STYLE Magazine: Atlanta Jewish Times Present Summer 2022

Summer 2022

STYLE Jewish Atlanta’s Stylish Simchas and Celebrations

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Cover Image: Newlyweds Stephanie Nissani and Brian Gomez share a special moment at their May 19 wedding, during the final hours of Lag B’Omer.

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Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite www.atlantajewishtimes.com ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC © 2022 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

SPECIAL SECTIONS

10 WEDDINGS

14 MITZVAHS

28 SIMCHAS

CONTENTS

8 Editor’s Letter 32 Poppy’s Playground Dance Party Celebrates Young, 10 Stephanie Nissani and Brian Gomez’s Lag B’Omer Wild and Three 34 Art Expert Fay Gold Rings in 90 Wedding 14 Mother-Daughter Challah Night Bakes in Tradition 36 Sarah Saidman Takes Her Place Among the Matri18 Kaplans Celebrate Jake with Beachside Bar Mitzvah archs 38 Forever Friendships Stand the Test of Time 22 Bat Mitzvah in Berlin Recalls Holocaust 40 Food Truck Rental is ‘All the Rage’ 24 Rachel’s Road to Rhodes 26 B-Mitzvah Program Graduates Present Personal 44 Catering with a Sephardic Twist 50 Advertisers Directory Projects 30 Neon to Boho Chic, Stylish Mitzvah Parties are Back on the Calendar

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Editor’s Letter

Summer Lovin’ and Lots of Partying, Too

E

ven though we are all very aware that COVID is still a part of our lives, as the number of cases continues to show, this virus is strong and resilient. When it comes to summer fun and parties, too, many may say, “COVID who?” We interview Cathy Taylor, president of YES Event Design, who says, “People want to celebrate.

Attendance at mitzvahs is up, and we’re seeing the size of some of the parties get up to 350 to 400 guests now.”

As the number of bat and bar mitzvahs climb, and many stylish parties are back on the calendar, the AJT interviews several masters of event décor and theme planning.

We share new trends, such as taking your event beachside or including traditions like baking challah as family event before sundown. One family gave 100 regular siddurs in German to anyone attending the service, in honor of the family’s great-grandparents.

According to one these masters, color can be one of the most important, stating that they designed an oversized ceiling treatment with 6-foot diameter orbs and light tubes in neon green as the focal point. “We get calls long in advance for mitzvahs to save the date and, as we get closer, we nail down the specifics, from glow-in-the-dark themes to a camping fantasy,” said Gayle Rubenstein.

Mitzvahs aren’t the only party in town. Birthday parties are a favorite way to bring friends and families together. Playground parties are great way to keep the fun outdoors. Temple Sinai’s playground has played host to these parties as a venue, allowing guests to use its outdoor space for programming and worship. According to Jaimee Boettcher, Temple Sinai’s director of operations and events, “When the playground is not in use, members and non-members are invited to rent the Mercaz for private events.”

A Lag B’Omer wedding is filled with love, as former AJT staffer Stephanie Nissani shares her journey of falling in love with her one and only. “I prayed to God to send me someone magnificent, like Brian, and my promise to God was that I will be faithful and devote my entire life to him and love him and care for him,” she said.

This is just a taste of all the goodies we have in this summer issue of STYLE Magazine. As you continue to turn the pages ahead, you might also want to say, COVID who? But, before you do, continue to check the cdc. gov site to stay aware and take proper precaution, playing it safe while partying hard.

Sincerely,

Kaylene Ladinsky Kaylene Ladinsky Editor & Managing Publisher ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Stephanie Nissani and Brian Gomez’s Lag B’Omer Wedding

WEDDINGS

By Bob Bahr

Stephanie Nissani and Brian Gomez were married on May 19, in the final hours of Lag B’Omer. Initially, though, when the bride first met her future groom almost three years ago, she wasn’t sure he was the man she would marry. Although she was attracted to him, she wasn’t particularly eager to get married.

At the time, Nissani was focused on finishing her education and possibly starting a business of

her own. What dating she did, she found boring.

“I’m not the type that dates and has boyfriends all the time.

You know, I just liked my single life. And I always imagined myself being very successful and single with, you know, my own company,” she recalled.

Still, Nissani would occasionally browse through profiles on Jewish dating sites like JDate and JShuffle. It was during one of those moments of idle searching that the 33-year-old jour-

nalist and former staffer at the Atlanta Jewish Times came upon the profile for Brian Gomez, a 37-year-old Jewish real estate executive who had recently been divorced after a brief marriage.

Gomez didn’t seem to quite fit the “blueprint” Nissani had envisioned for a husband. Although they dated several times toward the end of 2019, initially, she had some concerns.

“You know, it was the little things that turned me off,” Nissani recalled. “I remember

speaking to my best friend, actually, and I said, ‘he’s too calm.’

It’s almost like he’s got something really difficult inside him that’s fighting to get out. I didn’t realize then that that’s not really so. He’s just a quiet person with good manners that takes his time to observe others.”

Nissani also wasn’t sure what to make of Gomez quickly deciding that she was the one for him. The fact that he had just ended a brief marriage made her think that he was rushing into

On May 19, Stephanie Nissani and Brian Gomez were married during the final hours of Lag B’Omer.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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another relationship that neither of them was quite sure they were ready for.

“When he met me, he said, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I could meet the love of my life so fast after my divorce. I’m truly blessed.’

Those were more or less his exact words,” Nissani said. “‘You’re mine,’ he said, ‘I know you and I were meant to be together.’ Brian is very intuitive. Back then, though, I didn’t really know that.

After a month, I broke his heart.

He took my number off his cell phone and we didn’t see each other for over nine months.”

Nissani was living in Atlanta with her mother, Isabelle, when COVID struck early in 2020. Isabelle, who was fearful of coming down with the virus, kept her close to home. Even though her dating life ground to a halt during those months of isolation, Nissani couldn’t forget the strong, quiet, confident man whom she had met in the fall.

She picked up the phone one day and, after some hesitation, called him. It was the start of a virtual courtship that, due to the pandemic, took place without the future spouses ever meeting.

“We spoke on the phone for an entire month without seeing each other,” Nissani remembers.

“It made me miss him. And he listened to me. He would sit there on the phone and really listen. I mean, we’d talk on the phone for two hours, sometimes three. We’d fall asleep talking on the phone. That’s how great it was the second time.”

When the pair finally met at Gomez’s home in Morningside, he cooked what Nissani describes as the best meal ever, on what she recalls as one of her best evenings ever. In the months they had spent apart, Nissani had come to appreciate the relationship that was, as her husband had predicted initially, meant to be.

1 The 33-year-old bride is a journalist and former staffer at the AJT.

2 The bride and groom with Rabbi Shlomo Sharfstein of Chabad of Downtown Universities.

1

2

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“It was almost like God was watching over the food,” she said, “to make sure that that meal was perfect. Because on that night we kissed and I had butterflies in my stomach for the first time.

I mean, I fell in love with him the second time. The first time I knew that there was something there, that he was a good guy and he’s Jewish, because Judaism is very important for me.”

In keeping with Jewish tradition, the couple was married on May 19th, during the final hours of Lag B’Omer — the only day during the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot when Orthodox practice permits joyful celebrations, such as weddings.

Although both families descend from Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews, the celebration at The Estate by Legendary Events — a historic home that at one time had been a popular Atlanta restaurant and is now a special event facility — was essentially an outdoor Ashkenazic ritual. Rabbi Mendy Gurary, the Chabad rabbi from the Israel Center, officiated along with

Rabbi Shlomo Sharfstein, from Chabad of Downtown Universities, which serves Georgia State University and Georgia Tech.

For their first dance, the couple chose “From This Moment On” by Shania Twain. For her dance with her father, Simon, whose family hails from Afghanistan and who now lives in Zambia, Nissani chose an Israeli melody that translates to “To Sing With You.” It was, she recalls, beautifully appropriate for the beginning of a marriage that has brought so much spiritual harmony to her life and the fulfillment of a special prayer she spoke when she first realized she was at the beginning of a lifelong journey with her new husband.

