Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCIII No. 10, March 9, 2018 by Atlanta Jewish Times

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CONEXX GALA PREVIEW, PAGES 16-20 FIRST AT LAST WHO’S DRIVING? HIGHFLIER

The 17th Conexx Gala is the first chaired by someone born in Israel. Page 16

Honorees at Clemson and Mobileye design our automotive future. Pages 18-19

Gulfstream leads the world of business jets with the help of Israeli technology. Page 20

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Celebrating Simchas, Pages 21-38

Read about special simchas in recent months (a cruise ship b’nai mitzvah, Page 22; a marriage mixing the military and cosplay with JSwipe, Page 26), the business behind celebrations (a mitzvah expo-wedding extravaganza merger, Page 21; the 30th anniversary of Veronica’s Attic, Page 28), fundraising educational honors (Hillels of Georgia, Page 30; Atlanta Scholars Kollel, Page 34) and much more (a last-minute simcha checklist, Page 24; Such a Catch, Page 29; the rebbetzins of AA, Page 36; announcements, Page 38).

Photo by Harold Alan Photographers

The Ultimate Chanukah Present Young helpers make sure Mina New gets to her wedding ceremony Dec. 19 without getting her dress dirty. Some 700 guests helped celebrate the marriage of the youngest daughter of Rabbi Yossi and Dassie New, a strictly Orthodox, purely joyful event arranged in only six weeks. Story and more photos, Page 32

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INSIDE Candle Lighting �� 4 Israel News ��6 Opinion ��10 Health & Wellness �� 13 Arts ��39 Home �� 40 Obituaries �� 42 Marketplace �� 44 Crossword �� 46

MARCH 9, 2018 | 22 ADAR 5778

Hate-Crimes Bill Misses Ga. Cutoff

Legislation to recognize, track and punish hate crimes in Georgia failed to pass the House by the Crossover Day deadline Wednesday, Feb. 28, but advocates aren’t giving up this session. House Bill 660, endorsed by the AntiDefamation League and the Coalition for a Hate-Free Georgia, never got out of committee. It had a hearing Feb. 13 before a subcommittee chairman who took the view that the measure was unnecessary because all crimes are hate crimes. “I had more hopes before the hearing,” said Shelley Rose, the ADL Southeast deputy regional director. Georgia is one of five states without any hate-crimes law. H.B. 660, based on a federal law, would have increased the penalties for crimes motivated by bias based on the victim’s actual or perceived “race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental disability or physical disability.” “It’s a different level of crime,” Rose said, because an entire group feels targeted, not just the victim. The failed legislation also would have mandated reporting on hate crimes and training for law enforcement on how to handle such crimes. Law enforcement leaders backed the bill. It was a priority of Capitol lobbying Feb. 22 led by Tzedek Georgia and joined by the ADL and others. Rose and Tzedek Georgia’s Jeff Willard were encouraged by lawmakers’ response to the lobbying. While H.B. 660 is dead, the push for a hate-crimes law is not. Advocates hope to amend another bill to include at least the law enforcement aspects. “We haven’t given up,” Rose said. “I’m cautiously optimistic.” ■ • Lawyers see need for ADL, Page 14

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MA TOVU

Settling Simcha Dilemma

Be Honest, Then Step Back Parenting adult, married kids is uniquely challenging. You have to let them make their own decisions — and mistakes. In my opinion, your daughters belong with her sister on her special day. I understand Uncle Ira and Aunt Irene have done a lot for them and have a close relationship, which is commendable and touching. However, surely they understand that a sibling’s needs come before a cousin’s. Even if you want to say a wedding tops a bas mitzvah, in Randy’s eyes, this is her shining moment. She deserves to have her family with her. Uncle Ira and Aunt Irene will be surrounded by their nuclear family. Surely they will understand. Be honest with your daughters about how this will affect Randy, and they will come to the right decision on their own. — Another mom of adult kids Divide and Conquer I would tell the family, assuming they are agreeable, to divide. Some go to one simcha, and some to the other. — Zhenia Greszes Deal With Your Sister This dilemma is not for your daughters to solve with their younger sister; it is for you and your close sister to resolve. How could your sister allow her son to select this date? Why did you not confront her instead of putting all the burden on your daughters? I am sure your youngest daughter has spent much longer than six weeks preparing for her bas mitzvah. Surely your nephew can spend a few weeks anticipating the joy of his slightly delayed union. — An incensed reader

A Sisterly Compromise Sometimes it takes years and maturity to understand life. When Randy gets older, she will realize that an intimate family wedding is too precious to forgo, especially because this is Uncle Ira and Aunt Irene’s youngest child. If the siblings attend the wedding, can they arrange a special celebration for Randy in a restaurant? Let the sisters make her feel like a princess. Randy will see their caring, even

Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

though she may struggle to understand their choice. She will look back and remember how they banded together to celebrate with her. Even if there’s a remnant of pain, there will be a treasure-trove of love. — G. Greenwald Precedence for Sister I agree with the adage “Keep the pocketbook open and the mouth closed” when dealing with adult and in-law kids. Even when they ask for advice, it’s best to throw it back in their court and avoid sounding didactic. But there is something else at stake here: a sister and her feelings. It’s time for you to speak from the heart. Don’t accuse, or you will lose credibility. Tell your daughters that Randy is counting on them and that she scheduled her plans so they could come. Perhaps the sisters can divide and conquer for a showing at both occasions. Can we truly call one occasion as more important than another? To a baby, learning to crawl and walk and speak is momentous. To an older child, riding a bike or achieving a high grade is monumental. For a 12- or 13-year-old, a bar or bas mitzvah ushers the child into the Jewish people as full-fledged adult committed to G-d’s commandments. Can that occasion be considered secondary, even to a wedding? I can imagine Randy feeling renewed pain each time she sees her sisters missing from the photos. Tell your married children that Randy needs them. And then you’ve done your part. It is up to them to make their decision and to live with it. Mazel tov on the bas mitzvah and the wedding. — Lee Lewenberg

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Recap: My daughter Randy planned the celebration of her bas mitzvah for a special Shabbos and Sunday party during winter break so her married sisters could come from out of town. But cousin Yisrael set his wedding date for the same week. The married sisters are close with Yisrael’s parents, Uncle Ira and Aunt Irene, and feel compelled to attend the wedding. They are unlikely to be able to participate in both because of the expense and difficulty. Where do their loyalties belong? As a mom, how do I handle this situation?

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Edgewise. Jewish Georgian Publisher Marvin Botnick speaks about whether we’re a community to the Edgewise group at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 10:30 a.m. Free for members, $5 for others; atlantajcc.org/ knowledgewise or 678-812-4070. Infertility support. The Jewish Fertility Foundation holds a support group at 6:30 p.m. at MACoM, 700-A Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.jewishfertilityfoundation.org/ sandy-springs-support.html.

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Contributors This Week SHELLY DANZ • YONI GLATT HAROLD GOLDMEIER JORDAN GORFINKEL RACHEL GRUSKIN LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE STEVE KERBEL • NANCY LESSER KEVIN C. MADIGAN ALAN MINSK • TOVA NORMAN FRAN PUTNEY LOGAN C. RITCHIE EUGEN SCHOENFELD CADY SCHULMAN CHANA SHAPIRO RACHEL STEIN DUANE STORK PATRICE WORTHY

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MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

POSTMASTER send address changes to The Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328. Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com

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

Music fest. The ninth Atlanta Jewish Music Festival opens with Tsvey Brider and Beyond the Pale at 7:30 p.m. at City Winery Atlanta, 650 North Ave., Old Fourth Ward, and runs through March 25 at various venues. Details and tickets at atlantajmf.org/ajmf9-line-up. Habima. Jerry’s Habima Theatre pre sents “The Addams Family” at 7:30 tonight, 7:30 p.m. March 10, and 1 and 5 p.m. March 11 at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children for JCC members, $35 and $15 for others; 678-812-4002 or atlantajcc.org/habima.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

Sober Shabbat. InterfaithFamily/Atlanta hosts a service and dinner for those in recovery and their allies at 7 p.m. at Industrious on the eighth floor of Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Old Fourth Ward. Admission is $15; RSVP to bit.ly/2G15C7C.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10

MG Walk. The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation fundraiser starts with the check-in at 9 a.m. and the walk cer-

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Vayakhel-Pekudei Friday, March 9, light candles at 6:23 p.m. Saturday, March 10, Shabbat ends at 7:18 p.m. Vayikra Friday, March 16, light candles at 7:28 p.m. Saturday, March 17, Shabbat ends at 8:24 p.m.

Spring Ahead

Daily saving time begins Sunday, March 11, when the time jumps from 1:59 to 3 a.m., so be wary of arriving an hour late for appointments and events that day. You’ll also notice the later Shabbat starting and ending times for next week. emony at 10 at Brook Run Park, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. Free; www. mgwalk.org/georgia.

$5; www.israeliamerican.org/atlanta/ talk.

Sinaistock. Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, continues its 50th anniversary celebration with a Woodstock-themed Purim costume party for adults at 7 p.m. Tickets are $36; www. templesinaiatlanta.org/50years.

Edgewise. Waffle House executive Gary Lind talks about the company’s history to the Edgewise group at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 10:30 a.m. Free for members, $5 for others; atlantajcc.org/knowledgewise or 678-812-4070.

Honor dinner. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, honors Joel Axler and Jeff Budd at a gala dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $75, or $700 for a table of 10; www. bethshalom.net or 770-399-5300. Benefit. FIDF’s Atlanta Young Leadership holds a party at 8:30 p.m. at Sweetwater Brewery, 195 Ottley Drive, Buckhead. Tickets are $50 in advance, $70 at the door; fidfse.wixsite.com/ylatl70.

MONDAY, MARCH 12

Israel talk. Ezra Adventures founder Doug Hershey speaks about his new book, “Israel Rising,” during an IsraeliAmerican Council event at 8 p.m. at Crema Espresso Gourmet, 2458 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

Annual meeting. Jewish Family & Career Services holds its annual meeting at 7 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.jfcsatl.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

American Craft Show. Jewish artisans DebraLynn Gold, Kathy Edelman Hutchinson, Barry Rhodes, Judy Robkin and Barbara Zaretsky are among more than 230 craft artists showing their wares at the 29th annual show from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Cobb Galleria Centre, 2 Galleria Parkway, Cumberland. Admission is $13 per day and free for children 12 and under; craftcouncil.org/atlanta.

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

Remember When

10 Years Ago March 7, 2008 ■ Rabbi Zalman Lipskier from Chabad at Emory is the first Jewish chaplain to serve the Georgia State Defense Force. The past five years he served as a civilian rabbi leading a weekly Sunday service at Fort Benning. The State Defense Force, which provides a rapid-response force in emergencies and supports the National Guard, is accommodating Rabbi Lipskier’s Shabbat observance and his beard. ■ The bar mitzvah ceremony of Lee Silver of Alpharetta, son of Ann and Michael Silver, was held Saturday, Sept. 1, at Congregation Or VeShalom. 25 Years Ago March 5, 1993 ■ The end of Westminster Schools’ Christian-only hiring policy has not convinced the Jewish community that the private school with a Christian mission is a good place to send their children. Westminster’s board approved a plan Feb. 25 to hire non-Christians, but even Jewish graduates question

whether the new attitude will filter down from the administration to the students. ■ Robin and Gordon Slutsky of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Sheridan Blaine, on Jan. 22. 50 Years Ago March 8, 1968 ■ A new Reform Jewish congregation, the Northside Reform Congregation, has Rabbi Zalman Lipskier been officially chartered in Atlanta with 33 families as the initial members. The congregation intends to have a flexible approach to tradition while accommodating Atlanta’s rapidly expanding Jewish population. ■ The marriage of Miss Ann Frances Kroskin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Kroskin of Savannah, and Steven Jay Solomon, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Solomon of Atlanta, was solemnized Feb. 18 at Mickve Israel Temple.

CALENDAR Photos courtesy of AJC Atlanta

Clergy members at the head table of the 2016 Black-Jewish Seder include Rabbis Ruth Abusch-Magder, Mario Karpuj and Loren Filson Lapidus. Rabbi Lapidus is leading the more diverse Unity Seder this month.

AJC Expands Diversity With Seder Outreach American Jewish Committee Atlanta is expanding its biennial BlackJewish Seder to be more inclusive and changing the name to Unity Seder. The entire Atlanta community is invited to the first Unity Seder, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, at The Temple. “AJC has increasing partnerships within the Atlanta community, and we wanted to include our community partners in the Passover experience,” said Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus of The Temple, who will lead the seder. The Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition ran the Black-Jewish Seder to build bridges between those two communities. Since then, AJC has forged strong relationships with the Latino, Indian, Muslim and Christian communities. Rabbi Lapidus said the successful history of the Black-Jewish Seder laid the foundation for a more diverse event. This year’s service will feature a new haggadah, a musical performance by California-based Israeli artist Lior Ben-Hur and a new structure to the seder. Rabbi Lapidus said that trying to translate the seder to non-Jewish clergy members can be a difficult process because they aren’t necessarily familiar with the tradition. Rather than have clergy craft discussion questions during the seder, that task is left to the seder participants at each table. “We’re trying to be realistic about what can happen in a two-hour seder,” Rabbi Lapidus said. “We’re seating people from different communities at each table to get a different perspective on the liturgy.” Ben-Hur’s performance is connected with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, which runs through March 25. His primary source of income is playing events at Jewish congregations around the world, so he was excited about the focus on diversity.

“I just want there to be a lot of different people from different backgrounds,” he said. “That’s what I’m interested in.” Ben-Hur tours with Sol Tevel, his seven-piece band, and sings Jewish text and liturgy over reggae beats. During the Unity Seder, Ben-Hur will perform songs off his latest album, “So I Wander.” “When I do reggae, I see a big connection between the Rastafarians and Jewish text,” he said. “If you look at Rastafarian songs, they are based on the Old Testament. A lot of the lyrics are 100 percent Jewish text.” Collaborating with the music festival is one of the exciting new elements of the Unity Seder, AJC Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker said. There also will be more dignitaries at the tables, a change that he hopes will become a tradition. “The number of consulate generals attending has increased,” Wilker said. “Usually we get about 300 people, but this year we’re expecting 400 people. By expanding the seder, we increased attendance by 25 percent.” Two years ago at the last BlackJewish Seder, AJC saw more attendees who were not Jewish or black, Wilker said. Creating a more inclusive seder gives more Atlantans the opportunity to learn about the weeklong holiday while honoring the themes of oppression and freedom. “Passover is the most celebrated Jewish holiday in the world,” Wilker said. “We wanted to provide an experience that would make it easy for anyone to be a part of.” ■ What: AJC Unity Seder

When: Registration at 6 p.m., program at 6:30, Tuesday, March 13

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Patrice Worthy

Admission: $36 ($18 for students and young professionals); www.ajc.org/ atlanta

Where: The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown

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ISRAEL NEWS

The Stuff of Dreams Can Be Lost in Translation

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

February marked the sixth anniversary of our aliyah, and we understand that Israel is not Little America. It can fool Diaspora Jews into thinking this is Wonderland with its paved streets, booming construction, world-class universities, medicine and restaurants, the prevalence of spoken English and music, glass and steel high-rises, and credit and debit cards used to pay for everything from buses to ice cream. That is, until you live in Israel awhile. My culture shock hit two years into aliyah, once the exuberance and emotional thrall smashed into reality. First, Hebrew is the national language. It’s not English, French or Russian. Learning to speak Hebrew is a must if you want to acculturate. I get by speaking English to taxi drivers, waiters and doctors. Here’s where not speaking Hebrew makes an oleh (immigrant) feel inadequate and childlike: I don’t get their jokes. My doctor explains conditions to me in English, then talks to the nurse about me in Hebrew. Will I really live?

In staff meetings, Henglish is spoken for a few minutes but reverts to Hebrew. After a few months, colleagues are annoyed translating for me.

