Southern Jewish Life, New Orleans, December 2020

Southern Jewish LifeLife Southern Jewish 3747 West Esplanade Ave. P.O. Box 130052 3rd Floor Birmingham, AL 35213 Metairie, LA 70002 Volume 30 Issue 12

December 2020

INSIDE:

NEW ORLEANS EDITION

Southern Jewish Life

Welcoming home new residents now!

shalom y’all It is now December, and barring unforeseen circumstances, 2020 will actually come to an end within a few weeks.

With vaccines on the way, there is new hope to resume some sense of normal life in 2021, from being able to go out again, to attending Shabbat services and sending the kids off to summer camp. And of course, football… in person.

It has been a bizarre year, but institutions and agencies have, in many ways, managed to adapt, and many of those innovations that were forced on society may well have staying power.

Concepts like multi-community Havdalah services, as numerous Alabama and Florida Panhandle communities have been doing together, and Mississippi communities are now doing, may well continue as a way to keep smaller communities connected. Having events streamed online to broaden an audience, both in terms of audience size and geography, may well endure. Some of the programming innovations, such as outdoor services or nature walks, may be keepers. And surfing the web to find simulcasts from far flung synagogues may also continue.

One thing that, unfortunately, is also continuing is the 2020 election process. As this issue goes to press, the Louisiana runoffs are approaching, but the far bigger emphasis is on the two Senate runoffs in Georgia.

Those races, along with fallout from the presidential race, are dividing the Georgia Jewish community, as we explore in this issue.

This election exposed deep divisions in the Jewish community, both domestically and internationally.

Domestically, a hefty proportion of the Jewish community can’t fathom how so many of their co-religionists could vote for someone they are convinced is an unredeemable racist and Nazi sympathizer. That consternation is not unique to the Jewish community, however, because Trump was able to increase his percentage of the black and Hispanic vote this year.

Conversely, others in the Jewish community could not fathom handing the keys to the White House to the party of Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, and the increasingly hostile far left wing of the Democratic Party — not to mention voting for someone who was a

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

3

commentary

MESSAGES

Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games I have had the honor of attending many Maccabi competitions around the world. From Israel to America, Europe and the JCC Maccabi around the United keyAustralia membertoofSouth the most anti-Israel administraPro-Israelgames organizations that striveStates to be biand have logged many miles seeing howpartisan sports can be ahad vehicle to help against build Jewish tion Canada, in recentImemory. have to struggle the proIt’s two groups of people talking past each Trump enthusiasm and the rejectionism from identity, especially in our young. other (if they are talking at all), unable to com- the other side of the aisle.

I felt honored to comeoftoeach Birmingham for the firstTaking time and fell inout loveofwith just the city prehend the reasoning other.

Israel the not personality clash, butIsraelis, the people.

You have taken Southern hospitality to a new level with your kind and caring who have largely been enamored therefore, may well be a good thing — if the approach to also the JCC Maccabi Games. with Trump, could not figure American Jews far-left can be held in check. Hopefully, support out.

Of course, they see U.S. politics the for Israel in America will onceThey again be seen as a Led by the Sokol and Helds, your through hard-working volunteers were wonderful. partnered lens of their life in Israel, and see Trump as great bipartisan issue, and no longer through the lens with your outstanding staff, led by Betzy Lynch, to make the 2017 JCC Maccabi games a huge hit. for Israel, while American Jews generally look at of whether or not one likes or hates Trump.

IU.S. want to take this opportunity executive director of Maccabi USA to say you on behalf politics through the lens of as actually living in That is bolstered bythank in-fighting among of everyone involved. the United States, with Israel just one of a laun- Democrats, with many blaming the Squad for dryI had list ofjust day-to-day alienating with theirdelegation far-left agenda, returned concerns. from the 20th World Maccabiah gamesmoderates in Israel with a U.S. of What is one to make of the presumed transiwhich includes an anti-Israel component.

The over 1100, who joined 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries. Back in July the eyes of the entire tion that will take next month?

Democrats onlywith did 1000 not gain in the Jewish world wereplace on Jerusalem and the Maccabiah.

This past not month athletes andHouse, As good as Trump has been for Israel, it may they lost seats and have a very narrow margin. coaches from around the world being in Birmingham, you became the focal point. not be all bad. Assuming that the Squad is And they have to go two-for-two in the Georgia putEveryone in checkfrom and the theJewish Biden community team realizes Senate runoff just to have a 50-50 tie that Kaandthat the community at large, including a wonderful it is noforce, longer the Middle East, mala thenashave That does police are2016 to beincommended.

Thesehaving games will goHarris down would in history beingtoasplit. seminal moderate Democrats reassert support for Israel not bode well for those who want to the moment for the Jewish community as we build to the future by providing such wonderful pull Jewish instead of the anti-Israel radicals will be an im- country far to the left, as compromise will be memories. portant development. necessary to getting anything done.

JedFor Margolis the last four years, Trump has been inSoon we will see where 2021 takes us… as credibly supportive of Israel USA and clear-thinking Colonel Potter used to say on M*A*S*H, “Here’s Executive Director, Maccabi in American policy toward the ongoing conflict, to the New Year. May she be a damn sight better and in fighting against a nuclear Iran. than the old one.”

ButCharlottesville Trump has also been a highly polarizing supremacists would like to see pushed back On figure in America — and the “resistance” (what- into a corner and made to feel lesser. We stand ever happened to loyal opposition?) hasin made it with and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, Editor’s Note: This reaction to the events so that pretty much anything that Trump favors, who was there standing up to the face of this Charlottesville, written by Jeremy Newman, hate.

Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor they are against as a matter of reflex.

Master of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Theta Colony We recognize the essence of the American at Auburn University, was shared by AEPi narrative as a two-century old struggle to rid National, which called it “very eloquent” and ourselves of such corners, and allow those in praised “our brothers at AEPi Theta Colony at them the seat at the table that they so deserve.

Auburn University and… the leadership they It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the display on their campus.” of Independence, that “all men are Editor’s note: This letter refers to an opinion Declaration pers, were staunchly Anti-Zionist. endowed byintheir Creator piece by Micha Danzig from the Jewish Journal created Today,equal… many secular Jews Israel expresswith amsupremacy hasOf been a cancer onIs Not certain unalienable rights.”and Wehuge knowsegments our workof of White Los Angeles, “Beware ‘Anti-Zionism bivalence about Zionism, our country since itsThe beginning, threatening from finished, but we— know notand Anti-Semitism’ From Left,” which was one of is thefarOrthodox community bothweinwill Israel its its values, its better angels. thehopes, pieces linked to inand Southern Jewish Life’s “This move abroadbackwards.

— reject Zionism as a matter of doctrine, The that took placeLife” in Charlottesville Weekevents in Southern Jewish e-mail newsletter, which position mainWhenwas menthe andtheological women, fully armed,oftake represented the worst of this nation.

Those Nov. 15. The wording of the link is ours. stream Judaism for nearly 2000 years.

Even the streets in droves with swastikas and Alwho marched onto the streets with tiki torches to bert Einstein was ambivalent, warning of in how a 1938 other of hate, it is a reminder Asswastikas a Jewishdid resident of Mississippi and so to provoke violenceand andthe speechsymbols of “the development of a narrow nationrelevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism vice president Temple B’nai Israel in Hattiesfear.

Those whoofmarched onto the streets did alism within own ranks, which today.

It isour a wake-up call toagainst the work thatwe burg, I wanted expressthat concern about what so to profess anto ideology harkens back to I are have already had to fight strongly, even without a is a more common disdain in in Southern Jewish needs to be done to ensure a better, more athink bleaker, wretched time our history.

Jewish state” and testifying to the Anglo-Ameriwelcoming country.

But it should not come Life forwhen leftistmen andand progressive about A time women ofthinking many creeds, can Committee of Inquiry in far 1946 thatcome. he did not a reflection on how we’ve Israel and affairs. races, and Jewish religions were far from equal and far without support the creation of a Jewish State.

Thesafe most recent to cite onewhere example, America born a slaveasnation.

A century from in our ownissue, borders.

A time Einstein’swas views evolved, did those of many says: “Beware of people on the left insisting our history we engaged in a war inthem part no Americans lived under a constant cloud of that into other Jewish-Americans.

But it does ‘Anti-Zionism is not Antisemitism. ” Statements to ensure we would not continue with as one.

We racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The favors to equate that questioning Antisemlike that aretook offensive to Charlottesville the millions ofserved people found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil events that place in itism.

More importantly, it undermines the fight around the world, many of them Jews, these who le- rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure as a reminder of how painfully relevant against the very real strains of Antisemitism gitimately question Zionism. the fair treatment of all no matter their issues are today. prevalent on all ends of peoples the political spectrum.

I myself served as a combatant in the Israe- skin color.

Although we’ve made great strides, I admire Southern Jewish Life for bringing Auburn’s Epsilon stands with the I li Army andAlpha Reserves, and,Pilike many people is community a mission we’re still grappling with today. our together and providing a strong Jewish of Charlottesville, and I re- it served community with, and like quite a few Israelis, forum for debate.

But I think it’s crucial that we America was also born an immigrant with the Jewish people around the country main deeply skeptical of Zionism. In fact, it’s recognize the array of opinions that exist among country.

As early as the pilgrims, many and around the world.

We also stand with the worth remembering that prior to Israel’s creAmerican Jews, especially in the South. groups and families found in the country the minorities who are targeted by the hate that ation in 1948, nearly all American Jews, and future, was on all display Charlottesville.

We stand as opportunity to plant stakes, chaseJ. their nearly of theinmajor Jewish organizations, A. Bernstein with open MS with thethe minorities whomand these white well as New YorkofTimes other major pa- and be themselves. Few were met Hattiesburg,

letters

SJL needs to respect differing views on Zionism

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

July 20202020 December

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

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

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

agenda interesting bits & can’t attend events On Nov. 6, the New Orleans Section of the National Council of Jewish Women held its annual past presidents’ luncheon, but this year it was done virtually. Pictured are (from top row, left to right): Dana Shepard, Barbara Kaplinsky, Loel Samuel and Shellye Farber; Susan Kierr, Susan Hess, June Leopold and Barbara Herman; Eddy Rosen, Cynthia Farber, Jane Buchsbaum and Joan Bronk; Pamela Lyles, Ina Davis and Julanne Isaacson.

Jewish-Multicultural Center announces New Orleans East partnership Effort will fight disparate health outcomes in minority communities On Nov. 17, the Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Rhesa and Alden J. McDonald and Sue Ellen and Joseph Canizaro Diabetes Center at New Orleans East Hospital.

“Get NOEH Fit: Healthy You, Healthy Me” will seek to directly address the healthcare disparities facing local communities of color and historically underserved populations, and that have been made even more apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ina Davis, who co-chairs the Center with Bradley Bain, said the initiative is “a signature program for the Center.”

The initiative will emphasize prevention and care of diabetes and other diseases that disproportionately affect minority communities, healthy meal preparation and eat- Ina Davis and Bradley Bain present a check to New Orleans East Hospital CEO ing habits, and the role of exercise and physical activity in Takeisha Davis and Chief Medical Officer Candace Robinson. improving wellness.

Takeisha Davis, CEO of New Orleans East, said Covid-19 revealed us to partner with local African-American owned restaurants around the structural failings in the healthcare system and the disproportionate effect city of New Orleans,” where world-renowned chefs will “provide virtual on communities of color. “It is our responsibility as a healthcare pillar to cooking demonstrations and show us how we can continue to adhere to look ahead and pay attention to concrete steps that can be taken to ensure the culture that we love and prevent diabetes at the same time.” that recurring patterns of health disparities do not repeat themselves.”

To kick off the initiative, “Get NOEH Fit: Healthy You, Healthy Me” Bain and Ina Davis presented a check for $10,000, which Takeisha Da- will be producing an initial video program in the middle of November, vis said will “help us kick off this groundbreaking partnership… and help which also serves as National Diabetes Awareness Month. Dooky Chase’s December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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agenda Restaurant chef Edgar Chase IV and Saba chef Alon Shaya will create a healthy dish that will be featured on the Dooky Chase menu, and an NOEH Diabetes Center registered dietician will provide a timely summary of tips for navigating the holidays.

Led by Corey Hebert, chief medical officer for WDSU-TV, outreach to the community will be conducted via e-mail marketing campaigns; television and radio interviews; short videos on social media; billboards and other signage; public service announcements; advertisements on local social, television, radio, and print media; and more. Community members will also be encouraged to actively participate in wellness-related events and promotional challenges through which they will be eligible to win prizes.

Arnie Fielkow, Federation CEO, said that just as the entire community rallies behind the Who Dats, everyone needs to “rally behind an important cause that we all encounter in the greater New Orleans area,” that of “disparities in our health care, especially as it relates to the African-American communities.”

The diabetes prevention education program “is going to be fun, it’s going to be lighthearted, but it is also serious in terms of trying to mitigate the disparity that we all face,” Fielkow said.

On Nov. 9, final repairs were made to the Metairie Eruv, which allows those who follow the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat to carry items within its perimeter. Parts of the eruv had been knocked down in Hurricane Zeta, leading to two Shabbats without it being functional.

Hadassah Shreveport holds Covid program Hadassah Shreveport will have an online program, “Covid-19: A Silver Lining,” Dec. 20 at 2 p.m., about the current science, advances in treatment and what to expect.

Linda Freedman Block, a former Southwest Region President and current National Gatekeeper chair, will address the virus’ impact in Israel.

Richard Zweig, a neurologist at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and Associate member of Hadassah, will present current research about the virus and the vaccine.

There is an $18 registration fee for the event.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

agenda Jewish Roots Gala going online April event to celebrate 75th anniversary of Jewish Children’s Regional Service One of the largest events in the New Orleans Jewish community each year is going virtual.

The 10th annual Jewish Roots Gala for the regional Jewish Children’s Regional Service will be held online on April 10 at 6:30 p.m., featuring Marlene Trestman, a New Orleans native and honoree at the 2016 JCRS Gala.

The 2021 Jewish Roots Jubilee will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the modern-day Jewish Children’s Regional Service, which was born after the closing of the original Jewish Children’s Home orphanage, which dated back to 1855.

The agency provides need-based summer camp and college financial aid to Jewish students in a seven-state region, and also does year-round special needs assistance and recently added disaster relief to its portfolio.

They also coordinate PJ Library regionally, and serve over 1,800 youth in over 200 communities overall. The gala is the agency’s signature fundraising event each year, attracting about 500 supporters from throughout the region.

Trestman is author of the soon to be published “Most Fortunate Unfortunates: New Orleans’s Jewish Orphans’ Home, 1855-1946.” She is a JCRS “success story,” having received assistance from JCRS after the untimely deaths of both of her parents. A former Maryland assistant attorney general, Trestman is also author of “Fair Labor Lawyer: The Remarkable Life of New Deal Attorney and Supreme Court Advocate Bessie Margolin,” who had been a resident of the Jewish Children’s Home.

Success Story Ensemble: Left to Right, Josh Sadinsky, Caroline Samuels, Basil Alter, Joshua Dolney and Bruce Miller.

In addition to an online auction, the gala will also feature a performance by the JCRS Success Story Ensemble, educational scholarship recipients who are currently pursuing advanced degrees in musical performance.

The event is open to all, and tickets will be available at jcrs.org.

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The Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica will have an online Parent Information Session online, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Anna Herman will lead a discussion on the impact of a summer at camp, and give details about the 2021 sessions. Registration is at tinyurl.com/HSJParentInfo.

Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans welcomed Nichole Valenzuela as the new manager of the Teen Life Counts program, which teaches suicide awareness and prevention in area schools. Camila Sobral has also joined the Nicole Valenzuela social service agency as multilingual case manager.

After leading Camp Gan Israel in Metairie for the last six summers, Rabbi Peretz and Mushka Kazen are stepping down, with Rabbi Zalman and Libby Groner Camila Sobral succeeding them as camp directors.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

Beth Israel in Metairie announced that with Louisiana moving back to Phase 2 of Covid-19 restrictions, the congregation is suspending Shabbat evening services until further notice.

While the congregation has been operating under Phase 2 guidelines even during Phase 3, “as a result of this recent rise in cases, and the changes in state guidelines, we have decided to return to our previous policy of holding only one service a week in our sanctuary,” Shabbat mornings at 9:30, with strict limits on capacity and reservations required.

Beth Shalom and B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge are developing a Shared Worship Shabbat Service, with the first one being on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m., to see what shared worship might look like instead of alternating the congregations as hosts for a once monthly joint service.

The Atlanta Israel Coalition in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta presents “Tour the Old City of Jerusalem This Hanukkah — A Free Live Virtual Tour,” Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m. Central. The tour, led by David Sussman Israel Tours, will be engaging for families and people of all ages. It will include a walk through the streets of the Old City leading up to the Kotel, meeting local residents and discovering how they celebrate Chanukah. The event will include the official Chanukah lighting at the Western Wall. To register, go to bit.ly/OldCityJerusalemTour.

community

ISJL seeks Southern Jewish oral histories about Covid-19 This has been a year to tell future generations about — but it’s time to start telling the stories.

