Atlanta Jewish Times No. 10, March 20, 2015 by Atlanta Jewish Times

MORE SWASTIKAS

CITY HONORS

2ND SWING

Vandals manage to strike inside the AEPi fraternity house at Vanderbilt University. Page 7

Holocaust survivor Henry Friedman is honored with a proclamation at Atlanta City Hall. Page 6

George Fox and the Marcus JCC step up to the plate for another round of “Glory Days.” Page 35

Atlanta VOL. XC NO. 10

MARCH 20, 2015 | 29 ADAR 5775

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Barr Gives Up Reins At JIFLA

Bibi Leads; Israel Waits

sraelis went to the polls March 17 to elect the 20th Knesset, but their votes only began the process of selecting the next prime minister. Exit polls from Channels 1 and 10 suggested that incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and the Zionist Union each will have 27 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, while Channel 2 gave Likud a one-seat edge with 28. Final election results were expected March 19, long after we went to press. Voter turnout was 71.8 percent, up from 66.6 percent in the last elections in 2013 and the highest total since 1999. Now President Reuven Rivlin will pick the party leader he thinks has the best chance to form a majority coalition. The task is complicated by the strength of the new Joint Arab List, which the BBC suggests will finish third with 13 seats. “We will block Netanyahu from forming the government,” list leader Ayman Odeh told a rally Tuesday night. Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid appears to have won 12 seats to finish fourth. Israeli commentators said Netanyahu has the best chance at a coalition, but Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog is working on an anti-Likud coalition. He and Hatnua’s Tzipi Livni joined to from the Zionist Union to unseat Netanyahu. ■

PARTY TIME Share the celebrations with our Spring Simchas section. Pages 20-33

ATLANTA’S ROCKIN’ BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

Before heading to this weekend’s Atlanta Jewish Music Festival events, check out some early scenes from Steve’s Live Music. Page 19

Congregation Bet Haverim has a new home, but it’s maintaining the tradition of raising money by showcasing congregants’ musical talents. Page 36

Calendar

INSIDE

2 Education

Candle Lighting

3 Simchas

Local News

4 Arts

Israel

9 Obituaries

Opinion

10 Crossword

Business

17 Marketplace

he only president in the six-year history of Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta is stepping aside. Morton Barr, who founded JIFLA (jifla.org) Laura Kahn Travis in 2009 and has served as president and board chairman since, has shifted to chairman emeritus of the board, the nonprofit organization announced March 16. Replacing Barr is Laura Kahn Travis, who has been a JIFLA volunteer since its start. She has served on the board and loan committee. Kahn, who is immediately moving into her new role, is a senior vice president in the Commercial Banking Group of Bank of America. She aims to ensure that all Atlanta-area Jews are aware of the resources offered by JIFLA. “We’re very excited about the transition,” Director Karolyn Benger said. Since opening its loan office in 2010, JIFLA has given out $201,635 in interestfree loans to Atlanta-area Jews in financial need. “I am most privileged and honored to have spent the past six years developing and growing this enormously worthwhile organization,” Barr said. He has spent increasing time away from Atlanta as he and wife Edith, JIFLA’s community relations chairwoman, have worked on the aliyah process. “This is the right time for the organization to transition its leadership,” he said. “Our director, Mrs. Benger, and the board are positioned for continued success.” ■

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CALENDAR THURSDAY, MARCH 19

Fragile art. Scrap Glass N’ Such’s Greg Schlam helps The Sixth Point make fused-glass mezuzot for $18 per mezuzah in advance or $20 each at the door at the Ashford Park Activity Building, 2980 Redding Road, Brookhaven. Bring your own food, drinks and friends; thesixthpoint.org/event/kiss-my-glass.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

Shabbat ruach (spirit) celebration. Local musicians help bring in Shabbat with a free Atlanta Jewish Music Festival celebration featuring timeless melodies, new creations and soothing grooves from Rabbi Brian Glusman, Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, Sammy Rosenbaum and more at 6:15 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody; www. atlantajmf.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

Scholar in residence. Rabbi Alan Brill from Seton Hall University is the first scholar in residence for the New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, providing the drasha during morning services on the topic of meditation among the Haredi and speaking at 6 p.m. on the expanding use of the term “Modern Orthodox.” Mincha and a

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meal follow the 6 p.m. talk; newtocoshul.com or 770-965-7485. AJMF Main Event. Israeli artists Yael Deckelbaum and Diwan Saz headline the Main Event of the sixth annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival at 8:45 p.m. at Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Little Five Points. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the day of the show; www.atlantajmf.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

Interfaith dialogue. Members of Diwan Saz talk with Atlanta community leaders at 10 a.m. at the Emory Center for Ethics, 1531 Dickey Drive, Decatur, about their lives in the Middle East and how they use music to promote peace. Free; www.atlantajmf.org. March of the Torah. Chabad of Cobb welcomes its new Torah from Israel by completing the scroll at Dickerson Middle School at 10 a.m., then parading the Torah at 11 to Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb, followed by dancing and a free gourmet lunch; www.chabadofcobb.com/ Torah or 770-565-4412. Israel’s postelection future. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of

Making Food Healthier

Food activist Vani Hari, who gets more than 2.5 million unique visitors to her FoodBabe.com each month, speaks about making our diets healthier and more organic, forcing fast-food chains such as Chick-fil-A and Subway and big food producers such as Kraft to disclose or remove harmful ingredients from items, and becoming our own food activists during a Page From the Book Festival event Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, Vani Hari 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Hari’s best-selling book, “The Food Babe Way,” includes 21 habits to adopt to lose weight, look younger and become healthier in 21 days without counting calories. Her book will be available for purchase from A Cappella Books, and she will sign them after her presentation. Tickets to the event are $5 for JCC members and $10 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc. org/bookfestival or 678-812-4002. Religion professor Steven Cohen closes his weekend as scholar in residence at Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, by discussing over brunch at 10 a.m. what the results of the Israeli elections mean for the country’s future. Cohen also is speaking about Jewish intermarriage and low fertility at 8:15 p.m. Friday, generational shifts in Jewish identity

at Saturday services at 9:30 a.m., and the effort to ensure a Jewish future at 1:15 p.m. Saturday; etzchaim.net/ Scholar-in-Residence2015. Chocolate matzah making. ModernTribe invites you to make some chocolate matzah in celebration of Passover from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn and schmooze with a reading from “Our Family Hag-

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CALENDAR

Parsha Vayikra Friday, March 20, light candles at 7:31 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Shabbat ends at 8:27 p.m. Parsha Tzav Friday, March 27, light candles at 7:36 p.m. Saturday, March 28, Shabbat ends at 8:32 p.m. gadah” led by Annie Asher and discuss the modern meanings of slavery and the Exodus with Rabbi Ezra Sarna of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel. Free; reserve a spot at moderntribe.com.

Israeli sci-fi. Israeli author and screenwriter Etgar Keret speaks at 7 p.m. at Emory University’s Marcus Hillel Center, 735 Gatewood Road. Free; 404-963-2548.

Play it again, Sam. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screens its three Audience Award winners at GTC Merchants Walk in East Cobb. Best short “A Good Story” shows at 3:45 p.m. for $3, best narrative feature “Apples From the Desert” at 4:30 for $13, and best documentary “Above and Beyond” at 7:30 for $13; ajff.org/article/2015/03/ticketssale-audience-award-screenings.

Holocaust concert. Kennesaw State University’s School of Music closes the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival with “Music of Resistance and Survival: A Holocaust Remembrance Concert,” including a new work by composer in residence Laurence Sherr, at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown Atlanta, with two exhibits at 7 p.m. and the concert at 8. Free with registration; www.musicKSU.com or 470-578-3214.

Shop for Passover. Sample Passover food and wine and do your holiday shopping to support the Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Weinstein School from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sprouts Farmers Market, 2480 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody. Free admission; 678-6901237 or www.atlantajcc.org. Cantorial showcase. Cantors Lauren Adesnik, Deborah Hartman, Nancy Kassel and Barbara Margulis celebrate sacred music in a free Atlanta Jewish Music Festival event at 4:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs; www.atlantajmf.org. For the ladies. Atlanta Jewish Academy, 5200 Northland Drive, Sandy Springs, presents “A Tsuris Line” today and Monday at 7 p.m. No men. Tickets are $12 for girls, $15 for women in advance and $3 more at the door; www. atlantajewishacademy.org.

MONDAY, MARCH 23

ADL Jurisprudence Luncheon. The Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region honors Bernard Taylor Sr., Elizabeth V. Tanis, Yendelela Anderson Neely and J. Erik Heath at the 18th annual event at 11:30 a.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, 75 14th St., Midtown. Tickets start at $125; atlanta.adl. org, jackie@adl.org or 404-262-3470.

Entertainment meet-up. Jewish filmmakers, TV and radio producers, music sound engineers and composers, writers, and directors are invited to converse and collaborate at 7:30 p.m. at Vision Studio 402, Listening Beyond Productions, 3875 Green Industrial Way, Chamblee. Contribution is $5; RSVP to Laya Shaikun at listeningbeyond@gmail.com or 404-200-5955.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24

Jewish ethics lecture. Georgetown professor Julia Watts Belser speaks about Jewish ethics and disability justice at 5 p.m. at Emory University’s Center for Ethics, Room 162, 1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta. Free; ethics.emory.edu.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

Passover parody. The weekly Ladies, Lyrics & Laughter Meetup at 1:45 p.m. will write a Passover song parody, then hold an open jam at 3 at Vision Studio 402, Listening Beyond Productions, 3875 Green Industrial Way, Chamblee. Contribution is $5; RSVP to listeningbeyond@gmail.com or 404-200-5955.

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

Corrections & Clarifications The article “To Remember and Share” in the March 13 issue contained several errors. Bella Urbach was 14 years old when the Germans invaded Poland, which was important because children under age 12 were killed instead of being sent to labor camps. Bella was saved from beatings by a German foreman at the ammunition factory where she worked. She and future husband Pinkus Solnik arrived at Dachau in March 1945. Also, sister Rosalie Wolfe, who was pictured but not quoted in the article, did join Goldie Bertone and Betty Sunshine in speaking about their parents.

Seen on Social Media We head downtown for this week’s Seen on Social Media, first to catch the Hillel-sponsored IsraelFest at Georgia State University on March 12 through the Facebook account of the Israeli Consulate General’s academic wing, then to join the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival’s participation in the annual Hunger Walk/Run through the Twitter account of festival board member and AJT con-

tributor Bram Bessoff, who took a turn as festival mascot Mat-zoh! To see your photos here, like us on Facebook (facebook.com/atljewishtimes), and follow us on Twitter (@atljewishtimes), then tag us.

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MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

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LOCAL NEWS

Walking for the Hungry By Zach Itzkovitz

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

he sun emerged March 15 after a week of gloom just in time to shine on more than 15,000 people at Turner Field for the 31st annual Hunger Walk/Run. The Atlanta Community Food Bank spearheads the annual event, which has raised more than $7 million over the year. The ACFB serves more than 755,000 Georgians in need of food assistance. Aisles of tents lined Turner Field’s green parking lot: sponsors, benefitting partners, advertising teams and so on. Few of the tents were crowded until the race had nearly begun. An exception was the tent of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Federation, working with more than two dozen synagogues and other Jewish organizations, helped raise money and recruit participants, such as Michael Jacobs. “I did Birthright last year with one of the people” from Federation, Jacobs said. “She asked me to come out and do it, so I thought I’d just do it.”

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More than 700 people participated through Federation, compared with 500 last year, and raised over $83,000 and counting, up from $81,000, Federation’s Marni Bronstein said. Many Jewish recruits participated in synagogue teams. Scott Zucker, the president of Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs, joined his fellow congregants in answering the call to help the hungry. “Temple Sinai has been supportive of the Hunger Walk for years,” Zucker said. “We got our group together. We’re the Sinai Striders, so we may have a name. We’re big supporters of the food bank and the need to alleviate hunger in Atlanta.” In addition to encouraging sign holders, Georgia State University, a brief bike ride from Turner Field, supplied many of the event’s younger participants. Ryan Baill and Alex Mironov are members of Georgia State’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, the only officially

Jewish fraternity. “For us, this is a big civic engagement event,” Baill said. “We had Mazon sponsor us, and they basically donated $250 in our name. That’s why we’re here. It’s engaging, civically, for a cause.” Many Jews understand that cause as a part of tikkun olam, “repairing the world” as a civic and religious duty. The walkers and runners March 15 did not solve the problem of hunger, but like

Photos by Zach Itzkovitz

Left: The 4th Ward Afro Klezmer Orchestra plays at the first Atlanta Jewish Music Festival stage at the annual Hunger Walk/Run. Right: Representatives of Ahavath Achim Synagogue participate in the 31st Hunger Walk/Run.

the sun shining on them, they shed light on the issue while working to make the world around them better. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Remember When

Atlanta

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BUSINESS OFFICE Business Manager

KAYLENE RUDY

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JULIE BENVENISTE julie@atljewishtimes.com Senior Account Manager

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Contributors This Week APRIL BASLER DAVID BENKOF JOANNA BRODER DORIS H. GOLDSTEIN JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH HARRISON ZACH ITZKOVITZ JAN JABEN-EILON MARCIA JAFFE JENNIFER JONES HAROLD KIRTZ KEVIN MADIGAN MINDY RUBENSTEIN EUGEN SCHOENFELD TERRY SEGAL CHANA SHAPIRO ALLEN SHPIGEL KEN STEIN

10 Years Ago March 18, 2005

Moses holding copies of the paper in place of the Ten Commandments above the phrase “Atlanta’s Chosen Paper.” Agen■ A year after a study of the North Metro area found 16,000 cy Babbit & Reiman won the 1989 Gold Addy for the billboard. previously uncounted Jews, the Jewish Federation of Greater ■ Donna and Charles Platz of Atlanta announce the birth of a Atlanta is preparing to begin a large-scale population study son, Matthew Roland, on Jan. 3. The bris was performed by Dr. to update the 1996 survey that found nearly 100,000 people Mark Safra. Rabbi Barry Friedman officiated. living in Jewish households in the Atlanta area. 50 Years Ago ■ The bat mitzvah ceremony of Hayley Anne Kuniansky, March 19, 1965 the daughter of Douglas and Andrea Kuniansky of Atlanta, ■ Atlanta’s Jewish and Catholic communities united to help was held Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005, at Temple Sinai. kill a bill before the Georgia legislature that would have in25 Years Ago stituted involuntary sterilization of people for such reasons March 16, 1990 as a health official’s judgment that a person would never be ■ A Buckhead billboard promoting the Atlanta Jewish Times competent to have children. created controversy among readers and copy for the Atlanta ■ Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sommers of Atlanta announce the enJournal and Constitution but now has earned an award for gagement of their daughter, Yvonne Sandra, to Jack H. Cohen, the ad agency that developed the idea. The billboard depicts son of Dr. and Mrs. Isidore R. Cohen.

