Southern Jewish Life
JEWISH TOURISM TO NEW ORLEANS MISSISSIPPI MEETS ISRAEL AMBASSADOR DERMER VISITS REGION JAMES BEARD RECOGNIZES SHAYA SHOALS PARTNER WITH BEIT EL ANNUAL SUMMER TRAVEL ISSUE June 2015
Volume 25 Issue 6
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shalom y’all shalom shalomy’all y’all As we gear up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Southern Jewish Life magazine, I found myself in the 40th anniversary issue of Moment magazine. If you receive our weekly e-news, This Week in Southern Jewish Life (and if you don’t, you should, it’s the most comprehensive of its type anywhere), you saw us mention in March that Moment’s editor suggested a radical idea to combat anti-Semitism and promote understanding — invite someone non-Jewish to your Seder (why is “Take an Indian to Lunch” from Stan Freberg’s “The United States of America” going through my head?). That this would be considered radical was surprising, as it’s a very common occurrence here in the South, and there are many Christians around here who know the Seder better than a lot of Jews! I expressed surprise and gave several examples of initiatives around the region, personal and institutional, showing this has been going on around here for a long time. Sure enough, their new issue had my comments as a letter to the editor (as an aside, I’m not going to address those who said that it’s forbidden to have non-Jews at a Seder). Since this is a year of going back in our publication’s history… this appearance in Moment is a bit better than our other one. A favorite column there is Spice Box, kind of like Jay Leno’s “Headlines” but for a Jewish audience — odd typos or Judaic words used in a different context. If you’re a publisher, it’s like the obituaries — you check it first to make sure you’re not listed. About 20 years ago I did just that and saw a snippet of our layout. Sure enough, someone sent the headline we did stating that a Temple was going to experiment with holding Shabbat morning services. “Might start a trend!” was the pithy comment below. continued on page 4
On the cover: Longue Vue House and Gardens in New Orleans, former home of philanthropists Edgar and Edith Stern — she was the daughter of Julius Rosenwald
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commentary Unlike just about all Spice Box entries, this one drew protests. The story was about Temple Beth Israel in Gadsden, which is now defunct. At the time the small congregation held only Friday night services, which is typical for small-community congregations, but they decided to see if there was demand for the occasional Saturday morning. Writers objected to Moment appearing to make fun of small communities where they do the best they can with limited resources and relatively few warm bodies.
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Confirmation at Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El. Additional Confirmation listings, page 22
Tennessee fights back against those who call for boycotts of Israel From SJL and jns.org reports
On April 21, the Tennessee Legislature became the first state body to pass a bill condemning the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel. The U.S. Congress is also considering an anti-boycott law, the United States-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act. Senator Dolores Gresham introduced the bill in the Tennessee Senate. Last year, Gresham led an effort to change the way Tennessee approves school textbooks after exposing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel bias in textbooks. Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, lobbied for the bill, testifying before the Senate Finance, Ways and Means committee on April 7. “With the current climate of increasing anti-Semitism, anti-Israel, and anti-Zionist campaigns, Tennesseans and all people of conscience should endorse public statements of support for our Jewish brethren living in Tennessee and pro-Israel students attending colleges and universities in our state,” Cardoza-Moore said. The bill declared the BDS movement is “one of the main vehicles for spreading anti-Semitism and advocating the elimination of the Jewish state.” According to PJTN, there is a BDS presence
in the state, including a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Tennessee and plans for one at Vanderbilt. In a release, PJTN said by passing the bill, the Tennessee Legislature “has made a clear and unequivocal statement” on recent hate crimes “targeting Jewish communities, Jewish synagogues and anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses, such as the one recently committed against the Jewish fraternity at Vanderbilt University.” Gresham recently stated that, “the Tennessee State Legislature chooses to preserve its values by publicly condemning this blatantly anti-Semitic, anti-Israel bigotry, and send a clear message that Tennessee condemns such views. We must make it very clear that peace and justice requires all peoples in the region to have human rights and dignity, and that we oppose political agendas that seek to undermine Jews and Israelis. This resolution seeks to do just that.” Representative Sheila Butt, House sponsor of the resolution stated, “There has been a significant spike in anti-Semitic activity in Tennessee with BDS activity. Since 2011, more hate crimes have been committed annually against Jews than any other religious category in Tennessee. In fact, national hate crime statistics reveal the same phenomenon, but they are dramatically worse. As a member of the House Criminal Jus
tice committee, it is our responsibility to ensure we are doing everything possible in Tennessee to prevent these crimes from taking place in our state.” The bill passed in the Senate on April 9 on a 30-0 vote. The House passed it 93-1 on April 21, with the only vote against coming from Rep. G.A. Hardaway. Christians United For Israel, which reports 200,000 members just in Tennessee, also lobbied for the bill. Regional director Lyndon Allen, pastor of Woodmont Bible Church in Nashville, spoke in support. CUFI Communications Director Ari Morgenstern told JNS.org “Allen’s testimony… coupled with our local membership standing firmly behind the resolution and alongside members of the local Jewish community, played a pivotal role in seeing this legislation pass.” Also testifying before the same committee to advocate for the resolution was Mark S. Freedman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, who said, “While the majority of delegitimization efforts are defeated, and support for Israel in the United States and in Tennessee remains strong, the opponents of Israel continue to make headway simply by poisoning the public discourse around Israel.” Freedman added that besides condemning divestment, Tennessee can go furJune 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 5
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ther by beginning “to think about investment in Israel.” Tennessee has exhibited strong support for Israel throughout the years. In 1996, Governor Don Sundquist signed the Israel-Tennessee Cooperation Agreement resulting in strengthening the historic ties and increasing business, governmental, art, cultural, educational, and university activities between Tennessee and Israel. Joanne Bregman, a member of the local Jewish community, said this bill should serve as a template for other states, and that the Christian-initiated bill should be a “wake-up call” for the Jewish community to be the ones “who need to fill the public information void” on BDS and anti-Semitism. The Zionist Organization of America said it “strongly praises the Tennessee General Assembly for just passing a resolution, virtually unanimously, that declares that BDS is “one of the main vehicles for spreading anti-Semitism and advocating the elimination of the Jewish state,” and that BDS activities “undermine the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, which they are fulfilling in the State of Israel”.” The Indiana House of Representatives passed a similar resolution on April 22 by a 93-0 vote, and Illinois passed a resolution that prevents state pension funds from investing in companies that take part in a boycott of Israel. The U.S. Senate and House bills are currently being considered. The Senate bill was attached as an amendment to a bill before the Senate Finance Committee. The House bill has 37 co-sponsors, including Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama. ZOA National President Morton Klein and ZOA Director of Special Projects Elizabeth Berney stated “The proposed legislation is an excellent, important step to counteract the tide of vicious, discriminatory BDS directed at Jews and Israel and Israel’s American and other trading partners. The bills are also very praiseworthy for condemning boycotts targeted at Israeli-controlled territories.”
Photo by Robert Goetz
On April 25, Temple B’nai Israel in Panama City held its first art auction, at the Harbour Village Club Room in Historic Saint Andrews.
Coming next month in Southern Jewish Life: After 28 years in Mobile, Kunstadt now the Surfing Ventura Rabbi Building Moishe House Without Walls Ernst Borinski Recognized at Millsaps
6 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
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Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center has been named an official site for the University of Alabama’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The Birmingham OLLI chapter has held most of its events at the Vestavia Hills Senior Center but has branched out to other locations in the community. The member-planned and member-taught courses and “bonus programs” are taught on a wide range of topics. There is no age threshold and no exams, just the pure enjoyment of learning. The first bonus program at the LJCC will be Ward Haarbauer’s “Railroad Lanterns, Cholera and a Sinking Ship: Theater in 19th Century Birmingham. The city’s first theater opened months after the city was founded, half a century before the Lyric and the Alabama were built. Haarbauer, founder of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Theatre, will discuss the early days of theaters that entertained all of Birmingham’s social classes, with numerous touring productions until the city’s financial crisis in the 1890s. The June 12 class will be at 10:30 a.m. On July 17 at 10:30 a.m., Eco Three CEO Jonathan Handey will lead “Home Weatherization,” a discussion on energy efficiency and what can be done in older and newer homes. William Gantt will lead a discussion of the Southern Literary Trail, which he founded, on Aug. 14 at 10:30 a.m. The Trail evolved from Gantt’s work with festivals in Demopolis that celebrated its ties to playwright Lillian Hellman and her family, the source for her famous plays “The Little Foxes” and “Another Part of the Forest.” Hellman’s grandmother of Demopolis, Sophie Marx Newhouse, was the model for the famous role of Regina, depicted by Tallulah Bankhead on stage and by Bette Davis in William Wyler’s 1941 film of “Foxes.” The trail has since expanded to Georgia and Mississippi, including writers Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, Ralph Ellison, Margaret Mitchell, William Faulkner, Alice Walker, Harper Lee, and Birmingham native Margaret Walker Alexander (Jubilee) whose centennial year is being recognized in 2015.
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 7
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“Friendship Journey 3,” a 16-day interfaith trip from Birmingham to Israel, drew 48 participants in April. Chabad of Mobile had a one-day online fundraising challenge of $10,000 to access matching funds that added $3 for every $1 raised. Within a couple of hours the goal was achieved, so the goal was raised and in 24 hours the total raised was $3,461. The American Queen Steamboat now has Hebrew Union Congregation as a tour site when docking in Greenville. The ship started docking in Greenville in March, and has regular week-long cruises between Memphis and New Orleans, with additional stops at Oak Alley, St. Francisville, Natchez and Vicksburg. The new arrangement with Greenville calls for roughly 10 visits per year for the next three years.
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Emory student wins advocacy prize
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An Emory junior was one of two honorees recognized with the inaugural Goodman Prize for Israel Engagement on Campus. The iCenter for Israel Education, Foundation for Jewish Camp and the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation selected Aaron Karas of Emory and Rebecca Starr, a first-year student at Concordia University in Montreal. Both are summer camp staffers who have gained skills and strategies for Israel engagement as part of their camp’s participation in the Goodman Camping Initiative for Modern Israel History. As a freshman, Karas joined the board of Emory Students for Israel, and today is president of the organization. During his sophomore year he helped found Tamid at Emory, which researches Israeli companies and helps consult for them as way to learn more about the country. He credits his time as a camper and now staff member at Camp Judaea in North Carolina for instilling in him a connection to Israel. “I love showing people the real side of Israel,” says Karas. “I realize that events that blend some Israel education with some fun, like trivia or eating schwarma, get more people involved and excited about Israel. I’m very proud of our work at Emory and this award is a major honor. I hope the contest encourages others to be engaged and to engage others.” “Aaron has taken so much of what he’s learned at Camp Judaea, and many of the Israel experiences we learned about through the Goodman Camping Initiative, and brought them to school,” says David Berlin, assistant director of Camp Judaea. “He was our sports director, and he never misses an opportunity to make Israel a part of the experience. He talks about famous Israeli athletes, he teaches campers about Israel’s success in judo, and he even helped bring Lior Lipschitz — the great Israeli basketball player — to camp.”
