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TRUE LEADER
Atlantans Sarah and Josh Weinstein, living in Nepal, offer guidance for helping after the quake. Page 6
TO LIFE
Federation honoree Perry Brickman sets Atlanta’s standard for community commitment. Page 16
Marcia and Murray Goldman find home decorating inspiration in wine and the Tree of Life. Page 26
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AIDING NEPAL
Stephens: Iran Likely to Kill Deal By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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A Torah Day School graduate returns to town to set the record straight on Israel Defense Forces operations at home and abroad. Page 9
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MAY 8, 2015 | 19 IYAR, 5775
Toco Hills Park Opens By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com
D
on’t expect a deal this summer on Iran’s nuclear program because Iran is likely to walk away, Wall Street Journal Pulitzer Prize winner Bret Stephens said Monday night, May 4. Stephens told an American Jewish Committee gala that Iran will believe it can return to the negotiating table at any time with the final offer from the United States as a starting point for a better deal. But he said the world must stop Iran’s nuclear progress because a regime that will stone to death women with one hand must not wield nukes in the other. The alternative to a bad deal is not necessarily war, especially if the United States remembers that diplomacy is about being coercive as well as nice and that the depressed price of oil weakens Iran, Stephens said. But he said the Iranians must believe that all options are on the table to prevent the “dark world” in which the leading sponsor of terrorism has nukes. As for Israel, Stephens said the Jewish state can protect itself. “The state of Israel did not come into existence to showcase Jewish victimization or victimhood. The state of Israel came into existence to end it.” ■
where
imaginations go to explore.
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It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Super Eliot Arnovitz, who was honored and praised by the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter on Monday, May 4, at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Bret Stephens delivered his remarks about Iran and other global Jewish concerns during the awards dinner. More on Arnovitz’s big night, Page 19 Photo by Michael Jacobs
NOSH AROUND
The search for Atlanta’s best bagel resumes with a visit to Acworth to sample the genuine New York-style offerings of Art’s. Page 22
Calendar
INSIDE
2 Business
23
Candle Lighting
3 Arts
24
Local News
4 Simchas
25
Israel
8 Home
26
Opinion
10 Obituaries
28
Health&Wellness 14 Crossword
30
oco Hills has its first public playground in time for summer. The playground at Kittredge Park was installed April 25 and opened May 1. The playground is the 995th built with the support of grants from Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit KaBoom and its corporate sponsors. KaBoom partnered with financial services company Foresters to sponsor the playground, along with more than $10,000 raised online by the community. On April 23, 26 volunteers worked at the site off Holly Lane and North Druid Hills Road to dig the 50-by-50-foot plot for the playground and prepare the space. The following Saturday, 223 volunteers installed the equipment. They also kept setting up the Atwood Community Garden beside the playground. Located in the heart of the Orthodox Jewish community of Toco Hills, the playground and garden are next to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael, a Jewish high school for boys that also serves as a small synagogue. KaBoom and Foresters were unable to build the playground on a Sunday rather than on Shabbat. The volunteers, who were treated to meals and a DJ blasting pop music from large speakers, were from a wide section of Atlanta, including Emory University, Foresters and Friends of Kittredge Park. “I am so happy to have a brand-new playground across the street from our house,” said psychologist Rivkah Eidex, whose five children are ages 6 to 15. “I’m hopeful it will be a pleasurable replacement for screen time.” ■ Community excitement, Page 20
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CALENDAR ONGOING
ers; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.
Hollywood in the camps. “Filming the Camps — John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens: From Hollywood to Nuremberg” runs through Nov. 20 at the Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Museum admission is $16.50 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, $11 for children 4 to 12, and free for museum members and younger children; www.atlantahistorycenter.com or 404-814-4000. History of Jewish Atlanta. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, presents “Eighteen Artifacts,” an exploration of Atlanta’s Jewish history through 18 items, through Dec. 31. Museum admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, $4 for children 3 to 6, and free for museum members and younger children; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.
THURSDAY, MAY 7
Ethiopian-Israeli fusion. Ester Rada performs the next installment in the Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Tickets are $39 for Breman members and $50 for oth-
SATURDAY, MAY 9
Book signing. Atlanta native and Alpharetta resident Natalie Harrington signs copies of her novella, “Highland Avenue,” based on her father’s life, starting at noon at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta.
MONDAY, MAY 11
“Sleeping Beauty Kids.” The Youth Ensemble of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, presents the Disney show today and Tuesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children who are members, $10 and $7 for others; www.atlantajcc.org.
Dr. Perry Brickman while hearing Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation CEO Joel Peresman and Spanx CEO Jan Singer at FED Talks at 8 p.m. at the Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road, Buckhead. Open to 2015 Community Campaign donors. Tickets are $36; jewishatlanta.org/FEDTalks.
part of “Jews and Muslims: Intimate Strangers,” followed by discussion, is shown at the Clarkston Community Center, 3701 College Ave., Clarkston, at noon in a program co-sponsored by the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter. The $18 fee includes a meal; www.ajcatlanta.org.
THURSDAY, MAY 14
Civil rights visit. Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Ketura Group visits the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., downtown, at 2 p.m. The cost is $12 per person age 3 and up; mslcaras@ comcast.net or 770-509-1797.
Meet the G-man. FBI Special Agent Britt Johnson, the bureau’s No. 1 person in Georgia, speaks about counterterrorism to the Edgewise group at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free; Sid Stein, 770-232-4887.
Film history. Bob Bahr presents the finale of “Fitting In — A Short History of Jewish Film in America” at 10 a.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Open to all; register at www.templesinaiatlanta.org. Temple Sinai and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival are co-sponsors.
The Tasting. The annual night of food, wine and a high-end silent auction, all to benefit Jewish Family & Career Services’ Zimmerman-Horowitz Independent Living Program, starts at 7 p.m. at a new location, Mason Fine Art, 1386 Mayson St., Buckhead. Tickets are $100 if you’re 36 or older, $50 if you’re 21 to 35; yourtoolsforliving.org or 770677-9329.
Brickman celebration. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta honors
Muslim-Jewish Dialogue. The final
TUESDAY, MAY 12
aha a
CREATING EARLY LEARNING MOMENTS
SUNDAY, MAY 17
Mikvah groundbreaking. Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah breaks ground and shares its plans for Atlanta’s first community mikvah at 2 p.m. on the grounds of Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; www.atlantamikvah.org or info@atlantamikvah.org. Etz Chaim gala. Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a performance by the Red Door Playhouse Players at 7:30 p.m.; etzchaim.net. VIP reception at 6 p.m.,
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CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES
Parshah Emor Friday, May 8, light candles at 8:08 p.m. Saturday, May 9, Shabbat ends at 9:08 p.m. Parshah Behar-Bechukotai Friday, May 15, light candles at 8:14 p.m. Saturday, May 16, Shabbat ends at 9:14 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 19
Annual meeting. The Atlanta Chapter of the American Jewish Committee holds its annual meeting at 11:45 a.m. at 103 West, 103 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Tickets are $35; www. ajcatlanta.org. FIDF gala. Friends of the Israel Defense Forces honors Israeli Consul General Opher Aviran and his wife, Talyah, and welcomes guest speaker Brig. Gen. Gila Klifi-Amir in a celebration of women in the IDF at the Atlanta gala dinner at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St., downtown. Tickets are $250, $118 if you’re 35 or younger; www.fidf.org/ATLGala.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
“Dawn” screening. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and the Consulate General of Switzerland present a screening of “Dawn,” based on the Elie Wiesel novel, and a post-film discussion with director Romed Wyder at 7:30 p.m. at Lefont Theaters, 5920 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $13; www. ajff.org.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Eagle Star Awards. The 14th annual Conexx gala, honoring Emory University’s Dr. Raymond Schinazi, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and others, begins at 6 p.m. at Georgia Power, 241 Ralph McGill Blvd., downtown. Tickets are $125; www. eaglestargala.com.
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Help for women. Greater Atlanta Hadassah presents “Women in Crisis,”
a program featuring Wendy Lipshutz of the JF&CS Shalom Bayit program, Helen Kotler of the JF&CS Starting Over program and Laura Kahn of Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta to highlight the urgent services available for women in Atlanta, at 1:30 p.m. at Berman Commons, 2026 Womack Road, Dunwoody. Free; RSVP by May 20 to gahprogramming@gmail.com. Hunger concert. Dr. Dan Appelrouth and a full backup band perform Broadway music to raise money for hunger relief at 3 p.m. at Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road. Suggested donation of $10 for admission; danappelrouth.org/broadwaybenefit. Community of learning. The annual event of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel features Georgia Aquarium CEO Mike Leven and Bernie Marcus discussing concerns about the future of the Jewish people at 7 p.m. at the aquarium, 225 Baker St., downtown. A $54 ticket covers a family of four; www.atlantakollel.org.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
Author talk. Nelson DeMille discusses his latest thriller, “Radiant Angel,” with radio host Dana Barrett at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets to the Page From the Book Festival event are $8 for center members and $13 for others; www. atlantajcc.org/bookfestival or 678-8124002.
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Happy Passover!
Corrections & Clarifications ■ Because of an editing error, an article in the April 24 issue incorrectly reported that Ambassador Marc Ginsberg told an audience at Congregation Beth Shalom that Hezbollah was seeking nuclear weapons. Only Iran was mentioned as seeking such weapons.
Buckhead (404) 252-6271 Johns Creek (770) 813-9505
■ An article in the May 1 issue incorrectly reported that Rabbi David Spinrad of The Temple led Kaddish at the centennial observance of the Armenian genocide.
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LOCAL NEWS
Going Wild
Snakes, acrobats and Breman supporters party at Villa Christina
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ver 100 of Atlanta’s most generous patrons celebrated at the Breman Museum’s Wildest Party of the Year on Thursday, April 30, at Villa Christina. Outdoors under the most perfect of blue skies, party animals dined on a fajita bar, steak chimichurri, brisket, vegetable skewers, split baked potatoes and an appetizer display while live musicians played in the background. Exotic animal acts complemented acrobats performing al fresco while circus performers pranced around, inciting fun and fancy. Marie Antoinette-wigged ladies charmed guests with albino pythons wrapped around their arms and necks (they were indeed beautiful, but snakes are just not my thing). Marilyn and Sam Eckstein played cards with the chocolate money hostess. Others waited in line for a séance
with a tarot card reader and tented fortuneteller. Magician Howie the Great scooted around with fire bellowing out of his moped, not to mention burning his wallet. The evening ended with his parlor-style magic show upstairs at the
ered, black-and-yellow bird, said, “It’s a beautiful night, great food and great people.” If you want to continue the wild-
ness, get to the Breman to see the Maurice Sendak exhibit, “Where the Wild Things Are,” through July 5. Grandchildren welcome. ■
Jaffe’s Jewish Jive By Marcia Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com
villa, preceded by banquets of bananas Foster. “It’s so important that we continue to widen the support of the Breman Museum,” museum President Jerry Rosenberg said. “Our cultural exhibits and the Southeast’s premier Holocaust center need to be here for future generations.” Museum Director Aaron Berger, hopping next to a bouncing, feath-
A
B
C
D
F Photos by Marcia Jaffe
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
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A: Acrobats are part of the Wild Party entertainment. B: Barbara Klaus and Margie Stern are part of the Wild Party steering committee. C: Breman Museum Director Aaron Berger hangs out with a big bird. D: Ghila Sanders (left) and Martha Jo Katz flank one of the beautiful python ladies. E: Howie Marmer shows some of the magic that makes him Howie the Great. F: Sam and Marilyn Eckstein do a little gambling for chocolate. G: Museum President Jerry Rosenberg and his son, Kenneth, enjoy the party.
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LOCAL NEWS
school at the East Cobb facility. Oglethorpe Power, a notfor-profit electricity wholesaler, is building the substation, which has some people fearful of possible health effects caused by electromagnetic radiation.
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Contributors This Week DAVID BENKOF RABBI ERIN BOXT SUZI BROZMAN JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH HARRISON ZACH ITZKOVITZ MARCIA JAFFE NANCY KRISEMAN RABBI MARK HILLEL KUNIS BENJAMIN KWESKIN MINDY RUBENSTEIN DAVE SCHECHTER SHAINDLE SCHMUCKLER DAVID SHAPIRO ALLEN SHPIGEL ANNA STREETMAN JOSH WEINSTEIN SARAH WEINSTEIN
10 Years Ago May 6, 2005
■ Through the persistence of Congregation Beth Jacob member and season ticket holder David Lubin, the Atlanta Falcons will meet the needs of their kashrut-observant fans in the 2005 season by selling Abels & Heyman hot dogs from a cart operated under Atlanta Kashruth Commission supervision. Nonprofit groups will staff the cart as a fundraiser.
50 Years Ago May 7, 1965
25 Years Ago May 4, 1990
■ Sammy, 11, and Gregory Schatten, 10, sons of Dr. and Mrs. William E. Schatten, will be presented by Dr. Hugh Hodgson in a piano recital Sunday afternoon, May 16, in the Walter Hill Auditorium at the Atlanta Art Association. Both boys are students at the Lovett School and have performed in concerts. Their father, a former student of Dr. Hodgson’s, will join each of his sons in a concerto.
