Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, October 2022

It is interesting that our nation is finally having a major conversation about antisemitism, thanks to the recent often-perplexing remarks of the former Kanye West, now known as Ye.

And given the fallout over his rants, one can add “former billionaire” to the list.

A polarizing figure in recent years, especially to the most ly left-wing Hollywood crowd as he became increasingly vocal promoting right-wing views, the latest dustup start ed when he wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fash ion Week. In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Ye then made numerous antisemitic statements, most of which wound up on the cut-ting room floor — which itself has been a source of criticism toward Carlson.

He made numerous conspiratorial statements about Jewish influence, especially in the entertainment world. He said Jared Kushner arranged for peace deals between Is rael and Arab states just so he could profit, and said he wished his children had learned about Chanukah instead of Kwanzaa because Chanukah would “come with some fi nancial engineering.”

He also insisted that he could not be called antisemitic because “black people are actually Jew also.”

He then did his “Death con 3 on Jewish people” tweet, saying “you guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” And then, the storm began.

Ye did some interviews where he reiterated those themes, even with interviewers like Piers Morgan falsely claiming Ye “makes full apology” for his remarks.

As the controversy grew, Ye basically dared adidas to come after him, as his branded merchandise was reportedly about 10 percent of the company’s global sales. “I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they cannot drop me,” he boasted. Turns out he wasn’t too big to kick out.

Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games

Southern Jewish Life

When you’re too antisemitic for a company that was founded by a family of Nazi support ers…

followers do in the Black community in pro moting self-help and pride.

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.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com

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.

He also lost his Jewish physical trainer of 15 years, and the Jewish academic advisor to a private school he had started in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles company that produced Ye’s “White Lives Matter” shirt — a Jew ish-owned company, by the way — refused to release them after the “Death Con 3” tweet, and the founder suggested Ye visit a Holo caust museum, to which Ye replied that he should visit Planned Parenthood, “our Holo caust museum.”

Similarly, while the white supremacists who attack synagogues in Pittsburgh or Poway re ceive all the attention, deadly attacks aimed at Jews in New Jersey were quickly swept under the rug when it was learned that the attack ers had ties to the Black Hebrew Israelites. Violence against Jews in New York and New Jersey by people of color has been mostly ig nored, or explained away as simply a reaction to gentrification, as if that makes it acceptable.

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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.

It is not unusual for antisemites to refer to Planned Parenthood as a means to control the Black population through depopulation, often claiming it is a Jewish conspiracy.

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.

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Ye also remarked about how every enter tainer has a Jew somewhere in his contract, and that “Jewish people have owned the Black voice.”

Jed Margolis Executive Director, Maccabi USA

Now, how far can one go in calling that an antisemitic trope when the “esteemed” New York Times, in a lengthy feature on New Or leans’ Preservation Hall, highlights the Jew ishness of owner Ben Jaffe and includes a quote about predatory bloodsuckers taking advantage of black musicians, and instead of pointing out how that is a trope, embarks on an exploration of whether there is something to that charge.

Ye’s remarks have cheered some strange bedfellows. On one side, this month he has been cited approvingly by the Nation of Islam and some Black Hebrew Israelite groups. On the other, White Lives Matter and the Goyim Defense League have also noticed, with the GDL, which does frequent provocative public demonstrations against the Jewish communi ty, adding a “Kanye Is Right” banner to other antisemitic screeds it displays over a Los An geles highway.

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On Charlottesville

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.”

Ye’s claim of being a Jew because of “the blood of Christ” is also perplexing, but it is something found in Nation of Islam and seg ments of the Black Hebrew Israelite move ment. They refer to themselves as the “true” Jews, as opposed to the Jewish community, even dismissing Black Jews. In this theory, the self-identified Jews are imposters using Judaism as a conspiracy against the rest of the world, or to steal the heritage of Blacks. The “white European” narrative of Jewish origins also erases the half of world Jewry that hails from Middle Eastern countries, Jews of color.

Ye has a longstanding relationship with Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, in cluding Farrakhan defending him after con troversial comments about Jewish power in 2013.

Farrakhan has been spewing hatred of Jews for decades, but that has been ignored or minimized because of all the “good works” his

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.

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

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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.

Many have talked about how Ye’s remarks have “mainstreamed” antisemitism. Don’t give him that much credit, it has been main streamed for quite a while now. It has just been minimized or ignored.

Model Carmen Ortega, who has 2.5 million followers, mentioned Ye’s troubles with JP Morgan Chase by saying “Who runs the banks? How many more time (sic) will I be right about these people.” She also told people to “stop voting Pro Israel” and “the truth is Antisemitic.”

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It turned out that Chase cut ties with Ye be fore this controversy, after Ye lashed out at its leadership.

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.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid routinely bashes Israel to her 76 million followers, this year us ing the theme of “Hands off Ukraine. Hands off Palestine.” Her father, who also has a large following, compares Israeli leaders to Hitler and Mussolini, and claims Jews got “twice” in reparations from Germany and Poland while the Palestinians have received nothing.

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.

Look at the number of Hadid’s followers. Ye had followers in the tens of millions. And then reflect on how there are only 15 million Jews in the entire world.

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And in Newark, N.J., “A Little Piece of Ground” was recently added to the sixth grade curriculum. It “explores the human cost of the occupation of Palestinian lands through the eyes of a young boy.”

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.

How does it do that? By saying Israelis “won’t be happy until they’ve driven us all out and grabbed every inch of Palestine for them selves,” and that Israeli soldiers are “playing with us. They’re the cats and we’re the mice.” Wonder what those students will think of Isra

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

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Johnson stepping down as LJCC head

Aimee Johnson is stepping down as executive director of the Levite Jewish Community Center, effective Nov. 4.

Associate Executive Director Brooke Bowles will become the interim executive director as a search for a successor takes place.

Johnson was named interim executive director in February 2021 after Samantha Dubrinsky left to lead a JCC in Massachuetts. Johnson had previously been the executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Alabama chapter. Before that, she spent almost nine years as executive director of the local American Diabetes Association affiliate.

After nine months, the “interim” tag was quietly removed.

She started at the LJCC in the middle of the Covid pandemic. The year before saw a total shutdown of the facility, then a limited reopening and numerous initiatives to help the general community. As with JCCs across the country, member retention and funding were large challenges during the pandemic.

“She really was the right person to help us reorganize after a few less stable years,” said Bowles. “From setting a relaxed but productive tone in the office — including lots of laughter — to working with our partner organizations, Aimee has helped The J recover.”

Under her leadership, the LJCC adopted a more streamlined member ship model, and the LJCC made a priority of applying for grants to cover needs. The LJCC has brought in over $1 million in grants and fundrais ing, including the first J’la, which was held in August.

Johnson was also the first non-Jewish executive director of the LJCC.

The N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, which is housed on the LJCC cam pus, is also involved in a search process, as it is currently in the second year with Brian Cain as interim head of school.

On the cover: While Rosh Hashanah was a celebration at Adath Israel, as it was the first in-person services in two years, it was a time of mixed feelings, as it was Rabbi Harry Danziger’s final time serving as visiting rabbi for the Cleveland, Miss., congregation.

Danziger arrived in Memphis as assistant rabbi for Temple Israel just after his ordination in 1964, and became the senior rabbi in 1978. He retired from Temple Israel in 2000, and since then has visited Cleveland monthly and during the High Holy Days.

Sam Lapidus Montclair Run on Nov. 24

A Thanksgiving tradition continues with the annual Sam Lapidus Montclair Run at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center.

Now attracting up to 1,500 runners each November, the 10-kilometer event celebrates the life of Sam Lapidus while raising funds for the LJCC and the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Registration is $36 for the 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer races, both of which start at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 24. The rate increases to $40 on Nov. 5. The one-mile fun run, which begins at 10 a.m., is $18, or $25 the day of the race. From each registration, $5 goes to the Cancer Center.

Runners can establish fundraising pages, and there will be awards for the highest fundraiser for the Center for Childhood Cancer, and for the LJCC’s locker room campaign. There will also be a “best dressed” award for a team or individual.

The 10K and 5K races start in front of the LJCC, heading west on Montclair Road to Memory Lane, then turning the other direction. The 5K turnaround is between St. Francis Xavier and Publix, while the 10K goes to Putnam Middle School near Eastwood. The course is certified by USA Track and Field.

The event began as the Montclair Run in 1976, and was renamed in memory of Sam Lapidus in 2009. Lapidus grew up at the LJCC, working out or doing sports, even after he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. He died just before his 15th birthday after a six-year battle with the cancer.

Anne and Emmett production at Birmingham Museum of Art

They were murdered a decade and a world apart, for two very different but similar reasons.

What sort of conversation would Anne Frank and Emmett Till have?

“Anne and Emmett,” a play by Janet Langhart Cohen, will be performed at the Birmingham Museum of Art on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. A luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m.

The play is produced by the Mississippi State University Theater De partment, which hosted the show in November 2020, along with William Carey University in Hattiesburg.

Cohen, who is married to former U.S. Secretary of Defense William

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Cohen, is Black. She placed the two characters in a placed called Memory, where they learn about each other and their traumatic pasts — Frank being murdered in a concentration camp after being in hiding from the Nazis, and Till be ing murdered after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi in 1955.

After the play, there is a “talk back” conver sation with representatives of the Alabama Ho locaust Education Center and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Tickets to the play and luncheon, through the Birmingham Jewish Federation, are $18 and are limited.

The Federation and the Bernice Barstein Making a Difference Fund of the Birmingham Jewish Foundation will also host two school performances on Nov. 14, with over 600 stu dents having the opportunity to see the show and have lunch.

American Jewish Archives presents Freedom Rider

The Jacob Rader Mar cus Center of the Amer ican Jewish Archives will present “This Freedom Rider,” an online film screening and discus sion with Rabbi Philip Posner, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. Central.

Posner is producer and screenwriter for “This Freedom Rider,” which tells the story of his time in 1961 as a Freedom Rider. The Freedom Riders were an in tegrated group of activists that traveled from the north to Southern cities by bus to test whether Federal rulings mandating the desegregation of interstate facilities, such as train and bus sta tions, were being followed. The activists were usually met by mobs that beat them, and one bus was firebombed near Gadsden.

He started his activism in his hometown of Los Angeles, then while a student at the Uni versity of California Los Angeles, he connected with CORE, which organized the rides.

Posner and his fellow activists were arrested upon arrival in Jackson, and sent to Mississippi’s notorious Parchman State Penitentiary. He was imprisoned for 39 days, and after being released, had Shabbat dinner at the home of Rabbi Perry Nussbaum in Jackson. Nussbaum quietly visited Jewish inmates at Parchman and relayed mes sages they could not send to relatives because of their letters being censored.

Posner now lives in Mexico, after a 40-year rabbinic career that included Mizpah Congre gation in Chattanooga.

After the 35-minute film, Gary Zola, executive director of the archives, will dialogue with Posner about his experiences, and show some of the archive’s holdings about Jewish Freedom Riders.

Registration is available at americanjewisharchives.org.

Contest Helps Students Engage With Israel@75 anniversary

The Center for Israel Education is building on its content offerings for third- to 12th-graders with a contest allowing all students to think deeply about Israel’s 75th anniversary, and to create representations of Israel’s challenges, successes and visions for the future.

Third- to fifth-graders are asked to design a commemorative Israel@75 stamp and to explain their work in no more than 150 words.

Sixth- to eighth-graders are asked to design a poster in the tradition of Zionist posters and to write 250 words about the need it identifies.

Ninth- to 12th-graders are asked to create a museum exhibit depict ing 75 years of change in some element of the unfinished state of Israel through a sequence of artifacts, images, video clips or other media, and to explain the work in a 500-word essay.

The contest is open to students worldwide who can submit in En glish. All submissions must be made electronically by Feb. 15. Contest requirements and the submission form can be accessed at israeled.org/ israel-at-75/contest

CIE will award prizes to the top three submissions in each age group. Winners will be announced April 20.

CIE is offering this contest as part of a broader learning initiative all year for Israel’s 75th year of independence. Visit israeled.org/israel-at-75 for details.

Louisiana-Lafayette hosting “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibit

The Edith Garland Dupre Li brary at the University of Louisi ana at Lafayette is hosting “Amer icans and the Holocaust,” a trav eling exhibit of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The exhibit will be on display from Nov. 9 to Dec. 8, with numerous complementary programs.

Through the American Library Association, the exhibit will be in 50 public and university libraries by Nov. 2023.

This 1,100-square-foot traveling exhibition is based on the exhibition that opened in April 2018 at the mu seum. The traveling exhibition addresses important themes in American history, including Americans’ responses to refugees, war and genocide in the 1930s and ‘40s. This exhibition will challenge the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded.

It has already been displayed at the University of Mississippi. It will be at the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County from Jan. 3 to Feb. 14, Chattanooga Public Library from Jan. 20 to March 3, Troy Uni versity from March 17 to April 28, the Ben May Main Library in Mobile

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Author Roy Hoffman of Mobile will discuss his new book, ”The Promise of the Pelican,” at Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama and Temple Beth Or.

The Jewish Federation of Oxford has been working with Missis sippi Public Broadcasting and the Oxford Film Festival to present an event around the recent PBS documentary, Ken Burns’ “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” Time and place for the Nov. 15 were not announced by press time, but the event is likely to be virtual. The event will include a 45-minute excerpt of the documentary, and a panel discussion that will include Joshua First, Croft Associate Professor of History and Inter national Studies at the University and Mississippi, and Kate Temoney, chairperson of the Department of Religion at Montclair State Univer sity, as well as a representative from the Alluvial Collective, formerly known as the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.

The next Virtual Vacation of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life will be “Land, Labor, Legacy: In Conversation with Southern Jewish Farmers.” The online program will be on Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. Central. It will feature a range of Jewish involvement with the land, from the fourth-generation Lamensdorfs farming cotton in the Mississippi Delta, to Sam Humphrey of Fertile Ground Farms in Jack son, whose emphasis is on climate, food and environmental justice. There will also be a discussion of the Jewish Farmer Network, whch connects farming to themes of cultivation in Jewish tradition.

The Doubt and Discovery group from Beth Israel in Jackson will ex plore “Music and Spirituality,” Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Finkelberg home. The discussion on why music is an essential part of worship will be led by Timothy Coker, minister of music at Northminster Baptist Church, and professor emeritus of music at Millsaps. Reservations are required, space is limited.

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life will have an online program with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, “The Twitter Rab bi,” on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Central. An award-winning writer who serves as scholar in residence at the National Council of Jewish Women, Rutten berg will discuss her new book, “On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World.” The program can be hosted by communities in the region, or individual registrations are $10.

Ari Morgenstern, Senior Director of Policy and Communications for Christians United For Israel, will speak on “Understanding Christian Zi onism, A Jewish Perspective,” Nov. 6 at 12:30 p.m. at Ahavas Chesed in Mobile. He is a member of the Mobile-area Jewish community and has worked for CUFI for over a decade, and will talk about how the Jewish community can work with the Christian community to support Israel and combat antisemitism. Registration for the event is required, and lunch is included in the $5 registration fee.

