SJL Deep South, June 2016

Southern Jewish Life

CLOSING CONGREGATIONS IN ARKANSAS ALABAMA BOYCOTTS ANTI-ISRAEL BOYCOTTERS SHOWING OFF THE ROSH HA’AYIN RELATIONSHIP JEWISH MOTORCYCLISTS ROLL INTO BIRMINGHAM NEW ERA FOR NOLA’S TEMPLE SINAI June/July 2016 Volume 26 Issue 6

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213 Mount Sinai Congregation in Texarkana

2 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

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

Cover Image: Courtesy Haspel

Summer is when everything slows down a bit — kids are in camp, rabbis are also at camp or elsewhere, it’s vacation time, there’s very little programming in the community…

And yet, we could have easily filled another 16 pages for this issue, there is that much going on and that many great stories out there.

With that in mind, remember that we have a weekly email newsletter, This Week in Southern Jewish Life, which has the most comprehensive up-to-date information on what is happening in our communities, national and international news, and stories which break between print editions. If you don’t already receive it, email us at subscribe@sjlmag.com.

Many of the stories referenced in the weekly e-news are on our website, sjlmag.com, which is updated regularly. We also have a very active Twitter feed, @sjlmag, and Facebook page, both of which have items of interest in our coverage area and neighboring states.

Follow our tweets and like our Facebook!

We’re also working on our first edition of Chai Cotton, which will be much more than just an annual guidebook to community institutions. If you’re on the road and want to see “what’s Jewish” where you are going, this wil be where to turn.

If you enjoy what you see and want more of it, please let our advertisers know — and encourage other businesses to take advantage of the opportunity to reach our community.

As an independent publication that is not subsidized by any Jewish agency and does not charge for subscriptions in our coverage area, advertising is how we keep this magazine coming to mailboxes around the region, including yours.

Enjoy the summer — and be ready for more great stories in the coming months! Larry Brook EDITOR/PUBLISHER

EDITOR@SJLMAG.COM

Read SJL Anywhere

Our digital editions are always available at sjlmag.com.

You may also Read SJL choose to go Cover Image: Courtesy Haspel Anywherepaperless and have each month Our digital are deliver magazine Read SJL editions always available at Anywhere to your inbox.

SJLmag.com.

Our digital You may editions arealso choose to go paperless always availableand have month’s magazine at each sjlmag.com. delivered You may alsoto your inbox. choose to go paperless and /sjlmag have @sjlmag /southern /sjlmag each month’s jewish magazine delivered life to your inbox.

sjlmag.com

sjlmag.com

sjlmag.com /sjlmag

/sjlmag

We Help You Focus On Life

Larry Brook EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Larry Brook

EDITOR@SJLMAG.COM

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

@sjlmag /southern /sjlmag jewishlife

@sjlmag /southern /sjlmag sjlmag jewish sjlmag /sjlmag life

1686 Montgomery Highway Hoover, AL 35216 205.979.2020

EDITOR@SJLMAG.COM

Quality EyeCare for Your Entire Family Comprehensive Eye Exams Complete Contact Lens Services Advanced Medical Testing Lasik Surgery Dry Eye Diagnosis & Treatment Pediatric Department

SportsVision Rehabilitation & Performance Eye Disease Management • Glaucoma • Diabetic Complications • Cataracts • Macular Degeneration

205.979.2020 www.SchaefferEyeCenter.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 3

Caring for our Community

CJFS CARES Program Senior Care Solutions

Contact D. Norris Friedman 205-968-0112 or dnfr@aol.com

In-Home Personal Care Professional Counseling Buz-A-Bus Transportation

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com ADVERTISING SPECIALIST Dan Weinrib dan@sjlmag.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com SOCIAL/WEB Eugene Walter Katz eugene@sjlmag.com PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER Doug Brook brookwrite.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213 14 Office Park Circle #104 Birmingham, AL 35223 205/870.7889

205.879.3438

cjfsbham.org

Chai Cotton is a

“guidebook” like Mardi Gras is a “parade”

Most Jewish publications publish some kind of annual Community Guidebook.

Southern Jewish Life’s Chai Cotton is different.

Chai Cotton is more than a listing of organizations, institutions and congregations… it is a portal to the history of the Deep South Jewish communities of Louisiana, Alabama, the Florida panhandle and Mississippi, and a guide to the present.

Chai Cotton provides information on every community with a Jewish presence. It gives a history of each community, and finds the often-overlooked sites and fascinating stories. It also chronicles sites of defunct Jewish communities and tells those stories.

It’s a keepsake edition that will be widely read and referred to —

and the perfect place for your message!

Reserve your ad space in Chai Cotton today!

To Advertise, Call (205) 870-7889 or (504) 491-0562

Email lee@sjlmag.com or dan@sjlmag.com • Deadline is July 18 4 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Southern Jewish Life PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com

Just Like Family

4 adjoining lots in Beth-El section of Elmwood at below-market price

March 2016 June 2016

NEW ORLEANS OFFICE 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002 504/780.5615 TOLL-FREE 866/446.5894 FAX 866/392.7750 connect@sjlmag.com ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to Lee Green, 205/870.7889 or lee@sjlmag.com or Dan Weinrib, dan@sjlmag.com Media kit, rates available upon request SUBSCRIPTIONS It has always been our goal to provide a large-community quality publication to all communities of the South.

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

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

Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher.

Views expressed in SJL are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. SJL makes no claims as to the Kashrut of its advertisers, and retains the right to refuse any advertisement.

Documenting this community, a community we are members of and active within, is our passion.

We love what we do, and who we do it for.

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

Birmingham celebrated Israel with a community event at the Levite Jewish Community Center soccer field on May 15

New Conservative Chavurah forms in Birmingham A new Chavurah has formed in Birmingham and plans to start holding weekly Shabbat services next month.

Kehillat Shalom is a lay-led group that had its first organizational meeting on May 23, to get a sense from the 20 in attendance as to what they want to see in the group.

Barry Ivker said this is part of a national trend of smaller groups that are more close-knit, informal and flexible than traditional congregations.

The group’s Facebook page defines a chavurah as “a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of facilitating Shabbat and holiday prayer services, sharing communal experiences such as lifecycle events, and Jewish learning.”

The group’s mission “is to be a congenial group that meets for worship, celebrating Jewish holidays in a ‘traditional’ Conservative manner, friendship, support and shmoozing.” It will be egalitarian.

The group has a Torah on loan, is seeking a second Torah, and received chumashim and prayer books from a congregation in New Hampshire and Shir Chadash in Metairie, among other sources. Kehillat Shalom officially incorporated on May 27.

The group is renting space on a monthly basis at Unity Congregation on Highland Avenue, and will hold services Saturdays at 10 a.m. The first official service will be on June 18, though some are planning a service on June 11 to work out the kinks.

Fred Benjamin said the sanctuary, which holds about 125, is non-denominational, with no religious symbolism of any kind. Even the stained glass window is abstract.

At the initial meeting, the group considered four locations. Jacob Halpern attended to offer space at Beth-El, the city’s established Conservative

congregation. “An historic congregation committed to creating a welcoming Jewish environment,” Halpern said Beth-El “has reached out to those in our community considering other options for Jewish practice. We have offered space to allow multiple groups within our congregation to practice as they would like within the broad tent of Conservative Judaism.”

Most of those involved in the chavurah have been active at Beth-El and were vocally opposed to recent personnel moves at the congregation. But Fran Ivker noted that the chavurah concept has been discussed among them for several years.

The name comes from a desire to get together in an atmosphere of peace, and they emphasize they are putting any past issues aside and looking forward in a positive manner.

Barry Ivker said this is not a new synagogue, nor are they trying to set up a congregation to compete with anyone else.

They stated that participants in the chavurah are welcome to continue membership and involvement in the community’s other religious institutions.

The chavurah will offer programming according to the wishes of the group. “People can openly express their feelings, then we vote,” Fran Ivker said.

Barry Ivker said there has been some interest expressed in Bar/Bat Mitzvah training, for example.

Benjamin added, “it’s in the very formative stage and open to suggestions.”

They will not prepare food at Unity, because the kitchen is not kosher, but plan to have potluck lunches following services.

“We’re looking forward to getting started,” Benjamin said.

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 5

Newly Expanded

agenda Tree planted at Ivy Green to show Shoals-Beit El relationship

Lunch specials $5.99 - $7.99 Tuesday-Friday 10 am - 3:30 pm Full dinner menu available all day

Live Lobster, Crabs, Bullfrogs, Tilapia and Eels Large Selection of Fresh Oriental Veggies

243 W. Valley Ave. Homewood • 205.945.9558 • superorientalmkt.com

With the signing of documents to make the sister city partnership between The Shoals area and Beit El official, an oak tree was planted at Ivy Green, birthplace of Helen Keller, to mark the relationship.

On May 9, Anat and Baruch Gordon represented Beit El Mayor Shai Alon in a visit to the four northwest Alabama communities — Tuscumbia, Florence, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. The four Shoals cities each passed resolutions approving the relationship last summer, and last fall an olive tree was planted in Beit El by a Shoals delegation of Debra Barnes, Mona Allen, Shelley Cruz and Jeanette Lerch.

Located next to Ramallah and about 12 miles north of Jerusalem, Beit El has about 6,000 residents and is home to the Arutz Sheva news service.

The Gordons planted the tree at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, and additional planting ceremonies will be scheduled in each of the other cities.

During their tour of Ivy Green, the Gordons saw some Israeli currency on display. Keller visited Israel for two weeks in 1952, visiting President Chaim Weizmann and Golda Meir, and advocating for the rights of the disabled.

After the ceremony, the Gordons toured B’nai Israel in Florence and dined at the Renaissance Tower 360 Grille.

A logo with the names of all five communities, the oak tree and olive tree was designed for the occasion.

Another huge Dothan deli day This year’s tally for Deli Day at Temple Emanu-El in Dothan: A record 2,263 lunches sold, including 480 that were purchased to donate to area non-profits. The next Deli Day will be on May 4, 2017.

6 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

agenda Krulak, Slive take honorary Maccabi co-chair roles Planning for the 2017 JCC Maccabi Games in Birmingham took another step forward with the naming of two honorary co-chairs.

Former Birmingham-Southern College President General Charles Krulak and former Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive were announced in that role in May. The annual Games are held at three sites across the country; Birmingham is the second-smallest Jewish community to ever be named as a host. Each summer, over 2,000 Jewish teens from across the U.S. and internationally compete in an Olympic-style games, and do a day of service in the host community.

In Birmingham, the Levite Jewish Community Center will be the hub for the July 29 to Aug. 5 event, with competitions taking place at venues across the city.

Bruce Sokol and Layne Held are the community volunteers chairing the effort.

Krulak, a former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff as Marine Corps Commandant, said “This undertaking is going to be a remarkable success and I am honored to play even a small part in it. The JCC Maccabi Games are a

huge plus for Birmingham in general and the Jewish community in particular.”

Slive said “Congratulations to all who made it possible for Birmingham to host the Games, and to all the wonderful young athletes who will come here to experience the thrill of competition and create memories that will last a lifetime.”

At the community’s Israel celebration at the LJCC on May 15, the drive began to find host families for all of the visiting athletes. Maccabi Games guidelines state that all athletes are to be housed at the homes of members of the host Jewish community, which in this case will need to be a substantial percentage of the Jewish population.

Hundreds of volunteers will also be needed for the Games to succeed.

Betzy Lynch, executive director of the LJCC, was coordinator of the Maccabi Games when they were held in Memphis in 2012.

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 7

agenda FA M I LY

EYE

CENTER There will be an oneg honoring Rabbi Mark Glickman, who has been the interim rabbi at Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge, on June 24 following the 7 p.m. service. Glickman will be the new rabbi at Temple B’nai Tikvah in Calgary. Rabbi Natan Trief will be the new rabbi at Beth Shalom, and a Shabbat service welcoming him will be on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.

Am i Ab e l Ep s t e in , O . D. Former Director of Contact Lens Services at UAB School of Optometry.

Graduated #1 in her class of 1998.

Large Selection of High-Quality, Fashion & Designer Eyewear - MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED -

NEW LOCATION

3125 Sunview Drive

(by the Cahaba Heights Post Office)

Birmingham, AL 35243 Phone 205-977-2777

Beth Israel in Meridian has hired Rabbi Barry Altman as visiting rabbi for the coming year. He served Temple Beth-El in Ormond Beach, Fla., for almost 40 years. His first service in Meridian will be on Sept. 9. For the past 10 years, Rabbi David Goldstein of New Orleans has been serving the congregation, which has services once or twice a month.

The Jewish Federation of North Louisiana will have its annual meeting on July 26 at 6 p.m., at B’nai Zion in Shreveport.

Rabbi Joel Fleekop of Temple Beth-El in Pensacola will lead a threepart course, “Jews and the War of Northern Aggression,” discussing Jewish figures in the Confederacy, hearing stories of Jewish soldiers who fought for secession and those who experienced war on the home front.

The course will be on July 6, 13 and 27 at 6 p.m.

The annual Jay Gotlieb Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood Barons Game at Regions Field in Birmingham will be on June 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Reservations include a ticket and $10 in Barons Bucks. Cost is $10 for Brotherhood members and their families, or $17 for non-members.

The Jewish Federation of North Louisiana will have Camp Chai from July 18 to 29 at B’nai Zion in Shreveport, for ages K3 to grade 6. Registration forms are available at both Shreveport congregations.

The Huntsville Community Chorus Association is presenting “Fiddler on the Roof ” July 29 to Aug. 6, featuring Jeff Lapidus as Tevye, Paul Kunitz as Lazer Wolf and Gabi Lapidus as Shandel.

