Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, September 2022

Southern Jewish

Richard Berenson Stone, a New Orleans native and son of the late Sara Berenson Stone (1915-2018) and Saul Stone (1906-2001), died suddenly in New York on May 29, 2022, at age 79. For several years since his retirement as a Professor at Colum bia University Law School in New York City, Richard had been living at his home in East Hampton. He stayed fully active as a venture capitalist and as a renowned leader in the Jewish organizational world, advancing Israel’s security interests at the highest national and international levels. Though he lived in New York for most of his adult life, he retained strong and extensive ties to New Orleans, kept a family business office there, and visited frequently, sometimes as much as twice a month. Richard had an astonishing number of close friends from vastly different back grounds. Apart from the range and impact of his achievements, many hundreds of people have stated that life for them won’t be the same without Richard’s presence and the force and magic of his personality.

Born in January 1943, Richard attended Isidore Newman School. He sped through his education, skipping third grade, graduating first in his class in 1960 and entering Harvard University as a sophomore. A much older cousin, Harry Austryn Wolfson, the legendary twen tieth-century Professor of Religious Philosophy at Harvard, took an interest in Richard and advised him on courses and teachers in Judaic stuclies. Richard was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, while finding time to excel in musical theater. He graduated from Harvard magna cum laude at age 20, in 1963. Richard then took off a year to study at Merkaz Harav Kook, a famously rigorous Yeshiva in Jerusalem, before going to Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After studying for another year in Jerusalem, at the prestigious Mir Yeshiva, and working for two years at the law firm Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., Richard served for four years as Assistant Solicitor General of the United States. In that capacity he argued a dozen cases before the United States Supreme Court and took over the role of master of tax litiga tion for the federal government.

Moving to New York City, Richard held the Wilbur Friedman Chair in Tax Law at Columbia Law School and taught courses in business and tax law for over 40 years. An exceptionally popular teacher, he was often voted Professor of the Year. He was typically the star attrac tion of the faculty/student revue, with a comedic routine influenced by Don Rickles and Johnny Carson as Carnac the Magnificent. Under Mayor Giuliani he served on the Board of City University of New York. In 1981 Richard began providing financial consulting to private and public technology start-ups, primarily in the biotech field. In 2003 he cofounded Lev Pharmaceuticals, which created and market ed the standard prophylactic treatment for hereditary angioedema. Once public, Lev was sold to an international conglomerate. In 2007, Richard began working mainly with Israeli technology companies and, until his death, sat on the Boards of Nano-X Imaging and Dario Health, both publicly traded companies, and Wellsense Inc, Quality in Flow, and Illumigyn, all private companies with FDA-approved, disruptive medical technologies.

Richard played an active role in American Jewish communal life, promoting the Israeli-American relationship and Jewish education. From 2011 to 2013, he was Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations — the highest lay job in the Jewish organizational world. The Conference of Presidents represents

53 diverse national Jewish organizations. As Conference Chair, Rich ard met with heads of state in the U.S., the Middle East and through out the world to protect the vital interests of the Jewish people. Even when his term as Chair ended, he was called upon to continue repre senting the Presidents Conference in its most important missions. He skillfully dealt with Israel’s detractors both at home and abroad. With his usual power and clarity, he would answer their deceptions with blunt truths. In 2012, The Jerusalem Post ran a feature article on Rich ard as “a natural leader with inner strength and conviction.” Earlier on, he had served in other roles, such as Head of Public Policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and Chairman of the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, which assisted Jews in the former Soviet Union. For Richard, protecting Jews and others in danger was a passion, sometimes inspiring acts of true cour age. In 1973, when the Soviet Union was still a pervasively repressive police state, Richard and Joseph Telushkin (now a noted and prolific author) were selected for a classified mission to exchange communi cations with well-known Soviet dissidents, Jewish and non-Jewish. They entered the Soviet Union from Japan, in the vain hope that this would deflect the KGB’s attention. They successfully visited dissidents in numerous cities, starting in Siberia and ending in Moscow — and managed not to get arrested.

Since Richard’s death, many people have written about his achieve ments and tried to capture his remarkable qualities of personality. His family thanks all who have done so and offers here a few examples:

• The day after Richard died, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Ben nett stated: “Richard’s decades of service to Jewish causes and his leadership roles in the Jewish American community helped strengthen the future of our people in the United States, Israel and around the world.”

• Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said: “Rich ard was so full of energy, so full of life — intelligent, deter mined, accomplished, a sense of humor — a pleasure to know and to have as a friend. He accomplished much for the Jewish religion, for relations between Israel and the United States — and in all his many endeavors.”

• In “The Unforgettable and Irreplaceable Richard Berenson Stone, z’l,” The Jewish Press, prominent Washington lawyer Nathan Lewin wrote that Richard’s “wit and ingenuity took him

to the right hand of Malcolm Hoenlein,” who — as Executive Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations since 1986 — “had been the foremost national and international spokesman for Jewish interests.” Richard “accompanied Malcolm to meetings with royalty and with democratic heads of state. He became Malcolm’s constant colleague in developing goodwill and support for Jews every where.” In Lewin’s words: “Richard did not limit his efforts to whispering behind the curtains. He did open battle when battle was needed.” And Israel’s Prime Minister “relished the introductions that Richard gave for him when the Presidents Conference met in Israel.” “Richard is gone, but is not forgotten because none of us — neither the Malcolm Hoenleins nor those of us who are unaccustomed to royalty — can believe that he is no longer here.”

• The Jewish News Syndicate described Richard as a “giant in the field of Jewish leadership” and collected comments about his unique skills. Malcolm Hoenlein said, “No one could articulate a case for Israel like Richard. He would argue it like a Supreme Court case… World leaders and leaders of Israel respected him. Everyone thought they were his good friend. He was someone that didn’t put on any airs, though he could and warranted it.” Josh Katzen, representing the Committee for Accuracy in Mid dle East Reporting, called Richard the “most eloquent, knowl edgeable chairman of the Conference of Presidents.”

• Jack Weiss, former law school dean and a close friend since their Newman days, commented on the “virtuosity” of Richard’s personal skills, “gracefully leavened with a healthy measure of self-directed humor.” All of this, Weiss said, made Richard “irresistible to a wide range of friends and admirers — from high school classmates to law students to learned rabbis to scions of the Social Register. From Richard’s childhood to the day he died, others were drawn to him by the magic of his per sonality. Countless individuals and causes counted on Richard for succor and support. Hundreds, if not thousands, both close to home and around the world, would say: Richard was there when you needed him.” Weiss added: “I’ve often referred to Richard, only half-jokingly, as the central figure of our genera tion. He was the hub of the wheel.”

In his eulogy at a large, packed synagogue in New York, with a huge audience on Zoom, his brother Harvey also tried to capture Richard’s “amazingly vibrant and engaging” persona. Richard had a seemingly mystical ability to “connect with people from starkly different social and professional worlds.” He was a “unique force of brilliance, wit, intensity, generosity and good fun.”

There were signs in Richard’s childhood of where his life would take him. At age 6, though his family mainly attended a Reform

synagogue, he felt the stirrings of an attraction to Orthodox ritual and the old-world ways of relatives from Europe. At age 10, Richard told his parents he wanted to learn Hebrew. As the years passed, he kept pursuing a Jewish education. By his early twenties he could deftly navigate the highly intellectual and spiritual world of authentic Jewish learning — a rare feat for someone not born into that world. Continuing exposure and study refined his abilities in that sphere. Richard traced his passion for Jewish education and Israel’s security to his family in New Orleans and Bogalusa. His grandparents fled the pogroms at the turn of the century by immigrating to America, there by escaping the Holocaust that was to come. His father, co-founder of the law firm Wisdom & Stone in 1929 (now Stone Pigman Walther & Wittmann L.L.C.), instilled pride in his children about their Jewish heritage. His mother was prominent in Jewish organizations and, in the late 1940s, worked with agencies to help process and care for 6,000 displaced persons, all Jewish Holocaust survivors, arriving at the docks of New Orleans. A favorite cousin fought in Israel’s War for Independence. Richard was also intrigued that relatives from his grandparents’ generation had studied in the great Talmudic academies of Eastern Europe.

Despite his life of stunning achievements in Washington and New York, Richard stayed rooted in New Orleans. He regularly visited the city to see family and friends, to watch over group investments, to fish in the Gulf waters off of Plaquemines Parish and in the bayous, to have good food and wine — and to play poker at the casino across the street from the Windsor Court, where he stayed so often he must have won records as a frequent flyer. He directed much of his extraordinary philanthropy to New Orleans causes. In 1978-’79, Richard spent a sabbatical year teaching at Tulane Law School. In 1982 Richard was invited back to Newman School as Commencement Speaker and in 2014 was honored as its Distinguished Alumnus. He enjoyed hosting his Newman class reunions. When he died suddenly, his scores of friends in New Orleans, like his friends everywhere, lamented that he was irreplaceable.

Full of intense energy, Richard was driven by goals that came from a higher calling and thus transcended what most of us seek in life. Yet he was always ready to have fun and travel on a whim. He never had to look back in regret about what he could have done but didn’t. As supremely busy as he was, he made his four children — Rebecca, Ila na, Aliza and Meyer — and his seven grandchildren — Simon, Sasha, Max, Jacob, Nessia, Zoe and Mila — his first priority. He nurtured and entertained them and educated them about things that matter. He treated his three sons-in-law (Seth Berkowitz, Ben Snider, Ben How ard) like his own sons. Richard was a resplendent figure in the lives of his descendants and their spouses. He is survived by them, his brother Harvey (Danna), his sister Carol (Patrick McNamara) and his former wife Suzanne. He is predeceased by his parents and brother David (Sophia), all of blessed memory.

— Harvey, Carol, Sophia, Rebecca, Ilana, Aliza & Meyer —

The Greater New Orleans Jewish community, which greatly benefited from Richard’s generosity, extends our condolences to everyone who knew and loved him. Following Hurricane Katrina, Richard was instrumental in the recovery of Congregation Beth Israel, and more recently he served — along with his siblings, Harvey and Carol — as a founding member of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. He will be tremendously missed. Since 1913, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans has served as the connector of Jewish New Orleans. Its partner agency, the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, ensures the longterm financial future of our community through a growing repository of funds. Congregation Beth Israel is home to the Modern Orthodox congregation in southern Louisiana. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience chronicles the resonant history and culture of Jews in the American South.

ARNIE D. FIELKOW BOBBY GARON KENNETH HOFFMAN HAROLD PESSES CEO Executive Director Executive Director President

Jewish Endowment Foundation of

Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience Congregation Beth Israel

Now what?

What does one make of the admission by the Anti-Def amation League that there are problems with their school curriculum and that they need to address it?

Remember, this was a huge part of the passionate con troversy raging in Mountain Brook over the last 18 months, after a group of parents claimed the ADL’s longstanding No Place for Hate curriculum was extremist.

The ferocity of the sudden attack on the ADL blindsided the Jewish community. It came in the context of the Moun tain Brook School System finally addressing longstanding issues of antisemitism in the schools, and the ADL, with its storied century-old history, has long been a respected, even beloved, institution in the Jewish world — certainly not an extreme voice.

The No Place for Hate curriculum that was proposed has been in existence for de cades as a mainstream program. And yet, here was a group saying it was extremist, ascribing to it many of the arguments that have been — rightly or wrongly — lumped under the phrase of “critical race theory.”

How could the mainstream ADL be spoken of this way? It was perceived in the com munity as an attack on a cornerstone Jewish institution, with predictable responses.

But there have been some cracks in the foundation, and even if Mountain Brook Families cherry-picked to paint the ADL in the worst light, there was smoke.

Many in the pro-Israel advocacy world have charged for several years that the ADL has been slow to respond to left-wing antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism. While right-wing antisemitism, neo-Nazism and the like continue to be easy targets, there has been a perceived reluctance to go after other forms of antisemitism, like “le gitimate criticism of Israeli policy” that is instead outright antisemitism, or the physical attacks on Orthodox Jews in New York and New Jersey. Those don’t fit neatly into the white supremacy box, mainly because the perpetrators generally aren’t white.

continued on page 39

MESSAGES

Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games

I have had the honor of attending many Maccabi competitions around the world. From Israel to Australia to South America, Europe and the JCC Maccabi games around the United States and Canada, I have logged many miles seeing how sports can be a vehicle to help build Jewish identity, especially in our young.

Looking Forward to a Strong 5783

Southern Jewish Life

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com

ASSOCI ATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING

Shalom!

I felt honored to come to Birmingham for the first time and fell in love with not just the city but the people. You have taken Southern hospitality to a new level with your kind and caring approach to the JCC Maccabi Games.

Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com

EDITOR

Richard Friedman richard@sjlmag.com

Led by the Sokol and Helds, your hard-working volunteers were wonderful. They partnered with your outstanding staff, led by Betzy Lynch, to make the 2017 JCC Maccabi games a huge hit. I want to take this opportunity as executive director of Maccabi USA to say thank you on behalf of everyone involved.