Dov Wilker, the regional director of the American Jewish Commit tee, from the Atlanta office, will speak on “Disrupting Anti-Semitism and Its Modern Faces,” at a Huntsville community program on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Wilker is also the AJC national director for Black Jewish Relations. Community leaders from Huntsville, Decatur, Athens and other nearby communities are being encouraged to participate. The event will be at Temple B’nai Sholom, and is also co-sponsored by Etz Chayim, Chabad of Huntsville and the Jewish Federation of Huntsville and North Alabama.

Mayor-elect D.C. Reeves will speak at the Nov. 16 luncheon of Tem ple Beth El Sisterhood in Pensacola. Guests are welcome at the noon luncheon, which is $15, or free to members.

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Thanks and Giving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner ,and there is so much to be thankful for.

At Southern Jewish Life, we believe some of the things to be most thankful for are the rich vitality of Jewish life that permeates our region and the enduring connections that we as Jews in the Deep South have with one another.

We are proud that for more than 30 years our magazine, which is mailed free to every known Jewish household in our four state coverage region, has played an important role in creating these ties.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we say thank you to all those ad vertisers and donors who have supported our magazine. You have allowed us to provide award-winning independent Jewish journal ism that has enriched the lives of our readers and strengthened our identity as Jewish Southerners.

As we continue to grow and expand our coverage, there are three ways you can help us.

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Doing any of these three will help us continue our mission, and we at Southern Jewish Life will give thanks for your support.

Tulane alumna’s takedown of heckler draws applause, late night spot

By Alan Zeitlin

(JNS) — A Jewish comic who graduated from Tulane has taken a nightmarish experience and turned it into what could be considered a dream come true.

During her set at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., on Oct. 9, Ariel Elias asked if anyone had questions. In a video that went viral with 5.6 million views on Twitter in just over a week, an audi ence member asks Elias if she voted for former President Donald Trump.

The comedian responds, “Why would you ask me that in here knowing that I’m the only Jew in this room? Are you trying to get me killed?”

The woman heckles Elias and says she could tell, from her jokes, that Elias voted for President Joe Biden. Elias counters, “I can tell by the fact that you’re still talking when nobody wants you to, that you voted for Trump.”

Thirty-three seconds later, a can of beer misses her face by a few feet to her right and crashes against the wall. Elias picks up the beer and chugs some of it, to loud applause.

“I think in general we’re all pretty on edge in this country and that’s sort of just spilling over into everything,” Elias told JNS.

She’d been talking about birth control earlier in the set, which she thinks may have caused the Trump supporter to believe Elias voted for Biden. She said while all comedians are cognizant of the Oscars incident in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, going on stage that night, she didn’t believe she was in danger. Elias felt she represented herself well.

“I think she was looking for an easy target and was looking for a fight,” Elias said. “I am not an easy target.”

She said that after the show, some audience members told her she was targeted because she was Jewish. But she said she can’t be sure of the heckler’s motivation, or that of her husband, who threw the beverage. She also said the couple was among a rowdy group of attendees who were there for a birthday party.

Elias was interviewed on CNN and ABC, among other channels, about the incident. Numerous celebrities praised Elias, including late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who booked Elias to perform on his Oct. 24 show.

The Tulane University graduate, who grew up in Lexington, Ky., isn’t a germaphobe and believes there was nothing nefarious in the drink.

“The club is BYOB and I was pretty certain that the guy had thrown an unopened beer,” she said, adding that she only saw liquid fly out when it hit the wall.

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Lee

JNS photo by Jordan Ashleigh Comic Ariel Elias was excited to make her late-night debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Oct. 24.

When she headlined at New York Comedy Club in Manhattan a few days later, Elias told a crowd she was still processing what took place. She drew laughs during a number of moments, including when she described how people in the U.S. South would mispronounce her first name and when they asked if she was named after a Disney princess, she answered that it was instead the former Israeli prime minister. Apparently, some got her reference to the late Ariel Sharon.

One new fan she picked up after the beer incident was New Yorker Sheldon Dong, 24, who stood in line outside Fat Black Pussycat in Man hattan as she performed inside. He said he hoped to see her comedy in the future and was impressed by her quick thinking.

“It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen,” Dong said of the viral video, which he viewed on TikTok. “The way she handled it was amazing.”

Elias said she’d always loved comedy and after she lis tened to podcasts that encouraged participation in open mic nights, she took the plunge.

“My first time was so much fun. I knew immediately, this was what I wanted to chase for the rest of my life,” she said.

Elias, 33, fuses observational humor with biting sarcasm. She often lets the crowd know she is Jewish. In Kentucky, she often answered questions about her religion.

“I grew up not around a lot of Jews,” Elias said. “In a lot of my friend groups, I was the only Jew, so I became sort of a representative where people ask questions about Judaism. Most of my friends were curious because they’d never had the opportunity to meet a Jew before. Because

my community was small, we were tight-knit. So going to services was a time to relax and be amongst people you had a lot in common with.”

In an interview with the University of Kentucky Libraries for an oral history project, she said that coming from such a small community, she was somewhat overwhelmed by the massive Jewish presence at Tulane.

She majored in Spanish at Tulane and studied in Cuba, then became a bilingual assistant at a New Orleans health clinic. Her first comedy per formance was at Carrollton Station. She kept pursuing her comedy, then after exhausting every venue, she decided she needed to be in New York if she was going to progress.

She said she was not surprised that some wondered if the beer incident was a publicity stunt.

“People in this country think mass shootings are fake, so why wouldn’t they think this is fake too?” Elias asked. “I don’t think it means we’re jaded. I think there’s a portion of our society that thinks everything is a con spiracy.”

(Elias was referring to “InfoWars” host Alex Jones profiting from telling the lie that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut was a hoax.)

Elias married comedian Dan Shaki a year ago. The Jimmy Kimmel performance is something she’s yearned for ever since she started her career 11 years ago.

“I’m ready. I’ve been waiting to do standup on late-night TV for a long time.”

“We’re all pretty on edge in this country, and that’s sort of just spilling over into everything”

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Etz Chayim in Huntsville held its Jewish music fundraising concert in the sukkah on Oct. 16, to benefit the Food Bank of North Alabama. Congregants Lynne Edmondson and Larry Levitt performed on violin and guitar, with special guest Jenny McLeroy on violin.

Editorial

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el — not to mention their opinion of Jews who support Israel — after that.

And much of the current progressive anti-Israel activism includes the charge that Israel is a state built on the idea of Jewish suprema cy, with progressive groups casually tossing around a term that was coined by everyone’s favorite local Klansman, David Duke.

See? It’s okay to target the Jews. Look at what “they” do to the Pal estinians.

In Congress, on the right there is Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who has been mostly marginalized, and numerous candidates who have said really dumb things about Jews; on the other side are Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who are up-and-coming stars despite their use of an tisemitic tropes.

We’ve written extensively in this space about how anti-Israel ac tivism on campus doesn’t hurt Israel, but it marginalizes and isolates Jewish students, and leads to increases in antisemitism.

We’ve also written about how many of those who promote diversity dismiss antisemitism as a concern, because their world view has Jews as being powerful and privileged, not as the target of so much hate. Even worse, antisemitism is often justified by what the Jews suppos edly do to other groups. Are they saying that we are their misfortune?

As a lot of people who have been on the sidelines come out to con demn Ye’s words, it will be interesting to see where this controversy goes. Will it lead to a societal reckoning and introspection? Or will it harden positions as fingers continue to be pointed to the other side, as “our side” is merely engaged in harmless criticism speaking truth to power, while “they” are the violent threats.

God forbid that it become a “Blacks versus the Jews” debate (i.e. “the Jews taking down a powerful Black man”), as that would be a toxic mess that nobody needs.

Can we simply make antisemitism unacceptable again?

Pictured from left to right: Alan Weintraub, Financial Advisor, First Vice President-Investments, Bari Bridges, CFP®, Financial Advisor, Steven Wetzel, Financial Consultant, Linda Hodges, Senior Registered Client Associate, Jonathan Schlackman, Branch Manager, Senior Vice President-Investments, Alan Brockhaus, CFP®, ChFC®, Assistant Vice President, Branch Liaison, Joshua Zamat, Financial Advisor, First Vice President-Investments

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Chabad of Huntsville buys property for future facility

the Huntsville area growing at a tremendous rate, the demand

estate has been very strong. With that, Chabad of Huntsville took

of a “rare opportunity” to purchase land on a major road in the heart of the city.

The purchase, which was finalized on Sept. 15, was announced in the Chabad of Huntsville email the day leading into Rosh Hashanah, herald ing “new beginnings” for the organization that began seven years ago.

According to the announcement, “This was made possible thanks to a pool of local friends and visionaries who envision a bright Jewish future here in Huntsville and North Alabama.”

The currently-empty lot is on the northeast corner of Governors Drive at California Street, across from the Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, and William Kling Sr. Park. The site is 1.01 acres, and sold for $370,000.

Rabbi Moshe Cohen said they hope to eventually build “an appealing structure, serving as a space and an environment for anything and every thing Jewish, including a sanctuary, kosher kitchen, Jewish library, puri fying mikvah, classrooms, Shabbat guest rooms, a social hall and more.”

He said they are still fundraising to cover the cost of the land, and then they will look toward “our next big leap of securing a future large-scale center for Jewish life — where every Jew’s birthright is their membership.”

He added, “Chabad is bursting at the seams.”

Huntsville is regarded as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country, and had the quickest economic recovery in the nation in 2021.

New Orleans Federation to honor outgoing CEO Arnie Fielkow

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans will hold its annual celebration on Dec. 7 with a tribute to Arnie Fielkow, who is retiring as Federation CEO at the end of the year.

Nancy and Steve Timm are chairing the evening, where the Federa tion’s annual awards will also be presented. Julie Green will receive the Herbert and Margot Garon Young Leadership Award. The Roger and Al lan Bissinger Memorial Award will go to Julie Wise Oreck, and the Oscar J. Tolmas L’Dor V’Dor Award recipient will be announced in November.

Fielkow came back to New Orleans in the summer of 2017 to lead the Federation after six years as the executive director of the National Bas ketball Retired Players Association in Chicago. Before that, he was on the New Orleans City Council.

The 7 p.m. dinner will be at the Audubon Tea Room. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are $85, $250 for “Angels” and $50 for ages 21 to 39. Seating is limited and reservations are requested by Nov. 28.

Preparing for changes as end-of-year tax planning commences

Foundations in Birmingham, Louisiana share updates

Special to Southern Jewish Life

The Birmingham Jewish Foundation and The Jewish Endowment Foun dation of Louisiana are sharing the following information from the Jewish Federations of North America with community members as year-end tax planning commences. As always, individuals should check with their own professional advisers regarding individual tax and financial situations.

As we approach the end of the year, it is helpful to reflect on steps that can be taken to reduce taxes that otherwise would be due. While there always is talk of changes in the taxes applicable to individuals, little has actually changed this year, so far. After the Democrats’ “Build Back Bet ter” legislative agenda seemed all but dead, a surprise change of heart by Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) led to the passage of a slimmed-down version of the bill named the “Inflation Reduction Act.” Significantly, the Inflation Reduction Act did not include many of the individual tax changes that the Biden Administration originally proposed and that were included in the various iterations of the House of Representatives’ version of the Build Back Better Act. Nevertheless, the Inflation Reduction Act did include some tax incentives relevant to individuals.

With the midterm elections approaching, it seems unlikely that Con gress will pass any significant individual tax legislation, although a “lame duck” package at the end of the year is possible. However, legislative proposals aimed at boosting retirement savings have gained significant traction in the House and Senate may yet be enacted this year.

Here are possible end-of-year planning ideas, as well as the most sig nificant legislative proposals that could affect individuals this year or be ginning in 2023.

Key Considerations for Year-End Tax Planning

Use appreciated assets to make a charitable gift in 2022. As in previ ous years, gifts of appreciated assets, such as stock, remain a best practice. Such gifts not only provide a deduction to the donor but also avoid the capital gains tax. Conversely, built-in loss assets generally should be sold (generating a tax loss) with the resulting cash proceeds donated, if de sired. Note that, as in previous years, up to $3,000 of capital losses may be used to offset ordinary income.

Consider donating to a Donor Advised Fund this year for maximum flexibility. If you are considering making a significant donation to charity over time but want a deduction today, consider adding funds to an exist ing Donor Advised Fund or opening a new DAF. It can be especially ben eficial to donate appreciated property, because by doing so capital gains taxation with respect to the contributed assets is eliminated. Federations and Jewish Community Foundations operate donor-advised funds and would be happy to assist.

Look into an IRA charitable rollover. The IRA charitable rollover is an attractive option because it can help satisfy the minimum distribution requirement without incurring income tax, even if you don’t itemize your deductions. If the proposed legislation expanding the amount and na ture of rollovers is enacted, this option will become even more attractive. However, such gifts may not be gifted to a Donor Advised Fund. Also, unlike the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, The Birmingham Jewish Foundation as a Supporting Foundation is not eligible to receive such gifts, but gifts may be made directly to Federations, synagogues and our other partner agencies.

Consider taking advantage of energy incentives in the Inflation Re duction Act. As you plan for 2023, consider taking advantage of the new

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and newly expanded and extended green energy incentives that are provid ed by the Inflation Reduction Act, including the tax credits for rooftop so lar panels, insulation, electric vehicle purchases, and energy efficient home improvements. Each of these incentives has somewhat complex rules, and some do not go into effect until 2023, so careful research is required.

Consider accelerating noncharitable gifts. The unified estate/gift credit of $12.06 million is scheduled to automatically reduce to around $6 million beginning with transfers made in 2026. Accordingly, taxpayers who intend to make significant gifts (either during their lifetime or in the form of bequests) may want to consider accelerating some or all of those gifts early.

As with any significant tax and charitable planning, it is always advis able to carefully consider potential changes in the context of your com plete financial profile and to consult your tax advisor.

We also recommend that you monitor the following legislative propos als as they will be considered by Congress later this year.

Legislative Proposals to Watch

Expansion of the universal charitable deduction for non-itemizers. Proposed legislation (S. 618 and H.R. 1704) seeks to expand the universal charitable deduction first enacted in the CARES Act, the COVID relief legislation passed in March 2020. The proposed legislation would allow a charitable deduction of up to one-third of the standard deduction avail able to non-itemizers (about $4,000 for individual filers and $8,000 for a joint return). In addition, it is possible that a year-end tax package could provide an “above the line” deduction of $300 ($600 for a joint return) similar to what was available for 2021.

Expansion of the IRA Charitable Rollover. Bipartisan legislation that has passed the House (the Securing Strong Retirement Act, H.R. 2954) has been introduced in the Senate (Enhancing American Retirement Now Act, S. 4808). It would make changes to the IRA Charitable Rollover regime, indexing the current $100,000 rollover amount for inflation and permitting one-time transfers to charitable remainder trusts and gift an nuities of up to $50,000.