■ Construction of an electrical substation next to the Atlanta Jewish Community Center’s Shirley Blumenthal Park is distressing parents whose children attend the Sunshine pre-
■ Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Mendel cordially invite friends and relatives to attend the bar mitzvah of their son Richard at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.
■ Jim and Michelle Neuberger of Atlanta announce the birth of a son, Matthew David, on Dec. 30, 2004. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long.
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■ The bat mitzvah of Robin Beth Lenowitz of Atlanta, daughter of Janet and Jim Lenowitz, will take place at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at B’nai Torah Synagogue.
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From Nepal’s Rubble
Safe after the quake, Young Israel members offer aid advice The following report from Nepal, written April 29, comes from Sarah and Josh Weinstein, members of Young Israel of Toco Hills who have been living in that Himalayan nation while Sarah has worked as the research and education coordinator for the Dolphin Conservation Center and as program development coordinator for the Centre for Environmental Action and Development.
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his past Shabbat morning, April 25, Parshiyot Tazria-Metzorah, at 11:56 a.m., Josh was at the Kathmandu Chabad House during Torah reading when the room began to transform. Screams and intense pounding were heard from every direction as the floor was now to his side, and our orientation and understanding of the world were violently challenged. Those in the shul darted in panic and in a drunken fashion toward the exit and congregated outside in the open space. Children were crying, and all were fearful from the uncertainty of not knowing what would happen next.
Sarah was with a colleague a mile from Chabad, and when the nearly minutelong shaking calmed, she observed a man with profuse head bleeding being carried to a hospital with much of his skull exposed. Immediately she ran to Chabad, where we embraced, breathing with relief to see the other unharmed. Hundreds of Israelis began to funnel into Beit Chabad from throughout the city, some injured, as they fled their hostels. The earthquakes and aftershocks continued with less but varied intensity for two days in Kathmandu, and the ground was rumbling with tremors for hours during the night. Wednesday a man was found buried under rubble since Saturday and drinking his own urine, and friends of ours remain missing. For us, we have been blessed with community and many places to seek shelter. We have spent the last three nights at the U.S. Embassy, where there is ample water and food. Unlike millions of Nepalis who have little to no
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supplies to these feeling of safety outlying communior comfort at this ties through Nepal’s time, we have placCentre for Environes to which we can mental Action and return if we need Development as to recharge or if the one part of a crowdsituation deteriofunding campaign. rates and the afterShe established a shocks continue as partnership with predicted. We have the INGO Kopernik experienced Jewin this effort and ish unity as both has confirmed an Chabad and the Isarmy helicopter for raeli Embassy are a May 8 delivery to supplying needed village communiresources, safety Sarah and Josh Weinstein ties. To learn more and community to about this cause she Jews traveling and living in Nepal. The Israel Defense Forces, is leading and to ensure they can make Magen David Adom, Joint Distribution as many deliveries as possible, please Committee and Federation (to name contact Sarah at lev.sarah1@gmail. just a few) are providing support and com. One more urgent action is for relief as the tremendous effects of this each of us to contact our congressional leadership today to stress the need for disaster begin to unfold. When you assess where to give, an immediate increase in the number many recipients are worthy. Much in- of helicopters deployed in Nepal. You ternational aid has been mobilized, and also can reach out to the organizations dozens of organizations are providing you are supporting to ensure they are support and resources. We are encour- addressing this major hurdle to providaging individuals to donate to organi- ing significant relief; there is no time zations providing water education and to delay. The supplies are here, but the treatment supplies to rural villages in many dozens of helicopters needed to hard-to-access locations. As is the reali- deliver them have not arrived. The coming together of Klal Yisraty in the aftermath of natural disasters, especially in countries with little to no el in the wake of humanitarian crises is sanitation education, water-borne dis- not new, but the urgency is as strong as eases are likely to plague Nepal in the ever. As we mourn the death of Rabbi Akiva’s students from disease attributcoming weeks and months. We spoke with USAID search-and- ed to improper speech and lack of unity, rescue teams that bluntly acknowl- we can come together and prevent the edged they are unequipped and unsure outbreak of disease in Nepal with love, from where assistance will come for holding dear our timeless Torah values. village and mountain communities. Foremost is our collective responsibilSimilarly, a meeting with a representa- ity of pikuah nefesh. Simultaneously, we tive from the U.N. World Food Program must heed our spiritual calling to tap further emphasized that the world is into the most powerful forms of love sending ample responders and relief that our tradition demands and that supplies, but the mountainous terrain move us to meaningful action: V’ahavta and the blocked and destroyed roads l’reacha kmocha, v’ahavta et hager, and from poor infrastructure and land- v’ahavta et Hashem. If you have family or friends who slides have made dispatching supplies to many remote areas impossible. It is are missing and feared to be in an unclear that without a dramatic increase safe location, please coordinate with in helicopter airlift capabilities, mil- your local officials to rally political suplions of people in remote areas who port for a direct and immediate search need medical attention, food, clean and rescue. This information was prowater and shelter won’t see relief for vided to us by the USAID search-anddays. The clock is ticking, and there is rescue team that is on-site but is una dire need for remote communities to trained and unequipped for mountain receive supplies, medical attention and and rural rescues. Thanks for your concern and supaccess to clean drinking water. Sarah is coordinating the deliv- port. Please send our love to the entire ery of water treatment and medical YITH/Atlanta community. ■
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WORLD NEWS
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ecent news stories brought to mind an incident more than 50 years ago in New York. I was just a teenager, but the story has never left me because it was so shocking. Kitty Genovese, 28, was returning home from her job as manager of a bar. As she walked the 100 feet from her car to the entrance of her apartment in Kew Garden Hills, Queens, she was accosted. She screamed. Lights went on in the apartment building. Windows slid open. Kitty screamed: “Oh, my G-d, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!” From an upper window a man called down, “Let that girl alone!” The assailant looked up at him, shrugged, and the assault continued. Kitty shrieked, “I’m dying! I’m dying!” For more than a half-hour, 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens watched a killer stab a woman to death, and not one person even called the police, let alone intervened. This story shocked the nation because it forced us to confront these questions: Is this what we’ve become? Are we not our brother’s keeper? How could anyone stand by and let an innocent woman die? I think America changed after that, but not always was it a change for the better. As the Torah commands us in Leviticus 19:16, which we read May 2: “Lo taamod al dam reyecha” (“Do not stand by idly while your neighbor’s blood is spilt”). Two recent incidents indicate two very different responses to this biblical command, one life-affirming and healing and the other violent and destructive. The April 19 death of AfricanAmerican Freddie Gray in police custody triggered protests in Baltimore after his funeral. How could they stand by idly while their brother’s blood was spilt? But the protests turned violent, giving way to rioting and looting. It looked like last summer’s Ferguson, Mo. For days, all the news channels repeated scenes of masked looters destroying businesses like a large CVS, and looting the contents. A peaceful protest, like those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would have been much more effective. Did this rioting bring justice for Freddie Gray? Like the riots in Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown, these riots ensued before the truth was known about what happened. The coroner ruled that Gray’s death was
a homicide, so Gray’s family deserves justice. However, this kind of protest will only bring destruction and chaos to Gray’s neighborhood, which may take a decade to recover because businesses will be reluctant to invest and locate there. There was a shining light, though, among the protesters: Toya Graham.
Guest Column By Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis
Did you see the video? This Baltimore single mother of six saw her son with a brick in his hand, and even though he’s much taller, she lost control and yelled at him to drop it — slapping him several times and pulling him out of the protests. CNN’s video went viral, and the praise she received for going to the Mondawmin Mall and getting her son away from the rioting was overwhelming. Toya taught her son and the nation that violence is never the proper response to achieve justice. The Mondawmin Mall is just three miles from Baltimore’s densely populated northwest Jewish community. Out of caution, Jewish schools and institutions closed for a couple of days. No incidents against Jews or institutions were reported, although cars carrying youths wearing ski masks were observed passing through the area. By the end of the week of rioting, Jews were prominently seen volunteering to help to clean up the affected neighborhoods. In an unbelievable development, anti-Israel activists promoting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement tried to blame the riots on Israel. It reminds me of a routine I once saw on PBS in which comedian Mark Russell commented, “No matter what goes wrong in the world, you can blame it on Israel.” LegalInsurrection.com wrote: “This is the same propaganda tactic used in Ferguson, where the fact that Ferguson and Israeli police used the same brand of American-made tear gas was used to try to blame Israel for Ferguson police actions.” Activist Ra-
nia Khalek tweeted that, “like most US police depts, Baltimore police received training in Israel,” alleging that police brutality in Baltimore can be blamed on Israel because some Baltimore police officers had attended an antiterrorism seminar in Israel. Lo taamod al dam reyecha. Yes, don’t stand by idly while your neighbor’s blood is spilt, but if you seek justice, do it in a just way. In stark contrast to the Baltimore response to this commandment, let’s turn to the other side of the world: Nepal. A devastating earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Nepal. The death toll surpasses 7,000. The scenes of devastation and carnage are heartwrenching. Lo taamod al dam reyecha. Dozens of countries sent rescue teams, but none of them has the professional, devoted, brave and experienced doctors of Israel. The Israelis were among the first on the scene.
Arnold Gerson, the CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom, Israel’s Red Cross, wrote: “Magen David Adom’s response in Nepal was not only effective, tactically, it was also guided by a sense of purpose. Its mandate and responsibility is to be a light unto the nations, so being ‘the best’ also means sharing its expertise with the world and leading by example — in this case treating scores of Nepalese civilians, working with local doctors, and teaming up with international agencies to save lives.” Gerson added that the expertise MDA displayed in Nepal came from years of experience responding to bus bombings and suicide attacks. The Torah commands us: Lo taamod al dam reyecha. So Israel is there to help anyone anywhere in the world. Israel not only sprints to a disaster, but also prepares beforehand for the marathon of doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes to save lives.
“We knew you’d come,” a Nepalese army officer said to the team upon its arrival, according to Ynet.com. “You are the best army in the world. I lived in Israel for two years, and I admire your country. Shalom, falafel and tehina.” And then he became serious and added, “Help us, please.” The Israel Defense Forces overcame the obstacles of mountainous terrain, a damaged airport and a lack of heavy equipment in Nepal to deploy a field hospital where 120 medical professionals could serve hundreds of Nepalese a day, Ynet reported. “The flag of Israel will rise above the tents serving the hospital. And we should all raise our heads and watch it proudly.”
As Jews, our focus is on tikkun olam, repairing the world. Our Talmud teaches: “Whosoever saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world.” This is what we do best; this is what we teach. Incidentally, the head of the Israeli field hospital in Nepal, Col. Tarif Bader, is a Druze doctor, not Jewish. My friends, our souls should burst with pride. Am Yisrael chai, the people of Israel shall live. We will never stand by idly while our neighbor’s blood is spilt, and we will do so with chesed, compassion and love. Amen. ■
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
Baltimore and Nepal
AJT
Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei 7 Shamayim in Toco Hills.
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ISRAEL
Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Mapping the brain. Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard University have succeeded in mapping the circuitry of the brain. The Neuronal Positioning System (NPS) maps neuronal circuits to help understand how messages are sent within the brain or to other parts of the body. Israeli-Indian connections target cancer. The Technion in Haifa and its company for commercializing its developments, T3, are teaming up with India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to develop products for the treatment of cancer, Globes reports.
after a gap of 40 years, reflecting improved relations between the countries. Zambia’s Jerusalem House of Prayer also organized an interdenominational march-by in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, to celebrate Israel Independence Day. Not forgetting Vanuatu. Israeli humanitarian organization IsraAID is operating now in Nepal, along with the IDF and Magen David Adom, but it is also still busy in the islands of Vanuatu devastated by Cyclone Pam.
IDF honors Muslim woman. Among the 120 soldiers receiving the Medal of Excellence on Israel Independence Day was a Muslim woman who grew up in an Arab village and is a cadet in an Israel Defense Forces officer training course. Her family doesn’t know she is in the IDF.
Chabad satellite phones saved lives. All Israeli climbers visiting Chabad of Kathmandu are given one of the satellite phones donated by the family of Nadav Shoham, who was killed last year while climbing in the Himalayas. His family teamed up with Chabad to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. And it worked in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake, helping quickly locate missing Israelis.
Zambia opens embassy. Zambia has opened a diplomatic mission in Israel
AgriVest 2015. Israeli agritech startups pitched their technologies at the third
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International AgriVest Conference, held at the Weizmann Institute of Science on April 27. The conference featured a startup competition, won by Tel Aviv-based DouxMatok for its development of a sweeter sugar that reduces the amount of sugar required in foods. Keeping produce fresh. A technique developed by Hebrew University researchers to extend the life of vegetables for weeks without refrigeration could help break the cycle of poverty among rural farmers in the developing world. The technology was on display at AgriVest 2015.
sity have developed an app that records whether you break the speed limit, swerve, stop short or switch lanes too often. Insurance companies could use the information to reward good drivers and punish bad ones. Another $1 billion Israeli company. Infinidat, based in Herzliya Pituach, has raised $150 million at a valuation of $1.2 billion. Infinidat has filed more than 100 software patents, and its InfiniBox lets customers store as much as 2 petabytes (2 million gigabytes) of data on a 19-inch, 42-unit storage rack.
