SJL Deep South, January 2016

Southern Jewish Life

REGIONAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVALS PREPARING FOR LIMMUD NEW ORLEANS TENNESSEE SOLDIER NAMED RIGHTEOUS GENTILE SUMMER CAMP, EDUCATION ISSUE January 2016 Volume 26 Issue 1

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213

shalom y’all shalom y’all shalom y’all As with so many other controversies, the issue of Syrian refugees coming to the United States has become highly polarized, with very little middle ground allowed.

If you think it might be a good thing to welcome some of the refugees, you’re a bleeding heart trying to flood this country with no regard for the safety of America. If you have any hesitation over possible security issues, you’re just a callous neanderthal bigot who doesn’t want to see any Muslims in this country — and if you’re Jewish, don’t you remember when the U.S. turned its backs on Jews from Europe during the Holocaust, so how dare you question this?

There is, and has to be, a middle ground — but first, about the analogy to the Holocaust, which was quite popular recently during the anniversary of the S.S. St. Louis, the most widely-known instance of Jewish refugees being turned away.

In the case of Europe’s Jews, there was nowhere else to go. There wasn’t a Jewish homeland, and the rest of the world shut the doors.

While nobody would wish refugee status on anyone, the bulk of Syrian refugees are in refugee camps which, while not ideal, are at least a place of refuge. During the Holocaust, there were no refugee camps for Jews — just concentration camps, a place of extermination. There are also dozens of majority-Muslim nations on this planet, some of which already have a large number of the refugees, while some oil-rich nations aren’t stepping up to the plate at all.

It simply is not the case that Syrian refugees shut out of the U.S. have nowhere else to turn. So let’s drop that overheated bit of rhetoric from the discussion.

Let’s also drop the paranoia seen on the other side of the spectrum. A couple of months ago there were reports implying that 10,000 Syrian refugees were being resettled in New Orleans, illustrated by an “arrival” photo that wasn’t even from New Orleans. There was also

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January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 3

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panic over a Syrian refugee who went “missing” from Baton Rouge (to join a Jihadi sleeper cell, many speculated), when in reality the person in question had given proper notification and received permission to join relatives in Washington.

Most people do not realize the extensive process of vetting that refugees go through before they can come to this country, generally taking two years; even longer from the Middle East.

It is argued that an ISIS devotee generally wouldn’t be that patient, especially when it is so easy to cross into the U.S. via the Southern border with Mexico.

That also assumes that people are static in their views. Could someone become radicalized far into their vetting process? Sure. And there is a major trust gap that many in this country have regarding the government’s ability to properly screen people.

When some have suggested preference be given for Christian refugees, as they are being especially targeted and wiped out by ISIS and other groups, cries of anti-Muslim bigotry instantly echo.

And yet, when diplomats from France and Germany spoke at an ADL event in Birming-

ham just days after the Paris terror attacks in November, they were puzzled by the reluctance by so many in the U.S. to accept refugees from Syria. Their countries have accepted far more refugees than is being discussed for the U.S. But they also stress the importance of the refugees being able to fit in with the French and German societies and not remaining a separate underclass.

As Jews we are commanded to welcome the stranger, and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans has been quite public about welcoming the Syrian refugees who will make their way to Louisiana. As we work toward our ideal, we need to keep our eyes open and know what we are doing.

There are so many among the Syrian refugee population that would love the opportunity to be Americans, living in peace and working toward a prosperous life. We just need to be sure that’s who we are bringing over.

And to do that successfully, we need to tone down the recriminations and work together.

Larry Brook EDITOR/PUBLISHER

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4 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

Birmingham Mayor William Bell took part on the lighting of a Chanukah menorah at The Summit on Dec. 6 in a joint program of Chabad of Alabama and the Levite Jewish Community Center.

Survivior of Mengele’s experiments to speak in Birmingham Eva Kor, a survivor of the infamous experiments that Josef Mengele did on twins during the Holocaust, will speak in Birmingham for the first time on Jan 28 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

The event is a fundraiser for the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center.

Kor and her twin, Miriam Mozes, were among the very few survivors of 3,000 twins who were subjected to Mengele’s experiments at Auschwitz. She survived because she promised herself “to do anything and everything in my power” to ensure she and her sister would leave Auschwitz.

After the war, they lived on a kibbutz in Israel, and she moved to Indiana after marrying in 1960. In 1985, she and her sister joined other survivors for a mock trial of Mengele. Mengele had died six years earlier in Brazil.

In the years since, she has learned to forgive the Nazis as well as others who have hurt her. She often tells the story of writing a letter of forgiveness to a Nazi doctor 50 years after liberation. This, she says, was “an act of self-healing and self-liberation.”

Kor has written several books and founded the Holocaust Museum and Education center in Terre Haute, Indiana, and C.A.N.D.L.E.S., an acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi’s Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors. In the last few years she has spoken at the National World War II

Museum in New Orleans, the Louisiana State University Life Course and Aging Center, and at conferences in Shreveport.

Kor will be signing her book, “Surviving the Angel of Death” after her talk. Tickets to the 7 p.m. event are $10, and additional donations are welcome.

Dothan’s Rabbi Goldsmith announces 2017 departure Rabbi Lynne Goldsmith announced she will retire from Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El the summer of 2017, at the conclusion of her current contract.

Goldsmith and husband Rob have been in Dothan since she was ordained in 2007 at Hebrew Union College. Before that, she had been in accounting for 25 years.

Emanu-El President Brian Seidman noted the Goldsmiths’ work in expanding the community, as Rob Goldman heads the Family Relocation Project at the Blumberg Family Jewish Community Services of Dothan.

While long-time members remember welcoming them, he said, “Rabbi and Rob will always be inseparably tied” with the decision of recently-arrived families to relocate to Dothan.

A rabbinic search committee is being formed for the transition. The congregation’s long-term planning committee held a series of focus group meetings and plans a congregational follow-up on March 20.

“Temple Emanu-El has been blessed for almost 10 years to have had Rabbi Lynne and Rob Goldsmith with us and for all the ways they have enriched and strengthened our congregation,” Seidman said.

January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 5

agenda Emanu-El hosts preview of Klezmer Shabbat honoring B’ham community

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This month, Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will host a preview of “The Klezmer Shabbat Service,” an original composition and tribute to the Jewish community of Birmingham.

The preview will be during the 5:40 p.m. Shabbat service on Jan. 29, and the world premiere will be on Aug. 26 at Emanu-El. The composition is a new, complete Shabbat evening service in the Reform tradition, by Alabama composer Alan Goldspiel, and is written in honor of the Ruth and Marvin Engel Cantorial Chair that was recently created by the Engel family.

A professor of music and chair of the Department of Music at the University of Montevallo, Goldspiel is a member of the Birmingham Art Music Alliance, National Association of Composers/USA and the Southeastern Composers League. He has done commissioned work for the Alabama Music Teachers Association, and premiered instrumental works at national and international conferences. He has also served as composer-in-residence at Escape to Create in Seaside, Fla.

Springhill Avenue plans 1844 service Springhill Avenue Temple will return to its roots for an 1844 historical Shabbat service on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m., featuring the congregational and professional choirs. It will be in recognition of the congregation’s founding on Jan. 25, 1844, and Rabbi Dana Kaplan said they hope to have such a service to mark that occasion each year.

The service will come from the Olat Tamid prayer book, which was used by many congregations before the Union Prayer Book was released in 1895. Kaplan said there was no conclusive record of what book the congregation used before the Union Prayer Book.

The choirs will present music by Sigmund Schlesinger, who was music director and organist for the congregation from 1870 to 1906. As befitting the custom of the time, Kaplan will wear a black robe but no headcovering.

Book discussion features first transgender employee of an Orthodox institution On Jan. 14, there will be a community discussion about the book “Through the Door of Life, a Jewish Journey Between Genders,” at Emmet O’Neal Library in Birmingham.

The 6 p.m. program will explore the story of Joy Ladin, a professor of English at Yeshiva University’s Stern College and the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox institution. A taped interview with Ladin will be screened, and a discussion will be moderated by clinical psychologist Beth Jacobs and Jewish educator Michelle Konisgburg.

The event is open to the community, and is sponsored by SOJOURN: the Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

WZO emissary visiting Pensacola, M’gy Rotem Malach will visit two communities in the region this month to speak about issues in Israel.

Both a licensed attorney and a teacher, Malach currently works as the central emissary in North America for the World Zionist Organization Department of Diaspora Activities.

On Jan. 25, he will speak at an event of the Pensacola Jewish Federation at 7 p.m. The place had not ben set as of press time. He will do a workshop on “Judicial activism in Israel: The Supreme Court Involvement in defending and shaping the Jewish and Democratic Identity of the State of Israel.”

During the workshop, Malach will screen a film about Aaron Barak, former revolutionary head of the Supreme Court in Israel.

He will then speak at Temple Beth Or in Montgomery on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

6 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

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Beth Or speaker tells about “Ship with Three Names” Temple Beth Or in Montgomery will host author Renato Barahona for a discussion of his book, “The Odyssey of the Ship with Three Names” on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.

The ship in question rescued over 7,700 Jewish refugees from the Balkans and transported them to Israel. Originally the cargo ship S.S. Kefalos, the ship was purchased by the Haganah, the Jewish underground in pre-Israel Palestine. It was purchased in the U.S. and registered in Panama to a fictitious company, with the goal of smuggling arms from Mexico to Israel.

At sea, the ship’s name and appearance were changed to sneak past the United Nations, with a team of Jews and Spanish exiles undertaking the mission.

After the arms were delivered, the Kefalos was repurposed to retrieve refugees, and the “rust bucket” as it was called made two missions from Croatia to Haifa in late 1948.

The discussion, under the auspices of the Jewish Book Council, is sponsored by the Rothschild-Blachschleger Lecture Series and is open to the community.

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Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will host Rabbi Dov Lerea for a Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Scholar in Residence Shabbat the weekend of Feb. 5.

Currently the dean and Mashgiach Ruhani of YCT, Lerea has been a professional educator for the past 35 years. Lerea served for many years as the Dean of Judaic Studies of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York, and as the Director of Education at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, N.H. Lerea has also served as the Director of Secondary Education at Boston Hebrew College, a faculty member at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, and a faculty member for the Wexner Heritage Foundation.

Most recently, he was the director of KIVUNIM, an innovative gap-year program located in Jerusalem. In addition to his role at YCT, he is on the faculty of SAR high school.

The weekend will begin with Kabbalat Shabbat at 5 p.m. on Feb. 5, followed by a 6 p.m. Shabbat dinner and a class at 7:30 p.m., with the topic to be announced.

On Feb. 6, services will begin at 9 a.m., followed by lunch around noon, mincha at 1 p.m. and the second class, again with the topic to be announced.

Beth Or’s food festival on Feb. 28 If you can’t get enough of the praline matzah, there isn’t long to wait.

Montgomery’s Temple Beth Or announced its annual Jewish Food Festival will be on Feb. 28.

Over the years thousands have attended the festival, sampling the food, visiting the Treasure Market and stopping by the Temple Beth Or Gift Shop. Many also take the opportunity to attend a short session in the Temple’s sanctuary with Rabbi Elliot Stevens to learn about Jewish customs.