For more information, contact Sally Friedman at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, (205) 803-1519, sallyf@bjf.org; or Bobby Garon at the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, (504) 524-4559, bobby@jefno.org.

Ambassador Michael Oren to present newest book in New Orleans

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren will give a presentation from his new book, “Swann’s War,” at a program co-spon sored by Hadassah New Orleans and the National Council of Jewish Women’s New Orleans Section.

The event will be on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m., at the home of Susan and Bill Hess. A light dinner will be provided, and books will be available for purchase and signing. Reservations are required.

A New York native, Oren moved to Israel in the 1970s and was a lone soldier in the paratroopers. He fought in the Lebanon War in 1982 and later became an army spokesperson.

In 2009, he was appointed ambassador to the U.S., with the Iron Dome defense system and the Iranian nuclear threat as major issues during his tenure. He received the Statesman of the Year Medal from the Washing ton Institute for Near East Policy and the Dr. Martin Luther King Legacy Prize for International Service.

Oren has written several best-selling nonfiction books, along with fic tional works. “Swann’s War” was hailed by Kirkus Review as “intriguing, wonderfully delineated, and tension-filled.” The novel is about a tranquil Massachusetts island where the police chief joins the Marines during World War II, and in his absence, his wife takes over the department amid a series of murders of Italian POWs held at the island’s prison.

Natchez Temple gets American Treasure matching grant

Temple B’nai Israel in Natchez was designated an American Treasure, as funding for 80 proj ects through Save America’s Treasures grants was announced.

The National Park Service, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services announced $24.25 million in grants on Sept. 28. The projects are in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

“Through private and public investments, the Save America’s Treasures program supports community-based preservation and conserva tion work on some of our nation’s most import ant collections, artifacts, structures, and sites for the benefit of future generations,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams.

Save America’s Treasures, funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, provided $356 mil lion to more than 1,326 projects between 1999 and 2020. Requiring a dollar-for-dollar private match, these grants have leveraged more than $500 million in private investment and contrib uted more than 16,000 jobs to local and state economies.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Temple B’nai Israel was selected for the Save America’s Treasures program,” said Nora Katz, Director of Heritage & Interpretation at the Goldring/ Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, and a member of the Natchez syna gogue’s Board of Trustees.

“Home to the oldest Jewish community in the state of Mississippi, Temple B’nai Israel tells a truly national story about the development of diverse American Jewish communities, south ern cultures, and, perhaps most importantly, the American immigrant experience. The building needs work to ensure its survival, and this sup port will be vital in making that happen,” she added.

Once the largest Jewish community in Mis sissippi, there are now only a half-dozen mem bers of the synagogue in Natchez. The care and long-term planning for the building has been entrusted to the ISJL.

The strategic plan for the B’nai Israel build ing, which was completed in 1905 after the original building burned, is to convert it into a communal arts and culture space for the city of Natchez, which will include an exhibit sharing the story of the Jewish community there. Funds are currently being raised to match the Save America’s Treasures funding, to meet the pri vate dollar-for-dollar match requirement.

New Orleans JWV offers weekend of Veterans Day programs

Gothard JWV Women’s Speaker Series debuts

The Ben Katz Post 580 of the Jewish War Veterans will honor the memory of New Orleans community leaders Jacqueline and Sol Gothard with a series of activities over Veterans Day weekend.

On Nov. 10, the Go thard JWV Women’s Speaker Series will pres ent “60 Years of Love. A Lifetime of Social Justice,” with Professor Leah Gar rett. The program will be on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai.

The speaker series was established in memory of the Gothards and their over 60 years together, as a way to recognize the roles and contributions of Jewish women in preserving the legacy of Jewish American military service. The Post plans to host a woman who is a veteran or civilian each year to discuss the service of American Jews in the military.

Garrett will speak about “Young Lions: How Jewish Authors Reinvent ed the American War Novel.” She is director of Jewish studies at Hunter College, City University of New York. Her new book, “X Troop: The Se cret Jewish Commandos of World War Two,” has been featured on CNN, Time Magazine, The Guardian, C-SPAN and a range of other venues.

She will discuss how Jews served at disproportionately high rates in World War II and were at the forefront of many campaigns. She will then discuss soldiers who became authors, including Norman Mailer, Joseph Heller and Herman Wouk, and how their novels set in World War II helped reshape American perceptions of the war, the Holocaust and the role of Jews in American life. The event will also be streamed.

On Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., there will be a memorial ceremony at Beth Israel cemetery, honoring Jewish veterans. Hilton Title, Post Color Sergeant, will play “Taps,” and the names of those who fell in war will be recited. A minyan is needed for the recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans and Gates of Prayer in Metairie will have a Veterans Day Shabbat, with services starting at 6:15 p.m. at both locations. The names of Jews who fell in war after Sept. 11 will be read, and there will be a Missing Man table. Joel Picker will represent the post at Gates of Prayer, and Post Commander Carol Berman will be at Temple Sinai.

Beth Israel will have a Veterans Day Shabbat honoring the Gothards on Nov. 12 at the 9 a.m. service. Berman will do the name reading and there will be a Missing Man table. The kiddush will honor the Gothards, with Rabbi David Posternock leading the tribute. Community members are invited to share stories.

Sol Gothard served in Korea and had older brothers who served in World War II. After Katrina, he rebuilt the Post and was recognized na tionally for his recruitment efforts, including an outreach to non-Jews that led to a Kurdish member. He also pushed for women being repre sented in leadership of JWV, and the post now has its first woman com mander, who is also the second African-American Jewish woman to lead a JWV post.

Photo by Alexander Barkoff Jackie and Sol Gothard

He also mandated that JWV participate in New Orleans’ annual Mar tin Luther King Day parade, the only military organization to do so.

While he was rebuilding the local JWV, Jackie was leading Beth Israel through its post-Katrina recovery, along with son Eddie.

The post will host the JWV Department of Texas-Arkansas-Louisi ana-Oklahoma meeting in New Orleans the weekend of Jan. 6. The cen tral event will be the TALO banquet on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m., with keynote speaker Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

The Veterans Day events are open to the community.

Incentive grants for Summer Camp 2023

The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana is once again admin istering Jewish sleepaway camp grant programs for the summer of 2023.

The Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience, funded by the Gol dring Family Foundation, offers grants of up to $1,500 to help families send first-time campers to nonprofit Jewish sleepaway camps. Sponsored by the Goldring Family Foundation since 2001, this program has distrib uted grants enabling more than 1,700 children to attend Jewish summer camp for their first summer.

Children in grades one through nine who reside in Louisiana, Ala bama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle are eligible to apply.

The RoseMary and Saul Brooks Fund for Jewish Youth Engagement as sists children from small towns within Louisiana that are distanced from a Jewish community to attend Jewish sleepaway camp. The fund provides grants of minimally $550 per camper for up to 10 Jewish children.

Applications for both programs are now being accepted, with a dead line of March 1. Families will receive award notifications by mid-April.

More details on eligibility requirements for both programs are avail able by clicking the “Youth & Camping” tab on the JEF website, jefno. org/youth-camping.

B’ham Jewish Federation plans community mission to Israel for October 2023

The Birmingham Jewish Federation is planning an Israel at 75 commu nity mission to Israel in late 2023, led by CEO Danny Cohn.

The 11-day, 10-night trip is geared for first-timers and those who have been to Israel before, and will be from Oct. 12 to 22. Those who are inter ested may do an extension to Eliat and Jordan after the mission.

The tentative itinerary starts with three nights at the Royal Beach Ho tel in Tel Aviv, followed by two nights at Hagoshrim Hotel in the Upper Galilee, three nights at the Leonardo Plaza in Jerusalem, and two nights at the Hebert Samuel Hotel at the Dead Sea.

The first full day includes a visit to Birmingham’s sister city, Rosh Ha’Ayin. Other stops in the Tel Aviv area include the Ayalon Institute’s museum of the pre-state “underground,” the Museum of the Jewish Peo ple, Old Jaffa and the Nachalat Binyamin open air market.

Heading north, there will be a visit to a winery, and a stop at the Yemin Orde Youth Village. In the north, highlights include visiting the Banias Falls and a jeep ride on the Golan Heights, the Golan Olive Oil Mill, the mystical city of Tzfat, and Tiberias.

Jerusalem will include time at the Mount of Olives, the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall Tunnels, a culinary tour of the Machane Yehuda Mar ket, and a visit to Yad Vashem.

Shabbat will be at the Dead Sea, with an optional excursion to Masada, or kayaking on the Dead Sea. The final day will be at leisure in the resort area.

A $400 deposit is required, and registration will close on Feb. 1. More information is available from the Federation.

with the Torah

At Chabad of Pensacola

During the Hebrew year of 5782, three Chabad locations in the region have done a rare celebration — the dedication of new Torah scrolls.

Parades took place in Pensacola, Panama City Beach and Birmingham, as the new scrolls were paraded on the streets near the Chabad centers, followed by dancing with the scrolls inside, and celebratory buffet din ners.

Festivities began in Pensacola on Nov. 14, as the Chabad, which had a Torah on loan, dedicated its own scroll to celebrate three years of rapid growth since Chabad was established there.

During the Covid lockdown, Rabbi Mendel Danow decided that one of

Shalom. Make yourself at home.

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Chabad of Panama City Beach

the center’s priorities for expanding its offerings should be to have its own Torah.

They waited until the pandemic was waning before holding the celebration.

In its short existence, the center has already opened a Pensatots daycare center, CKids Hebrew school, groups for young professionals, women and West Florida students, a kosher market and a regular magazine.

On May 15, the day of Pesach Sheni, Chabad in Panama City Beach celebrated its new Sephardic-style scroll.

Rabbi Mendel Havlin said they were thankful for the dedication of a Torah to serve the growing Jewish com munity in the Panama City area, and it was an occasion to unite the community.

They had recently announced the purchase of a proper ty that will become a new Chabad center for Panama City Beach. Havlin said they did not want to wait to celebrate the new Torah, so they did so at their temporary location, and plan to “complete the Simcha” when the new building is established.

The Panama City Torah was dedicated in memory of about two dozen relatives of community members.

The long-established Chabad in Birmingham then dedicated a new Torah on Aug. 28, in memory of Rabbi Yossi Posner’s parents, Rabbi Zushe and Yehudit Posner. The final letters were filled in at Overton Park, after which the Torah was marched under the chuppah down Overton Road to Bais Ariel Chabad.

Bais Ariel Chabad, Birmingham

The previous Torahs at Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham welcome the new scroll into the building at the Aug. 28 parade.

Not everything was a celebration

Not every ceremony involving a Torah was a celebration, though. On April 5, three scrolls that belonged to Shir Chadash in Metairie were bur ied, having been rendered unusable due to water damage from flooding after Hurricane Ida.

The scrolls were buried, along with other unusable holy writings, un der the ramp that was being built for the new Oscar J. Tolmas Louisiana Community Mikvah, which is expected to be completed around the first of the year.

Rabbi Deborah Silver, who was Shir Chadash rabbi at the time, said the mikvah would be unique in having the path into the building “strewn with holy words.”

Before Ida hit, the scrolls had been taken to a place where it was figured they would be safe, as it had not flooded following the Hurricane Katrina levee breach in 2005. This time, it did, and four scrolls were damaged. One with minor damage was repaired, but the other three could not be salvaged.

The congregation had a couple more scrolls that had been used on Shabbat, wrapped in plastic and placed at a high location at Shir Cha dash. The synagogue had flooded in 2005 but did not this time, and those scrolls were safe.

Students from Jewish Community Day School took part in the burial.

Friends and Family

at 100

By Richard Friedman

It’s a table that tells two stories.

Visiting Leonard Held a few days after his recent 100th birthday, the first thing this long-time Birminghamian does is take you into the dining room. There on a long table are nearly 200 birthday cards, neatly arrayed, creating a tapestry of Leonard’s long life.

His deep voice, flavored by an unmistakable small town Alabama ac cent, fills the room as his eyes grow moist: “This is what it’s about. Friends and family.” Fifteen more cards would arrive that day.

Yet for the Held family — Leonard, his late wife Cissy, their four chil dren, eight grandchildren and 14 (and counting) great-grandchildren — that dining room table tells an additional story; a powerful saga that has spanned the decades and bound their family together for generations.

It is a story of how Judaism, when lived and celebrated together, can create unbreakable bonds among family members that can withstand conflict, provide comfort in times of distress and deepen love and loy alty to one another. This is what Leonard and Cissy, though from vastly different backgrounds, understood as a young married couple, as they built a family that has had a significant impact on the Birmingham Jewish community and beyond.

In a weekly ritual as reliable as the sun rising, the family would gath er every Friday night at Leonard and Cissy’s Mountain Brook home for Shabbat dinner. Cissy would light the candles as the smell of chicken or brisket wafted through the house. Two, then three and ultimately four generations of Held family members would delight in being with one another.

Those Shabbat dinners even made their way into granddaughter Jill Graham’s college application essay. Jill, now 45 and living in Austin, Texas, remembers the question: “If you were entertaining an out-of-town visitor, where would you take them?” The answer was easy: To her grandparents’ house for Shabbat dinner, for evenings marked by lively discussions and laughs.

It was there that, while growing up, she and her cousins could delight in being young children, hiding under that table playing games. It was also there that those in Jill’s generation could grow confidently into adult hood, nurtured by doting grandparents.

Jill remembers that even as she became a teenager and began going out with friends on Friday nights, she would still come to Shabbat dinner

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first, bringing her friends if she wanted to, and then

Added Layne Held, 37, one of three of Leon ard and Cissy’s grandchildren who live in Bir mingham, “I look back at my childhood espe cially as it relates to my Jewish life – and having that continued ritual of Shabbat dinner at Mimi and Papa’s (Cissy and Leonard’s) and how im portant it was to be together.”

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Interviewed as he was about to become a father for the first time, Layne was asked how those weekly experiences at his grandparents’ home would influence him as a dad. “I find it hard to believe that Shabbat dinner won’t be an important part of our family’s weekly traditions — it will be a nice way to be together; to not have any other obligations and to celebrate an important part of being Jewish.”

Well Lived

These table matters are re flections of a life well-lived that began for Leon ard on Friday, September 8, 1922 — 100 years ago —in the small town of Talladega, where there were few Jews, but economic opportuni ties for his family and the other Jewish families who lived there.

On the day Leonard was born, Warren G. Harding was president. The world would also witness Benito Mussolini’s rise to power that year and the creation of the Soviet Union, events that would turn out to be of great significance.

Though there were few Jews in Talladega, which is over 50 miles from Birmingham, Leon ard had a Jewish upbringing. He remembers being confirmed at the age of 16 at the temple in nearby Anniston by Birmingham Rabbi Morris Newfield, who drove two hours on a stormy Sunday to confirm Leonard and four other young men.