“I prayed to God to send me someone magnificent, like Brian, and my promise to God was that I will be faithful and devote my entire life to him and love him and care for him. I put that on Facebook recently, too, because I had to utter that to Brian as well.

It was my way of saying I will always be there for him as we build our Jewish home together.” ì

3 Groom Brian Gomez smashes the glass during the ceremony, held at The Estate by Legendary Events.

4 Signing the ketubah.

5 Rabbi Shlomo Sharfstein guides the groom in putting on tefillin.

3

6 The bride and groom danced to “From This Moment On” by Shania Twain.

7 The newlyweds share a moment during the reception.

4

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5 6 7

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Mother-Daughter Challah Night Bakes in Tradition

MITZVAHS

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Taylor Bonnet’s March 25th bat mitzvah weekend kicked off with a Thursday night challah bake as a way of honoring that shabbat tradition. Parents Narissa and Dan Bonnet included 40 family members and closest friends to share the evening as a “mother-daughter celebration.”

During the evening, Taylor gave a short d’var Torah about the three mitzvot specifically given to women and what they meant to her. She also spoke about the mitzvah of challah and how she connected it to her life. “Challah represents family togetherness, the strands representing family, friends and Hashem all woven together to combine to make life treasured,”

she explained.

The evening began with a dairy dinner, followed by the challah bake. Narissa prepared 40 bags of dough in advance to minimize prep time at the event.

Each table featured prayers for reciting the blessing as they separated the challah. To maximize fun and creativity, different toppings were available to decorate the challahs, including sprinkles, cookies and cream, hazelnut “Nutaylor” (Nutella), s’mores and sesame seeds.

The evening was also dedicated to the color turquoise, which Taylor has always loved.

“The color blue is very representative of her personality: calm, patient and serene,” said Narissa.

“In addition, we used butterflies as our theme, as I feel they rep-

resent transformation, growth and perseverance, which are attributes of being a bat mitzvah.

The preparation, anticipation and celebration were all that she had imagined. She really felt that what made the challah bake so special was that it was intimate and interactive. Not only was she celebrating her own simcha, but she was creating the opportunity for others to fulfill a mitzvah and instill in them the desire to carry on the traditions on Shabbat if they don’t already practice them on a regular basis.”

Maternal aunt Candice Keilin echoed the sentiment. “There are no words to describe Taylor’s kindness and loving nature,” Keilin said. “She is as beautiful as every butterfly, delicate and gentle.”

The bat mitzvah girl was delighted. “Had we only had the challah bake, it would have been enough,” she said.

Each guest left with their own challah and the recipe and baking instructions for making their own, so that they could enjoy the Shabbat ritual the following day. Narissa was thrilled to receivåe beautiful pictures of challahs from several guests. In addition, each family was gifted a beautiful custom challah cover with Taylor’s logo on the back, candles and matches with a cover that Narissa, an architect by trade, had made by hand.

Taylor’s parsha, Shemini, focused on kashrut and ritual purity. On Saturday evening, she conducted Havdalah, followed by a celebration at the Bonnet

Several generations of women celebrate the bat mitzvah girl: (back row) Narissa Bonnet, grandmother Hannah Culiner, aunt Candice Keilin.

Front row: Taylor Bonnet and cousin Skylar Keilin. // Credit: Narissa Bonnet

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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3 1 Taylor’s mom, Narissa, set up the turquoise room with the challah covers she created. // Credit: Narissa Bonnet 2 Taylor Bonnet with her very own “Nutaylor” challah topping.

3 Narissa made each guest a turquoise challah cover by hand.

4 Narissa signs Taylor’s apron as a party memento.

1 2 4

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6 5 The backyard pool was the setting for the Saturday dinner. // Credit: Steven Dewberry

6 Clever turquoise desserts were provided by EB Catering. // Credit: Steven Dewberry 7 The Havdalah table setting included Taylor’s favorite: butterflies. // Credit: Narissa Bonnet

5

8 Narissa pre-prepared the challah dough to save time. // Credit: Narissa Bonnet

7 8

Guests left with challah recipe:

home pool. Viral Booth of Atlanta was on hand with a very cool mirrored photo booth and EB Catering provided a kosher spread consisting of: Salmon Poppers, Beef tataki Smashed Avocado Crostini Asian Linguini Pastrami and BBQ Pulled Chicken Pizzas Caesar Salad Stir Fried Rice Drunken Beef Lo Mein Chicken Satay Belgian Waffle Station Fruit Cups ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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“As both a student of the Epstein School and a member of Congregation Beth Tefillah, Taylor has a strong Jewish identity and understands that having a bat mitzvah is not the end of her Jewish learning, but rather the beginning,” Narissa concluded.

“Her journey of fulfilling mitzvot, continuing traditions and learning has just begun, sharing her bat mitzvah in this meaningful way was just a small glimpse of what the future holds and the responsibility that is before her.” ì

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Kaplans Celebrate Jake with Beachside Bar Mitzvah Rabbi Lauren Cohn encourages Jake as parents Jill and Jason Kaplan look on. // Credit: Kenneth Theysen

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

When it came to their son Jake’s bar mitzvah, Jill and Jason Kaplan knew that they wanted a special venue. So, navigating COVID restrictions and finding a rabbi who agreed to travel, the Kaplans headed to the powderywhite beaches of Aruba, an island country in the southern Caribbean that is part of the Netherlands, during the weekend of March 12.

“We knew that we wanted to do something more intimate than a huge party in Atlanta, and with the pandemic, that option seemed even less appealing,” said Jill Kaplan. “We originally wanted to have Jake’s bar mitzvah in St. Thomas, at the old synagogue, but accommodaATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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tions were limited for a group of our size. I’m honestly not sure how we decided on Aruba, but we knew the weather would be beautiful. Once we knew that our rabbi would travel with us, we could really go anywhere.”

Jake, a 7th grader at Ridgeview Middle School, is obsessed with sports, focusing on football and basketball. “Jake is football crazy, so we tried to incorporate football as much as we could,” Jill said. “We had a logo that blended the Aruban flag with the NFL logo, welcome bags with each family’s team name (ex: Team Kaplan) and a football for guests to sign.”

For his mitzvah project, Jake collected sports equipment for underprivileged athletes.

“Because of my love for sports,

I wanted to ensure that other kids have opportunities to join and participate in sports in their communities,” he said in his speech. “So, I collected sporting equipment for Helping Athletes Score, HAS, an organization whose mission is to make sure any athlete who wants to [can] play a recreational team sport in our community, regardless of household financial situation.”

The simcha, for 56 guests consisting of friends and family, took some nine months to plan.

Festivities began with a Friday night sunset dinner cruise and continued on Saturday with the bar mitzvah service and a sunset Havdalah service on the beach.

Following Havdalah, guests enjoyed a beach party with a DJ and BBQ menu. On Sunday

morning, Jake’s grandparents hosted a hotel brunch.

The group stayed at the Hilton Aruba, where the onsite party planner managed all the details, including hiring the DJ and photographer. “COVID made everything trickier,” Jill said. “Everyone had to test and submit paperwork to the Aruban government to get into the country and then we had to test to get back into the U.S. The hotel had onsite testing, it was very seamless. The logistics were not easy, but our travel agent helped tremendously.”

Rabbi Lauren Cohn, who leads Temple Beth El in Anniston, Ala., and tutors and teaches at Temple Sinai in Atlanta, officiated at the service. “During the pandemic, our kids were no lon-

1 Jake’s official bar mitzvah program in the sand.

2 All five Kaplans cheered for Jake’s mitzvah project, collecting sporting equipment through Helping Athletes Score.

3 Jake dedicated his bar mitzvah to both of his late great-grandfathers, Jacob Baer and Robert Sukloff. He wears Baer’s tallis.

1

4 The island bar mitzvah leaned into the sports theme.

2

3 4

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ger attending Sunday or Hebrew school, and we were struggling with trying to give them some kind of Jewish education,” Jill recalled. Rabbi Cohn “comes to our house every week for Sunday school with our 10-year-old twins and helped Jake prepare for his bar mitzvah. She was more than willing to travel with us for this crazy idea and brought a travel Torah and all the items we needed for the service.”

