SJL Deep South, March 2016

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March 2016

Volume 26 Issue 3

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shalom y’all shalom y’all shalom y’all Ever since Israel was founded, there have been battles over the issue of pluralism and recognition of non-Orthodox Jewish streams, mainly the Reform and Conservative movements that most American Jews belong to.

In Israel, such battles were a curiosity. For a long time, one was religious or secular, and the secular insisted they were living more Jewishly than non-Orthodox American Jews, so why bother with the non-Orthodox movements?

Issues over civil marriage, control of conversion and an increasing shift to the right by the Orthodox establishment have brought pluralism back to the fore, with the recent Western Wall compromise as perhaps the most visible issue.

Since the Wall in Jerusalem was liberated from Jordan in 1967, it has been run as an Orthodox synagogue — men and women are separate, and women don’t do things in their space that they are “not obligated” (translation: not allowed) to do, such as read from the Torah or put on tefillin.

The Women of the Wall have defied that convention, doing practices that more Reform and Conservative women are embracing, in a bid for equality.

The hard-fought compromise carves out a section of the Wall plaza where such activities can be done by women, and it also allows for men and women to pray together, something previously forbidden. Now an entire family can experience the Wall as one, especially when having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah there.

Many have hailed it as a major step forward in recognizing that different groups in the Jewish community have different practices. Others have lamented that this separation divides Clal Yisrael, the unity of the Jewish people.

Is it powerful that someone from the Deep South can go to the Wall and be there with continued on page 42

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Southern Jewish Life PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com ADVERTISING SPECIALIST Dan Weinrib dan@sjlmag.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com SOCIAL/WEB Eugene Walter Katz eugene@sjlmag.com PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER Doug Brook brookwrite.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213 14 Office Park Circle #104 Birmingham, AL 35223 205/870.7889 NEW ORLEANS OFFICE 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002 504/780.5615 TOLL-FREE 866/446.5894 FAX 866/392.7750 connect@sjlmag.com ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to Lee Green, 205/870.7889 or lee@sjlmag.com or Dan Weinrib, dan@sjlmag.com Media kit, rates available upon request SUBSCRIPTIONS It has always been our goal to provide a large-community quality publication to all communities of the South.

To that end, our commitment includes mailing to every Jewish household in the region (AL, LA, MS, NW FL), without a subscription fee.

Outside the area, subscriptions are $25/year, $40/two years. Subscribe via sjlmag.com, call 205/870.7889 or mail payment to the address above.

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4 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

Students from Temple Sinai, Touro Synagogue and Gates of Prayer in the New Orleans area, Beth Israel of Jackson and B’nai Zion of Shreveport visited Birmingham the weekend of Jan. 30 for a civil rights tour. The group visited 16th Street Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Institute and the “Darkness Into Life” exhibit at Vulcan, where local Holocaust survivor Riva Hirsch related her story.

New national ADL head to speak at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week Jonathan Greenblatt, the new national director of the Anti-Defamation League, will make his first visit to New Orleans in March for two addresses.

He will give a keynote address on March 17 at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, at 11 a.m. at The Chickory.

On March 16, he will speak on “Anti-Semitism and Justice for All: Because the Work is Not Yet Done,” at the home of Leann and Ted Moses. Because of limited space, reservations for the 6 p.m. program are requested.

Greenblatt became director of ADL last summer after Abe Foxman retired. Foxman had led ADL since 1987.

Prior to heading ADL, Greenblatt served in the White House as Special Assistant to President Obama and Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. There, he led the Administration’s efforts to use financial innovation, national service, and public-private partnerships to accelerate economic recovery, boost job creation, and strengthen local communities.

Jonathan also founded All for Good, the open data platform designed to enable more people to serve. Launched with support from Google, AFG has emerged as one of the largest databases of volunteer opportunities on the Internet.

He also served as CEO of GOOD Worldwide, a diversified media com-

Birmingham’s Mike Slive, who retired last summer as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, spoke at a Mississippi State Hillel dinner on Feb. 9, hosted by University President Mark Keenum.

Pictured here are MSU Baseball Coach John Cohen, Commissioner Slive, Hillel President Joseph Metz, MSU President Keenum, former Athletic Director Larry Templeton, former Hillel President Molly Rafaely, and former president and a founding member of Hillel Daniel Snyder.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 5

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As an undergraduate at Tufts, Greenblatt interned in ADL’s New England regional office in Boston, and he is a graduate of ADL’s Salvin Leadership Program. His wife is an Iranian-American who came to the U.S. as a political refugee and worked as an associate director in ADL’s Pacific Southwest regional office in Los Angeles for nearly eight years.

Beth Or holds first M’gy Mitzvah Day Montgomery’s Temple Beth Or will have its first Mitzvah Day on April 2, with congregants volunteering at numerous non-profits in the area from 1 to 4 p.m. A reception at Beth Or will follow, starting at 4:15 p.m.

Projects have been identified for everyone from teens to seniors. Participants are asked to submit their top three choices.

At Family Sunshine Center, volunteers will assemble counseling center packets. Office tasks and envelope stuffing will be done at Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. There will be clerical tasks and art projects for patient gifts at Hospice of Montgomery. Volunteers will cook at Service Dogs Alabama, and sort and organize donations at the Tails End Thrift Store at the Humane Society of Elmore County. Food preparation for the MACOA Frozen Meals Program will take place at Beth Or. Volunteers will also go to Friendship Mission and House to House for projects that were not announced at press time.

Donations are welcomed from participants and those unable to volunteer. Registration is requested by March 15.

Stephanie Deutsch, author of “You Need a Schoolhouse,” spoke following the screening of “Rosenwald” at the Mobile Jewish Film Festival on Jan. 10. Also pictured are Mobile County Training School alumni Emory Johnson, class of 55; Isaiah Pinkney, class of ’52; and Washington Taylor, class of ’49. Deutsch also spoke to students at Alma Bryant High School in Irvington and Bayside Academy in Fairhope after screenings of the film.

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Temple Beth-El in Pensacola will celebrate its newly-renovated building on March 18. A ribbon cutting and first official elevator ride was held on Feb. 12.

The evening will begin with a wine and cheese reception and the rededication starting at 5:30 p.m. Services will follow at 7 p.m., with music by Victoria Adamenko, Leonid Yanovskiy and Cantor Richard Cohn. A special oneg will follow.

The project included a sanctuary renovation, a new kitchen, new office and meeting space, and an atrium that connects the main building with the education building.

agenda NFTYFLIX, the National Federation of Temple Youth Southern’s spring conclave, will be in Baton Rouge the weekend of April 8. About 75 out-of-town teens are expected. Activities will be at B’nai Israel on April 8 and at Beth Shalom on April 9 and 10.

The next of Judaism’s Great Debates at Jackson’s Beth Israel will be on March 22 at 7 p.m. Rabbi Stephen Wylen will lead a discussion of “Ben Zakkai vs. the Zealots: Is it Noble to Resist or Submit?” On April 12 at 7 p.m., it will be “The Vilna Gaon vs the Baal Shem Tov — Law and Tradition vs. Spiritual Ecstasy.”

Asa Anderson, 10-year-old son of Temple Emanu-El, Dothan, members Todd and Lorna Anderson, will take part in the North Florida JDRF One Walk to cure juvenile diabetes, April 16 at 9 a.m. in Pensacola’s Maritime Park. Team Asa is recruiting donors and walkers to raise funds for research into the disease, which he has been diagnosed with. As of press time, his team was leading with over $3500 raised.

An anonymous donor has pledged to match up to $25,000 in contributions to the University of Alabama Hillel by May 31.

The annual interfaith women’s Passover Seder at Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will be on April 10 at 5 p.m. It is open to the entire community and generally sells out each year. Reservations are $25, or $36 for sponsorship.

Acts Theatre in Lake Charles will have a production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” March 11 to 20, at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. “The Producers” will run from May 27 to June 12.

Rabbi Elliot Stevens of Temple Beth Or in Montgomery will lead a five-part adult education series on the Holocaust, meeting every other Tuesday at noon starting March 29.

The annual Holocaust education program at Auburn University in Montgomery will be on April 6 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the AUM athletic complex.

Southern Jewish Life Publisher Larry Brook will be the speaker at a Temple Beth-El Sisterhood program in Pensacola on March 16 at 11:30 a.m.

The Eastern Shore Institute for Lifelong Learning at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Daphne, Ala., will host “An Historical Perspective of Israel and Its Challenges in an Unstable Middle East.” The class will meet for three Thursdays, March 31 to April 14, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

David Meola, professor of Jewish Studies at South Alabama, will discuss European and Mediterranean Jewish life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Springhill Avenue Temple Rabbi Dana Kaplan will discuss Israel’s development since 1948, and Israeli Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer will discuss today’s challenges. Class size is limited and tuition is $27.

Registration can be made at (251) 990-5555.

Rabbi Steven Silberman of Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will also lead an ESILL class at Holy Trinity in Daphne, on the Song of Songs. Classes will meet for three Mondays at 6 p.m., from March 28 to April 11. Tuition is $27 and registration is at (251) 625-4806.

Stephen Silverman, author of “The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America” will be featured at the Temple Beth Or Guest Author Series in Montgomery, on March 17 at 7 p.m. The area was known as a Jewish vacation hotspot and incubator for the hospitality and entertainment industries. The book explores the Catskills’ contributions to literature, art and politics, and how it became Jewish New York’s vacation mecca, with Las Vegas-style resorts and a wide range of famous entertainers.

Thomas Hinds, who was music director and conductor of the Montgomery Symphony, will be guest speaker for the Temple Beth Or Men’s Club Shabbat, along with soloist Turia Stark Williams, on March 25 at 6 p.m.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 7

agenda FA M I LY

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CENTER Shreveport Hadassah Shabbat will be on March 25 at 6 p.m., at B’nai Zion.

The next Nite on the Town for Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will be on March 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Magnolia Grill.

The next Young Jewish Pensacola Happy Hour will be March 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Union Public House.

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Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will screen the Israeli musical comedy film “Kazablan” on March 27 at 6 p.m. Admission is $5. If there are 10 dinner reservations, falafel will be served for $9 per person, by advance reservation only.

B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge announced its annual golf tournament will be on May 15 at noon.

Beth Israel in Jackson will have its 4-person scramble golf tournament on April 30 at Deerfield Country Club, with lunch at 11:30 a.m. and a shofar start at 1 p.m.

The next Café Israel with Shlicha Dana Korem in Montgomery will be March 15 at 7 p.m. at Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem, discussing the Israel Defense Force’s “people’s army,” the Education Corps.

Pensacola’s Temple Beth-El will have a Jazz Shabbat on April 1.

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The Women of Reform Judaism Southwest District will have a women’s retreat at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp, April 8 to 10. Registration, which is due by March 31, is $150.

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Laurie Weil will address the L’Chaim League luncheon in Montgomery on April 5. She will discuss her Jewish upbringing in the community.

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The BBYO family congratulates BBYO in New Orleans on a meaningful reunion weekend.

Keeping memories alive and building the future starts with us.

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Ideal candidate will be a Jewish woman with previously healthy pregnancies between the ages of 21-42.

Reform Brotherhoods to hold historic conference in New Orleans Head of Conservative Men’s Clubs to address group Men of Reform Judaism will hold their national convention in New Orleans in June, and in a nod to how there is cooperation among the different streams of Judaism in New Orleans, the Conservative movement’s Federation of Jewish Mens Clubs will be involved.

Rabbi Charles Simon, who is executive director of the Conservative group, will attend the convention, and the international president is also expected. Simon will be the speaker at Shabbat dinner and will lead an open discussion on Shabbat afternoon, on ways the two groups can collaborate locally and nationally.

Another panel on Shabbat afternoon will include Roselle Ungar, executive director of Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans and president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ New Orleans chapter.

The conference will be held at the JW Marriott, starting on June 24 at 4 p.m.

Three past presidents of MRJ have come from Temple Sinai in New Orleans — Roger Jacobs, Irving Shnaider and John Shalett.

Registration information is available at menrj.org.

