious food?” ■

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

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Don’t let this offer pass you over!

(From left) Star Newman, Debbie Sonenshine and Katie Gallow have been recognized as Coldwell Banker Atlanta’s No. 1 team.

SUBSCRIBE, SUPPORT, SUSTAIN YOUR LOCAL ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SIX MONTHS OF HOME DELIVERY SERVICE FOR ONLY $36.00

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Mail to: 270 Carpenter Dr, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328. Or call: 404-883-2130.

Or pay online at atlantajewishtimes.com

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Debbie Sonenshine and her real estate team members, Star Newman and Katie Gallow, were recognized as the No. 1 team for Coldwell Banker Atlanta during an event Tuesday, March 7, at Flourish in Buckhead.

The event featured Tom Ferry, America’s most-sought-after real estate trainer.

Sonenshine also was recognized Sunday, March 19, by the Atlanta Board of Realtors with the Platinum Phoenix award for 35 years as a Million Dollar Club top producer. As an active member of the Jewish community, Sonenshine loves helping newcomers settle in the community and longtime residents right-size as their needs change. ■

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EDUCATION

Want a Break Before Starting College?

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Applications to college are just about over. The returns have arrived or will soon. Some students are on pins and needles awaiting decisions.

While some students have decided where they will matriculate, others are figuring out the college that will be the best fit. Of course, financial aid packages will play a role for many.

But have you thought about a gap year? If you haven’t, why not?

If a gap year before college is good enough for Harvard and Princeton, why isn’t it good enough for you?

And why not spend a year in Israel? If you are Jewish, it is your country.

Many graduates of Jewish high schools in Atlanta have taken a gap year in Israel, attending yeshivas, seminary programs and other options. For many, it is just about automatic. Most of those students go on to college.

Recently, I sat down with an Atlanta student who spent a year in the land of milk and honey via a Masaconnected program. Masa Israel has

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connections with about 200 programs in Israel. That seems enough to choose from for a starter.

Madeline attended the Nativ program, sponsored by the Conservative

The Admissions Game

By Dr. Mark L. Fisher drmarkfisher@yahoo.com

movement. She was surrounded by 90 other students on her gap year.

What made her take the year off?

“I was encouraged by a friend to spend a year in Israel after graduating Weber. One gains experience in life skills and becomes more focused in college afterward,” she said.

She added that she learned firsthand about Israel. Nativ offers three tracks: ulpan, Hebrew University and the Conservative yeshiva. Madeline took the third option.

When comparing programs, Young Judaea, which has a multitude

of tracks, became her other option.

When you go to the Masa website (www.masaisrael.com), you will see all the programs.

What happened to you in Israel?

I asked Madeline. “I experienced a different culture and appreciated where I came from and developed even more pride in my Judaism. For three months, I volunteered in an ambulance program. While the first program was at Nativ, the second half was in Carmiel, where I rode with the medics in the MADA program for three months. Also, I volunteered at the AMIT school in Carmiel, where I tutored English. I even taught American immigrants Hebrew. Then my MADA shift began later in the day.”

After her gap year, she spent two years in New York at List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary and its joint program at Columbia University.

After two years in the big city, Madeline was ready for home and Georgia State to complete her college degree.

Madeline gave a lot of praise to her Nativ experience, through which she learned to be a more religious,

traditional Jew. Also, the academics made her a better person who is more informed and helped her become more open-minded.

She couldn’t believe the overwhelming hospitality in Israel. The beauty of Jerusalem and the history remain with her. She knows of the threats on American campuses and can relate the opposite view to antiSemitism.

Madeline is just one story of an Atlanta teenager who took a gap year.

Talk to others who took a similar route after high school, and you find many wonderful stories. But first take the time to discover the many programs that could interest you.

Open the Masa website and search. There are many reasons for a gap year. Burnout is one. You might want a break from school. Perhaps you didn’t get into the colleges that were high on your list. You might try again.

While there are many opportunities abroad, including language immersion, conservation, adventure travel, outdoor activities and the arts, your year in Israel should be a top choice.

