Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCII No. 18, May 5, 2017 by Atlanta Jewish Times

HEALTH & WELLNESS, PAGES 22-31 CANCER FIGHTER

Seventh-grader Stephen Litt makes a promising discovery in green tea. Page 22

KIDNEY MITZVAH

Before a May 7 program on organ donation, read about three in need. Page 24

INFERTILITY CARE

Training will help mikvah attendants be sensitive to women’s struggles. Page 29

Atlanta VOL. XCII NO. 18

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MAY 5, 2017 | 9 IYAR 5777

JNF CEO: Israel, JNF, Jewish People Are Intertwined The history of Israel is closely tied to that of Jewish National Fund, CEO Russell Robinson said at JNF Atlanta’s 14th annual Jack Hirsch Memorial Breakfast on Tuesday, May 2. “No other people on the face of the earth have a land as part of their existence. Only the Jewish people,” Robinson told the crowd of about 300 people gathered at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North in Sandy Springs to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s 69th birthday. “We could have made a very good legal argument that piece of land was ours. But, instead, we collected coins and collected money to repurchase the land of Israel. That is Jewish National Fund’s story, and that is the story of the Jewish people.” Robinson acknowledged that when he was a Hebrew school student growing up in El Paso, Texas, sometimes the coins meant for JNF bought candy instead. But he has more than made up for that lost money since becoming CEO in 1998. This was his first Jack Hirsch Breakfast. Since its founding in 1901, JNF has developed more than 250,000 acres and planted more than 240 million trees, in addition to helping Israel solve its water problems. When JNF purchased the first parcels in the early 1900s, Robinson said, Tel Aviv was little more than sand dunes. In 1951, JNF drained Lake Hula,

Gladys Hirsch, the widow of JNF stalwart and Holocaust survivor Jack Hirsch, gets a hug from honoree Ron Blomberg after the breakfast named for her husband.

which had been a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitos in northern Israel, and turned it into agricultural land. An estimated 500 million birds now pass through the Hula Valley each year. In Sderot, where residents live in fear of rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip, 75 percent of children are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2009, JNF built a 21,000-squarefoot indoor recreation center that also serves as a bomb shelter so that children have a safe place to play. Now JNF is

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JNF CEO Russell Robinson explains how people carried soil from across Israel for Theodor Herzl’s reburial in the land he dreamed of.

building outdoor playgrounds as well. JNF is focused on developing the Negev, which has 60 percent of Israel’s land but only 8 percent of its population. In Be’er Sheva, long a target of Atlanta donations, JNF is continuing to turn a former garbage dump into a 900-acre river park in the center of the city, with trees, running trails and a large artificial lake. The population of Be’er Sheva is around 200,000, but Robinson said he hopes it will one day eclipse 400,000. Native Atlantan Ron Blomberg, a

INSIDE Calendar �� 4 Candle Lighting �� 4 Israel News ��6 Opinion ��14 Arts ��32 Obituaries ��35 Marketplace ��36 Business ��37 Crossword ��38

Druid Hills High grad who was the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history in 1973 when he played for the New York Yankees, received the Cantor Isaac and Betty Goodfriend JNF Community Service Award during the breakfast. He spoke about his love for Atlanta and Israel and his pride in being Jewish, and after the breakfast he answered questions — he thinks Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame — took photos and signed autographs. ■

ISRAEL’S DAYS

The Jewish community comes together to remember Israel’s fallen soldiers and terrorism victims on Yom HaZikaron and to celebrate its independence on Yom HaAtzmaut. Pages 11-12

MAY 5 â&#x2013;ª 2017

MA TOVU

Stay Silent or Not?

Hold Steve Accountable I was a happy and successful contractor for many, many years. None of my clients had to live through a workday without either myself, my crew or a subcontractor working on the project. Once a commitment was made, I — we — honored that commitment even if something else (possibly more lucrative) came along. It is called integrity, and the only way Steve is going to understand is if good people hold him to it and have him answer for his lack of it. — Keith Cunha Transparency You sound like a person who doesn’t react in haste. Before going viral, I think you should speak with Steve directly. If it is uncomfortable to speak in person, there is always email. However, email can be dangerous when there are negative vibes to transmit, so I advise having someone else read it and suggest edits before you send. Be honest. Tell Steve that you heard rave reviews about his work ethic and expertise and were looking forward to using him for your project. Explain how each delay inconvenienced you and frustrated your plans. Tell him you’d like to recommend him, but you are not comfortable doing so. Then give him space to respond. Was a family situation going on? Regardless of his reasons, is he contrite? Assuming you have a peaceful confrontation with Steve and he manages to assuage your hard feelings, I suggest turning to Libby and being honest with her as well. “He did phenomenal work,” you

can say, “but it took a lot longer than he thought. Some issues cropped up in his personal life, and it affected his performance. But there are others who had fully positive experiences with him; that’s why I chose his company.” Libby may then do further research and still opt to use First Impressions. But you’ve done your part. You

Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

haven’t sullied Steve’s reputation, and you’ve been a loyal friend. — Sharon Go Viral You are one patient lady. I think I would have demanded my money back from First Impressions after the first few excuses and alibis. What a nightmare! But who knows? Perhaps you tried, and Steve wouldn’t refund your money, and you couldn’t afford legal fees or simply didn’t want to go that route. It’s highly possible you didn’t publicize every detail of the scenario. I think you should expose your experience. Consumers deserve to know what they’re getting into. If you had seen a blurb mimicking your story, perhaps you wouldn’t have hired Steve so quickly, thus avoiding an unpleasant, drawn-out episode. Wouldn’t you like to save someone else from the same aggravation you endured? — Mark J. Rabbinic Consultation There is often a religious voice in dilemma resolutions, so I hope not to cause any eye-rolling by veering toward the same theme. But to me, there is an obvious solution. This dilemma carries the possibility of ruining a fellow Jew. How can you decide without seeking a spiritual mentor’s wisdom and counsel? Please consult with your local rabbi and discuss the issue from every angle without omitting a single detail. Once you receive guidance, your conscience will be at peace, and you will have acquired tranquility from doing your best to do the right thing. And now, enjoy your renovations! — JJ

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

Recap: First Impressions, managed by Steve Marks, is a highly recommended contracting company. But one family had a terrible experience. His glib promise to complete the renovations in a month stretched into a full pregnancy, nine times his original assurance. Now Libby, an acquaintance of this family, is looking for a contractor, and the wife is faced with a dilemma. Should she share her experience with Libby? Or was it a fluke because Steve had performed reliably for others? Dare she post her feelings publicly? Would that be doing a service for the community, or would she bear liability for ruining Steve’s business?

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Contributors This Week SKYE ESTROFF YONI GLATT JORDAN GORFINKEL ELI GRAY RACHEL FAYNE GRUSKIN LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE STEVE OPPENHEIMER LOGAN RITCHIE CARY ROSENTHAL EUGEN SCHOENFELD CADY SCHULMAN YAAKOV SELAVAN CHANA SHAPIRO KEN STEIN RACHEL STEIN PATRICE WORTHY

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MAY 5 ▪ 2017

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

THURSDAY, MAY 4

FDR live. James Fowler, who performs as Franklin Roosevelt, appears at the weekly meeting of the Edgewise group at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free for members, $5 for others; 678-812-3861 or matureadults@atlantajcc.org. Yom HaAtzmaut. The Marcus JCC leads a celebration of Israel’s independence during Food Truck Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody. Free; 678-812-4161 or rabbi. glusman@atlantajcc.org. That guy in that thing. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky talks about his new book, “My Adventures With G-d,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $13 for JCC members, $18 for others; 678-812-4002 or www.atlantajcc.org/bookfestival. U.S. Knessest member. Sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Rabbi Dov Lipman talks about becoming the first U.S.-born member of the Knesset in 30 years at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.bnaitorah.org.

FRIDAY, MAY 5

Lipman visit. Rabbi Dov Lipman, elected to the Knesset in 2013, spends Shabbat at Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, speaking several times about his aliyah and political experiences. Free; www.yith.org.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Acharei-Kedoshim Friday, May 5, light candles at 8:07 p.m. Saturday, May 6, Shabbat ends at 9:06 p.m. Emor Friday, May 12, light candles at 8:12 p.m. Saturday, May 13, Shabbat ends at 9:12 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 6

Divorce boot camp. A lawyer, a financial adviser, a private investigator and a counselor offer help to men considering or undergoing divorce at 10 a.m. at the Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza. Free; 770-377-4941 (Debbie Dorman). Kidney donation awareness. Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, hosts Rabbi Josh Sturm of Renewal for kidney donation discussions after Kiddush in the morning and before Mincha in the afternoon. Free; bethjacobatlanta.org.

SUNDAY, MAY 7

JCC run. The Harris Jacobs Dream Run/ Walk starts at 6:45 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children under 12 for the 5K or $15 for the mile; bit.ly/2pirnd0. Infertility training. Naomi Marmon Grumet of the Eden Center leads infertility sensitivity training for mikvah attendants, rebbetzins and others at 11 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10; www. jewishfertilityfoundation.org. Survivor speaker. AJT columnist Eugen Schoenfeld speaks at 2 p.m. at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, as part of the Bearing Witness series of events with Holocaust survivors. Free; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

Eatery anniversary. Alon’s Bakery & Market, 1394 N. Highland Ave., Morningside, celebrates its 25th anniversary from 2 to 6 p.m. Free; alons.com. Education awards. Hadassah Greater Atlanta honors students at 2 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; 470-482-6778 or atlanta@hadassah.org. Kidney donation event. Rabbi Josh Sturm, director of outreach for Renewal, and kidney donor Shai Robkin are among the speakers at 7 p.m. at Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road. Free; www.renewal.org or 718-431-9831.

MONDAY, MAY 8

FIDF gala. Friends of the Israel Defense Forces holds its Atlanta gala dinner at the InterContinental Buckhead, 3315 Peachtree Road, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $250 ($118 for those 35 and under); 678-250-9030 or fidf.org/ATLgala17. Not the Messiah. Atlanta Scholars Kollel Rabbi Daniel Freitag discusses why Jews reject Jesus on three Monday nights, starting tonight at 7:30, at the Kollel Dome, 5237 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free; ASK@atlantakollel.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

After-school art. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, offers the Jewish Art Zone from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for kindergartners to sec-

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

Remember When

25 Years Ago May 1, 1992 ■ Steve Selig is being honored May 4 with the American Jewish Committee award named five years ago in memory of his parents, Caroline and Simon Selig. Erwin Zaban, a longtime friend of the Seligs, will present the Selig Distinguished Service Award to the 49-year-old president of Selig Enterprises. Zaban said AJC is expecting “a super crowd” because of Selig’s business, political and community contacts and the draw of his parents’ names. ■ The bat mitzvah of Alison Blair Taffel of Atlanta, daughter of Sheila and Bruce Taffel, will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Temple Sinai. ■ David and Lori Greenwald of Marietta announce the birth of a daughter, Lindsay Alison, on April 8.

50 Years Ago May 5, 1967 ■ Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol has warned that Israel will not tolerate Arab shelling of Israeli settlements, and, when such attacks take place, “let there be no mistake — we shall reply, and our reaction will be immediate and unhesitant.” Eshkol noted the example of April 7, when Israel shot down six Syrian MiG-21s after the Syrians attacked Israeli settlements in the north. ■ Rabbi Chaim Feuerman, after many years of devoted service to the Hebrew Academy and to the Atlanta community at large, is going to Montreal at the conclusion of the school year. Rabbi Feuerman will head the Hebrew Academy of Adath Israel, which has over 600 students. ■ Mr. and Mrs. David Robert Feldman of Birmingham announce the engagement of their daughter, Jo Ann, to Evan Jesse Allen, son of Mrs. Jacob Allen of Elberton and the late Mr. Allen. The wedding will be July 30.

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CALENDAR ond-graders. The session is $15; www. chabadnf.org/jaz or 770-410-9000.

AJFF Says ‘I Do’ to Films All Year

Israel 50 years after. Intown Jewish Academy, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown, offers the six-session class “Survival of a Nation,” starting at 8 tonight or at noon Thursday, May 11. The cost is $99 per person or $169 per couple; www.intownjewishacademy.org/soan.

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is launching AJFF Selects with a screening of the Israeli romantic comedy “The Wedding Plan” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at Lefont Sandy Springs. AJFF Selects is a series bringing movies good enough for the annual winter film festival to the Atlanta area the rest of the year. The special screening events will feature new foreign and independent films, as well as expert speakers and guest filmmakers. “With programming initiatives like the AJFF Selects, we have the opportunity to continue our conversation with the community and expand our artistic footprint all year long,” festival

“Waking Up to Life.” This course analyzes some of the Bible’s most controversial episodes, uncovering powerful insights into the human spirit and man’s purpose, at 8 p.m. today and May 16 at Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb. Tuition is $18; www.cobbjewishacademy.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

Michael (Noa Koler) has the dress and the date but needs the spouse to complete “The Wedding Plan.”

Executive Director Kenny Blank said. “We’re excited to unveil more films in the Selects series soon. This is just the beginning of new program offerings.” AJFF initiatives to deliver yearround programming include AJFF on Campus, an educational outreach; Cinebash, a nontraditional film party; the Icon Award gala, an event dedicated to honoring exemplary movie

artists and industry professionals; and AJFF in Conversation, a series of talks with leading community figures. The film chosen to kick off AJFF Selects, “The Wedding Plan,” comes from writer-director Rama Burshtein. An ultra-Orthodox woman named Michal (played by Noa Koler) decides to keep her wedding date after her fiancé breaks off the engagement a month before the ceremony. She has faith she’ll find a suitable groom in time. “The Wedding Plan” won Israeli Academy Awards for best actress and best screenplay. Tickets for the AJFF Selects screening are $13 and are available at ajff.org/weddingplantix. ■

Business and ball. Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastner speaks at the launch of the Jewish Business Network-Midtown at the Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, with tefillin at 7:30 a.m., breakfast at 7:45 and the program at 8. Tickets are $36; www.chabadintown.org/jbn. Babyccino. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, offers a session for mothers and their babies up to age 2½ at 10 a.m. Free; hs@ chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000. Dinner and a movie. American Jewish Committee Atlanta presents “Wrestling Jerusalem” at 6:30 p.m. at Atlanta Jewish Academy, 5200 Northland Drive, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $18; www. ajcatlanta.org. Six-Day War class. “Survival of a Nation” looks at Israel over six Wednesdays, starting tonight at 7:30, at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek. Tuition is $69; www. myjli.com or 770-410-9000.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

Widows and orphans. Rabbi Moshe Miller supports the Tzarkei Naomi Fund by talking about “Rising Moon,” his new book on the Book of Ruth, tonight at 8 at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills; during Shabbat May 13 at Congregation Ariel, 5237 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody; and at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 14, at Congregation Ner Hamizrach, 1858 LaVista Road, Toco Hills. Free; tzarkeinaomi.org.

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

Spiritual recovery. SOJOURN hosts a three-part series on faith in addiction recovery for the LGBTQ community at the Phillip Rush Center, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, at 7 tonight, May 25 and June 8. Free; www.sojourngsd.org.

