Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCIII No. 36, September 14, 2018

NEXT WEEK: ARTS & CULTURE

VOL. XCIII NO. 36

SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 5 TISHREI 5779

G'MAR CHATIMA TOVA

May You be Inscribed in the Book of Life

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The Shofar Call During this very reflective period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we continue to bring you words of inspiration from our community leaders. As just one example, Dena Schusterman invites us to see Yom Kippur in a different way.

Want to know what Yom Kippur is like in Israel? Rabbi David Geffen, formerly of Atlanta, shares how the streets close to traffic in Israel, except for bicyclists.

And contributor Eugen Schoenfeld, a Holocaust survivor, writes about being more accountable and not shirking our responsibilities.

In other Yom Kippur news, we share “Hechsher to Home,” the nine steps it takes for a can donated through Operation Isaiah to reach its recipient.

A common pulpit topic this time of year is Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.

Columnist Dave Schechter provides our cover story, exploring how the phrase is interpreted by different sources.

Finding common ground was the theme of an event at Stone Mountain that tried to amend wrongs of previous generations, 55 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, which mentions the Atlanta mountain.

While the focus of the holidays is food – from apples and honey to abstaining – we give you options for entertaining or breakthe-fast. You can read a review of Watershed and a holiday recipe in “Keeping it Kosher,” along with a story about how one large Atlanta supermarket closed its kosher departments while another got into the kosher delivery service.

And don’t forget the Jewish Joke and the Yiddish Word of the Week to keep you entertained and educated this holiday season. ■ Happy New Year and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year!

CONTENTS REFLECTIONS ������������������������������������� 4 LOCAL NEWS �������������������������������������� 6 BUSINESS ������������������������������������������ 11 ISRAEL ������������������������������������������������ 12 SHANA TOVA ����������������������������������� 16 EDITORIAL ���������������������������������������� 23 YOM KIPPUR ������������������������������������ 25 DINING ����������������������������������������������� 34 CHAI STYLE HOMES ��������������������� 37 SPOTLIGHT �������������������������������������� 40 CALENDAR ���������������������������������������� 44 KEEPING IT KOSHER ��������������������� 46 BRAIN FOOD ������������������������������������� 47 OBITUARIES ������������������������������������� 48 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 3

Ha Shana ppy T New ova Yea r

REFLECTIONS Searching Yom Kippur for Its Potent Meaning We each find it difficult to shape our What you may want to know is that Yom Kippur into a powerful and spiritual here in Israel, several thousand citizens, fast day, as we are told it should be. It is young and old, ride bicycles. Not sure what difficult to understand because emphasiz- aspect of halachah that is, but there is also ing one day out of 365 as truly a Yom Kippur feeling to riding uplifting really does not make 10, 20, 30, 40 or more kilomemuch sense. Why, you will ters. Interestingly, many of ask? Being in the synagogue them are fasting. They know for many hours and fasting that Israel has been carved out may be good for a day. What through 70 years as a proud about tomorrow? The ancient Jewish country. So, riding as rabbis had the answer. As free individuals, they breathe soon as Ne’ilah and Ma’ariv the air of their nation, look at the end of Yom Kippur are out at the scenery they pass, completed, we are supposed to Rabbi David and know that they could be begin the building of the suk- Geffen called, as in the Yom Kippur kah. Fasting, davening, really War, to protect their nation. do not have an impact unless you follow They are not in shul, but hundreds stand them with action. right inside the portals of the synagogue There was a time in Atlanta when with their children to hear the blowing of building a sukkah was not of interest to the shofar as Yom Kippur is completed for the major part of the Jewish community. So another year. back then, they were satisfied to “perform” American Jews and Israelis are very whatever was important on Yom Kippur similar, in my eyes, on this holy day. My and then walk out “sinless,” but not “ac- fellow Jews from the USA push themselves, tion-oriented." Yet, I am being too critical so they will not miss what occurs during because now, when 2 to 3 million American the fast day. Israelis represent our answer Jews enter the doors of the synagogue for to the world that Jews are free, free to pray, Kol Nidre, that is quite an accomplishment. and free to take their two-wheelers out.

In Jerusalem, all the traffic stops about I was fortunate that I was taught by a half an hour before the shofar is sounded my grandfather and father that Yom Kipthroughout the city. Whether we want to pur is a unique day. There are some of get the call, we know it is Yom Kippur. In you out there who received Jewish trainAtlanta, no horn sounds. The cars continue ing. Unfortunately, there are those who to run by every synagogue from Chabad did not because their parents or the inand ultra-Orthodox to Reform. If you are dividual themselves, did not think it was not careful when you walk or drive to your important. Nevertheless, the democratic chosen “spiritual” site, you could be hit by a atmosphere of our nation always made car and die. It has happened, not in Atlanta. religious instruction available to all. On From 7,000 miles away, I want to Yom Kippur you can do what you choose. praise you. Atlanta is not a Jewish city.

It really touches me that under no pressure The USA is not a Jewish country, but so many of you fast, so many of you enter you leave your home, come to synagogue, the beit knesset. Maybe your experience put on your tallit, men and women, if that this year will push you to becoming more is your practice. Sit down after greeting Jewish and maybe even seriously consider family and friends as the rabbi asks you to aliyah. ■ rise for Kol Nidre. Not residing in a Jewish environment and maybe not even understanding the machzor words, even if they are translated, you stand, voluntarily, and listen to that moving melody. I think what you do is exemplary. You can feel Yom Kippur in the street. You are relentless, placing all the secular and religious atmosphere overwhelming you aside and observing the holiest day of the Jewish year. This is one Jew who is very proud of you. More can always be done Jewishly, but you make sure that no one is going to stop you when you, as Jew, commit yourself to have a potent religious experience.

4 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

LOCAL NEWS Kroger Closes Kosher Kitchen, Publix Delivers

By Roni Robbins roni@atljewishtimes.com While one major Atlanta supermarket closed its kosher department before the High Holidays, another is beefing up its kosher delivery and event planning services.

Fountain Oaks Kroger closed its kosher kitchen Aug. 27 as part of its recent renovation, which includes fresh meat, deli and sushi departments. Kosher packaged foods, meat and dairy products will still be available, said kosher supervisor Moshe Sapir.

Since closing the kosher kitchen, he’s fielded complaints from customers about having to travel to Toco Hills for their fresh, sliced, baked and specialty kosher food.

Toco Hills has long been the main Atlanta hub for kosher food. Publix is taking its customer service a step forward to meet the needs of the kosher Jewish community. As the only Publix in the country with kosher departments, the Toco Hill Shopping Center store recently began delivering kosher food within 20 miles for up to $20, free for orders of $150 or more. Wedding and specialty cakes are a separate fee.

Since delivery began, local schools and synagogues created standing orders for their bagel breakfasts and meetings, said Laya Shaikun, event planner and mashgiach.

Toco Hills Kroger also offers larger fresh kosher meat, deli and bakery departments, but no delivery. “Kroger does delivery, but it hasn’t hit this store,” said kosher manager Betzalel Yochanan.

The Publix kosher delivery service is an outgrowth of its Apron Event Planning stations at which customers receive

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Haim Haviv Owner

The Kroger at Fountain Oaks has closed its kosher kitchen.

help planning parties and then “we do the shopping, package it up and have it ready for the customer to pick up or deliver to their home,” said Brenda Reid, spokesperson for Publix Atlanta division.

Customers can also order online using Instacart, a relationship that began last year, she said.

So, what about the competition with Kroger? “Competition is good for everyone. The customer gets the variety they want and hopefully a good price. We are the customer service leader in this arena.

The service we provide in the meat department, in the deli department, it’s all about offering the product the customer wants.”

Reid said the Toco Hills Publix was selected as the first one with separate kosher departments in 2001 because of the number of synagogues adjacent to the store. The store has been quite profitable, she said.

“Supermarkets know who their customer base is and try to accommodate them,” said Rabbi Reuven Stein, director of supervision at the Atlanta Kashruth

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The Toco Hill Shopping Center Publix not only has the retailer's only kosher departments, it also delivers locally.

Commission. A kosher shopper may only need two to three things in the kosher department, but they will stay and shop for other items they need at the store, Stein said. That’s why a store may be profitable even if its kosher department isn’t, he said, hinting at the recent Kroger closing.

Based on brainstorming sessions he had with Publix before the Toco Hills location added its kosher department, he believes the Southeast-based grocery chain was trying to keep up with Kroger in the same shopping center. Kroger started its kosher department about 18 years ago, Yochanan said.

When Publix surveyed the neighborhood, it realized that to level the playing field, it needed to carve out a portion of the kosher market for itself, Stein said.

Publix has an advantage over Kroger when it comes to its popular sub shop, he said. It can draw on its reputation to make subs with freshly baked kosher bread and sliced deli meat.

While Kroger was the first in the market, Publix leads the way with delivery. And when it began offering kosher

Southern fried chicken, Kroger followed suit, Stein said.

They both offer kosher sushi, which wasn’t available years ago, he said.

“It’s great for the kosher consumer,” Stein said of the competition.

Kroger and Publix aren’t the only ones in the area with kosher selections.

Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Costco and The Spicy Peach offer kosher food. “They each have their niche,” he said.

“In the United States, people like to have choices. It’s healthy that way. Some people like Publix and others like Kroger.

To their credit, they have gone out of their way to accommodate. Kroger has a nice Chanukah party. They invite the Sisterhood to make latkes, dress up as the Maccabees, and invite the day schools to light the menorah.

“Publix is similar. Both donate to Jewish organizations, day schools, other organizations. It says a lot.”

With all the cooking going on in Toco Hills every Shabbat and for the Jewish holidays, it seems there’s plenty of kosher food business to go around. ■

LOCAL NEWS

Embodying the Dream

By Harold Kirtz and Dov Wilker In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared in his “I Have A Dream” speech, “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.” Two weeks ago, during the week of the 55th anniversary of that speech, there was a gathering at Stone Mountain to embody that dream. A Christian movement entitled OneRace, designed to apologize for the racism and anti-Semitism that characterized the Christianity of almost 2,000 years, initiated a revival there.

Several members of the Jewish community were invited to attend this revival to receive an apology for Christian anti-Semitism. The two of us attended and were announced as representatives of the “global” Jewish community. Three thousand people on the top of Stone Mountain and 7,000 on the field at the base of the mountain engaged in a prayerful apology for anti-Semitism caused by the Christian community over two millennia. About a quarter of the people there were African-American and three-quarters were white.

The organizers were initiating a movement rooted in prayer, relationship and justice that culminated in this gathering of worship and revival at Stone Mountain. They were praying for all races, cultures, and denominations from across the region to seek to transform the culture of the Church in a movement of revival and racial reconciliation.

Two hundred churches from the Atlanta area - black and white - were co-sponsors of the event. The principal theme was to apologize for the racism in religious institutions, and, while the overall program was predominately against white-on-black racism, one aspect of that effort acknowledged by the

Rose

Harold Kirtz is president of the JCRC of Atlanta and Dov Wilker is regional director of the AJC Atlanta.

Scott Allen, founder and president of Israel365

organizers and by the event itself was the apology for anti-Semitism.

For our part, we joined the pastors who were giving the witnessing and apology at the stage area directly in front of the 3,000 at the top of the mountain.

The pastors most prominent at the event were the leaders of OneRace, Billy Humphrey, co-pastor of International House of Prayer Atlanta in Lawrenceville, and Bishop Garland R. Hunt, the senior pastor of The Father’s House in Norcross.

Also, there was Scott Allen, a prominent lay person heavily involved in the Christians United for Israel initiative and Israel365. Mr. Allen was a major force in ensuring that the issue of anti-Semitism be addressed by the OneRace movement.

Pastor Humphrey and Bishop Hunt gave moving and meaningful words roundly condemning anti-Semitism and issuing an apology for it.

While we did not speak at the event,

Thousands attend the OneRace event on Aug. 25, fulfilling MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech to “let freedom ring from Stone Mountain."

we indicated our appreciation for the outpouring of sincere and visible feelings by the pastors and the 3,000 people on top of the mountain. Afterwards, we were interviewed by one of the television stations covering the event.

Especially in light of the ill feelings about the issues of race, religion, and national origin that were in the atmosphere, it was a welcomed sight to witness what

was to us a sincere desire to make our community one of reconciliation. May others in the country be moved to create other scenes of such reconciliation. ■ Harold Kirtz is president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta and Dov Wilker is regional director of the American Jewish Committee Atlanta.

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LOCAL NEWS

Braids, Braids and More Braids

By Danielle Seligmann What do hair braiding, macramé and challah have in common? They involve weaving, twisting and entwining, and that’s what Jewish women from Atlanta experienced Sept. 4 at a pre-Rosh Hashanah event, “Braids & Braids, For Body and Soul,” sponsored by Chabad Intown.

The women were treated to professional hair braiding, contributed to a community macramé art wall hanging, and sampled more than eight types of challah along with sweet and savory dips.

Dena Schusterman, rebbetzin of Chabad Intown, welcomed the crowd with wisdom from the Jewish month of Elul. And Rochie Pinson, author of “The Rising Life: Challah Baking. Elevated.,” inspired those gathered with her discussion about “rising up.”

Here’s what some of those attending had to say about the event: “I loved the act of braiding challah with other women, with friends, in the days before Rosh Hashanah,” said Samara Minkin. “It’s a rare Tuesday when you run into women from Sandy Springs, Decatur, Intown, Buckhead, all together for a low-key, relaxed and sweet evening.”

Susan Robinson was impressed by the connection between hair braiding and challah braiding. “It turns out it was the perfect blend of simple fun and meaningfulness.”

For Karen Luscher, having three generations of her family with her made the experience more memorable. “To have my 12-year-old daughter, my mother and myself all leave with the same level of fulfillment is what it’s all about. L’dor v’dor!”

In life we are asked to rise up in a variety of ways. Sometimes we are able to rise up with lightweight gusto and

Photos by Plotner Photography

Chernowitzer Challah recipe by Maggie Glazer.

Dough made by Mira Schusterman. Part of the challah buffet, which included eight types of challot, including Pretzel Dough and Pumpkin challah.

Braiding the community macrame wall art hanging.

sometimes we do it with a bit of weight.

Listening to the author Rochie Pinson at the Chabad Intown event, I was reminded that the connection of making challah from start to finish is analogous to how we generally rise up in our lives," Luscher said.

Making the dough is part art and science, with careful care to how the ingredients mix together. Rising up in our every day is also part art and science. Science has proven that happy people with a positive outlook live a healthier, longer life. How we all find happiness is a true art because there are a variety of ways to achieve that state as a standard mode of

L’Shana Tovah!

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Hair braiding by salon professionals.

Rochie Pinson of "The Rising Life," explaining the spiritual components of challah before attendees made their own.

operating in a given day.

The dough-rising process requires another level of attention and care to nurture the dough through the rising, falling and rising phases. In our given day or time horizon we all have to nurture ourselves through our rising and falling moments. Our care for ourselves and for supporting others during those changes helps define how we leave an imprint on this world.

In challah terms, the next phase is the shaping of the dough into one of a variety of forms, which become an expression of love and encouragement.

In life we have multiple ways to shape our “dough.” In our daily lives, we cross, twist, connect and create a shape to our actions, thoughts and words of expression. While there is a set time of how long we bake a challah, the time we devote to nurturing ourselves and the people who cross our pathways will vary, but in the end, all of the time is most successful with intentional care and nurturing.

In her book, “Rising: The Book of Challah,” Pinson greatly links how each of the ingredients and steps of making challah are directly connected to how we live with intention. While I haven’t had a chance to pour a cup of tea and curl up to read the whole cookbook yet, I have taken some sneak peaks into her insights. The one thought that permeated the event and is present in the book is the

need to “nurture from the deepest parts of ourselves." Trying to fit into a “cookie cutter” mold of nurturing will only frustrate and be harmful to both ourselves and our loved ones, cheating them of our full nurturing potential.

To nurture is to be aware of our most true self and to give from that place.

We make challah from a place of commitment to nourish ourselves and our families in a way that goes beyond mere physical feeding and watering.

The first letters of the words of the verse: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” form an acronym for the name Elul. As we are wrapping up the month of Elul, we’ve been called upon to rise up and do the work to reach out to reflect how we have been the beloved so that in Tishrei, Hashem can reply back in the conversation as our beloved. Kabbalah teaches us that in Elul, Hashem is telling us: “I trust you and believe in you.

You should step in to nurture yourself to grow stronger and I will be there for you if you do.”

Reach inwards and outwards to nurture the world around you. Your investment will pay off in the long run. Wishing everyone a meaningful new year filled with moments to kneed, shape and rise yourself and those connected to you.

■ Danielle Seligmann is president of Congregation Beth Tefillah.

LOCAL NEWS

Commitment To Israel Begins In High School Roni Robbins roni@atljewishtimes.com A beloved teacher for 38 years, Yossi Katz is a man of few words when it comes to speaking about his contribution to the Jewish National Fund’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel. But those who have come to know the American-born teacher who made aliyah, served in the Israel Defense Forces and was a boxing champion for the country are quick to sing his praises.