The Higgs boson is supercool. Bar-Ilan University researchers have seen the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson during low-temperature superconductivity experiments. The Higgs boson, believed responsible for most of the mass in the universe, had been observed only in high-energy collisions.
Dollar store for coffee. Cofix, a Tel Aviv-based chain of cafes in which everything — coffee, soda, pastry, sandwiches — costs 5 shekels (now about $1.29), is going public, Globes reports. Once the deal is complete, Cofix and its sister supermarket chain, Super Cofix, where everything costs 5 shekels, will gain capital for rapid expansion.
Proving that you are a good driver. Scientists at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Univer-
Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other news sources.
FIDF Photo of the Week
No Teen Left Behind
On a hilltop in northern Israel, troubled teenagers — those with criminal backgrounds or a history of behavioral challenges — are becoming part of mainstream Israeli society. Through the Eitan program, they can enlist and find meaningful positions in the Israel Defense Forces. At the end of their service, these soldiers select professional courses funded by Friends of the IDF to gain vocations and the tools to build successful lives as civilians. The FIDF Southeast Region is raising money for such programs at its annual gala, “A Night to Honor Women of the IDF,” on May 19 at the Georgia Aquarium; www.fidf.org/ATLGala.
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
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ISRAEL
Torah Day Grad Returns as IDF Officer n Israel Defense Forces captain found reinforcement from thousands of miles away for a recent mission to America that culminated in appearances at three Jewish schools in the Atlanta area. April’s limited barrage of rockets from Gaza and the Nepal earthquake provided vivid illustrations of how the IDF responds to emergencies and thus helped accomplish the two public relations goals of Captain Yaakov’s two-week U.S. visit: • To provide Israel’s supporters with ammunition to answer critics. • To humanize the IDF for people whose only knowledge of Israel comes from onesided media reports. “I don’t stay in the army because I love war and death; I hate it,” said Yaakov, whose last name was withheld because of IDF policy. “I stay in the Top: Capt. Yaakov poses next to his eighth-grade army because I know class photo at Torah Day School of Atlanta. what the army does.” Bottom: Capt. Yaakov speaks at Torah Day He was with six School of Atlanta on April 29. other officers repreThe move didn’t turn out to be senting the IDF Spokesperson’s Office in Connecticut during the rocket at- quite the intended escape from terrortacks. One of the other six was a wom- ism — Yaakov arrived at the end of Auan from the Home Front Command gust 2001, two weeks before 9/11 — but who was responsible for the civil de- he said it was a special year for him. “I came to school every day with a smile fense preparations for the Negev. That crisis ended largely because on my face” and was on time every day Hamas, half a year after the pound- but one, he said. “In 12 years of school, ing of Operation Protective Edge, was that’s the only year that happened.” He said the community loved and not prepared to fight. After the rockets were fired, Hamas denied any role and welcomed him, so it was natural that he was more excited and more nervous claimed to have arrested the culprits. The magnitude-7.8 earthquake than usual when he spoke at Torah April 25 in Nepal is a humanitarian di- Day School on April 29. At the end, his saster that is lasting much longer, but grandmother told him he was glowing. Yaakov also spoke at Atlanta Jewthe IDF was just as quick to respond. Yaakov said he got word from fellow ish Academy and Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael soldiers within two hours of the quake before flying home to his wife in the that the IDF was preparing to send two Golan Heights. Like his year in America planes — C-130Js built by Lockheed 13 years ago, this two-week trip, which Martin in Marietta — packed with peo- included appearances before Jewish and secular crowds in New York and ple and equipment to help Nepal. “We’re very good at rescuing” after Connecticut, could prove life-changing. Since joining the army in 2007, decades of wars and terrorism, Yaakov
Yaakov has served in the armored corps. He commanded a tank in Gaza in Operation Cast Lead when he was 19. He was a battalion operations officer, working inside and outside Gaza, during last year’s Protective Edge. By enabling him to work closely with fellow Orthodox Jews as well as the full range of Israeli society, mili-
tary service has strengthened his understanding and appreciation of Israel and his religion, Yaakov said. But now he’s thinking about leaving the front lines and applying for a transfer to the IDF Spokesperson’s Office. “I think PR’s really important, and I don’t want to do it for a company. I want to do it for my country.” ■
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said. “If we can help others, great.” Terrorism first brought Yaakov to Atlanta for an extended stay. The breakout of the second intifada in 2000 led his parents to send him to his Atlanta grandparents, Ben and Jacquie Hirsch, for eighth grade, which he spent at Torah Day School of Atlanta. He graduated with the Class of 2002.
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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OPINION
Our View
Say What?
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
prominent American statesman just went to Israel and the West Bank and declared to the world that when it comes to peace, the leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is a villain, and the leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, is a hero. “I don’t believe that he’s a terrorist. He’s strongly in favor of the peace process,” this elderly statesman said about Mashaal, whose organization is rightly recognized by Israel, the United States and sane people everywhere as a terrorist group. This statesman thinks it would be a waste of time to meet with Netanyahu, who, as prime minister, is essential to any genuine peace process, because he hasn’t committed to the necessary concessions. We’ll stipulate that Netanyahu’s belief in a twostate solution is questionable, particularly when any Israeli leader would be hard pressed to make concessions amid threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamic State and the cauldron of chaos called Syria. But to proclaim Mashaal a man of peace, to say he is willing to accept Israel’s existence, to suggest he favors the peace process as anything other than an incremental effort to erase Israel from the map, is either insane, ignorant or dishonest. You might know who the speaker was May 2. If you don’t, we’ll give you one guess. Yes, it was former President Jimmy Carter. We hate writing about Carter, even though we’ve filled forests of newsprint with reporting and commentary on Georgia’s gift to the White House. The year we spent analyzing, criticizing and debunking “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” earned the AJT an award from the American Jewish Press Association, but we didn’t change anyone’s opinions about Carter, let alone influence the ex-president in his international crusade to — well, we don’t know what he’s trying to do anymore, beyond sell books and make himself feel relevant. When it comes to Carter, it doesn’t matter whether we write with restraint or bombast. The editor had a little fun April 24 and called him a parasite. The reactions, ranging from delight to outrage, reflected hardened views about Carter rather than real opinions about whether Israeli leaders were right to refuse to meet with Carter during this trip. So it goes with anything written about a man who hasn’t held an actual job in 34 years. We wish we could ignore Carter, but because he holds the title of ex-president, he makes headlines, usually feeding the anti-Israel propaganda machine. Not only does Carter have nothing of value to offer the Middle East, but every time he says something lauding bad guys such as Mashaal, he makes a fair peace settlement more difficult to achieve by encouraging the next Hamas outrage. We know nothing is gained by writing about Carter. If you think he’s our greatest ex-president, an unfairly maligned man of peace, you don’t care about criticism. If you think he’s between offensive and dangerous, you don’t need fuel for your disdain. But as long as Carter portrays Hamas’ political leader as a 21st-century Anwar Sadat in search of his 10 Menachem Begin, we’ll have to keep calling him out. ■
AJT
In the Charitable Swing
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duct tape holding my 4-wood together, and, yes, pring is prime season for Jewish Atlanta to the head and shaft of one of my two drivers aren’t honor community leaders for their dedication attached at all. My newest club is more than 30 years to making our schools, synagogues and other organizations all they are today and all they could be old: the putter from the woman’s set Dad bought me at J.C. Penney when I first in the future. tried to play but was too Apparently, when that big for junior clubs and too commitment to commuEditor’s Notebook small for men’s clubs. nity is as thick in the air as By Michael Jacobs Did I mention that I the pollen that turns our use a simplified scoring cars green whenever we mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com system? If I find more get a respite from the rain, balls than I lose during the it becomes infectious. I round, I win. must have caught the bug. Needless to say, my Brotherhood playing partI don’t know how else to explain how I wound ners abandoned all hope of winning anything when up standing on the first tee at City Club Marietta at 8 I became the final part of their foursome, but they a.m. Sunday, May 3, instead of sleeping or editing or were gracious enough. No one laughed out loud at waiting to watch Chelsea clinch the English Premier me at any point of the day, and they resisted the urge League soccer championship. to try to fix my hopelessly broken swing. It’s not that I never play golf. I played 10 or 20 I think a good time was had by all. It was a beautimes a year when I was in high school, and I stagtiful, sunny morning. The course was immaculate. gered around the mighty Kerr Lake Country Club The snacks and drinks were plentiful. And compared — a whole lot of country, not so much club — every with some of the charitable golf tournaments in the few months when I was working in Henderson, N.C., Jewish community, it was cheap. at the turn of the millennium. No doubt I could use the exercise from a regular But before I talked myself into teeing it up four-hour walk over hill and dale at the local links, with the Temple Kol Emeth Brotherhood for a good although the heart-healthy benefits of physical activcause — a young woman battling back from injuries ity might be offset by the frustration-driven rise in suffered in an accident in 2011 — I had played golf blood pressure. exactly once the past 10 years. But if I committed to trying to find a golf game, I do enjoy golf, at least for the first 60 or 70 paying for clubs and lessons and greens fees and a strokes. But by the time I get to the 12th or 13th hole, usable pair of golf spikes, I wouldn’t have enough I tend to be sick and tired of mishitting the hail-size money left to play charitable tournaments. So in the ball and chasing after it through the woods. I’ve never broken 100. I’ve never had a handicap, spirit of community service exemplified elsewhere in this issue by people such as Eliot Arnovitz and aside from my inability to keep my head still or my Perry Brickman, I’ll just practice shouting “Fore!” a left arm straight, my lack of proper shoes, and my little louder before next year’s tournament. ■ comically patched together “set” of clubs. Yes, that’s
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OPINION
Praying for Marriage Equality in our community who are treated differently, just because they are “different.” As a Jew, I understand what it means to be considered the “other.” It is because of this that I choose to
Guest Column By Rabbi Erin Boxt
Letter to the Editor Stand Up for Israel
I applaud Ambassador Marc Ginsberg (“Ambassador: Hezbollah Biggest Threat to Israel,” April 24) and Gary Kenzer (“Every Picture Could Be Telling a Fairy Tale”) for urging your readers to fight anti-Israel bias in the media. In the hope of aiding readers who might want to act, I am writing to suggest several websites at which people will find helpful information about Israel. Both www.standwithus.com and www.stepupforisrael.com describe a variety of campus activities. Information about Israel and contact information for various publications can be obtained at www.camera.org (CAMERA is the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America). Other useful sites include www.honestreporting. com; www.factsandlogic.org, the website of FLAME: Facts and Logic About the Middle East; and www.ajc.org, the website of the American Jewish Committee. Toby F. Block, Atlanta Send letters to the editor to jacobs@atljewishtimes.com. Include a m phone number for confirmation.
ment, which means we have a responsibility to dialogue with it and not find ourselves stuck in ancient history. As for the second point, the perception of marriage being the way it is for so many years, well, times change, and as times change, so should the perception of equality under the law. Too many of my friends and colleagues find themselves in ridiculously difficult situations because of this perception of marriage. I do not purport to know all of the answers, and I am certainly willing to have a conversation with someone who disagrees with me. However, when it comes to the reality (or lack thereof) of equality, there can be no misinterpretation. Marriage equality means all couples should have the right be married and share the same benefits as everyone else. For me, this is not negotiable. I only hope the Supreme Court makes the right decision and makes marriage equality truly equal under the law. ■ Rabbi Erin Boxt is one of the spiritual leaders of Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb.
Atlanta History Center
filming
John Ford Samuel Fuller George Stevens
from Hollywood to Nuremberg
May 6 - November 20, 2015 Hollywood directors John Ford, George Stevens, and Samuel Fuller created American cinema classics, but their most important contribution to history was their work in the U.S. Armed Forces and Secret Services. An exhibition by the Mémorial de la Shoah, Paris, France.
AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Filming
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
Rabbi Erin Boxt joins an interfaith group of clergy in showing support for marriage equality April 26.
stand up and fight for any group of people who find themselves on the outside looking in. The U.S. Supreme Court on April 28 heard hours of arguments from those in favor and those against marriage equality. The decision before them is one that will greatly affect thousands, if not millions, of Americans. Imagine being told that you cannot make a
medical decision regarding your child because the state you live in does not recognize your rights as the parent of that child. Imagine being told that you will not be allowed to be present at the bedside of your sick loved one because you are not legally considered family. There are many cases in the United States where this kind of scenario occurs. And it is totally wrong. As a rabbi, I have always fought for the rights and equality of all. I have read many columns and arguments of those who disagree with me. It seems the argument against marriage equality for the LGBTQI community comes down to two main points: (1) The Bible calls it an “abomination”; and (2) the perception of marriage has been the way it is for so long that it would be unwise to rush into changes. In response to what the Bible says, I can only reply that there are many instances in the Bible in which I would disagree with the statement being made. For example, should I take an unruly child outside town and allow the elders of my community to stone him to death? Of course, this is only one example; the Bible is a living docu-
George Stevens and his crew, France, 1944 © Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA
O
n Sunday, April 26, I joined many other faith leaders at Unity North Church in Marietta to hold a prayer vigil in support of marriage equality. This issue — the equality of all couples — is central to my belief system as a Jew and as a rabbi. As a member of the Cobb Interfaith Spiritual Leaders, I wanted to stand by my colleagues and support those
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OPINION
Are These the ‘Good Old Days’ for American Jews?
