Atlanta Jewish Times, VOL. 99 NO. 18, September 30, 2024

Rep. Deborah Silcox Stands With the Jewish Community and Against Antisemitism

of the

• Deborah personally introduced, and passed, legislation to fund $1,550,000 for the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and raise the budget to $629,000

• Passed legislation to define antisemitism (HB 30), adding additional criminal penalties for crimes motivated by anti-Jewish bias

• Passed an important resolution denouncing pro-Hamas hate speech Rep. Deborah Silcox — uniquely effective because bipartisan leadership works for us.

Recipient

prestigious White Rose Society Award

TO UNITE OUR COMMUNITY

THESE RABBIS ARE LEADING BY EXAMPLE. ARE YOU?

Rabbi Peter Berg

Rabbi Michael Broyde

Rabbi Menachem Deutsch

Rabbi Daniel Dorsch

Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus

Rabbi Chase Foster

Rabbi Menashe Goldberger

Rabbi Edward Harwitz

Rabbi Joshua Heller

Rabbi Jason Holtz

Rabbi Ari Kaiman

Rabbi Hillel Konigsburg

Rabbi Micah Lapidus

Rabbi Bradley Levenberg

Rabbi Chaim Markovits

Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz

Rabbi Chaim Neiditch

Rabbi Isser New

Rabbi Yossi New

Rabbi Michoel Refson

Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

Rabbi Neil Sandler

Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman

Rabbi Chaim Schwartz

Rabbi Ron Segal

Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner

Rabbi David Silverman

Rabbi Doron Silverman

Rabbi Ephraim Silverman

Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman

Rabbi Elazar Tendler

Rabbi Natan Trief

Rabbi Samantha Trief Make your Promise today jewishfuturepromise.org

Rabbi Mark Zimmerman

PUBLISHER

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CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE

ALLEN H. LIPIS

BOB BAHR

DAVE SCHECHTER

DAVID OSTROWSKY

MARCIA CALLER JAFFE

ROBBIE GARBER

ROBYN SPIZMAN GERSON

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Dear AJT Readers,

Age old words: the only thing constant is change, so here we grow again. The mission of the Atlanta Jewish Times is to “Keep Jewish Atlanta Connected” and informed. The most effective way to accomplish this mission is to continue to distribute the newspaper free of charge in both its physical form and online.

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Sign Up for FREE Home Delivery!

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UP IN SMOKE: Savoring the Kosher BBQ Festival’s Legacy

By Sasha Heller

For the past 11 years, the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival, presented by the Hebrew Order of David, has filled the bellies of community members with savory delicacies and filled their hearts with goodwill and Jewish pride. But unfortunately, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

In this series, the AJT will recall the festival’s legacy, speaking with those who were heavily involved over the years, and discussing what plans there are for a potential replacement in the future. In part one of the series, published in the Sept. 15, 2024, edition, the AJT interviewed Jody Pollack, the festival’s executive director, who announced that he is stepping down from his leadership position to focus on his family.

In part two, the AJT spoke with a panel including festival organizers and cookoff participants to recall the festival’s history from their points of view. The panel includes David Joss (HOD leadership), Alex Schulman (festival deputy director), and David Kayser (Atlanta Kashruth Commission).

AJT: How were you involved with the festival over the years? Were you an organizer? Or a participant in the cookoffs? Or a judge?

Kayser: I was the lead kosher supervisor (mashgiach) from the initial planning of the first event throughout the duration of the festival.

Joss: I was on the committee that plans and manages the annual BBQ competition and festival. I also assisted in managing the finances and insurance needs. I was also a volunteer at each of the events over the years.

Schulman: I started on a team from Beth Shalom, actually winning the brisket category the first year. I continued to compete on the Beth Shalom team for the first three years of the festival until I was “voluntold” to be on the committee that runs the festival. They needed someone to act as the deputy director, since they didn’t have anyone in that role, and they needed someone to take the reins. I held that position for the next, I think, nine years, acting as team liaison, recruiting teams for the festival, and as deputy director, doing any other tasks that Jody Pollack, the director, asked me to do. One of my main tasks as team liaison was to coordinate with our Kansas City-certified judges, the group that judges the teams’ food during the

festival (in the brisket, ribs, chicken and chili categories).

AJT: What are some of your lasting memories of the festival? Some of your favorite parts?

Kayser: In particular, I enjoyed being part of what was one of the most diverse Jewish community events. Jews from all over the Atlanta area participated on teams, volunteered to help run and organize the event, and attended as spectators. We all made friends with people we never would have met if not for the festival.

Joss: The camaraderie and fun stick out in my mind -- seeing the Jewish community of all religious levels come together and enjoy the day … seeing the wonderful interaction between the Jewish and non-Jewish teams as they competed and worked through the night. Getting to know the police and firemen who entered teams. Seeing all the children running around and having fun. Being able to contribute funds to many worthy

charities. The fact that many teams came from other parts of the country including the team from the Hebrew Order of David Lodge in Houston who drove to Atlanta to participate. Inviting Lieane Levitan to the opening ceremony and having her explain how she was instrumental in establishing Brook Run Park which is named after her. Singing the national anthem and Hatikvah with the Israel consul at the opening ceremony. Working with all the incredible volunteers who made it all happen. Enjoying great BBQ and music through the day!

Schulman: Some of my most lasting memories are of coming onsite to Brook Run in Dunwoody, prior to everyone arriving, and laying out the grid where the teams will be placing their tents and grills. It has always been fun to watch the ebb and flow as the teams started to trickle into the festival site, watching the teams erect their team decorations, listening to the teams talking “smack” to each other as they set up their booths, and making other preparations. I en-

joyed waiting for the advent of the end of Shabbat until the  mashgiah arrives to open up the refrigerated truck and light all the grills so the teams can get ready to start cooking. Watching as all the grills are lit and 20-plus teams start cooking at the same time through the night until we are ready on Sunday for the actual competition is a particular favorite. And then on Sunday, after the ebb and flow of the intensity of the competition, watching the mini city that I created at Brook Run quickly be dismantled is equally satisfying and disappointing. But I created that!

AJT: What would you like to see replace the festival going forward? Should there be some type of community gathering to take its place?

Kayser: I definitely think we need to have as many events as possible like the BBQ Festival.  I haven’t seen many other events like it.

Schulman: I’d love to see the festival continue for the foreseeable future, but with greater collaboration from other

AJT staffers (from left) Katie Gaffin, Ilyssa Klein, Michal Bonell, Lilli Jennison, Rebecca LaBanca, Diana Cole with Dr. Jeri Breiner (second from right).

The highlight of every Kosher BBQ Festival was the savory grilled meats.

The Atlanta Jewish Times won Best Decorated Booth at the 2023 Kosher BBQ Festival.

Jewish organizations in the city. I’m currently working with a few groups that could help keep the festival going—just handling things behind the scenes for now.

AJT: Since you are HOD leadership, can you speak about the contributions made to local organizations over the years via the festival proceeds? That

seems like an important part of the festival that will likely be missed.

Joss: We were able to contribute to many worthwhile charities -- over $25,000. Although contributing to charities was very important, remember that this was primarily a community event for the Jewish community and included many non-Jews. Bringing the community together was important.  ì

Thanks for the Memories

Festival organizers would like to express their gratitude to the following individuals who helped make the festival so successful over the years: Alan Rubenstein (OBM); David Joss; Les Kraitzick; Alex Schulman; Dan Frankel; Keith Marks; Craig Varon; Neal Drucker; Richard Gay (OBM); Michael Berkowitz; Gayle Rubenstein; Kaylene Ladinsky; Michael Morris; David Kayser; Rabbi Joshua Heller; Mitch Frank; Stan

The Atlanta Jewish Times team, Meat the Press, took home the hardware for best chili at the 2021 festival.

Sloan; Harry Lutz; Helen Scherrer-Diamond; Lee Tanenbaum

The 2019 festival grand champions were The BBQ N’ Hebrew Hillbillies.

Backpack Buddies Bash Fundraiser Nets $200K

By Robbie Garber

The ballroom at Dunwoody Country Club was packed full of local philanthropists Sunday night on Sept. 14, all looking to raise money for Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta, a charity that helps feed food-insecure children over the weekends, when they can’t get school meals.

The event, which, according to Board Chair Terri Bagen, was initially going to be a simple “friend-raising” – more to raise awareness and interest than money – soon spiraled into something far larger.

“At first, our goal was 50 people,” said Kelly Dennis, who headed the organization of the event. “We were going to do tickets for free. It turned into tickets at $90 and we sold 260 tickets.”

According to Debbie Sonenshine, the organization’s secretary, Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta began with several disparate religious and civic organizations working independently to solve the problem, following the model set by Ronald and Samra Robbins at Congregation Beth Shalom in 2017.

Jonathan Halitsky and Debbie Sonenshine standing in front of the Backpack Buddies mural in the organization’s storage space. The tagline reads “Because hunger doesn’t take the weekend off.”

“They started it with feeding 10 children at Kingsley Elementary,” said Sonenshine. “It grew, and they recruited other partners and other schools. I read about it, actually, in the Jewish Times.

A Place to Call Home

Congregation Ariel, located in beautiful Dunwoody welcomes Jews of all ages, stages and backgrounds. Join us for daily minyanim, classes with Rabbis and one-on-one learning. Ariel is also partnered with the Atlanta Scholars Kollel, hosting classes, workshops, and study groups. Ariel’s youth groups are full of energy and learning for all ages. The Dunwoody Branch of B’nai Akiva calls Ariel home and brings with them meaningful and exciting programming. Our growing campus includes a modern sanctuary, social hall, an elegant women’s mikvah, and Keilim mikvah.

When I read about it, I said, ‘We’re doing this at B’nai Torah.’”

But, according to Bagen, who also helped launch the branch of Backpack Buddies at Congregation Shearith Israel, it wasn’t enough.

“We were all frustrated because we couldn’t meet the need,” said Bagen, “We were all shopping retail, and whatever budget our organization gave us or we could raise limited us to the number of kids we could serve - and we all knew we weren’t serving nearly enough.”

The charity organization has experienced rapid growth since officially uniting and incorporating as a nonprofit.

“At the time that we formed, in February 2022,” said Sonenshine, “there were 17 partners and Community Buddies, and we were feeding 750 kids a week. Today, we’re feeding over 2,500. By the end of this school year, we’ll be at 3,000.”

Sonenshine credits this success to the hard work of the volunteers, the acquisition of a new storage space in 2023, and the system organized by Director of Operations Jonathan Halitsky. First, the organization bulk orders food whenever available from the Atlanta Community Food Bank, as well as smaller food banks. Then, the food is stored and sorted at the storage space in Dunwoody. Individual organizations, called Community Buddies –the churches, synagogues, and civic organizations, many of which were originally doing this independently – come and pick up pallets of food and sort it into individual bags to bring to partner schools.

“During the week, a lot of these kids are getting free or reduced lunches at school -- and breakfasts,” said Halitsky,

“but when Friday rolls around, when most of us are like ‘Yay, it’s the weekend!’ These kids are dreading the weekend because they know they’re not eating. This changes the game for them because they have food during that time period, and they are fed and ready to learn.”

“One of the teachers told us, or maybe it was the principal, that there was a child roaming around the teachers’ lounge one Monday morning,” said Sonenshine, sharing a story she’d heard about a food-insecure child. “And she said, ‘What are you doing in here,’ and he said, ‘I’m hungry.’ She asked, ‘What did you eat yesterday,’ and he said, ‘No, I eat on Saturday. My brother eats on Sunday.’ I thought ‘No, no, no, no,’ I’m a Jewish mother, I can’t handle that.”

“Our founders opened my eyes to the fact that there are 180,000 food-insecure children in metro Atlanta,” Bagen said at the charity bash. “I could not stop thinking about it -- and all I kept saying was, ‘Why?’ I soon realized that I was asking the wrong question. Not ‘why’ but ‘what’ – What could I do to make a difference?”

Several volunteers, board members, Community Buddy organizers, and others spoke during the event, including school counselor Piper Watkins from Brockett Elementary, one of the partner schools. She discussed the astounding impact Backpack Buddies has had on the students, and even mentioned a new club at the school, which appointed four fifth graders to help the younger kids, especially kindergarteners, pack food bags into their backpacks. But the excitement of the charity was tapered by the reality of the situation – even with the 75 back-

Terri Bagen speaking at the Backpack Buddies Bash.

packs they receive from their Community Buddy, Tucker First United Methodist Church, they still cannot get food to every food-insecure child at their school, every week.

This is a fact not lost on the organi-

zation’s founders.

“We know that there are 180,000 food-insecure children in the area,” said Sonenshine, “We’re helping over 2,500 of them. We’ve got a long way to go but we’ve made a big difference so far.”

“We have succeeded beyond our dreams,” said Bagen, “but on the other hand we’ve barely made a dent.”

By the end of the night, though, that dent had gotten substantially larger. After ticket sales, money raised by indi-

vidual donors during the paddle raise, and donations from corporate sponsors, the total earned in one night alone was revealed: “I think I was hoping for about $30,000,” said Dennis, beaming. “We’ve now earned well over $200,000.” ì

Piper Watkins, school counselor at Brockett Elementary, describes the impact of Backpack Buddies at her school.

Attendees at the Backpack Buddies Bash hold up their paddles to donate to the cause.

Kelly Dennis, who organized the Backpack Buddies Bash fundraiser, describes her involvement with the organization.

‘Play Your Heart Out’ Supports Children’s Hearts

By Robbie Garber

More than 100 athletes filled the Marcus Jewish Community Center gym on Saturday, Sept. 7, to kick off the annual Play Your Heart Out for Save a Child’s Heart event. The event, which now includes a walk/run, yoga, and competitions in wiffleball, basketball, and – this year’s highlighted event – pickleball, began with just one event in 2017.

“Eight years ago, we started a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for Save a Child’s Heart,” said Billy Steuer, one of the event’s organizers. “Brad Rosen had an idea with his boys, to get them involved with giving back to the community and doing something for others.”

Rosen had got the idea after returning from a mission trip to Israel sponsored by the Frank family.

“There are no words to express how meaningful and amazing my time was at Save a Child’s Heart,” said Alexa Freedman (middle), a junior at Emory University who interned at SaCH over the summer. “SaCH always needs new volunteers and interns, so if you’re ever in Israel for an extended period of time, I encourage you to reach out to SaCH and see how you can help. It will be the best thing you’ve ever done.”

“The whole purpose of the Frank mission is to come back after the trip and give back to the community,” said Rosen. “I met with Rabbi Spike Anderson. He was on the board at Save a Child’s Heart. He wanted to start an Atlanta chapter when he moved here.”

This is where members of the Save a Child’s Heart U.S. branch, like their Young Leadership Director Nancy Pardo, came in.

“Save a Child’s Heart is a humanitarian organization located in Israel,” said Pardo. “We provide life-saving cardiac surgery to

kids who don’t have access to medical care. We bring them to Israel, and they stay with us approximately three months, that’s preand post-surgery, and we literally save their lives. That’s who we are.”

Vivian Bass, board director of Save a Child’s Heart U.S., also notes how important

Shana Tova! New Year, New You

Rosh Hashanah. A time of reflection and renewal. A time of hope for a sweet new year. As we come together to celebrate, it’s also an opportune time to look forward—to the joy and peace of mind that come with having a plan in place for the future.

The first Life Plan community in Atlanta, Canterbury Court is located on 14 lovely acres in the heart of Buckhead. The community offers a full continuum of care including independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing. The residence of successful people from all faiths and walks of life—leaders, teachers, artists, business professionals, retired clergy, and others.

And as many are considering their retirement options, this gem in the heart of Buckhead is worth a look for so many reasons:

Legacy Gardens

Legacy Gardens is an expansive, multiacre wooded greenspace sitting under a canopy of towering, mature trees, with extensive landscaping, water features, lush lawn space, plenty of seating areas and walking paths. The multi-acre gardens are an oasis in the city that gives every Canterbury Court resident the ultimate backyard. The

Gardens offer opportunities to connect with friends, with nature, or to simply enjoy some peace and quiet. Additional offerings include Monarch butterfly waystations, a greenhouse, personal garden beds, and a dog park.

Garden Tower

The newly expanded campus encompasses a vibrant independent living community, including the Garden Tower that features 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom elegantly finished apartment homes and enhanced amenities and services.

Signature Series

For those who love putting their unique stamp on things, Canterbury Court’s new Signature Series apartment homes may be a great option. These homes offer 1- and

this event has been to the organization.

“Play Your Heart Out, over the years, has funded dozens of children, saved lives of dozens of children all over the world,” said Bass. “Save a Child’s Heart supports children now in 70 different countries, and we have saved the lives of over 7,000 children. Each year, Atlanta, this beloved community, raises funds so they can save the lives of three, four, five, six children.”

At the event’s kickoff, Rosen celebrated graduating seniors Macy Meyers, Darron Beldick, and Ryan Altman.

“They’ve been with me, with us, for almost every year. I want to acknowledge that, because they shine, and they’re true leaders in our community. They’re always the first to respond – they always call and say ‘hey, what else can I do, what do you need?’”

“I’ve been a part of Save a Child’s Heart for I think five years now,” said Altman. “Honestly, I really started out just because I wanted to play basketball with my friends in the 3-on-3 tournament, but I immediately learned what a great organization it is, and I just knew I wanted to get involved and have a bigger role.”

2-bedroom floor plans in a variety of unique shapes (some of them are one of a kind). The inventory of these apartments is limited, but if you act now, you can still customize the flooring and paint in your new home.

Monarch Pavilion

With a name inspired by the Monarch butterflies that call our Legacy Gardens home, Monarch Pavilion is the beautiful new 4-floor neighborhood for all of Canterbury Court’s healthcare services. Featuring Assisted Living and Memory Support as well as Skilled Nursing, residents receive the healthcare they need with the warm, person-centered approach Canterbury Court is known for.

Life Plan

As a Life Plan Community, Canterbury Court offers the peace of mind of knowing residents will have a plan in place for the future. No worries about where they’ll live or how they’ll get care if needed. With tomorrow covered, they’re free to focus on enjoying every day to its fullest. From a financial perspective, choosing a Life Plan Community is a great way residents can protect their assets for the future. Rather than having assets tied up in a home that

requires daily work and upkeep, a Life Plan frees residents up to spend their days doing the things that bring them joy.

Not-for-profit

Because Canterbury Court Life Plan Community is not-for-profit, everything coming into the community is reinvested back into the community for the benefit of the residents. Canterbury’s team members and administration work for the residents exclusively—not outside interests. Their focus is on making their community amazing for the residents, by being good stewards with their finances.

To learn more about Canterbury Court, contact them at (404) 905-2444 or CanterburyCourt.org/AJT.

“Here, inclusivity and human connection come together to weave a rich tapestry that is the heart of Canterbury Court.” —Debi McNeil, President & CEO

Altman also walked away with the championship for the 3v3 basketball tournament, something he and his friends/ teammates, Gabe Alterman and Jake Baras, had been practicing toward for years.

“We played in this for five or four years, and we always had injuries, or something’s gone the wrong way,” said Alterman. “But it just feels good to finally get it done, and even better to do it for such a good cause, and do it with my friends, and do it in my own community. It just feels great.”

“Every time we come out here, we have a great time, and we’re doing it for the community, and that’s the most important part,” said Baras.

Meanwhile, the pickleball tournament was kicking into high gear at the new Eva G. Lipman Pickleball Complex, where attendees included the 2022 U.S. Open champion, Frank Solana, who was selling paddles to benefit the charity.

This was the first official tournament to be held at the courts, which were finished as part of the JCC’s major construction project last year.

There were five events total, three men’s and two women’s, of varying skill levels. Lisa Freedman, who with her partner, Marita Anderson, won the women's begin-

ner’s event, had experience with the charity before.

“Save a Child’s Heart - I’ve had the pleasure, the blessing, to be able to visit it in person in Israel,” said Freedman. “It’s truly remarkable, the work that they are doing. So, to be able to be out there, to benefit SaCH, is huge.”

Jake Summerfield, who with his dad, Danny, won the men’s intermediate, also expressed his excitement.

“This is my first time being here. It was really fun,” he said. “And I went to Israel with Macey Meyers for Save a Child’s Heart, and it’s a great cause.”

Lawrence Golomb, who won the men’s advanced, almost couldn’t compete after his original partner, Philip Rubin, was injured days before.

“Teddy (Zhang) - my son’s really close friend, - he was able to fill in last minute,” said Golomb. “I called him Thursday night and he said ‘yeah, love to do it.’ Really, what it’s about is for charity, right – we’re helping kids who have heart conditions. So, at the end of the day that’s the main thing. We enjoyed it, and we’ll be back next year.”

Overall, the event raised $80,000 –roughly equivalent to saving five children’s lives. ì

Winner’s Circle

Women’s Intermediate: Kelly Kuchta and Allison Lizcano

Women’s Beginner: Marita Anderson and Lisa Freedman

Men’s Advanced: Lawrence Golomb and Teddy Zhang

Men’s Intermediate: Danny Summerfield and Jake Summerfield

Men’s Beginner: Alon  Avisor and Matheus Bumbel

Basketball 3x3: Ryan Altman, Gabe Alterman, Jake Barras

We can’t ensure this Rosh HaShanah will usher in a peaceful year. But with your support, Magen David Adom can continue to be a source of light, hope, and lifesaving care to all Israelis — no matter what 5785 brings.

Close to 200 participants, family, and friends, attended the opening ceremony.

Huddle Up: Zalik Leads Local Mentor Exchange

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Headlining Atlanta’s second annual Huddle networking event was fintech entrepreneur/ philanthropist David Zalik who captured the audience by detailing his journey from a precocious childhood through a roller coaster ride of businesses to arrive as the main event speaker in his own new building, The Dupree, in Sandy Springs.

On Sept. 17, Zalik was interviewed in conversation with mentor and mega banking tech entrepreneur Michael Karlin.

Rabbi Yossi New welcomed the group by explaining that this upcoming shabbat was “Chai Elul,” which magnifies both the birthdays of the Bael Shem Tov and Rabbi Schneur Zalman and their contributions to the Hassidic mission and equating “love of G-d” to “love of fellow man,” which translates appropriately into the power of networking.

Karlin, who is credited with innovating online banking by age 30, relayed his long relationship with GreenSky founder Zalik, who painted a vivid picture of

Karlin conversed with David Zalik over his successful career which culminated in his dedication to philanthropy.

growing up in Alabama, entering Auburn University as a young teen, and being an outsider because of his Jewish identity.

Zalik’s mother, Raya, told the AJT in the pre-function exchange, that she knew her son would be “something special” and told him so at a young age. About

growing up in a small Southern town, he said, “I don’t know if it was fear of being beaten up, but lack of tolerance there informed my identity. My father fought in the Yom Kippur War, and I knew that appeasing bullies does not work.”

As a child, Zalik had a high score on

the Duke TIP early SAT program, and soon learned the value of a dollar -- he had to work to buy a car to go on dates. At 22, he sold his first company for $1.5 million. But not so fast, through decades of starts and stops, Zalik paid bills with credit cards at oppressive interest rates.

The Balser Tower: Jewish Atlanta’s Best Kept Secret

When it comes to living the dream, Janet Snider has it figured out. The 88year old resident of the Meyer and Roslyn Balser Tower enjoys spending time with her longtime friends and neighbors at the best kept secret in Atlanta.

Known as The Tower to many native Atlantans, The Balser Tower (formerly the Jewish Tower) offers adults age 62+ the beautiful surroundings of Buckhead with the amenities of a full-service active adult community, at a fraction of the cost of other senior communities.

Janet Snider has lived at The Balser Tower for the past 21 years. “I like the activities, and I like the residents. It’s my home. There is a garden in front that is so lovely. I just took a pleasant walk around, and now I’m about to partake in the greatest benefit of living here—the restaurant. Whether you keep kosher or not, the food is wonderful.”

The renaming of the 46-year-old Tower followed a $24 million renovation of all 200 individual apartments as well as structural items such as roof, HVAC and plumbing. Phase Two, which begins this fall, will include updates to all common area spaces and elevator lobbies.

The renovated apartments are a show-stopper. Floor to ceiling windows, new flooring, new bathrooms with walk-in showers, and completely redesigned, fully equipped kitchens offer a bright and modern space for older adults to age in place without the financial burden.

Dining with her friends at the oncampus café, Janet had something to say about her new apartment. “I love it! There is so much more storage. My daughter is moving to an apartment near Chastain Park, and my new apartment has more kitchen cabinet space than hers!”

From the amenities and outings to the assistance from staff with safety devices and support services, there is security in knowing that caring individuals are looking out for you while also encouraging independence.

Open to people of all faiths, races and ethnicities, Balser Tower residents have the benefit of being able to qualify for subsidized rent through HUD. Based on income, residents pay a small percentage of market rent, some just $300/month.

The Balser Tower also includes a full-

time activity director; group transportation; a primary care clinic and short term rehab on site; a beauty shop, chapel and gift shop; the security of being on the larger Jewish HomeLife campus; and a kosher restaurant offering chef-prepared lunch and dinner daily.

Over the summer, Jewish HomeLife worked through the more than 5 year waiting list, filling the 50 apartments that were kept vacant during the renovation.

“The waiting list is shorter than it has ever been, and our Google reviews and customer satisfaction scores are higher than ever before,” said Executive Director Felicia Marable. “I encourage all older adults in our community to add themselves to our waiting list.”

For more information, visit www. jewishhomelife.org/balser-tower or contact us at 404.351.3536.

Michael

Alina Feingold, expert in facial DNA, and Aurora Schwartz, who runs Jewish women’s retreats, came to huddle.

Enjoy Full Service Spa, Hair & Nail Salon and Fitness & Wellness Classes

Zalik came to Atlanta in 1996 during the Olympics. Wife, Helen (married 2004), a Duke law school graduate, served as an anchor of encouragement, and is credited for convincing him to turn down a lucrative offer to “make even more money,” when it was time for him to retire, serve the Jewish people and work with her in philanthropy. A jocular Zalik said, “Can you imagine getting the message back to a non-Jew at Goldman Sachs, ‘Zalik is rejecting our offer to go ‘serve the Jewish people?’”

Backing up, the GreenSky “highs and lows” could be a book in itself. At one point, David realized he could actually pay his bills (most excitedly Jewish Day School tuition), and said, “In 2018, I made $16 million, then paid $8 million of it in taxes. It took 15 years. I was not an overnight success. Various buyout offers tanked and eventually the right one came through.

Zalik’s bottom line and true vision was his dedication to creating value for customers and constituents. He said, “I, myself, do not have a college degree. Pay attention to who is smart vs. wise. Smart people have both good and bad answers … curiosity and humility are what counts. We cared about the outcome, not the process.”

The foundation Helen started in 2018 is about giving back: 80 percent to the Jewish world and 20 percent to the local community like children’s health care. “Jewish education and experiences are expensive. Education is our future,” summarized David.

After the interview, the 120 par ticipants went into a larger room with separate huddle tables with various leaders heading topics like “How to Get a Business off the Ground” with Mookie Deitsch, CEO Bonnie and Pop; “Climbing the Corporate Ladder” with Mitchell Ko pelman, GP Aprio; “The Secret to Hiring Great Talent” with Eric Adelman, busi ness coach; “Performance Marketing with Steve Storch, COO Network; “Sales to Grow Your Company” with Adam Dorfman, DMC Atlanta,; and “How to Position Yourself to Land the Next Job” with Jonathan Graber, talent acquisition, Gynger.

The Huddle event committee included Noach Pawliger, Naftali Zakon, Julie Sack, Adam Kaye, Eric Adelman, and Shmuly Wolff.  The event producer, who sponsors Huddles around the U.S., is Rabbi Yehoshua Werde, out of Crown Heights, N.Y. On Nov. 18, the Huddle will be in Broward County, Fla., with Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Houston following. ì

Rabbi Yehoshua Werde produces Huddle events around the U.S.

Community leader Adrian Grant (second from left) is flanked by Eric Adelman, Jonathan Graber, and Steve Storch.

Michael Karlin, Raya Zalik (mother), and David Zalik networked before the formal program.

Rabbi Cosgrove Pens New Book on Jewish Identity

By Robyn Spizman Gerson

Many Atlantans will recognize the name Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD, who has served as the rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York since 2008. A leading voice of American Jewry and preeminent spiritual leader, he represented the Jewish community at the National September 11 Memorial Museum during Pope Francis’ visit to New York. The author of 16 volumes of sermons, and podcast host of Conversations with Cosgrove, Rabbi Cosgrove has written a hot-off-the -press book entitled, “For Such A Time as This: On Being Jewish Today.”

