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THE
Jewish Georgian
Volume 24, Number 5
Atlanta, Georgia
JULY-AUGUST 2012
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What’s Inside
Riding to Jerusalem
Professor Ernst Borinski teaching in the Social Science Lab, Tougaloo
College, Mississippi, circa 1960 (Photo: courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Archives and History) See Breman exhibition article on page 6.
Israel looks a bit different when
viewed from a train window.
By Lynne and Tom Keating
Page 37
A Life of Teaching
Ahavath Achim Synagogue celebrates
Barbara Kleber and her fifty years
with the AA Religious School.
By Celia Gilner
Page 35
The Heart of the Matter
A generous gift from the Marcus
Foundation will help establish the
nation’s first heart valve reference
center at Piedmont Hospital.
Page 16
A Family Tradition
A modest ring has become a treasured
heirloom for generations of young
women.
By Carolyn Gold
Page 28
Music to Our Ears
WORLD WAR I, PROTECTORS OF DEMOCRACY, 1917. Morris
Buchsbaum, 4th from left; Irving Pollack, 6th from left; and Morris
Perlman, 9th from left. See Savannahʼs JEA article on page 7.
Rebecca Einstein wears a distinctly feminine tallit designed by
her mother February 4, 1984, in
Fountain Valley, California (Photo
courtesy of Rabbi Rebecca
Einstein Schorr) See MJCCA
News article on page 8.
For their visionary support of
Columbus State University, Henry
and Joyce Schwob have received honorary doctorates.
Page 17
Picture This
Susan K. Friedland’s photography is
garnering accolades.
Page 30
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 2
The importance of holidays
Too often today, we see holidays as a
time when we do not have to work but for
which, in many cases, we receive compensation. We do recognize the events, but
sadly, with the passage of time and change
in conditions, the historical symbolism and
reminders for which they were established
tend to be blurred and obfuscated. The
occasion is recognized, when it is really the
historical happenings, both tangible and
intangible, associated with the event that is
being celebrated.
For those of us who are lucky enough
to be citizens of the United States, July is
the month in which we rejoice in the establishment of this great nation. It was on July
4 that the Second Continental Congress
adopted our Declaration of Independence,
the result of which has so enriched our lives
and has had one of the major positive
impacts on the world in which we live.
On this day, I always make it a point to
proudly display my American flag in front
of my home. It is my spiritual “annual physical” by which I am reminded of the vital
signs of this precious citizenship – a gift I
received when my parents immigrated to
this country.
I never see this flag fluttering in wind
without remembering how far this country
THE
Jewish Georgian
The Jewish Georgian is published bimonthly by Eisenbot, Ltd. It is
written for Atlantans and Georgians by Atlantans and Georgians.
Publisher
Marvin Botnick
Co-Publisher
Sam Appel
Editor
Marvin Botnick
Managing Editor
Marsha C. LaBeaume
Assignment Editor
Carolyn Gold
Consulting Editor
Gene Asher
Associate Editor
Barbara Schreiber
Copy Editor
Ray Tapley
Assistant Copy Editor
Arnold Friedman
Makeup Editor
Terri Christian
Production Coordinator
Terri Christian
Designer
David Gaudio
Photographic Staff
Allan Scher, Jonathan Paz
Graphic Art Consultant
Columnist
Karen Paz
Gene Asher, Jonathan Barach,
Janice Rothschild Blumberg,
Marvin Botnick, David Geffen,
Carolyn Gold, Jonathan Goldstein,
R.M. Grossblatt, Marice Katz,
Balfoura Friend Levine,
Marsha Liebowitz, Bubba Meisa,
Erin O’Shinsky, Reg Regenstein,
Susan Robinson, Stuart Rockoff,
Roberta Scher, Jerry Schwartz, Leon Socol,
Rabbi Reuven Stein, Cecile Waronker
Special Assignments
Lyons Joel
Advertising
Anne Bender
Ruby Grossblatt
Sam Appel
Jane Axelrod
Gil Bachman
Asher Benator
Editorial Advisory Board Members
Rabbi Alvin Sugarman
Sam Massell
Albert Maslia
William Rothschild
Michael H. Mescon
Marilyn Shubin
Paul Muldawer
Doug Teper
8495 Dunwoody Place, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30350
(404) 236-8911 • FAX (404) 236-8913
[email protected]
www.jewishgeorgian.com
The Jewish Georgian ©2012
BY Marvin
Botnick
has come in truly being “the home of the
brave and the land of the free.” Each family and group has its own history leading up
to the present, and we Jews are no exception.
The first recorded Jew in Colonial
America was a Bohemian named David
Gans, a metallurgist, who was recruited for
his skills by Sir Walter Raleigh to be part of
a 1564 expedition to the Virginia Territory.
It is somewhat ironic that Raleigh selected
him, since the Jews had been expelled from
England in 1290 and were not allowed to
return until 1656.
The first recorded group of Jewish settlers to come to America consisted of 23
people fleeing from their homes in Recife,
Brazil. That land had been controlled by the
Dutch, but in 1654 it had been reconquered
by the Portuguese. The Jewish residents
knew that the Portuguese were active participants in the Inquisition, a Roman
Catholic tribunal for discovery and punishment of those who did not adhere to the
teachings and beliefs of its religion. They
also knew of the severe punishment meted
out by this procedure including torture and
death. Understandably, the Jewish population fled to avoid such treatment, and one
such group that sailed away ended up in
New Amsterdam, now known as New York,
which also was a Dutch colony.
While torture and death did not await
them in New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant,
the colony’s governor, wanted to expel
them. Since the colony was founded and
controlled by the Dutch West India
Company, a publically owned Dutch company, he wrote seeking permission to expel
them. In his letter dated September 22,
1654, he stated, “The Jews who have
arrived would nearly all like to remain
here, but learning that they (with their customary usury and deceitful trading with
Christians) were very repugnant to the inferior magistrates [sheriff, mayors, and
aldermen who made up the Inferior Court
of Justification] . . . that the deceitful race –
such hateful enemies and blasphemers of
the name of Christ – be not allowed to further infect and trouble this new colony to
the detraction of your worships and the dissatisfaction of your worships’ most affectionate subjects.”
While permission was not granted to
expel them, this was the reception that the
first group of Jewish settlers received in this
country. This bigotry against the Jews was
widespread throughout Europe, and history
recounts story after story of the expulsion
from many countries. In our own state of
Georgia, in 1732 a charter was granted by
England’s King George establishing the
colony and empowering a Board of
Trustees to govern the territory. The following year, the trustees voted to ban Jews
from the settlement, but James Oglethorpe,
the founder of the colony, a trustee, and the
governing authority, did not enforce the ruling.
But by the early to middle 1700s, the
ugliness of this bigotry began a metamorphic transformation into a more open and
understanding society. The sense of the
greatness of this country as it pertains to
acceptance of diverse membership is
reflected in the following excerpt from a
letter written in May 1789, by George
Washington in response to a letter he had
received from the Hebrew Congregation of
Savannah, Georgia:
“I rejoice that a spirit of liberality and
philanthropy is much more prevalent than it
formerly was among the enlightened
nations of the earth, and that your brethren
will benefit thereby in proportion as it shall
become still more extensive; happily the
people of the United States have in many
instances exhibited examples worthy of imitation, the salutary influence of which will
doubtless extend much farther if gratefully
enjoying those blessings of peace which
(under the favor of heaven) have been
attained by fortitude in war, they shall conduct themselves with reverence to the Deity
and charity toward their fellow- creatures.”
The change did not happen overnight,
but the seed was planted and, over the
years, it has bloomed and given off the
July-August 2012
sweet aroma of justice, freedom, and opportunity. It has germinated into the beautiful
flower, and, as it has flourished, so have we.
In this fertile soil of the United States, our
Jewish population, just as the total population, has been offered opportunities never
before available.
In Janice Rothschild Blumberg’s
recently released book Prophet in a Time of
Priests, she includes the following report
carried in the (London) Jewish Times of
June 17, 1898, written by Rabbi Isaac .M.
Wise, the well-known figure in the Jewish
community of the U.S.:
“We . . . can appreciate the privilege
which the citizenship of the country of our
adoption confers upon us more than any
other class of citizens. Coming as we do
from a land where the holiest rights of
mankind . . . are trampled upon, we feel
most keenly the liberty which we enjoy
under the glorious stars and stripes.”
As we have benefited, so have we striven to participate and contribute to the well
being of our country and fellow citizens.
Citizenship has not always been ours, and
we rejoice in and have worked to justify the
privileges that this status has bestowed on
us. Much has changed since Peter
Stuyvesant’s letter. Profit in a Time of
Priests also includes the following excerpt
from the report that appeared in the Atlanta
Daily News in 1875 on the laying of the cornerstone for The Temple in Atlanta, a little
over two hundred years after Stuyvesant’s
letter:
“…nothing is so indicative of a city’s
prosperity as to see an influx of Jews who
come with the intention of living with you,
and especially as they buy property and
build among you, because they are a thrifty
and progressive people who never fail to
build up a town they settle in; and again
because they make good citizens, pay their
obligations promptly, never refuse to pay
their taxes and are law-abiding.”
As Jews, we have never asked for more
– nor have we been satisfied to receive less
– than others. For centuries, that was denied
to us, but the birth of the United States
changed that. Happy birthday to us, and
THANK YOU.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
What’s
HAPPENING
CAMP SUNSHINE. One of the causes
closest to the heart of our late dear friend
Steve Weinstein was Camp Sunshine, for
which he worked his heart out for some 30
years.
It is a summer camp for children with
cancer that gives them the chance to participate in the everyday experiences of growing up, such as swimming, horseback riding, pottery, and making friends.
Stevie’s two lovely daughters, Julie and
Alyson, are also big supporters of Camp
Sunshine. And as it celebrated its 30th
Anniversary this summer, Julie participated
in the Keencheefoonee Road Race, named
after the road
where
the
camp is located. Julie and
the
camp’s
staff
raised
s o m e
$106,000,
enough to send
over 200 kids
to the camp’s
next session.
Y o u
Julie Weinstein Cohen too can donate
to the Camp at
www.mycampsunshine.kintera.org/roadrace2012, or send a check to Camp
Sunshine, 1850 Clairmont Road, Decatur,
Georgia 30033-3405. Call 404-325-7979.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELINOR AND
ADELINE. Elinor Breman celebrated her
90th with her loving family at the home of
her son and daughter-in-law, Jerry and
Dulcy Rosenberg. As Elinor describes it, “It
was a glorious night. Tables were set around
the terrace and pool with candles, flowers,
delicious food, speeches, and a glow of
love—a night to be remembered by all.”
Then she celebrated again at the
Board Meeting of The William Breman
Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum,
which she and her late husband have
worked hard to make one of our nation’s
foremost historical institutions.
But Elinor is a spring chicken,
compared to her neighbor at Park Place,
Adeline Gilson, who marked her 95th with
dozens of friends and her granddaughter
Marni, at her favorite nightclub, Scenario
Restaurant and Lounge, at 4279 Roswell
Road, in the old Chopstix space. We love
the club’s piano bar, the food, and especially the free limousine service Friday and
Saturday nights.
Both of these beloved grande
dames still look decades younger than they
really are, and they are wonderful role models for all of us.
BY Reg
Regenstein
Elinor Breman and Jerry Rosenberg
Adeline Gilson and granddaughter
Marni
JOSH HARRIS’ COMEDY CLASS
GRADUATION. Comic Josh Harris’ eightweek stand-up comedy course just held
another graduation ceremony, with a performance at Jerry Farber’s Side Door, and
this time there was a special student in the
Josh Harris with his dad, Art
mix—Josh’s dad, Art, the renowned Atlanta
J o u r n a l - C o n s t i t u t i o n / Wa s h i n g t o n
Post/CNN journalist, who, it turns out, is as
good at being funny as he is at reporting.
As Art notes on his website,
ArtHarris.com, he “…has gone from
Nasirya to Neverland…from 13 years with
CNN as a two-time Emmy Award-winning
investigative correspondent and an embedded reporter in Iraq, to covering Hollywood
scoops, scandals, and politics for
Entertainment Tonight....” Now he’ll have
to add, “...to killing at stand-up comedy
clubs.”
Josh’s class gets bigger and better
every time. As
Jerry says of
Josh’s class:
“If
comedy
classes were
football teams,
Josh’s graduates would be
Superbowl
champions.”
To register for what
Josh
calls
“Funny U—
Atlanta’s best
stand-up comedy school,” go to youract.tv,
or call 404-499-9996.
SALLY KELLERMAN TO PERFORM AT
JERRY’S CLUB. Coming to Atlanta is legendary actress, singer, and M*A*S*H star
Sally Kellerman, who was nominated for an
Oscar for her
performance
as
Major
Margaret
“Hot Lips”
Houllihan.
Ah,
we
remember it
well.
S h e
will perform
her acclaimed
cabaret show
for the first
M*A*S*Hʼs
time
in
Sally Kellerman
Atlanta, July
27-29, at Jerry Farber’s Side Door, 3652
Roswell Road, in Buckhead, adjacent to the
Landmark Diner.
Each performance will benefit a different local non-profit: Fix Georgia Pets,
Friday, July 27, 8:30 p.m.; Kids’ Chance of
Georgia and TurningPoint Women’s
Healthcare, Saturday, July 28, 8:00 p.m.
and 10:30 p.m., respectively; and Atlanta
Community Food Bank, Sunday, July 29,
7:30 p.m.
Also on July 29, at 10:15 a.m.,
Kellerman will be at Atlanta’s Landmark
Midtown Art Theater, for a special screening of M*A*S*H*, followed by a discussion
and then a VIP brunch at Apres Diem
restaurant, just around the corner. Some of
the proceeds from the screening and brunch
will benefit Friends of Film, in the
Department of Film and Media Studies at
Emory University.
Tickets for the events can be obtained
at www.xorbia.com or by calling 770-738-
Page 3
3000. Only 100 tickets are available per
show. A once-in-a lifetime chance to see in
person one of our country’s most iconic performers.
ALEX FRANKEL HEADING TO THE
BIG APPLE. We are really impressed with
Alex Frankel’s integrity. We were driving
along Tuxedo Road, saw his garage sale
sign, went in, and bought one of his old
shirts and offered him a buck for a wallet,
which he accepted. But when his beautiful
blonde yet observant mom, Marlene, pointed out it was Gucci, Alex insisted a deal is
a deal. We’ll see how well that strong ethical standard works in tough NYC, where
Alex is heading to work for Merrill Lynch.
Trying to think if we know a nice
Jewish girl in NYC, we asked Alex for his
card, but he did not have one on him. But
when we went out to our mailbox a couple
of hours later, there was an envelope from
him with his card and a nice note. With that
kind of diligence, we know Alex is destined
for great things.
The son of Marlene and Sam Frankel,
Alex recently completed a Birthright trip to
Israel. He graduated from the Lovett school
in 2008, after 14 great years there, winning
two state golf championships and one individual golf state title, and being a member
of the Lovett golf team that won the first
state golf title in the history of the school.
Then it was on to University of
Michigan on a golf scholarship, playing on
the varsity team his freshman and sophomore years. He graduated from the Ross
School of Business, at Michigan, in 2012,
with a concentration in finance, landing a
job offer on the equity derivatives desk at
Merrill Lynch, in New York, where he has
worked the last two summers. (We think
“derivatives” must have something to do
with the stock market but were too embarrassed to ask.)
Now we know whom to call for advice
about where to invest the money when we
get our long anticipated raise from the JG.
Alex Frankel and his mom, Marlene
HAPPY 70TH, JOJO. If you lived in
Atlanta in the 1950s and ‘60s, you may
recall that Emilie Posner was well known
for throwing some of the best parties in
town.
Although she has slowed down a bit on
the party front, she recently reenacted one
of her legendary events by throwing her
urologist husband, Dr. Joseph Haas, a ‘50sstyle birthday sock hop at Goldberg’s on
See HAPPENING, page 4
Page 4
Happening
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Bible study award at Westminster his senior
year—not bad for a nice Jewish boy!
From page 3
Roswell Road. She claims that was her only
choice, since Knotty Pines was not available.
Unfortunately, says Emilie, she had to
leave out some of the 288 cousins on the H.
Mendel side of the family. Goldberg’s
couldn’t accommodate quite that many.
One of her favorite cousins, Howard
Mendel, a wonderful professional photographer (and available for hire), took great
photographs during the evening.
Goldberg’s did its usual great job, and
co-owner Howard Aaron went so far as to
fly in miniature hot dogs all the way from
New York City, where apparently they
know how to do them just right.
Howard also provided lots of comfort
foods from the ‘50s. There were deviled
eggs, Lipton onion soup dip in the world’s
largest pumpernickel loaf, pimento cheese
spread, Cheetos, and even Goldberg’s
homemade potato chips, along with several
delicious vegetarian dishes for folks like
me.
And guests lined up to get their pictures taken with the life-size replicas of
Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and
Buddy Holly.
Rock Around the Clock DJ Brian
Durio had guests dancing the jitterbug, and
vintage autos were parked at the curb. JoJo
(we still call him that, since we have been
buddies for 67 years) brought his ‘87 Alfa
Romeo, and retired Coca-Cola marketing
exec Marc Hamburger drove one of his
favorite old cars, a 1964 Mercedes convertible.
Lots of women wore poodle skirts. Joe
wore an Elvis shirt and a Davy Crockett hat,
and Emilie wore a great ‘50s wig and saddle oxfords. The couple both wore their
actual dog tags. Perhaps the most authentic
‘50s outfit was worn by David Herckis—
blue jeans and a white T-shirt. I wore my
favorite seersucker suit, with an original
ketchup stain from 1956.
After all these decades, Joe is still the
same nice, sweet, humble person he has
always been, despite having been a tennis
and wrestling champ, and the smartest person we knew growing up—he even won the
Joe Haas (left), Emilie Posner Haas,
and Reg Regenstein (photos:
Howard Mendel)
Randy Kessler, partner, KS Family Law,
were honored at the InterContinental
Hotel’s recent American Diabetes Father of
the Year Awards Dinner, which recognizes
“fathers” who portray and epitomize family, citizenship, charity, civility, and responsibility in their everyday lives.
Joe Haas with Elvis
EMILY MOSES ROCKS. Congratulations
to the lovely and talented Emily Moses,
who just graduated magna cum laude from
Miami University of Ohio, where she
received the outstanding student award in
the School of Fine Arts. Among her many
activities, she regularly conducted holiday
services at the local Hillel chapter. She will
continue her studies in fine arts at The
University of
Colorado in
Boulder, concentrating on
opera,
at
which the diva
excels, having
a
beautiful
voice.
Emily
is the daughter
of Graham (a
f o r m e r
Emily Moses
Atlantan) and
Ellen Moses,
who now live in St. Louis. For this info, we
are indebted to Emily’s proud grandmom,
Rita Moses, our aunt, who is involved in
many activities in the community but
always has time to kvell over her kids and
grandkids.
GEN. SCHWARTZ, COL. JACOBS RECOGNIZED. Two of our great military
heroes were recognized at the Ritz-Carlton
Buckhead recently, where the Children of
Fallen Patriots Foundation held its second
annual Atlanta event. The evening featured
the presentation of the Patriot Award to
General Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff
of the U.S. Air Force, with the ceremony
hosted by Medal of Honor recipient and
CFPF Board Member Colonel Jack Jacobs.
The foundation provides free college
education for any child who has lost a parent during military combat or training.
General Schwartz is the first Jewish
chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, and
Jacobs is the only Jewish soldier still alive
to receive the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. We honor and
thank these distinguished military leaders
for their service to our country and for
being proud role models to our community.
FATHERS OF THE YEAR. Craig
Kaufman, president, Kaufman Realty, and
Fathers-of-the-year Craig Kaufman
(left) and Randy Kessler
SAM MASSELL TO BE HONORED
AGAIN. “Buckhead Mayor” Sam Massell
has won yet another much deserved honor
for his leadership
and
vision.
On
October 4, the
president of
the Buckhead
Coalition and
former Atlanta
mayor is to be
the Council
for
Quality
Growth’s
2012
Four
Sam Massell
P i l l a r
Honoree at a
celebration at The Georgia World Congress
Center.
For more info on tickets and sponsorship
opportunities,
contact
[email protected].
ZBT ALUM JIM SUMMERS. James P.
(Jim) Summers does a great job organizing
alumni activities for ZBT
fraters in our
area and helping them stay
in
touch.
Thirty or so
brothers meet
regularly for
lunch
(and
occasional
dinners),
bonding, networking,
Jim Summers
schmoozing,
complaining, and kibitzing.
Under the leadership of Jim (Marshall
University ‘70), James Weinberg (Tulane
University ‘83), and Faron Lewitt
(University of Alabama ‘97), the Zeta Beta
Tau Atlanta Area Alumni Association
(ZBTAAAA) has developed into one of the
frat’s most active chapters.
Jim says, “Brothers attending the
July-August 2012
ZBTAAAA lunch gatherings have spanned
generations and regions: Sam Massell
(University of Georgia ‘48), Mort Weiss
(University of Southern California ‘48),
Hank Klausman (University of Illinois ‘62),
Bruce Weinstein (University of Alabama
‘70), Howard Fleisig (Georgia Tech ‘72),
Mark Kaplan (University of South Florida
‘72), Keith Bailey (University of Georgia
‘79), Chuck Pollack (The George
Washington University ‘84), Doug Bodner
(Georgia Tech ‘87), Steven Wiebe (Seton
Hall University ‘09), Adam Diamond
(University of Alabama ‘10), and Joshua
Styles (Georgia Tech ‘11).
Two Atlanta-area alumni brothers
received special recognition at the 2011
ZBT International Convention, at the
InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead—Steve
Selig (University of Georgia ‘65) was
named Man of the Year, which is presented
to a brother who exemplifies the teachings
of ZBT and the commitment to better the
communities in which we live, and Jay
Davis (University of Georgia ‘70) received
the Heritage Award, which recognizes a
member of the Jewish community who
especially distinguishes himself or herself
in a communal, philanthropic, artistic, or
professional endeavor.
To get involved, e-mail Jim at [email protected].
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR GEORGE
DYNIN. Former University of Georgia
teacher George Dynin, of Athens, is mentioned in the new comprehensive publication of the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, the Encyclopedia of
Camps and Ghettos—1933-45, Volume II,
Ghettos in German-Occupied Eastern
Europe.
The entry on Horodyszcze, in Eastern
Poland, relates how, in 1942, George, “a
Jewish teenager living outside the ghetto
and pretending to be a Pole, learned from
his mother, who worked as a translator in
the mayor’s office,” about the Germans’
plans to kill the residents of the local ghetto, with the help of the local police. “He
twice passed the information to the Jews,
but very few managed to escape...in time.”
What is not mentioned is that George
could have been killed each time he passed
on the information to his people. He is now
looking for a publisher for his book, Aryan
Papers, which has a foreword by renowned
British historian and Churchill biographer
Sir Martin Gilbert, and is filled with other
amazing stories of heroism, terror, cruelty,
close calls, mass murder, and miraculous
escapes. We hope some publisher will snap
the book up and give it the promotion it
deserves.
TWO NEW HOLOCAUST BOOKS.
British writer Colin Rushton has two great
newly released books on the Holocaust,
Beyond the Gates of Hell and Spectator in
Hell: A British Soldier’s Story of
Imprisonment in Auschwitz, (Pelican
Publishing).
Beyond the Gates of Hell tells the
heartbreaking story of twelve-year-old
July-August 2012
Mayer Herszkowicz who, in 1940, was separated from his family and began a fiveyear, 1,500-mile “marathon of miseries.”