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
very couple of months, a group of us gather for a potluck meal and a program. These are thoughtful people, most of sufficient age to have perspective on the past and plans for the future. The program may be a presentation by an expert in a particular field or discussion of a subject chosen by the evening’s hosts. The topic a couple of weeks ago was “the good old days.” That phrase meant something different to each of us. Several people suggested that these are the good old days — today, not some halcyon time from childhood. A few days later, I watched a repeat on public television of a multipart history of Jewish life in America. As the narrator described the years after World War II, I wondered: Are these, today, the “good old days” for Jews in America? These are better days than a century ago, when a Jewish man was lynched in a field in Marietta after
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being kidnapped from a prison cell in Milledgeville by vigilantes angry that the governor of Georgia had commuted his death sentence in the killing of a girl at the Atlanta factory that he managed. These are better days than in decades past when the likes of Father Coughlin and Henry Ford spewed
From Where I Sit By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com
anti-Jewish venom on the radio and in print, thousands of hooded Ku Klux Klan members marched in public, and anti-immigrant (particularly against those from Southern and Eastern Europe) sentiment was widespread. Today there are those who seek an audience, most notably online, by blaming Jews for what ails the nation. They do not represent the mainstream, however, and the same Internet hosts numerous forums that present a more
reasoned and positive view of Jewish life. These are better days than when discrimination in housing and employment was neither uncommon nor well disguised. Bias of the sort depicted in the film “Gentleman’s Agreement” is barred by law today. These are better days than when Jewish enrollment at pre-eminent universities was subject to quotas. Jewish students and faculty now populate the finest of these institutions. Anti-Semitism on campus, sometimes masked as anti-Israel sentiment, is a concern, though “anti-Semitic incidents reported to us in 2014 came from just 1 percent of colleges,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL counted 912 anti-Semitic incidents last year in America — “a particularly violent year for Jews both overseas and in the United States” — with a marked increase during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Meanwhile, examples abound of Jewish life flourishing in this country, even as hand-wringing continues about the Pew study that suggested some American Jews are losing their
religion. We worship freely and do not, for the most part, feel constrained to hide our identity. Our rabbis play prominent roles in their communities. We are Americans who are Jewish and Jews who are Americans. The following is from a recent “Dear Reader” letter by Samuel Norich, the publisher and chief executive officer of the Jewish-themed newspaper and website now known as the Forward: “Although we’re still a small minority, Jews are hardly outsiders in America today. We’re right in the thick of things, actively shaping America’s economy, politics, language, culture and values. We struggle not for acceptance, but for meaning, for community, for a way of being that reflects our history, our values, our tastes and our daily realities.” So I ask, taking everything into account, are these the “good old days” for Jews in America? ■ Dave Schechter is a veteran journalist whose career includes writing and producing reports from Israel and the Middle East.
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
LOCAL NEWS
Songs of Salvation
Prayers helped Bowman survive, thrive
P
enina Bowman sat with son Allen before an audience at the Breman Museum on Sunday, May 3, and chatted about her past as casually as if she were sharing family history with one of her great-grandchildren. Instead, the 88-year-old was in front of a standing-room crowd for the latest installment of the Breman’s Bearing Witness series of Holocaust survivors telling their stories. A lighthearted polyglot, Bowman discussed her impressive acquisition of several languages during World War II. “First I had to learn German because I had to mingle with them a lot,” Bowman said. “And then, because we worked with Frenchmen, I had to learn French.” The Nazis tore Bowman and her family from their native Romania days after her 17th birthday. She arrived at Auschwitz with her mother and two sisters in April 1944, while her father and brother were sent to Dachau. “In Auschwitz I was in both camps,” Bowman said. “When we arrived, we were in one, and then we had the selections. We went through the routine of having our hair cut and having a dressing, all that. And then we were moved to the next camp, which was a camp with about 20,000 people.” After six months of nearly daily selections, Bowman was sent to an electronics factory to labor for the German war machine. She and her sisters worked in appalling conditions until they were liberated in April 1945. They reconnected with her brother; their parents never left the camps. In Salzburg, Austria, Bowman lived with a group of survivors hoping to get to Palestine. A man from Chicago, Harold Bowman, arrived in Salzburg, eager to hone his Hebrew. He was taken aback by Penina, then 18, even though she knew little Hebrew. “I met Harold because he wanted to practice his Hebrew,” Bowman said. “And I learned Hebrew very fast because I already knew the songs.” Harold returned to Chicago after being discharged from the Army, but not before he presented Penina with a packaged gift: a portion of his militaryissued parachute, which she later used as part of her wedding dress. That dress is part of the Breman’s collection. She set sail and eventually arrived at a British refugee camp in Palestine.
Harold arrived shortly thereafter and used his military perks to remain. The couple eventually married, moved to Chicago and had three children. She lives in Sandy Springs. Bowman’s taste for lyrics helped her find the love of her life and helped her survive the Holocaust with a passion that continues to be heard. “I think prayer helped me a lot,” Bowman said. “Prayer, to this day, helps me. I love to go to services. I love to go on Friday night and hear the songs.” ■
A 3,600-daffodil garden to memorialize the 1.5 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust will be planted and dedicated Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. in Hammond Park in Sandy Springs. The garden is one of hundreds established throughout Georgia, the United States and the world as part of Am Yisrael Chai’s Daffodil Project. Nearly 200,000 daffodils have been planted since the nonprofit group was organized in 2010. Locations include Congregation Beth Tefillah, Temple Sinai, Ahavath Achim Synagogue, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, St. Jude’s Catholic Church, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Kennesaw State University, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights. The planting in Sandy Springs is planned as an inclusive event. “Children are children,” said event chair Mike Weinroth, an Am Yisrael Chai board member and longtime Sandy Springs resident with wife Linda. Weinroth, who can be reached for information at mikeweinroth@aol. com, said 1,000 people could attend. “I have already begun reaching out to various synagogues, schools and churches, and everyone wants to participate.” ■
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
By Zach Itzkovitz
Children’s Holocaust Garden Planned
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
Honoring Elder Mothers on Mother’s Day
“R
ise up before the grayhaired and grant honor to the elder.” — Leviticus 19:32 Mother’s Day is a perfect day to reflect on how we can honor our elder mothers and provides an opportunity to thank them in an intentional, mindful way. It can be a way to celebrate their many years in our lives and let them know they are appreciated and valued. There are many ways to joyfully connect and give the gift of your heart. Here are some new ways of celebrating Mother’s Day. May you find inspiration in the following suggestions: • Create your own Mother’s Day card. Instead of the usual store-bought card, consider making a personal card. In that card, consider sharing those special memories that brought a smile to your face or warmed your heart. For example, one of the cards I gave my mother shared how much I cherished the times we would watch countless
hours of “I Love Lucy,” eat black olives out of a can and laugh together. • Instead of going out to brunch or dinner, make the meal for her. There is nothing like a true homecooked meal. Perhaps the meal could be a special or favorite food or even a new recipe just for Mother’s Day. If your mother enjoyed cooking and isn’t
The Mindful Caregiver By Nancy Kriseman
able to do so on her own anymore, you might want to do this with her. • Instead of buying flowers, bring her plants that she can enjoy and help take care of. Consider taking your mother to the Botanical Gardens or for a nice walk in the park. If she is homebound, create a garden she can see out her window. You can even bring the garden into her home, such as a
fragrant and tasty herb garden. • Pamper her on Mother’s Day. Ask what might be special to her. Ideas include polishing her finger and toe-nails, massaging her hands with nice-smelling creams, and taking her to a play or concert. • Buy her an iPod or other MP3 player and create a playlist of her favorite songs. Music can warm the soul. And for those with dementia, research has demonstrated that music can reduce depression, evoke memories, stimulate cognition and provide comfort. • For mothers with dementia or other chronic diseases, learn to be a healing presence. A healing presence requires consciously and compassionately being in the present moment with your mother. You “just be” and appreciate the gift of silence. You might hold hands while sitting together, go outside and listen to the birds chirping, watch the butterflies or hummingbirds, or sit by the fireplace. Sharing silence can be more powerful than sharing words.
I do want to acknowledge that for some people, Mother’s Day can be difficult. Not all people have had a loving relationship with their mothers, and not everyone has a mother. Instead of dwelling on what could have been, perhaps think about an exceptional mother. Celebrate her! Or learn about some memorable mothers in Jewish history at the Jewish Women’s Archive (jwa.org). Mothers can be honored for their strength, courage and resilience. They are a true blessing in our lives. May this day be special for you all. ■
latest diet and nutrition information available. He was ahead of his time. He went rogue. He went cold turkey. My father became a patient of a Chinese medicine doctor, who advised him on macrobiotic eating. He gave up meat, dairy and coffee. He started lifting weights and playing racquetball regularly, getting his weight down to a lean 160 pounds. With this great inspiration and his entrepreneurial spirit, he opened a macrobiotic restaurant in Manhattan in the mid-1970s called East West Cookery. Empowered by my father’s journey and the exuberance of my youth, I too became a vegetarian at age 15. I also went cold turkey. Over the years I have changed my diet based on new information and past health experiences and am no longer vegetarian. I am neither condoning nor condemning this type of diet. The point here is not which diet, but the resolve to make a radical change all at once. The concept of “it’s not available for me to eat” can make a dramatic impact on the success of anyone who wishes to make real and lasting change. My family keeps kosher; nonkosher food is completely off-limits to us. One way kosher can be defined is
“fit to eat.” My wife and I, although not raised kosher, went cold turkey when we married over 20 years ago. It seems that this concept of “off-limits” or “not fit to eat” is quite effective when it comes to diet. It has served the Jewish people well for thousands of years. Carbohydrates/sugars create chemical changes in the brain and are highly addictive. When you eat some, you crave more. Once the door is opened, it becomes almost impossible to control cravings. By limiting carbohydrate intake to essential carbs, primarily from vegetables and low glycemic index fruit, most people quickly lose their cravings, allowing them to make greater strides in their loss of body fat. An abrupt change can make all the difference in the world. I recommend to most of our patients wanting to change their lives by changing their nutrition that they do it cold turkey. Our most successful dieters did best when they went cold turkey. Have some cold turkey in your diet today. ■
Nancy Kriseman is the author of “The Mindful Caregiver” and a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with older people and their families. This column is about helping families make the best possible decisions when supporting and caring for elder family members. To contact Nancy, visit www.nancykriseman.com, post on her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter (@GeriatricMSW).
Going Cold Turkey
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
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have been addressing patients’ various health conditions and concerns for over two decades, and I have found that so many health problems can be traced back to poor diet. Improper eating creates inflammation in the body, leading to many ills. Diet is our country’s great struggle. America’s poor eating habits are leading to unprecedented levels of obesity and an explosion of diet-related conditions, in adults as well as children. These include diabetes, hypothyroidism, heart disease, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, to name a few. Serious health conditions are often treated with medications to manage the body’s disease instead of addressing the root cause of most of these problems: poor diet. This pharmaceuticalonly “solution” not only endangers our bodies, but also puts our country on a fiscally irresponsible course. Estimated costs of the country’s obesity epidemic, which are staggering and getting worse, often do not take into account the impact of such indirect costs as employee absenteeism, loss of productivity and higher
insurance rates. There is also an enormous human cost: illness, shortened life span, loss of wages, loss of quality of life and the potentially devastating impact on families. My father, of blessed memory, struggled with his weight since he was young. He was 5-foot-11 and at his heaviest was 220 pounds. His daily diet consisted of poor eating habits including high-fat meat and high-carb
Guest Column By David Shapiro DrShapiro@CompleteSpineSolutions.com sides. He worked from early morning until late night, drinking 12 cups of high-test coffee a day. All this, combined with a lack of exercise, probably contributed significantly to his diagnosis of stomach cancer when he was in his mid-40s. That diagnosis changed him, and me, forever. My father was motivated to live. He decided to reform his lifestyle dramatically. While undergoing traditional cancer care, he studied the
Dr. David Shapiro, certified at the highest level in chiropractic biophysics, is the founder and chief wellness officer of Complete Spine Solutions in Tucker.