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Chattanooga Federation seeks to replace torched vehicles Two vehicles were burned in the parking lot of the Jewish Cultural Center in Chattanooga overnight on Jan. 31.

In a statement, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga Executive Director Michael Dzik said one Federation vehicle was destroyed and another vehicle next to it was badly damaged. “These vehicles were used by the Federation’s award winning and regionally recognized social service department. This department provides a community nurse, delivered meals, case management by a social worker, and transportation for the most vulnerable citizens in our community.”

In the immediate aftermath, the Federation states it was unclear what the motive was. “Initial investigation points to this NOT being a hate crime” but a random act of vandalism, Dzik said. Authorities will nevertheless investigate “all angles.”

Dzik said they will let the authorities “investigate this incident fully before we make any comment regarding the circumstances.”

Arson investigators from the Chattanooga Fire Department and investigators from the Chattanooga Police Department are working the case, along with the ATF and FBI. After the fire was reported, police units were sent to Mizpah, the Federation, B’nai Zion and Chabad for additional security. Also as a precaution, Jewish communities in the region were alerted to the incident through a Jewish Federations of North America service.

There were no injuries and no damage to the JCC. The Federation embarked on a crowdfunding campaign to replace the vehicles, with a goal of $20,000. With insurance, $14,975 had been raised

by Feb. 23.

Program Director Ann Treadwell said “we have been able to purchase a gently-used Toyota Camry to replace the car and are seeking the remaining amount to find a used mini-van as our back-up vehicle.”

As the campaign continues, “We are humbled and appreciative of the generous support we have received from the Jewish community and the non-Jewish community,” she said.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 9

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Deadline nearing for first-time camper grant The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana is continuing to take applications for the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience Incentive Grant Program this month.

Funded by the Goldring Family Foundation, the program helps families provide a first-time camping experience at a Jewish sleepaway camp. It was established by JEF in 1999 and has been funded by the Goldring Family Foundation since 2001.

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

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

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

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

In funding this program, Bill Goldring stated, “These camp grants are an investment in a Jewish future for each child sent. The Jewish summer camping experience has been determined to be one of the most positive forces in both current and later Jewish identification. We are delighted to be able to provide the Goldring Family Foundation’s support for this important program.”

Experts agree that one of the most effective ways to develop children’s commitment to living Jewish lives is to expose them to a camp experience where they will meet other Jewish boys and girls and savor the precious heritage of Jewish traditions while enjoying wholesome summer fun and sports activities. Participating children enjoy all of the fun and comradeship of summer camp while developing positive feelings about their Jewish identity and making lifelong friends. Applications are requested by March 31. Award notification will be given by May 31, and the checks will be sent directly to the camps.

For more information and an application form, contact Ellen Abrams at JEF at (504) 5244559 or ellen@jefno.org. The application can also be downloaded at www.jefno.org.

community Alabama Legislature passes resolution condemning boycotts of Israel Reiterates state’s support for Jewish nation, referencing 1943 resolution The Alabama Legislature unanimously passed a joint resolution denouncing the BDS movement and reaffirming support for the State of Israel.

The BDS movement, which stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, seeks to isolate Israel economically and academically.

Senate Joint Resolution 6 was introduced by State Senator Arthur Orr from Decatur on Feb. 2. The House passed the bill on Feb. 9.

The resolution noted the common values held between Alabama and Israel, and reiterates Alabama’s recognition of and support of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

It also mentions how Alabama unanimously passed a joint resolution and “led the nation” in 1943, five years before Israel’s independence, by supporting the establishment of a Jewish state.

The resolution said that “the State of Alabama is concerned by anti-Israel activities in this state and other communities nationwide within certain university campuses, academic and professional associations, and the cultural sector” and the overall dramatic increase of anti-Israel activity in academia.

“Alabama’s elected representatives who defend the inalienable right to free speech understand that the goals and activities of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement in this state are harmful to the State’s relationships with Alabama’s Jewish citizens, our friend and ally Israel and have a deleterious impact on the academic and educational environment,” the resolution states, going on to “unequivocally denounce and

reject the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement and any furtherance of this movement in this state.”

Orr said “The BDS movement has targeted the Jewish state for economic and political sanctions and with a dramatic increase of BDS activity now also reaching U.S. college campuses, our position must be clear.

Alabama sends a strong message with SJR 6 denouncing the BDS Movement and affirming we stand with our closest ally in the Middle East.”

Alabama House Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Victor Gaston of Mobile, stated “I am proud to have had a role in the House Rules Committee assisting with the now unanimous passing of this important Resolution. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement has no place in the State of Alabama as it harms the United States’ greatest ally and friend to Alabama, Israel.”

John Buhler, Alabama-Israel Task Force co-chair, one of many who advocated for passage of the resolution, said “we are deeply grateful for the leadership of Senator Orr, and Rep Gaston, and for the entire Alabama Legislature for the overwhelming bi-partisan support of this significant resolution.”

Additional support came from the Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foley-based Church4Israel.

Many states are passing anti-BDS bills. In April 2015, Tennessee became the first state to formally condemn BDS, by a combined 123-1 vote between the two houses. The effort was spearheaded by Laurie Cardoza-Moore, founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, a Christian

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community pro-Israel group. She worked with Christian and Jewish groups to promote the bill, which was seen as a template for other states to follow.

On Jan. 25, the Indiana House passed a bill barring the state’s retirement system from investing in businesses that engage in action to boycott Israel. Florida passed a resolution requiring a state board to identify publicly-funded companies that are engaging in a boycott of Israel, and South Carolina has also passed similar anti-BDS legislation.

PJTN’s Board Chairman, Stanley Tate, stated “Alabama and Israel have enjoyed a long history of friendship and are great allies of our shared Democratic values.” Mentioning the 1943 resolution, he added, “That’s a miracle! No other state shares that unique history.”

Cardoza-Moore said the passage of Alabama’s resolution “can serve as a positive example and concrete model of a firm step that other state legislators can take as we begin to expose the malicious intent of the BDS campaign and confront it head-on! With 70 percent of Americans supporting Israel, I am calling on Christians, Jews and people of conscience to add their voices to this groundbreaking initiative.”

Eeki Elner, founder of ILI, will also speak, and Israel’s new consul general to the Southeastern U.S., Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, is scheduled to attend.

During the event, there will be an Israel Leadership Awards presentation to State Sen. Arthur Orr and Rep. Victor Gaston, speaker pro tem, for their recent efforts in a resolution that condemned the anti-Israel boycott movement and unanimously reiterated Alabama’s support for Israel.

Pastor David Nelson of the Rock Family Hilik Bar Worship Center and Richard Brooks, president of the Jewish Federation of Huntsville and North Alabama and former president of Temple B’nai Sholom, will also be honored.

Tickets are $100. The 7 p.m. program includes kosher heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert, and photo opportunities with the Israeli dignitaries will start at 6 p.m.

The event will be at The Epicenter on Calvary Blvd. in Tanner. It is one mile west of the Interstate 65 and 565 interchange, on the south side of Highway 20.

Established in 2014, the Task Force seeks to be a bridge and catalyst Deputy Knesset speaker, consul general to visit for stronger ties between Alabama and Israel, in both the Jewish and Hilik Bar, the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, will be the headlining non-Jewish communities. speaker at an Alabama-Israel Leadership Gala, April 9 in the Decatur A member of the opposition Zionist Union party and secretary general area. of the Labor Party, Bar heads the Knesset caucus promoting two states The Alabama-Israel Task Force and the Israel Leadership Institute in for two peoples.

Sderot are coordinating the gala, which will support the Alabama-Israel Emergency Preparedness Disaster Response Initiative with ILI. Tickets are available through aitf-web.org.

Gala promoting Alabama-Israel ties scheduled for April 9

12 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

community ISJL has March 20 deadline on $1 million campaign for matching grant

Showing unity

On Jan. 24, Rabbi Jana De Benedetti took part in a World Religions Day event at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Shreveport.

Also participating were All Souls Rev. Barbara Jarrell, Pastor John Henson of Church for the Highlands and Imam Orsen El-Amin of Masjid Al-Taqwa.

MIGNON FAGET

The Jackson-based Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life is working on a $1 million matching campaign challenge, and has a short time to get commitments.

An anonymous donor has offered a 1:2 match of $500,000, meaning if the agency raises $1 million, it receives a matching $500,000.

All pledges or donations must be received

by March 20, though payment on large pledges can extend until March 20, 2018. Pledges can be from individuals, foundations or corporations, and stock donations are welcome.

“Getting the call from the anonymous donor, out of the blue, offering this challenge — it’s such a gift,” said Macy Hart, founder and president of the Institute. “We haven’t had this sort of opportunity since 2013. We hope that this matching challenge will inspire supporters old and new to make contributions to the ISJL, so we can keep delivering all of the programs, resources, and staff support so vital to the communities we serve.”

The Institute offers a range of services to Jewish communities large and small in a 13-state region that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Florida panhandle. Traveling rabbis serve small congregations unable to afford their own rabbis, the Institute has a standardized religious school curriculum used in about 70 congregations with support from a crew of visiting Education Fellows, does cultural programming and historic preservation, and has a community engagement wing for social action.

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community Jewish motorcyclists to converge on Birmingham to support Holocaust education National group will spend a weekend visiting Barber Motorsports, civil rights sites during Ride 2 Remember The Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance, a confederation of Jewish motorcycling clubs worldwide, will be riding into Birmingham in May for its annual Ride 2 Remember.

The Ride 2 Remember is to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to raise money for organizations that support and promote Holocaust education and awareness.

For the 2016 Ride, the group chose the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center, and will be in town from May 19 to 22.

In past years, rides have included the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, and Whitwell, Tenn., to visit the home of the world renowned Paper Clip Project and Museum.

The group has participated in the New York City Israeli Day Parade in support of the Israeli Magen David Adom first responders.

In 2009, they rode to Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S . C . to support Holocaust education in both cities. Other destinations have included Skokie, Ill.; Virginia Beach, Toronto and Orange County, Calif.

Last year’s ride was to Nashville, with about 200 participants from groups like The Shul Boys, Shalom Chrome and Hillel’s Angels.

Birmingham has become a tourism magnet in the motorcycling world with the Barber Motorsports Park, the world’s largest motorcycle museum. By coincidence, the weekend of the Alliance’s visit is when Barber

will host its second annual Historics Weekend, featuring “historically significant racecars of all marques from the early days of the sport through the 1980s.” There will be on-track racing, car shows, a swap meet and many additional events.

The group is planning three options for rides on May 21, the Barber Museum is one of the choices. Other options are a Birmingham to Selma civil rights tour and a Talladega National Forest ride.

The weekend will start with a dinner at the Embassy Suites on May 19. On May 20 the Ride 2 Remember will start at 9:45 a.m., concluding with a ceremony at the Levite Jewish Community Center around 11 a.m. Shabbat services will be announced at a later date, along with the keynote speaker for Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

After the guided rides on May 21, the group will have a farewell buffet dinner at Regions Field at an outfield covered patio during a Birmingham Barons game.

The Alliance’s mission is “to create a global environment whereby members of the Jewish faith who ride motorcycles can congregate physically and through the Internet to share and exchange ideas about matters of concern to the Jewish community, as well as issues concerning motorcycles.”

Registration is open at ride2remember.com.

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community Baton Rouge’s Anna Aronson reigns as Queen of Washington Mardi Gras Except for February 1899, Mardi Gras festivities in Louisiana are never interrupted by snow, but a blizzard couldn’t stop the celebrations at a historic Washington Mardi Gras celebration by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians.

Anna Haspel Aronson of Baton Rouge, currently a first-year student at Tulane University, was named the Queen of this year’s event, and attorney James Williams became the first member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club to serve as king, on the 100th anniversary of Zulu’s formation.

Aronson and Williams were selected by Rep. Cedric Richmond to reign over the festivities, which took place the weekend of Jan. 22 at the Washington Hilton. Krewe Captain is Sen. David Vitter.