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 9
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Chef Art Smith presents Alon Shaya with the James Beard Award for Best Chef South
Alon Shaya named Best Chef South When a culinary tour of Israel for this summer was announced recently, New Orleans Chef Alon Shaya said it would be a chance for people to tour Israel with James Beard Award winners — then quickly noted it was the other three chefs on the tour who are the James Beard winners. Make it four for four. A change of venue for the James Beard Awards to Chicago served as the charm for Shaya as he was named Best Chef South on May 4. He has been a nominee for the previous three years and a finalist for the previous two. Shaya opened his self-named Israeli restaurant, Shaya, in New Orleans earlier this year after being executive chef and co-owner at Domenica and Pizza Domenica. In 2012 he was named Chef of the Year by New Orleans magazine. At the award ceremony, Shaya said he was “totally not prepared to make a speech.” He thanked New Orleans for embracing him. “I’m an Israeli who grew up in Philly who is cooking food in New Orleans, and somehow that all comes together and tastes good.” He noted that no chef gets to that level without a lot of assistance, and he thanked “the team we have at Domenica, Pizza Domenica and Shaya,” the “300 employees that make those restaurants tick every day… none of this could ever happen without all the hard work, dedication and passion.” He also thanked his wife, Emily, for her support, and John Besh and Octavio Mantilla who “have been huge parts of my career and my growth.” After his name was announced and Shaya made his way to the stage, the announcer suggested “don’t get between this chef and his extra-virgin olive oil.”
Reform summer schedule set in NOLA The summer Reform schedule for New Orleans has been announced, with Shabbat services rotating among the three congregations monthly. Temple Sinai will host services in June, with Friday services at 6:15 p.m. and Saturday services at 10:15 a.m. Touro Synagogue will host in July, with services at 6 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. respectively. Gates of Prayer in Metairie will host August services, at 6:15 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. 10 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
community Louisiana rabbis battle the controversial Marriage and Conscience Act Rabbis across Louisiana spoke out against House Bill 707, called the Marriage and Conscience Act, which proponents say would protect business owners from sanction if they act on religious objections to same-sex marriage. Advocates stated the bill does not grant an individual right to discriminate or apply to private business owners and their providing of goods and services, it only forbids the state from withholding a legal status, contract or employment based on a belief in “traditional marriage.” Opponents said it would allow discrimination and eliminate any legal remedy to those who are discriminated against. The bill was voted down in committee on May 19, but within two hours Governor Bobby Jindal said he was issuing an executive order that would accomplish the bill’s provisions. The order, which went into effect immediately, is valid until 60 days after the end of the next legislative session, or earlier if the next governor revokes it. In response to Jindal’s order, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued his own order reaffirming the city’s anti-discrimination laws, saying it is an important, symbolic affirmation that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated in New Orleans, and it should not be tolerated anywhere in Louisiana.” Tourism officials in New Orleans are particularly concerned about a backlash against the state. New York legislators have already asked for that state to ban non-essential state-funded travel to Louisiana. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation issued a joint statement declaring the order is basically a political statement by a governor who is planning a presidential run. “It is important for those who visit Louisiana to
know that its effect in essence is that of a political campaign document.” House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger of New Orleans called the bill “nothing more than bigotry enshrouded in religion.” On April 24, the Times-Picayune published a piece by Rabbi Gabe Greenberg of Beth Israel in Metairie, making a “religious case” against the bill and calling Jindal’s advocacy for it “sacrilegious and offensive.” Greenberg noted that it might seem odd that an Orthodox rabbi who would not officiate a gay marriage would take such a position, but he stated that “for every Biblical precept about one’s sexual activities, there are a dozen more that speak of the imperative to fight for those who are disenfranchised and discriminated against.” Jindal and some other faith leaders have chosen to emphasize the former over the latter, he said. On May 1, the Reform movement’s Central Committee of American Rabbis sent Jindal a letter: We, the Rabbis of Reform Judaism who lead more than 1.6 million Jews, believe religious freedom to be a sacred American principle, as you do. However, that principle is precisely why we are so dismayed at your approval of the legislation passed in Indiana last month and at your intent to pursue a similar bill in Louisiana. The bill, like similar laws in various states, does nothing to protect religious freedom. But it does target the freedom of LGBT individuals and families. As many have said, bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry. Under the guise of religious liberty, you’re trying to justify laws discriminating against the LGBT community. In doing so, you style yourself as the defender of faith-based Americans and attack unnamed “left-wing ideologues” purportedly hostile to religion as being behind the efforts to make marriage equality a reality. You say your opponents “believe that religiosity is folly.” You are wrong. It is precisely our religiosity that compels us to sup-
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 11
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port our LGBT brothers and sisters in their quest for equal rights. We support marriage for same sex couples because it is fully in line with the principles of equality, justice and tolerance that underpin our religious ideals. Those who oppose marriage equality cannot pretend that they speak for all faith-based communities. Reform Rabbis have been at the forefront of the struggle for gay rights in the United States. As early as 1977, we were on record opposing discrimination against LGBT individuals — discrimination you are promoting today. And we have supported civil marriage equality. Now LGBT couples are married in Jewish weddings in many states, and we rabbis consider it an honor to bless their commitment to each as holy before God. “If it’s not freedom for all, it’s not freedom at all,” you wrote. We couldn’t agree more. That’s precisely why laws targeting members of the LGBT community must be opposed. Our religious beliefs call for nothing less than full equality. The letter was signed by CCAR Chief Executive Rabbi Steven Fox and CCAR President Denise Eger of Kol Ami in West Hollywood, Calif. It was also signed by Rabbi Deborah Gardner of Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville, Cantor David Mintz and Rabbi Alexis Berk of Touro Synagogue in New Orleans, Rabbi Thomas Gardner of Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge, Cantor Joel Colman and Rabbi Edward Cohn of Temple Sinai in New Orleans, Rabbi Jordan Goldson of B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge, Rabbi Barbara Metzinger of B’nai Israel in Monroe, Rabbi Robert Loewy of Gates of Prayer in Metairie, and Rabbi Barry Weinstein, who serves Temple Sinai in Lake Charles and Temple Shalom in Lafayette. After Jindal’s order, Allison Padilla-Goodman, South-Central regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that while ADL considers itself “pro-religion,” it “does not condone the mis-use of religion to justify discrimination or prosecution” and was disappointed by the executive order.
When Mississippi Charm Meets Israeli Chutzpah On April 27 and 28, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant held “Israel Meets Mississippi,” a first-in-the-region business summit that brought Israeli companies to Jackson for meetings with potential Mississippi counterparts. For the summit, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer made his first visit to Mississippi, accompanied by Ambassador Opher Aviran, Israel’s Consul General to the Southeast, based in Atlanta. Throughout the summit, the importance of personal relationships was stressed, as was Mississippi’s affinity for Israel. “This is about building relationships, knowing one another,” Bryant said. There is a lot of room for growth. Of Mississippi’s $11.4 billion in exports in 2014, just $33 million went to Israel. Dermer said the partnership between Israel and Mississippi will be “remarkable,” and Mississippi “has a lot to offer.” The wide range of Mississippi industries and expertise is a story that isn’t well-known and needs to be further publicized, Dermer said. He added it will be interesting to see what happens when Mississippi charm meets Israeli chutzpah, but both qualities are needed for business. The summit was an outgrowth of a Mississippi trade mission to Israel that Bryant led last November. Not only was this a follow-up on Bryant’s promise to hold a trade seminar in Mississippi, it was mentioned at the summit that there will be another larger Mississippi trade mission to Israel, likely in early summer of 2016. Bryant said the Israel trip was “to see not only our friends but those who would be our friends.” When he spoke about having an Israel trade
Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer addresses Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant at the opening reception for Mississippi Meets Israel, April 27 at the Fairview Inn. summit in Mississippi “I’m sure there were many who thought that could not happen, but look around,” he said. After the November trip, Bryant said Israel “is the best opportunity for Mississippi since our relationship with Japan.” One aspect he noted in Israel was how the first 10 minutes of a business contact was getting to know each other, “how’s your mama, how was your trip… that sounds like Mississippi.” General Robert Fogelsong called the summit “a potential tipping point for the state of Israel and Mississippi.” A retired Air Force general and former assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Fogelsong is CEO of Israel Aircraft Industries North America and Chairman of the Board of IAI subsidiary Stark Aerospace, which is located in Columbus. Fogelsong said he has flown with the Israeli Air Force and has been visiting the country for four decades, and while he was president of Mississippi State University he created many relationships with Israeli institutions. “I have deep roots in both areas,” he said.
