SJL New Orleans, March 2014

Our Annual Celebrations special issue

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Looking Back at Mardi Gras

Southern Jewish Life New Orleans Edition

March 2014

Volume 24 Issue 3

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213-0052 Above: Snow at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica.

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A version of this editorial, “Ten Problems with the Ten Commandments,” originally appeared in our publication in September 2001, during the Judge Roy Moore Ten Commandments monument dispute at the Alabama Supreme Court building. It has been updated slightly to refer to events today. The original piece won the 2001 Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism from the American Jewish Press Association, first place in the editorial category.

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The Alabama Legislature is at it again. A decade after Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was removed from office for refusing a higher court’s direct order to remove a 5,280 pound monument of the Ten Commandments from the Supreme Court building, Alabama’s legislators are determined to tilt at that windmill yet again.

It must be an election year. Bring out your feel-good legislation and flex those religious-majority muscles.

The battle lines are being drawn yet again between good Christians and the evil forces of atheism and secularism that want to… what, exactly?

But that’s a false demarcation. There are many reasons for people who take the Ten Commandments seriously to oppose efforts to have them placed as a trophy in government buildings. There are many problems with the claim that the Ten Commandments form the basis of our legal system and society.

A closer examination of the Ten Commandments, where they came from and what they mean gives numerous arguments — even ignoring the obvious problem with breaking the separation of church and state.

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Here are 10 such problems: 1. What is the First Commandment? According to Christian versions, it is “You shall have no other gods before Me.” But in the original Hebrew, the First Commandment is “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” Even allowing for intermarriage over the last couple millennia, the vast majority of Southerners can not say their ancestors were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt. Therefore, the Jewish First Commandment is ignored, and the second one is split in half — into two commandments, covering other gods and graven images separately.

Moore’s monument of a decade ago listed the first phrase of the First Commandment, then listed both halves of the Second Commandment — giving him 11 Commandments on the monument.

2. Define “other gods.”

According to Judaism, God is an infinite, indivisible entity that cannot be defined or limited in any way. God has no human form. In Christianity, there is a very distinct idea of God — the trinitarian form, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son, named Jesus, is

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On Feb. 16, the Agudath Achim Men’s Club in Shreveport took 25 participants from both local congregations on a bus trip to Dallas. They visited the new Dallas Holocaust Museum, had lunch and saw a performance of “Oedipus El Rey.” They are pictured here with Sabina Zuniga Varela, who starred in the show.

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Front Porch Celebrating musical ties with Rosh Ha’Ayin: This year’s Campaign Celebration for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans provides a taste of the community’s partnership with Israel’s “music city,” Rosh Ha’Ayin.

The March 13 event will be at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where there will be a wine and cheese reception, and a talk and performance by NOCCA’s Michael Pellera and other musicians.

Last May, Pellera led a group of NOCCA instructors and students on a New Orleans Music Educators Exchange to Israel, with thenPartnership2Gether chairs Lis Kahn and Stacey Weinreb. They visited the Rosh Ha’Ayin Conservatory and learned about music in Israel.

The trip was partly to consolidate a long-term relationship between the Rosh Ha’Ayin music center and the jazz department at NOCCA, and to generate ties between the arts and dance departments at Begin High School and the corresponding departments at NOCCA. The packed week included master classes, sessions with the students, teachers and heads of the education system.

A visit to the mayor’s office included an overview of the music education system and the music city’s vision. They then met with students from the Eshkol and Rambam schools who attend the “Menagen (Playing Music) school” program.

In 2012, teachers from Rosh Ha’Ayin visited NOCCA. In September, NOCCA musicians from the exchange performed at the Federation’s centennial celebration.

At the event, Kathy Shepard will receive the annual Roger Bissinger Memorial Award.

The 7 p.m. program is open to all members of the community who make a gift of at least $18 to the 2014 Annual Campaign. Admission is $25, $10 for students.

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(Photo above: Rehearsal in Rosh Ha’Ayin) Tulane ZBT wants community to Get On The Ball: From April 3 to 5, the Sigma colony of Zeta Beta Tau at Tulane University will be holding its annual fundraiser, Get on the Ball, to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. The event will take place during Crawfest on campus.

Get on the Ball is the process of rolling a ball six feet in diameter around campus to collect signatures for a chosen charity. Funds can be raised through a number of ways, including pledges from surrounding businesses to donate a set amount of money per signature on the ball.

The chapter is getting outgoing Tulane President Scott Cowen to participate in the signing and is reaching out to Jewish community organizations for their involvement.

Zeta Beta Tau is looking to involve the Greater New Orleans community. Brothers will roll the ball in various locations including Tulane’s Uptown campus on April 3 and 5, and in Jackson Square on April 4.

Those attending Crawfest can sign the ZBT ball in front of the Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center on April 5.

For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, contact Daniel Robinson, the Zeta Beta Tau Philanthropy Chairman, by email at SigmaGOTB@gmail.com.

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Front Porch Ambassador Ettinger to visit New Orleans: Ambassador Yoram Ettinger will visit New Orleans the weekend of April 4 for a series of presentations.

There will be a Jewish Community Relations Council luncheon on April 4, at which Ettinger will speak about the high tech industry in Israel.

Over Shabbat he will speak at Shir Chadash. There will be a Shabbat dinner, contact the Shir Chadash office for information and reservations.

Ettinger was Israel’s consul general in Houston in the 1980s, a territory that included Louisiana. He then headed Israel’s Government Press Office.

Following that he was Minister for Congressional Affairs at the Israeli embassy in Washington and continues as a lecturer and consultant. In the late 1990s he also was the Alabama trade representative in Israel, and in November he spoke at a benefit for JH Israel in Birmingham.

He is editor of “The Ettinger Report” and director of “The Second Initiative,” which is dedicated to generate out-of-the-box thinking on US-Israel relations, Middle East politics, the Palestinian issue, JewishArab demographics, Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

Rabbi Hoffman to speak at GoP, Loyola: Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman will visit New Orleans this month for two talks.

Hoffman is the Barbara and Stephen Friedman Professor of Liturgy, Worship and Ritual at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, where he has taught since 1973. He teaches classes in liturgy, ritual, spirituality, theology and synagogue leadership.

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For almost forty years, he has combined research, teaching, and a passion for the spiritual renewal of North American Judaism. In 1994, he co-founded “Synagogue 2000,” now Synagogue 3000, a transdenominational project to envision the ideal synagogue “as moral and spiritual center” for the 21st century.

He will speak at Gates of Prayer in Metairie on March 21 at the 8 p.m. service as the 2014 Marcus and Millie Landau Memorial Lecturer. His talk will be a “retrospective look at how we got here” to contemporary American Jewish life.

On March 22 he will lead a study session on new models of synagogues in the 21st century with the Gates of Prayer board.

On March 24 at 7:30 p.m., he will speak about “Christianity and Judaism: God’s Double Helix Through Time.” The talk will be at Loyola University’s Danna Center, Audubon room. He noted that in previous centuries there was an imbalance of power, but today each group can learn from the other while remaining true to themselves.

Morris Bart lecture series continues: The Morris Bart Sr. Lecture series at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, Uptown, continues with Brian Horowitz of Tulane University on March 10. He will discuss “Odessa and the Culture of Eastern Europe.” The city, near Sochi, was the home of the most innovative Jewish center in modern times.

On April 7, Tania Tetlow of Tulane will speak on “Domestic Violence in New Orleans,” the hidden root to the city’s murder problem. She will discuss why the failure to address domestic violence matters, and causes children who witness it to become more violent themselves.

The free lectures are at 11:45 a.m., preceded by a catered kosher lunch. Reservations are requested.

NOLA

Front Porch Tulane Hillel institutes data gathering: Tulane Hillel is working with Targum Shlishi to institute new ways to gather data on student participation and involvement, to help Hillel better serve the Jewish student population.

The systematic approach is a significant change from the organization’s previous method, which relied on subjective observations by staff and anecdotal evidence.

Tulane Hillel partnered with Kevin Wilkins, founder and managing director of trepwise, a company that helps entrepreneurial start-ups achieve sustainable growth.

Rabbi Yonah Schiller, executive director of Tulane Hillel, views building the Jewish community at Tulane as an exercise in entrepreneurship, an “experiment” that requires Tulane Hillel to be flexible and open to new ideas and approaches in order to allow students to engage with the organization in a way they find comfortable.

Tulane Hillel’s ultimate goal is to engage the university’s entire Jewish student body. In working toward 100 percent participation, the

organization seeks to provide a range of diverse and dynamic opportunities for the students.

“We are modeling a new type of Jewish community that students feel inspired to be part of: a community where they develop lifetime friends, a sense of accomplishment in a Jewish context, and a better understanding of the power of Jewish identity,” said Schiller.

“We are deeply impressed that Tulane Hillel is taking on this project to evaluate student participation. What is perhaps most heartening is that Tulane Hillel is already doing extremely well, with one of the highest percentages of engagement of Jewish students across all Hillels, on a campus that has a large population of Jewish students, a full one-third of the student body,” says Aryeh Rubin, director of Targum Shlishi.

Rubin said Tulane Hillel “is in no way hurting for constituents. Tulane Hillel is headquartered in a state-of-the-art new Center for Jewish Life, and attracts hundreds of students daily. This evaluative initiative signals that an already thriving organization wants to get to an even higher level, which is inspiring.”

Two additions to JFS: Jewish Family Service of New Orleans announced two additions to the staff.

Joanna Sternberg is the new director of development and communications. She had been acting as the interim director since June 2013. Previously, she served as the director of the Julius Freyhan Foundation in New Orleans and St. Francisville, and has worked in the nonprofit sector for 15 years.

Talora Gross joins the JFS staff as the full-time senior program coordinator. She assumes responsibility of the Teen Life Counts Program, a teen suicide prevention initiative, the Passover Basket project, and volunteer services. A native of South Florida, she has an extensive background as a professional educator including board certification in three states, and has been a special project coordinator in both public and private schools.

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Despite being in New Orleans, some people can’t make it to Mardi Gras, so for 35 years Mardi Gras has been brought to them. On Feb. 16, the B’nai B’rith Mardi Gras Mitzvah Makers Second Line Parade marched through the rehab floors at Touro Infirmary, then participants made their way to the Gardens Retirement Home.

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Front Porch Temple Sinai in New Orleans will hold its Party on the Avenue gala on March 29 at the Goldring Pavilion. The event starts at 7 p.m., with a Patron’s Party at 6 p.m.

The evening will include selections from New Orleans’ finest chefs and music “from Gershwin to Gaga” by pianist Mac Frampton and vocalist Phillip Manuel. There will be a silent auction and raffle drawings.

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The Tulane Hillel Green Wave Community Market continues on March 23 from noon to 2 p.m. Over 300 people turn out at the monthly event to shop the vendors for organic produce, vegan baked goods and homemade soaps.

Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans needs volunteers to assemble and deliver Passover baskets in the area. The delivery date will be April 13. Contact JFS at (504) 831-8475 to volunteer.

Anshe Sfard’s Shabbat morning speakers continue with Tulane’s Michael Cohen on March 29. He will speak about how the Conservative movement split from Orthodoxy.

His current project, “How Solomon Schechter’s Disciples Created an American Religious Movement” will be published by Columbia University Press. On April 5, Michael Steiner and Rachel Lazarus Eriksen of Jewish Family Service will speak about the agency’s services.

The talks follow the 9:15 a.m. service, and a luncheon follows.

Temple Sinai will hold an event for 20s and 30s in the congregation and potential members. The young Jewish professionals will meet at Bellocq at Hotel Modern on Lee Circle, March 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

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March 2014

Story of the Jews: Finding the Words 1000 BCE-1492 CE.” The discussion shows how Jews everywhere lived as a vital part of the societies they joined and were inspired by their surroundings.

Beth Israel and Gates of Prayer continue their joint Wednesday education with a pre-Passover series. On March 12 at Beth Israel, Chef Alon Shaya will do a “sample and sip” Cooking for Passover demonstration.

There is a $5 requested donation and reservations are requested.

On March 19 at Gates of Prayer, Kara Vandecarr and Clemmie Greenlie of Eden House will speak on sex trafficking in the community. On March 26 at Gates of Prayer, Rabbi Robert Loewy will lead an exploration of the Haggadah, with an eye on customizing it to add meaning to a family’s Seder. All sessions are at 7:30 p.m.

The Gates of Prayer Louise Hayem Manheim nursery school will have its annual fundraising brunch, “Movin’ and Groovin” on March 23 at 11 a.m. The brunch will start at 11 a.m., followed by a family fair, silent auction and raffle from noon to 3 p.m. Brunch tickets, which include admission to the fair, are $20

by March 14, then $25 at the door. Children’s tickets are $10 for age 6 and up.

This year, the annual Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra book fair will highlight a plethora of Jewish books for adults and children. There is also a wide range of fiction, choice non-fiction, cookbooks, politics, biographies, history, crafts and hobbies and much more, with more than 100,000 items to choice from. The sale will be March 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 30, at the UNO Human Performance Center building, the corner of Leon Simon and Elysian Fields. There will be a special sale for children on March 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All proceeds benefit the LPO.

Touro Synagogue has partnered with the Loyola University Honors Program for an interfaith social action collaboration, helping meet the needs of social justice and care in New Orleans. Projects in March include collecting feminine hygiene products and gently used The Jewish Community Day School children’s books, and adult literacy tutoring. in Metairie is preparing this year’s Culture Also, Touro members are invited to the annual Student Peace Conference at Loyola, March Fair, a whole school endeavor to learn about different countries and cultures. Third and 31 to April 4. fourth grade students are thinking about how There are two Live from the 92nd Street everyone is connected as citizens of the world Y programs at Temple Sinai in New Orleans as they study their own individual countries this month. The programs are simulcast from and create an exhibit for the Culture Fair the New York institution. On March 11 at 7:15 Showcase on March 18. Kindergarten will p.m., Robert Wagner and Liz Smith speak study Israel and the first and second grade about Hollywood’s Golden Age of legendary class will learn about the U.S. Virgin Islands. stars, homes and haunts. On March 24 at The entire community is invited to the event.

