SJL New Orleans, May 2014

Kicking to a tie

Commemorating civil rights battles and tragedies

Passover across the South

Southern Jewish Life New Orleans Edition

May 2014

Volume 24 Issue 5

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213-0052 Above: Becca Leifer, Chloe Valdary, Josh Weinberg, Samantha Rose Mandeles and Maor Shapira at DYF 2.0 on March 30

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Long-time readers know that in the 24 years since we began this publication, we have found ourselves in fertile ground for church-state battles, from the stealth Ten Commandments monument at the Alabama Supreme Court to battles over prayer in school.

In the heart of the Bible Belt, it is the gift that keeps on giving. The latest comes from the Louisiana Legislature.

Values.

On April 21, Rep. Thomas Carmody of Shreveport pulled a bill he proposed that would have made the Bible the official state book of Louisiana. Though that immediately sends up red flags about government establishment of religion, the original intent is a bit more difficult to argue against.

As originally written, the official state book was to be “the Holy Bible, published by Johannes Prevel, (Prevel, Jean, active 1510-1528, printer. & Petit, Jean, fl. 1492-1530.), which is the oldest edition of the Holy Bible in the Louisiana State Museum system.”

It’s possible, though not likely, that there could be a Torah scroll in the state which is older, but we’ll let that pass for now.

A problem arose in that the specified Bible was privately owned, so for whatever reason it could not be considered.

On April 10 Carmody amended the bill to make it the Authorized King James Version.

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It often falls on members of the Jewish community to point out violations of church-state separation, so it was refreshing to see that the first, immediate objection came from Rep. Stephen Ortego, who is Catholic. For Catholics, and there are quite a few in Louisiana, the King James Version is incomplete, because Catholic Bibles include what is known as the Apocrypha. Those are later books that were part of the canon, such as Maccabees, but were dropped by the rabbis as part of the Hebrew Bible around 2,000 years ago.

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After the Protestant Reformation, the Protestant Church switched from using the books in the Septuagint, which included those books, to the Hebrew Bible delineated in Judaism — though some books were divided and re-ordered.

Ironically, early versions of King James included the extra books, but they eventually were dropped as less important.

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The debate then moved to whether other versions of the Christian Bible should be considered, and the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs voted 8-5 to simply state “The Holy Bible” would be the state book.

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A suggestion by Rep. Ebony Woodruff of Harvey on making “all books of faith” official state books did not go anywhere. So no Quran or Bhagavad Gita. Whether the Tanach would be recognized under the umbrella of “The Holy Bible” was not clarified, though in her comment she did reference the Torah as one of the alternate religious books.

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At this point, it is academic, because Carmody withdrew the bill, saying it had become a distraction.

Some have also said that because the “official state” declarations have no real effect on anything, a challenge to it in court would likely not pass the legal “who cares” test.

So we’ll just chalk this one as a harmless expression of the natural inclination of politicians — to wrap themselves in symbolic feel-good measures that flex the majority’s Godly muscles while dragging their feet on accomplishing things that are actually talked about in what would have been Louisiana’s official book.

Larry Brook Editor/Publisher

SJL wins national award for NIPERM

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Publisher/Editor: Lawrence M. Brook, editor@sjlmag.com Associate Publisher/Advertising: Lee J. Green, lee@sjlmag.com

The American Jewish Press Association announced that Southern Jewish Life was New Orleans Bureau: Publisher/Editor: recognized in the 2013 Simon Rockower Alan Smason, alan@dsjv.comLawrence M. Brook, editor@sjlmag.com Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism.

Cait Muldoon, Gail Naron Chalew The Rockowers are the highest honor in CreativeAssociate Director: Publisher/Advertising: Lee J. Jewish journalism.

Green,ginger@dsjv.com lee@sjlmag.com Ginger Brook, The publication won second place for the Rambam Award for Excellence in Writing Creative Director: Ginger Brook, ginger@ Photographer-At-Large: About Health Care. The magazine is in Barry the C.sjlmag.com Altmark division of newspapers with 15,000 circulaContributing Writers: Photographer-At-Large: Rabbi Barry C. tion and over; all magazines; special sections Doug Brook Altmark and supplements; and Web-based outlets.

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Birmingham: (205) 870-7889 Telephone: FAX: (866) 392-7750 (205) 870-7889 Birmingham: New Orleans: (504) 491-0562 Story Tips/Letters: Toll Free: (866) 446-5894 Lauren Weil is not your typical medical need. editor@sjlmag.com researcher. She recently completed her Since 1855, JCRS has provided needs based FAX: (866) 392-7750 Subscription Ph.D. in biology at the University of Texas scholarships, support and service to Jewish StoryInformation: Tips/Letters: connect@sjlmag.com Jewish Life published monthly Southwestern Medical School in Dallas youth and families in the form of collegeSouthern aid, Subscription and is free by request toInformation: members of the and credits the New Orleans-based Jewish Jewish summer camp grants, and assistance Southern Jewish Life published Jewish community in our coverage area ofmonthly Children’s Regional Service for helping make to children with special needs. is free by request to members of the Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and NW this unlikely journey a reality.

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school. applications is May 31. All Copyright 2010. All2014. rightsAll reserved, Copyright rights reserved, reprints College was the next college age Jewish students reprints only by by permission permissionofofpublisher. publisher. challenge as her own JCRS sister success stories Laura and residing in the seven hardships, and those of Ashley Weil Southern states served by Philosophy: To link the Jewish communities Philosophy: her sister and roommate JCRS — Alabama, Arkansas, Deep South, to tell you the To link of thethe Jewish communities of the Ashley, meant working multiple jobs with Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, fascinating stories of one another, and full course loads. Both sisters persevered, and Texas — and who are U.S. citizensDeep are South, to tell fascinating to documentyou andthe preserve the news and graduated with advanced degrees, and are eligible. JCRS does not fund students studying stories of one another, and to all a part of the events large and small, both productive and self-sufficient. abroad; this includes Israel, even for college richand culture of Southern Jewry. document preserve the news of According to JCRS, it is not uncommon for credit. events large and small, all a part of financial worries and other troubles to become In 2013 JCRS reached more than 1500 the rich culture of Southern Jewry. a barrier to continuing an education. That is youth across seven mid-South states. All why JCRS has a College Aid program, helping programs of the JCRS are funded primarily financially challenged Jewish undergraduate through annual contributions and the annual students by providing scholarships for college income from family scholarship funds set up or vocational training in the form of grants at JCRS. and/or no-interest loans based on financial Applications are available online at jcrs.org.

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Front Porch AVODAH honoring Silvermans: When AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps set up a branch in New Orleans, the New Orleans Women’s Shelter was the first agency that AVODAH partnered with.

On June 1, AVODAH will honor Jackie and Dan Silverman for their efforts on behalf of homeless women and children in New Orleans. The annual Partners in Justice Jazz Brunch will be held at Gates of Prayer in Metairie at 11 a.m.

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, the Silvermans began volunteering at a makeshift women’s shelter, and it was there they began their work of building the New Orleans Women’s Shelter, with help from the Jewish community.

Today, the shelter is a model organization and one of only a few programs for homeless women that provides comprehensive case management for women and their dependent children, with no limit on length of stay and no cost per night.

“We’re delighted to honor Jackie and Dan’s this year,” said Dani Levine, AVODAH’s New Orleans Director. “Not only are we honoring Jackie and Dan’s efforts, but we get to highlight our longstanding partnership towards fighting poverty in New Orleans and our shared commitment to social change.”

In 2008, New Orleans became the fourth host city for AVODAH. An organization that has been recognized by the Slingshot guide as a Jewish innovator, AVODAH also has operations in New York, Chicago and Washington. Each year, a new set of young Jewish adults move into the communal AVODAH house and commit to a year of working for a non-profit that promotes social justice and fights poverty.

Each participant is matched with a social service agency, where they become a full-time worker at no cost to the agency.

Tickets for the brunch are $50, $30 for ages 30 and under. Tickets that include being listed in the program book start at $90, with giving levels increasing from there. A matching grant from the Clayton-Royer Family Foundation will match all new and increased gifts, up to a total of $15,000.

Tickets are available online at avodah.net/events.

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Second Bra-Veaux announced: New Orleans Hadassah announced that its second Bra-Veaux fundraiser and breast cancer awareness event will be held on Oct. 25, and will be dedicated to the memory of Pearl Daube.

Bra-Veaux features a showcase and live auction of art bras and “uplifting” works of art by local professional and amateur artists. The fundraiser supports medical care and groundbreaking research at Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem.

Miriam Waltzer and Barbara Kaplinsky are co-chairing the event.

“We are grateful to the Daube family. Their caring and generosity have allowed us to dedicate this event to Pearl,” Waltzer said. “Pearl was beloved by all and was an unbelievable source of strength over the years to our Hadassah organization.”

The 7 p.m. event will be at the Lakefront Airport terminal, which is currently undergoing a complete restoration to its original Art Deco appearance.

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Front Porch Touro Foundation announces honorees: The Touro Infirmary Foundation announced that Harris Hyman III and Salvador Caputto will both receive the 2014 Judah Touro Society Award at the Touro Infirmary Foundation Gala on Oct. 11.

