ZIONIST TALK
Rabbi Peter Berg sees victories for Progessive Judaism at the World Zionist Congress. Page 14
MATH GUY
GIVING BACK
A 10-minute calculus video almost earned a junior at Atlanta Jewish Academy a $250,000 scholarship. Page 21
To learn more and request an at-home screening kit, visit JScreen.org
Al Shams delves into the business and life lessons of Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus. Page 22
Atlanta WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
VOL. XC NO. 41
OCTOBER 30, 2015 | 17 CHESHVAN 5776
Hawks Set To Rekindle Menorah
T
A Soulful Shabbat
Photo by Russell Gottschalk, Atlanta Jewish Music Festival
New York Hasidic soul band Zusha — percussionist Elisha Mendl Mlotek, singer Shlomo Ari Gaisin and guitar player Zachariah “Juke” Goldshmiedt — helps close Atlanta’s communitywide participation in the global Shabbat Project with a Havdalah concert at Atlanta Jewish Academy on Saturday night, Oct. 24. The annual Shabbat Project kicked off with 600 people making challah together at the Marcus Jewish Community Center and included a block-party Saturday Kiddush outside Congregation Beth Jacob.
More, Pages 16-17
REFORM CROWD
Dozens of local Reform Jews are among 5,000 heading to Orlando for the URJ Biennial, North America’s largest religious gathering of Jews. Page 15
TOCO VOTE
After all the debates, the dueling legislative proposals and the shifting borders, Nov. 3 will finally bring the referendum on LaVista Hills cityhood. Page 19
Calendar
INSIDE 2
Education 20
Candle Lighting
3
Business
22
Israel
4
Arts
24
Remember When 5
Cartoon 27
Opinion
Obituaries
Rachel Stein
9 12
28
Crossword 30
he Atlanta Hawks have only one home game during Chanukah, so it’s good the NBA team’s third annual Jewish Heritage Night requires only one of the holiday’s eight nights. The Chabad of Georgia-organized community event will take place Saturday, Dec. 12, the seventh night of Chanukah, when the Hawks host the San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena. The 8 p.m. tipoff is less than two hours after Shabbat, and the menorah lighting at half court will take place before the game instead of at halftime. “It isn’t the best night for us. There’s not much we can do pregame,” said Rabbi Isser New, who worked with Rabbi Levi Mentz on the arrangements. Still, “we’re looking forward to great fun.” The night won’t repeat last year’s day school basketball doubleheader or the Chanukah family fun zone before the game, but Rabbi New said the kosher concession stand should be back. Early ticket buyers will have the chance to join the funnel of fans the players run through to the court, stand with the players during the national anthem, rebound for the pre-game warmups and sit on the bench before the tipoff. “These are some really fun experiences,” said Emily Hanover, who worked with Eric Platte on the Hawks’ side. Get tickets, priced at $39, $61 and $115, at www.atlantajewishheritage.com. The menorah lighting is scheduled for 7:27 p.m. “The menorah is the symbol in Jewish tradition of the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. That’s why we light it at night,” Rabbi New said. ■
The Atlanta chapters of the Hebrew Order of David want to thank the Atlanta Jewish community, our sponsors, and the teams that participated in the Kosher BBQ Competition and Festival. We thank you for your support and participation. It was a beautiful day to eat Kosher BBQ and enjoy time with family and friends. We hope everyone had a good time. We look forward to seeing you next year.
CALENDAR THURSDAY, OCT. 29
Campus anti-Semitism documentary. Jerusalem U brings director Shoshana Palatnik to Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, at 7 p.m. for a screening of the documentary “Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism on Campus,” followed by a discussion. Free; ctl.stepupforisrael.com.
SUNDAY, NOV. 1
Habitat build. Ahavath Achim Synagogue holds a Habitat for Humanity build for anyone 16 and older. For details, contact Jeffrey Victor at jeffrey@ creative-si.com or 404-702-3469. Brunch talk. Israeli Surgeon General Yitshak Kreiss speaks at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, at 11 a.m. in an appearance co-sponsored by American Friends of Magen David Adom. The morning starts with brunch at 10:30 for $5; bethshalomatlanta.org/yitshakkreiss-israeli-surgeon-general. ORT mahjong. ORT Atlanta holds a benefit mahjong event, including timed games and lunch, at 10:30 a.m. at 295 Grogans Lake Point, Sandy Springs. RSVP ASAP. Admission is $20; 404-3275266 or ORT America, 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 360, Atlanta, GA 30328.
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
Hadassah centennial. Greater Atlanta Hadassah kicks off its celebration with the opening of an exhibit and a program featuring Hadassah’s national president, Marcie Natan, at 12:30 p.m. at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Guests may record their Hadassah memories on video. Admission is $8 in advance, $10 at the door or $50 for a patron contribution; www.hadassah.org/events/breman or 678-4432961. Breman members are admitted free but are asked to RSVP.
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Ali Cookies AMC Theatres Atlanta Community Food Bank B’nai Torah Brookhaven Police BuyRite Beauty Equipment Classic Tents & Events Clorox Coolray Cotton Craving Craig Miller Cutco Knives Dekalb County Fire Department Dunwoody Police Department
Epstein School Falcons GA Tire Depot Gift of Life GLT Mens Club GoodFriends Hand Made Soaps Howard Solomon Icare Atlanta InterContinental Hotels Jewish Communities Jewish Georgian JF&CS Jscreen
Kehillah KOL Foods Lexus Michael Morris Foundation Mr Plumber Nadolne Family Medicine OrChadash Orhav Yehudi PVM RaggTop Robert Johnson Sheryl Lipman Siegel Insurance Agency Soho Office Printers
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Straus and Frank. Straus Historical Society Executive Director Joan Adler talks about “For the Sake of the Children,” her book about the letters between Anne Frank’s father, Otto, and Macy’s heir Nathan Straus Jr., at 2:30 p.m. at the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, 1440 Spring St. Free with museum admission; thebreman.org. Torah and tea. Women discuss life lessons from the Torah over tea and dessert at 8 p.m. at the home of Chabad of Cobb’s Chani Silverman, 600 Lenox Woods Court, East Cobb. Free; register at www.chabadofcobb.com.
MONDAY, NOV. 2
Education auction. ORT Atlanta’s an-
CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES
Parshah Vayera Friday, Oct. 30, light candles at 6:29 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Shabbat ends at 7:24 p.m. Parshah Chaye Sarah Friday, Nov. 6, light candles at 5:23 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, Shabbat ends at 6:18 p.m.
History lecture. Straus Historical Society Executive Director Joan Adler addresses “From Pushcart to Macy’s” for The Temple’s Tribe of the Southside at 7 p.m. at 102 Rosemont Drive, Peachtree City. Free; jdonthomas@comcast.net.
TUESDAY, NOV. 3
Honor dinner. Israel Bonds honors Gov. Nathan Deal at its 2015 Community Tribute Dinner, featuring speaker Elliott Abrams, at 6 p.m. at the InterContinental, Buckhead, 3315 Peachtree St. Admission is $150; Bradley.young@ israelbonds.com or 404-817-3500. Iranian sanctions relief. In a Friends of the IDF program, terrorism expert Avi Jorisch discusses Iran’s use of the hundreds of billions of dollars it will gain under the nuclear deal at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb. Free; register at www.fidf.org/Southeast.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4
Vino & Vendors. Drink wine, snack, schmooze and shop at 7 p.m. with the Sisterhood at Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb. Free; etzchaimsisterhood@gmail.com.
THURSDAY, NOV. 5
Book Festival. David Gregory (“How’s Your Faith?”) opens the Book Festival of the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, in conversation with Melissa Long at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $18 for members, $24 for nonmembers; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
FRIDAY, NOV. 6
Book Festival. Nomi Eve (“Henna House”) appears at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at noon. Admission is $9 for members, $14 for nonmembers; atlantajcc.org/ bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 7
Book Festival. Judy Blume (“In the Unlikely Event”) speaks at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, with Greg Changnon at 8 p.m. Admission is $26 for members, $31 for nonmembers (includes a copy of the book); atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
SUNDAY, NOV. 8
Grief lecture. Emory’s Nadine Kaslow, past president of the American Psychological Association, speaks about “Surviving and Thriving After a Loss” over a light brunch at 9:30 a.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; templesinaiatlanta.org. Daffodil Project. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, participates in Am Yisrael Chai’s Daffodil Project with a planting of 540 flowers after brunch at 10 a.m. and an address by Ilse Eichner Reiner at 10:30. Free; bethshalomatlanta.org. Book Festival. Mike Wien (“The Specific Edge”) appears at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 10:30 a.m. Free; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@ atlantajcc.org. Book Festival. Rabbi Avi Weiss (“Open Up the Iron Door”) appears at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 2 p.m. Admission is $9 for members, $14 for nonmembers; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org. Classical concert. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, hosts a concert of chamber music by Helen Kim on violin, Charae Krueger on cello and Robert Henry on piano at 3 p.m. Free; aasynagogue.org or ivanmillender@earthlink.net. Book Festival. Joe Klein (“Charlie Mike”) appears at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, with Gail Evans at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $13 for members, $18 for nonmembers; atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, 678-812-4005 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.
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ISRAEL NEWS
Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Patent for prostate cancer treatment. Rehovot-based Rosetta Genomics has received a U.S. patent for the treatment of prostate cancer through the administration of anti-hsa-miR-210. High levels of hsa-miR-210 indicate the presence of prostate cancer, and treatments to reduce it may cure the disease.
Resilient shopping. The wave of terrorist attacks has deterred Israelis from going to the grocery, but that’s not a huge problem in the Startup Nation. Nielsen figures show that consumers have shifted to online shopping, which rose 30 percent in a two-week period. Red wine improves good cholesterol of diabetics. A two-year controlled study of 224 Type 2 diabetics by Ben-Gurion University scientists has revealed that a daily 5-ounce glass of red wine with dinner increased good cholesterol (HDL) by 10 percent and significantly decreased the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. Cancer detector wins global innovation contest. Tel Aviv-based MobileODT, which uses mobile phones to detect cancer and other diseases, is the winner of the 2015 MedTech Inno-
vator competition in San Diego. The Israeli startup beat 300 international med-tech startups to win $200,000. Ra’anana-based MedAware was a runner-up. U.S.-Israel legislation to help cure brain diseases. The United States-Israel Global Neuroscience Partnership Act has just been announced to finance joint U.S.-Israeli research and technology into treatments for brain diseases. The bill’s lead sponsor, Congressman Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, said Israel is way ahead of everyone else in neuroscience.
Pretty in pink. The Israeli cancer awareness organization One in Nine has gained attention during Breast Cancer Awareness Month by dressing two of the three giant discs of Menashe Kadishman’s “Uprise” sculpture in a hot-pink bikini in the middle of Tel Aviv’s Habima Square. Gas cooperation. Senior managers from Italian energy company Eni are visiting Israel as part of an effort to create an agreement among Italy, Israel and Egypt to export the natural gas discovered in Mediterranean fields of
the coasts of Israel and Egypt. The summer discovery of Egypt’s Zohr field had created fears that Israel would lose the market for its Leviathan field. First visit by Indian president. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Knesset during his historic three-day trip to Israel. Talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu focused on bilateral ties in security, technology, innovation and agriculture. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem awarded Mukherjee an honorary doctorate. Buzz Aldrin touches down in Israel. The second man to walk on the moon, U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 85, talked to an audience at the International Astronautical Conference in Jerusalem. Aldrin recounted his personal history and technical issues in space. Holy man’s visit. Naturally, “The Story of G-d” brought actor Morgan Freeman to the Western Wall. Freeman, who played G-d in “Bruce Almighty” and “Evan Almighty,” is in Israel to film a documentary about efforts to understand the Creator and got a special tour of the Western Wall complex.
We can’t stop the bloodshed.
We can stop the bleeding.
Israel’s terror victims come through Hadassah’s hospital doors every day. · American Richard L. was stabbed in the heart in a bus attack and remains in critical condition.
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
· Odel B. had deep wounds in her neck when she arrived at the hospital, after her husband was stabbed to death. Her toddler son was also wounded. They are recovering.
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· Teenager Naor B. was putting air in his bicycle tire when he was stabbed. He is in serious condition after complicated surgery.