He was transported by cattle truck and
forced marches from his home in Sieradz,
Poland, to nine labor camps, surviving
eighteen months in Auschwitz and fortytwo inspections by the notorious Dr. Joseph
Mengele.
Spectator in Hell tells of the death
camps from the point of view of a British
POW, Arthur Dodd, a Royal Army Service
Corps driver captured in 1942, who spent
fourteen months interned in a facility at
Auschwitz. Rushton documents life in the
camp, where the British prisoners were
treated quite differently from the other
inmates but nevertheless experienced
everyday horrors of their own. Dodd
repeatedly risked his life to help Jewish
prisoners, sabotage industrial facilities, and
help plan a mass escape, and his story
makes a fascinating read.
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR SENIORS.
Class is now in session at PALS’ six weeks
of Monday Lunch ‘N Learn courses,
through July 30. PALS features great classes on such subjects as World War I, thriving
in retirement, Mah Jongg, estate planning,
films, bridge, gardening, chess, new and
local authors, and other fascinating and
useful topics.
Perimeter Adult Learning and Services
(PALS), Inc., is for folks 50 and older in
Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Norcross, and
neighboring areas of Metropolitan Atlanta.
The summer classes are being held at
Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy
Springs, GA 30327.
PALS says that “no senior is excluded
from classes due to inability to pay...and
tuition is FREE for anyone over 90.” And
even though the summer session is well
underway, you can sign up to attend a single class.
To register and for more info, call 770698-0801, or visit www.palsonline.org.
ENTERTAINING
CAKEMAKER
SYLVIA WEINSTOCK. Photographer
Denis Reggie, bridal gown designer Anne
Barge, Paces Papers founder Jackie Garson
Howard, florist Robert Long, and caterer
Dennis Dean hosted a gathering at Denis
Reggie’s home for famous cakemaker
Sylvia Weinstock while she was in Atlanta.
Sylvia is widely known as “the
Leonardo da Vinci of cakes” and the
“Queen of Wedding Cakes,” since she
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
makes cakes for the ultra rich and
famous—the most lavish costing $50,000
or more. Helping entertain Sylvia were
such notables as events planner Barbara
Roos and Brian Ettelman, director of catering at InterContinental Buckhead.
Julie Bauman (from left), Sylvia
Weinstock, Martha Jo Katz, and Lila
Hertz
AMAZING STORY OF HOLOCAUST
SURVIVAL. There are rave reviews for the
brand new musical, By Wheel and By Wing,
at the Act3 Playhouse, the delightful community theater right in the heart of Sandy
Springs.
An amazing, incredible Holocaust survival story about the family of Helen and
Stan Kasten, it was produced as a result of
a chance encounter on an airplane.
It was first put in writing by Helen’s
maternal grandmother, Bubbe Esther
Parnes, when she arrived in America after
the war. It recounts how Esther, her husband, Samuel, and their seven children fled
their native Polish town of Skalat, in 1941,
spending five years fleeing and hiding from
the Germans.
Miraculously, all of the nine Parneses
were able to stay together and survive,
eventually coming to the United States,
where they were joyously reunited with
Samuel’s brother and Esther’s brother and
two sisters.
A few years ago, on a flight to Atlanta,
Helen’s aunt, Jeanie Wechsler, found herself sitting next to Patti Mactis, the cofounder and artistic director of Act 3. Jeanie
told the story to Patti, who was so taken
with the incredible tale of survival, she
helped arrange for Act3 to feature it as a
musical.
For info and tickets, check
www.act3productions.org. The Playhouse
is located at 6285-R Roswell Road, in
Sandy Springs Plaza.
Page 5
Page 6
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Breman exhibition looks at Jewish refugee scholars at black colleges
In 1935, an article in The AfroAmerican stated, “We rejoice that our newspapers condemn German Nazi atrocities.
It’s a good sign that they may yet discover
the Nazism which is outside their own
doors.”
The relationship between two disenfranchised groups—Jewish professors who
fled Nazi Germany and African-American
students — and the unique bond that grew
between them is the subject of the powerful
exhibition “Beyond Swastika and Jim
Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black
Colleges.”
This exhibition is now at The Breman
Museum, after a successful run in New
York City at the Museum of Jewish
Heritage—A Living Memorial to the
Holocaust and a national tour that most
recently brought the exhibition to the
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education
Center, in Skokie, Illinois. “Beyond
Swastika and Jim Crow” will be on view in
Atlanta through December 20.
“Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow” tells
the story of Jewish academics from
Germany and Austria who were dismissed
from their teaching positions in the 1930s.
After fleeing to America, some found positions at historically black colleges and universities in the South. The exhibition
explores what it meant to the students to
have these new staff members as part of
their community, how the students were
affected by their presence, and what life
was like for white, European Jews teaching
at these institutions. The exhibition looks at
the empathy between two minority groups
with a history of persecution, some of
whom came together in search of freedom
and opportunity and shared the early years
of struggle in the Civil Rights Movement.
Aaron Berger, executive director of
The Breman Museum, describes the show
as “an incredibly important exhibition, particularly for Atlanta.... There are eight historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs) in Georgia and four here in
Atlanta. The Breman Museum is proud to
be the organization able to bring this fascinating story to Atlanta.”
Berger also highlights the similarities
between immigrating Jews and blacks in the
Jim Crow South. “HBCUs were founded to
provide a college education to African
Americans who were denied access to public and private institutions. They helped elevate a division of second-class people to
positions of equality in our nation.
Immigrating Jews, fleeing Nazi-controlled
Europe, could identify with the discrimination felt by the black community in the
United States.”
In early 1933, before the Nazis started
dismissing Jews from their posts, more than
12 percent of faculty members at German
universities were Jewish. While the top academics, like Albert Einstein, were in
demand at prestigious universities, less well
known professors had a much more difficult
time finding work in the United States. The
country was still in the midst of the
Depression, and unemployment, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism were prevalent. As
anti-Jewish actions in Germany escalated,
several organizations, including the
Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced
Foreign Scholars, worked to obtain positions for the exiled scholars. Of the several
hundred refugee scholars who came to this
country, more than 50 of them ended up at
historically black colleges.
—————
Notable professors in the exhibition
include prominent sociologist Ernst
Borinski (Tougaloo College), political scientist John Herz (Howard University), and
art education pioneer Viktor Lowenfeld
(Hampton Institute). Notable students
include artist John Biggers (Hampton
Institute); Dr. Joyce Ladner (Tougaloo
College), the first female president of
Howard University; and Dr. Joycelyn
Elders (Philander Smith College), the first
black surgeon general of the United States.
The refugee scholars who found work
at black colleges were often more comfortable than their peers at white universities,
who faced on-the-job prejudice. Some professors, such as Ernst Borinski and Ernst
Manasse, felt a deep connection to black
students and spent the rest of their careers at
the historically black colleges. Professor
Borinski was even buried on the campus of
Tougaloo. His tombstone reads, “Ernst
Borinski, Inspiring Teacher.” Dr. Ladner
said of Professor Borinski (whom the students affectionately called Bobo) that he
had “an affinity with blacks, because they
experienced a similar persecution.”
Many other professors developed deep
ties to their schools and friendships with
their black colleagues and students that
endure today. “It was a great good luck of
mine to find my first teaching job at a black
university, where I felt I had so much in
common with teachers and students,” said
Professor John Herz. He felt “at home very
quickly,” at Howard University, where he
attended lectures and concerts and spent
many of his social hours.
—————
The environment of mutual respect
motivated some refugee professors to
become involved in the Civil Rights
Movement, officially or unofficially.
Professor Borinski was identified as a
“race agitator” for promoting integration
both on and off campus. He wanted to be a
“facilitator,” to “bridge communities,” and
contribute to the Civil Rights Movement by
bringing black and white people in a room
together to share ideas. He created the
Social Science Forums, which brought
together the top thinkers of the time and the
community for lectures and discussions. He
would have his Tougaloo students arrive
early and scatter throughout the room, so
the white participants would have to sit
among the black students. In many cases, it
was the first time they had a substantive
conversation or dined with someone of
another ethnicity. The Mississippi branch of
the ACLU gives out an annual award in
Professor Borinski’s name.
Professor Lore Rasmussen, an associate professor of elementary education at
Talladega College, was arrested, along with
her husband, Donald, for having lunch at a
café with a black colleague. At first, the
police thought she was a German spy, until
she explained that she was a Jew who had
escaped from Nazi Germany. “You should
be glad to be in a place where there’s
democracy and freedom,” they told her.
“The experience of injustice I felt in
Germany from Hitler coming into power I
felt was being repeated,” she said. Professor
Ernst Manasse, at North Central College for
Negroes, in North Carolina, faced similar
opposition when he would entertain black
colleagues and friends. His white neighbors
complained and threatened to shoot his
guests should they return.
In addition to getting involved in campus life and the political landscape, the professors, who came from formal and rigorous
academic environments, did their best to
instill high standards of learning. The
HBCUs, mostly founded between the late
1860s and the 1880s, were primarily private
liberal arts institutions, funded by philanthropists and missionary groups. A few others were public schools that offered both the
liberal arts and vocational training in agriculture, trades, and service.
“The German Jewish professors had a
tremendous impact on young blacks in the
South,” said Jim McWilliams, a student at
Talladega College, who is now a retired
attorney. “They exposed us to new music,
art, and academic programs.” Joycelyn
Elders was also grateful for her education
and understood the importance of it.
“Grandma Minnie was constantly at me,”
said Dr. Elders. “‘You’ve got to get an education.’ That was her refrain, like a drumbeat. ‘You want to pick cotton and live in all
these mosquitoes the rest of your life?’”
Many of the professors encouraged the
students to learn more about their own history and culture, like Professor Rasmussen,
who took her students to a field to pick cotton. She often used unconventional and
innovative teaching methods to give her
students concrete experiences that brought
them closer to their backgrounds.
Likewise, Professor Lowenfeld encouraged his students, many of whom had never
been exposed to art before, to explore their
heritage and their struggles through art. The
renowned artist John Biggers, who was
studying to be a plumber when he met
Professor Lowenfeld, said, “I fell in love
with art. Art became the way we could
speak.” Several other students went on to
become top-notch educators themselves.
—————
The exhibition is inspired by Gabrielle
Simon Edgcomb’s landmark book From
Swastika to Jim Crow: Refugee Scholars at
Black Colleges (Krieger Publishing
Company, 1993) and the subsequent PBS
documentary by Joel Sucher and Steven
Fischler, of Pacific Street Films. The exhibition includes artifacts and photographs, as
well as two new films by Sucher and
Fischler that feature the professors and the
students.
The exhibition begins with the dismissal of the refugee scholars from German
universities and continues through their
search for positions in the United States. It
then highlights the backgrounds of the students and follows the professors and students coming together to teach, learn, and
Civil Rights pin belonging to Joyce
Ladner (Collection of Dr. Joyce A.
Ladner)
Donald Cunnigenʼs Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity sweater from Tougaloo
College,
circa
1970–1974.
(Collection of Dr. Donald Cunnigen)
Professor Ernst Borinskiʼs menorah
(Collection of Frances and Lee
Coker)
See BREMAN, page 13
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 7
Savannah’s JEA is wrapping up its centennial celebration
By Jane Guthman Kahn
Savannah’s
Jewish
Educational
Alliance is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Centennial year activities will conclude Sunday, September 9, with “Bites +
Bubbly,” a gala evening of food, festivities,
and fundraising. The event is designed to
“reflect on the 100 years of JEA service,
while celebrating the future of 100 more to
come.”
The JEA, which through the years has
resisted a name change to “Jewish
Community Center,” is, in fact, Savannah’s
Jewish community center. For years, it has
also been known by its nickname, the
Alliance. It was chartered in 1912, with the
idea of creating one institution to meet the
needs of Jews of all ages. The Council of
Jewish Women had proposed a home for a
permanent kindergarten, just one of several
identified needs.
In the early 1900s, this coastal Georgia
town, one of the oldest Jewish communities
in the United States, experienced an influx
of Jewish immigrants from Europe, who
needed help adjusting to life in America.
That became JEA’s focus—to create an
environment in which the middle-class
German Jews, who arrived earlier, could
help assimilate the new (and poor) Eastern
European Jews, who were streaming into
the city. The JEA would provide them with
baths (today, some old-timers remember
going to the old JEA for showers) and teach
them language, sports, and manners.
The goal was to produce Americans
who would not embarrass the established
Jewish residents and would be able to blend
into the general community.
The idea had been brewing for a while.
Dr. George Solomon, long-time and
beloved rabbi of Savannah’s Congregation
Mickve Israel, had advocated for years for a
Jewish center as a spiritual force for the
unification of the community. Some talked
of an institution to educate immigrants; others felt the need for a common meeting
place.
Sigo Meyers offered a gift of $25,000
to create a memorial to his brother, former
Savannah Mayor Herman Myers. The gift
was to be matched by the Jewish community. In 1914, two years after its organization,
the JEA began operations, in a leased threestory house in downtown Savannah. The
year before, it chartered Boy Scout Troop 2.
In January 1916, the organization
moved into a handsome new three-story
structure on Barnard Street, in downtown
Savannah. (That building, which took a
mere six months to build, is now a dormitory for the Savannah College of Art and
Design.) With the opening of the new JEA
home, Dr. Solomon proclaimed, “The community had builded [sic] far better and
wiser than it knew.” (Rabbi Solomon was to
serve Congregation Mickve Israel and the
Savannah community for 42 years.)
But, with the onset of World War I and
many members joining the armed forces,
the JEA fell into debt and was forced to
close, leasing the building as a school. A
skeleton group kept it alive. The Hebrah
Gemiluth Hessed (HGH), a benevolent
society chartered in 1889, donated “a substantial sum” to initiate a fundraising campaign, and in 1920, the JEA reopened.
In a 1930 celebration, Sigo Myers said,
“...the institution has more than realized the
hopes I entertained at its founding. To the
young people...it has become a home and
JEA BOY SCOUT TROOP NO. 2, MARCH 15, 1914. Front row (from left):
Abraham “Chief” Harris (nee Horovitz), Joseph Apolinski, Selig Richman,
LeRoy Fischer, Louis “Bum” Lasky (drummer), Emanuel Kronstadt,
Benjamin Chernoff, Leon “Lukie” Tenner, and Joseph Greenberg. Center
row: Perry Stone, Morris Rubin, Joseph Weiss, Benjamin Litman (bugler),
Joseph Litman (scoutmaster), Ruben Siegel, Jacob Stone, Jacob or Ruben
Greenberg, and Rubin Tenenbaum. Back row (holding flags): Nathan
Marcus, Morris Mohre, Louis Bradley, and Isidore Apolinski. (Donated to the
Savannah Jewish Archives by Albert Ullman)
an inspiration. To the older men...a rallying
place...our non-Jewish neighbors have
come to look upon...the representative
Jewish organization of Savannah.”
During the 1920s, Jewish life revolved
around the JEA, and many clubs and organizations that started then remain today.
During the Great Depression, involvement
increased, and, in 1939, the board voted to
sell the Barnard Street building and expand
elsewhere. But World War II intervened,
and the building plans were put on hold.
The JEA became a USO center, welcoming
members of the armed forces from around
the area. In 1946, the JEA opened the first
Jewish day camp in Savannah.
In 1950, the JEA site committee identified an 11 1/2 acre tract, eight blocks south
of what were then Savannah’s city limits,
for its new location. Funds raised from
1943 through 1954 were less than a half
million dollars, but the institution moved, in
September 1955, to the building it now
occupies. JEA Executive Director Adam
Solender commented recently on the
“incredible commitment JEA leaders made
to the community and each other,” in undertaking the construction of a new facility in
the mid-20th century.
During the 1990s, the building underwent major renovations, and an addition
was built. Today, the 80,000-square-foot
complex houses a fitness center, gyms, racquetball courts, an outdoor swimming pool,
an indoor lap pool, and athletic fields. As in
the early days, pick-up basketball is a
lunchtime activity, but the health and wellness program today also includes adult
recreation, youth sports, water aerobics,
yoga, personal training, and fitness classes.
The summer camps continue to be popular,
as well as seasonal holiday camps. Weekly
senior lunches, with programming, are well
attended—the JEA provides transportation
as needed.
The JEA continues to offer concerts
and speakers on a variety of subjects and
also sponsors weekly games (Scrabble,
bridge, Mah Jongg) an annual film festival,
and monthly exhibitions featuring local
artists. As it always has, the JEA adapts its
programming to the needs of the community.
An agency of the United Way (which
See SAVANNAH’S JEA, page 13
JEA BASKETBALL,
1921-22. Front row
(from left): Louis
“Libe” Gittelsohn,
Isadore “Izzy”
Itzkovitz, Fred
Rosolio (captain),
Mortimer “Bud”
Fischer, and Harry
Marcus (also known
as Dick Leonard).
Back row: Frank
Buchsbaum (cheerleader), Louis “Bum”
Lasky, Emanuel
Kandel, Jacob “Jack”
Saul (nee
Savilowsky), and
Jerome Eisenberg.
JEA SUMMER CAMP, AUGUST 1947. Identified: Barbara (Mirsky) Seligman,
Murray Freedman, Isser Gottlieb, Lillian (Heyman) Lowe, Arnold Tillinger,
Brenda (Hirsch) Schimmel, Gilbert Kulick, Lynn (Schlosser) Levine, Beth
(Odess) Fagin Childress, Sammy Feinberg, and Frances (Solomon)
Gretenstein.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 8
MJCCA NEWS
Exhibition celebrates 90 years of the bat mitzvah
BAT MITZVAH COMES OF AGE. The
Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta (MJCCA) is presenting a unique
exhibition in the Katz Family Mainstreet
Gallery, “Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age,” celebrating the bat mitzvah’s ceremony’s 90th
anniversary. This traveling exhibition tells
the remarkable story of how, in less than a
century, individual girls, their parents, and
their rabbis challenged and changed communal values and practice to institute this
now widely practiced Jewish ritual. The
exhibition runs through September 19.
To mark the 90th anniversary of Judith
Kaplan’s bat mitzvah, the National Museum
of American Jewish History, in
Philadelphia, and Moving Traditions have
organized “Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age.”
The exhibition includes oral history recordings of bat mitzvah stories from around the
country and across Jewish movements, a
timeline of milestones, and an interactive
component in which visitors can share their
coming-of-age stories and photos.
Weaving together stories of the evolution of American Jewish life with 20th century feminism, the exhibition includes narratives and artifacts from a range of women,
from the little known to the prominent,
including Supreme Court Justice Elena
Kagan, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg,
and activist Ruth Messinger, to illustrate the
substantial impact of bat mitzvah on Jewish
life across the religious spectrum and on the
girls (now women) themselves.
The exhibition is based on more than
150 responses to Moving Traditions’ “Bat
Mitzvah Firsts” survey. The selected personal stories range across the AmericanJewish spectrum, from secular to ultraOrthodox and from small town to urban
center. “In conducting research for the exhibition, we heard from women who were
willing to raise their voices and challenge
the gender expectations of their time; these
‘bat mitzvah pioneers’ moved girls and
women from the margins to the center of
Jewish life,” said Deborah Meyer, Moving
Traditions founder and executive director.
“That bat mitzvah—once a radical innovation—is now a nearly universal tradition
shows how Judaism continues to evolve in
each generation.”
Related programming includes “A
Taste of Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!”
August 9, 6:00-7:30 p.m., which will introduce a monthly group for teen girls, and an
open house for the Lisa F. Brill Institute for
Jewish Learning, September 11, 7:00 p.m.,
at which women who marked their bat mitzvahs at a synagogue service can share their
experiences.
The Katz Family Mainstreet Gallery is
located at the MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill
Road, Dunwoody. Gallery hours are
Monday-Thursday, 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.;
Friday, 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00
a.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-8:00
p.m. Admission is free. For information,
contact Kim Goodfriend, MJCCA Arts &
Culture director, 678-812-4071 or
[email protected].
Judith Ginsberg and her mother,
Adele Wall Ginsberg, open gifts,
September 19, 1959, in Larchmont,
New York. (Photo courtesy of Judith
Ginsberg)
HAPPY, HEALTHY BABIES. Ina May
Gaskin, famed midwife and co-founder of
The Farm, in Tennessee, author of Spiritual
Midwifery, winner of the 2011 Right
Livelihood Award, and creator of “the
Gaskin Maneuver” (a life-saving childbirth
technique), was a presenter at “Essentials
for Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting: An
Educational Benefit,” a Bellies to Babies
Foundation event, July 22, at the Atlanta
Perimeter Holiday Inn. The event provided
connections for Atlanta’s parents and education on the essentials of pregnancy, birth,
and parenting. Event proceeds benefiting
Midwife International (midwifeinternational.org).
Also presenting was Mayim Bialik,
Ph.D., author of Beyond the Sling, nationally acclaimed attachment parent, spokeswoman for the Holistic Mom’s Network,
and actress on “The Big Bang Theory” and
“Blossom.”
Educational topics included prenatal
heath, childbirth options, preventing the
preventable C-section, maternal issues
internationally, a variety of parenting
philosophies, and more. Exhibitors represented a wide range of experts, including
physicians, midwives, chiropractors,
doulas, cloth diaper specialists, lactation
consultants, and goods and services, including car seats and strollers, baby clothes, carriers, and organic baby food.
In partnership with the MJCCA, North
Fulton Hospital, and Atlanta Midwifery, the
event was hosted and organized by The
Bellies to Babies Foundation, a MetroAtlanta based non-profit that connects families to health care providers, fosters peer
support, and provides education about
healthy parenting.
OLYMPIC DAY. On Friday, June 29, the
MJCCA joined more than 700 nationwide
events in celebrating the birth of the modern
Olympic Games. The MJCCA Day Camps
Olympic Day featured a special guest,
United States Olympian Marty McCormick
(1992 Kayak), and included a range of
activities and sports.
The day began with the carrying of
an Olympic torch, a flag relay, and an opening ceremony. Campers participated in
activities with McCormick and had the
chance to compete, participate, and show
their spirit as members of “National Teams”
representing Great Britain, the United
States, Israel, and Canada. The afternoon
included a field day, with track & field
United States Olympian Marty
McCormick and Ryan Pollard,
MJCCA sports director, lead
campers in the MJCCA Day Camps
Olympic Day.
July-August 2012
events, soccer matches, and a gymnastics
event. The day ended with closing remarks
from Doug Brown.
THE GUTTENBERG BIBLE. On July 12,
the MJCCA welcomed Steve Guttenberg,
who starred in such films as Diner, The
Boys From Brazil, Cocoon, Police
Academy, Short Circuit, and Three Men and
a Baby, for a special Page from the Book
Festival author event. Guttenberg presented
his new book, The Guttenberg Bible, a
hilarious, insightful memoir of the highs
and lows of Hollywood and a man determined to make it there. The event was held
in an “In Conversation” format, with Conn
Jackson, host and executive producer of
“The Conn Jackson Show.”
In The Guttenberg Bible, Steve
Guttenberg tells a Horatio Alger story of
how he became the star of some of the ‘80s
most successful blockbusters. He spent his
early days sneaking onto the Paramount lot
(pretending
to
be
Michael
Eisner ’s
son)
and
meeting
m o r e
celebrities
and casting
agents than
most aspiring actors
ever would.
Even before
the
hit
P o l i c e
Academy (which his agent said would be a
flop), he had already worked with everyone
from Sir Laurence Olivier to Mickey
Rourke. His self-awareness and sense of
humor about the ups and downs of fame
made this one of the most sympathetic and
unguarded Hollywood stories to date.