Most of the food has been handmade by Beth Or members. They include pastries such as rugelach, strudel and mandel bread; plates of brisket or corned beef; matzah ball soup; potato latkes; and quajado (spinach pie). “Imported” from New York are New York cheesecakes, direct from the famous Carnegie Deli and sold by the slice or cake.

Stevens said “I always enjoy the authentic Jewish cooking and the variety of wonderful dishes, but for me the best part is reconnecting with neighbors and friends from across our community. It’s so gratifying to see the role our Festival has played in terms of interfaith relations and understanding. I look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come.”

The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 7

agenda The annual Sisterhood Art Auction at Temple Emanu-El in Dothan will be the weekend of Jan. 23. There will be a champagne preview at 6 p.m. on Jan. 23, and the auction will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $10, and there will be a drawing for art door prizes. There will be a “Take a Second Look” sale on Jan. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with bagels and coffee served. A portion of the proceeds benefits local charities.

Birmingham’s Collat Jewish Family Services will have its annual meeting on Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m., at the Friedman Center for Jewish Life.

Rabbi Stephen Wylen will lead a challah making class at Beth Israel in Jackson on Jan. 24 at noon. Experienced challah bakers and novices are welcome. The session will also include learning traditions about challah.

There is a $10 charge for ingredients and reservations are necessary. Participants should bring a large mixing bowl, two small bowls, wet and dry measuring cups and spoons, baking tray, a knife and a wooden spoon.

The religious schools of Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham will have Maccabiah Color War Games on Jan. 10. Four joint teams from kindergarten to 10th grade will be competing at the Levite Jewish Community Center from 9 a.m. to noon in games that include basketball, soccer, Jewish trivia, track relay, skits and songs, and more.

Etgar 36, an Atlanta-based summer trip for Jewish teens, is holding a Bar Mitzvah year celebration on Jan. 30 at Ahavath Achim in Atlanta. The 7:30 p.m. program will feature a premiere of the Etgar 36 documentary, panel discussion and a reunion of all 13 summers. Each summer, Etgar 36 takes teens on 22-day and 36-day journeys across the country, learning about civil rights history and political activism in a Jewish context.

The next Café Israel organized by the Pensacola Jewish Federation will be on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m., at Cactus Flower.

The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham will have Live Up! Day on Jan. 10, with free guest programs and the launch of winter group fitness classes. There will be a YRX demo, senior fitness classes, personal training challenges, vendors and a kids fun zone.

The New York Nosh Night at B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge, featuring Kenny and Ziggy’s Deli of Houston, will be on Jan. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Advance tickets are $60 for adults and $30 for children.

The Men’s Club at Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have a breakfast on Jan. 17 at 9:45 a.m., following a 9 a.m. service. There will be a presentation on America’s role in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in Israel, given by a local retired pilot who flew missions into Israel.

There will be a Young Jewish Pensacola Happy Hour, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Old Hickory Whiskey Bar. Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar will lead a class on one of the Bible’s most complicated books, Isaiah, on Sundays at 11 a.m. starting Jan. 10 at Temple B’nai Sholom, Huntsville.

Birmingham’s N.E. Miles Jewish Day School will have a Kids Club event for ages 3 and 4, Jan. 25 at 10:30 a.m. The morning will include Tu B’Shevat themed crafts and singing.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have a screening of “Deli Man” on Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. There will be a light dinner of deli treats, such as pastrami on rye, dill pickles and matzah ball soup. Dinner will be $10 per person.

The next Café Israel in Montgomery, hosted by Shlicha Dana Korem, will be on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., on “Israel’s Musical Story” at Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem.

The NFTY Southern Region Winter Kallah will be held at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica from Jan. 22 to 24. The event is open to Jewish teens in grades 9 to 12 in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Western Tennessee and the Florida panhandle.

8 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

agenda

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Jewish Krewes set for Jan. 23 parades

“…go forth and multiply”

The two Jewish Mardi Gras Krewes in New Orleans will march once again in their respective parades on Jan. 23. Krewe du Mishigas, which first marched in 2006, will be in the Krewe du Vieux parade, while the Krewe du Jieux will mark its 21st marching season in the krewedelusion parade.

For its 30th anniversary, Krewe du Vieux will hold its “XXX” parade through the Marigny and French Quarter, starting at 6:30 p.m. The parade generally starts at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Royal Street, and last year crossed Canal Street for the first time, finishing at O’Keefe and Lafayette Streets. The ball will be at the Civic Theatre.

Big Freedia has been named the monarch for the parade.

The Jieux will roll in The 2015 Krewe du Mishigas theme was the krewedelusion parade, the Oyvengers which will start at roughly 6:45 p.m. and go through the Marigny and French Quarter until around 9 p.m., when the Bedlam Ball will begin at Café Istanbul.

Blaine Kern has been appointed ruler of krewedelusion. The krewe keeps its theme secret until the parade kicks off.

The parades are known for their satirical themes and adult content, and the Jewish krewes are noted for their prized throw, painted bagels.

Because of their routes through the narrow French Quarter streets, the floats are small and mule-driven, carrying only the sub-krewe royalty while the bands and the rest of the krewe members march behind.

The Krewe du Jieux will hold its coronation at the Spotted Cat on Jan. 9 at 9:30 p.m., followed by its second line parade, the Running of the Jieux, which will depart around 10:30 p.m. and return to Frenchman Street around midnight.

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Touro’s Mardi Gras Mitzvah: Krewe of VIPs As Touro Synagogue is on Mardi Gras parade routes, the season brings some schedule changes and programming opportunities.

Touro will once again host the Krewe of VIPs, with a wheelchair-accessible platform on the steps of the sanctuary for so those with disabilities or special needs can enjoy the parade season. The service is free to children with disabilities and their families.

The VIP days will be Jan. 30 at noon for the Pontchartrain, Choctaw and Freret parades; Feb. 4 at 4:45 p.m. for the Babylon, Muses and Chaos parades; and Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. for the Iris and Tucks parades.

Volunteers are needed to assist, and anyone who knows of a child with special needs can have the child’s guardians contact Juan Gershanik’s office to reserve a space.

During certain parade days, the Touro property will be accessible to members, non-members may visit if accompanied by a member, and there is a requested charge of $5 for non-members.

There will be abbreviated casual Shabbati-Gras services on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, starting at 5 p.m., followed by the parades. A family dinner will be served and is $5 per person.

Touro will also have its annual Bacchus Bash on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. Details and ticket prices were not announced at press time, but the event generally provides food, drinks and accessible restrooms during the Bacchus parade.

Other days when Touro will be available are Jan. 30 at 1 p.m., Feb. 3 at

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agenda 6:30 p.m., Feb. 4 at 5:45 p.m., Feb. 6 at 10:15 a.m. following a brief Shabbat service, and Feb. 8 at 5:15 p.m. The facility is closed during all other Uptown parades.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie adjusts its Shabbat service schedule for Mardi Gras due to parade routes. On Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, services will be at 6 p.m.

Mardi Gras Mitzvah Makers parade Jan. 17

With the Mardi Gras season coming shortly, the 37th annual B’nai B’rith Mardi Gras Mitzva Makers Hospital Parade will march in New Orleans on Jan. 17.

The band of merry makers will parade through Touro Infirmary starting at 10 a.m., then proceed to Kindred Hospital and Home Life in the Gardens.

Organizer Hilton Title said “We will be bringing Mardi Gras to patients who are there for long-term care and rehabilitation who likely will not be able to experience Mardi Gras anytime soon.”

Volunteers are urged to come in costume or put one on at the Prytania Street gathering point starting at 9:30 a.m. Numerous musicians bring their instruments for the parade, and the Shriners Clowns also help with the parade.

Volunteers are urged to bring beads or plush stuffed animals for Second Line throws.

Seen Online: Birmingham City Council Representative Jay Roberson posted a photo of a bottle of Manischewitz with his Christmas tree in the background, saying “Look what someone brought to my house to get in the Christmas Spirit! If you are partaking of this one you are a pro!”

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Rabbi Steven Silberman of Ahavas Chesed in Mobile wrote this about attending GoDaddy Bowl events: “Most opening prayers at Southern athletic events are delivered by pastors who effectively limit the audience to say Amen only if they agree with the pastor’s theology. Tonight Pastor Aaron Fruh of Knollwood Assembly of God dramatically stepped away from that norm by opening a prayer in a more generic manner with the word “Lord.” He then added the phrase “to include our Jewish friends” and offered the Priestly Blessing in Hebrew. Pastor Fruh stepped out of the easy and customary form in order to teach respect for differences. What a significant way to open a Bowl game! (How often do we step out of the easy norm to show respect to those who are different?).

Todah and thank you very much, Pastor Fruh!”

Jewish leaders express solidarity with area Muslims In many areas, the Jewish community has been speaking out against a rising wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric and showing solidarity as some call for greater restrictions on or scrutiny of Muslims in the U.S. In Huntsville, Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple B’nai Sholom organized a Day of Solidarity at the Huntsville Islamic Center. Despite short notice, about 200 from a wide range of faiths came to the Dec. 18 event, sharing in the center’s mid-day prayers. After the prayers, Bahar and three Christian clergy gave remarks.

Bahar, who has been active in interfaith work for years, said she had been hearing more anti-Muslim sentiment, including someone saying they walked out of a store when a Muslim walked in.

“It is time to reach out our hands, reminding each other that we are simply servants of God and that we must join together in standing up against this type of speech,” she said.

It took a few days to arrange the event, relying on trust that had built up over years of relationship building she has done with the center’s leadership, and the work of her predecessor, the late Rabbi Jeffrey Ballon.

Bahar invited three clergy groups that she is active with. Some could not attend on short notice, especially one week before Christmas. Some came as individuals, not necessarily on behalf of their congregations, while others invited their entire congregations.

Noting the importance of relationships, Bahar said “It’s easy to dismiss someone as “the other” if you haven’t sat and talked together, shared painful stories and, yes, argued passionately,” as they have in the past regarding the Middle East.

She hopes this leads to further events and dialogue, especially among

Rabbi Robert Loewy speaks at the Masjid Abu Bakr Mosque on Dec. 21 the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. “May this simply be the beginning of friendship as we go forward together into the unknown supporting one another.”

Several members of the New Orleans area Jewish community attended a show of support at the Masjid Abu Bakr Mosque in Kenner on Dec. 21.

At the event, which included roughly 40 clergy from the area, Rabbi Robert Loewy from Gates of Prayer read a statement on behalf of the East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association. “We condemn in the strongest terms any calls to deny all Muslims entry into the United States or to incite violence or harm against our Muslim family, friends, and neighbors. We affirm that all people are created in the image of God to be respected and beloved,” he read.

Loewy continued, “Any attacks on Muslims or any other religious or ethnic group is an attack on every one of us and the principles of our relationship together. We invite other leaders and all people of good will to join us in speaking out and standing up against such divisive rhetoric.”

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community Also among those attending were Shir Chadash Rabbi Ethan Linden and Beth Israel Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg.

Linden’s hope for the clergy statement is that “its words will prove more durable than the hateful rhetoric of those who seek to undermine the values it expresses.”

Imam AbdurRahman Bashir said groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda “are determined to manipulate and exploit the true teachings of Islam to fulfill their agenda of terror and to wreak havoc through the world,” manipulating those who don’t know much about the teachings of Islam. He welcomes those who want to learn more about Islam to visit the mosque.