In conversation, he explained his gulp moment was when a dear friend shortly after the attacks of Oct. 7 called him and said, “Elliot, whatever plans you have for this year, your life has changed.” The Jewish community woke up to an unrecognizable new reality and Cosgrove added, “The script for the most horrible reasons was rewritten. I pivoted, the synagogue pivoted, and the Jewish community pivoted.”

L'Shanah

Tovah

Over the following months framing the singular moment as our world tragi-

ple. Oct. 7, beyond the horror of the day, brought these thoughts into full view. In writing this book, I describe the road that led us to that day, what followed and offer some preliminary path forward.”

cally changed, he wrote a page-turning, tallit-bag sized purpose-inspired book. Cosgrove’s skillful narrative emotionally embraces the reader from page one into the path that Rabbi Cosgrove has taught and shared for decades. He sensitively guides how we must move forward despite the trauma, and even because of it, to explore our own Judaism and faith.

Cosgrove explained, “The title was drawn from the scroll of Esther which is read by the Jewish community during the festival of Purim. This serious story is told of Queen Esther at a critical moment and referenced as, ‘for such a time as this.’ I asked myself and my community at this moment of crisis to leverage our position towards the wellbeing of the Jewish people in the same way that Esther did.”

While Cosgrove is aware of the blessings in his life, he cares deeply for our strong and supportive community who are invested in the Jewish and civic world and added, “I had long hoped to write a book. It was a challenge as the events were unfolding and it’s with great sadness now, that the war is still being waged, hostages are still captive and the tensions on campus life are erupting again.”

Rabbi Cosgrove continued, “For years, I have been speaking about the themes of American Jewish identity, the Diaspora of Israel, the line between antiZionism and antisemitism, and the generational divide within the Jewish peo-

With great intention, Cosgrove explained, “I often think that the job of a rabbi or a pastor is to give someone a vocabulary to speak about what they are experiencing. Addressing the sorrow of losing a loved one, the unknown feelings facing illness, or the joy of a child being born, is what I do each day as a rabbi. I think this book provides a vocabulary for American Jewry to talk about the moment in which we find ourselves and my hope is that it serves as a way people can talk between one generation and the next, the political and toxic divides, and discourse of our times. I hope it will remind us of the enemies from within, how we talk to each other and show each other that in the world we can disagree without being disagreeable. These are the values in which I believe and are championed in this book.”

Focused on hope, Cosgrove shared, “Hope is the ingredient that is at the foundation of this message and our people. Israel’s national anthem is "Hatikvah" .. which means ‘the hope.’ In the darkest of times, we have always believed that tomorrow can be better than today. To be a Jew is to work towards a desired future (tikkun olam) even if we don’t arrive there. Right now, the fevering hope I have is that the Jewish people can live at peace side by side with their Palestinian neighbors. Hope is not something abstract that sits on a shelf, but hope prompts us to action.”

He continued, “I’m the father of four college-age kids, each of whom have thoughts and opinions of their own. Many are different from my own, but my goal as a rabbi, and a communal leader, is to create a metaphorical Jewish table that all of us can sit at and be in dialogue with each other and across the generations. I try to model in my life and this book that everyone has a seat at the table.”

“For Such A Time as This” is a modern-day guide for a new generation that is reconciling the past with the present and facing the unknown future with courage, spirit, and unwavering hope. Rabbi Cosgrave sheds light, “We are all shattered and like the Israelites of old we need to learn to keep on our journey forward not withstanding our broken state. As I told my congregations we, are traumatized, but we can’t be paralyzed.” ì

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove has published a new book about Jewish identity // Photo Credit: Karen Smul

“For Such A Time as This: On Being Jewish Today,” by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove is available as an E-book and audio book. (Sept. 24, 2024, Harvest, William Morrow)

Goodwill Honors Halpern with Leadership Award

By Robyn Spizman Gerson

Kirk Halpern’s work ethic is legendary. Not only is he committed to his own workforce at Farmers & Fishermen, but also deeply engaged in volunteerism and helping Goodwill of North Georgia educate individuals on how to succeed and prosper. His values are built on what’s good for the community, providing goodwill for those in need and us all.

It’s no surprise that Goodwill of North Georgia, the leading Goodwill organization for connecting job seekers with employment opportunities, is proud to announce that Halpern, a longtime advocate and leader within the organization and community, will be honored with the inaugural Community Leadership Award. This prestigious award will be presented at the upcoming Goodwill of North Georgia 2024 Battle of the BIZ! Gala on Oct. 26 at Flourish. As Goodwill’s only annual fundraising event, funds raised at the gala provide career training in high-demand fields, job placement services, and job retention support at zero cost to the jobseeker. Guests will enjoy dinner, dancing, a silent auction

and great company while they raise critical funds for their career readiness programs as Halpern receives his meaningful award.

During Halpern’s 12-year tenure on the Goodwill of North Georgia Board of Directors, including his roles as board chair and immediate past chair, his lead-

ership and vision have been instrumental in advancing Goodwill’s mission. Keith Parker, president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia, said, “We are honored to recognize Kirk Halpern with our first-ever Community Leadership Award. His tireless dedication, innovative thinking, and unwavering support have been instrumental in helping us fulfill our mission of putting people to work. Kirk’s impact will be felt for years to come, and we are grateful for his many contributions.”

Goodwill of North Georgia serves a 45-county territory with over more than stores and donation centers, as well as 14 career centers offering job training and placement services free of charge. The organization has been named the No. 1 Goodwill in the nation for putting people to work for five consecutive years, connecting more than 21,000 jobseekers with meaningful employment last year alone.

Halpern shared his passion for Goodwill and said, “I have had the benefit of working in hospitality my entire life. The reason I am so dedicated to Goodwill for over a decade and served on the board is because I understand how much Goodwill North Georgia impacts lives. When it comes to getting work, there should be no barriers. Goodwill assists folks so they can be engaged in the work force. I believe that by working with individuals to get back to work, it gives them hope. If we give people hope, including those in redemption, or have lost their jobs or unable to get employed for a list of reasons, we’re offering opportunity from a societal and individual aspect which is critically important.”

He added, “Whether it’s educating and training before interviewing or learning business skills, Goodwill North Georgia is great at it and assists individuals in mean-

ingful ways. I find it extremely important to go to graduations and events celebrating individual’s accomplishments. You’ll see people telling the story they were homeless and now they are supporting their family. Throughout my entire life, I have met individuals who need second opportunity assistance on soft skills and need our community. We can’t take this for granted. By being involved in the Goodwill movement focused on helping people grow, it made me a better and more thoughtful businessperson. When I had key moments after COVID hit, I pivoted in 13 hours and kept my workforce. I was also committed to helping save employees at other companies to find work and together we grew through the pandemic.”

Regarding the upcoming event, Halpern explained further, “If you’ve ever enjoyed watching ‘Shark Tank,’ this is ‘Shark Tank’ with a heart.” These stories are the definition of the American Dream. Goodwill assists would-be entrepreneurs, the people who want to live their dreams, whether it’s opening a shop, taking a family recipe handed down from a grandparent, or opening a hair salon or any of the endless goals. These people love a craft or a trade and need to learn how to be businesspeople, get capital, how to put together a business plan and negotiate things that are tough to do. We are a resource for them, mentorship and the yearly culmination is the Battle of the BIZ! competition.”

Halpern’s leadership helped to guide Goodwill of North Georgia Board of Directors towards greater inclusivity, achieving a balanced representation of 50-50 female/ male and 50-50 white/black with 13 percent Latinx membership. He set an example of engagement and commitment by consistently attending board and committee meetings, participating in special events, and encouraging fellow board members to share their “Goodwill story” to help spread the organization’s mission and reach as many North Georgians as possible. His contributions went beyond financial support; he freely provided resources and expertise from his business, Farmers & Fishermen, to benefit Goodwill’s events and programs.

Halpern’s commitment to Goodwill extended to his support of the GoodBIZ! program, where he played a crucial role in helping hundreds of aspiring business owners realize their entrepreneurial dreams. His contributions, both financial and strategic, have left an indelible mark on the organization and the communities it serves. To learn more about Goodwill of North Georgia and support the upcoming event or purchase a table, tickets, or bid on one of the fabulous silent auction items visit www.goodwillng.org/battle. ì

Goodwill of North Georgia honored Kirk Halpern with the inaugural Community Leadership Award. This prestigious award will be presented at the upcoming Goodwill of North Georgia 2024 Battle of the BIZ! Gala on Oct. 26 at Flourish.

Alterman Concert Explores Jewish Popular Music History

By Bob Bahr

During a recent evening of familiar toe tapping melodies, Joe Alterman and his jazz trio guided his audience at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody through a brief history of the Jewish influence on popular music in America.

The Atlanta musician grew up in a prominent Jewish family. Although other members of the Alterman family chose business careers, he said he chose to become a musician partly as a way to come to terms with his life and his faith. In recent years, he’s served as Artistic and Executive director of Neranenah, the local Jewish concert and culture series.

As he freely admitted, he found in the jazz that he explored as a young person a way both to understand himself and his life as a Jew. In that way, perhaps he was not unlike the long list of JewishAmerican composers who transformed themselves and American music through the songs they wrote and the lyrics that went along with them.

Starting with the music of Irving Berlin, who wrote his first big international hit, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” in 1911, Jewish song writers, as Alterman pointed out, were at the heart of the explosive growth of popular music in America. As their power and influence grew, they helped to redefine Americans to themselves.

“Irving Berlin wrote such important songs as ‘White Christmas,’ ‘God Bless America,’ and ‘Easter Parade,’” Alterman said. “As Philip Roth, the famous Jewish novelist famously wrote, Irving Berlin turned the two of America’s major religious holidays, Christmas and Easter, into holidays about snow with ‘White Christmas’ and shopping with ‘Easter Parade.’”

Through their music they often became richer and more financially secure than the more famous singers and instrumentalists who played it. Berlin claimed to have taken less than 15 minutes to write down the tune that became his first smash hit. He was only 23 when he wrote it. Sales of the sheet music, which was the way hits were calculated in those days, sold a million copies the first year.

A decade later, George Gershwin repeated the success, with “Swanee,” a signature tune for the most popular singer of the day, the Jewish Al Jolson. The lyrics by Irving Caesar, were said to have been put together in only 10 minutes while he was riding a bus. With the money he made off their hit, Gershwin was able to

concentrate on more serious projects, such as the 1935 folk opera, “Porgy and Bess.” He died suddenly of a brain tumor in 1937. Alterman included a sensitive and reflective reading of Gershwin’s last song, “Our Love Is Here To Stay.” George Gershwin’s longtime collaborator, Ira Gershwin, added the lyrics after his brother’s death.

In the Gershwin body of work as with Berlin’s, as Alterman pointed out in his program, there is the quality of being not quite a part of the America they so influenced. Those who came here as impoverished immigrants were trying to find freedom after living where they were oppressed and stifled. In America they found a refuge, but many were, he maintains, still outsiders, observers of life, with their faced pressed against the window.

“To me it’s really fascinating that Berlin really represents this outsider, insider thing,” Alterman observed. Many of them never felt fully accepted in this nation of immigrants. “But it was enough for a lot of these Jewish composers just to be happy to be living in America. They really wanted to embrace being American.”

When Berlin married Ellin Mackay, a Roman Catholic heiress in 1926, her father disowned her because she had married a Jew. As a wedding gift, Berlin gave his wife the publication rights to his hit, “Always,” so she would feel financially secure. They were married 62 years.

It’s probably impossible to calculate the contribution that Jews have made to popular music, but one of Alterman’s mentors, Ben Sidran, who has lectured on the history of American music at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, estimates Jews

have contributed as much as 80 percent of this country’s most important popular works.

In his important study, “There Was A Fire: Jews, Music and The American Dream,” Sidran traces the influence Jews have had on this nation’s melodies. For him, his interest in studying the role of music in Jewish life began at a Rosh Hashanah service in 1981 when he approached the person leading the service and asked if he could help with the musical performance. As he wrote in his book, which was finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards, the music stirred him in ways he couldn’t fully explain.

So, too, for Alterman, as he led his trio, with authority and a strong sense of purpose through his own Jewish journey -- and how the music that Jews have created has changed his life. ì

Joe Alterman and his trio appeared at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody.

George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin (left) are pictured composing their last song, “Our Love Is Here To Stay.”

Sultan-Dadon: Diplomatic Corps Needs Female Leaders

By Debbie Diamond

Israel’s Consul General to the Southeast, Anat Sultan-Dadon, emphasized the importance of placing more women as leaders of Israeli missions throughout the world when she spoke before trustees and guests at the Sept. 11 Impact Forum of the Year, sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta (JWFA).

Moderated by Melanie Nelkin, a JWFA trustee, Sultan-Dadon pointed out that adding more women to the leadership ranks of the diplomatic corps must be intentional and with specific measures in place to support the growth. During the program, which was formatted as a question and answer-style session, Sultan-Dadon said, “This is a work in progress, and will require changes in what some perceive to be a ‘macho culture.’ But women need to be at the table for the sake of a better society and enhanced decision-making. As women, we should not be shy about saying where we should be. Women are capable and do belong.”

A 20-year veteran of the diplomatic corps, Sultan-Dadon is the ranking diplomat of a seven-state region that includes Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. During the far-reaching conversation on topics ranging from Jewish identity to antisemitism on American college campuses, Sultan-Dadon stressed strengthening Jewish pride in younger generations as an antidote to rising antisemitism.

“When these young people get to college campuses, they will come equipped with a strong, proud sense of Jewish identity,” she said.

Even in the Southern region, which Sultan-Dadon describes as one of the most comfortable places in the country, she noted that there has been a different approach to Israel among college administrators since Oct. 7. She does not believe the college administrators are antisemitic, but that they are afraid of potential backlash.

“Doors at campuses that were once open to us are now closed. Thankfully, we are still able to reach students through the Hillels and Chabads on campus, but this development should be of grave concern to Jews in the United States,” she said.

Sultan-Dadon recounted the Oct. 7 massacre and spoke of the battle being fought in the international arena, stating that the fight to educate the public is as critical as the one being fought on the ground in Gaza. She recounted the af-

termath of the violence, particularly the rape and murder of Israeli women, and called out several international women’s groups and the United Nations for “not speaking out and losing their voice when Jewish women were brutalized.”

Sultan-Dadon spoke of leaders unwilling to take a clear stance on what she believes should not be a complicated subject.

“It is about standing for life, humanity and freedom. I ask how is it that many people have given into the demands [of protesters] and are appeasing those who do not share these important values,” she said.

Yet all is not doom and gloom, according to Sultan-Dadon’s assessment.

“We are living the dream of generations before us,” she said. “We have regained sovereignty in our ancient homeland. And no matter where we stand politically, Israelis are proud of our long and beautiful history.”

JWFA utilizes strategic grant-making to promote social change in the lives of Jewish women and girls living in Atlanta, Israel, and around the world. Each year, JWFA accepts proposals from potential grantee partners and makes al-

locations according to a group decisionmaking process. At the Impact Forum, WePower, a JWFA grantee since 2014, was spotlighted. JWFA has donated $180,000 to the organization, which promotes the representation of women in decisionmaking positions in Israel, particularly in the public and political sectors. Also during the session, the organization introduced its new executive director, Jodi Hirschfield, and honored Dina Fuchs Beresin, director of strategic programs, who is leaving the organization after six years. ì

Sultan-Dadon (right) provided thought-provoking responses to a myriad of topics raised by Nelkin, ranging from the war in Gaza to strife on American college campuses.

Melanie Nelkin and Anat Sultan-Dadon greet attendees during the reception that followed the forum.

Lisa Freedman, Lanie Kirsch, and Sheila Cranman catch up outside the Selig Auditorium following the event.

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Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, was recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Smart Hospitals in the World by Newsweek and Statista.

Sheba Medical Center Receives Top 10 Ranking

Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, was recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Smart Hospitals in the World by Newsweek and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. Sheba’s ranking at No. 10 is the first time the hospital has placed in the top 10 list, having previously ranked at No. 13 in 2023 and 2024. Over the past year, Sheba has emerged as a global leader in medical technology in-

Today in Israeli History

Sept. 30, 1986: Mordechai Vanunu, a nuclear technician who, in 1985, leaked details about Israel’s nuclear program in Dimona, is brought back to Israel to face trial on espionage charges, of which he is convicted in 1988.

Oct. 1, 1981: President Ronald Reagan announces a plan to sell F-15 fighter jets and Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes to Saudi Arabia. Israel adamantly opposes the sale, which he says is not a threat to Israel.

Oct. 2, 1947: David Ben-Gurion, the chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency since 1935, formally accepts the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine plan to divide the Mandatory Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.

Oct. 3, 2005: Sarah Levy-Tanai, a choreographer who incorporated Mizrahi and Ashkenazi elements and won the Israel Prize in art, music and dance in 1973, dies in her 90s. She founded the Inbal Dance Theater in 1949.

ISRAEL PRIDE

NEWS FROM OUR JEWISH HOME

novation, with several startups incubated within its facilities achieving successful exits valued at nearly $1 billion. These companies were developed from the concept stage through to full implementation at Sheba and are already making groundbreaking contributions to healthcare worldwide. The accolade was achieved despite the challenges of the ongoing war, and underscores Sheba’s ongoing commitment to providing highquality healthcare through and developing the most innovative healthtech advancements.

Sheba is the first Israeli hospital to make it to the Top 10 Smart Hospitals list, joining the ranks of other leading institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Mount Sinai Hospital. This year’s ranking, which assessed hospitals from over 30 countries, was based on hospitals’ use of digital technologies, including AI, robotics, telemedicine, and digital imaging, and was informed by an online survey of hospital managers and healthcare professionals around the world.

Compiled by AJT Staff

Oct. 4, 2003: A suicide bombing kills 18 Jews and three Arabs and injures 60 others at Maxim restaurant in Haifa. The beachfront restaurant, co-owned by Jews and Christian Arabs, is known as a symbol of coexistence.

Oct. 5, 1941: Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish member of the high court, dies at age 84 in Washington. His embrace of Zionism made its support more acceptable among American Jews.

Oct. 6, 1973: More than 70,000 Egyptian infantrymen and 1,000 tanks cross the Suez Canal on bridges erected overnight while Syria attacks Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, starting the Yom Kippur War.

Oct. 7, 1985: Members of the Palestinian Liberation Front seize the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro off the Egyptian coast, gather the passengers on deck and fatally shoot wheelchair-bound American Jew Leon Klinghoffer.

Jewish Tech Billionaire Returns After 1st Private Spacewalk

A Jewish billionaire spacewalker has returned to Earth with his crew, ending a fiveday trip that lifted them higher than anyone has traveled since NASA’s moonwalkers.

SpaceX’s capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas in the predawn darkness, carrying tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot.

Oct. 8, 1989: Singer Hagit Yaso, a winner of Israel’s version of “American Idol,” is born in Sderot to parents who escaped an Ethiopian village by walking four months through the desert to Sudan before flying to Israel.

Oct. 9, 1994: Hamas terrorists abduct soldier Nachshon Wachsman in central Israel by offering him a ride while wearing kippot and playing Hasidic music. A rescue ends in the deaths of Wachsman and the leader of the rescue team.

Oct. 10, 1961: Moshe Hess, originally buried in Cologne in 1875, is reburied at Kibbutz Kinneret beside other fathers of socialist Zionism. His “Rome and Jerusalem: The Last National Question” may have inspired Theodor Herzl.

Oct. 11, 1938: Arab leaders adopt the Resolutions of the Inter-Parliamentary Congress, rejecting Palestine’s partition, demanding an end to Jewish immigration but offering to let Jews who are already in Palestine remain.

They pulled off the first private spacewalk while orbiting nearly 460 miles above Earth, higher than the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. Their spacecraft hit a peak altitude of 875 miles following Tuesday’s liftoff.

Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk since the former Soviet Union scored the first in 1965, and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis the 265th. Until now, all spacewalks were done by professional astronauts.

Compiled by AJT Staff

Oct. 12, 1999: Israel refuses to let 26 Irish and Romanian tourists enter through Haifa for being members of an extreme Christian cult. The approach of the year 2000 raises fears in Israel about doomsday cults.

Oct. 13, 1969: Deputy Prime Minister Yigal Allon reveals his plan for home rule for the 650,000 Arabs living in the West Bank. They would have autonomy in municipal affairs, education, religious policy, commerce and police.

Oct. 14, 1994: The Norwegian Nobel Committee announces that Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres are sharing the Nobel Peace Prize with the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Yasser Arafat for achieving the Oslo Accords in 1993.

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

This image made from a SpaceX video shows the start of the first private spacewalk led by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, Sept. 12, 2024 // Photo Credit: SpaceX via AP/Times of Israel

The U.S. Air Force’s AWACS aircraft upgraded Saudi Arabia’s ability to track enemy planes.

A memorial to the Maxim victims now stands next to the rebuilt restaurant in Haifa.

An 1846 portrait by Gustav Köttgen shows Moshe Hess.

Israeli police deny using excessive force in barring entry to members of an extreme Christian cult at the port of Haifa on Oct. 12, 1999.

Families Raise Funds Overnight for Ambulances

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

The parking lot of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Sandy Springs looked much different on Tuesday night, Sept. 10. That’s because nine generous families donated two ambulances at a cost of $115,000 each to the Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services system.

This happened as a response to the Oct. 7 attacks and the feeling of doing something positive to help Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces overseas; and thanks to the fundraising effort of donor Judah Holland, who hopped on the phone – and in 18 hours had the whole project sewn up.

Holland said, “It’s all about the preservation of life. If you save one life, you save the world. Ambulances save a lot of lives.” His wife, Hillary, added “Am Yisroel Chai.”

The ambulances were manufactured in Elkhart, Ind., and will be taken back north on a flatbed truck to join eight other ambulances at the Port of Baltimore where they will traverse to Israel, all of which could take another six weeks depending on the shipping company’s logistics.

Noting that the donor families’ names were painted on the doors, the entire ambulance bodies will be repainted and equipped with Israeli reflective paint and state-of-the-art technology inside.

Jessica Nessim, vice president of American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), explained, “These are life support ambulances, and in other instances, we have bulletproof ambulances that cost $350,000. All have very detailed specifications laid out by the Ministries of Defense and Transportation … most importantly, while Hamas spreads darkness and tries to bring us down, we are about light and love.”

Nessim led the group in a red ribbon cutting, prayer for the State of Israel, and Shehehyanu blessing. Meanwhile, the spirited children of donors regaled in operating the lights and sirens on the parked vehicles.

After an indoor buffet dinner, Nessim explained that Billi and Bernie Marcus were the major funders of this effort, which is part of the Marcus’ overall investment in Israel’s underground blood bank center (the world’s first underground, anti-missile blood center) featured in the Atlanta Jewish Times, May 5, 2022.

Nessim stated, “Our organization

has many parts -- like supplying breast milk to the 18 kibbutz orphans left on Oct. 7 plus other mothers who joined the IDF and wanted their babies ‘nursed’. We also train paramedics for the IDF, and take some of the burden off the army, where we meet at the border to take a patient into Israel proper so that they [the IDF] can return to Gaza immediately. We are also the only country that has whole blood transfusions in the field. Overall, we have 32,000 volunteers and 3,000 fulltime employees … the shock and stress in war is very tragic … losing dozens of medics, once 12 in one day.” The blood center serves both the civilian and military populations.

The volunteer families were very modest about their donations. Julian Isakow told the AJT, “Helping Israel is only natural and part of my family’s tradition. My aunt was head of Magen David Adom in Toronto.”

Ian Ratner and Jeff Allen both stated, “When Judah called, we called right back immediately and were ‘in.’” Randall Katz stated, “How can you not help? We wanted to help out.”

One family of donors, the Rileys, are non-Jewish.

Nessim, who has been with AFMDA for eight years, concluded, “Actually it was a miracle that we were not destroyed. Hamas left us alone because for some unusual reason our gates were closed that day; and they realized it was too difficult to get in. Later, we saw their detailed maps to destroy our operation. While Hamas spends money on death tunnels, our donors’ efforts go to resup-

plying and building life.”   Donors were: Mendel Chazanow and family, Fredric Garvett and family, Hillary and Judah Holland and family. Deborah and Julian Isakow and family;

Erica and Randall Katz and family; Carol and lan Ratner and family; Bryant Riley and family, the Robinson and Ellerine families; and Drs. Mimi Zieman and Jeffrey Allen. ì

Hillary and Judah Holland led the fundraising efforts to support Magen David Adom in Israel.

The children of the donors tried out the lights and sirens and learned about the tradition of helping others.

Carol and Ian Ratner were eager to donate.

SPORTS

Falcons Induct Blank into Ring of Honor

David Ostrowsky

While millions may have tuned into Sunday night’s NBC broadcast of Atlanta’s Week 3 home tilt against Kansas City chiefly to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, KC tight end Travis Kelce, the evening was of especial relevance to the Falcons and their faithful as owner and chairman Arthur M. Blank was inducted into the Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony in which he was introduced by iconic actor Samuel L. Jackson and flanked on stage by former Falcons greats Warrick Dunn and Roddy White.

Blank became the 13th member of the franchise to receive the esteemed honor. During intermission of a Week 5 primetime matchup against divisional foe Tampa Bay on Thursday, Oct. 3, longtime Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan will join Blank to form the first multi-person class to enter the Ring of Honor since 2008, coincidentally Ryan’s rookie season, when Mike Kenn and Claude Humphrey joined the club’s immortal ranks.

“This year the group talked through a few different folks and Arthur and Matt Ryan were the two that everyone felt really good about inducting this year,” Falcons President Greg Beadles, who’s part of the committee that meets annually to consider new inductees, noted when speaking to the AJT last week.

“The body of his work as an owner, his influence on the team – both on the field and how he’s impacted the team off the field, how he’s impacted the city of Atlanta. Everything that Mercedes-Benz Stadium

During

means not only here locally but just nationally, and even internationally.”

When now-fellow Falcons Ring of Honor member Dunn, who’s also a limited partner of the franchise, broke the news to Blank back in June, the 81-year-old Queens, N.Y., native appeared to be taken aback as he watched a pre-recorded congratulatory video featuring Falcons legends Jessie Tuggle, Steve Bartkowski, and White. But for those who have been heavily invested in the team’s fortunes this century, Blank’s induction is hardly surprising. When he acquired the Falcons in 2002, the franchise had never posted consecutive winning campaigns. Since then, they’ve achieved the feat five times while making eight trips to the postseason, appearing in three NFC Championship Games (2004, 2012 and 2016) and representing the NFC in Super Bowl LI. However, since the Falcons transitioned from the Georgia Dome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they have yet to host a postseason game – a trend they are hoping to buck this

year amidst the surprisingly tough NFC South competition.

“On behalf of the Atlanta Falcons, it is a privilege to recognize two of our franchise icons as they enter our Ring of Honor,” Beadles remarked when the induction announcement was made back in June. “Since Arthur purchased the team in 2002, results on and off the field have elevated, and his unwavering dedication to the fans and city of Atlanta is worthy of this recognition and so much more.”

Ryan, who retired from the NFL this past April, spent 14 seasons in Atlanta under Blank’s stewardship, during which he quarterbacked the franchise to Super Bowl LI. Ryan established team records for career passing yards (59,735), passing touchdowns (367) and passer rating (94.6) while piloting the Falcons to the postseason on five different occasions.

“Matt’s character and talent on and off the field sets him apart as one of the greatest Falcons players ever, and we believe we’ll

see his career recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the future,” added Beadles.

Meanwhile, for Blank, a staple of his ownership tenure has been an unflagging commitment to implementing fan-friendly measures, most notably very reasonable prices for select food and beverage items throughout Mercedes-Benz Stadium available at not only Falcons games but also Atlanta United matches, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, SEC Championship Game, the College Football National Championship this coming January, FIFA World Cup 2026, and concerts. The innovative food and beverage pricing structure has indeed impacted the sports and entertainment industry worldwide as some other organizations have subsequently implemented similar models.