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Survivor Friedman Honored at City Hall By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

drafted into the Hungarian army while members of his family were taken into forced labor. Later, after Friedman escaped from military service, he was caught by Nazi troops and lined up in front of a firing squad. He heard the rifle shots and blacked out. When he regained consciousness, he was under two dead men, wounded but alive. When Friedman returned home,

enry Friedman has called Atlanta home for 65 years. A survivor of a firing squad and the loss of his entire family, he came to Georgia with less than $2 in 1950. Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond honored Friedman with a proclamation Monday, March 16, at City Hall. A reception before the presentation featured screenings of “They Shall Be Remembered,” a documentary featuring Friedman. Bond approached the 92-year-old with the honor after Friedman spoke about his Holocaust experiences at the Breman Museum in January. “It means quite a lot to be recognized even though I don’t believe I earned it,” Friedman said. “I’m just an average person who came from hardship to this country and was given the opportunity to be an American.” The Jewish Federation sponsored Friedman’s move to Atlanta in 1950. He Top: Henry Friedman (center front) is honored by originally was meant Michael Julian Bond (right front) March 16. Bottom: Michael Julian Bond gives Henry Friedman to move to Pittsburgh, a plaque commemorating the proclamation. but he found papers in Boston offering sponsorship to settle in Atlanta. Once he arrived, though, pre-civil-rights Atlanta he learned that his brother, father, reminded Friedman too much of the mother, sister and grandmother had died at Auschwitz. place he had just left. Now he speaks about his life’s “When I came to Atlanta,” he said, journey so that the Holocaust is not “it was a hot summer. Some friends forgotten. took me to Mooney’s Lake, which was “I think that he is an outstanding a 10-acre lake off Piedmont Road and human being and a great man,” Bond Sidney Marcus Boulevard with sailsaid. “When I actually heard him tell boats and swimming. On the way out, his story in more than just small anI noticed a sign. It said, ‘No blacks or ecdotes, I was tremendously moved Jews welcome here.’ It reminded me by his courage. To have lived through of the Europe I left behind. Thank G-d there’s no more Mooney’s Lake, and those experiences and virtually start thank G-d the civil rights movement his life completely over while not losbrought some justice for the African- ing his passion for living is incredible. His is a story and experience that evAmerican people.” Born in Oradea Mare, Romania, eryone should know about.” It is estimated that only 500,000 Friedman was 21 when the Nazis arHolocaust survivors remain alive. ■ rived in his hometown in 1944. He was

LOCAL LOCAL NEWS NEWS

Local Briefs other campus organizations and institutions to combat hatred on their campus.” Hillels of Georgia Hacked Hillels of Georgia now has something in common with the government of Ghana: Both have websites that the Turkish collective Alsancak Tim has hacked. At some point over the weekend of March 13, Alsancak Tim struck so that anyone trying to access hillelsofgeorgia. org got a static message that the site had been hacked. Much of the message was in Turkish, and the portions in English didn’t make much sense with various references to Turkey. The hacker group calls itself a nationalist Turkish organization and strikes from time to time to fight “injustice, oppression and war with all our might.” For example, it struck most of the Ghanaian government’s sites in January. The site was back up March 17. There She Goes Again The Atlanta Jewish community’s old, um, friend Cynthia McKinney popped up again recently and naturally spread more of the anti-Semitism that has become her calling card. According to Politico, the former congresswoman from DeKalb County posted March 10 on Twitter and Facebook that anyone who likes Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” should like French comedian Dieudonné, and she linked to a YouTube video of his act. Stewart, of course, is Jewish. Dieudonné is aggressively anti-Semitic in his performances. He has popularized a gesture called the quenelle that echoes a Nazi salute. When “Je suis Charlie” and “Je suis Juif” became popular after the Paris terrorist attacks in early January, he declared he was like a terrorist gunman. So he’s McKinney’s kind of guy. ■

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The Marcus Jewish Community Center’s young adult director, Roey Shoshan, led members of the co-ed young adult basketball league in attending the Atlanta Hawks’ home game against the Sacramento Kings on March 9 to meet Kings small forward Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA. Posing before the game are (from left) Jessica Morse, Elizabeth Mennen, Ray Kendrick, Brooke Holt, Scott Arogeti, Jordan Moskowitz, Mark Friedman, Shoshan and Quan Harris. The Hawks won, 130-105, and retain the best record in the Eastern Conference.

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MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

Swastikas Deface Vandy AEPi Three swastikas were found painted inside the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house at Vanderbilt University early Saturday. Two swastikas were spray-painted in the elevator and a third on a basement door between 1:55 and 3:22 a.m. Saturday, according to a statement from the university. The fraternity had a party earlier that night. “Regardless of who is responsible and what the motivation was, the university condemns the reprehensible depiction of this symbol that since the time of Nazi Germany has come to be associated with hate, anti-Semitism, violence, death and murder,” Provost Susan Wente said. “We understand the anguish and pain that this hateful symbol causes, and we stand together to condemn any effort to intimidate or send an unwelcoming message to the Jewish members of the Vanderbilt community.” The national office of AEPi noted in a statement that the incident at Vanderbilt was not unique. Emory University’s AEPi house was vandalized with swastikas in October. “We applaud the quick and positive actions taken by the Vanderbilt University administration and our partners at Hillel and Chabad,” AEPi Executive Director Andy Borans said. He added that AEPi has sent security consultants to Vanderbilt to meet with fraternity members and help them feel safe. “The rising tide of anti-Semitism is very real and is undoubtedly connected to organized and concerted anti-Israel activities on college campuses,” he said. Borans said he is proud of “the actions of our undergraduate brothers to turn this into an opportunity to educate their campus peers about the dangers of anti-Semitism and to build bridges to

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LOCAL NEWS

J Street Draws Dozen Atlantans to D.C. By Jan Jaben-Eilon

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

bout a dozen Atlantans plan to join the more than 3,000 other activists at the J Street National Conference in Washington from March 21 to 24. J Street, the self-described pro-Israel, pro-peace lobbying organization, is holding its fifth national conference three weeks after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) drew some 17,000 pro-Israel advocates to the nation’s capital. Perhaps more significant, the J Street conference, called “A Clear Choice for a Better Future,” comes just days after Israelis went to the polls to choose their next government. Sarah Beller, J Street’s director

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of programming and education, said the conference sessions will focus on the choices facing the United States in terms of Israel, the choices of Israeli leadership, the choices before the American Jewish leadership and the choices for the Palestinian leadership. “This will be the first major Jewish gathering postelection,” she said. “Regardless of what happens with a peace initiative, we will continue to fight for the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic homeland. We can’t give up on that fight.” Among the conference speakers will be several members of the Israeli Knesset, members of Congress, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Opening night, Beller said, will feature two sets of Israeli and Palestinian partners “who will talk about the difficulties they’ve been through and why it’s important not to give up.” One pair consists of a woman from Gaza and a woman who lives on a kibbutz just outside Gaza who have remained friends. Also appearing Saturday night are the Israeli and Palestinian leaders of the Parents Circle, a group of people who have lost family members to violence in the conflict. Eight Atlanta-area college students are among more than 1,000 students going to the conference. Atlanta native and Emory University junior Leah Michalove said she will attend because she has a lot of friends who will

be there and because of the opportunity to hear “incredible speakers” and “to make sure students are heard.” Eric Fingerhut, the president and CEO of Hillel International, was scheduled to speak to the college students but withdrew, objecting to “speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state.” Michalove, who is studying in the Middle East program at Emory, grew up in the Reform movement’s NFTY youth program and has visited Israel three times. The first was with her eighthgrade Davis Academy classmates, the second was when she spent a month visiting Israeli friends from camp, and the last was through Birthright Israel. At Emory she is active with J Street U, the college-age arm of the Washington-based organization. Although unchartered, the group meets for discussions and screenings of Israeli movies. “I ran an event on how to be proIsrael and one about what the two-state solution would look like,” she said. Atlanta is home to an active J Street chapter. Board member Leah Fuhr said she didn’t grow up in a religious or Zionist home, but a Birthright trip in late 2007 ignited her interest. “At the time AIPAC was the only option, and what it was saying didn’t speak for me,” she said. “I was interested in social justice and learning more about Israel.” In her 30s, Fuhr said she’s one of the youngest Atlanta chapter board members. “Most are in their 60s.” J Street, which launched in 2008, doesn’t attract just young progressive Jews. Among the Atlantans who will attend the J Street conference is Gene Rubel, a father of four and grandfather of eight. “People say that J Street is for the young, and I’m delighted so many young people attend. But from my perspective it’s for everyone who cares about having a long-term solution. I am going as a statement of principle.” This will not be Rubel’s first J Street conference, but it was almost the first for Atlantan Stephen Dix, who had to cancel at the last minute. “I have been a supporter since J Street’s inception,” said Dix, 63. “All my friends are AIPAC supporters but only because it’s for Israel. I think AIPAC expresses too much knee-jerk support of the Israeli government. I think we should be like a friend who always has your back, but then grabs you by the lapels and tells you when you’re wrong.” Dix said it’s important for “mature voices to be heard. I am really disappointed that I won’t be there.” ■

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ISRAEL

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Treatment for cystic fibrosis. Rehovotbased Advanced Inhalation Therapies has been granted orphan status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to complete the development of its nitric oxide treatment for cystic fibrosis. The NO gas boosts the immune system, improves blood flow and circulation, and kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Therapy delivered in silicon attacks cancer. Scientists at the Technion in Haifa, along researchers at MIT and Harvard, have discovered that chemotherapeutics delivered in tiny silicon containers with nano-size holes can destroy tumors and spare healthy tissue. Pill balloon to control your appetite. Tel Aviv-based biomed company Tulip Medical has completed its first clinical trial of a pill that inflates like a balloon in the stomach and creates a sense of fullness. The pill has no side effects. The next trial will test the pill in an inclusive weight-loss program. Arabs and Jews study space science together. The Moona space research cen-

ter in the Israeli Arab town of Majd AlKurum has attracted about 50 Jewish and 50 Muslim high school students. They study robotics, drones, 3D printing, electronics and other technologies related to space exploration. EU praises Israel’s work for Gaza. European representatives praised Israel’s actions the past few months to promote reconstruction in Gaza and ease the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. They complimented Israel’s cooperation with the United Nations, doubling of the water supply to Gaza, and easing of export restrictions from Gaza to Israel, the West Bank and abroad.

tel has chosen Migdal HaEmek-based Tower Semiconductor to provide the infrared sensor for one of its new 3D imaging solutions. Tower’s unique sensor is a 3.5-micrometer global shutter very fast pixel that allows high quantum efficiency at near-infrared light. Israeli wins Euro triple jump medal. Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko became the first Israeli woman to win a medal

at the European Indoor Championships in track and field March 8 when she finished third in the triple jump with a national record of 14.49 meters (47 feet, 6.5 inches). She finished fourth in the 2012 Olympics while competing for Ukraine. Her next target is August’s World Championships in Beijing. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and other news sources.

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OPINION

Our View

Hate Speech

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

e wish we could express surprise at the video of members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Oklahoma singing about the N-word and lynching. We wish we were shocked that college students in 21st-century America could display such glee while expressing venom toward those who are different. We wish we could believe that the Oklahoma clip — recorded the weekend of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma — was an aberration amid the respectful discourse and debate on college campuses. Unfortunately, we reguarly see reports of such viciousness. Usually, however, the targets are Jews. (For the latest example, see Page 7.) Take the University of California. Anti-Semitism is so bad that system President Janet Napolitano and board Chairman Bruce Varner issued a statement March 11 condemning bigotry and hate “wherever it might occur and whoever it might target.” The statement cited swastikas painted on a Jewish frat house at UC Davis and a recent incident at UCLA in which members of a student government council rejected a candidate for a judicial board because she is Jewish. One of the students who voted against the appointment, Fabienne Roth, said the nominee, Rachel Beyda, was a great candidate but, through no fault of her own, had to be rejected because members of the Jewish community can’t put aside built-in biases. That’s the most insidious form of anti-Semitism, the kind that envisions the entire Jewish community as a dark cabal plotting to manipulate society. Beyda eventually got her spot on the board, and the UCLA and UC Berkeley student governments passed resolutions condemning anti-Semitism. But those resolutions are just nice words. As we saw at the University of Oklahoma, bigotry can flare up in many forms and deserves condemnation. But anti-Semitism needs special attention. A Trinity College/Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law study released in February found that 54 percent of Jewish college students personally experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism on campus in the first half of the 2013-14 school year. We can’t imagine another group being subjected to that level of bigotry in silence. We can’t imagine college administrators failing to notice and defend any other group. Yet here we are. Within two days, two Oklahoma students identified on that offensive video were booted from school, and the SAE chapter was disbanded. At UCLA, Roth and the other three students who opposed Beyda for being Jewish wrote a seven-sentence letter of apology to the student paper. They faced no punishment. Not a suspension, not sensitivity training, not a counseling session with a rabbi, not even writing “I will not practice anti-Semitism” on a chalkboard 100 times. What happened in Oklahoma was horrible, and we have no sympathy for the ousted SAEs. But we’re afraid the lesson being taught to college students is to be smarter in choosing your targets. If the song had been about gassing Hebes, those SAEs would still be 10 Oklahoma students. ■