While the event began in the 1940s as a way for Louisianians in Washington to celebrate the Mardi Gras season, as much as 90 percent of the nearly 3,000 who attend the Mardi Gras Ball come from Louisiana each year, including the year’s queens from over 25 Louisiana festivals.

Aronson is the daughter of Mark and Laurie Aronson of Baton Rouge.

Anna is the granddaughter of Richard and Susan Lipsey and Benjamin and Mitzi Aronson, also of Baton Rouge.

During the 2014-15 school year, she was regional president of the National Federation of Temple Youth — South, having served the previous term as vice president of membership. She also was recognized for her volunteerism at the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center as a debutante in the Karnival Krewe de Louisiane.

At University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, she was a four year varsity cheerleader, treasurer of the National Honor Society, member of

the student council, Key Club, Spanish Club, and 2014 Homecoming Court.

She raised over $10,000 in donations for the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency and worked to get hundreds to register to become organ donors, and has also done community service projects in Israel.

Williams is a is a partner and the Head of Litigation at the law firm Chehardy, Sherman, Williams, Murray, Recile, Stakelum & Hayes, LLP. In 2009 he was appointed to serve as a temporary judge of Orleans Parish

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community Civil District Court Division J, and was the youngest judge in the state. Since then, he has been involved in numerous high-profile cases in the state.

A week before the Washington weekend, the Aronson family did what most of the queens have done in recent years — shipped an 18-wheeler with supplies, including clothes for all events, gift baskets, gifts, liquor, decorations, beads and throws, and items for their hospitality suite.

On Jan. 19, newly-elected Governor John Bel Edwards crowned Aronson at the Governor’s Mansion. The next night, events began in Washington.

On Jan. 21, Aronson and Williams laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a Ladies of Louisiana luncheon that included the wives of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation and new First Lady Donna Edwards.

Two balls followed that evening, including the Chairman’s Dinner Dance.

The main ball, on Jan. 22, was during the peak of the snowstorm. “We watched 20 inches of snow come down outside our hotel room window,” Laurie Aronson said.

Despite the weather, the ballroom was packed as the royalty paraded in, and small-scale Mardi Gras floats made their way through the room.

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The presentation and ball began at 7:30 p.m., with the Queen’s afterparty from midnight to 3:30 a.m.

As Laurie Aronson is president of Haspel, the company that popularized seersucker suits, the ballroom was decorated as an outdoor garden party, with a theme of “Seersucker and Sundresses.”

The concept isn’t foreign to Washington, as Haspel participates in a Seersucker Thursday on Capitol Hill every summer.

Among the thousands in attendance were many of Anna Aronson’s high school and college friends, along with other friends and family members from several states.

With almost everyone unable to travel on Jan. 23, Susan and Richard Lipsey threw an impromptu dinner party for about 50 or 60 guests who were also snowed in. Most of them were able to leave the next day after an unplanned extra night at the Hilton.

Governor Edwards was able to make his way to Charlottesville, Va., normally a two-hour drive, to fly back to Louisiana before most others were able to leave.

The weekend also included an economic development luncheon, and many state officials took the opportunity to network with Federal Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier officials.

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Kutik to perform for Pensa. Federation Yevgeny Kutik, a Masterworks guest artist with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, will perform at the annual meeting of the Pensacola Jewish Federation on March 31.

The meeting will be at Temple Beth-El at 6 p.m., with his performance beginning at 7 p.m.

His second album, “Music from the Suitcase: A Collection of Russian Miniatures” features music he found in his family’s suitcase after they immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus in 1990, when he was 5. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard classical chart.

Kutik made his debut in 2003 with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops as the 1st Prize recipient of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. In 2006 Kutik was awarded the Salon de Virtuosi Grant as well as the Tanglewood Music Center Jules Reiner Violin Prize.

He was a featured performer for the 2012 March of the Living observances, where he played for audiences at the Krakow Opera House and for over 10,000 people at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

He is an advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family as they immigrated to the U.S., and regularly speaks and performs across the country to both raise awareness and promote the assistance of refugees from around the world.

Kutik will perform with the symphony on April 2 at the Saenger Theatre. The 7:30 p.m. concert features Kutik performing Liadov’s “Kikimora,” Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 2” and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4.”

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Photo courtesy Graceland

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer and his wife Rhoda inspected Elvis Presley’s Chai necklace from the archives at Graceland while touring The King’s home on Feb. 22 during a visit to Memphis. He later spoke at Baron Hirsch.

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The book includes not only full-page detailed images, but photographs of the mosaic’s excavation and well-written scholarship on its history and context.

The mosaic has been on tour at museums including the Met in New York, the Louvre in Paris, and the Hermitage in St Petersburg, and is on display until May 15 of this year at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University.

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How a Jewish Yankee Hippie Went Country, or, the Often Outrageous History of Asleep at the Wheel

by Ray Benson and David Menconi

When Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson each give your book a blurb, you’ve done well. And that makes sense, when you consider that Ray Benson, a “6’7” Jewish Hippie from Philadelphia” took Asleep at the Wheel from its start in Paw Paw, W.Va., to opening for Alice Cooper, touring with Emmylou Harris, and sharing a stage with everyone from Van Morrison to George Strait.

Plenty of funny, strange, and funny-strange stories, like the time their bus driver yelled at a plainclothes cop who admitted the only reason he was going to let them off was because he eschewed the idea of doing ‘paperwork for a month.’ A very entertaining, fast read.

If you’d like to meet Ray and the group in person, they’ll be playing in Nashville this month.

THE SHOFAR: Its History and Use

by Jeremy Montagu

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20 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

The parameters of Shofar blowing are simple, right?

Three types of notes, a couple varieties of shofars, and they’re used on the High Holy Days. In fact, the shofar is a much more complex musical instrument, with different communities having different styles of the notes, using the horns of different animals, with different ways of carving the ends — and that’s just the beginning.

“The Shofar” by Jeremy Montagu is a scholarly yet accessible read on the laws, traditions and development of the shofar as we know it today, by someone who has been a shofar blower since the early 1960s. Montagu is former curator of the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments and lecturer at the University of Oxford, and president of the Galpin Society, the premier international society for the study of musical instruments.

This is the first book to detail the full range of historical, musical, antiquarian and religious issues for the oldest continuously-used musical instrument in the world. It includes more than 60 photographs from his personal collection of shofars from around the world.

The book also details secular uses for the shofar, and who can blow the shofar — and why. While the cover says it is ideal for Jews and Christians, the book concentrates on the original purpose of the shofar, namely, the Jewish use. Still, with shofars becoming more popular with evangelical Christians, this work also provides them with a valuable perspective on the instrument.

LOUISIANA’S SACRED PLACES: Churches, Cemeteries, and Voodoo

by Deborah Burst

As the author made her way through the glittering mosaics and soaring steeples one might expect in a book dedicated to spiritual locales, she made sure to include the spontaneous devotions, haunted plantations, and crumbling monuments that make up our region.

A chapter on rural cemeteries includes mention of the Jewish cemetery in Clinton, and the chapter on Voodoo features a profile of Sallie Ann Glassman, who maintains her Jewish identity even as she is known as the ‘Vodou’ priestess of New Orleans.

Seen as a tour guide of architecture, folkways and unusual spaces, the book is a glimpse into the spirits behind places that are too often passed by, their significance unnoticed.

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A personal story, told two ways Opera Birmingham brings composer Ricky Ian Gordon to town for “Orpheus,” “Green Sneakers” This month, Opera Birmingham is presenting two chamber operas

by Ricky Ian Gordon, one of the leading modern composers, many of whose works have a highly personal, autobiographical nature.

Though “Orpheus and Euridice” and “Green Sneakers” were composed a few years apart and seem to be set in two different eras, both were spurred by the 1996 death of Gordon’s partner, Jeffrey Michael Grossi, from AIDS at the age of 32.

“Orpheus and Euridice” “burst out of my sub-conscious,” Gordon said. “I had a need to tell this story of what happened to me and Jeffrey” and it came to him in a dream.

“I woke up and by 5 a.m. I had the whole libretto.”

It originally debuted in 2001, then a full production introduced the work at Lincoln Center in 2005.

“Orpheus and Euridice” “is a modern poetic interpretation of the classic Greek myth, with soprano and clarinetist embodying the characters in a highly choreographic performance unlike anything seen on Opera Birmingham’s stage before,” explained Keith A. Wolfe, general director of Opera Birmingham.

“Green Sneakers” came from a series of 20 poems Gordon wrote shortly after Grossi died. Sitting on the bed staring into the closet, he noticed the green sneakers they had purchased together a few months earlier.

The poems flew out, but “I put them away for years, I didn’t think about them.”

While he was in Utah working on the second production of his first full-scale opera, “Grapes of Wrath” in 2007, he was approached by the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado, where he was composer-in-residence, to do a new composition. “This entire piece came to me” from those poems, but he knew it was going to be much more than the requested 10 minutes — more like an hour. But “once a piece starts coming to you, you can’t hold it back.”

He wrote it, read the text to festival organizer Eugenia Zukerman and “she wept.”

“Green Sneakers” has its own life and history, but the Pittsburgh Opera then put it together with “Orpheus and Euridice” as a double-bill.

“They weren’t meant to be done together,” but “I love the way they work together,” he said.

Gordon explained that “Orpheus and Euridice is “the mythological retelling of the story and (“Green Sneakers”) is the bald-faced fact.” It is “such a different piece, it’s just reality.”

He is “really excited” about the performances in Birmingham. “You have some good singers doing it,” he said. The production will feature the Opera Birmingham debuts of acclaimed African-American soprano Talise Trevigne and leading edge contemporary baritone Matthew Worth.

Wolfe said the same theme of love and loss in “Orpheus and Euridice” takes “a much more personal and emotionally raw turn in ‘Green Sneakers’ with the baritone taking us on a journey of grief and eventual resolution that won’t leave a dry eye in the theatre.”

A New York native, Gordon’s mother was a Borscht Belt singer and

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his father was an electrician after coming home from World War II. The family was portrayed — with their real names — in the 1992 Donald Katz book “Home Fires: An Intimate Portrait of One Middle Class Family in Postwar America.”

One of his three sisters, Susan Gordon Lydon, was founding editor of Rolling Stone.

Gordon started taking piano lessons at age 5, at the home of a friend who was a year older. As his friend had his lesson, Gordon found a copy of the Victor Book of Opera and took it out of the bookshelf. “I remember it like it was one of those movie sequences.” He was “transfixed” by the book, where every page had the story of one of the great operas and a photo from a production.

Before long, he and his friend would take the train into town every Saturday to go to the opera, buying standing room tickets. Soon they would make their way backstage to meet the performers. “Little boys backstage in Franco Corelli’s dressing room — it was crazy,” he said.

He would frequent Music Masters, a rare recordings store in New York where “you could get recordings of everything,” and considered himself “just an admirer of music.”

He left high school early to enroll at Carnegie Mellon University at age 16, and had a revelation in his first semester. He figured his passion for playing the piano was “to explore the ideas of all the composers I loved,” and that perhaps he was a composer.

He inquired about that course of study at Carnegie Mellon, but had no examples of his own work to show them. As a break was approaching, he went home and wrote over 100 pages of music, and somehow “they were astonished and said yes.”

While he did some acting at Carnegie Mellon, from then on he always wrote music. “I get up every morning and I write,” he said. “I feel strange if I don’t put notes on paper” that day.

As a child, two of his older sisters would put him to sleep by reading poetry to him. “Poetry became a lullaby for me,” he said.

Eventually, he started setting his poems to music, “to say more than just notes.”

That passion for writing is serving him well, as he has recently done compositions on a wide range of historical subjects. In many of his recent works, he has found that his “Jewishness is sewn into the fabric of what I am doing and it comes out all over the place.”

“Morning Star” is about a Jewish family that immigrates to New York and is set with the backdrop of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The work ends with the entire Kaddish for the women who died in the fire.

