Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, September 2021

Southern Jewish Life

September 2021 Volume 31 Issue 9

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213 Ahavas Chesed, Mobile

shalom y’all Sometimes, a simple comment or observation can have ripples far beyond imagination.

In June, Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg died, leaving a legacy that he never could have predicted. In the mid-1970s, he arrived in San Antonio and transformed a small Orthodox synagogue into a vibrant institution that he led for nearly 50 years. Dayenu, right?

Well, how about millions of Christians seeing him as their rabbi, as he became a pivotal figure in reconciliation between Christians and Jews, though his name isn’t particularly well known in Jewish circles?

How did that happen? In 1981, after Israel bombed the Osirak nuclear facility in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein was rumored to be developing a nuclear bomb, a San Antonio pastor was dumbfounded at the vociferous criticism of Israel. They did the right thing, he thought, and decided that his Cornerstone Church should have a night honoring Israel.

So John Hagee invited other churches in the area to join in the tribute. The response was, to put it mildly, underwhelming. It was suggested to him that he invite the Jewish community. He found a listing for the Jewish Federation, which he previously did not know about, contacted them and told them of his plan.

As Hagee is fond of retelling, he found out what Federations do. They formed a committee to discuss this odd proposal, as Christian Zionism wasn’t even on the radar yet. After one lengthy discussion, Scheinberg said that we Jews know how to deal with enemies.

What if it turns out that this guy is really a friend?

With that kosher stamp, Hagee went forth and put together the first Night to Honor Israel. After it was announced, he started getting death threats, and very little buy-in from churches in the area.

Despite the threats, Hagee was determined to push forward, and they did have a packed house for the event. But as Scheinberg gave the benediction at the end of the program, the security person told Hagee there was a bomb threat with a five-minute warning.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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commentary

MESSAGES

Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games

I have had the honor of attending many Maccabi competitions around the world. From Israel dalized in games 2015, around Hagee rushed over to offer Scheinberg finished,Europe Hagee toWhen Australia to South America, andmenthe JCC Maccabi the United States to be thea vehicle Jewish tocommunity and contioned the threat.

Seeingmany the reality of anand Canada, I have logged miles seeing howsupport sports can help build Jewish tisemitism, as Hagee leftyoung. the stage with his demn the vandalism. A video of Hagee and identity, especially in our wife and the Israeli Consul General, he vowed Scheinberg taken that day has been shown at I felt honored to come to Birmingham for the first time and fell in love with not just the city to have a similar event every year, until the an- CUFI pastor’s luncheons, not to self-congratbut the people. You have taken Southern hospitality to a but newto level your kind and caring ulate, tellwith Christians that if something tisemites got used to it. approach to the JCC Maccabi Games.

The event grew, and Hagee and Scheinberg like that happens in their area, they better Led byclose the Sokol and Helds, your hard-workingshow volunteers were wonderful.

They partnered up and speak out. became friends. with your outstanding staff,

by Betzy Lynch, Maccabi gamesa arabbi hugesughit.

All ofthe this2017 wasJCC possible because In 2006, Hagee decided theled time was right for to make I want to take this opportunity of Maccabi USAseemingly to say thankunlikely you on behalf that this partner him to try again with churches, as butexecutive this timedirector on gested everyone involved. aofnational level.

He invited 400 evangelical lead- might in fact be a friend.

Togames continue thewith model ofdelegation genuine of relaersI from across the country, Pastor had just returned from the including 20th World Maccabiah in Israel a U.S. tionships between Christians and Jews, CUFI Bob Somerville of Huntsville, to San Antonio.

He over 1100, who joined 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries. Back in July the eyes of the entire established Rabbi Scheinberg told them thatwere theyon needed to engage the recently Jewish world Jerusalem and thewith Maccabiah.

This past month withthe 1000 athletes and Fellowship, which will consist of Jewish community out of “mutual esteem, love coaches from around the world being in Birmingham, you became the focal point. 18 pairs of and respect” and envisioned having a Night to pastors and rabbis in 18 different cities. They Everyone from thestate Jewish community at large,texts including a wonderful will study sacred together, have monthHonor Israel in every within the year.and the community police force, commended. games go down in history as being a seminal ly virtual meetings about Israel, hold mutual Hagee saysare it istoa be miracle that the These 400 were in will moment forand the that Jewish as we the future in bytheir providing wonderful Jewish cities,such advocate for additionagreement, wascommunity the beginning of build Chris-to programs memories. al genuine relationships in their communities, tians United for Israel — which now has 10 million supporters, and before Covid, hundreds of and travel to Israel as a group.

Jed Margolis In this age when antisemitism is on the rise pro-Israel around the country Executiveevents Director, Maccabi USA each year.

That initial year, CUFI Nights to Honor Israel and many traditional allies have been distant, were held in Shreveport and Jackson. Around it is essential to look around at who might acsupremacists would like to see pushed back the some rabbis took part while oth- tually be a friend.

Oncountry, Charlottesville into a corner and made to feel lesser. We stand And at a time when there is so much hate ers were suspicious of this new group — suswith and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, Editor’s that Note:have This diminished reaction to the events in and bad news, we figured it was time to reflect picions with time. who was there standing up to the face of this Charlottesville, The flagshipwritten event by stillJeremy takesNewman, place every on a story of love and respect. hate.

Master theAntonio, Alpha Epsilon Theta Colony May Rabbi Scheinberg’s memory be a conyear in of San and inPi40 years, just the We recognize American at Auburn University, wasraised sharedwell

by AEPi blessing the foressence Israel, of forthe the American San Antonio event has over $100 tinued narrative as a two-century rid National, it “very causes. eloquent” and Jewish community and forold thestruggle Christiantoworld. million forwhich Israelicalled and Jewish ourselves such to corners, praised “ouradvocacy brothers atfor AEPi Theta Colony at Shanahof Tovah all y’all!and allow those in Though Israel is the cornerAuburn and… the they the them the seat at the table that they so deserve. stone ofUniversity CUFI’s activities, inleadership recent years display on theirhas campus. organization been” increasingly outspo- It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the ken in the fight against antisemitism in the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with U.S. and worldwide.

White Scheinberg’s supremacy has been a cancer onvan- certain unalienable rights. ” WePublisher/Editor know our work When congregation was Lawrence Brook, our country since its beginning, threatening is far from finished, but we know we will not its hopes, its values, and its better angels. move backwards.

The events that took place in Charlottesville When men and women, fully armed, take represented the worst of this nation. Those to the streets in droves with swastikas and who marched onto the streets with tiki torches other symbols of hate, it is a reminder of how and swastikas did so to provoke violence and relevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism fear. Those who marched onto the streets did are today.

It is a wake-up call to the work that so to profess an ideology that harkens back to needs to be done to ensure a better, more a bleaker, more wretched time in our history. welcoming country.

But it should not come A time when men and women of many creeds, without a reflection on how far we’ve come. races, and religions were far from equal and far America was born a slave nation. A century from safe in our own borders. A time where into our history we engaged in a war in part Americans lived under a constant cloud of to ensure we would not continue as one. We racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The events that took place in Charlottesville served found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure as a reminder of how painfully relevant these the fair treatment of all peoples no matter their issues are today. skin color. Although we’ve made great strides, Auburn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi stands with the it is a mission we’re still grappling with today.

Jewish community of Charlottesville, and with the Jewish people around the country and around the world. We also stand with the minorities who are targeted by the hate that was on display in Charlottesville. We stand with the minorities of whom these white

4 September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

America was also born an immigrant country. As early as the pilgrims, many groups and families found in the country the opportunity to plant stakes, chase their future, and be themselves. Few were met with open

January 2021 September 2021

Southern Jewish Life PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Friedman richard@sjlmag.com V.P. SALES/MARKETING, NEW ORLEANS Jeff Pizzo jeff@sjlmag.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com SOCIAL/WEB Emily Baldwein connect@sjlmag.com PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rivka Epstein, Louis Crawford, Tally Werthan, Stuart Derroff, Belle Freitag, Ted Gelber, E. Walter Katz, Doug Brook brookwrite.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213 2179 Highland Ave., Birmingham, AL 35205 205/870.7889 NEW ORLEANS OFFICE 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002 504/249-6875 TOLL-FREE 888/613.YALL(9255) ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to 205/870.7889 for Lee Green, lee@sjlmag.com Jeff Pizzo, jeff@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.

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agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

In 52 years, a lot of relationships have been formed at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica.

Shown here are campers and staff members from this summer who are children of former Jacobs campers.

Link-Raviv named new Consul General in Houston Louisiana is part of Southwest consulate’s territory Consul General Livia Link-Raviv was appointed to lead the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest United States, based in Houston.

“It is a true honor to represent the State of Israel in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas,” she said. “I am very excited to get to know all of Israel’s great friends that exist here in the Southwest U.S. and to work toward strengthening these already incredibly strong ties.”

Link-Raviv has been a career diplomat in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the past 20 years. She has served in Caracas, Venezuela, as deputy ambassador and in Rome, Italy, as counsellor for public diplomacy. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has worked in the Department for International Organizations, coordinating policy vis-à-vis the United Nations; directed the MFA’s Cadet Course, leading the training and preparation of the next generation of diplomats; and in the Legal Adviser Division in charge of economic affairs. She has also served as the director of the Pacific Department.

Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Link-Raviv practiced law as a mediator in the Family Court. She holds a Bachelor degree

Consul General Livia Link-Raviv met with Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, during her first visit to San Antonio. in Law and a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution, both from Hebrew University, and is a member of the Israeli Bar Association and is a mediator.

She succeeds Gilad Katz as consul general, and began her time in Houston in August.

Nola Federation shuffles dates of coming events With the resurgence of Covid and the highly-contagious Delta strain, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans has changed plans for some upcoming events.

Instead of an in-person annual celebration in October, the Federation’s annual meeting and election of officers will be held on Zoom, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. The annual celebration has been moved to Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., with a kosher dinner at the Jerome Glazer Audubon Tea Room.

The dinner is co-sponsored by Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert LLC, Hancock Whitney, the Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries, Lakeside and Northshore Toyota, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, LaPorte CPAs and Business Advisors, and Highflyer Payroll and HR Experts.

The Major Donor Dinner scheduled for late August has been moved to Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., at the Windsor Court Hotel. The dinner is underwritten by Darryl and Louellen Berger and the Windsor Court Hotel.

More information about the in-person events will be announced as they approach.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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agenda

Fifty years ago, Lesley Silver started an art gallery in downtown Vicksburg, specializing in Mississippi art. A 50th anniversary celebration will be held at the Attic Gallery on Oct. 2, starting at 6 p.m. and featuring 50 artists who have been involved with the gallery. There will be a Living With Art walking tour downtown, with businesses and private homes displaying their pieces from the gallery’s artists. The businesses will be available during normal hours Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, and the homes will be open on Oct. 2.

Jerusalem choir concert simulcast

Ziggy Marley will be among the special guest stars for the Jerusalem Youth Chorus’ Gala Concert on Sept. 12 at noon.

While the concert can be viewed by anyone in the world, the Shreveport Jewish community is among the sponsors of the event, and will host a watch party at the Robinson Film Center. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., and tickets are $20 per family. Masks will be required at the theatre, and there will not be food service. Registration is also available for viewing at home.

Established in 2012, the chorus is a choral and dialogue program for Israeli and Palestinian youth in Jerusalem. “Through pandemic and war, our Israeli and Palestinian young singers have not stopped meeting — they have continued engaging in deep dialogue and writing original songs that lift up their realities in this time and their dreams for the future.”

The group has performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and at the United Nations in Geneva and the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Tickets are available at JYCGlobalGala.eventcombo.com. Those planning to attend the watch party should put “Shreveport” in the comments during registration.

6 September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

agenda Southern Jewish Historical conference going virtual The Southern Jewish Historical Society announced that its annual meeting, scheduled for Charleston, S.C., from Oct. 22 to 24, will not be held in person because of uncertainty over the Delta variant resurgence. “Nonetheless, our conference program will commence — virtually, but no less interesting — as we continue to embrace the southern Jewish history we all share,” said SJHS President Jay Silverberg.

He said the decision was made because of the increase in Covid cases in the Charleston area, travel challenges for members concerned about the virus, and how the cloud of uncertainty would affect the conference.

The College of Charleston is issuing refunds to those who had registered.

A schedule of free online programs during the same weekend as originally scheduled will be released in September. The convention theme is ‘Expanding the Archive(s) of Southern Jewish History.”

The theme was chosen to honor the College of Charleston’s Jewish Heritage Collection and its founding curator, Dale Rosengarten, on its 25th anniversary, which was in 2020. The conference was originally scheduled for Charleston last year as well, but was postponed by Covid.

Among the originally-planned speakers was Stephen Whitfield of Brandeis University, speaking about “Jewish Lawyers versus Jim Crow.” Barbara Gitenstein of the College of New Jersey was scheduled to present “Experience is an Angled Road: My Journey from Florala, Alabama,” and participants in “Expanding the Archive of Southern Jewish History” include Deborah Gurt of the Jewish Mobile Oral History Project and Nora Katz of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life.

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North La. communities to tour new museum The north Louisiana Jewish community is planning a bus trip to the new Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans on Oct. 17 and 18.

Coordinated by the North Louisiana Jewish Federation, the trip will depart Shreveport, then pick up participants at B’nai Israel in Monroe and Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria, where a boxed lunch will be available. The group will have a kosher-style dinner at Shaya in New Orleans and then check into the Hampton Inn on St. Charles.

On Oct. 18, the group will visit the museum, have a group lunch and then head home.

Registration is required and space is limited.

Reservations are $108 and include bus, hotel and meals. Deadline is Sept. 19.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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agenda Rabbi Adam Wright of Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El has been selected to the 2021-22 class of Leadership Birmingham. The yearlong program, now in its 38th year, includes monthly meetings on a wide range of issues, and an opening and closing retreat for the 49 participants.

Temple Emanu-El announced the official installation of Cantor Robert Wittner as Engel Cantorial Chair will be on Oct. 29 at 5:45 p.m.

He arrived in Birmingham during the summer of 2020, but the official installation had been postponed due to Covid.

Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburgh will hold a conversion class at B’nai Israel in Monroe in October. The class will meet primarily online and culminate in a beit din and conversion ceremony in August 2022. The class will meet once or twice a month, along with individual sessions.

A grant has paid for the textbooks and several activity kits.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Since Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El was unable to hold the World Wide Wrap in February, where the Men’s Club presents tefillin to the fifth graders, it will be held as part of a Family Sukkot program with a pancake breakfast, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. The congregation also announced it will combine the first two and last two days of Sukkot, holding services on the first day of Sukkot, and a combined Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah the following week.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have its next Shabbat Hilicha outdoor hike at Red Mountain Park on Sept. 18 at 10:30 a.m.

How did Kol Nidre become so sacred and central to the High Holy Day liturgy? The Mobile Area Jewish Federation and Mobile Jewish Film Festival are sponsoring an online viewing of the 40-minute documentary, “18 Voices Sing Kol Nidre,” with 18 storytellers telling their experiences with the prayer. The film will be available online from 9 a.m. on Sept. 9 to 10 p.m. on Sept. 14, as a gift to the community. The link is available from the Federation office.

The Jewish Fertility Foundation’s Birmingham branch will have a launch party on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., open to all women in Birmingham.

The branch is a project of Collat Jewish Family Services. Reserve at jewishfertilityfoundation.org/bhmkickoff.

Beth Israel in Gulfport will have a family Sukkot party on Sept. 26 at 10 a.m.

Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will have its annual estate sale on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be antiques, furniture, linens, china, kitchenware, artwork, collectibles, gardening products, toys, a blow-up kayak, Judaica and non-Judaica items, books, electronics and more.

Temple Emanu-El in Tuscaloosa will have Supper Under the Sukkah, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. A live band is planned for the evening.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have an adult-only Sushi and Scotch in the Sukkah, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The Pizza in the Hut family party will be Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m.

You Belong in Birmingham, Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El will hold a Highland Avenue Sukkot Bar Crawl, starting at Beth-El’s sukkah, then proceeding to Emanu-El and finishing at The Hive, Sept.

25 at 7 p.m. Registration is available through the Birmingham Jewish Federation.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation is accepting nominations for the Susan J. Goldberg Distinguished Volunteer Award. Goldberg died in 2005 at age 52 while serving as Federation president, and the continued on page 61

community

Hurricane Ida hits Louisiana a week before High Holy Days Damage not as extensive as Katrina, but anticipated lengthy power outages putting life on hold Recovery from Hurricane Ida will be a longterm process for the Southeast Louisiana Jewish communities, but even though it will be nothing resembling the long-term displacement of Katrina, what the needs will be are not yet known.

Though Katrina was a Category 3 storm when it landed and Ida was a high Category 4 with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour at landfall mid-day on Aug. 29, the damage from Ida is far less severe in New Orleans, mainly because the levees held this time.

Outlying areas, and areas closer to the Gulf of Mexico, though, have widespread devastation, and even in New Orleans it will be some time before life gets back to normal.

Editor’s Note: As this issue was wrapping, Hurricane Ida suddenly appeared and took aim at Louisiana. We held the issue briefly so we could include preliminary coverage of Ida and the aftermath. For up-to-date information, check sjlmag. com and our Facebook feed.

At an online briefing by leadership in New Orleans and Baton Rouge on Aug. 31, convened by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, it was emphasized that much is still unknown, and the community is still figuring what the short-term emergency needs are for community members.

“This is a very different situation than what we faced 16 years ago after Katrina,” when flooding made most houses uninhabitable and it took months for many families to return, said Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Federation.

“Obviously, we are very happy that the federal levees that were built since Katrina held,” he added.

The biggest question mark after Ida is when electricity will be flowing again in New Orleans, as the feeder transmission lines were knocked into the Mississippi River by Ida’s winds. Common estimates are that it will take three weeks for most of the area to regain power. Fielkow said there were rampant rumors and the true situation changes quickly, with some estimates that

parts of the city will be back on in days. “We all need to take a deep breath and let this play out.”

Another issue in Jefferson Parish, many water lines were uprooted when trees fell, and there is a boil water advisory and low water pressure.

Fielkow said they are not prepared to develop the long-term plan “until we see where we are with the power situation.”

Ellen Sager, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, also said immediate needs had not yet been assessed in their community.

Thus far, there have been no reports of damage at the two Baton Rouge congregations.

The area’s Jewish institutions all reported minor or superficial damage. Anshe Sfard had two windows blown out in the sanctuary.

Leslie Fischman, executive director of the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, said the Uptown facility had some minor damage, including a fence down near the pool. When a staffer was checking on the property, she noted, there was a woman swimming in the pool without any clothes on.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Southern Jewish Life “See You in September”

There’s a famous song from a while back, “See You in September.” It evokes the end of summer and the magic of moving into fall.

At Southern Jewish Life, September is a magical and uplifting time as well as we embrace the richness of the Jewish holidays, help our students return to school, and dive full-throttle into a new college football season.