I had just returned from the 20th World Maccabiah games in Israel with a U.S. delegation of over 1100, who joined 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries. Back in July the eyes of the entire Jewish world were on Jerusalem and the Maccabiah. This past month with 1000 athletes and coaches from around the world being in Birmingham, you became the focal point.

Everyone from the Jewish community and the community at large, including a wonderful police force, are to be commended. These games will go down in history as being a seminal moment for the Jewish community as we build to the future by providing such wonderful Jewish memories.

Jed Margolis Executive Director, Maccabi USA

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we have the opportunity to once again reflect on the past year. These High Holy Days, including Yom Kippur, are in many ways the essence of our faith, of our traditions, of our Jewish val ues. Individually, we conduct “Cheshbon HaNefesh,” the accounting of the soul, when we reflect on all that we have done over the past year. But it is also an opportunity for a broader reflection. In many ways that is what Judaism is about — constantly exam ining our actions and our interactions, our direction, constantly demanding a high level of awareness. Because we can always do better.

egation which has just recently returned from Israel. This caucus is testimony to the strong bi partisan support for Israel and our bilateral re lations, and we hope to be able to work with our many friends in the other Southeastern states, in order to see similar caucuses established else where. The close relations and warmth which we enjoy here in the Southeast is a reflection of the strength of our bilateral relations, well reflected also in President Biden’s successful recent offi cial visit to Israel.

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On Charlottesville

Reflecting on the past year in Israel and here at the Consulate General of Israel to the South eastern United States, I feel that we have many blessings to count, and that we have much more to do.

Editor’s Note: This reaction to the events in Charlottesville, written by Jeremy Newman, Master of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Theta Colony at Auburn University, was shared by AEPi National, which called it “very eloquent” and praised “our brothers at AEPi Theta Colony at Auburn University and… the leadership they display on their campus.”

With Covid-19 no longer dictating our lives as much as it had previously, we have been able to gradually resume in-person meetings, events and delegations both from and to Israel. Delega tions from both sides are crucial, because they are one of the best ways for learning about one another, understanding one another and ex ploring how we can further strengthen our rela tions, together. Direct contact and connections in all fields are what have made it so important for us to see the resuming of direct flights be tween Atlanta and Tel Aviv. Delta Airlines’ re cent decision to finally (re)launch direct flights is a true blessing, which will allow us all to do more in strengthening our relations.

White supremacy has been a cancer on our country since its beginning, threatening its hopes, its values, and its better angels. The events that took place in Charlottesville represented the worst of this nation. Those who marched onto the streets with tiki torches and swastikas did so to provoke violence and fear. Those who marched onto the streets did so to profess an ideology that harkens back to a bleaker, more wretched time in our history. A time when men and women of many creeds, races, and religions were far from equal and far from safe in our own borders. A time where Americans lived under a constant cloud of racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The events that took place in Charlottesville served as a reminder of how painfully relevant these issues are today.

I am writing these words from Jerusalem, as I have just arrived in Israel in order to accompa ny a first of its kind delegation of Black women state legislators. This is a beautiful example of the blessings to be grateful for — the forging of friendships, partnerships and collaborations with important communities in the U.S., learn ing about them while also educating and shar ing with them what Israel and the Jewish people are about. We hope that this will be the first of many more such delegations, and we hope to be able to bring many more communities and representatives to Israel, as well as from Israel to the U.S.

We also had the first delegation stemming from the newly launched Georgia-Israel legis lative caucus, a bicameral and bipartisan del

Auburn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi stands with the 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

supremacists would like to see pushed back into a corner and made to feel lesser. We stand with and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, who was there standing up to the face of this hate.

Later this month, we will be marking two years of another remarkable achieve ment — the signing of the monumental Abraham Accords, which are pav ing the way for a new future in the Middle East, one of friendship, hope and prosperity, rather than the hate and destruction which the ex tremists in our region, such as Iran and its proxy terror organizations, seek to promote.

This coming April, we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the modern State of Israel, the realization of a 2,000-year-old dream of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland and regain sovereignty and control of their destiny. For three-quarters of a century, we have built a strong, vibrant democracy, a robust economy and a diverse society, with so much to be proud of.

We recognize the essence of the American narrative as a two-century old struggle to rid ourselves of such corners, and allow those in them the seat at the table that they so deserve. It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” We know our work is far from finished, but we know we will not move backwards.

Israel’s strength comes not only from within, but also from outside. Our brothers and sisters in the diaspora are an important part of this strength. We may differ in location, in views or in affiliations, but our Jewish identity as a people unites us. It is on all of us to do all that we can in order to ensure that our unity as a people stands strong above any differences, and remains strong for generations to come.

When men and women, fully armed, take to the streets in droves with swastikas and other symbols of hate, it is a reminder of how relevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism are today. It is a wake-up call to the work that needs to be done to ensure a better, more welcoming country. But it should not come without a reflection on how far we’ve come.

As we approach the year 5783, we have so much to be grateful for. We also have areas to improve on, because we can always do better and strive for more. May the coming year be a year of unity and Arvut Hadadit — mutual responsibility, and may we know many more celebrations of peace.

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Shana Tova U’Metuka to each and every one of you!

America was born a slave nation. A century into our history we engaged in a war in part to ensure we would not continue as one. We found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure the fair treatment of all peoples no matter their skin color. Although we’ve made great strides, it is a mission we’re still grappling with today.

Anat Sultan-Dadon is the Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States, based in Atlanta. The Consulate covers Alabama, Mis sissippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas.

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

Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher. Views expressed in SJL are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. SJL makes no claims as to the Kashrut of its advertisers, and retains the right to refuse any advertisement.

Documenting this community, a community we are members of and active within, is our passion. We love what we do, and who we do it for.

agenda

interesting bits & can’t miss events

The Hadassah Super South Tri-Region held its conference in Atlanta from Sept. 9 to 11, “Raising Our Voices Together.” The Tri-Region includes Hadassah Southeastern, Hadassah Southern and Hadassah Southern Seaboard. Rhoda Smolow, national Hadassah president, was a featured speaker, as well as Lauren Katz, director of grassroots advocacy. Pictured with Smolow are leaders of Hadassah Southern from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Dothan, Montgomery, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville/Oak Ridge. The president of Hadassah Southern is Susan Smolinsky of Baton Rouge, and Hadassah Southern conference chair was Jill Weinstein, Knoxville/Oak Ridge.

Next steps: Day School welcomes first Green Preschool graduates

The start of the school year included a new chapter in the history of Jewish Community Day School in Metairie, as the first graduates of the Green Preschool entered the JCDS prekindergarten class, just as the pro gram was designed to do.

In 2019, the Jewish Community Day School Young Baby Program was relaunched as Green Preschool, honoring a gift from Susan and Howard Green. This gift allowed the program to expand as a feeder into the JCDS prekindergarten program.

Last spring, Green Preschool held its first graduation celebrating the school’s first ever (three- and four-year-old) Rimonim class of three- and four-year-olds, completing the Reggio-inspired preschool program. Of the 12 children “graduating” on Bart Field that day in May, eight children were back for the opening day of PK-6 on August 10, making up more than half of the prekindergarten class.

According to the school, this was the vision of Green Preschool — to have a group of children, all the prod uct of an excellent preschool educa tion, who were primed and ready to continue their education through the elementary school years at JCDS.

The six new students who joined the Rimonim graduates in the pre kindergarten class included a younger sibling of a longtime student and an alumnus of the Young Baby Program.

They were all front and center when the students gathered in the gym to welcome in the first day of school.

After a few words from Head of School Brad Philipson, Rabbi David Gerber of Gates of Prayer sang a Shehecheyanu, Rabbi Phil Kaplan of Beth Israel led a blessing over the students, and School Rabbi Michael Cohen offered a final blessing, and he and Philipson handed out sunflow ers to each new student and faculty member.

Following the ceremony, the fifth and sixth graders were greeted by Rabbi Scott Hoffman at Shir Chadash, where they picked up the school Torah from its summer residency before parading it around school for a welcome home tour.

agenda

Pray In Pink Shabbat will be on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Agudath Isra el-Etz Ahayem, Montgomery. The annual event is held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Jewish Fertility Foundation is planning a Shabbat at Birming ham’s Temple Beth-El, Oct. 22 and 23. Details to be announced.

Hillel at the University of Alabama will have an open house from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Oct. 22 for Homecoming before the Mississippi State game, and Nov. 26 before the Auburn game.

The Jewish Federation of Oxford will have a casual Shabbat dinner with author Matt Bondurant on Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. His historical nov el, “Oleander City,” is a reimagining of the life of legendary Jewish boxer Joe Choynski, with the backdrop of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. The dinner will be at the home of Ariel Baron-Robbins and Isaac Lapciuc, and reservations are due by Oct. 14 to the Federation.

Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center finishes the summer outdoor pool season with the Pooch Plunge, to benefit the LJCC and the Animal League of Birmingham. The event is Oct. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m. First dog is $15, additional dogs from the same household are $10 each. Dogs must be current on their shots, spayed or neutered, and must play well with others.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham is launching the Rosh Chodesh Society, a women’s group facilitated by Frumie Posner. The course, “To BElieve or not to BElieve in Yourself,” is an introduction to Tanya, a 225-year-old text about human psychology and spirituality. The first gathering will focus on self-awareness and self-refinement. The group will start on Oct. 25 for Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, at 9:30 a.m. at the Posner home. One need not attend all classes.

As Huntsville’s Temple B’nai Sholom has a visiting interim rabbi, Scott Colbert of Atlanta, this year, Birmingham’s Cantor Jessica Roskin will also be the guest cantor once a month. Upcoming dates include Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Dec. 3 to 5, and Jan. 6.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie announced that its outdoor arts and mu sic festival, GatesFest, will return on April 2.

Until Covid, the Jewish Food Festival at Temple Beth Or in Mont gomery was a long-standing favorite event in the community. It will return on Feb. 26 with a different emphasis, as the Temple Beth Or Treasure Market and Taste of Jewish Foods. There will be numerous volunteer opportunities as the date approaches.

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will host “Foundations for New JewISH Families: A Crash Course on Jewish Food, Rituals and Part nership,” Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The program will include deep conversations, hands-on learning and relationship building with other JewISH couples in the area. The workshop is led by Rabbi Todd Silver man, associate rabbi and director of life-long learning at Touro, and Rabbi Jen Gubitz of Boston, founder of Modern JewISH Couples. It is sponsored by the Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families, Covenant Foundation, and the Natan Fund.

In conjunction with Sukkot, Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will hold its annual Habitat for Humanity Build, Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fifteen volunteers are needed for each shift, 8 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m.

The Alabama Holocaust Education Center in Birmingham will host Mike Gadilhe, emeritus with John Carroll Catholic High School, dis cussing “Eavesdropping on Hell: British Intelligence and the Holocaust,” Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. He will detail how British codebreakers intercepted se

Pink Mega Challah Bakes in Mississippi, Baton Rouge

The challah will be rising in two communities on Oct. 23, in a program that will also promote breast cancer awareness.

Community-wide Pink Mega Challah Bakes will be held in Baton Rouge at 4:30 p.m., and Gulfport at 5:30 p.m.

The Baton Rouge event is co-hosted by the Chabad of Baton Rouge Jewish Women’s Circle, Hadassah Baton Rouge, the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge and the Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge Sisterhood. It will be at the BREC Jefferson Highway Park Ball room.

The “evening of unity” will include challah making, creating a unique artwork of “overflowing blessings” that will be donated to a cancer wing, a talk from a breast cancer survivor, and a smorgasbord with a challah and dip bar.

Registration is $25. A “tree of life” dedication is $118 and includes one admission, a tribute in the program book and a display at the event. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds, sponsored tickets are available through Chabad.

The state-wide Gulfport event, at Beth Israel, also includes Beth Is rael in Jackson and B’nai Israel in Hattiesburg, though all are invited. The event includes each participant making challahs to take home, and a breast cancer awareness program. Early bird registration is $18 through Oct. 2, $25 after.

ISJL holding Who Knows One event

Ready to find The Chosen One again?

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s Program Associate/Fellow Alumni Network will play the Jewish geography game on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., as a fundraiser for the agency.

Football is in the Air

Southern Jewish Life

For Southern Jews, this time of year marks two important sea sons: the Jewish Holidays and College Football.

Here in the Deep South, most of our readers will be attuned to both as we immerse ourselves in the introspection and renewal that mark our sacred holidays, and revel in the pageantry and ex citement of college football at its best.

At Southern Jewish Life, we uniquely understand the religious and cultural DNA of the Jewish South. This continues to be reflect ed in our pages.

After all, where else can you find continued coverage of Jewish religious trends in our region and Jewish personalities, coupled with stories such as the one we did on the Jewish implications of Texas and Oklahoma planning to join the Southeastern Confer ence?

There is only one place: Southern Jewish Life, both through our weekly e-news and award-winning monthly print magazine which is mailed free to every known Jewish household in Alabama, Loui siana, Mississippi and NW Florida.

We are unique — which is why we need your help. A growing number of donors have stepped forward to make financial contri butions to sustain and grow our magazine.They recognize the val ue of independent Jewish journalism in our region.