“He’s the most humble famous person you will ever meet,” said Alicia Press, director of admissions for AMHSI for the Southeast. “Yossi Katz has spent a lifetime educating teens” about the importance of Israel, she said. “He has touched thousands of lives.”

More than 100 former AMHSI graduates, prospective students, their families and supporters held a reunion and retirement party for Katz Sept. 6 at the

home of Emanuel and Stacy Fialkow.

At the event, Katz spoke about a student who died while serving in the IDF, and Ashley Siegal, a University of Georgia senior, shared her memories from five years ago at the Israel high school.

The event also kicked off a fundraising campaign to help teens who want to attend the high school in Israel program.

In addition to the private reunion last week, Katz spoke to the senior class at The Weber School, the Women of Weber, JNF’s Women For Israel and a teen event at the Marcus JCC. He mostly spoke about why it’s important to support Israel and for children to experience Israel through programs such as AMHSI. Both are his passion.

Stopping by the AJT offices, Katz shared what inspired his love of Israel. As a child growing up in Philadelphia, the accent of an Israeli visitor caught his attention. When he asked the visitor where he was from, he learned, “Israel, the Jew-

Adam Freeman and Scott Arogeti

Richard Kopelman, Matt Berke, and Amy Berke

ish country.” Katz couldn’t understand why, if his family was Jewish, why they didn’t live in “the Jewish country” too.

It took a while for Katz to turn his confusion into a full-blown commitment to Israel.

First, he had to become involved in the Jewish community and develop his leadership skills. His parents set the standard for leadership and education. His father was president of a Conservative synagogue and his mother, president of a Philly parent-teacher organization.

Active in United Synagogue Youth, Katz eventually became regional president. He also worked his way up the leadership ranks of Camp Ramah in the Poconos during his 15 years as camper, counselor and division head.

After he graduated from Temple University, Katz decided to head to Israel.

He made aliyah in 1978 and went on to serve in the IDF as a combat soldier in a reconnaissance unit and become a light-

Stacey Joseph Tovin, Stacy Fialkow, Marnie Nadolne, Dina Fuchs-Beresin, and Laura Labovitz

Ashley Siegel and Yossi Katz

middleweight boxing champion for the country. But he takes most pride, lately, in his teaching of children through AMHSI. Of the fundraising effort in his honor, Katz said, “the more who come to Israel, the better. Israel is the only place you see a Jewish country that runs itself and takes care of itself.” He explained that Israel does for the Jewish people what no other country can do.

Katz’s Israeli girlfriend, Yifat Roitman, said she has never known anyone, even sabras, to be so committed to Israel.

“He thinks about Israel all the time. He is an addicted Zionist. He really believes it.

It’s not a cliché.” She said she and Katz host students every day at their home, even on weekends. “He has touched so many people’s hearts. I have never seen such a man who affected so many people.” ■

Matt Brill and Dina Fuchs-Beresin

Yifat Roitman and Yossi Katz from Israel join party hosts, Stacy and Emanuel Fialkow.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 9

LOCAL NEWS

Music Modernizes Silent Film at the AJFF Bernstein introduces the film, screened at the Woodruff Arts center.

Photos courtesy of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and Futography LLC

Pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Alicia Svigals played their score to accompany the silent film, "The Ancient Law."

By Bob Bahr Two of America’s greatest performers of film music from the silent era accompanied the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s screening Sept. 6 of “The Ancient Law” at the Woodruff Arts Center. The silent film from 1923 is about Jewish life in 19th century Vienna.

Pianist Donald Sosin’s family roots go back to the Jewish communities of East Europe and violinist Alicia Svigals’ childhood education was shaped by the Yiddish speaking schools of Der Arbeter Ring, the Workmen’s Circle in New York.

Today, she is generally considered among the world's greatest interpreters of Jewish klezmer melodies.

It is ironic that the interests of both musicians helped them build their careers and develop a body of work in two distinct genres have had a remarkable resurgence in the last several decades. Both silent film productions and klezmer music, while seemingly worlds apart, have developed large, new audiences – particularly among young people. “The Ancient Law,” the film they both helped score and accompany, brings to the forefront these two strands of popular culture that have been reborn in recent years.

The film tells the story of the rise of a popular actor, born in one of the many poor, Jewish villages of Eastern Europe, 10 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Matthew Bernstein, chair of the Film and Media Studies Department of Emory University, interviewed Sosin and Svigals.

who puts much of his ancient heritage behind him to find success in the Royal Court Theatre of the Habsburg emperors of Vienna.

His story of stardom mirrors the success of many Jews of western Europe in the 19th and early 20th century who largely abandoned their traditional heritage in favor of a new life of acceptance and assimilation.

I spoke with both Sosin and Svigals about their collaboration on “The Ancient Law.” Sosin: Both of us wrote lots of music that was notated, but both of us are happy to be improvising. And our thoughts about the film change with each screening. We try not to tie ourselves down to the sheet music and we have not had to count measures, so we like to have the opportunity to wing it. Partly because of the tradition of Jewish folk music nothing was written down in those days, most of it was a very freewheeling and very improvisatory style of music.

Svigals: My approach to klezmer is based on the idea that it is half reconstructed and half invented. I put it that way because my feeling about all kinds

of music is, if it is not half-invented then it is a dead museum piece. Music is always changing, and musicians are artists who bring their creativity to it. But if it is not half-invented, it is probably not worth listening to.

Sosin: My parent on both sides are of Eastern European ancestry, so the world that the film portrays has a great deal of resonance for me. I grew up singing Yiddish songs, writing Jewish music for synagogue productions. There are quite a lot of scenes in the film that depict rituals at Yom Kippur and Purim and Passover and Shabbat services at home. Audiences really get a sense of what it is like to be in that milieu in Europe.

Svigals: In a way, we are recreating that world. This is a silent film, so you can’t hear their voices, so we are trying to be their voices. We are conjuring up ghosts here.

Sosin: The audience goes into these silent films in a different way because of the absence of speech. They are really drawn into the film, and the music is a kind of emotional undercurrent to give them hints about what is going on.

It helps move along the character devel-

opment and the feeling. It’s quite a subtle art, and quite a few of the greatest silent films are unmatched. Audiences who may not be familiar with silent film are given the chance and invariably may come back for more.

Sosin: The audience of 800 at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival were on their feet cheering at the end; it’s very powerful. Even if you’re not Jewish, the idea of a kid wanting to go out and make his mark in the world and his father saying, “No, you have to stand by the family traditions” has a universal appeal.

Last week’s performance at the Woodruff Arts Center also got a standing ovation for Sosin and Svigals, who are beginning a fall tour that will take them and “The Ancient Law” to screenings in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, as well as Philadelphia, Houston, Boston, and Silver Springs, Md. ■ For those who missed the AJFF showing, “The Ancient Law,” with a musical accompaniment by Sosin and Svigals, it can be purchased at www.flickeralley.com/ classic-movies.

BUSINESS

November 2017 implosion of the Georgia Dome

Dome is Gone but not Forgotten One of the most heavily-funded construction projects in the state now has a historical marker.

The Georgia Dome became the newest member of the Georgia Historical Society’s Business History Initiative when a plaque was installed at the Home Depot Back Yard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The dome, precursor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was built for $214 million in August 1992 and imploded this past November. Operated by AMB Group, the dome was home to the Atlanta Falcons for 25 seasons, the 1996 Olympic Games, and countless college basketball games and concerts.

The stadium received a $300 million facelift in 2006. In 2008, when a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta, the dome suffered holes in its roof during the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game between Alabama and Mississippi State.

According to the historical marker, “The stadium hosted some of the world’s most prestigious sporting and entertainment events, welcoming more than 37 million guests and generating an economic impact of $7 billion dollars.”

“From its beginnings as an architectural marvel, to its role as a host site during the 1996 Olympic Games and the home of the Atlanta Falcons for 25 seasons, the Georgia Dome’s legacy will be ensured for future generations through this new historical marker,” said W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of Georgia Historical Society. ■

The Georgia Dome historical marker sits in the shadow of the new Mercedez Benz Stadium.

New Device for Testing Cancer Tissue Dune Medical, an Israeli-owned medical device company in Alpharetta, produced a new device that will accelerate the timing of cancer biopsy results and improve accuracy, according to a company release.

The company released the first phase of a project to test percutaneous soft tissue taken from a biopsy. Using the Smart Biopsy Device, a surgeon will receive real-time analysis of tissue at the time of extraction by reading radio-frequency spectroscopy technology.

“This device ensures that the specimen core represents the most advanced stage of the disease at the time of the biopsy procedure, increasing the likelihood of an accurate diagnosis,” said CEO Lori Chmura. “The development of this Smart Biopsy Device substantiates the application of radio-frequency spectroscopy and establishes Dune as a leader in tissue characterization for cancer.”

The project represents an important step forward in the future development of Dune Medical’s multi-cancer applications.

“I think this tool will be valuable not only for me, but for the surgeon as well,” said Dr. Noemi Weisenberg, director of Nancy Reuben Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center at Meir Medical Center, who has tested the device. “In certain cases, the biopsy that the surgeon performs can be much more accurate if they can be sure that they’re taking the sample from the right place.” ■

Compiled by AJT Staff ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 11

ISRAEL PRIDE News From Our Jewish Home

Today in Israeli History

Equestrian Dan Kremer Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski play chess at Camp David during a break in the September 1978 negotiations.

Sept. 14, 1948: Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announces that the elite Palmach, a Haganah strike force formed in 1941, is being dismantled as an independent force and integrated into the Israel Defense Forces.

The move is part of a policy to depoliticize the military and is also applied to the Irgun and the Stern Gang.

Sept. 15, 2009: South African Judge Richard Goldstone presents his U.N.-sponsored “Report on the FactFinding Mission on the Gaza Conflict,” which criticizes Israel and Hamas for their actions in conflict during the previous December and January. In April 2011, he recants parts of the report that suggest Israel intentionally killed civilians.

Sept. 16, 1977: Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan holds secret talks in Morocco with Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Hassan Tuhami to enable the two sides to assess each other’s willingness to negotiate seriously toward a peace agreement.

Sept. 17, 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign the Camp David Accords, brokered by President Jimmy Carter. The accords have two parts: an agreement about the future of relations between the two nations and a framework for implementing Palestinian self-rule.

Sept. 18, 1949: The Compulsory Education Law, passed Sept. 12, goes into effect. It requires all children ages 5 to 15 to attend recognized educational institutions and provides for free elementary education. A provision allowing parents to send children to schools that are part of a recognized trend leads to separate school systems for Arabs, Druze and religious Jews.

Sept. 19, 1988: Israel launches its first space satellite, the 340-pound Ofek 1, from an undisclosed location near the Mediterranean Sea. Ofek 1 (named for the Hebrew word for horizon) makes Israel the ninth country capable of launching a satellite.

Sept. 20, 1890: Rachel Bluwstein, considered the founding mother of modern Hebrew poetry, is born in Russia. She begins writing poetry at age 15 and makes aliyah in 1909. ■ Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details.

12 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Olympic Hopeful Won’t Compete on Yom Kippur

Dan Kremer, a show jumper on Israel’s national team, announced his withdrawal from the World Equestrian Games in the United States because the competition is being held on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Hebrew calendar.

Kremer is not religious, he told Ha’aretz in an interview, “but for me the decision comes because I represent the country and the flag.”

In his letter informing the Israeli federation of his decision, he wrote, “I want to honor this day and the Israeli and Jewish public in Israel and the world. I believe that it would be a serious mistake in judgment to compete on this holy day, despite the consequences sportswise of not participating in such a major and important competition [as it] would hurt my international score and my horse and the chances of reaching the Olympics.

“As far as I am concerned, this is not a matter of personal judgment. As a proud Israeli and Jewish athlete, I do not intend to offend the feelings of the Israeli public and the Jewish world in general and to compete on the holiest day for us,” he stated.

A few days after his withdrawal announcement was reported in the Hebrew-language media, Kremer wrote on the Follow Team Israel Facebook page that “hundreds of Israelis” had already sent him and his family messages of support, including the Chief Rabbi of Israel, David Lau.

Roseanne Barr says she’s moving to Israel to study Judaism.

Roseanne Barr is Moving to Israel

Comedian Roseanne Barr has announced she is moving to Israel, where she will study Judaism.

Speaking Sunday on a new podcast with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Barr said “I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favorite

teachers over there, and that’s where I’m going to go and probably move somewhere. ... I have saved a few pennies and I’m so lucky I can go … and study with any rabbi that I can ask to teach me, and it’s my great joy and privilege to be a Jewish woman,” she said.

Barr has previously said that she would like to make aliyah and move to Israel, and possibly even run for the premiership.

“I want to move to Israel and run for prime minister. I do have that fantasy. If G-d calls me, I’ll go,” the Jewish actress and Emmy Award-winning writer-producer said at The Jerusalem Post conference in April.

“I want to make aliyah, I do, and before all the stuff is sold – all the real estate,” she said. “I still have this fantasy of being an old Jewish lady living in the Jewish homeland. … I want to buy a farm there and maybe bring my family.”

Terror Victims Remembered at U.N.

Israel opened a special memorial exhibit at the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of the U.N.’s first-ever International Day of Remembrance and Recognition for Victims of Terror Attacks, which was instated following a resolution passed by the U.N. General Assembly in 2017.

The International Day of Remembrance included speeches, exhibitions and ceremonies at the U.N. building in New York.

With this initiative, Israel’s Mission to the U.N., headed by Ambassador Danny Danon, presented on Aug. 27 an exhibition in memory of the victims of Palestinian terrorist acts in Israel. The exhibition presents 25 victims of recent terrorist attacks in Israel, including their photos and a short eulogy for each.

Since its founding in 1948, Israel has lost more than 3,000 men, women and children to terrorism.

Israel Ranked Second for Pledge to R&D Investing

According to the latest research by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Israel ranked second in its commitment to invest in research and development. The achievement promotes global progress towards achieving a key target in Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

According to the UNESCO report, Israel has 8,250 researchers per million inhabitants and spends more than $12 billion in R&D purchasing power parity dollars, placing it after South Korea and way ahead of the U.S., which is ranked 10th.

Global spending on R&D has reached a record high of almost $1.7 trillion. About 10 countries account for 80 percent of spending.

Last year, the U.N. outlined its sustainable development agenda and goals, including 17 goals for the international community to be implemented by 2030 “to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.” ■

Please Join Us for a Community Event Thursday, September 20th at 7PM With the help of Hashem, we will be purchasing and rededicating a Sefer Torah in time to celebrate Simchas Torah 5779!

We welcome all who would like to share in this, the last of the 613 mitzvot, by purchasing one of the Five Books, a weekly Torah portion, a special aliyah, a verse, a word or individual letters.

Please visit our Torah Dedication website www.thekehilla.org/sefer-torah.html for more information about how to participate in this meaningful mitzvah.

The Kehilla invites the entire Atlanta Jewish community to join us for the Hachnassas Torah (Torah Procession) at 7 pm on Thursday, September 20th as we escort the Torah from the home of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Ingber to its new home at The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Please email info@thekehilla.org for directions.

We look forward to seeing the entire Atlanta community at this wonderful event.

Mazel Tov to The Kehilla congregation and to all of Atlanta on this joyous occasion.

ISRAEL Why are Palestinian Refugees Different from all Other Refugees?

By David Harris Why indeed?

News reports suggest the U.S. administration is considering a historic decision to redefine who is and is not a Palestinian “refugee.” I hope the reports are true. A change is long overdue and could actually help the search for peace long-term.

Tragically, there have been countless refugees in the annals of history.

In the 20th century alone, tens of millions of refugees, if not more, were compelled to find new homes — victims of world wars, border adjustments, population transfers, political demagoguery and social pathologies.

The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne codified the population exchange of Greeks and Turks, totaling more than 1.5 million people.

Huge numbers of Hindus and Muslims moved due to the partition of the sub-continent into two independent nations — India and Pakistan.

Refugees by the millions, unable to return to their countries, were created as a result of the 12-year Third Reich.

The exodus from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam after the victory of communist and rebel forces was massive.

Refugee flows from Africa’s civil and tribal wars have been constant.

Yemenis were kicked out of Saudi Arabia by the hundreds of thousands during the first Gulf War because of Yemen’s support for Iraq.

Countless Bosnian and Kosovar Muslims fled, or were expelled, due to Serbian aggression.

And this is just the tip of the refugee iceberg.

In fact, I don’t have to look far to understand the unending refugee crises of our times — or the trauma they have created. My mother, father and wife were all refugees. Yet, instead of wallowing in victimization or becoming consumed by hatred and revenge, they started anew, grateful to their adopted lands for making it possible.

This past May, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees counted 19.9 million refugees in its jurisdiction, with the largest populations being from Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over five decades, UNHCR estimates that it has assisted 50 million refugees “to help restart their lives.”

And yet, of all the world’s refugees, one group — the Palestinians — are treated entirely differently.

Indeed, the 1951 Refugee Convention explicitly does not apply to Palestinians, who fall within the purview of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

There is no equivalent U.N. body for anyone else in the world.