The most difficult cases are rushed to Hadassah’s hospitals, world-renowned for trauma care and a team of surgeons that don’t give up. They fight to save lives and stop the bleeding. Help us #stopthebleeding To donate: 800.928.0685 or hadassah.org/stopthebleeding
HADASSAH THE WOMEN’S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, INC. ©2015 Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Hadassah is a registered trademark of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
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Rescuing a pelican. Amir, Sunny and Muhammad Riad Hamed from the Israeli Arab village of Muqeible found a pelican with a broken wing and other injuries in their yard. They contacted the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and the bird is now receiving treatment. Why females are more motherly. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute have discovered the triggers in
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the brain that influence motherly instincts and aggressiveness. Nurturing and hostility are gender-based behaviors controlled by cells, proteins and neurons in the hypothalamus. NASA and Israel sign space cooperation agreement. NASA and the Israel Space Agency have signed an agreement to expand cooperation in civil space activities. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the agreement will enable the U.S. space agency to tap Israeli innovation and technology. 30 years of U.S.-Israeli free trade. The 30th anniversary session of the U.S.Israel Joint Economic Development Group in Washington highlighted the 30th anniversary of the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement — the first free trade agreement signed by the United States. New Tel Aviv-San Francisco flights. United Airlines will fly three times a week between Tel Aviv and San Francisco. The new route is expected to strengthen ties between Israel and the Silicon Valley and was praised by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro. SanDisk sold for $19 billion. Memory chip maker SanDisk, founded by Israel’s Eli Harari, has been sold to U.S. hard disk manufacturer Western Digital for $19 billion. In 2014, Harari received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation for revolutionizing the flash storage industry. Billy Joel’s famous backup violinist. Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman has revealed that he is the incognito musician playing on Billy Joel’s album “Storm Front.” Perlman also makes occasional surprise appearances at Joel’s stage shows. Joel supports the Perlman Music Institute. Seinfeld to perform in Israel. Superstar comedian Jerry Seinfeld is set to make his first standup performance at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mitvachim on Dec. 19. Seinfeld last visited Israel in 2007 while he was promoting “The Bee Movie.” As a teenager, he did a stint as a kibbutz volunteer. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other news sources. (404) 817-3500 Atlanta@Israelbonds.com Development Corp. for Israel, Member FINRA Effective through October 31, 2015
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Remember When
postpone mission trips. Brickman was among 10 Atlanta leaders just back from a trip to Russia and Israel. More than 500 people have signed up for Federation’s January mission to Israel, which will be the first time an El Al plane departs from Atlanta directly to Israel.
■ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, sounding like a presidential candidate, told a capacity crowd at Ahavath Achim Synagogue that the free world is “in for a long struggle with the forces of terrorism and their nihilistic violence.” Delivering the annual Eizenstat Lecture, the former first lady said that she supports the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and that Mahmoud Abbas has no more excuses and “will have to find the strength to lead the Palestinians.”
■ The bat mitzvah of Marisa Katz of Marietta will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Temple Emanu-El.
10 Years Ago Oct. 28, 2005
50 Years Ago Oct. 29, 1965
25 Years Ago Nov. 2, 1990
■ Ground was dedicated Sunday in Ramat Hasharon for a vocational school sponsored by Sam Rothberg of Atlanta, whose $250,000 gift to the Israel Education Fund of the United Jewish Appeal will finance construction of the secondary school. The school will be named the Kalman and Minnie Rothberg Vocational School in memory of Mr. Rothberg’s parents. The Atlanta Realtor and philanthropist was present at the ceremony.
■ Atlanta Jewish Federation President Perry Brickman says there is no better time to visit Israel, despite the Middle East hostilities that have caused some Jewish agencies to
■ Elaine Maziar, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Maziar of Atlanta, became the bride of Paul Jay Siegel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Abe Siegel, July 4 at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue.
■ Dr. Frank and Tamar Williams of Atlanta announce the birth of their son, Jacob Harold, on Oct. 7, 2005.
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Abrams: Israeli Security Still Depends on U.S. By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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s if Israel didn’t have enough trouble with a strengthened Iran and random Palestinian terror attacks, Elliott Abrams noted another cause for concern: the recent loss of two world leaders who were strongly pro-Israel. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was ousted by his own party in Australia during Rosh Hashanah, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper lost the election Oct. 19. “That’s not to say that their successors will not be basically pro-Israel. Canada and Australia both have a pretty long record of being pro-Israel, but one has to wonder whether they’ll be quite as actively pro-Israel as they’ve been under those two guys,” said Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Israel does have other friends, but fundamentally its security is tied to the United States.” Abrams, who served in Ronald Reagan’s State Department and on George W. Bush’s National Security Council, will talk about Israel’s security at Israel Bonds’ 2015 Community Tribute Dinner, honoring Gov. Nathan Deal, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Abrams talked to the AJT from Washington on Thursday, Oct. 22. AJT: How should the United States and the American Jewish community respond to the attacks in Israel? Abrams: I testified on this in the House Foreign Affairs Committee this morning. There was a hearing on the incitement questions. One way we can respond, I think, is we have not been tough enough with the Palestinian leadership on the question of incitement, which is really a word for teaching hatred. … You see the Palestinian leadership now still saying things that are clearly going to incite more violence — President (Mahmoud) Abbas, for example, making statements about the Temple Mount that are just bound to create rather than resolve a difficult situation. So that’s one thing that the United States needs to do much better at, bringing pressure on the Palestinian leadership to stop the incitement. AJT: Do you think Israel will be a significant issue in the 2016 elections? Abrams: No, I don’t because I think that Democrats and Republicans
Elliott Abrams supervised Middle East policy for President George W. Bush.
at this point agree that we have a tense relationship, and we need to improve it, and I think it will improve regardless of which party wins the election. AJT: How should they do that? Abrams: I think that one of the ways the United States can improve the relationship is to understand the military-intelligence relationship is largely hidden. … Most Arabs, most Europeans don’t know about it. What they see is the political relationship and the diplomatic relationship. And if they see a greater distance between the U.S. and Israel at the United Nations or if they see greater criticism from the State Department spokesman, I think what tends to happen is that they attack Israel more. The Europeans, I think, triangulate. They do not want to be closer to Israel than we are. So they take a look at U.S.-Israel relations, and they want to be further away. AJT: How can the United States help build Israel-Arab ties? Abrams: There’s a limit to how far that relationship can go by itself because of Arab public opinion. So even countries that are developing some kind of secret government-to-government relationship or even intel-to-intel relationship don’t want to talk about it. I do think that there is a possibility here for the United States to talk to the Saudis in particular about the 2002 Saudi peace plan that was later adopted by the Arab League and see if they’re willing to acknowledge that that was not meant to be a take-it-orleave it proposal, that it can be the basis for negotiations, and then see how far we can get getting Israelis and Arabs to at least talk about changes on the West Bank. I don’t think this is the moment where we can talk about a comprehensive peace agreement. For one reason, we’re at the beginning of the succession on the Palestinian side, so this is
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AJT: In what ways can life be made better for the Palestinians? Abrams: Well, start economically. There’s more that can be done. (Benjamin) Netanyahu has actually done more than his predecessors in ways to improve life economically in the West Bank. More Israeli Arabs who are richer are shopping in the West Bank. Palestinian traders, now about 10,000, have permits to go to Israel to buy goods they then sell in the West Bank. Prior to this terrorism, there were up to, I think, close to 100,000 Palestinians working in Israel every day, which is obviously terrific for their economy. A lot of checkpoints, obstacles, barriers have been removed in the West Bank. … There are things that can be done on giving them more autonomy. Ultimately, one would think there’s the possibility of talking about the settlements beyond the fence. AJT: Is there a risk that the Palestinian leadership, at least abroad,
doesn’t want economic improvements, that they want the misery to keep driving the uprisings? Abrams: Hamas and Abbas are playing the same nasty game. Hamas wants things calm in Gaza and is trying to foment terrorism in the West Bank and Jerusalem. And Abbas, who rules in the West Bank, wants things quiet there, so there continues to be security cooperation between the PA security forced and Israel to keep things calm on the West Bank. But he doesn’t care about things being riled up in Israel, including in Jerusalem. So his own rhetoric is terrible. AJT: In your chapter on the Middle East in “Choosing to Lead,” you say Israel should reconsider the size of its police presence and how it rules in East Jerusalem. How so? Abrams: The terrorists are disproportionately from East Jerusalem, and I think that’s because it is a kind of no man’s land. The Palestinian police are obviously not permitted to work there because it’s part of Israel, but the Israeli police don’t have a great presence there either, and Jerusalem municipal services are much worse in East Jerusalem than they are in West Jerusalem. It is not fully integrated from the point
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of view of municipal services. … When this crisis is over, the Israelis really need to think this through again. Either these places should be part of Jerusalem, or they shouldn’t. If they should, then they need to be treated exactly as West Jerusalem is. AJT: How much can Israel focus on the Palestinians in the next few years with Iran knocking on the door? Abrams: It’s very striking how little you hear the Israeli-Palestinian conflict even mentioned as opposed to discussions of Syria and Iraq and Iran and Libya, Yemen, things that are happening elsewhere in the Arab world. So it’s difficult, but I do think the old line is still true. These two peoples share this space between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. It’s clear that what Israelis want is a successful separation with security from the Palestinians. So they need to keep thinking about more successful and safer ways to separate.
would call aggressive activity. Iranian presence in Syria is much greater. The head of the Quds Force is there right now. Newspaper reports suggest that thousands more Shia forces have been sent there. … All the evidence suggests that this agreement will embolden Iran, and they haven’t gotten 10 cents out of it yet. AJT: How should the next administration respond? Abrams: The larger picture I think is that Arabs and Israelis are convinced that the United States is basically withdrawing from the region and is agreeing to Iranian and now Russian leadership and even hegemony in the region. They will decide what will happen to Syria, not the Syrians, not the United States. So that needs to be turned around. … Hillary Clinton has suggested no-fly zones and humanitarian corridors in Syria; I agree with that. Whether that will make sense 15 months, 18 months from now is impossible to say, but I think that’s the kind of thing we need to think of. ■
AJT: What do you see as the impact of the money spigot being turned on for Iran? Abrams: So What: Israel Bonds Community Tribute Dinner Where: InterContinental, Buckhead, 3315 Peachtree Road far, so bad. So far When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 we have seen an Tickets: $150; bradley.young@israelbonds.com or 404-817-3500 increase in what I
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
a time when no Palestinian leader or would-be leader is going to make politically risky concessions. But I do think that Israelis and Arabs could talk about ways to make life better for Palestinians living in the West Bank.
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www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ISRAEL NEWS
Berg: ‘Progressive Judaism Rumors Add Pressure Triumphed’ at Congress To Surrounded Israel
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vershadowed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opening-day speech and the continued terrorist attacks in Israel, the World Zionist Congress has come and gone for another five years. Netanyahu grabbed the global headlines with a welcoming address that appeared to shift the prime blame for the Holocaust from Adolf Hitler to the World War II-era grand mufti of Jerusalem. But the three-day congress from Oct. 20 to 22 established policies and funding allocations for Zionist agencies, including the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, Jewish National Fund’s Israeli wing, operating under the authority of the World Zionist Organization. “The WZO is the supreme institution and legislative body in which all world Jewry is represented democratically. It is the parliament of the Jewish people,” said Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple, one of several Atlantans among the 400 Americans who served as delegates or alternates to the congress. “We allocated hundreds of millions of dollars towards enhancing Jewish life in Israel and abroad.” The WZO reported having 509 elected delegates and about 750 overall, including 145 elected in the spring from the United States. ARZA, the Zionist organization of the Reform movement, won 56 seats, or 40 percent of the U.S. total, and its global Arzeinu (“our land”) bloc held 78 seats. Rabbi Berg was one of several Atlantans in that bloc. Among others there were Congregation Etz Chaim Rabbi Shalom Lewis and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism International President Margo Gold, who were part of the Conservative movement’s Mercaz bloc, which held 25 of the U.S. seats and 42 overall. “Progressive Judaism triumphed at the WZO. Zionism, after all, is not a political idea. It is a religious concept, rooted in covenant,” Rabbi Berg said in an email covering WZC highlights. “It was clear this week that a state built on Zionism must make room for multiple expressions of Judaism.” The central theme of the congress was “Ever Moving Forward” — how the Zionist movement uses contemporary tools for perpetual goals. Among the secondary themes were responses to anti-Semitism and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, as well as improved processes for aliyah and 8 absorption of immigrants.