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ISRAEL NEWS

A 50-Year Legacy

The consequences of the Six-Day War are still developing Fifty years have passed since the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Arab states lost the war yet believed they were victorious. Israel won the war and could not impose peace. Neither of the two superpowers could stop the war from unfolding. In fact, the Soviet Union was primarily responsible for goading Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser to go to war. And the United Nations, specifically detailed with finding ways to keep the peace, deliberately removed peacekeepers stationed between two enemy armies, allowing the snowball of war to roll quickly downhill toward a massive conflict. The 1967 war was a watershed in Middle Eastern, Jewish and Israeli history. It was one of those rare events that are historically transformative, much like the American Revolution, the outbreak of World War I and the fall of the shah. Transformative events unleash a series of results and unintended consequences, many of which are still unfolding and others for which there are as yet no answers or outcomes. The war’s aftermath unfolded ideas, processes and attitudes that no one could have contemplated before the war. Who knew about land for peace, a two-state solution, distancing from Israel, settlements, the splintering of both the Israeli and Palestinian Arab political systems, and the overwhelming American role in dominating what has come to be known as a “peace process”?

After the six days in June 1967, Israel was no longer a tiny wedge of land along the Mediterranean Sea. Its width expanded from 11 to 44 miles,

Guest Column By Ken Stein

and it increased its area sixfold. From Egypt, Israel won Sinai and the Gaza Strip; from Jordan, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Syria lost the Golan Heights. Not since World War I had Middle East boundaries been redrawn in such a profound way. The war was a humiliating defeat for Arab leaders and Arab populations at large. Twice now in the two decades since Israel’s establishment in 1948, Arab states had lost a war to their most hated enemy, the Zionists. For the next 50 years, three Arab generations with billions of oil dollars at their disposal chafed under the reality that neither they nor their leaders nor collective action could eliminate Israel. Petro-dollars could not stop Anwar Sadat from negotiating a peace with Israel, nor could they alter longterm American support for Israel. The war solidified Israel’s existence. It blew down the door of pan-Arabism, based in part on Egypt’s leadership and the ideological glue that destroying Israel had provided. After losing lands under their control, Jordan, Syria and Egypt wanted those

The Western Wall stands as the ultimate symbol of what was gained in the Six-Day War. Jews were barred from the holy site from 1948 until Israel reunified Jerusalem in 1967. Now all people are welcome to visit the Kotel and the Temple Mount. A mechitzah here separates the women’s section.

lands back as much as they had wanted to promote Israel’s destruction. Simply put, if Egypt’s President Nasser had not lost the Sinai Peninsula in June 1967, his successor, Sadat, would not have needed or wanted it back in the late 1970s, and wanting it back forced Sadat to make peace with Israel through the United States. Did the failure of pan-Arabism lead 50 years later to the failing of Arab states? From the war, Israel and her supporters worldwide derived a sense of the Jewish state’s durability and consolidation but not full acceptance by the Muslim world and others. Diaspora Jews embraced pride and euphoria because of Israel’s success. North American Jews and, for that matter, many Christians affirmed and reaffirmed Israel’s importance in their lives, so much so that many made Israel a critical core of their Jewish center. Trips to Israel, study-abroad programs and later Birthright were value-added to Jewish identities, slow-

ing the pressures of assimilation. Finally, without the June war, Palestinians would not have witnessed an emergent national identity. After imbibing terrorism, they would not have refused and then ultimately accepted diplomacy in dealing with Israel. Though the international community tried to force them to choose peace or war, 50 years later they have not yet reached a conclusion on whether to end the conflict with Israel. And Israelis remain deeply splintered about whether to trust their Palestinian neighbors in a two-state solution. Unfinished and entirely unanticipated outcomes remain from a war that Nasser believed would destroy Israel once and for all. ■ Ken Stein is the president of the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org). For more on the Six-Day War, please see Stein’s “The June War: How it Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History” at israeled.org/product/june1967.

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Painting a brighter future. Startup SolarPaint, based at Kibbutz Nahsholim in northern Israel, has developed “electrode-net” (an ultrathin wireframe, similar to mosquito netting) and a nanoparticle-infused coating to generate solar power on roofs, walls and eventually even roads.

Female judge on sharia court. Israel’s sharia courts handle matters in personal-status law, such as marriage and divorce, for Muslim Israelis. The judicial selection committee, led by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, recently appointed Ana Hatib as the first woman 6 to serve on one of those courts.

Shining bacterial light on land mines. Hebrew University scientists have discovered that buried explosives leak vapors that cause engineered E. coli bacteria to emit fluorescent molecules. Remote laser scanners detect the glowing molecules, giving explosives experts the exact locations of the devices.

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

Pentagon’s backing for infection test. The Defense Department has awarded a $9.2 million contract to Haifa-based MeMed to help it complete a platform distinguishing bacterial from viral infections. MeMed already received a grant worth 2.3 million euros ($2.5 million) from the European Commission.

Blocking business from the bad guys. Herzliya-based startup Taykey has developed a tool that enables companies to prevent their ads from appearing on malicious websites. The tool checks whether a site is a safe host for an ad. Paper alarm. Tel Aviv-based Sdema Group has developed an invisible network called Tagit that functions as a sensor for secure paper documents. It works even when the paper is torn, folded or crumpled. As soon as the document leaves the defined protected area, the system issues a warning. Economic stability. Bloomberg has rat-

ed Israel’s economy as the third most stable in the world, after Hong Kong and South Korea. Bloomberg praised Israel’s nearly nonexistent inflation and low unemployment. Ride-sharers merge. Ride-sharing startups Gett, based in Tel Aviv, and Juno, based in New York, are joining forces to challenge industry leaders Uber and Lyft. Gett offers ride-hailing services in more than 80 cities, including London, Moscow and New York. The taxi app Juno is active only in New York. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other sources.

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ISRAEL NEWS

The Rewards of Israel Bonds When I was asked to pen an article on the significance of State of Israel Bonds to me, the first word that came to mind was “rewarding.” It’s a word with many facets that express my feelings on the subject. At its root, rewarding has much to do with satisfaction. That could mean satisfaction to others as well as oneself. Exploring the others first, the word can apply to the state of Israel and her citizens. Without question, both are richly rewarded as beneficiaries of the funds generated by the sale of bonds. These proceeds supplement the traditional source of government funds from taxes, licensure, asset sales, etc. For Israel to rely on her bond program, certain criteria must be reached. First, stability is a prime characteristic, and Israel Bonds get the highest grades from this prospective. Since the inception of the bonds program in 1951, Israel has always met redemptions and paid interest in a timely fashion. Second, attractive interest rates

have made these bonds popular, and they can be bought in durations as short as two years or as long as 10. A third element that makes the Israel Bonds program so successful is a solid market of investors, including states, municipalities, corpora-

Guest Column By Cary Rosenthal

tions, unions, foundations, and, most important, us — the American Jewish community. That’s where I come in. Like everyone else who invests, I want instruments that are safe and offer a reasonable return. But my reward comes from knowing that my dollars are supporting the state of Israel. Each time I visit Israel, I swell with pride when I arrive at the modern airport, much of which was funded by Israel Bonds. Ditto as I traverse the superb highway system. That feeling expands as I see

many of the projects, such as the water aquifer or the Dead Sea Works — projects in the industrial and agricultural sectors that would not have been possible without a substantial bond program (substantial as in more than $1 billion a year in U.S. sales for four years running). Reminiscent of our tradition, if it weren’t enough that I could provide for my family with a safe and profitable investment, if it weren’t enough to know that my money is helping to improve the stability of Israel and the lives of my brethren there, Israel Bonds also has offered me the opportunity to participate in several missions. The mission program is generally open to any current or future investor. Because the bond program is considered vital by the government, access to leadership is always part of the package. This access often includes the prime minister, president, members of the Knesset, ranking military officers and mayors of key cities. It’s admittedly a rarity, but on one mission I had the opportunity to be invited to a 90-minute session with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

in his conference room. Mission participants consistently return home feeling well rewarded. Serving as a volunteer for any Jewish organization is a blessing. Each does meaningful work that is necessary to achieve its given mission. Israel Bonds in Atlanta is no different. I found myself raising my hand more than 25 years ago, and I still play an active role in the bond organization. Through my years of service, I have been reacquainted with old friends and met many new ones. In addition, I had the honor of serving as the chairman of the Israel Bonds Advisory Council. I mention this solely to point out that you also can reap rewards by investing, traveling and volunteering to serve this significant program that helps ensure the continued growth, security and prosperity of our Jewish homeland. ■ Cary Rosenthal is a past Israel Bonds Advisory Council chairman and recipient of the Celebration of Life Award from Temple Emanu-El and State of Israel Bonds. This is part of a monthly series on why Atlantans invest in Israel Bonds.

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Members of the community nominate who they believe are the Jewish Atlanta’s rising leaders in business, philanthropy, education, religion, community action, and are under the age of 40. A nominee must be Jewish, be at least 25 years old and must not have turned 40 before July 14, 2017. You can nominate yourself, a client, a friend, a peer, your boss; anyone who meets the criteria. Nominees are judged on their business success and their achievements as an active member of Jewish Atlanta.

The deadline for nominations is Sunday, June 11, 2017. Visit atlantajewishtimes.com/40-under-40 for more information.

ISRAEL NEWS

Long before she was prime minister, Golda Meir tried to talk Jordan into staying out of the Israeli War of Independence.

Today in Israeli History

MAY 5 â&#x2013;Ş 2017

Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. May 5, 1985: President Ronald Reagan, seeking reconciliation with Europe, follows a visit to Bergen-Belsen with a stop at Bitburg, a German military cemetery containing the graves of 2,000 Nazi SS troops. The plan to visit Bitburg, announced April 11, angered Jewish leaders in the United States and Israel. May 6, 1951: Making the first visit to the United States by an Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion tours Tennessee Valley Authority hydroelectric and water projects in Tennessee and Alabama. May 7, 1983: During the First Lebanon War, five senior Palestine Liberation Organization officers, led by Abu Musa, declare a revolt against the leadership of Yasser Arafat for being open to peace negotiations instead of armed struggle. Despite living in exile in Tunis, Arafat maintains control of the PLO. May 8, 1936: Exiled because of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invasion, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie arrives in Haifa. He then spends a few weeks in Jerusalem to think about how best to gain global support for his country. May 9, 1942: An extraordinary Zionist conference begins at the Biltmore Hotel in New York. The Biltmore Conference will set the framework for Zionist policy in the years during and after World War II. May 10, 1948: Golda Meir has a second secret meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman in a last-ditch effort to persuade Transjordan to stay out of the impending Arab war against the soon-to-be-declared state of Israel. May 11, 1949: The U.N. General Assembly votes 37-12, with nine abstentions, to admit Israel as the 59th member of the United Nations.

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ISRAEL NEWS

India, Israel Celebrate Past, Future Relations By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

The bilateral relations between the nations of India and Israel go back 25 years, but the cultural ties run much deeper. “The connection between India and Israel is based on shared values and democracy between two ancient countries who also share a mutual interest in security and globalization within their societies and communities,” Indian Consul General Nagesh Singh said. “The relationship may be 25 years old, but the bond is much older.” To highlight 25 years of endeavors between the two democracies, the Israeli Consulate General, Asian American Heritage Foundation, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Conexx and American Jewish Committee hosted the first India Israel US Forum on Monday, April 24, at the offices of Arnall Golden Gregory at Atlantic Station. Maina Chawla Singh, a scholar in residence at American University’s School of International Service, said more than 35,000 Israelis a year visit

India, most going there after their military service. The adventurous Israelis hike in the mountains; those seeking a more relaxed vibe go to Goa. The presence of Israeli backpackers and tourists is so strong in some areas that cafes in India offer traditional Israeli cuisine, former Israeli soldiers get discounts and guest houses welcome visitors in Hebrew. Even though the Israelis usually aren’t religious, Singh said, the Chabad houses are packed on Shabbat. She said most Indian Jews made aliyah between 1950 to 1960, “yet there was no rush to leave, as there was no history of anti-Semitism. Most waited to hear about Israel first before resettling, while others were wooed by various agencies targeting low- and middle-class families.” She lived in Israel while her husband, Arun Singh, was ambassador to Israel, and welcomed Israeli Indians to India Day festivities. “When I asked the guests why they chose to live in Israel, I was often told, ‘We are not Mizrahi Jews, but Indian Jews, and while you can take a Jew out of India, you can’t

Photo by Sarah Moosazadeh

India Israel US Forum co-chairs Ani Agnihotri and Cedric Suzman welcome participants to Arnall Golden Gregory.

take India out of Jew. India will always be our motherland, and Israel will remain our fatherland.’ ” Indian-Israeli ties in diplomacy and security have been boosted by the first presidential visits between the countries. India’s Pranab Mukherjee went to Israel in 2015, and Israel’s Reu ven Rivlin visited India in 2016. Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, the Israeli consul general to the Southeast, said she hopes the ever-stronger relations “will bring more young Indians to Israel and continue building our strength with India.” Shimon Mercer-Wood, who directs media affairs for the Israeli Consulate General in New York, discussed partnerships in defense, trade, investment and agriculture. Farms set up in India as centers of excellence through Mashav, Israel’s agency for international development cooperation, have had a profound impact by training Indians to cultivate sustainable and diverse crops, MercerWood said. “We don’t see it as aid to India, but a partnership between Mashav and India, which provides most of the funding. It’s a collaborative process to produce highvalue crops on small land, such as vegetables and mangoes,” he said. Fourteen Israeli agricultural experts are based in India, with training and workshops set up in both countries, Mercer-Wood said. “The relationship is perhaps just as important as defense because it touches on society, and Israeli experts also learn from other communities, which is part of the reason Israel has become so advanced in agriculture globally.” In addition to initiatives on recycling water, enterprises are being organized toward a dairy farm while maintaining sensitivity to India’s customs. Mercer-Wood also said it is important for the United States to participate in a trilateral relationship to expand projects. A panel consisting of Conexx Pres-

ident Guy Tessler, Metro Atlanta Chamber Vice President Jorge Fernandez and event co-chair Ani Agnihotri discussed the role of Georgia and the Southeast in that three-way relationship. Tessler said 55 Israeli companies are represented in Georgia, encouraged by business missions to Israel in 2014 with Gov. Nathan Deal and in 2015 with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Those connections helped Israeli company Energiya Global win a contract for a solar field in Brunswick. Georgia imports from Israel totaled $437.7 million in 2015, Tessler said, led by medical equipment, aviation and heavy machinery. But Agnihotri, the program chair for the USA India Business Summit, said: “We are still finding it hard to reel in Fortune 500 companies, as they opt for Los Angeles, New York or Chicago by default. We have also failed to take state representatives to India to gain more traction. On the other hand, India’s billion-dollar Bollywood movies may be good for Atlanta’s film industry.” While Israel is known as the StartUp Nation, Atlanta is still not seen as a place to do business, Fernandez said, so “we changed our strategy and began focusing on what areas we excel in, where our partners lie across the world and where cities share commonalities in terms of economic engines. By focusing on areas where we have a critical mass, such as governments, communities and organizations, we create win-win situations.” One strength for Atlanta is financial technology, leading to 70 percent of U.S. financial transactions being processed through the metro area, Fernandez said. The second annual Atlanta-Israel FinTech Innovation Conference will take place May 22 and 23 at Greenberg Traurig. “The pull of Atlanta is different; it contains a spirit of entrepreneurship,” Tessler said. “We should focus on sharing that story and staying connected.” ■

ISRAEL NEWS

Photos by Michael Jacobs

While members of the Israeli Scouts and B’nei Akiva hold Israeli flags, Epstein School student Joshua Sampson plays the violin to lead the singing of “Hatikva” at the end of the Yom HaZikaron ceremony April 30.