The JTS Award is the hospital’s highest honor Harris Hyman III and Salvador Caputto and is voted on by previous JTS award recipients. It is given annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the welfare of Touro Infirmary. The award may be given to an honorary board member, a past board member, a member of the medical staff, a volunteer or employee.

Hyman was appointed to Touro’s medical staff in 1961 and served as medical staff president from 1977 to 1980. While Chief of Gastroenterology he developed and started the Endoscopy Unit at Touro and performed the first gastroscopy.

He was the Silver Scope Physician of the Year in 1967, an inaugural member of the Judah Touro Society, and was a member of the Touro Governing Board.

Hyman’s family has a long relationship with Touro dating back to the late 1800s. He has also served as president of Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans and on the board of the Jewish Endowment Foundation, and is currently a clinical professor of medicine at Tulane.

Caputto currently serves as the chair of the Continuing Medical Education Committee and is a practicing physician with Crescent City Physicians, in the Hematology/Oncology Division. Caputto joined Touro in the Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery in 1981.

In 2003 Caputto received the American Cancer Society Award, was a 2010 Distinguished Honoree for the Louisiana Breast Cancer Task Force, and received the 2012 Kaplan Award. He has served on both the Touro Governing Board and the Touro Foundation Board.

Noam Shalit talk rescheduled: After cancelling his fall tour of the United States, which included a talk in New Orleans, Noam Shalit will be visiting this month.

Shalit is the father of Gilad Shalit, the Israel Defense Forces soldier kidnapped on June 25, 2006 and held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas operatives dug under the border with Gaza and infiltrated into Israel, then attacked Gilad Shalit’s patrol tank. Two soldiers were killed and three others wounded.

Shalit and his wife, Aviva, crusaded tirelessly for five years for their son’s release. On the third anniversary of Gilad’s capture, he was made an honorary citizen of New Orleans. He was released on Oct. 18, 2012 in an exchange with 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Shalit will speak on “Our Long Journey to Freedom” at the annual Lemann-Stern Leadership Development Program Alumni Event.

The program of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans is celebrating its 54th “Triple Chai” anniversary this year. The May 14 event is also the kickoff of the Leadership Development Endowment Campaign.

The 6:30 p.m. event at the home of Cathy and Morris Bart is open to all graduates of the program and has a couvert of $18. The event is underwritten by the Barts and Diane and Alan Franco.

JWV plans Memorial Day weekend activities: The New Orleans Post 580 of the Jewish War Veterans of America will have several programs on Memorial Day weekend.

On May 24 there will be a JWV Shabbat at Beth Israel in Metairie during the 9 a.m. service.

Alvin Cotlar will speak, and a lunch will follow.

On April 25 there will be a 9:30 a.m. minyan at Beth Israel followed by a brunch. Abraham Szyller will speak about his experiences in France during the Holocaust, evading the Nazis at the age of 15. This past fall, he was recognized as a Peoples Health Champion at a New Orleans Saints game.

On May 26, the Post will meet at 10 a.m. at Frenchmen Street Cemetery, visiting grave sites of Jewish veterans and placing American flags.

Open Monday-Thursday 7 am-6 pm, Friday 7 am-5 pm and Saturday 8 am-3 pm.

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Front Porch Touro changing dues approach: At its May 18 congregational meeting, Touro Synagogue in New Orleans is introducing a new Voluntary Annual Support dues system.

The new system, which congregational president Scott Silbert said has been successfully implemented by other congregations, gets rid of traditional dues statements. Instead, a “Voluntary Annual Support” figure will be sent out based on the fiscal year’s budget, showing the cost of operating the synagogue per household.

That figure is a guideline for members to assess what they can give. Those who are not in a position to contribute that amount may send what they can, and it is hoped that those who can afford more will send more, to help supplement those who can not.

Patron dues levels will still be available, starting at $3,000.

The system will be voluntary and with no questions asked.

Currently, the congregation has an annual operating cost of $2400 per household, which Silbert said falls in line with the typical range for Reform congregations, averaging between $2200 and $2500.

About 60 percent of the congregation’s revenue comes from dues, followed by

an allocation from the Touro Synagogue Foundation. Fundraisers, donations and religious school tuition make up the rest. The congregation also Religious school and Uptown Hebrew tuition will remain separate from the voluntary annual support.

About 18 months ago, the congregation formed a committee to examine the dues structure, which was deemed increasingly complex and outdated, “not reflective of our inclusive community.”

The tiered support structure that was being used assumes ability to pay based on age, marital status and children. That was seen as not reflective of family situations and “professional journeys” today, and was deemed “often unfair and inherently arbitrary.”

Other systems were examined, such as income-based “fair share” assessment, but that was seen as too intrusive “and not at all reflective of who we are.”

A “flat tax” system does not take into account what people can afford, and it was difficult to envision a “pay as you go” system modeled after how churches support themselves.

Details of the plan will be given at the 10 a.m. meeting on May 18, and details will also be sent out the following week.

Shavuot study sessions: Beth Israel in Metairie will have a Tikkun Leil Shavuot the evening of June 3. It is traditional to study well into the night in anticipation of receiving the revelation at Mount Sinai the next morning.

Following services at 6:30 p.m. there will be a community dairy dinner at 7:15 p.m.

Reservations are $18 for members, $25 for non-members.

The tentative schedule for the evening has Yehuda Halper discussing “Maimonides and the Ten Commandments at 8:30 p.m. That will be followed by a cheesecake buffet prepared

by Rabbi David Posternock.

At 9:30 p.m., Isaac Pollock will present “New Orleans School Reform: A Jewish Perspective.” At 10:15 p.m., Posternock will lead “The Prophecy of Blood Moons,” and sessions will continue from there.

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There will also be a Tikkun Leil Shavuot at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans on June 3 at 7 p.m. After a potluck dairy dinner, there will be a discussion of “Torah as THE Word of God: Myths and Mysteries,” exploring what the Torah is, who wrote it and why. A “Sacred Moment of Torah” will follow at 9 p.m.

Shavuot services and Yizkor will then be at Gates of Prayer in Metairie on June 4 at 10:30 a.m.

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Beth Israel and Gates of Prayer in Metairie are co-sponsoring a blood drive with Ochsner Blood Bank. The bloodmobile will be at Gates of Prayer on May 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All donors will receive a blood bank T-shirt and a mini-physical.

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The religious school at Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile will have its annual student and parent trip to visit Jewish New Orleans on May 17. They will depart Mobile at 7 a.m.

The Baton Rouge team in the New Orleans Synagogue Softball League decided that they did not have sufficient players to continue this season. A revised schedule for what is now a five-team league was being drawn up.

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The Reform congregations of New Orleans have announced their summer schedule. Every year, summer services rotate among Touro and Sinai in New Orleans, and Gates of Prayer in Metairie.

In June, services will be at Gates of Prayer on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. July services will be at Temple Sinai on Fridays at 6:15 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. August services will be at Touro on Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.

The next Morris Bart Sr. Lecture Series event at the Uptown Jewish Community Center will feature Morton Katz leading a wine tasting. The May 12 session will include the basics of wine — how to select wine at restaurants, tasting techniques and the characteristics of wine. The series is free, and lunch is available if reserved a week in advance. On June 2, new directors of the Rivertown Theater, Kelly Fouchi and Gary Rucker, will speak about the theater and the new season. Programs are at 11:45 a.m.

Henry S. Jacobs Camp song leader Nick May will be at Gates of Prayer in Metairie for the 8 p.m. Shabbat service on May 16. “The Future of Jewish Music: Summer Camp and Beyond” will include music that is shaping the future of the Reform movement.

Gulfport’s Beth Israel will hold its annual International Food and Wine Tasting on June 12 at the Island View Casino Resort. The event, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., includes wines from around the world, paired with food.

There will be live entertainment by Jesse Hill and a silent auction. Tickets, which are $50, will be limited.

Alex Brown will be the next speaker in Anshe Sfard’s Shabbat morning series. On May 17 he will speak about his pre-Katrina Anshe Sfard memories. The talk follows the 9:15 a.m. service and precedes the buffet Kiddush lunch.

The National Council of Jewish Women’s New Orleans Section will have An Evening in the English Countryside for its fundraiser on June 8. The 5:30 p.m. event will be at the English Turn Country Club and include a buffet dinner. Tickets are $75, $55 for ages 35 and under. Patron levels are from $150 to $500.

Touro Synagogue will say farewell to Cantor Jamie Marx at its 6 p.m. Shabbat service on May 23. Marx has been at Touro for three years.

Ina Weber Davis and Sue Tilis of the New Orleans Section of the National Council of Jewish Women were elected to the national NCJW Board for the 2014 to 2017 term.

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New Tulane program explores Middle East peace: Starting next spring, Tulane University students will have the opportunity to participate in the Stacy Mandel Palagye and Keith Palagye Program for Middle East Peace.

Fifteen undergraduate students will be selected to take part in the summer immersion opportunity. Following the close of the spring semester, they will take three weeks of intensive course work at Tulane. They will then travel to Israel for three weeks, where, through a partnership with the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, they will gain a first-hand view of the issues and individuals engaged in the peace process.