Leonard and Cissy were an unlikely match that was meant to be. Cissy, a matriarch of the Birmingham Jewish community, died earlier this year at age 93. A 2009 video of the two of them reflecting on their 60th anniversary seems at times like a couple’s outtake from the movie “When Harry Met Sally.” They tell the same sto ries but usually with a different twist, seem to finish each other’s thoughts and reflect the love and bonds that spring from a successful 73year marriage.

What made the match un likely was that Cissy grew up in a heavily Jewish neighbor hood in Cincinnati, where she often was the belle of the ball — a charismatic leader, a good student and a great athlete with a wave of Jewish friends and suitors. Leonard was the proverbial country boy. Yet on a deeper level they couldn’t have been more alike. Family, a zest for life, a belief that Jews must take care of one another, and a determina tion to live each day to its fullest were bedrock values they shared.

Leonard, who had just been discharged from his World War II army service, met Cissy at a dinner party in Birmingham when he was 24 and she was 19. Cissy would visit Alabama each summer because she had close relatives in Birmingham. He took one look at Cissy in her off-the-shoulder yellow dress and decided this pretty, outgoing Ohio girl was the one for him. He sat next to her at dinner — and over the course of the evening told her that he was going to marry her. She laughed. He persisted, trav eling to Cincinnati to woo her and impress her family. He would prevail and they would settle in Birmingham.

Four Children

Sanders Painting

Growing up in a small Southern town in the 1920s and 1930s, Leonard experienced no antisemitism despite what stereotypes might suggest. He remembers one friend referring to him as “Jewboy,” though Leonard didn’t think it was intended as an insult. His family was in the clothing business and doing well, with his father, Harry “Happy” Held, becoming an influ ential figure in Talladega.

Though he didn’t encounter antisemitism directly, Leonard remembers an incident in volving his dad. One Saturday night after their store had closed for the evening, the elder Held went to the local pool hall where the men in the town gathered to enjoy drinks and hang out. Someone made an antisemitic remark, which infuriated Happy. He let the man know, and

Along with raising four children — Julie Gil bert of Houston and Randy Held of Los Ange les, in addition to Jerry Held and Karen Allen of Birmingham — Cissy’s passion was the Jewish community and volunteer work, which she pur sued with vigor and purpose, always with Leon ard’s support. On a Zoom with the four siblings shortly after Leonard’s birthday celebration, each talked about the emphasis their parents put on Judaism and the pride and passion they instilled in them for being Jewish.

As Jerry and Karen began building their adult lives in Birmingham, they embraced this legacy early on and have had a major impact on the Jewish community. They have served as presi dents of four local Jewish agencies and been volunteer leaders for organizations almost too

numerous to count. Karen also has lent her tal ents to the Jewish community professionally, as associate executive director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, where she worked for almost 22 years, and as a travel advisor, helping to co ordinate trips to Israel, including successful in terfaith trips.

Leonard and Cissy’s grandchildren, those who live in Birmingham and elsewhere, also are involved in Jewish life with some of them al ready, at a relatively young age, having ascended to major leadership roles.

Their Birmingham grandchildren — Layne, Brian Held and Elisa Nelson — are well-known Jewish community volunteer leaders. Jill just took a major Jewish volunteer assignment in Austin, as Women’s Philanthropy co-chair. Jef frey Gilbert of Houston serves on the boards of Congregation Beth Israel and the Houston Jewish Community Foundation. Eve Wexler is a trustee for the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. Also, nine of their great-grandchildren attend Jewish day schools.

As he savors his 100th birthday, Leonard also is worried. He has seen a lot in his lifetime — the stock market crashed when he was seven; as a boy and then a young teen, he lived through the Depression; as a young man, he was called to serve in World War II; in the aftermath of the war, he endured the pain of knowing that Adolf Hitler had succeeded in killing 6 million of his fellow Jews; and as a Jew living in Birmingham in the 1950s and 1960s, he was well-attuned to the challenges the Jewish community faced during Birmingham’s turbulent and at times vi olent Civil Rights era.

Today he worries about the growth of an tisemitism and is concerned about the political and cultural divide in our country. Nonetheless, having lived a life that spans 100 years, he knows the pendulum of history swings, and hopes that America will continue to provide his children, grandchildren and their children with opportu nities to achieve happiness and prosperity.

As he relaxes in his easy chair, wearing an Al abama Crimson Tide golf shirt and surrounded by colorful family photos, Leonard knows life has been good to him. His memory remains sharp, he has thoughtful well-expressed opin ions and his enthusiasm for life endures. His inner thoughts? They were reflected in a toast he gave during his birthday festivities.

“He talked about the importance of family, friends and forgiveness,” said granddaughter Jill. “If you get in a fight with someone, you must move past it. It was interesting to me that at 100-years-old, this was on his mind. Papa wants to be sure that everything he and Mimi built and worked for will endure.”

community

Alabama Holocaust Education Center celebrates year of transitions

The 20th anniversary of the Alabama Ho locaust Education Center is bringing great change, and that was the focus of this year’s L’Chaim event at Birmingham’s Red Mountain Theatre on Sept. 18.

The center is poised to move into its new of fices and meeting space at Temple Emanu-El, and is welcoming a new executive director, Su san Braden-Aresco.

The name has also been changed, from Bir mingham to Alabama, as “we are recognized as a state-wide organization,” said Karen Allen, AHEC president.

Allen reflected on the 20 years since the Bir mingham Holocaust Education Center started in 2002 “as a local all-volunteer education com mittee teaching the Holocaust via mixed media to teachers and students.”

The organization became a 501c3 in 2013 and “began to grow our reach beyond Birmingham.”

“This past year has been huge for us,” Allen said. She credited interim executive direc tor Lynn Raviv with providing the guidance through working toward the new facility and the executive director search.

After she stepped down last December, the Birmingham Jewish Federation “graciously loaned us its CEO, Danny Cohn, to serve as our chief administrative officer” to oversee the transition to the new space. Exhibits are being installed and in-house activities are already tak ing place there.

One major component of the new space was announced at the event, and it is connected to Violins of Hope.

In 2018, the organization hosted Violins of Hope, violins that have been restored by Am non and Avshi Weinstein in Tel Aviv. The violins were played by Jewish musicians in the Holo caust, often in the concentration camps. Some survived, many did not.

Allen said the Violins of Hope programs “al lowed us the opportunity to provide Holocaust education to hundreds of students and educa tors in the Birmingham area.”

As part of the afternoon, the Weinsteins were honored, as were Violins of Hope Birmingham organizers Sallie Downs and Kay Donnellan, and producer Henry Panion, who produced the centerpiece concert at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, an event that became a documentary that aired on PBS stations nationally.

During the event, Downs said that she asked the Weinsteins to consider “loaning one of their treasured violins to our community, to be used by the AHEC.

“I am profoundly honored to report that they said yes to this bold request,” she said.

They chose a violin that was restored and dedicated to the 500,000 Jewish soldiers who fought in the Red Army during World War II. The violin will be displayed with the AHEC’s exhibit highlighting liberators.

She said the violin will add “a dimension to

our curriculum unlike anywhere else in the country.”

As the Weinsteins want the violins to be in the hands of youth, so they can learn the his tory of the Holocaust, a video was screened of students at the Alabama School of Fine Arts encountering and playing the violins.

Niv Ashkenazi performed on one of the vi olins during the afternoon. He released an al

Niv Ashkenazi tells the story of the Violin of Hope that he plays

bum, “Violins of Hope,” in 2020, and has one of the violins on loan. When asked why Ashkenazi was chosen to have one of the violins, Amnon Weinstein said “if you listen to him play, you will know why.”

Ashkenazi does educational work with schools around the country, and said “these vi olins help students connect with the material of the Holocaust, which is difficult.”

Gail and Jeffrey Bayer shared their Violins of Hope journey, as she said it is “close to our hearts.”

Jeffrey Bayer said that when Downs ap proached them in 2016, with the turmoil of that year’s election, Violins of Hope “seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring disparate parties together” for a more just and compassionate world.

“Our hope was bringing the violins to Bir mingham would be a catalyst for connection and education for many different segments of the community, and that is exactly what Violins of Hope accomplished.”

They created the Instruments of Hope Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Bir mingham, “to foster mutual understanding, respect and promote inclusivity.”

In May, they spent time with the Weinsteins in their Tel Aviv workshop, where Gail Bayer said “once again we were incredibly moved by the power of their work.”

Jeffrey Bayer said the violins couldn’t have come to Birmingham without the work of Downs and Donnellan, and thanked them for affecting so many lives.

Downs and Donnellan did a video explaining how they learned about the violins and how they both immediately knew the violins had to come to Birmingham. Donnellan said the Vio lins of Hope “were able to remove some of the hate in our community.”

Donnellan regrets that Covid stopped some of the momentum, but there is an opportunity for a fresh start with the new AHEC.

Selwyn Vickers, CEO of the University of Al abama at Birmingham Health Systems, said it was appropriate for the violins to be in Birming ham, a city whose role is as “a voice for human dignity as well as human rights for all mankind.”

Panion composed a new work for the violins in Birmingham, and he was surprised at how it affected him. “I was changed forever, and I was surprised I was changed in the fashion that I was.”

Panion added, “as an artist, all you want to do is to have someone listen to your music, but for it to become meaningful is the icing on the cake.”

Daniel Odrezin, chair of the event, said that while the agency had an “immensely successful capital campaign,” for ongoing operations “it is

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L’Chaim that allows us to have the impact.”

Odrezin said “our true purpose at AHEC is right there in the name — education,” with over 1,600 teachers trained throughout the state. “This training has touched over 100,000 students in suburbs, inner cities and rural communities, instilling in them the lessons to combat antisemitism and promote peace and dignity for all.”

Allen told the crowd that “you have all helped to light a path forward that 20 years ago was Phyllis Weinstein’s dream”

Violins of Hope coming to New Orleans in January

Four Violins of Hope will be in New Orleans for a series of programs and concerts in January, the week of International Holocaust Remem brance Day.

The Violins of Hope are violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, often in concentration camps. Some of the violin ists were murdered, some survived.

Since 1996, Amnon Weinstein has been re storing the violins, with the goal of having them played around the world, to give voice to those whose voices were lost. His son, Avshi, has joined the effort in their Tel Aviv studio.

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and National World War II Museum are working on the programs for the week. A planning commit tee is chaired by Ana and Juan Gershanik.

Mimi Kruger, managing director for the or chestra, said “we’ve been working for years to try and bring them to New Orleans.” About three or four years ago, she visited with Ana Gershanik and Arnie Fielkow at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, to try and coordinate a schedule with the Weinsteins. Then the pandemic hit, and plans were delayed.

Plans are still being finalized, but centerpieces of the week will include two concerts.

An opening reception is planned for Jan. 24 at the museum, where the violins will be displayed during the week. Avshi Weinstein will be visit ing, and there are plans for musical pieces to be performed on the violins.

Weinstein will lead a special edition of the museum’s Lunchbox Lecture series on Jan. 25, giving a history of the instruments and the restoration process.

The orchestra will perform on Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre. Classical violinist Philippe Quint, a multiple Grammy Award nominee from New York, will be featured. He usually plays a 1708 Strad ivari violin.

The concert will feature works by Contreras, Korngold, Chaplin, and Shostakovich. A pre-concert talk will be at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available through the orchestra.

At 10 a.m. on Jan. 26 there will be an open rehearsal, tickets are $10.

There will also be a concert on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. at the museum’s Free dom Pavilion, featuring works by Weill, Mendelssohn, Williams, Chaplin and Morricone. The concert at the museum is free, but registration will be required.

On Jan. 27, there will be an International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at the museum, including a violin performance and a talk with a Holocaust survivor. Details will be announced soon.

Touro Synagogue is also planning an event with a quartet from the orchestra on Jan. 27.

The orchestra will also have ensemble visits to eight schools, and edu cational resources for teachers and students will be available.

Education about the Holocaust is a major component at every commu nity that hosts the violins. “Music is so immediate, and does something more than just reading about it can do,” said Kruger.

Sponsorships are available for the week’s events.

In a release, the orchestra stated “We envision a community-wide di alogue through the medium of music and story to address past violence while promoting tolerance, respect, and understanding for identity and diversity.”

Amnon Weinstein learned the craft of the violin from his father, who moved to pre-state Israel from Lithuania in 1938. Over 400 family mem bers were lost in the Holocaust.

After years of reluctance, he started working on violins that had been in the concentration camps. In many cases, the violin was the key to the owner surviving the Holocaust. In some cases, a German official would take the violinist under his wing so he could perform at parties. Some were played by Jewish musicians who were forced to perform as fellow Jews got off the cattle cars, to make the camp seem more normal to the new arrivals, and hide that it was an extermination facility.

One violinist, who was 12 years old and whose parents were murdered, became a favorite musician of a group of Nazi soldiers. They gave him a Ger man outfit, which he wore to his performances at an officer’s club. He would channel information that he overheard to his partisan group, which fed it to the Red Army. He soon smuggled explosives into the club in his violin case, then one night after his performance, set them to detonate after he left.

A violin in the collection that the Weinsteins show is one that they ar en’t going to restore. A man in Washington had purchased that violin and planned to restore it, but when he opened it, he found a large swastika and “Heil Hitler,” and a label stating the violin had been restored in 1936. He gave it to the Weinsteins.

Birmingham hosted the violins in April 2018, as an offshoot of their visit to Nashville. The centerpiece concert, “Dreams of Hope,” at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where four girls were murdered in a Klan bombing in 1963, became a documentary that aired on PBS stations nationally.

The violins were in Louisville, Ky., in October 2019, and in several communities around South Carolina this past April.

AHEC hosts “Impudent Jews” lecture

The Alabama Holocaust Education Center will have a Kristallnacht commemorative lecture on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m., at the University of Ala bama at Birmingham National Alumni Society House.

Wolf Gruner, Shapell-Guerin Chair in Jewish Studies and Professor of History at the University of Southern California, and founding director of the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research, will speak on “Hans Oppenheimer and Other ‘Impudent Jews’: Forgotten Stories of Individual Resistance in Nazi Germany.”

The talk will show how between 1933 and 1945, Jewish women and men performed countless acts of resistance in Nazi Germany proper, by destroying Nazi symbols, publicly protesting against the persecution, dis obeying Nazi laws and local restrictions, and defending themselves from verbal insults as well as physical attacks.

This goes against the typical narrative that states Jewish resistance was rare, mainly armed groups doing uprisings in the Nazi-occupied East.

Gruner will discuss how a new approach and new sources, such as police and court materials, along with survivor testimony, show that resistance was much more widespread and mundane. German Jewish women and men of all ages, educations, and professions defied the Nazis, contradicting the notion of passivity.

There will be a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. Registration is required.

Grand Opening in

Parke!

ADL Concert Against Hate

The South-Central Region of the Anti-Defa mation League’s Concert Against Hate returned on Sept. 29 from a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic doldrums with a tribute to activist Will Snowden and Basketball Hall of Famer Swin Cash.

