atlanta jewish times, vol. xci no. 21, may 27, 2016

INSIDE

Atlanta

Calendar ��4Candle Lighting �� 5Israel News ��8Sports ��9Opinion �� 10Food �� 12Business �� 15Education �� 19Arts ��26Cartoon ��28 Obituaries ��29Crossword ��30

VOL� XCI NO� 21 WWW�ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES�COM MAY 27, 2016 | 19 IYAR 5776

JUNE 3–5, 2016 ∙ AGES 0–5

TICKETS alliancetheatre.org/toddlertakeover

404.733.5000

Looking to the FuturePhoto by Michael Jacobs

Sending messages from the top of their mortarboards while waiting to process onto the Ferst Center stage for their graduation May 22 are Weber School Class of 2016 members (from left) Zoe Aaron (University of Michigan), Cassidy Aronin (her initials),

Jessica Bachner (University of Pennsylvania) and Brooke Berman (Tulane University). Full coverage, Page 21

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is undertaking a survey to learn not only how many people

are in Jewish Atlanta, but what they want and need from communal organizations.

The results will update the 2006 community study, which put the area’s Jewish population at 120,000, but with a focus on quality more than quantity.

“It’s all about finding ways to really service the community,” said Matt Bronfman, who cochaired Federation’s community study committee.

So instead of finding the Jews, mar

Survey Will Say, ‘I Am Jewish Atlanta’ket research firm Melior Group is bringing Jewish Atlantans to the survey.

From June 6 to 30, anyone 15 or older in metro Atlanta who identifies as Jewish or lives in a Jewish household is invited to take the survey at www.IamJewishATL.com. The full survey will take about 20 minutes, although shorter versions will be served to younger participants and to mobile devices. (Text JEWISHATL to 41411 to get the survey sent to your phone.)

The goal is to get at least 2,500 respondents, said Renee Kutner, Federation’s vice president of marketing. Using

60,000 “#IamJewishATL” postcards, synagogues, schools and other communal organizations are promoting the survey because, Kutner said, “we’re not the ones who primarily will benefit from this.”

In addition to getting their voices heard, survey takers will be entered in a drawing for $500 and $250 gift cards.

Melior has spent months researching the market and will supplement the online survey with 250 phone interviews.

By September, Melior should report its findings to Federation, including a solid estimate of Jewish Atlanta’s size. ■

FUTURE FLAVORSFrom kosher barbecue to bagel eating, get a taste for the food festivals ahead. 2

YOUNG WINNERAn AJA fifthgrader and Shearith Israel member’s family history project is taking her to Israel. Page 19

COMMUNITY GEMBeth Jacob’s reconstruction of its sanctuary aims for comfort amid grandeur. Page 22

BEST FRIENDSMelissa Fay Greene talks about her latest book, “Underdogs,” the story of the healing power of canine love. Page 29

INSIDE: EAGLE STAR PREVIEW, PAGES 15-18GIVING LESSONSAnita Zucker just wanted to be a schoolteacher; now she’s the philanthropic “Bill Gates of South Carolina.” Page 15

RISING PORTWith a deeper river, Savannah is well equipped to become the key hub for Israeli trade. Page 16

SHINING BRIGHTEnergiya is bringing utilityscale solar power, plus elementary education, to South Georgia. Page 18

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MA TOVU

It was not until my nowcollegeage son was in grade school that I learned about the concept of the

doover. He was in our tiny back yard with some friends playing baseball with one of those oversized orange plastic bats. Something had gone wrong, and he and his friends were discussing — OK, arguing — about the possibility of a doover.

The idea of a doover was at once so enticing and completely ridiculous. If only it were possible, I would go back and do over that era before there was conditioner and my hair was either locked in braids or all “Bride of Frankenstein.” But, sadly, those days are long gone, and, wish as I might, I am stuck without the ability to do it over.

Yet Judaism offers us a model of spirituality in which the doover is front and center.

Traditionally, upon waking, Jews are meant to recite the Modeh Ani prayer, the core of which says that I am grateful before You, Gd, that in Your compassion You have returned to me my soul.

When I use the prayer to wake my children, I add a verse thanking the Creator for placing these particular children in my life. Modeh Ani has for the most part been for me a prayer of gratitude.

But after the recent Jewish Family & Career Services luncheon, I began to think of it as a doover prayer.

One of the main speakers at the luncheon was Eric Miller, the program director of HAMSA, who spoke of being clean for nearly eight years and broke it down by days. The possibility of falling off the path is not a distant one, he reminded us, but close at hand — it could come today, it could come tomorrow.

Listening to him brought to mind the words of the Modeh Ani. The Torah relates that in the beginning, Gd blew into the first being nishmat chayim.

That phrase, often translated as the breath of life, can also be understood

as the soul. It is a variation of neshama, which we are grateful to Gd for returning to us. While we cannot go back and do over the past, each day the divine source breathes our neshama into us and miraculously allows us to begin anew.

Recently I embarked on a new approach to living more healthfully. This is no easy task. While I have found ways to make it work for me, some days are more faithful to my new vision than others.

Changing who I am is an ongoing process. There are days — sometimes several in a row — that don’t go as planned. So I am grateful for the renewed chance each day to try again.

Judaism believes in teshuvah, the ability to turn around our lives and make different choices. It is a process that involves recognizing when we have not lived up to expectation and choosing to move forward on a different path.

We all have room for improvement in the way we treat ourselves, the way we engage with others and the way we act in the world.

How precious then, the daily opportunity for the doover. ■

Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder teaches

classes on parenting as well as Jewish food. She works for Be’chol Lashon, an organization dedicated to celebrating the diversity of the Jewish people. She lives in Sandy Springs with her husband, David “Dr. D.” Abusch-Magder, and is mom to two teens. You can find her on Facebook and @rabbiruth on Twitter.

Taking RootBy Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder

Daily DoOver

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE MONTHLY MEETING OF

The Jewish Breakfast Club

Wednesday, June 15th7:30 am – 9 am

Being held at Greenberg Traurig • 3333 Piedmont Rd NE #2500

Reservation Required RSVP at [email protected]

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Atlanta

PUBLISHER MICHAEL A. MORRIS [email protected]

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER KAYLENE LADINSKY [email protected]

ADVERTISING Senior Account Manager

JULIE BENVENISTE [email protected] Senior Account Manager

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SARAH [email protected]

Sales Assistant

SARAH SKINNER [email protected]

MARKETING Marketing & Communications Director

STACY LAVICTOIRE [email protected]

EDITORIAL Editor

MICHAEL JACOBS [email protected]

Associate Editor

DAVID R. COHEN [email protected]

Contributors This WeekRUTH ABUSCHMAGDER • BOB BAHR

PAULA BAROFF

YONI GLATT • JORDAN GORFINKEL

R.M. GROSSBLATT

LEAH R. HARRISON

ZACH ITZKOVITZ

MARCIA CALLER JAFFE

RUSSELL MOSKOWITZ

LOGAN C. RITCHIE • DAVE SCHECHTER

EUGEN SCHOENFELD

SHAINDLE SCHMUCKLER

AL SHAMS

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Design

DARA DRAWDY

CIRCULATIONCirculation Coordinator

ELIZABETH FRIEDLY [email protected]

CONTACT INFORMATIONGENERAL OFFICE

[email protected] Atlanta Jewish Times is printed in Georgia and is an equal opportunity employer. The opinions expressed in the Atlanta Jewish Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, Ga.

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CALENDAR www.atlantajewishtimes.com

THURSDAY, MAY 26Lag B’Omer� Congregation Anshi S’fard, 1324 N. Highland Ave., VirginiaHighland, holds a bonfire and barbecue at 5:30 p.m. Free; [email protected].

Lag B’Omer� Chabad of North Fulton holds a cookout and picnic with music from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Pavilions 1C and 1D at Newtown Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek. Free, with a suggested donation of $18 per family; [email protected] or 7704109000.

Lag B’Omer� Congregation Ariel, 5237 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, celebrates with pony rides, music, a bonfire and food for sale from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free; www.congariel.org.

Lag B’Omer� The Kehilla of Sandy Springs holds a cookout and musical jam at the Ingber home (email [email protected] for the address) from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children at the door; www.thekehilla.org/lagbomer.

Meditation class� Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, holds a threesession introductory course on meditation at 6 p.m. today, June 2 and June 9. Attendance at the first class is required. Tuition is $45 for all three sessions or $18 per class; congregationbethaverim.org.

Lag B’Omer� Chabad of Cobb holds a barbecue and picnic with games and music from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at East Cobb Park, 3322 Roswell Road. Admission is $12 per adult, $6 per child or $36 per family; www.chabadofcobb.com or 7705654412, ext. 300.

Adoption and fostering� Wo/Men’s

Infertility Support Havurah and Jewish Family & Career Services’ Cradle of Love present three speakers — adoption consultant and counselor Michelle Lambert and Temple Sinai members and parents Phil and Betty Klein — on these alternative methods of creating a family at 7 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; www.wishatlanta.org.

Jewish Heritage Night� The Atlanta Braves celebrate the Jewish community during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:10 p.m. at Turner Field downtown. Tickets, including a Chipper Jones replica jersey and a chance to parade around the field before the game, range from $26 to $41; 4046141327 or [email protected].

FRIDAY, MAY 27Sober Shabbat� Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA invites people in recovery and their family and friends to Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, for dinner and fellowship at 6:30 p.m., followed by services. Free; RSVP to Eric Miller at emiller@jfcsatlanta.org or 7706779318.

MONDAY, MAY 30Kosher Day with the Braves� The Atlanta Kashruth Commission sponsors the annual Jewish community gathering with kosher food for sale at the Atlanta Braves’ game against the San Francisco Giants at 1 p.m. at Turner Field downtown. Tickets are $10 ($8 each for groups of four or more); 4046344063 or [email protected].

TUESDAY, MAY 31Babyccino� The momandtot classes at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, focus

on creation each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. through June 21. This week’s topic is fish and birds. The cost is $12 per class or $80 for the series; [email protected] or www.chabadnf.org.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2Eagle Star Awards� Conexx: America Israel Business Connector holds its awards gala at 6 p.m. at Twelve Atlantic Station, 361 17th St., Midtown. Tickets are $125; www.eaglestargala.com.

Business networking� Sid Kirschner, the chief philanthropy officer at Piedmont Healthcare, speaks at the inaugural meeting of YAD, a networking group for young Atlanta professionals, at 6:30 p.m. at the William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. Free; [email protected] or bit.ly/1TngsJ5.

Bachelorette’s wisdom� Andi Dorfman, who starred on Season 10 of “The Bachelorette,” speaks with radio personality Jeff Dauler about her new book, “It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak Into Happily Never After,” at 7:30 p.m. at Big Sky Buckhead, 3201 Cains Hill Place, Atlanta. Free; RSVP requested via atlantajcc.org/bookfestival or 6788124002.

As of Yet show� As of Yet, Ahavath Achim Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal’s blues band, performs its last show at Steve’s Live Music, 234 Hilderbrand Drive, Sandy Springs, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance online and $10 at the door; www.steveslivemusic.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3Carlebach service� Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb, holds its first Carlebachstyle Friday

10 Years AgoMay 26, 2006■ Rabbi Loren Sykes, the director of Camp Ramah Darom, got a surprising phone call a few weeks ago: He was one of three educators in North America chosen from more than 90 nominees to receive the Covenant Award, which honors Jewish educators for innovation in their field. Each winner gets $25,000, and his institution receives $5,000. Rabbi Sykes will be recognized at the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Los Angeles in November.■ Hal and Jill Leitman of Roswell announce the birth of their son, Jarrett Benjamin, on Nov. 16.25 Years AgoMay 24, 1991■ Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah is looking for a few Jewish goodwill ambassadors. The historic Reform temple is leading a Jewish heritage tour of China from June 9 to 23, with high hopes of advancing the unofficial relationship between the Chinese and Jewish peoples. Mickve

Israel Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer is an authority on ChineseJewish history as the East Coast director of the SinoJudaic Institute.■ Mr� and Mrs� Edward M� Canter of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter, R� Nikki Canter, to Steven Alan Krasnoff, son of Mr� and Mrs� Robert Krasnoff of Atlanta. A fall wedding is planned in Atlanta. 50 Years AgoMay 27, 1966■ The Hebrew Academy of Atlanta had its annual membership meeting Thursday evening, May 19, in the school auditorium, and Dr. Larry Bregman installed the new slate of officers. Henry Birnbrey, the president for 196667, has been vice president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America and chairman of the Atlanta Zionist Youth Commission and has been active in the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Southern Zionist Youth Commission.■ Mr� and Mrs� Herbert Katz invite relatives and friends to the bar mitzvah of their son Gerald at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Shearith Israel Synagogue.

Remember When

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CALENDAR

Send items for the calendar to [email protected]. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/eventscalendar.

Corrections & Clarifications• An article about ZipLine Hilton Head on May 13 incorrectly described the

ownership of the business. Roger Freedman is the sole owner, while his wife, Pam Freedman, is in charge of marketing.

• The reporting on the Republican primary for the 11th Congressional District in the May 20 issue improperly classified Hayden Collins as the leading challenger to incumbent Barry Loudermilk. That label was based on the AJT editor’s familiarity with Collins from a previous job and not on any objective measure, such as polling numbers or fundraising; in fact, Daniel Cowan is the only candidate other than Loudermilk who raised a substantial amount of money before the May 24 primary (for which voting was completed after this issue went to press). Regardless, once the AJT decided for reasons of space and time to profile only one of the four challengers to Loudermilk, the newspaper should have sent a candidate questionnaire to the other men on the ballot (Cowan, Billy Davis and William Llop) to give them a chance to introduce themselves to our readers. While the AJT stands by the quality of the candidate interviews we published for the 11th District, the overall coverage did not meet our standards.

night service with Yaacov Gothard at 7 p.m. Free; www.chabadofcobb.com or 4042528777.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5Pre-Shavuot women’s event� The Chabad of North Fulton Women’s Circle holds a walk on the Greenway, starting at the Kimball Bridge Road entrance in Alpharetta, at 9:30 a.m., then meets for refreshments and a floral workshop led by Joan Rubenstein at the Chabad campus, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, at 11. The cost is $10, with RSVP requested by May 26; ad[email protected] or 7704109000.

Pool day� The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, invites the community to Dunwoody Pool Day at the J from noon to 2 p.m. Free; 6788124161 or [email protected].

Israeli documentary� To mark Yom Yerushalayim, Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, screens “Mekonen: The Journey of an African Jew,” the story of AfricanIsraeli Mekonen Abebe, at 5 p.m. Free; www.yith.org/event/mekonenfilmscreening.

MONDAY, JUNE 6Shared society discussion� Mohammad Darawshe of Givat Haviva, a nonprofit organization working toward a cohesive Israeli society, speaks at a New Israel Fund event called “Bridging Gaps in Tense Times” at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount

Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Free; RSVP to bit.ly/24TUn73, [email protected] or 2126134426.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7Babyccino� The momandtot classes at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, focus on creation each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. through June 21. This week’s topic is animals. The cost is $12; [email protected] or www.chabadnf.org.

Federation meeting� The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta holds its annual meeting, including awards and an appearance by incoming CEO Eric Robbins, at 5:30 p.m. at the Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Free; www.jewishatlanta.org.

Pre-Shavuot bake sale� The Congregation Beth Jacob Sisterhood sells gourmet cakes, pies and nondairy cheesecakes from New York bakeries in Heritage Hall, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The sale continues from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday. For more information, call Jodi Wittenberg at 6786779492.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8Rolling the dice� Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Ketura Group hosts the dice game Bunco at 7:15 p.m. at the home of Arlene Glass. Bring a snack or sweet to share if you’d like; drinks are provided. Entrance is $10, payable at the door; [email protected].

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMESBehar

Friday, May 27, light candles at 8:23 p.m.Saturday, May 28, Shabbat ends at 9:24 p.m.

BechukotaiFriday, June 3, light candles at 8:27 p.m.

Saturday, June 4, Shabbat ends at 9:29 p.m.

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LOCAL NEWS www.atlantajewishtimes.com

American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS young professionals group held its 26th annual En

trepreneur’s Night on Tuesday, May 17, in Buckhead at 103 West with speaker David Samson, the president of the Miami Marlins. Samson’s comments were off the record, but he gave advice about building and developing relationships in business.