“We’re incredibly proud to have ranked No. 1 in food and beverage in the NFL’s Voice of the Fan survey for the past seven years,” Beadles said in a statement released by the Falcons last week. “Arthur’s leadership in prioritizing the fan experience is a hallmark of our organization. His influence goes beyond our organization and continues to drive positive change in the sports and entertainment industry.”

Accordingly, during Sunday evening’s game against the Chiefs, each fan received two complimentary hot dogs and two bags of chips per visit at more than 40 concession stands and portables locations around MSB, through the close of the third period. Those on hand were also gifted an Arthur M. Blank Ring of Honor souvenir cup that could be filled throughout the game at any free-standing Coca-Cola machine gratis.

Unfortunately, for Falcons fans, the more significant gift, a win to keep Atlanta on pace with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints in the NFC South, proved to be elusive as Kansas City escaped with a 22-17 win. ì

halftime of Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs -- perhaps the most highly anticipated football game in the history of Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Falcons principal owner Arthur Blank was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor // Photo Credit: Atlanta Falcons

Jewish, Israeli Paralympians Bring Home 13 Medals

By David Ostrowsky

A summer in which more than 20 Jewish athletes captured a grand total of 18 Olympic medals concluded with 15 Jewish and Israeli Paralympians capturing 13 more medals at the Paris Paralympics.

It was one of the true feel-good sports stories of 2024: more than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual disabilities competed from Aug. 29 to Sept. 8 at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. And when the games culminated in an aesthetically stunning closing ceremony at rain-drenched Stade de France Stadium in Saint-Denis, Israel, headlined by swimmer Ami Dadaon, took home 10 medals (four gold, four bronze, and two silver) while U.S. track and field star Ezra Frech secured his first-ever medals, a pair of golds on back-to-back days no less. In addition to Frech’s brilliant showing, American table tennis standout Ian Seidenfeld followed up his gold medalwinning Tokyo Paralympics by earning a bronze in the men’s singles MS6 competition.

When Dadaon, a 23-year-old Haifa native who overcame cerebral palsy to start swimming at the age of six, earned his bronze in the men’s 50-meter freestyle S4 competition (37.11 seconds) on the third-to-last day of the Paralympics, Israel finished with the aforementioned 10 medals, eclipsing its total of nine from the Tokyo Paralympics. It was the first time since the 2004 Athens Games that Israel accounted for a double-digit Paralympic medal grand total. Since the inception of the Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, Israel has been awarded 394 medals.

Along with his bronze medal-worthy performance in the 50-meter freestyle –an event in which he had entered these Paralympics with the world record before it was taken over by Canada’s Sebastian Massabie – Dadaon won gold in both the men’s 100-meter freestyle S4 and the men’s 200-meter freestyle S4 and took home a silver in the men’s 150-meter individual medley SM4.

Other Israeli medalists include rower Moran Samuel, who snagged her firstever Paralympic gold; martial artist Asaf Yasur, recipient of gold in the men’s 58-kilogram K44 taekwondo competition; the six-member Israeli women’s goalball team consisting of Lihi Ben David, 28, Gal Hamrani, 31, Elham Mahamid, 34, Noa Malka, 21, Or Mizrahi, 31, and Roni Ohayon, 25, (goalball is a handball-esque

sport for athletes with visual impairments); swimmer Mark Malyar, who collected a bronze in the men’s 100-meter backstroke S8 and whose brother, Ariel, also competed in France; bronze medalwinning wheelchair tennis player Guy Sasson; and rowers Shahar Milfelder and Saleh Shahin who together captured their first Paralympic medals in the PR2 mixed double scull.

Over on the American side, Frech, who came into the world missing his left knee and shinbone and with only one finger on his left hand, earned his firstever gold medal by posting a time of 12.06 seconds in the men’s 100-meter T63 final. “I crossed the line. I had no idea, looked up, saw my name first,” the 19-year-old American told NBC after he edged his closest competitor, Denmark’s Daniel Wagner, by merely 0.02 seconds. “Not what I was expecting, but, damn, am I hyped.”

The very next day, Frech followed up his first-ever gold by nabbing another one in the men’s high jump by clearing

a height of 1.94 meters. In doing so, he established a new Paralympic record, one that was just shy of his own world record.

After his banner performances, Frech, who has his sights set on being regarded as the greatest Paralympian of all time and bagging gold in the long jump, high jump and 100-meter sprint (the “triple crown”) in the 2028 Paralympics in his Los Angeles hometown, remarked, “I would trade in every medal, every world record, every national championship title if it meant I could normalize disability in the process. That’s what I’m about. I just know that those accolades are a step to reach that larger goal.”

Meanwhile, the United States was also supported by one of the country’s elite table tennis players in Seidenfeld, who has been coached by his father Mitchell Seidenfeld, a three-time Paralympian (1992, 1996 and 2008) and fourtime medalist, since he was five years old. During the 2021 Tokyo Games, Seidenfeld, a native of Lakeville, Minn., who

was born with a bone growth disorder known as Pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism, bested the No. 1 ranked player in the world for the gold medal. This summer, the 23-year-old advanced in the round of 16 and quarterfinal matches in men’s table tennis singles MS6 before falling in the semifinal to Italy’s Matteo Parenzan. By virtue of reaching the semifinals, Seidenfeld received his second Paralympic medal in three years.

“I worked really hard to win both of these medals,” Seidenfeld, a University of Minnesota alum, told teamusa.com. “So, the medals are great. But I just appreciate how I persevered through a lot of challenges throughout the last three years. And then I know I’ll persevere through the next four more.”

Over the next four years, the Summer Paralympics will resume in Los Angeles in 2028 while the next iteration of the Paralympics, the 2026 Winter Paralympics, is slated to take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in March 2026.  ì

Still a teenager, Ezra Frech has a chance to establish his legacy as the alltime most decorated Paralympian // Photo Credit: Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games social media

Just like his father who doubles as his coach, Ian Seidenfeld has spent his whole life transcending physical disabilities to emerge as one of the country’s truly elite table tennis players // Photo Credit: USA Table Tennis

Twins Double Their Soccer Expertise

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

The Elkounovitch soccer family went to London for just over a week of tournaments where the U.S. sent a delegation of athletes to participate in the European Maccabi Games ahead of the Israel games next year. Ari Elkounovitch, the only Georgia soccer player chosen to represent Jewish USA, was born in South Africa, on July 4, 2008, alongside twin brother, Tal. The family immigrated to Atlanta in 2010.

Ari started playing soccer at age two, then went from the Atlanta Jewish Academy to Saint Francis School and is currently a student at Riverwood International Charter High School where he is a varsity wrestler and taekwondo black belt.

His twin, Tal, also loves soccer and plays at a less competitive level. Mom, Romi, said, “He is very proud of his brother and never jealous. Tal played for Maccabi for the last three years representing Team Atlanta in San Diego, Israel, and Detroit. They are best friends and love doing things together.”

When Ari and Tal played for Atlanta soccer in the JCC Maccabi Games in Israel, they were spotted by a Dallas-area scout and asked for video footage. After clips were made, even though Ari was on the “younger" side, the coaches thought he was strong enough to compete. Ari plays left or right wing; but with Maccabi he plays other positions as he’s flexible enough to play forward. Tal plays center mid-back and is used to defending against Ari when they play at home together.

For the important London game, Ari scored one goal and assisted on another

goal in the final win against Germany. Due to the long distances between players, there was no practice until they all met in London the day before the games.

Romi explained, “All year long they were expected to be ‘soccer-fit,’ and all

play at very high levels. They really needed to quickly get to know each other and absorb what the coach expected. They did have specific requirements at home, like running at a certain time -- five kilometers every day.”

In Atlanta, Ari practices at least six hours a week and plays two to four games per weekend.

However, accidents do happen ... and six weeks before the Maccabi games Ari fractured his tibial plateau (below the knee) in club soccer tryouts and injured some ligaments. Luckily, mom Romi is a physiotherapist and orchestrated an elaborate and successful rehab so that he healed just in time to compete. More recently, Ari flew to Dallas in late August for tryouts for July 2025 Israel Maccabi Games. Parents and fans are hoping for positive news in September.

Dad, Ron, described the pervasive Jewish spirit in London mingling with parents from various states and different levels of religious observance. “We were all wearing hostage tags, yellow ribbon,

‘bring them home’ caps and T-shirts and agreed how we have all reawakened since Oct. 7, and more so our kids’ loud and proud Jewish identity. We toured London a week before the games as a family to help avoid jet lag for Ari. Being cautious about antisemitism there, we asked Ari and Tal to remove their Star of David and chai necklaces; they absolutely refused!” In case the ups and downs of tournament play are not enough, the twins recall their unique bar mitzvah during COVID. They always wanted their ceremony to be held in Israel. After lengthy communication with the Israeli embassy, vaccinating, and praying, three days before the bar mitzvah, they received special permission to enter Israel -- only since Ron was born there and was granted this exception.   Romi recalled, “The twin boys, who were Levis on Rosh Chodesh at the bar mitzvah at the Kotel, were beyond special. We had yet another celebration at Congregation Beth Tefillah in Atlanta, and then a lively party on a dance floor over our pool!” ì

Ari had one score and one assist to beat Germany at the London games.

Tal practices six hours a week. He is also on the varsity wrestling team at Riverwood and is a black belt in taekwondo.

Parents Romi and Ron speak of the kinship and spirit of the Jewish athletes and families post-Oct. 7.

Twin, Ari, has played in three Maccabi soccer games.

Repair the World’s National Days of Jewish Service

Hadassah Empowers Get Out the Vote 2024

Hadassah Greater Atlanta (HGA) and the Hadassah Southeastern Region recently initiated a new campaign, GET OUT THE VOTE 2024, to encourage people of all ages to register and cast their vote. The deadline to register to vote in Georgia is Oct. 7.

Repair the World, an organization that mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service, has announced the National Days of Jewish Service (NDJS), to run from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2024.

“National Days of Jewish Service (NDJS) powered by Repair the World is back for a second year and at a crucial moment,” said Melissa Levine, senior director of Field Activation Repair the World.  “As we commemorate the anniversary of Oct. 7 amid the Days of Awe and approach a key election season, serving as a Jewish community has never been more important.”

Repair the World offered microgrants of up to $1,000 for Jewish organizations to host meaningful service programs as part of the initiative. So far, 40 partner organizations including JCCs, federations, synagogues, AEPi chapters,

and national partners of Repair like Moishe House have received microgrants to run programs. Repair anticipates more than 9,000 participants engaging in programs over the month of Jewish service.

“Whether you’re incorporating service into your planning for a commemorative event, or leading a community service project, or even organizing a poll worker registration drive, your participation can make a real difference,” continued Levine.

“In these pivotal Jewish moments, all Jewish communities should emphasize serving with, and alongside your neighbors as we strengthen each other, hitchazkut, in Jewish service” shared Levine.

For more information, please visit the Repair the World NDJS page at https://werepair.org/get-involved/campaign/ndjs/

Compiled by AJT Staff

Civic engagement is central to Hadassah’s commitment to promote voting. On Nov. 5, 2024, U.S. voters will elect a president, 34 senators, 435 representatives to the U.S. House and 11 governors and decide on at least 76 statewide ballot measures. These choices will impact our communities and the issues we care about in countless ways.

Hadassah is joining the Jewish Partnership for Democracy to encourage more people to work and volunteer at voting locations across the country. Election workers are critical to safeguarding our democratic process and helping ensure fair and safe elections where everyone’s voice is counted. An individual can learn about and sign up to be an election worker in their own through the Power the Polls link: www.powerthepoll.org/ hadassah

Hadassah has prepared a #HadassahVotes checklist to help you get ready to exercise your right to vote!

Step 1: Register to vote -- Verify your registration, update information, or register to vote for the first time by going to the Georgia My Voter Page site, https://

mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/

Step 2: Make a plan -- Will you vote early, by mail, or in person? Request your ballot, find your polling location, and verify if you need to bring ID.

Step 3: Research the issues -- Learn about ballot measures and where candidates stand on issues that matter to you.

Step 4: Vote -- Mark your calendar, set reminders and vote on or before Nov. 5.

Our Hadassah members are urging all their acquaintances, especially the young people – to register, request absentee ballots if needed, and turn out to the polls on election days. Hadassah is a partner of National Voter Registration Day. Members, leaders, and friends living in DeKalb County and Fulton County are encouraged to attend a training webinar to become deputy registrars, which allows them to assist with voter registration in the community and support Hadassah’s Get Out The Vote 2024 initiative. To contact Dekalb County go to www.dekalbvotes.com and click on “Voter Outreach” on the left. To contact Fulton County, go to https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/ fulton-county-departments/registrationand-elections/voter-education

To discover more about Hadassah and its advocacy events, please go to www.Hadassah.org.

Compiled by AJT Staff

Repair the World Volunteers engage in local volunteer programs for the National Days of Jewish Service // Photo courtesy of Repair the World

(From left) Etta Cohen, Lynn Owens, Gayle Krugman, and Simone Wilker show their support for Hadassah’s new initiative GET OUT THE VOTE 2024.

The Epstein School to Host Falcons & Friends Fiesta

The Epstein School invites the community to an exciting new event for prospective students and friends: the Falcons Football and Friends Fiesta! This tailgate event is designed to introduce prospective students to Epstein on Sunday, Sept. 29, from 12:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., cheer the Falcons on to a victory, and share a new initiative, the JCP Tuition Grant for Atlanta Jewish professionals.

Students from kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to bring a Jewish, non-enrolled-at-Epstein-friend, and join the festivities with their parents. The tailgate will include activities for the whole family including:

Cheering on the Atlanta Falcons: Watch the game live on our screens and show your support for the home team!

Football toss with inflatables: Test your throwing skills and enjoy a little friendly competition.

Crafts and games: Let your creativity flow and get in the zone.

Snack at our nacho bar: Savor delicious nachos with a variety of toppings. There might just be a fun margarita mocktail available at that nacho bar! (non-alcoholic margs will be served)

“We are excited to host the Football Friends Fiesta and provide the broader community a chance to sneak a peek

Dunwoody’s Pressure Washing Pros

into our school,” said Laura Weiss, Director of Recruitment and Enrollment at The Epstein School. “It’s a wonderful way for families to get to know our school, meet our Crew in Blue (middle school leaders and ambassadors), and enjoy an afternoon with friends. Additionally, we will have tuition grant information available for Atlanta Jewish non-profit professionals at our tailgate. Through the Jewish Community Professionals grant … qualifying families receive 50 percent off tuition at Epstein. This is a new initiative for K-8 students in the area, and we are excited to welcome new families who would benefit from this generous grant program.”

There is no entry fee to attend the Falcons Football and Friends Fiesta at Epstein. However, your name will need to be listed for admission with our security team, so we do ask that you register at https://epsteinatlanta.wufoo.com/ forms/football-friends-fiesta-at-the-epstein-school/

We encourage everyone to wear their favorite Falcons spirit wear or other pro football team spirit wear and join the fun! For more information about the JCP Grant and Epstein tailgate, please contact Laura Weiss at 404-250-5607.

Compiled by AJT Staff

By Jillian Gerson

In early August, Dunwoody High School Finance Academy members Adin Cristal, Bryan McEwen, Maurane Ndoli, and Drew Hastie replaced their schoolbooks with pressure washers.

Dunwoody Pressure Pros was formed with the motivation to fund their DHS Finance Academy in an effort to raise money for their school trip to New York later in the year.

“We chose pressure washing because it is a satisfying and fun way to make our neighborhoods look spectacular and give

back to our Dunwoody community. We also chose pressure washing because it was something we believed could challenge us, and building up our business could be a great experience!” says Cristal. “We also have been enjoying it and are motivated by our success. We have had to keep going and adding to our business!”

For more information about the Dunwoody High School Finance Academy or to inquire on how to donate, please visit the Dunwoody Pressure Washing Pros’ profile page on Instagram at https:// www.instagram.com/dunwoody_pressure_pros/

The Epstein School’s Falcons Football & Friends Fiesta is set for Sept. 29.

Adin Cristal, Bryan McEwen, Maurane Ndoli, and Drew Hastie of the Dunwoody High School Finance Academy.

Which Israel are You Talking About?

Dave Schechter From Where I Sit

When I hear politicians declare “I support Israel” or “I stand with Israel,” I want to ask: Which Israel are you talking about?

Unless it is clear which Israel is being talked about, there is room for misunderstanding or conversation that degenerates into argument, using the kind of language found on bathroom walls or, in an updated context, in online comment sections.

Israel today is far more diverse ethnically, racially, culturally, religiously, politically, and economically than those who pay only casual attention or tune in during a crisis may realize.

So, which Israel are you talking about?

Do you mean Israel as personified by its government or Israel as personified by its 9.9 million citizens?

Do you mean Israel as “the Jewish state” or the Israel whose citizens are 73.6 percent Jewish, but also 18 percent Muslim and less than two percent each of Christian and Druze?

Do you mean Israel as a nation of Jewish privilege or Israel as a democracy? The push-and-pull of these competing ideologies has existed throughout Israel’s 76 years. Some see them as incompatible, while others believe that they can be balanced.

Do you mean Israel within the 19491967 armistice lines or the post-June 1967, Six-Day War Israel, which controls territory — and circumscribes the lives of the non-citizen Arab population living within — that much of the world refers to as the “occupied” West Bank, but which many Jews call by the Biblical names Judea and Samaria?

Do you mean the Israel of Tel Aviv beaches and nightlife, of Jerusalem’s holy sites, of the southern desert and northern mountains, or the Israel of West Bank “settlements,” checkpoints and the sepa-

ration wall, and clashes between Palestinians and religious nationalist Jews?

Do you mean the Israel world-renowned for its medical and high-tech sectors or the Israel in which nearly 21 percent of the citizens (including 9.1 percent of children) live in poverty?

Do you mean the Israel that many Jewish Americans express fervent opinions about (even though more than half have never visited) or the Israel that some shrink from discussing to avoid arguments with family and friends?

Do you mean the Israel that encourages all Jews to make Aliyah or the Israel in which non-Orthodox Jews are discriminated against in matters of marriage, divorce, and conversion?

Do you mean the Israel that suggests Jewish Americans either make Aliyah or refrain from offering advice, or the Israel that annually receives $3.8 billion in primarily military aid from the U.S. and counts on Jewish Americans to lobby their elected representatives on its behalf?

Do you mean the Israel that calls itself (and is) America’s greatest ally in a difficult region or the Israel that sometimes behaves as if it takes American support for granted?

Do you mean the Israel that was attacked last Oct. 7 by several thousand Hamas-led terrorists, who slaughtered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251? Or the Israel that continues to wage war against Iranian-backed Hamas, with a five-digit death toll and destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure?

Do you mean the Israel that has suffered 8,000 rockets fired by Iranianbacked Hezbollah in Lebanon since

last Oct. 7, rockets that have displaced 100,000 people, killed 12 Druze children on a Majdal Shams playground, and set fires in several cities, including majorityArab and heavily Christian Nazareth? Or the Israel that targets Hezbollah personnel and military sites in Lebanon, while preparing for a possible second “hot” war front?

Do you mean the Israel in which hundreds of thousands of citizens weekly rally and march in opposition to government leaders who have yet to take responsibility for and who have resisted formation of a national commission of inquiry into the intelligence, military, and political failures before Oct. 7?

Do you mean the Israel whose prime minister revels in invitations to address the U.S. Congress or the Israel whose prime minister formed a Knesset majority by bringing into his coalition extreme right-wing and xenophobic ministers, who champion Israeli expansion in the West Bank and threaten to bring down the government if he agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza?

Do you mean the Israel whose prime minister has made it clear — and is not without a measure of public support for his position — that maintaining a military presence in Gaza is a higher priority than a ceasefire deal that could bring home the remaining 101 hostages (including the bodies of the at least onethird believed to be dead)?

Little about Israel is either/or, or black-and-white.

So, when you hear politicians say “I support Israel” or “I stand with Israel,” you might want to ask which Israel they are talking about. ì

100 Years of Keeping Jewish Atlanta Connected

Michael A. Morris Publisher

This Rosh Hashanah marks the 100th year of publication of the Southern Israelite aka the Atlanta Jewish Times. To be fair, the Southern Israelite began as a temple bulletin at Beth Israel synagogue (B’nai Israel as it was known then) in Augusta under the tutelage of Rabbi Cert Strauss possibly in July of 1925. Beth Israel is now known by its more secular name, Congregation Children of Israel and is still active. Sometime between 1927 and 1929, Steven Schiffer, its first Editor, moved the production of the publication from Augusta to Atlanta and the paper became independent of the synagogue.

In 1975, the AJT turned 50. Adolph Rosenberg was the owner and Publisher and Vida Goldgar was Editor (she began as his Editor in 1969), both very well-known

names to the paper. Rosenberg took over for Schiffer in 1954 and Goldgar took the helm in 1980. The paper did mark its 75th anniversary in August of 2000 under its well-known Publisher Steve Levene. Over the next few months, I will mark the 10th anniversary of taking over the AJT.

What an amazing milestone for Atlanta’s Jewish newspaper and how remarkable that over the last 50 years, many of its Publishers and Editors are still well known in the community. Throughout the next 12 months, the paper and I are planning a variety of articles, issues and events to commemorate our history. We will publish old articles and advertisements, write about the paper’s history, and bring back Remember When 15, 35 and 75 years ago. We will celebrate the owners, publishers and editors that have kept the paper going through these years. And we will examine what the next 10 years look like for a newspaper in the digital age.

As we look to the new year and the celebrations ahead, we must always take a moment to reflect on what is happening now. Our family in Israel is still under

attack from Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the north, and Iran in the east. Approximately 700 IDF soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7 of last year, 800 civilian Israelis and 97 Israeli hostages remain unaccounted. In Ukraine, approximately 70,000 soldiers have lost their lives and over 11,000 civilians have been targeted and killed by Russia since its most recent invasion two years ago. The most unfortunate aspect in both conflicts -- the antagonists are not seeking peace but rather escalation.

While this will clearly dampen our spirits, it will not, in any way, negatively affect our resolve. I personally look for-

ward to celebrating the New Year with you, visiting and supporting Israel this coming year, celebrating family milestones, and celebrating the Atlanta Jewish Times’ 100th year in publication.

From me to you, from my family to your family, from the Atlanta Jewish Times to the Atlanta Jewish community, and to our brothers and sisters in Israel, I want to wish you a Chag Sameach, a year filled with health, happiness and joy, and Shanah Tovah U’Metuka (a good and sweet year)! ì

Michael Morris is the owner and Publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Clarity in the Face of Adversity

By: Anat Sultan-Dadon

“May the outgoing year and its curses come to an end, and may the new year and its blessings begin.” We recite these words each year as we welcome Rosh Hashanah, but this year, their meaning feels especially profound.

This past year has been defined by unimaginable pain, a deep and continuous pain since Hamas’s horrific October 7th terror attack on Israel. The loss of so many precious lives, the anguish of our brothers and sisters still held in captivity in Gaza, and the ongoing fight for our survival weigh heavily on us. We stand at

the dawn of a new year while the dust has not yet settled from the earth-shattering moment that has changed the world as we knew it.

Yet even in the face of these painful curses, it is important to also acknowledge the blessings. We are fortunate to live in a time when the Jewish people have reclaimed their sovereignty in the land of Israel—a dream generations of our ancestors longed for. Today, we have the ability to defend ourselves, the power to control our destiny. October 7th was a stark reminder that evil still exists and that there are those who continue to seek our destruction. But we are not powerless.

Our people’s strength and resilience—our superpower—has shone brightly in this difficult year. Heroism is embedded in our history, from biblical times to the modern State of Israel. Our history is filled with ordinary men and women rising to extraordinary challenges, and this past year has been a shining example of that. On October 7th and in the war since then, Israelis from all walks of life have rushed to help—soldiers, civilians, security forces, and volunteers. They rushed not from, but toward the danger, risking their lives to save others, demonstrating the unshakable will and commitment to one another that has defined our people for millennia.

Beyond Israel’s borders, the Jewish

Letters to the Editor

The AJT welcomes your letters. If you would like your letter to be published, please write 200 words or less, include your name, phone number and email, and send it to kaylene@atljewishtimes.com.

Letter to the Editor,

If you are Jewish or believe that Israel has a right to exist, you need to vote for Trump in November.  Not because I like a markedly flawed Trump but because Israel has a better chance to survive under Trump’s policies. Can we really take a chance on the schizophrenic and untrustworthy policies of the Biden-Harris/Walz administration? Israel needs American support. You as a voter have the capability to ensure that the best chance for Israel to exist is under Republican leadership.

Your European ancestors went to concentration camps not knowing that there would be a country called Israel and that you could vote as an American citizen to ensure the probability that Israel could survive in a very bad neighborhood. Israel cannot make one fatal mistake against its enemies and you cannot make a mistake by taking a chance on a Democratic administration which has shown questionable Israeli support as demonstrated by the following examples: Harris refusing  to attend the recent speech that Netanyahu gave to Congress; President Biden saying that Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure a deal with Hamas right after the six hostages were executed; Walz purposely ignoring a journalist’s question about the six murdered hostages and recently telling a Michigan radio station that those Americans protesting American support for Israel’s war against Hamas are doing so for “all the right reasons;” President Biden withholding arms to Israel during the war and telling Netanyahu not to proceed with his planned operation in Rafah where Hamas

people’s support has been remarkable. Here in Atlanta and across the globe, our brothers and sisters have stood with us, embodying the age-old value of communal responsibility, that all Jews are responsible for one another. This support has strengthened us, proving that Israel’s strength comes not only from within, but also from the unique bond with our Jewish brothers and sisters in the diaspora. Though we may differ in location, views, or affiliations, our shared identity unites us.

The late Israeli poet Haim Gouri was known to respond to the question, “How are you?” with a simple yet profound statement: “I am as my people are.” Many of us have struggled with that question this year. How can we say we are fine when the blood of our brothers and sisters cries out from the earth? When our brother and sisters are crying out from the dark tunnels in Gaza? When our beautiful children are paying with their lives in the defense of our future? But at the same time, how can we honor their memory if we do not live fully, appreciating the blessings of our peoplehood and our sovereign nation?

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, I would like to ask each of you- in the face of the rampant antisemitism, hold your heads high, stand tall with Jewish pride. Do not let the voices of hate confuse you. The fact that Israel must defend itself

Disclamer to our readers:

from those who seek its destruction does not mean that we are in the wrong. When faced with an enemy that seeks our annihilation, we have two choices: fight or be slaughtered. Our choice is clear and we must not apologize for doing what any sovereign nation would do- defending our people and our homeland.

The declared goal of the Iranian regime and its terror proxies is not political, it is genocidal. And their fanatical agenda extends far beyond Israel and the Jewish people. While the hate filled rhetoric in the international arena may be loud, we have truth on our side. Our path is clear, grounded in the same morals and values that have guided us for millennia. We will fight and overcome this evil, because we have no other choice. And when the time comes, when we face leaders brave enough to choose the path pf peace- as others in the region have done- we will pursue every avenue to achieve peace, for the sake of all our children. May the coming year bring the long-awaited return of all of the hostages. May it be a year of renewal, healing and rebuilding. And may we find the strength to enjoy the sweet blessings that surround us.

L’Shana Tova U’Metukah.

Anat Sultan-Dadon is the Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States.

This section of the newspaper is a forum for our community to share thoughts, concerns and opinions as open letters to the community or directly to the newspaper. As a letter to the editor, we proof for spelling and grammatical errors only. We do not edit nor vet the information the letter contains. The individual signing the letter is accountable for what they share.

had hunkered; the press fawning over Harris’s husband being Jewish and yet raised a daughter who posted a link to donate to the UNRWA.

Kamala Harris does not have a long history of Israeli support like most career Democrats including Biden and look how much Biden wobbled on Israeli support. Don’t be surprised if Harris goes further left on Israeli support than what she says before the election. Please don’t be ignorant or believe that a Democratic president or politician will always have Israel’s back. Actions speak louder than the words given at political rallies, conventions, or during a debate. The survival of Israel should be the litmus test for you for the upcoming election. Please vote for Trump who is the candidate who will conduct American policies so that Israel can survive.

Joel Schancupp, Atlanta

Letter to the Editor,

Dear Toby, I have just read your article in the Jerusalem Report in response to my recent New World Order article. Of course, you are right to tear it to pieces in light of today's world but you have failed to realize that in it I look forward to the future and how with Hashem's help we shall overcome all the difficulties you mention and create the new world we all crave for and which millions of ordinary folk are praying for – a world of peace.