7 p.m., Simon Schama speaks about “The

For a complete list of Purim events in the area, check sjlmag.com

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Front Porch Men’s Retreat at Jacobs Camp: The annual Men’s Upkeep Retreat at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp will be April 4 to 6 in Utica. It is a chance for camp supporters to help prepare for the summer, whether volunteering all weekend or just for a day.

There is no charge for the retreat, which starts with dinner at 8 p.m. on April 4. April 5 is a full day of work, followed by “male bonding” time and adult beverages in the evening. Projects continue the morning of April 6, finishing with lunch at noon.

Projects range from general repairs to special building projects. The camp supplies the tools, and participants should wear clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Work gloves are also encouraged.

Registration is available at the camp’s website, jacobs.urjcamps.org.

Grants fo first-time summer campers: For the 16th consecutive year, the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience Incentive Grant program is offering a one-time grant of up to $1,000 per child to families who want to send their children to a Jewish notfor-profit sleepaway camp for the first time.

The grants are available for campers going to a non-profit Jewish sleep-away camp for the first time. They must be going into grades 1 to 9, and be a resident of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi or the Florida panhandle. The grants are not based on financial need. Both parents need not be Jewish, and synagogue affiliation is not required.

Experts say that attending a Jewish sleepaway camp is one of the most important factors in determining a child’s inclination to understand and maintain his or her Jewish heritage.

The program is funded by the Goldring Family Foundation and administered by the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana. Since it began, 1,081 children have benefitted from this program.

Applications can be downloaded from jefno.org, and must be submitted by March 31.

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Front Porch Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El is being profiled in a documentary by 371 Films of Milwaukee and filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein. He is profiling three remote or small synagogues in North America that have withered and are closing. Those three will be juxtaposed against the story in Dothan, where the congregation has been reinvigorated and doubled its membership since 2007. The film team will be in Dothan during the upcoming visit of a family currently in the vetting process for the Newcomers Incentive Program.

A Jewish/Sacred Choral Concert is planned for March 23 at Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile. Details were not set as of press time, but the anticipated lineup includes the Spring Hill College Chorale, the Touro Synagogue Adult Choir from New Orleans, with Cantor Jamie Marx, the Boys and Girls Honor Chorus and the Springhill Avenue Temple Choir.

The Ori Naftali Blues Band is playing in the region. They performed March 1 at Blue Canoe in Tupelo and will return to New Orleans on March 30 to perform at Tulane University as part of the pro-Israel festival DYF 2.0. They played at Little Gem Saloon in New Orleans on Feb. 20. The band was formed in 2011 and was the first Israeli band to reach the semifinals of the International Blues Competition in Memphis, also selling the most CDs of the bands competing that year.

On April 1, the Threefoot Building in downtown Meridian will be open for an 84th birthday celebration. The Threefoot Preservation Society has been holding monthly cleanups on the historic building and plans to have the first floor accessible to the public.

April 1, 1930 is when the first tenants moved into the 16-story building. The society is doing repairs to the building in hopes of attracting an investor who will restore and open it again. Since the 1990s, it has been mostly abandoned, and in 2010 it was placed on the list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places.

At the open house, which will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., there will be a cake decorated as the building.

On April 5, the city will hold the annual Threefoot Arts Festival. Tours will be given of the first floor for a $1 donation that goes toward purchasing cleaning and painting supplies for the building.

May 31 is the deadline for applications to the Jewish Children’s Regional Service for undergraduate college assistance. The need-based scholarships are for Jewish students from a seven-state area that includes Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Between the agency’s college aid and grants for those attending Jewish summer camp, the agency helped approximately 450 Jewish youth last year. Applications are available at jcrs.org.

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Synagogues, schools tend to the stranded in sudden snowstorm The sudden snowstorm that hit central Alabama on Jan. 28 caught everyone by surprise, and the Jewish community was no different, with some synagogues, Chabad, the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School and the Levite Jewish Community Center turning into impromptu overnight shelters for stranded students and members.

The storm was expected to be most intense in the southern part of the state, with only a dusting in the Birmingham area and no travel problems anticipated because very little moisture was expected to make its way that far north. But the storm’s boundary shifted north by about 150 miles, dumping over two inches around Birmingham and sticking immediately due to temperatures in the teens. A rare frozen mix also hit areas from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, the Mississippi coast, Mobile and Pensacola.

The flurries started at 9:15 a.m., and within an hour had picked up to the point that road conditions in the mountainous city were already starting to deteriorate.

At 10:30 a.m., the Day School was among those announcing an early closure, and the race to pick up students and get home was on. But by then, especially in Mountain Brook, many roads were jammed and motorists were spinning out or going into ditches. Overton Road, the main road through an area where much of the Jewish community is located, was a jammed bumper-cars course.

By 1:30 p.m., with traffic at a standstill around the region, weather forecasters urged people to stop trying to get home and start figuring out where to spend the night, as area hotels quickly filled.

For 16 students and nine adults, that somewhere wound up being the Day School. At 10 p.m., Ruth Nomberg reported that at the LJCC, all was well — “everyone fed, watched a movie and lights out for most.”

About 60 stayed at the LJCC. Many secular schools were also filled with students whose parents could not make it to the schools. Julie Altmark reported that many of her students at Shades Mountain were there for the night — along with students from other Hoover elementary schools who were able to be brought by bus.

Several employees and visitors at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El were spending the night. Caterer Roz Bloomston was one of those staying there, and wound up preparing meals for the group. Though minyan was officially cancelled, they had enough overnighters to have an evening service.

With single-digit overnight temperatures and a high that did not

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Many students spent two nights at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School in Birmingham when a sudden snow storm made roads impassable.

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go above freezing in Birmingham on Jan. 29, many had to remain in place a second night.

Cathy Fingerman left Beth-El mid-afternoon on Jan. 29 but had to turn back because of road conditions, spending another night with the group at Beth-El. Temple Emanu-El, which has a preschool, also had a group spending the night on Jan. 28.

Three students were among those staying overnight, two others left with a parent in the late afternoon to walk to a friend’s house. The next afternoon, members with four-wheeldrive vehicles helped get everyone home.

Gerry Nemet said he wound up trying to sleep on the floor of Cracker Barrel in Calera.

Videographer Allen Rosen of Tuscaloosa was sleeping on a sound blanket on the floor of the emergency room at Callahan Hospital, and said “at least we were not stuck on the highways.” Others with downtown offices wound up staying at work and making do.

Many did get stuck on the closed-down highways. For some in the community, getting home was a day-long ordeal. Rabbi Eytan Yammer of Knesseth Israel left for the Day School at 10:30 a.m. and got home well after 7 p.m. During the long trek, he and the Duvdevani brothers pushed several cars up a hill and rode in the back of a pickup truck to give it more traction. Knesseth Israel had pizza and a movie the next day for those in the area who were able to walk there.

Teacher Julie Tuck reported a 12-hour trek to make it home. Many wound up getting partway home and abandoning their cars, either walking home, finding a quickly-opened warming station or shelter with friends — or even complete strangers.

Outside Bais Ariel Chabad Center on the snarled ice-rink of Overton Road, the Chabad rabbis helped direct traffic where possible and stayed with an elderly man who was having a seizure. They directed those who were stuck to park and come to the Chabad Center for coffee and warmth. “Blankets were given to newborns, inflatables were blown up for stranded and bored children, pizza and fries was served to hungry familes, and Chabad staff helped people figure out how to get home safely,” said Rabbi Yossi Friedman.

The Chai Tots pre-school at Chabad hosted 16 students and some stranded parents overnight, with parents preparing dinner and families walking to the Posner, Friedman

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and Weinbaum homes. Many were able to be taken home by volunteers with four-wheeldrives, but some remained at Chabad for a second evening.

Chabad also assisted some Israeli travelers who were stranded at the Birmingham airport.

Rabbi Ariel Asa of Atlanta left his home on the morning of Jan. 28 to officiate at the early afternoon bris of Jakob Kalinsky at Beth-El in Birmingham. He made it as far as Pell City, where he spent the night with about 200 others at a Christian academy by the Interstate. “They were very gracious to everyone and tried to help everyone that they could.”

At the academy the next morning, he met someone who was a member of Beth-El — and whose mother was one of those forced to stay overnight at Beth-El. They made their way to Birmingham together in a front-wheeldrive, and the bris was celebrated a day late at the Kalinsky home. Asa stayed with the family that night, making it back to Atlanta the afternoon of Jan. 30. He said he was “grateful to be in one piece and home safely.”

Chai Tots and the Day School remained closed through the end of the week. The last of the Day School overnighters were able to depart the afternoon of Jan. 30. The LJCC stayed closed on Jan. 30 to prepare its facility after being a shelter during the previous 48 hours and reopened on Jan. 31.

The storm did affect other parts of the region. In New Orleans, the Jewish Community Center was closed on Jan. 29 and opened at noon on Jan. 30. Kosher Cajun was closed Jan. 30, though they were still there to fill orders. The Jewish Community Day School had two snow days, but all was back to normal

by Jan. 30.

A second winter storm came through the region on Feb. 11 but started overnight and came with plenty of warning. With up to five inches of snow in Birmingham, schools and institutions were closed through Feb. 13.

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Cohens leaving Miss. for Mass.

Rabbi Valerie Cohen, who has led Beth Israel in Jackson for 11 years, will become the senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel Sinai in Worcester, Mass., this summer.

Her husband, Jonathan Cohen, will also step down as director of the Reform movement’s Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica. “When the summer season ends here in August, I will join her” in Worcester.

In the announcement to the congregation tonight, Howard Katz, Beth Israel president, said “We are greatly indebted to Rabbi Cohen for her enormous contributions during her time serving our community. Her passion and skill in Jewish education as well as her interests and experiences in pastoral counseling and life cycle events has enriched us all.”

Last summer, Rabbi Cohen was named to the America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis list by the Forward.

Mark Fijman will lead Beth Israel’s search committee. Katz said there will be announcements for events honoring Rabbi Cohen before she leaves at the end of June.

News of their pending departure came just days after they celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Gabriel, at Beth Israel.

In her note to the congregation, Rabbi Cohen stated “You have allowed me to be a part of your lives, and in doing so you have enriched mine. I don’t know how I will be able to thank all those of you who Delicious Flickr Twitter have shared so much with me, but over the next four months I will give it my best effort.”

The Worcester congregation is a merger between Temples Emanuel and Sinai. Emanuel was formed in 1921 and Delicious grew to a peak of Flickr DeliciousFacebook Twitter Flickr MySpaceRetweet TwitterStumbleUpon 1340 families in 1957. Sinai split off from Emanuel in 1958, with some members seeking a smaller, more intimate experience, capping membership at 500 families.

Mixx Digg Skype Facebook MySpace MySpace StumbleUpon Demographic changes led to a decline in the community, and inFacebookSlash DotStumbleUpon 2009 Emanuel had 425 families. Last June, the two congregations agreed to combine.

Slashis Dot Mixx Slash DotReddit Skype Mixx FriendFeed Technorati The congregation currently has two locations, but in discussions Skype YouTube with a Conservative congregation to develop a community campus the two congregations would share. Alternately, plans are being explored to renovate one of the congregation’s buildings and consolidate Newsvine SlideShare Google Reddit FriendFeed YouTube LinkedIn Reddit FriendFeed YouTube operations there. The other facility has been sold to the Worcester State University Foundation, but the congregation can use it until 2015.

Yahoo Google Yahoo Buzz Netvibes Newsvine SlideShare Google Talk SlideShare Google Notable events in the congregation’s history include a lecture byNewsvine Martin Luther King in 1961, the funeral for Abbie Hoffman in 1989, and the 1967 funeral of Gregory Pincus, co-inventor of the birth conMicrosoft MSN AOL Apple Yahoo Yahoo Buzz Netvibes trol pill.

Yahoo Yahoo Buzz Netvibes In 2003, Carlton Watson became congregational president, and is presumed to be the first black synagogue president in the nation.

Rabbi Cohen will succeed Rabbi Matthew Berger, App Store AmazonMobileMe Last.fm Microsoftwho came MSNto Apple MSN Apple Temple Emanuel in 2009 and became the first rabbi of the combinedMicrosoft congregation last summer.

Jonathan Cohen’s history with Jacobs Camp goes back to when he Qik Vimeo Mister Wong Viddler App Store Amazon Last.fm was 10 years old. A Tupelo native, he spent his first summer at theApp Store Amazon Last.fm camp in 1977 and moved up the ranks to counselor to unit head.

In 2000, he became only the third director of Jacobs Camp since it Tumblr Viddler WordPerss Blogger Qik Vimeo Virb opened in the summer of 1970, succeeding Macy Hart.

Qik Vimeo Viddler The URJ Camping System will partner with the Jacobs Camp Committee to search for a new director. Cohen said he wants to be sure the BehanceBlogger Design Float next director understands the importance of relationships withWordPerss the Deviant Art Tumblr Posterous Tumblr WordPerss Blogger families, alumni, supporters and communities.

“I don’t know if I will ever be able to truly express what this job, this region, and the people whom I have had the privilege of knowing Bebo Design Bump Squidoo Behance Design Float Friendster Deviant Art Behance

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during my time here, have meant to me – but, before I go, I will certainly try,” he added.

“This was a very difficult decision for both of us, for so many reasons, but we feel it’s the best one for our family,” Jonathan Cohen said.

Daniel Mansberg of Memphis, who chairs the Camp Committee, said the committee and the URJ Camping System have started the search process. “As we have been blessed with three outstanding directors, our quest will be thorough in order to find a leader whose vision will embrace our unique culture and sense of mission for Jews in the Deep South.”