Meanwhile, Touro Synagogue is working with the Masjidur-Rahim Mosque on its annual Weekend of Peace event.

Touro is collecting gently used clothing and household items for distribution by the mosque on Jan. 16. All collected items will be given away at the mosque’s annual community event, which offers free health screenings and a free hot meal to those most needy in the city.

Touro is accepting drop-off donations from Jan. 4 to 14. They should be left at the General Pershing St. entrance and labeled “Weekend of Peace.”

Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar (standing, middle) at the Huntsville Islamic Center

JCRS gala honoring Tolmas Trust, author Marlene Trestman This year’s Jewish Children’s Regional Service Gala will be the Jewish Roots of Celebration, honoting the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and Marlene Trestman “for their dedication to Jewish children and for their support of the JCRS mission.”

The March 5 gala at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans will include a cocktail reception followed by a dinner created by some of New Orleans’ most celebrated and talented Jewish chefs, including James Beard Award winner Alon Shaya, Daniel Esses of Three Muses, David Slater of Emeril, Nathanial Zimet of Boucherie and a special dessert from Commander’s Palace.

In April, the Tolmas Trust underwrote the JCRS Chanukah gift program, which provides gifts to Jewish children in need in the agency’s seven-state region. The program, which just completed its 18th year, serves about 200 Jewish minors and residents of state institutions.

The Trust also established named funds for the JCRS Special Needs and Education programs.

Trestman, a former recipient of JCRS assistance, is a former Special Assistant to the Maryland Attorney General, where she started her career as a public lawyer in 1982. Her first book, “Fair Labor,” is about pioneering female attorney Bessie Margolin, an alumna of the Jewish Children’s Home, and is scheduled for release in March. Trestman is now working on a book about the history of the home and its successor agency, JCRS. Tickets to the gala are $200, with numerous Patron levels available.

12 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

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“Big tent” of Jewish learning, Limmud opens to region on March 18 Limmud, a weekend festival of Big Tent Jewish learning, arts, culture and spirituality, returns to New Orleans the weekend of March 18.

Limmudfest includes a Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner at Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie on March 18. On March 19, there will be Shabbat services in a variety of styles at Gates of Prayer and Beth Israel, a luncheon, learning sessions and Havdalah. The events will be kosher and Shabbat-observant, and home hospitality can be arranged for those who are Shabbat-observant or from out of town.

The sessions move to the Lavin-Bernick Center on Tulane University’s campus on March 20. The weekend starts at 5 p.m. on March 18 and concludes at 5 p.m. on March 20.

During the weekend, there will be over 90 presentations in 10 tracks, including arts and culture, contemporary Jewish life and identity, family, history, Israel, social justice, Southern Jewish life, spirituality, text and thought, and food. There is no signing up for sessions, just dropping in on whatever sounds good.

There will also be a lineup of children’s programming for ages 4 to 12, and babysitting for ages 1 to 3, so parents can attend whatever sessions they like.

Limmud is part of a global movement inspired by the idea that when Jews from diverse backgrounds come together to celebrate and learn about everything Jewish, the entire community is enriched. It also emphasizes that everyone is a learner, so those presenting are encouraged to operate under that principle.

Led entirely by volunteers, New Orleans Limmud began in 2010 and is held every other year. Organizers look at Limmud as a regional event, and as an example, Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile is organizing a group to attend.

Among the featured international, national and local speakers will be Jay Michaelson, Katherine Romanow and Danny Siegel.

A lawyer, rabbi, and teacher of jhana meditation, Michaelson helps steer the Jewish communal discussion with his writings on mindfulness, LGBT issues, religious liberty and the law. A columnist for The Daily Beast and The Forward, he has written five books, including “God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness, and Embodied Spiritual Practice,” “God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality,” and his latest, “The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path,” which is about the place of sadness in Buddhist and Jewish spirituality.

Romanow is a Jewish food historian from Montreal. She is the curator of Beyond the Bagel, a Jewish food walking tour given through the Museum of Jewish Montreal, and is a co-founder of The Wandering Chew, a project that explores the diversity of Jewish food cultures through popup dinners and cooking workshops. Romanow is curating an upcoming exhibit on Southern Jewish food at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

Siegel is one of the world’s greatest experts on microphilanthropy. For more than 30 years he has lectured in hundreds of communities on the topic of personalized Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam, and has written over 30 books of poetry and on practical tzedakah.

Joel Hoffman will also speak at Limmud. He is a popular speaker on Biblical translation and is chief translator for the 10-volume series “My People’s Prayer Book.” His most recent book is “The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor: The Holy Scriptures Missing From Your Bible,” and in February

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January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 13

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“The Bible Doesn’t Say That: 40 Biblical Mistranslations, Misconceptions and Other Misunderstandings” will be released.

Also scheduled are historian Stuart Rockoff, formerly director of the history department at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life and now the executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council; Randy Fertel, president of both the Fertel Foundation and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation and author of “The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak”; and authors Rodger Kamenetz, Michael Rubin and Nechama Liss-Levenson. There will also be a presentation by Southern Jewish Life editor Larry Brook.

Registration is now open for Limmud New

Orleans 2016. Early bird prices expire January 31st.

Early-bird registration is available through Jan. 31. Three-day passes are $75 for adults, $40 for young adults ages 18 to 30 and $15 for children. The one-day pass for Saturday evening and Sunday are $50 for adults, $25 for young adults and $10 for children. Registration rates go up on Feb. 1.

In December, Touro Synagogue held a Taste of Limmud Shabbat, and on Jan. 26, Anshe Sfard will hold a Limmud-themed Study with a Buddy night with Rabbis David Polsky and Alexis Pinsky.

Registration and updates are available at limmudnola.org.

Reunion planned for New Orleans AZA, BBG A New Orleans BBYO reunion weekend is being planned around the theme of reconnect, renew and rebirth — reconnecting with old friends and renewing those relationships, while supporting the rebirth of BBYO in New Orleans.

Over the years, the AZA and BBG chapters have used many names — Freed-Goldberg, Harry Laufer and Rodfay-Shalom AZA; Crescent City, Susan Frank, Ahavah, Robert Gervis and Shoshanim BBG. Currently, the chapter is combined as Big Easy BBYO. The weekend begins with Shabbat services and an oneg at Gates of Prayer, Feb. 26 at 6:15 p.m.

The main reunion event will be on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Southport Music Hall in Jefferson,

with food and an open bar. Admission is $65, $75 after Feb. 16.

The weekend concludes with coffee and beignets at Morning Call in City Park, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Marriott Metairie at Lakeway, $149 a night.

Because of a number of conventions in the area that weekend, the rate is held only until Jan. 29.

The weekend is being organized by Linda Sue Heiman, Ahavah class of 1972. Volunteers are needed for several committees, including nostalgia and memorabilia, registration, setup, cleanup, contact info and clerical tasks.

For registration or volunteer information, go to nolabbyoreunion2016.com.

Past presidents of the National Council of Jewish Women’s New Orleans Section held their Annual Luncheon recently at Antoine’s. The event was chaired by Sara Stone and arranged

by Celia Katz and Barbara Bresler. (Seated, left to right) Beth Rosenthal, Sara Stone and Susan Kierr; (Standing, left to right): Florence Schornstein, Pam Lyles, Loel Samuel, Ina Davis, Eddy Rosen, Mimi Schlesinger, June Leopold, Shellye Farber, Phyllis Nitzkin, Cynthia Farber, Celia Katz, Barbara Bresler and Joan Berenson.

14 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

Mazel Tov on 25 Years of SJL! Amy and Martin Goldin Gulfport

Tennessee man is first U.S. soldier named Righteous Among the Nations Chris Edmonds, pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn., just outside of Knoxville, knew little about his father’s service in World War II. His father, who died in 1985 at age 64, rarely spoke about his service, so his family had no idea about his heroism.

Now, thanks to a handful of people who survived because of a decision Chris Edmonds’ father made, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds is the first United States serviceman recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority, made the designation on Dec. 2. He is only the fifth American so recognized, with Varian Fry, Waitstill and Martha Sharp, and Lois Gunden.

Chris Edmonds was in Israel at the time, attending a seminar sponsored by the International School for Holocaust Studies for Christian leaders.

Almost all of the Righteous Among the Nations have been honored for saving European Jews from the Holocaust, by hiding them or using diplomatic tricks to get them out of harm’s way. Making Roddie Edmonds’ story unique is that he saved the lives of American Jewish soldiers who would likely otherwise have been killed by the Nazis.

“Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds seemed like an ordinary American soldier, but he had an extraordinary sense of responsibility and dedication to his fellow human beings,” said Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev.

“These attributes form the common thread that binds members of this select group of Righteous Among the Nations. The choices and actions of Master Sergeant Edmonds set an example for his fellow American soldiers as they stood united against the barbaric evil of the Nazis.”

Chris Edmonds reflected that his father “was a strong man of faith, even as a 25-year-old,” and had already forged his character. “The difference between a regular person and a hero is two seconds.”

Knoxville native Roddie Edmonds shipped out as part of the 422nd Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, in December 1944, and within five days his regiment was captured in the Battle of the Bulge, on Dec. 19.

They arrived at Bad Orb, a prisoner of war camp, on Dec. 25. A month later, he and the other noncommissioned officers were sent to Stalag IX-A with over 1200 other soldiers. He was the senior noncommissioned officer among them, so he assumed the leadership position.

On the first day, an order came out over the intercom — after roll call the next morning, only the Jewish prisoners were to fall out. By then, the Nazis weren’t just exterminating Europe’s Jews, they were doing the same to captured Jewish soldiers from Allied armies.

Edmonds instructed his men that the next morning, everyone would fall out, saying that the Geneva Convention states they need give only name, rank and serial number.

Chris Edmonds said his father had seen the Jewish soldiers separated in the first camp, and “I guess he decided when he had some authority and responsibility in the second camp he was going to do whatever he could to stop that from happening.”

The next morning, Jan. 27, 1945, all of the American soldiers were standing in front of the barracks. According to those close enough to witness the exchange, the German commander, Major Siegmann, angrily went to Roddie Edmonds and insisted, “All of you can’t be Jewish!”

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January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 15

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Edmonds replied “We are all Jews here.”

The commander ordered him to have the Jewish soldiers step forward, but Edmonds replied that under the Geneva Convention he was not entitled to that information. Siegmann pressed his gun to Edmonds’ forehead and repeated his order, to which Edmonds answered that “If you shoot, you’ll have to kill all of us, and you will have to stand for war crimes after we win this war.”

Instead of shooting, the commander put his gun away and stormed off.

It is estimated that there were 200 Jewish soldiers among the prisoners.

Paul Stern, one of the Jewish POWs who stood near Edmonds during the exchange, detailed the encounter to Yad Vashem. “Although 70 years have passed,” said Stern, “I can still hear the words he said to the German camp officer.”

Chris Edmonds said this wasn’t a risk his father had to take. He knew the Allies were making advances, and “he knew he would probably be rescued and liberated in a few weeks from that camp, but he put his life on the line anyway.”

But that wasn’t the end of the odyssey. One day the Germans told them that the next day they would be leaving and marching further into Germany. With the prisoners near starvation, Edmonds instructed them that they would not leave with the Germans on a death march — act sick, get sick, run to the barracks, just do not go with them.