Stacy Mandel Palagye, a 1983 Newcomb College graduate, and her husband Keith Palagye are supporting the $1 million summer immersion program through the auspices of the Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation. The pilot program, which will be free to participating students, is scheduled to run over four years.

The program “reflects the unique nature of the School of Liberal Arts and its offerings,” said Carole Haber, dean of the school.

Professor Brian Horowitz, chair of the Tulane Jewish Studies Department, will teach a course about Israeli and Palestinian society on campus and accompany the students to Israel.

“The presumption that these are two disparate societies living one mile from each other but separated by many decades of historical alienation is false,” Horowitz said.

Speakers involved in many aspects of the peace process will talk to students, both on campus and in Israel.

“You can’t learn about a conflict if you only learn about one side,” said Mark Gasiorowski, a Tulane political science professor who will teach a course on campus in May 2015 about Israeli and Palestinian politics.

Students must apply for the program and take or have taken ArabIsraeli Conflict (JWST 3220) or its equivalent.

“I would not be surprised,” Horowitz said, “if someday the secretary of state of the United States is someone who graduated from this program.”

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Ester Rada touring South: Rising star Ester Rada, “the new soul of the Middle East” will be in the region this month. From a religious Ethiopian family in Israel, she combines “Ethio-Jazz, funk, soul and r&b, with mixed undertones of black grooves.”

She is finishing her debut album after receiving acclaim for her self-written EP, “Life Happens,” released last year. She opened for Alicia Keys in Israel, and her video is receiving strong play across Europe.

She will be at the Preserve Jazz Festival at Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, on May 25 at 4:45 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the gate. In all, the festival includes 10 acts from noon to 11:30 p.m., including the Yisrael Trio, which will be at the craft beer tasting stage at noon.

The Yisrael Trio, originally from Birmingham but now in New Orleans, is three brothers who are one of the hottest young jazz groups in the country.

Rada will be at the Thirsty Hippo in Hattiesburg on May 27 at 7 p.m.

On May 28 at 7:30 p.m. she will be at Duling Hall in Jackson, with the show presented in part by Capital City Beverage, Cathead Vodka, A2Z Printing & Find It In Fondren. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and there is an additional $3 charge at the door for those under 21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

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Local Jewish News It’s What We Do.

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Israel Festival in Memphis: Memphis Friends of Israel will hold its seventh annual Israel Festival and five-kilometer run/walk on June 8 at Audubon Park in Memphis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year’s festival will include the unveiling of plans for a northwest Mississippi Holocaust memorial, a spinoff of the “Unknown Child” project.

The festival is put on by an interfaith coalition of Israel supporters and draws about 7,000 each year. The free family day includes music, education, children’s activities, arts and crafts and a Jewish Food tent with a wide range of kosher and Israeli-style foods.

New attractions this year are an archaeological dig for children, and camel rides. There is also a falafel eating contest and 3-point shooting contest. Musical guests this year include the a capella Kol Ish, the Goldstein Family Band and Soulfarm.

The Unknown Child began in 2009 when Susan Powell, a teacher at Horn Lake Middle School taught a unit on the Holocaust. An effort began to collect 1.5 million pennies, to represent the 1.5 million children who died in

the Holocaust.

A connection was made with Israeli artist Rick Wienecke, who had done a life-size sculpture of a faceless child at the ovens of Auschwitz. He began to work with the pennies, as a site for the sculpture and the pennies was sought in northern Mississippi. Plans are now progressing for the memorial in Hernando.

Wienecke will be at the Memphis festival and show maquettes of his work. Ten of the small reproductions will be sold with the funds going toward the memorial.

On April 1, Rabbi Debra Kassoff (above) and fellow Mississippi Rabbi Matt Dreffin were among about 60 rabbis at the Central Conference of American Rabbis convention in Chicago to participate in Shave for the Brave.

They had their heads shaved as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research and to raise awareness. The initial goal was $180,000, as of press time about $580,000 had been raised toward a new goal of $613,000. The initiative was in memory of “Superman Sam,” son of Chicago Rabbis Phyllis and Michael Sommer, who died from leukemia last December.

New Jewish music retreat: Ramah Darom announced the first JewJamSouth, a four-day celebration of Jewish choral and Klezmer music this August.

The retreat is designed for “passionate Jewish choral singers, klezmer instrumentalists, Hebrew and Yiddish singers and their families,” whether experienced or a newcomer. It is open to those of all levels and background, and no previous experience is needed.

The retreat is being led by Hazzan David Tilman, adjunct associate professor at the H.L. Miller Cantorial School of the Jewish Theological Seminary and the choral director at Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pa. Also leading the retreat are the husband and wife Strauss/Warschauer Duo. Warschauer is founding artistic director and senior artistic advisor of the KlezKanada Institute for Yiddish/ Jewish Culture and the Arts, is on the faculty of Columbia University in New York, and is a graduate student in Cantorial Music and Modern Jewish Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Strauss is an award-winning children’s educator and a highly regarded Yiddish dancer and dance leader. For over 25 years, the duo have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene.

The retreat includes gourmet kosher cuisine, formal and informal singing and dancing, and a full klezmer concert and dance party.

Registration information is available at ramahdarom.org.

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Mississippi Remembering 50th anniversary events for Freedom Summer, Neshoba County murders The summer of 1964 became known as Freedom Summer as large numbers of activists and volunteers descended on Mississippi during the height of the civil rights struggle. They sought to register as many African-Americans as possible to vote, and established Freedom Schools.

A large proportion of the volunteers were Jewish, estimated at over 1,000, and in June two of them, along with a local African-American activist, disappeared in Neshoba County. Their bodies were found weeks later underneath an earthen dam in one of the most notorious murders of that era.

In June, there will be a major Freedom Summer 50th anniverSJL file sary gathering centered at Touga- Carolyn Goodman, mother of slain civil rights worker loo College in Jackson. Activists, Andrew Goodman, at the 2004 memorial at Mount Nebo elected officials, students, scholars Church in Neshoba County. and veterans of the movement will gather for the June 25 to 29 reunion. About 3,000 meeting today’s injustices,” Rubin said. “Economic inequality is greater today than it was in participants are expected.

In conjunction with the event, the Goldring/ 1964. Voter suppression laws are rampant. The Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life is Freedom Summer 50th is planned to be a waorganizing programs to highlight Jewish activ- tershed event in planning for the ongoing civil ism from 50 years ago through today. The ISJL rights struggle ahead, and I hope Jews and all is partnering with national Jewish organizations other activists will attend this important gaththat work for social justice to offer programming ering.”

Myers said the week “will not be a typical that will give a contemporary Jewish presence while honoring the legacy of the Jewish volun- commemoration, but a launching pad for social action focused on four closely-related issue arteers from the 1960s.

Rachel Myers, ISJL special projects coor- eas: Education, Workers Rights, Healthcare, and dinator, said she and Director of Community Voting Rights within Mississippi and the nation.”

Among the national groups taking part is Bend Engagement Malkie Schwartz were inspired “to offer programming that gives participants an au- the Arc, A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Stosh thentic experience in the state in which the cam- Cotler, Bend the Arc CEO, said the organization paign occurred, exchange ideas with local and is excited to be participating. “The hard-won vicnational activists, and most importantly show tories from that summer — including the Voting Rights Act — are in jeopardy today, that Jewish activism is still alive making it meaningful and even urand well, not just a story from 50 gent for all of us to come together, years ago.” learn, and continue the vital work While in Mississippi, Jewish of protecting the right to vote. It is social justice advocates will have especially poignant to gather tothe opportunity to learn from gether in Mississippi, where Freeveterans of the Civil Rights Movedom Summer culminated.” ment and fellow advocates about A dinner for Jewish particithe work that lies ahead. Propants is planned for June 26, and gramming will provide the space for people to learn about Jewish activism during organizations will be able to share information Freedom Summer and the work of Southern about their work.

The ISJL will host a Lunch and Learn at their Jewish communities today.

Among the veterans taking part is Larry office at noon on June 27. During the afternoon Rubin, who came to Mississippi in 1964 from there will be a panel on the history of Jewish Philadelphia, Pa. An organizer with the Student Freedom Summer volunteers.

At 5 p.m. on June 27, Beth Israel will host a Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1961 to 1965, he started in Georgia and then went to Shabbat service and community discussion among scholars, volunteers and Jewish social Mississippi.

“This event will commemorate Freedom justice professionals on the experience of being Summer by discussing tactics and strategies for an “outsider” working in diverse communities.

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Additional programs on June 28 include a breakfast discussion on current initiatives, a tour of Jackson and a Call to Action moving forward.

These sessions are open to the Freedom Summer 50th conference and planned to complement the other sessions at Tougaloo.

In Neshoba County, where the murders of Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney took place, the Philadelphia Coalition will hold 50th anniversary events the week of June 15. A kickoff event will be held at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church at 3 p.m. on June 15.

The church is where Klansmen beat church officers and set the church on fire on June 16, 1964. On June 21 of that year, the three civil rights workers arrived to document the beatings and arson before they were abducted. They have held memorial services for the three every year since then. The first community-wide service was held in 2004 for the 40th anniversary.

Civil Rights tours will be held in Neshoba County throughout the week.