FROM THE TWEENS TO THE TEENS.
“Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” is a new
program to the MJCCA that draws on
Jewish teachings to help girls in grades 6
and 7, of all affiliations, navigate the complexities of adolescent life. Parents and
their daughters are invited to “A Taste of
Rosh Hodesh,” on Thursday, August 9,
6:00-7:30 p.m., at the MJCCA, where they
will get the chance to ask questions and
experience the program firsthand. The girls
group will then meet one Sunday a month,
September 9, 2012-May 12, 2013, 5:006:30 p.m., at Zaban Park.
A contemporary celebration of the
ancient New Moon holiday, Rosh Hodesh
builds girls’ self-esteem, leadership skills,
and Jewish identity. The program works on
an intimate model, bringing together small
groups of girls for monthly Rosh Hodesh
celebrations. Each Rosh Hodesh gathering
will focus on specific “life lessons” that
draw on core Jewish values and practices to
explore such issues as body image, friendship, family, assertiveness, and social
action. Activities include arts and crafts,
See MJCCA News, page 15
July-August 2012
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 13
AJC Atlanta’s ACCESS group meets with Kwanza Hall
Breman
From page 6
share a community on campus. The exhibition includes their mutual participation in
the Civil Rights Movement and concludes
with a look at the impact of the contributions of the professors and the students to
American life.
ACCESS Co-Chair Harris Konter (from left), outgoing ACCESS Co-Chair Rebecca Oppenheimer, Kwanza Hall,
incoming ACCESS co-Chair Joel Feldman, Lauren Rosenberg, and Rabbi Lawrence Rosenthal
ACCESS, the young professionals
division of the Atlanta Regional Office of
American Jewish Committee, held its
open Steering Committee meeting, its
final event for the 2011-2012 program
year, on May 21. The highlight of the
meeting was the keynote presentation by
District 2 Atlanta City Councilmember
Kwanza Hall.
Councilmember Hall discussed his
role as an international ambassador for
metro Atlanta and the many nations he has
visited in his official capacity. Since AJC’s
mission is to foster a more pluralistic and
democratic world, attendees were especially interested to hear about his visits to
China, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and
most recently, Israel, where he participated in a week-long seminar sponsored by
Project Interchange, an educational institution of AJC.
Councilmember Hall described the
construction of mega-cities in China
meant to house millions of citizens who
Savannah’s JEA
From page 7
JEA’s executive director helped start), as
well as a Savannah Jewish Federation beneficiary, the JEA sponsors communitywide programs throughout the year.
Traditionally, the JEA is a springboard for
leadership in the broader Savannah community.
Solender says the JEA’s primary purpose today is “to strengthen Jewish life….
Respecting and supporting diverse Jewish
opinions, beliefs, and practices is essential
for a strong and enduring Savannah Jewish
community.” The JEA, he believes, is “a
connector to Jewish life; a place where
individuals and families can encounter
Jewish ideas, principles, practices, and values; where they encounter Israel and
explore the ideal of Jewish peoplehood in
Kwanza Hall addressing the
ACCESS Steering Committee
meeting (Photos: Itai D. Tsur)
are moving into urban environments; having to cancel a meeting in the Philippines
with professional boxer Manny Pacquiáo,
due to State Department concerns about Al
Qaeda threats; and Israel’s remarkable
success as a high-tech hub, despite significant day-to-day hardships.
their lives....”
To honor its centennial, the JEA is
publishing a 100-year tribute journal, featuring a timeline and history of the JEA, as
well as pictures.
Anna Berwitz, JEA director of development and special events, said guests at
the “Bites + Bubbly” gala will sample
exquisite appetizers provided by the JEA’s
premier chefs and caterers and enjoy a
gourmet buffet dinner, live and silent auctions, and live music. Tickets are $100 per
person. For more information, contact her
at [email protected] or 912-355-8111, ext
211.
Councilmember Hall proposed that
metro Atlanta learn from these other countries and adopt best practices in order to
grow and thrive as an international city.
One of the specific challenges facing
Atlanta is the need to improve transportation infrastructure to accommodate
growth. Councilmember Hall encouraged
participants to learn about the
Transportation Investment Act (TIA),
which would authorize a one-percent sales
tax, and vote as they see fit on July 31. “It
is always rewarding to exchange ideas
with a group of emerging leaders who
share my devotion to improving Atlanta’s
standing on the world stage,” said
Councilmember Hall. “I have always had
great respect for American Jewish
Committee and its contributions to
improving relations between Atlanta’s
diverse communities and appreciate the
opportunity to work with its next generation.”
Exhibition highlights include:
• receipts for the $28 in fines Professors
Lore and Donald Rasmussen paid, after
being arrested for having lunch with a black
Civil Rights colleague at a black café, in
Birmingham. Eating in a public place with
someone of the other race without a sevenfoot high separation wall was considered
“incitement to riot.” When Professor Lore
Rasmussen was free to go, she was not
allowed to ride home alone with her black
student, so she stayed in jail with her husband, until a black dentist posted bail for
them.
• paintings by Professor Viktor Lowenfeld
and his student John Biggers, showing their
influence on each other’s work. Biggers
went on to get his Ph.D. from Professor
Lowenfeld, at Pennsylvania State
University, and then chaired the art department at Texas State University (later Texas
Southern University), where he stayed until
his retirement, in 1983. His work is in the
permanent collections of the Museum of
Modern Art and the Smithsonian American
Art Museum, among other institutions.
• a menorah and a spice box brought from
Germany by Professor George Iggers. He
taught at Philander Smith College in Little
Rock, Arkansas. Professor Iggers and his
wife, Wilma, were involved in the Civil
Rights Movement and spearheaded a challenge to the Little Rock Board of Education
in the 1950s. Professor Iggers was one of
the first white members of the black fraternity Phi Beta Sigma.
For more information, visit thebreman.org, or call 678-222-3700.
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 14
July-August 2012
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BY Shirley Kahn
Friedman
Music was a given in our household...an inheritance, a duty...a pleasure,
a heartache...no more an option than
breathing. This was wrapped around us
like a gift from Daddy (Mama furnished
the ribbons), who, somewhere between a
small Lithuanian village and a small
Georgia town, decided that he could take
a seat before a piano or an old pump
organ and conjure up a tune of his
choice—anything from “America” to
Brahms’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5”
(one of his favorites; you could stir up a
big impact with that one). All by ear, very
recognizable, very “homespun.”
As time and life progressed, with
music lessons for six children, piano for
all to begin with was followed by violin
for a child prodigy son and clarinet for
the second son, who continued to
progress and enjoy his instrument at the
University of Georgia—in the marching
band, in the symphony, and as leader of
t h e
dance
band.
Of the
entire
group, I
was the
l e a s t
talented. My
sisters
always
won top
s t a t e
honors
in solo
piano,
but the
only top
honor I
w o n
was as
Daddy and Mama
part of a
“ t w o
piano-eight hands” ensemble. It took six
other hands to make me score. In college,
my sisters and I studied voice. It was my
major, and I was so thankful for the piano
lessons that made it possible for me to
read and learn the music.
It was many years later before we
began to realize that not every household
was like ours, with music sailing around
every corner...some fine, some in the
practicing stage and not so fine. It was
before the days of TV, and we were so
accustomed to the racket, that it seemed
as natural as crickets or birds. After supper or Sunday dinner, Daddy would put
his hands across his eyes and pray silently. After a sometimes rather lengthy session, he would hop up and make his way
to the piano to offer, encouraged or not,
after-meal selections. His mood of the
moment or the general condition of the
world influenced his choices. If he felt
complacent, it might be a Chopin waltz,
with a thoroughly familiar right hand and
a left hand group of chords that seemed
to have wandered in from someplace. But
if the mood was peppy, he would roll out
as good a “Beer Barrel Polka” as a pro
with left and right hands in accord. A
right foot stomping was part of this rendition; and as the years went on, the hardwood floor under the piano pedal showed
a well-worn reminder of the exuberance.
To us, it was always a respected trademark.
When I married and moved to
Sandersville, we were fortunate enough
to find a small house to rent and even
more fortunate to have the perfect neighbors...a family right next door and another just across the street. It was truly the
beginning of life-long friendships. When
Daddy and Mama paid their first visit, I
put compatible ingredients together and
it turned out to be a meal, but I was glad
to have Mama as a co-chef. I introduced
my parents to the neighbors, so it wasn’t
t o o
inconceivable
t h a t
w h e n
Daddy
heard
piano
music
coming
f r o m
n e x t
door, it
was like
a magnet
pulling
him, and
h
e
decided
to pay a
visit. My
neigharound our piano
bor, who
was
a
very fine pianist, welcomed him, and she
even played what he requested.
A few days after my folks went back
home, I heard a rather noisy vehicle in
my driveway. I heard a horn and went out
to see a truck and a friend from South
Georgia! It was Bob Elliott, who owned
the musical instruments business way
down there, 200 miles away. We hugged,
and he said, “Shirley, here’s your new
piano your daddy bought for you. He said
he didn’t want you to have to go out to
practice. He said to tell you that a house
is not a home without a piano.”
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 15
MJCCA News
From page 8
creative writing, role-playing, and small
group discussion.
The program is $225 for non-members
and $180 for members. For information,
visit atlantajcc.org/teens, or call Amy
Helman-Darley, Rosh Hodesh lead facilitator, at 678-812-3978.
Marcus foursome: Billi and Bernie
Marcus (standing) and Nancy and
Peter Brown (seated) (Photos: Heidi
Morton)
“Rosh Hodesh: Itʼs a Girl Thing!” is a
new MJCCA program for adolescent
girls.
BERNIE MARCUS HONORED AT
HARRY MAZIAR CLASSIC. On June 4,
the MJCCA presented the Harry Maziar
Classic, an annual golf tournament, which
took place this year at Hawks Ridge Golf
Club, an 18-hole private course designed by
Bob Cupp. Each year, the tournament honors an outstanding member of the community. This year’s tournament honored
Bernie Marcus, chairman of the board of
The Marcus Foundation, in appreciation of
his dedication and leadership in shaping our
vibrant Atlanta Jewish community.
HMC proceeds help the MJCCA
enhance vital programs, such as preschools,
sports leagues, summer camps, Alzheimer’s
daycare services, programming for people
with developmental disabilities, and much
more.
This year, a record amount was raised
through generous sponsors and donations,
to support MJCCA programs; 120 golfers
participated.
Tournament winners were Jeff
Greenbaum (putting contest); Brandon
Downs and Caryl Paller (longest drive);
Stephen McDonnold, Matthew Prater, Dick
Sullivan, and Ron Whited (first place team,
net score); Jeff Greenbaum, Tre
Hiltzheimer, and Austin Ort (second place,
net score); Larry Isaacson, Gavin Meyers,
and Bradley Young (third place, net score);
and David Abes, Jeff Edelman, George
Nozick, and Paul Nozick (fourth place, net
score).
The 2012 HMC was chaired by Ron
Brill, former executive VP and chief administrative officer of The Home Depot, Inc.,
and Howard Halpern, chairman of
Halperns’ Purveyors of Steak & Seafood.
The Host Committee included Lisa Brill,
Michael Coles, Michael Dinerman, Jim
Grien, Jack Halpern, Douglas Kuniansky,
Lynne M. Halpern, Mike Leven, Mark
Lichtenstein, Harry Maziar, Bob Paller, and
Judy Zaban.
Harry Maziar, past MJCCA president
and former co-chair of the MJCCA
Governance Board
First-place team: PGA TOUR
Superstore Associates (from left)
Stephen McDonnold, chief information officer; Dick Sullivan, president
and CEO; Ron Whited, VP
Operations; and Matthew Prater,
controller; all are also former Home
Depot Associates.
GRANTS FOR GARDENS. The MJCCA’s
award-winning East Cobb preschool, The
Sunshine School, recently received two
grants for its Organic Learning Gardens,
created to help preschoolers identify, understand, and demonstrate the life cycles of
plants and animals. The school received
$2,000, from Whole Kids Foundation (a
Whole Foods Market foundation), and
$1,000, from Keep Cobb Beautiful. They
will enhance the activities that teach chil-
dren how to take care of the environment,
while recognizing that people create food
from natural resources. The Sunshine
School is located at Temple Kol Emeth, in
Marietta.
The Sunshine School garden beds were
installed by Farmer D Organics. There is
one large bed on the toddler playground and
four smaller beds on the preschool playground. This spring, the students’ science
lessons included such topics as planting
seeds, learning about the parts of a plant,
what a plant needs to grow, and healthy
foods. The school purchased a rain barrel to
collect water for the crops.
The garden education is continuing the
summer, as children from the Sunshine
School’s summer camp, Camp Billi
Marcus, have science once a week with garden-themed lessons, along with hands-on
experience weeding, watering, harvesting,
and tasting the crops. Future plans include
purchasing a compost bin and teaching the
children about composting/recycling.
See how our radishes grew at The
Sunshine School
J-SERVE. More than 500 Atlanta Jewish
teens, in grades 6-12, recently joined with
thousands of teens around the world, as
they participated in J-Serve, a national day
of community service and improvement
projects during the month of April. Teens
across the metropolitan Atlanta community
worked together towards the Jewish ideal of
“Tikun Olam” (repairing the world).
J-Serve is the annual community service program for Jewish youth throughout
the world. Since 2005, J-Serve has been
part of Youth Service America’s Global
Youth Service Initiative. Participating in
these community service projects allows
teens to see firsthand how their actions have
a direct impact on our city’s future.
This year’s projects included the
Daffodil Dash at Georgia Perimeter
College; working on the AIDS Memorial
Quilt; preparing brunch at Ronald
McDonald House; volunteering at The
Gateway Center, which helps individuals
move out of homelessness; volunteering
with Chastain Park Conservancy; preparing
and packing food at Project Open Hand;
and volunteering at Morgan Falls Recycling
Center.
In an effort to invite all Jewish teens
and tweens to participate in Atlanta J-Serve
2012, the MJCCA partnered with Am
Yisrael Chai, Amy’s Holiday Party, BBYO,
BBYO Connect, Club 678, Congregation
Or Hadash, JCC Maccabi Team Atlanta,
Jewish Student Union, MJCCA’s Teen
Community Service, Temple Emanu-El,
The Davis Academy, Israeli Scouts, Young
Israel of Toco Hills, The Weber School, and
Congregation Etz Chaim.
After the service projects were completed, participants from all of the various
sites came together at the MJCCA’s Zaban
Park for a closing ceremony to reflect on
the day’s physical and spiritual components
and how they tied together. Community
service certificates were given to conclude
the meaningful day.
J-Serve 2009 is a collaboration of
PANIM: The Institute for Jewish
Leadership and Values and the Jewish
Coalition for Service, with additional support from partner agencies and foundations.
J-Serve teens help beautify the park
and learn about conservation efforts
Page 16
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Marcus Foundation provides $20 million for nation’s first heart valve reference center
The Piedmont Heart Institute has
received a $20 million grant from the
Marcus Foundation to establish the nation’s
first heart valve reference center at
Piedmont Hospital. As a regional reference
center, the Marcus Heart Valve Center will
be a one-stop shop for patients with heart
valve problems, as well as for physicians
who want to learn the latest advancements
in treatment for these medical conditions
and increase access to care.
“Atlanta is the perfect place for this
unique center, and Piedmont Heart Institute
is the organization that will make it happen,” said philanthropist Bernie Marcus,
who, as a driving force behind The Home
Depot, Georgia Aquarium, and numerous
other endeavors, is one of Atlanta’s biggest
ambassadors. “We have an international airport, a great hospitality industry, and excellent medical expertise. My goal is to
enhance the latter and provide our experts
with new tools and capabilities needed to
help more people across the country.”
The Marcus Foundation, dedicated to
Jewish causes, children, medical research,
free enterprise, and the community, has
funded many enhancements to healthcare in
Atlanta, including neurosciences at Grady
Health System and The Marcus Autism
Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“We take this charge very seriously,”
said Charles Brown, M.D., interventional
cardiologist and chief medical officer at
Piedmont Heart Institute. “It energizes us
more than ever when we earn the trust of
philanthropists willing to lend their names
Bernie Marcus
to heart care at Piedmont. It started with the
late J.B. Fuqua, after whom the Fuqua Heart
Center of Atlanta at Piedmont Hospital was
named, and it grows with Bernie Marcus’
trust that we will build a valve center worthy of the Marcus name.”
The Marcus Heart Valve Center will
provide a seamless experience for patients
and package services within a time frame
that is most convenient for them and their
families. A patient navigator will walk them
through treatment, while a multidisciplinary
team of cardiovascular specialists will create individualized treatment plans for these
patients, who often have multiple medical
conditions. Lower mortality rates are one of
the many benefits of this patient-centered,
integrated-care model.
The center also is expected to draw
more renowned surgeons and other specialists to Piedmont in Atlanta. As a regional
reference center, it will be the nation’s first
comprehensive valve center for care, training, and research, regardless of the valve in
which the damage occurs—aortic, mitral,
pulmonary, or tricuspid—or whether it is
congenital or acquired.
Piedmont Heart Institute is developing
an academic relationship with one of the
nation’s most experienced valve experts and
teaching centers, to create the education
component for practicing physicians and
patients and established best practices in
care.
“This center fills a void in the community and region by offering a coordinated
and integrated care model,” said Sidney
Kirschner, president and CEO of Piedmont
Heart Institute. “Most importantly, it
improves the quality of life for patients and
their families. Once created, the rising
demand for services and the Piedmont
Heart business model ensures long-term
sustainability of the center.”
According to the American Heart
Association, mitral valve regurgitation is
the most common type of heart valve insufficiency in the United States. Because
prevalence increases with age, the growing
population of people over the age of 65 will
result in an increased demand in an area that
is already under-treated, according to wellrespected cardiology journals.
“The skill and experience of the surgeon are probably the most important determinants of whether repair or replacement
surgery is performed,” Dr. Brown said.
“Repair is the treatment of choice when surgical skill and expertise are available.
Appropriate treatment results in better outcomes and quality of life for patients.
“A program like this one will provide
to the people of Atlanta, Georgia, and the
Southeast the opportunity to have the most
appropriate surgical procedures applied in
heart valve repair, versus replacement,
thereby taking advantage of not being on
blood thinners,” Dr. Brown added.
In addition to Piedmont Hospital being
named “Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac
Care, Cardiac Surgery, and Coronary
Intervention” by HealthGrades, a leading
healthcare ratings company, Piedmont
Heart Institute physicians are leaders in
many areas of heart care. Among many
accomplishments, Piedmont heart specialists:
• provide patients with access to the
Medtronic CoreValve clinical trial, which
involves implanting valves through a
catheter versus open-heart surgery, which is
often not an option for older patients.
Piedmont Hospital is one of 40 hospitals in
the United States participating in the
CoreValve trial.
• lead the nation in the treatment of chronic
total occlusions of the coronary arteries.
They host renowned cardiologists from
around the world for onsite training in this
technique on a regular basis.
• offer the most experienced and successful
adult ECMO program in Atlanta. ECMO
(extracorporial membrane oxygenation) is a
lifesaving procedure that gives failing
hearts and lungs time to heal without harming critical internal organs.
• give people with heart failure a better
quality of life through the latest heart assist
devices and heart transplants.
• are part of one of the leading centers in the
country for atrial fibrillation treatment—in
particular, catheter based ablation therapies.
This common arrhythmia frequently
accompanies heart valve disease.
Assisting the Master Gardener
By Susan Robinson
“I’m babysitting,” my husband
informed me.
I assumed he was talking about
spending some time with one of the
grandchildren, but sometimes nothing is
what it seems.
My husband was actually tending
our neighbor’s garden while she was on
vacation. The “babies” that he was caring for were tomatoes, cucumbers, and
cabbages. My husband’s responsibilities
included watering, some weeding, and
chasing away the occasional rabbit. In
return, he was to keep anything—and
everything—that ripened during that
time. Such a great deal!
I expected a huge bounty, but it was
still early in the season, so all we got that
first week was one itty-bitty tomato. No
matter. My husband did his duty with
loyalty and love. We kept that tomato on
the counter, admiring its color and shape
as if it were a unique piece of art, worthy
of being on display at The High
Museum.
Last summer, we had our own minigarden. Cucumbers grew in abundance,
some barely visible among the leafy
foliage. We had started the plants from
seeds, in small pots in our living room.
Within a few days, the little seedlings
popped through the soil, and it was time
to transplant them outdoors.
Each morning, I stopped to greet the
little cucumber plants. I would
announce, “Look how tall you’ve
become!” When I returned home at the
end of the day, I was startled to see how
much the plants had grown in so short a
time. Perhaps that little bit of earlymorning attention had given them a
morale boost, just enough to get them
going and growing.
Our sweet-potato plant, on the other
hand, needed very little attention. We
simply plunked a raw sweet potato into a
jar of water, left it on the kitchen counter, and went away for several days to
visit family. Lo and behold, upon our
return, we discovered our potato had
sprouted roots, and its vines were twisting and turning all over the counter.
So, we admired (and ate!) the tomato from our neighbor’s garden, just as we
had enjoyed our cukes the year before.
It’s been amazing to watch the everyday
miracle of the growing veggies. While
we were in the process of taking care of
the garden, I came across an old note
from a friend. There was a short statement on the front of the card attributed to
the Midrash, “G-d appoints an angel and
tells it to cause a blade of grass to grow.
Only then does that tiny blade flourish.”
We’ve enjoyed our role as gardeners, all
the while knowing that it is G-d who is
the Master Gardener.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 17
Schwobs receive honorary degrees at CSU’s spring commencement
Columbus State University presented
honorary doctorates to Henry and Joyce
Schwob before one of its largest graduating
classes, during the 2012 spring commencement, May 7, at the Columbus Civic Center.
Columbus State awarded 728 degrees at this
year’s ceremony: 488 for undergraduates
and 240 for graduate students.
The Schwob family’s support of
Columbus State has been strong for
decades. Family members were among
prominent Columbus businessmen and educators who led the push to establish a junior
college in Columbus in the 1950s. Henry
Schwob was among the charter members of
the Columbus College Foundation’s Board
of Trustees in 1964. Because of generous
donations over the years, CSU’s Schwob
Memorial Library and the Schwob School
of Music bear the family name.
“Without a doubt, the support of Henry
and Joyce Schwob has been one of the most
important factors in establishing the reputation of Columbus State University as a center of excellence in music and the arts,” Rex
Whiddon, Columbus State University interim vice president for University
Henry and Joyce Schwob
Advancement, said.
A native of Baltimore, Henry C.
Schwob graduated from Georgia Military
The Weber School recognizes top grads
The Weber School has recognized
Class of 2011 Valedictorian Rosa
Ilyayeva and Salutatorian Leslie Gordon.
As a Weber student, Valedictorian
Rosa Ilyayeva, a resident of Tucker, was
a member of the National Honor Society,
Peace By Piece, and the Moot Beit Din
Team (2009); was a student ambassador
and peer leader; and received the Harvard
Book Award, National Spanish Exam
Gold Medal (9th and 10th grades) and
Silver Medal (11th grades), and Math and
Science Department Awards.
Rosa chose Mrs. Michelle Brown as
her most influential teacher while at The
Weber School. Rosa said, “Mrs. Brown is
a caring and engaging teacher. Not only is
she dedicated to her job, but teaches
English with a passion and roots for her
students’ success.” Rosa will attend
Emory University in the fall.