Even with the uncertainty of the pandemic, it still is a time in the Jewish community of spiritual renewal, optimism and moving forward into the new Jewish year.

This year it is especially a time of excitement at Southern Jewish Life.

Our impact is growing, our coverage is expanding, and stories, ranging from the colorful to the controversial, are abounding.

Recent stories include the implications for Jewish students of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC; the diversity controversy in the Mountain Brook school system; Jewish communities in Louisiana creating a new statewide structure; and how Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida — the four states in our coverage region — are reacting to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream boycotting Israel.

Going and Growing

In short, we have a lot going on.

To keep going and growing, though, we need your support. More Revenue=More Pages=More Stories.

This is why we’d like to ask you to join the growing number of readers who have become donors to Southern Jewish Life.

You can contribute to Southern Jewish Life by sending a check to SJL, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213, or going to https:// sjlmag.com/contribute/ (Donations to Southern Jewish Life are not tax-deductible.)

Donor support, in addition to our advertising revenue, is becoming an important source of income to keep the magazine going.

We hope you and your loved ones have a fulfilling and healthy new year. Please help us continue to serve our communities!

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

The JEF is working “to determine any immediate needs in our Jewish community.” However, they found out that there is “major structural damage” in the Galleria building in Metairie where their offices are located.

Many community members have posted about varying degrees of fence and roof damage, and missing shingles.

Rabbi Yossie Nemes of Chabad in Metairie reported during the storm that he “lost my gutter, parts of my shed and roof, and my fence,” and several others had damage to their homes, but “everyone is safe and thankful.”

Chabad was holding a parking lot barbecue for the neighborhood the afternoon of Aug. 30. “We’re here to help people,” Nemes said.

Torah Academy had some damage in the playground, a fallen fence and some minor damage at the top of the building over the offices.

Jewish Community Day School is closed at least through Rosh Hashanah and “in a holding pattern, like everyone else,” Head of School Brad Philipson said. They are working to put together a pre-Rosh Hashanah online event for families.

The newly-opened Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience also fared well in the storm, according to Executive Director Kenneth Hoffman. “They really knew how to build them in 1916,” he said.

Also, reports are that there was no damage to the synagogues or in the Jewish community in Lafayette and New Iberia. The Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica had a lot of rain and wind, but no damage.

One casualty of the storm, though, is the Karnofsky store, where the Jewish immigrant family that befriended a young Louis Armstrong lived.

The empty building was flattened by the hurricane (story, page 57).

Anshe Sfard and Beth Israel will not hold Rosh Hashanah services, due to the evacuations and that as traditional congregations, they do not livestream on Shabbat or holidays. Rabbi Josh Pernick of Beth Israel said they will try to organize a pre- or post-Rosh Hashanah online gathering.

Shir Chadash in Metairie also is not anticipating holding services.

Other congregations were figuring out alternate plans. Gates of Prayer is exploring a small Rosh Hashanah service in the parking lot. Touro Synagogue is considering streaming a service, though they are not sure where it would originate from.

Temple Sinai is also hoping to hold at least one online service for members, “wherever they may be,” said Rabbi Daniel Sherman.

Rabbi Robert Loewy, emeritus at Gates of Prayer, said with so many New Orleanians once again evacuated to Houston, Congregation Emanu El in Houston will host a service for the community, led by Loewy and Cantorial Soloist Jordan Lawrence, Rosh Hashanah morning at 9:30 a.m.

Wendy Abroms of Chicago, a Tulane alumna who heads the Jewish Federations of North America emergency campaign, announced an initial grant of $50,000 that will go to Jewish Family Service in New Orleans to meet immediate needs in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Mississippi coast.

Six hours earlier, the national Federation system also set up a donation mailbox for Ida relief. Stephan Kline of JFNA said through those funds, “we will be able to be responsive to additional needs.”

Roselle Ungar, executive director of JFS, said their staff is scattered across the country but will be reaching out to clients, providing referrals and information, emergency humanitarian financial assistance and long-term assistance. They are also posting available resources on their website, jfsneworleans.org.

Fielkow emphasized that everyone who evacuated should keep receipts for food, lodging and other needs, in case they are eligible for reimbursement, and everyone should go ahead and register with FEMA for emergency status.

Fielkow closed the meeting by reiterating the call from New Orleans for those who have evacuated to not try and return until the situation stabilizes, so emergency workers and power crews can have unfettered access to affected areas.

Reunited

Baton Rouge’s two congregations approve merger

When it’s important, we plan for it ahead of time.

B’nai Israel (top) and Beth Shalom (bottom) The weekend of Aug. 13, Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge held the last event in its Covid-extended 75th anniversary celebration. The following weekend, Beth Shalom members, along with members of B’nai Israel, the congregation it had originally split from in 1945, overwhelmingly agreed to reunite, in separate congregational votes.

The historic vote on Aug. 22 has led to excitement in Baton Rouge over the prospect of a stronger, unified Jewish community that can offer a wider range of services and activities.

According to leaders of the congregations, that was the primary driving force behind the merger, as the main issue that caused the schism has long since become moot — whether there should be a Jewish homeland in the land of Israel.

Linda Posner, co-chair of the Joint Synagogue Exploratory Committee with Barry Blumberg, said unification “has been talked about for the last 20 to 30 years, off and on.” Often, when two congregations merge, a major issue is what to do regarding the existing rabbis, but in 2020 both congregations found themselves embarking on a search, as Natan Trief left Beth Shalom and Jordan Goldson left B’nai Israel. Leaders of both congregations felt the time was right to move forward with unification talks.

Andy Blumberg, president of B’nai Israel, said the rabbinic issue “was always a hangup in the past.”

There was also a sense that “instead of having competing facilities and splitting our resources, and time and effort and engagement, we can now come together and have a dynamic positive future for our children and grandchildren,” Blumberg said.

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Mark Posner, president of Beth Shalom, said the vote was “a whole new ballgame” that “didn’t really reflect on why we split, it was how we can move forward together.”

The JSEC was formed to discuss issues related to unification, and each congregation brought in an interim rabbi — Teri Appleby at Beth Shalom and Batsheva Appel at B’nai Israel — to serve while the congregations went through the process. The discussions took close to two years.

Several task forces were set up to discuss policies on a range of issues, from ritual to facilities to personnel. While the religious schools had been holding joint classes, there was an effort to do more joint programming, including a monthly joint Shabbat service. As with everything else, the Covid pandemic slowed down the process.

“We had hoped to have a lot more joint programming, we had more of it planned, then Covid hit us… We had to scrap all the in-person stuff and roll back to joint services,” Andy Blumberg said.

“We didn’t have as much in-person interaction during the process as we would have liked,” relying on virtual sessions, but “it was important that people were part of the conversation,” Linda Posner said. There were also congregational surveys.

About 70 or 80 took part in the various task forces under the JSEC umbrella. In July, each congregation hosted “Building Our Reform Jewish Future in Baton Rouge: Stronger Together,” an informational session to present the proposal in advance of the vote. Despite the lengthy process, Mark Posner said “it wasn’t a done deal by any means” and they were going to respect the wishes of the community no matter the outcome.

Linda Posner said “The vast majority of the community wanted this, and that’s what matters.”

It was emphasized that the two congregations were approaching the process “from a position of strength,” so it wasn’t a matter of needing each other, “we want each other.”

The unification of the congregations will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

B’nai Israel has about 200 members and Beth Shalom has about 140, the combined congregation will have over 300 members.

Baton Rouge has had the unusual designation of being a community where the only two congregations have both been Reform, though a Chabad presence was also established in 2015. In communities of their size, when there are two congregations, typically one is Reform and the other is a Conservative congregation that likely started out as Orthodox, as in Huntsville, Shreveport, Montgomery, Mobile and Pensacola.

Blumberg said that when Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, visited for the Beth Shalom anniversary, he also had a lunch with B’nai Israel, and told them that he knew of many Conser-

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The weekend of Aug. 13, Beth Shalom welcomed soferet Julie Seltzer, who inspected and restored the congregation’s Torahs as the final event in Beth Shalom’s 75th anniversary celebration.

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vative-Reform mergers, but this was likely the first between two Reform congregations, outside of mergers in large communities that have numerous congregations of varying denominations.

B’nai Israel dates back to 1858, when a cemetery association was formed to bury six Jews who died in the Yellow Fever epidemic. The next year, a congregation was formed, but plans were put on hold during the Civil War. In 1868, Shaare Chessed was reorganized and the first synagogue building was dedicated in 1877. Two years later, the Reform prayerbook was adopted, moving the congregation away from Orthodoxy.

After being evicted from their building over a title issue and the reacquiring it, the congregation reincorporated in 1885, becoming B’nai Israel.

In the early 20th century, as support for Zionism grew, it was not unusual for Reform congregations to be opposed to the movement, as a primary goal was to integrate into American society and not be accused of dual loyalty. There was also a rejection of the idea that Jews are a distinct people in need of a homeland, but simply a religious group. In 1937, though, the Reform movement shifted from its 1885 position of being anti-Zionist to “neutrality,” prompting many anti-Zionist congregations to join the American Council of Judaism in protest.

Rabbi Walter Peiser, who arrived at B’nai Israel in 1927, was a strong anti-Zionist figure.

In April 1945, Peiser and the congregational president sent out a letter stating that the congregation supported the Classical Reform position on Zionism, and “our nation is America and our religion is Judaism.” All officers and board members of B’nai Israel had to pledge that they rejected the idea of a Jewish homeland.

In response, a group of 29 families broke away and formed Liberal Synagogue. Many were relative newcomers to Baton Rouge, and had not been comfortable with the Southern Classical Reform practices that eschewed

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kipot and talleisim.

When Liberal Synagogue was established, they allowed kippot and talleisim, and instituted the practice of Bar Mitzvah, which Reform congregations had replaced with Confirmation, but have since adopted.

At last year’s Beth Shalom anniversary weekend, Rabbi Bernard Baskin, who came to serve Liberal Synagogue in 1947, said one of the reasons he came to Baton Rouge was “I was a loyal Zionist… Liberal Synagogue was making a natural and understandable protest at what they felt was an unfair and unnecessary outlook in terms of Israel.”

The philosophical split persisted, as in 1967 B’nai Israel’s leaders refused to let the congregation host a fundraiser for Israel. Rabbi Barry Weinstein, who served B’nai Israel from 1983 to 2007, led a shift toward support for Israel and into adopting some more traditional practices, though Beth Shalom still was still seen as having a more traditional orientation.

Due to confusion about the orientation of the two congregations, Liberal Synagogue changed its name to Beth Shalom in the 1980s.

In the past, when unification came up, there were still many in leadership who “were able to remember that discussion and split” in the 1940s, Andy Blumberg said, “which kind of prevented real discussion.”

Mark Posner noted that young families in particular were eager for the unification, and older members “realized if this is the best thing for the community, they were supportive of it.”

Linda Posner said “the process took the time it needed to take,” and some people thought they were moving too slow, while others thought it was moving too fast.

Mark Posner said this is an opportunity “for us to use the history of both synagogues that have been so strong in the community” and build on it “to make something completely new and even better, offering more programming and more education.”

After B’nai Israel voted, Weinstein held up a copy of the 1945 letter

by Peiser and said he was pleased that the letter that was the “proximate cause” of the schism could finally be put aside, and praised God for the reunification.

“From the earliest days that Linda and I and our daughters arrived for me to commence my service to Congregation B’nai Israel nearly 40 years ago, I made a personal promise to myself that I would do all I possibly could to help heal the division in our Jewish community,” he said.

Currently, the Articles of Incorporation approved on Aug. 22 list the new entity as Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge, but until a name is chosen, it is being referred to as Synagogue New. The new congregation’s board consists of six members each from B’nai Israel and Beth Shalom, with two from each congregation being named to two, three and four-year terms.

While officers will be elected by the board for one-year terms, the officers can be re-elected for up to three years. After the first three years, there is a two-year term limit.

Similarly, for the first three years, major decisions, such as the selection of a rabbi, adoption of a congregational name or sale of a facility, are subject to a three-fourths vote. After three years, the supermajority will be two-thirds of those present.

The first tasks for the new board will likely be to elect officers, select a name and begin the process for a rabbinic search.

While the JSEC produced a series of recommendations, the new board is not bound by those decisions and can choose a different path. Many of the task force reports were posted online for community members to review.

One major step is what to do with the two facilities. The recommendation is that the Beth Shalom property on Jefferson Highway be sold, with proceeds going toward a major renovation and expansion at B’nai Israel on Kleinert Avenue. As a manifestation of the unification, the properties

community are now generally being referred to by the street names, rather than the congregational names.

It is anticipated that a condition of the sale on Jefferson Highway is that the building would then be leased back to the congregation for use as renovations take place on Kleinert Avenue.

Blumberg said the 1950s-era sanctuary needs “some freshening up” and expansion so there will be sufficient space for the unified congregation.

It is also envisioned that the Rayner Learning Center for preschool children will move from Jefferson Highway to Kleinert Avenue. However, no plans have been approved or drawn up yet.

The Ritual task force had nine meetings to compare a wide range of practices in the two congregations, everything from kashrut to service structure to which prayer book will be used. B’nai Israel still holds some Union Prayer Book services. It was recommended that rather than have different style services at the same time, one service should be held, to emphasize community.

Another example is Rosh Hashanah services, which B’nai Israel does for one day while Beth Shalom observes both days. It was recommended that Congregation New would offer services on both days.

Kashrut guidelines were “remarkably similar” with the only difference being Beth Shalom requiring that meat products be certified kosher, instead of kosher-style. The task force recommended that kosher meats be “preferred and encouraged,” but if non-certified products are served, they be labeled.

The task force reported that “our discussions did not identify any major barriers to building a stronger, more inclusive and unified Reform congregation in Baton Rouge.”

Lindsey Burton, a board member of Synagogue New, said “My husband and I are thrilled that our young sons will grow up in a unified Baton Rouge Jewish community. Baton Rouge is a small town, so giving them a bigger community here will be a wonderful springboard to Jewish life beyond our city.”

Weinstein, who is now rabbi emeritus at B’nai Israel, said the merger “speaks so very well about the inherent nature of the current and recent Jewish leadership in our small Jewish community.”

Linda Posner said “We love what we do and are excited about having more people to do it with, and we think that is the driving force for everybody.”

Now, the new leadership has a big task ahead.

Andy Blumberg said “Now the hard work begins for the new board and whatever committees they deem important enough to form immediately.”

He added, “There’s a lot of work in front of us that we’re all happy to be taking on.”

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Coming Back from the Fire Gates of Prayer in New Iberia completes restoration Members of Gates of Prayer in New Iberia weren’t expecting to spend the past year renovating their building, but mainly, they’re just happy it is still standing.

The renovations were made necessary after a fire broke out in the 1903 building the morning of April 29, 2020. As a thunderstorm rolled through, lightning struck the congregation’s roof and hit an electrical box in the attic, which congregation treasurer and past president Stephen Lahasky said “basically blew up” and ignited the attic.

Employees at Schwing’s Insurance across the street heard the boom and called the fire department upon seeing smoke. The fire department, located four blocks away, was on scene almost immediately, around 9:30 a.m.

The fire was contained to the attic over the bimah. A couple of ventilation holes were cut into the roof to help battle the blaze, which was contained to the area over the bimah. By 10 a.m., the scene was under control. The Torahs and many other ritual items had been removed and stored at Schwing’s.

There was some water damage, especially around the bimah and along the wall behind the bimah where an addition to the building was constructed in 1950.

Throughout the sanctuary, one can see differences. Instead of white Celotex acoustical tiles, the ceiling is now turquoise beadboard.

Round white columns at the front of the bimah were replaced with wood-tone fluted square columns, and wood trim now defines the arches

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community over the bimah. The two bi-fold doors at the back of the bimah were replaced with regular doors, and the stone-façade ark with glass doors was replaced with an ark made of wood. The round stained glass window above the bimah and the Ten Commandments plaque remain from the previous design.

Naturally, the building had to be completely rewired, and the front doors where the firefighters came through had to be replaced.

The roof was redone in segments, one-fourth at a time. The cypress beams in the attic were inspected by engineers and deemed sound.

Lighting in the sanctuary was upgraded to LED lights, with the orange globe lights changed into new fixtures. A local artisan took three fixtures that date back to the building’s opening in 1903, took them apart, cleaned and rewired them and installed LED lights.

The long-leaf pine boards on the floor did not have to be replaced, but were refinished. Lahasky said they had been covered with carpeting for a time after a 1950s renovation.

Another item they were fortunate not to have to replace was the plexiglass coverings on the stained glass windows along the sides of the sanctuary. Originally installed 30 years ago for hurricane protection, the covers had recently been replaced and the trim repainted.

Overall, the project cost around $250,000, which was mostly covered by insurance — just the new lighting was not covered.

Being in the middle of a pandemic, where public gatherings were highly restricted, made it easier to do the renovations, as there were no services being held. They had their first service in May, and it was “just nice to be back in here.”

Lahasky said they expect to have an open house for the community this fall, so everyone can see the renovations, and they were hoping to have

High Holy Day services in person.

For the small Jewish community of New Iberia, though, there is a sense of thanksgiving that the lightning strike occurred when it did, and not in the middle of the night when it would have been much less likely to be noticed.

“We were very lucky,” Lahasky said. “I don’t know what we would have done if it had burned to the ground.”

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Though this summer’s campers have been home for just a couple of weeks, it is already time to start planning for next year.

On behalf of the Goldring and Brooks families, the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana announced that the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience and the RoseMary and Saul Brooks Fund for Jewish Youth Engagement will again offer incentive grants for next summer.

The hope is that once children experience Jewish overnight camp, they will return and continue to build connections to the greater Jewish community, as well as Jewish values and practice.

The Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience, funded by the Goldring Family Foundation and administered by JEF, offers one-timeonly grants of up to $1,500 to help families send first-time campers to nonprofit Jewish sleepaway camps. Children in grades one through nine who reside in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle are eligible to apply. Established by JEF in 1999 and sponsored by the Goldring Family Foundation since 2001, the program has distributed grants for more than 1,630 children to attend Jewish summer camp since its introduction.

The RoseMary and Saul Brooks Fund for Jewish Youth Engagement was re-launched in 2021 as an outreach initiative for children in small communities throughout Louisiana who do not have an immersive, daily Jewish experience because of their physical distance from synagogues, youth groups and other Jewish community events and activities. The fund provides grants of a minimum of $550 for up to 10 Jewish children to attend a Jewish nonprofit sleepaway summer camp annually.

Eligibility requirements for both programs are available by clicking the “Youth & Camping” tab on the JEF website, jefno.org.

Applications for both programs will be accepted starting Oct. 1, through March 1, 2022, to coincide with most camp payment schedules.

Families will receive award notifications in midApril.

JEF stated it is “pleased to administer two outstanding programs that not only help parents send their children to camp, but also give campers an immersive Jewish experience. Especially after camp closures in Summer 2020, Jewish overnight camps have proven to be a safe place for children to connect with friends and explore their Judaism.”