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Learning Not to Hate
Or Hadash program teaches mutual respect By Benjamin Kweskin
in a cross-cultural exchange. She and her family are Or Hadash members. Dalmat-Cohen spoke about her disdain for the word “tolerance,” preferring “respect” because it highlights and embraces the strength of diversity, which was the focus of the afternoon. She moderated a panel discussion with two representatives of Peace by Piece, a student organization under the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta that fosters understanding and friendship among the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta (Muslim), the Weber School (Jewish) and Marist School (Catholic). Weber senior Bonnie Simonoff and college freshman Anna Sanders, a Marist alum, spoke about the program’s personal impact on them and discussed the types of dialogue and activities the organization facilitates. Peace by Piece is also a community service organization and has tackled homelessness in metro Atlanta. The teens also discussed other Peace by Piece activities, such as team building and fostering personal friendships and relations with people of
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oughly 40 people of all ages and different faiths and ethnicities ignored the beautiful spring weather Sunday, May 3, to gather at Congregation Or Hadash for over three hours to discuss prejudice and hate. “Interfaith Community Call to Action to Fight Prejudice and Hate” provided a platform for leaders, teachers and other activists from several faith communities to explore how to create and build a respectful, tolerant, understanding and educated populace that embraces diversity. Several members of the Islamic Center of North Fulton in Alpharetta contributed to the lively discussions with the mostly Jewish audience. Rabbi Analia Bortz of Congregation Or Hadash spoke about the purpose of the gathering and introduced the first speaker and program, led by Alexis Dalmat-Cohen, the executive director of Culture Connect, a nonprofit in Clarkston that assists people from different faith and ethnic backgrounds
other faiths to diminish prejudice and hate. “It is one thing to learn about others in school and Photo by Benjamin Kweskin in books; it is A multiethnic, interfaith group gathers to tackle prejudice another thing and hate at Congregation Or Hadash on May 3. altogether to personalize these relationships,” Simonoff said. Indian-Muslim American with AsbergBoth teens suggested that people er’s syndrome who embarks on a quest who are interested in interfaith and to inform the president of the United interethnic relations should strive to States that he is not a terrorist. break out of comfort zones and mainThough the movie does not feature tain open minds free of preconceived specifically Jewish aspects, the messagnotions. They said the key is not just es of racial profiling, prejudice, misunthe work, but what they learn from it. derstanding and close-mindedness are Ultimately, they said, we all share universal problems. the same values, and so we should be After the movie, Brendan Murphy, able to form authentic relationships a history teacher at Marist, led an inwith our neighbors. formal discussion about reactions to Immediately after the youth-led the movie and facilitated a call to acdiscussion, the audience watched a tion: What can the community do to powerful movie about prejudice and strengthen relations and educate the bigotry in post-9/11 America. “My Name public about prejudice, scapegoating Is Khan” is a comedy-drama about an and “othering”? ■
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Diamant To Help Launch Community Mikvah
By Suzi Brozman om sbrozman@atljewishtimes.c known as the nita Diamant, best Tent,” is comauthor of “The Red two public ing to Atlanta to make month. this appearances Boston Girl,” Her latest book, “The her visit Feb. 23 to the will be the focus of But Center. ity Marcus Jewish Commun will help local orgathe night before she a new project, an allnizers plunge into at Congregation denominations mikvah Springs. B’nai Torah in Sandy n of reimaginDiamant’s discussio age will be free ing ritual for the modern at The Temple in and open to the public the Metro Atlanta Midtown to launch (MACoM) into the Mikvah ity Commun Atlanta. consciousness of Jewish ent nonprofit MACoM is an independ construction of the that plans to start in May and finish community mikvah . The project will before the High Holidays of the existing faciliinvolve a renovation has the support of ties at B’nai Torah and synagogues and other more than a dozen organizations. diverse supMACoM’s board reflects rabbis and repreport, including three Conservative and sentatives of Reform, Judaism. Orthodox streams of the model Diamant helped establish community al for a nondenomination 10 years at Boston’s Education 27 mikvah the past Waters). Mayyim Hayyim (Living Obituaries 28 to the idea of a “People responded beautiful, and ng 29 s Simcha place that was welcomi to s and sad, a way for happy occasion Sports 29 ” Diamant said. mark life’s changes, thoughts on the Crossword 30 See more about her ■ 6. Page modern mikvah on Marketplace 31
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A Lifetime Example of Leadership Federation to honor Perry Brickman at FED Talks By Suzi Brozman sbrozman@atljewishtimes.com
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
pend any time attending Jewish community events in Atlanta and you’re bound to see Perry Brickman over and over again. In the past few months, you could have seen him at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Power of One event for Jewish Disability Awareness Month. Or watched him videotaping Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks at Young Israel of Toco Hills. Or discussed Jewish youth with him at the BBYO International Convention. Or learned with him from speakers at Emory University, where he has endowed the Brickman-Levin Fellowship to support doctoral students in Jewish studies. Or mourned with him at the community Yom HaShoah observance at Greenwood Cemetery. Wherever Jewish Atlanta is gathering, there’s a good chance Perry Brickman will be there. On May 12, the gathering will be for him as the oral surgeon receives Federation’s Lifetime of Achievement Award during the FED Talks event. Many know Brickman because of the diligent investigative work he did in exposing years of anti-Semitic behavior at Emory University’s dental school, but that is just a small part of his achievements. The Chattanooga native graduated from Emory and entered the dental school. While an undergrad, he began dating Shirley Berkowitz, who eventually became his wife and enthusiastic partner in the community volunteer work that has exemplified their life together. “The community gave to us, and it was our turn to return it,” Shirley said. “The JCC, the Federation and organizations — it was our responsibility to return it to the community for our children and others who come after us. It was never a question of whether, but how.” Perry said that when he returned to Atlanta in 1961 with a young family to start a dental practice, one of his first efforts was to get involved with Alpha Omega, the Jewish dental fraternity, to connect with the community. “I also joined a physicians and dentists club and the synagogue Shirley’s parents belonged to and which I’d attended while in college. I shortly came in contact with Dr. Marvin Goldstein, who 16 was active in all three. He took me un-
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Association’s Honorder his wing. He was able Fellow Award a wonderful mentor and was awarded and friend.” the Presidential CitaGoldstein ention at the centennial couraged the Brickmeeting of the Alpha mans to get more inOmega International volved. Perry became Fraternity on Dec. 26, active in Federation 2012. and other groups, and • He received Shirley joined her the Emory Univerown organizations. sity Maker of History “I could list so many Award on Oct. role models 10, 2012. and mentors • He refrom whom ceived the I learned so first Centenmuch,” Perry nial Chamsaid, “but at pion Award the risk of at the Antileaving anyDefamation one out, I will League’s 100th just mention a n n ive r s a r y Marvin, who celebration in was like an February 2013 older brother.” in Palm Beach, Atlanta in Fla. those days was • He was an easy town a w a r d e d to get involved the Lifetime in, Perry said. Achievement It was collabAward by the orative, with Georgia SociFederation at ety of Oral and the center of Maxillofacial all the Jewish Surgeons in organizations. August 2014. Federation’s • On Dec. community 11, 2014, he recalendar monceived Alpha itored events Epsilon Pi Fraso that organiternity’s Cenzations didn’t tennial Leadhave conflictership Award. ing dates, • He whereas today Top: hirley Berkowitz, 16, and Perry served as Fed15 or more Brickman, 19, date in 1951. eration presithings could Middle: Shirley and Perry Brickman wed in 1955. from happen on Bottom: Perry and Shirley Brickman start 2015 together, dent as they have begun every year for six decades. 1990 to 1992 any given date and is a board in the Jewish member of Atlanta Jewish Academy, community. Perry should know how the orga- the Marcus Jewish Community Cennizations interacted. Here’s a partial ter, Atlanta Israel Bonds, Northwest list of what brought him to the Federa- Hospital Corp., the Georgia Israel Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE), the tion award: • He practiced oral surgery in the Southeastern Region of ADL, and the Atlanta area from 1961 to 2004 and was Southern Jewish Historical Society. • The Brickmans have received the a founding member and past president of the Georgia Society of Oral Surgeons. citywide Israel Bonds Award and B’nai • Gov. Zell Miller appointed him to B’rith Gate City Lodge Community Serthe Georgia Board of Dental Examin- vice Award and were honored by Yeshiva Atlanta High School and Torah Day ers, where he served seven years. • He received the Georgia Dental School of Atlanta.
Married for 59 years, Perry and Shirley are the parents of Lori Brickman, Teresa Finer and Jeff Brickman and the grandparents of Jason, Jessica, Elena, Talia, Joseph and Anna. “Dr. Perry and Shirley Brickman are mainstays of the Atlanta Jewish community who have, for decades, worked tirelessly for the benefit of the Atlanta community, both the Jewish and general community,” Rabbi Michael Broyde said. “In my 14 years as the rabbi of the Young Israel in Atlanta and now as a professor at Emory, I never saw a couple who were more dedicated to helping others and building community. There was never a matter, large or small, that they were not prepared to help work on. We as a community are truly fortunate that they have graced us with their presence and commitment all these many years. They should only be rewarded with many more years as part of the Atlanta Jewish community.” In 1967, Perry was invited to participate in a mission to Israel right after the Six-Day War. That was the first time since 1948 that Jews could go to the Western Wall. He went to Poland in 1983 and met with Jews behind the Iron Curtain. In 1987 he went on a mission with half a dozen others to the Soviet Union, where he met with refuseniks. He since has been to Israel 25 times on missions and vacations, but “it’s 80 percent Federation-involved,” he said. When Shirley founded Shalom Atlanta, helping newcomers integrate into Jewish Atlanta, Perry was right there to help. “Everything,” he said, “centered around Federation.” When Alpha Omega set up a dental clinic at the William Breman Jewish Home, Perry made sure he was there. “It was so important. Residents didn’t even have to leave the home to get treatment.” Perry has been involved with the Ben Massell Dental Clinic for half a century. “When we moved back to Atlanta, I had passed the Florida dental exams. I hadn’t taken Georgia’s tests because I wasn’t sure I’d practice here, but when we decided to stay, I had to take the exams. But I needed a live patient for that. I was told to go down to the Massell Clinic, where Marvin and his brother, Irving, were active. I got my patient down there, and I’ve been a volunteer ever since. Today it’s a stateof-the-art facility on 14th Street.”
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Perry is proud of what Federation has accomplished over the years, but two projects stand out. “We were able to incubate two incredible things,” he said. “Marty Kogon brought us Tom Glaser, who wanted to start an Israel Chamber of Commerce here. We gave him seed money. He grew it to be the finest Israel Chamber of Commerce in the Top: The Brickmans have three children, Lori country. Brickman, Teresa Finer and Jeff Brickman. “And Dr. Robert Friedmann, Bottom: Perry Brickman cites Israel Expo 85, held at the at Georgia State University, ini- site of the old JCC in Midtown, as one of his highlights. tiated a law enforcement exchange between Georgia and Israel. GILEE takes law enforcement the Internet long before most educagroups to Israel and brings Israeli ones tors even knew that was an option. The here. They helped with Atlanta’s Cen- project included the publishing of a tennial Olympic Games and later with book, which Perry said is a must-read. the problem of terrorist threats. Today The site was sponsored by a group of many small Georgia towns have sher- dedicated young men from Yeshiva iff’s desks adorned with Israeli flags Atlanta, including editor Binyamin Coto honor what their professionals have hen and co-editor Michael Alterman, learned from GILEE programs. In fact, as well as Yoel Spotts and Phil Cuba. the head of the GBI was one of our ear- Perry retains his commitment to YA, liest grads. These were two of the best now part of Atlanta Jewish Academy, and is scheduled to speak at the school investments we made.” Along the way, Perry got to know in early June. He credits much of his volunteer David Sarnat, who was for many years the executive director of Federation. success to his wife of 59 years, who “Perry marches to his own drummer,” returns the compliment with great Sarnat said. “He’s very tenacious, enthusiasm. “He’s the best thing that thoughtful, and he does what he thinks ever happened to me. I met him when is right. Like the dental school, once he I was 15, and he’s still the same genergets onto an issue, he never lets go. And ous, kind, bright, lovable man he was he’s usually on the right side of all is- then. You do things together because it sues. He concentrates, he listens, he’s makes a happy home life.” His dental partners, Harvey Silveropen, and he absorbs everything, and man and Charles Rosenberg, were althen he decides.” Other highlights of his volunteer ways available to cover for Perry when career include his involvement in Is- Federation responsibilities called him rael Expo 85, which turned the old JCC away from his practice. “He is the most motivated and campus in Midtown into Israel, complete with food, gifts, entertainment principled man that I know,” Silverand much more. “I think it was the first man said. “Perry was president of the time we had Jews from every part of the Federation. Charles and I didn’t mind covering because of the importance of community involved and attending.” Another of his favorites is Torah his position in the community. He’d From Dixie, which offered Torah on go to the ends of the earth to combat
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continued from previous page misjustice.” Rosenberg added: “Perry wasn’t just a partner. He was a mentor and a friend. He taught me that you give of your time and money for the community. He was involved in a lot, we covered for him, but the opposite was true too. He covered for us. It was a mutual admiration society.” The Brickmans are Shabbat-observant and active in the congregational and educational lives of the Toco Hills community. “Perry and Shirley Brickman of-
fer so much to the Atlanta community. They are, separately and as a couple, leaders and beloved role models in both our synagogue and the broader Atlanta Jewish community,” said Rabbi Adam Starr, the spiritual leader of Young Israel of Toco Hills. “Through decades of selfless commitment to the Federation and a wide swath of Jewish organizations here and abroad, they have contributed greatly to making Atlanta the strong, thriving Jewish community we have today. I am personally deeply
grateful to the Brickmans for being so instrumental in helping Young Israel of Toco Hills reach a new stage in our development with the building of our new sacred space. We all owe this unique, fun-loving couple a debt of gratitude.” Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Congregation Beth Jacob said: “The thing I have always noted about Perry is his humility. Rarely is a man of his accomplishments so open to growth in Judaism and to expanding its practice to all areas of his life. “He is a leader of men, and, most powerfully, he leads by example.” ■
What: FED Talks Who: Honoree Perry Brickman and speakers Joel Pressman, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation; Jan Singer, CEO of Spanx; and Dr. Joshua Green, chairmandesignate of the Federation National Young Leadership Cabinet Where: Buckhead Theater, 3110 Roswell Road, Buckhead When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 12 Tickets: $36, open to Federation campaign donors; www.jewishatlanta. org/fedtalks, kwatkins@jgfa.org or 404-870-1614
Top left: Shirley and Perry Brickman pay their respects at the Memorial to the Six Million after the Yom HaShoah observance April 19. Top right: The Brickmans ring in 1982.