View From Israel By Harold Goldmeier harold.goldmeier@gmail.com

Bank documents are in Hebrew, as are notices from utilities, mortgage lenders, and the pension and retirement agency. The military and government do their business in Hebrew. I volunteered with a child protection nonprofit, but it does all its communicating in Hebrew and turned me down. News broadcast in Hebrew does not translate well into English. My son and nephew watched an interview with a Hebrew speaker translated into English. They broke out laughing. Not speaking Hebrew leaves olim feeling like outsiders. Second, the lack of sustainable employment is a hardship for the young. It’s nearly impossible for the

Photo by Laura Ben-David Photos, bendavid.laura@gmail.com

Israel’s reality lies somewhere over the rainbow.

over-55 crowd. They call us vatikkim (antiques), and while the sobriquet gets us discounts on public transportation and entrance to Cinema City Jerusalem on Tuesdays, vatikkim connotes impatience with people past their prime. Israel is a young Sabra (born in Israel) nation. Between 1948 and 2017 the religious and secular Sabra population skyrocketed from 35 percent to 75 percent. Intermarriage between Ashkenazim and Sephardim and between Russians and Israelis is homogenizing the culture. Sabras harbor an endemic sense of nationalism and pride in the depths of their souls, while olim emulate with love. Love fades, and it’s estimated upward of 20 percent of olim return to their native lands, while 12 percent of Israelis emigrate, always hoping to return after making a fortune overseas. Israel holds eighth place for highest life expectancy in the world. People can plan to live well into our 80s, surpassing the United States, Canada, France and Russia. Yet mandatory retirement is at 67. The Supreme Court recently upheld the mandatory retirement age. It makes sense from an economic point of view. It is one tool to open jobs for the young and stem their emigration. Still, Israel stirs the emotional stewpot and remains the ideal place for the young at heart. It’s a rainbow kind of country. Israel is “Over the Rainbow.” She is the epitome of the story of Jewish survival. The lyrics were written in 1938 by Yip Harburg (Isidore Hochberg), who also wrote “April in Paris” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” He was born to Russian Jewish immigrants and grew up in a Yiddish-speaking, Orthodox home in New York. Harold Arlen (Hyman Arluck), a cantor’s son, wrote the score. One teller claims, “The two men reached deep into their immigrant Jewish consciousness — framed by the pogroms

of the past and the Holocaust about to happen — and wrote an unforgettable melody set to near-prophetic words.” Read the lyrics in a Jewish context. They are not about wizards of Oz, but Jewish survival: Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Someday I’ll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops That’s where you’ll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why, then, oh, why can’t I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow Why, oh, why can’t I? The Jews of Europe and Russia looked to heaven, praying for centuries to escape pogroms, satrapy, czarist and Christian oppression to fly beyond the rainbow. The 1938 song visualized the chimneys soon to be the hallmarks of hell in concentration camps, spewing the smoke and ashes of burning Jews flying beyond the rainbow. Israel is a land “once in a lullaby.” The lullaby is the story of the Exodus from Egypt annually read at Passover and retold just before bedtime. A decade after the publication of “Over the Rainbow,” the state of Israel was reborn. There are 65 million refugees in 2018. Not one is a Jew. Dreams really do come true. ■ Businesses and community organizations interested in scheduling speaking engagements this summer with Harold Goldmeier can contact him at Harold. goldmeier@gmail.com.

ISRAEL NEWS

Arthur Ruppin purchased the future home of Hebrew University in 1914.

Today in Israeli History

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MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. March 9, 1914: Arthur Ruppin, the head of the Palestine Office of the World Zionist Organization, purchases the estate of Sir John Gray Hill on Mount Scopus to build what becomes the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. March 10, 1970: Israel’s Law of Return is amended to further define citizen eligibility in Israel and thus address who is a Jew. The revised law says that “Jew means a person who was born of a Jewish mother or who has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion.” March 11, 1978: Eleven Palestinian terrorists, traveling from Lebanon by boat, land on a beach north of Tel Aviv and embark on one of the worst terrorist attacks in Israel’s history, the Coastal Road Massacre. The terrorists hijack a taxi and two buses and kill 38 civilians, including 17 children, before being stopped in a shootout with police. March 12, 1947: President Harry Truman outlines a new, decidedly antiSoviet direction for American foreign policy that becomes known as the Truman Doctrine. That policy of supporting democracies and opposing the spread of communism leads to U.S. recognition of Israel 14 months later. March 13, 1881: Czar Alexander II of Russia is assassinated in St. Petersburg when a bomb is thrown into his carriage. A wave of pogroms strikes Jewish communities a month later, and the new czar rolls back liberal policies that had benefited Jews. March 14, 1473: A riot breaks out in Cordoba against Spanish Jews who had converted to Christianity but practiced Judaism behind closed doors. March 15, 1972: In an address on Amman Radio, Jordan’s King Hussein proposes a federal solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including one state composed of the West Bank and Jordan with regional capitals in each area.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Is an Essential Lab for Jewish Educators

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Israel is a core value in American Jewish education. Our Jewish teachers need the same experiential immersion in Israel that our children get when we send them to experience Israel at an early age. Access to Israel learning in the classroom and on the Internet is important; immersive engagement in Israel is vital. Why? Often students have visited Israel, but their Jewish teachers have not. Israel is complex and varied. Creating memories and wrestling with Israel’s cultural variations necessitate being there. Teaching about Israel requires managing nuance. Moreover, no blog or media outlet can keep track of all the innovation that takes place in Israel in virtually every walk of life. Learning about our ancient homeland alongside cutting-edge agricultural and medical innovations provides students and teachers insight about Israel beyond the conflict. With understanding beyond the headlines and sound-bites, those things that

might make us cringe and those actions that make us proud help us teach our students, families and leaders about the importance of taking risks,

Guest Column By Steve Kerbel

investing in our youth and practicing social responsibility. This year’s Jewish Educators Assembly conference was held in Be’er Sheva. The city’s diversity reflects Israel’s dynamism and innovation. Social justice elements were embedded into commercial achievements. SodaStream displayed working partnerships among Jews, Palestinian Arabs and Bedouin. Women’s social and economic empowerment was showcased. We observed with pride state-of-the-art care for children and adults with physical and psychosocial development challenges (ALEH Negev). Seeing the abundance of urban green

Jewish Educators Assembly delegates, including Steve Kerbel (second from right), tour the SodaStream factory near Be’er Sheva in the Negev.

space and recreational development of parks reinforced our knowledge of Israel’s environmental advances. It was all inspiring; we spoke incessantly about how to convey these experiences to students back home. We came home convinced that Jewish educators must be beneficiaries of their own Birthright program. Atlanta is ahead of the curve. Several months ago the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta unfolded its youth engagement directors mission to Israel; it must become an annual

embrace for Jewish educators. In January, Federation brought 70 community leaders to interact with peers they might have never met, except perhaps in traffic jams on I-75/85. The best solution for our youth to know all they can about Israel is providing them exposure to educators who experienced it firsthand. After three decades in the field, I know that Jewish teachers do this work because of their dedication to the outcome, not for the income. When communities immerse their teachers in an Israel experience, they inspire commitments to individuals who possess the passion to teach. There is no risk making our students smarter about who they are and no risk in having them understand Israel’s variations through the firsthand experiences and talents of their teachers. Keep it up, Atlanta. ■ Steve Kerbel, a consultant in the Washington area, serves as national president of the Jewish Educators Assembly and a project director for the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org).

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ISRAEL NEWS

Netanyahu: ‘We Will Stop Iran’ their hopes, their courage. Women are jailed for removing their hijabs. Students are tortured, tortured and shot for advocating freedom. We stand with those in Iran who stand for freedom. Now I believe that a day will come when this horrible tyranny will disappear, will perish from the earth, and at that point the historic friendship between the people of Israel and the people of Persia will be re-established. Today we have Haman. Tomorrow we’ll have Cyrus and friendship and peace. My friends, as we work together to confront the bad, there is also potential to advance the good that paradoxically comes from the bad, because most of

the states in our region know — they know very well, believe me — that Israel is not their enemy, but their indispensable ally in conPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses fronting our common the AIPAC Policy Conference on March 6. challenges and seizing I have a message for President our common opportunities. That is Abbas: Stop paying terrorists. Because true for Egypt and Jordan, Israel’s longwhat message does this send to Palestime peace partners, but it’s also true tinian children? It says, “Murder Jews for many other Arab countries in the and get rich.” And I believe President Middle East. Israel remains committed Abbas should find better use for this to achieving peace with all our neighmoney — to build roads, schools, hosbors, including the Palestinians. … pitals, factories. Build life, don’t pay To get peace, President Abbas has death. Invest in life. Invest in peace. ■ to embrace peace. …

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

The following are excerpts from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the AIPAC Policy Conference on Tuesday, March 6. What do we do about Iran? The force behind so much of what is bad is this radical tyranny in Tehran. If I have a message for you today, it’s a very simple one: We must stop Iran. We will stop Iran! When I last spoke here, I warned, tried to warn the world about a nuclear deal that was a threat to the survival of Israel, the security of the region, the peace of the world. I warned that Iran’s regime had repeatedly lied to the international community, that it could not be trusted. I warned that the deal gives Iran a clear path towards developing a nuclear arsenal in little more than a decade. And I warned that by removing Iran’s sanctions, Iran’s regime would not become more moderate and peaceful, but more extreme and belligerent, much more dangerous. And, ladies and gentlemen, that’s exactly what has happened. Here is what Iran is doing today. Darkness is descending on our region. Iran is building an aggressive empire: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, more to come. Now Iran is seeking to build permanent military bases in Syria, seeking to create a land bridge … from Tehran to Tartus on the Mediterranean. And in addition to moving its army, its air force, its navy to Syria, to be able to attack Israel from closer hand, it’s also seeking to develop, to build precision-guided missile factories in Syria and Lebanon. … We will not let that happen. We must stop Iran. We will stop Iran. Last week, we read in the Book of Esther about an earlier Persian attempt to exterminate our people. They failed then. They’ll fail now. We will never let Iran develop nuclear weapons — not now, not in 10 years, not ever. President Trump has made it clear that his administration will not accept Iran’s aggression in the region. He has made clear that he too will never accept a nuclear-armed Iran. That is the right policy. I salute President Trump on this. And the president has also made it clear that if the fatal flaws of the nuclear deal are not fixed, he will walk away from the deal and restore sanctions. Israel will be right there by America’s side. And let me tell you, so will other countries in the region. As we counter Iran’s aggression, we should always remember … the brave people of Iran: their suffering,

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Our View

Open Up, AIPAC

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

The AIPAC Policy Conference is likely the largest gathering of Jews in the United States each year. Hundreds of Atlantans (Jewish and non-Jewish) make the March pilgrimage to Washington with 18,000 or so others who want AIPAC to protect the special relationship between the United States and Israel and prevent Israel from becoming a partisan issue. While the political superstars — this year including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Page 9), Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, whose nation is following the U.S. lead in moving its embassy to Jerusalem this spring — produce headlines and have videos of their speeches posted online, the bulk of the activity at the AIPAC conference is shrouded in mystery. That’s because the breakout sessions, where people dig into the nitty-gritty of issues related to Israel, are almost uniformly closed to the media. It’s an approach that reflects AIPAC’s quiet but consistent anti-press posture, which is bad for the media, bad for those who care about Israel, and bad for AIPAC itself. The perfect image of AIPAC’s wrongheaded attitude emerged Sunday, March 4. Outside a session titled “Free Speech and Freedom of the Press in Israel” was this sign: “THIS SESSION IS OFF THE RECORD AND CLOSED TO THE PRESS.” Let that sink in: The press was banned from a discussion about freedom of the press. This problem is not limited to AIPAC’s national gathering. AIPAC recently held its annual Atlanta community event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Bret Stephens of The New York Times speaking. But you didn’t see any coverage in the AJT because everything AIPAC does locally is off the record. It’s particularly aggravating when the speaker is a member of the press, such as Stephens or Charles Krauthammer a few years ago, because they aren’t asking to have doors slammed in reporters’ faces. It’s so hard to get an on-the-record comment from AIPAC — and only from the national office — that we’ve stopped trying. But our online partners at the New York Jewish Week have maintained a dialogue with AIPAC about opening the doors, and the only explanation they’ve received is that the lobbying group doesn’t want a media presence to deter people from speaking their minds. In an age of texting and tweeting, no one speaking to a crowd, with or without the press, should expect anything to be a secret, and we doubt people do. We suspect AIPAC just likes to maintain a sense of mystery that brings an aura of power and perhaps increases people’s desire to pay to see what’s inside. Regardless of the reason, shutting out the media is bad policy. AIPAC misses out on free publicity from its events, and it blocks the access that could lead to better understanding and more sympathetic coverage. If you wonder why J Street gets more media attention than its numbers warrant, it’s because AIPAC’s left-leaning rival welcomes media to its events and actually talks to us. If you’re active in AIPAC, we urge you to push back against this counterproductive poli10 cy toward the press. ■

Photo by Ori Salzberg

Most of the heroes being honored at the second Mitzvah for the Mikvah on May 3 pay a visit to the night’s beneficiary March 1.

Time for Another Communal Dip jobs, such as SOJOURN Executive Director Rebecca One of the events I most enjoyed covering in Stapel-Wax, whom Congregation Bet Haverim is 2017 was the first Mitzvah for the Mikvah, a benefit for the Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah (www. celebrating for her work with MACoM. atlantamikvah.org) that exceeded its goal of paying Mikvah Executive Director Barbara LeNoble off MACoM’s construction debt. was particularly excited about the latest hero on the What made the night so moving, however, list, Devorah Lowenstein, being recognized by Young wasn’t the mikvah’s financial success or the alIsrael of Toco Hills for her involvement in the Torah ways entertaining setting of the Georgia Aquarium and Tefilla program. The participation of an Orthoballroom, but the testimonials from speaker after dox shul completes the denominational spectrum speaker about the modern meaning they had found for the celebration and helps expose MACoM to the in the living waters of the mikvah and the revelation full community. of the deep friendship RabMany of the other hebis Alvin Sugarman and roes have appeared in the Joshua Heller developed AJT; some, I’m afraid, have Editor’s Notebook in the course of midwifing not until now. The honorBy Michael Jacobs the birth of this invaluable ees in addition to Stapelmjacobs@atljewishtimes.com community asset. Wax and Lowenstein: The emotion and joy • Linda Bressler, Ahaof the night didn’t come vath Achim Synagogue, from the mikvah itself. Instead, MACoM was a vessel AA-ACT. through which members of the Jewish Atlanta com• Samra and Ronald Robbins, Congregation Beth munity were able to expose their stories and their Shalom, Backpack Buddies. passions to hundreds of mostly strangers. • Arlene Exelbert, Congregation B’nai Torah, That’s why I’m looking forward to the second Family Promise. Mitzvah for the Mikvah, set for Thursday, May 3, • Karen Baron, Temple Emanu-El, Community at Congregation B’nai Torah (tickets are $180, $90 Assistance Center of Sandy Springs. if you’re 35 and under): It will be another chance to • Bonnie and Alan Silverman, Congregation Etz hear some extraordinary stories from people who Chaim, Safe Driver Program. aren’t necessarily the big machers in town — this • Lori Carling, Congregation Gesher L’Torah, time from more than a dozen people who are doing animal shelter and food bank. crucial work to make the Jewish and non-Jewish • Annette Marcus, Congregation Or Hadash, communities better places to live. Chesed. I don’t immerse in the mikvah myself, but I be• Gillian Gansler, Congregation Shearith Israel, lieve in its importance as a community-building and Rebecca’s Tent. -sustaining asset. A kosher mikvah open to all, to be • Jeff Willard, Temple Beth Tikvah, Tzedek discovered and experienced as each Jewish person Georgia. needs and desires, is a rare common ground we all • Robin Mayer, Temple Sinai, Family Promise. can share. And we’ll get to see that at the fundraiser • Ronnie van Gelder, The Temple, too many to honoring Jewish community heroes, some of whom list. had never been to MACoM before a meet-and-greet It’s great that Federation brought 70 community session held during Purim. leaders to Israel to help break down the invisible The honorees shied away from being labeled walls in Jewish Atlanta; we need people chipping heroes, as MACoM is calling them, but they’re all away from the top. But it feels right that a mikvah, being recognized by their congregations for going which we are commanded to build even before a above and beyond the call of duty in their volunteer synagogue, can help construct truly communal feelwork — beyond the good many of them do in their ings from the bottom up. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Federation Mission Reflected AJA in So Many Ways one another. Let’s remember: We can agree to disagree and engage in civil discourse.