For more information about camp grants, contact Debbie Berins at debbie@jefno.org.

community More education, more antisemitism?

Arkansas study turns conventional wisdom on its head with new method of surveying bias

By Larry Brook It has been commonly accepted that education is the key to fighting antisemitism, that the more education one has, the less likely one is to adhere to antisemitic beliefs.

A recent study from University of Arkansas researchers turns that notion on its head, using a new methodology to tease out antisemitic tendencies among those who would otherwise deny being antisemitic. The working paper, “Education and Anti-Semitism,” showed that the more educated respondents were more likely than the less educated to harbor anti-Jewish biases.

The paper, by Jay Greene and Albert Cheng of the University of Arkansas, and Ian Kingsbury of the Empire Center for Public Policy, was released by the university’s College of Education and Health Professions in February.

Cheng said they felt the common notion of educated people being less antisemitic “can’t always be true, that is too simple of an explanation and there are too many counter-examples.”

Greene and Cheng were discussing the issue one day, and the topic of double standards came up. They decided to use that avenue in their research, to see if double standards were applied in attitudes toward Jews.

“Over time we’ve found all the ways people don’t reveal what they really believe,” Cheng said. “People answer in socially desirable ways to make themselves look good.”

Traditional surveys about antisemitism are done by asking respondents whether they agree or disagree with a range of statements. Figuring that educated people would know better than to admit holding antisemitic views, “we’ve been thinking how we can get a more accurate picture of what people actually think,” and their results “challenged the conventional wisdom.”

They set up seven pairs of questions meant to illustrate double standards, giving each version of the question to half of the overall respondents, and comparing the results. One version was Jewish-related, while the other used a different ethnic or minority group. Since half the questions would be posed as relating to a different group, there were three or four Jewish-centered questions out of 29 total questions, making it less obvious that the Jewish-related questions were a focal point of the survey.

“Since nobody in our study saw both versions, they could never know what we were really asking,” Cheng said.

He added that it was a true character test — “do you do the right thing when no one is looking.”

About 1,800 people were surveyed, grouped into “general public,” those with a four-year degree and those with post-graduate education.

One example that did not garner much of a difference between the versions related to government regulation of what is taught in private schools, with the question saying some express concerns that they “do not cover the same academic material required in public schools” while others believe they should have the freedom to choose their own curriculum. In half of the surveys, Orthodox Jewish schools were given as an example, while in the other half, it was Montessori schools. The difference in responses between the two was insignificant — but the general public and those with a four-year degree agreed with the need for government oversight far less than those with more than a four-year degree.

Other questions had a far more significant gap between the Jewish and non-Jewish versions, with the widest gap coming from the most highly educated group, and always to the detriment of the Jewish version.

One question asked about conflicts of interest that arise from a person’s

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attachment to another country, using Israel or Mexico as the examples.

The four-year degree group had the lowest level of concern overall, but still had a seven-point gap in concern over individual ties with Israel.

The general public category had the highest level of concern regarding Mexico, but still was more concerned about Israel ties, by five points. The margin for the highest-educated was 13 points, with 35 percent agreeing that Americans with ties to Israel have a conflict of interest.

Another question was whether the U.S. military should allow the wearing of religious headgear as part of the uniform. One version mentioned a Jew who sued the Air Force over its refusal to allow a yarmulke, while the other version mentioned a Sikh who sued the Army over wearing a turban. While there was little difference between the two questions for the general public and four-year groups, there was a 12-point gap among the most educated, with the lowest overall percentage saying the turban should be banned, but the highest result saying the yarmulke should be banned.

The biggest gap was over huge crowds during Covid lockdowns, with Black Lives Matter protests and large Orthodox Jewish funerals in New York as the respective examples. There was no difference in the general public results, and an 11-point gap against Jewish funerals among the four-year responses, though disapproval of the Black Lives Matter crowds was also more prevalent than among the general public.

Among the highest educated, the gap was 36 points in disapproving of large Jewish funerals, with 78 percent of those given that question expressing opposition, and just 42 percent opposing the crowds of BLM protests — a full 20 points lower than the other two groups.

The study has been praised and criticized. Some academics responded to the results by claiming vindication for asserting that there is an anti-Jewish bias in academia. Cheng said some students said the study “said all the things they were afraid to say aloud” about their professors. “They heard conventional wisdom that education is supposed to inoculate against antisemitism, but their lived experiences on campus portrayed the opposite.”

A criticism of the methodology is that the two scenarios were not necessarily the same, such as Black Lives Matter protests versus large Orthodox Jewish funerals. But Cheng pointed out that if that were the case, and the structure of the survey was the problem, it would manifest itself the same way across all three education levels, showing similar gaps one way or the other. Instead, three of the four showed significantly higher against the Jewish version by the highest educated, while none showed significantly higher against the non-Jewish response for any demographic.

“It is tough to nail down a purely objective matter,” he said, adding that they hope their study pushes people “to think about this a little more rigorously.”

He hopes others use this methodology to explore the issue further, “come up with new items… to get a fresh set of eyes,” and whether the double-standard method can be used in researching bias against other groups.

The team said there are several implications for the Jewish community — from being mistaken about where threats to the community come from, to how much influence the highly-educated have in society. “It does not bode well for Jews to be disfavored by them.”

Another implication is that using greater education to fight antisemitism isn’t working.

Cheng said more research is needed to explore why higher education levels produce these results, and the team feels that instead of it being purely an information problem, it’s also a character and virtue problem.

He cited a philosophy from the Civil Rights movement that education is intelligence plus character.

“If we really want harmony between groups, it’s not just about teaching a bunch of facts better,” Cheng said, “it’s about cultivating people who care about each other.”

“Our common denominator is to cultivate a healthier civic culture.

These days we all need it, we need to mend a lot of the fracture that we see.”

community

An inside look at Middle East negotiations Louisiana Jewish Coalition kicks off with talk from negotiator Aaron David Miller

By Richard Friedman The challenge of bringing parties to the table was the theme of an Aug. 15 online program that kicked off the new Louisiana Jewish Coalition initiative, which has brought together the state’s three Jewish Federations and other organizations to work collectively for the greater good.

This new arrangement was applauded at the start of the program by Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, and its board chair, Joshua Force.

“We welcome all of you to our new partnership,” said Fielkow. “We have had a history of working together on crises. Through this new coalition we hope to work together to address common issues facing our Jewish community. We have many activities planned.”

Added Force, “Today is a very special day for the Jewish community throughout our state. Today begins what we hope will be a much more formal and organized relationship be“If you are tween Federations and Louisiana’s other Jewish institutions.” looking for Bringing together the communities across Louisiana was far easier than the quick fixes, this challenge of bringing Israelis and Palestogether and achieving successis not the arena” tinians ful negotiations, which was the focus of this initial program, featuring well-known Middle East expert Aaron David Miller, who shared an array of observations formed through his

work in the diplomatic arena.

Miller is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on American foreign policy and diplomacy. From 1978 to 2003 he was a U.S. State Department Middle East analyst, negotiator and adviser during Democratic and Republican presidencies. A CNN global analyst, he also is the author of “The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President.”

Well-known New Orleans journalist David Hammer, investigative reporter for New Orleans’ WWL-TV, moderated the program.

Guiding Principles Miller, who began his college studies at Tulane University in the late 1960s, has worked for four U.S. administrations and six Secretaries of State. As a result, he’s come up with a list of 10 principles which today guide his thinking about Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Among them are these: — The best you can achieve is “proximate solutions to insoluble prob-

Shanah Tovah!

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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community lems” and that it’s important to keep in mind “what America can do and what America can’t do.”

— Americans have a hard time understanding the world. The U.S. has peaceful neighbors, unlike much of the world and, in particular, Israel.

America’s uniqueness “underscores our naïveté.” For the U.S. the “margin for error is broader and deeper than any of the countries we deal with.”

— Regarding the Middle East, “time can be an adversary or it can be an ally… if you are looking for quick fixes, this is not the arena.” There are two speeds in Middle East negotiations — slow and slower.

— When it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship “where you stand in life has a great deal to do with where you sit.” Former prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Benjamin Netanyahu would say to U.S. officials “don’t preach to us about our security… you live in Chevy Chase, Maryland — we are sitting on top of a volcano.”

— What makes the U.S.-Israel relationship so “resilient” is the “confluence of values and interests” between the two countries.

— For success to be achieved in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, there needs to be ownership on both sides. “Nobody ever washed a rental car… people care for what they own.”

— There also needs to be leadership. “We need people who are masters of their political constituencies.”

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During a question and answer session, Miller was asked about the impact of an economic initiative between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank that was started by a Birmingham-based organization, U.S. Israel Education Association.

“Any effort that promotes non-government relations is a good thing,” he said. “But to fundamentally alter the landscape between the occupier and occupied you need governments to take action… civil society can do a lot but it does not hold the power to actually transform the situation from conflict to some sort of accommodation… I think we should support those efforts but we should be realistic as to what is required to change the reality between Israelis and Palestinians.”

The veteran diplomat also was asked about the Biden administration’s efforts to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal.

He called it a “flawed but functional agreement” but still maintained that pursuing the agreement is the best approach at this time. “There is no good fix to this. Until there is a different kind of regime in Iran we are not going to sleep well at night… All you can do is buy time and keep Iran as far away from developing a nuclear weapon as possible.”

As the Q&A was winding down, Miller shared a personal story. He recounted being in the room with President Clinton and senior diplomats and other officials in the wake of Clinton having invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to Camp David for negotiations in 2000.

Miller believed in his heart that it was a bad idea — he felt that the negotiations would not be successful. He also feared that a breakdown in negotiations would trigger violence, which is exactly what happened when the Palestinians launched a barrage of terror attacks against Israeli citizens in the immediate aftermath of the failed talks.

Yet after everyone else had told the president to go forward, he was reluctant to share his true sentiments.

He knew that if he had shared his honest thoughts with Clinton that he would not be going to Camp David with the American delegation, and knowing that the president was going to go forward anyway, Miller reasoned that by not sharing his true feelings he would remain part of the U.S. team and, hopefully, could influence the discussions at Camp David.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The coalition held two more online programs in August, and is planning a retreat for community leaders statewide in February or March.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

23

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Hybrid High Holy Days make return The Covid resurgence with the highly-contagious Delta variant has thrown High Holiday plans into disarray once again. Some congregations have cancelled in-person services, others have set strict limits on attendance, and non-Orthodox congregations have set up virtual options, much like last year.

Here is the listing of services, with information current as of Aug. 25.

Some congregations had not released their schedules yet. Check with individual congregations to determine if plans have changed. For those using Zoom, contact the congregations to get the service links.

Many congregations are now requiring those entering the building to be fully vaccinated, and requiring masks regardless of vaccination status.

Rabbi David Gerber from Gates of Prayer in Metairie reminds that though it is great to see everyone at services, “if you are concerned about your health it is not only ok to stay home, it is a mitzvah.”

Of course, there is also the possibility of tropical weather disrupting the holidays.

Rosh Hashanah starts the evening of Sept. 6 and continues on Sept.

7, and on Sept. 8 for those that observe two days. Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sept. 15 and continues through the day on Sept. 16.

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Alabama Temple Beth-El in Anniston will hold High Holy Day services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. On Yom Kippur, afternoon services will be at 4 p.m., with Yizkor and Neilah at 5 p.m. A break-the-fast will follow, reservations are due by Sept. 10. Guest reservations for the meal are $20.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham is holding masked and distanced services in an outdoor tent rather than indoors as previously announced, and outdoor shofar services. Reservations are requested because of limited space. Masks are requested regardless of vaccination status. An outdoor shofar service will be at 9 a.m. both days, followed by the regular service at 9:30 a.m., babysitting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Sept. 7 there will be a luncheon. Mincha and Tashlich will be at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7, followed by mincha. There will be a family-friendly shofar blowing in Chabad’s backyard on Sept. 7 at 4:30 p.m. Kol Nidre will be 6:30 p.m., with babysitting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Yom Kippur services start at 10 a.m., babysitting available until 2 p.m. Yizkor will be at noon, followed by musaf. Mincha starts at 5:15 p.m., and there will be Havdalah and a break-fast at 7:45 p.m.

Knesseth Israel in Birmingham is holding dinners on the second night of Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m., and the second night of Sukkot, Sept. 21. Reservations are $18, with a family maximum of $54.

Services will be at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, 9 a.m. on Sept. 7band 8, with shofar and Musaf at 11 a.m. and a lunch following. Maariv on Sept. 7 is at 7:25 p.m., followed by dinner. Kol Nidre will be at 6:30 p.m. Morning services will start at 9 a.m., with Yizkor and Musaf at 11:30 a.m., Mincha at 5:30 p.m. and Neilah at 6:30 p.m., followed by a communal break-fast.

At Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El, registration is required for all High Holy Day services, with limited capacity. Masks and vaccines are required.

Registration is also required for alternative service virtual sessions. The Sept. 6 service will be at 6:45 p.m. The traditional Rosh Hashanah services will be at 9 a.m., and conclude by 1 p.m. Numerous alternative services on the theme of “Mind, Body and Spirit” will be available in person and

by Zoom, including first-day sessions on the red heifer, stretching body and spirit, soul gymnasium, intentional walking and “mind” session.

Second-day sessions include chanting, “Family, Food and Memories,” and text study. There will be a family service outside the Levite Jewish Community Center on Sept. 7 at 2:30 p.m. Last year’s outdoor Rosh Hashanah Prayer Walk experience will be replicated starting at 5 p.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Japanese Gardens. Tashlich will follow

community at 6 p.m. Yom Kippur services will be preceded online with “Hallway Channel” for schmoozing, starting on Zoom at 5 p.m. The service starts at 6 p.m. The morning service starts at 9 p.m., with Yizkor at 11 a.m. and a break at 2 p.m. The family service outside the LJCC will be at 2:30 p.m., and services resume in the sanctuary at 5 p.m. There will be a short Ask the Rabbi between Mincha and Neilah. A break-the-fast may happen depending on the medical team’s advice.

At Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El, only vaccinated members will be allowed to attend services, reservations are required and masks are mandatory. For all others, services will be online. Due to Covid restrictions, there will not be babysitting. A contemporary service will be held outdoors and is open to all, with masking enforced. Rosh Hashanah services will be at 7:45 p.m. on Sept. 6. The casual contemporary service will be on Sept. 7 at 10:30 a.m. outside the Levite Jewish Community Center. A regular service will be at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Family service and Tashlich will be at 4:30 p.m at Veterans Memorial Park. Kol Nidre on Sept.

15 will be at 7:45 p.m. The family service outside the LJCC will be on Sept.

16 at 9 a.m., and the regular service in the sanctuary will be at 10:30 a.m.

Learning sessions will start at 1:30 p.m., followed by the afternoon service at 3 p.m., healing service at 4 p.m. and concluding service at 4:30 p.m.

B’nai Israel in Florence will hold services virtually this year. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., with Yom Kippur afternoon including a 3 p.m. discussion, Yizkor at 4 p.m. and concluding service at 5 p.m.

Chabad of Huntsville will have services on Sept. 6 at 7:15 p.m., and at 10 a.m. on Sept. 7 and 8. Babysitting will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A kiddush luncheon will follow the noon Musaf service each day, and there will be a children’s program on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. Shofar in the Park will be on Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Big Spring Park gazebo. On Yom Kippur, there will be a chicken soup meal at 5:30 p.m., with Kol Nidre at 6:30 p.m. Services on Sept. 16 will be at 10 a.m., with Yizkor at noon and a break from 3 to 5 p.m. Mincha starts at 5:15 p.m., and there will be Havdalah and a dairy buffet at 7:40 p.m.

Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have Rosh Hashanah services both days at 7:15 p.m. and 9:45 a.m., with Tashlich at Aldrich Creek Bridge at Weatherly on either Sept. 7 or 8 at 1 p.m. Kol Nidre will be at 6:30 p.m., then morning services will start at 9:45 a.m. Mincha will be at 5 p.m., followed by a break-the-fast.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will hold services in person, by reservation, and online. Services are at 8 p.m. and 10 a.m., with family services at 9 a.m. On Sept. 7 there will be Tashlich at Big Spring Park at 1 p.m. On Yom Kippur, the afternoon service is 3 p.m., Yizkor at 4:30 p.m. and Neilah at 5:30 p.m.

Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will have its services on YouTube, no in-person services. Services on Sept. 6 will be at 7 p.m., morning services both days will start at 10 a.m. On Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m. and the morning service will be at 10 a.m. At 4:30 p.m. there will be a healing service, combined with Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery.

Mincha will follow at 5:30 p.m.

Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile will have services on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., and Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. Tashlich will be at 4 p.m., place to be determined. Yom Kippur will follow the same schedule, adding a musical interlude at 3 p.m., followed by Yizkor and Neilah. The congregation is requiring vaccination for all those attending in person.

Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery will have services at 6 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., in person and online. On Yom Kippur there will be a joint healing service on Zoom with Ahavas Chesed of Mobile at 4:30 p.m.

Mincha will be at 6 p.m., and a break-fast will follow.

Temple Beth Or in Montgomery will have in-person Rosh Hashanah services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m., and Tashlich at the Montgomery Museum pond at 1 p.m. Gift bags will be provided for each family since there September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

25

community will not be an oneg. Yom Kippur services will be at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m.

Tuscaloosa’s Temple Emanu-El will have virtual services this year, at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. Vaccinations and masks are required of those attending services.

Temple Emanu-El in Tuscaloosa will not hold in-person services.

Streaming information will be released soon but was not available at press time.

Chabad at the University of Alabama will hold services, reservations are requested. On Sept. 6, the evening service is 7:15 p.m. followed by Rosh Hashanah dinner at 7:30 p.m. There will be an express shofar service at 11 a.m. on Sept. 7 followed by a kiddush. Evening services will be at 7:45 p.m., followed by a dinner at 8 p.m. On Sept. 8, there will be Shofar on the Quad at 4 p.m. Yom Kippur services will be at 6:45 p.m., then 11 a.m., with Yizkor at 12:30 p.m. Afternoon services will be at 5:30 p.m., and a bagel breakfast follows the end of the holiday at 7:32 p.m.

Florida Panhandle Emerald Coast Chabad of Destin will have Rosh Hashanah services at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6, and 10 a.m. on Sept. 7 and 8. On Sept. 7 there will be Shofar in the Park at 5:45 p.m., at the Morgan Sports Center pavilion.

There will be shofar blowing, prayers and songs, and a holiday dinner.

Bring your own blanket. Yom Kippur services will be at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., with a break-the-fast at the end of the day.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will hold High Holy Day services at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. On Sept. 7 there will be tashlich at AJ’s on the Bayou at 12:30 p.m. On Sept. 16, Yom Kippur afternoon services will be at 3 p.m., Yizkor at 4:20 p.m. and the concluding service at 5:15 p.m. There

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

will be a potluck break-fast after services.

B’nai Israel in Panama City will have services at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., and there will be a Zoom option. Tashlich will be at 3 p.m. on Sept. 7.