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson is working with the Council of American Jewish Museums and Jewish cultural institutions around the country to record and collect stories about what it means to be Jewish during Covid-19.

“This project will provide a snapshot for researchers and future generations of the American Jewish community in 2020 — how we have collectively and individually experienced the pandemic, struggles for racial justice, and all of the other life-changing events of this year,” said Nora Katz, ISJL director of heritage and interpretation. “This effort represents a collective approach to collect stories, preserve and interpret them, and create a historical record of these times.”

The Institute is looking for volunteers in the Jewish community who are willing to be interviewed. All ages and backgrounds are being sought for interviews, which are being done remotely by video call. The goal is to finish the interviews by mid-December.

Katz said some possibilities include “stories to share about parenting during the pandemic, or you’ve gotten involved in advocacy for racial justice this year. You might have celebrated the High Holidays in an unfamiliar setting, or found comfort and meaning in lighting the Shabbat candles.

“Whatever your story, we want to hear it,” she added.

For more information, to volunteer or suggest someone for an interview, contact heritage@isjl.org.

Ramah Darom names new director To kick off its 25th anniversary year, Ramah Darom in north Georgia named Anna Serviansky as its new camp director and head of education — and she won’t need a map to know where she is.

Serviansky was a staff member at Ramah Darom for five summers, including two as Rosh Aidah, the head of an age group. In the Nov. 20 announcement to camp families, Ramah Darom CEO Wally Levitt said Serviansky returned for Family Camp in 2018 “and knew she had to find a more permanent path back to Clayton,” where the camp is located.

She will succeed Geoffrey Menkowitz, who headed the Conservative movement camp for the past 13 years.

An Orlando native, Serviansky graduated from Brown University and Georgetown University Law Center and worked for several years as an attorney in New York. Rabbi Loren Sykes, former director of Ramah Darom, suggested that she pursue her true passion of becoming a fulltime Jewish professional, after which she obtained a Master’s in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar.

For the past six years, Serviansky has been the associate dean of List College and the Kekst Graduate School at JTS where, among other responsibilities, she has worked closely with List College students and has overseen several key initiatives including the JustCity summer program and an annual teen summit.

Prior to JTS, she worked for two years at the National Ramah Commission and Ramah Nyack as a year-round staff member and Rosh Aidah.

She begins her role at Ramah Darom this month.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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Southern Jewish Life

Division Can Lead To Destruction We, as a Jewish community, are living at a time of division. We also know from Jewish history that when we are divided, it can lead to our destruction. And it is reasonable to expect that the division in society at-large, and in our Jewish community, is going to heat up in coming months.

This is one more reason why Southern Jewish Life — an independent Jewish voice — is more important than ever. We inform readers throughout the Deep South; we connect Jewish communities more closely in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and NW Florida. We are a national award-winning publication and our impact is growing.

We’ve reported important political trends affecting our Jewish community and will continue to do so. We’ve expanded our human interest stories to help us get to know one another even better. We’re keeping an eye on antisemitism in our region to make sure we all stay vigilant.

Now, we need your help!

More support equals more pages, more stories and more impact. You can help us by considering a contribution to Southern Jewish Life. Please send a check today to Southern Jewish Life, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL, 35213, or visit supportSJL.com to contribute by card or set up a recurring contribution.

Help us tell our story. Help us tell your story.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

Restaurant industry struggles during the coronavirus pandemic struck again with the an-nounced closing of Casablanca in Metairie.

According to owner Andy Adelman, who made the online announcement on Nov. 18, Hurricane Zeta provided the final blow.

“These past nine months have made quite an impact on our business,” he said. After Zeta, the power was out for over five days, resulting in the loss of “almost our entire inventory.” The losses from the pandemic and the hurricane prompted the difficult decision to shut the doors of Casablanca Restaurant permanently.”

This is the second kosher restaurant in New Orleans to close because of Covid-19. Waffles on Maple announced on April 29 that its original Uptown location, which closed “temporarily” due to Covid on March 21, would remain closed permanently. The Metairie location is still open.

New Orleans has consistently been home to more kosher establishments than one would ex-pect for a Jewish community of its size, especially one that is predominantly Reform. A hefty portion of business for kosher establishments comes from tourism and the large number of conventions usually held in New Orleans, but that has also been scaled back dramatically dur-ing the pandemic.

Remaining kosher outlets are Kosher Cajun and Waffles on Maple in Metairie, and Rimon at Tulane Hillel.

Casablanca was started by Linda Waknin, who moved from Israel to New Orleans in 1979. She opened the restaurant in 1995 using family recipes from Morocco. In 2016, she decided it was time to retire and offered to sell it to Adelman, who had a catering business. The transition took place in August 2016.

When restrictions began due to Covid, Casablanca announced on March 16 that it would close the dining room and go the takeout and delivery route, but the next day decided to shut down completely, except for offering Passover catering. They were able to reopen on June 10 at half capacity.

Adelman said customers from around the world filled the restaurant over the years. “While we will miss serving this community in the many ways we were able to, it is the customer interac-tions we will miss the most.”

community An unconventional, meaningful Rosh Hashanah rabbinic pilgrimage Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein visits Alabama to meet relatives in the area where his ancestors were enslaved For most rabbis, the week before Rosh Hashanah is a time of polishing sermons and preparing logistics for the busiest time of the Jewish year.

This year, Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein spent that week exploring his roots in his first visit to Alabama, and paid tribute to his cousin on the anniversary of her death, at the church where she and three other girls were murdered by a Klan bombing in 1963.

Raised in a multi-racial Chabad family in Monsey, N.Y., Rothstein sees himself as a bridge among many cultures, and recently joined the Jewish Federations of North America as rabbinic scholar and public affairs advisor — and in a summer of racial turmoil in the United States, he has been very busy as a speaker and consultant.

“If I didn’t already know this work is bigger than me, I’m reminded several times a day just how much work there is for us to do and we should be doing,” he said.

And it isn’t just him doing the reminding — he said he hears the voices of his ancestors calling him to take action, with his own story as a focal point.

Rothstein represents a wide range of ancestries woven together. His maternal grandmother was descended from Nicholas Gibbs, who fought in the Revolutionary War. She came from a German, Scotch and Dutch background, and married a Black man. His mother, Tanya Maria Robertson, grew up Methodist but converted to Judaism, then married a Chabadnik who had grown up in a secular Jewish family that came to the U.S. to escape pogroms in Russia.

If the last name of Robertson rings a bell for those in Birmingham, it is because one of the four girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 was Carole Robertson — a cousin.

Rothstein’s grandfather’s grandfather was Charles McGruder, who was one of the “prized slaves” of the McGruder family and was a slave breeder on several plantations in the Sawyerville area, about 40 miles south of Tuscaloosa. It is believed that Charles McGruder fathered over 100 children, and there is a large population of the “Black McGruders of Alabama” descended from him.

With Rothstein’s multiple heritages, Passover has been a time where he feels the legacy of being a slave in Egypt — and in Alabama. He refers to Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a very important holiday for him, as it represents “the story of American liberation during a period of oppression and deep hatred.”

As he is light-skinned, growing up in Monsey he could pass for white — until his mother walked into the room. Among the Black McGruders, he jokes that he is regarded as the “white sheep” of the family.

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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community He has witnessed racism from those who assume he is white, and been on the receiving end of it from those who find out he is Black. He has commented that being an “undercover brother” is both a superpower and Kryptonite.

In his work, he wants to be “a conduit for bridge building, relationship building and human connections… once we have a relationship, anything is possible.”

He added “we’re losing some of that — the sense of human connection, building and maintaining authentic relationships with people of different backgrounds.”

After attending Binghamton University, Rothstein was ordained at Yeshiva University.

Identifying as Modern Orthodox, he is rabbi in residence at the environmental group Hazon, and at Bechol Lashon, which promotes Jewish diversity.

He was a founding member of the Beis Community in Washington Heights, and the Union Street Sanctuary, both of which have the slogan “All. Are Welcome. Always.”

Beis Community is a progressive Orthodox synagogue, while Union Street is more of a social organization with mostly a millennial crowd. While a majority of those attending Union Street are Orthodox, Rothstein’s goal was

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

to have an inclusive place for all, regardless of their background or anything that could make them feel like an outsider.

When he joined JFNA this summer, he said Jews of color in the American Jewish community is not a new phenomenon.

“Mixed-race families today struggle to find their place in the Juan McGruder Sr. and Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein sing “He’s Got The broader Jewish com- Whole World In His Hands” at McGruder Crossing munity, and so much of what I see as my job is tors.” He noted that “as an Orthodox Jew I havhow do we collaborate and create a sense of a en’t been in many churches, and I felt at home.” movement we’re all a part of.”

He also visited the lynching memorial in In Birmingham, he visited the civil rights Montgomery, where he found one of the slabs sites, along with some of the local Jewish in- that mentioned a McGruder. stitutions, and spoke before an online panel on He also met with relatives and toured family “Race, Justice, Healing and Unity: An Interfaith sites in Eutaw, Wedgeworth and Sawyerville.

Discussion,” coordinated by the Levite Jewish In a visit to a family cemetery, Rothstein Community Center and the Jewish Community spoke of how humans start from the earth and Relations Council. return, with the question of “what are you going To honor his cousin, he went to 16th Street to do in between.”

Baptist Church, where he felt “sent by my ancesThe cemetery is the great equalizer, as he point-

community ed out nearby graves of members of the Wedgeworth family, “white antagonists” of the Black McGruders in the early 20th century, according to a McGruder family history. “Not even 20 or 30 feet away, those who persecuted, those who expressed racism and bigotry to our family… also wound up in the soil of the earth,” Rothstein said.

But from the pain and suffering, “we took those tears and planted a garden” with family members keeping the family land productive.

After the Civil War, Charles McGruder purchased as much land as he could in the area where the family had been enslaved, land which members of the Black McGruders are returning to and are now establishing McGruder Farms and Tribe of Jacob’s Ladder, “focused on community empowerment through regenerative farming, education, and entrepreneurship.”

Marie McGruder said they plan to work with the community at large, because “currently it is one of the most impoverished counties in the state.”

Before his visit, Rothstein said several uncles had told him “you going to Birmingham, it’s for all of us,” and he said he felt his ancestors’ presence throughout the trip.

“I’m really here to honor the different parts of my identity and the legacy of Birmingham,” he said.

The pre-Rosh Hashanah visit to Birmingham “has helped me understand what selichot is all about,” the concept of repentance and forgiveness in Judaism. Through his visit, “my heart is open in ways it hasn’t been, living in New York.”

He was struck by the slogan of Kelly Ingram Park, a place of revolution and reconciliation.

“To me, it blows my mind,” the idea of reconciliation in today’s polarized America. “Reconciliation is the hardest work ever.”

But “what we do is say ‘there was hardship, there were wrongs’… and the way in which we resolve those wrongs is replacing them with something that is good.”

He added, “as much as there is hardship, let us not pull back… let us replace that hate with love… let us replace isolation with community.”

Today, “we feel everyone is so divided, no one is talking to each other, there is a lot of ‘othering’,” he said. He hopes that his family story of multiple ancestries, “a story of American love,” can be an example in the fight “for the spirit of America.”

With his visit, he felt a responsibility “not only to my ancestors but also to our generation” to do his part in promoting the celebration of everyone’s common humanity, and the “American promise that is beyond race” as King envisioned.

Birmingham is a “shining light” for learning the lessons of the past and moving forward with a common bond, he said. “America needs Birmingham, needs its story.”

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13

community Identifying Rosenwalds Preservation group seeks to document historical schools in Louisiana The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation recently launched an effort to identify former Rosenwald Schools in the state.

Rosenwald Schools were the result of a partnership between Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Jewish Community Rosenwald School in philanthropist Julius RosenGrand Cane, built in 1929 wald, president of Sears & Roebuck. At his 50th birthday celebration in 1912, Rosenwald gave away close to $700,000, including a donation to Tuskegee. Washington used some of that on an experiment to build new schools in areas where little or no education was being offered to rural blacks.

After the initial six schools were built, Rosenwald continued partnering with Washington, providing seed money that would be matched by the local communities, and in two decades close to 5,400 school buildings were constructed in 15 states.

Louisiana was home to 442 of those buildings. The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation now wants to identify and document the locations of these historic buildings, as well as those that have been lost, throughout the state.

Rosenwald Schools were primarily located in rural areas, constructed of timber framing on short piers, using standardized plans. Windows were numerous and often grouped together, to provide for natural light and ventilation. The most common forms feature gable ends.

Most parishes had between three and 12 Rosenwald Schools, while only six parishes had no Rosenwalds built. The highest concentration of Rosenwalds occurred in the northwest corner of the state, in Caddo, Claiborne, Webster and Bienville Parishes. Just a handful of the state’s Rosenwald Schools have been identified.

The River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville acquired one of the few known remaining Rosenwalds in Louisiana in 2001, moving the Central Agricultural School building from Convent, where it was slated for demolition. The building is a rare four-room school house, and is situated in downtown Donaldsonville, not far from the museum.

The museum has been fundraising for restoration, intending to use the building as an educational and meeting center.

The Trust’s effort began after a site visit with staff from the Claiborne Parish Library, where the former Mt. Olive Rosenwald School was identified and its condition assessed. Brian Davis, LTHP Executive Director, says, “Since the Louisiana Trust works in all 64 parishes, connecting building owners with the resources to preserve them, it makes sense to incorporate this project into our ongoing efforts to help ensure that the buildings and their importance are not completely lost.”

Following desegregation, many of the schools were abandoned or demolished. Those that were used and maintained as a church, a community center, or even as a residence stood a better chance of survival.

LTHP has since set up an educational and resource center on lthp.org to gather information and memories about these schools and those who used them. This online center has additional resources including links to a searchable database and guides from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

LTHP encourages former students, teachers, their descendants, local libraries, and school boards or others with a connection to a former Rosenwald School to share any photos or information about the building.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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As with so many other groups these days, for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, Zoom has become an integral part of life and in fulfilling its mission in what Ann Zivitz Kientz calls “a year of challenge, experimentation and learning for us all.”

For the Jackson-based organization, Zoom has been a way to support, connect and celebrate Jewish life in the South. For Kientz, that means organizing shared programming among communities and states over the 13-state region ISJL serves.

“Since May, we have reached nearly 2,000 households in a dozen states, with 15 shared Zoom events through November,” Kientz said. “It’s been a terrific year of programming so far — and we’re thrilled with the lineup for the next several months.”

She anticipates setting an attendance record on Dec. 10 for a Chanukah concert with Julie Silver (see story, page 49).

On Jan. 14, the Institute will host Eric Goldman, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Jewish cinema. He is an adjunct professor of cinema at Yeshiva University and founder of Ergo Media, a distributor of Jewish cinema. His most recent book is “The American Jewish Story through the Cinema,” and he will discuss ‘The Coming of Age of American Jewry” as seen in a study of films from the 1940s and 1950s.

For Black History Month, the ISJL will host Rabbi Rachel Mikva on Feb. 18 for “Jews and Race.” She served as a congregational rabbi for 13 years before returning to academia, where she focuses on interpreting the Hebrew Bible in various times and places, how ideas shape and reflect the societies in which they unfold. She is especially interested in the intersections of exegesis, culture and ethics.

Plans are in formation for March and April, with dynamic speaker Tiffany Shlain on the schedule.

The programs are offered to communities in the region with the idea that numerous communities can sponsor them, sharing the cost so they could benefit from programs that they would not otherwise be able to undertake individually. Kientz coordinates the programs and sets up the links for participating communities and congregations.

Shabbat Hikes

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El has begun a Shabbat Hilicha, a monthly Shabbat morning hike and service at a park in the area.

The first one was held on Nov. 14 at Red Mountain Park.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community

Vox video on Mississippi flag change includes anti-Israel imagery

By Gidon Ben-Zvi (HonestReporting.com) — A new video on Vox’s popular YouTube channel, titled “The 126-year fight to change Mississippi’s Confederate flag,” features a disturbing image that completely diverts attention away from the ongoing movement pursuing racial equality in the United States.

The otherwise well-produced piece suddenly shifts gears, seemingly in order to promote a decidedly anti-Israel agenda.

George Floyd, Systemic Racism… and Israel The focus of the Vox video is the long and difficult road traversed by activists who recently succeeded in having Mississippi redesign its state flag. The pending flag features a white magnolia blossom and the words “In God We Trust.” Its adoption was approved by state referendum on Nov. 3, and will become the official state flag once a related bill is passed by the state legislature.

The new flag will replace the old Confederate-themed one that had been adopted in 1894, which made many African-Americans feel like second-class citizens as, to them and many others, it represented the enslavement of their ancestors.