AJT
Rabbi Peter Berg
The speakers included Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Minister of Immigrant Absorption Ze’ev Elkin, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Jerusalem Mayor
Nir Barkat. Speaking amid a wave of stabbings, Edelstein said a sense of normality in Israel is a key part of Zionism, according to The Jerusalem Post. As for the Netanyahu speech, Rabbi Berg called it a missed opportunity to give a positive message. “It was just the wrong speech at the wrong time.” The congress overwhelmingly passed two environmental resolutions. The first requires KKL-JNF, the Jewish Agency and other organizations to follow the shmita cycle and submit reports every seven years on efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions. The second commits KKL-JNF to oppose fracking, oil drilling in the Golan Heights and other fossil fuel extraction on the lands it controls and on other properties that could lead to pollution of Israel’s water supply. An Arzeinu resolution that passed with 62 percent approval provides support to the LGBTQ community, forbids discrimination against LGBTQ people in Zionist institutions, and calls on the Israel Education Ministry to help organizations trying to create safe spaces. Passing with 51 percent support was a resolution declaring the Jewish people indigenous to Israel without denying that status to the Palestinians. Resolutions dealing with the significance of Zionism, allocating resources for absorption and aliyah, supporting Ethiopian Jews, assisting French Jews making aliyah, and boosting the Hebrew language and security passed unanimously, Rabbi Berg said. Reform delegates championed a resolution to create an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall near Robinson’s Arch — a third plaza joining the men’s and women’s sections — and took a field trip to the site. “These are challenging times for Israel. Standing up for a secure, democratic and pluralistic Jewish home is more important than ever,” Rabbi Berg added. “It was an honor to do my small part towards that goal.” ■
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sraelis are under siege from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Hamas in Gaza and on the West Bank, and Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in Syria, Ron Brummer, Israel’s deputy consul general to the Southeast, told 130 attendees of the class I teach at Senior University at Mercer on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The latest round of brutal stabbings and other barbaric attacks on innocent Israeli civilians by Palestinians as young as 13 is being fueled by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority as well as Hamas, often through social media. Based on false claims that Israel is planning to alter the status of the Temple Mount, the nature of the conflict is turning into a religious war pitting Israel against the entire Arab and Muslim worlds. Israel clearly is the underdog. Noting that the Palestinians portray themselves as victims to gain support and cast Israel as the aggressor, when the reverse is the case, Brummer said Israel stands in the forefront of the struggle with radical Islam, Sunni and Shia. These fundamentalists are in a clash with Western civilization. Ultimately, Brummer said, a separation into Jewish and Palestinian states is the best outcome. But because the Palestinians refuse to accept Israel as a Jewish state, a two-state solution is unlikely to happen any time soon. The United States can best serve as a mediator, but proposals negotiated by Ehud Barak with President Bill Clinton and by Ehud Olmert with President George W. Bush were rejected by Arafat and Abbas, respectively. Nonetheless, Israel continues to call for direct, face-to-face negotiations with the Palestinians and recogni-
Israeli Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer
tion as a Jewish state. The Palestinian Authority, still in control of the West Bank, needs to be strengthened, as Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel. Noting that as a result of the international agreement reached with Iran regarding its nuclear program,
Guest Column By Gail K. Ripans
tens of billions of dollars will be available to Iran, Brummer said some of the funds will be used for more weapons for Hamas and Hezbollah, sworn enemies of Israel. Iran is on a quest to dominate the Middle East. American support of Israel is essential. During the question-and-answer period, the influx of refugees to Europe was discussed, and Brummer noted how countries surrounding Israel, including Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, are imploding. The very nature of Europe is changing because Muslims tend to have a much higher birthrate than other Europeans and are from a different civilization, and it is not the goal of most to assimilate. Also of concern is the possibility of infiltration by terrorists joining the immigrants. Such infiltration could happen here as well. Listening to this grim scenario, I believe we need to join together regardless of political affiliation or religious observance to help Israel. We can visit, send money, stay in closer touch with Israelis, protest unfair media coverage, lobby our elected officials, and pray, especially Psalms 20, 23, 91, 121 and 130. Having entered into the covenant at Mount Sinai and then reached the Promised Land, we are an eternal people with a mission to fulfill as the first monotheists. Our very existence is miraculous. We need to continue the journey as one people upholding the Ten Commandments and serving as a light unto the nations. I am confident we will prevail, and ultimately our enemies will realize Israel is here to stay. ■ Gail K. Ripans writes and lectures about international relations, specializing in the Middle East.
OPINION
Pillars of Fire Honor Rabin’s Memory winners who would be pillars of fire, and we adapted as often as necessary to stay relevant and meaningful and provide exponential solutions. We invested in pillars of fire like Sari Revkin, the CEO of Yedid: The Association for Community Empower-
Guest Column By Pamela Dubin
ment, which is celebrating its 18th anniversary this month. Revkin’s leadership not only makes her organization a model for governments and global institutions, but also demonstrates the infinite and irrefutable value of each pillar of fire in repairing communities, weak states and a fraying world. A few years ago, when I moved to Atlanta to advise and create innovative leadership experiences for corporate and community leaders, their embrace and welcome of the pillar-of-fire mindset was uplifting. It has been inspiring to be involved with organizations that so enthusiastically share my worldview of the Southeast as a global powerhouse. Such exponential opportunity, brought into global focus with Mayor Kasim Reed and Conexx’s cybersecurity mission to Israel last spring, confirms the value of that mindset in a world in search of better. To inspire more pillars of fire in every community and organization, I routinely turn to Viktor Frankl’s book “The Meaning of Life.” He wrote: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” With an abundance of innovation and human capital, I look forward to developing and extending the impact of pillars of fire. Let us join to develop and support the pillars of fire of our age and gain more wins for community, democracy, civilization and our world. It would be a meaningful tribute to Rabin, z”l. May his memory be a blessing. ■ Based in Atlanta, Pamela Dubin (www.pameladubin.com) helps people and organizations through curated and confidential innovative leadership experiences.
The future is in your hands. Meet Ariel Ancer from Johannesburg, South Africa. A Computer Science major at Yeshiva University, Ariel is a Google Student Ambassador and the vice president of the International Student Committee. Last year he was instrumental in creating YU’s inaugural Hackathon, a competition that engaged computer programmers for 24 hours of creative collaboration and innovative engineering. Whether Ariel’s coding on his laptop or decoding Gemara, he is committed to deepening his Torah knowledge while preparing for his career. This is the essence of Torah Umadda and what sets YU apart. Picture yourself at YU. #NowhereButHere
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part from the eulogies, I didn’t watch any media after the savagery at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church. Since I became executive director of the Rabin Alliance after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, I no longer allow myself to succumb to the passive routine of watching endless TV coverage of tragedies. Instead, I practice what I preach and speak up, speak out, and take direct action to comfort, support and build. The day after Charleston, I picked up the phone and called Big Bethel, Atlanta’s oldest AME church. I asked Senior Pastor John Foster, “What can I do that is meaningful to you?” and he gave me the details to join the church’s community service. The songs and sermons comforted the bereaved and the numb. The psalms and prayers stirred the soul of our complacent world. A stranger in Big Bethel’s midst, I became part of a community based on shared values and proved that when good people take productive action, we reclaim power from those wielding weapons and words focused on killing us. We become pillars of fire. As we observe the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Rabin on Nov. 4, I think back to Noa, Rabin’s teenage granddaughter, standing in front of global dignitaries and calling her grandpa a “pillar of fire in front of the camp.” Her description struck me as a red line, a call to action, and a reminder that when we are silent or lazy or acquiesce to intimidation, fear or political correctness, our good intentions aren’t enough to protect ourselves and our families. To become a pillar of fire is disruptive and uncomfortable to those who mean well but haven’t excelled. It eliminates the meaningless and ineffective and gives breath to more complex solutions. In the challenging years after the assassination, I led a powerful board in support of collaborative solutions addressing the challenges of mass immigration and weak institutions hungry for innovative leadership. We focused our efforts on increasing leadership capacity. We avoided silo fixes in favor of ecosystem-driven solutions; we listened and leveraged. We imagined, scaled and identified
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www.atlantajewishtimes.com
OPINION
Our View
Political History
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
istory has always been written by the winners, but we’ve been reminded recently that it can be rewritten by anyone. It’s a nasty habit that has to stop if we’re ever to see anything resembling peace in the Middle East. Palestinian leaders, from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the current grand mufti, like to pretend the Temple Mount never was the site of a Jewish Temple, let alone two of them. That lie is poisonous. It leads young and gullible Muslims to believe that Israel, Jews and the West are trying to con them out of their third-holiest site, Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). That lie motivates people to riot and to kill. That lie undermines what little trust exists between Israelis and Palestinians. It is inexplicable that The New York Times nurtured that lie by twisting historians’ words to make it appear that uncertainty over the exact location of the Temple on the Mount is actually uncertainty about the existence of any Temple there. It is all too explicable but nonetheless despicable that the lie spread to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which considered a resolution declaring the Western Wall — part of the expanded platform Herod built to support the renovated Second Temple — to be a part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and thus a Muslim cultural artifact. UNESCO dropped that declaration but did pass a resolution Oct. 21 that condemned nonexistent Israeli aggressions against Muslim freedom of worship and access to Al-Aqsa. That resolution itself rests on a bed of lies about the present, when Muslims are the only people allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. Alas, the crimes against history are not limited to the Palestinian side. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t resist one-upping Abbas and Co. in the game of historical revisionism. Speaking to the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Adolf Hitler planned only to expel the Jews from Europe until Jerusalem Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini complained in a meeting in 1941 that such a policy would simply send the Jews to Palestine. In Netanyahu’s telling, the mufti instead urged Hitler to “burn them.” In other words, the prime minister shifted the blame for the Holocaust to the mufti from Hitler, who never made any secret of his desire to destroy the Jews and sanctioned mass killings in Ukraine before meeting with the mufti. Netanyahu thus committed a double crime: He created a less evil version of Hitler, and he drew attention away from the mufti’s real hatred of Jews and support for the Holocaust. He also put himself and Israel on the diplomatic defensive at a time when Israel should be unchallenged atop the moral high ground amid the random Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians. When two peoples have millennia-old claims to the same real estate, it’s hard to resist twisting history to fit one side’s narrative. But it’s also long past time for Israelis and Palestinians to turn from the past to focus on a present and a future when both ex10 ist and neither is going away. ■
AJT
Don’t Answer Abuse With Silence
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ore than 40 years ago, thanks to Erich “what you do not talk about does not happen.” Segal’s “Love Story,” people said love meant The bruises from slaps and beatings heal, but never having to say you’re sorry. the verbal wounds are deeper. “If you’re not careful,” Israeli playwright and actress Naomi Ackerman Michal says, “words can kill.” brought a more valuable lesson to the packed baseSure enough, she tries suicide before escaping ment of the Weber School on Monday morning, Oct. her abusive husband’s grip. 26: “Love shouldn’t hurt.” Ackerman said the story is based on what she Ackerman portrays Michal in “Flowers Aren’t heard from four abused women at a shelter in Jerusalem after she was Enough,” a solo show about commissioned to do domestic violence and abusive the show. She tied relationships that she created 18 Editor’s Notebook it all together with years ago on a commission from her own touches, the Israeli Ministry of Welfare. By Michael Jacobs and she continues She has taken the show around mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com to tweak the show the world and seen it performed as she learns more more than 1,000 times in four from her audiences. languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Eng“Today was not about scaring you. It’s about lish and Spanish. opening the curtain,” she told the Weber students, She brought the show to Weber on behalf of the or her preferred metaphor: lifting the carpet to see school and Jewish Family & Career Services’ Shalom what has been swept underneath. Bayit (peace in the home) program, which has fundThe key message she shared was for everyone to ing from the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta for its trust their instincts, whether about their own relaTeen Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative. tionships or those of friends or relatives. Admitting Michal is a young, well-to-do Jewish woman you’re a victim doesn’t mean you’re weak. who meets and falls in love with a young man “Pick up the phone and talk to someone at Shaheaded for law school and perhaps eventually for the lom Bayit,” Ackerman said. “You get help.” Shalom Supreme Court. He should be every Jewish mother’s Bayit can be reached at 770-677-9322, shalombayit@ dream, yet Michal’s parents are wary. jfcs-atlanta.org or ytfl.org/shalombayit. ■ That’s only one warning sign. From the start, he changes and isolates Michal (at one point she realizes she no longer has contact with any of her wedding guests). He tears down her self-esteem, mocking her for studying sociology. His anger flares over nothing, which she at first finds flattering — perhaps his fury at her late arrival one day reflects how much he cares and worries about her. The first time he hits her is their wedding night, but even that she tries to excuse as a result of drinking too much at the party. She keeps it all to herself in the false belief that
Naomi Ackerman portrays the abused Michal.
OPINION
Seeing Jerusalem From A Different Point of View
through the hard work and devotion of its people — some elected officials, social entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens — united by relentless optimism and a profound love for their city. When things started getting bad, I put out a call for an emergency meeting of Jerusalem civil society organiza-
Guest Column By Hanan Rubin
tions. Within three hours, representatives from 33 organizations sat around a conference table at City Hall. There are teenagers handing out Israeli flags, elderly people handing out small gifts to security personnel, psychologists supporting youths in distress and activists helping out businesses, as well as a string of independent online campaigns. These ordinary citizens allow Jerusalem to keep on living its life: thousands of students going back to school; the basketball team fighting to retain its championship title; and Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, joining 2,000 people at the International Astronautical Congress. This energy, this drive to take responsibility and think outside the box, is what is needed to resolve the complexity of current events. We have to crack down on violence while empowering moderate leaders, fight incitement on both sides, defend the freedom of worship of every man and woman, and make sure East and West Jerusalem get their fair shares of infrastructure investments. It’s time for this fresh perspective to rise from the bottom. We are tired of instant solutions, quickly denounced by this side or the other. We are tired of those who take turns making political gains out of our hardship. Jerusalem is a different place and requires a different point of view. The one we young people of Jerusalem discovered 10 years ago when everyone else said the city was lost. From this view, there is a lot of good to see. And even more to do. ■ Hanan Rubin is a Jerusalem City Council member and co-founder of Wake Up Jerusalem, which focuses on qualityof-life issues for all Jerusalem residents.
