SJL Deep South, May 2017

Southern Jewish Life

May 2017

Volume 27 Issue 5

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213 A glass panel that is part of the Holocaust memorial at Beth Israel in Jackson, dedicated last year

2 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

When one is heavily involved in something for a long time, it is instructive to step back and take a look from a different perspective.

Synagogue presidents can lose a sense of awe in dealing with so much of the nuts and bolts, and the rabbi is no longer on a pedestal. After a certain number of trips to Israel, do you “have to” get to the Western Wall this time?

After 27 years of attending a wide range of events in our communities, it is easy to become a bit jaded, to be at “another one” of something. This year I attended six Passover Seders, including the two for our family.

Similarly, when I went to the Alabama Holocaust commemoration on April 25 as this issue was wrapping — well, over the years I have been to how many dozen such ceremonies in how many communities? Several Holocaust survivors are regulars at my congregation, I grew up around them, they’re simply part of the community. It’s easy to take their presence for granted.

And yet. After the ceremony was over, after the four survivors in attendance were recognized on the floor of the Alabama House, everyone was gathered in the lobby.

A group of formally-dressed students, the ambassador group from Blount County high schools, was also in the lobby. They had been in the observers area and saw the ceremony.

The students and teachers came over to meet the survivors.

As they left the building, one could sense the feeling of awe and excitement among the students and teachers. Completely unexpectedly, they got to meet — and even shake hands with! — a Holocaust survivor. They had a personal encounter with living history, and no doubt this will be what they remember from their class trip to Montgomery.

Jewish ritual is about infusing a bit of holiness into the mundane. Similarly, it is important to keep some spark to remind us of what is special. what is important, and keep it from becoming mundane.

That is another part of never forgetting.

shalom y’all shalom y’all y’all shalom

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4 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reads a proclamation at the state’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust, April 25 at the Old State Capitol building in Montgomery. Joining her were four of Alabama’s Holocaust survivors, and Dan Puckett, chairman of the Alabama Holocaust Commission.

Huntsville’s B’nai Sholom opens Jewish Heritage Museum The Huntsville Jewish Heritage Center, a museum celebrating the Jewish history of Huntsville and north Alabama, was dedicated on April 2 with an open house.

The museum is located at Temple B’nai Sholom, the second-oldest synagogue building in Alabama that is still used as a synagogue.

The first Jews to put down roots in Huntsville arrived in the 1850s. B’nai Sholom was founded by 32 families in 1876 and construction on the current Romanesque Revival building began in 1898.

After the dedication in 1899, the Huntsville Weekly Democrat described the community as “Jewish merchants who came to this town with little more than their clothes… and have become the leading merchants and desirable citizens.”

Especially with the influx of population and talent from the establishment of the Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal in the mid-20th century, the Jewish community of Huntsville has grown significantly, with Temple B’nai Sholom serving a membership of about 170 families today.

The museum contains numerous ar-

tifacts telling local Jewish history and explaining Jewish heritage, from holidays to life cycles to the establishment of Israel.

A video presentation, “The History of the Huntsville Jewish Community from the 1850s until the Present” gives an overview of the community and its involvement in the Huntsville area.

Much of the exhibit is in a room behind the sanctuary, but the museum’s brochure points out items of significance throughout the building.

Margaret Anne Goldsmith, developer of the Heritage Center, said “the most significant objects in the museum are the five framed Torah covers that hang in the Center’s vestibule. The beautifully hand decorated covers were used over the years for the Temple’s Torahs.”

Goldsmith is descended from two of Huntsville’s original Jewish families.

B’nai Sholom is also the only synagogue featured on the 16-county North Alabama Hallelujah Trail, a list of 32 houses of worship that are at least 100 years old and still functioning.

The museum is open to the public by appointment.

May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 5

agenda Birmingham to “Rally Together” A Birmingham city-wide Rally Together will be held at Kelly Ingram Park on May 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. The family-friendly event will include food trucks, live music, a community art project and games for kids “centered around unity.” Mayor William Bell will be among the speakers.

The event is being organized by Parents of the Levite Jewish Community Center with The Birmingham Pledge, Greater Birmingham Ministries and the City of Birmingham.

Parents of the LJCC was formed by Jewish and Christian parents of students at the Cohn Early Childhood Learning Center in response to the four bomb threats earlier this year at the LJCC. They are working to provide opportunities for individuals of varying faiths and backgrounds to meet, such as a recent story time that brought together children of Jewish, Christian and Muslim backgrounds.

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Stanley Cohn, a Tulane graduate and New Orleans attorney, assumed the duties as Sugar Bowl president in February.

A native of Union Springs, Ala., Cohn was elected to the Sugar Bowl Committee in 1998.

He has served on a wide-range of committees, including several years on the bowl’s Executive Committee and chairing the bowl’s Team Liaison, Conference Liaison, Player’s Liaison, Swimming and National Football Foundation committees.

In 2010, he was recognized by the National Foot- Stanley Cohn ball Foundation as a national chapter leader. Additionally, Cohn has served as a Sugar Bowl officer the past four years.

As president, Cohn will oversee the Sugar Bowl executive committee and work to ensure the its mission of promoting tourism in New Orleans through the organization of over 50 amateur sporting events.

The 84th annual Sugar Bowl will be played on Jan. 1 as a semifinal in this year’s College Football Playoff. Additional events throughout the year include every Louisiana High School Athletic Association state championship; the Crescent City Classic, a nationally-recognized road race featuring over 20,000 participants; the Manning Award, which honors college football’s top quarterback; three basketball tournaments; two volleyball tournaments; two soccer sponsorships; and events in baseball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, sailing, tennis and track and field.

“Like so many children growing up in rural Alabama, I developed a passion for college football early in my life,” Cohn said. “After coming to New Orleans as an 18-year old Tulane freshman, it was a natural for me to gravitate during my post-graduate life to a civic organization like the Sugar Bowl which supports our local community in so many ways and hosts a major college football bowl game each year.”

He said his goals are “to maintain the Sugar Bowl’s status as a highly regarded New Year’s Six bowl and position the organization to successfully maneuver the challenges which lie ahead due to the constantly changing college football landscape.”

Cohn “has earned the honor of being elected Sugar Bowl president through his hard work and dedication to the Sugar Bowl,” said Judge Lance Africk, a current executive committee member and past president.

“Stanley has always been committed to the mission of the Sugar Bowl.”

Cohn’s term runs through February 2018. He has also served as the president of the Tulane Alumni Association, the Lakeview Property Owners’ Association, American Counsel Association and the New Orleans Bar Association. A member of Temple Sinai, Cohn also has been president of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery Association. Two of the Sugar Bowl’s founding members were Temple Sinai congregants, and various congregation members have served as committee members, committee chairs and presidents.

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CJFS gala to honor Romanoffs The annual Hands Up Together event to benefit Collat Jewish Family Services in Birmingham will honor Sherri and David Romanoff.

The gala will be May 16 at 7 p.m., at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.

Entertainment will be by The Hot Tamales, Jan Hunter and Kristi Tingle Higginbotham.

Not only have the Romanoffs been long-time donors and volunteers for the agency, they also have received guidance and support from CJFS. “At one time, there was a stigma, that CJFS was only for people who couldn’t afford to go somewhere else,” David Romanoff said. “But we’ve always been big believers; because we did use it, and we’ve wanted to make people aware that it’s for everybody and offers the highest quality services in town.”

They have benefited from the agency’s individual counseling, a cancer support group and advice about caring for an aging parent in another state.

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Monroe, Dothan congregations receive Kallah Project grant Every year, the Kallah Project selects five congregations across the country to each receive a $9,000 grant toward community-building Shabbat retreats. This year, two are in this region.

B’nai Israel in Monroe and Temple Emanu-El in Dothan were selected for the program, which includes planning three annual Shabbat retreats.

The project requires that the event be held off-site at a camp or conference center, and be open to congregants of all ages.

The Kallah Project defines a kallah as “a relaxed gathering that celebrates Shabbat within the framework of a program containing spiritual, educational and social goals,” sometimes with the congregation’s own staff, or with a scholar in residence. Some congregations use the retreat as an introduction to a theme that would be carried on for the rest of the year.

The project works with the congregations to plan the retreats, with at least three visits by the Kallah Project director, plus at the kallah itself.

Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh said B’nai Israel is “thrilled to have this opportunity to create community in Monroe over the next few years.”

Stephanie Butler, executive director of Jewish Community Services of Dothan, said “the congregation is thrilled to have this investment of money and time in our community, congregants have lots of great ideas about what they want to be included in the kallot, and we are looking forward to all the fun (and work, of course) that is ahead for Temple Emanu-El.” Also among the 2017 recipients were Temple Sholom, Bridgewater, N.J.; West Suburban Temple Har Zion, River Forest, Ill.; and The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Pasadena, Calif.

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On April 22, JewCCYBOWL was held at The Fly at Audubon Park, with members of the New Orleans high school youth group challenging an adult team in a flag football fundraising game. This year, they took on Mississippi State Hillel, winning 42-21.

May expands role at Beth Shalom New Orleans native Nick May has accepted a full-time position at Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge as music and programming coordinator.

May will continue his role in Shabbat services with Rabbi Natan Trief and provide continuity in weeks when Trief is not in town, aid Jewish education at the Rayner Center nursery school and work on other areas of congregational programming.

May has been songleader at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica for three summers and spent this past summer as songleader at JCC Camp Sabra in Rocky Mount, Mo. He has been travelling around the Deep South singing with different communities for Shabbat services, educational programs, as well as National Federation of Temple Youth events for the past four years. He has made numerous appearances at Temple Beth-El in Pensacola.