Guest Column By Alan Minsk

• A goal was to build relationships and, in turn, begin collaborations. A speaker in Israel said Chase Bank used to advertise that it wanted to be the bank for all Israelis. An Israeli bank countered that it wanted to be the individual’s mishpacha (family). That remains AJA’s challenge. We are geographically dispersed. We have families from many religious and cultural backgrounds. We are the only Jewish day school serving early childhood to 12th grade in Atlanta. We must ensure that everyone at AJA feels at home and genuinely connected to our school. “Community” and “connectivity” cannot merely be part of a tagline. We recently enjoyed our second schoolwide Shabbaton and have initiated community dialogues. Rabbi Leubitz and I have scheduled meetings with groups from our Israel trip about possible engagements to benefit AJA and the students. We have more to do. It is perfectly acceptable and normal to stay within one’s own community. It’s safe. But, as the Israel trip showed me, it’s OK to go outside my comfort zone, to meet new people and to learn from others. Sometimes, being uncomfortable can lead to personal growth. AJA must ensure the door is open to all and, to quote the Motel 6 commercial, make sure the light is on. We must be inviting and welcoming, sensitive and receptive. • AJA walks a tightrope between tight budgets and growing needs. That was a common refrain during the six days for all organizations. While it perhaps was comforting to know AJA is not alone, no one has the answer. Know that our proud dual curriculum isn’t going anywhere. We will continue to strive for academic excellence. We will offer extracurricular activities. We will continue to help families in need. We will continue to teach our children the meaning of being Jewish, the Jewish values we hold dear, and the ways to be proud mensches who

love G-d, Torah and Judaism. We must make the school open and affordable to all who want what we offer. We must be amenable to see how we can offer alternative courses to those who want to come to AJA and participate in a dual-curriculum track. However, we cannot make significant changes to our curriculum that compromise our vision and our core mission. We are what we are; the brochure doesn’t lie. As my pulpit rabbi has said, “One is great if one is credible and reliable.” That must be AJA. • The trip was, to some extent, a microcosm of AJA. Perceptions and preconceived notions of us vs. them. Diversity. Differing ideas. Community. Inclusion. Change. While the trip broke down immediate stereotypes, it wasn’t atypical that exceptional, well-meaning people, in a discussion of inclusion and community, would revert to “they” to describe a group rather than “we.” It takes time, but the Israel trip was a first step (and we will continue to meet as a group). It is our challenge; it is our op-

portunity. Rabbi Leubitz, the AJA board and I are committed to bridging our community. We look to you, though, to help us in this effort. • So, the Israel trip taught me to (try to) be more respectful, open, tolerant, committed and decisive. I am not naive. I have no illusions that the trip will lead to immediate peace and harmony. We plant the seeds of a tree knowing that we will not see it grow completely, but that it will benefit future generations. (In fact, we did this on Tu B’Shevat during our trip.) What I know is that I prayed at the Kotel on Friday night with a man whom I never met before the trip. I spent six days with a group of (largely) strangers on a trip, the type of which I told my wife I’d never take. I participated in discussions with people I never would have encountered because of made-up perception boundaries. I can say the trip was personally meaningful for me. And I even hugged a few people at the end. ■ Alan Minsk is the president of Atlanta Jewish Academy.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

As Rabbi Ari Leubitz has written, about 70 Jewish communal leaders from Atlanta went to Israel to see how we could improve dialogue within our community, as we met with a number of diverse Israeli organizations, and take that conversation back home. Rabbi Leubitz and I represented Atlanta Jewish Academy. I am not a hugger. I am a 50-yearold, reserved, difficult and opinionated individual. I hate going outside my safe zone. I, and I think most of my colleagues, had some trepidation about the trip for a number of reasons. We were told we would have uncomfortable moments (we did, and we survived). A special thank-you to Eric Robbins, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and his team for the invitation to participate and the program itself. Some observations: • I was amazed at how many people who participated had a GHA/ Yeshiva Atlanta/AJA connection. There will be some overlap, but of those who participated, I counted four alumni, four current or past school presidents, and 18 current or past parents. During our visit, we met with two alumni studying in Israel, and our Shabbat night speaker was a GHA/Yeshiva graduate (with his brother, also an alum, in attendance). A childhood friend and fellow alum, a congregational rabbi who now lives in Jerusalem, spoke as well. We should all share a sense of pride that the school was well represented. • There were 13 congregational rabbis who participated. Two graduated from Hebrew Academy/GHA, three currently send their children to the school, and nine have congregants who attend AJA. • Our insistence on community engagement and continuity continues to shine; AJA was the only day school represented on this mission. • Much of our trip was spent listening to people in Israel and to one another from Atlanta about perceptions and frustrations. It was frequently said, “We must listen until it hurts.” No silver-bullet solutions were found, but the discussion, the dialogue and the value of being present were great first steps. Start with a question, not a statement. Talk to one another, not at

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OPINION

Halting the Hemorrhaging of the Jewish People There is a story about two cousins: Czar Nicholas of Russia and Emperor Franz Joseph of the AustroHungarian Empire. The czar went to Vienna for a visit. He was struck by the relative freedom, at least economic, that Jews enjoyed. Nicholas chastised his cousin: “Franz, haven’t we agreed that we will destroy the Jews? Look what I have done. I force them to live in isolation in the Pale. I do not permit them to travel, to get an education or to enter meaningful occupations. You, on the other hand, give them economic opportunities. They become owners of great businesses, and, of course, they attend university and become professionals.” Franz Joseph responded, “Cousin, you destroy them your way, and I’ll do it my way.” Was Franz Joseph right? It seems that 2,000 years of Christian anti-Judaism could not destroy us. To the contrary, imposed isolation in ghettos and the Pale of Settlement kept us alive spiritually and prevented assimilation into the Christian culture. As late as 1943, when I and all other Jews in Munkacs were taken to the German camps, most Jews lived isolated from the Christians. I lived on a street that was completely Jewish except for one family. At the age of 6 or younger, I would leave our Shabbat table and visit a neighbor because, as I told my mother, the cholent or kugel was better than hers. I went to a parochial school where the language of instruction was Hebrew, and all the students were Jews. My parents didn’t have to worry about intermarriage because I didn’t have a chance to interact with non-Jewish girls and the Christian girls didn’t have

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

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the opportunity to develop relationships with Jewish boys. The separation between the religions was a fact of life. Maintaining ourselves as Jews in a society that encouraged our isolation was easy. The difficulty arose when

One Man’s Opinion By Eugen Schoenfeld

our imposed isolation eroded. In the major European cities, this change began with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. When the walls of the ghettos began to crumble, we were stuck on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, we desired this new freedom; on the other hand, how could we keep Jews from intermarriage and conversion? Once we could live where we chose, interreligious interaction became more frequent. The synagogues and Jewish houses of study were not equipped to overcome the consequences of friendly interaction. One of the first sociological laws is that interaction varies with sentiment; in other words, the more one interacts with another, the more likely it is that sentiment will develop between the two. To prevent interaction and the development of positive sentiments that encourage assimilation, we would need to revert to isolation. Jewish integration into the Christian world also was enhanced by ideals that advocate rationality and secularization. Those perspectives became part of the Jewish intellectual world, and, together with positivism, a new philosophical movement led to a com-

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mitment to a rational, fact-based interpretation of the Torah and Talmud. The Enlightenment brought a rejection of unquestioned obedience and supported the examination of religion from a rational perspective. This new perspective influenced Freud, Einstein, and writers such as Kafka and Zweig. No wonder that Peter Gay’s biography of Freud is titled “A Godless Jew.” Freud and Einstein maintained their Jewish identity, but without faith or adherence to beliefs and laws dictated by Judaism as a religion. My wife played tennis with ALTA, and most of her teammates were Christians. They asked her the reason for kashrut. She gave them a rational explanation that kosher laws were based on an early perspective of the relationship between food and health. Later, she asked me whether her response was true. I told her that the reason for kashrut is unknown and that those who adhere to it do so because they believe that G-d ordained it. Such a response, of course, would have violated all tenets of rationality. I have heard various explanations, such as “We don’t eat pork because of the danger of trichinosis,” which isn’t true. Trichinosis was an unknown disease 3,000 years ago. I have also read a rational explanation given by an Orthodox physician for using the mikvah after menses; according to him, it is for health reasons. This physician related the use of the mikvah to the relative absence of uterine cancer among Jewish women. Like Freud, many Jews who gave up their religious identity because of its demand for belief in nonrational explanations still wished to keep their Jewish identity, especially in Germany. This was true among Zionists who centered their identity in history rather than religion, especially among socialists, such as the Hashomer Hatzair. There also were the Yiddish Bundists, whose Jewish identity was placed in a commitment to culture. With the advent of Hitler and the Holocaust, all such issues disappeared for a while, only to reappear in the United States some years after World War II. The latest report based on the Pew Study shows that the United States has 2½ million Jews who reject religion and substitute an ethnic- or culturalbased Jewish identity. Reporting on this phenomenon, demographer and sociologist Steven

Cohen suggested that this is a growing phenomenon among Jews. Secularization, the substitution of a rational explanation of life for one based on religious beliefs, is increasing not only among Jews, but also among Christians. The reason is increased education. Changes toward religion in general and among Jews in particular were enhanced by tremendous increases in the percentage of Americans attending colleges and universities — a function of the GI Bill that connected with a high commitment to education among Jews. The increase of education led to revolutionary changes related to race, sex and gender, as well as a stronger commitment to rationality. The number of Jews who will seek a Jewish identity outside religion will continue to increase and may even invade the Orthodox community as they permit their children to attend non-Jewish schools of higher education. Can we afford to lose that many Jews from our community? The issue all Jewish communities must face: Is there a way by which we can reintegrate these Jews into our community? Can we find new ways to be Jewish without religion? Perhaps we need to heed Isaiah Berlin, who proposed more than 50 years ago that Jews will seek a historical identity based on our worldview of morals and freedom rather of traditional faith. An interesting phenomenon reported by the Pew Study is that the number of Jews, including nonreligious Jews, who participate in the Passover seder remains high. Why? Perhaps because this holiday’s historical message reflects the Jewish consciousness of a commitment to liberty — to a universal moral concept of personal and collective freedom. Let me direct the following to the rabbis of liberal Judaism. Perhaps we need to begin with Reform temples — institutions that proclaim themselves to be liberal — to open their facilities and under their auspices reintegrate the historical-cultural Jews into our communities and thereby stop the loss of Jews from our midst. Perhaps quasi-services consisting of music, history and the examination of the development of morals will bring them back and reintegrate those whom the PEW report refers to as Jews without religion into the Jewish collective. ■

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Take a Visit Inside Friendship Circle Friendship Circle of Atlanta’s annual benefit event Sunday, March 18, combines brunch with a fashion show featuring program participants walking alongside volunteers and friends Led by Yale and Rickelle New, the nonprofit Friendship Circle provides birthday parties, Friends@Home and Jewish holiday events for more than 80 children and adults with special needs. Most programs are free to participants, for whom having friends is life-changing. I know because my son Sammy has been involved with Friendship Circle since he was 3 years old. Sammy loves the birthday parties, but his participation in the Friends@ Home program is special to our whole family. In this program, two teen volunteers come to play with Sammy every Sunday. I’d like to share a glimpse into our @home circle. Sammy is now 8. His teenage friends are Yaniv Zigmond, 14, who has been part of our circle for more than two years, and Micah Bronfman, 15, who is new to our family. The teen volunteers’ families support them. “He came home telling me that he had really bonded with one of the campers and was having so much fun teaching him to play tennis,” Micah’s mom, Ronit Walker, said about her son, who met Sammy at a Friendship Circle tennis camp. “He enjoyed the experience so much that he wanted to participate in Friendship Circle all year. He was thrilled when he was paired with Sammy again.” She said Micah is the youngest of three children, so he likes being a big brother to Sammy. “I enjoy hearing about their experiences together — making instruments out of paper, riding on recycling bin sleds in the snow or even just exploring the neighborhood. Whenever I pick Micah up from his Friendship Circle date, he is smiling.” Leah Zigmond said that because son Yaniv has moved around a lot, he “had a special understanding of the power of friendship to help someone feel at home.” “Yaniv is already a big brother at home,” she said. “However, visiting Sammy gave him a unique opportunity to learn how to be a friend to an even younger child, how to give of himself, how to support and encourage.” Zigmond said Yaniv has benefited from working with a slightly older teen

Micah Bronfman (left) helps Sammy Lesser with a kite while Yaniv Zigmond stands by during a recent Sunday playdate in the Friends@ Home program.

volunteer each year. “He has learned that we really all need the same things: other people we can relate to, share fun times with and depend on.” Yaniv started with about eight weeks of training in the Mitzvah Volunteer Program. Most of what I learned is that everyone needs pretty much the same things — to be listened to and heard and paid attention to — and that everyone needs friends,” he said. He helps every few months with birthday celebrations, which have ranged from going to the zoo to bowling to picking apples. “These are great experiences that I will remember for a long time and which really teach me about the power of community and friendship. However, the best part about the Friendship Circle for me has been my visits with Sammy,” Yaniv said. Those visits last about an hour each Sunday and have included making a lemonade stand and selling cookies. “I’ve learned a lot from my time with Sammy. Mostly I have learned how much friends matter and that you should cherish all of your moments with them,” Yaniv said. “This means that you should not take your friends for granted and that you should always look for ways to be a good friend to those around you.” Micah mentioned going sledding and creating a tribute to parrots during his visits with Sammy. “On one occasion when we could not go outside due to the cold, we created a band. I played the newspaper, he played the cups, and Yaniv hummed,” Micah said. “Sadly, we have not reached the top 100 yet, but we are on the way.” He added: “From the first time I met Sammy, I knew we would be great friends. While other people played tennis, Sammy and I would look at pictures of dogs, or he would play ventriloquist and give voices to his action figures from the ‘Rugrats.’”

Sammy said it’s “awesome” to have teenage friends come to the house every week. “They are like royalty to me because they are so nice. We take walks together and pet dogs. We have a band inside when it rains. We talk about how our day was. We make up shows and do them for my mom. We like to hang out with each other, and I love it when they come over,” he said. As Sammy’s parents, Friendship Circle is very important to my husband and me. The program attracts amazing young people. Most of the teens who have worked with Sammy come back

year after year to volunteer until they go to college, then visit him during their school breaks. My son has gotten so much out of having these excellent role models in his life. I see a confidence in him that grows stronger every year. We belong to a wonderful synagogue, but sometimes a Chanukah or Purim program can be too loud and overwhelming for Sammy. Friendship Circle has been a wonderful resource, providing sensory-friendly programs with one-on-one support. And Sammy makes lots of friends through Friendship Circle holiday programs and birthday parties. “We’re here for anyone who has trouble making friends,” Rickelle New said when I asked her once who was eligible for Friendship Circle programs. What a powerful mission. ■ What: Friendship Circle fashion show and brunch Where: Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs When: 11 a.m. Sunday, March 18 Tickets: $36; www.fcatlanta.org/event

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Nancy Lesser

LOCAL NEWS

ADL Remains Relevant, Lawyers Lament By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com The 21st annual Anti-Defamation League Jurisprudence Luncheon gathered 350 attendees at the Ritz-Carlton downtown Wednesday, Feb. 28. “I think the ADL is more relevant now than it has ever been,” lawyer Eric Fisher said before the program. ADL the previous day announced that reports of anti-Semitic incidents in the four-state Southeast Region rose 32 percent in 2017, while the number nationally jumped about 60 percent. With Fisher, younger lawyers Scott Zweigel and Jeff Fisher (no relation to Eric), all graduates of the ADL leadership program, stay connected and now serve on the regional board. “The Southeast Region needs the ADL now with a 60 percent increase in hate incidents that we saw in 2017,” ADL Southeast Regional Director Allison Padilla-Goodman said. “Our fight is real. Georgia needs a hate crime bill. Our college campuses are stomping grounds for young minds. … We have to change the narrative of the Deep South by matching our passion to courage.” ADL honored Vernon Jordan and Sally Yates with awards as lawyers who have dedicated themselves to securing justice and fair treatment for all. The 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Jordan, senior counsel with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, for his legacy of civil and human rights leadership and his service in nonprofit and government roles exemplary of ADL values and mission. The 2018 Elbert P. Tuttle Jurisprudence Award went to Yates. Through 27 years in the Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney and U.S. attorney in Atlanta and as deputy attorney general in Washington and briefly as acting attorney general, Yates has been a champion of the rule of law, fairness and equal justice.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

ADL Trains Schools, Police

Photo by Marcia Caller Jaffe

Longtime ADL board member Liane Levetan chats with lawyer David Flint.