L’Shanah Tovah

Temple Beth Or in Montgomery will have its hotdog dinner and Bingo, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for dinner and two beverage tickets. Bingo cards are $5 each. Cash only.

Enrollment is open for the new Pardes Preschool at Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville. There will be Monday and Wednesday classes for ages 18 months to 30 months, and classes the other three weekdays for 30 months to 4-1/2 years. Classes begin on Aug. 10.

Knesseth Israel Rabbi Eytan Yammer continues his series, “Judaism’s Unsettled Debates,” at the Friedman Canter in Birmingham this month.

The series meets on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. Upcoming topics are “Who wrote the final eight verses of the Torah” with Rebbi Yehudah debating Rebbi Shimon on June 26, and “What is the content of the covenant,” with Rashi and the RaMBaN on July 3.

Task publishes reflections on half a century in the rabbinate On May 1, Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria held a book signing for Rabbi Arnold Task’s book, “Life’s Amazing Lessons.” The book, which is available on Amazon, is a collection of Task’s essays published in the Alexandria Town Talk during his 22 years with the congregation.

Proceeds from the book go to three charities that are personal to the Task family — Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the International Essential Tremor Association.

8 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

community

Do you spend more time planning a vacation than planning for retirement?

What if you can take a memorable trip

that’s just a quick phone call and a couple of clicks away?

All the planning is done for you…

Just pack and go!

Hundreds of destinations — including Israel, Hong Kong New Orleans, London, Greece…

For more information contact Derrick Ellis

Independent WorldVentures Representative

513-833-7696

ddellis.dreamtrips.com

ddellis19742000@gmail.com

The honors continue for Shaya, which on May 2 won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in the United States. Last year, Chef Alon Shaya was named Best Chef: South at the James Beard Awards. In accepting the award, Shaya said of his immensely popular Israeli restaurant, which opened in February 2015, “Who would have thought, hummus in New Orleans?” He added, “New Orleans is the best food city in the world right now.”

Your Source for all Home Loans We can finance in 30 States, including AL, MS, LA, GA, FL, TN, SC, NC · Programs for Veterans · First Time Home Buyers · Experienced Home Buyers · Experienced Investors · Home Renovation Lending · Construction Lending · Reverse Mortgage Lending · and much more...

Kurtz-Lendner is new Jackson rabbi On April 17, Beth Israel in Jackson named Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner as the congregation’s next rabbi. He will begin on July 1.

This concludes a two-year process since the departure of Rabbi Valerie Cohen. Rabbi Ted Riter was the first interim rabbi, and Rabbi Stephen Wylen has been Beth Israel’s interim rabbi this year. Wylen’s final visit for the year will be from June 10 to 25, and there will be a special oneg following the 6:15 p.m. service on June 24 in Wylen’s honor.

Kurtz-Lendner spent many years just down Interstate 55, serving as executive director of Hillel at Tulane from 1994 to 2001, assistant director of the New Orleans Jewish Community Center from 2001 to 2004, and rabbi of Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville from 2002 to 2007.

In 2007 he became rabbi of Temple Solel in Hollywood, Fla., and spent the past year as director of Jewish learning, education and outreach at the David Posnack JCC in Davie, Fla.

Jacob M. Cohen, MBA

Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #534287

“a familiar face and a familiar name”

205-613-4717 JacobC@CrewLending.com • jacobknowsmortgage.com A division of Goldwater Bank N.A. NMLS #452955 • Programs Subject to Change Without Notice

Rebekah Goldman, Lake Charles’ first “home-grown” rabbi, ordained This month, Rabbi Rebekah Goldman will become the rabbi of Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation — Emek Shalom in Simsbury, Conn.

But first, she is heading back home to Lake Charles.

Her father, Michael Goldman, said she is the first home-grown rabbi from Southwest Louisiana, “let alone Lake Charles’ small Jewish community.” He credits Temple Sinai in Lake Charles and the Henry S. Jacobs Camp as giving her a Jewish foundation.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Goldman was a founder of the LSU Hillel, then directed camp at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center.

Goldman was scheduled to receive her ordination at Hebrew College in Newtown, Mass., on June 5. She is leading the June 10 Shabbat service in Lake Charles and will receive a presentation from the mayor.

Her husband, Saul Mag, grew up in the Simsbury congregation, and his Bar Mitzvah was officiated by Goldman’s predecessor, Rabbi Howard Herman, where he has served since 1980.

ONE STOP KOSHER FOOD SHOPPING Eat In — Take Out — Catering

Sushi and Fried Chicken Friday

ed Saturday)

-3pm (Clos Mon-Thu 10am-7pm • Fri & Sun 10am

-2010

3519 Severn, Metairie • (504) 888 www.koshercajun.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 9

Last services set for Pine Bluff, McGehee Two Jewish communities in Arkansas are closing the doors for good on their synagogues this month, as final services will be held in Pine Bluff for Anshe Emeth on June 11 and for Meir Chayim in McGehee on June 17.

The Pine Bluff service will be at First Presbyterian Church, where the congregation has met in the chapel since 2003. Following the 10 a.m. service there will be a luncheon at Pine Bluff Country Club.

The Meir Chayim service will be at 7:15 p.m., with an oneg following.

Rabbi Eugene Levy, who retired as rabbi of B’nai Israel in Little Rock in 2011, has been visiting the two congregations in recent years and will officiate the final services.

Levy has been visiting Pine Bluff monthly for services for three years, except for this past High Holy Days. “I decided to be a congregant for the first time in 47 years” and visited family. Having a grandchild born on Kol Nidre night in California was also part of the decision.

He has been visiting McGehee every other month to lead services.

In both cases, past members, rabbis and student rabbis have been invited, and each congregation is expecting about 50 to 100 in attendance.

Levy said the communities don’t have the numbers or resources to keep the congregations going. “There are no young families,” he said, relating a common story in smaller Southern communities.

Many of the first generation of Jews in these towns became “the landed gentry,” ones who had stores, property and businesses, and the resources to build congregations. Within a couple of generations, the children and grandchildren were becoming professionals and moving to larger communities.

By the 1960s and 1970s, Levy said, few were coming back home after college, and there weren’t new people coming in. “Forty years ago, Pine Bluff had 200 families, now they have eight.” McGehee went from 50 to three or four now.

When Levy arrived in Little Rock in 1987, after the High Holidays he was urged to visit Pine Bluff. When he arrived, Rabbi Leslie Sertes, the last full-time rabbi at Anshe Emeth, was packing up his office, an odd time of year to do so. “He told me they just had the last class of the Sunday School, the last two confirmands” that May. “When that happens, if nobody is coming in… it’s just a matter of time.”

The Anshe Emeth members decided last year that this would be their final year.

Pine Bluff’s Anshe Emeth sold its last building in 2003 Both congregations have been working with the Jewish Community Legacy Project, which works with smaller communities that know they will eventually need to close the doors in developing “legacy plans,” Noah Levine said.

Levine said both congregations were well on their way to closing when he got involved. He urges congregations to make these decisions while there is still a “viable board” and institutional memory. His role, he said, 10 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Meir Chayim, McGehee is as an “honest broker” to help congregations make the best decision for their situation, and help them know they are not alone.

The Jewish community in Pine Bluff dates back to the 1840s, and by 1855 there were roughly 10 Jewish families in the area, mostly merchants like Isaac Altschul.

Many of the local Jews served in the Confederacy, then after the Union captured the area, Jewish families hosted Jewish soldiers from the north.

After the war, Pine Bluff grew, as did the Jewish community. Anshe Emeth was established in 1866, and numerous other Jewish organizations were soon established.

Many in the Jewish community became cotton planters, including Sol Franklin, who planned to resettle 200 Jews from Romania as sharecroppers. The plan was never implemented.

By 1905 there were 425 Jews in Pine Bluff, which became the secondlargest Jewish community in the state. L.E. Goldsmith and Simon Bloom served as mayor, and local state legislator Sam Levine was outspoken against segregationist opposition to Supreme Court rulings.

Meyer Solmson became editor of the local paper and was threatened by a local man who he had criticized in an article. Solmson wound up killing the man in self defense. He later moved to New York and became managing editor of Variety.

Another well-known Pine Bluff journalist is Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Greenberg, a nationally syndicated columnist now with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He recently wrote a column about the final Seder at Anshe Emeth.

“Some of us can still remember the little neo-Victorian temple in downtown Pine Bluff with all its nooks and crannies, wooden ceilings and floors, and the tucked-away rooms on the side where I taught at least a couple of generations of Sunday School students,” Greenberg wrote.

Anshe Emeth was the first synagogue officially chartered in Arkansas, beating Little Rock’s B’nai Israel by five days. While Anshe Emeth is closing on its 150th anniversary, B’nai Israel just celebrated its 150th anniversary as the largest Jewish congregation in the state.

In 1867, the first Anshe Emeth building was completed, and in 1873 the congregation joined the Reform movement.

In 1902, a larger building was erected as the congregation exceeded 130 families. Newcomers from Eastern Europe established an Orthodox congregation, B’nai Israel, in 1907. When immigration was stopped in the 1920s, that sapped the smaller congregation’s strength, and as the newcomers assimilated into the community, more wound up at Anshe Emeth.

At Anshe Emeth, controversy over changes made by Rabbi Leonard Rothstein, who had previously been in Alexandria, La., led to a split in 1921 as 58 members left to form Temple Israel, the community’s third congregation. Rothstein left in 1923, and Temple Israel’s rabbi left the next year. With the two smaller congregations struggling and both without rabbis, they reunited in 1925.

B’nai Israel disbanded in 1950, but even with Anshe Chesed being the

LON ETH

Experts in Pain Management 504.327.5857 lonsethpain.com Metairie: 720 Veterans Blvd, Ste 200 Baton Rouge: 7855 Howell Blvd

I N T E R V E N T I O N A L PA I N C E N T E R S

Dr. Eric Lonseth

At Lonseth Interventional Pain Centers we use minimally invasive techniques to target the source of pain.

Treatment for pain from neck, back, shoulders, knees and headaches. Providing epidural steroid injections, acupuncture, stem cell injections.

We make the healing experience as pleasant, fast and professional as possible so our patients can get back to what they love most.

Recognized as an expert in the field, Dr. Eric Lonseth has a national reputation for excellence in the field of interventional pain management. Double board certified and specializing in treating acute and chronic pain.

Dr. Lonseth is a member of Touro Synagogue and completed the Lemann-Stern Young Leadership 2-year program with the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

Pest Control Down To A Science.

TM

SJL.Orkin.com | 800-GO-ORKIN

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 11

community

IT’S TIME TO TAKE A vacation FROM CLEANING. Give yourself a break, call the cleaning service most recommended to family and friends.

Proudly keeping homes cleaner and healthier since 1987

205-871-9338 Birmingham 251-344-6626 Mobile 256-534-1100 Huntsville 334-277-7749 Montgomery www.MAIDS.com

only congregation left, its numbers also started to decline. In 1961 a lot was purchased for a smaller building closer to where the members lived, and when the new building was completed there were about 85 members.

In the mid-1980s, when the last full-time rabbi left, the Jewish population was 175, down from over 450 in 1960. In 2003, the Anshe Chesed building was sold to Jefferson Regional Medical Center, which turned it into a nursing school. Since then, the congregation has met at First Presbyterian Church.

Levy said the service on June 11 will not be a desanctification of the building, as it is borrowed space in a church, but a desanctification of the congregation. A yahrzeit candle will be lit at the beginning of the service, the Torah will be carried through the congregation one last time, the mezuzah on the chapel taken down and the key will be presented to the minister.

At the service, all of the names of members who have died from the last 148 years will be read. “We feel we need to do that,” Levy said.

The Torah is being sent to a congregation in Guatemala through the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

Levine said the yahrzeit plaques will be relocated to House of Israel in Hot Springs, archival documents have been sent to the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, and congregants are arranging for perpetual care of the cemetery.

For most congregations that close, “that is the number one concern, that they have enough money set aside as an endowment” to keep the cemetery maintained.

McGehee closing Referred for a reason.

VANDERBILT

DUKE

EMORY

MILLSAPS COLLEGE

AUBURN

U OF FLORIDA RICE

TULANE

— FORBES.COM —

Delicious Flickr WWW.MILLSAPS.EDU

Delicious

Flickr DeliciousFacebook Twitter Flickr

Facebook

Slash Dot Mixx MySpace StumbleUpon Facebook MySpace

12 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016 Slash Dot

Mixx Slash DotReddit Skype Mixx

Twitter

MySpaceRetweet TwitterStumbleUpon

Digg

Skype StumbleUpon

FriendFeed Technorati Skype YouTube

Retweet

Digg Retweet

Digg Technorati

LinkedIn Technorati

In addition to McGehee, Meir Chayim served Dumas, 20 miles away.

Gus Waterman was the first Jew to move to the timber town of Dumas, in 1879, and became the town’s first mayor. His son founded the University of Arkansas Law School. The Dante family established a department store, and later a garment manufacturing plant. Son-in-law B.J. Tanenbaum started the United Dollar Store, which grew to 200 stores before being sold to Dollar General.

Jerry Tanenbaum has become very involved internationally in the Reform movement, including as founding chairman of the Association of Reform Zionists of America/World Union North America, and was long-time chairman of the Henry S. Jacobs Camp.

McGehee got a later start, blooming as a higher-ground refuge after the great flood of 1927. Many Jews from flooded-out Arkansas City moved their stores to McGehee, while others were in the cotton business. Many Jewish merchants were seen as reviving the area after the flood by assisting farmers with obtaining supplies when banks refused to issue loans.

By the 1940s, there were over 120 families in the area, Rose Ann Naron said. They had met informally in homes for years, then in St. Paul Episcopal Church, but decided it was time to start a congregation that would serve several towns.