Gad Levy speaks about finding meaning in the death of Shilo Levy, his son.

Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, packed the sanctuary of The Temple on Sunday night, April 30, to honor the memory of 23,534 Israeli soldiers and 3,117 terror victims killed since 1948. Those sacrifices are “the silver plate upon which our hard-fought independence has been served,” said Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel’s consul general to the Southeast. She said Yom HaZikaron, which fills the 24 hours immediately preceding Israel’s Independence Day, Yom HaAtzmaut, is the one day when “we are one.” While the loss of Holocaust survivors is a constant concern in the Jewish community worldwide, Shorer noted the parallel loss of the Israelis who fought in the 1948 War of Independence and “our duty to bequeath to next generations the meaning of independence and security, of being free and its price,” when those who established the modern state are gone. “We are still wielding our swords,” Shorer said, “but we have not abandoned our quest for peace and security.” She said the independence generation is an example for Israelis and for Jews worldwide, a theme continued by Garry Sobel, the chairman of the Southeast Region of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Sobel said Atlanta’s Jewish and Israeli communities are united in deep grief and appreciation for those who died defending Israel. “We are one fam-

ily. Israel is our homeland, and we have shared the responsibility of ensuring her safety.” Gad Levy, whose son Shilo was one of 72 soldiers killed in a collision of two helicopters flying to southern Lebanon in February 1995, spoke about the loss, but he did not want to focus on the grief. “There is no greater pain, but there is also no greater truth,” Levy said, emphasizing that his son’s death at age 21 meant he had completed his mission on Earth. He said Shilo, the third of three yeshiva friends killed in seven months in the IDF, believed that military service in Israel was a great mitzvah, and he inspired his fellow soldiers to reconnect with their Jewishness while becoming more observant himself. Levy said it is important to recognize the divine role in the miracle of Israel’s survival and its exceptional achievements in technology, science, the economy and the military. He noted that the rain line in the land of Israel used to be just south of Ashkelon, but as Jewish settlement pushed farther into the Negev, the rain moved south as well. Still, for one day and one ceremony, the focus was on Israel’s sacrifices, not its successes. “May the memory of the fallen be blessed,” Sobel said, “and may G-d bless the IDF.” Visit www.atlantajewishtimes. com for more photos of the ceremony. ■

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

Mourning the Dead, Honoring the Sacrifice

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ISRAEL NEWS

Photos by Eli Gray

It’s a short walk from feasting on FuegoMundo’s kosher best to spending some quality time with Play-Doh.

The flags flipping in the breeze leave no doubt which country is being celebrated.

Itai Tsur, the senior director of the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, celebrates Israeli independence with the family.

Brian Schwartz goes green at the face-painting table.

Where there’s a Jewish crowd, you’ll likely find Atlanta Jewish Music Festival Executive Director Russell Gottschalk helping people discover Jewish artists.

Ohad and Sivan Shatil take their turn atop Rufus.

In addition to opportunities for kids to create arts and crafts, the festival offers chances for adults to buy from community vendors.

Stan Schnitzer has the hot job of manning the grill.

Rufus the camel has room for two youths to ride.

Blue and White All Over

Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs took advantage of comfortable if gray Sunday weather to hold a communitywide festival celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut on April 30, a couple of days before the actual Israeli Independence Day. The celebration combined arts, crafts, music, food, lots of Israeli flags and, of course, a couple of camels. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Holocaust Ceremony Celebrates Resistance

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Holocaust survivors Eva and Robert Ratonyi and Israeli Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer, the daughter of survivors, listen to the Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde sing “Eli Eli.”

Karen Daniel (center), accompanied by Georgia Commission on the Holocaust board member Liz Price, struggles with her emotions while Irish Consul General Shane Stephens tells the story of her survivor mother, Aaltje de Vries Schappell.

• Belgian survivor Barry Seidel, who broke from script to interject, “I would like to honor the memory of my father, Max Leopold Seidel.” • A trio of Belgian survivors, sisters Suzy Tibor and Regine Rosenfelder and their cousin Lucy Carson. The commission held the ceremony at Heritage Sandy Springs instead of the state Capitol because of traffic and security concerns in Atlanta related to President Donald Trump’s visit. But attendance was as strong as ever, and a packed room saw Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan receive the Humanitarian Award (from Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Director Robbie Friedmann, himself the son of survivors) and art teacher Kathleen King of General Ray Davis Middle School in Stockbridge get the Distinguished Educator honor (from state School Superintendent Richard Woods). The commission also recognized the top finishers in its annual Creative Arts Student Contest, whose work can be seen at holocaust.georgia.gov. At the middle school level, Margaret Hwang of General Ray Davis Middle School was first. For high schools, Natasha Ramaswamy of Lambert High School won. Visit www.atlantajewishtimes. com for more photos of the ceremony. ■

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The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust changed location but kept the same spirit of respect and remembrance at its annual commemoration of the Shoah on Friday, April 28. About a dozen members of Georgia’s consular corps, at least 11 Holocaust survivors, and one of the U.S. soldiers who liberated Dachau, Hilbert Margol, attended the Days of Remembrance ceremony, whose theme this year was “Choosing to Act: Resistance During the Holocaust.” “Their choices show how each person makes a difference,” commission Executive Director Sally Levine said of those who resisted the Nazis, from the Warsaw Ghetto fighters, to the Danish fishermen who smuggled Jews to safety in Sweden, to the Quakers and Unitarians who brought 1,000 Jewish refugee children to America. “Their courage sets an example for us all.” Many people chose to cooperate or do nothing while the Nazis terrorized Europe, but a few decided to resist in whatever ways they could, Levine said. “Some people took up weapons. Some resisted spiritually by continuing to follow religious laws and traditions. Some resisted by preserving arts and culture and education. Some documented the crimes of the Nazis by keeping diaries or taking photographs, and others provided aid and rescue at great risk to themselves and their loved ones,” she said. “And for some, attempting to survive amidst the hopelessness and brutality of the situation was their personal act of resistance.” The ceremony lighting six candles in memory of the 6 million slain Jews, always the Days of Remembrance highlight, showcased people who resisted by surviving and having children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: • Hungarian survivors George and Eva Varnai, represented by their daughter, Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel’s consul general. • Hungarian survivor Robert Ratonyi. • Dutch survivor Aaltje “Alice” de Vries Schappell, represented by her daughter, Karen Daniel, who didn’t learn of her mother’s survival story or her Jewishness until after she died. • French survivor Jacqueline Garascia Maffi, whose daughter, Mariella Crea, couldn’t be there. She was represented instead by Nigerian Consul General Kayode Laro, accompanied by survivor Ben Walker.

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OPINION

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Our View

Friends in Need

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

The easy interpretation of the spike in antiSemitic incidents in the Southeast and nationwide since November is that the election of Donald Trump has unleashed forces of hate that had been driven ever deeper underground the previous half-century. That view might be accurate, but it tends to focus too much on the “alt-right” and fails to capture the scariest element of the statistics recently released by the Anti-Defamation League. Before the bad news, however, there is a positive in the ADL’s Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents: Physical violence against American Jews and Jewish institutions is declining. The ADL counted 36 anti-Semitic assaults in 2016, down from 56 in 2015, and six in the first quarter of 2017, compared with 10 in the first three months of 2016. In addition, Allison Padilla-Goodman of the ADL’s New Orleans office told a conference call organized by the American Jewish Press Association on Thursday, April 27, that the ADL’s poll of anti-Semitic attitudes, as opposed to actions, hasn’t seen much change: up from 12 percent to 14 percent of Americans. Unfortunately, those findings mean that 34 million Americans harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. For the first time, Padilla-Goodman said, the ADL also found a majority fearing violence against Jews. The outbreak of bomb threats against Jewish institutions this year skewed the numbers and the perceptions. Until Israeli-American teenager Michael Kadar was arrested in Ashkelon on March 23, we had every reason to fear that a terrible act of violence was imminent and that, at the very least, anti-Semites were taking a cruel delight in disrupting and terrorizing the children attending preschools, day schools and Jewish community centers. Remove the hoax threats blamed on Kadar, however, and the real danger for Jewish youths emerges. As cited by interim ADL Southeast Regional Director Shelley Rose with the audit’s release and reiterated by Padilla-Goodman, anti-Semitic harassment and vandalism are surging at non-Jewish schools, public and private, serving kindergarten through 12th grade. In 2015, 105 such incidents were reported all year across the country. The ADL counted 95 of them in just the first three months of 2017. Those are the actions that are reported. We don’t know how many Jewish children just take the abuse for fear of making it worse or violating a code of silence or from not knowing how to respond. But Jewish students are being harassed in this area. We’ve launched a reporting project, led by staff writer Sarah Moosazadeh, to better understand what our children are facing; if you have a story to tell, please contact Sarah at sarah@atljewishtimes.com. Meanwhile, we’re seeing the value of the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism. Its Facebook group, now with more than 4,200 members, has offered parents advice and support after incidents. AIAAS also is the kind of coalition Padilla-Goodman cheered as an exciting response to the rise in hatedriven activities. Such coalitions within and across communities have the potential to alert the public to dangers and to force people such as school principals 14 and superintendents to act, not just to talk. ■

Cartoon by Osama Hajjaj, Jordan

The Terror Sitting at the Table rare occasions when the conversation drifts toward I came home from a poker game with a realizathe Middle East, as it did during the negotiations tion about myself that has nothing to do with my over the Iran nuclear deal in 2015, the talk is calm, ability to bluff or compute odds: I’ve been a Holocurious and respectful caust-denial denier. before returning to more Despite overwhelming immediate interests, such evidence, I’ve never acEditor’s Notebook as the royal flush our host cepted that anyone in the flopped a few weeks ago. Western world disbelieves By Michael Jacobs So it was unusual in the Holocaust. Sure, mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com when another semiregular there are people who make started talking about Israel a living out of denying the and its “70-year occupation Holocaust, such as Deboof Palestine” as the game was winding down. I don’t rah Lipstadt’s British court opponent, David Irving, remember how we got to the topic or how I respondand there are people who peddle doubts and doubleed, but it wasn’t heated because there was no point. talk for political reasons, such as David Duke. He was wrong, but it was his opinion, and nothing I But deep down, I thought they were con men, said would change his mind. not true believers. (The Stephen Cannell TV show Somehow, Israel denial wasn’t enough, and he “Wiseguy” had a story arc based on that idea, starmade the leap to the Holocaust. ring future Sen. Fred Thompson.) The seemingly intelligent, well-off man who had I don’t think I even believed that most of the uneducated folks who respond to the hate-filled mes- sat next to me the previous couple of hours said the Holocaust never happened. sages of neo-Nazis or turn out for Klan rallies really He wasn’t arguing about the numbers, as some thought the Holocaust was a hoax. Holocaust denial “soft” deniers like to do in an effort to portray the was just a way to lash out at the people pulling all systematic slaughter of the Jews as just another one the strings of power and hoarding all the world’s of those bad things that happen sometimes and not a wealth (I don’t deny anti-Semitism is real). uniquely horrific expression of evil. I certainly couldn’t wrap my head around the He wasn’t just trying to get a rise out of me. He idea that anyone with education and access to the wasn’t joking. He believes in the fantasy of a global evidence could think the Holocaust was some elabofraud perpetrated and sustained by generations of rate trick foisted upon the world to win support for governments and the Jewish people over the simple, Israel or perhaps just a way to provide entertainterrible reality staring him in the face. ment at the monthly meetings of the Elders of Zion. He thus believes that the dwindling but signifiThen I went to the poker game where I’m a cant number of Holocaust survivors who still live semiregular. The memories of the state’s Days of among us are some of the worst liars in history. Remembrance Holocaust commemoration April 28 That’s a demonic view of the victims of the (see Page 13) and the two community Yom HaShoah worst crime against humanity. But it has forced me observances April 23 were fresh in my mind. to accept that Holocaust denial is real, not just a Most of the guys I play with are Iranians and vicious game, and that monsters still live among us, secular Muslims. They’re smart and fun to hang sometimes sitting one chair over at the poker table. ■ out with for a few hours one night a week. On the

OPINION

Time for Jews to Unite

In response to “A Day to Cross the Divide” (Editor’s Notebook, April 28), I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for the thoughtful article about the fallen soldiers of Israel and the fallen victims of terrorism. This sharing of feelings and thoughts between American Jewry and Israelis is of utmost importance, mainly during this period when antiSemitism is on the rise. This is the time to come together. On behalf of all my Israeli peers, thank you for your support. We can come together in strength. — Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israeli consul general to the Southeast

Music in Temple’s History

The concert to open the celebration of the 150th anniversary of The Temple is most appropriate (“ASO Helps Temple Celebrate 150 Years,” April 28). Inspired by Professor Mark Bauman, who has been commissioned to write a history of The Temple, I have spent a lot of time here in Jerusalem, online, learning about The Temple, its rabbis, its religious schools and its confirmations in its first 50 years. Almost from its inception, The Temple has had musical programs of all types. These events were attended not only by members, but also by many other Atlantans. Music is a part of the ongoing history of the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation — The Temple. Mazel tov from Jerusalem on 150 years filled with the spirit of Judaism and an allegiance to the great city of Atlanta, Gate City of the South. — Rabbi David Geffen, Jerusalem

JIFLA, JELF Work Together

The April 7 article about Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta’s progressive dinner (“Dual Dinners Highlight Good Work of JIFLA”) misstated that JIFLA provided a young man funding for college tuition. JIFLA provides many types of loans for individuals at challenging financial times but does not grant loans for college tuition. The Jewish Educational Loan Fund, by contrast, serves a five-state region and grants only interest-free, lastdollar loans for higher education. Interest-free loans are an integral part of our Jewish community. JIFLA and JELF both believe in interest-free