Salutatorian Leslie Gordon, a resident of Sandy Springs, was acknowledged earlier this year as Weber’s STAR
student. She was also a peer leader, varsity soccer and volleyball player, Culinary
Arts Club co-president, Math Team member, AP Scholar, and yearbook member.
Leslie received the English Department
Award, Math Department Award, and
National Spanish Exam Gold medal.
Leslie chose Mr. Randall Robson as
her most influential teacher, citing his
teaching style, humor, and vast knowledge as key components to her growth as
a student at Weber. She is attending
Emory University in the fall.
Rosa Ilyayeva
Leslie Gordon
Academy, now Woodward Academy, in
Atlanta. After serving two years in the
Army, in Korea, he earned a BBA in marketing at the University of Georgia.
He began his career in Chicago with
Hart Schaffner & Marx menswear, later
moving to Columbus to join Schwob
Manufacturing, eventually serving as its
president. He developed Columbus Square
Mall, Georgia’s first indoor shopping mall,
and helped establish Pine Manor and Oak
Manor nursing homes.
He has served on the boards of First
National Bank, First Union Bank,
Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo, Burnham
Services Corp., the Medical Center,
Columbus Museum, and Temple Israel. An
avid collector of American art, he now
serves on the board of The High Museum,
in Atlanta, and the Anti-Defamation League
National Board. He’s president of Schwob
Realty and the Schwob Family Foundation.
A Philadelphia native, Joyce Harrison
Schwob was a scholarship student at the
University of Pennsylvania before earning
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music
from Auburn University.
Under her leadership as president of
the board for the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra, its musicians moved to paid, professional status. She also chaired an international search that resulted in the hiring of
George del Gobbo as the orchestra’s music
director and conductor.
An accomplished pianist, Joyce
Schwob served for several years on the
piano faculty of CSU’s Department of
Music. She’s performed as a piano soloist
with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra,
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Marietta
Symphony, Columbus Symphony, and
Columbus College Symphony Orchestra.
She has served on the boards of the
National American Symphony Orchestra
League, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,
Jewish Family & Career Services, The
William Breman Jewish Heritage and
Holocaust Museum, The Temple, and
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. She
was awarded Federation’s Woman of
Achievement Award in 2001 for co-chairing
“Music with a Mission.”
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 18
Thought You’d Like To Know
By Jonathan Barach
ISRAEL ADULT EXPERIENCE. Take the
trip of a lifetime in 2013 as The Temple
hosts its Israel Adult Experience, June 1224 of next year. It will be an adventure, with
visits to awe-inspiring Masada, a visit to the
artist colony in Tzefat, a chance to meet
with Israeli leaders like Anat Hoffman, and
much more. An informational meeting is
scheduled for July 24, 7:30 p.m., in the
home of a Temple member. To RSVP for
this informative session, e-mail Joya
Schmidt, [email protected].
GRANDPARENTS
CIRCLE.
The
Grandparents Circle for Jewish grandparents of grandchildren growing up in an
interfaith home, will meet July 24, August
21, October 16, November 6, and
December 4, 7:00-8:00 p.m. The Marcus
Jewish Community Center of Atlanta offers
this facilitated educational and support
group to help grandparents instill Jewish
identity in their grandchildren. The curriculum was created by the Jewish Outreach
Institute. The program is free; the only cost
is an $18 materials fee (payable at first
meeting), which includes a book. Confirm
interest by contacting Suzanne at
[email protected] or 678812-4160.
FAMILY FUN NIGHT. On July 26, 5:007:30 p.m., MJCCA members and their
guests are invited to a free Family Fun
Night, featuring poolside family games.
Participants will enjoy the MJCCA’s beautiful outdoor pools, splash park, and an
inflatable bounce house. Pizza (by the slice
and whole), drinks, pretzels, and desserts
will be available for purchase at the pool.
Participants may bring their own picnics,
but no glass containers, please. For more
information, contact Rabbi Brian Glusman,
[email protected].
DIVE INTO SHABBAT. Celebrate Shabbat
at the MJCCA pool and splash pad with
family and friends at “Dive Into Shabbat,”
July 27 and August 17. This popular summer series begins with an open swim, at
5:00 p.m., followed by poolside songs and
prayers with Rabbi Glusman, at 5:30 pm.
Bring a picnic, share in a vegetarian potluck
dinner, or purchase food at the pool from
Goodfriend’s Mobile Grill, which will be
open until 7:15 p.m. Bring your friends.
Free ice pops for all children. For more
information, contact Rabbi Brian Glusman,
[email protected].
SAFE SITTER. The Safe Sitter class offers
teens, ages 11-15, the opportunity to learn
essential skills. This up-to-date, wellrounded program with a medical basis
teaches young teen babysitters everything
they need to know to keep themselves and
the children in their care safe. The nationally recognized, pediatrician-developed program includes childcare techniques, basic
first aid, infant and child CPR, rescue techniques (like choking infant and child rescue), babysitting as a business, and online
and cell phone safety. This program is July
29, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; the cost is $140 for
non-members and $120 for members.
Contact Linda Citron at 678-812-3972 or
[email protected].
COMMUNITY SHABBAT SERVICE. On
Friday, August 3, the entire community of
Atlanta Reform Jews will gather for a communal Shabbat service, at Temple EmanuEl, 1580 Spalding Drive. A Shabbat dinner
will follow, at 7:30 p.m. The dinner is $18
for adults and $9 for children. Guest speaker is Rabbi Jonah Pesner, vice-president,
Union for Reform Judaism. RSVP at templeemanuelatlanta.org.
AT THE BREMAN. Check out the following events at The Breman Jewish Heritage
and Holocaust Museum: “Bearing Witness,
Unforgettable
Stories
From
The
Holocaust,” featuring Albert Baron, is
August 5, 2:00 p.m. “Treasures from
Terezín,” featuring art glass, personal let-
ters, and documents from inside the camp,
runs August 29-October 26. “Celebrating
Defiance” will offer free performances and
a panel discussion by artists and art experts
working to ensure that work created during
the Holocaust is remembered and celebrated, August 29, 7:00 p.m. For additional
information, visit www.thebreman.org.
WELCOME TO BETH SHALOM.
Congregation Beth Shalom will host several prospective member events in August.
Meet Rabbi Zimmerman, the board, and
congregants, and feel the intimacy and
warmth of a synagogue that so many in the
community are proud to call home. Brunch
is Sunday, August 5, 10:30 a.m. On Friday,
August 10, there is a wine & cheese reception, at 5:30 p.m., and Rockin’ Shabbat, at
6:15 pm, followed by a barbecue dinner. On
Saturday, August 11, Shabbat services, 9:30
a.m., will be followed by kiddush lunch.
For more information or to RSVP, call 770399-5300, or e-mail [email protected].
OPEN HOUSE. Congregation Ner Tamid, a
West Cobb Reform Jewish congregation,
will have an open house for its Religious
School on Sunday, August 5, 9:30-11 a.m.,
at Mountain View Prep, 2320 Baker Road,
Acworth. Meet Rabbi Tom Liebschutz,
some of the teachers, students, and parents.
Learn about classes from Pre-K-12, including Hebrew in the upper grades,
Confirmation, and B’nai Mitzvah. Classes
begin August 26. Congregation membership is not required in the first year of
enrollment. Need-based scholarships are
available for those who qualify. For more
information e-mail [email protected] or call Principal Heidi Meyer at
678-264-8575 to schedule an individual
appointment.
BLACK-JEWISH COALITION. The AJC
Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition 30th
Anniversary
Celebration,
featuring
Congressman John Lewis, is August 15,
6:30 p.m. General admission is only $10
per person. For information and registration, visit www.ajcatlanta.org.
MEET THE MOMS. Moms in interfaith
marriages/relationships and their young
children are invited to drop in at the Sophie
Game Day at The Breman Jewish Home
BY Marice
Katz
It was the 1st of April, a Sunday. I was
in high spirits, because the game I was
going to play was Scrabble. I knew I had at
least one good player to challenge me.
Shauna Horvath, the director of volunteers
for The William Breman Jewish Home,
was her name. I was not kidding when I
told her that I was going to topple her for
sure.
Well, it did not work out quite that
way. But I
am getting
ahead of
myself.
Another
good player, Linda Diamond, joined us, and, without
further adieu, we were off and running.
Imagine this big auditorium filled with
women, indulging in mah jongg, bridge,
canasta, and other games. Honestly, if there
was one peep out of them, I do not remem-
ber it. Of course, I was deep in concentration. There were all kinds of snacks available, and we three were hitting popcorn
hard. I
really
was not
worried,
because I
took the
lead pretty quickly. I will not leave you in
suspense; I won that game.
Now, for the sad part. But, first, you
need to know we had a lunch break. The
food was from Goldberg’s, and, as always,
it was delicious. However, something omi-
July-August 2012
Hirsh Srochi Discovery Center, 9:30 –11:30
a.m., on August 16, September 19, October
23, and November 19. Spend time with
other moms for playtime in this free program. For information, contact e-mail
[email protected] or call
678-812-4160.
FREE TO BREATHE. Join the national
movement to defeat lung cancer at the third
annual Free to Breathe Atlanta 5K
Run/Walk & 1-Mile Walk, at John Howell
Park, on August 18. Proceeds from the
event support the National Lung Cancer
Partnership’s life-changing research, education, and awareness programs. Lung cancer
is the leading cause of cancer death in
Georgia and the United States, claiming the
lives of more men and women than breast,
colon and prostate cancers combined. To
register for this event or donate, visit
www.FreetoBreathe.org.
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV. On September
6, 6:00 p.m. enjoy a special reception at The
Breman prior to a performance of the
Theatrical Outfit’s production of My Name
is Asher Lev. Possessing a prodigious artistic ability, Asher Lev is driven to draw and
paint the world as he sees it. Born into a
Hasidic family in post-World War II
Brooklyn, his artistic genius threatens to
estrange him from both his parents and his
observant Jewish community. This is a fascinating coming-of-age story that seamlessly explores art, family, and religion. For
additional information, visit www.thebreman.org.
CAMP SUNDAY. Beginning September 9,
the MJCCA will offer “Camp Sunday.”
Children, pre-K to 2nd grade, will learn
Jewish traditions and customs in a camp
setting. The program, which is open to
everyone, will incorporate Israeli culture,
art projects, nature, dance, cooking, stories,
and music, while building a strong sense of
Jewish identity. Parents and children are
invited to an open house and information
meeting, August 2, 5:00-6:15 pm, to participate in a camp activity and tour the beautiful MJCCA facility. For information, contact Lori Goldstein, at 678-812-3881, or
visit www.atlantajcc.org.
nous happened. Linda complained of drawing a lot of vowels, and here I was, getting
nothing but consonants. Now, even if you
don’t play Scrabble, you surely know you
cannot make much of a word in this kind of
a situation. You could say the luck of the
draw was not with us. And Shauna won
that game. Linda then had to leave.
Shauna and I stayed to play one more
game. She beat me. This time, I had drawn
all the wrong letters again. And that is not
an excuse; it is the pure truth.
Please don’t think I am bitter, but I lost
my title as the Scrabble Queen. I believe
The Home is planning to have a Game Day
every year. I think that is wonderful but
hope I can get my title back sooner than
that!
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 19
Taste of Atlanta founder always remembers her roots
By Brian Katzowitz
Whether it is the first tear-inducing
taste of bitter herbs at Passover Seder or the
latest flavor creation of hamentashen during
Purim, food has always played an integral
role in the Jewish experience. Its preparation before holidays drives interaction
between generations of families, and its
absence at Yom Kippur defines the spirit of
repentance.
This has never been lost on Dale
DeSena. As the founder and president of
Atlanta’s defining food event, Taste of
Atlanta, she understands the role food can
play in bringing neighborhoods together
and helping to shape a city’s cultural output.
“We want to give people the chance to
sample some of Atlanta’s great restaurants
and allow them to learn how to recreate
these recipes in their own kitchens,”
DeSena explained. “Our mission is to turn
tasters into diners.”
While maybe not completely fulfilled,
this mission has been carried out successfully in Taste of Atlanta’s ten years of existence, but its foundation was laid many
years earlier.
Growing up in a Jewish household in
Savannah, DeSena was exposed at a young
age to her grandmother’s traditional Jewish
recipes, in one of the epicenters of classic
Southern food. While it would not become
apparent until later in her life, her upbringing in this crossroads of cuisine taught
DeSena an appreciation for food’s role in
the community.
She earned a degree from the
University of Florida and gravitated toward
sponsorship sales and advertising, before
forming an idea for the next phase of her
career.
“After spending years working in a
number of different roles for the Atlanta
Jazz Festival, Alex Cooley and Peter
Conlon [Atlanta’s legendary concert pro-
moters], I recognized a need for a foodthemed event in the city,” DeSena said.
Shortly thereafter, in 2001, DeSena
founded Taste of Atlanta and began introducing locals to the city’s varied restaurant
options, under a modest 30,000-square-foot
tent at Lenox Square. Without major corporate backing, DeSena relied on the grassroots marketing skills she honed while
working in event planning, to sell tickets
and convince restaurateurs to participate.
Within just a few years, the festival’s
popularity grew. As Atlanta’s restaurant
scene began to produce “Top Chef”-worthy
talent and more upscale and diverse dining
options, DeSena worked to keep pace.
The event outgrew Lenox Square and
moved to roomier quarters at Atlantic
Station. No longer having to knock on
doors to solicit participation, Desana found
that restaurant owners were reaching out to
her and her team, to get involved with one
of the city’s hottest cultural offerings.
Like its host city, which has shed its
reputation of being strictly a rib joint and
Waffle House town, Taste of Atlanta has
expanded and diversified its offerings. It
now encompasses 10 city blocks on Spring
Street and offers three full days of restaurant tastings, cooking competitions, and
chef demonstrations. DeSena, however, has
not forgotten her upbringing and always
includes a dash of her Jewish heritage in
Taste of Atlanta’s recipe book.
“Every year, we try to incorporate
something Jewish into the festival, like
offering a number of Israeli wines or featuring traditional Jewish recipes,” she said.
Regardless of how many people Taste
of Atlanta caters to or how big it gets, the
event will always appeal to those with a
taste for homegrown cooking and a hunger
for epicurean knowledge. It is these essential ingredients that have made DeSena’s
enterprise a success.
Curtis Stone and Dale DeSena
Food samples are prepared at the
2011 Taste of Atlanta
Attendees enjoy samples from Takorea
TDSA grad’s reach and grasp are both impressive
May 18 was a proud day for Torah
Day School of Atlanta, when Moshe
Caplan, TDSA Class of 2003, addressed
nearly 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students, their families and friends,
and faculty members of Polytechnic
Institute of New York University as
valedictorian. Moshe stated in his moving speech, liberally sprinkled with
humor, “Success marks a completion,
but failure is an opportunity to reassess
and improve your idea.” He then went
on to recount his first assigned project at
Polytechnic, in which he and his classmates failed miserably, but clearly
recovered fully.
Graduating with a combined bache-
lor’s and master’s degree in computer
science and cybersecurity, Moshe’s thesis,
“Cybersecurity
of
Critical
Infrastructure: Recent Attacks and
Research in the Field,” reflects his keen
interest in computer science, as well as
the safety and security of our country,
many organizations, and the individuals
within them. Currently pursuing job
opportunities with the federal government, Moshe interned with the United
States Secret Service, as well as Emory
University and the Georgia Institute of
Technology.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts,
Moshe grew up in Atlanta. His family
spent one year in Israel, when he was 11
years old. When asked about his experience as a student at Torah Day School,
Moshe responded, “TDSA taught me to
always challenge myself; to always
attempt to accomplish more than was
expected of me.” He added, “This is
something I think about every day in my
academic studies, religious activities,
and interpersonal interactions. All of my
accomplishments today began many
years ago as a student at TDSA. This is
a testament to the excellent and
extremely dedicated faculty and administration at TDSA, each of whom has
inspired me to constantly work harder to
achieve my goals in all areas of my
life.”
Moshe’s sentiments regarding his
education clearly reflect the Torah Day
School’s mission to “inspire each student to love G-d, to observe the Torah,
to strive for personal excellence, and to
pursue life-long learning.”
“We take incredible pride in the fact
that one of our students has achieved so
much success at such a young age, and
that he has taken lessons acquired at
TDSA and applied them in adulthood,”
said Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, TDSA’s head
of school. “The Torah Day School’s
‘family’ looks forward to seeing our
current students follow in Moshe’s footsteps and succeed in whatever field or
arena in life they choose.”
Page 20
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Page 21
THE
Jewish Georgian
Chassidic rabbi is also a Pop artist Sam Massell
By Leon Socol
Abby Sosin with Moullyʼs Kiddish Cups
Rabbi Moully
Abby Sosin arrived in Atlanta at
the tender age of one and has grown
up to be a beautiful young lady with
a talent for art. She wanted to be an
art curator, and last January, she got
her chance, when she accepted a
position with the Emory Marcus
Hillel to plan exhibitions and educational programs that promote Jewish
studies. It was a big undertaking for
the aspiring curator.
Although she is an artist herself,
Abby had little experience curating,
but she was given the project of
bringing an artist to the Emory campus who would appeal to the students. An Internet search turned up
reflects on his
passions and
careers
By George Jordan
One morning in January, I woke up and
started to think about who would be an
interesting interview for The Jewish
Georgian. We have lived in Atlanta for 40
years and somehow the name of Massell—
that’s Sam Massell—came to mind. Sam
served as mayor of Atlanta from 1970 to
1974 and, to date, is Atlanta’s only Jewish
mayor. So I placed a call to his office and
was able to arrange for an interview. Below
are the highlights.
See POP ARTIST, page 22
Special Shabbat in Jerusalem with friends and strangers
By Ron Feinberg
Sometimes, a little creativity works out
much better than tossing loads of money at
a problem. That’s exactly what the energetic staff at Jerusalem’s Abraham Hostel
have done, when figuring out how best to
pull together Shabbat dinner for their
guests each week.
To understand the problem, you probably need to know that Jerusalem, both the
capital and spiritual center of Israel, is one
of the few places in the world that takes
Shabbat seriously. The city essentially
shuts down for the Jewish Sabbath, a period that stretches from Friday afternoon
until three stars appear in the sky on
Saturday evening.
That means if you’re a tourist, you’ll
have plenty of time to rest and relax; it also
means that you’d better plan ahead if you
want to eat on Friday night and throughout
the day on Saturday. Just about everything
in the city closes—retail stores, public
transport, museums, and theaters; restaurants, cafes, fast-food joints, mega-supermarkets, and mom-and-pop groceries.
If you’re staying at one of Jerusalem’s
luxury hotels, you don’t need to worry.
Generally, along with the high cost of your
Ron Feinberg
Shabbat dinner
helps
prepare
room, you’ll be wined and dined in fine
style over the Sabbath. Most 5-star hotels
offer up a smorgasbord of delights—soups,
salads, and fishy appetizers; beef, chicken,
and fish; veggies and baked goods; vintage
wines and dessert! Needless to say, you
won’t go hungry.
That’s not the case if you’re staying in
a 3-star hotel or hostel. Most of these places
provide a hearty—if limited—breakfast.
Otherwise, plan ahead or fast...unless
you’re booked into the Abraham Hostel. I
stumbled across it online, when planning
my most recent trip to Israel. It looked
interesting, and the reviews were mostly
good.
The price was certainly right—$20 for
a bed in a dorm and $60 for a private room
and bath. Once I figured out the location
was just about perfect—it’s on Jaffa Street
in the heart of the city, a block or so from
the Jewish Market and the pedestrian mall
on Ben Yehudah Street and an easy 10minute walk from the central bus station—
I decided to try it out.
Turns out you get what you pay for!
When traveling solo, I don’t mind roughing
it a bit. I’ve stayed in 3-star hotels and the
occasional hostel. The hotels, without
exception, have always been fine—clean
and neat, safe and affordable. The hostels
have also been safe and very affordable;
unfortunately, they’re generally a little
seedy around the edges.
The Abraham Hostel was light, bright,
and filled with secondhand everything—
See SHABBAT, page 23
Sam Massell
I understand your father was a publisher of
a local Atlanta newspaper. Were you
involved in the newspaper business?
Actually, after the depression, my father and
his brothers (Ben and Levi) split up, and he
went into law, but he did publish a monthly
paper—The Atlanta Democrat—as a hobby.
And I did pitch in, selling ads, handling circulation, and doing some writing, and at one
time was named editor.
Did you ever think about following in your
father’s footsteps?
See MASSELL, page 23
Page 22
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Company J at the MJCCA presents Spring Awakening
Company J at the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta will present
Spring Awakening, a groundbreaking
fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock &
roll, August 9-19. The production takes
place at the Morris & Rae Frank Theatre,
located at the MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill
Road, Dunwoody.
Spring Awakening, based on a late
19th-century German play, celebrates the
remarkable journey from adolescence to
adulthood. The musical, written by
Duncan Sheik with a book by Steven
Sater, is the winner of eight Tony Awards,
including Best Musical.
When the teenage characters break
into song, they approach the music and
lyrics from a modern standpoint, using traditional rock music and lyrics that contain
modern colloquialisms. With this single
decision, the connection to modern
teenage angst is made intrinsically clear. In
addition, all of the adult roles are played
by the same two actors, clarifying the characters’ belief that all adults are, in the ways Brian Brandt (photos: Karen
that matter to an adolescent, inherently the Rooker)
same. Spring Awakening remains bold, of teen actors from around the metro
direct, clear, and challenging to the society Atlanta area. In order to provide more
that would more often prefer to look away. opportunities for young performers, many
Company J Producing Artistic of the roles are double cast.
Director Brian Kimmel will direct Spring
The cast includes Thaddeus Kolwicz
Awakening, with music direction by Annie and Max Chambers (Melchior), Gil EplanCook and choreography by Eileen Frankel and Ryan Talley (Moritz), Tate
Edwards. It will feature a strong ensemble Durand and Olivia Medley (Wendela),
Pop Art
From page 21
the name of Rabbi Yitzchok Moully. After
viewing his Jewish Pop Art on the web,
Abby knew he could excite young and
older alike.
She immediately contacted Rabbi
Moully and offered him the opportunity to
display his art in the beautiful Emory
Hillel building. The rabbi accepted, and
this was the beginning of a big undertaking. Abby rose to the challenge.
Paintings and prints were selected,
and the artist involved Abby in all the
details of exhibition preparation, including where and how the paintings would be
displayed to ensure the best visual flow.
Moully respected Abby’s artistic eye in
the layout of the exhibition.
Rabbi Moully’s parents were strict in
raising their son, even though they were
hippies when they were younger. Moully
experienced much more than would be
normally expected in a rigorous Chassidic
community. His formal education was in
Australian day schools and the Rabbinical
College of America. Although his education did not include formal art classes, he
had a yearning and talent for creative
expression that he felt could bring an
important dimension to Torah and Jewish
tradition.
Moully dabbled in various art forms
Jaquan Beachem (from left), Brian Brandt, Eric Rich, Thaddeus Kolwicz,
Gil Eplan-Frankel, and Justin Stanley
Ebeth Engquist and Thainara Carvalho
(Ilse), Eric Rich (Hänschen), Justin
Stanley (Georg), Brian Brandt (Ernst),
Sylvee Legge and Lucy Gross (Martha),
Brian Brandt and Jacob Lang (Otto),
Bronte Upshaw and Kaitlin Reynell
(Thea), Maital Gottfried and Tori Budden
(Anna), Brandy Morris (Girl 1), Joel Rose
(Adult Male), and Savannah Stein (Adult
before he found an expression for his cre- find their way to his canvases.
