Atlanta Jewish Times, March 6, 2015, No. 8

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Meredith Galanti is ready to make her mark as part of BBYO’s international board. Page 6

TOUGH TALK

Benjamin Netanyahu urges the U.S. to pressure Iran into a better nuclear agreement. Page 14

SCHOOL DAZE

Parents and education experts aren’t buying into an earlier cutoff date to start school. Page 27

Atlanta VOL. XC NO. 8

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Sorry, Frisco: Atlanta Film Festival No. 1

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

T

Pages 22-24

IN SHUSHAN NOW

Take a look at the astounding headlines from somewhere far from reality, then relive the fun of a chilly Beth Jacob Purim parade. Pages 18-20

BRIGHT LIGHT

Emory softball star Megan Light, a graduate of North Springs High, wins an NCAA award recognizing her work in class, on the field and beyond. Page 26

Calendar 2

INSIDE

Arts 21

Candle Lighting 3

Business 25

Local News 4

Sports 26

Opinion 10

Education 27

Israel 13

Obituaries 29

Shushan Times 18

Crossword 30

he Atlanta Jewish Film Festival no longer can claim it’s the world’s second-largest festival of its kind.

Now it’s No. 1.

The 15th Atlanta festival, which closed Feb. 19, sold some 38,000 tickets to 177 screenings of 65 films over 23 days, topping last fall’s San Francisco Jewish Film Festival by 3,000 tickets.

San Francisco has the first of the world’s more than 100 Jewish film festivals. Since launching in 1981, it has always had the highest attendance.

But even with the boost of screenings during Shabbat, something the Atlanta festival does not do, San Francisco topped out at 35,000 tickets sold during its 2014 festival last summer.

San Francisco will get a chance to reclaim the crown during its 35th annual festival July 23 to Aug. 9.

The festival news marks San Francisco’s second recent loss to Atlanta. The newly signed head of school for the Epstein School, David Abusch-Magder, is coming to Sandy Springs from San Francisco’s Brandeis Hillel Day School.

The City by the Bay will just have to content itself with three World Series championships the past five seasons, helped by a playoff win over the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and the pitching of former Brave Tim Hudson in 2014, plus the 49ers’ comeback NFC Championship win over the Falcons after the 2012 season.

For what it’s worth, the San Francisco area is believed to have more than twice as many Jews as the Atlanta area. ■

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CALENDAR ONGOING

and a raffle. Admission is $5; 770-4109000 or admin@chabadnf.org.

Through March 31. Ethiopian-Israeli artist Hirut Yosef presents “Chalom Yashan — A Journey Back Home” at the Marcus JCC’s Katz Family Mainstreet Gallery, 5324 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Admission is free; www. atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4071.

P Is for Purim. The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, thekehilla. org, gathers for a grand Purim celebration that starts with a meal at 4 p.m.

Wear a P-themed costume.

Purim seudah. Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, www.yith. org, holds a Chinese banquet with music and entertainment for adults and children at 5 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $14 for children. Register at www.yith.org/event/annual-purimseudah.html.

Through March 8. Jerry’s Habima Theatre, featuring special-needs actors, presents “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $25 ($10 for children 12 and under) for center members and $35 ($15 for children) for nonmembers; 678-812-4002 or www. atlantajcc.org/boxoffice.

Purim at the Stadium. Chabad Intown uses a sports theme for its Purim feast at the Richard Kaufman Youth Center, 1041 Monroe Ave., Atlanta, beginning with a Megillah reading at 5 p.m. and continuing with performances and festivities at 5:45, including a kosher stadium buffet, popcorn and gourmet cotton candy. Wear your favorite sports gear to receive a prize. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door for children, $15 in advance and $20 at the door for adults, or $55 in advance and $75 at the door for families; 404898-0434 or chabadintown.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

Laugh and learn. Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, www.bnaitorah.org, holds a Purim seudah at noon. The cost is $10; rsvp@bnaitorah.org or 404257-0537.

Carnival and family masquerade.

Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, chabadnf.org, holds a Purim carnival and costume party at 3 p.m. with games, hamantashen, a Megillah reading, crafts

A World of Opposites. The annual Purim celebration at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs, chabadga.org, starts at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their most creative opposite attire.

Admission is $36 for adults and $12 for children ages 3 to 12; under 3 is free.

RSVP by calling 404-843-2464, ext. 104.

Scientific Purim. Experiment with new tastes at a dinner buffet, listen to a mad Megillah reading and watch a mad science show at Purim in the Lab at 5:30 p.m. at Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb.

Admission is $15 per person or $46 per family; office@chabadofcobb.com, 770-565-4412 or www.chabadofcobb. com.

Southern-fried seudah. The New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, features fried chicken and other Southern cuisine at its Purim seudah at 5:30 p.m. Free for members, $10 for nonmember adults, $5 for nonmember children 3 and older; newtocoshul@ gmail.com or 770-765-7485.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

Purim off Ponce. Atlanta’s best costume party and the biggest annual

fundraiser for SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity features circus performers, acrobats, drag queens, dancing and great food and honors Dan Bloom and Barry Golivesky with the Michael Jay Kinsler Rainmaker Award from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at Le Fais do-do, 1611 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd., West Midtown Atlanta. Tickets start at $65 in advance, $85 at the door; sojourngsd.org/purim.

Purim on Piedmont. A Marcus JCCsponsored celebration for adults ages 21 to 35 runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Tongue & Groove, 2420 Piedmont Road, Midtown. Tickets are $10 for center members and $15 for nonmembers and must be purchased in advance at www.atlantajcc.org/pldblive/27865. Contact Roey Shoshan at 678-812-4055 or roey.shoshan@atlantajcc.org for more information.

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Daylight saving. Spring forward from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. as we move the clocks ahead for daylight saving time or risk being late for Sunday school.

Run for Rashi. A 5K run in memory of Chabad of North Fulton Rebbetzin

KEEP THE PAPER COMING HOME

...providing engaging, interesting, educational and, when it should arise, controversial news and opinions about our community for our community.

SPECIAL ABILITY

won’t Nonverbal autism from stop Dalia Cheskes h becoming a bat mitzva at Beth Shalom.

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DIGGING IN

POWER OF ONE

Trees Atlanta gets a lot of help to at celebrate Tu B’Shev in Poncey-Highland.

the Federation honors many individuals who make the community ve. inclusi more Page 8

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Atlanta WWW.ATLANTAJEW

Welcome To The Future

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

to Atlanta to g Jewish teens come Nearly 3,500 leadin d. communal paths forwar chart personal and Page 18-25

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BEST POLICY

GoldHonest Tea CEO Seth e of man brings a messag corporations as change ss busine Emory agents to students.

Page 3

SCARY WORLD

simAnti-Semitism isn’t ple, which means there ns to are no simple solutio Eurothe problems facing pean Jews.

Page 7

Israel 10 Opinion 12 Arts 15 Calendar 16 Travel 26

Diamant To Help Launch Community Mikvah

By Suzi Brozman om sbrozman@atljewishtimes.c known as the nita Diamant, best Tent,” is comauthor of “The Red two public ing to Atlanta to make appearances this month.

Boston Girl,” “The book, Her latest her visit Feb. 23 to the will be the focus of ity Center. But Marcus Jewish Commun will help local orgathe night before she a new project, an allnizers plunge into at Congregation denominations mikvah Springs.

B’nai Torah in Sandy n of reimaginDiamant’s discussio age will be free ing ritual for the modern at The Temple in and open to the public the Metro Atlanta Midtown to launch (MACoM) into the Community Mikvah Atlanta.

Jewish of consciousness ent nonprofit MACoM is an independ construction of the that plans to start in May and finish community mikvah . The project will before the High Holidays of the existing faciliinvolve a renovation has the support of ties at B’nai Torah and synagogues and other more than a dozen organizations. diverse supMACoM’s board reflects rabbis and repreport, including three Conservative and sentatives of Reform, Judaism.

Orthodox streams of the model Diamant helped establish al community for a nondenomination 10 years at Boston’s Education 27 mikvah the past Waters).

Mayyim Hayyim (Living Obituaries 28 to the idea of a “People responded ng and beautiful, Simchas 29 place that was welcomi to s and sad, a way for happy occasion Sports 29 ” Diamant said. mark life’s changes, thoughts on the Crossword 30 See more about her Page 6. ■ modern mikvah on Marketplace 31

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CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parsha Ki Tisa Friday, March 6, light candles at 6:20 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, Shabbat ends at 7:16 p.m.

Parsha Vayak’hel-Pekudei Friday, March 13, light candles at 7:26 p.m.

Saturday, March 14, Shabbat ends at 8:21 p.m.

Doubles pickleball tournament. Register as a team of two or sign up as a single and be paired up for the spring pickleball tournament at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org/ pldb-live/26675, barbara.vahaba@ atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4142.

Purim carnival. Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, www.or-hadash.org, holds a carnival from 10 a.m. to noon.

Purim carnival. Congregation B’nai Israel, 1633 Highway 54 East, Jonesboro, bnai-israel.net, holds a carnival and a silent auction from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Bearing Witness. Sisters Goldie Bertone and Betty Sunshine discuss growing up as children of Holocaust survivors in Atlanta at 2 p.m. at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Free admission; thebreman.org.

Berman Commons grand opening.

Take a tour of the new community managed by Jewish Home Life Communities at 2026 Womack Road, Dunwoody, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.; www. bermancommons.org or 678-222-7500.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Sephardic nosh. Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Ketura Group offers a sampling of Sephardic snacks, drinks and desserts from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is $12; mitzvah@bellsouth.net for location and reservations.

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Brain education. National Institute on Media and the Family founder David Walsh addresses the Atlanta Jewish Day School Council about his book “The Brain Goes to School” at 7 p.m. at the Epstein School, 335 Colewood Way, Sandy Springs. Free; register at www. braingoestoschool.eventbrite.com.

Music of Kurt Weil. The second installment of the Molly Blank Concert

Series at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, at 7:30 p.m. presents the music of Weil and his story of flight from Berlin in 1933 and success on Broadway. Tickets are $50 for Breman members and $65 for nonmembers; 678-222-3700 or thebreman.org/ Events/Berlin-to-Broadway-Kurt-Weill.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

Hunger Walk/Run. The annual benefit for the Atlanta Community Food Bank takes place at Turner Field in downtown Atlanta at 9 a.m. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is coordinating Jewish participation and providing links to register with two dozen teams at www.jewishatlanta. org/hungerwalk. More information at www.hungerwalkrun.org.

Mah jongg for a cause. A mah jongg tournament at 1 p.m. at Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb, benefits the congregation’s preschool. Entry is $30; www.etzchaim.net/preschool or 770-977-3384.

Finding the right college. Noa Bejar and Applerouth Tutoring Services’ Diana Cohen offer guidance on using a Jewish lens to help find and gain acceptance to the right college in a free session at 2 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta; www.applerouth.com.

Daddy-daughter dance. Girls from pre-K through sixth grade can bring the male adults in their lives to the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, for dancing to music from Vibe Entertainment from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 per couple for members and $50 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org/ pldb-live/26743 or 678-812-3727.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

Cystic fibrosis update. Dr. Eitan Kerem, head of the pediatric division at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, discusses cystic fibrosis research at 7 p.m. at Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs. Suggested contribution of $5 at the door; 678-443-2961 or atlanta@ hadassah.org.

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

There is nothing COMMON about Berman Commons Dunwoody’s newest Assisted Living and Memory Care community

Grand Opening Celebration Sunday, March 8th from 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM 2026 Womack Road Dunwoody, GA 30338 Berman Commons is a Jewish Home Life Community that is open to all.

Jenice Holtz Cunningham, Executive Director | Fred Glusman, Kashruth Supervisor & Chaplain

www.bermancommons.org | 678. 222.7500

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

Rashi Minkowicz raises money for the new Rashi’s Campus. The run starts at 7:30 a.m. at Newtown Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, Alpharetta. Registration is $36; www.chabadnf.org.

AJT 3

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LOCAL NEWS

100 Jewish Teens Walk Into a Mosque …

O

n Sunday, Feb. 14, more than 100 Jewish teens representing different regions of the North American Federation of Temple Youth were invited to the 14th Street Mosque — Al-Farooq Mosque — to learn about Islam and Kids4Peace. For the majority of these teens, who were in town for the biennial NFTY Convention, it was their first visit to a mosque.

One of the highlights of the NFTY Convention was an opportunity to go out into the Atlanta community and learn about social justice programs that are taking place in our beloved city. Kids4Peace is an organization that brings together Jews, Christians and Muslims from Israel and Palestine with Muslims, Christians and Jews from North America to learn, discuss and better understand one another.

Much to the surprise of many of the participants, they learn that they have more in common than they believe.

However, by expressing differences in a safe place, these students are able to learn, understand and achieve what we all want: shalom, salaam, peace.

Kids4Peace teaches that acknowledging our differences is OK and even enriches our lives as long as we are able to understand and learn from one another. So when Kids4Peace Atlanta accepted the offer to host 100-plus Jewish teens in a mosque to learn about Islam, we were thrilled! This would be a great opportunity for Jewish teens to meet with Muslim teens in a safe environment.

As part of the experience, the teens were invited into the sanctuary and taught about the mosque and some of the foundational beliefs of Islam. It was an eye-opening experience and one that these teens will never forget.

For example, despite what many have been led to believe in the news, one misconception among some of the teens was the relationship between the different faiths. The teens were taught that Islam, as it is understood in North 4 America and many other places in

the world, explicitly condemns killing others. While there may be other readings in the holy Quran that invite some kind of violence (as is true in the Jewish and Christian Bibles), it is important to focus on the voices that

GUEST COLUMN

By Rabbi Erin Boxt rabbiboxt@kolemeth.net

teach understanding and love rather than violence and hate.

In the holy Quran, Muslims are taught, “Verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians — all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds — shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.” (Surah 2, Ayah 62) Another verse from the holy Quran, “If anyone slays a human being — unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth — it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind” (Surah 5, Ayah 32), should be recognized by Jews as one of the most important teachings of Judaism (Mishna Sanhedrin, Chapter 4:5).

How amazing it was when the teens (Jews, Christians and Muslims) broke into smaller groups and had the opportunity to ask questions and get to know one another? It was especially heartwarming to see that in just a few hours these teens were able to make relationships that will last well beyond their first meeting.

Please go to our website, www. k4p.org/Atlanta, to learn more about our programs and ways in which you can get involved. ■

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

How amazing was it when the teens broke into smaller groups and had the opportunity to ask questions?

AJT

Rabbi Erin Boxt serves Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb and is a member of the Atlanta board of Kids4Peace.

NFTY Praises Atlanta

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

A

tlanta made a lasting impression on the Reform movement’s youth organization during the biennial North American Federation of Temple Youth Convention over Presidents’ Day weekend.

“It’s already been a couple of weeks, and it’s amazing to think how these immersive experiences allow us to imprint on the participants and others the real gift of being Jewish,” Miriam Chilton, the director of operations, strategy and finance for the Union for Reform Judaism’s camp, Israel and youth programs, said in an interview.

She praised Atlanta’s welcoming attitude, facilities to meet the needs of the 1,000 teens and 200 professionals at the convention, and diversity of learning and service opportunities.

“Atlanta proved to be an exceptional location to gather, not because you had incredible hotel capacity, but because of our opportunity to take advantage of what the city had to offer,” Chilton said. She noted that the convention, based at the Marriott Marquis downtown, provided 25 options for programs around the city Feb. 15, including a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church that featured a sermon by The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg.

The Ebenezer service provided an only-in-Atlanta way to highlight Reform efforts in interfaith and race relations. Similarly, the closing plenary of the convention showcased NFTY’s top service project in the South, Camp Jenny, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend at Camp Coleman in Cleveland. Campers and teachers from the Atlanta elementary school that works with NFTY attended the convention session and joined in the celebration of NFTY’s 75th anniversary.