AJT

Assembly Needs Priorities

tion to toughen Georgia’s laws against child sex he Georgia General Assembly tends to opertraffickers while treating the exploited children as ate like a high school student working on a victims instead of criminals, passed the Senate 52-3 research paper (or newspaper editor working Feb. 12 and has since languished in the House Juveon the next edition): days and weeks wasted before a nile Justice Committee. The accompanying Senate deadline-driven rush to get everything done. Resolution 7, which would create a referendum on a Our legislature, particularly the House, transstate constitutional amendformed into a Tasmament to fund services for nian devil of crashing, those children, passed 53-3 thrashing action with the and also awaits House comapproach of March 13, the EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK mittee action. deadline for most legislaBy Michael Jacobs It’s worth noting, as tion to make it through mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com The Temple’s Rabbi Peter one chamber to avoid beBerg did during a recent ing tabled for the year. sermon at Ebenezer Baptist That rush swept along some legislation of interest to the Jewish community, Church, that metro Atlanta has the biggest child sex trafficking problem in the world. such as H.B. 520, which would create the city of La “We must do everything that we can to combat Vista Hills. It’s breathtaking to see how quickly some these criminal enterprises and offer rehabilitative bills move from introduction to passage; H.B. 520 services to assist the impacted children,” Rep. Chuck made the trip through the House in nine days. Efstration, R-Dacula, said at news conference Feb. 4. On the flip side, it’s frustrating to see commonThat news conference announced cooperation besense legislation grind to a halt. tween Senate and House members on the legislation. Two examples are Senate bills that have strong “While no legislation can fully eradicate the Jewish support and should have little opposition. S.B. 1, Ava’s Law, would require health insurance criminal networks profiting from the exploitation of policies to cover necessary autism services and treat- children, we must continue the fight to protect our most precious citizens,” Unterman, R-Buford, said ments for children ages 6 and younger. It passed the after S.B. 8 passed on the same day 1,000 advocates Senate 54-0 Jan. 29. But just as the legislation stalled visited the Capitol to lobby for the legislation. “With out in 2013 and 2014, it is going nowhere fast in the the approval of this bill and resolution, the Georgia House Insurance Committee. Senate is sending a clear message to sex trafficking There’s no rational reason to oppose Ava’s Law. victims that we are doing everything we can to proIt would cost each insured Georgian less than $5 a vide the assistance needed to rebuild their lives.” year, save families with children on the autism specSo what message is the House sending? trum $60,000 a year, give many children a strong I’m befuddled to see how quickly the House can chance at normal lives, and save us all money in the act on bills that affect at most tens of thousands of future by moving those children off the path of a people, such as the cityhood legislation, while it is lifelong need for services. paralyzed on measures that would benefit us all. ■ Similarly, S.B. 8, Sen. Renee Unterman’s legisla-

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OPINION

Why This Campus Group Differs From All Others Zionistic campaigns. All the while, the student government and university administration are forced to treat the SJP with the same respect as the debate team and Catholic Student Union.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER By Michael A. Morris michael@atljewishtimes.com

AEPi, Hillel and Chabad are social, academic, somewhat religious and at times social-action-oriented universi-

ty-sanctioned student organizations. On the social action front, I am proud when they raise money for sick children. I am even more honored when they promote Israeli culture or combat campus anti-Semitism. AEPi brothers at UC Davis recently helped overturn the idiocy of a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign. The Electronic Intifada (a radical website that states its mission as publishing news and analysis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) recently ran a scathing article of half-truths and full lies called “The frat boys who slander Palestine solidarity.” It angrily contends that AEPi is dedicated to op-

posing the growing campus movement to boycott Israel, has close ties to Israel lobby groups intent on crushing the BDS movement, has active partnerships with Friends of the IDF and JNF, and fabricates anti-Semitism to malign Palestine solidarity activists. I loved Michael Jacobs’ response: “Many of the things the authors fling at AEPi as insults are things AEPi is proud of.” The anti-Zionism agenda is holding full-court press on college campuses. When I look back at my time at Vanderbilt and consider the bonds of friendships, the parties and the rigorous academics, I wonder, “What will members of the SJP reflect on?” ■

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am a proud member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. I joined as an undergraduate because of the friends I had, the opportunity to make more friends and the comfort of joining a Jewish organization. Other considerations included parties, access to tutors and old tests (we consistently had the highest GPA of any fraternity/ sorority on campus), and the food (sports would often be on this list, but not for Vandy AEPi in the ’70s and ’80s). What I didn’t know before I became president of my chapter was how much I would learn by being accountable for a $100,000+ budget every semester, how important it is to work with charitable institutions, and how becoming a Jewish leader has its benefits, pitfalls and traps. One of my highlights was the “get out the vote” drive that we coordinated for several months before the 1984 presidential election with the backing of AIPAC and the Gary Hart campaign. As history recounts, university campuses move with the tide. Many universities (173 to be exact) are host to a virulent organization called Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Singlefocus social action clubs aren’t new or unique, but I question the motives of this organization as well as its benefit to the campuses it claims to serve. SJP is not a benign campus club. Unlike fraternities, the school newspaper, intramural teams and chess clubs, students are not joining the SJP for friendship, academic enhancement or social interaction. They are joining for one purpose: to advance the agenda of a foreign institution. A hidden facet of the SJP is that usually the organization is organized by a cadre of faculty rather than students. Finally, to exacerbate the lack of integrity of the SJP, its funding is suspected to come from foreign countries and national movements, not undergraduate resources. My point is that the foundation of the SJP is vastly different from the overwhelming majority of student organizations, even considering just the single-focus social action clubs. Academics, camaraderie and accountability are not the cornerstones. Instead, foreign governments and a handful of faculty are organizing and using the SJP to advance the agenda of a foreign entity, are using the club to teach the fine art of propaganda, and are leading anti-Semitic and anti-

AJT 11

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OPINION

The Shame of Netanyahu’s Speech

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

“G

AJT 12

ene, did you listen to Netanyahu’s speech?” I am the symbolic Jew in my senior apartment complex. I am not the only Jew in the apartment complex; there are others whose door posts display mezuzahs. But since I have given a couple of lectures on my Holocaust experiences, I have become the “official Jew.” So I am the one to whom the residents direct their questions about Judaism and Israel. I guess I brought it on myself. The people who asked me about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech are all devoted Christians who feel that without a viable Israel, Christianity’s existence would be threatened. I turned to YouTube and listened to Netanyahu’s advice to Congress. Yes, he is a skilled speaker, but what he told us is nothing new. No one needs to tell me that Iran has nefarious intentions, not only against Israel, but also against the whole non-Islamic world. The leaders of Iran interpret Allah’s wishes expressed in the Quran as a call to Islamicize the world, much as the Catholic Church tried to Christianize the world during the Crusades. In the March 1992 issue of the British Journal of Sociology, I outlined the nature of “aggressively militant religions,” and Islam, I proposed, is one such religion. If Netanyahu came to the United States merely to advise the president, he could have done so in private discourse with the president. I am quite sure that President Obama is aware enough to be distrustful of Iran and the Middle Eastern countries. He and Netanyahu are also equally aware of ISIS and the other Islamic extremist groups in the Middle East. The questions that this country and our supposed allies face: What must we do to curb Islamic aggression? What road should we follow to avoid the devastation a militant country could bring with nuclear weapons? Netanyahu is perhaps right that we need stronger terms in any agreement we make with Iran (and perhaps with any Islamic country) and strong sanctions against Iran should its leaders violate nonaggression treaties. The president probably could have demanded this, but it seems that our

supposed allies are repeating their feared stand of 1938 against Hitler. I call the other countries in the coalition, as well as the members of the U.N. Security Commission, “supposed allies” because some do not care and others are fearful and unwilling to support even the level of sanctions

ONE MAN’S OPINION By Eugen Schoenfeld

that the United States has already imposed. It seemed to me that the Netanyahu speech was a sermon to a converted choir. Netanyahu said that he does not wish to make war and that the proper way to deter Iran is through negotiation, even though he does not trust Iran. He follows Isaiah’s advice in the name of the Lord: “Come let us reach an understanding.” I hope our experiences in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq have made us aware of the futility of war. True, some leaders are true believers who cannot or will not negotiate or come to an understanding; Iran’s leaders may be among them. I remember Neville Chamberlain’s futile attempt to negotiate with Hitler. I hope we have learned the lesson that we cannot control other countries, especially when they have allies. Let’s hope that the United Nations and its supposed desire for a peaceful, moral world will not follow the path of its predecessor, the League of Nations. I hope that we will not become a militant country and start another war instead of solving our differences through negotiations, leading to the loss of so many young men and still in the end the need to negotiate under adverse conditions. Shouldn’t we follow the Jewish ideal of being rodef shalom, the seekers of peace? The road to peace is through negotiation. Aren’t we instructed to be the seekers of peace, to make peace between man and his fellow, as well as between nations? It seems to me this is the road that Obama seeks. I believe that Netanyahu is a follower of Jabotinsky. I had the privilege to meet Ze’ev Jabotinsky and spent

many years afterward as a member of Betar. I was young and, facing the Nazi onslaught, believed in an armed response. Like most of us in my time, we sought to shed the galut (diaspora) mentality that was described as being k’tzon latevach, sheep led to slaughter. Israel has proved, as the prime minister said, that the Jews are no longer fearful and cowering, that we are capable of defending ourselves. Neither is the U.S. military fearful. Therefore, we can have the inner strength to negotiate. Perhaps Netanyahu did advocate negotiations, but any negotiation that starts with distrust is destined to fail. Successful negotiations must begin with this biblical advice: “Come and let us reason together.” I am, however, saddened that a person who represents Israel, the country of my dreams, the country that has produced the prophets advocating morality and peace, should be suspected of having put his personal agenda ahead of a concern for coexistence. I, as a Jew, a Holocaust survivor and an American, have had enough of politically induced wars. I am tired of the expectation that the United States should take on the burden of creating peace or of waging wars while the rest of the world stands by. Netanyahu perhaps should have gone to other countries, both European and Islamic, whose contributions to the sanction of Iran are merely symbolic. What I am most saddened by is the prime minister’s disregard for good manners and proper courtesy and his shaming and accusing the president for not having proper insight. It is understandable that two

Voting Abroad

srael’s foreign missions worldwide welcomed Israelis serving abroad in diplomatic capacities to cast their votes Tuesday, March 5, for the 2015 parliamentary elections, which were held March 17 in Israel. Ambassador Opher Aviran, the consul general of Israel to the Southeast, cast the first vote of the day in Atlanta. ■

countries have different concerns and thus different perceptions of what needs to be done. They may even be diametrically opposed. But friends should not disregard courtesy; they must respect each other’s feelings. To do otherwise is contrary to Jewish values. The consequences of an absence of courtesy and of the care for another person’s feelings, especially among friends, are illustrated in the Talmudic tale of Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza. Our rabbis propose that Kamtza’s disregard of Bar-Kamtza’s feelings contributed to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I am sure the prime minister is aware of the teaching of hamalbin pney chavro barabim. It is an extreme sin to shame another person in public; how much more so the president, who is the symbolic representative of the people of this country. I know that the prime minister is not happy with some of Obama’s views, and neither am I. No two people can agree on all things, and the president advocates views with which I do not agree. It is acceptable to be critical, but like mussar (chastisement), it should be beyn adam l’chaveroh — between two people in private without dishonor. Obama is my president, and, like the prime minister, he deserves the honor that goes with his position. Netanyahu failed in this common courtesy because, as I see it, he let himself be guided by personal interest. It pains me that he has made me suffer by possibly causing a rift between two countries I and most Jews love. Remember, today no nation can stand alone, by itself and for itself. ■

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OPINION

Beyond Birthright and Advocacy could unfold. After the talk at Evergreen, several folks approached me, one a local Chabad rabbi, who said: “This was the first time in six years I have been at a lecture at Evergreen where the presenters did not tell the audience that Israeli soldiers were killing Arabs in

Guest Column By Ken Stein Center for Israel Education

order to ethnically cleanse Palestine!” The young bearded rabbi shook my hand twice, as did the veteran Israeli Kfar Vitkin expatriate, who traveled an hour to the talk. They both said essentially the same thing: “Thanks for coming here; it was fresh air!” Days earlier I visited San Diego State University and the University of Washington, giving talks about the current turmoil in the Middle East and having lengthy dinner conversations

with students affiliated with local Hillels. What was on their mind? How did they react to BDS and, if appropriate, anti-Semitic instances on campus? Twelve students do not make a valid survey, yet these graduates and undergraduates left impressions. For each, Israel has great relevance; if they could have an impact on their indifferent, apathetic or unknowing peers, they would tell them what an exceptional place Israel is. All of them are concerned by BDS and anti-Semitic incidents on campus, but they are not going to be deterred from their commitment to their Judaism, however each defines it, or to Israel as a Jewish state. Some have issue with this or that Israeli policy, yet they feel that their Jewish identity (not religious) is stronger because Israel is a Jewish state where Jews speak for themselves. And therein is the difference between Evergreen’s BDS advocates and Carter on the one hand and these Jewish students on the other. The students want Israel’s story told and owned; they do not want to relinquish Jewish self-determination in a Jewish

state. They are keen to learn more about Israel’s formation. They do not mind advocating for Israel as long as advocacy is based on facts. These are smart students who crave context. Their collective objective is enriching and deepening enthusiasm for Israel. Speaking out against Israel’s detractors is our duty and right; it is our responsibility to provide Israel’s story to them. We need to push back hard against others who hijack Israel’s story and against those who want to deny Israel self-determination. We need to do more than listen to those dozen students. We need to do, to channel our time and vast resources beyond advocacy and after Birthright. ■ Since 1977, Ken Stein has taught Middle Eastern history, polit ical science and Israel studies at Emory University. Since 2008, as the head of the Center for Israel Educat ion (www.israeled.org), an ent ity separate from Emory, he and his dedicated staf f have expanded knowledge about Israel to students, educators, adult learners, and clergy.