The future is in your hands. Meet Nicole Bock from Teaneck, New Jersey. A Mathematics major and Art History minor at Yeshiva University, Nicole is a YU Honors student whose summer internship at Citigroup resulted in a job offer in its Capital Markets Origination division. A yearbook editor and member of the Finance, Investment, Math and Physics Clubs, Nicole has taken a comprehensive approach to her college career. While YU prepares Nicole to meet the challenges of young women pursuing STEM career paths, her minor in Art History fulfills another passion. Nicole’s commitment to broaden the scope of her education centers around her Judaic studies at YU. This is the essence of Torah Umadda and what sets YU apart. Picture yourself at YU. #NowhereButHere
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irens make me pause. I fall silent and count one off, praying there won’t be another, because two sirens are not women in labor. Distant intifada memories segue into those of summer last. Somehow, conflict in Jerusalem always comes with the rising temperatures. But after the emergency meetings, touring politicians and dramatic headlines comes the rain, and everything calms down. Then the countdown begins for next summer. Some aren’t content with counting the days. Jeremy made aliyah six years ago. A reserve paratroop officer, he rides his bike to work, each time reassuring his mother, thousands of miles away, that he wasn’t near the most recent attack. He recently joined 5,000 people watching Matisyahu beneath the Old City walls. “ ‘Jerusalem If I Forget You’ gets a whole new meaning these days,” he tweeted. Michal is a mother of four. In recent few nights, after putting her children to bed, she has gone downtown, where she volunteers for a group seeking dialogue with angst-filled youths bent on revenge. She vows never to leave Jerusalem, with its crisp, cool air and low crime rates. Her husband drops off the kids at school, where they are taught about the complexities of living in a mixed city where you have to defend yourself with one hand and reach out to your would-be enemies with the other. Ibrahim is a Hebrew University law student and resident of Ras elAmud, a Palestinian suburb. Intimidating glares by Hamas supporters notwithstanding, he goes online every day, trying to persuade people to stop. Despite the advice of friends to relocate to Ramallah or the States, he clings to his faith that hope remains in this conflict. Meanwhile, he alerts the authorities to suspicious happenings and confiscated a knife off a 15-yearold brainwashed neighbor. Batia is ultra-Orthodox. Every day she walks to work at City Hall. Despite having recently bought a canister of tear gas as a precaution, she prefers to put her faith in G-d and in the ubiquitous policemen. Just before Shabbat, she went up to them to deliver portions of fish, meat and chicken to make their shift a little more pleasant. Jerusalem keeps going not through pompous statements, but
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www.atlantajewishtimes.com
OPINION
How to Keep Your Son Close
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ool it, fella, before your blood pressure spirals way out of control, Barry coaxed himself, casting an angry glare at Eileen as he bolted upright and headed for the door. Without a word to Eileen, whose eyes he sensed boring into his retreating back, Barry stormed outside. I’ve gotta run, he decided, breaking into a jog. That’s the best way for me to clear my thoughts and think constructively. But are you running away, a teasing voice asked, or are you aiming to find a solution? “Any time we’ve ever backed him against a wall, a wedge forms between us.” Eileen’s words reverberated in his mind. Was that what he wanted, for Jeff to become estranged from them? But if he followed this insane trajectory, wouldn’t he become alienated anyway? Barry didn’t notice the blocks he was crossing as he feet thumped a rhythm on the sidewalk. Who said he has to become a stranger? Just because your little brother went all religious and we have nothing to do with him and his
dozen kids doesn’t mean it has to happen to Jeff. And even, in the worst-case scenario, let’s say he grows a thick beard and starts sporting a kippah and tzitzis; does that have to drive a divider between us? Won’t he still be our son? Waiting for the light to turn, Barry’s feet jogged in place while his thoughts zoomed forward. And just when the light shone bright green,
Shared Spirit By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com
epiphany struck. “I’ve got it!” he called out, eliciting a few curious stares from passers-by. There’s that new column in the Jewish Times where people write in with dilemmas. And then they get free advice! What do I have to lose? I just hope they publish it so I’m not wasting my time. Pumped with adrenaline, Barry high-tailed it back home and slid into his computer chair. Eileen raised her eyebrows but wisely kept silent.
There, Barry thought with satisfaction, after he poured out his heart and pushed send. I wonder how long it will be until someone gives me direction. A day later several messages were in his inbox. Rachel Stein, the columnist, had forwarded several people’s ideas. “After noting your distress, I didn’t want you to wait two weeks for the next column. I hope this helps!” Me, too, Jeff thought, settling down to read a note from Margalit Gross. “Both Barry and his son have a right to feel as they do. For Barry and Eileen, it’s totally out of their upbringing to postpone college and spend a year in Israel. First, I think they should speak calmly to their son and let him know they’re going to look into this. Then they should make an appointment with the Orthodox rabbi and share their concerns. Maybe even have a second meeting with their son present. Perhaps a compromise could be made to enroll in the college for the following year with possible credits accepted from their son’s year in Israel.” Esther Gendelman, M.S., L.P.C., C.P.C., who can be reached 248-9159122, made the following suggestions:
a r d e a p concert production
Book by Alfred Urhy. Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Directed by Harrison Long. Music direction by Judith Cole.
Department of Theatre and Performance Studies Presents Nov. 19, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. | The Strand Theatre | $5-$20 | Marietta, GA ticketing.kennesaw.edu
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
Nov. 22, 2015 | 4 p.m. | The Temple | Atlanta, GA Free with Registration: paradetemple.eventbrite.com
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Alfred Uhry’s Tony-award winning musical, “Parade,” recounts the events that culminated in the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank, the Jewish manager of a pencil factory who was accused of murdering Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old employee. One hundred years later, we commemorate these tragic events with performances at Marietta’s historic Strand Theatre and at The Temple in Atlanta. Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and composer Jason Robert Brown (Bridges of Madison County) bring this painful chapter in Southern history to life. Co-sponsored by Kennesaw State University Office of the President, Kennesaw State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Paul and Beverly Radow Lecture Series, the Kennesaw State University Department of Museums, Archives & Rare Books as well as The Temple–Atlanta.
“The parents need to take the time to calm down and own their upset. A consult with a therapist or coach to help them understand what is so frightening to them about this would be helpful, and I am available. After they recognize what is really happening for them, it is time to apologize to their son [Apologize — whoa! Isn’t that taking things too far? Barry felt his blood pressure rising again as he continued reading] and ask for Take 2, where they really sit down and just listen to his wants, dreams and vision without advising. I’m happy to advise them in preparation for this, too. “They should thank him for sharing and ask for a bit of time to digest this as it is different from their original expectations, and they will get back to him. At that point, they can ask for permission to share their thoughts, feelings and concerns. Let me know how they are doing at the end of that process, and then we can advise further.” His eyes raced across the note from Michael Abeles. “Relationships are the most significant issue. He is not in a cult or doing drugs. Would Barry have been happier if he went to an ashram? Build the relationship around what they can do together, not what they can’t. Come from the point of view of wanting to understand. There will be challenges along the way — a sense of humor helps. “It feels like a rejection of all values taught through the years. There is a fear of being rejected, and will Barry still have a relationship with Jeff? Talk to him about what is attracting him towards a different lifestyle. Last, agree to disagree — peacefully.” Julian Yudelson, formerly from Atlanta, had this to say: “Speaking as the grandfather of several present and past teens, my advice is: Act responsibly as a guiding parent. Talk to everyone you know who has taken a break year in Israel and ask for referrals to other families outside your own circle. THEN help Jeff find the best program for his interests, abilities and goals. There are so many programs; there is certainly one that would be right for him. Help him grow his Jewish roots into wings so that he can soar.” Barry sighed and gazed into the distance, mulling what he had read. He went off in search of Eileen to see whether she would be in agreement with any or all of the suggestions he had received. Above all, he wanted to keep Jeff close. ■
OPINION
Blessing and Curses l’goy gadol, “and I will make of you a great nation”; va-avarcha m’varchecha um’kalelcha a-or, “and I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse”; and v’nivr’chu v’cha kol mishpchot haadama, “and all the families of the earth shall be blessed by you.” We the Jewish people have blessed the world. Consider the Nobel Prize
Guest Column By Rabbi Mark Hillel Kunis
winners the past 100 years. More than 22 percent of the 800-plus laureates are Jewish, although Jews are less than 0.2 percent of the world population. If the Palestinians want to rid themselves of all traces of Jews, let them try to live without the blessings we have brought to the world. Let them live without the polio vaccines and all the advancements in medicine we have made. Let them live without their cellphones and advanced computer chips. Let them live without Google and Facebook. Let them see that the lives of Palestinians under Israel are far superior to those of Arabs in any Arab nation. Let them at least consider G-d’s promise to Abraham: Va-avarcha m’varchecha um’kalelcha a-or, “and I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse.” This promise forms the basis of evangelical Christian support for Israel. It’s a fact of history. We speak of the “glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome.” But the glory and grandeur soon departed after the Greeks and Romans turned against us. Soon after Spain expelled its Jews, the sun began to set on the Spanish Empire. Holland welcomed Jews who were expelled from Spain and Portugal and rose to become a world power. It was the same story for Turkey. In modern times, the Iron Curtain of communism began to fall when Jews sought their freedom. G-d’s promise still stands: “And I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse.” May G-d continue to bless His people and all who bless her, and may peace and security come soon to His Holy Land. ■ Rabbi Kunis is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Shamayim.
The future is now. Visit today. Women’s Open House and Israel Fair Sunday, November 15, 2015 Stern College for Women Sy Syms School of Business Beren Campus Men’s Open House and Israel Fair Sunday, November 22, 2015 Yeshiva College Sy Syms School of Business Wilf Campus
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
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enseless terror attacks have paralyzed Israel. Business is off as much as 40 percent. The malls and restaurants are almost empty. In previous intifadas, Palestinians were trying to blow up as many Jews as possible, so if one stayed away from crowds, one could feel safe. Now Israelis are afraid to leave their homes for fear of random stabbings. Rabbi Tuly Weisz wrote me Thursday, Oct. 22, about the fear that gripped him when he heard a series of police sirens and a helicopter from his office in Beit Shemesh. Two terrorists had tried to board a school bus, but the quick-thinking driver had closed the door and driven away. Still, a Jewish teenager was stabbed. The next day, a mother and her two young daughters were attacked with a Molotov cocktail while driving near Beit El. They survived. A friend told me that his daughter in Israel is blowing all her student money on cabs because it’s the only way to be safe from the stabbers. Soldiers have been advised that wearing a uniform off-duty is not the best idea because they are targets. Was this part of the Jewish dream of an ancient homeland — that Israel’s courageous defenders must be afraid within their own borders? Author Naomi Ragen, coming to the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, writes in response to the murders of Eitam and Naama Henkin, shot in their car in cold blood while their four terrified little boys watched from the back seat: “It is hard to explain to anyone who doesn’t live in Israel and travel these roads every day what such news brings: grief, fury, fear and a fierce desire for a response that will deter the next such heinous and inhuman act.” Every day Jews are stabbed, slashed and shot in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Tel Aviv and Beersheva. Every day the world lies about “violence on both sides,” as if Israel calls for Jews to stab Palestinians. Even Secretary of State John Kerry has blamed Israel for the murder of its own citizens. There is only one conclusion: Jewish blood is cheap and getting cheaper. All this weighed heavily on my heart as I reviewed Lech Lecha, in which G-d challenges Abraham to leave his home for the Promised Land. These verses stood out: V’escha
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LOCAL NEWS
5,000 Reform Jews To Converge on Orlando
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ore than 5,000 Jews, including dozens from the Atlanta area, will gather in Orlando, Fla., the first week of November for the 73rd Union for Reform Judaism Biennial. With a theme of “Bringing Congregations Together,” the event is scheduled for Nov. 4 to 8. It is the largest Jewish religious gathering in North America. Representatives from 900 Reform Jewish congregations, including 13 from Georgia, will learn, pray, share ideas, network, make Reform movement policy and create engagement opportunities for their 1.5 million congregants. Of the 13 congregations from Georgia sending delegations, three — Congregation Children of Israel in Athens, Temple Beth Tefilloh in Brunswick and Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb — registered enough delegates early to qualify as Gold delegations, earning them assistance from the URJ in getting the maximum value out of the hundreds of workshops at the conference. The Gold designation is based on the size of the delegation relative to the size of the congregation. “We usually have about 15 people that attend the biennial,” Kol Emeth Rabbi Erin Boxt said. “For me personally, there’s something really exciting and amazing about 5,000 Jews in one place. As a younger Reform rabbi, it also gives me a chance to connect with my colleagues who are new still and lets us have a greater impact on the movement.” The 2015 biennial will be at the Orlando World Center Marriott and will focus on youth engagement and a Youth Social Action Symposium, as well as an interactive exhibit about the past 75 years of Reform Judaism. Planned activities also include Torah study and learning sessions with celebrity speakers. “The worship, music, camaraderie and ruach at the biennial are some of the main things that people come for and take away from this event,” said Mark Pelavin, the URJ’s chief program officer. “Different people come to this event for different things, but I think all of them will be able to take back real hands-on lessons about how to be stronger congregational leaders and how to build stronger communities.” Featured speakers include Israeli
journalist Ari Shavit, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, New York Times journalist and author Jodi Kantor, and actor Michael Douglas. The festivities kick off Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a Shacharit service at 8 a.m. “The biennial is one of the best leadership training opportunities,” said Temple Sinai member and URJ trustee Debbie Pinsky. “So it’s important for us to be represented. Before every biennial, we have an orientation with the delegation to hear the goals of the current leadership and try to cover as many sessions as possible so that we bring back information to grow to fit our goals and make Sinai better.” Temple Sinai is taking 16 congregants and staff to Orlando, including new Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair Beth Schafer, who has organized Friday night music at biennials the past decade while being based at a congregation in central Florida. Other Atlanta locals who are featured speakers or presenters include The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg, Rabbi Lydia Medwin, Jonathan Amsler and Mark Jacobson; Rabbi Lou Feldstein, formerly of Congregation B’nai Israel; musician Sammy Rosenbaum; and Temple Sinai Education Director Marisa Kaiser. “I think the biennial is important because we are the largest movement of Jews in the world,” Rabbi Boxt said. “In order for us to stay relevant, we have to continue together and bounce ideas off each other. It’s great to reconvene every two years to make sure we’re on the same page.” ■ Going (Almost) to Disney World Thirteen congregations from Georgia are sending delegations to the 2015 URJ Biennial: Temple B’nai Israel (Albany) Congregation Children of Israel (Athens) Temple Emanu-El (Sandy Spring) The Temple Hebrew Benevolent Congregation (Atlanta)
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Call, Text or e-mail 404-725-4841 Mayer Smith CLU ChFC LUTCF
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By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
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AJT 15
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LOCAL NEWS
Lots of Excitement for a Day of Rest
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he Shabbat Project’s return to Atlanta, as well as cities around the world, brought extra ruach (spirit) to the celebration of the weekly holiday Oct. 23 and 24, regardless of denominational differences that often divide the Jewish community. The celebration actually started Thursday night, Oct. 22, when some 600 people crowded into the Marcus Jewish Community Center gym for the Great Big Challah Bake, and concluded two nights later, when New York band Zusha performed a Havdalah concert at Atlanta Jewish Academy. During Shabbat itself, in addition to special dinners and other events at individual congregations, the highlight was a block-party Kiddush held in the front parking lot of Congregation Beth Jacob for the enjoyment of all of Toco Hills. (For what we hope are obvious reasons, we don’t have photos of the block party or any of the other celebrations during Shabbat.) The photos on this page come courtesy of AJT contributor R.M. Grossblatt, Atlanta Jewish Music Festival Executive Director Russell Gottschalk, Allan Regenbaum and the Marcus Jewish Community Center. ■
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A. Now you know what 600 challah bakers in one room look like. B. Enough hands can produce the perfect braided loaf. C. Congregation Beth Jacob members Sydney Rubin Lewis (left) and Adina Hirsch show what they have made. D. Rebbetzin Rivka Freundlich speaks about making challah and the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles. E. The Great Big Challah Bake draws from all generations. F. Families across metro Atlanta will enjoy the fruits of the Great Big Challah Bake’s labor the next night. G. The bakers get busy with the prepared supplies and the waiting recipe. H. Some of the bakers enjoy the calm before the flour flies at the Great Big Challah Bake. I. Even after the mixing and kneading and braiding, Jean Robbins, her daughterin-law, Tanya Robbins, and her granddaughters are still all smiles. J. The excitement builds before the challah preparations begin. K. People line up in the courtyard of the main Marcus JCC building to sign in for the Great Big Challah Bake. L. Zusha vocalist Shlomo Ari Gaisin performs during the Havdalah concert at Atlanta Jewish Academy. M. Zusha guitarist Zachariah “Juke” Goldshmiedt performs with the New York-based Hasidic soul band at Atlanta Jewish Academy. N. Percussionist Elisha Mendl Mlotek lays down the heartbeat of Zusha at Atlanta Jewish Academy. O. Congregation Ariel Rabbi Binyomin Friedman welcomes the challah bakers. P. JCC Rabbi Brian Glusman speaks to the challah-baking crowd.