Andy Warhol gained fame with his
ativity in the silkscreen process.
Mastering this process was taxing and Campbell’s Soup paintings, and the rabbi
tedious. Moully would sometimes work at hopes to do so with material from the
night, creating works with multiple layers Torah. Moully has had numerous art
of color. Often, when he was dissatisfied showings, mainly in the northeastern
with his effort, he would scratch a work United States, and has received numerous
that he might have spent months creating awards for his work. He has gained popuand start over. By day, he served as the larity and media recognition, most notably
youth rabbi at the Chabad Jewish Center, through a two-part Oprah Winfrey docuin Basking Ridge, New Jersey. At night, mentary on Chassidic life.
Among the paintings on exhibit at
he came home to his wife and four chilEmory Hillel
dren
and
are
Nine
devoted what
Dreidles, an
little
time
acrylic and ink
was left to
on
canvas.
being
an
This painting
artist.
was the first of
His art
Moully’s
contrasts
H o l i d a y
strong Judaic
Series, which
a
n
d
he plans to
Chassidic
complete by
images with
painting a canelectrifying
vas of each of
c o l o r s .
the
Jewish
M o u l l y
holidays. The
describes it
Nine Dreidles
repetition of a
as “Jewish
Pop Art.” His ideas are brought to life single image in multiple colors puts a
using pen & ink and acrylics on paper and “spin” on the painting. Note the gelt in the
canvas. As evidenced in his Emory portfo- bottom right panel.
Orange Socks is also an acrylic and
lio, it doesn’t look as if he is in danger of
running out of subjects. Everything from ink on canvas. The artist claims this is
hamentashen and dreidels to ritual objects somewhat of a self-portrait. It’s about
Female).
Spring Awakening contains adult content and themes. It is intended for mature
audiences only.
Tickets are $12-$28. For more information, visit www.companyjatl.org, or call
the Company J Box Office at 678-8124002.
Orange Socks
conforming and being an individual at the
same time. He claims the Torah gives us
guidelines on living as individuals and
using this individuality in expressing our
faith. Moully doesn’t use tattoos or dreadlocks to express individuality; instead, he
wears orange socks, and that works for
him. Note that, in this painting, the eighth
rabbi from the left is wearing orange
socks.
“Jewish Pop Art” is now open until
October. At the exhibition, posters, wall
peels, prints on canvas, greeting cards,
invitations, and postcards are available for
purchase. For more information and
hours, call Jennifer Harris, at 404-9632548, ext. 109.
July-August 2012
Shabbat
From page 21
furniture and floor coverings; dishes and
glasses; beds and bedding; towels and bathroom fixtures. The building was ancient
and needed work. My room was tiny and
featured a jarring blend of school-dorm
simplicity and jail-house practicality—two
single beds (really cots) pushed together,
harsh neon lighting, and cheap wooden cabinets nailed to the walls; a small and shaky
desk, nightstand, and chair. There were two
additional smallish rooms, one for the toilet
and another for a shower. Functional is
about the best I can say about the place.
There was a bright spot. The main
gathering area—sort of the hostel’s ballroom—was on the second floor. It was
expansive and included colorful sofas,
chairs, bean bags, and hammocks; a fully
stocked bar and huge entertainment system;
a dining area and public kitchen. It was here
that everyone willing to pay out 35 shekels
(about $9) came together for Shabbat dinner.
Lacking the funds to wine and dine
their guests, the hostel’s management came
Massell
From page 21
I definitely got interested in real estate (and politics) because of him and made my living in
commercial real estate before going full time
into elected offices. He set the tone for my interests. I did get my LLB degree, but didn’t practice law.
Where were you born, and where did you live
growing up?
I was born in Atlanta in the old Piedmont
Hospital, then located downtown, about where
the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was built. I
lived my first month in the Massellton (an apartment building dad and his brothers built, which
still stands on Ponce de Leon, as a condo building). We then moved to Druid Hills, where I
lived for 11 years on Oakdale Road, followed by
five years on Briarcliff. When I went off to college at the University of Georgia, the family
moved into Midtown, on St. Charles Place.
What was your first job?
I have had four careers: 20 years in commercial
real estate, 22 years in elected offices, 13 years
in the tourism industry, and now I am in my 24th
year of association management. Actually, my
very first employment (other than newspaper
routes and errand boy in my father’s law office)
was two years as chief of publications for the
National Association of Women’s and
Children’s Apparel Salesmen.
What caused you to get involved in Atlanta politics?
My father instilled in me the value of giving
back to my community, with one way being
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 23
up with the novel idea of pulling
one another about our latest adventures.
everyone together like a family.
The ice had been broken. The people at
The staff would go out and
my work station were typical of the
purchase the food for dinguests at the hostel—a guy from
ner, but it would be the
Canada, traveling through
guests who, with a litIsrael as part of his coltle help from the
lege coursework; a
staff, would do
couple from Japan
most of the
on
holiday;
prep work
and a midand cookd l e ing.
S o G
ue
it was
st
s
ga
that a trickth
le of tourists
aged
er
ar
from around the
woman
ou
nd
world began gathering
f r o m
th
e
in the kitchen area, as
California
ta
bl
Jerusalem started shutting
visiting
relae
fo
down for Shabbat. We stood
tives. Well, you
ro
ur
around, gazing about, waiting for
get the idea.
Sh
instructions. Fresh veggies were spread
The prep work
ab
ba
across several tables, and a few staffers
took about 30 minutes;
tf
ea
handed out knives, bowls, and other such
then we had another hour or
st
stuff.
so to talk and meet up with
Before you could shout shalom, we
friends. Did I mention there was
were all slicing and dicing, sharing a bit drinking? As the sky turned dark and the
about our background and chatting with first stars of Shabbat winked and twinkled
across Jerusalem, we settled down for the
evening meal. There were about 50 of us
spread about the room—friends and
strangers, young and not-so-young, Jews
and Christians.
A youngish woman took a few minutes
to detail the importance of Shabbat, offered
some religious background and historical
context, then lit the Sabbath candles.
Another staffer said Kiddush, the traditional blessing thanking God for the “fruit of
the vine,” and finished with a blessing over
a loaf of challah.
Our work and the work of the staff had
pulled together a feast—fresh veggies and
fruit; rice, pasta, and potatoes; chips, dips,
bread, and chicken! I’ve already mentioned
there was drinking, right?
It was Shabbat, and we were family, at
least for the moment, sharing a special meal
in a very special city. As I said at the start,
sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to hold onto your money and use a
little creativity. The evening worked for me,
something I’ll be remembering in coming
months. Now, I’m thinking the hostel’s
bosses might want to capture some of their
staff’s creativity and figure out how to use
it to freshen up their property.
through civic life and the other in government.
There is very little difference in the two fields, in
my opinion: In civic work, the people ask you to
participate and don’t pay you; and in politics,
you ask if the people will let you participate, and
they pay you a small salary.
a two-year contract—which 24, years later, we
still have not drawn! There was work to be done,
and I hit the ground running. The goal of the
Buckhead Coalition is to nurture the quality of
life of those who live, visit, work, and play in its
28 square miles.
choice—of values. And we must nurture everyone’s quality of life.
Was mayor of Atlanta your first elected position?
As a longtime Atlanta resident, what do you consider Atlanta’s shining moment?
No, my first elected position was to the Atlanta
Democratic Executive Committee, elected by
wards to run the primary elections. This was followed by service on the Mountain Park City
Council, a government body for the incorporated resort town between Roswell and Marietta
(where only property owners were allowed to
vote and hold office). I was then elected for two
four-year terms as president of the Atlanta Board
of Aldermen (now called the City Council) and
vice mayor, after which, I was elected mayor of
Atlanta (1970-1974).
Atlanta has earned headlines many times, and I
have to think that its greatest success—not yet
completed—is its reforms in race relations.
After your term of office as mayor, did you want
to continue as an active participant in Atlanta
politics?
Because of my liberal leanings, I doubted that I
could get elected in a regional or statewide contest. So I moved on to business interests that
actually got me involved greatly in the political
arena, which I still enjoy.
How did you become involved in the Buckhead
Coalition, and what are its goals?
A group of guys started the coalition as a supplement to local government, feeling the mayor
and council couldn’t do it all and that we shouldn’t take the success of Buckhead for granted. A
headhunter firm was retained to find someone to
run the program, and they came up with me.
They offered me a one-year contract, but I wanted a three-year agreement. We compromised on
Were you actively involved in that?
I am fortunate to have come along in history at a
time, and with the credentials, that allowed me
the opportunity to participate in the city’s human
relations reforms. The powers I had in public
office to appoint the first woman to the city’s
governing council and the powers to appoint the
first black department head are but two examples that give me great pride.
In what areas does Atlanta have to excel to compete with other cities in being a desirable place
to live?
I focus my attention as president of the
Buckhead Coalition on this community, which
must compete without grant funds or tax incentives. Thus, we must constantly strive to create
and maintain an image and atmosphere that
make this the address of choice for those within
its boundaries. This, of course, includes a place
that is safe, clean, and orderly.
And, of those, what do you consider the most
important?
I think the magnet that attracts individuals and
firms to relocate and remain in a community is
always a combination—rather than a single
Are any of your family members interested in
civic or political activities?
I have never pushed family members to get
involved, because I think each person seeks a
level of interest and makes a contribution in different ways.
What do you think the future holds for the city of
Atlanta?
With Atlanta’s history of steady, sound growth, I
don’t believe anything can hold it back, and it
shall forever be out front.
—————
Recently, in the “Guest Column” feature of
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Sam Massell
gave his views on the transportation situation in
Atlanta. The following is a portion of that column:
“...transportation...is a social concept for
which the benefits cannot be measured with
numbers. They must be personally evaluated, by
people.
“The greater the growth and prosperity of a
city, the greater the deprivation imposed upon
those who are without satisfactory means of
transportation. As a community expands geographically and culturally, the more absolute is
the imprisonment of those who lack mobility.
“Yes, I’m addressing the benefits of mass
transit—safe, clean, and dependable rail and bus
service; appropriate roadways with efficient turn
lanes, synchronized traffic lights, and adequate
signage; the benefits of connectivity—and the
related transportation tax referendum scheduled
for July.”
Page 24
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
(gold, 1st-place finish, pole vault), 8thgrader Ian Neil (1st place, long jump; 1st
place, 200-meter dash; 3rd place, 100-meter
dash), and 8th-grader Julia Stern (silver,
pole vault).
By Belle Klavonsky
PRESTIGIOUS TECH SERIES. During the
week of June 11, The Davis Academy hosted the 10th annual Ed Tech Teachers
Workshop Series, which is based out of
Harvard
University,
Cambridge,
Massachusetts. The topics were “Teaching
the Elementary Grades With Technology”
and “iPads and ePubs in the Classroom.”
Nearly 40 metro area teachers attended,
including several Davis faculty. Shown here
are 21st Century Learning Coordinator
Stacy Brown (front) and 1st-grade teacher
Dara Amram.
WORDS OF WISDOM. Davis Academy
Class of 2012 heard from Sally Galanti,
Class of 2003, during the graduation ceremony, on May 31. Sally, who is currently
working toward a Ph.D. in school psychology at North Carolina State University,
spoke about the important educational foundation she received and great experiences
she had at Davis and inspired the graduating
8th-graders to take “diligent action” in pursuing their goals.
FIELD DAY. First-grader Avery Friedman
gets low under the limbo bar, while Connor
Swislow waits his turn. It was all part of
Davis Academy’s Field Day, for Mechina
through 4th-grade students, on May 16. The
day included lots of indoor and outdoor
activities and competitions, with an international flavor and Olympics theme, and
ended with the Quiz Bowl, which tested
Judaic knowledge. The Davis PTO sponsors
this fun annual event.
YOUNG SCHOLARS. Sixteen Epstein
School 7th-graders have qualified for the
Duke University Talent Identification
Program. Jennifer Friedman, Noah Platt,
and Noah Weinstein received Grand
Recognition. Yoel Alperin, Becky Arbiv,
Nathan Cohen, Maddy Dorfman, Jenny Lee
Judenberg, Sabrina Kaplan, Tamara Kaplin,
Noah Lampert, Sari Leven, Chase
McGrath, Sarah Peljovich, Shaun
Regenbaum, and Benny Soran received
state recognition/summer studies. Pictured:
(back, from left) Tamara Kaplin, Noah
Weinstein, Noah Platt, Benny Soran, Becky
Arbiv, Noah Lampert, and Yoel Alperin;
(middle) Jennifer Friedman, Sari Leven,
Shaun Regenbaum, Sarah Peljovich,
Maddy Dorfman, Jenny Lee Judenberg, and
Nathan Cohen; and (front) Sabrina Kaplan
and Chase McGrath
July-August 2012
(from left) Stan Beiner, Alicia Cole,
Laura Levine, Anna Stanton, and
Clint Purcell
AWARD-WINNING VIDEO. Epstein took
2nd place in the Avi Chi Jewish Day School
Video Contest, a nationwide competition.
Epstein’s entry received silver honors in the
Expert Judging Category and a $5000
award. The video focused on three examples of how technology and learning are
blended together to promote interest and
skills. The creative use of a progressive
continuum of learning and the messaging
captured the attention of the judges’ panel.
Notable among the team of student actors
and staff who worked on this project are Dr.
Bernice Kirzner, Leora Wollner, and Matt
Blum.
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR. Epstein 8thgraders Dori Greenberg and Max
Marcovitch were the 2012 recipients of the
prestigious Epstein Eagle Athlete of the
Year Award. The award is given each year
to one male and one female eighth-grade
student who excel in sports. Candidates
must play sports in all three seasons and
exemplify the character expected of an
Epstein Eagle in the areas of leadership,
coachability, and sportsmanship.
CLASS OF 2012. At Epstein’s 8th-grade
graduation, Head of School Stan Beiner
offered a welcome; Rabbi Lou Feldstein led
the D’var Torah; Jewish Federation of
Greater Atlanta Board of Trustees Chair
Robert Arogeti, 8th-grade Knesset
President Abby Blum, and class advisor
Shannon Lutes spoke; and Middle School
Principal Myrna Rubel provided the class
with advice and presented the class gift.
EAGER READERS. Torah Day School
Head of School, Rabbi Naphtali Hoff,
reviews kriah (Hebrew reading) skills with
first-grade students.
STAYING SAFE. Mrs. Davida Levin holds
a brand-new battery operated LED-flashing
stop sign donated by Safe Kids USA and
FedEx, through the offices of Janet
Weisman, injury prevention coordinator of
the DeKalb County Board of Health.
Eighth-graders perform at graduation ceremony: (back, from left)
Michal Levin, Gregory Fish, Joshua
Jacobson, Michael Asher, and Dotan
Brown; (front) Remmy Zimmerman,
Erin Kowalsky, Rachel Kahen, Eliana
Greenwald, Julia Stern, and Karen
Videlefsky
EAGLES ROCK. The Epstein Eagles Track
& Field Team (from left, Julia Stern, Becky
Arbiv, Ian Neil, and Zahava Feldstein) had
a great season. Seventh-grader Becky Arbiv
placed 2nd in high jump, 2nd in pole vault,
and 6th in 300-meter hurdles at the 2012
Georgia
State
Middle
School
Championships. At the 2012 MAAC (Metro
Atlanta Athletic Conference) League
Championships, three athletes placed in the
top three: 8th-grader Zahava Feldstein
Head of School Stan Beiner performs with faculty at graduation:
ON THEIR WAY. Torah Day School celebrates the graduation of its kindergarten
classes.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 25
attentively to Head of School Rabbi Lee
Buckman’s address, but Aryeh Freitag can’t
resist a quick peek into his new chumash.
Pictured: (from left, top) Ari Gabay, Alex
Schwartz, and Reese Bober; (bottom) Isaac
Fialkow, Kiki Starr, Aryeh Freitag, Joshua
Alhadeff, and Shiraz Agichtein. (Photo:
Devi Knapp)
MAKING GHA PROUD. Three of this
year’s valedictorians at local high schools
are graduates of the Jacob and Katherine
Greenfield Hebrew Academy class of 2008:
(from left) Eytan Palte, The Weber School;
Sarah Chelser, Yeshiva Atlanta; and Leah
Topper, Norcross High School. Each
achieved this honor through intelligence,
hard work, sterling character traits, and a
solid academic foundation from their earlier years. (Photo: David Topper)
CHAGIGAT CHUMASH. Greenfield
Hebrew Academy 2nd-grade students
enjoyed their Chagigat Chumash, singing
songs and reciting the names of all the
parshiot by heart for their audience.
Afterwards, they were presented with their
very first chumash. Here, the class listens
AVI CHAI EQUIPMENT. GHA took 3rd
place in the Jewish Day School Academy
Awards, an online video contest sponsored
by the Avi Chai Foundation. The school’s
video, “Put the P Back in PTSA,” was written and directed by recent GHA graduate
Nicole Nooriel. It brought the school
$2,500 in new video equipment, including a
video camera with microphones, a tripod, a
firewire drive, Adobe Video Editing software, and more. Here, Head of School
Rabbi Lee Buckman uses the new video
camera to interview rising 3rd-grader
Yonatan Levy on the last day of school.
(photo: Leah Levy)
M’SILOT. GHA celebrated M’silot’s rededication as the Matthew Blumenthal M’silot
Program. Matthew, a GHA student from 1st
school year, is the time for graduating students to receive recognition for their
achievements and express their gratitude to
the teachers and volunteers who helped
them. Here, graduating 8th-grader Zach
Maslia receives the Keter Shem Tov award.
(Photo: Devi Knapp)
grade through his graduation, tragically
died, at age 24, of muscular dystrophy. In
1999, his grandparents, Saul and Adele
Blumenthal, z”l, provided seed money to
start M’silot in his honor. With their sustaining gift, Matthew’s parents, Elaine and
Jerry Blumenthal, are continuing the vital
work that Matthew’s grandparents started.
Pictured: the Blumenthals with the eight
original M’silot students, now graduating
high school—(from left) Malki Field,
Rachel Kleiman, Risa Hayet, M’silot director Phyllis Rosenthal, Elaine Blumenthal,
Jerry Blumenthal, Sydney Lippman, Rachel
May, Michael Usdan, and Jacob Singer
(Photo: Devi Knapp)
MUSEUM OF THE MIND. Museum of the
Mind was an exhibition documenting the
academic achievements of 5th- and 6thgrade GHA students, curated by teachers
Ryne Harris, Marci Kaplan, and Hilary
Gorosh. Here, 6th-grader Devorah Chasen
and her mother, Hallie Chasen, proudly display The Diary of Margaret, a story
Devorah wrote to demonstrate her knowledge of the Crusades period in England.
(Photo: Leah Levy)
SIYUM HASHANA. The Siyum Hashana,
which GHA holds to mark the end of the
Camp Yofi offers unique approach to autism
For the eighth consecutive year, Ramah
Darom will host Camp Yofi, a unique program
designed for Jewish families with children
with autism.
Camp Yofi will take place August 8-12, in
Clayton, Georgia, on the 122-acre campus of
Ramah Darom, an organization devoted to
providing exceptional experiences in Jewish
living and learning.
Susan Tecktiel, director of Camp Yofi. “Camp
Yofi provides a respite for families and the
ideal space to foster a community that lives on,
well past the week we spend together.”
Campers enjoy activities with staff
Families and staff at Camp Yofiʼs
amphitheater (photos: Asher Krell)
“Unlike many programs that focus on different therapeutic methods, Camp Yofi focuses on what we believe are the most important
pillars of strength for families with children
with autism—community and support,” said
Camp Yofi family
The program is designed for children ages
6-13. Single parents, grandparents, and siblings are invited to attend, and all Jewish families are welcome, regardless of denomination
or synagogue affiliation. Camp Yofi is offered
in partnership with NOVA Southeastern
University, host of the world-renowned
Mailman Segal Center for Human
Development. With a 1:1 staff ratio and a
strong emphasis on safety, Camp Yofi provides
an unmatched experience for families who
otherwise would be limited in their ability to
take a family vacation, due to the challenges
autism presents.
Morning programs at Camp Yofi are
designed with separate tracks for children with
autism, siblings, and parents. Afternoons are
devoted to family programming, and in the
evening, the camp community joins together
for bonfires and sing-alongs. Every family is
assigned a chaver, or special friend, who provides a consistent, comforting presence
throughout the week. After the children are in
bed and under the watchful care of the staff,
adults have the opportunity to participate in
fun programs, as well as study and support
groups.
Thanks to the generous support of sponsoring foundations and individual donors,
Camp Yofi is designed to be affordable to any
family wishing to participate. Tuition is $750
per family, which covers 25 percent of the
$3,000 cost of the program. Participation in
Camp Yofi is limited to 25 families, and registrations are accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis.
For more information about Camp Yofi,
visit http://www.ramahdarom.org/campyofi,
or e-mail Susan Tecktiel at [email protected].
Page 26
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Eagle Star Awards Gala honors Deal of the Year and Company of the Year
Proctor & Gamble/Teva won the Deal
of the Year award and Alpha Omega took
home the Israeli Company of the Year
award at the American-Israel Chamber of
Commerce, Southeast Region’s, 11th annual Eagle Star Awards Gala. SunTrust Banks
hosted the event at its headquarters in
Atlanta, on June 12. Jonathan Medved, one
of Israel’s most celebrated entrepreneurs
and high tech venture capitalists, who was
prominently featured in the bestselling Start
Up Nation, was the keynote speaker.
The Eagle Star Gala is AICC’s community flagship event, honoring the people and
companies who have contributed most to
the Southeast-Israel business relationship.
In addition to awarding the Israeli
Company of the Year and Deal of the Year,
the chamber also recognized Asheville,
North Carolina, attorney Robert Deutsch
with the Chamber Founders Award and the
Israel Economic Mission to the U.S. South
with the Community Partner Award.
Deal of the Year honorees Procter &
Gamble
and
Israel-based
Teva
Pharmaceutical Industries created a joint
venture, PGT Healthcare, to sell over-thecounter medicines that will combine Teva’s
expertise in drug marketing with P&G’s
expertise in branding, to expand their presence in the $200 billion consumer healthcare industry.
In connection with the formation of the
joint venture, P&G sold its OTC plants in
Greensboro, North Carolina, and Phoenix,
Arizona, which produce Vicks and
Metamucil, respectively. It will transfer the
employees of both plants to Teva, which
will be the manufacturer and supplier for
the PGT Healthcare business and P&G’s
North American OTC business.
The North Carolina facility will continue existing product lines, and, with retooling, it will gain more sophisticated capabilities to manufacture new products, thus
continuing to provide, as well as increasing,
much-needed employment opportunities in
Greensboro.
Other Deal of the Year finalists were
Arris/BigBand Networks and IDEA
Biomedical/Medical University of South
Carolina (MUSC).
Israeli Company of the Year honoree
Alpha Omega, a Nazareth Illit-based company with its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta,
develops, manufactures, and markets
microelectrode recording and stimulation
devices for neurosurgery and neuroscience.
Its products can be found in the best hospitals, universities, and research institutes
around the world. The company offers
superior technology, service, and personal
attention through a global professional sales
and support team and network of worldwide partners; it competes in the same markets as such large companies as Medtronic
and St. Jude.
Other Israeli Company of the Year
finalists were Amiad and Shalag.