It was an opportunity to show off Camp Jenny, Chilton said, “as an example of the kind of important work that we do but also as a way to celebrate the hundreds of volunteers who make that happen.”

The weather was colder than normal for Atlanta, but Chilton said the chill helped make the Sunday night concert at Zoo Atlanta more memorable — along with a surprise appearance by Guster, which was in town for a show that weekend and whose members are alumni of a Reform summer

Miriam Chilton

camp. “It happened to have been one of the coldest days in a long time, and it was quite remarkable to see a thousand teens who persevered and found the joy of the pandas and being together in that space even though it was incredibly freezing.”

The convention came at an important time for NFTY. Thanks to the URJ’s strategic emphasis on developing youth professionals and increased investment in youth programs, Chilton said, the convention marked an attendance increase of almost 25 percent among the professionals and around 15 percent for the teens.

The convention also helped launch NFTY’s first mission statement: “As a teen-powered movement, NFTY builds strong, welcoming communities that inspire and engage our peers. Together, we pursue youth empowerment, personal growth, tikkun olam, and deep connections rooted in Reform Judaism.”

The feedback to the mission statement has been interesting because it has come from teens, alumni, parents and other stakeholders, Chilton said.

That statement and the NFTY Convention’s convergence with the BBYO International Convention at the Hyatt Regency, next to the Marriott Marquis, facilitated NFTY’s participation in the Coalition of Jewish Teens. BBYO convened the CJT among the five major Jewish youth movements: BBYO, NFTY, USY, NCSY and Young Judaea.

Chilton said the CJT’s initial 24hour meeting succeeded because it allowed the teens’ voices to be heard. Too often, she said, adults focus on what separates the movements instead of the ways they can work together.

“Being able to support them is incredibly exciting,” she said. “So many young people are not yet engaged in those activities.”

The biennial NFTY Convention moves around North America to give equal access to all regions, so Chilton couldn’t say when the gathering will return to Atlanta. “It was an incredibly positive experience,” she said, “and we would be very interested in returning as soon as we can.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Winner, Winner, Purim Dinner

PUBLISHER MICHAEL A. MORRIS

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Contributors This Week MILES ALEXANDER APRIL BASLER DAVID BENKOF RABBI ERIN BOXT SUZI BROZMAN SAM FISHMAN JORDAN GORFINKEL LEAH HARRISON MARCIA JAFFE KEVIN MADIGAN LOGAN C. RITCHIE MINDY RUBENSTEIN EUGEN SCHOENFELD CHANA SHAPIRO

J

ewish Kids Groups teamed up with the culinary minds behind acclaimed Emory delicatessen the General Muir to host a hamantashen bake-off as part of JKG’s adults-only Purim party fundraiser Feb. 28.

More than 70 people enjoyed the Saturday night festivities at the Decatur Arthouse, complete with karaoke, a photo booth, and lots of succulent sweet and savory hamantashen.

“Our Purim party was a great success,” event chairwoman Amanda Marks said. “We had amazing support from the entire community and not just JKG parents. We will definitely do this again next year.”

JKG is Atlanta’s only independently run Hebrew and Sunday school and is based in the Morningside neighborhood. The organization welcomes affiliated and unaffiliated families into a warm, immersive community.

See more Purim photos on Page 20, plus a special Purim surprise on Pages 18 and 19. ■ Hamantashen bake-off winner Elizabeth Lenhard and her husband, Paul Donsky, pose with judges Ben and Jennifer Johnson from the General Muir. Lenhard won the contest with her now-famous Chocolate & Schmear and Cherry Bim Cherry Bomb hamantashen.

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LOCAL LOCAL NEWS NEWS

BBYO Winning Streak Survives

Meredith Galanti rides floor nomination to election as international mazkirah

By April Basler abasler@atljewishtimes.com

A

tlanta’s streak of representation on BBYO’s international board was in jeopardy at the International Convention over Presidents’ Day weekend; no local was even running.

Then the Atlanta Council B’nai B’rith Girls president, Amanda Abes, nominated Meredith Galanti, 17, of Sandy Springs for BBG international mazkirah (secretary) from the floor of the convention at the Hyatt Regency downtown. And the streak continued.

Meredith, a junior at the Weber School and a member of Congregation Or VeShalom, was elected with little time to prepare and with no experience as a mazkirah for her chapter and or the Atlanta Council BBG. She was given only one minute to speak to the voting delegates about her qualifications.

David Hoffman, the BBYO director at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, said the two candidates nominated in advance got to make widely distributed two-minute videos about themselves and could speak to the convention for up to five minutes.

“Winning an election with the limited resources she had compared to her competition … demonstrates the esteemed status she had already made for herself on the international level, the faith the voting body placed in her to be able to succeed in any task she undertakes, and the tangible success she has achieved in her 2½ years as a leader in Atlanta Council BBYO,” he said.

The daughter of Charlene and Irwin Galanti is a legacy BBYO member.

Her father and several cousins were in BBYO in Atlanta, and her aunt was the Atlanta Council president.

group we realized that we all Now she’s carryhave the same goals and ideas, ing on a legacy of Atand we even wrote a mission lanta leadership on the statement together and created international level. Her a Facebook group,” Meredith win marks the fourth said. “We all have the same consecutive year of an purpose of getting more JewAtlantan on BBYO’s inish teens involved and helping ternational board. grow the Jewish community. It’s “It’s very rare. It great now that we broke down speaks volumes of our the barriers that were between community here and each group before, and now how strong of a Jewish we’re working together. We can community we have only be so much stronger.” here in Atlanta,” MerHoffman expects great edith said. “It shows the Jason Dixson Photography things from the new mazkirah. whole world that esMatt Rabinowitz of AZA and Meredith Galanti of BBG are “I have been working very sential feeling that we the newly elected international mazkirim for BBYO. closely with teens around the have by being a part of world for the past eight years the Atlanta Jewish community and the strength and support gies and efforts,” Meredith said. “I’m and am very aware that Meredith is we have here. It shows the impact we also excited to connect with Jewish among the best we have to offer,” Hoffwant to make, not just in Atlanta, but teens from different communities, man said. “All of Atlanta Council BBYO throughout America and around the especially with all the rise in violence is honored to have her representing us world.” and anti-Semitism across the nation. on the international level for the next Meredith, a member of BBG chap- It’s the time to act on this. The theme of year, and I am personally very excited ter Lehavah, No. 2527, previously held International Convention this year was to see all that she will accomplish.”

Meredith’s uncertain about life the position of gizborit (treasurer). stronger together, and I feel that this is after high school but said that being in“I ran for international mazkirah the year to do that.” because I wanted to have the opportuMeredith was pleased with how IC volved in BBYO has shaped her Jewish nity to work on the international scale turned out. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime identity and prepared her with leaderfor a position that I love doing. I’ll get experience,” she said. “We had over 210 ship skills and friendships.

“Once you graduate high school, to work with teens from 20 different Atlanta teens, which doubles our numcountries and with over 50 girls from ber from last year at IC. It was so great it doesn’t end here. It’s not like a class in Hebrew school. The networking, the United States as well,” she said. welcoming everyone.”

“There’s so many opportunities that At the start of IC, Meredith was in- friendships and ideas and the way will come from it.” volved in the Coalition of Jewish Teens, that you’ve developed your own Jewish Her position is responsible for all which brought together members of identity continues to grow from high BBYO communications and fundrais- the five major Jewish youth movements school and onward,” Meredith said. ing and for coordinating the interna- for 24 hours to strategize ways to work “There are also so many opportunities tional leadership training conference, together to build a stronger, united to be involved later on too. It allows a BBYO summer program.

Jewish community. Meredith said she everyone to have their own individual connection and find what interests “I’m excited to work with all my thinks the CJT was successful.

American counterparts as well as the “Oftentimes if we’re in different them in the Jewish community and be international teens to grow our com- youth groups, we don’t get to interact able to carry that out throughout the munications and fundraising strate- as much, but coming together in this rest of their lives.” ■

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MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

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AJT 6

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL LOCAL NEWS NEWS

Dawgs Pound Home Support for Israel Student government calls for more study abroad show student support.

With the SGA president’s signature, the resolution will go to the interhe University of Georgia became national office. a national pro-Israel leader Feb. “We really hope we can turn the 24 when its Student Government passage of this resolution into tangible Association passed a resolution calling results,” Palte said. for an expansion of study abroad opThe whole process of drafting and portunities in Israel. enacting the resolution took about According to three weeks, he the organization said. He credited Students Supthe guidance and porting Israel, the support of SGA resolution was President Drew the first supportJacoby. ing Israel to pass The resoluon an American tion was sponcampus in 2015. sored by two The resolution student senators, countered the Ryne Wages and trend of student Molly Malone. governments con“ W e ’ r e sidering measures lucky to have from the boycott, such a supportdivestment and ive government sanction (BDS) at the Univermovement to resity of Georgia,” Students Supporting Israel’s co-presidents duce or eliminate Schewitz said. at UGA are Lara Schewich and Eytan Palte. ties to Israel.

Palte said he The resoludidn’t know the tion was the work of the Students Sup- resolution was setting a national trend, porting Israel chapter at UGA, which but he hopes UGA serves as a model for Lara Schewitz, a senior from Charlotte, other universities. and Eytan Palte, a junior from Atlanta, He said the resolution had the founded this school year and lead as encouragement of Students Supportco-presidents. They said the resolution ing Israel’s national president, Valeria was not a response to any BDS pressure Chazin. on the Athens campus.

UGA has one of 30 Students Sup“We just wanted to show that the porting Israel chapters in North AmerUniversity of Georgia has a strong pro- ica and the only one in Georgia. The Israel presence,” Schewitz said. Palte nearest chapters are at the University drafted the resolution, which passed by of Tennessee and University of North unanimous consent. It says the Univer- Carolina at Charlotte. sity of Georgia SGA “supports expandSchewitz said she knew Students ing study abroad opportunities in Is- Supporting Israel co-founder Ilan rael for students across all focus areas, Sinelnikov from pro-Israel events in graduate and undergraduate.”

Washington and had served with Palte Palte said the study abroad pro- on the board of UGA’s Dawgs for Israel, gram provides a good framework for and they decided to bring the new orgathe resolution because it promotes nization to Athens. connections between the university “It’s awesome to be able to utilize and Israel and because the student other SSI chapters internationally,” government isn’t calling for an entirely Schewitz said. new program. UGA’s College of Public The chapter works with three Health has a summer program in Is- other pro-Israel groups on campus, rael.

Christians United for Israel, AIPAC and The resolution didn’t draw much Dawgs for Israel, and is interested in discussion before its passage, Palte reaching out to other organizations. said. The main question was why pro“It’s kind of revitalized and injectponents took the issue to the student ed some new energy to pro-Israel supgovernment instead of going straight port on campus,” Palte said. “There was to the university’s international educa- a lot of silent support.” tion office. Palte said the reason was to They said they’ve had excellent at-

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tendance at their events, starting with a peaceful demonstration for Israel that drew almost 100 students at the Arch.

Other events have included a film screening and speakers such as a former Jerusalem Post correspondent and an Israel Defense Forces reservist.

Palte said the most successful

event was an Israel advocacy workshop, and Schewitz said the group reaches thousands by frequently posting articles on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/StudentsSupporting-Israel-at-the-University-ofGeorgia/957015670990965).

“So far,” she said, “it’s been really amazing.”■

The Davis Academy Presents

Sunday, March 15 at 1:00 and 7:00 pm Monday, March 16 at 6:30 pm Davis Academy Middle School 7901 Roberts Drive, Atlanta 30350 Order tickets online at: http://www.seatyourself.biz/davisacademy

Based on the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture and the Book by William Steig Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Music by Jeanine Tesori Originally produced on Broadway by DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions

Proud Affiliate of:

www.davisacademy.org

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 7

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

From BTs to FFBs

Tenenbaum lecturer explores the bungee jump of becoming frum

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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mory’s annual Tenenbaum Family Lecture took Jewish Atlantans inside the world of BTs and FFBs. As explained by lecturer Sarah Bunin Benor, an associate professor of contemporary Jewish studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Los Angeles campus, BTs are ba’alei teshuva, or Jews who moved to Orthodoxy from little or no observance, and FFBs are Jews who are frum from birth, or Orthodox their whole lives.

How BTs adapt to and even pass within the FFB society was the focus of Benor’s 2012 Sami Rohr Prize-winning book, “Becoming Frum,” and of her lecture of the same name Feb. 26.

Benor concentrated on the clues from language and compared the BT process to those displayed by Eliza Doolittle fitting into the upper class in “My Fair Lady,” new parents communicating with their babies and medical students adjusting to the jargon of their chosen profession.

In each case, people face an unfamiliar world with its own language and rules, and the newcomers just want to fit in.

For the newly Orthodox, Benor’s research in a community near Phila-

delphia in 2001-02 found two general approaches to deal with their new social circle: hyperaccommodation and deliberate distinctiveness.

Hyperaccommodation is the effort to be more Orthodox than the Orthodox to avoid doing or saying anything that falls short of the FFB standard.

Benor said the attitude shows in a couple of BT jokes: • How many BTs does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: You mean you can do that?

• A BT couple moves into a new home in a frum community and meticulously unpacks and settles in. The wife takes out a spoon to eat a dairy snack, only to realize she used a meat spoon. “That’s it,” the husband says.

“We’re moving.”

The point is that BTs often stand out from FFBs by going too far for fear of doing or saying something wrong and emphasizing their BT status. But going to Orthodox extremes often ends up setting them apart from FFBs anyway, Benor said.

Women, for example, will doublecover their heads by wearing hats and wigs.

In speech, BTs will take the Yeshivish (yeshiva English) dialect to an extreme by adopting Yiddish grammar and phrasing, peppering their speech with “baruch HaShem,” overempha-

what she described was more like a bungee than a yo-yo, the term she had used.

A new BT will often dive right into Orthodoxy and adopt hyperaccommodation, then bounce back to deliberate distinctiveness before settling into a lifestyle matching that of surrounding FFBs. Benor said she believes that BTs have influenced frum culture by broadening it, especially in the variety of kosher food.

Photo by Michael Jacobs Where Middle Eastern and EastSarah Bunin Benor ern European dishes were once sizing the “t” sound at the end of some the norm, with Chinese thrown words and substituting a k for a g on in for variety, now Thai, Indian and suothers (“goink” vs. “going”), excessively shi are common. using “so,” replacing “by” with “at,” and At the same time, Benor said she adopting the Israeli hesitation click. thinks BTs are pulling the Orthodox in Deliberate distinctiveness involves a more Haredi direction. She cited the embracing BT status while accommo- example of beards in the non-Haredi dating Orthodox life. The difference community she studied near Philadelcould be subtle, such as a blue stripe phia: Many FFB men said they started around the outer edge of a black kip- growing beards because so many BTs pah, or an aspect of the pre-BT life, such with beards moved in. as wearing a frum skirt while continuStill, Benor said BTs typically reing a snowboarding hobby, showing off main a distinct group in the Orthodox an old piercing or tattoo, or incorporat- community. Marriage matches being Indian spices into gefilte fish. tween BTs and FFBs are rare, and even What often happens, Benor said, the children of BTs sometimes face is a bungee effect, a term she credited trouble getting into the best yeshivas to an unnamed Emory student who and being matched with multigenerasuggested at a lecture 12 years ago that tional FFBs. ■

SOJOURN Journeys to Birmingham

Long-term project will measure how welcoming Jewish community is

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

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MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

fter 14 years in Atlanta, the leading Southern organization providing education and support for sexual diversity is expanding into Birmingham.

SOJOURN is launching a citywide Welcoming Communities Project in Alabama’s largest city. While it is not the first time SOJOURN (www.sojourngsd. org) has done work outside Atlanta, it’s the first time the group has worked with multiple agencies within a single Jewish community.