As the new Jewish year begins, please resolve that you will join them. If you would like to become a Southern Jewish Life support er, please send a check to SJL, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213, or go to https://sjlmag.com/contribute/ (Donations to Southern Jewish Life are not tax-deductible.)

Who Knows One was created by Micah Hart in 2020 as a way to con nect people during the pandemic. A “Chosen One” is selected for the game, after which the two teams use their network of contacts — and contacts of their contacts — to find the Chosen One and convince him or her to join the call. The game relies solely on networking, social media is not allowed.

The event will be broadcast on the ISJL Facebook page and is free to watch. Donations to support favorite teams are encouraged, and dona tions drive the game, from unlocking a clue or an extra lifeline, to a Zoom timeout for an opponent or kicking someone off the call.

There are also Superconnectors who can be used during the game, for a $180 contribution. Superconnectors include former ISJL Directors of Ed ucation Rachel Stern and Rabbi Matt Dreffin, and ISJL cultural presenters Chava Mirel and Joe Buchanan.

JCRS Chanukah Gift Wrapping Oct. 23

Each year, 150 to 250 Jewish children and state hospital residents in a seven-state region receive a package from Jewish Children’s Regional Service in New Orleans that holds at least eight small gifts, one for each night of Chanukah. That requires a lot of wrapping paper.

This year’s gift wrapping event for the Oscar J. Tolmas Chanukah Gift Program will be on Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Goldring-Wold enberg Jewish Community Campus in Metairie. Volunteers are needed to help wrap the gifts that will be sent to JCRS clients.

The youths who receive these gifts are known to JCRS and, typically, are from lower-income families that are already enrolled in one or more of the JCRS scholarship programs. Some of the child recipients also have special needs, as do all of the Jewish adult state hospital residents who receive a package from JCRS.

— The Talmud

Dan Nichols celebrating 10th anniversary of “Road to Eden”

Ten years ago, Dan Nichols released “Road to Eden,” a film about a journey he and his band, Eighteen, made in October 2011, doing con certs in Southern Jewish communities during Sukkot.

To celebrate the anniversary, he will be hang ing out at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience during Sukkot. He will give a com munity concert on Oct. 13 at 5:30 p.m., shar ing his memories of making the film, and what Sukkot means to Southern Jewish communities.

The film includes footage from visits to Pen sacola, Memphis, Dothan, Montgomery, Baton Rouge, Jackson, Birmingham, St. Louis and New Orleans. The tour finished with Shabbat at Goldman Union Camp.

Seating for the community event is limited and members get first chance at tickets. Reser vations are $5 for members, $10 for the public.

On Oct. 12, he will be part of a special Sukkot Under the Stars membership appreciation event for New Orleans’ Temple Sinai. Held at the mu seum, the event will begin at 6 p.m. with sips and snacks, followed by the concert at 7 p.m. The evening is complimentary for Temple Sinai members. Guests age 18 and up are $18, under 18 are $10.

On Oct. 14, Nichols will be the guest musi cian at Shabbat services for Touro Synagogue. The musical service at 6 p.m. will be followed by dinner, then Nichols will share songs and stories in the sukkah.

A product of the Reform camping movement, Nichols has toured summer camps and Jewish communities for years. He formed the Jewish rock band Eighteen in 1995, releasing 13 al bums to date. He tours over 190 days annually and has performed at the conventions for most major Jewish organizations.

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Pioneering author Eli Evans died in late July

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Before there was a Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, a Southern Jewish Historical So ciety or a Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life, there was Eli Evans.

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A remembrance of Evans in the SJHS newsletter states that “his 1973 memoir, ‘The Provin cials: A Personal History of Jews in the South,’ inspired the very creation of our field.”

The ISJL, SJHS and several other groups will have an online event on Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. Central, “Poet Laureate of Southern Jews: Personal Remembrances of Eli Evans z”l.”

It was Abba Eban who gave Evans the title of “Poet Laureate” of South ern Jews, in his comments about Evans’ 1994 book, “The Lonely Days Were Sundays.”

Evans died on July 26, two days before what would have been his 86th birthday, from complications due to Covid.

Evans was born in Durham, N.C. His father owned a general store, and when Evans was 14, his father became the first Jewish mayor of Durham, with his campaign materials highlighting his synagogue involvement. His mother founded the first Hadassah chapter in the region.

Evans wrote about the occasional antisemitism he encountered, though his father was respected by the white and Black communities. Their store was the first to have an integrated lunch counter, though white backlash forced the removal of the seats.

Evans was the first Jewish president of the student body at the Univer sity of North Carolina. After Yale Law School, he was a speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson and North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford.

He then joined the Carnegie Corporation, which issued grants to talented people with a vision that needed start-up assistance. Among those was help ing Marian Wright Edelman start the Children’s Defense Fund, and placing Black lawyers throughout the South to become local civil rights figures.

He continued that work with the Revson Foundation, becoming its first president in 1977. When the foundation backed Eban’s PBS series “Civilization and the Jews,” he was inspired to build a foundation that would emphasize Jewish concerns.

That idea became the Covenant Foundation, which he chaired for 22 years, retiring in 2016.

In a statement, the Covenant Foundation called him “a true pioneer who deftly leveraged the power of philanthropy to create deep and mean ingful change in the world.”

His leadership also led to the creation of “Rechov Sumsum,” Israel’s version of “Sesame Street,” with an emphasis on peacemaking, and Bill Moyers’ “Genesis: A Living Conversation.”

While his work kept him in New York, he kept his Southern roots. A famous story is how, when his son was born in New York, during the delivery he had a package of North Carolina dirt in one hand and his wife’s hand in the other.

He was instrumental in establishing the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at UNC, and he received an honorary degree in 2009.

“So much of what we do today is made possible because of the leadership

and creative vision of Eli Evans,” said Patricia Rosenmeyer, director of the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. “It is impossible to imagine that we’d have the Center we have today without the benefit of Eli’s wisdom, energy and imagination.”

In addition to his books of personal essays, he wrote a biography of Judah P. Benjamin.

In the introduction to “The Provincials,” he write “The history of Jews in the South lies not in the cross-burnings of the Ku Klux Klan, the bombings, the acts of overt anti-Semitism. It is found in the experience of growing up Jewish in the Bible Belt, the interior story reflected in family histories and tales and letters home.”

Among the tales chronicled in his book is how Jews came to Durham — James Buchanan Duke had traveled to New York to offer Russian Jewish immigrants jobs in his new cigarette fac tory in Durham, giving them their start on the path to becoming traders and wholesalers.

The Oct. 9 panel will remember “the man whose passion for southern Jewish history pro vided a legacy that has thrived for five decades.”

Robert Rosen, an attorney who has written sev eral books on Charleston and Southern Jewish history, will moderate. He is a past president of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina and chairs Charleston’s arts and history com mission.

Marcie Cohen-Ferris, who worked at the MSJE in the early 1990s, is a professor in Amer ican Studies at the University of North Carolina, specializing in Southern Jewish foodways. She first saw “The Provincials” in the library while a senior at Brown University, and “it was my doorway into the study of the Jewish South.”

Len Rogoff, past president of the SJHS, writes extensively about the Jewish history of North Carolina, and is now historian for Jewish Her itage North Carolina.

Steve Whitfield is Max Richter Professor of American Civilization, Emeritus, at Brandeis University. He has written numerous pieces on Southern Jewish history, including the Hermans of New Orleans, and the intersection of Jews and Blacks in the South.

Macy Hart, who first established the MSJE at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in 1986, said Evans “became an integral part of the development of the museum in its earliest years through his advice, hands on assistance, and his comical personality.” Hart was director of Jacobs Camp for 30 years before establishing the ISJL, where he is now president emeritus.

Also on the panel will be Josh Evans, the son of Judith and Eli Evans. He is an actor with nu merous television and film credits.

The Zoom is being organized through the American Jewish Historical Society, with the link available on the Southern Jewish Life web site, sjlmag.com.

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Graffiti at the University of Wisconsin, which received a D on the antisemitism report card. Students for Justice in Palestine admitted to the graffiti; the university plans to have an “educational” session with SJP about its effect, but said there will be no other repercussions because it is free speech.

Report card gives “grim” picture of antisemitism on campus

Tulane shines among the 25 universities surveyed

A national watchdog group, StopAntisemitism, released its first report card on antisemitism at 25 college campuses, and Tulane University re ceived one of the only two grades of A.

Seven schools received an F — Yale, Columbia, Swarthmore, Califor nia-Berkeley, City University of New York-Brooklyn, New York Univer sity and Southern California.

The other A was for Brandeis, Pennsylvania received an A-.

Among Southern schools, North Carolina received a B, while Florida and Virginia received a C.

The grades were based on previous and current efforts in combatting antisemitism and protecting their Jewish students on campus.

StopAntisemitism said they created this report in response to an influx of requests from concerned parents of Jewish students who feel anxious about sending their children away to college and needed a credible resource.

The 25 schools were selected and classified into five categories: Ivy League, Liberal Arts, State Schools, and the Public and Private schools with the highest population of Jewish students. Florida and Tulane are among the highest populations for public and private schools, respectively.

“We are seeing pervasive antisemitism infecting higher education in America at an alarming rate,” stated StopAntisemitism Executive Direc tor Liora Rez. “Colleges should be a place where students come to grow, learn, and push forward in life, instead campuses are becoming breeding grounds for Jew-hatred.”

With this report, “parents of Jewish students have a chance to see which colleges are not doing enough to protect the welfare of Jewish students. The results are grim and reflect a trend that desperately needs to change.”

They analyzed how schools report antisemitic incidents, reactions by college administrators when incidents occur and if there is a willingness to work with Jewish advocacy groups. Another factor is whether Jews are included in DEI policies, adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism — or conversely, passage of BDS resolutions or the presence of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

The report also measured whether Jewish students feel safe on campus or have to hide their identities, and whether they feel targeted by others for Israel’s actions.

Two surveys were conducted. One was a survey to university officials — of which only three responded. One university turned down respond ing, saying “this isn’t in our best interest.”

Students were also surveyed, with 55 percent of respondents answering “yes” when asked if they’ve experienced some form of antisemitism at their school, and only 28 percent of students surveyed report their school admin istration takes antisemitism and the protection of Jewish students seriously.

The report details the atmosphere at each university. For Tulane, the report found that Jewish students feel safe and comfortable expressing their identity. No BDS resolutions have been presented, but Jews are not included in DEI initiatives. Only three of the 25 universities do include Jews in those initiatives, but two of the three — Columbia and NYU — received an overall F.

Courtesy stopantisemitism.org

Michael Roth and Joey Roth lead the singing during the July 21 ceremony. Rabbi Emeritus Barry Weinstein and Rabbi Sarah Smiley prepare to march the Torahs through the sanctuary.

B’nai Israel says “good night” to sanctuary as reunification continues

Rabbi Sarah Smiley’s first time officiating from the pulpit of B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge was also her last time. It “is both a little weird and very powerful,” the community’s new rabbi said, “knowing the history of the other people who have stood here.”

On July 21, the Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge said fare well to the sanctuary of what has been B’nai Israel.

With the recent reunification of B’nai Israel and Beth Shalom after 75 years, B’nai Israel’s Kleinert Avenue facility is being redone to serve as the combined congregation’s new home. A new sanctuary is being con structed, and the old space is being reworked into offices, classrooms and a community gathering spot.

The decision to build a new sanctuary as part of an overall renovation and expansion was made so it would be a space for the unified congrega tion, and not one congregation being the new kids in the other congre gation’s space.

The Beth Shalom property on Jefferson Highway is housing the con gregation during the process, and will be sold when the new facility is complete.

B’nai Israel moved to Kleinert Avenue from downtown in 1954.

Smiley acknowledged the nostalgia of a sanctuary with almost 70 years of memories, saying the move to the unified congregation balances “hopes and dreams” with “sadness and loss,” but “it is time to change.”

She added, “we’re joining together to say farewell to a space, but not to each other.”

Rabbi Emeritus Barry Weinstein brought out a copy of “Goodnight Moon,” and after reading a well-known few pages, added “and so we say, ‘Good night Congregation B’nai Israel’,” continuing with so many aspects of congregational life and history that have taken place in that room.

He then called for a moment of “silent prayer to reflect upon these pre cious moments together.”

Weinstein then distributed cards so those in attendance could write down a treasured memory about the sanctuary or the congregation. Some then shared them aloud, often commenting that it was difficult, if not impossible, to narrow it down to one. Anecdotes ranged from life-cycle events to how the shofar resonated in that room.

The cards were collected so they can be part of the permanent records of the unified congregation.

Weinstein concluded by saying “We really are saying l’hitraot, B’nai Is rael… before long we shall return to you, knowing you will be even more gorgeous as ever, as the new home of our Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge.”

Referencing the congregation’s “strong foundation,” Smiley opened the ark and recounted what the Torah scrolls there had experienced through the decades. She and Weinstein carried scrolls through the congregation, finishing the ceremony with a Traveler’s Prayer and Shehecheyanu.