Bob Deutsch (center) receives
Chamber Founders Award from AICC
Chairman Lorin Coles (left) and VP
Barry Swartz (right)
Israel Economic Consul Roee Madai
(center) accepts Community Partner
Award from AICC Chairman Lorin
Coles (left) and VP Barry Swartz
(right)
Proctor & Gambleʼs Director of
Finance Ken Jones (center right)
accepts Deal of the Year Award from
AICC Chairman Lorin Coles (left),
Eagle Star Gala Committee Chairman
Barry Sobel (center left), and VP
Barry Swartz (right)
Alpha Omega U.S. Branch Manager
Liz Caruso (center right) accepts the
Israeli Company of the Year Award
from AICC Chairman Lorin Coles
(left), Eagle Star Gala Committee
Chairman Barry Sobel (center left),
and VP Barry Swartz (right)
Davis project sparks multitude of passions
Davis Academy eighth-graders graduated this year with an enormous sense of
accomplishment. Most of them finished
nine years (including kindergarten) of all
the things that comprise a trademark Davis
education – strong academics, Jewish and
Hebrew studies, a life-changing two-week
trip to Israel, and strong bonds with friends
and teachers. But this year they had accomplished even more, thanks to a first-time
Davis Middle School yearlong project
called Siyyum. Some created a nonprofit
organization or started a business; and all
had answered an important research question or otherwise made some notable positive community impact.
Siyyum is a Hebrew word that traditionally refers to a joyous celebration that
takes place when Jews complete the study
of a section of one of the sacred texts. Yet,
while it marks a milestone, there is never
any finite end to Jewish study, a premise
that is also celebrated.
The Davis Siyyum project encouraged
students to think more deeply and explore
more thoroughly about a question or topic
of interest. But the research was not to be
found solely in books or websites. Each student selected a community mentor whose
expertise could offer a connection to the
project. In addition, students were encour-
aged to plan, work independently, and
choose a faculty mentor to help guide the
process.
All 59 Davis eighth-graders carried out
a Siyyum project, and the topics were as
diverse as the students. Rachel Kaufman,
for example, created a blog called Unite to
Write to provide a forum for young female
poets to express themselves. Student photographer Max Harris worked with a professional community photographer to
explore Poverty Through the Lens of
Photography with his own work. Ashley
Spector, touched by one family’s story,
asked How Does Childhood Cancer Affect
the Child and Family? Entrepreneur Logan
Botnick created a viable business model for
Bot Wear Sports Apparel. And one student
who struggled with the project initially
finally decided to explore, What is
Accomplishment?
“Though none of us had ever done this
before, the results blew us all away,” said
teacher Kendrick Phillips, who was the cocreator of Siyyum. “The project was about
empowering students to take ownership and
be accountable for one’s own learning –
which will be paramount to their future. It’s
very rare for students at the middle school
level to see through a project of this depth,”
she said.
Logan Botnick models his prototype
of the Bot Sock, which offers extra
support for the ankle.
Many of the students presented their
projects on May 29 just days before graduation. They dressed professionally and
chose their own format. Some created video
or power-point presentations, others had
real prototypes of their work or other displays. The eighth-graders debriefed following the morning of presentations with a
variety of comments and observations
about this yearlong learning experience.
Photographer Max Harris said, “I loved
this project, and the community mentor part
Cassidy Aronin presents her project
on The Face of Homelessness after
getting acquainted with and offering
aid to homeless individuals in
Atlanta.
was genius. I hope my mentor relationship
will continue.” Larry Yanovich said Siyyum
gave him a great outlet to explore something in which he had a great interest,
Concept Cars and Design: Lamborghini.
And writer Rachel Kaufman learned even
more about her peers. “It was interesting,”
she remarked, “ to see what other people’s
passions are.”
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
BUSINESS BITS
By Marsha Liebowitz
ALI’S IN DUNWOODY. Ali’s Cookies has
opened its newest location, at Perimeter
Place Shopping Center, near Perimeter
Mall. The new store features a shabby-chic
interior, full kitchen, baking area, and coffee and milk bar serving skim, whole, and
chocolate varieties. Ali’s Cookies is a gourmet cookie company that bakes the “old
fashioned” way—everything is made from
scratch. All of Ali’s Cookies are kosher, and
many can be lactose free. Ali’s Cookies also
handcrafts cookie cakes, cakes, and cupcakes. For more than 30 years, Ali’s
Cookies has shipped products across the
country. For more information, call 770971-8566, or visit www.shipacookie.com.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
On April 30, 2012, after the ending of a 10year franchise agreement, the local
Schakolad Chocolate Factory became an
independent business, diAmano Chocolate.
Craig and Sheree D’Egidio will continue
ownership of the business, as they have
since 2002, at the same location, 1100
Hammond Drive NE #430-A, Sandy
Springs, GA 30328. Contact them at 770-
730-9770
or
[email protected], or visit
www.diamanochocolate.com.
ALL SMILES. Nanci Lubell, DMD, is a
new associate at Right Smile Center, a fullservice dental practice. She brings with her
20 years of experience, with a focus on
restorative and endodontic treatment. Dr.
Lubell grew up in East Cobb and returned
to practice there after receiving her degree
from the Medical College of Georgia, in
1991. She and her husband, Dr. Mark
Rosing, live in Dunwoody. Their two sons
attend The Davis Academy. Throughout her
career, Dr. Lubell has been active in various
cancer-related charities and women’s/children’s shelters in metro Atlanta. For information, visit www.rightsmilecenter.com, or
call 404-256-3620.
NOT YOUR MOTHER’S FITNESS
CLUB. Ellen Lowenstein Italiaander has
opened Elevate Your Body, a new fitness
studio offering sessions stressing the power
and effectiveness of Pilates and yoga classes, in concert with other unique intervalbased classes. Located at 6053 Sandy
Springs Circle, in Sandy Springs, its class-
JSU NEWS
JSU AT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
SERVICE. The annual Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Memorial Service at Greenwood
Cemetery, sponsored by The Breman
Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum,
The Lillian and A.J. Weinberg Center for
Holocaust Education, and the Jewish
Federation of Greater Atlanta, saw hundreds of people from across the Jewish
community gather together to commemorate the lives of six million souls lost during
the Holocaust. For the second year in a row
now, teens from the Jewish Student Union
were invited to help staff the event.
The JSU teens who participated in the
ceremonies assisted in the event setup,
handed our programs to the attendees, coordinated and organized parking, arranged for
VIP seating, and, most importantly, escorted the elderly survivors to and from their
seats.
The feedback was overwhelmingly
positive, with attendees remarking repeatedly how respectful and helpful the teens
were. For many of the teens, this was their
first in-person encounter with Holocaust
survivors, which naturally made their participation in the ceremonies that much more
meaningful.
In appreciation, each of the teens
received free passes to the Breman Jewish
es combine components of heart rate-elevating intervals (the cardio ingredient) with
advanced muscle group training (the core
and sculpting ingredients). Call 404-2570808, or visit elevateyourbody.com.
Heritage and Holocaust Museum.
The JSU volunteers were: Leslie
Apseloff and Rebekah Helfgot, Dunwoody
High School; Maital Kaminer and Noa
Kalfon, Riverwood; Shai Bendavid,
Chattahoochee; Julia Lee, Nili Nourparvar,
and Rebecca Neusner, Centennial; Isaac
Dosetareh, Druid Hills; Allison Marill,
Michelle Gofman, Seth Gregson, Sera
Thomas, and Danielle Wagner, Lakeside;
and Tori Zellner, Northview.
JSU leaders Sera Thomas and
Allison Marill handing out programs
for the Holocaust Memorial
Ellen Lowenstein Italiaander (right)
with Linda Citron, one of Elevate
Your Bodyʼs professional trainers
THE PARADIES SHOPS HONORED. The
Paradies Shops, the leading airport concessionaire in the industry for over 50 years,
was named “Corporate Member of the
Year” for 2012, at the Southeastern Chapter
of the American Association of Airport
Executives
(SEC-AAAE)
Annual
Conference held in Savannah, Georgia,
May 20-22. The 2012 SEC-AAAE
Conference gathered the region’s top airport managers in interactive sessions focusing on air service development and produc-
BIKUR CHOLIM. Over 300 teens at over a
dozen JSU Public School Clubs took part in
the important mitzvah of bikur cholim (caring for those who are sick). The teens gathered together to make decorative pillowcases for children attending Chai Lifeline’s
Camp Simcha, a camp for Jewish children
suffering from terminal illnesses and cancer.
As the teens hand-decorated the pillowcases, Rabbi Chaim Neiditch led a discussion of why bad things sometimes happen to good people. During the discussion,
may of the participants shared personal stories of what it was like to deal with sick
family members. Nonetheless, the overall
mood at these events was positive, as all
participants were overjoyed to be able to
use their talents to do something meaningful to help brings smiles to the faces of children struggling with illnesses.
Jacob Shelton and Ari Fine, from
Chattahoochee High School JSU,
display the pillowcases they made
for children at Camp Simcha.
Page 27
tive strategies centered on the economic
challenges the aviation industry is facing
today.
IT’S HARD TO TRUMP THIS. Sam
Marks opened his Bridge Club of Atlanta,
the first full-time bridge club in Sandy
Springs, on July 16, in a 4,500-square-foot
facility in the Fountain Oaks Shopping
Center on Roswell Road. Marks is an
Emerald Life Master and an accredited
American Contract Bridge League teacher
who began teaching five years ago after
being asked to run the Atlanta Senior
Olympics bridge competition. There will be
eight games per week, and a full schedule
of lessons will be offered from beginner to
advanced levels. More information is available at www.bridgeclubatlanta.com.
Opening day at Bridge Club of
Atlanta
HEBREW NAMES. One thing that has
helped the Jewish people survive for millennia is adherence to the tradition of keeping Jewish names. This was the overriding
theme of recent events at JSU Public
School Clubs across the Greater Atlanta
area, where hundreds of teens made Jewish
name bracelets, necklaces, and key chains.
Guided by Rabbi Chaim Neiditch, students learned how Judaism attaches a very
special importance to Hebrew names and of
the Divine inspiration behind many of these
names. Teens learned the translations of
their Hebrew names, as well as how their
names related to their personal characteristics. Interestingly, these traits often tied in
quite well with many of their family histories, which they were only too happy to
share with the rest of the group, especially
if they were named after ancestors.
Everyone took home a personalized
bracelet, necklace, or keychain.
Teens at Centennial High School
show off their new Jewish name
accessories.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 28
July-August 2012
The birthday ring’s family circuit
BY Carolyn
Gold
In the years before bat mitzvahs
became an accepted rite of passage for girls,
my astute and caring
uncle, Joe Rubin, of
Columbia,
South
Carolina, began a family tradition. I doubt he
had any idea that he
was starting something
that would become a
ritual, but here is the
story.
His two sons,
Hyman and Sammy,
had the usual bar mitzvahs at age 13. Uncle
Rubin wanted to do
The
something special for
his daughter, Charlotte,
on her 13th birthday.
He bought her a beautiful gold and silver ring, with a little chip of a diamond set
in the center. This gift initiated a lovely and
sentimental, as I call it, “dance of the ring.”
My Cousin Charlotte wore the pretty
ring from 1936 to 1942. That year, I turned
13, and Charlotte, who was like the big sister I never had, gave the ring to me. By that
year, Charlotte’s ring finger probably was
adorned with an engagement ring from
handsome soldier Larry Kantor, from New
Jersey, who was stationed at Ft. Jackson.
I remember sitting in high school, in
Elberton,
Georgia,
admiring the
pretty ring on
my finger. I
was so proud
of it. A diamond ring! I
felt so grown
up.
I
n
1953, I passed
the ring on to
E l e a n o r
birthday ring
R u b i n ,
C h a r l o t t e ’s
brother ’s
daughter, in Columbia. Charlotte and Larry
had two sons, so Eleanor was the next girl
in the family to turn 13. By that time, I was
wearing a wedding ring.
Eleanor’s cousin, Jane Rubin, turned
13 a year later, and my mother was concerned that Eleanor’s turn had not been long
enough, or that Jane wouldn’t have a ring.
So Mother went out and bought a little
alternative ring for Jane. We don’t know
what happened to that one, but the original
family ring continued to travel.
My daughter, Susan, became the next
wearer of the 13-year-old’s ring in 1973, in
Atlanta. She wore it in high school and into
her college years. After seven years, she
passed it on to Debi Niestat, Eleanor Rubin
Niestat’s daughter, who turned 13 in
Columbia.
In 1984, it went back to the original
wearer’s granddaughter, Beth Kantor.
Finally, there was a girl in that New Jersey
Kantor family!
My granddaughter, Rebecca Kahn,
received the birthday ring in Atlanta, in
2004. She wears it very carefully, mindful
of its history. It has gone from its original
recipient to her granddaughter; to a niece
and her daughter; and to me, my daughter,
and my granddaughter, three generations in
our case. Its last three wearers have had bat
mitzvahs, but this has been like icing on the
cake. The ring has, so far, traveled for 76
years.
It has traveled back and forth, from
South Carolina to Georgia about five times,
Rebecca Kahn wears the birthday
ring
with a trip to New Jersey included. The next
candidate is Eleanor’s granddaughter, now
age 6, who is in Chicago.
Best of all, the ring has taught three
generations of girls something about their
family tree. It has made those girls who’ve
worn it feel special at 13 and beyond. It
says, “We welcome you into your teens.”
Boys get to keep the family names as
adults, but girls, thanks to Uncle Rubin, get
to wear the modest, but beloved, family
ring.
No 13-year-old has complained that the
ring didn’t fit. They’ve worn it on various
fingers. And miracle of miracles, none of
them, in three-quarters of a century, has lost
it.
Memories of days gone by
his brother, Herbert, the star of the Tech
High swimming team.
BY Gene
Asher
Memories....
• My daughter Laurie, celebrating her first
birthday, sitting on my lap for seven innings
and watching Murphy High School’s Bobby
Dalgleish two-hit Roosevelt High School
and win 6-0. Laurie never missed a pitch and
hollered “Hi!” at umpire Frankie Allen the
whole game.
• With Northside High trailing North Fulton
6-0, at halftime, Laurie said, “I want to touch
the colorful purple and white tiger.” We went
to the Northside bench, and Laurie touched
the paper tiger, which was Northside’s mascot. The Tigers came back after intermission
and beat the North Fulton team, 14-6. When
Northside coach Wayman Creel heard what
happened, he asked me to bring Laurie to
every game and have her touch the paper
tiger. I did, and with Laurie’s golden touch,
the Tigers went on to win the state championship.
• When I asked Laurie which she liked best,
football or baseball, she replied, “basketball.”
• Carl Richard (Chubby) Zwerner, the star of
the Tech High School basketball team, and
• Taking geometry I and geometry II at the
same time. I flunked geometry I and made an
“A” in geometry II.
• My brother Buddy carrying me out of the
ring on his shoulders, after I won the 1949
lightweight state Golden Gloves championship. Out of eight divisions in that tournament, three titles were won by Jews. In addition to me winning the lightweight crown,
Asher Benator won the featherweight title
and Harold Rosenthal the welterweight title.
• Watching, with my dad, Sandy Koufax setting a World Series strikeout record (15) and
beating the New York Yankees’ Whitey
Ford.
• Watching Memphis’ Marv Rotblatt beat the
Atlanta Crackers and earning a trip to
Chicago to pitch for the White Sox. He had
a brief career in the majors but a long and
bright one with the New England Mutual
Life Insurance Co.
—————
Hoorah for Oglethorpe University for
honoring the family of Luke Appling, a
member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Luke’s daughter threw out the first pitch as
the Stormy Petrels defeated Birmingham
Southern. It was a super day for Oglethorpe,
thanks to the leadership of Jay Gardiner, athletic director, and Hoyt Young, sports information director.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
YOU NEED TO KNOW...
During the last 60-plus years, meter
for meter, person for person, no other
nation has done more for the betterment of
the health, economic, and technological
advancement of the world population than
Israel. It is a story, although critically
important, that is not heralded and largely
remains unknown. We plan to present some
of these unbelievable accomplishments in
an attempt to disseminate the heart and
soul of what and who Israel really is.
GIVING
TO
THE
WORLD
THROUGH SCIENCE. Have you ever
stopped to think how much better, safer,
and healthier all people are because of what
Israel has given to the world–––small in
geography but gigantic in contributions?
What a great reservoir of knowledge
and innovative technology has emanated
from that young, vibrant society. It would
have been hard to imagine a little over sixty
years ago that a diverse group such as this,
speaking many different languages, could
develop a country that would produce so
much in the way of new and innovated
technology. There is probably no other
place that proportionately has served as a
more advanced and concentrated incubator
of ideas and technical innovations.
And now we read about another med-
ical device that is in the development stages
and promises to help alleviate suffering and
untimely death. Check-Cap is a small,
biotechnology company, based in Isfiya, an
Arab Druze village in the Galilee close to
Haifa, where the majority of its staff
resides. The company employs 35 people,
and most of its engineers are graduates of
the Technion (Israel Institute of
Technology).
Today, the primary screening procedure for colon cancer is a colonoscopy.
About ten years ago, Israel’s Given
Imaging developed the PillCam imaging
system that is based on cameras. Both the
colonoscopy and the PillCam require
aggressive bowel cleansing, a process that
is somewhat upsetting to the patient. The
beauty of the Check-Cap is that it operates
with virtually no bowel preparation. The
small capsule captures 360-degree images
as it travels through the intestines, and it
then transmits the information to a data
receiver worn on the wrist.
ISRAEL HAS BECOME A GIANT IN
STEM-CELL RESEARCH. It is only natural that the lovers of chopped liver with
schmaltz and rye bread spread with
gribenes (for some reason my spell-check
program could not find this word) would
FEDERATION NEWS
ROSENBERG TO CHAIR COMMUNITY
CAMPAIGN. Mark Rosenberg will lead
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s efforts
for the 2013 Community Campaign, which
begins September 1. As chair, he will spearhead strategy and fundraising to support
Federation’s 17 affiliate agencies, as well as
more than 60 outcome and community partners in Atlanta, in Israel, and around the world.
Mark is a managing director with Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney and has 30 years of
experience in the financial industry; his areas
of focus are retirement planning, fixed
income, and overall
wealth management.
Recently, he was recognized by Barron’s
as one of the top
1,000 financial advisors for the third consecutive year.
Mark has been a
Mark Rosenberg member of the
Federation’s Board
of Trustees for the past four years. He also
serves on Federation’s Investment Committee,
was the chair of Premier Gifts for the 2011
Community Campaign, and was vice chair of
the 2012 Community Campaign. He served on
The Davis Academy board for 10 years and
chaired the school’s golf tournament for several years. He lives in Dunwoody with his wife
and has three adult children, who are all graduates of The Davis Academy.
106TH ANNUAL MEETING. Jewish
Federation of Greater Atlanta’s 106th Annual
Meeting took place June 5, at the Selig Center.
This year’s meeting recognized community leaders, including outgoing Chair of the
Board Robert Arogeti and incoming chair of
the Board Gerald R. Benjamin.
Also recognized were the participants of
Federation’s Emerging Leadership Project, a
comprehensive eight-month program aimed at
community members age 45 and under. The
goal of the program is to turn participants into
Federation leaders of the future. This year’s
participants are Josh Berman, Dana Bernath,
Stephanie Effron, Abbey Flaum, Civia Gerber,
Marc Goldberg, Benjamin Halpern, H. Elisa
Iteld, Steven Kushner, Brian Levy, Jared Levy,
Allison Medof, Zackary Morris, Jeff Pollock,
Raanan Pritzker, Avi Robbins, Evan Rosen,
Hilary Saperstein, Ryan Silberman, David
Skid, Viktoria Sobolevsky, Alana Sonenshine,
Marc Sonenshine, Jonathan Swartz, Darren
Tobin, Arin Tritt, and Glenn Zweig.
Community Award winners will receive
their awards at the Annual Meeting as well.
The 2012 award winners are: Rick Aranson,
Marilyn Shubin Professional Development
Award; Bob Arotsky, Gerald H. Cohen
Community Development Award; Josiah
Benator, Max and Mary London “People
Power” Award; and Isaac Frank and Ross
Kogon, Abe Schwartz Young Leadership
Award.
The new Board of Trustees was inducted
at the event; for a full list, visit
www.JewishAtlanta.org.
understand the importance of this.
Recognized as a world leader in scientific research and development, Israel has
made major contributions to stem-cell
research. At its best research institutes, laboratories have been concentrating on heart
disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease or on
repairing nerve damage. At Technion in
Haifa, an Israeli team has been able to form
healthy heart tissue from a patient’s own
skin stem cells, which can merge into existing muscles.
Professor Lior Gepstein, head
researcher at Technion in the project, said,
“What is new and exciting about our
research is that we have shown that it’s possible to take skin cells from an elderly
patient with advanced heart failure and end
up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young — the
equivalent to the stage of his heart cells
when he was just born.”
TEACH THEM TO FLY; TEACH
THEM TO DUNK. The very nature of
being combat pilots requires fast, immediate reactive decisions appropriate to
observed conditions in which they find
themselves. This is a reflex reaction based
on training and experience.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Daniel
Gopher, an Israeli expert in the field of cognitive psychology and engineering at the
Technion, led in the development of video
game-like training methods for use by the
Page 29
Israeli Air Force and the US Army Aviation
Center. Based on the use of cognitive psychology, the study of mental processes by
which people speak, think, perceive,
remember, and learn, a video game trainer
was developed that improved flight performance more that 30%.
The technology was subsequently
demilitarized, improved, and became the
basis for the formation of Applied
Cognitive Engineering (ACE) headquartered in Hod Hasharon, Israel. Under the
brand IntelliGym®, the company develops
training tools that significantly improve the
performance of trainees in targeted tasks,
including sports.
“We found a lot of similarities between
jet flying and competitive sports,” Danny
Dankner, CEO, is quoted as saying. “We
realized we had the technology to improve
performance of people in information-condensed environments with a lot of data
coming in, and where fast decisions need to
be made under duress.”
When former Atlanta Hawks coach
Hubert Jude “Hubie” Brown was introduced to this training tool, he was sufficiently impressed that he joined the company’s Advisory Board. In Israel21c, the following testimonial by Brown is quoted: “In
the game of basketball it is not about who
runs faster or jumps higher, but about who
makes better decisions and fewer mistakes.”
Page 30
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012
Helping others help themselves
By Mordecai Zalman
Unfortunately, many of us are
unaware of the total religious, moral, and
communal package that is the Jewish heritage, and we seek meaning outside of our
birthright before knowing this birthright.
As a segment of our peoplehood, we
find that throughout the centuries, some
members of the Jewish community, who
have had the good fortune to prosper economically, have stepped forward to help
those in need. Mostly, economic hardship
was not the result of a lack of willingness
to work, only the opportunity to work and
financially support the family needs.
In 1880 a group of Russian Jews
organized a fund to support and develop
trade schools and agricultural projects in
Russia to help elevate the crushing poverty of the five million Jews living there.
This was the origin of ORT.
The assassination of Czar Alexander
II of Russia in 1881, for which the Jews
were made the scapegoat, resulted in government-organized anti-Jewish pogroms
(riots), which were renewed in 1882,
1883, and 1884. In addition, the new
ruler, Czar Alexander III, instituted the
May Laws of 1882, which resulted in
harsh and more restrictive laws. At the
same time, the persecution of the Jews in
Romania resulted in a mass exodus in
1900.
From 1881 to 1914 approximately
2,000,000 Jews emigrated from Eastern
Europe, largely from Czarist Russia and
Romania, to the United States. The majority of these settled in New York City and,
in a secular sense, were uneducated and
unskilled. As a partial response to this situation, in 1891 the Baron de Hirsch Fund
was incorporated and funded by Baron
Maurice de Hirsch for the purpose of
affording relief to this pressing problem.