Last fall, he released an EP, “This Beauty,” and recently had a successful crowdfunding campaign for a full-length album.

Beth Shalom is also adopting a new Shabbat evening schedule this month. At 6 p.m. there will be a “pre-neg” nosh, sip and schmooze. The service will be at 6:30 p.m., so families can still have a Shabbat dinner together “at a reasonable time.”

There will also be a monthly Shabbat potluck dinner after services.

The Jewish Federation of Oxford will have its 2017 campaign event with Rabbi Bob Alper, the only rabbi who does stand-up comedy… intentionally. The 7 p.m. event on May 18 will be at the Paris-Yates Chapel at Ole Miss. Tickets are $8 in advance, $12 at the door, and the evening is for ages 11 and up. A pledge is not required to attend. A dessert reception will follow.

Pensacola’s Temple Beth-El will have its annual Comedy Night on May 20 to raise funds for summer camp scholarships. The IMPROVable Cause improve group will perform at the 7 p.m. event, at Pensacola Little Theatre.

The event will honor of Renee and Steve Eilen for the work they have done on these fundraisers. Tickets are $36 ahead of time and $40 at the door.

In advance of Shavuot, Chabad of Baton Rouge Women’s Circle will have a floral design workshop, May 25 at 7 p.m. at Chabad. Professional florist Emily Stitch of Trinity Flowers will lead the workshop, and everyone will have a floral work to take home. Suggested donation is $18, sponsorship is $54, and reservations are requested.

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Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center will hold a Bar Kochba Israeli Art Expo, featuring works by 45 Israeli artists, May 7 to 10.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit the LJCC.

community Anti-Semitic flyers precede white nationalist talk at Auburn Richard Spencer allowed to speak, event generally peaceful In the end, everybody had their say and went away.

After several days of conflict and concern over an announced speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer at Auburn University on April 18, a court ruling cleared the way for the speech to go on as planned, hundreds demonstrated and the evening was, for the most part, peaceful, if a bit loud on occasion.

Though many news reports trumpeted “violence” breaking out near the talk, there was only one incident, where three men who were not Auburn students or from the Auburn area were arrested for disorderly conduct after the evening’s only altercation. One was from Montgomery and two were from the Birmingham area.

Auburn Police Chief Paul Register told the Auburn Plainsman he was “pretty happy with the way things have gone. It could have been a lot worse. I attribute the peaceful nature to the students.”

There had been concerns about violence, especially because Spencer was bringing some of his supporters, and anti-fascist groups from outside the Auburn area were also coming in to take a stand against him.

The saga began around April 6, when flyers from a so-called Auburn White Student Union started appearing around campus. The flyers purported to reveal Jewish control of non-Jews through the Noahide laws and alluded to Jewish supremacism.

The group initially used the acronym “WAR EAGLE,” standing for “Whites of the Alt-Right Empowering Auburn Gentiles for Liberation and Enlightenment.” After the university condemned the flyers and spoke of trademark infringement, the group removed the acronym from its website and added a disclaimer that it was not affiliated with Auburn University.

The white students website advertised in the flyers starts with a column about “The True Story of a Sinister, Secret Holiday,” showing President George H.W. Bush “obediently” signing a proclamation about the Noahide Laws, which the site mischaracterizes as instruments of Jewish supremacy. The proclamations are part of Education Day, which honors Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who was the rebbe of Chabad.

“Here at the Auburn White Student Union, we will never submit to Jewish supremacists like Scheerson (sic), nor to anti-Christ Noahide Laws,” the site says.

The site also lashes out at “wars for Israel,” such as the “useless Iraq war,” “criminal bankers… a disproportionate number of whom are Jewish,” Hollywood, “mandatory lessons about only one genocide in history,” and those who ignore purported “Jewish-Communist ordered” atrocities.

In listing Auburn ethnic organizations, the group references Auburn Hillel and Jewish Student Organization, “whose page, by the way, shows only an Israeli flag — they make no pretense of loyalty to the US.” They claim “we have nothing at all against any of these groups,” adding, “except for the blatantly treasonous behavior of Hillel, as noted above.”

The site does distinguish regionally, stating that Southern Jews “were historically much less radically-leftist than Jews from Eastern Europe [who tended to settle in NYC and LA], though this difference has been diluted in the past 50 years as the Holocaust has become the central tenet of Jewish identity, even among Southern Jews.”

Some speculated the group wasn’t even local, and may have had something to do with Spencer. That sentiment was strengthened when Spencer issued a Youtube video on April 12, saying he would speak at Auburn on April 18.

Security was increased at Auburn’s only synagogue, Beth Shalom, and around campus. The community Passover Seder was held on campus just

May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 9

Anti-Semitic flyers posted at Auburn University

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hours after Spencer’s initial announcement on April 12. The Seder had 80 reservations but 110 showed up, which many attributed as a desire to come together in the face of the flyers and the pending talk.

The Friday before the talk, Auburn Hillel President Lily Buder received a “very odd” email from the White Student Union to “extend an olive branch… and wish you a nice Shabbat.”

The email said the group has “no grievances with any of y’all personally” and they have never “contemplated saying an unkind word to you personally, let alone any kind of violence.”

They indicated the flyer’s timing was not intended to coincide with Passover but with the Lubavitch Rebbe’s birthday, and they wanted to illustrate “the power of Lubavitch to demand a holiday for itself.”

The email said white nationalists “are even seeking to emulate” the Jewish “ethnically-based cohesive religious community that values high intelligence” and offered to open a dialogue, but “if not, we understand.”

Buder said despite the email, there were more anti-Semitic posters on campus the next day, which angered her.

The room in Foy Hall for the April 18 talk was reserved for $700 plus security expenses. Shortly after the announcement was made of Spencer’s speech, the university closed the loophole by which the reservation was made.

While the university initially spoke of freedom of expression while condemning Spencer, on April 14 the university cancelled the talk, “in consultation with law enforcement… based on legitimate concerns and credible evidence that it will jeopardize the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

Spencer responded by saying he would show up anyway, and Auburn would “rue the day” some “cowardly bureaucrats” made that decision.

Cameron Padgett of Atlanta, who originally

community booked the venue, filed a motion in Federal court on April 17, seeking to force Auburn to allow the speech.

Arguing the case was Sam Dickson, an Atlanta attorney who spoke before Spencer’s speech on April 18, saying that “diversity is a curse. It is not a blessing, it is not a strength.”

An Atlanta attorney, Dickson has routinely defended the Georgia Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists. In 1978 he ran for lieutenant governor on a segregationist platform.

A 2006 profile of Dickson in SPLC’s Intelligence Report stated Dickson is a “real estate prospector” who would badger individuals in Atlanta, usually black, who had property tax liens to sell their properties to him for pennies on the dollar, something known in the trade as “bullying title.” One Atlanta real estate expert referred to him as “the terrorist of the Atlanta real estate community.”

Dickson has also been on the editorial board of the Holocaust denial publication “The Barnes Review.”

Judge W. Keith Watkins of United States District Court in Montgomery ruled early in the afternoon that the university did not offer proof that Spencer advocated violence, so the speech must be allowed.

Shortly after the ruling, Timothy R. Boosinger,

provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Taffye Benson Clayton, associate provost and vice president for inclusion and diversity, issued a statement to the “Auburn Family,” saying “Whether it’s offensive rhetoric, offensive flyers around campus, or inappropriate remarks on social media, we will not allow the efforts of individuals or groups to undermine Auburn’s core values of inclusion and diversity and challenge the ideals personified by the Auburn Creed.”

They added that “It is now more important than ever that we respond in a way that is peaceful, respectful, and maintains civil discourse.”

Spencer called the ruling “an amazing victory” and that the event in Auburn “will have echoes around the world.”

Several activities were planned at the same time to draw people away from the area where Spencer spoke. A quickly-organized AuburnUnites Music Fest was held on the Green Space, drawing hundreds of students.

The Auburn chapter of the Southern Poverty Law Center on Campus held a previouslyscheduled dialogue, AUTogether Hashing it Out. On April 17 there were training sessions for non-violent resistance. Engineering student

Shira Gorin taught how to fold white rose pins, which were worn “in homage to the white rose society” a non-violent intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany.

As tensions grew, Auburn Hillel, the AntiDefamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center advised Jewish students to participate in events elsewhere and stay away from Spencer and his followers, and all students were advised to not engage the visitors..

Still, hundreds gathered near the Foy building to protest Spencer’s presence, chanting antiKlan and anti-fascist slogans.

At Spencer’s talk, the first few rows were filled with fans of Spencer, almost exclusively white men above college age, who often gave him standing ovations. The back two-thirds of the room consisted mostly of a diverse mix of students, who were not nearly as enthusiastic and generally registered their disapproval with an occasional sarcastic comment.

As Spencer entered, it was unclear whether some supporters were saying “Hail Victory” or “Heil Victory.”

In the video announcement, Spencer said he would discuss President Trump and the Syria situation, though neither was mentioned on April 18. Instead, he spoke of how whites are the only group not allowed to celebrate their own

May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 11

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identity.

Credited with coining the term alt-right, Spencer explained what it means and what it does not.

“The alt-right is about identity, period, end of story,” Spencer said, “being European in the 21st century.”

When a student called out that Spencer’s movement was about hatred, Spencer responded, “try to be a little more creative.”

He then added, “even if white people were inferior in every way, I still would fight for my people.”