Despite being threatened with being shot, they followed Edmonds’ orders, until the Germans finally threw up their hands and left the Americans behind, taking the French and British prisoners with them.

Once the Americans were alone in the camp, Edmonds had to convince them not to leave, that they could not survive on their own beyond the gates. The next day, the Third Army found the camp and rescued them.

Roddie Edmonds had two diaries he kept during that time. One had names, dates and addresses for many of the men under his command, and some notes about life as a POW. The other book had the complete plans for a restaurant, the Jolly Chef, that he and three fellow prisoners designed, including floor plans, menus and pencil drawings. “They were starving to death so it was a way to dream about better days ahead,” Chris Edmonds said.

In 2009, Chris Edmonds Googled his father’s name to see what he would find about his service. To his surprise, his father was mentioned in a 2008 New York Times article about Lester Tanner, a New York attorney who sold a home to President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, when nobody wanted the disgraced former president as a neighbor.

In the article, Tanner spoke about being a POW during World War II and how Roddie Edmonds had saved his life, and the lives of many others. Chris Edmonds said Tanner “had never told that story before.

Never told it to his family.”

That led Chris Edmonds on a journey to find Tanner and other POWs who were there. At the first meeting, Tanner told him that his father deserves the Medal of Honor. He has since met with Congressional representatives in Tennessee and the ball is rolling — albeit slowly — for that recognition.

He also met Larry Goldstein, a friend of Tanner who unbeknownst to him was gathering information on Roddie Edmonds to submit to Yad Vashem.

Chris Edmonds said it is difficult to get a Righteous Among the Nations designation from Yad Vashem, but “there was no question” in this case.

Chris Edmonds said he is not inspired solely by his father’s story. “It’s also the story of the men who were there with him. When he ordered all of the men to step out, they all had a choice and they all chose to stand up. That’s huge.”

Siegmann “could have started shooting, starting with my dad.

Thankfully, he didn’t.”

Chris Edmonds said his father “was just an ordinary, everyday allAmerican kind of guy. Loved his country, loved his family, loved his faith.

He loved life.”

A child always looks up to his father as a hero, Chris Edmonds said. “I never knew he had a cape hanging in his closet. But he did.”

community Birmingham’s Hungarian sister city spikes statue honoring Nazi collaborator After an international outcry, a private fund cancelled plans to erect a statue in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, honoring a government official who was responsible for the deportation of Hungary’s Jewish community during the Holocaust.

Some of the protest came from Birmingham, which has a sister city relationship with Szekesfehervar.

The Balint Homan Foundation sought to erect the statue, noting how Homan was a prominent historian and civic leader. As part of the Nazi-installed government of Hungary in 1944, Homan called for the deportation of Jews from the country.

Hungary had a Jewish population of 550,000.

Of those, roughly 420,000 wound up at Auschwitz.

After the war Homan was sentenced to life for his role in collaborating with the Nazis and died in prison in 1951.

In March, a Budapest court overturned his conviction on a lack of evidence, after which the municipality approved plans for the statue.

While the statue was planned by a private foundation, much of the funding was to come from public money.

An unveiling was scheduled for Dec. 29, but the site was the scene of a protest on Dec. 13, drawing hundreds, including Ira Forman, the U.S. Special Envoy on anti-Semitism.

The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities brought in six busloads from Budapest for the demonstration.

“From the U.S. government perspective, we feel very strongly that history and the damage that this man did to Hungarian citizens who happened to be Jewish cannot be ignored, and to put up that statue seems incomprehensible,” Forman told Reuters.

William Daroff, the senior vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office for The Jewish Federations of North America, spoke at the rally.

He noted that Homan had been minister of religion and education in Hungary from 1931 to 1942 and was the architect of “numerous anti-Semitic policies that stripped Hungarian Jews of their economic and civil rights.”

As details of the Final Solution became known, many Hungarian politicians worked on legislation to protect Jewish citizens, but Daroff said Homan “actively opposed these policies, urging the government to take advantage of the

opportunity to rid Hungary of its ‘Jewish problem’.”

Daroff said “a statue in Homan’s honor would be a stain on Hungary’s reputation and a cause for alarm within this country’s booming Jewish community.”

A few days later, the foundation’s Gabor Kovats said they were “postponing” the dedication because “the city of Szekesfehervar and its mayor have been subjected to serious attacks and threats which are unworthy of Balint Homan who did so much to build this city.”

The Birmingham Jewish Federation urged the Birmingham Sister City Commission, which also oversees the city’s relationship with Rosh Ha’Ayin, Israel, to express opposition to the statue among its contacts in Hungary. Publicizing plans for the statue in its daily Update, the Federation urged readers to protest the statue.

On Dec. 16, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he opposed the statue.

On Dec. 18, Szekesfehervar voted down plans for the statue. Earlier in the week, some in the city’s leadership said that while public funding was being pulled, the foundation still had the right to erect a statue as a private entity.

The foundation has returned the $55,000 that

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community they had been given by the city toward the project.

The U.S. Congressional Task Force for Combatting Anti-Semitism said it hopes the incident “serves as a reminder that the history of the Holocaust must be neither revised nor forgotten and the memory of the millions of victims must never be disrespected.”

“I am proud of our Federation for lending its voice to this important effort,” said BJF Executive Director Richard Friedman. “We cannot let the horrors of the Nazi era be whitewashed, ever, but especially at this difficult time with anti-Semitism exploding throughout much of Europe.”

Former accountant gets six months in prison for embezzling from Emanu-El

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Charles Collins was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of home detention for his theft of $41,098 from Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El. He will report to prison on Feb. 16.

U.S. District Court Judge Abdul Kallon also ordered Collins to pay $80,545 in restitution for what he stole and the cost of a forensic audit to determine how much he had stolen.

Collins pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in a plea agreement on Sept. 1. A former accounting manager for Emanu-El, started conducting unauthorized transactions in 2012 to obtain funds from Emanu-El’s bank account for his use, recording the transactions as payments to vendors, though the transfers actually went into bank accounts he controlled.

He had been accounting manager from 2008 until he was fired in November 2013. The first fraudulent transaction took place “on or about Oct. 19, 2012,” according to court filings.

The congregation has instituted “additional safeguards” to ensure something like this does not happen again. Collins had been “the sole individual responsible for performing all accounting transactions and functions” at Emanu-El.

Brook to discuss Yom Kippur war effects Itzhak Brook, a native of Haifa who is professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine, will give two presentations during a visit to Birmingham on Jan. 12.

Author of “In the Sands of Sinai: A Physician’s Account of the Yom Kippur War,” Brook will speak about his experiences serving in the Israeli army as a medic in the 1967 Six Day War and as a battalion physician during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He will also discuss the historical background for the 1973 war and its effect on Israeli society.

Brook said he will touch on “the physical and psychological traumas my soldiers had to cope with, the effect of religion on them, the cost of war in human life and suffering, and the daily struggle for survival in the difficult war which threatened Israel’s existence.”

After the Yom Kippur War, he completed a fellowship in adult and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine. He served in the medical corps of the U.S. Navy for 27 years.

He is the past chairman of the Anti-infective Drug Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration, and chaired the committee when AZT was approved for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in 1987.

Brook has authored several hundred publications in scientific journals and 10 textbooks. He also wrote “My Voice: A physician’s personal experience with throat cancer.”

He will speak at noon at a free event at the Levite Jewish Community Center. At 6:30 p.m. he will speak at a Birmingham Hadassah event at the home of Melina and Jon Goldfarb. There will be a dessert reception and an $18 suggested donation. Brook will sign books after his presentations.

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Going to the movies: Jewish film festivals in the region Jewish Cinema Mississippi announces 2016 lineup January is Jewish film festival month in the South, with festivals taking place in Mobile, Baton Rouge and Jackson.

Details of the Baton Rouge films were in the November issue and the Mobile films were in the December issue; both can be found online at sjlmag.com.

Jewish Cinema Mississippi rounds out the region’s offerings and announced its schedule in mid-December.

All screenings are at the Malco Grandview in Madison. The first three films are at 7 p.m., and the Jan. 31 film is at 2 p.m.

The festival is sponsored by Beth Israel in Jackson and the Jewish Culture Organization at Millsaps.

The festival starts with “Bulgarian Rhapsody” on Jan. 27. While it is set in Bulgaria in 1943, the Holocaust is a backdrop to the story of a love triangle among three teens — two Jewish and one non-Jewish. The film explore how relations between Jews and other Bulgarians were generally good, even though Bulgaria was allied with the Nazis.

It is the third film in a trilogy that includes “After the End of the World” and “A Journey to Jerusalem.”

Mobile Jewish Film Festival Sunday, Jan. 10 “Rosenwald” Springhill Avenue Temple, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 12 “Phoenix” Laidlaw Performing Arts Center at the University of South Alabama, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 13 “The Green Prince” Laidlaw Center, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 14 “Dough” Laidlaw Center, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 17 “Secrets of War” Springhill Avenue Temple, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 19 “A Blind Hero: The Love of Otto Weidt” University of South Alabama, Fairhope campus, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 20 “Hester Street” Ben May Library, 7 p.m.

“Apples from the Desert” is the Jan. 28 offering. It is the story of Rebecca Abarnabel, a single daughter born into an Orthodox Sephardic family in Jerusalem. Tired of the lifestyle that her father, Reuven, has forced upon her, she and her mother, Victoria, go on a life-changing journey between worlds. She starts dance classes and has a relationship with a secular kibbutznik, prompting her father to arrange a marriage with a widower. The film was nominated for three Israeli Academy Awards.

On Jan. 30, the sports comedy “Kicking Out Shoshana” will be screened. In Jerusalem, macho Israeli football player Ami Shoshan flirts with the girlfriend of a Mafia boss. The boss then forces him to pose as a homosexual, which leads to him being banned by his team and shunned by fans, but he becomes a hero of the gay community.

The festival concludes on Jan. 31 with a documentary about two beloved Jewish icons — Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel.

“Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem” combines Bikel’s charismatic storytelling and masterful performances with a broader exploration of Aleichem’s remarkable life and work.

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Thursday, Jan. 21 “Once in a Lifetime” Ahavas Chesed, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 24 “Deli Man” Ahavas Chesed, 2 p.m.

Admission $8 adults, $6 seniors and students

Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival All films at the Manship Theatre Wednesday, Jan. 13 “Deli Man,” 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 14 “Mr. Kaplan,” 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 16 “Above and Beyond,” 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 17 “Look At Us Now, Mother,” 3 p.m.

Admission $8.50 Tuesday, Jan. 12, Wednesday, Jan. 13 Student Film Screening “No Place On Earth” Independence Park Theatre, 9 a.m. to noon

January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 19

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championed and luxuriated in the Yiddish language, Sholom Aleichem created dozens of indelible characters. His Tevye the Milkman, Motl the Cantor’s Son, and Menachem Mendl — “shtetl Jews” for whom humor and pathos were two sides of the same Yiddish coin — remain invaluable windows into pre-war Eastern European Jewish life, real and imagined.

Bikel’s career spanned more than 150 screen roles, including an Oscar-nominated turn in “The Defiant Ones,” and countless stage and musical productions, is also the foremost interpreter of Sholom Aleichem’s work.

Having recently died at the age of 90, Bikel played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and he animated Aleichem’s work through his creation of two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author.