The definition of a refugee under the UNRWA mandate is also unique. It covers all descendants, without limit, of those deemed refugees in 1948. This helps explain why its caseload has increased from 750,000 to more than 5 million (and still growing).

Unlike UNHCR, UNRWA does not seek to resettle Palestinian refugees, but rather provides social services while, in effect, keeping them in perpetual limbo.

And despite the crocodile tears shed by Arab countries about the plight of their Palestinian brethren, they have been among the most miserly donors to UNRWA. They assert that it is not their

L’Shana Tovah

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Abed Rahim Khatib / Anadolu Agency

A Palestinian girl sits on the back of a horsedrawn carriage during a food aid distribution by UNRWA in Rafah, Gaza.

responsibility to care for refugees created by the decisions of others. The top five donors to UNRWA until now have been the U.S. and European governments.

By the way, I should hasten to clarify that only those Palestinians seen as victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict are given this special treatment.

During the first Gulf War in 1991, when Kuwait sent packing 400,000 Palestinians for their alleged backing of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, there wasn’t much reaction from the international community. And more recently, while thousands of Palestinians have been dislocated by the Syrian civil war, again there’s silence. Arab violations of Arabs’ human rights are seemingly viewed differently, if they’re noticed at all.

And in Lebanon, with its large Palestinian population under UNRWA auspices, the government has long imposed strict restrictions on Palestinians’ right to work in numerous fields. Where is the outcry?

So, we are confronted by something unprecedented.

Palestinians are not the world’s first refugee population, but their leadership may be the first to resist a workable, longterm solution.

Think about it. In 1947, the U.N. offered a two-state plan to address competing national claims. The Jews accepted it; the Arabs rejected it. Or in U.N.-speak, the “proposed Arab state failed to materialize.” Had it been otherwise, two states could have emerged, and with any luck, learned to coexist. Apropos, to this day, that two-state concept remains the most feasible outcome.

Instead, the Arab side went to war.

Has there been any war without refugees? Yet, in a case of reverse causality, Israel is blamed for the refugees resulting from hostilities triggered by five Arab countries.

Meanwhile, the Arab-Israeli conflict produced even more Jewish refugees from the Arab world (and Iran). They, however, resettled elsewhere with little fanfare and no attention whatsoever from the U.N.

Then, by design, the Palestinian refugees, and their descendants, ad infinitum, were kept in UNRWA camps to serve as permanent reminders of the impermanence of their situation. Taught to focus their hatred on Israel, and to believe they will one day “return,” they’ve been denied chances for new lives. And they’ve been used to create the single biggest stumbling block to achieving peace — the Palestinian fantasy of ending Jewish sovereignty in Israel.

Even now, 13 years after Israel totally withdrew from Gaza, astonishingly, over 500,000 Palestinians continue to live in UNRWA camps there. Why? Gaza is under Palestinian rule, not Israeli.

While the Palestinians are among the world’s largest per capita aid recipients, much of that assistance has been siphoned off to line the pockets of Palestinian officials, who then turn around and seek more funds for their allegedly neglected people.

It’s the same absurd logic that Hamas deploys when it decries energy shortages while trying to shell the Israeli power plants that provide electricity to Gaza.

The whole process is abetted by an elaborate, well-funded U.N. apparatus, encompassing more than just UNRWA, created by a majority of member states to support the Palestinians. By contrast, among others, Kurds, who have a compelling case for statehood, and Cypriots, who have lived on a divided island due to Turkish occupation, have no comparable U.N. bodies to advance their causes.

This is not to say that Palestinians have had easy lives. They haven’t. It is to say that their leaders, with the complicity of too many, have pulled off one of the most successful spin jobs in history.

Rather than resettle the refugees, they have shamelessly exploited them and their descendants.

Therein lies the irreducible tragedy — and the heart — of a decades-long conflict. ■ David Harris is the CEO of the American Jewish Committee.

ISRAEL

IDI Measures Peace in Israel

By Kaylene Ladinsky Israel Democracy Institute released a study this week that measures the status of peace within Israel. The majority of Jewish-Israelis think that it was a good year for Israel. As for the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, half of the Israeli public thinks that Palestinians deserve an independent state but believe that the two-state solution would be impossible to implement. Upon receiving this study, the Atlanta Jewish Times reached out to IDI President Yohanan Plesner.

“If we take a step back, from an economic and security standpoint, Israel remains very stable and is growing stronger. Still, there are not realistic hopes for peace with our neighbors,” Plesner said.

“I hope the process changes,” he said.

“It’s a hope for too many of us that we are beginning to give up on.”

September 2018 - Peace Index of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, finds that: As the Jewish Year comes to an end, 64% of Jewish-Israelis think that it was a good year for Israel, and 85% look forward to spending holiday meals with family. As for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The majority of the Israeli public thinks that Palestinians deserve an independent state, yet 56% believe that if a peace agreement were to be signed on the basis of the two-state solution, it would be impossible to implement.

Main Findings

An independent Palestinian state: Half of the Jewish Israeli public thinks that Palestinians deserve an independent state, while (43%) think they do not. Analysis of the Jewish sample by age shows that support for a Palestinian state increases with age: Among those aged 18-34, only a minority (35%) supports the Palestinians’ right to a state, 54% of those aged 35-54 support it, and in the oldest age group, a 61% majority supports it.

Arab-Israelis believe unanimously (94%) that Palestinians are entitled, in principle, to an independent state of their own.

Two-state solution: 47% of Jewish-Israelis support signing an agreement based on this formula while 46% answered that they do not.

Among Arab-Israelis, 73% support such an agreement. Nevertheless, the majority of Jewish and Arab Israelis (56%) think that such a peace agreement would be impossible to implement.

Negotiations Index: 47.1 (Jewish sample: 46.7) Diagram of the month: The main issue the government should focus on in the New Year (%, Jews and Arabs) The Nation-State of the Jewish people: 83% of Jewish-Israelis thinks that “the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people before peace talks with them can be revived.” 72% of Arab-Israelis oppose this demand.

representative national sample of the adult population of Israel aged 18 and over. The maximum measurement error for the entire sample is ±4.1% at a confidence level of 95%, www.peaceindex.org/defaultEng.aspx.

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) is an independent center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.

What do Palestinians really want?

66% of Jewish-Israelis agree that “most of the Palestinians have not come to terms with Israel’s existence and would destroy it if they could.” This rate has remained pretty constant, with slight fluctuations, since the first Peace Index survey was conducted in June 1994.

Among the Arab-Israelis, 57.5% also agree with this claim.

The Hamas: The majority of the Israeli public favor negotiations with Hamas, however 78% of Jewish-Israelis think that Israel should not forgo the return of the soldiers’ bodies (held by the Hamas) even in return for a cease-fire in the south.

As the Jewish New Year approaches: In the coming year, the public wants the government to focus on closing socioeconomic gaps (22%), improving the economic situation (18%) and reducing corruption (16%). Arab-Israelis have a different view of what the government’s focus for the New Year should be: In first place comes the goal of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians (22%) and just beneath it is improving the economic situation (19%). ■ The survey conducted on August 28-29 included 600 respondents, who constitute a ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 15

SHANA TOVA Cinema for the Soul: New Year, New Programs at AJFF

By Kenny Blank On behalf of our professional team, board of directors and other volunteer leadership, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival extends very best wishes for the New Year.

We are, of course, most excited to share with you our tentpole event, the 19th edition of the annual film festival, as we look forward to what promises to be another year of enrichment and enlightenment through cinematic storytelling.

The 2019 AJFF shifts to a slightly new time frame, February 6-26, providing more time to select your movies and plan your viewing schedule (while also avoiding any overlap with the Super Bowl hoopla coming to town February 3).

What some of you may not know is that AJFF is now engaged in film screenings and other community activities throughout the calendar year. Each program uniquely caters to the mission of this organization to celebrate the cinematic arts and Jewish culture, and harness the power of film to foster dialogue and understanding amongst diverse audiences.

The new AJFF Connects program, for example, brings together Jewish and non-Jewish audiences of all faiths and backgrounds to explore universal and timely topics onscreen.

Our Icon Award and Cinebash events serve to celebrate exemplary, sometimes unsung luminaries of the movie industry.

College students experience the educational impact of moviemaking through AJFF On Campus, a mini-version of our annual festival, which returns to Emory University in October.

And our AJFF Selects series features more of what you love about the annual festival: outstanding new works of international and independent film.

In this season of reflection and renewal, we recognize that it is our audiences, donors, volunteers and community partners whose enthusiastic and generous support make our New Year – and our whole year – truly sweet.

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year, and at the movies!

L’shana tova! ■ Kenny Blank is executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Still scene of Yom Kippur worship in movie "The Ancient Law." A screening of this silent film was hosted by the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival at the Woodruff Arts Center. The 1923 film is about Jewish life in 19th century Vienna.

16 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

SHANA TOVA

Tradition and Change

By Fred Levick Rosh Hashanah and the Yamim Noraim are a period of transition; a time to move from the past and what has already been written, to a new present and future. This year that process is especially poignant for Ramah Darom and me. Both I, and the organization I have spent my last 18 years with, are on the threshold of significant change.

In the fall I will be retiring to start another phase in my life, and Ramah Darom will be welcoming a new CEO. I am delighted that Wally Levitt will be joining our organization. In the short time I have gotten to know him I have been impressed with his passion and his love of Jewish community, and I know Ramah Darom will be in good hands.

Change often brings uncertainty, but at Ramah Darom adaptability and change are hard-wired into our DNA and our value system. Our organization is deeply rooted in a movement whose defining bywords have been tradition and change, a reverence for tradition and a desire to adapt and change to keep the beauty of our Jewish traditions refreshed and relevant to the world we live in. Our mission, to provide exceptional experiences in Jewish living and learning for youth, adults, families, and communities, is guided by a focus on providing a welcoming and embracing space for Jews of all ages and abilities, and to inspire them to engage more deeply in Jewish life.

Ramah Darom has accomplished a lot in the past year. We have educated new generations of young people in our Camp Ramah Darom community, and our Camp Yofi program for families with children with autism spectrum disorder has continued to inspire.

Our year-round retreats have all grown and we have enhanced our partnership with Limmud Atlanta + Southeast, as well as created a new partnership with Pardes to offer immersive Jewish learning. In the year ahead, there are new and ambitious goals to achieve, including the creation of Athletic Edge at Camp Ramah Darom, the nation’s first and only rowing and lacrosse specialty sports program within a traditional Jewish residential camp.

I will leave Ramah Darom, blessed to have worked side-by-side with a passionate and talented team of professionals and lay leaders to help build a successful organization. It is hard to leave this work knowing there is so much more yet to be done.

However, as we learn from Rabbi Tarfon, in Pirke Avot, “It is not your responsibility to finish the work.” I have no doubt, that our professional team, which creates the magic of Ramah Darom, the lay leaders that support it, and the generations of young people and old who have, and will, become part of our devoted community, will continue to make Ramah Darom a compelling force in lives of Jews and in the vibrancy of Jewish community. ■

L’SHANA TOVA

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Fred Levick is CEO of Ramah Darom.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 17

SHANA TOVA

Learning from our Children

By Rabbi Micah Lapidus, Ed.D,

"L'Shana Tova!"

Wishing You & Your Families a Sweet Healthy New Year!

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As we gather to celebrate the arrival of the Jewish New Year, I want to suggest that we all undertake a small experiment during this High Holiday season. That small experiment? Observing and learning from the young children in our communities. My hypothesis is that if we all take a few moments to observe and learn from our children, our High Holy Day experiences will have richer meaning.

That’s because they have so much to offer us without even knowing it. And because their tremendous wisdom is often overlooked.

When it comes to learning from children, I consider myself something of an expert. That’s because my work, guiding the Judaic and Hebrew studies programs at The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy, requires me to be. My daily interactions with students from ages 4 to 14 serve as a constant reminder that our youth are a precious and wise treasure.

If you choose to participate in this experiment, be prepared to observe some or all of the following: Our youth ask and grapple with big questions. They strive to lead authentic and purposeful lives. They

behave, quite naturally, with tremendous menschlichkeit. They are caring, kind, empathetic and community-minded. Ask them what they value? Ask them how they think people should behave and treat one another? Ask them how they think the world could be a better place and how we can get there? Ask them to tell you stories about what is important to them? Ask them what prayer means and what they think of God? You and I will be delighted by their willingness to engage with us and their wise and thoughtful responses.

Among the great gifts that our youth so naturally embody is their ability to make the most of each day. Each day is a chance to live to the fullest. Each day is a chance to learn from past mistakes and missteps.

Each day is a chance to live the values that guide and define us. While Rosh Hashanah ushers in a special season in our Jewish calendar, our youth are a reminder that every new day and each new moment is precious, unique and full of potential.

If you undertake this experiment at my suggestion, please reach out and let me know how it goes! L’shana tova! ■ Rabbi Micah Lapidus is director of Jewish and Hebrew studies at The Davis Academy.

SHANA TOVA

A Loan… But Not Alone: JELF Reflections for the New Year

By Stan Lowenstein When I think about the High Holidays, the first thing that pops into my head is family. Growing up, my family always made this time of year special, and my wife, Jen, and I are now creating those same special traditions with our three children. The High Holidays are a time for reflection and self-evaluation, while developing our thoughts for the future. As I look back, I can’t help but assess what we’ve gone through, and am so thankful for all that we’ve accomplished.

During this time of reflection, I also find myself thinking about Jewish Educational Loan Fund and the young men and women we assist.

When I think about community and tzedakah, it reminds me of why I became involved with JELF in the first place. Providing Jewish students in need with interest-free gap loans for their higher education is great. Achieving a 99 percent repayment rate that allows us to recycle those funds to other Jewish students is priceless. Our mission is clear, and what we do ranks right up there as one of the truest forms of tzedakah.

JELF just completed our July Loan Review process to make loan funding decisions for the 2018-19 academic year. These stories of need deeply touched the 120 volunteers who reviewed our students’ applications and made these funding decisions. JELF will once again lend out more than $1 million and assist as many as 275 students to finance their higher education by the time we complete our second loan period this November. As wonderful as this feels, I can’t help but think about how many students we could be helping if more people knew about us. JELF serves a five-state region (Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., Va.) and I believe that there are many more students struggling with ever-rising college expenses who need help making ends meet.

I recently spoke to a parent of one of our recipients. When I thanked him for sharing his story with us, he said “No, it is I who should be thanking you.” He told us that sending his children to college was a challenge, and he felt lucky to be part of a Jewish community that includes an organization like JELF. Our loan recipients have put together robust financial aid packages to cover most of their costs for college. This parent shared that JELF’s last dollar, interest-free loan assistance was the piece that meant the most.

I am thankful for the tremendous growth that JELF continues to experience, and I want to personally thank the 700-plus people that attended JELF’s recent fundraising event. During this time of reflection, I envision a time where JELF will adequately penetrate our Jewish communities and meet the needs that exists. None of this would be possible without our active

board of directors, our incredible staff, the 1,000-plus donors that support us, and all of those who are just now learning and supporting our mission.

Please take a minute to visit JELF. org to learn more about JELF’s long Atlanta history, and to see all that we have accomplished in our 140-plus years serving the Jewish community.

Help us spread the word, and please know how much we appreciate the opportunity to earn your support as well.

L’Shanah Tova! ■ Stan Lowenstein is JELF’s board president.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 19

SHANA TOVA

To Be Held Accountable

By Eugen Schoenfeld As the month of Elul arrived, the mood of Jews in my hometown Munkacs, my erstwhile shtetl in the Carpathian Mountains, drastically changed.

Slowly the Jewish population became enveloped in fear.

We began adding additional prayers seeking forgiveness for our sins, and the sound of the “shofar” was added to the end of morning prayers as though declaring: “Awaken Jews, the days of awe – the days of judgment are approaching. Be ready to be held accountable for your deeds. Your fate for the next year will soon be written into that big and awesome book.”

Beginning with my early childhood I was indoctrinated to the idea of accountability. This was especially true when I turned 13. And while we were celebrating this rite de passage – my bar mitzvah - I was thrust into adulthood and my father declared before the whole congregation

that he is no longer responsible for my sins. This he did with the following statement: “Blessed is He who freed me from the punishment of this one.”

To describe the awesomeness of the 10 days of repentance, I was told about God, who, to me, was that old man with a flowing beard. He had called his heavenly court to order and the dreaded book was brought forth in which we, in our own handwriting, have noted all our deeds of the past year, and, on the basis of our own declarations, we will be judged, punished or rewarded. Behold: This is Rosh Hashanah; this is the Day of Judgment, declared the heavenly choir, for even they were judged and found wanting.

The scene in heaven is set. God, as supreme judge, sits on his throne, the deeds in the book read to Him, and both facsimiles of my good deeds are placed on one side of the scale and my bad deeds on the other, and judgment is about to be

L'Shanah Tovah Happy New Year!