On June 20 at 7 p.m., there will be a program at Mt. Nebo honoring local heroes.

On June 21 there will be a unity march followed by a luncheon at the Neshoba County Coliseum. There will be a unity program starting at 4 p.m.

The Louisiana CORE Legacy Committee is organizing “Freedom Summer and Beyond” from June 21 to 23 to commemorate the 1960s and examine “what we can and should be doing to address the many contemporary problems in Louisiana and in the nation.”

In October, a group of young Jews will visit the region through TENT: Encounters with Jewish Culture, a traveling seminar hosted by ISJL and the Yiddish Book Center. The participants will visit sites from New Orleans to Memphis.

Rabbinic staying and going Arrivals and departures are being marked at congregations in the region as the rabbinic leadership at some congregations change — but for some, they stay the same.

The biggest change is in Mississippi, where both of the state’s full-time pulpit rabbis are leaving. Rabbi Valerie Cohen had previously announced that she is taking a pulpit in Massachusetts this summer after 11 years at Beth Israel in Jackson.

Last month, Rabbi Uri Barnea of B’nai Israel in Hattiesburg announced his retirement after seven years. His final Shabbat service leading the congregation will be on May 30.

Rabbi Debra Kassoff, who was just named education director at the Jackson congregation, serves Greenville’s Hebrew Union Congregation part-time, and there are visiting rabbis at the congregations in Cleveland, Gulfport and Meridian.

Beth Israel will have a weekend honoring Cohen on May 30 and 31. At the 6:15 p.m. Shabbat service on May 30, congregants are being invited to come up and share stories and memories about Cohen. A special oneg will follow.

On May 31, there will be a “Toast to Jewish Composers” honoring her years of service to Beth Israel and the greater Jackson community, with a seated three-course dinner at the Fairview Inn. A cash bar will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by Havdalah at 7 p.m., dinner and the performance.

The benefit has levels named for Carole King, Debbie Friedman, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Proceeds will benefit the congregation’s music program.

Beth Israel will have an interim rabbi next year while they search for a permanent successor.

Also leaving is Rabbi John Nimon of Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville, who has been at the congregation for five years.

Across Lake Pontchartrain, Gates of Prayer is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Rabbi Robert Loewy’s tenure. There will be a Shabbat dinner marking the occasion on May 30 at 6 p.m., followed by the 8 p.m. Shabbat service.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El announced that Rabbi Laila Haas has been given the title of associate rabbi, along with a four-year contract extension.

This summer, Rabbi Gabriel Greenberg will become the full-time rabbi for Beth Israel in Metairie. He was hired a year ago but wanted to fulfill the final year of his agreement as Hillel director at Cal-Berkeley, so he has visited New Orleans monthly this year.

...MOVING FORWARD

ADL among critics of Miss. law So-called religious freedom bill seen as license to discriminate The Anti-Defamation League is among groups criticizing the new Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, says the government can not burden “a person’s right to exercise of religion” without a compelling reason.

It passed on April 1 and was signed into law by Governor Phil Bryant on April 3. The bill also adds the phrase “In God We Trust” to the state seal, and directs its inclusion on all new depictions of the seal from stationery to government buildings.

Bryant said he was “proud to sign the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act today, which will protect the individual religious freedom of Mississippians of all faiths from government interference.

Mississippi has now joined 18 other states to defend religious freedoms on a state level.”

The bill was introduced in the wake of lawsuits filed against businesses elsewhere in the country that refused to provide services for same-sex couples because the business owners stated that lifestyle went against their religious beliefs. The bill itself is broadly worded and does not mention homosexuality or any particular group, but makes it difficult for a business owner to be prosecuted for such incidents.

It was modeled after a highly-criticized Arizona bill that was ultimately vetoed by the Arizona governor, though supporters say the final version does not resemble the Arizona bill, and most of the opposition comes from wording that was in the original bill but was not in the version that passed.

Civil rights groups wanted language added to the bill to state that it could not be used to undermine anti-discrimination laws, but that was refused. The original bill was modified to more closely resemble the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Congress passed almost unanimously, but critics say the rewritten bill can still be used to discriminate.

The ADL called the bill “nothing more than a license to discriminate in the name of religion that will harm the civil rights, health and safety of Mississippians.”

The organization predicted numerous unintended consequences from the bill. “Invoking religious beliefs, a health care worker could use the law to refuse to give a patient a blood transfusion or psychiatric care or medicine; a law enforcement officer could refuse to serve and protect Mississippians engaged in activities contrary to the officer’s religious beliefs; and based on his or her religious beliefs, a business owner could deny service to a prospective customer.”

The original bill did have a provision protecting health care workers in such circumstances, but it was not in the final bill.

The Interfaith Alliance in Washington called the bill “a gross distortion of the American promise of religious freedom.”

Conversely, supporters pointed to a recent case where a Holly Springs ordinance was challenged by a church. The ordinance said churches could not operate along the courthouse square, where Opulent Life Church had leased a storefront.

Another cited case involved a truck driver who is a Sikh, who was arrested after police officers who referred to him as a terrorist ordered him to remove his turban and kirpan, a small ceremonial sword that is

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worn as part of his faith. In court he was expelled from the room and refused re-entry unless he removed “that rag.”

In response to the law, a group has started distributing decals for businesses to display in their windows. The decals read “We don’t discriminate: If you’re buying, we’re selling.” Started in the Fondren district of Jackson, the effort has spread statewide through Equality Mississippi.

Among those protesting outside the state capitol during the signing was Jeff White of Waveland, a co-founder of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lesbian and Gay Community Center. He stated that he was concerned about the law’s effect on him, as someone who is gay and Jewish. The law “made me physically ill” and prompted him to consider leaving Mississippi, he said.

Pro-Israel Declaration on campus On March 30, about 400 turned out at Tulane University for Declare Your Freedom 2.0, a student-led pro-Israel event that brought in national speakers and music acts to “celebrate Zionism.”

Chloe Valdary of the University of New Orleans and Maor Shapira of Tulane coordinated the event, which has since been replicated at the University of Central Florida. Last year’s inaugural event was held at UNO. The festival included backdrop murals painted by Artists 4 Israel. Two graffiti artists from New York painted murals, and there was a collaboration mural demonstrating how art is creation, instead of the destruction of war.

The event kicked off with a jazz rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah. Musical acts included Los Rakas, Zion I, Shi 360, the Ori Naftaly Band and Pep Love.

Sudanese human rights activist Simon Deng spoke about being a child slave in Sudan, and about the ongoing genocide there. He spoke about the hypocrisy of human rights activists who ignore what is happening there and who pour their outrage onto Israel instead.

Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, spoke about the need for reform in the Muslim world.

Also speaking was Brooke Goldstein, director of The Lawfare Project, which exposes abuse of Western laws and systems to achieve political ends, such as Photos by Lauren Clarice Cross hindering the fight against terrorism, Chloe Valdary, Maor or charging the U.S. and Israel with war Shapira and Simon Deng crimes in international courts. spoke at DYF 2.0 Also speaking were Samantha Rose Mandeles from CAMERA On Campus, and Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson Society, which promotes “the rule of law, liberal democracy, civil rights, environmental responsibility and the market economy.”

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Allison Goodman new head of ADL’s New Orleans office The South-Central office of the Anti-Defamation League has a new leader.

As of April 27, Allison Padilla-Goodman is the new community director for the New Orleans office, which serves Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. “I’m very excited to get started with this great organization and do awesome social justice work,” she said.

A New Orleans native and Isidore Newman School graduate, she has been the director of special projects at Harriet Tubman Charter School, overseeing the school’s enrichment programs, high school placement, and community partnerships.

She recently completed her doctorate in sociology at City University of New York, with a dissertation on “The Racial Politics of Repopulating Post-Katrina New Orleans.”

From 2008 to 2011, she was director of youth programs with Silence Is Violence, a grassroots organization about public safety in New Orleans. She spent time in schools working on enrichment programs and mentoring students and staff. In 2011 she taught at Lignan University in Hong Kong.

She becomes the New Orleans office’s fifth director. Cathy Glaser stepped down a year ago and was succeeded by Talora Gross last June.

Gross stepped down last fall and is now senior programs and Teen Life Counts coordinator at Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans.

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On April 7, Shelley Rose, associate director of the ADL Southeastern office in Atlanta, spoke to the Birmingham Jewish Community Relations Coalition.

She noted that 2013 was the 100th anniversary for ADL — and for Clorox. She said Clorox had a theme of “100 years of making things white,” which was “not an appropriate theme for ADL.” Instead, the ADL had a theme of “Imagine a World Without Hate.”

Few anti-Semitic incidents reported in Deep South On April 1, the Anti-Defamation League released its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, showing a 19 percent decrease from the previous year. The 751 incidents is one of the lowest levels since the audit began in 1979.

Nevertheless, the category of assaults went up, from 17 to 31.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, said “The falling number of incidents targeting Jews is another indication of just how far we have come in finding full acceptance in society, and it is a reflection of how much progress our country has made in shunning bigotry and hatred.”

The highest number of incidents came from New York, with 203, down from 245. California had 143, New Jersey had 78.

Alabama had five reported incidents in the harassment, threats and events category. Louisiana had one, and one case of vandalism, for two overall, and Mississippi had one vandalism incident.