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LOCAL NEWS
Making Challah With 600 Friends, Old and New
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almost missed Atlanta’s Great Big Challah Bake, part of the worldwide Shabbat Project, scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 22, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center. A week before the event, my friend Sarah called for tickets for both of us. “They’re sold out,” she reported. In fact, there was a waiting list. I had missed last year’s Great Big Challah Bake at the Marcus JCC, and it looked as if I would miss this one also. Thursday morning, my phone rang. “Good news,” said Janet, my boss at Judaica Corner. “I have an extra ticket.” Someone she had paid for couldn’t make it. I felt sorry for the person whose place I would be taking but thrilled for myself. It’s not as if I haven’t been part of other challah bakes. Last year I joined Chabad’s elegant event in a downtown hotel, bringing women together from all over Georgia in memory of Rashi Minkowicz. And several times in small groups in Toco Hills I’ve made challah dough with other women. At these sessions, we prayed for others to heal, find a marriage partner or have a healthy baby. There’s something powerful about joining with women to make challah, and each session has its own distinct quality. For me, the Great Big Challah Bake at the Marcus JCC that Thursday evening had the quality of sisterhood as women from unaffiliated to Orthodox, Conservative and Reform came together to make challah. After registering outside the building, I walked into the lobby of the JCC and was directed to the Blank Gymnasium. Here the lights were so bright, I could recognize people from across the room. Women were hugging each other, smiling, laughing. About 60 round tables were set
up for preparing challah. At the door, girls from Temima High School helped women find their tables. These are my girls, whom I have the privilege of davening with in the morning, so right away I felt a connection. But the connection to others I’d never met happened at Table 40, my table, as we were making challah. At each place setting was a plastic bowl, cup and water bottle inside an oblong foil pan. In the middle of the table were brown paper bags of various sizes labeled flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Working from the same recipe, we passed around the bags, sharing the cups of oil, eggs and measuring spoons. Then each of us was kneading dough in our own bowls. Separate but together, we were bringing forth this bread for Shabbat. One of the three designated mitzvot for a woman is to separate a small piece of challah in memory of the Temple days in Jerusalem, when the piece was given to the Kohanim. In order to say the blessing and tear off the piece of challah, we needed about 15 cups, but each of us had used only 3½ cups. So four of the women at my table, two of whom I had never met, placed their rounded balls of challah dough in the bowl touching mine. I said the bracha. They said amen. Then I pulled off the piece and said we had to burn it. “I’m good at that,” said Robyn, one of my new friends. We all laughed as I gave her the piece of challah to burn in her oven at home. Some of the women braided their challah. Others took it home to braid. Before leaving, Robyn, holding her bowl of challah dough, handed me her card and said that she really enjoyed the evening. I told her that I enjoyed meeting her and asked her where she goes to services. She said that she used to belong to a temple; now she is unaffiliated. But on this night of the Great Big Challah Bake, she and 600 other women in that room became affiliated with one another — Jewish sisters making challah in Atlanta, Ga. ■ This is the magic recipe used by all.
Former AJC Atlanta Executive Director Sherry Frank joins AJC Atlanta President Greg Averbuch (center) and AJC National President Stanley Bergman.
Power Presentation
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he American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Regional Office honored Paul Bowers, the chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, with the 2015 National Human Relations Award on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead. Bowers’ role in the Atlanta community shows a profound commitment to corporate and social responsibility. The AJC has presented the National Human Relations Award for more than 40 years to leaders whose work within the community reflects the mission of the AJC: building bridges of understanding among all people, safeguarding democracy and pluralism, and combating all forms of bigotry. Recent recipients include Frank Blake of the Home Depot, Richard Anderson of Delta Air Lines and Muhtar Kent of Coca-Cola. ■
(From left) Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake, retired Southern Co. CEO David Ratcliffe and Sandersville Railroad Assistant Vice President Charles Tarbutton celebrate the award for Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers (second from right).
Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal attend the award dinner at the St. Regis.
The 2014 National Human Relations Award recipient, Frank Blake, presents the 2015 award to Paul Bowers.
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
By R.M. Grossblatt
AJT 17
Chanukah ART CONTEST We’re looking for a festive Chanukah illustration for the cover of the Atlanta Jewish Times’ Dec. 4 issue.
If you’re age 15 or under, send us your Chanukah-themed artwork by Friday, Nov. 20. Size: 9.5 inches wide by 8 inches high 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 at atlantajewishtimes.com. To enter: All work must be received at the Atlanta Jewish Times office, 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 ATTN: Art Contest, or submitted through the website. (One entry per child, please.) All work must have an entry form attached on the back or filled out online: Deadline is 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. Artwork may be picked up in January at 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 during regular business hours. There are four age categories: 6 and under, 7 to 9, 10 to 12, and 13 to 15.
GRAND PRIZE $50 Gift certificate to Binders. Winner’s art may be the cover of the Dec.4 AJT.
FIRST PRIZES $25 Gift certificate to Binders for each category (total of 4)
Awards: Contest winners will be honored at a reception at Binders Art Supplies. Artwork may be reprinted in the Atlanta Jewish Times, posted online and publicly displayed at Binders.
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LOCAL NEWS
Referendum to Decide Toco Hills’ Cityhood By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com
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t’s finally happening. After years of debate, voters decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to create LaVista Hills, a city that would stretch from near Emory University to the northeast side of Interstate 285 and encompass the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Toco Hills. Mary Kay Woodworth of the La Vista Hills Alliance is confident residents of the proposed city will vote yes. “Many members of the Toco Hills Jewish community want more police presence and LaVista Hills will be able to significantly increase the number of police in the area,” she wrote in an email. Many Jewish schools and synagogues are packed along LaVista Road, she noted, and “that creates unique zoning and pedestrian issues a smaller city like LaVista Hills can address more effectively than a large, unresponsive institution like DeKalb County.” Josh Kahn of Congregation Beth Jacob agreed. “Our structure is not typical,” he said in a phone call. “We have some different needs from the rest of the county, and the county couldn’t care less. We don’t feel well served by DeKalb, and we’re well aware of the corruption issues. We want more police coverage than we get.” A big concern is property crime, Kahn said, and for him it’s personal. “My wife’s car was stolen out of our driveway. It’s really shocking, actually. There is a constant drumbeat of breakins, mailbox theft and scary stories of things happening in the Target parking lot. It hasn’t been dealt with by the county, and the reason is they’re not putting the resources into it.” Joe Weiner, co-owner of Bagel Palace in the Toco Hill Shopping Center,
jonshowe@kw.com 678.231.1030
is against the idea of incorporation. Standing outside his popular restaurant, Weiner referred to the lack of an industrial base that would create revenue for the fledgling city. “The tax base for LaVista Hills is very small,” he said, comparing this cityhood effort with previous ones. “Dunwoody has Perimeter Mall and all those office buildings. Brookhaven has Peachtree Road and Peachtree Industrial. What do we have, Briarcliff? Half of that went to Brookhaven already. It’s not going to work.” Even Tucker, the other proposed city that is subject to a referendum Nov. 3, has more industry and a better tax base than LaVista Hills, Weiner said. He worries that speed traps would become endemic as a source of income for the new city and that taxes would invariably rise. “They keep saying there won’t be any tax increases,” he said. “There will be.” He added, “They talk about having police but having to depend on the county for everything else. So what are you gaining?” Both Woodworth and Kahn said it all comes down to how many people show up at the polls. “As with most off-year elections, the voter turnout will likely be small. Our volunteers are working daily to inform residents and encourage them to vote,” Woodworth said. ■
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
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Playing a Serious Game
JCRCA Educates Educators
The Center for Israel Education’s Rich Walter leads a presentation on Israel and Judaism to more than 50 teachers at the Georgia Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Athens on Friday, Oct. 23. During the two-day conference, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta maintained an information table and handed out 250 CDs of educational resources on Judaism and Israel’s history, as well as printed curricula, to help the teachers meet state social studies education requirements.
Galloway student’s charity aims to bring smiles to children stuck in hospitals By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com
Photo by Leah Harrison
Uhry to Speak at Emory
Playwright Alfred Uhry, a Jewish Atlanta native best known for “Driving Miss Daisy,” will participate in a Creativity Conversation at Emory University’s Robert W. Woodruff Library at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. The event is open to the public at no charge. Uhry’s plays will be available for purchase, and a question-and-answer session and a signing will follow. Uhry, also a lyricist and screenwriter, will be in conversation with Randy Gue, the curator of modern political and historical collections at Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library. The Rose Library is home to Uhry’s papers, which include photographs, scripts and audiovisual materials. “Driving Miss Daisy” premiered onstage in 1987, and Uhry adapted it into the 1989 film. He received a Pulitzer Prize for the play and an Academy Award for the screenplay, and he has won several Tony Awards. “Driving Miss Daisy” joins “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” (1996) and “Parade” (1998) in Uhry’s unofficial “Atlanta Trilogy,” all with Jewish themes. “Parade,” a musical based on the Leo Frank case, is being performed by the Kennesaw State drama department for two shows as part of the centennial observance of Frank’s lynching: Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre on Marietta Square and Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. at The Temple in Midtown. Tickets for the Marietta show are $5 to $20 from ticketing.kennesaw.edu. The Temple show is free with registration at paradetemple.eventbrite.com.