In his speech, Jake described her as “the best Hebrew teacher I’ve ever had, and the only one I’ve ever wanted to go on vacation with!”

“Jake’s bar mitzvah was absolutely magical,” said Jake’s dad, Jason Kaplan. “It was the most stressful, but the best idea we’ve ever had! We loved having an entire weekend with all the people who mean the most to us and who love Jake enough to travel to Aruba! The group was intimate and everyone there had a unique and special relationship with Jake. Our hearts were bursting watching our son become a bar mitzvah at sunset on the beach surrounded by so much love. It was a moment we will never forget.”

Jake’s interpretation of his parsha, Tzav, sprang from what he said was both G-d and man’s need to be seen and heard.

Jake feels seen and heard through his love of sports. “When I play sports, particularly basketball and football, I feel most comfortable and feel most like me,” he said.

“I loved that I didn’t just have a party and then it was over,” he said. “I had the best time with all my friends and family.

It was the most fun ever, and I’m pretty lucky I had such a cool bar mitzvah!” ì

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Bat Mitzvah in Berlin Recalls Holocaust

By Allen H. Lipis

As we walked toward the large and magnificent Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue in Berlin during the last Shabbos in March, I noticed that the front of the shul had three-foot-high barricades set five feet apart around the entrance, with a metal chain connecting them. Two policemen and a member of the congregation were at the entrance, checking the guests arriving for the bat mitzvah of Chana Sophia Bena Lipis. The front entrance had two bulletproof doors. Visitors had to get through the first, then close it before the second door would open. This morning,

both doors were wide open for the hundred-or-so people attending the bat mitzvah service.

The doorman had a list of attendants and asked each whether they had been tested for COVID. The Shabbos service was a traditional service under the auspices of Masorti, the movement for Conservative Judaism in Europe. For Chana’s bat mitzvah, the Lipis family gave 100 regular siddurs in German to anyone attending the service, in honor of her family’s great grandparents: Esther and Max Siegel, Sophie and Leo Lipis, Golda and Josef Aron Kosminski, and Johanna and Arthur Levy.

The rabbi of the syna-

gogue, Gesa Ederberg, was the first woman rabbi in Berlin. The cantor was also a woman, with a beautifully trained operatic voice. Some men did not wear a kippah and most women wore a tallis. We sat far apart from each other in chairs, and everyone had to wear a mask.

The Torah service was also quite unusual, compared to that of an orthodox synagogue in Atlanta. There was no order on who was called to the Torah, and women were given aliyot like the men. My daughter, Pamela Glinsky, had the first aliyah. “For me, I was having my own bat mitzvah,” she said.

Chana Lipis was well pre-

pared for her own aliyah. She was the first bat mitzvah girl from a Masorti Jewish day school of 50 students — 10 of whom are from Ukraine — that had been established partly by her parents, Mimi and Leo Lipis, and several other Jewish families. She read from the Torah scroll with ease and recited her parsha as though she had been reading the Torah scroll all her life. Her two brothers led the service, singing Anim Semirot, but the congregation was not asked to sing with them to avoid any issue with COVID. There was only one Torah and it was taken from a traditional ark that was perched on wheels so it could be removed from the

Chana Lipis was the first of 50 students from a Berlin Jewish day school to celebrate her bat mitzvah. The school was established partly by her parents, Mimi and Leo Lipis.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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theater where the service was held. The main sanctuary was destroyed during World War II and had never been rebuilt, even though the remaining building was still very impressive. The only thing left of the main 3,000seat synagogue was the foundation columns in the open courtyard.

After the service, the kiddush was held in the open courtyard, with everyone receiving a paper bag of food. People ate there or left and took the bag with them. It was a sad commentary on not being able to have a lovely kiddush to celebrate the occasion. It was the price we were paying for COVID. “Chana’s bat mitzvah was a joyous occasion for the Masorti synagogue in Berlin,” said Rabbi Nils Ederberg, husband of the rabbi, following the service. “With the war going on in Europe and our community hosting 50 refugees from our five Masorti communities in Ukraine, Chana’s bat mitzvah was a reminder of the strength of Jewish life where only some years ago not many would have expected it to flourish.”

That evening, an exciting party took place at a huge estate in a Berlin suburb with plenty of food, lots of dancing and speeches from the host parents. Chana’s mother, Mimi, asked everyone at the event to write a memorable note to Chana on identical individual pieces of fabric to be sewn together into a collage, and then put into a huge frame for Chana to install somewhere in her home. People wrote in several languages. It was a lovely idea, especially because it was a surprise for Chana.

On Sunday morning, the family held a lovely brunch at their office to say goodbye to those traveling from parts of Germany and from the U.S. In the same way that a bat mitzvah in Atlanta offers events throughout the weekend, this bat mitzvah in Berlin was no exception.

It was an especially beautiful occasion since it was my family, and because the family had put off the event for more than a

year because of COVID. On that trip, we did something else that was a huge mitzvah for Bev Lewyn and her family. Lewyn had written a book, “On the Run in Nazi Berlin,” a memoir of her father-in-law, Bert Lewyn (originally Lewin).

The German government had installed brass memorial plaques at the exact street locations throughout the country where Jews had been taken from their homes by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps, where many ultimately died. There were thousands of them all around Berlin. Lewyn asked Pamela to find the brass plaques for her father-in-law and his parents and clean them.

We knew the approximate location, and Pamela had made a special effort to buy brass cleaning materials. We drove to the location with six people and walked around the community until we found the plaques. Immediately, several of us felt a strong emotional relief that we could accomplish this mitzvah. Bert Lewyn had survived the Holocaust and published an extremely compelling story of his survival, but his parents did not. For the better part of an hour, Pamela cleaned and polished the three plaques, and when she finished, we all said a prayer right there for the occasion.

It is worth noting that while Berlin had 80 synagogues and 170,000 Jews prior to World War II, today there are 12,000 registered Jews in the city, some 25,000 to 30,000 Jews overall, most of them immigrants from Russia. In Germany, if you register your religion, you pay nine percent of your salary as a church tax, which is given to appropriate religious authorities for various uses. As a result, Jewish day schools are virtually free.

There are also six kosher restaurants and eight synagogues, all protected by the German police at all times. The city is an exciting place for tourists, and there are memorials to the Holocaust in many locations. Ironically, today, Germany is among the safest places for Jews in Europe. ì

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1 Plaques commemorate Dagobert Lewin (now Bert) and his parents, Leopold Lewin and Joanna Lewin, at their last location before being arrested by the Nazis.

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2 The courtyard and tower of the Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue in Berlin. Note the Jewish star at the top.

3 Chana Sophia Bena Lipis lights Friday night candles with her father and his sister, Pamela, in the background.

4 Chana Lipis carries the Torah during a practice run on Friday.

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Rachel’s Road to Rhodes A plaque honoring all of the families in Rhodes that were deported during the Holocaust.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Move over “Mama Mia!” On June 1, Renay and Ned Blumenthal hosted a group of 24 in Rhodes, Greece, at the Kahal Shalom Synagogue in the old Jewish Quarter, to celebrate the bat mitzvah of their daughter, Rachel Devorah.

Rhodes was once home to many Sephardic Jews, including Rachel’s maternal great-grandparents, who were married at Kahal Shalom in October 1919, prior to immigrating to the U.S. Their parents and grandparents were all born and lived in Rhodes, descendants of those who had fled the Spanish Inquisition centuries earlier.

“It had incredible meaning for the entire family for Rachel to become a bat mitzvah at the same synagogue where her great-grandparents were married and where other family members for several generations prior to that worshipped,” recalled Renay. “She wore her ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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great-grandfather’s tallis and her great-grandmother’s Star of David necklace. The synagogue has been beautifully restored and maintained in the last several years, a true testament to the strength and resilience of the Jewish people.”

Kahal Shalom, built in 1577, is the oldest surviving synagogue in Greece and the last functioning congregation on the island of Rhodes. It is located in La Juderia, the former Jewish Quarter, which was occupied by the Nazis in September 1943. In July 1944, the Jews of Rhodes and Kos were deported to the Greek mainland. Twenty-three of them died during the voyage, while those who survived were deported to AuschwitzBirkenau. Only 151 survived the Holocaust.