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He said Israel and the U.S. “are twins. Those things we value in the U.S. are the same things that are valued by our Israeli friends,” and he comes to that conclusion having visited 132 countries. “In the security business, we’re twins,” he added, noting that he was at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when the airplanes hit. The first phone call he thought to place was to counterparts in Israel because “we share common enemies.” During the Israel trip, Bryant spoke at the Third International Israel Homeland Security Conference, and marveled at the thought of him speaking to Israelis on the subject. “I think they know more about homeland security than we may ever know.” While in Israel, Bryant was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for 15 minutes, but it stretched to 40 minutes, much to the consternation of Netanyahu’s aides who were trying to keep him on schedule. Among the benefits Mississippi has to offer are the most advanced warships on the planet being built in Pascagoula, 120 aerospace companies, agricultural research and advanced tele-medicine companies. Mississippi is in the top 10 in economic development and fifth in growth of woman-owned businesses. Bryant said Mississippi is ready to share oil and gas expertise with Israel, as Israel recently began developing an industry around offshore drilling in the Mediterranean. Every state has a different set of industries and different advantages, Dermer noted. “It’s very smart for the governor to be ahead of the curve and get Mississippi on Israel’s maps.” Dermer added, “People would be surprised at some of the industries you have here. What Mississippi can offer will be different from Massachusetts and California and other states can offer. You need a tipping point where people get it and more and more companies come here. Then you have critical mass.” When he was in Israel, Bryant went by booths for different defense industry companies and asked if they had a U.S. nexus. Many did not and were thinking they eventually would, so Bryant handed them his card. “When that company is ready to come to the U.S., I don’t want them going to Texas or California or Massachusetts.” The summit began with a reception at Fairview Inn, where representatives from the different businesses could get to know each other. Bryant, Aviran and Dermer gave remarks, during which Bryant noted the close personal relationships Aviran has developed in his time based in Atlanta, and proclaimed him an honorary citizen of Mississippi. Aviran’s time in Atlanta will end this summer and he will return to Israel. As an example of the close ties that have developed, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Aviran called him on Dec. 24 one year looking for dining suggestions in the area, unaware that there would be few restaurants, if any, open on Christmas Eve in Mississippi. Instead he hosted Aviran at his home for Christmas dinner. Aviran reflected that his first visit to Mississippi was three weeks after arriving in Atlanta, when he addressed the Christians United For Israel event in Jackson in August 2010. “About 2,000 people came that night to support Israel, and it meant so much.” MDA Trade Bureau Director Rose Boxx told the Israeli businesspeople “Mississippi can be your second home, like it is for Opher Aviran.” Dermer also officially thanked the state for its hospitality in May 2014,
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when the Israeli Air Force had a joint training exercise with the Mississippi Air National Guard during Operation Emerald Warrior on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He said Israel’s Air Force will return to the state later this year. Bryant referenced the David and Goliath showdown in a valley. “Today Israel continues to be in valleys, but Mississippi is standing with you. It is my hope and the hope of all of us in this room that the United States will be in that valley when Israel needs us most.” Dermer noted that many people have forgotten that Israel is an outpost of Western civilization in the Middle East, but Mississippi remembers. He compared the Middle East situation to Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. “He says beep beep and gets away. That’s what we’ve been doing for 67 years. We have to be a better roadrunner, a smarter roadrunner. “To face these challenges we’ve had to be very good at what we do, and we are.” Dermer explained how Israel had gone from “a small agricultural backwater to global technological power” with 42 of the top 50 tech firms in the world having research and development facilities there, “for many it is their only one” in the world. Companies like HP and Apple aren’t in Israel because they are Zionists, he said. “They want to have access to the winning formula.” An initial success story was water technology, because Israel didn’t have any water. Security expertise was born out of necessity, and now Israel has become a power in cyber. Despite a population of just 8 million, 11 percent of world investment in cyber last year was in Israel. “Israel in cyber is China,” Dermer said, punching at 110 times its weight. But necessity isn’t enough to explain Israel’s success, Dermer said. He noted the phrase “people of the book,” and explained that Israel is a 67-year-old country “that is standing on the shoulders of a 4,000-year-old people” that has always pushed learning and education. The Israeli military is “our MIT,” where elite thinkers and innovators are identified and given the freedom to go outside the box. There is also a strong sense of chutzpah, Dermer explained. Noting the translation of the name “Israel,” he said “if we’re going to struggle with God, we’re going to struggle with AT&T and Apple.” The key is to “be skeptical, to ask questions.” One advantage Israel has, Fogelsong noted, is “they are not as encumbered by regulatory guidelines.” At IAI in Mississippi, Fogelsong said, the goal is to “take advantage of the strengths on both sides of the ocean.” To that end, in his remarks during the summit’s luncheon Bryant brandished a well-worn copy of “Start-Up Nation,” Dan Senor’s book
about “Israel’s economic miracle.” Afterward, Bryant commented that the book’s message about “the ability to do great things” is something “I’m trying to instill in every Mississippian.” After a breakfast that included video presentations touting business benefits of Mississippi and Israel, there were over 100 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings between Mississippi companies and Israeli companies, with Israeli companies at a dozen tables in the convention center lobby. As the one-on-one meetings wrapped up, Manning McPhillip, chief administrative officer of the Mississippi Development Authority, said he had heard great reports from the morning’s activities. Dermer said the partnership can go in unexpected directions. A partnership can be developed in one area, then the Israeli partner may come up with an innovation in an area the company hadn’t considered before. There were also sessions on procurement procedures for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and how the BIRD Foundation funds industrial research cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies. Going to the Egg Bowl? At the opening reception, Dermer remarked that he plans to attend an Egg Bowl, the annual football game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and he would no doubt be the first Israeli ambassador to do so. It isn’t far-fetched, as Dermer has a nephew attending Ole Miss. He did note that he would likely have to stay within walking distance of the stadium. It being Mississippi, football was a common theme during events. After mentioning the Egg Bowl, Dermer referred to the rivalry game in Alabama, the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, stating Israelis were far more in tune with Iron Dome, the missile defense system. One recent proposal for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians involved land swaps, with Israel keeping certain settlement blocs outside the pre-1967 borders and giving the Palestinians an equivalent amount of land within the pre-1967 borders. Dermer instead proposed a neighbor swap — “We’ll take Alabama and give you Syria.” After a moment of contemplation, Bryant said “Nah.” Dermer responded, “you’ll do better in the Southeastern Conference,” to which Bryant said “That’s why I had to think for a moment.” In concluding the opening reception, Mississippi musician Raphael Semmes performed “Mississippi Feels Like Coming Home,” after commenting that Mississippi is the birthplace of B.B. King. “Y’all also have a famous person named Bibi, but his last name isn’t easy to pronounce.” Dermer responded that some people “call him king also.”
community Dermer: Our ancestors would love to trade their problems for ours While news from the Middle East may be full of woe and conflict, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer took his time in Birmingham to urge people to step back and look at Israel in a different light — instead of pessimistically viewing the glass as “one-sixteenth empty.” “Our ancestors would have given anything to trade their problems for ours,” Dermer said. He said some Jews take Israel for granted because “if you’re younger than 75 you don’t remember what the world was like without Israel.” During his April 28 talk at Temple Beth-El to a crowd of about 300, Dermer described the three gifts Israel has given to the Jewish people — the right of self-defense, a place of refuge and a sovereign voice in world affairs. After 100 generations of wandering minority status subject to the whims of others, only three generations have had “the privilege to live at a time when there is a sovereign Jewish state.” Dermer noted that Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, was wrong about one thing. He felt the establishment of a Jewish state would end anti-Semitism because Jews were a minority everywhere and a majority nowhere. Today, Dermer noted, some think anti-Semitism is a result of the Jewish state’s existence — a century ago the rallying cry for anti-Semites was “Jews, go to Palestine” while today it is “Jews, get out of Palestine.” The old hatred of Jews has simply been turned toward the Jewish state, he explained. The difference is that today, the Jewish people have the ability to defend against that hatred, he said. A world without Israel meant Jews were eternal victims. A world with Israel shows Jews refuse to be victims. “Most peoples could not take a punch” like the Holocaust, losing one-third of their population. “The Jewish people have risen like a phoenix from the ashes and rebuilt their national life.” Likewise, today nobody has to ask where a Jew facing anti-Semitism could go. “Unlike the past we don’t worry about whether this or that country will deign to take Jews in.” That is also a benefit to Jews who choose not to move to Israel. “Appreciate what that choice means to you,” Dermer said. “You live in America because you want to, not because you have to.” He said America’s greatest gift to the Jews is the hyphen between Jewish-American. “Throughout our history we have had to make a choice. You could be fully committed to your faith or you could be part of the broader society. In America a Jew could be a full partner.”
Ambassador Ron Dermer speaks at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El In discussing the Jewish voice in world affairs, he mentioned the recent controversy over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, where he laid out opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran. Before Israel, Dermer said, Jews had to remain silent. He stated that no Jew speaks for all Jews, no prime minister speaks for all Israelis and no American president speaks for all Americans. But, Dermer noted, the Israeli prime minister is “the leader of the one and only Jewish state,” which gives all Jews the right of immigration and citizenship. Netanyahu’s decision to speak to Congress was “a decision to speak up for the Jewish people and the Jewish state at a critical time.” All peace-loving countries have a stake in keeping Iran from joining the nuclear club, he said, but Israel “has a special stake.” Israel isn’t at the table for the 5 plus 1 talks with Iran, but 20 years ago when similar talks were going on with North Korea, the two nations with the biggest stake — Japan and South Korea — were. While the controversy over Netanyahu’s remarks was framed in terms of him versus the White House, Dermer said Netanyahu spoke up “not out of disrespect” for President Barack Obama. “Israel speaks up because we have a moral obligation to speak against a country that threatens the survival of Israel.” Israel has a “deep respect” for Obama, “for things he has done, some known, some less known and some that will never be known.” Israel never wants to become a partisan issue, Dermer stated. “I am supremely confident our relationship will weather the current disagreement between our two governments,” and there have been worse disagreements in the past. The U.S.-Israel relationship will grow even stronger in the years ahead, especially because of shared security challenges. That said, Dermer stated the “very bad deal” being discussed with Iran virtually guarantees
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 17
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it will become a nuclear state. It will “trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that would make nuclear terror a clear and present danger.” If Iran behaves for a few years it can join the nuclear club unconditionally, without any change in behavior. Freeing up tens of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets will be used “not to build new medical centers in Tehran but to finance terror proxies around the Middle East.” It isn’t just Israel that opposes the deal. “When Israelis and Arabs are on the same page, pay attention. That’s the ultimate no-spin zone.” Israel does hope for a diplomatic solution, because if there is a military confrontation Israel would be the one paying the high price. But “we didn’t come back from the dead to let a bunch of ayatollahs wipe us out.” The world is seeing the collapse of a 100-year order in the Middle East, carved out of the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Now, Dermer said, “militant Islam is charging into the void.” At a reception before his talk, Dermer told supporters of the Birmingham Jewish Federation that he is a faithful reader of the Federation’s Update, a daily email newsletter, and has often shared items with Netanyahu. “What you do here in Birmingham is really remarkable,” he said. Noting how the community stays informed and engaged, Dermer said “communities like this are part of the backbone of support for Israel.” Dermer’s visit was announced and coordinated in less than two weeks, and Birmingham Jewish Federation Executive Director Richard Friedman, who originated Update, was already scheduled to be out of the country. Dermer, a Miami Beach native, detailed extensive ties to Alabama, from a brother who attended Cumberland School of Law to a cousin who is a surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to a grandfather who played football at Alabama in the 1940s. “The first football pads I got were the ones he wore at Bama,” he said. He added that he became a quarterback for Israel’s national football team, where he discovered that the key to becoming a great Jewish athlete is to play against fellow Jews. He also mentioned how he was influenced as a student by Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and King was a hero of his. On April 29, he met with Mayor William Bell and then visited Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and placed a wreath at the spot where a Klan bomb exploded on Sept. 15, 1963, killing four girls. He then went to Montgomery to visit the civil rights memorial before meeting with Governor Robert Bentley, where they discussed the Iron Bowl and Iron Dome, and further Alabama-Israel missile defense cooperation.