The short film explains that the campaign in Mississippi got a significant boost following the killing by a white police officer of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who lived in Minneapolis, Minn. The incident, the Vox video stresses, “spark[ed] widespread protest against police brutality and systemic racism.”

Nevertheless, the image here is shown immediately thereafter.

Image from virulently anti-Israel site Mondoweiss, used in the Vox video, compares racial police brutality in the U.S. to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

As the frame appears, one of the leaders of the initiative to have Mississippi’s flag changed states in reference to the demonstrations across the U.S.: “People were forced to look at… what has happened here in America when it comes to state-sanctioned violence against black people.”

From Mississippi to Ramallah in the Blink of an Eye In an instant, this educational video veers from America’s centuries-old struggle to effectively combat racism to questioning Israel’s legitimacy.

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community First, the entire map of Israel in the image is labeled as “Palestine.”

Additionally, the Israeli soldier is shown pointing a machine gun at what is supposedly meant to represent an unarmed and non-threatening character. This Palestinian “victim” is extending his fist to a black American, thereby insinuating that they are engaged in identical causes.

The daily complexities that Israel, a modern, democratic nation must deal with when trying to protect its citizens after experiencing decades of Palestinian terrorism are simply ignored.

Does Vox Have an Anti-Israel Blindspot?

Had the producers of “The 126-year fight to change Mississippi’s Confederate flag” done some background research, they would have uncovered that there is an actual connection between U.S. police officers and Israeli security officials — and it is a positive one.

The Jewish state sends people across the world in order to train members of law enforcement agencies to avoid using unnecessary violence or allowing prejudices to influence their decision-making processes while on the job. For example, Israeli security services have by necessity become experts at using crowd control measures, especially in populated urban centers, to disperse rioters.

Indeed, a major proponent of this training is former president Barack Obama.

In 2014, he became so concerned about the surge in civilians being harmed in exchanges with police that he dispatched to Israel the Joint Chiefs of Staff as part of the “Lessons Learned” project.

From Education to Propaganda in Four Seconds Flat Vox’s YouTube channel has over 8.87 million subscribers and over 2.2 billion views as of Nov. 12. With such a large audience comes great responsibility. And while the image demonizing Israel was on screen for only four seconds, it undoubtedly left an impression on many of the 500,000-plus individuals who had already watched it. They, in turn, may now view Israel in a totally distorted manner.

Moreover, the use of such imagery detracts from the film’s primary goal: namely, to educate Americans about their past so that a process of healing and reconciliation can be accelerated, thereby hopefully ushering in a brighter future for all.

But by conflating events in Mississippi, Minneapolis and other parts of the United States with Israel, Vox does no “social justice;” rather, it has provided ammunition to hate-filled BDS supporters and, more broadly, anti-Israel groups.

This article originally appeared on Honest Reporting and is reprinted with their permission.

Thanks to a “generous donor,” Chabad of Alabama presented 20,000 masks to law enforcement agencies, public schools, homeless shelters, and community centers throughout the Birmingham area.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

A JCRS SPECIAL SECTION

Jewish Children’s Regional Services Celebrates 166 Years Jewish Children’s Regional Service (JCRS) is the oldest existing Jewish children’s social services organization in America.

For over 166 years, JCRS has provided a financial safety net to vulnerable Jewish youth throughout the south. The agency began in 1855 as The Jewish Children’s Home orphanage for Jewish widows and orphans because of the yellow fever epidemics and was available to dependent children from across the South. The Home operated as an orphanage for 90 years in Uptown New Orleans.

The Home closed in 1946 and the modern JCRS was born. Still based in Greater New Orleans. JCRS serves Jewish children and families by providing college scholarships, grants for Jewish summer camp experiences and special needs assistance, as well as outreach programs such as the PJ Library (free book subscription program) and the Oscar J. Tolmas Hanukkah Gift Program.

Today, JCRS is as impactful than ever.

This past year, over 1800 children and families have been served – another new service record!

MAKING AN IMPACT !

JCRS 2019-2020 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT The JCRS 2019-2020 Annual Impact Report is available now!

Visit www.jcrs.org to view it online or call our office at (800) 729-5277 to request your copy.

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

19

A JCRS SPECIAL SECTION

Our Impact & Service Highlights OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS: (September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2020)

$301,783

in financial aid provided to Jewish undergraduate college students.

In the Summer of 2019,

391

youth received camp scholarship aid different camps. and attended

50

Because of COVID-19, most Jewish camps were canceled in 2020. Still, JCRS was able

24

campers to attend to fund camps this past summer.

17 different

1214

Jewish children received monthly books through the PJ Library®.

274

27

137

72

Jewish children and special needs adults received Hanukkah gift packages.

Jewish students received college aid.

65

different colleges

students from immigrant families received college aid.

children with special needs or dependency received financial assistance and/or casework management.

TO DONATE OR FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JCRS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES:

Go Online WWW.JCRS.ORG • Call (800)729-5277 • Email INFO@JCRS.ORG 20

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

A JCRS SPECIAL SECTION

Louis Rapkin is a pediatric hematology oncologist at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh/University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Louis is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, with a residency served at Baylor College of Medicine. Louis is the proud father of six wonderful children.

JCRS provided financial assistance to Louis when he was an undergraduate student at Emory University.

Success Stories

Rebecca McAlexander is the Executive Operations Manager at Adfero, a communications agency in Washington, D.C. She leads the marketing team while managing the company’s strategic planning and recruitment efforts. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Rebecca spent six summers at URJ Henry S. Jacobs camp, both as a camper and staff, and was a recipient of JCRS camp scholarships. She also received JCRS College Aid to attended the University of Maryland where she earned her degree in Jewish Studies and was a part of the College Park Scholars International Studies Program.

Serving Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas

The mission of JCRS is to provide needs-based support, resources and services for Jewish youths helping them to become well-adjusted, self-supporting, young adults.

Saul Schaffer is a PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Saul is studying the uses of living materials like muscles and neurons to develop the next generation of robots. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park for his undergraduate degree. Saul grew up in New Orleans and was the recipient of financial aid from JCRS for multiple years during his undergraduate studies.

Jacob Craig was raised in rural Brooksville, Mississippi.

JCRS scholarships helped Jacob attend URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp for many years where he was exposed to an entirely new Jewish experience. Also, with financial scholarships gained through JCRS, Jacob graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelors Degree in mechanical engineering.

Jacob is currently employed as a defense contractor focused on advancing the field of Hypersonics. He lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his fiancé, Sierra and their dog, Tucker.

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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A JCRS SPECIAL SECTION

You can feel good about supporting JCRS Your Support Makes A Real Impact

Success Story

JCRS supporters come from all income levels. Some contributors donate every month. Some contribute yearly or multiple times a year. We are pleased to say that last year, over 1500 households made individual contributions to JCRS programs.

The JCRS client base is 100% Jewish. Therefore, our organization is not eligible for United Way funding, government grants, or donations from most corporate foundations. This means that JCRS needs support at all giving levels, from individuals, families and foundations that are based in the Jewish community.

Funding A Scholarship

The preferred method of helping needy Jewish children and their families, by a growing number of donors, has been to create a scholarship fund at Jewish Children’s Regional Service. Establishing a fund at the JCRS accomplishes several goals: • Help needy Jewish youths in one or more scholarship programs on an ongoing basis.

• Donor family can commit to a specific Tzedakah project, such as one of the JCRS scholarship programs.

• Opportunity to permanently honor or memorialize a loved one by naming a scholarship after that individual.

For more information about opportunities to support JCRS, contact Ned Goldberg, Executive Director or Mark Rubin, Development Director, by calling (800)729-5277.

JCRS Receives a 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator JCRS’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

“Jewish Children’s Regional Service’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. People can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support JCRS.”

Rachelle Burk is a writer and presenter of children’s literature with ten published books. Her Passover picture book, The Best of Four Questions, was chosen as a PJ Library® selection for their hundreds of thousands of monthly subscribers across the world. Married, and the mother of two daughters who are registered nurses, Rachelle is a graduate of Louisiana State University and the Hunter College School of Social Work. While pursuing her graduate degree in social work, Rachelle was a recipient of a college loan from JCRS. Read more about Rachelle’s story and others in our Impact Report.

TO DONATE OR FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JCRS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES:

Go Online WWW.JCRS.ORG • Call (800)729-5277 • Email INFO@JCRS.ORG 22

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community

‘There’s horrible tension’ After divisive election, Georgia’s Jews on edge as Senate runoffs near

By Richard Friedman Jewish hearts are heavy in Georgia, where the Jewish community is deeply polarized as two crucially-important U.S. Senate races approach.

That is the picture that emerges from interviews and surveys with community leaders and rank and file members of Georgia’s Jewish electorate, with few of them willing to express their views on the record.

The Jan. 5 runoff will pit Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican incumbent David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. In Georgia, U.S. Senate candidates must get a majority of the votes cast to be elected. None of the four reached that threshold in the Nov. 3 election.

Warnock, who is African-American, is pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. and Jr. once co-pastored. Ossoff, who is Jewish, is an investigative journalist. Both candidates are considered serious contenders.

The two runoff races, which likely will determine which party controls the US Senate, coupled with the constant media attention, not only have extended a toxic political season for Georgians but have pitted Jews in the state against one another.

Money is pouring in, ads are airing, and efforts to register new voters and to turn out the vote are intensifying. It is hand-to-hand political combat.

“The gloves are off,” says one of Atlanta’s most influential and longstanding Jewish community leaders who, like others, did not want his name used.

One of those willing to speak on the record is Allison Padilla-Goodman, who heads the Atlanta-based Southern office for the non-partisan Anti-Defamation League. “I think nationally Jews tend to lean more toward Democrats. But in Georgia, there is a closer split. As a result, there

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community is a lot of divisiveness.”

Israel, once a unifying issue, has become an emotionally-charged topic in the Jewish community. Donald Trump’s tumultuous four years in office have created additional pressure points and fault lines.

This is not good for a community that, like most other Southern Jewish communities, has prided itself on being united. Unity is an important ingredient in the success of Jewish communities, particularly in the South, where even Atlanta, by far the South’s largest Jewish community, is widely outnumbered by the state’s non-Jewish population.

Such divisiveness can take its toll on the institutional infrastructure of a Jewish community. Agency directors begin looking over their shoulders, becoming hesitant to provide leadership on Israel and other issues that have the potential to create political disputes.

The wear and tear that the ongoing political drama and tension is taking on Atlanta’s Jewish community and smaller Jewish communities around the state is draining and divisive, Jewish leaders admit. But they are not doing much about it right now. They are in the heat of battle.

“We have a lot of work to do in our community to make sure that our fellow Jews feel safe and heard and not disrespected, and this is going to be a challenge,” laments one longtime Jewish community leader.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

Supporters of the Democratic challengers describe those backing the Republican incumbents in rugged language. And vice-versa.

Who wins will no doubt have important implications. Yet, the acrimony in the Jewish community may be just as significant and more long-lasting.

“The tension and divisiveness in the Jewish community will have longterm effects,” predicts a seasoned Atlanta attorney who has been involved in Jewish community life. “You cannot ‘put the genie back in the bottle’ once you start a culture of demonization and vilification of your political opponents and of refusal to compromise.”

“I don’t believe that many people are open to intellectual discourse,” adds a Jewish leader in Savannah, home to a much smaller though highly active Jewish community.

“People on both sides are mostly falling for the canards they are hearing from friends, family and neighbors,” he says. “Most people in the community are trying to convince other people that they are right and the other person is wrong, as opposed to learning from each other.”

Joanie Shubin, co-chair of Atlanta’s Jewish Women’s Democratic Salon, says, “I honestly don’t have any good friends with different political views.” For her, the election issues have moved beyond public policy into Jewish values.

Unlike other regions of the country where the Jewish vote in presidential elections tends to go roughly 70-30 Democratic, in the Deep South, observers agree, the margin is likely closer to 55-45 Democratic.

There are an estimated 130,000 Jews in Georgia, with the bulk of them living in the Atlanta area. Given that Jews traditionally have a high turnout, the Jewish vote could play a significant role in deciding the two Senate races, which are expected to be close.

One of Atlanta’s most visible Democratic advocates is Michael Rosenzweig, board member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and a head of the JDCA Georgia chapter.

“Those of us who are Democrats genuinely cannot understand how anyone who cares about the values of the Jewish tradition can possibly support Trump. It’s quite literally unfathomable,” says Rosenzweig. “Anyone supporting Trump is not educable. I mean that literally.”

He was asked whether he believes tension and divisiveness will be short-lived or have long-term effects. “Long term,” he said, “owing to the willingness of Republicans to go so low in embracing political expediency over true concern for Israel’s security by undermining the bipartisan

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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community nature of U.S. support for Israel.”

Shubin is frustrated because she also believes support for Israel has become politicized. She bristles at the idea that Democrats are not as supportive of Israel as Republicans. “I am willing to disagree with Republicans on other issues, but I find it disturbing that we have allowed ourselves to become divided over something as important as Israel.”

Wedge Issue?

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

Chuck Berk, a local chair of the Republican Jewish Coalition, dismisses the idea that Republicans have politicized Israel and made it a wedge issue. “What you have is Trump and the Republicans being so strong in their support for Israel. Democrats need to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they haven’t done to support Israel.”

A commitment to Israel, Berk adds, “is not making statements. It is action. I would love to see the Democratic Party be as strong for Israel as the Trump administration has been.”

Berk acknowledges the political climate in Atlanta’s Jewish community is challenging these days. “With some of my golfing friends, who are more liberal, I can’t even bring up politics. They get so emotional. If I try to express my views then I am one of those ‘deplorables’.”

In late October, the Atlanta Jewish Times hosted a debate between Rosenzweig and Berk. It was animated and substantive as the two went toe-to-toe.

Jews who voted for Trump and support Loeffler and Perdue believe support for Israel by those three and the GOP is stronger than that of Biden, Warnock and Ossoff, and the Democratic Party.

Jewish Republicans point to issues such as GOP support for Israeli dominion over lands acquired in the 1967 war, and the hard line Trump has taken with Iran, including terminating U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear accord which most Jewish Republicans see as flawed.

Warnock, in particular, has come under fire for, among other things, a letter he signed in the past that many feel defamed Israel, though he has since affirmed his strong support for the Jewish state.

Meanwhile, Perdue has been accused of promoting antisemitism through a campaign ad enlarging Ossoff ’s nose, a classic negative Jewish stereotype. Loeffler has made some Jews uncomfortable by embracing Marjorie Taylor Greene, a newly-elected Member of Congress from Georgia who is associated with QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory group that many see as antisemitic.

All Four Dov Wilker, long-time director of the Atlanta office of the non-partisan American Jewish Committee, has met with all four candidates.

He says Loeffler is “very pro-Israel” and has not done anything explicitly to offend the Jewish community. Regarding her association with Greene, Wilker said this should not be interpreted as her supporting conspiracy theories. He sees Loeffler’s relationship with Greene reflecting the Senator’s desire to “connect with an important voice in the electorate.”

Warnock, Wilker says, has made statements that have been anti-Israel.

Yet, he adds, Warnock is a friend of the Atlanta Jewish community who has been an ally on the local level and built key friendships with Jews.

Reflecting on Perdue, Wilker says, “I think he’s been very supportive of Israel. He has unfortunately had two instances of what people have seen as antisemitism — a comment he made a number of years ago and the Ossoff nose ad. “We talked about the ad. He understands why it was wrong.”

Of Ossoff, Wilker says “it is easy” for Jews to vote for Ossoff, given that he is Jewish, proud of being Jewish and talks openly about his commitment to his Jewish identity.

Still, the beat goes on — and will likely continue to do so up to Jan. 5 and even beyond.

community “The runoffs are causing horrible tension,” observes a retired physician, a member of one of the state’s smaller Jewish communities. He voted for Biden yet plans to vote for Perdue and Loeffler.

“Three things got me to vote for Biden,” he explains. “When many respected generals said Trump was not capable of making appropriate decisions because he really didn’t care about their opinion, I was concerned.

Number two is when Trump walked out of the White House with the Bible and took it to the church. I found that act repulsive in trying to use G-d as if Trump was a G-d fearing person. Number three was Trump’s opposition to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Covid opinions and his total denial of any scientific data.”

However, he added, “I will vote for the Republicans in the runoff. I love a divided Congress. Gridlock will be good and may lead to forcing Congress to compromise.”

The thought process of one of Atlanta’s most respected Jewish leaders also reflects anxiety and introspection.

“I am enthusiastically pro-choice and support gay marriage, the Democratic position, but find the Republican platform regarding the direction of our country more responsible, more Constitutional and more realistic,” he explains.

“If far-left progressives and Black Lives Matter don’t get their way as Biden creates policy and makes appointments, I fear another explosion in the cities and beyond. It will not be so easily contained as evidenced by the past inaction of many mayors and governors,” he adds.