Spencer said “we don’t have a black problem, we don’t have a Jewish problem or a Hispanic problem. We have a white problem” of selfhatred. He asserted that it is more difficult to be white today than to be black.

One student challenged him on his assertion of the difficulty of being white, asking “How are white people more racially oppressed than black people? Because I’m a black woman at a predominantly white institution and I want to know what challenges y’all face that I don’t?”

Spencer spoke admiringly of the connection blacks have to each other through a common narrative, saying whites aren’t allowed to have such an identity in society. Instead, things like patriotism, capitalism and a worship of freedom are substituted as a form of identity to fill a hole within.

Citing things like the displacement of Native Americans, the Holocaust and colonialism, he said there is an eternal “black cloud” hovering over whites, “this eternal guilt trip preventing us from being who we are.”

He quickly added that “the white race has sinned” and he is “willing to own slavery… the terrible things the white race has done against other races and to other whites.”

Ultimately, he said, different races “need different countries. We need our own ways in life.” He said diversity makes the world ugly, and is “a way of bringing to an end a nation and a culture that was defined by white people.”

The biggest negative reaction came from his attacking football.

He disdained how Auburn watered down its standing and history as a white institution, especially through admitting black athletes, who he said are “not the greatest exemplars of the African race” and alluded to sexual violence against white women. That comment, which was a view prevalent during the days of segregation, was ill-received by the students in the room.

The “Southern football identity” is “covering up some hole in ourselves,” he said, and if it were up to him, he would end football because it is a substitute for “an identity that has been declared illegal.”

The talk lasted about 40 minutes, the question and answer session was much longer. A wide

range of students calmly asked their questions, some of which Spencer dismissed as “boring.”

Born in Boston, Spencer grew up in Dallas. He currently heads the white nationalist National Policy Institute and extreme-right websites.

In 2014 he tried to organize a white nationalist conference in Hungary, which got him kicked out of the country and banned from 26 European countries for three years.

At a conference in Washington in November, he received national attention when audience members gave a Nazi salute during his talk, something he ascribed to their exuberance.

He received further publicity on January 20 while in Washington for President Trump’s inauguration. On a Washington street, a man punched him in the face, and the video went viral.

In February, he was kicked out of the Conservative Political Action Conference, where attendees found him “repugnant.”

His family currently lives in Whitefish, Mont.

After the town issued a resolution denouncing hate, Spencer supporters started a “trolling” campaign, specifically targeting the small Jewish community of Whitefish. A neo-Nazi march was threatened but postponed.

Spencer’s parents, in a December open letter to Whitefish, said “We are not racists. We have never been racists. We do not endorse the idea of white nationalism.” Since Spencer is an adult with views they can not control, “we feel we are not part of the story, nor do we wish to be a part of this story.”

On April 18, the SPLC filed a Federal suit against Andrew Anglin, founder of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website, for specifically targeting and harassing Tanya Gersh, a Jewish real estate agent in Whitefish, and her family. They have received over 700 threatening messages since December.

Spencer’s family also has Louisiana ties, as his grandfather was a prominent doctor in Monroe.

The Spencers own thousands of acres through Dickenhorst Farms and other companies in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas Parishes in northeast Louisiana, along the Mississippi River.

From 2004 to 2014, they received $940,000 in USDA subsidies payments for Dickenhorst alone.

In 2008, his mother was listed as having a 90 percent stake in the properties, while Spencer and his sister each have 5 percent shares.

While the days leading up to the talk were “uneasy,” Buder said, “it was nice seeing the community unify to fight against Spencer’s hatred and the rest of the alt right neo-Nazis who came to Auburn.”

Gorin said “The people who were scared are relieved, everyone who was ignoring it is still ignoring it, and a lot of people are very impressed at how well so many people came together.”

May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 13

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Past, present and future honored at JCRS gala The Jewish Children’s Regional Service looked to its past, present and future in this year’s Jewish Roots gala.

The April 1 event was held at the Hyatt Regency, drawing about 400 supporters from around the seven-state region the social service agency serves.

After a silent auction and cocktail hour, Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts provided the family-style dinner.

The agency’s past presidents and scholarship committee chairs were the honorees, with 29 individuals profiled in the program. There were 17 past presidents in attendance.

“An organization does not survive for 162 years without a dedicated corps of supporters,” JCRS Executive Director Ned Goldberg said.

Marc Beerman, who finished his term as president the next morning, said the idea was to “honor those who led us in the past” so the current leaders and supporters can know how the agency got to the present.

The current activities of the organization were celebrated, and “we look forward to the future of JCRS so we can continue to help the Jewish

Harold Steinberg of Memphis and Milt Grishman of Biloxi present a contribution from B’nai B’rith toward JCRS efforts to serve families affected by last summer’s flood in Baton Rouge

14 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

children that we serve in the seven states.”

Over the years, JCRS has adapted, Beerman said, but “our work continues to help kids in need.” Through JCRS “we have the opportunity to bring profound change to lives.”

That was evident throughout the evening.

Under Beerman’s message in the program book was a photo of his grandfather from 1924, Abraham Beerman and his eight children. A widower, Abraham Beerman would bring the six youngest children from Waco to New Orleans and admit them into the Jewish Children’s Home, the predecessor to today’s JCRS. As part of the evening, Mark Rubin introduced a new video that the agency will use in promotional events and solicitations.

Harold Steinberg of Memphis and Milt Grishman of Biloxi spoke of the long ties between B’nai B’rith and JCRS. At the first District 7 meeting in New Orleans in 1875, the group decided to support the Jewish Children’s Home.

The seven-state region JCRS serves — Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma — is still the footprint of the old District 7, back when B’nai B’rith ar-

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Amanda Abrams and JCRS Executive Director Ned Goldberg eas were divided that way.

They presented a check for $5,000 from the B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund, for JCRS activities with families whose homes were flooded in Baton Rouge last August.

“We know JCRS knows how to get the job done,” Grishman said.

The evening’s main speaker was Amanda Abrams, a Brookhaven, Miss., native who is one of the agency’s “success stories.”

Two of the honorees were Abrams’ teachers at St. Martin Episcopal High School — Harriet Aguiar-Netto and Betsy Threefoot Kasten, and they introduced Abrams at the event.

Abrams noted that parents don’t hope for a life of struggles for their child, but “some families are dealt cards that they didn’t intend” and have to make the best of it. In her case, her parents divorced when she was two years old.

The agency provided emotional and financial support, enabling her to attend the Henry S. Jacobs Camp.

“It was really important to my mom that we had a strong Jewish identity,” so every weekend they drove to Jackson’s Beth Israel for religious school.

At age 9, she moved to New Orleans with her mother and brother. “It was tough, and finances were hard,” she said. They had discounted membership to the Jewish Community Center and Gates of Prayer, and received assistance from many groups. “It takes a village to raise a child… I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today had it not been for the experiences I had as a kid.”

She spent 11 summers at Jacobs Camp and then received JCRS assistance to attend the University of Pennsylvania. That “would not have happened without this organization,” and she said “I was never made to feel that I was asking for help.”

She entered the non-profit world as a professional, starting off as the first Education Fellow

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community at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, and working at Jacobs Camp as program director of Dream Street, an annual camp for children with physical disabilities. She worked at the Jewish Federations in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and is now the chief program and innovation officer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.

“Time and time again, the Jewish community was here for me,” she explained. Now, “every day I get to help others through my job.”

At the board meeting the next day, Justin Sackett was the guest speaker.

A New Orleans native, Sackett received JCRS assistance to attend Ramah Darom, and a health care subsidy. He is now a project manager at Lucid, a software company in New Orleans. Prior to that, he did research on the economy of New Orleans at the University of New Orleans.

Founded in 1855 as an orphanage, JCRS is the oldest Jewish children’s social service organization in the nation. The agency funds need-based support for Jewish summer camp experiences, college scholarship aid, expenses dealing with psychological, physical or social needs, and economic support for exceptional situations.

The agency is also the regional coordinator in communities that do not have a local organizer for PJ Library, which provides free Judaic books to all Jewish youth every month. It also coordinates an annual Chanukah gift program for youth in need.

In 2016, JCRS served over 1600 Jewish youth in 200 communities in its seven-state region.

Not really a nurse: Marthe Cohn spied against Nazi Germany

Bringing her story to Baton Rouge, New Orleans In September 2015, Marthe Cohn’s talk in Metairie, “Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany,” was very popular.

This month, she returns to the region for a May 10 talk in Baton Rouge, and when Chabad in Metairie found out she would be in the area, “we said we must have her speak again” in Metairie, Rabbi Mendel Ceitlin said. “She was amazing when she spoke here in 2015.”

Coordinated by Chabad of Baton Rouge, Cohn will speak on May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Arts Council of Baton Rouge. Tickets are $20 and include a dessert buffet. VIP tickets of $180 include a signed copy of her book and two VIP seats. Sponsorships are $360.

Her May 11 talk at Chabad in Metairie will be at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 by May 7, $18 after, and sponsorships start at $180.

Now 97, Cohn lives in California and travels the world telling a story that stunned her family when she was honored at age 80 with France’s highest military honor, the Medaille Militaire.

During World War II, she posed as a German nurse named Marthe, running around Europe desperately looking for her missing fiancé and asking Nazi soldiers for assistance.

Little did they know that she was actually a devout Jew from France, wasn’t a nurse and the fiancé did not exist — she was a spy using that cover story to travel the countryside and approach troops sympathetic to her “plight.” Through that, she obtained critical information for the Allied commanders.

She was born in Metz, France, near the German border. As the Nazi occupation escalated, her sister was sent to Auschwitz while her family fled to the South of France.