Leah Ward Sears, a former chief justice of Georgia, moderated a discussion with the two honorees. Jordan said that, growing up in the South, his mother advised him to use the bathroom and drink water before they left the house to avoid the humiliation of separate facilities. The Jewish community has always been a boon to Jordan. He specified Lew Regenstein, Miles Alexander and Charles Wittenstein, who sent him on his first trip abroad (to Israel in 1967). Above all, he has no room for anger. Because of his positive approach, Jordan got a college scholarship and was the only African-American in his class. After he was shot in 1980, he focused on getting well, not revenge. Three decades ago when Yates started at King & Spalding, she had only a handful of women as mentors. Now when she looks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, half the lawyers are women. Now, she said, the nation needs to focus on revamping the federal justice system and correcting an imbalance in incarceration rates. Jordan addressed the post-Parkland debate over firearms: “Arming teachers with guns is insane. We have added amendments to the Constitution, and we can take some out!” Yates praised Dick’s Sporting Goods for raising the age for gun purchases to 21 and eliminating sales of assault-style weapons. ■

The Anti-Defamation League has become the best recognized provider of bullying prevention training in the Southeast. The ADL Southeast Region operates its No Place for Hate initiative in more than 200 schools in four states, engaging students in dialogue around diversity and identity. ADL also is the nation’s largest nongovernmental trainer of law enforcement. ADL trains federal, state and local officers on how to investigate hate crimes, identify extremist and terrorist groups, and work with diverse communities in which many residents fear legal authorities. The Jurisprudence Luncheon supports all those programs, which are provided free to participating institutions. ■

LOCAL NEWS

Orchestra Dream Off-Key Memphis, St. Louis and Kennesaw, and the highlight would have been a Woodruff Arts Center gala on Yom HaAtzmaut itself, April 18. In Shorer’s plan, the fundraising would have covered the expense of moving, housing and feeding 75 musicians, their instruments and their support staff, the venues, and other costs, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the other Federations would have made money from ticket sales. But she appeared to get ahead of regional support for the tour. The consulate in Atlanta has been mentioned as a candidate to be one of seven diplomatic missions Israel is supposed to close from 2019 to 2022 under a budget agreement crafted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in January. Shorer, who fended off a similar closure threat shortly after taking office in August 2015, had suggested that the orchestra’s triumphant tour would be persuasive evidence that the Southeast should keep a consulate instead of falling under the authority of an office in Miami or Houston. ■

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra won’t be performing in Atlanta to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday after all. An urgent appeal from Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer in January to raise $300,000 for the orchestra to conduct a Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) tour of the Southeast was unsuccessful, and Shorer, the Israeli consul general to the Southeast, announced the cancellation Monday, Feb. 26, in an email sent to friends of the consulate and the Jewish Federations involved in planning the musical celebration. “I had a dream to bring the South, the Jerusalem Symphonic Orchestra for the 70th Birthday of Israel,” Shorer wrote. “Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed in raising all the money needed and since March is here, I have to cancel all events. … I ask for your understanding. I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience I caused you and thank you all for the huge effort you invested in the preparations.” Shorer said she booked the orchestra in 2016 to conduct a two-week tour of the Southeast this April. Stops would have included Charleston, Knoxville,

CONEXX GALA

Israeli-Born Event Chair Springs Into Conexx Gala By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

The chance to share her passion for Israel is one of many reasons Tally Korman this year becomes the first Israeli-born chair of the Conexx Gala. The American-Israel business connector’s annual awards gala March 22 at the Atlanta History Center marks the start of the Southeast’s celebrations of Israel’s 70th anniversary. The ceremony honors people and organizations strengthening ties between Israel and the Southeast. Korman heard about Conexx after her husband, a vice president and North America general manager for the Israeli digital printing company Landa, moved to the Southeast for business. “I think Conexx is a very special platform which brings people and businesses together on a whole new level,” she said. This month’s gala will highlight Israel’s independence, the history of Zionism and Conexx’s work for the past quarter-century. To enhance the event, Korman worked with the World Zionist Organization and the Ministry of Science and Technology in Israel. She said, “Everything in the gala is infused with an Israeli personality and is dedicated to exposing Israeli inventions and networking.” The event will feature two exhibits showcasing Israel’s impact on the world.

Conexx Gala chair Tally Korman says she is passionate about the Israeli and American communities.

“We are very limited on time but want to give people a taste of our changing world,” Korman said. Originally from Haifa, Korman has always been fascinated with geography, which led her to become a university professor and tourism planner. For more than 28 years she has taught in universities and has traveled to Spain, Belgium and New York to consult with businesses in tourism, planning and development. Korman is thankful for the opportunity to serve as Conexx’s gala chair and is happy to contribute her time in any way. “I am very passionate about the Israeli and American community and am glad Conexx is able to bring business and people together,” she said. “The benefits we gain are economic and personal.” ■

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

7 Awards to Celebrate Israel’s 70th

The Conexx Gala is handing out seven awards during the celebration Thursday, March 22, at the Atlanta History Center: • Tom Glaser Leadership Award — Benny Landa of the Landa Group, who holds more than 800 patents. “Benny Landa is by far one of Israel’s most creative inventors,” Conexx President Guy Tessler said. “The world would be much different without his sense of innovation and unique inventions.” • U.S. Company of the Year — Savannah-based Gulfstream. • Israeli Company of the Year — Software company Sapiens. • U.S. Community Partner — Birmingham Jewish Federation. • Israeli Community Partner — Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce. • Deal of the Year — Intel’s $15.3 billion purchase of Mobileye. • Innovative Academic Partnership — Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. On Pages 17 to 20, you can read more about five of the award winners and about two special exhibits from Israel that will be on display at the gala, which marks the start of regional celebrations of Israel’s 70th birthday. The event will start with networking and business showcases at 6 p.m. The program will begin at 7:15 p.m. A kosher buffet dinner from Avenue K will be available throughout the event, scheduled to end at 9 p.m. Admission is $155. Raffle tickets are $50 for the first ticket and $40 for each additional ticket. Register and get more information at www.conexxgala.com. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CONEXX GALA

Birmingham Rewarded for 25 Years of Support By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com The Birmingham Jewish Federation for years has financially supported the work of Conexx to connect Americans and Israelis for business opportunities and has helped Conexx establish partnerships between Israeli companies. This year Conexx is showing its appreciation to the Birmingham Federation by giving it the U.S. Community Partner of the Year award. “We’re delighted to receive it,” said Steven Brickman, one of the Birmingham Federation’s past presidents. “It’s a great honor. We believe in the work that they do and are just really humbled and gratified that we received it.” The award will be presented at the 2018 Conexx Gala on March 22 at the Atlanta History Center. The Birmingham Federation has been one of Conexx’s longest-term supporters and has helped finance the group’s work since 1993, the year after it launched as the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region.

Birmingham has a Jewish population estimated at 6,300 in 2016.

“The Federation again and again has proven its commitment to Conexx as well as the U.S.-Israel business relationships, serving as a leader and connector between various organizations in the city and the state of Alabama,” Conexx President Guy Tessler said. Connecting Israelis with Alabama companies is one of the Birmingham Federation’s main focuses. Economic development has become a more important part of how the organization provides support to Israel. The Birmingham Federation has helped establish business ties and connected Israeli contacts with Alabama companies. Brickman said there have been tremendous technology and workforce opportunities in Israel to work with Alabama companies. “It opened up a new paradigm in the Jewish community,” Brickman

said. “It became a way for us to share Israel with our non-Jewish friends, who then become connected with Israel. It opened up a lot of eyes and doors.” For example, a mission to Israel 12 or 13 years ago made the connection between an Israeli company and a leading health care company in Alabama, and the two were able to conduct clinical trials together. “I know that there’s a significant presence in Huntsville with Israeli defense companies and the defense industry,” Brickman said. The Birmingham Federation is busy promoting its Jewish community to the outside world. The organization raises money for local and national organizations that fulfill its mission. It also sponsors programming and is the glue that holds the community together, Brickman said.

“I think the Jewish community is well respected and a major force for good,” Brickman said. “We’ve done a lot to promote the well-being of the Jewish community at large through significant philanthropists. We’ve got some great people in the community. Those are our best resources. It’s a good place to live and a good place to raise a family, and it’s a great place to be a Jew.” The Birmingham Federation estimates that the city’s Jewish population grew from 4,500 to 6,300 between 1984 and 2016. Brickman hopes that the future will see young Jews moving into the Birmingham community. The Federation has formed a committee to reimagine what the community could look like five, 10 or 15 years from now. “The world is changing, and we have to change with it, both in terms of organizations, fundraising, allocation of resources — just what we want to be and what we should be in the next 10 or 20 years,” Brickman said. “We’re not static. We’re looking to the future to see how we can make this a better place to live.” ■

ENTER TO WIN FLOWERS, CANDY OR A SPA DAY FOR YOUR MOTHER THIS MOTHER’S DAY. Do Your Love And Appreciate Your Mother?

Submit 200 words or less telling us … Why your mother deserves flowers, candy or a day at the spa for Mother’s Day

Email your submission to editor@atljewishtimes.com or call 404-883-2130 with questions.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Your entry will be entered in a drawing to win one of 5 awards. Your submission will be published by the AJT either in our upcoming Mother’s Day issue on May 11th or on-line. You must include a photo.

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CONEXX GALA

Clemson Is Driving Smart City Tech By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com Stuck on the Downtown Connector during rush hour? You may have reached for Smart City technology to scoot around the traffic jam. Mayors and city planners are clamoring for Smart City technology like Israeli-made traffic app Waze. The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research and Greenville, S.C., business leaders identified Israel as a source of innovation in Smart City development. CU-iCAR works with Israeli startups focused on disruptive technologies related to one Smart City pillar, mobility. CU-iCAR excels in automotive research, innovation and global educational enterprise while serving more than 200 students pursuing graduate degrees in automotive engineering. Conexx will recognize CU-iCAR as

its Academic Innovative Partner of the Year at the Conexx Gala on March 22 for its collaboration with Israeli companies. Accepting the award will be Jennifer Bianchi, CU-iCAR’s senior economic development officer. Bianchi said CU-iCAR’s partners include Conexx, Securing America’s Future Energy, the Global Alliance for South Carolina and the Carolinas Alliance 4 Innovation. Conexx traveled with CU-iCAR faculty to Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva in June 2016. Didier Jean-Laurent Rousseliere, Clemson’s director of global partnerships and initiatives, was part of that group, which met with tech transfer offices, universities, incubators and accelerators, and venture capitalists. “The purpose was to understand the Israeli innovation ecosystem with hopes of identifying possibilities for

collaboration under the South Carolina-Israeli Trade Agreement, which focuses on six sectors, mobility being one of them,” Bianchi said. “Clemson’s goal was to discover ways in which we could collaborate with CU-iCAR graduate students designed and hand-built Toyota’s uBox concept car. Israel.” Conexx President Guy happening,” Bianchi said. “As business Tessler said the trip encouraged collab- models related to transportation and oration between Israeli engineers and mobility in general change, it’s importhe United States’ only graduate de- tant to look for sources of innovation. partment of automotive engineering. Israel’s work in this area is impressive. With 26 percent of its graduates Greenville’s local leaders will continue working in the Southeast, CU-iCAR is to look for ways to work with Israeli vital to the region’s quest to develop the startups to promote their Smart Cities Smart City of the future. plan. And as part of Clemson UniversiSmart City pillars are mobility, ty’s larger global engagement strategy, public safety, environment, city opera- CU-iCAR looks forward to continuing tions efficiency, and public and busi- to support collaboration opportunities ness engagement. with Israel to grow our research and “There’s a mobility revolution education programs.” ■

Southeast Invigorates Sapiens in Middle Age By Tova Norman

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

The Israeli Company of the Year at the Conexx Gala has existed for half of Israel’s 70 years. That makes Sapiens, a software company founded in 1982, one of Israel’s oldest tech companies. Sapiens provides software solutions for the insurance industry and has a growing presence in the financial services market. It also is expanding in North America. Conexx President Guy Tessler said the award recognizes that growth, including purchasing two companies and “maintaining a well-executed strategic plan which will further business development” in its Raleigh, N.C., location. Yaffa Cohen-Ifrah, Sapiens’ chief marketing officer, said, “2017 was a significant year for Sapiens because we extended our presence in the North American market via both acquisitions and organic growth.” Although Sapiens is a global company, its strategic focus on North America has helped increase revenue. “Thirty percent of Sapiens’ revenue came from North America” in 2016, Cohen-Ifrah said. “That was increased to 40 percent last year.” With the largest insurance and financial markets in the world, Sapiens sees North America as an ideal place 18 for continued expansion.

“This is a key area for potential growth,” Cohen-Ifrah said. The Southeast plays a particularly important role. “The Southeast was attractive to Sapiens for several reasons,” said Eric Danis, a senior content specialist at Sapiens. “The top-notch universities and low cost of living mean we can attract quality employees. The Southeast is also a hub for fintech (financial technology), which is important for us.” Cohen-Ifrah pointed out the significance of a presence in the Southeast. “It’s important for us to be there because of the potential for collaboration with the many insurtech and fintech companies in the region,” she said. “We want to continue to build our connections in the region, with assistance from Conexx and its valuable activities.” Conexx has helped connect Sapiens with many organizations, said Keren Lachover, who is part of the Sapiens team in Atlanta. Conexx has facilitated Sapiens’ relationships with businesses in the Southeast and across the United States. This relationship makes being honored at the gala even more special, Lachover said. “For us, it is very important to be acknowledged as a leading technology company, especially this year, when Israel is celebrating 70 years.” ■

Ben Gurion Airport displays “120 Years of Zionism.”

Israeli developments that have influenced the world include cherry tomatoes.

2 Exhibits to Help Businesses Celebrate

An exhibit celebrating Zionism will make its U.S. debut at the Conexx Gala on March 22. Three sections of Ben Gurion Airport’s “120 Years of Zionism” exhibit will be part of the event celebrating business links between Israel and the Southeast: “Women Break New Ground,” “Israel and the Diaspora,” and “Defense and Security.” The exhibit is the largest ever at Israel’s major airport. Overseen by artist David Harel, it includes work from several designers with hundreds of Israeli and Zionist figures at defining moments of the Israeli experience. The full version of the exhibit presents a series of photographs stretching the length of 1 ½ football fields to mark milestones in the history of Zionism. Conexx also will display select works from “Israeli Discoveries and Developments That Influenced the World” in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology. The collection of photographs shows Israel’s achievements and its scientific, technological and human potential. The exhibits will help Conexx open the Southeast’s celebrations of Israel’s 70th anniversary this spring. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CONEXX GALA

Intel-Mobileye Deal Propels Self-Driving Cars In the swift progress toward autonomous vehicles, the merger between Intel and Israeli company Mobileye was a huge step. “By any measure, the acquisition of Mobileye by Intel is the most notable deal coming out of Israel in the past year. This is the largest acquisition in Israel’s history,” Conexx President Guy Tessler said. Conexx is honoring that acquisition, valued at $15.3 billion, with its Deal of the Year award at its gala March 22 at the Atlanta History Center. Mobileye makes sensors and systems to enable a vehicle’s computer to know where it is in relation to its surroundings, a key element of self-driving cars. Its technology is used by more than 25 automakers, and more than 24 million of its systems are on the road. Mobileye is responsible for any collision avoidance, such as automatic emergency braking, in GM, Ford and BMW vehicles. More advanced highway driving in which the car takes over, such as GM Super Cruise, Nissan ProPI-

A Conexx delegation from the Southeast visits Mobileye’s Jerusalem headquarters in November 2016, four months before the announcement of its Intel deal.