Rachel, a student at The Galloway School, loves traveling, volleyball, musical theater and drama, and attends Camp Barney Medintz. She is also interested in family tradition. “My

bat mitzvah was cool because I got to be in the same synagogue that my great-grandparents were married in, to see and understand where they were from,” she said. “It made me feel very connected to my family history.”

Rabbi Barbara Aiello, who officiated at the ceremony, had prepared Rachel through Zoom sessions with the help of her tutor, Rachel Jenks, in the months leading up to her service. Rabbis Brad Levenberg and Sam Trief from Temple Sinai also helped Rachel with her parsha, B’midbar. In her d’var Torah, she spoke about Aaron’s sons’ lack of faith, her interpretation being the respect for wisdom and listening to others. The ceremony was livestreamed for family members back in the U.S. For her service project, Rachel elected to help Holocaust survivors through Holocaust Survivors Support Fund. Since Rhodes was so devastated by the Nazis, she dedicated her ceremony to a young Jewish

girl who lived in Rhodes but perished in the Holocaust without the chance to become a bat mitzvah. Rachel sent baskets of hamantaschen to survivors, followed by food gift cards.

For the ceremony, Rachel wore a royal blue dress with eyelet trim to match her family, all of whom wore something accented with blue. Older brother Michael read a passage from Shel Silverstein’s “A Light in the Attic.”

It was very special that both of Rachel’s grandmothers — Martha Perlmutter, whose parents, Nissim and Reina Almeleh, were from Rhodes and Linda Blumenthal — were able to attend.

During the service, Renay spoke of Rachel’s love of family and tradition, explaining that they chose Rhodes as a place that had such deep meaning and family ties. “We walked to the synagogue for her service through the old Jewish Quarter,” Renay recalled, “as we were walking down the same streets they walked and felt a part of

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1 The Kahal Shalom Synagogue in Rhodes is on the World Monuments Fund Watch’s list of 100 Most Endangered Sites. The synagogue was built in 1577 and is closely tied to Rachel Blumenthal’s Sephardic ancestors.

2 (Left to right) Brother Michael, mom Renay and dad Ned Blumenthal (far right) expressed their admiration for Rachel’s kindness and love of family tradition.

what had been their community — and how the entire experience was the true meaning of l’dor v’dor. We also talked about how proud she was to honor her ancestors in this way.”

Ned Blumenthal echoed the sentiment. “Rachel is particularly kind and caring to everyone. Our wish for her is to always be kind and work hard, and embrace and be involved with family, friends and community,” he said.

Since the service began at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, it was followed by a traditional Greek dinner at Hatzikelis restaurant. The Sephardic menu

was a traditional Greek meal with tzatziki, fava bean and hummus dips with village-made pita, Greek salad, spinach pie, stuffed mushrooms with feta, parsley, onion and olive oil and grilled eggplant for appetizers.

Guests had a choice of grilled fish, Greek roasted chicken, or stuffed tomatoes and peppers with rice as entrée. Dessert was kataifi, a sweet, traditional Greek pastry with nuts and honey. Spirited Greek music filled the restaurant. That morning, all of the attendees did a guided tour of the synagogue, the Jewish Museum and the Jewish Quarter. ì

6 3 Rabbi Barbara Aiello (right) Zoomed with Rachel prior to the onsite event.

4 The Blumenthals made custom shirts for Rachel’s simcha.

5 Rachel joyfully carried the Torah scroll.

6 Both grandmothers traveled to Greece and placed the tallis around Rachel. The tallis belonged to Rachel’s great-grandfather, who was married in the same synagogue.

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The afternoon cohort sings the Havdalah prayers. From left to right, back row: Zoe Diamond-Wilding, Tali Donsky, Lilah Didier-Sober and Oliver Yoxall. Front row: Leah Weingast, Nathaniel Abcug, Marlowe Greenberg, Nora Baruch, Evelyn Golubock, Lauren Kaplan and Madison Neidorf.

B-Mitzvah Program Graduates Present Personal Projects

By Robert Garber

On Sunday, May 29, two cohorts of Jewish Kids Groups B-Mitzvah students completed their two-year program with an outdoor ceremony at Heritage Sandy Springs. The B-Mitzvah program, the follow-up to JKG’s Jewish After-School program, consists largely of charity-focused work concentrating on Jewish values. This is the fifth year the program is holding a ceremony.

“It’s not about the party at the end,” said JKG Director Anna Robbins, “it’s about the two years leading up to that.”

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In the second year of the program, students chose a topic of personal interest to them and explored it throughout the year as their personal interest project (PIP). This culminated in the B-Mitzvah ceremony, in which students explained their projects to their peers and family and received blessings from their parents. While the ice cream truck, balloons, presents, giant Jenga and other field games were enjoyable, the highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the students’ chosen projects.

The two cohorts, totaling thirteen students, were split into two ceremonies, one taking place

in the morning and the other in the afternoon. B-Mitzvah director Sydney Popsuj introduced the students at the beginning of each ceremony. The day was windy, and both sets of students found it hard to keep a tight grip on their papers.

The PIPs included a wide range of topics. Several students focused on the Holocaust, exploring the stories of those who had experienced it. Jude Anstey spoke about Dutch watchmaker Corrie ten Boom, who, along with her family, hid hundreds of Jews in her house in the Netherlands — a house he recreated in Minecraft for his PIP. Theo Nash

presented on Irene Hasenberg Butter, a Holocaust survivor and author of the book “Shores Beyond Shores,” whom he was able to personally interview.

Several students focused on antisemitism. Michael Friedman focused on recent incidents of antisemitism in Atlanta, Tali Donsky made an animated short film about the rise of antisemitism, and Evelyn Golubock focused on grasping antisemitism through art, making a zine — a small book of poetry and short stories — exploring the topic.

Two students focused on Jewish mythology. Jaxson Rosenhaft explored the connec-

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1 With parents Andrew and Martha watching in the background, Evelyn Golubock describes becoming interested in poetry, and then using that interest to explore the difficult topics of antisemitism and the Holocaust.

2 Families of the afternoon cohort B-Mitzvahs applaud them at the end of the ceremony.

3 Director of the B-Mitzvah program, Sydney Popsuj, speaks before the morning ceremony.

4 Nora Baruch (middle) holds the Havdalah candle, while Marlowe Greenberg (left), Evelyn Golubock (right), and the rest of the afternoon cohort sing the Havdalah prayers.

5 Gift bags consisted of framed certificates, tallises and tie-dyed tshirts that the B-Mitzvah students made on their last day of JKG.

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6 Zoe Diamond-Wilding explains how important nature is to her and why, in the face of the growing threat of climate change, she chose a project focused on food insecurity and sustainable practices, while parents Rena Diamond and Nick Wilding stand to the side.

7 Bar mitzvah Michael Friedman discusses how he chose to focus on recent antisemitic incidents after learning of antisemitic graffiti found at two high schools near where he lived.

8 After the ceremony, Jaxon Rosenhaft, using one hand to hold his ice cream, explains the similarities and differences between Jewish and Greek myths with the other.

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tion between Greek and Jewish myths and stories, while Lilah Didier-Sober created tarot card art inspired by her exploration of Jewish folklore/mysticism.

Others focused on famous Jews whom they looked up to.

Nathaniel Abcug learned about various Jewish baseball players and made “baseball cards” that used their connections to Judaism instead of the traditional baseball stats. Abcug also made cards based on his classmates.

Nora Baruch made a slideshow/ matching game featuring her favorite Jewish photographers.

Lauren Kaplan focused on five Jewish women who inspired her, and painted their portraits, including her relative, Regina Gilbert-Baskin, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Two students focused on tikkun olam and sustainability. Grant Kingsbury worked with Repair the World, helping impoverished communities in Atlanta through gardening and agricultural services. Zoe Diamond-Wilding focused on

climate change and worked with local nonprofit Concrete Jungle on urban foraging and farming.

Other PIP topics included various acts of charity and study.

