The Observer Vol. 89 No. 10 – October 2024

Jewish OBSERVER

Nashville at a Crossroads: Will a New Transit Plan Improve Safety and Mobility?

By BARBARA DAB

New York transplant Becca Groner moved to Nashville seven years ago to pursue a career in health care. She chose the city based on its size and accessibility to the various array of services, programs, cultural offerings, and its growing Jewish community. Groner also liked that she could navigate Nashville without need for a car. “I’ve lived here seven years without a car and would love to live here more than that without a car.”

Lately, Groner says using public transportation has become even more challenging, with inefficient routes and often unsafe conditions at and around the bus stops. “I rely on the bus but walking after you get off the bus can be unsafe,” she says, “It’s not like you can just get on the bus and get where you’re going. You might need to cross the street 10 times just to find a sidewalk and now you’ve made your commute 30 minutes longer just for your own pedestrian safety.”

Come November, Nashville voters will have the opportunity to address

concerns like Groner’s. Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s “Choose How You Move,” plan will cost an estimated $3.1 billion, and includes a half-cent sales tax increase. This year’s proposal is the latest in a string of failed transit initiatives, but proponents say this one has some significant changes that make it a more practical and realistic plan. Jeff Morris is Exectuive Director of Nashville Moves.

He says, “When comparing this to previous versions of this type of transportation improvement program that the city has undergone in the past is the idea that this is not any one singular thing.”

Morris says that as Nashville continues to grow exponentially, citizens are specifically asking to address problems with traffic and affordability. “This plan

Continued on page 24

Influencer and Journalist Eve Barlow to Headline Women’s Philanthropy Brunch

By BARBARA DAB

In the year since Hamas attacked Israel, antisemitism has risen globally and misinformation about Israel has spread on social media platforms. Celebrities and other influencers have stepped into the fray. One of those influencers is Eve Barlow, an LA-based writer and former music and culture journalist. Her recent pivot to high profile thought leader and Jewish advocate has grown her reach to over 1.5 million people per month who scroll, read, or tune in to her Substack newsletter Blacklisted, her many spots on high profile podcasts, and her own Instagram page. “We chose Eve because she represents a unique perspective - she is someone that amassed a huge following as a successful music journalist and influencer, all while fighting antisem-

itism. Not only is she an unapologetic Zionist, she is a proud feminist. She’s not afraid of being unpopular in service of her values and beliefs - a truly inspiring figure,” says Jason Sparks, chief development officer for The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.

Barlow will be this year’s speaker for the Jewish Federation’s women’s philanthropy brunch on November 17th where she will be providing insights and information designed to help local Jewish women understand more deeply the implications of October 7th and provide tools to help them better handle difficult encounters.

The brunch, titled Hope & Balance: Empowering Jewish Women with Wellness and Strength, is a highlight of the Federation’s programs that aim to engage and involve women in the com-

munity. This year will follow a similar format with table topics for discussion and then question and answer with the guest speaker. While the focus is on advocacy around Israel, antisemitism, and anti-Zionism, Barlow will address the issue of mental health and stress management during a traumatic time. “The goal of the event is to allow a space for dialogue, well-being, and restoration in the wake of what has been a tough year for Jewish women,” says Sparks.

Hayley Levy Kupin is a Federation board member and one of the event’s hosts. She says she did not initially know Eve Barlow but has since learned more. “I think this is an event people will really like. I did some research and I think what she has to share about how to talk about antisemitism and how

Continued on page 13

Journalist, influencer, and advocate Eve Barlow will speak at Federation’s Women’s philanthropy brunch on November 17.

Metro Council member Jacob Kupin (District-19) rides the WeGo bus.

Becca Groner does not own a car and relies on public transportation to navigate around town.

Community Relations Committee

By DEBORAH OLESHANSKY

It has been almost a year since the horrific attack inflicted on Israel October 7th, and the pain and terror of that day continues to weigh heavily on Israel and on many of us here in the US. The aftermath of the horror is still palpable, hostages are still being held captive, and the war is now impacting even more of the country, leaving many displaced from their homes. Many in our local Israel community have family members specifically affected and in harm’s way.

Community Shlicha, Ziv Shemesh, has arrived from Israel and in the coming weeks and months she will continue to meet community members, work with students and young people, and provide educational programs about Israeli life and culture. She is working on our community October 7th commemoration service in which we will remember the victims, honor the heroes, and stand

in solidarity with Israel. Please register to join us October 7 at 6:30pm for a commemorative experience followed by the formal program at 7pm: www. Jewishnashville.org/oct7

JCRC Update:

• As the school year begins, so have issues related to antisemitism in schools. As was the case last year, some of these incidents are related to the fallout from October 7th. I continue to work with families experiencing these issues at both private and public schools.

• Jason Sparks, Michal Becker and I

were invited by Dr. Battle to present to the MNPS Executive Leadership group about the Jewish community and issues facing Jewish families in MNPS schools.

• During the month of September, JCRC coordinated several community educations programs about Israel and antisemitism including David Siegel of ELNET, about the European relationship with Israel, and author Mickey Bergmen who presented on his book, Into the Shadows: The True Story of High Stakes Hostage Negotiations. Mr. Bergman was involved in some of the negotiations related to US citizens taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th.

• Oren Jacobson, Executive Director of Project Shema, presented several learning opportunities, including two different workshops, one for high school students and one for general community members, on develop-

Let me Introduce Myself

By ZIV SHEMESH, COMMUNITY SHLICHA

Hello, my name is Ziv Shemesh, I’m 25 years old, new in town as the new shlicha!

Originally, I’m from Modeen but after I finished my army service I moved to Tel Aviv. I served five years as a combat fitness officer and a Krav Maga instructor and I finished my service in December 2023.

During my last two months of service, I was in a rehab center to treat the trauma of the first wave of injured soldiers from the war. Together with physical psychology, we used outdoor training, communication, and mindfulness to ground them back and give tools to treat the trauma.

After seeing the rising antisemitism, experiencing the tragic events of the seventh of October, and realizing how important it is for us to have a Jewish state, I decided to serve my country differently and strengthen the connection between Jewish people around the world

and Israel. I joined Birthright Israel for 8 months before I flew to the shlichut.

Sports is a big part of my life. I’m aiming to do another marathon here in Nashville, I do weightlifting and back in Israel I still was in a volleyball club.

So, if you are looking for a partner for a workout I’m in!

In my free time I like traveling, reading, and doing puzzles. if you want to get to know me better ill introduce you to my “pakal” a military word for outdoor coffee

Just say “Yes” to the 2024 Campaign

By JASON SPARKS

Greetings Jewish Nashville! As you read this, we should be in the thick of the High Holidays, always a special time of year for us. And, as it so happens, it is the last three months of our 2024 Annual Campaign for Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.

Traditionally, the last quarter of the year is our busiest time, as generally 35-40% of our campaign pledges and donations are paid in the 4th quarter. So, no pressure, it all relies on that those last couple of months to fund all the great work that we are able to do around our community and overseas. Currently, we are ahead of where we were last year at this time, which is exciting! And shortly after this point in 2023 was when our community stepped up and donated an additional $1.2MM for our Israel Crisis Fund.

It has been interesting to see how so many people approach their giving in a

myriad of ways. I’ve discovered that some people don’t want to be asked to give, and just prefer to give on a monthly or annual basis automatically. Ironically, this is how I support one of my favorite services in this area, Nashville Public Radio. But the truth is that typically, our needs increase year-to-year, between inflation and other forces outside our control. So, it can be challenging to have those conversations in that scenario.

Some people prefer to give anonymously, and while our records generally reflect that, from time to time we make a mistake there, which is always a humbling experience.

There are donors in our community who prefer to be asked, and sometimes they prefer to be asked by a peer instead of someone on our professional staff. And when I reach out to some of our lovely community members, I discover that the reason they didn’t give is that they simply have forgotten or weren’t asked, some-

ing skills to address antisemitism in personal, school and work settings. His skills workshop provides background on understanding contemporary antisemitism with an emphasis on how anti-Jewish ideas can emerge in discourse about Israel.

• I have been participating with a working group designed to explore what our State Legislators can do in sponsoring legislation to address antisemitism in our state.

• I continue to work closely with Metro Council members on efforts to address antisemitism in our city. There are currently four proposals on the third reading for consideration by the council and I will update the community on those efforts. If you or someone you know experiences antisemitism locally, please submit our Antisemitism Reporting Form available on our website: www. jewishnashville.org/antisemitismreport •

which for me is the most Israeli hangout with friends.

The most important thing for me in my journey in the shlichut is the people; getting to know the community in a broad way and the people in a deep way and bringing my Israeli story to bring the community closer to Israel.

I would love to get to know Nashville through your eyes and introduce you to my pakal so we can sit and get to know each other. •

times for many years. I’ve also spoken to philanthropists that want to talk in greater detail about the work we are doing locally and overseas – I always relish those conversations, because everyone has a right to know what their donation is doing to help others.

This has been a really challenging year to be a Jewish non-profit. As I speak to my peers around the country, they all express it too. To be fair, while we have all experienced the challenges of the aftermath of the horror of October 7th, and an increase in antisemitism from all directions, not all of them have dealt with the challenges that we have seen in and around Nashville. The rise of hate groups openly marching through our streets was not something I could have predicted, but we are working hard with state and local government to find solutions there.

We are also working with school systems like Metro Nashville Public Schools

and individual private schools as students face challenges in those spaces. And all the while that is happening, we are making safe spaces for our growing Jewish community to connect and dare I say, thrive.

For all of those who have given to us this year, thank you so much for supporting our community! We have experienced the first significant growth of new donors in many years, and even more exciting is that we have seen existing donors step up and give more to support our work. For all of those that haven’t given yet, or worse, haven’t been asked yet, don’t worry, we will be reaching out. And my simple ask is that when you do get that call, please say “Yes” – it means so much to our community here, and everywhere around the world Jewish Federation helps support those in need. •

Community Shlicha Ziv Shemesh in her army uniform Israeli pakal, come and enjoy with Ziv!

Ziv finishing a race.

Letter to the editor

The editorial board of the Observer chose to publish an opinion piece by Elisheva Simon about the war in Gaza in the September issue.

“While (acknowledging) the Hamas attack on October 7th was horrific”, the author states she has “had a hard time understanding how we can justify the response that Israel has taken since then.”

While the author’s sympathy for the (Palestinian) victims is admirable; her condemnation of Israel is sorely misplaced.

What would she suggest to a country being pummeled from all sides by regimes that seek their total destruction? Unlike the citizens of Gaza, the 100,000 Israeli citizens who have been displaced from their homes have not been warned by Hamas and Hezbollah when they are going to shoot thousands of killer drones and rockets at innocent Israeli civilians. How would she suggest they defend themselves if they do not eliminate the tunnels that serve to transport killers and ammo aimed at wiping out the Israeli population? How does she justify that Hamas killers are seeking refuge in children’s bedrooms, schools and hospitals... and hiding Israeli hostages in similar densely populated areas- all at the directive from a maniacal murderous Hamas killer Sinwar who celebrates the fact that the higher number of Palestinian deaths is part of his strategy to make Israel look bad? To imply a moral equivalency between the savages who target civilians with a nation fighting for its very existence causing unintended deaths due to their use as human shields is dishonest.

The author’s assertion that: “…elim-

c

inating a terrorist organization through military means is nearly impossible” is false. Eliminating Hamas is not only possible; it is vital to Israel’s survival. According to Vered Weiss of World Israel News: “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed a document on Wednesday written by the now-deceased Hamas military commander in Gaza to Yahya Sinwar describing the “difficult situation” the military wing of the terror group faces. The former commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh, who was killed with Mohammed Deif in an airstrike in July, wrote to Sinwar, “We have lost 90-95% of our rocket capabilities, and we have lost some 60% of our weapons.” The letter continued, “We have lost at least 65-70% of our anti-tank launchers and rockets, and most importantly, we have lost at least 50% of our fighters between those who are martyred and wounded, and now we are left with 25%.” Salameh added, “The last 25% of our people have reached a situation where the people do not tolerate them anymore, and they are broken on a mental or physical level.”

The author also says: “…destroying a neighbor’s basic infrastructure…sows the seeds for further violence and terrorism in the future.” History has shown it is appeasement that sows the seeds of violence and terrorism. The Jew hatred that has been and continues to be on display did not start with Israel’s response to October 7.

the goalpost” to delay the process giving them time to re-arm, as well as financing their terror operations.

“Hamas has profited by at least a half billion dollars from humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 reported on Tuesday. Approximately 200 aid trucks enter the Palestinian enclave daily. “It’s actually become the main oxygen pipeline for the terrorist organization,” reported Channel 12‘s Almog Boker.

Hamas steals the humanitarian aid and sells it to the population. It then uses the money to finance recruitment, Boker said, noting that 3,000 terrorists have been added to Hamas’s payroll in northern Gaza.”

“A newly uncovered Hamas document suggests the terror group’s primary objective in ceasefire negotiations with Israel is to rebuild its military strength, rather than alleviate the hardships faced by Gaza’s civilian population, according to a report published by German newspaper Bild on Friday. The document, dated from the spring of 2024 and reportedly found on

Opinion

By BARRY ALLEN

a computer belonging to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, details Hamas’s strategy in negotiations with Israel. It focuses on using ceasefire talks to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners and regain military capabilities, with little regard for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “

The war started on October 7 by Hamas is not about borders or any specific Israeli government policy or leader. Their unambiguous goal is the elimination of the State of Israel.

The Palestinians in Gaza are indeed victims…not of Israel, but of Hamas: the failed leadership they elected. •

Joanne Bregman

Michael Dobrin

Harvey Eisen

Roberta Goodman

Sheldon Lutz

Tomer Minuskin

Rich Rubinowicz

Rabbi Mark Schiftan

Jay and Linda Schecter

Mitch Silberman, co-founder Jewish Republican Alliance (JRA)

STAFF

She then recommends… “no further funding be given to Israel until a permanent ceasefire is in place and humanitarian aid is able to be distributed throughout Gaza.” While Israel has agreed in principle to multiple ceasefire proposals, it is Hamas that keeps “moving

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Publisher Jewish Federation

Editor Barbara Dab

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Layout and Production Tim Gregory

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Iam a proud Veteran, having served four years on active duty in the Air Force, and twenty-six years in the Air Force Reserve. I was a military lawyer during my entire career and retired as a Colonel. In my civilian legal practice, I currently represent Veterans and their families in their efforts to obtain disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As someone who has spent much of my adult life in service with, and to, my fellow Veterans, I cannot stand idly by while one major political party candidate disrespects, demeans, disparages, and diminishes, all Veterans, let alone the recipients of the military’s highest award for valor.

The Congressional Medal of Honor (MOH) is authorized for any military service member who, “distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

• While engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;

• While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or

• While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.” (https://www. cmohs.org/medal)

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is limited to recipients of the medal. (The recipients do not describe themselves as “winners” of the medal, as the award is not a contest where someone deliberately enters with the goal of winning.) The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation supports the Society.

“Chartered by Congress in 1958, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s membership is comprised of those who wear the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for valor. As individuals who have gone above and beyond

the call of duty, the Medal of Honor Recipients are committed to serving our country in peace as they did in war by championing the values of courage, sacrifice, integrity, commitment, patriotism, and citizenship.” (https://www.cmohs. org/about-the-society/overview)

A military salute is a sign of respect. Typically, a military member who is subordinate in rank or position is the first to salute someone who is more senior, and then the more senior person “returns” the salute. However, there is a different tradition concerning Medal of Honor recipients. In that tradition, the military member or Veteran is the first to salute a Medal of Honor recipient, regardless of the rank or position of the person who salutes first, and irrespective of the recipient’s rank. For example, a Four Star General would be the first to salute a Private who is the recipient of the MOH. With this tradition in mind, I attended a convention of the MOH Society several years after my retirement. I was authorized by statute and regulation to wear my uniform as a retiree. More than 25 recipients of the Medal were in attendance. The emotion and honor I felt in saluting the recipients while in uniform is hard to describe; those salutes were among the most meaningful I have ever given or received.

Donald Trump never served in the military; supposed “bone spurs” gave him a deferment. Trump knows nothing about military service or sacrifice and wouldn’t know a military tradition from a golfing tradition. He refers to Generals as “his” Generals; thinks of those who died during D-Day as “suckers” and “losers;” wanted to use the military to arrest lawful protesters; and did not want wounded Veterans in a parade he tried to organize for himself because they would “look bad.” He did not think that Sen. John McCain, who spent more than five years as a Prisoner of War, was a hero because he did not think heroes should be captured. Continued on page 6

Clarity in the Face of Adversity

By ANAT SULTAN-DADON, CONSUL GENERAL OF ISRAEL TO THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

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

This past year has been defined by unimaginable pain, a deep and continuous pain since the Hamas’s horrific October 7th terror attack on Israel. The loss of so many precious lives, the anguish of our brothers and sisters still held in captivity in Gaza, and the ongoing fight for our survival weigh heavily on us. We stand at the dawn of a new year while the dust has not yet settled from the earth-shattering moment that has changed the world as we knew it.