Cohn chose to fight back, and joined the intelligence service of the First French Army, using her perfect German accent and Aryan appearance.

As of April 16, there were only 50 seats left for her talk in Baton Rouge.

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ADL documents rise in anti-Semitism Anti-Semitic incidents surged by more than one-third in 2016, and are already up by 86 percent in the first quarter of 2017, according to the annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents from the Anti-Defamation League.

ADL reported a “massive increase” in harassment of American Jews, especially since November, and a doubling in the amount of anti-Semitic bullying and vandalism at non-denominational K-12 grade schools.

In 2016, there were 1,266 acts targeting Jews and Jewish institutions, a 34 percent increase over 2015. Nearly 30 percent of these incidents occurred in November and December.

During the first three months of 2017, there were already 541 reported incidents. Each of the JCC bomb threats counts as an incident, but even taking those out of the count, the number is still much higher.

Shelley Rose, interim regional director of the ADL Southeast region in Atlanta, said there were four incidents in Alabama in 2016. The words “Hitler did nothin’ wrong” were painted in purple outside of a teacher’s classroom, and someone broke several panes of a stained glass window at Temple Beth-El in Anniston, also bending the frame. Alabama had two harassment incidents in 2015.

Rose noted that Alabama already has four incidents in the first quarter of 2017, but all four were the bomb threats phoned in to the Levite Jewish Community Center and N.E. Miles Jewish Day School in Birmingham.

The second quarter in Alabama, though, is already off and running, with the recent anti-Semitic flyers at Auburn University, and the painting of a swastika on the door of a non-Jewish lawyer’s office in downtown Huntsville on April 21.

Mississippi reported one instance of vandalism and one instance of harassment in 2015, and none in 2016.

Incidents in Louisiana are on the upswing after two years with three anti-Semitic incidents per year.

“There’s been a significant, sustained increase in anti-Semitic activity since the start of 2016 and what’s most concerning is the fact that the numbers have accelerated over the past five months,” said ADL South-Central Regional Director Allison Padilla-Goodman in New Orleans. “It is also troubling that in Louisiana specifically, we have seen a spiked increase in the number of harassment incidents in the first quarter of 2017.”

In the first quarter of 2017, there have been five reported incidents of anti-Semitic harassment, compared to three during all of 2015. The three reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2016 in Louisiana were all vandalism, including prominent anti-Semitic graffiti along a high-traffic area of Tchoupitoulas Street in November 2016.

With that and the recent bomb threat to the Jewish Community Center, Padilla-Goodman said “the Jewish community is on high alert. Clearly, we have work to do and need to bring more urgency to the fight. At ADL, we will use every resource available to put a stop to anti-Semitism and we will be drawing on the strength of our coalitions and partnerships.”

Incidents on college campuses remained mostly flat, but anti-Semitic incidents at non-Jewish elementary, middle, and high schools increased 106 percent, from 114 in 2015 to 235 in 2016. This increase accelerated in the first three months of 2017, when 95 incidents were reported.

While harassment and vandalism have increased sharply, physical assaults are down significantly, with 36 nationally all of last year, and just six in the first three months of 2017.

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On the eve of Passover and the start of the Christian Holy Week, a coalition of 19 Birmingham-area churches and seven ministries stood in solidarity with “our neighbors” in the Jewish community.

On April 10, Tom Bradford of the National Christian Foundation of Alabama and Scott Dawson of Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association were joined by numerous pastors and representatives of the Christian community at a ceremony in the Levite Jewish Community Center board room. There, they presented a check for $111,745 to the campaign to enhance security at Birmingham’s Jewish institutions.

The campaign was launched after the LJCC and N.E. Miles Jewish Day School received four bomb threats from mid-January until early March, as part of several waves of threats that affected about half of the JCCs in the country. Though an arrest was made on March 23, an increase in other threats nationally, including vandalism and other incidents, has led to a continuation of efforts to enhance security at the facilities.

The overall campaign has a goal of up to $1 million and will focus in part on the community campus on Montclair Road, which contains the LJCC, Cohn Early Childhood Learning Center, Day School, and the Federation and Birmingham Jewish Foundation offices.

Area synagogues and other institutions will also receive funds to enhance their security, but the funds from the Christian campaign will go toward the Montclair Road campus.

As of April 19, the campaign had reached $500,000, while recommended enhancements already identified by law enforcement and security advisors have topped $655,000 and may go higher.

Dawson referenced the holy days as a time of coming together for a good purpose, saying “we need some good news in Alabama on a day like today,” which was the day Governor Robert Bentley resigned.

Donald Hess, who is chairing the security campaign, opened the ceremony by remarking that he was at the 1959 dedication of the building.

He thanked the Christian representatives for being “so responsive to the pressures we were feeling in the Jewish community.”

Growing up in Mountain Brook, he said people elsewhere in the country would ask about anti-Semitism in the area, but “generally that hasn’t been the feeling” here. Still, there were times when the Jewish community has felt isolated.

As many in the Christian community started attending AIPAC events, Hess said, “we realized a large part of the Christian community wanted to stand with us,” and “it makes us feel stronger.”

He said that though there are areas of disagreement, “it’s just incredible when we find issues we can coalesce around and work together.”

Dawson said there were three main reasons why the groups responded to the call. “God has commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves,” he said. It is also an opportunity “to share what we stand for” instead of being seen as against something. “We stand for religious liberty, that anyone can live out their faith,” he said.

The third reason was the children, Dawson said. “When innocent children have their days interrupted with bomb threats, anyone with common sense rises up.”

Over two-thirds of the LJCC’s membership is not Jewish, and it is seen as being a place to bring together those from a wide range of religions and ethnicities.

Honora Pinnick, communications director at Independent Presbyterian, spoke as a parent of two of the more than 100 Christian children who attend the Cohn ECLC at the LJCC. She said the effort by the churches show “the Gospel isn’t something (the children) listen to every Sunday at church, it’s a way they live their lives.”

community

Allison Weil, LJCC president, accepts the check for security enhancements from a group of churches and ministries Rebekah Weinberger, founder of Parents of the LJCC, said they felt “an outpouring of love” from the community over the last four months, and having so many churches stand in solidarity shows, as Elie Wiesel said, “people have learned from history.”

Hess said he and Bradford started to really get to know each other while working with United Way. “We were looking for ways to make this a stronger community for everybody.”

Bradford said he has done fundraising for decades, but “this was the most fun and easiest” to raise money for.

Bradford said he spoke with Richard Friedman, executive director of the Federation, a month ago as the campaign began. That night, Bradford wondered what he would have done had he been a Christian in Germany in the 1940s. He also thought of “all the national publicity we get as a city of hate, but that’s not the Birmingham I know.”

Raising a substantial amount “would send a statement to the Jewish community, our whole community and maybe nationwide, that Birmingham is a city where people come together,” he said.

The next day he addressed a leadership meeting, and “about 7 or 8 came up after the meeting and said we have to do this.”

He mentioned it to Rick Burgess of the nationally-syndicated “Rick and Bubba” radio show, and Burgess said he wanted to mention it on the air. That weekend, Harry Reeder, senior pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian church, said he wanted to be involved.

After sending out an email “so we’d all be singing from the same hymnal, the money started pouring in.”

The participating churches are Briarwood Presbyterian, Canaan Baptist, Canterbury United Methodist, Cathedral Church of the Advent, Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, Church at Brook Hills, Church of the Highlands, First Baptist Church of Birmingham, Gardendale First Baptist, Independent Presbyterian, Liberty Church, Mountain Brook Community Church, Mt. Signal Baptist of Chelsea, Oak Mountain Presbyterian, Shades Mountain Baptist, Shades Mountain Independent, St. Luke’s Episcopal, St. Mary’s Episcopal and St. Peter’s Anglican.

Participating ministries are Alliance Ministries, Center for Executive Leadership, JH Ranch, Lifework Leadership, National Christian Foundation of Alabama, Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association and Young Business Leaders.

In the first of two closing prayers, Reeder said it “pains our heart” to reflect on the threats that brought everyone together. He gave thanks for the LJCC “as an asset to the community” and for the opportunity to be “part of the continuing of its work.”

Rabbi Laila Haas of Temple Emanu-El expressed thanks “for the fellowship of those around us” and spoke about the Passover journey “from darkness to light, despair to hope and redemption.”

Dawson said the campaign crossed denominational and racial lines.

And they’re not done.

“Just this morning I got emails from three churches” that want to participate, Bradford said, but “once we got over $100,000 I wanted to bring this check.”

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50 Bazaar Years Beth Israel event eagerly awaited annually in Jackson

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On March 29, the doors of Beth Israel opened for the 50th time for the congregation’s bazaar, and like every other year, a wide cross-section of Jackson went in to enjoy the wide range of traditional Jewish foods.

The bazaar was one of the first major community events held at Beth Israel after it moved into its current building in 1967.

In the mid-1960s, Katherine Weiner remembered going to the annual bazaar at St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral. She was convinced that this was something Beth Israel could do, and the first year, the bazaar made $5,000, which was a lot of money in the late 1960s.

The bazaar is Beth Israel’s largest fundraiser of the year, and it supports the congregation’s outreach effort to numerous community organizations, “which is one of the reasons why the community supports it,” Beth Israel President Michele Schipper said.

And “it’s almost like a family reunion,” said Sisterhood Co-President Frankie Springer.

Early bazaars offered crafts made by the members, but the emphasis soon shifted to the food, which has remained mostly the same for 50 years.