“Truth be told, I am one of 6 million new gun buyers this year who fear what might be coming if there is an ascendant left, a diminished police presence and a cowardly administration.”

Despite the fog, election fatigue and factionalism, the American Jewish Committee’s Wilker sees silver linings.

“It is amazing how much this has galvanized people and captured their attention. Friends not politically involved got fired up over the presidential election and have maintained that enthusiasm,” says Wilker.

“It is exciting that Georgia is the center of the political universe right now. It gives our state the chance to showcase itself. Everybody knows that everybody is looking at us.”

One of those who wants to be optimistic about the impact of the extended election season on Georgia’s Jewish community is ADL’s Padilla-Goodman. “While the election issues are intense, I don’t think they will fracture the Jewish community in the long-term. The community continues to be an incredibly unified force,” she believes.

Though after pausing for a moment, she admits, “I’m probably being a little utopian.”

Our library has history blocks.

Don’t just read about history, feel it in Natchez. Walk through the past on our downtown history trails. Explore the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Dive into the stories at the Museum of African American History and Culture. We’re keeping the here and now safe and clean. Get the latest safe travel information at VisitNatchez.org/Responsibly.

TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL EST. 1843

visitnatchez.org #VisITMSResponsibly

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

27

He’s taking on

Oakley, brain tumor survivor

life

Because he’s taking on cancer

Gregory Friedman, MD The Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s of Alabama is ranked among the top pediatric cancer programs in the nation.

Our team of over 300 dedicated pediatric healthcare professionals is committed to exceptional patient care and innovative research.

At Children’s, we’re safely serving children — providing essential care just as we have since 1911.

Our Center treats more than 90% of Alabama’s children with cancer and blood disorders. Learn how you can help at: ChildrensAL.org/committedtoacure

28

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community Jewish Women’s Theatre adds a taste of the South to “Matzo Ball Diaries” Last year, the Los Angeles-based Jewish Women’s Theatre did its first-ever Southern tour, coordinated through the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, and had such a great time that at the beginning of this year, plans were being made for a second tour this fall.

Naturally, Covid-19 threw a big wrench into the plan, but on Oct. 22 the group did an online performance of “The Matzo Ball Diaries” for several communities in the region — but this time, with more Southern flavor added.

Ronda Spinak, artistic director for the group, said she was considering Oct. 22 and an additional Oct. 29 performance to be their second Southern tour.

“Matzo Ball Diaries” is “more an intersection between storytelling and theatre,” with four actors relating “contemporary Jewish stories that illuminate different aspects” of Jewish life. Many of them also debunk stereotypes and myths.

There are about 20 short stories in the “Matzo Ball Diaries” repertoire, with some of them permanently in the show while others rotate.

One story that Spinak said will never be pulled is about the founder of IHOP — how he started the franchise, how his wife came up with the name, and it ends at the 50th anniversary IHOP convention where “he looked around the room and saw people of all colors and backgrounds.”

One of them had moved to the United States from Mexico 17 years earlier in search of a better life, and had worked his way to being a manager.

“The guy who founded IHOP realized that there were unexpected consequences to your actions,” in this case helping people live the American dream, Spinak said.

The original tour last year “ did not have a piece by a Southern writer, but we had one by a Persian writer and someone from South Africa,” she said.

This time, there were two Southern stories.

Shelley Hebert contributed a piece about her mother, Mollye Smolkin, whose freezer in New Orleans was always stuffed with homemade Jewish baked goods. After Hurricane Katrina, when the levees broke “my parents’ home was completely flooded,” along with her brother’s home in a different neighborhood,” Hebert said. The story she contributed was how her mother managed to get an insurance settlement on all those ruined baked goods.

The Oct. 29 performance was on her parents’ anniversary, so it was “a lovely way for me to remember them.”

The other Southern story came from last year’s tour. While it is a Jewish theatre group, there usually is at least one non-Jewish cast member.

As part of hosting a performance, communities are asked to provide a meal before the show, and in the South, that meant “full-on meals,” with brisket, chicken… one congregation took the stories from the show and did a meal that was “an artful interpretation of the show.”

At one venue, they served matzah ball soup — which, despite the show’s name, the non-Jewish actor had never experienced. “Of course, everybody was super-excited,” Spinak said. With phones recording the moment, he had his first taste… and he said it was like chicken soup.

That story was added to the show, because he was an outsider to the Jewish community, but after that experience “came this feeling that he was one of the tribe,” Spinak said. “Food can share culture and communicate love to people who aren’t Jewish.”

That’s why Jews invite non-Jewish friends to Seder or Shabbat dinner.

“We want them to feel the love we have four our culture and feel a connection to us.”

She hopes that her group will feel the connection to the South again.

“When things open up again, we will come back.”

An Official Publication of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans

THE

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by Southern Jewish Life belong solely to the publisher. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of any other person; or the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, its constituent and beneficiary agencies, or any other entity.

JEWISH NEWSLETTER December 2020 | Kislev 5781

Vol. XV No. 5

Together, but virtually.

Since 1913, you and those who came before you have raised the dollars through the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign which have nourished our New Orleans Jewish community. Our donors have helped resettled immigrants who fled the threat of WWII, and then embraced the survivors with open arms. Your generosity helped build the State of Israel, opened our hearts to Russian refugees, and airlifted Ethiopians to safety. More recently you have protected the security of our Jewish community and tackled the impact of lack of engagement in Jewish life—but everything is different now.

We find ourselves facing a global pandemic—a historic moment that will define us for years to come. Will we rise to meet the challenge? We have, and we will. Because now, it’s even more important.

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans was built for this moment: taking collective action to tackle our community’s most devastating and seemingly intractable challenges, because, as the Talmud mandates, Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh—all Jews are responsible for one another. Now more than ever, our goal is to safeguard Jewish New Orleans—specifically, here’s how your Jewish Federation responded in 2020: • We established a direct individual grant program for Jewish New Orleanians administered through Jewish Family Service (JFS) and funded by the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana.

• We launched a Health Care Take Home Meal Program, which supported kosher businesses while providing 6,600 meals this past spring and summer to health care workers at five local hospitals.

• We served as the central local organization facilitating the federal Paycheck Protection Program, with 16 agencies/synagogues joining our efforts. All were approved.

• We joined with JFS to create a helpline program to assist our community with delivery of groceries/pharmacy items, medical transport, and emotional support. More than 60 volunteers signed up to help.

• We led the statewide Jewish response to Hurricane Laura, raising more than $220,000 to assist those in need, and organized volunteer efforts.

• And most importantly, we continue to assess and address the financial stabilization needs of our community partners.

As the connector for Jewish New Orleans, our mission is to sustain our Jewish agencies and organizations for the future of our community, and that’s never clearer than during times of crisis. Despite everything, our 2020 Annual Campaign raised $2.606 million—and an additional $700,000 in supplemental giving, an important form of Jewish fundraising. While every dollar is critically important, the needs are even greater. That’s why we need your support for the 2021 Annual Campaign. If you would like your end of year gift to take place in this tax year, you can do so by credit card over the phone can do so by calling the Federation office at 504-780-5600 by Thursday, December 31 at 11:30 a.m. Credit card payments will be accepted at jewishnola.com/give up until 11:59 p.m. on December 31 - and did you know you can schedule your donation up to three months in the future? Or set up a monthly payment schedule?

Other ways to support the Federation • Transfer stock to the Federation’s Morgan Stanley Account (#575-060565-239). Contact Carla Marciniak at carla.marciniak@morganstanley.com or 504587-9645 (please be sure that your name is on the stock transfer). Kindly contact the Federation office at 504-780-5600 to notify Federation what kind of stock and how many shares have been transferred.

• Make a gift from your Jewish Endowment Foundation donor advised fund,and let Sherri Tarr you’ve done so by emailing sherritarr@jewishnola.com.

• Donate from your IRA through a regular distribution.

• Mail a check (payable to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans) postmarked by December 31, 2020 to 3747 W. Esplanade Avenue, Metairie, LA 70002.

• Please consider leaving a legacy for the Jewish Federation – for more information on how to endow your gift, please contact Bobby Garon or Patti Lengsfield at the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana at 504-524-4559.

All new and increased gifts to the 2021 Annual Campaign will be boosted b y the 25% Goldring/Woldenberg match.

The 2021 Annual Campaign is chaired by Mara Force & Joshua Rubenstein.

December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

29

JNOLA’s look back at 2020 2020 has been one wild ride! Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricanes, JNOLA has made it a priority to keep planning events and engaging the young professional Jewish community in the Greater New Orleans area and beyond.

In February, JNOLA hosted a Singles Night with local Jewish business owner, Anne Parnes of Match Made in Nola. Soon after the pandemic put a stop on all in-person events, JNOLA found innovative ways to connect our community. In July, JNOLA teamed up with Tribe and hosted a Mel Brooks Drive-in Movie Night at Congregation Gates of Prayer. Partnering again for a drive-in movie, this time for Halloween, JNOLA & Tribe created a socially distant trunk or treat before watching Hocus Pocus.

In addition to keeping Jews connected in the New Orleans community, JNOLA saw the virtual event space as an opportunity to engage with members of other Jewish communities across the country. In April and May, our members chatted through virtual happy hours with young professionals in Jewish organizations in Nashville, Austin, and Charleston.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic made holiday traditions look a bit different, JNOLA worked hard to ensure that our community could still have a fun and meaningful time with friends and family. In April, we hosted a Virtual Passover Seder with Temple Sinai. JNOLA partnered with Kosher Cajun to give participants curated Passover Boxes with Seder supplies in addition to making and sharing a pre-recorded virtual Seder. The JNOLA Board went the extra mile for Rosh Hashanah by delivering 50 canvas bags to members, filled with challah from Casablanca, honey, and drinks from Jewish-owned local brewery Zony Mash Beer Project. JNOLA brought everyone together for a virtual New Year’s Toast to bring some light into these unprecedented times. Though JNOLA events are often light-hearted, this year has been filled with struggles that we sought to address. We heard about employment struggles from the members of our community whose jobs were lost in the pandemic, so JNOLA responded with The Jobscape of Tomorrow. That event brought in local economic development expert, Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. to shed some light on what’s ahead. In August, when Louisiana was hit by Category 4 Hurricane Laura, JNOLA worked with our sister Federation program, Nourish, to bring volunteers to Lake Charles where we partnered with Jewish disaster relief organization, NECHAMA. 2020 has produced many hardships, and a recent community loss prompted the creation of the Solomon Mental Health Fund in partnership with Jewish Family Service. This fund pays for JNOLA members (those who are 21-39) and JNEXT members (those who are 40-59) to receive counseling and other services through Jewish Family Service. JNOLA also hosted a Mental Health Matters event highlighting the importance of mental healthcare. In November, JNOLA partnered with Loaves of Love to raise funds for this outreach effort.

JNOLA would like to thank the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, and trustees Lisa Romano and Vince Giardina for their support.

Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs (CJMA) hosting virtual civil rights trip On December 21, the CJMA will host an exciting Virtual Civil & Human Rights Mission, open to the entire Greater New Orleans community. This CJMA signature event is an approximately half-day in length virtual experience that will bring participants to five places around the world at which a group suffered from, or is currently experiencing, an incidence of identity-based hate. It will be centered around the four CJMA outreach areas – African-American outreach, multi-faith outreach, Latin-American outreach, and LGBTQ outreach – as well as anti-semitism. Interactive sessions on each topic will be presented by experts in the field, and a prominent keynote speaker will tie the five segments together at the conclusion of the event.

The CJMA also plans to sponsor an essay contest open to all student participants to win scholarships for college. Please let us know if your organization would like to partner with the CJMA to help promote this event and/or contribute to the event as a sponsor. For more information, contact Mithun Kamath at mithun@jewishnola.com or 504-780-5608. Learn more at jewishnola.com/multicultural.

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December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

5 Questions with Erica Golden

Executive Director, Sherry & Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families The Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families is an in-house initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans working to create a broader and more inclusive Jewish community through programs and community partnerships for families and households who identify as interfaith regardless of age, observances, and where they fall on the Jewish spectrum. In collaboration with area synagogues, Jewish organizations, and non-Jewish partners, the Leventhal Interfaith Center aims to create nurturing and inclusive opportunities for people to explore and connect to Jewish community, values, traditions, experiences, texts, and spirituality to create their individualized Jewish or Jewish adjacent journey. The Leventhal Interfaith Center will provide a centralized resource and support system for interfaith partnerships and families in Greater New Orleans.

1. What is the Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families?

The Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families is a new initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans that will offer education, programming, and community for a rapidly growing portion of the Jewish community: interfaith households. Through original programming, partnerships with local Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, and serving as an online resource for all things relevant to interfaith households, the Leventhal Center aims to provide support and services to interfaith households that do not currently exist in the area.

2. What makes the Leventhal Center different?

The Leventhal Center goes beyond simply welcoming interfaith households into the community. We are creating warm, inclusive, engaging programs for folks to explore the many ways an interfaith family can connect to and express their Jewishness. With the Leventhal Center, there is no expectation of knowledge, religiosity, or way to be Jewish, just an interest in connecting to Judaism. Everyone is welcome. With an intermarriage rate of over 58% in the United States, the Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families will be invaluable in reaching out to, connecting with and engaging an even larger portion of the community.

3. What is your connection to New Orleans and the interfaith community?

I first fell in love with New Orleans as a freshman at Tulane University. My love for music, good food and the joy that often emanates from nearly every corner of the city, quickly made me feel as though New Orleans was my home. While at Tulane, I became very involved in the Jewish community including spending time at Hillel and Chabad, majoring in Jewish Studies and working in the Jewish community at day schools and camps. It was while I was immersed in the New Orleans Jewish community that I discovered my passion for Jewish communal work—particularly focusing on lowering barriers and doing my part to ensure that the community is as engaging, inclusive and accepting as can be. The interfaith community is part of the Jewish community and it is past time that we offer opportunities to explore Judaism specifically designed for interfaith households and the interfaith experience.

4. What is one program you can’t wait to share with the community?

Food brings people together. It is the glue for so many communities and personally, most of my family traditions are centered around the foods of each holiday. By exploring Jewish culture and tradition through cooking demos, lessons and delicious end results we are sure to build lasting community and memories. Plus, we all know New Orleans has some of the best food in the world, so I can’t wait to try new foods, learn new spins to holiday traditions, and support some of the amazing Jewish (and non-Jewish) chefs and restaurateurs in the area. I can’t wait to plan a program that connects Jewish culture to one of my favorite things about New Orleans! PS restaurant recommendations are always welcome.

5. I have an idea I want to share or am interested in getting involved with the Leventhal Center, how can I do this?

Please feel free to share my information with your networks and reach out to me any time!

The best way to reach me is via email at erica@jewishnola.com, and I am happy to talk by phone, Zoom, or meet for a socially distanced coffee. Simply email me to set up a time to chat. The Leventhal Center also has a growing online presence found at www.facebook.com/interfaithnola and www.jewishnola.com/interfaith. I can’t wait to connect with you soon!

December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

31

Thank you to all of our Federation Patrons for your support in 2020!

A proud member of the Dignity MemorialÂŽ network

32 December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

Jewish Family Service Prioritize Your Mental Health Many people are struggling with the strain of the last several months.

You don’t need to struggle alone. JFS is here. Our professional staff consider your individual needs and concerns when building a care plan with you. Reach out.

Shine A Light In The Darkness This Chanukah: Become a Friend of JFS While this long and difficult year is drawing to a close, many of our neighbors are still struggling. As we celebrate the Festival of Lights, consider the families who feel in the dark. You can help them. Help JFS shine a brighter light for the lost friends, struggling neighbors, and vulnerable families of our community. Become a Friend of JFS. Chag Sameach!

jfsneworleans.org/donate 3300 W. Esplanade Ave. S. Suite 603, Metairie, LA 70002

Workshops for Mental Health Professionals

Support Our Programs and Grab a Last Minute Tax Break!

The end of the year is here! Gift a vehicle to JFS this holiday. We accept cars, trucks, and even boats as a form of fundraising. We’ll also pick it up for free — running or not.

Visit our website or call 877-537-4227 to give.

December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

33

Silver Anniversary 25

C elebrating

Y ears

of

JCDs

‫אין העולם מתקיים אלא בשביל הבל תינוקות של בית רבן‬ The world could not exist without the sound of children learning torah.

| Supporting our 2020-2021 Annual Campaign |

With Very Special Thanks To

Franco Family SuSan and Howard Green liS and HuGo KaHn

linda and ricHard Friedman Henry and Tracey Fodor SmiTH lynne and micHael waSSerman

rocHelle adler eFFron and marK eFFron caTHy and morriS BarT ann BerenSon GoldFarB, laurie BerenSon maaS, leS BerenSon, and roBerT BerenSon caHn Family oScar J. TolmaS cHariTaBle TruST SuSan and william HeSS Heymann-wolF FoundaTion Francine and JonaTHan m. laKe daSHKa and larry leHmann carole and ricHard neFF lynn and arTHur Penn madilyn and alvin SamuelS deBBie and JonaTHan ScHlacKman Karen and leoPold SHer laurie and Paul STerBcow

T his year, Jewish Community Day School of Greater New Orleans celebrates its Silver Anniversary. In preparation for this 25-year milestone, we seek to honor the breadth and depth of our supporters with a permanent tribute display within the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus. This installation will bear the names of those who have made Jewish education possible in our community, people who understand that an exceptional Jewish day school education strengthens the Jewish identity and Jewish engagement of our children to support the continuity of the Jewish people.

