Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCII No. 44, November 10, 2017

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VOL. XCII NO. 44 WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM NOVEMBER 10, 2017 | 21 CHESHVAN 5778

404-663-7048 Alan Belinky, D.D.S.

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Anti-Semitic Incidents Double in SE

Twice as many anti-Semitic incidents occurred in the first nine months of 2017 in the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region as were reported in the same period of 2016.

In announcing the findings Thursday, Nov. 2, ADL Southeast Regional Director Allison Padilla-Goodman said the numbers include “a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic incidents in K-12 schools in the greater Atlanta area.”

That surge inspired the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism’s Tackling Anti-Semitism for Our Kids (TASK) Conference with 250 representatives of school districts, schools, Jewish organizations and other concerned groups Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Temple Emanu-El. Nationally, the ADL Audit of AntiSemitic Incidents reports 1,299 incidents from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, a 67 percent increase from the same period of 2016.

“We don’t think the statistics paint a full picture of what is happening” at schools, Padilla-Goodman said. “We are regularly hearing about new incidents from victims who are learning to recognize and respond to bias.” ■ • Hate keeps coming, Page 10; ADL learns from Whitefish, Page 15

Photos by Michael Jacobs Above: Ready for the morning’s flag-planting mission at Arlington Memorial Park are (back row, from left) Grace Sklar, Daniel Sklar (whose D-Day veteran father is buried in the cemetery), Don Herrmann, Marc Kranz, Fred Taylor, Sandy Shulman and Stefan Pollack and (front row, from left) Leah Benator, Barry Benator, Gabi Jones and David B. Shulman.

Top right: Sandy Shulman plants a flag in tribute to a Jewish veteran buried at Arlington Memorial Park, Bottom right: Barry Benator salutes after planting a new flag at the grave of a Jewish military veteran.

Serving Those Who Served Us Twice a year, in May around Memorial Day and in November around Veterans Day, Jewish War Veterans Post 112 brings volunteers to Atlanta-area cemeteries to plant fresh American flags at the graves of U.S. military veterans, as well as Holocaust survivors, in and near the Jewish sections. On Sunday morning, Nov. 5, veterans and their relatives carried out that mission at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Crest Lawn Memorial Park in Northwest Atlanta and Greenwood Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta.

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At Arlington Memorial Park, 11 volunteers placed more than 250 flags at graves in a little more than an hour.

“Thank you for your dedication to those who served us,” Navy veteran Barry Benator, whose veteran father is buried in the cemetery, told the group before dispatching them across the northern sections of the graveyard.

See more photos from the morning at atlantajewishtimes. com and find more coverage related to Veterans Day on Pages 26 and 27. ■

INSIDE Candle Lighting �������������������������� 4 Israel News �����������������������������������6 Opinion ���������������������������������������10 Business ������������������������������������� 30 Food ��������������������������������������������� 31 Arts �����������������������������������������������34 Obituaries �����������������������������������35 Marketplace �������������������������������37 Crossword �����������������������������������38

SPECIAL REPORT

As many as 15,000 Israelis are believed to live in the Atlanta area, but for a range of reasons most of them remain a community apart from the rest of Jewish Atlanta. Page 18

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NOVEMBER 10 â–ª 2017

MA TOVU

Tomatoes, Fries Resolved

No Way, Jose Absolutely not! How can someone who had an unsuccessful marriage give effective tools to assist partners in creating a lasting relationship? Why would I seek advice from a “professional” who obviously can’t use the very skills he professes to have? Imagine a teacher whose class runs circles around him, lecturing about classroom discipline. Would you attend? It’s ludicrous to even consider it, unless you are seeking real-life satirical situations. Perhaps you’re a humorist looking for material?

I’m happy that Meira could help you achieve your weight-loss goals.

Yet you admit that, had you known about her condition before meeting, you would not have made the appointment. Perhaps you should tactfully inform Meira about different options that can help her rectify her situation.

— Y. Becker Be Open-Minded Interesting question. I like to think of myself as a nonjudgmental person. Therefore, why should I jump to conclusions about someone because s/he has an imperfect life situation?

Who says s/he didn’t do everything right (or as right as possible — none of us is perfect), yet life spiraled out of control despite those best efforts?

Someone overweight may suffer from any number of health issues. A divorce can be the result of so many issues beyond a person’s control — she may have done everything right, including getting divorced as a last resort — how can we judge from the outside looking in?

And, come to think of it, who better than a parent whose child has taken him on a steep, winding journey to counsel another enduring the same challenges? Who better than a former

addict can feel the addict’s pain, yet give him the encouragement that life is so much more than his obsession if he will only muster the strength to get help and fight the black hole that is sucking him into its morass?

Would I seek out a professional who has the same issues I’m struggling with? Probably not. But I would do my research and try to find someone

Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com

well recommended who is successful in his field. If I then discover that he is struggling with the same personal issue that brought me to his door, I hope I would be big enough to realize that it is probably that very situation that is giving him the wisdom and empathy to help others navigate the convoluted journey they’re traversing.

Good for you, Chani, that you were open-minded.

— Ellen R. Go for It We are such a judgmental society, snapping instant pictures of others with our eyes and neatly compartmentalizing them according to our initial assessment. I do it all the time, so I know.

Someone fiddling on her cellphone at a bar mitzvah? Must be a social misfit who has no one to talk to. He lost his keys again? Must be his ADD acting up. Their kid did what?

Well, with parents like that …

Just as we don’t want to be judged unfavorably and unjustly, shouldn’t we extend the same right to others?

If a professional is competent and has good credentials and a good reputation, why wouldn’t you seek out his or her services?

Our imperfect world is filled with imperfect people who are trying their best to get where they need to go.

Go ahead and knock on that door.

Your imperfect therapist may just be the perfect match for you.

Lots of luck.

— Dan Goodman Any dilemmas to submit? Please email Rachel at rachels83@gmail.com to have your dilemma published and solutions posed by our readers.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Recap: Chani, struggling with a lifetime of overeating, follows the advice of her friend and schedules an appointment with a nutritionist.

When Chani walks into the office, she is taken aback by the woman’s obesity and wonders if she’s made a mistake.

“Would you use a professional who shares the same problem you’re struggling with?” she asks. “Would you seek help from a child psychologist who has rebellious children, a marriage therapist who’s divorced or an addiction counselor who is a former addict?”

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CALENDAR THURSDAY, NOV. 9

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Contributors This Week SETH COHEN SKYE ESTROFF RACHEL FAYNE NORBERT FRIEDMAN YONI GLATT JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH R. HARRISON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE LEAH KATZ RABBI MARK HILLEL KUNIS REBECCA MCCARTHY DAVE SCHECHTER SHAINDLE SCHMUCKLER RACHEL STEIN PATRICE WORTHY

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NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

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Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2017 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

Israel Bonds dinner. Rabbi Daniel Gordis is the speaker as Israel Bonds Atlanta honors Richard Kopelman with the Star of David Award at 6 p.m. at the InterContinental Buckhead, 3315 Peachtree Road. Tickets are $160 (people 35 and younger may invest $54 in bonds instead); conta.cc/2xgkCJW. Kristallnacht commemoration. Alexandra Zapruder is the featured speaker at the annual program at the Besser Holocaust Memorial Garden at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free; www.atlantajcc.org.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Chaye Sarah Friday, Nov. 10, light candles at 5:19 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 11, Shabbat ends at 6:15 p.m.

Toledot Friday, Nov. 17, light candles at 5:15 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 18, Shabbat ends at 6:12 p.m.

Corrections & Clarifications

About 30 terror attacks a month occurred between 2010 and 2017, GILEE Founding Director Robbie Friedmann said during the annual Radow Lecture at Kennesaw State University. The frequency of attacks was misreported Nov. 3.

Also, in regard to debating the role of religion in terrorism, he said, “It’s simply not a smart tactic.” That comment was misquoted in the Nov. 3 article. man History”) speaks at 8 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $18 for JCC members, $25 for others; atlantajcc.org/ bookfestival.

Book Festival. Alexandra Zapruder (“Twenty-Six Seconds”) speaks at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $15 for JCC SUNDAY, NOV. 12 members, $20 for others; atlantajcc­ .

Book Festival. Steven J. Ross (“Hitler in org/bookfestival.

Los Angeles”) and Peter Eisner (“MacArthur’s Spies”) speak at noon at FRIDAY, NOV. 10 the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Book Festival. Marie Benedict (“The Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC Other Einstein”) and Jane Healey (“The members, $15 for others; atlantajcc.

Saturday Evening Girls Club”) speak at org/bookfestival. noon at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for Bearing Witness series. Belgian HoloJCC members, $15 for others; atlantajcc. caust survivor Bebe Forehand speaks org/bookfestival. about hiding from the Nazis in an attic at 2 p.m. at the Breman Museum, Shabbat and beer. The Marcus JCC’s 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Free; www.

Young Adults group gathers at Sweet- thebreman­.org. water Brewery, 195 Ottley Drive, Buckhead, for Shabbat Shabrew at 8 p.m. Book Festival. Michael Bar-Zohar Admission is $30; www.atlantajcc.org (“Phoenix”) speaks about Shimon Peres at 3:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 or 678-812-3972.

Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for others; SATURDAY, NOV. 11 Autism fundraiser. Davis Academy atlantajcc­.org/bookfestival. fifth-grader Adin Cristal hosts Serving for Autism, a tennis tournament for ages 8 to 12 to benefit Autism Speaks, at noon at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Entry is $30; kidsboost.org/kids-project/adin-c.

Book Festival. Reza Aslan (“G-d: A Hu-

Film screening. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, shows “No Place on Earth,” about Jews who hid from the Nazis in caves in Ukraine, at 7 p.m. Free (RSVP

by Nov. 9); bethshalomatlanta.org/ mini-movie-festival.

Book Festival. Sarge (“Black Boychik”) speaks and delivers standup comedy at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $15 for JCC members, $20 for others; atlantajcc­.org/bookfestival.

MONDAY, NOV. 13

Book Festival. Pamela Sampson and Holocaust survivor Henry Gallant (“No Reply”) speak at 10 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.

Free; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Book Festival. Pam Jenoff (“The Orphan’s Tale”) and Mark Sullivan (“Beneath a Scarlet Sky”) speak at 12:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for others; atlantajcc. org/bookfestival.

Art after school. The Jewish Arts Zone for kindergartners through fifthgraders does crafts involving Shabbat cooking at 4:30 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. Admission is $10; www. chabadnf.org/jaz or 770-410-9000.

“Eat. Pray. Love.” A three-part series

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

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

Remember When

10 Years Ago Nov. 9, 2007 ■ More than 4,000 Jewish Atlantans representing nearly two dozen synagogues participating in the yearlong Synagogue 3,000 initiative crowded into the Fox Theatre on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 4, for a concert called Hallelu Atlanta.

The show featured Neshama Carlebach, Debbie Friedman, Mare Winningham, Theodore Bikel, Craig Taubman, Josh Nelson, Joshua Nelson and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi.

■ Dan and Joanna Israel of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Maya Francie, on March 22, 2007.

25 Years Ago Nov. 6, 1992 ■ It was Bill Clinton by a landslide. The pollsters predicted

it. The pundits wrote about it. And a tally of ballots cast Tuesday by Torah Day School’s students confirmed it. With all grades, kindergarten through seventh, reporting at the Orthodox school, Mr. Clinton received 120 votes. President Bush garnered 16, and Ross Perot trailed with only seven.

■ The bat mitzvah celebration of Ellen Brooke Fink of Dunwoody, daughter of Edith and Gary Fink, took place Saturday, Oct. 31, at B’nai Torah Synagogue.

50 Years Ago Nov. 10, 1967 ■ Post 112 of the Jewish War Veterans in Atlanta will join JWV groups across the nation in commemorating Veterans Day by attending Shabbat services in synagogues throughout the city. Post 112 Commander Elliot Goldberg has announced that with Veterans Day falling on Shabbat, the organization is encouraging the entire Jewish community to attend services to honor veterans.

CALENDAR hosted by The Temple’s Women of the Well starts at 6:30 p.m. at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown, with a presentation by Emory breast cancer doctor Jane Meisel, to be followed by Elaine Alexander on activism at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at The Temple and Jenny Levison on food at noon Dec. 2 at Souper Jenny Westside, 1082 Huff Road, Atlanta. Admission is $10 per event or $25 for the series; bit.ly/2iArJXh (RSVP by Nov. 10 to rachrimmer@gmail.com).

Bowling and pizza. CTeen North Fulton brings together high-schoolers to bowl and eat kosher pizza after they meet at 7 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. Free; www.chabadnf.org.

Book Festival. Joy Mangano (“Inventing Joy”) speaks at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.

Tickets are $18 for JCC members, $25 for others; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

TUESDAY, NOV. 14

Book Festival. Nicole Krauss (“Forest Dark”) speaks at noon at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.

Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $15 for others; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Listening forum. Federation holds a forum on the needs in Jewish Atlanta as part of its Front Porch initiative at 6:30 p.m. at Agnes Scott College, Letitia Pate Evans Hall, 213 S. Candler St., Decatur. Free; RSVP to thefrontporch@ jewishatlanta.org or 404-870-1617.

Book Festival. Jonathan Goldsmith (“Stay Interesting”) and Jen Glantz (“Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire)”) speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St., Midtown. Tickets are $18 for JCC members, $25 for others; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15

Film screening. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, shows the documentary “Streit’s Matzo and the American Dream” at 10 a.m. as part

of the Book Festival. Tickets are $5; atlantajcc­.org/bookfestival.

Mommy & Me/Babyccino. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, holds a class for children up to 2½ years old and their mothers at 10:30 a.m. Free (registration required); hs@chabadnf.com or 770-410-9000.

Friendship Luncheon. Interfaith Community Initiatives celebrates the friendship of John Grant and Bill Nordmark at 11:30 a.m. at the Carlos Center Ballroom, 2500 Clairmont Road, Atlanta. Tickets are $60; www.interfaithci.org.

Book Festival. Michele Streit Heilbrun (“Matzo”) speaks at noon at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.

Tickets are $5 for JCC members, $10 for others; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Art for teens and seniors. CTeen Jr. for sixth- to eighth-graders meets at the Cohen Home, 10485 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek, to paint pictures with the home’s senior residents. Free; www. chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000.

Book Festival. Annabelle Gurwitch (“Wherever You Go, There They Are”) speaks at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $15 for JCC members, $20 for others; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.

Hebrew class. Michal Weiss teaches “B’Yachad: Learning Hebrew Together,” a four-part series on consecutive Wednesdays starting tonight at 7:45 at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills. Admission is $25 per person or $45 per couple for Beth Jacob members, $35 per person or $55 per couple for nonmembers; www. bethjacobatlanta­.org/hebrew.

THURSDAY, NOV. 16

Ecumenical service. Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, East Cobb, hosts its 13th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration at 7 p.m.

Free; bit.ly/2Aq7F21 or 770-973-3533.

Colorful Hasidic Soul Zusha last performed in Atlanta in 2015 as part of a Havdalah concert to close the annual Shabbat Project. The group is on a world tour in support of its third album, “A Colorful World.”

While borrowing lines from ancient liturgy, Zusha blends jazz, reggae, folk, ska, gypsy swing and traditional Jewish soul in its music.

Holder is an Atlantan whose 2015 debut album, “Something Stronger,” blurs the boundaries between Jewish and mainstream music by using elements of folk, pop, country and rock with a hint of reggae.

Tickets for the show at Smith’s, at 1578 Piedmont Ave., start at $12 and can be purchased at ticketweb.com/event/zusha-smiths-olde-bar-tickets/7777265.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

New York-based Hasidic soul band Zusha will perform in Atlanta at Smith’s Olde Bar at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, after an opening set by local musician Aaron Holder.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli Arab Rejects Boycotts, Violence in UGA Talk

By Rebecca McCarthy In 2014, Israeli Yahya Mahamed posted something on Facebook that changed his life: a photo showing him holding an Israeli flag with the hashtag “BringBackOurBoys” under it.

The boys were three young Jewish men who were abducted in the West Bank and killed in an incident that provoked that summer’s Gaza war.

“No one was condemning this kidnapping, so I decided I had to,” said Mahamed, who, like two of the abducted Jews, was a teenager. The difference was that Mahamed is Muslim and comes from Umm al-Fahm, the thirdlargest Arab city in Israel.

His condemnation wasn’t well received. Within hours of his post, he had 400 notifications and some threats.

People in his hometown called him a traitor and a spy. Some talked about killing him. He got a phone call from an unknown person telling him to go to the police for his own protection.

Friends and family stopped talking with him. But Mahamed hasn’t stopped talking.

He spends most days doing just that for StandWithUs. As part of his visit to the Atlanta area in late October, he spoke Monday, Oct. 30, to a standing-room-only crowd at the University of Georgia, brought to campus

by Dawgs­for Israel and StandWithUs. Unlike some StandWithUs events featuring Israeli soldiers at the university, Mahamed’s appearance was not disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists.

His message as an Israeli Arab? Israel is not the apartheid-promoting, Arab-hating nightmare often portrayed in the media.

At school in his hometown, Mahamed studied to be a mechanic, following a course taken by other highschoolers in Israel who subsequently join the Israel Defense Forces — but as an Arab, he didn’t join the army.

With no work in his town, he found a job as a busboy in a Tel Aviv hotel, where his Jewish co-workers accepted and helped him.

During his first workweek, just before Sukkot, he met a Chabadnik, who asked him whether he had put on tefillin that morning. Mahamed told him

he wasn’t Jewish, and he responded, “It doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish. What matters is if you’re a good person.”

The response startled him, Mahamed said.

His experience with his hotel coworkers and that chance encounter made Mahamed rethink his life and everything he had been taught about Israelis: the messages in school to hate Israel; the nonstop videos of soldiers supposedly brutalizing Palestinians; the swastikas and Islamic State logos around town; a mosque dedicated to Islamic State.

He came to believe he had received misinformation, not an education.

After volunteering with StandWith­Us, he became an educator with the advocacy group in 2016, doing outreach in Arabic and stressing that “violence gets people nowhere.”

He has called himself a Muslim Zionist and has taken his message around the world. In October, he toured Canada for StandWithUs, speaking to receptive audiences in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg, before visiting Georgia and other states.