Arabs Must Accept Israel

The most revealing sentence in Dave Schechter’s piece on Arabs and Jews in Atlanta (“Atlanta’s Arabs, Jews Share So Much,” April 21) is the quote from Palestinian-American Jamal Awad: “Many Jews cannot see the disaster that Israel’s creation has caused on my people, family and life.” So Israel’s creation is its original sin. Those who want Israel to survive should challenge this false paradigm. The Palestinians could have so easily had a state alongside Israel in 1948 or several times since. They have rejected every process that would end the conflict while allowing a permanent Israel of any size. It is not enough that in 1948 the Arab world received Jordan, some 78 percent of the land promised to Jews, as well as the West Bank and Gaza. Nor do Palestinians have the right to claim permanent victimhood. Yes, many of them suffered, but it is primarily the fault of their leadership for rejecting every peace proposal. Arab massacres of dhimmi Jews in the Holy Land and the broader Middle East long predated the state of Israel and Zionism. Their leaders enthusiastically embraced Hitler’s goals in the 1930s. The whole idea of Jewish self-determination is widely seen as an affront to Arab pride, for dhimmi Jews in the region were third-class citizens (if they were citizens at all) for most of Arab and Ottoman rule. Just compare how Jewish refugees from Arab lands came to Israel and rebuilt their lives with 70 years of maintenance of the Arab refugee issue, which itself stemmed from the 1948 Arab invasion of Israel. Trying to placate Palestinian rejectionism by rationalizing and justifying it won’t bring peace. Palestinian leaders must accept that Jews were always part of the Holy Land and the region, that they were victims of Arab and Ottoman oppression, and that they have every right to self-determination. They need to be confronted with the fact that the “Palestinian plight” is the consequence of their own rejection of coexistence for over 100 years, and it needs to change. — Doron Lubinsky, Sandy Springs

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MAY 5 ▪ 2017

Letters To The Editor

lending as an opportunity for the Jewish community to help its own. Both organizations belong to the International Association of Jewish Free Loans and continually seek to raise awareness and provide interest-free loans throughout the community. We would be delighted to meet with any organization or individual that is interested in learning more about JIFLA or JELF. — Laura Kahn, JIFLA board chair, and Marianne Garber, JELF board chair

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Between Gaza and the Gas Chambers

Remember a fallen soldier by helping the next generation of Israeli leaders Growing up as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor gives you a strong historical orientation. Since my early teenage years, I was eager to go to Poland and observe with my own eyes what the Nazis did to my family and to millions of other Jews. Four years ago, it happened when I was an Israel Defense Forces officer. For a month I thought about the trip and the way we memorialize the Holocaust. My survivor grandfather, Ben Hirsch, helped me develop the right attitude to go. As we landed in Poland, I recognized that I was unenthusiastic about this journey, and I realized why. In my eyes, the Israeli education system and the IDF fail to build a strong and proud Jewish identity among teenagers. That failure affects their motivation to be soldiers and to be motivated IDF soldiers. The medicine for treating this failure is taken as Poland and the Holocaust. I’ve heard many nonreligious Israelis say that only in Poland do they feel Jewish. Dozens of soldiers under my command pointed at their high school visit to Poland as the key reason for drafting to combat service. If Poland is the cure to this failure, I don’t want to be part of it. One thing kept me going: the understanding that,

as a proud captain in the army of the Jewish state, I would step into the death

Guest Column By Yaakov Selavan

camp where my family was slain. It was the day before the highlight of our IDF mission to Poland: entering Auschwitz-Birkenau. I asked to lead the march into the camp with the Sefer Torah. I explained that my grandfather lost his parents and two siblings in this camp. “I understand,” the officer in charge said, “but there is just one problem: Someone is already assigned to the mission. I will check with him what can be done.” So the night before the Auschwitz visit, Capt. Tzvika Kaplan gave up on his dream and let me give the biggest tribute I could to my slain relatives. Would have I acted the same? Few would. Tzvika was special. In a pitched battle three summers ago, Tzvika entered Gaza to fight terrorists on their turf and left behind a young widow and two children. In my own first night in that Gaza battle, I faced a challenge I’d never had, even under fire: I was scared to

Yaakov Selavan carries the Torah to lead the IDF delegation into Auschwitz-Birkenau.

death. My fear was holding me back. Tzvika was there for me, yet again. Instead of thinking of how he died, I focused on how he lived. This brave, courageous, dedicated person viewed himself as a servant and lived that way — a servant to the people, nation and land of Israel. I came out from Protective Edge with two friends fewer than I entered. After the first wave of pain, I realized that Yom HaZikaron must be used to remember how the fallen soldiers lived. To look back, then step forward. I cannot stop thinking of Tzvika and what I owe him. With his amazing family, a group of friends decided to move forward and to build instead of mourning. We call it “Force Tzvika.” Several projects have benefited youth, and we are ramping up to a

national scale: building an educational center reflecting Tzvika’s vision in his beloved home region of the Bet Shean Valley and the Springs of Mount Gilboa. This project creates a connection between the importance of educating the young generation, the soldiers and leaders of the future, and the need to move forward and not sink into the darkness of loss and mourning. This is giving his mother, father and family new strength as well. I’ve vowed to do anything I can to continue spreading the light of his legacy. Please join us in commemorating Tzvika at www.k-zvika.co.il. ■ Capt. (Res.) Yaakov Selavan, a 2002 alum of Torah Day School of Atlanta, was recently discharged as an armored corps combat commander in the IDF.

Why Ossoff Has Earned Our Support

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

While we all have been inundated the past couple months with information and misinformation about the candidates seeking to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, I am amazed at how many people I talk to who know very little about Jon Ossoff. I have known Jon Ossoff and seen him in action for 11 years and know firsthand the depth of experience he has on Capitol Hill and his strong support for the state of Israel and the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship. In 2006, I worked with Ossoff on the campaign that removed Cynthia McKinney from Congress. Jon served as campaign communications director for Hank Johnson, while I was a volun16 teer and strategist.

From 2007 to 2012, Ossoff worked as a national security aide to Congressman Johnson, during which time he earned a top-secret security clearance. Ossoff drafted and managed legislative initiatives that passed the House and Senate.

Guest Column By Steve Oppenheimer

During these years, I personally lobbied Johnson with Ossoff at the table to support legislation crucial to strengthening the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship and strengthening the security of both countries. During Ossoff’s tenure, Johnson

consistently voted to support foreign aid and security assistance to Israel, supported eight resolutions to progressively tighten economic sanctions on Iran, voted in favor of a two-state solution resolved directly by the Israelis and the Palestinians, and supported other measures to strengthen the U.S.Israel strategic partnership and Israel’s security in the greater Middle East. With five years’ experience in the U.S. Capitol working on national and international issues, Ossoff will arrive on Capitol Hill prepared to work immediately on issues critical to the 6th District. Ossoff’s politics are thoughtful and pragmatic. Ossoff earned a master of science from the London School of Economics, where he wrote his thesis on trade relations between the United States and China.

Since 2013, he has been the managing partner and CEO of an investigative documentary company exposing government corruption and organized crime for international news organizations. Ossoff was an executive producer for a documentary film for the BBC that exposed atrocities committed by Islamic State in Iraq. He brings solid experience to Capitol Hill from working in our nation’s capital on national and international issues, earning a master’s degree in international trade relations, and working on exposing government corruption. His strong commitment to support Israel and his pragmatic views on politics make him the ideal person to represent us in the 6th District. Jon Ossoff has earned our support in the runoff June 20. ■

OPINION

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Viewing Sages From the Seder Table dialectical partner in scholarship, was a builder. Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Pupa were blacksmiths. Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Chanina were shoemakers. Rabbi Hunah was a water carrier. Rabbi Abba was a tailor. Rabbi Gamliel was a rich farmer. Others were ink makers, carpenters, farmers and merchants.

One Man’s Opinion By Eugen Schoenfeld

Among later scholars, Maimonides was a physician, and the noted Rashi was a winemaker. All those rabbis understood that “Talmud Torah” does not exempt them from work. Torah study should not exclude one from his duties toward his family’s welfare through labor. The Talmud cautions us that he who does not teach his son an occupation is likely to bring up a robber, and Torah study is not an occupation but

an obligation. Derech eretz denotes both a worldly occupation and manners, and perhaps both are interrelated. Thus, a person who demands that others to support him becomes a man without manners. Unlike Christianity, Judaism doesn’t believe in human isolation and the establishment of monasteries where an individual can hide from the world. But even in Christianity, those in the isolation of monasteries and those who wish to renounce all worldly life and reject family life, marriage and procreation still must work. We the Jewish people believe in marriage and labor. This is the Jewish way: to believe in Torah v’avodah, in which the latter word means work and service to the community’s welfare and our duty to family. No country, especially a small country like Israel, can afford to have a privileged class — one whose members do not contribute to the welfare of the country but depend on others to defend it and contribute to its needs. The Torah does not exempt any male from military service.

Even those who were privileged to depart from Egypt, 600,000 of them, had to defend the freed slaves from an Amalekite attack. Parasitical life is not the Jewish way, and no one should claim the privilege of being supported, even while doing G-d’s work. Keter Kehunah is gone; we no longer have priests. We should learn because knowledge, as Rabbi Hertz said, leads us to understanding and righteousness. Of course, it is another matter when one has realized Tevyeh’s dream and become a rich man. I am reminded that a scant two years after I arrived on the shores of this country, my aunt’s aunt died. While the family sat shiva, the chief rabbi of the city came to the widower and offered to study a certain quantity of Talmud as assurance for a place in the world to come — for a sum of money (paid in advance, of course). It is time to cleanse ourselves from this base perspective of making religion a business and declare that, first and foremost, G-d’s demand is independence achieved through labor. ■

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

This year I attended two Passover seders in my grandchildren’s homes, where I enjoyed transmitting some knowledge I gained over 90 years to my third and fourth generations. When we came to the story about the rabbis leading a seder all night in Bnei Brak, I told the members of my family and guests that most historians believe that this incident occurred when the rabbis were planning a rebellion against Rome under the leadership of Rabbi Akiva. In my mind’s eye, I saw them huddled around the table, willing to take the wrath of the mighty Roman army for the sake of freedom. And then I thought of another group of Jews, living now in Jerusalem in Mea Shearim: the Haredim who refuse to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, whose task is to defend the country from the millions of enemies surrounding it. The refusal to serve in the IDF is not based on ideological pacifism; they are quite ready to pick up stones and hurl them at people who differ from them. How unlike Hillel and most of the sages they are from those who lived in that land 2,000 years ago. What is it that the haggadah tells us about the evil son: Is he not the one who refuses to join the collective? The rabbis then were not afraid to bear arms in defense of their country and, quite unlike the Haredim, did not seek to be absolved from military duty and from their duty to support family. When confronted with an issue, I turn to the Pirkei Avot, known as the Teachings of Our Fathers, to search the wisdom of our ancient sages. I did the same in this case. Rabbi Gamliel and Rabbi Judah the Prince are quoted as saying that it’s an excellent thing to combine study of Torah with a worldly occupation. To them, all work is noble if done nobly. No honest toil, said Rabbi Joseph Hertz, the former chief rabbi of Britain, no matter how hard or repugnant, was deemed by the sages to be beneath the dignity of a scholar. All scholars must guard their independence through work and save themselves from being a burden on others. The list is long of noted rabbis, the Tanaim and the Emoraim, the scholars in Israel and in Babylon who in addition to scholarship were employed in many ways. Rabbi Hillel was a woodcutter, and Rabbi Shammai, Hillel’s

FOOD

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Kosher Soul Food Feeds Truth to History By Patrice Worthy The exhibit “Gut Feelings” at the Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State expands the dialogue on food’s history and consumption. During a panel talk titled “Listen to Your Gut” on Wednesday, April 19, culinary historian and kosher soul food chef Michael Twitty discussed food as a cultural narrative. Twitty, who was raised outside Washington, takes inspiration from the black and Jewish diasporas to bring a history lesson to palates around the world. Twitty examines how cooking preserved African-American culture and how food became an integral part of cultural identity. “The food should always tell you a story about who you are, just like your image of G-d will tell you who you are,” said Twitty, who conjures his slave ancestors playing the role of cook in historical re-enactments on plantations. “When you’re in your colonial or 19th century clothing, it freaks you out. You see those pictures of those enslaved people with the caps on with

Michael Twitty (left), food writer Von Diaz and visual artist Michi Meko sit on the “Listen to Your Gut” panel April 19.

these haunting eyes, and all of sudden you look in the mirror and that’s you,” Twitty said. “As a Jewish person, when I put on the tallit, the kippah and the tefillin, I’m already in the spiritual mindset that what I put on my body reflects what’s in my head, and there’s a connection there.” He recently visited Mississippi for a weeklong re-creation of the antebellum South. He said his presence is important because he offers a different perspective on the African-American experience than expected. “It’s the same thing when I wear these enslaved people’s clothing; I call it a robe of responsibility. I’m going to cook for the benefit of schoolchildren who don’t get any black history,” Twit-

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ty said. “I have to teach our kids about this. I have to let them know their ancestors were not victims, but their ancestors were victorious because we’re here. It means a lot to me. “ Exploring black food ways is only preparation for the much larger task of translating the journey. “We can’t forget about the fine print,” said Twitty, who has uncovered a brutality in the slave kitchen that led many cooks to commit suicide. He said slave cooks were forced to wear masks to “not get a taste of humanity,” to cook in sweltering heat and to go without drinking water. “If an enslaved person was accused of stealing food, talking out of turn or being disrespectful, they put a bit in their mouth or a mask on them or a half-mask,” Twitty said. “So there are images from Brazil, Cuba, the American South, Haiti and Jamaica, and other parts of South America where black women, in particular, and also black men had to wear an iron mask locked on their face until such time as they were considered corrected in behavior, like you do a dog or a horse.” FULL The ability of enslaved people to WARRANTY overcome the harshest of circumstances excites Twitty. He begins his work by dissecting dishes to reveal the ingredients the enslaved used not only to survive, but also to influence the world. “What happened when Africans were brought to the Americas? We transformed the culinary skills, lovemaking, the praying, the religion, the clothing, the music — the whole planet grooves to our soundtrack forever,” he said. “We ended up enslaving the palates of the people who enslaved us.” Food has maintained culture across continents and generations and gives Twitty power and a boost to his outspoken sense of self. “To be black, gay and Jewish, you have to have humor to survive. You have to have style. You literally have to prepare to go to your death fabulous, and that’s something,” he said, snapping his fingers. “But the food part is what got me, because my first solid

food after mother’s milk and cow’s milk was cornbread and potlicker.” At Passover, Twitty uses a seder plate with different foods to honor the African-American journey from slavery to freedom. He prepares an Ethiopian-inspired brisket and greens. Cooking in his everyday life also goes beyond the Jewish mainstream. “My kosher soul food is not the same that Ashkenazi Jews in the South adopted or had made for them at the hands of black women who transformed traditional brisket, kugel, matzah ball soup into matzah ball gumbo, matzah-mill fried chicken, brisket with Coca-Cola, sweet potato kugel and black-eyed peas with kishka,” Twitty said. “I’m interested in the fact that Jewish people and Africans have had diasporas that have been in the same place and sometimes at the same time, so there is a globalness to it.” He said it’s natural to represent Senegal, Brazil, the American South, Israel, Poland, Morocco and Persia on one table. “It enables us to tell a global story and a global story of Jews of African descent and Jews of color.” Enriching the kosher options for Jews of African descent makes an additional part of history accessible and opens eyes in the Jewish Diaspora. He said 60 percent of Israelis would be considered people of color here. “There are Palestinians who look white and Palestinians who look more African than I do. There are Jews who look more African than I do and Jews who look like they’re from the North Pole and then in the middle. I got tired of people encountering me and questioning my identity and my validity,” Twitty said. “So I figured if you sit them down and put food in their mouth, they can’t say something stupid because they’re too busy eating, and while With this they’re chewing, that’s when you Money tell Mailer them about their business.” Not valid with any othe For Twitty, kosher soul foodExpires vali- 2/3/14 dates the black Jewish existence and says his people are unique and valid. “They think we’re a newfangled thing. Before there was a single Muslim, Bilal, who served Prophet Muhammad, before there was a single Christian, before an Ethiopian messenger got baptized on the road back to Jerusalem, we were already here as Jewish people who were black 3,000 years ago,” Twitty said. “A mixed multitude left Egypt, so when people try to make us feel like we’re Sammy Davis Jr.’s cousin, I say, ‘No, no, we’ve always been here.’ ” ■