Rabbi Morris Clark from Pine Bluff had been leading services, but World War II gas rationing ended those trips.

During a B’nai B’rith meeting in 1946, David Meyer proposed the formation of Beth Chayim. The name was changed soon after to honor a member of the Jewish community who had died in action in Italy during World War II, Herbert M. Abowitz, whose Hebrew name was Meir Chayim.

The congregation affiliated with the Reform movement and started fundraising throughout the region for a building. Much of the lumber came from trees on members’ property, and the Gothic-style building was completed in 1947.

“The sanctuary was designed to seat 150 people on red velour theater type seats,” Naron said. A Sunday School wing, recreational hall and kitchen were also in the building.

The sanctuary has 10 identical stained-glass windows. A Ten Commandments tablet flanked by lions of Judah was placed over the ark, it had formerly been at Temple B’nai Sholom of Bastrop, La., which closed in 1923 and was demolished in 1939.

community

What makes us a different kind of drug and alcohol treatment center?

The Ten Commandments on the front of the building came from the 1872 building of Temple Beth El Emeth in Camden, one of the first four congregations in Arkansas. It closed in 1927.

In 2005, a Torah from Meir Chayim was loaned to Temple Or Hadash in Fort Collins, Col., where Rabbi Debra Kassoff, who had been the traveling rabbi for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, had been visiting rabbi. The loan was arranged by Linda and Lester Pincus of Dermott, cousins of Or Hadash member Patzi Goldberg.

The Meir Chayim building is now on the market, with a list price of $57,000. According to Sims Realty, the sale is pending.

The June 17 service will desanctify the building. As the congregation is used to Friday night Torah readings, there will be a reading, after which the Torah will be presented to the congregants who dedicated it.

Shabbat and yahrzeit candles will be lit, and the names of all deceased members will be read, just as in Pine Bluff. All of the yahrzeit lights will be turned off, and the eternal light will be removed.

Levy said these will be physical acts of closure and finality.

Naron said many of the Judaic items are going to the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica and to the ISJL for a future museum.

Revenue from the building’s sale will go to a scholarship fund so Arkansas children can attend Jacobs Camp “in Meir Chayim Temple’s name, so our legacy can continue,” Naron said.

EVERYTHING Located in beautiful Destin, FL

• Small and personal • Home environment • Holistic approach

These congregations will join two others in Arkansas that have recently closed their doors.

In Texarkana, Mount Sinai Congregation held its final service on May 16, 2014, then the remaining members decided in May 2015 to sell the building. They published a memory book, with “The Congregation That Helped Grow Rabbis” in the front, referring to the numerous rabbis and student rabbis that have served the congregation since the 1890s.

Mount Sinai, formed around 1885, purchased a former Episcopal church building, which burned in 1892 when a neighboring grocery caught fire. A new building was dedicated in 1894, and by 1917 there were 50 member families.

Mount Sinai was an off-and-on member of the Reform movement, but in the 1930s also hosted a small number of Orthodox families for a minyan on Saturday mornings, with Reform members helping them reach the required 10. During World War II the congregation hosted many Jewish soldiers from nearby bases, and the community grew after the war.

A new building was dedicated in 1949, two blocks into Texas from the state line, and through the 1980s membership continued to be around 40 families. But by 2015 there were only six or seven families remaining.

The congregation’s Judaica has been offered to the families who dedicated the various pieces.

Phil Bishop of Curt Green and Company said the property is still on the market with a list price of $139,000 for the 6,000-square-foot building.

Over the past year they have “had several ‘lookers’ and have one couple still interested in converting it to residential for their family.”

El Dorado’s community started as the town experienced an oil boom in 1922. By 1927 there were 124 Jews with short-lived Orthodox and Reform congregations. The oil business went bust during the Great Depression, but the economy picked back up after World War II and Temple Beth Israel was formed with the encouragement of the Arkansas Jewish Assembly.

The Beth Israel building was completed in 1955. The congregation was never large enough for a full-time rabbi, and by the 1980s there were just six Jewish families remaining.

Rachel Myers, museum and special projects coordinator at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, said the El Dorado congregation has been inactive for years but has been letting the local Mennonite community use the building.

Last year, the remaining handful of El Dorado’s Jews officially deeded the building to the Mennonites and moved the remaining Judaica out, bringing it to Jackson for future use in the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience and in active congregations in the region.

• Exercise and diet • 30 hours of quality counseling

Licensed and Court Approved

850-687-6831 www.bayshoreretreat.com

I am here to help families find the home of their dreams in the Birmingham area, or make downsizing an easy process http://bridgetsikora.realtysouth.com (205) 910-0594 bsikora@realtysouth.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 13

Jason Marsalis, Matt Lemmler and Martin Masakowski perform in Rosh Ha’Ayin

Rosh Ha’Ayin relationship shines at celebration of Partnership2Gether Rosh Ha’Ayin and its partnership with New Orleans had the opportunity to shine before the world in April, as Partnership2Gether started its 20th anniversary Israel mission with a jazz party and dinner by New Orleans chefs in Israel’s self-declared city of music.

The Partnership2Gether Mega-Event began on April 4, with about 43 communities from around the world participating.

Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans Executive Director Michael Weil said P2G is “the grandchild of Project Renewal,” which began in the late 1970s by Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Under Project Renewal, neglected development towns in Israel were paired with Jewish communities around the world in an effort to spark revitalization.

Rosh Ha’Ayin was also paired with Birmingham under Project Renewal, the two now have a formal sister city relationship.

Weil said P2G is more of a “people to people approach” in bringing Israelis together with members of Jewish communities around the world.

About 600 attended the opening party, held outside the Rosh Ha’Ayin Music Conservatory. Jason Marsalis, Matt Lemmler and Martin Masakowski headlined the concert, while the chefs on the trip were Zachary Engel, chef de cuisine of Shaya, and Chris Lusk, executive chef of the soon-to-reopen Caribbean Room at the Pontchartrain Hotel.

In 2014, Lemmler was one of the musicians for Music Over Sirens benefit in New Orleans for the emergency campaign for Israel during the Gaza operation.

After the long flight to Israel, Engel and Lusk headed straight to Rosh Ha’Ayin, where a large tent was set up outside the Conservatory for them to prepare New Orleans and Israeli specialties.

“It was kind of wild — you are dazed from the plane and you have all this food to cook, the time is flying by and you become conscious again” as the crowds come in to be fed, Engel said.

The menu included New Orleans dishes, such as gumbo and jambalaya, and Israeli standards.

Weil said “people didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to get on the buses.”

Lis Kahn credited “our very strong and very hard-working partners in Rosh Ha’Ayin who worked very hard to make sure we had it” there.

For the next three days, the mission toured partnership communities from Nahariya and Bet Shean to Ashkelon. While Kahn said they like to think of the New Orleans-Rosh Ha’Ayin partnership as the best in existence, on the mission they did see “there are many others that have great relationships and do many things.”

Ana Gershanik, on her first trip to Israel in 17 years and traveling with her son, Esteban, on his first visit, said the country seemed “much more sophisticated” than 17 years earlier.

She said they visited “Keshet Eilon Music Center in Kibbutz Eilon, devoted to training young violinists, and Kibbutz Ga’aton, with a fantastic Contemporary Dance Company that travels around the world; Galilee 14 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Medical Center with Israel’s first Underground Emergency Department; a school in Kiryat Gat where we danced and interacted with the children; the Etgarim organization for children and adults with disabilities; a community garden for Ethiopian families and Moshav Netiv Ha’asarah, 400 meters from Gaza where we pasted colorful mosaic pieces embedded with our personal prayers at the decorated wall surrounding the Moshav.”

The closing event was at the Shimon Peres Center for Peace, with Peres and Natan Sharansky.

While the Federation group traveled the country, the New Orleans chefs and musicians stayed in Rosh Ha’Ayin for home hospitality and did workshops and classes.

The musicians also participated in the Fifth Annual Shared Sound Festival on April 5 and 6, an annual New Orleans jazz festival held in Rosh Ha’Ayin.

Kahn said the festival “has been very well attended” over the years. The P2G opening ceremony “was a natural outgrowth” of it and “it worked out really well.”

The musicians played at the Schneider children’s hospital cancer ward in Petach Tikvah and held sessions at Begin High School and the music conservatory in Rosh Ha’Ayin. Lemmler

referenced the universal language of music, and observed that “They seem to know a lot of the New Orleans tunes we were doing.”

While the concerts were great, Lemmler said “it’s really playing with kids and for kids, and for sick children, that’s always uplifting for us.”

The chefs held a cuisine workshop for young adults in Rosh Ha’Ayin, among other classes.

On the evening of April 7, after the P2G mission was over, the groups reunited in Rosh Ha’Ayin and the Federation delegation also had home hospitality.

Esteban Gershanik, Ana Gershanik, Natan Sharansky and The next day they had a special tour Liz Kahn at the P2G opening celebration in Rosh Ha’Ayin of Tel Aviv, including a “graffiti tour” of the southern part of the city.

On April 9, the group went to Nazareth, where For Shabbat dinner on April 8, numerous a highlight was going to a field kitchen set up in Rosh Ha’Ayin families brought dishes for a huge the forest, and preparing a meal there. “We even potluck festival in the garden of the Katzir fam- made fresh pita out in the wild,” Weil said. ily, as the chefs were told to take the evening off.

The next day there was a Jerusalem trip, then For Engel, observing Shabbat that way was the musicians played at Shalbul, a Tel Aviv club, a special treat. Growing up the son of a rabbi, that night. he went to services every weekend, but with his Lemmler said the chance to have home hosduties at Shaya rarely gets that experience. pitality “was a beautiful experience… our host The New Orleans musicians were joined by families were incredibly gracious and loving.” locals as the dinner went well past midnight.

Engel also said the best part of the trip was

Why This Lawyer Who Was Trained To Be In The Courtroom Is Doing All She Can To Keep Estate Settlements OUT OF COURT! How Rabalais Law Is Introducing A Whole New Kind Of Estate Planning Program For Louisiana Residents Attend A FREE Event And Discover How To: · Avoid the costs and delays of a probate; · Avoid losing your estate to nursing home costs; · Create a thorough yet simple estate legal plan; · Determine whether you need a Will or Trust; · Avoid the 40% estate tax; and · Keep your estate planning legal program current through future life and law changes.

Mandeville Tuesday, June 21st Trey Yuen 600 North Causeway Blvd.

11:30am-12:30pm or 6:00-7:00pm Meal Provided!

About Your Speaker: Lisa Finn was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Florida International University in 1999. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State College of Law in 2001, and returned to school and earned her LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law in 2006. Lisa has been a member of the Louisiana bar since 2004. She has also been a member of the Florida Lisa Finn bar since 2002. Her law firm’s unique Lifetime Lawyer Estate Planning Attorney Program ensures that your estate planning program remains current through future life and law changes.

Metairie Wednesday, June 22nd Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar 3117 21st Street 11:00am-12:00pm Lunch Provided!

Metairie Wednesday, June 22nd Rabalais Law 2424 Edenborn Ave., Ste. 170 6:00-7:00pm Refreshments Provided!

If married, attend with your spouse!

Seating is limited. Register today!

New Orleans Thursday June 23rd Two Tony’s 8536 Pontchartrain Blvd.

11:00am-12:00pm or 6:00-7:00pm Meal Provided!

Call 504-274-3905 To Register!

Rabalais Law, 2424 Edenborn Ave Ste 170, Metairie, LA 70001 Rabalais Law, 800 Ramon Street, Mandeville LA 70448 *By Appt Only

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 15

Love the look of MARBLE

hate the headaches?

Specializing in Quartz, Glass and Stone for Kitchen Counters, Backsplashes, Bathroom Showers, Tubs and Vanities

Schedule your FREE in-home consultation.

Call 205-789-9771

Visit gtalabama.com to learn about our lifetime warranty.

Comfort and style at your convenience STYLISH APARTMENT LIVING

205-203-4606

cahabariver@crowneapartments.com 5050 Cahaba River Road • Birmingham, AL 35243

Hwy 280 & I-459

crownecahabariver.com

STYLISH APARTMENT LIVING

205-970-0344

overtonvillage@crowneapartments.com 2901 Crowne Ridge Drive • Birmingham, AL 35243

Mtn Brook area

16 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

crowneovertonvillage.com

community staying in homes during their time in Rosh Ha’Ayin. The musicians were housed with families involved in local music, while he stayed with a Yemenite family and had the opportunity to experience Yemenite cuisine “organically” from people who have been doing it their entire lives.

“Since I started cooking Israeli food, the Yemenite cuisine is a huge draw for me because it has been so isolated” and hasn’t made it into the Israeli mainstream. There are relatively few Yemenite restaurants, most people experience it as home cooking.

He mentioned that Shaya has some Yemenite influences on its menu, and “they were so impressed that traditional Yemenite food was on the menu of our restaurant in New Orleans.”

While there, he learned how to make kubana, a traditional Yemenite bread, and bought the proper pans for it. When he gets some time to perfect it, “our pastry chef and I are going to start working on it as an additional bread service” at Shaya.

The family he stayed with is one of seven siblings. On Friday, he went to their mothers’ house, where she still makes a full Shabbat complement for all of her children’s homes, starting early in the morning. “Eighty years old and making food for multiple generations,” he commented.

During the final four days of touring, he visited numerous markets and loaded up on authentic spices, so much that he had to borrow a suitcase to bring back “super high-quality stuff we hadn’t seen before.”

The moment he got back to Shaya, “we Chris Lusk started tweaking recipes.”

He also enjoyed watching Lusk discover the various Israeli flavors for the first time. “Watching him fall in love with Israel was the second most rewarding aspect” of the trip, Engel said.