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ADL finds anti-government Oath Keepers in governmental positions

On Sept. 6, the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism issued a new report on the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group associated with the militia movement, revealing that some members work as elected officials, in law enforcement or as first responders.

The group rose to prominence during the Jan. 6 demonstrations in Washington, but little was known about its membership.

According to the report, militias have traditionally not engaged with civic institutions, but Oath Keepers has made a point of recruiting “cur rent and former law enforcement, military, and emergency services personnel… in the hopes that they will be able to utilize these unique skillsets to advance their cause and that the presence of group members in these institutions will obstruct any order, law, or action that the orga nization deems unconstitutional.”

Founded in 2009, the Oath Keepers believe there is a conspiracy that has co-oped the Federal government and seeks to strip Americans of their rights. Some members have participated in armed confrontations with government officials, especially in land disputes in Western states.

In September 2021, the non-profit journalist collective Distributed De nial of Secrets released what they believe to be the membership database and records from the group’s private chat room.

The agency cautions that presence on the database does not mean someone was or is still a member of Oath Keepers, or actively took part in the group. Many of those listed may have signed on not realizing the group’s extremism.

ADL analyzed the leaked data against public databases to highlight the number of individuals who signed up for or supported the Oath Keepers in key areas: elected office, law enforcement, the military and emergency services.

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In the state of Georgia, 1032 individuals were identified, including 19 members of law enforcement, military, and first responders. In Alabama, 634 individuals were identified, including five members of law enforce ment and one in the military.

Mississippi had 312 people sign up, including five in law enforcement, three in the military and one first responder. In Louisiana, there were 561 individuals, including one elected official, five in law enforcement and one first responder.

Florida had 2,718 individuals, including one elected official, 11 in law enforcement, six in the military and two first responders.

One Staff Sergeant in the Mississippi National Guard wrote, “I would like to help in the outreach. I’m a trainer for the MSNG. I’m AGR for the state of Mississippi and work with 56 soldier (sic) that need this Info.”

Sidewalk “Adaptation Club” to examine the books behind “Fiddler on the Roof”

Many films are adapted from popular books, and one of the most fa mous is “Fiddler on the Roof,” which was adapted from “Tevye the Dairy man” and “The Railroad Stories” by Sholem Aleichem.

The new Adaptation Club at Sidewalk Film Center in Birmingham will feature “Fiddler” as its November presentation, as part of a planned Jew ish Film Week.

Participants register for the club, which selects one book and its film adaptation each month. Participants are mailed the book, and then there is a private screening and discussion about four weeks later at Sidewalk.

deadline for “Fiddler” is Oct. 12, and the discussion and screening will be on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. Registration is $30, and there are discounts for multiple months.

New Mikvah Dedicated in Mobile

For the first time in decades, Mobile has a mikvah.

Chabad of Mobile dedicated its new mikvah on June 22, in a celebra tion that attracted visitors from far and wide, including Chicago, Miami, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn and New Jersey.

There was also representation from Chabads in Birmingham, Pensac ola, Destin and Panama City Beach.

The project began as an international effort to build mikvahs in seven smaller Jewish communities, coordinated by Mikvah USA. Other com munities included Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan; Fargo, N.D.; and Salem, Ore.

A fundraising campaign began at the start of 2021, and ground was broken in April 2021.

Rabbi Yosef Goldwasser said the mikvah is “the cornerstone of Jewish life, it’s amazing to have it back in Mobile.” Having one is part of the Jewish infrastructure needed to observe a traditional lifestyle. Typically, one visits a mikvah before getting married, and women visit it monthly for “family purity,” when marital relations are able to resume a week fol lowing menstruation.

It is believed that the last mikvah in Mobile was at Ahavas Chesed, until it moved from Conti Avenue in 1956 to Dauphin Street. Like many Conservative congregations in the region, Ahavas Chesed had originally been an Orthodox congregation.

The Mobile mikvah is for women to use. There are two changing rooms, with separate entrances to the mikvah for privacy.

Mikvah water comes from a living source, such as rainwater, that is not carried in by people. Mikvahs have an otzar, a store of rainwater, that

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mixes with tap water to fill the immersion pool. Goldwasser said there are different traditions as to whether the otzar should be next to the pool or under it. He said Mikvah USA wanted everyone to feel comfortable in the mikvah, so they have both.

Having two also means the mikvah can be used without interruption. Over time, it becomes necessary to change out the rain water, and in communities with little rain, or months of snow and ice, it can take time to refill the otzar. While that should not be a problem in one of the coun try’s rainiest cities, the second otzar also serves as backup rain storage. “We should be able to change rain water when we want without having to wait,” Goldwasser said.

He said the finished building is “really amazing… a lot nicer than we thought it would be.” The Rivkins in New Orleans connected him with Vivian Cahn, who did the interior design. “She did an amazing job… and we are very grateful for her.”

As the only mikvah between Destin and New Orleans, Goldwasser en visions the Mobile mikvah being a regional draw.

And in New Orleans…

Work continues on the Oscar J. Tolmas Community Mikvah in Metairie. A collaborative project of all New Orleans and Baton Rouge congregations, the mikvah is a freestanding facility located behind Shir Chadash, and will be open to all groups in the Jewish community. Supply chain issues have pushed back the opening, it is anticipated that the facility will be completed around the end of the year.

Maisel to discuss book about loss of son

National sports colum nist Ivan Maisel will be the featured speaker for “A Journey from Grief to Acceptance: Suicide, Loss and Love,” Oct. 23 at the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham.

The 4 p.m. event is co-sponsored by Collat Jewish Family Services, and will be moderated by psychologist Josh Klapow. A reception will follow, sponsored by the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, along with a book signing.

A Mobile native, Maisel is author of “I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye: A Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Love.” The book chronicles Maisel’s reckon ing with the suicide death of his son, Max, in 2015. There had been no signals that Max wanted to self-harm, nor did he leave a note, but one day after doing photography for his school in New York, he disappeared and his car was found aban doned by Lake Ontario. It took two months, after the thaw, for his body to be found in the lake.

The program will explore grief, suicide and how men’s mental health is often overlooked.

Registration is available at the CFJS website.

Coach Pearl headlines Temple Beth-El benefit

Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El is having “An Intimate Evening with Coach Bruce Pearl” on Oct. 27 as a benefit for the congregation.

Pearl, who led Auburn to its first-ever Final Four in the NCAA basketball tournament, has been an outspoken advocate for Jewish caus es. He was a co-founder and first president of the Jewish Coaches Association, and in 2009 coached the U.S. team to its first-ever gold med al at the World Maccabiah Games in Israel.

This past summer, he took the Auburn team to Israel on the first “Birthright for College Basket ball,” playing three games against Israeli national teams. He is working to make Israel an annual destination for top college programs, as they are permitted one overseas trip every four years.

At the Beth-El event, there are two “GOAT” sponsorships, at $7,500 each. The sponsorship includes 12 tickets, and dinner with Pearl. “Slam Dunk” sponsors at $5,000 get 10 tickets and admission to dessert with Pearl. All others will have an open reception with appetizers and drinks, the program with a question and answer session, photos, swag bags and a silent auction. The sponsor levels start at the $500 “Swish,” with three tickets. Individual tickets are $218, and space is limited.

Mensches of Steel: Why mainstream comic books are so Jewish

While his 2021 book may have won an international prize for the odd est title of the year, Roy Schwartz discusses a serious pop culture topic that sheds a new light on the world of superheroes and their intersection with Jewish history.

The author of “Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish His tory of the World’s Greatest Hero” will give three presentations at Gates of Prayer in Metairie on Oct. 9, and the community is invited. All ages are welcome.

At 9:30 a.m., he will present “Superhero Sukkot: The Jewish Origins of Superheroes!” Comic books and superheroes trace their roots to Jewish creators, including Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Captain Ameri ca, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Avengers, X-Men, Black Panther and many others.

Superman has one of the most Jewish backstories, created by Jewish teens Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The sons of immigrants from Eastern Europe, they introduced Superman in 1938, basing his origins on Moses, his strength on Samson and his mission on the Golem. His nebbish secret identity? That was them.

Nearly two years before the U.S. entered World War II, Superman was tearing apart Nazi tanks in Europe.

But that wasn’t the end of it — many story arcs were taken from con temporary Jewish events.

Those attending the 9:30 a.m. talk are encouraged to dress up as a fa vorite superhero.

At 10:15 a.m., Schwartz will present “Secret Identities: The Jewish Ori gins of the Marvel Universe!” He will describe how, like many industries “relegated” to Jews in an often antisemitic society, comic books were seen as disreputable. The superheroes became a way for Jewish writers to fight back against intolerance and bigotry, and almost all of the Marvel char acters came from Jews.

At 6 p.m., Schwartz will discuss “Is Superman Circumcised,” giving the history of the all-American character and why he should be called the “mensch” of steel.

Schwartz has written for a wide range of publications, including the New York Daily News, Jerusalem Post and Philosophy Now. He currently writes about pop culture for The Forward and CNN.com.

His professional writing is similarly diverse, including educational or ganizations, law firms, tech companies, toy companies and production studios.

He has taught English and writing at the City University of New York and is a former writer-in-residence fellow at the New York Public Library, and interned for Marvel Comics.

Originally from Tel Aviv, Schwartz grew up a voracious reader of ev erything from Israeli novels to British plays to American comic books. He taught himself English from comics and cartoons, which is why he’s comfortable saying things like “swell.”

A year after Surfside, remembering the Cohen brothers at Hadassah Hospital

By Richard Friedman

Mindy Cohen had just re turned from Israel.

It was a bittersweet trip for the Birmingham woman who was joyful at being back in the coun try after 17 years. Yet she also was burdened by an unimaginable tragedy few have ever encoun tered.

The collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Fla., on June 24, 2021, claimed the lives of her husband, Gary, and his brother, Brad.

Gary had traveled to South Florida to visit his ailing father and was staying with his brother at his 11th floor condo at Champlain Towers South when the building crumbled.

A warm and gregarious man with a passion for life and Jewish learn ing, Gary, a beloved doctor at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, was easy to talk to and even easier to like. The Cohen family tragedy has been widely chronicled locally and nationally.

Now, 20 months later, after being in Israel for three weeks this past summer, Cohen reflected.

She went for two reasons — to volunteer at the World Maccabiah Games and for the unveiling of new medical equipment at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem in memory of Gary and Brad, also a physician. “Go ing to Hadassah Hospital was a big part of the trip,” said Cohen.

Three different U.S. Hadassah regions raised money in memory of the two brothers. Additional dollars were raised through a tennis mixer last spring. The funds were used to buy equipment for the operating room. “I felt a tremendous sense of pride that we honored their legacy in such an important way, especially because both brothers were physicians. I know that they really would have been proud of us.”

Lighting the Way

As a story from Hadassah explained, “Gary and Brad’s names are illu minated above the entrance to Room 1 in the Orthopedics Department in the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower. The recognition is called ‘Light ing the Way,’ and a Hadassah official praised Mindy for lighting the way toward healing. Prof. Iri Liebergall, head of the Orthopedics Department, provided a personal tour of the futuristic operating theaters to Mindy and a delegation of her family and friends.”

“I teared up when I saw their names in lights,” said Mindy. “It really hit me that this would be permanent, in perpetuity. I just want their legacy to be remembered.”

The Cohen family has a long attachment to Hadassah and Israel. Min dy and Gary met on a trip to Israel when they were in their 20s. Mindy is a former Birmingham Hadassah co-president and Gary’s aunt was a national president. Gary also had an uncle who was the Israeli navy’s first admiral.

There also was a yahrzeit ceremony at the Maccabiah Village marking the first anniversary of Gary and Brad’s death. About a thousand peo ple were there. Right before the program started, Mindy, a thoughtful, soft-spoken woman who chooses her words carefully, was asked if she

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would speak. She did, without preparation, reflecting on the loss of Gary and Brad. “I did okay,” she noted with pride.

The Hadassah dedication and Maccabiah yahrzeit ceremony, as power ful as they were, were not the only bittersweet moments for Mindy during her time in Israel. “Some of the places I went to I remembered traveling there with Gary when we were in our 20s — Masada, the Dead Sea, places like that. I have pictures of us doing all these things so there were some tough moments.”

Now 57, the challenge Mindy faces is how to move forward. “It is a bal ancing act. Some days it is hard to get out of bed. At night it is lonely, I try to be strong for my kids, I know I have to keep moving forward, I know that is what Gary would want from me.” Mindy has two grown sons, one of whom got married a few weeks before the condo collapse.

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The Cohens came to Birmingham in 2006 for Gary’s job. He received his medical education at Nova Southeastern University in Miami where Mindy has started a named fund in his memory for an academic society.

Upon arriving in Birmingham, Mindy, who grew up in Atlanta, be came involved in the Jewish community as a volunteer and program staff person at the Levite Jewish Community Center. She continues her com munity involvement today, volunteering for several organizations.

Resilient, like Israel

Being in Israel during the Maccabiah Games, considered to be the Olympics of the Jewish world, was uplifting — and particularly mean ingful. “Gary was a sportsman. He was a tennis player. I think he would have been very proud of me for being able to go there, volunteering and impacting on lives.”