A kickoff event for the project was held Feb. 23 at the Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham. The event included a screening of the film “Straightlaced — How Gender’s Got Us 8 All Tied Up” and a discussion afterward

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featuring the film’s creators.

“We were looking at what Birmingham would be most interested and receptive to doing,” SOJOURN Assistant Director Robbie Medwed said.

“They came back to us with the idea of the entire community getting involved.

So we adapted the Welcoming Synagogues Project into the Welcoming Communities Project. We will be going through the program as a large group and community and then splitting off to their individual agencies to make sure that they all fit together.”

In Birmingham, SOJOURN sees an opportunity to work with community leaders, educators and clergy to make sure that every member of the community feels safe and accepted for who they are. Together with Levite JCC M.O.R.E. (Membership, Outreach, Retention and Engagement), the or-

ganization plans to undertake several projects in the Birmingham Jewish community, including: • Creating welcoming language on websites and in marketing materials.

• Reviewing organization membership documents for inclusive language.

• Incorporating language that is inclusive into worship content and educational curricula.

• Conducting at least two seminars or educational workshops that are communitywide.

• Updating and expanding nondiscrimination policies.

• Affirming that synagogue clergy will perform lifecycle rituals for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Jews.

“This is an exciting time for the city of Birmingham with its progressive growth and development,” said Monika

Flurer, the director of JCC M.O.R.E. “We here at the Levite Jewish Community Center are honored to be able to show our support of the community by welcoming SOJOURN to Birmingham with open arms. The J is open to everyone, and this is yet another step to strengthen our claim.”

An expansion to Birmingham could be a big step forward for SOJOURN,­which began as the Rainbow Center in 2001. Executive Director Rebecca Stapel-Wax said plans are in place for growth into other Southeastern cities.

“We have many connections already in New Orleans, Mobile and Memphis,” she said. “We’re already starting a project in Asheville, North Carolina, and we have some connections in Miami as well, so we have a lot of work ahead of us.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Remembering Rashi

New Torah, campus groundbreaking part of Chabad yahrzeit event pledged toward the $4 million goal to build the new complex and retire old capital debt. amily and friends of Rashi The capital campaign and the Minkowicz spearheaded a project writing of the Torah scroll will come to write and complete a new To- together March 8. The 1 ceremony will rah scroll in her memory. include the groundbreaking for Rashi’s The beloved Chabad emissary, Campus and the siyum (completion celwife and mother of eight died suddenly ebration) for Rashi’s Torah.

The events that day also include a 5K race dubbed Run for Rashi, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Newton Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, Alpharetta.

Rabbi Minkowicz and his boys will read from the new Torah regularly. In fact, it will be small enough Rebbetzin Rashi Minkowicz left behind eight children and a that all of her boys, husband in addition to hundreds of friends and supporters. including the youngest ones, ages 3 and 5, will last March at age 37. be able to perform gelilah (wrapping The first letters were written at after reading). the memorial and tribute event for her “This Sefer Torah will eternalize April 3, 2014. The completion of the To- the memory of a shlucha taken from rah will be Sunday, March 8, at 1 p.m. at her family and her community,” said the synagogue in connection with her Rabbi Yossi New of Chabad of Georgia. first yahrzeit (death anniversary).

“A shlucha who inspired a community With her husband, Rabbi Hirshy and, with her passing, inspired the Minkowicz, she built a vibrant commu- world.” nity from the ground up after arriving As a result of her death, more than in the Atlanta area in 1998.

400 Torah and tea groups — something Rabbi Minkowicz, who continues Rashi was known for hosting and was to direct Chabad of North Fulton with in the midst of preparing the evening the support of the community, flew she died — have sprung up throughout with his children to New York to be Atlanta and around the world, as have with family, including Rashi’s parents, many other projects in her memory. for the yahrzeit.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Rabbi “There is so much we are expe- Chaim Meir and Sara Lieberman, riencing as a family as we observe Rashi Minkowicz grew up as one of Rashi’s first yahrzeit,” Rabbi Minkow- 17 siblings in a home that was open to icz said. “It is so hard to believe that it long- and short-term guests around the has already been a full year. clock.

“But all things considered, I am An active leader who inspired very grateful to G-d for giving us the many people to become closer to Judastrength that we needed to pull through ism, Rashi led the community in buildthe first year. I am also very grateful for ing a beautiful, state-of-the art mikvah, all the family out of town and the won- which she operated with pride and derful community and friends here in care. She also directed the communiAlpharetta and metro Atlanta. I have ty’s Gan Israel summer day camp and no doubt that we wouldn’t be where we its Hebrew school, as well as planned are today without all of them.” and executed countless women’s Her family and community have events and holiday programs. also launched an ambitious project: While preparing Purim celebrabuilding an extensive new campus tions last year for children and adults, for Chabad of North Fulton dedicated as well as preparing for Torah and tea, in her memory. According to www. the busy mother died suddenly March rashiscampus.com, $3 million has been 11.

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“As a rebbetzin and leader of community, you pretty much live in two worlds, your family life and your public life,” Rabbi Minkowicz said. “The event Sunday will be the most befitting tribute to everyone Rashi touched and inspired as it includes elements reflecting her life as a mother and a commu-

nity leader.”

The event will take place at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek.

To donate or get more information, visit www.chabadnf.org, email office@chabadnf.org, or call 770-4109000. ■

Enter a young boy’s wild and surreal world of magic and adventure in this jazzy Broadway-style musical by Tony-nominated music and lyricists Pasek and Paul.

Child Tickets*s as low a

$ 20

*Adult tickets as low as $35

March 14–29 Tickets @ 404.733.5000 alliancetheatre.org/giantpeach Groups 404.733.4690 School day performances available

By Timothy Allen McDonald Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Based on the book by Roald Dahl Directed by Rosemary Newcott

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 9

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Our View

No Living Room

I

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

srael is the Jewish homeland. It’s there to welcome us if we decide to make aliyah, and its mere existence as a refuge strengthens those of us in the diaspora.

We know Israel is a tiny nation, no bigger than New Jersey, but we count on it to make room for all.

That’s why we’re alarmed by a new report from Israel’s state comptroller, Yosef Shapira, on the nation’s housing crisis.

The report draws a picture of bureaucratic inefficiencies and government mistakes that have stalled housing construction and inevitably driven up prices as demand has far outstripped supply.

From 2008 to 2013, the average cost to buy an apartment in Israel rose 55 percent, and the average monthly rent rose 30 percent.

That period includes the global recession of 2008 and 2009 that sliced U.S. home values, meaning that Americans making aliyah weren’t driving up prices by spending a glut of cash from selling their old houses.

As shown in our Feb. 6 story on Blueprint Negev, Jewish National Fund throughout that period was working hard to bring hundreds of thousands of Israelis to the southern desert. That effort and JNF’s parallel Go North project in the Galilee should have relieved the housing crunch and the price pressure.

But Shapira found that the government failed spectacularly.

It takes 12 years from the time a housing construction plan is submitted to the Israel Land Authority until the resulting home is ready for a family.

Twelve years.

Israeli housing plans could have bat mitzvah celebrations as quickly as they produce desperately needed living space.

It takes 5½ years in much of the country and seven years in the densely populated center of the nation just to gain approval of construction plans.

Those approvals take weeks or a few months in most developed nations.

The government has made a mess of its own planning, failing to coordinate between local and national agencies, failing to work across ministries, and often failing to do any multiyear forecasting.

As a result, the number of housing units approved between 2008 and 2013 — just approved, not built — fell 50,000 short of the need.

The agencies, including the Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry, do such a bad job of collecting and sharing housing information that Shapira found a dearth of quality government data to assess housing demand and prices.

The perfect expression of the problems is that on the eve of elections that could oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the comptroller couldn’t get past the end of 2013 for the report. So it’s anyone’s guess, and every politician’s grist, whether the current government is making progress.

This problem has plagued many Israeli governments and goes beyond politics. But it is vital for any Israeli prime minister to fix this mess before invit10 ing a mass exodus from Europe. ■

AJT

Looking Near or Far? It’s my belief that the AJT can survive only if we An interesting message about the Atlanta Jewish provide a unique mixture of news and views. GenerTimes arrived in my email inbox Feb. 27. A Marietta resident expressed dismay that the AJT had not done ally, that means original reporting on the stories and people close to home and original opinion pieces more to wake up our readership to the threat of a from members of our community about issues they U.S.-Iran nuclear deal. care about anywhere in the world.

“Shocking omission — inexcusable,” the man We can provide interesting, original stories wrote. about people and events outside Georgia, especially I replied that there hadn’t been much actual in Israel. You saw it last news regarding Iran’s month when we wrote nuclear program and the about efforts to expand the negotiations (I don’t count EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK population in the Negev, speculation and huffing

By Michael Jacobs and you can see it in this and puffing about Benjamjacobs@atljewishtimes.com issue with articles about min Netanyahu’s speech Denmark, France and, yes, to Congress and the preNetanyahu’s speech to sumed terms of a deal that Congress. could be reached by the If a nuclear deal is reached with Iran, we’ll deadline at the end of March). We had mentioned combine the agreement’s details with local reaction the issue in some opinion pieces. to provide something you won’t find elsewhere. But That didn’t sit well with my correspondent. during the negotiations we can’t offer anything you “Why even call yourself a newspaper that can’t find on hundreds of websites. represents the Jewish population of Atlanta when Still, this is your newspaper, not mine, and its you pretend not to know what is going on!” he wrote.

“Our very existence is being threatened, and the best survival depends on meeting your expectations.

Sharing on Facebook, at least, indicates more interyou can do is say our editorial department handles est in national and international news than commuit on occasion. It should be cover news and the only nity stories. thing on the cover.”

We do have a broader view of what we should (He also asked whether I take myself seriously. offer online because we can be immediate and don’t He had me there: While I take this job seriously, I have to worry about limited space. In the coming don’t take myself seriously.) months, we plan to develop our website into a conI take issue with this critic’s tone, but I can’t tinually updated portal to the full world of Jewish complain about his overriding point, which is that news. any Jewish publication must focus first on threats The current vision is that the printed weekly to Israel and to the Jewish people in general because will remain focused on the Jewish Atlanta commuany other news by definition is secondary. That’s nity, but it’s up to you. Let us know what you want a reasonable view of the mission of a Jewish news to read each week, and show us what you care about organization. by sharing those stories on Twitter and Facebook.

But it’s not the mission Publisher Michael A. Eventually, you’ll get the AJT most of you want. ■ Morris and I have sketched out for the AJT.

OPINION

Time’s A-Wasting

All things it devours, birds, beasts, trees and flowers gnaws at iron, bites at steel, grinds hard Stones to meal slays kings, ruins towns, and beats high mountains down — Time — A riddle from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” The thing that I find insanely fascinating about time is we have no control over it — none, zero, not even for the briefest of instances. We can enjoy our time, we can pass our time, we can regret our time, but under no circumstance known to mankind can we get our time back. Once spent, it is gone.

The one facet of time’s kingdom we can control is how we spend it. We spend time sleeping and eating, with friends and by our lonesome, happy, angry and excited, laughing and crying, doing something enjoyable and drudging through a project, or just playing golf (those who play know that golf represents the spectrum from grand gratification to detestable disappointment, usually in one round).

I share this concept for two reasons.

First, I can think of no more important message. Spend your time

wisely and know that you are in charge of determining the definition of wise. Spend time with family, enjoy the company of friends, build something, protect people from harm, relax, enjoy the fruits of your labor — the options roam into infinity.

Do not wait to spend your time

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.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

By Michael A. Morris michael@atljewishtimes.com

wisely. There is no benefit in that plan, only regret. That does not mean every minute of your time must be happy. Oftentimes, you must work hard, study or tediously carry out an unpleasant task to accomplish a goal.

My caution to you is to not spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for future contentment. You may never get there, and when you do get there, you have spent too much of your time.

It is worth reiterating: Do not wait to spend your time wisely; there is no benefit to this course of action.

The other reason I share this with you is because it is on the top of my mind. The Atlanta Jewish Times is a monumental commitment of time by myself, Michael Jacobs and others of our staff.

I know I speak for Michael when I say that we are excited to spend our valued time working on your paper.

A relevant paper will help our community feel closer: One more child might choose to attend a Jewish camp; one more teen might elect to go on a Birthright trip; a young adult might get involved with a Jewish group that looks appealing; a community organization might receive an extra donation to assist more people this week; valuable information will be shared and opinions voiced and heard.

In the end, the world will be ever so slightly a better place. That, to me, is time well spent. I am thrilled to be the AJT’s publisher and the current shepherd of this community asset.

And I am content to spend my priceless time with you this way.

Now that I am over 50, I cannot help but look at younger people and wonder why they are wasting so much time. I suspect my father said the same thing about me at one time. ■

Music of Resistance and Survival: A Holocaust Remembrance Concert (Final Concert of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival)

Monday, March 23, 2015 | 8 p.m.

FREE with Registration: musicKSU.com The Temple 1589 Peachtree St NE Atlanta, GA 30309

Proudly Produced by:

musicKSU.com

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

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ime, what could be more important? Nothing, I will argue.

We all know what time is.

We keep track of it down to the second and check it hundreds of times a day.

Our daily schedules revolve around it.

We understand the spectrum of time from a million years down to a nanosecond, yet its true meaning is virtually impossible to comprehend. Whether you are always on time or disregard it as best you can, we all have one thing in common: We want more time.

Humans, I believe, are the only animal to record the passing of time.

My dog is never late. He is hungry at the same time every day, but I don’t think he understands the cycle (in deference to my dog, maybe he is hungry all the time).

Mitch Albom stumbled on a key when he wrote in “The Time Keeper”: “Man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures; a fear of time running out.” How revealing yet sobering.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

The Rise of Universal Hope The first part of this essay on hope appeared online (atlantajewishtimes. com/2015/03/jewish-hope-tragedy).

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MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

here isn’t a more poignant expression of the loss and the hope of regaining of freedom than one written by Jeremiah.

Imagine the prophet standing on a high cliff and watching the first Jewish tragedy unfold. On the road below, our people are being taken captive. Jeremiah seeks to bring comfort and hope and prophesizes: A voice is heard in Ramah (Rachel’s tomb). Rachel is crying for her children, and she refuses to be consoled. And the Lord speaks to her: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from shedding tears, there is reward for your labor. … They shall return from the enemy’s land, and there is hope for your future. … Your children will return to their country.”

Similarly, Isaiah loudly proclaims: “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your G-d, speak tenderly to Jerusalem and declare to her that her term of service is over, that her sin is expiated.”

And of course Ezekiel in the prophecy in the valley of the dry bones declares G-d’s words: “O my people, I will bring you into the land of Israel.”

The words of these prophets never left my memory, even in the midst of the darkness in the concentration camps. They were in my consciousness in 1948 as I sat in my room in Germany, listening to the account of the United Nations’ vote for the establishment of Israel a scant three years after my liberation.

As the nations voted, I was repeating Jeremiah: “Kol beRamah nishmah bechee tamrurim.”

What a joyful end, for indeed Rachel’s cry was heard, and we were about to return to our land.

Tikvah, hope, is an essential entity that makes adjustment to life’s problems possible.

I still recite to myself the adage that my grandmother instilled in me and that upheld me in the many horrendous life situations in the concentration camps and with the difficult life conditions that I faced as I struggled to rebuild my life afterward.

She taught me that money lost doesn’t matter, but when hope is lost, all is 12 lost.

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worldview, why did the Orthodox, especially the Hassidim, intensely hate the Zionists? Why did the Munkacser rebbe encourage his disciples to attend the Russian schools rather than the Hebrew gymnasium?

To answer, I must begin by defining the nature of hope.

actualized that hope. Notice that the Haggadah, the book we read on Passover, does not mention Moses. The rabbis wanted to ensure that G-d alone received credit for the Jews’ departure from Egypt.

Traditional Jews believe that the Jews’ suffering is the consequence of having sinned; that is, G-d punished Jews for their disregard of the commandments, especially for their attempt to become modern.