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Sample Food That Rocks Seis de Mayo is a new holiday in the heart of Sandy Springs. Twentyfive restaurants are serving food and drinks alongside a local band and DJ from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The city of Sandy Springs has become a dining destination, so Taste of Atlanta has teamed up with the city to celebrate every delicious option. The event is one night only and open to all food lovers. Be the first to taste bites from Kaiser’s Chophouse, enjoy cocktails from Battle & Brew, Chef Rob’s Caribbean Cafe and Three Sheets, and pig out on pies from Buttermilk Sky Pie. A portion of the proceeds from Food That Rocks will go to three Sandy Springs charities: Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Ian’s Friends Foundation and Second Helpings Atlanta. Here is a peek at the menus for 10 of the 25 restaurants. Get tickets ($55, $70 VIP) at FoodThatRocks.org. Battle & Brew As the gamer’s destination in Sandy Springs, it’s no surprise Battle & Brew will be serving something themed. Its cocktail is rightfully named the Pokemango Margarita. Taste this concoction of tequila, Combier, mango puree, cilantro and lime. Buttermilk Sky Pie Buttermilk Sky Pies are traditional, decadent and all things Southern. We are thrilled to try four of its most popular pies in unlimited dosages at Food That Rocks: the signature buttermilk pie; the pecan pie; the apple pie; and the 1-40 Pie, which is loaded with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. CalyRoad Creamery Cheese plates are trending, and CalyRoad Creamery is taking full advantage. Samples of artisan cheese produced by the creamery will be on site at Food That Rocks. Taste the difference in handcrafted, local cheeses. Chef Rob’s Caribbean Cafe For international flavor, Chef Rob’s is preparing Caribbean food and a beachy cocktail at its station. Try jerk chicken, rice and peas, and plantains that taste so authentic that you feel transported to the beach. Sip Chef Rob’s rum punch for more good vibes. Gus’s Fried Chicken Gus’s opened in Sandy Springs

just a few months ago, but the restaurant’s reputation precedes it. This restaurant is world famous for its fried chicken (now gluten-free) and won the Best Taste trophy at Taste of Atlanta 2016. Try fried chicken legs, wings and tenders at its table.

The Food Scene

GISA Vice President Stan Whitlock helps Chaya Mushka Children’s House math teacher Alison Earle and the team of Levi Kornfeld, Aaron Linder, Dovi Lipskier and Sivan Livnat celebrate finishing second in the GISA state chess tournament April 20.

By Skye Estroff

Kaiser’s Chophouse There has been a lot of hype over the opening of Kevin Rathbun and Peter Kaiser’s collaborative restaurant concept, Kaiser’s Chophouse. The restaurant just opened and is making its first public showing at Food That Rocks. Stop by its table for an Allen Brothers strip steak sandwich. Marlow’s Tavern If you aren’t hooked on the latest food trend, now is the time to try. Poke has taken the food world by storm with its flavorful simplicity. The Marlow’s version is made with Ahi tuna, avocado, teriyaki glaze, scallions and crispy wonton. Nothing Bundt Cakes This table of sweets was a hit at last year’s Food That Rocks, and Nothing Bundt Cakes will be back and better than ever. The restaurant is serving a variety of Bundt cakes, so get to the table early to pick your favorite flavor.

Three Sheets’ cucumber basil smash is made with gin, agave nectar, fresh lime, basil and muddled cucumber.

Three Sheets The smash-hit cocktail of Food That Rocks 2016 was Three Sheets’ cucumber basil smash, made with gin, agave nectar, fresh lime, basil and muddled cucumber. Three Sheets is back with more. Tiff’s Treats This time last year, Tiff’s Treats was still baking up its Sandy Springs concept. Now its warm cookies are always within reach. Stop by its station for homemade chocolate-chip and snickerdoodle cookies. ■

Chaya Mushka Children’s House students attend the International Chidon in New York in March.

Chaya Mushka 2nd in Chess

The Chaya Mushka Children’s House Middle School chess team finished second in the state in the Georgia Independent School Association tournament Thursday, April 20, missing first place by half a point. The team of Levi Kornfeld, Aaron Linder, Dovi Lipskier and Sivan Livnat was led by math teacher Alison Earle, who helped coordinate CMCH’s participation in the statewide tournament. Under the guidance of teacher Malki Field, the school participated in the GISA spelling bee earlier this school year. A group of students went to New York in March to represent CMCH in the International Chidon, a program that encourages children to master knowledge of the 613 mitzvot and brings together thousands of students worldwide for a weekend of learning and testing. Middle-schooler Aaron Linder represented CMCH in the final stage.

20 to Get Chesed Awards

Hadassah Greater Atlanta is honoring 20 students from Jewish day schools and synagogue schools with the Marian F. Perling Hadassah Chesed Student Awards during a ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at Temple EmanuEl, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs. The awards recognize one student from each school based on love for Israel; concern for fellow Jews, Jewish culture and fellow humans; and good academic standing. Continuing a practice that started last year, the Chesed program also will highlight outstanding past honorees.

The community is invited to the free ceremony, at which kosher refreshments will be served. RSVPs are appreciated but not required to 470482-6778 or atlanta@hadassah.org. This year’s winners: • Ahavath Achim, Zoe Glickman. • Atlanta Jewish Academy Middle School, Gefen Beldie. • AJA Upper School, Thelet Bunder. • Beth Shalom, Jenna Schulman. • B’nai Torah, Emily Brothman. • Dor Tamid, Cary de Graaff. • Etz Chaim, Noam Kleinman. • Gesher L’Torah, Richard Trutt. • Or Hadash, Aiden Erez. • Or VeShalom, Victor Maslia. • Shearith Israel, Jeremy Stettner. • Davis Academy, Rami Fabian. • Epstein School, Lilah Presser Weiss. • Temima High School, Shira Golding. • Beth Tikvah, Sophie Wilson. • Emanu-El, Katie Stone. • Kehillat Chaim, Shira Kopel. • Temple Sinai, Rianna Saslow. • The Temple, Danielle Ben-Arie. • Torah Day School, Kira Mermelstein.

AJA Raps and Wraps At Cedar Grove High

Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School students Aviva Fine, Ezra Blaut, Chava Blanks, Mikhy Khandadash, Leah Bader, Maayan Schoen, Lielle Porat, Aden Shmuel, Oron Porat, Eliana Goldin, Ben Ogden and Alex Cohen spent the afternoon of Thursday, April 13, at Cedar Grove High School to hold a No Place for Hate rally and study how Jewish and African-American communities worked for social change in the 1960s. The program, part of AJA’s Spill the Honey partnership with the public school in Ellenwood, included working with rappers Kosha Dilz and Drestgebestnik to create raps to promote respect and preparing care packages for the United Way of Greater Atlanta to hand out to homeless people. Spill the Honey is a national effort to engage diverse groups of Americans to use shared interests and values to effect change.

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

FOOD

AJA and Cedar Grove students display one of the products of their Spill the Honey afternoon together: wrapped care packages for homeless people.

SPORTS

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Pastner Not Saying ‘Dayenu’ After Big First Season By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Two weeks after his first season as Georgia Tech’s head men’s basketball coach came to a close, Josh Pastner found himself at a friend’s Passover seder, reflecting on his first year in Atlanta. “It’s just welcoming,” Pastner said of Passover. “You’re happy in those times, and it allows you to get back to being spiritually connected and not lose sight of the blessings that we have. It allows you to get re-centered.” His season had ended when his team lost to TCU in the finals of the NIT. It was only the second trip to the NIT finals in school history and set expectations high for the future. Pastner, who was named the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year, said his goal for next season is an appearance in the NCAA tournament. “I know this sounds crazy, but I really think we would have won multiple games and possibly made a deep run in this year’s NCAA tournament,” he said. “I say that because we would have been

Photo by David R. Cohen

Josh Pastner enjoys the atmosphere of Georgia Tech’s final regular-season home game Feb. 28.

a hard team to prepare for based on how we defended and how we played offense.” Tech finished the regular season with a 21-16 record, not enough for a berth in the NCAA tournament, but things are looking up a year into the Pastner regime. The Jackets this season had 17 home wins, the most in school history. Pastner attributes that success to fan support. That’s why he paid for all the student tickets to the first two rounds of NIT games at McCamish Pavilion in March. “Some people call it tzedakah; I call it paying it forward,” he said. “The students had willed us to wins, and

I wanted to give something back. It’s great for our program. I look at myself as the CEO investing back into the company. Our fan base gets us where we need to get to.” As a student at the University of Arizona, Pastner was a regular at Friday night services. When he started coaching basketball in 2002, the demands of the job led him to attend less frequently. To keep himself connected with Judaism, Pastner carries a copy of Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski’s “Growing Each Day” and reads it on the road. “It keeps you grounded,” he said of the book. “Obviously, if you could live in a constant state of prayer, it would be awesome, but it’s way easier said than done. It gives you life lessons. I travel a lot, so it gives me a chance to read and make sure I don’t lose my values.” Lessons from the book that Pastner said he conveyed to his Georgia Tech team include staying the course, taking challenges one day at a time and maintaining team unity. Pastner has settled in the Chastain Park area with his wife and two young children and said they have not yet chosen a synagogue to join. “I feel like I’m a recruited studentathlete,” he said. “I’ve been to multiple synagogues so far. I went to The Temple for the High Holidays. I need to find

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a permanent home somewhere soon because I’m a drifter right now. I want to be connected to the Jewish community here.” Now that the season is over, Pastner is doing some recruiting of his own, which is tough at Georgia Tech because of the rigorous academics and the competition for elite talent in the ACC. He was asked to coach the U.S. basketball team at the World Maccabiah Games this summer but couldn’t commit the time while rebuilding Tech’s program. Some of the best Jewish basketball players in the world compete in the games. “I would love for there to be a Jewish prospect because I think we’d have an in,” Pastner said about Tech recruiting. “That being said, there just aren’t a lot of Jewish prospects out there who are good enough to play here.” Numerous Jewish groups created programs around watching Georgia Tech basketball games this past season, including the Congregation Etz Chaim Men’s Club and Georgia Tech Hillel. On Wednesday, May 10, Pastner is scheduled to speak at the launch of the Jewish Business Network, Midtown Atlanta, over breakfast. “I think for the Jewish community it should be exciting that there is a Jewish coach at this level coaching in the ACC,” he said. “There aren’t many Jewish coaches in the game, and we need their support. The more support the better.” ■ What: “From Hebrew School to Hoops,” JBN breakfast When: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 10 Where: Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Midtown Cost: $36; www.facebook.com/ events/1355410314520469

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Lessons In Standing Up to Bias The Anti-Defamation League, Islamic Speakers Bureau and Northside Baptist Church responded to the recent rise in incidents of anti-Semitism and other hate crimes by holding a workshop Sunday, April 23, to teach the skills to promote a more respectful and safer community. After an introduction by Shelley Rose, interim director of the ADL’s Southeast Region in Buckhead, and Amin Tomeh of the Islamic Speakers Bureau, the group learned from ADL education project director Erin Beacham about explicit bias, which you are aware of, and implicit bias, which you are not. Clutching your child’s hand tighter on the street when you see someone approach in a dark hoodie is an example of implicit bias, Beacham said, and children can pick up on such bias without their parents realizing it. Beacham said we must be aware of our own bias. Showing a slide of an iceberg, she said, “Just like an iceberg, 90 percent of what makes up a person’s identity is below the surface.” Workshop attendees were asked to classify themselves into the five groups they identified with most. By articulating the different aspects of their identities, participants demonstrated the diversity within that group of about 30 people gathered at the Northside Drive Baptist Church in Buckhead. Another activity showed ways to respond to hateful and biased comments in everyday life. For example, if someone says, “Jews are cheap,” you can reply that many groups like saving money and that being frugal is human nature. David Gittleman, a member of Congregation Bet Haverim’s action committee, said he attended the event on becoming an “upstander” instead of a bystander so he could bring useful skills back to Bet Haverim to deal with issues of bias and discrimination. Rose and Beacham closed the event with an activity meant to inspire action. People were asked to write a thought, a feeling and an action on two Post-it notes, stick one on a board at the front of the room and take the other home. ■

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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12-Year-Old Makes Cancer Discovery By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com For most seventh-graders, a science fair project involves something on the complexity and importance of measuring the speed of an egg shell’s erosion in different substances. Lovinggood Middle School seventh-grader Stephen Litt, however, devoted his project to discovering an antioxidant that could prevent the formation of breast

cancer tumors. “I wanted to work on a science project that was different and important. I wanted to do something that would help people,” the Cobb County 12-year-old said. “Far too often, cancer research is overlooked, and yet it is an ongoing issue which continues to have an impact on society. We all know cancer is deadly, and I am helping fight it.” To conduct his research, Stephen tested a polyphenol, an antioxidant

in green tea also known as EGCG, to determine whether it could inhibit tumor regrowth in planarian, a type of flatworm. Stephen found evidence proving his hypothesis that the antioxidant would inhibit tumor growth and has since garnered national media attention. “You wouldn’t think something in green tea had any relation to cancer, but my test proved otherwise,” Stephen said. Going forward, Stephen hopes to carry out his research on carcinogens or more advanced organisms such as rodents to see whether EGCG is just as effective within their immune systems. In the meantime, Stephen juggles a schedule practicing the oboe, participating in karate, tennis and the Boy Scouts, and preparing for his bar mitzvah celebration at Temple Kol Emeth. “It’s been a bit challenging, as I can’t study when I need to study or practice when I need to practice, but in the end it all works out,” he said. For his bar mitzvah project, which began with the science fair project, Stephen is trying to raise $500 for the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer and will walk Nov. 11 and 12 with Kol Emeth’s team, the Boobulahs. The proceeds will remain in Georgia to promote further breast cancer programs. Stephen is also scheduled to speak during the 2-Day Walk at the request of the event’s director. Donations can be made at bit.ly/2qinh5G. “It was all very surprising at first,” Lesley Litt said about his son’s scientific accomplishments, “but my wife (Melanie) and I are very proud of Stephen and are curious to see what path he ends up taking. Science, math, whatever he ends up choosing, we know he will inevitably find a way to enjoy it.”

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Stephen Litt shows the awards for his science fair project on antioxidants in green tea that inhibit the growth of tumors.