Speakers at ACCESS Entrepreneur’s Night have traditionally been Jewish Atlantans, but Samson, who

ACCESS Goes off Record With David Samson

Photos by David R. CohenOutgoing ACCESS Atlanta CoChair Gabby Leon (right) and 2016 CoChair Lindsey Fenton welcome around 75 young professionals to 103 West. The event began with a cocktail hour.

Entrepreneur’s Night cochairs Samantha Lennon (left) and Arielle Eisenberg introduce Marlins President David Samson to the crowd.

David Samson delivers offtherecord remarks at Entrepreneur’s Night. The Miami Marlins president gave advice to young professionals on building and developing

relationships in business and shared a few anecdotes from his career.

lives in Miami, was invited to speak by event cochair Arielle Eisenberg, who shares a family connection. It turned out to be interesting timing: Earlier on May 17, the Atlanta Braves announced the firing of Manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose previous managerial job ended with his firing by the Marlins in 2010.

ACCESS Atlanta is the original ACCESS chapter, launching in 1990. AJC’s young professional wing now has 10 locations in the United States and one in Israel. ■

Jews need to stay on the same page when it comes to the sacredness of U.S.Israeli relations and victory in

a war of values, American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris told a crowd of 375 at the renovated Atlanta History Center on Wednesday night, May 18.

The occasion was AJC Atlanta’s annual Selig Distinguished Service Award dinner, honoring Spring and Tom Asher.

“We have emerged as the world’s foremost global Jewish nongovernmental organization,” said Harris, once described by Shimon Peres as the “foreign minister of the Jewish people.”

He complimented Atlanta’s multigenerational engagement and recognized partnerships with India, Japan and Canada, whose consuls general joined Israeli Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer at the dinner.

Harris joked about America’s new political players: a nonJewish presidential candidate (Donald Trump)

with Jewish grandchildren, a Jewish candidate (Bernie Sanders) with nonJewish grandchildren and a nonJewish

candidate (Hillary Clinton) whose grandchildren are undetermined.

Praising the Ashers, AJC Atlanta President Greg Averbuch said: “This year we celebrate 110 years of American Jewish Committee as a bridge builder and global Jewish advocate. This speaks very true of the Ashers, who have been deeply involved since the 1970s and are very active not only in the local Jewish community, but have impacted the greater Atlanta community.”

Presenting the award was Steve Selig, a past chapter president, whose parents, Caroline Massell Selig and

Simon S. Selig Jr., spent their lives strengthening academic, cultural and civic institutions while building bridges of understanding among people of all races and religions.

Selig, as convivial as ever, quipped about George Burns and Yogi Berra and concluded that “dignity is not possessing honors but deserving them” when comparing the Ashers to dependable pillars on a porch.

An upbeat video started with a roundtable of family and friends con

sidering the Ashers’ charm and commitment. Playwright Alfred Uhry, a childhood friend of Tom’s in Druid Hills, boasted about his Standard Club backhand.

Tom spoke about his grandfather Jacob Elsas, who was abandoned by his father in Germany, “worked harder to get farther,” moved to the United States as a peddler

and joined the Union Army, which brought him to the South. He made his way to Atlanta, where he contributed to the Hebrew orphans home and helped Georgia Tech provide college for the disabled. Tom has nurtured such philanthropy.

He also mentioned his Uncle Fritz, who was executed as a conspirator in the attempted overthrow of Hitler.

The Ashers — he from the South, she from the North — met at Cornell

Jaffe’s Jewish JiveBy Marcia Caller [email protected]

Ashers Honored for Helping AJC Build Bridges

Photo by Paula GouldSteve Selig (center) presents the award named

for his parents to Spring and Tom Asher.

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LOCAL NEWS

more than 56 years ago.Spring Asher, known for coaching

public speaking, said in advance, “To be honored by AJC is something really special, but to be acknowledged by the Selig Award, considering what that family has meant to the city, is all the more meaningful.”

Spring said she and Tom have been active with AJC since the late 1950s and traveled to Germany and Israel with the organization. “With offices all around the world, AJC has the knowhow to better understand antiSemitism and how to combat it,” she said. “As a result, it has been one of the world’s most important voices for human dignity.” ■

Photos by Marcia Caller JaffeHonoree relatives (from left) Jake

Elsas, Hugh Asher, Joey Asher, Johanna Asher and Ben Asher attend the AJC award dinner.

Rabbi Peter Berg (right) of The Temple poses with Alan and Renay Levenson.

Jon (second from left) and Debbie Neese (right) help AJC Atlanta work on

international friendships by visiting with Canadian Consul General Louise Blaise (left) and Indian Consul General

Nagash Singh and his wife, Pradya.

(From left) Marcia Goldman, Murray Goldman, Wayne Lazarus and Raye Coplin enjoy the cocktail

hour at the start of the event.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comISRAEL NEWS

Success for diabetes treatment� Oramed Pharmaceuticals, based in Givat Ram, has reported success in the Phase IIb study of its insulin capsule. Oramed said the trial marked the first time an oral solution showed a significant drop in blood sugar at night. Oral insulin thus could replace injected, delayedrelease insulin.

Living on the edge� Ben Gurion University and Weizmann Institute researchers have shown that learning processes can make the brain operate at peak performance in processing sensory information, but at the risk of hallucinations. The finding provides medical evidence of the thin line between genius and madness.

Mayo’s startup initiative� The Mayo Clinic is launching the Mayo Clinic Israeli Startups project to encourage collaboration between startup health care companies in Israel and the Minnesotabased clinic to help get medical technologies to the public sooner and to bring them to the United States.

Leno stands up for United Hatzalah� Comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno donated a $36,000 am

bucycle to United Hatzalah at a concert to support the Israeli emergency medical service. Leno made a separate appeal to the 1,300 members of the audience and raised another $50,000.

Fifth for men’s life expectancy� Israel ranks fifth in the world for the average life expectancy of men at 80.6 years, trailing Switzerland, Iceland, Australia and Sweden. Israeli women’s life expectancy ranks ninth at 84.3 years.

Google contribution to disabilities initiative� Google is granting $700,000 to Tikkun Olam Makers, an Israeli initiative to produce technology to help people with disabilities. TOM’s 120 prototypes include a bionic hand and a walker that helps people climb stairs.

A keyboard for your eyes� Cancer charity Ezer Mizion, which operates 58 centers in 31 cities across Israel, and Israelifounded startup Click2Speak are piloting an onscreen keyboard operated by eyetracking. The goal is a lowcost, multilingual, easytouse keyboard for people with impaired motor skills but high cognitive ability, such as Click2Speak cofounder Gal Sont, diagnosed with ALS in 2009.

$10 million for hospitals’ humanitar-ian efforts� The Helmsley Charitable Trust has donated $10 million to the Poriah hospital in Tiberias and Ziv Medical Center in Safed to subsidize their treatment of people wounded in Syria’s civil war. Another beneficiary is the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, where surgeons from Save a Child’s Heart operate on overseas children.

Water for the Taj Mahal� Because of Herzliyabased water treatment company Aqwise, visitors to India’s Taj Mahal have drinking water. The Taj Mahal is in Agra, a city with about 2 million people. Aqwise helped build a water treatment plant, designed to treat more than 42 million gallons per day, supplying drinking water to the entire city.

Netanya’s new hotel� Visitors to Netanya can stay at Accor’s luxurious MGallery by Softel hotel. Rebranded from the David Tower Hotel on King David Street, the MGallery has a spa, heated indoor swimming pool, restaurants and bar, and beautiful views of the Mediterranean. Accor plans to open another Netanya hotel next year.

Coldplay’s Israeli-made video� The

video for “Up & Up” from Coldplay’s new album, “A Head Full of Dreams,” was directed by Israelis Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia. Lead singer Chris Martin raved about the directors on Beats 1 radio and said, “It’s one of the best videos people have made.”

Uber challenge� Tel Avivbased ridehailing service Gett, operating in 60 cities worldwide, including New York, has raised $300 million from Volkswagen.

Did you try kosher-for-Passover beer? Bryan Meadan produces glutenfree beer from chickpeas and buckwheat all year. For Passover the Israeli brought out a date ale that was certified kosher for Passover by Badatz Beit Yosef.

Proof of Bene Israel’s ancestry� Researchers in the USA and at Tel Aviv University have produced genetic proof of the Jewish roots of the Bene Israel community from western India. Some 70,000 Bene Israel have made aliyah. They always considered themselves descendants of 14 Jews who were shipwrecked on the Indian shore.

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and other news sources.

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Letters To The EditorExtremists AreOn Palestinian Side

It was refreshing to see some clarity from The New York Times’ Jodi Rudoren and to contrast it with the alternative reality of J Street’s Jeremy BenAmi (“J Street Head, Reporter Fear for Israel’s Future,” “Our View: J Street Fantasy,” May 20).

The core issue in the ArabIsraeli conflict is Palestinian and broader Arab refusal to accept a permanent Israel behind any boundaries. Every Palestinian leader, including Mahmoud Abbas, has made it clear that a Palestinian state in the West Bank will not end the conflict but will only be used as a springboard for further attacks on Israel.

A cursory examination of statements by Palestinian leaders and of Palestinian media confirms this. See www.pmw.org for example. Yet another generation of Palestinians is being indoctrinated for endless conflict in the belief that Israel can be dismantled step by step.

Unfortunately, none of this is re

flected in mainstream media. Abbas can talk of Jews’ “filthy feet desecrating the Temple Mount” and praise murderers as “martyrs” yet be called “moderate,” while Israeli leaders who are doves by comparison are described as “hardline” or even “extremist.”

The public incitement to violence by Palestinian leaders simply never makes it to NPR or The New York Times.

It is tragic when groups like J Street try to undercut support for Israel while ignoring unwavering Palestinian intransigence. Can you name any other conflict where the side that is repeatedly attacked and denied the right to exist is pressured by its own people to make evermoreonesided concessions to enemies dedicated to their destruction?

Rather than undercut Israel, Jews should expose Palestinian incitement and rejectionism.

They should call for Palestinian leaders to be held responsible for their actions. They should tell the history of Arabinitiated wars — and tell the history of Jewish refugees from Arab lands and the plight of Jews under Arab and Ottoman rule.

It is indeed strange that France

will host yet another empty parley on the ArabIsraeli conflict on June 3, the day after the 75th anniversary of the Farhud — the massacre of over 180 Jews in Baghdad in 1941, which marked the beginning of the end of Iraq’s ancient Jewish community.

— Doron Lubinsky, Sandy Springs

Ben-Ami Disconnected From Reality

Jeremy BenAmi is, indeed, out of touch with reality. He is also neither proIsrael nor an advocate of a “fair deal for the Palestinians.” His placing the blame for the lack of a resolution of the conflict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shoulders while ignoring Palestinian intransigence is unconscionable.

BenAmi ignores the fact that the Arabs who today call themselves Palestinians could have had a state, bloodlessly, in 1947 if the Arab states neighboring Israel had not gone to war, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Arabs fleeing the area, as well as a comparable number of Jews being expelled from their homes in Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Israel did not say, “The expelled Jews will be kept in transit camps un

til the Muslim countries compensate them for the homes and businesses they had to leave behind.” The displaced Jews were welcomed, absorbed and uplifted in their new home.

In contrast, the fleeing Arabs became the only refugee group that passes refugee status from one generation to the next. Their descendants are denied citizenship in most Muslim countries as well as being restricted from working in many professional occupations. Their leaders insist that they remain refugees until Israel gives them the homes their forebears fled in 1948.

Mahmoud Abbas does not intend to grant them citizenship in any Palestinian state that may eventually be established.

Do the refugees who today are fleeing Islamic State and the Syrian civil war fear being trapped in a similar refugee limbo for generations? Has the world’s acceptance of the Palestinians’ right to violently resist the occupation (ignoring their leaders’ repeated refusals to negotiate on Israel’s many peace proposals) emboldened the Muslim states to encourage and fund terrorism and enabled the jihadi attacks on New York, London, Brussels, Madrid, etc.?

— Toby F. Block, Atlanta

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comSPORTS

Gorst, Gold All-ACCGeorgia Tech junior pitchers Bran

don Gold and Matthew Gorst have been named to the AllACC baseball second team.

The Jewish former high school teammates have formed an impressive 12 punch for the Jackets this season as a startercloser combo. Gold was 73 as Tech’s Friday night starter with a 2.55 ERA and a teamhigh 71 strikeouts. Coming out of the bullpen, Gorst was 11 with 11 saves and an ERA of 0.49.

Georgia Tech (3520) dropped out of the Top 25 with two losses to Boston College to close the regular season. Tech was scheduled to face the Eagles again in the opening round of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C., on Tuesday, May 24, in a game that ended after the AJT went to press.

AMSSL Standings - Week 1A Division Wins LossesTemple 1 0Sinai 1 0Dor Tamid 1 0Beth Tefillah 1 0B’nai Torah 0 1Ariel 0 1Ahavath Achim 0 1Or Veshalom 0 1B Division Wins LossesChabad 2 0Beth Tikvah 2 0Or Hadash 2 0Young Israel 1 1Gesher L’Torah 1 1Etz Chaim 0 2Emanu-El 0 2Beth Jacob 0 2C Division Wins LossesBeth Tikvah 2 2 0Beth Shalom 2 0Dor Tamid/ Etz Chaim 2

1 0

Kol Emeth 1 1B’nai Torah 2 0 1Sinai 2 0 2Temple 2 0 2

May 22 ResultsSinai 16, Ahavath Achim 12 Temple 10, Or VeShalom 3Beth Tefillah 18, Ariel 14Dor Tamid 13, B’nai Torah 4Chabad 7, Gesher L’Torah 6Gesher L’Torah 6, Young Israel 5Beth Tikvah 13, EmanuEl 2Beth Tikvah 12, Beth Jacob 10Young Israel 9, Etz Chaim 6Chabad 10, Etz Chaim 9Or Hadash 23, Beth Jacob 6Or Hadash 16, EmanuEl 8Beth Shalom 15, Sinai 2 9Beth Tikvah 2 17, Sinai 2 8DTEC 2 11, Kol Emeth 7Kol Emeth 27, B’nai Torah 2 16Beth Tikvah 2 11, Temple 2 2Beth Shalom 5, Temple 2 3

June 5 GamesTerrell Mill Park3:30 Chabad vs. Young Israel |

EmanuEl vs. Gesher L’Torah4:45 – Kol Emeth vs. Beth Tikvah 2

| Etz Chaim vs. Beth Jacob6:00 Beth Tikvah 2 vs. Beth Sha

lom | Beth Tikvah vs. Or Hadash

Synagogue Softball League Results, Schedule

East Roswell Park 12:15 Ariel vs. Beth Tefillah | Sinai

vs. B’nai Torah1:30 Ariel vs. B’nai Torah | Beth

Tefillah vs. Sinai2:45 Dor Tamid vs. Ahavath

Achim | Temple vs. Or VeShalom4:00 Ahavath Achim vs. Temple |

Dor Tamid vs. Or VeShalom5:30 Temple 2 vs. B’nai Torah 2 |

DTEC2 vs. Sinai 26:45 – DTEC2 vs. B’nai Torah 2 |

Temple 2 vs. Sinai 2

Blatt Visits DavisWhile the

Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling in the NBA Eastern Conference finals after sweeping the Atlanta Hawks out of the playoffs in the second round, their former head coach was visiting the Davis Academy on Thursday, May 19.

IsraeliAmerican David Blatt, who was fired at midseason after coaching Lebron James and the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals last year in his first season, spoke to Davis sixth and seventhgraders in Sandy Springs.

David Blatt meets with Davis Academy middle

schoolers May 19.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOPINION

Editor’s NotebookBy Michael [email protected]

Cartoon by Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle

One of the most common questions outoftowners ask the AJT is some variation of “How many Jews live in Atlanta?”

For a long time, we haven’t been able to offer a definitive answer.

All anyone can say is that when the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta conducted a community survey 10 years ago, it found 120,000 Jews (in households with 150,000 people — a rarely mentioned reflection of the high rate of interfaith marriage). If the local Jewish population has grown at the same rate as the overall population, we total perhaps 135,000 now.

The exact number doesn’t mean much. In terms of what we can do as a community, there’s no practical difference between 125,000 and 145,000. The number of synagogues is the same. The money raised by Federation is the same. The educational opportunities afforded by day schools and the summer experiences offered by camps are the same.

The community’s national position is the same. The growth discovered in 2006 gave Atlanta the ninthlargest Jewish metro population in the United States and the 10thlargest in North America, and we’re not moving up or down.