Based on Giorgio Bassani’s novel, “Garden of the Finzi-Continis” is about a Jewish family in Italy during Mussolini’s rule. As the family is wealthy and assimilated they mistakenly believe they are impervious to what is going on around them. The show includes a setting of “Hashkiveinu,” in tribute to the Jews of Europe.

Other pieces show his range of historical influences, such as “A Coffin in Egypt,” based on a Horton Foote play about a 90-year-old grand dame in Egypt, Texas, who has outlived virtually everyone else, but can’t outlive the truth in a tale of murder, racism and recrimination.

“Rappahannock County” is set in the philosophical debates of the Civil War, and “Sycamore Trees” is about the secrets of modern suburbia.

With so many recent works being done in so many places, Gordon is constantly busy. “All of a sudden, I have a lot going on at once,” he said.

He was in Birmingham for the Opera Birmingham Gala on Feb. 26, and is planning to be at the Opera Birmingham production of his works in March.

Performances are March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and March 13 at 2:30 p.m. at the Red Mountain Theatre Cabaret. Adult tickets are $35 and $50 and can be purchased online at www.operabirmingham.org. Student tickets are $10, only at the door to ages 25 and under with a valid ID, subject to availability.

culture Jewish actor takes on role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet

by Lee J. Green On the surface, a young Jewish man from central New Jersey and a Southern-born, Christian rock-androll/rockabilly legend don’t seem to have much in common.

But both Jason Cohen and Jerry Lee Lewis, who Cohen plays in Theatre League’s Broadway in Birmingham production of “Million Dollar Quartet” March 11 to 13 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, shared a dream for making it big on the stage from a young age and the chutzpah to turns dreams into reality.

“My mom got me into the great American musicals and our family would go to see a lot of shows on Broadway,” said Cohen, “I knew from the time I was 8 years old that I would make my living in the theatre. I am grateful that my parents were very supportive.”

His mother grew up in Rochester, N.Y., but his father was from Morocco. He was in a Paris Yeshiva for eight years followed by eight years of service with the Israel Defense Forces before coming to the United States 30 years ago. “We introduced my dad to the American theatre and great musicals. It didn’t take him long to really get into them.”

Cohen hails from Marlboro, N.J., which has two Chabad centers and an influx of both Israeli and Russian Jews.

“Our family mostly went to the Conservative synagogue and I was at the Day School from third grade through eighth grade,” he said. “We were involved also with one of the Chabads in Marlboro. Since I travel a lot these days touring with the show, I mostly am involved with Chabads since it is easier to connect to different Chabads on my travels.”

Cohen and his father speak fluent Hebrew.

Cohen earned a scholarship to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying at the Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He spent his junior year in an exchange program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

“That was the most incredible time. I learned so much there. It was all Shakespeare and unlike anything I had experienced previously in American theatre,” said Cohen.

He spent most of the summers of 2012 and 2013 in Israel. In one summer he lived and studied at a Jerusalem Yeshiva. He also went on a Birthright Israel trip for a summer with a Rutgers University group.

“Being able to live in Israel, explore and learn has been such special experience for me. It has helped me to understand in some ways how it was for my dad, even though things have changed over the years,” he said.

After his time at NYU, Cohen worked with a few professional theatre companies in New York and New Jersey. He also worked as a music director and orchestrator on several shows.

“Million Dollar Quartet” opened in Chicago in 2008 and debuted on Broadway in 2010. The actor who played Jerry Lee Lewis won a Tony Award that year. In mid-2011, the show started its first national tour.

The show centers on Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, starting when they all met while recording at Memphis’ Sun Studios in 1956.

“Ours is the second national tour. I had some friends in the first national tour and they recommended that I audition,” said Cohen. “I only knew

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 23

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24 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

the song ‘Great Balls of Fire’ when I auditioned but I really gravitated to the persona of Jerry Lee Lewis.”

It helped that Cohen had the right look, singing ability and was an accomplished piano player. But it took some studying to play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis and really embody the character.

“People know his music and his style playing piano. When he is standing up and playing piano, his right foot is at a certain angle and he bends from the waist,” he said. “It is those little details that I focused on to help me become Jerry Lee Lewis.”

Since starting last year, the tour has already hit many cities across the U.S. and will continue to July 1. Cohen said this will be his first time visiting the Deep South region and Alabama.

“I am looking forward to getting some Southern hospitality and I know people in the South really respond to these legends who really got their start in Memphis,” he said.

Cohen said while a majority of those in the audience are older adults, he has enjoyed seeing some young kids get exposed to the music and really get into it. “At a recent show a 9-year-old girl comes dancing down the aisles and just enjoyed it so much. That’s what music and theatre can do. They can connect people of different generations and from different places,” he said.

“Phantom, “Dirty Dancing” in new season Last month, Theatre League announced its 2016-17 season of shows for the Broadway in Birmingham series.

“Broadway Christmas Wonderland” starts the season Dec. 16 to 18.

Then the “Dirty Dancing” musical, based on the popular 1980s movie, hits the BJCC Concert Hall stage Jan. 13 to 15.

The international percussion sensation “Stomp” show comes for one night only, on Feb. 21, followed on Feb. 24 to 26 by “Once,” the winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards.

The world-renowned, classic musical “The Phantom of the Opera” closes out the season April 5 to 16.

Theatre League President Mark Edelman said for 2016-17 they are adding a Sunday matinee for every show so that those who observe the Sabbath can have another option for seeing the productions.

“We are thrilled to bring the spectacular new production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ to the BJCC Concert Hall along with an impressive line-up of Broadway’s best and brightest national tours,” said Edelman.

“We’re proud to be a part of the community and we’re very excited about this season.”

“New Jerusalem” playwright’s one acts being performed at Theatre Downtown Theatre Downtown in Birmingham will perform six one-act plays from “All in the Timing,” written by David Ives, March 17 to April 2 at 8 p.m. on Thursdays to Saturdays.

Ives also wrote “New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza,” the story of the 17th century Jewish philosopher who was regarded as a heretic at the time. The production has been a hit off-Broadway.

The six humorous one-acts were written between 1987 and 1993. The shows include “Sure Thing,” “Words, Words, Words,” “The Universal Language” “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread,” “The Philadelphia” and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.”

Southern Jewish Life Associate Publisher Lee J. Green plays Mark in “The Philadelphia.”

For more information and to reserve tickets, go to www.theatredowntown.org.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 25

community Sirote & Permutt, P.C. celebrates 70 years of service Q&A with Karl Friedman Sirote & Permutt, P.C., a full-service law firm with six offices in Alabama and Florida, including Huntsville, Mobile and Pensacola is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. One of Sirote’s founding partners, Karl B. Friedman, remains an active shareholder at the original Birmingham office.

He is a past president of the Levite Jewish Community Center and Temple Beth-El, and is known throughout the community as “Uncle Bub.” Southern Jewish Life recently chatted with Friedman regarding Sirote’s history, its ties to the Jewish community and its commitment to serving its clients and the community.

Q: How did Sirote & Permutt, P.C. get started as a law firm?

Friedman: Sirote & Permutt was founded in Birmingham by General Edward Friend, Jr., Morris Sirote and James “Jimmy” Permutt in 1946. I knew Jimmy growing up because our families had a close relationship with each other — our mothers played cards together and were friends.

I served as a fighter pilot during World War II. After the War was over, I worked as an assistant for an Air Force Judge Advocate. I learned about the practice of law, taking depositions and trying cases. Upon my discharge from the Air Force, I was planning to work in South America, teaching people how to fly airplanes. But Jimmy contacted me and persuaded me to apply to the University of Alabama School of Law. Once I was accepted, I told Jimmy and he said “you have a long, hard road ahead of you, but whenever you are ready to practice law, I will make a place for you.” I joined Sirote after graduating from law school in 1948.

Q: How has Sirote’s ties to the Jewish community played a role in the firm’s history?

Early on in my legal career, we represented several retailers and small businesses, many of whom were owned and operated by members of the Jewish community. Our representation of these clients involved trial work, collections work and general business work.

At the same time, we began to hire Jewish attorneys because they had trouble getting jobs at other law firms in town. Over time, we started to develop a strong reputation in the Jewish community and the city of Birmingham overall, viewed by many as hard-working attorneys who provided excellent service in an efficient manner for a reasonable price.

Q: Tell us about Sirote’s involvement with civic, religious and social organizations in the community.

From the beginning, Sirote has emphasized a commitment to serving the community, whether it is providing pro bono services to civic, religious and social organizations or serving in leadership roles for such organizations across the state.

During the 1960s, I was active with the Civil Rights Movement as a representative of the Jewish community. I met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders in Birmingham to demonstrate the Jewish 26 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

community community’s support for the movement and coordinated the arrival of Jewish activists from all over the country who wanted to protest alongside Dr. King and his supporters.

Many of our attorneys have served in leadership roles for numerous organizations, including several Jewish organizations and synagogues.

We make it a point at our firm to give back and serve the community as much as we can.

Q: What characteristics will help Sirote continue to grow over the next seventy years?

We will continue to do what we have always done — work hard, be available to our clients at all times, and produce quality work. I’ve always been a people person and I still help family members of clients with various matters — I have been representing some families for five generations! Some people may do it for the money, but we do it for the people.

It’s been fun.

BHEC holds month of films, lectures The Birmingham Holocaust Education Center is holding its annual Holocaust Speaker Series at the downtown branch of the Birmingham Public Library, featuring free talks by local and out-of-town speakers.

The annual Holocaust in Film series started on Feb. 28 at the Emmet O’Neal Library, featuring discussions led by University of Alabama at Birmingham History Professor Andre Millard after each film.

The speaker series started on March 2 at noon with background for the March 5 “Remember Their Voices” performance. Birmingham AIDS Outreach Executive Director Karen Musgrave gave historic background on the Nazi persecution of gay men and the symbolism of the Pink Triangle.

“Remember Their Voices” was presented by BHEC and BAO on March 5 at the newly-renovated Lyric Theatre. Jake Heggie’s “For a Look or a Touch” is a work dealing with the experiences of German homosexuals during the Holocaust. Completed in 2007, the two-character opera is based on the journal of Manfred Lewin, a gay Jew murdered at Auschwitz with his entire family, and the memories of his lover, Gad Beck.

The second opera was “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” based on the poems and drawings of the children of Terezin concentration camp.

On March 9 at noon, Guardians of Remembrance speaker Denise Lewis will tell the story of her father, Roger Nathan Blum. While visiting a cousin in the U.S., Blum’s parents, sister and cousin were captured by the Nazis and taken to Struthof. After deciding to remain in the U.S., Blum was drafted and sent to fight in France.

On March 14 at 6 p.m., James Sedlis will present the story of his father Gabriel Sedlis, a Jewish Partisan during the Holocaust.

The series concludes on March 22 at 6 p.m. as Esther Levy and Bari Katz present the story of local resident and Holocaust survivor Dora Nesselroth.

The film series at Emmet O’Neal began with “Karski and the Lords of Humanity” on Feb. 28, and “Einsatzgruppen: The Death Brigades” on March 3.

“Radical Evil,” on March 13 at 2 p.m., is Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky’s exploration of how ordinary people can become mass murderers, concentrating on Nazi soldiers in Eastern Europe who murdered Jewish civilians with pistols and rifles between 1941 and 1943.

The film is based on quotations from the perpetrators and features interviews with psychiatrists, historians and genocide experts, as well as Benjamin Ferencz, one of the chief prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials, coming to the conclusion that there was nothing unique about the Nazi killers.

The series concludes with “Phoenix,” April 3 at 2 p.m. The film is a haunting portrait of identity, loss, and the search for answers in postWorld War II Berlin. A disfigured concentration camp survivor, unrecognizable after facial reconstruction surgery, searches ravaged Berlin for the husband who might have betrayed her to the Nazis.

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March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 27

community After Limmud, Hoffman to speak on Biblical mistranslations in Hattiesburg

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After speaking at Limmud in New Orleans on March 20, author Joel Hoffman, who writes about how mistranslations over the centuries have led to misunderstandings about what the Bible actually says, will speak in Hattiesburg on March 21.