Still the condo collapse is never far from her heart. There are the ongo ing emotional issues coupled with complex legal issues involving lawsuits and a financial settlement.

At the yahrzeit service, Mindy met another family whose son and son’s girlfriend died in the building collapse. It turned out that his sister had been on a trip to Israel with Mindy’s son in 2017.

“It seems every time I talk to somebody there is a connection to that building through that horrible experience. Unfortunately I have this com mon bond with a lot of people I never knew before, and we stay in touch — it is hard for people to really understand the depth of the pain. Obvi ously it wasn’t just a tragedy for one person, it was a tragedy for 98 people.”

How did she feel when she realized that she had a connection with this other family? “I felt so sad for them that they had lost their child. I lost my husband — but it is a different type of loss. Either way, this is a club that I had never wanted to be part of.”

Like Israel itself, which has displayed a remarkable resilience to bounce back from horrible tragedies, Mindy is committed to bouncing back — never forgetting but forging forward, especially as the new Jewish year unfolds.

Her determination was typified by what she called the single most emotional moment of her trip — putting a prayer note in the Western Wall.

“I asked God for a lot of things for my family and myself. I obviously prayed for my children; for them to have strength, comfort and good health. I prayed for a way to keep moving forward and doing positive things and to figure out what I am going to do with my life now that I am starting over.”

The note she inserted into the Western Wall’s ancient crevices was filled completely. On it she had written to God about things going on in her own life and the lives of her family. She also wrote about Covid, the war in Ukraine and the safety of the people in Israel.

“By going to Israel, I was hoping to reconnect with my Judaism by be ing there and move forward with my life. I am struggling with a lot of things, yet it was very powerful being at the Western Wall. I felt the pres ence of God.”

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Ashley

Lewis

Touro Synagogue using Sukkot to launch Lifting the Sky campaign

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans is taking the holiday about tempo rary dwellings to kick off a capital campaign for its permanent home.

The Lifting the Sky capital campaign will start its public phase on Oct. 9, the first night of Sukkot. Rabbi Katie Bauman says that synagogue lead ership decided on having the launch on this day, because of its connec tion to the holiday.

“The themes of Sukkot perfectly reflect the broader goals of this cam paign. Sukkot is about shelter, hospitality, welcome, and sustainability, and those are the values that infuse our Lifting the Sky campaign. As we give thanks on Sunday evening for the ways that the world shelters us and we shelter each other and reflect on our connection to our surroundings, we will also be toasting the future of Touro Synagogue in which we em body and actualize those ideas.”

To ensure that future, Touro needs to begin revitalizing some parts of its historic building. The frequently-repaired roofs have served far be yond their expected lifespans and must be replaced. The HVAC systems, including humidity control, are in critical need of modernization and replacement, and there will also be other improvements to better serve all who enter the building.

Bauman said the campaign’s theme is meant to reflect more than just the bricks and mortar of the repairs and renovation, but its role as a gath ering place for the community to experience the fullness of life.

“Improving this home will build on Touro’s legacy and prepare us for our bicentennial, only a few years away,” Rabbi Bauman said.  “The future we see is one in which our congregation has an even stronger impact on our community, an impact driven  by greater accessibility, expanded edu cational opportunities and programming for our congregants and guests, greater use of our beautiful communal spaces for cultural and commu nity events, expanded social impact work, and even greater community engagement. We see a structure and community that is ready to tackle the next two hundred years.”

The congregation began in 1828 as Shangarai Cgasset, Gates of Mercy. In 1881, the congregation merged with Nefutzoth Yehudah, Dispersed of Judah, which had broken off in 1846, and they became Touro Synagogue, as Judah Touro had been a supporter of both.

The Touro building on St. Charles Avenue was designed by Emile Weil, using Byzantine and Moorish elements to reflect the congregation’s Sep hardic history. The building was completed in 1909. The religious school building was added in 1928, and the modern multi-purpose building was added in 1963. The Norman Synagogue House was completed in 1989, and in 2019 the sanctuary was renovated in honor of Betty Kohn’s 95th birthday.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with schmoozing, noshing and drinks in the sukkah, followed by a sport presentation and video, with candle light ing and songs at 6 p.m. No solicitations will take place at the kickoff event.

ORT Visits

Nola for its Centennial

Counseling

ORT America celebrated its 100th anniversa ry with a trip to New Orleans, Sept. 11 to 13.

National and regional leaders from Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Chattanooga were among those in attendance.

“Traveling to New Orleans with ORT Amer ica leadership was rewarding and inspiring. Since my family are Southern Jews and my grandmother, of blessed memory, was born just up the Mississippi from New Orleans, to visit the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience painted a picture of what it was like for my fami ly and thousands of other Southern Jews settling in the South,” said Austin Center, National ORT America board member. He and his mother, Marilyn Center, from Chattanooga both partic ipated in the mission.

The Mission kicked off with a tour of the National World War II Museum, where par

ticipants reflected on ORT’s history. ORT pro vided training at DP camps in Europe, enabling survivors to build new lives with much support from American donors after the devastation of European Jewry.

There was a tour of Sazerac House, a blend of museum, bar, and distillery, followed by a din ner with lay and professional leaders from the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

They also visited the Museum of the South ern Jewish Experience, and went to Whitney Plantation to learn about slavery. The visit “had a profound effect on all of us” and reinforced why “our work with ORT matters so that we can make the world a better place for all communi ties,” added Center.

They also dined at Kosher Cajun, visited the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, Touro Synagogue and Tulane Hillel.

Confidential individual or couples therapy available by phone, video call or in person following COVID-19 protocols.

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LICSW

Sanders Painting

A sneak peek at the Beth-El Civil Rights Experience

The Beth-El Civil Rights Experience is meant

explore “the intersection of Jewish and civil rights histories” in Birmingham, according to

Director Margaret Norman.

Many of those stories were shared at a sneak peek of the project. Tzofim La’atid, Looking to the Future, was held on Aug. 25, drawing a very diverse crowd of about 200.

The evening included a rare exhibit of pho tos taken by noted photographer Spider Martin during the civil rights movement, especially Selma in 1965. This is the first time the photos have been loaned outside a museum setting. Additional memorabilia was on display, includ ing his camera.

After a few presentations, those in attendance were led on docent-guided tours. Rabbi Steven Henkin said “We do not want this to be a Jewish exhibit, but a human exhibit,” and “though this is a Jewish house of prayer, we hope all people will come and be inspired by the stories that we tell.”

Norman said the idea was to document and tell all aspects of the local Jewish community’s involvement. “We knew there would be stories that would inspire us and stories that would make us pause and reflect.”

Many inspirational stories came from lawyers with Sirote Permutt Friend and Friedman, now Dentons Sirote. The firm had a large presence at the event, including issuing a challenge grant for contributions toward the Civil Rights Experience, with $1 being contributed for every $2 raised, up to $5,000, in honor of community leader Karl Friedman and his work behind the scenes.

One of the speakers, J. Ma son Davis, joined Sirote in 1984, having worked with Friedman and many others since becoming a lawyer in

1959. Highly active in civil rights work, he was the first Black lawyer hired by a major Alabama law firm.

He related how Birmingham was a “work ing man’s city,” working for northern compa nies that were all too happy to keep blacks and whites separated so they wouldn’t unite against the companies’ exploitation.

He said in 1936, Bull Connor was elected as one of three city commissioners, “to keep the white and black workers separated… to keep the unions weak, so the people in Pittsburgh made more money.”

“This city didn’t have a chance,” Davis said.

In 1961, an effort began to change the form of city government, as a way to oust Connor. Da vis noted that Ed Friend, another partner in his firm, was president of the Bar Association at the time, and he formed a committee to examine changing the government. That election took place in early 1963.

“Once that happened, Bull Connor no longer had any power,” he said.

Friedman knew Connor, Davis said, and told Connor that “the people have spoken… you’ve got to give up.”

“He wouldn’t give it up, so we had to file a lawsuit,” and it was only after they won the case and appeals that Connor and the commission ers gave up their positions.

“When they gave their po sitions up, things began to change.” He noted that the civil rights demonstrations at the time would not have had any success without Connor being removed, “because business owners downtown were afraid of doing anything against what Connor wanted.”

Davis also noted that Connor did not want Friedman, a past president of Beth-El, to contin ue his work for civil rights. He

BCRI President Dejuana Thompson

noted that a Klan bomb that had been placed outside Beth-El in 1958 was also not far from their law office, which could well have also been destroyed had the bomb gone off.

Davis mentioned the large picture window at Friedman’s home, where one day he came home to find a bullet hole in the window, and “n---- lover” written into his lawn. He kept those where they were; while the grass eventually grew back, the bullet hole remained.

That pane of glass was part of the display at the event.

Stories like that formed the basis of T.K. Thorne’s new book, “Behind the Magic Cur tain,” which details the “unsung white allies” of the movement, many of whom were in the local Jewish community.

Thorne, the first Jewish police officer and cap tain at the Birmingham Police, said that even though Birmingham had dark chapters in its his tory, “the darkness is what allows the light, and in Birmingham’s darkness, individual lights grew.

“These stories about the darkness and the shades of light that brought change to the world are needed, perhaps more now than ever.”

She rapidly highlighted about 30 examples of individuals in Birmingham’s Jewish community whose lights shined during that era. Some are well known, others were quiet.

She started with Samuel Ullman in the 1890s, who advocated for the construction of a black high school, something that did not exist in the state at the time, and for a hospital that would treat all, regardless of the ability to pay.

Abe Berkowitz was a constant irritant in the side of Bull Connor, playing a major role in his electoral defeat in 1963, and pressing for an ti-Klan legislation.

Betty Loeb provided books to black schools, and Robert Loeb spoke out against the Klan. Alvin Rosenbaum, while a student at Indian Springs, wrote a published letter critical of Gov ernor George Wallace.

Buddy Cooper fought for labor equality. Sol Kimerling would not do business with racists. Abe Russakoff and Leon Weinstein defied ordi nances and treated black patients with respect. Ed Miles provided free eye exams to the needy. Many people worked to expand employment op portunities for Blacks, or change oppressive laws.

“The future is, frankly, scary,” Thorne said. But “knowing there were always lights in the darkness we know that we too can choose our own path and be one.”

Dejuana Thompson, president of the Bir mingham Civil Rights Institute, pledged con tinued involvement by the Institute with the Beth-El project.

“We have a unique story here,” she said. “We will do this work together.”

During the evening she learned about aspects

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the ones who

of the community history that she did not know. Living in Bush Hills, known then as Dynamite Hill because of the bombings of Black homes, “there are still references even I that area about the relationship between Jewish and Black com munities, how they supported each other.”

She noted that “we’re at a critical movement as a community, a state, a country and the world.”

In the future, when she looks back, “I want to be able to say… that I stood alongside cou rageous individuals, willing to have courageous conversations, willing to sit down and have con versations around what did happen and what is happening right now.”

She said it won’t be easy but “we’re all here because we are committed to this moment.”

Though the room was pretty much full, she said “Imagine what we could do if there were thousands in this room, to tell this shared leg acy, to talk about how we could not have done this without each other.”

When she started as head of the Institute, she met with Danny Cohn, the newly-arrived CEO of the Birmingham Jewish Federation. After a controversy that erupted before either of them arrived, they wanted “to start our time making sure we were intentional about rebuilding and bridging, and making sure the connections that have always been here between the Black and Jewish communities in the city of Birmingham, that we foster the kind of space that allows for us to have a triumphant collaboration at all times.”

While the Beth-El Civil Rights Experience is still under development, touring groups are already visiting. In July, the congregation ded icated a historical marker at the site of the at tempted 1958 bombing.

LJCC opens doors to synagogue members

Free use during month of Tishrei

As part of making the new year of 5783 one filled with happiness, community, and good health, Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center is inviting members of Birmingham’s Jewish congregations — Emanu-El, Beth-El, Knesseth Israel and Chabad — who are not LJCC members to enjoy the facilities during the Hebrew month of Tishrei.

That includes the fitness floor, pools, and oth er amenities.

The month corresponds to Sept. 28 to Oct. 24.

Citing Rambam, the LJCC stated “the pur pose of maintaining the body in good health is to make it possible for us to acquire wisdom.”

For those looking to establish a sustainable wellness plan during the coming year, the LJCC will set up individual consultations and provide options.

At the J’la

On Aug. 18, Birmingham’s Levite Jew ish Community Center held its first J’la, an evening to benefit the LJCC especially as it gets “back on track” financially and in terms of programming following two years of Covid restrictions.

The evening included a kosher dinner catered by Maureen Holt, a silent and live auction, led by auctioneer Christie King, and a post-gala silent disco. The evening raised $111,000, in addition to “Fund a Need” that came after a video presenta tion, “Why Give.”

Together to the End

Holocaust survivor sisters in Birmingham died 11 days apart

During their childhood in Germany, the Scheuer sisters, Ilse and Ruth, were inseparable. Through the horrors of the Holocaust and sev eral concentration camps, they stuck together. After the war, they both found their way to Bir mingham, where they built new lives together and lived down the street from each other.