The No. 8 Jewish metro area, the San Francisco Bay region, has almost 100,000 more Jews than Atlanta, while No. 10 San Diego hasn’t reached the 90,000 mark yet. (All of these numbers are just estimates.)

That brings us to Federation’s forthcoming community survey. Rather than repeat the methodology of a decade ago to produce a comparable number and answer the question about the size of our community, Federation has opted for quality over quantity.

The goal is to learn the character of the community: who we are, where we are, how we’re involved with Judaism and Jewish institutions, what services we use, and what services we need but can’t find (either because they don’t exist or because people don’t know about them).

The numbers aren’t irrelevant, of course. If 40,000 people are members of synagogues, it’s worth knowing whether they represent a third of the Jews or a quarter. The answer might lead to different approaches by organizations to connect with people.

An individual synagogue’s building and clerical capacities don’t change based on how many people aren’t members, however; whether that synagogue has its fill of members reflects how well it meets the needs of its immediate community. If this survey is successful, our synagogues, as well as communal organizations from Federation to the Marcus Jewish Community Center to Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta, will know whether they are meeting the needs and how they must adjust to do a better job.

That’s where we all come in. If you care about optimizing our Jewish community, now and in the future, set aside 20 minutes between June 6 and 30 to take the online survey at www.IamJewishATL.com. Get the rest of your family to take it. Nudge and nag your friends to take it.

The findings that come out will be only as good as the data going in, and the more, the merrier. By the fall, we might not be sure how many of us are here, but we’ll have a good idea of who we are. ■

Our ViewWho Are You?

As I write this, it’s Election Day in Georgia. Republican and Democratic primaries and nonpartisan elections are being held for

members of Congress, state legislators, judges, and other state and local officials.

In the jackpot of 2016 elections, it’s our second chance to play with the electronic voting machines. The first was the SEC Primary on March 1 to pick the presidential nominees.

Up next for many of us will be runoffs July 26 for the May 24 primaries and nonpartisan elections because Georgia requires a majority to win an election.

National Election Day on Nov. 8 won’t necessarily end the voting for the year. If a thirdparty candidate prevents anyone from winning a majority for a local or state office, a runoff will be held Dec. 6. If that happens in a congressional election or Sen. Johnny Isakson’s run for reelection, we’ll go into electoral overtime and vote again Jan. 10.

But no matter how many times Georgians go to the polls, we’re unlikely to see campaign literature as vile as the mailer DeKalb County judicial candidate Roderick Bridges sent out in the final week of his race to unseat State Court Judge Dax Lopez.

In a “tale of the tape” comparison between the men, Bridges presented a list of attributes that was both confusing and misleading:

• “Experience,” which could be experience in DeKalb courtrooms or experience playing pinochle. (It’s actually experience on the bench, but it’s a Traffic Court seat for Bridges.)

• “Politic” (not politics), with the accusation that Lopez, who has been a Republican, “claims he’s Obama’s boy in South DeKalb,” while Bridges denies being a politician at all.

• “Arrest attorney,” a reference to an incident two years ago when Lopez held a lawyer in contempt

of court for sending an email to beg out of jury duty.• “Suspended,” Bridges’ inaccurate way of bring

ing up Lopez’s nomination for a federal judgeship. Sen. David Perdue (RGa.) blocked the nomination from being debated or voted on during the session. Lopez has never been suspended from the bench.

• “Remove from office,” which reads like an accusation but is just a hope that voters will reject Lopez.

Never having held office, Bridges has never been removed.

For a judicial election, that list approaches or crosses a number of lines. But it would be a forgettable piece of

politics if not for the final item on the list, Bridges’ closing argument: “Christian” — yes for him, no for Lopez, who is Jewish and a member of The Temple.

In 2016 in metro Atlanta, a candidate for judge tried to win over voters by resorting to religious bigotry, if not outright antiSemitism.

“We weren’t trying to offend anybody, especially in the Jewish population,” Bridges told The Daily Report after he came under criticism.

Lopez wanted nothing to do with Bridges’ excusefilled apology. Sadly, it’s not the first time this year a political opponent used religion against him.

In January, amid antiimmigration lobbying for Georgia’s U.S. senators to halt Lopez’s nomination to the U.S. District Court, a blogger wrote that while he couldn’t understand rejecting Jesus, he wasn’t questioning the sincerity of Lopez’s conversion to Judaism as a young man. Wink wink, nod nod.

I’m not supposed to root in elections, but I am today. I hope that by the time you read this, Lopez will have won. He’s a good man, and his opponent has shown such bad judgment and ugly bias that he should never judge the guilt or innocence of others. ■

Christian Disgust in Judicial Race

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOPINION

From Where I SitBy Dave [email protected]

Memorial Day is set aside to remember the men and women who died serving in

the U.S. armed forces.At a time when the

divide between America’s military and its civilian population is wider than at any point in the nation’s history, the day’s purpose risks neglect and apathy.

Fewer than 0.5 percent of Americans serve in the military, the smallest share since the period between World War I and World War II.

Jews, who are about 2 percent of the American population, are by one estimate 0.33 percent of those now in uniform — several thousand men and women at most. Another estimate suggests upward of 10,000, but not all Jews in the military list a religion.

The number of Americans in uniform has declined steadily since 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War. Fewer Americans know anyone in uniform. For most civilians, the volunteer military is out of sight and out of mind.

Memorial Day this year falls on May 30, which was its date when the

holiday, originally known as Decoration Day, was created in 1868. In 1968, four federal holidays — Washington’s

Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day — were moved to Mondays, creating threeday weekends. (Congress later returned Veterans Day to its original Nov. 11 date.)

Popular culture has made Memorial Day the unofficial start of summer. For many students it is the first Monday of summer vacation. Swimming pools open. Stores advertise sales.

All of which obscures Memorial Day’s meaning.

Israel recently observed Yom HaZikaron, its Memorial Day, when a siren brings the country to a halt, literally, for a minute of reflection. Israel is a small country, and because military service is compulsory for most men

and women, any divide between its military and civilians is blurred.

American Jews can mark Memorial Day by reflecting on their own who fought and died for the United States.

Francis Salvador, a Sephardic Jew who emigrated from England and became a plantation owner and legislator in South Carolina, was the first Jew to die in the Revolutionary War, a militia man killed by Cherokees allied with the British.

During the Civil War, when some 7,000 Jews wore Union blue and 3,000 Confederate gray, 600 died.

Jews were less than 3 percent of the U.S. population but 5 percent of the American Expeditionary Forces deployed “over there” in World War I. Of the 250,000 Jewish troops, 3,530 were killed.

During World War II, an estimated 550,000 Jewish men and women — roughly 11 percent of all American Jews, who were 3.6 percent of the U.S. population — were in uniform. Of those, 11,000 died, 7,000 of them in combat.

An estimated 150,000 American Jews served during the Korean War. A reliable figure for the number killed in

that conflict is not easily found.Of an estimated 30,000 American

Jews in uniform who served in the Vietnam War, some 270 were killed. Their names are etched into the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

At least 50 Jewish men and women have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars of the past 15 years.

These Jewish sons and daughters can be remembered by reading 37 profiles of “Our Fallen” published in 2011 by the Forward and 13 more in an update published last year.

Another presentation is on the website of the National Museum of American Jewish Military History.

“I think people are surprised to learn that Jews serve in the military in America because people think that any Jew interested in serving in the military is going to serve in the IDF,” Beverly WolferNerenberg, whose brother, Army Maj. Stuart Wolfer, was killed in Iraq, told the Forward. “I think that people overlook the fact that Jews living in this country are patriotic and do have a sense of duty and gratitude and are grateful for what this country has given to us over the years.” ■

Remembering Our Fallen on Memorial Day

At the second Pesach seder, traditional Jews, as most of us were in my shtetl, Munkacs,

begin the Torahprescribed ritual of counting the Omer. And, like so many hukim, the prescriptions and proscriptions in the Torah, the text offers no reason.

We Jews observe the hukim because at Mount Sinai we proclaimed, “Na-ase v’nishmah” — we will listen and perform.

Our ancient sages sometimes tried to give meaning to such ordinances in the midrashim.

The first mystery is the name Omer. Technically, an omer was a measure of volume; it was the amount of barley Jews brought as a sacrifice in the Temple on Shavuot as part of the bikurim (the first fruit offering).

But that sacrifice was practiced only after the Jews settled the land and tilled the soil; that Temple practice does not explain why we were commanded to count the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot.

These 49 days, sans Shabbat,

Rosh Chodesh and the 33rd day of the count, involve restrictions associated with mourners: no music, no entertainment, no weddings, and no hair cutting or beard trimming. But Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day, is a festive day;

all restrictions are eliminated.Lag B’Omer is the yahrtzeit of Bar

Yochai, who defied Roman Emperor Hadrian’s (117138 C.E.) harsh decrees against studying and observing the Torah. Even today, thousands of religious Jews, especially Mizrachi Jews, descend on Merom, where Bar Yochai is buried, to express intense joy.

We schoolchildren in Munkacs celebrated this day by creating miniature bows and arrows and shooting them in a field.

Who was Bar Yochai, and why the bows and arrows? Shimon bar Yochai

was an early mystic who supposedly was one of the founders of Kabbalah. In response to Hadrian’s harsh rules, he and his son hid in a cave, where Gd created a spring that quenched their thirst and a carob tree for sustenance.

His students, carrying bows and arrows to disguise themselves as hunters, gathered in the cave to study. After Bar Yochai died on Lag B’Omer, his followers decreed that his yahrzeit should be a festive day.

In 1939, shortly after the Hungarians replaced the Czech regime in Munkacs and as a German ally instituted harsh antiSemitic laws, my primary commitment in Judaism was turning from religion to Zionism. I joined my friends in the Betar movement, based on Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s ideology emphasizing militancy.

My Lag B’Omer hero shifted from Bar Yochai to Bar Kochba, who, with Rabbi Akiva’s support, led the last great Jewish uprising against Hadrian.

Each Lag B’Omer was celebrated by the students of my school, the Hebrew Gymnasium, with a traditional outing in a forest. Each class had its own destination. Carrying backpacks

with food and drink, we spent the day meandering about in the beautiful Carpathian foothills until midafternoon, when all classes gathered in a particular clearing.

Our first task in the clearing was the building of the medurah, a traditional bonfire. We gathered fallen trees, branches, anything that would burn. Slowly the wood was piled high, and the ritual began.

The graduating class officially turned over the school leadership to the next class, and it was time to kindle the bonfire.

Night began to fall, and as the fire began flickering, we quietly and languorously sang the Hebrew song “Meduroth Hidliku,” calling for dancing and rejoicing as the flames rose.

The graduating class formed the first circle, and, as the space permitted, everyone joined in a rousing horah.

As the fire abated, we gathered by class and marched to the city. Outside the main street we formed our lines, raised our blueandwhite class flags, and, in spite of raging antiSemitism, marched into the city singing “Am Yisrael Chai” — Israel lives forever. ■

One Man’s OpinionBy Eugen Schoenfeld

Lag B’Omer in Munkacs

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comFOOD

The end of the school year and the arrival of summer weather also mean it’s a time for outdoor eating and cooking, from backyard grills to park picnics (or both during Lag B’Omer events Thursday, May 26).

The Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Kashruth Commission, for example, are bringing Kosher Day back to Turner Field on Memorial Day, May 30, during an afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants. Tickets are $10 or $8 each for four or more; the kosher meals are extra. Visit kosheratlanta.org/Kosher%20Day.htm for details and tickets.

The season for outdoor eating also is the time of year for food festivals, at least before and after the peak of the summer heat.

The details are still being finalized, but Chabad of Georgia confirms that Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta, which made its debut in late August last year, will return.

The story is the same for Steak Shapiro’s Atlanta Eats Live, which will be back

this fall for the fourth year. The date hasn’t been set, but the heavily Jewish Atlanta Eats organization expects more than 50 restaurants to participate, along with live music.

The first taste of local food festivals for or by Atlanta Jews came Saturday, May 14, in Sandy Springs with the debut of Food That Rocks: Party With a Purpose, led by Dale DeSena, the founder and CEO of Taste of Atlanta (which makes its annual return Oct. 21 to 23).

Held at Hammond Park, the first Food That Rocks featured food, wine, beer and cocktail samples from more than 25 restaurants. The money raised benefited Temple Sinaibased Second Helpings Atlanta, Ian’s Friends Foundation and the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance.

Myron Smith of Second Helpings Atlanta served as an honorary cochair of the event, along with Ian Yagoda of Ian’s Friends Foundation, Lin Koperwas and Gavin Perkins.

Food Festivals Heat Up With Weather

Noshfest Is BackAfter skipping 2015, Temple Kol

Emeth is bringing Noshfest back to the East Cobb synagogue’s grounds Labor Day weekend.

Noshfest will serve a mixture of Jewish foods and culture, Judaica and other craft vendors, games and children’s activities, and music Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4 and 5.

A new feature of the festival is a bageleating contest, in which participants will be challenged to eat as many bagels as they can in a fixed period.

Those with less competitive stomachs can count on foods served in past years, such as potato knishes, hot dogs, matzah ball soup, fried green tomatoes, hamantashen, rugelach and corned beef sandwiches. Be on the lookout for new food items.

Kol Emeth also will offer tours of its building at 1415 Old Canton Road. Parking will be across the street at Eastminster Presbyterian Church.

For more information, visit www.noshfest.com.

Fire Up The Kosher Grills

Atlanta’s only kosher barbecue competition returns this year just as fall arrives and is signing up teams to compete.

The fourth annual Atlanta Kosher

Food That Rocks founder Dale DeSena shows off a special guitar on the music stage at the festival at Hammond Park.

Food That Rocks packs people into tents at Hammond Park on May 14.

Jewish Atlantans pitching in to make the first Food That Rocks a success include (second row from left) Mark Cohen, Dale Schwartz, Dale DeSena, Ed Gerson, Robyn Spizman Gerson and Mike Weinroth and (front row from left) Myron Smith, Susan

Schwartz, Jane Cohen, Jonathan Silver, Marcia Caller Jaffe and Julie Silver.

BBQ Competition takes place Sunday, Sept. 25, almost a month earlier than last year in the secular calendar because the High Holidays are late this year. Teams can register now at theatlantakosherbbq.com and practice all summer, according to the event presenter, the Atlanta lodges of the Hebrew Order of David International, which took over the contest from Congregation B’nai Torah in 2015.

“We grew exponentially in attendance and team participation last year,” said Jody Pollack, the president of HOD Lodge Shimshon and the event committee chairman. “With a continuing interest in food events and barbecue cooking and increased awareness of our event, we expect to be bigger. With more sponsors and attendees, we’ll be able to make greater contributions to the charities supported by our four metro Atlanta lodges.”

The competition drew a record 25 teams and more than 5,000 eaters in 2015, the festival’s first year at Brook

Run Park in Dunwoody, and the event is keeping that location.

Kosher barbecue competitions in the United States have grown in popularity in recent years as Jewish communities have embraced the preparation and taste of barbecue that follows the rules of kashrut.

“Kosher meat is saltier than nonkosher meat, and contestants need to take that into account when preparing the sauces and rubs that they use to season their meat,” said Pollack, who has competed across the Southeast. “And, of course, the laws of kashrut prohibit the mixing of meat and dairy products. You don’t have to be Jewish to enter, but you need to follow the rules to the letter.”

Other cities that host kosher barbecue contests include Birmingham, Memphis, Charlotte, Chicago, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Cleveland.

Most competitions rely on volunteers, inkind donations and sponsorship dollars.

Last year’s Atlanta event raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity and brought in donations of nonperishable food and winter clothing.

Teams are judged on beef ribs, beef brisket, chicken and beans, as well as their booth presentations. All competitors receive the same grills and cuts of meat but have their choice of seasonings.

Aside from the soaking and salting of the meat to make it kosher, the barbecue competition involves the twist of its timing around Shabbat. Teams prepare their entries under rabbinic supervision, provided by the Atlanta Kashruth Commission, on Thursday night, Sept. 22, and the meat is locked in a refrigerated truck, to be delivered to the teams Saturday night after Shabbat.

Smokers are lighted around midnight, and cooking takes place throughout the night.

“For the competitors, it’s a really festive night,” Pollack said. “There’s a spirit of camaraderie and shared adventure, although you only share so much.”

Attendees get to taste samples of what the competitors submit to the judges, as long as supplies last. Additional kosher food will be available for purchase.