David Herman, Jerusalem

If you care at all about the people of Israel….

Sadly, the brutal Hamas attack on Oct 7th and its overwhelming support in Gaza and the West Bank affirms once again that the Palestinian Arabs remain unwilling to make peace with Israel. Peace partners don’t rape, massacre, murder and burn babies alive.

The tragic history is that the Palestinian Arabs have repeatedly rejected two-state solutions for almost a hundred years and the first Oct 7-like attack occurred in 1929. Those forcefully pushing for the creation of a Palestinian-Arab state are making a horrible mistake that will not lead to peace or security for anyone.

Compelling Israel to carve an unstable Arab state out of her strategic heartland means Israel becomes indefensible (US Joint Chiefs of Staff). Most Israelis would live within easy attacking distance of a hostile border. Jordan will become a second terroristsoaked Lebanon and Jerusalem will be at the western border of the Iranian terrorist-controlled octopus. Iranian fighters and arms (including primitive dirty nuclear suitcase bombs) will be able to freely flood into the heart of Israel and Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion, will become too dangerous to use.

Thank you for caring. WorriersForIsrael

Rabbis Prep for Challenges of High Holiday Sermons

By Bob Bahr

Like an NFL quarterback getting ready for the big game or a star pitcher for the Braves warming up in the bullpen during a crucial World Series matchup, rabbis are facing the challenges of writing their High Holiday sermons this year. In recent weeks, there have been several workshops for rabbis in search of advice on how best to confront the many important issues that face us in a post-Oct. 7 world.

At the top of the list is a consideration of the issues confronting Israel as it wages what seems like an endless war with its foes in Gaza, Lebanon, and on the West Bank. But there are also questions to confront about Israel’s relationship with the Diaspora and the world community outside its borders.

There has been no shortage of advice and resources for rabbis searching for ideas and the most effective way to present them. Earlier this month, the Atlanta Rabbinical Association was among the many organizations offering counsel

At Congregation B’nai Torah, Rabbi Joshua Heller has been impressed by a recently published book about love and its role in Jewish thought..

to its members on how to talk about the developments in the Middle East over the past year.

Nationally, organizations with a more partisan bias, such as T’ruah, a rabbinic gathering that describes itself as “a call for human rights,” offered rabbis a

Rabbi Ed Feinstein views this year’s sermons as an opportunity for rabbis to provide critical leadership.

seminar on what was termed “the collision between compassion and fear.”

At Congregation B’nai Torah, in Sandy Springs, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement, Senior Rabbi Joshua Heller keeps a file all year about what he might discuss from the pulpit on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He’s been particularly impressed by a book that was authored by a colleague and friend, Rabbi Shai Held, who is president and dean of the Hadar Institute in New York and an influential and innovative voice in American Judaism.

L’Shana Tova

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ROSH HASHANAH

Israel’s war over the last year is among the most important topics rabbis are wrestling with this year.

His book on the theme of love in Judaism, which is subtitled, “Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life,” received accolades when it was released last fall. Rabbi Held visited Atlanta early in September and the volume has inspired a series of study sessions at Rabbi Heller’s synagogue this year.

One of the questions the Sandy Springs rabbi is pondering in the run up to the High Holidays is how to keep ourselves spiritually centered in a world where we are challenged on all sides.

“How do we keep on a positive spiritual path?” Heller asks himself. “How do we develop in faith and observance and kindness to others when there is so much else going on that that takes away our attention and our energy. How do you get up in the morning and try to be a good person when there is so much evil and mayhem in the world? It’s actually a really fundamental question.”

That concern was echoed in a post on the My Jewish Learning website by Rabbi Debbi Bravo, who notes that this year has been a particularly challenging one for rabbis.

“The conversation on all of the rabbinic list serves in which I participate is –how do we tackle the big issues this year while remaining compassionate, nonpartisan, true to one’s self, and a supporter of all,” Rabbi Bravo observes. “How do we begin to look at mass shootings in the United States, terrorist attacks across the world, apathy, bigotry and contempt in a meaningful and impactful way? How do

we begin to address the political nightmare we see playing out on CNN, MSNBC and FOX News on a minute-by-minute basis?”

A workshop on High Holiday sermon writing earlier this month, sponsored by “Wisdom Without Walls,” a virtual discussion group created by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, a former Atlanta rabbi, and Dr. Sandra Lillienthal, a prominent Jewish educator, gave nearly two dozen rabbis from around the country the opportunity to exchange ideas and voice their concerns to each other.

One of the moderators of the online program was Rabbi Ed Feinstein, who is also a founder of the groups, a faculty member of the Ziegler Rabbinical School of the American Jewish University, and a pulpit rabbi. He described the opportunity that rabbis are offered during this holiday season as “a Yohanon ben Zakkai moment.” It was an apparent reference to the important Jewish sage of the late Second Temple period 2,000 years ago, who seized the moment the Romans destroyed the holy site in Jerusalem to offer leadership to a beleaguered Jewish community.

“When the community is deeply hurt and comes to us and says, ‘what do we do?' Rabbi Feinstein asked rhetorically. “Where do we go? And that’s this moment. This is a moment that really calls upon all of your courage, all of your wisdom and all of your creativity to address the deep feelings of your congregants.” ì

Program Connects Seniors to LGBTQ+ Community

By Debbie Diamond

Temple Sinai members aged 65 and over participated in an educational “lunch and learn” focused on gender expression, sexual orientation and appropriate terminology during a presentation by SOJOURN, an Atlanta organization that promotes change and inclusion for LGBTQ+ Jews and people of all faiths. The hope is that sessions like this one will better prepare an older generation to understand both gender identity and sexual orientation in today’s terms.

Held under the auspices of Navon, the seniors group at the synagogue, “Understanding the Rainbow: Exploring the Changing World of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation,” was led by McKenzie Wren, special projects manager at SOJOURN. Particularly during the High Holidays, the synagogue hopes sessions like this one will help pave the way for grandparents and LGBTQ+ grandchildren to have authentic discussions and better connect. At the session, the participants learned about the importance of being an

ally and supporting family members.

According to Cantor Beth Schafer, the Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair at the synagogue, “We know that conversations will happen during the holidays, and we do

not want these teens and young adults to have the added burden of educating older family members at the same time. This program helped close the information gap. The discussion during the session was so positive, and our Navon members could ask any questions without judgment.”

exactly what we wanted,” said Bohn.

The two-hour program was attended by 40 members and included a review of the changing terminology around gender and sexual diversity, explaining the difference between gender roles and sexual orientation. The group also learned about biases, stereotypes, discrimination, microaggressions, and the progression of how hate grows. They explored how everyday actions can create or destroy a sense of welcome and comfort for family, friends and communities.

The lunch and learn was held in June to coincide with national Pride month. According to Cantor Schafer, Temple Sinai clergy, staff and members wanted to demonstrate that they are an affirming community. The genesis of the program began in the spring of 2023 when Cantor Schafer, who identifies as a lesbian, invited queer teens to dinner with her so they knew that had an ally at Temple Sinai. She wanted to create an environment of trust and find out how the synagogue could best support them. During the dinner, the teens shared their experiences coming out to their parents and grandparents, and expressed a wish that they did not have to be the ones to educate their relatives. Afterwards, Cantor Schafer reached out to Rebecca StapelWax, executive director of SOJOURN, to inquire about an educational program to address the need expressed by the teens.

The initial conversation led to more discussions, and the idea was brought to life by Carrie Bohn and Avery Friedman, congregational engagement managers at the Sandy Springs synagogue. In preparing for the program, the two wanted to be certain that the older generation would feel comfortable asking any questions about the subject. A format was developed, focusing on open dialogue among all the participants. “McKenzie Wren led an awesome discussion where so many genuine questions were asked by attendees. That is

“Our grandparents want to be allies and genuinely understand gender expression and sexual orientation. This program was truly comprehensive in elucidating queer concepts and nomenclature,” said Cantor Schafer.

David Winner, a congregant at Temple Sinai, is the co-chair of Navon. A retired educator, he attended the session and appreciated learning more about the appropriate use of personal pronouns such as he, she and they, as well as other important concepts. “We all need to learn more. We raised our kids with less knowledge than they have now. Our children, many of whom are now in their forties, are raising kids who are even more informed about gender orientation and sexual identity. Our intent in sponsoring this program was to promote greater understanding and acceptance of all people. While it may be harder for our generation to understand all the new terminology, it does not mean we are not accepting of differences or needs,” he stressed.

Shirley Michalove, another attendee and a Temple Sinai founder, concurs. “I wanted to learn what is happening in the

McKenzie Wren led an informative session with 40 members of Navon who were eager to learn more about the subject.

ROSH HASHANAH

As part of the presentation, members of Temple Sinai’s Navon (over 65 group) learned about the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities used today.

Atlanta community. Twenty years ago, no one talked about this subject, and there were no support groups here. Today people

are much more open. We have come a long way and it’s healthier that we have progressed,” she said. ì

Glossary of Terms

This list shows the variety of language that people can use to describe themselves. The purpose is not to establish rigid categories that people feel excluded from or pressured to fit into. When someone says how they identify, that’s how they see themselves. Individuals show respect by taking that person’s identity seriously.

Gender Identity: an identity based on one’s relationship to femininity and masculinity, especially as it relates to society and culture.

Gender Expression: how one externally presents one’s gender identity through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

Biological Sex: A label given at birth based on medical factors, including hormones, chromosomes, and genitals.

Assigned Gender at Birth: sometimes abbreviated to AGAB, this refers to the gender identity assumed for someone at a young age, usually based on their hormones, chromosomes, and genitals at birth. Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB), Assigned Male at Birth (AMAB) are the specific designations based on above.

Nonbinary: a term someone might use to indicate that they don’t fit into the gender categories of “male” or “female.”

Transgender: anyone who doesn’t identify with their assigned gender at birth.

Cisgender: anyone who identifies with their assigned gender at birth.

Intersex:  someone born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that is typically not exclusively “male” or “female” (i.e. XXY chromosomes).

Pronouns:  a way to refer to someone without using their name. Historically these have been gendered, i.e. she/her or he/him. However, gender-neutral pronouns can include singular they/them, xe/xem, ze/hir, and more.

Sexual orientation: an identity based on the people someone is sexually and/or romantically attracted to.

Asexual:  someone who experiences no sexual attraction to anyone (though they could still be romantically attracted to people).

Aromantic:  someone who experiences no romantic attraction to anyone (though they still could be sexually attracted to people).

Gay:  usually refers to men who are attracted to other men; is also used as an umbrella term for diverse sexualities.

Lesbian: women who are attracted to women. This may include nonbinary or transmasculine people that identify as part of the lesbian community.

Bisexual: someone attracted to their own gender and other genders.

Pansexual: someone who is attracted to people regardless of gender.

Queer: historically used as a slur, this term has been reclaimed as a broad umbrella term to describe sexual and gender identities other than straight and/or cisgender. Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into either/or identities.

Heterosexual or Straight:  a cisgender person being attracted exclusively to other cisgender people whose gender is different from your own.

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Popular Instagram Chef Delights at CBT

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Super chef and social media influencer, Sivan Kobi, headlined an event at Congregation Beth Tefillah on Sept. 19 with a meet and greet, followed by the main event where Kobi prepared several mouthwatering recipes in real time between large video screens.

More than 180 mostly younger women and fans of Kobi filled the seats eagerly sampling small tastes to match the bill of fare. Local teenagers cheerfully served the samples. Kosher food expert Robin Varon was credited for weeks of preparation in coordinating the event.

During the meet and greet, a small group watched Kobi construct her famous challah, showing how to loop the dough. Along the way she offered tips on how to vary the recipe, how to be vegan, types of flour, and ways to save time with yeast. She noted, “Weave the dough like a pound sign. We want no sticky dough, and three proof times, use King Arthur flour with the red label. For an Israeli

challah version, soak the dough in water and coat with sesame seeds.”

Event co-sponsors Arielle Birenberg and Jade Gaylis welcomed the larger group, and a violinist who played Avenu

Malkanu. Dassi New spoke about the role of women in leading the charge of passing on Judaism from the home and stove as the center. She spoke about laws and customs centering around taste and the

sensory experience of making meals. She also brought forward the significance during the High Holidays of apples, honey, and the word “tov.” She said, “Hashem saw that creation was good (tov) and

Dassi New posed during the meet and greet with Sivan Kobi Robin Varon played an important role in the event prep and coordination.

with purpose … apples, too, have purpose, and the bee (sting) makes things not so smooth and easy.”

Kobi spoke from the elevated demonstration stage and explained that this was her first time in Atlanta. She began with a fennel cabbage slaw along with some practical tips. “If you like fennel flavor to be not so strong, use thinner strips. Use the whole of the green onion. Save celery leaves for later. This salad will last a week in the fridge. The apples make it special, too … don’t spend a lot on sets of knives. One good clever or chef’s knife type will do.”

Next, Kobi prepared a stuffed onion recipe where she showed efficient ways of peeling the steamed onion, and the option of using chopped mushrooms to replace the meat for vegetarians. She cautioned to read spice labels to assure they don’t contain additives.

Her last demonstration was a flaky and sweet baklava. She shared her proclivity to use silan (the American equivalent of maple syrup). She said, “I try to offer options to my followers who aren’t in big cities or have access to large markets or kosher specific items.”

Especially poignant was the last segment where she told her personal story. Marrying early, having her first child at 19 (now being a young grandmother), growing up with a Syrian father who owned Sherman and Sons, Jewish bakeries and a deli in the “Valley” part of LA.

Her parents immigrated from Israel in 1980.

Going off script, she declared, “I hate double dipping! Always wash rice, you have no idea what goes on in rice fields … I try to answer everyone’s direct messages, but don’t ask things that you can easily find on Google.”

Prior to becoming a cooking phenomenon, Sivan Kobi was a Hebrew teacher, fitness, Zumba, yoga instructor and cake decorator. She pointed to her cooperative husband who was in the CBT kitchen with blisters from chopping veggies all day. She spoke of hosting hostage families in her California home.

The “mile long” buffet was well worth the wait. Brisket, potatoes, a “tomatoey” Sephardic salmon stew, beanbased soup, romaine salad, chicken, noodle kugel were topped off with pareve ice cream in several flavors.

Earlier during the meet and greet, Congregation Vice President Mira Liniado told the AJT that she was proud to be a co-sponsor and huge fan.

Fan Esty Hoffman said she loyally follows Sivan on Instagram especially for her challah prep.

Peri Shalom–Liberty said she knew Sivan’s family in Israel and finds her recipes to be especially relevant during the High Holidays.

Kobi concluded, “Remember each woman is a queen in her own kitchen.” ì

Arielle Birenberg and Jade Gayliss co-chaired the event.

Security is High Priority During Holiday Services

By Bob Bahr

Security at synagogues, temples, local college campuses and other community institutions is a primary source of concern as the High Holidays approach. So far this year, according to the security head of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the number of incidents the Federation has received and passed on to law enforcement has more than tripled over the last two years. According to Brian Davis, the Federation’s community security director, the numbers are continuing to climb.

“In 2022, we had 57 engagements through the entire year between myself and local and federal law enforcement, it’s over 190 now. The engagements represent the number of times we’ve passed on information about antisemitic behavior in our community.”

The latest such incident was reported on Sept. 10 at a meeting of the Cobb County Board of Elections. An unidentified man interrupted the meeting by shouting, “Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler.”

The interruption followed the comments by a Cobb County resident criticizing the refusal of Jennifer Mosbacher, who is Jewish, to stand during the Pledge

From the nearly 100 rabbis across the metro area and beyond represented by the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, we wish you and your family a sweet and healthy new year!”

Atlanta Rabbinical Association

of Allegiance.

The rise in antisemitism in the community comes against the backdrop during the past year of a sharp rise in anti-Israel incidents on college campuses. According to the Anti-Defamation League, between Jun of 2023 and May of 2024 there was a 477 percent increase in incidents of assault, vandalism, harassment and other actions on college campuses across the country.

The 2,087 anti-Israel incidents, according to Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO and national director, is unprecedented.

“Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the anti-Israel movement’s relentless harassment, vandalism, intimidations and violent physical assaults go way beyond the peaceful voicing of a political opinion.”

The CEO of Hillels of Georgia, Rabbi Larry Sernovitz, who came to the organization a year and a half ago, says they have responded with the hiring of more off-duty police officers on the grounds of major campuses during the holidays. This is particularly true at the University of Georgia and Emory University where a full schedule of High Holiday worship service is planned.

“We have, in generally speaking, very good relationships with the majority of our university administrations. We’ve had candid conversations, and in every one of those conversations, we have heard and reiterated over and over that we want to … ensure the safety of all of our students on campus. The key is

that we work regularly with these administrators.”

There is alarm, too, over the rise of antisemitism in the public schools here. On Aug. 6, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan institution for public interest advocacy, research, and education, filed a complaint on behalf of a number of Jewish organizations alleging an “intolerable” environment that faces Jewish and Israeli students in all grades of the Fulton County School District. The director of legal initiatives for the Brandeis Center in Washington D.C., Denise Katz-Prober, said in a statement issued in connection to the complaint that it is not just on college campuses where Jewish students encounter antisemitism.

“The families of these Jewish and Israeli students have been left to fend for themselves, by administrators who dismiss their complaints and refuse to act. It is long past due for the Fulton County School District to take swift corrective action against the antisemitism that pervades their schools.”

In response to a heightened awareness of security, Davis has stepped up the work he does with synagogues and other Jewish institutions during the past year.

“We worked with our facilities to help them receive nonprofit security grants. That’s a grant from the federal government which can allow up to $150,000 of improvements to harden the facilities. Fifteen of our facilities received the grant this year. And we had a total of $2.8 million that was received by our facilities.”

The grants were used for improvements to buildings and property. They have helped institutions with things such as security camera systems and hardened access controls on gates and doors. But physical improvements to a property can only go so far. Davis also encourages individual alertness and responsibility.

“I preach every day, all day -- see something, say something, which means individuals should report any suspicious activity, no matter how minor it might seem at first. When somebody provides just a little bit of information, like, hey, we saw this car driving around our synagogue, and here’s the license number. I get that information to the local police; it might be the one piece of information we need to connect the dots about a security issue.” ì

Security grants totaling $2.8 million have been distributed this year to synagogues and other Jewish organizations, according to Brian Davis, the Federation’s community service director.

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz says the key to effective security on Georgia college campuses is the relationships that are developed with college administrators.

Jewish Atlanta Shares Rosh Hashanah Inspiration

Over the last 100 years do you feel Rosh Hashanah has changed for your family and community?

How do you anticipate this holiday evolving in the future?

Arlene Appelrouth

Since Oct. 7, I have experienced fear instilled by antisemitic monsters. As I approach Rosh Hashanah, I ask God to protect me, my family, and all of Israel.

Dealing with life, and the inevitable losses that come with aging requires radical acceptance which doesn’t come naturally. We are all warriors, trying to survive in a world where the likelihood of pain and suffering are risks wherever we go. We are forced to confront situations in the world and conditions in our bodies which are challenging.

My Achilles heel is a mood disorder. Even though pharmaceuticals and other treatments are plentiful, nothing works for me. I am l treatment resistant and been treated with everything from pills to electric shock therapy and ketamine infusions and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

A bipolar diagnosis provides a ticket to an emotional roller coaster, an unpredictable rotating kaleidoscope which spins and stops anywhere on the mood spectrum. The medical interventions sometimes transport me from depression to hypomania, My last depression sucked the life out of me. After more than 10 months, I was ready to check out. The existential despair accompanied by cognitive paralysis left me empty and powerless. I was alone. I lost the desire to live.

Then friends suggested I go to a personal growth workshop which promised transformation and healing in a weekend. It didn’t sound likely, but there was nothing left to try. What did I have to lose? I signed up and packed a bag for the weekend. One of the sessions began with music. After months of not being able to feel anything, the music miraculously touched and penetrated my soul. Almost unconsciously I dropped the cloak of despair and began moving. I kept dancing.

The light came back into my eyes and I was ready to live again.

Then, after a few months of reclaiming my life, I got an unexpected shock.

My vision changed. My left eye blurred and I sought medical attention. Diagnosed with macular degeneration, I was terrified by the threat of losing my eyesight. I was at a crossroads. I knew I had a choice. I could focus on my fear or celebrate and appreciate the vision I still had.

I could see myself as a victim and ask “Why me?” or thank God for waking me up. The vagaries of aging are affecting my quality of life.

I am standing on the precipice of a new year and I’m determined to be the best I can be. I had the good fortune to be in a loving marriage to an amazing man and we raised a wonderful family. My grandchildren are the apple of my eye.

As the sounds of the shofar are the harbinger of another year, I stand before the Creator of the Universe, praying for peace, good health, and a meaningful, satisfying life.

Arlene Appelrouth is a freelance writer who has contributed stories and columns to the Atlanta Jewish Times for 45 years. She’s a storyteller and teacher of writing who considers herself a flexidox Jew and outrageous older woman.

Rabbi Peter Berg

Remembrance is an important theme of this season. On Rosh Hashanah we think about those we have lost in the world; at Yizkor we recall those we have lost in our lives; even the sound of the shofar is rooted in zichronot. What are we supposed to remember during this time?

There are four remembrances in the Torah that God asks us to hold in our minds.

The Chasidic master Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apt teaches that these four remembrances are the root of our Judaism. What are these four?

The first remembrance is of Mount Sinai. God is asking us to live every moment as if we were still camped before the mountain. Heschel says: for a human being, there may be a past, a present and a future, but for God there is no time. God always gives us the Torah every moment of every day.

We should imagine our lives as if we are always standing before God at Sinai. So, imagine our lives as if we are standing in God’s presence – all the time. How do we act? How do we treat other people when God is at our side? Ultimately, Heschel believes that it is important to REST IN THE CONSIOUSNESS OF SIANI, meaning that when we sit to study, our learning should be a living experience. We should feel God speaking to us through Torah, and we should tremble at the word of God.

The second remembrance is to keep in mind how God punished Miriam for speaking evil of her brother Moses. Avraham Yosef Heschel says that God doesn’t want us to be agents of strife and divisiveness. God is appalled by speech that is harsh and destructive. This is the time for us to focus on words of encouragement, support and healing. Let this time be used for words of hope, of inspiration, and of prayer. We bring light into the world by being God’s instruments, by bringing compassion down to the physical reality.

The third remembrance is Shabbat – a day to keep holy. Shabbat is a state of consciousness, a day to leave behind the chaos and disharmony and to rest in God, a time to turn all the habits of working and direct them instead toward that which is infinite and Eternal.

But the observance of Shabbat is not enough. God desires more from Shabbat remembrance. God urges us to bring the peace of Shabbat into our everyday encounters., to infuse our thoughts with its inner light.

Finally, God commands us to remember Amalek, the arch enemy of the Jewish people.

At the same time, we are asked to be instruments of good and to live in the consciousness of Shabbat, God also reminds us to never forget that each of us is capable of great evil.

God wants us to wipe out Amalek from the world but also the evil within ourselves.

Don’t mistake Heschel’s fourth teaching as a pessimistic view of humanity. It is a realistic understanding of the human condition.

We can all be saint or sinner.

As long as we remember both truths, then all is well. When one is forgotten, the world is plunged into crisis and turmoil. Amalek attacked the children of Israel when they were weary and tired. It is when we are in despair that the negative side comes rushing to confront us.

Our job is to draw on the Divine goodness that is stored within us, a prayer –especially this time of year – can help us overcome any obstacle. When we are alive with love and yearning for God, no evil can touch us.

These are the four remembrances at the heart of Judaism and the month of Elul.

Let us strive at every moment to stand before God. Only in that way can we raise up the Divine sparks hidden in everyone we encounter. Let us be a spiritual force that can transform the world.

Rabbi Peter Berg is Senior Rabbi of The Temple in Atlanta.

Rabbi Michael Bernstein

A lot changes in a century and some things don’t. The sound of the shofar in 1924 fell on the ears of a Jewish community just seeking to establish itself as a permanent part of the American melting pot. Many immigrants were simultaneously looking to become more like the rest of America and stick together to strengthen the Jewish community, especially as the doors of opportunity for Jews and other immigrants began to be closed. Would this country continue to echo fellow Jewish poet Emma Lazarus’s call for those in need to come to the shores of a new world? Would the rise of hatred here, in the streets of Europe and the Middle East continue to loom over us? Would Jews create an alternative in Zion, building what would become the State of Israel?

Today as we blow the shofar, we know that Jews have indeed made it in America and helped make America what it is today and that how we welcome or deter others to our shores remains a central question at the heart of the United States. Many of us are more removed from the immigrant experience even though we continue to carry it with us along with the scars of a century of destruction and upheaval of once vibrant Jewish communities around the world. We are a more diverse community in Jewish origins and in inclusion of our larger families that bring in other faith traditions. The State of Israel is an indelible part of our Jewish world and yet a point of passionate division as well.

Still, we greet the New Year as always knowing that this anniversary of the creation of humanity promises new opportunities to renew ourselves as individuals and as communities. We will celebrate and contemplate, reflect and rejoice with family and friends, dipping apples in honey and gathering to hear the same sounds of the shofar as were heard a century ago and centuries before that,

What will Rosh Hashana be in the future will of course depend on who we are in the future. Yet, no matter when the shofar sounds again it will call us to gather and awaken us to a New Year to face the ever-changing landscape of what it means to be a Jew.

May the shofar echo for you this year with sweetness, blessing and joy.

Michael Bernstein is the

Rabbi of Congregation Gesher L’ Torah.

ROSH HASHANAH

Terri Bonoff

This year we gather with Israel’s safety and security in peril, antisemitism at my lifetime high and a younger generation whose allegiance to Judaism and Israel appears frayed. Yet, Rosh Hashanah continues to be a rallying cry for Jews worldwide to gather and express the unity that transcends all discord. I do not believe that has changed. The pull to join together is passed on from generation to generation—L’Dor Vador. We thank all who came before us for that, and pledge to continue this tradition.

I reflect on my earliest holiday memories at Temple Israel in Minneapolis. Our parents must have been worried we wouldn’t be quiet because they took us up to the balcony. Looking over the railing at a packed sanctuary below, and up at the ornate ceiling marked with a brushed steel Star of David, squished between my brothers and my cousins, I was in awe. The years of returning to that sanctuary mark time, life changes, births and deaths. My Dad led the Usher Corps. Last year was the first without him. Sad. Our kids are spread afar and don’t always make it back for the holidays. Now I include the sense of sadness that comes from having loved ones passed and others missed, hopes and dreams dashed and yet also the pride and joy of living life with meaning and purpose, surrounded by family and friends that fill my heart with love and wonder.

We will live with heightened security this year, fear of what lies in store for Israel and Jews everywhere but stay strong in understanding just how important our prayers of hope and redemption are to the future of the Jewish people. This is not the first time a Rosh Hashanah will include these challenges. It is the most serious that I have experienced. The prayer I have for the next hundred years, is the continuation of community, peace, Jewish pride and a joyful Israel. L’Dor V’Dor.

Terri Bonoff is the chief executive officer of Jewish Family & Career Services.

Marcus Brodzki

The High Holy Days are a religious oasis, frozen in time, and steeped in tradition, ritual, and music. Around the world the Jewish people regardless of language or level of observance recall the tune of Avinu Malkeinu on Rosh Hashanah (unless it falls on Shabbat) and the Kol Nidre on Yom Kippur. The communal experience reciting ancient prayers brings us all together.

These holidays are a time to connect with others in our community who we don’t see regularly and gives us the opportunity to process the joys, sorrows, and challenges that we face as individuals and as a community.

As for the future, I expect that our holiday observances will continue to be rooted in tradition but adapting as needed for the community as it evolves.

May each of you have a happy, healthy, and sweet new year. L’shana Tova Umetuka

B’rith and Jewish National Fund.

Delilah Cohen

As we gather with family and friends to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I can’t help but have a heavy heart as Israel is still engaged in a war on many fronts. We must remember those who are suffering: the hostages, the widows, the orphans, and their families praying for their safe return, as well as the soldiers fighting constantly for not only Israel’s safety but for the safety of all of us. I am grateful to all who have supported and continue to support Israel and the Jewish people across the globe as we navigate through these hard times. I truly believe that although things are difficult right now, Israel will prevail and see its goals fulfilled. I hope and pray for a world where there is no difference in quality of life, where fairness, justice, and religious beliefs are respected by all. May we all have a sweet and healthy year ahead, filled with blessings and joy, where all are treated with dignity, and where love conquers hate. May this holiday bring the return of all the hostages, a speedy recovery of the many wounded both soldiers and civilians, comfort to those in need, strength to the weary, and hope for a better tomorrow.