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20 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

made. Of course, as it is on earth, so it is in heaven. There are two angels next to me: the Saneygor, my defender, and the Kateygor, my accuser. Of course, this Ezekiel description was both fascinating to me as a young boy, while simultaneously, I was awestruck by it. But, as I entered into my teens, I began to have a critical outlook on what we believed and practiced. The central question that I faced on these holidays: What are we accountable for and to whom are we accountable?

For a long part of our history, Jews considered judgment and accountability associated with Rosh Hashanah applicable to Jews alone. Yet, in small letters, the idea of accountability as a universal moral order is introduced in a prayer recited after the shofar-blowing ceremony.

There we state: “On this day He causes all the creatures of the universe to stand in judgment.” This statement told me that the universal God has given us universal principles of right and wrong and we are accountable to ourselves whether we follow these dicta or not.

Following the notion of human universality, I propose that on Rosh Hashanah, this day should become an advocate for the need of a universal day of accountability. After all, isn’t God a universal entity, a God of all people, and the moral laws we advocate in his name, aren't they the same moral laws that should apply to all people? Isn’t this the conclusion we draw from our Egyptian experience?

I have often wondered if other religions would, like Jews do, stress the idea of accountability would there not have been a Holocaust?

The idea of accountability that I was taught in childhood, in an altered form, has remained with me as the central idea of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

There are two foci regarding the ideals of accountability: what are we accountable for and to whom are we accountable?

The traditional perspective proposes that we are accountable for adherence to the 613 commandments and we are accountable to the supreme judge – God. But a more careful reading of texts led me to conclude that God, starting with Adam, turned over the human world to us.

When God separated heaven from earth, he also gave us, through Adam, accountability for our relationship to man and to the world we live.

While the Torah details a number of moral dicta, all fall into two moral imperatives: The first is tzar bal chai. That is not to cause pain – physical and emotional – to any living things. This includes the rights to access, to life, to all the means necessary to maintain life through justice. The second universal principle is that God created, by whatever means, a

universe that is founded on equilibrium and harmony, and assigned us the task to maintain universal harmony. One of the many poets whose work makes up part of the Hallel (prayers of praise) declares: The heaven is God’s domain, and the earth He gave to mankind, and charged mankind with the task to maintain his intent of a place in harmony.

The idea of the existence of harmony in nature is to Einstein the sine qua non, evidence of God’s existence, and hence, it should also be central to the human world – a world of our creation. Einstein stated: “I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists.” Einstein furthermore believed and declared that to understand God, we must understand the equilibrium and harmony that is essential to understand the universe, for they are the foundation of the laws that govern nature and the universe.

The whole world refused to assume the responsibility that God placed on us – namely, the task to improve the world and to seek the creation of a humane world founded on the unity of mankind, on the principles of justice. The rabbis of the first century placed great importance on the Hebrew concept torchoh (effort).

That is, if we wish to have a better and peaceful world, it doesn’t come through prayer, but through our own efforts.

On these two days, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the whole world – Jews and non-Jews – should be aware that we, total humanity, like it or not, are held accountable, whether or not we have fulfilled our assigned mission in life. Namely, have we improved the world (the principle of Tikkun) or have we, contrarily, worsened conditions? This idea is symbolically represented by the concept of “the book.” It is a book of accounting and the two-armed scale, a symbol of the function of equilibrium.

Perhaps the greatest of all human tragedies is the rejection of the symbol that signifies the unity of the universe and that is contained in the word echod.

We, the Jews, who were the first to proclaim this unity, have lately rejected this idea, and instead, introduced forces of separation and rejection – especially among ourselves. We have rejected the essence that is proclaimed in the declaration of “Shema,” namely, the unity under the symbol of God, the force that is the essence of harmony and justice. And, for this, we must be accountable. Instead, standing and declaring the oneness of God and the unity of mankind, we support contention. As we did way in the past, we must come back to these principles and work for unity of the universe. ■

SHANA TOVA

Passion, Confidence and Inspiration

By Sheila Dalmat Passion, confidence and inspiration answer the clarion call for the Jewish New Year. Passion for our values.

Passion for our visions.

Confidence in who we are as a Jewish people.

Confidence in who we are as human beings. Inspiration to learn from our history and immediate past. Inspiration to reach for personal growth and personal development in the coming year.

The shofar calls us to action. With so many actions for improving the world, where does one start? Follow our passions, have confidence in our abilities, and inspire new and innovative ways to make a difference. Let me share two wonderful people and two programs whose stories serve as New Year’s inspirations.

Megan-Claire Chase is a breast can-

cer survivor and self-proclaimed warrior. She shares her story of thriving after cancer, reaches out to others through her award-winning blog, empowers others and herself to be their very best.

In 2017, she was one of our survivor models who agreed to be painted as part of Hadassah Greater Atlanta’s Paint Day and preamble to Best Strokes Celebration of Life. Returning this year, she accepted the volunteer position of story master, embracing the sacred space created at Paint Day and giving voice to our new breast and ovarian survivor models so they, too, can share their stories, and be transformed and empowered to heal and thrive.

A passionate mother-turned-advocate, whose child was bullied, drove change in public school policy. She did not stop there. As a Hadassah member, she brought her mission for ensuring

“no other mother experiences the same things she went through” to us. She served as a catalyst for championing a bullying awareness program. Working with two Hadassah groups, health professionals and Metulla, co-chairs and a steering committee have shaped an outstanding program featuring a dozen community resources and five subject experts who will help guests navigate the challenges of bullying prevention and intervention options. Did you know that in the U.S. bullying affects 22 percent of school age students, and 28 percent of students will be cyberbullied during their lifetime? When you attend the program, “The New Age of Bullying: What You Need to Know” on Oct. 28, you will leave hopeful and empowered with tools and knowledge to help end this epidemic.

Hadassah Greater Atlanta encourages collaboration and innovation to achieve new and exciting strategies for growth. EVOLVE is a special interest group of young women (or young-atheart women) who share “leadership,

empowerment and vision” and embrace the Hadassah mission of health/wellness, advocacy and Zionism – all while having fun and DOing good deeds. Interested in meeting like-minded women?

Ready for a new inspiration? Reach out and join EVOLVE. Centennial Leadership Institute (CLI) and leadership development program has a proven curriculum, a cohort of like-minded women and a one-on-one mentor program that together offer the best practices and successes for you to achieve your very best in all you do. The lessons and hands-on experiences will empower you in leadership and confidence in all your endeavors. Interested?

Ready for a new you? Reach out and apply to CLI. L’shana tova. Wishing for you that 5779 is your very best year, inspired and empowered to be your best you for your family, community and the world. ■ Sheila Dalmat is president of Hadassah Greater Atlanta.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 21

Publisher’s Note

The worst arguments seem to me initiative. I had the opportunity, for the to be family arguments. The more you first time, to hear from Avraham Infeld. know someone, the fiercer the argument He is president emeritus of Hillel Intercan become. Parent to parent, parent to national and is also currently working child, brother to sister. Maybe it’s be- with the Reut Institute in Israel. Infeld is cause you know how to hurt the other quite well known for his topic of Jewish memory versus Jewish histoperson, you know them too ry, which is quite poignant. well. Maybe it’s because you On the day he spoke to us, have a stake in the decision his topic was a little differthey are making. Maybe it’s ent. Infeld discussed how a because there are egos infew changes to Jewish life volved. that have occurred over the The Jewish community, past 200 years have created in the diaspora and in Israel, the fundamental differences is one big family. Nobody that are the core of our argucan argue as well as we can. ments today.

We do not need any outside Michael A. First is the concept, and influence to create deep rifts Morris then the recreation, of our amongst ourselves. As our Publisher homeland, Israel. While I benation is becoming more polarized, so are the Jewish people across lieve that the majority of Jews around the a fair number of topics. It is not a good world look at Israel as a blessing, there is trend, and becoming more polarized and no doubt, Israel’s creation has sparked antagonistic will not help America nor more arguments, amongst ourselves, than it has solved. Self-governance crethe Jewish community.

I was in Israel earlier this year with ates opportunity, but opportunity breeds our Federation as part of the Front Porch decisions and this decision-making has

EDITORIAL led to serious rifts in our family. There are whole discourses about the negative impact too much choice has in our lives.

The second change has been the creation of various denominations of Judaism. While Christianity has been spinning off variations since inception, Judaism has remained virtually unchanged until the past 125 years. The old joke: For every Jew, there must be two synagoguesone that he attends and one he wouldn’t step foot in – becomes more truthful each decade. Again, more choice has led to more disagreement. Not only are we arguing about religion amongst ourselves, but we are arguing about religion between Israel and the Diaspora.

Finally, the third change is our ability to assimilate. For centuries, assimilation was not a question, issue or even thought. Today, being Jewish is, unfortunately, only an option. Think about that statement. Many Jews will commend me for writing it that way. Many others, they will ask, why would I say that it is unfortunate? While I have no facts or statistics to back up this next statement, I would guesstimate close to half the Jewish pop-

ulation of the world does not recognize themselves as being Jewish or are not engaged in anything Jewish in their lives.

Quite a change from, say, 200 years ago.

I have to admit, I think Avraham Infeld had a fourth core change in the fabric of Jewish life. Maybe I can convince Rabbi Binyomin Friedman to write about this topic more in-depth one day. I know he, too, teaches about the effects of these changes to the evolution of Jewish life today.

Notwithstanding, I think it is easy to see that the majority of our Jewish family arguments can be traced to one of these fundamental changes in Jewish life; and our arguments are becoming more vicious and bitter. One common theme is choice. With choice brings dissention and debate. Choice does not always suggest that one path is right and one is wrong.

But, often we attempt to use right versus wrong to make our point. That kind of tactic is divisive and polarizing. And if I cannot help to change the Jewish community with these thoughts, maybe this information will at least help to deflate the arguments within my own family. ■

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 23

YOM KIPPUR Tikkun Olam: Different Strokes for Different Folks

Amy Zeide (center), founder of the nonprofit Creating Connected Communities

Amy Zeide developed her definition of tikkun olam – Hebrew for “repair the world” – as a 12-year-old and has carried it with her for more than two decades.

“Judaism is very personal, and it means something different to everyone,” Zeide said. “I feel that as a Jewish person, I have a responsibility to care for others.

I feel proud when I get to do this work with other Jewish people, and I feel even more connected to my community when I am working for and teaching the values of tikkun olam to our future leaders.”

Zeide imparts those lessons through the nonprofit she founded, Creating Connected Communities. It’s an outgrowth of “Amy’s Holiday Party,” an annual funDave draiser that began in 1995.

Schechter The year before, Zeide used her allowance and babysitting money to replace presents stolen from a homeless shelter.

If Judaism “means something different to everyone,” so, too, does tikkun olam. For some, tikkun olam can be achieved through activism that is not necessarily Jewish in nature. For others, tikkun olam requires adherence to traditional religious practices.

Rabbi Ari Kaiman of Congregation Shearith Israel

When the Pew Research Center’s 2013 survey of American Jews asked what traits were essential to being Jewish, 56 percent said “working for justice/equality,” compared with 19 percent who identified “observing Jewish law.”

“Jews have always cared about different parts of Judaism. That’s not new.

There hasn’t been a period of Jewish history ever where there’s been a unanimity of opinion about what we should most care about,” said Rabbi Ari Kaiman of Congregation Shearith Israel, a Conservative synagogue.

Tikkun olam dates back two millennia, to the oral collection of Jewish law known as the Mishnah, and its usage in the rabbinic texts as a tool to organize Jewish society, “to keep the world functioning in an appropriate way,” said Rabbi Adam Starr of Young Israel of Toco Hills, a Modern Orthodox congregation.

In roughly the same period, the words appeared in the Aleinu (“It is our duty”) prayer, which is recited at the end of worship services.

The phrase “l’tikkun olam b’malchut shaddai” (“to repair the world in Gd’s Kingdom”) is found in a sentence that asks G-d “to remove all idols from the Earth, and to completely cut off all false gods; to repair the world in G-d’s Kingdom.”

That sentence outlines “what it means to make the world a place where G-d would want to live,” Kaiman said.

In this High Holy Day season, when rabbis may use their sermons to extoll the virtues of tikkun olam, the concept as popularly understood is under indictment – again.

Critics argue that non-Orthodox Judaism has cherry-picked the words out of the Aleinu, and taken them out of context, replacing their religious meaning with activism based on liberal politics.

A recently-published book – “To Heal the World? How the Jewish Left Corrupts Judaism and Endangers Israel” – levels the charge anew.

Its author, Jonathan Neumann, outlined his case in a New York Post op-ed.

“A tiresome fixation on 'tikkun olam,' which literally means 'repair of the world,' has allowed Judaism to fall into disrepair. … Tikkun olam is not Judaism at all, but a distinct religion, whose adherents, it might be said, have culturally appropriated this ancient faith. …

The dogma of this religion is appealingly simple: Judaism is Tikkun Olam, which

Rabbi Adam Starr of Young Israel of Toco Hills

is social justice, which is liberalism. The Jews are called upon to do no less — and no more — than cultivate a liberal paradise in America,” Neumann wrote.

Kaiman finds the discord dismaying.

“We can have a real debate about what’s right for Judaism. If the outcome of that debate is more people getting engaged and rooted in the practice of our people, however you want to find it, then the debate was worthwhile,” he said. “If the purpose of the debate, in the end, is to cause people to turn away from each other, then I think the debate is problematic.”

As for the politics of tikkun olam, “You can’t say its politics are liberal or conservative, but Judaism definitely cares about the poor, definitely cares about the widow and the orphan, and definitely cares about welcoming the stranger. When we do direct service, there’s nothing partisan about that,” Kaiman said.

To Starr, the debate reflects “the toxic polemical political environment we’re in. I’m interested in heeding the messages of our Torah, which are first and foremost in support of the Jewish people and Jewish continuity.”

The increased use of the words “tikkun olam” can be charted by Google Books Ngram Viewer, which counts the usage of letter and word combinations, using Google’s database of 500 billion words from nearly 5.2 million digitized books published between 1500 and 2008.

From relatively little usage in the 1940s to 1960s, mentions increased in the 1970s, grew in the 1980s and more so in the 1990s, and continued that climb through the first decade of the 21st century.

“It is a term that, until very recently, was used in a different context. It’s only in modern usage that it has been used toward social justice,” said Starr. “It doesn’t mean social justice is wrong. It’s just not the original.”

Brandeis University Professor Jonathan Krasner has cited three groups responsible for popularizing this ancient

concept: Theologians who found it “a useful concept for re-imagining the covenantal relationship between humans and G-d” after the Holocaust; 1960s educators, who, “when confronted by the counterculture of the youth, gravitated to tikkun olam, with its idealistic connotations;” and lastly, “social activists and havurah members concerned about what they perceived as the conservative and inward-oriented drift of the American Jewish community.”

The modern interpretation of tikkun olam has come to encompass other Jewish values - tzedakah (charity), g’milut hasadim (acts of loving kindness), and tzedek (justice).

This tikkun olam plays an important role at numerous congregations in Atlanta.

For example, at The Temple, a Reform congregation, the Rothschild Social Justice Institute lists 10 issues on which it “seeks to affect positive change:” sex trafficking of minors, the environment and climate change, gun safety, poverty and homelessness, LGBTQ inclusivity and equality, Jewish-Muslim relations, racial justice, women’s rights, public education, and refugee resettlement.

Social justice has been at the heart of Reconstructionist Judaism since its founding some 80 years ago and remains so at Congregation Bet Haverim, founded 32 years ago by gay and lesbian Jews, but which today has a majority “straight” membership.

Rabbi Joshua Lesser, of Congregation Bet Haverim, spoke at a 2015 event at the Georgia captiol, opposing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act legislation.

Rabbi Joshua Lesser, its spiritual leader for nearly 20 years, is active on issues that range from discrimination against the LGBTQ community, to race relations to the welfare of farmworkers in Florida.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 25

YOM KIPPUR Tikkun olam “has become a Jewish expression for secular Jews. For what I will call religious progressive Jews, like myself, it is a main pillar, just as the rabbis of the Talmud said, [on three things the world stands] on Torah, on worship, on deeds of loving-kindness,” Lesser said.

“I’d say we’ve broadened deeds of lovingkindness … In some communities it’s the main pillar … It’s more broadly defined than how the Orthodox community might define it and it’s how progressive Jews use their sense of faith to be political in the world.”

Rabbi Binyomin Friedman of Congregation Ariel

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There are those for whom the original meaning remains the true meaning.

“Orthodox Jews don’t perform Tikkun Olam, they yearn for it,” said Rabbi Binyomin Friedman of Congregation Ariel. “It is certainly not a commandment.

It is a vision.”

“The Jewish people, as a whole, are a nation. We may live in and participate as citizens of other nations, but we also cherish our Jewish nationhood. Our national aspiration is that the entire world will one day be perfected when all come to recognize that G-d is King. This is something that G-d will bring about, but he will use the Jewish people as the instrument to do that. Our duty is to live devout lives, model our belief in G-d to the world and steadfastly believe that the day when G-d will be accepted by all is at hand. When everyone has accepted the sovereignty of G-d, there will be no more war, no more hate, the rivers will be clean, and the wolf will lie with the lamb,” Friedman said.