On Yom Kippur, there will be a children’s service at 3 p.m., followed by Yizkor and Neilah at 4 p.m. Due to Covid protocols, attendance will be limited and reservations are requested. For non-members there is a $108 suggested donation.

Chabad of Panama City Beach will have services at the Laketown Wharf Resort, Nola Blue Room. Rosh Hashanah services will be at 6:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. both days, with a buffet lunch after the 11:30 a.m. shofar service on Sept. 7.

Chabad of Pensacola will have services on Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. dinner. Services on Sept. 7 will be at 11:30 a.m., and on Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. there will be Shofar By The Bay. On Sept. 15 there will be a pre-fast meal at 5:45 p.m. and Kol Nidre at 6:45 p.m. Morning services on Sept. 16 will be 10 a.m., with Yizkor at noon. Neilah will be at 6:45 p.m., followed by a break-the-fast. Covid protocols will be observed, and reservations are requested.

Temple Beth El of Pensacola will have Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m., in person and streaming on the website and Facebook Live. On Sept. 7 at 1:30 p.m. there will be a Zoom discussion of the haftorah, and at 4 p.m. there will be a family service and Tashlich at Bayview Park. On Sept. 16 there will be a Zoom discussion of “Ashamnu” at 1 p.m., and “Memory and Martyrs” at 2:30 p.m. The 4 p.m. family service will be outside Beth El. Yizkor will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by Neilah.

Louisiana Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria started in-person services on Aug. 27, with masks required for everyone, and all those over 12 may be asked for proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within the previous 72 hours.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m.

There will be an in-person Rosh Hashanah children’s service on Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m. On Yom Kippur, the afternoon service will start at 3:30 p.m.

The Baton Rouge congregations will have some joint events. On Sept.7, a joint youth service will be held at Beth Shalom at 8:45 a.m. Tashlich and a picnic will be at Perkins Road Community Park, pavilion 2 at 5 p.m. On Sept. 16, the joint youth service will be at B’nai Israel at 8:45 a.m.

B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge will have Rosh Hashanah services at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. For Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m. Morning service is 10 a.m., afternoon service is 3:30 p.m., Yizkor is 4:30 p.m. and Neilah is at 5:30 p.m.

Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge will have Rosh Hashanah services o Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., then at 10 a.m. on both days. Kol Nidre will be at 7:30 p.m. Morning service will be at 10 a.m., with mincha at 4:30 p.m., Yizkor at 6 p.m. and Neilah at 6:30 p.m. Services will be in person and virtual.

Chabad in Baton Rouge will hold a Rosh Hashanah brisket dinner for LSU students, Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Services both days will be at 10 a.m., with a children’s program at 11 a.m. Shofar on the Levee will be at River Road and Skip Bertman Drive on Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. For Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre is on Sept. 15 at 6:45 p.m., morning services at 10 a.m., children’s program at 11 a.m., Yizkor at 11:45 a.m. Maftir Yonah will be at 5:45 p.m., and a buffet breat-fast will follow Neilah. Masks are requested and advance notice is suggested.

B’nai Israel in Monroe will have in-person services with Covid protocols, along with livestreaming. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. On Sept. 16, Yizkor and the Yom Kippur afternoon service will start at 4 p.m.

Chabad of Louisiana will have services in person, with Rosh Hashanah services both days at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m., and a Tashlich and outdoor

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shofar blowing at 5 p.m. on Sept. 7. Yom Kippur services are 6:45 p.m. and 10 a.m.

Chabad in Metairie will have first night Rosh Hashanah services at 7 p.m., followed by a community dinner, reservations required. Morning services will be at 9:15 a.m. both days, with a one-hour abbreviated outdoor service at 9 a.m. On Sept. 7, there will be Tashlich and shofar blowing at the lake, at 6:45 p.m. Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m., full service indoors or a half-hour service outdoors. The main service will be at 9:15 a.m., with a one-hour indoor abbreviated option at 9:30 a.m. Reservations are appreciated.

At Gates of Prayer in Metairie, proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours is required every time entering the building. Records will not be kept. Children’s services and babysitting are not available, and children can attend services with their parents if masked and socially distanced. Services will be at 8 p.m. and 10:15 a.m. On Sept. 7 there will be a Rosh Hashanah Rendezvous, reservations required. Tashlich will be at 4 p.m. at the Bonnabel Boat Launch, and TRIBE will have a wine and cheese Tashlich at 6 p.m. at City Park. On Yom Kippur, there will be Virtues of the Soul text study with Rabbi Lexi Erdheim at 1 p.m., Music and Meditation at 2 p.m., a healing service and the afternoon service at 3 p.m., Yizkor and Neilah at 4:30 p.m.

Shir Chadash in Metairie is requiring registration for in-person High Holy Day services, along with proof of vaccination for those who are eligible. Exemptions for medical reasons will be considered on a case by case basis. Masks are required. The services will also be streamed. Rosh Hashanah will be at 8 p.m. Sept. 6, then 8:30 a.m. both days, along with Tashlich at 5 p.m. on Sept. 7, meet at the rabbi’s house. Kol Nidre will be at 6:45 p.m., with Yom Kippur services starting at 9:30 a.m.

Northshore Jewish Congregation will have its Rosh Hashanah services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. Yom Kippur will have the same schedule, along with the afternoon service at 4 p.m. and Yizkor at 5:30 p.m. Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels will officiate. Masks required.

Anshe Sfard in New Orleans will have services on both days of Rosh Hashanah starting at 9 a.m., and Tashlich at Audubon Park on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. For Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre is at 6:45 p.m., then morning services start at 9 a.m. Mincha will be at 5 p.m.

Touro Synagogue will have a limited number of congregants in person, anticipated at no more than 100 per service, with reservations required.

Masks and vaccination are required, and the plan is to limit members to one service in person, so everyone has an opportunity to sign up. Services will also be on Zoom or livestream, and on WLAE-TV. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be at 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. On Sept. 8, there will be Tashlich and Havdalah at City Park from 5 to 7 p.m. On Yom Kippur afternoon, there will be Zoom and livestream learning sessions. At 12:30 p.m., “Touro’s Community Impact and Action Initiatives” will discuss the Together New Orleans interfaith coalition, and Project Reyacha, the partnership with Home Is Here NOLA to assist asylum seekers. At 2 p.m., Michel Cohen will lead a session on “Southern Jewish History, Here and Now.” The afternoon service will be at 3:15 p.m., followed by Yizkor and Neilah at 4. There will be no family services on holiday mornings, so there will be an outdoor picnic-style observance the Sunday before.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans is taking reservations for services, with a Sept. 1 deadline for Rosh Hashanah and Sept. 10 for Yom Kippur. Proof of vaccination is required by uploading an image of the vaccine card when making the reservation, or showing it in person before the holiday.

Seating is limited. Services will also be streamed on Facebook and the Sinai website. Rosh Hashanah evening and morning services, and Yom Kippur evening and Yizkor/Neilah will be broadcast on WRBH-88.3 FM. Evening services will be at 7 p.m., Temple Toddlers at 9 a.m., morning services at 10 a.m. Family services will be at 2 p.m. On Sept. 7, Tashlich will be at 3 p.m., meeting at Sinai and walking to Audubon Park. On Sept.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

27

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

16, the Yom Kippur afternoon service starts at 3 p.m., Yizkor at 4:30 p.m. and Neilah at 5:15 p.m.

Moishe House in New Orleans will have Tashlich on the Bayou, Sept.

7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the bayou by Dumaine Bridge. They will also join with community partners for a Yom Kippur break-fast and food drive, Sept. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have Rosh Hahsanah services both days at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m. Family Tashlick service will be on Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., at Duck Pond, East Kings Hwy. Kol Nidre will be at 7 p.m., and Yom Kippur morning at 9 a.m. Yizkor will be at 1 p.m., Mincha at 5:30 p.m. and Neilah at 6:30 p.m.

B’nai Zion in Shreveport will have services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m., with a children’s service at 12:15 p.m. Tashlich will be announced. On Yom Kippur, there will be a study session at 1:15 p.m., afternoon service at 2:30 p.m., memorial service at 3:45 p.m. and concluding service at 4:30 p.m. The final shofar blast will be outside at 5:15 p.m., so those who did not come to services can stop by and hear it. Masks will be required, and services will also be broadcast on YouTube.

Mississippi Adath Israel in Cleveland will not hold services, urging members to participate in other Zoom or streaming services.

B’nai Israel in Columbus will have Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. The Yom Kippur afternoon service will be at 3 p.m., with the memorial service at 5 p.m. and concluding service at 6:30 p.m. There will be an online option.

Hebrew Union Congregation in Greenville will hold services at 7:30 p.m. and 10 a.m., with Zoom available. On Yom Kippur, the afternoon service will be at noon. A Congregational Conversation will be at 3:30 p.m., Yizkor at 4:45 p.m. and Neilah at 5:30 p.m. Masks are required, those who are eligible to be vaccinated but choose not to do so are asked to join online.

Beth Israel in Gulfport will have services the first night at 7:30 p.m., then both days at 9:30 a.m. Yom Kippur services will be at 6 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., Yizkor at 11 a.m. and Mincha at 6 p.m.

Beth Israel in Jackson is limiting High Holy Days attendance to 60 people, limited to members or those working with the rabbi on conversion. Guests may be permitted if the 60 slots are not claimed. Proof of vaccination is not required though strongly recommended, but all in attendance will be required to mask. Reservations are required for Rosh Hashanah by Sept. 3 and Yom Kippur by Sept. 10, and anyone with Covid symptoms or close contact within 72 hours of a holiday must cancel their reservation. Evening services are at 8 p.m. For first day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, children’s services, held outdoors, are at 9 a.m. and morning services start at 10:15 a.m. Second day Rosh Hashanah services are 9 a.m. Yom Kippur study session will be 1:15 p.m., BITY service is 2:30 p.m., Yizkor at 4:15 p.m. and Neilah at 5 p.m., followed by break-the-fast.

The Oxford Jewish Federation will hold High Holy Day services at the Paris-Yates Chapel at the University of Mississippi, led by Student Rabbi Yonaton Arnon. Masks will be required and live-stream options are being explored. There will be a welcome and Torah study session on Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. in the Grove. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services will be at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., and on Sept. 7 there will be a Tashlich service following the morning service, approximately at noon, at Pat Lamar Park.

B’nai Israel in Tupelo will have Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services at 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. In-person attendance will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated. Zoom and YouTube streaming will also be available. Tashlich will be at the dock at Veterans Park on Sept. 7 at 2 p.m.

Yom Kippur afternoon services will be at 4 p.m., and a break-the-fast will follow the concluding service. On Sept. 7, Park Heights restaurant is being opened specifically for a B’nai Israel lunch. Reservations are $21.

community L’Chaim gala a tribute to the lasting legacy of Phyllis Weinstein

By Richard Friedman Though no longer here, having died last January two days after her 100th birthday, Phyllis Weinstein’s legacy still drives the success of the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center.

This was evident not only in excerpts from a past video tribute shown at this year’s BHEC L’Chaim (To Life) fundraising program, but also throughout the recent largely online event that showcased facets of the organization that she led for years.

The video featured community leaders speaking about her vision, determination, leadership, energy and creativity, and the enduring mark she made not only on the Jewish community but on the broader Birmingham community.

“She is an amazing individual,” Holocaust survivor Max Herzl said in the video. All who knew her would agree.

Adding to the tribute, her daughter, Birmingham Jewish leader and interim BHEC director Lynn Raviv, said how proud her mother would be to be honored by this annual education and fundraising program “that continues to tell about the essential work of BHEC.”

Added Raviv, “We also honor our Holocaust survivors by preserving their legacy and telling their stories.” Those survivors “continue to be the true inspiration for BHEC.” The event, moderated by Birmingham native and Chattanooga Jewish leader and media personality Alison Lebovitz, also featured a video conversation between veteran CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer and Birmingham’s Esther Schuster, former director of Collat Jewish Family Services.

Schuster and Blitzer grew up together in Buffalo, N.Y., where both were the children of Holocaust survivors.

Blitzer’s Story Schuster began by reminiscing about growing up together. Yet, she said, looking back she didn’t know much about his family’s story.

“My family story is probably not all that different from yours,” said Blitzer.

His mom and dad grew up in Poland. After Adolf Hitler rose to power, family members were taken away. All four of Blitzer’s grandparents died at the hands of the Nazis though other family, including his parents, survived.

A few years ago, Blitzer did a story for CNN on his family’s saga.

After World War II ended, the broadcaster’s parents landed in Germany, where his father had found a job and where the 73-yearold future CNN news anchor was born.

One day his dad saw Phyllis Weinstein a line of people. Not knowing what the line was for he still got in it, assuming it was for something good. Standing in line, his father learned it was for visas to America. He signed up himself, his family and other surviving relatives.

Congress had passed legislation to allow Holocaust survivors to come to the U.S., and within a few months the Blitzers were approved for entry.

The way the system worked they were assigned to a specific city. His father was pleased because he thought Buffalo was in the New York

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community City area and there would be a lot of Jews.

That is how they wound up in Buffalo, which had a relatively small Jewish community. Yet his dad, who built a successful business, always remained grateful.

His parents were among the most patriotic Americans he ever knew, said Blitzer. They flew an American flag outside their house because they were so grateful and proud to be in the U.S. Schuster, noting the hate, antisemitism and racism that has erupted in our country, asked him, “Where do you think our country is going?”

Blitzer said he is an optimist and that he believes the American people are wonderful people. “We will get through this.”

Added the CNN newsman, “I think what you are doing in Birmingham with BHEC is so important. I wish there were many other communities all over the country doing what you are doing. If you look at polls, there are so many people who don’t know what happened… It is even more important today because there are so few Holocaust survivors still with us.”

“Amazing, Life-changing” Presented by BHEC in partnership with Red Mountain Theatre, the event featured entertainment, education and remembrance, including musical selections by the Red Mountain Performing Ensemble that reflected Weinstein’s love for music.

The program also highlighted BHEC’s highly-effective teacher training program which has reached thousands of students throughout Alabama over the years.

Teacher Tricia Skelton from Opelika shared some thoughts about the impact of the program. For the last nine years she has taught sixth grade history, including World War II and the Holocaust. At first, she said, “sometimes I would not even know the answers.”

She became connected with BHEC and began to take advantage of its teacher training opportunities which included training at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and a trip to Europe with support from BHEC. She said the trip was “an amazing and life-changing experience.”

BHEC education director Ann Mollengarden spoke about her work.

“For students today, studying about the Holocaust is like studying about a vanished world. It is the personal testimony that makes this world visible again.”

BHEC has documented the stories of more than 170 Alabama-connected survivors.

Mollengarden also mentioned plans for BHEC to move into a new facility and expand its offerings this coming year.

“Our new library will offer a rich resource of material for scholars and the public. Phyllis was a champion of this library and would be thrilled to see it opening.”

BHEC has entered into a long-term lease with Temple Emanu-El and construction has begun. Included in the program was a “sneak peek” video of the new facility.

The organization’s board president Karen Allen told the audience that 85 percent of BHEC’s work is funded by the money raised through the annual L’Chaim event.

She also noted that the Torah portion of the week commands that acts against the Jewish people must be remembered for all time.

Allen announced that L’Chaim had raised about $300,000 (there’s still time to donate) and also unveiled plans for a forthcoming capital campaign to finance the new facility. A quiet leadership phase has raised just under $1 million toward a $2.2 million goal in what will be a statewide campaign.

“Phyllis knew we needed a Holocaust education center and she created one,” said Allen. “I know if she were here today she would say, ‘Great job’ but would add that there’s so much more that needs to be done.”

The gala raised over $280,000.

community Florida now has “most comprehensive” K-12 Holocaust education in U.S.

By Sean Savage (JNS) — The Florida State Board of Education adopted new civics and Holocaust-education standards for Florida’s public schools in July, which had been pushed by the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis.

The new social-studies standards spell out what students should learn about civics and the Holocaust in their classes from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Florida has required that students be taught about the Holocaust since 1994, but there had been no standards detailing what specifically should be covered and in what grade. The new standards aim to provide that blueprint.

“We want to make sure our students understand the evils of the Holocaust.

You see people throughout the world try to diminish or even reject that the Holocaust even happened,” DeSantis said, reported the Orlando Sentinel.

The new standards come amid a growing push among U.S. states to address rising anti-Semitism and awareness about the Holocaust. Nearly two dozen states now require Holocaust education as part of their secondary-school curricula, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Many of these new requirements have emerged in the last several years.

This comes as ignorance about the Holocaust is growing. A 2020 survey found “critical gaps” in young American’s knowledge about the Holocaust.

According to the survey, commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and carried out by the firm Schoen Cooperman Research, there is a clear lack of knowledge, and many distortions, surrounding the Holocaust for millennials and Gen Z. Nationally, 63 percent of respondents didn’t know that 6 million Jews were killed during the years of World War II and the Holocaust, and 36 percent believed that 2 million Jews or fewer were killed, the survey found.

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Rachel Pignato, a history teacher at Palm Beach Gardens Community High School who was one of just a handful of teachers who helped write the Holocaust standards in Florida, told JNS that prior to the adoption of the new guidelines, Florida did not have much material for teachers on the Holocaust.

“I went on the CPalms website [Florida’s resource page for teachers], and there were roughly 85 standards for the Holocaust listed but only six of them actually dealt with the Holocaust; the rest were completely irrelevant,” she said.

“It wasn’t surprising why there wasn’t really quality education because these standards weren’t built properly. So that became a two-year-long mission into figure out how we can get on to creating these standards,” she noted.

Pignato, who wasn’t originally on the task force, was added after outreach by Lauren Gross, director of the Gross Family Center for the Study of Antisemitism and the Holocaust.

“I’d like to thank the Department of Education for heeding my advice and making the critical last-minute change to the committee, which has resulted in an enormous victory for the Jewish community and the students all over the state who will now be instructed about the Holocaust with a brand new set of professional, well-written and well-thought-out standards that are specific to the Holocaust, not culled from all the other subject areas, as was the case up until now,” Gross said in a statement.

According to Pignato, the new standards were essentially created from scratch by herself and her small team of educators. For her, several important aspects needed to be included for students, including examining the meaning behind terms related to the Holocaust; offering an underSeptember 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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community standing of what Judaism is; and providing a history of antisemitism, as well as Zionism, and the founding of the modern-day State of Israel post-Holocaust.

“We go into the history of antisemitism and antisemitism during the pagan times in Egypt, through the Middle Ages, Christian antisemitism, Muslim antisemitism and, of course, modern antisemitism,” she said.

Pignato pointed out that the students also need to understand the historical timeline, starting with World War I and how the Nazis rose to power then continuing through the 1930s and 40s.

“We go from there; we talk about the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. How did that happen?” she posed. “That wasn’t an overnight process. How does one man gain such popularity, and how does the blame for all of a country’s problems get laid on the shoulders of people who comprise less than 1 percent of the population?”