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

Our people’s strength and resilience—our superpower—has shone brightly in this difficult year. Heroism

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

Beyond Israel’s borders, the Jewish people’s support has been remarkable. Here in our southeastern region and across the globe, our brothers and sis-

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

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

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, I would like to ask each of you- in the face of the rampant antisemitism, hold your heads high, stand tall with Jewish pride. Do not let the voices of hate confuse you. The fact that Israel must defend itself from those who seek its destruction does not mean that we are in the wrong. When faced with an enemy that seeks our annihilation, we have two choices: fight or be slaughtered. Our choice is clear and we must not apologize for doing

what any sovereign nation would dodefending our people and our homeland.

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

May the coming year bring the long-awaited return of all of the hostages. May it be a year of renewal, healing and rebuilding. And may we find the strength to enjoy the sweet blessings that surround us.

L’Shana Tova U’Metukah. •

Anat Sultan-Dadon assumed her role as Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States in 2019.

In her current role in Atlanta, the Consul General is responsible for advancing the bilateral relations between Israel and seven southeastern states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Sultan-Dadon is married to Yaron and they are the proud parents of three girls.

NJSJR Requests that Congressional Candidates’ Respond to Questions about the

By IRWIN VENICK

The Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable (NJSJR) invited the Democrat and Republican congressional candidates for the Fifth and Seventh Districts to respond to questions about their candidacy. Each was sent a list of questions for response. Maryam Abofazili (5th District) and Megan Barry (7th District), the Democrat candidates, submitted their answers; Republicans U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (5th District) and U.S. Rep. Mark Green (7th District) did not respond.

What follows are some the responses submitted by the candidates:

NJSJR Question: Upon your victory in November, you will represent urban and rural residents in your District for the next two years. What are the top three priorities for you in Congress? (The answers are edited for length).

Abolfazli:

• Gun safety legislation: background checks & safe storage.

• Healthcare decisions to be between healthcare professionals and patients. Access to abortion for all.

• Thriving for all: incentivizing the pursuit of meaningful economic growth for all. Child tax credit, attainable housing incentives, first time home buyer incentives, federal funding for infrastructure and waste water management and and resource management, incentives for small businesses.

Overall, I will work to incentivize the economic thriving of our District 5 residents.

Barry:

My top three priorities are protecting reproductive freedom, enhancing affordability and supporting economic development, and improving access to affordable healthcare.

In Congress, I will support the Women’s Health Protection Act, which creates a federal statutory right for healthcare providers to provide abortion care, and a right for patients to receive such care, free of any bans or restrictions that states may try to impose to limit access. I would also support legislation that protects a woman’s right to access IVF and birth control.

We need to continue to support and invest in infrastructure and jobs, bills like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This bill has brought over $6.6B of investment into Tennessee including expansion of broadband in rural areas — while supporting small businesses and innovation. I will continue to push for investments in job creation and affordable housing, making it easier for young people and families to build wealth and achieve financial stability. I will work to cut taxes for middle-class families…. I will support the Working Families Tax Relief Act that would expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

… In the 7th District, eight coun-

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Upcoming Election

ties have only one hospital, and three counties have none. Tennessee leads the nation in hospital closures per capita. There are a number of proposals to address this in Congress, including the Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act, which supports critical-access hospitals and expands Medicare reimbursement. The Rural America Health Corps Act would provide loan repayment for healthcare professionals serving in rural areas, and the Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act, which expands remote healthcare coverage and ensures it remains accessible in underserved areas ….

… There is existing legislation …the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act would expand Medicare drug price negotiation to benefit those with private insurance, and the Easy Enrollment in Healthcare Act makes it easier for Americans to sign up for health coverage during tax season. These proposals and more like them are all sitting idle in Congress now, some having not moved since early 2023, because of partisan gridlock. When I say I want to bring a spirit of bipartisanship and collaboration to Congress, it’s because people in TN-7 can’t afford for effective legislation like this to sit on the shelf.

NJSJR Question: Our hope and prayer is that the conflict between Israel and Gaza will be resolved before the new session of Congress begins in January 2025. If it has not, what steps would you support to bring peace to the region?

Abolfazli:

I would actively advocate for peace including hostage return, ceasefire, humanitarian aid and accountability for

military aid.

Barry:

Regarding Israel-Hamas, what happened on Oct 7, 2023 was a horrific attack by Hamas and Israel has a right to defend itself. We must advocate for a mutual ceasefire that provides for the immediate return of all hostages and an end to the civilian suffering in Gaza by enabling a massive surge in humanitarian aid. The continuing loss of life needs to end. I will advocate for a two-state solution that recognizes where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in security and self-determination with the U.S. playing a constructive role in facilitating that coexistence.

Additional NJSJR questions to the candidates were:

• If elected, what specific immigration policy changes and legislation would you support?

• Negotiating a budget in the House of Representatives is always tough. As you think about the needs and desires of the people who helped elect you, what area needs significantly more funding?

• Please complete this quote: “As your representative in Congress, you can count on me to fight for the safety of women and children, fight for the middle class, and promote peace.”

• What issue or policy are you most concerned about and how do you plan to address that topic and support legislation related to it in Congress? You can find the candidates’ complete answers to all of these questions on the NJSJR website: www.jsjrnashville.org. •

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

Fo r Sale by Th e Pa rgh Te am

Franklin Pargh Lana Pargh

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Bresslyn

Torbett St Nashville, TN 3720 9

Hickor

4221 Lindawood Dr Nashville, TN 3721 5

21 Vaughns Gap Rd, Unit 13 Nashville, TN 3720 5

Jennifer Ghanem

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Reflection

An Unforgettable Journey: Solidarity and Hope During a Summer in Israel

By NOAM FRIEDMAN

This past summer, I spent five weeks in Israel on the Ramah Seminar program. It was a trip I’d been looking forward to since my first summer at Camp Ramah Darom, back in 2015. Year after year, I would hear stories from my camp counselors telling me about adventures while lost in the shuk, exhilarating camel rides, and the best falafel stands in the world. Simply put, I had incredibly high expectations and visions for what my Seminar trip would be like. On October 7, 2023, I realized I would not be having the same trip my counselors and older friends had. In the following weeks, I wasn’t sure if the trip would take place at all. Part of me, fearing backlash from peers back home, wasn’t even sure if I was still interested in participating if the program did occur.

Reflecting on my journey, I was absolutely right that I didn’t experience the same, normal kind of trip, but what I did experience felt more special and unique than any other trip to Israel possibly could have been. With over 180 participants, my program contained the largest group of Jewish teens from North America, and with those numbers came the strength of community. I remember walking to the Kotel on the first night of the trip. Because of the narrow sidewalk, we created quite the spectacle with our lengthy marching column. As we proceeded, we sang songs, danced, and bonded with new friends. Every time we passed an Israeli, we would see them perk up a little bit, stand a bit straighter; some even flashed a smile. In Israel, they had been seeing the same headlines about college campus protests and antisemitism that we Americans have become accustomed to. For this reason, seeing a large contingent of American, Jewish youth did much to reassure them that they are not alone, that there are young, passionate people who care about their struggles. Some of us on the trip had spent a lot of time brainstorming how we could help Israel, but on that first night we realized that it did not take any grand effort to leave an indelible mark; rather, by simply being present with our positive attitudes, we uplifted the people we interacted with. There were many remarkable moments on the trip, but the morning of Monday, July 8th was truly unforgettable. That was when we met Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, for the first time. I’ve heard many live speakers in my life, but she stood out as one of the most striking and powerful individuals I’ve ever listened to. With her detailed description of who Hersh was, she emotionally tied me and my friends to Hersh, someone we had never actually met before. When a terrible thing has happened to so many

people, I think it humans tend to find a singular person’s story to latch on to and connect with. For many of us on the trip, that person’s story was Hersh’s. I think a lot of us found similarities between Hersh and ourselves. Hersh too had experienced Ramah, he too loved traveling the world, and he too was still searching for his identity as a young Jew in the world. May his memory be for a blessing.

At Camp Ramah Darom, we have a tradition where every year the Darom participants on Seminar write weekly letters back to camp summarizing the week in Israel. I was the one who wrote the letter the week Rachel spoke to us. It is hard for me to reread that letter becauseI was so filled with hope that Hersh and the remaining hostages would soon come home. Many of us were looking forward to one day meeting Hersh, and it is hard to accept that we will never be able to tell him how much he was in our thoughts while we were on our trip.

After speaking to us, Rachel invited Seminar to a ceremony dedicating the completion of a new Torah dedicated to Hersh and the other hostages. While at that ceremony a couple weeks later, we saw the gathering of hundreds of Israelis from all different backgrounds. As we wrapped our arms around each other and sang, we saw everybody put aside their differences and unite in praying for the safe return of

the hostages. It is that sense of spirit and togetherness that gives me confidence that the people of Israel will continue to endure and stay strong. And no matter what difficult news may continue to break about the hostages, I am sure that Israel’s indomitable spirit will never be broken, even if it sustains some hard blows. • Noam Friedman is a senior at Montgomery Bell Academy. He is a member of West End Synagogue. He attended Camp Ramah Darom for nine summers before going on the Ramah Seminar Israel program this past summer. Additionally, he is Vice-President of Nashville’s BBYO chapter, Athens of the South.

Opinion

Continued from page 3

Recently, he demeaned recipients of the Medal of Honor as people who mostly get shot up or are dead. He also said that the Presidential Medal of Freedom (which he awarded to his cronies – such as Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan - and donors, like Miriam Adelson) was equal to, even “much better” than, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Every Veteran, family member of a Veteran, acquaintance of a Veteran, or simply anyone who respects the service, let alone the sacrifice, of those who proudly wear or have worn a U.S. military uniform should be appalled by Trump’s ignorance and disregard for members of the military, current or past. His complete disrespect for the valor and

bravery of Medal of Honor recipients is the ultimate measure of his unfitness to be Commander in Chief again. He never has exhibited, let alone championed, “the values of courage, sacrifice, integrity, commitment, patriotism, and citizenship,” which are the heart of the mission of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and its members. •

Barry P. Allen, Colonel, United States Air Force Reserve (retired)

Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Air Force.

“Always

Photo of Noam Friedman at his Great Aunt’s apartment in Haifa

Members of Noam’s bus group, Hineni, at the Western Wall

Lev Bergen (on right) and Noam (on left) taking a photo with Yunes (center). Yunes is an Arab Druze farmer in the Gaza envelope who hid and saved a group of escapees from the Nova Festival on October 7.

Members of my bus group, Hineni, that consisted of Ramah Darom and Ramah New England at Ein Harod.

Reflection

The Ground That They Walk On

By SARAH ROTH, HEAD OF SCHOOL, KEHILLA HIGH SCHOOL AND JEWISH MIDDLE SCHOOL OF NASHVILLE

Two weeks ago, I had a last-minute opportunity to travel to Israel with “A Mifgash That Matters,” bringing American Jewish educators together with Israeli counterparts to learn about how the terrain of our teaching has shifted since the events of October 7. Of course, I had to go: after all, the war in Gaza literally shifted my terrain. After watching universities where I had studied and taught become dangerous places, my husband and I decided to move our three children, ages 9, 12, and 15, to Nashville, where they could receive an ecumenical, but still unabashedly Jewish, education (at Akiva, JMS, and Kehilla, respectively).

On the first morning, our group of camp directors and Jerusalem tour guides, rabbis and philanthropists, Hebrew school teachers and emergency management specialists, arrived at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose farm fields lie in the 2000 meters between its homes and the Gaza fence. Near the entrance, all looked idyllic and peaceful, a heimish, nicely landscaped little neighborhood bathed in sunshine. But it sounded like silence. In a movie, a tumbleweed would have rolled by. No kids came running and calling to pick up the bicycles propped against the walls, ready to ride. The only sound was the voice of our guide, Shalom, who has lived here for 22 years. He returned to Kfar Aza in December and has no intention of leaving again; he and his wife are two of only a handful of residents now. Walking deeper into the kibbutz, Shalom led us from a place of uneasy peace to a place of war. The “juvenile neighborhood,” where children of the kibbutz in their late teens and early twenties who have completed national service are assigned compact cement-block starter homes, is destroyed. Some of the houses look exploded, some melted; some have their fronts sheared away, revealing the haphazard bathrooms and kitchens of young people newly on their own. There are flip-flops and forks and curling irons scattered among the rubble, and walls once white are gray with the pockmarked spray of automatic weapons, every splash of exposed cement the shadow of a bullet. Outside every door army spray paint tallies those who are safe and those who are dead.

Kfar Aza still felt like an open wound, or even a reopened wound: walking tearily back to our bus, many of us murmured that what it looked like was Poland,1939. As Jewish educators we are all of us wary of too-easy Holocaust metaphors, but our hearts insisted on recognizing the scatter of daily life across broken ground, and as our bus made the return journey from the Gaza Envelope to Tel Aviv and then Jerusalem, it was clear that we were tracing the half-healed scars of this latest attack across the face of the land. In the central cities, we met with collective artists who revive crumbling buildings with new collaborative art, and peacemakers who work to find ways to build dialogue across barriers both literal and metaphorical, and spouses of IDF reservists who have found themselves suddenly raising children alone on the home front, often struggling to make ends meet and sometimes unable to perform their own highly skilled reserve duties. Each speaker prefaced their

amazing, can-do, hopeful, start-up nation story with the one that weighs their days now: where they were on 10/7. When they knew. What they heard. Who they lost. Yosef, a heavily muscled Bedouin bus driver who rescued more than 40 people by blazing a trail away from the Nova music festival with his 14-passenger minibus loaded to bursting with the fleeing and wounded, wept openly for those he saved, for those he couldn’t, for the country he loves and that still won’t allow him a gun permit even after hailing him publicly as a hero and a model Israeli Arab.

I carried all these stories back with me, but the voice that rang, and still rings, loudest is that of Ayelet, a high school teacher at Shaar HaNegev, the high school that serves many of the kibbutzim of the Gaza Envelope, including those among the hardest hit like Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, and Be’eri. Her students are trickling back to school this fall after months as evacuees elsewhere, she told us. Some are commuting two hours each way from kibbutzim further from the border in which they have been living since the massacre. They are too afraid to come back but they want to be with their friends, peers, and teachers, many of whom are kibbutzniks too. As she spoke, she was a little breathless and wild-eyed, in a way that is recognizable to teachers as the face of the first weeks of school. But there was something deeper here, of course. Ayelet lives in Kibbutz Saad, between Be’eri and Kfar Aza, and she begins her story with the events of that morning: someone called a friend at Kfar Aza, only 700 meters away, early in the morning about another matter and so luckily they got the message to lock down Saad in time to keep Hamas fighters out. And then they waited in their safe rooms and called friends and relatives, letting the phones ring on the other end, slowly realizing the scale of what was happening and what it meant when no one answered.

“We don’t know what to do for our students,” Ayelet said. “They come back wild – they cannot focus or learn.They are all b’trauma. But we the faculty are all b’trauma too. We don’t even know what to do for ourselves. We just come to school each day and try to help them.” How do you do it? one of us asked. How can you bear this when you aren’t even stable yourself? Ayelet, who had been almost vibrating, half laughing, half crying, throughout her description of the situation at Shaar HaNegev, suddenly stilled and looked at us. Shoulders pulling straight, she said, “We are the ground they walk on. To be still for them and let them walk through it is what we have to do.”

Back in Music City today, I feel deeply grateful to the iCenter for Israel Education for this opportunity – and also sobered by the real urgency of my role as a teacher of the next generation of Jews and Jewish allies. Never have I felt it so profoundly. The ground beneath our children’s feet has shifted in the last year. Students in Nashville and around the US have lost friends, been called genocidal Jew pigs, been forced to go to battle with school administrators over an identity that may have seemed safe, even privileged, to them all along. But we cannot and will not shift. Whatever growing they have done or will do this year and in the uncertain time to come, we as their teachers, their parents, their chaverim are the ground they walk on.

East Side Tribe to Present Sukkot Weekend of Mindfulness and Movement

By BARBARA DAB

Judaism has a long history of combining music and movement as a way of exploring spirituality. According to Lawrence Dreyfuss, a dancer, yoga teacher, and creator of the Sabbath Dance experience, just to name a few, dancing is tied to Kabbalah and philosophers like Rebbe Nachman. Dreyfuss is bringing his experiential program, “The Sabbath Dance,” to Nashville in partnership with East Side Tribe October 18-20.

The weekend long program will include Dreyfuss and local therapist and mindfulness practitioner, Lindsay Weiner who are creating a Shabbat and Sukkot themed weekend experience with something for everyone. According to Emily Siner, organizer of East Side Tribe, “I didn’t really understand how mindfulness and movement would go together. But I’ve known Lawrence for many years and when I found out what he was doing, I decided to bring him to Nashville,” she says, “The whole weekend is an exploration of mindfulness and movement through a Jewish lens.”