Coordinated by co-chairs Allison Kupperman and Brittany Wolf-Freedman, the event at the New Orleans Jazz Market raised over $100,000 to support ADL programs in fighting hate.

The New Orleans-based regional office serves all of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Board Chair Caroline Good said “though ADL’s work can be heavy, the evening was one of solidarity and joy, two of the most effective antidotes to hate.”

Snowden is the Louisiana director of the Vera Institute of Justice, which works to makes the “justice” system more “just.” He founded the Ju ror Project to increase minority representation on juries, and played a major role in the Unani mous Jury coalition that led to Louisiana scrap ping a segregation-era rule that jury decisions did not need to be unanimous.

He thanked those in his past and present who have served as “gardeners” tending to the seeds within him, and encouraged everyone to be gar deners to others.

A four-time WNBA All Star, Cash is now vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. She was instrumental in having the Smoothie King Center as an early voting location in 2020, pro tecting voting rights during the pandemic.

Cash is the founder of Cash Building Blocks, an urban development company that renovates and offers affordable homes for low income fam ilies; the Cash for Kids Charity, whose mission is to motivate, educate and elevate kids through physical fitness, nutrition, education, cultural trips, and sports camps. She has also worked ex tensively with the NBA as a global ambassador for social responsibility and NBA Cares.

She encouraged everyone to use their plat forms for good, and to work for the protection of children.

As the main part of the evening was a con cert, Snowden took the unusual step of playing before speaking, giving a performance on cello.

Roccadile did the pre-ceremony music, while Sweet Crude headlined the concert.

Photos courtesy Scott Myers Photography Honorees Will Snowden (above) and Swin Cash (below)

community Leonard Cohen tribute show at Workplay

By Lee J. Green

When the only Leonard Cohen tribute “cov er” band in the United States made its live debut at Workplay in Birmingham in 2019, fans of the great Jewish poet, singer and songwriter greeted it with a resounding chorus of Hallelujah.

“After word spread about the first show, we had people from all over the world wanting us to perform,” said Birmingham musician David Stegall. “There are so many people who love Leonard Cohen and his words have touched so many people.”

The pandemic halted progress, but Work play will host the revival when Stegall, musi cal partner Reid Brooks and The Famous Blue Raincoats perform “The Music and History of Leonard Cohen,” Nov. 11 at Workplay.

“He was a remarkable artist and person — a true poet whose work explored love, religion, politics. Leonard Cohen had such an interesting life. I’ve read his books and listened to all of his 250-something songs. He was quite an influence on me and my music.”

Stegall refers to “The Music and History of Leonard Cohen” as “sort of a live rockumentary.

“We only knew of a few Leonard Cohen cover bands in Canada and Europe. His music tells so many stories, but we knew we needed to do a show that was also filled with narrative about him and his amazing life.”

Cohen was born in 1934 in Montreal. He pur sued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, not launching his music career until 1967.

A musical innovator, most of Cohen’s record ings were folk songs. But he would incorporate some spoken word, blending in jazz as well as even Asian and Mediterranean influences. He released a few albums in the late 1960s and through the 1970s.

Perhaps Cohen’s most famous song, “Hal lelujah,” was first released on his studio album “Various Positions” in 1984. Later in the decade, he experimented with synthesized productions — a departure from his minimalist style. “I’m Your Man,” released in 1988, remains his most popular album.

His 1992 album, “The Future,” included dark lyrics and references to political and social un rest. Cohen took a 10-year hiatus, then returned to music in 2001 with an album that was a major hit in Canada and Europe.

After a successful string of tours from 2008 through 2013, Cohen released three albums in the final four years of his life. He died Nov. 7, 2016, in Los Angeles at the age of 82.

Stegall, 66, is an insurance salesman by day

and musician by night. He had mostly played folk music on guitar and didn’t start singing un til a year or so ago.

Stegall and Brooks played together in a band starting around 2017, performing mostly folk cover songs, including a few of Cohen’s. They started talking about the Leonard Cohen tribute in 2018.

Stegall and Reid assembled a group of profes sional musicians to back them up – The Famous Blue Raincoats (named for a popular Leonard Cohen song). The deep-voiced Stegall handles the lead vocals and Brooks does the narratives.

He said they have brought in a few new musi cians to be a part of The Famous Blue Raincoats and tweaked the show slightly, but it will be mostly similar to the 2019 Birmingham show.

“We would love to grow this and to be able to ‘take this show on the road’,” said Stegall, noting that he and most of the other musicians also have day jobs. “I hope we can carry on his legacy to let current and future generations appreciate the gifts he gave to all of us.”

>> Exhibit continued from page 7

from May 12 to June 23, and the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries in Columbus, Ga., from July 7 to Aug. 18.

On Nov. 9 at 6 p.m., Manny Klepper, a mem ber of the Lafayette community and a Holo caust survivor, will give his personal account of Kristallnacht. Registration is required.

The opening reception, which is by invitation only, will be Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. Richard Frankel, his tory professor at Louisiana-Lafayette, will speak.

The Olga Lengyel Institute, which pro vides professional development seminars for Holocaust education, will hold an educator’s workshop on Dec. 1 at 5 p.m.. Penny Kinchen, Middle School Administrator at Central Private School, will present TOLI’s educational model for grades 6 and above, on how to link lessons from the Holocaust and other genocides to cur rent world events.

There will be two events at the Lafayette Pub lic Library’s South Regional branch. On Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m., there will be a book discussion of “Sons and Soldiers: The Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned for Retribution” by Bruce Henderson. It recounts the stories of young Jew ish boys who escaped and were resettled in the United States, and then returned to fight for the U.S. and for the families they had left behind in Europe. The event will be in person and online.

On Nov. 18 at 1 p.m., there will be a screen ing of a 45-minute preview of the recent Ken Burns documentary series, “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” After the screening, there will be a discussion led by Louisiana-Lafayette Professor Charles Richard, non-fiction writer and pro ducer of documentaries.

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Sidewalk hosting Jewish Film Week

By Lee J. Green

Birmingham’s Jewish Film Week, hosted by the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, will spotlight a diverse range of features, documentaries and short films ranging from a “Fiddler on the Roof” viewing and discussion to a new release based on the childhood of filmmaker James Gray, “Ar mageddon Time.”

Dan Seigel, who is programming the Jewish Film Week for Sidewalk, said “Jewish Film Week will include a diverse array of films offering glimps es into Jewish identity, life in Israel, the Jewish LGBTQ-plus communities and several new films,” said Seigel. Sidewalk hosted its first Jewish Film Week/Festival in 2019 and this year “promises to build upon that.”

On Nov. 16 at 6 p.m., as part of the monthly Adaptation Club, Sidewalk will host a viewing and discussion of the classic “Fiddler on the Roof,” along with Sholom Aleichem’s books that inspired it – “Tevye the Dairy man” and “The Railroad Stories.”

The other films and shorts will screen in that theatre, with encore screenings on Nov. 19. In the other theatre throughout the week, Side walk will screen “Armageddon Time.”

Gray wrote, directed and produced the film, inspired by his childhood upbringing in Queens, N.Y., during the 1980s.

After American Jewish student Paul Graff is caught smoking cannabis at his high school, he is sent to a private school run by Donald Trump’s sister, Maryanne, where Paul faces prejudice. “Armageddon Time” was released on Oct. 28 after gaining acclaim at the 2022 Cannes Film Festi val this past May. It stars Anne Hathaway as Paul’s mother and Anthony Hopkins as Paul’s grandfather.

“Armageddon Time” will screen numerous times between Nov. 11 and Dec. 1.

Seigel, a family therapist and musician, has been a long-time Sidewalk supporter and was asked to program this year’s event. His father, Leonard, was the long-time music director at Temple Emanu-El, and is the Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music at Birmingham-Southern College.

“I did a lot of research on the Jewish Film Festivals websites and contact ed distributers such as Menemsha to get some recommendations,” he said.

Seigel added that there will be individual film passes sold and some ticket packages allowing access to multiple films.

The festival begins with four films on Nov. 13, starting at 1:45 p.m. with “A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto.” Sofia finds a photo in a neglected suitcase and is determined to learn more about it. She finds the child’s name, and that she was separated from her parents during a Gestapo raid, then rescued by a nun. She endeavors to honor her memory by doing an original play about her with classmates and friends, but must overcome objections by concerned parents.

At 4 p.m., “iMordecai” stars Judd Hirsch as Mordecai Samels, a Polish Holocaust survivor in Miami. The film, which also serves as a “love letter” to Miami, is about ow he gets an iPhone when his old flip phone breaks, and lessons he takes on how to use the iPhone open up a new world of exploration and new experiences.

“Plan A” at 6:15 p.m. is based on a true story of what would have been the biggest revenge operation in history. Max survived the Holocaust but lost the rest of his family. Looking for only revenge, he joins a Jewish Bri gade of soldiers under British command, who find and execute Nazis “off the record.” With no confidence in justice being served at the Nuremberg Trials, he joins a group that plans to infiltrate German water companies as undercover engineers, with the goal of poisoning the drinking water in five major German cities, to kill 6 million Germans in retaliation for the Holocaust.

“Plan A” will also be screened on Nov. 19 at 4 p.m.

“Kiss Me Kosher” at 8:45 p.m. is a romantic comedy about two fam ilies from very different cultural and religious backgrounds planning a same-sex wedding in Israel, and how they try to overcome their differ ences — except for one grandmother of the Israeli partner who insists Germans and Jews should not marry. That same grandmother, though, is secretly seeing a Palestinian lover.

It will be screened with an award-winning short, “The Shabbos Goy.”

As an Orthodox woman and her fiancé celebrate their engagement on Shabbat, she hears an unsettling sound from her bedroom — her sister’s children found a vibrator and turned it on. She then embarks on a quest to find someone non-Jewish who can turn it off for her.

On Nov. 14, “Farewell Mr. Haffman” will screen at 7:30 p.m. Based on a multi Moliere Award-winning play, the French film is set in occupied

Paris in 1941. When a decree is issued for Jewish residents to come for ward and identify themselves, jeweler Joseph Haffman is concerned and arranges for his family to flee, and lets his employee take over the store for the interim. But when his escape plan falls through, he is forced to seek his assistant’s protection, moving in with his assistant and assistant’s wife, leading to a Faustian bargain.

The film is paired with the short film “The Mohel,” about a young cou ple that flies a mohel in to a small community, and when the mohel is disapproving of the new mother, the father is forced to confront questions of cultural identity versus religious commitment.

On Nov. 15, there will be a screening of the classic “Fiddler on the Roof,” part of the new Adaptation Club at Sidewalk. Club members read the novelizations that classic films were adapted from, then discuss them and view the film to see how the stories changed or were redone for the screen.

“Ahed’s Knee,” on Nov. 16 at 9 p.m., confronts the impending death of a filmmaker’s mother and the death of freedom. It follows an egotistical Israeli filmmaker known only as Y, who travels to a remote desert town for a screening of his newest film, inspired from a Palestinian teen girl who became famous for slapping an Israeli soldier. He finds out that there will be limits on what he can say during the question and answer session, sending him into a spiral of rage.

On Nov. 17 at 9:15 p.m., “Concerned Citizen” is a satirical take on how privilege can reveal inner prejudice. It centers around Ben, a liberal gay man who plants a tree on his street in a slum area of Tel Aviv, but that seemingly innocuous act sets off a series of events that leads to the violent arrest of an Eritrean immigrant, challenging Ben’s vision of himself and society.

“Karaoke,” on Nov. 18 at 4:45 p.m., is an Israeli film about a married

GEORGE SARRIS’

middle class couple in their 60s that is drawn to their new neighbor, a charismatic bachelor who holds karaoke nights in his apartment, who reawakens their sleepy relationship.

“Cinema Sabaya” will screen at 2 and 9 p.m. on Nov. 19. Nine women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop and begin to document their lives. They share the raw footage and get to know each other better while challenging their own views.

At 6:30 p.m., the classic film “The Chosen,” based on the novel by Chaim Potok, will be screened. It details the friendship the develops be tween Danny, a Hasidic Jew and Reuven, an observant Zionist, after a baseball mishap, and the tension between their fathers.

Ticket and sponsorship information is at Sidewalkfest.com.

Merchant, Educator, Activist: Discussing the Civil Rights battles

Teachers, teen foot soldiers and downtown merchants were major players in the civil rights conflict in Birmingham in the early 1960s.

On Nov. 8, there will be a panel, “Birmingham and Civil Rights During the ‘60s: The Jewish Merchant, the Teacher and the Teen Activist,” at Temple Beth-El. The 6:30 p.m. event is presented by the Beth-El Civil Rights Experience and Hadassah Birmingham.

The panel’s participants will be Odessa Woolfolk, Janice Wesley Kelsey and Richard Pizitz. All are Birmingham natives.

Woolfolk is a longtime educator, but her reach travels far beyond high school, as she has become a Birmingham icon. She was associate execu tive director of the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportu nity, and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham she was director of the Center for Urban Affairs, assistant to the president for community relations, and taught Urban Studies.

She is former state chair of the National Conference for Christians and Jews, a founding member of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Ala bama, and president of Operation New Birmingham, now REV Birmingham.

Woolfolk was also founding president of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and is the chair emeritus.

Kelsey taught in Birmingham public schools, then became project coordinator at the Civil Rights Institute. As a student at Ullman High School, she participated in the May 1963 demonstrations in downtown Birmingham, known as the Children’s Crusade. She was one of hundreds of students arrested on May 2, spending four days in jail.

In 2005, she was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, “Mighty Times: The Children’s March.” She was also featured in Jon Meacham’s HBO documentary, “The Soul of America.” Her book, “I Woke Up with My Mind on Freedom,” was published in 2017.

In 1953, Pizitz started at the department store that his grandfather started in 1895. He became vice president in 1959 and president in 1966, during a pivotal time when the downtown merchants faced a boycott by civil rights activists eager for change, and intimidation by city officials if they dared make a move in that direction.

He was recognized as Marketing Man of the Year by the Birmingham Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and Man of the Year by the Young Men’s Business Club. He was the first president of Birmingham Jewish Foundation, chairman of United Jewish Appeal campaign, the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Operation New Birmingham, and the Alabama Symphony. He has also been president of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way.

The event is free, but contributions at the event will go to development of the Beth-El Civil Rights Experience, and to Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah villages in Israel, where young refugees from around the world, especially from Ukraine these days, receive assistance.

The panel is open to the community, a reception will follow, and regis tration is at hadassahsupersouth.org/civilrightspanel.

The North Louisiana Jewish Federation has issued a grant to B’nai Israel in Monroe to provide support for activities involving Jewish stu dents at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech. The congregation has identified a few students at ULM, and is looking for information on any others. Plans are to hold a Shabbat dinner, and host them for Chanukah and Passover events.

Pensacola’s historic downtown congregations will hold the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. Rabbi Joel Fleekop of Temple Beth El will share the homily.