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or Max Rubenstein, it’s hard to think of children stuck in a hospital with nothing to entertain them while being poked and prodded. So when the Galloway School sophomore was selected to create a charity, he knew exactly what he wanted to do: raise money to supply hospitals with video games for their young patients. “I think it’s awful to be woken up at 3 in the morning to be poked at and (not) have anything to take your mind off of it,” Max said. Max was one of 20 Georgia students chosen by Giving Point to create a charity. Inspired by his grandmother, who recently died from ovarian cancer but loved games, Max named his charity Game Givers (www.gamegivers.org). “She had a neon-green Gameboy, and we played Tetris and everything,” Max said. In two months he has raised $3,600, which he will use to purchase video game consoles and games that he will donate Friday, Oct. 30, to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Some of that money came from donations in his grandmother’s name and the rest through game tournaments. “If you charge $10 for the tournament and have 40 people come, that’s an easy $400,” Max said. Max is buying the consoles and games that he will deliver to Children’s, hoping to give hospitalized kids something to smile about on Halloween. “Something I find really upsetting is … when you raise all this money for a
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Max Rubenstein won a $100 grant for his charity, inspired by his grandmother.
charity and you just hand off a check and don’t see where it goes,” Max said. “You don’t see the impact. I didn’t want to just give Children’s Healthcare a check and say, ‘Oh, go buy games with this.’ I want to buy the games. I really, really am excited.” After the donation to Children’s, Max wants to donate games to every other hospital in the area, one at a time. He plans on partnering with his school’s Video Game Tournament Club and talking to middle-schoolers at the Davis Academy, his alma mater, about hosting game tournaments as part of their mitzvah projects. “I’m going to really be heavily marketing it at Davis,” Max said. “Imagine having 20 mitzvah projects going on and the impact that that can create.” Max’s mother, Ali, said she’s proud of what her son has done and what he hopes to accomplish. “I really just marvel at Max and his ability to want to engage kids and to want to do this,” Rubenstein said. “It would be very easy for a 15-year-old to stay at home and play video games, but to see him want to take this to sick kids, it’s amazing.” Rubenstein said her son has put a lot of work into his charity, going to meetings, making a banner to use as an advertisement and raising money, among other things. He met with representatives of Paramount Pictures, and a family friend who heads licensing and branding for the studio wants to send a truckload of games. “He’s really the one who has made all these calls and had all these meetings,” Rubenstein said. “He has a clear vision of what he wants to do. He wants to be a business owner when he grows up, and this is kind of his first time running a business. It’s been a really great experience.” ■
Davis Reaccredited
The Davis Academy learned Thursday, Oct. 22, that a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Serving and Accrediting Independent Schools team unanimously approved reaccreditation for the Reform day school. The team was impressed with the students, faculty and community, Head of School Amy Shafron told families. “I especially appreciated the chair of the visiting team sharing that ‘the spirit of Davis is tangible in that each and every member of the community is known, validated and celebrated.’ ”
Religion Panel Teaches Pace
Rabbi Brian Glusman from the Marcus Jewish Community Center was one of five religious leaders who held a roundtable discussion for the benefit of Pace Academy Upper School students Wednesday, Oct. 21. Rabbi Glusman joined Noor Abbady of the Islamic Speakers Bureau, Sudha Malhotra of the Chinmaya Mission, Monsignor Frank McNamee of the Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King, and the Rev. Tony Sundermeier of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Pace Director of Diversity Rick Holifield and Upper School students asked about their faith journeys and each faith’s approach to gender equality, same-sex marriage and salvation. “Go into yourself and then go forth,” Rabbi Glusman said. “Go out into the world and be a blessing that has a ripple effect. You can change the world.”
AJA Helps Spill the Honey
Atlanta Jewish Academy recently welcomed Spill the Honey founder Shari Rogers to explain her program and screen footage from her soon-tobe-released documentary. Rogers spoke to student leaders from eighth through 12th grades about Spill the Honey’s mission to promote cultural tolerance, draw attention to contemporary injustice and encourage young people to become compassionate global citizens. Her documentary, “The Journey — Spill the Honey,” connects slavery, the Holocaust and the civil rights movement and reflects on the common struggles of blacks and Jews. Eighth-grader Ari Slomka noted a line about “the honey and the sting” in the song Al Kol Eleh and said: “Sometimes the wonderful things and the painful things come from the same place. Just as we both have our struggles, we can use them to build connections between the good things and make something great.”
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
AJA Junior Just Misses $250,000 Prize
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tlanta Jewish Academy 11thgrader Shaun Regenbaum was one of 20 teenagers in the world who were finalists for a $250,000 scholarship in a contest about having a flair for presenting scientific concepts. Shaun learned Tuesday, Oct. 27, that he made the top 15 but didn’t win the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, which asked students ages 13 to 18 to create a video up to 10 minutes long to explain a challenging concept in the life sciences, physics or mathematics in the most engaging, illuminating and imaginative way. Any student in that age group in the world could enter as long as he or she could create a presentation in English and submit it by Oct. 7. Shaun learned about the competition through the Khan Academy, an online math learning resource available to students worldwide. “Sometimes I’m on it for schoolwork, but sometimes it’s just for fun,” Shaun said. “In the third grade, there was an Israeli exchange professor visiting the school,” he said, “and he really gave me a boost in math. Suddenly, I saw how math leads from one thing to the next,
how all math is related. For example, multiplication is really just another way to think about addition. It just makes it easier to do advanced notation.” His 10-minute entry on the concept of infinitesimals was inspired by his AP calculus teacher, Bill Shillito. The video explores whether 0.999999 (continuing forever) is equal to 1. “Mr. Shillito was talking about limits. In calculus you have to find the slope of a curve, but this is something that isn’t usually done with regular numbers,” Shaun said. “Mr. Shillito said there’s another method that would accomplish the same thing, more intuitive but less common. That led me to nonstandard analysis.” If Shaun had won the $250,000 scholarship, Shillito and AJA also would have been victors. The teacher who inspired the winning student will get $50,000, and the school could receive a state-of-the art lab valued at $100,000. “Shaun is taking four AP classes this year, which is a heavy course load, and doing all of it incredibly well. He’s bright. He’s sincere. He’s passionate. He takes his Judaism very seriously, along with his STEM courses,” said Paul Oberman, AJA’s associate head of school at
its Upper School. “He is also a hard worker and a good friend.” AJA’s coordinator for science, Shaun Regenbaum technology, engilearned Oct. 27 that neering and math, he won’t be the Jonah Queen, said $250,000 winner. Shaun’s achievement is the sort of educational experience AJA’s STEM program was designed to inspire. “We want to give our students the tools and the encouragement to innovate and explore the sciences in any direction that interests them.” Shaun isn’t sure about his career path but thinks he would enjoy studying quantum mechanics. “I do like explaining things to people, but I don’t really like to stand in front of large groups of people and lecture.” He was excited about the contest without seeming overly nervous. “In the end,” he said, “everything’s going to work out the way it works out.” The winner will be announced live on the National Geographic Channel during the Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony in Silicon Valley at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 8. ■
Be Amazed. Every Day.
Students at The Davis Academy grow through project-based learning, entrepreneurship and global experiences. When they discover the fun in learning, it inspires them to explore, share and learn more. The results are powerful.
But don’t take our word for it. Come see for yourself! Register for an upcoming Parent Information Session online at davisacademy.org:
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 11:45 am–1:15 pm Thursday, January 14, 2016 10:00 am–11:30 am To schedule a private tour, please call 678-527-3300.
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A Conversation With Bernie Marcus
Home Depot co-founder offers insights on success in business and philanthropy
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everal weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending 90 minutes with Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus to learn how his values, attitudes, perseverance and actions led him to succeed as a businessman and a human being. My goal with this article is to learn what events and thoughts shaped his life, how he reacted, and how they led to his success. A few readers, inspired by his actions, in turn will positively affect a few others, creating a chain reaction of goodness. Formative Years Bernie was born in 1929 in Newark, N.J., to a loving family with meager resources even before the Depression hit. His father was a carpenter who worked long hours. His mother had the primary impact on his life and his attitudes; from her, he learned the following values: • Work hard; do not expect a handout. • Be optimistic; look for an opportunity in each problem. • Give back to show appreciation for what you have received. • Do your best. Do not dwell on mistakes, and look to make things better. A Difficult Time By the late 1970s, Bernie was almost 50 years old, a family man, and a businessman who made a good living as CEO of Handy Dan, a 44-store home improvement chain on the West Coast. The chain was held by Daylin, a retail conglomerate that had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few years earlier. Daylin was run by Sanford Sigoloff, a turnaround expert to whom Bernie reported. Sigoloff had an abrasive, combative management style, leading to a personality clash and ultimately to the firing of Bernie, Arthur Blank and Ron Brill. A campaign of personal attacks on Bernie and his team soon followed. Fortunately, Bernie had forged a good relationship with a Daylin board member, Ken Langone, who assured Bernie that his firing was a stroke of good luck. He said he would raise
capital to start up a new-concept home improvement chain Bernie had been dreaming of. The transition from Handy Dan to Home Depot was traumatic and chal-
Business Sense By Al Shams
lenging. Although he had many other offers, Bernie was determined to be his own boss, to implement his own management style and to be responsible for the success of the business. Home Depot Operating Points Home Depot became a retailing success story through some of these points: • All team members were treated with respect, compassion and concern. • Bernie’s goal was to empower employees with positive recognition. • Bernie realized that as CEO he did not have all the answers, but he believed that employees on the floor dealing with customers and operations had many of the answers. The guy driving the forklift probably knew a way to improve that function. The guy unloading a lumber truck probably knew a more efficient way to perform that task. The person handling returns likely saw a way to improve that effort. • The challenge for the leader is to inspire and energize employees to be innovative and think like an owner. • A team member was not punished for advocating an idea that was unsuccessful. • The company had a yearly award called the Dumbest Idea. Bernie won on several occasions. • Employees showed great respect and appreciation for the customer and always tried to deliver the best value and the best experience. • Often, Bernie roamed the store floor, speaking with customers and sales associates. He believed he could learn much by listening to others. • Bernie asked customers why they bought certain items but not others. Once when he helped a customer load lumber into a truck, he asked, “Why
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BUSINESS Team members were not penalized if they undertook innovation. Shortly after Bernie and his team left Handy Dan, Sigoloff’s career began a long, steady decline. Bernie and his team went on to create thousands of jobs worldwide.
didn’t you buy nails?” The customer said Home Depot’s nails bent easily. That problem was quickly corrected. After the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Bernie immediately called the managers of the two Home Depot stores in that city, but neither was available. When one of the managers called back hours later, he told Bernie that the CEO was probably going to fire him, but he and the other manager loaded some trucks with supplies and went to the bomb site to help the victims. Bernie said, “You are not going to get fired; you did the right thing. … I am proud of you.” During the Atlanta ice storm in January 2014, Home Depot stores stayed open throughout and served as a haven for stranded motorists. I believe that Home Depot employees had such admiration and respect for Bernie that they were motivated to do their best. They were grateful to be part of a well-led team and to be owners of the company. • One of the greatest social programs any organization can undertake is to provide a person a meaningful job in which he can earn a living, provide for his family and contribute to his community. Incredible Contrast Bernie and his supervisor at Handy Dan, Sanford Sigoloff, were similar in some respects. Both were the same age, Jewish, smart and well educated in science; had a desire to be successful; and personally experienced the Depression of the 1930s. Sigoloff had a draconian approach to cutting costs. He drove people through fear and intimidation and was quick to assign blame when goals were not met. He burned through a lot of people and caused much personal distress with his management style. By contrast, Bernie achieved great operating results by mentoring, energizing, motivating, respecting and encouraging people to do their best.
to operate in a cost-effective manner; public trust and public resources are not unlimited. • While government can be effective on some levels, history has shown that government’s record is poor in creating jobs in a cost-effective manner. Well-run and well-led businesses are far more effective job creators. Government should focus on promoting an atmosphere that is conducive to commercial success. During the past 30 years, government regulation has grown at a rapid pace and has placed an undue financial burden on small, creative companies. • Aiding veterans in many aspects of their lives is of great interest to the Marcus Foundation. Concluding Thoughts We are all blessed to have Billie and Bernie Marcus in our community, and we have all benefited from their acts of kindness. There is a saying: “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Bernie Marcus was given an opportunity; added hard work, keen insight, great managerial skills and a willingness to accept risk; and became successful. He has shared that success on an incredible scale. ■
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Bernie Marcus, shown during an Atlanta Scholars Kollel event at the Georgia Aquarium in May, says you shouldn’t wait until you’re rich to start giving back.