The weekend will kick off with a Mindfulness Kabbalat Shabbat potluck dinner for all ages. Weiner says the idea is to provide a safe space to connect with Jewish spirituality through body awareness, rather than through traditional texts. “This is really a new opportunity for the community to be curious, to bring something to people that meets their edges.”

Shabbat morning will continue the theme of mindfulness using meditation, chanting, and some text study. Dreyfuss says he plans to focus on the Kabbalistic themes that the self is comprised of five worlds: mind, heart, body, spirit, and energy. “In the 21st century we spend so much more time sitting, using our body from the neck up,” he says, “We’re also so addicted to constant stimulus and ingesting information. We have forgotten some our ancient traditions around dance and movement.”

The highlight of the program is the Havdalah Sabbath Dance, also known as ecstatic dance. Dreyfuss is a DJ who guides participants using music and movement through the Havdalah service. The service begins with a gentle warm up and then transitions to dance and movement to music. “It’s designed to get people more into their bodies,” says Dreyfuss, “I’m not reinventing the wheel, I’m following the wheel. People want to embody spirituality through movement.”

Dreyfuss began the Sabbath Dance experience in the wake of October 7th. “People needed outlets because they didn’t

have language for the intense feeling they were experiencing. We put on a dance and sold 100 tickets in three hours,” he says. Weiner says she is happy to have access to this type of experience to address her need for greater Jewish connection. “I would have loved something like this after October 7th,” she says, “To find some connection, some nourishment, some support within my tradition. Being a Jew in the South I felt a yearning for more of this type of programming.”East Side Tribe is a partner organization of the

Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. Siner says she is excited Federation is helping to bring something new to the community. “We’re trying to get outside the box. We’ve already tried mindfulness programming with Rooted Ruach, and we would love to see this type of thing more regularly.”

To register for The Sabbath Dance weekend, or to learn more, visit: https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/the-sabbathdance-a-weekend-of-jewish-mindfulnessmovement-tickets-1016259699117?aff=o ddtdtcreator. There is a fee for some of the weekend’s activities. •

Jewish Federation Announces 2024-25 Leadership 615 Cohort

By MICHAL BECKER

Iam so excited to start our second year of Leadership615. Last year, the experience of seeing how all our ideas and plans have slowly come together into a meaningful experience for the fellows and us, was very unique. We have learned a lot from what worked and what needed to be improved. I look forward to seeing how the changes we implemented will add to the fellows’ experience.

The application process to Leadership615 took place over the summer. We received many more applications than we anticipated. Not all the applicants were able to join us this

year, but I hope they will try again in the future. To read more about the cohort click the QR code. This year’s Leadership 615 Cohort is:

Julie Galbierz Saba Getaneh

Laura Heiman Matthew Hertz

Alyssa Hassenfeld

Ethan Hassenfeld

John Jivens Alexander Krew

Victor Nachmann Sandy Rochelle Brooke Wasserman Penny Woody

Hunter Bernstein Courtney Bruns

Lawrence Dreyfuss PHOTO CREDIT: CHARLOTTE CHAUVIN

Ecstatic Dance program PHOTO CREDIT: CHARLOTTE CHAUVIN

Clinical Social Worker, Lindsay Weiner

Rabbinic Commentary

Ten Lessons from October 7th

By RABBI MARK SCHIFTAN

1We are, and must always remain, one Jewish family. My favorite response to the question most often asked by my gentile neighbors about the impact of the events of October 7th is: “ Do you have any family over there in Israel?” My favorite reply to that question that is this: “Yes I do, I have 7 million members of my family there.”

The Talmud teaches us that every single Jew is responsible for the welfare of every single other Jew. Nothing that we do is more important reinforcing that lesson in the aftermath of October 7th. Leaders of Jewish organizations should not use this time to criticize the State of Israel, nor should we. It is not our children who are sent into harm’s way.

2) In the end, as sobering as the thought might be, the only people who will ultimately stand with the Jewish people, no matter what the circumstances may be, are the members of the Jewish people themselves. Many of the coalitions that we built over the years with so many other minority groups seem to have fallen by the wayside, even when it was

crucial for them to stand with the Jewish people, and to show their support for us. This reality was painful both to realize and to experience, but the fact remains that those groups which we supported in their struggles, and with whom we shared an agenda, gave us very little or no support in our time of crisis. In fact, many of those groups chose to oppose the Jewish people and the Jewish state when we needed their alliance the most.

We need to reassess our relationships with those groups, who have now chosen to ally themselves with those causes and agendas which differ from our own. Some groups even went so far as to frame the victims as deserving of their fate. They chose to blame the victim.

3) We need to forge and strengthen new alliances with those who do stand with the Jewish people. Many Evangelical Christians and more conservative political groups came to our defense, at precisely the same time that other religious groups and more liberal leaning political groups abandoned us or were even hostile and their approach to us.

4) We, the Jewish people, know

the difference, the crucial distinction between intentional attacks of barbarism perpetrated on innocent human life, and those innocent lives lost, fully unintentionally, on the other side, especially when dealing with terrorists embedded in civilian population centers.There is absolutely no moral equivalency between those who seek to protect innocent lives at all cost, and those who seek to destroy innocent human life at any cost.

5) No one need preach to the Jewish people from a moral high ground about the incredible importance of each and every individual human life. There is no compelling argument that can justify the barbaric acts— rapes, beheadings, burning people alive, shooting innocent souls to death—simply and solely because of their religious heritage.

6) The only thing which differentiates the heinous acts, such as those as were perpetrated against Jews in the holocaust, and the acts of October 7th, is that now, at last, the Jewish people has an army to defend itself, able to protect its people and it’s homeland.

7) For Israel, and for the Jewish

people around the world, October 7th represents an existential challenge to the very viability and survivability of the state of Israel.

8) Under the guise of anti-Zionism, we have seen once again, the rise of antisemitism throughout the world, including on our college campuses, including the most elite among them. The world most often prefers the role of the Jews as helpless victims. Jews with strength challenge this narrative and this image.

9) For members of the Jewish faith and of the Jewish people, this represents the moments when it is time to choose whether to stand proudly for all that we believe, or to be entrenched in the fear of our own Jewish shadows.

10) For the Jewish people, this is a time to take enormous pride in and support of the Jewish enterprise in our ancestral Homeland. Israel has shown that it can withstand the challenges of any vibrant democracy, including one under direct attack by its adversaries. What Israel needs from us is an unwavering commitment and undying loyalty and unconditional support. •

A Rabbi and a Doctor Discuss Does God Hear our Prayer?

By RABBI MARK SCHIFTAN AND DR. FRANK BOEHM

Mark: In many Reform synagogues, like mine, a prayer for healing has been reintroduced in recent years. Though always a part of traditional Jewish worship, it was abandoned by Reform Jews because it was felt to be a theological bridge too far for many to cross: It was one thing assemble as a congregation to engage in prayer; it was another thing, entirely, to ask God to actually intervene in our lives in a vivid, dramatic fashion, answering our prayers for healing with a miraculous cure or intervention, whether for us or for our loved ones.

But over these past few years, even as we have seen both the miracles of modern medicine, we have also witnessed the limitations on the reach of medical science, and so we have come to look for additional assistance of a Higher Power. In short, we who are rational human beings in most moments, become more religious human souls, searching, pleading for Divine answers or even Divine intervention.

In most Jewish worship services today, the Misheberach, the prayer for healing is one of the most fervent prayers that is uttered is precisely the one that was abandoned years ago, the words banished from the Reform Jewish prayerbook. Now it has not only returned, but it is for many the most meaningful part of the entire service. Names of the infirm are often uttered aloud before the prayer begins, and then we ask God to intervene, to heal, and strengthen, console and comfort, or provide courage and consolation.

So, does God answer these prayers? Do those who offer these prayers expect an answer? How would we know for sure? And what if those prayers go unanswered? What then?

Here is what I believe: The God beyond us, the God of the heavens, so to say, intervenes and answers, or maybe that God does not. What I do believe is that it

is certainly possible. Why respond to some prayers and not to others? That I do not know or understand. But that is okay. I do not need nor pretend to know the answers to that mystery. That is beyond my range of knowledge or comprehension. And that, for me, is okay.

What I also believe is this: The God within each of us, the Divine Image we all share, does respond with answers on a regular and consistent basis. That God inspires us with strength and courage, that God summons our abilities to offer comfort, compassion, and consolation. That God grants the intellectual and human gifts that allows physicians and nurses to cure, to remedy and to heal. That God answers our prayers often. Frank, how does this answer square with your thoughts and beliefs?

Frank: Mark, while you and I agree on many issues, I must respectively admit that on this one, we agree on one aspect of your answer about prayer but disagree on another.

You state that maybe God answers prayers and maybe God does not. Which one is it? You state that you do not understand why God responds to some prayers but not to others, but that this is okay and that it is beyond your knowledge or comprehension and that is also okay. I have trouble with that opinion, but I do agree with your statement that God does offer comfort and inspires us with strength and courage. I agree with you that God summons our abilities to offer compassion and consolation.

I believe that God is embedded in my DNA but does not answer prayers with direct intervention. Prayer does not cure cancer or heart disease or any other requested miracle. However, God does give the one who prays, the needed strength and courage to manage the difficult issues that life brings to us all. God speaks to us in a “Still Small Voice” to help bring peace to a troubled soul and calm to an anxious heart. That voice of

God helps us understand what it is we need to do to help make us a better person and the world a better place.

So, Mark, we agree and disagree on this issue of prayer. That is what we Jews do.

Mark: Frank, as a physician, you certainly know about the human heart, that it can harden over time. When we read the Exodus story, Pharaoh suffered from the same affliction, though perhaps his was more figurative than literal. Just the same, we know that a hardened heart can have severely negative implications and effects on those who suffer from such a condition.

Well, what if I said to you that I believe that, perhaps, one of the ways I have seen God answers prayers is through God’s intervention to soften our hearts, even when they have been hurt, or broken, and make them open up their same constricted heart muscles, once again. Not necessarily in a physical sense, but rather, in a spiritual one, allowing hope, promise and uplift to make their hearts soften and function at full function yet again.

Frank, think about the people you know and see if this concept resonates with you and holds true.

A friend is discouraged after a failed marriage or two and swears of never getting married again. But God directs him to a partner of his dreams and his heart is softened, and open, once again.

Or another friend, a widow, her heart broken and closed, finds her way, unexpectedly, to open her heart to love once again, her heart softened, her crushed

Please

spirit made whole once again.

Or a parent has a wayward child, his heart embittered and hardened, who cannot even fathom the choices his child has made. Yet something—or Someone— softens that parent’s heart with an extraordinary sense of compassion, opening it to find a way back to his child.

Or a child is born with a debilitating condition, making a parent or grandparent wonder about her ability to fully love and embrace that child. What eases that weight on her heart, what allows it both to soften and to strengthen in its ability to love that child in new ways, in ways beyond measure?

In this way, and others, I believe, it is possible that God may answer our prayers. Not all but some.

Frank: Mark, you make a wonderful argument for the prayer I believe in. In all your cases of a wounded heart that is healed by prayer, are cases where prayer allowed the person to turn inward and listen to that “Still Small Voice” that helped heal the broken or misguided spirit. It was the God within each of these individuals that helped that person move forward with their lives and love again as well as learn to love the wayward or disabled child. No external God heard a prayer and intervened. It was the God within that guided the path to love and acceptance. See, we agree! •

Rabbi Mark Schiftan can be reached at mschiftan@aol.com

Dr. Frank Boehm can be reached at frank.boehm@vumc.org

Vanderbilt Student Max Perry Awarded Obama-Chesky Scholarship

By BARBARA DAB

V anderbilt student Max Perry has been awarded the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. The award includes participation in a twoyear cohort with other scholarship winners. The highlight of the scholarship is the Voyager Summer, six weeks of travel to a place of his choosing. “I truly have an open field to pursue what I’m most interested in,” he says. Perry’s plans are to visit Poland, Germany, and Italy to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust.

The scholarship award also includes a $50,000 scholarship, which Perry calls a game changer for him. “To have the burden relieved by the foundation has truly changed my life in more ways than I can describe,” he says. Perry is one of 100 college juniors from 60 institutions nationwide and he is proud to report that there are a total of three students from Vanderbilt who were chosen. “It says a lot about who we are, and our character. That Vanderbilt is a campus of changemakers and public service and people who are dedicated to making the world a better place.”

Perry’s plans for utilizing his scholarship award is three-fold: Holocaust education, civil discourse, and expanding access to college for non-traditional students. “My most fervent hope is to continue this throughout my entire life, but in the short term I intend to create curriculum and programming for middle

and high school students.”

An overarching goal for Perry is to use Holocaust education as a vehicle for teaching about and encouraging civil discourse. “Vanderbilt has emerged as a leader for civil discourse so to be able to pass on some of the teachings I’ve learned here to people in our region and beyond is a real privilege. But to do so all in the effort to combat antisemitism,” he says.

In addressing the climate on the university campus, Perry says Vanderbilt is also a leader in ensuring it is a safe place for Jewish students. “I have been like most of my Jewish peers, closely following what has been happening for Jewish people throughout the world and specifically on college campuses,” he says. He says at peer universities, many

Jewish students feel unsafe and refuse to wear identifying Jewish articles of clothes or jewelry. “But that’s not the reality at Vanderbilt.” As a student tour guide, Perry reports many parents say they feel safer sending their students to Vanderbilt than other top schools.

Additionally, Perry says the university’s policy of principled neutrality goes a long way towards ensuring students feel safe. “First of all it is making sure there are no statements for or against the current conflict. And it also provides an opportunity to hear from people from all sides of the spectrum.”

As for the future, Perry plans to

apply to law school. He also has no plans to abandon his mission to combat antisemitism through education, in particular about the Holocaust. “This is not just a Nashville, Tennessee issue, this is a societal issue. So the work is not stopping any time soon.” He hopes the Obama-Chesky scholarship will open his eyes to the possibilities for working within the public sector. “This is a lifelong effort. This is my passion to try to decrease the number of antisemitic incidents in our schools, and to ensure that the next generation does not have to go through what the Jewish students in my generation have had to go through.” •

SAVE THE DATE:

Sherith Israel will be holding its annual Fundraiser on March 2, 2025. This will be a very special event: we will be celebrating Rabbi Saul Strosberg and Rabbah Daniella Pressner’s 20th anniversary of service to the Shul and to the Nashville community. Together, they have rejuvenated Sherith Israel and reinvigorated Jewish education in Nashville and provided a source of continuing inspiration and wisdom to countless people in the community beyond the Shul.

Their anniversary also coincides with the 120th anniversary of Sherith Israel’s founding in 1905 which will also be celebrated at this event. Make sure to mark your calendars! And feel free

to contact Roberta Goodman (roberta_ walter_goodman@yahoo.com) for any additional information. •

Vanderbilt student Max Perry was awarded the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service

The Hinneni Project: Honoring the Fallen through Art and Remembrance

By Eitan Snyder

Our Partnership is focused on building real, three-dimensional relationships between American, Israeli, and Czech Jews, so when the unthinkable happens and many people in our Partnership region lose loved ones on October 7, Partnership hops into action. As we approached a year since the attacks on October 7, we wanted to find a way to honor the memory of those who were killed and bring some support and solace to their families and loved ones. We decided to coordinate an art exchange where American and Czech artists were matched with Israeli artists who were assigned a family who lost a loved one on October 7 or during the war this past year. The pairs of artists would collectively make art to commemorate the fallen loved one which would be exhibited in Israel and throughout our Partnership consortium, after which the family would get to keep the art as a memorial. Below you will read about the four artists from Nashville participating in the project and what their experience has been like.

Reflections by artist Ellen Monen:

On November 7th, there will be an exhibition in Israel featuring art from a group of local Tennessee artists.

The Hinneni Project is a collaborative art project with Partnership2Gether Hadera-Eiron of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Artists from different parts of the world were partnered with Israelis artist as well as a family who has faced a significant loss from to the war. The artists collaborate as they each independently create an art piece to memorialize the fallen. The families of the fallen were interviewed throughout the process.

I was paired with artist Inbal Bar-

Shalom Peleg and the family of Staff Sargent Neta Bar-Am, who Inbal and I had the experience of meeting with and interviewing via Zoom.

On October 8th, 2023, Neta’s squadron was preparing to send balloon cameras over Gaza for surveillance purposes in response to the attacks of October 7th. While they were working on base, Hamas showed up prepared for yet another bloody attack, a continuation of the attacks of October 7th.

Neta called his mother knowing he was facing his last moments of life. He told her how he loved her and their entire family, that he hoped they would continue building Legos together in his memory and take care of all the local cats — he was a big animal lover and had an affinity for cats. They lost Neta that day, but the fight he and his squadron put up saved a huge number of residents in the neighboring kibbutz.

In the coming months, the Bar-Am family collected around $50,000 to build a beautiful cat sanctuary, and they took on a tuxedo cat Lego project both in Neta’s honor and memory. One day a real cat that looked just like their Lego cat showed up at their home. This cat was especially unique because it LOVED Legos, just like Neta. The family adopted the cat and formed a special bond with it. Both Inbal’s and my art pieces create a connection between this cat and Neta.