The Atlanta Jewish Music Festival will provide entertainment, and there will be activities and attractions for children. ■

Familiar Jewish foods are available at Temple Kol Emeth’s

own Nosh Street Eatery.

Beef ribs are among the items teams will prepare and serve to the judges at the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Competition

on Sept. 25 at Brook Run Park.

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Serving Atlantafor Over 65 Years!

By David R� Cohen [email protected]

Not too long ago, I found myself deep in Marietta after some early morning errands on a

Sunday. It was there that I stumbled across one of Atlanta’s bestkept bagel secrets, Hoboken Bread and Bagel.

Blink and you’ll miss this small shop, located at the end of a tiny strip mall in an industrial area off Sandy Plains Road. But if you make it inside, you’ll find a shop with lots of character and great bagels to boot.

So how does Hoboken stack up to Atlanta’s best? Find out in this week’s edition of Better Know a Bagel.

AtmosphereOpen the doors at Hoboken and

you’ll most likely be greeted by the shop’s owners as if you’re a regular, even if it’s your first time there.

Hoboken does have a steady stream of regulars because the husbandandwife owners have run the deli for more than 20 years. Anne, one of the owners, said, “We’ve been here so long, we’re the only neighborhood place left in the neighborhood.”

Inside, you can easily convince yourself that you’ve stepped into a real New York deli because the cramped quarters offer only enough space for a few tables and a deli counter. Still, this oneofakind shop offers ample charm and just enough room to sit down for a tasty bagel.

Verdict:

BagelsThe bagels at Hoboken aren’t au

thentic New York style. They are different from any I’ve had in Atlanta. Incredibly light, fluffy and full of flavor, these bagels are baked in house and come in about 15 varieties, including garlic, everything, sundried tomato and pumpernickel.

Hoboken’s New Yorkstyle lox bagel is fresh and not too filling, but you also can’t go wrong with one of their egg bagel sandwiches. In addition, the deli offers a wide selection of housemade muffins, croissants and pastries.

Verdict:

SpreadsNot much variety among the

housemade spreads at Hoboken, but its regular cream cheese is excellent. The shop also offers veggie, green olive and smoked salmon schmears.

Hoboken also has a wide selection of authentic New Yorkstyle deli sandwiches.

Verdict:

OverallA hidden local gem. I highly rec

ommend Hoboken Bagel for hot coffee and a morning nosh. From the friendly owners and regulars to the delicious bagels and pastries, this shop is well worth the drive to Marietta.

Verdict: Next time: Bagel Boys Cafe in San

dy Springs ■

Previous Ratings• Brooklyn Bagel Bakery & Deli: 5/5• Art’s Bagels & More: 4.5/5• The New Broadway Cafe: 4/5• Bagelicious: 4/5• Soho Bakery and Deli: 4/5• Goldberg’s Bagel Co.: 4/5• Sunny’s Bagel & Deli: 3.5/5• The General Muir: 3.5/5• Brooklyn Water Bagel: 3/5

Better Know a Bagel: Hoboken Bread & Bagel

Hoboken’s lox bagel is authentic and tasty.

Photos by David R. CohenIf you can find it, a visit to Hoboken is well worth the trip.

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MEDIA PERSONALITY Matt Chernoff Mara Davis Holly Firfer Steak Shapiro Larry Wachs Bert Weiss Other: _________

ELECTED OFFICIAL (CURRENT) Andy Bauman Mike Bodker Michele Henson Philip Goldstein Sam Olens Renee Unterman Other: _________

ELECTED OFFICIAL (FORMER) Mitchell Kaye Liane Levetan Elliott Levitas Kevin Levitas Sam Massell Other: _________

JUDGE Mike Jacobs Dax Lopez Stephen Schuster Marvin Shoob Wendy Shoob Other: _________

MUSICIAN OR BAND Joe Alterman Baal Shem Tones Paz Sammy Rosenbaum Zale Other: _________

BAGEL Art’s Bagels Bagelicious Broadway Cafe Brooklyn Bagel Bakery Goldbergs Other: _________

SLEEPAWAY CAMP Barney Medintz Blue Star Coleman Living Wonders Ramah Darom Other: _________

DAY SCHOOL Atlanta Jewish Academy Davis Academy Epstein School Temima Torah Day School Weber School Other: _________

NON-JEWISH PRIVATE SCHOOL Galloway Pace Paideia Walker Westminster Woodward Other: _________

PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL Dunwoody Grady North Springs Riverwood Walton Other: _________

FESTIVAL Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Atlanta Jewish Music Festival Book Festival of the Marcus JCC Kosher BBQ Competition Or VeShalom Chanukah Bazaar Other: _________

KOSHER RESTAURANT Broadway Cafe Chai Peking Fuego Mundo Pita Grille Pita Palace Other: _________

JEWISH-OWNED NONKOSHER RESTAURANT Bagelicious The General Muir Napoli Pizza Reel Seafood Souper Jenny Yalla Other: _________

KOSHER CATERER Added Touch Avenue K Dolce Catering For All Occasions and More Kosher Gourmet Spicy Peach Other: _________

KOSHER GROCERY SHOPPING Dunwoody Kroger Fountain Oaks Kroger Spicy Peach Toco Hills Kroger Toco Hills Publix Other:

KOSHER TREATS Ali’s Cookies Alon’s Bruster’s Krispy Kreme Menchie’s Other: _________

COFFEE SHOP Crema Dancing Goats Dunkin’ Donuts Krispy Kreme Octane Starbucks Other: _________

SPORTS OWNER/COACH Sara Blakely Arthur Blank Steve Koonin Josh Pastner Tony Ressler Other: _________

LOCAL/REGIONAL AFFILIATE OF NATIONAL NONPROFIT ADL AIPAC AJC FIDF Hadassah Israel Bonds JNF ORT Other: _________

LOCAL NONPROFIT Breman Museum Jewish Federation Jewish Home Life Communities JF&CS Marcus JCC Other: _________

SIMCHA VENUE Atlanta History Center Georgia Aquarium Grand Hyatt Wyndham Atlanta Galleria InterContinental Buckhead Westin Atlanta Perimeter Other: _________

NEIGHBORHOOD Buckhead Dunwoody East Cobb Sandy Springs South Atlanta Toco Hills Virginia-Highland Other: _________

Just as Federation is launching a survey to find out who we are in Jewish Atlanta, the Atlanta Jewish Times is kicking off a survey to find some of our favorite people, places and things. This is an unscientific survey, and, although we’re call-ing it Best of Jewish Atlanta, we’re not claiming that the winners are the best at what they do. We’ll leave it to you, our readers, to judge whether they’re the best, the most popular or just the best known.

We want this to be fun, not a source of bitterness. We have listed nominees for each category, but you are welcome to write in your own pick. If you don’t have an opinion on a category, just skip it; we ask that you vote for at least half the categories if you submit a ballot.

You can vote online at atlantajewishtimes.com or fill out this ballot and mail it or bring it to our offices:Atlanta Jewish Times

Attn.: Best of Jewish AtlantaSuite 320 • 270 Carpenter Dr NE • Atlanta, GA 30328

The deadline for ballots is Friday, June 10, at 5 p.m.

Best of Jewish Atlanta

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comBUSINESS

By Logan C� [email protected]

Southeastern and Israeli business leaders will gather at Atlantic Station in Midtown at 6 p.m. Thurs

day, June 2, for the annual Eagle Star Awards, hosted by Conexx: America Israel Business Connector.

Former CBS News anchor Jane Robelot is the emcee for the ceremony, at which Conexx will recognize a community partner (the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development), an Israeli company (TIBA Parking), a deal (Energiya Global), a U.S.

company (the Georgia Ports Authority) and an academic partner (Mark Cohen and Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management).

The night also includes a raffle for a $4,500 Israeli travel experience ($50 a ticket, although they’re less as part of ticket packages).

Boasting a network of more than 600 members, Conexx serves as a liaison between Israel and six Southeastern states.

The awards recognize the building of Israeli business connections and revenue in global and local markets. While some of the deals resulted from

trade missions to Israel, Conexx works to forge relationships outside trips.

One Southern gem, Anita Zucker, is receiving the Tom Glaser Leadership Award for her role in binational economic development. Zucker exemplifies a longterm commitment to higher education, business, economic development and government.

In this fourpage pullout section focusing on Zucker and the other award winners, you’ll read about solar energy, parking (a hotbutton issue for Atlantans), Vanderbilt University’s commitment to Israeli startups and more. ■

Conexx’s Eagles Landing Soon

What: Eagle Star Awards

Where: Twelve Atlantic Station, 361 17th St., Midtown

When: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 2

Tickets: $125 for admission only, $165 for admission and one raffle ticket, or $275 for admission and five raffle tickets; www.eaglestargala.com or 4048439426, ext. 106


Anita Zucker, a schoolteacherturnedbillionaire, is as grounded and philanthropic as she

could be.Of course, her fortune didn’t ap

pear overnight. She and her late husband, Jerry Zucker, built a family empire from the ground up, starting in the early 1980s.

When Zucker speaks about her husband, her fond memories make it sound as if he died just months ago. Her Southern lilt gently describes his drive, intelligence and generosity.

Married for nearly 40 years, the Zuckers were high school sweethearts in Charleston, S.C. They went to the University of Florida; she then earned a master’s degree from the University of North Florida while he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

Jerry’s passion for science and technology led to his first invention, a high school project that became part of the first lunar landing module. While he began to build a global business empire with the InterTech Group — now a conglomerate focusing on specialty chemicals, commercial real estate, and manufacturing and aerospace parts production — she was teaching public school.

Eventually she joined the ranks at InterTech, but she maintained a passion for education.

Zucker’s zeal continues today. Her philanthropic contributions can be seen at universities across the Southeast. In 2014 she was lovingly referred to as “the Bill Gates of South Carolina” by Charleston City Paper.

In a speech, Zucker said of her giving: “We were building a foundation

and would eventually discover success in business, and that success would unveil opportunities to improve the lives of others, through giving and community service. So over the years as our businesses grew, so did our opportunity to give back.”

Jerry died of cancer in 2008 and left Anita at the helm. Because she worked with him at InterTech as the director of community development, she was knowledgeable about the company culture. She said the most challenging part of taking over was learning the finances.

“I wanted his insights because he knew how to handle the business,” Zucker said.

For some time before his death, Jerry taught Anita everything he knew about their fortune and the companies they owned together.

In addition to global manufacturing, the family has stakes in sports, entertainment, leisure and real estate businesses.

“When he was diagnosed, he worked with me and helped me to gain understanding” of the businesses, Zucker said. “I learned about dealing

with finances. The most important thing was working with the talent that we have: How was I going to work with associates, gain their respect and keep them on board?”

She now runs InterTech with her son, Jonathan, and a group of trusted advisers.

Whipsmart, Zucker has a finger on exactly where products are made and where they’re headed. In Atlanta the InterTech manufacturing plant produces aerospace and automotive parts, such as insulation for the wheel wells of an airplane and blankets for the cab of an 18wheeler truck.

InterTech holds contracts with the Department of Defense and commercial industries alike.

“It’s not what I ever thought I would be doing,” Zucker said with a laugh. “I was a teacher in the beginnings of my life. Was I able to adjust to leadership? Yes. I had led large organizations in our community and nonprofits, including the Charleston Chamber of Commerce with 3,000 members.”

Zucker said she is honored and humbled to be the recipient of the Tom Glaser Leadership Award. Jerry was a founding member of Conexx (formerly the American Israel Chamber of Commerce in the Southeast), and Anita recalled his contributions to the board and the organization.

“The organization has come a long way. My late husband was born in Israel, so the organization’s work with Israel is important to us. We care deeply about Israel and what’s happening with respect to the StartupNation, patents, medicine and medical breakthroughs,” she said.

The South CarolinaIsrael Collaboration, supported by Conexx and InterTech, showcases talent in the fields of

biomedical, sustainable systems, transportation, defense and health information technology.

An Israel mission in late January created relationships in jewelry manufacturing, neuroscience, and medical and dental technology. Mission participants attended a cybertech conference in Tel Aviv.

“It is so exciting to be involved at that level,” Zucker said. “The group who traveled with us not only learned about amazing things from a medical perspective, but everyone got (cultural) highlights, including visiting the Old City of Jerusalem. To me, it’s such an important part of the history of Israel and religion in general.”

With family in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, she hopes to return to Israel again this year. “Personally, I’m always in a growth mode, always learning and trying to find opportunities to extend my knowledge and abilities.”

Zucker’s advice to those who inherit a business: “Find a good mentor or adviser you can trust — someone who understands business but will share ideas and help you.” ■

Tom Glaser Award: Anita Zucker

More About Zucker

• The Zucker family donated millions to the University of Florida and The Citadel, as well as endless volunteer hours to many education foundations in South Carolina.

• Anita Zucker was named Best Philanthropist by Charleston City Paper from 2010 to 2015. The 2016 award went to satirist Stephen Colbert.

• She also has received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, and the Charleston Jewish Federation’s inaugural Light Unto the Nations Award.

• Both Anita and Jerry were the children of Holocaust survivors.

Originally a schoolteacher, Anita Zucker has maintained her passion

for education as a philanthropist.

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Imports from Israel into the Port of Savannah are rising steadily.

ZIM America, an Israeliowned international shipping company, operates out of the Port of Savannah in coordination with the Georgia Ports Authority. ZIM was the fifthlargest container carrier for the Georgia Ports Authority during 2015. The company handled 315,792 TEUs (20footequivalent units, the measure of the capacity of a container ship) and accounted for 8.4 percent of total Georgia Ports Authority business.

Griff Lynch, the current chief operating officer and incoming executive director at the Ports Authority, said ZIM’s relationship with the Port of Savannah dates back as far as 1972. In the past 20 years, ZIM’s volume at the Port of Savannah grew nearly 190 percent, a 5.5 percent compound annual growth rate.

That growth continues. In 2015, the trade grew 23 percent as exports increased 22 percent (28,895 TEUs) while imports increased 24 percent (30,200

TEUs). ZIM was also the first carrier to

call on the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal with a vessel over 10,000TEU capacity in March 2015.

Because of its relationship with the state of Israel, the Georgia Ports Authority is receiving the Eagle Star U.S. Company of the Year Award for demonstrating a sustained commitment to a strategic partnership with Israel.

The Georgia Ports Authority encourages international shipping business by working with a broad coalition of business leaders, economic development teams, chambers of commerce and elected officials to enable opportunities for growth.

The authority extends the reach of domestic industries to international markets, from Volkswagens built in Chattanooga to the farm and forest products grown in Georgia.

On the horizon is the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. By deepening the Savannah River to 47 feet at average low water, SHEP will enable the port to more efficiently serve the larger vessels expected to call in greater numbers after the expansion of the Panama

Canal. Vessels in this class, which are already calling on Savannah, will be able to do so with heavier loads and greater scheduling flexibility once the deepening is complete.

The Ports Authority this year is purchasing four new shiptoshore cranes for Savannah, which will bring the total number of electricpowered container cranes to 26, the most of any single terminal in the United States.

On the ground, the Ports Authority opened a $27 million project featuring a multilane truck gate to help Savannah’s Garden City Terminal avoid congestion while completing 10,000 truck moves per day. Next up, the Georgia Department of Transportation is opening

the Jimmy Deloach Parkway extension before the summer to provide a direct truck route between Interstate 95 and Garden City Terminal.

These reliable, costeffective transportation solutions create momentum for Georgia’s ports to become load centers for trade in the entire Southeast and beyond.

Savannah has been the fastestgrowing major U.S. port for a decade, and there’s no slowing down in sight. As ship sizes grow and SHEP takes advantage of the Panama Canal expansion, industry running through Savannah is expected to double in size. The Georgia Ports Authority will be there to make it happen. ■

U.S. Company: Georgia Ports AuthorityPhoto by Stephen B. Morton, Georgia Ports Authority

The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal is adding four shiptoshore cranes this year and four in 2018.

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When Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam led state officials, local leaders and their

spouses on a business trip to Israel, his goal was to strengthen ties between his state and Israel.

“The state of Tennessee is strong in health care. We went over to see if there are some potential partnerships or investments that could benefit the state long term,” Haslam said.

Conexx facilitated the trip, which included Commissioner Randy Boyd and International Director Leslee Alexander from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Alexander oversees bilateral trade activities, including inbound and outbound missions.

“Working closely with Conexx helped forge a relationship with Israel,” Alexander said. “Their connectivity to the Israeli ecosystem and mutual respect is strong.”