Shanah Tovah u’Metukah – a Happy and Sweet New Year to all.

#Believe #BeProud #StayStrong #StayUnited

Delilah Cohen is an Ima of 4, community volunteer and advocate. Passionate about Israel, the Jewish Community, and Atlanta.

Cheryl Dorchinsky

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, a time of renewal, reflection, and hope, we must acknowledge the profound challenges our community has faced this past year. The horrific events of Oct. 7 shook us to our core, bringing violence and a disturbing rise in antisemitism. Yet, amidst this heartache, we find a powerful narrative of resilience, strength, and unity. The attacks were not merely assaults on lives but on our very identity and freedom. In response to such grief, we have witnessed extraordinary acts of heroism and solidarity—brave defenders of Israel, compassionate individuals providing aid, and communities coming together with unwavering support. Our spirit remains unbreakable.

It is essential now, more than ever, to stand united. We share a responsibility to combat antisemitism and advocate for justice, reinforcing that this struggle transcends our community. When any group faces hatred, we must all respond with courage and compassion.

This Rosh Hashanah, we carry forward the lessons of unity we have learned. We understand the importance of speaking out, educating others, and refusing to remain silent in the face of injustice. We rediscover the power of hope—the belief that even in our darkest moments, we can forge a brighter future.

As the shofar sounds, let us renew our commitment to one another and to the values that have sustained us for generations. May this New Year bring healing, peace, and strength to our communities. Together, we will ensure a vibrant future for generations to come.

Wishing everyone a year filled with good health, joy, and prosperity. Shana Tova U’Metuka—may you have a sweet and happy New Year.

Founding Executive Director of Atlanta Israel Coalition, Social Media Junkie and lover of life.

Marcus Brodzki is a professional poker player and engaged board member of both B’nai

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Daniel Dorsch

One of my prized possessions that I keep under the pulpit with me during the holy days is a machzor that belonged to my great-great grandfather, Herman (Zvi) Gerendasi. The book was printed in 1903 in Yiddish and Hebrew.

Our family lived in a town called Beregszasz, today Berehove, in the Carpathian Mountains. Zvi and his family bore witnesses to the rise and fall in fortunes of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. His children fought with Kaiser Franz-Josef in the First World War, and then left for America as Europe slipped into economic depression. As an old man he was brought over from Europe by his children living in New York. My Zayde, at 95 years old, still vividly recalls going to his apartment, picking him up, and walking him to shul every Shabbat.

I have no doubt that the Rosh Hashanah that Zvi’s family observed in Europe over 100 years ago is somewhat different from the one my family observes today. Just as it is also the case that there are no Jews left in Berehove, which is in present day war-torn Ukraine.

I often wonder if Zvi imagined in his wildest dreams that his descendant would be a rabbi in Marietta, Georgia. Would he even recognize or appreciate the kind of Judaism my family espouses?

Every year, I open up his Machzor. The words he davened are the same as the ones I pray. The hopes and aspirations of the Jewish people to live in health, safety, and security are still the same dreams that we have a hundred years later.

In those moments I smile. Well over a hundred years later, I know that he is smiling too.

Rabbi Dan Dorsch is the rabbi at Congregation Etz Chaim. He is also the president of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association.

Values Matter

We thank Rep. Deborah Silcox (HD 53) for her steadfast support of the Jewish community. Rep. Silcox sponsored both the 2020 Hate Crimes Law and the 2024 Antisemitisan Law. A visionary leader, she shepherded the largest investment by the state in The Georgia Commission for the Holocaust since its inception. Toda Raba, Rep Silcox.

ROSH HASHANAH

David Fisher

“The names and faces will change, but the stories will always stay the same.”

This profound truth, often spoken by my father, echoes powerfully through the annals of Jewish history. As we reflect on our past, it’s impossible to ignore the dark chapters of suffering and antisemitism that have marked our journey, including the recent tragedies of Oct. 7.

Yet, these trials are only part of our story.

Our legacy is not solely defined by the shadows but also by the unyielding light of our resilience, courage, and unity. Throughout centuries of adversity, the Jewish people have risen from the ashes with unwavering strength, continuing to illuminate the world with hope and goodness.

Every hardship we’ve faced has forged our collective spirit, and in our unity, we find the power to overcome and to thrive. History bears witness to our capacity to emerge stronger when we recognize that we are better together.

As we step into the Jewish year of 5785, let us carry forward this enduring spirit. Let us come together to write new chapters filled with promise and renewal.

Join me in this journey of hope and transformation as we embrace the future with courage and unity.

May you and your loved ones be blessed with a New Year filled with peace, joy, and fulfillment. L’Shana Tova u’Metukah.

David Fisher is the Interim CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

Rabbi Nachi Friedman

The News Year’s Resolution That Works

A story is told about a congregation and community that was plagued with a drought. Many families struggled with hunger as the crops could not be produced. But worse, many families in this town were farmers and relied on their crops not just for food, but for their livelihood. The community united and came to the Rabbi and asked him to help pray for rain. The Rabbi happily agreed and informed everyone to pray with him later this afternoon outside. When everyone arrived, the Rabbi merely shook his head and dismissed the crowd. He informed them to come again tomorrow. The next day the same thing occurred, the rabbi shook his head and told everyone we will try again tomorrow. After a week of this pattern, the community became angry with the Rabbi. “We are starving, our crops are all dying, why do you keep turning us away!” The Rabbi sincerely looked back at the community and said simply “Because no one brought an umbrella.”

For years we have all made New Year’s resolutions. Per a recent Pew study in 2024, 3/10 people make a New Year’s resolution every year. While very few see success in keeping this resolution, the trend appears to be to continue making these attempts. During the Yomim Noraim, the high holidays, we Jews make resolutions as well! For some, this is a perpetual cycle of the high holidays where we accept upon ourselves lofty spiritual goals with the knowledge they might not happen. For many, this seems fake and disingenuous as it’s a trivial game that we play. When the next Rosh Hashanah comes, we experience shame and disappointment in ourselves as we look at our lack of success with despondency.

Rabbi Dr. Schulman (2023) in his book Reimagining Repentance writes that there is a “Mistaken Belief” about high holidays that we are supposed to transform ourselves instantaneously and become completely righteous over 10 days. Rabbi Dr. Schulman writes “If we enter the day with the impossible expectations of instant perfection, we will quickly abandon our efforts”. Rather, our goal should be to approach the holiday looking for incremental improvements and changes that we can make to honestly and realistically improve over the coming year.

Advances in psychology continue to discover better approaches and strategies for “New Year’s resolutions”. Small incremental changes create lasting changes. Goals can be lofty, but the path to reaching our goal must be gradual. James Clear in his book Atomic Habits has a similar message “The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding…a small win accumulates into something much more… Success is a product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformations.”

Our goal on Rosh Hashanah is to introspect and find ways to improve ourselves and our lives in small but impactful ways. Just like rain consists of small little drops that accumulate together to irrigate and give life to this world, so too do our small changes over time sustain and provide us a meaningful and successful life. As we prepare for the holy days of the High Holidays we must ask ourselves one question; did you bring your umbrella?

Rabbi Nachi Friedman is the Rabbi of Congregation Anshi Sfard in Mourningside/ Virginia Highlands and the School Counselor at TDSA.

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi David Geffen

I first knew Rosh Hashanah was our new year

When my father finished serving and we came here (Atlanta) We feasted with my grandparents for Rosh Hashanah so sweet It is a beautiful memory because it was such a treat

A few years later, on Washington Street, a rented apartment our home

My father took me on Rosh Hashanah to the “little shul” roam All of the boys my age, by our fathers we sat in perfect style

But it was difficult, the Mahzor tough, so we were let out for awhile

All of my friends around can recall what we did Once we were out - at times no return we hid

But I have had a different experience a rabbi I became

And as you can imagine, davening, sermons I had to live up to my name

Would like to tell you what Rosh Hashanah 80 years age meant First of all for the older folks it was wonderful heaven sent At Shearith Israel a chazan hired to chant the prayers so fine That davening, the singing, the Yom Tov was like the finest wine

In 1965 when after my studies at Emory, Seminary a rabbi I became First a Chaplain, then an assistant rabbi I had a new name Because the senior rabbi left for a sabbatical for half a year I was in charge and could handle from forward to rear

Rosh Hashanah, I realized, could be given a new spirit and members old and young could be inspired to come and truly feel the uniqueness of the tefillot and what they contained. Leading up to Rosh Hashanah classes for young and old developed how to add to the sweetness of the apple and honey by focusing on what had made last year so sweet and how to make new year good too. Since the aliyot given to senior congregation members we changed the rulesgave younger men and women those honors. We had fathers and mothers take their children with them to open the ark. Rosh Hashanah, I felt needed to be for every age in the congregation. At times it worked at times not but I felt a door had been opened.

I also was a rabbi who helped to create a home service for blessing the new year with all the special fruits eaten before the meal. I began a half century ago and wonderfully many of these ceremonies in thousands of homes today. When I grew up in Atlanta only my grandfather, the other rabbis and a few people went to Peachtree Creek for tashlich. I realized the beauty of tashlich. In Wilson North Carolina, Statesville North Carolina, Athens Ohio, Wilmington Delaware, Scranton Pennsylvania, Fort Sill Oklahoma, we did tashlich in every way imaginable.

From my sighting from Israel, I can see how new Mahzorim Chabad, Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist have been developed. Special poems and prayers have been added, new translations in all languages make the Mahzor more meaningful and davening enlightening.

Clearly, there is Zoom - people all over the world can watch whatever Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur services in many different synagogues - shacharit in one, torah reading in another, listen to different people blowing the shofar and on and on and on.

Everybody have sweet, moving services. Pray for the hostages and hopefully the war will end. Leshana Tova Tikatevu

Rabbi David Geffen is a native Atlantan and Conservative rabbi who lives in Jerusalem.

Rebecca Good

Psalm 150

Hallelujah

Praise God in His Sanctuary; Praise God in the sky; His Stronghold

Even when a thousand of us died on Oct. 7.

Praise God for His mighty acts: Praise God for His exceeding greatness

Even when there are hostages still being held by Hamas.

Praise God with blasts of the horn: Praise God with harp and lyre

Even when we died in the gas chambers.

Praise God with timbrel and dance Praise God with lute and pipe

Even when Jewish students cannot walk to class safely on our campuses.

Praise God with resounding cymbals: Praise God with loud-clashing cymbals.

Even when Israel is being attacked from all sides but is being told to not defend itself.

Let all that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

Praise God with blasts of the horn; Praise God.

Rebecca Good is Head of Hebrew and Jewish Learning at The Temple Bremen Education Center.

ROSH HASHANAH

Leslie Gordon

Tradition, Resilience, Connection, Community. These are words that can describe the Jewish people. Despite the travails of this past year, I believe that we (all 12 tribes of us) can find commonality in shared experiences – as expressed through music, film, dance, books, art, storytelling and theater – as well as through our traditions. The challah, the honey, the pomegranate and the apple bear a shared meaning no matter where we find ourselves or whatever “flavor” of Judaism we choose. What will we think about during these Days of Awe? What do we aspire to? How do we want to embrace our basic values of Tikkun Olam?

Tzedakah? Chesed? Kehilla?

We have much to be thankful for and yet lots of work ahead for us all. Let us join together in a commitment to doing and being better. Let’s let our New Year’s celebration embrace the diversity of the Jewish people. Whether we enjoy the privilege of sharing a table or whether we celebrate alone, we hope for a sweeter year for all, and especially, we lift up prayers for peace. When I look at the Jewish people, I see both our past and our present. We are our memories as well as our dreams – we are a storied people. Let’s be proud of who we are; proud of what we’ve contributed; proud of our shared heritage. We have great stories to tell. Let’s share them widely this year.

Leslie Gordon is the executive director at the Breman Cultural Center and Museum.

Rebecca Guttman

Rosh Hashanah, a time of reflection, renewal, and hope, serves as a profound touchstone in Jewish life. Over the past century, while many traditions have endured, our engagement with the holiday has undoubtedly evolved. Family structures have changed, and communities have migrated, adapting to new circumstances. Yet for my family and me, the essence of Rosh Hashanah remains steadfast: it is a time to reflect on the past year, seek forgiveness, and set intentions for the year ahead. We will gather at a table set with my grandmother’s plates, which she carried from country to country, each piece a symbol of her hopes for safety, security, and prosperity. Our traditions hold strong as we attend synagogue, believing that while individual prayer and reflection are meaningful, coming together as a community amplifies our hopes.

L’Shana Tova

As we strive to ensure a year filled with blessings for ourselves and our people, we partake in symbolic foods. We will dip apples in honey, yearning for a year imbued with sweetness and joy. Round challah will remind us that, despite the changes in our lives, we move forward in cycles, with enduring hopes and connections to one another. The blasts of the shofar will echo a time when our fragile people were spared by a ram’s horn, a reminder that, even in our current despair, we can look toward hope and joy for ourselves, our families, and our communities. This unwavering belief in the collective spirit of the Jewish nation has endured not only over the last century but throughout the millennia. Wishing everyone - especially the Jewish people as a whole - a year filled with sweetness and redemption.

Rebecca is the Atlanta Manager at Jewish Fertility Foundation.

Third grade watercolor and ink compositions of pomegranate inspired by the energetic and loose illustration style of Margaret Berg.

ROSH HASHANAH

Ben Halpern

It’s popular belief that Rosh Hashanah is all about a “sweet new year.” This ideology is certainly, without question, a significant challenge amidst incomprehensible uncertainty in the world, with the first-year anniversary of Oct. 7 on our minds with hostages tragically still held captive by Hamas and an ongoing war in Israel on top of other important issues all across the world.

However, like the Jewish people have done for thousands of years, we must always keep hope as a unified community, be unwavering in our support today, and remain strong and optimistic for a brighter tomorrow. The future is sweet regardless of a painful path, and let’s just remember that this sweeter year to come is a part of our ever-lasting Jewish journey.”

Rabbi Josh Hearshen

“All beginnings are difficult.” (Mekhilta DeRebbi Yishmael Shmot 2:9) These words are an essential piece of advice for every person who’s ever lived. New beginnings are fun and they’re exciting but they’re also packed with fears and anxieties. Above all else, they’re the quintessential “unknown.” Whenever we choose to begin something, we become very aware very quickly that we have so little control over the world around us. We cannot bend nature to our will. We cannot force other people to fall in line with our vision. We cannot control the world. Our tradition understands this oftenquoted line to explain beginnings are hard because they represent a change, and change is hard. In other words, it’s not the beginning so much as the change beginning brings. This concept is a summary of what’s expected of the Jewish people every High Holidays: we’re to begin again and we’re to look to change. We’re to look at ourselves and at our communities and at our country and at our world and find what needs to be changed. This is not easy work. Often, it’s hurtful and hard to see things that aren’t as they should be. We need to work on loving and respecting the image in the mirror, but for the purpose of this short message, let’s accept that the work of looking within is difficult work. During the High Holidays, we’re called upon to find the places where change is needed. We’re called forward to find what’s lacking and what needs to be improved. We’re called to look hard and long and see that our world needs healing, and perhaps we can do our part to make some of the change and healing possible. This is hard but necessary work, and it’s work we can do together as a one people.

Rabbi Josh Hearshen is the Rabbi at Congregation Or VeShalom.

Rabbi David B. Helfand

As we approach the High Holidays, we are reminded of the power of teshuvah, of turning and returning to God. A beautiful midrash teaches us that when we look into a mirror, our reflection appears farther than it actually is. But with every step we take toward the mirror, the reflection draws closer. In the same way, teshuvah can feel like an overwhelming and distant journey. The path to spiritual renewal may seem long, and the changes we hope to make can feel beyond our reach.

But this midrash offers a message of hope: every small step matters. God meets us more than halfway, encouraging us to begin—even if the steps are small. It’s not about reaching perfection overnight; it’s about taking the first step and trusting that we are not alone in our journey.

Just as in life, when we set out to change something—be it in our relationships, our community, or ourselves—every effort brings us closer to our goals. In these moments, God is walking toward us, reminding us that even when the road feels long, we are already on our way.

This season, let’s take that first step. Whether it’s a prayer, a moment of reflection, or an act of kindness, we are never walking this path alone. Together, we can find our way back.

Rabbi David B. Helfand is the Engagement Rabbi at Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta. He and his wife Rebekah are the proud parents to Pardes Lev and Woofsi Puppy.

Ben Halpern is the Executive Vice President of Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors.

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi

Joshua Heller

Mazal tov to the Atlanta Jewish times on 100 years of service to our Jewish community! The Hebrew word for year, “Shanah” comes from a root that has many additional meanings. It can mean to change, but it can also imply repetition. The spirit of these two meanings guides us when we compare Atlanta’s Jewish community of 5785, today when compared with 5685, let alone to consider what the world might be like in 5885.

In the spirit of Shanah, meaning change, a time traveler from Atlanta 100 years ago, in 5685 would be astonished to see that the community has gone from a few thousand Jews to over 100,000, from a handful of congregations to over 40, and that we have spread out from a few neighborhoods near the city center to the far reaches of a sprawling metro area. They would be surprised by the religious shifts that have taken place- Atlanta now has many mikvaot and Jewish day schools, and the rabbis at the temple wear kippot. They would also be astonished at the idea that there would be female rabbis, let along LGBTQ colleagues. I wonder how Jews were still wrestling with the innovation of driving to synagogue would respond to people staying home to watch services on screen. Despite the real challenges of antisemitism that we still face, they would be jealous of our comforts given the institutionalized bias, and sometimes violent hate that pervaded the South, I can’t even imagine what 5885 will bring. I pray that American society as a whole, and Georgia in particular, will still be hospitable to our Jewish community, though there are no guarantees. Assuming they are, where in Atlanta will Jews live? What new forms and flavors of Jewish expression will emerge? The Jewish times is adapting to the move away from print media. What will communications look like?

In the spirit of Shanah, meaning repetition, I imagine that some things will remain the same. The names and locations of the synagogues and the alphabet soup of organizations may evolve, but Jews will continue to seek community, pray, learn and help each other, with the certainty that there will always be the “synagogue I don’t set foot in.” There will still be brisses and B’nai Mitzvah, weddings and funerals, and, unless tuna and salmon go extinct, kiddush lunch. Jews will still gather to seek meaning on the high holidays, dipping apples in honey, breaking the fast, and praying for blessings one year at a time.

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Rabbi Joshua Heller is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Torah.

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Lauren Henderson

The other day, I was home with our 18-month-old son, Rafi, when it started to rain. I took him out onto the front steps to watch the rain coming down, first in a light mist and then in heavier sheets, water coursing down the street in front of us. We were covered by the roof over our heads, so we could watch the storm around us grow in intensity without feeling threatened. I taught him the word “thunder,” and every time he’d hear a crash, he’d point to the sky and say “gunder!!” Safe under our shelter, we waited out the storm, and even marveled at its beauty and power.

I imagine that for many of us, this past year has felt like one storm after another. We may have had the experience of both wanting to run toward the storm’s intensity while also wanting to find shelter from the deluge.

There’s a psalm that we say daily throughout the High h=Holiday season from Rosh Hodesh Elul through Sukkot, Psalm 27, and within it are a variety of types of shelters where we might go to seek comfort and protection in times of chaos: Habit shel Elohim hashem (the house of G-d), Miklat zmani shel Hasukkah (the sacred palace or temple), Sukkahh (the temporary outdoor shelter of a sukkah), Ohel (a tent), Gavoha al haselah (high up on a rock), and Baderch sh hanhnu nosim (along the path that we’re traveling). I’m struck by the multitude and diversity of these shelters - some offer more protection than others. When you’re out on a camping trip, for instance, you may only have a tent or the cleft of a rock to protect you when conditions get stormy. This psalm invites each of us to imagine the places in our own lives that have offered us shelter from storms, literal and metaphorical, and also invites us to build those shelters within and around ourselves that will help us stay grounded and connected when it all becomes too much.

As we approach the High Holidays this year, we’re inviting you to come seek shelter with us at Or Hadash. Here, resting in the loving embrace of community, song, prayer and the sharing of Torah, we can find our footing and our connection to one another and what matters most in our lives.

Rabbi Lauren Henderson is the spiritual leader of Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs.

Rabbi Jason Holtz

How has Rosh Hashanah changed over the last 100 years? How do I anticipate it evolving into the fu- ture?

A hundred years ago, 1924, feels like it must have been a very different world. My entire family had already made its way to the United States by then. Here in America, it was the roaring twenties. There were certainly challenges for American Jews then, but for the most part, I imagine my family feeling optimistic about the future. My grandparents were children or teenagers in the 1920s and they were the first generation to be born here in America. As children in America, their future surely seemed much brighter than their parents when they were the same age. Of course, little did they know of the Depression to come in the 1930s, or World War II and the Holocaust.

We can’t predict the future any better than anyone else. Who knew a year ago what 5784 would bring? At the same time, we can see trends. Antisemitism is rising. Israel seems more vulnerable now than it has in a long time. Unity sometimes feels more like a memory than a reality. We worry that technology, which has the power to connect us, also has the power to divide us and bring alienation. And for our own personal futures? Will we and our loved ones be healthy or sick? What about our careers? Will our children succeed in school or in their jobs or in finding meaningful relationships? Will our goals in life be realized or frustrated?

Rosh Hashanah reminds us how little control we sometimes feel like we have. On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. But what is written? What is sealed? Will it be for good or for bad? Can we do anything to meaningfully change or improve what will happen? Our tradition teaches that while so much is out of our hands, so much is in our hands too. Repentance, prayer and tzedakah will always make what is to come better.

It’s hard to know what the future will bring, but what we bring to that future is up to us. May the year ahead be good to us, and may we also be good to the year ahead.

Rabbi Jason Holtz is the Rabbi of Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell.

ROSH HASHANAH

Marcia Caller Jaffe

Losing a sister, the hard way.

I’m no stranger to reciting kaddish, over parents, the natural order of things. Never did I anticipate burying my only sister, Susan Caller, just 12 weeks ago succumbing to the cruelty of Alzheimer’s. I still don’t know why she died so quickly. One week hiking, then going under hospice care and round-theclock, in-home aides in what seemed like “no time.” I understand the forgetfulness of dementia but am still left with discerning what really clicked in her mind to shut down. Was she fearful? In pain, but where?

The brain forgets to eat in just 10 days?

Since she had no children, her decades of belongings, after teaching in public school for over 40 years, were left frozen in time to dissolve. What’s left to keep or toss to remember a soul? Now I am throwing out her Ohio State diploma, Hebrew school report cards, old National Geographic magazines, lipsticks, and packs of travel photos; then deciding to keep (and wear) some of her athletic outfits, wrapping paper, cell phone, exotic green tea bags … things she treasured and held onto for years, just to toss? I drove dozens of two-feethigh tennis trophies to Goodwill. It darn near broke my heart.

Her funeral on July 2, just 10 days shy of her 79th birthday, was “one for the books.” Extra tents were set up to accommodate the generations of inner-city students and fellow teachers, family and friends. Midway though the service, the blue sky turned jet black, and the heavens opened up in thunderous lightening and pounding rain on a newly dug open grave. Attendees ran for their cars, and commented, “This is just like to Susan to make her presence known.”

Friend Martha Jo Katz summed it up best, “You can always get another husband, but you can never get another sister.” Worse than tossing material “things,” the greatest void is the overlapping memory bank. No one else remembers our dancing the Maypole in grammar school, or that our driveway was so steep, we were not allowed to get our driver’s license on time. No one else would even care.

Marcia Caller Jaffe is a freelance writer for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

ROSH HASHANAH

Meliss Jakubovic

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I find myself reflecting on the beautiful cycle of renewal this holiday brings to our Atlanta community. It’s a time when we gather in shul, reconnecting with familiar faces— some friends we only see once a year. It’s like a “Same Time, Next Year” moment, where we find ourselves in the same place at the same time year after year, catching up and sharing stories.

I cherish the memories woven into this season. As an Ima, I’ve delighted in baking round challot, taking my children apple picking through the years, and dipping those crisp, sweet apples in honey. We gather around the table, singing songs that echo from our childhood, feeling that unique blend of excitement and nostalgia. Each year, as we sit down for big, delicious meals with the people we love, we celebrate not just the food but the connections that make these moments special.

When I catch up with community members, I’m reminded of how our conversations evolve. Years ago, we spoke about toddlers taking their first steps; now, we’re discussing driver’s licenses and college plans. Each greeting highlights how life unfolds, filled with new milestones and shared memories.

What I cherish most is how Rosh Hashanah weaves our stories together, creating a tapestry of shared experiences. While our routines and traditions as Jews may differ—some keep kosher in their own unique ways, others have different customs— we come together with the same spirit of new beginnings. We share in the excitement of “missing school” for the holiday and the sense of starting fresh, filled with hope and possibility.

As we gather around the table, let’s celebrate not just the sweetness of apples and honey, but also the richness of our community. May this Rosh Hashanah offer us new beginnings, meaningful conversations, and blessings that fill our hearts. Let’s also take a moment to remember the importance of peace in Israel and around the world and the hope for the safe return of loved ones being held hostage, as we keep our Israeli families there close in our hearts.

Here’s to a Shana Tova Umetuka—a sweet new year for all of us. Together, let’s embrace the opportunities ahead and cherish the ties that bind us. And let’s also take a moment to congratulate the Atlanta Jewish Times on 100 years of connecting our community—here’s to many more!

Meliss Jakubovic is Atlanta’s Israeli folk dance instructor and online marketing strategist.

& WATCH REPAIRS

Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller

Despite the tumultuous times, much of this year’s Rosh HaShanah will reflect the sweetness of a red apple. I believe that our communities will show up in a new way this year. I think our community members are thinking deeply about their Jewish identity, their role in the community, and their place in the wider world. There are few things as sweet as Jewish homes looking to engage with Judaism.

At the same time, this year’s Rosh HaShanah will be a bit sour, like a table full of green apples instead of the red ones. We’re all living with the complicated nuance of continuing our lives like normal, while simultaneously holding the traumas of Oct. 7 and the seemingly unending aftermath of the ongoing war.

We walk into Rosh HaShanah this year holding two apples in our hands — one sweet and one sour. Even in the moments that feel completely sour, may we remember to take a bite of the sweet.

Shanah Tova.

Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller is the Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of Atlanta.

ROSH HASHANAH Mitchell Kopelman

Since Oct. 7, my emotions have run the gamut—happy, sad, pride, and more—each reflecting a profound connection to Israel and the Jewish People.

I have wanted to visit Israel again since the war started and was able to be part of a National FIDF Mission this summer. Prior to the mission I spent time volunteering, first packing food at Colel Chabad Food Pantry in Jerusalem, and learning about how they partner with the government in distributing food and funds to people in need all over Israel. Second, I spent a day with a group of people from Shlomi, a small community in northern Israel near the Lebanon border, who have been displaced since the 8th of October. Learning about their plight gave me a newfound understanding to their suffering.

Each day the FIDF mission was filled with emotional encounters. We visited with Magav Border Police in the Old City of Jerusalem, the unit that Rose Lubin (Z’L) was part of when she was tragically killed in the Old City last November. We prayed with soldiers at the Kotel; met with children who had lost siblings or parents since 7th of October, whose counsellors were soldiers. The counselors had lost siblings or parents when they were younger. Daily we interacted with soldiers who carry the weight of their responsibilities heavily on their shoulders. We spoke with soldiers recovering from their war injuries, one whom recently received a lung transplant.

As Israel and the Jewish World face relentless challenges, our commitment must be unwavering. We need us to stand proudly and actively for World Jewry and Israel, to combat antisemitism, and bring light to the world.

While the soldiers are fighting, each of us play our own part to fight by other means; visiting Israel, supporting Israel and our local Jewish Communities financially, lighting shabbat and holiday candles, putting on tefillin, and we must pray for the solders, Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.

Wishing you, all of Israel, Jewish people worldwide, and especially the hostages, to be written and sealed for a good, happy, healthy and sweet year!

Mitchell Kopelman lives on the Panhandle and in East Cobb. He is active in Chabad on the Emerald Coast (Destin) and Chabad of East Cobb among other Jewish community organizations.