In addition to the attention from such media outlets as CNN, ABC and CBS, Stephen was invited by a Tufts University professor to explain his research in greater detail and to receive a tour of the campus. Some of Stephen’s classmates are eager to follow in his footsteps with their own projects, but his father mentioned obstacles to doing so. “I think Stephen grew an interest in science by default,” Litt said. “His mom is a dentist, and we are always discussing interesting topics at home. However, Cobb County does not encourage enough science and math programs or promote them within middle schools, which is very disappointing.” Stephen faces an age-related obstacle to continuing his own research. Finding the right facility and necessary equipment is daunting. “We have an interesting challenge since universities and college campuses won’t let anyone under 14 use equipment,” his father said. “However, we will try to see if we can move his lab to a college laboratory instead and take up a small amount of space.” Lesley Litt expressed optimism for women battling breast cancer. “The most important thing to remember is to not lose hope. We have seen plenty of women who have survived and have come out of it, yet it is imperative they continue to get mammograms and are proactive in getting genetic testing.” ■

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People in need of a kidney transplant get help from Renewal to market themselves, although protocol calls for contact between potential donors and recipients to go through the nonprofit organization.

Renewal Links Donors To Kidney Recipients By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

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According to the National Kidney Foundation, 100,000 people in the United States are awaiting a kidney transplant. Only 16,000 a year receive a donation — 5,500 from living donors and the remainder from cadavers. When kidney failure occurs, patients can seek their own donors, who often are friends or family members — people who feel it is their calling to help. But if a patient exhausts his options, an organization like Renewal is the key to finding a donor. Renewal, a nonprofit organization, supports patients and families at each stage of the journey toward health. Renewal guides donors and recipients through: • Doctor referrals. • Dialysis center ratings. • Hospital reviews. • Donation guides. • Support from the first day of testing through the transplant surgery. • Donor follow-up visits. “We are here to inspire and educate people about the process and what it entails through a zero-pressure approach,” said Rabbi Joshua Sturm, Renewal’s director of outreach. “You don’t do this on a whim.” The past 10 years, Renewal has facilitated 380 transplants. Its 200-person waiting list grows each year, a direct cause and effect of the organization’s success. Renewal is based in New York but recently held events to answer questions, share stories and create open-

mindedness in St. Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego and Miami. On Sunday, May 7, Renewal will present at Young Israel of Toco Hills in an event organized by Chabad Intown and sponsored by several congregations. In addition to people seeking donors (Ira Tedoff, Nancy Rose and Staci Robbins), altruistic kidney donors Shai Robkin and Yafit Levin plan to share their stories. Robkin was inspired to donate a kidney in November because of a Talmud lesson: Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered he destroyed an entire world. Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world. “Why did I do this? Because I can,” Robkin said. Similarly, Levin felt a calling to donate her kidney. Two years ago, at 36, she was introduced to a young mother of two through an online listserv. As a member of organ donor registries, the mom of three “didn’t have to think twice. It was my time.” Though her family was concerned, Levin proceeded with the testing. She saw herself in the position of this young Jewish woman, a woman des-

What: Kidney donation awareness event Who: Kidney donors and those in need of a transplant are speaking Where: Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road When: 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7 Cost: Free; www.facebook.com/ events/655513374643455

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Ira Tedoff First-time recipient searching for a donor Ira Tedoff, now a 70-year-old clinical psychologist in Morningside, suffered great tragedy as a child. At 5, he lost his brother to leukemia, and at 10, his father died from kidney disease. Now the father of three is awaiting a kidney transplant — a process that could take eight years — because he has just 7 percent kidney function. His New York accent is full of light, though and he holds a lingering hope that things will turn in his favor. In 2012, Tedoff developed a simple cold, and a virus entered his heart. During an 11-day hospital stay, his vital organs shut down and his kidneys suffered a major blow. “We all thought my kidney function would return, but it accelerated degeneration,” Tedoff said.

talk to a donor or a donor’s spouse. Sometimes they call several times.” Renewal encourages patients to become advocates for themselves in the search for donors. By helping design an advertisement and market themselves, Renewal empowers patients to make connections with potential donors.

Renewal’s event at Young Israel will be a question-and-answer education session. No fundraising will take place. The event is purely to build awareness about kidney donation. “It’s OK if you aren’t considering donating,” Rabbi Sturm said. “Come listen anyway. All it takes is one.” ■

Nearly two years have passed since he started feeling symptoms of decreased kidney function: fatigue and fogginess. He cut back on his psychology practice. His quality of life declined. His health and his young twins became his priorities. “It’s a juggling act,” he said. “I take a nap when they are at school so I have the energy to be with them after.” Tedoff’s nephrologist said that if he can endure the symptoms a little longer, he can hold off on dialysis. “While I don’t want to go into one of the (dialysis) centers three days a week, I also don’t want to do it at home. Can you imagine with 7-yearold twins? How do you keep them away?” Tedoff said. “But the question is, ‘How much discomfort can I take?’ ” Awaiting a match is tedious, nerve-racking and frustrating. Tedoff thought he had a match with a friend’s

son who had overdosed on drugs; the patient turned out to be in worse health than Tedoff. Soon after, a Facebook connection led him to a woman in North Carolina. She called him and said she wanted to give him a kidney. Then the situation turned on its head. After months of talking and prepping, the potential donor claimed that she met someone in a grocery store whose wife needed a kidney. “I don’t know if it’s true. She could be trying to find a way to back out. She had insisted on meeting me and my wife. She said she wouldn’t come to Atlanta (for the surgery) unless she met us,” he said. Last month the potential donor let Tedoff know that if her other donation plan doesn’t work out, she will give him the kidney only if he travels to Duke University. ■

Nancy Rose

On dialysis while waiting for a kidney donor The week that Nancy Rose spoke with the AJT, the 72-year-old grandmother visited Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital from her Peachtree Corners home twice. A catheter in her chest wall developed a painful clog and needed immediate attention. For patients with kidney failure, access to the veins is established to open blood flow out of and back into the body after it’s cleaned by dialysis. Three days a week Rose spends four hours at a dialysis center, comes home to her apartment, eats dinner with her husband and goes straight to bed. She is exhausted. The day after dialysis she generally feels energetic enough to play cards or have lunch with a friend. She occasionally takes a day trip to Madison or Rome on the weekend. “I’d like more time to do things that I like to do. I’d like to feel better. Some things are just annoying as a dialysis patient,” Rose said. Her nutritionist at the dialysis center instructs her what to eat and what to avoid: no chocolate, no nuts,

Continued on the next page

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

perate enough to reach out to complete strangers in the hope of a kidney. “Many people don’t want to get a recipient’s hopes up. We don’t expect (potential donors) who are calling us to be ready to commit. We expect them to be on a fact-finding mission,” Rabbi Sturm said. “Sometimes they want to

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limited potassium, limited liquids. Part of her annoyance is that she cannot eat foods high in potassium, such as avocados, bananas and tomatoes. At a regular checkup four years ago, Rose’s blood work showed that her potassium levels were sky-high. Doctors traced the issue to a pre-existing condition and a medicine she used for more than a decade. She started peritoneal dialysis at home in February 2013. After some medical issues, she switched to hemodialysis, which has proved effective. Then began the search for a donor. “Our life isn’t our own,” said her husband of 50 years, Norm Rose. “It’s a depressing lifestyle. That’s why we moved to independent living — to be around other people.” It was a neighbor who intro-

duced the idea of accepting help from Renewal. Reading an article in the AJT, Norm and his neighbor debated the ethics of limiting kidney donor awareness services to Jews. Nancy is listed at two hospitals for kidney donation: Emory Transplant Center and the University of Tennessee Erlanger Health System. Norm, in good health at 76, is social and active. He enjoys playing bridge and pinochle with friends at the independent living complex. “We have a strong family and a strong support group, including my sister and cousins, grandkids, daughters — and our sons-in-law actually like us,” he said with a laugh. “I hope that, quite frankly, Nancy gets a kidney. She needs a kidney, and we want her to have one.” ■

Staci Robbins

tell my sister, because it was a perfect match. I needed it, she gave it to me.” When her kidney failed in 2010, Robbins was admitted to the hospital and started emergency dialysis, a painful procedure. “I was teaching all day. I’d leave work and go to treatment from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. three days a week,” she said. Robbins received a stern lecture from her doctors to comply with the plan: Complete eating disorder treatment, attend all dialysis appointments and get back to a healthy weight. Five years later, on a Sunday morning, Robbins received a call from Emory with news of a kidney. They asked her to complete medical tests in preparation for a transplant. This time the kidney came from a cadaver. Robbins exercised her right to reach out, via a letter, to thank the donor’s family, but did not hear back. “We were monitoring my mental state more closely. The first time, the surgery made me an insomniac. I was anxious and depressed,” she said. “This time, I was able to go back to work. I started a new job at a different school. I bought a new home.” Exactly one year later Robbins had trouble breathing because of an ongoing cough when she was admitted to the hospital and checked for kidney failure. After a summer of illness, including pneumonia, she started dialysis again. “Some days it’s like enough is enough,” she said. “In so many ways I have been lucky with my family and my support system. They want me to try for a third (transplant). My doctors know me so well and know how important it is to keep going. Every day I have to keep going.” ■

On dialysis after two short-lived kidney transplants It was the mid-1980s in Detroit when Staci Robbins was diagnosed with cancer at 4 years old. She endured chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant. She was given six months to live. When she was 8, doctors determined that one of her kidneys had failed, and the other was at 50 percent. She vividly remembers the required change in diet, which included no salt and low potassium. She could not drink Coke or eat chocolate; she brought her own low-sodium packets of salad dressing to restaurants. Fatigued, Robbins continued activities like choir and performing arts but stopped attending physical education. Her two sisters lived with their grandparents, her mom stayed with her at the hospital, and her father worked to pay medical bills. Still, Robbins celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah, graduated high school and went to college. At 25, she discovered that her one functional kidney was working at only 18 percent. Her middle sister donated a kidney to Robbins through surgery at Emory University Hospital, and Robbins’ body accepted the organ. With pain and guilt in her voice, the now-35-year-old Dunwoody resident described the experience. “The kidney lasted for four years, almost to the day. But I had a lot of other issues going on in my life. I was not compliant with the meds and my health. I had an eating disorder. I lost the kidney,” she said. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, to

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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JF&CS Lunch Raises Highest Ever Total By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com The 11th annual Jewish Family & Career Services Community of Caring luncheon helped the organization raise $431,184 for programs, services and resources to support people of all faiths, cultures and ages in metro Atlanta. The dollar amount was the highest raised by the event. Held Friday, April 28, at the InterContinental Buckhead, the luncheon is the largest annual fundraiser for JF&CS. JF&CS CEO Rick Aranson thanked the crowd of more than 700 people for attending and continuing to support the organization’s efforts. He also thanked primary event sponsors the Marcus Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the United Way of Greater Atlanta, as well as 11 Atlanta-area synagogues that helped sponsor the event. Eric Miller, the program coordinator for HAMSA, the comprehensive JF&CS substance abuse program for the Jewish community, spoke about his

Debra Johnsea is all smiles with husband Mark and son Christian at the JF&CS Community of Caring luncheon after the organization helped her get counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse issues.

efforts to curb opioid abuse in Atlanta’s suburban “Heroin Triangle,” where heroin-related deaths shot up 4,000 percent from 2010 to 2016. Haley Schwartz, a HAMSA counselor, also shared her story of addiction and recovery. A short film directed by videographer Adam Hirsch detailed the stories of five people helped by JF&CS: • Annie — A Holocaust survivor, Annie moved to Atlanta from Israel to be closer to her daughter but had difficulty getting settled. Through a JF&CS

program providing services to survivors, Annie participates in a monthly meet-up for Holocaust survivors and gets together monthly with a group of younger women JF&CS matched her with. • Gloria — JF&CS helped Gloria, thrust into a caregiver role for her mother, find a support group at which she could get the help she needed. Later, Gloria used the organization’s gPATH career services program to help find work in Atlanta’s Lyft office. • Levon — After serving in the

Coast Guard, Levon came to Atlanta for a job in a machine shop, where he worked for many years until the industry slowly died in the city. Through the Ben Massell Dental Clinic, a JF&CS program, Levon received dental care that he could not otherwise afford. • Gil — Diagnosed with everything from ADHD and Tourette syndrome to the autism spectrum, Gil got counseling with the help of JF&CS. He has found steady employment at Whole Foods and continues to get assistance from the organization, including counseling services. • Debra — After serving in Iraq in 2010, Debra Johnsea developed posttraumatic stress disorder and turned to drinking. Through the Wounded Warrior Project and JF&CS, she and her son, Christian, got the counseling they needed. After the video, the Johnsea family went onstage to thank JF&CS. The JF&CS campus in Dunwoody, which has undergone extensive renovations the past year, is scheduled for its grand reopening at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 10. ■

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Young Israel of Toco Hills Rabbi Adam Starr came up with a way to combine the mitzvah of counting the days from Pesach to Shavuot with dental hygiene: toothbrushes that carry the message “Brush. Floss. Count Omer.” As Rabbi Starr shared on his Facebook page before Passover and as North Jersey’s Jewish Standard reported during the holiday, the brushes treat tooth decay and the risk of forgetting to count the Omer every night — an easy enough oversight if you don’t go to synagogue nightly for seven weeks. Larry Yudelson at the Jewish Standard — which, like the AJT, is one of The Times of Israel’s local partners online — noted that if you forget the count for even one of the 49 nights from the second night of Passover to Erev Shavuot (May 30 this year), you may not recite the blessing for the rest of the count. “As everyone should be brushing their teeth before they go to bed at night, it’s a great time to remember to also count the Omer!” Rabbi Starr wrote on Facebook. He noted that it’s common to break out a new toothbrush at the start of Passover to avoid chametz particles. Toco Hills resident Noam Green’s Green Orthodontics sponsored the project, making the toothbrushes free. ■

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Fertility Buddies Bring Experience to Struggle By Rachel Fayne Gruskin Jews from around metro Atlanta gathered at Congregation Or VeShalom on Sunday, April 23, to get training for the new Fertility Buddies program sponsored by the Jewish Fertility Foundation. The program matches veterans of struggles with infertility and other Jews currently having trouble achieving a successful pregnancy. The training at Or VeShalom was aimed at veterans who will mentor and provide guidance to infertility newcomers. The session focused on practicing relationship-based support within the program. Support for a fertility buddy includes monthly supervision check-ins, phone calls, and time to discuss feelings and issues that can arise during a frustrating period. Lauren Magalnick Berman shared the psychological implications of infertility as she addressed the group. “Grief is the most common emotion felt,” she said. “A diagnosis of infertility elicits similar intensity of emotional distress as a diagnosis of HIV or cancer. Having someone who gets it is important.” The Jewish Fertility Foundation will provide financial assistance and educational awareness along with continued emotional support to Atlanta Jewish families through the Fertility Buddies group, filling a need for people facing medical fertility challenges. The nonprofit organization will take specific care in matching the buddies, taking into account such factors as geography, the veteran’s experience, skills and style, and other needs and preferences to ensure a successful

Materials provided to infertility veterans aim to help educate and inform their buddies.