Rabbi Ari Sollish of Chabad Intown explains tikkun olam by referencing Isaac Luria (the Arizal, “The holy lion,” of blessed memory), the 16th century rabbi

and mystic who is considered the father of modern kabbalah.

“Before this world, before this reality, G-d created another reality. And in that reality the light was too great for the vessels. The vessels shattered and the shards, the broken pieces of those vessels, formed the physical reality of this world. So, it’s from that destruction that this world emerges,” Sollish said. “The other world had a lot of light and the vessels were small. This world has big vessels and a small amount of light.”

Rabbi Ari Sollish of Chabad Intown

“The Arizal says that our job is to find these sparks of Godliness and holiness from this previously existing spiritual reality, where the light was so big that the container couldn’t hold it. …

These sparks are found in earthly things and physical reality, and our job, the job of every human being, of every soul, is to seek out sparks and to elevate them back to the source, to G-d,” Sollish continued.

He sees tikkun olam as embracing both ritual and activism.

“I don’t see it as either/or, … but there certainly is a spiritual component.

The whole thing is spiritual. People want to do good in the world, and they want to make the world a better place; that’s a very Jewish thing,” he said.

“So, when you treat the world in an ethical fashion, I do think that’s part of Tikkun Olam. When you treat your neighbor in an ethical fashion, that’s part of Tikkun Olam. When you wrap tefillin, part of Tikkun Olam. Eat matzah, part of Tikkun Olam,” he said.

“If somebody says we no longer need to do a mitzvah, to study the Torah, because we’re ‘saving the whales,’ I would say these things are good and THOSE

YOM KIPPUR things are good. We need to do these things AND those things. I don’t see it as an either/or thing.”

Judaics Studies Professor David Blumenthal of Emory University similarly rejects the either/or proposition.

Director, Paul Root Wolpe, speaking on behalf of the Emory Ethics Center.

“Tikkun Olam is one of many valueconcepts in rabbinic Judaism and, yes, modern Jewish thinking has exaggerated the importance of tikkun olam in

that whole picture of rabbinic values.

Thus, which is more important: study or prayer, good deeds or study, etc? When one picks only one value and makes it the MOST important value, one distorts the system – no matter which value one picks,” Blumenthal said.

Paul Root Wolpe, director of the Emory Center for Ethics, takes issue with tikkun olam not grounded in religious belief.

“When a decision about Judaism comes from a knowledge of the tradition and a positive choice to dedicate oneself to that aspect of the tradition, it is a choice with integrity and purpose. When it becomes a default position because it fits with your already existing knowledge and proclivities and is easier than actually learning anything, I have much more trouble with it,” said Wolpe, a distinguished research chair in Jewish bioethics. “That being said, for many Jews today, Tikkun Olam can be a gateway into Judaism, a place to begin their exploration. For that reason, I think the emphasis is important in certain circles, as it fits the zeitgeist of American liberal Judaism, and can bring Jews together over impor-

Tikkun olam through volunteer work, one of many possible methods for fulfilling the mitzvah of repairing the world.

tant social action and be the conduit to a deeper dive into Jewish thought.”

Sollish asked a visitor, “Should the fellow who’s saving the whales also put a mezuzah on the door? Of course. Should the fellow who has a mezuzah on every single door, even in the walk-in closets of the bedroom, the rooms that no one lives

in, should that person also care about not harming the environment? Absolutely.

Can we weigh one as being greater than the other?”

Sollish answered his own question: “G-d is found in more than one place …

G-d is, indeed, everywhere. It’s not like G-d is only found in the shul. ■

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 27

YOM KIPPUR

From Hechsher to Home

By Logan C. Ritchie Following the Path of Operation Isaiah Last week, 164 Operation Isaiah barrels were delivered to day schools, Jewish organizations, senior living facilities and synagogues across metro Atlanta in the hopes of surpassing last year’s recordbreaking 169,124-pound donation. The food drive, running until Oct. 3, is in its 28th year.

While Atlanta’s Jewish community fills barrels with cans of green beans and boxes of matzah meal to feed families in North Georgia, AJT explored how one can of tuna progresses in nine steps from receiving a kosher label to being consumed in a kosher home.

Step One: A can of tuna receives a hechsher.

Kosher laws are clearly defined and absolute. Given the complexity of the laws, those who observe kosher laws rely on an accredited rabbinic organization to determine which foods are kosher.

This standard can vary from person to person; that is why more than one kosher label exists.

When a rabbi gives his stamp of approval, he is ensuring that the items produced meet kosher requirements.

Step Two: Packaged and shipped to grocers, the can of tuna is shelved instore.

Next business day, ground shipping or local delivery. No matter how it’s shipped, kosher food is still kosher. The designation does not change in the process if the packaging is still intact.

Step Three: A shopper buys a can of tuna to donate to Operation Isaiah.

Look! Tuna is on sale at Costco. Buy that for Operation Isaiah.

Step Four: Any time during the Days of Awe, a family can donate that can of tuna (and much more) to an Operation Isaiah barrel.

Members of Ahavath Achim Synagogue, the founders of Operation Isaiah, collected more than 100,000 pounds of food in 2017 during the High Holidays.

Nancy Cantor Weiner has been involved with Operation Isaiah since the beginning. Now the Operation Isaiah citywide coordinator, Weiner said her goal is to make the collection an event throughout

From left: Crosby, Shaw and Beckett Gordon donate canned goods to Operation Isaiah at Congregation Shearith Israel.

Pallets at JF&CS are unloaded onto the sidewalk and then it’s “all hands on deck,” said Sheri Schwartz.

Volunteers of all ages sort kosher food at Atlanta Food Bank.

Atlanta by engaging Jewish organizations, schools and all branches of Judaism to participate.

Weiner recalled when her children were small. “Michael was a year old and I have vivid memories of holding him in one arm and bags of donations in the other,” she said. “My husband and I feel it is vital to start showing children the importance of donating when they’re babies. Even a toddler can drop food into a barrel.”

Step Five: Operation Isaiah barrels are bursting with tuna. When the organization calls, Atlanta Food Bank picks up the barrel (and delivers more if needed).

Step Six: Atlanta Food Bank sorts, weighs and labels enormous boxes of food.

Each organization or synagogue is notified with the amount of food they donated, said Weiner. It’s a healthy competition, she said, laughing.

Step Seven: Jewish Family & Career Services leads volunteers in The Great Kosher Food Sort.

Although the Atlanta Food Bank does the majority of sorting from Monday to Saturday, Sunday afternoons are reserved for kosher sorting. Volunteers can sign up with children over the age of 8 throughout FITS (Families Inspired to Serve), an effort by JF&CS. Step Eight: JF&CS stocks the kosher food pantry at its Dunwoody office.

28 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

John Perlman, JF&CS board member, helps to stock the JF&CS overflow area for kosher food.

JF&CS takes less than 15 percent of food collected through Operation Isaiah – it chose this amount – to stock the kosher food pantry. Last year that resulted in 11,000 pounds of food.

Sheri Schwartz of JF&CS said, “After the food bank delivers to JF&CS, they unload the pallets onto the sidewalk. Staff is ‘all hands on deck’ that day. It’s a great bonding experience. People bring dollies and run food back and forth between the sidewalk and the overflow area.”

Step Nine: A client chooses a can of tuna.

JF&CS tries to accommodate special diets, like gluten-free or nut allergies, but always offers protein to clients. Two things the kosher food pantry cannot keep on the shelves: canned salmon and kosher jelly. “We would love $10 grocery cards so our clients can buy fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Schwartz, adding that items from the JF&CS garden are often available.

Since Operation Isaiah began, the Jewish community has donated a cumulative 1 million pounds of food. “The majority of food doesn’t go to the Jewish community,” Weiner said. “Even the smallest communities receive help.

What’s important to me is that, as Jewish people, we take care of our elderly, our sick, our addicted, our own, but we also take care of others. Food reaches beyond the scope of being Jewish.” ■

YOM KIPPUR

Israeli Collective Repentance

By Professor Yedidia Stern During the High Holy Days we are called to conduct an intimate process of introspection and critical consideration of our deeds, with the aim of repairing whatever requires improvement—that is, to engage in repentance (teshuvah). We experience ten days of a pensive individual emotional process in which all of us are asked to take responsibility for our own lives and to ascend to the next rung on the moral ladder. However, alongside personal repentance, we should see repentance as a public challenge as well. The High Holy Days are also an opportunity for a collective Israeli self-reckoning aimed at repairing the situation we live in.

The Israeli public sphere has become an arena of heated conflict that pits rival visions against each other.

Each vision seeks primacy in determining the character of the state and society. For example, consider the summers’ intense disagreements regarding the Jewish national identity of the State of Israel.

Secular Israelis see their national identity as the driving force of the State’s Jewishness. The ultra-Orthodox reject this completely and insist that religion is the only expression of our Jewishness; national identity by itself is an empty vessel. The National-Religious sector, as its name indicates, presents a third possibility that identifies both religion and nationality as components of a Jewish identity. And finally, the Arab sector would remove all manifestations of national identity from the Israeli public sphere, which is supposed to belong to all citizens, whatever their identity.

30 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

In light of this disagreement, the interpretation of what it means for Israel to be a “Jewish state,” as it is described in its Declaration of Independence and Basic Laws, is the subject of an intense dispute regarding both its very legitimacy (by the Arabs) and its content (among the various Jewish sectors).

These four visions are at odds regarding the Israeli ideal and the purpose of our shared existence. What the different groups have in common is an imperialist aspiration to mold the entire public space in their likeness.

Thus our public life is played out as a zero-sum game, in which one side’s success is the other’s defeat. This cultural sword-whetting is unavoidable because we share a public space; painting it in one color or another influences all of us, for better or for worse.

This disagreement on its own is not a problem, it enriches our public life and adds value to the discourse.

As our sages referred to it, it is a disagreement “l’Shem Shamayim” (for the sake of heaven). The problem is that in recent years our disagreements have been conducted in a way that has led us down a path towards mutual hatred. We Israelis tend to denigrate the other side through generalizations that delegitimize their stance.

The left is portrayed as unpatriotic, post-Zionist, and Hellenizing. The right is portrayed as devoid of humanism, infected by xenophobia, and anti-democratic. The ultra-Orthodox are portrayed as parasites, extortionists, and misogynists. The National-Religious are portrayed as lawless, conspiring to impose religion on the public, and hungry for a hostile takeover of the institutions of government. And the Arabs? They are seen as evil plot-

A professor of law at Bar-Ilan University, Yedidia Stern is also vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute.

ters, disloyal, and a conspiratorial fifth column.

In Jewish tradition, the process of repentance has several stages: first, recognizing the sin and understanding the behavioral failure; next, taking responsibility and expressing remorse; and finally, making a resolution for the future and accepting a commitment to change one’s life in a way that will prevent a recurrence of said failing. Israeli society needs to embrace this journey as well.

First we, as a society, need to “recognize the sin,” which will be the basis for a collective Israeli repentance, and requires understanding and internalizing that the majority of each of these four groups does not fit the wicked stereotype attached to it in our discourse of hate. Second, we must recognize our failings as a society and express “remorse” by internalizing that each group that comprises the Israeli mosaic is rich and diverse and seeks only the best for us all.

And last, and most important, we must—“make a resolution for our future”. This step requires authentic leadership from each group to work out a strategy that creates a mindfulness of acceptance. Accepting the other groups for what they bring to the table and how they contribute to Israeli society, and embracing their visions. The great Israeli experiment, whose realization is crucial for the future of our national resilience, is to ensure that each of the Israeli identity groups continues to hold the vision that makes it special and fights for its acceptance, while also accepting the other identity groups—with their visions—as legitimate and as worthy partners in our joint future.

On Yom Kippur night, right before the chanting of the Kol Nidrei, the liturgy grants the congregation permission “to pray with the sinners.” In some ways, my visceral disagreement with the other groups' visions may deem them “ sinners” in my eyes, but we must all pray together. A collective Israeli repentance will enable us all to pray together for our common good, even if the content of our prayers is a matter of fierce disagreement. ■ Yedidia Stern is vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute and a professor of law at Bar-Ilan University.

YOM KIPPUR

Reclaiming Our Lost Possessions In the midst of our fasting and praying on Yom Kip- these. The buried treasure of the past had become the pur, we pause on this holiest of days to remember our discarded trash of the generation that followed.” loved ones and our friends, those special people in our How I wish this story was rare. But I have seen too lives who are no longer with us: parents often that we live in an age that doesn’t unand grandparents, siblings, spouses and derstand the meaning of memory. We live children, who gave our lives so much meanin an age of unsentimental disregard for ing and helped shape who we are, where we the past. The sad truth is that we live in a are going, and anchor us to our past, our throw-away world that gives equal weight history and our roots. to used clothes and furniture, old cars and I want to tell you a true story. This stoold family heirlooms. ry was told in a recent book on Passover by So today, I ask us to treasure and value a gifted Orthodox rabbi and teacher who I the meaning of memories. Or more imporhave had the opportunity to meet and listantly, I ask you to treasure the memories of Rabbi Paul D. ten to: Rabbi Benjamin Blech. our loved ones, whom we remember today Kerbel Here is Rabbi Blech’s story: with honor and respect. Each of our loved day to reflect on our lives and on our behaviors, our “I was browsing for an item of Jewish ones taught us, nurtured us, sustained us. goals and the strategies we might employ to achieve a interest in an antique store in lower Manhattan. What I They gave us possessions; they gave us wisdom. They life of honor and respect, of community and of responfound made me weep. But soon I realized that tears were taught us how to play cards and drive a car; they may sibility. not enough. It was then that I vowed to tell this story, to have taught us how to ride a bike, cook a brisket or sing I only ask you to do one more thing: together let us ensure that nothing like it happens again. a song. reclaim our heritage and our memories. Let us rememYou see, I was a witness to a murder. Not the mur“Remember,” the Bible commands us, “because ber what our loved ones stood for and what they wanted der of a person. No, perhaps something more horrible. memory is the secret of eternal life.” It is why we have us to carry on in our lives in their memory.

The murder of memory. The callous, cruel indifference survived throughout the ages. It is how our parents and As we recite Yizkor on this Yom Kippur, may we to the most important message of our tradition and es- other loved ones live on in us, even as we hope that we challenge ourselves to live stronger and more meaningpecially the holiday of Passover. will live on in the hearts of our children and descen- ful Jewish lives – filled with memories that will continue What I spotted in that store was a seder plate that dants. as long as we live. ■ I immediately recognized. How could I not? It was the May we sharpen our ability to remember what is focus of my eulogy for Sam, a survivor of Auschwitz. truly important; may we reclaim our lost possessions Rabbi Paul D. Kerbel was associate rabbi at CongregaWhat a tale it had been. The Germans rounded up all and hope that we, too, will live lives worthy of being re- tion Etz Chaim in Marietta from 2003 to 2015 and is now the Jews in his little town for deportation. Others may membered. Our fast is almost over. We have used this interim associate rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Closter, N.J. have believed the grand lie that they were merely being transported to another site to be used for labor. Sam was too smart for that. He knew they would be murdered. He believed Hitler and understood that the Nazis wanted to eliminate every Jew as well as every reminder of their heritage. So, he did what he could to save some reminder of his precious Jewish heritage. How he wanted to save Torah scrolls and the silver from the holy ark.

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After the war, Sam went back to his town, returned to his home, dug up his seder plate and lived to celebrate dozens of Passovers with his seder plate until he died.

You know what I am about to tell you: Rabbi Blech was in an antique store; he recognized the seder plate on sale in the shop! “Where was it from?” he asked the Dr. Eva Arkin, Dr. Sujatha Reddy, Dr. Laura Cummings, store owner.

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YOM KIPPUR

Be in Your Discomfort Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, is upon us and I am embracing the mood of the hour, which is, to be reflective.

On the 24th hour of the 25-hour fast, I might not feel it, but on an early reflection of Yom Kippur, I am newly inspired to appreciate this day, as a very welcome gift. A gift I, and our generation, very deeply need.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, which neatly transcribes to “at-one-ment,” the moment in time where we are most connected to G-d and to the essence of ourselves.

Whole.

Yom Kippur is a day given to us to reCourtesy of @bellefotos flect on the year that has past, and we do this through fasting and prayer. most uncomfortable" that can rise strong, “For on this day He will forgive you, to (Brené Brown). purify you, that you be cleansed from all When faced with uncomfortable feelyour sins before G-d.” (Leviticus 16:30) ings, our brain, which is wired for survival, Yom Kippur was given to us many gen- says, "Drink some wine," "eat your feelings," erations ago. It was given to the first gen- or "buy something for yourself to push the eration of Jews that were in feelings away." the desert and sinned with the When faced with our chilGolden Calf, but I believe its dren’s big feelings, our inclinabenefits are uniquely endowed tion is to try to happy them up, to the generation we live in tosimilarly, with bribery, distracday. tion, avoidance or dismissal.