The Mississippi incident was the May 2013 vandalism of Beth Israel in Jackson.

Neither Alabama nor Mississippi had reported any incidents in 2012, while Louisiana stayed the same with two.

Florida had 55 harassment, threats and events incidents and 13 cases of vandalism. In 2012 Florida had 88 incidents.

Southern Jewish Life

May 2014

15

She noted that the annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States showed 19 percent fewer incidents in 2013. The level dropped in the 1990s, spiked after Sept. 11, 2001, and has been declining again ever since.

“Do I believe there are only 751 incidents of anti-Semitism in the U.S.” in a year, she asked. “No way. But that’s the ones that are reported to us.”

She remembers when the raw number of incidents was three times higher.

Last year her office reported 14 incidents. “When I first started… we had 30 or 31.”

The Atlanta office covers Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Being in this region, Rose said she does a lot of work on church-state issues, especially in public schools. Other top issues are voting rights, immigration reform, and gay/lesbian issues.

The ADL does a lot of investigating, “monitoring and exposing hate groups and extremist activity” and sharing information with law enforcement.

The organization has numerous educational programs, which today are often used as anti-bullying programs. “No Place for Hate” is in 220 Atlanta-area schools, and is used in the entire Huntsville school system after anti-Semitic graffiti at a Jewish family’s home. The ADL was invited to meet with school officials, and “the administration was very much behind” introducing the curriculum.

There was a community celebration last spring, she said. “It helped the students begin to think about treating people who are different from them with respect.”

The ADL also monitors groups like the Nation of Islam and the New Black Panther Party. Rose noted that last summer, the Nation of Islam targeted Richard Friedman, executive director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, during discussions of the Voting Rights Act. Rose also touched on anti-Israel extremism on campus, and noted that of the 3,000 campuses in the country, there are perhaps 125 with “significant” anti-Israel activity.

Even there, she said, “our students can have a great experience and we have to prepare them for what they might encounter.”

The National Federation of Temple Youth’s Southern region held elections on April 11 during the Spring Conclave, held at Gates of Prayer in Metairie. The regional officers for the coming year are: Anna Aronson of Baton Rouge, president; Haley Fried of New Orleans, programming vice president; Katie Fijman of Jackson, social action vice president; Andrew Rogers of Memphis, religious and cultural vice president; Jared Lindy of Memphis, membership vice president; Lauren Grundfest of Little Rock, communications vice president. The Little Rock chapter was recognized as TYG of the Year.

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May 2014

Southern Jewish Life

Black and Jewish in New Orleans

By Marian Moore December 2013 found me in San Diego, attending the 50th biennial of the Women of Reform Judaism. Although this was the organization’s centennial, WRJ actually began at Temple Sinai in New Orleans in 1900 as “the Sisterhood,” the name still used by most members.

When I look at our official history, I find that the Sisterhood began as a ladies auxiliary. In 1900, they took on the task of selecting the furnishings for the synagogue and maintaining the new synagogue building. In later years, they did everything from comforting the sick, funding the purchase of an organ, preparing holiday synagogue meals and sponsoring scholarships at the rabbinical college in Cincinnati.

WRJ, the Sisterhood, is still the critical heart of the synagogue. They ensure that things get done. The president of each synagogue chapter is responsible for representing the chapter on the synagogue board and responsible for defining what tasks the chapter will accept.

This was my third biennial but my first as the president of Temple Sinai Sisterhood. Each time that I’ve attended these national gatherings, there are more Jews of color participants than before. I attended many small panel discussions where I was the only non-white woman in the room, but when I attended the group discussions with more than 100 attendees that was never the case. Many of our blended identities were present, from Jewish and African-American, Jewish and Asian-American, Jewish and Latina, and so forth.

While I was there to find out how to increase membership in my own synagogue Sisterhood, I was interested to listen as the hierarchy of both the women’s organization and the Reform movement wrestled with the recognition of the diversity of Reform Judaism and Jewish life in general. I see evidence of that struggle in my life in New Orleans.

For example, I sat in one seminar where the rabbi was describing the development of the synagogue itself. The synagogue as an assembly may have begun during the Babylonian exile, but he traced the growth of synagogues as edifices to Napoleon: the creator of French identity. He turned to the Jews of France and asked: Is Judaism a religion?

Or are Jews a people? If Jews were a people, then he was prepared to expel them. If they were merely Frenchmen practicing a different religion, they could stay. Very quickly, the Jews of France decided that they were practicing a religion. This was the pattern established across Western Europe.

According to the rabbi, the Jews of Eastern Europe were not offered this choice; they maintained their cultural definition that Jews are a people. For example, it was not until 1997 that Russian identity papers eliminated “Jewish” as the nationality of Russian Jews.

The stage was now set for the migration to the United States. The Jews of the West became Americans and adopted the practices of

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their new country. They built Jewish houses of None of this would be a surprise to some worship and emulated their neighbors. They black professionals in New Orleans. You don’t became Americans first and Jews second. The have to be black and Jewish to experience Jews of the East also became Americans, but your white associates’ cultural blindness or the cultural identity of Jewish remained cen- assumptions. It’s the same in the Jewish comtral to their character. (And yes — this is a vast munity, but complicated by their own feelsimplification.) ing of exclusion. Sometimes they see a black My synagogue was founded by Western woman, sometimes they see a Jew. And to be Jews, and a black woman could become pres- fair, I am suspect to the same type of blindness ident of her synagogue’s women’s group. Via as they. The New Yorker who included me in Jewish Multiracial Network, I know of at least his invitation was seriously flirting but it nevtwo black rabbis, one rabbi in training and nu- er occurred to me that someone white would merous other Jews of color in the U.S. be interested in me.

However, that doesn’t mean that the idea of The New Orleans Jewish community is Jewish peoplehood has vanished, even within small compared to that of the Northeast. my synagogue. In practice, Judaism is family Therefore, I have not suffered the questions centered, not synagogue centered. Unlike and rejections that some of my Northern many of the JOCs that I know from the North- JOC friends have. More than once, people east, I am a convert, an adopted member of have leaned over after services and complithe tribe. And like some adopted children, I mented me on my voice. I’ve been invited up find myself occasionally to the bimah for the honor treated as inauthentic or an of reading the Torah in my How long have you outsider. The reason is not own synagogue, and to read always apparent. the blessing over the Torah been Jewish? For in several other synagogues.

Case 1: Women are almany Jews of color, There are few Jews in New ways rushing out of the last Orleans, and we treasure the answer may be service that marks the end every one. generations of the High Holy Days. I It’s only when I leave New never understood why until Orleans and the Gulf Coast a visitor from New York inregion that I hear the question: How long have cluded me as his plus-one invitation. People you been Jewish?

It drives many Jews of color had been rushing home to prepare elaborate meals for family and friends. These meals into a fury because their families have been mark the end of a day-long fast. Why did it Jewish for unknown generations. After all, Istake a stranger to let me know of a practice in rael is on a land bridge between Asia and Africa. Fifty-five percent of modern Israelis are my own synagogue? of North African or Middle Eastern descent.

Case 2: People are sitting around In my case, however, there is an actual match-making the few single women in our number of years that I’ve been Jewish. By Jewgroup. I notice that they don’t match me with ish law, however, it is a question that should anyone and I wonder — aloud — why that is never be asked, even of converts. Once you so. Silently, I ask myself if it is because they are convert, you are Jewish, the child of Abraham American white Southerners first and can’t and Sarah. Many converts, including myself, imagine bringing a black woman into their feel as if they are merely returning home to family? Or is it because I am not an authen- Judaism. tic member of the tribe in their view? I have Home is a religion that welcomes questions no way of knowing. The only response that I and rejects the idea that there is one answer received was an abashed silence and a change to any religious question. Home is a religion of subject. that has no concept of original sin and that inCase 3: A musician at a synagogue fund- sists that the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) raiser is taking requests for his final perfor- is a vital component of a balanced human life. mance and someone asks for “Dixie.” Really? I Home is a religion that had no word for “relilook for the person in the crowd and can not gion” until modernity.

There are no easy responses to what it is like find him. My memories of “Dixie” are seeing Shreveporters stand for the song as if it were to be black and Jewish in New Orleans. I have the national anthem. I’ve heard enough sto- spent years wondering if I occasionally feel ries of fear and exclusion from Jewish friends like an outsider because I am black, because I that I want to demand that the requestor ex- am single in a family-oriented religion, or beplain why he wants the anthem of people who cause I am not a native New Orleanian.

It was instructive to listen to Rabbi Rick Jaoppressed both blacks and Jews played aloud cobs, the current leader of the Reform moveto a Jewish crowd. ment. At the biennial, he spoke of arriving

Southern Jewish Life

at a synagogue where he was scheduled to speak. He was early and few people were around. One woman demanded to know why he was there. The rabbi replied that he was looking for a “congregation filled with warmth and welcome.”

Too often, he reminded this assembly, we don’t welcome the stranger. If the current head of the Union of Reform Judaism can have his authenticity challenged at a synagogue, I suspect that the source of my occasional discomfort is more multifaceted than America’s racial divide.