As the trip marked the first 20 years of P2G, it was also time to look forward to evolving the relationships.

Kahn said they will work with the New Orleans young leadership group to develop the partnership, and “with that in mind we are having a lawyer exchange.” They are also looking at a start-up and entrepreneurial exchange, as the music and food aspects are “so well engrained now. Rosh Ha’Ayin people know the musicians here, they can pretty well do it.”

Robert Witrock, who has been involved in the New Orleans-Rosh Ha’Ayin partnership since 2009, said he hopes to see wider participation from individuals in the New Orleans Jewish community, and greater exploration of Rosh Ha’Ayin’s Yemenite heritage.

Through P2G, Witrock said, “Israeli participants over the last 20 years have really gotten to make life-long American friends and see American life uniquely, especially Jewish-American life. Israeli women have seen for their first time women going up to the bima for aliyot, some ending up in tears at the pluralistic opportunities afforded women here in America.

At the same time the partnerships have given Jewish Americans to see how diverse Israeli life is.”

Gershanik said the trip “was the best way to visit Israel and get acquainted with each aspect of the life there. It was a moving experience for my son’s first trip to the Holy Land.”

Weil called the trip “a great mixture of the things we’re known for — food and music, with the great feeling of people to people, old friendships and new friendships.”

“We play very beautiful music together. And we eat well together,” Kahn said.

Reflecting on the Shabbat potluck dinner, Engel spoke of the Yemenite cuisine, the wine and Arak, the musicians jamming on the back porch with everyone who could play music or sing joining in, until all hours of the night. “There’s something very Israeli about that. It’s also very New Orleans. You feel at home in both respects.”

Luxury Apartments • Now Open

Construction Special: $1,000 Free Rent!* SPACIOUS FLOOR PLANS — STARTING AT $950/MO. — One bedroom / 1.5 bathrooms 1,000 - 1,250 sq. ft.

Two bedrooms

Three bedrooms

2 bathrooms 1,200 - 1,850 sq. ft.

2 bathrooms 1,500 - 1,900 sq. ft.

IDEAL LOCATION

Apartment Features:

BirminghamShuttlesworth international Airport

11

Crestwo

Flora Johnston Nature Trail

e iv Ro

o ll

31

ve

i Dr

M

d

r D

Ro

g

ir

S.

ps

ad

bu

r

la

Crestline

ad

va te on Mountain Brook Club

Birmingham Zoo Samford University

ew Vi

eet

M

on

tc

UAB Hospital Birmingham Country Club

ic en

Sc

Str

Highland Park Golf Course

UAB

CVS

Former Trinity Medical Center

Avondale & Forest Park

St. Vincent’s Hospital

vard

Leasing Office

d Ol

s ed Le

a Ro

The

Retreat — at —

Mountain Brook

ar

N ue en Av

Sh

Downtown Birmingham

Irondale

od Boule

.

t 1s

• Gated Entry • Community Garden • 3 Salt-Water Pools with Sundecks/Trellises • Pool-Side Outdoor Kitchens with Dining Terraces • Pet Park • 2 Tennis Courts • 2 Clubhouses with • Resident Lounges and Fitness Centers • Electric-Vehicle Charging Stations • Wi-Fi in Clubhouses and Pool Areas • 24/7 Online Customer Service

Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve

er Eld

• Stainless-Steel and Black Appliances • Espresso Cabinetry • Breakfast Bar • Designer Plank Flooring • 2-inch Blinds • Electric Fireplaces • Bonus Rooms /Dens • Built-in Bookshelves • Ceiling Fans • Spacious Closets • Double Vanities • Sunrooms or Balconies • Patios with Fenced Yards • Storage Closets • Wooded Views • Washer and Dryer Included

Community Amenities:

Mountain Brook

d

oa eR ke ro e h

Old Overton Club

C

205-956-9722 | RetreatatMountainBrook.net | 4816 SHARPSBURG DRIVE | BIRMINGHAM, AL 35213 Professionally Managed by

|

| *Limited Time Offer

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 17

community Berkowitz inducted to Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame

Outdoor Dining (weather permitting) Expanded Dining Room — Perfect for Private Parties

Check out our Seasonal Menu!

Shrimp and Grits • Seafood • Local Organic Produce and Meats

Contact us for your catering needs!

Open for Lunch and Dinner

www.bistro-v.com

Mon-Sat 11a-2p & 5-9p

521 Montgomery Hwy, Suite 113 Vestavia Hills (205)

823-1505

Upcoming Shows: 6/7 Buckethead 6/12 Ben Smolin CD release with Wilder Adkins

18 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

6/24 Cowboy Mouth 7/16 Muscle Shoals Revue Featuring Amy Black 7/17 Parachute

On May 6, Abe Berkowitz was inducted into the Alabama Lawyers’ Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in Montgomery.

Berkowitz is remembered as one of Birmingham’s earliest progressive activists, promoting both economic expansion and social justice throughout his career. A child of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, he was born in Meridian. The family ultimately settled in Birmingham, where his father ran a small retail business.

Berkowitz received his law degree in 1928 before reaching the age of 21 and began practicing immediately after the Alabama Legislature removed age restrictions.

He was an outspoken opponent of the Ku Klux Klan and sought to establish equality under the law, with frequent letters to local newspapers. He supported an anti-masking bill that was aimed at the Klan, and opposed Birmingham Police Commissioner Bull Connor.

In a speech at Miles College, he recounted two incidents from 1913, when he was in first grade, that shaped him — the railroading of Leo Frank in Georgia for the murder of a girl and his father urging him to write a letter to Georgia’s governor on his behalf; and how he cried after seeing a trusted caretaker of his humiliate a young black girl who was on her way to the store by using the n-word at her.

Son Richard Berkowitz spoke at the ceremony, He said his father earned the recognition “because he was willing, along with others, to speak out when doing so was not popular, but that was who he was.”

In the midst of the city’s racial turmoil in 1962, Berkowitz was a leading member of the Birmingham Bar Committee that recommended a change in the form of Birmingham’s city government from its three-member Commission to a Mayor-Council system, organizing a surprise petition drive. The vote was successful, bouncing Connor from office.

A passionate Zionist, Berkowitz spearheaded the famous 1943 Alabama resolution that called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, working with Rep. Sid Smyer and Sen. James Simpson.

Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker, in announcing the induction during Knesset Deputy Speaker Hilik Bar’s visit to Montgomery in April, noted that “Simpson was Bull Connor’s attorney, and Simpson wrote some of the segregation resolutions. Berkowitz was on the other side — but those two could come together on the important issue of Israel.”

Berkowitz was also asked to be in the secretive Sonneborn Institute, a group of 17 Americans who met with David Ben-Gurion in New York and then fanned out across the country on clandestine efforts to aid the Jewish fighters working toward Israel’s independence.

In his book “In the Shadow of Hitler: Alabama’s Jews, the Second World War and the Holocaust,” Dan Puckett notes that Berkowitz organized Birmingham’s Zionists. “They raised funds and ‘collected all manner of goods from truck loads of helmets to a contribution of 3,000 forks from Isadore Mazer.’ Mark Elovitz notes that ‘the Kimerling family lent a truck with a driver to the cause. The truck was loaded with tires and the tires’ inner-tubes were stuffed with guns and pistols and shipped to New York to see that the ‘cargo’ would not be apprehended’.”

In 1967, Israel awarded Berkowitz the Israeli Freedom Medal “because of his services to the ZOA and Israel.”

Berkowitz also helped establish the Birmingham Bar Association Aid

community Trust, which set up a fund for lawyers in distress and for which he served as a trustee for more than 30 years.

Richard Berkowitz said he thinks his father, who died in 1985, “would be saddened to see how we have regressed in terms of black-white relationships, and the radicalization of campus life, because dad was a great admirer of Hugo Black ‘s views on free speech” and helped Black’s son become a prominent labor attorney.

Also inducted were Reuben Chapman, Martin Leigh Harrison, Holland McTyeire Smith and Frank Edward Spain. Each inductee must have been deceased at least two years at the time of their selection. The first class was inducted in 2004; there are now 55 members.

“Each of these inductees has played a pivotal role in the history and legacy that we as attorneys leave behind,” said Alabama State Bar President Lee H. Copeland of Copeland, Franco, Screws & Gill of Montgomery. “It’s an honor to pay tribute to their lives and the work they did.”

ow s Bert knv s) (and lo aem!

Birmingha home:

finding It’s more thang the right home. it’s findin ining & more. ks, d o ch S ols, par t can help you find Ber t. the perfect fi

Day School, CJFS Cares partnership celebrated

all of Ser ving am and Birmingh g areas surroundin

16+ years REALTOR ber, Life mem xcellence E f o b Clu Broker Associate esidential CertifiedstR(CRS) Speciali

Bert Siegel

205-960-0645 bsiegel@realtysouth.com www.BertSiegel.com

Thompson’s reflections win national essay contest Every month this past school year, students in the Upper School at Birmingham’s N.E. Miles Jewish Day School have traveled to the Friedman Center to take part in CJFS CARES, a program that provides cognitive, social and physical stimulation to people with memory and movement disorders.

Through that partnership, the school has won $25,000 for scholarships as Marlie Thompson won a national creative writing contest with an essay about her experiences, which she told through the voice of someone with Alzheimer’s. Thompson also won a scholarship for half of her tuition at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica.

Sheri Krell said the school was one of 22 in the nation to receive a grant from Better Together for an intergenerational project. Krell said “In Birmingham, we chose to use this program,” which is run by Collat Jewish Family Services.

The students visited the CARES program monthly, playing balloon volleyball, bowling and charades, singing and socializing. Krell said they “shared stories with each other and learned a lot about the CARES’ individuals’ pasts.”

In Judaic classes, the students discussed the values of intergenerational relationships. Every student in all participating schools wrote an essay on “their reflections about senior citizens, the elderly, growing old, and intergenerational experiences,” and Thompson placed first in the nation for middle school.

TAJ INDIA TANDOORI GRILL, CURRY HOUSE & BAR 2226 Highland Avenue S Birmingham 205.939.3805 TAJINDIA.NET Lunch M-F 11-2p, Sat & Sun 11:30-2:30p Dinner: M-Sa 5-10p, Sun 5-9p

Birmingham’s favorite body shop since 1929

“TRUSTED SINCE 1929” 2221 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham Phone (205) 322-5684

Bernice Perlman, Marlie Thompson and Esty Friedman at the Day School/CJFS CARES end-of-year party

sherrillpaintandbody.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 19

•

• FREE CONSULTATION Medicare Supplement And Long Term Care

Alabama bars doing business with those who boycott Israel

• What long-term care is, and why you and your loved ones are at high risk for needing care at home or in a facility

Find Out

• Why the limited benefits from Government (Medicare or Medicaid) are not a good choice for your long-term care needs

• At what age should you consider buying longterm care insurance. You will be surprised to know why and how buying at a younger age is better for you.

• Compare different Medicare Plans and determine which is best for you

• Find which company offers the most competitive rates for the plan you want.

Milton Goldstein, CLTC

Certified Long Term Care Specialist

Cell: (205) 907-0670 E-mail: miltgold@bellsouth.net Visit My Website www.goldsteinltc.com

•

20 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Licensed in 11 States

community

•

As Israel started its national memorial day on the evening of May 10 for the 23,477 who have died in defense of the Jewish state since 1860, a signing ceremony in Montgomery demonstrated Alabama’s continuing commitment to Israel.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed SB81 into law, a measure that prevents Alabama governmental entities from entering into contracts with companies that participate in boycotts against individuals, entities or nations with whom Alabama enjoys “open trade.” Though Israel is not specifically mentioned, the bill is part of a national effort against the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement that seeks to isolate Israel economically, culturally and academically.

Alabama becomes the eighth state to sign such a measure into law.

Iowa became the seventh, on April 28. About 20 states have been considering similar legislation this year.

Introduced by Sen. Arthur Orr from the Decatur area, the bill passed the Alabama Senate 30-0 on April 7, an hour before Israel’s Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Hilik Bar, addressed a joint session of the Legislature.

Bar said the Alabama Legislature’s message is “You boycott Israel, we boycott you. And that’s a very brave thing to do.”

The House passed the bill on April 28 — the middle of Passover — by an 84-5 vote, and it was sent to Bentley on May 3.

The only nay votes came from five Republican members of the House, Allen Farley of Jefferson and Shelby County, Tommy Hanes of DeKalb and Jackson County, Ed Henry of Cullman, Marshall and Morgan County, Arnold Mooney of Jefferson and Shelby County, and Ritchie Whorton of Jackson and Madison County.

John Buhler, co-chair of the Alabama-Israel Task Force, has been working with legislators on the bills. He said it is “very timely and appropriate to be signed on the very eve of the two-day memorial and celebration of Israel’s Remembrance Day and Israel’s Independence Day.” Earlier in the session, the Legislature unanimously passed a joint resolution specifically condemning the BDS movement and reaffirming support for Israel. Orr introduced Senate Joint Resolution on Feb. 2, and the House passed it on Feb. 9.

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

Alabama has a long history of support for Israel, starting with a 1943 resolution that passed the Legislature unanimously, urging the establishment of a Jewish state five years before Israel’s independence. That measure was the first such statement of support from a government in the United States.

In April 2015, Tennessee became the first state to formally condemn BDS, by a combined 123-1 vote between the two houses. The effort was spearheaded by Laurie Cardoza-Moore, founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, a Christian pro-Israel group. She worked with Christian and Jewish groups to promote the bill, which was seen as a template for other states to follow.

Georgia and Florida have also passed bills barring contracts with those who boycott Israel. In Florida, the state will create a list of companies that support boycotts of Israel and also prohibit state pension funds from being invested in companies that follow the BDS movement.