I am not imagining YK When really, I should, as a gift that I am going to ‘stop’ ‘wait’ ‘notice’ and ‘recogrepackage to y’all as a day of nize’ how I am feeling and propleasure and festivity. cessing the situation I find myI am thinking of it as a gift Dena self in, in order to overcome in the exact state you know it Schusterman the negativity and rise above to be – dreaded (for some) for the pain.

11 months of the year.

There is a saying, “you get what you The crux of Yom Kippur is to agitate get, and you don’t get upset.” In our house ourselves so that we rise above the physi- we are learning to say, “You get what you cality of our lives and ultimately elevate it get; you may be upset.” to the level of spirit.

Big feelings are OK, and we have the Uncomfortable. ability to process them, to grow with them.

The Yom Kippur discomfort exists on I am robbing my child or myself of the most many levels, for many individuals, across effective teacher, discomfort, if I smooth all Jewish strata. each situation out and make it alright.

For many, the discomfort is in the spe“What our brain does not take into cific practices of the day itself: fasting, non- consideration is the need for discomfort leather shoes, prayer. and vulnerability in real relationships,” For others, it is the discomfort of step- (Brené Brown). ping inside of the synagogue. Or perhaps G-d’s gift to us in this day is that we are the discomfort lies in the very essence of called upon to be IN our discomfort. We the day, unease with its mandate of self- are gifted an entire day each year to flex examination. For some, the discomfort is this muscle of agony and to feel authenso great that they sidestep the duty and tra- tic vulnerability. Not in order to become dition and remain at home, or in the lobby depressed and miserable, but so that we of the synagogue, figuratively, or literally. can do the real work – through prayer and This being a total tease to the soul. meditation – which then allows us to rise In the fast-paced world that we live, we up and form an even closer connection to have endless options available at our fin- each other and to G-d. At-ONE-ment. gertips to distract ourselves, and to avoid This year, as Yom Kippur approaches, feeling. As a result, modern-day thinkers consider celebrating it with all of its unare animated with the benefits of leaning comfortability, think of it as G-d’s gift to the into our discomfort, and caution against at- world. Happy healing! ■ tempting to speed-up, or avoid the process of processing feelings.

Dena Schusterman is director of Intown “It’s he or she who’s willing to be the Jewish Preschool.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 33

DINING Chef Marcus Goes for Southern Soul

By Marcia Caller Jaffe Local chef Matt Marcus is taking up all the oxygen as the new fawned-over food darling by dining critics after his takeover and reinvention of Watershed on Peachtree. Remembering Marcus as an individualistic (and a tad mischievous) boy hanging with his skateboard in the Ahavath Achim Synagogue parking lot is a charming passage to his current status as a gutsy artisan who knows his charred watermelon from his trout burger.

A self-described “flavor chaser,” Marcus concentrates on soulful Southern cuisine and stated, “We allow farmers to help us dictate our menu. Instead of telling them what we want … Most everything is local at Watershed, including our sparkling water! We take pride in helping our neighbors.”

Beth McKibben (Eater, August 2018) said, “Diners can expect a quirky meets casual spin (at Watershed).” Condé Nast Traveler “22 Best Restaurants in Atlanta” (Allison Entrekin, August 2018) boasts, “The servers are so good at extolling the virtues of each dish that you’ll be tempted to throw up your hands and order it all.”

34 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

will get behind us and realize how hard we work to be on the forefront. It’s not easy.

Jaffe: You are a third-generation Jewish cook.

Marcus: Growing up, I was surrounded by family “feeders.” My wonderful mother will still, to this day, try to feed me at the dinner table. Now I love feeding others, getting a little out of their comfort zone, and watching them have a realization.

Flavor-packed desserts: Black chocolate ganache (back), our favorite lemon Yuzu granita (front left), and peach churro with cotton candy (right).

Chef Matt Marcus concentrates on farm sources and local purveyors for Watershed’s quality.

Marcus, imprinted with tattoo designs of carrots, grapes, kitchen knives and utensils, talks about his recent media attention: Jaffe: You originally got buzz with your $350 French fry platter with Krug Rosé Brut.

Marcus: We put the fries on as a playful way to get people to enjoy an epic

bottle of pink bubbles at a very reasonable price. It also happens to be one of my and (Watershed celebrity customer) Madonna’s favorite pairings!

Jaffe: Your reputation for creativity is unmatched. Is Atlanta ready for nasturtiums, dwarf pear fig empanadas, Feinschmecker dressing, and passion fruit curd?

Marcus: We have local chefs with the ability to cultivate change and progression in food. I hope the community

Jaffe: Describe your talent for haute cuisine?

Marcus: I am a perfectionist and crazy person. I let the product speak to me, then rely on those around me and a good amount of knowledge. It’s about the common goal for my team – pushing ourselves daily to be better than before.

Jaffe: What’s the ultimate dream … opening in South Beach? Manhattan?

Marcus: Hopefully we develop into a learning mecca for cooks giving back to the culinary community and fostering the next generation. We are trying to keep the “old guard” alive. My dream would be to link a Southern product research center to Watershed that helps

DINING

O ur F amily W ishes y Ours a h ealthy & h appy 5779

The chilled cucumber soup was a light, refreshing meal starter.

From left: trout burger platter, arugula peach salad, and (our favorite) red fish on corn maque choux.

recognize and categorize heirloom and indigenous plants and animals to a public database with tasting notes and uses. Hopefully we can serve and protect the things that make up the part of the world that we call home.

Jaffe: Who are your best customers … condo building residents, special occasions, society dames, Midtown hipsters?

Marcus: The wine community in Atlanta has shown us serious support along with chefs and foodies. Our happiest patrons have been those who show up with an open mind.

Jaffe: What are some of your most ravishing cocktails?

Marcus: The “Basic Bee” is a fav … Serrano pepper, chamomile, infused Cathead vodka, lemon juice, honey syrup.

Jaffe: What’s the tab for two?

Marcus: Lunch would be around $4050, dinner around $70-100.

Jaffe: Here you are on this journey, having earned your executive chef stripes, and culminating in your crowned jewel.

You’ve been open five months, what have you learned versus what you expected?

Marcus: Trust, understanding, patience and compassion. I expected to work harder than I ever have, and I haven’t disappointed myself yet.

Jaffe: What is your personal favorite meal?

Marcus: Literally anything that my wife makes is my favorite meal (she is also a classically-trained chef).

Jaffe: Last word: Being your own boss is really cool cause … ?

Marcus: I am able to make impactful decisions that directly translate into action. I watch the staff grow on a daily basis.

Knowing that I had something to do with it makes me feel a serious amount of pride. ■

During a lunch tasting, we experienced this feast of flavors: Chilled cucumber soup: Lemon, okra seed oil, trout roe, espelette, farmer’s cheese Arugula salad: Buttermilk feta dressing, peach, oats, harissa croutons Grilled gem: Smoked salmon, peas, radishes, cornbread, green goddess dressing Broccoli salad: Currants, buttermilk, hazelnut, pepitas, Tillamook cheddar Smoked trout burger: Okra tartar, pickles, shallots, sprouts, fries Red fish: Corn maque choux, beurre monté Desserts: Peach churros: Nasturtium, whipped buttermilk, peach consommé Chocolate ganache: Passion fruit curd, chicory, Italian meringue, rosewater, sea salt Lemon yuzu granita: White chocolate, blueberries, crème fraiche, rolled oats, hazelnut What we went crazy over: Arugula salad: Terrific summer mix, peppery sparks with crunchy seasonal upside-down fresh peach slices. The touch of feta sang out; and the oats balanced it.

Red fish: Totally “killer.” Reminiscent of a meal in the French Quarter. The skin was super-crispy and kept the flavor sealed in.

The firm, white meat was oh, so succulent.

The corn had 14 spices including harissa.

This would do well for even non-fish eaters.

Lemon yuzu granita: The shaved ice danced like pink lemonade with the burst of fresh blueberries. The rolled oats were like thin chunks of candy bar. And who could ever complain about white chocolate?

Best presentation: Peach churros: Brought squeals of delight.

Served like a carnival tornado swirl of pink cotton candy. (Matt called it “space ice cream.”)

What’s next for Matt: “I’m looking into putting a spice display out front with descriptions and textures of what we use inside. Who knows what a pawpaw is? Would be a fun Instagram shot too!”

Watershed was originally founded by Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) in Decatur in 1998. Now located at 1820 Peachtree in The Brookwood of Atlanta condominium. Parking is free and easy.

www.kempforgovernor.com Paid for by friends of Brian Kemp

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 35

L’Shana Tova!

Interior Design

DOWNSIZING OR REFRESHING YOUR EXISTING HOME......LET ME HELP YOU!

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Share your Sukkah with Jewish Atlanta Submit your sukkah to the_______ with a photo and brief description to win!

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We’ll publish a gallery of Jewish Atlanta’s most photogenic sukkahs.

Your submission will be entered in a drawing to win one of 3 raffle prizes and published by the Atlanta Jewish Times in our October 5, 2018 issue or online.

Please provide a favorite photo of your sukkah and send it to creative@atljewishtimes.com. Be sure to include your name and neighborhood.

Due by 1 PM on October 1, 2018 36 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Photos by Duane Stork // From left: Paintings by Paul Chelko, Johanon Herson of Tel Aviv, by Anthony Liggins

(triptych), and Johanon Herson (over the fireplace). The fur rug is a mosaic of animal pelts.

Chai Style Homes Golan Illuminates Atlanta

Our Chai Style Homes columns have showcased wife, Karin, give us a look at their own East Cobb home. a diverse collection of residences with a few contiguJaffe: What background led you to earn the reputaous threads: the passion to carry out one’s personal style and the reappearance of some local Jewish arti- tion as king of Atlanta’s finest lighting?

Yaacov: As a young man (one of eight sans. Spanning the decades, Yaacov Golan children) in Israel, I served as an electrical – a sabra – is recognized as one of the most technician in the Navy. I earned a degree sought-after lighting designers and purveyin sociology and statistics before working ors. He operates the Lighting Loft on the at the Israeli Museum, which exposed me end of Miami Circle. even more to lighting as an art. I moved to “Yaacov is quite simply a magician the United States in 1989. After an exciting in using light to create the mood combinstint in Silicon Valley, California, operating ing customizable decorative architectural a contemporary lighting studio, I moved lighting,” said Steve Buchwald, the comto Atlanta in 1999. Here we set up our first pany’s director of trade sales. “I would also Marcia location of C Lighting on East Paces Ferry call him a visionary in interior design.”

Road in Buckhead. Later we moved into a Showroom Manager Shuly Zion add- Caller Jaffe multi-level a few blocks east. ed, “Yaacov is a frequent lecturer at local design schools and colleges. He also serves as an adviJaffe: What are some of the most unusual installasor to many major lighting manufacturers around the tions you have done? world.”

Yaacov: Interestingly we have designed mikvahs Golan’s flair covers wondrous graphics, clean lines, and cheerful to elegant installations; they all have the (Jewish ritual baths) in which we treat the lighting like a watchful eyes of the master designer. Yaacov and his spa. We’ve done some stunning medical offices and even

Yaacov Golan at work in his lighting showroom.

the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Manhattan, which involved large LED changing sculptural fixtures. One private residence has a 22-foot-long handmade crystal chandelier.

I especially enjoy designing lighting for restaurants like Bones, Blue Ridge Grill, Alon’s Bakery, Amara, Il Giallo [Osteria & Bar], and OK Café.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 37

ARTS

The Golan front entrance features his own elegant Lighting Loft “Rondo Bubble” design and a Liggins oil painting.

Jaffe: How would you describe the style in your own home?

Yaacov: Lighting, by its own definition, is contemporary. We don’t stick to any one style. We want what’s comfortable for us. I do like the work of Paul Chelko, Anthony Liggins, and Parish Kohanim, a brilliant and unique Jewish Persian artist/photographer.

Jaffe: Karin, you are a category manager for railing and fencing manufacturing for a major supplier for Home Depot. What were your goals in designing the household?

Karin: We are very practical and wanted a childcentric home. What’s unusual is that we actually made the house smaller and closed in the living room to have a cozier, more intimate feel. We have some special sentimental touches like mezuzahs made of glass shards and our ketubah by Montreal artist Haim Sherrf. Basically, Yaacov used his design acumen and watchful eyes to achieve just the right aesthetic. He used punctuation marks to layer a sensitive modernism.

Jaffe: How has your business model evolved?

Yaacov: We do about 60 percent residential and

Upstairs study overlooking the entryway features a mid-century modern sofa, lush wood floors and shelving.

38 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

The bold zebra wood dining table is accented by two Anthony Liggins paintings that Golan chose to unite with red lucite (center). The painting on the right is by late Atlanta artist Paul Chelko. The chandelier is Lighting Loft’s Fontana Ice.

Karin’s study with “Pirouette Triptych” by local artist Parish Kohanim.

ARTS

When Golan consolidated his Buckhead Avenue showroom, he transferred the counters to his home, where he cleverly added the orange expansion. The zebra wood kitchen cabinet finish carries over into the dining room.

40 percent commercial. I would state that our business has indeed been affected by online commerce.

Our showroom on Miami Circle has hundreds of units to touch, glow and revel in ambience. That’s how one should make such an important design purchase. In person!

We have a factory nearby at Peachtree Hills and make about 40 percent of what we sell. We work well with many of Atlanta’s most prominent interior designers.

Jaffe: Your family is involved in the business?

Yaacov: My children are all very different, but equally creative. My two older sons are managing very

important Lighting Loft operations. They have developed some very exciting lines like manufacturing their own uniquely lit bathroom mirrors. Jonathan, the artist, has a degree in sculpture from the University of Georgia.

We treasure his black and white ink self-portrait in our home.

My other son, Gabe, is “the businessman.” Interestingly, another son, Gil, is teaching English in Japan. He has a great blog about his adventures.

Jaffe: What does the future hold?

Yaacov: We will continue to execute lighting and elevate spaces as something spiritual affecting peoples’ moods and sense of well-being. Futuristically we will

The backlit powder room mirror is part of Jonathan and Gabe’s new Matrix line- shown here against a stone wall in a child’s bathroom.

continue to pursue new lines and styles to provide beautiful lighting to enhance home and work environments, create positive ambience, and give new perspective to life. Don’t understimate the role lighting plays in interiors.

Jaffe: Last word.

Yaacov: I think one of the best decisions I have made is closing our showroom on Shabbat. The Jewish people brought the concept to the world, and that, to me, is beautiful.

Jaffe: I’ll take it a step further. Look at the role “light” plays in Jewish rituals and inside the synagogue.

Light is a symbol of the divine.

Yaacov: Yes, as Jews, it’s our challenge to light the world and show the way. ■

Photos by Duane Stork

This original oil by local artist Zoe Zelby entitled “Encounter” tops off the master bed.

The couple’s ketubah (right) on cowhide was done by Montreal artist Haim Sherrf.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 39

SPOTLIGHT Blumenthal, the Ultimate Bridge Builder

By Marcia Caller Jaffe For four years in a row, James Magazine selected Renay Blumenthal as a “power chick” based on her experience in establishing policy on important issues such as healthcare and education. Blumenthal might even be one of the most influential behind-the-scenes people who doesn’t make headlines. As president of the Grady Health Foundation, she brings together philanthropists, corporate leaders and civic activists to increase public awareness, raise critical dollars and improve the quality of healthcare services for metro Atlanta and the state.

“Renay is a coalition builder, a skilled diplomat and an expert fundraiser with a stellar track record for getting things done – especially for Grady,” said Drew Evans, past chairman of the Grady Health Foundation’s board.

Blumenthal is a wife and mother and an Atlanta native who has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Grady.

“I am just grateful that I am able to give back and to serve those who are really doing the heavy lifting.”

Learn about Blumenthal’s graciousness, work ethic, and 112-year-old Sephardic grandfather.

Jaffe: What was life like growing up in Atlanta?

Blumenthal: I am a product of Atlanta and DeKalb County public schools.

Then I went on to a degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Georgia State.

Since I was born in the old Georgia Baptist Hospital and worked in state and city politics, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and now Grady, (laughing) I say, “I have lived my entire life in a five-mile radius.”

Jaffe: It’s fair to say you are well-connected. I’ll throw out some names for you to comment upon: Governor Zell Miller: A smart leader.

My favorite phrase of his, which I still use today is: “Is that juice worth the squeeze?”

Governor Roy Barnes: A fabulous leader and caring person. He hired me even though I didn’t really know him at the time he won the election. He liked that I was not a “yes person” and was able to “argue” about the issues with him.

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Atlanta native Renay Blumenthal raises millions for the thriving Grady Hospital Foundation.

Mayor Shirley Franklin: A genuine, honest leader. I had the honor of serving her during the “sewer crisis,” which often involved marathon City Council sessions.

Pete Correll: Mentor, friend and current “boss,” who recruited me to Grady.

He and his family are just amazing, and I couldn’t imagine where our community would be without him.

Jaffe: Why should Grady Hospital be important to us?