It has been my own practice for the past few years to reject bitterness and remember that I am the child of Abraham who ran out into the street to welcome the stranger. My small Passover table has been open to those who I know were not invited elsewhere. I am the one bringing Moroccan carrot salad or Ethiopian lentil soup to synagogue events to remind others that Jewish food is more than kugel and bagels. I would love to see the story of Esther read, as we do every year during Purim, as we sit down to a Persian dinner.

Some people may grumble that I don’t bring “Jewish” food. Others will rejoice at new choices. On the African-American side, I am lucky that most of my black friends have decided that pork is unhealthy. I seldom have to avoid their meals for religious reasons.

My two traditions, black and Jewish, echo each other in surprising ways. When at their best, they are proud of their differences. When at their best, they remember what it means to be a stranger.

Tupelo Temple escapes tornado damage

Temple B’nai Israel in Tupelo escaped a April 28 tornado with minor damage. Some tree limbs fell on the roof and there was some “minor damage,” according to congregational leaders, but the building was secure.

Many congregants were without power, but everyone was safe.

Sid Salter reported via Twitter that the home of legendary broadcaster Jack Cristil, who was the voice of Mississippi State football for over 50 years, suffered “significant damage,” but he was not injured.

Cristil routinely leads Shabbat services at B’nai Israel, and his home is about half a mile west of the Temple.

Salter wrote the 2011 biography of Cristil.

The tornado went through town around 3 p.m. and heavily damaged some businesses along Gloster Street, including landmark restaurant Vanelli’s. The destroyed businesses are roughly three-fourths of a mile northeast of B’nai Israel.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported house-to-house searches in the neighborhood where the Temple is located. Joyner School, located around the corner, had some trees down and roof damage.

A version of this piece appeared on the Brassy Brown website and is Tupelo’s only Jewish congregation was established in 1939. The curreprinted with permission. rent building, the congregation’s first permanent home, was dedicated in 1957.

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May 2014

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New JLI course celebrates Rebbe’s teachings

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In the winter of 1950, during the immediate aftermath of the destruction of European Jewry in the Holocaust, a charismatic 48-year-old Rabbi Schneerson assumed leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, charting a mission to rebuild world Jewry from the ground up.

Chabad Jewish Centers are marking the 20th anniversary of the Rebbe’s passing with an educational course, “Paradigm Shift: Transformational Life Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” prepared by the Jewish Learning Institute. Paradigm Shift will be offered in Metairie over six Tuesdays, starting May 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Uptown over six Wednesdays, starting May 14, at 9:15 a.m.

It is also being offered at the Bais Ariel Chabad Center in Birmingham on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., starting April 30, and Thursdays at 11 a.m. starting May 1.

The course is a collaboration of over 40 scholars. It presents Schneerson’s unique outlook and central contributions to Judaism and society, addressing questions such as: What was his understanding of the human being and what were his hopes for humanity? And how these insights be applied toward living a more purposeful life?

His vision was to spread an appreciation for the infinite value and limitless potential of the individual and to demonstrate how every circumstance in life presents an opportunity to improve society.

“Paradigm Shift” encapsulates the Rebbe’s many letters, personal audiences, and public addresses, distilling them into a six-session course that will guide students to view themselves, others, and the circumstances they encounter from a more meaningful, richer, and radically more positive perspective.

Elie Wiesel, the noted scholar and Nobel Prize laureate, said “I know of no one who has left the Rebbe without being deeply affected, if not changed, by their encounter. Time in his presence begins running at a different pace.

You feel inspired, you feel self-examined, you are made to wonder about the quest for meaning which ought to be yours. In his presence nothing is superficial, nor is it artificial.

In his presence you come closer in touch with your inner center of gravity.”

Paradigm Shift is designed to appeal to people of all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public.

Registration information is available at myJLI.com.

Real Estate/Homes

Custom concrete counters, fireplaces and much more!

Exterior Designs brings beauty, function to outdoor living spaces

By Lee J. Green Those who come to Touro Synagogue and the New Orleans Jewish Community Center can admire the beautiful landscaping designed and maintained by Beverly Katz.

Her company, Exterior Designs, provides architectural planning for outdoor living spaces, landscaping, gardens and courtyards.

“Our specialty is affordably transforming unpleasant outdoor areas into additional living space,” said Katz.

Katz noted that outdoor kitchens are becoming increasingly popular.

Other trends she mentioned include well-thought-out gardens and courtyards, as well as helping homeowners to remedy drainage issues. “The homeowner wants a nice outdoor space to relax and meditate,” said Katz.

She said when one consults a landscape or exterior designer, they should consider how they see using the outdoor space; what the budget is and if working in phases is an option.

In addition to Touro and the JCC, Katz developed a signature theme of New Orleans courtyards, and also designs and builds signature pergolas.

She is also on the board for Park and Pathways and maintains the landscaping for a few schools.

“Being visual throughout the city is important to me,” added Katz.

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Issis and Sons goes from floor on up For more than 30 years, Issis and Sons has offered flooring and carpeting solutions to central Alabama out of its Birmingham area stores. In recent years, after laying that foundation, Issis and Sons progressed into blinds and draperies and most recently home furnishings.

“Furniture was just a natural progression from the flooring, draperies, blinds and accessories. We want to offer our customers complete solutions to their home interior needs,” said Nancy Gowens, Issis and Sons Operations Manager, who leads the Pelham furniture store.

That store opened in 2009 and last year, the company opened its Highway 31 location in Vestavia. The flooring and draperies locations are on Highway 280 and Pelham.

“Issis and Sons is all about quality,” said Gowens, noting that the stores focus on “mid-to-high-end products” along with knowledgeable, friendly customer service. “We’re all consumers so we think about bringing in what we would buy and treating others how we would want to be treated.”

In furniture, Issis and Sons carries “core classic pieces that stand the test of time. But we certainly also are on the pulse of what is trending and bringing things to this area first when we can,” Gowens added.

Gowens said grays and beiges are popular here. Tastes run from industrial to French provincial. “Nationally things are trending more toward bright colors and we’re seeing that more recently hitting this area,” she said. “We’re seeing a big increase in the number of people moving to Birmingham. Those that are coming from larger cities are bringing some of those styles and tastes with them.”

Issis and Sons works with more than 200 furniture and accessories vendors and can do a lot of custom-fit work. “Between our two furniture stores, we may only carry three or four of a given piece of furniture. What separates us from a big box store is that we don’t buy in bulk so we can offer our customers more unique products. Plus we can offer the personal service touch,” said Gowens.

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May 2014

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Real Estate/Homes Birmingham shows real estate market is on the rise

By Lee J. Green

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Birmingham area ARC Real Estate Agent Debbie Clarke won’t go so far as to call the current real estate market and sales increase a boom rivaling that of several years ago. But she and the market have seen some significant gains in the past 18 months.

“Birmingham has earned a top-10 ranking of best cities to live in nationally,” factoring quality of life and living affordability. “People want to move here and it’s also a great time for people to buy homes (who already live in the area) because interest rates are low coupled with banks loosening up on credit and lending,” said Clarke. “There are some programs in which people don’t have to put anything down and can easily get into a new home.”

One of the issues now is low inventory, she said. New construction slowed or stopped during the down years and some people took their homes off the market since they would not sell. That new construction is starting to pick up, but that takes time to develop.

“We’re looking for more sellers. The market has moved strongly toward a seller’s market, so it is a good time to get a home ready to sell for those who are interested in doing so. We can work with them on how to best get the home ready for presentation… and help them to sell,” said Clarke.

Her advice to sellers is to “de-personalize” the house when it is being shown and focus on the interior, especially bathrooms as well as kitchens.

“When a prospective buyer comes in, you want them to be able to see themselves and their stuff in the house. It should be clean and uncluttered.

If a seller wants to make some enhancements, the kitchens and bathrooms are most important,” though curb appeal is still a factor.

Clarke said buyers are looking for multi-purpose rooms that the entire family can enjoy time together in. She said buyers today, considering all that is on the Internet, are more educated than ever before.

For many, a top priority is the quality of the schools. Clarke gives her buyers some information and refers them to a school rating site www. greatschools.com.

“I think that is why we are seeing some new buyers go to places such as Hoover, Trussville and Gardendale, since the schools are good plus they can get more house for their money,” she said. “There is less new construction in Mountain Brook and Vestavia, but we’re still seeing some good sales growth there as well as surrounding areas such as Irondale and Crestwood.”

ARC President and Qualifying Broker Beau Bevis said that thanks in part to some new retail developments, former emerging markets such as Crestwood and Crestline Park have become hot neighborhoods.

Bevis said there are two big indicators for the positive growth in the Birmingham area real estate market. “For the first time in seven years in certain markets, there are more pending sales than active listings,” he said.

He added that since the depths of the housing market recession, the number of foreclosures in the area has been cut in half.”

Since inventory is low and demand is high, it’s a good time to sell. Plus it’s a good time to buy since interest rates are low. “It is a great time to buy and sell. In two to three years, interest rates should go up a couple percentage points, so now is the time,” noted Bevis.

RealtySouth’s Bridget Sikora encourages sellers; aligns them with buyers

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RealtySouth’s Bridget Sikora, an involved member of the Birmingham area Jewish community, said that sellers today are selling their homes more quickly and getting more money for their homes than in recent years.