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Rev. Arthur Price describes the 1963 bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church to Ambassador Ron Dermer, who then placed a wreath at the site 18 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
community Four Shoals-area cities approve relationship with Beit El The four cities that make up Alabama’s Shoals area are entering into a sister city relationship with Beit El, Israel. In March and April, the cities of Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals approved resolutions recognizing the relationship. In the Shoals area, Beit El will be referred to as Beth-El, the way the ancient community is spelled in most English translations of the Bible. Located just north of Ramallah and 20 miles north of Jerusalem, BethEl is a town of 6,000 built next to the ruins of Biblical Beit El, which is presumed to be the place where Jacob had his famous dream of a ladder to heaven and uttered the verse that became the “Mah Norah Hamakom Hazeh” (“How full of awe is this place”) prayer. It was there that God made four promises to Jacob, including the continuity of the Jewish people, eternal claim to the land of Israel, and that the nations of the world would be blessed through Israel. The town is also home to the Arutz Sheva news service, and a boutique winery whose vineyards are on terraces that date back to Second Temple times. There is also an olive oil factory in a cave, with production dating back to the First Temple. Debra Barnes explained that the North Alabama Friends of Israel had been discussing the establishment of a relationship with an Israeli city for years. The process started moving forward in June 2014, when Mona Allen of Killen was visiting Israel. During a visit to Beth-El, city representative Judy Simon asked Allen “Have you ever thought about making us your sister city?” Allen, a native of New Bethel, located just south of Tuscumbia, also spent three weeks in Israel last March as a Sar El volunteer with the Israel
Defense Forces. A committee of eight members in the Shoals area worked with Beth-El Mayor Shai Alon to move the process forward. The mayors of the four cities asked the Shoals Chamber of Commerce to be the point organization to work on the request, under the leadership of Chamber President At last summer’s rallies for Israel in Huntsville Steve Holt. Beth-El sent a video introducing the community, narrated by Simon and Arutz Sheva representative Baruch Gordon. After several meetings, the mayors presented resolutions at their respective council meetings. Sheffield became the first community to approve the relationship, at a March 23 City Council meeting. Florence finished the process on April 21 with a unanimous vote. The resolution noted that many from the Shoals area had traveled to Israel, and referenced the 1943 resolution of the Alabama Legislature calling for the establishment of a Jewish state in its ancient homeland. The Shoals Beth-El Sister City Commission will be set up “to encour-
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community age cooperation among the five cities and to facilitate the sharing of expertise by involving appropriate individuals, groups and businesses in developing cultural, educational, technical and commercial exchanges.” Simon suggested that the first initiative should be an e-pal program among children in the communities, as many sister cities have. Barnes said plans are being formed to bring a small delegation from Beth-El to the Shoals area, and a trip for Shoals leaders to Israel is being planned for October. A cultural event for the Shoals area is also being proposed, “where we can all learn more about the agriculture, commerce, art and music of Israel,” Barnes said. The partnership is the second in Alabama with a community in the territories outside the pre-1967 border. Mobile has a sister city relationship with Ariel, a community that is also the focus of JR Israel, a leadership development organization based in Birmingham. Almost all sister city relationships with Israel are with communities inside the pre-1967 border. Birmingham’s sister city, Rosh Ha’Ayin, is just inside the Green Line. Barnes explained they were looking to be “Biblically correct” instead of politically correct, especially because of the promise made to Jacob at that spot.
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On May 17, the international Dan David prize, headquartered at Tel Aviv University, awarded its annual three $1 million prizes for outstanding achievements in the three time dimensions — Past, Present and Future, with Alabama native Jimmy Wales receiving the Present recognition. Wales is the founder of Wikipedia and member of the Board of Trustees, Wikimedia Foundation. Wikipedia is a non-profit free content Internet encyclopedia that uses peer-reviewed collaboration as Photo by Israel Hadari its source of content. It is the world’s Jimmy Wales speaks at Dan largest encyclopedia. David Prize ceremony Wales’ stated motivation for creating Wikipedia was to create a world “in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.” Born in Huntsville, Wales received his undergraduate degree from Auburn and his master’s from Alabama. He currently lives in London. The laureates, who donate 10 percent of their prize money toward 20 doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships, were honored at a ceremony in Tel Aviv University. In his speech, Wales said the launch of Wikipedia 14 years ago was with a small group of people who believed “that we could come together and give the great gift to the world of a free encyclopedia for every single person on the planet, in their own language.” He said Wikipedia is “not just this one website, but a movement to share knowledge globally. I would like to thank the Dan David prize committee and all those who were involved in bringing me here, but more than that I’d like to thank everyone who has helped build the dream that is Wikipedia.” Wales told JTA he is personally a “strong supporter of Israel” who has visited over 10 times, but when it comes to Wikipedia, objectivity is key. Back in 2003 the first issue was how to describe the security barrier Israel was building. Wales said the key is to have as many facts as possible in listings to overwhelm any bias. Currently, only registered Wikipedia editors can edit the Israel page.
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Temple Beth-El, Birmingham, on May 9: Daniel Azrin, Ellis Goldstein, Gabe Ivker, Daniel Mazur, Emily Nomberg, Jack Pake, Kristen Thomas. Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, on May 1: Trey Collat, Zander Freehling-Kazzie, Rose Levine, Will Lichtenstein, Gabe McPherson, Sam Morse, Carly Nadler, Rebecca Robinson, Jack Rosenthal, Joseph Russell, William Russell, Hannah Strickland, Adam Weil, Jordan Weisberg, Jake Weissman, Gabby Weissman, Katie Wiatrak, Juliet Wiatrak, Marshall Wilensky. Joint Montgomery Religious School, at Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem on May 17: Nathan Ashner, Grant Lieberman, Sarah Claire Loeb, Zachary Mendelsohn. Temple Beth-El, Pensacola, held at First United Methodist Church on May 22: Alyssa Borelli, Eviana Linder. Beth Shalom, Baton Rouge, on May 23: Regan Dean, Ari Hoffman, Samantha Litten. B’nai Israel, Baton Rouge, on May 29: Nina Jalenak, Henry Kantrow, Ian Sager. Touro Synagogue, New Orleans, on May 29: Joshua Harris Balkin, Sophia Rose Brown, Philip Joshua Hamilton, Jacob Wolf Kohlman, Daniel Kenneth Lovett, Eric Peter Margolin, Andree Keil Moss, Camille Marguerite Moss, Carolyn Dupre Moss, Devin Gabriel Neal, Frances Eleanore Sperling, Shafir Davim Wittenberg. Temple Sinai, New Orleans, on May 23: Zachary James Lowentritt, Mathilda Jane Mayer, Margaux Goldberg Schexnider. B’nai Zion, Shreveport, on May 22: Savannah Badt, Taylor Badt, Caroline Evensky, Tobias Kallenberg, Harrison Rosen, Morgan Walker.
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Bonei Zion Prize recipients Professor Charles Sprung; Chana Reifman Zweiter; Rabbi Seth Farber; Tal Brody; Staff Sgt. Asaf Stein; Asher Weill; and Jon Medved.
Asaf Stein receives aliyah prize On May 12, Birminghamian Asaf Stein was honored at the Knesset in Jerusalem as one of six recipients of the Bonei Zion Prize from Nefesh B’Nefesh. A Lone Soldier, who is in the Israeli military without any family in the country, Stein received the Israel Defense Forces and National Service Young Leadership Award. “It has been incredibly inspirational, for the second consecutive year, to see the remarkable number of Anglo Olim who are making a significant impact on the State of Israel. These Bonei Zion Prize recipients exemplify how Olim are making historic advancements and contributing, each in their own field, to the success of the country and our nation,” said Nefesh B’Nefesh Co-Founder and Executive Director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass. “We hope that highlighting the achievements of these Olim, in addition to expressing our gratitude to the recipients, will serve as a catalyst to inspire others to make Aliyah and follow in their footsteps. After the ceremony, Stein stated “This is our land. It took me a long time to realize how special it is to be part of that.” He recounted how he fought to be drafted, because having just finished his doctorate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham he was 10 years older than most of his fellow soldiers. He served in the Golani Infantry Brigade and is called “Dr. Golani.” During last summer’s Gaza conflict he was part of the ground campaign in Shujaiyya, where he was part of the team that evacuated the wounded Golani brigade commander. Stein, son of Susan and Michael Stein, is an alumnus of the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. Also honored were Professor Charles Sprung, Director of the General Intensive Care Unit at Hadassah Medical Organization, in the field of Science and Medicine; Jon Medved, founder and CEO of OurCrowd in the field of Entrepreneurship and Technology; Rabbi Dr. Seth Farber, founder and executive director of ITIM in the field of Community and Non-Profit; Chana Reifman Zweiter, founding director of Kaleidoscope Mainstreaming Network in the field of Education; and Asher Weill, consultant and editor of English publications for Limmud FSU for Culture, Sports & Arts. An additional Lifetime Achievement Award is being given to Tal Brody for his contribution to shaping and impacting Israel through sports and dedicated public relations efforts on behalf of the State of Israel.
B’nai Mitzvah Laura Center, daughter of Christina and Sherman Center, at Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, on May 2. Morgan Cohn, daughter of Tracy and Al Cohn, at Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, on May 9. Tanner Fawer, son of Leslie and Jonathan Fawer, at Gates of Prayer, Metairie, on May 9. 22 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 23
b’nai mitzvah Adam Rovner, son of Melissa and David Rovner, at Beth Shalom, Fort Walton Beach, on May 9. Natasha Salas, daughter of Julie Herzog and Federico Salas, at Shir Chadash, Metairie, on May 9. Benjamin Yosef Tuvyana, son of Laura and Avi Tuvyana, at B’nai Israel, Panama City, on May 9. Jack Kornman, son of JJ Kornman and Keith Kornman, at Temple Sinai, New Orleans, on May 30. Andrew Strickland, son of Amy and Ron Strickland, at Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, on May 30.