Leah Rabin outlived her assassinated husband, Yitzhak, by five years.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Today in Israeli History

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

Nov. 10, 1975: The United Nations passes U.N. Resolution 3379, which defines Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination, on a 72-35 vote with 32 abstentions. The United States “does not acknowledge, it will not abide by, it will never acquiesce in this infamous act,” says Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The resolution is revoked in December 1991.

Nov. 11, 1973: The Kilometer 101 Six-Point Agreement is signed. It focuses on the maintenance of a cease-fire between Israeli and Egyptian forces, the movement of nonmilitary supplies, the use of U.N. supervision, and exchange plans for prisoners of war.

Nov. 12, 2000: Leah Rabin, a peace advocate and the widow of slain Prime

In Athens, Mahamed showed photos of a trip he took with a delegation to Johannesburg to help Jewish students during Israeli Apartheid Week. When protesters couldn’t shout him down, they cut the cord to his microphone.

He talked with two Muslim students and assured them he’s not suffering in Israel. An Egyptian woman told him his head belongs on a pike. But he believes that the students were receptive to the StandWithUs message.

Since joining StandWithUs, Mahamed said, the pressure targeting him has expanded to his family. A neighbor was bombed — the wrong house was targeted — and threats are constant.

For safety, he moved to Jerusalem.

He told the UGA students that boycotting Israeli products and companies can hurt Palestinians. A factory in the West Bank faced pressure from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and moved into Israel, ending jobs for more than 400 Arabs. So whom did the calls for boycotts hurt?

Mahamed ended his talk by encouraging the students to educate others and to talk with them about Israel. ■ Minister Yitzhak Rabin, dies five years and eight days after her husband at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikvah after battling cancer.

Nov. 13, 1893: Reuven Rubin, one of Israel’s most acclaimed painters, is born Rubin Zelicovici in Galatz, Romania. Rubin’s family is poor and religious.

Nov. 14, 1956: The Knesset debates Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s announcement that Israeli troops would withdraw from the Sinai after the 1956 Suez War. Nov. 15, 1948: El Al, Israel’s national airline, is officially founded and legally incorporated. Its first regular commercial service, a weekly flight between Lod and Paris, begins in July 1949. Regular charter service to New York starts in June 1950.

Nov. 16, 1947: The Aliyah-Bet (illegal immigration) ship Kadima (sometimes called the Kedma) arrives in Haifa under British escort. All its passengers are arrested and moved to detention camps in Cyprus.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Woman flying high. Israel’s air force appointed its first female deputy commander of a fighter jet squadron Sunday, Nov. 5, 16 years after Roni Zuckerman became the first Israeli female fighter pilot. The deputy commander, whose name cannot be published for security reasons, will serve in the Spearhead Squadron, which flies F-15 fighter jets out of the Tel Nof base in central Israel. Although women flew fighter planes in the 1948 War of Independence and 1956 Sinai War, they were eventually grounded. Women were again allowed into the fighter jet program in 1993, but Zuckerman didn’t graduate as a fighter jet pilot until 2001.

Sling of outrageous fortune. The David’s Sling Weapons System was awarded the Technology Pioneer Award on Oct. 24 at the Multinational Ballistic Missile Defense Conference in Boston, recognizing the system’s success against lower-tier ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Moshe Patel, the director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, said, “The marvelous capabilities of the David’s Sling defense system are a significant breakthrough in the world of interception technology.” The system is a joint project of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

R&D labs in China, Russia, Singapore and the United States.

Teen EMTs. Teenagers make up 60 percent of the volunteer staff of Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency response network. The 50-year-old network, the equivalent of the Red Cross, always accepted teen volunteers, but it started a formal youth program in 1993 for 15- to 18-year-olds as an option for fulfilling the Education Ministry’s mandatory 60 hours of volunteering for high school students. While most emergency calls don’t involve trauma, youth volunteers are trained to handle serious scenarios. Those who have volunteered for at least a year are eligible to take on more responsibility, such as supervising younger volunteers. About 35 percent of youth volunteers also volunteer after serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

Ferrari Shabbat. Parking your car in the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem is strictly prohibited. Apparently, though, there’s some leeway if you’re the top brass of a world-famous auto manufac-

Israel Photo of the Week FIDF Gala Raises $35M Atlantan Garry Sobel, a national board member of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and FIDF’s Southeast chairman, is flanked by FIDF President Rabbi Peter Weintraub (left) and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir amid IDF soldiers attending the nonprofit organization’s national gala in New York on Oct. 23. The event, which featured speeches from outgoing air force chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, legendary Israeli test pilot Danny Shapira and Operation Entebbe hero Amir Ofer, raised a record $35 million to support educational and well-being programs for Israeli troops.

turer. That’s what visitors to the holy site discovered Friday morning, Nov. 3, when they were met with a display of 10 Ferrari sports cars in the middle of the plaza. Ferrari, celebrating its 70th anniversary, had asked for permission to bring its cars to the Western Wall for a quick stop as executives toured

the country. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which runs the site, approved. Some ogled the eye-pleasing vehicles, but others were annoyed.

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com, timesofisrael.com, globes. co.il and other sources.

Straight to the moon. Tel Aviv-based SpaceIL, the Israeli representative in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, is making giant strides to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon after the base structure of the craft was received at Israel Aerospace Industries facilities.

The skeleton of the spacecraft consists of two perforated sandwich boards, upper and lower plates, and a cone ring structure. The launch is expected next year.

Alibaba in Israel. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is opening a researchand-development lab in Tel Aviv. Alibaba has invested in such Israeli startups as Visualead, Infinity Augmented Reality, Lumus and Twiggle. It is also a partner of Jerusalem Venture Partners.

The company plans to open six other

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Solar farm. Holon-based Orad Ltd. is building four photovoltaic solar energy production plants in the Negev with an aggregate capacity of 35.5 megawatts.

Its Solarpower subsidiary will operate and maintain the plants for 10 years.

Completion is planned by the end of 2018.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL NEWS

General: 1-State Solution Will Destroy Israel Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe

Birthright Israel alumni Jonathan Arogeti, Michelle Stribling (center) and Sarah Arogeti are taking their places as young leaders in Jewish Atlanta.

The host committee for the Atlanta event includes young leaders David Wellner and Danna Wellner, who got involved with the Birthright Israel Foundation to celebrate Israel.

Honoree Doug Ross celebrates with Temple Sinai Rabbi Ron Segal.

Exercising Birthright for Leadership

The Birthright Israel Foundation held its annual Atlanta event Monday night, Nov. 6, at the St. Regis Atlanta hotel in Buckhead to raise money for Birthright Israel. Doug Ross, who leads the foundation locally and serves on the national board, was the honoree at a dinner that featured a speech by Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon. Look for more from the event in the next issue of the AJT, and read more about Birthright in this week’s Our View, Page 10. ■

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

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By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Retired Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon served in the Israel Defense Forces for 35 years, during which time he was the commander of the Nahal Brigade, the West Bank Division and the Northern Formation, which secures Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

As part of an effort by left-leaning, pro-Israel lobbying group J Street to become more active in Atlanta, Tibon is presenting “Personal Reflections on the Fight for Security and Democracy in Israel” on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at The Temple in Midtown.

He plans to address topics including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Iran nuclear deal, and the state of Israeli society and democracy. He will be interviewed by his son, Haaretz correspondent Amir Tibon.

Tibon spoke to the AJT by phone before his trip to Atlanta.

AJT: So you’re a supporter of the two-state solution?

Tibon: I think today there is a unique possibility because of the strategic situation to move forward with an agreement with the Palestinians and the moderate Arab countries. Why do I support it? Because if we won’t take care of it today, at the end of the day a one-state solution will destroy the state of Israel, and in two generations we either not be Jewish or not a democracy.

AJT: Your son, Amir, will interview you as part of this event. Is that fun for you?

Tibon: I am the father of Amir when I come to America because he is very successful and very famous, and I am very proud of him. I’m very happy to sit with my son on the same stage, and I think it’s going to be very interesting because we are going to be representing two different generations. Of course, he is smart, and he is sharp, so I have to be very careful.

AJT: Do you find that you two disagree on a lot of topics?

Tibon: Basically, we share the same views about the future of Israel.

But, of course, Amir is a smart young man, and he has his own views. We have a democracy in our house, so everyone can say what they think.

AJT: Is there any specific message

Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon served in the IDF for 35 years before retiring in 2016. He is now the CEO of the startup Tracense Technologies, which uses nanotechnology to detect explosives.

you try to get across when speaking?

Tibon: The main message is there are moderate, positive people in the state of Israel that respect the relationship with American Jewry, and they are willing to fight to achieve peace in the region, and I’m proud to be a part of this. The main mission today in Israel is to replace Benjamin Netanyahu and put Israel on track to achieve peace and to solve the Palestinian issue.

AJT: Why are you unsupportive of the prime minister?

Tibon: I feel very bad about the behavior of Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. They lied to American Jewry about the Kotel agreement.

I want to make sure that every American Jew feels at home in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu promised that the Kotel would be open to every Jew, and I’m going to fight for that.

AJT: What part of Israel did you grow up in?

Tibon: I was born in Kibbutz Tzora.

This kibbutz was built by my parents, who were Palmachniks, which means they fought in the 1948 independence war. My father’s family made aliyah from Hungary, and my mother’s family made aliyah from Germany. I grew up as a kibbutznik and an Israeli patriot, which led me to my long career in the military. ■ Who: Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon What: J Street briefing on Israeli security and democracy Where: The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 Admission: Free; www.jstreet.org/ tibonGA

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NOVEMBER 10 â–ª 2017

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

Birthright Fight

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Birthright Israel is learning how awkward those teenage years can be.

Eighteen years after its founding, the free, 10-day trip for Jews ages 18 to 26 has long been the popular kid in school. Simple math shows that it is approaching $2 billion spent on the $3,000 trips for more than 600,000 young adults since its founding. This year alone, about 48,000 people will go on Birthright, requiring annual fundraising of nearly $150 million.

Jewish Atlanta did its part to support and celebrate the program with the annual event for the Birthright Israel Foundation on Monday night, Nov. 6. Doug Ross was deservedly honored at a St. Regis gala that featured a speech by Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon.

But like any popular teen, Birthright is subject to nasty rumors spread by those who want to seek it knocked down a peg or two. As with real teenagers, such lashon hara (evil talk) can do real harm.

In September, we criticized the wrongheaded Return the Birthright campaign launched by the virulently anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace. JVP aims to use young American Jews’ unhappiness with the plight of the Palestinians to undermine a program that takes no political position on the outcome of the conflict — other than the firm belief (opposed by JVP) that there must be an Israel, regardless of whether it has a Palestinian state as its neighbor.

The problem with the JVP call to boycott Birthright isn’t the threat to Israel, which isn’t the primary beneficiary of the program, but to American Jewry.

Above all, Birthright strengthens Jewish identity and thus ensures continuity in the Diaspora.

Birthright isn’t perfect, but it does work. To its credit, the program’s leadership continues to tweak and adjust to improve the experience in Israel and the communal connections back in the United States.

One such effort, launched two years ago, is a geopolitics educational track meant to provide more intentional interactions with Israeli Arabs. This pilot program didn’t mark the first or only opportunities for Birthrighters to meet and learn about Arabs, who make up more than a fifth of Israel’s population. They would be hard to avoid, and Diaspora Jews would reject Birthright if it tried to keep them away from Arabs and the realities of Israel as well as its ideals.

But the participants gave mixed feedback on the new program, so Birthright suspended it for re-evaluation and improvement. The head of Birthright’s education committee, Gil Troy, wrote in Haaretz: “We’re perfectionists in Birthright. We reevaluate any program that gets mediocre feedback.”

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the head of the Union for Reform Judaism, embarrassed himself and Birthright with an ill-informed statement Nov. 1 in which he misrepresented Birthright as an out-of-touch organization trying to sell a Disneyfied version of Israel.

Fortunately, faced with explanations from Birthright leaders, he backed off the criticism two days later and pledged to work with Birthright and its “extraordinary experience.”

It’s a good outcome: As American Jews, we need the in crowd to be as big as possible, with everyone 10 playing nicely together. ■

Cartoon by RJ Matson, Roll Call

Where’s My Invite to the Cabal?

As I write this, it’s Election Day, with Atlanta • Incidents are up two-thirds nationally and and other cities around the metro area choosing have doubled in the ADL’s Southeast Region, includtheir municipal governments. It should be a big day ing Georgia, in the first nine months of 2017 comfor the Jewish people. pared with 2016.

After all, we’re supposed to be the ones pulling • The incidents peaked in the first three months the strings with our cabals and our Israel Lobby to of the year, then spiked again after the violent demensure our grip on the onstrations in Charlotteslevers of political, financial ville, Va., in August. and, yes, media power • The hatemongers worldwide. (Insert your are starting early, with a Editor’s Notebook favorite evil laugh here.) surge of harassment and

By Michael Jacobs Just ask Nigel Farage, vandalism in schools and mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com the driving force behind continuing problems at Britain’s withdrawal from colleges and universities. the European Union.

ADL Southeast RegionSpeaking on the radio Monday, Oct. 30, he suggested al Director Allison Padilla-Goodman said school inthat instead of fretting about the Russians, Americidents are a particular problem in the Atlanta area, cans should worry about the influence of the “Jewish and she thinks the problem is underreported — in lobby” on elections and government policies. part because Jewish students are too quick to shrug Or maybe try Joe Briggs, an engineer who anoff nasty comments as jokes or benign stupidity. nounced on election eve that he was withdrawing as Still, the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semia candidate for the Suwanee City Council because of tism continually receives word of new incidents. the uproar over his unabashedly anti-Semitic tweets.

Recent examples we’ve heard about range from Briggs sent tweets during the campaign in a swastika made of brownies in the lunchroom at which he compared Jews to Nazis, said Zionists are private school in Buckhead to the message “Hitler is cockroaches and worse than anything in “Mein God” scrawled on a sign during a free-speech demonKampf,” and urged the removal of “the Jews” from stration at Kennesaw State University. the White House to get them out of President Donald So, contrary to the myth of Jewish control, we’re Trump’s ear. One of his prize tweets (all of whose increasingly under attack in a way that is far scarier authenticity he confirmed to The Atlanta Journalthan Klansmen and neo-Nazis rallying under their Constitution) reads, “The problem is that Jews don’t banners of hate. We’re now at risk of normalization care about racism – because they are racists. They and mainstreaming of the same attitudes and opinonly care about racism directed towards them.” ions, but without the bedsheets and swastika flags to Briggs insisted he’s not anti-Semitic, just antiidentify the enemies of American values.

Israel. His tweets make a great argument for the Like any conspiracy theory, the myth of Jewish fiber-optic thinness of the line between intense antiglobal dominance doesn’t die for lack of evidence.

Israel sentiments and simple anti-Semitism.

Instead, that very absence is taken as proof of the But even if he doesn’t win a seat on the City power of the conspiracy.

Council, Briggs should find some pleasure in the latNo doubt somewhere in Suwanee a disgraced est Anti-Defamation League report on anti-Semitism. former City Council candidate is convinced he’s just The “highlights”: the latest man victimized for speaking the truth. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Never Harden Your Heart to Terrorism residents agreed to overturn the ancient law of hospitality to wayfarers.

This legislation later prohibited giving charity to anyone.

By doing that, they figured they would preserve an elite, upper-class community that would monopolize the profits the bountiful land offered without having to distribute any revenues to a lower class of people.

The Sodomites were not much

Guest Column

By Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis

nicer to their own. In fact, the Midrash (Genesis Raba 48) tells two tales of women who dared extend a helping hand to beggars and were put to death — one of them the daughter of Lot. She secretly carried bread to a poor person in the street in her water pitcher. After three days passed and the man didn’t die, the maiden was discovered. They covered her with honey and put her atop the city walls, leaving her there until bees ate her alive.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 109a) tells us that to enter Sodom, one had to cross a river, so the Sodomites built a bridge over the river and charged an exorbitantly high fee to cross it.

When one man tried to swim the river to avoid the fee, they charged him double, beat him up and ordered him to reward those who beat him because everyone knew the benefits of

bloodletting.

The Talmud tells us that they provided guesthouses in their city with beds of a single standard size. When a guest came looking for lodging, they would make sure that the bed fit perfectly. If he was shorter than the bed, his hosts would stretch him out until he fit. Should he be too tall, they would hack off his feet.

All common human decencies were anathema to the Sodomites. This even affected Lot, who, thanks to being raised by Abraham and Sarah, still knew to offer hospitality to strangers, like the angels who visited him.

Even his sense of hospitality became corrupted. He was willing to give over his daughters to satisfy people’s sexual lust rather than hand over his guests to be “sodomized.” In this way, Lot began to take on the characteristics of Sodom, so he needed to be rescued before he became as depraved as they were.

The callousness of the Sodomites was infectious, based on this desire to always have more for oneself — more money, more land, more jewels, more servants, more everything — and an unwillingness to part with anything.

No one cared about helping those less fortunate.

“What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours” was the ethic of Sodom and Gomorrah, according to the Talmud (Avot 5:13). At first blush, this might seem to be a sensible and harmless, but it places one’s focus solely on one’s own possessions and one’s own financial gain and ignores the basic demand of G-d that we care for one another.

As the stories reveal, this everyman-for-himself attitude leads to true evil.

But how did it happen that they became so selfish, which led to their becoming so evil?

I think part of the answer is that they began to see this selfish, evil behavior in a few people. After a while, they saw it again and again, until they got used to seeing it and began to accept it as a new normal. It didn’t take much longer for their hearts to become hardened to it and embrace it.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah should serve as a warning to us today. I believe that humanity is basically good and that people — each one created in the image of G-d — want to care for those in need.

But I also believe that the desire for wealth and security, which is a natural and understandable drive, can overtake us if we let our hearts become hardened to the plight of others.

So we must never forget what happened in lower Manhattan just a few blocks from the site of the Twin Towers.

We must never forget what happened in London or Paris in the past few months or anywhere else terror raises its ugly head.

And we must never allow our hearts to harden and look upon terrorism as the new normal.

It’s not normal! No, G-d forbid, for we are each an image of G-d, as were all the victims of terror. ■ Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

This has been a truly tragic time for America, with another deadly terror attack in lower Manhattan — just a few blocks from the site of the Twin Towers.

But this is nothing new. Let me offer a sample of terror attacks the past few months: • March 22, London, Parliament, six dead, 50 injured.

• April 10, Paris, Champs-Élysées, one dead, three injured.

• May 22, Manchester, England, 22 dead, 59 injured.