Legislators in Georgia and Florida reported vocal opposition from BDS proponents, but the anti-BDS initiatives had strong support among their colleagues.

It’s a block party with a 1,000-foot water slide through town!

Vestavia Hills/Birmingham • June 25 Reserve Your Slide today, at slidethecity.com!

Save 10% — use discount code “jewishlife” at checkout Also coming to Florence (July 2) • Huntsville (July 9) • Shreveport (Aug. 20): check slidethecity.com

Your vision, Our commitment.

Treating you like a person instead of an asset. Going the extra mile to maintain your trust. And never giving up until your goals are fully realized. At Sirote & Permutt, these simple values push us to deliver innovative, top-notch legal services to our clients.

Since 1946, we’ve been there for clients both large and small, helping with issues both simple and complex. Our long-standing core competencies in business litigation, real estate, tax, and estate planning mean that no matter where in your journey you are, we can help.

At Sirote, we’re committed to your vision. It’s a simple promise but a powerful way to practice law.

WE’RE THERE. ALWAYS.®

BIRMINGHAM

HUNTSVILLE

MOBILE

FORT LAUDERDALE

ORLANDO

PENSACOLA

l 205-930-5100 l sirote.com

No representation is made that the quality of legal ser vices to be per for med is greater than the quality of legal ser vices per for med by other lawyers.

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 21

BOOKS

GETTING OFF AT ELYSIAN FIELDS:

culture culture

Obituaries from the New Orleans Times-Picayune

by John Pope

While the Daily Telegraph and the New York Times have published compilations of their ‘best’ obituaries, you just know that with the eccentric personalities amongst us (or, in this case, formerly amongst us), those from the Times-Pic would likely outdo them all.

Fittingly titled, the collection of well over 100 obituaries includes those for Walker Percy, Jamie Shannon, Al Copeland, Ruthie the Duck Girl, George Rodrigue — and many Jewish notables, including Edith Rosenwald Stern, Jules L. Cahn, and the incredible Liselotte Levy Weil (we spoke recently with Plater Robinson, Education Director at the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane, and he is moving forward with a book about her).

Though we could all find a number of entries that should have made it in, this collection is an outstanding, interesting mix. Well done.

NEW YORK’S YIDDISH THEATER: From the Bowery to Broadway

by Edna Nahshon

This summer, the Museum of the City of New York is exhibiting “New York’s Yiddish Theater: From the Bowery to Broadway.” But if you can’t get there, the next best thing is the companion book by the same title.

Edited by curator Edna Nahsohn, the book about “Yiddish Broadway” is a richly-illustrated approachable work about the Lower East Side’s entertainment legacy, originally for the 1.5 million first- and secondgeneration Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe but which evolved into an American phenomenon.

The book starts with a description of the waves of immigration, then moves forward from the first Yiddish theater production in 1882 into an exploration of famous shows and legendary actors. Other topics include the influence of Yiddish theater on American design, and the evolution to Vaudeville and the Borscht Belt. There is also mention of recent revivals and tributes to Yiddish theater, with Louisiana native Tony Kushner’s adaptation of Sholom Aleichem’s “The Dybbuk” getting a mention.

The book concludes with a description of how Tevye went from the Yiddish stage to film and became an American icon.

WHY BE JEWISH: A Testament

by Edgar Bronfman

Edgar Bronfman decided to write a love letter. It was one of his last, as he passed away only a few weeks after it was completed. And the love letter took the form of this book.

For decades, he lead the Seagram Company, and used his resources and those of the Samual Bronfman Foundation to start the Bronfman Fellowships, which bring young leaders from North America and Israel to collaborate, and MyJewishLearning, an online learning resource. He served as president of the World Jewish Congress and was the founding chairman of the board of governors of Hillel. And that’s just a beginning.

Here, he acknowledges the doubt he’s had. In G-d, in everything. Yet he asserts Judaism is worth pursuing, worth living, worth wrapping all of one’s being in, even with those doubts. It may be by default how one identifies, but Judaism is also a choice worth embracing wholeheartedly.

Scholarly and approachable, this is a book one will likely return to and reference for years to come. Perfect.

Also of note, Bronfman’s beloved wife Jan Aronson grew up in New Orleans.

22 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

BOOKS

LEONARD:

My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

by William Shatner with David Fisher

While Star Trek fans will enjoy this book for obvious reasons (bonus: the inside scoop on complicated relationships they each held with Gene Roddenberry), anyone with a soft spot for the emotional highs and lows of a friendship spanning 50 years will delight. Not only a loving tribute from Shatner’s own experience, the book is peppered with others’ reminiscenses. Lessons on a life well-lived abound.

The takeaway? You guessed it. LLAP.

Senior Living Community

The Lifestyle you deserve at surprisingly affordable prices.

CASTING LOTS:

Creating a Family in a Beautiful, Broken World

by Susan Silverman

Independent Living

Having a family: glorious, dazzling, invigorating, sometimes crazy and exhausting (oh so exhausting)... and messy. In “Casting Lots,” Susan Silverman is the friend you ‘get’ and even when she over-shares a little, you ‘get’ that part too.

Growing up in a family that wasn’t particularly religious, she surprised everyone in deciding to become a rabbi. Her father, with a certain playful relish, even exclaimed, “We didn’t even know she was Jewish!” As it turns out, Susan grows up to imbue all aspects of her life with Judaism and meaning, especially as with her husband Yosef, their family grows through birth and international adoption.

While the entire book is enlightening, particularly compelling are the author’s notes on adoption topics including cost, corruption, cultural heritage and colonialism.

Assisted Living

Short Term Rehabilitation Skilled Nursing

COOKBOOKS

KOSHER BY DESIGN BRINGS IT HOME:

Greenbriar on Hanover a part of Greenbriar at the Altamont, will provide you or your loved one personalized care in a warm homelike environment.

Picture-perfect Food Inspired by my Travels

by Susie Fishbein

Greenbriar on Hanover offers Memory Care Assisted Living, commonly referred to as Specialty Care Assisted Living (SCALF) and Assisted Living (ALF)

Susie Fishbein concludes her cookbook series with this offering of over 100 dishes brought home from around the world. There’s petit farcie (meat-stuffed vegetables) from Provence, Italian sbrisolona, spicy kim chee hangar steaks... and we’re just getting started. Even the chicken lollipops with ranch dip from a visit to Mexico is elevated. Picture-perfect it is, as each reliable dish is accompanied with a full-color image of the final product.

Noland Health Services offer your loved one a compassionate environment to help maintain both physical and mental independence for as long as possible.

BOOKS FOR OLDER CHILDREN

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

Call Today

by John Boyne

(205) 323-2724

The 10th anniversary edition will introduce new readers to what’s destined to become a classic in Holocaust literature for this age. Centered around the relationship of two boys, Shmuel and Bruno, who each live on a different side of the fence at “Out-With,” the story is geared toward older children, but is still a worthwhile quick read for adults. A completely heartbreaking ending. Highly recommended.

www.greenbriaratthealtamont.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 23

community Wizard in “Wicked” a Broadway veteran

by Lee J. Green Actor Stuart Zagnit grew up working in his parents’ grocery store in Spotswood, N.J., but he knew that a career in the theatre was in store for him.

The now 35-year professional theatre veteran, who has starred in such Broadway shows as “Newsies,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and regional productions of “Fiddler on the Roof ” along with “The Producers,” stars as the Wizard in the national touring Broadway production of “Wicked.”

“Wicked” is playing in New Orleans through June 19 and comes to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex for a three-plus-week engagement starting June 22.

“It’s just so magical to be a part of this ‘Wicked’ production and to do what I love every day,” said Zagnit. “I am looking forward to coming back to New Orleans and Birmingham.”

In the 1970s, Zagnit was touring Louisiana with a professional children’s theatre production. “I was with my first wife and we were walking down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. I see a man standing by a post and a said to her, ‘I think that is Tennessee Williams.’ A walked over and it turns out it was him. He was very nice and it was such an inspiration to be talking to one of the most accomplished playwrights in U.S. history,” he said.

Zagnit came to Birmingham as recently as December 2014 with the traveling national Broadway tour of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” “I have been in ‘Grinch’ and ‘Fiddler,’ two shows that are iconic and loved by everyone whether you are Jewish, Christian or another religion,” he said.

His family on both sides came from Europe originally. Zagnit’s grandparents on his father’s side settled in Trenton and his mother’s parents settled in Brooklyn.

Due to health reasons his mother’s father was advised to move out to the country in the 1920s. He took over the Main Street Market in Spotswood, 10 miles south of New Brunswick. Years later Zagnit’s parents would take over the store.

“The rabbi at our Conservative synagogue was the brother of Jackie Mason (with a real last name of Miaza). He was an Orthodox rabbi but our congregation was Conservative, leaning on Reform,” said Zagnit.

At a young age, Zagnit took an interest in acting and would go on to earn a degree in speech communications from Montclair State University.

It would not be long before he would begin a long and illustrious theatre acting career.

Some of his other credits include “Little Shop Of Horrors,” “Into The Woods,” “The Sound of Music” and roles on TV shows including “30 Rock,” “The Good Wife,” “Law and Order” as well as the original voice of Pokemon’s Professor Oak. “As long as I keep waking up every day with the passion to do this I will keep acting. I don’t know what else I would do,” said Zagnit. “I love to work and to entertain. It is so nice getting applause and having people tell you they were moved by what we did. That’s music to an actor’s ears.”

His wife Carolyn Sloan is a composer and author who wrote the children’s book “Welcome to the Symphony.” His son Sam is a sophomore at the Manhattan School of Music. Sam also plays with the New York Youth Symphony and for the past five years has performed three shows annually at Carnegie Hall.

“I am so proud of them and all that they have accomplished,” he said.

“It can be hard being away from them on a national tour but they will join me some of the time and we stay close. I am living the dream.”

24 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Nilipour Oriental Rugs

Since 1972 Direct Importing Full Service Shop where the best designers shop

National Ride2Remember hits streets of B’ham for Holocaust awareness If you thought the parking lot of Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center looked like a motorcycle convention on May 20 — well, you were right.

The Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance held its annual Ride 2 Remember in Birmingham. Each year, the umbrella group of Jewish motorcycle clubs across the nation picks a different city for the Ride, which is organized to commemorate the Holocaust, promote Holocaust education and raise money for an organization in that community to further that goal, said JMA President Betsy Ahrens.

Helena Farkas, a child of Holocaust survivors, says she rides “to make sure people don’t forget.”

The group, which brought about 115 riders to Birmingham for four days, donated over $18,000 to the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center.

Phyllis Weinstein, founder of BHEC, was appreciative and perhaps a bit stunned by the group’s visit.

Rebecca Dobrinski, executive director of BHEC, said “We’re very honored that people who don’t know us support our mission.” She invited the bikers to visit the BHEC office, and a couple dozen did that during their stay.

The Ride 2 Remember went from the Embassy Suites in Homewood to the LJCC, with many of them taking a 38-mile route through residential areas of Mountain Brook, Lake Purdy and Irondale.

Riders included Wandering Twos from St. Louis, Sabra Riders from Atlanta, Lost Tribe from Virginia Beach, Chai Riders from New York

2544 18th St South Birmingham

We carry all sizes including hard-to-find 12x15, 12x18 and larger

nilipour.com 205.870.4444

Runners up to 30 feet

Mon-Sat 10am - 4pm

Consultation Design Installation Maintenance Hardscapes Waterscapes Softscapes LED Lighting Irrigation Please visit us at www.NatureOneInc.com email us at:

NatureOne@NatureOneInc.com

Call Kevin Thienpont at

205 678-3373

The Ride 2 Remember goes through Mountain Brook on May 20

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 25

community

Sanders Painting Residential Repaint Specialist • Interior/Exterior Painting • Wood, Plaster, & Sheet Rock Repair Family Owned and Operated

205/608-1116 cell: 205/563-9037 Involved Members of Birmingham’s Jewish Community

26 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

City, King David Bikers from south Florida and many others.

The largest contingent came from Ontario, where members Sheldon Smaye and Steven Levitt made the proposal to have the ride in Birmingham.

Smaye said he was inspired after seeing the movie “Selma,” saying “it hit home.” While he isn’t comparing the Holocaust and the Civil Rights era, he said “There are similarities… there was a group of people that was thought less of, and certain atrocities took place that we want to remember and make sure never happen again.”

On May 21, the riders had options for a day trip, and one group rode to Selma and then retraced the route of the Selma to Montgomery 1965 march. “It touched all of us,” said Smaye.

He also noted that Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and other rabbis marched with King on that route.

Other riders went to the Talladega National Forest or the Barber Motorsports Museum.

The JMA is an umbrella group for 46 clubs with about 6,000 members. The Alliance’s mission is “to create a global environment whereby members of the Jewish faith who ride motorcycles can congregate physically and through the Internet to share and exchange ideas about matters of concern to the Jewish community, as well as issues concerning motorcycles.”

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

community

Luxury in Australia

The “emeritus version” of Rabbi Cohn May 21 was an evening to celebrate a milestone in the life of New Orleans’ Temple Sinai — the retirement of Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn after 29 years of leading Louisiana’s largest Jewish congregation, and the upcoming debut of what his daughters called “the emeritus version” of their father.

On July 1, Rabbi Matthew Reimer will become the new rabbi at Temple Sinai, and Cohn will become rabbi emeritus, remaining active in the congregation and the city.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu dropped in during the patron’s party to present Cohn with a key to the city. “Rabbi Cohn has been a close personal friend for a long time,” Landrieu said.

“Every time there has been a major issue that has threatened the city’s soul and spirit, not only was he there, he helped lead the fight,” Landrieu said.