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
Middle left: As a visit to the San Diego Zoo in 1984 and their time on a sailboat in Australia in 2008 show, the Brickmans have found time for pleasure amid their travels in service to the Jewish community.
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Middle right: The Brickmans in 1985. Bottom: The Brickmans in 2002.
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AJC Gala Hails Heroic Arnovitz By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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A Photos by Michael Jacobs
A: Kevin Arnovitz says that for all the positive effects his father has had, nothing is more positive than his influence on the succeeding generations of Arnovitzes. B: Keynote speaker Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal addresses Islam, terrorism, Iran and anti-Semitism. See details of his remarks on Page 1. C: Speakers throughout the night referred to Eliot Arnovitz’s insistence on timeliness and brevity, as shown in this cutout that was on the stage all night. D: Eliot Arnovitz spreads gratitude for the award and the gala event, including a thank-you to the NBA for not scheduling a Hawks playoff game Monday night. E: Steve Selig tells the Ritz-Carlton audience about lifelong friend Eliot Arnovitz.
marry a Jewish doctor? The wonder of it is that Eliot actually did it.” Arnovitz’s son, Kevin, back in Atlanta the past three months after a quarter-century away, said the wonder is how widely and positively his father has affected Atlanta. “One of the true pleasures is learning how respected and adored my father is.” Arnovitz’s leadership roles have included Ahavath Achim Synagogue, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, Federation, the Joint Distribution Committee, Israel Bonds and the AntiDefamation League. But he credited his 44 years of AJC membership with helping turn an Atlanta boy who grew up happy but ignorant of his place in the world into someone ready and willing to be an advocate and activist for Jewish people everywhere. The AJC, Arnovitz said, is a center of lifelong learning. Israeli Consul General Opher Aviran, who received the AJC Advocacy Award, said the organization’s initials could easily stand for advocacy, justice and commitment. Awards also went to Matt Weiss, the outgoing co-chair of ACCESS, who got the ACCESS Award, and AJC board member Jonny Blank, who received the President’s Award for launching the AJC University speaker series. But the night belonged to Arnovitz. “Eliot,” Selig said, “I wish you the strength, courage and wisdom to continue to fight the good fight.” ■
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ewish Atlanta paid tribute to a community superhero Monday night, May 4. Eliot Arnovitz “is a hero of ours,” lifelong friend Steve Selig said in presenting the American Jewish Committee’s Selig Distinguished Service Award to Arnovitz at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. “Sometimes, in fact, I think he possesses superhero qualities.” Those qualities, Selig said, include: • Like Superman, a heart of gold and the heart of champion, with powers and abilities limited only by his own mind. “By the way, both Superman and Eliot could fly.” • Like Batman, a singular dedication to preventing and avenging crimes. Selig said Arnovitz once jumped into a fight with a mugger in Spain to stop the theft of a purse from a fellow member of a Federation mission. Arnovitz later said Selig was just as quick to save him by pulling him away. • Like Captain America, the fighting spirit of the ultimate fighter and patriot, now being applied to his own health battle. “He also fought for every worthy cause in our community.” • Like Spider-Man, a determination to protect those less fortunate and a sense of responsibility that forces him to step up when called on, most recently when the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta needed an interim leader after Steve Rakitt left and before Michael Horowitz arrived. • Like the Incredible Hulk, the ability to hold up the community on his strong shoulders, plus perhaps the need to lose a few pounds. • Like Captain Marvel, the wisdom of Solomon, displayed in phrases such as “No good deed goes unpunished,” “A broken clock is right twice a day,” “You can’t hurt yourself jumping out of a basement window” and “How can I be lost if I don’t know where I’m going?” Perhaps Arnovitz’s greatest power is his ability to bring out the best in those around him, in part by making them believe in the importance of what they are doing, Selig said. “Eliot has inspired us to do more than we thought we would be able to do.” Either that or his ability to land his Wonder Woman of a wife, Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky. “It’s a wonder that Eliot was able to marry such a terrific woman as Phyllis. Together, what a team they make,” Selig said, adding, “Isn’t it every Jewish mother’s prayer that their child
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The playground at Kittredge Park is geared for children ages 2 to 12.
Playground Packed By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com
D
ozens of children have flocked to the new playground in Toco Hills since it opened Friday, May 1, when the orange barricades and yellow caution tape were removed about a week after it was completed. The playground has hardly seen a quiet moment since. Families meet there and eat dinner on picnic tables as their children play while the sun sets through the tall pine trees of Kittredge Park. Strollers line the walkway leading from the street to the play area. Children play tag, laugh, climb and jump. Moms chat about doctor’s appointments and healthy snacks. In addition to the purple-and-turquoise playground, there are wooden shade structures for picnic tables, trash receptacles and a bike rack, as well as the garden beds and an outdoor classroom space with wooden benches. Dana Harris, the executive director of Next Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program, runs the garden and several others in Atlanta to educate students about various aspects of gardening. Harris is recruiting leaders from the community to help run the garden, including deciding what to grow. “We want to teach about the culture of Toco Hills,” said Harris, who spearheaded the project, including applying for a KaBoom grant and working with Toco Hills resident Danny Minkow to raise money and plan. “It’s new to me,” Harris said of Jewish practice, including keeping kosher and observing Shabbat. She said she enjoyed meeting Jewish parents and the families who participated in the playground’s design day at nearby DeKalb International Student Center. “I’m excited to be welcomed into the Toco Hills community,” she said, adding that more work must be done to
make the garden, playground and park “beautiful and safe for everybody.” She noted concerns raised by the yeshiva and community members about the possibility of more traffic. To keep cars off Holly Lane, designated parking for the playground is at the closed Briarcliff High School on North Druid Hills Road, with a cleared walking path and signs leading through the woods to the park. Work remains to be done on that path and on the playground, Harris said. Any leftover money will pay for replacement mulch as it is needed, said Friends of Kittredge Park’s Bill Lide. He said they will ask the county to install a water fountain and a restroom on the site, as well as a chain-link fence along the back side of the playground for safety. “We hope that these projects will be installed by the end of the year.” Harris said she is excited about the opportunity to connect religious, cultural and global aspects of the community through the park as school groups participate in classes at the garden. “It’s an opportunity to educate people about DeKalb’s diverse population,” said Harris, noting that more than 40 countries are represented at DeKalb International Student Center. “It’s going to make Kittredge Park an exciting place,” she said. Jeff Cohen, a 13-year resident of Toco Hills with his wife, Faith, said the playground is perfect for their children, Goldie, 4, and Avraham, 15 months. “The playground accommodates a good age range,” he said. The playground has two separate areas for different ages up to 12. Throughout the day, squeals of delight can be heard from the playground as parents and children come and go — spinning, climbing, sliding, running and meeting new friends. “I’m very excited,” Cohen said. “It’s a big attribute for the neighborhood.” ■
LOCAL NEWS
By Anna Streetman
T
he Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has partnered with an app called GrapeVine to enhance engagement within Jewish Atlanta. GrapeVine (www.grape-vine.com) aims to facilitate Jewish connections even as lives and interests evolve. It consists of a mobile app, a weekly email and a website that personalize recommendations for experiences and events in the Jewish community. As individuals fill out their profiles and interact with GrapeVine, GrapeVine learns about them and suggests opportunities based on their needs and interests. Every organization that posts on GrapeVine has its own portal to access data about the community, the organization and events. The app targets young Jewish professionals and families in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Rhode Island. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta partnered with GrapeVine in March 2014 and has helped connect the app with organizations trying to expand their community reach. Amanda Abrams, Federation’s senior vice president of strategy planning and impact, said GrapeVine has exceeded expectations in its first year in the community. “We were blown away by GrapeVine’s success,” Abrams said. “We originally hoped to partner GrapeVine with 10 organizations in the Atlanta area. Today we have over 30.” The more partnerships, the greater the variety of experiences GrapeVine can offer. During the first quarter of GrapeVine Atlanta, almost 10,000 people interacted with the platform. Today, 6,000 people are active users. Tommy Bledsoe, the associate director of outreach and engagement for GrapeVine Atlanta, said GrapeVine is constantly improving and listening to feedback to create a better experience. “We are launching a new website and mobile app this month that will provide an even more refined experience for our users and partner organizations,” Bledsoe said. GrapeVine plans to launch in Chicago and is in continual communication with cities that want to bring in the app. Abrams said the app shows the benefits of partnership: “We’ve helped bring GrapeVine to young adults and young families in all of Atlanta. It’s just what the Jewish community needs.” ■
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
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MAY 8 ▪ 2015
Growing GrapeVine
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LOCAL NEWS
MJCCA
Better Know a Bagel: Art’s Bagels & More
The hunt for Atlanta’s best continues By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
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ince 1994, Art’s Bagels & More has made authentic New York-style bagels in Acworth. For the next stop in my bagel odyssey, begun last fall, I made the trek to check out this family-owned and -operated business. Art’s was originally a Manhattan Bagel franchise during the bagel boom of the mid-1990s. When Manhattan Bagel declared bankruptcy in 1998, Art’s went independent. The shop has crafted its own bagels, cream cheese and pastries ever since.
over 20 varieties, including super cinnamon, spinach, and classics sesame, rye and everything. My only gripe was that my everything bagel seemed a little sparse on seasoning. Nevertheless, these bagels seriously satisfy. Verdict:
Spreads Art’s makes almost everything in house, and that includes its assortment of more than 15 cream cheese varieties. I enjoyed the garlic and herb and honey-walnut, but the shop also offers cinnamon-apple crunch, spinachAtmosphere artichoke, and Art’s Bagels the brazenly unmakes its home in kosher chive and the Mars Hill Point bacon. Aside from shopping center the diversity in Photo by David R. Cohen off Cobb Parkway The sesame bagels at Art’s have the classic cream cheese, the next to Johnny’s menu doesn’t ofcrunchy exterior and chewy interior. Pizza and Auto fer anything exotZone. Inside, autographed pictures of ic, just classic bagels, sandwiches and local legends hang on the wall, wish- schmear. You won’t even find home ing well to the bagel bakery. The collec- fries on the menu. tion ranges from legendary University of Georgia broadcaster Larry Munson Verdict: to ageless Braves wonder Julio Franco, who played professional baseball until Overall he was 49. His framed autograph reads, Art’s Bagels & More is a throwback “Art’s keeps me going.” If Franco ate to a simpler time: a shop that makes here, these bagels must be good. great bagels and spreads in a simple, casual atmosphere where everyone Verdict: is welcome to have a nosh. If you find yourself in Acworth in the morning or Bagels early afternoon, stop by this familyBoiled and baked on location in owned restaurant for a bite. ■ the traditional New York style, these bagels are the real deal. Art’s serves Verdict:
Wenger Wins Healy Award
Cardiologist Nanette K. Wenger received the inaugural Bernadine Healy Leadership in Women’s Cardiovascular Disease Award at the recent 64th annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session. Wenger, whose Jewish community involvement includes life membership in Hadassah, is a professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine and former chief of cardiology at Grady Memorial Hospital. Wenger has worked for more than 50 years to reduce women’s disability and death from cardiovascular disease. In 1993, she co-wrote an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that debunked the belief that heart disease was a man’s issue; in fact, it is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. ■
BUSINESS
Financial Advice for The Sandwich Generation documents are up to date — Whether it’s you, your parents or your children, it’s important to determine whether you’ll need a durable power of attorney, a health care proxy, a living will, and a last will and testament. It’s also key to review and update beneficiary
Guest Column By Allen Shpigel www.ameripriseadvisors.com/ allen.a.shpigel
designations on investments and insurance policies because they could trump a will. In addition, keep a list of your financial accounts and passwords — and know where your parents and children keep theirs — in case one of you needs to step in for another. • Explore resources to help offset costs — If your children attend college, research the scholarship opportunities or work-study programs available. Also, find out whether your parents qualify for federal, state or local benefits. This knowledge can help all of you make better, more informed decisions about budgeting, school choices, loan options, long-term-care options and other financial choices. • Set limits — Although your career may be reaching its peak and you may be making more money than ever, those dollars aren’t necessarily up for grabs. Be clear with your children and parents about how much financial support you are realistically able to provide. If you choose to give them money, be clear whether it’s a loan that needs to be repaid or a gift that does not. When lending money, document the conditions of the loan in writing, and have both parties sign and date the agreement so that there are no misunderstandings. For help understanding the potential pitfalls of the Sandwich Generation, consult a reputable financial adviser. An adviser can help you create a financial strategy that makes sense for your situation. ■ Allen Shpigel is a financial adviser and chartered retirement planning counselor with Ameriprise Financial Services in Atlanta. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 12 years.