LOT Assist and the Audi A8’s autopilot system, also uses Mobileye technology. “With Mobileye, they get the company that is the leading provider of vehicle technology that is going on the road today,” said Dan Galves, the senior vice president and chief communications officer at Mobileye. Intel is eyeing the future, he said. “Intel is a company that is doing some excellent work in putting in place business plans that will create growth for the long term,” Galves said. “The automobile is changing drastically and becoming much more technologyoriented, and they want to play a role.” Partnering with Intel is important for Mobileye as well, Galves said, pointing out that while software and design are necessary for autonomous cars,

policy changes and data collection are important next steps to move forward. “They are more than a product; they are an industry,” Galves said. Intel can accomplish “things that a small company from Israel can’t do.” Intel’s long relationship with Israel helped persuade Mobileye to make the deal, Galves said. “It was important that Intel has deep roots in Israel and understands that market and has proven that they are in Israel for the long haul.” Usually when large company and small companies merge, the large company swallows up the small company, but the Intel-Mobileye deal is different. Mobileye took the lead and brought in Intel, which is keeping Mobileye’s operations in Israel. “It’s a sign of respect and belief in

what Mobileye is doing and the path that we’re on,” Galves said. “We’re proud that a small company from Israel can become really the lead.” The merger benefited both Mobileye and Intel, he said. The deal is pushing the world toward the reality of autonomous vehicles. Tessler said he hopes the merger will inspire other companies. “Conexx chose to honor the deal since we expect it to accelerate innovation for the automotive industry, especially here in the Southeast, and inspire other companies to walk in their footsteps and become technology providers in this fast-growing market of autonomous cars,” he said. Galves said Mobileye believes the first truly autonomous vehicles will come off assembly lines in 2021 or 2022. “Autonomous vehicles have the potential to really change the world in many ways,” he said. “A major reduction in traffic accidents and inexpensive, flexible, on-demand transportation for people who are underserved right now — seniors, those with disabilities and lower-income people.” ■

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Tova Norman

CONEXX GALA

The Gulfstream 280, built through a collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries, is the most efficient business jet airplane in its class.

Israeli Partnerships Help Gulfstream Soar By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

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Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. is prepared to take flight as U.S. Company of the Year at the 2018 Conexx Gala on March 22. With headquarters in Savannah, Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,800 aircraft in its 60-year history. Since 2001, Gulfstream and Israel Aerospace Industries have collaborated to design, develop and certify more than 500 business aircraft. IAI delivers advanced technologies and systems in all domains: air, space, land, sea, cyber, homeland security and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance). IAI manufactures systems for the Israel Defense Forces and other national militaries. General Dynamics acquired Gulfstream in July 1999. The company soon identified IAI’s business jet products to complement its product line of private jets typically flown from coast to coast in the United States. IAI’s business jets, the midsize Astra and super-midsize Galaxy, were manufactured by Galaxy Aerospace, a joint venture between IAI and a U.S. investor. General Dynamics acquired Galaxy in 2001. The Astra and Galaxy were rebranded the Gulfstream G100 and G200, respectively, and IAI kept building them at its production facility in Tel Aviv. Gulfstream handled the aircraft’s development, completions and engineering support. The acquisition expanded Gulfstream’s competitive position in the market. Gulfstream’s partnership with IAI, which is owned by the Israeli government, grew quickly from one focused on business jets to one that collaborated on special mission aircraft.

In November 2001, Gulfstream was chosen by Israel’s Ministry of Defense to develop a special electronic mission aircraft (SEMA) for electronic inGulfstream Vice telligence, comPresident Jay Neely munications intelligence and ground movement detection. Israel’s air force uses such special aircraft. In 2005, Gulfstream and IAI subsidiaries ELTA Systems and Bedek, along with two other companies, worked together to deliver the first SEMA to the Defense Ministry, which oversees the IDF. Another SEMA was delivered in 2006. Jay Neely, Gulfstream’s vice president of law and public affairs, said Gulfstream has delivered aircraft for military use to countries including Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, and Turkey. Gulfstream and IAI have collaborated on the G280, G200, G150 and G100 business aircraft. While the G200, G150, and G100 are no longer in production, the G280 is known as an efficient machine. The G280 holds 10 passengers, sleeps five and has a cruising altitude of 45,000 feet. Known for its exceptional climbing ability, the G280 enables long trips to depart from shorter airfields. The aircraft has best-in-class efficiency, consuming up to 12 percent less fuel than any other airplane in its class. Conexx President Guy Tessler said, “Gulfstream has shown a commitment to Israeli business innovations through its partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries for over two decades.” Gulfstream employs more than 11,500 people in 12 major locations across the globe. ■

Maya’s Mitzvah Dresses was among the vendors at February’s Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo.

The Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo provided an assortment of dessert options, such as candy stations.

The Bridal Extravaganza features a fashion show with bridal gowns, tuxedos and dresses for bridesmaids.

Danz’s Double: Mitzvah Expo Hits 13, Gets Hitched Shelly Danz is no stranger to organizing simchas. She is the founder of Atlanta Party Connection, which just celebrated its own bar mitzvah Feb. 25 after hosting its 13th Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo, and she also is the new owner of Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta. February’s Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo was the biggest yet, Danz said, with more than 700 attendees and 90 vendors filling a new venue, the Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta. The occasion provides a real bar mitzvah atmosphere, she said, which allows people to make connections and plan simchas in a fun and relaxing way. Each year the expo attracts new entertainment and food vendors, such

as a barbecue caterer, food trucks, and dessert options including cotton candy, King of Pops and cookie dough. The first of this year’s two mitzvah expos also introduced different venues for people thinking outside the box, such as Main Event, Top Golf and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games. The expo featured interactive photo booths, which enable guests to place photos directly on social media, as well as airbrush artists, caricaturists and glitter stations for people who wish to add some sparkle to their hair. “I think there are so many things people are trying to do to make their party more interesting, which is why I think they visit the expo,” Danz said. Danz said Atlanta Party Connection’s coverage of countless simchas helps keep families coming back and

perhaps made it easy for her to acquire Bridal Extravaganza. “It’s a great opportunity for Atlanta Party Connection to grow into the wedding market and for families to continue to plan wonderful events,” she said. With close to 1,000 guests and over 120 vendors, the Bridal Extravaganza includes a fashion show with bridal gowns, tuxedos and bridesmaids’ dresses, as well as an assortment of florists, cake designers and honeymoon destinations. “People come to the event because it is a big, beautiful show,” Danz said. “It’s stunning to see what these vendors put into their booths to help brides looking for something a bit more unique.” Like the Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo,

the Bridal Extravaganza is held twice a year. The next one is Aug. 12 at the Southern Exchange. Danz grew up going to the Marcus JCC, Camp Barney Medintz and Jewish day schools, helping her create and maintain personal connections with many people in the community. Those connections assisted the launch of her own business seven years ago. “What’s so fun with the Bar Mitzvah Expo is that families come back time and again and feel like the event is a fun part of the planning process for them,” Danz said. She added, “To be a business owner and to connect with so many individuals in Atlanta has been the greatest thrill for me, and I am so excited that I get to expand that and grow with my family.” ■

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

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Rabbi Brian Glusman helps Ellie Halpert and Nathan Rindsberg on their b’nai mitzvah cruise.

Nearly 90 people cruise aboard the Celebrity Silhouette for the double simcha.

Boat Mitzvah Sails On Despite Hurricane Irma By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

Be Inspired…

Enjoy a boutique experience as we share Design Ideas & Expert Planning Advice for all your Wedding Décor needs.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

404- 462-4787 • Jim@jimwhitedesigns.com

Photos courtesy of Mollie & Corey Friedman, and Decisive Moment Photojournalism, Event Planning Francee Craig Events, Catering: Added Touch Catering, Venue: Atlanta History Center

B’nai mitzvot celebrations take place at venues ranging from bowling alleys to Masada, and the Halpert, Rindsberg, Fink and Rosh families took theirs to the high seas with a master plan for simchas on a Celebrity cruise ship over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, culminating in a ceremony at the venerable, sandy-floored Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. Enter Hurricane Irma and its extensive damage to the Virgin Islands in mid-September, and it was time for Plan B. Nathan Rindsberg, Ellie Halpert, and 86 friends and family members still embarked on the Celebrity Silhouette for their special weekend in November, but they didn’t have to settle for a ceremony in a storm-damaged synagogue. Instead, Rabbi Brian Glusman, the Marcus JCC’s director of membership and engagement, stepped in with guitar, Torah, kippot and his 16-year-old songstress daughter for a shipboard service. The ship supplied the challah and wine, and the Caribbean provided the glorious aquamarine backdrop. The arrangements were made by grandmother Linda Rosh, an independent cruise specialist and vacation travel agent. “We wanted it to be unique and memorable. Rabbi Glusman added so much and was just like family,” she said. “It didn’t hurt any that I am in the cruise business.” Nathan, alongside parents Meryl and Lenny and siblings Zachary and Emily, joined Ellie and her parents, Jodi and Ben, and her siblings, Ethan and Ava, to rock the waves with perfect recitations of their Torah portion, Vayetzi, and English d’var Torah speeches. Jodi Fink Halpert, Ellie’s mother, said: “We knew we wanted to do something fun and nontraditional for Ellie

and Nathan’s b’nai mitzvah. From that desire and our love of travel and cruising, the ‘boat mitzvah’ was born. “It was incredibly special to celebrate our simcha while enjoying Thanksgiving in the warm Caribbean with family and friends. We hosted several events throughout the week to bring everyone together, but there was also plenty of downtime to relax and unwind. The week cruise gave everyone time to mingle and get to know each other. I think everyone had a wonderful time, and it is certainly one we will always remember.” Rabbi Glusman said he likes synagogue ceremonies, but he acknowledged that they’re not for everyone. “I found the whole experience to be powerful and that being on the ocean was meaningful,” he said. “Before we recited the Shema, I reminded all that one of the threads of the tzitzit among the white threads must be blue. This color was chosen because of the azure of the sea, which resembles the sky, which resembles G-d’s thrown-off glory. We were all surrounded by G-d’s presence.” The festivities included an excursion in Punta Cana, a party in a disco bar, the takeover of the entire Qsine restaurant on board, a lunch buffet at the Tuscan Grill, and an innovative silent disco, where everyone wears ear phones and dances to different music. On one hand, this sounds appealing because often gigs are way too loud. On the other hand, in an old-fashioned way, isn’t it cozier to dance with someone who’s on the same beat? Can one do the slow swag with a partner doing the rumba? More important than the wonderful memories, Ellie and Nathan, as their mitzvah project, chose to send money toward the restoration of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. Aye-aye, mates: Air, land or sea, our tradition sails on. ■

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A Checklist for the Week Before Your Simcha

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

The big day is almost here. You’re so excited — and so nervous. Your mind is spinning with all the details of the simcha weekend to come. But you will be able to sleep the night before the bar/bat mitzvah or wedding if you tackle this seven-point list of last-minute details. • Touch base with your vendors. Make sure they have your venue address, arrival time and other details they need (like a list of groups for photos and an event timeline), and get each contact person’s cell number if you don’t have it already. If you have a day-of event manager, make sure he or she has a copy of everything. • Create tip envelopes. Handling sealed envelopes is easier than fumbling with bills. Designate an amount and envelope for each vendor you plan to tip, then bring along some extra cash in case someone goes above and beyond. For an easy tipping guide, visit www.atlantamitzvahconnection.com/ tips-tools/bar-mitzvah-tipping-guide. • Box it up. You need one box for the service location and another for

the party if it’s at a separate venue. What’s in them? Think through all the things you need for each step of the day. Your box may include kippot, place cards, a copy of someone’s

Simple items, from a coat hanger to a spare kippah to an extra toothbrush and toothpaste, could be the difference between fun and panic at your simcha.

Guest Column By Shelly Danz

speech and a list of songs the DJ should play. You may also want an emergency kit that includes hairspray, makeup, hemming tape, stain remover, pain reliever, tissues, toothbrush and toothpaste, and backup copies of lists or DVDs you’ll need during the celebration. • Organize the outfits. Pull together all your family’s clothing for the weekend, from Shabbat dinner to sendoff brunch. Sort the clothes by family member. Put each ensemble on hangers, and bundle each day’s outfits together with a twist-tie. This includes bags for jewelry and accessories like socks and belts. You don’t want to be

searching for things at the last minute. • Review printed materials. You’ll have checked your place cards, sign age, menus and programs for errors the week before the event. Doublecheck them the day before to make sure you have appropriate quantities. • Write a welcome. Make notes for your brief celebration welcome so that you remember everything you want to say and all those people you plan to thank. Remember, this should be brief. People are ready to party. (Did I mention that this should be brief?!) • Choose to enjoy it. Of course, something could go amiss on the big day. When you are surrounded by family and friends who came to share your joy, though, remember that nobody knows what was supposed to happen except you. Choose to smile and enjoy

every moment rather than worry about what could or should have been. It’ll go by faster than you think. ■ Shelly Danz is the chief party officer of Atlanta Party Connection (www.atlantapartyconnection.com), the premier simcha resource in the metro area, helping thousands of families create their ideal weddings and b’nai mitzvah celebrations. APC connects you with top vendors, secures exclusive deals and discounts on services, and provides planning tips and inspiration. APC also produces four events annually to connect attendees with the best celebration vendors in a festive party atmosphere. The next Bridal Extravaganza is Aug. 12 at the Southern Exchange. The next Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo is Oct. 14 at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North.

MARCH 9 â&#x2013;ª 2018

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Natan Kerendian proposes to Ashley Goldsmith while she’s in costume at the Georgia Renaissance Festival.

Keeping with military tradition, Ashley and Natan walk through an arch of sabers on their wedding day in Congregation Beth Jacob’s Heritage Hall.

Couple United by Love, Costumes and JSwipe

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Rachel Fayne

Swiping left and right for about six months was six months too long for Natan Kerendian. Returning from South Korea in 2015 after six years of active duty in the Army, he felt restless and ready to meet someone. Sure enough, not long after his father advised him that his time in the armed forces should be over and that he should think about settling down, a tall redhead popped up on Natan’s JSwipe screen. Ashley Goldsmith’s cosplay costumes and unique personality seemed like something different, so Natan

made the first move. “How do you feel about a Southern Jewish boy with a Mississippi accent?” he asked in his message. Ashley was just visiting Atlanta when they began communicating, so when they decided to meet, the couple agreed on a halfway point in Anniston, Ala. She brought her brother with her for security, and the couple hit it off. After realizing that her brother liked him (knowing he liked few of her dates), Ashley knew this was something special. As the oldest of five children with parents who had a tumultuous relationship, Ashley often bumped heads with her mom. When Ashley could no

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longer live with her mother, Natan’s family made the decision to ask her to live with them. His family quickly took a liking to Ashley, and the rest of his family made it clear they thought she was the one. Although Ashley said she knew Natan was the one for her on their second date, it wasn’t until about eight months in that he was convinced the relationship had long-term potential. He started saving for an engagement ring. One year after they met, Natan proposed during a trip to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Still wearing her Renaissance costume, Ashley accepted. Ashley, now 31, and Natan, 28, were married Dec. 17 at Congregation Beth Jacob and will be taking their honeymoon to Walt Disney World this month. The Kerendians make a striking pair. Though both are Jewish by birth, Ashley is a tall, fair-skinned redhead, while Natan is Persian with a dark complexion. Natan grew up in Toco Hills and moved around among family members as a child. He often had a hard time with school, and he dropped out at 18. After getting his GED and deciding college wasn’t for him, Natan began his career with the Army at Fort Benning. Ashley had a more traditional upbringing and was very involved with Jewish life. Although the two had very different beginnings, something that unites them is family. “We’re a lot like his grandparents,” Ashley said. “We support each other. They were equal partners, and that’s what we are as well.” “And it’s worth it to push when things get hard,” Natan said. “You push through thick and thin. You don’t give up on each other. And we never will.” ■

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Ashley and Natan are dressed for their big day Dec. 17.

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At Age 30, Veronica’s Attic Thanks Customers By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com Veronica’s Attic is turning 30, and the beloved boutique nestled in a Sandy Springs strip mall is holding a celebration Saturday, March 10, to mark the milestone and thank its clientele. Festivities at the store at 220 Sandy Springs Circle will include coffee and cocktails and a drawing every hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for items from the store’s eclectic list of longtime vendors. Customer receipts of at least $30 through Saturday will be entered. Having weathered the economic downturn of 2008-09 and the blocked lanes, traffic detours and limited access from City Springs construction, owner Cecily Ross is grateful to her customers, who she said “went out of their way to continue to support us.” Ross took ownership of Veronica’s Attic in 2003. She was joined five years later by her daughter, Eryn Spector, who started as an intern and worked her way up to become a partner. Ross describes it as “a very special dynamic to be able to work with your daughter.” She credits Spector with

Photo by Leah R. Harrison

Veronica’s Attic co-owner Cecily Ross multitasks in front of the wellstocked bath and body display.

their strong social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. Clients often find what they want online and send a message asking for an item to be held. Customers in other states now regularly order as well after visiting www. facebook.com/VeronicasAttic. Ross said to look for expanded opportunities to shop Veronica’s Attic on social media in the near future. Ross is on call 24/7 for her customers, whom she regards as friends. Many have her cell number and text her photos to make sure a special-occasion outfit is just right. Living in Sandy Springs, she is always bumping into clients and wants them to be happy and confident.