Norm Haines, who has written six books on Pensacola’s diverse his tory, will speak on “All in the Family: Pensacola’s Early Jewish Commu nity,” following the 6 p.m. Shabbat service on Nov. 18 at Temple Beth El in Pensacola. There will be a light dinner following services, along with the presentation.

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans will have a presentation by Emily Williams on Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. She will present some of her ongoing work as a photographer and oral histori an, from her summer travels through Alabama. She spent the summer doing fieldwork, and will share images, oral history recordings and reflections from life on the road. A Chicago native, Williams is pursu ing her MFA in photography at Louisiana State, concentrating on the Jewish experience in the Deep South. A livestream will be available.

The Jewish Fertility Foundation Birmingham will have a celebra tion of its first anniversary on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. There will be wine and dessert, and a program on “Loving Someone With Infertility.” The foundation is a program of Collat Jewish Family Service.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge Religious School will have the annual Turkey Train on Nov. 13. Participants can either contribute $28 per turkey by Nov. 6, or bring a frozen turkey to the Jefferson Highway location on Nov. 13, for the 11:15 a.m. procession. The turkeys will be delivered to St. Vincent de Paul, to feed those in need during the Thanksgiving weekend.

Members of Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El will once again serve Thanksgiving at Community Kitchens at Grace Episcopal in Woodlawn. Donations and volunteer labor are currently being coordinated.

Interfaith Mission Service in Huntsville will have an interfaith Thanksgiving service on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. at Temple B’nai Sholom. Speakers include Rabbi Scott Colbert, Imam Sheikh Ragab of the Huntsville Islamic Center, and David Freeman of Weatherly Heights Baptist Church. Non-perishable items for the Food Bank of North Al abama are requested.

On Oct. 14, Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile held a Shabbat ser vice kicking off “Two Pastors and a Rabbi: Interfaith Bible Study,” a series of educational events with Rabbi Ed Boraz of Springhill Avenue, Rev. Trey Doyle of First Baptist Church and Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar of Government Street Presbyterian Church. There was a study session at Springhill Avenue on Oct. 20. Future sessions are at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 at Government Street Presbyterian, and Dec. 1 at First Baptist Church. All are welcome.

The next Falafel Sunday at Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will be Nov. 6 from noon to 2 p.m., with all-you-can-eat falafel, pizza, Israeli salads and more.

Springhill Avenue Temple and Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will hold their joint Veterans Day service on Nov. 13 at the cemetery on Ow ens Road. Veterans from both congregations will march in, and two will speak of their experiences as POWs. Flags will then be placed on veterans’ graves. The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m.

The Jewish War Veterans Post 111 in Huntsville will have sever al activities for Veteran’s Day. There will be a breakfast at Commander Paddock’s home, Nov. 6 at 8:30 a.m., followed by a ceremony at Maple Hill Cemetery at 10 a.m. to decorate graves of Jewish veterans. The Post will participate in the Veteran’s Day Parade on Nov. 11 at 10 a.m., and a Shabbat service honoring veterans at Etz Ahayem on Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

The Unified Jewish Community of Baton Rouge will have a Veteran’s Day Shabbat service, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m., featuring music by Joey Roth.

Birmingham Post 608 of the Jewish War Veterans will participate in the Veteran’s Day parade on Nov. 11. There will be Veteran’s Day Shab bat services at Temple Emanu-El on Nov. 11 at 5:45 p.m., and at Temple Beth-El on Nov. 19 at 9:30 a.m. with a lunch following.

The NSCY Athletes for Israel, a group of Jewish high school stu dents from New York, are coming to Auburn to do basketball work shops with Coach Bruce Pearl and have invited the Auburn Jewish community to join them for their Shabbat meals and services, includ ing Havdalah, on Nov. 4 and 5.

Red River Bank, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and David Sickey are sponsoring a screening of “Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin,” at Paragon Cinema in Marksville on Nov. 1. Producers Rob

Schwartz and Philip Rosen will hold an interactive question and an swer session. The 6 p.m. screening is free, but registration is required.

Hadassah Birmingham will host a Mah Jongg Mixer on Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Brookdale University Park. Registration is $36, which includes lunch, and proceeds benefit Hadassah Medical Organi zation. There will be door prizes, a raffle and a grand prize.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have a Korean Shabbat, with chef Josh Haynes, on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are $25 per adult, $10 per child, $70 maximum per family.

PJ Library, the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School and Hadassah Bir mingham continue the Bubbie’s STEM Kitchen series on Dec. 4 with Chanukah, “The Science of Reversible and Irreversable Change.” The course, primarily for preschoolers ages 3 to 5, and their parents, ex amines cooking and science through a Jewish lens, with stories and music. The program will be at 10 a.m. at the Day School.

The first Torah On Tap with Rabbi Steven Henkin of Temple Beth-El, Birmingham, will be on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., at Good People. The next one will be Dec. 7 at Cahaba Brewing.

Chabad of Huntsville will have a kosher deli pop-up shop on Nov. 13. Pickup times are noon to 1:30 p.m., and 3 to 4 p.m. Deadline for or dering on jewishhuntsville.com is 10 a.m. on Nov. 11. Options include corned beef, turkey pastrami or salami.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach is getting a jump on Chanukah, as its religious school will have a lesson on how to make latkes, Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. From 1 to 2:30 p.m., there will be a latke party open to members and guests.

No wandering for 40 years

Israeli-born designer Rickie Freeman’s longstanding relationship with Gus Mayer

By Lee J. Green

Israel-born fashion designer Rickie Freeman said that the fabric of her company Teri Jon’s success has been stitched together by family, tradition and a partnership with Gus Mayer.

“Right after we started the company 40 years ago, we had our first-ever trunk show at Gus Mayer in New Orleans,” said Free man, whose women’s formal wear line has been a staple for the Birmingham and Nashville Gus Mayer stores for years. “Gus Mayer caters to a Southern lady with a certain classic, elegant style and that fits really well with our brand.”

Gus Mayer Birmingham President Mitch Johnson added, “I have known Rickie for years; her designs are timeless and ever evolving. She truly understands her customers and what they’re looking for.”

Both of Freeman’s parents were Holocaust survivors. “My father was an expert tailor and his ability helped him to sur vive the camp,” she said. “They were heroes. I also learned from my father that real fashion design is in the tailoring and the basic details.”

Freeman grew up in Israel and knew that if she was going to achieve her dreams of becoming a fashion designer, she would need to go to the fashion capital of the United States — New York.

She would work all day and at night at the famed Fash ion Institute of Technology. Through hard work and talent, Freeman would earn a scholarship to FIT. After gradua tion, she would go on to work for Evan Piconne and then earn a lead designer position with the women’s sportwear giant Elie Tihari.

In 1982, she started Teri Jon, named for its three found ers, Teresa, Rickie and Jon. Freeman would buy out her partners years later. The company quickly made a name for itself as a luxury brand.

“Our vision is to make dresses that are classic but modern and are always in style,” said Freeman. “We want our dresses to look like someone spent a lot of money on them — that’s what we call affordable luxury. These are dresses that can be worn to a wedding, Bar Mitzvah and just a nice night at dinner.”

She said that success in business and life involves finding that balance with career and family. Freeman and her husband, Maurice, a retired surgeon, have been married 47 years. They have three grown daughters — Liora, Donna and Ophira. Her middle daughter, Donna, works at Sheba Hospital in Israel.

Freeman said Teri Jon has weathered several challenges, from Sept. 11, a couple economic down turns and the Covid pandemic.

“People weren’t going out, especially for the first few months (of Covid) and we don’t make paja mas or sweatshirts. But as a team, we came together and made it through even stronger. We had our best year in the 40-year history of the company in 2021,” she said.

Freeman said that she and her family have been involved in their respective Jewish communities. She set up the Freeman Foundation to support charitable causes in the Jewish commu nities, Israel and others she strongly believes in.

“I grew up speaking Yiddish and one of my big causes is sup porting the Yiddish Theatre,” she said. “It’s so important to us to give back.”

When asked if as a young girl in Israel she ever thought she would have one of the most-well-known women’s luxury fash ion lines, Freeman said, “I never dreamed it would happen, but I always hoped it would happen. I’m very grateful for the opportu nities and very grateful I’ve been able to live my dreams.”

Rickie Freeman

simchas

Ritz-Carlton’s The Residence takes Simchas to new heights

The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans has been the venue for numer ous simchas over the years. Now, the landmark French Quarter ho tel is taking celebrations to new heights, with The Residence.

The hotel’s crown jewel boasts over 6,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space high above the French Quarter. Available as an elegant suite for overnight stays, or as a venue for private events of up to 100 people, The Residence made its debut last December.

The Residence provides all the comforts of home with two-bed rooms, living room, dining room and fully equipped kitchen, as well as an expansive private outdoor terrace for relaxation or enter

taining overlooking the city.

The terrace, at 3,500 square feet, provides sweeping views of New Orleans. An outdoor seating area with a fireplace and water feature provides an ideal space for relaxation and intimate conversation, while a garden and overlook is the perfect setting for an event or intimate wedding.

Private events for up to 50 people can be done indoors, with a dining room ideal for hosting parties of up to 10, fireplaces crack ling in the living room and primary bedroom, well-appointed marble bathrooms and an oversized soaking tub under a spar kling chandelier, as well as access to the Maison Orleans Club Lounge for overnight stays.

The suite includes a collection from regional artists in a variety of media, curated by local galleries including Arthur Roger Gallery, Octavia Gallery, and Carol Robinson Gallery. Highlights include a dramatic photo of The Palais Garnier that greets guests upon arrival into the suite, French silk wallpa per adding an elegant touch to each space, and wooden her ringbone flooring throughout.

“New Orleans has faced much adversity (during Covid), and The Residence and Ritz-Carlton Spa have been beacons of hope and positivity, that exemplify the hotel’s resiliency and contin ued commitment to our guests,” said Jim Oliver, General Man ager at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans “We look forward to playing host to incredible getaways and celebratory occasions in The Residence.”

Set within the 1908 Beaux Arts Maison Blanche building, a landmark of New Orleans Jewish history, the Ritz-Carlton fea tures 528 sleeping rooms, live music at the Davenport Lounge, local culinary experiences with M Bistro, and more than 100 treatments at the award-winning newly-reimagined luxury spa.

a semi-annual SJL special section

The Emerald shines as new downtown intimate-event venue

By Lee J. Green

When she had trouble finding a smaller event venue with a community feel in downtown Birmingham for a baby shower, Laniesha Williams con cocted a gem of an idea.

“I came up with the idea for The Emerald, to give people a smaller, more intimate place with a community-center feel to host events in the heart of downtown,” said Williams. “We found this great space (on 20th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue North) and knew it would be perfect.”

The Emerald can host up to 75 people for a standing event and 50 for a sit-down event. “People can rent the place and do anything they want with decorations, food, beverage, entertainment. You can really customize it to fit the celebration,” she said.

Williams opened The Emerald in a historic, 100-year-old building with exposed-brick interiors in early fall of 2021. They have hosted many cele brations ranging from wedding receptions to photo shoots to a party for the Netherlands delegation at the World Games in Birmingham this past summer. The Emerald also hosted artists for Birmingham Artwalk in 2022.

The UAB graduate said she had been working as an accountant with Shipt before starting The Emerald. “I learned about how to be entrepre neurial and to problem-solve,” said Williams. “It really is enjoyable to feel like you are playing a role in these important life events. We’re really happy to be a part of the community.”

Avenue D a new celebration destination

By Lee J. Green

Avenue D has been a street of dreams and a destination for celebrations since opening in late spring.

“We were actually looking for a location to use for a real estate business and we just fell in love with this space,” said Laura Turner, who coowns Avenue D with her partner, Chuck Riley.

Avenue D is the original name for 4th Avenue South in Birmingham. The space includes 3,500 square feet downstairs for celebrations, with some VIP rooms upstairs. Its 2,500-square-foot outdoor venue space includes a lush garden with a view of historic Sloss Furnaces.

“We’ve designed the space to really fit with the area,” said Turner. “It’s open and airy with art deco finishes. It has exposed brick and an in dustrial feel that really speaks to what Birming ham is all about.” Avenue D’s kitschy, stylish bathrooms also received recognition as one of the Top 5 Coolest Bathrooms in Birmingham.

She said simcha hosts can “customize the space to really make it your own.” Avenue D can provide a high-end AV system for presentations and to include those virtually who cannot make the event.

Turner said hosts can rent the space for a flat fee and bring in all their own vendors, or Avenue D can provide event-planning and vendor-coordination services for an additional cost.

Since opening, Avenue D has hosted a wide range of events from weddings to birthday par ties to cabaret and theatre fundraisers to birth

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day parties, corporate training meetings and a wellness-care summit.

“We have an advanced projector and screen with Apple TV hook-up installed, so it’s great for football or movie parties,” said Turner. “We’re also taking bookings for photo and video shoots.”

She said they offer special rates to non-profits and for charity fundrais ers. For more information, go to www.avenuedbham.net

B&A Warehouse remains popular Simcha space across from Railroad Park

The

in Birmingham’s B&A Warehouse could stand for “B’nai.”

popular Simcha space located across the street from Railroad Park has hosted many B’nai Mitzvah, as well as Jewish weddings

other celebrations, since opening as an event space in 1999.

“The great thing about the B&A is that it is an open canvas, so people

really

the

to fit it with their celebration,” said B&A

Haley Roebuck.

With life getting back to normal, they are seeing larger events being scheduled, said Roebuck, adding that they can host up to 800 people for a reception-style event. “We can really do anything,” said Roebuck. “We’re very versatile and accommodating.”

Recently, the B&A introduced a new, larger stage, among other inter nal enhancements. They have three fully stocked bars and three event spaces of different sizes.

The past year saw an increase in the number of events the B&A team catered off-site, including the Magic City Acceptance Center’s Open House and an appreciation event for McWane Center employees. The B&A also catered a few events at Railroad Park across the street.

Chef Deborah Thomas specializes in Southern cuisine, but Roebuck said they are happy to do customized menus including kosher-style and even family recipes. They also can accommodate those who keep strict kosher and need meals brought into the facility.

“That’s one reason why the ‘food stations’ are so popular,” said Roe buck. “You can select what you want and go kosher-style.”

Need Clergy?

by Debra Malone

Historic Generations Hall has hosted top events for… generations

Known as one of the top event spots in New Orleans, Generations Hall perfectly captures the colorful history and rich culture of New Orleans.

Built in the early 1820s, the idyllic building was originally constructed as a sugar refinery and later became the centerpiece of the Italian Pavilion at the 1984 World’s Fair. Before being renamed to Generations Hall, the historic facility was home to City Lights, the hottest and most prominent nighttime attraction in New Orleans.

Over the past three decades, the popularity and love of the historic event facility has flourished, as Generations Hall has been hosting the city’s top-of-the-line events for generations.

Featuring original brick walls, ornate balconies and a French Quar ter-style courtyard to greet guests before entering the front doors, Gener ations Hall has its own unique personality blended with historic glamour and modern touches.