An adult festival pass is $35 before Jan. 18, $40 after. Student festival passes are $15 before Jan. 18, $20 after. Individual films are $10 for adults, $5 for students.

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For those seeking camp scholarship aid from Jewish Children’s Regional Service, the application process has changed for summer 2016.

Last year, the New Orleans-based social service agency provided partial scholarship funding for over 300 Jewish youth in a seven-state region to attend a non-profit Jewish sleepaway camp.

Unlike recent years, the application will not be downloaded, it will be filled out online. The priority consideration deadline is Feb. 15.

In addition to the online application, several documents need to be uploaded — a PDF of the most current Federal tax return for the parents or guardians, the most current W2s and 1099 forms and a copy of the final 2015 pay stub if the 2015 W-2 has not been received yet.

Financial information is required from all legal parents and guardians, and permission must be given for JCRS to work with other local organizations that give camp scholarship assistance.

Applications for siblings can be combined if all legal parents or guardians are the same. There is a different form for returning campers.

Campers must be entering grades 3 to 12 in the fall of 2016, and must reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas.

A similar new procedure is in place for college aid. The college application deadline is May 31.

Rabbi Peretz Kazen speaks at the first Chanukiah lighting on the steps of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, on Dec. 6. Mayor-President Kip Holden spoke and gave a proclamation from the city. Larry Smolinsky lit the menora and Avremi Goldman sang the blessings.

Also pictured are Mushka Kazen and Rabbi Barry Weinstein.

20 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

community Atlanta hosts world’s largest Jewish film festival The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, the world’s largest Jewish film festival, has unveiled its full lineup and official schedule of films for the 16th annual event.

The festival will present 77 films from 26 countries over 23 days, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 17.

The lineup includes five World Premieres, nine North American Premieres and four U.S Premieres. The festival brings major new works, on Jewish and Israeli themes, to multiple theater venues across Atlanta.

“We are proud to unveil the sprawling lineup for the 2016 AJFF, featuring diverse, high-caliber films from around the globe,” said Kenny Blank, executive director for AJFF. “This is a cultural celebration and an artistic showcase meant to feed the soul and the mind, as well as entertain. It is more than just a night at the movies — it is a curated experience that engages and inspires diverse audiences with film through a Jewish lens.”

The 2016 AJFF kicks off with director Atom Egoyan’s “Remember,” a potent revenge thriller starring Oscarwinners Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau.

More twists and turns await in the murder mysteries “A Grain of Truth” and “Fire Birds,” while there’s plenty to laugh about in the coming-of-age comedy “Time to Say Goodbye” and subversive satire “Atomic Falafel.”

In the wake of the horrific Paris attacks and as prelude to the upcoming U.S. elections, topical films tackle terrorism, immigration and reproductive rights in, respectively, “Je suis Charlie,” “Children of Giant”

and “The Law.” Unforgettable performances define “Wedding Doll” and the U.S. premiere of “The People vs. Fritz Bauer,” and music takes center stage in “East Jerusalem West Jerusalem,” “Flory’s Flame” and the U.S. premiere of “The Midnight Orchestra.”

Biographies include filmmaker Sidney Lumet, Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer and philosopher Hannah Arendt. The 20th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination has prompted two portrayals of the fallen leader: “Rabin in His Own Words” and “Rabin, the Last Day.” AJFF has surveyed the international festival circuit to bring such art house fare as the enchanting “Song of Songs,” the quietly unsettling “Mountain,” the shocking “Tikkun” and ghostly “Demon.”

The festival will also present Woody Allen in “The Front” and Dustin Hoffman in “Marathon Man,” Hollywood classics celebrating 40th anniversaries.

The festival comes to a conclusion with “In Search of Israeli Cuisine” on closing night with a post-film sampling of Israeli delicacies.

The Atlanta festival had record-breaking attendance of over 38,600 moviegoers in 2015. This milestone achievement adds to AJFF’s existing status as the largest film event of any kind in Atlanta. In just 15 years, AJFF’s broad-based multi-cultural audience has enabled the festival to emerge as one of the South’s foremost arts celebrations.

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Birmingham Hadassah will be pulling its weight when it comes to supporting Hadassah’s research into the BRCA gene mutation that increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Well, it will actually be bench pressing a lot of weight.

Benchin’ For Boobs, the chapter’s inaugural bench press competition, will be held at the Levite Jewish Community Center on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m.

The event is for those who already bench press, those thinking about it or who just want to try something new in support of a good cause.

The event weigh-in will start at 8 a.m., along with the “Boobie Goodie Bag” pickup. A BFB Power Breakfast will start at 9 a.m. and is by advance reservation. The contest will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the awards ceremony at 1 p.m.

There is also a weigh-in and pickup at ICON Performance in Cahaba Heights on Jan. 29 from noon to 5 p.m.

Categories are teen, novice and open. Weight classes are 95-132, 132165, 165-198, 190-240 and 240-plus.

Registration before Jan. 15 is $36 for adults and $18 for teens ages 13 to 18. After Jan. 15, registration is $46 for adults, $28 for teens. Registration can be done at the LJCC, ICON or online.

Registration for non-benchin’ supporters is $18 and includes an event T-shirt. The Power Breakfast is $18.

Participants are requested to solicit at least $75 in additional pledges for the event.

A Hadassah oncologist recently developed a blood test that reveals it is possible to predict the presence of harmful BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in otherwise healthy women using a novel technology called gene expression profiling. Hadassah’s Marlene Greenebaum Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Breast Center provides patients with sophisticated diagnostic technology and care.

Founded in 1995, Hadassah’s Clinic for Oncogenetic Counseling has helped more than 4,000 patients to identify their genetic risks for cancer.

Ovarian Cycle expands to include teen riders, team participation The Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund announced a new format for Ovarian Cycle Birmingham, which will be held at the Levite Jewish Community Center on Feb. 27.

Ovarian Cycle is a high-energy group indoor cycling event that places dozens of riders and spectators in the gym pedaling, sweating and cheering for a common cause — ovarian cancer research. This year, the 3-hour 22 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

community event is designed to engage and encourage more people in the community to participate, as the age range has been expanded to allow teens to join.

Participants can cycle as individuals or as a team, riding for any increment between 1 hour and the full 3 hours. Each participant pays a registration fee and raises donations for the ride.

Team rides are for three participants to do one hour each. This year’s Cycle also welcomes virtual riders and spectators.

Registered participants can take advantage of free spin classes at the LJCC before Feb. 27, and there are optional free group training rides offered on Feb. 7 and 14, as well as assistance and support to help achieve fundraising goals.

Since beginning in Atlanta in 2004, Ovarian Cycle has raised over $2 million for multiple charities, including Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the Ovarian Cancer Institute, the Normal Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation, The Clearity Foundation, Florida Hospital and the Marsha Rivkin Foundation to support research efforts for ovarian cancer.

The first event had 40 cycle enthusiasts on a common mission to fund research to find a reliable screening for ovarian cancer and honor the life of Debbie Green Flamm, who succumbed to the disease at age 43.

In 2012, Ovarian Cycle officially became part of OCRF. Now, each year, thousands of participants across the U.S. unite to ride for every single person touched by this disease.

Each year in the United States more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 13,000 women die of the disease. There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer and as a result only 19 percent of women are diagnosed in the early stages.

When ovarian cancer is detected early, before it has spread beyond the ovaries, more than 90 percent of women will survive longer than five years.

The Birmingham event is now in its ninth year. Also among the 15 communities that have the Ovarian Cycle events are Jackson and Houston.

Registration is $50 for riders age 26 and older, or early bird registration is $35 by Jan. 10. For ages 12 to 25, registration is $25 using the code UNDER25; for ovarian cancer survivors there is no fee, using code SURVIVOR at registration.

For additional information and to register, visit nlovca.org/ovarian-cycle.

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Friendship Circle team prepares for Mercedes Marathon Team Friendship will once again take to the streets of Birmingham during the Mercedes Marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay on Feb. 14, raising funds for the Friendship Circle.

As of press time there were 13 runners signed up, including Rabbi Yossi “The Runnin’ Rabbi” Friedman.

Friendship Circle brings together teenage volunteers and children with special needs for fun, friendship and socialization. It began in Detroit in 1994, pairing special needs children in the community with teen volunteers.

The Birmingham circle began in the summer of 2013 through Chabad of Alabama.

The program’s cornerstone is Friends at Home. Pairs of teen volunteers visit children with special needs in the place where they are most comfortable — their home. The Sunday visits are for them to simply do whatever interests them.

Among those participating are children with autism, cerebral palsy, ADD/ADHD, aspergers and other conditions that make it difficult to form friendships or socialize.

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Participants receive a complimentary ICON Performance personalized training package, with a distance running readiness assessment, nutrition analysis, one private running readiness strength training session, a customized running schedule and one month access to the facility.

There will be a gourmet pre-run dinner the night before, and a Team Friendship journey.

Runners must pick up registration packets on Feb. 12 at the St. Vincent’s Health Systems Health and Fitness Expo at Boutwell Auditorium.

The Expo is free and open to the community.

To register or donate, go to marathon4friendship.com.

Goldring grants provide incentive for first-time summer campers The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana is delighted to announce that the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience Incentive Grant Program is continuing in 2016.

Funded by the Goldring Family Foundation, the program helps families provide a first-time camping experience at a Jewish sleepaway camp.

It was established by JEF in 1999 and has been funded by the Goldring Family Foundation since 2001.

Last summer, 87 grants were issued, and since its inception, 1,226 children have received incentive grants to attend Jewish summer camp.

Experts agree that one of the most effective ways to develop children’s commitment to living Jewish lives is to expose them to a camp experience where they will meet other Jewish boys and girls and savor the precious heritage of Jewish traditions while enjoying wholesome summer fun and sports activities. Participating children enjoy all of the fun and comradeship of summer camp while developing positive feelings about their Jewish identity and making lifelong friends.

The grant is available to every Jewish child in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Making S’mores at camp Florida Panhandle.

Each eligible child receives a one-time-only grant of up to $1,000 to attend a nonprofit Jewish summer camp. Programs costing less than $1,000 will be funded up to the amount of camp tuition. Each child in a family is eligible for the one-time grant.

To meet the criteria for funding, children must be first-time campers at a nonprofit Jewish sleep-away camp, currently in grades 1 through 9, and residents of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi or the Florida Panhandle.

Grants are not based on financial need. Both parents need not be Jewish. Neither temple nor synagogue affiliation is required.

“We are grateful to the Goldring Family Foundation for their continuing generosity and their commitment to making a Jewish camping experience available to so many children,” said JEF President Richard Cahn.

“This program benefits not only the individual campers, but our entire community.”

The deadline for applications is March 31. Award notification will be given by May 31, and the checks will be sent directly to the camps.

For more information and an application form, contact Ellen Abrams at JEF at (504) 524-4559 or ellen@jefno.org. The application can also be downloaded at www.jefno.org.

Ramah Darom expands Tikvah, Taste programs

by Lee J. Green Camp Ramah Darom marked its Chai anniversary not just with celebratory events. Last summer, the Conservative movement’s camp, located in the North Georgia mountains, launched its successful Tikvah program to accommodate campers with autism spectrum disorders, and this year is expanding its Taste of Ramah offerings.