Numerous programs await in Israel. At the Masa site, you will see kibbutz programs and college programs at Bar Ilan, Tel Aviv, the Technion, IDCHerzliya and Hebrew U. Then there are Jewish studies, programs, culinary art courses, desert programs with sports, teacher training institutions, internships, volunteer experiences, and Young Judaea with specialty tracks in the arts, business, politics, journalism, sports, medicine, world travel and more. Add music, dance, communications and economics. Then there are B’nei Akiva programs.

Those are just some of the options.

Remember, the college you attend will get a more mature student who has had a year away from home. Some colleges or specific departments will give you credit toward your degree.

Open your eyes and review the many programs in Israel in which you can add knowledge, spirituality and Jewish growth to enhance your college education and your life. Take the challenge. Go to www.masaisrael.com. ■ Mark L. Fisher is a college and career consultant at Fisher Educational Consultants (www.fishereducationalconsultants.com) and a consultant for the College Planning Institute (www.

GotoCPI.com).

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION Training Institute Picks AJA Head as Mentor

Rabbi Ari Leubitz, the Atlanta Jewish Academy’s head of school, was selected from a pool of national applicants to serve the Day School Leadership Training Institute as a mentor to new and aspiring heads of Jewish day schools in the United States, Canada and Israel.

The institute is one of the premiere educational Rabbi Ari Leubitz training programs is Atlanta Jewish in the country, proAcademy’s head viding an opporof school. tunity for heads of school to learn from one another and improve their leadership skills.

Rabbi Leubitz, an alumnus of the institute, will impart his leadership techniques and skills during the 15-month program, including three weeks in residency at the institute in New York this summer.

He will guide fellows through the day-to-day operations of a head of school and offer his insights and experiences. Rabbi Leubitz will host mentees in Atlanta so they can shadow him and will visit them at their schools to provide feedback and guidance.

The director of the program, Ray Levi, shadowed Rabbi Leubitz and was impressed with his background and vision.

“Rabbi Leubitz showed impressive observational skills and used discerning questions to encourage reflectiveness in others,” Levi said. “He also has a variety of perspectives, as well as creative and innovative ideas for staffing and curriculum that make him an excellent mentor for our program.”

tamid.org, or call 678-264-8575. Ner Tamid (www.mynertamid.org) is at 1349 Old Highway 41, Suite 220.

10 Place at Tech Fair

Ten students at Atlanta-area Jewish day schools finished in the top three at the Georgia Educational Technology Fair in Macon on March 11, led by fourth-grader Julia Moss of the Davis Academy, who won the Internet applications competition for her age group.

Senior Dan Jutan, Atlanta Jewish Academy’s STAR student this year, finished second in two categories among 11th- and 12th-graders: Internet applications by himself and the technology programming challenge with classmate Shaun Regenbaum.

Four Davis Academy students

Five Davis Academy students medaled at the Georgia Educational Technology Fair on March 11: (from left) Aidan Kramer, Logan Katz, Avi Frank, Julia Moss and Sarah Menis.

brought second-place medals back from Macon: fourth-grader Sarah Menis in robotics; fifth-grader Avi Frank for device modification; and fifth-graders Logan Katz and Aidan Kramer in animation.

Adam Berkowitz of AJA finished third among fifth- and sixth-graders for digital photo production. The Epstein School team of Shai Bachar and Elliot Lapp came in third among thirdand fourth-graders in device modification.

Nearly 30 Jewish day school students qualified for the state competition by winning their categories and age groups at the Georgia Independent and Homeschools regional competition Jan. 22 in Alpharetta. The regional contest took place on a Sunday, helping families who keep Shabbat.

For the state contest, students who qualified but had a religious conflict with the Saturday schedule could submit a video rather than attend in person.

Congregation Ner Tamid, a Marietta Reform synagogue serving Cobb, Paulding and Cherokee counties, is offering families a chance to sample the religious school for five Sundays from April 16 through May 21.

The religious school, serving prekindergarten through 12th grade, provides Judaics instruction and b’nai mitzvah preparation in partnership with the Institute of Southern Jewish Life.

During the trial period, parents may observe their children in the classes to see whether Ner Tamid is a good match.

Families must register for the free classes in advance. Email info@myner-

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Trial Period at Ner Tamid

31

EDUCATION

Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe

Honoree Michael Kogon is joined by daughters Eve and Leah May and wife Laurie.