His 6:30 p.m. appearance will be at the University of Southern Mississippi’s International Center, room 101. There will be an opportunity to meet him after the lecture and purchase signed copies of his latest book, “The Bible Doesn’t Say That: 40 Biblical Mistranslations, Misconceptions and Other Misunderstandings.”

The 40 examples in the book cover everything from morality to lifestyle, theology and Biblical imagery.

The talk is presented by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, with the Southern Miss Department of Philosophy and Religion and Temple B’nai Israel.

Hoffman is the chief translator for the 10-volume series, “My People’s Prayer Book.” His previous books include “And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning,” and “The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor: The Holy Scriptures Missing From Your Bible.”

His Limmud talks in New Orleans on March 20 will be “Will the Real Bible Please Stand Up” at 10:15 a.m. and “The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor” at 4 p.m.

Shreveport to hold Jewish Film Festival The Shreveport Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the North Louisiana Jewish Federation, returns to the Robinson Film Center April 10 to 14, with an opening reception on April 10.

As of press time, the lineup had not been set, but a list of anticipated films has been released.

“Dough” is the story of a widowed Jewish baker in London whose bakery is past its prime and of no interest to his sons. He hires a Muslim teen from Darfur, who sells marijuana on the side. One day some of it accidentally finds its way into the challah dough, leading to a new appreciation for the bakery.

“The Gatekeepers” is an Israeli documentary that interviews six of the former heads of Shin Bet, Israel’s security service, about the agency’s successes and failures. It was nominated for a Best Feature Documentary Academy Award in 2013.

“Rosenwald” is the story of the president of Sears who teamed with Alabama’s Booker T. Washington to develop over 5,000 “Rosenwald Schools” for black students from 1912 to 1933.

“Run Boy Run” is the true story of a Polish boy who relies on the kindness of strangers as he tries to survive the Nazi regime, ultimately posing as a Christian war orphan.

Short films include “Hannah Cohen’s Holy Communion,” “The Train,” “Ellis,” “Of Many” and “Bamidbar.”

“Son of Saul” in Baton Rouge “Son of Saul,” the Hungarian film which won the Best Foreign Film Academy Award last month, will be at the Manship Theatre on March 26 at 2 p.m. The screening is presented by the Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival, which was held in January. Tickets are $8 and are available on the Manship Theatre website.

The film is about a Hungarian Jew at Auschwitz, one of the Sonderkommando who burns the dead. One day he finds a body he takes to be his son, so he tries to give the boy a proper burial and find a rabbi to assist. While trying to accomplish that, he gets into a rebellion plot with a few of the other prisoners.

28 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

simchas an annual SJL special section

Wedding at Workplay in Birmingham

Where to celebrate? Wide range of venues have ways to make your simcha unique and kosher-style meals. “We are able to accommodate any dietary or religious restrictions our guests may have,” said Barnes. “If bringing in outside chefs or equipment is required to meet the needs, we will prepare accordingly.”

Led by Executive Chef Thierry Connault, the The Ritz-Carlton’s culinary team can customize any menu and provide hosts with a tasting ahead of time.

Set within the historic 1908 Beaux Arts Maison Blanche building, the hotel opened as the Ritz-Carlton in October 2000. It closed in August 2005 after Katrina and re-opened again in December 2006.

The hotel includes 527 luxury guest rooms and suites that blend “elegant décor with modern amenities.”

Its M Bistro offers a farm-to-table dining experience and guests can enjoy live music in the Davenport Lounge every Wednesday through Saturday night. The Destination Spa offers more than 100 treatments and is the largest in the city.

by Lee J. Green For those hosting celebrations in the Southern Jewish Life magazine coverage area, options about for places to have them at.

Ritz-Carlton New Orleans For those hosting Simchas in New Orleans, it can be as easy as “Putting on the Ritz.”

The Ritz-Carlton’s “experienced team of professionals ensure that events in our New Orleans hotel are a success,” said Ritz-Carlton New Orleans Communications Director Kirsten Barnes.

The hotel offers more than 35,000 square feet of meeting room space.

Its 26 meeting rooms include two ballrooms, including the 7,500-squarefoot Grand and 3,500-square-foot Junior, one boardroom and 23 breakout rooms.

The Ritz-Carlton also includes private event spaces in its French Quarter Bar, Library Lounge, courtyard and Mercier terrace courtyard.

“But what really defines us is our professional, experienced dedicated team that can handle all the detailed planning and execution of a corporate event or special celebration in New Orleans,” added Barnes.

She said the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans hosted three Jewish weddings already within the first two months of 2016. For one of the Jewish wedding receptions they hosted, the accommodated 500 for a sit-down dinner but the Grand Ballroom can hold up to 800 guests for a reception.

The hotel does not have a kosher kitchen but has served both kosher

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 29

simchas

B&A Warehouse, Birmingham

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Located on the edges of Railroad Park and the Regions Park baseball stadium in downtown Birmingham, the B&A Warehouse offers an “open palate that celebration hosts can customize to their hearts’ content” for parties of 10 to more than 1,000.

On March 5, the facility was scheduled to host the McLeod-Copeland wedding and reception for 225 guests. The décor for this event features a lot of purple, with a turkey carving station, fried rice station, an egg roll station, a grits station, tater tots, chicken sliders and more.

“Those stations have become very popular in recent years. Just like people like to be able to customize an event, people at the event like to be able to customize what they want to eat,” said B&A Warehouse Sales and Marketing Manager Haley Roebuck.

The bride and groom selected the B&A because it had a “rustic, urban feel with exposed brick in downtown Birmingham.” It was convenient for the ceremony and reception, plus knowing that the B&A was “coordinating all of the details,” said the mother of the bride.

Roebuck said the B&A hosted a similar-sized Schiff-Datnoff wedding and reception a couple of years ago. “People like the convenience of bringing in a rabbi to have the wedding and reception at the same place.

It makes it easy on the guests,” said Roebuck.

Last year the B&A hosted the Cohn-Weismann Bat Mitzvah for two best friends, which featured a smores bar and a “death by chocolate” candy table.

“People like the space because it is versatile and they can use more than one room to expand the space,” said Roebuck. “Plus we can work with them to play out the theme with décor, lighting, props, whatever they want.”

She said that menus can be customized to fit an event and the culinary team has even made “grandma’s old recipes.” Some of the new menu options include antipasto picks appetizers, gluten-free meatballs, mushroom pecan bites, biscuit stations and even bacon stations that can be kosher-style with turkey bacon dipped in chocolate.

“If they can dream it, we can do it,” said Roebuck

Vulcan Park and Museum, Birmingham On Feb. 14 several couples said “I Do” while being watched over by the world’s largest cast iron statue high atop Red Mountain overlooking downtown Birmingham.

Among the several couples at I Do With A View on Valentine’s Day were Barbara and Stuart Royal, renewing their vows for their 44th wedding anniversary. For $500 couples got a tent at Vulcan Park and Museum, chairs for 20 people, flowers, light appetizers, an officiant and a souvenir swag bag.

“It’s really special to have a wedding up here at this historic site with such a beautiful view,” said Vulcan Park and Museum Marketing/PR Director Morgan Berney. “It’s significant to say that you got married or had a reception at Vulcan.”

Over the past few years, Vulcan Park and Museum has hosted several Jewish weddings, Bar-Bat Mitzvahs and other events for those in the community.

Last September, the “Darkness Into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors through Photography and Art” exhibition opened in the Museum’s gallery. It will be up until May 16.

simchas

On April 21, Vulcan presents “A Slippery Slope: The Consequences of Hate.” This 5 p.m. musical performance includes original poetry and scores by Birmingham Holocaust Education Center Vice President of Development Deborah Layman along with Alan Goldspiel, chair of the University of Montevallo’s Department of Music. Tickets are $8 for members and $10 for non-members.

The performance by The Seasoned Performers will include readings from personal testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Joining Goldspiel on guitar are violinist Marilyn Pipkin and vocalist Gabriel Tajeu. The performance is a combination of the traditional Klezmer melodies from Eastern European Jewish culture and African-American spirituals.

The music and readings together are used to parallel the struggles of Alabama’s Holocaust survivors and the Civil Rights Movement.

Next up in the Museum gallery will be an exhibition that details the revitalization of the Five Points South neighborhood in Birmingham starting in the 1980s through photography and stories. It will open May 28.

Hyatt French Quarter, New Orleans The Hyatt French Quarter hotel combines old world charm with modern elegance and a nod to the distinct flavor of New Orleans.

Daniel Henry Holmes designed and built the building in 1849 as the DH Holmes department store. In the 1980s it became a Dillard’s department store. When Dillard’s closed the site became the Chateau Sonesta in 1995, then the Chateau Bourbon. It was purchased by the Hyatt corporation, which invested $20 million in renovations before opening as the Hyatt French Quarter in 2012.

Sales and Marketing Director Gina Chimeno said that they hosted many holiday parties with their winter wonderland-themed décor. Then there was much celebrating with Mardi Gras.

“We have 10,600 square feet of meeting room space and 254 rooms. We host all types of celebrations, business meetings and conventions. Every event can be customized so it’s exactly as the hosts want it,” said Chimeno.

She said the Hyatt French Quarter’s expert culinary team can customize any menu and have increased the number of items available that are gluten-free, kosher-style and vegetarian to meet special dietary requests.

Chimeno describes the cuisine as American with a Louisiana flair.

They are currently updating and expanding their wedding menus and recently welcomed new wedding coordinator Caitlin Minor, who came from The Riverview in Connecticut, where they host more than 300 weddings a year.

Chimeno said the largest event she can remember the hotel hosting since its inception was a major business function for Cox Communications that included more than 400 people. “We can handle events large and small,” she said.

Bumper Nets, Birmingham area Children and adults can play together — everything from pool to table tennis to darts to arcade games — in celebrations held at Bumper Nets in the Riverchase Galleria.

Started as America’s first table tennis store, Bumper Nets has expanded over the years and now includes three stores located right by each other — the main store, the arcade and Bumper Nets Jr. for younger kids.

“The great things about Bumper Nets are that kids and adults can find

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 31

simchas

things they enjoy doing and for parties everyone gets unlimited play,” said Bumper Nets Customer Service Director Hannah Waites.

Owner Homer Brown, who is one of the top senior table tennis players in the world, said they have had parties of as few as 12 people and as many as 150 enjoying special celebrations. “We have something for everyone,” said Brown. “It’s great to see kids today who were mostly raised on video games to learn how fun pool, table tennis, air hockey and pinball machines can be.”

Waites said party hosts pay a flat fee based on the number of hours.

They can bring in food and non-alcoholic drink.

“It’s a great way to bring families together and celebrate something or just celebrate life,” she said.

Bumper Nets just got a brand new “Star Wars” sit-in-and-drive arcade game based on the new movie that also harkens back to the fourth, fifth and sixth movies. They also now have a “Game of Thrones” pinball machine.

Brown said Bumper Nets is also the second largest pinball venue in the United States. They have weekly pinball and table tennis tournaments at the store.

“People can buy pool tables, pinball machines, dart boards, table tennis and arcade games from us to have at their own homes” he said.

Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham The sky’s the limit on celebrations at the historic Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham.

On April 2 the Museum will host the Koretsky-Zonder engagement party. The event will take up the entire museum and more than 200 guests are expected to attend.

“The bridge and groom-to-be had a special helicopter flight on the

32 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

trip during which they got engaged,” said Southern Museum of Flight Marketing/PR Director Liz Grady. “They thought the Museum was the perfect tie-in.”

In late 2014, the Southern Museum of Flight hosted a Bat Mitzvah for Raquel Wolnek. It had a gymnastics theme and featured a tattoo artist as well as a photo booth. Approximately 170 guests attended the Bat Mitzvah.

The Southern Museum of Flight can host an event for up to 400 people standing or 200 for a seated event.

Grady said that March is National Women’s History Month, so they will have several events this month honoring some of history’s great female aviators. For more information go to www.southernmuseumofflight.org.

simchas

The Southern Hotel, Covington The historic Southern Hotel, located in Covington just 40 minutes from downtown New Orleans, offers a backdrop of old world charm and modern elegance.