Mildred Covert did Louisiana Kosher Wherever Jews have gone, Jewish cooking has become infused with local influences. In Louisiana, where the predominant ingredients are shellfish and pork, that can be a daunting challenge. Mildred Covert, who died on May 10 at the age of 88, showed it was not an impossible mix. With co-author Sylvia Gerson, Covert wrote four cookbooks — the “Kosher Cajun Cookbook,” “Kosher Creole Cookbook,” “Kosher Southern-Style” and “A Kid’s Kosher Cooking Cruise.” A New Orleans native, Covert learned homemaking and cooking from her grandmother. With her strong Jewish background and love of New Orleans, she quickly experimented with melding the two worlds. Covert and Gerson wrote the Creole book first, after repeated requests from friends for their recipes. It came out in 1982, followed by the Cajun cookbook in 1987 and Southern-style in 1993. The kid’s book came out in 1997, using recipes for kosher snacks and meals as part of the story of Hannah and Herschel, twins who sail up the Mississippi River with their grandmother. The books were illustrated by Gerson’s son, Alan. Maintaining a kosher home, Covert’s grandmother supervised Pearl Jones, who the family employed as a nanny, cook and housekeeper for 40 years. African-American and Jewish cooking fused in that kitchen. Covert wrote about experiencing Yom Kippur break-the-fasts that started with Coca-Cola, then continued with fried chicken and brisket for meat meals, or Creole cream cheese and cheese grits with pickled herring and kugel if the meal was dairy. Covert married a man who did not come from a kosher home, and after a failed attempt at red beans and rice by Covert, she decided to keep a kosher home, but quickly had to adapt recipes for some of her husband’s New Orleans-style favorites, such as gumbo without shrimp. Covert introduced the greater New Orleans community to the concept of kosher cooking through her freelance columns in the Times-Picayune, weaving Jewish and culinary stories. She called her style of cooking “Creosher,” which was expanded back out to Kosher Creole by the cookbook publisher. The Newcomb College Center for Research on Women honored her in 2004 for her work in defining how modern, observant Jews adapted their cooking methods to enjoy traditional southeast Louisiana cooking. As a local model and actress, she appeared in commercial work and as a guest star in the pilot episode of “Memphis Beat.” She donated her papers to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum’s Culinary Library and Archive in 2013. Aside from her writing, Covert was president of the Sisterhood at Beth Israel and was active on the Chevra Kadisha. She also was active in New Orleans Hadassah, the Jewish Community Center, Tulane/Newcomb Alumni Association and the Louisiana Arts and Crafts Council. 24 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
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summer travel an annual SJL special section Julie Schwartz leads attendees to a tri-region Hadassah conference in New Orleans on a Jewish heritage tour of the city in April.
New Orleans an Easy draw for Jewish tourism In a reader survey last year, Travel + Leisure Magazine rated New Orleans one of the world’s top 10 cities to visit. Not surprisingly, there is a large number of Jewish tourists who make their way to the area. In 2014, New Orleans had 9.52 million visitors, according to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. Tourists spent $6.81 billion in the city. With the national Jewish population at 2 percent of the total, that means close to 200,000 Jewish tourists — but Michael Weil, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, noted that Jews “tend to be far more mobile and a larger part of the tourism market in general,” so the numbers are likely much higher. The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation even has a web page, “Oy! Such a Home!” about Jewish resources in the city. Joel Brown, owner of Kosher Cajun in Metairie, said barely a day goes by without him bringing a delivery to out-of-towners at a hotel, a convention or business meeting, from a sandwich to a supply of kosher groceries. Weil said the attraction to New Orleans is very broad-based because of the area’s culture, wide range of activities and history, rather than just coming to see Jewish New Orleans. “It’s not like Prague where you are doing a Jewish pilgrimage, or Rhode Island where you’re going to Newport to see America’s oldest synagogue.” Whatever the motivation, Jewish tourists are flocking to New Orleans and they are interested in the local Jewish community. Brown said that is one of the most enjoyable aspects of his business — meeting the visitors, playing Jewish geography and answering their questions. The first thing they usually ask, he said, is about the community, and then Katrina is usually one of the next questions. A major portion of New Orleans visitors comes
for conventions. After Katrina, numerous Jewish organizations made a point of supporting the then-recovering convention market by having their meetings in New Orleans. In recent years, major Jewish conventions have included United Synagogue Youth, TribeFest, Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, the Jewish Community Centers Association biennial, Jewish War Veterans, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Men of Reform Judaism, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The city hosts dozens of conventions each year that each draw at least 3,000 participants. Many of those conventions, especially in the legal, medical and educational fields, have a significant proportion of Jewish delegates. Some tourists are attracted to uniquely Jewish expressions of New Orleans life, such as early in Mardi Gras season when the two Jewish Krewes, Jieux and Mishigas, march in their respective parades. Touro Synagogue’s JazzFest Shabbat is a similar draw for Jews attending JazzFest. The annual event packs in a full house for Shabbat services and a special jazz performance. Touro Executive Director Kerry Tapia estimates that between 10 and 20 percent of the crowd is from out of town. Anshe Sfard often is the point of entry for visitors, as the closest synagogue to the French Quarter and CBD. The small Orthodox congregation routinely has visitors on Shabbat, sometimes hosting a dozen or so conventioneers. The Shabbat before the Super Bowl, they had about 30 visitors. Because of the large number of Jewish tourists, New Orleans has kosher availability far beyond what is normal for a Jewish community of roughly 10,000 — especially given that the community is predominantly Reform. In Metairie, there are Casablanca and Kosher Cajun. In New Orleans, Waffles on Maple is near
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Tulane, and another location in Metairie is planned, along with a new kosher restaurant in the Warehouse District. Also Uptown is Hillel’s Kitchen at Tulane Hillel, which is open to the general United Synagogue Youth International community. Additionally, tour- Conference 2013 was held in New Orleans ist “must-do” stops are under kosher certification — beignets at Café du Monde and pralines from Aunt Sally’s. Zapp’s potato chips are also kosher — even the Cajun Crawtators. Places that are not kosher certified but of interest to the community include the Philadelphia-meets-Louisiana Stein’s Deli, the new and renowned Shaya Israeli restaurant, Israeli-owned steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, Green to Go at the Uptown Jewish Community Center and Mardi Gras Zone. Bagel establishments, though, have been a bit more fleeting in recent years. Because travelers who keep kosher tend to check on availability before traveling somewhere, Brown advertises in the Jewish Press, an Orthodox newspaper in New York, and a national kosher restaurant magazine. Brown said a kosher meal can be had in just about any restaurant in the city, “made by us, on china, with silverware.” A few years ago, convention officials noted the number of Jewish VIPs coming to town and asked Brown to develop something beyond the typical pre-packaged kosher meals, so he developed these meals, which are double-wrapped so they can be heated in a non-kosher oven, and which come with extensive preparation instructions. This way, if there is a business luncheon for 20 people and two or four happen to be kosher, they have an easy option and don’t just have to drink and not eat. Because of their kosher expertise, Kosher Cajun also can supply halal, gluten-free or dairy-free meals as needed. Belinda Dahan said Waffles on Maple has done some catering for conventions, and they have sent many meals downtown. Federation and Chabad routinely field inquiries about services available to Jewish travelers. While Jewish history may not be the motivating factor for the bulk of Jewish tourists, New Orleans is becoming one of two anchor points for Jewish tours of the Deep South. Many groups touring the Mississippi Delta’s Jewish history bookend the trip with New Orleans and Memphis as the starting and ending points. In late August, the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati will have a five-day “Travels in American Jewish History” trip to New Orleans. In the aftermath of Katrina, a large number of Jewish congregations and other groups did mitzvah trips to New Orleans, to help in the city’s rebuilding process. With the 10th anniversary of the storm approaching, those groups are still coming. The Reform movement’s National Federation of Temple Youth does an annual Summer Experience, bringing teens to New Orleans for two weeks of volunteering and local touring, with a side trip to the Jacobs Camp in Mississippi, and civil rights sites in Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham. With roughly 2,250 Jewish students, Tulane University brings a lot of Jewish families Uptown. In recent years, tour guide Julie Schwartz has led sold-out tours of Jewish New Orleans for those families. “Jews want to hear about the Jewish history of the places they visit,” Schwartz said, adding that they feel pride when they see the large number of contributions local Jews have made to civic life in New Orleans. It isn’t just Jewish tours — non-Jewish tourists are often exposed to New Orleans Jewish history. For example, the Historic New Orleans Cemetery District Tour includes the Dispersed of Judah cemetery on Canal Street. There are also numerous walking tours that highlight a wide range of Jewish sites. “Anyone who comes to New Orleans has an amazing time,” Brown noted.