Blumenthal: Atlanta literally could not live without Grady. If Grady were to close, the other hospitals in the region collectively would not be able to absorb our volume. Thanks to the incredible support of leaders like Pete, Bernie Marcus, Frank Blake and so many others, today we not only serve all who come through our doors, we also offer highly skilled care in areas such as stroke and trauma that you can’t get elsewhere.

Jaffe: You have a mellow approach to fundraising.

Blumenthal: I approach fundraising as “friendraising” – based on relationships. As a general rule, when you ask someone for something, it should not be the first time you meet them.

Jaffe: Your pledging commitment odds are good?

Blumenthal: About 85 to 90 percent say “yes,” but it’s hard to say “no” to Grady!

Jaffe: On a lighter note, tell us about your late grandfather who lived to just shy of 112.

Blumenthal: I adored my grandfa-

Blumenthal poses with retired WSB television journalist Monica Kaufman Pearson at the Grady Gala.

ther! Nass Almeleh was born on the Isle of Rhodes, Greece, and immigrated to Ellis Island at 19 in 1918.

He was quite the entrepreneur and went to Long Island to set up his burlesque and beach cabana concession businesses. After he had earned enough money, he wrote home to ask to have a suitable Sephardic wife “sent over.” My grandmother packed up a steamer trunk of her belongings and married a man she hardly knew. That worked well until she decided that she hated New York!

She was related to the Shemaria family (of Bennie’s Shoes) and after connecting with her Uncle Bennie, they moved to Atlanta, where he took up the shoe repair and hat cleaning business.

Jaffe: What was his secret to longevity?

Blumenthal: He drank two cups of warm water and lemon every morning.

At lunch he had a Budweiser, and a high ball before dinner. He was resilient, had a sense of humor and didn’t let stress get to him.

He worked until age 98 and died just before his 112th birthday, with his mental capacity still intact. I got my work ethic from him.

Jaffe: Growing up at Congregation Or VeShalom, what was your favorite Sephardic food?

Blumenthal: I can just smell those boyos (feta spinach pastry) and quesado (a casserole also with spinach, cheese and elbow macaroni – had to be elbows!)

Now you’ve made me hungry! ■

COMMUNITY Torch Lighting Ignites 2019 JCC Maccabi Games® Nearly 1,000 people came to Ignite Maccabi, the torch lighting Aug. 26 at the Marcus JCC to kick off the 2019 JCC Maccabi Games® in Atlanta.

The Ignite Maccabi event officially marked the start of a year-long run to the MJCCA’s hosting of the Games for the first time in 18 years. During the 2019 Games, thousands of Jewish athletes, hundreds of coaches and several thousand spectators will visit Atlanta for the week-long competition. Ignite Maccabi raised the curtain on the event with both members and nonmembers of the MJCCA in attendance.

The afternoon included various interactive experiences ranging from inflatable games to food trucks and video games.

The parade of Maccabi alumni was led by the Atlanta Braves drumline, the Heavy Hitters, all the way

to the main stage, where MJCCA CEO Jared Powers lit the JCC Maccabi Games® torch with co-chairs Amy Rubin and Libby Hertz.

Ignite Maccabi featured activities with the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Falcons, Button It Up photo booths, the Georgia Aquarium, inflatable attractions, Atlanta game truck, JCC Maccabi Games® sports experiences and food trucks.

For more information, visit www.ATLMaccabi2019.org. ■ Carrying the torch of the Maccabi Games are Amy Rubin, Jared Powers and Libby Hertz.

Congregation Rodeph Sholom Founded 1875 in Rome, Georgia

We invite you to share in the unique experience of High Holiday services at Rodeph Sholom. Our services provide a mix of inspiration, spirituality, music and traditional High Holiday ritual filled with warmth and a welcoming community. Some of the unique features of our High Holiday services include: no tickets required (donations are encouraged and appreciated), children are welcomed, and services are highly participatory.

Whether you are a member of Rodeph Sholom or of the Northwest Georgia community at large, you will feel truly welcomed. Come share the holidays with us. High Holiday services led by Rabbi Judith Beiner, Atlanta. Rabbi led Shabbat services and torah study available year round.

For more information, email: www.garodephsholom.org/contact.html telephone: 706.291.6315 (leave message)

Services for Rosh Hoshanah • Erev Rosh Hoshanah Sunday, 9/9/18 • Rosh Hoshanah Day 1 Monday, 9/10/18 • Kiddush Luncheon following services (reservations required)

Services for Yom Kippur

MJCCA CEO Jared Powers, Amy Rubin, Stacie Francombe and Libby Hertz holding the torch to kick off the Maccabi Games.

Atlanta Hawks mascot, Harry, gets playful with an event-goer.

• Kol Nidre Tuesday, 9/18/18 • Yom Kippur morning Wednesday, 9/19/18 • Afternoon, Yizkor, Concluding Services Wednesday, 9/19/18 with opportunity to have names read aloud during Yizkor • Community Break fast following Concluding Services (reservations required)

Atlanta Braves drumline, Heavy Hitters, entertain the crowd.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 41

Savannah Friends in Atlanta Reunion

COMMUNITY

Jewish Women’s Fund Shares Longevity Tips

Saturday, October 6th from 7:00 to 11:30 PM {three} sheets, 6017 Sandy Springs Circle, Atlanta, GA 30328 Enjoy friends you haven’t seen in years, music you love and food reminiscent of the places you grew up with including Spanky’s, Johnny Harris and others.

$65 Early Bird Tickets until September 15 / $85 After Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/savannah-friends-inatlanta-reunion-tickets-48172089015 Send a “youthful” photo for your name tag to savreunion2018@gmail.com

Tickets include a Dinner Buffet + 2 alcoholic drinks or 4 non-alcoholic drinks + DJ & Dancing

Your Host Committee:

Robin Glass Feldman, Marcey Dolgoff Alter, Nancy Asher Bracker Roy Cranman, Dale Gordon DeSena, Louis Meddin Debbie Kole Shelton, Sheri Klugman Simon, Barbara Kaplan Suway The Bremen Museum has will be sharing a slide show of photos from the Savannah Jewish Archives. {three} sheets will also have televisions to watch college football.

Renown gerontologist Alexis Abramson empowers 100 women to make lifestyle changes that could add years of longevity.

Drink organic wine, smell fresh or- pert in gerontology and “boomer consumanges and sleep on silk pillowcases. Those erism,” and is a leading voice of the over 50 were some of the tips for longevity re- generation.

Her presentation, “Four Keys to Lonnowned gerontologist Alexis Abramson ofgevity,” began with a graphic fered the 100 women gathered of a turtle saying: “I hear 150 at Congregation B’nai Torah is the new 90,” and Abramson Aug. 29 at an event sponsored asking the audience, “Who by the Jewish Women’s Fund of really wants to live to 100?”

Atlanta.

She elaborated on several topJWFA Executive Director ics, some of them original; Rachel Wasserman explained some we’ve heard before. At the fund’s mission and accomone point, she recognized her plishments. “According to the mother in the audience who Women’s Philanthropy Instiwent skydiving in her 70s. tute, in the last 15 years, only 1.2 Marcia Here are some of her touch percent of publicly announced Caller Jaffe points: philanthropic gifts were directed to women and girls’ causes. This is why • We have a lot of control over our health we are so critical. We are the only organiand longevity. Only 30 percent is gezation in Atlanta solely focused on social netic. change for Jewish women and girls.”

• Seniors in Chianti, Italy, and Ikaria, During its first six years, JWFA has inGreece, live longer because of their vested $715,300 in 39 partner organizations fresh diet, sleep habits (not setting an affecting more than 500,000 women and alarm clock), and socialization. Organic girls. The members giving circle is more wine helps too. than 120 women, although last month’s • Focus on goals and attitude, not deficits event, among others, was open to the puband loss. lic.

• Change up routines. Smell fresh orangAbramson, who was the keynote es to relieve stress. speaker, has appeared in Time, Forbes, Peo• Sleep on a silk pillowcase to reduce ple and The Wall Street Journal along with wrinkles. This one is major! ■ CBS, CNN and NBC. She’s known as an ex-

About 100 women gathered for the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta event Aug. 29 at Congregation B’nai Torah.

42 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

CALENDAR and the Ovarian Cancer Institute to discuss ovarian cancer and how it affects those with Ashkenazi origins.

Free for members, $5 non-members. To register, www.bit.ly/2M22ppM.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Prime Minister’s Event – City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, starting at 6 p.m. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and interactive experience celebrating Jewish Atlanta.

Live music on the rooftop patio with The Joe Alterman Trio. For more information and to RSVP, www.jewishatlanta.org/prime-ministers-event/.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

Acoustic Shabbat Café – Alon’s, 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, from 7 to 9 p.m. Join Rabbi Glusman, Drew Cohen and teen musicians from The Weber School for an evening of music and Shabbat prayers.

Food and wine available for purchase.

This interactive Shabbat-themed experience is sponsored by Atlanta Jewish Music Festival and The Weber School.

Free. For more information, www.bit. ly/2nVTxbJ.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Vayelech Friday, September 14, 2018 light candles at 7:27 p.m.

Saturday, September 15, 2018 Shabbat ends at 8:21 p.m.

Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18, 2018 light candles at 7:22 p.m.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 holiday ends 8:15 p.m.

Ha'azinu Friday, September 21, 2018 light candles at 7:18 p.m.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 Shabbat ends at 8:11 p.m.

Adult Volunteer Group, VIA (Volunteers In Action) and JF&CS Holocaust Survivor Services invite Holocaust survivors and young adults in the Atlanta area to join them for a special intergenerational brunch. Free and open to the community. For more information, www.atlantajcc.org/pldb-live/ intergenerational-brunch-40919/.

MJCCA Arts and Culture Presents Sandcatchers – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 8 to 10 p.m. Sandcatchers consists of oud, lap steel, bass and drums, with special guest Erik Friedlander on cello. $15 for members, $20 for the community. For more tickets and information, www. bit.ly/2wrYrB7.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

AJA Tashlich, Tots & Teens with Rabbi Leubitz (Blue Heron) – Piedmont Park, 10th Street & Charles Allen Drive, Atlanta, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, https://www.atljewishacademy.org/.

Intergenerational Brunch for Young Adults and Holocaust Survivors – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The MJCCA Young Adults, JF&CS Young 44 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Maze, 4520 Highway 53, Dawsonville, from 4 to 7 p.m. Conquer the corn maze, go on a hayride, feed the goats and pick a pumpkin. $13 per person. To RSVP, www.bit.ly/2Cm2ZiB.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

Havdalah & Lantern Parade VIP Section – Chabad Intown on the

Westview Cemetery Tour – Westview

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Marx. Free. RSVP to JewishFertilityFoundation.org or call Elana Frank, 770-843-7413.

Temple Beth Tikvah’s Sukkot Family Fun Day – Uncle Shuck’s Corn

Cemetery, 1680 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Explore one of Atlanta’s oldest cemeteries with local historian and author, Jeff Clemmons. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers. For more information, www.bit.ly/2wkLhH5.

Tashlich at the Lake – JCC Zaban Park – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Bumper boats, paddle boats, songs with Rabbi G and more. Free and open to all. For more information, www.bit. ly/2PPwAnw.

Beltline, 730 Ponce De Leon Place NE, Atlanta, from 9 to 11 p.m. Lantern making and musical Havdalah. Limited parking. For prices and more information, www.bit.ly/2Nupgfz.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Infertility Support Group Intown – Jewish Fertility Foundation, 60 Lenox Point NE, Atlanta, from 7 to 8 p.m. Facilitated by licensed therapist Ashley

Boulevard, Alpharetta, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Crafts and music geared toward preschool-age children and their families. Free. For more information, www. bit.ly/2oIZ5GX.

FIDF Southeast Region Bike Ride – Sosebee Cycling Park, 465 Simpson Road NE, White, from 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Celebrate Israel’s 70th and ride 70 miles to honor and benefit our heroes.

From $0 to $70. For more information, southeast@fidf.org or call 678-2509030.

Vines & Wines: A Genealogical Journey – Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway NE, Marietta, from 12 to 2 p.m. Join Gary Deutsch, the former president and webmaster for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Georgia.

Free. RSVP, www.etzchaim.net/wines.

Israel Today – 2646 Weddington Place, Marietta, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Join Hadassah Etz Aviv as they welcome Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel’s Consul General to the Southeastern United States. Light refreshments will be served. Free. RSVP to rozreiss@ gmail.com by September 12.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

The Davis Academy Cub Club at Little Acorns at Avalon – 2200 Avalon

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Spaghetti in the Sukkah – Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway NE, Marietta, from 12 to 12:30 p.m.

Sukkah decorating followed by lunch.

Free. RSVP, debbie@etzchaim.net.

What the Health?!: Ovarian Cancer – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 1 to 3 p.m. Join Dr. Benigno

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Nosh to Meet You – From 12 to 1 p.m. Three locations: Your Pie Perimeter, 123 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta; Jason’s Deli Buckhead, 3330 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta; and Fresh to Order Midtown, 860 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta. Meet with fellow young Jewish professionals in your work neighborhood. Free.

SEPTEMBER 13-28 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26

AgeWell Presents: How to Keep Your Brain Healthy – Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, Marietta, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. A discussion about brain health with Leah Henderson, a volunteer speaker for the Alzheimer’s Association. Free and open to the community. Organized by Jewish Family & Career Services. Supported by Jewish Home Life Communities, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Congregation Etz Chaim, Temple Beth Tikvah and Temple Kol Emeth. For more information, www.bit.ly/2oJvQUI.

AJA Family Pizza in the Sukkah ECD – 12 – Atlanta Jewish Academy, 5200 Northland Drive, Atlanta, From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. For more information, www.atljewishacademy.org/.

formation and to register, www.signupgenius.com/go/5080e4aacac2da5fe3shabbat2. Questions, contact Lindsay Feinberg, reception@shearithisrael.com.

Pasta in the Hut – Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Shabbat services followed by a pasta dinner in the sukkah. $10 per adult, $7 per child.

For more information, visit www.bethshalom.net.

JNFuture Presents Shabbat in the Sukkah – Featuring guest speaker Si-

JumpSpark Presents: Applying & Paying for College – Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, from 7 to 9 p.m. A seminar and interactive panel hosted

by JumpSpark and Jewish Educational Loan Fund for teens and their parents to learn tips and tools to successfully apply for college. To register and for more information, www.jumpsparkatl.org/program/applying-college/.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Congregation Shearith Israel Shabbat in the Sukkah – 1180 University Drive NE, Atlanta, from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. Bring your own dish to share. Free. For more in-

mon Schwartz, Congregation Anshi S’Fard, 1324 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, from 7 to 10 p.m. Share a Shabbat meal with a community of young professionals and supporters of Jewish National Fund, who share a commitment and passion for Israel. $18 general admission, complimentary for JNFuture members. For more information contact Nick Contino, ncontino@jnf.org, or call 404-236-8990 x 852.

3rd Annual Bluegrass Shabbat – Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Avenue NW, Atlanta, from 6 to 8 p.m. Kosher BBQ and bluegrass tunes from The Cohen Brothers Band. $15 per adult, $12 ages 6-12, free for 5 and under. For more information, www.bit. ly/2QanXEa.

Find more events and submit items for our online and print calendars at:

www.atlantajewishconnector.com

Calendar sponsored by the Atlanta Jewish Connector, an initiative of the AJT. Please contact community liaison, Jen Evans for more information at jen@atljewishtimes.com.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 45

KEEPING IT KOSHER Jewish Joke of the Week The Rabbi and the Parrots

One day, Hette approaches her rabbi after the service and says to him, “Rabbi, I have a problem. I have two female talking parrots, but they only know how to say one thing.”

“What do they say?” the rabbi asks.

“They only know how to say, ‘Hello, handsome fella, want to have some fun?’”

“Why, that’s terrible!” the rabbi says, “but I have a solution to your problem.

Bring your two female parrots over to my house tomorrow and I will put them with my two male talking parrots whom I taught to pray and read Hebrew. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship.”

“Oh thank you rabbi,” Hette replies.

The next day Hette brings her female parrots to the rabbi’s house. His two male parrots are wearing tiny yarmulkes and praying in their cage. Hette puts her two female parrots in with the male parrots and the female parrots say, “Hello, handsome fella, want to have some fun?”

One male parrot looks over at the other male parrot and exclaims, “Put away the siddurs! Our prayers have been answered!” ■ Joke provided by David Minkoff www.awordinyoureye.com

Yiddish Word of the Week baleboste or balabuste Yiddish: ‫לעבאסטע‬ ָ ‫בא‬ ַ or ‫בעל־הביתטע‬, literally “the house matron,” is a complimentary term for an able housewife: “Rochel is a balabuste; her house is so clean that you can eat off her floor.” From the biblical Hebrew ‫בעַ ל ַה ַביִ ת‬‎ ַ bá'al habáyit "master of the house" (Ex. 22:8), expanded in Rabbinic Hebrew (e.g. Mishnah Avoth 15, 2) to “landlord,” “the boss” or “the client.” The Hebrew term is pronounced balebos in Yiddish. With the feminine singular suffix -te, it is not a female landlord, boss or client but his wife, just as a rebbetzin is not a female Rabbi but the wife of a Rabbi.