P lease join us to support this year’s annual campaign while taking the unique opportunity to connect your name with Jewish education in our community for generations to come. Let these names inspire our students to continue their Jewish journey for the rest of their lives.

Silver Patron Levels

Crown $36,000+ | Torah Shield $25,000 Yad $10,000 | Menorah $5,400

Green Patron Levels

Rimon $3,600 | Parochet $1,800 Mezuzah $1,080 | Star $540 Each patron level gift receives a special plaque on our Silver Forever Wall. Patron gifts or pledges must be received by December 15th to have names included on the wall.

To become a patron, make a general donation, or for more information, please visit jcdsnola.org or contact Tiffany Cotlar at tcotlar@jcdsnola.org.

Jewish Endowment Foundation A Tale of David and his Charitable Gift Annuity David tended to be cautious. It’s not that he had any extraordinary • Be backed by all the assets of the Jewish Endowment Foundation concerns or worries, but David is the type who watches out the window of Louisiana. to see if the mailman is on time today. He reconciles his checking • Offer stable payments, even if investment markets were to slump. account immediately once it arrives, and he spends an hour or more • Give him a significant income tax charitable deduction on this each month reading his brokerage statement. year’s return.

Then something came along that eased his worried mind. A friend • Provide a report (Form 1099R) from JEF every January for tax told him about the charitable gift annuity at the Jewish Endowment purposes.

Foundation of Louisiana that the friend had established a couple of • Give him satisfaction that his contribution would make a signifiyears earlier. David’s friend pointed out that the process was simple and the payments were like clockwork. David called Bobby Garon, cant difference to his Jewish community.

JEF’s Executive Director, and was pleasantly surprised to discover what David wrote a check, set up his charitable gift annuity for quarterly a charitable gift annuity could do for him. payments, and now has one less worry in life. Every quarter he receives his annuity check from JEF like clockwork.

He learned that it would: Interested in eliminating one worry out of your life? If you would like an illustration of how a charitable gift annuity could work for you, • Provide payments for the rest of his life, no matter how long he call Bobby Garon or Patti Lengsfield at (504) 524-4559. lives.

• Provide partially tax-free payments during his life expectancy.

Tulane Hillel Having explored New Orleans over the past several years as Tulane undergraduates, student-leaders Sari Abolafia ‘22, Rebecca Cormack ‘21, Julia Barron ‘21 and Emily Ross ‘21 joined together to create Serendipitous Sounds, a special pandemic-friendly twist on one our most popular programs, Open Mic Night. Small groups reserved in-person spots, or joined by Zoom, at Margaret Place on a beautiful evening of live music under the stars, featuring local artists. With music close to their hearts, the event struck a chord with these members of Hillel’s Tulane Jewish Leaders program.

In their own words: “Serendipitous Sounds was centered around one of the things that I longed for most during quarantine, live music and community. From that central idea to bring people together with music, we worked as a team to figure out how this was possible while keeping all attendees and performers safe and comfortable. In August, I never imagined that we would be able to pull off an event as beautiful as this one, from the performances to the venue to the community gathered – it was truly one of my most cherished evenings in my college career.” – Julia Barron ‘21

“As a senior at Tulane, the last four years have been filled with concerts and shows that make going to school in New Orleans an experience like no other. Once the pandemic hit and we were sent home from school, live music was one of the things I found myself missing most. Local musicians were hit hard by the pandemic, and throughout the summer we looked for ways to support New Orleans artists the best we could. Once we returned to school in August, we met to bring this vision to life by safely bringing live music back to the Tulane community. We found a venue that could host a socially-distant crowd outside and worked with local artists to put together a music-filled night. We could never have imagined how beautiful and fun the event turned out! It was moving to see the local musicians we love back on the stage, and just as moving to be able to come together again (safely) with the Tulane community.” – Emily Ross ‘21 For photos and a video from the event, visit: https://www.tulanehillel.org/serendipitous-sounds/. For more photos of Tulane Hillel student-programming, check out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ tuhillel/albums.

December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

35

Jewish Community Center Series Offers the Humor and Happiness We All Need This year the Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Series features films shown in socially distant screenings at the Uptown JCC and virtual author talks held in partnership with the Nashville and Memphis Jewish Community Centers. Events are free and open to the community.

Prepare to laugh on Dec. 15 as author and comedian Alan Zweibel shares his newest book, “Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funny.” Zweibel started his comedy career selling jokes for $7 apiece to the last of the Borscht Belt standups. Then one night, despite bombing on stage, he caught the attention of Lorne Michaels and became one of the first writers at “Saturday Night Live,” where he penned classic material for Gilda Radner, John Belushi and all of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.” From SNL, he went on to have a hand in a series of landmark shows including “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Throughout the pages of “Laugh Lines,” Zweibel weaves together his own stories and interviews with his friends and contemporaries including Richard Lewis, Eric Idle, Bob Saget, Mike Birbiglia, Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Dave Barry, Carl Reiner and more. Join us online at 7 p.m. for this fascinating and humorous behind-the-scenes look at some of America’s funniest people. The link will be posted at nojcc.org in early December.

The final film of the series is the documentary “Aulcie,” the inspiring true story of Aulcie Perry, a basketball legend who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to an upset win in the European Championship. In the summer

of 1976, Aulcie Perry was playing basketball in Harlem when he was signed by a scout for Maccabi Tel Aviv. A year later, while taking the team to new heights, Perry converted to Judaism and became one of Israel’s biggest stars. Behind the scenes, though, all was not well. This is the story of a remarkable athlete who captured the spirit of a nation.

Screenings will be held on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. Individual, prepackaged movie snacks will be served. Masks are required and a temperature and wellness check will be performed upon entry.

This event open to all, but tickets are limited and must be reserved in advance at nojcc.org.

Back Field Boot Camp

More Group Exercise Classes Coming to the J The JCC continues to expand its group exercise schedule, adding new classes at both locations. Our popular, high-energy Zumba class is back in Metairie, and to our seniors’ delight, in-person chair exercise classes have returned Uptown. New cycling, yoga and mat Pilates classes have been added to the schedule, which already includes classes for all levels and interests ranging from gentle, low impact classes to high intensity, full body workouts.

Providing the camaraderie and motivation of a group setting while giving everyone room to practice safe “social fitnessing,” group exercise classes are offered outside on the pool decks and the back fields, and also in Uptown’s open air Bart Family Pavilion. Additionally, Uptown offers Aqua Fitness in both the outdoor and indoor pools, though the class sizes are much smaller inside. Beginning in December as the weather becomes colder, low impact group classes with a limited number of participants will be offered in our spacious gymnasiums.

Celebrate Chanukah with the JCC! Our Chanukah plans are evolving as we evaluate the potential for safe community gatherings in New Orleans. However, we are planning to celebrate the Festival of Lights and want you to join us, whether in-person at a drive-by event or virtually! As soon as details are finalized, we will share them online at nojcc.org and on the Federation’s community calendar.

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December 2020 • The Jewish Newsletter

Classes are free to gold members and $10 for silver members. Reservations are required and may be made through our online registration system or by calling the desks.

A complete listing of in-person and virtual classes can be found at nojcc. org/group-exercise-schedule. To join the JCC and gain access to our full range of fitness and wellness offerings, visit nojcc.org/membership for details and to schedule a tour.

community Tulane Jewish Leaders lets students explore their passions

By Alicia Serrano The Tulane Jewish Leaders program by Tulane Hillel provides students, both Jewish and non-Jewish, the opportunity to create their own impactful community programming and events reflecting diverse interests while building connections and leadership skills.

Open to all Tulane undergraduate students, the program has been offered

by Tulane Hillel for the past 10 years, with students creating more than 130 com- Students in TJL recently created a munity programs annually. mural outside Tulane Hillel’s restaurant, The goal of the program is Rimon, to show others where to stand for students to get involved while waiting for their food and to in existing programs creat- remind them to socially distance. ed by other student leaders, as well as develop their own programs centered around their interests, incorporating a community-driven element.

Over the years, Tulane Jewish Leaders created programs and events such as clothing swaps, coastal restoration activities, urban farming and planting, mindfulness and meditation activities, art therapy, cooking, jewelry making and more.

Liza Sherman, chief operating and programs officer at Tulane Hillel, said students have the ability to create programs around topics and ideas about which they are passionate.

“It’s totally what students want to do and when they want to do it,” she said.

Sherman said there are five staff mentors who assist students with honing and developing their ideas into programs. Staff mentors also help students find ways to become involved in assisting and collaborating with other students’ programs, bringing fresh perspectives.

“Typically, on a program planning committee, it’ll be a combination of friends that someone with an idea might recruit to help, along with one or two new people coming together to work on a team to develop the project and have a great event.”

Julia Barron, a senior majoring in Spanish, has been involved in Tulane Jewish Leaders since she was a first-year student. She had a background in creating programs for her Jewish youth group in high school. TJL offered her the opportunity to continue that and to become more involved in the creation process.

“I enjoyed how accepting the program was of a variety of different ideas and provided me with the autonomy to be in the ‘driver’s seat’ of my interests and create programs around them,” Barron said.

Over the years, Barron has designed programs such as a sustainable clothing swap, an annual Friendsgiving, which gathers the community over a free Thanksgiving meal, and “Yak and a Snack,” which includes an afternoon kayaking on Bayou St. John. She also conceived “Lift Like a Girl,” a program in partnership with the Reily Student Recreation Center that provided young women the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of lifting weights without the pressure of teaching themselves in an often intimidating weight room, and a yoga class that featured a panel of New

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community Orleans-based women discussing their professions.

A number of Tulane Jewish Leaders are active in other organizations or sororities/fraternities, and the program allows those students to cross-collaborate as well, Sherman said.

“We’re all about driving connections.”

The program has facilitated partnerships with local organizations in the city, such as Grow On Urban Farms, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Covenant House, The Edible Schoolyard, Anna’s Arts for Kids, and restaurants, such as Saba, Lebanon’s and Maple Street Patisserie.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tulane Jewish Leaders have still been able to host programming within public health guidelines.

Sherman said recent programs have moved outside and practice socially distancing. When food is involved, it has been individually packaged and there is a designated area where students can pick it up.

TJL student leaders recently painted a mural outside Tulane Hillel’s restaurant, Rimon, to show others where to stand while waiting for their food and to remind them to socially distance. Students also created a craft experience in which they created tie-dye face masks for themselves and for donation (below).

Additionally, programs in the community have been closer in proximity to Tulane Hillel since the start of the pandemic.

“We’ve done a number of meditation walks in Jean Lafitte Park on the West Bank, so we’re now probably going to do those in Couturie Forest in City Park,” Sherman said as an example.

Sherman said the program is seeking students who are action-oriented and who want to make a positive impact on the community.

“I believe that being a part of TJL has been the most fundamental part of my college career because of its unique ability to provide me with a platform to plan programming related to my passions and become deeply involved in all the fundamental processes that go along with the planning, such as working closely with a team, delegating responsibility, responding quickly to changes and, most of all, creativity,” Barron said.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community

Photos by J. Hun-En Joswick

Student actors Allyn Hackman, left, and Cameron Mayers

“Anne and Emmett” inspire action Play about meeting between historical figures has first Mississippi performances

By Richard Friedman It was a trip Cameron Mayers had to make, driving 90 miles and 65 years back into history.

Mayers, an 18-year-old Mississippi State University freshman, would play Emmett Till in a November campus production of “Anne and Emmett.” The play imagines a conversation in the afterlife between Till, an African-American teen brutally murdered by white racists in 1955, and Anne Frank, a Jewish teen who died in the Holocaust.

The one-act play, which debuted in 2009, was written by Janet Langhart Cohen, a TV journalist and author. She is married to former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen. She is African-American, Cohen has Jewish roots on his father’s side.

Till was murdered in Mississippi. The Mississippi State production, done in tandem with a production at Hattiesburg’s William Carey University, marks what is believed to be the first time “Anne and Emmett” has been produced in the state.

This significance was not lost on Mayers, an impressive young man who grew up in Pearl, Miss., who was headed for Yale until family illness kept him closer to home. Aside from his satisfaction over winning the part, he was moved by the chance to play Emmett Till.

Mayers was well-aware of the Till saga, having grown up in Mississippi.

“I don’t think there was a time in my life that I didn’t know Emmett’s story. It was ingrained in my memory.”

This is not true of every young Mississippian. “One of the things I learned through this process is that a lot of people my age don’t know the story of Emmett Till,” said Mayers. “The story needs to be told. It’s a dark moment but it’s a moment that led to the Civil Rights movement and to where we are as a nation today.”

The MSU actor was familiar with Anne Frank’s story. As a youngster he visited a Holocaust education center in Houston, Texas, with his uncle.

Anne Frank and her famed diary were featured. “My uncle didn’t sugarcoat anything. He told me her story, what she went through, what the Jewish people went through.”

Mayers embraced his role with professionalism and passion. He immersed himself in the part, making the 90 minute drive from the MSU campus in Starkville to Money, a dot on the Mississippi map just north of Greenwood. Money, which likely would have remained under the radar like many small towns, is widely known among Civil Rights historians and others who know the Till story.

The Till murder and its aftermath played a major role in igniting the December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

39

community Civil Rights movement. Some historians believe it was the catalyst that started this dramatic wave of change.

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Till, from Chicago, was visiting family in the Money area. There are conflicting reports about what happened. However, all accounts acknowledge that somehow the 14-year-old boy offended a white woman working in a country store.

This triggered racist rage in her husband and his half-brother, who kidnapped and murdered Till and dumped his body in a river. “I wanted to dig more into the character, that’s why I went to the sites,” explained Mayers.

He not only dug into the character, he dug into himself. “Being in the actual space where he was murdered, the tin shed where the climax of Emmett’s life occurred, was an experience I will never forget. It opened my eyes, not just as an actor but as a human being.”

Watching a recent performance online, one could tell how moved all the actors were and how vested they were emotionally. Mayers, an African-American teenager himself, said that as the play unfolds he forgets who he is and becomes Emmett Till.

The stage setting was understated and stark.

The dialogue was simple; mainly because this imagined tale tells itself. It is that powerful. It needs no embellishment.

Anne and Emmett meet in a place called “Memory.” Like many teens, they are standoffish at first. It is their shared experience that draws them to each other as they peel and probe their traumatic pasts. The actors become the characters; you forget the characters are actors.

The show is painful. The dialogue is penetrating. Yet it is never desperate. From the start you sense the play is moving toward a redemptive conclusion. This is because the play forces you to reflect and ponder. And, after taking a deep breath, to resolve never to stand by idly when hatred begins to rear its violent head.

Particularly powerful was MSU student actor Allyn Hackman’s portrayal of Anne Frank.

Hackman, a 21-year-old theatre major from Madison, Miss., did a masterful job of capturing Anne’s European accent and demeanor. She looked like Anne with her dark hair and dark eyes.

Playwright Langhart, in a post-performance chat with the cast, spotlighted Hackman for her outstanding performance, especially her reflection of the nuances in Frank’s character.

Anne Frank and the Holocaust have been an important part of Hackman’s life since seventh grade, when she first encountered Frank’s diary.

Since then, Hackman has committed herself to studying the Holocaust; thinking about it constantly, reading and watching everything she

community can, and visiting key European sites, including the Dachau concentration camp with her father.

“Walking into the concentration camp was absolutely horrifying,” said Hackman. She was 15 at the time, the same age as Anne.

“Playing Anne Frank has been an honor.”

Not A Given As a white Christian, Hackman has grown up with “privilege,” she said, free from persecution or being disadvantaged by her faith or skin color.

Playing Anne Frank reminded her that this is not the way it is for everybody, and also that life is fragile — freedom, security, happiness and serenity are not a given and can evaporate quickly if hate-driven people ascend to power.

Hackman, engaging and inspirational, sees theatre as a way to change the world. “I believe the audience is the world — and having people watch you perform is a way to bring new ideas to life. What I especially want to do is encourage audiences to embrace and promote diversity, such as the musical ‘Hamilton’ has done so brilliantly.”

This young Mississippian believes that theatre should be a tool for getting people to think about things they haven’t thought about and pushing them beyond their comfort zone. Clearly, these beliefs shaped her portrayal of Anne Frank.

A driving force behind selecting and producing the play, and helping students such as Mayers and Hackman change the world, was Tonya Hays, assistant professor of theatre performance at Mississippi State.