Family members joining honoree Bob Wilensky (center) at the Buckhead Theatre are (from left) Michael, Amy, Ava, Meredith, Haley and Kevin Wilensky.

“Peach Perfect Georgia” brings together a cappella singing groups from universities for a competition benefiting Hillels of Georgia at the Buckhead Theatre on March 23.

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HOPE FOR THE GRIEVING HEART

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Atlantans gathered at the Buckhead Theatre on Thursday, March 23, to honor Bob Wilensky and Michael Kogon for their support and dedication to Hillels of Georgia.

The college organization’s annual musical fundraiser became “Peach Perfect Georgia” this year and showcased a new format with a cappella performances by college groups in place of individual campus superstars.

“Our Georgia Hillels are not like any in the country,” said Michael Coles, the president of Hillels of Georgia.

“AIPAC awarded us Campus Activist of the Year. Our executive director, Rabbi Russ Shulkes, is the Energizer Bunny.

This year was also transformational because of a generous gift to Hillel by Bernie Marcus.”

Coles spoke about his childhood, when he was called a “Jew bastard” on the Buffalo, N.Y., playgrounds. The serial entrepreneur and namesake of Kennesaw State’s business school also said that being the lay leader of Hillels of Georgia is the best job he has ever had.

Considering his background — from cookies to coffee, from banking to politics — that’s saying a bundle.

Honoree Wilensky’s son Kevin said, “Dad has always led by example in terms of Jewish life, hard work, edu-

cation and giving back to the community.”

In his address to the audience, Wilensky said, “Hillel is our front line of defense against BDS and anti-Semitism on campus.”

“Bob has served as president, treasurer, board member and on countless committees,” Coles said. “He bleeds Hillels of Georgia — a very deserving honoree.”

Kogon’s wife, Laurie, said: “Today is our 16th anniversary. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate Michael as an inspiration to our family. We are so proud of his work.”

Kogon, an ardent Zionist with deep roots in Atlanta originating at the Jewish Community Center and BBYO, is committed to creating a better Jewish community by serving on the Hillel executive board and as its vice president of Israel engagement. Additionally he has a history of leadership with AIPAC, the Epstein School and the Federation National Young Leadership Cabinet.

“There could not be a more knowledgeable and caring board member than Michael, who helps Hillels of Georgia navigate the stormy waters of anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism on campus,” Coles said of Kogon.

Over more than a decade, the record for the Hillels of Georgia fundraiser was $370,000. This year scored $456,000 and counting. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS Zelony Joins Film Fest

Photos by Michael Jacobs

Thanks to the expertise of Las Vegas-based effects company Flying by Foy, which helped Lady Gaga fly at the Super Bowl, Tinker Bell (Brooke Ross) and Peter Pan (Grace Ross) help John (Jacob Frank), Michael (Brandon Bohrer) and Wendy Darling (Gracie Kirschner) take flight for the first time.

The pirate crew is ready for action, despite frustration at being stuck on an island to hunt for Peter Pan instead of seeking treasure on the open seas.

Smee (Matthew Szabo) and Captain Hook (Darren Rosing) work on their latest plot to find Peter Pan.

After accepting flowers from Grace Ross, director Kendrick Phillips praises the Davis Academy community and live theater.

The Neverland Indians get a playful jump on the Lost Boys.

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has found its replacement for Lesli Greenberg, who left as development director after opening night in January to become the chief development officer at Jewish Family & Career Services.

Lori Zelony, the longtime director of development programs and special events at the Davis Academy, now is leading fundraising for the festival.

“Serving as the development director for AJFF allows me to continue the conversation and talk about something I believe in,” Zelony, the mother of former AJT intern and occasional contributor Sophie Zelony, said in an article the festival posted on its website March 7. “I like to think that those who choose to support the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival are not only supporting and investing in themselves and their families, but they are also investing in the festival for their friends, families and those they may not even know.”

She moved to the Atlanta area in the mid-1990s to work with the Atlanta Olympic Committee.

People interested in donating to or sponsoring the festival or joining the AJFF Fundraising and Development Committee can reach Zelony at lori@ ajff.org or 404-630-1280.

Be a Film Evaluator The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is taking applications until Friday, April 21, from people interested in joining its Film Evaluation Committee.