Rabbi Joab Eichenberg-Eilon, PhD, teaches Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic at the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, eTeacher Group Ltd.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Turnovers Cook and prep: 40 minutes Servings: 12 to 15 Contains: Gluten, wheat Preference: Meat Difficulty: Easy Occasion: Shabbat, Purim, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Yom Kippur Ingredients 1 large onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 cubes Gefen frozen garlic 1 tablespoon Bartenura olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 pound corned beef, chopped into little pieces (you can also use leftover brisket or pastrami) 1 package coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage 30 mini puff pastry dough squares, or 4 sheets of Gefen Puff Pastry cut into 24 to 30 small squares 1 egg, beaten Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add the corned beef and let it crisp a little (about two minutes).

Add the cabbage and cook it with everything in the frying pan until it shrinks and is soft and wilted. Add a little more salt and pepper. Let the mixture cool.

Take one piece of puff pastry and place about a tablespoon of the mixture on top.

Wet your finger and moisten the edges of the puff pastry square so the top will stick better. Cover it with a second piece of puff pastry and close by sealing the edges with a fork. Repeat this process with the rest of the mixture.

Brush the tops of the turnovers with the egg. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serving suggestion: Turnovers can be served on their own or with duck sauce, mushroom gravy or any other type of sauce. ■ Source: Family Table by Mishpacha Magazine

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Yom Kippur Cinema By: Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Manageable 1

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ACROSS 1. It started on a Sat. this year 5. Prefix with phone or bytes 9. Venture 14. Not according to plan, in a bad way 15. Uncles, in Acapulco 16. Absurd 17. Ben Stiller movie about those observing Yom Kippur?

20. Old-fashioned contraction 21. Hooting hunter 22. Old French coin 23. With 52-Across, Vin Diesel movie about Yom Kippur and angry people observing it?

26. See to 27. “___ serious?”

28. Law that might not go over well in Israel 30. Joseph’s lil bro, in the Bible 31. ___ Verde National Park 35. Jyn and Galen in “Rogue One” 36. Keira Knightley movie about a goal of Yom Kippur?

39. “Macbeth” title 42. Rock’s Clapton 43. Kind of pupil 46. Belonging to a particularly wicked Persian 48. Bashed into 51. Periods

52. See 23-Across 56. Put two and two together 57. Poet Shemer 58. “Down on the Corner” band, to fans 59. Edward Norton movie about the end of Yom Kippur?

64. Baseball Hall of Famer Edd 65. Parasitic leaping insect 66. Not manual 67. Follow as a result 68. AAA part: Abbr.

69. 180 is its max. score

24. Realm that issued a “Charter of Protection” to Jews in 825: Abbr.

25. Kind of wrestling 26. Like a citron 29. Ex-egg, perhaps 32. Jaffa to Tiberias dir.

33. Rabbi’s speech: Abbr.

34. Comrade, in Quebec 36. Santa ___ (hot winds) 37. Minyan amount 38. Hosiery shade 39. London’s Globe, for one 40. Like a victory in triple overDOWN time, probably 1. Hefty Cinch___ bags 41. Wolfgang ___ Mozart 2. Flock member 43. Like Pepé Le Pew 3. 12-year-old, but not for long 44. Few, to Pepé Le Pew 4. Epitomize 45. 6s, in the NFL 5. Kilimanjaro, for one: Abbr.

47. Remain 6. Passover days, in America 49. St. Louis landmark 7. Prankster’s cry 50. King David’s first wife 8. Pale with fright 53. Former Teamsters president 9. Scandal ridden sports org.

Jimmy 10. Out ___ limb 54. Artist Nolde and actor Jan11. Poker-pot increasers nings 12. Title character in “The Mer55. Marching band flutes chant of Venice” 57. “Boyz ___ Hood” 13. Avner and Amichai 18. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki 60. Sch. in eastern Virginia 61. Summer shade?

19. Completes 23. One might be opened in a bar 62. Tony-winning Hagen 63. Make a stink?

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■ The bat mitzvah of Emily Davis of Atlanta was held Sat., Sept. 13, 2003, at The Temple. Emily is the daughter of Richard and Linda Davis.

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the first non-Christian to teach at Westminster Schools, the prestigious Atlanta prep school. President William Clarkson invited Mr. Rothschild to join the faculty, and after a series of meetings, they agreed that Mr. Rothschild would become a roving, part-time instructor, teaching Judaism to a different class each week.

■ Kathie Gottlieb, a tax supervisor with the CPA firm of Donner, Weiser & Rosenberg in Atlanta, has been named to the board of directors of the Cystic Fibrosis Camp of Georgia.

A multi-sensory exploration of Marc Chagall's works was featured at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.

50 Years Ago // September 13, 1968 ■ Great Britain named Allan Jay and three other Jewish fencers to its Olympic team. Jay became only the fourth British sportsman selected to represent his country at five successive Olympic Games. He was a silver medalist in épée at the 1960 Olympic Games and world foil champion in 1959.

■ Mr. and Mrs. John F. Rosenberg of Atlanta announce the birth of a son, Joseph Benjamin, on Sept. 13. The grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. William Kolb of Los Angeles and Mr. and Mrs. Jake H. Rosenberg of Atlanta.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 | 47

OBITUARIES

Norma Ambery 98, Atlanta

Norma Ambery, age 98, of Atlanta, died Aug. 26, 2018. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., she lived in Atlanta for over 70 years. She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 60 years, Dr. Paul Ambery, her parents, Frank & Ida Krinetsky, and brother, Milton Kramer. After marrying her husband, Paul, they moved to Michigan for her husband to study veterinary medicine, then moved to South Carolina and finally settled in Atlanta. Norma was a loving wife and mother, devoted grandmother and great-grandmother. With her husband, Paul, they traveled the world, enjoyed theater, opera and ballet. Norma was an avid duplicate bridge player and was proud when she earned her gold life member status. Family was most important to Norma as she hosted many holiday dinners and family gatherings. She loved being with her family on all occasions. She was a longtime member of The Temple and then Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

She is survived by her sons, Bobby and (Linda) Ambery, Richard Ambery and (Sharon Horgan); daughter, Susan and (Dr. Morris ) Socoloff; grandchildren Mason (Leslie) Ambery, James ( Melissa) Ambery, Philip Socoloff, Michael ( Catherine) Socoloff, Dr. David ( Anna) Socoloff, Mark (Dr. Ashley) Ambery, Jonathan (Marissa) Ambery; and great-grandchildren, Julianna, Lindsey, Vincent Socoloff, James, Ansley, Madeline, Nicholas, Robbie Ambery, and Lucy Brewster. The family would like to thank all her caregivers especially, Lucy Leitman and Adriene Bell, who were with her during her last days. The graveside funeral was held Aug. 27, 2018, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Ahavath Achim Synagogue or a charity of your choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Esther Zaibel Besser 88, Atlanta

Esther Zaibel Besser, 88, born in Poland and a longtime resident of Atlanta, died

Sept. 2, 2018. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Besser. She is survived by her son, Michael Besser and daughter, Rena Besser Forg; son-in-law, Raymond Forg; and grandchild, Rachel Forg.

Esther was a Holocaust survivor. After the war, she moved to Israel with her mother and one of her four brothers. While in New York, Jerry saw a picture of her and traveled to Israel to meet her. Her mother told Esther to marry him. She said, “he’s a good man.” After getting married in Israel, they moved to New York and eventually moved to Atlanta to be near family. They were married for almost 60 years before Jerry passed away in 2010.

When you think of Esther, Jewish homemaker best describes her. Her house was always immaculate, and it smelled of traditional Jewish foods. When family members or friends were ill, she brought them food, love and friendship. She believed food fed the soul and the heart. Graveside services were held at Crest Lawn Memorial Park on Sept. 6. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999. Sign online guestbook at www.edressler.com

Joe W. Gerstein 91, Highlands, N.C.

Joe W. Gerstein, 91, died suddenly on Aug. 24, 2018, in Highlands, N.C. He was born on July 29, 1927, in Atlanta to parents Tena (Hartman) and Arthur Gerstein. Joe grew up in Covington and enjoyed his small-town roots. He enlisted in the Navy in his teens and served as a medic in Bethesda, Md., where he determined that medicine was not for him. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and also obtained his J.D. from Duke, where he graduated the top of his law school class.

He had a stellar career as an estate planning lawyer and was regarded as one of the top attorneys in his field, with numerous awards and accolades. He served on the executive committee, fiduciary section of the Georgia Bar Association. He was vice president of Atlanta Estate Planning Council. He was past president and lifetime member of the North DeKalb Rotary Club. He was a master in the Fulton Masonic Lodge. Joe was vice president of Gate City B’nai B’rith.

Joe was a great example of a son of immigrant parents who overcame many of life’s obstacles and was humbled by his success. He was a proud American and faithful to his Jewish heritage. Joe enjoyed the game of golf, to travel, and he never met a stranger. He was known for his amazing sense of humor and entertained so many with his talent for joke and storytelling.

Most of all, Joe loved his family, which grew through his marriage to Sheila, and was proud to be “Papa Joe” to his 12 grandchildren and three new great-grandchildren and many extended family and friends. Joe was preceded in death by his parents and first wife, Doris Florsheim Gerstein. He is survived by his sister, Miriam Gerstein Frank. He is also survived by his loving wife, Sheila Kamensky Gerstein; four daughters: Ellen Gerstein, Kim Gerstein Wainer (Bobby), Carla Kamensky Zion (David), Robyn Kamensky Freedman (Kenneth); 12 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross or Temple Sinai. Graveside service was Aug. 27 at Arlington Cemetery.

Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999. Sign online guest book at www.edressler.com.

Barbara Kalin Holtz 86, Atlanta

Barbara Kalin Holtz passed away on Sun., Sept. 2, 2018, at the age of 86. She was born in Hendersonville, N.C., and later moved to Dublin, Ga., where she grew up until she left for college. She went to the University of Miami, where she met her husband of close to 60 years, Neil Holtz. She passed peacefully after a long battle with Alzheim48 | SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

OBITUARIES er’s disease and vascular dementia and was laid to rest in a graveside service on Sept. 3 at Arlington Memorial Park in Atlanta. She was preceded in death by her husband of close to 60 years, Neil Holtz and her sister, Shirley Warnock.

She leaves behind three children, Stacey (Rick) Rubin, Julie (Michael) Gering, and Ivan Holtz. She also leaves behind five grandchildren, Sharon (Jason) Kressel, Lori Rubin, Robert Rubin, Harrison (Genevieve) Gering, and Devon Gering, and her great-grandson, Aaron Holtz Kressel. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Barbara’s name to The Fountainview Center for Alzheimer’s Disease or Weinstein Hospice. Arrangements made

by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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Jerry H. Love

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Jerry H. Love passed on Aug. 25, 2018. He was born May 18, 1931, in Atlanta. He is survived by his wife, Loretta Love; and children, Russell Love (Bari Love), Larry Love (Sharon Kroll), Gayle Benator, Arthur Tillem (Roni Tillem), Amy Tillem (Terry McCarthy); nine grandchildren, Michael (Marianna) Love and Brian (Jenny) Love, Sam (Stephanie) Love and Jessica (Preston) Casto, Alix (Paul) Johnson, David Tillem, Nicole (Alex) Chanson, Max Benator, and Jonathan (Sarah) Benator. Great-grandchildren are Seth Love, Wyatt Love, Joshua and Zachary Benator. He is predeceased by his first wife, Rose Markowitz Love and his daughter Julie Ann Love.

Donations can be made to Congregation Ariel, 5227 Tilly Mill Rd., Dunwoody, Ga 30338; The Epstein School (Julie Love Fund), 335 Colewood Way, NE, Sandy Spring, Ga 30328; or any other charity of choice. A graveside service was held Aug. 26 at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Binyomin Friedman officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999. Sign online guest book at www.edressler.com.

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Dory Profis 93, Atlanta

Dory Profis passed away on Sept. 5, 2018. This remarkable woman was born in Romania in 1925 and lived many diverse chapters in her 93 years. She was born to a successful business couple who were leaders of the Constanta Romania Jewish Community. She attended a private German language school during her elementary and high school years.

Her life changed drastically when she was 12 years old upon the death of her father. Soon the Germans would take over Romania and Dory, her mother, and sister would be placed in work camps. For the next three years, she lived in a stable. After their liberation, she met another displaced person, Gerald Profis, who became the love of her life. After they married, the couple lived in Israel for a few years where their son, Victor, was born. From Israel, they moved to Cuba where they owned a women’s clothing store and where their daughter, Loli, was born. She had a wonderful, happy life until Fidel Castro came into power and the family fled to Jamaica and then to Dothan, Ala. They moved to Milwaukee and finally to Atlanta, where they were in the grocery store business.

They had many close friends and family and Atlanta became their true home. Tragedy struck once again when her son, Victor, passed away in 2009, followed a few months later by her beloved husband, Gerald. That was not the end of her difficulties. Her granddaughter, Emily Moore, was taken from her at the young age of 35. This was the most tragic situation of her life – one she never recovered from.

Dory was a real Ashet Chayel – a woman of valour. She could relate to people of any age and was a great listener. She had the ability to give advice for all problems and people readily shared with her. To know her was to love her. Throughout her illness there was a steady stream of people of all ages who came to her side. While they came to comfort Dory, she always wound up both comforting them and giving them sage advice. She is survived by her daughter, Loli Gross (Joel); grandsons: David Roffwarg (Polly), Jacob Gross (Lauren), Kurt Moore; granddaughters: Michelle Profis (Ben Collins), Lauren Profis, and Rachel Gross Villena (Daniel); and great-grandchildren, Hallie and Jordan Moore and Emmitt Roffwarg. Family asked that donations to be made to Jewish Family & Career Services or Weinstein Hospice. A graveside service was held Sept. 7 at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Mark Zimmerman officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999. Sign online guest book at www.edressler.com. ■

Edward Dressler, Owner

www.JewishFuneralCare.com

Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Managing Publisher Kaylene Ladinsky at kaylene@atljewishtimes.com or 404-883-2130, ext. 100, for details about submission, rates and payments. Death notices, which provide basic details, are free and run as space is available; send submissions to editor@atljewishtimes.com.

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The Second Biggest Lie I Ever Told Other than everyday safety rules, I Swimming uphill in the wake of my did not impose but two rules on my girls tears, I went back to school and told my growing up. teacher, who wrote a note of explanation One for my sanity, the other for to my mom. While she read the proof of theirs. the pudding (so to speak), I squirreled In second grade, my teacher award- away the box in a drawer under my panted little shiny stick-on gold ies. stars for a job well done.

From that moment on, The challenges for the gold I was in constant terror that stars were varied. We could no one would ever believe earn a star for being kind me again. to other children, respectRush forward to when ful to the teacher and durI turned 11 or 12. Our grade ing the pledge of allegiance, was scheduled for a field trip completing our work sheets, to the Museum of Natural being a good helper, and History. Two more parent the list goes on. My teacher Shaindle drivers were needed. was very generous with the Schmuckler Here it comes: the secstars. ond greatest lie I ever told.

Shaindle’s Shpiel Every now and then, if I jumped up, hand we earned a certain number of stars for raised with great pride. My dad has a car; the week, our reward would be a whole he told me he would be happy to do it. I box of gold stars. knew it wasn’t true as the words hit the As I loved visiting with my friends to air. discuss the ills of the world, (not!) it was Although my dad worked from sun an even greater challenge for me to earn up to sundown, I was so proud he owned a box of these coveted shiny gold stars. a car. I thought, maybe, just maybe. I Finally, after a week of pretending prayed.

I’d lost the ability to speak, I was awardMy mom, upon hearing the lie that ed the white box in which the stars were I told, was very upset. “Dad has no time wrapped. My first experience with nir- to leave the store. He works so hard. Why vana. would you say that to your teacher? Let Upon arriving home giddy with suc- me talk to him after his dinner; you wait.” cess, I showed my mom my prize.

I cannot share with you what hap“Return it immediately; no one gets pened in the next few hours of that a whole box; why did you take it?” she fateful day. I only know my body would said with a bit of a shrill. “Go right now!” not stop shaking. When my dad arrived

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He was very angry, to say the least.

Then, in his begrudging voice, I realized my dad said he will do it. On the one hand, I was elated. I would not have to crawl back to my teacher with a backpack filled with embarrassment. On the other hand, I realized how painful the consequences of a lie could be on your emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Back to my four girls.

The first rule was for my sanity: Do Not Whine.

I could not bear it. This sound had more of an impact on my nervous system than the scratching on a chalkboard. My husband would always ask: Do you want cheese with that whine? They rarely resorted to this horrible sound.

The second rule was for the girls: Do Not Lie. I never wanted them to experience

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the feeling the scars of a lie could leave on their psychic and emotional well-being.

I am not naïve enough to think no one ever tells a lie. There are lies, and then there are LIES. Shalom bayit – peace in the home – can call for a lie. Lying about my age (yes, I do, and what do you plan on doing about it?) or my height – as if it were not obvious – seems benign, not hurtful.

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