The white elephant sale, book sale and silent auction have continued to grow in recent years.

Two months before the bazaar, volunteers start the process of spending “countless hours” preparing items. The Sunday before, the Men’s Club does the annual Raising of the Poles, assembling the structure for the booths. After many years, they pretty much have it down to a science.

The bazaar is now a congregational event, not the Sisterhood bazaar.

Susan Fijman explained “we can’t do it by ourselves,” and this acknowledges the role the entire congregation plays. “It’s all about community.”

“You never realize how much work goes into it,” Sisterhood Co-President Suzanne Freedman said. “Everyone in the congregation steps up.”

For many, working the bazaar is a multi-generational endeavor. For relative newcomers, the bazaar became a way to integrate into the congregation.

Schipper said her grandmother was involved from the very beginning.

Her mother headed the kitchen, then her sister. “When I moved back to Jackson, I became kitchen help.”

Fijman remembers being invited to help prepare food and feeling “intimidated.” Finally, she signed up to do cabbage rolls one year. Gilda Hesdorffer instructed her on how to make the perfect cabbage roll, and “to this day I use the Gilda Hesdorffer method of doing cabbage rolls.”

Dana Larkin noted that each congregant is asked to make at least two casseroles or desserts to sell at the bazaar. “Lots of people make more

community than two,” she said. Sometimes people come in looking for a cake made by a particular congregant each year.

Larkin said that when she returned to Jackson after college, she started working the bazaar, “and I was the young one.” She recalls how the women “made me laugh all day long.”

Co-chair Jo Ann Gordon, who has led the bazaar for eight years, said she started working the garden rooms, where people sit to eat after going through the line. “I got to play hospitality,” she said.

Doing the bazaar “spoke to my heart,” because it involves over 100 volunteers and brings people together “for the good of this Jackson community.”

Everyone emphasized the community aspect of the event, as Beth Israel opens its doors to greater Jackson and says “you are welcome here,” Fijman said.

The bazaar finds its way onto office calendars across Jackson, and now there are children and grandchildren bringing those who had first brought them to the bazaar years ago. Freedman said many people at work ask her about it.

To attract more of the younger crowd, this year they decided to have a bazaar pop-up

at Fondren First Thursdays in early March, serving samples of items that would be at the bazaar.

Gordon, who co-chaired the bazaar with Paula Erlich, said the bazaar is becoming a Mississippi event, not just Jackson. “We’re getting people from other areas of the state who say they’ve heard about it and want to see for themselves.”

The food is still the star, and the bazaar is the only time many traditional Jewish foods are available in Jackson.

A popular option is the Taster’s Plate, with matzah ball soup, stuffed cabbage, brisket, noodle kugel, carrot tzimmes, potato knish and a blintz.

The Raising of the Poles Other popular items include corned beef sandwiches, Israeli salads and chopped and nobody would know the difference.” liver. On the stage, a lengthy table is filled with Schipper said she has never heard anyone homemade desserts. question whether to keep the bazaar going. “It A huge part of the bazaar is the take-home is so important to the congregation and to the frozen casseroles. By the time the doors open, community.” half of the food sales for the day have already Instead, Larkin said, sometimes they get retaken place as people placed advance orders, quests to have the bazaar twice a year. Knowing with some people stocking up for the year. how much work it takes to put it on annually, “It’s great, it’s all homemade,” Schipper said. her reaction is “no… it’s an annual thing — and “You can put it on your table, say you made it it’s a big deal.”

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La. Supreme Court Museum hosts exhibit on Jewish lawyers in Nazi Germany An internationally-acclaimed exhibit on the persecution of Jewish lawyers and judges in Nazi Germany is on display in New Orleans this month.

“Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich,” will be at the Louisiana Supreme Court Museum in New Orleans through the end of May. The exhibit is also slated for the Louisiana State Bar Association’s annual meeting and summer school, June 2 to 10.

In 1933, half of the 3,400 lawyers in Berlin were Jewish. That year, Jewish lawyers and judges were barred from German courts, ending the most likely legal recourse for Jews who were suddenly being stripped of their livelihoods and had their property seized.

The idea for the exhibit was conceived in 1998 when an Israeli lawyer asked the regional bar of Berlin for a list of Jewish lawyers whose licenses had been revoked by the Nazi regime.

“The regional bar decided not only to research a list of names but also to try to find out more about the fates behind all those names,” said Axel Filges, past president of the German Federal Bar. “Some were able to leave the country after the Nazis came into power, but very many of them were incarcerated or murdered. The non-Jewish German lawyers of those days remained silent. They failed miserably, and so did the lawyers’ organizations. We do not know why.”

After the Berlin bar transformed its research into an exhibit, other regional bars began asking whether they could show it and add their own research. “So, like a puzzle, a portrait of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Germany has emerged step by step,” Filges said.

The exhibit debuted in 2012, sponsored jointly by the German Federal Bar and the American Bar Association.

“In a time when world events are moving very quickly and many politicians are playing to our worst fears and prejudices, the exhibit represents an important opportunity for our community to remember what happens when the rule of law collapses,” said Meredith and Mark Cunningham, who helped organize the exhibit in New Orleans. “The judiciary in Louisiana receives an annual state appropriation that represents less than one percent of the total state budget. Our indigent defense system is in a state of collapse. These are all signs of a lack of respect for the rule of law which hurts the reputation and economic development of our great state.”

This showing is presented by the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society, the Anti-Defamation League, the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education, the Louisiana State Bar Association and the New Orleans Bar Association in conjunction with the American Bar Association and German Federal Bar with financial support from local law firms. The exhibit has been shown in more than 100 cities in Germany, the United States and others parts of the world, but this is the first time in Louisiana.

summer travel an annual SJL special section Courtesy of The National WWII Museum

PT 305 boat on Lake Pontchartrain

WW II Museum opens democracy exhibit in June; PT boat rides offered

by Lee J. Green The National World War II Museum in New Orleans continues its expansion and enhanced focus on creating an interactive, immersive experience with its new “The Arsenal of Democracy” permanent exhibition opening next month, along with recently launched PT boat rides on Lake Pontchartrain.

The “Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George Brown Salute to the Home Front” opening on June 10 in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion will tell the story of the road to war and the Home Front, drawing on personal narratives as along with evocative artifacts to highlight facets of World War II-era American life through an experiential narrative.

“There were a lot of American heroes and those who didn’t get the recognition they deserved for their war support efforts in the U.S. while our troops were fighting overseas,” said Museum Public Relations Director Michelle Moore.

Last November, the Museum finished its restoration of a Patrol Torpedo boat — PT 305, completing a 10-year process. In March they put it back on the water on Lake Pontchartrain and started offering rides as well as deck tours.

“These boats were originally made by the Louisiana-based Higgins Boat Company more than 70 years ago,” said Moore. She said the museum will offer shuttle service to the boat. The cost for a ride is $350, but a more minimal cost for deck tours.

As of early April, rides were only offered on Saturdays, but they will expand as response warrants. “This could be a very special Father’s Day present. Maybe someone’s dad served in World War II and that man wants to also share this with his son,” she said. “We want these stories to be passed from generation to generation so they will always be known.” The museum is home to more than 9,000 first-hand accounts of the war.

In March 2016, the museum welcomed its five millionth visitor, and Moore said they set an attendance record again this past March.

The museum opened as the National D-Day Museum in June 2000, with more than 200,000 in attendance. In 2004 an Act of Congress designated it as America’s National World War II Museum.

More than 85 percent of museum visitors come from outside of Louisiana and 30 percent of visitors cite the museum as the top or one of the most important reasons to visit the city.

TripAdvisor ranked the museum as the number one attraction in New Orleans; the number four museum in the U.S. and 11th in the world according to its Travelers’ Choice awards.

Moore added that the temporary exhibition, “State of Deception: The Power or Nazi Propaganda,” will remain up until June 18.

“We plan to continue to grow and add to the Museum to make it the most educational, immersive and important we can,” she said.

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 23

summer travel

steamboat Vulcan on top of some great events

by Lee J. Green

Last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River Three cruises a day from the French Quarter Dinner Jazz Cruise, Sunday Brunch & more Calliope Concerts & Engine Room Visits Inside and outside seating

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In June, Vulcan Park and Museum will host a birthday celebration for Birmingham’s Iron Man. In July, they will host a birthday celebration for the United States. In both cases, attendees get the gift of entertainment.

The 112th annual Vulcan Birthday Bash will be on June 4. The party will feature games for kids, balloon making with clowns, an interactive photo booth, musical entertainment including a drum circle, a children’s book author, food trucks, a plane from the Southern Museum of Flight and a actual racing automobile.

The auto will promote the new exhibition that will open in late May — “Southern Thunder: The History of Alabama Auto Racing.” Vulcan is partnering with Talladega and the Jefferson County Commission to present the exhibition, which will be up for 18 months.

“We’re excited about this exhibition. Auto racing is part of the fabric of Alabama and there is a rich history here,” said Vulcan Park and Museum Marketing/PR Director Morgan Black. “This will also be our biggest and most fun birthday bash ever.”

One month later, on July 4, Vulcan will be present its annual fireworks show and salute to America, Thunder on the Mountain.

Black said June and July are big, but so is this month. On May 16 at 5:30 p.m., Vulcan will host a special Taste of Five Points event. This will highlight the culinary scene in Five Points as a “closing ceremony of sorts” for the current Five Points exhibition.