summer travel INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT OPEN NOW Promoting Israel travel in the Southeast For a lot of people, Jewish and Christian, going to Israel is on the list of things to do — eventually. Eyal Carlin, Southern region director for the Israel Government Tourist Office in Atlanta, said “we have a lot of people say ‘someday.’ We want that someday to be in six months.” Carlin was in Birmingham recently for the Religious Conference Management Association’s Emerge conference, part of his outreach to an 11-state territory that includes Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. With turmoil around the Middle East and lingering effects of last summer’s operation in Gaza, it has been a challenging time for Israel’s tourism industry, which saw 3 million tourists last year. Until last June, 2014 was shaping up to be a record year, with 20 to 30 percent growth over the corresponding month in 2013. Then the Gaza operation hit “and we saw a drop of 30 percent.” For the year, tourism was down 6 percent, though it was still a record year for tourists from the U.S. — thanks to those who see beyond the headlines and realize the situation on the ground in Israel, he said. In May, it was announced that hotel stays had dropped 28 percent in the first quarter of 2015, compared to the same time last year. Immediately after Protective Edge, tourists had fall reservations they couldn’t cancel, but early 2015 reservations would mostly have been made last summer and fall, and conventions would have been planned then, leading to the delayed effect of the Gaza operation on tourism. Another major challenge has been the cost of visiting Israel. The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report came out last month, ranking Israel 136th out of 141 countries in price competitiveness. Israel’s overall ranking was 72nd, right in the middle of the pack. Carlin said the Ministry of Tourism has been working for the last couple of years on how to get prices down, from de-regulating parts of the industry to promoting investment in family and budget hotels, to freeing up more land for hotels. He added that the Reform movement is working on how to promote more affordable family travel. There is also more competition at the high end, with a new Ritz Carlton in Herzliya, a Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem and boutique hotels in coastal areas. As for greater convenience for travelers from the Southeast, Carlin said it is unlikely that there will be direct Atlanta to Tel Aviv flights anytime soon, as Delta had a decade ago. There were a lot of groups that used that route but not enough business travel to sustain it. A Miami or Dallas flight is more likely. Roughly 90 percent of Carlin’s time in the region is spent on developing the Christian market, speaking at religious conferences and urging church
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June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 27
summer travel
leaders to visit — and then come back and speak about their experiences. Social media is a big emphasis, as is content from writers about things that are not in the headlines — such as Israel’s growing culinary scene. The ministry is also focusing more on the Jewish market. “For years we operated under the assumption that Jews travel to Israel. More and more we’re discovering this isn’t the case,” Carlin said. Among the initiatives is a website for those looking to do a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in Israel. “We’re here to help people promote tourism,” Carlin said, providing materials for synagogues, Hillels or other groups, assisting with connections in Israel, especially if they are looking to do something unique. As an example, he noted a “mega-tour” for Baptist worship leaders. In October several large choirs will travel to Israel and perform with Israeli choirs in Nazareth, the Galilee, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. “People have a place in their heart for Israel and helping the Israeli economy in a very broad way,” he said, and visiting Israel is a way to show that support.
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There’s more than one word that comes to mind when travelers think of Destin, Florida. Destin, with its prime location on the Gulf of Mexico, has long been known as the “world’s luckiest fishing village” and is a haven for yacht owners — trophy deep-sea fishing, award-winning golf courses, upscale dining, shopping and entertainment. The Destin beach is nationally recognized as one of the country’s finest. While there’s no shortage of beachfront hotels in Florida to choose from when deciding where to book a beach vacation, for a romantic, adults-only getaway, visitors turn to the Henderson Park Inn. Nestled among the fine sugary white dunes overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Henderson Park Inn is the “best kept secret on the Gulf of Mexico in Destin.” This luxury boutique hotel has become a getaway for couples seeking a romantic respite. The 36-room inn offers adults an experience where the only thing that has to be decided is where to enjoy a glass of wine on the veranda as the sun sets. Rooms are furnished and decorated with sitting areas and writing desks, flat-screen TVs, microwaves, refrigerators and views of the Gulf of Mexico. Guests are greeted in their rooms with a bottle of wine, grapes, roses and romantic music. As the only all-inclusive hotel in the region, snacks are accessible 24 hours a day and other amenities such as DVDs are provided to guests. Complimentary beach umbrellas and chairs on the beach as well as bicycles are available for use by guests as well. For those looking for more than the beach, Destin-area activities like deep-sea fishing, golf, scuba diving or shopping are all right there. The wildflower-filled, 208-acre Henderson State Park, is adjacent to the Inn. It features guided hiking trails, 6,000 feet of natural shoreline and boardwalks that traverse through sand pines, scrub oaks as well as dune rosemary. Vacationers and locals will also enjoy free concerts in Destin every Saturday this summer with Rock the Docks, one of the city’s most popular traditions. The 2015 Rock the Docks concert series on the HarborWalk Village stage kicks off on May 30, and takes place every Saturday night until Aug. 29. Aviation lovers this summer can enjoy weekly World War II aircraft flyovers and fireworks in Destin at the Red, White & Blue Hero’s Celebrations. The Red, White & Blue festivities will begin on May 28 at the HarborWalk Village in Destin and will continue to be held every Thursday evening throughout the summer months. For more information about Destin and to stay at the Henderson Park Inn, visit www.hendersonparkinn.com.
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World War II Museum hosts Year of Remembrance; opens new pavilions by Lee J. Green Those visiting the National World War II Museum in New Orleans can be transported back in time to wartime Germany and Tokyo with the Museum’s new Road to Berlin and upcoming Road to Tokyo exhibits. Road to Berlin opened this past December and provides an immersive, interactive experience through artifacts, narrative, lights, sound, video projection and recreation of physical structures, everything from bunkers to native vegetation of the time and place. “Our goal is to educate and engage through creative an interactive environment that really brings this important history to life,” said Museum Marketing Director Kevin Barraco. He added that Museum visitors can register to get a free military “dog tag” that, when swiped on some video screens, will e-mail more lengthy information about a topic to a museum visitor who asks for it. This December, the Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters will reach completion with the launch of Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries. The exhibition hall’s newest exhibits will trace the journey from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay, examining the logistical challenges, fierce battles and range of extreme conditions that confronted the troops in this vast theater of war. Throughout the galleries, artifacts will connect visitors to the intense struggle, featuring uniforms, personal effects and an authentic, restored P-40 Warhawk bearing the distinctive markings of the Flying Tigers. This past April, the World War II Museum installed a pedestrian bridge that connects the Museum’s Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, home of the original D-Day Museum, with the rest of the six-acre campus. After visitors begin their WWII journey in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion’s replica Union-Pacific train car, the American Spirit Bridge takes them “overseas” to immersive exhibits that explore how the war was fought and won in Europe, northern Africa and the Pacific. Along the way, a soundtrack mimics the sounds of an ocean crossing, the rhythmic beep of Morse code and the echoes of naval commands. The WWII Museum also is hosting several events in 2015 in its Year of Remembrance programming, remembering victims of the Holocaust and honoring the bravery of those who liberated the camps of Europe. On Sept. 30, the Museum will present Harry Nowalsky and the Rebirth of Berlin’s Jewish community after World War II. The event features Jessica Greenberg and special guest Ruth Jaffe, a Holocaust survivor. The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World, a program by Kati Marton, will be on Oct 8. From Nov. 19 to 21 the museum will host a Holocaust Symposium and the 2015 International Conference on World War II. The “1945: To The Bitter End” conference is sold out and a waiting list has been formed. At the closing banquet on Nov. 21, Efraim Zuroff will speak on “Operation Last Chance: One Man’s Quest to Bring Nazi Criminals to Justice.” Barraco said Trip Advisor named the World War II Museum the number one attraction in New Orleans. It also ranked it as the fourth-best museum in the United States and 11th globally.
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June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 29
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Vulcan Park hosting “Darkness Into Life” by Lee J. Green Vulcan Park and Museum, nestled high atop Red Mountain in Birmingham, has served as the Magic City’s history museum. Starting in late September, the museum will present a special exhibition: “Darkness into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art.” More information on the opening reception and date of the traveling exhibition by photographer Becky Seitel and artist Mitzi Levin will be announced in the coming weeks. It will be up for at least six months. “We are looking forward to our partnership with the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center to bring this exhibit to Vulcan Park and Museum’s Linn-Henley Gallery,” said Vulcan Park and Museum President/CEO Darlene Negrotto. “In keeping with our mission to share the history of Birmingham’s diverse community, this display portrays the triumphant stories of human survival and the impact these survivors had on our community upon re-entry into society.” When “Darkness into Life” was displayed for the first time at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center on April 1, 2007, it drew 1,700 people on opening day. Since then the exhibit has traveled across the state. It has been expanded and updated over the years by Seitel and Levin. Today it features more than 80 pieces of art and photography telling the stories of 20 Holocaust survivors who came to Alabama. Vulcan Park and Museum Marketing/PR Director Morgan Berney said they will be looking for some sponsors for opening reception. The next big event at Vulcan is the annual Vulcan Birthday Bash, June 7 from noon to 4 p.m. Berney said this year’s event has been expanded and will be the biggest yet. It features a next-generation game room, a Home Depot building workshop for kids, a vignette from the Birmingham Children’s Theatre production of “The Gingerbread Boy,” a plane exhibition presented by the Southern Museum of Flight, an archaeology dig, musical entertainment (also including a drum circle), clowns, face-painting, a Birmingham fire truck display and food available for purchase. On July 4 after dark, fireworks will light up the sky accompanied by music in the annual Thunder on the Mountain Independence Day celebration. According to Berney, 156,196 visitors came to Vulcan in 2014, up from 143,171 in 2013. 30 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
summer travel
Alabama Splash Adventure owners started first U.S. theme park by Lee J. Green In 1946, the family who owns and runs Alabama Splash Adventure also started the first U.S. theme park in the town of Santa Claus, Ind. That park is now called Holiday World, but the Kochs never take a holiday during Alabama Splash Adventure’s open season, which started May 23. “We’re here just about all the time to greet people and make sure their time at Alabama Splash Adventure is a second-to-none quality, fun experience,” said Dan Koch. He and his mom can be found at the Birmingham area theme park, which is two parks in one with wet and dry attractions and rides. They took ownership of Alabama Splash Adventure two months before it opened for the 2014 season. “My mom Pat Koch, who is known as ‘The General,’ is 83 years old and she loves coming here every day. She started Holiday World (now owned by Dan Koch’s sister-in-law). This is our absolute passion. We’re all about family here,” he said. The Kochs had been looking at opportunities in the South for a few years when the previous owner of Alabama Splash Adventure announced the sale. “We see the South and this region as a great opportunity to reach receptive families. This is the only family-owned theme park in Alabama and Mississippi. The only other one in the region is Dollywood” in Sevierville, Tenn., he said. “It is so much more special and personal to have a family-owned theme park experience versus the large, corporate-owned parks. We’re a ‘park with a heart’.” The Kochs tabbed Adam Reiver to be their vice president and director of operations. Reiver is Jewish and had been working and living in south Florida. Dan Koch is not Jewish, but was in Zeta Beta Tau at the University of Miami in the 1980s and was Reiver’s fraternity brother. “I guess you could
say I am as Jewish as a non-Jew can be,” said Koch. The group has made many enhancements already to Alabama Splash Adventure with more on the way. They upgraded the Rampage roller coaster to make for a smoother, faster ride. The wooden roller coaster is 3,500 feet long and reaches a speed of 60 miles per hour. It was recently chosen as one of the top 50 U.S. thrill rides by The Weather Channel. It is a part of the $10 million in capital improvements the Koch family has brought to Alabama Splash Adventure. The parks include several miles of water slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, roller coasters and other rides. Park admission ranges from $19.95 to $29.95 based on age. “With that they get two parks in one. We also want to offer as much value as possible. The pass includes free soft drinks, free parking, free sunscreen, free Wi-Fi, free use of inner tubes and life jackets,” said Dan Koch. On June 13 from 1 to 4 p.m., Skai Jackson will meet park-goers. Jackson plays Zuri on the Disney Channel TV show “Jessie.” Koch said to expect appearances this summer by Big Al, Aubie and Blaze, the mascots for the University of Alabama, Auburn University and UAB.