“We rely heavily on primary-source documents, firsthand accounts, survivor testimony, eyewitness reports at the time photographs taken at the time,” she said. “We don’t want to really rely on some other person’s perspective of what happened. We want to hear from the people who went through it. So that becomes a cornerstone of the course.”

With the new standards, Pignato said that now they can work toward developing a Holocaust curriculum and training for teachers.

“You can do the best standards in the world, but if you don’t train teachers on this history and on these standards, then it will never get to the kids because teachers cannot teach what they themselves do not understand,” she stated.

‘Revisionist history has no place in schools’ Along with the new Holocaust standards, Florida also adopted new civics standards for its school system, which has also been part of a larger pushback against the teaching of critical race theory and intersectionality that have been used by critics of Israel to also promote antisemitism.

The revised civics standards will require public-school students to “study primary-source documents to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the American Republic and the root cause of American exceptionalism.”

DeSantis has made improving civics education a core priority since he took office.

“We’ve got to do a much better job teaching people about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights — all these important things,” he said. “I’m excited about what we’re doing.”

Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of Tennessee-based Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, whose taskforce of experts advised on the new Holocaust Education and Civics Standards in Florida, told JNS that the new standards will “now focus on our Constitutional Republic and the Judeo-Christians roots upon which it was founded.”

“All Americans are equal under the law; this is the essence of our Republic. Revisionist history that pits Americans against each other has no place in our schools. We must teach our children the Golden Rule — to love each other like themselves, not to put salt in old wounds and make them critics of the very fabric that holds us together.”

Cardoza-Moore also praised the new Holocaust standards. “With antisemitism on the rise, we must teach the perils of the past and ensure that the lesson of Never Again is learned,” she said.

She sees the new standards in Florida as an opportunity for other states to follow suit. She noted that she is already working with other states, such as Tennessee, on improved guidelines.

“The Holocaust must be taught as a unique period in history unlike any other,” she emphasized. “We cannot allow subversive forces to dilute and universalize the Holocaust so that it becomes a general tool to teach about the woes of racism and xenophobia. Manipulating Jewish history only empowers revisionists and antisemites. Florida now has the most comprehensive Holocaust-education standards in the country.”

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community Unique Alabama couple makes big impact for Israel, Jewish community

By Richard Friedman They share a life, they share a family, and they share a passion for Israel and the Jewish people. With one intriguing asterisk.

She’s a Christian working for a Jewish organization and he’s a Jew working for a Christian organization. And they couldn’t feel more content.

She — Cassie Morgenstern — is executive director of the Mobile Area Jewish Federation, and he — Ari Morgenstern — is senior director of policy and communications for Christians United for Israel.

Based near Alabama’s Gulf Coast not far from Mobile, this dynamic husband and wife team applies their skill and savvy every day to advancing the well-being of Israel and the Jewish people.

Both now 38, their unique journey began when they met as 18-year-old students at the University of Alabama. They clicked and as their relationship deepened so did discussions about their religious differences, each committed to finding a path to make things work.

Cassie was a church-going south Alabama Christian. Ari was the son of an Israeli mother and an American father who had lost family in the Holocaust.

Nonetheless, they had a sense that this was a relationship that was meant to be.

Magnetic Power The two of them worked through it all, finally getting married six years later, agreeing that they would maintain a Jewish household and raise their children Jewish, though Cassie would not convert.

Still, the traditions and beauty of Judaism and magnetic power of Israel, a place she and Ari lived for a time as their journey unfolded, would draw her deeper into Jewish life.

In a moving article that Cassie wrote in 2016 for the national Jewish website, Kveller, she recounted her odyssey and especially the conversion of her two children — a boy now nine and a girl six — Ashley Mercer Photography to Judaism. In traditional Judaism, the two youngsters would not have been considered Jewish had they not converted since Judaism is seen as being passed through the mother.

She also explained in the article why at this point in her life she has chosen not to convert.

“I respect Judaism and its principles. I fell in love with its traditions and culture, but it’s not my faith. It’s not my path. I’ve had enough years of living in a Jewish home and attending synagogue and celebrating holidays

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to know, in my heart, it is not my own,” she wrote.

“I have found many more Christians than Jews have a difficult time understanding why I would raise my children as Jews. Likewise, I find many more Jews than Christians questioning why I don’t go ahead and just convert for the sake of my family,” she added.

“It’s what fits me. It’s not what fits everyone.”

Exact Moment Growing up Christian, it’s unlikely Cassie could have ever imagined being in the job she holds today. Nor could Ari ever have imagined himself working for an organization called Christians United for Israel.

In fact, he remembers the exact moment more than 10 years ago that the idea dawned on him. He was working for a communications firm and attended a speech by Pastor John Hagee, the founder of CUFI, which was a client of the firm.

“There must have been a thousand people in the auditorium. I saw a Christian preacher stand in front of a room full of Christians and tell them that if you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and don’t know or care about the Jewish people down the street, that is antisemitism, sinful and damning to the soul,” Ari recalled.

“I was so moved. It was a genuine concern not just for the concept of Israel but for the people of Israel — the Children of Israel — the Jewish people. I did not know then that I would work for him, but the seed was planted.”

Yet as Ari looks back he thinks the seeds for what would become his CUFI career may have also been planted even earlier while growing up in Montgomery.

“I was about 12 years old and was spending the summer in New York with my father’s parents,” he explained. “My great grandfather had been murdered by the Nazis in Europe. My grandfather and grandmother had escaped. My grandfather was watching a soccer game on TV and I didn’t understand why he was rooting for this one country. So I asked him.”

His grandfather told him that the reason he was rooting for that country was, that at considerable risk, it refused to give up its Jews to Hitler as the Nazis came to power. “My grandfather told me to always stand with those who don’t give up the Jews.”

Ari remembered his grandfather’s words as Hagee was speaking.

“So when the opportunity arose to work for CUFI, it was the most natural thing that I could think of.”

Federation Values Aligning yourself with those who align with you is what drives Ari today, and has adrenalized him as he’s helped CUFI, through overseeing its media and policy initiatives, grow from 250,000 members to more than 10 million, making it the largest pro-Israel organization in the country, Cassie has been the Mobile area’s Jewish Federation director since November 2020. A Jewish friend, knowing of Cassie’s background in fundraising and nonprofit management, recommended her for the job.

She loves her work, is passionate about it and is proud of the things her federation is doing to sustain and grow Jewish life in the Mobile area while supporting Israel.

“The Jewish community has embraced me wholeheartedly. I am a huge defender of the Jewish faith and Jewish community and I am a staunch Zionist. The values of the Federation — tzedakah, tikkun olam — are the values we practice in our family.”

Professionally, Personally Both Ari and Cassie work from home. He’s been doing it for nine years, ever since he joined CUFI. She’s at home right now because of the pandemic, which is particularly frustrating to her as a new Federation director because it thwarts her from meeting with people one on one, a key part of the job.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will hold “Unity Through Community,” its fall congregational Kallah the weekend of Oct. 15 at Laguna Beach Retreat at Panama City Beach.

Texas Country/Americana singer/songwriter Joe Buchanan will be the musical guest for the weekend, and Institute of Southern Jewish Life Program Associate Matthew Osterman will be the educator.

The weekend is held in partnership with ISJL and The New Kallah Project. Checkin starts at 3:30 p.m. and events will start with Shabbat dinner at 5:45 p.m. There is an option for day-trippers who want to attend only the Oct. 16 events.

Registration information is available at Emanu-El.

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At times, their work connects the Morgensterns professionally.

“I sometimes turn to Ari for advice when something comes up at work.

We had an antisemitic incident and he helped me write a statement. It’s not just that he’s my husband. My work affects his children and his life here as well.”

Ari and Cassie and their organizations each are part of a coalition that is working with the state of Alabama to enhance Holocaust education in the public schools, something Ari and CUFI believe would help combat antisemitism.

Their work — and shared commitment to Israel and the Jewish people — also always connects them personally, both to each other and to their children in whom they’ve already instilled strong Jewish identities.

Like other couples involved in Israel/Jewish work, their jobs do not stop at 5 p.m. Their professional lives spill over onto the dinner table where the conversation, with kids included, is often about Israel or the Jewish issue of the day.

This often can be gratifying; the whole family becomes immersed in the conversation— even the little ones who are part Israeli and will soon join their dad in becoming joint U.S.-Israeli citizens.

In fact, not too long ago, Cassie found herself in a discussion with her children about whether she should convert to Judaism. To her surprise they were opposed.

Until her six-year-old explained.

“She told me if Mommy converted then she couldn’t celebrate Christmas with my family anymore — and she wouldn’t get any presents!”

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A surprise Thank You Brunch for outgoing President Susan Hess was held by the National Council of Jewish Women’s New Orleans Section at the home of Ina Davis on July 18. More than 30 NCJW Board members assembled to thank her for her two years of outstanding leadership as NCJW president. Gail Pesses succeeded her in May. Above, Hess is surprised

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Excitement building as Jewish students, leaders welcome Texas, Oklahoma to SEC

By Richard Friedman “Is it good for the Jews?”

That’s a question Jewish people ask themselves when tumultuous events occur.

There’s been nothing more tumultuous in college football — and maybe in all of sports — this summer than Texas and Oklahoma joining the Southeastern Conference.

So even though the decision is currently slated not to take hold until 2025, it still was only logical to ask those connected to Jewish student life at Texas, Oklahoma and elsewhere in the SEC if this turf-shaking decision is good for the Jews.

Jewish faculty, students and others at Texas, Oklahoma and across the region think so — and believe the addition of these two athletic powerhouses will have a positive Jewish impact.

One of those is Nate Reese, a junior at Oklahoma who is from the Fort Worth, Tex., area and involved in Hillel, an international network that promotes Jewish life on University of Texas Hillel director Maiya Edelson college campuses.

In the Big 12, the two schools’ current conference, “I haven’t really felt a huge connection with other Jewish communities at the other schools,” he said. “I really hope this will bring us closer to the other Jewish communities in the SEC.” Sharing in the excitement is Maiya Edelson, executive director of Hillel at Texas.

“SEC schools such as Florida, Georgia and others with strong Jewish communities will be great partners and rivals. We would love to see more Jewish students and alumni of SEC schools come to Austin to visit when their team is on the road!” said Edelson.

Zach Denn, a senior at Texas, predicts that “a new cohesion between Jewish communities across SEC schools will form through Hillels, Chabad and other Jewish organizations.”

Added Denn, “I am excited to see where this new connectivity takes us and how we can develop it into something truly special.”

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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The CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, Arnie Fielkow, who has an extensive sports background, sees great Jewish possibilities ahead.

Fielkow, a former New Orleans Saints executive vice president and past executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, thinks Oklahoma and Texas’ entry into the SEC, given their history of success on the football field, may drive more Jewish applicants to those schools.

“This has been the case with Alabama over the past decade as its football dominance helped generate many more Jewish applications from the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast as prospective students wanted to be part of the fun of ‘Roll Tide’ and SEC sports.”

Oklahoma and Texas’ joining the SEC “presents some fun bonding opportunities for Jewish students throughout the conference’s institutions,” added Fielkow.

“I can envision many Jewish‎ road trips to Austin for tailgates involving barbecue, Baton Rouge for kosher jambalaya and gumbo, Nashville for hot chicken, and so many other delicious Southern culinary treats,” he predicted.

“With the great work of Hillels in each of these conference communities, it would be great to see fan involvement with Shabbat programming throughout the SEC in anticipation of the big game in Death Valley (LSU), Bryant-Denny (Alabama), Jordan-Hare (Auburn) and the Swamp (Florida).”

Chatting with Fielkow, you can already sense his Jewish Federation work and love for sports intersecting.

He thinks there could even be an SEC trip to Israel — either for students and young adults through Birthright Israel and/or adult alumni of SEC schools. Each school or clusters of schools could even have their own bus — chaired by a big SEC name.

“I also can see some fun rivalry bets between our New Orleans Jewish Federation and our fellow Federations in Norman/Oklahoma City and Austin. (Go Tigers!) Who knows, maybe one day we might even see a Bama-Longhorns game played at Kraft Family Stadium or Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem!”

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, perhaps the SEC’s most prominent Jewish personality, definitely thinks Texas and Oklahoma coming into the conference will be good for the Jews.

“We have great Hillels in the SEC and these two schools will be strong additions. This will expand the number of Jewish students at SEC schools, where Jewish life is vibrant already, and broaden the SEC Hillel network,” said Pearl.

“New rivalries will be formed and new friends will be made!”

Based on “Hillel’s Guide to Jewish Life at Colleges and Universities,” there currently are an estimated 18,500 Jewish undergraduate and graduate students at the SEC’s 14 schools, with the bulk of them — 10,000 — at Florida.

Texas has an estimated 4,000 Jewish students and Oklahoma has 350. By joining the SEC, the two schools will boost the number of Jewish students in the conference by nearly 25 percent.

The sense that there could be new Jewish possibilities has spread beyond Oklahoma and Texas to Hillels, Jewish students and Jewish leaders throughout Southern Jewish Life’s coverage area —which includes five SEC schools in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and NW Florida.

This is evident in this comment from Jason Solinger, an associate professor of English at the University of Mississippi, who is the school’s Hillel advisor.

“I think it’s really exciting,” said Solinger.

“Mississippi Hillel is looking forward to visiting with its Hillel counterparts at Texas and Oklahoma. Mazel Toddy!”

Francesca Kirdy, vice president of Hillel at Ole Miss, said, “Jewish life here is a small group, so if those schools were to join the SEC it could expand the amount of Hillels we communicate with. It could also widen resources for Ole Miss Hillel alumni in those areas who are looking for jobs.”

Auburn student Jackson Haber, who is from New Orleans, predicted “The amount of connections that can and will be established between each Hillel will be great for strengthening our Jewish connections throughout the conference.”

Recent Alabama graduate Rebecca Gilbert, who during her last year in Tuscaloosa was a campus StandWithUs Israel fellow, agrees.

“One favorite memory was going to a football game at Tennessee with AEPi (a Jewish fraternity). Tennessee’s AEPi chapter was incredibly welcoming and many members kept in touch throughout the year. Some even visited Alabama the following year. I hope that Alabama Jewish students will continue to have similar experiences like mine with our new SEC members.”

Gilbert, who was involved in Jewish programming at Alabama, noted that “especially in the days of Zoom, it is more than possible for Jewish organizations across the SEC to participate in joint programming between schools.”

Tyler Daniel, president of Hillel at Mississippi State, agreed. “In my experience, Jewish students visiting the campus of other Jewish students can result in some great opportunities to network within the Southern Jewish community and beyond, considering students come from all over.

I would be elated if Jewish students at Texas and Oklahoma involved themselves in networking

sports

with us as we have with other Hillels across the SEC.”

LSU In Her DNA Judith Lazarus Siegal, who grew up in New Orleans and is now a rabbi in South Florida, is in a unique position to reflect. She has great Jewish perspectives and ties to four SEC schools — Florida, where she now lives; Alabama, her husband Brian’s home state, and Texas, the school she attended. But it’s LSU that is most deeply embedded in her DNA. “One of my favorite childhood memories was going to Tiger Stadium with my late grandfather, who we lovingly called ‘Tigie’ because of his love for LSU football.”

There was a great ritual to it, she said, which included driving in from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, getting to their seats early, watching the Golden Girl dancers, and singing the LSU fight song and Arnie Fielkow screaming “Geaux Tigers!”

She admitted, though, that Tigie “was not too happy that I chose to go to Texas instead of his alma mater.”

She also remembered years later, at their son’s Brit Milah service, held in the chapel of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, “we were blessed to have Rabbi Lawrence Jackofsky come up to New York to bless our son.”

Siegal recalled that the rabbi “brought with him stories of Texas, LSU and Alabama football that my rabbinical school classmates and professors found vexing. Almost none of them had any reference point to football or the SEC! But Rabbi Jackofsky had served as the regional director for the UAHC for many years and he knew well that our SEC roots were as much a part of our heritage as our strong Jewish, Zionist identity.”

Looking ahead, Siegal is excited.

“Now, finally, Texas and Oklahoma will be a part of the SEC, and as a Southern Jew, this makes me very happy! Plus, I serve as a rabbi for a synagogue in Coral Gables, Fla., and many of the members of our community are Gators. Our family members have been involved at all the Hillels of all these schools, as well, and I love the idea of a giant Hillel tailgate gathering for SEC schools before the games!”

Jewish Gators, Bama Hillel Hillel directors at Florida and Alabama also envision great possibilities.

Rabbi Jonah Zinn, executive director of Hillel at Florida, sees a rivalry brewing between students at his school and Texas — the two schools that will have 60 percent of the SEC’s Jewish students once Texas joins the conference.

“Many Jewish Gators are thrilled about the possibility of a new rivalry between Florida and Texas, particularly given the many Gators who have Longhorns as friends and family,’’ said Zinn.

“These campuses both have such vibrant Jewish life, so the potential for greater connection between these two Jewish communities is very exciting.”

Lisa Besnoy, executive director of Alabama’s Hillel, is ready to extend a welcome to these two newcomers.

“This certainly expands our Jewish link across the states, providing opportunities for Jewish students to travel to each other’s schools and engage in Jewish activities while on campus,” said Besnoy.

“We invite students from visiting teams to join us for Shabbat dinner and Sunday brunch on our home game dates and extend this invitation to our new counterparts in the SEC. So whether you are Hook ‘em Horns or Boomer Sooner, the Crimson Tide will always hold true. Roll Tide and Mazel Tov to our new friends in the SEC!” September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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YO U R U N RELEN TING Yalla: Ryan Pannone ready to move the Squadron forward

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Coach of Pelicans’ new G-League team in Birmingham was part of championship teams in Jerusalem If you are at a Birmingham Squadron game in the coming months and happen to hear Coach Ryan Pannone finish up a huddle with “Yalla” — you haven’t been transported to Israel, but a little of Israel has been transported back with the coach.

Pannone, who will lead Birmingham’s new National Basketball Association G League team, spent two years as an assistant coach for Hapoel Jerusalem, winning the league in 2017 and the Israel State Cup in 2019.

The Squadron is the G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans and will begin play toward the end of the year at the newly-renovated Legacy Arena.

Yalla is an Arabic term in common use in Israel, meaning “let’s go!”

The G League is the National Basketball Association’s official minor league organization. Previously known as the Development League, or D-League, it became the G League in a partnership with Gatorade in 2017.

After the Pelicans announced in 2017 that they intended to operate a G League team in the region, six communities applied, but Birmingham was not one of them. After Shreveport and Pensacola became finalists, Shreveport voted against building a new arena for the team, so the Pelicans, who were also dealing with the death of owner Tom Benson at that time, put plans on hold.

In October 2018, the Pelicans announced they would put their team in Birmingham after Legacy Arena finished a planned renovation, playing in the interim in Erie, Pa., whose team had just relocated to Georgia.

The Squadron refers to a group of pelicans, and also is a tribute to Alabama’s military history, especially the Tuskegee Airmen of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first all-Black flying squadron of the Air Force.