• June 3, London Bridge, seven dead, 48 injured.

• June 6, Paris, Notre Dame, one injured.

• June 19, London, Finsbury Park, one dead, nine injured.

In all, 46 terror attacks in Europe so far this year.

In the United States, 58 were killed and 546 others injured in Las Vegas on Oct. 1.

Before the shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killed more than two dozen people Sunday, Nov. 5, there had been 1,054 terror attacks in the world with 6,605 fatalities in 2017.

The attack in lower Manhattan left eight dead and 12 injured, and yet, if we’re honest, we’ll admit that most of us have just about forgotten about it already.

After 9/11, months later, even years later, we were still reeling from the horror of it all. But now it’s behind us a few days later — back to the old grind.

How is it that we have accepted terror as the new normal? How is it that our hearts have become so hardened to it all?

The Torah portion Nov. 4 introduced us to the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with this passage (Genesis 18:20): “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and their sin has been very grave.”

What was the nature of their evil, their sinfulness?

Rabbinic legends about Sodom and Gomorrah describe an area of unusual natural resources, precious stones, silver and gold. The Torah (Genesis 13:13) tells us that the entire plain was “well-watered … like the garden of G-d,” and it follows that the crops were plentiful and good. Every path in Sodom, the sages say, was lined with seven rows of fruit trees.

Eager to keep their great wealth for themselves and suspicious of outsiders’ desires to share in it, the

Cartoon by Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Haunted by the Ghosts of Unwritten Futures “Out of order.”

Those were the words Rabbi Peter Berg spoke Sunday, Oct. 29, as he began the memorial service for our friend Scott Selig.

Scott had died two days earlier after a yearlong battle with cancer.

Notwithstanding his valiant attitude, embodied by the “ScottStrong” movement he inspired, the truth was inescapable: The battle was over.

Rabbi Berg was right.

Life felt out of order. A father was burying his son, and a city counting on the long life of a leader had been cheated by his premature death. A family that extends well beyond blood, that includes friends and colleagues, allies and admirers, was gathered in solemn remembrance of a life that had a fullness of spirit but was marked by a cruel reordering of time.

It is a rare person who can make everyone feel like a close friend; Scott had that skill. And while he reserved the best for his family, what he shared as a businessman, as a community activist, as a conspirator of good was immeasurable.

Scott was potent, not only in what he did but in what he could achieve.

He did it in style.

I remember many years ago a conversation Scott and I had about the future. It was one of those conversations you don’t forget — a mix of wist-

fulness and bravado, of creativity and commitment. A conversation punctuated with phrases like “when it’s our turn” and “just wait until,” sprinkled among concrete ideas and confident assurances.

I remember leaving that conversa-

Letters To The Editor

railroaders, but rather to uphold our responsibility to improve the communities in which we live by a supporting a healthy, prosperous and enriched environment for our employees, our customers and our fellow citizens.

That you chose to pursue a career in the media — providing a voice, a platform and an insight to society — aligns perfectly with our goals in supporting your textbook purchases. (Perhaps we can discuss the merits of “a few pitchers of beer” over a pitcher of beer some time.) Further, lest you think that your studies of ancient Greece didn’t prepare you well for a career at Norfolk Southern, I point you toward our chairman, president and CEO, Jim Squires, who received his B.A. in ancient Greek from Amherst in 1987, as evidence that you’re just not a railroader — yet.

Thanks again for your note and for demonstrating that our investment in you has paid off for all of us.

— Tom Werner, vice president corporate communications, Norfolk Southern

Railroad Rolls With Merit

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

We at Norfolk Southern were thrilled to see your “Editor’s Notebook” piece (“A Thank-You 30 Years Overdue,” Oct. 27) and gratefully receive your thank-you for the merit scholarship you earned some 30 years ago.

We don’t believe that atonement for your tardiness is necessary, but if it were, we’d be happy to meet you halfway as, to be honest, we might have lost track of you for a few years, too.

To answer your question: Norfolk Southern’s foundation continues to support students through the National Merit Scholarship program.

As with our contributions to other scholarships, food banks, emergency responders, the American Red Cross, the arts and the United Way, we don’t 12 do it to cultivate the next generation of

Guest Column

By Seth Cohen

tion thinking to myself that I wasn’t so sure we would be able to do all that we said, but that I had every bit of confidence that Scott could do much of what he intended.

And I recall thinking that sometimes those who can do it just need some of us to believe in them, so that they will do it — that, in time, given the chance, leaders lead. It just comes in due time — in order.

Yet, now for the second time in my life, I have seen that order is not guaranteed; time is not assured. For the second time I have seen a charismatic young friend with unlimited potential taken far too soon, leaving far too much undone — in family and in life.

Sitting in a temple full of people, lauding the one person who everyone wished had been there — it was too familiar. It was an echo of the past and

the foreshadowing of a future that is supposed to be distant.

These friends, they are ghosts of unwritten futures. Their loss is personal and profound. And while we celebrate their legacies, the truth is inescapable: Losing a friend like Scott Selig, and Jon Barkan before him, is not just about the personal; it is about the aching of the possible.

Because in a world in which too many people make choices based what they want and what they will get, there are still far too few people who make choices based on how they can help and whom they can heal. And there are far too few people who embrace the diversity of their community over the security of their tribe.

There are far too few people like Scott, and when we lose one, we lose so much more. We lose the multitude of their potential, in big and small ways.

Yes, their memory might be a blessing, but only if that memory lives within the commitment and the kindness of others. Only if it is a memory that is lived in action and in the recognition that with one fewer person to carry the load, we all must do more, must be more.

Because if we are honest with ourselves, today there is so much that is out of order, so much that needs repair. The order of life, as we have been told, is to grow, learn, build, reap and then give back. But times out of order

require commitments out of order.

Perhaps we can’t wait for “in due time” — perhaps we need to respond now, give now, create now. The later might not come, or if it does, it might come too late.

Perhaps the people around us are not here to help us make plans, but rather to help us make change.

Perhaps the legacy we have is not the phantom of the future, but the reality of the present; a call to action inspired by the memory of a friend. Perhaps … perhaps.

It is autumn again, and winter is around the corner. Leaves are falling; the chill in the air is more persistent.

Soon we will be at the midpoint between the heat of summer and the warmth of spring, and we will count on the order of the days to take us back to a place in the sun. But in the meantime, in these months, we need to reckon with the coldness of what is out of order and how we respond.

Will we fill the vacuum that has been left for us? Will we honor those who left too early? Will we make order of the disorder to respond to legacies unfulfilled?

The ghosts of unwritten futures are watching. My guess is, they are counting on us. ■

Changing Scouts Is Mistake

ganizational structure of Scouting is changed. Not all changes are beneficial.

— Julia Lutch, Davis, Calif.

On playgrounds and at social gatherings, boys and girls and men and women often self-segregate — and their activities and conversations often focus on different things. This despite admirable, much-needed, new opportunities in technical areas once considered the domain of men, and despite increasing supervisory and executive opportunities now available to women.

Generally speaking, boys and girls, men and women, are just different, in ways that are valuable and complementary. Scouting offers high levels of achievement to both boys and girls while providing carefully planned opportunities in which they can develop apart from a coed world.

There are unfortunate pressures being brought to bear on the Boy Scouts of America (“Boy Scouts’ Bigger Tent Raises Girls’ Stakes,” Oct. 17). The invaluable experiences Scouting was designed to offer may no longer be as respected as they once were if the or-

Seth Cohen is a senior director of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. This column first appeared on his Medium blog.

From the Blogs

The community conversation is always active at the AJT’s blogs page, blogs.timesofisrael.com/atlanta-jewish-times. Visit the blogs to sign up for your own AJT blog or to add your comments to recent posts, such as Wendy Kalman on our gun problem, Amy Saks Zeide on tikkun olam and Rabbi Marc Wilson on the sickness of our realityTV world.

Write to Us

The AJT welcomes letters and guest columns from our readers. Letters should be 400 or fewer words; guest columns are up to 700 words.

Send submissions to editor@atljewishtimes.com. Include your name, your town and a phone number for verification. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

This Anti-Zionism Is Anti-Semitism This last statement is crucial. She didn’t say Israel; she said “the Jewish state.”

Let’s stop pretending that antiZionism isn’t anti-Semitism. You can criticize Israel and its actions just as much as you can criticize the United

Guest Column

By Julie Katz

States and its actions, or China and its actions, or Mexico and its actions.

But you wouldn’t say you hate the Chinese state or the Mexican state because that would be racist. Just like hating “the Jewish state” is glaringly anti-Semitic.

Perhaps the most alarming part of this situation is that this woman considers herself a champion of social justice. She’s quick to label one side the oppressor and the other side the oppressed. Would she still say that Palestinian terrorism was justified if she knew that in the past two years it

has claimed five non-Jewish lives?

AJC CEO David Harris encourages us to look at anti-Semitism through a trifocal lens: the far right, the far left and the jihadists. This woman epitomizes the threat from the far left.

The far left labels Israel an oppressor for defending itself against those who publicly profess their goal of destroying it and supports the Palestinian right to self-determination while denying it to the Jews. Not only is this illogical, it’s point-blank antiSemitism.

Earlier at the same interfaith event, one of the scenarios posed was whether a synagogue hosting a group of Muslim students should take down its “We Support Israel” sign. One woman raised her hand and said that if the sign said, “We Support a Fair and Just Israel,” it would be OK to keep it up.

Think about this for a moment.

First, of course we support a fair and just Israel. To imply any differently is deeply insulting. Many of us don’t agree with all of Israel’s policies and are vocal about our opposition to them.

IDF photo

A 13-year-old Israeli girl was stabbed to death in this Kiryat Arba bedroom in June 2016.

Second, the double standard is astounding. No country in the world is perfect, and the United States is certainly no exception. But we still love our country and believe in its inherent values. How outrageous would it be if someone claimed that you should only fly an American flag if you add a sign on top saying, “I support a fair and just America”?

Unfortunately, instances like these are becoming increasingly common. That’s why it’s vital to ensure that we’re educated on the issues, so we can respond accordingly. Most important, we need to call out the anti-Israel bias for what it is: blatant, undisguised anti-Semitism. ■ Julie Katz is the assistant director of American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Regional Office.

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NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Recently I went to an interfaith lecture and discussion, nothing out of the ordinary in my role at American Jewish Committee. But I left shaken, angry and disturbed.

We were instructed to sit at a table with people we didn’t know. We read a scenario and discussed it within our group, then shared our findings with the audience. During the audience discussion, I stood up to introduce myself and said a few words about AJC, which works to ensure the well-being of Jews around the world and to defend democratic values and human rights for all.

After the discussion, one of the table members asked to speak to me.

I sat down and smiled at her, and she began by saying: “I’m really upset that I feel so much hatred towards the Jewish people.”

I stared at her. Did this woman just admit to being anti-Semitic?

She continued: “I’m really upset that I hate the Jewish people because of what Israel is doing. All of their human rights violations and all of that.”

I let her finish talking, then spoke up. “Ma’am, every story has two sides.

Israel isn’t perfect, but they are absolutely entitled to defend themselves, especially against terrorism.”

She interjected: “With what they’re doing to the Palestinians, isn’t it justified?”

I looked at her incredulously.

“Let me ask you a question,” I said.

“ISIS thinks that the United States has wronged them in many ways. So is it justified when their affiliates carry out a terrorist attack here?”

She responded, “Of course not.”

“Then how could you even consider that terrorism is justified in Israel?”

She didn’t have a response. Of course she didn’t.

I challenge her to look at this picture of an Israeli child’s blood-soaked bedroom after a terrorist stabbed her to death and tell me that it was justified.

I circled back to the first part of the conversation. “I also want to caution you against saying that you hate the Jewish people because of Israel.

Although many of us strongly support Israel, the Jewish people and Israel are two different things.”

She protested. “I didn’t mean to say that I hated the Jewish people. I meant to say that I hated the Jewish state.”

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Disbelief, Disinterest Blocked Holocaust Warnings

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

As Hitler’s power spread throughout Europe in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Americans began to receive accounts of Nazi brutality through national and local newspapers.

But even after Kristallnacht, which made front-page news in The Southern Israelite and other newspapers, the words weren’t enough to convince Americans that policies needed to change. A poll in 1938 found that 94 percent of Americans disapproved of Germany’s treatment of Jews, but 72 percent didn’t want Jewish refugees from Germany to make their way to the United States.

“There is something real about seeing, hearing, believing … but no one could really quite believe what they were fighting against until they saw it, and so for most Americans, even though the information was there, they didn’t know about the Final Solution until the spring and summer of 1945,” David Klevan, an educational outreach specialist for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, said during a museum-

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sponsored program Wednesday, Nov. 1, at The Temple to discuss “Americans and the Nazi Threat: What did Georgians Know?”

Joining Klevan in the discussion were Alexis Scott, the publisher emerita of the Atlanta Daily World; Derrick Angermeier, a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia; and moderator John Morrow Jr., a UGA history professor.

“We should never stop asking why,” said Robert Tanen, the Southeast director for the U.S. Holocaust Museum. “Yes, we know it, have studied it, have read about it and teach others about it and preserve it. … But it is our duty to always ask why.”

While the U.S. media provided vivid accounts of World War II, most Americans focused on headlines about local problems until the United States entered the war in December 1941.

Klevan said most citizens were still recovering from the Great Depression and were divided about immigration, racism and foreigners. World War I was still fresh in people’s minds, and most Americans did not wish to get involved in another war.

Photo by Sarah Moosazadeh

Alexis Scott listens as David Klevan discusses what Americans knew about the Holocaust during World War II through their local newspapers.

Jim Crow laws were in full effect in Atlanta, which Scott said resulted in the creation of businesses and institutions for and by blacks, such as Spellman College, Morris Brown College and the Atlanta Daily World, founded by her grandfather.

Meanwhile, Angermeier said, Georgians in rural areas were wary of New Deal laws.

Still, news of Hitler and the Nazis caught Americans’ attention as a threat to democracy. “People were concerned,” Klevan said, “particularly Jewish groups and organizations, which demanded that something be done.”

As events from World War II unfolded in publications across America, the Daily World put the international news in the racial context of the South.

“There were a lot of stories about the treatment of Jews in Germany and lynching in the South, which provided an opening to discuss the injustice in both worlds,” Scott said.

In Atlanta, publications continued to cover the atrocities which transpired across Europe which, according to Scott, paved the way for Jews who escaped to find employment at historically black colleges like Morris Brown and Morehouse.

Klevan added that professors generally had an easier time finding employment because of a high demand for academics.

Students also advocated the acceptance of Jewish refugees on college campuses, Angermeier said, although there was a difference between Atlanta and the rest of the state. Because of the “racial caste system in Georgia,” people criticized dictatorship and totalitarianism rather than anti-Semitism and racial hatred.

America’s entrance into the war didn’t increase support for accepting Jewish refugees or change racial attitudes, said Klevan who noted that former Gov. Herman Talmadge kept track of the number of white and black men drafted.

“Even as the war is going on, the publications aren’t so much focused on covering it as they are the individuals who were sent over,” Klevan said.

By late November 1942, however, Americans’ worst fears became a reality after a telegraph intercepted by the State Department confirmed the deaths of 2 million Jews as part of the Final Solution. But while that was front-page news for some publications, Klevan said it was on Page 20 in the Atlanta Journal, next to the help-wanted ads.

“There was no cable news, there was no 24-hour news cycle, and there certainly weren’t many images circulating,” he said. “You could read these things in the paper, but … even if you read it in an article, it was only for that day. It wasn’t there the next day, and there were no photos attached to it.”

By that time the Daily World also had shifted its coverage from what was happening to the Jews to the soldiers themselves, but Scott recounted her father’s memories of the liberation of Buchenwald while he served as his unit’s photographer.

“He could hardly believe it … and was told that the Nazis had tried to kill 30,000 people in two weeks before they got there,” Scott said.

“Never again is a responsibility for all of us,” said Sally Levine, the executive director of the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. “Memory is not enough.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Confronting Anti-Semitism Alters Lives in Montana After enduring abuse by white supremacists, Rabbi Francine Roston of the Glacier Jewish Community/B’nai Shalom in Whitefish, Mont., has firm views about how to respond to the dark side of civil discourse.

In late 2016 and early 2017, Rabbi Roston, the small Jewish community and the town itself were “terrorized, harassed and threatened by cowards who hide behind computer screens and the First Amendment,” she said.

There are, she said, a dozen Jewish families in Whitefish (population 7,279) and about 135 Jewish households in the Flathead Valley, a significant swath of northwestern Montana.

Rabbi Roston’s tormentors came from various ends of the alt-right, a generic term for a loose collection of neoNazis and other groups whose philosophy features a virulent hatred of Jews.

A Whitefish resident whose son is a leader of that movement made unfounded accusations against a Jewish Realtor and exacerbated the situation.

Rabbi Roston shared the lessons she learned Thursday, Nov. 2, as the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region bestowed its Abe Goldstein Human Relations Award on Brendan Murphy, a much-honored teacher of history, particularly the Holocaust, at the Marist School in Brookhaven.

“This is a very difficult story for me to tell,” Rabbi Roston told an audience of some 250 people in a ballroom at the St. Regis Atlanta hotel in Buckhead. “This in no way feels over for me. … Our lives will never be the same. We live with the effects of the trauma every day.”

While she acknowledged that “hate has a First Amendment right,” Rabbi Roston said, “I strongly believe that Holocaust imagery connected with denigrating language against Jewish people is a threat and should be viewed as a threat by the government and therefore not protected speech.”

The threats brought national attention to Whitefish and to the rabbi, who moved there with her husband and their son and daughter in 2014, feeling burned out after 16 years as a rabbi at Conservative congregations in New Jersey.

Her first piece of advice for dealing with white supremacists is not to confront them. “Don’t feed the trolls,” don’t respond to those spewing bigoted venom online, she said.

If they show up in your town, “you don’t show up,” Rabbi Roston said. “You go to your own rally, and you rally for what you believe in … because goodness also has a First Amendment right.”

A threat (unfulfilled) to hold a white supremacist march in Whitefish was countered by an event at which members of a supportive community gathered and consumed some 350 bowls of matzah ball soup — after Rabbi Roston helped teach a couple of dozen people how to prepare matzah balls.

The town event and such personal acts as lighting Chanukah candles with her children and other Jewish families were “our way of standing up, of bringing light into darkness,” Rabbi Roston said, her voice cracking with emotion.