Many rabbis have proposed that the Holocaust was a punishment because Jews violated the laws and sinned and in so doing violated the covenant with G-d.

This perspective is central in the holiday Mussaf service, which states: “And because of our sins we were exiled from our country and alienated from our land.”

In the past when a calamity fell on the Jews, it was taken for granted that it was G-d’s punishment, and they hoped through confession, prayer

Hope is a feeling, a desire and an expectation for a certain condition to happen. It is important to understand that hope arises when conditions of life are bad and we want them improved. I must further propose that hope comes when it is assumed that the undesirable conditions cannot be altered by human beings but can be changed through the intervention of a transcendental entity.

For religious people in general, such intervention will come from G-d. Secularists and Zionists for the most part believe that change comes through human action.

For traditional Jews the departure from Egypt serves as the model of ­G-d’s­­action on behalf of his people, and it was He and He alone who

and above all teshuvah, a return to the proper way of life, to make the relationship with G-d whole and cease the alienation from G-d. Rabbinic teaching made us believe that if we do teshuvah, all our problems will be solved by G-d.

The rise of Zionism created a more secular form of Jewish identity.

While Zionists and traditionalists disagreed on the nature of being Jewish, both shared a common history and hence a common national hope of returning to our own land.

Zionist ideals reflected a more secular, national Judaism and opposed the Orthodox view of a return to a theocracy. Moreover, Zionists didn’t subscribe to the view that Jews must be slaves to the concept of a punitive

It is the opposite of the view of Dante, who proposed the following inscription on the gates of hell: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. To my grandmother, hell is perhaps the place where hope is most needed.

I wish to talk about our collective hope, not personal hope.

If hope is central to the Jewish

ONE MAN’S OPINION Eugen Schoenfeld

G-d, nor did their hopes in G-d extend to an agent who would actualize their hope and bring them back to the land through a messiah in his own good time.

Zionists believed in the hope that their achievement of independence would be based not on an anthropomorphic G-d, but on the powerful transcendental ideal of the moralethical principle of justice. This belief proposed that all people who share a common culture and history have the moral right to live in their own land.

Zionists didn’t believe in the legend of the coming of the messiah.

Rather, they believed in the idea that nations subscribing to the moral-ethical principle of justice will inevitably follow an evolutionary path that will lead to a messianic period. This hope was shared by the many nations that believed in the creation of the United Nations.

As I see it, this Zionist view is not strange to Judaism; roots are firmly planted in the ancient aggadot and midrashim. When G-d gave the Israelites the Torah, we are told, He became like the Jews: bound to the principle of moral justice.

This idea is evident in the belief that Jews can demand that G-d follow the laws He himself crafted.

In a number of legends we are told that G-d was brought to a beit din (Jewish court) as a defendant accused of violating his own moral laws. In a way, therefore, G-d is also subservient to a transcendent ideal: moral justice.

The early Zionists placed their hope in the same transcendent principle of universal justice. The future of human beings cannot exist by the rule of power; it will not reside in weaponry but in the subscription to justice and human rights. This was Herzl’s dream, which led me to hope that the world would grant Israel the same status as it granted Switzerland, with the right to live in peace and to become a spiritual country for Jews and everyone.

Early Zionism’s hope was based on the dreams of Isaiah, Micah and Joel, who believed that in the end of days people would turn swords into plowshares, nation would not teach other nations war, and everyone would live securely under a fig tree.

Our old hope has to some extent been realized, and now we need a new hope. Let it be the prophetic dream I mentioned before. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

AIPAC Opens With Tough Line on Iran

S

unday, March 1, was my first day ever going to the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. I am here with my father, which is great because we are able to discuss and analyze everything we see and hear.

My immediate impression of the conference was its sheer size. It is a truly incredible thought that 16,000 proIsrael activists from all across America spend three days together learning, discussing, and, most important, advocating for Israel. It was inspiring to see such a wide variety of people there.

The fact that Jews, Christians, African-Americans, college students, high school students and many other groups can come together and voice their support for Israel is truly special.

The general session March 1 started at 9:30 a.m. with two notable speakers whom I am very familiar with, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

Both reiterated their unwavering support for Israel.

They focused their bipartisan support on ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. The two of them mentioned that they are both proponents for accepting only a deal that ensures Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, both senators said, they will vote to increase sanctions and apply pressure on Iran to make more concessions.

The next great speaker, and undoubtedly the best one we saw, was Bret Stephens from The Wall Street Journal.

He sat on a panel with three other gentlemen, including the moderator, Josh Block, the CEO of The Israel Project.

I was an avid fan of Stephens’ work before I saw him at the Policy Conference, but he exceeded all expectations. He articulates his points in such a straightforward and intellectual manner. It was quite refreshing to see after being around the political correctness of Capitol Hill for some time.

Stephens discussed issues ranging from the nuclear negotiations with Iran to the rise of Islamic State and the upcoming Israeli elections. The point he made that sticks out in my mind is that Islamic State could easily be defeated militarily. It has guns, but we have bigger and better ones. But the Islamic State ideology will be difficult to conquer.

Stephens has been an outspoken critic of the Obama administration, and that was quite evident in his AIPAC appearance. He indirectly called the administration out when saying that Islamic State’s ideology does not stem from radical Islam but from Islam itself. It is a point that I believe people need to start accepting to clear the path for Islamic State’s defeat.

Stephens provided more insight on the foreign policy issues that America and Israel face than I ever could have gotten anywhere else.

(The next day, in a conversation with Atlanta Jewish Times Publisher Michael A. Morris, Stephens discussed how he would combat the problem of pervasive political correctness in the world.

(Stephens said that he once shared a podium with a woman who offered a great answer to that question: We must create a pedagogy of insulting to counter the current trend. He cited “South Park” as an example of something that is universally offensive but not hated.)

Along with hearing those es-

teemed experts, I had the honor of seeing a close friend of mine from the University of Maryland, which I attend: Michael Krasna. Michael, the president of Terps for Israel, the student AIPAC group at Maryland, spoke in a breakout session on high school advocacy.

Israel advocacy in high school and college is an important issue today because of the rise of anti-Semitism across the world, and it was great to see Michael combat it at the AIPAC Policy Conference. ■

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ISRAEL

Netanyahu Urges Nuke Deal Israel Can Live With

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found a warm if less-thancapacity reception March 3 for a message of standing tough against Iran.

It is wrong to think the United States and other Western powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program must choose between what he considers a bad deal and war, Netanyahu said. He urged tougher negotiating to get a deal that Israel and other Middle East nations can live with.

Netanyahu’s appearance before a joint session of Congress came at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner without the involvement of the White House, which refused to meet with the prime minister. President Barack Obama criticized giving Netanyahu such a platform two weeks before Israel’s elections.

Netanyahu apologized for the controversy and praised Obama for his support of Israel, including littleknown and secret things the president has done to help the Jewish state.

Nonetheless, some 50 Democratic lawmakers, including Atlanta Rep. John Lewis, skipped the speech.

Those who were there greeted Netanyahu with applause and handshakes for at least four minutes as he entered and interrupted him with

Netanyahu said the prorepeated standing posed deal would pave Iran’s ovations during his path to nuclear weapons and 40-minute speech. set off a nuclear arms race in “No matter on the volatile Middle East. He which side of the aisle rejected the idea that a lenient you sit, you stand with deal would encourage change Israel,” Netanyahu told when it would give Iran prosCongress, adding that perity at home to go with its the alliance between aggression abroad. the United States and No deal is better than a Israel always has been bad deal, Netanyahu said. “This and always should be is a bad deal, a very bad deal.” above politics.

Screen grab from www.speaker.gov/live Netanyahu proposed takBy contrast, he Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and House Speaker ing a tougher line with Iran by said, Iran is “clutching John Boehner shake hands after Netanyahu’s speech March 3. insisting that it stop its aggresIsrael with three tension against its neighbors, stop tacles of terrorism.” tals, Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and But he emphasized that Iran is no Sana‘a, and warned that Tehran will supporting global terrorism and stop more Israel’s problem than the Nazis become more aggressive if a deal frees threatening to annihilate Israel before any deal. He said Iran won’t walk away were a Jewish problem. He listed the it from economic sanctions. many ways in which Iran has attacked He criticized the reported param- over tough terms because it is desperthe United States and other nations eters of the pending deal between the ate to lift the sanctions.

Netanyahu hinted that Israel since its Islamic revolution in 1979, United States and Iran, which faces a which he said hijacked a talented peo- deadline at the end of March. He said could live with letting Iran keep its cenple and a great civilization. the first problem is that the deal would trifuges on one condition: The restric“We must all stand together to stop allow Iran to run thousands of centri- tions on the nuclear program must Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation fuges for refining uranium while keep- remain in place until Iran changes its and terror,” he said, adding that the ing thousands of others intact, pro- behavior, however long that takes.

Netanyahu called attention to Nocurrent regime will always be an en- viding a breakout period to achieve a bel laureate Elie Wiesel in the audience emy of the United States. While Iran nuclear weapon of less than a year. is fighting Islamic State terrorists, the Even in the unlikely event that and cited the lesson of the Holocaust battle is over who will reign over a mili- Iran obeyed such a deal, Netanyahu that the Jewish people never again will tant Islamic empire. In this case, “the said, the agreement would expire in be passive in the face of genocide.

“Even if Israel must stand alone,” enemy of your enemy is your enemy.” a decade and allow Iran to resume its Netanyahu accused Iran of seizing march toward nuclear weapons with- the prime minister said, “Israel will stand.” ■ control of four neighboring Arab capi- out U.S. opposition.

If I Were Bibi The following is a suggestion for what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have said when he addressed Congress on March 3.

I

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

apologize to the Congress and to the president of the United States if my appearance here today creates any discomfort to you or your country, to which Israel owes so much and for which we are grateful beyond words.

Please know my presence reflects no disrespect or intention to interfere with independent decisions by your government, which are, as they always should be, made in the best interest of your citizens.

I only ask that you recognize that my obligation is the same to the citizens of my country, Israel. In that context I must be ever cognizant that: • Israel is a small, democratic 14 country in which 6 million Jews reside

AJT

in peace with a diverse group of other Israeli citizens whom we are dedicated to protect.

• We are not a perfect country, but we try hard to be the best we can under the unique challenges we face.

• Israel lives with the knowledge that one nuclear bomb has 100 times the destructive power of the atomic

GUEST COLUMN

By Miles Alexander

bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a single attack could destroy our entire population in a second Holocaust taking the lives of 6 million Jews and millions of other innocent people.

Israel and its Jewish citizens cannot and will not stand by without tak-

ing action to stop this from happening.

“Never again” is not just a slogan but a national creed of Israel, as was “Give me liberty or give me death” for the United States.

Iran is on the verge of having the capability of delivering a bomb that can wipe the people of my country off the face of this earth, and it has many in their country willing to sacrifice their own lives and those of their families to do so.

That was not the challenge that the United States faced in the Cold War. The nuclear threat, even from an anti-religious power such as Russia, was from a people and government that placed great value on their own lives.

Thus, I pray that the president, the Congress and the people of your great country understand that my motive in speaking to you directly has no ulterior purpose other than the survival of Israel and its people.

Iran’s government has stated on numerous occasions that it is dedicated to destroying not only Israel, but all Jews. Iran and its neighbors have an abundance of people who are willing to die to do so.

I believe it would be foolhardy for me not to take them at their word.

I therefore am here with your permission and indulgence to share with you my country’s intelligence and views as to the limited time available for action or agreement that will effectively remove the threat of Iran’s nuclear capability to humanity as well as Israel.

It is, of course, your decision to do what you believe is appropriate based on your view of the credibility of this information and your alternatives, just as Israel must do the same. ■ Miles Alexander is a partner at the Atlanta office of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ISRAEL

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Safer Internet for kids. The Israeli Ministry of Education launched the annual National Week for Online Safety Education on Feb. 8. Throughout the state educational system, students engaged in classroom and online activities to increase Internet safety awareness, reduce risks and deal with harmful online incidents.

Israel moves water pumps into Gaza.

Israeli authorities helped alleviate flooding in Gaza from recent rains by transferring four pumps from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank into the Gaza Strip (contrary to a fake report from Agence France-Presse).

Israeli aid for Iraqi children. Israeli aid organization IsraAid is helping Kurdish, Yazidi and Christian refugees in northern Iraq who have escaped Islamic State rule. IsraAid founding director Shachar Zahavi said the goal is

Israeli help crucial for Nigeria. A Nigerian government spokesman has said Israel has been a crucial and loyal ally in the fight against the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram. He said Nigeria’s Israeli partners have used their experience fighting terrorism to provide necessary training and support.

Bridge to Ukrainian technology. Despite its current problems, Ukraine wants to become a startup nation like Israel. A joint program, Israel-Ukraine Tech Bridge, has started with top representatives of the Israeli tech community offering conferences in Kiev.

Natural remedies for pests. Israel’s Bio-Bee plant in Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu is leading the operation to eradicate Israel’s infestation by the Asian palm weevil. Bio-Bee is importing from Germany 42 billion harmless nematode worms, which kill the weevil’s larvae. It is also using special odor traps from Spain.

TaxiBot towing Lufthansa jets. Lufthansa has commenced operations with the Taxibot towing system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries.

Lufthansa said TaxiBot could save 2,700 tons of fuel at the Frankfurt airport per year and reduce noise and exhaust emissions.

Touch-free smartphone wins $1 million prize. A person with a disability can operate the Israeli-developed Sesame Enable smartphone with simple

head movements. The smartphone just won the $1 million top prize in the education category of the Verizon Powerful Answers Award.

Saving the Dead Sea. Israel and Jordan have signed a historic agreement to implement the Red Sea-Dead Sea rescue pipeline project. The $800 million deal

authorizes a desalination plant in Aqaba, Jordan, that will produce fresh water to benefit both nations. The plant will have a capacity of 65 million to 80 million cubic meters (17.2 billion to 21.1 billion gallons) of drinking water.

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and other news sources.

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JNF Photo of the Week Project Wadi Attir is a groundbreaking initiative of the Bedouin community in the Negev to establish a model sustainable agricultural operation. The Sustainability Laboratory, a U.S.-based nonprofit, and the Hura Municipal Council, the governing body of a Bedouin township, initiated the project. The Jewish National Fund (www.jnf.org) has partnered with Wadi Attir as part of Blueprint Negev. Designed to leverage Bedouin traditional values and know-how, as well as cutting-edge technology, Project Wadi Attir implements holistic sustainability principles developed by the lab. The approach to sustainable development can be repeated in the Negev and in other desert regions around the world.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

Sustainable Bedouin Agriculture

AJT 15

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

WORLD NEWS

Danish Jew Is Hopeful

Danes of all faiths rally together after killing

By Suzi Brozman sbrozman@atljewishtimes.com

L

ast month I interviewed Johanna Bach-Frommer, a half-American, half-Danish woman who was a close friend of slain synagogue guard Dan Uzan. My article focused on the immediacy of his death, the pain and the details Bach-Frommer could add to the sparse information available through international media.

But we also talked at length about what is on everybody’s minds these days: How do Denmark’s Jews cope with what seems to be an inhospitable environment? How do they get along with the Muslim population? What is life like in a community under siege?

Denmark’s prime minister has promised loudly and often to protect the Jews. They are Danes, citizens and an integral part of Denmark’s fabric.

Many Danish Jews are furious at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suggesting that the country’s, and the entire continent’s, Jewish population should immigrate to Israel.

“We are Danes, and we are at

Jewish is a nonissue here ordinarily. We aren’t supposed to wear a chai, a kippah, a Star of David right now. There’s no need to provoke people, and no one can guarantee safety in this case.”

Despite the closing of Copenhagen’s one Jewish radio station and the temporary closing of the Jewish school, there is a spirit of cooperation and support between the Jewish and Muslim populations, taking advantage of organizations that exist to foster communication.