Meticulously designed to host any event, no matter how intimate or elaborate, Generations Hall specializes in fitting anyone’s needs. With three spacious rooms each with its own distinct features, the spaces can be rented separately or as a whole so guests can customize any space to fit any party.

Generations Hall features state-of-the-art audio and video technology, as well as custom lighting throughout the venue. Their expert audio and visual technician will create a unique sound and lighting experience de signed for the personal needs of any event.

Generations Hall believes guests shouldn’t have to worry about every little detail, which is why they take the stress out of event planning by providing exceptional service from a dedicated team. Included in the rental is the expertise of event managers, bartenders, bar-backs, door security, floor staff, a DJ, and an Audio/Video Technician. To further en sure that an event meets every expectation, they also provide a variety of high-end furniture at no additional cost.

Invite the people, and Generations Hall will set the stage, customizing each event to make it one to remember.

food & dining

Hopping through years of planning to make a beer dream reality at Bywater

As an attorney, New Orleans’ Nahum Laventhal did a lot of traveling, and when he was on the road he would always look for brew pubs. “I’m not a Bud Light kind of guy,” he said. “I have always liked craft beers.”

He has practiced law for 40 years, and said that for about 20 years he had a dream of having his own brew pub. That dream came true with the opening of Bywater Brew Pub in late 2020, a full-scale brewery with a full-service bar and restaurant.

He used to make his own craft beer at home, but after Katrina his sup plier was no longer around. He kept working toward his dream, and in 2013 took a major step forward with the purchase of the building where the brew pub is now located.

“I didn’t want to do a production brewery, I wanted to have a social gathering place, where I could greet people and they could drink the beer here,” he said.

Because of how the laws are structured, to serve alcohol, he had to offer food. He “had no idea” what he wanted to do for a menu, but his son Dylan’s roommate connected them with Anh Luu.

Born in New Orleans, Luu was raised in the local Vietnamese commu nity, and had returned to the city after several years in Portland, where she had a restaurant, Tapalaya, where she had developed a Viet-Cajun menu. “The next thing I knew, we have a Viet-Cajun menu.”

Luu has been on “Chopped” and “Grill Dads” on Food Network. Dylan Laventhal is also part of the team at Bywater Brew Pub. Sonny Day, also a New Orleans native, is the brewmaster. He has al most three decades of professional and home brewing experience, with the original Dixie Beer, Abita, Gordon Biersch and Urban South.

After getting the building, it took several years to put together financ ing and transform the property, which had two floors of artist work spac es. Many art studios are still located on the second floor.

The building is 105 years old, and “we pay a lot of homage to the histo ry of the place,” Laventhal said. It used to house World Bottling Compa ny, which produced several local sodas, most notably Dr. Nut.

The downstairs was renovated from 2018 to 2020, and they were finally ready to open… in the middle of a pandemic. “That was a problem,” he said. But they overcame it, along with the typical New Orleans summer doldrums and Hurricane Ida, “which threw us for a loop and decimated our kitchen.”

Now, the biggest challenge is labor shortages. That is why their sched ule is currently just Friday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., and Mondays from 4 to 9 p.m. Happy Hour is from 4 to 6 p.m. “We’re trying to open

food & dining

up more, and I hope we get there,” he said. To attract talent, they are offering benefits that include a 401k, “which is unusual in a service industry business.”

Bywater has 12 taps of different “incredible” beers brewed on site, some of them seasonal. Customers can purchase four-packs, growlers or kegs, but their beers are not sold in stores or other establishments.

The menu features pub fare with Louisiana and Vietnamese twists, such as crawfish etouf fee nachos, where the nachos are fried wontons. There is a Vietnamese glass noodle soup and steak lettuce wraps, steak frites, burgers, “sweet and sticky” wings, a “phorrito” of pho wrapped in a tortilla, a tofu banh mi burger, salads and beer beignet bites.

“The food is excellent,” Laventhal said.

They have a trivia night every Monday, and he makes the space available for community meetings, as well as private events, including simchas. They also feature art from local artists, many of whom have studios upstairs.

As 2023 approaches, “We’re optimistic,” Laventhal said. “Tourists are coming back,” but he also encourages fellow members of the local Jewish community to drop in and have a L’Chaim with him.

Discover your story at L’Auberge Baton Rouge

Special to Southern Jewish Life

Fall is all about coming together, and what better way to get together with friends and fami ly than with a trip to L’Auberge Baton Rouge Ca sino and Hotel? Experience a legendary escape unlike any other at the South’s premier gaming and entertainment destination.

A contemporary iteration of a classic lodge, L’Auberge is a tribute to the beauty, tradition and vibrance of Baton Rouge. We feature the latest greats and classic favorites — 1,200 ex hilarating slots grace our casino floor, com bined with over 50 of the area’s most exciting table games.

Need some fresh air? Step out onto River bend Terrace II, featuring over 2,400 square feet of open-air gaming, over 91 slot machines, table games, and a full bar.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip down South without enjoying your fair share of delicious food. At L’Auberge Baton Rouge, guests can indulge in the region’s finest cuisine at one of our four distinct outlets. Start your morning off right with a fresh cup of PJ’s Coffee, grab a quick bite at Bon Temps Market, feast on eclectic PanAsian and Vietnamese cuisine at Red Lotus

Asian Kitchen, and dine on prime cuts of beef and perfectly paired wines at 18 STEAK.

Beginning Oct. 21, guests can enjoy an all-inclusive gameday experience at our new Barstool Sportsbook venue. Our 22- by 12foot big screen puts you right in the middle of all the action while you enjoy exceptional food and drink in an exciting atmosphere. Raise the stakes by stepping onto the sports-betting floor, then celebrate your next big win over drinks in the bar and lounge area. Cheer your team to victory in this brand new, high-octane sports food and gaming experience.

As the sun sets over the Mississippi, the party is just getting started, with top-name en tertainment hitting the stage in our 1,600-seat event venue. And finally, when it’s time to get away from it all, retreat to true Southern ele gance in our AAA Four-Diamond hotel to ex perience the epitome of fine Louisiana living. Each gracious guest room and lavish suite tells a story, ready for you to explore. All rooms in clude views of either the Mississippi River or the city of Baton Rouge.

After a night’s rest, be sure to take a dip and grab a cocktail at our unique rooftop pool.

Trattoria Zaza a slice of the good life in downtown Birmingham

By Lee J. Green

Trattoria Zaza brings a slice (or two) of the good life from Rome to home in downtown Birmingham with its pizza and pastas.

“You can walk down any street in Rome to get this delicious, unique Roma Italiano-style rectangle pizza,” said co-owner Bryan Stanfield. He had been working at the restaurant since 2010, shortly after it opened, and took ownership in 2015 with partner Erica Schmidt. “We wanted to bring that experience and appreciate all the support we’ve gotten from the community.”

The eatery on 20th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue North serves piz zas, pastas, soups and salads for lunch and dinner during the week, along with their weekend brunch, including egg dishes, French Toast and a mix ture of Italian favorites, as well as a few Southern breakfast staples.

“We change the menu seasonally and we change the brunch menu every weekend to keep it fresh,” said Stanfield. Speaking of fresh, Trattoria Zaza works with many local growers and other food providers.

Stanfield, who is originally from Nashville, said his father was an exec utive chef at a well-known steak house in Indianapolis. “I learned to love cooking at a young age, and I have several Roman Jewish cookbooks I’ve scoured,” he said.

Trattoria ZaZa has several kosher-style pizzas, soups, pastas, salads and egg dishes on its menu. They also can customize any menu item to accommodate.

Stanfield said that they renovated and expanded the restaurant in 2019, just a few months before Covid hit. “When we re-opened, we only did curb side for a while and I’m proud of everyone for how we were able to pivot and best serve our customers,” he said. “That’s when we started doing online or dering and then paperless menu. Those have now become the norm for us.”

Trattoria Zaza does some off-site catering and simcha celebrants can rent out the restaurant, which accommodates 70 people inside, along with about 25 on the patio.

Stanfield credited his team for the success of the restaurant. “We appre ciate our people and we have a few who have been with us many years,” he said. “Treating employees and customers like they are a part of the family… is a recipe for success.

Arrabbiata Tomato Sauce

Arrabbiata is a spicy garlicky tomato sauce that hails from the Lazio Region of Italy. Literally meaning angry, this fiery sauce is a staple at ZaZa.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can San Marzano Tomatoes plums

1 head garlic

1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake

2 tablespoons, 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions:

Start by peeling all the cloves from one full head of garlic. Take care to go evenly. Once sliced, run a knife through multiple times to evenly mince the garlic.

Take a small sauce pot. Pour oil in and bring up the heat to a mediumlow. Let the oil heat fully. Once your garlic is fully browned, add chili flakes and quickly toast for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.

Then add the tomatoes; cut the heat off and crush the plum tomatoes by hand. Add salt and bring to a low simmer for 30 minutes.  Your sauce is complete. Toss it through some penne, top with some fresh parsley, pecorino cheese, fresh vegetables and enjoy.

Publix offers growing kosher products selection, recipes

By Lee J. Green

Publix Supermarkets continues to grow its kosher product inventory at its Alabama and Florida locations.

Publix also offers some food for thought with a diverse selection of kosher recipes on its website www.publix.com.

“Publix is committed to providing quality products and services to all of our customers, including customers who are interested in kosher products and recipes,” said Nicole Strauss, media relations manager at the Publix Atlanta division office.

“We have hundreds of kosher products throughout our stores, not just during important holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Passover, but on ev eryday items from our produce, grocery and frozen departments,” she added.

Herb Salmon with Cherry Relish

Ingredients:

2 (6 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed

Large zip-top bag

1 tablespoon fresh basil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, divided

2 teaspoons roasted garlic-herb seasoning, divided

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) cherries

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions:

Place salmon in bag (and wash hands). Chop herbs finely; combine basil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon seasoning, and 2 teaspoons oil. Place herb mixture in bag with salmon. Seal bag and knead lightly to coat fillets.

Preheat grill (or grill pan) on medium. Pit cherries and chop coarsely.

Preheat small saucepan on medium 1 to 2 minutes. Place garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan; cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in cherries, vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning and 1 teaspoon thyme; cook relish 3 to 4 minutes until thickened.

Place salmon on grill; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side until center of salmon flakes easily and is 145°F. Serve salmon topped with relish.

Note: Always check fish for bones.

Traditions ENDURE

Alloy Thai

Birmingham alloythai.com (205) 243-5660

Chef Josh Haynes studied in Thailand and brought back authentic flavors and specialties, with traditional family style servings. He caters events and private dinners, and does occasional popups.

The Fish Market

612 22nd Street So., Birmingham thefishmarket.net (205) 322-3330

A Birmingham classic, The Fish Market on Southside offers the freshest seafood around, live music and an oyster bar. Private and semi-private dining available, along with catering.

I Love Tina and Gina’s

1821 2nd Avenue North Birmingham (470) 292-7475

A New York style deli in the Pizitz Food Hall, I Love Tina and Gina’s offers large sandwiches, such as the Tommy Pastrami and the Boogie Down Bronx Chopped Cheese.

Zaza Trattoria

207 20th Street North, Birmingham www.zazabham.com (205) 202-6207

Serving Roman-style rectangular pizza since 2009, along with seasonally inspired salads, specials and soups, as well as traditional Roman pastas, and a famous weekend brunch.

Willie Mae’s

2401 St. Ann Street, New Orleans Pythian Market, New Orleans (504) 822-9503 williemaesnola.com

Willie Mae’s Scotch House started as a Treme bar in 1957, and is now home to “America’s Best Fried Chicken” and in 2005 was named a James Beard America’s Classic Restaurant.

M Bistro

921 Canal Street, New Orleans inside the Ritz-Carlton

M bistro’s menu is an indigenous approach to the preparation of the finest meats, seafood and produce from growers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

Tartine

7217 Perrier Street, New Orleans tartineneworleans.com (504) 866-4860

A full-scale brewery, bar and restaurant serving Cajun/ Vietnamese/Gastropub food. Locally owned and operated by Nahum Laventhal, our space also features art from local artists!

Kosher Cajun

Severn Avenue, Metairie (504) 888-2010

Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery has authentic New York specialties — all Kosher certified. Enjoy classic eats like Reubens and matzah ball soup, plus kosher grocery staples too.

Acropolis on Freret

4510 Freret Street (504) 309-0069

Acropolis On Freret features only the best, freshest and most authentic dishes from the Mediterranean region. Our newest menu item, the Falafel Burger! This burger is made up of a falafel cake and packed with flavor.

Galatoire’s 33 Bar and Steak

215 Bourbon St. (504) 335-3932

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Southern

Catering business is Chai Thai for son of LJCC executive director Alloy Thai offers authentic experience

By Lee J. Green

Josh Haynes believes there is a strong “Thai” between food, culture and family.

L’Auberge Baton Rouge

A few years ago, the son of Levite Jewish Community Center Executive Director Ai mee Johnson launched Alloy Thai and has catered several events for the Birmingham area Jewish community.

“For me, food and culture are very closely linked,” said Haynes. “Anytime I’m doing a catering job or hosting a spe cial dinner, I enjoy learning more about the culture and the food. I want it to be an im mersive experience.”

Haynes said he grew up cooking and worked at restau rants throughout high school and during his days at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He would then go on to pursue Thai Studies at Thammasat in Thailand, before starting Alloy Thai in 2015.

The name is a play off the Thai word “aroy,” which means delicious, and steel alloy for Birmingham. Haynes caters events and dinners, with a minimum $300 order.

“I’ve really enjoyed introducing people who have never been to Thai land to some authentic foods, specialties and a greater understanding of the culture,” he said.

Haynes said traditional Thai meals are made to be shared and usual ly include a variety of dishes — soups, curries, relishes, salads — all to be eaten with rice. To facilitate this experience, they offer multi-course set menus comprising a range of dishes, as well as rice and curry shop popups. Alloy Thai also can design customized menus for catered cele brations and private dinners.

Haynes is not Jewish, though he has some relatives who are. “I’ve learned a great deal about my Jewish family and I’ve studied kosher di etary law extensively,” he said.

Haynes has catered Shabbat Around the World programs for Chabad of Alabama, the next one of which will be a Korean-style dinner on Nov. 11; a Temple Beth-El Ruach event as well as several B’nai Mitzvah, wed dings and other celebrations in the Jewish community. He also super vised the kitchen for the LJCC Food and Culture Fest this past spring.

“It’s a bit difficult to do a full Thai kosher meal, but I’ve done several Mediterranean, Moroccan and Asian-themed ones,” he said. “I’ve en joyed coming up with creative substitutes for non-kosher items, but you want to keep with the integrity and flavor of the dish.”

Haynes has an extensive garden at his house in Irondale and has de veloped some good connections for getting some harder-to-find items. “Sometimes the menus depend upon what is in season. With everything I do, I want to make sure to use the freshest ingredients… and to provide a

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New fund to expand Auburn’s collection of pieces from Jewish artists

A new fund will enable the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University to expand its collection of works by Jewish artists.