The backing of the people of Whitefish taught her that “there are more good people in this world, … and they will stand up for love.”

She voiced gratitude for the support of elected officials, ranging from the Whitefish City Council, which passed repeated resolutions, to Montana’s governor, who met with her and other members of the Jewish commu-

nity, to the state’s two U.S. senators and single U.S. representative on Capitol Hill.

After telling her story, Rabbi Roston joined a panel discussion with Vernon Keenan, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Allison Padilla-Goodman, the Southeast regional director of the ADL. Klansmen once hid their faces behind masks (until Georgia passed an anti-mask law); now “the Internet is the new mask for the day,” Keenan said.

Technology “makes it more difficult for law enforcement to act,” but the GBI director praised the ADL’s contribution to “aggressive investigation and prosecution.”

“And I am tired of apologizing for the state of Georgia for not having a hate crimes law,” Keenan said.

Georgia is one of five states without such a law, whose passage is a priority for the ADL. In presenting the Goldstein Award, Steve Pepper, the ADL Southeast board chair, called Murphy “an incredible educator for what he has done.”

For his part, Murphy recalled that

a spark for the programs he created some 20 years ago (including an annual “Bearing Witness” student trip to Holocaust sites in central Europe) came while teaching world history to ninth-graders and feeling that he had “just 12½ minutes” to teach about the Holocaust.

At the beginning of the event, Pepper said, “It’s not just rhetoric when we say our work has never been more important.”

Earlier that day, the ADL released a report that cited a 67 percent national increase in anti-Semitic incidents, ranging from verbal and online abuse to physical attacks on Jewish institutions, in the first three quarters of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.

“Of the incidents reported, there has been a disturbingly high number of anti-Semitic bullying and vandalism in K-12 schools and college campuses across the U.S.,” the ADL said.

In the ADL’s Southeast Region (Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee), the increase was 100 percent, double the same period a year earlier. ■

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

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LOCAL NEWS

At 150, Standard Club Draws on Intown Roots

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com The center of the Jewish population in Atlanta has shifted northward the past 150 years. You don’t have to look any further than the Standard Club, the city’s oldest Jewish social club, for the evidence.

Atlanta was still rebuilding from the Civil War when the Concordia Club was founded as a Jewish social organization in 1867 and, like the city’s oldest synagogue, The Temple, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

The Standard Club is celebrating its sesquicentennial with a membership brunch Sunday, Nov. 12, that will recognize members who have been with the club for 50 years. The brunch also will honor past presidents who remain active members.

Located in downtown Atlanta’s hotel row district, the club was active until a reorganization in 1904 resulted in a change to the Standard Club name and a move in 1905 to the former mansion of William D. Sanders on Washington Street between what is now Memorial Drive and Woodward Avenue.

The par-3 17th at the Standard Club is the signature hole of the course, which was fully redesigned in 2005 by golf course architect Mike Riley.

At that time, the Jewish population was mostly in the Washington-Rawson district of Atlanta, which is now the site of Georgia State Stadium (the former Turner Field) and before that was home to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

The Standard Club flourished in the early years because none of the city’s other social clubs would allow Jews to join. Membership was around 200 families.

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In 1929, with the city’s Jewish population moving north to greener pastures with the spread of the automobile and the streetcar, the club moved to 400 Ponce de Leon Ave. It moved again in 1940 to 165 acres in what is now the Lenox Park business park and added an 18-hole golf course.

Many of local country clubs still restricted membership in those years, so the Standard Club was one of the few country club golf options for Jews in Atlanta. The club’s membership surpassed 300 families.

For 48 years the club remained in Brookhaven until 1987, when it moved to 300 acres in what is now Johns Creek in response to the northward expansion of Atlanta’s Jewish population.

The club boomed in the mid-1990s and boasted a membership of more than 650 families, most of whom lived in the northern suburbs.

But the golf bubble burst in the mid-2000s. The membership of the Standard Club dropped below 400, and the average age of members rose.

Atlanta’s young professionals began moving intown, making a club in the northern suburbs less attractive.

The club decided to pursue younger members by slashing initiation fees and trying to bring in more non-Jewish families as well as Jewish ones.

“Five years ago the club believed its future was only within the Johns Creek area,” club President Mark Elgart said.

“But now we are attracting as many if not more young professionals that live intown. There are a lot of young professionals that live in Brookhaven and Buckhead that are joining now. So it defied what the market told us, which was that we could only draw people within a 5-mile radius of the club.”

Compared with some of Atlanta’s

intown clubs, which require an initiation fee of as much as $100,000 to join, the Standard Club can be a less expensive option for young professionals. For people ages 21 to 30, a junior golf membership comes with an initiation fee of $1,500. For those 31 to 39, the initiation fee is $4,000.

Elgart said the lower fees have helped bring new life into the club, and membership is approaching 450 families.

He joined the club with his family in 2002 when he lived about two miles away in Alpharetta, said Elgart, the club president for four years. He now lives in Brookhaven and said it takes him only about 35 minutes to get to the club, depending on traffic.

The Standard Club’s goal is to achieve and maintain active membership of 450 to 500 families in the next few years.

Elgart said the club is presenting itself as a family-friendly, boutique private club.

“We want our members to be able to use the club when they want to use it,” he said.

As for the club’s history as a Jewish social club, the membership is still around 80 percent Jewish, Elgart said, but it welcomes anyone who would like to join.

“We’re still closed on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” he said. “When you look at our menu, it still has a Jewish flavor to it. Because we have the facilities for it, there are a lot of bar and bat mitzvah parties at the club, as well as Jewish weddings.

“We embrace our Jewish heritage and legacy. People who join the club that aren’t Jewish, they know they are going to a club that was founded as a Jewish social club.” ■

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

MACoM Adorned With ‘Ancient Women’ The Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah continues its effort to beautify the mitzvah of immersion with its second art exhibit, a show of local artist Susan Proctor’s work called “Ancient Women of the Earth.”

The pieces are expressionist works of women of color and scenes from the walls of Masada. Proctor is inspired by full lips, brown skin and ethnic beauty, providing her work with glimpses of a distant past.

“I like strong women,” Proctor said. “I’m not inspired by people who are really thin and really white. I like thicker lips and a little more character to the face.”

The exhibit makes use of the wall space in the common areas at MACoM. Michal Ilai is in charge of choosing artists for four-month exhibits at the community mikvah under the hiddur mitzvot (beautification of the mitzvot) committee.

“If you do it with more intention and beautification, then it elevates the mitzvot,” Ilai said.

She picks Jewish artists whose

Photos by Patrice Worthy

“Native Pose” is the latest work by artist Susan Proctor (left), standing with MACoM’s Michal Ilai.

work reflects the mission of the ritual bath.

The first exhibit, which opened at the MACoM annual meeting in June and ran until the end of October, was a collection of water-themed photographs by Sandy Springs artist Margery Diamond.

Viewings of the MACoM gallery are available free by appointment (404549-9679).

Proctor finds many of her models at the Atlanta Arts Center, where she paints portraits using mixed media.

The pieces displayed at MACoM are a combination of acrylic and natural ele-

ments such as sand.

The exhibit takes viewers back in time to gaze on women of the Torah who assume they are alone. Proctor’s work is layered with thick strokes capturing the essence of her subjects.

The piece “Peaceful Moment” depicts a woman who seems to be deep in thought or prayer.

The painting “Native Pose” depicts a woman at home in the desert. The woman is made up of earth tones and loose shapes.

“The latest piece is the native woman, and I’m leaning more towards abstract,” Proctor said. “I don’t like

realistic paintings. I paint realistic at first, then go back and correct it.”

Her “Palatable” series focuses less on women and more on Judaica. The brightly colored collages depict Chanukah menorahs and stars of David.

Layers of sheet music create the candles in her pieces.

“The sheet music is what I learned how to play piano on and my mother, who passed a year ago, learned on,” Proctor said.

The memories of loved ones give light to Proctor’s collage process. Each work is a celebration of the flow of life and the joy in observing mitzvot. The chanukiot incorporate gold and textures like wrapping paper from a bridal shower.

As an artist, she prefers rough edges and layers of material that add depth to each piece. She said she doesn’t like smooth surfaces. She opts for a more organic aesthetic.

“I like texture. See how I rip the paper instead of cut it? I like the deckled edges,” she said. “None of them are really perfect-looking All these things that look like mistakes aren’t mistakes. … That’s the way it should be.” ■

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

By Patrice Worthy

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SPECIAL REPORT

One People Divided by a Common Religion

Israeli and American Jews in Atlanta struggle for interaction and understanding

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

On the night of Sunday, April 30, the pews of the ornate sanctuary at The Temple were full. The overflow stood along the side or rear walls or sat in the balcony. All told, some 750 people turned out for the annual community observance of Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. Israel is a small country. A family that has not suffered its own loss likely knows people who have. The deaths since 1948 of more than 23,500 military personnel and 3,100 victims of terrorism are mourned collectively. That is why Yom HaZikaron holds such significance for Israelis, including those living abroad.

The evening, which included remarks in English and Hebrew, ended with a robust singing of “Hatikva,” Israel’s national anthem. Standing in the doorway as the audience filed out, you heard little English, mostly Hebrew.

American Jews are not shy about expressing opinions about Israel, so why had relatively few from the Atlanta community — maybe 50, a participant in the event estimated — turned out for Yom HaZikaron?

“The Americans that are there are the same Americans who were there a year ago and two years ago and three years ago,” said Guy Tessler, the president of Conexx: American Israel Business Connector. “They’re not there to bridge a gap. They’re there because they feel a part of it.”

America’s Memorial Day has become an occasion for a three-day weekend, store sales and swimming pool openings. In Israel, the equivalent day is somber, punctuated by a siren that sounds nationwide for two minutes, during which pedestrians and motorists as well as public transit, stop and stand in silence.

Yom HaZikaron is “really something that all Israelis feel very deeply, and the solemnity of that day is something that is important to all Israelis,” said Greenberg Traurig lawyer David Schulman, who lived in Israel for 12 years growing up and today conducts business in both countries. American Jews “don’t have that experience, so they don’t relate, and they don’t understand the importance of that particular event.”

The Yom HaZikaron ceremony exemplified a gulf between the communities. Religion, ethnicity, culture 18 and language all play roles. There is

Israel Scouts hold Israeli flags during the singing of “Hatikva” at the conclusion of the community Yom HaZikaron ceremony April 30 at The Temple.

much that American Jews and Israelis do not understand about each other.

Individual relationships are common, but interaction at a communal level in Atlanta has been rare, though there are signs that this is changing.

A community survey done in 2006 by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta estimated the Jewish population of metropolitan Atlanta to be 119,800.

Federation’s 2016 market survey did not estimate the population, but mirroring the growth of the general population, that figure today would be about 130,000.

Only 4 percent of those contacted in the 2006 survey identified as Israeli.

Since then, the Israeli population in metro Atlanta has grown from just under 5,000 to at least 10,000 and perhaps as many as 15,000, meaning Israelis could account for more than 10 percent of the area’s Jews.

“Nobody really knows the numbers,” said Rabbi Menachem Gurary of the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta. “I’ll tell you what: It’s growing every day.”

Israelis are found throughout metro Atlanta, though there are concentrations, of longer term in the DunwoodySandy Springs area and more recently in and around Alpharetta (linked to the growth of Israeli high-tech companies in the area, most prominently AmDocs).

They come to further their education, to advance their careers, to start businesses, to live a more relaxed lifestyle than they knew in Israel, with its narrow borders, constant security concerns and, for some, aspects of life controlled by the religious establishment.

“They come here for some kind of opportunity, whether with a univer-

sity or with a company, or they see a relative thriving here, and they want to do the same and start finding ways to engage,” Tessler said. Conexx is not a Jewish organization but supports Israel through its work with Israeli companies, more than 50 of which have locations in Georgia.

Jews who emigrate to Israel are said to have made aliyah, a Hebrew word meaning “to ascend.” Conversely, Israelis who left their homeland were disparagingly called yoridim, “those who descend.” That word is used less now, as the high-tech Startup Nation has spurred the movement of Israelis to the United States and elsewhere.

One sign of greater acceptance is the role of Israeli House, a venture of the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, which works out of the Israeli Consulate in Midtown. Recognizing that many Israelis are making a life chutz l’aretz, “outside the land,” Israeli House keeps them connected through social and cultural programs in Hebrew.

(Note: The Israeli Consulate declined requests for an interview with Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, the consul general to the Southeast.)

The attitude in years past was that “everybody who leaves Israel is like a little traitor,” said Tali Barel, a native of Haifa. “Not many Israelis will say this: You live here always with a guilt feeling, that you left a little country that’s struggling.”

Barel and her husband, Tzachi, own a business dealing with automobiles in Central and South America.

After 13 years in the United States, for roughly half of which they have been dual U.S. and Israeli citizens, she con-

siders herself an Israeli-American.

The Barels are active in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and she speaks enthusiastically of the potential for the Israeli-American Council to be a “game-changer” and a “channel through which Israel can connect” with Jewish Americans.

A Pew Research Center report issued last year reported that about twothirds of Israeli Jews felt they had a “a lot” or “some things” in common with American Jews, while 31 percent had “not too much” or “nothing” in common.

The communities differ in their approach to religion.

“Your Jewish pluralism is religious, is denominational. Our Jewish pluralism is ethnic,” the Americancum-Israeli writer Yossi Klein Halevi told the September 2016 Zionism 3.0 conference hosted by the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

Jews make up 2.3 percent of the American adult population, according to the 2017 profile of American religious life by the Public Religion Research Institute. PRRI determined that 37 percent of American Jews identify as Jewish by culture, not religion. The largest denomination is Reform at 28 percent, followed by Conservative at 14 percent, Orthodox at 10 percent and Reconstructionist at 2 percent.

Israeli Jews, who make up threequarters of Israel’s population, come in four varieties: Haredi, the ultra-Orthodox; Dati, Modern Orthodox; Masorti, traditional (closest to Conservative in American terms); and Hiloni, secular.

Estimates put the secular population at more than 40 percent and the

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SPECIAL REPORT

Rabbi Menachem Gurary says Israelis are moving into the neighborhood of the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta, which is on the BrookhavenChamblee border.

think that if I keep kosher, I’m probably religious. And I say, no, I’m not.”

He described himself as Masorti.

Barel explained the difference by contrasting Israel’s capital and its most cosmopolitan city.

“Don’t get stuck in the religious culture, and don’t treat Israel as Jerusalem. Call it also Tel Aviv. Because it’s a big issue. We are Tel Aviv more than Jerusalem,” she said. Americans “don’t understand, and it’s very important.

They don’t understand why we’re not going to synagogue. … They don’t understand that to practice Judaism in Israel, you wake in the morning. The holidays are around you. You’re Jewish in a Jewish state.”

The religious Jews in the United States “are not what we see in Israel.

It’s not controlled by the government.

It’s not political. And it’s so beautiful here,” Barel said. “You have so many options,” including men and women sitting together at religious events.

“I think it is difficult for American Jews to understand the challenge Israelis face when determining their own expression of Judaism in a country where the religion is not inherently a part of their daily life and the society around them, where they need to seek that engagement instead of being sur-

Roey Shoshan, who leads Federation’s Israel and overseas programs, says Israelis don’t understand the Federation organizational model when they arrive in Atlanta.

rounded by the Jewish language, holidays and food. I often find Israelis who are surprised by the immense Jewish pride engaged Americans exhibit about their religion,” said David Hoffman, who directs the BBYO programs for Jewish teenagers at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, which also hosts the Israel Scouts program.

“The institutions around which American Jews congregate, in particular synagogues, which provide a spiritual center and a communal center, do not serve that function for Israelis in Israel,” Schulman said. By not joining a congregation, the Israelis “fail to appreciate the community and social aspects of synagogues.”

Differences in religious practice are just one aspect of what separates the communities.

More than one Israeli interviewed for this article said, “American Jews

love Israel. Israelis? Not so much.”

Tessler knows that feeling. The Jerusalem native, who lived in Los Angeles for several years before moving to Atlanta, said, “When I arrived here in 2004, I came from a high-level position in a very respected Israeli community organization, and, as I was starting to introduce myself to potential employers, I received the advice that Jews love Israel, not so much Israelis. … I think my experience did bear it out to be true, with some exceptions.”

He added: “Israelis are not American Jews with a tan. They’re different.

They think differently. They have a different approach to religion. They have a different relationship with Israel.”

Israeli Jews are divided nearly evenly between the Ashkenazim, whose family origin is generally European, and the Sephardim or Mizrahim, descended from the Jews of the Middle East, North Africa and the Iberian peninsula.

The U.S. Jewish community is estimated to be 90 percent Ashkenazi, and many American Jews may not fully grasp how Israel has changed from its earliest years.

“A lot of the American Jewish experience comes, I guess, from an Ashke-

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Orthodox (Haredi and Dati) at slightly more than 20 percent. As in the United States, higher birthrates are steadily increasing the Orthodox percentage.

“By some measures, Orthodox Jews in Israel are even more religious than U.S. Orthodox Jews, and non-Orthodox Israelis show higher levels of religious engagement than their U.S. counterparts,” such as keeping a kosher home, Pew reported when examining Israeli attitudes toward religion.

“In Israel, to be a Jew, you just have to go to the street,” said Rabbi Gurary, who has been in Atlanta for a decade.

“Here you can be very secular. At the end of the day, if you don’t want your kid to forget that he’s Jewish, you must go to the synagogue.”

Rabbi Gurary’s wife, Liba Leah, with whom he has six children, is the daughter of longtime Chabad of Georgia Rabbi Yossi New at Congregation Beth Tefillah. Rabbi Gurary is a native of Holon, a city south of Tel Aviv, where his father is the Ashkenazi chief rabbi.

The Chabad Israeli Center is an address for Israelis who want to maintain religious observance similar to what they knew at home and others who might only want to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah or celebrate a bar mitzvah.

“You do need much more spirituality when you’re out of Israel,” said Rabbi Gurary, who cited an increase in the number of families buying homes near the Chabad center. “When you come here, we have more in common than not in common, which means we all want to give our kids a feeling of Israel, a feeling of Ya’hadut, even if they are secular.”

“To be Jewish in the United States, you need to have a religious affiliation: Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, whatever it is, even an atheist. In Israel, you’re religious … or you’re not,” said Roey Shoshan, who directs Israel and overseas programs for Federation.