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f you’re between 35 and 55, you might feel a financial pinch from your growing — or grown — children and your aging parents or inlaws. You might also find yourself under pressure as you juggle your work commitments and the expectations from family members for your time and support. As a member of what’s known as the Sandwich Generation, you’re not alone. Unlike previous generations, in which children left home earlier and usually permanently, kids tend to live at home longer or move out and return, sometimes with their children in tow. And parents tend to live longer, often spending 25 years or more in retirement. If you’re wondering how to keep yourself financially on track in the face of these competing demands, the following strategies may help: • Pay yourself first — Instead of paying your bills and other expenses and then saving what’s left, automatically route a portion of your paycheck to your 401(k), Roth IRA or other retirement savings account and encourage your working children to do the same. This way, you’re regularly investing in your future financial security. Because of the power of compound interest, the sooner your children start this habit, the better their chances of accruing wealth. • Talk openly about finances — Discuss the basic tenets of sound money management with your children to help them develop good saving and spending habits at an early age. This includes helping them understand the role cash reserves, insurance protection, fixed investments and equity investments play in their financial strategy. On the flip side, it’s equally important to talk with your parents about their plan for meeting their financial obligations in the years ahead. This includes knowing what plans they have if they become ill or incapacitated. • Discuss long-term-care insurance — One of the greatest challenges in planning for retirement is trying to predict health care expenses. In-home health care costs or a lengthy nursing home stay can wreck havoc on a family’s finances. If your parents don’t have long-term-care insurance, they might want to look into it. • Make sure financial and legal
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Listening to the Cigar Lifestyle
Gary Laden and Alan Friedman do more than blow smoke on radio show By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
G
ary “Doc” Laden and Alan “The Cigar Savant” Friedman are Atlanta ambassadors of the cigar lifestyle. The self-proclaimed “Cigar Guys” in March launched a weekly radio show on WGKA-AM 920 focused on fine dining, vacationing, drinking and enjoying cigars, all based on Laden and Friedman’s philosophy on life: Everything is better with a cigar. I met with these stogie specialists at Churchill’s Cigar Lounge in Sandy Springs. We puffed on cigars and discussed their show, the cigar industry’s Jewish history and the cigar lifestyle. AJT: Tell me about your radio show. Laden: We have a show all about the cigar lifestyle. To us, the lifestyle means that while drinking nice wines or bourbons, enjoying a meal or going on vacation, everything is enhanced by a cigar. AJT: So where is your favorite place to enjoy a cigar?
Friedman: Anywhere. Just sitting out on the deck on a Sunday afternoon enjoying a cigar is wonderful. Another thing that I enjoy doing is going to a cigar lounge or bar and meeting my next best friend. Laden: A really cool place that just opened up is the Cigar City Club in Sandy Springs. It’s reminiscent of the old speakeasy-type bar. Other great shops in town are Blue Havana 2, Cigar Merchant, Churchill Fine Cigars (the location of the interview) and Scottish Tobacco in Buckhead. AJT: Alan, why do they call you “The Cigar Savant”? Laden: We call Alan a savant because he is like the Rain Man of cigars. We joke around that Alan has an internal Google search in his head. Ask him any question about cigars and he can spout it out, but ask him to name two Braves players and he won’t know (laughs).
what you find is there were a lot of Russian and European Jews that left for opportunity in the Unites States. A lot were involved in the tobacco trade, and there’s a few of them that are world famous. One of the biggest names is Zino Davidoff. He took what he had You can hear “The Cigar Guys,” Gary “Doc” Laden (left) and Alan learned from his fa“The Cigar Savant” Friedman, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ther in the tobacco business in Switzerland and went to Cuba. He worked in AJT: So I’m definitely a novice; what the fields and the factories, learning are we smoking right now? how to manufacture cigars, and then Laden: This would be a medium-bodbrought that back to Switzerland and ied cigar that has an Ecuadorian Haopened up one of the most famous bano wrapper. It’s a Cuban seed that’s grown in Ecuador. shops in the industry, Davidoff. Laden: Royalty and celebrities would Friedman: And it’s actually manufacgo to his shop. He turned that into a tured by a company called Kings Cilifestyle offering of Davidoff cologne, gars, which is one of our sponsors. This particular cigar is called the Caballero. clothing and accessories. Friedman: I also found a photograph This cigar is perfect for a novice or of a great-grandfather who had a cigar someone who is very experienced. wagon in New York, and I didn’t even AJT: Where and when can people listen know he was in that business. Laden (laughs): You gotta blow that up to your show? Laden: Well, the show is on live from 11 and put it on a canvas art print. a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday. It’s also siAJT: If I’m a novice cigar smoker, what’s mulcast on iTunes and whatever other app that someone would use to pick the key to picking out a great cigar? Laden: Well, there are some basic rules, up radio shows. We also have an onlike someone first learning would not demand feature on our website, which pick what we would call an extra- is www.cigarguysradioshow.com. Our strong cigar, meaning the nicotine long-term goal is to syndicate over content is high with leaves that have many stations. a lot of strength to it, which can make someone dizzy. A novice should maybe AJT: All right, time to close out this ingo for a cigar that is built with a Con- terview. How do you close your show? Laden: Smooth draws everyone. ■ necticut wrapper, which is milder.
AJT: Isn’t there a long history of Jews in the cigar industry? Friedman: If you get into specifics,
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Birth Nosson Tzvi Birnbaum Rabbi Mordy and Nechoma Birnbaum of Dunwoody announce the birth of their son Nosson Tzvi on April 16, 2015. He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. The grandparents are Rabbi Moshe and Leah Hiller of Toco Hills and Dr. Irving and Eleanor Birnbaum of Chicago. Nosson Tzvi has two brothers, Elchonon and Akiva, and one sister, Ahuva. Nosson Tzvi is named after the late rosh yeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, ob”m.
Photos by Rabbi David Kapenstein Nosson Tzvi Birnbaum’s bris is held April 23 at Congregation Ariel, where his father, Rabbi Mordy Birnbaum, is the youth director.
Birth Noah Adam Goldberg
UNDER CONTRACT IN RECORD TIME!
Sheri and Michael Goldberg of Roswell announce the birth of son Noah Adam Goldberg on Feb. 17, 2015. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. The grandparents are Robin and Alan Manheim of Marietta, Alan Goldberg of Cleveland, Tenn., and Kathy and Keith Vickers of Morgansville, Ill. Noah is named in memory of his great-grandfather Harold Lurey.
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Confident and Radiant in a Splashy Setting Goldmans’ style highlights wine and the Tree of Life
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nter Marcia and Murray Goldman’s one-level condominium and you plunge into color and sculpted leafy designs. Jaffe: How would you describe your style? What did you want to achieve? Marcia Goldman: I wanted a contemporary vibe but with no extremes. Straight lines with a neat look. We wanted to bring in our older pieces to strike a nice balance. Jaffe: Your kitchen is a showcase. Combining the green hues with the aqua is almost a color block. Goldman: We started with the unusual granite, Verdi Vecchio, and searched to find a backsplash that would work with that. … Ultimately, iridescent green glass tiles filled the bill. I love our breakfast nook with the folksy clock from New Morning Gallery in Asheville. The table “Branches” from Century features a rusty stem, mother-of-pearl leaves and black tip shells as accents. This fits into our Tree of Life theme throughout. Our decorator said, “That table just won’t work in here,” and my instinct was “Let’s make it work,” so we reduced the circumference of the glass. The lighting groupings in the kitchen are beaded and glittery [Gymnopedic] polished silver. The chairs with the grape-sculpted metallic backs we found in Scottsdale and just couldn’t pass up since we collect wines.
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
Jaffe: You’re an oenophile. Where do you store the wine? What are your favorites? Goldman: When Murray and I made the decision to downsize from a multilevel home to this one level, we had to decide what to do with the 1,500 bottles of wine collected over the past four decades. At that same time, our son returned from England, got married and opened a restaurant. He needed a place to live, and he could take care of the wine. When he bought our home, we bought this condo. And any time we need more, we pay him a visit. A winwin situation! Actually we do have two wine units here for 200 bottles. Our favorites are reds — Darioush, Kosta Browne, Shafer, Robert Young, Chappellet, Hewitt 26 and Hartwell.
AJT
Jaffe: Even your kitchen knife block is a work of art! Your living space colors work so well. It’s warm and cool at the same time. Mustard, cream and turquoise. How did you arrive at that? Goldman: We started with my mother’s mustard Chinese rug and selected paint by Benjamin Moore California Hills [the kitchen is Lewiville Green, which is almost old-fashioned,
Chai-Style Interiors By Marcia Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com
like the old avocado appliances]. I didn’t want to get too tied into matching, as we originally ordered a mustard leather sofa but changed to cream as a contrast. The blue entered when we
B the old Piedmont Arts Festival.
A found Texture Inc. fabrics that paved the way to a Byzantine feel. Jaffe: Actually, in your dining room I see hints of Greece and Venice. Which is it? Goldman: Both. The dining room started with my mother’s breakfront from 1953. We got the Greek key bowl in Napa. The silk chairs bring in the leaves and flowers again, and the rug was custom-made with the leafy border. We acquired the glass chandelier from our trip to Venice. The lithograph is by Israeli Ari Gradus, representing all the Jewish holidays. Notice the Purim masks besides the Sabbath candles — an odd find at
Jaffe: Your living room is so inviting. What were you looking to achieve in here? Goldman: We started with an oil painting we acquired in Hawaii by a German artist [Gerhard Nesvadba] of a scene from the south of France called “Hints of Lavender.” Side table by Michael Gilmartin and Century puzzle tables, but the gem is the nightstand I had as a child — totally untouched with its original gold patina. For whimsy, we have the glass sculpture of an upside-down woman [the “meshugana” lady] from North Carolina by [Chuck] Young and [Deana] Blanchard called “Topsy Turvy.” The lamps in here were commissioned [Grace Cathey] to carry through the leafy plant theme. These are caladiums. Jaffe: Also I see the dramatic giant
leaves in the guest bathroom. Goldman: Isn’t that wallpaper wild? We liked the old-fashioned heavy flocking with charcoal and more mustard as palm fronds. The unusual mirror was done by a local artist, Chester Old. Jaffe: Your master bedroom is very soothing in snowy alabaster. I would be afraid to have my black Australian shepherd jump on that bed! Goldman: We had the fabric headboard made, and the Tree of Life is also from a local arts festival. Most sentimental is my parent’s ketubah. Jaffe: Let the photos do the talking. It all works so well together. Goldman: Murray and I are very comfortable here. We love to travel, and now all we have to do is lock the door and enjoy our trip. That’s the best part. ■
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F
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Photos by Duane Stork
A: A Greek key wine bowl found in Napa Valley sits near silk fabric chairs in lime by Texture Inc. B: Gerhard Nesvadba’s “Hints of Lavender” hangs on the wall behind Marcia and Murray Goldman. C: The “Filigree Crystal Branches” chandelier from Yaacov Golan provides sparkle in the foyer. D: “Topsy Turvy” is a human-size sculpture by Deana Blanchard and Chuck Young. E: The kitchen nook includes a folk clock from Asheville and a “Branches” table with mother-of-pearl leaves and black tip shells as accents. F: Leafy flocked wallpaper surrounds a custom bathroom mirror by Chester Old. G: The kitchen pass-through features Verdi Vecchio granite beneath dramatic mesh lighting. H: The master bedroom uses a Tree of Life theme. I: The Goldmans found these wine-themed chairs in Scottsdale, Ariz.
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
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OBITUARIES
THE SONENSHINE TEAM
Atlanta’s Favorite Real Estate Team
Death Notices
DEBBIE SONENSHINE STAR NEWMAN KATIE GALLOW
Send condolence announcements to editor@atljewishtimes.com for inclusion here. Ruth Melkonian Jaffe, 68, of Atlanta, Temple Sinai member, on April 29. Betty Karr of Atlanta on April 30.
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Penny Hamond-Wolk, 83, beloved mother and grandmother and dear friend to many in the Atlanta community and beyond, passed away at Berman Commons in Dunwoody on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Penny was born Joan Backhaut in New York City on June 3, 1931. She graduated from Mills College of Education and taught kindergarten for many years in New York, making such an impression that several of the children she taught back in the 1950s were still in touch with her. She raised two children, Nina and Jeff, and moved to Atlanta in 1977, never leaving the state she grew to love. She worked in various industries before starting a successful corporate recruiting company, Hamond Associates, through which she had a positive influence on countless people who grew to love her like family. She joins her beloved life partner and husband of many years, Jerry Wolk, who died on New Year’s Eve 2014. She also joins her only sibling and best friend, sister Rhoda Kalish, who died in 1996. Funeral services were held at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs on Wednesday, May 6. Donations in her honor may be made to Weinstein Hospice, 3150 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30327. Arrangements by H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington Chapel.
Deborah S. Kitay 76, Atlanta
Deborah S. Kitay, 76, of Atlanta died Monday, April, 27, 2015. Debbie, attorney at law, beloved mom, nana, sister and friend, had an opportunity to visit with family and friends before her passing, and we were all blessed with the opportunity to say goodbye. Mom was many things, but she was exceptionally happy to be nana and proud to have forged a career in law at a time when the idea of that for a wife and mother was daring. But she had the example of her own mother, the first of four generations of lawyers in our family. She was a graduate of Wellesley College and Emory University School of Law. Surviving are daughter Terry Kitay of Marina del Rey, Calif.; son and daughter-in-law Ben and Bonnie Kitay of Alpharetta; grandchildren Zach and Hallie; brother and sister-in-law Myron Kramer and Nichea Paris; and numerous dear friends. Graveside services were held Wednesday, April 29, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Bradley Levenberg officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Atlanta Legal Aid Society Inc. or Angels Among Us Pet Rescue of Alpharetta. Arrangements by H.M. Patterson & Son, Arlington Chapel.