Celebrate 80 years of Aunt Sally’s pralines Aunt Sally’s is celebrating its 80th anniversary this month, highlighted by National Praline Day on June 24. The New Orleans landmark has two locations — the remodeled location on Decatur Street near Café du Monde, and at 750 St. Charles Avenue, where free tours are available. Both locations will have specials and prizes throughout June, with information on the website and Facebook pages. Their pralines, available in several flavors, are kosher dairy and can be shipped.
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June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 31
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“Robot Zoo,” Jerusalem and Space Camp reunion at Alabama’s top attraction The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville is well known for its collection that marks significant moments in space flight. In addition to its Saturn V moon rocket and Pathfinder Space Shuttle, there are many other reasons to make a road trip to Alabama’s No. 1 tourist attraction this summer. The Center currently has on display “The Robot Zoo,” a fun featured exhibition of oversized robotic animals. This family-friendly exhibit includes hands-on activities that show the biomechanics of why flies can walk on the ceiling and chameleons change colors. Guests can also see inside the robots and watch the simple machines that make them move. The Center has a variety of educational activities for all ages as well, from weekly “Science of Imagination” activities for ages 4 to 6 to monthly “Saturday Scientist” lessons for ages 6 to 9. The museum’s education staff offers programs for homeschool students throughout the year, and the “Pass the Torch” lecture series brings in speakers on topics such as space, aeronautics, engineering and other fields. While visiting, guests can pick from several movies shown in the Center’s two theaters. The IMAX Spacedome Theater displays 70MM films on a 67-foot dome, providing a truly unique viewing experience. If you didn’t catch “Interstellar” in IMAX, head to Huntsville this summer to see the film the way director Christopher Nolan meant for it to be seen. The National Geographic Theater showcases 3-D movies from the National Geographic collection, including “Jerusalem” and “Pandas: The Journey Home.” The USSRC is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers and offers free admission to members of other ASTC museums, such as the McWane Center or Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, the Exploreum in Mobile, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge,
the Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans, Sci-Port in Shreveport or the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The Center is also offering a special Summer Pass that allows families to visit as often as they wish. This pass for $40 provides unlimited admission Sunday through Thursday for one adult and two children, and one can add additional people for $10. For more information, visit rocketcenter.com. The USSRC is also home to the world-famous Space Camp programs. This summer, the Center and the Space Camp Alumni Association are holding a three-day celebration open to the almost 700,000 Space Camp alumni as well as the general public. The Alumni Festival Weekend, July 23 to 25, includes the chance to meet astronauts, take part in Space Camp and Aviation Challenge missions and much more. The 2015 Space Camp Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony takes place July 25, honoring this year’s inductees: Elizabeth Bierman, Senior Project Engineer at Honeywell Aerospace and national President of the Society of Women’s Engineers; Bobak Ferdowsi, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory flight engineer; Susanna Phillips, Metropolitan Opera star; and Dr. Kate Rubins, a NASA astronaut scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in 2016. The festival concludes with a concert in Shuttle Park with Yacht Rock Revue playing favorites from the 1970s and 1980s. For more information, visit spacecamp.com/AlumniFestival or email festival@spacecamp.com.
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32 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
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Children and young adults who want to learn about aviation along with the heroes that preserve their freedoms can take part in the Southern Museum of Flight Aviation Adventure camps in Birmingham. The Young Flyers camp, ages 6 to 10, will be June 15 to 19 and Junior Aviators camp, ages 10 and older, will be July 13 to 17. Registrations are open at www.southernmuseumofflight.org. Campers will learn about the different facets of aviation through handson activities at the Museum and a field trip to the Birmingham International Airport. They will have a wind tunnel, flight simulators, helicopter demonstrations, and have flying contests with gliders that campers build. On July 2 the United States Air Force Band of the West will perform a free Independence Day concert at the Southern Museum of Flight. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Activities for kids include Hoops for Fitness and Magic City Face Art.
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Much to do in Great Smoky Mountains Check out Dollywood or hike in the woods of the Great Smoky Mountains. These choice and many others await visitors to the greater Sevierville, Tenn., area. Attractions in the Sevierville area range from museums featuring muscle cars and warbird aircraft to NASCAR-themed go-kart tracks, underground cave tours, petting zoos and even interactive mini-golf courses. Sevierville’s most famous native is Dolly Parton. A statue of the country music and acting legend decorates the lawn of the Sevierville courthouse and Parton opened her Dollywood entertainment park in neighboring Pigeon Forge. She comes home each April for the park’s seasonal Grand Opening and makes several appearances in the area during the year. For those who love to shop, Sevierville features some top name outlet stores and many antique as well as craft stores. Visitors who seek outdoor adventures can go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited national park in the United States. The park offers 12 major hiking trails and nine self-guided tours. The Sevierville area also offers several golf courses, fishing on Douglas Lake and plenty of fun events for the kids. Sevierville has more than 3,000 lodging facilities including campsites.
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Events, attractions abundant near Dunes of Panama Those visiting Panama City Beach and staying at Dunes of Panama Vacation Rentals can participate in numerous activities and visit attractions for all ages, or do nothing at all — just relaxing on the 1,500 feet of beach on the property. Dunes of Panama features 331 fully-equipped rental units of various sizes along the Panama City beachfront. The Dunes also offers three Gulf-side pools, tennis courts, volleyball, basketball, picnic/pavilion areas, a fitness center, some fitness classes, a beachside swing set as well as a deli and a gift shop. The Dunes of Panama is located near St. Andrews State Park and the Shipwreck Island Water Park. Guests have participated in area activities ranging from parasailing to pontoon boat rentals to fishing to golf. On July 4, Panama City hosts an Independence Day extravaganza with fireworks. During Labor Day weekend, the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam brings some of the top names in country music performing in concert.
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PIZZA_120
PIZZA_120
sports Baybears’ Borenstein aims for majors by Lee J. Green Mobile Baybears’ Outfielder Zach Borenstein started out in the Arizona summer/fall minor leagues after getting drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. Now the Jewish slugger from Buffalo Grove, Ill., has set a goal of making it back to the diamonds in Arizona with Mobile’s major league parent club, the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I have had the idea, dream and goal of playing major league baseball ever since I was 6 years old and starting in Little League. My parents have always believed in me. I am lucky to have unbelievably supportive family and friends,” said Borenstein, 24. He said Buffalo Grove, which is 20 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago, as well as surrounding suburbs have nice-sized Jewish populations. “I went to Sunday school, got Bar Mitzvahed and had a lot of Jewish friends. It’s a great place to grow up. I was there through high school and then went to college not too far away at Eastern Illinois,” said Borenstein. But since then he has traversed the U.S. in minor league ball for the Angels and Diamondbacks including stops in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Inland Empire, Calif.; Little Rock; Salt Lake City, Utah; Reno, Nev.; and now Mobile. In Little Rock he stole four bases —including home — in a single game last year. In 2013 he was named California League most valuable player after hitting .337 and 28 home runs for Inland Empire. Just before he was invited to spring training by the Angels in 2014, his sister died at age 20 from a blood clot in her pulmonary artery. Borenstein was traded to the Diamondbacks’ organization last summer and spent the last three weeks of the season in Mobile of the Double-A Southern League. On May 16, facing the Birmingham Barons in Mobile, he hit for the cycle for the second time in 13 months. While he went 4-for-4, the Baybears lost, 10-9, making it bittersweet for him. While in the world of baseball, the topic of his being Jewish hasn’t really come up at all, he said. But he has had a few Jewish fans who wanted to meet him and tell him they were rooting for him. “From time to time, someone will come up to me when we are warming up and say they are Jewish and are pulling for me. They ask me to sign something and I am happy to do it,” he said. “I think it is nice if people want to identify with me. I take pride in following successful actors/actresses and the handful of NBA players who are Jewish. I appreciate anyone who supports me because I am Jewish or because I play for their team. But my focus is to work hard to make it to the major leagues,” said Borenstein. Currently, there are about a dozen active Jewish players in Major League Baseball. Borenstein said he wants to continue to improve his game and learn from his coaches as well as his teammates to increase those numbers. Most of his family is still back in Illinois but he said they can watch some of his games that are on www.milb.com. For now he is happy in Mobile and enjoys everything, with the possible exception of the weather, as this interview took place before the Baybears’ scheduled home opener last month, which was postponed due to rain. “It rains a lot here but it is a great community. Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming, plus the food is great. I get along well with my teammates and coaches. For now, this is home,” he said. At the start of the season, it was a very temporary home — after four games he was called up to AAA Reno. On May 7 he went back to Mobile. As of May 19, he had played 17 games in Mobile with a .375 batting average, and averaged .154 in Reno in 18 games.
features Theater League takes over Birmingham’s Broadway series by Lee J. Green Theater League, a not-for-profit performing arts organization based out of Kansas City and founded by Jewish entrepreneur Mark Edelman in 1976, now presents Birmingham’s annual Broadway musical theater series, which starts its 2015-16 season with the Rat Pack holiday show in December. Though one won’t find Edelman on the stage in a Theater League production, he is no stranger to performing. In his free time, Edelman leads a rock and roll band that puts Jewish lyrics into parodies of rock/pop songs, called Guns and Charoset, a play off of Guns N Roses, of which a member — Slash — is Jewish. “We’re very pleased to be in an important market such as Birmingham. The city has an excellent arts scene and some very strong support from arts lovers,” said Edelman. The Magic City represents Theater THEATER GROUP League’s first foray into the Southeast. OthFOUNDER ALSO er markets include Kansas City, Phoenix, LEADS A JEWISH Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara, Calif., TRIBUTE BAND, Akron and Toledo, Wichita, Colorado “GUNS AND Springs, Eugene, Ore., and South Bend, Ind. CHAROSET” “We don’t produce shows, we focus on developing subscription audiences and bringing in shows season ticket holders in a market really want to see,” he said. Edelman’s wife, the former Karin Lichterman, went to high school with Birmingham Jewish community member Chuck Gordon, and Edelman was friends in Kansas City with Betty Goldstein, who is in Birmingham as well. Growing up in Kansas City, he and his family were members at Conservative Beth Shalom. Edelman had his Bar Mitzvah there in 1963, and was United Synagogue Youth chapter president. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and earned a Masters in Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Kansas before graduating from the University of Missouri in Kansas City’s School of Law. “When I was in high school and college, I was in a rock and roll band.