The position is a senior executive post in URJ, he explained. “Thus, our new Director will be appointed by URJ President, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, with the advice and consent of our community.” Rabbi Jacobs visited the camp last summer.

The Search Advisory Team will include Elise May Frohsin of Birmingham, Lou Ginsburg of Hattiesburg, Linda Orlansky Posner of Baton Rouge, and Alan Franco, Lou Good and Gary Lazarus of New Orleans.

Meanwhile, Mansberg said “with J.C. on board as director through August, I can assure you that the Summer of 2014 will prove to be one of our best.”

Shreveport holding Jewish film festival in April The North Louisiana Jewish Film Festival has announced its slate of films for April 6 to 10.

Screenings will be at the Robinson Film Center in Shreveport, and the times are to be announced.

The festival will open with special guest Jason Chaet, director of “Putzel,” the festival’s first film. A reception will follow the screening.

Putzel is a 30-something Jewish man working in his uncle’s lox store in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, an area that is his entire universe. His dream is to inherit the store his grandfather started when his uncle retires to Florida. But the uncle becomes involved with an unstable woman, putting his goal in jeopardy.

“Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story” documents the story of the only Israeli casualty during Operation Entebbe, a hostage-rescue mission carried out at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976, after members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells hijacked an Air France plane with 248 passengers aboard. The brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoni was commander of an elite Israeli army commando unit.

“Defamation” is Israeli director Yoav Shamir’s provocative and sometimes irreverent look at the question, “what is anti-Semitism today?”

“Hava Nagila: The Movie” is a documentary about a Jewish musical staple that has transcended its origins and become a worldwide hit.

Bob Dylan, Elvis and Harry Belafonte are among the artists who have performed it. The film follows the infectious party song on its fascinating journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the cul-de‐sacs of America.

“The Other Son” is the moving and provocative tale of two young men — one Israeli, the other Palestinian — who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions facing them and their respective families.

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Tribefest delegates to get a New Orleans experience After a successful two year inaugural run in Las Vegas, Michael Weil, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, had a simple question for organizers of Tribefest: “Why not go to a real party town?”

TribeFest, the re-imagining of the Jewish Federations of North America young leadership biennial, will be at the Sheraton New Orleans from March 16 to 18.

Weil noted that New Orleans hosted the Federation’s National Young Leadership Conference in March 2009, with almost 600 in attendance. It was “a huge success,” he said. “They loved being here.”

Then three years ago the Federation system decided “to change the model completely” with TribeFest “and make it a big happening for young people,” Weil said.

Alison Goldstein Lebovitz, a Birmingham native who is National Leadership co-chair, said the idea was to re-invent what the event looked like and get away from the typical Federation conference model.

Instead of plenaries and breakout sessions, TribeFest has a Main Stage and Mashups. The Big Show takes the place of the traditional exhibit hall.

Overall themes include justice and inclusion, faith and culture, Jewish life, innovation and “hot topics.”

Part of the plan was to pick a city that was an inherent draw by itself.

The first TribeFest was in Las Vegas in 2011, then returned to the city in 2012. The plan was to have TribeFest every other year after having the first two a year apart to establish the concept.

Weil contacted JFNA and reminded them that the 2010 JFNA

General Assembly in New Orleans was “probably the best-attended GA for many years” and “we can do a better TribeFest.”

Often, conventions exist in a city but don’t necessarily have the city’s flavor. That is not the case in New Orleans. “They come to see how New Orleans has been rebuilt” since 2005, and New Orleans provides a local flavor for the events. Weil said that while New Orleans is hosting the weekend, “it’s their party.”

A major component of the local involvement will be the March 16 host event, “Rollin’ On The River,” held at the Toulouse Street Wharf on the Steamboat Natchez, starting at 9 p.m. Soul Rebels Brass Band will be featured at the Purim-themed party, and the local Jewish young leadership group, JNOLA, will also take part.

The next morning, TribeFest delegates will fan out across the city on a wide range of service projects.

Some volunteers will go to Kingsley House’s preschool and adult day healthcare/ senior center assisting with day-to-day activities. The house provides nationally accredited and state certified programs to thousands of infants, children, youth, parents, senior citizens and medically fragile adults from throughout Southeastern Louisiana.

Others will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, while volunteers at ReNew Schools will read with a young child or two, sharing their attention, warmth and enthusiasm about books.

Additionally, books will be gifted to the elementary school students.

There will be a wide range of hands-on projects at City Park, the sixth largest and seventh most visited urban park in the country. About 1,000 acres of the park were under water after Katrina, and volunteer

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labor has been vital to its renewal.

Others will visit Arc’s Mardi Gras Recycling Center. Volunteers will sort Mardi Gras beads by length and size and sometimes by color for resale to Krewes, benefiting the Arc’s programs for people with intellectual disabilities and delays from birth through adulthood.

Some will join All Souls for a neighborhood trash and weed pickup day in the Lower Ninth Ward, or help at the All Souls Community Center reorganizing classrooms and adding flair to additional meeting spaces throughout the facility, and help clean the center’s warehouse.

All Souls offers a basic skills tutoring program four nights a week during the academic year, a classical music training program that meets four evenings a week and a seven week enrichment program during the summer.

Some of the speakers will be locals. Ruth Kullman, who represents clients nationally on projects such as long range strategic planning, capital and annual campaigns, board development and restructuring, will discuss her work.

Alana Himber is the program and development associate at AVODAH New Orleans, having worked as education coordinator at the Vietnamese American Young Leadership Association during her year of service.

Malkie Schwartz, director of Jackson’s Institute of Southern Jewish Life department of community engagement, will speak on “Unpacking the Jewish Privilege Backpack.”

There is also a Leadership Development Institute that will meet on the morning of March 16, before TribeFest kicks off mid-afternoon.

Among the dozens of speakers are actors Joshua Malina of “Scandal” and Ben Platt from “Book of Mormon,” Grassroots Soccer co-founder Ethan Zohn and Livestrong Foundation CEO Doug Ulman.

TribeFest chairs are Emma Samuels of Boston and David Kline of Austin.

For those from out of town planning to attend Tribefest, Anshe Sfard will be hosting those who arrive for Shabbat on March 15. Services will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Shabbat dinner for Tribefest participants.

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March 2014

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Write It: Pensacola’s B’nai Israel starts Torah project

Photos by Joe Rosenbaum

Project 613 kicked off in Pensacola with Moses taking a phone call from the Almighty and leading a musical presentation about the effort that will result in a new Torah for B’nai Israel.

Subtitled “Write It, Read It, Live It,” the effort began with A Taste of Judaism on Jan. 26. After a presentation about the project, there were many learning booths in the social hall at B’nai Israel where guests could explore Tikkun Olam, rules of Kashrut, practice writing Hebrew letters and learn “Did You Know” Torah facts.

There were also Jewish foods from communities around the world.

The event was open to the entire community, as is the project. Rabbi Jordan Gerson noted that the writing is also open to the non-Jewish community, especially pro-Israel churches, and to those in the Jewish community outside of Pensacola. “Anybody who wants to take part in writing the Torah is welcome.”

Sofer on Site in Miami have been commissioned to write the scroll for the Conservative congregation.

There are 250 letters that are being made available for a $300 donation. The donors can assist the scribes in filling in their letters, and donors will receive photos of themselves with the quill in hand.

There are also dedications available for passages and stories, especially ones with a personal connection to the donor, with a wide range of giving levels. Everyone who takes part will be recognized in a Scroll of Honor that will be displayed at B’nai Israel, and everyone who does a letter will receive a lettering certificate.

Besides being a fundraiser for the congregation, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Covenant Hospice. Proceeds will also go toward the preservation of the congregation’s older Torahs.

The project commemorates the congregation’s 60th anniversary in its current location. The scroll will be completed and dedicated at an anniversary ceremony on Oct. 19 — the Sunday after Simchat Torah.

The first Torah scribing session was planned for Feb. 23. Other sessions will be on April 24, June 12 and Aug, 24.

“Writing a Torah will strengthen relationships throughout the Jewish and interfaith communities and reinforce a lasting hope for the future,” Gerson said. “It is our obligation not to let Torah become a mere historical artifact but to make it a living part of our community for today and for the future.”

DYF 2.0 brings Israel advocacy celebration to Tulane campus A coalition of student pro-Israel groups in Louisiana is putting on Declare Your Freedom 2.0, the second annual student-run pro-Israel festival.

Chloe Valdary of the University of New Orleans and Maor Shapira of Tulane University are teaming up for the March 30 event, which will feature a range of speakers and musicians. Valdary said it is a declaration “without compunction or reservation our support of the Jewish state’s right to exist, the Jewish people’s right to live freely, and it is a celebration of the freedoms enshrined in both the great American experience and Israel’s.”

The group’s Indiegogo fundraising campaign received support from around the world, and there is talk of replicating the festival in other states. The most recent campaign includes an endorsement video by Alan Dershowitz, who said “DYF 2.0 speaks truth to power — the best kind of answer to the defamation being heard across the country at college campuses about Israel, Zionism and the national liberation movement of the Jewish people.”

This year’s event will be at the Lavin-Bernick Center Quad at Tulane, starting at noon.

Shi 360 will be a featured guest. The Israeli-born Canadian rapper introduced hip hop culture to Israel after making a name in the Montreal music scene, taking the moniker Supreme Hebrew Intelekt. He quickly learned to rap in Hebrew, released Israel’s first hip hop mixtape and hosted a hip hop radio show.

DJ Booth named him one of “20 Dope International Artists” that are a “must-listen.”

His 2012 album, “Shalom Haters,” decried the lack of media atten-

tion given to rocket attacks against Israel and a plea to stop the violence in the Middle East. He said the title states that “there is no energy to be wasted on haters. Just say ‘shalom’ and wave.”

Able to switch among English, Hebrew and French, he has become involved in many cross-cultural initiatives.

“People from different places might not agree on everything, but in the end, we all want the same things as human beings. I’m not apologetic for who I am” he says. “People will only respect you if you respect yourself first.”

Also scheduled to perform is the Ori Naftali Blues Band, the first Israeli group to reach the semi-finals of the International Blues Competition in Memphis.

Simon Deng will also speak at the event. A Christian native of the Shiluk Kingdom in southern Sudan, Deng spent several years as a child domestic slave to a Muslim family in northern Sudan. He escaped after three years. Now an American citizen, he is a noted human rights activist.

By focusing on the Palestinians, he said, true genocides in Africa, perpetrated by Muslim regimes, have been ignored by the international community. He speaks out against anti-Semitism and the demonization of Israel.

Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, is also scheduled to speak. The British think-tank is named for Henry “Scoop” Jackson and promotes “the rule of law, liberal democracy, civil rights, environmental responsibility and the market economy.”

The event, which is also being coordinated with the Israeli Alliance at McNeese State, will include food, a cultural exhibition and giveaways.

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March 2014

19

New group aims to strengthen Alabama-Israel ties

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A new organization plans to build on the legacy of Alabama’s pro-Israel passion, kicking off with a statewide Alabama Celebrates Israel gathering in Huntsville on March 25.

The event will be the public launch of the Alabama-Israel Task Force. Laura King, former president of the Jewish Federation of Huntsville and North Alabama, said the organization has evolved out of dialogues about Israel that have been ongoing with the Christian community in north Alabama.

To start the ball rolling, two Israeli speakers came to Alabama for a series of meetings in late January, some of which turned out to be reunions. Eeki Elner, founder of the Israel Leadership Institute, and Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven visited churches in Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery, and Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El. The Institute is an Israeli partner of AITF. In January 2013 King had hosted Elner in Huntsville, and one of his talks was at the Dwelling Place Church. The programs were to introduce ILI to the area, Elner noted.

During his talk at Dwelling Place, “In the middle of it while I was presenting… Pastor Patrick (Penn) disappeared. He came back with a picture” that turned out to be of them meeting in Sderot five years ago, along with Bob Sommerville of Awareness Ministry in Huntsville.

“Laura invites me here to get to know the Jewish partners and her Christian friends… and as a matter of fact I met them before,” he recalled.

Elner founded the Israel Leadership Institute in 2006, seeking to develop future generations of political, civic and business leaders for Israel.

He decided to located the institute in Sderot, which is better known as the town near the Gaza Strip that in recent years has been subjected to missiles from Gaza — over 12,000 since 2001.

Because in Israel leadership is done by personal example, he moved to Sderot, and after less than a year a missile hit his home, landing where he had stood less than a minute earlier. Nevertheless, the first ILI class started in 2008.

In addition to heading the Institute, Elner has served as a special envoy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking at the AIPAC Policy Conference in 2012 and at numerous pro-Israel Christian conferences.

When Ben-Reuven retired after over 35

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Israel Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven speaks at The Rock Worship Center in Huntsville years in the Israeli military, he was second in command only to the Chief of Staff.

Ben-Reuven was battalion commander in the first Lebanon War, then was commander of the first digitized division of the IDF. He reformed the ground forces as head of the IDF Field Corps, then became head of military colleges from 2000 to 2006. During the Second Lebanon War he was commander of the North Corps until his retirement. Currently in the reserves, he is deputy commander of the Northern Front.

Their January visit was the culmination of a year of discussions, said John Buhler of Mission Huntsville.

“There are many in the Christian community who care deeply about Israel’s future because of the tremendous blessing Israel has been to our heritage and faith,” he said. They started to discuss, “how can we partner, how can we explore possibilities.”

As they began, one thing that “began to stir in our heart” was the 70th anniversary of the famous 1943 resolution by the Alabama Legislature calling for “the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.”

Buhler said they asked “how could we embrace the legacy that our state has? There are many things in our state’s past that we might be ashamed of, but there are also moments worthy of remembrance and honor.”