One of the solutions was to resettle these
immigrants in other areas of the country,
which included locating them in agricultural endeavors.
In 1900, the Jewish Agricultural (and
Industrial Aid) Society was chartered in
New York as a subsidiary of the Baron de
Hirsch Fund striving to implement selfsupporting agricultural activities. In 1907
it became an autonomous organization,
which was involved in granting loans to
cooperatives as well as individuals.
In the 1930s, Atlanta resident Bruce
“Bud” Feiman and his parents, together
with a handful of other settlers, went from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Labelle,
Florida, to establish an agricultural com-
munity.
Bud
recalls that his
aunt had a contact in New York
that provided the
funding for the
project, but he
does not recall
the name of the
organization.
There
is
no
knowledge today
as to the source Unknown man, (from left), Ruth Kanif (Budʼs Aunt), Bruce
of these funds, (Bud) Feiman, Alle Feiman (Budʼs father), Anna Feiman
but there is every (Budʼs mother), unknown man, unknown woman, unknown
reason to believe man, in Labelle, Florida to establish a farming cooperative
that it was the
beneficiary of help from the Baron de these people to find “their own salvaHirsch Fund. While the commune did not tion.” The local committees were instructsucceed and they were unable to tame the ed to help the needy to find a place in
surrounding vegetation, Bud recalls the which to live and not see them as charity
enthusiasm and vigor with which the cases. And yet, with all of the suffering
group attacked the project and the appre- and tribulation they endured, they never
abandoned their faith and were forever
ciation for the support of fellow Jews.
For us today, it is hard to appreciate supportive of their fellow members.
In truth, they knew and understood
what it must have been like to live under
the oppressive conditions inflicted on our the meaning of being a part of this comancestors. David Bressler, general manag- munity, recognizing the importance of
er of the Industrial Removal Office, an making every effort to see that the goodoutgrowth of the Jewish Agricultural ness that Judaism has brought to the
Society, stated that the goal was to help world over the centuries continues.
Atlanta area photographer known for award-winning images
Susan K. Friedland, of John’s Creek,
was recently published in the March
2012 issue of Cowboys & Indians
Magazine. The Special Collector’s edi-
Susan Friedland, Four Friends
tion featured her image Four Friends, as
part of the publication’s seventh Annual
Photo
Competition.
This
marks
Friedland’s fifth award-winning image in
as many years.
Friedland has been noted for several
other images. In 2008, Anna Walker
Skillman chose her image Equs for the
Atlanta Celebrates Photography exhibition “Anna Skillman Selects,” saying that
the “horse portrait is grand and mesmerizing, both in its size and imagery…the
soft quality of the land almost pictorial.”
Equs was most recently spotlighted in a
December 2011 solo exhibit at Neiman
Susan Friedland
Marcus in Atlanta. It was concurrently
featured in a gallery in New York’s
Tribeca area.
Although specializing in equine photography, Friedland has been recognized
for other works. In 2006, she won praises from The William Breman Jewish
Heritage Museum for her interpretation
of the theme “Tzedakah: The Art of
Giving.” Her photograph Tomodachi
(Japanese for friendship) portrays an
American woman and a Japanese woman
laughing as they share a bowl of rice.
Friedland took the photograph during an
outreach program in which American
women help the wives of Japanese businessmen who have been transferred the
U.S. Friedland says that “a lot of times,
these women feel alone, and they are isolated.... Here are these two groups, and
all of a sudden, here are two cultures
coming together, teaching each other....
It’s about friendship and it’s about giving.”
Friedland’s other award-winning
images include Paris, nominated by
Women in Photography International, as
a Juror’s Choice Honorable Mention for
the Decade of Images 2000-2010 competition, 2010; I love New York, presented
at the PMG Gallery, 2010; Walk of
Shame, chosen by Fay Gold, for the
Atlanta Celebrates Photography exhibition “Fay Gold Selects,” in 2007; and
You Say Tomato, featured in The Atlanta
Journal Constitution, in 2002. Friedland
has been highlighted in several publications, including Heroes Smile (2008),
Jezebel Magazine (2006), Skirt! Atlanta
(2006), The Atlanta Jewish Times (2006),
and Southern Living Magazine (2003).
Susan K. Friedland is a Savannah
native and has been in the photography
business for over 20 years. She received
a bachelor’s degree in studio art from
Oberlin College and took additional
courses at Massachusetts College of Art
and Atlanta College of Art.
Friedland’s work is available for purchase at several Atlanta-area locations,
including Heeney & Co., in downtown
Atlanta; Galerie Matilda, Roswell; and
Lakota Cove Gallery, Jasper. Out-of-state
locations include The Cashiers Trading
Post, Cashiers, North Carolina, and The
Good
Purpose
Gallery,
Lee,
Massachusetts. A sampling of Friedland’s
work
can
be
seen
at
www.SusanKFriedland.com.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 31
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Page 32
Kosher Affairs
BY Roberta
Scher
enjoy both the food and ambience of this
restaurant. If you haven’t yet experienced it,
try it. And, more good news—FuegoMundo
also offers catering. Visit fuegomundo.com.
Once again we are enjoying—or shall I
say enduring—the long, hot summer in
Atlanta. Along with the temperature, what’s
hot?
FUEGOMUNDO. It’s hot, hot, hot in
Atlanta—not just because of the summer
heat but because of sizzling FuegoMundo,
Atlanta’s kosher South American wood-fire
grill. This informal, upscale bistro-style
restaurant offers a menu appealing to meat
eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Lunch is
fast and casual, while dinner is full-service.
FuegoMundo is a clean, well-run food
establishment, with good service, fair
prices, and quality food that just happens to
be kosher. Co-owners Masha HleapHershkovitz and Udi Hershkovitz recently
changed the menu a bit. At a recent lunch, I
ordered one of the new items, the tilapia
burger. Delicious! It reminds me of one of
my favorite fish sandwiches, the grouper
Reuben that I always enjoy on family trips
to Destin. (Of course, the cheese is omitted,
since FuegoMundo is a meat restaurant.) I
Udi and Masha Hershkovitz
ALI’S COOKIES (Shipacookie.com) has
opened a second location in Dunwoody,
under the supervision of the AKC. It is in
the Perimeter Place Shopping Center, near
the Dunwoody Target. All cookies and
cookie cakes are kosher dairy or kosher,
dairy equipment.
PITA
PALACE
(thepitapalace.com)
deserves kudos. This popular, small, informal eatery, has achieved a perfect score—a
sanitation inspection rating of 100 from the
DeKalb County Health Department. The
restaurant
specializes
in
July-August 2012
Mediterranean/Middle Eastern foods, such
as falafel, shwarma, and Israeli-style salads.
Most customers order takeout, but there are
a few tables for eating in.
GRILLER’S PRIDE (Grillerspride.com) is
now carrying Teva beef, which is glatt
kosher and certified 100% natural. The beef
is from cattle that have not been treated
with antibiotics, steroids, or hormones and
are raised on a 100% vegetarian diet.
TDSA GARDEN. On behalf of the Torah
Day School Community Garden, a big
thank-you to the Whole Foods Kids
Foundation for supporting the school’s edible, organic garden with a $2,000 grant.
This will help TDSA continue its efforts to
provide garden education for its students
and further expand the program into the
community. If you are in the Toco Hill area,
do drive by and take a look. With this infusion of new funds, we hope to grow. (Yes, I
am involved in this effort and, along with
our garden educator, Robin Saul, welcome
your financial or volunteer support! Contact
[email protected].)
SPEAKING OF WHOLE FOODS, the
Briarcliff store continues to expand its
kosher-friendly selection. The store wants
to serve the kosher community and better
understand what customers need. If you are
in the store, do share your thoughts. This
store has a large selection of kosher groceries, an in-house mashgiach (Elisheva
Robbins), kosher chicken, and kosher fish
by
special
order.
Visit
wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/briarcliff.
PRODUCT NEWS
SHAKE-UP IN KOSHER PARVE
CHOCOLATE CHIPS. Trader Joe’s chocolate chips have dominated the kosher food
news. After years as the kosher consumer’s
“go to” parve chocolate chips, they are no
longer certified parve. No one knew, including Trader Joe’s, how popular they were,
until the change to a dairy certification. The
company, which is usually very consumer
responsive, has been bombarded with complaints. If fact, two online petitions, signed
by thousands, were started, requesting TJ’s
to address this situation. To read The Wall
Street Journal’s coverage of this story,
google “Trader Joe’s chocolate chips WSJ.”
SALLY WILLIAMS HONEY NOUGAT. I
am delighted to share news of this delicious
product and its availability in Atlanta. I
recently tasted Sally Williams Nougat, and
my sweet tooth was delighted. So, what is
this confection? The story begins in the
souks of Marrakesh, where Sally Williams,
a South African chef, sampled flavored
nougat. This started Sally on a search
through Morocco, Tunisia, France, and Italy
to master the recipe for the perfect nougat.
The results: a luxury, handcrafted confection, made with no preservatives or colorants, and kosher certified by the OU.
Most flavors are parve, and the best news is
that it is available locally from thechosenknish.com. To learn more about the
product, visit sallywilliamsfinefoods.com.
SPEAKING OF KOSHER PRODUCTS,
did you know that Original Oreo Sandwich
Cookies and Oreo Double Stuf Sandwich
cookies do not contain dairy ingredients,
though they are manufactured on dairy
equipment? Therefore, Oreo Original and
Double Stuf Sandwich Cookies may be
consumed after meat and poultry, but not
with them.
BACK IN THE DAY. A Savannah culinary
landmark has published The Back in the
Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and
Griffith Day (Artisan Books). I discovered
this book while watching “The Martha
Stewart Show,” and I knew that I had to
have it. It is written by the owners of
Savannah’s Back in the Day Bakery, an
establishment now in its 10th year. Since
the bakery itself is not kosher, I especially
wanted the cookbook, which is full of many
Southern desserts and breads that I knew I
could make with kosher ingredients. In the
book, bakery owners Cheryl and Griff Day
share many of their customers’ favorites. I
think this quote from the publisher says it
all: “Celebrating family traditions, scratch
See KOSHER AFFAIRS, page 34
July-August 2012
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Kosher
KosherKorner
Korner
BY Rabbi Reuven
Stein
The Atlanta Kashruth Commission
thanks all who attended Kosher Day
2012, making it a wonderful success
Baruch Hashem. It was a lot of fun
watching the game with friends and
enjoying the delicious food from
Goodfriend’s Grill, served on the Club
Patio, which offers a great view of the
ball field. The generous sponsors were
The Marcus Foundation, Publix Super
Markets Charities, and Toco Instant
Printing. Raffle winners were Ms.
Karen Langley, the Roth family, and
the Berkowitz family. This event
helped raise funds for AKC programs.
KOSHER NEWS
Goodfriend’s Grill at the Marcus
Hillel Center’s summer hours, through
August 21, are Monday-Thursday,
5:00-8:00 p.m.; closed Fridays. Call
404-963-2548 ext. 113.
Advertising is available for the
upcoming AKC Kosher Guide. For
details, call the office, at 404-6344063.
The AKC has a few mashgiach
opportunities available. Call Rabbi
Stein for details, at 404-634-4063.
Ali’s Cookies has opened a second
location, under AKC supervision, in the
Perimeter Place shopping center, near
the Dunwoody Target, 4511 Olde
Perimeter Way, Suite 300, Atlanta
30346. Call 770-350-ALIS (2547). All
cookies and cookie cakes are kosher
dairy or kosher, dairy equipment. Hour
are Sunday, 12:00 noon-4:00 p.m.;
Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-8:30
p.m.; and Friday, 10:00 a.m.–before
Shabbos.
Schakolad, a candy store in
Dunwoody, has changed its name to
CSD Enterprises DiAmno. It sells both
kosher and non-kosher products.
Double-check each product before
making a purchase. Non-approved
products include dipped strawberries,
chocolate covered bacon, and salted
caramels.
KOSHER ALERTS
Kroger
Private
Selection
“Sorbetto” Desserts were, in the past,
produced by OU plants and bore the
OU symbol. Recently, production was
moved to a non-OU plant (plant
#3948). Consumers who have any
Sorbetto OU product should check the
plant code that is after the “Sell By”
date on the bottom of the container. If
the code is 3948, the OU is unauthorized.
AKC policy is to accept most
frozen raw vegetables without a
hechsher, if they have no infestation
issues (see the AKC Kosher Guide for
more information) and have no seasoning or pasta. This is true only of raw
vegetables. The AKC does not recommend frozen winter squash that is
cooked.
Not all Entenmann’s products are
OU certified. Consumers should check
each product for the OU-D symbol.
Trader Joe’s chocolate chips are no
longer certified pareve. They are certified dairy when bearing the OK-D.
Older packages are pareve and are
labeled accordingly. There is a petition
asking Trader Joe’s to return to making
the
pareve
chips
at
http://www.change.org/petitions/trader-joe-s-keep-the-chocolate-chipspareve#. Whole Foods carries pareve
chocolate chips.
Coke is introducing low-calorie
versions of Fanta and Sprite as “Fanta
Select” and “Sprite Select.” Both are
kosher and pareve.
Original Oreo Sandwich Cookies
and Oreo Double Stuf Sandwich
Cookies do not contain dairy ingredients, though they are manufactured on
dairy equipment. Therefore, they may
be consumed after meat and poultry,
but not with them.
OU-certified Christie Triscuit Low
Sodium Roasted Garlic, Christie
Brown, a Division of Kraft Canada, is
missing the dairy designation.
Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain and Wild
Rice Mushroom Recipe mistakenly
bears an OU symbol. It contains a spice
packet that is not certified by the OU.
Joy Cone brand Ice Cream Cones
Fun Pack mistakenly bears the Star-K
pareve symbol on the outside box. The
Star-D Dairy symbol pertaining to the
chocolate-coated cones was mistakenly
left off the box.
Rabbi Reuven Stein is director of
supervision for the Atlanta Kashruth
Commission, a non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting kashruth
through education, research, and
supervision.
Page 33
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 34
Kosher Affairs
From page 32
baking, and quality ingredients, The
Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook is
like a down-home bake sale in a book.”
AND SPEAKING OF CULINARY
LANDMARKS, The Horseradish Grill
has been in the Alterman family since
1995 and is Atlanta’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. Its menu reflects
cherished Southern food traditions.
Sadly, the Horseradish Grill is not
kosher, but owner-founder Steve
Alterman recently contributed two
restaurant recipes to The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution’s “From the Menu
of” section. In case you missed this, I
am reprinting the recipes for you. Steve
told the AJC, “Our biscuit recipe is the
original recipe brought to us by our
inaugural chef, Scott Peacock. I recall
Scott’s mentor, Edna Lewis, of blessed
memory, sitting in our kitchen and
coaching, or was it coaxing, Scott to
make them as well as she had.” (How
about publishing a cookbook, Steve?)
Recipes
Horseradish Grill Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe adapted from The Atlanta JournalConstitution
This is a Southern classic. So delicious.
Yes, there is a long list of ingredients, but
it is a cinch to make.
sions, I like this one dairy, just as it is. You
can freeze the leftovers—if you’re lucky
enough to have any!
Makes 12 biscuits
Streusel:
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into
cubes
—————
1 pound soft wheat flour (3-1/4 cups), plus
extra for flouring work surface (White
Lily, if available)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound (1/2 cup) Crisco or butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, more if needed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly
grease a small baking sheet.
In a large bowl, stir together flour,
baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening.
Add buttermilk and mix slowly. Add more
buttermilk, if necessary, to make a dough
that is soft, but not too sticky. Turn dough
out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into
an 8” x 6” rectangle, 1/2” thick. Using a
floured knife, cut the dough into 12
squares. Prick each square with a fork, and
arrange squares on baking sheet. Bake 5
minutes, rotate baking sheet, and bake 5
minutes more or until tops are golden.
Remove from oven, brush with melted
butter, and serve immediately.
—————
Horseradish Grill Succotash
Recipe adapted from The Atlanta JournalConstitution
Serves 6
What’s cooking? Email [email protected]. This column is meant
to provide the reader with current trends
and developments in the kosher marketplace. Since standards of kashruth certification vary, check with the AKC or
your local kashruth authority to confirm
reliability.
July-August 2012
1 pound lady peas, small limas, or crowder
peas
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 ears fresh corn, husked, kernels cut from
cob
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
In a medium saucepan, cover peas
with water and add salt. Bring to a boil,
then reduce heat, and cook until peas are
just tender. (Time will vary from 20 to 40
minutes, depending upon size and freshness of peas.)
While peas are cooking, melt butter in
a large skillet. Add corn, onion, and garlic.
Sauté until onion is cooked through. When
peas are done, drain and add to skillet. Add
red pepper pieces and parsley. Taste for
seasoning, and serve immediately.
Cake:
2-1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulate sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups sour cream
Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
Position a rack in lower third of the
oven, and preheat to 350 degrees.
Spray 10” tube pan with vegetable oil
spray, and line bottom with a ring of parchment.
Streusel: Combine brown sugar, flour,
cinnamon, salt, and pecans. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbs are
pea-sized. Place mixture in freezer until
cake batter is mixed.
Cake: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom; set aside.
In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar
for 4-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add
eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Add
the vanilla and sour cream.
Add the flour mixture in thirds to the
butter mixture, until just combined, with
no flour streaks. Scrape down sides and
bottom.
Put half the batter into pan, and spread
evenly with spatula. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup
streusel. Spoon remaining batter into pan,
and sprinkle with remaining streusel.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tester
inserted in cake comes out clean. Let cool
on wire rack for 30 minutes.
Glaze: Mix confectioner’s sugar,
honey, and water. Turn out the cake,
streusel side up, and drizzle on the glaze.
—————
Cinnamon-Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery
Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day
(Artisan)
Wrapped in plastic, the cake keeps at
room temperature 2-3 days.
Note: This is a fabulous recipe—irresistible for breakfast or brunch. Although
many times, I convert recipes to parve ver-
Bourbon Bread Pudding
Adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery
Cookbook
Use day-old bread, like challah, in this
decadent dessert recipe. If you don’t have
any on hand, dry out fresh bread in the
oven for about 10 minutes. Watch the
video on how to make this at
www.marthastewart.com.
Pudding:
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1-1/2 pound ciabatta, brioche, or challah,
cut into 1-1/2” cubes (9 cups)
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup golden raisins
Glaze:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pudding: Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
with a rack set in the lower third of the
oven. Lightly butter a 9” x 13” baking
dish; set aside.
Place bread in a large bowl. Add halfand-half, and toss to soak. Let it sit at room
temperature while pudding is prepared.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter
over medium heat. Remove from heat, and
add both sugars and vanilla; stir until
smooth and well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, then
add the butter-sugar mixture until smooth
and well combined. Pour this custard mixture over the bread, tossing until well combined.
Pour bread mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle raisins
over top, and gently work into pudding,
making sure liquid covers the bread.
Cover baking dish with aluminum
foil. Transfer to oven and bake for 55 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking
until bread pudding is golden brown, 10 to
15 minutes.
Glaze: Melt butter in a saucepan over
medium heat. Remove from heat, and add
bourbon and confectioners’ sugar, stirring
until incorporated. Add cream, and mix
until smooth. Pour glaze over top of bread
pudding, and let stand 15 minutes before
serving. Bread pudding is best served
warm, but can be kept refrigerated, tightly
covered, for up to 4 days.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 35
We are God’s partners
By Celia Gilner
On May 4, 2012, at the Kabbalat
Shabbat service and
a celebratory dinner
attended by over
one hundred people,
Barbara Kleber was
honored for fifty
years as a teacher at
Ahavath Achim’s
religious school.
Rabbi Arnold
Goodman’s letter of
tribute
stated,
Barbara Kleber “During my tenure
as Ahavath Achim’s
Rabbi[sic], it was a privilege having you
anchor our Religious school faculty with
your warmth, infectious smile, and engaging personality. All of us who worked with
you knew we could rely upon you. You
have been a model of consistency and stability that has inspired not only your students but also your colleagues on staff.”
Rabbi Raphael Gold stated at the dinner, “All the children and parents wanted to
be in her class. God sent me a gift in 1962.”
Rabbi Neil Sandler wrote, “She has
influenced three generations of Ahavath
Achim students and to continue to do so
over the course of fifty years is both
astounding and incredibly praiseworthy.”
What has contributed to her remarkable
career, and what motivates Barbara to continue to inspire her students?
Upon meeting Barbara, you are struck
by her attractiveness, energy, and determination. Her conversation is peppered with
references to God and her love of Judaism.
She said, “This is what I was meant to do
with my life. God expects me to teach as
long as I am able.” She believes His hand
has guided her life and spawned her lifetime desire to teach.
As a teenager, Barbara was asked to be
an assistant teacher in the Coral Gables
Jewish Center’s 2nd grade. The Florida
conservative synagogue grew so rapidly,
that the class was divided in two. The
teacher, Janet Finkelhor, recommended 15year-old Barbara as the instructor for one of
the classes, which she continued to teach
until her high school graduation.
While studying at the University of
Miami for her master’s degree in elementary education, with a minor in Jewish studies, she still managed to teach at Coral
Gables Jewish Center. She taught in a public school for one year and part-time at the
synagogue but was asked by Rabbi Morris
Skop to start teaching there full-time.
Six years later, Rabbi Raphael Gold
interviewed Barbara for a position at
Ahavath Achim Synagogue. She had just
moved to Atlanta with her husband, Garvin,
and their sons, four-year-old Steven and
two-year-old Scott. She was anxious to
make new friends. She had an easy rapport
with Rabbi Gold, who told her, “You could
not possibly meet more people than you
will meet at Ahavath Achim.” Indeed, most
of her friendships developed and continue
at the synagogue, where she found that
women have always been welcomed and
appreciated.
Barbara had multiple opportunities to
teach in secular schools but feels there is an
additional dimension to teaching in religious schools. She stressed that the importance of her teaching is not its longevity but
the effect she has on the lives of others in
the framework of a Jewish education. She
hopes her pupils will continue to honor
their heritage and feel comfortable about
being Jewish. Nothing is more exciting to
her and her pupils than when their faces
light up because they understand a Bible
story, learn Hebrew, or lead others in
prayer.
“What you teach can inspire and influence the way your pupils live and what kind
of people they become. We are God’s partners. If I can get the children involved in the
subject they really want to learn—if they
know I care, they care; if I’m excited and
feel it is important, they do too.” Positive
reinforcement, by praising those who have
their books open and are ready to study,
motivates others to do the same. Having her
students choose between two acceptable
options involves them in the learning
process.
Fifty years of teaching has required
Barbara to go over the same material countless times. She always learns new things in
preparing lessons, by finding a different
interpretation or a new way to relate a Bible
story to the present time. “It takes a lot of
creativity and ingenuity to keep the children
interested,” she says.
If the story is about Jacob’s dreams,
she asks the children about their dreams. If
God’s miracles and healing the sick are
being discussed, she explains how sickness
can sometimes be averted by not smoking
and by eating properly.
Barbara now teaches on Wednesday
evenings and Sunday mornings. She has a
3rd- and 4th-grade class in Bible studies
and a 5th-grade class in prayers.
Marcia Lindner, director of formal and
informal education at Ahavath Achim, was
a student of Barbara Kleber’s. Today, her
daughter Hope is in Barbara’s class, and
next year her son Seth will be. Marcia said
that students come to class on Wednesday
evenings after a full day of school, tired and
knowing they have even more homework
awaiting them. Even with their demanding
schedules, Barbara is able to capture their
attention, Marcia, says, by “her intuitive
ability to reach the students, by adapting to
their particular needs and interests. She
teaches from the heart.”