In May, work will also begin on a $4 million enhancement and expansion at Vulcan Park. Thanks to a $4 million gift from the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham in honor of its 100th birthday, the first component will be to physically reconnect Vulcan to downtown Birmingham by landscaping the north slope of the park, renovating the Vulcan trail plaza entrance and building steps for access to the park from the north side. This municipal and event space will be known as Kiwanis Centennial Park.

The one-mile Vulcan Trail will be extended to a two-mile trail and serve as a future hub of the planned 750 miles of Birmingham’s Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System.

Finally, a dynamic, multi-colored light show will be installed and projected onto Vulcan and his pedestal nightly. The light show will be comparable to the lights projected onto New York City’s Empire State Building.

According to Vulcan Park and Museum President and CEO Darlene Negrotto, “in addition to enhancing Vulcan’s prominence on the skyline, this visionary project will physically connect Vulcan as the central hub from which locals and tourists will access our cultural institutions and parks.”

The Henderson adds new dimension to Destin’s highly-lauded Henderson Park Inn

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While there’s no shortage of beachfront hotels in Florida to choose from when deciding where to book a beach vacation, those looking for a romantic, adults-only getaway should look no further than the Henderson Park Inn in Destin.

Henderson Park Inn is reminiscent of the charming yet sophisticated boutique hotels of Northern California’s Wine Country or Nantucket in New England. The Inn itself is best described as a modern luxury boutique hotel but a step back in time in romantic beach ambience. A large veranda overlooks a long expanse of grass and the beautiful white sugar sands of the Emerald Coast. Guest rooms are elegant private sanctuaries and evoke a feeling of relaxation and serenity. Special amenities include wine, grapes and flowers upon arrival, all which make an overnight stay quite a treat. All this — and the Inn is right on the beach.

Even with all that, Henderson Park Inn has added new luxury amenities making a stay at this idyllic boutique hotel on par with the finest small hotels in the world.

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 25

summer travel

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access to all of the amenities next door at The Henderson, a Salamander Beach and Spa Resort.

The Inn’s sister property, The Henderson, is home to two swimming pools. Couples will love relaxing at the Adults Only Pool, which features a luxury cabana with poolside beverage service.

Guests who want to keep up with their workout routine can take advantage of The Henderson’s excellent fitness center. In addition to the standard weights and machines, the fitness center offers a variety of daily classes to enjoy, with everything from yoga to indoor cycling. For the ultimate in relaxation, Henderson Park Inn guests can book spa services including massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, mineral scrubs and more.

The Henderson Park Inn’s onsite restaurant, Beach Walk Cafe, has built a reputation as Destin’s premier location for fine dining. Beach Walk Cafe is now joined by a wonderful collection of new eateries at The Henderson including Primrose and Horizons.

Voted the most romantic hotel in America by both the users of About. com and TripAdvisor.com, this luxury boutique hotel provides an idyllic beachside atmosphere for a honeymoon, anniversary, or any special vacation. As the only beachfront hotel in Destin, it is easy to see why the Henderson Park Inn has become a nationally recognized destination for honeymoons, anniversaries and couples getaways.

Discover Bellingrath Gardens Step out of time at Bellingrath Gardens and Home, where guests stroll through a vibrant, ever-changing 65-acre estate Garden and tour the historic Bellingrath Home, built in 1936 and filled with the original antiques and collections of founders Walter and Bessie Bellingrath.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home offers blooms and beauty every day of the year, and a variety of special events.

On May 12, Bellingrath will have National Public Gardens Day, to recognize the importance of public gardens in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness. Bellingrath will offer a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Production Greenhouses, conducted by the Horticulture Management Team.

On May 14, there will be a Mother’s Day Garden Concert with the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra at 1 p.m.

Wonderful Wednesdays will be held June 7 to July 26, a series of lectures and workshops helping Gulf Coast gardeners and enthusiasts make the most of an extended growing season. Each workshop covers a special feature of the Gardens or Home, tips for making a garden more spectacular or guest lectures and workshops from renowned members of the horticultural and gardening world.

June 14 will be Kids Gulf Discovery Day, an opportunity for children of all ages to learn about the wildlife and ecology of the Gulf Coast. A wide variety of environmental organizations will be on hand for activities and demonstrations from 9 a.m. to noon. Guests may also take a 45-minute guided cruise along the beautiful Fowl River with Wild Native Delta Safaris.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is in south Mobile County on the Fowl River. The property is a 30-minute drive from downtown Mobile and a 20-minute drive from Dauphin Island, which also offers the option of regular ferry service to Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores. The Magnolia Café serves lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guided tours of the Bellingrath Home are offered hourly beginning at 9 a.m., with the last ticket sold at 3:30 p.m.

26 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

summer travel

Exhibit marks 30th anniversary of Dolly Parton statue Those who want to say “Hello, Dolly” can visit Sevierville, TN, which through the end of the year is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the unveiling of the Dolly Parton statue.

The exhibit, “30 Years: Celebrating Dolly in Bronze,” is located on the Sevierville Courthouse lawn in historic downtown Sevierville.

The statue was originally created by artist Jim Gray and the artifacts that were part of the statue’s creation as part of the exhibition are on loan from the East Tennessee History Center.

On May 3, 1987, Dolly Parton came back to her hometown to participate in the event during which the statue was unveiled.

Gray said more than 2,000 hours went into the project of making the statue. In the past 30 years, millions of visitors from all over the world have made a pilgrimage to the Sevier County Courthouse to see the famous statue.

Those traveling to the Sevierville area and the Great Smokey Mountains in May can enjoy some smoky barbecue along with great music at the Bloomin’ BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, May 19 to 20. The barbecue competition features some of the nation’s top cooking teams and free bluegrass concerts by rising stars as well as legends.

While in town, Visit Sevierville recommends 50s-style The Diner, The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and Courthouse Donuts.

In the category of “quirky and cool attractions,” the area has much to offer including the Tennessee Museum of Aviation, Forbidden Caverns, Smoky Mountain Knife Works, Rainforest Adventures, NASCAR SpeedPark and Tennessee Smokies baseball.

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Renaissance Ross Bridge offers Birmingham area vacation trips

by Lee J. Green Some who stay at the Birmingham area’s only resort hotel come from other places to explore the Magic City and surrounding areas, while others live in Birmingham and just want a weekend getaway at Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort.

“We’re happy to give people tips on things to do when they are staying with us in this area and around Birmingham,” said Renaissance Ross Bridge Sales and Marketing Director Jonathan McKinney. “Others want to just have their whole vacation at the resort and enjoy golf, spa, family activities, great dining along with entertainment.”

The land the hotel is on in Hoover is owned by the Ross family. It includes a bridge that was utilized by both Confederate and Union soldiers in the Civil War. Near the resort is a Robert Trent Jones golf course, which is the fifth longest in the world, said McKinney. Renaissance Ross Bridge also features a spa on site that has won many national awards.

In the summer, those staying at Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort can enjoy “Summer at the Castle.” There are activities for the family, movies by the pool and opportunities to enjoy the nice warm weather.

For those who want to sightsee and be active within a few miles of the resort, McKinney recommends Red Mountain Park. Larger than New York’s Central Park, Red Mountain Park features miles of trails, zip lines, a high ropes course, a climbing wall and a dog park. Nearby there is also the largest indoor bouldering facility east of the Mississippi River.

Just a few more miles away is the famous Vulcan Park and Museum. “It’s not just a great view high atop Vulcan, but it’s a history museum for the region,” he said.

McKinney said Renaissance Ross Bridge also offers some special vacation packages that include attractions and activities.

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 27

summer travel

Alabama Splash Adventure gearing up for family amusement

by Lee J. Green The owners of Alabama Splash Adventure know amusement parks — they started the first one in 1949 with Holiday World, located in southern Indiana.

Having great rides and attractions is important, but the Koch family places more emphasis on value, and treating all park goers like they are part of the family.

“We’re always making improvements to the park.

Some of them many people may not notice but to us it’s all about creating that environment; that place that families want to come to and come back to. It’s about giving them not just entertainment, but an experience,” said Dan Koch, who has owned Alabama Splash Adventure with his mother Pat, affectionately known as “The General,” for the past three years.

The plan for 2017 is to improve access and flow to areas of Alabama Splash Adventure, which features both water and land attractions and rides, as well as enhance the landscape to give the park a “more tropical feel” says Pat Koch.

“We’ve brought in a bunch of palm trees and we’ve done some landscaping to make the waterpark feel more like you are going to the beach,” she said. Alabama Splash Adventure has also added several cabanas that are decked out and can be rented.

Dan Koch said the access improvements are part of a bigger master plan of growth and the addition of more attractions. He pointed to some advanced new water slides and features for families that will add to the attractions as well as enhance total park connectivity. Work is already underway and the project will open for the 2018 season.

The 2017 season starts Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day weekend. The Kochs also said that they have enhanced their party facilities at the park and want to encourage more groups to have their special celebrations at Alabama Splash Adventure. In 2016, they even hosted a group of 2,000 people.

“We have nice facilities indoors and outdoors at the park. For a party, we can do anything they want,” said Dan. Pat Koch, who is 83, still loves coming to the park just about every day to greet people. She said Alabama Splash Adventure is special because of that family feel.

“These families are like our family,” she said. “We want to give them a lot for a little money.” Alabama Splash Adventure offers free parking, free sodas and non-alcoholic beverages and free sunscreen to all park-goers. It just takes three visits for a season pass to pay for itself.

Part of the family is Samuel Linetsky, a member of the local Jewish community who works at Alabama Splash Adventure part-time during the season.

“I feel so honored every summer when I get to work at this amazing park,” said Linetsky. “One of my dreams came true when after moving to Alabama I got to work for the Koch family.” He first met them 10 years ago when he lived in Ohio and visited Holiday World.