And “Ilse Ruth,” as they were often known, stayed together to the very end.

Ilse Scheuer Nathan died on Aug. 23 at the age of 98. Ruth Scheuer Siegler was 95 when she died on Sept. 3.

The Alabama Holocaust Education Center issued statements detailing how the sisters’ involvement in Holocaust education played a major role in shaping the agency, and they were among the first to provide their stories, espe cially when Becky Seitel and Mitzi Levin began their work on “Darkness into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art” in 2009.

Rabbi Steven Henkin of Temple Beth-El spoke about how the sisters could have dealt with their trauma by shutting it inside, but in

stead they used it for empathy and “as motiva tion to make the world better.”

He also said it showed the definition of strength — not the physical kind, but the emo tional kind, overcoming trauma into something positive.

Cantor Jessica Roskin co-officiated Ruth’s funeral with Henkin. She also spoke of their strength, saying “Did the murder of their par ents and brother when they were young change them? Did moving from one concentration camp to another leave a lasting mark on them… we can all agree the answer is a definite yes, but it takes a strong will and strength of character to survive such atrocities.”

Having survived the Holocaust through the strength of each other, family was the major emphasis for the sisters, and numerous such anecdotes were shared by their children and grandchildren.

While many revolved around food, there were also the memorable classroom visits as they were growing up, and Ilse or Ruth would tell their stories.

Ann Mollengarden, director of education for the Alabama Holocaust Education Center, first got to know the sisters when they shared their story for Darkness Into Life in 2009. She started working with Ruth on her memoir, “My Father’s Blessing,” which was published in 2011.

Mollengarden said Ruth felt it was “too emo tionally difficult to continue to tell her story… if she just put it all in a book it would be done, then they would just have to look in the book.”

As she would recount her past, she would often pause and reflect, then say “can you imag ine?”

But rather than the book completing her ed ucational talks, “she was revitalized to speak in schools, and students and teachers found a very

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personal connection in her story of lost youth,” Mollengarden said. “Lit tle did she realize the impact her story and this book would have.”

Her willingness to keep being “a spokesperson for those not able to bear witness helped to shape the AHEC,” and her story was the focus of a 2018 teacher workshop.

For her 90th birthday, Ruth’s children formed the Siegler Fellowship at AHEC, providing opportunities for students to research Holocaust sur vivor-related topics.

Born in Germany, the sisters’ lives changed with Kristallnacht in No vember 1938. Their father escaped being arrested by Germany, fleeing to join their brother, who was studying in Holland. In August 1939, the sis ters and their mother were able to go to Holland to join them, planning to get visas to England and then the United States. But the borders were soon closed, Holland was invaded and their father was sent to Westerbork.

In 1942, the rest of the family reported to the transit camp rather than be deported. With jobs for each of them, they were relatively safe, until their brother was arrested in January 1944 for not removing his hat in the presence of a German officer.

Rather than have their brother be deported alone, the entire family was sent to Theresienstadt. A month later, they were sent to Auschwitz, where they were selected for work. They were later separated from their mother, who they never saw again, and their father, who slipped them the address of a cousin in America. Their brother also died at a work camp not long before liberation.

The sisters carried bricks across the camp, and noticed the crematoria, figuring out what was happening to the prisoners.

They were sent to a couple more camps, then on a death march to the Baltic Sea, where only 50 of the 800 girls survived. With the Russians advancing, the sisters were abandoned on the side of the road. They were taken in at the first farm house they found, but it turned out to be SS troops there. Still, they wound up abandoned there, and contemplated suicide, but held out hope that other family members had survived. A liberating soldier then took them to the Russians.

After recuperating in a Russian hospital in Krakow, they escaped and stowed away on a coal train, eventually winding up back in Holland. They found an uncle and aunt, and began building a new life.

They set sail for the United States, arriving in Mobile in 1946, then going to Omaha before moving to Brooklyn. In 1948, Ruth received a re quest to help her cousin, who was about to have her fifth child in Omaha. During that trip, she met Walter Siegler and they were married.

Ilse married Walter Nathan, and in 1949 they moved to Birmingham, where he worked for Loveman’s before they started their own store, Pen ny Palmer. The Sieglers moved to Birmingham in 1960, so Ruth could be close to her sister. Both husbands were also Holocaust survivors.

But it wasn’t happily ever after, as Ruth’s husband died unexpectedly in 1968. All of a sudden, Roskin said, “she was a young widow with three children to provide for.” Her children became her focus and she became “the rock of the family.”

Roskin’s connection to the sisters came well before she arrived in Bir mingham. She was student cantor at Adath Yeshurun in New Hampshire in 1993-94, and during that year one of Ilse’s granddaughters had her Bat Mitzvah there. “That is how I met Ilse and Ruth, long before I arrived in Birmingham,” Roskin said.

Roskin is the daughter of a survivor, and they soon figured out that Roskin’s grandmother had been in many of the same places as Ruth’s fam ily in Europe, including the same apartment complex in Holland.

Roskin said that when Ilse died, “Ruth decided on her own that she had lived her life to its fullest and it was time to go. She and her sister had been through everything together, and they needed to remain together.”

Mollengarden said “It was more than she could handle. They had been inextricably bound by their Holocaust traumas and always there for each other. Ruth passed away only 10 days after her sister, Ilse. Can you imagine.”

VOLUNTEERS

New

boosts first-time camp scholarship applications at

A new scholarship option brought an influx of new applicants in the Jewish Children’s Regional Service summer camp program this year, as the agency provided financial aid for 418 children to attend overnight Jewish summer camp, totaling over $250,000 in scholarships.

Campers from the agency’s seven-state region, which includes Al abama, Mississippi and Louisiana, attended camps across the United States and Canada.

This past year, JCRS unveiled a choice between two options: a short form with a pre-determined award of $250, or a longer application with a needs-based award to be determined on a case-by-case basis by JCRS’s award committee. This new option, along with ongoing outreach strate gies, brought in over 170 first-time applicants into the program.

For Summer 2023, the JCRS camp scholarship application will open on Nov. 1. The priority deadline will be Feb. 15, 2023.

For more than 60 years, the program has awarded needs-based grants to campers to attend Jewish sleep-away summer camp. JCRS recognizes the value of Jewish sleep-away camp as a unique opportunity for fun, personal growth and Jewish identity-building. Jewish sleep-away camp allows children to enjoy new social experiences and learning in a special environment that nurtures Jewish identity.

These benefits have become even more prominent in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing economic challenges many families are facing. The agency’s goal is that all interested children should have the opportunity to participate in Jewish overnight camp, but recog nizes that for many families the high cost is prohibitive.

In 2021, the agency, which dates back to 1855, served over 1,800 Jewish youth in the region, with its need-based camp and college scholarships, disaster relief and assistance to children with special needs, as well as out reach programs such as PJ Library subscriptions and the Oscar J. Tolmas Chanukah Gift Program.

Halstead named new marketing, development director at JCRS

Amelia Mann Halstead has been named the new director of marketing and development of Jewish Children’s Regional Service in New Orleans. A Baton Rouge native, Halstead’s ap pointment was effective Aug. 19.

“We are very excited to have Amelia join our team. Her years of non-profit consulting experience and deep connection to the Jewish community of our region make her an ideal candidate” said Mark Rubin, JCRS’s executive director.

Halstead joined JCRS in November 2021 as the camp scholarship coordinator. During this time, she expanded the program to assist over

400 children and provide over $250,000 in assistance for campers in the region to attend overnight Jewish summer camp.

Halstead has a long history of working with non-profits, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama, the Walter Ander son Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, and Camp Dream Street in Utica. Halstead graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a degree in psychology with a focus on disability studies.

Halstead and her husband, Curtis, have two children, Isabella, 4, and Suzanne, 8. They are active members of Touro Synagogue. She spent her summers growing up at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp and is thrilled to finally become a “camp mom.” Halstead also spends time volunteering for several local organizations. She serves as the Reproductive Justice cochair of the National Council of Jewish Women’s Greater New Orleans Section. She also serves on the Young Family Programming Committee of JNOLA, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans’ young adult division. Additionally, she has just completed serving as the marketing co-chair for the board of Camp Dream Street.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join the team at JCRS. I have had the great fortune of being involved in the Jewish community since high school and I truly look forward to using my experience and enthusiasm to bring ex citing new ideas to JCRS. I am also so fortunate to learn from and work under Mark, who has such a vast knowledge of our organization and fan tastic plans to take JCRS in new directions to assist as many children and families as possible,” said Halstead.

Since 1855, JCRS has provided needs-based scholarships, support and service to Jewish youth and families in the form of college aid, Jewish sum mer camp grants, and assistance to children with special needs. In 2022, JCRS will impact more than 1,800 youth across seven Mid-South states.

Livonia’s Dreyfus House to hold Jewish history book signing

New work details Pointe Coupee Parish families

One of the oldest communities in the Mississippi River Valley is Pointe Coupee Parish, dating back to 1720. At one point, the parish, which stretches northwest of Baton Rouge from Livonia to New Roads to Letts worth, had “hundreds” of Jewish families, dating back to the 1760s.

A new book endeavors to chronicle the entire Jewish historical pres ence in the parish. “Dry Goods, Cotton and Cane: 250 Years of Jewish Life, Business and Agriculture in Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana” was written by Brian Costello and Carol Mills-Nichol, with assistance from Teri Downs Tillman, a Jewish genealogist from Natchez.

Costello is an 11th-generation resident of the parish, and is the found ing historian and genealogist of the Pointe Coupée Parish Library Histor ic Materials Collection. He has written 19 books and co-authored eight more, about Louisiana and European history, and spiritual studies.

Mills-Nichol has written four books about Louisiana’s 19th-century Jewish and Creole residents, including “The Forgotten Jews of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.”

There will be a book signing at the Dreyfus House in Livonia, a land mark with Jewish history. The Oct. 30 signing, from 2 to 4 p.m., will be hosted by Dinah Weil, a grand-daughter of Simon Weil, an immigrant from Reichschoffen, Alsace and his wife, Rosina Dreyfus, the daughter of Theidire Dreyfus and his wife Blondina Wolff, both natives of Germany. The Dreyfus-Weil families have been, for four generations, residents and land owners in the parish.

Pro-Israel Democrat group endorses in Florida Senate race

The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC issued 29 endorsements for the general election, after seeing 85 percent of those it endorsed win in their primary races. In U.S. Senate races, Rep. Val Demings was endorsed in Florida.

Birmingham native Elaine Luria, who serves in the U.S. House from Virginia, was previously endorsed by the group. She is in a tight re-elec tion race in a redrawn district.

The DMFI PAC exclusively supports Democratic candidates who re flect diversity, work to advance the Biden-Harris agenda, and support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. They also work to defeat anti-Israel Dem ocrats in primaries. In the primary season, they report that about 75 per cent of their independent expenditures went to candidates of color.

“I’m so proud to be endorsed by DMFI PAC,” said Demings. “Israel is a beacon of freedom and our shared U.S.-Israeli values, and I will continue to be a pro-Israel champion in the United States Senate.”

Demings, who represents Florida’s 10th district in the House and is the former police chief of Orlando, is running against Marco Rubio.

In Georgia, the PAC endorsed Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in their Senate races. There are no endorsements in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana or Tennessee.

“In the face of increasing dark money being spent on behalf of Repub licans and fringe, anti-Israel candidates it is more critical than ever that DMFI PAC exists and is capable of fending off those threats from both sides,” the PAC stated.

Ramah Darom hosting retreat with gourmet spins on Jewish foods

While summer camps aren’t generally known for their cuisine, Ramah Darom is branching out with B’teavon, a four-day gourmet explora tion of Jewish foods.

The retreat will be held Feb. 17 to 20, over President’s Day weekend, at the camp near Clay ton, Ga. The four-day exploration was devel oped in partnership with Gefilteria (co)LABS, which was launched in 2012 with the mission to reimagine Eastern European Jewish cuisine.

The retreat will feature high-quality Jewish cuisine prepared by expert guest chefs in a ko sher kitchen, a variety of workshops, demon strations, food and wine tastings, and evening entertainment in the camp’s natural setting in the north Georgia mountains.

“Jewish food culture goes beyond just eating; the heart of our modern table is informed by bountiful stories and connections from a lived experience of the past to the present,” said Eliana Leader, director of the Kaplan Mitchell Retreat Center at Ramah Darom. “At B’teavon, old tradi tions will be made new again by integrating Jewish food culture into every part of our modern table.”

Those attending will learn new skills from experts at the forefront of the Jewish and cu linary worlds during cooking classes, tastings and hands-on demos. They will find their new favorite Kiddush cocktail, feast on kosher soul food and sample delicious bites.

The weekend will feature Adeena Sussman, author of “Sababa,” which was named a Best Fall cookbook by The New York Times; and the upcoming “Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals From My Table To Yours.” She has authored 15 cookbooks, including the bestselling “Cravings” series with Chrissy Teigen.