The hotel’s celebrated history of hospitality began in 1907 as a physical and spiritual retreat. The hotel was considered by many to be the central gathering place for community events for more than 50 years.

In 2011, the hotel’s new owners began a two-year renovation and restoration, motivated by a desire to return the building to what it once was. It reopened on June 1, 2014, 107 years to the date from its original opening.

For celebrations, the hotel offers several options for both inside the hotel and in its courtyard, which includes a flowing fountain and gardens.

The Camellia ballroom at The Southern Hotel can accommodate up to 225 guests for a reception-style event and up to 140 seated. The adjacent Camellia sunroom can seat 55 or 70 reception-style.

The Southern Hotel event menus are created by award-winning chef Jeffrey Hansell of the on-site restaurant Ok Lot 9, named after the historic Covington grid system. Guests at the hotel can also enjoy specialty cocktails at the Cypress Bar, with its backlit bar and murals of historic Covington postcards by world-renowned muralist Grahame Menage.

Workplay, Birmingham For those who want to celebrate where some of the top names in modern and classic rock play, Workplay is just the place. Located in Birmingham’s southside, Workplay offers venue space for all types of simchas.

On Sept. 26, 2015, Workplay hosted the Schulman-Campusano wedding and reception in its soundstage and canteen. More than 150 people attended.

The wedding’s color theme was red and aqua with gold accents. Branches and trees were used as a part of the décor.

“When I saw the set up for the first time on our wedding day it took my breath away,” said bride Sarah Schulman. “Everything was perfect, and I am so happy we chose Workplay as the setting in which to begin our lives together as a married couple.”

For more information about private events hosting at Workplay and for the concert calendar go to www.workplay.com.

Sheraton/Westin Birmingham Located in the thriving Uptown entertainment district next to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the Westin and Sheraton hotels offer a combined 385,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 33

simchas

Simchas are just cooler with planes

space and 1,051 guest rooms.

Those guest rooms include outdoor patios, with plush signature amenities along with other benefits afforded to Starwood Preferred Guests.

Within the past couple of years, the hotels have hosted a couple of wedding receptions for those in the Jewish community as well as individual and group stays for those in the celebrations.

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For those who want their celebration to have a unique New Orleans style by including bowling, some of the best musical entertainment in the city and great food, Rock-n-Bowl is up their alley.

Mid-city’s Rock n Bowl considers itself a bowling alley, music venue, events venue and a restaurant. They have hosted some Jewish wedding receptions, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays and even the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team while they were in town last year for the Sugar Bowl.

The owners of Rock N Bowl also own Ye Olde College Inn across the street and an urban farm nearby. They purchased the restaurant in 2003 and completely remodeled after Katrina. They use the farm as a resource for the restaurant. They have a banquet room on the facility grounds that they rent out for smaller parties.

Rock n Bowl has live music every Wednesday through Sunday, which ranges from cover bands to Zydeco and Cajun nights. They also go all out for New Orleans Jazzfest. This year Tab Benoit, Honey Island Swamp Band, Bonerama and many others will perform.

Recently Rock n Bowl hosted Bridge House’s 7th annual Recycled Fashion Show. “We really try to do it all here,” said Marketing Director Faye Broussard. “We are a family and we treat our customers like family.”

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The Westin Huntsville hotel, located just a couple miles from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is in some rarified air — being the only four-diamond hotel in Huntsville/Madison County and with a sales and catering team that brings much experience coordinating kosher and kosher-style events there.

With rooms for small groups and large ones up to 500 people, they have more meeting space than any hotel in the area and an experienced management team.

The hotel features 210 guest rooms and is located in the Bridge Street Towne Centre, which offers upscale shopping. All rooms feature Westin’s “heavenly beds.”

For travelers, the Westin Huntsville offers a concierge service and is happy to recommend things to do when staying at the hotel. In addition to the Space and Rocket Center, the hotel is convenient to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and the Burritt Museum on Monte Sano Mountain.

For those who live in the area and want to have their Simchas at the Westin Huntsville, customizable opportunities abound, including experience with kosher and kosher-style catering.

simchas

Take your event to the next level

by Lee J. Green

Whiteoak Productions turns event entertainment up a notch For those who want a traditional Second Line for their wedding, Bar-Bat Mitzvah or other simchas, Whiteoak Productions is the place to call first.

“These are once-in-a-lifetime events and we want to make it special. Whatever someone wants as it pertains to entertainment, we have the experience and connections to make it happen,” said Ed White, who founded Whiteoak Productions in 1977 while he was still a musician playing in the New Orleans area.

He said the Second Lines have been popular, especially at weddings. “How cool is it to go from the synagogue to the reception with a Second Line band?” Whiteoak handles all the permits and police escorts that are required for the marches.

Over the years Whiteoak had provided the entertainment for numerous Jewish weddings, Bar-Bat Mitzvahs and other special events. Its team of creative agents can put together entertainment to match any theme for any budget, ranging from marching bands to rhythm and blues bands to Cajun/Zydeco to jazz.

Whiteoak has also booked numerous regional and national acts including KC and the Sunshine Band, The Four Tops, Bonnie Raitt and the Neville Brothers. The company has been the recipient of the Offbeat Magazine Best Booking Agency award from 1998 to 2015.

White said they have coordinated and booked entertainment for numerous music festivals locally, nationally and internationally, including events for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

“Whatever someone imagines for the special event, we can do. We have the resources to get, for example, U2, but it will cost a pretty penny,” said White.

Amerson Events enhances your theme From the David and Blair Rosen wedding this past September to the Star Wars Imax Film Celebration in December at the McWane Center, Amerson Events makes event entertainment out of this world.

“To make an event memorable and to really play out a theme, there are many options we can provide with music, lighting, interactive video presentation, photo booth with props, snow and fog machines — whatever they dream up, we can make it happen,” said Owner Chris Amerson.

TripAdvisor #1 Most Romantic Hotel in the U.S.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 35

simchas

He started doing some deejay work in 1988 to help pay for college. Amerson would earn degrees in Electrical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering, but felt like being involved with music and radio was his calling.

He worked for years at Birmingham radio stations WERC and Magic 96.7. Amerson even was the deejay for the 1996 Olympic soccer events in the Magic City.

Years later he started up his own event entertainment busi- An outdoor movie party ness. “I wanted to go beyond just being a deejay. I could see how music, lighting, effects and video projection could be interwoven to provide a more entertaining event experience,” said Amerson.

Amerson has worked numerous events for those in the Jewish community the past couple of years including the Berger Bat Mitzvah last December at Regions Field, with a “Winter Wonderland” theme; Mark Schaeffer’s 30th birthday party with karaoke, and Rabbi Steven Jacobs’ son’s wedding in November 2014 at Sweet Apple Farms.

Chaps Party Rental gives your event a unique look Chaps Party Rentals, located in the Elmwood Business District of New Orleans, brings many years of experience and knowledge of what is new and trending with a wide range of items for any celebration — from tents to tablecloths.

Chaps Owner Ken Bernard said brides and party planners are looking for unique events. “They are tired of the same old cookie cutter items of the past. They are looking for odd-shaped tents such as Chaps Party rentals’ six-sided tents. They are also looking for the natural look,” he said.

“In the wedding category, brides want professional photo booths that offer social media in them. They want their guests to be able to email pictures and post on Facebook about their wedding while it is going on.

They also want a copy of the prints to share for years to come. Our photo booths are the quickest, generating prints in less than eight seconds so there are no long lines at the booth,” he said.

Perhaps the biggest trend Chaps is seeing is the desire for customer service. “They are looking for advice as far as how big a dance floor, how many plates or glasses do I need or how large of a tent do I need. Chaps can help them and will spend the time with them planning their event,” said Bernard.

Chaps offers dance floors, staging, catering supplies, linen, china, glassware, tables and chairs in many colors and sizes. “If we don’t have it we will find it for them,” he added.

John’s Tuxedos gets you dressed for the occasion John’s Tuxedos has been helping grooms and groomsmen look their best since 1984. The locally owned and operated, full-service men’s formalwear store located in Metairie has also handled their share of Bar Mitzvahs, proms and other special celebrations.

Its team of trained professionals has years of experience assisting brides and grooms in selecting the ideal look for their wedding. They have an extensive in-store inventory and offer on-site alterations. They are in the Best of Weddings Hall of Fame for The Knot magazine.

Village Bridal offers biggest names in gowns Village Bridal turned an old mechanic shop in Homewood into a beautiful space carrying some of the biggest names and styles in bridal gowns.

36 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

simchas Now Booking Appointments Mary Watkins, with her daughters Anna and Tracey, started Village Bridal late last year. Their goal is to offer brides a memorable shopping experience when searching for their wedding gown.

Dress styles range from Bohemian and whimsical to traditional. Some of Village Bridal’s selected designers include Rue de Seine, Truvelle, Rebecca Schoneweld and Theia Couture.

For those who need their gowns and other formal wear cleaned, Mary Watkins’ husband Johnny owns the nearby Watkins Cleaners in Homewood.

Party City expands in-house custom printing

by Lee J. Green Party City has reason to celebrate the launching of its in-store custom invitation, banner and publishing services at its Hoover and Elmwood store location in Harahan by early April.

Vic Kennison, president of Party City’s regional franchise with 18 stores in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle, said they are proud to announce the launch of the custom invitation and printing services in Birmingham and New Orleans, with other markets and stores likely to follow.

“Our experienced team will help customers to customize their invitations, party items, banners and other custom publishing on our automated, digital touch-screen systems,” said Kennison.

The addition of the custom invitations and printing department at the Hoover store on Highway 31 coincides with a major store remodeling that will be completed next month.

“This fits well with our goal to be a one-stop party shop; to allow individuals the opportunity to customize their invitations and celebrations,” he said.

Party City stores across the region have also expanded their “Color City” sections. This includes a vast array of party supplies in a wide range of colors for school spirit parties and other color-specific-themed events. That includes Candy City, which allows people to include sweets and treats in the theme colors of their party.

Kennison said the Party City stores in the region continue to grow their theme departments, and popular seasonal categories such as Mardi Gras, Luau, Costumes and Costume Accessories stay up “year-round” at many locations. During most of the year, the stores feature approximately 120 linear feet of costumes and accessories for sale. That figure increases to over 400 linear feet during the Halloween season starting in September.

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March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 37

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The schedule for LimmudFest in New Orleans will feature approximately 90 learning sessions and programming for ages 3 to 6 and 7 to 12.

Registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. on March 18 at Gates of Prayer. Candlelighting will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by Orthodox, Conservative and Reform services at 7 p.m.

Shabbat dinner will be at 8:15 p.m. As of late February, there were only 30 seats remaining for the dinner. A Shabbat Tisch will follow at 9:30 p.m.

On March 19, a Shabbat contemplative service, Conservative service and Orthodox service will start at 9 a.m. Children’s services start at 10 a.m., along with the Reform service. Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburgh of Alexandria will lead a Shabbat sing-a-long at 10:45 a.m., followed by lunch at 11:45 a.m.

The first set of hour-long classes will start at 1 p.m., then continue at 2:30, 4 and 5:15 p.m.

Among the 5:15 p.m. presentations is one by Southern Jewish Life publisher Larry Brook.

Each time slot has seven or eight presentations to choose from.

Mincha will be held at 6:30, followed by the third Shabbat meal at 7, a traditional Havdalah at 8, and a communal Havdalah at 8:15. At 8:30 p.m. there will be a Spoken Word performance, “I Am Jewish,” by Andrew Lustig, and a screening of Above and Beyond,” the story of the origins of Israel’s Air Force.

On March 20 the festival shifts to Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center, with registration at 8:30 a.m. Sessions will be at 9 a.m., then at 10:15 and 11:30. Lunch will be at 12:30 p.m., then sessions resume at 1:30, 2:45 and 4.

A closing concert at 5:15 p.m., led by Laine Kaplan-Levinson, will feature a spoken word poem created at LimmudFest, singalong with Deborah Mintz and Cantor David Mintz, some flamenco and more.