David Lane, Squadron general manager of business operations, said the name “is just one of the many ways our organization is aligned with the brand and vision in New Orleans, as the team will play such a vital role in training and developing NBA talent for the Pelicans.”

Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson said “bringing our G League team closer to home and to such a deserving city like Birmingham was of the utmost importance in deciding where to launch our new G League franchise. Our organization’s vision is to grow the game of basketball in the Gulf South and we couldn’t be more excited to bring the NBA to the amazing people of Birmingham.”

Though Birmingham is known as a football town and does not have an NBA team, it has consistently been a high-rated market in televised NBA games.

Gayle Benson has already demonstrated an intention to be involved in Birmingham beyond basketball, especially when it comes to expanding business relationships between Birmingham and New Orleans. She plans to invest in Birmingham, and started out with Benson Capital Partners investing in Birmingham startups Prepaid2Cash and Wyndy.

Pannone said “to be in a city like Birmingham, where there is passion behind the team, is really exciting.”

A recent luncheon at Samford University unveiled the team to the community, and while they were figuring on a couple dozen people in attendance, there were a couple hundred. They were “totally blown away at how excited people were for the G league team in Birmingham,” Pannone said.

A native of Clearwater, Fla., after graduating from Oldsmar Christian School, Pannone became an assistant coach there, then became head coach. He reached out to David Thorpe, a local player development coach, and worked with him preparing players for the NBA draft.

sports Vitamins, Supplements & Essential Oils He was an assistant coach at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, about an hour north of Birmingham, then became an assistant coach with the Foshan Long Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association, and later coached in Germany and South Korea.

Returning to the U.S., he was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies’ summer team in Las Vegas, then worked with Thorpe at the Erie BayHawks in the D-League.

In 2016, he became an assistant coach at Hapoel Jerusalem. He explained that the general manager used to be Israeli NBA player Omri Casspi’s agent, and Pannone had been working with Casspi. “They were looking for an assistant Ryan Pannone holds the Israel State coach with a player developCup in 2019 ment mindset,” and the Pelicans’ international scout recommended him.

Living in Jerusalem was “a very unique experience,” he said. “Jerusalem is one of the most special places in the whole world.”

“It was amazing to be able to go to the Holy Land, to see some of the different sites you read about in the Bible, then to experience it with my wife and the second year with my son,” he said.

There were some adjustments, such as not being able to walk into most restaurants in Jerusalem and order a cheeseburger. A fan of bacon and eggs, he wondered, “where do you find the bacon?”

Another initial challenge was getting used to the concept of Shabbat.

He marveled at the “commitment to the lifestyle there” after a difficult start. He said one weekend, they were driving in Jerusalem on Shabbat and the GPS took them through an Orthodox neighborhood. “Kids were screaming at us and we didn’t know what was going on.”

But in retrospect, one of his favorite memories of life in Israel is Shabbat dinner. “I loved Shabbat dinner, I loved that kids and family members are driving from hours away to be together and spend time together.”

Now that he is a father, he hopes that when his kids are older and in college that they would want to come back for dinner.

“The life lessons we were able to experience living there were amazing,” he said, explaining “often in America we feel the way we do everything is the best way,” but living in several different countries, he found each country has different cultural aspects that would be beneficial in America.

“While I’m not Jewish, the commitment to the lifestyle there in Jerusalem is amazing to see,” he said.

He also saw commitment to basketball. Basketball in Israel “is amazing,” he said, and “the passion from the fans is unbelievable.” He said the fans have a series of songs they do in the stands before the game, and “when it gets to the national anthem… the passion with which they sing the national anthem would bring goosebumps.”

The Jerusalem fans also would have a particular song for when the team was behind and they needed to create energy and momentum in the arena. Then, after the team won the championship, on the way back from Tel Aviv fans had blocked the highway on both sides, storming the bus in celebration.

He said Israel is a great place for Americans to play, because of the high

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level of basketball, how most everyone speaks English and they can find echoes of home.

With retired NBA player Amare Stoudemire on the team and a co-owner, Hapoel Jerusalem won the 2016-17 championship. Pannone then went to become the head coach of the BC Prievidza in Slovakia, then returned to Jerusalem for the 2018-19 season, while also serving as a scout for the Angola national team. In 2019, Hapoel Jerusalem won the Israel Cup. In early 2019, David Griffin became the general manager of the Pelicans, and Pannone heard that they were looking for an American coach with international experience to coach their G League team. Thorpe recommended Pannone to him, as did Stoudemire, who had been with the Phoenix Suns when Griffin was there.

Pannone was on the staff of the Pelicans’ summer team in Las Vegas in 2019, after which he was named coach of the BayHawks, and has followed the BayHawks in relocating to Birmingham.

While he loved being in Erie, “moving to Birmingham to be closer to our Pelicans organization is huge,” as well as the difference in weather.

And furthering the connection with Israel, former University of Connecticut player Jalen Adams, who played for Pannone in Erie last year, signed with Hapoel Jerusalem in August.

Schedule information for the coming season has not been finalized.

Lane said “We’re looking forward to (Legacy Arena) being the best in the G League and even rivaling some NBA arenas. We couldn’t ask for a better venue for our fans, and we can’t wait to bring the experience of live professional basketball to the people of Birmingham like they’ve never seen before.”

BumperNets scores with table tennis, large pinball selection

By Lee J. Green

WE DELIVER IN ABOUT AN HOUR!

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

BumperNets is on the ball when it comes to scoring points with pinball, table tennis and pool players.

America’s first table tennis store — with four locations in Hoover’s Riverchase Galleria — has seen a surge in play and sales in 2021.

“We’ve had good involvement with our summer table tennis league and weekly tournaments as well as table and equipment sales,” said BumperNets President and GM Homer Smith, who opened the first store at Brookwood Village in August 1999. “We also have clinics and private lessons. It is our hope to instill in people a love for table tennis.”

Smith has played professionally for many years and in December he plans to play in his 52nd straight U.S. Open, which is a world record. He and his son Adam, who is BumperNets’ vice-president, have won several U.S. Open titles in various categories.

The first world table tennis championships to ever be held in North America will take place in Houston this upcoming November.

Smith said pinball leagues, play and machine sales have also been popular at BumperNets, which offers more than 30 machines for play in the store and have a stock of more than 60 pinball machines to sell. Some of those include limited edition KISS, Led Zeppelin and The Mandalorian pinball machines. They also do repairs.

“We have some world class players in Birmingham,” said Smith. “Pinball is something that adults and kids can share a love of. It’s nostalgia… and a great way to make a connection.”

BumperNets also sells and rents stand-up, as well as cocktail table, arcade games, along with pool tables, foosball and air hockey. They also sell equipment for another popular sport that has seen exponential growth in recent years — pickleball.

“We consider BumperNets to be the good-time headquarters,” said Smith.

For more information go to www.bumpernets.com.

sports

New Orleans native’s sneakers headed to the Smithsonian Adi Topolosky has become a voice for equity in sports

By Eliana Rudee (JNS) — Adi Topolosky, a New Orleans native who is now a seventh-grader at Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Md., made international news last year after speaking up for girls in sports after a negative experience in a sports store while trying to purchase basketball shoes made by Olympian and WNBA basketball player Elena Delle Donne, who plays for the Washington Mystics. On Aug. 20, the first anniversary of the incident, Adi donated her Delle Donne sneakers to the Smithsonian National Museum of American HistoPhoto: Courtesy ry, for use in the upcoming Title IX exhibit planned for Adi Topolosky posing with a book by summer 2022 and for future WNBA basketball player Elena Delle generations for educational Donne, who plays for the Washington purposes, both in person and Mystics in Washington. online.

Adi’s story was widely shared when she published a blog to bring awareness of the devaluation of women’s sports, telling how a male employee of Foot Locker told her and her family that he “would rather watch paint dry on a wall than watch any women play sports.”

The laces-free shoes — a collaboration between the Olympic gold medalist and Nike — offer an accessible option for people with disabilities, like Delle Donne’s sister, Lizzie, who has cerebral palsy and autism, in addition to being deaf and blind.

Recounting why she posted her story online, the 12-year-old told JNS, “I was preparing for my bat mitzvah at the time and thought about what it means to take responsibility as a Jewish adult, and speaking up was one of the many ways to do that.”

Her blog post received “a lot of feedback,” she said, with girls and parents reaching out to share similar experiences.

The story also got the attention of the president and CEO of DICK’S Sporting Goods, Lauren Hobart, who invited the young basketball player and hip-hop dance enthusiast to meet with her and WNBA players, including Elena Delle Donne, so they could talk about how their store could better serve women.

Adi joined the “Girls Power Panel,” organized by Hobart and inspired

by Adi’s story, which gathers teenage girls from around the United States who share feedback about DICKS and help the store better support girls and women with more suitable products — not just those that are pink-colored or scaled-down versions of boys’ products.

Through the panel, Adi met other young athletes from all over the country using their voices to make a change and spoke with them, along with professional athletes, about how they could better help challenges in women’s sports, such as non-equal pay, advertisements, sponsors, attention and attire for women in sports.

Since then, Adi has also joined the advisory board for HERicanes to

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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empower girls, has been on local radio and TV, as well as national TV on “Good Morning America” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“I want to show that women and girls are strong and that they matter, and to stand up for what I believe in,” said Adi, who also met with a former president of the WNBA and Foot Locker corporate after the incident. “I learned that it’s important to speak up for what you believe in. If you find something that upsets you, find respectful ways to bring real change.”

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‘Connecting to the larger community’ Adi is set to visit Israel this November to lead a basketball clinic with former professional basketball player Tamir (“The Jewish Jordan”) Goodman, director of “Hoops for Kids” who also partners with Emunah Israel to provide sports coaches for disadvantaged and at-risk students in student and residential homes.

This past March and in honor of her bat mitzvah, Adi organized a basketball ‘“shoot-a-thon” to raise money to bring the “Hoops for Kids” program to Emunah Israel. She raised $4,250 to bring the program to Emunah’s Achuzat Sara residential community in B’nei Brak, benefiting dozens of underprivileged Israeli girls with high-quality sports and physical-fitness programs.

She said she is looking forward to meeting Goodman — a religious Jew like herself — and the girls of Emunah’s Achuzat Sara, planning to shoot hoops with them and enjoy a bat mitzvah party for her there.

“The girls at Emunah residential homes have experienced unimaginable abuse, both physical and mental in nature, and providing them with basketball and other sports initiatives has been tremendously empowering and therapeutic

for them,” Ruth Guggenheim, coordinator of the partnership between “Hoops for Kids” and World Emunah, told JNS. “The children at the Emunah Achuzat Sara home are looking forward to meeting Adi and celebrating with her.

Adi is their hero!”

Adi’s parents, Uri and Dahlia Topolosky, a rabbi and psychologist, respectively, discussed important values growing up, “such as standing up for what you believe in and supporting important causes,” said their daughter.

Adi’s mother cites learning Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of Our Fathers”) together as one way to teach Adi to “be aware that we are part of a larger community and seeing the world as a community.”

“Seeing those experiencing inequality has always brought Adi great sadness and affects her tremendously,” Dahlia Topolosky told JNS. “We are always trying to find ways to speak up for issues larger than ourselves and helping others, such as moving to New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina for six years to help in the rebuilding efforts. Adi was born in New Orleans during those years.”

While the family resettled in New Orleans, she explained, her husband was hired as a rabbi by Beth Israel, whose shul was destroyed in the flood, to help rebuild the community. She worked as a psychologist doing post-trauma work.

“When you speak up larger than yourself, you’re connecting to the larger community and saying ‘I care’,” said Dahlia Topolosky, also quoting the Pirkei Avot value, “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”

“In other words,” she said, “when we see things that need changing, we must use our voice to do what we can do, and that’s what Adi has been continuing to do.”

Goodman documents Alabama’s historic 2020 season in his first book

By Lee J. Green

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

The Alabama Crimson Tide rolled through a perfect season to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

But even before Alabama kicked off against Missouri to start the season, Birmingham News and al.com sportswriter Joseph Goodman knew that he had the gestation for his first book – “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s ‘Ultimate Team’.”

“When the Alabama football players organized the march for equality” on Aug. 31 last year “and Coach Nick Saban was with them every step of the way, I felt compelled to write the book. Nick Saban is always going to support his players and that is part of what makes him the

greatest college football coach of all time,” said Goodman.

“They had already won at that point. I needed to write this for the piece of history that it was,” said Goodman. “This was one of the most important teams ever in college football,” he added.

“We Want Bama” is much more than just a documentation of the Crimson Tide’s historic season, it looks at the phenomenon, the fervor, the fandom, the psychology and the culture that permeates college football in the Deep South.

“There is something in there for all college football fans and history buffs to enjoy,” said Goodman. “It is written in a very entertaining, compelling style and I talked to hundreds of people” within the Alabama program, across

sports

the Southeastern Conference, college football and important figures tied to the state.

“This is more than Alabama and what happens on the field, this is about culture and what it takes to achieve excellence.

The narrative weaves a picture of the entire state of Alabama through a college football season,” he said. “I like to write from the perspective that everything is connected.”

After the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team lost to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 back in March, Goodman started writing. In five weeks, he had finished his manuscript.

“I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years and I have written thousands of bylines, but writing a book is a different animal,” he said. “I had to find my own process.”

Goodman grew up in Irondale and spent much of his time at Levite Jewish Community Center. He was a lifeguard and swim coach while he was in high school at Shades Valley and college at UAB. “There was rarely a day that I wasn’t at the LJCC. It was my home away from home.”

After working at small-town newspapers outside of Alabama while in college, and for UAB’s Kaleidoscope, after graduating, Goodman earned an opportunity to cover high school sports for the Miami Herald.

He would go on to become the beat writer for the Florida Gators when they won the National Championship in 2009 and the Miami Heat when they won NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013. “I have been around some incredible championship teams, coaches and players, but there was nothing like Alabama in 2020,” he said.

Goodman moved back to Alabama in 2015 to work for the Birmingham News, Mobile Press-Register, Huntsville Times and al.com.

He credits his wife, Sarah, who encouraged him to write from the beginning. Sarah and her father, Bill Goldman, are involved in the Jewish community and members of Temple Emanu-El. The Goodmans have three kids, the oldest of whom, James, is a sophomore at UAB. “This is something we as a family can share and that makes it more special,” he said.

Goodman will be busy covering the 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide season over the next few months, but he said hopes to coordinate some book signing events in the Jewish community once “We Want Bama” comes out Nov. 9. “We have gotten some great support from the community… and I am anxious to find out what people think.”

Wishing all my friends and supporters in the Jewish community a very Happy New Year!

Judge Candice Bates-Anderson Juvenile Court, Section C

PEACE Birmingham applications available Applications are currently available for PEACE Birmingham, a monthly dialogue group for teens from different cultures and faiths, now coordinated by the AlaQuest Collaborative for Education. Students in grades 9 to 12 are being recruited.

Originally formed in 1996 as a project of Temple Emanu-El to provide a space for dialogue among Jewish and African-American teens, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute signed on in 1998, and in 2007 the program was opened to all races and religions.

Students meet once a month to have open discussions, attend cultural events, and are encouraged to take on a servant leadership role in their community. PEACE Birmingham starts on Sept. 12, 2021 and ends in April 2022 with a trip to a historical social justice site or institution.

Applications are on the ACEalabama website, ACEalabama.org/ PEACEbirmingham.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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rosh hashanah 5782

L ’Shana Shana Tova to my friends and supporters in the Jewish community Judge Sidney H. Cates, IV Orleans Civil Court Division C

Thank you for your support!

Consul General Livia Link-Raviv

A year of fresh possibilities Shana Tova from me, my family, and the entire Israeli consulate. I am extremely excited to be starting my new role as Consul General of Israel to the Southwest; it is an honor and a privilege to serve Israel and the Jewish People just in time to celebrate the beginning of 5782.

This will be an extra sweet Rosh Hashanah for me and my family, as we now get to call Houston our new home and I begin my journey of getting to meet and work with all of Israel’s great friends that exist here in the Southwest.

I know we are all looking forward to a new year and a fresh start. Rosh Hashanah is a wonderful time that brings an abundance of change that gives the Jewish people the blessing of new beginnings. I am truly overjoyed to be welcomed into this community that I have heard so much about. I know of your warmth, hospitality, resilience, and the true concern that you show for your neighbors. Your proud sense of Zionism and advocacy for the Jewish State here is commendable and I am honored to build on the years of friendship that exists between Louisiana and Israel.

The high holidays are not only a time of new beginnings, but also an important opportunity to reflect on the past. It has been a challenging year for all of us, as we have weathered the heartbreaking storm of Covid-19. We remember all of those who have been impacted by this pandemic, especially our loved ones we have lost. May their memory be for a blessing.

Behind the shadow that this season has cast, we have, however, discovered our resilience, and the strength of drawing back into the safety and comfort of our families. It is a blessing to learn how to rely on one another, and it has provided the stability and warmth that has helped preserve our communities for generations. The love we share within our families is the foundation that we build off of to cultivate strong friendships and communities, and this could not be more on display than what we have seen in this past year.

Just as our families are an important source of strength, so too is the bond between Israel and the diaspora. Israel cares deeply about this community, we celebrate your successes, and stand with you during times of crisis, as we are one people. I look forward to bringing all of us closer together, getting to know you, and sharing my love and passion for the State of Israel.

Our shared nation is ready to walk into 5782 with many new friends by its side, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco and soon many more.

This is a kind reminder that there are always new beginnings and fresh starts to build a better tomorrow.

As we enter into the high holidays and I begin my term as Consul General of Israel to the Southwest, let us look forward to all of the fresh possibilities that await us. Remember that you always have an open invitation at the consulate, and I wish you a year of health, kindness, and a renewed spirit.

May we all be inscribed in the book of life this coming year.

Livia Link-Raviv is Consul General of Israel to the Southwest, based in Houston. Her territory includes Louisiana.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

rosh hashanah 5782 Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon

Transcending Differences, Stronger Together This past year has been characterized by various challenges, for Israel and for the Jewish people. A global pandemic impacted us all. Israel faced significant security threats and ongoing attempts to delegitimize the Jewish state. Jews across the globe have faced a very concerning rise in antisemitism, including here in the United States. Yet, despite these significant challenges, we have also witnessed the powerful force of positive change, including the extraordinary beginnings of unique and authentic relations between unlikely bedfellows.

This past August, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast had the remarkable opportunity to host a delegation of young Emirati, Saudi and Israeli leaders from the NGO Sharaka.

Sharaka was born out of the Abraham Accords, as one year ago Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed historic agreements normalizing relations and further promoting the vision of peace for our region. Since then, Morocco and Sudan have followed, and we look forward to many more joining in choosing hope and peace, for the benefit of all our peoples. “Sharaka,” meaning “partnership” in Arabic, was founded by young leaders from Israel and the Gulf in order to promote the vision of peace on the ground — people to people.