She and faculty colleagues Matt Webb, who designed the set and lighting, and Melanie Harris, who costumed the play, convened a Zoom call

last summer with the student theatre community regarding productions for the coming year.

The conversation took place amid the racial turmoil that was consuming the country. Students felt an urgency. They wanted to assert their voices — and educate about hatred.

This led Hays to “Anne and Emmett,” a perfect choice. “The play helps students address the complicated history of Mississippi, Civil Rights and racial injustice,” she noted.

Hays, though Catholic, also had a soft spot in her heart for scripts with a Jewish dimension. This stemmed from directing “Fiddler on the Roof ” in a previous job in Gulfport. Through that experience, she and the all-Christian cast bonded with a local synagogue. In addition to a cross, she wears a Jewish star around her neck.

So a play linking Emmett Till and Anne Frank definitely caught this theatre professor’s attention and ignited her passion. Even watching it online, you could feel her pride and sense of purpose coursing through the show, along with her evident determination to help her students make the impact they wanted.

She succeeded.

Students who worked on the play adopted the mantra “Tikkun Olam.”

This Hebrew phrase and Jewish imperative affirms that one’s sacred duty is to help repair a broken world. The students have claimed it as their own; Tikkun Olam has become their rallying cry.

Hays, talking about the play the day before it debuted, said, “Emmett and Anne don’t just tell their stories. They challenge the audience to go out and make a difference. That is the beauty of the play.”

She was wearing a Tikkun Olam button as she spoke.

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

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community With summer camp returning, so is scholarship assistance from JCRS Everyone connected with summer camping hopes that a normal summer season — or at least, something close to normal — will happen this year.

For New Orleans-based Jewish Children’s Regional Service, which provides need-based camp scholarship assistance, there is some unfinished business from last year for many families, who received scholarship awards but summer sessions were cancelled. For those families, there is no need to reapply for this summer, but there is a form on the JCRS website that does need to be filled out.

For new and returning campers. the application process is also done entirely online at jcrs.org. Those who applied for the summer of 2019 can use the shorter Returning Camper form, while those who have not applied in the last two years or are first-time applicants need to use the longer form.

Last year, the New Orleans-based social service agency provided partial scholarship funding for over 300 Jewish youth in a seven-state region to attend a non-profit Jewish sleepaway camp.

Campers must be entering grades 3 to 12 in the fall of 2021, and must reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas. The priority consideration deadline is Feb. 15.

In addition to the online application, several documents need to be uploaded — a PDF of the most current Federal tax return for the parents or guardians, the most current W2s and 1099 forms and a copy of the final 2020 pay stub if the 2020 W-2 has not yet been received.

Financial information is required from all legal parents and guardians, and permission must be given for JCRS to work with other local organizations that give camp scholarship assistance.

Applications for siblings can be combined if all legal parents or guardians are the same.

Additional Initiatives For example, in the Birmingham area, Collat Jewish Family Services receives support from camp scholarship funds at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation and is ready to assist families in applying for local and regional scholarships. In several other communities, synagogues have their own camp scholarship funds, especially for camps in their movements.

Another program offers up to $1,500 per camper in a grant that is not based on need. The Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience, administered by the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, provides a one-time grant for first-time sleepaway campers from Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle. The deadline for applications is March 31.

There is also a new initiative, the RoseMary and Saul Brooks Fund for Jewish Youth Engagement, which was recently announced by JEF. The fund will provide an incentive grant of at least $550 for up to 10 Jewish children from rural parts of Louisiana to attend a Jewish nonprofit sleepaway summer camp annually and be able to connect with Jewish peers.

To be eligible, students must have at least one Jewish parent and identify as Jewish themselves, reside full-time for the past year in a Louisiana community that is outside of the major metropolitan areas such as New Orleans or Baton Rouge, be entering grades one to 12 after camp and be attending a nonprofit Jewish sleepaway camp. One application must be submitted per child, and they can reapply each year they are eligible.

Funding is limited and available on a first-come first-served basis. Applications will be reviewed by a small group, including JEF staff, Board, and a representative of the Brooks family, and funds will be paid directly to the camp.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

New Orleans Avodah corps members recently held a Conflict Resolution Fall Retreat in Saraland, Ala.

Despite Covid, Avodah retools to continue serving the community With the medical and economic needs of vulnerable members of society exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and shutdowns, this is a time when social service agencies are in even greater demand for assistance.

But when the pandemic began, Avodah faced a serious question: How to run a service corps based on a communal living model in the middle of a pandemic, and continue to serve the agencies in New Orleans that depend on Avodah participants.

Since the agency arrived in New Orleans in 2008, each year Avodah has supplied 10 to 12 corps members that are matched with local anti-poverty agencies, giving them young adults who are passionate about social justice work and saving each agency at least $20,000 per year in personnel costs.

Dani Levine, former New Orleans director of Avodah and now the national service corps director, said the Avodah Bayit, the communal house for corps members, has always been a central part of the Avodah experience. “If you can’t solve the problem of getting along with the person who can’t do the dishes, you can’t solve the problems of the world,” she said.

During a pandemic where social interaction is limited, she said, Avodah is a built-in community with its own “pods.” Still, with new corps

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community members typically arriving in early fall, there was a question of how to do that safely.

In discussions, “it became very clear we should run the corps and have communal living be an option,” so living in the house in New Orleans and other communities served by Avodah would not be mandatory.

Nevertheless, “the overwhelming majority elected to live in the house,” and all the spots were filled. “We actually had more applicants than the last couple of years.”

Local and national medical advisors were consulted, and the length of orientation was extended as incoming corps members were asked what type of quarantine was possible prior to arrival.

“We started a very robust protocol development, taking into account all the situations,” guided by Avodah’s values, Levine said. Avodah has a 60-page booklet on Covid policies. Consideration went into engagement in protests, daily life in the home, travel for holidays, Shabbat observance and more.

Corps members were given individual travel plans and a sanitizing package for their travel, with most doing a full two week quarantine before arrival.

In New Orleans, there were nine residents in mid-October with two more entering a quarantine process before moving in. An additional apartment was obtained in case a quarantine space is needed.

Of course, the corps members work with different agencies in differing circumstances.

Levine said half were working virtually from the house, while half were going to their placements in person, but many of them were still not seeing clients in person.

For those involved with groups dealing with criminal justice, Levine said the state had suspended all jail visits. “People who are locked up in Louisiana haven’t been able to see anyone from outside since March.”

For those who are working in person and seeing clients “we have a system to mitigate risk of exposure to the rest of the house.” In some communities with larger houses, there is actually a split between virtual and in-person workers, and even who can use which bathroom is based on exposure outside the house.

Levine said she has been impressed with how so many non-profits have pivoted to a virtual world to meet needs, and also knowing when virtual is not meeting a need. “Everyone making these decisions lowers the risk for those who have to be in the public sphere.”

Being in New Orleans is a benefit, because other communities have much colder weather, limiting what can be done outdoors. In Washington, for example, Avodah bought outdoor

heat lamps for activities. “We’re trying to be creative, ask corps members what they need,” Levine said.

That also includes mental health. Avodah added a national mental health advisor, and has two rabbis in residence for spiritual guidance and social justice education.

Hayle Meyerhoff is working as a unanimous jury specialist with the Promise of Justice Initiative. With the Louisiana practice of allowing non-unanimous jury convictions being struck down, the initiative is interviewing those convicted under the old system to see who could possibly be eligible for a new trial.

Halle Young works as an institutional memory project manager at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center, which looks at art as an often-overlooked method of social change.

Miriam Teller is an outreach coordinator at the Oretha Castle Boulevard Merchants and Busi-ness Association, which uses community development as a means for social change.

EXCELth does dental outreach, as it is “a critical need that isn’t met for many people in Louisiana and one of those loopholes that falls through Medicaid or Obamacare,” Levine said.

When Covid hit, many mobile dental units were converted to mobile Covid testing centers. Hava Liebowitz is an outreach coordinator for mobile dental services.

Levine said Avodah helps corps members and the community at large see the connections among health care, education, criminal justice and art, and leverage connections among the Corps members to help people in the community. “People we serve are being affected by all these things.”

Other Corps members this year include Emma Fischer, assistant office manager and programs administrator at The First 72+/Rising Foundations; Emily Williams, Investigations Fellow at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center; Aaron Rothko, move-in specialist at UNITY of Greater New Orleans; Claire Singer, program assistant at Innocence Project New Orleans; Rachel Snyderman, client and family assistance associate at The Promise of Justice Initiative; Reilly Loynd, organizing and membership development assistant at Voice of the Experienced (VOTE); and Talia Bromberg, communications coordinator at the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition.

At the Avodah gala in August, CEO Cheryl Cook said when Avodah expanded into New Orleans after Katrina, “we found a community committed to overcome.” With Covid and the fight for racial justice across the country now, “the resilience and care we saw in New Orleans is the resilience and care we need in our country right now.”

Bubba, now that Mississippi has rid itself of the Confederate battle flag in its state flag… it can’t possibly be true that the battle flag was originally designed to not offend Southern Jews… right?

A:

Seems kind of silly to think that, right? A flag that is now the epitome of all that is politically incorrect was actually a nod to political correctness?

The banner that was adopted by the Klan and other white supremacist and antisemitic groups, designed in a manner to not offend Jews?

Preposterous.

But it’s true.

How did this come about? After the Confederate States seceded and war broke out in 1861, the Confederate States adopted what is known as the Stars and Bars as the national flag — with a blue square in the upper left corner, an arrangement of stars and three stripes in red and white.

That design was very familiar, and on the battlefield it was too familiar — too much like the United States flag. It soon became apparent, based on confusion during the First Battle of Bull Run, that the Confederates needed to march under a different banner.

Designer William Porcher Miles, chair of the Flag Committee, was inspired by a South Carolina Sovereignty Flag that was a red background with a blue vertical cross studded with white stars, along with the crescent moon and palmetto tree so often linked to South Carolina.

When getting input about the flag, “Southerner of Jewish persuasion” Charles Moise suggested “the symbol of a particular religion not

be made the symbol of the nation,” as represented by the vertical cross.

In a letter to Gen. Beauregard, Miles explained why he then submitted a design that “was my favorite,” with the cross at an angle, as an X, making it “more heraldic than ecclesiastical” as the “saltire of heraldry.”

Miles added that the new design “avoided the religious objection about the cross (from the Jews and many Protestant sects), because it did not stand out so conspicuously as if the cross had been placed upright.”

The flag was adopted by the Army of Northern Virginia, and only after the war became popular as a symbol of the Confederacy. Then, during the civil rights battles, it became a symbol of Southern defiance against northern dictates and court rulings to desegregate.

So the next time you run into what Kinky Friedman refers to in his song “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Any More” as an “ethnocentric racist” waving that flag, feel free to completely ruin his day by referencing this article.

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

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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community

A rift in the family?

Rabbi-Author looks at the philosophical divide between American Jews, Israel

By Richard Friedman Family issues often are complicated. They can be fraught with misunderstanding, hurt, resentment, power shifts and changing attitudes over time. All of this becomes particularly important when the family is the American Jewish community and the Jews of Israel — once perceived of, whether correctly or not, as brothers and sisters, and today perhaps more accurately as cousins. But still family members who need each other despite occasional tensions.

These were some of the takeaways from an online program hosted on Oct. 18 by the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Photo courtesy Israel Hadari Photography Relations Council, featuring well- Daniel Gordis known author, scholar and rabbi Daniel Gordis, who grew up in Baltimore and moved to Israel in 1998.

Gordis, 61, is a popular figure within the organized American Jewish community, largely because of his ability to bring clarity to confusing and complex questions and help American Jews better understand the history of Israel and the unique challenges its people face.

Gordis’ topic was headlined “Understanding American Jewish-Israel Relations.” His comments were framed by his 2019 book “We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel.” The thrust of Gordis’ book, according to a review in the Wall Street Journal, is, “America and Israel are fundamentally different enterprises; the two have opposing missions and values that have engendered an abiding and probably irreconcilable conflict between American and Israeli Jews.”

A Gordis strength is that he is in effect a “scholar for the masses.” He has the ability to reach deep into the Jewish historical and cultural experience while tapping into contemporary events, then draw conclusions that are rich in nuance and informative in substance. That skill was on display as he gave participants a “30,000-foot” view of the pressure points between Israelis and American Jews, rather than drilling down on any particular issue.

He noted that for Jews, as well as other Americans, the American historical experience is vastly different than Israel’s. America was founded on a universal vision, articulated clearly, he noted, by such figures as Thomas Jefferson and Emma Lazarus. Their vision was that America could be a place for all to prosper, even though that hasn’t always been the case. By contrast, Israel’s David Ben-Gurion, the country’s founding father, had a different point of view. The Israel Ben-Gurion and his associates created was “particularistic,” not universal. It was to be a Jewish country, for Jews and of Jews, ready to welcome any Jew at any time.

While Israel is a democracy in the sense that it has free elections, free speech, a free press and an independent judiciary, it is not a democracy in the sense that the United States is, a country that was established with no preferred religion. Thus two branches of the Jewish family, one in America and one in Israel, have come of age under vastly different democratic cultures. Israeli particularism, Gordis acknowledged, can sometimes frustrate American Jews.

America’s universalism versus Israel’s particularism is further en46

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community shrined in their national symbols. America’s flag, he suggested, has no obvious features, other than what it represents historically, that distinguishes it from the flags of other nations.

Israel’s flag is uniquely Jewish, not only with its Star of David but also it was created to suggest a tallit, the religious prayer shawl.

Another factor that has complicated the relationship is the shift in demographics. At the time of Israel’s rebirth as a modern Jewish state in 1948, it had 650,000 Jews and was a fragile country, striving to survive. It also was heavily dependent on the financial and political support of the American Jewish community.

Today, there are more Jews in Israel than in the United States — an astonishing shift in 72 years. Israel today is considered by both its allies and adversaries to be a significant military and economic power. This remarkable transformation, which few could have envisioned in 1948, has made Israel much less dependent on American Jewry.

The trend will likely continue. Gordis said by 2043, less than 100 years after Israel’s rebirth, the country is projected to have twice as many Jews as America.

Divergence Compounding what many see as a “rift” between American Jews and Israel is a considerable divergence in opinion when it comes to U.S. President Donald Trump. American Jews continue to vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic candidate for president and are expected to do so again in the upcoming election. Israelis, on the other hand, support President Trump by a significant margin, believing that his administration has significantly enhanced the well-being of their country. Gordis suggests that those things about Trump that trouble American Jews are insignificant to Israelis who focus on the interests of their country first.

Many American Jews view the Palestinian issue differently than many Israelis do. American Jews see it as far more urgent and an indication of an “occupation” that is corrupting Israel’s soul. Most Israelis don’t see it that way.

They see it as a political and security issue that needs to be settled but aren’t quite sure how to do that. What is significant, Gordis said, is that the Arab states are losing interest in the Palestinians, blaming them more and more for their own plight. He contends that the Arab-Israeli conflict, as it was traditionally viewed as a conflict between countries is over, especially given the recent agreements Israel has signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and the continued warming of relations with Saudi Arabia. The Arabs have come to see how an alliance with Israel can benefit them — technologically, military and economically, especially given

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community their concern about Iran.

The implication is that the issue, despite the opinion of American Jews, won’t have the urgency that they would like.

Nonetheless, Gordis believes, American Jews and Israelis still need each other. One is a practical reason. Antisemitism is a genuine concern today, even in the U.S. Jewish history shows that every successful Jewish diaspora eventually encountered an antisemitic backlash which often emanates simultaneously from the far left and the far right. He said he wasn’t predicting that this was about to happen in America, though he did note that one of the cornerstones of the Zionist vision is to make sure that there is a sovereign and strong Jewish state for Jews to flee to in times of distress.

The other reason American Jews and Israel need each other goes back to basics. Together, we are stronger. Gordis recalled a famous slogan of the United Jewish Appeal, a forerunner of today’s national Federation organization, Jewish Federations of North America. The slogan was, “We Are One.” To achieve that though, requires humility — on both sides, he stressed.

As in any family, there has to be some give and take and a willingness to cut the other some slack. Transmitting this message seems to be Gordis’ ultimate mission in discussing and writing about the rift he describes in his book. “Let’s use humility to begin building a better future for all of us,” he urges.

Sounding as much like a family therapist as a rabbi and a writer, among his final words were these: “Our goal should not be to wait until the other side starts behaving as we wish they would behave, but to increase our understanding of why the other side behaves the way it does.”