The delegation was composed

of 18 leaders from Tennessee businesses, including hightech biomedical companies, doctors and members of the Jewish community. The group held meetings with a variety of stakeholders and the Israeli Chamber of Commerce.

Haslam and Boyd met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rang the bell at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and met with representatives from Israeli government.

“Hundreds of relationships were started from this trip,” Alexander said.

One outcome is the relationship Tennessee officials formed with the IsraelU.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, whom delegates will visit in 2016.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development “began exploration of the Israeli business system a couple years ago. The governor’s intent was to establish a strong relationship between Israel and

Tennessee. The mission and relationship outcomes symbolize a step in this direction. It shows investment in Israel and vice versa,” Alexander said.

In early June, the LaunchTN 3686 annual accelerator conference is expected to host Israeli companies along with startup companies from the Southeast. The twoday conference is held in Nashville

“This is a great chance to tell the Tennessee story to Israeli businesses large and small. Israel has become

known as the startupnation due to the enormous amount of entrepreneurial activity happening here, and we have formed a lot of relationships that can be mutually beneficial,” Haslam said.

Instrumental in maintaining the statetostate relationship is the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Welltraveled Federation members made mission guests feel at ease.

Alexander said, “When you travel, you never are sure what

culture will be like. There was an openness and friendliness of the Israeli people and communities, and it was well received by the group. The trip was lifechanging for so many people.”

Israel holds a special place in the hearts of those who visit, she added. “We heard real, candid stories. It was intimate. And that’s rare for a 30person group.”

Alexander plans to attend and accept the Eagle Star Award on behalf of Boyd and the state of Tennessee. ■

Community Partner: Tennessee Economic Development Department

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (right) visits the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa and its director of medical and research development, Karl Skorecki, last summer.


“Welcome to Atlantic Station. Please take your ticket and proceed.” If

you have parked underground at Atlantic Station — as you might for the Eagle Star Awards — you have come in contact with TIBA Parking Systems.

Israelibased TIBA develops and manufactures hardware and software for parking access and revenue control systems. The company has 29 years of experience in barcode technology, design and production.

Its U.S. base is in Tucker. It is a corporate member of Afcon Holdings and Shlomo Group Holdings, both traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

TIBA landed a $500 million deal with Israeli private equity fund Tene Investment Funds last fall and is using the money for research into new products and the enhancement of existing products and services.

“This strategic business step accelerates TIBA’s tremendous potential that was built with our existing part

ners,” CEO Erez Ezra said. “TIBA is a leading global player in the international marketplace and will play a major role in shaping the industry in the years to come.”

Conexx identified TIBA as its Israeli Company of the Year because of its innovative spirit, job creation, revenue stream and strong leadership.

TIBA’s CEO for the Americas, Michael Bigbee, could not be reached for comment, but he wrote on trade website WeAreParking.org: “With cars becoming fully connected, meaning they will be able to beacon their unique identity, the only entry and exit mechanisms required will be small radio antennas — truly a gateless system. Payment can be effected upon exit via a Bluetoothconnected mobile phone app from the driver’s pocket, communicating via the car to the exit antenna.”

Today, take your ticket to the gate; tomorrow, just drive right through. ■

Israeli Company: TIBA Parking Systems

Michael Bigbee

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Professor Mark Cohen’s students engage in a yearlong study of Israeli business practices, cul

ture and product ideas. At Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, these M.B.A. candidates experience global business by Skype, then by plane.

Each autumn Cohen matches small groups of graduate business students with Israeli companies looking to expand their market, develop partnerships, obtain financing or enhance strategic positioning.

Cohen has a long list of companies — more than his students can serve.

To kick off the course, students read “StartUp Nation” by Dan Senor and attend guest lectures by Israelis living in Nashville.

Students begin to research. By the spring semester, they engage online with the Israeli companies as consultants, advising how their products or ideas can be marketed in the United States.

“Entrepreneurs are tech innovators, but they don’t know if a product or service has a viable market in the U.S. They need guidance on how it’s priced, as well as gaining channels for direct consumer or industry,” Cohen said.


When Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal visited Israel on a trade mission to spark busi

ness connections, a light bulb went off over Yosef Abramowitz’s head.

It was a solarpowered light bulb, of course.

Abramowitz is the CEO of Energiya Global Capital, an international solar development company that secured a $30 million, 17.68megawatt solar deal with Georgia Power to build the first utilityscale solar project in southeastern Georgia. His expertise is in identifying global markets and bringing solar energy to untapped areas, such as Africa.

Based in Jerusalem, Energiya Global engaged Energiya USA CEO David Herskovits to develop the Georgia project from the ground up. Together, the divisions created and executed a

Cohen, the students and several Vanderbilt staffers then travel to Israel during spring break.

Students meet with their client companies and other emerging and established Israeli companies, multinational corporations with Israeli research and development centers, and venture capital firms.

Back on campus in Nashville, the students continue their project work and present recommendations to their client companies via Skype.

This year Conexx’s Eagle Star committee introduced a category to recognize higher education institutions and their support of Israeli companies. The

award spotlights U.S.Israeli collaboration of handson student and faculty engagement with a goal to inspire business leadership.

Cohen and the Owen Graduate School of Management are the recipients.

Cohen is committed to familiarizing graduate students with the StartUp Nation. He believes that the booming health care industry in Nashville, Vanderbilt’s highcaliber students and Israel’s technology companies make the perfect cocktail for success.

“Nashville is a hot town right now. Most people see Nashville as music and great restaurants. But the most valu

able asset Nashville has is the health care industry. As the state capital we have a strong basis in government and education, but health care is huge,” he said.

Cohen said Nashvillebased hospital management companies manage over 60 percent of the forprofit hospital beds in America. The city is home to companies that focus on community health care systems, data and information technology.

Globally, health care companies with headquarters in Nashville generate more than $70 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 400,000 people.

“Israelis have no idea about Nashville, so I educate them about the number of opportunities in health care here. It is a huge, untapped market for Israeli entrepreneurs,” Cohen said.

To date, more than 75 students and 19 Israeli companies have participated in the exchange program.

Some students followed up with independent study work for their client companies, and Israeli entrepreneurs approached Vanderbilt to better understand U.S. markets as they develop their business strategies.

Cohen said the feedback from students is that the experience is the best way to learn about global markets, business in a different culture and the behavioral science behind business. ■

Innovative Academic Partnership: Owen School

Vanderbilt’s Mark Cohen says his graduate business students and Israeli startup companies benefit from his exchange program.

20year power agreement with Georgia Power for a 79acre solar field in Glynn County.

Project Glynn completed construction in the first quarter this year.

“He’s a development genius,” Abramowitz said of Herskovits. “America wasn’t even in our sights, but he sealed the deal.”

He added: “After Governor Deal’s visit we got enthusiastic support for investing in Georgia and for bringing technology. It was one of the warmest receptions we received around the world, and I think it is grounded in the strong Jewish community. We heard nothing but appreciation for coming to jumpstart the solar industry.”

Solar energy is in its infancy in Georgia. Herskovits has set his sights on developing similar projects across multiple markets. He said Project Glynn is the first of a dozen utilityscale solar projects that Energiya USA plans to launch in the Southeast.

“The state of Georgia and the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority have provided service and support throughout the project development that is incomparable to

what we have seen elsewhere to date,” Herskovits said.

Up next for Energiya is the launch of a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education program with Glynn County students called Solar Rollers. The day after Energiya leaders accept the Eagle Star Deal of the Year award from Conexx on June 2, they will depart for Brunswick for the Solar Rollers launch.

Herskovits said the Conexx award combines his passion for green renewable energy and his love of Israel. “We are truly honored to receive the Deal of the Year award from an organization as impactful on U.S.Israeli business relationships as Conexx.”

Norrie McKenzie, Georgia Power’s vice president of renewable development, said, “With a shared commitment to innovative, clean energy solutions, our customers will benefit from this partnership today and in the future.” ■

Deal: Energiya Global Capital, Georgia Power

Energiya USA CEO David Herskovits (left) and Energiya Global Capital

CEO Yosef Abramowitz are working on a bright idea for utilityscale solar energy in the Southeast.

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David Bockman will deliver the keynote address when Atlanta Jewish Academy holds its Upper

School graduation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at the academy’s Northland Drive campus in Sandy Springs.

Bockman, the managing director and head of ultrahigh net worth resources for Morgan Stanley, will be introduced by graduating senior Michelle Khandadash.

The AJA Upper School’s valedictorian is Abigail Stein, a National Merit commended scholar, STAR student and recipient of a Georgia Certificate of Merit. Abby has been a member of the National Honor Society, copresident of the Student Council and yearbook staff member. She played varsity volleyball and was frequently involved in the Upper School’s musical theater productions.

Salutatorian Greg Shapiro also is an athlete and served as vice president of the Student Council and as a peer leader.

Daniella Sokol, Abby’s copresident on the Student Council, will introduce the commencement. Aharon Davidson will deliver the d’var Torah.

Outgoing Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht also will address the Class of 2016.

The AJA graduates’ plans include gap years in Israel at Emunah V’Omanut, Derech Etz Chaim, Machon Ma’ayan, Midreshet Harova, Nishmat, Orayta, Tiferet, Yeshivat Shaarei Mevaseret Zion and Yeshiva Temimei Darech, as well as service in the Israel Defense Forces.

The Class of 2016 has accepted admission to the following universities: Brandeis University, Florida State University, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, New York University, Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University, the University of Maryland, the University of Miami, Washington University in St. Louis and Yeshiva University.

AJA’s Junior High will hold its eighthgrade commencement the next day at 6:30 p.m. in the same location as the Upper School graduation.

The ceremony will include a student presentation on the theme “It is not your responsibility to complete the task, yet you are not free to withdraw from it,” drawn from Pirkei Avot. ■

AJA Prepares for More Than 60 Graduates

This year’s eighthgrade graduates of the Atlanta Jewish Academy Junior High are Joshua Benjamin Anderson, Joseph Max Arbiser, Helena Asherian, Adina Yocheved Bader, Ariel Joshua Cann, Elizabeth Carolyn Decker, Aden Dori, Eliana Leah Dosetareh, Ariel S� Feingold, Natan Baruch Friedman, Kody Paul Gabay, Gabriel Gadelov, Talya Gartner, Emanuel Joshua Glinsky, Eliana Goldin, Max Evan Goldstein, Ephraim

Harel Herer, Eliana Devora Horwitz, Henry Elliot Hyman, Gavriella Jutan, Rotem Rachel Kadosh, Jacob Solomon Kassel, Noam Laufer, Aidyn Maya Levin, Jaren Gustav Linowes, Ethan Judah Linsider, Zechariah Dean Mainzer, Aliza Moosai, Chana Rivka Pechenik, Jordan Joseph Port, Sela Zahava Ratner, Arielle Rivkah Roth, Leead Noam Ze’ev Silverstone, Ariel Max Slomka, Hannah Rebecca Solomon, Hannah Faye Solon, Sarah Solon, Sophie Pearl Steinberg and Joseph Daniel Vogel.

Atlanta Jewish Academy fifthgrader and Congregation Shearith Israel member Noa

Rudisch has been named one of 40 worldwide finalists in the Manuel Hirsch Grosskopf International Competition on family history, sponsored by Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People.

Shearith Israel worked with the Breman Museum to offer Beit Hatfutsot’s My Family Story curriculum. About two dozen children ages 10 to 15 participated in the Atlanta pilot of a program that’s 20 years old.

A grant from the Covenant Foundation enabled Beit Hatfutsot to offer the sixweek program.

At age 10, Noa is one of the youngest finalists among more than 20,000 students from 12 countries.

Through My Family Story, children learn about genealogical research, then dig into their own family histories. The curriculum includes information on interviewing, the use of historical artifacts, and writing and presentation techniques.

The program culminates in art projects reflecting each family’s story.

Noa created a short animated film about her family, including a timeline

of both parents’ families that extends back to the late 1800s. She learned about what happened to her mother’s family during the Holocaust and discovered that her father’s ancestors

emigrated from Kedainiai, Lithuania, to the United Kingdom.

“This project was really fun,” Noa said. “I liked studying family trees and family photos and contacting people I usually don’t see very often. It was easier because I go to a Jewish school, so I already knew a lot about Jewish things that other kids might not. I also worked on AJA’s Immigration Project in fourth grade, so I had done an interview like this before when I asked my mom about immigrating with her family from Latvia when she was little.”

Noa and her mother are leaving Sunday, June 5, for a 10day visit to Israel, including the international award ceremony in Tel Aviv. Noa said the part of the trip she’s most looking forward to, however, is spending time with her extended family. ■

Student Wins Israel Trip

Noa Rudisch

Photos by Harold Alan PhotographersThe Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School graduates are Jacob Adler, Dean Alkalay, Adam Alsberg, Adam Arbiser, Oryah Bunder, Jesse Cann, Aharon Davidson, Maia Dori, Avraham Greene, Rachel Kahen, Michelle Khandadash, Batel Man, Ariel Mordoch, Nicole Nooriel, Dauren Parker, Eleanor Parker, Avi Rappoport, Rachel Rosenberg, Greg Shapiro, Daniella Sokol, Shira Solomon, Abigail Stein and Gilbert Vayner.

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gematria Hint: This permits debts to be collected during the שמיטה year.

400 5090 10 5300 4080 9 4200 3070 8 3100 2060 7 26 1ת צנ י שה פמ ט רד על ח קג סכ ז וב א

SECRET MESSAGE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LRGITEPAEA

LESYASDNAL

FEEEYWIOSI

HSAMEARTCE

OPASTATESE

EFEAORVJOA

APRUNEYIFY

OLFBIRSVLT

SYPHHYEYRK

DCHWSLLETM

KITESEKAMS

VHSVRAEYPR

WORD FINDCan you discover the Secret Message? Find and circle the bold, italicized words from the Torah summary in the

Word Find. Write the unused Word Find letters in the spaces below to spell the Secret Message.

Have fun!

CROSSWORDComplete the crossword by translating each Hebrew word into English. Use the parsha reference for help.

ACROSS(25:51) כסף .1(25:43) ירא .4(26:1) אבן .5(26:1) אלילם .6DOWN(25:10) שנה .2(25:29) עיר .3(25:34) שדה .4(25:8) שבע .7

WORD CMRLESAB (scramble)

LEWKEY YHOL DSDUKIHLHAAAHDV SUASFM DLNCEAS Hint: Shabbat

spot the differenceWhich one is different?

Hint: Prohibitions to the land during the shmita year

PLANT PRUNE

PLOW

HARVEST

WATER FERTILIZE

© 2016 The Famous Abba www.thefamousabba.com

Brought to you by:

Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/behar

weekly chinuch podcast - OVER 100 posted!parsha + chinuch < 5 minutes

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CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 6:57 P.M.

torah Fun BEHAR 5776i

קק +

הא +

תשצח –

בx ג

כאג ÷

ח x י

פ

פנ –

1 2

3 4

6 7

5

HaShem tells the Jewish people that the land in Israel shall rest every 7th year (shmita). During the shmita, the people may not sow the field, prune the vineyard or pick the grapes. The produce of that year is ownerless, for all to eat. Every 50th year is yovel and the laws are the same as the shmita year. In addition, the land goes back to its original owners. HaShem says if the people perform His laws and decrees they will be able to stay in the land. HaShem also gives His “promise” that if His laws are followed, the crops in the 6th year will provide enough food until after the shmita year. The laws of buying back a person’s land are given. The Jewish people are to help other Jews who need food or other items. One Jew can not charge another Jew interest. HaShem states we are not to make idols and are to keep His Shabbats and to have awe of His Temple.

In memory of HaRav Shmuel Ben Tzvi

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By Michael [email protected]

The Weber School sent the 56 members of the Class of 2016 into the world to write their own

stories with the preface of the history of Mount Sinai, Alexander Hamilton, and four years in the hallways and stairways of the Sandy Springs school.

“In life, things are not going to be how they used to be,” math teacher Caroline Campbell advised in her faculty address to the graduates Sunday morning, May 22, at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts.

That was not a warning so much as a statement of fact.

Campbell said she planned to be a pharmacist when she graduated from

high school eight years ago, but after one semester at the University of Georgia, she was on a different path.

“Plans are a good thing,” she said, “but change is even better.”

She took the class through some examples in its collective history at the Weber School, such as escaping lunch duty and creating a softball team.