Helen Klug 87, Atlanta
Helen Klug, 87, of Atlanta passed away peacefully Saturday, May 2, 2015. Born in Danzig, Poland, she was a Holocaust survivor. Helen moved to the United States in 1951 — initially to Columbus, Ohio, then to Brooklyn, N.Y., before ultimately settling in Atlanta in 1969. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 66 years, Bernard; her daughter, Miriam Klug Silverman; a son-in-law, Les Silverman; and a grandson, Joshua Klug. Helen is survived by her son, Joseph, and his wife, Carole, and grandchildren Gillian and Sloane Silverman and Alli Nicole Klug. An online guestbook is available at www.edressler. com. Graveside services were held Monday, May 4, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Scott Colbert officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
OBITUARIES - MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING
Rosalie Stein Kruger 93, Atlanta
Rosalie Stein Kruger, 93, of Atlanta died Monday, April 27, 2015, in Atlanta. Mrs. Kruger was born Dec. 7, 1921, in Baltimore and grew up in Cartersville with her parents, Sam and Ann Cohen Stein. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. degree in business administration. In 1943, Rosalie married Buddy Lewis Kruger and moved to Fitzgerald, where she worked in the family business and raised three children. Rosalie was active in the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation and the PTA while enjoying cooking, reading, playing golf and playing bridge. In 1969, she moved to Atlanta and worked many years at Saks Fifth Avenue, followed by Neiman Marcus, and retired from Mednikow at age 84. Living life to the fullest, Rosalie was elegant, poised, enthusiastic, and an amazing, wonderful, incredible, conscientious and loving aunt, person, friend, mentor, role model, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who was loved by all who had the good fortune to know her. With an enduring zest for life and laughter, she epitomized timelessness, independence and gracefulness. May her memory be for a blessing. Rosalie is survived by her daughters, Arleen Kruger Honick and Elaine Kruger Tanenbaum and her husband, Allan, of Atlanta; her son, Larry Kruger, and his wife, Lisa, of Los Angeles; grandchildren Louis Tanenbaum and his wife, Allison, Sharon Tanenbaum Kraus and her husband, Ethan, Stephen and Eric Tanenbaum, Brian Honick, and Beau Kruger; and great-grandchildren Alana and Rachel Tanenbaum and Nathan Kraus. She is also survived by her sister, Ruth Wisebram, and her husband, Herschel, and her brother, Ben Stein, and his wife, Iris, from Cartersville, along with many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her husband, Buddy L. Kruger; her parents, Sam and Ann Stein; and her sister, Esther Stein Harris. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Tuesday, April 28, at Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation, 346 Main St., Tifton, GA 31794. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
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held Sunday, May 3, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbis Donald Tam and Fred Greene and Cantor Nancy Kassel officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to a charity of your choice. Funeral arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Jack Tobin
84, Spartanburg, S.C.
Jack Tobin, 84, of Spartanburg, S.C., died Sunday, May 3, 2015, at Spartanburg Medical Center. He was born Dec. 9, 1930, in Philadelphia to the late Nathan and Esther Tobochnik. Mr. Tobin was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and was the former owner of Tobin Pattern Service. He was a member of Temple B’nai Israel, where he served as president from 1980 to 1983. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Survivors include his loving wife of 63 years, Marcia Diamond Tobin; daughters Jessica Moody of Ashland City, Tenn., and Carol Rose (Marc) of Alpharetta; sons Steven Tobin (Abbe) of Roswell, Ian Tobin (Pat) of Atlanta, Jamie Tobin of Spartanburg, and Martin Tobin of Springfield, Va.; grandchildren Aaron Moody of Clarksville, Tenn., Adrienne West (Chris) of Canton, Danielle Tobin of Roswell, Emily Tobin of New Orleans, Kelsey Tobin of New York, Brianna Pogal-Tobin of Detroit, Michael Rose of Atlanta, and Dena Rose of Alpharetta; and great-granddaughter Hannah Madalyn West of Canton. A graveside service was conducted Tuesday, May 5, in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg, by Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Temple B’nai Israel, 146 Heywood Ave., Spartanburg, SC 29302, in gratitude of the caring committee. An online guest register is available at www.floydmortuary.com. Arrangements by Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel, Spartanburg.
Susan Moscow Levitt 68, Atlanta
Susan Moscow Levitt, 68, a native of Atlanta, passed away peacefully at her home Tuesday, April 28, 2015. Born to Estelle and Robert Moscow, she graduated from the University of Georgia before obtaining her master’s degree in social work. She is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, Jay Levitt; sons Chad (Alisha) and Jared (Kerri); grandchildren Estelle, Rider, Arlo, Tyler, Matthew and Ashlyn; brother Billy (Sharon); and niece and nephew Michelle and Scott. Her charismatic and fun-loving personality will be greatly missed by all who knew her. An online guestbook is available at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Susan and Jay Levitt Outreach Fund through Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30327, www.templesinaiatlanta.org. Graveside services were held Thursday, April 30, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Ronald Segal officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Martin Soniker Martin “Marty” Soniker, 72, of Roswell passed away Thursday, April 30, 2015. Marty married Fern on Jan. 17, 1970; they were married 45 years. Marty worked with great pride as the president of his consulting company with his wife until retirement. Through the years, he enjoyed time with his family and friends, traveling, grilling, jogging, exercising and spending time at his lake home. Marty is survived by his wife, Fern; daughters Jill Soniker (and Chip Bauer) of Montpelier, Va., and Randi Dymkowski (and Isaac) of Marietta; grandchildren Jacob, Ethan and Micah Dymkowski; sister Judy Galatzer of Petah Tikvah, Israel; and nieces, nephews, and other family and friends. Marty was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 19, 1943. He graduated from James Madison High School and continued on to receive an M.B.A. from Baruch College. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. A graveside service was
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
72, Roswell
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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING
A Mother’s Day Gift That Came From Mom
W
MAY 8 ▪ 2015
hen I was 8 years old, my mom gave me the best Mother’s Day present. I became a big sister, again. Mom (z”l) and Dad (z”l) lived on the second floor of Building 1 of twin apartment buildings. Across from private homes and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, these buildings were visible from way down the Fairmont Place hill. Wearing a coat of light brick and boasting huge windows and beautiful gardens along the brick walkway leading up to the elegant lobby, our building was an architectural beauty. At the time, I just knew the lobby was a perfect playroom for my cousins, friends and me. The fancy velvet (velvet!) chairs and marble end tables were a perfect backdrop for children morphing into kings and queens. We were on the fourth floor in 1D at the top of the staircase. It was a rather spacious one-bedroom. Our bedroom was large enough to house my parents’ bed; my junior bed, on the right side of my parents’ bed near a huge window; and my sister’s crib, originally mine, placed at the wall facing the foot of their bed. The living room/kitchen had double windows, from which I could look across the alley into my cousins’ kitchen. When I was hallucinating from a high fever, sick with viral pneumonia and chickenpox, I would sneak over to the double windows when I was specifically told not to get out of bed. Admit it: If you were certain the mice invading your home were not a wild hallucination, you would head to the nearest window as well. Then one day my mother made a surprise announcement — a real surprise for my parents, who at first were struck speechless. We moved to 5D immediately after Mother’s Day. It boasted a large main bedroom, a separate living room, a separate kitchen and a small hallway. The bedroom was a dedicated space for me and for the girl who was to become the middle sister. My parents turned the living room into their bedroom, which would house my crib. On June 1, the surprise, wrapped up as a baby sister, arrived, and I had my very own living baby doll. Thanks, 30 Mom, for the Mother’s Day gift.
AJT
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CROSSWORD
“First Ladies”
By Alan Olschwnag Editor: DavidBenkof@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Manageable
At a mere 1 month of age, my real-life baby doll traveled with the family to the bungalow colony in the New York mountains where we spent the summers until I left for overnight camp. I loved the responsibility of caring for my baby; after all, not many
Shaindle’s Shpiel By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com
8-year-olds receive a real-life baby doll as a gift from Mom. There was just a tiny problem. One morning, around her nap time, I had to figure out how I could swim in the beautiful lake with my cousins and friends while taking care of my baby. I strolled around in my bathing suit, singing while pushing her carriage, hoping she would fall asleep quickly. No such luck. Shazzam! The solution came to me. I turned the carriage facing the sun so she would be forced to shut her eyes. It worked: She fell sound asleep. The lake was delicious that day. When my baby sister became a toddler, my solution to the tiny problem seemed to backfire. She had a lazy eye. Guilt consumed me. It must have been the sunshine burning her eyes, causing one to get lazy. I couldn’t tell a soul, the guilt was so great. I cried and begged the eye to stop being lazy. It did not work. My mom supplied the eye with lots and lots of carrots, which did not work. It was just lazy! I spoiled my Mother’s Day gift. My guilt peaked when my sweet baby sister entered elementary school. I came home from school to find that her eye doctor’s appointment led to glasses and an eye patch. How the eye patch would work was a mystery to me. Seriously, what did I know about eye muscles? I thought muscles were synonymous with boys’ upper arms. My baby sister grew up to be an extraordinary woman, smart as a whip (what does “smart as a whip” mean anyway?), beautiful, funny and a great dancing partner. She never blamed her lazy eye on me. After years of guilt, I finally put it to rest — at least I thought I did. So what’s with this 750-word confession about a Mother’s Day gift from so long ago? ■
ACROSS 1 Complied with a request from 40D during services 4 It’s well known in what might be called Silicon Wadi 9 Cave of Machpelah contents 14 Bk. before Esther 15 Jack Tramiel bought it from Warner Communications in 1984 16 Chuck Schumer might take it to work 17 Reaction of Moses upon seeing the golden calf 18 First female to chair the U.S. Federal Reserve 20 Haifa, e.g. 22 Beersheba’s place 23 Bk. after Amos 24 With 6D, one of Jennifer Aniston’s costars in “Marley & Me” 26 Luise Rainer’s 1936 and 1937 acquisitions 28 First female American astronaut 33 Map close-up of central Jerusalem, say 34 Chris who starred with Ari Graynor in “What’s Your Number?” 35 Max Fleischer frame 38 Jacob and the angel did it in the break of dawn 39 It might relieve you after listening to a yenta 40 Deuteronomy directive 41 Bond girl player Green 42 When Tu B’Shevat sometimes occurs in Madrid 43 Maker of the golden calf 44 First American female cantor 46 Optimistic comment by girl receiving well wishes before her bat mitzvah service 49 Mount from which Moses saw Canaan 50 Judah’s second son 51 Tel Aviv vis-a-vis Haifa on a map, poetically 55 Followers of Zion? 58 First Jewish Miss America 61 George’s lyricist brother 62 Ulan ___: Capital city nearly 5,000 miles NNE of Jerusalem 63 Herbie Flam contemporary Fraser 64 Israeli hill
65 It’s apparent in some sermons 66 Where some sukkahs are built 67 “Not ___” (Franz Rosenzweig’s answer whether he wears tefillin) DOWN 1 Sound heard eight days after many births 2 ___ Sol: Israeli electronics company 3 Body known for its parting 4 ___ Gen: Sharon’s rank during the Six Day War 5 Slow down the first plague, perhaps 6 See 24A 7 Sen. Ron Wyden’s state 8 Word with archaeological or Web 9 ___ Kwon Do (Sport in which Israel won gold in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games) 10 “One ___ Jump”: Jazz standard frequently played by Benny Goodman 11 Toast served with chopped chicken livers 12 “___-eyed” (kind of priest disqualified by Leviticus) 13 Hotel known for the performances of Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc. 19 De Carlo who performed with Al Lewis in “The Munsters” 21 What Leona Helmsley was in 1989 25 Cousin ___: Character along with Carolyn Jones’ Morticia in a ’60s TV series 27 Leah to Rachel, briefly 28 Ghetto language other than Yiddish 29 Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, briefly 30 Keep the tenement rented 31 2010 Liev
Schreiber movie “___ Day” 32 Enjoy some schnapps 35 Feeling that motivated Eve to bite into the forbidden fruit 36 Musk who succeeded Ze’ev Drori as CEO of Tesla Motors 37 Key component at the Wise Observatory in the Negev 39 Burton’s character opposite Taylor’s Cleopatra 40 He’s at your service 42 Some Brandeis grads 43 Vigoda of “Barney Miller” 44 First sitcom for Seinfeld 45 Like a devout person’s work during the Shabbat 46 Bernard Malamud’s “Natural” Roy 47 Ryan of “Love Story” 48 Kugel ingredient, perhaps 52 Start of a decision as to who gets to eat the last hamantash 53 Israel’s is just slightly larger than New Jersey’s 54 Nicholas who introduced the Cantonist Decrees, e.g. 56 Forbidden fruit holder 57 The Dead Sea: Sea of ___ 59 A star of Joel Schumacher’s “D.C. Cab” 60 Super ___: game console featured on an episode of “The Goldbergs”
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