Avi Haimovitz collected donations of toys for kids in the hospital. Julius Pierce researched how COVID-19 affected animal shelters and adopted a dog. Zack Shores explored the community side of Judaism at the JCC. Marlowe Greenberg researched and baked traditional Jewish pastries.

Oliver Yoxall volunteered at the Breman Home, in the assistedliving section.

After the presentations, students led a brief Havdalah ceremony, were presented with gift bags and came to the front to be showered with candy. The students then went to the back field, where they had a chance to physically present their projects, as well as get ice cream and play some field games. As part of the very last JKG craft project, the parents were invited to sign their students’ challah covers. ì

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Neon to Boho Chic, Stylish Mitzvah Parties are Back on the Calendar

By Debbie Diamond

After more than two years of scaled-back festivities due to COVID, bar and bat mitzvah festivities are back, better than ever – and Atlanta families and their guests are ready to party this summer and fall! As events are planned and the fanfare begins, there are distinct trends emerging that will surprise and delight party hosts and their guests.

“Everyone wants to party again,” said Amy Nichols, president of Let’s Celebrate, a popular mitzvah design firm.

Many of her clients are asking guests to be tested for COVID 48 hours in advance, but she is not seeing guests wear masks.

Cathy Taylor, president of YES Event Design, echoed Nichols’ sentiments. “People want to celebrate. Attendance at mitzvahs is up, and we’re seeing the size of some of the parties get up to 350 to 400 guests now.”

Neon, boho chic, gaming and sports-related themes are particularly popular this year and are expected to continue into 2023 for bar and bat mitzvah parties. Green, whether used in neon or as part of another theme, is currently the most popular color of choice, regardless of theme. Interestingly, in late 2021, four major paint companies selected a sophisticated, subtle gray-green shade as their Color of the Year.

Trend predictors find that the popularity of green touches on a common consumer mindset: a desire for peace, tranquility, and connections with nature.

Parties featuring neon often include a focus on the decade of the 1980s. Disco balls are frequently incorporated ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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into the centerpieces, as well as streaming from the ceiling. Bright colors surround guests as they enter the party spaces. Cups with neon lights are featured, and neon cubes with the party logo are incorporated into the centerpieces.

For Monica Salcedo, owner of Trendy Fun Party, the use of black panels with custom-made party logo decals and neon balloons creates an environment that sets the stage for a good time. “We frequently use neon signs in lights with a customized Mazel Tov or the mitzvah child’s name. Highboy tables are draped in black tablecloths and topped with globes with LED lights that alternate between neon colors. All of these elements help create a successful party and can be used as focal points for photos,” she added.

The Boho trend has taken off for bat mitzvahs, likely as a result of Coachella, a three-day art and music festival held in the Colorado Desert, California. Coachella can be described as a mix of bohemian, rock star and a little Native American. To capture the essence of Coachella, bat mitzvahs feature actual tepees, dream catchers, macramé wall hangings, soft colors, feathers and ribbons. For Let’s Celebrate, string art, fairy lights, pampas grass and varying sizes of bud vases with a collection of florals and greenery bring this feminine, yet sophisticated theme to life. Trendy Fun Party utilizes actual tepees with pillows spread throughout the party space as places for conversation, relaxation and potential food stations. Salcedo uses nude balloons, a trendy color for 2022, to complement the other Boho decorations,

which include dried flowers, glass lanterns with succulents inside, macramé bases for table centerpieces and pampas grass.

Sports-related and gaming themes continue to be perennial favorites, whether the focus is on a specific team or a group of sports. According to Nichols, the national championship win by the Braves has made the team a popular theme choice for Atlanta bar and bat mitzvahs. The mitzvah child’s name on the team logo scattered throughout the venue sets the stage for bringing the party to life. “Some of my favorite sports events have been done with girls in mind,” said Nichols. We have spray painted volleyballs pink and created basketballs out of flowers, in fact. The designs are usually more playful for the bat mitzvahs, but can be modern and simplistic as well,” she emphasized.

For Taylor, the mitzvahs she designs are less about a theme and more about what she calls a “vibe.” According to Taylor, “We may be asked to recreate the ambiance of a favorite restaurant or a club in Miami. For a recent mitzvah, we designed an oversized ceiling treatment with 6-foot diameter orbs and light tubes in neon green as the focal point.

We have also integrated a DJ booth into our designs, and at a recent event, we even suspended the booth into the air to give guests the feeling of being at a rock concert. We surrounded the booth with lightning bolt chandeliers and silver beads, so people felt they were at a show.”

Some of the designers also mentioned fathers becoming more involved in the mitzvah planning than in past years.

“Before COVID, most of the dads wrote the checks but didn’t get involved in the details. This year, that dynamic changed. Many of the dads work from home now, and I have even worked exclusively with fathers in some cases,” said Taylor.

The cost of hiring a designer varies – anywhere from $2,000 to $40,000, and most designers have a minimum cost. Most of the designers have props, lighting, linens and other elements in inventory for parties, so a fee is simply charged for use. Balloons and flowers are created specifically for each event. The trend for balloons now is to create garlands of varying sizes and to use new, created colors. Trendy Fun Party places balloons inside balloons, in fact, to create customizable one-of-a-kind colors. Let’s Celebrate integrates a number of flowers in complementary shades for each client’s event. While Trendy Fun Party indicated balloons are used more often as part of their design, Let’s Celebrate sees a movement among their clients toward more flowers, especially for centerpieces.

Whether the mitzvah boy or girl wants a plethora of balloons, extravagant flower centerpieces or a suspended DJ booth, there is a design company to fulfill their every desire.

From assembling an 8’ x 10’ greenery wall to churning out many iterations of the mitzvah logo to be placed at strategic places throughout the event, there is an Atlanta design firm that can turn a family’s mitzvah vision into an event that will be remembered for years to come. ì

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1 Neon pink and blue illuminate the room for a recent Let’s Celebratedesigned party.

2 Many of Let’s Celebrate clients request sports themes.

3 Inspired by Coachella, the glamping motif took center stage at a recent Trendy Fun Party bat mitzvah.

4 Tepees are part of the Boho Chic theme at a recent Trendy Fun Party mitzvah event.

5 Rock and Roll dance floor with a Suspended DJ booth.

6 Inspired by her client’s love of makeup, YES Event Designs created a makeup studio where even the food was integrated into the decor.

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Poppy’s Playground Dance Party Celebrates Young, Wild and Three

SIMCHAS

By Robyn Spizman Gerson

“Young, wild and three” was the energetic theme for Poppy Garfinkel’s playground birthday party, which took place at Temple Sinai’s playground, better known as the Mercaz (the Center).

According to Jaimee Boettcher, Temple Sinai’s director of operations and events, “Mercaz is a natural learning space where children are able to explore nature-inspired climbing structures, discover hidden forts, put their imagination to work onstage and use its outdoor space for programming and worship. When the playground

is not in use, members and nonmembers are invited to rent the Mercaz for private events.”

Balloons Over Atlanta, owned by Gayle and Brian Rubenstein, got the party popping.

Since 1979, they have been Atlanta’s premier balloon delivery and decorating service. As certified balloon artists, they have planned decades of grand openings, b’nai mitzvot, corporate galas, endless parties, gatherings, weddings and simchas. Event Visions, the event side of the business, has designed an extensive lineup of festivals — including the popular annual Atlanta Jewish Life Festival.

“We get calls long in ad-

Balloons Over Atlanta balloon columns and organic balloons added a colorful touch.

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vance for mitzvahs to save the date and, as we get closer, we nail down the specifics, from glow-in-the-dark themes to a camping fantasy,” said Gayle Rubenstein. “Organic and freeflowing ballooning is the ‘in’ thing and works well for all settings. We still do arched columns, but now whimsical décor is more popular. Large ceiling installations are also a cool look.

Outdoor settings do well with air-filled balloons, which can be anchored to existing structures like fences or gates.”

“People are choosing unconventional spaces from the outdoors as well as loft-like space,” says Balloons Over Atlanta Gen-

eral Manager Sarah Parrish. “We add color, shape and form, and also create florals, logo designs and custom print and combine all these new unique spaces. Balloon trends include mirror-finished and chrome-finished balloons. People love the oversize marquee letters that light up, and we incorporate balloons.”