“We’re dealing with low inventory, so it’s a great time to be a seller… as well as a buyer,” said Sikora. “I’ve had some people call me to inquire about putting their home back on the market or on the market for the first time. Before they make the commitment to get the house ready to present

to sellers, in a few cases, I have been able to tell them about a guaranteed buyer who would pay a certain amount…so there is not the risk involved and it can work out quickly.”

She said the home inventory is higher “as you go out further” from Birmingham and Over the Mountain. “Now would be a great time for potential sellers, especially in the (OTM communities) to think about getting their houses ready to present. I am happy to help them with tips on how to de-clutter and de-personalize the house so prospective buyers could see themselves in the house,” said Sikora.

As for prospective buyers, more are getting approved for mortgages and interest rates are still low. “Even if interest rates go up to five percent later this year, they still are low with some excellent options. We seemed to have some buyers, like sellers, who waited it out and now are in a good position to get the new home they want at the price they want,” she added.

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A proactive approach to flood protection

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By Eyal Ron The massive flood damage around the Birmingham metro area on April 7 caught many residents by surprise. The National Weather Service measured more than seven inches of rain in Vestavia Hills, while other locations in the area reported five or six inches of rain.

The National Flood Insurance Program was created by the U.S. Government to help with the high cost of flood-related losses of both buildings and property.

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No one is safe. People outside of high-risk areas file nearly 25 percent of National Flood Insurance claims. In high-risk areas, there is at least a one in four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. Poor drainage systems, rapid accumulation of rainfall, and broken water mains can all result in flood. Properties on a hillside can be damaged by mudflow, a covered peril under the Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

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Does a Homeowner’s/Renters Insurance policy cover this? Flood damage is not typically a covered peril by most homeowners or renters insurance policies sold in the U.S. Can I purchase Flood Insurance Policy? If you live in a community that participates in the NFIP, you can get flood insurance. In Louisiana, there are 313 communities enrolled and only 22 that are not. In the Birmingham area, Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia, Homewood, Mountain Brook, Alabaster, Chelsea and many more municipalities are participating.

How much coverage is allowed by the NFIP? Residential homes structure limit is $250,000, and content is limited to $100,000. Business Structure limit is $500,000 and $500,000 limit for business content. Renters Contents limit is $100,000.

Does flood insurance cover flood damage caused by storms, rivers, or tidal waters? Yes, provided that, if confined to your property, the flood water covers at least two acres. A general condition of flood also exists if two properties are affected, one of which is yours.

What are Flood Zones? Flood zones are land areas identified by the FEMA. Each flood zone describes that land area in terms of its risk of flooding. Everyone lives in a flood zone — it’s just a question of whether you live in a low, moderate, or high risk area.

What is covered in my basement? Flood insurance covers your home’s foundation elements and equipment that’s necessary to support the structure (i.e. HVAC, water heater, etc.). Flood insurance does not cover basement improvements, such as finished walls, floors, ceilings or personal belongings that may be kept in a basement.

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2408 Canterbury Road 205-803-4040 Mountain Brook Village

Eyal Ron is an insurance agent and owner of the Ron Agency, Inc., in Mountain Brook, Ala. The Ron Agency is part of the local flood insurance agents program.

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Fine Furniture Chandeliers and Lighting Fine Linens Carpet and Oriental Rugs Accessories Fine Art May 2014

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Real Estate/Homes Hurwitz Mintz a New Orleans tradition for almost a century

By Lee J. Green In 1923, Joseph Hurwitz and Morris Mintz opened a small furniture store on the 200 block of Royal Street.

Much has changed over the years with furniture styles, items and what customers seek in their home or business environment. But what hasn’t changed is the company’s commitment to serving the folks of New Orleans and the Deep South with a wide variety of furniture and accessories to satisfy all tastes.

“As Jews, home and family are very important to us. We have remained a successful, family-owned business for 91 years and have taken pride in working with multiple generations of families to provide them with everything they need for a comfortable living environment,” said Mitchell Mintz, who took over total ownership of Hurwitz Mintz in 2006 after his father, Ellis, passed away.

Ellis entered the business in 1943. Through his leadership in 1963 Hurwitz Mintz doubled the size of its Royal Street location through the purchase of an adjoining building. In 1971, Ellis purchased, renovated and opened a two-story store around the corner and called it Units — catering to a contemporary clientele.

Mitchell joined the company in 1973, becoming the third generation to enter the business (he was a ZBT at the University of Alabama). In 1977, they expanded Units. Then a year later, Hurwitz Mintz purchased a 200,000-square-foot warehouse to further increase operational efficiencies.

In 1982, Ellis and Mitchell acquired full ownership of Hurwitz Mintz by purchasing the Hurwitz family’s interest.

Then in 1999 to accommodate growth, Hurwitz Mintz acquired the site for the new warehouse and showroom, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and methods to maximize efficiency.

The current facilities on Airline Drive in Metairie were again expanded significantly in 2004 and 2009, with the corporate offices being moved from downtown to Airline Drive. Today, Hurwitz Mintz has 125,000 square feet of space for home furnishings.

“We have the largest, most diversified selection of inventory and services in the area, including imported fine furniture, accessories, rugs, drapery, carpeting along with other home furnishings,” said Mitchell Mintz.

He said in recent years, customers are trending toward putting more focus into furniture for multi-functional spaces, such as family-gathering areas that can also serve as a home office space, memory-foam bedding and home entertainment rooms.

“It seems there is more of a family focus on electronics and spending time together in a room with a home-entertainment center, along with motion recliner chairs and sofas that people can adjust as much as a car seat,” said Mintz. “People also want some more casual dining furniture for kitchens as well as other rooms apart from the more-formal dining room.”

He said Hurwitz Mintz also has recently seen a rise in sales of outdoor furniture. “These days you can get nice, well-made furniture for the outdoors at lower prices,” said Mintz. “Much of the indoor and outdoor furniture and accessories we sell comes from the Pacific Rim. We are able to acquire it for less and can pass on the savings of this fine furniture to our customers.”

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Southern Jewish Life

Latter and Blum CEO gives largest S.E. La. United Way gift in history

By Lee J. Green

Join your fellow Yiddish enthusiasts for an exciting weekend celebration of Yiddish language, culture, and history

Robert Merrick recently donated $1 million to United Way of Southeast Louisiana — the largest-ever single gift from an individual in the organization’s history.

Merrick is the Chairman and CEO of Latter & Blum Inc., the oldest and largest commercial and residential real estate operation in the Gulf South.

Merrick is a renowned civic leader and philanthropist.

With this latest gift, he has joined a very elite group, the United Way Million Dollar Roundtable, a national membership reserved for million dollar donors. Merrick is the first individual to donate $1 million to a United Way in Louisiana or Mississippi. He will meet other Roundtable members from around the country when their annual meeting is held in New Orleans.

When asked why he contributes so much of himself and his wealth to the nonprofit sector, Merrick said, “For two reasons. First, I was not born wealthy and I believe in helping those who are down on their luck pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. And, secondly, I hope to encourage more people with the ability to give to do so. Can you imagine all the good we could do for our community if everyone voluntarily gave according to their means?”

Merrick’s involvement with Junior Achievement, his role in the establishment of the Max Derbes III Professorship in Real Estate at the University of New Orleans’ Business School, and his own educational scholarship fund for the children of the agents and employees at the Latter & Blum family of companies demonstrate his willingness to help make a better future a reality for many.

Following the back-to-back Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with hundreds of people on his payroll and with clouds of uncertainty over the entire regional real estate market, Merrick continued to pay salary to all of his employees — regardless of their ability to work or not. For those who could relocate to Baton Rouge, he also provided housing, whether in a house, apartment or hotel, at his expense.

In 2013, Merrick was inducted into the Red Cross’s National Chairman’s Council, an honor reserved for donors whose lifetime giving exceeds $1 million. Coupled with this gift to United Way, these two gifts are matched by a lifetime of giving which currently exceeds $15 million.

Merrick is the only person in Louisiana, and one of a handful nationally, to earn the professional designations of the Appraisal Institute, American Society of Real Estate Counselors, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, and Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.

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At Home Furnishings says monochromatic palettes trending At Home Furnishings, which opened its showroom in Birmingham 22 years ago, said Southern trends for 2014 include monochromatic palettes, linens, light woods and the industrial look.

At Home General Manager Paige Rouss said styles vary from region to region, but residents in the South generally prefer “light and airy” as opposed to up north, where they tend toward heavier woods and fabrics.

Rouss said that back when owner Babbie Styslinger opened the store in 1992, At Home mostly sold heavily-carved Indian furniture. “Now people are into linens, raw or light-stained woods — just more organic, delicate designs,” said Rouss.

Much of At Home’s inventory of furniture and accessories comes from India, China and Mexico and changes daily. The showroom features more than 200 vendors.

Rouss said they encourage customers to bring in paint colors, swatches from current furniture and photos of their rooms. “Our sales staff has the expertise to guide them in their design choices so that everything they purchase here will fit well in the home environment they want to create,” she said.

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May 2014

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Kicking for Kids crowns co-champions

Nine teams competed in this year’s Kicking for Kids tournament at the Uptown Jewish Community Center on March 30, and the result was… a tie.