Salutatorian Jessica Bachner and d’var Torah speaker Avery Frank also took their classmates through memories of the past four years.

Among the memories, the minimum of 138,240 steps Frank calculated that they all took just going up and down the four flights of stairs during their time at the school.

For comparison, she said Mount Sinai is only 7,497 feet high.

Just as the Jewish people are taught at the end of this week’s Torah portion, Behar, to admire but not worship leaders such as Moses, so Frank urged her classmates to follow the examples of the teachers, parents and others who served as role models through high school and to become role models to others.

“It is now our duty to remember these people, these Moseses, and to keep them relevant and vivid as we continue our journeys and educations,” she said.

Everyone excels at something, valedictorian Avi Botwinick said. “Find what makes you happy, and excel at it.”

Striving to excel is the key to the final history lesson Head of School Rabbi Ed Harwitz taught the class, combin

ing the wisdom of Pirkei Avot and the musical “Hamilton.”

He said “Hamilton” raises an important question: “Who will be the one who will tell your story?”

Pirkei Avot answers that we acquire our own good name and tell our own story through our own merit, Rabbi Harwitz said.

“We have the ability to write that story.” he told the crowd. “Education enables us to build a personal Torah, the content of that story,” and provides the wisdom to apply that story and to translate it into righteous action “that more often than not changes the world for the better.”

“We are proud of you,” Rabbi Harwitz said, “but we are also counting on you, for history has its eyes on you.” ■

Weber Grads Follow History Into Future

The Weber School Class of 2016 consists of Zoe Aaron, Rebecca Adler, Cassidy Aronin, Michael Asher, Jessica Bachner, Naomi Balaban, Brooke Berman, Abigail Blum, David Borukhov, Avi Botwinick, Dotan Brown,

Lillian Brown, Zachary Chase, Roni Dombek, Emily Duner, Lonnie Edlin, Reanna Edlin, Jacob Euster, Ross Falkenstein, Zahava Feldstein, Gregory Fish, Avery Frank, Meredith Galanti, Sydney Gelman, Jordan

Gold, Ilana Gorod, Max Harris, Ron Heart, Samuel Italiaander, Joshua Jacobson, Noah Jones, Alexander Osterman-Kaye, Michael Levin, Idan Livnat, Rebecca Meline, Sarah Nelkin, Samantha Nozick, Rafael

Oquendo, Benjamin Perlow, Kyle Rabinowitz, Jansen Redler, Marni Rein, Emma Rinzler, Max Rubanenko, Samantha Schiff, Samantha Shapiro, David Shoshan, Eric Silver, Ashley Spector, Benjamin Stinar, Adele

Stolovitz, Karin Videlefsky, Cody Wertheimer, Daniel Whitesides, Bailee Yoels and Remy Zimmerman.

Above: Zoe Aaron takes a Class of 2016 selfie after all of the diplomas have been distributed.

Below: Newly minted Weber School graduates flip their tassels to show their status.

Valedictorian Avi Botwinick advises his classmates

to try new things.

Faculty speaker Caroline Campbell hugs Meredith Galanti in front of Marni Rein (not visible) after the

two graduating seniors introduced her.

Salutatorian Jessica Bachner strikes a pose after receiving her diploma from Principal

Shlaina Van Dyke.

Avery Frank shares a laugh with the class while delivering the d’var Torah.

Lillian Brown takes a peek at the crowd during the singing of “The StarSpangled Banner.”

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comLOCAL NEWS


Congregation Beth Jacob is spending Shabbat in Heritage Hall instead of its historic sanctuary

this summer, but the transformation taking place in the Toco Hills shul is more than physical.

Rabbi Ilan Feldman said the planning for the renovations on the building, which opened in 1962, sparked a congregational conversation about spiritual renewal and led to a yearlong focus on spiritual building blocks after the celebration of the building’s 50th birthday.

And now that the congregation is gathering for services in the tighter space of the synagogue social hall, people are enjoying a more intimate feeling from worship, said Michael Cenker, who is leading the renovation project for Beth Jacob. He can be seen in weekly video updates on the progress at www.bjrenovationproject.org.

After years of planning and fundraising so that Beth Jacob had enough cash and pledges to cover Phase 1, construction began in the second week of May. Early work included asbestos abatement in the lobby ceiling and the sanctuary floor, leading to the sight of a bare, plasterandmesh ceiling outside plasticsealed sanctuary doors for Erev Shabbat on May 20.

The renovation project is a response to certain mechanical needs, such as the replacement of a heating and airconditioning system that proved it was nearing the end by filling the sanctuary with smoke May 7, as well as the desires of the congregation for improvements, Rabbi Feldman said.

“We want to maintain the magnificence that the space has always had,” Cenker said. “It begs to be brought into the 21st century from that aspect but not lose the same appeal and same grandeur and awesomeness.”

He praised general contractor Humphries and Co. and architect Sandy Cooper for understanding and embracing the challenges from the start.

Cenker said the sanctuary is iconic, but it also reflects the building style of the 1950s and the 1960s in its sloped seating.

That slope has long been a source of congregant complaints, Rabbi Feldman said, and some people even brought artificial floors to provide level surfaces for the frequent standing.

The theater effect came from an era when the cantor was the focus of

the service, but that has changed in American Orthodoxy, Rabbi Feldman said. “The seating now is arranged so the hazzan comes from the congregation instead of performing to the congregation.”

To increase comfort and shift the feeling of the shul from observation to participation, the floor under the pews is being raised to the level of the outer ring, making people in the front 28 inches closer to the level of the pulpit.

“We wanted to have less of a throne room effect,” Rabbi Feldman said.

The seating — which might be pews or individual seats, a decision Cenker said is overdue — is being adjusted so that the curving isn’t quite circular. Everyone will look eastward while also facing the ark, and the seating capacity will be reduced slightly. Space behind the seats will accommodate the big crowds of the High Holidays. Space in the center will accommodate a chuppah for weddings.

The arrangement will maintain the benefits of a circle, in which no one is in the front or the back, Rabbi Feldman said. “That has really defined our community, which has a sense of unity and cohesiveness, and we’ve really, thank Gd, avoided the elitism that sometimes exists in certain communities. … The sanctuary reflects the values of the community.”

The growth in that community, leading to multiple services in different parts of the building each Saturday, inspired one of the more noticeable changes: The bifold doors entering the sanctuary are being replaced with two sets of glass doors that will act as a sound lock. When one set is open, the other set is sealed shut, keeping out noise from the lobby.

That change will work with im

proved acoustics in the sanctuary, resulting from the level floor and from the installation of woodwork at that bottom of the barrel of windows above the bimah. The angled woodwork will keep the sound at the level of the congregants.

A special feature of the renovation comes from the inspiration of the Kotel: Congregants are writing prayers and messages on pieces of paper that will be sealed inside one of the walls.

“In a house that’s devoted to prayer, we’ll actually have prayers embedded in the wall,” Rabbi Feldman said.

A new hightech mechitza is a response to complaints from women over the years about the circular seating exposing them to the view of men, Rabbi Feldman said. “That’s been one of the most challenging, perplexing physical problems.”

The solution uses mesh and angled lighting but no glass to create a divider that acts like a twoway mirror, Cenker said, enabling the women to see through it but reflecting the wayward gaze of any man.

The congregants thus will be able to focus on a new ark that will maintain the style of the original one. The ark will be grander and have a wider opening, providing easier access to and better display of the Torahs, Rabbi Feldman said.

The new ark is designed to work with the replacement of the sanctuary’s large windows, the core of the project’s Phase 2. That phase is an unscheduled necessity, Rabbi Feldman said, awaiting the fundraising to pay for it.

A more modern window system will still allow in lots of natural light and maintain the magnificence that

Rabbi Feldman said helps make the sanctuary special. From sunrise to sunset, “the time of day is reflected very much inside.”

Rabbi Yitzchok Tendler, Beth Jacob’s executive director, said he is confident that Phase 2, which also includes some cosmetic changes to the lobby, will follow soon after Phase 1 — perhaps without any break. That would mean the High Holidays would not be back in the sanctuary as now planned, but Rabbi Tendler said the inconvenience will be worth it to return to the completed sanctuary.

The new windows will be the grand finale of the project, Rabbi Feldman said.

“This synagogue is actually an iconic structure. It’s a unique shape, and it’s really been a symbol of the growth and resurgence of Orthodoxy in the Southeast, and those windows are designed really to replicate conceptually the 12 windows of the Temple in Jerusalem, and there the whole idea was that light radiates out from the Temple to the rest of the world,” Rabbi Feldman said.

“The redesign of the windows will be such that at night the building will actually appear like a jewel, radiating light outwards through the colors that will be superimposed on the windows, so it will really be kind of a brilliant thing. And of course natural light comes in, but when those windows are done, this really will be just a very dramatic demonstration of the centrality of a synagogue around which an entire community is built.”

In the meantime, Cenker said, four months of intimate services in Heritage Hall will train the congregation for the improved experience amid the new sanctuary’s magnificence. ■

Beth Jacob Rebuilds for Intimate Grandeur

Photos by Michael JacobsThe mechitza erected in Heritage Hall divides

55 seats for women from 135 for men.

The lobby shows the early signs of the renovations, but because the front entrance is being closed, congregants will

enter the building just outside Heritage Hall instead.

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By Bob Bahr

For most of his four decades as a rabbi and prolific thinker of all things Jewish, Rami Shapiro has

been counseling change in American Judaism. But it was the release of the landmark study of American Jews in 2013 by the Pew Research Center that confirmed his view that Judaism must create a new, modern, radically different path for itself.

Several results in the study were particularly depressing. Although 69 percent of American Jews were proud to be Jewish, 22 percent of all American Jews had abandoned Judaism. Having a good sense of humor was considered more important than Jewish observance as a component of Jewish identity.

For Rabbi Shapiro, the results are nothing to laugh about.

What he bluntly suggests is that the Pew study confirms his belief that the allpowerful, supernatural deity of the old rabbinic tradition has become a casualty of the Holocaust. “Gd should have saved us,” he said in an interview, “but He didn’t.”

R a b b i Shapiro will share his t h o u g h t s about the future of Judaism during a Shabbaton on June 3 and 4 at Congregation Shalom B’Harim in Dahlonega at

the invitation of the congregation’s rabbi, Mitch Cohen.

“The murder of six million mostly gooddoing Jews,” Rabbi Shapiro has written, “overwhelmed the rabbinic narrative. This is why it is easier to build a Holocaust memorial today than a Jewish library. This is why Never Forget rather than Shema Yisrael is now the true ‘watchword’ of the Jewish people.”

Rabbi Shapiro’s conclusion is extreme. “I think for the vast majority of Jews, Gd is dead, and the Judaism that is represented by that notion of Gd is dead, and we haven’t invested in what’s next,” he said. “What we are doing at

the moment, and it works for some people, is that we are tinkering with the old rabbinic model.”

He derides the notion that the modern nation of Israel has become the starting point for a new sense of religious identity. For younger Jews, particularly those under 40, he sees a significant decline in interest in Israel as the center of the Jewish world.

“Israel was going to be our new Gd,” he said. “In a sense, we made a fetish out of Israel. People are disappointed if not angered by the theocracy that operates within the democracy of Israel. I think people here in the United States find it very troubling.”

Rabbi Shapiro has his own actionoriented prescription for change called Judaism Next.

“Judaism calls for revolution, or it calls for nothing at all,” he wrote in his manifesto for Judaism Next. “Let us teach our children to invent the future and not preserve a frozen and romanticized past.”

Rabbi Shapiro, a graduate of the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion who was a pulpit rabbi for 20 years,

is a prolific writer. He lectures widely, including most recently in Poland, and has written over a dozen books on Jewish thought and practice. He also holds a doctorate in Judaic studies from Union Graduate School.

He directs the One River Foundation in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and is an adjunct professor of religious studies at Middle Tennessee State University.

According to a brochure about the program, he offers Judaism Next — rooted in the prophets, Jewish wisdom literature and the creative application of mitzvot — not to win people over to his way of thinking, but to spark fellow Jews to imagine their own visions for Judaism. ■

Rabbi to Deliver Prescription for New Judaism

Who: Rabbi Rami Shapiro

What: Shabbaton on Judaism Next

Where: Lily Garden Wellness Center and Chapel, 941 Pecks Mill Creek Road, Dahlonega

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 4

Cost: $50 for all of Shabbat, $36 for Saturday only; www.tiferetolam.com/upcomingprograms

Rabbi Rami Shapiro

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4QUESTIONS


By Marcia Caller [email protected]

A crowd of almost 250 filled a beautiful floral room at the InterContinental Buckhead on

Monday, May 9, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Auxiliary of the William Breman Jewish Home.

The auxiliary is an organization of over 1,000 members who volunteer their time, energy and resources to foster a caring environment for residents of Jewish Home Life Communities.

Cherie Aviv and Brooke Blasberg, the auxiliary board cochairs, offered inspirational talks about the good work of the volunteers and how the funds are best used. An upbeat, balloonfilled video showed a sample of the activities and parties the auxiliary sponsors for residents.

Over 30 years, Aviv said, the auxiliary has raised “in the neighborhood of $10 million.”

Stephen Merlin, the board chairman of Jewish Home Life Communities, made a touching tribute, saying: “Volunteers don’t get paid because they are worthless. They don’t get paid because they are priceless.”

The following were recognized:

• Auxiliary Volunteers of the Year — Nancy Banks, Linda Diamond, Ann Kay and Fran Scher.

• Auxiliary Lifetime Service Award — Barbara Ordover.

“We are quite proud of our accomplishments,” Aviv said. “We host multiple activities for residents of Jewish Home Life Communities, such as the Chanukah party, Sweethearts Ball, Magical Evening, Purim Bingo and more. The auxiliary is also engaged in fundraising and social events, such as Auxiliary Annual Game Day, The Gala and The Directory.

“I have been honored to be at the helm of this dynamic group and carry on a tradition of excellence in place for

over 30 years. Working with our members, along with providing residents social opportunities, has been an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Blasberg said: “The auxiliary is a very special place and has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My grandmother volunteered at the home for many years, and now I do. I am fortunate to receive back from the auxiliary and residents much more than I give.”

Virginia Saul, an officer from the first auxiliary slate, said:

“I never thought this would grow like it has. And it’s remarkable that the younger millennials are sharing the work.”

Volunteer Carol Rubin said, “My grandmother, mother and aunt were all residents, and I understand what a wonderful community it is and how people are treated with dignity.”

Each attendee was given a copy of “Just Desserts,” a compilation of recipes of cakes, pies, cookies, bars and breads such as Faye Seigel’s Cow Cookies, April Weiner’s GlutenFree Tiramisu and chef Sherry Habif’s Hazelnut Mousse secrets.

It was no time to be counting calories.

The bottom line in supporting the auxiliary and Jewish Home Life residents, Staci Brill said, is to “take care of the people who took care of us.” ■

30 Years, $10 MillionBreman Auxiliary celebrates success, service

After six years as the executive director of Young Israel of Toco Hills, Eliana Leader has been

hired as the retreat center director for Camp Ramah Darom in Clayton.

She is married to Atlanta native Yoni Kaplan and has a daughter, Aria. She answered the AJT’s Four Questions.

AJT: What are you the most excited about in your new position?

Leader: I am very excited for the opportunity to play a major leadership role with an organization that is looking to invest in the future of the whole Jewish community. Ramah Darom’s vision is to provide exceptional experiences in Jewish living and learning for individuals of all ages and for families and communities near and far. It is a dream job for me to be guiding Ramah Darom’s efforts to craft such meaningful experiences through its yearround retreat center. We are living in a time

in which the needs and desires of the Jewish community are changing significantly, both locally and nationally. How we define “affiliation” is changing radically. Those organizations that provide engaging and fully immersive Jewish experiences, such as those offered at Ramah Darom, are primed to play a major role in building Jewish identity and communal participation.

AJT: Why did you decide to make the switch from YITH to Ramah?

Leader: It was difficult for me to leave my work at YITH, as I was serving an extraordinary community, but when the opportunity arose for me to take a leadership role in building Ramah Darom into a regional and national center for engaging Jews in meaningful Jewish experiences, I couldn’t pass it by. I was blessed to have the privilege of working with Rabbi Starr and the YITH leadership for almost seven years as it transformed from a small, starter

type shul in a house into a vibrant congregation with a stateoftheart facility. Rabbi Starr has been, and remains, a great mentor to me. He empowered me to develop as a Jewish communal leader and inspired me to want to play a greater role in creating opportunities for others to participate in the richness of Jewish life and community. When I started volunteering with Limmud Atlanta + Southeast and attended my first LimmudFest, which is held every Labor Day weekend at Ramah Darom, I fell in love with Ramah Darom’s beautiful campus and its mission. It is a dream opportunity for me.