match. Elana Bekerman Frank, the president and founder of the Jewish Fertility Foundation and an infertility veteran, understood that people struggling with fertility issues needed more than a traditional support group, inspiring the Fertility Buddies curriculum and model. “Relationship-based peer support programs are not new to the Jewish community,” Frank said. “To look around the table and see that the eight women and one man will be offering another avenue of support to the over 80 women and men (JFF works with) currently experiencing infertility is really powerful. Infertility does not discriminate based on Jewish denomination, and we had great representation based on the demographics of Atlanta’s Jewish population.” The training coincided with National Infertility Week. In raising awareness for Fertility Buddies, Frank urged those experiencing fertility struggles to reach out for emotional support. Contact Frank at 770-843-7413 or elana@jewishfertilityfoundation. org. ■

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Mikvah Can Be Bitter Reminder of Infertility Elana Bekerman Frank goes to the mikvah every month and wants to dunk in the water, feel invigorated and reconnect with her husband. But it’s a monthly reminder that her body has failed her once again, and she has been unable to get pregnant. “It’s a slap in the face,” Frank said. “I want it to be a time of beauty. Lots of people have very different feelings about it, especially when you’re going through treatments. You’re hormonal, you’re stressed, you’re overweight. There are so many different emotions. I’m very envious of people who are going through infertility and can see the flip side: ‘This is not my month. I’m going to go in this water and reconnect with G-d and count my blessings.’ I am not like that.” Mikvah workers who don’t know what to say can’t ease the pain. “I don’t know what I thought to seek from the woman who was helping me, but I wanted something,” Frank said. “Some days I wanted to talk. I just wanted something. The response that I got just didn’t satisfy me. They need to be trained more on sensitivity and awareness. If I’m in this situation, surely others are.” That experience is why the Jewish Fertility Foundation, which Frank founded, is hosting infertility sensitivity training for mikvah attendants, rebbetzins and kallah class instructors Sunday, May 7, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center. The seminar will include talks by physicians and by women going through infertility, who will discuss the emotional toll and how infertility has a psychological effect similar to a diagnosis of HIV or cancer. “You have the same emotions as if you were diagnosed with something terminal,” Frank said. “Each month you go through the same cycle — hope, loss.” Leading the seminar will be Naomi Marmon Grumet, founder and director of the Eden Center and a leading trainer for mikvah attendants in Israel. She said the seminar aims to raise awareness of sensitivity toward infertility and how the mikvah can be a place of comfort rather than a place of pain. “In the Jewish context, mikvah is touted as a way to protect families and give an element of holiness and spirituality into the lives of a couple’s intimacy,” Marmon Grumet said. “There’s a lot of heightened anticipation when a woman is going through infertility and goes to the mikvah. You think you’re

going to be pregnant, and it doesn’t come through. You’re pumped with hormones, and the hormones make you feel all kinds of things: ‘Maybe it will happen this month, and maybe I’ll have a family.’ ” Marmon Grumet, who completed her doctorate on experiences at the mikvah, said the things women going through infertility hear include “Well, you have other children” and “Oh, you’re young. I’m sure it will be fine. You’ll have plenty of chances.” She hopes to teach mikvah attendants to avoid making such comments. “People don’t understand why that would cause somebody else pain,” Mar-

mon Grumet said. “Being sensitive for the way that you say things (like) ‘I’m sorry you’re going through this’ can make a huge difference.” Marmon Grumet said that going to the mikvah can be a time of hope for a new month that could bring a baby, but “after a certain amount of time, it’s very hard for some people.” Frank said she wants the seminar to give hope to women going through infertility and to educate mikvah attendants to refer women to the Jewish Fertility Foundation. The organization can help couples with support buddies and groups and provides grants to help pay for infertility treatments.

This is the second in a series of training seminars. The first was offered for rabbis, and the next is planned to include those who work in accounts payable at medical offices so they can be more sensitive to people paying thousands of dollars for fertility treatments. ■ What: Infertility sensitivity training Who: For mikvah attendants, rebbetzins and kallah class attendants Where: Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody When: 11 a.m. Sunday, May 7 Cost: $10; register at bit.ly/2pkK7rN

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Hadassah Spinal Surgery First to Use Two Robots Less than six months after he visited Atlanta to talk about Hadassah’s innovations in back and spinal surgery in Jerusalem, surgeon Joshua Schroeder controlled one of two robots in an operation Sunday, April 23, that was the first of its kind in the world. The dual robotic surgery repaired a severe spinal fracture suffered by Jerusalem factory worker Aharon Schwartz, 42. A steel object pinned him, fracturing his leg in two places and breaking six spinal vertebrae. The three-hour surgery took place in the $30 million, underground hybrid operating theater at Hadassah Ein Kerem’s Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower, Hadassah President Ellen Hershkin announced. Meir Liebergall, the chairman of the Hadassah Medical Organization’s orthopedic department and the head of the organization’s musculo-skeletal medicine division, predicted that Schwartz will completely recover. Liebergall said the robots used in the pioneering surgery were Siemens’ Artis Zeego and Mazor Robotics’ Re-

Orthopedic surgeon Joshua Schroeder spoke about robotic back surgery at Congregation Or Hadash in November during a Hadassah tour of the Southeast.

naissance Guidance System. Amal Khouri, the director of Hadassah’s Orthopedic Hospitalization Center, oversaw Artis Zeego, which provided three-dimensional imaging in real time, eliminating the need for CT scans before the operation or X-rays afterward, Liebergall said. Schroeder controlled the Renaissance Guidance System, a system that maximizes spinal implant placement accuracy and safety. Hershkin celebrated another Hadassah Medical Organization worldfirst, “a dual robot-assisted spinal surgery, solidifying its reputation for world-class medical innovation and treatment.” ■

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Spreading Awareness of Blood Clots Celebrities who have survived dangerous battles with deep vein thrombosis include sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein, actress Lainie Kazan and Georgia Sen. Renee Unterman.

tion, or heart attack. If a clot obstructs blood vessels in the brain, the result is a stroke. Symptoms of blood clots include excruciating local pain, inflamed and red skin over the blocked vein, pain to the touch, cramping, aching and warm skin over the vein. In serious cases, the patient might cough blood. A heart attack will cause excruciating tightness or pain in the chest and tightness or pain in the neck, back or arms, as well as fatigue, lightheadedness, an abnormal heartbeat and anxiety. A stroke will cause confusion, loss of balance, weakness, facial paralysis, speech difficulty, impaired vision, headache, loss of sensation, dizziness and a lack of reflexes. A blood clot in the kidney can cause damage and lead to kidney failure. The main treatment for blood clots is the use of blood thinners, such as heparin and warfarin. Patients with DVT should wear loose-fitting clothes, socks or stockings to let the blood flow more easily. DVT is a serious condition that can strike at any time and age, so do not take it for granted. But the important lesson is that thrombosis can be easily prevented through lifestyle changes. Making the community

aware of this opportunity can limit the impact of the condition. Our message to the readers of the Atlanta Jewish Times is to be aware of blood clots because they can occur at any time in your life, manage your health, use preventive techniques, and get medical help promptly. Remember, one life saved is a lot, no matter how much effort is necessary to save that life. ■ For more information, contact your physician, consult the NATF website at www.natfonline.org, or email GTF President and CEO Atul Laddu at AtulLaddu@gmail.com. Laddu is available to make presentations to Jewish community groups about blood clots. Preventing Clots The most common and effective ways to prevent blood clots: • Maintain good health. • Eat healthy food. • Avoid junk food. • Drink plenty of water. • Exercise regularly. • Don’t drive long distances with taking breaks. • On flights, do foot and leg exercises, and get up every now and then. • Don’t smoke. • Don’t take birth control pills.

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

• Actress Lainie Kazan, who sufThe Georgia Thrombosis Forum, fered from deep vein thrombosis and a community service organization got involved in public education about and affiliate of the North American the condition. Thrombosis Forum founded in 2012 • State Sen. Renee Unterman by Atul Laddu, is dedicated to spreading awareness of Guest Column thrombosis, the formation of dangerous blood clots. By Sharan Krishnappan, Sanket Gavankar, Research conducted by Prasad Shetye, Tej Shidhaye and GTF and national and interVeeraj Rangnekar national bodies has found Georgia Thrombosis Forum members that awareness of thrombosis is low compared with its (R-Buford) wrote in 2013 about her high incidence. experience with deep vein thrombosis Thrombosis can appear as deep in 2001 and has supported the GTF. vein thrombosis (a severe condition Blood clotting is a natural and caused by clotting in blood vessels), a necessary process to stop bleeding. pulmonary embolism, a heart attack Problems can occur, however, when or a stroke. clots form inside blood vessels. Some segments of the Jewish Such clots kill more people in the population appear to be more vulnerable to thrombosis. Factor XI deficiency, United States each year than breast associated with severe bleeding related cancer, AIDS and accidents combined. Two types of blood clots can serito injuries, is common in the Ashkeously affect you: arterial and venous. nazi population, while another bleedArterial blood clots form in artering disorder, Factor VII deficiency, is ies. Such a clot can block the blood more common among Mizrachi Jews. flow and oxygen supply from reaching But no one, regardless of age, sex the heart, lungs and brain, resulting in or background, is exempt from thromtissue damage. bosis. Among the Jewish celebrities Venous blood clots form in the struck by thrombosis: veins and become deep vein thrombo• Sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein, sis, pulmonary embolism or superfiwho nearly died from deep vein cial venous thrombosis. thrombosis in 2006 and is now a naDVT occurs in deep veins, usually tional spokeswoman for the Coalition in the legs. SVT happens in veins near to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis. the skin. PE occurs when a blood clot • TV newsman David Bloom who blocks the flow to the blood vessels in died in 2003 at age 39 after deep vein the lungs. thrombosis produced a pulmonary If blood clots in the arteries of the embolism. His widow, Melanie, is acheart, the result is a myocardial infarctive in speaking out about thrombosis.

ARTS

Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli, courtesy of Galerie Perrotin

Daniel Arsham stands in the middle of his “Amethyst Sports Ball Cavern,” part of the “Hourglass” exhibit at the High Museum of Art.

‘Hourglass’ Is Study In Man-Made Time

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

By Patrice Worthy

The manipulation of space and time is explored at the High Museum of Art in the exhibit “Hourglass” by New York-based Jewish artist Daniel Arsham. Using installations on two floors of the museum, Arsham examines the relationship between the past and a manufactured future where humans are confused about their place on a timeline of events. Upon entering the museum, a visitor’s attention is drawn by the bright hue of the sand, but further examination of each hourglass and the pile of sand in the middle of the floor reveals slightly covered objects that are recognizable fragments of present-day humanity, such as a keyboard, human hands in prayer and a digital camera. The sand, made of blue crystal and sculpture cast, is a suggestion that time is running out or that the world is far ahead of us, leaving viewers to ponder their existence in what may be a parallel universe. A child’s voice breaks through the silence as she explains a reality in which time has been forgotten. She describes the familiar objects of everyday use as anthropological discoveries. She struggles to understand the purpose of each item and how humans obliviously marched into the future and lost all recollection of the past. “Sometime hundreds and hundreds of years ago, people stopped writing things,” the voice says. “As technology ebbed and flowed, we looked to archaeologists to tell us what happened. None of it was true, my parents tell me. It was all fake news.” Fake news, the constant advancements of technology and discoveries about human origins blur the lines between our reality and what first seems like the distant future. The two dimensions presented in the installation confront us with a present where the truth is hidden among artifacts that

are more like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. On the second floor is a complete Japanese Zen garden with a traditional pagoda, tatami mats and raked sand in a surreal bright blue. The sand can move only with human interference using a rake. The pagoda includes a mannequin sitting on the floor with a kimono, vase and guitar. The female mannequin has a damaged face because she is a relic. In the home are a few items she may have held dear, but why? Next to the pagoda is a cavern full of amethyst-colored balls. There are volleyballs, basketballs and soccer balls. In a future lacking a past, objects have no cultural significance assigned to them, and we can only ask ourselves why are they here. This time, a male voice breaks through the dissonance created between time and space. “All of humanity was engaged in this endeavor to uncover this dream we’re all involved in,” he says. “History has always foretold the end of time, but so far it hasn’t come.” Arsham’s transformation of both galleries in the museum is influenced by his sci-fi film series “Future Relic.” Viewers walk into another universe where the present is questioned, resulting in deep reflection about the evolution of humanity. Through the clever use of a lens from the future to examine the present as the past, Arsham manipulates the mind into viewing time on a continuous reel. The removal of man-made time frames puts the viewer in an omnipresent position to gaze upon human life and interactions. There is no past, present or future, only a series of events. The one failure of the exhibition is that the installations alone do not convey the complexity of the message. If the museum is buzzing with patrons, viewers may have trouble hearing the analog that connects each piece to the larger theme. ■

ARTS

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Zimria Festivale Expands Classical Jewish Songbook Zimria Festivale Atlanta is pushing the boundaries of the repertoire of traditional Jewish music groups. A part of the William Baker Choral Foundation, Zimria Festivale specializes in music of Jewish origin that goes beyond traditional liturgy and folk music to bring various genres to the forefront. The group formed in 2014. The director is Amy Thropp, whose background is in Jewish choral conducting. Thropp, who conducts the Congregation Beth Shalom High Holiday Concert, said the mission is to bring awareness that there is a wealth of rarely performed Jewish music. Many of the pieces are from the Renaissance through the late 1800s. Thropp said many Jews, from France to Russia, wrote music for the church because they had no Jewish outlet. “Alexander Kopylov was a Russian composer who wrote for the Russian Orthodox Church because he had to make a buck,” Thropp said. Jews have a strong connection to classical music, and Thropp said there was a period when French operatic

Zimria Festivale Atlanta performs music by Jews and inspired by Jewish themes.

music was performed and written by Jews or children of Jewish families. Zimria Festivale’s concerts also include music that was not written by Jews but has Jewish subject matter. Zimria Festivale member Deborah Wenger said the variety makes Zimria great, while other choral groups she has been a part of don’t compare. “We’re doing Israeli folk music, Shabbat songs, and we have a repertoire of liturgical music,” Wenger said. “The depth and the breadth are more challenging.” The choir is performing a piece from Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” which Wenger said is the best of all possible worlds. “It’s not a standard

melody. It’s very challenging.” The music of Zimria Festivale has introduced Wenger to a new approach to Jewish music. It is also introducing Atlantans to a catalog of Jewish music that many didn’t know existed. Wenger said people who come to a Zimria concert will be pleasantly surprised. They’ll have a chance to hear Zimria Festivale during its spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at Congregation Beth Shalom. “We’re the only choir in this area that performs this type of music,” Wenger said. “We did a piece by Salamone Rossi, a Renaissance composer who wrote typical Renaissance music to Psalms. I was blown away when I heard

it. I said, ‘This is the music I daven to.’ ” The group is performing “Sim Shalom” to “Dona Nobis Pacem.” The Latin and Hebrew phrases mean the same thing: Give us peace. Thropp and Wenger are looking forward to support from the Jewish community because of the Jewish tradition of supporting the arts. William Baker, the founder of the William Baker Choral Foundation, said the foundation celebrates music of good quality from every faith, and he is delighted to see how the group has developed since its founding less than three years ago. “I think we find it interesting because it is so broadly based,” Baker said. “We hope to engage more and more of Atlanta’s Jewish community.” ■ What: Shirim B’Aviv: Singing in Spring Where: Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody When: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7 Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 for children 12 and under; bit.ly/2oY1MDf or www. festivalsingers.org

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

By Patrice Worthy

SIMCHAS

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Lawyer Reprises Bar Mitzvah With Paris Visit

Helping Roz Klarman celebrate her 99th birthday are her son, David Klarman of Dunwoody, and her daughter, Ellen Klarman Ackerman, who lives in Los Angeles.