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

On Nov. 15, just after Veteran’s Day, a historical marker was erected in Knoxville to honor Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, the only American soldier honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jews during the Holocaust — in this case, an estimated 200 American Jewish prisoners of war. Despite a Nazi guard’s gun pointed at his head, as senior officer in charge of his fellow 1,275 American prisoners he refused to separate the Jewish soldiers from the others in his group and hand them over to the Nazis. He died in 1985 having never told his family about the incident, which his son later learned about by chance. The marker was erected by the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, the Edmonds family, Knox County and the City of Knoxville, next to the East Tennessee History Building Museum. The dedication ceremony will occur this coming spring or summer.

chanukah

Chanukah events in region making do with Covid restrictions With Covid cases surging nationally, Chanukah plans are up in the air, but some plans have been announced. Check sjlmag.com for ongoing updates, as some events may not be able to take place if additional restrictions on gatherings are announced.

All events will require masks and social distancing.

The Jewish Children’s Regional Service annual Chanukah celebration, Latkes with a Twist, has been cancelled for this year in New Orleans and Austin. A virtual Jewish Roots gala is being planned for April.

Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh of Alexandria will have a video event each night of Chanukah, lighting the menorah, sharing a song and a prayer, on her Facebook page, rabbijudy. The short program will be at 5 p.m. each night, from Dec. 10 to 17.

Julie Silver, a leading figure in contemporary Jewish music, will be in concert on the first night of Chanukah as part of the cultural programming at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life.

The 7 p.m. event on Dec. 10 starts with everyone lighting their menorahs together on Zoom, followed by a concert.

By the age of 18, the Massachusetts native was a song leader at events throughout the Reform movement, and also played the coffeehouses in Boston. She is now one of the most sought-after songleaders in the country.

Currently, communities that have signed on for the event include Temple Beth-El in Birmingham, the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama,

Beth Shalom and B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge, B’nai Zion in Shreveport and Beth Israel in Jackson.

Chabad of Baton Rouge and several other small-community Chabads nationwide will host a Chanukah concert with African-American Chassidic rapper Nissim Baruch Black, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The free concert Julie Silver will include his story about going from being a gangster in Seattle to a Chassid in Israel.

“Oy to the World,” a made-in-Alabama film that debuted earlier this year, will be available on YouTube during Chanukah.

Directed by Yvette Hochberg, the film is the second in a Rabbi Trilogy that began with “Riding with the Rabbi.” The third film, “The Sukkah,” has not been released yet. Produced with local talent, the films were made in association with the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama and Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery.

“Oy to the World,” which was completed in April, is the story of 10-year-old Sally, who wants a memorable Chanukah despite the efforts

YEAR-END CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS If you are making end of the year charitable contributions please note that the following Internal Revenue Service rules must be followed: • All mail with checks must be postmarked on or before December 31, 2020 • All stock transfers must be completed and in our account on or before December 31, 2020 • To be sure your gift is complete, please don’t wait until the last minute.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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chanukah of her grandmother, Jessica, who wants to help her fit in. The film explores Jewish identity in the heart of the Bible Belt.

The link for the film is youtu.be/3l5OySwI-28, and it will be available from Dec. 10 to 18.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will have its annual Chanukah Bingo night dinner and raffle, with a party from home or in the KI parking lot, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Dinners by David Aaron are pre-ordered by Dec. 7 and are $20. For those doing Zoom from home, dinner and Bingo cards can be picked up from noon to 3 p.m. on Dec. 11. For those attending in the parking lot, enjoy in your car or bring a chair, and dinner will be delivered. Jeff Eliasoph from WVTM-TV will be the guest Bingo caller. One card is included with each dinner, additional cards are $5 and are also available by mail. There will be eight games of Bingo and a raffle for fine gemstones, with tickets at $18 each, five for $80 or 10 for $150.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have a Chanukah celebration on Dec. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Homewood Patriot Park. Rabbi Adam Wright and Cantor Robert Wittner will lead Havdalah and a menorah lighting.

There will be music and sufganiyot from Heavenly Donut Company.

Emanu-El will also have a “Circle of Light” event with “Sister Synagogue” Bavat Ayin in Rosh Ha’Ayin. The Zoom Chanukah event will be at noon on Dec. 13. Bavat Ayin is the only Reform congregation among hundreds of Orthodox congregations in Rosh Ha’Ayin, which is Birmingham’s sister city in Israel and New Orleans’ Partnership2Gether community. Bavat Ayin has struggled to achieve official recognition from the city, having to file suit against the city. In February 2006, Emanu-El presented a Torah to Bavat Ayin.

The Emanu-El Brotherhood is coordinating a Chanukah version of Temple’s Got Talent, with three-minute video entries being accepted through Dec. 8. First through third place will be named based on dollars raised through voting that takes place Dec. 10 to 16. The winners will be inscribed on a plaque at Emanu-El and be able to decide where the funds will be donated.

The annual Grand Menorah Lighting at Birmingham’s Summit will be a drivein event this year, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. in the REI parking lot. The event is coordinated

by Chabad of Alabama, the Levite Jewish Community Center, Birmingham Jewish Federation and the Karl and Gladys Friedman LJCC Fund of the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. Free tickets will be required this year, and can be obtained at menorahlighting.com. Only one ticket is needed per car.

The event will have socially distanced Chanukah festivities, including music, balloons, tall bikes, jugglers, latkes, doughnuts and more. The festivities will begin at 5:15 p.m.

Chabad of Alabama will also have its first-ever Car Menorah Parade, Dec. 17 at 5:15 p.m. Each car will have a magnetic car menorah or Chanukah flag, and the parade will take Chanukah to the streets of Birmingham.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have a public Menorah lighting at Big Spring Park East in Huntsville, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the base of the steps coming down from Court Square.

Chabad of Huntsville will have Light Up The Night on Dec. 13 at 4 p.m., at Bridge Street Town Centre, outside the Belk Courtyard. There will be a grand menorah lighting, latkes, doughnuts, music and a street performer. A car menorah parade will cruise downtown on Dec. 15, start-

chanukah ing at 5 p.m.

Etz Chayim Sisterhood in Huntsville will have a Latke Drive-Thru, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m.

Chabad of Mobile will have Glow in the Dark Chanukah Celebration and Menorah Lighting on Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mobile Convention Center, and Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairhope Municipal Pier. At the Mobile event, there will be remarks from City Council members, and it will be livestreamed for those unable to attend. Both events will feature pre-packaged Chanukah treats, glow in the dark dreidels and Chanukah facemasks. Additionally, menorahs will be displayed at Eastern Shore Center and at 501 Bel Air Boulevard, across from Target.

In many communities, Chabad holds a Mobile Menorah Parade. In Mobile, though, it will be a Chanukah Car Parade. The parade, on Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m., will go from Mobile to Baldwin County, finishing at the Eastern Shore Center for a lighting of the 9-foot menorah. Car decorations are available from Chabad, and to register, email rabbi@chabadofmobile.com.

Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will have a Zoom candlelighting on Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.

Temple Emanu-El in Tuscaloosa is planning an online Chanukah celebration on Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. with congregants lighting their menorahs together. “Unfortunately, this year, we will not provide virtual latkes.”

Florida Panhandle Chabad Emerald Coast in Destin will have a Grand Menorah Lighting on Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Harborwalk Village stage. There will be individually-packaged Chanukah treats, live music and Chanukah souvenirs. The event is free.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will have a Chanukah on the Beach celebration, Dec. 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. at John Beasley Park.

Chabad of Panama City Beach will have its Grand Chanukah Menorah Lighting at Pier Park, in front of the Grand Theatre, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m., with live music from Piamendi of New York. There will also be latkes and doughnuts, and chocolate gelt.

Chabad of Pensacola is collecting canned goods for the needy in the community. The cans will be transformed into a giant menorah that will be lit at City Hall, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. A Light Up Pensacola Chanukah car parade will start at the Chabad center at 4 p.m. and be escorted around town, finishing at the 5 p.m. event at City Hall. A community Chanukah party will be held at the Chabad House the evening of Dec. 17.

Temple Beth-El in Pensacola will have eight nights of Chanukah events. The virtual events are Cooking with Janet and Sydney — Latkes and Applesauce, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m.; Shabbat Chanukah on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.; Antique Menorah Road Show on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.; “Many Candles, One World” with the World Union for Progressive Judaism, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.; Cooking with Janet and Sydney — Sufganiyot on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.; Story Time with Rabbi Joel, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.; Chanukah Comedy with Renee Eilen, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.; and Menorah Lighting with Traditional Songs, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.

Louisiana Chabad of Baton Rouge will hold its annual Chanukah at the State Capitol, Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m. on the front steps. The Gratitude Menorah will honor “Pillars of Light during Covid-19.” There will be latkes, doughnuts, the chocolate gelt drop and more.

December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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chanukah Beth Shalom in Baton Rouge will have a Havdallukah Movie and Pajama Party, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m., with a screening of Disney’s “Full Court Miracle.”

Monroe’s B’nai Israel is planning to hold its annual Chanukah party, subject to any restrictions issued by the governor’s office.

Chanukah at Riverwalk will be a virtual event, “honoring our healthcare heroes,” on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. The annual Chabad Menorah parade will be on Dec. 12 as usual.

Anshe Sfard in New Orleans is tentatively planning to hold its community Chanukah celebration in the yard of Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin, the evening of Dec. 15.

Moishe House and Temple Sinai in New Orleans are partnering for a Chanukah Zoom, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Moishe House will also have a Fried Food Fun Fest before the Saints game Dec. 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. in their backyard, with the fried treats to be announced. Reservations will be required.

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Temple Sinai will have its Chanukah on the Avenue outdoor lighting on Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m., followed by Chanukah Shabbat services at 6 p.m.

Hadassah New Orleans will have its Chanukah party, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. On Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Rabbi Deborah Silver will lead a Zoom program, “Cherishing Your Inner Light.”

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On Dec. 12, there will be a Zoom “Eight Cocktails of Chanukah,” Avi Feingold will lead the mixing, with kits that can be picked up in advance.

Details will be forthcoming. The program is presented by Shir Chadash, Beth Israel and the Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families.

Gates of Prayer Sisterhood in Metairie will hold a mini Chanukah bazaar on Dec. 6 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Weather permitting, it will be held in the parking lot, with some items in the gift shop. There will also be $1 items for J-FLExers.

JNOLA and NOLA Tribe will have a Virtual Chanukah Gelt-Together, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Guest pastry chef Lindsay Morrison will do a cookie demo, with packages of dry ingredients provided for those who register in advance. There will also be a Best Dressed Menorah contest, and then there will be a game of Truth or Dreidel.

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The North Louisiana Jewish Federation’s annual Chanukah party will be on Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Agudath Achim Biblical Garden in Shreveport. The event is free, there is a suggested donation of $18 for dinner.

Because of Covid, the event will be outdoors and requires pre-registration, though at press time there was a chance that increasing restrictions would mean a move to virtual-only for the event. A first-ever kids dreidel tournament is planned, and the boxed meal will feature New York bagels, kosher deli or veggies, and homemade sufganiyot. Donations are being taken to support hurricane relief for Jewish communities in the state.

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Beth Israel in Gulfport will have a pre-Chanukah Women’s Circle event to make sufganiyot and package Chanukah candles for the community, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m.

On Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m., Latkes and Light will be at Beth Israel in Gulfport. There will be a latke bar, Hebrew school performance, raffle and kids craft. Light Up The Night will be on Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Quakes in Ocean Springs, with the lighting of the largest menorah in the state.

Beth Israel in Jackson will have a Virtual Chanukah Happening, with all events on Zoom. There will be a first night menorah lighting on Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m., Chanukah Shabbat on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. and a religious school celebration on Dec. 13.

The Oxford Jewish community will hold a Chanukah Zoom party on Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m.

chanukah Mayer Lighting brightens Chanukah, gives back to the community

By Lee J. Green Mayer Lighting makes Chanukah brighter with illuminating gift ideas at its Birmingham, Pelham and Dothan locations.

“We strive to be a one-stop resource for lighting fixtures, supplies and systems,” said Mayer Lighting Showroom Marketing Coordinator Leigh Ellen Black.

For more than 50 years, Mayer’s Birmingham Lighting Showroom has provided lighting solutions and is part of Mayer Electric, a privately-held, family and woman-owned business that was founded in 1930 and is now headed

by Nancy Goedecke. Mayer Electric employs more than 1,200 associates in 70 locations across 14 states.

Black said Mayer Lighting is the only company in Alabama to carry the Generation Lighting and Visual Comfort lines. Their 13,000-square-foot Birmingham showroom, in the original location of Mayer Electric, is the largest in Alabama, but they aren’t limited to just what is in the showroom.

“We have what we call ‘endless aisles’,” she said. “We have large screens in the showroom. If you don’t see what you want in the gallery, we can likely order it.”

Technology has advanced greatly with lighting systems and control. Mayer can work with customers on the purchase, installation and implementation of Whole Home Integration systems.

“These days you can control all of your lighting remotely,” said Black. “You can set the lights to go on, dim or flash at a certain time. We not only sell the systems but we install and make sure customers understand all of the lighting control options an how to use them.”

She said many customers visiting the showrooms over the years would remark if the furniture and home accessories they displayed were for sale. “People loved what we had on the floor so we decided to sell furniture to give them total room design options,” said Black. Mayer sells furniture and accessories from Gabby and Classic Home Furnishings.

For those who might be looking for smaller gift ideas, Mayer Lighting Showroom sells Nest Candles, table lamps and floor lamps.

Mayer has been involved with giving in the Jewish community and the overall communities it serves.

Collat Jewish Family Services is named for former Mayer President/CEO Charles Collat and his wife Patsy, and the company and family has been very active giving back to the Jewish community and the general community, including the naming of the Collat School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The company’s Mayer Cares program contributes to charitable causes and the company provides time off for more than 1,500 employees to engage in volunteer work they are passionate about.

“Giving back to the community is very important to Mayer and all its people,” said Black.

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community It’s not too late to make 2020 work for you make the donation through your Individual Retirement Account. Many have used the IRA charitable rollover to transfer up to $100,000 each year directly from their IRAs to public charities such as the Jewish Federation, a synagogue or one of our community agencies. Qualified charitable distributions can count against the “required minimum distribution” amount, which begins at 72. (But note that transfers to a DAF, supporting organization such as the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, or a private foundation, do not qualify). A charitable contribution directly from an IRA is not deductible, but it also is not included in gross income. If you will be using a standard deduction for your Should you Itemize or are you taking Stan- taxes, there is a good chance there will be a tax dard Deduction? And should you look at benefit by gifting directly from an IRA “bunching?” A big change in the 2017 tax act Do you have appreciated investment assets? was the dramatic increase in the standard deLook over your portfolio. If you have appreciatduction. For 2020, married couples filing jointly ed securities that you have held for more than a can claim a standard deduction of $24,800 (a lityear, you might want to consider gifting them to tle more for those over age 65). Because of this a charity, including to a Donor Advised Fund. increase, coupled with the $10,000 limitation Most taxpayers are able to receive a charitable associated with the deduction for state and local contribution deduction for the full fair market taxes and the elimination of other deductible value of the securities they are transferring to items, far fewer taxpayers will be itemizing their a charity, while avoiding paying any long-term deductions for the 2020 tax year. capital gains tax on what they have gifted.

If you itemized in the past, you might want Consider gifting appreciated stock held for to look at “bunching” those deductions into one more than one year.

It may be fully deductible year in order to exceed the standard deduction amount and then claim the standard deduction up to 30 percent of adjusted gross income and in other years. One of the easiest itemized de- any excess can generally be carried forward and ductions to bunch is that for charitable contribu- be deductible for up to an additional five years. tions. One way to accomplish this is to combine Consider doing this with a new Donor Advised tax-deductible contributions that would other- Fund or adding to an existing one. You will be able to make grant recommendations from the wise be given in two or more years into one.

Consider This: Make charitable contributions fund in the future — both from earnings and in the “bunching” year to a new or existing Do- principal in the fund.

This year, an individual may give $300, a counor Advised Fund offered by the Birmingham ple $600, and receive a charitable deduction, Jewish Foundation or other Jewish Federations/ even if you are not itemizing. However, these doFoundations in the region. Claim the charitable nations may not go into a Donor Advised Fund. deduction in the year you make the contribuFor more information contact Sally Friedman, tions and spread distributions to charities over Executive Director of the Birmingham Jewish several years.

Another 2017 tax act change increased the Foundation: sallyf@bjf.org, (205) 266-8387, or annual cap on cash contributions to charity your local Federation/Foundation professional.

This article is for informational purposes only from 50 percent of adjusted gross income to 60 percent, which could make “bunching” even and should not be construed as legal, tax or financial advice. When considering gift planning more attractive.

Are you over 70-½? If you are considering strategies, you should always consult with your donating to charity, it may be tax beneficial to own legal and tax advisors.

From the Birmingham Jewish Foundation

The end of the year is close. 2020 certainly has been an unusual year. With the make-up of Congress not fully determined, it is important to talk to your tax and financial advisers to consider strategies for charitable giving that can affect your income tax liability… and help your community!

It has been almost three years since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“2017 tax act”) was enacted, so it’s important to review some traditional tax planning strategies, as well as to determine whether some new steps could help cut your federal and state tax bills.