An outpouring of love and solidarity has come not just from Jews and from Muslims, but from Danes of all beliefs.

The problem, according to Photo by Kim Bach via Flickr many commentators, is the atFlowers line the fence outside Copenhagen’s titude toward Israel. Anti-Israel Grand Synagogue the day after the fatal activities and organizations have shooting of volunteer Jewish guard Dan wide government support. Israel Uzan during a bat mitzvah party Feb. 15. is accused of human rights violations, and Jews are often tainted by home,” Bach-Frommer said. “Yes, there that broad brush. are problems. Police guards with rifles It’s also an election year in Denmay have to protect schools. We don’t mark, putting extra emphasis on know for sure or for how long. Being

events and situations that hurt the Jewish population. People wonder whether the synagogue attack early Feb. 15 was a one-off Danish event or part of the series of terroristic activities across Europe.

“Denmark likes the underdog,” Bach-Frommer said. “Muslims are the Jews of the new generation, based largely on what is going on in Israel.

We need to protect the minority — the Jews are now the minority, and we need protection. But we also need to be careful that our reactions don’t become overreactions.”

She wrote on Facebook: “The lump in my throat and heart thawed when we saw the many people who came to pay their respects to Dan at the funeral today. Dan touched so many lives with his warmth and humor. As our Rabbi said, the most important thing is how we live our lives while we are here.

People came not because Dan died, but because of who he was when he was alive. Dan created joy around him. That joy and warmth is not buried with Dan today, we take it with us. Thank you Dan.” ■

‘Their Place Is in France’

French consul in Atlanta emphasizes Jewish security

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

T

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

he rise in anti-Semitism, radicalization among some Muslims and surge in anti-Muslim violence since January’s terror spree challenge a two-century effort to make French society secular.

France’s longtime commitment to secularism also complicates the nation’s response to the terrorist killings of 17 people, including four Jewish men at a kosher supermarket Jan. 9, by a trio of Islamic extremists.

The French consul general in Atlanta, Denis Barbet, noted that France doesn’t know for sure how many Muslims it has — the common estimate is 5 million — because the government doesn’t collect census data based on race or religion.

The determination to see all French citizens simply as citizens was a recurring theme during an interview with Barbet on Feb. 6. The veteran diplomat played down religion as the 16 prime motivation for anti-France and

AJT

Denis Barbet has served as France’s consul general in Atlanta since September 2012.

anti-Jewish extremism among some Muslims in his country.

“They are not disadvantaged because they’re Muslim,” Barbet said. He focused instead on a combination of economic factors, including the problems immigrants have assimilating into a new home, and he emphasized pockets of poverty in some Paris suburbs and other parts of the nation as the sources of radicalization.

Barbet said the killings in January at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher supermarket

shook the people of France and led to declarations such as French Prime Minister Manuel Valls’ statement that “France without Jews is not France.”

The consul noted the many “Je suis Juif” (I am a Jew) signs on display when millions of French people took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations Jan. 11. While he acknowledged that the attack on Charlie Hebdo was the primary motivator of the marches, Barbet said the Jewish killings drew national attention to the need to ensure the safety of the community of almost half a million Jews.

He made the connection between insecurity and the surge in French aliyah. With 7,500 new olim, France was the No. 1 source of aliyah in 2014, and the Israeli government forecast the number to rise to 10,000 in 2015 before the January attacks.

Barbet said French Jews who immigrate to Israel should make the move out of love for Israel or a quest for better economic opportunities. It’s a failure for France, he said, if they’re motivated by fear.

“They should see that their place is in France,” Barbet said. The French people “don’t have to give in to the antiSemites.”

France in recent years has acknowledged its history of anti-Semitism and is confronting what Barbet called the new anti-Semitism coming out of the Muslim community. France in December declared the fight against racism and anti-Semitism to be a national priority and is considering new laws against hate crimes.

France’s relationship with Israel also plays a factor, said Barbet, who is a Middle East specialist.

He knows Arabic, has studied Hebrew, and is a fan of Yiddish and Israeli literature. His diplomatic posts in the region since the mid-1980s have included Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

“What’s going on in the Middle East has some effect,” he said, because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict involves such strong feelings. But Barbet said France is determined not to import that conflict. ■

LOCAL NEWS

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Local Briefs

LaVista Hills Legislation Filed Reps. Tom Taylor, a Dunwoody Republican, and Scott Holcomb, a Democrat representing the Chamblee-Doraville area, introduced House Bill 520 on March 2 to create the city of LaVista Hills.

The new city would include all of Toco Hills, where LaVista Hills Yes yard signs are a common sight. LaVista Hills Yes had a car in the Beth Jacob Purim parade March 1, and the proposed city had 95 percent support in a recent survey by the Merry Hills Homeowners Association.

Under H.B. 520, a referendum among the residents of the proposed city would be held in November.

The legislation has a month to make it through both houses of the General Assembly.

“The city of LaVista Hills will benefit all of DeKalb County,” Mary Kay Woodworth, co-chairwoman of LaVista Hills Yes, said in a statement posted on Facebook. “A smarter, well managed government is good for everyone in LaVista Hills, and a successful city will help all of DeKalb County.”

Rabbis Seek Stay of Execution Rabbis Peter Berg of The Temple and Josh Lesser of Congregation Bet Haverim are among hundreds of Georgia clergy members who signed an online petition seeking to save Kelly Gissendaner from the death penalty.

Gissendaner was sentenced to death for the murder of her husband, Douglas, in 1997. She compelled her boyfriend at the time, Greg Owen, to carry out the killing. Owen is serving a life sentence with

the possibility of parole.

Gissendaner would be the first woman executed in Georgia in more than 70 years. Her execution was scheduled for Feb. 25 but delayed by winter weather.

Faith in Public Life then organized the online petition the rabbis and other clergy signed, arguing for commutation to a sentence of life without parole because Gissendaner is remorseful, has been a model prisoner and has gone through a spiritual transformation in prison.

Still, she was due for execution March 2, only to have the sentence postponed because of questions about the quality of the drug being used in the lethal injection. The execution had not been rescheduled at press time.

Sneiderman Denied Retrial While the Georgia Supreme Court remains silent about a retrial for her husband’s killer, Andrea Sneiderman has been denied a second chance to fight the perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges for which she was convicted in 2013.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams, who presided over Sneiderman’s trial, heard her appeal Feb. 3 and ruled Feb. 17 that she did not deserve a retrial. Sneiderman’s appeal claimed that Adams improperly instructed the jury, that the evidence did not support her conviction, that her testimony was not material to the case against murderer Hemy Neuman, and that the state was improperly arguing in favor of the importance of her testimony while also arguing before the state Supreme Court that her testimony didn’t make a difference in Neuman’s conviction.

The perjury conviction depends on Sneiderman’s testimony during Neuman’s trial being material to the case, and the jury had ample evidence to conclude that it was, Adams found. But he wrote that the legal standard for material is different from the standard for essential, which is an issue in Neuman’s appeal to the Supreme Court.

Neuman, found guilty but insane in 2012 in the murder of Rusty Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody preschool in November 2010, is awaiting a ruling from the state’s high court on his appeal for a retrial. He is serving a life sentence.

Sneiderman was released from prison last year. Because she was convicted under the First Offender Act, even if she never wins a retrial, her record will be wiped clean as long as she does not commit another crime before her parole ends in August 2017. ■

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Kittredge Park Playground Hits Goal The online fundraising campaign to earn an $85,000 grant for a playground in Kittredge Park has met its target.

Late March 2, a $50 pledge from Estela Brill pushed the total past the $8,500 threshold required to provide the 10 percent match for the playground grant from KaBOOM! The campaign for Toco Hills’ first public playground saw a surge in donations after the Beth Jacob Purim parade, which included marchers with a banner promoting the playground.

Organizer Danny Minkow handed out fliers during the parade March 1 and the carnival afterward.

So far, 127 donations have been made in the GoFundMe campaign (www. gofundme.com/Playground2015). The playground design has been approved, and installation on a lot next to Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael is set for April 25.

DEBBIE SONENSHINE STAR NEWMAN KATIE GALLOW

AJT 17

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THE SHUSHAN TIMES

More Than the Whole Megillah

really juicy stories for far too long. Now, it’s time to boogie.”

Sebastian Pinochle, the National Enquirer publisher, said: “We’re thrilled to pieces to reach more readers of the Hebraic persuasion, and all in one fell swoop. It’s a win-win situation. We sincerely believe that the Children of Israel, who have the most infuriatingly inquisitive minds on the planet, will appreciate the family nature of our paper.”

Arlene Appelrouth, with her unparalleled background in print journalism, spoke for the entire staff. “We’ve always wanted to get into the meaty, largely unsubstantiated stories. Frankly, we’re all sick and tired of being newsworthy and respectable.”

“Respectability doesn’t pay the bills,” Morris said.

Here are a few of the stories slated for the inaugural insert, April 1.

Rabbi found with two beards: A rabbi in Budapest has two beards, one black and one red. His hairiness is considered by thousands to be a sign of the coming of the messiah.

Boy trapped in Torah ark for six days: A young boy, playing on the bimah of an Oregon synagogue after Saturday morning services, accidentally locked himself in the Torah ark. His family and friends frantically searched for him to no avail, but he was found, alive and praying, 6½ days later when the congregation opened the ark for the Torah reading.

Monster spotted in Sea of Galilee: Hikers spotted a long-necked, whalelike

News and views from around the globe, courtesy of intrepid roving reporter Dr. Polly Esther Pantz

Current Events

National Enquirer Buys Jewish Times

I

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

n an effort to gain a more diverse readership, the Atlanta Jewish Times board accepted “an offer we couldn’t refuse,” owner Michael Morris said. “Our paper will now appear as a regular insert in the weekly National Enquirer, focusing on Jews and news from Atlanta and other cities with large Jewish populations.

We’ll cover people and events we used to be afraid to mention. We’ve been 18 pussyfooting around the

AJT

Michael A. Morris bought low and sold lower with the Atlanta Jewish Times.

creature in the Sea of Galilee, and tourism increased 120 percent in three days.

Tour guides claim to have been frightened by similar gigantic monsters near the Western Wall and in a Tel Aviv disco, but traffic jams and protests impeded tourism. The Knesset is to meet over the matter, but left-wing members claim all sightings are part of an ultra-right-wing plot to undermine the peace process.

Michelle Obama converts to Judaism: After

being questioned repeatedly by the press about the Star of David she wears, the first lady admitted that she had converted to Judaism “in spirit, if not in reality.” She explained, “In spite of my healthy eating initiatives, I love kreplach and rugelach.

I adore long skirts and blouses that cover the elbow — even in summer — and, most of all, I feel that the hora is the best dance ever! Barak and I do it almost every night.” The president declined to comment.

Who will play the polka-dotted beauty in Scorsese’s next big film?

Film and New Structure Slated For Atlanta

D

irector Martin Scorsese, en route to Disney World for an upcoming blockbuster exposé tentatively titled “Little Big Ears,” found himself stranded at the Atlanta airport.

Not one to miss an opportunity, he used the time to purchase cocktails and explore the scene. Making his way among the stranded crowd, he was approached by two men in dark hats and suits. Assuming that Scorsese (sporting a beard and sipping a cup of golden-colored liquid they mistook for chicken soup) was suitable for their mission, they invited him to complete their minyan. Scorsese complied and was so moved that he decided to make his next film in Atlanta. According to reliable sources, his working title is “Men in All Black.”

In a related story, the sultry aging singer and erstwhile actress often known as Esther, originally cast as Minnie in “Little Big Ears,” finagled a lead role in the Atlanta project. “Who in Hollywood knows more about Judaism than I do?”

she said while presenting plans for a Kabbalah Center in Chamblee.

“We know that Asians originated as one of the Lost Tribes,” the philanthropic star explained. “I just want to do my part in spreading the truth.”

Atlanta Kollel Linked to Mafia

S

hock reverberated through the Atlanta Jewish community when Rabbi David Goldfish, head of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel, was arrested in the ASK office in Toco Hills. Three FBI agents surprised Rabbi Goldfish and several other rabbis who were planning an outreach trip to Coney Island.

“It was terrifying!” Rabbi Michoel Lipsync exclaimed. “We were Googling sandal options when they burst in! I never dreamed that Goldfish had links to the underworld!”

The kollel was delighted by an unexpected gift of $5 million that Rabbi Goldfish had just received from a recent Sicilian émigré, who approached the rabbi at Fuego Mundo. “He said he wanted to do something for his people. I didn’t know which people he meant,” Rabbi Goldfish said. “He told me his family was big in the laundry business, and they could easily afford it.”

The FBI immediately identified Rabbi Goldfish as a suspect and escorted him from the ASK office. He is charged with receiving illegally procured money and using ASK for money-laundering.

ASK itself is in under investigation.

“We were a tad surprised that our trusted colleague had been working on his Ladino,” Rabbi Lipsync said, “but we never thought it would come to this.”

Kibbutz Planned For Downtown

M

ayor Kiss-me Reed and former Mayor Surely Flanken have joined hands to put together a blue-ribbon panel of Israeli and Atlanta experts to carry out a unique plan. Reed explained: “We finally have a solution to the city’s homeless population: a working kibbutz. The plan is based on a demographic study of our downtown residents who are known far and wide as the most indolent and malleable of the entire Southeast.”

The idea of a fully functioning, downtown kibbutz grew out of the positive experience of children of a friend of Jimmy Carter’s. “Before these teens went to Israel, they were lowlife bums,” he drawled, exhibiting his trademark toothy grin. “When they came back they were

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

THE SHUSHAN TIMES

Synagogue Briefs

Reconstructionist Agenda Refined

We can thank Jimmy Carter for so many things, including a working kibbutz in downtown Atlanta.

hardworking menschen, and they learned to eat vegetables.”

Carter’s friend, Tommy Gunn, who owns several acres of overpriced property near the old Rich’s, agreed to sell the land to the new Kibbutz for Humanity Program. The fee remains undisclosed.

“Religious and civic groups are storming our doors, vying to become involved in the project,” Flanken said.

Asked how the homeless will feel about becoming resident farmers, Reed said, “If unfocused Jewish intellectuals can become farmers, homeless winos can do it, too.”

Flanken, uncomfortable with that statement, gave him one of those looks.

Chagrined, Reed backpedaled, “Of course, I personally know many homeless people who aren’t winos.”

Kibbutz Debate Continues

A

new resident who just purchased an expensive condo in the proposed kibbutz area called the plan “frivolous.” As Reed and Flanken left the podium, the condo owner, asking to remain anonymous, grabbed the microphone. “Now our mayor wants to bring cows into the neighborhood? I don’t know what a kibbutz is, but if it takes up parking spaces, I’m against it.”

On the other hand, a longtime squatter, Jay Walker, who asserted that he never drinks wine, expressed support for the plan. “I hope they have lots of animals,” he said. “Our place is already a pigsty, and, besides, it should drive out the rats.”

His wife, Speedy, had an additional thought. “Our place is perfect for a bomb shelter, being in the basement and all.

Don’t all them kibbutz places have bomb shelters?”

Kay Sarah Sehrah and her sister, Bea Styll Myhardt, who just relocated to downtown Atlanta from Australia, were ecstatic about the greening of their new neighborhood. “At first we thought that an unscrupulous Realtor had tricked us

I

n a unanimous vote at its January convention, the Reconstructionist branch of Judaism adopted an original outreach strategy. National Chairperson May B. Knott, speaking for the group, said: “We endeavor to be true to our name. For the next five years our mission will involve assisting in the reconstruction of important buildings around the world. We have already launched a training program for our youth in the plumbing, HVAC, electricity, masonry, cement and bricklaying fields.

We have been contacted by needy cities around the globe; however, we will concentrate on reconstruction projects here in the U.S. We’ve heard about an interesting proposal in Atlanta, Georgia. Something about turning an area around an empty department store into housing for a kibbutz.”