Birthday Roz Klarman 99

Roz Klarman, a resident of the Piedmont at Buckhead, celebrated her 99th birthday March 2. Born and raised in the Bronx, Klarman lived in White Plains, N.Y., for many years before retiring to Boca Raton, Fla., with her husband, Stan, who died five years ago. Klarman moved to Atlanta to be near family and celebrated her birthday with family and friends. ■

Gary Snyder chose to mark his 70th birthday in March by traveling to Paris to mark the 57th anniversary of becoming a bar mitzvah. The Greenberg Traurig senior partner’s fiancée, Ellen Monk, scoured the Internet to find a friendly synagogue that would allow Snyder to deliver the d’var Torah. On March 18, Gavriel Ben Shmuel addressed La Synagogue Franco Americain de Paris on Parshat Ki Tisa. He recounted Moses’ experience with the tablets of the Ten Commandments and our role as the chosen people. He discussed his early years in Dayton, Ohio, which provided his springboard for living a Jewish life, as well as sending his daughters to Jewish day school and volunteering for the Jewish community in Atlanta. Snyder’s speech started with “Bon jour, boker tov,” and ended, “My hope today is for the Jewish people to continue to embrace the historic recognition given to us at Mount Sinai and to live in peace among all the peoples of the world.” Rabbi Tom Cohen said, “It was a real pleasure having Gary come up to the Torah and share his thoughts on the parasha and what it means to him to be Jewish. He movingly related the importance of Judaism, being a source (and force) for his activism and

Gary Snyder is a senior partner at Greenberg Traurig.

desire to effectuate positive change in this world. And though not all of the community is fluent in English, the emotions he transmitted through his obvious love of Judaism touched the hearts of even my ‘only French-speaking’ members, in addition to the bilingual and English-speaking faithful. For us at Kehilat Gesher (mostly ex-pats), it is important to open up our doors to Jews around the world and help them find a welcoming and tolerant home in Paris.” Snyder said he felt safe wandering the streets of Paris as a tourist, but he noticed that the synagogue was marked only with a street address — no outside signs of Judaica or Hebrew letters as in the United States. ■

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OBITUARIES

May Sedran 92, Greenville, S.C.

May Goldstein Sedran, 92, of Greenville, S.C., passed away Friday, March 17, 2017, at Greenville Memorial Hospital. Born in New York City, she was the daughter of the late Louis and Clara Millrod Goldstein. Mrs. Sedran was a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx. Before her retirement at the age of 91, she was the co-owner and cooperator of Sedran Furs for 62 years. As a business owner in Greenville, she was able to develop long-lasting friendships and relationships with the Greenville community, where she was an active member of multiple local civic clubs. Mrs. Sedran was a member of Congregation Beth Israel. Surviving are her husband, Stanley Sedran, of the home; two daughters, Cindy Sedran and Andrea Blades, both of Atlanta; two granddaughters, Jill Blades and husband Brett Fordon of Charleston, S.C., and Carly Blades and husband Nicholas Francis of New York; and a great-granddaughter, Hazel Fordon of Charleston. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by three brothers, Harry and Murray Goldstein and Robert Grant. The funeral service was held Monday, March 20, at Congregation Beth Israel with burial following in Beth Israel Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.

Death Notices

Leonard Barkan, 88, of Atlanta, father of Andrew Barkan, on April 23. Anita Lee Cohen, 69, of Potomac, Md., wife of Frank Cohen and mother of Temple Sinai member Chuck Fox and Michelle Day, on May 1. Mel Dobrin of Sandy Springs, husband of Ashleigh Dobrin and father of Craig Dobrin and Isaac Dobrin, on April 26. Rochelle Kaye, 80, of Viera, Fla., wife of Nat Kaye and mother of Sheila Pearlman and David Kaye, on April 19. Frances Lewis, 93, of Atlanta, mother of Temple Sinai member Lori Borger, Gary Lewis, Michael Lewis and Richard Lewis, on April 8. Lawrence Propp, 85, of Atlanta, husband of Mancia Propp and father of David Propp, Jonathan Propp and Laura Propp Postell, on April 20. Virginia Ramsey, 81, of Marietta, mother of Temple Sinai member Stephanie Ramsey, on April 14. June Restler, 75, of Atlanta, wife of Donald Restler and mother of John Restler and Kevin Restler, on April 22. Rose Schein of Atlanta on April 11. Yakov Shteyman, 34, of Atlanta, son of Fera and Dmitry Shteyman and brother of Yulia Shteyman, David Shteyman and Ilana Malkin, on April 11. Eileen Silverman, 81, of Sandy Springs, wife of Bob Silverman and mother of Rick Silverman, Cary Silverman and Alan Silverman, on April 30. Carl Terrell, 85, of Huntsville, Ala., husband of Norma Terrell and father of Temple Sinai member Stacy Frank and Suzanne Metcalf, on April 23. Ruth Yermovsky of Savannah, mother of Congregation Beth Shalom member Susan Seidman, on April 16. Mara Young of Dunwoody on April 28.

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(From left) Stan Lowenstein, Greg Zienowicz and Jonathan Seidel have formed the 365 Group.

365 Group Formed By Ameriprise Trio Ameriprise Financial Inc. financial advisers Stan Lowenstein, Greg Zienowicz and Jonathan Seidel have formed the 365 Group, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services in Alpharetta. The 365 Group’s advisers have over 60 years of combined wealth management experience. “We are excited about joining together as a team,” branch manager Stan Lowenstein said. “The 365 Group has great experience in the industry, which will enable us to serve the dynamic needs of our clients as well as help more people achieve their financial goals every day of the year.” The 365 Group provides customized advice anchored in an understand-

ing of client needs and expectations through one-on-one relationships. Contact the 365 Group at 770-7549670 or www.ameripriseadvisors.com/ team/the-365-group, or visit the Ameriprise office at 11175 Cicero Drive, Suite 450, in Alpharetta.

Rothman & Associates Back

Ray Alyssa Rothman has re-established her commercial real estate brokerage and consulting company, Rothman & Associates Inc. She helps developers, investors and buyers meet their real estate goals. Rothman has a master of science in real estate and a bachelor of business administration with a concentration in finance and marketing. She also has the designation of certified commercial investment member, awarded by the CCIM Institute. The designation requires extensive commercial real estate experience and about 150 hours of classroom training, followed by a comprehensive exam, all focused on analyzing commercial real estate from the user and investor viewpoints. She has experience as a real estate developer, helping her understand the needs of the property owner, and her

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Loventhal a Hall of Famer

Northwestern Mutual financial adviser Bill Loventhal has been inducted into Georgia State University’s Risk Management & Insurance Hall of Fame. As a member of the Hall of Fame, Loventhal received a Riskie Award, which recognizes executives who have demonstrated high achievement and service to the insurance, risk management or related industries while aligning with the vision of the risk management and insurance department in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State. “Because of your outstanding leadership and achievements in the risk management field, your peers have

singled you out for recognition and commendation,” David Buechner, the director of the Risk Management Foundation, told Loventhal. Loventhal attended Georgia State as a Kemper Foundation Scholar and graduated in 1969, earning his bachelor’s in business administration with a major in insurance. He belongs to the Atlanta Alumni Chapter of the Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity, where he is a past vice president. After two years in the Army, Loventhal has represented Northwestern Mutual in Atlanta for 46 years. He serves on the Atlanta Advisory Council for Israel Bonds and is a past board member of Temple Sinai and ARZA.

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Bill Loventhal (right) receives a Riskie Award from Richard Phillips (left), the dean of risk management and insurance in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and David Buechner, the director of the Georgia State University Risk Management Foundation.

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

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Friends Always Tell Each Other the Truth

MAY 5 ▪ 2017

On her way home, Chana stops by her friend’s house. Chana: I can only stay one minute. Friend: Are you mad at me? Chana: Why would I be mad at you? Friend: I don’t know, but you have a weird look on your face. Chana: What look? I just came to tell you something. Friend: If you’re angry, just say it. Don’t beat around the bush. Chana: I’m not angry. Friend: Whatever. I know that look. Chana: Do you want to hear what I came to tell you, or not? Friend: Of course! But I know what it is. It’s about my birthday, right? Chana: When is your birthday? Friend: Very funny! It’s about my birthday this weekend, right? Are my kids in on this? Chana: I don’t know when your birthday is, and it has nothing to do with your kids. Friend: If they’re thinking about giving me a surprise party, don’t let them. You know how much I hate surprises. I’m counting on you to put a stop to it. Chana: Nobody’s planning to surprise you with anything. If your kids call me about your birthday, I’ll tell them you hate surprises. But I don’t believe you. Everybody loves surprises, even if they say they don’t. Friend: See? You do know! What are they planning? Is my husband in on this? Chana: There is no “this!” You’re driving me crazy! I wasn’t angry when I came in, but I’m getting pretty frustrated now. Friend: OK, OK, have it your way. You realize, of course, that I’m on to you, but I won’t keep asking about the party. Just one little thing: Are they inviting a lot of people? Chana: Do you ever let anything go? Out of pure, unadulterated friendship, I came here to tell you something, but I’m finished here. Your obsessive nature is coming out, and I have to leave before I strangle you. Goodbye! Friend: See how fast you get mad? 38 I ask one simple question, and, instead

of giving me a straight answer, you overreact. Chana: Yes, clearly, I’m the one who’s overreacting, not you. And now I’m out of here. Friend: But, wait, you claim that you came over to tell me something. So

CROSSWORD 2

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Chana’s Corner 46

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ACROSS 1. “___ Kate” (notable Spewack musical) 7. Some female animal sacrifices 11. Search party at JFK but not TLV? 14. Beatty/Hoffman 1987 box office flop 15. Burrowing animal the Torah says is “unclean” 16. “Gimme ___!” (start a cheer for Rutgers or end a cheer for SAR) 17. Arab heads of state 18. What many do to eggs for a seder 19. Jerusalem Day month 20. Physically get Gyllenhaal up 23. Drink in Jerusalem? 24. Mentalist Geller 25. One who makes aliyah 26. Prepare the “One Dance” rapper some kokosh 31. ___ Yikra (Shabbat song) 32. “Shoo” followers 33. Actor Vigoda 34. 33-Across in “The Godfather” 35. They can be taken out in this publication 36. “___ for Cookie” 37. Frame for Mickey Mouse or Krusty the Clown 40. What HSers might call a teacher named Goldstein 41. Made like Israel against Cuba at baseball 42. Arabic butter 43. Force Ricki to slow down 46. Leonard Cohen dropped it in the ’60s? 48. Samuel’s teacher, in Samuel I 49. Neighborhood of Cong. Emanu-El of New York 50. Bring Adam (Levine’s) co-judge a T-bone 55. Title in a yeshiva 56. Northern kibbutz known for its carpentry

tell me, already. Chana: All right. Just listen. Do not comment. Do not interrupt. Friend: I’m listening. The phone rings, and Friend notes the caller ID. Friend looks imploringly into Chana’s eyes: Can I answer it? Chana nods, magnanimously, and Friend takes the call. Friend: That was my daughter, with some lame questions about watching her kids this weekend. I could tell she’s keeping something from me. You know all about it, don’t you? You might as well just tell me and get it over with. Chana: I was on my way home from the farmers market. I came to offer you some of the cucumbers I bought. I also came to tell you that one of my neighbors found a great handyman. You need somebody to fix your door, and I came to help you. That’s what friends do: They help each other. They don’t give their friends the third degree about things that don’t even exist. Friend: I can see that you’re really upset. I’m sorry. I had to take that call because it was from my daughter. Don’t leave. Please give me the name of the handyman, and let me take a look at the cucumbers. Chana gives Friend the handyman’s name, and they walk together to Chana’s car. Friend selects two cucumbers, and Chana starts to drive home. Chana’s cellphone rings just as she’s about to pull out of Friend’s driveway. It’s Friend’s daughter. Friend’s daughter: I just talked to my mother, and she told me you were there. You didn’t tell her about the surprise party, did you? Chana: Of course not. See you Sunday! ■

“Rhyme Theme”

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

By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

57. Give the morah homework 59. “Stranger ___ Strange Land” 60. Sign from a prophet 61. “Answer Us,” prayer added on some fast days 62. Fire residue eaten by some before Tisha B’Av 63. “Land” of Meyer Lansky and Mickey Cohen 64. Writing legend Wouk

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who won an Oscar for “Hannah and Her Sisters” 30. Zac Efron has welldefined ones 35. Lost holy object with two cherubs on it 36. Newswoman Roberts 37. Gemilut ___ (“the giving of lovingkindness”) 38. “Yikes!” 39. Comic book legend Stan 40. Prepared (challah) 41. “The ___ Dead” (AMC DOWN show with Lauren Cohan) 1. South Korean carmaker 42. The Hulk’s skin, with a dealership in Yaffo compared with Bruce 2. Juda and capital endings Banner’s 3. Bracha on meat or 43. Jewish ritual bath chocolate 44. Cause challah to rise 4. Hank Greenberg was 45. Fuel that might be used a poor one (unlike Rickey by those camping in the Henderson) Negev 5. Graded (Talmud exams) 46. Lobby feature of the 6. Native tongue in Daniel Inbal and others Day-Lewis’ homeland 47. Father-son actors James 7. Makes like Kirk and Spock and Scott starting a voyage 51. Mayim Bialik writes one 8. Han Solo’s best friend is for Kveller one 52. Tibetan monk or “Why” 9. “Night” author Wiesel 53. Iran exile of 1979 10. Dudi who plays tennis 54. A lamentation read on 11. “Hot” candy one would Tisha B’Av make a 3-Down on 58. Mem follower in Hebrew 12. One talks in Genesis 13. Kaplan or Adventures 21. Don DeMarco and Epstein LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 22. What one H A R A M O M P C L A B S 14 15 16 did before A L E C E G O E L I J A H saying “modeh 17M E N D 18G R U 19N O R M I E 20 21 22 23 ani” C H A I N S A R E E L 24 25 26 27 28 29 26. Anti-Israel G N U I N S T O C K R R L 30 31 32 33 M O S E S H A D A S S letters 34 35 36 37 38 I A N H E S 27. Parseghian S T A N D 39 40 41 A I D A T N S N O A H who coached 42 43 44 45 S R I I O S O A R E D Sean Astin’s 46 47 48 49 S P O K E N R H E A S “Rudy” 50 51 52 53 54 55 28. “Hacksaw 56M U M 57 I C 58E T E A S 59 D R T I S A A C S T E V E N ___” (2016 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 S T R I K E I D I I K E A Andrew 67 68 69 S O O N A S N E V L A M B Garfield hit) 70 71 72 M O R A T H G R A E L S E 29. Michael

MAY 5 â&#x2013;ª 2017