Two Muslim Emiratis, one Muslim Saudi, one Arab Israeli and one Israeli Jew came to Atlanta for a two day visit. The delegation spoke to a variety of audiences around metro Atlanta, including interfaith leaders, elected officials, heads of HBCUs and members of the Jewish community.

Their message was strong and clear — the next generation is not afraid to break through barriers. The next generation can be educated and ex-

posed to “the other” with great success. Despite our differences, there is much that we have in common, and our relations allow us to better address common challenges and pursue mutual interests.

In this same spirit of bringing peoples together in peace, the Israeli Consulate launched a new program fostering education and understanding of the deep seeded relationships between African-Americans, Jews and Israelis. Covenant is a cooperative partnership of the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast and the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College.

Our work commemorates the rich history of African-American and Jewish collaboration and mutual support, which is of great relevance and importance today. Our dialogue, events and academic programs draw upon the legacies of Henrietta Szold, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Constance Baker Motley, Yitzhak Rabin, Samuel DuBois Cook, Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These leaders, each in their own way, courageously strived to ensure a better future for their communities and across communities.

Continuing the theme of “unlikely bedfellows,” Israel’s new coalition government is another such example. Like the United States, Israel is a multicultural and politically complex country. This year, we saw the

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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rosh hashanah 5782

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formation of the most diverse coalition government in Israel’s history. Parties from the far left and the far right came together to form Israel’s new government including, for the first time, an Arab Israeli party.

Gender equality has also made strides in the new government’s makeup. Its nine women ministers mark the highest number to date, as do the three women ministers included in the more exclusive Security Cabinet. Also a first, one of the women ministers has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. As in previous governments, Jewish ministers represent a broad range of backgrounds, including an openly gay minister, and reflect Israel’s tradition of successful immigrant integration: North Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, the former Soviet Union and more. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s family immigrated to Israel from the United States. Diversity coming together is the essence of the State of Israel and its citizens.

While it has been a challenging year for Israel and for the Jewish people, there is much to be celebrated and much to look forward to.

Whether in Israel, in the Middle East, or here in the U.S., coming together beyond differences, makes us all stronger.

May we all keep our eyes on the horizon as we journey toward a brighter and more peaceful New Year together. Shana Tova!

Anat Sultan-Dadon is Consul General of Israel to the Southeast, based in Atlanta. Her territory includes Alabama and Mississippi.

Yiddish Center looks South for history talk The national Yiddish Book Center looks South for an online event on Sept. 30 at 6 p.m., with “Secular Yidishkayt and Social Justice in the U.S. South.”

Josh Parshall, director of history at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, will examine how Southern members of the Arbeter Ring and other Jewish left-wing groups grappled with issues of justice in a region characterized by stark racial divides and staggering class disparities.

A small number of Jewish immigrants to the South dedicated themselves to radical politics and secular Yiddish culture. By 1908 they had begun organizing in Southern cities, establishing literary and dramatic groups, and lending libraries.

The presentation will also include new musical adaptations of songs drawn from historical source materials.

This program is presented as part of the Yiddish Book Center’s “Decade of Discovery: Yiddish and Social Justice” and presented in partnership with ISJL. The free live event will be on Zoom, and registration is required.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community

Shalom. Make yourself at home.

A presidency without in-person meetings?

Briann Shear has unusual term keeping Hadassah New Orleans busy during pandemic restrictions

By Richard Friedman Did you hear the one about the Jewish organization president who never held an in-person meeting?

Yep, there was a day when that would have been unthinkable, but Hadassah New Orleans President Briann Shear is among those creative volunteer leaders who have navigated their organizations through Covid, relying mainly on grit, imagination — and online programming.

Shear, who became president of her Hadassah chapter in May 2020, just as the pandemic was erupting, was flummoxed at first — not knowing which way to turn and having no previous experience as president or chair of a Jewish organization.

All she knew was that it was going to be different than expected and that it was up to her to make it “good different” rather than “bad different.”

Drawing on her marketing and graphics background, she decided to throw a “Hail Mary” — and thanks to her and her leadership team, Hadassah wound up scoring a touchdown.

Now Open! www.msje.org/visit

Fountain of Programming As the Covid pandemic has unfolded, Hadassah New Orleans, in partnership at times with other Jewish organizations, has distinguished itself as a fountain of creative online programming.

Its offerings have ranged from book discussions, to women’s issues, to the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy through the eyes of parents on both sides, to the impact of Jews on music, to an award-winning online fundraising initiative that was honored recently by Hadassah’s national organization.

“It’s been an adventure. I love brainstorming and coming up with ideas, plus our leadership wanted to get more members involved,” Shear said in a recent Zoom chat as she looked back on the past 18 months and reflected on her term, which ends on Dec. 31.

“We couldn’t figure it out and then we said ‘we can’ — and I think we have,” she said. “I believe we have raised the profile of Hadassah and I think it is going to continue. It really has been fun to stretch the boundaries of what you can do; it’s been an exploration of what’s possible.”

The fundraising program was particularly satisfying — and fun — given the challenge of raising dollars during the Covid era.

Dubbed “Mask-erade,” it featured a virtual gala with formal invitations and played off the Covid masking theme. Included was a mask contest for adults and kids. The event won Hadassah’s national Grass Roots Fundraising Award.

Twelve States Over the past 18 months, Shear and her team have produced a nonstop series of online programs, sometimes clustered by themes.

“I think we have hosted in one way or another close to 100 Zoom gatherings. Some smaller local ones, and some casting a wider net to other communities.”

Those watching have not only been New Orleans-based. They have come from at least 12 states and Canada.

Surprised and gratified that the audience has become so widespread,

Transforming Lives Through Theatre Red Mountain Theatre’s Human Rights New Works Festival is a conversation and a celebration of that which unites us all – our humanity.

September 24-26, 2021

RMT Arts Campus 1600 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham, AL Red Mountain Theatre hosts an annual three-day festival of powerful new works that will inspire, engage, and transform audiences. With panel discussions, dramatic readings, and lectures from prominent advocates, RMT leads our Magic City in a human rights experience unlike any other.

Friday, September 24 Memorial, 8 p.m.

Saturday, September 25 True North, 2 p.m.

Survivors, 8 p.m.

Sunday, September 26 Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham, 2 p.m.

Get Tickets at redmountaintheatre.org September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

49

community Shear thinks this has been due to creative topics, effective promotional materials, strategic use of social media and circulating New Orleans’ offerings to Hadassah chapters throughout the country.

The group’s first challenge — “What do we do now?!”

— came over continuing its successful book club. “We asked ourselves ‘What are we going to do? Are we going to suspend it because of the pandemic?’ No, we said.

Our book club was something we believed would work really well online.”

Then, she said, the group took a deep breath, not knowing what the turnout would be, and converted its book club to an online format. “We soon realized that this was something that could succeed. There was no reason why we had to gather physically. So one idea led to another.”

One thing she quickly realized was that the organization could invite authors to participate and many were willing to do so.

From that initial foray into the online world of Jewish programming, things took off and, as Shear puts it, success began breeding success. It dawned on her and her team that the only limits were the limits of their collective creativity and energy and, recognizing the opportunity, they decided to pull out all the stops.

While many Jewish organizations have produced quality online programming during the pandemic, what has distinguished Hadassah New Orleans’ work is that it has been far-reaching, mixing Jewish/Israel-themed programs with offerings of a more secular nature such as those dealing with the feminist movement.

What Shear also discovered was that people were willing to do programs for free — not only local experts and panelists but distinguished thinkers and personalities from throughout the Jewish world and beyond.

“I just asked and found that people were very willing to join us.”

Still Ironic As this energetic volunteer leader heads into the final few months of her Hadassah presidency, she still finds it ironic that she’s never held an in-person meeting — and quite possibly won’t.

Some of her members wanted such meetings. Nonetheless, Shear recognized and capitalized on what clearly was an evolving new culture. She is among those who hope it continues after the pandemic.

Maximizing time, for her, is a key.

“I think I actually have had more meetings than if I was doing my presidency live. The time I save by not having to travel to meetings is huge.

I can now manage three to four meetings a day. Yes, I like people — but this new approach has put me in touch with people all over the world.”

Especially memorable is the sense of wonderment Shear conveyed during one of Hadassah’s early entries into the online world. In her opening remarks you could hear her excitement — and nervousness — as she talked about never imagining being able to gather such a vast audience and having access to speakers and panelists from throughout the world.

Though now a veteran, her enthusiasm continues. “I can’t wait to see what ideas we come up with next!”

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Where can you find care with a personal touch?

Post-Havdalah concert at Ramah Darom

Ramah Darom celebrates 25th summer, embarks on 10-year expansion plan At its online 25th anniversary celebration on July 25, Ramah Darom unveiled a new strategic plan to expand the Conservative movement summer camp and year-round retreat center in north Georgia.

The Kadima campaign seeks to build the future of Ramah Darom by expanding and broadening the facilities, increasing the number of experiences offered, and focusing on ensuring universal affordability for programs.

There are numerous components to what is envisioned as a 10-year comprehensive plan for the camp. In addition to hosting hundreds of Jewish students each summer, Ramah Darom offers a year-round retreat site for companies and congregations, hosts a Limmud weekend, family camps, Winter Break and Passover retreats, and more.

The camp built upon the foundation of Tumbling Waters, a defunct girls nature camp, and a centerpiece of the campus, which is surrounded by the Chattahoochee National Forest, is a 70-foot waterfall on the property. Ramah Darom held its first summer in 1997, and this year celebrated 25 RAMAHrkable years.

All new facilities will be available for the summer and year-round programs.

The first phase of the campaign will replace the 1950s-era Beit Am Katan, which was the camp’s first dining hall and dates back to the previous camp. The new staff center will have indoor programming and recreational spaces, a staff lounge and fitness center.

A few years ago, Ramah Darom bought the property across the street where the couple that ran Tumbling Waters had lived. A new Gesher Village will be constructed for the rising 11th grade campers, who are involved in a leadership development program for their final summer as campers.

Overlooking the lake, Gesher Village will have new indoor and outdoor programming areas, while the 45-acre property will also have tent platforms for campouts, a Zipline circuit, covered pavilion, outdoor classroom and climbing rock. The village will also be available for retreats and year-round rentals.

The Welcome Center will also be expanded. It currently provides hotel-style accommodations for retreats, and will expand those opportunities and provide additional ADA housing, as well as provide space for year-round Jewish leadership programs, have its own kitchen and conference rooms.

Additional plans call for a new teaching kitchen alongside the outdoor pizza patio; a canopy walk connecting the lake and softball field, with additional amenities including a water slide into the lake; sports field enhancements; expanding the Gan to include a playground for staff children and young retreat participants; replace two older cabins and build a new facility for music, dance and yoga.

Another component is endowments to underwrite numerous camp programs.

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culture Red Mountain Theatre Human Rights New Works Festival coming Sept. 24 Works about Holocaust survivors, “Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham” among those scheduled

By Lee J. Green

YOU'LL FIND MORE THAN A COLLEGE ON

the hilltop YOU’LL FIND A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY.

BSC

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Birmingham-Southern College

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

bsc.edu

Red Mountain Theatre’s fourth-annual Human Rights New Works Festival, to be held Sept. 24 to 26, features a couple of new plays about Holocaust survivors, as well as one focusing on New York Jews moving to a small town outside of Birmingham and being confronted with antisemitism.

Executive Director Keith Cromwell said the festival’s goal is to present theatre that opens up a dialogue and can push for change.

“We want to entertain and engage the audience in thought,” said Cromwell. “Theatre and the arts can be powerful tools toward an understanding. It is our goal to support and cultivate important new works.”

A couple of years ago, Cromwell approached Birmingham Holocaust Education Center board member Deborah Layman about writing a play on Holocaust survivors in Birmingham.

“I became close with our six local Holocaust survivors and knew of their heroic stories, but I had never written a play before,” said Layman, who was assisted by dramaturg Len Berkman in how to develop a script.

“The challenge was to take the narratives and evolve this into a play that crosses over into today.”

Thus “Survivors” was born. Layman taught high school for many years, including a Holocaust education curriculum, so she decided to set the play in a high school classroom.

“The survivors share their stories with the kids and (the play) revolves around how those stories can affect and help these kids who are dealing with bullying, victimization and being marginalized,” said Layman. “Everything we do with the (BHEC) is not just to keep these stories alive but to also have an impact on today’s kids.”

Layman said writing the stories in first person and coming up with a narrative “really affected me deeply. That is what theatre and the power of storytelling are all about.”

She said the 8 p.m. performance on Sept. 25 will be a staged reading.

“The audience response will help us to develop this into a full production,” she said.

“Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham” will make its stage debut on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. Los Angeles-based playwright Ben Andron said the play is a comedy and musical, but it tackles serious issues of antisemitism and racism.

The show centers on an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn that is struggling to make ends meet. The father inherits a restaurant — run by an African-American chef and his bookkeeping wife — in a small town outside of Birmingham.

“I love the idea of using comedy to shine a light into the darkness. We wanted to do a fish-out-of-water story that evolved into something that tackles some serious issues,” said Andron, who is an observant Orthodox Jew. Andron came out to Los Angeles in the early 2000s to pursue a career in screenwriting. But he started branching out in different directions, including writing for graphic novels and ultimately playwriting, including a comedy adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s book “Brave New World.”

He was more recently working with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery and one of his writing partners, Jason Rose, was friends

culture with Cromwell. Rose had an idea for the play that they hashed out.

Cromwell said, “when Jason and Ben came to me with the idea for ‘Bar Mitzvah in Birmingham’ I knew this would be the perfect place to workshop it. Ben had never been to Birmingham and I told him you have to come here to gain a greater understanding.”

Andron, who lived in Winston-Salem from ages five to 10, visited Birmingham this past May. He met with leaders of the Jewish and African-American communities, civil rights heroes and visited historical sites.

“My visit definitely gave me the foundation I needed to formulate the story,” he said. “The city has grown so much but there was a strong, conscious acknowledgement of its history. My experience in Birmingham was inspiring, informative and entertaining.”

Andron said he is fortunate to have collaborators working on the music for the show who share in the vision. One is African-American composer Thomas Jones, and the other is a wellknown African-American rapper/songwriter, Nissim Black, who converted to Judaism and lives in Israel.

“It’s exciting to work together to see this show evolve and change,” he said, adding that they will likely present the first act of the show in Birmingham. “I know the audience reaction will help us shape this and we are so grateful to Red Mountain Theatre Company for this opportunity. The goal would be to have a full-fledged production in the next year or so.”

Rounding out the Human Rights New Works Festival will be “True North,” a show about a family adapting to changes and embracing the magic of the holidays, told through the lens of a child on the spectrum.

A preview of “Memorial” by Birmingham playwright Quinton Cockrell debuted at Reed Mountain Theatre this past May. The play was commissioned by RMT and written using extensive research from the Jefferson County Memorial Project, which received a portion of the proceeds.

“Memorial,” on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m., examines the scourge of lynching in Jefferson County from the 1890s through the 1930s. The show, which has been updated since its staged reading this past spring, incorporates drama and spirit-stirring music to commemorate lives lost to senseless, racially-motivated violence during this dark time in American history.

Cromwell said it is a goal of the Festival to inform, entertain and to make a difference.

“We want to support these works… and to make the audience aware of the local resources, organizations and causes we have here. They are making a difference in people’s lives every day,” he said.

Happy New Year 5782

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

53

Happy New Year 5782

community Alexandria Rotary honors two Jewish leaders Longtime member Ed Caplan recognized for service

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After serving 16 years as secretary/treasurer of the Rotary Club of Alexandria, Ed Caplan decided it was time to step aside, as daughter Judy Caplan Ginsburgh and her husband, Bob, take on that position. But the club wasn’t going to let the moment pass unrecognized for the 66-year member.

At the June 22 Rotary meeting, Alexandria Mayor Jeffrey Hall presented a proclamation declaring Edwin Caplan Day in central Louisiana.

The club’s “Thanks for the Memories” program noted that the transition “will be an easy one” as Caplan had promised the club president to make the transition as smooth as possible.

“I think it’s an important part of our community and it’s a way to give back,” Caplan said. He said Rotary allows community leaders to gather weekly and learn about important issues, and have the opportunity to improve the community.

Caplan started working at the family’s store, Caplan’s, in the mid-1859s. He transformed the small dry goods store established in 1891 into a regional headquarters for men’s tailored clothing. In early August, John and Traci Miguez

became the new owners of Caplan’s, ending 130 years of Caplan family ownership.

Caplan was Rotary president in 1970, and president of Gemiluth Chassodim from 1968 to 1969, and 1989 to 1991. He has chaired the Temple’s endowment committee for over 30 years.

He has also headed the Central Cities Development Corporation and the Renaissance Home for Youth.

According to Ginsburgh, her father joined Rotary in 1955 and will remain active as he turns 90 next year.

Harry Silver receives Service Above Self award

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

After 70 years of serving the community, Harry Silver figured he knew everything that was happening in Alexandria — but was nevertheless surprised when he was presented the Service Above Self award from the Rotary Club of Alexandria on April 27.

He was 83 when he was appointed to the city council to fill an unexpired term in 2005. The next year, he was elected to a full term, and most recently was re-elected in 2018. He resigned in February, one month after turning 99. It was believed that he was the oldest active elected official in the country, and the oldest ever to serve in Louisiana, and were it not for Covid concerns he could well have kept serving.

Last summer, after the council voted not to allow remote participation in council meetings during the Covid pandemic, Silver sued the city and a judge ruled that he be allowed to participate by remote, as those his age are particularly susceptible to Covid and he had also been recovering from a broken elbow. He had been attending meetings remotely since then.

Owner of the Weiss and Goldring specialty men’s store, Silver was president of Gemiluth Chassodim from 1957 to 1960. He has also been president of the Alexandria Chapter Mental Health Board and the L.S. Rugg Parent Teachers Association Board, chaired the United Way

Photo courtesy Judy Caplan Ginsburgh

Rotary Club of Alexandria President Dustin Matthews presents the 2021 Service Above Self award to Harry Silver.

Board, Rapides Regional Hospital, The Rapides Foundation, Central Cities Development Corporation and the Alexandria Retailers Merchants Association.

Being surprised with the award “was one of the most refreshing things that has ever happened to me.”

As he is not a Rotary member, he was lured to the event under the guise of being invited to hear a close friend speak at the meeting.

Bubba, are reports that New Orleans once had a rabbi who also served as an antisemitic Greek Orthodox priest at the same time true?