Orthodox Approve New Position

R

abbi Afta Dinnamintz, one of the beleaguered leaders of the Torah U’Mesorah movement, was recently quoted in The Jewish Gorgon. The paper reported a live interview, responding to growing pressure on the Orthodox movement to include women in the hierarchy. “We have voted in consonance with our sacred literature and national history,” Rabbi Dinnamintz said, bleary-eyed from fatigue. “We are bringing back an ancient position, prophet.”

As a moderately modest but maximally stylish female crowd gathered, Rabbi Dinnamintz was nudged aside by Ahuva Vack-Yume, a leader of the Orthodox feminist contingency, resplendent in a real-hair blond wig and fabulous boots.

“It’s a no-brainer! The Bible names Devorah as an outstanding prophet,” Vack-Yume said.

“Devorah advised wisely and in a timely fashion. And she didn’t even attend an institution of higher learning.”

This reporter noted a resounding chorus of “You said it” and “You go, girl,” from the crowd.

Layah Brick, another leader of the women’s group, added, “This will

empower both sexes by institutionalizing feminine intuition, female holiness and our ability to multitask.”

Seven Orthodox women have applied for the position after enrolling in a previously clandestine Prophecy Training Program in Riverdale, N.Y. Their temporary trainer, Rabbi Izzy R. Izzunti, was candid. “Our newly ordained prophets will receive a customized education designed to enhance their natural abilities. Courses include long-term fasting, dream interpretation, voice throwing, imaging, cave dwelling and gate sitting. The prophets will typically serve as comforters, prognosticators and social critics.”

When asked whether males could apply for prophet certification, Rabbi Izzunti, wearing a leg cast resulting from the melee at the above-mentioned Torah U’Mesorah meeting, was noncommittal.

“I can’t answer that standing on one foot.”

Conservative Groups’ New Initiative

T

he Jewish world is abuzz after the Conservative branch of Judaism stunned reporters at a recent press conference.

At the annual conclave in December, the Conservative president, Sunny Seidupp, announced that the movement will now ally itself with the Tea Party, Ron Paul, the NRA and the DAR, with the intent of broadening the base of Conservative thinkers and activists. The group’s first move is to close its headquarters and seminary in New York and create new Conservative centers in Texas and Arizona. As we went to press, Mississippi and Alabama were also petitioning to be the site of the relocation.

Reform Response To Rally

A

fter the massively attended Purim parade in the Big Apple, the Reform arm of Judaism convened an ad hoc meeting of its leaders and educators. Repulsed by the amount of

litter on the streets and sidewalks along the parade route, the committee conceived of a way to incorporate its own belief system into a now well-known but increasingly trite slogan. The once meaningful adage did not prevent the trashing of Fifth Avenue and the surrounding streets. The leaders immediately found an Instaprint shop and had the new motto applied to the T-shirts they were wearing: “Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose and Reform.”

Amazing Discovery

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compilation of the writings of the late rabbi, scholar, lyricist and furrier Norman Grepsmacher has been published by Shock’em Books. This long-awaited tome, known as the Book of Norman, includes a detailed record of the many trips the rabbi made to Jewishly underserved areas of the world.

Rabbi Grepsmacher, born in Lapland, immigrated with his parents and five siblings to Chicago, where they plied their family furrier trade. Although yeshiva-educated, young Norman was stage-struck, writing his own lyrics to contemporary stage plays. He failed at his first love, the theater, but discovered another route to captive audiences.

In the early years of the 20th century, the rabbi ventured far and wide to carry Jewish wisdom to the decoratively scarred, uncircumcised and occasionally belligerent people he met in jungles in Latin America. Undaunted by the threat of personal harm, he preached in a steady, hypnotic voice. More than once, his monotone sermons quelled the primeval souls he encountered.

It was said of Rabbi Grepsmacher that he “was as repetitive as a woodpecker, only not as penetrating.” One can see these words carved into his tombstone, lying atop his grave in the Amazon basin.

Only in recent years have Rabbi Grepsmacher’s admonitions, which formerly brought him and his family nothing but tsuris, become admired and appreciated as delightfully revolutionary. Indeed, his masterly manifesto concerning the laws of kashrut regarding ink in body tattoos, the first exploration of the subject by a Jew of Laplander descent, will no doubt be studied in yeshivot for years.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

with this neighborhood, but the thought of sheep grazing on Peachtree Street makes shivers run up and down our spines. And, let’s be honest, everybody benefits from free-range chickens.”

The Tea Party’s hat, it has three corners. Three corners has its hat.

AJT 19

PURIM

Colorful Celebration on a Gray Day

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

A cold, wet morning couldn’t dampen the spirit of fun at Congregation Beth Jacob’s annual Purim parade down LaVista Road in Toco Hills. Leading the parade were Persian-clad Beth Jacob Rabbis Ilan Feldman and Yechezkel Freundlich. The parade was followed by one of the many carnivals throughout Jewish Atlanta that helped kick off celebrations of the holiday, running this year from Wednesday night to Thursday night, March 4 and 5. In addition to such usual parade participants as the local synagogues and day schools, including the debut of Atlanta Jewish Academy in place of Greenfield Hebrew Academy and Yeshiva Atlanta, the parade included advocates for a planned playground at Kittredge Park and for the proposed city of LaVista Hills. Yard signs for LaVista Hills, which would include all of Toco Hills, lined the LaVista Road route, along with hundreds of local residents willing to risk some drizzle and shivers for the free candy and sights of the parade. ■ Photos by Michael Jacobs

AJT 20

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Shai Wosner follows the music into composers’ minds

By Suzi Brozman sbrozman@atljewishtimes.com

concert, what if a popular band played only their biggest hits? Wouldn’t it get boring?” love a piano, and so will you if He’s aware that unusual music can you’re lucky enough to attend the be intimidating, but he said a charisMarch 8 concert matic performer can

by Israeli-born piahelp people avoid nist Shai Wosner at frustration and come Spivey Hall. to see greatness in The venue is one even unfamiliar of America’s treacompositions. sure-box miracles That used to — just the right size be the case, he said, with superb acouseven with Mozart: tics and manageYou had to hear his ment with the sense music repeatedly to to book only the best get it. Some of his talent. pieces lay unperI had a chance to formed for decades. catch up with WosHow does WosIsraeli-born Shai Wosner is now an American citizen. ner by phone while ner keep his reperhe was in Manhattoire fresh? tan.

“I always try to take the score as a He said he had a piano in his fam- point of departure, to get into the mind ily’s home while growing up just north of a composer, to see why they did what of Tel Aviv. “I picked out tunes from the they did.” radio. I didn’t think I needed anything He studied composition and inelse until my parents talked me into terpretation and uses that knowledge taking lessons at age 6 or 7. They had to to create excitement on the spot for persuade me.” listeners. He wants to understand why He was more attracted to music a composer decided to do one thing that wasn’t for the piano, such as opera instead of another, to scout out what and orchestral music, but piano was makes a piece of music great. the convenient medium. “That’s one But it’s important, he said, to draw of the beautiful things about it. It’s the his interpretation from what the comgateway to any kind of music. That was poser was after, not to impose his own satisfying.” vision.

He grew in his appreciation for the When I asked about politics, Wospiano. ner gave the best answer: “Israelis don’t Wosner said that in the past 100 to have to talk about politics all the time.

150 years, classical music has stopped I just became an American citizen. Of being as accessible as it used to be. course I have opinions, but I keep them It wasn’t always so formal, as popu- to myself.” lar movies about composers such as Fortunately, Wosner doesn’t keep Schubert and Chopin have illustrated. his music to himself. ■ The music often was played for small groups in the intimate setting of a salon. It was a way of communicating.

Who: Pianist Shai Wosner That’s what Wosner tries to convey to his audiences.

What: A program of Schubert, Chopin, He balances familiar and unusual Haydn, Ligeti and Beethoven music, giving listeners the opportunity Where: Spivey Hall, Clayton State to notice things in the music that they University, 2000 Clayton State Blvd., Morrow might not have seen or heard before. In his mind, music creates a continuum, When: 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8 not a separation between the famous Tickets: $46; www.spiveyhall.org and rare. “Think about it. In a rock

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MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

Act of Discovery In the Piano Keys

AJT 21

ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Meet the AJMF Headliners

Yael Deckelbaum brings Israeli folk to Atlanta

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

Multicultural Diwan Saz breaks down barriers

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

trio Habanat Nechama, whose 2007 By Kevin Madigan informal, religious or not,” Barak said. self-titled album sold more than 40,000 kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com “If you sit in a living room with friends, copies in Israel. it’s also called diwan.”

The Atlanta Jewish Music FestiIn 1999 she was invited to sing with A band whose musicians come Saz means two things: It’s a val’s Main Event on March 21 will see the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at a from three countries and religions will stringed instrument from Turkey, simiIsraeli vocalist and songwriter Yael Beatles tribute concert under legend- take the stage at the Atlanta Jewish Mular to a lute, but also can mean the playDeckelbaum making her local debut at ary producer George Martin. “I was sic Festival’s Main Event on March 21. ing of musical instruments in general. the Variety Playhouse. called to do a solo song. I sang ‘Ob-LaBased in Israel, Diwan Saz has “One of the nice things about the The concert is part of a short U.S. Di, Ob-La-Da.’ It was a really great ex- Jews, Muslims and Christians among Turkish tradition is that many people tour that will perience for include dates me to meet in New York, him.”

D.C., and At that Connecticut. event she She will play also met tracks from famous Isher new alraeli singerbum, “Husongwriter manity,” as Shlomo Artzi well as othand began a ers from her long collabovarious projration with Israeli vocalist and songwriter Yael Deckelbaum will Israel-based Diwan Saz features Jewish, Muslim and Christian members. ects. him onstage embark on a short U.S. tour beginning in Atlanta. “ T h e and in the album was produced by Yossi Fine, a studio. its rotating members. Yochai Barak, play together — 40, 50 people somecolleague since I was 15 years old,” she Her father, the late David Deckel- the band’s musical director, said the times. It’s very beautiful,” Barak said. said in a phone interview from her baum, founded the Jerusalem Tavern- creation of this unusual ensemble The amalgamation of diverse home in Jerusalem. “We used to jam a ers, the only band in Israel that per- came about quite naturally. backgrounds and influences has lot, and that’s how we started connect- formed a mixture of American country “We first got together about 10 yielded a fascinating blend of sound. ing. He moved to New York two years music and Celtic folk. “My dad used to years ago for a session to play some “There’s a musical dialogue always beago, so when I thought I was doing play the banjo, and I grew up onstage music,” he said. “Gradually it became tween us,” Barak said. “It’s the way we shows in the U.S., I asked him to put to- with his band.” more and more serious. After a few are and the way we connect. It’s more gether a band, and now we’re coming The records she heard her father years more people joined us. We now than a show. The audience participates, to Atlanta.” play at home included Pete Seeger and have a rabbi from Jerusalem and oth- becomes one. We’re looking forward to Deckelbaum is pleased with the Joni Mitchell, she recalled. “This is the er musicians who live in Turkey and coming.” way the album turned out. “I’m very kind of music that influenced me as a Iran.”

“They make amazing music. happy … because it’s the first time I child. Then, Janis Joplin and American The band also features Muham- They’re really connecting,” Israeli singmade an album without building it.” rock ’n’ roll when I was 16.” mad Gadir, a 14-year-old Bedouin er Yael Deckelbaum said about Diwan She explained that the whole reSharing the bill with Deckelbaum singer famous for winning an Arabic Saz. She will share top billing at the cord was done live in the studio in 16 on March 21 is the Idol contest, and has Main Event at Variety Playhouse. days and came “from true moments multicultural Diwan What: Atlanta Jewish Music Festival vocalists singing in Diwan Saz is also taking part in of music making.” She described the Saz, a favorite of hers. Main Event Hebrew, Farsi, Arabic an interfaith dialogue March 22 at the result as “very organic, intimate,” and “I don’t know them and Turkish.

Emory Center for Ethics. “We believe in Who: Israeli artists Yael said she wrote one of the tracks, “An- in person, but I know Deckelbaum and Diwan Saz Indeed, the a higher level of communication. It’s gel Song,” about her girlfriend. “She’s their music,” she said. band’s name reflects about different points of view,” Barak Where: Variety Playhouse, 1099 an angel. It’s a song that comes out of “I listen to them while Euclid Ave., Atlanta what it does. “Diwan said. “The group is excited to be part of real love.”

I meditate. Their singWhen: 8:45 p.m. Saturday, March 21 is people coming to- this dialogue, to show the audience difDeckelbaum may be new to At- er is unbelievable. I gether to be one, a ferent possibilities of communication. lanta, but she is no novice in her own really recommend you Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 on gathering. Formal or We’re proud and honored to share it.” ■ show day; ages 13 and up 22 country. She is part of the female folk get to know them.” ■

AJT

ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

A Musical Feast THURSDAY, MARCH 12

What: AJMF Opening Night. The sixth annual festival begins with Montrealbased klezmer/roots/rock group Jump Babylon.

Where: Steve’s Live Music, 234 Hilderbrand Drive, Sandy Springs.

When: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30.

Tickets: $20 general admission and $80 for a reserved table for four for the 7:30 show; $15 general admission and $60 for a reserved table for four for 9:30 show

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

What: Shabbat service. Ahavath Achim Synagogue and Congregation Bet Haverim musicians celebrate Jewish music through sacred Kirtan chanting.

Where: Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave. NW, Buckhead When: 7:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

What: “Fortress” release show for Georgia songstress Zale with her debut solo album Where: Steve’s Live Music, 234 Hilderbrand Drive, Sandy Springs When: 9 p.m.

Tickets: $10 general admission and $60 for a reserved table for four

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

What: Atlanta Community Food Bank Hunger Walk/Run. AJMF will produce a stage at the 31st annual Hunger Walk/Run with artists including the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra and singer-songwriter Tony Levitas.

Where: Turner Field.

When: Noon; walk/run begins at 2 p.m.

Registration: HWR2015.org or JewishAtlanta.org What: Red Heifers concert. The Macon-based Red Heifers perform a modern take on klezmer, zydeco and other world music styles.

Where: Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody When: 7:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

What: Shabbat ruach (spirit) celebration. Local musicians will help bring in Shabbat with a special celebration featuring timeless melodies, new creations and soothing grooves from Rabbi Brian Glusman, Cantor Lauren Adesnik, Sammy Rosenbaum and more.

Where: Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs.

When: 6:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

What: Main Event. Israeli artists Yael Deckelbaum and Diwan Saz headline the sixth annual festival.

Where: Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta.

When: 8:45 p.m.

Tickets: $25 in advance; $30 the day of the show; ages 13 and up

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

What: Interfaith dialogue. Members of festival headliner Diwan Saz will converse with Atlanta community leaders about their lives in the Middle East and how they use music to promote peace.

Where: Emory Center for Ethics, 1531 Dickey Drive, Decatur When: 10 a.m.

Admission: Free

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What: Cantorial showcase. Cantors Lauren Adesnik, Deborah Hartman, Nancy Kassel and Barbara Margulis will join to celebrate sacred music from across the ages.

Where: Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs Time: 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

MONDAY, MARCH 23

What: Holocaust remembrance concert featuring Laurence Sherr and the Summit Trio. This event featuring music of resistance and survival will create connections to the lost and forbidden voices of composers, songwriters and poets lost during the Holocaust.

Where: The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown When: 8 p.m.

Admission: Free

presents

BEGINS IN TWO WEEKS!

MARCH 13-15 • COBB ENERGY CENTRE

Tickets: 800.745.3000 or TicketMaster.com Group Sales: 404-881-2000 or groupsales@foxtheatre.org Euriamis Losada (Ricky), Thea Brooks (Lucy) and the 14-15 National Tour Company of LUCY LIVE. (Photos Justin Namon) • “I LOVE LUCY” ® & © 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

The 2015 Atlanta Jewish Music Festival opens March 12, closes March 23 and involves 10 events.