The project helped me see that even when we feel helpless being so far away, we all have our talents and skills to help make an impact in our own special ways.

It has also helped me see that the Jewish world truly is like one expansive family. Being in touch with all these artists who have been helping the others through each of their processes was really a special process to be involved in.

I am so grateful that Eitan Snyder at the Jewish Federation thought to reach out and encourage me to sign up for this project.

Submitted to Hinneni for Exhibition.

Ellen Monen is an award-winning and published graphic artist based in Franklin, Tennessee. She specializes in conceptual branding and identity design through her business – SeeMeDesign. Ellen is most known for studying organizational truth within a business setting, and presenting it in a visual format. In essence, she helps organizations feel comfortable “in their skin” ensuring that it accurately reflects their purpose, and appropriately connects to their target audience.

In January 2024, Ellen founded The Star of David – a collaborative art passion project made up of over 215+ artists and creatives – @starofdavidartists. She uses her skills, layered on top of other artists’ work, as an avenue to educate – presenting the reality, past and present, of Israel and Jewish life.

Artist’s Statement

This art piece was created for Staff Sergeant Neta Bar-Am’s family, may his memory forever be a blessing. The art and poetry were inspired by a conversation with Neta’s mother, Nirit.

Neta was a lover of cats and Legos, both of which hold a significant place in his family’s collective heart since his passing. When he called his mother in his final moments to tell her he loves her, he requested that his family keep

these aspects of him alive. It is one way they hold him in their physical reality, but it has also made a difference in their community at large.

A very special cat appeared in the family’s life soon after Neta’s departure. This cat was reminiscent of another cat in their lives — a Lego cat project they were sculpting. And this cat just so happened to love Legos. The work expresses the story of this tuxedo cat and its symbolic connection to Neta.

The illustration was created digitally and includes layered elements from Inbal’s work – expressing a deeper message, as the two works are reflective of one another.

The floating balloon rising off into the night represents the fleeting life of Neta. The cat and the balloon share the same light, aura, and glow.

It has been an honor to be a part of this process with Neta’s family – such a brilliant, vibrant, creative, silly, fun, intelligent-beyond-his-years, beautiful, young man whose love for his family is deep, everlasting… and whose heroic actions display his love for humanity as he stood in the frontlines on October 8th, resulting in many more Israeli lives saved.

I sincerely hope that this piece lives a long life in the Bar-Am family. If it becomes even half as special for them as the creative process has been for me, it will be a success.

Reflections from Tina Ritchie:

In Commemoration of Tamar Samet

I never met her, yet I feel like I knew her well. Her taste in music, the emotionalism in her art, her taste in clothing, her beloved shepherd dog—every new thing I learn about Tamar makes me think, “She is so much like me.” I listen to the words in How I Burned a Bridge and am reminded of my own journey at 20 years old: wondering if I would ever be the person I want to be, lamenting over the person I had been. In those days, my greatest comfort was my art, music, faith, the stillness of nature and my beautiful dog. Was it the same for Tamar?

Connecting with Tamar through the Hinneni Art Collaboration has been beyond meaningful for me. In the wake of October 7, I think a lot of diaspora Jews were asking the question, “What can I do to help our friends and family in Israel?” This project was a powerful answer.

I was able to relay questions about Tamar to her mother, and learned about

her life in small ways. By listening to her music, I was given a glimpse into her emotions and artistic motivations. In the process of connecting with this young woman I had never met, I found light and inspiration that can only come from the life of another person. Everything I learned helped to inform my final illustration.

The collaborative aspect of the project has also had a colossal impact on me and my practice. Meeting so many other artists in this common goal of expressing the ineffable, especially in a time of such strife and sorrow, has been both uplifting and informative. I have not only enjoyed getting to know these artists, but I have grown in my connection with them. I believe that these connections will last far beyond the span of this project.

The most important part of this project, to me, has been creating art for the family of this beautiful young woman. The power of art is most obvious to me in times like these, as words often fall short when expressing the beauty of life. I am honored to have been a part of this mission, and Tamar’s memory will forever be a blessing.

Reflections from Rachel Stern:

In

of

As a Jewish individual in the diaspora, I have often grappled with feelings of isolation and confusion. Recently, I had the profound honor of visiting Israel for my birthright trip. While paying respects at the Nova site, I came across a sticker on the wall of a bomb shelter. It was an illustration of Ori Locker, a hero whom I had the privilege of commemorating through this project.

In that moment, Ori’s sticker stood out like a beacon amidst the darkness, symbolizing our shared connection. It served as a poignant reminder that despite our distances, we are united as one nation with a singular journey, bound together by our collective love for one another.

I am deeply grateful to have participated in this project, which not only allowed me to contribute my skills to a greater cause but also connected me with other artists navigating similar challenges post-October 7th. This experience has strengthened my bond with the land of Israel and deepened my understanding of our collective struggle and the need for support.

Ori’s story profoundly impacted me, and I strive to share his legacy with every-

Commemoration

Sgt. Ori Locker

Tuxedo Love, by Ellen Monen

Real life photo of the Lego Cat

Untitled, by Tina Ritchie

Ori Locker, by Rachel Stern

Jewish Federation Presented a Full Month of Programming

By BARBARA DAB

Late summer was chock full of programming presented by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. Among the highlights was a presentation by Israel Is Reservist Community SpeakUp. The presentation featured a panel of IDF reservists that included a descendent of a Holocaust survivors, an American Oleh and lone soldier, social activists and content creators, and a soldier from the undercover unit that inspired the hit show “Fauda.”

Ambassador David Siegel, President of Friends of ELNET, former Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, and former chief of staff to three Israel Ambassadors to the United States, gave an overview and update about antisemitism in Europe.•

The Kosher Nashville Hot Chicken Festival and Jewish Arts & Music Festival Return on November 3!

By Rachel Clark

T

wo of the most anticipated events on the Nashville/Middle Tennessee Jewish Community calendar return on November 3, 2024!

All are welcome to the 9th Annual Kosher Nashville Hot Chicken Festival PLUS 3rd Annual Jewish Arts & Music (JAM) Festival taking place at the Gordon Jewish Community Center on November 3. The events occur simultaneously on the lower soccer field by the outdoor pool. Gates open at Noon sharp, and if you are planning to come for the Kosher Hot Chicken we recommend you arrive early as chicken will be available during the 12-3pm(ish) window, however the event will continue on beyond that.

Tasting tickets will be needed for team samples, which can be purchased

online or at the gates. Before attending the Festival, please join us for the Kosher Hot Chicken Pickleball Tournament, held at the JCC on the outdoor courts by the pool! Learn more about the tournament at nashvillejcc.org/adultsports

JAM FEST will feature Kosher food options – including Kosher Hot Chicken, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (Kosher dairy and non-dairy), and several other food offerings. Rhizome Productions will be offering beer & non-alcoholic beverages for sale.

The Kosher Hot Chicken amateur teams will be on the field along with all the vendors and music stage this year, and we are excited to share that Hattie B’s Hot Chicken will be on site with their food truck this year (Koshered by Rabbi Saul). They will be selling full servings and sides.

On the live music front, JAM Festival has another impressive lineup of talent!

Ari Zelig

Omer Netzer

Ada Pasternak

Them Vibes

These events are made possible by dedicated volunteers that are passionate about this community, but we must thank our incredible donors that make it possible and FREE to attend.

Thanks go out to the Gordon JCC, Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Novick Law, Blackstone Brewing Co., Zander Insurance, Sherith Israel, The Temple, West End Synagogue, Congregation Micah, Tennessee Sign Company, The Kupin Group, and Rhizome Productions.

You can learn more about these events at www.nashjamfest.com. See you Sunday November 3, bring out the entire family and invite all of your friends! •

Hot Chicken without PICKLES is just wrong!

Before attending the Nashville Kosher Hot Chicken and JAM Fest on Sunday, November 3rd, please join us for the Kosher Hot Chicken Pickleball Tournament, held at the JCC on the outdoor courts by the pool! The beginner level (below 3.5 rating) tournament runs from 8-10am with the advanced level (3.5+ rating) tournament immediately following from 10am-12pm (Amateurs only.). All festival guests can join for the advanced tournament finals at 1:00pm. All games will be doubles, traditional scoring to eleven, win by two. Each tournament will have 8 teams participating in a round-robin style.

Registration is $50 per team - only ONE partner should register and you must fill out the name of the other partner.

As of now, this tournament is for Gordon JCC members only. Meaning BOTH partners must be members. If there are spaces available, non-members will be

Eve Barlow

Continued from page 1 to talk about being Jewish will really resonate with a lot of people in light of everything that has happened since October 7th.”

When it comes to women’s philanthropy, Kupin says it is important for women to use their collective voice. “One of the things I’m involved in outside of the Jewish community is a wom-

able to sign up starting October 14th.

We hope to see you at the J all Sunday long for this awesome tournament and the other special festivities planned that day!

Register via the QR code or head to nashvillejcc.org/adultsports to find more info. •

en’s giving circle. It’s all about how women can make a collective difference by pooling their resources to help do good in Nashville. I think the Federation’s approach to this women’s philanthropy event is similar, getting women together to say we all want to make a difference in our Jewish community.”

Barlow’s platform includes highlighting the many forms Jew hatred takes, both online and off. She encourages people to push back against the

Heart of the Matter

By PAM KELNER

Last year at this season, I wrote a Heart of the Matter about the duality of Sukkot- how it is a time where we are commanded to be joyful- Zman Simchatenu, yet it is also a reminder that with one swift wind, our sukkah can be blown over. Our time in the sukkah reminds us, even amidst our celebration, that we remain vulnerable. Life is fragile. I outlined the ways in which JFS walks alongside our clients in times of personal fragility as well as the community at large during times of communal vulnerability and fragility.

Sukkot leading into Simchat Torah 5784, the Jewish people’s sukkah was not just blown over but shattered on October 7th. Once again, JFS walked side by side with our community nav-

rhetoric and has spoken in front of audiences for dozens of Jewish organizations, including BBYO, WIZO and JNF, among others. She has been recognized by Algemeiner at one of the Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in both 2020 and 2021.

The event is being held on Sunday, November 17th at 10am at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. To register, or for more information, visit https:// www.jewishnashville.org/womens24 •

igating this trauma and offered different ways to process it, depending on each individual’s needs. Some needed individual counseling, others a support group. And others a community healing circle which offered moments to reflect, sing, meditate and hold the Torah close. In a supportive community. Am Echad, B’Lev Echad. One people with one heart.

Acknowledging the weight we are all carrying post-October 7th is necessary. Just knowing that we are not isolated in our suffering but that it is shared by our entire community doesn’t erase the pain, instead helps us carry it together. Rather than being broken we are bonded by it, and it is a source of connection and solidarity. This is our Jewish super-power. It doesn’t weaken us- as a collective we are still here, showing our resilience, strength and enduring just as our people always have.

Am Yisrael Chai. •

Hinneni Project

Continued from page 11 one I meet, ensuring that his memory and sacrifice remain honored. Creating his portrait was an incredibly meaningful process for me, with each stroke on the paper serving as a form of kaddish. Being involved in this project was both healing and moving, and I hope I have done Ori’s memory justice. May his memory be a blessing forever. •

Strides, miles, and smiles - Nice Jewish Runners Nashville prioritizes community, movement

By ERIN WIDES

Every week, those who enjoy the simple things in life like fresh air, movement, and community gather in different neighborhoods of Nashville to run, walk, and stay for post run coffee or drinks. This is all part of the group Nice Jewish Runners, which originally started in New York.

Following October 7, 2023, Jewish people all over were yearning for community. Four days later, in a quest for community and maintaining his running journey, NJR Founder Ezra Feig put out an Instagram post. His call was simple, if there was interest in a solidarity run in New York, he’d arrange it.

“As the grandson of four Holocaust survivors, like many Jews, I felt like I had to do something to help,” Feig said. “In my little world of running I noticed a lot of silence and felt like Jewish runners needed a safe space.”

Feig quickly got to work on launching the group. They hosted the first run in Central Park on October 20, 2023, and now have chapters in nearly two dozen cities around the world.

Nice Jewish Runners Nashville hosted their first run on Sunday, June 2, after founder Erin Wides felt a similar silence and read vile posts from the leader of a group she was running with.

“I was no longer going to show up in a space where a ‘leader’ was posting what that individual was posting and

fellow runners were staying quiet.” Wides said. “The next few months of miles were lonely, but in the spring, I came across an NJR Instagram reel and quickly connected with Ezra. After a few weeks of planning and lots of outreach, here we are, and it’s been the best thing to happen for me.”

Every week since June 2, people have shown up to run, jog, or walk a 1.5- or 3-mile route. The runs/walks are designed to be at your own pace and always end at a local coffee shop or restaurant for schmoozing and community building.

NJR Nashville has seen everyone from young professionals, college students, and parents. Vanderbilt senior Zander Schwartz was looking to get back into a workout routine and said doing so around people he feels comfortable with has made it easier.

“It’s been special to have this community. I find that I connect with people on all levels despite how different a lot of our life trajectories are, which I think is something rare,” Schwartz said. “These are people I look forward to seeing week after week. I also started bringing my friends, and that’s been fun too.

To get in a routine, the group began with just running on Sunday mornings through Nashville’s 12 South neighborhood. There was quickly a desire and need for different routes and an additional time to give more people a chance to join the fun. Starting in August they added Thursday evening runs, which have seen a steady turnout.

NJR Nashville member Kayla Jacobs was born and raised in Nashville and moved away for work. When she returned in the spring, she was eager to get involved in the Jewish community and her husband suggested she attend a run.

“I was unsure where to even start with moving back and finding the groups of young Jewish professionals, especially since I had not been here much since graduating high school,” Jacobs said. “NJR has been the best part of my week now for a few months. The community is unmatched.”

The group is not a shy one and holds space and conversations for just about everything.

“To have a safe space to discuss the ongoing war in Israel with Americans and Israelis alike has helped facilitate a lot of healthy conversations and deeper understanding of what everyone feels,” Jacobs said.

The runs have become a part of people’s weekly routine and they come for different reasons. Sometimes it’s for movement, other times it’s for community. Dalton Taylor was interested in the

idea of combining fitness with socializing, while also trying to navigate the increase in hate from others.

“I’ve seen a lot of hate directed towards Jews on the internet, and it’s been really important for me to distance myself from that negativity,” Taylor said. “Meeting this community in real life every week feels like therapy. It’s comforting to be surrounded by people who share nothing but kindness and positivity, especially during such difficult times.”

The group is all about celebrating one another and has gotten to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and hosted a pasta dinner send-off for one of their runners before the Berlin Marathon.

“Everyone is welcome here; you don’t have to be Jewish. I’ve had friends who aren’t Jewish join us, and it means a lot. You can show up exactly as you are and there’s going to be a family here to support you,” Wides said.

Runs are Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. For more information on future run locations, you can follow NJR Nashville on Instagram (@nicejewishrunners_nash).

BBYO Kicks Off New School Year

By REBECCA MORIARTY

BBYO hosted their fall kickoff event at the Nashville Sounds game on August 25th. The event was attended by over 50 Nashville teens from 8th-12th grades. Each semester BBYO hosts a kickoff event for current and prospective members. Teens in grades 8-12 are eligible for membership and there is a onetime $249 membership cost that covers all five years of membership.

Being a member of BBYO gives teens a sense of belonging. There are many membership benefits, including:

1. Journey of self-discovery and lifelong connections

2. Gain leadership skills

3. Growing a global network of like-minded Jewish teens

4. Join over 350,000 alumni around the world post-high school

5. Organize programs for other Jewish teens in our area, including regional conventions

6. Participate in community service opportunities

7. Attend BBYO International Convention, the largest Jewish teen gathering in the world (Members-

only) that welcomes top philanthropists, celebrities, thought leaders, business executives, and more.

8. Travel the world on BBYO-exclusive summer adventures that connect you to a global audience.

9. Most of all, build lasting friendships with other Jewish teens in Nashville. Now, more than ever, bonds between Jewish teens are important to the future of our community.

BBYO members in grades 9-12 are invited to join our first regional convention of the year. Fall Convention is

November 8-10 and will kick off with dinner and Shabbat services, followed by mingling and chapter bonding. On Saturday, teens will participate in meaningful Shabbat services, athletic competitions, small group rotations, chapter bonding, Havdalah, a bonfire, and more. Fall Convention registration will open soon! In the meantime, 8th-12th graders are invited to local events throughout the semester.

Reach out to Rebecca Moriarty for more information: RMoriarty@BBYO.org •

BBYO kicked off the year with the Nashville Sounds.

At Our Congregations…

Nashville’s congregations

Here are the websites for all five Nashville Jewish congregations, with information on services, upcoming events and more:

Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, www.chabadnashville.com

Congregation Micah, www.congregationmicah.org

Congregation Sherith Israel, www.sherithisrael.com

The Temple – Congregation Ohabai Sholom, www.templenashville.org West End Synagogue, www.westendsyn.org

The Observer provides congregational listings of events and services as a complimentary service to the community. If your congregation is not listed, it is because we did not receive the information in time to meet our publication deadline. Please give your rabbi, executive director, or synagogue volunteer a gentle nudge.