The B’teavon Southern Chef Spotlight will be Todd Ginsburg, co-owner of several high-pro file Atlanta restaurants including The General Muir, and 2014 and 2015 James Beard Founda tion Semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast.

The Gefilteria duo, Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, will also present. They are co-au thors of “The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods,” a reimagination of Ashkenazi cuisine.

Seth Watson, founder of Distillery of Modern Art in Atlanta, will bring his expertise in spirit making, cocktail creation and food pairing.

Registration for B’teavon is now open and space is limited. All-inclusive rates include accommo dations in one of Ramah Darom’s four on-site hotels or upscale cabins, kosher meals, snacks and beverages, and all activities. Registration informa tion is available at ramahdarom.org/bteavon.

“Southern Jewish Life is a vital community asset”

Sen. Cassidy visits University of Haifa

(JNS) — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) visited the Univer sity of Haifa on a multi ple-day trip as the northern Israeli academic institution celebrated its 50th anni versary, with the American lawmaker getting a first hand look at the university’s programs through the lens of his efforts to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations.

Photo courtesy The University of Haifa.

From left: University of Haifa president professor Ron Robin, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and University of Haifa board member Eli Feinstein at the inauguration of University of Haifa’s Bloom School of Graduate Studies.

The senator arrived on June 17 and proceeded to meet with members of the university’s faculty and leadership. From snorkeling off the coast of Caesarea with Beverly Goodman-Tchernov, who heads the school’s Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences and has earned the prestigious National Geographic Explorer designation for her research on environmental changes; to touring the Baháí Gardens; to at tending the Ninth Haifa Conference on Marine Sciences, he was exposed to some of the attributes of northern Israel.

“The special relationship between the United States and Israel is ev er-present in my work as a senator,” said Cassidy. “Examples include sharing lessons learned from the Covid pandemic, collaboration on na tional-security measures or joint involvement in missile-defense systems. Beyond this are the cultural ties which bind us even more.”

He also held meetings with former Shin Bet leader Adm. (Res.) Ami chay (Ami) Ayalon, as well as Professor Benjamin Miller and Dan Schuef tan, head and director of the university’s National Security Studies Center, respectively; each briefed him on geopolitical and security issues. It comes as Cassidy seeks to inform U.S. policy towards Hezbollah, particularly in regard to the Lebanese group’s activities as an Iranian proxy that carries out terrorism, money-laundering and human-trafficking operations.

In addition to addressing the 50th annual Board of Governors meeting on June 19, where he helped inaugurate the new Bloom School of Gradu ate Studies, Cassidy toured the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Poli cy & Strategy, which fosters U.S.-Israel cooperation in maritime security, intelligence-sharing, military R&D and security diplomacy; as well as the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences.

“The most difficult problems that society faces require novel and in novative solutions,” he said. “This does not just happen. The Bloom [pro gram] will cultivate the interdisciplinary mindset and collaboration to find these solutions.”

During his trip, Cassidy also met with Kenny Broad, Ph.D., environ mental anthropologist and professor at the University of Miami; Rear Adm. (Ret.) Israel Leshem, an adviser at the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy; and Amy Clement, Ph.D., of the Depart ment of the Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Cassidy’s visit builds on the existing collaboration between Israel and the State of Louisiana. In 2019, the University of Haifa and Louisiana State University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner in the areas of marine science and military training.

University of Haifa president professor Ron Robin visited LSU in March to follow up on the partnership. During the visit, LSU expressed interest in teaming with the University of Haifa to advance the fight against climate change, as well as to expand its collaboration with the Israeli university’s military, leadership and cyber-security programs.

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New Orleans competes in San Diego Maccabi Games

New Orleans had multiple medal winners at the 2022 Jewish Community Centers Maccabi Games in San Di ego, with others narrowly missing the podium. Held July 31 to Aug. 5, the Games brought together over 1,500 Jewish youth ages 12 to 16 from around the world.

Team sports included bas ketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, volleyball and flag football. Individual compe titions included dance, golf, tennis and swimming.

Elena Klingsberg compet ed in 14U swimming, bring ing home three medals in mixed-team relays. She won silver in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle, and gold in the 200-yard freestyle.

Jayden Rubin and Tyler Ruth won bronze medals on their mixed 14U soccer team. Noah Kaplan was on a mixed 16U soccer team that lost the bronze medal game.

New Orleans was able to field its own flag football team, with Ben Kornman, Alex Lupin, Hudson Glass berg, Zach Breaux, Ethan Dulitz, Carlos Kutz, Donovan Ligier, Max Ligier, Will Schexnayder and Noah Dunn. They lost a close one in the bronze medal match.

The Lawrence Family JCC was host for the games, under the direction of Chief Executive Officer Betzy Lynch. She had previously been executive director of the Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham, coordinating the 2017 Maccabi Games there. She also was in charge of the 2012 Games in Memphis, before she moved to Birmingham.

The 2023 Games will be held in Israel in July, and in Fort Lauderdale in early August.

Then earlier this year, the ADL had to change its online definition of racism after CEO Jonathan Greenblatt admitted “as I re-read it this past week, it struck me that it didn’t even speak to my own family’s experi ence with the racism they experienced as Jews from the Middle East.”

That’s because the ADL defined racism as “the marginalization and/ or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges White people.”

In other words, the current vogue in “anti-racism,” influenced by crit ical race theory. It’s not about you, it is about your group and where it is on the privilege ladder. And only whites have the power to be racist.

Under this structure, because of recent societal success Jews are seen not as oppressed but as oppressors, even hyper-white. That is why so many anti-Israel activists are now trying to make the label of “white supremacist state” stick when referring to Israel.

Before 2020, the definition merely spoke of the belief that one (un specified) race was superior or inferior to another (unspecified) race.

The controversy over the definition was disturbing. But then came the recent Fox News analysis of the ADL curriculum, finding that a lot of the same sort of CRT-inspired arguments were in there.

For example, the curriculum includes references to whiteness being the root of racism, structural racism pervading societal institutions, that denying one is privileged is a sign of bias. The curriculum recom mends a book that says whiteness is a ticket “to mess endlessly with the lives of your friends, neighbors, loved ones and fellow humans of color for the purpose of profit.”

The materials also present the Women’s March and Black Lives Mat ter movements as particularly praiseworthy, even though both have struggled with overt antisemitism at the national leadership levels.

The ADL responded that they are launching a thorough review be cause “clearly there is content among our curricular materials that is misaligned with ADL’s values and strategy.”

What are the priorities for the agency that was founded to fight an tisemitism, and how did the curriculum go off track? It is instructive to examine the social media of Jinnie Spiegler, the ADL’s national director of curriculum since 2013. Certainly, someone in that position would be opining on antisemitism regularly.

Looking at her Twitter feed, one sees a wide range of issues high lighted — body shaming, racism, Islamophobia, Trump as treasonous, abortion, mass shootings, transgenderism, book banning, systemic oppression… there’s a tangential mention of a “Camp Auschwitz” T-shirt on a Jan. 6 protestor… but looking backwards, we decided to call it a day when we got as far back as October 2018 without a single mention of antisemitism, anti-Zionism or any other Jewish concern.

But that’s not the only problem. Earlier this year the ADL hired a di rector of Jewish outreach, Tema Smith, with a lengthy anti-Israel track record, including retweeting a piece admonishing Jews to repent for the death of Gazans killed in Israel’s response to Hamas rocket fire.

During the epidemic of attacks on Orthodox Jews in New York, mainly by people of color, Smith wrote in the Forward that it isn’t their fault — what Jews perceived as antisemitism by those in the Black community is merely a symptom of structural racism. She also has stated that Jewish reactions to Black antisemitism come from a racist fear of Black violence.

Fighting antisemitism… unless you have a good excuse.

So, now what?

There are increasing calls for Greenblatt, who has headed the ADL since 2015, to step down. Under his predecessor, Abe Foxman, the ADL was known for calling out antisemitism wherever it came from. Greenblatt was previously in the Obama administration, and some charge his close Democratic ties have led to the sluggishness to re

spond to left-wing antisemitism.

Lately, he has been trying to make up for lost ground, with several statements about anti-Zionism and campus antisemitism, a welcome change. It needs to be sustained and shown to be a priority. And social justice groups can’t be exempted from criticism over antisemitism just because their other motivations are supposedly pure.

The ADL is still the go-to organization on a wide range of topics, still generally the first call when there is an antisemitic incident. It is still an effective monitor and advocate in so many areas.

But the curriculum controversy threatens to put a dark cloud over even those efforts.

It will be interesting to see what the ADL ultimately says about its curriculum, and if there will be an effort to steer things back to the middle. But in our increasingly polarized society, where even main stream anti-racism programs are drawing suspicion, can the damage be repaired and trust regained, especially among people like those whose activism led to ADL’s ouster from Mountain Brook?

When the Jewish community is under attack, we are loath to criti cize our agencies, lest it be seen by our enemies as weakness, division or a chance to pile on.

But this is the season of introspection, and there is a lot of work that the ADL needs to do to correct course. There’s a long way to go, and in this divisive age, a short time to get there.

Ramah Berkshires lawsuit settled

Former director reportedly downplayed sexual assault of a camper, did not follow procedures

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and its former director, Rabbi Ethan Linden, have settled a lawsuit that alleged mishandling of a reported sex ual assault during the 2018 summer session.

Linden was the rabbi at Shir Chadash in Metairie until 2016, when he took the Ramah position in New York. He had worked at three Ramah camps, including Ramah Darom, before arriving in New Orleans.

A court filing on Aug. 5 indicated that the suit, which had been filed in May, was in the process of being settled. The suit, filed on behalf of the unnamed female camper, said Linden “acted with deliberate indifference” after being told she had been assaulted by a male camper.

According to the suit, Linden did not follow protocol for handling a sexual assault, did not report it to authorities, did not notify the victim’s family or remove the male camper. He also is said to have told the female camper not to tell her parents about it.

The 15-year-old from New Jersey reported that she awoke to find a male camper touching her genitals. She told her counselor, who immediately reported it, but it took a week before Linden met with her, and apparently told her it was a “little incident” that was not a big deal.

Weeks later, the male camper was arrested for forcible touching and the case went to Family Court.

Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor

The Ramah Commission overseeing the Conservative movement’s 10 overnight camps was named in the suit because they knew about the inci dent but allowed Linden to remain in his position. He was placed on leave in May after the suit was filed.

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cret German communications about the Holocaust. The records were classified until 1996. He will describe what the Allies knew about what was happening in Eastern Europe, and how they reacted to the infor mation. Registration is required at ahecinfo.org.

The Tikkun Olam committee at the Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge will hold its first action on Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m., par ticipating in the URJ’s Every Voice, Every Vote campaign to engage underrepresented voters. Volunteers will fill out and address postcards to Texas voters.

First Baptist Church in Opelika will have a Celebration of Israel, with keynote speaker Coach Bruce Pearl. The event will be on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.

PJ Library and Birmingham’s N.E. Miles Jewish Day School continue Bubbie’s STEM Kitchen, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. for a Sukkot program. The program for preschoolers ages 3 to 5 and their parents explores cook ing and science through a Jewish lens, with stories and music.

Marlene Trestman reported that the Louisiana State University Press has accepted her manuscript for “Most Fortunate Unfortunates: New Orleans’ Jewish Orphans’ Home, 1855-1946,” and the plan is to have the book published in Fall 2023. The regional home, on the site of the current Uptown Jewish Community Center, closed in 1946 but its work continued as it evolved into the Jewish Children’s Regional Service. Trestman previously wrote “Fair Labor Lawyer,” about ground breaking attorney Bessie Margolin, an alumna of the Home.

The 10th annual Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival will be on Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. The festival is free, tasting tickets are $1.25.

The gourmet cooking class taught by Certified Executive Chef Louise Doernberg Lamensdorf at B’nai Israel in Monroe has been re scheduled for Oct. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. The class is $75, which includes the lesson, a meal and a cookbook. The event is a fundraiser for the Precious Legacy Museum and Archives.

Lovitt brings funnier side of Israel to Jackson

Moving to Israel includes things that range from humorous to downright bi zarre. Not to mention heading to a place that those who haven’t been there think is a war zone.

Benji Lovitt brings his stand-up comedy, “What War Zone?” to Beth Israel in Jack son on Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. There will be a dessert reception before the show, and the show will be available on Zoom.

A Dallas native, Lovett made Aliyah in 2006, and ever since he has per formed for audiences around the world, chronicling cultural differences and detailing the immigrant experience. His material includes embar rassing Hebrew mistakes, Jewish holidays and the differences between Is raeli and Diaspora Jews — partly to show audiences a side of the country that they don’t get on the evening news.

During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, his quips about the conflict led to him being called the only reason Israelis have to go on Facebook during an otherwise depressing time.

If he were to stop joking about Israel, he says, that is when you should start worrying.

This

In Southern Jewish Life

community

Sukkot in the South

Alabama

Beth Shalom in Auburn will have a sukkah party on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m.