DJ Sammy Rosenberg, Atlanta’s beloved favorite music man, got the party rocking with a playlist that would make any three-year-old happy. “Play It Again Sammy,” who has won the Atlanta Jewish Times Reader’s Choice Award for Best Live Entertainment, said, “I grew up with Tourette syndrome and was

Ali and Marc Garfinkel and their three-year-old, Poppy, are ready to party at Temple Sinai’s playground.

1 1 Atlanta’s favorite DJ, Sammy Rosenberg, and partner Frankie Acosta rock the party with a playlist of kids’ favorite songs 2 Personalized favors with each guest’s name, created by Ali, greeted partygoers.

3 Balloons Over Atlanta experts bring a festive pop to every occasion, big or small.

4 Mr. Kevin, from Mystical Parties, added a signature twist with balloon favors.

2 a little bit different. Since the age of 10, I loved music and dancing. At every bar or bat mitzvah or wedding, I would be on the dancefloor and I’d be dreaming, ‘That’s what I want to do one day.’ When I married Katie Alterman Rosenberg, I was talking to my father-in-law and someone called and offered me to buy their equipment. I got a business license and started DJ’ing. I am one of those people who sees an elderly woman stomping her foot and I would dance with her.

I eventually hired a partner and now we’re constantly entertaining people.”

Rosenberg’s partner in the DJ business is Frankie Acosta.

“He joined me a year and a half ago and knows how to do everything,” says Rosenberg. “He is the magic with music, reads a crowd and makes it amazing.

Three-year-olds love music and

it’s important to introduce music at a young age. When I DJ young kids’ events, it’s the Baby Sharks, the kids jump and I love their energy.”

Balloon twister Mr. Kevin, who stayed busy churning out princesses, swords and royal crowns, was booked through Stephanie Hebert, owner of Mystical Parties. “I launched Mystical Parties with handpicked entertainers,” she told the AJT. “Since 2009, we have provided entertainment for events around metro Atlanta, including face painters, balloon artists and characters like princesses and superheroes. Popular Mr. Kevin, the balloon twister, has been with us for over 15 years.”

Last but not least, there was the cake. DJ Sammy led the crowd in a round of “Happy Birthday” as tie-dyed cupcakes were distributed and the birth-

5 Party guests enjoyed Cakeology’s delicious, tie-dyed cupcakes.

day girl blew out the candles.

Alli Marbach, the owner of Cakeology, had some good news to share.

“Thanks to the amazing support of our customers, we are now renting a wonderful commercial kitchen at Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs,” she told the AJT. “To order, visit our website and request a quote. We offer pick-up from Temple Sinai and free delivery within 10 miles of the kitchen.” ì

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Art Expert Fay Gold Rings in 90

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

On April 2, outrageous art doyenne Fay Gold was fêted in honor of her 90th birthday.

“My mom changed the face of contemporary art in the South; and I focused on the party reflecting her trailblazing contribution,” said Gold’s daughter, Amy (Ames), who served as party planner.

“I wanted it to be elegant and classy, yet risky and risqué, just like the birthday girl!”

The birthday girl wore one of Badgley Mischka’s famous ombré sequin dresses, with streaks of silver, gold and bronze. Her dress, she joked, matched the tablecloths.

“I have arrested development, and that’s why I have no idea what age I am,” said Gold, when asked how she manages to look so fabulous. “That’s my message ... don’t even think about it and it all goes away. But I have been through 90 rotations of the sun. How about that?”

Some 100 guests dined on individual charcuterie boards, grilled baguettes, honeycomb, fig jam, olives and grapes, along with pan-seared branzini, bursting tomatoes and capers and Potatoes Dauphinoise. For dessert, there was birthday cake surprise and petite miniature sweets.

The soiree was held at one of Atlanta’s best and most-hidden venues: builder-developer John Weiland’s WAREHOUSE, located on the Westside, which has no address or signage and is not open to the public. It houses some of Weiland’s highly valued art collection.

Gold, whose Buckhead condo was previously featured in the AJT’s Chai Style column in 2017 (“Good As Gold”), was born in 1932 in South Carolina. During World War II, she entertained troops in USO shows, which led her to ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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Brent Starr with Brigitte Bidet, who changed into an iconic white dress to sing “Happy Birthday” to Fay Gold (center).

show business. In 1949, Gold appeared onscreen with Rita Moreno in the film “So Young So Bad.” In 1954, she married Donald Gold, who died in 2010. After moving to Atlanta from New York, Gold taught art in her backyard, opening the Fay Gold gallery in 1982. She raised three children and has four grandchildren.

A video tribute from The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg, wishing Gold longevity and to live “to 120,” was played the next morning at a family brunch. Friend Jack Kirker compared her to someone much younger, while family members praised Gold’s adventurous spirit as a troublemaker. Refer-

ences were made to one of her favorite artists, Basquiat.

What’s next for Gold?

“Never retire. By learning and

working, I stay involved in business so my brain won’t atrophy, and my smile will show my endurance,” she said. ì

Gold’s Tips for Longevity and Beauty: • Win the genetic lottery.

• Show your love; don’t hold back.

• Be an outgoing extrovert.

• Stay lean. Eat leafy greens.

• No carbs, caffeine or sugar.

• WALK.

• Be open to new experiences.

• Be grateful and amazing.

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3 1 Jontavious Willis, a 26-year-old blues musician from Columbus, Ga., and protégé of five-time Grammy winning Keb’ Mo’, performed after dinner.

2 Gold’s daughter Amy ( right ) planned the party. Here she posed with one of the more lively guests.

3 Fay Gold’s daughter, Amy Fisher, crafted the party invitation in homage to a Robert Mapplethorpe photo.

4 Brent Starr as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring body paint and Brigitte Bidet as framed Mona Lisa.

5 Fay Gold with cast of characters and Joann Truffleman.

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Sarah Saidman Takes Her Place Among the Matriarchs

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Sarah Rose Saidman was born in Atlanta on Sept.13, but waited patiently until May 1st for her baby naming and foot washing ceremony. Forty-five guests came to celebrate with the Saidmans at great-grandfather Donald Reisman’s Borghese condo building.

Parents Nicole and Ben Saidman did not delay the occasion because of COVID, but rather waited to find a weekend when all of their family could attend. Nicole’s sister Julia and husband, Danny, were able to fly in from Oakland, Calif.

Sarah wore a dress that

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Nicole’s mom had saved from her childhood. Ben Saidman led off the ceremony by describing baby Sarah’s happy demeanor and contagious smile. “She really makes you feel special. It doesn’t matter who you are, she has a smile for everyone. And it rarely leaves her face,” he said. “She has always been an incredibly happy baby. She adores her brother, Leo. She looks at him with love and admiration. He is able to make her belly laugh by singing to her, and when he talks to her, she giggles. It warms our hearts like nothing else.”

Sarah was named after Nicole’s grandmother, Shirley Reisman, and Ben’s grandmother,

Rose Saidman. Her Hebrew names, Sarah and Shoshana, were chosen as the Hebrew versions of each name. “These two women have a lot in common,” Nicole said. “Both were strong, tenacious and independent matriarchs. We chose to name Sarah after these women, not just because they are family, but because they exhibit traits and values that we can only hope she shares as she gets older. In the Torah, Sarah was the wife of Abraham and the first of the four matriarchs. She is widely referred to as Sarah Imeinu, ‘Sarah, Our Mother.’ Known for her kindness and hospitality, Sarah welcomed with open arms

Family members took turns washing and drying baby Sarah’s tiny feet.

all who visited her tent.”

Matriarch Shirley Reisman was known for her hospitality and the family dinners she threw. She knew the importance of togetherness and created a strong foundation for the Reismans for generations to come.

Ahavath Achim Senior Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal led seven family members in pouring water on and drying Sarah’s feet while reading a corresponding verse. Foot washing in Jewish baby namings has been used to symbolize welcoming guests, as Abraham did, while recalling the covenant that G-d made with Noah after the flood.