@ Chabad /Congregation Beit Tefilah

During the High Holidays, The doors to heaven are open to all… so are ours!

Chabad of Nashville will be hosting services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 5785, and our doors are open to all who call upon us, with love, warmth and friendship.

The community is invited to join Chabad for traditional High Holiday Services blended with contemporary messages and insights in a warm and welcoming environment.

Whether your background in Jewish prayer and practice is extensive or limited, the services will leave you feeling enriched, connected, uplifted and energized to start your new year off in a most meaningful way.

For children! Chabad will also offer a full program of well supervised activities for children ages: 4-12 years. Children get to experience the joy of holidays in their own special way-in their own designated room, close to their parents. Kids love this program and learn a lot in the process, ensuring that Chabad High Holidays will be a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the entire family.

During the services the rabbi will share insights and inspirational stories related to the significance of the day, prayers will be recited in Hebrew and English, all in a warm and family friendly atmosphere, and children’s services will be offered for young families.

Rosh Hashanah Eve, Wednesday, October 3rd, 6:30 PM.

1st and 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, October 4th, and Friday, October 5, Morning service 10:30 AM / Children’s service 11:00 AM / Rabbi Sermon 11:30 AM / Shofar sounding 12:00 PM / Mussaf 12:30 PM

Yom Kippur eve, Friday, October 11, Kol Nidrei, 6:15 PM, Yom Kippur Day, Saturday, October 12, Morning service 10:30 / Children’s service11:00 AM / Yizkor service 12:30 PM / Mussaf 1:00 PM / Neilah service 5:30 PM/ Break-fast 6:55 PM.

Sukkot and Simchat Torah are know as the Festival of Joy. At Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad there are a cornucopia of programs and events for people of all ages, to experience true inner joy as we celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, October 16 – October 25, 2024.

See below a schedule of Sukkot Services at Chabad.

Wednesday, October 16– The Eve of the Festival of Sukkot

Light holiday candles 6:09 PM

Erev Sukkot Service 6:30 PM

Sukkot Under The Stars Community Dinner 7:00 PM

Thursday, October 17– First day of Sukkot Morning Service 9:30 AM

Lulav Shake 10:30 AM

The Priestly Blessings 11:45 AM

Light holiday candles after 6:46 PM

Friday, October 18– Second day of Sukkot Morning Service 9:30 AM

Lulav Shake 10:30 AM

The Priestly Blessings 11:45 AM

Light Shabbat candles 5:49 PM

Saturday, October 19, - Shabbat Sukkot – 3rd day of Sukkot

Morning Service 9:30 AM

Torah reading 10:30 AM

Lunch in the Sukkah 12:00 PM

Shabbat ends at 6:44 PM

Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

Wednesday, October 23 – The Eve of Shmini Atzeret

Light candles at 5:42 PM

Chassidic Hakafot 6:30 PM

Thursday, October 24 – Shmini Atzeret Service

Morning Service 9:30 AM

Yizkor Memorial Service 11:15 AM

The Priestly Blessings 11:45 AM

Light candles after 6:38 PM

Simchat Torah Community Dinner and Hakafot 6:30 PM

Friday, October 25– Simchat Torah Service

Simchat Torah Morning Service 9:30AM

The Priestly Blessings 10:30 AM

Conclude reading of the entire Torah 11:00AM

Light Shabbat candles 5:40 PM

TGIS Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner 6:30 PM

Saturday, October 26 - Shabbat Bereishit

Morning Service 9:30 AM

Torah reading 10:30 AM

Shabbat Oneg Lunch 12:00 PM

Shabbat ends at 6:36 PM

All services will take place at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, 95 Bellevue Road, in Bellevue.

To RSVP or for more information please contact us at 615-646-5750 Rabbi@ chabadnashville.com or www.chabadnashville.com

Chabad of Nashville to host “Sukkot in the Cloud”

Sukkot is known as the Festival of Joy, and also as the Holiday celebrating the fall harvest. On the holiday of Sukkot the Sages declared it a mitzvah to eat 14 meals in the sukkah, and in keeping with the holiday’s agricultural meaning, gratefulness is expressed to God after the harvest through the eating of autumn fruits and vegetables.

A wonderful way to connect to nature is to cook with what is in season locally. In Tennessee we are blessed with a bountiful fall harvest. Hearty homemade soups accompanied by an assortment of breads are a wonderful way for your family and guests to warm up during the chilly fall evenings in the sukkah

Join friends and family as Chabad of Nashville will be welcoming the joyous holiday of Sukkot with a festive holiday Sukkot celebration at “Sukkot in the Cloud”, on Wednesday, October 16, at 6:30 PM, at the Chabad of Nashville Sukkah Plaza. The festivities will include a festive Holiday Dinner in our brand-new Sukkah Under the Cloud. The dinner will include locally grown produce harvested by local farmers, in the spirit of the Festival of Harvest.

Kindly RSVP at chabadnashville.com

Falafel Funday in the Sukkah

On Sunday, October 20, 5:30 PM, all are invited for Falafel Funday at the Family Sukkah Fest. Family and friends are invited to join in the festivities, as a delicious Falafel dinner will be served, with Israeli Pita and Falafel, Hot Burekas, Chumus, Tehina, Israeli Salad, and the traditional condiments, which will the mind, body and soul. The event will include music, face painting, balloon art, and an abundance of family fun and Sukkot joy.

Participants at these events will have the opportunity to do the Lulav Shake in the Sukkah. There is no cost to participate in this event. RSVP appreciated at jewishwilliamson.com. This event will be held in the Franklin area and is being sponsored by Chabad of Williamson County. For more information go to jewishwilliamson.com or call 615-473-0991.

Simcaht Torah Under the Stars LET’S DANCE AGAIN on Simcaht Torah

Chabad of Nashville invites the Jewish community to COME JOIN US AS WE REMEMBER, COMMEMORATE, AND DANCE AGAIN! Thursday, October 24, 7:00 PM at Chabad of Nashville.

One year ago on Simchat Torah the dancing stopped, as several thousand terrorist crossed over from Gaza into Israel and slaughtered over 1200 Jewish men women and children. On that day the joy and celebration of Simchat Torah was shattered and the dancing stopped.

This year, on their very first Yahrzeit, let us come together and show the world, that no one can stop the Jews people from dancing. Let us dance for those that can’t today. We will dance with Torah’s, we will dance with flags, we will dance with Jewish pride.

We will enjoy a delicious dinner, share a toast of “L’Chaim, and dance our hearts out for those who can’t! This will be a family friendly event, for men, women and children. All children will get to meet our Torah mascot and receive a gift of their very own Simchat Torah flag to take home.

This event will take place in the courtyard of Chabad of Nashville, and culminates the ultimate joy of the High Holiday season, and all are invited to participate. Go to chabadnashville.com for more information.

Continued on page 17

Continued from page 16

Chabad to host TGIS on the Shabbat of Genesis

Start your Shabbat off right with good friends, great conversation, and excellent kosher cuisine, all seasoned with the perfect amount of spirit and joy. TGIS is a Club Med Shabbat: An all-inclusive Shabbat experience. Enjoy a Friday night Shabbat dinner replete with traditional dishes. Blended with spirited singing, a Chasidic tale, and a chance to meet some wonderful new people. TGIS will be held on Friday evening, the Shabat we start reading the Torah from theBeginning in the Book of Genesis, Friday, October 25, at 6:30 PM at Chabad of Nashville.

There is no cost to attend the TGIS Shabbat experience, however we kindly request that you RSVP by letting us know you will be attending at chabadnashville@ gmail.com

Torah and Tea - for Women by Women

Join an all woman’s Torah and Tea leadership study group every Shabbat, following the sit down lunch, at congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, at 1:00 PM. The study group is led by Rebetzen Esther Tiechtel, who teaches with wisdom and wit, and embraces each participant with warmth and friendship.

Torah and Tea will bring you this tradition of classical Jewish learning in a series of clear and engaging weekly classes. Probing the ideas and issues related to the modern Jewish woman, these classes will offer timely lessons -from the most timeless of all texts. Join together with fellow women from the Nashville community, for inspiring Torah study, warm camaraderie, hot tea and delicious refreshments!

@ Micah

Congregation Micah - an inclusive, innovative synagogue exploring and celebrating Jewish life - is committed to building community and repairing the world! We offer creative and diverse ways to live a Jewish life in Tennessee and beyond, using the rich beliefs and practices of Progressive Judaism as our foundation. Visit our 30+ acre campus or access our virtual programs from our website, www.congregationmicah.org. Like us on socials: Facebook, and Instagram @MicahNashville; sign up for our e-blasts; learn and pray with us in-person, or livestream our service on our website, YouTube, or Facebook. In our tent, there is room for everyone!

Weekly Events

Sanctuary Shabbat Services: Fridays at 6 PM

At Micah, we approach God in many ways: the inspiration of words, the beauty of sacred space, the authenticity of our intentions, and through the power of music and song. Join us in-person or virtually for services this month that will be as diverse as they are engaging, as moving as they are participatory. Come early and schmooze with us starting at 5:30 PM! Light refreshments are served.

Saturday Morning Torah Study: 9 AM on Zoom

Deep conversations about the text with thoughtful and caring people led by the clergy.

Mah Jongg: Tuesdays from 12:30 PM- 3:30 PM

Join our players for an afternoon of fun in the social hall! For more information, contact Paula: pgkwn@comcast.net.

Schmooze & Views: Thursdays from 10:30 AM- 11:30 AM

At Micah, we keep politics off the pulpit but not out of the building. Share your views in a round-table discussion on current events facilitated by Rabbi Flip and Dr. Bob Smith.

October Events

Women’s Circle: Friday, October 18, at 12 PM

Rabbi Laurie engages your intellect and inspires conversation on a variety of Jewish topics. All are welcome. Bring a friend. RSVP on Micah’s event page.

Micah Reads: Monday, October 21 at 7 PM In-Person

Education Director Julie Greenberg leads the discussion on “The Little Liar” by Mitch Albom on October 21.

EREV ROSH HASHANAH: The Jewish New Year’s Eve Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 PM

Every year Judaism offers us a clean slate, the chance to make a fresh start, the opportunity to begin again. As we start to traverse this sacred time of year, fill your tank with the songs and spiritual disciplines of the season surrounded by a compassionate and authentic community that supports all sinners and begin againers. There is nothing like a blank page to begin rewriting your story and creating a vision of what your life could be. Reflect on the world and your place in it. Sing, read, and chant along with us as we return to our roots and revisit the sounds, stories, and spirit of the season. Let the music ignite your soul as together we dream, BIG!

At Our Congregations…

ROSH HASHANAH: Birthday of the World

Thursday, October 3 at 10:30 AM

This is your shofar speaking: are you an entrepreneur? What if the enterprise is your life? “Being yourself” isn’t a coping strategy for eccentrics - it is a Divine command to every individual. When you are not yourself, you are robbing the world of what you were meant to contribute to it. Consider all the things you love and are passionate about. Recognize the opportunities right in front of you. This service serves as a wakeup call and asks what are you doing with your lifespan? Take the risk and invite growth. Become more self-aware, as together we participate in a learning journey that will help you generate innovative, creative ideas about how to live as a Jew (and human) in this broken world. Upon the conclusion of the morning service (and weather permitting) we will observe the ancient custom of Taschlich which originated in the Book of Micah of casting out all our missteps and mistakes – all the stuff we do not want to bring with us into the New Year. Journey with us to the back of our campus for a short song session and a modern take on this ageless ritual.

KOL NIDRE: The Holiest of Nights

Friday, October 11 at 7:30 PM

From biblical to contemporary times, the theme of people exerting control or power over others is featured in some of our most absorbing tales. Jewish stories both ancient and modern have characters who express feelings of fear, insecurity and powerlessness, as well as strength, fortitude and faith. During the turmoil of these especially turbulent times in the Jewish world, join us, on this, the holiest night of the year, and feel a strong sense of “peoplehood” at a time when so many are hurting. Sing, pray, learn, fast with us! Be a part of our shared destiny as we tap into the music, majesty, and magic of Micah at this, the most sacred of all services.

YOM KIPPUR: The Day of Forgiveness

Saturday, October 12 @ 10:00 AM

Have you ever noticed that every time something was messed up in your life, you were there? You are the common denominator. We cannot change what we do not see. Today is the day we take an honest look inside to reflect on who we have become and who we could be, confronting our mortality to see ourselves as if from the outside. Such a perspective affords us a unique opportunity to undergo intensive self-reflection, and the centerpiece idea is that change is possible within all living systems. That’s true for individuals, communities, and entire societies. Together we abstain from food and drink, but clearly God cares less for our self-affliction and more about how we treat others. The music will inspire you, the words of Torah will uplift you (literally we will try to get as many of you as we can up on the bimah), and the charge of the rabbi’s sermon will help you believe that transformation is possible. Would you like to grow? The choice is yours.

SUKKOT: Shabbat Under the Stars

Friday, October 18 at 6:00 PM

Emerging out of hours of prayers, some deep internal reflection and a lot of time inside, we suddenly burst out of the synagogue and into the great outdoors. Being outside in nature is beautiful and a powerful ritual reminder of our journey out of Egypt and, ultimately, of our place in the universe. The goal is to achieve climactic joy. Embrace the great outdoors in a deep and profound way, as we gather under the stars in and welcome the Sabbath under a Warner Park shelter.

SIMCHAT TORAH: Celebrating the Cycle

We are blessed to have musical artist in residence, Danny Maseng with us to celebrate Simchat Torah all weekend long! Danny is a world renowned musician, composer, actor, playwright, and recently became a Rabbi as well! His melodies are beloved by Jewish communities all around the world, including ours!

Musical Kabbalat Shabbat with Danny Maseng Friday, October 25 at 6:00 PM

Saturday Night Havdalah Cafe Saturday, October 26th at 7:00 PM

Join Danny for an intimate evening of Havdalah, musical gems, and tales of the Chassidim. (RSVP Required)

JLAB Intergenerational T’filah and Educational Program Sunday, October 27th at 9:30 AM

@ Sherith Israel

TEFILLAH SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 2, Erev Rosh Hashanah

5:45 am Selichot

6:30 am Shacharit

6:11 pm Yom Tov candles

6:15 pm Mincha/Maariv, followed by Rosh Hashanah dinner ($25 per person, RSVP online)

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At Our Congregations…

Continued from page 17

Thursday, October 3, Rosh Hashanah Day 1

8:30 am Main Minyan

12:30 pm Community Luncheon (Reservations required)

6:35 pm Mincha/Maariv

7:06 pm Yom Tov Candles

Friday, October 4, Rosh Hashanah Day 2

8:30 am Main Minyan

6:08 pm Shabbos candles

6:15 pm Mincha/Maariv

Friday, October 11, Kol Nidre

6:30 am Selichot & Shacharit

2:00 pm Early Mincha

5:59 pm Candles

6:05 pm Kol Nidre

Saturday, October 12, Yom Kippur

8:30 am Main Minyan

4:20 pm Mincha

5:35 pm Neilah

6:53 pm Shofar, Havdallah, and Break-fast ROSH HASHANAH LUNCHEON

Thursday, October 3

Following Services

Cost $30 adults | $16 children (5-12) | $118 families

Deadline is September 24

RSVP: 615-292-6614 | www.sherithisrael.com

SUKKAH DINNER

Wednesday Night, October 16, following services $21 adults | $12 children (5-12) | $80 families

Deadline to RSVP is October 11

RSVP: 615-292-6614 | www.sherithisrael.com

@ The Temple

All programming can be accessed via thetemplehub.org or templenashville.org unless noted to be in person only

Pirkei Avot: Jewish Wisdom for Today’s World

Get ready for Shabbat with a little text study! Each week we will study a piece of wisdom from Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of our Ancestors, an ancient Jewish text still relevant in our own times.

Available in person at The Temple and via zoom.

Zoom Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81973096738

Shabbat Schedule for October

Our Shabbat Services will be held in person at The Temple. You can also watch via zoom from thetemplehub.org or templenashville.org

Friday, October 4th ~ 6:00 PM – Shabbat Shuvah

Friday, October 11th ~ No 6:00pm Shabbat Service- Kol Nidre at 7:30pm

Friday, October 18th ~6:00 PM – Sukkot Service

Friday, October 25th ~ 6:00 PM –Simchat Torah Shabbat Service and Dinner

Golden Lunch Bunch

Will meet at Temple from 11:30-1:00pm on October 1: Sarah Swensen

October 15: Sukkot Program

RSVP to Nancy Dorman at 615-354-1686 or via email at helpinghands@ jfsnashville.org

First Fridays with Alyssa (Temple President)

Join us for Nosh and Conversation on Friday, October 4th

5:00pm prior to Shabbat Services

Chevrah Torah Study

9:30AM on Saturdays

Join us for our weekly Torah study on the portion of the week, led by the clergy. You can join us in person at The Temple or via zoom from thetemplehub.org or templenashville.org

Women’s Torah Study

October 10th, 24th, & 31st

10:30 AM on Thursdays

Ongoing weekly women’s Torah study led by Patty Marks. Available in person at The Temple and via zoom through thetemplehub.org or templenashville.org

Lunch with the Rabbi

October 10th, 24th, & 31st

Lunch at 11:30AM

Program12:00-1:00 PM

$15 per person for lunch

Engage with Rabbi Danziger and guests in a discussion of current and important issues from a Jewish perspective.