“Dan and The Genera are hands-on owners who care deeply about their guests and building an amazing park,” he added. “Alabama Splash Adventure is one of the best values for summer fun around.”

28 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 29

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Visit nearby planets at Huntsville’s Space Center Ever wondered what a lightning storm looks like on Venus? You don’t have to travel 30 million miles or more to find out. You can take the short trip to Huntsville to see the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s newest exhibit, “Neighborhood Earth,” which provides guests with a virtual walk through the solar system.

At the center of this multifaceted exhibit is a big, cinematic feature where one gets to stand, virtually, on the surface of the planets. It is an interactive, immersive experience of traveling through the solar system. The center of the space is a large planet that changes as the surrounding screens show actual images from the surface taken by probes and rovers that have traveled to those heavenly bodies, from the red spot on Jupiter to a view of a sunset on Mars from the Gale Crater.

While the cinematic feature is the star, Neighborhood Earth also has several other components, from hands-on activities to models of those spacecraft and probes that NASA has used to explore the solar system and ones that are planned for the future, such as NASA’s Space Launch System. There are also kiosks that use holographic technology to explain aspects of the planets and the spacecraft that have traveled to them.

There are some hands-on aspects to the exhibit as well, including a table covered in a Mars landscape and 3-D printed pieces one can use to build a Mars colony. Guests can also build and launch 3-D printed rockets. There’s also a projection screen that works with X-box Connect to make movements correspond with the astronaut on the surface of the different planets. Each scene has a funny “wish you were here” postcard message as if you are on a vacation to, for example, Mercury.

The Rocket Center isn’t just a site for the premiere of this world-class exhibit; its education team supplied the research on the planets and, with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, provided the spacecraft models and artifacts on display.

Australian-based Flying Fish and Chronica Creative constructed and programmed the exhibit.

Rebecca Hitt, the Rocket Center’s museum education assistant manager, helped research the material for the exhibit and wrote the education guide aligned to K-12 Next Generation Science Standards.

Hitt looks forward to having families enjoy “Neighborhood Earth.”

“I want them to think about the exploration of the planets and what it would take for them to be there,” she said. “What would take them off our world and to other locations? It’s always good to expand the scope of children’s imaginations and open them up to ways of thinking about their home, their city and the galaxy. This exhibit encourages them to look at the bigger picture, literally.”

19th-century French Quarter Jewish house a landmark museum Step inside two historically-significant early 19th century homes in New Orleans’ French Quarter with a visit to the Hermann-Grima and Gallier Houses. The Hermann-Grima House, one of the finest Federal style homes in the city, was built in 1831 by Samuel Hermann, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who arrived in New Orleans in 1804 and was in the cotton business.

The Hermanns lost the home during the economic depression of the late 1830s, and in 1844, Judge Felix Grima purchased it. In 1925, the Christian Woman’s Exchange acquired the house and opened a rooming house. In the late 1960s they undertook a restoration and opened the house as a museum in 1971.

In 1996, the organization purchased the Gallier House and restored it.

On April 12, the Hermann-Grima House was honored at the 2017 Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation.

The Hermann-Grima and Gallier Houses are eight blocks apart and can be toured the same day, or on consecutive days. The Hermann-Grima House has the only functional urban 1831 kitchen in New Orleans, and during the winter there are demonstrations of open hearth cooking.

The Hermann-Grima House is also available for events, with Broussard’s next door handling management and catering. In fact, from 1831 to 1922, the Broussard’s property was part of the Hermann-Grima estate.

See New Orleans from a different perspective, on the Steamboat Natchez Take a step back in time aboard the last authentic steamboat on the Mississippi River.

Steamboat Natchez has been providing amazing views of New Orleans for 42 years, offering dinner and daytime jazz cruises, run daily around the year, departing from the Toulouse Street Wharf behind JAX Brewery at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. A buffet lunch is available for the mid-day cruises.

Music plays from the calliope upon departure, and the engine room is like being in a floating museum.

Upcoming events include Mother’s Day Brunch on May 14 at 11:30 a.m.

There will be a special menu and jazz trio for the two-hour cruise, and visitors will receive a complimentary drink ticket.

On June 17, there will be a Family Day cruise at 2:30 p.m., with special pricing and music. Children’s entertainment includes a magician, balloon clown, spray tattoos and a Super Hero. Tickets will be available in late May. Check the Steamboat Natchez Facebook page for upcoming specials and events.

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish 31 4/25/17 Life 3:41 PM

community New Barons pitching coach is Major Leagues’ only Jewish Dominican player

by Lee J. Green Birmingham Barons Pitching Coach Jose Bautista is one of 16 children born to a mother originally from Israel and a Dominican father, and his family could field its own baseball team.

The former major league pitcher, who made his debut in The Show almost 20 years ago, has the unique distinction of being the only Jewish major league baseball player from the Dominican Republic.

“I am proud to be Jewish and we are an observant family,” said Bautista, whose wife Lea is also Jewish. They met in Venezuela, where her family had moved from Israel.

“We observe the Sabbath and celebrate the holidays. My daughter Gloria is the vice president of Hillel at Florida State University and she had her Bat Mitzvah in Israel.” The Bautistas also have two sons — Leo and Jose, Jr. The 42-year-old Bautista was born in Bani, Dominican Republic and the family attended a synagogue in nearby Santiago. “It’s a pretty small Jewish community there but probably bigger than people might think,” he said.

The New York Mets signed Bautista as an international free agent in 1981, starting with the Kingsport Mets. After 7 years in the Mets minor league system, he was released in 1987, then picked up by Baltimore.

On April 9, 1988, he made his major league debut with the Orioles.

He spent four years in Baltimore as both a starting pitcher and a relief

32 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

pitcher, pitching in 75 games for the Orioles.

In 1993, he signed with the Chicago Cubs and had his best year. Bautista went 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA. After short stints with the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers, he finished his major league career in 1997 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Overall he had a 32-42 record with a 4.62 ERA and three saves over 312 appearances. He is fifth all-time among Jewish players in number of games pitched.

He would go into scouting and then coaching minor league baseball after retiring from the major leagues. Bautista started off in the Kansas City Royals organization and came to the Chicago White Sox organization, the Barons’ parent club, in 2008.

For a few years he was a roving instructor in the White Sox organization for Latin players, then spent a few years as pitching coach for the single-A Kannapolis Intimidators before being promoted to Birmingham for the 2017 season.

“As a roving instructor I came to Birmingham a few times,” but it was when the stadium was in Hoover, said Bautista. “I think this new stadium and this area of downtown Birmingham is incredible. I am very excited to be here.”

He said though during the season much of his time is devoted to the team and it involves a lot of travel across the Southern League cities, he looks forward to being involved as much as possible in the overall community and the Jewish community.

“When I can, I am happy to speak at the (Levite Jewish Community Center) and the synagogues about my experiences,” said Bautista.

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community RMTC presenting “Fiddler” Stage debut for Cantor Roskin

by Lee J. Green “Fiddler on the Roof ” inspired Red Mountain Theatre Company Artistic Director Keith Cromwell to go into a career in theater, and he feels its messages are especially pertinent today.

Cromwell will direct “Fiddler,” which also features the theatrical debut of Temple Emanu-El Cantor Jessica Roskin, June 9 to 25 with Tuesday to Saturday performances at the Alabama School of Fine Arts Dorothy Jemison Theatre in Birmingham.

“Fiddler” was “one of the first shows I ever saw. I was 10 or 11 years old. I was so taken with the story; with the love and bonds of family. It was magical, transformative. That’s what spurred me to go into theatre,” he said.

“I think the show is especially pertinent today considering our challenging times. It really is a show about tradition, about family and about facing anti-Semitism and prejudice that we can learn a great deal from,” said Cromwell, who was just honored by the National Conference of Community and Justice at its Brotherhood/ Sisterhood Awards.

Several years ago, “Fiddler” had a revival on Broadway with a new version. Cromwell said he wants to honor tradition by presenting the original, traditional show that was written in the 1960s.

“The show as it was written tells us so much about family, religion, morals and tradition.

These are all things we want to honor with our production,” said Cromwell.

For years, he has partnered with Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Jonathan Miller, asking for advice on artistic projects, and the two have been long-time friends.

Cromwell asked Miller for his advice on the production and to learn more for himself. “I am not Jewish but I have learned a great deal. It is a beautiful religion with beautiful people. I think this show is beautifully educating no matter what religion someone is. It rings true,” he said.

“I have been enchanted by Cantor Jessica Roskin’s singing for years and while working with Jonathan we approached her about being in the show. We said we could work with her schedule, and are so happy she said yes,” said Cromwell.

Roskin said at first she thought Cromwell just wanted her as a resource but was thrilled to say yes to the chance at being in her first theatrical production.

“I am nervous but excited. This is a very special show to me and I know I will learn a lot from Keith as well as the talented actors in the show,” she said. “I am grateful that they wanted me in the show and can work with my sched-

34 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

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coming to stores this month ule.” Roskin will not perform in shows on the Sabbath during the run.

She said there will be some learning, not just about performing in a musical but the music itself. “I know all the songs in ‘Fiddler’ and love them. But I will be in the ensemble. I know the melodies but not the harmonies” that those in the ensemble usually sing, Roskin said.

The show means a lot to her, she said, adding that she can relate especially to the daughters.

“It was not until my junior year of college that I realized that women could be cantors. It fueled my desire to take an extra year at seminary school and to achieve something that at the time women didn’t commonly do,” she said. “Plus ‘Fiddler’ is all about tradition and family. Of course those are so important to me.”