We played some Jewish Federation events and got very involved in the promotional side of things,” said Edelman. When he was in law school, he interned with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. For a few years after graduating law school, he worked as a lawyer for the U.S. government. But his interest in theatre, arts, music and promoting was still strong, so he started Theater League at first as a hobby. “Then I decided to follow my passion and see if I could make a career out of doing something that I love and building upon the connections I had made in my home town of Kansas City,” added Edelman. He said his mother and grandfather were refugees from Germany. They were not in concentration camps, but fled the country after Kristallnacht. They had family in Kansas City and got jobs in the garment industry. He noted that at that time, Kansas City was one of the top fashion centers in the U.S. Theater League launched in 1976 and today is the only not-for-profit group representing traveling Broadway shows in different U.S. markets. Wichita was the first market outside of Kansas City, then Phoenix in 1989. “Rat Pack Christmas” will run Dec. 18 and 19, then the popular musical “Chicago” will be Feb. 19 to 21. “Million Dollar Quartet,” a musical featuring songs from Memphis legends, hits the BJCC Concert Hall stage March 11 and 12, followed by “Flashdance The Musical” on April 15 and 16, and a special engagement of “Wicked” from June 22 to July 3. “They told me they are going to work in some Chanukah songs into ‘Rat Pack’,” said Edelman, perhaps jokingly, perhaps not. He said the series selections are based on extensive subscriber surveys and feedback. “We leave our show decisions to our subscribers based on what shows we can bring in at certain times. Shortly we’ll be surveying our Broadway in Birmingham subscribers to ask them what they would like to see in 2016-17.” Edelman plans a couple of follow-up visits to Birmingham in the summer. For 2016-17 he hopes to include a partnership for a show with the Red Mountain Theatre Company and to stage a show — or at least some performances — at the restored Lyric Theatre after it re-opens. “Our motto is to enhance the quality of life in cities we serve with quality Broadway theater and to be a promoter of the arts in the markets we’re in,” he said.
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June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 35
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Ingredients: Dish: 6 oz Sashimi quality tuna — approximately 3/4 inch thick by 4 inches in length and 2 inches in depth 1/4 Hass Avocado 2 slices 1/8 inch thick ripe red tomato 1 slice Pepper-jack cheese 1 tbsp. Avocado Cream 1 Sourdough Crouton
Huntsville: Inside the Westin Bridge Street Town Centre 6800 Governors West Rd NW 256.428.2000
Avocado Cream: 1 Hass Avocado 1.25 oz. Vol. Greek Yogurt (nonfat, gluten free) 1 oz. Vol. Rice Wine Vinegar 1 oz. Vol. Water 0.25 oz. Vol. Agave (low calorie sweetener) 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper 1/2 Lime (for juice) Spring Salad Mix Balsamic Vinaigrette
Avocado Cream: Remove Avocado skin and seed. Cut avocado meat into 1/2 inch cubes and place in blender with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse in blender till a smooth cream forms. Sourdough Crouton: Using a rich-tasting Sourdough bread, cut a slice approximately 1/2 inch thick. Brush a good quality olive oil over the bread and place in a dry Teflon sauté pan till gently colored. Remove the crouton and hold warm. Tuna Steak: Place the tuna steak in the Teflon sauté pan, turning so each side is colored, yet the tuna has a pink interior. We find the flavor and texture changes when the fish is entirely cooked through. As the tuna is turned onto the last side, cover with pepper-jack cheese so it melts. Cover cheese with sliced avocado and thin sliced tomato. Remove from heat. Sandwich Assembly: On a warm plate, place crouton with toasted side up. Cover crouton with spring mix salad that has been tossed sparingly in your favorite vinaigrette (We like to use balsamic vinaigrette). Put your tuna steak over the spring mix. Decorate with Avocado Cream. Serve with fresh fruit salad, chips, or eggplant fries, and a sliced kosher pickle
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36 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
KOSHER-STYLE RECIPE
Westin Huntsville by Lee J. Green The Westin Huntsville hotel, located just a couple miles from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is in some rarified air — being the only four-diamond hotel in Huntsville/Madison County and with a sales and catering team that brings much experience coordinating kosher and kosher-style events there. With rooms for small groups and large ones up to 500 people, “we also have more meeting space than any hotel in the area and an experienced management team,” said Westin Huntsville General Manager Nancy Sessler. “What sets us apart is more than the quality of the hotel, it’s the level of service.”
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Travel: Must be willing to relocate himself and approximately two million of his best friends. Proficient Travelocity users preferred. Benefits: International best-selling novelization of your life story. 401k. Timeframe: Immediate need, availability required for next 40 years. Wanted: Almighty Seeking a miracle worker to create the universe as we (are yet to) know it. Qualifications: Omniscience. Omnipotence. Omnipresence. Comprehending reader of Omni Magazine. Immortal. Able to withstand continual public scrutiny. Extreme patience required. Ability to establish and encourage adherence to code of living for all creation. Able to create. Clear, unambiguous communicator. Resemblance to George Burns is preferred. Travel: None, or constant, depending on demonstrated aptitude for omnipresence. Benefits: Dominion over all. Eternal devotion of followers. Office with great view. Diner’s Club card. Timeframe: Eternal. Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who, if he applied himself, could not apply to any of these positions. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/the.beholders.eye.
>> Westin The hotel features 210 guest rooms and is located in the Bridge Street Towne Centre, which offers upscale shopping. All rooms feature Westin’s “heavenly beds.” “These pillows, linens and mattresses were made just for Westin and guests rave about how comfortable they are. I have had some guests say the beds offered them the most comfortable stay and they slept better than they ever had,” said Sessler. For travelers, the Westin Huntsville offers a concierge service and is happy to recommend things to do when staying at the hotel. In addition to the Space and Rocket Center, the hotel is convenient to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and the Burritt Museum on Monte Sano Mountain. For those who live in the area and want to have their Simchas at the Westin Huntsville, customizable opportunities abound. Charles Lennox, Food and Beverage Director for the Westin Huntsville, coordinated kosher events while at the Beverly Hills Hotel and another hotel in Los Angeles. The Westin Huntsville Executive Chef Bill Stellwagen also has plenty of experience with kosher and kosher-style catering. “In the past year we’ve done a Bar Mitzvah, a Bat Mitzvah and a B’nai Mitzvah here at the hotel,” said Lennox. “We appreciate the Jewish community and love working with them. We are attentive to dietary needs and can customize a menu to please everyone.” Sessler said the Starwood company, which owns the Westin Huntsville, has put much research into what are called “super foods” — food that has great taste along with maximum nutritional value. Lennox said the hotel grows its own herbs and has access to some of the freshest foods. They also can customize a menu for kosher-style, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. “People can even let us know about their special family recipe for something and we can make it as part of the event cuisine,” he said. “For example, the hummus we have on our menu comes from the recipe of someone who had an event here.” The on-site Sage Grille at the hotel is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as 24-hour room service. For breakfast, the Sage Grill offers several kosher-style items including sliced smoked salmon and Belgian waffles. Lunch and dinner kosher-style specialties include blackened grouper, pan-seared tuna sandwich, capellini pasta, caprese salad and a portabello mushroom wrap. “But even with the Sage Grille, we can customize just about any item to make it kosher style,” said Lennox.
June 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 37
rear pew mirror • doug brook The Classified Bible What were the unemployment rates in Biblical times? What jobs were available, beyond farmer or shepherd? Wanted: Dust looking for a change Seeking dust of the earth interested in being coalesced into “man” — the first living being to be created in the Almighty’s image. Qualifications: Experience being dust. Willingness to be molded and shaped for the future. Travel: Some possible. Depends on whether “man” eats from the tree from which he should not eat. Benefits: Work closely with other dust. No longer stuck lying around all day. Relative imperviousness to water. Timeframe: Must be available to start on Sixth Day. Wanted: Boat builder Seeking strong, able craftsman to build exceptionally large wooden boat, and run zoological expedition. If successful, possible extension into restarting human civilization. Qualifications: Good with gopher wood. Able to do detailed craft work based on arcane design specifications. Ability to command the completed boat through extended inclement weather. Proven track record in animal husbandry (the care and feeding kind). Travel: Extensive, once boat is completed. Benefits: Not drowning. Timeframe: Immediate. Project must be completed before rainy season. Wanted: Father of chosen people Seeking a motivated self-starter to begin the lineage of the Almighty’s chosen people. Qualifications: No prior experience of fatherhood or fathering required. Good negotiation skills, a welcoming personality, and a penchant for sacrifice are required. Experience destroying idols preferred. Willingness to slightly change name a plus. Travel: Must be willing to relocate. Benefits: Offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky. Full dental. Timeframe: As soon as possible. There are a lot of stars to catch up with. Wanted: Pharaoh’s right hand man Seeking a right-hand man for ruler of Egypt. Pharaoh requires a visionary, with a vivid imagination. Qualifications: Experience interpreting dreams that depict future events. Proven ability to persuade people peacefully without invoking resentment. Experience running an Egyptian household. In case of famine and limited food reserves, must be a rational thinker. Prison record acceptable, but no prior involvement in pyramid schemes. Travel: None. They’ll come to you. Benefits: No Technicolor uniform required. Access to secret government files containing answer to the riddle of the Sphinx, and identity of the second shepherd on the grassy knoll. Reserved box seats to all performances of “Cats.” Timeframe: Available to start prior to seven years of plenty. Wanted: People savior Seeking a dynamic leader to secure the freedom of an enslaved people, lead them across multiple types of terrain, and effectively prepare them to repopulate their ancient homeland. Qualifications: Strong public speaker, though government legislation requires consideration given to candidates who are slow of speech and slow of tongue. Patient with government officials, deities, and stiffnecked peoples. Able to effectively handle a staff (wooden and human). Good sense of direction through desert terrain. Ability to transport large, engraved stone tablets down from a mountain without damage. continued on previous page 38 Southern Jewish Life • June 2015
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