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

t Seattle’s Temple de Hirsch Congregation a week ago, the audience of several hundred gasped at the conclusion of my presentation on Middle Eastern politics when I told them that the next day I would be giving a noon talk at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. There was good reason. For more than a decade Evergreen State has enjoyed the notoriety of being at the forefront of a particularly contemptible form of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel: BDS will end when Israel allows Palestinians to immigrate to Israel and replace the majority-Jewish state! BDS for them is not about Israeli withdrawal from territories won in 1967; it is about Israel’s elimination as a Jewish state. For me, the use of when harkens to Jimmy Carter’s most egregious line in his 2006 edition of “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid”: “It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Roadmap for Peace are accepted by Israel.” This BDS concept contemplates the end of Israel. Carter’s egregious call condones killing Israelis. Both are philosophically tied to imposing political outcomes on Israel: The first seeks to eradicate the Jewish state; the second sanctions terrorist attacks until political behavior changes. Both seek to deny the Israeli people and government prerogatives to make their own choices. Both aim at Zionism’s core and Israel’s very existence, namely to wrest from the Israeli people the natural right to determine their own future. Back to Evergreen. Three days before my talk, an Evergreen emeritus professor blasted me and my reputation in an email he claimed was sent to all Evergreen faculty and staff. He challenged my credentials as a scholar. This was the first time in 37 years of giving academic talks anywhere that an appearance was preceded by a poison pen. Had he shown up for the lecture and identified himself, I would have ripped into his claims. Alas, he was a no-show. I have his email letter. If he resurfaces and if it warrants future attention, appropriate legal action

AJT 13

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OPINION

From Seder to Advocacy in the Hunger Fight to become advocates for food and hunger programs at the federal and local levels. Statistics show that 19 percent of the people living in Georgia are food insecure, meaning that they don’t always know where they will find their next meal. A more jarring number is that 28 percent of Georgia children live in food-insecure households — well over

Guest Column By Harold Kirtz

one in every four Georgia children. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as the lack of access to adequate food resulting from the lack of money and other resources. Many communities suffer from this problem. But the problem is very pronounced here in Georgia and in Atlanta, even close to home.

Rashi’s Torah Photos by David Adler Photography and Deb Weidinger Art-Photography-Design

s part of the celebration of the life of Chabad of North Fulton’s rebbetzin, Rashi Minkowicz, to mark her first yahrzeit at the Johns Creek synagogue March 8, her widower, Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, helps complete a Torah dedicated to her memory. The rabbi is joined by his parents, Rabbi Leima and Shoshana Minkowicz, and his eight children, Tonia, Yoel, Mendel, Naftali, Dovid, Alter, Henya and Shaya. Also during the day’s festivities, donors to the $4 million Rashi’s Campus project (from left) Ryan Silverman, Neal Chibba, Joe Lipsey III and Evan Fishman join Rabbi Minkowicz in a shovel ceremony to mark the start of construction. Clearance work on the site will begin in a few weeks, and the new facility is due to open at the start of 2017. For more photographs and details from the day, visit atlantajewishtimes.com/2015/03/chabad-north-fulton-celebration-beautiful-bittersweet. ■

From 2000 to 2010, the number of poor individuals in the Atlanta suburbs more than doubled, growing by 122%. The number of people, including Jews, who have been serviced lately by the Kosher Food Pantry at JF&CS has increased. Another program of JF&CS is the Moas Chitim Fund to help people purchase food specifically at Passover. A snapshot of the people served by the Atlanta Community Food Bank — their circumstances, the challenges they face and the choices they are forced to make living on extremely limited household incomes — further highlights the complexity of the problem. An ACFB report reveals telling facts about the employment and income situations of the food bank’s clients: • 56% of client households report monthly incomes of less than $1,000. • 28% of respondents have faced foreclosure or eviction in the past five years. • Among all households served by ACFB agencies and programs, 59% have at least one member who has

been employed in the past year. The problem with food insecurity is the difficulty of combating it. Even many people who are employed face this issue. One of the themes promoted by the JCPA is child nutrition in a multipronged approach. This year will include efforts to pass in Congress the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, which seeks to improve child nutrition and reduce childhood hunger. The participants in the seder will be asked and educated on how to advocate for this reauthorization. The co-sponsors of this year’s Hunger Seder represent an array of folks who service the community in a variety of ways. From those who will be advocates to those who actually grow or pick food to be delivered to food programs, both Jewish and nonJewish organizations and congregations will come together to work on this important issue. Come and join us (register at concretejungle.com). ■ Harold Kirtz is a past president of JCRC.

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n the seventh night of Pesach, the community will celebrate by holding a seder to empower a cadre of advocates in the fight against hunger. This exciting commemoration of the passage from slavery to freedom will mark further efforts to remove the enslavement of hunger and food insecurity. This seder will be held at and co-sponsored by Ahavath Achim Synagogue on Thursday, April 9, at 6:30. It is also co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta (JCRC), The Temple, Temple Emanu-El, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Concrete Jungle, ModernTribe, Gideon’s Promise, Atlanta Food & Farm, Helping Feed Atlanta, and Jewish Family & Career Services’ Kosher Food Pantry. At the national level, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger are cosponsors. Others will be joining in. The goal is to educate attendees

AJT 15

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LOCAL NEWS

Hadassah Fundraiser a Masterpiece

venue decorated with canvases of body-painted torsos, delicious food, lively music and an abundance of appealing auction items greeted the more than 300 guests who attended the Breast Strokes: Hadassah Bares All for A.R.T. (Awareness, Research & Treatment) gala and auction Feb. 28 at the Westside Cultural Arts Center in Atlanta. The event continued an effort begun in late October when 35 women, many of whom are breast cancer survivors, had their torsos painted and photographed to raise money for breast cancer research. The event supported Hadassah Medical Organization’s lifesaving breast cancer research and celebrated 20 years of Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s successful Check It Out! breast health awareness program in Atlanta. Breast Strokes also kicked off a series of events leading to the celebration of Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s centennial in 2016. Joanie Shubin was the night’s honoree. “As many of you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 17 years ago,” she said in accepting the honor. “I take a special pride in knowing that Hadassah played a direct role

in my journey with cancer and likely had a similar impact on so many other survivors in this room with us tonight. You see, it was our own Hadassah who played a pivotal role in recognizing that Jewish men and women of Eastern European descent have a nearly 10 percent greater likelihood of testing positive for the BRCA gene. BRCA testing is now a standard part of the thinking about breast cancer assessment and treatment.” Honorary event chairwoman Susan Casella, a registered nurse who is the breast health education and support service coordinator at the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, was honored for her years of working with Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Check It Out! program, which has educated more than 35,000 young women in breast self-examinations. Final figures are being calculated, but the money raised by Breast Strokes has surpassed expectations. You still can make donations at www. hadassah.org/atlanta/breaststrokes, or visit atlanta-hadassah.fineartamerica. com to support breast cancer research through the purchase of commemorative art items. ■

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A: Photo by Doug Friedman (From left) Greater Atlanta Hadassah President Paula Zucker, centennial chairwoman Phyllis M. Cohen, and event chairwomen Barbara Lang and Holly Strelzik flank a composite poster depicting photographs of the 35 painted torsos. B: Photo by Deborah Singer (From left) Pam Dickler, Mickey Dickler and Arlene Starr join breast cancer survivor Sue Rothstein, the immediate past president of Greater Atlanta Hadassah. C: Photo by Deborah Singer Honorary Breast Strokes chairwoman Susan Casella (left) accepts her award from Greater Atlanta Hadassah President Paula Zucker. D: Photo by Deborah Singer Greater Atlanta Hadassah President Paula Zucker (left) presents the award to event honoree Joanie Shubin. E: Photo by Deborah Singer Honoree Joanie Shubin is joined by (from left) son-in-law Andrew Light, daughter Molly Light and husband Lewis Shubin. F: Photo by Deborah Singer More than 300 people attend the Breast Strokes gala and auction.

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BUSINESS

Looking to Israel for Cyber Protection

Atlanta mayor part of delegation to Tel Aviv tech conference By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

The Israel mission will include world technology leader and a place man Fink Van Horn, Invest Atlanta, participation in the two-day CyberTech they should strive to establish strong the Georgia Technology Authority, NCR, Delta Air Lines, Navigator ManInternational Conference & Exhibition business ties.” he latest busiThe organizations joining the agement Partners, IBM, Baker Donelin Tel Aviv on March ness mission 24 and 25. The confer- Georgia delegation include AT&T, Ber- son, Carter’s and Greenberg Traurig. ■ from Georgia ence will bring to Israel will include together multinaAtlanta Mayor Kational companies, sim Reed on a trip startups, invesfocused on computer tors and industry protection. experts. Prime Beth, Sam, Shelby and I congratulate you, Michael, on your purchase The Georgia DeMinister Benjaof The Atlanta Jewish Times. partment of Econommin Netanyahu ic Development, the is scheduled to Evan Fishman Metro Atlanta Chamopen the conferSenior Vice President–Wealth Management ber of Commerce and ence, which starts Conexx: America Isa week after the UBS Financial Services Inc. rael Business ConnecKnesset elections. 600 Northpark Town Center Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed 1200 Abernathy Road, Suite 1850 tor are joining to run The delegaAtlanta, GA 30328 the Georgia Cyber Setion from Geor678-441-1020 curity Mission to Israel from March 21 gia will also meet with leading 800-241-7258 to 27. Reed and the chief information Israeli cyber technology innovaevan.fishman@ubs.com officer for Georgia, Calvin Rhodes, are tors, researchers and executives scheduled to make the journey. in Ra’anana, Caesarea and Be’er “The Cyber Security Mission to Is- Sheva. The visit to Be’er Sheva will ubs.com/fa/evanfishman rael is important because it addresses include Lockheed Martin’s Israeli a concern that most cities and organi- offices. zations face,” said Claire Angelle, the “Our goal is to show corpora- ©2015 UBS Financial Services Inc. All rights reserved. Member FINRA/SIPC. 7.00_Ad_4.75x3.75_DS0211_FisE city’s director of international affairs. tions why Israel should be the first “Mayor Reed, along with the Atlanta place to look to when seeking soludelegation, will meet with leaders to tions, investments and partnerships in learn how to scale capacity for inno- this space,” Conexx Chief Operating vation while protecting their orga- Officer Guy Tessler said. “At the same nizations against cyber threats. I am time, we would like to expose the Israeconfident that we will find some state- li cybersecurity leaders and companies of-the-art solutions that fit our needs.” to Georgia’s assets and present it as a

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EDUCATION

3 Jewish Qualifiers First at State Tech Fair 14 students from North Atlanta regional place in top three

ourteen students who qualified through the North Atlanta Jewish Students’ Technology Fair won awards at the state Educational Technology Fair in Macon on March 7. The biggest winner may have been Weber School senior Rourke Rabinowitz, who took third place in the individual programming challenge for 11thand 12th-graders but also won the Lou Dewberry Scholarship. Three students won their categories at the state competition: Atlanta Jewish Academy 10th-grader Dan Jutan for mobile apps design among ninthand 10th-graders; Druid Hills High School’s Yoni Bachar for case modification among ninth- and 10th-graders; and Davis Academy third-grader Avi Frank for hardware while competing against seventh- and eighth-graders, the youngest group for that category. AJA’s Jutan was a double ribbon winner at the competition. He backed up his mobile apps win by finishing second in the individual programming challenge for his age group. Sue Loubser, AJA’s technology

bat, then qualifydirector, said Jutan’s ing students send win for mobile apps recorded presentawas more impressive tions to the state because he had to competition, which modify his regionalis on a Saturday. winning app in three The Epstein days before the state School and Yeshiva competition after disOhr Yisrael joined covering that FaceAJA, Davis and book had changed its Weber in bringing interface. state ribbons home “He’s that good,” from Macon. Loubser said. Davis had “I was really excited to win for both Atlanta Jewish Academy’s Dan Jutan is the most success the only multiple state tech medalist with five students my projects,” Dan from the Atlanta-area day schools. winning four ribsaid. “That last-minbons. Besides Avi ute interface problem was a surprise, but it made the compe- Frank, all the ribbons came from the tition all the more challenging, and I’m third- and fourth-grade group: Carson Wolff, third in the technology literacy glad that the judges liked my work.” The Georgia Educational Technol- challenge; Leah Moradi, third in digital ogy Fair is the highest level of student video production; and the team of Jortechnology competition in the state dan Frank and Harrison Green, third in and involves more than 750 projects project programming. Epstein eighth-grader Isabel Berfrom more than 1,000 students. The Jewish day schools hold a Sunday re- lin, who won her sixth consecutive regional to avoid conflicting with Shab- gional in multimedia applications this

year, finished third at the state level. Epstein’s Nolan Goldklang came in second in the technology literacy challenge among fifth- and sixth-graders. Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael’s Moshe Bari and Aharon Tzvi Eidex teamed to finish second among ninth- and 10th-graders for Web 2.0 Internet applications. Weber’s Amanda Kraun finished third in digital photography among ninth- and 10th-graders. Fourth-grader Ilan Benamram claimed AJA’s third ribbon by finishing second in 3D modeling among thirdand fourth-graders. “Ilan’s project was incredibly intricate,” Loubser said. “It was easy to see that he had worked on it for months with great attention to detail.” Ilan said he was inspired by parkour videos online to build a model of a parkour course in Mindcraft. He also wrote a story to go with the model. “I imagined a criminal had escaped from prison, and he had to be chased by a detective and stopped,” Ilan said. “I designed obstacles for them to jump over and go around.” ■

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ARTS

AJMF Builds Fortress at Steve’s

rowds flocked to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for two early events of the sixth annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. On March 12, Jump Babylon kicked off the festival with two sets. On March 14, Georgia songstress Zale and friends celebrated the forthcoming release of her debut CD, “Fortress.”