They started discussing doing more than just an event, “and really allow the history of

our state to become a catalyst for us and to inspire us to go beyond.”

The AITF will be a way for the Christian community to partner with the Jewish community and help strengthen the Alabama-Israel relationship on a grass-roots level. Buhler said the idea is to take existing relationships, like Birmingham’s sister city relationship with Rosh Ha’Ayin and “multiply it throughout the state.”

Elner said AITF “is partnering with our leadership institute to build bridges and present opportunities for the people of Alabama — both Jews and Christians — and the people of Israel, to connect, cooperate, exchange and get involved.”

He said the Institute feels “there is a lot of ready-to-go support for Israel in Alabama, support which has been expressed in many initiatives,” Elner said. The Institute wants “to look at all aspects, all sides, and strengthen them to make Alabama and Israel closer than ever.”

AITF’s first project is raising resources for an Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Center at ILI, “which will be serving both states,” Elner said.

The center will train emerging young leaders in Israel in emergency and disaster response. In a later stage, Alabama young leaders will be invited to train and share workshops with their Israeli colleagues.

“We want to give something in return.”

Another important aspect of the leadership training is that “future leaders of Israel must have the channels to be able to communicate with people in Alabama, or Ohio,” Elner said.

Buhler sees AITF as bridging relationships and networks of pro-Israel activity in the Christian and Jewish communities, “when it makes sense for the Jewish and Christian communities to co-labor in some type of area, and particularly in regard to the Alabama-Israel relationship.”

Buhler said he knows of many pro-Israel efforts in the Christian community, from Christians United for Israel to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, to individual churches. Especially in rural areas, “many of them don’t know anyone in the Jewish community. If there are opportune times or desires to unite in some kind of Alabama-Israel endeavor, we want to have an organization that at least has contacts, has relationships so we can mobilize that extra level when and if it makes sense to do so.”

Elner sees it as “an incubator of ideas.”

Elner and Ben-Reuven also had a luncheon with 21 pastors in Huntsville, spoke at Redstone Arsenal and met with several politicians.

Ben-Reuven said he was asked by Elner some time back to accompany him on the nine-day trip to Alabama. He was reluctant at first.

“I have six kids, I live in the north of Israel, I am so busy with so many projects,” he said.

“When he told me about John and Laura, and the feeling you get here… it influenced me,” Ben-Reuven said. “I am here and I am very happy to be here.”

Ben-Reuven said Israel’s mentality has changed recently. In the past, Israel regarded itself as a small, lone boat in a stormy sea, needing to trust only itself. Today with globalization, “we are all on a big ship with lots of rooms. There is no captain” and the direction comes from coalitions of groups.

“We still have to trust ourselves, of course… but we understand that we are not alone, and we need support, we need states which will support us and we need people in these states to understand what we are facing and give us the feeling that we are doing well.”

In his Alabama appearances, Ben-Reuven spoke about his service in the Yom Kippur War, where he and one other soldier were the only survivors of an attack on their tank in the Sinai. Surrounded by Egyptians, he stayed the night guarding his wounded comrade until they could be retrieved.

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father visited him and said that when he fought in 1948, “he couldn’t dream he would have to fight beside his only son and to be so worried.”

Ben-Reuven said he does not dream like that, because he knows his children will continue to experience war “because this is our life.”

The military’s most important job, he said, is to try and prevent war because “war is tragedy.

“I an doing whatever I can to prevent war. In our area it is very difficult,” he observed.

For the battle-tested general, what got to him emotionally was having to pick up tiny gas masks soon after his children were born. “It is very difficult. Even for a general.”

He noted that the last time Israel fought an actual army was in 1973, and each war has a different set of parameters and needs different solutions. Places like ILI teach the tools to enable leaders to come up with the right answer to a particular situation. “That’s why this institution is so unique.”

The Huntsville event will start at 7 p.m. on March 25 at the Von Braun Center. The evening will “honor and celebrate” the history of Alabama’s relationship with Israel, including the 1943 resolution.

Buhler said the event will use the state’s history with Israel to “inspire us to great things going forward.”

It will also be the formal kickoff of the “People’s Resolution of Reaffirmation and Renewed Commitment in Our Generation” of the 1943 resolution.

The evening will include political and religious leaders from across the state, and there will be an Alabama-Israel State Leadership Roundtable the next day.

UAB now has a Hillel The University of Alabama at Birmingham now has a new Hillel chapter.

On Jan. 23, the Jewish Student Association at UAB received word that their application to Hillel International had been approved.

A year ago, as anti-Israel activity ramped up on campus, some Jewish students noted that there wasn’t an active Jewish student organization. The Birmingham Jewish Federation had done some outreach to the Jewish students there and at other campuses in the area, and there had been a handful of events.

An interest meeting was held on April 15 and the group was officially recognized as a student organization three weeks later.

Adrienne Milner, advisor to the Jewish student group, said having the group become a Hillel “will be a great step for students at UAB.” They hope “to make UAB a friendlier campus to Jewish students and also hoping to provide a space where Jewish students can celebrate their culture. In addition, we are hoping to network with difference branches… and to educate the UAB community on what Judaism is and is not,” she said.

Ashley Goldsmith, a UAB student who has been leading the group, said “when current or perspective students look for colleges in Alabama that have a Jewish student organization they will find us alongside Auburn and the University of Alabama.”

UAB historically has had a very small Jewish student presence in the undergraduate ranks, though the numbers have been higher in graduate programs and among the faculty.

Goldsmith said an eventual goal is to have a Hillel building on or near campus and a kosher kitchen, “which is badly needed for campus since if you live on campus you have to get a dining plan that is worthless to a student who keeps kosher.”

Hillel has groups at Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Birmingham-Southern, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Millsaps, Louisiana State University, Tulane, University of New Orleans and Loyola.

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Southern Jewish Life

Bringing Jewish dishes to the greater community Karen Katz and Judy Heyman fill bowls and plates If it’s mid-March, it’s time for many at Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria at the Jan. congregations in the region to crank out 19 Jewish Food Festival the corned beef for fundraisers. Perhaps the proximity to St. Patrick’s Day is just a coTuscaloosa’s Temple Emanu-El is doing an incidence? all-new Jewish Food Festival, March 9 from This year’s Jewish food festival season 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Located at Emanu-El and kicked off on Jan. 19 at Gemiluth Chassodim the Bloom Hillel, the festival includes brisket in Alexandria. The festival had been post- plates, corned beef sandwiches and falafel. poned from November.

Crestline Bagels and other treats will be availJust two months later, the Alexandria con- able. Box lunches are $10 to $13, and a sampler gregation is holding its corned beef sandwich ticket is $5 for six items at the Sampler Bar. All sale, on March 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Work sales are at the door, no advance tickets. days will be March 23 and 24, and tickets are Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile is already being sold. The $8 package contains a holding its annual Corned Beef Extravaganza corned beef sandwich on rye, cole slaw, potato on March 17. Only prepaid orders are being chips and pickle. Delivery is available for 10 accepted, and are due by March 10. Lunches or more, and there is a drive-thru from Beech are $10 for a quarter-pound corned beef sandStreet for pick-up orders. Orders are request- wich on rye, pickle, bag of chips and New York ed by March 18. style cheesecake. Local delivery is available On Feb. 23, Temple Beth Or had its 11th for orders of 10 lunches or more. annual Jewish food festival, and the crowds Beth Shalom Sisterhood in Baton Rouge were large soon after the doors opened at 9 is holding its 30th annual corned beef sanda.m. President Jamie Loeb said it was the larg- wich sale on March 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. est attendance yet, and by 1 p.m. only corned There will also be delivery to businesses orbeef sandwiches remained. By 2 p.m., an hour dering five or more lunches on March 24 and before the scheduled end, the kitchen was 25. The $9 lunches include a quarter-pound empty. corned beef sandwich on rye, potato chips, The menu included brisket, Quajado, kugel, pickle and homemade brownie. Tuna or egg latkes, stuffed cabbage and matzah ball soup salad sandwiches are also available by request. that was sold frozen for easy transport home. Members are invited to a sandwich making Carnegie Deli cheesecakes moved briskly, as party, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. did the strudel, mandel bread, rugelach and March 24 is corned beef sandwich delivery praline matzah. day for Temple Sinai in Lake Charles. MemRabbi Elliot Stevens gave three tours of the bers will start assembling the lunches on building and had the largest crowds ever for March 23, for delivery on March 24. his Meet the Rabbi sessions. Among those in On April 2, the Sisterhood at Beth Israel attendance were Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey and Mont- in Jackson holds its annual Bazaar, which is gomery Mayor Todd Strange. a tradition going back 47 years. TraditionGreenville’s Hebrew Union Congregation is al Jewish dishes, including deli sandwiches, holding its Deli Luncheon on March 6 from falafel, tzimmes, kugel and many others, make 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. their annual appearance.

The bazaar also includes a bake sale, raffle and a white elephant sale.

Proceeds from the Bazaar are used to support many organizations such as Meals on Wheels, MS Food Network, Community Stewpot and Food Pantry, Matt’s House, Sims House, Dream Street, Habitat for Humanity, Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Salvation Left, at the Temple Beth Or Food Festival in Montgomery

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Temple Beth Or, Montgomery Army, Women of Reform Judaism and the WRJ Y.E.S. Fund.

The Bazaar is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El is holding its annual Deli Day on May 1. The $12 bag lunches include a quarter-pound corned beef sandwich on Atlanta Bread Company Jewish rye bread, Kosher dill pickle, bag of Lay’s potato chips, Spicy Grey Poupon deli mustard, a Sweet and Sassy huge chocolate chip cookie and a picnic pack prepared by Dothan’s Vaughn-Blumberg Center.

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Southern Jewish Life

New Jewish War Veterans Post planned for Shreveport A Jewish War Veterans Post is being launched in the Shreveport/Bossier City area.

The post will be the second in the state, with New Orleans, and is part of JWV’s Department of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. There are also posts in Memphis, Huntsville, Birmingham and the Pensacola area.

Organized in 1896 by Jewish Veterans of the Civil War, JWV is the oldest active national veterans service organization in America.

Any Jewish man or woman who is a citizen of the United States, who was regularly enlisted, drafted, inducted or commissioned, and who was accepted for, and assigned to, active duty in the armed forces of the U.S., including the National Guard and Reserves, is eligible for membership.

A “Patron” membership may be awarded to those who are not active duty or former military service members but subscribe to, pursue or reflect the purpose, policies and aims of JWV. There are also supporting members.

Dues are $50 per year or a lifetime membership of $500. Information about the new post is available at B’nai Zion or Agudath Achim in Shreveport.

Exhibit on “French Anne Frank” in Mobile “Helene Berr, A Stolen Life” will be displayed at Spring Hill College in Mobile from March 28 to Aug. 10, at the Marnie and John Burke Memorial Library.

Berr is regarded as “the French Anne Frank.”

This exhibition is based on the journal written by Berr, a young Jewish French woman, whose promising future was brutally cut short by Vichy Government’s laws and the extermination plan imagined by the Nazis.

Berr was 21 years old when she started her journal. The exhibition follows her steps through Paris under the German Occupation, perceiving the daily experience of the unbearable, oscillating between hope and despair, until her arrest and deportation to Auschwitz in 1944.

After her death, her diary was given to her fiancé. In 1992, Berr’s niece found him and urged publication of the diary. It was given to France’s Holocaust museum in 2002.

In 2008 the diary was published in France and the first printing sold out immediately.

This exhibition, curated by Karen Taieb and Sophie Nagiscarde, was designed, created and circulated by the Mémorial de la Shoah (Paris, France) and made possible through the support of SNCF Railroad. SNCF had been requisitioned by the German occupying forced to transport 77,000 Jews and other Holocaust victims to the German border, where they were ultimately taken to Nazi extermination camps.

“We are thrilled to be hosting such a significant Jewish history exhibit in the Burke Memorial Library that reflects global humanity issues important to all,” said Gentry Holbert, Director of Library and Information Resource Services at Spring Hill College. “This exhibit feeds into our Jesuit mission of maintaining an informed dialogue with the world’s cultures and religion while providing our students and community with active learning and involvement activities concerning social justice and the dignity of all human lives.”

The exhibit opened at the Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta in Georgia on Jan. 22. It has also been displayed at the French Embassy in Washington and at the United Nations.

“Hélène Berr, A Stolen Life” will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most weekdays; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2 to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

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Survivor of Mengele’s experiments to speak in Baton Rouge Eva Kor, a survivor of the infamous experiments that Josef Mengele did on twins during the Holocaust, will speak at the Louisiana State University Life Course and Aging Center in Baton Rouge.

“The Triumph of the Human Spirit, From Auschwitz to Forgiveness” will be a free event, open to the public, at the C.B. Pennington Auditorium, at 7 p.m. on March 20.

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. 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.

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 recent years, she has spoken at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, and in Shreveport.

Synagogue Softball League’s start signals spring

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After a long winter, it’s time to play ball.

The Synagogue Softball League in New Orleans will have the first pitch on March 23 as Beth Israel tries to defend its title.

This year, the games will be at the Mike Miley Playground, just past Zephyrs Field in Metairie.

On opening day, the first game at 9:15 a.m. will match last year’s top two teams from the regular season, Shir Chadash and Touro Synagogue.

At 10:40 a.m. there will be a rematch of last year’s championship game, between Gates of Prayer and Beth Israel. Beth Israel came from behind to win the title, with an 11-7 victory.

At press time, some teams had not been finalized, but the plan was to have Northshore face Temple Sinai at 12:05 p.m., and Baton Rouge versus Chabad in the day’s finale if the teams are fielded.

Alexandria Temple named to Historic Register The Gemiluth Chassodim building in Alexandria was approved for admission into the National Historic Register on Jan. 29.