AJT: How do you hope to grow the Ramah retreat center and programs?

Leader: I am inheriting an extraordinary facility with an outstanding reputation for hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests), a strong and successful set of yearround programs, and a loyal family of Ramahniks. My focus will be

on expanding the breadth and depth of immersive experiential programs that are offered at Ramah Darom.

AJT: What are your longterm goals for the center?

Leader: My overarching and longterms goals are twofold: first, to ensure that every person, family or group that visits the retreat center at Ramah Darom enjoys an exceptional experience, and, second, to develop programs, either in house or in partnership with other Jewish organizations, that will fuel a love for Judaism and engage participants in an enriching Jewish experience. When guests leave our facility, I want them to feel part of a greater Ramah Darom family. Having personally experienced this at LimmudFest and at Passover at Ramah Darom, two of the programs offered annually, I know what it feels like, and I want to share those types of experiences with Jews from all walks of life. ■

With Camp Ramah’s Eliana Leader

Photo by Eric BernBrooke Blasberg

and Cherie Aviv are the cochairs of the

William Breman Jewish Home Auxiliary.

Photos by Marcia Caller JaffeCookie Aftergut (left) enjoys

lunch with Sharon Westerman.

Gladys Herkes poses with volunteer

Carol Rubin.

Cheryl Kramer and Arlene Turry attend the Breman Home Auxiliary luncheon.

Sally Kaplan (left) and Sherry Habif share dessert recipes in the “Just Desserts” book.

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Mazel Tov Sarah Saltzman on your Graduation from North

Springs Charter High School.

We are so proud of you! Keep shining! You make

the world a brighter place!

Love,Mommy and Daddy

By Paula Baroff

Several Atlantaarea clergy members signed a letter to Congress advocating legislation to close

loopholes in gun laws as part of Jewish Women International’s Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The letter was one piece of a call to action Wednesday, May 18. The initiative, called the National Faith Callin Day, included the letter to Congress, as well as phone calls, emails and tweets to senators and representatives by other JWI members and the public.

According to JWI, the Atlanta clergy members who signed the letter are

Rabbi Scott Colbert of Temple EmanuEl, Rabbi Lydia Medwin of The Temple and Cantor Barbara Margulis of Temple Kehillat Chaim.

The focus was on legislation that would prohibit people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence against dating partners from owning or accessing guns — specifically, H.R. 3130, the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act, and S. 1520, the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act.

The JWI initiative was a response to a perceived flaw in federal gun law that allows people convicted of misdemeanor stalking or domestic violence against a dating partner to access guns

legally, according to a press release from the women’s organization.

“The law’s narrow definition of intimate partner relationships leaves a dangerous loophole,” JWI CEO Lori Weinstein said in the press release, explaining that the law prohibits gun access or ownership for a person convicted of domestic violence against a spouse but not against someone a person is dating.

That is a problem, according to JWI leadership, as a large proportion of domestic gun violence victims are dating partners rather than spouses.

“A woman is not safe when her abuser has access to guns,” Weinstein said. “It’s not controversial; it’s com

mon sense.” JWI’s focus on interfaith efforts

to combat domestic violence led to the development of the coalition in 2007. According to JWI, the coalition is crucial to women’s safety and progress because many women turn to clergy and faith organizations in times of distress.

The coalition combines 36 faith organizations, according to the press release, and 500 clergy members and national faithbased organizations signed the letter to Congress.

The coalition meets twice a month to discuss legislation, advocacy and congressional educational events. The gun law loophole is one of many women’s issues being addressed. ■

Interfaith Coalition Targets Abusers’ Gun Access

Abrams Makes MoveAmanda Abrams is leaving the

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to join the Marcus Jewish Community Center.

Abrams, who as Federation’s senior vice president of strategy, planning and impact has shared management responsibilities with Chief Financial Officer Sheila Katz Cohen in the absence of a CEO, is taking the position of chief program officer at the Marcus JCC.

She’ll thus be working under one new CEO, Jared Powers, instead of another, Eric Robbins, who starts at Federation in August. Her last day at the Selig Center is June 15.

Her departure leaves Robbins with multiple senior leadership positions to fill, including a replacement for Chief Development Officer Michael Balaban, who left in December to become the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Fla.

DeKalb Thanks ChaplainsFormer Congregation Shearith

Israel Rabbi Hillel Norry was among some 80 volunteer DeKalb County Jail chaplains honored at a ceremony hosted by DeKalb Sheriff Jeff Mann on Thursday, May 12.

“Our volunteers are chaplains from all faiths, counselors and educators who give unselfishly of their time and talents to help inmates cope with being incarcerated while they await their court dates,” Mann said. “We are truly fortunate to have them as mem

bers of our team.”Rabbi Norry left Shearith Israel at

the end of June 2015.

Goldbergs at the BatteryKosher food inside the new Sun

Trust Park might be a onceayear occasion for the Atlanta Braves, as it is now at Turner Field, but a familiar nosh will never be far away.

Goldbergs will have an outlet in the Battery, the mixedused project Brookhavenbased Fuqua Development is building around the new stadium in Cobb County. Fuqua and the Braves made that announcement Friday, May 20, while also revealing other tenants in the development, including the acting Wahlberg brothers’ hamburger chain, Wahlburgers.

The stadium and Phase 1 of the Battery are due to open next spring.

AJC Honors LipstadtThe American Jewish Committee

Women’s Leadership Board has honored Emory University professor Debo

rah Lipstadt and two others for courage and vision in the service of humanity.

The recognition came at a luncheon May 5 in New York. The other honorees were Samia Sleman, 15, who received the Voice of Conscience Award for advocating international recognition of the genocide Islamic State is perpetrating against her Yazidi minority in Iraq, and Lauren Bush Lauren, who received the Women’s Leadership Award for founding FEED.

Lipstadt, the Dorot professor of modern Jewish and Holocaust studies at Emory, received the AJC Jewish Leadership Award for being a “champion of the Jewish people and the rights and dignity of all people, guardian of historical truth and memory.” The award adds that “your great dedication and ceaseless efforts inspire us all.”

Lipstadt is one of the top experts on Holocaust denial and modern anti

Semitism. Among her books are “History on Trial: My Day in Court With David Irving” and “Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory.”

Lipstadt expressed gratitude to AJC, which provided financial and staff resources from the beginning of her successful fiveyear fight against a libel lawsuit filed in London by Irving, a Holocaust denier.

That saga is the subject of a feature film, “Denial,” being released this year with Rachel Weisz portraying Lipstadt.

Among the honored chaplains surrounding Sheriff Jeff Mann (third

from right) are (from left) William Churchill, Patricia Bloch, Rabbi Hillel

Norry, Curtis Crocker Jr�, Furqan Muhammad and Ephraim Espinosa.

Photo by Ellen Dubin PhotographyDeborah Lipstadt addresses the

AJC awards luncheon May 5.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comARTS

I actually do not watch reality TV, but this one I admit to. We Atlantans were wholeheartedly rooting

for Andi Dorfman (Season 18 of “The Bachelor,” Season 10 of “The Bachelorette”) to find love and show that our Southern gal, then an assistant district attorney in Fulton County, had the brains, spunk and beauty to pull it off.

Although this native Atlantan’s engagement fell by the wayside, Dorfman triumphs in the message of her new memoir, “It’s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak Into Happily Never After.”

She’s helping launch the book with a Marcus Jewish Community Centersponsored appearance with Star 94.1 morning radio host Jeff Dauler on Thursday night, June 2, in Buckhead.

Share in our interview.

Jaffe: Andi, the book ends with you at the Atlanta airport, telling your mother goodbye as you head for the Big Apple. You have been in New York how long and doing what?

Dorfman: First of all, let me say I miss hearing Southern accents like yours. I have been here 14 months. Just about every day (prior to the last two months) I have concentrated on the book — journaling the breakup,


By R�M� Grossblatt

There’s a Jewish saying that if a person visits someone who’s sick, the visitor takes away 1/60

of the person’s illness. So if 60 people visit a sick person, does that mean the person will recover? That’s difficult to answer, but bikur cholim (visiting the sick) is an important mitzvah.

In “Life Support,” her recently released book on this topic, AJT columnist Rachel Stein shares her experiences as cofounder of Bikur Cholim of Atlanta, the experiences of her volunteers and her own encounters as a Jewish chaplain.

In a moving introduction, Stein, who has written eight children’s books, tells about her childhood from age 4 when her father died and her mother carried on. Growing up without a father was difficult, and she also lacked grandparents. So Stein sought out the elderly: “I found the elderly to be cute, fun people who twinkled when they

laughed and exuded unconditional love.”

She also was driven to visit the ill and at 14 volunteered in a cancer hospital, “drawing immense satisfaction from bringing sunshine into the patients’ days.”

When her mother became ill, Stein was 25 and married with children with another on the way. Two hours away from her mother’s home in Philadelphia, she hoped to visit her often, but the drive was too much for her. Then a special friend named Elaine offered to take her every week.

That lasted for a month, enabling Stein to be there on the day her mother died.

“How can I ever repay you for what you did for me?” she asked Elaine.

“When someone needs help, you be there for them,” Elaine said, “and that’s how you will repay me.”

It’s obvious from reading “Life Support” that Stein has repaid Elaine many times.

She and Michele Asa started Bikur Cholim of Atlanta in the merit of Danny Miller, a 34yearold father who had battled cancer since he was 14.

Changing some names for privacy, Stein shares remarkable stories of volunteers and those they visit in her vibrant, easytoread style. The stories are vignettes, short but powerful.

In the second part of the book, Stein opens a window on what it’s like to intern as a chaplain in a children’s hospital. She shares the good times and the challenges. Some stories are so sad; others are uplifting and amusing.

Stein, an observant Jew, comforts and prays with everyone, mostly nonJews, invoking the name of Gd.

In an afterword, Stein tells of the privilege of being touched by patients and families. “I feel humbled,” she writes, “to have the opportunity to walk alongside these extraordinary individuals and to continue watching their suns rise ever higher, even as they pant to the finish line.”

At the end of the book, Stein’s husband, Rabbi Reuven Stein of the Atlanta Kashruth Commission, includes a Bikur Cholim Halachic Appendix, which gives sources for the mitzvah of visiting the sick and tells how a person can fulfill it. ■

Stein’s ‘Life Support’ Revisits Special Mitzvah

Bachelorette Dorfman Indifferent Toward Exwriting the proposal, working with agents, getting bids from publishers. It has been very fulfilling to see the book finally come to fruition. My girlfriends encouraged me to write it.

Jaffe: What’s your endgame? Do you want another reality show?

Dorfman: I think I’ve had enough of reality TV. My ideal gig would be using my law degree as a media legal consultant or a roundtable talk show on world and current issues, something like “The View.”

Jaffe: I found your book as a soothing reassurance to those who have gone through a breakup or any sort of a bad time — a howto guide to get through it.

Dorfman: Yes, I talk about using these past failures as steppingstones. If something doesn’t work out the way we hoped, we have to ask, “What did I learn from this? What do I need in a relationship?” And there is no Mr. Perfect, but we have to gain from the

collective experiences.

Jaffe: How is the dating culture in New York City?

Dorfman: There is certainly a higher quantity of eligibles — not so sure about the quality (laughing). I find it encouraging that singles here aren’t considered ripe until the 30s when we start looking for a more lasting situation.

Jaffe: Do you find that young men these days are disrespectful toward the opposite sex? Maybe we Jewish mothers have coddled them a bit?

Dorfman: No, I won’t generalize like that. There are a lot of great guys here. They are very driven and are not inclined to settle. That’s a good thing.

Jaffe: In the book you refer to your exfiancé as “Number 26,” thus stripping him of his name. Do you feel bitterness toward him?

Dorfman: Actually, I am not in a state of animosity. I am indifferent, which is the opposite of love. I’m at peace and look back 14 months as further proof that things do pass from those bad moments.

Jaffe: What happens from here? Will you return to Atlanta?

Dorfman: I head out on my book tour. Atlanta, L.A. and several appearances in New York. I have been back to Atlanta many times — for Mother’s Day, a wedding, etc. And I have to get my BBQ fix! ■

Photo by Nomi EllensonAndi Dorfman says she would like to be a media legal consultant or a panelist on a show like “The View.”

Who: “Bachelorette” star Andi Dorfman

What: Page From the Book Festival of the Marcus JCC discussion about her new memoir

Where: Big Sky Buckhead, 3201 Cains Hill Place

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2

Tickets: Admission, including light hors d’oeuvres, is free, but RSVPs are requested through www.atlantajcc.org/bookfestival or 6788124002

Life Support: Stories of My Chaplaincy and Bikur Cholim Rounds

By Rachel Stein

Israel Bookshop, 213 pages, $22.95

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The last show of this year’s Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series charmed a full house Sunday,

May 15, at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in tribute to the “King of Swing,” Benny Goodman.

Goodman was a clarinetist who toured the country, played Carnegie Hall in 1938 and died in 1986 at age 77. During an era of segregation, he led one of the first wellknown integrated jazz groups.

Goodman, the ninth of 12 children, grew up impoverished while his father shoveled lard in Chicago. When Goodman was 14 and able to make

money playing music, he bought his father a newsstand.

The 18 musicians at the Breman had the audience clapping and tapping their toes as Goodman’s most beloved

music was woven into biographical anecdotes and historical bits.

Breman Executive Director Aaron Berger kicked off the concert by recognizing it as a part of the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the “31 Days of Jazz.”

Breman Swings With Music of Clarinet KingAtlanta favorite Joe Gransden, on

trumpet and vocals, welcomed star clarinetist Allan Vache, who played with Goodman in 1980.

The special numbers included dueling musicians on “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” and the more sentimental “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and the “Jersey Bounce.”

A birthday tribute was made to Eleanor Breman (who was not in attendance) as the donor of the 7foot Steinway piano Georgia State University music professor Geoff Haydon used to play “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

“All my life I have loved Bennie Goodman’s music,” Deanne Whitlock said.

Concert host Marilyn Eckstein

said: “I loved the concert because the band was so warm. They really seemed to be having a good time themselves. The imported clarinetist, Allan Vache, was terrific. The program was informative and entertaining.”

Fan Howard Rothman said: “I’m excited about tonight. Unfortunately, the younger generation does not appreciate big band music like we do.”

Another concert host, Jeannette Zukor, said, “I thought tonight’s jazz music was particularly special.”

Gransden, a wonderful bandleader, bowed to his musicians and said, “How ’bout them bones?” — a reference to trombones.

It was all we could do to not dance in the aisles. ■

Above: Dale Shields and Gary Silver say the Goodman concert was the best of the

three shows in the Molly Blank Series.Left top: Concert hosts Jeannette and

Michael Zukor enjoy the big band music.Left bottom: Jane Zwig (left) and Deanne

Whitlock (right) pose with concert hosts Marilyn and Sam Eckstein.Photos by Marcia Caller Jaffe

Clarinetist Allan Vache, who played with Benny Goodman, brings down the house with bandleader Joe Gransden on trumpet.

Two Israeli bands and a local Jewish star are performing on the final day of the threeday Atlanta

Jazz Festival.The Assaf Kehati Trio, TATRAN

and Joe Alterman are taking the stage Sunday afternoon, May 29.

The Assaf Kehati Trio features Bostonbased Israeli jazz guitarist Assaf Kehati, who is known for traditional swing and threepiece jazz.

Kehati started developing his jazz palate at age 20, when he transcribed artists such as Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Keith Jarrett and the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Paul Desmond.

He attended the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Tel Aviv and finished third in “The Jazz

Player,” a national Israeli competition featuring musicians of all instruments.

He attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston on a scholarship and studied with jazz drummer Billy Hart, with whom he then began to perform live.

The Assaf Kehati Trio performs on the festival’s International Stage at 1:30 p.m.

TATRAN, another jazz trio, immediately follows on the International Stage at 3:30 p.m.

The Tel Aviv trio formed in 2011 with Tamuz Dekel on guitar, Offir Benjaminov on bass and Dan Mayo on drums. TATRAN’s music lacks vocals, but the eccentric sounds and intricate ballads the trio produces place listeners on a foreign planet that seems fa

miliar, as when dreams synthesize memories and emotions to create new realities.