RSVP on templenashville.org or by calling the Temple at 615-352-7620

Available in person and via zoom.

Monday Mah Jongg

Join Us for MAH JONGG Mondays at The Temple!

October 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

1:00pm

Drop in for Mah Jongg. We’ll have coffee and water. Bring your friends, a card, and a set and have some fun. Mah Jongg cards and sets are available for purchase in The Temple Gift Shop.

Ring in the New (Jewish) Year with Rabbi Danziger and Stay for Trivia! All Young Professionals Welcome!

Thursday, October 3rd

Diskin Cider

First Drink on The Temple and Trivia starts at 7:00pm Questions? Reach out to Sheri at sheri@templenashville.org

Kever Avot Cemetery Service on October 6th at 1:30pm The Temple Cemetery 2001 15th Avenue North Nashville 37208

Break the Fast with Your Temple Family Reservations are required, please RSVP

Mark your calendars now for Break the Fast with your Temple community on Saturday, October 12th immediately following Concluding Services. This has become a Temple tradition and is enjoyed by all who participate.

The cost is $20.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12.

Your check is your reservation received by Monday, October 7th and should be mailed to: The Temple, Attn: Break the Fast, 5015 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205 Or RSVP online at templenashville.org/hhd

It’s a Knitzvah Crafternoon! Sunday, October 20th at 1:30 pm

The Temple’s W.E.L.L (Women Engaged in Living & Learning) is joining with the Crafternoon crew and invites all knitters, crocheters, and anyone who just wants to learn how to knit a simple scarf to provide for the homeless women who are a part of the Room in the Inn during the cold winter. Or bring a craft project of your own. We will be in the Sukkah at The Temple to enjoy the company of women engaged in living & learning. Refreshments will be served!

Please RSVP to Rabbi Mackler at rabbisgmackler@templenashville.org.

Family Pet Blessing at The Temple

Sunday, October 20th from 11:30-12:30 on the Patio (Rain or Shine)

All of God’s creatures are welcome!

Schedule:

11:30AM-12:00PM-Social Time and meet and greet with pets and pet parents 12:00PM- Blessing of the Pets by he clergy 12:15PM- Pet Contest

All pets must be leashed or crated at all times.

Hike and Havdalah-Presented by The Temple’s Worship and Music Committee October 19th

starting at the Edwin Warner Park Nature Center on HWY. 100 Meet at 3:45pm for a family friendly walk on a paved trail followed by Havdalah at 5:30pm

Chai Society Dinner and Trivia Friday, October 19th following Shabbat Services Dessert in the Sukkah

Chai Society is our group for member 65+

Cost: $20 a person RSVP on templenashville.org

“Minyan on the Move”

Make your Jewish values heard and vote! Thursday, October 23rd at 3:00pm

We are meeting at the Bellevue Public Library to early vote together. We will then go to Louie’s Taco Shop to eat and socialize. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Sheri at sheri@templenashville.org. You can also just meet us at Louie’s after we vote to join in the fun!

Temple Together

(Temple’s group for Jewish adults ages 35-50) Sips & S’mores Saturday, October 26th at 7:00pm. Address provided upon RSVP (sheri@templenashville.org)

All are Welcome!

Continued from page 18

Join the Women of the W.E.L.L (Women Engaged in Living and Learning) for the Thursday Matinee, as part of the Nashville Jewish Film Festival

October 31st at Noon

Join us to see Irena’s Vow at the Gordon Jewish Community Center at noon

The Temple has a few tickets share. RSVP to Rabbi Mackler to join our Temple group.

High Holy Days at The Temple

For more information or to access our services, visit templenashville.org or thetemplehub.org

Service

Rosh Hashanah Evening Service 7:30 PM 10/2/24

Tot Rosh Hashanah 8:30 AM 10/3/24

and Streamed

Rosh Hashanah Family Service 8:30 AM 10/3/24 Live and Streamed

Rosh Hashanah Morning 10:15 AM 10/3/24 Live and Streamed

Rosh Hashanah Reception 12:30 PM 10/3/24

Rosh Hashanah Tashlich 12:45 PM 10/3/24 Temple Creek

Kever Avot – Cemetery Service 1:30 PM 10/6/24 The Temple Cemetery at 2001 15th Avenue North Nashville 37208

Shabbat Shuvah 6:00 PM 10/4/24

Yom Kippur Evening – Kol Nidre 7:30 PM 10/11/24

Tot Yom Kippur 8:30 AM 10/12/24

and Streamed

Live and Streamed

Yom Kippur Family Service 8:30 AM 10/12/24 Live and Streamed

Yom Kippur Morning 10:15 AM 10/12/24 Live and Streamed

Congregants’ Hour 12:30 - 1:45 PM 10/12/24 Live and Streamed

Afternoon Service 2:00 - 3:15 PM 10/12/24

Afternoon Experiences:

and Streamed

Quiet Reflection with Music 3:15 - 4:15 PM 10/12/24 Live Guided Meditation with Deborah Oleshansky Study Session

Yizkor Memorial Service & Ne’ilah Concluding Service 4:30PM 10/12/24

Live and Streamed

Break the Fast 5:45 PM 10/12/24 RSVP October 7th

Sukkot Shabbat Service 6:00 PM 10/18/24

Sukkot Yizkor Memorial Service 5:00 PM 10/25/24

Simchat Torah Service & Oneg 6:00 PM 10/25/24

Live and Streamed

Live and Streamed

Live and Streamed

Please see thetemplehub.org and templenashville.org/hhd for updated schedule information

@ West End

For links to the following online services or programs, please email office@westendsyn.org or visit our website calendar for more information https://westendsyn.shulcloud.com/calendar

10/2 - Erev Rosh HaShanah 6:00 p.m.

Rabbi Joshua’s sermon ~ 6:30 p.m.

10/3 - First Day Rosh HaShanah and Tashlich - 9:30 a.m.

Blessing of the babies born in 5784 (from last Rosh HaShanah till now) at 10:00 a.m.

Families with Young Children service 10:15-11:15 a.m.

Services for children 1st-4th grades 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Services for children 4th-7th grades 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Rabbi Joshua’s sermon ~11:00 a.m.

Learner’s minyan led by Marc Jacobs will follow the sermon and will last ~1 hour. Tashlich service to symbolically cast away our sins at 4:45 p.m.

Mincha services will be held back at the Synagogue after we return from Tashlich. 20’s and 30’s Rosh HaShanah Dinner. 7:00 p.m. RSVP on ShulCloud calendar.

10/4 - Second Day Rosh HaShanah - 9:30 a.m.

A conversation with Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Gustavo Suraszki 10:45 a.m.

Families With Young Children Services 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Services for children 1st-4 grades 11:00 a.m.-noon

Services for children 5th-7th grades 11:00 a.m.-noon

10/6 – Cemetery Prayers – 10:00 a.m.

Personal Yizkor Ceremonies at the West End Synagogue Cemtery. Call for more information.

At Our Congregations…

10/11 - Kol Nidrei - 5:40 p.m.

Mincha followed by Kol Nidrei and the blessing of this year’s B’nai Mitzvah students. Rabbi Joshua’s sermon ~ 7:30 p.m.

10/12 - Yom Kippur Morning Services9:30 a.m.

Families With Young Children services 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Services for children 1st-4th grades 11:00 a.m.-noon

Services for children 5th-7th grades 11:00 a.m.-noon

Rabbi Joshua’s sermon ~ 11:00 a.m. before the recitation of Yizkor.

Learner’s minyan led by Marc Jacobs will follow the sermon and last ~1 hour. Mincha and Neila 5:00 p.m.

Ark will be open for personal prayers. The fast ends at 6:52 p.m. Followed by Ma’ariv, Ramah style Havdalah, and the blowing of the shofar. 7:30 p.m. Break Fast Meal sponsored by Sisterhood and Men’s Club. Please RSVP on ShulCloud

10/16 – Women’s Torah Group (on Zoom) – 11:00 a.m.

Rabbi Joshua leads our Women’s study of the book of Deuteronomy.

10/16 – Supper in the Sukkah! – 6:00 p.m.

Beit Miriam Family Sukkot dinner following regular Beit Miriam Religious School.

10/18 – Shabbat Potluck in the Sukkah

6:00-7:00 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat services followed by dinner in the Sukkah. Join us for an intimate Shabbat dinner experience in the Sukkah with delicious food and fabulous company. RSVP to spaz@westendsyn.org and plan on bringing a pareve or dairy dish to share with friends.

10/19 – Sisterhood Evening in the Sukkah –7:00 p.m.

Come and enjoy a beautiful evening of faith, food, and fellowship. Melissa Sostrin will share a D’Var Torah, bringing insights and reflections as we celebrate together. The evening will also include Havdalah, marking the end of Shabbat in the warmth of community and friendship. There is no cost to attend, its potluck, so please bring a dairy or pareve dish to share with fellow attendees.

10/20 – “Pizza in the Hut” Lunch after Beit Miriam

10/22 - Sours in the Sukkah with Trent Rosenbloom– 6:00 p.m.

Well, not really! What if I told you there is no such thing as sour beers? Come and taste and learn about the wide diversity of naturally fermented beers, featuring bottles from Nashville’s own Yazoo Embrace the Funk line of wild and funky beers. Some may even be sour!

RSVP on ShulCloud. Suggested Donation: $10

10/23 – Sisterhood Wednesday Wind Down Book Club – 7:00 p.m. via Zoom

We’ll be discussing The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Reservations are required to receive the Zoom link. RSVP at bit.ly/MCSOctoberBookClub.

10/24 – Simchat Torah Congregational Dinner – 6:00 p.m.

Join us for a congregational dinner sponsored by Sisterhood followed by Simchat Torah services, Hakkafot (Dancing with the Torah), and we may even unroll the whole Torah scroll as we finish reading and start all over again. RSVP on ShulCloud.

10/26 – Birthday Shabbat – 9:30 a.m.

10/30 – The Sandi Goldstein Learn & Lunch Program for ages 60+ – 11:00 a.m.

Reservations required, catered lunch following the presentation.

Speaker: Rabbi Dan Horwitz

Lunch catered by Goldie Shepard at 12:00 p.m. Cost: $5.00

RSVP 615-269-4592 ext. 11 or office@westendsyn.org.

Continued on page 20

At Our Congregations…

Continued from page 19

10/31 – Men’s Torah Group (in person) –12:00 p.m.

10/31 – Men’s Torah Group (in person) – 12:00 p.m.

Join us for our Torah class for men. We are currently studying the Second Book of Kings and will be eating pizza

10/6-10/13 – Beit Miriam Fall Break

Midweek Hebrew will return on October 16th and Sunday School on October 20th.

Learning Opportunities

Talmud on Tuesdays

Rabbi Joshua leads a lively Talmudic discussion at 7:30 a.m. in person and on Zoom every Tuesday, immediately after morning minyan. Come and join us!

Religious Services

Shacharit (in person)

Our minyanaires are always looking for more people to strengthen the only egalitarian minyan in town! Sunday services are at 9:00 a.m. and Monday-Friday at 7:00 a.m. Thursday minyan is followed by breakfast.

Mincha/Maariv (on Zoom)

Join us for daily Mincha/Maariv at 6:00 p.m., Sunday-Thursday.

Kabbalat Shabbat

You are invited to join us every Friday for Kabbalat Shabbat in person at 6:00 p.m.

Shabbat Morning services

You are invited to join us every Saturday morning in person or by Zoom at 9:30 a.m. Great davening, insightful learning of the Torah portion and a yummy (and nutritious!) kiddush lunch following services!•

Community Listings

East Side Tribe

East Side Tribe is a grassroots social and spiritual community fueled by Jewish values and rooted in East Nashville. For our full schedule, go to eastsidetribe.org.

- L’chaim Time! Happy Hour with East Side Tribe, Oct. 3: First drink is on us! This is a great way to get to know more East Side Tribe folks — whether you’re a newcomer or a longtimer.

- Break-fast, Saturday, Oct. 12: Our annual potluck break-fast is our largest and most collaborative event of the year. This year, as we meditate on returning to our most creative self, we’ll have a lineup of live music, crafts, and fun for all ages.

- Sabbat Dance: A Weekend of Jewish Mindfulness & Movement, Oct. 18-19: Featuring Lawrence Dreyfuss of Brooklyn and Lindsey Weiner of Nashville. Tickets are available to the full weekend or individual events:

- Friday night: Mindfulness Kabbalat Shabbat & Potluck

We’ll gather for a short, music-filled prayer service full of intentionality, egalitarianism, spirituality, and love for our neighbors — and we will transition into Shabbat with intentional mindfulness practices as well.

- Saturday morning: Experiential Shabbat Morning (Embodied Connection, Torah Study, and Guided Meditation)

This Shabbat morning experience will serve as a doorway to explore Jewish spirituality and embodiment through chanting, text, and guided meditation practices. We’ll unpack centuries of Jewish attitudes towards the body and reveal how yoga philosophy can ignite a more embodied and connected Jewish practice. Lunch included.

- Saturday night: Havdalah Ecstatic Dance

Through DJed music and facilitated guidance of free-form movement, this ecstatic dance serves as a container to experience the ritual of Havdalah, the sacred portal between Shabbat and the week, through the transformative power of dance. There is no choreography and no right way to move — just the freedom to dance however you feel in a warm, welcoming space.

- East Side Tribelings Sukkot Party, Sunday, Oct. 20: Fun for our littlest East Side Tribe members (and their parents)

Rutherford Havurah

Gather for Reflection and Community

The Jewish Murfreesboro Group invites you to a special afternoon of Tea and Tashlich on Sunday, October 6th at 2:00 PM. Let’s come together to celebrate the beauty of nature and reflect on the past year.

When: Sunday, October 6th, 2024 at 2:00 PM

Where: Overall Street Trailhead, Murfreesboro, TN

We’ll enjoy delicious iced tea and lemonade, while you contribute your favorite desserts to share with friends and neighbors. As we gather by the water, we’ll participate in the traditional Tashlich ceremony, symbolically casting away our sins for the new year. Your presence is essential to the continued growth and vitality of our Jewish Murfreesboro community. We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP https://jewishmurfreesboro.com/events

Please bring a dessert to share.

Celebrate Sukkot with the Jewish Murfreesboro Group

Experience the joy of harvest, harmony, and heritage at our Sukkot celebration on Sunday, October 20th at 1:00 PM. Gather with friends and neighbors in a private residence for an afternoon of camaraderie, reflection, and delicious food.

When: Sunday, October 20th, 2024 at 1:00 PM

Where: Private Residence (Address provided upon RSVP)

Enjoy engaging conversation, delicious food, and the serene atmosphere of a sukkah. As we gather together, let’s reflect on the blessings of the harvest season and strengthen our community bonds.

To contribute to the potluck, please bring a vegetarian side dish or dessert to share. Let’s showcase our culinary talents and create a delicious and diverse spread. •

Are YOU in this Picture?

This photo was unearthed from deep within Sherith Israel’s archives. Pictured is a model seder from the year 1939 when the shul was known as the 5th Avenue Synagogue. If you can identify anyone in this picture, please contact Rabbi Saul Strosberg, rabbisaul@sherithisrael.com. Feel free to share and tag people on social media too! •

Local Rabbi Unveils Course on Interpersonal Relationships

Chabad of Nashville’s six-week course offers practical tools to improve family bonds, workplace dynamics, and friendships.

Chabad of Nashville has announced it will host a groundbreaking sixweek course, Nurturing Relationships, offering students practical wisdom for improving any interpersonal relationship. The first of six weekly sessions begins on Monday, November 11, 7:30 PM, at Chabad of Nashville with instructor Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel.

Developed by the globally recognized Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, Nurturing Relationships draws on thirty centuries of Jewish teaching to deliver effective, relevant tools for better connections today—from empathy, active listening, and healthy disagreement to managing reactions around flawed behavior, being a

good influence, and achieving forgiveness. In a distracted age, this course offers a roadmap back to genuine human connection. “We see too many people with plenty of friends, family, and connections still longing for more closeness in their relationships,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel. “This course gives participants effective tools they can apply to cultivate real depth and meaning in all their relationships.”

The course’s six sessions combine text-based learning with engaging discussions and real-world applications. Each week, participants examine one core relationship skill in depth and come away with a clear understanding of the topic— plus real tools they can use that same day.

“One week, participants might see what it takes to forgive a loved one after feeling betrayed,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel. “Another week, they’ll learn how to provide guidance or feedback without seeming arrogant—or how to apply active listening skills in every conversation.”

Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel says the course invites local Jewish community members of all backgrounds to explore effective Jewish wisdom for enhanced relationships. “Everyone is welcome; you don’t need any Jewish learning background to fully appreciate this course,” he says. “Whether you’re looking to enhance your marriage, improve workplace interactions, or get closer with friends, Nurturing Relationships is a goldmine of wisdom that works.”

This course was developed by The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, which is the adult education arm of Chabad International, and its JLI classes are offered at over 1699 locations in more than 900 communities worldwide.

Chabad of Nashville is the local affiliate of the Jewish Learning Institute, and is dedicated to serving the Jewish community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. It offers a wide range of educational, social, and spiritual programs for Jews of all backgrounds.

To register for this new course Nurturing Relationships, go to myjli.com and select the city you are seeking to take this groundbreaking course, for more information please call 615-646-5740 or go to chabadnashville.com •

www.bellemeadejewelry.com 615-269-3288

Book Your Appointment Today!

New Gaga Pits at Camp Davis!

By ANDREW FISHMAN, DIRECTOR OF CAMP DAVIS AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Last year, Camp Davis was selected as one of 39 camps in the country to receive the 2023 Matching Grant, made possible by JCamp 180 (r), a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. This grant helps fund a physical-improvement project that will serve Jewish campers for years to come. When Camp Director Andrew Fishman evaluated the JCC campus and thought about what project could increase the fun, joy, and ruach, at Camp Davis, the answer became obvious - more GAGA!

Gaga is a treasured camp game where campers gather in the gaga court (lovingly called a “pit”) which is enclosed by 6 or 8 mini walls. The object of the game is similar to dodgeball, except instead of two sides, all players are in the pit together, and instead of throwing the ball, it is slapped at other players. You are only “out” if the ball hits you between the ankle and knee; any higher than that and you are safe. There is a litany of other rules, game modes, and fun alternatives that campers love to mix it up with, but that is the gist of it. Camp Davis campers - and thousands of camp kids around the country - truly go gaga for gaga!

Prior to this project, Camp Davis only had one gaga pit, limiting the opportunities for campers to play on a weekly basis. The pit is made of plastic and does not have a base, meaning campers play gaga with a dirt floor. Additionally, the pit is uncovered, meaning if it rained or

if the Nashville summer sun was beating down a bit too much, gaga was inaccessible to the campers. So, in envisioning an enhanced gaga experience at Camp Davis, Andrew realized that there needed to be two more full gaga pavilions built, they should have a wooden floor, and they should be covered.

Once the project was visualized, applied for, and confirmed, fundraising began. Via the grant, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation provided $1 for every $2 raised by the community, up to $25,000. Camp Davis and the JCC sought funds in three phases. First, current and past Camp Davis families were given the opportunity to donate specific amounts to receive a custom engraving on the gaga pits themselves. Second, donations received during the JCC’s “Big Night Out” fundraising ask were applied towards this project. Third, an extremely generous Camp Davis family donated the final remaining large sum to hit the full $50,000 mark, earning the full $25,000 from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Construction on the gaga pavilions began shortly after Camp Davis Summer 2024, and they are already nearly finished! The brand new pavilions will allow Camp Davis campers to play gaga rain or shine and all summer long. The first pavilion is located on the JCC’s lower campus, adjacent to the Pargh Playground. The second pavilion is located on the upper campus, up the hill behind the Adventure Park.

Andrew and his team want to extend an enormous thank you to all the camp

families and community members who donated to make this project possible. They also want to thank the Harold Grinspoon Foundation for their matching funds and for creating this special grant that serves incredible projects all

around the country, ensuring Jewish campers have the best possible experience at their respective camps. Camp Davis intends to apply for the 2025 Matching grant to further enhance our burgeoning campus! •

New Gaga Pits have been built for Camp Davis

October in the Galleries: SNAP photography group, Billy Martinez and Under One Roof Community Art Exhibit.

The Janet Levine March Gallery and JLMG2 gallery will feature the work of SNAP. The SNAP photography group has been an annual exhibit at the Gordon JCC going on twenty years.

The Society of Nashville’s Artistic Photographers (SNAP) has become known for its excellence in fine art photography, creating images that make the viewer smile, think, question or wonder. Members’ work has been shown not only in local and regional exhibitions and collections, but also in national and international forums as well.

In 2004, a small group of Nashville photographers met to form an informal group that would concentrate on the creative aspect of photography. Today SNAP provides a forum for discussing the work of members and notable photographers. Building on the advantage of being small and informal, SNAP enables members to have active conversations with each other as well as outside experts-sharing wisdom, projects and insights.

In short, SNAP is dedicated to promoting fine art photography in Nashville.

The Sig Held Gallery will feature the art of Billy Martinez. Billy Martinez was raised with a daily dose of comic books and Sunday funnies that friends and family supplied him with all through his years as a youngling. He began his professional career at the age of 20 to supply pages for The Rockin’ Roller Miner Ants a titled that featured guest appearances

Transit

Continued from page 1 is a holistic approach to how Nashvillians move around the city. This plan is about making it easier and cheaper to get from point a to point b.”

Specifically, Morris says the plan will update approximately 600 traffic signals. “Currently two-thirds of our signals are running on the equivalent of AOL dial up technology.” The new system will modernize and synchronize the signals through a new traffic management center. The result is real time feedback to accommodate traffic flow at peak times and following events.

Another key element of the plan is building more sidewalks. “We have a sidewalk problem,” says Morris, “Last year the city did just six miles of sidewalks. This plan accounts for 86 miles of new and improved sidewalks.”

Beyond those basics, Morris says, are additional service improvements. “Right now, our WeGo service does not account for the needs of a modern city.” He says current bus service ends too early in the evening, leaving not only tourists and visitors, but third shift workers stranded. “People who work late at night and would use our transit system don’t have the ability to.”

To address the needs of commuters, the proposed plan includes building 12 regional transit centers designed to move people around the city rather than

by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Soon after in the fall of 1993 Billy was signed on to create and draw his cult classic tale, which is known as Wildflower.

With the success of his flagship title, Billy decided to branch off and create freelance work for companies such as Peregrine Entertainment, Heavy Metal Magazine and Image Comics.

Summer of 1998 began Billy’s live art career which later opened many doors into the fine art world. Good friend and professional artist Jim Mahfood convinced Billy to bring his art live on stage, which consisted of painting 4 to 6 paintings simultaneously with music.

In 2014, Billy relocated to Nashville.

You can catch Billy on his live art tour throughout the country at various conventions and concerts.

The Senior Lounge will continue to feature the work of Robbie Laskey.

On October 16th the Gordon JCC

auditorium will feature the 2024 Under One Roof collaborative community exhibit under the Sukkah. Each year, honoring the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Gordon JCC reaches out to broader Nashville community of organizations and establishments asking them to participate and to reflect on a particular Jewish spiritual theme. This year Chesed, Loving Kindness was chosen. Each organization is then given a blank canvas to create a piece of art reflecting their particular interpretation of the theme. The work will be on display in a Sukkah created in the auditorium of the Gordon Jewish Community Center and is open for viewing October 16 -23rd to the public with an opening reception to the public on October 20th from 3 -5 pm. The show will then be moved into the Hall Gallery for the remainder of the year and open for viewing all year long.

The Exhibition Dates are October 2nd - 30th.

The Artist reception will be held for the galleries on October 9th from 6-8 pm and feature music by DJ Joseph Harris and Henna by FIzza along with a pop up jewelry shop by Chandler Dezigns. The reception for Under One Roof will be held on October 20th from 3 -5 pm in the auditorium.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the GJCC at 615.354-1699, Curator Carrie Mills at carrie@nashvillejcc.org, or go to www.nashvillejcc.org. •

through the densely populated downtown area. “Right now, we have a hub and spoke system,” says Morris, “If you want to go from Antioch to Lenox Village you have to go all the way into downtown to go all the way back out of town.”

This circuitous and often dangerous bus route is well known to Felicia Abramson who first lived in Nashville over a decade ago in the Bellevue neighborhood near the Gordon Jewish Community Center and commuted by bus to her job on Elm Hill Pike. At the time her now-husband was working at the GJCC and the couple only had one car. “We got that place because it was near a bus stop, and it was near the J. I would take the bus from there to have downtown and then transfer to the airport bus and then back. So, it was an hour and a half commute each way,” she says. The three-hour daily commute also impacted her ability to work. “I was never actually able to go full time because of when the bus came. I would get there by nine but would have to leave by 4:20 to get the bus back.” Abramson adds that if she missed the connection at the airport, she was out of luck because it was only an hourly bus.

Like Groner, Abramson cites lack of shelter and sidewalks at the bus stops as additional challenges. And Morris says safety is the final, key component of the

transit plan. “2022 was the most dangerous year on record for a Nashvillian to simply cross the street,” he says, “We need to do more to make it safer for pedestrians and drivers to coexist with each other.”

Morris adds that the vast majority of the city’s serious and fatal accidents occur on just six percent of the roads and intersections. “We know where those areas are and we need to improve them and invest in our city’s infrastructure.”

When it comes to financing the proposal, the idea is to raise sales tax in Davidson County by half a percent. The approach, according to Metro Council Member Jacob Kupin (District-19), is more straightforward than in previous iterations. “This to me is a much simpler version. We are just looking at local option sales tax. We know we are at 9.25%, it’s going to take us to 9.75%, which is the sales tax rate in Williamson County, in Rutherford County.” Kupin says the annual cost to families amounts to approximately $70 per year.

In addition, says Kupin, there are additional incentives attached to the added funding stream. “We are one of four out of 50 cities that do not have dedicated funding for transit. So when the Federal government has Federal infrastructure grants, they’re not giving them to us because we haven’t taken the first step.”

This means money paid to the Federal government leaves hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal funding to go to cities like Miami, which has a dedicated transit fund. “People say this won’t solve congestion. No, it won’t solve congestion, but it will give us the first step to exponentially

grow our infrastructure dollars.”

Among some of the push back Kupin hears are complaints that the buses are currently empty, so why expand the service. “I use myself as an example. I live in Germantown and there is no bus that is a one stop shop that takes me from the top of our city to the bottom. So if I were to take the bus I’d have to walk or drive to the bus stop, get on the bus, take it to WeGo central, get off, take another bus to go back the way I came to go to the Bridgestone Arena.” He says the trip could take 45 minutes, but he could get there by car in eight minutes. But increased service and more buses would make the trip a no-brainer.

If the proposed initiative is successful at the November ballot, the plan will be fully implemented over 15 years. But Choose How You Move’s Morris says, “It’s important for people to know improvements will start as early as February of 2025 with sidewalks and signalization.”

For people in the Jewish community, the improvements couldn’t come soon enough. Groner says beefed up sidewalks and efficient signals will go a long way toward helping her be able to participate in the community’s many programs. “The JCC and The Temple are really hard to get to via sidewalk and intersections. They’re not safe. And I have taken the bus and tried to get there safely but it’s really only safe in one direction.” She adds that more people should try riding the bus, particularly before voting on the bill. “See what it’s like and think about how it could improve your life in other ways.” •

Native American, by Billy Martinez

Provence Poppies, by SNAP

Street, by Diane Wehr

Golden Hour in Yosemite, by SNAP

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LET’S TALK RETIREMENT!

By LORETTA SAFF

JEWISH NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS?

Scene: Four recently retired ladies –Ethel, Judy, Sandra, and Rachel – are having lunch shortly after Yom Kippur at a famous Jewish deli.

[Ethel ordered the matzo ball soup. Judy wanted to split a corned beef sandwich (although she did worry about a split charge), and Sandra chose salad with salmon (resenting the $12 up charge). Susan threw caution to the wind and was looking forward to spooning up kasha varnishkes.]

Ethel: Girls, I’ve been thinking. Now that our New Year has started, why don’t we have “Jewish New Year’s Resolutions”? We’ve confessed; we’ve asked for forgiveness – so let’s think of what we can do to make the new year ahead better than the last.

She took a spoonful of soup and continued.

We have more time to do more things, so let’s make meaningful promises to ourselves about what’s going to be different. We do it every year in January, why not for the Jewish New Year?

Judy thought for a moment, put down her half sandwich and stifled a giggle. Ok, I’ll start, she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Since I’m going to be baking more now and helping with special events, I promise

that when I’m asked to share my rugelach recipe, I’ll actually share the whole thing, instead of leaving out a couple of ingredients like I usually do! She put her hands over her guilty face.

I heard Susan mumble, I knew it! I knew mine just didn’t taste the same!

Rachel wiped her chin with her napkin and took a deep breath.

My turn. I was just thinking about this in services. With more time, I’ll probably go to Temple more often.

Then she held up her hand and said, I promise to talk less in services, pay more attention, and stop watching people, wondering where they got their outfits and who told them they looked good!

She sat back and blushed.

Sandra glanced at Ethel and said, ok, ladies, enough. Our friend is being serious. She took a deep breath and smirked.

From now on when I meet new people, I’m going to simply mention my grandkids in passing and show only one picture - even though they are smarter, better looking, and have more personality than everybody else’s!

With that truth telling, no one could hold back. Even Ethel had to wipe away a few laugh tears. And then it was her turn:

Alright, this new year I’m going to try harder to consider what I’m going to saybefore I say it. But really, what’s wrong with telling it like it is? Filter/Schmilter!

It took a while for the laughter to calm down.

Then, finally, from no one in particular and in no particular order, they came up with the following:

#1 – I am going to stop always

searching for somewhere to get a discount. After all, random acts of kindness towards small businesses are really appreciated. Yes, occasionally, I’ll pay full price. (There, I said it.)

#2 – I’m going to really start an exercise routine (ok, maybe even Pickleball) and to eat more healthy food, even if it does mean occasionally giving up Sunday bagels, lox, and babka.

#3 – No more planning my husband’s day and week in Retirement. Maybe then

he will finally figure it out for himself –including lunch!

#4 – I want to start listening more, bossing less, and remembering what optimistic Jewish mamas always say, “If life gives you potatoes, make latkes!” What’s on your Jewish New Year’s Resolution list? •

L’Shana Tova!

Loretta

loretta@coachingwithloretta.com

Gordon JCC Adult Program Happenings:

TGIT – October 2024

October 3rd – GJCC closed for Rosh Hashanah

October 10th - Bob Henderson

Historian and Native Nashvillian, Bob Henderson will present a talk on Nashville’s “Magellan of the Air” an Amelia Earhart kind of flight out of Nashville few people know about involving Ridley Wills’ family.

Lunch: Quiche, salad, sides, birthday cake and ice cream.

October 17th – Laurie Sonsino

Our very own TGIT attendee and accomplished musician and violinist, Laurie Sonsino will be back to entertain us with her beautiful violin playing and

At Clarenda le at Bellev ue Place, it’s possible to cr oss ever y worr y of f your list with convenient and resort-style amenities. Residents and their fa milies love the security of a covered pa rk ing ga rage, the delicious of ferings in our elegant dining room and ca sual bistro, and the “at your serv ice” ment alit y from ever y st af f member

To learn about all of our community’s exceptional amenities, call 615 -258-6364 or visit ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com

engaging performance.

Lunch: Chicken, salad, couscous, sides, dessert.

October 24th – Andrea Cziprusz

In our ongoing Health & Wellness series we have our returning amazing physical therapist Andrea Cziprusz presenting on heart health for seniors.

Lunch: Salmon, salad, sides, dessert.

Oct 31th – Nashville Jewish Film Festival

The NJFF will present “Irena’s Vow” in the Gordon JCC auditorium at noon with special guest, Jeannie Smith, Irena’s daughter.

The screening is complementary to GJCC senior adult members.

Deli brown bag lunch for TGIT group members only. •

“Clarendale at Bellevue Place is a beautiful, clean, and comfor table communit y that provides so many amenities. The locat ion is close to shopping, restaurant s, and pharmacies, and t he transportation they provide makes ever ything so easy. Many activities are o ered t hroughout the day. Dining is bot h delicious and an oppor tunit y to socialize wit h friends. We give our experience wit h Clarendale a fi ve -star rev iew.” – FAMILY MEMBER OF RESIDENT

em LIFE@ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com | 7632 Highway 70 South | Nashville, TN 37221

Lifecycles

B’rit Mitzvah

Ryan Riven Dretler

Ryan Riven Dretler will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, October 5, at 11 a.m. at The Temple. He was born in New York City on October 10, 2011. Her parents are Adam and Julie Dretler, and her grandparents are Jan and Steve Riven of Nashville and John and Roberta Dretler of Westport, Conn.

A seventh grader at Ensworth School, Ryan’s special interests include competitive dance, reading, playing tennis and spending time with her friends.

For her Mitzvah project, Ryan volunteers for No Kid Hungry, a national nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.

Oliver Jacobs

ter of Russel and Hannah Warsetsky, and the grandchild of Ede and Bruce Slovin, of Columbia, Tenn., and Barbra and Gerry Warsetsky of Coral Springs, Fla.