The synagogue was deemed an “outstanding example” of “Mid Century Modern” architecture. Numerous Alexandria buildings from just after World War II were heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Gemiluth Chassodim is seen as perhaps the largest and most distinctive. Other such buildings on the Register include several residences and the Guaranty Bank, Park Avenue Branch.

The building was designed by former Temple member Max Heinberg of Barron, Heinberg and Brocato. The first phase of the construction included the current Social Hall, kitchen and Religious School wing in 1952. The current sanctuary was added in the early 1960s, with Temple member Barnet Brezner as the contractor in both phases.

The first phase was of a conventional late International Style with rectilinear openings, brushed aluminum windows and a flat roof. The second phase filled in the original’s L shape, creating two courtyards.

The 1961 sanctuary is described as “a work of abstract sculpture” reflecting notable trends in mid-20th century modern architecture. The building is constructed from brick, with exposed brick on the interior without any other finish.

The Register application was filed last May. In November, a judging panel for the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation at Baton Rouge approved the application and sent it to the National Park Service.

A bronze historical marker is being ordered, and a tentative dedication date of Sept. 28 has been set, just before the 155th anniversary of the congregation’s founding.

Gemiluth Chassodim’s first synagogue was completed in 1871 at Third and Fiske Streets. The second building, from 1908, burned in 1956, prompting the congregation to fully complete its move to the current location.

The historic cemetery in Pineville is already on the Register.

FA M I LY

EYE

CENTER

Tuscaloosa’s Emanu-El gets major Chai Minded donation Chai Minded has struck again.

The anonymous shul-visitor travels the country anonymously, and when he or she finds a congregation that is welcoming, follows up with a donation.

A rather large donation — currently $10,118.

Chai Minded writes that “In my experience each synagogue is unique, but they all provide a spiritual haven and comforting community for members and guests. I want to help as many of these communities as possible.”

The most recent recipient in the area is Temple Emanu-El, Tuscaloosa. Co-presidents Hattie Kaufman and Anna Jacobs Singer wrote on the Chai Minded website that “our surprise at your wonderful donation — a significant portion of our annual budget — is matched only by our gratitude for your generosity.”

They noted that the few historical “deep pockets” members are now in the cemetery, but even still the congregation routinely gives gifts to congregations that are damaged “by wind, flood and fire.”

Chai Minded responded that “I am so impressed that your synagogue has a tradition of sending gifts to other congregations. It is my pleasure to help.”

There have been 81 such gifts as of press time. Other recipients in the area include Chabad of Alabama, Temple Israel in Columbus, Ga., Temple B’nai Israel in Monroe and B’nai Zion in Shreveport.

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For over 40 years, the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica has welcomed Jewish children from very small communities, making them part of a larger Jewish world for the summer.

So it was a natural that a national incentive program to help make Jewish summer camp more affordable for active duty military families would be housed at the Mississippi camp.

The Camper Incentive Program for Jewish Military Families on Active Duty was created through the efforts of private donors, and with the assistance of the JWB-Jewish Chaplains Council. Incentives based on military rank and the age of the children attending range from $250 to $3000.

A U.S. Navy Commander explained why Jacobs Camp is a natural fit. “As a military family that moves every three years, often to locations with small Jewish populations, that has not always been easy… We wanted to find a Jewish camp with a small town feel — a place where other campers would understand the perspective of being part of a small Jewish community and where our children could express the challenges they face with understanding friends.”

A U.S. Army Major serving in Afghanistan said children of Jewish soldiers have to show courage and self-confidence. They “walk into new schools as the only Jewish kids, and open foil wrapped matzah sandwiches in lunch rooms serving pizza. My children require a large amount of courage and confidence, and Jacobs Camp helps provide both.”

Camp Director Jonathan Cohen said the camp is excited to launch the new incentive program. “Jacobs Camp offers a unique value proposition to our families — one that we believe will strongly resonate with the families of those in the armed services. More importantly, we are thrilled to be able to give a little back to families that are giving so much for our country.”

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Simchas

an annual Southern Jewish Life special section

Above: A wedding at the Royal Sonesta in New Orleans. Below: An event at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham.

Special Night at the Museum For a one-of-a-kind event setting, the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham is an unforgettable venue.

“The museum is more than your usual event space,” said Elizabeth Grady, events manager at the museum. “It’s an adventure!”

Guests can experience the moment Chief Anderson flew First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to break through racial sterotypes. There’s also the harrowing story of Lt. No Kum Sok (Kenneth Rowe) searching for freedom and defecting by flying into Kimpo Air Force Base in South Korea. Uncover a B-25 bomber from Lake Murray, S.C., 62 years after its crash.

“You can’t have an event experience like this anywhere else in Birmingham. Fun options exist for your bar mitzvah, reception, fundraiser, or business retreat.” Those include opening the entire museum, scheduling a guided tour or a flight simulator experience, and providing an Aviation History Scavenger Hunt. Or just use the exhibits and diorama displays for a unique backdrop to your simcha.

“We can accommodate 250 seated and 350 standing room only with enough room for a dance floor, a band and catering,” Grady said. “We also have audio/visual equipment available.”

Events held at the museum in the past include reunions, weddings, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, baby showers, Bat Mitzvahs, anniversary banquets, political rallies, religious celebrations, military occasions, fraternity and sorority events, fundraisers, prom, business meetings and luncheons, and holiday staff parties.

The museum’s regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “But the museum really comes to life at night,” Grady said, with the facility available until 10 p.m.

There is free setup and use of the museum’s tables and chairs, and military rental discounts are available with proof of service.

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Simchas B&A Warehouse From Jewish wedding rehearsal dinners and receptions to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs to fundraising events to open public nights before Birmingham Barons baseball games, Birmingham’s B&A Warehouse has the bases covered.

Across from Railroad Park and next to Regions Field, the B&A has hosted events as small as 10 people and as large as 1,500 since opening its doors in 1999.

“There is nothing we can’t do… and we always exceed expectations,” said co-owner Susan Mason. “We know that many of these events will create memories that last a lifetime, so our experienced staff makes sure to do everything possible to ensure these celebrations will be memorable.”

Last year the B&A hosted a wedding rehearsal dinner for Debra Goldstein’s daughter. In November of this year the venue will host the Schiffs for a wedding and reception. The B&A, led by Executive Chef Debra Thomas, also provided the catering for the N.E. Jewish Day School Fundraiser last year.

“We can conform the space to meet the needs of the party,” said Mason. “And we’ve had three parties all going at once, all with their own separate private spaces as well as bars.”

Mason said event hosts can customize a menu and Thomas is even happy to make family recipes. “We even made someone’s family stuffed chicken recipe for an event and now it’s a regular item on our catering menu,” she said, adding that the B&A’s grits station is “the most famous in town.”

This year, B&A has a redesigned website and will start hosting

baseball outing nights on some nights the Birmingham Barons play home games. Those nights will be open to the public before the games and people can purchase dinners, snacks and adult beverages. Mason said they will post more specific information on their website and Facebook pages.

Mason said she is proud that many of the B&A staffers have been there for many years. She also said they offer special rates to nonprofits and the facility has hosted fundraisers for Camp Smile-AMile, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and Birmingham Aids Outreach, to name a few.

“No matter the type of the event and the size, we strive to put our very best into it every time,” she said. “We know we’re only as good as our last event.”

The Elms Mansion New Orleans The Elms is locally owned, by the third generation of the Elms Family. The venue has been hosting events for more than 45 years, including wedding receptions and ceremonies, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, corporate functions, seated dinners and other special simchas.

The Elms offers a romantic garden setting for daytime or nighttime wedding ceremonies. The iconic gazebo provides a stage for the exchanging of vows. Many Jewish ceremonies have found the gazebo a unique take on the traditional chuppah. The Elm’s gardens are also home to some of the largest magnolia trees in the state of Louisiana.

The mansion features elegant touches such as an imported mantel of hand-carved marble, ornamental cornices, 24-karat-gold sconces and a 48-foot grand ballroom lined with jeweled windows.

Birmingham’s premier location to celebrate life’s special milestones Two-level wrap around porch holds a spectacular view of downtown Birmingham Elegant indoor spaces have a legacy of style more than a century in the making Perfectly manicured outdoor spaces create a beautiful backdrop for the most elegant wedding or event

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March 2014

Southern Jewish Life

Built in 1869, the mansion was home to Watson Van Benthuysen II, then later housed the German Consulate before becoming a private home again.

The Elms’ staff provides oversight and management to ensure every detail of a wedding or other celebration is taken care of. Coordination is provided for ceremony setup, florists, cakes, musicians and photographers. The Elms also works with event hosts to create a customized food and beverage menu prepared by Chef Steve, who has been a member of the Elms family for more than 11 years.

When not hosting a celebration, The Elms offers groups a historical tour of the mansion.

Birmingham Marriott Over the years, the Birmingham Marriott, conveniently located less than a mile east of The Summit on Highway 280 has hosted numerous simchas, including several kosher events supervised by Rabbi Yossi Posner.

The hotel features 13,000 square feet of flexible event space and 295 newly remodeled sleeping rooms. The $1 million renovation at the Birmingham Marriott also included significant enhancements to the hotel’s RC Grille and Lounge as well as the addition of a Starbucks Café.

Menus can be customized to fit any event and the Marriott staff can coordinate the details of a celebration or business meeting.

Sales Account Manager Nicole Adams said the hotel has hosted Jewish wedding receptions, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and community events. The hotel’s kitchen can be utilized kosher events, she said, with the food and all the serving utensils being brought in from an outside

vendor and the facility would be supervised by the rabbi.

The Marriott is offering 15 percent off the market rate on sleeping rooms for functions with mention of Southern Jewish Life magazine.

Sheraton and Westin Birmingham Located in the heart of the Birmingham uptown entertainment district and adjacent to the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center, the Sheraton Birmingham and Westin Birmingham hotels have experience hosting Simchas of all sizes.

The Westin opened in 2013 in the city’s new Uptown upscale dining and entertainment district and offers event space that can accommodate up to 220 for a seated function and 350 for a standing reception, according to Director of Catering Simon Hill. The pool area can also accommodate 75 guests. Every arrangement, every detail, is tailored to your special needs.

The adjacent Sheraton is Birmingham’s largest hotel. Up to 1,000 people for a seated event and 1,800 standing can be hosted at an event there.

In 2013, the Sheraton hosted a sports-themed Bar Mitzvah attended by approximately 200 people. The event featured a balloon drop and sports-themed menu, Hill said.

He added that the Sheraton/Westin offers its Simchas hosts an experienced team that can help them customize all aspects of a special event. The hotels also offer some special rates on blocks of rooms for event guests.

Both hotels are within walking distance to the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

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BIRMINGHAM

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Birmingham’s Iron Man Vulcan may be 110 years old, but he still connects with Bar and Bat Mitzvah-aged young men and women.

Late last August Vulcan Park and Museum hosted the Rosenthal Bar Mitzvah. It was held on the City Overlook area of the park with music and dancing and views of the area from high atop Red Mountain.

Attendees also got to go up inside of Vulcan. Iz Catering catered the Bar Mitzvah, which was attended by approximately 150 people.

Vulcan already has a Bat Mitzvah on the books for this fall. Over the past few years, Vulcan Park and Museum has hosted several Bar or Bat Mitzvahs and other Simchas.

In 2015, as part of a series about different groups in Birmingham, Vulcan plans a significant exhibition about the Jewish immigrants to the Birmingham area and their accomplishments. The current exhibit is about Vulcan memorabilia and images, and features a painting of Vulcan holding a menorah instead of his spear.

On March 13, Vulcan will host a public event, “Birmingham Collectors.” Featured presenters will be Steve Gilmer of What’s on 2nd, Jim Reed of Jim Reed Books and Graham Boettcher of the Birmingham Museum of Art. They will share their adventures in the fine art of collecting and present some interesting finds.

Vulcan Park and Museum will soon announce details about its annual Vulcan Birthday Bash. The event will be June 1 from noon to 4 p.m.

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The Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans wants those celebrating their special simchas at the heart of the French Quarter hotel to feel like kings and queens.

With more than 25 years of experience in the weddings, BarBat Mitzvahs and celebrations hosting industry, the hotel’s team of professionals strives to make every occasion memorable.

In the winter of 2013, the Royal Sonesta hosted a Jewish wedding and reception. The ceremony was held in the hotel’s Evangeline Suite across from the Grand Ballroom. The reception was held in the Grand Ballroom and approximately 125 people attended.

The hotel also recommends the newly renovated Fleur de Lis Room for dinners and intimate receptions. The 1,800-square-foot Fleur de Lis Suite opens to the tropical courtyard and is “perfect for traditional wedding services such as the Kabbalat Panim or the groom’s Tisch.”

Then the Grand Ballroom, offering 5,000-square-feet of function space can be divided into two sections accommodating up to 300 guests. The room includes sparkling chandeliers and elegant wall sconces.

The Royal Sonesta’s executive chef and culinary team bring extensive knowledge and understanding of kosher-style cuisine as well as dietary laws.

ALL YOU NEED IS l’amour.

A hidden gem, our romantic French Quarter hotel offers stylish banquet rooms to dazzle your guests, two newly refurbished garden and pool courtyards for your ceremony and simcha, exceptional catering, spacious guestrooms and Bourbon Street just outside the door.

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Simchas Historic Rucker Place

By Lee J. Green While Rucker Place is already a gem of a venue not far from Temples Beth-El and Emanu-El in Birmingham, the historic mansion will become an even more flexible space this year.

The 6,500-square-foot historic mansion, which includes a large porch and gardens overlooking downtown Birmingham, is opening The Pavilion on the property’s Lower Grounds. For those who worry about rain falling on their special day, the 2400-squarefoot tented space can serve as the perfect alternative. The new space adapts to high-end or casual events.