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A: Photo by Vincent Tseng, Jump Babylon’s Jason Rosenblatt not only leads the Montreal-based band, but also organizes the Montreal Jewish Music Festival. B: Photo by Vincent Tseng, Jump Babylon’s Adam Stotland sings at Steve’s Live Music. C: Photo by Michael Jacobs, Zale gets close to guitar player Christian Gerner-Smidt during her AJMF concert. D: Photo by Michael Jacobs, Zale performs the full “Fortress” CD with her band, guitar player Christian Gerner-Smidt, bass player Adam Higgins, who was celebrating his birthday, and drummer Taylor Ransom. E: Photo by Vincent Tseng, Jump Babylon performs at the opening event of AJM6 at Steve’s Live Music with three members of the 4th Ward Afro Klezmer Orchestra (right). F: Photo by Michael Jacobs, Carly Gibson, who performs with Hannah Zale as the Pussywillows, plays her part in the show while show opener Julie Holmes (right) watches. G: Photo by Michael Jacobs, AJMF Director Russell Gottschalk pitches the merchandise during a break in the March 14 show.

Steven J. Eisenberg, M.D.

AJT 19

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SIMCHAS

King Cake’s Queen Is Jewish This article originally appeared in New York Jewish Week. By Joanna Broder

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

ost people are familiar with New Orleans’ glittery king cake, a cross between a coffee cake and a cinnamon roll that is the dessert of choice on Mardi Gras. What you might not know is that another, nearly as popular New Orleans dessert tradition, perfect for celebrations all year, began with a Jewish woman about 80 years ago. Doberge cake has stood the test of time. Doberge cake is special because it is a New Orleans original, said Judy Walker of The Times-Picayune. “When you look at it, it doesn’t look like anything else. It’s tall and pretty.” Beulah Ledner developed doberge cake around 1935. Maxine Ledner Wolchansky wrote in 1987 that her mother, who was known as the Doberge Queen of New Orleans, based her cake on dobos torte. That cake from Austria-Hungary is composed of thin layers of sponge cake

AJT 20

with buttercream between the layers and on the outside, plus a layer of hard caramel or chocolate on top. Wolchansky, who lived in Atlanta, died in 2012 at age 91. “She intuitively knew that it [dobos torte] was too rich and heavy for the New Orleans climate,” Wolchansky wrote in a self-published cookbook of her mother’s recipes titled “Let’s Bake With Beulah Ledner: A Legendary New Orleans Lady.” Ledner used custard instead of buttercream between the layers, which she made with butter cake. “This produced a torte with subtle richness and lighter quality,” Wolchansky wrote. Doberge has six to eight layers of butter cake. Each is baked individually. The layers are so thin — no more than three-eighths of an inch — that you need a special pan to bake them, said Ledner’s son Albert Ledner, 91. Between the cake layers lies a spread of custard. A thin film of buttercream frosting coats the cake, and on top of that is a hard layer of chocolate, lemon or raspberry icing, Albert and

his daughter Catherine Ledner said. “It’s a lot of layers,” Catherine said. “You open that thing, and it looked like, you know, a pinstripe shirt.” The cake stayed cool because it required refrigeration, she said. “She felt like it was great for New Orleans.” Beulah Ledner created the Frenchsounding name (pronounced DO-bage or DO-berge by New Orleanians) to reflect regional traditions, Wolchansky wrote. A love for the cake requires a sweet tooth that even some of Ledner’s descendants don’t possess. Albert said the cake is a bit too sweet and rich for him. His daughter, a photographer in Los Angeles, said that although the cake is supposed to be lighter than dobos, it is still rich. “I’m really not into icing, and there’s a lot of icing.” Still, not many people in New Orleans will dispute the popularity of doberge cake. “I think the importance of it is self-evident because … 90 percent of bakeries in New Orleans do their own version,” Albert said. No bakery in New Orleans makes

doberge cake exactly the way his mother did, he said, because the process is so labor-intensive that commercial bakeries could not profitably do it her way. Individuals can make the cake the right way. When Albert Ledner turned 90, a neighbor and caterer made a doberge cake that he described as “very close and very good.” Debbie Does Doberge uses its own recipe. “We wanted a lighter version than what is on the market today,” owner Charles Mary IV said. “It’s an oppressively humid place, New Orleans, and lighter, more delicate flavors are what cater to palates here in the 21st century.” So the pop-up bakery and supplier of desserts to restaurants also uses its own spin on the custard. Debbie Does Doberge uses a pudding with flavors such as maple bacon, cream cheese, cherry and banana. The traditional flavors for doberge are chocolate, lemon and maybe caramel, Mary said. Sam Scelfo, who owns Joe Gambino’s Bakery, said a lot of bakeries and grocery stores in New Orleans try to emulate his bakery’s doberge cake, but it’s a lost cause. “They’ll take one layer and slice it, and we literally bake each layer individually … because you don’t want your custard to be absorbed within the layer.” Scelfo visited Beulah Ledner in the bakery she opened in Metairie. She was charming but tough, he said. “You did it right, or you just didn’t do it.” Gambino’s purchased Beulah Ledner’s recipe and shop name in 1946. After a year of idleness, Ledner opened a new bakery with a new name in a different parish. Jean-Luc Albin, the owner of Maurice French Pastries in Metairie, said his bakery follows the original recipe. The cakes appeal to people who remember them from her time but also are big on such holidays as Thanksgiving and Father’s Day and on birthdays. Albin bought the bakery 26 years ago from Maurice Ravet, who purchased the bakery and doberge recipe from Ledner in the early 1980s when she retired at age 87. Everyone knew that Beulah Ledner was Jewish, Catherine Ledner said. She went to synagogue. She was a member of the Jewish Community Center. But her doberge cake is more of a New Orleans thing than a Jewish thing. “It’s the birthday cake of New Orleans,” Mary said. “We love to celebrate.” ■

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SIMCHAS

Doberge Cake vs. Dobos Torte This article originally appeared in New York Jewish Week. By Joanna Broder

obos torte, on which doberge cake is based, used to be popular in American Jewish communities, especially in New York City in the early 20th century, said Joan Nathan, the Jewish cookbook author. Nathan remembers dobos torte as a seven-layer white cake with chocolate buttercream and a layer of caramel or chocolate at the top. The buttercream frosting between the layers made it so good, she said, fondly remembering eating the cake as a child. “I love it.” Rose Beranbaum, the author of “The Cake Bible,” has her own version of dobos torte in her cookbook “The Melting Pot.” She based the cake on her time working in the Hungarian bakery Gundel and tweaked the recipe so that the buttercream was less grainy. There is something magical about skinny, multilayered cake, Beranbaum

reduce the shelf life, which it does. Doberge cake must be refrigerated or the custard will spoil. Some bakeries in New Orleans use a fondant over the thin layer of buttercream frosting. Beranbaum said fondant is used to keep things fresh so that you have time Photo by Megan Chromik Photo by Gambino’s Bakery to decorate them. It is not Doberge cake replaces the sponge cake and buttercream of dobos torte with butter cake and the ingredient of choice custard to create something lighter for the hotter, more humid New Orleans climate. when there are options. said. “Think of it: If you just have two cream icing while doberge cake tradi“Most people don’t want to layers, you don’t get as much butter- tionally uses custard between the cake eat fondant,” she said, “but of course in cream. This way, you get almost as layers. Also, dobos torte has a butter- New Orleans people have a much bigcream icing coated with crushed nuts, ger sweet tooth, and so I can see why much buttercream as you do cake.” Cookbook author Gil Marks, who while doberge cake has a buttercream they wouldn’t have any objection to it.” died in December, noted in “The World shell coated in fondant icing, GambiSome bakeries use poured fudge of Jewish Desserts” that while dobos no’s Bakery owner Sam Scelfo said. instead of fondant to coat the cake, but Gambino’s purchased Ledner’s Beranbaum said fudge is also sweet. torte was a 19th-century creation out of Budapest, the cake was “probably in- bakery name and recipe for doberge “My goal is to make things not spired by Turkish layered pastries such cake in 1946, before Scelfo’s time. cloyingly sweet,” she said. In the South Nathan failed to see how pudding “they still go for their pralines and sugas baklava.” The main difference between Beu- (which some bakeries use today) or cus- ary things. So I think that wouldn’t be lah Ledner’s doberge cake and dobos tard would be an advantage over but- the way I would do it, but there’s a martorte is that dobos torte uses butter- tercream and speculated that it might ket for it, especially in New Orleans.” ■

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SIMCHAS

TWELVE Sweet Spot for M&M Wedding

ichelle Phelps and Michael Galanti achieved a contemporary, informal party vibe for their wedding the night of Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 at the TWELVE Atlantic Station in Midtown. They had the help of wedding planner Karen Segal of Your Party by Karen, designer Steve Bales of Bold American, photography and Videography by The Reason’s Chris and Allie Bartelski, party music from Lethal Rhythms DJ/CEO Joel Rabe, ceremony and cocktail hour music by Event Performance, food by TWELVE chef Justin Kurtz, a cake from the Frosted Pumpkin’s Jeff Schwerzler, and hair and makeup by Casey Turner and Liz Jow of Authentic Beauty. Not to mention Temple Sinai Rabbi Elana Perry, who officiated. The TWELVE fit the couple’s desire for an intimate outdoor ceremony and a large dance floor for the reception. The event space has a separate entrance from the hotel with a large area for a cocktail reception, two outdoor terrace spaces and a 6,200-square-foot ballroom. Guests arrived to find a handker-

chief with an “MandM” logo, a program, and an organza bag of silver, white and purple M&M’s on each seat. The chuppah was a simple design of an overhead parachute sail, and the ketubah signing was part of the ceremony. A classical guitarist provided the ceremonial music. In memory of Michelle’s dad, Jim Phelps, a chair in the front row was adorned with a Red Sox jersey. Michael remembered his grandfathers by wearing Morris Galanti’s cuff links and Stanley Mioduser’s tie bar. The passed hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hour after the ceremony included potato burekas made by the ladies of Congregation Or VeShalom to reflect Michael’s Sephardic heritage. Michelle and Michael didn’t want a formal seated dinner. Instead, the ballroom, both outside patios and the cocktail area featured unassigned sofas, chairs, and different styles of tables with chairs and stools. The décor was simple, clean and modern in white and silver with pops of purple. The food was served from Southern, Mediterranean, Asian and Mexi-

can food trucks in the ballroom that were open all night so guests could eat what they wanted when they wanted. Bold American designed the trucks to fit the décor, including real tires and headlights and pass-through windows. The dessert station included made-to-order nitro fresh-fruit sorbet and frozen candy bars on sticks. Guests also received M&M cookies made by Breadwinner in Sandy Springs and bottles of water for late-night snacks. To complete the fun, casual theme, Michelle and Michael were escorted to their limo at the end of the night as guests waved glow sticks. ■

E F

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

Photos by Chris and Allie Bartelski

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A: Newly married Michael and Michelle Galanti leave Rabbi Elana Perry and the parachute-sail chuppah behind. B: The TWELVE provides a setting at once spacious and intimate for the M&M wedding. C: The décor at the reception contributes to a fun, informal atmosphere. D: The cake is the work of the Frosted Pumpkin’s Jeff Schwerzler. E: Sofas and an assortment of other unassigned seating provide options for guests to eat the food picked up at the Bold American-designed food trucks. F: The ballroom, designed for eating on the go, features a simple color scheme and contemporary style. G: Lethal Rhythm’s Joel Rabe keeps the new bride and the rest of the party rocking. H: Floral decorations enhance the color scheme. I: A little liquid nitrogen ensures a refreshingly cool kiss from dessert.

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SIMCHAS

A Destination Wedding in Jamaica (Queens, That Is) almost 80. There was no time to waste, but their children were against it. “Why get married at your age?” Esther’s son asked. “You’ll just end up taking care of an old man. He likes to gamble and looks like a gangster. He’ll go through all your money.” “She’s not a spring chicken,” Meyer’s daughter said. “And she looks like

CHANA’S CORNER By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

a princess with that jet-black hair and jewelry. She’ll spend every last cent.” Esther and Meyer had expected joy and jubilation, but they got nothing but tsuris. Finally, in a conciliatory gesture, their offspring suggested they live together in a “trial marriage.” Their children were sure the experiment would end the foolishness. Companionship is one thing, intimacy is another thing, but marriage? Not for their parents.

Undaunted, the couple told their families they were going ahead with the wedding, and their children and grandchildren could attend with smiles on their faces or stay home. But Esther and Meyer did consider their children’s concerns, and they, too, worried about the financial repercussions. They wanted to keep the government out of their union — no official marriage record for them. How to get married but not declare it to the United States government? Tradition to the rescue! It was decided that Esther and Meyer would have a Jewish wedding ceremony with all the rituals, including a witnessed, kosher ketubah (marriage agreement). No secular ceremony, no visit to City Hall, no documentation, no joint tax filing, no official change of anything. “We’ll be married in the eyes of God,” Meyer, the dreamer, claimed. “And in the ears of the neighbors,” Esther, the realist, added. Esther and Meyer wanted a Saturday night wedding in order to leave for Atlantic City very early Sunday morning. It was summer, the second-longest

Shabbat of the entire year. Shabbatobserving Zvi and I, his trusty Shabbat-observing sidekick, rushed to our Brooklyn subway station at 9 p.m. and arrived in Queens after 10. Most of the yawning family members were ready to go home or, upon our arrival, to strangle us, but the bride and groom were wide awake and full of cheer. Happily, the ebullient mood slowly spread, and their grandchildren held the chuppah, which had been fabricated from four long, brass curtain rods and Esther’s Yom Tov tablecloth. Esther Magrisso Fins, the Turkish Jew, and Meyer Mendel Brodsky, the Russian Jew, became husband and wife in Esther’s rent-controlled living room. None of us had been to a trans ethnic Jewish wedding, which was perfectly symbolized by the dessert display. Many of the Ashkenazim had never tried homemade baklava; some Sephardim had never tasted rugelach. There was a lot of laughter and storytelling over the table of wonderful food. The couple lived happily until Esther died at the age of 80. She and Meyer had five great years together. ■

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e got a call from our sisterin-law. Her grandmother Esther wanted my husband, “Rabbi Zvi,” who’d officiated at a total of two wedding up to then, to perform her marriage to a man named Meyer. We had never met Esther or even heard of Meyer, and, on top of that, even though my husband had taken me all around New York, I’d never been to their neighborhood, Jamaica, Queens. It sounded like a triplewhammy adventure, and, honestly, how many chances does one get to marry off somebody’s grandmother? We said yes. Esther and Meyer lived in the same huge building, which consisted of four connected apartments around a courtyard, the gathering site of the block. They and their spouses had been good friends, immigrants from different parts of the world who settled in New York before and after the Holocaust. After being widowed, their relationship continued and turned romantic. Esther was 75 years old; Meyer was

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SIMCHAS

Kehilla Grows the Family Way

Young adults find love and marriage in Sandy Springs By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

he Kehilla in Sandy Springs seems to have found a novel way to increase the size of its congregation. Rabbi Karmi David Ingber and his wife, Elisheva, have made a point of reaching out to young adults, welcoming them by creating social events and a convivial place to gather. One of the happy consequences of the Young Kehilla program is that many of those meetings have resulted in marriages and babies. “We were hoping at the beginning people would meet others Jews and get some type of experience in their lives, so we always had a lot of different entry points,” Rabbi Ingber said. “Some came to classes, some to Shabbats, some came to the social and fun aspects, just to get some connection to the Jewish community.” In his five years at The Kehilla, Rabbi Ingber has been involved in more than 20 weddings.