Dr. Jeff Kunkes

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and … (Yeats). This has been a tough year. We have all like in the Godfather gone to the mattresses.

This state of affairs stared when our alleged pro-Israel leadership gave wavering support to Israel while stopping sanctions and allowing Iran to take in millions. This money went to arming Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi’s. Then came the Hamas horrific, barbaric attack on Israel. For ten minutes the world was sympathetic, but a long building antisemitism bubbled to the surface endangering Jews and Jewish elected officials.

We were all asleep at the wheel. Through blindness focusing our concerns on side issues we thought we were safe but in the past year we all saw our children attacked and harassed on the very campuses which we gave support. Campuses became battlegrounds. While we were asleep faculty and administrators hostile to the American dream took control, of the media, subverted our history, taught false history and unleashed a war on Jews.

I remember with pride when JFK and RFK sent in troops to protect Blacks trying to attend the University of Alabama. Now our dithering Attorney general does nothing to protect our campuses and RFK Jr. is being blocked from state ballots and Secret Service protection for no reason except to enforce a political agenda. Few have been arrested, fewer deported, and no effort made to follow the money which pays for this true insurrection and fascist attacks of the First Amendment.

We have to use this year’s High Holidays not only to tone down the rhetoric, renew relationships with family and friends, restart dialogues and cleave a new path forward. In the 1980’s marches on Soviet embassies helped free Jews. This was done by direct action, not by attending countless lectures on the plight of Jews. As an ENT doctor I know well the difference between hearing and listening. As a surgeon, I know the difference between action and inaction

But most important, we cannot tolerate another year of lies and gaslighting of the truth. Inflation has devastated many less able to afford the basic necessities of life than most of the readers of this paper. The influx of illegal immigrants has swamped many cities and communities across the country. Our standing on the world stage did take a nosedive when our current administration abandoned Afghanistan. Now our open Southern border witnessed over 12 million illegals to cross into our country which has disrupted municipal budgets, public safety, voter integrity and overwhelmed our nation’s healthcare.

We need our Jewish leadership from the behma and from our countless organizations to initiate financial boycotts of universities which will not protect Jewish students. We need expulsions and removing scholarships to those students who not honor our Constitutional rights. We need to demand our DOJ follows the money and see who is funding this insurrection. We need to deport those who have overstayed their student visas. We need to stop funding Palestinians who use our dollars to pay a stipend to the families of those who kill Jews. We need to have the leadership of the Carter Center stop lying and calling Israel an apartheid state. In short we should use this New Year to rededicate ourselves to being Jews who proudly stand up for our rights and safety in the United States and in Israel. We need action more than just donating money

May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life and work for the peace which will allow the fulfillment of the prophesy to turn our swords into plowshares.

Dr. Jeff Kunkes is an otolaryngologist in Clayton County.

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ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Micah Lapidus

One hundred years ago my ancestors stood in awe as the sound of the shofar pierced their hearts and stirred their souls. They recited words that had been passed down to them by their ancestors, from genera tion to generation. They gave thanks for the blessings of family, community, health, and Torah. They offered praise to Source of All that brought this world into being and that sustains all life. They wept for the pain and injustice that they saw around them and rededicated themselves to taking up the Prophetic call to build a world of love and justice. So too may we do the same.

Rabbi Micah Lapidus is the Director of Jew ish and Hebrew Studies at The Davis Academy.

Mike Leven

The New Year calls upon us to reflect on the past year—the struggles, losses, and challenges we’ve faced. As we approach Rosh Hashanah and mark one year since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, now is the time to renew our commitment to one another, to our community, and to Israel, our eternal homeland.

“Never forget is more important than never again.”

We must never forget that the only true safe haven - where Jews are not “visitors” - is Israel. The establishment of Israel in 1948 was not just the creation of a nation; it was a declaration that the Jewish people would never be at the mercy of others. For American Jews, the new year is a chance to strengthen our connection to Israel and rededicate ourselves to ensuring that Israel remains strong, secure, and capable of defending itself against all threats.

Through education and advocacy, we can ensure that the significance of Oct. 7 is recognized, remembered, and taught to future generations. This is our responsibility—not only to our own community but to our non-Jewish allies, helping them understand why Israel’s security is vital—not just for Jews, but for the principles of democracy and freedom that both Israel and the United States represent.

This support must be tangible—through philanthropy, advocacy, and by standing against the rising tide of antisemitism that often disguises itself as anti-Zionism. As we enter 5785, we must remember, we must act, and we must stand together. Only then can we ensure that the promise of “never again” becomes a reality and that our future, like our past, is shaped by resilience, strength, and unity.

Mike Leven is a legendary business executive, visionary philanthropist, and the founder of the Jewish Future Promise.

ROSH HASHANAH

Melanie Nelkin

This past year I was inspired by having the distinct privilege of being in Jerusalem during the period of shloshim, after the Hamas terrorist massacre on 1007. It was a stark revelation to me that we could be reciting kaddish in a public square to commemorate the memory of hundreds of slaughtered people, while also still feeling clueless as to how many more were yet to be found or released from being hostages. The challenge remains, how to reconcile feelings of grief and the unfairness of human suffering with overwhelming anger?

Charles Dickens once said, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” And I guess, so goes Jewish history, because as we head into 5785, I am reminded that we are not just in the aftermath of the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, we’re thousands of years from the beginning of Jewish history. We’ve been here before, and we’ll be here again. As an ardent Zionist and committed advocate for the Jewish people, it evokes a lot of self-reflection, rethinking and creativity.

Being free as a Jew is not just about exile or liberation, it comes weighted with responsibility, just like democracy. And so just as kaddish is meant to be a communal prayer, so are our obligations to each other because they are woven into our survival as Am Yisrael Chai.

Melanie Nelkin is the past president of American Jewish Committee-Atlanta, currently serving on the AJC National Executive Council.

ROSH HASHANAH

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff

Shana Tovah. Happy New Year. This is U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, bringing Rosh Hashanah greetings to the Jewish community in the State of Georgia. It is such an honor to represent Georgia’s Jewish community, and I hope that in this season you’re able to enjoy time with family as we reflect on the year behind us and consider what we can do for a better, sweeter, more successful, and more compassionate year ahead. I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent you, and I know this is a moment of reflection for so many of us after such a terribly difficult year for Jews in Georgia and around the world. I join all of us in praying fervently for the freedom and safety of those still held hostage in Gaza and for peace and security for everyone in Israel and throughout the Holy Land. Thank you for all you do in the State of Georgia, and please know that my office and I are here to support you in any way that we can at Ossoff.senate.gov.

Born and raised in Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff serves as Georgia’s Senior United States Senator.

David Ostrowsky

When reflecting on how Rosh Hashanah has evolved over the past century for my family and community, I can’t help but think about world history. How did my ancestors celebrate the holiday when they were fairly new immigrants to America in the 1920s? A couple decades later, when the horrors of the Holocaust were unfolding in Europe, how did affairs overseas impact holiday traditions stateside? Truthfully, I don’t have the answers. But this very question has inspired me to do some research. I want to learn more about how my relatives from past generations upheld traditions through such great volatility.

From a personal standpoint, as I look to the future of Rosh Hashanah, I consider two overarching developments. One, ever since the pandemic, it is apparent that -- for better or worse -- there will be an option to stream services rather than attending in-person. I believe this evolution will forever change the dynamic of the holiday. Secondly, Rosh Hashanah promises to invariably fall on or around Oct. 7, a date that will of course live in infamy. For some people at least, the holiday will never be the same as it will have such an association.

Nevertheless, I feel truly blessed to be able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with family next month and I wish all our readers a wonderful holiday and all great things in the new year.

David Ostrowsky serves as the sportswriter for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Tiffany Parks

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

I am in the process of meditation and introspection.

When I embrace the spirit of Rosh Hashanah through faith, my fears, frustrations, and uncertainties subside. New opportunities will present themselves in the New Year!

So, in the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, earlier this year, I forgave that friend I was mad at. Just recently, I stopped fretting over that missed opportunity. Setbacks are setups. God will provide more blessings!

Also, dear reader, may God continue to bless you in all ways as you read these Rosh Hashanah messages. The AJT has been serving the Jewish community for 100 years, and we’ll be serving you bigger and better during the upcoming year.

Tiffany Parks is an educator and writer/contributor for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Jody Pollack

Rosh Hashana 2024

Last Rosh Hashana we were filled with naïve optimism about how positive opportunities were on the horizon and how we should make the most of them for the greater good of the community. Then Oct. 7 happened, and the grim reality of our tenuous position in this bizarro world was exposed to us in no uncertain terms. Our hearts were torn out by the events of that day as we suffered through unimaginable pain, sorrow and embarrassment. How could this happen again? Didn’t the fact that we already endured the holocaust give us a “free ride” to never have it happen again? Isn’t that what “Never Again” was all about?

This time we knew without a doubt that the world’s reaction would be different. There would be worldwide indignation and condemnation of the perpetrators and boundless support for Israel. Well, all of that happened for about 24 hours. Then the switch flipped and while we were reeling from the massacre, the indignation and condemnation was aimed at us for fighting back and the support went to the bad guys. The antisemites started popping up all around us in unimaginable places and supported by many we thought were our friends. From neighbors to teachers and professors. Politicians began openly supporting the terrorists. People we thought were intelligent enough to see the difference between right and wrong were taking the opportunity to take a whack at the Jewish pinata.

Now, here we are a year later. Too many lives have been lost on our side. The other side can live or die with the consequences of their actions and silent collaboration. Sorry but I have no room in my heart for their self-imposed situation.

To answer the question, “Over the last 100 years do you feel Rosh Hashanah has changed for your family and community?”, unfortunately the answer is no and yes. No change; the antisemites and ambivalent governments are still around as well as the opportunists that want to join in whacking the pinata. Yes, a change; this time we are fighting back and hitting them harder than they ever imagined and every now and then someone who recognizes right from wrong speaks up on our behalf.

In reality, we control our own destiny. If we want to see Israel continue to exist for the next 100 years, we must continue supporting her, shout down the antisemites and support our true friends so they keep supporting us in our dire time of need. Do what you can so we all can continue to live in freedom and help those that are struggling so we can be optimistic again. If not for this year, then for next year.

L’shanah Tova.

Jody Pollack is the Executive Director of the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival.

ROSH HASHANAH

Eric M. Robbins

Rosh Hashanah has always been a time of deep reflection for me and my family. The changing of the seasons, the vibrant colors of autumn, and the cooler air all invite us to pause, to look back, and to gaze ahead with hope. It’s a time to awaken—to become more aware. The sound of the shofar calls us to that awakening, urging us to take stock of our lives. The weeks of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, offer us a chance to ask: What have we achieved? Where have we fallen short? And what remains for us to do in the year to come?

This past year has undoubtedly been the most challenging one for the Jewish people in my lifetime. The pain, the loss, the anguish, the uncertainty—it all continues. Yet, Rosh Hashanah reminds us that life’s cycles persist. We will, in time, find our way through. But we must also acknowledge that we will not emerge unchanged, or unscarred. We will evolve, as we always have.

And yet, one of the most grounding and meaningful aspects of Rosh Hashanah is that the holiday itself remains unchanged. Year after year, through times of joy and hardship, it endures. The rituals, the prayers, the blowing of the shofar—they have never really changed. And I don’t see this holiday changing ever. In its timelessness, it offers us stability and continuity, providing a spiritual anchor in an evershifting world.

One of our cherished family traditions is to indulge in as much honey as possible during Rosh Hashanah, believing that the more we partake, the sweeter the year ahead will be. I can’t provide evidence that it works, but we do it year after year. And this year, more than ever, we need all the sweetness we can gather. So, I encourage all of us to embrace this tradition with joy and hope. Let us pray for the safe return of our hostages, for peace in the Middle East and across the world, and for the continued growth and flourishing of our Atlanta community.

May the sound of the shofar stir our souls, and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year filled with peace, health, and sweetness.

Eric Robbins is the past President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and community member.

Roni Robbins From

Family Gatherings to Prayers for Empty Seats

Rosh Hashanah, and really most of the Jewish holidays, once brought our New York family together. We all lived either in New York or adjoining states and gathered in my grandparents’ modest Rego Park living room where a series of long tables, a smaller one for the kinderlach, was set with fine dishware.

In the kitchen, my grandmother with the help of a daughter or two, would prepare the multi-course meal, the smells of lukshen kugel, brisket, chicken, and matzah ball soup imbuing the home with the warmth of Yiddishkeit. When it was time to eat, my grandfather or an Israeli uncle led prayers and we chimed in with familiar melodies.

After my family moved to the North Carolina mountains, my mother continued to create a similar environment there. But when I moved away, I longed for the holiday to fall on the weekend so I could return to that peaceful cocoon of youth with all the traditional foods and songs. If we couldn’t return to N.C., we either spent holidays with friends or I tried to recreate the experience for my family. I don’t believe I ever fully captured the essence of Judaism from my youth.

Perhaps in the future, when my children return with their own kinderlach, I will be more successful recapturing that sense of pervasive love, tranquility, and safety, if not for myself, then for them. In the meantime, I enjoy serving as my synagogue’s main usher despite the turmoil in the world that adds security concerns to my role. I’ll take pride on the bimah as a bat kohen and praying for the congregation in the duchening ceremony I wrote about once in the AJT.

This year brings a new experience I won’t relish. I’ll participate in yizkor for the first time since losing my Dad. When I was young, my parents took me outside the shul until the mourning prayers were over. As a young adult I said the prayers for Holocaust victims. In recent years as the usher, I stood outside the sanctuary so others can pray inside respectfully. Unfortunately, I feel compelled to join them this year, and not just for my father, but for the Six Million and the victims of Oct. 7 and the war in Israel. If only to return to an idyllic time a once-naïve youth believed would never end.

Roni Robbins is a journalist and author of Hands of Gold: One Man’s Quest to Find the Silver Lining in Misfortune.

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ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

Making a Commitment for the New Year

There is a heaviness to this year’s High Holiday celebration. With the one-year commemoration of Oct. 7 between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it’s hard not to focus on the terror attacks a year ago, the ensuing war that while eradicating the evil of Hamas has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in Gaza. The torture, murder and terror that the hostages have and continue to endure. Not to mention the struggles that the Jewish communities in North America and around the world have had to navigate at the hands of people who use hate, intimidation, and violence under the guise of supporting the Palestinian cause.

This year has been heavy. The High Holidays, with their expiation of sin and the renewal of our soul are often experienced as a lightening of our spiritual heaviness. So, what can we expect from this year’s High Holidays? I have a favorite lesson taught by Reb Mimi Feigelson. She would ask: Why does Yom Kippur follow Rosh Hashanah? If we are looking to enter the new year renewed and refreshed, shouldn’t we remove our sins (Yom Kippur) before we start the New Year (Rosh Hashanah)?

The High Holidays aren’t only a response to the year that has passed but a commitment to the year to come. Yom Kippur unburdens us not so we can go into the new year carefree. Rather, Yom Kippur commits us to the year to come, the path ahead, and the people we will journey with for the next 354 days (# of days in the Jewish calendar, non-leap year). This year, my friends, let us commit ourselves to our Jewish communities here, abroad, and in Israel. Let us walk together towards peace and justice. Let us commit ourselves to the safe return of the remaining hostages and the eradication of Hamas and other terror groups in the region for both the Israelis and the Palestinian people.

Laurence Rosenthal is a rabbi at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

Ray Rothman

Rosh Hashanah has always been a special holiday in our family! Growing up in Va Beach, my parents used to wait on the side of the highway for the kosher butcher to meet us for our holiday order. We would often be joined by my grandparents or great aunt who was like a grandmother. My father’s parents were from Jersey City. My mother’s parents were from Roanoke Rapids, NC. Their stories highlighted the stark differences between growing up in Jersey City, the home to a significant Jewish population, and Roanoke Rapids which didn’t even have a full-time rabbi.

My mother’s parents were part of a scattered rural Jewish community with one synagogue in Weldon, NC, Temple Emanu-El about 10 miles from my grandparent’s home. The community emerged in the late 1890s with the arrival of a Lithuanian peddler, Henry Farber who opened a store that became the center of this extended Jewish community. This synagogue brought together families from 14 locales along southern Virginia and eastern NC. My grandparents were active members of Temple Emanu-El. We went there too for the high holidays and ate a community meal all together either in the synagogue or at a restaurant.

In contrast, Northern New Jersey in the 1930s was a community of more than 80,000 Jews with more than 40 synagogues. As a young man, my father lived above a store in Jersey City. During this time, the Jewish community was growing and evolving with a rich Jewish culture offering support and connection. The high holiday meals were replete with conversation, symbolism and tradition celebrated with my dad’s mother, her other boys and her parents. Meals were not just about food but were an opportunity for family sharing, renewal and reflection, and hope for the year ahead.

The sweetness of these memories reminds me of the importance of the shared experiences we as Jews have, which strengthen our bonds, increase our resilience, and add depth to our lives. Wishing you and your families a sweet and most joyous holiday!

Ray Alyssa Rothman is a commercial real estate broker who also helps high-net-worth individuals identify debt and equity investment opportunities. Her side business is Kibbitz & Konnect, a premier in-person social network for Atlanta’s Jewish singles community (www.kibbitzkonnect.org).

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ROSH HASHANAH

OCTOBER 2ND THROUGH 4TH

/ SOUP /

Mushroom Barley • Chicken Noodle • Matzo Balls

/ APPETIZERS /

Gefilte Fish • Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Chopped Chicken Liver • Potato Latkes

/ ENTREES /

Goldbergs Famous Brisket & Gravy

Bubbe’s Roasted Chicken Quarters • Vegetable Lasagna

/ SIDE DISHES /

Mashed Potatoes • Green Beans • Garden Salad

Maple Sweet Potatoes Kale Salad w/Maple VinaigretteNEW!

/ KUGELS / Potato KugelNEW! • Sweet Noodle Kugel

/ DESSERT /

Rugelach Assortment • Matzo Toffee • Chocolate Torte

Babka: Chocolate or Cinnamon

Honey Pound Cake • Pumpkin Harvest Pound Cake

/ GOLDBERGS CHALLAH / Plain or Raisin Round (One size only - 2lb)

YOM KIPPUR

OCTOBER 11TH THROUGH 12TH

/ SOUP /

Mushroom Barley • Chicken Noodle • Matzo Balls

/ APPETIZERS /

Chopped Herring • Gefilte Fish

Chopped Chicken Liver • Smoked Salmon Dip & Spread

/ SALADS /

Relish Tray • Tuna Salad

Egg Salad • White Fish Salad

/ SMOKED FISH /

Nova • Lox • Kippered Salmon

Whole White Fish • Stuffed White Fish

/ DAIRY ENTREES /

Potato Latkes with Sour Cream or Apple Sauce

Sweet Noodle Kugel

/ DESSERTS /

Rugelach Assortment • Honey Cake • Pumpkin Patch Pound Cake

Babka: Chocolate or Cinnamon • Cheese Blintzes

/ GOLDBERGS FAMOUS / Round Challah Plain or Raisin (One size only - 2lb)

Assorted Bagels • Assorted Cream Cheese

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Neil Sandler

What is the most moving piece of High Holiday liturgy for you? Kol Nidre? B’rosh Hashana Yikatayvoon? Something else? The piece of liturgy that most moves me is one with which you may not be familiar. It appears in Machzor Hadash:

“Our origin is dust and our end is dust… We are like a fragile vessel, like the grass that withers, the flower that fades, the shadow that passes, the cloud that vanishes, the wind that blows, the dust that floats, the dream that flies away.

BUT YOU, SOVEREIGN OF ALL, ARE THE LIVING AND EVERLASTING GOD.”

There is no question that each of us possesses tremendous power. We can make right many of the moments when we have badly erred. We can provide healing to those who are hurting. And on and on.

But in the scheme of things, the High Holidays ask us to recognize and confront the fact that each of us lacks abiding power and time in this world. We pass quickly through it.

What lasts? Who remains to provide all that may be good and helpful? The Holy One.

I wish you and your loved ones a year of good health and well-being especially in these challenging times.

Neil Sandler is the Rabbi Emeritus of Ahavath Achim Synagogue and serves the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation.

Shaindle Schmuckler

Consider Kindness and Forgiveness

This year, Jews around the world face challenges, once again driven by hate and unknowing. The Rosh Hashanah of today must stand as a strong reminder, more than ever, of the importance of a family. The love within family can guide us to a more fulfilling, meaningful life. Rosh Hashanah must be a reminder of the strength and spiritual connections within the community.

Shaindle Schmuckler is a freelance writer for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Maayan Schoen

The past 100 years have seen the convergence of some of the most significant historical, biblical, and national forces for the Jewish people. The Holocaust, the Farhud and extended dispossession and exile from Arab and Muslim lands, the establishment of the modern State of Israel, the miraculous return of Yemenite Jewry to Israel, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Refusenik movement, the momentous return of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel, the flourishing of American Jewry, the Abraham Accords… Oct. 7. Prophecies crash into us, and we into each other, as the lives and fates of our long-dispersed people become more and more closely entwined, until we are so connected that when a hostage is killed under Gaza, his mother’s tears leak from our own eyes.

What did Rosh Hashana look like in those years of upheaval in the 20th century? How did we celebrate when we couldn’t gather to pray or feast? Did they bother imagining and petitioning for better days to come? Given our experience over the past year since Oct. 7, we can almost answer this ourselves. Some will feel the weight of life and death in our mouths when we pray, some will turn to God in anger, and others may approach the whole thing with a newfound skepticism. And what about in the years following triumph? Was the honey extra sweet? For me, as I write this, I’m holding out a hope that by the time this is published, we will have achieved some triumphant victory, such as the return of the remaining hostages, that will turn the honey sweet in my mouth. The tension that we feel in approaching the holidays this year, while we are still in national mourning, is inherent in the Days of Awe. While they are meant to be celebrated with feasting and family and communal gathering, they are also solemn, serious, and weighty as days of judgment and atonement.

At this time last year, we never could have imagined what was to come just a few days later. Now we know exactly what we mean when we ask God to reverse the evil decree: Put an end to this somehow; take away our sorrow. I will put my faith in the hope that something so good that it’s almost impossible to imagine will come to be: the return of the hostages, an end to the war, political stability, peace, redemption. Some of our losses are so great that they can never be made whole, but I believe that the power of our prayers and sacrifices, accumulated over the past year, will shake the heavens this Rosh Hashana and influence the decree for the good.

Maayan Schoen studied in the Migdal Oz Beit Midrash for Women in Israel and recently graduated from Yale University. She now lives in Jerusalem and is chief of staff for Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and Special Envoy for Innovation Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.

ROSH HASHANAH

Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez

“Shana tova!” The walls echo with the greeting of Rosh Hashanah.

Or perhaps if you, like me, find yourself in a Sefardi community, it is “tizku leshanim rabot” (may you merit many years), and the response is “ne’imot ve’tovot” (pleasant and good ones).

A good year. Not a happy one. We wish people happy birthday, and we often say this is the birthday of the world. We wish people a “Chag sameach,” a happy holiday, for nearly every other holiday, and yet - at the beginning of the year we leave joy out of the equation.

As someone known for Jewish joy, I find this particularly striking and this year I am really sitting with it. What is the difference between a good year and a happy one?

The past year has been a complicated one, not one which was overall happy, but was it still

good? Were there joyful moments? Of course. But would I describe the whole year as joyful?

Absolutely not. But was it entirely a dumpster fire in every way? Well….

But is that inherent in what we want to wish for? What is the line between good and happy?

Perhaps it is in what we have the power to create. When God created the world at the end of each day, God looked around, and “God saw that it was good,” allowing forward movement into the next act of creating. Perhaps that is what we are both reflecting on and manifesting when we say, a good year, shana tova, tizku leshanim rabot. We have the power to create goodness in our lives, taking positive steps where we can make change to make the world a better place not only for ourselves but for the future.

Shana tova, tizku leshanim rabot – make it a good year!

Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez currently serves the community as an education and non-profit consultant for organizations nationwide and as an active volunteer leader, including with National Council of Jewish Women’s Rabbis for Repro Advisory Group. She received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Maharat in 2018 and a master’s in social work from the University of Illinois in 2006.

Dena Schusterman

One hundred years ago, someone got a smack at synagogue.  Maybe your family called it a spanking or patch; mine called it a frask.

But gently.

Today, you get a kiss.

What changed?

I don’t know what the social scientists have to say; I can only speak from my experience growing up in a Chasidic home and raising my eight children for the last 28 years—about half a century in all.

My world has become a softer place.  It began less than 300 years ago with the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov. Before Freud and Jung, the Chasidic Masters began disclosing the spiritual and emotional interior world of a human. They were teaching the simplest of Jews how to refine their character and how to live a more wholesome and Godly-aligned life.

When asked why, here is the parable they told:

The Sun and Wind argue about who is more powerful; they decide to test their mettle against a hapless man walking in a coat. Who can get him to remove the coat? The wind sends his fiercest gusts, and the man keeps pulling his coat tighter and tighter. Eventually, the howling hurricane forces him to roll on the floor and stubbornly hold onto his protection at all costs. It is now the sun’s turn, and he shines his most impressive rays; in no time, the man organically and effortlessly removes his coat.

We have all been put into this world to toil, refine our characters, and lose our coats— the outer layer and coping mechanisms we’ve “put upon” ourselves in hopes that we will survive— to access our divine soul. This work will evolve the world toward the (Jewish) messianic ideal.

This, the Chasidic Masters taught, is the whole purpose of creation.

Once upon a time, the wind blew (the patch!) and tried to force you to change. Today, we all know that compassion, love, and warmth are the most efficient fuel to make that happen. For ourselves primarily. We know well that you cannot change anyone; you can only change yourself, and then, to wit, you can actually change the world.

So here is to a New Year filled with self-compassion, love, and warmth. I can’t wait to hear about all the growth and change your personal work will bring.

Dena Schusterman is a founder of Chabad Intown, the Intown Jewish Preschool and the Intown Hebrew School, she writes about parenting and applied Torah and Chassidic thought, teaches women’s classes, and is currently working on writing her first book. Dena and her husband, Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman, are native Californians living in Atlanta together with their children.

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ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz

There is a famous verse from Pirke Avot (5:22), attributed to Ben Bag-Bag. that reads, “Turn it (the Torah) over and over, for everything is in it. Reflect on it, grow old and gray in it and do not stir from it, for there is no better standard of conduct for you than this.” Around this time of year, just before Rosh Hashanah, this verse always pushes me to reflect on my life and where I have been, and this year is no different. The High Holy Days, the Days of Awe, are upon us, but this year feels bittersweet. Where normally Rosh Hashanah is a day filled with celebration and hopes for a sweet new year, I am aware of the reality of violence in Israel and growing antisemitism in the United States and on our Georgia campuses.

It is said that the Torah doesn’t change, but we do. We are different as a result of Oct. 7. As a people, this is not the first time we have seen aggression against the Jewish people. We are witnesses to this and therefore have an obligation to respond. Rosh Hashanah is the time to look inward and to recommit getting involved in the Jewish community, supporting the causes that uplift our spirit and give us hope. Embrace who you are as part of the Jewish community and see where the journey leads us. The 3000-year-old hope of the Jewish people still guides our way. Embrace the change.

Shanah Tova um’tukah. A good and sweet New Year to you and your loved ones.

Larry Sernovitz is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth.

Chana Shapiro

The Promise and Challenge of the Shofar: It’s Per- sonal

Awesome moments of the Rosh Hashanah service come with resounding shofar blasts. Tradition tells us that the shofar made its first public appearance at Mount Sinai, when the Israelites received the Torah and became a nation. Our sage, Moses Maimonides, taught that, because of the shofar’s role at Mt. Sinai, the sounding of the shofar forever announces a new beginning. This Rosh Hashanah, we deeply yearn for a new beginning.

This new beginning applies individually to each of us. On Rosh Hashanah we pray that we will be given an opportunity to clean up our act and make the most of having another year in which to improve ourselves.

The shofar blasts have the power to provoke us to acknowledge our mistakes, to set worthwhile goals, to be honest, kind and generous, to do what we can to repair the broken world in which we live.

On Rosh Hashanah we consider the path in life we would like to follow, and—if you’re like me—we might ask ourselves if we could have done a better job the past year. The answer to that question always gives me a lot to think about.