The Cohn daughters, Jennifer Kesselheim of Boston and Debra Kraar of Atlanta, said the evening fills them with “so many emotions” as they are excited for their father “to begin this new chapter in his life.” But they warned the congregation, “don’t go shopping for his new hammock quite yet.

“Dad’s retirement is not really a goodbye but a time to give thanks and reflect,” they said.

Former City Council member Jackie Clarkson read a proclamation from Governor John Bel Edwards “because I adore your rabbi.”

Clarkson stated Cohn “led everything this city did in human relations and human rights.”

Pastor Deborah Morton of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church, which meets at Temple Sinai, said “we share this building because of this great man.” When the church burned in 2008 after rebuilding following the storm, Cohn told her, “you have given much to the city and the community. It is your time to receive.”

She added, “It wasn’t about color, it wasn’t about religion. It was about relationships… it was God that brought us together.”

Cantor Joel Colman called Cohn a “first ballot hall-of-fame rabbi” and led a recitation of Shehecheyanu.

Sinai President Robert Brickman said Cohn “brought out the best in

19 Nights from $18,735 Melbourne • Kangaroo Island • Barossa Valley • Uluru (Ayers Rock) Daintree Rainforest • Lizard Island • Sydney • Blue Mountains includes Sydney Bridge Climb • Lanes and Arcades private tour Foodies Journey through the Mornington Peninsula tour Louise Hentley Farm Experience • Safari at Silky Oaks Lodge 3 nights Great Barrier Reef • Spectacular Sydney Afternoon tour Sea Sydney Morning Cruise • 18 breakfasts, 15 lunches, 10 dinners

504-834-7000 or 800-899-8553 3221 N Causeway Blvd Metairie vacations@travelcentralvacations.com

Mayor Mitch Landrieu makes a presentation to Rabbi Cohn

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 27

community

Community.

All this & so much more in a weekly email delivered straight to your inbox.

This week in

Southern Jewish Life Email subscribe@sjlmag.com to receive the most interesting and clever bits from our community and around the world.

30 Years on 30A

us,” leading a “progressive and inclusive living of our Jewish values.”

He added, “we are very heartened that you are not going away” but plan to be “an active emeritus rabbi.”

Cohn said he was “overwhelmed and most deeply grateful” by the tributes. “You have made the Golden Gala golden and unforgettable… a milestone in the life of our family.”

He praised Saundra Levy, who was president of the congregation during Hurricane Katrina.

They evacuated together to Jackson before the storm, and Levy led the effort to hold the congregation together “through that disastrous time.” Just over a decade later, Cohn said, Levy spearheaded “this most beautiful and elegant gala in the history of our congregation.”

He praised Cantor Joel Colman, “for all these years of a treasured partnership and friendship.”

Cohn referenced his first address to the congregation as a candidate for the position in 1987, and spoke of his days growing up as the only Jewish family in his Baltimore suburb.

He also spoke of how the evening was also a night for his wife, Andrea. She “has been my partner, a silent partner and sometimes a notso-silent partner, helping me realize my life’s greatest calling.”

In her quiet way, Cohn said, she celebrated congregants’ joys and successes, and grieved the sorrows, sicknesses and disappointments with them.

The evening “is not a farewell,” Cohn said. “If it were a farewell, I would be broken-hearted,” and he has no intention of just fading away.

He concluded by calling on the congregation to devote itself “that the old shall be renewed and the new shall be sanctified with very great love.”

Experienced in sales of second homes and investment properties

Alice J. Forrester - Mickey Whitaker Brokers/Owners

45 Sugar Sand Lane, Suite D Seagrove Beach, Fl 32459

850-231-5030 • 30Arealty.com 28 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

At the gala, Rabbi Cohn’s grandchildren, Max Kesselheim and Ryann Kraar, led HaMotzi with their mothers, Jennifer Kesselheim of Boston and Debra Kraar of Atlanta.

ExtErior DEsigns, inc.

By Beverly Katz

“Problem Yards Our Specialty” DRIVEWAYS POOLS LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

COURTYARDS PERGOLAS CARPENTRY/ PAINTING

real estate/homes an annual SJL special section Construction at Bakery Village at Irish Channel

Livewell Properties draws inspiration from Roswell Weil Bakery Village at Irish Channel is company’s first project

by Lee J. Green Roswell Weil lived well. The long-time beloved, involved member of the New Orleans area Jewish community was active and worked full-time as an investment broker until he passed away in March 2015 at the age of 99.

His step-granddaughter-in-law, Nicole Webre, started her development company just a few days after Weil’s passing and named it Livewell Properties, LLC, as a tribute to him. “Roswell was an inspiration to us all,” said Webre.

One of Livewell’s first projects is Bakery Village at Irish Channel, a luxury, custom new-construction, urban-infill residential project that Webre is developing in the historic Irish Channel neighborDr. Maureen Stein, daughter of Roswell hood of New Orleans.

Weil, and Nicole Webre at an event at In 2015, she purchased the 70,000-square-foot Bakery Village on May 4 Turnbull Bakery property, which is bounded by Soraparu, First and St. Thomas Streets and takes up the majority of a city square.

She got the properties rezoned to return the lots to residential. Bakery Village at Irish Channel consists of 15 lots ranging from 3,600 to 7,000 square feet with a private drive through the middle of the development to access rear yards.

“I have six sets of historic plans with two houses near completion,” said Webre. “A few of the houses are modeled after popular historic homes in New Orleans.”

The development is just blocks from the Garden District and the shopping areas of Magazine Street.

Fla. panhandle properties a breeze thanks to 30A Realty Much has changed in the 30-plus years that Alice Forrester has worked in Florida panhandle realty as well as in the 20-plus years since she and partner Mickey Whitaker started 30A Realty.

But wasn’t hasn’t changed is the desirability of beachfront and other properties in the area, and the plethora of those owning second-homes in the area.

“We were here before the other real estate companies and the first to use the 30A name,” said For-

rester, who grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Shades Valley High School. “Today real estate in this area is very healthy. Inventory is a little low but foreclosures are way down and people selling are getting good value for their homes.”

She said 30A Realty’s buyers come from all across the country so they use technology to get as much real-time information to prospective buyers as well as visuals of the properties available.

“Thanks to MLS and apps, there are multiple

(504) 866-0276

exteriordesignsbev.com

Experience Matters.

Trust the care of your trees to the professionals.

Tree Removal Crane Services Stump Removal Tree Trimming 24 HOUR EMERGENCY STORM SERVICES Fully licensed & insured • Call for free estimates

205-956-3000 June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 29

real estate/homes

ways of searching for properties. We’ve also continued to update our website to provide as much updated information as possible in the most user-friendly format,” said Forrester. “That helps us and the people looking.”

She said they primarily focus on a 17-mile stretch in South Walton County along 30A, but also work properties in Destin and Fort Walton.

“We’re seeing more new construction and subdivisions since the demand is there but inventory is low,” said Forrester. “That’s especially true in places such as Seagrove Beach and South Walton.”

She added that new homes, subdivisions and condominiums continue to be built in communities such as Rosemary Beach, Inlet Beach and Alys Beach. “These areas become even more desirable places to live considering the new high-end retail and dining options that continue to open up,” said Forrester. For more information, go to www.30Arealty.com.

Breathe easier with preventive HVAC, plumbing maintenance

by Lee J. Green One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, who have been serving the Birmingham area since 1901, want to help their customers breathe easier as well as to save money on plumbing repair and water usage.

In the Deep South, spring is a time for allergies and it is estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. The technicians at One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning recommend a spring checklist to help.

Spring cleaning: Have one’s home dusted and cleaned frequently.

Wash bed linens and clothing weekly in hot water to help kill bacteria along with dust mites.

Avoid the temptation to air out the house: Opening windows and doors also brings pollen in from the outside.

Change air filters: Replace the filters for the HVAC system monthly or as required by the system’s manufacturer. A clean filter helps trap dust and pollutants. It also helps the unit operate more efficiently.

Get a tune-up: A national survey conducted by One Hour Heating and Air found that only about half of U.S. homeowners had their HVAC systems maintained within the past 12 months. That means families could be breathing in 365 days worth of pollen, dirt and irritants. A trained technician can clean and inspect one’s unit to make sure it is operating at peak efficiency. It could save energy and money.

IAQ and Ductwork: One Hour can upgrade air filtration systems and seal leaky duct work for improved air quality. Duct cleaning can remove contaminants and the company can offer upgrades to meet new building codes.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing said as the weather gets warmer the time is right to focus on plumbing. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average family uses about 320 gallons of water per day but that number can almost triple to 1,000 gallons per day in the warmer months.

The extra water usage can put my pressure on the plumbing to perform. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Plumbing inspection: A whole-house plumbing inspection by a trusted professional can detect leaks and problems people may not be aware of. Boilers and water heaters can be hazardous if they have defects.

Adjust the temperature of one’s hot water heater to 120 degrees: This can help save energy and reduce scalding.

Repair leaks: The EPA estimates more than one trillion gallons of water is wasted each year in U.S. homes. The biggest culprits are leaky faucets, valves and worn toilet flappers.

Upgrade plumbing: New government regulations for water heaters are in effect designed to make water heaters more energy efficient. Upgrading could help save money and the environment.

30 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Eight potential hiding places for mosquitoes in your yard The hot and wet weather of June doesn’t only trigger the start of summer across the South, the conditions also set in motion mosquito season, which is especially concerning this summer with reports of a relatively new mosquito-borne virus.

Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance; they are also a health threat. Some species common in the southern United States can carry and spread Zika virus, which has affected thousands of people in Central and South America and the Caribbean, and has been contracted by dozens of Americans traveling to those areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked Zika virus to birth defects and says there currently is no vaccine to prevent the virus.

The same type of mosquito that can carry Zika virus, Aedes aegypti, can also carry and spread Chikungunya virus and Dengue, while other species can transmit West Nile virus and canine heart worm.

The first sign of mosquito activity is usually buzzing from the female mosquitoes and their bites. These tiny insects could be living, flying and breeding right in your yard, and you might not even know it.

Where Mosquitos Breed

Female mosquitoes can lay as many as 100 eggs at a time. They can lay eggs in just a few inches of standing water, making pinpointing breeding sites a challenge. To help homeowners, Orkin Entomologist Ron Harrison reveals eight places mosquitos like the most and explains how you can help keep them out of the yard.

Gutters: If enough debris is left to collect over time, dirty gutters can clog up and create pockets of water perfect for mosquito breeding. Cleaning gutters regularly to make sure water is flowing smoothly will help keep mosquitos from breeding so close to your home.

Toys: They are an often overlooked source of standing water, but toys can collect pockets of water and just a few inches is enough for a mosquito to raise a (large) family.

Flower pots: Rainwater can collect in saucers under flower pots. If left to sit for days, the water becomes an excellent breeding spot for mosquitoes.

Bird baths: Even though birds eat a variety of insects, standing water in bird baths can become an oasis for female mosquitos looking for a place to lay eggs. When the water in bird baths is left unchecked for days at a time, it can quickly become a mosquito hot spot. Inspect and change the water in yours weekly to avoid an infestation.

Rain barrels: If water is used within a few days, it will likely not be enough time to create a mosquito problem. But if the water is left still for multiple days, be prepared to find a hotbed of hungry pests.

Plants: Some plants can hold water in their “mouth” and offer mosquitos enough standing water to lay their eggs. Other shrubbery can serve as a hide-out for grown mosquitoes. That’s because, in addition to blood, mosquitoes also feed on nectar from flowers, so they often hide out in shrubbery during the day. Thinning dense shrubbery can help reduce the number of adult mosquitoes in the yard by increasing air flow through the plant.

Cavities in trees: Each year, cavities in tree stumps and trunks are filled with water by rainfall or melting ice and snow. Because mosquitoes do not need much water to breed, they may choose these holes to lay eggs. While it can be difficult to remove the standing water, a licensed professional can help identify and treat these areas in the yard.

Low points in the yard: Any areas that are lower than the rest of your yard may collect and hold standing water. Make note of these areas when patrolling and make sure to inspect and drain them if necessary.

Take Back Your Yard What can you do? It’s important to do a weekly inspection of the entire yard to locate and eliminate any standing water and breeding places. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time; just take a walk around your property and look for the locations mentioned above. Also, it’s a good idea to encourage your neighbors to do the same so that mosquitos aren’t travelling from their yard to yours.

If you’ve done everything you can to help prevent mosquitos and are still having problems, you may need a licensed professional. For more details, visit Orkin.com.

real estate/homes

Crew Lending provides personal yet powerful financing programs

by Lee J. Green With interest rates still low and qualifying numbers continuing to rise, now is a good to time for mortgages or refinancing a home.

Jacob Cohen said what sets Birmingham’s Crew Lending apart from others is its quick turn-around times, e-signature options and ability to do business anywhere in the Southern Jewish Life magazine coverage area.

“We’re a boutique lending house so we can offer very personalized service. But we are also a division of Goldwater Bank, which can do business in 30 states,” said Cohen, who is in the Birmingham Overton Group, a board member for the ZBT chapter at the University of Alabama and a member of Temple Emanu-El. He grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Mountain Brook High School. Cohen then graduated in banking with the University of Alabama and earned his MBA from UAB. Cohen said Crew Lending offers a streamlined mortgage approval process that usually makes for quicker, less-hassle loan closes than banks or other lending companies.

“Technology has made the process more efficient and streamlined. We can do business with people outside of this area,” he said. “We can get a pre-approval completed in as quick as 30 minutes and don’t have to meet in person unless the buyers want to.”