“Now we have babies running around,” he said, laughing. One of those weddings was between Rachael and Joe Parkin, who met at a Kehilla event called Friday Night Live. Joe started attending The Kehilla after failing to find a Jewish community in Covington, where he lived, according to Rachael. “There are no Jews out there, and he was trying to find a way to express his Judaism at the time.” She too was unhappy with activities at the synagogues she frequented in the Atlanta area and decided to try a dinner for young professionals at The Kehilla. “The way Joe tells it, he saw me across the room and asked a mutual friend if he A would connect us, so we started talking, and that was that,” Rachael said. The Parkins have a 15-month-old daughter, Eliana, and live in Ohio.

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SIMCHAS “Rabbi Ingber actually flew into Cleveland to marry us,” Rachael said. “We wanted him to be there. He was really an integral part in us finding each other.” She added, “We love The Kehilla and feel very strongly about it.” Also at that wedding were Effie Ross and his wife, Yael, who met during an off-site event called Cafe Kehilla. He is an administrator at the synagogue, and they now have an infant son, Asher. Ross said Yael was living in the Toco Hills area but did not have a peer group there. “She ended up moving to Sandy Springs to be part of the community here.” “People end up being introduced to or meeting their soulmates, and the rest is history,” said Rachel Simon, wife of Yonatan Simon and mother of Roovy, who is almost 2. “When we started with The Kehilla over five years ago, we were one of the few married couples. Now there are well over 15 young couples, and in the last three years nearly a dozen babies have been born.” Rachel credits Rabbi Ingber and his wife with fostering the right atmosphere, calling them the lifeblood of the place. “They’re like magnets. They just draw you in, whether you’re looking for a class, social events or the full Shabbos experience.” Rabbi Ingber also helps couples after they marry if needed. “We apply different counseling techniques on how to build a successful marriage,” he said. He lamented high divorce rates in the general population and insists that’s not the Jewish way. “We really do have a system on how to make happy marriages.” Rachel Simon has enjoyed her journey at The Kehilla, watching people meet, marry and start families. “These aren’t just our community members; they’re family,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome.” ■

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A: After meeting through The Kehilla, Joe and Rachael Parkin moved to Ohio, were married by Rabbi Karmi David Ingber, and had a daughter, Eliana.

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SIMCHAS

Double Simcha in Cobb

First bat mitzvah in new home marks milestone for Congregation Ner Tamid By April Basler abasler@atljewishtimes.com

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amantha Ficarro, 13, was called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah Feb. 28 at Congregation Ner Tamid and thus became the first bat or bar mitzvah in the West Cobb congregation’s new facility off Old Highway 41 in Marietta. Kristine Goldstein, Congregation Ner Tamid’s president, said the occasion was very important in the life of the congregation. “Our first bat mitzvah symbolizes new life and growth for us as a congregation,” Goldstein said. “That our first bat mitzvah was Sam Ficarro holds meaning as well. Sam has been dedicated to her studies and proud of her Jewish heritage. Always quick with a kind word or an offer to help, Sam embodies who we are as Congregation Ner Tamid. Sam is a light for others to follow, and her example is one I can only hope her peers and fellow students will emulate.” Founded in 2006, Ner Tamid had held services in a church, a ballet studio and members’ homes, among other locations. Now the congregation rents space in an office park. Congregation Ner Tamid is a Reform synagogue with a membership of 60 families and 47 children in religious school. The spiritual leader is Rabbi Tom Liebschutz, who works part time. He was ordained 50 years ago. Renovations for the new Ner Tamid facility began in May 2014, and the synagogue began holding services there in July. In September over Labor Day weekend, the members of Ner Tamid dedicated the building by marching their two Torahs under a chuppah from the Kennesaw Mountain visitors center to their new home. “Congregants of all ages took turns carrying our two scrolls of the Torah,” Rabbi Liebschutz said. “At one point I took the Torahs and put them in the ark while we sang ‘Etz Chaim.’ Then we put a mezuzah on the sanctuary doors.” Many of Ner Tamid’s founding members are active in the congregation, including the Ficarro family of Kennesaw. Beth Ficarro, Samantha’s mother, owns Nature’s Select of Atlanta, an all-

natural pet food company. She is on the ritual committee at Ner Tamid. Samantha’s father, Thomas Ficarro, works in sales and marketing. Samantha is a seventh-grader at McCleskey Middle School, where she is in the National Junior Honor Society, and she plays soccer. Samantha’s sister, Lexi, is 10 and a fifth-grader at Blackwell Elementary School. The family has two dogs and spends time together hiking, going to festivals and visiting the dog park. For her bat mitzvah project, Samantha collected pet items and volunteered at My Pal’s Place, a pet shelter

Bat mitzvah Samantha Ficarro poses with the two Torahs at Congregation Ner Tamid’s new home.

off Canton Road in Marietta, because animals are important to her and her family. Samantha volunteered at the pet shelter on weekends and enjoyed playing with the dogs and cats. “When people came in to look around and adopt, we had to try and keep the dogs quiet for five hours of the day, so it was pretty challenging,” Samantha said. “I really liked doing it.” Samantha had her bat mitzvah party at the Wyndham in Kennesaw. Her theme was shabby chic, complete with burlap and lace accents. Balloons, candles and lanterns decorated the ballroom with a pink, cream, silver and gold color palette. Samantha felt honored to be the first bat mitzvah in Ner Tamid’s new home. The family chose the date without knowing she would be the first. “It was really cool. At times it was really overwhelming because it was the first one,” Samantha said. “It was a really big coincidence that my first aliyah was talking about the Ner Tamid. That was a cool coincidence.” Rabbi Liebschutz said Samantha’s Torah portion was symbolic for

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the congregation because it is the first time the Ner Tamid (eternal light) is mentioned in the Torah. The congregation’s founders chose to be named after the enteral light. Another special part about Samantha’s bat mitzvah was that it fell on Shabbat Zachor, which is the Sabbath before Purim. Samantha’s last aliyah discussed Shabbat Zachor, and she read from the congregation’s second Torah. The Ficarros said the logistics of setting up and decorating the synagogue were challenging because they were the first. Ninety guests attended the service, and the sanctuary ended up being standing room only. Because of the scheduling of Samantha’s date, she had little time to prepare for her big day. She had to compress nine to 12 months of studying into 4½ months. The Ficarro family is grateful to the rabbi and Samantha’s tutor, Joe Rosenfeld, for helping prepare her for the service on such a short schedule. Rabbi Liebschutz is pleased with how Samantha did. “She’s very pleasant and did a lovely job,” he said. “It was very meaningful for her, her family and all of us at the congregation.” ■

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SIMCHAS

Wrapping His Head Around Mitzvot

Families celebrate boys’ third birthdays with ceremonial shearing By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

ccording to Jewish tradition, a child’s third birthday signals a major transition from being a baby to a child, and for many observant Jews, that milestone for boys is marked with a festive haircutting ceremony called an upsherin, a Yiddish word meaning “to cut off.”

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It is an age-old custom to allow a boy’s hair to grow untouched until he’s 3 years old. The Torah says that if you plant a tree, all fruits which grow during the first three years are orlah (off-limits). Just as fruit is off-limits for three years, we leave a child’s hair alone during the first three years. At the ceremony, the boy is dressed in tzitzit and a kippah, and all attending take turns at cutting a snippet of

hair. The honor of cutting the first lock is often reserved for the rabbi or the boy’s father. The child’s peyos (biblically mandated side-locks) are left intact — the initiation into his first mitzvah. For some, those peyos are barely noticeable or tucked behind the ears; for others, they are longer. “My father’s family and mother’s family have had upsherins for as long as I can remember,” said Linda Minkow, who recently had an upsherin for her son Dovid. “We felt like it was a meaningful custom that connected us to our past and our families, as well as being a really thoughtful way of marking a transition from baby to big boy.” The Minkows held the event at Torah Day School of Atlanta in November in Rabbi Moshe Hiller’s second-grade class. “We liked that it would introduce our son to being a big boy while surrounded by wonderful big boys in the class with their kippahs and tzitzis, so he could have a model right in front of him of what it could be to grow up this way,” she said. They purchased tzitzit and a kippah for their son and candy for the kids in the class and made sure they knew of a hair salon nearby that was familiar with the need for peyos when Dovid got his first real haircut. Her parents, who live in East Brunswick, N.J., attended and were greatly involved in the process. Upsherin day includes learning the aleph-bet with the child. Many families, like the Minkows, get a plasticcoated aleph-bet card and place a bit of honey on each letter. The child licks the honey while saying each letter so the Torah will be “sweet on his tongue.” From that point on, a boy is taught to wear a kippah and tzitzit and is slowly trained to recite blessings and the Shema. The world now begins to benefit from the Torah study and mitzvot of this young child. Many celebrate a child upsherin at the gravesite of a tzaddik (holy individual). In Israel, many make upsherins in Meron at the burial site of Rabbi Shimon, author of the Zohar.

Top: Kimberly and Mordechai Snyder celebrate the upsherin for the two boys of their triplets in Torah Day School of Atlanta second-grade teacher Rabbi Moshe Hiller’s classroom. Bottom: Dovid Minkow is ready for his first haircut in the upsherin ceremony.

Kimberly and Mordechai Snyder have triplets — two boys and a girl — who recently turned 3. “We really felt, as the kids were getting closer to 3 years of age, that they were very obviously becoming big boys (and girl) rather than babies, and we wanted to acknowledge and celebrate that. An upsherin seemed like the perfect way,” Kimberly Snyder said. They also held the upsherin at TDSA in Rabbi Hiller’s classroom. The boys got their hair snipped and did a little alef-bet with honey. The Snyders then went to lunch with some family members and finished the boys’ haircuts at home. Later that week they celebrated a birthday party for all three of their children. “I loved bringing this old custom to life with all of us together,” Kimberly Snyder said, noting that she and her husband and children are the only Orthodox Jews in their families. “It was so special to celebrate this huge milestone with our sweet boys,” she said. “They were so excited to start wearing a yarmulke and tzitzis like their daddy. And there really is a huge change in our sons since their upsherin: They truly are boys now instead of babies. I am so proud of them and of our whole family.” ■

SIMCHAS

How simchas connected American and Soviet Jews By Doris H. Goldstein

ar or bat mitzvah — what a special moment in the life of a Jewish girl or boy, the family, friends and the community. It’s a time of joy, anticipation and some degree of anxiety for everyone. Participation in the event publicly declares this young person is prepared to assume religious responsibility and thereby begins the next generation of the Jewish people. For those too young to remember the trials of being Jewish in the former Soviet Union from the 1950s through the 1980s, it may be difficult to imagine that it was impossible for a Sasha or an Olga to be a participant in this simcha. Those were perilous times for the over 3 million Jews living in the vastness of Communist Russia. Repression of religious expression and rampant, blatant anti-Semitism in employment, education and all phases of everyday life convinced thousands that their only chance for normality was to leave. The obstacle was a system that in addition to being arduous was dangerous; merely applying for the necessary documents could lead to continual harassment, loss of employment, or even imprisonment in the infamous gulag, an extensive empire of brutal internment camps across the northern tundra. Because the organized Jewish community was primarily focused on the tumultuous events in the evolving state of Israel, it was understandable that the issue of Soviet Jewry did not demand constant attention. But a few intrepid Americans ventured into this darkness to see for themselves. One of the first was Holocaust survivor and voice of conscience Eli Wie sel, who in 1966, after a visit to Russia, published a book titled “The Jews of Silence.” The title asked who the Jews of silence were: the Soviet Jews who could not freely speak or the Jews of the free world who were not so constrained. Slowly these Soviet “prisoners of conscience,” as those who had expressed their desire to leave became known, became people with names and faces. Slowly small groups were formed in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Israel and throughout the world to advocate for this isolated and endangered population.