Shoshan goes to synagogue on Friday nights, observes the holidays and keeps a kosher home. “But I don’t keep Shabbat. I don’t put on tefillin every day. For Americans, who don’t really know what Israeli secular life looks like, with a touch of tradition, they

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nazi, Brooklyny type of notion of what being a Jewish American is,” Tessler said. “And Israel is becoming more and more a Middle Eastern country. It’s not the Israel of Ben-Gurion, Golda and Begin, all these Polish Jews who are now in the history books.”

Today, he said, it’s “the Israel of hummus and falafel, the Israel of Middle Eastern music and various things that are different than Israel of the ’50s and ’60s, where a lot of the Jewish community, in its perspective of Israel, is still stuck.”

Barel sees a difference in selfidentity between a country that is 75 percent Jewish and another that is 2 percent. “Israelis have what American Jews never had and never will have. It’s a sense of majority. And it’s so important, because here Jews live like a minority.”

Ron Brummer served three years in Atlanta as Israel’s deputy consul general to the Southeast. He returned to Israel in the summer of 2016 and now works in the Prime Minister’s Office, managing efforts to combat the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

“Americans and Israelis are very different from each other, and you can see it in daily life activities,” Brummer said. “While in Israel you can schedule a play date for your kid for the same day while bumping into the other kid’s parent at the entrance of school, in America you need to schedule two weeks in advance via email. While in Israel time is very flexible, and being late to events is very common, in America time is money, and being late is considered a terrible thing.”

Taking the Israeli out of the Israel does not change everything.

“We can be described as chutzpanim (insolent). We can be described as loud. We can be described as very angry and upfront. … And we talk with our hands,” said Tamar Gez, the director of the Israel Scouts program in Atlanta.

“I don’t think American Jews fully understand the Israeli way, the Israeli culture, the Israeli mentality of sometimes being a little pushy and sometimes being more direct,” Shoshan said.

“The cultural differences are very noticeable when you put us in a room together. We do things different. … We’re just living the way we’re used to.”

Language is also an issue, with Israelis more often shifting to English. According to Pew’s 2013 survey of American Jews, slightly more than half knew the Hebrew alphabet, though far fewer understood most of what they 20 read. One in 10 could converse in He-

brew, and an additional 5 percent said they could “sort of.”

Hebrew proficiency was greatest among Orthodox Jews and higher among those who attended a yeshiva or Jewish day school. (Note: Interviews for this article were conducted in English.)

“The basic difference is the lack of formality in Israel vs. the formal American society. Israelis feel very uncomfortable in American presence because they need to change the way they are and the way they behave in order to be accepted by the locals. I believe it is very human to try to stay in your comfort zone and not go the extra mile in order to be liked by others,” Brummer said.

“I represent a fairly sizable number of Israeli companies in the U.S. and some American companies with their transactions in Israel, so I definitely deal with the cross-cultural issues every day. … I’ve sat in meetings where I’ve seen clear gaps in communication and helped people overcome differences because of gaps in expectations,” said Schulman, who holds U.S. and Israeli citizenship.

Halevi, who grew up in New York and made aliyah 35 years ago, highlighted another distinction in his remarks at the Zionism conference.

“We are a militarized society, not a militaristic, but we are a militarized society. And American Jewry is a demilitarized society. This is an American Jewish generation that does not know military experience. So that is built in to the disconnect,” he said.

Serving in the Israel Defense Forces is the great leveler for most of Israeli society.

“Each one of us knows at least one soldier who died,” said Shely Izrael Parness, the parent who oversees the local Israel Scouts chapter. “All of us grew up the same way, so we have something in common.”

“We were all soldiers,” Barel said, adding that the alumni of her high school in Haifa include 302 fallen Israeli soldiers or victims of terror.

The second of Barel’s three children, a 22-year-old son, is a lieutenant in the IDF. His mother does not always know where he is serving.

Seth Baron, the executive director of Friends of the IDF’s Southeast Region, said that each year 25 to 30 men and women whose families are in Atlanta serve in the IDF as lone soldiers.

They’re the children of both Israeli and American Jews.

The life experiences of Americans and Israelis also divide the communities.

“We have enough troubles trying to communicate with our own denomi-

Shely Izrael Parness, a mother of three who oversees the local Israel Scouts chapter, says all the Israelis here know at least one soldier who died.

nations. Throw in the Israeli perspective of what it means to be Jewish, and that’s a whole other element. The Israelis have their Israeli identity separate from their Jewish identity,” said Dov Wilker, the Southeast regional director of American Jewish Committee, who made aliyah with his wife in 2009 and returned to the United States 2½ years later.

“I don’t think Israeli Jews understand the organization context, the diversity of religious practice, and they don’t understand the American Jewish experience,” Wilker said.

“The Holocaust reigns supreme in the American Jewish ethos. We teach about it. We hear about it. It’s how Jews are defined in America. Israelis define themselves more through their own victories in battle than the Holocaust.

Their experience is more related to fighting in wars, where the American Jewish (experience) is more about antiSemitism,” he said.

“There are prejudices on both sides, that Israelis have about American Jews and that American Jews have about Israel,” Schulman said. “They bring those prejudices to any experience they have in Atlanta once they start interacting with each other.”

He also said, “As in any cross-cultural interaction, there is a lack of appreciation of where one comes from, or a lack of knowledge, or ignorance of what their experience was.”

“They don’t know the history of Israel, and we don’t know the history here,” said Barel, whose master’s thesis in international relations from Tel Aviv University examined a triangular relationship among the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. (She also holds undergraduate and law degrees from TAU.) “We used to think about American Jews as an uncle from America,” Barel said. “He had no face, but he had big pockets.”

While some Israelis engage with the local Jewish community, many remain within what Shoshan called “their own cocoon” and Gez referred to as “the kibbutz.”

“As much as the Israelis are coming in numbers and sticking together, they’re becoming Chinatown. The little Israel in the American condition,” Barel said. “They need to go out from

the bubble, the Israelis. I’m saying it to my friends all the time.”

“I’m really sad about it,” Parness said. “I don’t think it’s healthy. I don’t think it’s right … just because it’s easier, because of the language. It’s about culture.”

“Like it or not, the American Jewish experience and culture is slightly different than the Israeli Jewish experience and culture,” Schulman said.

“There are cultural differences, language differences, that, all things being equal, will cause people to prefer their own community.”

The Israelis are keen on keeping their children connected to their homeland.

On a sunny and breezy Sunday afternoon in October, dozens of boys and girls, ranging from fourth to 12th grade, gather in the campground of the Marcus JCC. Two things about this group are distinctive. They wear khaki shirts bearing insignia (including an Israeli flag) and scarves of various colors, and their conversation switches back and forth between English and Hebrew.

They are children of Israelis living in Atlanta (and a few American children who attend Jewish day schools), and this is Tzofim Tzabar, the Israel Scouts in the United States.

The Atlanta shevet (chapter), one of 24 in the United States, was formed a decade ago by Sigi Goldstein and Eva Ribak. What started with 20 boys and girls has grown to nearly 200.

They meet for a couple of hours every Sunday to play games, play music, work on projects, plan holiday events, hold discussions and socialize with other Israeli children, mostly in Hebrew. The 10th- to 12th-graders lead the groups of younger children.

“The Israel Scouts here is the only organization for teenagers, for teens to get together as an Israeli generation here, because they are a very unique generation. They, like my kids, were born in the United States,” Parness said. “They are not exactly Israelis and not exactly Americans. They are a little

AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker, who made aliyah, then returned after 2½ years, says Israelis define their identity through their own victories, whereas American Jews see themselves through the lens of the Holocaust.

Continued on page 22

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NOVEMBER 10 â–ª 2017

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SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 20 different. After a while, they also get separated from Israel. They could forget about where they’re coming from, and we want to connect them.

“They are a little bit different.

When you ask a kid from our group, ‘What do you feel, more American or more Israeli?’ it’s half and half. So we are taking care of the Israeli half.”

The mission is personal for Parness, the parent of two girls, ages 13 and 11 (both in the Scouts), and a 7-year-old boy. She and her husband operate a solar lighting business, an outgrowth of a family enterprise in Israel.

One of the Scout youth leaders is 17-year-old Shai Shalev, a senior at Chattahoochee High School, whose parents work at AmDocs. Shai was born in the United States and lived in Israel from ages 7 to 13. Her 15-year-old Shai Shalev, 17, is struggling with her decision on whether to stay in the United States to go to college and study computer science or return to Israel for two years of military service next year.

brother is a counselor for a group of younger boys.

Shalev joined the Tzofim in eighth grade after returning to the United States.

“Ninety percent of my social life is all the kids here,” she said. “These are my best friends. I see us in 10 years still being friends. It’s more of a brotherhood and sisterhood than just being friends.”

The teens may attend different schools, but they talk frequently and maintain a busy chat group online.

“This program has helped me figure out that I don’t have to be ‘the Israeli kid,’ ‘the American kid.’ I can be like a good mix. It definitely helps figuring out your identity,” Shalev said.

She acknowledges feeling a little out of place when she visits Israel, “and it gets worse every year.” Her Israeli friends kid her, good-naturedly, about her pronunciation of words in English and Hebrew and ask a lot of questions about life in America.

Shalev tries to read a book in Hebrew every month and follows the news online in English and Hebrew.

“I count in English and dream in Hebrew,” she said.

In the months ahead, Shalev faces an important decision, one her Ameri-

can peers might find difficult to comprehend: whether to return to Israel after graduating high school and begin her two years of required military service or remain in the United States.

She wants to study computer science, maybe at Georgia Tech or the University of Georgia. She hopes the IDF would take advantage of such skills.

“I have a month where, oh, yeah, I’m definitely going to go to the army, and another month where I think I’m more toward college,” she said.

Most of the Israelis attend public schools, Parness said, in part because of the expense of private schools. If they return to Israel after graduation, they can enter the IDF directly or enroll in programs that will prepare them for that service. Parness said about 20 percent of last year’s graduates returned to Israel.

Also in uniform is Gez, who taught English to high school and middle school students in her hometown of Be’er Sheva. A positive experience working at a Jewish summer camp in Indiana several years earlier prompted her to apply to the Jewish Agency for Israel to be a shlicha, an emissary. Her work is divided between the Scouts and the JCC. “The parents feel the need (for

Israelis “fail to appreciate the community and social aspects of synagogues” in the United States, says Greenberg Traurig lawyer David Schulman, who lived in Israel for 12 years.

their children) to connect to the Hebrew, to their roots, to their traditions, to their home. It’s a very difficult thing to find a home when you’re away from everything you know,” Gez said. “On Sundays, they feel Israeli because they wear the uniform and the parents are here. They speak Hebrew most of the time, and this is a very Israeli vibe. …

This is their Israel. It’s their home. This is the place they can speak their language. … They can have the common ground of being born into an Israeli family.”

Shalev said a priority for the Scouts this year is “to mingle with the American community” through events with Atlanta Council BBYO and volunteer opportunities in the community.

Bringing Israeli and American teens together will show them “what it means to be part of a youth movement, to be part of something bigger than

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you are, and to have the feeling of belonging to somewhere or something,” Gez said. “And I think Judaism is very basic for both groups because we do talk about Israel and Judaism here in the Scouts, and they talk about it and practice Judaism in the BBYO chapters, and I feel this is a really nice way to see how we can talk.”

For BBYO, the feeling is mutual.

“Aside from strengthening one’s identity and learning about the other, increased interaction will help strengthen the greater Atlanta Jewish community by breaking down barriers that some felt separated one group from another,” Hoffman said.

“Many BBYO teens without Israeli heritage struggle to understand how Israelis embrace their Jewish identity.

BBYO aims to help teens strengthen their own Jewish identity, connect with others in the Jewish community and improve the world by understanding and taking action on social issues. By bringing the BBYO and Tzofim teens together, we are able to achieve these goals through learning about others’ backgrounds and life experiences,” he said.

Living in the United States also affects the adults.

“I can tell you that most of the Israelis that live here more than seven, eight, 10 years become a little bit American. I can tell you that I’m different since I came here,” said Parness, a native of Tel Aviv whose master’s degree is from Tel Aviv University. She has been in the United States for 11 years and became a citizen a couple of years ago. Dual citizenship is not uncommon among Israelis who stay that long, she said.

Asked to which she feels more attached, Parness answered unhesitatingly: “Israeli, always. It’s my home, but I love America. I really appreciate this country … for the freedoms. … For me, the sky’s the limit here.”

Do the Israelis want to be part of the larger Jewish community?

“That’s also a tough question,” Parness said. “I can tell you that the easy way for us is to be with other Israelis. …

The natural thing is to be with other Israelis. We need to make an effort in order to build our social life with American Jews. For me, it’s very important to have the connection with the Jewish community here. It’s so important, and I live here, so I want to be part of it. But I can tell you, my friends always will be Israelis.”

Turning the question around, how much do the Americans want to engage with the Israelis?

“I’m not sure,” Parness said. “Maybe if the Jewish community were a little more inviting, it would be easier for the

Tali Barel says Americans fail to understand that Israelis today are “Tel Aviv more than Jerusalem.”

Israelis to be part of it. Because we always feel like immigrants. … We always will be immigrants here.”

Brummer echoed that sentiment.

“I believe American Jews look at Israeli immigrants as people who are just passing by in America, while most Israelis are there to stay. I think that most American Jews believe that Israelis belong in Israel and have a hard time to accept that they left Israel. This feeling, may it be true or not, is being projected quite significantly in the Israeli community, and they sometimes feel unwanted and unwelcome.”

“It needs to be something that celebrates or at least creates awareness,” Tessler said. “It’s not just about legitimizing Israelis in the eyes of the Americans. It’s the other way around as well.

Create some kind of playground where they can meet on equal terms … not come to the zoo and explore the Israelis. It’s something about creating relationships.”

One entry point to the wider community could be through the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the most prominent Jewish organization and one that Israelis feel could reach out more than it has. Federation has started to do so.

Federation’s 2016 survey asked little about the Israeli community, and only 2 percent of its respondents identified as Israeli.

That survey found a desire in the Jewish community for more Israelrelated programming, particularly in arts, culture and history. The vast majority of respondents affirmed an emotional attachment to Israel.

Compared with the estimated 43 percent of American Jews who have visited Israel, 75 percent of respondents to the Federation survey had made that trip. (An estimated 39 percent of Israeli Jews have visited the United States.)

Federation definitely could do more, Rabbi Gurary said. “They haven’t gone out of their comfort zone, I would say. … We could do a lot of events together. … They have the resources. They have the people.”

“The role of Federation, it’s an integral part of the American Jewish experience,” Schulman said. “It’s something that Israelis completely know nothing about.”

“They don’t see the Jewish organizations as their own. … The Israelis here

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SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 23 If he succeeds, Federation CEO Eric Robbins says, Israelis will see themselves as part of Atlanta’s Jewish community.

don’t belong to those institutions, those organizations. … We don’t understand that we need to take part,” said Barel, who is an advocate for Israelis getting involved.

Federation and the Marcus JCC are working to improve that dynamic.

Of the latter, Parness said the center in the past four or five years has “completely changed in the attitude toward Israelis.” She has been a member since she arrived. Her kids attended the JCC preschool. She’s involved in classes and sports.

“It’s my second home, and I can tell you from experience that every year” it gets better, she said.

Eric Robbins, who became Federation’s CEO in August 2016 (after the community survey had been conducted), said his and other Jewish organizations need to “find out what the Israelis are interested in and what they are willing to step up and support and

get behind.”

Shoshan came to Atlanta in 2010 as a shaliach (emissary) working at Camp Barney Medintz. He moved on to the JCC, where he was assistant director of youth sports, then young adult director for four years. (Note: Shoshan helped coach a JCC Maccabi Games soccer team that included one of my sons.)

Less than a year ago, he moved to Federation.

“I always wanted to be involved with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but life took me to the United States to do something a little different. In a way, it’s a little bit of an ambassador role,” said Shoshan, a native of Petah Tikvah and a graduate of Bar Ilan University, where he studied political science.

Shoshan’s portfolio at Federation includes the subcommittee that allocates money to Israel, as well as the Kesher program (increasing links between Jewish Atlanta and Israel) and Federation missions to Israel.

Robbins likes to say that Atlanta is made up of multiple Jewish communities, including the Israelis. “Roey’s connected to that community,” he said.

“That wasn’t an accident that Roey became part of our team.”

According to Federation’s allocations website, the agency raised nearly

$11.9 million in the 2017 campaign for distribution in fiscal 2018. Of that, slightly more than $676,000 is going to programs in Federation’s Israeli sister region of Yokneam and Megiddo, and $129,000 is allocated to programs elsewhere in Israel.

An additional $1.05 million will fund Kesher people-to-people programs that build relationships between Israelis and Americans. Among them is the new program Shinshinim, in which two 18-year-old Israeli women have delayed their military service and, with training by the Jewish Agency, are spending the year in Atlanta as emissaries. Robbins calls it a prototype that could be expanded.

Federation also plans what Shoshan described as “boutique-style” missions, with smaller groups and a more targeted focus.

In January, Federation will take 65 people, including rabbis and congregational lay leaders, as well as executives of Jewish organizations and their board chairs, to Israel. A February trip for medical professionals will visit hospitals, biotech companies, rehabilitation centers and the IDF’s medical infrastructure.

A mission planned for June, to mark Israel’s 70th anniversary, will be for empty-nesters and first-time visitors. In September, a 40-under-40 mission will introduce young professional Atlantans to Israelis of the same age to talk about the Startup Nation and meet with entrepreneurs and nongovernmental organizations.

“Israel is different. The conversa-

tion has to change. That’s why the boutique missions,” Shoshan said. “If they can meet Israelis in Israel, they can better understand them here.”

“We believe that the success of those missions, in a lot of ways, is building community,” Robbins said.

“For me, the way you’re really going to get a generation of young people to connect to Israel is through personal relationships.”

Shoshan has added Israelis to Federation’s allocations subcommittee, “not because they’re Israelis, but because they’re bringing a different perspective.”

Though Federation is a fundraising organization, that is not the immediate goal for its interaction with the Israeli community.

“I want to get them in before I go and ask them for money,” Shoshan said. “I want to get them in because what we do here is very unique, and it’s a model that they just really don’t understand because back home we never had that. I didn’t understand it either,” before coming to the United States.

“If I’m successful in my job, the Israeli community will feel that they are part of an Atlanta Jewish community,” Robbins said.