We ask G-d for another chance. Let’s take the message of the shofar to heart, to earnestly begin again, especially this year.

May we all be written in the Book of Life, and thereby be given the opportunity to spend our year wisely.

Our family wishes you and your loved ones a joyous and meaningful year.

Shana Tova!

Chana Shapiro is a freelance writer for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

ROSH HASHANAH Kenny Silverboard

As we prepare for the Days of Awe, many thoughts are com peting for space in my mind. How is it already the High Holidays? Were we not just in synagogue listen ing to the sound of the shofar, asking G-d for forgiveness, and making plans on how we were going to change and try to do our best in the coming year?

How can we be the best version of our selves when the world seems to be upside down?

How can we live by the words of Rabbi Tarfon – “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” This sage advice puts the onus on us, on what we can do to make the world we inhabit, the world our children and grandchil dren will inherit, simply put – a better place for all. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. When the task seems so big, just remember one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, eventually, you will get to where you are going.

Patrick J. Tracy

Engage your neighbors, your circle of friends, acquaintances, and have a real conversation. Listen to each other, find common ground, and do a good deed for no reason other than you can.

Step out of your comfort zone, get out of your bubble. Growth only happens when you are uncomfortable.

As we step fully into the New Year, let us embrace empathy as our guiding light, fostering understanding and compassion in our relationships and communities.

“Be the change you are trying to create.”

L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu

Kenny Silverboard is the Southeast Director of ORT America, Atlanta.

Rabbi Sam Trief

The Buddha’s disciples turned to him one day and asked:

Are you a God?

No, I am not a God, he answered.

Then are you an angel?

No, I am not an angel, the Buddha replied. Are you a prophet? the disciples insisted.

No I am not a prophet

Then, who are you?

The Buddha answered, I am awake

I started at AA, where we attended Rosh Hashanah services via a TV screen way in the back. But the community got sclerotic, so we left to help found Or Hadash. Most recently at Or Hadash, I attended Rosh Hashanah services via a computer screen on Zoom during the pandemic. My kids moved back to Atlanta, but Or Hadash felt stuffy to them, so they left to help found Ma’alot. Now I celebrate Rosh Hashanah on top of Arabia Mountain with my children and their children. My celebration of Rosh Hashanah has definitely changed for the better, and I hope that it will continue to do so in the future. Sim Shalom. “

Patrick J. Tracy is a married grandfather, Jewish convert, COH founder, banker, Peace Corps Volunteer Colombia.

While navigating the ups and downs of our daily lives, it’s easy to fall into routines, and to feel stuck and trapped by the familiarity of it all. And, as we go about our days and our obligations, we might lose touch with our passions and our deeper purpose and potential. Rosh Hashanah, however, offers us a precious opportunity to awaken from our complacency.

The blast of the shofar, serves as a wake-up call for our souls, shaking us from our comfortable habits and urging us to reexamine our day to day. The shofar inspires us to live like the Buddha, awake, with our eyes, hearts, and minds wide open.

This sacred season invites us to reflect, rejuvenate, and reconnect with our inner selves. It’s a time to celebrate new beginnings and to embrace our potential for growth and transformation. We hope the familiar blasts of the shofar will guide us all towards our strengths and our callings, so that we can live this year of 5785 alive and inspired.

On behalf of the Temple Sinai Clergy Team, Shanah Tovah.

Rabbi Sam Trief is a Rabbi at Temple Sinai.

Alla Umanskiy

I’m hosting Rosh Hashanah dinner this year for my family - a fact that excites me and makes me nervous. Normally, my parents host. They’re the “adults.” They do the brisket and the apples and the honey and all the appropriately packaged Judaism that comes with this holiday. I’m a “kid” - only 45 - so I come over with my spouse and children in tow, ready to eat kosher meats, and dip apples into things, and savor the love that my parents always put into this special evening.

Except this year, for various reasons, my parents won’t host. So, I stepped up, adulting, feeling very grown. It’s about time. Now the brisket and the apples and the challah and the matza balls are up to me (and my husband - a great cook!).

It’s a slight hassle - maneuvering the relatives and the groceries and the cooking and the serving - but I couldn’t be more thrilled. This is my chance to maintain the thread that has kept my family’s Jewishness alive. This is my opportunity to show my daughters how to do this - and that mom (not just grandma) can do it too.

So this is how Rosh Hashanah has evolved in our family. From none at all in my Soviet early childhood, to full-blown shebang at my parents’ house, to, finally, my house with my own kids. A circle, whole, complete, round as an apple.

Alla Umanskiy is a writer, wife and mother, living, working and raising a family in Johns Creek.

ROSH HASHANAH

Renee Werbin

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 2. It is virtually a year since the tragic date of Oct. 7, 2023, when a group of Palestinian terrorists launched an armed incursion into Southern Israel. Over 1200 of our brothers and sisters in Israel were tragically killed; hundreds more were maimed, raped and tortured. Over 240 of our people were abducted, and this Rosh Hashanah will arrive with more than 100 still in captivity. Additionally, most of the remaining hostages are believed to have already been killed. This is a tragedy of unheralded proportions.

Israel has been at war almost a year now. The staggering loss of IDF soldiers and the thousands of Israeli soldiers who have been wounded has taken a disastrous toll on our people. A year is about to pass; those in captivity remain in harm’s way and the war rages on. This is a lot to digest as we head into a new year.

The spiritual wake-up call of Rosh Hashanah beckons, and our thoughts turn to the coming year. We are navigating a new wave of antisemitism throughout the world and right here at home. Many college campuses have become breeding grounds of antisemitic rhetoric and often the establishment sits idly by and watches it happen. The winds of the Holocaust have awakened, heralding dire straits for our people.

We have a plethora of prayers as we enter this new year; prayers that we hope will resonate loud and clear to those in captivity. May they sense we are with them in spirit, praying for their safe return.

Rosh Hashanah’s mesmerizing prayers of hope, peace and tranquility offer a sense of rejuvenation for Jews throughout the world. May 5785 usher in an enriching and safe year where Jews can pray and wear their kippot without fear of reprisal. May our souls be nourished by our loved ones, our teachers, our rabbis and our dear friends. May our nurturing traditions of gathering for festive Rosh Hashanah meals filled with scrumptious foods that include apples dipped in honey, round delicate challahs and sweet, delicious tzimmes pass from generation to generation. L’dor V’dor. May 5785 herald a year of peace and tranquility for our Jewish brothers and sisters everywhere.

Wishing each of you a year of personal fulfillment, joy and good health. May your apples and your life always be dipped in honey.

L’Shana Tova Tikatevu!

Renee Werbin is the President, SRI Travel; Publisher and Co-Founder, Travelgirl Magazine.

Rabbi Mark Zimmerman A Fateful New Year

This past year has been a very difficult one for the Jewish people, both in Israel and the diaspora. A year that has sorely tested our resilience and our faith. What will 5785 bring for us and for Jewish communities around the world?

The truth is I don’t recall another High Holiday season in my lifetime when we felt as on edge as we do today. Who would have thought that in the wake of Oct. 7, the barbaric attacks on innocent civilians, that so many would turn against Israel and her very right to exist? Who would have thought that antisemitism would only continue to grow, making the diaspora feel like a place of increasing uncertainty?

And yet, as a people we have been here before. Despite all of these challenges, we have shown an extraordinary capacity for strength and solidarity.

My recent visits to Israel in the aftermath of Oct. 7 offered a profound example of this resilience. I was deeply moved by the way that internally displaced Israelis, evacuated from their homes to hotels and kibbutz guest houses, responded to their circumstances. Far from succumbing to despair, they created a new kind of community—a kibbutz of the heart. In these temporary settings, sometimes packed together in hotel lobbies, they shared their stories and found ways to sing, to pray, to support one another, and even provide care for their children and their elderly.

Many in our own community have traveled to Israel to volunteer during this fateful time. We worked in agriculture, painted bomb shelters, sorted through needed supplies in “Hamal” centers, and comforted family members who have lost loved ones or don’t even know the fate of those who were taken hostage. The power of those experiences cannot even be articulated in words.

Witnessing our collective efforts was a powerful reminder of what it means to be Jewish. We are bound together not just by shared beliefs, but by a deep-seated commitment to one another. It is this sense of collective responsibility that has allowed us to endure throughout the millennia. In times of crisis, we do not stand alone; we stand together, drawing strength from our shared history, our faith, and our community.

In the coming year, let us take this spirit of being am echad, one people, to heart. Let us draw inspiration from those who have shown us what it means to live with courage, compassion, and a deep commitment to the well-being of others.

And may 5785 be a better year for all of us.

Rabbi Mark Zimmerman is the Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Dunwoody.

L’shana Tova

Jewish ATL is Better Together

This Rosh Hashanah, may we all celebrate the resilience of our community as we embrace the promise of healing and growth in the new year. As a united Jewish ATL, may we lift each other up, strengthen our community locally, in Israel, and around the world, and dedicate ourselves to having a lasting impact in 5785.

Happy New Year from your friends at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

jewishatlanta.org/give

From Our AJT Family to Yours, L' Shana Tova!

Kaylene Ladinsky

One Hundred Years of Jewish History and Still Counting

Rosh Hashana Fri, Sep 18, 1925, 1-2 Tishrei 5686

It is so hard to believe that Atlanta Jewish Times, originally known as The Southern Israelite, LLC has been serving this community for going on 100-years. I am so honored to be a part of such a vibrating and growing city that has an appreciation for Jewish diversity.

Unfortunately, it seems that our evolution as a people is digressing back in time. Antisemitic instances are growing at an unbelievable rate and the aggression in mobs against Jewish members of the community have become more hateful.

The nativist “anti-undesirable” immigrant factions which had become influential, particularly in the Democratic party before World War I, strengthened because of the Socialist/Communist upheavals in Europe which followed the war. Bolshevism or International Communism, linked in the public mind to Eastern European Jews, was regarded as an imminent threat to the American way of life. The racist theories that became widely accepted were those promoted by the 1916 Madison Grant book, which glorified Northern European races as opposed to Southern Europeans (particularly Italians), Eastern European Slavs and Jews, and all Asians.

The legislative products of this racism were the Immigration Restriction Acts of 1921 and 1924. Under the 1924 act, total immigration into the U.S. was limited to 165,000 per year, of which 131,000 were allowed to enter from Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia. The quota from Italy was 3,845 per year, compared to about 200,000 immigrants per year from Italy in the years 1900-1910. The quotas from East Europe and Asia were minimal. The quotas were strictly applied to Jews throughout the 1930s and even during World War II, when Jews attempting to escape Europe were literally turned away.

In 1930, the population of Jews in the U.S. was about 5 million, of which about 2.3 million were in the New York City area. During the 1920s and 1930s, strict (although informal) internal quotas on Jews were applied to admission to universities, medical and law schools, employment in large corporations and law firms, and the purchase of homes in “restricted” areas. The result was the establishment of “Jewish” law firms, medical and dental practices, investment banks, brokerage houses, real estate agents, resort hotels, and (of course) country clubs. Following World War II, the formal immigration quotas were eliminated, and the informal internal quotas were gradually relaxed.

Across the world and in Israel our safety is becoming dangerously low. I believe we are strong people that can overcome these challenges but now is the time to act. Get involved with building better partnerships with communities and organizations that will stand with us and help to raise the safety of our children and families.

History Reference: www.templeisaiah.net/resources/timelines-jewish-history-1000-bce-1925-ce

Kaylene Ladinsky is the Editor and Managing Publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times and President of Southern Israelite, LLC.

Lilli Jennison

Shanah Tovah Umetukah! Wishing You a Sweet

New Year.

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we enter a time of reflection, renewal, and hope for the future. This holiday gives us the opportunity to look back on the past year and consider the growth we’ve experienced, the challenges we’ve faced, and the goals we’ve set for ourselves. One of the personal goals I set for myself this year has been to complete a 100-book reading challenge, and as we celebrate this season of new beginnings, I find there are many parallels between my reading journey and the lessons of Rosh Hashanah.

So far, I’ve read 70 out of 100 books, though I’m two behind my goal at the moment. It’s been an amazing experience discovering new stories and perspectives, with some of my favorites this year being “Home Before Dark,” by Riley Sager, “Please Tell Me,” by Mike Omar, “Rock Paper Scissors,” by Alice Feeney, and “The Grandest Game,” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Each book has provided me with different insights and surprises, reminding me how much there is to learn and explore in life, whether through fiction or real experiences.

Just as we strive to improve ourselves during the High Holy Days, my reading challenge has been a reminder that growth doesn’t come all at once. There are times when we may fall behind or face unexpected challenges, but the journey is about persistence, curiosity, and the desire to keep learning. Rosh Hashanah invites us to embrace that same mindset: to acknowledge where we’ve fallen short, and to recommit to our goals and values with a sense of renewal and purpose.

This new year is an opportunity to reflect on the stories we are writing in our own lives, to think about the chapters that have passed and the ones we still have the power to shape. Whether in the pages of a book or in the unfolding of our own lives, we are reminded that every day is a chance to start fresh and continue on our path with hope and determination.

May this Rosh Hashanah inspire you to pursue your own passions and goals with renewed energy. Shanah Tovah! Wishing you a sweet new year filled with growth, discovery, and, of course, many more good books!

Lilli Jennison is the Creative Director for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Sasha Heller

The First of Many Annual Memorials

Oct. 7 used to be just another date on the calendar. It came after Oct. 6 and before Oct. 8 and was often a Thursday for some reason.

Now, that date has meaning. That date is an anniversary of sadness and grief. That date is a memorial to those who were killed that day and every day since Hamas attacked Israel.

Almost an entire year has passed as hostages, hopefully, still cling to life. It’s been a year of anguish. It’s been a year of frustration, resentment and anger. It’s been a year of doom-scrolling on Twitter filtering through horrifying clips of brutality, hate, and fear.

I just want peace and love. I just want the hostages returned. I just want for Jews not to be targets of misguided hatred. But enough about me. This is not about me. This is about the hostages, their families, and those who we have lost this past year.

As the calendar turns to Oct. 7, this will be the first of many annual memorials. I pray that as the calendar turns again next year, that by then, the hostages have been returned and peace and stability have been restored to the region and Israel can continue to thrive.

L’Shanah Tovah.

Sasha Heller is the Managing Editor for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

ROSH HASHANAH

Michal Bonell

Shana Tova!

As we gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, let us reflect on the past year and look forward to new beginnings. This sacred time invites us to pause, take stock of our lives, and renew our commitments to ourselves, our families, and our communities.

In the coming days, we will hear the shofar’s call, a sound that awakens our spirits and reminds us of our shared heritage. It calls us to introspection, to seek forgiveness from those we may have hurt, and to forgive those who have wronged us. This year let’s embrace the power of reconciliation and strive to strengthen our bonds with one another.

As we partake in the traditional foods— sweet apples dipped in honey and round challah—we symbolize our hopes for a year filled with sweetness and abundance. May our lives be enriched with joy, health, and prosperity, both personally and collectively. Let us also remember those in need, extending our hands and hearts to support our communities, fostering kindness and compassion wherever we can.

This year let’s commit to being agents of positive change, standing up for justice and peace, and living our values every day. Together, we can create a world that reflects the beauty of our traditions and the promise of a better tomorrow.

Michal Bonell is the Senior Account Manager and Team Supervisor for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Ilyssa Klein

My favorite thing about any holiday is family gatherings - just being together with parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles and cousins. Seeing my children grow and play together with their cousins brings a great deal of joy as it is much the same as my own childhood experience. At its core, Rosh Hashanah is traditionally a time for reflection and renewal and an opportunity to be together as a family and a community. Over the last century, the way many families celebrate this holiday, including my own, has transformed significantly, largely due to migration and changes in societal structure.

A hundred years ago, many Jewish families lived in close-knit communities, often in the same neighborhoods or towns. This proximity allowed for large, multigenerational gatherings filled with shared rituals and collective prayers.

Today, families are often dispersed across cities, states, or even countries, resulting in smaller, more intimate celebrations. With technological advancements, virtual connections have become increasingly important. Many families now turn to video calls to include distant relatives in their holiday traditions, bridging the physical gap. Despite the geographical distance, the essence of Rosh Hashanah—reflection, prayer, and the hope for a sweet new year—remains intact, though adapted to modern realities.

I count my family as lucky to mostly have migrated together and to still have large family gatherings. However, since our move to Atlanta 30 years ago our holidays no longer incorporate the extended family as they once did.

Rosh Hashanah will continue to evolve to the era we live in and may incorporate new traditions from new places, but the core of the holiday will remain the same. My hope and wish for my family and for all of you is that we continue to hold onto these important family relationships and friendships. I also hope that we continue to come together as a community to invite others into our home who may not have family and friends close by to celebrate with. From my family to yours, L’Shana Tova!

Ilyssa Klein is an Account Manager for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Wishing our Communities a Sweet, Safe, and Joyful New Year!

We are a dedicated organization with productive and ongoing programs.

B’nai B’rith International is widely respected as one of the world’s largest Jewish membership organization promoting human rights, community action and humanitarian efforts. Tikkun olam is a concept that is an integral part of being Jewish. Loosely translated, it refers to our obligation to repair the world, to make the world a better place in which to live, work and play. What we in BBI do is in keeping with tikkun olam.

Achim/Gate City, Atlanta’s lodge, is one of the oldest B’nai B’rith lodges. At the local level, we organize and promote volunteer community service programs, including the following:

• Pinch Hitters — Provides more than 300 volunteers in Atlanta-area hospitals and residential care facilities each Christmas Day to relieve our Christian neighbors from work so they can spend the holiday with their families. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush recognized Pinch Hitters as his 335th Point of Light.

• Unto Every Person There Is a Name — Reads aloud names of actual victims of the Holocaust to help people realize that there were 6 million individual lives lost, not just a monolith of many people grouped together. This nationally observed B’nai B’rith program generally occurs around Yom HaShoah. Anyone who would like to do so may read names of victims; it is quite a moving experience for the reader and for those hearing the names being read. Our social programs combined with dinner at trendy Atlanta restaurants are popular, too, along with Trivia night, outings to plays and cultural events.

For more information, please contact: Marcus Brodzki mbrodzki@gmail.com

Katie Gaffin

Something that’s always fascinated me about history is that no matter what time period we’re in, people have always had the same hopes and dreams for the future. Granted 100 years ago those specific dreams probably involved an end to prohibition and a vaccine for Polio rather than the flying cars and time travel we dream of today, but these dreams still have the same root hope which humanity has always strived for: a better future for those who come after us. True to my human form, that’s what I hope for in the next 100 years as well. I like to imagine that future people will talk about our habits with the same horror and disbelief we have when learning about how much lead used to be in everything. Oh, and I want them to have flying cars and time travel of course.

Susan Freeman Minsk

Rosh Hashanah gives us time to reflect on the past year and try to make changes when we feel necessary. I think the spirit of the holiday remains as vibrant today as it was 100 years ago. Our goal as Jews should be to collectively make our world a better, safer and more eternal world. Shanah Tova!

Susan Freeman Minsk is an Account Manager for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Katie Gaffin is the Events & PR Coordinator for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Jillian Gerson

ROSH HASHANAH

I see the holiday as a chance to find the sweetness in the things you least expect. Finding joy in the dark times we are in now is tough but finding those good things is a necessity as we wish to move forward. Whether it’s finding the sweetness in hard work paying off or an unexpected happy outcome, learning how to keep your head up is important. That is also to say we should be reflecting on all the good things as well. Finding sweet things we have in our lives can be as easy as just looking at what we have around us. The sweetness of coming home after work to a roof over my head and the ability to share good times with friends & family are two of the sweetest things I can look towards every day. We should always look at the sweet things both big and small in our lives and continue look towards what we have to come.

Jillian Gerson is the AJT’s Online Content Coordinator for the Atlanta Jewish Times

Fran Putney

We live in tense times. With so much at stake, and only weeks away, the anxiety of the upcoming November election is palpable. The polarized state in which our country exists makes one wonder what direction our country will take and how we will ever come to enough consensus to address important goals.

If that weren’t enough, Jews and Jewish communities everywhere are struggling to cope with the trauma of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing responses and on-going actions in the entire region. The situation has evoked every emotion – from horror and despair to anger and the motivation to take action. Who is to blame? How will it all end? When will the hostages be returned? It’s the source of hot debate in families, synagogues, and communities everywhere.

But just as in every day and age, our Jewish holidays can provide the “time out” moments so desperately needed. With the charged atmosphere raging around us, let us allow Rosh Hashanah to remind us to take the time for renewal and personal introspection. Let these holy days be an opportunity to remind us of the beauty and depth of our Jewish values and principles – family, tikkun olam, tzedakah, constructive debate and learning, to name a few – and let them help guide us in our interactions and decisions through both the good and challenging times of our lives.

Fran Putney works on the AJT editorial team and serves as the communications manager for the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.

Diana Cole

Over the years, Rosh Hashanah has evolved for my family. When I was a child, we would get together with my extended family over the Jewish holidays. Now that I am an adult and so far geographically from my family, I now celebrate Rosh Hashanah with my husband and children. It has also changed since my children have gotten older -- two of my three children are in college, and they make it a priority to get to Hillel on the High Holidays.

Within my own community, and especially after COVID, if we do not want to attend services, that is fine, too. There is always live streaming. And I can “celebrate” Rosh Hashanah with my kids over Facetime. In the future though there might be more changes but, in my opinion, there is nothing like being in shul with your immediate family next to you

hearing the Shofar being blown.

Shanah tovah um’tukah

Would you like to continue the New Year’s celebration? Then join us at Taste Brookhaven on October 10th at the Hyatt Regency Villa Chistina from 6-9 PM. Brookhaven's finest chefs and restaurants will present a night of delectable dishes, delightful drinks, and lively entertainment in support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Scan

Diana Cole is the Community Coordinator for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

ROSH HASHANAH

Ronit Franco-Pinsky

Rosh Hashanah and the High Holiday season is my favorite time of year. The changing weather and vibrant leaves signal new beginnings and a moment for reflection on the past year.

Over the last century, our Jewish community has experienced significant evolution and change. My family is originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, where they lived in a Jewish quarter that boasted a population of 70,000 Jews until the mid-1930s, where the Jewish New Year was celebrated with family and friends and the local synagogue served as a gathering place. Following that, they immigrated to Israel therefore, thankfully, escaping the Holocaust.

Growing up in Israel, Rosh Hashanah was always particularly special to me. My neighborhood transformed into a festive atmosphere; we all wore white and gathered for large family dinners. My aunt’s honey apple cake was legendary, and the aroma of fresh, sweet challah still lingers in my memory. Here in Atlanta, I cherish the yearly get-together with other Jewish families for the new year. I love being with my girls and my husband. We eat, laugh, and enjoy each other.

As we approach the first anniversary of Oct. 7, which coincided with Simchat Torah, this year Rosh Hashanah will carry a different weight for the entire Jewish community worldwide.

While we celebrate and welcome the new Jewish year, we must not forget our brothers and sisters—those hostages who will still be unable to return home to their loved ones. In Israel, my family and friends are planning to gather for dinner, holding their traditions close while praying for our soldiers and those still held captive. It will be a bittersweet New Year.

Here in the Diaspora, amidst rising antisemitism, we remain strong and resilient. Our patience for ignorance and unjustified hate is waning; we will not apologize for defending our security. In Israel, we will not let our enemies defeat us. We will raise our glasses, toast the new year, enjoy apples dipped in honey, and celebrate life.

The last 100 years have presented the Jewish community in Israel and abroad with numerous challenges with tremendous adversity, yet we have remained steadfast in our fight for existence. This past year has been particularly tough, but we have survived. Oct. 7 will forever be a reminder of our need to stand united, and we will prevail.

Shanah Tova and Am Yisrael Chai.

Ronit Franco-Pinsky is the Executive Assistant for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

ROSH HASHANAH

2024 Rosh Hashanah Art Contest

Mazel tov to our third annual Rosh Hashanah Art Contest winners! Ella Trompeter, age 12, won first place. We received many wonderful submissions from artists as young as 2, all the way up to 86 years old. All submissions in alphabetical order by first name are featured in the following pages.

Parents: Pamela and Jason Trompeter

Artist's Age: 12

Title of Artwork: Blooming with a New Year

Robin Singer

Artist's Age: 56

Title of Artwork: Colorful Renewal

John Karp

Artist's Age: 86

Title of Artwork: Rosh Hashanah Traditions

Ella Trompeter

Parents: Julia Levin and Judah Gould

Title of

Artist's Age: 10

A Year Bursting with Color

Parents: Tracy and Marcus Goodman

Artist's Age: 11

Title

Avigayl Wilker

Parents: Julie Jacobson and Dov Wilker

Artist's Age: 11

Title of Artwork: Sweet as Honey Year

Parents: Shayna and Morgan Howard

Artist's Age: 10

Title of Artwork: Rosh Hashana Art

Alona Levin-Gould

Artwork:

Cassidy Goodman

of Artwork: The Building

Eliza Howard

Parents: Arielle and Jeremy

Emma Reisman

Parents: Katie and Yoni Reisman

Artist's Age: 10

Title of Artwork: Colors and Sounds of Rosh Hashanah

Jenna Epstein

Parents: Sara and Gregory Epstein

Artist's Age: 12

Title of Artwork: Wishing You a Honey New Year

Judah Rabinowitz

Parents: Amber and Jason Rabinowitz

Artist's Age: 10

Title of Artwork: Rosh Hashanah

Harper Furman

Artist's Age: 11

Title of Artwork: Happy Rosh Hashanah

Lily Kroo

Parents: Danielle and Josh Kroo

Artist's Age: 12

Title of Artwork: Happy New Year

Max Epstein

Parents: Sara and Gregory Epstein

Title

Artist's Age: 10

Lior Wallace

Parents: Yaffa-Leah

Artist's Age: 10

Title of Artwork:

Michael S. Blaiss

Artist's Age: 71

Title of Artwork: Rosh Hashanah Table

of Artwork: Rosh Hashanah

Sheri Rosenblum

Artist's

Title of Artwork: The Rosh Hashanah Giving Tree

Zoe Brown

Parents: Beth and Gavin Brown

Artist's Age:

Title of Artwork: Rosh Hashana

We invite members of the community to nominate those under the age of 18 who they believe are Jewish Atlanta’s rising leaders in academics, religious and family life, as well as community action.

A nominee must be Jewish, at least 10 years old and must not have turned 18 before October 31, 2024. You can nominate yourself, a friend, student or your child - anyone who meets the criteria. Nominees are judged on their academic and community achievements as an active member of Jewish Atlanta.

Chai Style Home

Oasis of Style Above the Clouds

Atlanta gained a style doyenne when young Joyce Zacks (now Shlesinger) moved here many decades ago to work for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as the director of development, which explains the panoply of mini-musicians and instruments that are perfectly placed amidst her 22nd floor Buckhead condo.

The real depth is Joyce’s choice of jewel tones, art and wall coverings. She said, “I wanted the décor to be cozy, yet sophisticated and site specific. Before moving in, I shuffled around the rooms a bit to get a good flow for entertaining and sociability, while maintaining my own solitude and master wing … letting the art and fabrics define the furnishings.”

The 3,200-square-foot condo is a shimmering unfolding of jewel box tones that offer a restrained elegance -- not snobby but refined like a couture dress. Then there are the four “unending” plant-laden patios ushering in natu-

ral light and beckoning Atlanta’s most famous vistas in all directions.

Jaffe: Share how you arrived at such a spacious unit in the corner of this high rise.

Shlesinger: I actually moved from a large townhome down the street. It took a year to renovate and decorate. Basically, I took a unit and a half and transitioned from a three-bedroom to a two-bedroom, making the previous third bedroom/office into the dining room. It was quite the project!

Jaffe: You entertain a good bit?

Shlesinger: Yes, I love hosting friends and family, and I take great pleasure in traditional Shabbat dinners, which is why I placed importance on the dining room. The view from there is breathtaking, and I’m particularly fond of the antique Japanese kimono framed in Lucite on the north wall. Some of my favorite dishes include a cherished family brisket recipe, noodle kugel, and pavlova—a light, fluffy dessert from Australia that guests always rave about and ask for the recipe. The dining room features a custom table, a Stark carpet, and a Baccarat chandelier, all of which contribute

to the ambiance.

Less formal entertaining is done in my kitchen banquette with Mystic Garden fabric by Thibaut, custom table, and antique rattan chairs. The view from there is equally mesmerizing.