Crew Lending offers a wide variety of mortgage programs to suit all needs, including jumbo financing, first-time buyer programs, loans for veterans, construction financing, home renovation financing and more.

For those who want weekly mortgage updates, text “rate” to 22828.

• The dog was upset and we put him at ease.

• Grandmother’s rocker is fragile, and we carried it as if she were sitting in it.

• Everything you own has its own special value, and we give it all special care.

• There were steps leading up to your door and we treated them as only a small obstacle.

• You were concerned about the cost of your move, and you learned our services are inexpensive.

• We promised courteous and attentive service and we delivered.

Jim Owens and the Team with the White Trucks

movebirmingham.com • 205-945-8339

Four Winds offers luxury apartments in New Orleans CBD

BEFORE

by Lee J. Green Jewish architect Emile Weil designed The Central Bank and Trust building in 1927. Now almost 90 years later, the historic structure blends tradition with modern amenities at the Four Winds luxury apartment living community in the heart of the New Orleans Central Business District.

Located at 210 Baronne Street, the building that once housed the bank and professional offices has been restored by the Kailas Companies and renovated using many of the same materials originally used.

“We aim to provide the tradition of New Orleans; the ideal location of the CBD and the modern amenities of a luxury apartment community,” said Four Winds Nola Community Manager Nicole Elia, an involved member of the New Orleans area Jewish community.

Amenities include the largest residential rooftop pool and sundeck in the CBD, complemented with grills and outdoor TVs. Four Winds also includes a state-of-the-art fitness center complete with a Yoga studio and a dry sauna. The community boasts a 3D movie screening room and unlimited WiFi building-wide.

The one, two and three-bedroom units and penthouses come with white-marble baths, hand-blown light fixtures, stone kitchen countertops and 90-year-old reclaimed wood floors.

The Four Winds community is steps away from French Quarter restaurants, Julia Street art galleries and Magazine Street shopping.

“We know people have busy lifestyles. Having an apartment community support that environment is essential to creating a low-stress lifestyle,” said Elia. “Finding the perfect fit along with proper amenities can be difficult and time consuming. We want to make it easy by offering top-of-the-line luxury geared for the finest residents.”

Isn’t it long past time for an update?

AFTER

Roofing Painting Remodeling

PMP Construction Paul Pedersen, Owner

Happy to do work throughout central Alabama

205-541-4822

pmpconstruction@att.net

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 31

real estate/homes

With care, Persian rugs last a lifetime For those looking for exquisite rugs in the Birmingham area, Nilipour has it covered.

Hossein Nilipour had been in the rug business with his father in their native Iran. He came to the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a fulltime student in 1970, but he missed the rug business so he started selling fine rugs again and decided to take classes at night.

He graduated and his wife, Susan, joined him in the business. Their daughter, Soraya, also owns and manages the store, making it three generations in the rug business.

Susan Nilipour said the Homewood store imports rugs mainly from Iran, Pakistan and India but also China, Turkey, Russia and Romania.

“We’re a full-service oriental rug dealer. We buy, we trade, and we sell. We also clean, restore, repair and appraise rugs as well,” she said.

Nilipour said distinguishing superior quality rugs from others centers on the knot count. “The higher the knot count, the better. The strength of Persian rugs makes them last a long time,” she said.

When asked how they appraise rugs, Nilipour said it’s about craftsmanship. “I can take a rug and determine where it came from and the quality to come up with a value when they bring them in,” she said.

Nilipour said they did a lot of cleaning of rugs that were severely muddied or damaged in the 2011 tornadoes that ravaged Alabama, as well as the devastation that followed Hurricane Katrina.

She said rugs can last decades, even centuries — she once sold a rug that was more than 200 years old. Nilipour advises regular cleaning of the rugs to help ensure a longer life.

“Clean them often. If you have animals, clean the rugs at least yearly,” she said. “Don’t wear rubber-soled shoes. They’re like car tires gripping and pulling on the wool knots. Instead wear leather shoes or go barefoot. Also, keep the rugs out of direct sunlight. It can damage rugs and make them fade. Be sure to get your windows treated and cleaned.”

Upscale apartment living at redone Retreat at Mountain Brook Technology and nature commune as one at the Birmingham area’s new upscale apartment living community, The Retreat at Mountain Brook, which offers everything from a community garden to resident coffee lounges equipped with Wi-Fi and nearby hiking trails.

Located on 80 acres neighboring Mountain Brook, the community started a $7 million, 18-month renovation after it was acquired by California-based development community Heller Stone.

“The intent was creating an upscale environment for residents wanting to have it all,” said Arlington Properties Regional Manager Tami Stertmeyer.

“The Retreat offers a plethora of modern amenities for our residents that include a community garden, three saltwater resort-style pools, two stateof-the-art fitness centers, two resident coffee lounge areas equipped with Wi-Fi, championship-modeled tennis courts and walking trails.”

Stertmeyer said that not only is The Retreat at Mountain Brook pet-friendly, but the community features a 6,500-square-foot dog park equipped with agility stations to “keep our beloved pets happy and healthy.”

She said the apartments’ interior space features spacious living and dining rooms; open kitchens with stainless steel appliances; electric fireplaces, designer plank flooring; an entertaining/bar area; oversized balconies; sunrooms and terrace level apartment homes that have fenced-in yard spaces.

When the community was originally built years ago it was known as the grand community of its time. Later, a gas station, convenience store and a nursery school were built on the borders of the community. Today, the community has regained its grand status, the community garden and dog park are located where the gas station and convenience store were located and the new clubhouse is located where the nursery school once operated.

Stertmeyer said The Retreat and Mountain Brook team is happy to provide community and apartment tours to interested parties, and virtual tours can be taken online.

Looking for a modern kitchen? Berman Group relies on NeedCo Cabinets

by Lee J. Green NeedCo Inc. Cabinets and Gil Berman continue to build upon their successes.

Berman, an involved member of the Birmingham area Jewish community and owner of The Berman Group Inc. home builders, land developers and remodelers, said the central Alabama cabinet maker has been the perfect fit on several of his projects.

“They provide a wide variety of cabinets; they do custom and factory cabinets well and they have experienced designers who are great to work with,” he said.

NeedCo Owner David Harrison had been in the HVAC business for 25 years. He started doing woodworking as a hobby and decided to follow his passion by opening up NeedCo in 2000. The company would expand to Tuscaloosa and Homewood in the ensuing years.

NeedCo General Manager Chrissy Bushnell said the goal is to be a “onestop shop. We have talented designers on staff and we focus on service plus customization.”

Bushnell said today homeowners want to be more involved in the process. “They want to be more hands-on. By that I mean they want to know more about the products, process and service,” she added.

As far as trends in cabinets, tile and countertops go, Bushnell said “simple, streamlined and grey colors are in right now.”

She also said that today’s kitchens are more high-tech and things such as electrical chargers can be implemented into the cabinetry, making everything more space- and user-friendly.

32 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

NeedCo also employs technology in its showrooms to show customers the 3D designs of their renderings.

“We pride ourselves on our showrooms. We want designers and customers to really be able to see how a project will turn out,” said Bushnell.

Berman was born for the building business. His father, Floyd Berman, was a homebuilder and land developer for many years, and Gil grew up in the business.

He started developing and building in Miami then moved back to Birmingham in 1991 and formed The Berman Group.

“In the 1990s, much of what I did was speculative homebuilding and land development, but starting in the 2000s we transitioned into custom homebuilding and remodeling to complement the neighborhood development projects,” said Berman. “And I agree with Chrissy’s assessment that more people today seem to want modern, simple, sleek designs versus the traditional.”

Berman said that many of his customers want to stay in their current house but expand, add on or update. He referenced a job in 2015 for Nitu Caplash, modernizing a ranch-style house in the Mountain Brook area. The sleek styled cabinetry used in this project was custom built by NeedCo. Berman said he is happy to offers individuals advice on how much they should invest in a remodeling/expansion project based on the value of the house and how long they plan to remain living there, or if they want to sell the place relatively soon.

“My whole philosophy is that communication and teamwork are the key to a successful relationship with every customer,” he said.

real estate/homes

Words of wisdom regarding the current housing market Technology a big factor in real estate success at Keller-Williams Keller-Williams Realty, the only agency in which every agent has his or her own mobile app, can show agents and clients available real estate in an area in real time.

Jill Williams has been selling real estate for 23 years, and she said in all her years of experience in the industry, the biggest change has been technology.

“The speed in which a client can get this important information is the greatest advantage an agent has these days,” she said. “People can download our app and get MLS listings updated every 24 hours on their phone and homes in the area that match what they are looking for right away at their fingertips.”

When Williams started, an agent’s only tools to help generate new sales were big telephone books. Now everything is automated and that provides many advantages to agents, buyers and sellers.

According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors, a prospective buyer looks at between six and 10 houses before making a decision.

With inventory being lower in the Birmingham area and everything trending toward a sellers’ market, real estate agents need to be resourceful to find properties as soon as they come on the market.

Still, sellers need to consider a few things in order to help ensure their home sells more quickly and for as much money as possible. “The house needs to be in immaculate condition and we say that less is better. Take down personal pictures and make it to where prospective buyers can see themselves and their stuff in the house,” said Williams. “An agent can also help a seller determine what is realistic and what they feel buyers will be willing to pay.”

She said Keller-Williams has a whole team that can help sellers to stage their homes to prepare for sale. “These days if a home is staged well and priced right, it will sell within three months,” added Williams.

Realty South’s Bridget Sikora focused on Mountain Brook/Vestavia Bridget Sikora, a top-ranked tennis player and Realty South agent who is also a longtime, involved member of the Birmingham area Jewish community, serves her clients well with her strong experience, especially in Mountain Brook and Vestavia real estate sales and listings.

“Our family has lived for years in Mountain Brook and I know the area well,” said Sikora, who works out of Realty South’s Crestline Village office.

“But I think why I have been successful is mainly because I care about people. I am a good listener and I go the extra mile to ensure that we find just the right fit for a buyer as well as the most money for a seller.”

Aided by technology, Sikora can find listings even when areas around Birmingham have low inventory. “In the Overton Road corridor near Chabad you are seeing a lot of homeowners building onto their foundation or tearing a house down then building a larger house to stay there,” she said.

But for those who want to move into a newer place and growing area, Sikora said the relocation of Trinity Hospital, now Grandview Medical Center, to the Highway 280/Interstate 459 corridor has brought a resurgence to the Caldwell Crossings area, with those houses selling quickly.

Even though the market continues to push even further toward a seller’s market, Sikora advised sellers to work with Realty South, which can contract with staging companies.

“They can do some minor touch-ups or a complete re-do, including fake TVs, computers, dishes and accessories that enhance the appearance of the house. Buyers want to be able to see themselves in the house. The staging companies also can work with interior designers,” she said. “But the most important thing for sellers to work with us on is setting the price. If a house is priced right, it will sell more quickly.”

Fresh & Fun Sushi Full Thai Menu Special Lunch Menu includes coconut tofu soup or ginger salad

Tue - Thurs: 11a-9p Friday: 11a-10p Saturday: 12p-10p Sunday: 11a-9p

4704 205/ Cahaba River Rd Birmingham 970-7570 norithaiandsushi.com

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 33

real estate/homes

RealtySouth’s Bert Siegel says be ready to present

15 years of experience in Birmingham real estate and was the youngest managing broker for the area’s largest agency.

Even though it’s a seller’s market, Birmingham Jewish community mem“ARC Realty has a uniquely talented group of realtors with experience in ber and RealtySouth Agent Bert Siegel said that sellers who get their home all types of transactions,” said Bevis. ready to present will rise above the competition to get more money from buyers.

“Today’s buyers are more choosy. They want a house that looks ‘ready’ for them to move in to; one that is clean and presented well,” said Siegel, who started in real estate 16 years ago after 25 years in the auto parts business.

“First impressions are very important. Start from the outside and work Paul Pedersen, owner of PMP Construction, said that a client of his had your way in. Cleaning, de-cluttering and updating do wonders,” he said. been trying to sell his house for more than three years. He got PMP to paint Siegel said the school system is still usually the most important factor the house and it sold one day after the job was completed. when buyers choose a house and neighborhood. For those who want new “It’s amazing how an easy thing such as repainting a house can add so construction, more options abound further away from the Birmingham city much value,” said Pedersen, who started in the business in 2001 after a cacenter. reer in IT with the phone companies. “That’s just one of the many things we Siegel estimated that more than 90 percent of the people start their search can provide for clients.” on the internet. He and RealtySouth keep current on listings through MLS. Pedersen said for those selling a home, improvements to the kitchen and Siegel is also a Certified Residential Specialist, which was earned due to bathroom are the two most important areas of the house’s interior. PMP experience, knowledge and volume of sales. builds and repairs decks, roofing, does interior/exterior renovations, painting, repairs, building of screened-in porches, construction of media/game rooms, and more.

ARC Realty grows through creativity, innovation He is originally from the northeast but has lived in the Birmingham area for ARC Realty has experienced high-arching growth since the company was many years. “For those in the Southeast, humidity is a big factor. People need founded in Birmingham a few years ago by veteran real estate professionals to be on the alert for moisture and mold. We recommend a once-per-year mold Tommy Brigham, Beau Bevis, Mechelle Wilder and Dale McIntyre. and mildew cleaning service that we are happy to provide,” said Pedersen.

Chairman Brigham said “while our industry has faced challenging ecoThunderstorms are also prevalent in the south and with some of those nomic conditions in recent years, it’s been a time for creativity and innova- come hail. Pedersen said they can identify even minimal hail damage on tion. We’re eager to continue to find new ways to connect home buyers and roofs that insurance companies could cover to have replaced. sellers.”

“Usually a roof will last 20 to 30 years but hail damage can reduce that a ARC Realty President and Qualifying Broker Beau Bevis has more than lot,” he said.