Federation and other Jewish organizations are planning to mark Israel’s 70th birthday with a day of activities and entertainment for all age groups April 29 at the Park Tavern at Piedmont Park. “I can generate the American Jews,” Shoshan said. “I want to generate the Israelis.” ■

600,000-Plus Stand United With Jerusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a personal letter of appreciation to United With Israel upon receiving a copy of “The Jerusalem Declaration,” a statement signed by over 500,000 people in 168 countries to support a united Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the undivided capital of the state of Israel.

UWI, the world’s largest grassroots pro-Israel movement, published the declaration in a 1,124-page hardcover book with an introduction and the hundreds of thousands of names of the signatories.

AJT Associate Publisher Kaylene Ladinsky, the founder and director of Americans United With Israel, UWI’s Atlanta-based U.S. branch, is thrilled that more than half the signers are U.S. citizens.

“This underscores the huge impact that pro-Israel Americans are making to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance. Americans who proudly stand united with Israel are making a huge difference,” Ladinsky said. “We are working hard to expand the AUWI community and significantly increase pro-Israel advocacy — not only in Atlanta, but from coast to coast.”

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

In a letter addressed to UWI founder Michael Gerbitz, the prime minister wrote: “Thank you for the copy of The Jerusalem Declaration. It was most gratifying to see this tangible expression of the unwavering support of more than half a million of our friends from 168 countries around the world.

24

“The people of Israel appreciate United with Israel’s advocacy, educational efforts and unflinching defense of the truth.”

The book was published in May, in time for the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. The declaration has since topped 600,000 signatures.

“We are marching towards true international awareness of the underlying issue: Israel’s right to exist and the necessity of a strong and undivided Jerusalem as the foundation of the one and only Jewish homeland,” Gerbitz said.

He said the goal is 1 million signatures, “and it’s very realistic.” ■

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NOVEMBER 10 â–ª 2017

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

VETERANS DAY

A Righteous Man Within the Nazi War Machine In June 1942, I became an inmate of Forced Labor Camp Mielec, which later became a concentration camp.

The camp was outside the town of Mielec, from which the Jews were removed in March 1942.

The camp was an adjunct to an airplane factory, the Heinkel Werke. It employed about 3,000 Jewish inmates, about 1,000 Polish civilians and several hundred German personnel.

The main product was the Heinkel 111 bomber, but there was also a facility to repair other models of airplanes damaged in combat.

In the severe winter of 1942-43, I was working on a garbage detail at the German compound. The Germans lived in two family units. Our job was not only to remove the garbage, but also to help when called upon for any chores required by the residents.

We had a little room, a basement where we could take our lunch break.

One day, when dumping a garbage can, we noticed a brown bag with some sandwiches, obviously left by some merciful hausfrau. A few days later the same thing happened.

When I was sweeping the street one day, a lady passing by quietly asked, “Did you find the package?”

“Ja, danke schoen (yes, thank you)” was all I could utter.

A week later, she asked for me to come into her house to help her hang some curtains. It was just a pretext to serve me some hot tea and a snack.

The weather was getting nastier, and I was running a severe cold the next time she asked me to her house, and she said: “You do not look good.

The job will kill you. Let me help you.

My husband is a big wig in the plant.

Let me talk to him. Maybe he can

Rose

think of something.”

Another day she asked me questions about my background and the whereabouts of my family, then volunteered some details about herself.

She came from Yugoslavia, of Croatian parentage. Her husband was German and was an engineer in the plant.

Their name was Pusch.

Guest Column

By Norbert Friedman

She offered to ask her husband to find a job for me in his department.

A few days later I was assigned to the Werkstoffprüfung, the materialstesting laboratory. That department under engineer Pusch encompassed some of the most vital responsibilities of the Heinkel Werke plant.

Mr. Pusch’s materials-testing department included the X-ray facility, the chemical lab, the heat-treating room and the cyanide bath facility.

The last two were used to make the aluminum alloy components malleable so they could be shaped into parts for the wings and fuselage.

Mr. Pusch was of medium height, with smiling blue eyes and an occasional impish grin. He wore a Tyrolean hat with a colorful feather, much like my Uncle Lipek used to wear.

On my first day, he greeted me with a thorough once-over and said: “So you are my wife’s pet. Come on, I will give you a nice sit-down job.”

He took me into a bright, large room filled with strange machinery and several desks manned by neatly dressed Poles. “This is Norbert,” he said. “Treat him right.”

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He left me in the hands of Mr. Jankowski, who invited me to sit at his desk. “What do you know about this kind of work?” he asked me.

“Very little,” I said, although I had some knowledge of physics and metallurgy from my days at the Jewish Vocational School in Krakow.

Mr. Jankowski explained the work they were doing. They conducted sheering and hardness tests on samples made of strips of aluminum, which had to be machined into given shapes. After the stress tests, they calculated the pounds per square inch that the strips could withstand.

They also cut through samples of welded parts, polished them to high finish, applied acid and examined them for any flaws in the welding.

Unlike other parts of the plant, the working conditions were relaxed, but everyone tried to look busy, especially when Nazi dignitaries visited.

Next to the physical lab was the X-ray facility. Zoltan Rosner, who bunked with me in Barrack 4, operated it. Upstairs was a chemical lab manned by a Polish chemist assisted by another Jewish inmate, Ernest Noble.

Engineer Pusch would occasionally drop by our department, always inquiring about my work: “How is he doing, my wife’s pet?”

Soon, he started to bring in little food packages, which he said were from his wife. I always shared with Ernest and Zoltan. If the package contained eggs or sausage, Zoltan and I would fry the food in the X-ray room after locking ourselves in.

We would turn on the red light outside the sliding, heavy lead door, indicating that X-ray examination of parts was in progress. When Mr. Pusch was about to bring someone on a tour, he would alert us by buzzing the X-ray room with two short and two long rings, and we would open the windows and turn on the fan. The smell of fried eggs and sausage in the lab would certainly invite questions from visitors.

When high-ranking SS officers inspected the plant, Mr. Pusch found himself in front of the X-ray room with no chance to warn us. The red light was on, though, and despite the insistence of the SS officers, he refused to open the lead-reinforced door.

The SS officers became forceful, and he said: “All right, all right. I will let you in, but I will not be responsible for all of you becoming sterile because of the heavy radiation.”

The gamble paid off. The group

decided to tour other installations and come back to the X-ray room later.

In the summer of 1943, a young German boy, obviously related to some influential figure, was assigned as an intern in the chemical lab. Once, while pretending to clean his revolver, he shot Ernest in the thigh.

While Ernest was being treated, the young German said, “One less Jew.” He knew a wounded inmate, unable to work, would be executed.

Mr. Pusch was livid and took Ernest to the German dispensary, where the plant doctor removed the bullet, and he put Ernest in the camp sick bay.

He impressed upon the German doctor that Ernest was essential to the chemical lab and had to be saved.

Whenever it was necessary to save one of his Jews and he had to justify it to the head of plant security, the dreaded Mr. Stein. That inmate always turned out to be the most indispensable cog in the plant machinery.

An elderly Orthodox Jew, Mr. Reichman, who was interned with his three sons and was working in the cyanide baths, was taken to the killing ground in Berdychow to be executed by the Gestapo because of some infraction. We ran to notify Mr. Pusch, who jumped on his bicycle and rode to Berdychow.

Zimmerman, the executioner, refused to hand the prisoner over to the engineer, so Mr. Pusch said he would report Zimmerman to Berlin for sabotaging the war effort. Mr. Reichman, he said, was the only man capable of running the cyanide baths.

Mr. Reichman was saved, at least for the time being.

Mr. Pusch detested the Nazis and would do whatever he could to undermine them. The authorities must have sensed it because he was relocated in the winter of 1943 to Rostock, a facility the Allies frequently bombed.

After the war, Ernest Noble, whose life Mr. Pusch had saved, opened a factory to produce tooth powder in Schweinfurt, Germany, and made the engineer his partner.

I have often wondered how it was possible, amid that malignant sea of cruelty, for one man’s decency to create an island of humanity. ■ Holocaust survivor Norbert Friedman was forced to do labor for the Nazi war machine, but after being liberated in May 1945, he worked with the U.S. military. Look for Part 2 about Mr. Pusch next week.

VETERANS DAY

Vietnam Vet Finds Peace In Writing About the War

Michael March writes at Panera Bread most weekdays.

follows Daniel into the 1980s as he tries to stop a plot involving AIDS, the Illuminati, and science vs. faith.

But that’s a story people should be able to read some time next year.

His first book, “Each One a Hero: A Novel of War and Brotherhood,” published in September 2016 by Hellgate Press, is about his Army experiences.

March said he wrote it 25 years ago, then forgot about it as life went on. When he moved to Atlanta to be near family, including his mother, he remembered the book. He thought it was phenomenal — until he reread it and realized how much work it needed.

He cut it from 135,000 words to 76,000, he said. “I got rid of all the soapboxes.”

What’s left, March said, is what you would get if “The Big Lebowski” and “Platoon” had a child. Not coincidentally, March dreams of doing prequel to “Lebowski” that would tell of the Dude’s Vietnam experiences.

About 70 percent of “Hero” is real, March said, despite a negative Amazon review from a reader who says he served in the 11th at the same time and didn’t see nearly as much pot.

March credits his involvement with the Atlanta Writers Club for helping him hone his craft, and he has learned that the more you write, the better you get. He’s also a member of a writers circle that meets at Georgia State’s Perimeter campus and at Panera Bread in Dunwoody, which is where you can find him most mornings writing his next book (he hopes to write eight books and three movies before he’s done).

He said he has used his military experience to try to be a better, more caring person.

“I don’t think that being in the Army is the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” March said. “I think it’s something you do because your country calls on you. My dad served in World War II. And what were your choices — you serve or you run away?

It just seemed like the thing to do.” ■

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Vietnam War veteran Michael March wouldn’t be a published author, with a second book under contract and a third in the works, if he’d never come to Georgia.

March — who is quick to tell how he was kicked out of Hebrew school a week before his bar mitzvah in Brooklyn but got to go ahead with the event because his parents had paid the bill — was drafted into the Army at age 19 in 1967 and was sent for basic training at Fort Gordon outside Augusta.

One of two Jews in his training unit, he earned a place in officer training, but “four days into the Army, I realized the Army wasn’t for me.”

He got artillery training at Fort Sill, Okla., before shipping out to Vietnam to direct artillery fire with the 11th Armored Cavalry.

“The Army was wacko,” the 70-year-old Sandy Springs man said.

March was in Vietnam for the High Holidays in the fall of 1967, which he remembers as being an opportunity to get an extra day of freedom in Saigon because the higher-ups didn’t know much about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

He was in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, seen as the psychological turning point in early 1968, and remained until the summer of that year.

He smoked a fair amount of marijuana, and he wore out four guitars playing for himself and his fellow troops. He survived to come home and resume a civilian life, but only after he believed he received a message from G-d, delivered by another soldier: He was given the task of saving the world.

For March, who was already a singer-songwriter, that meant playing rock ’n’ roll and, perhaps inevitably, making his way to Berkeley, Calif., to represent good in the world.

“As crazy as the hippies were, I was crazier,” March said. “I just totally believed in peace and love.”

He read the Bible a lot in those days, including the Book of Daniel, which inspired the name of the main character in his debut novel, Daniel Dundee. “I just like the way it sounded,” he said. “I like DD, MM.” His time in California inspired the plot for his second book, “Formula 13 and the Genesis of the New World Order,” an appropriately trippy tale that

THE TASTE OF

EXCELLENCE

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Debbie@SonenshineTeam.com | www.SonenshineTeam.com ©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Operated By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC.

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LOCAL NEWS

Chabad Interns Eager To Aid Intown Outreach

By Rachel Fayne The Goldbergs are the newest addition to the Chabad Intown staff, and the couple’s shared desire to invigorate the young adult community hits close to home for them.

Rabbi Zalman Goldberg and his wife, Chaya, are in their 20s. They plan to bring their experience with Jewish outreach from all over the world to Atlanta’s intown community.

The past 10 months took the couple to seven states, six countries and five continents; they volunteered everywhere from Israel, where they worked in a hospital with Israeli backpackers, to Australia, where they assisted smaller Jewish communities.

The couple asked whether Chabad Intown needed any help in the coming year while the Goldbergs looked for a long-term Chabad location, and Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman decided they could temporarily fill a need in the community.

The couple’s goal the next 12 months is to gain the experience they need to open a Chabad house in a yetunknown location. They will spend the year as interns networking with young professionals at events, inviting people over for Friday night dinners, and looking for a space somewhere in the coun-

Cyber Attack Hits AJT

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

The Atlanta Jewish Times’ website was caught in a Turkish hacker’s attack on The Times of Israel on Thursday, Nov. 2.

The AJT is part of The Times of Israel’s network of online partners, and like at least two other partners in the network, New York Jewish Week and London’s Jewish News, the AJT was effectively knocked offline throughout regular business hours that day.

According to RGB Media, the company that operates the online systems behind the websites of TOI and its partners, the attack occurred just after 8 a.m. Atlanta time.

“There was a penetration into our systems,” an RGB spokesman said. “All info is guarded, backed up and safe.”

The hack placed an image of children waving a Turkish flag and a line in Turkish that vowed to protect “Palestine” and Gaza onto the AJT home page and stories on the site.

Below the image was a verse from 28 the Quran reading, “And we shaded

Rabbi Zalman Goldberg and his wife, Chaya, have traveled the world in their work with Chabad.

try to apply their experience.

Rabbi Schusterman said he has no doubt they will be an asset to Chabad Intown, and the Goldbergs are grateful for the opportunity. They are working on young adult programs for Chanukah and trying to find new ways to reach people in the community who have not attended Chabad events.

Although the Goldbergs don’t necessarily plan to be Atlanta residents for the long term, they plan to learn all they can from Rabbi and Dena Schusterman and the intown community.

“We’re here to serve the intown community and young professionals,” Chaya Goldberg said. “We look forward to enhancing the already thriving establishment that is Chabad Intown.

We’re looking forward to meeting the wonderful people of the neighborhood.”

She added, “We’d also like to find somewhere for kosher pizza.” ■ you with clouds and sent down to you manna and quails, (saying), ‘Eat from the good things with which we have provided you.’ And they wronged Us not — but they were only wronging themselves.”

The verse was written in Turkish, Arabic and English.

The page was signed by the group Akincilar, which hacked multiple Dutch websites this year after Turkey and the Netherlands had a political falling-out in the wake of Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s controversial referendum win. In spring 2015, the same group hacked the website of Hillels of Georgia.

The hackers did not gain access to user information or permanently change any site data, and site users were not at any risk, RGB said.

The attack occurred on the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the first public statement of British government support for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Ottoman province then known as Palestine. ■

Congregation Etz Chaim has carved an outdoor sanctuary into a hill.

Etz Chaim Opens Outdoor Sanctuary Congregation Etz Chaim dedicated the Sisterhood Outdoor Sanctuary on Friday, Oct. 6, as part of the East Cobb synagogue’s Blue Jean Shabbat in the Sukkah program.

More than 200 people attended the celebration, and the ruach (spirit) was palpable as joy emanated.

Congregation President Todd Surden presented the sanctuary’s plaque with an inscription of dedication to Bob Bachrach, Etz Chaim’s recently retired executive director. The touching moment was enhanced by Rabbi Daniel Dorsch, the new senior rabbi, who shared an anecdote about “finding holy spaces in unexpected places.”

“Our Sisterhood Outdoor Sanctuary is a tribute to our congregation and all that has been accomplished over the past 42 years,” Bachrach said. “I am honored to have my name associated with it.”

He added that the congregation “underwent a major transition last year as our spiritual torch was passed to our new senior rabbi, Dan Dorsch, and the operational leadership was passed this past spring to Marty Gilbert. Their partnership, with the support of the laity, will take our kehilla to new heights. This new sanctuary is but the tip of the iceberg. The best is yet to come.”

The idea of an outdoor sanctuary was conceived during the previous year’s Blue Jean Shabbat in the Sukkah program.

Instead of outdoor pews, Etz Chaim members sat on chairs in the parking lot last year. Rabbi Dorsch, then newly appointed, noticed that the hill near the sukkah looked like it had the foundation to be an outdoor sanctuary. Etz Chaim’s Sisterhood caught wind of his vision and acted to make it a reality by creating a congregational fundraiser.

Jewish National Fund trees were purchased and planted to support the building of the outdoor sanctuary. It seemed natural to the board of trustees, the Sisterhood, the Men’s Club, and 3 Score or More or Less (a 55-and-older group) to dedicate the sanctuary to Bachrach, who served in his role for nine years in addition to serving as a synagogue president.

When Rabbi Dorsch was asked what inspired him to envision the outdoor sanctuary, he said, “Attending services at Camp Ramah was one of the most spiritually uplifting experiences of my life.”

The outdoor sanctuary evokes the spirit of summer camp to bring together the community.

Rabbi Steven Wernick, the CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, said, “You brought camp to Etz Chaim” when he spoke at a program at the congregation in September.

In an interview with the AJT after his appearance at Etz Chaim, Rabbi Wernick said he will be watching to see how the outdoor sanctuary is received and used, and he was enthusiastic about encouraging other communities to carry out similar projects to experience the joy and spirit of summer camp all year.

Congregants approached Etz Chaim staff after the Shabbat service and expressed how meaningful the experience was and how they felt as if they were back at camp.

The outdoor sanctuary is the perfect example of bringing a community together to achieve a dream.

Etz Chaim is playing host to Camp Ramah Darom on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, for Camp Ramah Darom Shabbat.

The event is free and open to the community and provides an opportunity to pray in the outdoor sanctuary while getting a taste of camp. ■

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BUSINESS

BlueTop Brings Comfy, Quirky Dining to Chamblee Chamblee has come on as one of Atlanta’s hotspots for trendy, close-in living, with apartments, art galleries, restaurants and a whopping Whole Foods.

Mid-August brought the city BlueTop, a fast-casual eatery from businessman and restaurateur Andy Lasky. Seven days a week, it is a foodie hangout with American fare, adventurous drinks and an eclectic crowd.

Paul Sidener, formerly from Portofino, is the executive chef.

Located at 5362 Peachtree Road, the place is just plain fun, offering multiple venues to eat (indoor and outdoor), two bars, and a back yard with bocce ball, cornhole, picnic tables and occasional live music.

It works because the kids playing within clear view of the adults do not distract from the dining experience.