Jaffe: What are some of your favorite pieces of art?

Shlesinger: I feel a deep connection to the Terry Rodgers painting (1985) in the living room, as both the piece and the artist were from my cherished hometown of Columbus, Ohio. This personal tie influenced the entire design of the space, with the living room’s color palette engineered to echo the tones and mood of that painting of such a fun and chic cocktail party.

I commissioned the Jeffrey Wilcox jigsaw puzzle art and had him place a contrasting butterfly spot for interest. The Judith Barber painting sits well above the raspberry pink banquette sofa with Designer’s Guild fabric. On that are Thibaut Portofino embroidered linen pillows. Designer’s Guild fabrics are also on armed chairs, tufted sofa, and dining chairs. In the den, all furniture was brought from my previous home and recovered. The delicious “Pear” oil paint-

ing by Tom Seghi …the Spanish pottery is by Casa Gusto, a fabulous design shop in West Palm Beach.

The guest bedroom/office has a vintage JOYCE poster and features artwork by local photographer Rob Brinson. The malachite green walls contribute a dramatic yet calming atmosphere to the room. Family pictures including my 13 grandchildren and extended family personalize the space.

Jaffe: What do you collect?

Shlesinger: Limoges from south central France and porcelain boxes collected over 50 years; but my most treasured collections are musical instruments and miniature musicians. I also collect cookbooks; and in the kitchen, I have an étagère to display the Judaica.

Jaffe: You well take advantage of the revival of dramatic and whimsical wallpaper incorporated in modern design.

Shlesinger: I have always loved the feeling of a wallpapered home. I wanted a "wow" in the entrance foyer and loved this Nina Campbell paper with all its grace and plumage. The birds really stood out for me.

Then in the larger powder room

Joyce relaxes in front of a painting by Terry Rodgers (1985) of her friends at a cocktail party in Columbus, Ohio // All photos by Howard Mendel

Marcia

Caller Jaffe

it’s “Dragonflies” by Osborne and Little. In the master bedroom, the wall covering is also by Nina Campbell. By the way, the painting in the powder room is “Young Clown” by an Israeli artist

Jaffe: Your main bedroom is very dreamy and intentional.

Shlesinger: I have always had a special bedroom. Again, the views here are spectacular -- even reaching out to Stone Mountain. I chose the blue tones to make it restful and a bit nautical, think of water, beach, and the salty air.

Nina Campbell’s wallpaper, Les Rêves Pampelonne, and Jane Churchill velvet is the fabric on the chair and ottoman.

Above: Joyce enjoys the blue and nautical tones in her master suite. The large painting is by Georgia artist Dan Poole.

Right: Judith Barber painted this pastel over the raspberry couch with Designer’s Guild fabric.

Below: The two-part perpendicular powder room buzzes with “Dragonflies” wallpaper.

Left: Joyce knew she liked this “pear” painting by Tom Seghi the moment she saw it.

The tic tac toe art shelving is a light hearted collection in the guest bedroom.

CHAI STYLE

There’s a special little nook area for my great-granddaughter, Eva, when she visits (she calls me “Gigi”). The painting above in the nook is by Georgian artist Dan Poole.

Jaffe: Last word.

Shlesinger: In the master bedroom, my daughters gave me a whimsical piece by Kina Crow that reads: “She looked to discover that her youth had disappeared, but it wasn’t the young darling’s absence that truly vexed her so; it was the fact that the little bitch hadn’t even bothered to say ‘goodbye.’ ì

Above: Shlesinger chose malachite green paint to dramatize the guest bedroom.

Below: Shlesinger enjoys serving Shabbat meals under the Baccarat chandelier near the framed kimono. The view to the northwest sparkles by day and night.

Above: Shlesinger commissioned the jigsaw art by Jeffrey Wilcox to be adjacent to a cabinet with bright turquoise Chinese Fus and mini musicians.

Below: Mozart and other musicians provide a foreground to one of the condo’s beautiful views due west of Buckhead.

CALENDAR

All Month - Naturally Artistic - Visit CNC and enjoy Naturally Artistic, a homegrown exhibit that celebrates the connection between art and nature. You’ll enjoy creations from local artists, participate in making art, and be encouraged to see the world around you with a fresh set of eyes. This year we present 5 areas where you can get inspired and get your art on! Included with general admission and free to CNC Members. Learn more at https:// tinyurl.com/24bbhy9v.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Mom’s Support and Playgroup (5week series) - 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Embarking on parenthood is an adventure, whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned veteran, especially during those first twenty-four months. Come together in the cozy Nurture space at The Davis Academy to swap stories with fellow parents who understand the ups and downs. Guided by Carly Sonenshine, LCSW, an expert in maternal mental health. Little ones (0-24 months) are warmly invited to join. Register at https://tinyurl.com/4phma5nn.

Daily Shofar Blasts on Main Street - 11 to 11:15 a.m. The blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn, is an important part of the Jewish High Holiday season. There is a special tradition of blowing the shofar in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah to remind us to “wake up,” reflect on the past year, and begin the spiritual preparation for the High Holiday season All are invited to listen to the shofar in the main lobby and Brill Family Fitness Center. Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/4mstvv3x.

WEDNESDAY,

OCTOBER 2

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Fingerprints of Connection: Jewish Holiday Art – 9:30 to 10: 20 a.m. Join La Dee Da and Nurture for a colorful six-week journey as we introduce your little ones to the joyous traditions of the Jewish holidays through the magic of art and play! Designed specifically for toddlers ages, 18 months to 3 years old, this series blends creative exploration with age-appropriate learning about the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Through handson crafts, sensory activities, and playful experiences, children will discover the significance of each holiday while fostering their imagination and social skills. Find out more at https://tinyurl. com/r3z99y2z.

OCTOBER 1-14

Erev Rosh Hashanah Hike at Arabia Mountain – 5 to 8 p.m. Join Ma’alot before sunset on Erev Rosh Hashanah for a contemplative hike up Arabia Mountain. Through reflection, song, chant, silence and discussion, we will mark this the setting of the sun, calling forth the possibility of our new year. Register at https://tinyurl. com/2a9reu67.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at Chabad Intown! – 7 to 11 p.m. Whether you’ve joined Chabad Intown for the High Holidays in the past or this is your first time celebrating with us, you and your family can look forward to celebrating the holy days enveloped by the uplifting spirit of discovery and solidarity. Services are not only about prayers and rituals but moreover about celebrating one’s Judaism as a dynamic and enriching community experience — an experience harmoniously shared by Jews of any and all backgrounds. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/mr3n57td.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Services & Rosh HaShanah Yom Tov Dinner

– 7 to 9:30 p.m. Services will be held at Or Hadash and streamed over YouTube. Following services, we will be joining together for a Rosh HaShanah Dinner. RSVP is required for dinner at https://tinyurl.com/uwexkmja.

Congregation Dor Tamid - Erev Rosh Hashanah – 8 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Erev Rosh Hashanah. Get more information at https://tinyurl.com/v3pvbhs6.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Rosh Hashanah Morning – 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join Ma’alot for an inspiring and interactive Rosh Hashanah service for all ages, featuring a breakaway kids’ program. We’ll ring in the new year with an outdoor, musical service that is followed by a dairy potluck lunch. Register at https://tinyurl.com/ yc5zyfj3.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at Chabad Intown! – 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Whether you’ve joined Chabad Intown for the High Holidays in the past or this is your first time celebrating with us, you and your family can look forward to celebrating the holy days enveloped by the uplifting spirit of discovery and solidarity. Services are not only about prayers and rituals but moreover about celebrating one’s Judaism as a dynamic and enriching community experience — an experience harmoniously shared by Jews of any and all backgrounds. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/mr3n57td.

Congregation Dor Tamid - Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Rosh Hashanah. Morning Service starts at 10 a.m. Tashlich is at 1 p.m. Behind Johns Creek City Hall. Bring the family to a Family Service at 3:30 p.m. Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/ bdxnm7cd.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Rosh HaShanah-Day 2 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For this service, Congregation Or Hadash ATL will begin our morning prayers sitting in the round, leaning into themes of healing and sanctuary within the traditional liturgy. During the Torah service, you will have the option of attending a traditional Torah reading in the sanctuary or participating in small group Torah study. We will come together again for musaf and the shofar blasts! Youth programming will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/5fkd6w3b.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at Chabad Intown! – 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Whether you’ve joined Chabad Intown for the High Holidays in the past or this is your first time celebrating with us, you and your family can look forward to celebrating the holy days enveloped by the uplifting spirit of discovery and solidarity. Services are not only about prayers and rituals but moreover about celebrating one’s Judaism as a dynamic and enriching community experience — an experience harmoniously shared by Jews of any and all backgrounds. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/mr3n57td.

Congregation Dor Tamid - Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Rosh Hashanah. Morning Service starts at 10 a.m. Lunch is at 12:15 p.m. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/mrx9wzce.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

ROSH HASHANAH

Torah Reading: Ha’azinu

Wednesday, October 2 Light Holiday Candles at: 7:02 PM

Torah Reading: Ha’azinu

Thursday, October 3 Light Holiday Candles after: 7:55 PM from a pre-existing flame.

Torah Reading: Ha’azinu

Friday, October 4 Light Shabbat Candles at: 6:59 PM from a pre-existing flame.

Torah Reading: Ha’azinu

Saturday, October 5 Shabbat Ends: 7:53 PM

YOM KIPPUR

Torah Reading: Vezot Hab’rachah

Friday, October 11 Light Shabbat / Holiday Candles at: 6:50 PM

Torah Reading: Vezot Hab’rachah

Saturday, October 12 Shabbat/Holiday/Fast Ends: 7:44 PM

Congregation Dor Tamid - Erev Shabbat Shuvah – 5:45 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Erev Shabbat Shuvah. Get more information at https://tinyurl.com/5xksfmwa.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6

Tashlich in the Park – 5 to 7 p.m. Join Ma’a lot and Jewish Kids Group for tashlich followed by a BYO community picnic dinner! This family friendly gathering is welcome to all Jews and their loved ones of all ages. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/ydcxr5u6.

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

One Year Commemoration of the October 7 Massacre in Israel – 7 to 9 p.m. On October 7th, 2023, Israel endured the deadliest attack on Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust. On Simchat Torah, a celebratory holiday of our Jewish heritage and pride, Hamas terrorists breached the southern Gaza border and took 1,200 innocent lives. There are more than 100 hostages still in Gaza from more than eight different nations, showing that this is not just a Jewish or Israeli issue. It is an issue of humanity. And we must stand together to find comfort, support, and healing. We invite the entire Atlanta community to participate in our upcoming event to honor and remember the events of October 7th. Learn more at https://tinyurl. com/2s3yw7my.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Congregation Dor Tamid – Yom Kippur – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Yom Kippur. Get more information at https://tinyurl. com/5byypt8h.

Congregation Dor Tamid - Personal Yizkor Experience – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for Personal Yizkor Experience. Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/5byypt8h.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

THRIVE, The Jewish Coalition to Defend Trans and LGBQ+ Youth Meeting – 3 p.m.  Join us for a special meeting of Thrive, the Jewish Coalition to Defend Trans and Protect LGBQ+ Youth. SOJOURN co-runs Thrive with Keshet, and this month we’ll be phone banking to help get out the vote. Obtain the Zoom Link at https://tinyurl. com/bdf6jfaj.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

FRIDAY,

OCTOBER 11

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at Chabad Intown! – 5 p.m. to 11:55 p.m. Whether you’ve joined Chabad Intown for the High Holidays in the past or this is your first time celebrating with us, you and your family can look forward to celebrating the holy days enveloped by the uplifting spirit of discovery and solidarity. Services are not only about prayers and rituals but moreover about celebrating one’s Judaism as a dynamic and enriching community experience — an experience harmoniously shared by Jews of any and all backgrounds. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/mr3n57td.

Kol Nidre – 7 to 9 p.m. Begin the transformative process of Yom Kippur with a communal chanting of Kol Nidre and mindful evening service to begin our fast. Featuring a breakaway kids’ program. Register at https://tinyurl.com/ ye8zbhsx.

Congregation Dor Tamid – Kol Nidre Service - 8 p.m. Join Congregation Dor Tamid for the Kol Nidre Service. Get more information at https://tinyurl.com/mwv5j4ra.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur at Chabad Intown! – 12 a.m. to 9 p.m. Whether you’ve joined Chabad Intown for the High Holidays in the past or this is your first time celebrating with us, you and your family can look forward to celebrating the holy days enveloped by the uplifting spirit of discovery and solidarity. Services are not only about prayers and rituals but moreover about celebrating one’s Judaism as a dynamic and enriching community experience — an experience harmoniously shared by Jews of any and all backgrounds. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/mr3n57td.

Yom Kippur Morning – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Engage in a day of introspection and spiritual growth through music, movement, art, and an investigation into the journey of teshuvah — returning to self. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/twhrdfj4.

Neilah, Shofar and Havdalah and Community Break Fast – 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Join Congregation Or Hadash for the beautiful final services for Yom Kippur as the “gates close.” Service begins at 6:30 PM. Havdalah is at 7:45 PM. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/5n8y376c.

Neilah - 7 to 8:30 p.m. Conclude the High Holidays with the exuberant Neilah service marking the end of Yom Kippur with triumphant snacking and noshing, all in the warm and nourishing atmosphere of an Intown neighborhood home. Register at https://tinyurl.com/2u8b4vkd.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98.

PJ Library Adamah Event – 10 to 11:30 a.m. Join Adamah as we find beautiful greenery to create our own Lulavim for Sukkot! This event will take place in Marietta, exact location shared upon registration. Get more information at https://tinyurl.com/yp439w7v.

Sukkah Build for Ma’alot Builders10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Calling all Ma’alot Builders for our annual Sukkah Build! Enjoy a bagel brunch, kids’ crafts, and decorate the Sukkah during this special gathering for Ma’alot Builders. Give the Lulav and Etrog a shake as we come together as a community and prepare for the start of Sukkot! Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/ mv3af6u3.

MONDAY,

OCTOBER 14

High Holy Days Food Drive - Drop off Kosher items at Congregation Dor Tamid. Please no glass. Most needed: canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta. Non-Kosher items will happily be accepted and donated to other families in need. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/jw2wtr98

FOOD DRIVE 2024High Holidays

Start the Jewish New Year with a mitzvah and donate food.

Drop off items in JF&CS bins at your synagogue, temple, school, or at JF&CS in Dunwoody. September 1 – November 1:

Most needed items: Donate: give.jfcsatl.org/hhfooddrive

canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and dry pasta

This High Holiday Food Drive is the main source of our Kosher Food Pantry donations for the year, and together, we can help to feed those in need.

For more info contact Ernie Ball: eball@jfcsatl.org

KEEPING IT KOSHER

Apple Custard Tiramisu

Ingredients

Cookies

1 (7-oz./200-g.) package ladyfingers

Custard

1 (12-oz./340-g.) container prepared vanilla custard

Apple Filling

2 Cortland apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges

1/2 tablespoon Heaven & Earth Lemon Juice

1/2 tablespoon margarine

1/2 teaspoon Gefen Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

pinch salt

1/8 teaspoon Gefen Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Gefen Cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

Directions

Prepare the Apple Filling

1. Place all ingredients aside from the dissolved cornstarch into a pot. Simmer over a low to medium flame until apples are tender, brown, and caramelized, about 45 minutes to an hour.

2. Add dissolved cornstarch and cook an additional two to three minutes or until slightly thickened.

3. Allow to cool to room temperature before assembling the tiramisu.

Assemble Tiramisu

1. Place nine to 10 ladyfingers horizontally in a three-pound or 10- by four-inch (1.36 kilogram or 25- by 10-centimeter) loaf pan, sugar side up.

2. Spread about 1/3 cup of custard gently on top. Spread half the apple filling on top of the custard. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, custard, and apple filling. Place a third layer of ladyfingers on top of the apple filling and top with another slightly thinner layer of custard, leaving some extra aside for piping.

3. Place remaining custard into a piping bag and pipe any decorative design of your choice on top of the tiramisu.

4. Tent two layers of aluminum foil over the pan so as not to get custard on the foil, and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least eight hours before serving so the ladyfingers have time to soften.

Recipe by Chavi Feldman

Source: Kosher.com

Food and Prop Styling by Renee Muller

Photography by Moshe Wulliger

The Accountant

Maurice has an appointment with his accountant, and he arrives a little early.

The receptionist points to a comfortable easy chair and asks him to be seated. Maurice settles down, picks up a glossy magazine, opens it and tries to read.

However, he finds that he cannot concentrate as he is distracted by a ruckus coming from behind one of the doors leading off the reception area.

Maurice goes over to the receptionist and asks, “What is going on in there?”

The receptionist replies, “It’s a partners meeting.”

“But why are they shouting at each other?” asks Maurice.

“It’s a battle of witz,” she says.

Maurice then asks, “Who’s in there?” and she answers, “Horowitz, Lebowitz, Rabbinowitz, and Abramowitz.”

YIDDISH WORD

Mini-megillah

n. A post on social media that is too long to keep its reader’s attention, like a Twitter thread that just goes on and on.

“My eyes glazed over when I read Asher’s five-paragraph Facebook post about his dinner at Olive Garden. Such a mini-megillah it was.”

From the Yiddish megillah, meaning an interminable and tedious story.

Rosh Hashanah Devices

By: Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com

Difficulty Level: Challenging

ACROSS

1. Son of Terach

6. Deg. for a canine expert?

9. Game played on a wall

14. Year

15. Arctic bird

16. The Gem State

17. “Ketivah VaChatimah Tovah” has it

19. Something streamed

20. “Tekiyah- Teruah- Tekiyah”, e.g. 22. Annual tefillah

25. Israeli broadcaster

26. Give confidence to 27. Trei ___

29. Paper fragments

32. Damascus’s land: Abbr.

33. 64-Across

35. “The Parent Trap” actress

38. “He blew the shofar strongly, loudly, with gusto, zeal, and alacrity.” e.g.

43. Father in law of Perchik

44. He made peace with Menachem

46. Menachem and Naftali, for short

49. Concerning kidneys

52. Harmonizing voice

53. Like Esmerelda’s troupe in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

56. Cone’s eye partner

58. Milk option

59. “Tekiyahhhhh”, e.g., perhaps

63. Triathletes’ rides

64. Apple dipped in honey, e.g.

68. Smell

69. Defined time

70. Thick, as fog

71. Held up, perhaps

72. Bucks, bulls, etc.

73. Do a great job

DOWN

1. King for 41 years

2. Rarely used 16-Across format, now

3. “Batman” villain ___ al Ghul

4. Buffalo seen in crosswords

5. Like Rocky or Rambo

6. Bear claw alternative

7. Conveyer of tears

8. Hard ball

9. Met standouts

10. Entrances to mines

11. Line in a circle

12. The Big Bang is this

13. It’s better, in a phrase

18. Baldwin of “The Hunt for Red October”

21. Doeg or Avimelech ben Gidon,

e.g.

22. 101 instructors, perhaps

23. Alaska’s neighbor

24. Rabbi Norman of note

28. Engaged, and then some

30. Xenomorph, notably

31. Health care pro

34. Marlins’ locale, briefly

36. Part of a bracha?

37. Famous 15th century boat

39. 14, 22, and 27-Across

40. One time Best Buy competitor

41. Means of communication for Rowling

42. Pact signed April 4, 1949

45. Pop artist Lichtenstein

46. Moderator of Tribal Councils

47. A Friend

48. Device for preparing meat

50. 48-Down emits them

51. Grammy winner Lisa

54. Alter

55. Gross

57. Semiconductor, perhaps

60. “Shalom” lead-in

61. Fiery heap

62. Emmy winner Edelman

65. Company name abbr.

66. Haifa to Arad dir.

67. Gene’s director in “The Producers”

Judy

Framer

Frank 77, Atlanta

Judy Framer Frank, 77, born on April 6, 1947, and raised in Galveston, Texas, died on Sept. 12, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga., of aspiration pneumonia from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and new onset cirrhosis from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. She is preceded in death by her parents, Sylvia and Sam Framer, older sister, Fillis Frank (Dr. Stuart Frank), and husband, Dr. Larry Frank. She is survived by two daughters, Stephanie Lambert (Ryan Lambert, granddaughters, Riley and Emerson) and Amy Frank (Jon Bradie).

Judy attended the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, and was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. She graduated with a BS in elementary education in 1969 and married a week later. Judy and Larry raised their daughters in Dallas, Texas. She shared with her daughters a love of the arts and humanities, volunteerism, Judaism, and civic engagement. In 1997, Judy and Larry moved to Wichita, Kan. and then retired to Atlanta in 2018.

A graveside funeral was held on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2:30 pm at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mt. Vernon Hwy NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Haddasah or your favorite charity. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care 770-451-4999.

Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Editor and 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.

Edward Martin Manning

83, Atlanta

Edward Martin Manning passed away on Sept. 15, 2024. Eddie, as he was known to family and friends, was born on Oct. 25, 1940, in Charlotte, N.C. He was the son of Pearl and William Manning, and he spent his childhood growing up in Gastonia, N.C.

Eddie attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and was a lifelong devoted Tar Heel. He met his wife of 61 years, Dale Nye Manning, when they were counselors at Camp Blue Star during college. Eddie and Dale married in 1963 and began their married life in Atlanta, Ga. They spent their 61 happy years together in Atlanta and had two daughters: Marcy Manning Matheson (deceased) and Danna Manning Leff (Sandy). His greatest joy was his five grandchildren: Stephanie Ullman Cloude (Xam), Cory Leff (Lauren), Jaime Leff Shapiro (Reid), Sydney Ullman, and Sari Leff (fiancé, Carl Leathers). Eddie adored the wonderful additions to his family as his grandchildren began their own families including two beautiful babies, great-grandchildren, Margot and Micah.

Eddie spent his career in the insurance business and was the owner of Manning & Nozick Insurance prior to enjoying his years in retirement.

Eddie was dearly loved by his family and friends, and he will be missed by all that knew him.

Sign up online guest book at www.jewishfuneralcare.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Temple Beth Tikvah or the Alzheimer’s Association. A graveside service was held Sept. 17, 2024, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta (770) 451-4999.

Erna D. Schneiderman

78, Sandy Springs

Erna D. Schneiderman of Sandy Springs, Ga., passed away Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the age of 78 surrounded by her loving family. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Alan Schneiderman; son, Brian Block (Sara Spinner-Block); cherished grandsons, Nathan (Romi) and Jacob Block; sisters, Rosie (Tony) Meyers, and Susie Kolotilin; extended family, Marilyn (Howard) Altman, Andy and Yamit Leinwand, numerous friends/family and her beloved sheepadoodle, Max. Erna was predeceased by her parents, Maria and Herman Dziewinski.

Erna was born in Germany after the war to Holocaust survivors. She emigrated to Atlanta at the age of five and built a life here. She was fortunate to have traveled the world with her family. She will be incredibly missed by all those who knew and loved her.

Services were held at Arlington Cemetery, 201 Mt Vernon Hwy NW, Sandy Springs GA 30328 on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. Please omit flowers, donations may be sent to the Friends of the IDF and the Atlanta Humane Society. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999

OBITUARIES

Henry Seigbert Strauss 96, Atlanta

Henry Seigbert Strauss, age 96, of Atlanta passed away on Aug. 3, 2024. Henry was born in Alsfeld, Germany, the son of Martha and Albert Strauss. After being expelled from school in Alsfeld by the Nazis, he attended a Jewish boarding school in Bad Nauheim, Germany. After Kristallnacht, Henry’s father had escaped to Zambia, so at age 11, he and his mother sailed to Zambia to be with his father. Henry grew up in Zambia and Rhodesia, happily away from Germany. He worked as an electrician in the copper mines and came to America with his parents at age 19, where they were reunited with his brother, Walter. Henry lost his older sister to the concentration camps.

In Atlanta, Henry married Liz, his wife of 69 years, had three children and singularly built the largest independent vending company in the Southeast. Henry was known to all for his generous and kind heart. He helped many people start their own businesses and was committed to supporting Israel and other charitable causes. He lived simply and humbly, with fierce devotion to his wife, children and grandchildren. Until the end, Henry had a group of devoted friends who visited him every single day. He drew a houseful of friends and family at his recent 96th birthday party. Henry’s incredible life story was recorded by the Spielberg USC Shoah Foundation and by the Breman Museum in Atlanta.

Henry is survived by son, Stephen Strauss (Roz) and daughters, Karen Baron (Roy) and Margaret Weiss (Jon), seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, two nieces and many, many friends. A graveside service was held at Crestlawn Cemetery on Aug. 6, officiated by Rabbi Spike Anderson of Temple Emanu-El. Contributions in memory of Henry can be made to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces or The Breman Museum, Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education. Arrangements by Dressler’s.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

New Year Brings Hope and Chance of Redemption

Franz Rosenzweig is not as wellknown as he should be among contemporary Jews. He was a thinker of extraordinary depth who left behind a very impressive body of work, especially considering his untimely death in his early 40s in 1929. Rosenzweig died of ALSLou Gehrig’s disease -- a slow wasting away of one’s physical abilities to walk, write, and in severe cases, speak and, eventually, breathe.

A former student in medicine and philosophy, Rosenzweig was on the verge of leaving Judaism, as were so many German Jews in late 19th and early 20th century Germany. In his case, Franz was about to convert to Christianity. But he wanted to do so not as a secular person but as a practicing Jew. In this way his newfound religion, Christianity, would feel like a completed

form of Judaism, rather than a rejection of the religion of his birth and youth.

Rosenzweig decided to attend a small very traditional schul in Berlin for Yom Kippur services in 1913. The experience proved so profound that not only did he not leave the Jewish faith for Christianity, he devoted the remainder of his short life to write about Judaism as a theologian, and also as a Hebrew to German translator.

His greatest work is known in English as the “Star of Redemption,” a landmark work of Jewish theology. With his friend, Martin Buber, another philosophical writer of renown, Rosenzweig translated the Bible from Hebrew into German. He also rendered into German many of the Hebrew poems of medieval philosopher-poet Judah Halevi. He also founded a school to promote adult Jewish education. The inspiring story of Franz Rosensweig’s embrace of Judaism as a young adult shows the power of Yom Kippur to bestow  hitchadshut = renewal/revival, in this case breathing new life into Franz’s severely weakened faith. The power of Judaism to start again, to revive old forms, is one of our religion’s most marvelous features.

Consider that every morning we pray modeh ani l’fanekha = we thank G-d for reviving our souls after the night’s sleep. Each Shabbat brings with it the blessing of rest: physical rest certainly, but also a time for spiritual recovery. Rosh Hodesh/the new month also has the theme of cyclical recovery, connected to the recurring phases of the moon in its waxing and waning.

The Yamim Noraim -- the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) -- are a time of Teshuvah, a time of repentance, of returning to the Holy One, of a deep revival of the spirit of hope, as we reconcile with G-d and with other people. The entire period is called the aseret y’mei teshuvah = the 10 days of penitence. Rosenzweig had indeed tapped into the spiritual power of Teshuvah --returning to G-d, to Torah, and to the Jewish people. The New Year and the Day of Atonement take place during Tishre, the seventh month and thus the sabbatical month, the month of rest and new life, the month of not only the Days of Awe but the Sukkoth festival as well.

Sukkoth is followed immediately by Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, all of which

follows only four days after the High Holy Day period ends. The Sukkoth season is also one of hitchadshut = renewal. Sukkoth, the Feast of Booths, brings a deep sense of gratitude for the fall harvest, coming at its predictable time. Simchat Torah comes with the promise that Torah learning will always begin again in a cycle which never ends.

The Jewish year 5784, with all its heartbreak and anxiety, is ending. A new year, a time of renewal, of new life and hope, is beginning. In Psalm 30 we learn that although lamentation may last through the night, happiness is coming in the morning. We have lived through a year of great sorrow since the Hamas pogrom of Simchat Torah 5784 – Oct. 7, 2023. May 5785 bring with it new hope for the people and the State of Israel. may this coming Tishre -- this month of holy days -- allow us to start again with revived hope for a better future. Like Franz Rosenzweig over 110 years ago, may we be inspired to return to G-d, reconnect with our tradition and our people, and with all peoples of good faith.

L’shana tova tikateivu -- may we all be inscribed for a good year.  ì

Rabbi Richard Baroff DD

Shanepeanut2020@gmail.com