AJT 23

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

AJMF Spotlights Local Rising Star Zale performs at record release event March 14

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com If you haven’t heard of Hannah Zale, you will soon.

The young, driven and talented singer-songwriter will perform at Steve’s Live Music on March 14 for the third official event of the 2015 Atlanta Jewish Music Festival.

Zale will premiere her first album, “Fortress,” which was recorded with Louisiana-based rockers Baby Bee. At the event she’ll play through her entire album, which consists of nine original tracks.

Local singer-songwriter Julie Holmes will open the show.

“I’m pushing my own genre here,” Zale said. “I call it alternative Americana. It’s got a rock vibe, but I’ve got a

reggae tune, a rock tune, a soul tune.

I’ve really got something for everyone.

Everything has a pop structure and sensibility about it, but it’s all over the place. It’s an experiment of sorts to see what people like.”

The album may be new, but Zale (www.zalemusic.com) is no stranger to the AJMF. The University of Georgia alumna performed at the 2014 festival with her Athens-based rock band, Boomfox.

Since then, the songstress has gone solo, recorded an album and shortened her stage name to Zale in an effort to create a stronger brand.

The AJMF has made a point this year of choosing festival acts that have a stronger connection to Judaism. Festival organizers also have a stated goal of attracting younger intown Jews.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

24

Zale is quick to acknowledge that her music isn’t directly Jewish, but she is proud of her background and heritage growing up as one of the few Jews in Warner Robins.

Leap Into Original Rock

Feeding a Need for Music

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

C

T

Jump Babylon kicks off festival

AJT

Zale premieres “Fortress” at Steve’s Live Music March 12.

“Although I do write secular music,” she said, “it’s all through a very Jewish lens and from a very Jewish place, which is my heart. I’m very prideful of my Judaism, and anyone who goes to one of my shows will find out within the first 10 minutes that I am a Jew. Even though my music doesn’t necessarily have Torah context, my life does.”

Besides blazing her own path in a solo music career, the multitalented rocker has competed in beauty pageants, performed onstage in over 30 musicals and is classically trained in opera.

She’ll take the next step of her musical Journey when she releases “Fortress,” first to the crowd at Steve’s on March 14, then to the world on March 24. ■

ombining klezmer, ska and roots rock, Montreal-based Jump Babylon is leading the charge for the next generation of original Jewish rock music.

The group will kick off the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival on March 12 at Jump Babylon’s Jason Rosenblatt Steve’s Live Music. Now in its sixth year, the festival has a strong emphasis on attracting young, intown Jews.

Jump Babylon’s blend of roots, rock and reggae music speaks to a new generation of Jews who don’t want to just sit and listen.

“I want people to dance to this music,” bandleader Jason Rosenblatt said. “We have a few slower songs, but for the most part it’s dance music. At a festival like the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival … I want to see people dancing.”

Jump Babylon (jumpbabylon.com) formed in 2011 as an offshoot of klezmer band Shtreiml. The band’s core members are part of Montreal’s Modern Orthodox community. The ensemble plays in clubs, pubs and venues across Montreal but has never performed in Atlanta. Rosenblatt is also the founder of the Montreal Jewish Music Festival, which is in its fifth year and takes place in August.

Adopting and adapting the music of generations of Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe and combining it with newer music forms have led Jump Babylon to fresh territory in Jewish music. Rosenblatt and company have created high-energy blues rock crossed with klezmer. Think Dave Tarras meets Blues Traveler.

“I wasn’t hearing anything I really liked in the Jewish rock world,” Rosenblatt said. “Aside from Soul Farm and Moshav, there wasn’t anything that was really original in the music or lyrics. We wanted to write songs based on the Jewish immigrant experience in North America and based on biblical narratives. For the most part the song lyrics are in English; you have to listen to understand they come from biblical sources.” ■

AJMF partners with Hunger Walk/Run

he Atlanta Community Food Bank is serious about raising money for the hungry, and lots of it. The organization is pulling out all the stops with its annual Hunger Walk/Run on March 15, and the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival is joining the action.

The Hunger Walk/Run will exThe 4th Ward Afro Klezmer Orchestra tend from Turner Field to Centennial Park, and the AJMF will produce a music stage along the route. Featured performers include the 4th Ward AfroKlezmer Orchestra and singer-songwriter Tony Levitas.

In the spirit of the occasion, the Atlanta-based klezmer orchestra will play a set of “upbeat, moveable music,” trumpeter Roger Ruzow said. “We’ll be moving around considerably.” He described the repertoire as original music, Afro-beat, jazz, klezmer, reggae and ska. “We’ll throw some traditional tunes in there, but for the most part it’s original stuff done by our nine-piece ensemble.”

AJMF director and founder Russell Gottschalk likes to showcase quality international talent from Israel, Canada and elsewhere during the festival but still ensures that more than half the shows highlight “the amazing Jewish musicians we have here in Atlanta,” he said. “From the thousands of people at the Hunger Walk/Run to the intimate listening room of Steve’s Live Music, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the diversity and appeal of contemporary Jewish music.”

He added that Ruzow and his band have “awesome chops.”

The appreciation is mutual, according to Ruzow. “Russell and the AJMF have been fantastic. He understands and has a great perspective on the development of Jewish music and its growth in all areas and influences. He’s got a pretty great vision of that. He’s done great work with his organization.”

The Atlanta Community Food Bank’s Hunger Walk/Run starts at noon Sunday, March 15. Proceeds from the day benefit hunger relief programs in local nonprofit organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. ■

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Consultative services for diagnosis and treatment of all cardiac disorders, prevention and genetics.

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs is one of the most diverse venues in metro Atlanta.

From blues and bluegrass to jazz and international folk, owner Steve Grossman brings in local and national touring acts to his intimate, 95-seat space each week. This month Steve’s will host two events at the sixth annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, including opening night March 12.

“When I opened this venue” in the summer of 2012, Grossman said, AJMF founder Russell Gottschalk “said it would be a great place to do the opening night. To be able to do something up in Sandy Springs, where more of the Jewish community lives, was really important to help build the Jewish Music Festival from a diversity standpoint.

We want to get young people involved closer to Midtown, but we also want to get people involved who live up here.”

Opening night of the festival will feature Montreal-based Jump Babylon, a high-energy Jewish rock band. Upand-coming songwriter and performer Zale will have her CD release show at Steve’s on March 14. The rest of the festival will be held at other venues through March 23.

But Grossman’s venue off Hilderbrand Drive isn’t just about hosting established acts and festivals. He has always wanted to provide a performance stage for local musicians who otherwise would not be heard.

When Steve’s Live Music (www.steveslivemusic.com) opened, it was the

culmination of a 20-year dream.

“I’ve always had a love for music,” Grossman said. “I looked at the model 20 years ago to open up a music venue, and we weren’t ready. I got to a point where I said, ‘Let’s look at the model again and figure out how to make it run.’ I didn’t want to just have a bar. I really wanted to have a place where I could contribute music to the community like a museum contributes art to a community. I’ve always seen it as more of an art form than an entrepreneurship.”

Prioritizing art over entrepreneurship hasn’t been easy for Grossman. Instead of choosing sure-fire artists that will sell out the venue, Grossman often books artists who aren’t well known.

He also refuses to have TVs in his space, even for football, sending a clear message that Steve’s is all about the music.

From hosting established acts to booking rising stars, Steve’s Live Music is the center of Atlanta’s outside-thePerimeter music scene. Visit Steve’s on Celtic Monday or Bluegrass Tuesday, and you’ll find dozens of local musicians enjoying the vibrant community that the space encourages.

Hannah Zale was one of the early local artists who called Steve’s home.

Now she has an album, “Fortress,” being released this month.

“I can’t say enough good things about Steve’s,” she said. “He and his venue welcomed me with open arms. It was the first place I ever played guitar in front of people, and I met my duet partner there. It’s been a really great place to go and hang with friends and showcase talent.” ■

5671 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Suite 630 Atlanta, GA 30342

(404) 939-9200 www.ccatlanta.com

Same Day Test Results

Steve J. Eisenberg, M.D.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

OTP Music Scene Strong At Steve’s Live Music

Advanced diagnostics including: → echocardiography → nuclear stress tests → cardiac catherization → cardiac CT

AJT 25

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

SPORTS

NCAA Honors Emory, North Springs Grad Light

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

E

mory grad student Megan Light has been awarded the NCAA’s Today’s Top 10 award.

Light, a two-year captain of the Emory softball team, was one of 10 student athletes honored for her work on the field and in the classroom and for her contributions to society. The selection was based on the 2013-14 sports season when Light was a senior at Emory.

“It’s really rewarding personally to be recognized,” Light said. “It’s not just an award for athletics; it’s an award for athletics, academics and leadership.

So to see how much all that hard work has paid off is really rewarding. All the

Megan Light

studying, all the practices and all the other commitments that I have grown to love throughout the years, they have all been recognized.”

As Emory’s career leader in home runs, slugging percentage, runs batted in, doubles and total bases, Light’s onfield résumé speaks for itself. She also served four years as the softball team

representative on Emory’s campus and in 2013 was selected to play for Team USA in the World Maccabiah Games, where she won a gold medal.

Her volunteer work includes stops at Atlanta homeless shelters and at Global Health Action, where she worked with donors on the Left-Behind Children program in China. Light grew up as a member of Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs and attended North Springs Charter High School.

“For me, I knew going into college that I was not going to be a professional softball player,” Light said. “Going to a school like Emory, I knew that I wanted to get an education that was going to lead me into a career of doing something that I loved. Playing a sport helped facilitate where I wanted to go

to school, but it was really only a small part of it. I wanted to be able to be well rounded and have experiences that would help me in my career.”

She is pursuing a master’s at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Light has been to Israel twice and said her favorite Jewish athlete is Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. She was also one of nine finalists for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year award and was awarded the Charles Shepard Scholarship for her postgraduate studies.

“Winning this award and being Jewish is a boost of confidence to Jewish athletes,” she said. “It really doesn’t matter what religion you are; you can find a college to play sports at where you will feel comfortable.” ■

Richard Morgan

This is an artist’s rendering of YOO on the Park.

Business Briefs

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

Super Lawyers Morgan, DiSalvo Estate planning lawyers Richard Morgan and Loraine DiSalvo of Alpharetta’s Morgan and DiSalvo (www.morgandisalvo.com) were named to the 2015 Super Lawyers of Georgia list in February.

Morgan was a founding member of one of the two Reform congregations that merged to form Congregation Dor Tamid in Johns Creek. He served on the board of Jewish Family & Career Services and is on the planned giving committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, for

AJT 26

which the firm has done legal work.

The Super Lawyers list aims to create a comprehensive resource for lawyers and for people who need legal counsel.

SJ Gorowitz Best of Alpharetta Boutique firm SJ Gorowitz Accounting and Tax Services (www.sjgorowitz.com) won the 2014 Best of Alpharetta Award in the accountant category.

The annual Best of Alpharetta program identifies companies that have achieved business and community suc-

cess. To qualify, finalists must enhance the positive image of small business through exceptional service to customers and contribute to making Alpharetta a great place to live, work and play.

“This award is such an honor because I call Alpharetta home,” said Stacey Gorowitz, the CEO and president of SJ Gorowitz Accounting and Tax Services, which supports expanding and emerging businesses and their owners. “It’s exciting to be recognized as a leader in this community because we have provided outstanding service for more than 20 years, and we plan to keep being a resource for a long time to come.”

Trillist Starts YOO on the Park Real estate developer the Trillist Cos. broke ground on luxury Midtown apartment complex YOO on the Park Feb. 23.

“The commencement of YOO on the Park represents the addition of a Midtown development that will elevate resi-

dential living and launch an exciting partnership with YOO Studio that was formed to develop luxury-branded residential buildings in major cities throughout the U.S.,” Trillist CEO and President Scott Leventhal said.

YOO on the Park will be a 25-story, 245-unit apartment building at 207 13th St. by Piedmont Park.

Kamin Joins OSU Board Jeffrey M. Kamin of Sandy Springs recently was elected to a five-year term on the board of directors of The Ohio State University Alumni Association.

It’s a good time to be an Ohio State alumnus: The Buckeyes recently won the college football national championship and figure to be the No. 1 team in the nation to start next season.

Send local business announcements and story ideas to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Kindergarten Cutoff Angers Parents

Early-education group criticizes bill to make kids wait a year

W

hile Georgia legislators push an early cutoff for kindergarten eligibility, local education groups and parents remain skeptical.

House Bill 100, passed by the House and under review in the state Senate, proposes to move the birthday cutoff for students entering kindergarten from Sept. 1 to June 30. In Georgia, many schools start the year in the first 10 days of August.

H.B. 100 states that in the 2017-18 school year, children must be 5 years old by Aug. 1 to start kindergarten. In the 2018-19 school year, children entering kindergarten would have to be 5 by July 1.

With graduation rates hovering at 72.5 percent, test scores among the lowest in the nation and overflowing classrooms, Georgia public schools are in need of change. Gov. Nathan Deal named a 33-member commission in January to study reform of the state’s education system and report back by Aug. 1.

Among those who support H.B. 100 are State School Superintendent Richard Woods, who contends that many students start kindergarten far too young. “Some younger students, especially 4-year-olds, are not developmentally ready for kindergarten. Oftentimes their presence in a classroom requires teachers to provide pre-kindergarten services to the disadvantage of the older students who are ready to learn at the kindergarten level and achieve the high academic standards we have in Georgia.”

But kindergarten readiness does not happen overnight.

“There is nothing magical about turning 5. Every child learns differently. The key to success for students is access to high-quality early education,” said the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students’ founding director, Atlanta Jewish community member Mindy Binderman.

The GEEARS board is chaired by Stephanie Blank and includes The Temple’s senior rabbi, Peter Berg.

“This bill could keep children who are ready out of kindergarten for a year, making Georgia among the earliest cutoffs in the nation. Studies have shown that redshirting [holding

young learners have,” development first. Mechina is in its 11th children back one year Binderman said. “GEE- year. before starting kinder“The personalization and indiARS is happy to work garten] can be counterwith them to explore vidualization of the learning process productive,” Binderman other options. There for each child is a unique strength of added. has to be a cutoff for the Davis experience at all ages, and Parents are taking the business end of edu- setting aside where a particular child’s to social media, creating cation, and there must birth date happens to fall, the school neighborhood coalitions be entry dates. If they remains committed to ensuring that against the bill and fight[legislators] articulated each child reaches his or her fullest poing legislators with leta reason for that July 1 tential,” Davis said in a statement. ter-writing campaigns.

The Epstein School also offers a date for the business of Without an in-depth school, if there’s some transitional year between pre-K and explanation of the proreason that makes sense kindergarten. It features a small-group posed cutoff dates, many and it’s not about kin- learning environment, differentiated feel H.B. 100 is vague.

Mindy Binderman dergarten readiness, we instruction and a student-centered apIn the Mary Lin Elemay not oppose the bill. proach. mentary School district, For parents who are on the fence which draws from intown neighbor- But we haven’t heard another reason about H.B. 100, Binderman said: “Kinhoods Lake Claire, Candler Park and articulated.”

The Davis Academy has long ad- dergarten is not mandatory in the state Inman Park, parents are outraged at dressed kindergarten readiness with a of Georgia. Families who have enrolled the proposal.

Comments on NextDoor.com program called Mechina: Kindergarten have made a parent-choice issue as include “There’s no reason that any Prep for children with summer birth- well. Parents need to remember that child who is ready for kindergarten days who are eligible for kindergarten not one size fits all.”

The Senate is due to review and shouldn’t be allowed to go there” and but would benefit from an additional “This will especially hurt the poor who year of academic, social or emotional vote on H.B. 100 in upcoming days. ■ can’t afford preschool, and would then start school later in life. The government should be going in the opposite direction and start offering public PreK to give low income children a more equal opportunity to succeed in life.”