She said amazing customer service from the Attic’s fabulous sales ladies “is one key to the store’s success.” That relationship extends beyond her clients to their husbands, sons and daughters. “We have a strong following of men who continue to come back occasion after occasion for gifts,” Ross said. “Sometimes their wives will even create a registry to help them along. All to make them look and feel good.” Michael Joseph, who again bought his wife, Harlyn, a Veronica’s Attic gift certificate, said, “From a husband’s perspective, it’s the go-to place to buy that special someone the perfect gift.” The store offers an extensive array of clothing, high-end fashion jewelry, bath and body products, candles, gifts, and more. The store has carried some of the items all 30 years. Brands include Ahava (from Israel), Thymes, and Bumble and bumble, and Ross claims to be the largest boutique retailer in Atlanta of the Michael Stars clothing line. Bailey, Ross’ rescue dog, has been a regular at the store the past 11½ years and consistently appears in social media postings. Always a part of what’s

going on, Bailey will be there for the anniversary celebration as well, further promoting that neighborhood feel. Because it is such a welcoming environment, customers often choose to have celebrations at Veronica’s Attic. During off-hours the store is available for private events, which have ranged from birthdays and showers to a recent pajama party. Stopping by the store to ask about the arrival of new Michael Stars merchandise, Amy Mitchell said she has shopped at Veronica’s Attic for 20 years. Recently at the store she hosted a girls’ night for her friends, with wine and snacks. She said it was a lovely evening, and everybody had a great time. Mitchell described Veronica’s Attic as a wonderful neighborhood boutique. “With Sandy Springs expanding, I think it will bring even more attention to such a local gem,” she said. “It’s like family. I bring a lot of my friends here. ... It’s the boutique around the corner.” Ross is effusive about her client base, saying her Veronica’s Attic community is also part of her life. “Even when I’m not here, I’m here,” she said. “It is my baby.” ■

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Such a Catch: Calling Fans of Fried Food, Will Ferrell By Rachel Fayne

hiker. I’m trying to explore much of the Southeast. Aside from that, I have a rule where I do something new every week. I try to do something big like mountaineering or something small like a new comedy club.

Josh Jarmin, 34, owns a gym in West Midtown today, but he moved to Atlanta from the Washington, D.C., area to be a teacher. A member of the AJT’s 2017 40 Under 40, he joined the Marine Corps as a reservist and got into personal training on the side, and he eventually decided to forgo teaching and make fitness his career. While Josh can often be found in the gym — he trains clients by appointment only — he also indulges in anything deep fried or involving Will Ferrell. From teacher in training to personal trainer to owner of Blueprint Fitness, we think Josh is Such a Catch, so let him tell you a little bit about himself. Personal trainer Josh Jarmin has put in time as a teacher and a Marine.

thing. 2. What do you think or have been told are your best qualities? Sense of humor. Many people say that, but every day I have to entertain

hundreds of people, and I love it! If I can’t make you laugh, then you have no soul. 3. How do you spend your spare time? Recently, I’ve become an avid

5. What are some things that are most important in your life? Why are they valuable to you? Currently, growing my business and being happy no matter what occurs (none of us are getting out of this life alive) are most important. In the future, having a family is most important. I’ve known all my life I wanted to be a dad, and I can’t wait to have a bunch of mini-mes. ■ If you’re interested in this catch or want to be featured as a catch yourself, email editor@atljewishtimes.com.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

1. What are you looking for in a partner? I’d like to meet someone who loves fitness and a healthy lifestyle as much as I do (with the occasional “treat” meal) and loves all things Will Ferrell. These two pretty much cover every-

4. What is your guilty pleasure? When it comes to food, anything deep fried. For activities, Johnny’s Hideaway. Seriously, you can go there alone and come out with a thousand friends. Plus, I like the music. No judging!

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Hillels of Ga. Spotlights Marcuses, Campus Talent By Fran Putney Hillels of Georgia is raising the curtain on its 14th annual talent show and fundraiser Tuesday, March 20. Campus Top Talent will showcase student performances and honor Billi and Bernie Marcus for their support of Hillel locally and internationally. The program will feature a new variety show format with three to five acts competing for a cash prize. The talent show will take place at a new venue: the Georgia Aquarium, founded by Bernie Marcus. The fundraiser has taken different themes over the years. In its earliest years, it was modeled after “American Idol.” More recently, the contest featured a cappella groups. Rabbi Russ Shulkes, Hillels of Georgia’s executive director, promises the program will remain highly entertaining. “If it’s not fun, we’ve failed.” The annual event is an important opportunity to promote the work and mission of Hillels of Georgia, which

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Campus Top Talent isn’t using the “Pitch Perfect” a cappella theme of last year’s Peach Perfect, but the cause and the entertainment value are the same.

serves students at 24 colleges and universities. Rabbi Shulkes said the goal is for people to know that programming providing Jewish connections, support and leadership opportunities has evolved to meet the changing needs on campuses and that Hillel is on the front line against hate speech and antiSemitism. For their support and commitment to the Hillel mission, the Marcuses will receive the Visionary Award at the event. Through the Marcus Foundation,

the Marcuses have given $38.5 million to Hillel International, which operates on 550 college campuses in the United States and around the world, and they singled out Hillels of Georgia for a separate gift. Hillels of Georgia is based at Emory University’s 8-year-old Marcus Hillel Center. “They have invested in every way and been as supportive as humanly possible for what Hillel does,” Rabbi Shulkes said. Marcus grants in Georgia enable campus programming that promotes future leaders and develops Jewish professionals. The money has paid for several new positions, including three Israel fellows, that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible, he said. “That’s why we’re giving the Marcuses the Visionary Award. They’ve invested, and they believe in us. They’ve been game-changers across the country. We are saying thank you for the world,” Rabbi Shulkes said. Hillel “is a great haven for Jewish students,” Bernie Marcus said. “There are great Hillel programs that are substantial in raising awareness of Israel and their own Jewishness. On many campuses we have students suffering anti-Semitism and anti-Israel (attitudes) even from their professors. Both Billi and I feel very strongly that these kids should feel safe on campuses.” While the Marcuses strongly support the Hillel mission overall, they have a special feeling for the Georgia organization. “Billi and I supported the opening of that first building (on the Emory campus), but buildings don’t mean anything. It’s the leadership that really counts,” Marcus said. “They had wonderful leadership for a number of years, and new leadership now continues what was done before on (University of Georgia, Emory, Georgia Tech) and other campuses as well. All you have to do is speak to students and hear about the wonderful experiences they’ve had and how this makes campus life more meaningful for them.” Rabbi Shulkes said organizers hope to raise $450,000 to $500,000 from Campus Top Talent. Marcus himself appealed to families. “I would just urge them to support Hillel emotionally and financially,” he said. “It’s a good thing for your grandchildren and your children.” ■ What: Campus Top Talent Where: Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St., downtown

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

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When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 Tickets: $250 ($150 under age 40); hillelsofgeorgia.org/campustoptalent

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com Photos by Harold Alan Photographers (Hal Schroeder, Stephanie Ellie, Steven Dewberry and Brad Covert)

Mina and Levi Farkash are all smiles on their wedding day Dec. 19.

The newlyweds take a moment for themselves in front of the Centennial Olympic Park Ferris wheel.

700 Help News’ Youngest Daughter Wed By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

Dassie New’s fondest memory of her youngest daughter’s wedding is the dance her grandchildren performed for the bride and groom at the reception. It was the fifth and largest wedding organized by Planning Makes Perfect founder Alyson Pollack for Congregation Beth Tefillah Senior Rabbi Yossi New’s children.

The wedding for youngest daughter Mina drew more than 700 guests, Pollack said. “Atlanta just doesn’t understand the magnitude of planning a wedding like this. … Within six weeks the couple gets married, which means you have to find all the vendors and a venue big enough which is kosher,” she said. “It’s no easy feat, but it can be done.” Pollack was hired in mid-November to plan the wedding, which took place Dec. 19. Fortunately, she said, “the

weddings are very similar because they are very large and Dassie New has a particular style that is very elegant.” The ceremony was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, and the reception followed at the nearby Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. Pollack said it was a challenge just moving 700 people from the ceremony site to the reception. “The wedding was a milestone not just for my daughter, but for the community as whole,” Dassie New said. “Ev-

eryone that came to the wedding added a measure of palpable joy.” The vendors involved in the huge Orthodox event included Jim White Designs, Harold Alan Photographers, musician Chony Milecki, caterer Avenue K and Omni Hotel catering sales manager Edward LaBranche. “The wedding was a unique opportunity for our staff to get exposure to an Orthodox ceremony and reception,” LaBranche said. “One thing I will never forget is the grand windows which face Centennial Olympic Park, revealing Atlanta’s entire skyline. We had tables and tables which faced the park while family members came to light their menorahs. It was a beautiful sight.” Because the wedding took place during Chanukah, Pollack was asked to provide menorahs for the guests, but she substituted oil lamps. One of the challenges was planning everything in the time allotted, LaBranche said. “Everybody just came together within several weeks to make it happen, but it was a big contrast from a Western wedding when you have eight to nine months to plan everything.” Pollack, who was brought into the business by Barrie Antebi, said she tries to stay in the background of the simcha while making the family feel like guests. “This is their event. This is their party and their personal experience, and I want them to feel that they can enjoy every aspect of it.” With every wedding, Pollack said, her timing has improved. “It makes me feel appreciative that my team can pull that off and try to make it special for the bride and groom.” The team is crucial, she said. “This is not just something I pull off. It takes a village, and when you have a good team, a good group of vendors and a client that lets you help them, you have the key to a good planning process.” ■

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Alyson Pollack arranged each table with intricate details for the wedding reception at the Omni at CNN Center.

Guests of all ages make their way to the New-Farkash wedding.

Each of the more than 700 plates was carefully prepared to glatt kosher standards.

As befits the daughter of the head of Chabad of Georgia, Mina New heads to the ceremony with a siddur in hand.

Groom Levi Farkash makes his entrance.

The Omni reception room is ready for more than 700 people to celebrate.

MARCH 9 â&#x2013;Ş 2018

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Kollel Celebrates 30 Years of Jewish Learning By Fran Putney As the Atlanta Scholars Kollel prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary Sunday night, March 11, organizers have enjoyed reminiscing through hundreds of photos from students affected by the Jewish study that is the organization’s mission. In one, a husband and wife and their seven children are dressed up as they walk to a special family gathering in Jerusalem. What’s remarkable about this photo, said Congregation Ariel Rabbi Binyomin Friedman, a founding ASK member, is that the father in the photo was once a teenager who walked into the kollel in Dunwoody to ask whether someone could tell him what to do with his grandfather’s tefillin. “That picture brought tears” by showing how far that young man has come, Rabbi Friedman said. When the program launched in 1987, no one in Atlanta knew what a kollel was or how it would affect Jewish learning, said Rabbi Dave Silverman, the kollel’s dean, who focuses on outreach programming, while co-leader Rabbi Doniel Pransky focuses on edu-

cational programming. But because so many people took a leap of faith to help begin what has become a vibrant element of Jewish Atlanta, ASK now can honor its 18 founding funders. An Atlanta kollel was the vision of Rabbi Ilan Feldman, then the assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Jacob. In the beginning, a group of students from Ner Yisrael Rabbinical College in Baltimore came to Atlanta to teach Torah during the summers. It was popular from the start, said Rabbi Friedman, who was part of the original group. The program went year-round after four summers when the Baltimore yeshiva students moved to Atlanta permanently to study and teach Torah. Roberta and Allan Scher are among the founding funders. Roberta said it’s true that they had never heard of the kollel concept until Rabbi Feldman and Rabbi Menachem Deutsch explained it and its value to all Jews in Atlanta. “Flash-forward 30 years,” she said, “and we feel the kollel has been very valuable in raising the bar of Jewish/ Torah education in Atlanta.” Not only has her husband attend-

One highlight of the 30th anniversary celebration will be the kollel rabbis letting their hair down for a Torah-study parody of “Eye of the Tiger.”

ed classes the past 10 years, but also one of her sons joined a kollel in the Washington area, then became a rabbi. “I particularly like idea that it’s for all Jews,” she said, adding that the rabbis make the classes fun. “It makes us very happy to see so many people supporting the kollel.” The Atlanta Scholars Kollel has expanded in many ways. In addition to the two permanent locations — a study hall attached to Beth Jacob in Toco Hills and the Kollel Dome at Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody — classes take place all over the city, Rabbi Silverman said. ASK now supports four scholars dedicated to full-time Torah study, overseen by Rabbi Pransky, who studies Torah and offers religious guidance to the community. “Our organization is a bunch of rabbis who teach in high schools, on colleges campuses, corporate offices, people’s homes, any avenue where people are open to a nonstructured Jewish educational experience,” Rabbi Silver-

man said. The kollel has done “a lot of planting of seeds” over three decades, Rabbi Silverman said. “Sometimes we get to reap the benefits, and sometimes we don’t ever know who we have touched and inspired.” Rabbi Friedman said the kollel is hiring younger people and emphasizing outreach to families with young children, as well as young professionals. “We have classes that touch all ages, generations,” he said. “Every new generation needs something new from their Torah that needs to be presented in a different way.” Women’s programming has been an ASK focus from the beginning with several of the rabbis’ wives, including Julie Silverman and Esther Pransky. “The women’s program capitalizes on the feeling that women enjoy learning from other women and with other women,” Silverman said. “It’s a fun dynamic and a great opportunity to share with them and experience learning together. It’s very empowering. We as

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SIMCHAS women have a lot of wisdom, and we share in a different way.” Experiential trips have become a popular way of making an impact. ASK offers women’s and men’s trips to Israel, Poland and other places, ranging from entry level to great depth. Some are primarily for study, such as a recent trip to a Baltimore yeshiva, while others are geared toward discovery, Rabbi Friedman said. While ASK responds to changing needs, Rabbi Friedman said that “the fundamental rule, which has not changed, is that the Torah G-d gave us, as such, is the heart and soul of the Jewish people. All we want to do is connect people to Torah. If that happens, everything will fall in line.” For the anniversary celebration, Tribute to Learning 2018, the kollel contacted all the founding funder families, some of whom now live in Israel, Rabbi Silverman said. About 12 are expected to attend the event, which includes a dinner, a Torah dedication, and, on a lighter note, a song sung by the kollel rabbis to the tune of the ’80s hit “Eye of the Tiger” called “Jewish Revival.” Elaine Alexander is donating the Sefer Torah in memory of her father, Bennie Auerbach. Alexander said her father, fondly known as “Bobo,” loved going to shul and loved people. A retired real estate developer, Auerbach attended an ASK class taught by Rabbi Menashe Goldberger. The two became friends, often going out to lunch, until Auerbach died at age 94 in September 2015. Alexander said her father would be thrilled to have a Torah dedicated in his memory to the kollel. When the idea was presented, Alexander said, “we thought about it and thought it was a great thing to do.” Many of the photos that have been received will be shown at the gala. Rabbi Silverman said the images show people at all ranges of engagement: Jews who have become more active in their synagogues, families who have become more spiritually oriented and ritually observant, and even Jews who have moved to Israel as a result of their involvement in the kollel. “It’s a source of great pride and joy seeing the impact we’ve had touching families,” he said. ■

When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 11

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What: ASK Tribute to Learning

Tickets: $108 for two; www. atlantakollel.org/event_detail. php?event=215 or 404-321-4085

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Honorees Susan Sandler (left) and Brooke Rosenthal get a lift during the hora.

Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal takes wife and honoree Brooke Rosenthal for a spin on the dance floor.