A seventh grader at Grassland Middle School, Jessie loves playing soccer as a goalie, making art, playing violin and theater.

For her Mitzvah project, she will be collecting supplies to make care packages for children at the local hospitals.

Obituaries

Jonathan Lee Biller

Condolences to the family of Jonathan Lee Biller who died on August 31. He was the son of Margaret C. Biller; brother of Dr. Daniel H. Biller (Tara) and Caroline Biller Bernstein; uncle of Andrew, Jonah and Macie Biller, and Sophie and Emily Bernstein.

State Committee on Mammography, he was also an honorary fellow of the American College of Radiology.

He served in leadership roles at West End Synagogue.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed travel, food, friendship, playing tennis and golf, as was an avid fan of Vanderbilt basketball and the Brooklyn Dodgers. His doctors called him “amazing” for his resilient spirit and positive attitude in dealing with significant health issues in his later years.

He is survived by his wife, Estelle; children, Diedra Silbert of Ridgeway, Conn., Michael Silbert (Kathy) of Boulder, Colo., Shelley Silbert (Steve) of Durango, Colo., and Daniel Silbert (Becky) of Atlanta, Ga.; grandchildren, Lauren Jordahl, Erika Silbert, Nicole and David Silbert.

she raised her two older children, before making her way back to Nashville, where she spent the majority of her life.

Anita was an incredible hostess, always creating opportunities to bring family and friends together. She loved shopping, chatting on the phone to her loved ones, and was always radiant with her beautiful smile and impeccable wardrobe. In addition, Anita was a talented artist who leaves behind her many paintings for her family to always enjoy. Above all, Anita deeply loved and appreciated her family unconditionally and selflessly.

Oliver Jacobs will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday October 19, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Micah. He is the child of Sarah and Matthew Jacobs, the brother of Julian Jacobs, and the grandchild of Buddy and Mary Ann Jacobs of Tucson, Ariz., and Mike and Barbara Lancaster of Orange County, Calif.

A seventh grader at Brentwood Middle School, Oliver loves family get togethers, hanging out with friends, playing baseball, lacrosse and pickle ball, and watching Cleveland Guardians baseball, all while eating Mexican food.

For his Mitzvah project, he’s raising funds for a pickle ball tournament to benefit Tennessee Alliance for Kids.

Zealynn Mila Near

Tributes may be made in Jonathan’s memory to Congregation Micah or the Jonathan Lee Biller Fund at Mitchell County Animal Rescue.

Joseph Moses

Condolences to the family of Joseph Moses, father of Elisa Hertzan.

Regina Krause Richman

Condolences to the family of Regina Krause Richman who died on August 28. Regina was the sister of Ellen Einstein, wife of Steven Richman, mother of Tracey (Charles) and Kevin Richman, and grandmother of Harrison and Andrew.

Burton Silbert, M.D.

Donations may be made to West End Synagogue, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Temple Bethel of Long Boat Key, Florida, or the charity of your choice.

Anita Freedman Taradash

Condolences to the family of Anita Freedman Taradash died on July 24. Anita was born in Jackson, Tenn., on February 3, 1940, to Frieda Lindy Freedman and Irwin Freedman. A graduate of Jackson High, Anita attended Memphis State University and later moved to New York to pursue modeling and a career in retail fashion. She then spent a decade in Los Angeles, where

As a loving wife to the late Howard Taradash, mother and grandmother, Anita is survived by three children, Robin Grollnek Taradash Dillon (Fred) of Nashville, Michael Grollnek of Nashville and Lana Faye Taradash (Adam Scheiner) of Madison, N.J. Affectionately referred to as “Ema”, she leaves behind five grandchildren, Lauren Dillon Hibbitt (Donavan), Joseph Dillon, Madeline Scheiner, Amelia Scheiner and Noah Scheiner.

The family would like to extend their immense gratitude to the staff of Harmony at Bellevue and Flynt of First Light and their compassionate caregivers Mili, Jordana, Joy, Angie, Nicole, Diane and Chera.

Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, The Temple, Bellevue Community Food Bank or the charity of your choice. •

Zealynn Mila Near will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, October 19, at 11 a.m. at The Temple. She was born on July 15, 2012, in Troy, New York. Her parents are Rebekah and Jeremy Near, and her grandmother is the late Edith Fendell.

In memory of her beloved grandmother, Zealynn chose for her Mitzvah project a heartfelt project that honored the values of her grandmother. She taught an art class for the residents at her grandmother’s assisted living center, where she not only shared her artistic talents, listened to the residents’ stories and brought joy and companionship to everyone she touched.. Zealynn is vibrant and talented with a passion for the outdoors, art, and animals. She is kind and helpful to those in need, and she enjoys hiking, creating art, and spending time with her pets and family. She also runs her own baking business, called Z cakes.

Jessie Warsetsky

Jessie Warsetsky will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, October 26, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregatio Micah. Jessie is the daughter of Gail and Marc Warsetsky, the sis-

Condolences to the family of Burton Silbert, M.D., who died on August 24. He was born in Brooklyn on July 8, 1933, the son o Donnie Rahinsky Silbert and David Silbert and was the son-in-law of Herman and Lillian Kushner. He and is wife, Estelle, whom he adored, raised their family in Nashville, their beloved home, for decades. In retirement, they moved to Longboat Key and later to Plymouth Harbor, Fla. They celebrated their 70th anniversary in June.

Educated in New York City public schools, Burt earned his B.A. from New York University and his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1958, as a member of AOA, the medical honor society. Following an internship at Butterworth Hospital and a radiology residency at the Grace Hospitals in Michigan, he returned to Nashville as an instructor in radiology at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, continuing as clinical assistant professor until 1979. In 1964 he joined what would later become Radiology Alliance from which he retired in 1997.

Burt performed Nashville’s first mammogram in 1973 and was dubbed “the father of mammography” by his peers. In 1974, he was appointed co-director of the Vanderbilt Breast Center Detection Project, part of a national study to determine the effectiveness of mammography.

A member of the Nashville Academy of Medicine, the Tennessee Medical Society, the Tennessee Radiological Society, and chair of the

Kvetch in the City

By CARRIE MILLS

I

‘m sitting here banging my head against the computer, wondering what I could possibly write about that would not involve saying something political (which would start an argument with way too many acquaintances), saying something unfortunate about my last dating experiences, or delving into a litany of bodily aches and pains. With the high holy holidays approaching at least I have an opportunity to wipe my complaints, sometimes not nice thoughts and worries clean in Synagogue.

I’m actually laying here, not sitting, not knowing which joint to ice first… though my right knee seems to be winning in the aches and pains category. In the last three weeks since I went to NYC it appears I threw my body into mayhem from walking 18,000 steps a day

and going up and down 6 flights, multiple times a day while staying at my son’s tenement building apartment. I’m trying to avoid going to the doctor because if they tell me I need surgery…well, talk about mayhem. I’ve got six jobs I’m juggling on any given day. Though working six jobs feels a lot better than the six dates I went on while in NYC recently…but who’s counting?

And, if I’m on the subject of counting, none of those dates really did count or amount to anything in the end. As a matter of fact, all they did was make me feel worse. Especially four out of the six dates where the men pretty much ran away from me as fast as they could. Talk about ouch. Maybe I need to ice pack my dating life. Then again, it’s already pretty cold. Is there a dating doctor out there with a cure for a bad dating track record? Or maybe a doctor I could date? My mom always said, “It’s just as easy to marry a doctor.” If that were true, then why didn’t she? Instead, she put the pressure on me, not that I was interested in

GREEN HILLS

anyone studying medicine when I was a younger much more attractive version of myself. I was far more interested in the starving artist type, or what appeared to be sexy guitar players. However, now that I’m older and constantly in need of a doctor, I must say, my mom may have been right. I should have married a doctor. Now all I do is spend money on them. I have to say, some doctors can be a little strange. This past year my primary care physician retired. I actually liked him; he was not strange at all. He’s not the one I’m referring to. Although I never really knew what he got the big bucks for. All he seemed to do on any given visit was listen to my heartbeat with his stethoscope and then listen to me go on and on. I must say, he did listen to me complain a lot, I give him a lot of credit for that. Not only did he have patients, but he also had patience. Once, after I went on and on about a panic attack I had worrying that I may die in my condo and nobody would find me for days, he insisted I fill a Zanax

prescription. I complied, only to flush it down the toilet. I probably could have used a pill or two, still, the last thing I needed was to get hooked on some addictive medicine, so I flushed it down the toilet. I felt bad about poisoning the water, however, I felt worse potentially poisoning myself. I always try eating well and exercising to cope with anxiety which is why I sometimes end up exercising too much or incorrectly and throwing my muscles and/or joints into convulsions only to find myself once again at the doctor’s office…it’s a vicious cycle apparently.

Anyway, his retirement forced me to find a new primary care physician, so instead of asking around I just told the nurse to hook me up (not that kind of hook up!) with any doctor taking new patients available in the doctor group that my old physician was a part of.

Lo and behold, I’m sitting in the exam room at my next annual visit when my unknown and new primary care physician, opens the door to the examine room and I could have sworn on my mother’s grave, it was Billy Bob Thorton. I mean what doctor shows up to examine a patient in a plaid shirt, slacks and boots and scraggly hair? No doctor’s white jacket. He did have a stethoscope around his neck, so I figured this is either really Billy Bob Thorton acting in some streaming series here in Nashville, or my new primary care physician was some eccentric, peculiar kind of doctor. I kept reminding myself I was in a legitimate doctor’s office so he must be a real and valid physician. When he sent me down for blood tests, it crossed my mind that he might actually show up later wearing my vial of blood around his neck. So, it looks like I’m back to finding a new, old fashioned primary care physician who wears a white coat and has good listening skills.

Meanwhile, as I lay on my couch, alternating between icing my knee and my hip and thinking I need to find a new doctor, while doing my best to avoid talking to most people and getting into political arguments, and trying to stop thinking mean thoughts after disappointing dates, I realize I am actually looking forward to the High Holy Holidays this year. I need them, big time. Forget my aching body and my little life being out of whack, the world feels like it can totally use some prayers. It feels like I’m sitting on the edge of the abyss sometimes. The world’s problems seem way too much, way too big, way too overwhelming.

The upcoming holidays remind me I get the chance to focus on forgiveness, changing myself, being a force for good. “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” And so with that thought and an icebag on my hip, I say Amen.

In memory of Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Alexander, Almog, Ori, and all the fallen, may their memory be for a blessing. May all the remaining hostages be released. May the war end. •

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ACCOUNTANTS

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY

CATHY WERTHAN, CPA

401 Commerce Street, Suite 1250 Nashville, TN 37219 (615) 245-4070 • marcumllp.com

APPLIANCES

ELECTRONIC EXPRESS is a leader in top quality, brand-name electronics and appliances at exceptionally low prices. Stocking the latest items, Electronic Express takes pride in providing customers with products at prices to fit any budget. From televisions, appliances, smart devices and cameras to security systems, furniture and mattresses, Electronic Express has everything to take your home to the next level. Electronic Express offers special financing, delivery and installation options. We make it happen! Visit us at any of our 18 locations or online at www. electronicexpress.com

ATTORNEY

MARTIN SIR, ATTORNEY Family Law / Personal Injury / Probate Fifth Third Center 424 Church Street, Ste. 2250 Nashville, Tennessee 37219 (615) 256-5661 www.martinsirlaw.com

CARE GIVER

Custom senior care for active, healthy lifestyles. Affordable/no minimums. Meals, meds, transp., outings, dementia care & assist with hospital discharge. Professional trusted care partners. Locally owned. Call Moises for Free Assessment: 615-678-9223 www.curaforcare.com

In-Home Care & Engagement | Respite

Dementia Day & Early-Stage Programs Independent & Assisted Living Memory Support | Caregiver Resources 615.434.2160 | services@abesgarden.org

AROSA (formerly Family Staffing Solutions, Inc.)

Integrated Care Management and Home Care Provider

2000 Glen Echo Road, Suite 104 Nashville, TN 37215

615-595-8929

143 Uptown Square Murfreesboro, TN 37129 615-848-6774

768 N. Main Street Shelbyville, TN 37160 931-680-2771

Elite Caregiving Services

Compassionate Care In Your Home

We offer aftercare from surgical procedures, part-time assistance, and 24 hour elderly care. 615-881-6528

Hannah@EliteCaregivingServices.com EliteCaregivingServices.com

CHIROPRACTIC CARE

DR. BRADLEY KROCK D.C.  Discover relief with Dr. Krock, DCExpert chiropractic care for pain, wellness, and injury recovery. Book your appointment today!   615-723-0201 www.krockchiropractic.com

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COUNSELING

MICHELLE ROSEN, M.ED. Comprehensive College Planning Support 615-497-5198 nashvillecollegecounselor.com

DENTIST

STEVEN R. HECKLIN, DMD

DAVID M. SMILEY, DMD ABBY DILUZIO, DMD Cosmetic and Family Dentistry www.drhecklin.com 5606 Brookwood Place 615-356-7500

INSURANCE

BILTMORE INSURANCE SERVICES

Greg Zagnoev, Agent 615-746-RISK (7475) Home, Auto, Business, and Life

JAMES A. ROTHBERG ADAM ROTHBERG

James A. Rothberg & Associates Office:  615-997-1833 Fax: 615-665-1300

2000 Glen Echo, Suite 208 Nashville, TN 37215

Email: jrothberg@jarinsurance.com info@jarinsurance.com

ROBINS INSURANCE

Bruce Robins, CPCU, CIC, ARM; Van Robins, CIC Auto, Home, Life, Health, Business Insurance 11 Music Circle S Ph. 615-665-9200 • www.robinsins.com

ZANDER INSURANCE GROUP, INC. Jeffrey J. Zander, CIC Auto, Home, Life, Health, Business, Long Term Care, Identity Theft Protection 6213 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209 615-356-1700 www.zanderins.com

M JAFFA HEALTH INSURANCE Marsha Ross Jaffa, CIC, LUTCF 615-482-3860 Medicare, Health, Dental, and Life

OPTOMETRIST

DR. MICHELE SONSINO Optique Franklin 436 Main Street, Franklin 615-591-4191

DR. JAMES W. KIRKCONNELL Bellevue Eyecare Center 7640 Hwy 70 S, Ste 102 Nashville 615-662-7588 www.bec2020.com

ORTHODONTISTS

GLUCK ORTHODONTICS Specialists in Orthodontics Dr. Joel Gluck DDS, MS Dr. Jonathan Gluck DDS, MSD 2002 Richard Jones Road A-200 615.269.5903 drgluck.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

GHERTNER & COMPANY Homeowner Association and Condominium Management Full Service and Financial Management Property Management since 1968 615-255-8531 www.ghertner.com

PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELING

IRA HELDERMAN, PhD, LPC Psychotherapy for Individuals, Adolescents, Couples and Families nashvillepsychotherapyandcounseling. com Please contact: 615-473-4815 or ira.p.helderman@vanderbilt.edu

REAL ESTATE

FRANKLIN PARGH

615-351-7333

franklin.pargh@compass.com

LANA PARGH

615-504-2685

lana.pargh@compass.com www.pargh.com

Instagram: @theparghteam

JACOB KUPIN, REALTOR

HAYLEY LEVY KUPIN, REALTOR 615-281-9035

Jacob@TheKupinGroup.com Hayley@TheKupinGroup.com www.TheKupinGroup.com We’ve got your back!

www.zeitlin.com

Residential & Relocation Specialists

JESSICA AVERBUCH Broker/ Owner Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty c: 615.294.9880 o: 615.383.0183 jessica.averbuch@zeitlin.com

LORNA M. GRAFF Broker, GRI, CRS, ABR 615-794-0833 (bus.) 615-351-5343 (cell) lorna.graff@zeitlin.com www.lornagraff.com

NAN SPELLER Broker, GRI, ABR 615-383-0183 (bus.) 615-973-1117 (cell) nanspeller2014@gmail.com

JENNIE ZAGNOEV Affiliate Broker 615-383-0183 (bus.) 615-838-2048 (cell) jennie.zagnoev@zeitlin.com

Jackie Roth Karr, REALTOR® ABR, CRS JackieKarr@gmail.com JackieKarr.com Mobile: 615-330-9779 Office: 615-463-3333

SPORTING GOODS

TEAM NASHVILLE Your Running/Walking Swimming Headquarters 3205 West End Ave. Nashville, TN 37203 615-383-0098

TRAVEL SERVICES

Expedia Cruise Ship Centers A Full Service Travel Agency Alan Cooper: Office: 615-454-6439 www.expediacruises.com/AlanCooper 7081 B Hwy 70 S / Kroger Shopping Ctr.

TREE SERVICES

Preserving the Natural Beauty of Trees and Shrubs. Specializing in the care of shade and ornamental trees and shrubs for residential and commercial properties. Serving Nashville since 1978. 615-373-4342 www.druidtree.com

Seniors and Post Hospital Care

The Jewish Observer 90th Anniversary

Continueing our 90th anniversary celebrations of The Observer, we are including some archives from 1934.