I’m a healthy eater and always order the same things, which I can’t get anywhere else, starting with yummy green avocado gazpacho and a kale salad with milk-blanched garlic, dried blueberries, toasted oats and a fermented hemp nut vinaigrette. My entrée is the veggie ban mi — French bread layered with collard kimchi and grilled tofu. The grilled cod and smoked salmon also do well on salads.

Jaffe: How do your roles and responsibilities play out?

Lasky: Paul has responsibility for the kitchen; however, all of our management team works together to do whatever is needed. I handle most of the boring business aspects, but when it comes to the day-to-day operations,

we all pitch in equally as a team.

Jaffe: You originally stated that you would have a broad appeal — families, foodies, neighborhood locals, baby boomers. Has that proved to be the case?

Lasky: We have all stages of the

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

lifecycle at BlueTop. I have seen guests from a newborn to a 93-year-old greatgrandfather.

Jaffe: What have been the hottest menu items? Are you taking anything off the menu?

Lasky: We serve a lot of burgers and angry fried chicken. We eliminated lobster corndogs and fried pickles due to consistency. We want the food to be culinary but approachable. Customers love the lamb Sloppy Joe. Although we don’t have fine china and silver, our food costs are very high because of our quality ingredients.

Jaffe: What are some menu items you hope to roll out?

Lasky: We want to get more vegetable-focused. We have a tremendous support system from farms and would like to use their surplus. We will be adding a corned beef Reuben.

Jaffe: Is it a drag having such long, seven-day-a-week hours?

Lasky: Originally our hours were

Kosher Cafe Bello Closes

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Proving again that the restaurant business is tough, Chamblee has lost a Jewish-owned eatery only a couple of months after the opening of BlueTop. Cafe Bello, a kosher, Mediterranean-themed restaurant owned by Israelis Owen Beno and Israel Rosh at 3665 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, has closed after less than five months in business.

The Atlanta Kosher Commission spread the word of the shutdown with a one-sentence notice in its weekly email alert in late October, and, without commenting on the reasons, Rosh 30 confirmed the closure.

BlueTop owner Andy Lasky is flanked by general manager Casey Taylor (left) and executive chef Paul Sidener.

Cafe Bello opened at the start of June with a dairy menu meant to present the range of cultural influences on Israel.

At least initially, the restaurant drew good crowds, with a ready audience coming from the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta a little more than a mile north on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road.

The restaurant served breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The owners told the AJT in June that they spent eight months searching for a location and six months preparing the site, where they could not add alcohol to the menu because of the

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. We have cut that back to 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. close. We close the kitchen from 3 to 4 p.m., when we serve soups, salads and raw oysters to give the kitchen an opportunity to restock and get ready for dinner.

Jaffe: Is it true that you did the interior design yourself?

Lasky: I didn’t pick up any hammers myself, but I was here all day during the nine months of construction, as well as the first two months we have been opened. My father-in-law of blessed memory, Buster Oxman, called it “can’t to can’t”: “Can’t see outside when you go to work, can’t see outside when you get home.” He was a great role model for me.

Jaffe: You have done a lot of recycling and repurposing.

Lasky: We bought a 1969, 45foot Global Van Lines moving truck for $500, then retrofitted it into the kitchen. The van was a quarter-mile down the road at Rust N’ Dust in Chamblee for 25 years. We used barn and reclaimed wood everywhere in construction.

proximity to Chamblee Charter High School.

The restaurant building is available for lease for anyone else who wants to jump into the high-risk business.

The newest kosher restaurant in Toco Hills, the Italian-themed Formaggio Mio, appears to be moving closer to opening with the announcement of a Facebook contest to fill 20 spots at a private menu tasting Tuesday night, Nov. 28. Details on the raffle, although nothing firm on an opening date, are at the restaurant’s Facebook page, www. facebook.com/FormaggioMio. ■

Jaffe: It’s a bit odd paying up front and not knowing the service level (or connecting to the server) to be able to anticipate the gratuity level.

Lasky: It really is. Originally, I was undecided how it would work out. So we compensate our staff with a much higher hourly wage than the typical $2 to $3 an hour. For that reason, our tipped employees make great money and deserve it. No one has left since we opened, which is rare in this industry.

We are now encouraging guests to pay at the table.

Jaffe: Any plans for another location?

Lasky: Initially, I created BlueTop (named after a taxicab company) to keep busy. It certainly has done that. I don’t have major hobbies, so I missed interaction with the folks. Having worked in the hospitality business in the early ’80s, I always loved the industry.

It has been very rewarding to have my wife and daughters’ families share and enjoy this journey with me.

As far as opening more locations, check back with me on that. ■

Cafe Bello’s owners spent more than a year to find and prepare the location for their kosher Israeli restaurant, then closed in less than five months.

FOOD

Keep Warm All Fall With Hearty Comforts

Photo courtesy of Oak Steakhouse

Oak Steakhouse’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake screams autumn with a gingersnap crust, candied pumpkin seeds and caramel sauce, as well as house-made marshmallows.

with gingersnap crust, house-made marshmallows, candied pumpkin seeds and caramel sauce.

• Canoe’s menu (www.canoeatl. com) changes with the seasons, and so does its landscape. The beautiful setting of this restaurant by the river provides the perfect backdrop to any fall comfort food. The lunch menu has a Creamy Butternut Squash soup with lime cream and seed vinaigrette.

Or opt for the Truffled House-Made French Fries With Parmesan.

• The steakhouse staple that has served the suburb of Dunwoody for decades, McKendrick’s (www.mckendricks.com), is just as famous for its signature sides as it is for its steaks. A creamy, savory and truly special treat to order this time of year is McKendrick’s wild mushroom risotto.

• The newest Midtown spot to open its doors is Italian-focused, Allora (www.alloraatl.com). The pasta selection is sure to warm you up on any chilly day. One of this restaurant’s signature dishes is the creamy Cacio e Pepe. Simply put, this house-made pas-

ta with olive oil, butter, black pepper and grated Pecorino Romano cheese is as comforting as a dish can be.

• For a soul-satisfying bowl of ramen, set your GPS to Jinya (jinyaramenbar.com). There are two Atlanta locations: Sandy Springs and Buck-

The Food Scene

By Skye Estroff

head. My go-to order is the Spicy Chicken Ramen.

• Looking for a lighter dish that still uses all the autumnal flavors?

Head to Decatur for Wahoo Grill’s seasonal menu (www.wahoogrilldecatur. com). You’ll find an array of fall salads, from Warm Farro with butternut squash, honey-mustard vinaigrette and kale chips to Apple & Radicchio with toasted pine nuts, goat cheese and champagne vinaigrette or the Persimmons and Pomegranate with arugula, radish, Mindoro blue and cardamom-lime vinaigrette.

• If you’re in the Sandy Springs area on a Sunday morning, Under the Cork Tree (corktreerestaurant.com) is the best stop to make. The restaurant is known for bright and fresh Mediterranean dishes, but the Sunday brunch is providing a whole new range to Under the Cork Tree’s menu concept.

• Greenwoods (greenwoodsongreenstreet.com) is the classic restaurant to remember when the craving for deep-dish pie hits. The restaurant’s apple pie is a classic. Order in store, take your pie home or bring it to your neighborhood potluck. If you’re in the mood for something savory instead, try the pot roast with local grass-fed beef brisket with carrots, onion and celery topped with brown gravy. Don’t forget to pair the pot roast with hearty sides such as mashed potatoes and honey-glazed carrots.

Stay up to date with the best food and restaurants in Atlanta. Follow Taste of Atlanta on Facebook (Taste of Atlanta), Instagram and Twitter (@ TasteofAtlanta). Follow my food stories on Instagram at @skyemichelle58. ■ Skye Estroff is the marketing and media manager for Taste of Atlanta. She is an Atlanta native, a UGA grad and an expert in Atlanta’s best food.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Now that the 90-degree temperatures are behind us, we’re not limited to dishes that are only served cold.

So long gazpacho, outdoor grilling, ice cream cones, refrigerated salads, and hordes of fresh watermelon and seafood. Our palates are ready for warm, hearty, filling meals to get us through these Arctic, 60-degree temperatures.

Take your cravings around town to taste what Atlanta restaurants have to offer this season.

• Oak Steakhouse (www.oaksteakhouseatlanta.com) in Alpharetta has whipped up a dessert that doesn’t just insinuate fall; it screams the season.

Order the Sweet Potato Cheesecake

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FOOD

Beth Tefillah Chews on French Kosher

By Patrice Worthy

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

It’s 5 p.m., and chefs Mark Hennessey and Jose Meirelles are preparing a four-course meal in the kitchen of Congregation Beth Tefillah for a dinner that begins at 7.

The two men are best known for the world-class French brasserie Le Marais in the heart of Times Square in New York. The restaurant opened 20 years ago, and what began as a risk has become the premier spot for kosher steaks.

The secret to the succulent cuts of beef is an old-school butcher by the name of Dominique, plus aging.

But there’s another element that gives these chefs an edge: They’re not Jewish.

Hennessey believes that a gentile palate is an advantage in a kosher kitchen.

“We both come from nonkosher businesses, and we both understand what it is to operate nonkosher. We don’t operate with the restrictions a Jewish person would operate with because we speak a different language,” Hennessey said. “We understand all these foods and all these flavors that those guys don’t understand. We’ve eaten everything. We’ve eaten around the world. We’ve eaten at every restaurant in New York City, and we know what’s what. I think if you’ve been kosher your whole life, you have a very limited palate.”

The idea behind the menu at Le Marais is a French brasserie that just happens to be kosher. The steaks are the main draw, said Meirelles, the owner of Le Marais, but he emphasized that it is a French restaurant.

The menu at Le Marais includes such traditional French fare as beef bourguignon, coq au vin, duck confit, pates and rillettes.

When Meirelles opened the restaurant with urging from business partners, he said he started by learning kashrut.

“I had to adapt the recipes for the kosher world. I had a rabbi come in, and he knew a lot about cooking, and he showed us,” Meirelles said. “The rest was ‘learn as you go’ because the cooking isn’t Jewish; the cooking is French.”

The biggest change for Meirelles was using margarine instead of butter for his sauces. A French sauce or roux is rich with a creamy consistency because of the butter, but Meirelles adapted to take kosher cuisine to another level. He combines lemon, egg 32 and margarine to get the creamy tex-

A

C

B

D Photos by Patrice Worthy

E ture with the mildly piquant taste.

“Kosher has nothing to do with cooking. It’s about what you can and cannot do,” Meirelles said. “You just use kosher ingredients.”

The four-course dinner at Beth Tefillah on Monday, Oct. 30, was inspired by Thanksgiving and autumn.

It included a 108 Degree Salmon with thyme, salt and pepper.

The salmon was served mediumrare over a bed of pickled cucumbers, radishes, peppers and parsley. The poached salmon was cooked using a technique called sous vide, in which it was placed in a 108-degree bath until done.

While poached salmon usually is hard and flaky, Hennessey said, sous vide changes the texture of the fish.

“Poached salmon should be soft, and it’s a fatty fish by nature. By cooking it at a very low temperature with the sous vide process, it enables us to have this perfect salmon,” Hennessey said.

A: The star of the evening at Beth Tefillah is Le Marais’ beef tournedos.

B: No, that’s not pork; it’s veal served as porcetta.

C: Chef Mark Hennessey whips up the hollandaise sauce.

D: Chef Mark Hennessey puts the dulce de leche topping on his gingerbread molasses cake.

E: Le Marais uses a sous vide technique to perfect a soft poached salmon.

The second course was “porchetta.” It’s actually veal pounded out and rolled up with garlic and rosemary. It’s then slow-cooked, salted and served thinly sliced with mustard, a crouton from a French baguette and pickled vegetables.

The porchetta is cooked for 48 hours. Le Marais cooks it carefully because it’s “difficult to do kosher,” and a lot of the meats don’t have the same fat content as pork.

It was one of the dishes that gave the Beth Tefillah diners a small taste of what they do at Le Marais, Hennessey said.

The third course, beef tournedos, was the star of the evening. The beef was placed in a sous vide bath with salt and pepper and served with a Béarnaise sauce. The filet was served medium-rare with roasted parsnips and carrots.

“We had to do a beef dish,” Hennessey said. “It’s a nice, 28-day-aged, 6-ounce tournedo beef.”

A few guests sent the steak back to be cooked medium-well (a residual effect of the Jewish palate), and others complained about the lack of a starch like potatoes (an effect of the Southern palate), but for the most part everyone enjoyed the steak.

The dessert was gingerbread molasses cake served with a dulce de leche cream topping with a sweet apple glaze on the sauce.

The meal was paired with red and white wines and live music.

Sari and David Jacoboff, who recently moved to Atlanta from Manhattan, attended the dinner because Le Marais is their favorite restaurant in New York.

They enjoyed the dinner but said there’s nothing like home.

“We celebrated many occasions there,” David said. “The dinner was excellent. We liked the steak the best, but, to be honest, we like Manhattan better.” ■

FOOD

Photo by Patrice Worthy

(From left) Mark Hennessey, Michael Kosowski and Jose Meirelles keep busy in the kitchen at Congregation Beth Tefillah.

Two Gentile Palates Elevate Le Marais Kosher In the tradition of upscale restaurants, the chefs at Le Marais, a kosher French brasserie in the heart of Manhattan, have published a cookbook.

The book features about 140 recipes, ranging from French sauces to the restaurant’s acclaimed steak.

The cookbook begins with a foreword by former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah. They talk about Le Marais as a staple in New York, an unlikely restaurant that is the quintessential New York story.

“Where else would a non-Jewish Portuguese immigrant open a French bistro, hire an Irish-Italian Catholic as its executive chef and create one of the finest and most successful kosher restaurants in the United States?” they write.

That non-Jewish background is what gives chefs Mark Hennessey and Jose Meirelles, the owner of Le Marais, their special flavor. They have experience that goes beyond the kosher kitchen, and they translate those nuisances to bring an added layer of taste to kosher food, which in this case is French cuisine.

The book first tackles the sauces, the beginning of all French cuisine.

Hennessey notes that in most cookbooks the sauces are in the back, but he chose to lead with sauces because, even in American culinary schools, sauces serve as an introduction to the kitchen.

“The first kitchen that you entered was the skills kitchen: the basics of knife cuts, sautéing, and, most importantly, stock and sauce making,” Hennessey writes.

From there, the book takes off into a world of French cooking “that just happens to be kosher.”

The recipes are surprisingly simple and easy.

In the culinary world, French cooking, with its mother sauces, is

what many beginning chefs set out to master. For a layperson, the dishes can seem intimidating, but in the Le Marais cookbook the only things intimidating are the titles.

For example, the Le Marais Hollandaise Variation Béarnaise is a simple, six-ingredient recipe using chardonnay and tarragon. The Pan Seared Tournedos and Steak Au Poivre have only four ingredients each, with simple instructions.

Surprisingly, the most intimidating item to make is the French fry.

The fries at Le Marais have been called “fabulous” by New York Magazine restaurant critic Michael Anstendig, and Hennessey says, “They are among the best in New York, kosher or not.”

The fries are made using simple Idaho potatoes and GPOD, a group of size, grade and ship potatoes. The potatoes are peeled and sliced into halfinch-thick sticks. Simple enough.

But the deep fryer and oil are where it gets complicated, and Hennessey warns readers it’s not easy.

“Like I said earlier, the perfect fry is a process. Seems to me that it’s much easier to make your way into Times Square to see us than do it yourself,” he writes as a side note.

The Le Marais cookbook lifts the veil of mystery on French food and invites readers to try their hand at French recipes for the kosher kitchen.

It’s presented in an easy, educational way, even making a case for USDAgraded beef. The book and its contents aren’t for those who enjoy simple flavors, but if you’re looking to expand your palate and speak some French, “Le Marais: A Rare Steakhouse ... Well Done” is a great starting point. ■ Le Marais: A Rare Steakhouse … Well Done

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NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

By Patrice Worthy

By Mark Hennessey and Jose Meirelles Gefen Publishing, 270 pages, $29.95 (paperback)

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ARTS

‘Delancey’ Crosses From Predictable to Charming

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

Susan Booth, the director of the Alliance Theatre, addressed the Alliance audience by referring to the rotating venues this year (because of the renovation of its space at the Woodruff Arts Center) as “crazy pants.”

It was a well-matched theater audience as Alliance regulars graced the Marcus Jewish Community Center dressed in lace, coats and ties as if they were attending a Broadway production. The atmosphere was filled with rom-com fondness, and the production of “Crossing Delancey,” with a cast of five, magically engaged the audience.

Many of us saw Amy Irving in the 1985 play and 1988 movie; but who remembers?

Living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Izzy is at the crossroads of singlehood in a potentially vacuous modern world of pomposity dating vs. the urging of her strong Bubbie and loquacious “Zsa Zsa Gabor on steroids” matchmaker.

Mary Lynn Owen is believable and lovable as Bubbie and, not coincidentally, played the role of Izzy for Theatrical Outfit in 1990.

With her tightly bandaged beige leggings and blue apron, she pulls off Yiddish expressions as if they are second nature.

Her first nature is strength and ego. Attached to her dating advice are details about how men courted her in her younger days and her choice of the right man, who wooed her the most fervently amid the competition.

And who doesn’t have a soft spot for a bubbie who cares as much about saving the string on a package as about what’s inside? The “pooh-pooh” spitting I could do without.

34

Izzy, portrayed by Sochi Fried, charms the audience with her facial expressions and knowing side winks.

Working in a bookstore, she pursues a dashingly handsome author, Tyler (Daniel Thomas May), who deigns to

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

let her chase him.

(May’s 10-year-old daughter was in the audience and said later that her dad is not a “rascal” like Tyler.)

Enter the goodhearted Sam, a “pickle proprietor” played by Andrew Benator, who starred in one of my Alliance favorites, “Disgraced.” Sam bonds with Bubbie and shows his heart to Izzy, perhaps a bit too early.

Sam goes to shul and cleans Bubbie’s windows; but he holds his own as appealing, genuine and open to modernity without giving up his soul.

Susan Jordan Roush plays Hannah, the matchmaker, like a fiddle by showing up at all the right and wrong times. She is never shy about eating whatever Bubbie can’t hide from her.

Bossy, yes, but her heart is in the right place.

With apps like Match and JDate, has the world of dating advanced beyond “Delancey”?

Canadian director Leora Morris, 33, said: “The central questions haven’t changed much. The very human drama of figuring out who to love and how to identify who to love is not going away.”