The kickball doubleelimination tournament “kicks off” the summer season at the JCC and is a fundraiser for child and teen programming.

After a long day of competition, the undefeated team lost in the championship game. Rather than play a second game to decide the winner, as darkness descended, Just Kick It! (in dark blue) and Where My Pitches At? (in dark green) decided to split the prize, which is a pool party at the JCC. 26

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NOLA

Tulane Hillel honors leaders On April 6, Tulane Hillel held a banquet honoring Tulane Jewish Leaders, the Hillel’s leadership incubator.

The banquet included the presentation of the first Carol B. Wise Exemplar of Excellence Award, which is presented to the leaders of the initiative that best exemplifies the mission of TJL, “to build a radically inclusive, broad-based and action oriented Jewish community.”

The inaugural winners were Ophir and Dor Haberer, who organized the Green Wave Community Markets. The monthly market, held at Hillel, makes local goods and produce more accessible to the student community, builds a stronger off-campus community life, and develops relationships between students and community members.

The Haberer brothers donated the cash prize that comes with the award back to the market.

Also honored for their commitment to Tulane Hillel over the last 16 years were Margie and Scott Cowen. Scott Cowen is stepping down as president of Tulane this summer.

Students Matt Deitch, Brandon Faske, Samantha Dietz, Shelby Wolofsky and Cece Cole spoke about how the Cowens had affected them and their experiences at Tulane. Hillel planted two trees in Israel in the Cowens’ honor.

Remembering artist John Clemmer A public memorial service for noted artist John Clemmer was scheduled for May 9 at Touro Synagogue, starting at 1 p.m. Clemmer died on April 11 at the Jewish Home and Care Center in Milwaukee, two weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 92.

Clemmer was born on a plantation near Donaldsonville, then the family moved to New Orleans when he was seven. He was awarded a scholarship to the New Orleans Art School, and by 1951 was executive secretary of the New Orleans Arts and Crafts Club, and director of the New Orleans School of Art. He started teaching at Tulane in 1951, became a professor in 1974 and left the School of Architecture faculty in 1978 to become chairman of the Newcomb Art Department. He retired in 1986, and had been the first recipient of the Ford and Maxine Graham Chair in Fine Art. Over the decades, his works spanned a range of styles and media, from Cubism in the 1940s to abstracts on Masonite panels in the 1950s, along with portraits and nude figures. In the 1960s he focused on landscape abstractions, then by the 1980s had an impressionist style.

He also did a wide range of three-dimensional work for public and NOLA

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private venues, including religious sculptures for synagogues in Illinois and New Orleans.

In 1999, the New Orleans Museum of Art produced “John Clemmer: Exploring the Medium, 1940-1999.” In 2010 he was presented the Louisiana Artist Recognition Award by the Delgado Society of the New Orleans Museum of Art. In March 2012, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge did the exhibit “John Clemmer: New and Selected Work.”

For the last 15 years he split time between New Orleans and Wisconsin. In January, the LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans had “John Clemmer: Nine Years Later.”

A reception will follow the memorial services. Contributions in his memory may be made to the New Orleans Museum of Art and New Orleans Musica da Camera.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Clemmer; sons Jonathan Clemmer of Danville, Ill., and David Clemmer, Santa Fe, N.M.; daughter Trina Parker, Abita Springs; six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Sobibor uprising survivor speaks On April 27 the New Orleans Jewish community came together to remember the Holocaust and to hear one of the few remaining survivors of the Sobibor concentration camp.

Philip Bialowitz was the keynote speaker for the event at the Uptown Jewish Community Center. He and his son Joe also spoke to students at De La Salle and Rummel high schools, sharing his story with over 1500 people in New Orleans.

At age 17, Bialowitz (right), his brother and a small group of prisoners overpowered their captors at Sobibor and freed roughly 200 of the 600 slave laborers. It was the most successful uprising at any Nazi camp.

As part of the evening, Tony Behan (above), a religion and theology teacher at De La Salle High School, was named Educator of the Year. The award recognizes local teachers who do an outstanding job integrating Holocaust education into their curriculum.

High school delegates of the Anti-Defamation League Donald R. Mintz Youth Leadership Mission to Washington were also recognized (below).

Daniel Lelchuk, assistant principle cello for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Orleans Opera Association, performed “Prayer” from “Jewish Life” by Ernest Bloch.

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Continued from page 30

never cries.

While standing on one foot, he can recite the entire Torah. Unabridged.

After Neilah, and 26 hours of fasting, his congregants stay.

He knows the full, 72-letter name of the Big G, because they are on a first-name basis.

The houses of Hillel and Shammai both agreed with him. And he wasn’t even born yet.

He can roll an entire Torah in under 60 seconds.

His conversion classes are no longer allowed to be visited by clergy of other faiths, because they kept converting.

He knows the solution to peace in the Middle East. He also has an idea or two for peace on the synagogue board.

When someone drops a Torah, he always makes a diving catch just in time. Even if it’s dropped at another synagogue.

All of his congregants know what day of the Omer yesterday was. And why they should know yesterday instead of today.

His favorite college football team holds kickoff until after Havdalah, without him asking. And CBS agreed to it.

When he chants Torah, the entire congregation understands every word. Even if they don’t know Hebrew. Even if they didn’t come to services.

He can drive a car without breaking the rules of Shabbat.

When he leads a minyan, he has to send 10 people home.

He knows how to always leave ‘em wanting more. Even after they sing Dayenu.

He is… the most interesting rabbi in the world.

“I don’t always drink schnapps. But when I do, I prefer to drink l’Chayim…

“Stay noshy, my friends.”

Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who sincerely apologizes to any rabbis who are evaluated based on these standards during contract renewal. His short Cain and Abel satire, “Murder of the First,” will be staged at Birmingham Festival Theatre on May 6. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, enjoy facebook.com/the.beholders.eye.

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

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

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

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Southern Jewish Life

May 2014

29

The Beholder’s Eye

by Doug Brook

The most interesting rabbi in the world

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When he graduated from the Seminary, the rabbis on faculty asked for his reference.

He officiated his own bar mitzvah.

His congregants complain that his services aren’t long enough.

He can wing a drash better than the best cooks can sling corned beef hash.

His opinions are so insightful, that the Great Sages decided to put them in the Talmud. Two thousand years ago.

When he pours Manischewitz, it actually tastes good.

He is a Jewish exorcist — he knows how to throw de book at “I don’t always drink a dybbuk. schnapps. But when His congregants walk to services, no matter how far away I do, I prefer to drink they live. l’Chayim…”

His kitchen is kosher enough for everyone.

When he drinks enough on Purim to not be able to tell Mordechai from Haman, he can still tell Mordechai from Haman.

His tallis never falls off his shoulders. Even without tallis clips.

He doesn’t need a second rabbi; he can have three opinions all by himself. And it’s hard to dispute any of them.

His marror has been productized by drug companies as a cold and allergy cure.

He figured out how to make chicken parmesan kosher. And it was very good.

His b’nai mitzvah all lead Jewish lives.

He has to urge people to leave the sanctuary after services to go to the Oneg before everything gets cold.

He teaches b’nai mitzvah students without them knowing they’re learning.

On Purim, he can chant in one breath the names of Haman’s 11 sons. And the rest of the chapter.

His congregants all know what they believe, what they don’t believe, why, and what makes it okay.

He can trace his lineage, name-by-name, back to the Exodus from Egypt. And he still uses his great(x88)-grandmother’s original recipe for matzah.

Every wedding he officiates lasts for their lifetime.

After he takes off his tefilin, his arm doesn’t have strap marks.

When he shakes a lulav, the change in air current affects the weather.

His kippah never falls off.

He knows every Yiddish joke ever told, and tells them all better.

He makes religious school parents care about religious school.

When he throws out the first pitch at Jewish Heritage Night, the home team has him stay in the game for the first seven innings.

His ritual committee agrees with him.

His congregants complain that his sermons aren’t long enough.

He counts as two people toward a minyan.

He is so skilled a moyel, he doesn’t need a scalpel. And the baby

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May 2014

Southern Jewish Life

NOLA

Passover in the South

Above, the Women’s Seder at Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El on April 6. Left, the Seder at Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El drew over 80 participants.

Above, Seder at B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge. Left, the “four cups of wine” drinking race at the pre-Passover kids’ Glow in the Dark event at the Chabad Jewish Center in Metairie.

Below, Seder in Florence (photo by Phil Abroms).

Left, new Auburn Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl was among 70 at the Auburn community Seder. He is pictured with Hillel officers Emily Levinson, Rebecca Chazinoff and Scott Godchaux.

At Birmingham’s Temple BethEl, the chometz was safe and sound during Passover, having been bought by Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper.

Rabbi Randall Konigsburg facilitated the sale. As part of the process, members of the community donated over $700 to the Birmingham Police Foundation. Another $600 went to the Collat Jewish Family Services food closet.

Below, Rabbi Marshal Klaven led Seder at B’nai Israel in Panama City as part of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s Passover Pilgrimage.

Left: Passover Palooza at Jewish Community Day School in Metairie

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Southern Jewish Life

May 2014

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