AA Honors Rebbetzins By Marcia Caller Jaffe and Bobby Ezor mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com Ahavath Achim Synagogue paid tribute during the morning service Saturday, Feb. 10, to its two rebbetzins, Susan Hart Sandler and Brooke Haber Rosenthal, and the crucial role they play in congregational life. The recognition was part of a weekend dedicated to wives of the rabbis who have served AA throughout its history. David Covell of Avenue K catered a grand Kiddush after the service. The rebbetzins’ friends Delcy Harber and Erica Cozewith introduced the honorees, who addressed the large crowd in the Buckhead synagogue’s main sanctuary. Sandler has handled many synagogue roles with grace and determination. Through her social work at Weinstein Hospice, she has helped families face end-of-life issues with dignity. She said that when her husband came to Atlanta for his initial interview, she insisted on accompanying him “because this is really about teamwork.” Rosenthal also wears many hats, from co-chairing the parent organization for the Ahava Early Learning Center, AA’s preschool, to founding Modern Elders, a nonprofit organization to help seniors struggling with today’s pervasive information technology — all while shepherding her husband and four young children. “Many of the good deeds done by rebbetzins can be widespread to all folks within the congregation in terms of making others feel welcome and in various community kindnesses,” Rosenthal said. Rabbis Neil Sandler and Laurence Rosenthal gave their wives priestly blessings, thanking them for the myriad of works they perform for the synagogue and the community. Maryanne Garber delivered an oral history of the rebbetzins of Aha-

vath Achim from its start in the 1880s through the illustrious Reva Epstein and Rae Goodman to the present. Garber focused on how each woman fulfilled the ever-changing role of rebbetzin in her own way. A short documentary, “The First Ladies of AA,” fleshed out Garber’s talk during a gala Saturday night. Written by Vincent Coppola, narrated by Miriam Strickman-Levitas, directed by Bobby Ezor, and produced by Paul and Donna Grady of Dewitt Smith Video Productions, the film was as much a love story as a history. The gala featured Joe Gransden and his 16-piece band in Srochi Hall. After cocktails, Helene and Michael Kates of the Baal Shem Tones led a high-energy hora highlighted by the rebbetzins being lifted high above the crowd. Music arranger Wes Funderburke crafted a medley of the honorees’ favorite singers, from Diana Ross to David Bowie. Cover Ups Linens and Magnum Lighting adorned the hall with spectacular décor. Gourmet Catering by Chef Alex provided a sampling of the best cuisine from the rebbetzins’ hometowns, Los Angeles (Rosenthal) and New Orleans (Sandler), as well as Atlanta. One highlight involved Sandler and Rosenthal finishing the line “You might be a rebbetzin if …” Among their punchlines: • “You prepare Shabbat dinner for six and end up with 16.” • “You buy season tickets to the theater or a sports event but need to sell them or find alternative dates for nearly every game or performance.” • “You go to the grocery store and run into so many people you know, you end up walking out 30 minutes later without the groceries you came for.” Garber summed up the celebration: “It’s not only what you do that we love. It’s who you are.” ■

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Birthday girl Roslyn Klarman is flanked by her children, David Klarman and Ellen Ackerman, and joined by (front row) Larry Ackerman and Wendy Klarman and (back row, from left) Brian Klarman, Steven Klarman, Shelley Ackerman, Eli Klarman and Ben Ackerman.

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Roslyn Klarman celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, March 2, 2018. She moved to Atlanta almost five years ago after spending most of her life in New York and Florida. For a short time she lived in Charleston, S.C., and worked as a public school teacher there while her husband served in World War II. Mrs. Klarman was married to her wonderful Stanley for 73 years. She was a lifelong tennis player until putting down her racket at the age of 92. She has two children, two children-in-law and five beautiful grandchildren. She enjoys watching her grandchildren on Facebook and communicating with and encouraging them. Asked her advice for living to 100, she said, “Be patient.” Asked the biggest change during her life, she said: “The iPhone. It’s wonderful to always have a phone within arm’s reach, but many people are too addicted to it.”

B’nai Mitzvah Roman DeSena

It is with great pride and joy we announce that Roman Louis DeSena was called to the Torah on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, to become a bar mitzvah at Temple Sinai. Roman is the son of Dale and Richard DeSena of Sandy Springs and the grandson of Margie Gordon of Savannah and Arlyne DeSena of Kendal Park, N.J. Roman is a seventhgrader at St. Francis Middle School in Roswell.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Eliza Bronwyn Wilson of Roswell was called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at Temple Kehillat Chaim. She is the daughter of Joseph G. Wilson IV and Leslie G. Anderson. She is the sister of Katie, Cassie and Elie Wilson. Sarah is in the seventh grade at Elkins Pointe Middle School. She is active in the symphonic band and the yoga club. Sarah is an avid climber; whether it’s rocks or trees, she will climb it. She also enjoys biking, hiking, walking her dogs and playing with her sisters. Sarah is a dedicated animal activist and lover. For her mitzvah project, she chose to work with homeless animals at Crabapple Knoll Veterinary Clinic and All About Cats Rescue. Sarah helps with the care and socialization of homeless animals in the hope of helping them find permanent homes. Sarah believes strongly in the benefits of pet ownership. She treasures the bond she has formed with her animals and hopes her work can help other people find joy in their special animal companions.

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Handel’s Exodus Chorale Coming to Emory Promoters of an Atlanta Master Chorale concert are hoping to attract a Jewish audience to a choral work by a composer widely recognized for his Christian-based themes. George Frideric Handel wrote the music for the oratorio “Israel in Egypt” in 1738. Like his more famous “Messiah,” it is compiled from texts in the Old Testament, mainly from Exodus and Psalms. Scholars believe that the librettist was Charles Jennens, an English patron of the arts and a friend of Handel’s who was responsible for “Messiah.” “Most people know the ‘Messiah,’ but this is equally as majestic and beautiful, except it’s not as well known,” said Jim Verrecchia, the executive director of the Atlanta Master Chorale. “Many of our shows have been based on Christian themes; that’s the way the choral world works. This is an opportunity to include the Jewish community in a concert and celebrate our common heritage.” Verrecchia reached out to Jewish leaders to spread the word about the March 17 concert at Emory University and got help from Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple and Rabbi Ron Segal of Temple Sinai, among others. “This looks like an extraordinary program,” Rabbi Berg said in an email, while Rabbi Segal called it “compelling.” Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” depicts the story of the Exodus and follows the journey of the Israelites from captivity to the Red Sea and finally to freedom from slavery. The chorale’s official announcement describes the work as a “grand and sweeping array of choruses, arias and masterful orchestrations portraying one of the best known and dramatic tales in human history.” The Exodus is a common thread that connects Jews and Christians, said Verrecchia, citing a parallel between the escape of the chosen people from Egypt to the Promised Land and Christians’ trek from slavery and sin to hope and resurrection. Handel lived in London and reportedly had a considerable Jewish following, having written oratorios on such Jewish subjects as “Solomon,” “Esther,” “Joseph,” “Saul” and “Judas Maccabeus.” “Israel in Egypt” was poorly received when it premiered in 1739, apparently because of the lack of the operatic solos that his fans were used

to. The composer rewrote key passages two decades later and eventually scored a hit. Moreover, “Moses and the Children of Israel,” a fragment from the oratorio, is said to be among the earliest extant recordings of music, caught on a wax cylinder at London’s Crystal Palace during the 1888 Handel Festival and sung by 4,000 voices. Though

“greatly degraded, (it) is still wonderful to hear the faint, soaring sounds of singers exulting in this beautiful piece almost 125 years ago,” according to the San Francisco Choral Society, which has staged “Israel In Egypt.” Verrecchia noted that the concert at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts will be held two weeks before the start of Passover and Easter weekend.

What: “Israel in Egypt” Who: Atlanta Master Chorale Where: Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17 Tickets: $35; tickets.arts.emory.edu/single/SYOS.aspx?p=111066 or 404-727-5050

He added that “Israel in Egypt” productions elsewhere have been known to create an “occasion for interfaith connectivity in the arts.” ■ Portrait by Balthasar Denner, National Portrait Gallery

George Frideric Handel frequently used Jewish subject matter from the Bible.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

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Pizzazz to Remember Across From the High Ron Lazarus spent a lifetime collecting and recently downsized to a condominium with floor-to-ceiling glass at One Museum Place while deciding what not to take. Lazarus co-founded, with Scott Ardolino, one of Atlanta’s premier caterers and event production companies, Affairs to Remember, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in September. The new residence is a colorsoaked, revved-up couture home with interior design by Domestic Comfort and Tim Green Designs, where “more is still more.” Contrasting the smoky gray linen walls, the art is as captivating as it is engaging. “It’s what John Wise, my spouse, and I can live with,” Lazarus said. “We describe our style as modern classic. You have to see our home at night to appreciate the unique lighting and handiwork” by Yaacov Golan’s Lighting Loft. Patrick Cuccaro, the managing director of Affairs to Remember, said: “Ron and Scott possess a pure entrepreneurial spirit and inspire us to think nontraditionally. They were truly pioneers and realized early on that putting a signature on the food industry included design and décor. They are constant reminders that at Affairs to Remember, we don’t just sell wonderful food; we create a total experience.” This dedication to ambience and perfection continues into Ron and John’s home. Come be welcomed by a 60-by60-inch painting of a giant rooster by Iranian artist Mostafa in the entrance foyer.

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Jaffe: Share the concept of One Museum Place, directly across from the High Museum of Art and the Woodruff Arts Center. Lazarus: We downsized from a 5,000-square-foot Virginia-Highland home (after 42 years) to this 2,500-square-foot unit, one of 44 uniquely different homes in the complex. We actually don’t miss the space or the maintenance. We wanted an easy lifestyle filled with new and marvelous friends, which we have joyfully found in our new digs. One Museum Place is the culmination of John Wieland’s 12-year effort to bring his dream of real luxury Mid40 town living to fruition. He generously

rotates his personal art collection through our common areas. He has a curated, 30,000-square-foot warehouse gallery on the Westside housing his vast collection (not open to the public). His art has building/housing themes. The red Nagoochie sculpture at our front entrance is also his. Jaffe: How did you launch into the catering business? Lazarus: My very modest family home was in Miami in what is

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

now Little Havana. As a child, I found great joy on Sundays helping prepare Romanian meals with my uncle. After earning an advertising degree from the University of Florida, I continued additional studies at Florida State in hospitality management. I’ve always loved throwing parties and planning menus. My hands-on direction came as a steward at the AEPi frat house, where I learned how to run a kitchen. For those with long memories, Scott and I worked at the Crossroads Restaurant for a decade prior to starting Affairs to Remember. I also catered the senior luncheons at The Temple — many moons ago! Jaffe: Affairs to Remember is reputed to be an industry leader in green initiatives before other companies got on board. Some call you a visionary. Lazarus: I became aware of the importance of sustainability in the food industry and set on a purposeful path to become Atlanta’s first Zero Waste Zone caterer. After we reached the milestone of diverting 1 million pounds of recoverable materials from Georgia landfills, the city of Atlanta officially proclaimed Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, as Affairs to Remember Day in recognition of our sustainability programs. It was a proud day for all of us, and we remain leaders in the nation in this regard. Jaffe: How did you accumulate such magnificent art? Go ahead, name names. Lazarus: Over the decades, we’ve had a personal relationship with Evelyn Lagerquist and Kay Bragg. Ninety

B percent of what you see here was collected from their eponymous gallery. Some of our favorites are Tina Stern, a local Jewish sculptor; Harold Kraus; Carol Connelly; Dale Rayburn (printmaker); Dodie Petro; Geoffrey Johnson; Billie Hightower; and Al Hirschfeld. We mix it up, like this 1880 brandy set and urns my parents received as a wedding gift in 1926. There is art in the laundry room from the Metropolitan Museum 2002 Starving Artist Collection alongside a painting of David (1972). For a bold, unique strategy right after 9/11 (when Manhattan was low on tourism), we flew up and made acquisitions at many of the galleries. They were happy to see us. Kay Bragg (owner of Lagerquist Art Gallery): Ron and John, longtime clients, have become lifelong friends. Their taste and appreciation of art run the gamut from abstract to realism. They are not afraid to display bold art choices in a variety of settings and in unexpected surroundings. Their eclectic collection reflects their confidence in buying sophisticated art that stands on its own and not the latest trendy

wave. Sculpture (bronze, wood and glass work), three-dimensional work, as well as works on panels, canvas and paper, round out their cohesive collection. Their home is their sanctuary, so what better place to be surrounded by artwork that not only inspires, but rejuvenates them every day? Jaffe: So in the presence of a catering impresario, who is the chef here? Lazarus: We actually prepare very simple things — soups, salads, roasted chicken, winter chili. My best secret is tuna salad. John is the baker. He has been taking neighbors his magnificent holiday cookies: chocolate oatmeal chunk with pecans and dried cherries. We are both neatniks and love to entertain here. … Just figuring out who is gluten-free, dairy-free. … (Laughing) we ask for food credentials before planning the menu. Jaffe: So what’s your tuna salad secret? Lazarus: Dice the onions with a little olive oil, microwave them until they’re a little soft. Add celery, sweet relish, salt and lots of mayo. Voila! ■

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J Photos by Duane Stork

A: Ron Lazarus and John Wise have owned the antique, 12-branch Waterford chandelier in the dining room for decades. Harold Kraus’ “The Rose,” a painting hanging above an antique brandy set, “drew us in,” Lazarus says. B: Cedar paneling lines the walls of the back porch. The tree painting is by Tom Andrews, an Alabama artist known for colorful landscapes, and the wrought-iron chandelier with

crystal pendants is an antique. C: The art in the entrance hallway includes a 90-by-66-inch, three-panel “Flag” from the Fay Gold Gallery, a bronze sculpture by local artist Tina Stern, and the painting “Girl in the Boot” by Dodie Petro. D: Dale Rayburn is known for his sketches of grizzly-looking older men, and his work is alongside two pieces by his wife, Mamie Jo. E: The master bathroom has custom floorto-ceiling tile and a painting by Mostafa, “A

Bit of Whimsy,” featuring an electric fan. F: “Headless Heads” describes two paintings (the Rothschild Set) by Max Coyer, a Connecticut artist who died in 1988 at 34. Ron Lazarus acquired them from a client who found the headless feature off-putting. G: Deborah Elmquist’s “Asian Urn” is the focal-point painting of the living room, whose true highlight is the view of the High Museum of Art out the front floor-to-ceiling windows. H: One highlight of the master bathroom

is a poster celebrating the Broadway show “The Producers” by New York Times cartoonist Al Hirschfeld. I: Drapes flank Carol Connelly’s painting “Woman Seated” in the master bedroom, whose glamorous chandelier is from Lighting Loft. J: John Wise (seated) and Ron Lazarus decided to downsize by saying, “If not now, then when?” The mirrored art deco liquor cabinet in the background moved with them from Virginia-Highland.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

OBITUARIES

William Buchman 77, Tampa

William “Bill” Buchman, age 77, of Tampa, Fla., died Friday, March 2, 2018. Survivors include his wife, Joyce Buchman; sons Richard (Tina) Buchman and Marty (Lisa) Buchman; daughters Lauri Buchman and Wendy Buchman Cooper; daughter-in-law Debbie Buchman; brothers Elliot Buchman and Ralph (Marie) Buchman; grandchildren Brittney, Madison, Sydney, Lauren, Jordan, Logan, Kylie and Lindsay; sister-in-law Linda (Bert) Wolfe; brother-in-law Robert (Kathy) Stone; and nephews Barry (Elisa) Wolfe, Brad (Dina) Wolfe and Keith (Mira) Wolfe. The Buchman family would like to thank the warm and loving caregivers at Insignia of Sandy Springs. A graveside service was held Sunday, March 4, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Arthur Cohen

www.atlantajewishtimes.com the American Psychological Association, the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and he was a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology. During his more than 55 years in Atlanta, Dr. Cohen had been a member of Congregation Shearith Israel, where he served on the board of directors and where he and his wife, Lois, were awarded the Distinguished Service Award for their service to the synagogue and its members. In their later years, Dr. and Mrs. Cohen became associate members of Congregation Or Hadash, where his children had become members. As a psychologist for over 50 years, Dr. Cohen served the therapeutic needs of thousands of patients who will remember his loving care and patient help. Dr. Cohen was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Dr. Cohen is survived by Lois, his beloved wife of 56½ years, and his children, Dr. Lee I. Cohen and his wife, Debra; Dr. Deborah Cohen Wilder; Mrs. Roz Cohen and her wife, Erin; and Ms. Janis R. Cohen. Dr. Cohen was a devoted grandfather to his five grandchildren: Sophia Wilder, Justin Cohen, Samuel Wilder, Rebecca Cohen and Benjamin Wilder. He was predeceased by his brothers, Bob Cohen and Calvin Cohen, and he is survived by his sister, Anita Kornbleit. Arrangements made by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