PMP Construction shows the importance and value of renovations

34 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

real estate/homes

The Maids goes the extra mile

by Lee J. Green Two things set The Maids apart from other cleaning services in Alabama and North Atlanta — the removal of dust, and also hiring people that their customers can trust.

They put a lot of time and resources into hiring the most qualified and responsible staff, and are also well known for providing a more thorough and healthy clean, each and every time.

“Most other cleaning companies just move dust around. We move it out of the house,” said David Senseman, co-owner of The Maids Alabama/ North Atlanta. “Approximately 75 percent of the dust is within three inches of the wall. We vacuum, edge and clean the baseboards. Most other cleaning companies don’t do this. We clean and disinfect all frames and woodwork to get rid of the bacteria and dust allergens.”

Senseman said they use something even stronger than Hepa filtration.

“Our filters exceed those standards considerably. The holes are just large enough for a molecule of air to pass through but water or dust molecules can’t pass through. Even one strand of hair sliced 200 times would not go through the holes.”

The Maids has thus received much positive feedback and can relay many success stories. One customer in Montgomery had their son whose allergies were so bad he had to go to the allergist to get a shot once a week. After some regular cleanings by The Maids, the 12-year-old boy is healthy and only goes back once every nine months for check-ups.

Another important competitive advantage is the people The Maids hires and how thoroughly they train them, added Senseman.

He said they run extensive background, criminal and reference checks before hiring its employees. The new hires then learn from more experienced employees, in a classroom environment, before stepping foot into a customer’s home.

“It’s not just about having employees who do an effective job cleaning; it’s about having dependable people that we and our customers can trust,” said Senseman.

“Trust is important, since many of our customers give us a key and their alarm code to come in and clean when they are not there.”

Landscaping, hardscaping — and escaping

by Lee J. Green Nature One Landscape Design lets people enjoy the outdoors while still having the comforts of home, through outdoor living spaces, outdoor kitchens, water features, fire pits, patios and other additions.

“We’re seeing a growing trend of people wanting to spend more time outside, especially during the spring and fall months,” said Nature One owner Kevin Thienpont, who founded the Birmingham landscape/hardscape design/build company in 2000. “But they want the inside comforts in their outdoor spaces.”

He said, “we’re doing a lot of outdoor kitchens, fire pits and spaces to entertain. It’s so much easier to set up and clean up a party space such as these.”

Thienpont said they consider themselves an outdoor, turnkey design and build company. Nature One also has a division that can provide service and continuing maintenance on jobs they have done for customers.

“It’s all about function and flow coming together,” said Thienpont of the process. “We can customize these outdoor spaces to meet someone’s desires.”

He recommended to not exceed 20 percent of the value of one’s home on hardscaping and landscaping projects. Sometimes, Thienpont has recommended just rehabbing what a homeowner already has versus doing an overhaul that might not be necessary.

Building your Man Cave? BumperNets has your pool tables, pinball, table tennis and more!

• Visit our 3 Stores at the Riverchase Galleria Mall for Shopping and Family Entertainment • Convenient Outside Entrance • Safe, Friendly Environment with Over 100 Things to do for the Family

• Celebrating 18 Years in Business • We Offer Professional Billiard, Arcade and Pinball Repairs and Service

• A+ BBB Business Rating

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 35

Is your security system behind the times?

The Filling Station 5524 Crestwood Blvd Birmingham 205/592.3455 facebook.com/ ThefillingstationBHAM

Spinach and Artichoke Dip for a Party

Alscan’s new network-based security systems can be monitored and controlled from anywhere.

You can even monitor your business from your castle.

Our Business is Minding YoursTM CCTV

ACCESS CONTROL PERIMETER PROTECTION Atlanta Birmingham www.alscaninc.com • 800-951-0051

(serves 20-25) 3 pounds frozen spinach 2 quarts heavy cream 24 ounces cream cheese 3 cups canned, chopped, artichoke hearts

1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 cups Parmesan cheese 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients except Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cook in a pan on medium hot until all the cream cheese is melted. Add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Pour the ingredients into a pan or casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling. Serve with tortilla and pita chips.

KOSHER-STYLE RECIPE

The Filling Station

by Lee J. Green

The Filling Station in Crestwood is perfect for those who want some great body fuel and to fill up on everything from generations-old Sicilian recipes to pizzas with a large selection of craft beer.

Bobby Lorino and Pat Sanford, who also own Rogue Tavern and Pale Eddie’s on 2nd Ave North in downtown Birmingham, opened up The Filling Station in a converted old gas station at the Crestwood Plaza on Crestwood Blvd last December.

Lorino, who lives just a couple of blocks from The Filling Station, had been eyeing the location for a while and took some notes from a restaurant that located in a former service station in Roswell, Ga. “I live in Crestwood and love Crestwood. We want to give this area a place that was like nothing else here and give them everything we would want out of a great place to eat and hang out,” said Lorino.

When the weather is nice, the large service bay doors are open and the seating both outside as well as inside is usually packed. Capacity is 60 indoors and 60 outdoors.

One of the other things that makes The Filling Station unique is that on most of the pizzas and the Italian dishes, they use a special marinara sauce recipe from Lorino’s great-grandmother back in Sicily. The meatballs also come from an old Lorino family recipe.

The marinara sauce is seasoned with pork, however several items on the menu are already kosher-style, including the grilled cheese, Margherita pizza, toasted cheese ravioli, triple dip, tomato bisque and several salads.

Whenever possible, The Filling Station is happy to customize a dish to one’s level of kashrut.

The Filling Station offers a full bar that always includes 24 craft beers on tap. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m.

“It’s our goal every time to give our customers a unique, pleasurable dining experience,” said Lorino.

36 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

Continued from page 38

Don’t waste time being confused…

Call us and say

Let’s see you try to ritually slaughter one of those things.

Giving one paws

Due to a typo in a contract, our featured rabbinic guest was a bit more rabbitic. Lettuce begin…

2004, “Ask the Rabbit” Is it possible to eat a bacon cheeseburger pizza on Passover, without violating the dietary laws regarding Passover?

By the year-round standards of keeping kosher, having meat toppings on a cheese pizza is not kosher, not to mention having bacon at all. However, while eating that combination is a violation of the general rules of kosher, having it on matzah does not violate any rules of keeping kosher specific to Passover itself.

Audio Video

2005, “Splitting hares” What’s it like growing up as a Jewish rabbit?

Since I’ve never grown up as anything besides a Jewish rabbit, I have no real basis for comparison.

We make the complex simple

Security Camera

(205) 520-0511 HookMeUpTech.com

State License #060

Come test drive our great new 2016 Mazdas!

Is there a Jewish belief about whether someone gets good luck from carrying a rabbit’s foot?

I always have two with me, and I still have trouble getting a good parking spot. But if I had my way, the only people going around with a rabbit’s foot would be those who are walking on them.

2006, “Reb Wallenstein’s Day” Was there a Reb Wallenstein’s Day Massacre?

MAZDA MIATA

Definitely. On a single day, three different brides fled the chupah. Today, that’s a sitcom pilot. Back then, it was unheard of.

MAZDA CX3 35 MPG Hwy

2011, “The Year of the Rabbi” Why should we believe the Year of the Rabbit was really first the Year of the Rabbi?

In the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes creativity, compassion, sensitivity, friendliness, outgoingness, belief in community and family, and conflict avoidance. Rabbits approach confrontation calmly and with consideration. If that doesn’t sound like your rabbi, form a search committee.

Bobby Bloomston SALES & LEASING

Member of the Mazda President’s Club and Selected to the Council of Automobile Sales Excellence for 10 Years

Med Center

80 Drivers Way • Pelham • Just off I-65 exit 246 • www.medcentermazda.com ALA TOLL FREE 1-800-749-0929 •

Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who is a rabbid reader of the obscure, especially that which doesn’t exist. To read these or any other past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, like facebook.com/the.beholders.eye.

205-222-6444

Central Ala. Israel mission planned Montgomery’s rabbis to lead fall trip

Select Your Caregiver

The Jewish Federation of Central Alabama will have a community mission to Israel this fall, led by Rabbi Elliot Stevens of Temple Beth Or and Rabbi Scott Kramer of Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem.

The customized tour includes over a dozen behind-the-scenes briefings with political and military leaders, visits to programs supported by Federations, and the regular tourist sites.

The mission will depart on Oct. 30 and return on Nov. 10. The package includes round-trip airfare from New York, many meals, two nights in Tel Aviv, two nights at a Kibbutz in the Galilee and five nights in Jerusalem. Visits will include the sister city of Dimona, the Technion in Haifa, residents of Sderot by the Gaza Strip, an IDF base in the Golan, Masada, a meeting at the Knesset and more.

The trip is coordinated by Ayelet Tours, and the Federation is subsidizing the trip by $500 per participant.

• Senior Home Care • Temporary or Long-Term • Joyful Companionship • Meal Preparation • Light Housekeeping • Transportation

• Up to 24-Hour Care • Available all Holidays and Weekends • Hygiene Assistance • Medication Reminders • Incontinence Care • Respite for Family Caregiver

(205) 719-1996

3516 Vann Road, Suite 104B, Birmingham, AL 35235 www.visitingangels.com/northernbirmingham

June 2016 • Southern Jewish Life 37

RT Catering

Pale Eddie’s

for any Simcha, corporate event or other celebration 205.202.4151

2308 2nd Ave N Birmingham 205.542.5562 paleeddiespourhouse.com

come see us soon!

your friends at Rogue Tavern, RT Catering, The Filling Station & Pale Eddie’s!

The Filling Station

Pizza café and bar

Rabbinic revelations Later this year will mark the 20th anniversary of this column. Leading up to that momentous event, a short series of columns will revisit tidbits from over the years.

This month’s column provides snippets of Jewish teachings from various lesser-known rabbinic sources.

Tall mood

Sun-W: 11a-9p Th-Sat: 11am-10p 5524 Crestwood Blvd Birmingham 205.592.3455 facebook.com/ThefillingstationBHAM

The order Nezikin was split in three: Bava Kama, Bava Metzia and Bava Batra. These translate as “The First Gate,” “The Middle Gate,” and “The Last Gate.”

The Chief Rabbi didn’t notice a fourth set of volumes, being read by the delivery guy. Later realizing the omission, the delivery guy left them at his usual dropoff: Bava Gump, “The Service Gate.”

Rogue Tavern

great food, spirits & live entertainment M-Th: 11a-11p F-Sa: 11am-1a 2312 2nd Ave N Birmingham 205.202.4151 roguetavern.com

More Southern

rear pew mirror • doug brook

Life online at www.sjlmag.com!

Check our Website for updates between issues

1998, “Carving a Passover niche” In the renowned Mishnah tractate Bava Gump, different maxims are explored and a simple solution is finally presented. In verses known by their Latin title, the Nissan Maxima, the rabbis wrote: “We think it best to celebrate the new year in Tishrei. After all, that’s when Rosh Hashanah appears on next year’s calendar.”

THE WISDOM OF BAVA GUMP AND OTHER OBSCURE RABBINIC WORKS

2005, “Bava Who?” For years, this column scoured the earth, wind, and fire for any artifacts from the legendary “Other Bavas,” including Bava Sutra (uniquely linked to Bava Kama), Bava Ria (laws regarding life in middle Europe), Bava Ganoush (laws regarding foreign cuisine), Bava Rino (laws regarding early sitcom characters), and others.

Stalag might

Judaism is believed to have started with Abraham, but Bava Gump recounts a rabbinic Stone Age… 2004, “Gurb the Caveman Rabbi” Rabbi, we seek enlightenment about the recent discovery of fire.

That’s easy. If you stand near enough to the fire, it will enlighten you until it burns out.

But we’re prohibited from doing work on the Sabbath. Does that mean starting a fire is prohibited?

Of course it does. Have you ever tried to light a fire? It’s a lot of work!

Celebrating Our 34th Year Family Owned and Operated!!

1629 Oxmoor Road Homewood, AL 35209 (205) 871-7837 Visit us in-store or at www.applausedancewear.net to stock up your dance bag for everything you need!

Katie Wade Faught – owner

38 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016

2005, “No stone unturned” Middle Eastern caveman Jews actually received the sacred scroll generations before it was given at Sinai?

Of course we received it. And it was a lot harder for us to receive. By the time the Torah was regifted at Sinai, you had parchment. All we had was stone tablets. Boy, did that take a long time to bring down the hill. You think Moses made a mess smashing his two tablets? If he’d gotten what we were given, there’d have been an avalanche.

Were any kinds of dinosaur considered kosher?

We never considered that.

Why not? continued on previous page

WHATEVER YOUR STYLE We add variety to senior living.

No matter what lifestyle you’re looking for in a senior community, Noland Health Services offers several exciting views on living.

From city life to country dwelling, we create a senior lifestyle to look forward to with new opportunities and friendships. Just one look at our communities, and you’ll know why more seniors choose Noland Health Services.

• Independent Living • Assisted Living • Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care • Short Term Rehabilitation

Greenbriar at the Altamont

• Skilled Nursing

Charming City Life on Birmingham’s Historic Highland Ave.

(205) 323-2724

East Glen

Center for Nursing and Rehab, across from St. Vincent’s East

(205) 836-4231

Village at Cook Springs

The Oaks on Parkwood

Convenient Suburban Living just minutes from the Galleria

(205) 497-4560

Sylacauga Health and Rehab

Serene Country Living just down the road, off I-20 East

Conveniently located on West Fort Williams Street

(205) 822-0405

(256) 245-7402

Call Today. We’ll be happy to arrange a tour. www.nolandhealth.com

40 Southern Jewish Life • June 2016