“It’s a very elegant and appealing place in very close proximity to the city’s two largest synagogues,” said Rucker Place Owner Gail Thompson. She said the capacity for an event inside the mansion is 250, but some have set up tents on the ground to accommodate approximately 400 people. “The best thing about this place is that you can turn it into anything you can imagine. We can work with people to organize and decorate the space to fit with whatever they might desire.”

Rucker Place’s in-house caterer is Savoie Catering, led by Chef Richard Bishop. He is happy to work with those hosting an event on special requests — everything from kosherstyle to vegetarian to special dietary requests to working with family recipes. The mansion has its own commercial kitchen so all of the food is prepared fresh in-house.

“Richard is happy to customize a menu and he has vast experience with all different types of cuisine,” said Thompson.

“We very much believe in the Southern hospitality approach. We have myself or another event hostess there to work with organizers of the event. We coordinate with all of their vendors and take the worry out of it. And we’re here for whatever is needed also on the day of the event from the very beginning to the very end,” added Thompson.

Though it’s an in-town venue, Rucker Place has ample parking, including lots at adjacent office buildings during non-work hours.

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Henderson Park Inn, Destin Dreaming of saying “I do” with the sand between your toes and the sounds of seagulls applauding your first kiss? Destin offers a unique option for couples planning a destination wedding in Florida.

As winner of The Knot’s Best of Weddings pick for 2013 and also voted the most romantic hotel in North America by TripAdvisor, the Henderson Park Inn has recognized experience in making every wedding a special event for all couples.

Hues of tangerine fade into scarlet as the sun disappears over the horizon, setting the stage for a beachside reception with family and friends. The Henderson Park Inn has a variety of venues to choose from. Its terrace comfortably seats 50 guests; overlooks Destin’s beaches and provides a Gulf-front view.

For those planning a larger wedding, the manicured west side lawn has a coastline view of the Gulf and can accommodate groups from 50 to 100 guests for a celebration.

Located between the Inn’s two buildings, the spacious east side lawn is used most often for the main reception activities. The lawn is complemented by its beachfront view and is just steps away from the Inn’s beach entrance.

The most spacious reception area is the north side lawn, decorated by palm trees around its border. It seats up to 300.

The all-inclusive beachfront Henderson Park Inn offers a staff dedicated to making sure every aspect of one’s simcha and stay is everything desired.

The adults-only getaway is located at the end of a cul-de-sac bordering the 208-acre Henderson Beach State Park A visit begins with a complimentary sunset beer and wine happy hour on the large veranda overlooking the beach. Or if you want to go right to your room, there’s a private terrace or balcony overlooking the beach. A complimentary bottle of wine, fresh grapes and flowers greets each guest upon arrival.

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We don’t just list organizations and call it an annual guide…

Southern Jewish Life’s Chai Cotton is more than a listing of organizations, institutions and congregations…

It is a portal to the history of the Deep South Jewish communities of Louisiana, Alabama, the Florida panhandle and Mississippi, and a guide to the present.

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Simchas Hyatt French Quarter, New Orleans The historic Hyatt French Quarter New Orleans completed a $20 million renovation in 2012 and can accommodate simchas of any size.

The luxury hotel offers events from elegant ballroom weddings to intimate gatherings in the beautifully landscaped garden courtyard, full service catering and expert wedding planning services.

Among events hosted at the Hyatt French Quarter was a 2012 event for the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana.

The hotel building was originally the 1849 famed New Orleans D.H. Holmes department store that offered many amenities available to residents of The Hibernia Tower. The department store was, and is still, well known due to its prominence in the novel “A Confederacy of Dunces,” by John Kennedy Toole.

Though the main entrance to the hotel is at 800 Iberville Street, many know the building due to its historic Canal Street facade, and the statue of the novel’s main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, that stands outside.

The Hyatt French Quarter is within walking distance of New Orleans attractions like Bourbon Street, Audubon, Aquarium, jazz clubs, Jackson Square, House of Blues, fine art and gallery shopping on Royal Street, Riverwalk, the French Market, New Orleans Superdome, and other popular visitor destinations in New Orleans.

The complex also features Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill, a Hard Rock Café and the Batch Bar, which features the young jazz group The Yisrael Trio on Friday and Saturday nights.

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Birmingham’s Workplay private events and concert venue on the south side of downtown transformed into a Polynesian paradise last October for Abraham Askenazi’s Bar Mitzvah.

That Simcha was one of several themed Jewish celebrations Workplay has hosted in the past several years. The luau-themed Bar Mitzvah featured belly-dancing, beach volleyball and coconut bowling.

Last month, Workplay hosted a Bat Mitzvah reception for twins Jordan and Megan Crapia with a country-western theme, featuring hay bales and a mechanical bull.

Workplay has hosted everything from Bar and Bat Mitzvahs to fundraisers to baby showers to business meetings to CD release parties. The facility can accommodate 350 people banquet-style or 800 standing in its sound stage. The theatre can seat 275 or accommodate 450 standing.

Regional and national bands and musicianshave played at Workplay, including Texas Jewish cowboy Kinky Friedman. For a complete list of upcoming concerts, go to www.workplay.com.

Workplay also helps foster the dreams of aspiring musicians through its Rock School classes, in which participating kids learn to play instruments, sing and perform from current rock and roll professionals. Current artists can also book recording studio time.

Southern Jewish Life

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37

Simchas The White Room goes beyond bridal

By Lee J. Green

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A seamstress for more than 50 years, Carolyn Kelley knows a thing or two about tailoring a perfect fit. So 10 years ago when she opened up The White Room bridal boutique in Birmingham’s Cahaba Heights, she saw it as the opportunity not just to fit brides to be but also provide high-end, couture, unique evening gowns for their mothers.

“We focus on the brides and their mothers,” said Kelley. “For years I have worked on fine, detailed and couture fabrics. When we opened up The White Room our goal was to give Birmingham brides all the fine options that fit with their special day versus having to drive two-and-a-half hours to Atlanta. We saw a niche we could fill.”

Kelley and Cathy Kelley, who manages The White Room, moved to Birmingham from Memphis in 1996. Kelley started designing and making wedding veils for Saks Fifth Avenue and also made some of her own wedding dresses as well as providing expert alterations work. “At the store, we focus on quality, style and workmanship.”

Three of the first designer wedding gown lines at The White Room when it first opened are still very prevalent today — Anne Barge, Rivini and Judd Waddell. The Kelleys go to New York City and its big bridal shows at least twice a year.

“The key is to bring new, fashionable bridal dresses and (bride’s mother) evening gowns that Birmingham likely hasn’t seen, while also realizing that there are certain styles more popular here in Birmingham and the South,” said Kelley.

Both said lace is really in demand today.

Whereas in years past white was just about the only option with wedding gowns, now they are seeing more ivory whites and touches of color such as peach.

Kelley said today’s bridal and evening gown shopper is more educated thanks to the Internet and Pinterest. “They know in general what they are looking for and what is out there. We want to guide them and feel that they are in expert hands. When it comes to the perfect dresses for their special day, we want to make sure that everything is perfect.”

Birmingham teacher wins national Holocaust education award The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous honored a Birmingham area teacher with the national Robert I. Goldman Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education at its annual dinner on Dec. 3 in New York.

Amy McDonald is an Advanced Placement history teacher and chair of the social studies department at Shades Valley High Roman Kent and Amy McDonald at the JFR School. dinner in New York The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous honors and supports Righteous Gentiles, nonJews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The Foundation provides monthly financial support to more than 600 aged and needy Christian rescuers in 21 countries.

Through its national Holocaust education program, the Foundation also preserves the legacy of the Righteous and educates teachers and students about the history of the Holocaust and the significance of the Righteous as moral and ethical exemplars.

Foundation Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl said “Amy is a teacher you would want for your children. She’s committed, passionate, she cares.”

The Foundation names 30 to 35 Alfred Lerner Fellows every year, and they attend a summer Holocaust studies program at Columbia University. Stahl noted that before one arrives, there is about 1100 pages of reading. After that, there are advanced seminars and a European study trip.

Stahl said there have been about 500 Fellows thus far. “They’re all good. Amy excelled. She just sparkled.”

McDonald has attended seminars with Brenda and Fred Friedman Teacher Scholarships from the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center.

In accepting the award, she asked “how does someone born and raised in Alabama, the Deep South and the Bible Belt, known for its troubled history with Jim Crow segregation and civil rights, develop a passion and calling for teaching the Holocaust?”

Her answer is in a bracelet that she wears. After the Europe trip, she wanted her students to experience the reality of what she saw. She brought local Holocaust survivor Max Steinmetz to speak to her class four times during the year, and she had a bracelet made with “72041” on it — Steinmetz’s Auschwitz prison number.

The number “symbolizes a calling and passion for Holocaust Education. It stands for something that has always been very close to my heart: treasuring and honoring our survivors, rescuers, and veterans.

They are my inspiration and my heroes. I am their witness with a commitment to pass on their life stories and lessons.”

McDonald said she has always had an interest in the entire era surrounding World War II, and four years ago started offering a Holocaust studies elective class at Shades Valley. Unable to find a curriculum, she quickly started making one herself.

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cation coordinator, about a workshop in Birmingham featuring Alexandra Zapruder, author of “Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust.” That experience was “when things really changed for me professionally and personally,” McDonald said.

She was invited to become a Lerner Fellow. “I’d never really heard of JFR but I was glad to go, excited to go.” The seminar at Columbia was “one of the most intensive, amazing, in-depth incredible experiences I’ve been involved with as an educator.”

Stahl said McDonald has a keen understanding of the World War II era and “how you can use it as a springboard for going into other genocides and atrocities.”

McDonald also organized Honor Flights Birmingham, which raised money to take more than 900 World War II veterans to Washington to see the World War II Memorial over a period of five years.

The award was presented by JFR President Roman Kent, a native of Poland who was in four concentration camps and arrived in the United States in 1946 under a children’s quota. He is also treasurer of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Weeks after the award presentation at the Waldorf Astoria, McDonald said “I’m still in shock. There are so many people who do the same thing I do, we’re all in this together.”

Stahl said many of the teachers that come to JFR programs are not Jewish but generally come from areas that have larger Jewish student populations. Jewish students are rare at Shades Valley.

“To come to this field later in life and to embrace it in such a special, professional way, she was so deserving of the award,” Stahl said.

LJCC’s Binah Project honored Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center is being recognized with a Kol Ha Kavod Award at the 2014 Jewish Community Centers Association biennial this month. The conference will be March 28 to April 1 in San Diego.

Kol Ha Kavod awards go to programs that can be replicated at other JCCs. The LJCC will receive a Jewish Impact award for the Binah Project, which was started by new Executive Director Betzy Lynch soon after she arrived in Birmingham.

The year-long project, which uses the Hebrew term for wisdom, is to give women the opportunity to advance to new levels of leadership through gained confidence, additional education and refined skills.

Unlike many leadership programs that focus on the emerging leader, the women selected for Binah have already made the commitment to accept roles within an organization. The goal of Binah is to assist them in advancing to the highest levels of leadership.

“The long term objective of the Binah project,” Lynch said, “is to connect highly motivated women to Jewish organizations in leadership roles, both within their community and nationally. Furthermore, the long term goal will be for the participants to gain fulfillment from their leadership experience as a women and as a Jew.”

Meisler heads Mobile airports Herbert Meisler was elected chairman of the Mobile Airport Authority’s board of directors.

Formerly the board treasurer, Meisler succeeds Richard Davis, who was chairman for 14 years. The authority oversees the airport, the Mobile Aeroplex at the former Brookley Air Force Base and the downtown airport.

Meisler is a five-term president of the Mobile Area Jewish Federation, past president of Ahavas Chesed, president of the University of South Alabama President’s Club and the Alabama Apartment Council, and the 2000 Philanthropist of the Year in Mobile.

Simchas are just cooler with planes

Mobile’s Danit Silberman named to AHA Honor Society The American Hebrew Academy announced that Danit Silberman of Mobile has been accepted into the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society. She is the daughter of Manette and Rabbi Steven Silberman.

The Academy, an International Jewish college-prep boarding school in Greensboro, N.C., recently extended invitations to a select number of students worldwide for admittance into its exclusive organization.

Now in its fifth year, the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society is an international honor society that acknowledges exceptional 8th and 9th grade students, like Danit, who have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, leadership and service to their communities.

The Honor Society is modeled after the National Honor Society, receiving recommendations, applicant questionnaires and transcripts in an effort to identify the most outstanding young Jewish students in the U.S. and beyond.

“To be named a member of the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society is a great achievement,” says Mark Spielman, Director of the Honor Society. “We look forward to meeting each of the honorees and following their successes as they make great contributions to our society.”

Danit is an honor roll student at Phillips Preparatory School, and also makes time to be on the swim team at Davidson High School.

Danit is a Girl Scout, enjoys playing the flute, and has attended Camp Ramah Darom for many years.

Danit will receive an impressive award certificate designed by world renown artist, Mordecai Rosenstein. The Honor Society inductees receive an award certificate designed by world-renowned artist Mordecai Rosenstein, and have the opportunity to compete for substantial annual merit-based scholarships to attend the American Hebrew Academy. Students nominated and accepted into the American Hebrew Academy Honor Society are not required to attend the Academy.

Academy Executive Director Glenn Drew said “the Academy is an exceptional institution with an outstanding faculty and student body.

Identifying stellar students follows our mission of mentoring the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.”

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Benjamin Gall was called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Shalom in Lafayette on Jan. 10. He is the son of Suzette and Joseph Gall. Some members of Temple Sinai in Lake Charles also attended.

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The “Year of Holocaust Remembrance” programs at Troy University’s Dothan campus library during 2012-13 will be recognized with the Humanitarian Award from the Alabama Library Association.