The scenes move quickly, and I found myself sorry that the play was

Photo by Greg Mooney

Izzy (Sochi Fried) gets all the advice she can handle from Bubbie (Mary Lynn Owen, left) and Hannah (Joanna Daniels) in “Crossing Delancey.”

over. The lessons are tried and true through the decades: • It’s important for young people to have older people in their lives.

• Ultimately, it’s most poignant to select a mate based on kindness and loyalty instead of narcissism, the codeword that blasts us into divorce court.

Whom does Izzy, in her tight,

braless, black-banded cocktail dress, choose?

As a special bonus during intermission, Clive Bank of Added Touch Catering served samples and sold delish Floppickles, a 100-year-old recipe handed down from his grandfather’s deli in Riga, Latvia, by way of South Africa. ■

What: “Crossing Delancey” Where: Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody When: Through Saturday, Nov. 25 Tickets: $20 to $75 (some seats $10 for teens); www.alliancetheatre.org

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

BOOK FESTIVAL

A Talk That Won’t Be a Dog and Pony Show More than 40 books and their authors are part of the 26th Book Festival of the Marcus JCC, but only one author talk includes a four-legged attraction.

When Donnie Kanter Winokur speaks about the memoir “Chancer: How One Good Boy Saved Another” at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, she plans to have a golden retriever named Quinn, her family’s service dog, at her side.

He’s not the dog on the cover of “Chancer” or either of the good boys referred to in the title, but he does play a significant role in the book and, more important, for the family of Temple Kehillat Chaim Rabbi Harvey Winokur.

Chancer was the first service dog to work with thier son Iyal, whom the Winokurs adopted as a baby from Russia, along with a baby girl, Morasha.

While Morasha is a sophomore at Queens University in Charlotte, where her mother said she is thriving, Iyal has a different life, thanks to fetal alcohol syndrome disorder. It’s a much better life because of Chancer and Quinn.

“Chancer” tells of the despera-

tion and frustration that led Donnie to reach out to service dog organization 4 Paws to ask whether a dog could be trained to work with an FASD child. Because the symptoms and cues are similar to other developmental disabilities, it was possible, and Chancer and Iyal proved to be a perfect pair.

As shown in the book, Iyal lives in a literal world. He struggles with things that are conceptual and figurative rather than concrete.

Donnie said he has made progress, however, through nearly a decade of having a service dog to calm him when his frustration mounts.

Those gains might have been lost when Chancer died this spring if not for Quinn, who has his own personality but somehow also is the perfect fit for both Iyal and his parents.

During an interview at Kehillat Chaim, Quinn remained calm, but Donnie said she could tell he was restless and ready to work off some energy

OBITUARIES

Cecil Ram 88, Marietta

Dr. Cecil Ram, age 88, of Marietta, son of Herbert and Esther Ram, passed away Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.

Born in Augusta, Cecil graduated summa cum laude from the Medical College of Georgia in 1952. After a lifelong career practicing urological surgery in Aiken, S.C., Minot, N.D., and Statesville, N.C., Cecil retired to enjoy his family and friends.

Cecil was an avid flier and a seeker of knowledge and was kind and exceptionally generous. He loved being surrounded by people having fun.

His memory lives on through his family: his loving wife of 66 years, Judith Franzblau Ram; daughter and son-in-law Lauren and Joey Schultz of Marietta; daughter and son-in-law Dr. Cheryle and Ron Grossman of Buffalo, N.Y.; son Mike Ram of Greenville, S.C.; son Dr. Bernie Ram of Demorest; son and daughter-in-law Herbert and Diane Ram of Alpharetta; brother Miles Ram of Aiken; sister Rosemary Hirsch of Munster, Ind.; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and loving friends and adopted family Katrina and Henry O’Neal and Belinda Long. Cecil was preceded in death by his sister Patricia Ram Sawilowsky of blessed memory.

Sign the online guestbook at www.dresslerjewishfunerals.com. Memorial donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation. Funeral services were held Sunday, Nov. 5, at Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care in Chamblee. Interment was at Eternal Light Memorial Gardens in Boynton Beach, Fla. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Eleanor Schiffer

through a game of catch with the rabbi if it wasn’t time for Iyal to come home.

In that sense, Chancer’s death was a loss for Quinn as well as the rest of the family. He no longer has a fellow dog to play with. He will play with the family cats, although Donnie said he won’t walk past one.

Donnie, meanwhile, has shown a willingness to walk any path for her family and for efforts to raise awareness of the capabilities of service dogs and the prevalence and effects of fetal alcohol syndrome disorders.

She is honest and open about the tough times she and Rabbi Winokur experienced before Chancer — including some surprising language from a rebbetzin. But after a couple of decades at Kehillat Chaim, and with her husband’s retirement on the horizon, she said she’s not worried about shocking any congregants.

Through necessity, Donnie Winokur has become an expert on dogs

and their potential as more than pets — like Chancer and Quinn, she had to go through hundreds of hours of training with 4 Paws, plus occasional refreshers, to be certified as a service dog handler.

She can demonstrate Quinn’s discipline when she tells him to leave a dog treat, and she can share the surprise at his love of broccoli and carrots.

She also knows more than most about the incidence and effects of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder and about how the world responds both to people who have hidden disabilities — people can’t see how Iyal’s brain does and doesn’t work — and to service dogs, as opposed to family pets.

Despite federal law, which requires that service dogs with certified handlers be allowed to go anywhere with people, Donnie still runs into the occasional bus driver, air crew or amusement park manager who turns Quinn away, even though they carry copies of the relevant statutes.

While the four-legged presenter might bring excitement to the free talk Nov. 16, attendees will see that Donnie Winokur is the star of the show. ■

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89, Dunwoody

Eleanor Schiffer, 89, of Dunwoody, formerly of Forest Hills, N.Y., died Monday, Oct. 30, 2017.

Continued on the page 36

RE/MAX AROUND ATLANTA David Shapiro Jon Shapiro DShapiro@remax.net JonShapiro@mindspring.com 404-252-7500 404-845-3065 404-845-3050 www.jonshapiro.com

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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OBITUARIES She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, always there for everyone. She was a considerate and magnificent woman.

Survivors include daughter and son-in-law Geri and Richard Fitterman of Dunwoody; son and daughter-in-law Bryan and Peri Schiffer of Bayside, N.Y.; daughter and son-in-law Denise and Jeff Benach of Chicago; sister and brother-inlaw Shirley and Kenneth Heller of Teaneck, N.J.; brother and sister-in-law Sheldon and Shelly Peckney of New City, N.Y.; grandchildren Renee and Brad Rosen, Brett Ruttenberg, Jodi Fitterman, Ariel Schiffer, Jessica and David Axelrod, and Jaimee Benach; and great-grandchildren Summer Rosen and Noah Rosen.

Sign the online guestbook at www.dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Jewish Home Life Communities, 3150 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30327. A graveside service was held at New Montefiore Cemetery in New York on Thursday, Nov. 2. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Harry Smith 89, Atlanta

Harry Smith, age 89, of Atlanta died Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017.

He was a graduate of the University of Georgia. For many years, he owned and operated Mitnick Chevrolet in Tallapoosa.

Survivors include his companion of over 20 years, Sandra Carling; nephew Ronald N. (Mara) Strasberg; niece Barbara Lee (Howard) Lavine; the Carling family, Paul and Lori Carling and their children, Malissa and Sam Touchstone and their children and Julie Deehr and her daughter; cousin Marilyn Sokol; and a large extended family and friends.

Sign the online guestbook at www.dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the West Georgia Museum of Tallapoosa or the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta (jewishatlanta.org). In memory of Harry, there will be a private family ceremony. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Tatiana Ulman

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

90, Atlanta

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Tatiana (Tonia) Ulman passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in her home, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born Dec. 15, 1926, in Breslau, Poland (now Belarus), to her loving parents, Leib and Luba Karasin. Tonia is a Holocaust survivor. During World War II, she was sent with her family to work in harsh labor camps in Siberia for several years. After the war, she moved with her family to Vilnius, Lithuania, where she was reunited with the love of her life, Boris Ulman. Boris and Tonia immigrated to Atlanta to join Boris’ extended family. She was a driven, loving, giving, energetic and considerate person. Tonia’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the main purpose of her life. She was intelligent, generous and a hardworking woman who loved life, people and her family. She forever preserved the importance of keeping a Jewish home, imparting these values on her family.

Tonia is survived by her two children, Zelik Ulman and Liza Gilzenrat, and their spouses, LeeAnn Ulman and Michal Gilzenrat; her five grandchildren, Monica Schulman and husband Jeremy, Nicole Gilzenrat and husband Philip Criscione, Alanna Ulman, Natalie Ulman, and Brandon Ulman; her five great-grandchildren, Jordan, Josh, Ariella and Zach Schulman and Alyssa Ulman; and her many friends who loved her so much. She will be truly missed and dearly remembered by her family, but the void of her passing will never be filled.

Sign the online guestbook at www.dresslerjewishfunerals.com. A graveside service was held at Crest Lawn Memorial Park on Wednesday, Nov. 1. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, www. bcrf.org. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

June Arkin, 86, of Savannah, mother of Temple Sinai member Jonathan Arkin, David Arkin and Temple Kol Emeth member Lawrence Arkin and wife of Murray Arkin, on Oct. 28.

Selwyn Begner, 92, of Sandy Springs, father of Temple Sinai member Alan Begner, Karen Gadlin and Felice Goodman and husband of Charlotte Begner, on Oct. 29.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OBITUARIES Pearl Berez, 87, on Oct. 20.

David Bubes, 88, of Chevy Chase, Md., father of Temple Sinai member Mark Bubes, Alan Bubes, Ronald Bubes and Kenneth Bubes and husband of Harriet Bubes, on Oct. 26.

Rabbi Mendel Freedman, 68, of Columbia, Md., father of Anshi Rabbi Mayer Freedman, Paysach Freedman, Aryeh Leib Freedman, Shmuel Freedman, Laya Wachsman, Hanni Stein, Perel Malka Simpson and Golda Goldberg, husband of Zipporah Freedman, and son of Chana Freedman, on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Andrea Goldberg, 65, of Atlanta, wife of Richard Barber, on Oct. 28.

Lillian Hart of Ontario, mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Janis Golden, on Oct. 16.

Naum Koyfman, 62, on Oct. 23.

Georgina Scourtis, 82, of Sandy Springs, stepmother of Congregation Beth Shalom member Peter Scourtis, on Oct. 25.

Brenda West, 77, of Campbell, N.Y., mother of Temple Sinai member Philip West, Jana Harrian and Joelle Schwartz and wife of Sheldon West, on Oct. 26.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Mirror, Mirror, Why Won’t People Use You? Don’t take this the wrong way: There is a huge difference between a New Yorker driving in Hotlanta and a non-New Yorker.

A generalization? Yeah, man, as it is said in the Bronx. Truth? Sho’ nuff — bless their defensive-driving little hearts, as it is said in the South.

Snow. Rain. Sunlight.

Moonlight. Warm or cold weather. Even slight breezes can stymie a nonNew York driver.

Recently, one of them almost sent me to stymie heaven.

When I learned to drive, “use your mirrors” was repeated over and over.

You will never have better co-pilots than your left, right and rearview mirrors.

Mirrors help you park, help you get your bearings when in reverse, help you pass a slowpoke car, help you feel the length and width of your car, help you measure parking areas, help you become one with your car, and, last but in no way least, help you spot the car of an officer of the law. Oh, yeah!

Let’s be clear: I am not advocating a ban on the use of backup cameras or other innovative fandangos we find in our cars today.

Personally, I don’t even have a GPS. I have been blessed with a fabulous sense of direction. Except when I’m not.

I have also been blessed with an almost paralyzing fear of getting lost.

Should this trauma befall me, I call one of my daughters or sons-inlove. I get to need them, and they get to laugh.

There is a sound in my voice when I call one of them. They recognize that sound as “I need help.”

This act of kindness on their part allows them to practice the mitzvah of being kind to your mother or motherin-love.

Let us now return to my brush with stymie heaven.

I left home for the drive to work at my usual time.

Every other day, I head to the 38 right so I can pick up my cappuccino

at the gas station. On the off days, I head to the left.

Why every other day? This, my friends, is a conversation for another day.

Did you know we are in rutting season?

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Shaindle’s Shpiel

No, this is not the season for digging ruts in the road. If you were a buck, you would totally be looking forward to this time of year.

Let me just say that love is in the air.

Go ahead and Google it. I’ll wait.

Deer inhabit my neighborhood all year long. This time of year, however, the Bambis of the deer world are kicked out of their comfy homes and must learn to make it on their own.

We see them wandering around, looking for safe places to call their new home. They hang out on my property and on the roads, which makes driving a bit hazardous.

On the stymied day, I drove slowly through my neighborhood, making sure I would not injure one of these Bambis. I continued driving slowly, thank goodness, even when the driver of a huge SUV determined that she needed my lane, not hers, and attempted to pick my lane.

She came a hair’s breadth from destroying my car and catapulting me to that stymie heaven.

I missed the pole to my right by less than a pinkie’s width. I measured.

My tires cut a different kind of rut in the dirt. I was in a state of “Wait, what just happened?”

When I started breathing again, I looked up to see her once again pick a lane, and she was gone.

No “How are you?” No “I’m sorry.”

No oops, no acknowledgment of this near-miss.

If only she checked her mirrors!

I’m just sayin’. ■

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By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com

“Men of Action”

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

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This time of year, the Bambis are kicked out of their comfy homes and must learn to make it on their own.

NOVEMBER 10 ▪ 2017

CROSSWORD

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ACROSS 1. Mideastern sesame snack 6. Great Talmudic rav 10. Notable podium 14. “You’re in for ___ treat!”

15. Like some of the cows in Pharaoh’s dream 16. Haba or Hazeh 17. Keanu Reeves’ man of action — and a comic routine?

19. One who is the worst 20. Concise confession 21. Kosher Yellowstone residents 22. Following 23. Times of old 25. Sales talks 26. Tom Cruise’s man of action — and of giving sermons?

30. “Shalom, Luc” 31. WNBA star Bird who is an Israeli citizen 32. Benjamin Disraeli, e.g.

36. Actress Dennings (whose real last name is Litwack) 37. Name of strength with a son?

40. Pay___ 42. Bread for Holden Caufield?

43. You are, in Espanol 45. Gemara page 47. Danny who worked with con artist Saul Bloom, in a trilogy 49. Harrison Ford’s man of action — and one to borrow money from without interest?

53. Sister of Marge Simpson, and others 56. Like Jonathan, to David 57. Fluffy

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26. Tapper of CNN 27. 1 of 12 that can be 2x 28. Quote (Rashi) 29. NHL goal 33. 51 in sci-fi 34. Baseballer Braun 35. Cataract site 38. Puts 600 and 13 together 39. ___ tai (drink) 41. Manilow girl of song 44. Gene born Chaim Witz 46. Derogatory term for an Ethiopian Jew 48. Battle of antibodies against a runny nose and congestion?

DOWN 50. Dissenting vote 1. Muslim pilgrim 2. Yankee in controversy for 51. ___nik (bad person) 52. (Evil) eye much of the 2010s 53. The witch of Endor 3. Where 37-Across killed might have made one hundreds 54. Singer Goulding 4. “Mary Poppins” star 55. Great director Sidney 5. Franken and Gore 6. Clement who succeeded 58. Defensive spray 60. This clue, e.g. and preceded Churchill 61. Bezalel and Noah built 7. They have a certain them appeal, on “Seinfeld” 62. Israeli news site 8. Bar sounds 9. It makes the words in a 64. Victim of a series of unfortunate events Torah 65. Sarah or Rebecca, e.g.

10. Lag B’Omer structure 11. Fill with joy LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 12. Tov G A B L E F L E A I N F O preceder A L I A S R O T C N E I L 13. Mideast S O U T H B E A C H S E L A monarchs P E R K I D F A V O D A H 18. Frau’s E E K G R I M partner M A S T E R C L E A N S E C O W A D A R I I I A G O 22. Animal in A D A M S D I D M A L L S a 2011 James P E R U S N E E Z E S O S Franco hit M E D I T E R R A N E A N 24. “Mr. B E R R Y U P Holland’s ___” S A F A R I A T A H A Z Y 25. Where Billy E M I T V E G E T A R I A N G O S H E V E N B O R N E Joel’s “Last A N T S D A D S O N S E T Play” occurred 58. O. Henry’s “The Gift of the ___” 59. WWII turning point 63. Zoe’s good friend 64. Matt Damon’s man of action — and of nedarim?

66. Bank holding 67. Shmona, to Juan 68. Herman Wouk’s “Youngblood ___” 69. Response to “Shall we?”

70. Bit of sweat 71. Young’s partner in accounting

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Chanukah ART CONTEST

We’re looking for a creative, colorful Chanukah illustration for the cover of the Atlanta Jewish Times’ Dec. 8 issue.

If you’re age 13 or under, send us your Chanukah-themed artwork by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27.

Size: Standard 8.5” x 11” Materials: Anything that shows up bold and bright, such as crayons, markers or cut paper. We suggest taping your artwork to cardboard to protect it. Do not fold artwork. Digitally produced art is accepted. Artwork may be submitted as JPEG or PDF file.

Age categories: 6 and under, 7 to 10, 11 to 13.

To enter: Artwork must be mailed or delivered to the AJT office, 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328, ATTN: Art Contest; submitted through atlantajewishtimes.com; or emailed to editor@ atljewishtimes.com. (One entry per child, please.)

GRAND PRIZE $50 Gift certificate to Binders. Winner’s art may be the cover of the Dec. 23 AJT.

Each artwork must have an entry form attached to the back or filled out online. All fields must be filled out for a work to be eligible to win: first and last name of the artist; age; grade; school; home address; parents’ names; phone number; and email address

FIRST PRIZES $25 Gift certificate to Binders for each category (total of 4)

ALL ENTRANTS $5 Giftcertificate to Binders

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Entry Form - 2017 Chanukah Art Contest NAME (FIRST AND LAST)

Deadline: Monday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m.

PHONE

CITY

STATE

AGE

GRADE

PARENTS’ NAMES

SCHOOL

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ONE ENTRY PER CHILD, PLEASE 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 www.atlantajewishtimes.com For additional entry forms call 404-883-2130 or look in future issues of the Jewish Times.

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NOVEMBER 10 â–ª 2017