The three Israelis recorded their first studio album, “Shvat,” in 2014. Last November they released a live album, “Soul Ghosts,” which mixes five new songs with tracks from “Shvat.”

TATRAN released an animated short film, “Glance,” directed and animated by artist Shahaf Ram, in May 2015.

Alterman, a jazz pianist and Epstein School alumnus who is based in New York, is scheduled to play with his own trio on the Local Stage at 4:30 p.m. the same day.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival is in Piedmont Park and is free to all. ■

Israelis, Alterman to Play at Jazz Festival

Photo by Zohar RaltTATRAN has played together since 2011.

Photo by Shahar LivnyIsraeli guitarist Assaf Kehati, based in Boston, performs as part of a trio at the Atlanta festival.

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By Al Shams

This year’s Oscar winner for best adapted screenplay, “The Big Short” has been available on

DVD since midMarch, and I have seen it three times. Friends have asked me as an investment professional to explain various aspects of the movie.

The Great Recession affected all aspects of the financial world and created great social disruption. “The Big Short” focuses on a single aspect: the decline in the value of mortgage securities and how three astute speculators profited from the decline.

In general, the film shows how those three unrelated oddball investment managers in 2006 and 2007 came to believe that the mortgage process was corrupted, that a bubble was brewing, and that they could profit from a general decline in housing prices.

Before 2008, it was commonly believed that homes were a sacred in

vestment for most Americans and that a major nationwide decline in housing prices was unlikely.

While I am not an expert in mortgage securities or housing, I do believe I have a good background in finance and insight into the movie.

Some of the movie’s key points:• In the 1970s, investment banks

created mortgagebacked securities, which increased capital in the housing industry and provided attractive products for investors. These securities were liquid, carried high investment ratings and offered compelling yields.

• As is often the case on Wall Street, a good idea became too popular, which led to abuses, greed and lax standards.

• As the demand for the securities grew, some fraudulent and criminal actions permeated the system, especially in the area of applications.

• Various financial data were false and never verified. Many participants knew of the false data but were profit

ing so much from the process that they were reluctant to sound the alarm.

• The rating system was compromised when investment bankers selected the ratings agencies and were compensated by issuers. If the desired ratings were not received, that rating agent likely would not be selected in the future.

• Many people were seduced by the prospect of quick profits from flipping homes. Many flippers ended up with mortgages on multiple homes without the ability to hold them through a downturn — hence, foreclosures. Astute investors make sure they can hold assets through a downturn before making an investment.

• Many financially naïve people, desperate to own a home and to profit from rising home prices, submitted false applications and suffered from the ensuing downturn.

As an example of the housing problems, the movie depicts an adult

entertainer in Miami who owned five properties, each with two mortgages.

The three speculators approached some wellknown investment banks to assist them in shorting mortgage securities. The investment banks, believing that a decline in mortgage securities was unlikely, took the other side of the trade and put their capital at risk.

Ultimately, the investment banks suffered huge losses, and the speculators had gains worth five to 15 times the capital they put at risk.

I enjoyed the movie and felt it was a good summary of how these three groups identified the housing bubble and profited when it burst. The national housing price decline had huge implications for other parts of the economy and required unprecedented action by the government and regulators. ■

Al Shams is a Sandy Springs resi-dent, a former CPA and an investment professional with over 36 years’ experience.

Big Lessons in ‘The Big Short’


Benjamin Disraeli has a unique place in history: He is the only person born Jewish to serve as

the British prime minister.But given that he was baptized at

age 12, should he be considered a Jewish politician? Indeed, as historian David Cesarani wonders in his sharp biography of the first earl of Beaconsfield, should Disraeli have a place in Yale’s “Jewish Live” biographical series, of which this book is a part?

Cesarani, who died in October, draws a thorough, fair but lessthanflattering portrait of Disraeli. The biog

raphy provides all the details of a long political career, showing how he largely created the modern British Conservative Party; charmed Queen Victoria, who considered him her favorite prime minister; won the Suez Canal for Britain while stifling Russian expansionism; drove crazy his top rival for Victorian political preeminence, William Gladstone; and won the admiration of his German peer Otto von Bismarck, who called him der alte Jude (the old Jew).

Disraeli was friends with England’s bestknown Victorian Jews, the Rothschilds and Montefiores, at a time when they fought for and eventually won full political rights for Jews. He

included fanciful images of the Near East in the novels he wrote to address his perpetual indebtedness. And he seemed to relish the antiSemitic invective thrown at him by political enemies.

But Cesarani shows that Disraeli identified with Judaism only as a precursor to Christianity — that is, he presented Christianity as perfected Judaism. He seems never to have looked back after his highly assimilated father converted the family over a dispute with his synagogue. He supported the privileges of the Church of England and did nothing to advance Jewish political rights. He showed no interest in the problems of Jews near or far, nor did he even bother to admire Jerusalem

while traveling around the Mediterranean as a young man.

Most damaging to his legacy, Disraeli perpetuated negative stereotypes and declared that “the racial question is the key to world history.” His novels perpetuated the idea of powerful Jewish cabals manipulating history and served antiSemitic propaganda. Sadly, the man Cesarani depicts would have felt no connection to the millions slaughtered when the Nazis ran amok with his own beliefs. ■

The ‘Old Jew’ Who Wasn’t

Disraeli: The Novel Politician

By David Cesarani

Yale University Press, 304 pages, $25

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ARTS OBITUARIES

Awardwinning Atlanta author Melissa Fay Greene’s new book, “The Underdogs: Children,

Dogs, and the Power of Unconditional Love,” is a celebration of dogs and the lifesaving joy they bring to children and families struggling with disabilities, isolation and despair.

Published May 17, the book is the subject of Greene’s appearance Thursday night, May 19, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center.

Known for best sellers “Praying for Sheetrock,” “The Temple Bombing,” and one of my alltime favorites, “There Is No Me Without You,” Greene again shows her ability to captivate us with masterful stories.

Surrounded by three of her own rescued dogs in her living room in Druid Hills, Greene sat down for a refreshing and revealing interview.

Jaffe: Dogs are all over media with current research about their intelligence and our love of them. Why this topic for you now?

Greene: It’s a hot topic because science is revolutionizing what most 20th century and many 21st century experts believed about dogs, which was that they had no capacity for thought or emotion. Current research validates the hearts and minds of dogs and other animals. Of course, animal lovers knew this already, but now prominent scientists have come to respect the intelligence and sensitivity of many species. I first published a portion of the book in The New York Times Magazine in 2012.

Jaffe: The book extols a heroine, Karen Shirk, who took action. Can you expound on this?

Greene: Karen Shirk, afflicted with a neuromuscular disease in her 20s, found herself bedridden for years. All the service dog agencies told her she was too disabled to qualify for a service dog. Her nurse encouraged her to find her own dog and seek a trainer. This dog, Ben, brought Karen back to

life and inspired her to create a service dog academy more open to people with disabilities, including children. That happened in 1998, about a thousand dogs ago.

Jaffe: You describe an adopted

child from Russia with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Greene: Rabbi Harvey Winokur and his wife, Donnie Winokur, of Roswell adopted a toddler from Russia who became so disruptive and oppositional that the family grew desperate for help;

4 Paws accepted them as clients, and their lives were transformed by Chancer, a rescued golden retriever.

Jaffe: Dog trainers in “The Underdogs” refer to the Lassie Myth.

Greene: Many of us grew up watching “Lassie,” a miracleworking fictional dog character. At 4 Paws, trainers warn families against the Lassie Myth so that they will not expect the impossible. And yet, as I describe in the book, many of the dogs perform Lassielike miracles for children with special needs; meanwhile, cuttingedge scientists are kind of giving Lassie a second look.

Jaffe: Your last book, “No Biking in the House Without a Helmet,” described your family of nine children: four by birth and five by adoption from Bulgaria and Ethiopia. Are you empty nesting now?

Greene: Not yet! While all of our kids are either grown or in college, last year we brought over the older brother of two of our sons from Ethiopia on an F1 student visa. He’s 22, going to school and living with us. He’s a wonderful young man who has grown very attached to our family. ■


Author Greene Happily Goes to the Dogs

Photo by Alyssa Kapnik SamuelAuthor Melissa Fay Greene has

three rescue dogs at home.

M. Alan Lipsey88, Atlanta

M. Alan Lipsey, age 88, of Atlanta died Tuesday, May 17, 2016.He was born and raised in Thomasville. He was a graduate of Thomasville

High School and attended Emory University. He was in the family business in Thomasville before moving his family to Atlanta, where he had a long career as a financial adviser. He was a longtime member of The Temple, where he was the chairman of the usher committee. In Thomasville he was an active member of the Elks Club and Exchange Club.

He was predeceased by his loving wife of 60 years, Joan Forman Lipsey, and his parents, Anna Kolesky Lipsey and David Lipsey, of blessed memory. Survivors include daughter Patricia Lipsey; daughter and soninlaw Susan and Alan Wishneff; son and daughterinlaw Michael and Caren Cook Lipsey; son and daughterinlaw Mark and Susan Lipsey; grandchildren Anna Wishneff, Samuel Wishneff, Jacob Lipsey and Alexandra Lipsey; stepgrandchildren Alyson, Drew and Caylan; nieces Rhyan Kime and Regan Gross; and nephew Daniel Forman.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Cohen Home, Breman Jewish Home, Weinstein Hospice and Kadan Home Health Care.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Temple, the American Cancer Society, Weinstein Hospice, Jewish Home Life Communities or a charity of your choice. A graveside service was held Friday, May 20, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Lauren Lapidus officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 7704514999.

Death NoticesMichelle Block, a Temple member, wife of Bret Block, and mother of Simon

Block and Isabelle Block.Donna Nash Burel, 62, of Lawrenceville, a Temple member and wife of Ste

phen Burel, on May 21. Patricia Stewart Mendel, 83, of Atlanta, a member of Ahavath Achim Syna

gogue, daughter of Ruth Rosenblum, and mother of Cathy Shavin, Paul Mendel and Hal Mendel, on May 17.

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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSINGCLOSING THOUGHTS

CROSSWORDBy Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail�com Difficulty Level: Challenging

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LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Shaindle’s ShpielBy Shaindle [email protected]

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ACROSS1. Miss Universe winner Mor or dancer Schenfeld5. She can show you any verse in the Bible9. “As you teach, you learn,” e.g.14. Barbra’s “Funny Girl” co-star15. Rebbi Nachman’s land16. Sin city17. Like Kerri Strug18. Tense of the Torah19. Right-wing party that merged with Likud20. Founder of Bais Yaakov23. Abbi’s “Broad City” comic partner24. Saul feels it for David, at times25. Kvetch27. Former team of Farmar28. Org. where one might learn Torah and have a dip31. With 39-Across, author of the “New Studies” parsha series34. Einstein had a good one or two36. Written, e.g.38. Sacha Baron Cohen show39. See 31-Across42. Other first name for Rabbi Moshe Sofer45. Sharon Osbourne, ___ Levy46. “Hashomer ___ anochi?”50. Historic judge52. Hellenistic or Hasmonean54. Make like manna after a day (other than Shabbat)55. Many preparing for a yr. in Israel56. McGraw who was a Met with Art Shamsky58. A Lannister on Weiss’ “Game of Thrones”60. Significant 19th century Hasidic leader (and miracle worker, according to some)65. Jonathan showcased it66. Show with Rachel Berry67. Like Jonah, at times

68. Ideal hole for Morgan Pressel or Dinah Shore69. Scripture says it’s guarded by two cherubs70. He played Malph on “Happy Days”71. Namesakes of a Salinger girl72. Some characters in “An American Tail”73. Chip in for an Adelson establishment?

DOWN1. “Moses in Egypt” composer2. Like a shish kabob3. Make like Kohelet in Ecclesiastes4. Nazi “race”5. Eats at a seder6. Apple not used by Orthodox Jews on Rosh Hashanah7. His children were notable Torah scholars8. Future Einstein resident9. Rav who was the head of the Sura Academy10. “And plentifully rewarded the proud ___” (Psalms 31:23)11. Gland that might kick into gear on a Segen’s mission12. Kosher “kissing” aquarium fish (generally not eaten)13. MDA volunteer21. Uris novel, with “The”22. One requiring more tzedakah26. Possible order from Kagan29. The Negev’s is often dry30. Many a Mercedes in Israel

32. Common quadruped in Israel33. Singer Ofra35. Range for Dianna Agron37. Made like Israel in 194840. Where a Hebrew slave might have shown his devotion to his master?41. Israel, compared with most other Middle East countries42. Alts. to Israel Bonds43. Wouk and Melville44. Rebellious son in II Samuel47. Color of the flag Rahab hung outside her inn48. Most inviting Shabbat house49. Say Kol Nidre, say51. Feeling on Tisha B’Av53. It includes the Ziegler Sch. of Rabbinic Studies57. Meir who taught at a Folks Schule59. Israeli earth61. Actress Skye62. Rap Dr. and Smith’s role in Weintraub’s “The Karate Kid”63. “Everybody gonna move their ___” (Kiss)64. Bruce and Kravitz, for short65. Contend, like Yuri Foreman

If you are squeamish, this tale is NOT for you. If you feel a mashgiach or the work he is charged with

is too sacred to tell tales about, this tale is NOT for you. If you know you are a prude, this tale is NOT for you. If you are a minor, this tale is NOT for you.

If you have a limited sense of humor, this tale is not for you. If you happen to be a mashgiach or are married to one, this tale is absolutely not for you. By the way, tsum suff (in the end), upon retiring from his butcher store, Dad (z”l) and Mom (z”l) relocated to Delray Beach, Fla., where my dad became a mashgiach.

Mom and Dad were set up on what can only be considered a very blind date by his brother, who had arrived in America a few years earlier. It was 1938. Hitler was on the move. My mom was dispatched to save my dad by marrying him and bringing him to America.

As an American citizen since 1925, she was able to travel to Poland, marry my dad and bring him back to America. In their case, it was a blind date made in heaven.

He was a new groom with no work experience and no clue as to how he was going to support his new bride and the family they planned to have. Mom, on the other hand, had arrived in America at the age of 15, become a citizen, gone to school and upon graduation become gainfully employed.

As you probably guessed, Mom would support them until Dad’s life was no longer in turmoil.

They moved in with his inlaws. Mom’s married sister and her daughter, Mom’s unmarried sister, Mom, Dad, and Mamma and Pappa (my grandparents) all lived in this apartment, which boasted one tiny bathroom.

As you can imagine, this was not my parent’s pictureperfect mode of living and did not support wedded bliss.

Under my mom’s tutelage, and the fact that my dad was a quick study, he learned enough English so he was able to find work at a vegetable stand, and just as quick as the wind in a storm, they were in their own apartment.

As he became more proficient (and I use this word loosely) in the English language and how to function in his new world, he apprenticed and learned the kosher butcher trade.

He joined the butchers union and

with a cousin opened his first kosher butcher shop.

They worked long hours during the week, closing on Shabbat.

Soon, they were able to move their shop from the Bronx to an emerging neighborhood in Jackson Heights, Queens, with many young families.

Here they made a name for themselves.

Most of the women did not work and would visit the store, looking for inspirational marital and cooking advice from my dad. Everyone in the neighborhood knew him and loved him.

His very special friend and bodyguard, Stanley the cop, ensured the shop was free of vandalism. On Fridays, Stanley made the Shabbat meat deliveries.

Stanley also looked out for Gene and myself by reminding us to move our car to the correct side of the street on the days the street cleaners would be coming by.

Dad loved his work and loved interacting with his customers — the ones he loved (the young ones) and the ones who drove him crazy (the older ones).

Let’s get to the reason for this missive.

The following is my dad’s famous mashgiach tale.

The mashgiach’s visits to my dad’s butcher store made my dad feel a little edgy. My dad just did not like this guy. “First of all, he smells, he always wants free meat, and he sticks his hand out” (for money under the table).

The mashgiach would always go to the back of the store to daven. One day my dad devised a brilliant plan and hung up a couple of girlie calendars on the east wall of the room in the back, knowing the mashgiach would go back to daven.

Needless to say, the poor guy came running out to the front, his long coat flying in back of him, flailing his hands, one of which held the prayer book, yelling words not to be repeated at my dad and my cousin, my dad’s partner.

A new mashgiach was assigned to my dad’s store.

And so it goes. ■

The Butcher’s Calendar

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