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

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pet care an annual SJL special section Photo courtesy Snapwire/Pexels

A Festival of Fur Joy

By Janet Zale Chanukah has always been one of my favorite holidays. I loved it as a kid. I loved it when my kids lived at home, and now that it’s just me and my fur kids, I still love it. My home is decorated for the holiday with Chanukah themed paper lanterns and honeycomb dreidels. On my table sits a blue metal dog Menorah and surrounding it are plastic fillable dreidels filled with small dog biscuits, such as Simply Biscuits.

My fur kids and I already have traditions. Every night I light the candles and say the traditional prayers, and my dogs share a cookie from the Hollywood Feed bakery. Some nights they also get Chanukah-themed toys like Plush Gelt and Plush Dreidels or tennis balls. My cats get toys too.

One thing I make sure to do is to feed my dogs a little less food during Chanukah since they get cookies every night. I don’t want their tummies to get upset from too much food, plus I don’t want them gaining weight. I’m also very careful to leave any chocolate gelt out of reach since chocolate is harmful to dogs.

The most important thing I do is I never leave the lit Menorah unattended. If my dogs need to go potty, I’ll blow out the candles and then re-light them when we return, lest a cat jump onto the table and burn their tail.

I also take pictures of my fur kids every year using the Menorah and decorations as a backdrop. Some years my fur kids cooperate, and the pictures are adorable. Other years they can best be described as comical.

Include your fur kids in your Chanukah celebration and create your own traditions. Take lots of pictures, too. Stay Safe and Chag Chanukah Sameach!

Janet Zale is a groomer at Hollywood Feed.

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Riverview Animal Clinic offers holiday pet wellness advice

By Lee J. Green Riverview Animal Clinic wants to help ensure a happy, healthy, holiday season for pets with preventative care advice.

“There are certain foods that we have during the holidays, such as chocolate, that are harmful to dogs and we also want to be careful with animals around the menorah” with lighted candles, said Arthur Serwitz, co-owner and founder of Riverview Animal Clinic, which opened in 1984.

Lilies and some other plants can be harmful to cats, he added.

Riverview Veterinarian Amy Tate said to keep onions away from pets

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

as well as turkey bones and fatty meat products.

“We recommend that pet parents stick to the foods that their pets are used to.”

As far as dog foods go, Tate said she had concerns about grain-free varieties, since they block essential amino acids that the heart needs.

She said in the Deep South, outdoor allergens are more prevalent during this time of the year than other cooler, drier climates.

“We for sure recommend flea (and other pest) prevention year-round, especially with pets who spend time outside,” said Tate. “We can also advise on some good medicines and therapies to help pets who experience seasonal allergies.”

Canine atopic dermatitis is one of the most common allergic skin diseases of dogs. Like human allergies, it can be triggered by seasonal pollen and other airborne allergens. It is not curable and may be caused by factors such as a dog’s genetics, immune system problems and other allergens in the environment.

Serwitz said Canine Atopic Dermatitis Immunotherapeutic injections can reduce itching within one day of injection and has proven effective to target the itch at its source.

In addition to diet and allergy care, regular exercise and socialization are important parts of the pet wellness equation.

Serwitz recommends that owners take their dogs out two or three times a day, whether it is on a walk or to the park. “Dogs need regular exercise and socialization,” he said.

Cats also need regular socialization and exercise, including active play. If a cat is primarily an indoor cat, screened in-porches and “catios” allow them to get a taste of the outdoors in a protected environment. If cats are primarily outdoor cats, they need to make sure they have all their shots along with being protected against fleas and ticks.

For senior dogs and cats, starting at age seven, Riverview Animal Clinic recommends doing blood work to allow for preventative medicine regarding potential conditions and diseases.

“Preventative care is so important for our pets,” said Tate.

She added that Riverview specializes in orthopedic procedures and rehabilitation services for pets with arthritis issues. The clinic employs a veterinary ophthalmologist and advanced pet eye care equipment to treat everything from cataracts to the removal of tumors.

They also have three technicians who can do advanced ultrasound and two veterinarians who specialize in caring for exotic pets.

Riverview Animal Clinic wants to do anything they can for the health of pets and their humans as it pertains to Covid-19 safety precautions. They require everyone to wear masks and allow only one person to stay with their pet during the appointment.

community

The synagogue as family Shir Chadash honoring several couples at 60th anniversary When Metairie’s Shir Chadash celebrates its 60th anniversary next month, four couples will be honored for their service to the congregation over the decades.

The “60 Years of Support, Service and Song” virtual event on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. will include musical appearances by Shir Chadash Education Director Meryl Zimmerman, Ziegler rabbinical student David Kaplinsky and the youth of Shir Chadash. There will also be a historical video and messages from Rabbi Deborah Silver and former Shir Chadash Rabbis Ethan Linden, Geoffrey Spector, Eric Cytryn, Victor Hoffman and David Bockman.

Israel and Sylvia Finger, Elliot and Lisa Finkelstein, Hugo and Lis Kahn, and Alvin and Madilyn Samuels will be the honorees.

The Fingers arrived in New Orleans four decades ago after immigrating from South Africa and spending some time up North. Though they both grew up Orthodox, they were attracted to the Conservative movement and reached out to Tikvat Shalom, which was founded as a Conservative congregation in 1960 after breaking away from the Orthodox Chevra Thillim. “The Samuels invited our whole family into their home for our first Rosh Hashanah dinner,” Sylvia said, and they have since Israel and Sylvia Finger taken on welcoming families to the congregation.

Since their arrival, Israel has served in the ritual committee, becoming congregational president in 1994. Sylvia became programming vice president in 2010 and has taken numerous other roles, with the motto “give me a job and I’ll do it.”

Their children, Leron and Davida, have also been active in the congregation, with daughter-in-law Julie becoming president in 2018.

The Fingers say “The synagogue is there for you and we all are there for our synagogue. It is family.” One of Sylvia’s favorite memories is the joint baby naming of their “twin” grandchildren in the sanctuary, when they were both wrapped in the same tallit that had belonged to her father and that was used when both sets of parents were married.

The Finkelsteins both had parents that were “synagogue stalwarts,” Elliot said. He started serving on the ritual committee at age 10, eventually serving as ritual vice president. He has tutored hundreds of B’nai Mitzvah students and has led services for a long time. Now, he helps others participate in prayer.

“Facilitating Jewish prayer, creating an environment in the shul where those present can feel comfortable and closer Elliot and Lisa Finkelstein to God, is thrilling to me. Singing together a mix of traditional and modern melodies creates a sanctuary in time,” he said.

Lisa works “in the trenches” for Shir Chadash, from serving as financial secretary to wielding saws while trimming trees. She was surprised to be asked to serve as executive vice president, but “enjoyed it immensely,” and oversaw the conversion of the gift shop to the Beit Midrash.

The Kahns refer to Shir Chadash as their makom, their place, and they have both been heavily involved since arriving in New Orleans. Hugo moved to New Orleans from Omaha in 1967 and Lis arrived from Fort Wayne in 1991.

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community Both have been congregational president during significant times — Hugo during the construction of the current building, and Lis just after Katrina.

Both lead services regularly, and Lis said she had a distinct reason for doing so. “When I became president, I believed I had the responsibility to be a role model for other women, and I am so happy that so many women now lead davening.”

Lis and Hugo Kahn Hugo said, “We have been blessed to have such great access to our rabbis… Each rabbi has left a piece of themselves and something we have been able to build on. We also feel so fortunate to still have close relationships with them.”

They are encouraged by the many young people who are taking on leadership roles at the age they were when they first got involved, and note with pride the number of Shir Chadash congregants who lead local agencies and attend Limmud and other educational events in the community.

The Samuelses were both born in Cape Girardeau, Mo., part of a close Orthodox community. They arrived in New Orleans in 1967 and became involved in the congregation after Lois Mexic reached out to Madilyn to join a Sisterhood coffee.

Alvin served as membership vice president and Madilyn held numerous volunteer positions, then was elected Sisterhood president in 1976. Back Madilyn and Alvin Samuels then, she recalled, women were not encouraged to be on the board, and to even have a chance, they had to rise through Sisterhood leadership.

She was appointed executive vice president of the board, with the understanding it would be for one year — but then the congregational president moved away and she became the first woman to be president of Tikvat Shalom, in 1984.

Rabbi Hoffman encouraged Alvin to pursue a master’s in religious studies at Spertus College, giving him a greater appreciation of his Judaism and more resources for leading the congregation.

They have celebrated numerous family simchas at Shir Chadash, including the upcoming Bat Mitzvah of granddaughter Livia. Though grandson Eric was living in Virginia, his daughter’s baby naming was at Shir Chadash.

The congregation also was there for them following the untimely passing of their daughter-in-law, Patti.

Alvin says “the synagogue is family, and it responds accordingly.”

community Honoring Tolmas’ Legacy of Tzedakah Chalew recognized at annual reception Gail Naron Chalew said that she loves “being behind the scenes and not the center of attention,” but on Sept. 23, she was the center of attention as the second recipient of the Oscar J. Tolmas L’Dor V’Dor Award.

The award “celebrates the unsung heroes of our Greater New Orleans Jewish community, who quietly and consistently aid in repairing the world around them.”

While the presentation is usually at the “lobby reception” at the exhibit hon- Gail Chalew speaks at the oring Tolmas’ legacy, at the entrance to virtual reception the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans office, Federation Board Chair Joshua Force said “this year’s reception is a little bit different, but we feel the sense of the joy of the occasion remains” even though it was being held virtually.

Vincent Giardina and Lisa Romano, trustees of the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, opened the program with a biography of Tolmas.

The reception was held in the middle of the High Holy Days, a time to remember the concepts of teshuva, tefilah “and most importantly for this night, tzedakah.” Force said “in so many ways, the work Lisa and Vince do embodies Oscar’s lifelong belief in the importance of tzedakah.”

Tolmas was born in New Orleans in 1920 to parents of Russian and Polish origin who had immigrated in 1915. He graduated from the Tulane University School of Law and was a member of the Louisiana Bar for 70 years. In 1948, he started in real estate development, and also was very active in horse racing.

When Tolmas died in 2013, his entire estate went to the charitable trust, to support local agencies in the Jewish and general communities.

Many of those organizations were represented during the event.

Stephen Watson, president of the National World War II Museum, spoke of the Tolmas Trust’s support of the museum, from the recently-unveiled Anne Frank statue to three new Holocaust-related exhibits that will open in 2022 in the Liberation Pavilion, the final exhibit space in the complex. Tolmas served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Another video featured Volunteers of America.

Arnie Fielkow, Federation CEO, spoke of how the Tolmas name is “all over New Orleans.” He specifically spoke of the Trust’s work in the Jewish community, detailing its support of JNOLA, the next generation group for the community. “Because of the Trust, and in spite of Covid 19,

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December 2020 • Southern Jewish Life

community JNOLA has been able to continue providing support and programming that unites our young professional community with their Jewish identity through virtual events and non-contact deliveries for Passover and Rosh Hashanah.”

Among recipient organizations represented at the event were the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Children’s Regional Service, National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish Community Day School, Tulane Hillel and the Louisiana Mikvah.

The aquatics center at the Uptown JCC was recently dedicated in Tolmas’ name. “We wouldn’t be the JCC we are today without the support” of the Trust, said Leslie Fischman, JCC executive director.

There was a virtual unveiling of the Tzedakah Wall in the Tolmas Lobby, detailing the many organizations that have benefitted from the Trust.

Fielkow invited community members to view the lobby installation about Tolmas “when it is safer to do so.”

Romano said she knows “how much Oscar would be excited to see everybody” at the event. She detailed the additions to the Tzedakah Wall since the last reception in May 2019, such as the Anne Frank Sculpture bench, the Tolmas Campus of Bridge House, and the Tolmas Residence at Magnolia Community Services that is now under construction.

Speaking of the effect Tolmas has had on so many people in the area, Romano said “I hope and I believe he would be pleased and proud of the work that we do.”

Romano presented the award to Chalew, “a committed volunteer working toward the better-ment of the New Orleans Jewish community and the city.”

Chalew, who edits academic books and articles, has written extensively on the New Orleans Jewish community’s experiences during and after Katrina.

She became founding chair of LimmudFest New Orleans, which holds a learning weekend every two years with around 90 speakers on a wide range of Judaic topics. A former chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council, she now chairs the Advisory Council of Avodah New Orleans.

She is the recording secretary for NCJW New Orleans Section and observes court sessions weekly for CourtWatch NOLA. Force said Chalew “does so much to build respect in, to care for and to educate our community, and she is a very deserving recipient.”

Chalew said she never had an opportunity to meet Tolmas, but “I have been inspired by his generous legacy.”

She said she was grateful that the event was on Zoom, because her children in London “can see it in real time, as well as my friends and families around the country, and that gives me great joy.”

She said “all the reward I needed” for her hard work at Limmud was watching hundreds of people discuss the sessions they had just been in during a snack break.

Chalew said she was inspired by a Unitarian speaker at a recent online event from the Sixth and I synagogue in Washington. “We can’t all be the charismatic life of the party, but we can all use our unique powers to help others, and we can all lead in our own ways” if we find supportive environments.

When moving to New Orleans in 1998, the community “welcomed us northerners so fully” and made it easy to become involved.

In 2009, Rabbi Uri Topolosky invited her to attend Limmud New York, “which started me on my Limmud journey.” Limmud New Orleans has been held up internationally as an example of “radical inclusion” involving the entire community.

She finds chairing Avodah “so rewarding,” and is inspired by the idealism of the corps members. She also said the Rosh Chodesh group, which has met since 2001, has been a “source of great learning and support,” and NCJW members “are the real unsung heroes of the community.”

Fielkow wrapped the evening with a toast to Tolmas and his legacy.

community Chateau Drugs & gifts Multicultural Center holds first event with Latino community On Oct. 12, the new Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans held its first “effort in the Latino space” with “Crossing Bridges: The Latinx and Jewish Immigration Experience.”

The center seeks to foster relationships from the local Jewish community with the African-American, Latin-American, LGBTQ and multifaith communities.

The program, held with Puentes, was a Hispanic Heritage Month event to tell stories of the shared immigrant experiences of the Jewish and Latinx communities.

The event started with New Orleans Council Member At Large Helena Moreno, discussing how New Orleans was one of the first cities “to realize there was a significant increase in cases of Covid” in the Hispanic population. A task force has been formed to address the issue, with the Gershaniks as members.

At first the panel was just about Covid “but we have expanded it to include other topics… It has really opened our eyes to a lot of problems, experiences that we were not aware of before.”

Puentes was formed in 2007 after Hurricane Katrina to help Hispanics immigrate and assimilate, Executive Director Salvador Longoria said. Now, the focus is mainly on youth.

“We are all, whether Jewish or Hispanic, members of the same community… and sometimes we are overlooked,” he said.

Several youth gave the stories of their arrival in the United States. Rebecca Santa Maria, who immigrated in 2016, said the hate messages made her want to express her version of the Latino community, which she is doing in a video project.

The teens spoke of leaving family behind and escaping violence, the tenuous circumstances of being smuggled across the border and people trying to take advantage of them.

Anne Levy, who survived the Holocaust and arrived in New Orleans in 1949 not knowing any English, spoke about her journey to becoming a U.S. citizen. “After five years we took the oath and got our citizenship papers… the most important document I own to this day.”

Ina Davis, co-chair of the Center, said the Jewish community, with its own history as immigrants, can’t “turn a blind eye” to the challenges of immigrants today.

Co-chair Bradley Bain said it is “essential to unite our two communities… We have the duty to advocate for every community in our state.”

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rear pew mirror • doug brook

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Was There a 2020?

— The future We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author, if she existed, would be numbered among the two friends of this column: Dear Pew — I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there was no 2020. Papa says, “If you see it in Rear Pew Mirror, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, was there a 2020?

Virginia O’Hanstein 115 West Ninety Fifth Street Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see.

They think that nothing can be if it is not comprehensible by their little minds.

All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s, women’s, or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man or woman is a mere insect, an ant, in their intellect as compared with the boundless world about them, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there was a 2020. It existed as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist once again in spite of it, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Alas! How dreary was the world when there was a 2020! It was as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There was no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable that existence.

We had no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world was briefly extinguished.

Not believe in 2020! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your This year has papa to hire men to watch in all the classbeen rather rooms on history to catch any mention of 2020, but even if you were not taught unbelievable… about 2020 going down, what would that prove?

Nobody sees 2020 anymore, but that is no sign that there was no 2020.

The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men nor women can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders, great or terrible, there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man or woman, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men or women that ever lived could tear apart.

Only faith, poetry, love, and romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No more 2020! Thank God! We can live and live forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, we will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Doug Brook also says that yes, Virginia, there is a HanuClaus. He once brought the four-level Star Wars Death Star toy, which was pretty cool. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/rearpewmirror.

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