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Next season’s Broadway in B’ham rocks

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by Lee J. Green Theatre League President Mark Edelman, himself a musician who has performed his share of rock songs as well as parodies, would quote the Rolling Stones when describing the 2017-18 Broadway in Birmingham season – “I know it’s only rock and roll, but I like it.”

He said there is a “rock and roll” theme and connection to shows coming to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Concert Hall next season.

First on stage is “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story,” Dec. 8 to 10. This musical charts the meteoric climb, legendary adventures and tragic fall on the fateful day the music died.

Then on January 5 to 7 “Kinky Boots,” a musical featuring songs by Grammy and Tony-winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, makes its Birmingham debut. Inspired by true events, “Kinky Boots” takes audience members from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan.

“The Illusionists” brings magic to the stage Feb. 23 and 24 as a special “add-on” show. Direct from Broadway, the world’s best selling magic show showcases the talents of five of “the most incredible illusionists on earth.”

Disney’s classic “The Lion King” roars its way into Birmingham March 14 to April 1. More than 90 million people around the world have experienced “the awe-inspiring visual artistry, the unforgettable music, and the uniquely theatrical storytelling of this Broadway spectacular.” The music was crafted

by Tony and Grammy Award-winning Elton John along with Tim Rice.

Then “Motown The Musical” hits a high note April 20 to 22. It’s the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.

From the creators of “South Park” comes “The Book of Mormon,” Oct. 10 to 15. The nine-time Tony Award-winning Best Musical is hailed by the New York Times as “the best musical of the century.” Television host and personality Jon Stewart calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.”

Edelman said there are plentiful “rock and roll connections. “You have Barry Gordy/Motown, Elton John, Cyndi Lauper and other ties to rock/pop history. We’re very excited about the initial response to our 2017-18 season.”

He also said there are several Jewish connections in these shows. One of the greatest Motown songwriters featured prominently in that show is the late, great Jewish songwriter Ron Miller. Jewish actor and writer Harvey Fierstein penned the book for “Kinky Boots.” The “Book of Mormon” producer, Scott Rudin, is Jewish.

As for Edelman, he still does some performing with his parody song band Guns and Charoset. His brother will soon retire as the associate director of the Jewish Federation of Kansas City, where Theater League is based.

“We’d like to do some sort of Smothers Brothers-type act together,” he said with a smile.

Whether you’re planning a celebration, fundraiser, business meeting or wedding reception, we think you’ll find our taproom to be the perfect venue.

Photos by Mason Fischer

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 35

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Cantina Birmingham

by Lee J. Green Jorge Castro grew up in Mexico and in the restaurant business. It was always his dream to open his own restaurant and he has been able to see that dream to fruition with Birmingham’s Cantina restaurant at Pepper Place.

Cantina started primarily as a place to get authentic Mexican corn tortilla tacos. Over the years the menu has expanded to include everything from salmon to fish burgers to truck fries to enchiladas.

“When Cantina opened up there were not as many Mexican restaurants and most did Tex-Mex. We do authentic Mexican and we have several menu items you can’t get anywhere else in Birmingham,” said Castro. “Our customers and the Birmingham community are very important to us. We ask them what they like and what we can do to make Cantina great.”

When Jorge was in middle school, his mother opened one of Mexico’s few vegetarian restaurants in the city of Saldill. He and his brothers Alex, Jose and Guillermo would help their mother make cookies, yogurt, granola and other items.

“Our family was always cooking and involved in the family restaurant,” said Jorge Castro. In 1986, all four brothers opened a Mexican and international foods restaurant in Mexico.

A few years later Guillermo and Alex moved to the United States. They opened a tapas restaurant called Sol Y Luna in 1998. That proved to be very continued on the next page 36 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

Continued from page 38

> > Rear Pew Mirror

Total eclipse of the camp: Ramah Darom’s solar Shabbaton

sounds as good as Jewtch would.

Looking farther down the globe, the people who walk upside down on the planet would be the Australiish, Brazilish, Argentinish, and Chilish — a name that could easily be related to by many Jews about seven months of the year who live up north.

Lastly, Middle East peace might truly be found if there was a common ground with the Syriish, Jordanish, Saudi Arabish, Lebanish, Egyptish, and even the Palestinish.

Does this solve the generations-old debate about whether the Jewish people are a race or religion? Of course not. As long as every two rabbis average three opinions, and synagogue members are allowed to speak to each other at kiddushes after services, no debate will ever be resolved.

It’s possible history will always struggle to understand how the people of Israel came to be called Jewish, just as many struggle to understand how Trump came to be called “president.”

For the first time since 1979, a total solar eclipse will occur in the mainland United States, and right in the middle of the 70-mile-wide path of totality is Ramah Darom in north Georgia.

Just one and one-half weeks after summer camp ends, the Conservative camp is planning a Shabbaton around the eclipse, which will occur on Aug. 21. The 122-acre camp is in an isolated area surrounded by the Chattahooche National Forest.

The eclipse’s path will go from just south of Portland, Ore., reach its greatest duration in Hopkinsville, Ky., and then pass through Nashville on its way to northwest Georgia and down the middle of South Carolina. The middle of totality should hit Ramah Darom around 2:34 p.m. and last around two and one-half minutes.

Partial eclipses, where the moon blocks part of the sun, happen two to five times per year, while total eclipses, where the moon blocks 99 percent of the sun’s surface, happen about every 18 months. Because so much of the planet is covered by water, having an eclipse over a populated area is relatively rare, with the next one in North America in 2024.

The Shabbaton will begin on Aug. 18 and include a Shabbat experience, solar art projects, stargazing, Jewish and scientific learning, and

Doug Brook has also been called many things over the years, which can’t be reprinted here. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/.

For exclusive online content, like facebook.com/ rearpewmirror.

more. One may participate in the entire weekend, arrive on Aug. 20 or stay off-site and be at camp only on Aug. 21, the day of the eclipse.

Participants can choose between camp-style cabins or retreat center hotel rooms. Tent camping will also be available.

More information is available at ramahdarom.org.

> > Cantina popular, so they opened a higher-end restaurant called Los Angeles, which closed a few years ago, then in 2000 they opened Cantina. Jorge came to the U.S. to help start and run Cantina.

“We went to the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market with our fish tacos and they were so popular we thought we would open up Cantina there to give people a place to get great tacos in a cool environment,” he said.

Some of the other kosher-style items on the menu at Cantina include chicken tacos, tacos de carne asada, vegetarian tacos, cilantro chicken entrée, churrasco steak, salads and several sides.

“If something is not kosher-style we are happy to do a custom order to make it kosher-style.

Just ask us,” he said.

May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 37

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• 38 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017

•

The Jewish people have been called many things over the years. The one constant, however, has been the appellation “Jewish.”

This particular name-calling begs the question, why the hesitation?

After all, “-ish” is usually a suffix of approximation or uncertainty. “We’ll be there at six-ish.” “His hair was sort of gray-ish.” “I’m thinking about trying the swordfish.”

For decades, there have been debates about Jewish identity. Perhaps the uncertainty comes from the people’s uncertain name itself. Or maybe the name came along to fit the people.

To put it another way: Which came first, the chicken or the name?

Perhaps the explanation could come from elimination. If the name followed Catholicism, Jews would be known as Jewic. Of course, there is Judaic, but nobody refers to Judaic comedians.

The Methodist or Baptist examples would result in being Jewist. If Jews were like Episcopalians, they’d be Jewians. Of course, there is Judean, but nobody goes to work out at a Judean Community Center.

The again, the Jewish people have been around longer than many other religions. So, what if the question is reversed, and other religions followed the Jewish example? It would jarringly change the nomenclature of all the Christish people who follow Christaism.

Followers of Catholicism would be Catholish. Annually there would be a convening of the Southern Baptish Convention. The Methodish would sound more like a cooking show and less like theatre students trained in Stanislavsky’s teachings. Rather than Jewians, the world would be graced with millions of the Episcopaliish.

A very popular Broadway musical HOW DID WE would be “The Book of Mormish.”

GET “ISH” AT THE Of course, these are other world reliEND OF “JEWISH” gions that could be considered. There are many more religions, but these examples — AND WHAT IF sport almost all permutations of religion OTHER FAITHS name endings, unless one wants to explore FOLLOWED SUIT? being Sikhish or Jewhovah’s Witnish.

However, this has considered the question of the Jewish name relative to other religions. A tale as old as time is whether the Jewish people are a religion or a race.

Looking at other people around the world, some nationalities or ethnicities actually have a suffix affixed similar to the Jews.

The Amish are an obvious example, and one who themselves would probably face similar race-or-religion questions if they had a Talmud to debate. The Cornish and their game hens also fit somewhere into this pecking order.

The British. The Irish. The Swedish. The Polish. The Spanish. The Scottish... Whose name is far more conducive to a traditional Jewish drink than the short-lived Jewtch, which was a better drink than Manischewitz but was too hard to pronounce when ordering at the bar.

Appropriately enough, the Finnish could end the list. But one would be remiss to omit one of the largest domestic populations on our home world: the Heimisch.

To revisit the previous reversal, consider other names of nations if they followed the tradition of Jewish name endings. (This is still about large groups of people, not about someone named Christianstein or Rosenchrist.)

The people of the United States would be known as Americish. The Spanish would be bordered by the Portugish and Frenchish, which continued on the previous page

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May 2017 • Southern Jewish Life 39

40 Southern Jewish Life • May 2017