85, Atlanta

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Dr. Arthur M. Cohen passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born in New York on Oct. 29, 1932. In 1935 his family moved to Boston. In 1944, Dr. Cohen was admitted, through examination, to Boston Latin School, where he prepared for college in 1950. During his school years he received several awards for outstanding scholarship in the classics. He was also accepted into the National Honor Society. Dr. Cohen in 1950 entered Harvard College, where he was awarded a Harvard College Scholarship. He graduated in 1954 with a major in psychology. Subsequently, he was accepted into the graduate program at Boston University, where he received his M.A. in psychology in 1955 and subsequently enrolled in the doctoral program for clinical psychology. From 1955 to 1959, when he earned his Ph.D., Dr. Cohen was awarded teaching assistantships and teaching fellowships and became the first Guttman Fellow at the Boston University Human Relations Center. Intense interdisciplinary training in organization and community leadership intervention served as the foundation for his later applied work as a consultant to government, industrial, educational and religious institutions inside and outside the United States, where he assisted organizational leaders in dealing with individual, interpersonal and intergroup tensions. In 1958, Dr. Cohen engaged in highly regarded laboratory research sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, Group Psychology Branch. As project director, Dr. Cohen based his doctoral dissertation on his project work, which was subsequently published in article and monograph forms. In 1959 he was awarded his Ph.D., followed by a post-doctoral year at Boston University. In 1960, Dr. Cohen accepted a position as assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he continued his research, additionally sponsored by the National Science Foundation. During this period he was accepted into the Professional National Science Society. Dr. Cohen’s training as a practitioner in dealing with individuals, groups and organizations was advanced and recognized through an additional yearlong internship with the National Training Laboratories, where he served as an adjunct staff member and as a fellow during the period of 1960 to 1963. In 1963, Dr. Cohen accepted an appointment as associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta. His teaching, laboratory work and practitioner practice continued at Emory until 1966, when he accepted a position as professor at Georgia State University, where he helped develop and expand the undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology. At age 37, Dr. Cohen was one of the youngest faculty members to be appointed a full professor with tenure. For his teaching activities, he received the award for being the Outstanding Professor at Georgia State University. He also received numerous awards for participating in community leadership activities, including the award from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as the Outstanding Professional Educator in Atlanta. During this period and shortly afterward, Dr. Cohen wrote several professional books and numerous articles published in professional journals. In 1972, Dr. Cohen was awarded the diplomate in clinical psychology, representing the highest national certification as a board-certified clinical psychologist, granted by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Since 1972, Dr. Cohen had been in full-time private clinical and consulting practice in 42 Atlanta. He had also been a member of the Georgia Psychological Association,

Joseph Haas 75, Atlanta

Dr. Joseph Arthur Haas, age 75, died Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in Atlanta. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Atlanta, he graduated in 1960 from the Westminster Schools, where he was captain of the tennis team and a star wrestler. Joe earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University. After completing his residency and serving in the U.S. Army as a major at Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany, Joe moved his family back to Atlanta and practiced urology for many years. He enjoyed tennis, swimming, kayaking, biking, antiquing, fixing things around the house and going fishing with his grandsons. He was predeceased by his wife of 36 years, Annette Patoff Haas; his parents, Jacob and Lillian Haas; and his father-in-law, Bernard Patoff. He is survived by his wife, Emilie Posner; his daughters, Danielle Haas-Laursen (Kirk), Deni-Kay Freier (Jason) and Alyson Denisof (Alexis); grandchildren Katie, Chloe, Gregory, Zoie, Zachary, Satyana and Keeva; and his mother-in-law, Clara Patoff Fox. Please sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. A memorial service was held at Sunday, March 4, at The Temple. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Weinstein Hospice or The Temple Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Lenore Maslia 86, Atlanta

Lenore Maslia, age 86, born and raised in Atlanta, died peacefully at home Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, surrounded by her loving family. A graduate of Grady High School and the valedictorian of her senior class, Lenore began a successful career as a legal secretary. Lenore and Victor Maslia, of blessed memory, were married in 1950. Lenore was an avid reader, took pride in cooking Sephardic delicacies, enjoyed telling all her grandchildren stories of her family, and was a scholar of history, politics and the British monarchy. In 1998 she was instrumental in constructing the Victor D. Maslia wing at Congregation Or VeShalom. Lenore took extreme pride in her children and her grandchildren and all their many accomplishments. Lenore was predeceased by her husband, Victor D. Maslia; her brother, Stanley Sater; and her parents, Lakie and Alex Sater. Survivors include her daughters, Elena (Kenneth) Marks, Angie (Skip) Weiland and Donna Maslia; a son, Richard (Monica) Maslia; grandchildren Andy, Elliot and Evan Marks, Seth, Rachel and Bret Weiland, Erin, Tori and Scott Chimberoff, Lillian and Victor Maslia, and Jillian and Emma Smith. Memorial donations may be made to the Rachel and David Maslia Endowment Fund in c/o Congregation Or VeShalom, Weinstein Hospice or the charity of your choice. A funeral service was held Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Congregation

OBITUARIES Or VeShalom. Graveside services were at Greenwood Cemetery after the service at Or VeShalom. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Sarah Smith 96, Atlanta

Death Notices

Corinne Capilouto, 91, of Montgomery, Ala., mother of Temple Sinai member David Capilouto, Larry Capilouto and Gilson Capilouto, on Feb. 10. Helen Farkas, 93, of Atlanta on Feb. 14. Betty Grodin, 96, of Dunwoody, mother of Temple Sinai member Alan Grodin and Jerold Grodin, on Feb. 6. Jennifer Helfman, 47, of Atlanta, member of The Temple, mother of Ethan Helfman and Ronnie Helfman, daughter of Vivian LeVine, and sister of Susan Berger and Darren LeVine, on Feb. 7. Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Associate Publisher Kaylene Ladinsky at kaylene@atljewishtimes.com or 404-883-2130, ext. 100, for details about submission, rates and payments. Death notices, which provide basic details, are free and run as space is available; send submissions to editor@ atljewishtimes.com.

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Sarah “BeBe” Berman Smith, who devoted her life to her family and the community of Vidalia, died Thursday, March 1, 2018, at the age of 96. BeBe was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, Benjamin Smith. Together, they were pillars of the business, civic, charitable and religious life of Vidalia, where they lived for more than 50 years before moving to Atlanta in 2003. Born Aug. 8, 1921, to Fannie Jaffe and Morris Berman in Blakely, she was the youngest of four daughters, and she was preceded in death by her three sisters, Elaine Wynne (Barney), Inez Seitz (Joe) and Florence Bergstein (Max). BeBe was a true “steel magnolia,” known for her steadfastness, charm and gracious hospitality. She was featured in The Vidalia Advance in “Entertaining Lifestyle,” sharing some of her now-famous recipes. Her favorite pastime was caring for her rose gardens and the multitude of azaleas that filled her yard. Her greatest joy was her love and care for her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After completing Shorthand and Business University in Atlanta in 1939, Bebe married Ben in 1941 and moved to Vidalia, where she worked in the family business, Max Smith’s Department Store. She later became manager of The Fourth Door, a discount division of the store that was, literally, its fourth door on Main Street. Among her volunteer activities, she worked for decades as a “pink lady,” the medical auxiliary at Vidalia’s Meadows Memorial Hospital, visiting the sick and working at the gift shop. Along with her husband, Ben, BeBe co-founded an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Vidalia in 1968 called Congregation Beth Israel and was its treasurer for more than 30 years. She helped prepare the many ceremonial meals, such as Passover seders, for the members of the synagogue and Jewish visitors from nearby towns. She had a penchant for fashion and assembled one of Vidalia’s major fundraisers for the Vidalia chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. In 1990 she was named the Bicentennial Queen of Vidalia and crowned at the Centennial Ball commemorating the 200 years of the town’s existence. She leaves behind two children, Richard B. Smith (Sandra) and Barbara Smith Pomerance (Leon); four grandchildren, Mitch J. Pomerance of Boston, Rachel Pomerance Berl (David), of Bethesda, Md., Jaffe Smith Ort of Atlanta, and Marlysa Sullivan of Atlanta; and two great-grandchildren, Samuel Alexander Ort and Benjamin Jonah Berl. She also leaves a sister-in-law, Doris Foskey of Vidalia, and many nieces and nephews. She was a member of two Atlanta synagogues: Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta and Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Beth Israel Congregation, c/o Duane Tomlin, 1117 Tomlin Road, Lyons, GA 30436; Congregation Etz Chaim Youth Programs, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, Marietta, GA 30068, www.etzchaim.net; or Congregation B’nai Torah Youth Programs, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Atlanta, GA 30328, www.bnaitorah.org. Graveside services were held Friday, March 2, at Bonaventure Cemetery in Thunderbolt. Arrangements by Gamble Funeral Services, Savannah, 912-354-1616.

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Aquarium’s Leven Wins BBYO Alumnus Award BBYO presented its Alumnus of the Year Award to Georgia Aquarium Chairman and CEO Mike Leven during the youth group’s International Convention in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 15. Leven, a longtime Atlanta resident, is originally from the Boston area and is an alumnus of BBYO New England Region. “I am honored to receive this award from BBYO and my brother Alephs,” Leven told the 3,000 teens gathered for IC. “Today’s members are on the path to preserving and protecting the Jewish people throughout their lives. I am so grateful for each Aleph and BBG for all that they do to be to-

Mike Leven accepts the AKA Alumnus of the Year Award on Feb. 15.

gether and learn together in BBYO so that they will go on to be the future of our people. That is the power of this amazing organization.” Leven received the Aleph Zadik Aleph alumnus award, named for AZA founder Sam Beber. Tracy Reichman

Kalik of Bethesda, Md., a partner in the law firm Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, won the equivalent BBG award, named for Anita Perlman. Leven has supported BBYO’s leadership training efforts for Jewish teens and took time to meet with 10 teen

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

I’d Like You to Meet Some American Students I’ve been helping out in the media center at a public school, a veritable United Nations in its diversity. Let me introduce you to some of the students. Two Girls School is officially over for the day. I’m shelving books when two darkhaired preteens come in. There’s step practice after school, so they have a few minutes to spare. As they scout the fiction section, we talk. They’re best friends who are both bright, respectful and charming. “Where are you two from?” I ask. “Palestine,” one answers. “Exactly where in Palestine?” “Haifa.” “Haifa’s in Palestine?” Good grief! “Yes, but my parents said if we work hard in America, we’ll have better lives. We study very hard.” I’m told that the Muslim students do well at this school. A Boy The males in this class seem to like sports, predatory animals and humor. I’m surprised when a Hispanic boy asks me for a book about paper. I’m not sure what he means. “Do you want to learn how to make paper?” “No. I want this.” He uses his hands to demonstrate what he wants. “You want to fold paper to make things?” “Yes, folding paper. My mother teaches me.” “You mean origami?” He is delighted that I know the word. “You know origami?” He checks out an origami and crafts book and runs to catch up with his class.

MARCH 9 ▪ 2018

A Boy I am reshelving while the librarian helps students decide what to read. A boy who has books under his arm spots a tome on my cart, “Electricity,” with a lightning bolt on the cover. “A book about electricity! Can I take it?” It’s a pretty sophisticated book; however, I hand it to him. We look at a few pages. It’s loaded with pictures and descriptions of experiments and bios of famous scientists. 46 “You really like science, don’t

you?” I ask. “I love science!” From his nontrendy clothing and fuzzy haircut, I doubt he has a good microscope, a vacuum pump or lab tools. “Do you do science at home?”

CROSSWORD 1

Chana’s Corner

By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

28 36

39 42

45 48

A Girl I carry my cellphone in a pouch. Somehow it falls out among the shelves, and I only notice it’s missing at the end of the day. “Oh, no, I dropped my cellphone someplace!” I blurt out. The students are getting in line when a sylphlike Asian girl runs back. “You lost your phone?” “It’s in this room. I’ll find it,” I say. “I’ll help you. My father said phones cost a lot of money.” She methodically starts to search the shelves, then her teacher asks for my number and calls it. A few students hear it and head to rescue my phone from a far corner of the room. The girl gets there first and ceremoniously hands it to me. I thank the students, paying special attention to the girl, who is visibly relieved. Obviously, my profligate behavior needs monitoring. “Be careful with your phone!” she cautions. “But I’ll help you if you lose it again.” Do you see a thread running through these four incidents? I do. Here in the U.N. of terrific kids, I suspect a powerful combo is at work: clear family values, expectations and modeling. Parenting. ■

“Oh My ___!”

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

“My mom and I do stuff in the kitchen. She does experiments with me.” “Do you like math?” “How can I do real science if I don’t like math?” “What do you do on the weekends?” “I’m lucky because my dad’s a security guard at a couple of museums, so I get to go in free all the time. My brothers, too.” “You really are lucky! I think it’s a lot of fun in your house.”

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53 56

ACROSS 1. Word on a door 5. 10 out of 10, e.g. 10. Israeli political party or all the Talmud 14. State with only one consonant 15. Many a 2018 Olympic medal winner 16. Mario ___, Nintendo racing game 17. One is worth about 4.5 shekels 18. “The Adventures of ___ Marsh” (Bellow novel) 19. A ghost in “Pac-Man” 20. Gretzky, in the early ’90s 23. Drink in Jerusalem? 24. ___ Diego 25. Big name in Torah commentary — and wine 28. Meas. for Jamie Geller or Susie Fishbein 31. Light, watery sprays 35. High priest or Giants quarterback 36. Seder part with dipping 39. Anagram for item, mite and time 40. Whom Hebrew National answers to 43. Be in pain 44. Less of a mess 45. Day of the week Yom Kippur can never fall on; abbr. 46. Zionist youth movement 48. “General” on Chinese menus 49. Make a bracha 51. Archaeological undertaking 53. Apple or peach, e.g. 54. Landlord, perhaps 62. Post-it message 63. Old photo color

64. Kosher forest animals 65. Ancient Peruvian 66. “Slumdog Millionaire” actor Dev 67. McGregor in “Beauty and the Beast” 68. 1922 Danish Nobelist Niels 69. Billy Joel album “___ Front” 70. Sacrificial NFL team?

used for latkes 30. Where a sukkah might be built 32. Whack, biblically 33. General who destroyed the Second Temple 34. Eye ailments 37. Shamsky or Garfunkel 38. “___ shall be called woman” (Genesis 2:23) 41. Certain orthodontic device DOWN 42. Once around, to an 1. Keats or Lazarus, e.g. astronaut 2. “Nah!” 47. Sipped part of a 3. Kingly title not used for Kiddush cup Jewish kings 50. Joshua, after Moses 4. Bar not focused on 52. Deep, sudden breaths alcohol 53. Song by King David 5. Pointless 54. “U2’s” main man 6. General MacArthur, to 55. Insect bite friends consequence, perhaps 7. Therefore 56. “Groovy!” 8. “Clueless” catchphrase 57. “What’ve you been 9. Kin of onions some eat ___?” on Rosh Hashanah 58. Jaffa waterfront walk 10. Less chubby 59. State with only one 11. Make like Haman consonant 12. Places for Torahs 60. Large amount of paper 13. “Piggies” setting 61. Gov. ID letters 21. “That’s what ___ about 62. Small Twizzler bite you” 22. Words before “Sam” in LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION a Sean Penn F R O G R A M D O N K E Y title R E N O E R A A R I A N A 25. Addiction E L E P H A N T T I N T E D treatment D I M E D E L I O N facility, briefly D N A L E T M E L Y I N G 26. Y E N T E T I T L E N A P “Wonderland” A N A C G I D O G S G R A S S H O P P E R girl B E E S I T A S A L 27. Enhanced A R M L A U E R R E S I T sense for a M E S S Y F L E E S E M O prophet? W O L F M T H L P S 28. Genetic D E F I N E G I R A F F E S feature A L U M N I A N O A I D E 29. They’re H O R S E S P I G D E E R 1

14 17

31 35

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