Those interested in attending can choose between purchasing a 3-day pass and purchasing a Sunday+ ticket that includes Saturday night.

There are different prices for adults, young adults, and children. Using the code SJL gives $10 off a 3-day pass.

The complete schedule of talks and presenters can be found at limmudnola.org.

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38 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

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Celebrating Purim in the South Birmingham will have its first community-wide Purim-Palooza involving the Birmingham Jewish Federation and Foundation, PJ Library, Chabad of Alabama, Collat Jewish Family Services, Knesseth Israel, the Levite Jewish Community Center, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School and Temple Beth-El. Costumes are encouraged.

The event starts with a free carnival at 4:30 p.m. on March 23 at the LJCC. Dinner will be available for purchase. At 5 p.m. there will be a Children’s Megillah Storytime for ages 5 and under, facilitated by Chabad and PJ Library.

At 5:30 p.m. there will be an egalitarian megillah reading facilitated

by Temple Beth-El Rabbis Randall Konigsburg and Joseph Robinson. At 7:30 p.m. there will be a women’s megillah reading with women from the community, and a traditional megillah reading with Rabbi Eytan Yammer.

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The New Orleans JCC, on the other hand, has been doing this for years.

The 47th annual community-wide Purim celebration will be held on March 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Uptown JCC. There will be food, music, games and activities for all ages. The inflatables are back, along with the “Human Hamster Balls,” which made their debut last year. Food items include Middle Eastern delicacies and New York-style deli items, snowballs, popcorn and homemade hamantashen, baked by the Young Women of Hadassah in the tradition of the New American Social Club.

Admission to the carnival is free and open to the community. A children’s All Day Play Pass is $12, or $10 with a donation of nonperishable items for the Broadmoor Food Pantry.

In Huntsville, Temple B’nai Sholom will have three performances of “You Can’t Stop That Spiel.” Director Fred Tamm-Daniels said it is the eighth in a series of “tongue-in-cheek Purim musicals telling the story of Esther through the music of Broadway.

The show is done in the style of a local theater production with live accompaniment.

This year’s production has 14 musical numbers from shows like “The Book of Mormon,” “Wicked” and “Hairspray.” The opening number is a takeoff of “Hello” from “The Book of Mormon.”

The previous show, “Chicago — the Megillah” sold out two of three performances.

Performances are at B’nai Sholom on March 3, 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. A dessert reception follows on opening night. Tickets are $10 and went on sale on Feb. 10.

Auburn’s Beth Shalom will “Shtick together and eat pizza” for Purim on March 24 at 6 p.m. This year’s theme is Elvis’ “Blue Hawaii.”

Auburn Hillel is planning a Purim carnival on March 26 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom, reaching out to all the Multicultural and Diversity organizations at Auburn to help out and each have a carnival booth activity at the event.

Upcoming Shows:

3/23 Penny & Sparrow with Corey Kilgannon Sean McConnell 3/24 Croonin’ for Critters Do Dah Day benefit 4/7 The Mowgli’s with Boyfriend, Julia Nunes 3/26 The Cadillac Three and The Rebel Light 3/26 Anderson East with Andrew Combs 4/9 Cahaba Blues Band 3/31 Kris Allen “Letting You In” Tour with 4/10 Cash’d Out

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 39

community Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have its Purim Spiel, “The Sounds of Purim,” in the chapel on March 20 at 9:30 a.m., followed by a carnival.

The Bais Ariel Chabad Center in Birmingham will have Purim at Alabama, a Purim Tailgate Party, in memory of Shannon Hope Cogen.

Costuming will be in favorite team colors. The March 24 event starts with a megillah dedication in Cogen’s memory at 4:15 p.m., followed by the megillah reading and dinner at 5 p.m. There will be barbecue, an open bar, children’s activities and an exotic animal show. Reservations are $18 per person, $10 per child and a family maximum of $54 by March 20; $25 per person, $12 per child and $70 maximum at the door.

Chabad and PJ Library are co-sponsoring the Itty Bitty Purim Schpiel, March 6 at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham. Designed for ages 0 to 4, there will be Purim crafts, story time and a snack. There will be free play in the Itty Bitty Magic City at 3 p.m., followed by the Purim program at 4 p.m. and Itty Bitty play at 5 p.m.

You Belong in Birmingham will have a masked Purim party, March 26 at 7 p.m. at The Nest in Avondale. There will be drinks, appetizers, raffle prizes and music. Tickets are $18.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have its Purim potluck on March 25 at 6 p.m., followed by a Purim service at 7 p.m.

Chabad of Huntsville will have a Purim party with a light dinner, spirits, megillah reading and mitzvot, on March 24 at 5 p.m.

Mobile’s Ahavas Chesed will have Pizza and Purim on March 23 at 5:30 p.m., with free pizza for all who come in costume, and a competition for best costume.

Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile will have “Purim: Beach Boys Style” on March 23 at 6

p.m., followed by a free spaghetti dinner.

Chabad of Mobile will have Purim in the Stadium, with a Super Bowl winner in attendance.

The event will be at Gallery 450 and feature a stadium-style dinner, drinks, hamantaschen, a multi-media megillah reading and guest Alan Veingrad. A member of the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII, he will talk about going from a skinny Jewish kid in Brooklyn to a Super Bowl champion, and his Jewish journey afterward.

Admission to the 6:15 p.m. event on March 24 is free, and autographed footballs can be ordered in advance from the Chabad of Mobile website.

Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem and Temple Beth Or will have a joint Montgomery Purim service at AIEA on March 23 at 6 p.m., with a spaghetti dinner, costume parade and contest and megillah reading.

The Pensacola Jewish Federation will have a Purim festival on March 13 at 12:15 p.m., at Creative Learning Academy. There will be face painting, bounce houses, food, treats and games.

The event is free and is open to the community.

Chabad of the Emerald Coast will have its Royal Purim Masquerade Ball on March 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Chabad Center in Destin. There will be a sushi bar, megillah reading, costumes and music.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will have its Purim celebration on March 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Chabad of Baton Rouge will host several Purim activities, starting with a megillah reading on March 23 at 7:30 p.m., and a Purim party for Israelis at 9:30 p.m.

On March 24, Chabad of Baton Rouge will host a Purim Extravaganza at the B.R.E.C. Center at Highland Park, from 5 to 7 p.m. There will be a full buffet dinner, magic show, face painting,

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community prizes for all who attend in costume and a megillah reading at 5:15 p.m.

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B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge will have “One Enchanted Evening” with Persian Purim Platters and Megillah Munching on March 23 at 6 p.m. Persian dishes will be served at the “evening of fun and study.” Reservations are $10. The B’nai Israel religious school’s Purim celebration will be on March 20 at 11 a.m., while the M&Ms group will have its celebration at 10 a.m.

Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge will have its Purim service on March 23 at 7 p.m.

Temple Sinai in Lake Charles will have its Purim family night with Rabbi Barry Weinstein on March 18 at 6 p.m. The joint Purim carnival with Temple Shalom in Lafayette will be on March 20 at Temple Shalom at 9:30 a.m.

B’nai Israel in Monroe will have a Purim service with Rabbi Jeremy Simon from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, March 18 at 6 p.m., with a dinner to follow. Tot Shabbat Purim carnival will be on March 19 at 9:30 a.m., followed by Jewish American Cuisine at 10:30 a.m.

On March 23, Anshe Sfard in New Orleans will have a Purim Second Line featuring the Panorama Brass Band. The festivities begin with a Megillah reading at 7:30 p.m.

Beth Israel in Metairie will have a Purim Super Heroes Party on March 23 with children’s programming at 7 p.m., ma’ariv with megillah reading at 7:45 p.m. and a Purim celebration at 8:30 p.m. including Breakfast for Dinner. There will also be a megillah reading at morning minyan, 7 a.m. on March 24.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie will have Purim pizza, megillah reading and “Purim Wars: The Shpiel Awakens” on March 23 at 6 p.m.

A Muppet Show-themed Purim Shpiel will be at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans on March 20 at 10 a.m. The show will feature actors, singers, pigs, frogs, chickens and dancing bears.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will have its Purim Shpiel, “Esther — The Force Awakens,” on March 23 at 5:45 p.m., featuring Leah Esther, Han Ahashuaras, Yoda Mordecai and more. The Sisterhood Purim dinner will follow.

Temple Sinai will also have an adult education mini-course on the Book of Esthern, for three Wednesdays at 6 p.m., starting March 2. The course will explore the historical setting and the genealogy of the characters.

Chabad Uptown in New Orleans will have a Purim Eve Bash on March 23 at 7:30 p.m., featuring a megillah reading and slideshow, buffet, drinks, music and a children’s program.

Chabad will then host Purim in Outer Space, at Torah Academy in Metairie on March 24. The megillah reading will be at 5:30 p.m., with the Purim feast at 6 p.m. Cost is $18 for adults and $10 for children before March 21, higher afterward.

Shreveport’s community Purim carnival will be on March 20 at B’nai Zion, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have a Purim service on March 23 with a dairy covered dish dinner at 6:15 p.m., followed by the Purim play at 7 p.m. and a megillah reading.

The Purim Schpiel at Shreveport’s B’nai Zion will be “Star Wars: The EmPurim Strikes Back/The Return of the JewGuy,” during the March 18 Shabbat service, at 6 p.m.

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Greenville’s Hebrew Union Congregation is holding its Purim carnival on March 27 at 11 a.m.

Beth Israel, Gulfport, will have its Purim carnival on March 20 at 10 a.m. and megillah reading with Rabbi Akiva Hall on March 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Chabad of Southern Mississippi will have a Waffle House-themed Purim celebration, with a breakfast feast, crafts, megillah reading and more. The celebration will be March 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Biloxi Visitors Center.

Beth Israel in Jackson will have a Purim carnival and auction at 11:30 a.m. on March 20, benefiting Beth Israel Temple Youth. The Purim celebration for all ages will be March 23 at 7 p.m.

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Jews of varying practice from all over the world? Of course. I’ve put on tefillin and done many a minyan at the Wall over the years (including a 1 a.m. alcohol-assisted Shabbat dance at the Wall with a bunch of yeshiva students).

Can I “fit in” among the ultra-Orthodox at the Wall? With my Day School education and Conservative background, I can get by and enjoy it, even if I’m not completely up to speed.

But a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to have the same kinds of experiences at the Wall because of the restrictions.

Often, coming together as a Jewish community has meant making sure that the most traditional are accommodated. Should someone not feel comfortable attending a community-wide function because the event isn’t kosher? One wouldn’t want to exclude.

But in many cases, that has been used to make events or places follow the most stringent guidelines. Until now, the Wall has been run as an ultra-Orthodox shul, lest any on the right feel excluded.

But what of those on the left?

Some would argue that it should not matter — they have cast off “authentic” practices and being exposed to “correct” practices won’t hurt them. So a Reform Jew eats kosher at a function, where’s the harm?

But not all practices are like that. For example, some women embrace the mitzvah of tallit and tefillin, or read from the Torah. None of those practices are accepted on the right, but they are part of those women’s expressions of Judaism. part of their way of doing mitzvot.

And we know how many traditional groups are about promoting the doing of mitzvot.

But only on their terms?

It’s clear we aren’t one people, in terms of practice, but in this debate we keep pretending that we are. There are different practices and expressions of Judaism. Some are mutually exclusive.

The Limmud weekend in New Orleans this month is billed as being inclusive. Yet while everyone will be under one roof to study, services will be held separately, according to different traditions (mainly over egalitarianism).

The community Purim celebration in Birmingham will do the same regarding the megillah reading.

We’re still under one roof, whether everyone is together to learn or have fun, or in neighboring rooms doing the same rituals in different ways.

Would it be nice to have everyone together in one room, or one space at the Wall? Of course. But it isn’t reality. There are women who want to participate, but men whose practice holds that they can’t listen to women participating. The only compromise is for one side to go against their beliefs and practices, and good luck with that.