Starting in the summer, the committee screens and evaluates movies submitted for the festival.

“AJFF is seeking a diverse and dedicated group of evaluators with an appreciation for the film arts, Jewish and world culture, and community,” the festival says at ajff.org/article/2017/03/ join-2018-film-evaluation-committee, where you can apply.

Alda Returns in June Actor and author Alan Alda, no stranger to the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, is returning June 27 for a Page From the Book Festival event focused on his latest work, “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?”

The book compiles lessons from the art and science of communication.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. questionand-answer session and book signing, including acopy of the book, are $33 for JCC members and $37 for others.Visit atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, or call 678812-4002 for tickets or details.

The Davis Academy gave its new Rosenberg Family Performing Arts Theatre its first public test with four performances of Disney’s “Peter Pan Jr.” from Sunday to Tuesday, March 26 to 28. Including the Lower School children filling roles as fairies, mermaids, crocodiles, parrots, and extra lost boys, Indians and pirates, the productions involved 180 children onstage or behind the scenes, said director Kendrick Phillips, who heads the Davis visual and performing arts program.

Audiences packed the 600-seat theater throughout the limited run. During the Sunday night show, Grace Ross played the title role, supported by Gracie Kirschner as Wendy and Darren Rosing as Captain Hook (in addition to Nana, a part Darren played in all four performances).

Phillips said the show not only demonstrated the value of the new auditorium and of an education within the Davis community, but also the importance of the arts as part of school. (See more photos at www.atlantajewishtimes.com.) ■

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Davis Theater Takes Off

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Evan Berke, who grew up in East Cobb, returns to Atlanta for a comedy show with Dusty Slay and Jordan Jensen on April 9.

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Evan Berke moved to New York in 2013 to pursue his dream of working in comedy. The Atlanta native and College of Charleston graduate doesn’t often get to come back to perform in his hometown, but on Sunday, April 9, Berke will appear at the Basement Theatre in Buckhead as part of a nine-city tour he is helping produce with fellow comedian Dusty Slay.

“I love coming to town with a guy like Dusty because it gives me an opportunity to introduce him to new fans,” Berke said. “When I come to town, just because you’ve seen me before doesn’t mean that you won’t have a completely different experience.”

Berke and Slay met in college, where they got into comedy at the same time. They would often tour together in the early days, once even performing at a fundraiser for Roswell’s Temple Beth Tikvah, whose members include Berke’s family.

Although Slay lives in Nashville now, the two try to get together to tour every so often.

“When I come back to Atlanta, my goal is to stack a show with people funnier than me so the audience and my friends and family want to keep coming back,” Berke said. “Dusty is as Alabama as it gets. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mom lived in a trailer park, and his dad lived on a farm. He’s also got the kind of comedy style that everyone can relate to.”

The 11-day, nine-city tour to promote Slay’s new comedy album, “Son of a Ditch,” which Berke co-produced, includes stops in Washington, Charleston, Jacksonville, Fla., Slay’s hometown of Opelika, Ala., and the final show in Atlanta.

Comedian Jordan Jensen also will be on the tour.

Although he got his start in standup, Berke has recently found himself more in the role of a producer and host/emcee. In addition to co-producing “Son of a Ditch,” he has produced short films and web series.

He is also the resident emcee of Brooklyn-based storytelling event PechaKucha.

Berke also works on a film production team in New York with international creative agency MerchantCantos.

“Every night after work, I’m working on something,” he said, “whether I’m working on standup or with one of my friends to talk about a web series we’re shooting. But standup comedy is what got me into live performance.”

The Lassiter High School graduate was the president of the AEPi chapter at the College of Charleston and worked as a camp counselor at the Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Shirley Blumenthal Park in Cobb County.

Among his comedic inspirations are Don Rickles, Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

“My personal comedy style is upbeat and energetic,” Berke said. “I like to have fun with the audience and keep the energy alive. My content touches on a lot of personal stories and anecdotes — mostly seen through the lens of a Southern Jew trying to hold his own in New York City.” ■ What: “Son of a Ditch” Comedy Tour Where: Basement Theatre, 175 W. Wieuca Road, Buckhead When: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 9 Tickets: $8 for students, $12 for general admission; www.eventbrite.com/e/son-of-a-ditchtour-dusty-slay-tickets-32932634396

JOIN US FOR

Bar Mitzvah Adam Szczupak

It is with great pride and joy that we announce that Adam Daniel Szczupak was called to the Torah on Saturday, March 25, 2017, to become a bar mitzvah at Congregation Etz Chaim in East Cobb.