The Martin Moss Freeman ’77 Fund for Excellence in memory of Shirley and Dr. Alfred Free man was announced in early October, following a major gift.

Artists currently in the mu seum’s collection include Diane Arbus, Marc Chagall, Louise Nevelson and Ben Shahn. New acquisitions and more than 3,000 objects support the fluid exchange of ideas through exhi bitions and collection studies by faculty and students.

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“Hunger” by artist Ben Shahn in 1948, is part of the Advancing American Art Collection acquired by the Jule Smith Collins Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University.

“The Jule’s collection spans 16th to 21st centuries,” said Aar on Levi Garvey, the museum’s Janet L. Nolan Director of Cura torial Affairs. “As its stewards for our statewide constituents, we recognize gaps in representation. Because of great investments like Mr. Freeman’s, we ensure that Jewish artists’ vital contributions to the arts and humanities narrative are a sig nificant part of student and faculty work at Auburn.”

Garvey added that the university collection currently features work by 18 Jewish artists, many of whom are deceased.

“A foundation of the collection includes works from Advancing Amer ican Art, a historical survey of modernists, many of whom were Jewish and immigrants,” he said. “The goal of this fund is to bolster the collec tion with living artists such as Paul Weiner, Rachel Libeskind and Talia Levitt, among others, but also those within the artist community and their respective careers who have made significant strides, such as Eva Hesse, Judy Chicago and Sol Lewitt, to name but a few.”

Martin Moss Freeman grew up in Miami Beach, thinking all universities had art museums because of his regular visits to the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum. As an Auburn student, he was surprised to learn that there was no place on campus to exhibit the important Advancing Amer ican Art collection regularly. Today, he serves on the museum’s advisory board, as well as regularly participating in charitable giving at the university.

In addition to his family’s early exposure to museums through visita tion and volunteerism, their influence extended to service and philan thropy in higher education during one’s lifetime to witness the difference that investments can make.

Shirley and Alfred Freeman made legacy gifts to their alma mater, Temple University, including contributions to the Schools of Education and Medicine. They believed strongly in education and that everything they became was an extension of their education.

“Martin Freeman’s generosity and service on our advisory board exempli fy the example set by his beloved late parents,” said Cindi Malinick, execu tive director of Auburn’s museum. “By expanding the collection in this area, Auburn students receive a complete and well-rounded education, scholarly research is enhanced locally and nationally, and the collection’s reach ex tends far beyond our walls through loans and campus partnerships.”

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counselor’s corner

a monthly feature from Collat Jewish Family Services

How to Navigate Difficult Conversations

by Amy Neiman, LMSW

Difficult conversations are, well, difficult. As parents, spouses and children, we must have discussions that are challenging and can be life-changing for those involved, but they are never fun conversations to begin. As we watch our parents age, these exchanges often revolve around medical care, housing and what many think of as independence.

How do you tell a parent that it is time to give up driving? What about talks regarding housing and in-home help?  How do you let your parent know that you are “on their side” while sharing your concerns about their well-being?

The first step is to take a deep breath and start the conversation. This might be the hardest part of the process. We tend to put off doing what makes us nervous, is complicated or may lead to discomfort. Making the leap and beginning the discussion is huge.

Opening a dialogue — one that goes both ways — is helpful. It is important that your parent or loved-one under stands that you are not making decisions without their input.  Be sure to listen thoughtfully to their fears and concerns. Then it is a slow move forward.

Here are a few pointers to remember when starting hard conversa tions:

• Be aware that strong memories may be attached to driving, a house or a trusted doctor.

• Stay positive!

• Listen without judgement.

• Give it time. This is not a one and done conversation! It may take time for your parent or loved one to get used to the idea you are presenting.

• Express your concerns openly, but with compassion.

• Remember that multiple short conversations can be more produc tive than one in depth discussion.

• Set realistic expectations.  Try not to get discouraged if the conver sation doesn’t go well at first. Difficult topics create tension. Take another shot at it when things have cooled down.

• Start talking early so you have time to build on previous conversa tions.

Plant an idea during your talks and then build the picture together in partnership. Accept their feedback and suggestions so they are part of the decision-making process. And remember that CJFS is always here to help facilitate healthy, effective communication.

Counseling from CJFS is confidential, and it is often covered by insurance. To learn more, visit https://cjfsbham.org/our-mission/professional-counsel ing/, email jfs@cjfsbham.org or call (205) 879-3438.

Theatre is family tradition for “Anastasia” actress Gerri Weagraff

By Lee J. Green

Gerri Weagraff’s family and tradition in theatre go all the way back to her grandfather starring in Yiddish Theatre in eastern Europe during the late 19th century.

The Jewish actress, who plays Dowager Empress in the touring musical “Anastasia,” also got to do a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” years ago with her mother, husband and daughter.

”Theatre and family are so important in our lives; we been blessed to share in them,” said Weagraff, who grew up outside of Philadelphia and now lives in Wilmington, Del. “Both ‘Anastasia’ and ‘Fiddler’ have some similarities. They both take place about the same time in Russia and both are centered on family, tradition.”

Inspired by the 1950s film and 1997 animated movie, “Anastasia” de buted on Broadway in 2017. The show transports playgoers from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past.

The tour is coming to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Oct. 25 to 30. It is also scheduled for the Von Braun Center in Huntsville from Nov. 11 to 13, the Ford Center in Oxford on Nov. 14, the Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, Miss., on Nov. 15, the Heymann Center in Lafayette on Nov. 17, the Strand in Shreveport on Nov. 18, the Mattie Kelly Arts Center in Niceville, Fla., on Dec. 1 and the Mitchell Center in Mobile on Dec. 2.

“There are lines in this show about home, love, family, hope,” said Wea graff. “Those themes run through the show. And we learn that family can take any shape.”

Both sets of her grandparents came from Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Weagraff’s par ents loved and performed in community theatre. Her first venture in musical theatre came in a community theatre pro duction of “Fiddler” in which a 16-year-old Weagraff played Hodel.

After graduating college, she went on to a career in ra dio news broadcasting and did some theatre on the side, play ing Tzeitel in a Philadelphia-ar ea production of “Fiddler” in 1985.

She and her husband, Paul, had a daughter, Rebekah, and a son, Jordan, who caught the theatre bug. “When my kids were seven and five, we were all cast in ‘The Music Man’,” said Weagraff. “From 1997 through 2017, the four of us did about 20 musical theatre productions together in the Philadelphia area.”

Jordan started at Syracuse in 2010 and through him she found out about the “Fiddler” national Broadway tour that came through Birmingham.

“I had only done regional theatre. But they needed some older actress

on page 61

Hope lives

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Mediterranean Whole Seabass

Ingredients:

1 Whole Seabass (1-2 lbs.), cleaned and scaled

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt Fresh Thyme

Ground Pepper

Directions:

Whole Lemons

Brush the fish inside and out with olive oil, while rubbing salt and pepper evenly throughout. Heat grill to a medium-high temperature and cook fish for approximately eight minutes and flip to the other side. After another 8 minutes, the flesh should be white, tender and ready to serve.

Halve a lemon and squeeze over the fish immediately after removing from the grill, and plate with fresh thyme, a drizzle of olive oil, and a lemon.

The Fish Market

By Lee J. Green

For more than 40 years The Fish Market has hooked in many loyal customers through focusing on high-quality, fresh Greek/Mediterranean food, family and a unique atmosphere.

Today, visitors to the iconic restaurant can also take a part of the restaurant back with them.

“For years we’ve had people say that they love the authentic store décor,” said General Manager Dino Sarris, son of Fish Market owner George Sar ris. “We’ve brought in some antiques and modern imports from Greece and Turkey (Terra Cotta urns, copper plates, etc.) that we can sell to our restaurant customers.”

The 35-year-old Sarris said he started helping out in the restaurant when he was nine years old and he has cherished the relationships the family has developed with friends in the Jewish community as well as the larger Birmingham community.

“When my dad first came here from Greece, many of his friends were Jewish and they helped him to acclimate,” he said. “We feel a kinship to the community and there is much that we share.” In 2007, The Fish Market moved to its current location in Birmingham’s Southside, across the parking lot from its smaller, previous location.

They also have hosted and catered numerous celebrations for Jewish organizations and members of the community. The Fish Market can ac commodate groups from eight to 80 inside the restaurant or out on the patio.

“We’re happy to work up some custom menus and we’ve done ko sher-style menus on many occasions,” even a few kosher events off-site

being broken through — a precursor to the destruction of the Second Temple which Tisha B’Av commemorates, among other things.

Rav Kook’s Guide said that, starting on the 17th of Tammuz, any baked goods during these three weeks should have crumble toppings, to temper their sweetness with a reminder of the crumbling walls and tablets.

Among all of this, however, Rav Kook’s greatest contribution was a ubiquitous treat that’s liked by Jews and non-Jews alike, throughout the world: The cookie.

Doug Brook sincerely hopes that the spirit of Rav Kook, and any of his liv ing adherents, have a sense of humor. For nearly several more laughs, listen to the (REALLY!) FIVE-star rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast at anchor.fm/ rearpewmirror or on any major podcast platform. For past columns, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/.

es to play some of the characters, so on a whim, I submitted my resume and got an audition,” she said. Weagraff was cast as Golde the Match maker. “My husband was very supportive. He told me I had to follow my dreams.”

When she first saw the Broadway production of “Anastasia,” she was struck by the Dowager Empress character and in March 2020, she sub mitted her audition for the traveling Broadway national production.

Then Covid shut everything down. Everything was in limbo for just over a year when Weagraff got the call saying they would be re-starting the casting process. She got the role in July of 2021 and the tour opened last October.

“It was the first time I had been on the stage in more than two years,” said Weagraff. “That was a challenging time for all of us, especially being in limbo with the show for so long. But I think it made us stronger as actors and as people. We were so grateful to be back doing what we loved.”

She said she was so glad her family has been able to catch her on tour, and she has really been moved by the responses audiences have had to ward the show.

“It’s one of the most gorgeous, moving shows I have ever been a part of or seen,” said Weagraff. “So many people loved the movies and this story appeals to all ages. Audience members were crying tears of joy after seeing it.”

Fish Market

for Chabad, among others, said Dino Sarris. “Accommodating groups with special requests is our bread and butter.”

A few years ago, The Fish Market added full-service dining to its fast-casual option. They also have a robust to-go business that they fo cused heavily on to accommodate during the first few months of Covid, as well as a seafood market.

The Fish Market prides itself on bringing in the freshest seafood. They send trucks to the Gulf Coast twice a week and have fresh Mediterranean Whole Sea Bass flown in from Greece every 48 hours.

Sarris said they continue to add to the menu and always have a daily special. Though many of the dishes are Greek-influenced, The Fish Mar ket serves some Cajun-style, Italian and other Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

“The VIP Snapper started as a special and it was so popular, we added it to the regular menu. Now it’s our most popular entrée,” he added.

Dino and George Sarris say they owe much of the restaurant’s success to their people. “Our employees are like family to us and we have some who have been with us more than 30 years,” he said. “We are so thankful for them and for the loyal support of our customers for so many years.”

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Rav Kook’s Guide to Simcha Dining

Rav Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi during the British man date period in the early Twentieth Century before the modern state of Israel was founded and changed the name to Twentieth Century Fox.

His commentaries are often quoted today in sermons near and far. Sometimes they’re even heard over the snoring.

What nobody knows is that, as his name suggests, Rav Kook was also a gourmet. To find evidence of this, look no further than this column because evidence doesn’t exist anywhere else. Maimonides provided the generations with his Guide for the Perplexed, so in that tradition Rav Kook provided his recently discovered Guide to Simcha Dining.

Of course, Rav Kook’s culinary capabilities catered to the kosher com munity. But he didn’t focus on the obvious food choices such as apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah, oily fried things on Chanukah, or cold cuts at a bris. He chose to emphasize other, more unusual choices — sometimes for occasions that usually associate with no food at all.

For example, Yom Kippur is known not for its food, rather for its lack of it. For the last meal before Kol Nidre, Rav Kook’s Guide recommends that Jews dine on rack of lamb in homage to the scapegoat that was tradi tionally sent into the wilderness on Yom Kippur carrying all the people’s sins. Similarly, he said people should finish with a slice of devil’s food cake to symbolically eat away their sins before their sins eat away at them.

On Yom Kippur, in seeking forgiveness, Jews say “s’lach lanu” (forgive us). The next day, when hastily putting up Sukkahs, it’s replaced with “schach lanu” (schach us). But that roof foliage isn’t the only plant-life to invade this temporary outer sanctum.

In honor of the lulav, which itself is a palm frond, Rav Kook ate heart of palm — not to symbolize one’s heartfelt observance of Sukkot, but to symbolize the blood (which a heart pumps) that’s inevitably spilled while assembling the Sukkah.

Kook’s book gives food for thought

For Simchat Torah, Rav Kook gave no specific food guidance. He merely stated that one should begin with dessert and then have the starter course, in honor of the day’s ritu al of starting with the end of the Torah and then going back to the start of it.

The Tenth of Tevet is a minor fast day one week after the end of Chanukah. A fast day at that time might seem welcome after all the latkes, sufganiyot, and other petroleum-based pro visions. But it actually commemorates Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jeru salem which led to the destruction of the First Temple, the end of the kingdom of Judah, and the start of the Babylonian exile.

Rav Kook’s Guide suggests that for the meals before and after the Tenth of Tevet — a day of doom at the hands of Babylonia — one should take a symbolic bite out of this ancient oppressor by eating beef bologna. (Say Babylonia out loud. There it is.)

Rav Kook’s food of choice for Lag B’Omer originated as a result of circumstance rather than any deep-rooted meaning. Lingering from the seder on Passover, the leftover gefilte fish — having had a month — co alesced into a single large mass. So, inevitably, a key concoction for Lag B’Omer was this giant seafood substance, which Rav Kook gave the time ly name of gefilte log.

The fast days of the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av bookend a threeweek period of mourning during which there are various dietary restric tions. The 17th of Tammuz itself commemorates, among other things, Moses breaking the two tablets at Mount Sinai, and the walls of Jerusalem

A BETTER WAY TO PROTECT & SERVE

I believe that individuals dealing with a mental health episode or drug addiction should have access to treatment. Jail shouldn’t be the only option. This is an important step toward bridging the gap.

— Sheriff Mark Pettway

• Scheduled to open in October 2022, the new Crisis Diversion Center for Jefferson County provides an alternative to jail for individuals with mental illness and/or addiction issues, who need treatment rather than incarceration.

• We made Crisis Intervention Certification a requirement for our deputies so that they can recognize and respond to mental health issues. We provide training to all deputies for this certification; currently, twothirds of deputies have completed training.

• Our efforts have resulted in Sheriff Mark Pettway earning 2022 Law Enforcement Executive of the Year honors from Crisis Intervention Team International.