The award will be presented during the Association’s annual President’s Reception and Association Awards presentation on April 24 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The event is a part of the Association’s regular annual meeting. Ann Rosenheck and Chris Shaffer The Year of Holocaust Remembrance was Aisic and Riva Hirsch and Ann Rosenheck, a presented by the University’s campuses in Holocaust Film Series, a workshop for educaTroy, Dothan and Montgomery during the tors focusing on presenting the history of the 2012-13 academic year with the support of the Holocaust to middle and high school students American Library Association, the Birming- and Sandra Roberts’ presentation, “Paper Clips: ham Holocaust Education Center, the An- Learning from the Holocaust,” among others. ti-Defamation League, the Alabama Human“We are very proud of the Troy University ities Foundation, Temple Emanu-El in Dothan, Dothan Campus Library’s receipt of the HuKennesaw State University Museum of Histo- manitarian Award for the Year of the Holory and Holocaust Education, Troy University’s caust Remembrance,” said Dr. Henry Stewart, Libraries, the College of Communication and Dean of Library Services. “Library faculty and Fine Arts, the College of Arts and Sciences staff worked hard to provide speakers and disand the Office of Sponsored Programs. plays to raise awareness of the Holocaust for The remembrance featured events such as students, faculty and community members the traveling exhibit “Darkness Into Life: Ala- across the University.” bama Holocaust Survivors through PhotograDr. Christopher Shaffer, Director of Library phy and Art,” lectures by Holocaust survivors Services on the Dothan Campus, was humbled by the honor.

“In putting together the series of programs about the Holocaust, we have all been able to meet survivors, in particular Ann Rosenheck, who survived three different camps,” Dr. Shaffer said. “The lessons we learned through these events have brought awareness and an appreciation for life that has made us all better people. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to share these stories.”

Anderson recognized for patriotic essay

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March 2014

Sheree and David Kanter of Birmingham announce the engagement of their daughter, Corie Alyse Kanter of New York, N.Y., formerly from New Orleans, to Jackie McHugh, also of New York. He is the son of Mary and Bart McHugh of Donegal, Ireland. The prospective bride’s grandparents are Doris and Fred Kanter of Birmingham and Marion Feinstein and the late Speedy Feinstein of Spartanburg, S.C. An Aug. 23 wedding is planned in New York.

Southern Jewish Life

Abigail Anderson, a member of Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El, won third place in Florida’s Patriot’s Pen Essay contest, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. A seventh grade student at Holy Nativity Episcopal School, she won the contest for Emerald Coast VFW Post 10555 in Panama City, then the District 17 contest. As one of the top three in the state, she and her family received a trip to Disney World for the announcement of the state winner. In all, there were 4,517 entries from students in grades 6 to 8. This year’s theme was “What Patriotism Means to Me.”

Ralph Leopold of Ralph Leopold and Associates in New Orleans with the mission of the National Urban League.” was named a community champion for The Kindness Revolution, Rabbi Cohn was one of two “Living Legends” recipients. Giarrusso which promotes kindness and anti-bullying with schools, the corpo- received a Distinguished Public Service award. rate community and non-profits. He was also recognized as a 2013 Seth Perlman, a senior at Indian Springs School south of BirmingFive Star Wealth Manager. ham, was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate. The PresidenCarol Asher was among the honorees at the New Orleans Council tial Scholars Program recognizes students who have succeeded in the for Community and Justice annual Weiss Awards. The award was es- highest possible level of academic rigor and is recognized as one of our tablished in the 1950s in memory of the Weiss brothers to recognize nation’s highest honors for high school students. civic and humanitarian work in the community.

Asher is a nonprofit consultant and community activist. Last fall, she created Impact 100, which had a goal of assembling 100 women each willing to give $1000 to the same non-profit to make an impact through the large combined donation.

In less than three weeks, 112 women were recruited and the first check for $100,000 was presented to the Youth Empowerment Project.

Four other finalists each received $5000.

She and husband Harold also founded the Tour de Lis, an annual five-kilometer walk-run-bike through City Park to benefit cancer patients.

The dinner was held Dec. 10 at the Hyatt Regency.

Judge Robin Giarrusso and Rabbi Ed Cohn of Temple Sinai were among the honorees at an Urban League event on Dec. 27. Former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, now president of the National Urban League, was in town to present awards during a luncheon at Dooky Chase.

The awards honor those who have “given back to their community by working to improve the city’s quality of life in a manner consistent

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Lesley Silver honored for Mississippi arts On Feb. 20, Vicksburg’s Lesley Silver was presented with a 2014 Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award in the “Arts in Community” category.

The ceremony was held at the Belhaven University Center for the Arts, hosted by Sam Haskell, former executive vice president and worldwide head of television for the William Morris Agency. He is a commissioner on the Mississippi Arts Commission.

Silver was nominated by Fletcher Cox, a noted woodworker from Tougaloo. Four decades ago, Silver opened the Attic Gallery in downtown Vicksburg and is credited with fostering the careers of hundreds of artists. The gallery is a showcase of Mississippi artists, ranging from folk art to sculpture.

The Governor’s Arts Awards are presented annually to outstanding writers, artists, performers, craftsmen and educators who have made significant and lasting contributions through their work as well as to corporations or organizations on the basis of their dedication to arts advancement.

Previous winners include B.B. King, James “Super Chikan” Johnson, Mary Katharine sissippi Alliance for Arts Education, USA Loyacono McCravey, the late Little Milton International Ballet Competition, William (Campbell), Dr. David Blackburn, the Mis- Eggleston, Bo Diddley and Charles Burnett. first Lebanon conflict.

He was in a VQ-2 squadron, and their assignments were not publicized. He went from Spain to Lebanon, then to a Greek island.

On Jan. 21, Bill Allen of Milton, Fla., received an envelope from the Department of Navy, Retired Personnel Command. Inside were three awards — the Navy Good Conduct Medal # 3 award, a National Defense Service Medal and a Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon.

The paperwork was dated July 2012 but gave no indication as to when the medals were originally issued. He is figuring that some of these awards go back 30 years, and the Meritorious Service ribbon is from action in the 44

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Southern Jewish Life

Linda Jaffe was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for Collat Jewish Family Service in Birmingham, for her work with the Baskets of Blessings program.

Jimmie Murvin received the President’s Award at the B’nai Israel annual meeting in Baton Rouge on Jan. 26. She was recognized for working with the Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and being integral in transitioning to the new religious school model.

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Continued from page 3

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regarded as God “in the flesh,” in human form. To Judaism, the notion of a human regarded as God is anathema. One could even say such a philosophy violates the prohibition against “other gods,” according to Jewish interpretations.

3. Bug off, Uncle Sam. Where in the Alabama Code is faith in God mandated? And of such faith, where is it written what form of deity should be worshiped? Is it against state law to be an atheist? To believe that Elvis Presley was God? By now, we have covered the first three Commandments. We have yet to find one that has any relevance to the Alabama Code.

One may argue that our Founding Fathers felt human rights were inalienable because they are God-given, not granted by government or by man. True, they did hold that philosophy, and it is a philosophy that should hold government in check. It belongs to national history and, even with the separation of church and state, must be understood. But the law itself is of this world. A judge should be concerned with what is in the law books, and the legislators should concern themselves with the earthly affairs of state. That is their job.

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4. Remember when? The Fourth Commandment is about the Sabbath. Again, this is an area where the state has little to say. “Blue laws” closing businesses on Sunday are a thing of the past — the only remaining restrictions are on alcohol sales on Sundays.

But remember, the Sabbath originally was sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It is a time when there is supposed to be no commerce, no work. Any bets on the chances of legislation being passed to cover that? Especially during college football season?

The Sabbath Day was also given by God as “an eternal sign between Me and the children of Israel,” a sign of the eternal nature of God’s covenant with the Jewish people. Interesting, then, that the only people who observe the original Sabbath day is the Jewish people. Christians, aside from a few small offshoots, observe Sunday.

Muslims observe Friday.

Shall Alabamians “remember” the Sabbath day? It could be seen as evidence that we Jews are not damned, that our covenant with God endures, and that our souls need not be “saved” by wellintentioned missionaries. That will happen about the same time Dreamland opens a glatt-kosher location.

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5. Their honor: Honoring one’s parents is something to strive for. However, it too is none of the state’s business. Where does the state mandate conduct toward one’s parents?

6. So much for the military. The Sixth Commandment prohibits killing. However, the original Hebrew word is for murder, not for all killing. One is justified in killing an attacker. If all killing is against the Ten Commandments, we’d better dismantle the military right now. Again, the likelihood of Southerners going for that…

7. What do you want? Taking the literal words to another commandment… one should not covet. That is a major problem, because coveting is the whole foundation of capitalism. The old phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” comes directly from that.

That commandment, though, is interpreted as a prohibiting the type of desire that would cause one to break laws in order to gain what one desires. It’s perfectly fine to desire your neighbor’s new car, quite another to steal it.

Further, coveting by itself could be construed as a thought. Many of those on the end of the political spectrum who applaud Judge Moore and the state legislators also are against hate crimes legislation.

Such legislation calls for added penalties for actions that came forth because of thought. Punish the action, not the thoughts, the argument goes. If the state gets into the business of policing coveting, 46

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it is doing the same thing.

8. Graven images. What is the political display of the Ten Commandments itself if not a graven image, especially Moore’s monument? The two tablets have become a larger than life symbol, one seemingly infused with mystical power. Its absence is blamed for the downfall of American schools. The hand-carved plaque Moore hung in the years before the monument was deemed so important nothing short of an action by the National Guard could cause Moore to remove it.

A cult of worship seems to be growing around the Ten Commandments — and a significant percentage of those passionately behind this couldn’t list all 10.

Weʼre here for the few they canʼt.

9. Curse of the law. The passion behind the Ten Commandments is even more puzzling because of Christian theology. The “Old Testament” law, of which the Ten Commandments is central, is seen by Christianity as a curse. It is so difficult to follow to the letter that no one could possibly get it right, according to Christianity. Jesus came to free the world of that law — that curse.

Further, nobody can get to the eternal reward through that law — all one’s works are nothing. Faith is what matters.

Of course, Judaism holds that the Law is God’s greatest gift, not a curse, and that nowhere is it stated that everything must be followed to the literal letter. The Oral Law — which Christianity rejects as a rabbinic invention — explains the law as it applies to daily life. To Jews, following that law — even when we fall short — is the way to have a relationship with God. God knows we are imperfect. He would not give us a strict law and expect that we would never violate it. That is why there is t’shuvah, returning to the proper path.

In rejecting the Law, Christianity misreads the Jewish view of God. In that is a fundamental difference in the way the Law — including the Ten Commandments — is regarded.

Furthermore, according to Judaism, all non-Jews are expected to follow only seven laws — the Seven Noahide Laws given to all humanity after the Flood. Aspects of the Ten Commandments come from the Noahide Laws. But those laws are found in just about all civilizations on the planet.

Giving hope to parents and providing care to children is what we’ve done for over 100 years.

Our nationally ranked healthcare team treated children from 42 states and 4 foreign countries just last year. Children’s of Alabama is recognized locally and around the world as providing a level of care that presents children with a much brighter future.

10. Judeo-Christian what? And so, we reach the bottom line. Displaying the Ten Commandments is a tribute to our “JudeoChristian” heritage.

That term is a farce. It is a way for Christians to show inclusiveness to the Jewish community and a way the Jewish community tried to show the Christian world that we’re not all that different.

But it glosses over very real differences in philosophy. Christians believe man is born evil and condemned to sin. Judaism believes we are born neutral, and if we choose sin, we can also choose to repent and return to the proper path — and God will welcome us back, if we are sincere.

Christianity holds that there is a constant struggle between good and evil — that Satan and God are locked in a battle for the world.

Judaism sees no such dichotomy — nobody challenges the authority and position of God. Where Satan appears in Judaism, it is as a messenger, a servant of God, never doing anything that God does not allow. That is a far cry from the Armageddon taught by Christianity.

Christians believe man is so sinful, he can’t approach God without an intermediary — Jesus. Judaism states anyone can approach God. All that is required is a humble heart and a desire to follow God’s expectations.

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The Ten Commandments contain important precepts. They are an

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important religious document. Sadly, they are being turned into a symbol unto themselves, a political football.

The Ten Commandments are nothing more than a quick fix, an attempt to make people think we as a society are tackling our problems.

True progress will come from all being seen as equal before the law. True progress will come when values are taught in the home and reinforced on the street. True progress will come when families are intact, when personal responsibility is realized.

Hanging a poster at the State House, hauling a monument into the court building or posting them in a school building does nothing to accomplish that.

Larry Brook Editor/Publisher

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A new fund has been established to offer scholarships for Jewish freshmen who want to attend Auburn University.

Martin Freeman of Silver Spring, Md., opened the Auburn University Scholarship Fund at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. He previously had set up a fund to support Jewish life on the Plain.

Freeman said he went from a high school in Miami Beach that was 90 percent Jewish to being part of a small community at Auburn in the 1970s. “Hillel, AEPi, the synagogues in Columbus, Ga. and Montgomery all were important Jewish institutions that were there for me. Now it is my turn to be there for the Jewish students at Auburn. “ A synagogue was established in Auburn in 1989, and according to the Birmingham Jewish Federation, in recent years the Auburn Jewish student population has doubled to around 125. ““I believe Auburn is a fantastic educational experience, but the Jewish student population and community need some assistance to grow,” Freeman said. “It is my hope that other alumni, friends and fans of Auburn will hear the call from Jewish students at Auburn and also answer.”

In addition to starting the fund, he is matching new gifts to the fund from other donors, up to a total of $5,000.

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In 1992, Nancy Strachan urged one of her students, Zoe Fishman, to enter the Friends of Mobile Public Library’s short story contest. Fishman won, and a literary career was launched.

On March 13, Fishman returns home to be the speaker for the Friends of Mobile Public Library’s annual luncheon. The event will be March 13 at noon at the Mobile Marriott.