Adam is the son of Susan and Steve Szczupak of Roswell and grandson of Lucy and Jacob Szczupak of Atlanta, Nancy and Tony Greenfield of Heathgrow, Fla., and Pola Spigielman of Atlanta.

Adam is a seventh-grader at Simpson Middle School in East Cobb.

For his bar mitzvah project, he participated in the Daffodil Project and helped create a daffodil garden at Etz Chaim to honor the memory of the children who perished in the Holocaust.

OBITUARIES

Emily Moore 35, Atlanta

Our sweet Emily died peacefully in her home on Thursday, March 23, 2017, after a courageous fight with appendiceal cancer at the age of 35.

She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Kurt, whom she met while they were students at the University of Alabama. Together, they have two beautiful children, Hallie and Jordan. She is also survived by her father, Richard Roffwarg (Beth), and her mother, Loli Gross (Joel); her brother, David Roffwarg (Polly); stepbrother Jacob Gross; stepsister Rachel Villena (Daniel); mother-in-law Betty Moore; and her grandmothers, Dory Profis and Mildred Roffwarg.

She was preceded in death by grandfather Gerald Profis, her hero, whom she looked up to with the utmost respect and love, and by grandfather Albert Roffwarg.

Emily lived her life in a way that we all aspire to emulate. She devoted herself to her family, and her love for her two children gave her the unwavering courage to fight the illness until her final breath. Her love for people did not stop with her family. She was full of spirit and humor and had a special way of bringing joy and fun to any occasion. Emily received great influence from Camp Barney Medintz, both as a camper and as a counselor for developmentally disabled children. She found solace and an overwhelmingly warm sense of community from the Davis Academy, where her children attend school. The staff, parents and children at Davis exemplify the true meaning of the word kehillah.

Funeral services were held March 24 at Congregation Beth Shalom, followed by burial at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. Sign the online guestbook at www. edressler.com. In Emily’s memory, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Educate Moore Trust. Donations may be mailed to Altman & Grubbs, Ameriprise Financial, 8300 Dunwoody Place, Suite 120, Atlanta, GA 30350. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

Sofiya Erlikhman of Atlanta on March 23.

Simon Kagan of Atlanta on March 23.

Myer Price, 88, of Atlanta, Temple Sinai member, husband of Sharon Price, and father of Marvin Price, Elliott Price, David Price, Lisa Price and Carol Price, on March 24.

Ruby Rosen, 95, of Austin, Texas, mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Linda Smiley, Sue Block and Jeri Saper, on March 17.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Power Outage in a Bathrobe Severe weather alerts generate drama bordering on hysteria in Atlanta. Just a hint of snow causes schools to close and grocery shelves to be ravaged.

The thunderstorm Tuesday, March 21, knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes, including mine. It also brought drama and comedy.

I was in Buckhead with a friend who lives on my street. We had not heard about the storm threatening hail, wind and torrential rain. As we

drove back to Toco Hills, our neighbor Betty called with a warning: “If you’re not home, you won’t be able to get

According To Arlene

By Arlene Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com

home. Our street is blocked. There’s an electrical fire, a tree sprawled across LaVista, and no one has power. You won’t believe the mess.”

I began noticing dark houses and stores. Close to our subdivision, we saw flashing red lights, shooting flames and lots of firemen. A tape barricade, as at crime scenes, stretched across the road.

“I’m walking home,” I told my friend. I crossed the street, but a fireman stopped me. He said it was dangerous because of live electrical wires on the ground.

We called a friend, told him our dilemma and asked whether we could hang out until the barricade was removed.

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“Of course,” he said. He had plenty of candles and flashlights, and he offered us dark chocolate and a bottle of fine red wine.

Every 30 minutes I called 911, as the fireman had advised. Call after call, I was told nothing had changed.

It was after midnight. I needed to shower, and I wanted to go home.