Ramah enrolled 10 Tikvah campers last summer. This summer, led by clinical psychologist and Ramah alumna Audra Kaplan, the program will expand to accommodate 24 campers.

“Last summer you could see how much enjoyment those kids got. It gives these kids the chance to truly be a part of the Ramah camp experience, something they have not had not been able to experience before,” said Camp Ramah Darom Director Geoff Menkowitz.

“The other campers learned more about how we all can be inclusive. I think we all got just as much out of the experience as they did,” he said. “It was really special for all of us. We look forward to growing the program in 2016.”

Menkowitz said they will be adding some new camps in 2016, especially on the sports camp side with lacrosse and baseball starting up.

A new outdoor cooking facility at Ramah with a wood-fired pizza oven will also allow the Camp to expand its cooking programs. “That is one in a series of electives that are taught all in Hebrew,” he said.

Taste of Ramah is expanding to four 12-day experiences, allowing poten-

summer camp an annual SJL special section Camp Gan Israel returned to New Orleans last summer. Story, page 26 tial campers entering grades 3 to 5 to get a sense of life at camp. Campers sample many of the same program areas offered at camp, in addition to the special focus on the first-time Ramah experience. Daily activities include a full sports program, swimming, arts and crafts, Hebrew, and all that Ramah has to offer.

Once again this summer, Ramah will bring over 40 counselors from Israel who will teach the children about Israel as well as provide their perspectives on the challenges of living there and what people here can do to help.

Menkowitz said the year-round camps at Ramah have been successful,

January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 25

summer camp

including the women’s getaway camp this past fall, winter family camp and the upcoming Passover vacation camp, which always fills to capacity months in advance.

Ramah just launched a Camper Ambassador Program, in which counselors bring their love of camp back to their home communities through education and outreach.

“We want to bring the Ramah camp experience not just to the kids but to the parents and families out there,” he said. “The goal is to create an engaging, fun, enriching Jewish learning experience to both kids and adults at the Camp facility as well as across the region year-round.”

With Space Shuttle era over, NASA Space Camp looks to Mars Just as NASA and commercial companies are preparing for the future of space exploration, so is Space Camp. This past year saw many changes to the Space Camp program in Huntsville, from forward-thinking missions to a new look in the Mission Center Complex where students from around the world come to train like astronauts.

Space Camp also watched in 2015 as its second alumna launched into space. Samantha Cristoforetti, a European Space Agency astronaut and Italian Air Force captain and engineer, completed a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Her 199-day and 16-hour mission set a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman.

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, who was a mission specialist on a Space Shuttle Discovery flight in 2001, was the first Space Camp alumna in space.

Cristoforetti and Metcalf-Lindenburger are two of five Space Camp alumni who have gone on to become astronauts, including Dr. Kate Rubins, a NASA astronaut who is scheduled to launch to the ISS in 2016.

The Space Camp mission training floor has come a long way from when those three astronauts came to camp. Instead of a shuttle-based program, Space Camp now features science and repair missions to the ISS and the lunar surface.

A new mission to Mars was beta tested last summer, and the Space Camp team continues to develop and refine that mission for the 2016 season. Also on the horizon is a manned mission to an asteroid modeled after the concepts proposed by NASA. The agency hopes to “capture” and transport an asteroid. The technology being developed for this mission will be essential to sending human beings to Mars and safely back to Earth.

Two new Space Camp simulators will help trainees learn about ISS crew exchange and resupply, joining the Orion capsule that will be used for the new moon, Mars and asteroid missions. Space Camp is working closely with Boeing and SpaceX to ensure a high degree of authenticity in reproducing the capsules.

These simulators with their touch screens and digital displays will show trainees how much has changed in the physical components of space travel.

The training floor also looks different than in times past. The large Space Shuttle Endeavor simulator that long anchored the area is now housed in another location on the U.S. Space and Rocket Center campus, clearing the way for the new simulators and the new “ISS: Science on Orbit” exhibit. This NASA grant-funded exhibit gives trainees and Rocket Center guests a true sense of what it’s like to live and work in space.

“Science on Orbit” also includes a model of NASA’s Payload Operations Integration Center, where scientists and engineers on Earth manage the complex, international science experiments astronauts conduct on the International Space Station.

With all these additions and updates, the summer of 2016 marks a new era in Space Camp that will mirror the next generation of space exploration being developed by NASA and the private sector.

26 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

Gan Israel expanding after successful return to New Orleans This past summer, Camp Gan Israel returned to the New Orleans area after a 10-year absence following the storm, and plans are in motion for an even larger summer this year.

The camp is part of the national Chabad network of summer day camps, and is housed at the new Torah Academy facility in Metairie under the direction of Mushka and Rabbi Peretz Kazen.

Last summer there were 37 campers during the four weeks, with Mini Gan of 3 and 4 year olds, and regular Gan Israel for ages 5 to 12. A “Bring a Friend day” brought 13 additional guests.

This summer, there will be three divisions, with the addition of a twoweek Pre-Teen Extreme for boys ages 11 to 14 and girls ages 12 to 14. Mini Gan will meet from June 14 to July 29, and Gan Israel will go from June 20 to July 29. A kosher hot lunch program will begin this summer, and one may register by the week or for the whole session.

Gan Israel activities include trips to places like Sky High and the City Park amusement park, with on-site activities such as hamster ball, a petting zoo and entertainers. JD Sports supervises soccer, yoga, gymnastics and movement, while supervised swimming takes place at the University of New Orleans aquatics center.

Registration opened on Jan. 1 and there is an early bird discount through March 15.

Mushka Kazen said the key to Gan Israel’s success is “our caring staff and our fun activities infused with a love of Judaism.”

Day Camps in the Region: New Orleans JCC: Located at the Uptown and Metairie campuses, the JCC Day Camp runs from June 6 to July 29 with sports, art, drama, music, Israeli Culture, swim instruction and field trips. Early Childhood camp is from 21 months to age 4, while general day camp goes from entering Kindergarten to entering fifth grade. There is a teen camp for rising sixth to eighth graders, sports camp and tennis camp.

Gates of Prayer, Metairie: The Louise Hayem Manheim Nursery School has a summer camp, with session 1 scheduled for June 1 to 30, session 2 from July 6 to 29 and session 3 from Aug. 1 to 12.

Levite JCC, Birmingham: With an over 60-year history, the LJCC offers 11 weeks of camp each summer, from traditional Day Camp to a wide range of specialty camps and sports camps. Traditional day camp is for rising first to sixth graders and includes swimming lessons, field trips and outings, sports, music, cooking, science, nature, Shabbat celebrations and late night events. Teen camps are for rising seventh and eighth graders. Registration for 2016 starts mid-January with 2015 pricing until the end of February, then early bird discounts in March and April.

Chabad of Alabama does Camp Gan Israel for four weeks during the summer. At press time, 2016 dates were not available. Regular camp is for rising Kindergarteners to fourth grade, with a Pioneer program that began last year for rising fifth graders to age 12.

The Discovery School at Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham has a day camp for the entire summer, with full-day and half-day rates available. Groups start at 15 months and go to pre-Kindergarten. Activities include gymnastics, drumming, water adventures, field days, sports, yoga and Fabulous Friday spirit days.

Huntsville’s Temple B’nai Sholom is planning a “Vacation Torah Camp,” a week-long summer experience, likely for ages 3 to 14. Details are still being worked out, but tentative plans are for early June.

In Shreveport, the North Louisiana Jewish Federation organizes Camp Chai, a two-week program for ages 3 to 10.

Jackson’s Beth Israel Preschool holds six weeks of summer day camp each year, with different themes each week.

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summer camp

Camp Barney brings back theater program

and we have an outstanding group of mature, talented, conscientious, and enthusiastic staff, who make the Camp Barney experience even more memorable,” said Camp Barney Director Jim Now in its 54th year, Camp Barney Medintz, Mittenthal. the overnight summer camp of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, is “our Summer Place” for more than 1,200 campers from around the South each year.

Surrounded by more than 500 acres in the Last summer was a huge success at the Henpicturesque North Georgia Mountains, Camp Barney offers two-week and four-week camping ry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, and Camp Director Anna Herman said she is even more excited experiences for rising 3rd to 11th graders.

Recent additions to the camp facilities include about this year.

“Enrollment is higher than ever at this time of a new cultural and performing arts complex, new sports complex, an additional swimming pool year, interest in staff positions is incredible, and with double water slides, a Food Network-type we’ve already hired phenomenal staff members who will return in senior leadership positions. kitchen, and the new Marcus Health Center.

Construction is underway on new cabins that The future looks bright,” she said.

Adding to that feeling is the receipt of results will be ready for this summer.

Returning this summer is the popular CBM from an independent agency that does satisfacLIVE!, a specialty theater camp for those who are tion surveys of parents regarding 71 Jewish camps passionate about acting. There are also two-week from across North America. “Jacobs matched or options for campers completing second through exceeded national averages on nearly every question,” Herman said. sixth grades.

On a one to five scale, with five being the best, Camp activities include aquatics in their two lakes and two pools, creative and performing arts, 92 percent responded with a five for likelihood to high adventure, nature, horseback riding, sports, recommend Jacobs Camp, 94 percent on the cost trips, Israeli cultural programs, and much more. versus content value of camp, and 92 percent on “Each year, campers make lifelong friendships, overall enjoyment and fun.

Jacobs Camp filling faster, getting great reviews

“Bama Hillel has helped me get involved and meet new people. It has shown me the importance of staying active in the Jewish community while in college and has provided me a safe and welcoming environment to do so.”

–KERRI

On areas where she said they needed some improvements, there was a significant increase in satisfaction. “We have terrific momentum, boundless opportunity, and strong growth,” she said. “We have high hopes and expectations for the future, and we want you along for the ride.”

The camp offers rising 3rd through 10th graders a program that fosters positive Jewish identity, self-confidence, compassion and independence.

There are also overnight tastes of camp for rising first graders and a 10-day experience for rising second and third graders.

Originally formed as a place where Jewish children from small Southern communities could experience an immersive Jewish atmosphere, Jacobs now welcomes campers from almost half of the United States and several foreign countries.

Campers spend each day moving to activity to activity; developing new skills; taking part in events they can choose, and making new friends.

Campers love the 18-hole professionally designed Disk Golf course, two 100-foot water slides that plunge into Lake Gary, 50-foot climbing tower and Israeli Dodge Ball, said Herman. Jacobs Camp also offers specialty areas including Adventure, Creative Arts, Digital Media and Sports.

Because enrollment is higher at an earlier time than ever before, Herman encourages those interested to go ahead and enroll to ensure a space for this summer.

education an annual SJL special section

Auburn University Head Backetball Coach Bruce Pearl hosted the Auburn Hillel and Alpha Epsilon Pi Chanukah party at his home on Dec. 10, making latkes from his grandmother’s recipe

Birmingham-Southern salutes Goldfarb for legendary soccer career Birmingham-Southern College said goodGoldfarb also led the U.S. Maccabi nationbye this fall to retiring Head Men’s Soccer al team to its first-ever gold medal in soccer Coach Preston Goldfarb after a storied 33at the 2013 Maccabi Games in Israel. He also year career. was in Chile as the overall soccer chair for the Goldfarb left a job in hospital administraMaccabi Pan-Am Games in late December, tion to start BSC’s soccer team from scratch and is co-chair for the 2017 Maccabi World in 1983. Since then, his teams have won more Games in Israel. than 360 games, 10 regular season conferJewish life on campus ence titles and seven conference championThis past semester, BSC hosted an eduships; BSC has also made five national tourcational display about Rosh Hashanah in nament appearances. the atrium of the Norton Campus Center, Under his leadership, the program has including apple slices, honey and challah for produced 41 Academic All-Americans, 35 students. In a separate program, representaAll-Americans, nine consecutive National tives of Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El parSoccer Coaches Association of American BSC photo by Jimmy Mitchell ticipated in the college’s informational series Team Academic Awards, and two National called “Where to Worship.”

