NOTICE TO ALL VETERANS MJCCA’s Susie Davidow steps down, but not away

By Donna Williams Lewis

Susie Davidow watched the little theater blossom.

At its start, the theater troupe did little more than 15 minutes of Shakespeare for an audience of family and friends. But over 24 seasons, Jerry’s Habima Theatre, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), has grown to become a regular part of metro Atlanta’s theater calendar.

The theatre company, which stages plays with casts almost totally comprised of people with special needs, has received a Suzi Bass Award, which “celebrates the best of Atlanta’s theater,” and is a twotime recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’

Challenge America Grant.

“It’s been an amazing experience. It’s hard to put into words,” said Davidow, who at age 70 is retiring after 16 years as director of the Blonder Family Department for Special Needs at the MJCCA, which produces the theater in conjunction with the center’s Arts + Culture Department.

“They’re being appreciated, being valued. Their self-esteem, their pride, and that same feeling on the faces of their parents...Each year, people come back out and say, ‘This show was the best. How are you going to top this?’ And then we do it again.”

In March, “The Wizard of Oz” was the 24th annual production of Jerry’s Habima Theatre presented at MJCCA. The theatrical company is produced by paid professionals. whose cast is almost totally filled by actors with special needs. Autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy are among the challenges faced by members of the cast.

Many of the actors, who primarily come from across the north metro area, are now regulars. Being Jewish is not a requirement for joining the troupe of adults 18 and older. Most cast members have jobs or are in school, but all must commit to attending two- and three-hour rehearsals many evenings and weekends over two months.

The hard work pays off. Their performances sell out the 254-seat Morris & Rae Frank Theatre at MJCCA year after year.

Davidow, of Sandy Springs, was scheduled to retire on March 31. She was the 2017 production’s honoree for her “outstanding service” to MJCCA.

Many say she will be missed. Among them is Luke Davis, who played the Wizard this year and Shrek last year. “I love Susie,” Davis said. “She’s a great ambassador for us, and I’m proud to know her.”

The Department of Special Needs is named for its benefactors, the late Jerry Blonder, and his wife, Lois. “It’s the talent and the enormous dedication of individuals like Susie Davidow that have made the program the success it is today,” Blonder said.

Jerry’s Habima Theatre has staged productions such as “Grease,” “Guys & Dolls,” “Disco Inferno,” and “Aladdin,” among others. Sometimes their shows go on the road, said Davidow, recalling a performance of “Honk” in Blue Ridge, Ga.

“We were doing one show for the community and one the next day for school-age children,” Davidow said. “There was a lot of concern that the children wouldn’t be respectful of the actors. We did the show. …They were a phenomenal audience.”

Davidow was raised in Richmond, Va., during the civil rights movement, and during a time when Holocaust survivors were moving to the city. Her parents both had master’s degrees in social work; her father was executive director of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond. She grew up feeling that everyone should have a voice and be recognized. She’s been happy to see that way of thinking carried forward in her two children and two grandchildren.

She worked as a special education teacher in the Cincinnati Public Schools and worked in operations at the Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta for 12 years before taking early retirement. After that, she was off to MJCCA, where she could meld her love of Judaism with her passion for enriching the lives of people with special needs.

Davidow plans to enjoy more time with her family when she retires and has lots of volunteering in mind. “I’ve always spoken out and stood up for what I believe in,” she said. Among the groups she plans to support are The Anti-Defamation League, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood.

She wants to work with the special needs committee of Dunwoody’s Temple Emanu-El and would like to be a docent at Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. She also plans to stay involved with the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

“I’m not walking away from that,” Davidow said. “I love the participants. I love the families.”

Road trips: garden spots

As nature shrugs off winter, it’s time to get out of the house, load the family into the SUV and hit the road. We thought the change of seasons marked a good time to visit places where flowers really strut their stuff. Here are five Georgia gardens where you can stop and smell the roses ... or the irises ... or the daffodils.

Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta

Efforts to create an Atlanta garden began in 1973, and the garden opened in 1976. It occupies about 30 acres and five main buildings, and operates as a nonprofit charged with developing and maintaining plant collections for display, education, research and conservation. The garden’s website promises “a tidal wave of color” as tulips, daffodils and crocus bloom in March and April.

Address:1345 Piedmont Avenue NE | Atlanta, GA 30309

Directions: The garden is next to Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Take I-85 south to Exit 84 and follow signs to 14th Street. Turn left on 14th and continue to Piedmont Avenue. Turn left on Piedmont. The garden is on the right.

Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. April through October; 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. November through March. Closed Mondays (except Labor Day and Columbus Day).

Cost: $21.95 for adults; $15.95 for children aged 3 to 12; free for children younger than 3. Parking costs $2 an hour up to $15. What it’s known for: Orchids, roses, hydrangeas, a Japanese garden, desert plants, high elevation plants. For more information: 404-876-5859 or AtlantaBG.org.

Barnsley Gardens, Adairsville

In the 1840s, Englishman Godfrey Barnsley bought acreage in northwest Georgia and began building a mansion and formal garden for his wife, Julia. She died before the project was completed. Work stopped until Barnsley dreamed that Julia appeared in the garden and told him to finish the project. Barnsley’s descendants lived at the property until 1942. In 1989, Prince Hubertus Fugger Babenhause of Germany bought the land and restored the garden. The property now is home to the Barnsley Resort, which includes cottages, restaurants, a spa and golf course.

Address: 597 Barnsley Gardens Road | Adairsville, GA 30103

Directions: Take I-75 north to Exit 306. Turn left and drive about 2.2 miles on Ga. 140. Turn left at Hall Station Road and travel south approximately 5.5 miles. Take a right at Barnsley Gardens Road (just past Mount Carmel Church). Travel 2.5 miles to the main entrance of the resort on the left.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call first on Saturdays to see if a private event is booked in the gardens. Cost: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors 55 and older; $5 for students and children aged 4 to 11; free for children younger than 4. What it’s known for: 19th century boxwood gardens, wildflower meadow, woodlands gardens. For more information: 1-877-773-2447 or 770-773-7480 or BarnsleyResort.com.

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain

Cason J. Callaway, a textile magnate from LaGrange, and his wife, Virginia, conceived of these gardens in the 1930s and began working on them in the 1940s, according to the garden’s website. Open to the public since 1952 and now operated by a foundation, this 2,500-acre resort complex offers golf, water sports and restaurants. The garden features a butterfly house, and claims to be home to one of the world’s largest azalea displays. Peak azalea blooms are expected in late March and early April.

Address: 17800 U.S. Hwy. 27 | Pine Mountain, GA 31822

Directions: I-85 south to I-185 south (Exit 21). Exit at U. S. 27 (Exit 42), turn left and proceed to Pine Mountain, then turn right onto Ga. 354 west and proceed to intersection with Ga. 18. Callaway Gardens’ main entrance is on the opposite side of this intersection.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: $20 to $30 (depending on type of ticket) for adults; $15 to $20 for seniors 65 and older; $10 to $15 for children aged 6 to 12; free for ages 5 and younger.

What it’s known for: Azaleas, butterflies, cycling, seasonal special events. For more information: 1-800-852-3810 or CallawayGardens.com

Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground

Retired landscape company founder James H. Gibbs started building a combination of 16 gardens in 1980 on 220 acres around his Cherokee County home, the gardens’ website says. He opened the house and gardens to the public in 2012.

Address: 1987 Gibbs Drive | Ball Ground, GA 30107

Directions: Take Ga. 400 north to Ga. 369, turn left and go about 12 miles, turn right on to Yellow Creek Road, go about 6.4 miles to the gardens.

Hours: February 18 to June 12, Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; June 15 to December 11, Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gates close at 4 p.m.

Cost: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors 65 and older; $10 for children aged 3 to 17; free for children 2 and younger.

What it’s known for: The garden promises millions of daffodils will bloom from March to mid-April. For more information: 770-893-1881 or GibbsGardens.com.

Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw

The 16-acre gardens grew up around the historic Hiram Butler House, which was built in 1880. Robert Gilbert purchased the property in 1970 and over the next 35 years, Gilbert and Richard Smith added the gardens and sculpture collection. The house and gardens, owned by the city of Kennesaw, now feature more than 3,000 species of plants.

Address: 2382 Pine Mountain Road | Kennesaw, GA 30152

Directions: Take I-75 north to Exit 269. Head left on Barrett Parkway and go about 1.5 miles to Cobb Parkway. Turn right on Cobb Parkway and go about 3 miles to Pine Mountain Road. Follow Pine Mountain Road and go about a mile to the garden.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Cost: $7 for adults; $6 for senior citizens and active duty military; $5 for children aged 6 to 12 ; free for children 5 and younger. What it’s known for: The garden features 31 sculptures. For more information: 770-919-0248 or SmithGilbertGardens.com.