Family members played the

following roles: Love of God: Mildred Kinbar and Donald Reisman — Ben’s grandmother and Nicole’s grandfather.

Torah: Bruce and Vickie Reisman — Nicole’s parents.

Justice: Suzi and Gary Saidman — Ben’s parents.

Heritage: Julia and Danny Lowenthal — Nicole’s sister and her husband.

Wisdom: Howard and Linda Reisman, Lisa and Gerald Reisman, Lisa Reisman — Nicole’s paternal aunts and uncles.

Compassion: Alice Ginsberg — Nicole’s maternal aunt.

Peace: Philip Kinbar — Ben’s maternal uncle.

“Sarah, we hope you will know the love and strength that family brings to life and embrace family — for all its craziness, it’s the deepest love. We know your smiles are already making those

around you feel special and loved, just as your great grandmothers before you,” said Nicole.

“Shirley, of blessed memory, left us two years ago this coming September,” great-grandfather Donald Reisman told the AJT. “Family was so important to her; and she would have been delighted with this fifth great grandchild and expecting yet another one this fall. On the other hand, I found the foot washing ceremony very interesting. I have never seen that before.”

Added Touch Catering served a bounteous spread of fresh bagels and flatbreads, smoked salmon board, albacore tuna salad, individual farmers market vegetable frittatas with seasonal vegetables and topped with basil oil and sundried tomatoes, caramel French toast casserole and deconstructed fresh fruit. ì

1 Sarah Rose Saidman smiles joyfully at her naming ceremony. She wore her grandmother Vickie’s baby dress. // Photos: Lauren Unell with Pale Sky Photography

1 2

2 Added Touch Catering produced a “cornucopia” dairy display with baby girl decorations.

3 Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal and big brother Leo cut the challah as parents Nicole and Ben Saidman beam with pride.

4 Great-grandfather Donald Reisman was thrilled with the name Sarah, in honor of her two namesakes.

3 4

37•STYLE MAGAZINE

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Forever Friendships Stand the Test of Time

By Robyn “Freedman” Spizman

For the last 55 years — 56, actually, because of a COVID delay — the seventh-grade Margaret Mitchell Elementary School class of Mr. Charles Pepe and Miss Elna Ray has gathered for a class reunion. From near and far, our childhood friends have stayed in touch since kindergarten and on.

We are united as a tribute and testament to cherished friendships that defy time. No matter where we roam, we all return to this place called home. This year also happened to be the 50th reunion of our 1971 graduating class of Northside High, now called North Atlanta High.

The Margaret Mitchell students were organized with the help of Gail Goldstein Heyman, who opens her home and backyard to the reunions after many years of gathering at the former home of her parents, Leon and Betty Goldstein.

“There’s nothing like friends from the past, getting together in the present and realizing all the life moments you have shared,” Heyman told the AJT. Margaret Mitchell Elementary, which opened in 1954, had recently closed. While not all of our classmates were Jewish, the majority were and attended Ahavath Achim and The Temple growing up. Jewish geography started early, as we stuck together over the years, embracing these reunions as a precious way to cling to our childhoods. Many of our parents were friendly with each other, and the neighborhood surrounding the school was tightly knit.

We referred to the old neighborhood as Northwest Atlanta, aka Little Israel. Back in those days, many of us who convened at the old Atlanta Jewish CommuATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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nity Center on Peachtree lived either Northeast or Northwest. My family moved to Wesley Park Way Northwest from the Peachtree Battle area when I was in second grade. Those were the days of walking to school, paper sales, safety patrols and schools closing for the North Georgia Fair. Our beloved teacher, Mr. Pepe, used to attend all the bar and bat mitzvahs.

While reunions are part of life, our elementary school gatherings are special. To this day, we remember the littles things. I asked my friends about the most meaningful part of our get-together. The answer, clearly, was emotionally charged. We felt as if we could touch the past. To be a kid again, with our parents and siblings and a simpler life. There were no cell phones. No computers. No COVID. Just a good, old-fashioned sore throat or cold and Campbell’s tomato soup and comic books or watching Ed Sullivan as a family.

“To me, the reunion is like going back home and revisiting people that felt like my siblings,” said Linda Goldstein Reisman, who lived on Margaret Mitchell Drive. “I knew them almost as long. It was an innocent time in life. Our lives were open to each other and our homes were open as well. We rode our bikes everywhere we wanted to go. We just melded. It doesn’t matter whether we see each other every day or hardly at all, we are bonded. It’s an emotional connection that brings us back to a time in our life when we felt safe and there are no airs, as we are all ourselves.”

Reisman’s next door neighbor, Howard Perlman, recalled, “Attending Margaret Mitchell for all eight grades and living right across the street from it, MM

was something ‘all-consuming’ in my childhood. In school, I moved down the hall one room every year until I hit the end of [the] hallway in seventh grade. After school, I’d play on the fields and explore the surrounding woods. And anyone even near my age that I saw was a fellow student throughout all those years and beyond.”

Wendy Rich Light, who grew up on Ridge Valley, echoed the sentiment. “The reunion was happy times with special people,” she said. “Lots of wonderful memories. It was a great celebration of life with special friends.”

Another classmate, Terry Weissmann Spector, lived on Sequoyah Drive. “Getting together with our elementary schools is so

warm, comforting and touched the feeling I have in my heart,” she said. “It’s that feeling that reminds me of a wonderful childhood.

Those days were priceless.”

Susan Simon Silber traveled to the reunion from Knoxville, Tenn., where she and her husband, Harold, now live. “It was so great to be together again. We have made such fun memories together and will continue to do so,” she said.

Shortly following the reunion, emails flew back and forth to begin planning our 60th reunion. This group is unstoppable in our stick-togetherness. And yes, just as the song goes … friends, friends, friends, we will always be.

It’s elementary, my dear! ì

For the last 55 years, Robyn (Freedman) Spizman’s 7th grade class from Margaret Mitchell Elementary School has held a class reunion.

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ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

Local Green is among the healthy truck options.

Food Truck Rental is ‘All the Rage’

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Simply Food Truck owner Paige Nathan has made hosting food trucks at events simply fun. Partnering with more than 75 of the coolest food trucks, she serves up cuisines from South of the Border, Southern, All-American and Asian, to dessert and coffee trucks. She also works with Atlanta’s two kosher food trucks. Nathan said, ”Food trucks are a fun and creative solution for corporate meetings and events. Leaders want to do more than order pizza for their team. Instead, they want to up their culinary game and bring in one or multiple food trucks.

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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This way, employees can get out of the fluorescent-lit lunchroom and enjoy their lunch outdoors.

Hosting multiple trucks satisfies different palates and serve quickly. “ COVID certainly made room for this already burgeoning outdoor festival and mitzvah staple. She furthered, ”During the pandemic, corporate events came to a halt. Fortunately, food trucks pivoted, created an online ordering system, and implemented COVID practices to ensure the safety of their guests.

But demand is stronger than ever with offices reopening and business meetings resuming. “ Simply Food Truck has done

some of the most “out-of-thebox” events. In July 2021, they organized a Food Truck Block Party for a wellness company for 10,000 guests with more than 40 trucks and five companies, including kosher EB Catering.

The sponsoring company ensured all the menus met their dietary guidelines – mostly lean proteins and vegetables which brought Nathan a big challenge with food and logistics.

Other significant events have included Super Bowl LIII, the Miss Universe Pageant, countless film and television productions, and Atlanta United and Falcons events for players and fans. She also provides

trucks for mitzvahs, shabbat dinners, and other celebrations.

Not knowing how to even go about hiring a food truck, to how the execution will flow, clients can count on Nathan to make sure no truck runs out of food, and heaven forbid, not show up. Simply Food Trucks handle all the details for the host to be confident that the event is successful, and guests love the food, by working with the best and most sought-after food trucks in the Southeast.

Nathan started the idea in 2016, after a long career in fundraising and special events. She was ready for a change and wanted to focus her passion for food

Left: Paige Nathan drew on her experience in the hospitality industry to ride the food truck popularity wave.