Preston Goldfarb and his wife Marie Players of the Year. In 2013, the BSC soccer The college’s library also houses the Rabbi field was named the Preston Goldfarb Field.

Milton Grafman Judaic Book Collection and the Harold Katz Judaic Mu“Preston has set a remarkable standard of excellence that has made the sic Collection.

BSC men’s soccer program one of the most respected in the nation,” said BSC’s recently-retired president, Gen. Charles Krulak, has teamed up BSC Athletic Director Joe Dean. “It has been one of the highlights of my time with the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center and the Birmingham at BSC to watch Preston’s work as a coach and ambassador for our college.” Jewish Federation. He co-chaired the second annual L’Chaim gala and The college honored Goldfarb on Homecoming Weekend, and more helped spearhead a fundraising effort for the BHEC. Krulak is leading than 70 team graduates — including his son, Sean — gathered to cele- the BJF initiative, “A Time to Respond,” a leadership training program brate his final regular season home game. designed to fight anti-Semitism, especially on college campuses.

On Oct. 31, Rhodes defeated BSC, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the SouthThe Jewish Student Association often does joint programs with the Hilern Athletic Association tournament, ending BSC’s season at 11-5-2. lel at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 29

education

Jewish life at Auburn continues to soar Though still relatively small in numbers, the Jewish students at Auburn continue to make their presence felt on campus.

On Dec. 3, there was a joint holiday lighting on Samford Lawn, with Auburn Hillel coordinating with the Student Government Association for a program that included the lighting of a Christmas tree and a Chanukah menorah.

Elizabeth Zimmerman, president of Hillel, said this was the second year that a joint ceremony had been held, and a Chanukah display was up in the student center as well.

Every year, Hillel kicks off with a bagel brunch, and recently photos were posted from the last four years showing a steady growth in attendance, with Zimmerman recently noting activity at Hillel has tripled in the last two years.

That will continue to grow. Rob Kulick, who has been advisor for Hillel and the newly-reconstituted Alpha Epsilon Pi, noted at the campus Chanukah party that there were many freshmen in attendance.

The Chanukah party was held at the home of Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl on Dec. 10.

Though Pearl participates in campus Jewish life when he can, basketball coaches have hectic schedules, and Kulick said they are careful not to make assumptions about his availability. Noting that Chanukah is during basketball season, Kulick said it was Pearl’s suggestion to have the Chanukah party at his house.

Both Hillel and AEPi are active with Auburn’s synagogue, Beth Shalom. On Dec. 4, services at Beth Shalom included an oneg in honor of the graduating seniors.

In the coming months, many activities are planned, including Jews and Canoes on the Coosa.

For Purim they plan a ball on Saturday night followed by a Purim carnival the next morning at Beth Shalom. The students also take part in the community Passover Seder at Beth Shalom and usually build a sukkah on campus.

Kulick said Hillel and AEPi do their activities together, to strengthen both groups.

In October 2014, the Theta chapter of AEPi achieved colony status, and they hope to be fully chartered by 2017. This year there are 14 active members of AEPi, In April, AEPi had a Walk to Remember for Holocaust Memorial Day, with Pearl and other coaches participating.

Kulick said continuing to grow the Jewish enrollment at Auburn is a priority and he regularly spreads the word at high schools in the Atlanta area, especially among those looking to pursue engineering, agriculture, architecture and veterinary medicine.

30 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

education

“Record participation” in Jewish activities at Alabama

by Lee J. Green Just like the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, which as of press time was preparing for the College Football Playoff for the second year in the playoff ’s two-year existence, Jewish student life at the University continues to crest.

University of Alabama Hillel Director Lisa Besnoy said that Jewish student enrollment and involvement in programs have never been higher.

“We’ve had record participation numbers,” said Besnoy, who is in the middle of her fourth year in her current position with the University. “I have been very impressed with the interest. Working with the current students, we continue to come up with exciting new programs that show how vibrant Jewish student life is.”

Jewish student enrollment numbers continue to climb. It is estimated that as many as 900 Jewish students currently attend the University of Alabama.

But some of the prospective students and their parents have remarked that the levels of participation are greater than some of the schools they visited that have populations of 3,000 or more Jewish students, added Besnoy.

She said that the credit goes to the students, who have come up with many of the successful current programs and activities. “We are very much student-driven and student-led,” said Besnoy. “They take great pride in maintaining a strong Jewish identity on campus and look at ways to engage more students.”

The students have come up with some successful fundraising initiatives, such as a three-on-three basketball tournament and spaghetti dinner this past fall semester, both of which brought in excellent participation numbers campus-wide. The students also participate in fundraisers that benefit those in need in the greater Tuscaloosa area, such as Habitat For Humanity.

“We are bringing Hillel into a positive spotlight not just with Jewish students but campus-wide and community-wide,” said Besnoy.

Those outside of the Jewish community on campus who want to learn more have participated in the some of the fall holiday celebrations as well.

Besnoy said that 170 people attended the Rosh Hashanah event Hillel hosted. Sometimes more than 100 people attend weekly Shabbat dinners.

A prime focus for the spring will be on Israel Education. On March 9, Hillel will present “An Evening with Benji Lovitt.” The event will be free for all students and open to anyone in the community for a minimal fee.

Lovitt is a comedian who encourages his audience to gain a better understanding of Israel’s history and culture. A Dallas native who made aliyah in 2006, he is an expert in improvisational workshops and takes on difficult subjects such as how to discuss the controversial topics surrounding Israel.

The event will be done in a dinner-theatre style with Lovitt fielding questions from the audience after his performance.

Besnoy said they will promote the event not just to Jewish students but to all students as well as synagogues, churches and others in the greater Tuscaloosa area.

“We want to use this as a way to bring people of all faiths and backgrounds together to learn more about issues pertaining to Israel, as well as its history and culture. Educating through humor and having the opportunity for an interactive dialogue will hopefully lead toward greater understanding,” she said.

Besnoy said they are always active with new Jewish student recruitment opportunities, such as some national college outreach events she will be going to at the Jewish Community Center in Dallas this month.

“We’ve gotten great support from the University,” she said. “The administration always makes sure we have what we need on campus. They have great interest in ensuring a very strong, active, growing Jewish presence on campus.”

University of Alabama President Stuart Bell said Hillel’s “presence makes vital contributions to our campus, and we are pleased an increasing number of Jewish students are choosing to attend UA.” That sentiment is echoed by David Grady, University of Alabama Vice

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January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 31

education

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President for Student Affairs. “At The University of Alabama, we want our students to have opportunities to grow in many ways, including spiritually and morally. Our Jewish student community is a vibrant part of UA, and its positive impact on campus life is apparent,” said Grady.

Rabbi Steven Jacobs teaches “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament” and “Introduction to Judaism” using a textbook he wrote, “The Jewish Experience: An Introduction to Jewish History and Jewish Life.”

Prospective student weekend in March at Amer. Hebrew Academy The American Hebrew Academy will have a prospective student weekend from March 18 to 20.

Founded in 2000 on a 100-acre campus in Greensboro, N.C., AHA was established to provide an outstanding coeducational college preparatory program and Jewish secondary education, in a pluralistic Jewish environment. It is the only international Jewish residential secondary school, and served grades 9 to 12.

The academy currently has 137 students and 45 faculty members, with 39 percent of the student body coming from outside of the United States.

For the 2015-16 school year, new student enrollment climbed 61 percent and set a school record for largest entering class.

“Efforts to raise awareness of the Academy worldwide and increased interest among Jewish families in the United States seeking to provide innovative Jewish education for their children at one of the most formative stages in their development has certainly helped boost our enrollment,” said Glenn Drew, American Hebrew Academy CEO. “In the coming year, we look forward to expanding our worldwide reach even further.”

The academy also names an Honor Society each year, which acknowledges bright, hard-working and talented 8th and 9th graders “who have shown excellence in academics, character, leadership and community service.”

Those students are invited to the prospective student weekend to compete for five $20,000 scholarships.

The recruitment weekend includes classroom experiences, Shabbat with teens from around the world and activities in the 88,000-square-foot athletics center and student union.

Drew added: “The Academy’s mission is to educate and inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders from around the world and across all Jewish communities. This year, we are fortunate to welcome more outstanding and motivated students than ever before. As the only school of its type, the Academy was once dubbed a bold educational experiment but it is clearly here to stay.”

More information is available at americanhebrewacademy.org.

32 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

education Caring for our Community

Millsaps Jewish programming, participation expand

by Lee J. Green The Jewish Culture Organization continues to grow at Millsaps College, and advisor James Bowley reports record involvement in everything from regular Shabbat dinners to Jewish student participation in a couple of interfaith events held this past fall.

“Last year we started doing Shabbat dinners every week and we’ve had some of the biggest numbers we’ve ever had as far as participation goes,” said Bowley, a chair of the Religious Studies program for 14 years. He started the Hillel at Millsaps in 2005. “I have been so impressed with the leadership and initiative of the students.

Even the times I can’t be there, they take the initiative to coordinate it on their own.” Bowley also credits JCO President Alex Melnick, a senior from Jupiter, Fla. Recently, JCO members participated in a multi-religious winter festival, which shared celebrations of Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali and Christmas. “The latkes they made were such a hit and ran out quickly,” said Bowley. Another multi-religious event the JCO had strong participation in was a Millsaps Better Together vigil against violence.

The JCO also helped raise funds for the Jewish Cinema Mississippi film festival, which begins Jan. 27.

The annual Purim celebration is planned, as is a campus-wide Passover Seder, at which they also expect great attendance from students who are not Jewish.

Bowley said he always meets with prospective students and their parents when they come to visit. The current students are always great hosts and are happy to show prospective students how

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vibrant Jewish student life is on campus at the liberal arts college in Jackson, he said.

Thanks to a partnership with the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, some scholarships are available to Jewish students.

Bowley is a member of the National Association of Jewish Studies and on the board of governors for Hebrew Union College. He just finished teaching a course at Millsaps on the Jewish Bible and his textbook, “Introduction to Hebrew Bible: A Guided Tour of Israel’s Sacred Library” is being used at Millsaps as well as numerous other state and private universities across the United States.

Though he will be on sabbatical in the spring, Bowley said Rabbi Debra Kassoff will teach “Introduction to Judaism” this upcoming semester.

“This upcoming semester we hope to continue to not only increase involvement in the Jewish Community Organization but to also continue playing an important role in the overall campus community,” said Bowley.

The college also has an annual speaker series in memory of Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, who fought for civil rights in Mississippi in the 1960s.

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IHSNO is a Type-2 Charter School open to all Louisiana students and operates under a charter granted by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The IB Diploma Programme was created in 1968 and is one of the most academically challenging, rigorous academic programs that prepares students for success in college and life beyond. The program is normally taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.