Philanthropy Even before retiring from Home Depot, Bernie devoted a tremendous effort toward philanthropy on many levels. Problems affecting his employees or their families were some of his early efforts. Instead of a 250-foot yacht in Boca Raton named Billie & Bernie, there is a $250 million aquarium in Atlanta that has brought new life to downtown. It provides thousands of jobs and educates thousands of children and adults on the wonders of our planet. Instead of buying a private island in the Caribbean where he could entertain a few wealthy friends, he launched the Marcus Autism Center, which has saved hundreds of little lives, supported countless families and helped thousands of people live better. Instead of the Marcus Jet, there is the Marcus Jewish Community Center, which serves the entire community
on many levels: spiritual, physical and educational. Instead of a grand, palatial estate in Buckhead, there is the Marcus Foundation, which has served the community, the state and the nation on many levels. Some of Bernie’s insights on philanthropy: • Don’t wait until you are rich to give back. Each of us in our current circumstances can do some good. Be a blood donor, be an organ donor, serve food to the poor, offer a kind word, send a thank-you card, etc. • Charitable acts are even more powerful when the donor and recipient meet on a personal level. The parties should have face-to-face contact. • Following up on the idea that providing a job is a good social program, Bernie is focused on helping small-business owners with the Job Creators Network Foundation. The foundation is a voice for real job creators that had been missing from the debate on jobs and the economy. It seeks to help entrepreneurs in all aspects of growing their businesses. • Great joy and satisfaction come from helping others. • Nonprofit organizations soliciting public money have an obligation
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ARTS
Keret Opens Weber Eyes To Absurd Side of Life By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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tgar Keret began writing during his compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces, but he said the continual conflict faced by his country hasn’t been a major influence on his work. “Israel is in the background, but I’m not really writing about Israel,” Keret told Weber School students Wednesday, Oct. 21, during his third visit to Atlanta in a year. “Personal things affect my writing more, like becoming a parent.” Having held a discussion with a select group of students in Hebrew, Keret talked in English with much of the student body. After reading his short story “The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be G-d,” he answered student questions that tackled serious topics about his influences, processes and mental state but, like the writer himself, remained playful. When students were slow to show the bravery to ask the first question, for example, Keret skipped it: “OK, who wants to ask the second question?” Keret is attracted to the absurdities in life, such as something he pointed out during another appearance that night at Congregation Or Hadash: He has realized how much he loves spending time with his family and made that a key theme of his latest book, the memoir “The Seven Good Years,” released this summer. So now he travels around the world to read from that book, pulling him away from his son and wife so he can declare how much he cherishes time with them. Another absurdity is the house he owns in Warsaw. An architect built it as a gift for him and designed it to match his short stories — narrow but deep. So the house is only about 3 feet wide, setting a world record, but is two stories and has all the facilities of a normal house. He called it a “quirky attraction” he visits occasionally, sometimes spending the night. “I think that life is very absurd and strange,” Keret said. That’s why his stories seem absurd. “When I write stories, I want to show life as it is, and for me it’s very strange.” One strange thing is his place in the Israeli high school curriculum, about which Keret expressed ambivalence. When he was first added, he said, he got a letter from a teenager suggest-
ing that Israeli authorities were unhappy with his popularity among the young, so they made him part of the curriculum to force students to read his stories — thus ensuring the kids would hate him and never read him for pleasure. Keret delved a bit into his views on writing. He said he doesn’t believe in stories but in readings, which mix the text and the reader. Each such relationship is different, so his stories are different for each reader. His stories have been translated into more than 30 languages — “The Seven Good Years,” which has not been published in Hebrew to provide a bit of protection to Keret’s son, has just been translated into Farsi to be smuggled into Iran — and he acknowledged that something always is lost in translation. He said translations are actually double translations: Any writing represents a translation from emotions to words, so a translation into another language makes the work twice removed from the source. Keret acknowledged having a depressive side and said he spent much of his childhood staying home alone from school because his Holocaust-survivor parents feared letting him walk the streets. He said he still spends a lot of time alone, “but I yearn to be with people to compensate.” It’s perhaps not surprising then that the author he sees as his greatest inspiration is Kafka, who gave Keret hope of being able to write “as stressful,” if not necessarily as well. ■
Israeli author Etgar Keret speaks to students at the Weber School on Oct. 21.
ARTS
Diagnosis: Disturbingly Sane By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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tgar Keret received reassurance that he is not a madman during a public therapy session at Congregation Or Hadash on Oct. 21. The Israeli author delivered three readings, including two from his latest book, memoir “The Seven Good Years,” and joined the audience of about 200 people in watching three of his funny short films, introduced by the Weber School’s Barbara Rosenblit. But it was the therapy session with Emory University psychologist Marshall Duke that set the evening apart from most author appearances. The session provided a glimpse into a mind known for producing an often-twisted view of the world. “I’ve never been to therapy,” Keret said as he sat down on the couch. The writer, a vegan who said he hasn’t had a hot dog since he was 5, discussed with Duke a dream in which he is a refugee forced to operate a hot dog cart in a land where the people speak “the scariest language in the world,” a combination of German and Japanese. Keret’s conclusion: He’s afraid of being a refugee and hot dogs. “We all have crazy thoughts,” Keret said. “But when we go out in the world, some of us are able to contain them.” He did not show much creativity, let alone craziness, with his literal descriptions of a series of Rorschach ink blots, but he did reveal the model reader for his books: himself. “When I write stories, I very much have no idea what’s going to happen,” He said he doesn’t always like the outcome because many of his protagonists refuse to conform to the system even when it would be beneficial. “I would have said yes,” Keret said. “Why did they say no?” His self-analysis is that he’s a writer who doesn’t give his target reader, who is himself, what he wants. “I’m a discontented reader of my stories.” Duke concluded that Keret is “certainly not a madman, but your mind is free.” His work stretches readers’ minds, Duke said. “When we read your work, we don’t go back.” Keret seemed to appreciate the diagnosis, saying, “Who knew therapy could be so much fun?” ■
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ARTS
Famous Feminist Triumphs at Fiction Letty Cottin Pogrebin tackles tough and timely issues By Leah R. Harrison
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uthor. Editor. Feminist. Lecturer. Activist. Writer. Trailblazer. Grandmother. Emmy winner. Hadassah life member. Co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus and the International Center for Peace in the Middle East. Brandeis graduate. Board member. Honorary fellow. Letty Cottin Pogrebin is all of the above and more. An ardent activist and never one to be silent on a subject that compels her, Cottin Pogrebin is a prolific and gifted writer. She has written 11 books and countless articles in publications ranging from The New York Times and The Washington Post to The Nation and Good Housekeeping. She is a lecturer and advocate for causes including a two-state solution and blackJewish dialogue. After the 1970 release of her groundbreaking novel “How to Make It in a Man’s World,” she, with five other editors and with feminist activists Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes, co-founded Ms. magazine. First published as a sample insert in New York magazine in December 1971, Ms. has stood the test of time as relevant and resonant for women today, even in a contracting magazine market. Cottin Pogrebin is appearing at the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. In a phone interview about her body of work and her latest novel, “Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate,” Cottin Pogrebin listed Ms. as one of her proudest achievements.
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
AJT: Do you feel like your subject matter chooses you, or you choose it? LCP: I guess it’s a little of both. I will say the only book I ever wrote
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I can’t relocate to NEW YORK, so how can I become a RABBI or CANTOR?
You can do it at AJR.
because someone asked me to was the first one. … A publisher at Bantam Books who knew about my career — I was in charge of four departments at a book publishing company and I ended up vice president, all of which happened before I was 30 — he knew about my career through the ’60s, and he said, “Write a book, here’s the title, ‘How to Make It in a Man’s World,’ ” and gave me a check, so that book found me. The others I guess I chose to write, although the subjects grabbed me by the throat, so it’s hard to say (chuckling). It’s really hard to say. It’s such a combination of impulses. … I definitely feel compelled to write my books. … It comes out of me, but I’m sopping up the world at the same time. That’s the thing about being both a writer and an activist, you know. You’re not in an ivory tower. I’m in the midst of it. I have been in the midst of it pretty much all along. And I have to say that I’m very proud to be one of the founders of a magazine that I think really did change lives. You know Ms. has been important for 40 years. It’s published out of Los Angeles now, and it’s not as readily seen as it once was. But it’s in colleges, it’s in libraries, it’s meaningful to thousands of women, and it keeps women informed about their rights and about what’s happening in the world. AJT: How did it come to be? It was a collaboration? LCP: Oh, yes. It started in our living rooms with people meeting and saying that we should both reflect what’s happening already at the grass roots and also lead the way. A combination of both informing and reflecting what’s happening. … We were meeting in the summer of 1971. I met Gloria
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AJT: Is that part of what prompted you to write? There are so many themes in the novel. … Which was your initial driving force? LCP: I think it all was, but I think very much the experience I had in a black-Jewish dialogue group for 10 years, which is one of the things I’m going to talk about, and the Letty Cottin Pogrebin has a lot to be proud of. experience I had when one of my daughters (Steinem) at the founding conference fell in love with a Catholic, which I’m of the National Women’s Political Caugoing to talk about when I’m there. cus, and she invited me to join what was going to be the next meeting of a group, an ad hoc group, and I just sort of stayed with it. … So I was just there for the long haul. AJT: You did a lot of things that were pivotal as far as women’s history. LCP: It really does feel that way. It’s been a long time. A very long time. I have to confess to you, Leah, that in about 1976 I said, “You know, by 1980 we’ll have this done.” (Laughs.) And then in 1980 we got Reagan. But we were making such wonderful progress! AJT: What compelled you to tackle fiction? LCP: I wanted to write novels since I was a little girl because I was a reader and I was an English American lit major. I always felt I could never match, you know, Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Who was I to write fiction? … I just felt, “Who am I? ... I can’t.” And then when I was 60, I said to myself, “How can I keep saying someday I’m going to write fiction? I have to do it.” And at that point Grace Paley said something that really broke it open for me. … She said writing teachers are wrong when they tell you to write about what you know. You should write about what you don’t know about what you know. I feel this is contemporary fiction about something that’s in the memory of many of us alive today, the ’80s, and really covers the successes and flashpoints in Judaism at the moment and where they sort of began and what their content is. And also the black-Jewish relationship, the evolution of it and the very sorry condition it’s in today.
AJT: The survivor guilt and tie-in with the Holocaust … that wasn’t part of the original impetus? LCP: Oh, yes. … I was a child of the Second World War. So though nobody talked about it, it was one of the many family secrets. I grew up in the shadow of it. It was this great horrible possibility that Hitler was going to win and take over the world, and that would be the end of us. … As I say in the book, “an inherited trauma.” … I happen to have been extremely well educated Jewishly, so for me to, for example, write the scenes with the professor, or the scenes with the rabbi, or the scenes with the chaplain, those three perspectives are really well known to me. My father was what I call high Conservative. He was raised Orthodox except for mixed prayer in my synagogue. … I didn’t have to do very much research. And the tension between, the pull between the wisdom and wonder of our heritage and the reality of our space in America now, where we’re accepted to the point where, as Rivka says, “They love us too much. They love us enough to marry us.” AJT: Did you know the ending before you began the book? LCP: No. And I still don’t know the ending. Do you? AJT: That’s true! It ended on a “maybe.” Good point! ■ Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate By Letty Cottin Pogrebin Feminist Press, 360 pages, $27.95 At the festival Nov. 10
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ARTS
If Only Israel Were 10 Years Older
JOIN US ON A FAMILY TRIP TO ISRAEL guided by the legendary moshe nov july 5-17, 2016
government became the two-part documentary film “The Prime Ministers,” hews as closely as possible to actual history, including Kristallnacht, the early years of World War II and the launch of the Nazi Final Solution. It’s worth noting, in light of the controversy over Netanyahu’s speech, that the real Nazis inhabiting this fictional world explore mass deportation of Jews to Madagascar or Siberia through 1941 before concluding that extermination is the only answer. Lavi’s appeasement of the likes of Adolf Eichmann and the espionage of Mossad agent Yoni Richter, enable the exploration of whether the ends justify
the means and what happens when a man dealing with evil on a daily basis hits his breaking point. The desire to incorporate as much real history as possible into the novel, including the Holocaust-executing 1942 Wannsee Conference, stretches the timeline to a frustrating length but justifies Avner and Rees’ explosive solution to the novel’s central dilemma. We’re left to wonder how many millions of Jews could have been saved if Israel were 77 instead of 67 years old. ■ The Ambassador By Yehuda Avner and Matt Rees Toby Press, 339 pages, $24.95
Atlanta History Center
filming
John Ford Samuel Fuller George Stevens
from Hollywood to Nuremberg
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
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sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the World Zionist Congress brought an alternate reading of the history of Nazi Germany to light, one in which the grand mufti of Jerusalem planted the idea of the Holocaust with Adolf Hitler instead of merely being one of the most enthusiastic supporters of destroying European Jewry. By coincidence, a novel that came out in September explores an alternate history in which Hitler in part does what Netanyahu said the mufti feared:
He allows large numbers of Jews to emigrate and settle in the Holy Land instead of trying to kill them. The premise of “The Ambassador,” written by Yehuda Avner (who died in March) with Matt Rees, is that the British decide in 1937 to enact their partition plan for Palestine before the inevitable outbreak of World War II. As a result, the new nation of Israel must deal with the devil and try to appease Hitler through the diplomatic efforts of the title character, Dan Lavi, so Germany will let as many Jews as possible leave. Avner, whose memoirs of his career at the highest levels of the Israeli
George Stevens and his crew, France, 1944 © Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA
By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
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OBITUARIES OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING
Jack T. Blake 97, Atlanta
Jack T. (Teddy) Blake died Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Atlanta after a brief illness. He was 97. He leaves his wife of the past 17 years, Marilyn, as well as daughters Andy Blake and Lynn Blake John from his first marriage to Rose Blake; their husbands, Shmulik Alon and Simon John; and granddaughter Ariel Alon. He also leaves his blended family of Emily, Jeff, Madison and Samuel Grosoff, Leslie Berger, Erica Berger, and Paul Williams. Teddy was born May 21, 1918, in New York. In World War II, he served in the United States Army and landed in France right after the invasion of Normandy. His business career spanned over 40 years at Giant Food in the Washington, D.C., area. He worked first as a butcher and later as a store manager and companywide merchandising manager. He was one of the first to bring prepared foods like sandwich platters and roasted chickens to grocery stores, something we take for granted today. Retirement kept Teddy busy as he worked at his golf game, baked banana bread and mandel bread for friends and family, volunteered at the Jewish Home in Miami, rode his Schwinn Aerodyne stationary bicycle, and studied his Torah portion. Teddy had a bar mitzvah for the first time while in his mid-80s, declaring in his dry humor, “Today I am a boy.”
Phyllis Kahn 70, Dunwoody
Phyllis Kahn, 70, of Dunwoody passed away peacefully Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015.