In truth, it was a small cadre of Jewish young adults, not too far removed from their own b’nai mitzvah years and calling themselves the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, who first rallied attention to the plight of Soviet Jews. Taking a page from the civil rights movement, they staged rallies, sit-ins and demonstrations at various cultural events — anything that would attract media attention in the general and Jewish press. It was not difficult to make the connection between the persecution of this Jewish community and what had befallen the Jews of Europe in the previous generation. Usually under the auspices of local Jewish federations, communities organized committees that monitored events in the Soviet Union and found ways to keep the issue on the communal agenda. As the years passed with little improvement in conditions, it became increasingly difficult to keep the Jewish community at large engaged. One of the most innovative and successful methods was devised by Women’s American ORT in the early 1980s. It was called Twinning, a program for b’nai mitzvah students and their parents. In the year leading up to the actual simcha, a Russian child of the same sex and similar age was assigned to an American child who agreed to participate. The American children received the names and bios of their Russian counterparts and were encouraged to write to their twins, send them invitations to their simchas and find ways to mention them during the ceremonies. Often, an empty chair was on the bimah with a picture of the twin, and the rabbi mentioned the program during the ceremony. In congregations large and small, a Sasha or Olga was the metaphor for all Soviet Jews. As the words of Torah were recited, this young person was now engaged in another mitzvah — the ancient tradition of pidyon shevuyim, the ransom of captives. In every way, this population was imprisoned in a system that would not allow them to live as Jews or to relocate to freedom. Through Twinning, these young Americans accepted not only individual religious responsibility, but also the obligation to help other Jews — indeed, a double mitzvah. ■

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The Double Mitzvah

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SIMCHAS

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Special Day at Beth Shalom

alia Cheskes doesn’t speak with her own voice because of autism, but with the devoted work of her mother, b’nai mitzvah tutor Rebecca Cheskes, and the strong support of Congregation Beth Shalom and Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, Dalia celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah during a modified Havdalah service Feb. 16. Because the service was on a Monday, Presidents’ Day, the Cheskes family avoided any issues with the use of

electronics and recording devices that might have cropped up on Shabbat. Rabbi Zimmerman, however, said he would have allowed Dalia to use the electronic device with which she communicates because that is her voice. Aside from the special circumstances of the simcha, an unusual aspect Rebecca Cheskes said many people enjoyed was the use of colorful photo blankets to show Dalia’s life instead of the usual photo montages. Each of the

six blankets went to grandparents or other family members afterward. The centerpiece on each table during the part was a wrapped present

decorated with yellow and pink balloons. Those presents then were donated to organizations that have helped the Cheskes family over the years. ■

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Left: Cheskes created posters such as the “Modeh Ani” sign to help Dalia learn the prayers.

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SIMCHAS

E A: Glenn Prince Photography Sammy Rosenberg helps Dalia and Rebecca Cheskes make the most of dance floor. B: Glenn Prince Photography Issy Cheskes, Dalia’s father, welcomes the guests and thanks Rabbi Mark Zimmerman for his support at the start of the service Feb. 16. C: 7th Wave Pictures With the help of an iPad-type device and her mother, Dalia Cheskes chants the Torah blessings. D: 7th Wave Pictures Family members including grandparents and an uncle surround Dalia Cheskes during the Torah procession.

E: Glenn Prince Photography Dalia Cheskes carries a Torah around the Beth Shalom sanctuary so those in attendance can kiss it. F: Glenn Prince Photography Rebecca Benator (left) and Rachel Kaiser dance with Dalia Cheskes during her bat mitzvah party.

H: Glenn Prince Photography Rebecca Cheskes created photo blankets to add color to the reception room and highlight Dalia’s life in a more creative way than photo montages. I: Glenn Prince Photography Dalia Cheskes goes airborne while dancing with friends to celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah.

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

G: Glenn Prince Photography Issy, Rebecca and Dalia Cheskes with Rabbi Mark Zimmerman

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SIMCHAS

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ue and Mike Allpass of Roswell and Rita and Earl Kessler of Alpharetta announce the engagement of their children, Christie Allpass and Adam Kessler. Christie is the granddaughter of the late Douglas and Moyra Allpass of Roswell and the late Denys and Betty Rance of Johannesburg, South Africa. Adam is the grandson of Ruth and Sidney Yanchuck of Atlanta and the late Rosalind and Harry Kessler of Lake Worth, Fla. Christie is a 2010 graduate of Auburn University and is employed with Athenahealth as a project manager. Adam graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005 and is a vice president/commercial relationship manager with Fifth Third Bank. A September wedding is planned.

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

isa Jennison of Dunwoody is pleased to announce the engagement of her daughter, Micah Rebecca Jennison, to Evan Staley, son of David Staley and the late Molly Keating. Micah graduated from Chamblee High School and Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business with a B.B.A. in accounting. She is employed as an accountant. Evan graduated from Chamblee High School and Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in communications. He is employed in commercial real estate. A November wedding is planned.

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hilip and Rhoda Stahlman will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in March 2015. They were married at Shearith Israel Synagogue in Atlanta and are founding members of Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs. Their children and children-in-law, Jill and Stephanie Stahlman, Jon and Beth Stahlman, Kim and Jay Ezrielev, and Kevin Stahlman, and 10 grandchildren wish them health, happiness and many more joyous simchas.

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SIMCHAS

Reasons To Kvell

Fed Talks to Honor Brickman Dr. Perry Brickman will receive the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Lifetime Achievement Award at Fed Talks on May 12 at the Buckhead Theatre. Brickman is a past Federation president and a longtime member of Congregation Beth Jacob. In the latest of his many philanthropic efforts, he has contributed to the new Brickman-Levin Fellowships to support doctoral work in Jewish studies at Emory University. Emory’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and Laney Graduate School are holding the Brickman-Levin Symposium at the Woodruff Library at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, to celebrate the new fellowships. The symposium will highlight three scholars who received doctorates in Jewish studies the past two years. Federation’s Fed Talks program will feature Jan Singer, the CEO of Spanx; Joel Peresman, the CEO and president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation; and Dr. Joshua Green, who chairs the National Young Leadership Cabinet for Jewish Federations of North America. Admission is $36 for campaign donors; www.jewishatlanta.org/fedtalks. ■

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Kuniansky to Head United JCC Board The Marcus Jewish Community Center will install Douglas Kuniansky as the chairman of its board of directors at its annual meeting Tuesday, March 24. Kuniansky now is the president of the center’s advisory board, but the meeting will mark the end of the dual-board structure the Marcus JCC instituted nine years ago to add a layer of fiscal oversight after a financial crisis. That crisis led the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to make a special allocation of more than $1 million to the center. “It was time to move away from a bifurcated board structure,” said Kuniansky, the president of commercial real estate company MK Management. He said that having a single board will increase efficiency while maintaining the responsibilities of the outgoing advisory and governance boards. In addition to Kuniansky, the new board will include Joel Arogeti as vice chairman, Ron Brill as treasurer and Howard Hyman as secretary. The other board members will be Lillie Axelrod, Steven Cadranel, Michael Dinerman, Lisa Galanti, Sammy Grant, Sherie Gumer, Lee Katz, Michael Kay, David Kusiel, Josh Rosenberg, Amy Rubin, Rick Slagle, Garrett Van de Grift and Ken Winkler.

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‘Mack the Knife’ and More

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

usic lovers thrilled to the Atlanta Opera’s presentation March 12 of “Kurt Weill: Berlin to Broadway,” the second of three shows in this year’s Molly Blank Concert Series at the Breman Museum. Weill, the son of a cantor in Dessau, left Berlin for Paris in 1933 to escape Nazi oppression before diving into the American music scene. He had great versatility and vision as he brought eight shows to Broadway and tried to make opera more palatable. His desire was to create “freer, lighter and simpler” operas with a jazz influence. Affable and talented pianist/host Gerald Steichen engaged the audience by introducing the selections with amusing background tidbits while accompanying operatic performers Anya Matanovic, Phyllis Pancella and Craig Colclough. Slides on the backdrop told Weill’s story in a compelling format. Some things you should know about Kurt Weill: • In his song “Mack the Knife,” Lotte Lenya (Catholic) is his wife, whom he divorced and remarried. • He composed music to poetry, most notably Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” • He believed that theater should be a voice for change and not an industry. He often gave away his songs to Hollywood film productions of his New York shows. • He was known for his versatility as he incorporated where he lived or what the lyricist needed to sound like an entirely different composer. • His show tunes were often

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romantic travails performed by the likes of Mary Martin, Agnes DeMille, Gertrude Lawrence and Ginger Rogers, women tempted by sin. And who could forget “It’s a Long, Long While From May to December”? • Sting performed Weill’s “Threepenny Opera” on Broadway. Some comments from the audi-

JAFFE’S JEWISH JIVE By Marcia Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

ence after the show: • Bernie Goldstein — “The concert was a mixed bag. I enjoyed the more well-known selections from ‘The Threepenny Opera,’ ‘Knickerbocker Holiday’ and ‘Lady in the Dark.’ The atonal and post-romanticism selections were difficult for me to digest. We got a comprehensive selection of Weill’s music, but I wish more of his well-known and popular pieces had been selected. There were too many esoteric selections, and the singers were challenged performing them.” • Doris Goldstein (no relation to Bernie) — “Weill stood out as a person from Germany who absorbed American culture quickly. He put aside his roots to become a part of the American songbook by collaborating with the likes of Moss Hart and Ira Gershwin. My hunch is he had to overcome some hurdles speaking broken English and jumping right into Broadway. Amusing also that many of us were surprised that ‘Mack the Knife’ is not an American piece.”

• Wendy Ludwig — “I have attended the whole series and think that this was by far the best. It was contemporary and had a Jewish component that spoke so well to the audience.” This performance was another jewel in the crown that elevates Atlanta to a cultural Jewish mecca through the generosity of our charitable residents. The third and final concert of the series will be a performance by Israeli-Ethiopian singer Ester Rada on May 7. Tickets are $39 for museum members and $50 for others; thebreman.org/Events/Ester-Rada-The-Birthof-Ethio-Soul. ■

A: Photo by Ivan Ivanov The Breman crowd provides a standing ovation to (from left) pianist/host Gerald Steichen, mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella, bass-baritone Craig Colclough and soprano Anya Matanovic, whose performance were enhanced by black-and-white slides from Weill’s life. B: Photo by Marcia Jaffe Jerry Rosenberg, the president of the board of trustees of the Breman Museum, and his wife, Dulcy (left), join reception sponsor Judith Taylor. Not pictured is reception co-host Mark Taylor. C: Photo by Marcia Jaffe “Kurt Weill: Berlin to Broadway” draws (from left) Spring Asher, Shirley Brickman, Bob Fine, Perry Brickman and Marsha Goldstein to the Breman. D: Photo by Marcia Jaffe Doris Goldstein chats with Arthur Fagen, the music director of the Atlanta Opera.

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The “More Glory Days” cast includes (from left) Chris Hancock, Shelley Antin, Carla Nixon, Maxine Rosen, Shari Silvers and Eileen Shaw.

Glory in the Fun

Classic crew returns for revue at JCC By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

ence is not expecting but will ring bells in their heads,” Fox said. Surprise is an important element eorge Fox just can’t leave the in the show. The printed program glory days behind him. doesn’t list the song order, so the audiTen years after he was first ence doesn’t know what’s coming next. drawn into directing community theBecause it’s community theater, ater at the Marcus Jewish Community some might expect a glorified talent Center with a production of “Joseph show, but Fox said the shows blow away and the Amazing Technicolor Dream- those low expectations. “You don’t have coat” and a year after staging his first to be Actors Equity to be good onstage.” revue at the JCC with “Glory Days,” Fox Enhanced use of the theater’s is back again with longtime produc- video system should add to the quality tion partner Sandy Ferko with and enjoyment, Fox said. another revue, “More Glory He said the “Glory Days” Days.” approach makes the cast and Like the first “Glory Days,” audience happy. The shows Fox has compiled and scripted are child-friendly and are just this revue from popular songs fun. “It’s a great escape. People of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and in it have a great time.” 1980s and put together a cast Because of the extensive of community members 50 work involved in creating a and older, some of whom he revue and the risk of audience George Fox worked with decades ago at boredom with the formula Congregation Etz Chaim, Temand because he doesn’t want to ple Emanu-El, Ahavath Achim Syna- get to the point of doing “Glory Days gogue, and Emory University, where Strikes Back,” Fox said his and Ferko’s Fox founded Ad Hoc Productions. Fifty Plus Productions likely will go Fox said he wasn’t planning to do a back to book shows in the future. second “Glory Days.” But the first show But if the seven shows this month was a big success, “so we decided we’d prove as successful as last year’s revue do it once more.” and the Marcus JCC and the commuAbout 50 people, including a cast nity ask him back, Fox said, he’ll probof 24 and an orchestra of nine, are in- ably keep directing community theater volved in “More Glory Days.” Using at the center. ■ cast questionnaires, Fox put together a What: “More Glory Days” musical revue script and selected the 26 songs for the show. Where: Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Themes connect the sets of songs. Dunwoody For example, Fox said, a baseball seWhen: March 19, 26 and 29 at 7:30 p.m.; quence in this year’s show moves from March 21 and 28 at 9 p.m.; March 22 and 29 at 1:30 p.m. John Fogarty’s “Centerfield” to “Damn Yankees,” and last year “Big Man in Tickets: $17 for Marcus JCC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $12 for Town” gave way to “If I Were a Rich children and students; www.atlantajcc. Man.” org/boxoffice or 678-812-4002 “We’re looking for stuff the audi-

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Making Music Together

Bet Haverim hosts spring fundraising concert By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

for overall growth. More than 400 people are expected to attend the concert at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur. Adding to the festivities will be an $18 pre-concert dinner reception at the Wahoo Grill, 1042 W. College Ave. The reception will feature heavy appetizers, including bruschetta, flatbreads and fish tacos. Sign up at congregationbethaverim.org. “From the beginning of our congregation’s inception, we have been a group of people that has not turned anyone away,” chorus and band director Will Robertson said. “I have seen over and over again not just tolerance and acceptance, but wholehearted embrace of people. That’s the spirit that has really developed every aspect

ongregation Bet Haverim is known in Atlanta for celebrating diversity. On March 28, the Reconstructionist congregation invites the entire community to join in song at the annual Bet Haverim Spring Music Concert Fundraiser. The concert will feature performances by the congregation’s string ensemble, band and chorus. “For such a small synagogue, we have an extraordinary string ensemble, a full band and a 40-member chorus,” said Gayanne Geurin, Bet Haverim’s music director. But the event is more than a performance. It is “the give and take, the interaction with the audience, that makes it so special.” Titled “B’Yachad,” which means together, the concert focuses on the connection between audience and performer. Funds raised from the sale of tickets and Bet Haverim CDs will go toward the congregation’s general fund

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“PROVOCATIVE... IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET.” Israeli Film Academy Ophir Awards

Hamptons International Film Festival 2014

A FILM BY RONIT AND SHLOMI ELKABETZ

MUSICBOXFILMS.COM/GETT

STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 20

What: CBH Spring Music Concert Fundraiser Where: Oakhurst Baptist Church, 222 East Lake Drive, Decatur When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28 Tickets: $25 online (congregationbethaverim.org), $30 at the door Information: 404-315-6446 or info@ cbhatlanta.org

OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING Death Notices Our obituaries come to us from funeral homes and are paid for by the families. For families who decline this option, the Atlanta Jewish Times runs a list of other recent deaths. We invite synagogues to send their condolence announcements to editor@atljewishtimes.com for inclusion here. Theodore “Ted” Arno II, 88, of Atlanta, husband of Elsie Arno and father of Amy Arno, Richard Arno and Ellen Zimmerman, on March 7. Dr. Lewis Bixon on March 13. Reba June Corley, mother-in-law of Temple Kol Emeth member Lori Corley. Edie Drukman, 77, of Dunwoody, wife of Melvin Drukman, mother of Reuven Drukman, Susan Drukman-Crasnow and Michael Drukman, and sister of Shirley Kaplan, on March 10. Judith Goldberg, 89, of Atlanta, a Holocaust survivor and the mother of Mark Lauterman and sister of Dr. Dolphi Kruger, on March 10. Anselm Herrmann, 76, of Atlanta, husband of Merryl Herrmann and father of Robyn Berzack, Nicole Herrmann and David Herrmann, on March 16. Gwen Meeks of Morristown, Tenn., mother of Temple Kol Emeth member David Meeks, on March 7. Rita Nussbaum on March 5. Annabelle Weiner, mother of Congregation Beth Shalom member Michele Merbaum, on March 10. Katie Piha Wice, 101, of Atlanta, mother of Marilyn, Joyce and Janet and sister of Emily and David, on March 7.