Above: Nathan arranged food trucks for 10,000 guests at the Home Depot Backyard fronting the Atlanta skyline.

Below: Jewish Ukrainian Yuriy Aranbayev and wife Skyler just had a new baby. Their truck is No Bun Intended.

41•STYLE MAGAZINE

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

and community. She reached out to her corporate meeting and event planners, marketing, and human resource partners who planned large events, and was welcomed as someone who could help arrange a food truck experience from conception to completion.

Having organized events from 50 people to 10,000 people, she rattled off upbeat concepts on trucks like Tacos and Tequilas, Bento Bus, Not As Famous Cookie Company, Sunshine Alchemy, and Sweet Jeanius. Watching the hip diverse operators hashing out the food is also part of the fun.

Left: Native Sicilian Giancomo Iassaro owns Buon Fornello in Sandy Springs and Kalura pizza oven food truck.

Right: Nathan says to consider food trucks as caterers on wheels with a lower price point.

Below: Nathan with C-Bo’s BBQ owners Tonya and Charles Archie

ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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Nathan provides some tips on food truck success:

• Limited menus that cater to dietary restrictions are the best way to go.

• Have a backup weather plan. Discuss this in advance!

There are several options, including serving the food indoors, truckless catering, or using tents so guests can still enjoy the food.

• Understand cost; as in-demand as food trucks are,

they can also be cost-effective. The average food truck runs $10-$25 per person, depending on menu items and popularity.

• Compare food truck purchases to buffet-style catering, which will run $20-$50 per person. Traditional event catering, which starts at $50 per person and can go as high as $120+ per person, minimums are $1250.00 plus 20% service charges.

She concluded, “I’m passionate about building communities through food and believe everyone deserves to enjoy and have access to delicious and healthy food.

“We’re committed to giving back and supporting many non-profits at events and have worked with many, including Rock the Vote, World Central Kitchen, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and The Arthur Blank Foundation. We’ve also proudly donated to several food-related organizations, like Second Helping Atlanta, The Giving Kitchen, and Wholesome Wave.”

Refer to Nathan’s most recent blog post: www.simplyfoodtrucks.com/post/ why-you-should-book-a-food-truck-foryour-next-event ì

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Catering with a Sephardic Twist

By Marcia Caller Jaffe

Alex Borukhov is a caterer with many years of experience serving plentiful platters for all kinds of occasions, from kiddush to weddings and baby namings. Sporting his trademark mustache, Borukhov has a background as varied and intriguing as his brilliantly-hued presentation of edible sculptures that elevate the art of food.

Borukhov grew up in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, and lived there until the age of 25, when a civil war broke out.

The family fled to Moscow, where they lived for five years before immigrating to the United States at age 30. For him, being in the simcha catering business reflects a lifetime journey more complex than most.

“We were not particularly food-oriented,” Borukhov recalls, “but I have a handful of traditional Bukharian Jewish recipes I grew up with and continue to cook today. One of them is a green chicken and herbed rice dish called Bachsh that used to be cooked every Friday for Shabbat dinner when I was growing up, and we continue to have it each Sabbath to this day.”

Dushanbe, literally “land of the mountains,” is a landlocked city west of China and north of Pakistan in what is considered South Central Asia. According to Borukhov, at the time of his emigration, there was an active Jewish community of some 900 families. Bukharian Jews are known for their lavish weddings and kosher catered affairs.

Atlanta has a thriving community and an ornate synagogue in Norcross.

When Borukhov arrived in the U.S., one of his wife Zoya’s cousins asked him to invest in a restaurant called Papa’s Pirozkis on Peachtree, as a co-owner.

There, he found his niche and got more involved in the kitchATLANTA JEWISH TIMES

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en. In 1998, Borukhov switched to the catering business and was approached to work with Congregation Or VeShalom, where his father-in-law was employed.

As he says, “the rest is history.”

Borukhov works in a range of cuisines but specializes in Bukharian and Mediterranean.

“I combine traditional Sephardic foods with a modern twist,” he told the AJT. “I also have a number of chefs in my proverbial Rolodex with significant experience in Chinese, Italian, Indian and other cuisines that I call upon, as I have clients looking for those and other specialties as part of their events.”

Besides the traditional simchas, Borukhov has done lunches for up to 1,000 people. It was no big deal for him, though, since he was the head chef at Camp Barney Medintz, regularly feeding over 1,000 people a day, from campers to counselors and senior staff, all summer long.

Although Borukhov has catered both kosher, non-kosher and kosher-style events, he currently limits himself to kosher catering. He procures his meats at Griller’s Pride and, occasionally, from the Kroger and Publix in Toco Hills. Borukhov, who is based at Or VeShalom and often does events at B’nai Torah, has a staff of 25 chefs, waiters, bartenders and more who work at his events.

For Chef Alex, presentation is critical. An “Alex platter” can feature an exotic array, such as the intricate, layered dragon fruit and melon sculptures one might see on a five-star cruise.

To make food more attractive, “use everyday foods in irregular ways to highlight your food,” Borukhov says. “A few go-to ricks are tomatoes cut like roses, cucumbers shaped like flowers and using a coconut half as a dish for blackberries or blueberries, contrasting the white flesh of the coconut with the dark-

1 2 3 1 Chef Alex Borukhov is known for his use of exotic fruit displays.

2 Borukhov and his wife, Zoya, who often helps at events, are new grandparents.

3 Alex Catering won Best Kosher Caterer in the 2019 Best of Jewish Atlanta.

4 Grilled carrots and fresh veggies make for a colorful display.

4

colored berries. Tricks like that to make the color really pop!”

Borukhov and his wife, who have two sons, recently became grandparents. When he’s not in the kitchen, the chef enjoys playing tennis and swimming.

One trade secret he’s willing to share concerns one of the most popular requested lunch items for Jewish events. “The

secret to making good tuna salad is only using fresh products —fresh-squeezed lemon juice, fresh celery (not pre-cut) — along with a good soul,” Borukhov says.

In addition to all things edible, Alex can supply flowers, gazebos, chair coverings and more.

His motto? “Relax and be a guest at your own party.” ì

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For more information, contact: Helen Scherrer-Diamond (770) 289-8964 helenscherrerdiamond@gmail.com helen.travel.plan.450@gmail.com https://inmantravelprotection.weebly.com 45•STYLE MAGAZINE

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SIMCHA SPOTLIGHT

Have something to celebrate?

Share your simchas with us!

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Share your news with the community with free AJT simcha announcements.

Send info to submissions@atljewishtimes.com submissions@atljewishtimes.com..

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Bring an Extra Mitzvah to the Bimah!

Choose a Renterpiece for your simcha and support the Kosher Food Pantry of JF&CS. For more information, call 770.677.9337 or email renterpieces@jfcsatl.org

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It’s Time to Call for Help!

Dani Weiss Photography Fun and playful photographer with 30 years experience!

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We work meticulously, professionally, punctually, and take care of the small details to give each client the project of their dreams.

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Call 678-228-9269 to schedule your free inspection today skyshieldroofs.com

MARKETPLACE

We provide same-day comprehensive services as professional handymen to satisfied clients throughout Atlanta and the surrounding area.

Alpharetta GEORGI A

EXPERIENCE

AWESOME SIMCHAS

IN ALPHARETTA!

FREE EVENT PLANNING RESOURCES! Think Alpharetta first for your next SIMCHA! Take advantage of the FREE event planning resources of the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau including FREE CONSULTATION on event venues, professional service providers, Alpharetta hotels and more.

SCAN HERE to learn more about planning your next event at awesomealpharetta.com!

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS Reserve rooms for your guests with one call to the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Room rates are collected from Alpharetta’s 30 upscale and modern hotels and provided to you as a comprehensive list of options. Many offer free parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, breakfast and local shuttle service.

VISITOR INFORMATION We offer complimentary welcome bags containing information about shopping and dining, attractions, events, maps and local coupons for your Alpharetta hotel guests. Visit our Alpharetta Welcome Center located at 178 South Main Street for more details!

Want to be IN THE KNOW? Follow us on social media and sign up for our e-newsletter at awesomealpharetta.com to get the latest information about what is happening in Alpharetta!