She was born July 29, 1945, in Trenton, N.J., to Edith and Allen Jones, both of blessed memory. Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Amy Kahn; her son, Jeffrey Kahn; a sister, Jacque Jones (Dr. Bernard Ullman); and many, many loving friends. She was a longtime employee of Kodak in Rochester, N.Y., and then Atlanta. In retirement, Phyllis was a favorite volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. She loved Brook Run Park, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, travel, and, most of all, her two children. She was an endless source of love, strength and advocacy on their behalf. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Friday, Oct. 23, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Jewish Family & Career Services (please direct contributions to the Developmental Disabilities Services), 4549 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Gene Kaplan 71, Sandy Springs
Gene Kaplan, 71, of Sandy Springs passed away peacefully Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. He was born in Red Bank, N.J., to Frieda and Abe Kaplan. Gene is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Linda; a son, Jay, and daughter-in-law, Michelle; grandchildren Drew and Phoebe; and sister Cheryl and brother Bob. Sign the online guest book at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Weinstein Hospice. Graveside services were held Thursday, Oct. 22, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Albert Slomovitz officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Beverlee Soloff Shere
OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
91, Bal Harbour
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Beverlee (Auerbach) Soloff Shere, an Atlanta trailblazer, has passed quietly at the age of 91 in Bal Harbour, Fla. Beverlee was born April 15, 1924, in the Bronx, N.Y., and began an incredible life that pushed her to the forefront of American society in each stage of her life. Her first career began when she turned to show business at the ripe age of 4. She was on her way to child stardom when the Great Depression laid waste to the fabric of society. It is a testament to her strength, courage and endless optimism that she faced these tough times head on. She poured her focus into perfecting her craft, and it worked. She got her break with the Dennis Sisters and by the time she was 15 had found the lights of Broadway. Her star rose high as they worked with all the main acts of the period, from the Three Stooges to Frank Sinatra, from Broadway to nightclubs to TV and film. By the 1950s she was at the top of her game. The road grind and changing styles in entertainment led her to retire from a career that spanned 20 years. On New Year’s Eve 1957, she married New York City restaurateur Hank Soloff and settled into the life of a homemaker. Their family grew with the birth of their first son, William, in 1960. With Hank’s NYC restaurants growing, he looked for other opportunities. His best friend, Lou Stoner, had left show business and settled into the small but growing city of Atlanta. At his suggestion, Hank opened a Southern version of his NYC eatery. The Coach and Six was born. So was the couple’s second son, Richard, in 1962. The restaurant quickly became a success until Hank’s sudden death in 1974. With no business experience and now two sons to raise alone, Bev faced the difficult times with the same focus and determination that had launched her first career. With the staff and the city in doubt that a woman with no business experience could succeed, she set out to prove them wrong. What they didn’t know was that this show business beauty was incredibly smart, fearless and determined to succeed in a man’s world. Her success was not easy, but she quickly turned the restaurant into an Atlanta landmark that shared international praise as one of the top restaurants in America. While presidents, movie stars, astronauts and sports legends made the Coach their favorite Atlanta eatery, her greatest joy was the local patrons who made the Coach the go-to place for the special occasions in their lives. It has been almost 25 years since the Coach was closed; if you listen carefully, you can still hear her patrons remembering.
OBITUARIES Bev was quick to use her success as a platform to help many causes. She was a fierce supporter of human rights and her local community and had a great interest in medical research as the focus of her philanthropy. Of all her careers, she most cherished her role as matriarch of her clan. Her depth of wisdom and advice, her incredible ability to bond with a wide variety of personalities, her endless efforts to foster growth, and an wonderful ability to laugh at life made her cherished by her family. She is survived by a son, William Soloff; a granddaughter, Hannah Soloff; niece Jodi Stoner; nephews Adam Stoner and Richard Auerbach; great-nephew Jeffrey Auerbach; nephews Barry Kissoff and Alan Kissoff; great-nephews Lee and Elan Levy; great-niece Shara Levy; great-great-nephews Gabe and Judah Levy; great-nieces Jennifer Koppenjan and Leah Retherford; and her daughter-in-law, Suzanne Soloff. She was preceded in death by the second love of her life, Ralph Shere of blessed memory. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jewish Family & Career Services. The funeral took place at Greenwood Cemetery on Monday, Oct. 26. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Death Notices
Carol Jane Brown of Marietta on Oct. 19. Louise Stein Brown, 88, of Mobile, Ala., mother of Congregation Or VeShalom member Anita Zipperman, David Brown, Rickie Voit, Carlye Cook and Barry Brown, on Oct. 11. Marsha Cohen, 73, of Marietta, mother of Rachel Leah Cohen and Joshua Cohen and sister of Nancy Lebovitz and Sylvan Proser, on Oct. 19. Geraldine Greenwald, 92, of Montville, N.J., mother of Temple Sinai member David Greenwald, on Oct. 21. Julian Lenny, 93, of Atlanta, father of Leslie Stone and Richard Lenny, on Oct. 17. Myron “Buddy” Nash, 84, of Boca Raton, Fla., father of Temple Sinai member Jeff Nash, on Oct. 12. Ethel Rotman of Atlanta, mother of Carol Edelson Chervin and David Rotman, on Oct. 15. Ronald Aron Rubel, 78, of North Haven, Conn., brother of Congregation Or Hadash member Gene Rubel, on Oct. 15. Khaya Shulman of Atlanta, mother of Lana Kvetny and Galina Grinfield, on Oct. 25.
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Eric Bern (left) and Alan Smirin, both past presidents of the Hebrew Order of David and of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel, deliver some kosher barbecue brisket, sponsored by ASK, to Jewish Home Life Communities’ Berman Commons, about a mile from the site of the third Atlanta Kosher BBQ Competition at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody on Sunday, Oct. 18. Marina Sirota, Berman Commons’ dining manager, and Shari Bayer (right), the marketing director for Jewish Home Life Communities, accept the delivery on behalf of the residents. HOD chose Jewish Home Life Communities as one of the recipients of the cash raised for charities at the kosher competition.
Arlington Memorial Park SANDY SpRINgS
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
KOSHER BRISKET FOR BERMAN COMMONS
AJT 29
7/27/15 10:51 AM
CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING
Aging With Impunity
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OCTOBER 30 ▪ 2015
efore we begin, let’s get this straight, I am who I am! I aspire to be no one else. Besides, who would I be? I find the challenge of pushing the envelope quite exciting. Most of the time, “What shul do you attend?” inevitably leads to “Are you religious?” After all, given my name, it’s easy to make assumptions, and it’s a sneaky way to pigeonhole me. I refuse to be dragged into a discussion or to be identified by “people our age” or “at our age.” Those statements are a recipe for disaster, an excuse for lost opportunities. The question that really sets me off: “How old are you?” Are you measuring my age chronologically, by maturity, spiritually, emotionally, by intellectual acuity or by physical prowess? By the way, I have successfully guessed a few answers correctly on “Jeopardy!” I am known to be an average tennis player. Do these facts make me a certain age? It’s not as if I go around singing the “Howdy Doody” song! Why should age matter? I am not an age, and I lie anyway. I lie about my age on the form every time I go to a doctor’s office. Yes, I lie; whatcha gonna do about it? At a doctor’s office, I sit and wait on the examination table, which is so high I have to climb up as if I am a little girl sitting in a high chair, in a room so cold I could make a snowman, where the nurse transfers the information from the form I have diligently completed to the computer. She then asks the same questions I’ve answered on the form. But I am nothing if not polite, so I respond with a little smile. I’m confused. We send people to the moon but can’t seem to invent an app that would simplify the check-in process and make the information available to any physician we choose. “The doctor will be right with you,” she informs me. Who is she kidding? The doctor will certainly NOT be right with me. The good doctor might be with me eventually, but not RIGHT with me. Thank goodness I swiped the magazine from the waiting room. I must have something to do while I am waiting for the doctor to be right with me. Usually I can complete an entire 30 novel.
AJT
The doctor arrives with my folder of medical information, or does he actually have ESPN the Magazine hidden in the folder? I hear Playboy is passé. We greet each other; he sits on his rolling, spinning stool, first checking the information on the paper form, then checking the same information on the computer screen.
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CROSSWORD “She’s So Un-Jewsual”
By David Benkof Edited by Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Medium 1
By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com
Shaindle believes age is a state of mind. If you would like to share your age-related stories, she would love to read them.
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ACROSS 1 Bit of geniza contents 6 Like most Pale of Settlement tongues 12 Noodge noise 16 Genre of most (but not all) of the Book of Genesis 17 Italian ghetto built in 1679 18 Ecclesiastes says it’s not for the swift 19 American singer known for her YouTube single “Friday” 21 Sea in Borat’s homeland 22 What a Jewish homeland just was, for centuries 23 “Let’s not forget” 24 G-d-given 26 Abu ___ (Jerusalem neighborhood) 27 Something Leviticus says not to do with various family members 28 Sermonize 30 She played Florida Evans on “Maude” and “Good Times” 34 Drink not sold in Israel until 1992 37 “Met our mothers in the ___” (Billy Joel lyric from “Allentown”) 38 Gets a 60 percent on the Bagrut exam 40 U.S. equivalent of an Israeli “Kaspomat” 41 Golem alternative 44 Master escapist 45 Chutzpah of sorts 46 Karl Marx’s birthplace 49 Mormon term for a Jew or other non-Mormon 51 Nosh 52 One sign that a fish is kosher 56 Kind of Zionism? 57 Higher power? 58 The Jerusalem Talmud, to most Jews 59 “Rumor ___ It” (2005 Rob Reiner movie) 61 “Contact” astronomer Carl 63 She was the “I” in the film version of “The King and I” 68 Pick, as a sandwich at Mendy’s 70 Palindromic name that’s a variation on the Bible’s first lady 71 Simon and Garfunkel, e.g. 72 She co-starred with Bette and Billy in “Parental Guidance” 74 Kukla, Fran and Ollie, e.g. 76 “___ them for a sign upon thine hand” 77 Star of Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors”
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I see a little smile creep onto his face, and I watch it grow into a guffaw. “Are you mathematically challenged?” I look at him aghast. “Mathematically challenged?” I say, stalling. “No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?” “Well, I see you put your age as XX (you thought I would slip up and divulge the number, didn’t you?); however, there seems to be a 10-year disparity between your actual date of birth and the age you’ve given.” I can’t believe I just blew my big chance to lie about my age and get away with it. I have a dear friend who gets away with it. Obviously, she is not mathematically challenged. Every year my sisters, Maggie and Joycie, and I have reunions. We are great siblings and even greater friends. Our respect, love and understanding enable us to create some of the most memorable times. Each year we try to choose a place that is convenient. Joycie lives out West, Maggie lives up North, and I live in the South. Last year we were at Maggie’s home, where we cooked, ate, hiked and watched movies every night. One morning as we were enjoying breakfast, I announced that I would like to propose a toast. I requested we change our birth order. We talked about this life-altering topic with the appropriate reverence. After the coin flip, I became the youngest. I then led us in a toast celebrating the new birth order. So for the last time, I beg of you, don’t ask, and don’t make me tell a lie! ■
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42 Persona non ___ (official status of Richard Falk in Israel) 43 “Rosemary’s Baby” actress 44 Jewfro, e.g. 47 Exploits by 44-Across 48 “90210” actor Ziering 50 Burning the chametz, e.g. 53 Groucho gaze 54 Term for the group Brian Epstein managed 55 Phrase at a less traditional Jewish wedding 59 Initial state of the world, according to Genesis 60 Jewish prep school in N. Carolina 62 Site in Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” 64 Spouted anti-Semitism, in a way 65 He used to criticize Jews with fellow inventor Henry Ford 66 Talmudic sentences, almost by definition 67 “No respect” comedian Dangerfield 69 They let you ride the Jerusalem Light Rail 72 Home-___ (kind of matzah balls) 73 Louis P. ___ (Jewish St. Louis mayor who shared a name with a soothing plant) 74 Like some of the cows in Pharaoh’s dream 75 Tsene ___ (Yiddish women’s Bible) 76 La ___ (Road forming the eastern border of L.A.’s historically Jewish Fairfax District) 79 “Prince ___” (Ashman/Menken song from “Aladdin”) 80 It might contain poppy seed filling for hamantaschen 81 “Sound of Music” peak
DOWN 1 34-Across alternative 2 The Shema and others 3 Former Labor Secretary Reich 4 On the Exodus 5 Large muscle, on Goldberg 6 More like last week’s challah 7 Court shots for Dick Savitt 8 He sang “Alice’s Restaurant” 9 Jerusalem Christian holy site ___ Dolorosa 10 “Monster’s ___” (Pixar film with Crystal’s) 11 Journalist Roberts who serves as a TV panelist alongside Paul Krugman and David Brooks 12 Gambol like American Pharoah 13 Fey impersonated her 14 Sing like Mel Torme 15 Part of the name of Manchester’s Jewish newspaper 20 Mideast capital 25 It might be filled with broken glass after a wedding 27 Holocaust film “Au Revoir ___ Enfants” 28 ___ guilty (listened to Dershowitz, perhaps) 29 Emulate Israeli President Moshe Katsav 1 2 3 4 A L S O 31 Jews in ALL ___ 14 (California project for Jews Z O H N 17 18 K N E S S of color) 20 A G L E T 32 Character in Rick 23 B A T T Y Berman’s “Star Trek” 27 28 A G O E universe 33 34 N O N E 33 Ed Asner character 39 40 S C Grant 42 43 44 35 ___-Man (supervillain 50B E E T 51L I N N A created by Stan Lee) 56 57 O V E R P 36 Javits Convention 61 E M A S Center architect 65 E L I M 39 Monotheism number 68 L O E B 41 Performs ark duty on 71 I P S O the bimah, perhaps
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