Fishman, who grew up at Mobile’s Ahavas Chesed, is author of “Balancing Acts” and “Saving Ruth,” and her third novel, “Driving Lessons,” will be released in April. She worked for Random House and Simon and Schuster in New York before becoming published, then moved to Atlanta in 2011. Among other endeavors, she currently teaches writing at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta.

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During Winter Break, a group of 40 students from Tulane University in New Orleans landed in Israel as part of a Birthright trip. The group was joined by eight soldiers from Rosh Ha’ayin who left the uniforms behind and joined their new friends from New Orleans for a week.

Rosh Ha’Ayin is New Orleans’ Partnership2Gether community through the Jewish Agency for Israel, so the visit was framed as a “Birthright2GETHER” program.

The group arrived at Begin High School and was received with great excitement by about 120 high school students. The gathering opened with a performance by “gospel,” the musical ensemble of Begin high school.

Everyone watched a short video on Rosh Ha’Ayin that had been prepared by the 12th graders. The rest of the gathering was devoted to discussions in English in order to get to know each other — and prepare the seniors for the oral matriculation exams in English.

The American students heard about the experiences of Israelis who are about to start their military service, as well as the lives of young people in Israel and Rosh Ha’ayin. The seniors heard about American Jewish life and college life. “It’s interesting to hear young American Jews, despite them being Jewish as us, live in a different reality altogether” said Yuval, a senior student at Begin.

After the meeting the Americans were hosted by the soldiers’ families in Rosh Ha’ayin for an Israeli dinner.

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Pictured here are Jackie Gothard, Judge Sol Gothard, Commander and Maj. Carol Berman. Any Jewish American who served in the Armed Forces of America, or any Jewish person now residing in the U.S. that served in the armed forces of an allied country, is eligible for membership. Anyone can join as a patron.

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info@bangazang.com 50

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Trio of Krown, Washington and Batiste to headline Touro’s JazzFest Shabbat Touro Synagogue announced that this year’s JazzFest Shabbat lineup will Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington, and Russell Batiste Jr., along with the Panorama Jazz Band and the Touro Synagogue Choir.

JazzFest Shabbat has been celebrated by Touro for over two decades, bringing together Judaism with jazz. The service is open to the community, and has attracted some of New Orleans’ most notable musical names. Previous headliners include Jeremy Davenport, Kermit Ruffins, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and John Boutte.

The Shabbat service will be April 25 at 7:30 p.m. The event is always popular with out of town visitors to JazzFest, which runs from April 25 to May 4 this year.

The three musicans had long, established careers before they came together in March 2007 and started performing with each other. Their first CD, “Live at the Maple Leaf,” won a 2009 Offbeat Award for Best R&B/Funk CD. They also won a 2009 Big Easy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Band.

Their third CD, “Soul Understanding,” was released in April 2013.

In 2010 they were part of a 15-city “New Orleans Nights” tour, performing a set and then backing up Nicholas Payton and Allen Toussaint.

Joe Krown is a New Orleans pianist and founder of the Joe Krown Organ Combo. The winner of several Big Easy Awards, he has been a headline performer for WWOZ’s Piano Night during JazzFest every year since 1997. In 2007, he was a featured artist on the Solid Blues tour, also featuring Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite and the North Mississippi All-Stars.

Krown was featured in an episode of HBO’s “Treme” in the first season, and has been in several episodes of TNT’s “Memphis Beat.”

Washington’s guitar work and vocals have been heard throughout New Orleans for decades. By the late 1950s he was on the road as backup to Lee Dorsey. In the 1970s he began a 20-year association with the late Johnny Adams.

His current band is the Roadmasters, with a catalog that includes the blues, R&B, soul, funk, jazz and everything in between.

Batiste, on drums and vocals, is from a legendary New Orleans musical family. In 1989 he joined the Funky Meters. He has recorded with Allan Toussaint, Robbie Robertson, Harry Connick, Jr. and performed on the last two Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians CDs. NOLA

Cellist Lelchuk making quick adjustment to life in New Orleans For New Hampshire native Daniel Lelchuk, becoming a newcomer to New Orleans’ Jewish community came suddenly.

On Sept. 23 he interviewed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and by the end of October he was already in town as the new assistant principal cello.

Coming from northern New England, he said, “practically everything is different — from the weather to the food to the demographics.”

Lelchuk went to Indiana University and has spent a lot of time in Europe and the Middle East, but “had no experience with this part of the country.”

His first couple of months have been “a real exciting time, both musically and professionally, and in terms of my personal curiosity about Louisiana, this region and New Orleans.”

After being hired, “I was put on the schedule immediately and was able to “Everyone loves build my time around it” to explore the city and get to know the Jewish comclassical music, munity. but not everybody He has attended a couple of JNOLA events, but he has a challenge in that knows it yet.” when others are ready to go to events and socialize in the evenings, “we’re working when a lot of people are off work.”

The orchestra rehearses three or four times a week and performs two to four times a week. He said the Louisiana Philharmonic is “a terrific orchestra” and “to be able to play music as my full-time job is a real thrill, especially at this age” of 24.

He became enamored with the cello at the age of two and one-half, when his mother brought him to a demonstration of sound. “There was a cellist at the science museum who drew the bow across the strings” to demonstrate sound vibration. At the end, the children were invited to feel the top of the cello while he played.

After that, “I said I must play the cello,” he said.

It wasn’t until two years later that he actually started to play. After “talking about the cello incessantly my parents realized I was quite serious.”

He studied in New Hampshire with Donna Denniston for 10 years. “Not only did the novelty not wear off, it increased and I became more enamored with the cello and with music,” he said. “Every day is equally if not more interesting and thrilling and enticing as the day before.”

He began playing with the youth orchestra in Boston, studying with Sato Knudsen.

At Indiana, “the greatest musical school in the world,” he studied with Eric Kim and was principal cello of the Indiana University Philharmonic and Opera orchestras.

At the invitation of Prince Nicolò Boncompagni LudoPhoto by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee visi, he gave a series of solo cello recitals at the famed Villa Aurora in Rome.

While playing at the Castleton Festival, he met “wonderful people” from the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and was invited to be a guest cellist. He also has performed at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman.

Lelchuk said despite Middle East politics, there are some Jews in the Qatar orchestra. “I don’t know if they’re advertising their Jewishness, but they’re there.”

It wasn’t his first experience in the Middle East. He spent Kindergarten in Israel as his mother finished a book on the Dead Sea and his father was a visiting professor in Haifa. When he went to the Emirates, friends in Israel said “you haven’t been here in a decade and a half, and you’re going to Oman and Qatar to play?”

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ble,” but it is difficult to find time to do something that is not related to music.

One avenue he would like to pursue is the performance of music written by Jewish composers who were killed in the Holocaust, simply because it is of “extremely high quality” and is little known outside the circle of musicians.

He is interested in three particular composers — Gideon Klein, Erwin Schulhoff and Viktor Ullmann, and would love to do a performance highlighting them in New Orleans or elsewhere in the region.

He also wants to spread the word about classical music, believing that “everyone loves classical music, but not everybody knows it yet.”

He said the idea one must be well-versed on classical music or that it is for the elites “is absolutely a falsehood.” He routinely urges people he meets to go to a concert and give it a chance, and “they say, where has this been my whole life?”

Classical music speaks to everyone, he said. “It was not written to speak to educated or uneducated people, it was written to appeal to anybody.”

“If people open themselves, then the music will speak to them in ways they didn’t think was possible.”

Not a dinosaur: The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans held its Super Sunday on Feb. 9 at the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus in Metairie. The 93 volunteers raised $153,910, the highest Sunday phonathon total since 2002.

Though consultants had advised the Federation to join others in scrapping the Super Sunday concept as outdated, Executive Director Michael Weil noted in a piece for e-philanthropy that the one year they did not do one, there was such a protest that it was reinstated, and it still is a popular event for volunteers and donors.

Super Sunday was chaired by Nate Kanter, Amy and Jedd Malish and Kathy and Hal Shepard.

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Continued from page 54

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this story, which was the origin of the saying, “it takes more than that to skin a cat.”

But while cats go largely unmentioned throughout this story, I realize that we don’t have to stay invisible in Jewish history. Now that I have become a Cat Mitzvah I am an adult member of the Jewish community. This carries with it the obligation to perform all the commandments just like any other Jew. Putting on tefilin might be tricky, though.

Fortunately, almost all of the commandments, such as dietary rules and use of electricity, I leave in the hands of the person who pays my mortgage. So anything I do against the commandments is probably his fault, and he should be dealt with accordingly. As long as he’s home in time to feed me.

However if he makes me adhere to any of the fast days, either intentionally or by accident, he might find that I’ve invoked some particularly pointed clause against the arm of the sofa. But in becoming a Cat Mitzvah, I know that I cannot do it on Shabbat.

Lastly, I thank my tutor, for believing I was studying while he was at work, and for letting me practice at 2:30 every morning for the past two months.

If you want to follow my haftarah, it is on page 395 in Etz Hayim. If you don’t want to follow, it’s still on page 395.

Simone is a cat in Silicon Valley who graciously lent her house, shedded fur, and occasional typing efforts to this column from 2001 until Feb. 17, 2014. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, like facebook. com/the.beholders.eye.

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NOLA Hadassah installation

Pictured is the Reisin family at New Orleans Hadasah’s installation, at the home of Sidney and Joyce Pulitzer on Jan. 26. Ilana Reisin was installed as president. From left to right: Lee Ziffer, Eyal Reisin, Ilana Reisin, Thalia Reisin Ziffer and Dr. Efrain Reisin. Also installed were Barbara Polikoff Katz, education vice president; Miriam Waltzer, fundraising vice president; Charisse Sands and Sara Halper, membership vice presidents; Fran Simon, marketing and communications vice president; Arlene Haines, treasurer; Diane Schleifstein, corresponding secretary; Caitlyn Gould Weber, recording secretary.

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Southern Jewish Life

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The Beholder’s Eye

by Doug Brook

The Cat Mitzvah Speech, Revisited

By Simone

Translated by Doug Brook, Southern Jewish Life Columnist Originally appeared in January, 2010

Today I become a Cat Mitzvah.

That means many things, not the least of which is that there’s kosher pate imported from Paris at the Kiddush after services. While I look forward to Purrim, the holiday celebrating the story of Esther in Purrsia, which is just a few weeks away, I should first talk more about today and its significance to me and therefore to you.

This week’s Torah reading, my Cat Mitzvah purrshah, is Bo, from the book of Exodus. It covers the final three plagues before Pharaoh sets the Israelites free to leave Egypt, and the establishment of the holiday of Passover.

Something fundamental here furrows my brow. Why would the Israelites want to leave Egypt? The Egyptians worshipped cats, so they were obviously a highly enlightened people. Yes, the Israelites were slaves, but we didn’t tell the Egyptians to do that to them. And the Israelites were stuck in the sandbox for 40 years after they left. I’m just saying.

So the Egyptians were visited upon by locusts that darkened the sky, and then darkness that darkened everything for three days. While the Egyptians had to claw their way around during the ninth plague, the only ones who could see were the Israelites, whose dwellings had light according to the Torah, and the cats who could see in the dark.

But why didn’t they stop at nine plagues? The Talmud Yes, cats were an teaches us that by worshipping important part of the cats the Egyptians themselves could be considered to have Exodus from Egypt nine lives like the cats they worshipped, which enabled Pharaoh to resist letting the Israelites leave after all nine plagues, and why a tenth plague did him in.

If this reason is true, one can ask why the tenth plague, slaying of the firstborn, was so devastating. After all, if the Big G knew that the tenth plague would work no matter what, the tenth plague could have been spontaneous hay fever or an outbreak of acne and it would have still worked. But there is a Midrash which explains that originally the tenth plague was going to be cat allergies, so we won’t complain.

Nevertheless, the tenth plague gives me pause. To prepare for it, the Israelites had to slaughter sheep and mark their doorposts to avoid their own firstborn getting killed. If it weren’t for respect for cats as the objects of Egyptian worship, it might have been us.

We’re grateful that it wasn’t us, and every Passover we remember this and celebrate it, along with celebrating that we usually don’t get fed matzah. Or horse radish. Or matzah. We celebrate being spared in

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NOLA

Krewe du Mishigas photos by Justin Harrison and Susan Brower

Krewe du Jieux photos by Larry Hauptman

Moses gets a Mardi Gras Workout On Feb. 15, the two Jewish Mardi Gras Krewes in New Orleans marched through the Marigny and Quarter, and Moses was with them both.

The Krewe du Mishigas marched in the Krewe du Vieux’s “Where the Vile Things Are” by declaring “Let My People Go Cup: Partying the Red Sea.” Over the past year, there has been more regulation of the New Orleans institution of go-cups, with some neighborhoods banning them.

Richard McCormack was this year’s King of the Jews for the Mishigas, and Susan Drogin was declared this year’s Jewish American Princess.

Moses was also a central character in the Krewe du Jieux theme this year. Marching in the krewedelusion parade following the Krewe du Vieux, the Jieux envisioned a Disney approach to the Exodus story — “Hebrew Slaves On Ice.” Rabbi David Polsky of Anshe Sfard played the role of Moses, carrying the Ten Commandments and a hockey stick, while a Zionboni smoothed the path and a bubble Jeff Levitt dressed as the Pharaoh with a sign saying, “So machine provided “snow.” Other Go Already!!” with fellow Mishigas members Elisabeth members wore slave tunics and Carriere and Cacey Peters as Egyptian police. passed out their signature painted bagels and chocolate gelt.

Andrew Gross was named King of the Jieuxs; Lilia Carrion was Shabbos Queen. Barbara Barnett was named the Jieuxish American Princess, and Benny Naghi of Mardi Gras Zone was declared Big Macher. At the Coronation and Running of the Jieux on Jan. 25, former captain Renee Heinlen was awarded the Golden Moses for service to the Krewe.