A:

and the anti-Jewish effect was colossal. In the year Talk about your mixed messages — and the confusion 1908, he was made professor in the German uniover which day to deliver them! versity at Lemberg. There I saw him in the garb of The question is partially true. Rabbi Judah Elfenbein and Faa priest. Later I was informed that Tillinger had ther Stanislaus Tillinger, the same person, were indeed in New sought to return to the Jewish fold. Some were Orleans at one point (and you think figuring out pronouns in willing to ‘let bygones be bygones’ but I could 2021 is confusing?) but New Orleans was in no mood to claim not forget all of the pains to Jews that he had him (them?) as a local. As Rabbi Mendel Silber, who was an edbeen the cause of.” itor of the local Jewish Ledger, wrote, “New Orleans has had the Though Tillinger was known as a priest, he also had a wife distinction, though unbeknown to the community, of harboring and children as Elfenbein, an illustration of the “almost comical the most contemptible, the most despicable creaextent of his double life,” Kanter-Webber comture on God’s earth.” mented.

So who was this diabolical duo, and how did he In 1920, Elfenbein immigrated to New York (okay, we’ll settle on singular) become so reviled? and discovered that his Tillinger name was known The answers come from Gabriel Kanter-Webber, and ill-regarded, so he grew a beard, resumed his currently a rabbinical student at Leo Baeck Colidentity as Elfenbein and wound up on pulpits in lege in London. He is working on a Master’s disYoungstown, Ohio, Easton, Pa., and Brooklyn. sertation about defrocked rabbis, and has come up He fled Youngstown when someone from “back with a total of 17. Defrocking a rabbi is highly rare; home” recognized him. more often, he or she is simply unsuited.

In 1923, he was at the Jacob Schiff Center in the Apologies for that mental image. Al Chayt…

Bronx, when “casual gossip” at kosher cafes about Among the cases, he said there was the Reform his identity reached the Union of Orthodox Rabrabbi who had his wife killed so he could marry bis, who held a beit din, a religious court, on Feb. a congregant, and at the other end of the scandal 19, 1923. spectrum, there was a 19th-century Hungarian Elfenbein denied that he was Tillinger, but Rabrabbi who used hair products during Passover. bi Alter Pfeffer, who was from the same area as Kanter-Webber is working on a long article that Elfenbein and was in Austria during the Hilsner will eventually be published, and we look forward With the caption “Rabbinical trial, quickly identified him as Tillinger. to it (though it won’t be in the Forward), as inquir- Freak,” this photo of Afternoon prayers interrupted the proceedings, ing minds want to know. and according to a JTA account of the “most senElfenbein/Tillinger ran in In giving permission to reprint his research into The Sentinel. sational” proceedings, Elfenbein was “seemingly Elfenbein-Tillinger here, he said this case “has to moved by prayer” at the part of the service that win the prize for being the most outlandish.” So why wouldn’t included a plea for forgiveness from sin. He signed a confession there be a New Orleans connection? and pledge, saying “I am not deserving of being a servant of the As Kanter-Webber related, Elfenbein was born in Galicia in the sacred profession. I pledge my self never to accept a religious polate 1800s and moved to Vienna, where he tried to become a rabbi. sition either as rabbi or teacher in a religious school on account “He didn’t do well, and was either eased out of his seminary beof being unfitted by the deeds of my youth, which are widely and fore graduating, or simply struggled to find rabbinic employment generally known.” thereafter.” The impoverished would-be rabbi was befriended and The Beit Din then issued a statement confirming that Elfensupported by a Greek Orthodox prelate, and either converted to bein was also Tillinger and had been the notorious figure in the Christianity or just went through the motions of doing so. Not Hilsner trial. long after, Father Tillinger, as he was known, started writing arSo where does New Orleans fit into this story? ticles in a Jesuit newspaper in Lviv, Ukraine, about blood libels Just a couple months after the beit din, Elfenbein was in New — promoting the idea that Jews used Christian blood for various Orleans trying to get a passport from the Brazilian consulate, sayrituals, including to make matzah for Passover. ing he was being given a rabbinical position there. His attendance Tillinger even was a key prosecution witness in the well-known as a rabbi at the Presbyterian Church was brought to the attention blood libel trial of Leopold Hilsner, a Jew who was framed for the of Silber, who was rabbi at Gates of Prayer, a Reform congregation supposed ritual murder of two women. The investigations and that three years earlier had moved into a facility on Napoleon Avtrials in 1899 and 1900 led to riots against Jews throughout Boheenue that had formerly been a Presbyterian church. mia and Moravia. In 1901, Hilsner’s death sentence was commutThe Presbyterian minister found out Silber was asking around, ed to life imprisonment, but in 1918 Emperor Charles I granted and contacted him to confirm Tillinger’s identity — but insisted him a pardon. that he was innocent of the charges against him at the Beit Din. In a 1923 JTA piece, Jewish journalist Gershon Bader said A meeting was held with Silber, the minister and Elfenbein/ Tillinger’s articles “made a strong impression. The paper which Tillinger, where Tillinger denied ever forsaking Judaism or writwas published by anti-Semites had an unusually wide circulation September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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ing blood libels, or even knowing anything about the Hilsner case. Silber presented articles from the Austrian press, which Tillinger said were untrue, and then said the New York trial, in front of a panel of Orthodox rabbis, was a “frame-up” by atheists and Bolsheviks who wanted to ruin him because he was so devoted to Judaism.

Silber told him the Orthodox rabbis were “the very antithesis of Atheism and Bolshevism” and he would run an expose in the July 20 Jewish Ledger, where he called Tillinger “an individual whose flagrant rascality has been proven in public.” Tillinger then sued him for libel.

Silber, who was at Gates of Prayer through 1933 and also served congregations in New Iberia, Morgan City and Plaquemine, also did not mince words when talking about the “honorable and intelligent” Presbyterian minister, charging him with befriending the “bogus priest-rabbi” to help him “fetch Jewish souls into the Presbyterian fold.” He noted that the idea any Jew would be attracted to the church by Tillinger is the height of “criminal credulity.”

He added, “This in itself is the clearest proof of the unscrupulousness to which certain men and ministers are led by their missionary zeal; of the utter disregard for matters of conscience where missionary methods are concerned,” and said that rather than “protect our Presbyterian friends” from Tillinger, “let their own experience convince them of their folly.”

Kanter-Webber said it looked like the libel suit was soon dropped “as Tillinger’s lawyers lost faith in its possibilities of success.”

He did leave the country after the New Orleans encounter, heading to Czechoslovakia. Kanter-Webber found a 1928 reference to him in Austria, “begging for forgiveness and rehabilitation in order that he could once again resume working as a rabbi.” Anything after that is currently unknown.

Since Kanter-Webber is a rabbinical student, our hope for him is that he has a career that is far removed from the actions of those he is researching, and is never in any danger of becoming defrock-ee No. 18.

However, if he is taking nominees, we have a few to suggest…

Do you have a question that has been nagging at you? Let Bubba Meyer put your mind at ease… email it to editor@sjlmag.com and we will send it to where he is Festing In Place.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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The former Karnofsky Shop, a landmark in the history of New Orleans jazz, was demolished by Hurricane Ida on Aug. 29.

The building at 427 South Rampart Street, which was vacant, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It opened in 1913, and the upstairs was an apartment for the Karnofskys, a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania.

The National Park Service says the first-floor tailor shop, with the residence above, was “a second home to the young Louis Armstrong,” the jazz legend who was befriended and employed as a child by the Karnofskys, and who helped him earn his first cornet.

When he was six, Louis and Tillie Karnofsky hired Armstrong, who lived with his mother in a rough, impoverished neighborhood, to work with their sons, Morris and Alex, on their junk and coal wagons. They blew tin horns to attract customers, and Armstrong soon wondered how he would sound with a real horn.

He saw a cornet in a pawn shop window for $5, and was determined to get it. Armstrong insisted that it not be a gift but that he would work for it, so the Karnofskys loaned him against future pay, and he got the cornet.

Morris knew Armstrong had talent and encouraged him to play. Dining with the family, Armstrong developed a taste for Jewish food, and learned a Russian lullaby from Tillie. Those early years gave Armstrong a strong affinity for the Jewish community.

Later, Morris Karnofsky opened Morris Music on that block, and the tailor shop eventually was transformed into the city’s first jazz record store. Armstrong would frequently visit the record store and play with fellow musicians. By 1939, the music store moved into larger spaces, finally settling at 168 South Rampart.

The Times-Picayune reported that there have been several failed efforts to revive the building, the most recent being a 2019 plan to possibly turn it into a nightclub.

According to Twitter posts, the destruction was between 5 and 7 p.m. on Aug. 29, just hours after the Category 4 storm made landfall southwest of New Orleans. The two-story building was flattened to a pile of bricks.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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counselor’s corner a monthly feature from Collat Jewish Family Services

Catching Up on Health Care Visits

By LaBrena Friend, LMSW

Coming soon…

A new magazine for Israel’s Christian friends

israelinsightmagazine.com

Have you delayed health care visits to avoid potential exposure to Covid-19? If so, you are among millions of people who have postponed care, thinking the pandemic would be “over soon.”

By now, you may have missed nearly two years’ worth of screenings for cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as major vision, dental and mental health issues. This is a serious concern. Conditions that are treatable when caught early can be devastating or even deadly if caught too late.

As a CJFS social worker, I have been encouraging my clients to resume regular health care visits, and I facilitate those visits as needed. If you need to “catch up” on health care, here are some steps that can help simplify the process and ensure effective communication: • First, make a list of all the practitioners you need to see.

• Call each provider to schedule a visit. The first available appointment may be weeks or months away, but if you have symptoms that need immediate attention, share this information and ask if an earlier date is possible given your symptoms.

• Be sure to write down the appointment date, time and location.

• If you don’t drive, make a transportation plan for each appointment. Determine whether a friend or family member can drive you or perhaps you can use CJFS’ Buz-A-Bus or Just Like Family services, or a ride-sharing service. Some insurance plans cover transportation costs for health care visits, so check to see if yours will.

• Before each visit, make a list of recent physical, mental or emotional changes you have experienced and any questions you want to ask. Making a list in advance helps ensure you cover everything and takes the pressure off you during the appointment.

• Bring a list of your medications, including the dosage and how often each is taken.

• Don’t be shy about asking questions or for clarification if the doctor says something you don’t understand — that’s why you are seeking his or her professional guidance and expertise!

Will you need help remembering or writing down instructions from your provider? If so, consider asking a friend or family member to come along. Or call CJFS — our Case Managers can accompany you to the visit and assist.

CJFS Care Managers can coordinate and manage health care, as well as providing transportation, resource referral, emotional support and more.

For more information, contact Clinical Director Marcy Morgenbesser, marcy@cjfsbham.org or (205) 879-3438.

SJL Online: sjlmag.com 58 September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community A daily reminder of the magic of summer camp Micah Hart plans to produce calendar with 365 memories Putting camp on your calendar isn’t just for parents who are making plans to send their kids off next summer.

Micah Hart, host of the six degrees of separation game show Who Knows One, is developing a “365 Things That Remind You Of Summer Camp” 2022 calendar, and has a Kickstarter with a goal of $4,000 running through Sept. 23.

Hart has an extensive pool of knowledge to draw from, having spent his first 22 summers at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, where his father, Macy Hart, was the longtime director.

The calendar “is based on the notion that camp people love to reminisce about camp,” he said. “Each day has a simple prompt that tells people to take an action that evokes camp, whether just scrolling through your mental rolodex of memories, or reaching out to your camp friends, or doing silly camp things like playing 2 truths and a lie or organizing a game of gaga.”

Sample activities include writing down a favorite camp meal, then asking a camp friend to guess what it is, or come up with five smells that remind you of camp.

For those too old to attend camp, “scrolling through the 17,000 photos

the camp posts every day isn’t enough,” he said. “We need something more.”

Hart said it is important, given recent events, “to find ways to experience joy and connection,” and the calendar “is the perfect thing to help take you to your happy place for at least a few minutes every single day.”

Hart said he has been working on the calendar for a few years, and now feels like the time to bring it to life.

Backer levels begin at $5. The $25 level includes a copy of the calendar, the $50 level includes two calendars and recognition on the thank-you page. The $100 level includes a limited edition tie-dye T-shirt, and those giving $500 or more can co-host an episode of “Campfires and Color Wars,” his camp storytelling podcast.

Numerous camp alumni groups have taken part in Hart’s Who Knows One, “the Internet’s first and finest quarantine-inspired game show.” In it, teams use their social networks to expand to friend-of-a-friend Jewish geography in the ultimate pursuit of a mystery “Chosen One” in an online broadcast.

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Cahaba Breads & Bagels

By Lee J. Green After more than 20 years of experience making breads and bagels for a couple of Birmingham-based companies, Lee Norwood was ready to rise to the challenge of opening his own place.

This past February he opened Cahaba Breads and Bagels in Trussville, serving an array of fresh bagels, cookies, cinnamon rolls and breads, including fresh challah for Shabbat.

“We do everything fresh, by hand,” said Norwood, adding that all his flour is organic and he grinds his own wheat. “We put a lot of love into it… and we love serving people who are passionate about their breads.”

Norwood works with local farmers and food producers. Cahaba’s bagels are New York style and come in many flavors including blueberry, jalapeno cheddar, sesame, chocolate chip, plain, everything, sesame, poppy seed, garlic and onion.

The store’s wide selection of breads varies from day to day, Wednesday continued on page 61

community >> Rear Pew

continued from page 62

May you be virtuous, and recognize virtue in others, without signals.

May you search harder for hypocrisy in yourself before looking to call it out in others.

May your playing not be checkered when you’re in a game of chess.

And may you not checker your future’s past.

May you not protest too much, or have reason to at all.

May you find it hip to be square, but not to cry HIPAA. May you do unto others as you’d have them do unto you, or unto someone you care about even more.

May you check all your sources, in case they don’t check theirs.

May your year end with the start of another, not sooner.

May you solve world peace, and if you don’t, may you be at peace with the world. If enough people do that, they’ll create world peace together.

May world peace maybe even include peace in the Middle East.

And, finally, as the Talmud teaches in the Irish tractate Bava Mctzia: May those who love us, love us; and for those who don’t love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so that we may know them by their limping.

Takes On Life.

Doug Brook may or may not be; that is the question. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/rearpewmirror. There is now a Rear Pew Mirror podcast, soon to be available on all the usual platforms, but accessible now at anchor. fm/rearpewmirror.

>> Agenda

continued from page 8

award was established the following year to honor those who have made a broad impact on the community through volunteer service.

Nominations are due by Oct. 1 to Sarah Weinberger at the Federation office.

The Jewish Federation of Oxford is supporting the Lafayette Community Remembrance Project. On Sept. 25 at 2 p.m., there will be the unveiling on the Lafayette County Courthouse lawn of a marker for local lynching victims, as part of the Equal Justice Initiative. Ads in support of the project are being solicited for a commemorative booklet at the dedication.

Lilianna is a three-time bone marrow transplant survivor who inspires us and gives hope to families affected by childhood cancer. The Taking on Life after Cancer (TLC) Clinic at Children’s of Alabama focuses on improving the

Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have its Sukkot concert for local food pantries on Sept. 26 at 3:30 p.m.

health and well-being of childhood cancer survivors and

>> Cahaba

tailored to the long-term survivors of pediatric cancer,

continued from page 60

through Saturday, including honey wheat, spicy jalapeno cheddar, sourdough, spinach feta, Italian loaf, sauerkraut rye and many others.

Every Friday, Cahaba Breads and Bagels offers traditional braided challah and also a smaller loaf challah from a pan.

“We’re also happy to do some specialty breads and larger orders on 24-hour notice. We work with some of the schools and other groups on custom catering orders. It is important to us to be involved in the (Birmingham area) community,” said Norwood, adding that they donate some of the unsold products to charity.

He said he and his wife, Renee, hope to be able to expand their menu soon. “We want to continue to evolve and grow, but the most important thing is maintaining the highest level of quality in everything we do,” said Norwood.

Cahaba Breads and Bagels recommends this Challah Bread French Toast recipe that can be made from challah purchased at the store.

They are open Wednesday to Friday, and at the Trussville Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

is the only clinic of its kind in Alabama. We provide care looking at patients holistically, seeing how they’re doing physically, emotionally and mentally – and giving them the tools they need to succeed in life.

To learn about Lilianna’s story and how you can help, visit ChildrensAL.org/committedtoacure

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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www.supportSJL.com 62

September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Genies pop out of a bottle and grant three wishes. Jews hit the bottle on Saturday nights when they see three stars, suitable to wish on. (We do.

It’s called havdalah.)

But wait. Are there Judaic wishes? Don’t Jews do blessings, which aren’t the same as wishful thinking? Do the first chapters of Genesis really recount the genesis of genies in the Barbara of Eden?

Of course wishes are Judaic. There’s no Jewish without “wish.” And not since the premiere of “The Princess Bride” has the world needed “as you wish” more than it does today, as society circles the drain like it’s riding Noah’s Ark without a paddle.

Everyone wishes that everyone would just get along already. Everyone agrees that the main obstacle to this is that some people are being idiots.

It falls apart because people have different definitions of “idiot.”

So, fresh from the May You Clinic here are, heretofore hermetically sealed in a mayounnaise jar, many magnificent wishes for the year ahead.

May your May be amazing, along with the months before and after.

May you give the benefit of the doubt, and benefit from it; there’s a reason most companies offer benefits.

May you deserve the benefit of the doubt, and benefit those who give it to you.

May you always pick the faster of two ordering or cashier lines.

May you put being right ahead of being left or right.

May the only thing you hate be hate itself. (And the New York Y*nkees.)

May you mask your feelings about masks; and mask your face not just to save face, but to preserve the human race.

May you not rush to judgment or judge those who rush.

May you take the time to make time, because it doesn’t grow on trees.

Even thyme grows only on shrubs.

May you say what you mean and mean what you say, and not say anything mean. But if you do, don’t mean it.

May you May your mean be above median, and may you never drive onto the median. continue May you put trust and faith in the numbers; after all, there’s an entire book of the Torah reading named for them.

May you put discourse before discord, and this column never need anything after it. every month May you have a passport that takes you places.

If you’re joining your second consecutive High Holy Days from home, this time may you have fewer arguments about who sits on the aisle.

May you breathe a bit more easily, and easily accept that things must change to let you.

May you truly try to think as others do; because, truly, they think as much as you.

May you listen as much as you hear, and always be here whether you’re here or there.

May you go for a ride, but never go as mere matter of pride.

May you stick to your guns, but not if it ruins the world for your sons.

May you accept as fact nothing but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the actual truth, so help you Big G. May you not call other people sheep without considering where you herd it yourself. continued on previous page

Thank You… Again Again!!

Once again, Southern Jewish Life has been recognized nationally for excellence in Jewish journalism — and we thank you for helping make that happen… again!

We received the national Rockower Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for our expose of the “Jewish Light” newspaper in New Orleans, and we’re up for a Breaking News award in the Press Club of New Orleans’ Excellence in Journalism Awards for our piece on the arrest of the Northshore Jewish Congregation vandal.

Thanks to you, we have been able to continue producing high-quality work for our community.

Thank you to all our donors over the past year, for your vote of confidence in us, helping us continue our mission this past year — it was important to us and greatly appreciated.

If you haven’t become a supporter yet, visit supportSJL.com or use the donor form in this issue.

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September 2021 • Southern Jewish Life