There had to be a way past that fireman.

My friend drove me back to the barricade. The fireman recognized me.

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“Movie Plagues”

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

1

Photo by Moshe Manheim

Barry Yaffe (left) and Rabbi Mendle Dickstein study Torah in the dark during the blackout at Congregation Beth Jacob at 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 22.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Come back in 45 minutes.” It would be 1:15 by then.

I returned at 1:15. The fireman had left, and a good-looking young man was sitting in a Georgia Power truck near the barricade.

“If you have a flashlight, you can walk in,” he said. I carry a laptop, a wallet, keys, a spiral notebook and a pen. Flashlights aren’t on my list of necessities. I asked whether he would walk with me, using his flashlight.

He was glad to oblige. We chatted and walked while he shined the LED flashlight. Within minutes I was out of harm’s way and continued down the lightless street alone.

It was so dark I couldn’t shower.

I also couldn’t fall asleep. I meditated until 6 a.m. and got out of bed, four hours before my class on ultra-Orthodoxy at Emory. Maybe I’d go out for breakfast.

Normally, I shower, brush my teeth and put on makeup before I leave. I also usually drink two cups of coffee. Suddenly, I had an intense craving for coffee. But I still didn’t have electricity.

I remembered passing a McDonald’s with power the night before.

Maybe I’d get lucky and Starbucks in the old Loehmann’s Plaza would have electricity.

I grabbed my purple velour bathrobe, tied the belt, slipped on shoes and left.

My need for coffee trumped my normal routine. I planned to use the drive-through window, so what difference did it make if I was wearing a bathrobe and hadn’t brushed my teeth? I’d be home in 20 minutes.

Never assume anything.

Still sipping my coffee, I got to my street and saw trucks and police cars everywhere. A police car barricaded the only entrance. I explained that I was wearing a bathrobe and had to get home.

“Not now,” the officer said. “It’s not safe. Live wires everywhere.”

I told her I had walked down the 38 same street at 1:15 a.m. and had driven

out at 8.

I asked whether there’s a law against walking down the street in my bathrobe.

She giggled and informed me she could not allow me in.

OK. I’d go another way. I headed down Houston Mill and turned onto a street where I had heard a walking path would allow me to cut through someone’s yard to get to my street. My plan was to find someone who would let me park my car and go through the woods to get home.

I decided to call my friend Kerri, whose driveway could accommodate my car.

It sounded funny when I asked to leave my car and cut through the woods in my bathrobe so I could get dressed.

“I have to see this,” she said, opening the door of her beautiful home.

She checked me out and laughed.

I told her to look at my bumper sticker: “Outrageous Older Woman.”

I explained the situation: I’m in a hurry to get to Emory and need my clothes.

“Do you want to borrow some of my clothes?” she asked.

That would save some time, I said.

It’s a perfect solution.

In three minutes I was wearing tights and a loose black top. I managed to get to Emory early enough for another Starbucks.

Once class ended and I had more food for thought about ultra-Orthodox Judaism, I was looking forward to going home, showering and brushing my teeth.

But it still couldn’t be.

The same policewoman said the same thing: No one could go in or out.

Georgia Power trucks were still blocking the entrance. It took seven more hours until I could drive home, and in all it took 30 hours until power was restored.

As I was throwing out the spoiled food from my fridge, I pondered the important lesson I had learned: Never leave home in your bathrobe. ■

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ACROSS 1. Sunlit courtyard (found at the Waldorf-Astoria Jerusalem) 7. “A Day ___ Races” 12. Early G.I. rank for Lt. Gen. Milton Foreman 15. Doug Liman’s “The ___ Identity” 16. Work a skirt again, at the Garment District 17. Parseghian who coached Sean Astin’s “Rudy” 18. “Star Trek” about the ninth plague?

20. Medal Gefen container 21. It’s fire 22. Dedicated lines from Keats or Lazarus 23. Straus and King George V: abbr.

24. Jones playing Gil Kane’s “Iron Fist” 25. (Eden) wok vegetable 27. Not an Israeli weight 28. Multiple 2008 Oscar winner about the first plague?