If you’re Reform and you go to an Orthodox shul, you follow their guidelines while there. But should the Wall, a symbol for all Jews, be run entirely as an Orthodox shul?

It will be interesting to see the changes at the Wall on our next Israel trip. It will be great to see egalitarian services, women able to perform mitzvot according to their practices.

And yes, there will be a bit of a twinge of “why can’t we all be together, especially here?”

In reality, we never have all been together in our practices. But we nevertheless should remain united and concerned for each other, from both ends of the spectrum.

Larry Brook

42 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

EDITOR@SJLMAG.COM

nosh

jewish deep south: bagels, biscuits, beignets

Bags from last year’s Deli Day in Dothan

IF YOU FEED THEM: Time for area Jewish food festivals With the coming of Spring comes numerous Jewish food events at congregations around the region, including several involving corned beef just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The season began with the annual Temple Beth Or Jewish Food Festival in Montgomery on Feb. 28. The line started forming at 7:30 a.m., and by the time the doors opened at 9 a.m. there were well over 100 waiting to get in. Several items were sold out by mid-day.

The Montgomery festival included brisket, Quajado (spinach pie), corned beef, kugel, latkes, stuffed cabbage, hot dogs and matzah ball soup.

A bakery table held numerous items, including praline matzah and whole Carnegie Deli cheesecakes.

Greenville’s Hebrew Union Congregation scheduled its annual deli lunch for March 3.

In Baton Rouge, Beth Shalom will have its 32nd annual corned beef sandwich sale. There will be a making party for volunteers on March 12 at 7 p.m.

The sale will be on March 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for take-out, and March 14 and 15 for take-out from 10 a.m. to noon and deliveries to local businesses with five or more orders.

The $10 lunches include a ¼-lb. corned beef sandwich on rye, potato chips, dill pickle and homemade brownie. Tuna or egg salad sandwiches are available by request.

Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will have its annual corned beef sandwich sale on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Packages include a corned beef sandwich on rye, cole slaw, pickle and potato chips for $8.

One may dine in, take out, or there is delivery available for orders of 10 or more. Tickets must be purchased in advance, because they sell out each year.

In Monroe, the B’nai Israel Men’s Club will have a kosher hot dog lunch on March 15. The $5 package includes a hot dog, chips and drink. Packages will be available for takeout only, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The annual Corned Beef Extravaganza at Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile will be on March 17. The $10 lunches include a ¼-lb. corned beef sandwich on rye, a kosher pickle, New York style cheesecake and bag of chips. Prepaid orders must be in by March 14. Orders may be picked up at Springhill Avenue Temple from 10:30 a.m. to noon, or delivered for orders of 10 or more lunches.

In Jackson, Beth Israel will hold its 49th annual bazaar on March 30.

The festival menu includes matzah balls, stuffed cabbage, blintzes, brisket, knishes, kugel, chicken soup, babaganoush, chopped liver, hummus continued on page 45

COOKBOOKS

SOUTHERN SOUPS & STEWS:

More than 75 Recipes from Burgoo and Gumbo to Etouffee and Fricassee

by Nancie McDermott

Not a kosher cookbook by any means — in fact, likely half the recipes here are anything but — “Southern Soups & Stews” is still a great addition to any cookbook library and most everything included could be made in a kosher kitchen with some accomodation (recipe calls for andouille? Beef sausage instead.

Shrimp stock? Use vegetable.).

Thing is, so much of what’s here is perfect for everyday and sometimes especially for Shabbat: dishes perfect for cooking long hours that develop deeper and deeper flavor as time goes by.

Especially tasty: Abby Fisher’s Ochra Gumbo with Beef and Rice (a recipe Ms. Fisher, a Mobile native, first published in 1881), Rufus Estes’ Brunswick Stew, James McNair’s Louisiana Duck Fricassee, Ya-Ka-Mein (with a sidebar about the Ya-Ka-Mein lady, Linda Green), and what will be gracing our table again later this week: Florence Weiland Schornstein’s Red Soup with Brisket and Creole Matzoh Balls. This is one to get.

JEWISH FESTIVAL FOOD:

Eating for Special Occasions

by Marlena Spieler

Although not quite a reference, this is more than simply a collection of recipes, with an introduction including a short history of festival foods and customs plus a glossary of terms and a resource listing for where to purchase foods. The Gourmand Book Award selected this for for Best Jewish Cookbook 2015.

It’s particularly helpful that each dish includes a picture of the final product along with images of inprocess steps. While there are recipes for foods that most of may expect, such as chopped liver and noodle kugel, more intriguing dishes such as Peruvian Whitebait Escabeche, and Mouna, the traditional egg bread of the Algerian Jewish community, are nice additions.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 43

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A wide variety of kosher products? Dorignac’s Food Center “got dat!” A multi-million-dollar renovation that invigorated the store from top to bottom? Dorignac’s Food Store “got dat” too.

The neighborhood grocery store on Veterans Memorial in Metairie entered 2016 with a new look. That included exterior enhancements, new lighting, new floors and major makeovers to three of its departments — bakery, produce and deli/hot lunch.

Much thought and care went into the improvements, according to Ronald Dawson, Jr., president of Dorignac’s. “We knew from the beginning we had to proceed carefully with any changes we made to the store,” said Dawson.

“Many of our customers grew up coming to Dorignac’s with their parents and grandparents, so it was important to us to keep the charm and nostalgic look that they remember while at the same time improve the shopping experience as best as we could,” The original lighting system was replaced with modern LED lights. The well-worn linoleum floor was swapped out with a contemporaryyet-durable dark wood laminate. Changes to the exterior were also extensive.

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Lightly season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large cast iron skillet or pan, heat the olive oil until it is hot, then brown the skin side of the thighs until golden brown.

Flip the chicken and lightly brown the other side, then remove and place on paper towels to drain. Reduce heat to medium flame, then add onions, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir often with a wooden spoon while your mushrooms saute and lightly brown.

Add the white wine and bring to a simmer for five minutes, all the while scraping the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon to get any chicken bits unstuck and incorporated into the sauce. Return chicken thighs to the pan and add the tomatoes, olives, rosemary and lemon zest. Stir, then cover.

Bring to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Check for seasoning. The sauce should be thickened and almost creamy.

Serve over roasted potatoes or rice.

colors that match the season,” said Dawson. “It’s a real show stopper.”

The bakery was the first to be renovated.

New cases were added and the footprint of the department was adjusted to maximize the space for preparation and baking. Dorignac’s also added a modern façade.

They freshened up the fresh produce department to provide for more square footage.

New cases were installed along the store’s western wall.

“We have been expanding the amount of local and organic fruits and vegetables we carry,” said Dawson. “We also had customers asking for more fresh-cut fruit options. That made the need to allocate more space for the department obvious.”

The deli and hot lunch areas were the final areas to be renovated. New cases were added for improved display and a sushi bar was created that includes a sushi chef preparing sushi, sushi rolls and sashimi throughout the day.

“We’re very happy with how the store now looks and how it has improved the shopping experience for our customers,” said Dawson.

“Now Dorignac’s is well-positioned to be the grocery store for the next generation of shoppers.”

Continued from page 46

and worship.”

It concludes, “there the Big G would speak to Moses face to face.”

Scholars have debated for millennia about this image, which is ever mentioned only once: amid a pillar of smoke.

For 40 years of wandering, the Israelites followed this pillar of smoke through the desert. Anyone still wondering what might have drawn them to it?

If you’ve come this far and felt this is pushing a political agenda, the writer has never touched the stuff. (Politics or cannabis.)

If you’ve come this far and feel incensed, thinking that wonders attributed to the Big G are being blasphemously explained elsewise, what are you smoking? After all, who do you think created the plant?

Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who was not mentally altered when he wrote this… any more than for previous columns. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/the.beholders.eye.

2820 Petticoat Lane, Mountain Brook Village 205-502-7996

>> Food Festivals

and tabouli. Desserts and casseroles will be available for takeout.

The Jackson bazaar includes a white elephant sale and silent auction.

Congregants who donate items to the silent auction will be entered into a drawing for one reserved parking spot for the 2017 Bazaar, which will be the 50th annual.

Items for the white elephant sale may be brought on March 27 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The annual “Raising of the Poles” to set up the bazaar will be on March 27 at 9 a.m.

Temple Emanu-El in Tuscaloosa will have its annual Jewish Food Festival on April 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Box lunches range from $10 to $12, and have brisket, a corned beef sandwich or falafel.

The food sampler bar, which enables one to purchase four tickets for $5 and sample numerous Jewish dishes, will be back, with items including black and white cookies, sweet kugel, knishes, matzah ball soup, stuffed grape leaves, bagel and schmear, blintzes, baklava, rugelach, and hamantashen. New for this year will be a Latke Station.

Temple Sinai in Lake Charles will have its corned beef sale on April 4, with pickup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $8 for a ¼-lb. sandwich on rye, chips, pickle and cookie. Deliveries of 10 or more lunches is available.

An assembly party will be held on April 3.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have its Deli Day on May 4, with lunch packages going for $12.

March 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 45

rear pew mirror • doug brook

… and we cater!

O-U must be kidding

Note: Reading of this column could result in spontaneous giggling, impaired sensory acuity, and a case of munchitis malignis (aka “the munchies”). Do not work with heavy machinery after reading this column, unless for the purpose of throwing it at the writer.

Earlier this year, the Orthodox Union made news by certifying the world’s first kosher marijuana.

As often occurs, the media’s splashy headlines misled readers to believe that smoking marijuana was now kosher.

Was it ever not? Maui Wowie is a plant. Plants aren’t intrinsically unkosher. Except mushrooms, which are well documented in the Talmud as being an enticement of evil. (Yes, regular mushrooms… One hallucinogen per column.)

What was certified as kosher is marijuana as used in medicinal consumables that, of course, must be certified like any other processed product.

People were confused. Now that the smoke has cleared, instead of rehashing it further, exploring biblical instances that sound curiously like what might have happened if President Clinton (the First) had inhaled seems MARIJUANA appropriate. Or inappropriate, and therefore PRODUCTS ARE all the more tempting.

NOW CERTIFIED So, pipe down and consider whether any KOSHER… of the following events in the Torah bowl PERHAPS IN you over as highly reminiscent of a more medicinal encounter.

KEEPING WITH In Genesis, Jacob stopped for the night, VERY OLD “took one of ‘the stones’ of the place, put PRECEDENTS? it ‘under his head,’ and lay down there to sleep.” Then he had an odd dream of a ladder leading to the sky, with angels on it. When he awoke, Jacob exclaimed, “this is the gate of heaven!”

Joseph “tended the flocks with his brothers.” He was out in the fields, perhaps weeding? Then Genesis says Joseph had a dream of their sheaves of grain bowing to his. His brothers “hated him, and couldn’t speak a kind word to him.” Because of his dream, or because of his secret crop?

Then another dream, where the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed to him. All this while Joseph wore an ornate robe Jacob made him, which tradition says was filled with psychedelic colors.

Then there were the dreams Joseph interpreted for the Pharaoh’s butler and baker, and then for the big P himself. He didn’t dream them, but what was the air quality index while those Egyptians slept? And how was Joseph able to tune in to the dreams and their meaning so well?

But those are all dreams from sleep. (Allegedly. Joseph never said his were from while he slept.) What about waking visions?

In Numbers, the diviner Bilaam is hired to curse the Israelites. While riding along, Bilaam loses control of his ass. Then Bilaam starts to hear his ass talking to him. Then Bilaam sees an angel blocking the road. Surely, there’s a Pink Floyd song about this somewhere on the cutting room floor.

Regardless, the most compelling instances go well beyond dreams and visions. Consider “fire and brimstone.” What else can one expect of the smoke from something with “stone” in the name?

But most significantly, as heard in a recent Torah reading, Exodus relates that Moses would go to the tent of meeting. “When Moses entered the tent, a pillar of smoke would come down.” It continues, “When the people saw the pillar of smoke… (they) would each rise at their tent door continued on previous page 46 Southern Jewish Life • March 2016

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