This bill proposes no additional pre-K programs. In the city of Atlanta, free Georgia pre-K is offered through a Locally sourced, all-natural chicken breast lottery system. with flavors from around the world.

Annsley Klehr of Lake Claire, a 10-year former teacher of elementary school in Atlanta and Philadelphia, formed Don’t Hold Back Georgia Kids with a petition of 80 signatures. A portion of the group plans to visit the state Senate to protest H.B. 100.

“Low-income families who do not have access to quality early education now have to wait until a child is age 6 to send him to kindergarten,” widening the achievement gap, Klehr said. “Children experience the most brain development between ages zero to 5 years.”

A better solution, Klehr said, is to make free or affordable early education or quality child care in Georgia.

“Even better would be for kids to be evaluated with preschool or day care educators and parents. That way age won’t play a role as much as developmental readiness.”

“If legislators really want to enAbernAthy SquAre sure kids are ready for kindergarten, 6615 roSweLL roAd SAndy SpringS, gA 30328 then this bill does not provide that so404-228-5381 27 lution because it doesn’t address needs

New Chicken Schnitzel Eatery just like back home (and better!)

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By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

AJT

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION AND CAMPING

JCC Adds Hebrew Immersion Camp

Music Builds Mideast Ties

R

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

egistration is open for the 2015 Music in Common (MiC) Summer Youth Summit at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Mass., from July 19 to 29.

The Youth Summit enrolls American and international high-schoolers in a music and multimedia program open to anyone regardless of skill.

Summit participants live on campus and work together to write and record a song and make a music video.

They gain hands-on knowledge of the creative and technical processes of songwriting, recording, performance and videography, plus the life skills of team building, collaboration, communication and critical thinking.

The summit concludes with a public performance of the delegates’ song, a screening of their video and a community forum on the teens’ experiences in the program.

Executive Director Todd Mack founded MiC in 2005 in response to the slaying of Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by terrorists in Pakistan; Pearl was a bandmate of Mack’s.

MiC has conducted programs in 250 communities worldwide and has worked extensively with the Middle East since 2010, aiming to increase understanding among Christians, Muslims and Jews and among Israelis, Palestinians and Americans. Registration will close April 15 or when all 25 places are filled. Register at www.musicincommon.org/youthsummit. ■

AJT 28

Lt. Aviv Regev (fourth from left) visits Georgia College on Feb. 11.

IDF Paratrooper Visits Georgia College

T

he Goodrich Hillel of Georgia College in Milledgeville held a special screening of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival documentary “Beneath the Helmet” with an appearance by an Israel Defense Forces paratrooper Feb. 11.

The free event was part of the college’s ongoing Israeli Symposium, sponsored by a grant from the Israel on Campus Coalition. The symposium kick offed with a Shabbat dinner Jan. 23 featuring a talk on AIPAC by student Netta Ben-Hashal.

The Feb. 11 event, sponsored by Jerusalem U, was a screening of the film “Beneath the Helmet,” a coming-of-age story of five soldiers entering the IDF. The post-film speaker was Lt. Aviv Regev.

Regev is 23 and dedicated to his troops, finding food and money for the families of his soldiers when they are in need. Much of his work, he said, is like a social worker. He went to the homes of each of the 100-plus men in his platoon to check on them.

He said the work of the military leaders is mostly spiritual, and the discipline and rigor are founded on the values of protection of the Jewish people and Israel.

Regev wanted to be sure that students, faculty and community members understood the three themes of the film. The first is that you do not have to be in the army to defend Israel; remaining informed and being prepared to answer critics also offer Israel protection. Second, Regev said, Jewish students and others must learn about Israel and the world to have the power of that knowledge. Third, he reminded the crowd that “all that is necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.”

Upcoming events of the Israeli Symposium include Ariel Gratz speaking about Masada and a representative from the Israeli Consulate.

For more information, call Hillel faculty adviser Karen Berman at 478-4451980. ■

T

he Marcus JCC will hold a seven-week Hebrew immersion day camp, Gesher, for rising kindergartners and firstgraders this summer Tomer Barash at its Dunwoody campus, 5342 Tilly Mill Road.

“The campers will have a fun, full day of traditional camp activities, including swimming, sports, arts and crafts, archery, and a ropes course, while learning to comprehend and speak Hebrew naturally by listening to and engaging with counselors and peers,” said Meryl Rindsberg, the Marcus JCC’s director of day camps.

Campers will receive instructions in English during traditional camp activities, then the instructions will be repeated in Hebrew. Most conversations will be in Hebrew.

Rindsberg said the camp is ideal for children who attend day schools and for children of Israeli families.

“Gesher represents an overall commitment by the MJCCA to increase its outreach efforts to the local Israeli and Hebrew-speaking community,” said Tomer Barash, the Marcus JCC’s Israeli shaliach (emissary).

Visit www.atlantajcc.org or call 678-812-4000 for more information. ■

OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

Remember When 10 Years Ago March 4, 2005 • Jews from Blairsville, Ellijay and Blue Ridge are getting Jewish learning with a side of kosher sandwiches, thanks to new Blue Ridge resident Hirsch Bressler and Chabad of Georgia’s Rabbi Yossi New, who makes the trek to the mountains from metro Atlanta once a month to lead lunch-and-learn sessions.

• The b’nai mitzvah ceremony of Elan and Jordan Ben-Hanania, sons of Yoram and Sandra Ben-Hanania of Alpharetta, was held Jan. 15 at Chabad of Alpharetta.

25 Years Ago March 2, 1990

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Rose Weinstein 92, Atlanta

Rose Weinstein, age 92, of Atlanta passed away Feb. 26, 2015.

She is survived by her loving husband, Sam Weinstein; son Aaron Weinstein of New York; daughter and son-in-law Terry and David Chervin of Roswell; daughter and son-in-law Enid and Louis Herskowitz of Sandy Springs; grandchildren Dana Post, Tracy Berk, Leslie Herskowitz, Andrea Herskowitz and Rachel Grohs; and great-grandchildren Emma, Jake, Nate and Aaron. Mr. and Mrs. Weinstein had been married 73 years but sweethearts for 80. She is remembered for her contagious laughter.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association. A graveside service was held March 2 at Georgia National Cemetery. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

• A small but interested group attended a talk at the Jewish Community Center

by Israeli educator David Breakstone of Friends of Oz Ve Shalom, which urges Israel to trade land for peace to end the Palestinian intifada. Rabbi Shalom Lewis said American Jews have usually given the Israeli government absolute support, “but now the American Jewish community is insisting on more of a partnership.”

Our obituaries come from funeral homes and are paid for by the families. For families who decline this option, we are running a list of other recent deaths. We invite all area synagogues to send their condolence announcements to the AJT so that we can include the information here. Send notices of deaths to editor@atljewishtimes.com.

Finn Dana of Roswell, a Temple Sinai member and Mountain Park Elementary student, son of Scott and Liesl Dana, and younger brother of Jack Dana, on Feb. 26.

• The bar mitzvah of Seth Israel Yurman, son of Faith and David Yurman of Roswell, will take place March 10 at Temple Kehillat Chaim.

Eleanor A. Karp, 91, of Conyers, mother of Donna Herbert and Beverly Cytto and sister of Howard Finkel, on Feb. 28.

50 Years Ago March 5, 1965

Doran C. Rose, 90, of Atlanta, an Ahavath Achim Synagogue member, husband of Carolyn Himber Rose, and father of Elaine Platt and Marc Rose, on Feb. 23.

• An unofficial ceremony was held recently at Greenwood Cemetery amid snow and rain to break ground on a monument to the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust. The assembled orphaned men and women listened with tears in their eyes to eulogies by Dr. Leon Rozen and Nathan Bromberg, then used special shovels in groups of six for the groundbreaking.

Elma Bloch Rosenfeld, 95, of Atlanta, mother of Becky Ripps and Isabel Goldstein, on Feb. 27.

Lila Saulson, mother of Rabbi Scott Saulson and Dr. Jon Saulson, on Feb. 24.

Mona Schlachter, 98, of Atlanta on Feb. 27.

• Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cohen of Atlanta invite friends and relatives to attend the bas mitzvah of daughter Rosalind Cindy on Friday, March 12, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

Despite what the mercury has said lately, March brings thoughts of spring to Jewish Atlanta with the approach of Purim, the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival and baseball. Sure enough, the AJMF warmed up for its March 12 opening night by joining the Marcus Jewish Community Center’s Megillah Madness on March 1 and sharing on Facebook.

The same day, Davis Academy alum Brandon Gold of Alpharetta, a Georgia Tech sophomore, was allowing only one hit in seven innings to earn the win for the Yellow Jackets over Indiana State in his first pitching start. Like us on Facebook (facebook.com/atljewishtimes.com) and follow us on Twitter (@atljewishtimes) to be part of the social media fun.

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

Seen on Social Media

AJT 29

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Put Your Cards On the Table

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

M

AJT 30

y friend Susan called off her engagement because her fiancé, Eric, lost his shoes playing poker.

Long before everyone had personal technology devices, we university students avoided writing papers by playing games. We got together in the quad for five-square (words) and bridge or poker (cards) during long breaks between classes.

Of course, there were a few for whom these activities led to intemperate wagering and a subsequent loss of possessions. Eric was one of them, and the shoe incident was the last straw for Susan. (She eventually took up with a sociology TA who liked Scrabble, and that worked out much better.)

My friends and I were products of our working-class, games-playing families. Some couples played bridge or gin rummy. Some fathers played pinochle. Some mothers got together for mah jongg. The betting was minimal, and the competition was amiable.

My siblings and I, growing up like this, always liked games, but I never was a heavy-duty card player like some of my friends. Word games became my drug of choice, even though my mother pushed the educational merit of cards.

When our children were preschoolers, my mother explained that cards were an ideal way for them to learn numbers, distinguish categories using the different suits and plan alternate strategies.

To this end, our daughters at a very young age began playing cards with my father. They loved Pisha Paysha, a game which requires nothing more than an ability to identify the numerals and differentiate them from picture cards. No strategy, no betting, just raw luck.

My father was an expert at games, and he was also an expert grandfather: He patiently played hand after hand with our daughters, who were as likely to win as he was.

My mother suggested that every time we flew from New York to the Old Country (St. Louis), I should ask the stewardess for a deck of cards to occupy the kids during the flight. Sure, I could have brought a deck with me,

CROSSWORD “The Final Frontier” ByBy David Benkof Editor: DavidBenkof@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Easy

but my mother believed that passengers should wring every possible bit of product out of the expensive fare. Our requests were never refused.

Occasionally we used the cards

CHANA’S CORNER

By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

during the flight, but more often our daughters chose to keep the new deck in its pristine wrapper. I know what you’re thinking: Today, asking for a deck of cards would be like asking for adequate leg room. And, in case you’re wondering, my mother always asked for cards when she and my father flew to visit us. This prize was added to the huge stash of freebies in the desk.

One Shabbat afternoon a few years ago, feeling slothful after a long lunch, we craved entertainment. Our son-in-law, Alex, asked for a deck of cards (no problem there!) and did a few sleight-of-hand tricks. Our grandchildren were thrilled and wanted to learn. One thing led to another, and somehow we all ended up playing blackjack.

Blackjack? Yes, blackjack. At first I was uncertain about Alex’s influence, but I saw the light. It was math, and it was strategy, and it was multigenerational, and it was socializing, and it was fun. Thanks, Mom. Last week I popped in at our grandchildren’s school during “Specialties.” Miriam’s Israeli dance class paid me no heed, so I visited Zellik’s card-playing group, who asked me to join them.

There I sat with 10 second- and third-graders, who were doing a great job of strategizing, adding and subtracting. I think a couple of them were actually counting cards like pros.

I asked if they were having as much fun as when they’re alone on the computer. It was a split decision.

I had hoped for a larger pro-game vote, so I have no choice. I’m on a mission. I’ll start by inviting you and your preschoolers to play Pisha Paysha.

Don’t worry about bringing your own deck of cards; believe me, I have plenty. ■

ACROSS 1 Actor Leonard, the subject of this puzzle, who died February 27, 2015 6 Seltzer 10 JAP type 14 Debbie Friedman’s “Let Us ___” 15 Animals the priests would “use” in the Temple 16 Look (over), like a rabbi with a medieval text 17 Prepares one’s knees to bow during the Aleinu 18 “___ Fair” (1989 George Segal movie about a wargames retreat) 19 What an IDF soldier may be at?

20 Do it to yourself to prepare for the Birkat Hamazon 21 1977-1982 TV series about mysterious phenomena 23 Non-kosher cocktail variety?

25 Comes close to beating Maccabi Haifa 26 “___-Devil” (1989 comedy with Roseanne Barr) 27 Transports in Rahm’s city 28 Territory that would refuse its refuseniks (abbr.)

31 With 55-Across, catchphrase of 69-Across 36 Chanukah commemorates the fight when one of Zeus was erected in the Temple 38 He got miffed that he wasn’t notified about Netanyahu’s speech to Congress 39 Yiddish interjections of note 41 “Hearts ___” (early 1990s Ed Asner sitcom) 42 Circumcising grammatically?

44 1966-1969 TV series about space exploration 46 Chazer’s home 47 Tiny drops of water about which there’s a Passover prayer 49 Shalom from Josephus 50 Kind of truck whose number of wheels equals chai 51 Matzahs cannot have them 55 See 31-Across 59 Reagan Interior Secretary who said “a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple” 61 Feel ready for a Shabbos

nap 62 Filled with righteous indignation 63 Italian city whose Jewish ghetto was built in 1660 64 Cuban prisoner Gross finaly freed in Decemer 2014 65 In March 2015 it was worth 4.5 shekels 66 Under the ___ of an Orthodox rabbi (one way to convert) 67 It’s owed to a moneylender 68 Competitor for Jann Wenner’s Rolling Stone 69 Vulcan character from 44-Across DOWN 1 Acts like a gonif 2 “God is One” and “The dead will rise,” e.g.

3 October or Tishre 4 Seder has it and means it 5 In Ladino, it’s “Si” 6 “Milk” Best Actor Oscar winner 7 Magical birds that helped a famous Daniel Radclife character 8 Leave out, as the o when spelling the word G-d 9 Uses a slingshot against Goliath, e.g.

10 Groucho Marx headwear 11 2014 Russell Crowe Bible movie 12 “... maybe more, maybe less... who knows exactly?”

13 It’s fleishig 21 ‘Net abbreviation for a maven 22 Stop on the way to Eilat 24 National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame hockey player Bob Nystrom, e.g.

28 Instruction in Joan Nathan’s “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous” 29 What Bob Dylan or Joel Coen mean by “You betcha!”

30 Smell like pickles in brine 31 Mandelbrot are formed into

these before they’re baked and cut 32 How Steve Wynn expresses skepticism?

33 “Opinions ___” (common statement about Jewish law) 34 Bird that isn’t kosher because it resembles the forbiden ostrich 35 “Makin’ Whoopee” lyricist Kahn 37 In the back of the ship Altalena 40 Became Rabbi Emeritus, e.g.

43 Israel’s recent nationality bill does this to Arabic from its staus as an official national language 45 Give testimony to a beit din 48 Start to use more sekhel 50 Got rid of some shekels 52 One way to prepare the home for Shabbat 53 Dance music heard in World War II ghettos 54 Philosophy that influenced Philo of Alexandria 55 Not the whole megillah 56 Exodus river 57 The clothing of Joseph’s brothers, perhaps 58 Actress Gilpin who replaced Lisa Kudrow in the role of Roz Doyle on “Frasier” 60 Burning the chametz, e.g.

63 Kind of mask worn by Israelis during the Gulf War

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Sixth Series eMitzvah Bonds ($36 minimum) for 5 Years

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(404) 817-3500 | Atlanta@Israelbonds.com Development Corp. for Israel, Member FINRA Effective through March 14, 2015

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015

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AJT 31

AJT

32

MARCH 6 ▪ 2015