International High School of New Orleans’ mission is to educate and nurture a diverse learning community through the IB, world languages, and intercultural appreciation to succeed in a global economy. The world language program at

IHS includes Spanish, French, Mandarin-Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic courses.

International High School is the only one of its kind for a public high school with this type of focus on global education, foreign language fluency, and diversity, while remaining reflective of and involved in the local community.

Though the school promotes an understanding of business, multicultural awareness and foreign language fluency, prior foreign language skills are not required to apply. IHSNO is currently one of the few schools in the United States offering Arabic and Mandarin, taught by native speakers.

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It is an era of change at Indian Springs School, but the changes are meant to enhance the school’s national reputation for excellence.

When classes began this year at the 280-student day and boarding school for grades 8 to 12 just south of Birmingham, students were greeted by 18 new classrooms, part of a $20 million Springs Eternal campaign. Among the new facilities is the Leo Kayser Jr. Academic Center, named in memory of a former ISS parent, grandparent and board member. The Abroms, Hess, Engel and Damsky families have also been active in the campaign.

Another change is the recent announcement of a new Director, Sharon Louise Howell, who will become only the sixth head of school since ISS opened in 1952. She comes to ISS from Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Mass., where she is associate head of school. Before that she was at Harvard University for 15 years, including a time as resident dean of a Harvard College House.

“Indian Springs is clearly a special place. From your ‘Learning Through Living’ motto, to the six key values you live and learn by, to the truly impressive quality of your students, to your ambitious plans for the future — the ethos and practical reality of Indian Springs resonate with me powerfully,” Howell said. “I am honored beyond measure to be entrusted with leading this extraordinary school into its next era and helping ensure that it grows and thrives in accord with its inspiring mission.”

She succeeds Gareth Vaughan, who has been at the school since 2008.

One example of excellence is the school’s Mock Trial team, which placed third in the YMCA National Judicial Competition in Chicago last summer. Max Klapow, a junior, is on the team.

“One of the big things we’ve learned as a team is that success in mock trial doesn’t necessarily come down to Davis Tyler-Dudley ’17, Taylor Hinch ’17, how much law you’ve been Max Klapow ’17, Liz Jones ’18, Marc Straus taught,” said Klapow, who ’16, and Chandler Pulliam ’17 were named delivered the team’s opening the best overall Mock Trial team in the statement at the NJC with state at the 2015 Alabama YMCA Youth little time to prepare when a Judicial Program. teammate woke up with laryngitis. “The defining part is how much you work for it, how much you want it, and how well you think on your feet. While we meet only three hours a week, we work productively. It comes down to hard work and dedication.”

“Our students did a fantastic job,” said ISS volunteer coach Carole Mazer, a clinical psychologist and parent of ISS alumni who works with the group during the school year. “What’s so incredible about this national win is that this young team, which trains a few hours a week after school as part of Indian Springs’ student-run, extracurricular Mock Trial Club, was competing against rising seniors and new high school graduates who prepare daily through their schools’ mock trial classes and curricula. Our kids focus on what it takes to be persuasive, professional, and likable in their comments and body language, and I believe that this gives them an edge in any arena.”

The team won the state again in November and will return to Chicago next summer for nationals.

There will be an admissions open house on Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon.

There are also opportunities for prospective students to do a “shadow day” during the academic year. Those visits must be scheduled in advance. The admission office pairs prospective students with a current Springs student to get a sense of what a typical day at Springs is like. Admission interviews can be scheduled for that day as well.

take care of yourself an annual SJL special section

Rethinking Resolutions Tips from Touro Infirmary Dietitian Julie Fortenberry, RD, LDN Do you recall the last five Januarys (or more) that you have resolved to lose 30 pounds, never eat sugar again or exercise 60 minutes each day?

Only to experience frustration and defeat when February comes along and you decide thrown in the towel. Perhaps you set unrealistic goals, didn’t feel motivated or simply didn’t care enough about your resolution to follow through with it after the “honeymoon phase” of the New Year.

Instead of swearing off certain foods completely or vowing to lose a certain amount of weight, make a promise this year to take better care of yourself in general. This could include a variety of things. Whatever you decide to be your cup of tea, do it for you and your future years not just because it is January 2016.

Try these few easy (and lasting) changes you can make to better yourself — not just on the scale!

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Be aware of the foods you consume. Are you eating a variety? How does the food make you feel? When are you eating? Pay attention and see what naturally evolves. This is a step everyone must take before making beneficial changes in their lifestyle.

Eat real food at least once a day. This means fresh food instead of food from a box or package. Try to incorporate more fresh fruits, vegetables and salads into your daily meals.

Don’t underestimate the value of quality sleep, which is as important as eating well and exercising. If you are not sleeping, consult your physician to find out why. Sleep is essential.

Wellness is more than just exercise and eating healthy. Mental and emotional health are important aspects of our well-being that often get overlooked.

Do something just for you every day. Between work, family and other commitments, the majority of our time is spent taking care of others. Resolve to set aside “recharge” time for yourself every day to exercise, relax, reflect, cook a gourmet dinner, write in a journal, garden, walk your pet or do an activity that you enjoy.

Keep your mind sharp by taking time to learn new things. It’s easy to stay inside our comfort zones and do “the same old, same old.” Read an interesting article, discuss a new approach with a colleague or practice a new language. Opportunities for continual learning are endless!

Take yourself a little less seriously. Play with your children/grandchildren, laugh out loud, tell silly stories, smile at a stranger, enjoy the little moments. Learn to live for right now.

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Julie Fortenberry RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans.

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January 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 35

take care of yourself

St. Vincent’s Health System first to earn highest cardiovascular accreditations St. Vincent’s Health System in Birmingham became the first and only health system in the nation to hold the highest Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care heart accreditations in all three areas, which include atrial fibrillation, heart failure and chest pain.

This accreditation is based on meeting and exceeding stringent quality and outcome cardiovascular measures on an ongoing basis. St. Vincent’s Health System is a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest non-profit health system.

“To earn any of these accreditations is an achievement in which we take great pride,” said Neeysa Biddle, Senior Vice President, Ascension Health and Birmingham Market Executive. “To be the only health system in the nation to earn the highest level in all three areas at the same time is a credit to the hard work and excellent patient care provided by the St. Vincent’s team.”

St. Vincent’s earned the accreditations in only seven months. The SCPC reviewed how the hospitals worked internally to care for cardiac patients; their community outreach efforts and what procedures were used to ensure the patients continued to thrive even after they left the hospital.

According to the SCPC, accredited hospitals demonstrate the ability to employ a system of handling patients in a manner that allows a shorter time between diagnosis and treatment, while also reducing patients’ length of stay both in the emergency department and when receiving inpatient care.

By implementing this system, the accredited facilities are able to offer patients the highest level of coordinated care in a concise time frame.

“While achieving these accreditations is a tremendous accomplishment, St. Vincent’s Health System’s hard work and commitment to cardiovascular excellence doesn’t end today,” said Biddle. “We remain committed each and every day to enhancing and expanding our cardiovascular offerings to best serve the needs of our patients.”

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36 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016

Find a wide range of books about the Jewish South — from current releases to hard-to-find historic works, at

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Area rabbis sign HIAS letter on Syrian refugees The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society wrote a letter in support of welcoming Syrian refugees, delivered to all members of Congress. Over 1,100 rabbis from across the country signed it, including Rabbis Barry Block, Little Rock; Matthew Dreffin, Jackson; Lynne Goldsmith, Dothan; David Goldstein, New Orleans; Steven Jacobs, Tuscaloosa; Randall Konigsburg, Birmingham; Eugene Levy, Little Rock; Ethan Linden, Metairie; Barbara Metzinger, New Orleans; Jeremy Simons, Jackson.

Continued from page 38

FA M I LY without delay.

Expectations are high for your second book. It’s the price of success.

Given that, we encourage more miracles. Creation aside, most miracles so far were rather mundane. A dream here, a flood there. Conceiving children at surprising ages. To raise the stakes next time, and increase the image of your divine being, up the enormity of the abnormal. Widen their scope, broaden their impact, make them more supernatural.

Of course, don’t overdo it. These should be miracles that fit the story while elevating it. Avoid going too far with farcical effects that don’t hold water.

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Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who is feverishly translating the recently discovered sixth book of the Torah, Tritonomy. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/the.beholders.eye.

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The Alabama Republican Party distanced itself from his remarks, which have since been deleted from his Facebook account.

When asked by Southern Jewish Life about the five non-Christian Israeli-owned Mapco Express locations in Tuscaloosa, he said “Stop there very often!”

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Thank you once again for allowing us the opportunity to publish your first book, Genesis. We’re certain it will be a bestseller for years to come.

As you start work on your second book, we’d like to give you some constructive feedback regarding your first work, in the hopes that you’ll address these minor matters in the final installment of your planned twobook series.

A lot happened in Genesis. However, the story covers a couple thousands years, leaving long periods — sometimes centuries — where readers are given little more than someone’s name and lifespan, despite all the story points throughout the narrative. We’d appreciate you focusing the action better in the next volume by compressing the timespan into, at the most, one generation’s time.

Along those lines, the first book had a fluid relationship with time. The entirety of Creation occurring in just six days stretches credulity nearly as much as the many hundreds of years that several early characters lived.

It is better to match your time descriptions to what is commonly known today as the amount of time that things actually take, and to what’s known to be a typical lifespan. Methuselah lived 969 years? Real people don’t even live to be 120.

Speaking of Methuselah, who is he? He is one of many characters who are mentioned once and never referenced again. Why one would needlessly lengthen the book beats the dickens out of us.

Regardless, there are too many primary characters throughout — so many that “primary” is a misnomer.

Adam and Eve. Noah. Abraham and BECAUSE EVERY Sarah. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. We highly suggest focusing on a single protagonist WRITER NEEDS in the future.

AN EDITOR… You’ve contended that the Almighty presence is the “character” that gives the story a throughline. But this is more an essential overseer above the story, rather than an active player throughout it. In short, while this presence is essential to your narrative, a divine “super-being” is, by definition, not one that the average reader can find directly relatable as a protagonist needs to be.

While we ask for greater protagonist focus, ironically you need more people. In Genesis, we read several times of descendants who will number as the stars in the sky, or sands in the beach, or the like. Isn’t it about time we see them? Not to dilute the story across them individually, but to at least know they’re finally present collectively in the narrative? Otherwise, those repeated prophecies are just a red herring, which hardly seems kosher.

Then there are the women. Now, we don’t want to seem sexist. After all, this is 1000 B.C.E., even if we don’t know yet what that stands for.

We like women just fine. But the world today is filled with patriarchal societies. We don’t feel readers are ready for women to keep playing even this significant a part in your narrative. For example, that whole thing with Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. Rebecca really seemed to be the main actor in the whole affair. What will patriarchal minds think of a people where one woman steers the course of three men?

Speaking of possible misperceptions, a word should be said about geography. Genesis does a good job of establishing the land of Canaan as being the home of our series of protagonists. But then you have them all go down to Egypt. It’s possible that some readers might misconstrue this as an outright departure or abandonment, so we feel it’s critical that the next volume’s central character — and his multitude — return to Canaan, continued on previous page

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40 Southern Jewish Life • January 2016