You Belong in Birmingham will hold Improv in the Sukkah, on Oct. 14. A vegetarian dinner and drinks will be served at the Temple Beth-El Sukkah at 7 p.m., followed by a walk to Temple Emanu-El for improv comedy. Shabbat services are available at both congregations, at 5:45 p.m.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have Pizza in the Hut, Oct. 12 at 4:30 p.m., with pizza, fries and ice cream. Reservations are $10 for adults, $6 per child over age 2. Sushi and Scotch in the Sukkah will be on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Reservations are $25 per adult, $5 per couple.

The Jewish Medical Students and Chabad of Alabama will have a sukkah at Volker Hall at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Heersink School of Medicine. The sukkah will be open from Oct. 9 to 16, and there will be a falafel lunch on Oct. 13 from noon to 1 p.m.

Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will have a Family Sukkot Program on Oct. 9 at 11 a.m., including lunch. A social action program will include sorting food from the annual drive. On Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a Social Action Open Sukkah. Sisterhood Sangria in the Sukkah will be on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Havdalah Under the Stars will be on Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Simchat Torah will be on Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m., starting with a Mellow Mushroom pizza dinner.

Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will have a second night of Sukkot dinner, after the 7 p.m. service on Oct. 10. Reservations are $18, $54 maximum per family.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have Sushi in the Sukkah, Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. Sukkot Shabbat service will be Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. The Simchat Torah celebration will be on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., with a potluck dinner at 6 p.m.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have a family service and picnic dinner in the sukkah on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. Sisterhood in the Suk kah will be Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Familyhood will have pizza and Havda lah in the sukkah on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.

Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have Music and Kiddush in the sukkah, with food pantry donations, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m.

Chabad of Huntsville will have Scotch and Cigars in the Sukkah, an adults-only event, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.

Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will have Pizza in the Hut, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m.

Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery will have an open suk kah and vegetarian potluck at Rabbi Kramer’s home, Oct. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Simchat Torah annual cabbage dinner will be on Oct. 17, services are at 6 p.m.

Temple Beth Or in Montgomery will have its Sukkot and Simchat Torah service on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

Florida Panhandle

Chabad Emerald Coast in Destin will have Sukkot Under the Stars on Oct. 9 at 5:45 p.m. They will also have an Israeli-style BBQ in the sukkah with Chef Yaron, Oct. 13 at 5:30 p.m., and a Simchat Torah Live deli buffet and service, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Temple Beth El in Pensacola will have a Shabbat Under the Stars service and dinner, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

B’nai Israel in Pensacola will have Happy Hour and Pizza in the Hut, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m., with services following at 6:30 p.m.

Chabad of Pensacola will have a Jewish Unity Celebration in the suk kah for the year of Hakhel, Oct. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. There will be a BBQ, live music, Stump the Rabbi, a drink bar and more. The event is free, reservations required.

Louisiana

Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will have Sukkot services in the sukkah on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m., followed by dinner. Simchat Torah and Consecration will be Oct. 21 at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner.

Chabad of Baton Rouge will have a community Sukkot dinner, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Reservations appreciated, sponsorships are available. There will be a Sukkot service at 6:30 p.m. There will also be a family Sukkot carnival, Oct. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge will have a Suk kot service and dairy potluck dinner, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. A Sukkot picnic hosted by the Brotherhood will be on Oct. 16 at 11 a.m., followed by a Simchat Torah service with Consecration at noon.

Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville will have a Sukkot dinner, program and service on Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m. The Simchat Torah celebration and Consecration will be Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

Chabad of Louisiana in New Orleans will have Sukkah Fest on Oct. 13 at 5 p.m., at the Rivkin sukkah, Uptown.

Jewish Community Day School in Metairie will have a community

Sukkot event, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. on Bart Field, with a live brass band and kosher barbecue.

Beth Israel in Metairie will have a community kiddush at the Ka plans, Oct. 10 at approximately noon, following the 9 a.m. Sukkot ser vice and the 10 a.m. Candy Sukkah Extravaganza. On Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., the Sisterhood will have An Evening with Poppy Tooker, reservations are requested. On Oct. 13 at 7 p.m., there will be Burgers, Bourbon and Blackjack in the Sukkah, reservations requested. On Oct. 14, there will be a community Shabbat dinner in the sukkah at 7 p.m., following the 6 p.m. service, reservations are required. The annual Sukkah Hop will be on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.

Shir Chadash in Metairie will have Sushi in the Sukkah on Oct. 15 after Shabbat ends. The Young Adults will meet at the Shir Chadash sukkah, while the Nola Nights 40-plus group will meet at Rabbi Hoff man’s sukkah.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie is having a long-delayed new member welcome event, at Rabbi Gerber’s sukkah on Oct. 10 from 5 to 8 p.m., for the congregation to welcome all new members since the start of Covid. On Oct. 13 at 6 p.m., there will be Dream 175 at the Gates of Prayer sukkah, to envision the upcoming 175th anniversary. Sister hood will have Business, Bingo and Bundt Cakes in the Sukkah, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Tribe will have S’mores in the Sukkah, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Bari Bridges.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will have Sukkot services on Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., after a 5:30 p.m. picnic in the sukkah. Spuds and Suds in the Suk continued on page 45

counselor’s corner

This Week In Southern Jewish Life

Understanding Your Child’s Anxiety

By Jennifer Bradley, LPC

As a therapist for 25 years, I have had the privilege to work with adults and children of all ages, and I have been seen some changes in our chil dren’s mental health. This generation has a problem, and it is anxiety.

There is a cloud of anxiety that is hovering over our children for so many reasons: the pan demic and the premature introduction to death, wars, homeland terrorism, the opioid/drug epi demic, major political unrest, racial division, ri ots… and that’s just in the last two years. Whew!

Kids have so much exposure to these stressors through the internet because of social media. Bullying has become a relentless issue and is linked to an alarming increase in child suicide. Pressure to succeed in school, sports and other activities are leaving children overwhelmed and overstimulated. Childhood has never been more complicated.

As adults we are not immune to these issues. However, we have the capacity to process and understand these issues and adjust. Children have no reference point for their stressors. Un fortunately, childhood anxiety is usually a pre dictor of an adult anxiety disorder, so as parents, we need to help our children identify and cope with these stressors.

As a mother of three daughters, I am constantly trying to help them identify their anxieties, adjust and thrive. Needless to say, as childhood has grown more complicated, so has parenting.

So what signs can alert parents that a child may be suffering with anx iety?

1. Physical symptoms — Sometimes, a stomachache is just a stomach ache. But children who do not fully understand their own emotions may process anxiety through physical symptoms. When a child complains of a headache or stomachache, or simply says “I don’t feel good” in the morning before school, anxiety may be the cause. Anxious children often don’t sleep well, so fatigue and fussiness can also be signs that a child is worried or afraid.

2. Resistance — At times, children just don’t want to follow their par ents’ wishes. But sometimes, the child who seems to be non-compliant or defiant may be actively resisting something they fear. A child who refuses to leave a parent’s side may have separation anxiety. A child who refuses to go to school may suffer from social anxiety. Resistance to activities that cause discomfort, such as homework, can indicate that a child has a strong fear of failure. Resistance to participating in events or groups can indicate that the child fears rejection or humiliation. As parents, the sooner we can identify the reason that a child is resistant, the sooner we can help them learn to cope.

3. Outburst, defiance, rebellion or disrespect — When children are overstimulated, their nervous systems can get stuck in a “fight or flight” response. They may move from resistance to defiance to avoid the stress or that is causing the anxiety. As humans, we’re hard-wired to move away from anything we perceive as a threat to our safety; thus, an acutely anx ious child may not be capable of being cooperative or even reasonable. In this situation, we may find as parents that we cannot persuade, plead or even threaten a child to change their behavior. Before a child can switch off this “fight or flight” response, they must perceive that they are safe…

ing the prophet Zechariah who was the son of the priest who’d protected him from his aunt the queen’s executions.

Find some of these succession stories hard to follow? No harder than some of these kings apparently were to follow.

But not all were bad. There’s no record of Jehosphat jumpin’ during his 25-year reign, but his rule is regarded as a time of relative peace and prosperity. He rose to the throne after his father Asa uninterestingly died of a foot disease, and his rule ended due to routine natural causes.

All this to say that Queen Elizabeth II’s long tenure was biblically un precedented as much as it was unpresidented.

Doug Brook agrees with his pluralized non-cousin Mel — it’s good to be the king. For nearly several more laughs, listen to the (it really is!) fivestar rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast at anchor.fm/rearpewmirror or on any major podcast platform. For past columns, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/.

CJFS

from page 44

that they have moved away from the stimulus that has made them feel threatened.

As parents, we know it’s our job to hold our children accountable and let them learn self-control. However, we also need to consider how the pandemic, social media and other stressors are impacting their emotion al health and increasing their uncertainties and fears. Understanding the signs of anxiety can be helpful in identifying the underlying cause of your child’s behaviors. When we help children learn to identify and manage their emotions, we are giving them the tools to understand their own behavior and self correct.

Jennifer Bradley, LPC, provides parenting support, as well as professional counseling for families and individuals of all ages. Most insurance accepted. Contact her at Jennifer@cjfsbham.org or (205) 879-3438.

43

kah will be on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. The Sukkot Under the Stars celebration with Dan Nichols will be Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Museum of the South ern Jewish Experience. Supper with Sisterhood in the sukkah will be on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. The Temple Toddlers and Young Families Shaking it Up with Pizza in the Hut will be Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. Shabbatsana Yoga in the sukkah will be Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. There will be a Simchat Torah second line with brass band, Oct. 16 at 9:30 a.m. The Simchat Torah service will be at 6 p.m.

Temple Sinai will also host Safari in the Sukkah, Oct. 16 from 4 to 6 p.m., with animals, face painting and dinner. The event is co-spon sored by PJ Library, Jewish Children’s Regional Service, JNOLA, the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Registration is required.

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will launch its Lifting the Sky Cam paign, looking toward the congregation’s bicentennial in 2027, at the Sukkot celebration on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. There will be a musical Shabbat Sukkot with Dan Nichols on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and music in the sukkah. On Oct. 16, the Simchat Torah celebration will be at 5 p.m. at the Uptown Jewish Community Center’s Bart Field, with the Panorama Jazz Band.

Mississippi

Beth Israel in Jackson will have a Simchat Torah potluck on Oct. 17. Service and Consecration will be at 6 p.m., with the dinner at 7:30 p.m.

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Royal Succession

It

Hearing

Be Time To Check

The world has recently watched the laying to rest of the Queen of En gland, whose 70-year reign was nearly as long as the sermon last Yom Kippur. So this is a good time to remind all both of our readers that there was actually a long lineage of monarchy in Jewish history.

Yes, we have the King of Kings. But in addition to Elvis, we have the Big G who created heaven, earth, and income tax. If that’s not enough, while people slept through Sunday School they dreamt about names they sub consciously heard like King David, King Solomon, and King crab legs.

There was even a queen! Nearly three thousand years ago, Queen Ata lya rose to power by seizing the throne of Judah after a very complicated story which even Hollywood would struggle to make believable. Among other things, to secure her newfound power she immediately executed every potential heir to the throne.

Nevertheless, the end of her six-year reign was slightly less peaceful than Elizabeth II’s, because she missed one. Her predecessor’s infant nephew had been hidden and, when his existence was revealed, she was killed during a rebellion.

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From centuries before her, King Saul, King David and King Solomon are the names people might get right on Jeopardy!, but they were only the beginning. After Solomon died, a small typo in the royal paperwork resulted in — not a peaceful succession — but a secession, which split Israel into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah.

Israel, the northern kingdom, lasted only a couple centuries. Judah, the southern kingdom which included Jerusalem, lasted much longer and is what most people know stories about. Nobody came close to Elizabeth II’s septuagenary tenure, though Menashe (not the original one) ruled Judah (not the original’s brother) for 55 years. Close behind was Uzziah’s 52-year rule, during which Greece hosted the first Olympiad — though there’s no indication

Israel sent any athletes.

Both their rules ended due to medical rea sons such as natural causes or leprosy, unlike others whose eras ended due to medical rea sons such as fire, arrows, and various variants of a biblical disease called assassination.

Conversely, the shortest reigns were barely a drizzle. Shallum ruled the northern kingdom for one month, after which his successor assassinated him. One might say he had it coming, because Shallum himself rose to power by killing his predecessor Zachariah — who’d ruled for only six months before Shallum killed him in front of his people.

One year, three kings, and a national mint that couldn’t keep up with all the changes to their commemorative coins.

Meanwhile, down in Judah, Josiah — the aforementioned arrow re cipient — was succeeded by Jehoachaz who ruled for only three months. Somehow, the king of Egypt removed him and he was replaced by his brother. Johoyakim ruled for 11 years and was unsuccessfully succeeded by Jehoyachin, who lasted three months and 10 days when Nebuchad nezzar deposed him, and the Babylonskis summarily captured Jerusalem.

It’s notable that some dispute details about the death of Josiah — both biblical accounts of it — saying he was beheaded instead. Either way, he got the point.

Also notable is what succeeded Judah’s aforementioned unsuccessful queen. The seven-year-old Jehoash held the throne for 40 years but was himself killed by his own servants, seemingly in revenge for him execut

If at first you don’t succeed…