32. Mars and Elite make them 33. Steven’s “Jaws” star 34. Mark Cuban’s team, on the scoreboard 35. You might visit one at the Dead Sea 36. Dating letters for the age of the First Temple 38. It must be chewed for kosher status 39. ___ Einai 42. Mossad counterpart: abbr.

43. Sitcom co-star of Betty and Estelle 45. ___ Yisrael 46. 1989 rock biopic about the seventh plague?

52. Like Goliath 53. Gut-related 54. Farm measure or a city in Israel 55. Salk and Freud: abbr.

56. Eve, once 57. Tel Aviv’s is 32.109333, for short 60. Home of “Homeland,” for short 61. Brad Pitt film about the 10th plague?

64. Puppet ending (e.g. Shari Lewis)

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37. Many a Mercedes in Israel 38. Israeli (not Cuban) clothing company 39. He had sinful sons in Samuel 40. Jewish sch. in the Bronx 41. Chametz that can never be removed from Jerusalem?

42. Star of Bruckheimer’s “Con Air” 43. Han Solo carried one 44. Half of Hallel?

DOWN 1. Hirschfield’s “___ the Agent” 45. Fast food that was being 2. How much matzah is made smuggled into Gaza in 2013: abbr. worldwide for Passover, in 46. Graphic designer Milton or general comic Nikki 3. A megillah 47. She took her father’s idols 4. U.N. agency: abbr.

48. Israel made few of them at 5. Like Haman’s plans the World Baseball Classic 6. Jamie-Lynn (Sigler’s) most 49. Said OK to a match notable role 50. Prepare a new Bar Ilan 7. Biblical boat 8. How many a Jewish mother student 51. One telling white lies for might be wound Shalom Bayit 9. It’s a mitzvah to pick it up 55. Like a 63-Down on some for the needy mornings 10. Myra or Rudolf 57. Cheryl on Spelling’s 11. Hatzolah letters 12. Al who played the devil in “Charlie’s Angels” 58. Former skin woe of Adam 1997 13. James who fought the devil Levine 59. Cheap(er) B’way buy (for in 2013 “Fiddler,” perhaps) 14. Like Adam Sandler from 61. Cheshvan or Iyar: abbr.

“SNL” in 1995 19. Try to send money to Israel (var.)

62. Int’l. news service that again, perhaps often covers Israel 24. What the cup of Elijah 63. Where Jacob watched should be at a seder sheep 25. Many Jews in Fla. 26. Mahmoud Abbas’ grp.

27. Bk. before LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Jonah B E H A V E A B B A I N S 14 15 16 28. Airer of A C A C I A L A O S N O I Rashida Jones’ 17B A S K E T 18C A T C H 19T S P 21 22 “Angie Tribeca” 20 E S T E S A M O A R H Y S 29. “Death of 23 24 25 26 S H E E P N O N R A E a Salesman” 27 28 29 30 31 32 S I L O S H U S H A N character, for 33 34 35 36 37 38 D N S C O L A U N H O L Y short 39 40 41 42 43 O C A S W A L K S I L L S 30. Second 44 45 46 47 48 R A C H E L L I K E E Y E Temple or 49 50 51 52 M A R I L Y N E Y E S Talmudic 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 I R K O F F L A T K E 31. YU email 60 61 62 63 64 S A F E T R E E S R I N A ender 65 66 67 36. What the P O W E R H I T T E R W I I 70 lions refused to 68A R C 69O V A L I S R A E L 71 72 73 do to Daniel P A Y S A M E N D S B Y E 65. What Trump does a lot, and Netanyahu does sometimes 66. “You ___ bother” (“Kol beseder”) 67. Initials of the “Goosebumps” author 68. Foe of SHIELD created by Lee and Kirby 69. Gives land for peace, e.g.

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MARCH 31 â–ª 2017

Chastain Horse Park Pony Pals Summer Camp

Ages 4-7 • 8am-1pm $700 per session Sessions:

June 5-9 • June 12-16 • June 19-23 • June 26-30 July 10-14 • July 17-21 • July 24-28 • July 31-Aug 4 Filled with learning horsemanship, riding and fun for all riders at all skill levels. Camp includes riding lessons, games, and crafts.

MARCH 31 ▪ 2017

Contact Chastain Horse Park

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404-252-4244 ext 1 Lessons@chastainhorsepark.org