89, Atlanta

Betsy Sharkey, LOS ANGELES TIMES WINNER BEST FILM

celebrate the diversity of the community with an eclectic mix of music that features choral, klezmer, folk and Jazz. Five CDs recorded by the congregation will be sold at the concert. Each is unique, like the members of the congregation, Robertson said. “In a similar way that our membership comprises a variety of personalities and backgrounds, our music does as well.” ■

Eleanor Jacobs

George Robinson, THE JEWISH WEEK David Edelstein, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

WINNER BEST PICTURE AWARD

of this congregation, particularly in this case the music program and our audience.” Lesbians and gay men founded Bet Haverim in 1985. The congregation embraces all, particularly those who do not fit the mold of traditional Judaism. Bet Haverim bought the former home of Young Israel of Toco Hills at 2974 LaVista Road in October and continues to worship at Central Congregational Church, 2676 Clairmont Road, during renovations. The fundraising concert aims to

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Eleanor Jacobs, age 89, of Atlanta died Thursday, March 12, 2015. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Clint Fried; son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Sheryl Jacobs; and granddaughters Shira Fried and Rebecca Jacobs. Eleanor was a longtime member of Congregation Beth Jacob and NORC of North Atlanta. Eleanor enjoyed painting and creating beautiful needlepoint and knitting projects. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Visiting Nurse Hospice of Atlanta and trees in Israel through the Jewish National Fund. A graveside service was held March 15 at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

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Rachel Goldsmith

Dr. Milton Sarlin

Rachel Stephanie Goldsmith passed away Tuesday, March 10, 2015, three weeks shy of her 30th birthday. Born April 3, 1985, in Atlanta, she loved to bowl, sing, dance and laugh. Rachel is preceded in death by her grandfathers, Marvin Schoenberg and Harry Goldsmith. She is survived by her parents, Susan and Gary Goldsmith; a brother, Cory Goldsmith; her grandmothers, Therese Goldsmith and Rita Schoenberg; her aunts, Jean Youtz (Richard) and Leah Stitzer; and her beloved cockapoo, Kiley. An online guestbook is available at www.edressler.com. Private services were held for immediate family only. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Rachel’s memory to either Small Dog Rescue (www.furkids.org) or the Epilepsy Foundation (www.epilepsy.com). Rachel’s family would like to thank her many friends and caregivers for their years of love and support. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Dr. Milton David Sarlin, 65, of Marietta passed away Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Born to Shirley Honigman Sarlin and Ralph Sarlin (of blessed memory) in Greenville, S.C., he completed his undergraduate studies at Emory University and received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his family practice residency at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Together with his wife, Sandy, Dr. Sarlin developed Sarlin Wellness Way after practicing many years of family medicine. In an expanded medical practice, Dr. Sarlin focused not only on family medicine, but also on health promotion and wellness and the specialty of bariatric medicine (weight loss) for almost 20 years. He was an active member of Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs and B’nai B’rith. A devoted father, brother and son, Dr. Sarlin’s interests included camping, canoeing, music, and science fiction books and movies, especially “Star Trek.” He is survived by the love of his life, his wife, Sandy; daughters Elana and Mitsi Sarlin; sisters Becky Lou Alper (Jonathan), Janet Duncan (Lewis) and Linda Chidsey; nieces Moriah Alper, Hillary Duncan and Morgan Chidsey; nephews Eli Alper (Rachel), Gideon Alper (Dallin McBride), Miles Duncan and Matthew Chidsey; and his granddogs, Pixie and Nudnik. We would like to thank his doctors and nurses at the Emory Winship Cancer Center for their care and devotion. An online guestbook is available at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Sunday, March 15, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbis Analia Bortz and Mario Karpuj officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station, www.wabe.org; the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Development Office, 1762 Clifton Road, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30322; or the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, www.hadassah-med.com. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

29, Atlanta

Dr. Alan Jacobson 73, Athens, Tenn.

Dr. Alan I. Jacobson, 73, of Athens, Tenn., died Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. Dr. Jacobson was the laboratory director (pathologist) at Starr Regional Medical Center for over 22 years. He was born in Norfolk, Va. He graduated from Old Dominion University and the University of Virginia Medical School. He did his internship at Henry Grady Hospital in Atlanta and his residency at Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk. He was at both Cobb General Hospital and Smyrna Hospital for about 16 years. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Werbin Jacobson; a daughter, Marla Terri Jacobson; and other family members. He was preceded in death by a brother, Barry Lee Jacobson, and his parents. The funeral was held at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Rabbi Susan Tendler of B’nai Zion Congregation in Chattanooga, Tenn., officiated.

65, Marietta

Erik Medeby Erik John Medeby passed away peacefully surrounded by family March 12, 2015, at the age of 34. Erik, who was proud of his American and Swedish citizenship, was born in Atlanta and grew up in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He earned a bachelor of arts in political science and history from Leiden University in the Netherlands and a master of arts in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy, and Washington, D.C. Erik worked in the Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank on global health issues and most recently as an economic development consultant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Erik lived each day fully, always enjoying life’s simplicities. He sought every opportunity to immerse himself in the world and learn from those he met along the way. He was particularly passionate about improving access to health care around the globe. He will be remembered for his tender heart, kindness, intelligence, charm, humor, strength and so much more. He is survived by his wife, Michele Lynch; his parents, Anita and Bertil; a sister, Annika, and her fiancé, Vincent Gernigon; extended family in Atlanta and Sweden; and many dear friends around the world. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Erik to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, or World Child Cancer, which aims to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and care for children across the developing world. The funeral was held at Crest Lawn Memorial Park in Atlanta on Monday, March 16. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler. com. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

AJT 37

CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Nisan: Miracles, Freedom CROSSWORD And Redemption

“People of the Great Books”

By Alan Olschwang Editor: DavidBenkof@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Medium

MARCH 20 ▪ 2015

he Hebrew month of Nisan begins on Saturday, March 21, and is the first month on the biblical and astrological calendars. It’s a month of miracles, redemption and freedom. The name Nisan is derived from nes (miracle) or nas (flee or escape). (I wonder whether the Nissan car creators knew this.) Our challenge in Nisan is to free ourselves from what enslaves us. Here are clues to unraveling the mysteries of the month: Hebrew letter hey; Zodiac sign Aries; tribe Judah; sense speech; and controlling limb right foot. Hey is two of the four letters in G-d’s name. With this letter, Hashem spoke the world into being: “Let there be light.” Nisan is the annual renewal of the creation of the world. This is most evident to us in spring when everything blossoms from the quiet barrenness of winter. The spring equinox falls on March 20. Hey is a quiet letter, spoken on the outbreath sound of “h.” Our sages teach us that after Avram and Sara added this letter to their names and became Avraham and Sarah, the creation of their children occurred. Nisan’s zodiac sign is Aries, a fire sign. Fires can warm us and cook our food. At their best, Aries are pioneering leaders who are daring and energetic. When burning out of control, however, fire is destructive. At worst, Aries may be aggressive, intolerant and inflexible. We need leaders who guide with their heads. Remember that we all possess the aspects of each sign in varying degrees. We must receive the awakening from above to cleanse ourselves so that our internal wars between personality and soul don’t manifest as external wars. Mars, the red or warring planet, rules at this time, so from the new moon to the full moon on Passover, our wars and conflicts are determined for the coming year. The impulsive yetzer hara dragons cannot be allowed to dictate with anger and hatred. We can represent creative sparks rather than careless embers that ignite. For Passover, we cleanse our spirits as we search out the hidden crumbs from our darkest corners in a spring cleaning of our souls. During the seder 38 many would prefer not to taste the

AJT

bitterness of the maror, but we must to remember. Bitters are actually good for us. They aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients by signaling our stomachs to secrete the hormone gastrin, which produces the acid to break down our food efficiently. We

NEW MOON MEDITATIONS By Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

take control with the Enchanted Key to Altered Perceptions to overcome the bitterness in our lives. Nisan’s tribe is Judah, the first of the tribes, which means “to give thanks.” The sense of speech is highlighted, and kings rule by the power of their speech. It’s the essence of leadership. On Passover we are commanded to fulfill the mitzvah of telling the story. Haggadah means “telling.” The controlling limb is the right foot. In energy medicine, the right side of the body’s circuitry is male. You can remember it through the phrase “right-hand man.” Feet have to do with grounding and walking. The masculine qualities of walking in balance are those of trust and confidence. We want to put our trust in leaders who bypass the ego and “walk the talk.” Speaking words of Torah while walking was likely the beginning of this concept. As we progress on our path, there is continual discovery of Torah’s wisdom and its application to modern life. Our forefathers and foremothers were redeemed from Egypt, and we, in this month of Nisan, have the opportunity for redemption ourselves. As the inner wars find peace, may the outer wars do so as well. Meditation Focus What struggles have you gained freedom from in the past year? What enslaves you? What can you do to break free from the Aries imbalances, repetitive thoughts and behaviors that can move you toward freedom? ■ Dr. Terry Segal is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a hypnotherapist, holds a doctorate in energy medicine, and wrote “The Enchanted Journey: Finding the Key That Unlocks You.”

ACROSS 1 Book whose namesake prophesied “two years before the earthquake” 5 Many are found at the Mahane Yehuda market 10 Poker superstar Ungar 13 Like hail in Beersheba 14 Bit of chametz 15 Nickname for rifleman Harold Rocketto 16 Houdini escape, e.g. 17 One-time “New Face of Levi Jeans” Iggy 18 “Addams Family” cousin created by producer David Levy 19 Barabus’ place on the shelf 22 “Veep” network 24 Aaron’s and Moses’s were powerful 25 Device for reading Telushkin’s “Rebbe” 26 “If you crush the fool in a ___ among grain with a pestle …” (Proverbs 27:22) 28 Rebecca’s place on the shelf 31 Linda Lavin’s 2012 award for “The Lyons” 32 Genesis 3 creature feature 34 Fagin’s place on the shelf 39 The book “Bar Mitzvah Disco,” e.g. 40 5775, e.g. 43 Leopold Bloom’s place on the shelf 47 Kinneret quality 49 “Widow’s” feature exhibited by Marilyn Monroe 50 Skirt type shunned by the Orthodox 52 “Annie” song 53 Mira Lapidoth’s place on the shelf 58 “The ___” (key fundraising step) 59 Shiva house emotion 60 Matzo brei ingredients 63 One might say “Camp Ramah” 64 White ___ (New York city where Matisyahu grew up) 65 Believe 66 Israel-Qatar dir. 67 From his youth, Ralph Lauren was this kind of

dresser 68 Matt’s “South Park” partner DOWN 1 Bark mitzvah noise 2 Ginnie ___, agency that created many Salomon Brothers securities 3 “Judas Maccabaeus,” for one 4 Fifth person 5 Moved like the gel around gefilte fish 6 How Art Spiegelman makes art 7 ___ Accords 8 Eilat has a coral one 9 Famously, Hank Greenberg hit a grand one in the dark 10 Early, early capital of Israel 11 Adam Levine has one of a panther 12 Slow on the ___ (description for Alfred E. Neuman) 14 Business at Brandeis, e.g. 20 Friedan goal that sputtered out in 1982 21 “Dear ___ Landers,” 22 A Sinai Hospital doc might work for one 23 Zimmerman who became Dylan 27 ___ Hai (battle site) 28 First word in the title of a 2014 Sondheim movie musical 29 Something in the “Nidre” of Kol Nidre 30 J Street big shot Jeremy Ben-___ 32 The ones from the War of

Independence are slowly dying off 33 Act sinfully 35 Lois Lerner’s dept. 36 Eve’s midpoint 37 Leb. neighbor 38 USYer, e.g. 41 Eddie Fisher hit “___ Time” 42 Press it to tape “All in the Family” 43 Weekend ___ (Seth Meyers SNL segment) 44 Something foreigners can’t hold in Israel 45 Pitcher for Larry Rothschild to work with 46 One way to enjoy Mount Hermon 47 Precipitations in Minnesota, the land of the “frozen chosen” 48 Article written by Hannah Arendt 50 In the 1930s, Jews wanted Ivy League schools to admit students based on it 51 Philip Roth comic tool 54 Linda Cohn network 55 Character in the AdlerRoss musical “Damn Yankees” 56 “Feh!” 57 David Blaine quality 61 “___ Le Er” (Yiddish version of “Around the World in Eighty Days”) 62 Something Shylock was

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Studio portrait of three Polish Jewish friends playing stringed instruments in an ensemble.Yehuda Bielski, far right, 1937, later led partisan fighters. Credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Yehuda and Lola Bell; Collection Leslie Bell.

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