L’DOR V’DOR—FROM GENERATION
TO GENERATION
It is easy to see why teaching remains
exciting and rewarding for Barbara Kleber.
Her ideas are fresh, and her enthusiasm per-
Barbara Kleber (center) working with students and parents
meates her speech. Lucky are the thousands
of students she has touched through her talents. In her closing remarks at the May 4
celebratory dinner, she stated, “ I have been
blessed to be able to use my ability, talent,
and passion for teaching and my love of
Judaism in such a meaningful and inspiring
way. My life has been enriched and filled
with purpose. My influence will continue to
make a difference long after my years are
over. I pray that God will grant me the ability to continue teaching and improving others in the years ahead.” May Barbara continue to be an influence for good in the lives
of the children, parents, and the congregation of Ahavath Achim Synagogue.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 36
JF&CS NEWS
AWARDS ABOUND. Recently, two senior
staff members of Jewish Family & Career
Services of Atlanta received prestigious
awards in the Jewish community. Chief
Executive Officer Gary Miller came home
from the Association of Jewish Family &
Children’s Agencies (AJFCA) 40th Annual
Conference, in Houston, at the end of April
with the 2012 AJFCA Distinguished
Service Award. In June, Chief Operating
Officer Rick Aranson received the Marilyn
Shubin Professional Staff Development
Award, from the Jewish Federation of
Greater Atlanta.
Miller came to JF&CS Atlanta in 1991,
following a successful career in social services in his native Montreal. Under his leadership, JF&CS has expanded from nine to
more than 40 human service programs. The
JF&CS budget has grown from $1.2 million
to more than $13.5 million.
In 1997, Miller oversaw the merger of
two agencies, Jewish Family Services and
Jewish Vocational Services, into a new entity, Jewish Family & Career Services.
Today, due in large part to his expertise and
vision, JF&CS Atlanta is a premier human
service organization, serving more than
30,000 individuals in both the Jewish and
general communities. It is recognized for
innovative programs and management, and
it has become one of the most highly
respected members of the AJFCA, an
umbrella organization with 145 member
agencies across North America.
Aranson joined JF&CS in 2004, after
practicing law and working in the technology sector. As COO, he oversees the
agency’s programs and services in order to
ensure their maximum impact and effectiveness. He has forged collaborative relationships that have had a tremendous
impact on the organization’s ability to serve
clients in different ways. For example, he
led the negotiations between the Ben
Massell Dental Clinic and Saint Joseph’s
Mercy Care Services that resulted in
expanded overall health services to the clinic’s patients. He is tenacious about program
planning and evaluation, as well as in identifying resources and relationships that support the greater good of the clients JF&CS
serves.
JF&CS Chief Operating Officer Rick
Aranson (left) and Chief Executive
Officer Gary Miller
MUSICARES VISITS BMDC. Music filled
the seats (if not the air) at the Ben Massell
Dental Clinic, February 22, when members
of MusiCares streamed in and out during
the day. MusiCares, a national organization
established by The Recording Academy,
best known for the GRAMMY Awards,
landed a partnership with the BMDC in
2009, to provide uninsured music professionals with free dental screenings, teeth
cleanings, and complete x-rays.
Dental care is considered a major gap
in public health, and both MusiCares and
the BMDC continue to work to address this
need.
Danny Smith hadn’t been to the dentist
in seven years. The self-taught musician,
whose last job was making $18 an hour at a
cable company, has lived off unemployment
for a year. Newly married, he doesn’t know
how he’ll pay his rent next month.
“This place is a Godsend,” said the 28year-old Danny. “I had holes in my teeth
when I came here. The dentists there fixed
me up.”
This is the second time the BMDC has
set aside a day for MusiCares, which provides a revenue stream for the clinic, unlike
the rest of the population that come to the
BMDC. Those served by the clinic do not
have the means to pay for dental care.
Established in 1989, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for
local members of the music industry in
Notes from an old dinosaur
BY Balfoura Friend
Levine
I must admit it—I am a dinosaur! My
camera still has film in it, this article was written on my trusty IBM Selectric III typewriter, I
don’t comprendez ‘puters, and have no idea
what to do with the cell phone that my children
gave me to use whenever I drive. (They say
that, in case of the “God forbids,” I can dial
911).
I enjoy using the treadmill in our exercise
room here at the Renaissance, and the boredom
is alleviated by my little boombox that I plug
in, as I’m hopefully burning a few calories each
time. I have a bunch of cassettes (yes, I still use
those that I’ve accumulated over the years) and
listen to golden oldies to kill time.
Yesterday, I heard the nasal tones of Willie
Nelson singing “Blue Skies.” Wow, that took
me back to my childhood in China, where my
times of need. The organization collaborates with industry and health-related nonprofit organizations throughout the country
to ensure the most appropriate, comprehensive, and vital services are provided to its
clients.
A SPECIAL GRADUATION STORY. Meet
Eren. Eren recently achieved a major milestone, one so many students aspire to during
their educational careers: graduating from
college. He earned his bachelor’s degree in
finance from Marshall University, in West
Virginia. That isn’t all, though; he did it
with honors, graduating cum laude. That
accomplishment would be a huge feat for
anyone. But Eren has Asperger’s syndrome,
a developmental disability considered to be
on the autism spectrum. Asperger’s adds an
extra challenge when navigating complex
social situations, something that is difficult
even for neurotypical college students away
from home for the first time.
July-August 2012
support for him through things like TFI’s
club for adults with Asperger’s. “The support we give is to help him be more independent, along with a lot of social support.
Right now, he is looking for both a job and
to move into his own place. He is getting
ready to start the next chapter of his life.”
TFI WORKS CLEANING SERVICE. Is
the dust and dirt in your workplace getting
you down? Get your office expertly cleaned
by enthusiastic TeamWORKS participants.
TeamWORKS, a program of Tools for
Independence, now provides cleaning services to businesses in the Atlanta area. The
program operates 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.,
Monday-Friday, and services can be provided to businesses on a daily or weekly basis.
The team comprises four TFI clients and a
staff member, who assists with supervision
and transportation.
TFI WORKS crew
Eren graduates with honors
Eren began using Jewish Family &
Career Service’s Tools for Independence
(TFI) more than two and a half years ago.
When he would come home from Marshall
during school breaks, he would work with a
direct support professional from the
Zimmerman-Horowitz Independent Living
Program and share his college triumphs and
challenges with his support network.
“Eren is just amazing, and we are so
proud of him,” said Rena Harris, ZH-ILP
program manager.
The ZH-ILP staff works with Eren to
be more independent, and it provides social
father had bought a gramophone, and “Blue
Skies” was among the tunes on those big old 78
record platters. That company making those
old phonographs, as we call them now, was
RCA Victor, with the logo of a dog, listening to
“His Master’s Voice.” It did not run on electricity; we had to wind it up every few minutes.
But it was pure magic for this six-year-old.
There was even more magic a year or two later,
when my father brought home a box, plugged a
wire into probably the only outlet in the entire
house, and—voila!—a man’s voice came out,
saying something about the day’s news. Papa
was ecstatic, I’m sure, but the magic was all
mine.
I do have some CDs and play all those
“This is a great program for our clients,
because it teaches them valuable employment skills,” says Rachel Miller, director of
TFI WORKS. “Plus, this is paid work, so
they have an opportunity to build up their
own business.”
Is
confidentiality
an
issue?
TeamWORKS honors confidentiality of all
files. And service is provided during the
day.
References are available upon request.
Current happy customers include WYZE
Radio and Therapy Works.
Contact Rachel Miller, at 770-6779450 or [email protected], for more
information.
wonderful tunes we call golden oldies, and I
listen to them on another player in my apartment. Of course, they are outdated, too, what
with smartphones, iPods, and all the other
whatchamacallits on the market now, that every
teenager uses to tweet, twiddle, or take pictures, be on Facebook or whatever else the
young folks do to, with, and for, these days.
I told you I was a dinosaur. Believe me, I
can’t even name some of the modern marvels
around me. Perhaps in my next life; but, by that
time, all the above stuff will be obsolete. And
then what? I’m too old and tired to even think
about it. In fact, a little nap would feel just right
now.
In the meantime, God Bless America.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
The romance of Israeli trains
By Lynne and Tom Keating
The El Al flight from Toronto cut
through the sunrise and landed at about
7:00 a.m., at Ben Gurion Airport,
Wednesday, October 26, 2011. We collected
our bags, cleared passport control and customs, visited the restrooms and an ATM,
and then purchased a Winter 2011-12 Train
Time Table at the ticket office.
An escalator took us down to the track,
where we boarded #148 to Savidor Center,
one of four stations in Tel Aviv.
This was Lynne’s third, Tom’s initial,
and our first shared trip to Israel. The rail
experience from the airport lived up to a
guide book description: “The most straightforward method of getting from Ben Gurion
airport to Tel Aviv is by train.”
We love trains. Why should Israel be
different?
After two days of beach walks, exploring street markets, and living and reliving
Tel Aviv and Jaffa’s attractions, we stood on
Platform 4, waiting for our second train.
Trip notes remind us that for 22 new Israeli
shekels (NIS) each, we boarded Train 6519
at precisely 11:44 a.m. and headed eastward
to Jerusalem.
Several more Israelis climbed on at the
quick stops at the HaShalom and HaHagana
stations. We whisked through stations listed
in the schedule book and reached Lod two
minutes after noon.
With the rhythmic clacking of wheels
on the track and an occasional whoo of a
whistle, we looked from two seats in row 15
through somewhat dirty windows at the
marvels moving past: a caravan of twenty
camels, refineries, turtledoves, cattle egrets,
tawny mounds of earth, and green agricultural fields.
Walking through the cars, we saw military personnel with yarmulkes and guns,
sleeping youngsters, readers of Lonely
Planet guidebooks, students with
earplugs—and no dining car.
The lion-skin color of the rolling hills
reminded us of northern New Mexico,
while the drooping willows at the creek’s
edge, the Bedouins picking olives and other
fruits off trees, and the sheep in stone compounds offered distinct scenes of Erev
Israel.
We traveled east through Ramla, Bet
Shemesh, rolling topography, and the
Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and arrived in less
than two hours at our destination—the new,
clean, modern Malha station. We were in
the City of David.
A week later, on our 86-kilometer
return trip to Tel Aviv, the northern windows became our portals to the same scenes
in the Soreq Valley, which never tired us,
especially when, from our car, we could see
the engine winding west toward Tel Aviv,
along the deep river bed.
Page 37
which forced us to leave the rolling
Samsonite behind our seats on the first
floor. When we first glimpsed the turquoise
water, we excitedly climbed upstairs to
enjoy our ticketed view of the
Mediterranean for 46.50 NIS.
Window view of train curving
through countryside to Tel Aviv
Departure schedule at Malha Station
in Jerusalem
Despite an Atlanta rabbi’s critique that,
“The trains are OK, just so slow,” we firmly hold to the adage that train time is like no
other. Train buffs rarely ask or answer the
question: “How long did it take?” Rather,
we began to prepare for our Georgia Jewish
friends asking incredulously, “What trains
in Israel?”
We disembarked from our second
adventure, gave thanks, hailed a cab to The
Little House of Bakah (our delightful bed
and breakfast recommended by another
Atlanta rabbi), and then walked to the
Western Wall for our first Sabbath in Yireh
Shalem.
We yearned for a handy copy of the 5th
edition of Baedeker’s Palestine and Syria
1912, yet we knew we could read this
unique account when we returned home, in
the special collections area of Emory’s
Woodruff Library.
Instead, we used The Guide to Israel
(1964) by Zev Vilnay and remembered
Martin Gilbert’s description of the “narrow
gauge, single-track railway” from its 1892
beginning, when the Jaffa-Jerusalem line
was started by the Jewish and Ottoman financier Joseph Navon.
Years before our adventure, Rabbi
“Alphabet” Browne, of The Temple, had
reported on these same plans in the Jewish
South.
We read and reminisced about the pilgrims, settlers, missionaries, and tourists
who had taken this same ride in the Yishuv.
A friend and former Temple member,
Fran Hunter, who made aliyah and now
lived in Netanya, encouraged us to ride the
train to Haifa and then take buses to Safed,
Tiberius, and back to Jerusalem.
So we boarded a double-decker in Tel
Aviv, with one suitcase. Our car had neither
a luggage rack nor any overhead space,
Coastal view from train window
The romantic and historical scenery
sped by. We returned aglow to our seats,
startled to find our luggage gone. Imagine
two American tourists, like schlumps, leaving luggage unattended on an Israeli train.
Luckily, Judah, an attendant in the
HaShaman station, in Haifa, helped us
reboard back to Binyamin. We had no time
to study its Rothschildean roots, as we
jumped off, ran to a train side office,
grabbed our bag—which must have been
searched and x-rayed, since no one slowed
us down—and, within three minutes,
stepped onto the northbound train for a
third and last look at the beaches from Dor
to Atlit.
All’s well that ends well. With better
insights, after six train rides, including two
free ones, Israel and its trains beckon us to
return. Next year in Jerusalem—to ride the
light rail.
The Keatings, Lynne, a writer, and Tom, an
educator, are members of The Temple.
Unique volunteer opportunity in Israel
Volunteers for Israel is planning a
Southeast (eight-state) Regional trip to
Israel, November 4-22.
VFI has been a vibrant force in bringing Jews and Christians to Israel, to experience an adventure of a lifetime.
This 30-year-old program is open to
healthy individuals, ages 18-80, who are
seeking something different. VFI participants volunteer in a safe job environment
on an Israeli Army base, working, eating,
and living on the base Sunday-Thursday, to
give Israel and her soldiers a helping hand.
Volunteers can travel locally on their
own on weekends or join special activities
planned for the group, including walking
tours, shopping, and sightseeing in Tel Aviv
or other Israeli cities on the first weekend.
On the second weekend, volunteers
can register for a 2-day bus tour with a
licensed tour guide in the area south of Tel
Aviv, including Sderot; Kibbutz Yad
Mordechai; Ben Gurion’s desert home; and
the Black Arrow memorial, where participants will pay their respects to General
Aaron Davidi, founder of VFI; and more.
On Friday night (erev Shabbat), there will
be an overnight stop and Shabbat dinner at
the Beduoin Hospitality Center, in the
Negev Desert.
The registration fee for this trip is $90.
Participants will make their own flight
arrangements and will meet early Sunday
morning, November 4, at Ben Gurion
Airport, near Tel Aviv.
For the second weekend activities,
there will be an additional charge of
approximately $320 (depending on the
number of people going), to cover two
overnights, two breakfasts, Shabbat dinner,
licensed guide, bus, and gratuities.
This program ends on Thanksgiving—
November 22—but it is possible to do two
weeks on the program and the weekend
tour and still be back in time for turkey and
all the trimmings.
There will be a meeting in late August
for local participants. For information, visit
www.vfi-usa.org, then call Sharon Sleeper,
404-378-8692, Alan Mintz, 770-522-8960,
Tim Anderson 404-441-1176, or Leon
Rechtman, 770-328-4573.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 38
Schwartz on Sports
BY Jerry
Schwartz
ALTA COCKER V. It was a beautiful
spring morning at the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta. The softball fields were lined off and ready for
play, the umpires were there, and approximately 100 guys who had played in the
Adult Softball League during the years
1971-1992 showed up at 9:00 a.m., ready
for some softball, friendly conversation,
and good food. Gene Benator was
addressing everyone and giving directions, so it had to be Alta Cocker V.
I arrived with my wife, Nancy, just as
Gene was talking about the four teams—
the Moyels, Nebbishes, Farmishts, and
Meshugeners—and distributing lists indicating who was assigned to them. He also
talked about the guys who were playing
for the first time: Howard Finkelstein
drove in from Birmingham to take the
mound, and Bob Spector, Howard
Kelman, Marty Ellin, Josh Kamin (and
son, a future center star), Milton
Silberstein, Arnie Schneider, Jerry
Draluck, and Ed Hano were there and
ready to play. Gene recognized the three
former players who had passed away during the year. We observed a moment of
silence for Henry Levi, Hal Krafchick,
and Marvin Isenberg.
Once again, Gene had everything
well organized, and we played a round
robin of three games, each lasting two
innings. I was able to play this year and
even had Richard Luftig hit me some
ground balls at Zaban during the week.
Thanks, Richard. Unfortunately, the first
ball hit to me at shortstop wasn’t an easy
one or two bouncer, but a shot by Chuck
Palefsky in the hole. I managed to get my
glove on it and tried to field it off my right
cheekbone. Thanks, Chuck, for the shiner.
The rest of the day was much tamer. I
even got to be the “middle man” in two
double plays. Of course, with Alta
Cockers running, there was plenty of time
to make the pivot at second and throw to
first. For the second straight year, Lloyd
Marbach made the play of the day, when
he snagged a shot by Scott Moscow down
the third base line.
Gene sent the guys an e-mail with
some of the highlights of the morning, and
I’m going to include them, as well as
other observations. It was great to see
some veteran Alta Cockers, whose playing days go back to when Gene started in
the league in 1971 and earlier.
Ralph Kahn told me that his grandson, Jared, was named Chattahoochee
Valley Community College’s most outstanding student for the 2011-12 academic year. Jared, who earned his associate’s
degree with a perfect 4.0 GPA, was the
star of the night. The son of Phillip and
Fredericka Kahn, he plans to pursue a
career in medicine and will be playing
baseball at Emory University next year.
That should help Ralph with his gasoline
Alta Cocker Veterans: (front, from left) George Wise, Mort Diamenstein,
Lester Pazol, Jon Miller, Willie Green, Ralph Amiel, Joel Lobel, Jerry
Schwartz, Fred Benamy, and Bob Marmer; (back) Bobby Thompson, Ed
Solomon, Jay Cohen, and Alan Wolkin. Not pictured: Gabby Balser, Donnie
Diamond, Bill Klineman, Jim Clancy, and Ralph Kahn
July-August 2012
bill.
The Metro Boys (Ronnie Merlin, Art
Seiden, Joel Lobel, Frank Cervasio, Tom
Harvey, and Robbie Baron) were all there.
George Shulhofer still looks in great
shape and reminded me that, 25 years ago,
I showed him my glove, on which I had
written in the pocket, “Keep your head
down.” That’s pretty ironic, considering
what happened to me about 30 minutes
later.
Gene Benator showed us a new move,
fielding a dribbler down the first-base
line. He tried to use his “soccer kick” to
get the ball to first, a move he had used
successfully 13 times before, according to
Gene. It didn’t work this time.
It was great seeing Robbie Baron,
who had just completed a five-mile run
before coming to the game. Robbie looks
like he could get back on the basketball
court again.
Howard Wertheimer was playing
shortstop, with his Mickey Mantle number seven on and looking like Derek Jeter.
(That might be a stretch.)
My son Michael and granddaughter
Sophia got to see some of the game, when
they came over after watching grandson
Zachary in a T-ball game on a nearby
field.
There was a great deli spread after the
game, thanks to Marcus Katz, who sponsored it. Nancy and I shared a table with
George Wise, Lloyd and Peggy Marbach,
and Neil Wiesenfeld and his family.
I got an extra treat after the game,
when Brian Wertheim invited me to attend
the Hawks-Celtics playoff game that
night, which the Hawks won. Thanks,
Brian, for capping off a fun day.
Thanks again to Gene and Marcus for
making it happen. I’m already looking
forward to Alta Cocker VI.
Letʼs do it again next year: Gene
Benator and Marcus Katz
THE GOLD DUST TWINS. During the
Alta Cocker game, Chuck Palefsky told
me that his father, Abram “Pete” Palefsky,
who died in 1974, was going to be
enshrined in the Savannah Greater
Athletic Hall of Fame, on May 7, and
Chuck was accepting the award and making remarks. Chuck’s uncle, Bernie
Kramer, who died in 1987, was also being
honored, and his son, Andy, would do the
same for his father. Their selection was
for basketball and community service.
Pete and Bernie had previously been
Bernie Kramer and Pete Palefsky:
The Gold Dust Twins, 1947–48,
Commercial High School
enshrined in the Jewish Educational
Alliance Athletic Hall of Fame.
During the 1940s, at ages 13-14, Pete
and Bernie were terrific basketball players
in Savannah and were nicknamed “The
Gold Dust Twins” by a Savannah sportswriter.
Their basketball high school careers
were interrupted by World War II, when
Pete entered the Navy and Bernie the
Marines at age 16. After the war, they
came back to Savannah and played
together on the first basketball team at
Commercial High School.
They both received letters of intent to
play at the University of North Carolina
but decided to stay in Savannah and play
at Armstrong Junior College, because they
wanted to play for their hometown.
Armstrong Junior College made it to the
National Junior College Tournament in
1948, finishing in third place, and the reputation of “The Gold Dust Twins” grew.
They were tenacious, famous for their
“blind passes,” ability to drive for the
bucket, and love of the game.
Chuck told me about the exhibition
game in Savannah between the JEA
Tornados and the Detroit Vagabonds, a
traveling professional team founded by
Abe Saperstein, the man who founded the
famous Harlem Globetrotters. The Gold
Dust Twins performed so well that they
were offered positions on the Vagabonds,
but declined because they didn’t want to
lose their amateur status.
Chuck said his father spent the later
years of his life coaching and managing
league teams. He had a real love of the
game and a love for his hometown.
I hope you enjoyed this edition. Until
next time, drive for the bucket and score.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 39
Out to the field: An Atlanta Jewish sports story, Part II
By David Geffen
Part I of this story appeared in the May-June
issue of The Jewish Georgian.
My football career continued in a limited
fashion. I acquired a secondhand football and
a helmet, so if I was somewhere and had this
basic equipment with me, a game was possible. We had a few games at Grant Park, the
public park on Atlanta’s south side. A rowdy
group frequented the park, and those of us who
were not really athletes got banged up. My
parents could not figure out where all my
bruises came from, since I merely told them
that I was just going out to have a good time.
After one season in 1948, my football
burst and there was no interest in reviving it.
What made all these sports more fun were the
games behind the shul, Shearith Israel, on
Washington Street.
The synagogue building, the little shul,
was completed in 1930. As part of its previous
structure, Shearith Israel had built a large mikvah. There, many of the boys and girls, none of
whom is still alive, learned how to swim. My
grandfather, Rabbi Tobias Geffen, was not a
certified lifeguard, but he was the one who
checked the mikvah to make sure it was
“kosher.” No pictures of that mikvah exist, but
I was told that it was enormous, 40’ x 70’.
Women came only after 8:00 p.m., and the
men had free range the rest of the time.
When the new shul was constructed, a
piece of land was left in the back, extending up
to the wooden fence that marked the boundary
of the property. In spite of the rocky terrain, in
spite of rising ground on the sides, and in spite
of the length and width, that land became a
sports paradise. Every day, before religious
school started at 3:30 p.m., the field behind the
shul was packed.
Let me recall a few of the notable athletes. The first were the Tuck brothers: Bobby,
Leon, and Albert. They happened to be
Kohanim, and I assumed that, when they
duchaned on the holidays, their sporting spirit
rose. They blessed us, and God blessed them.
Only Albert was in my age range. He was
a natural athlete who excelled in all sports. His
hands were large, so he could handle a football
and basketball with ease. Albert seemed to
have springs in his legs—jumping was no
problem for him. His two older brothers,
Bobby and Leon, played high school basketball well and led their team to the finals on a
few occasions. Albert’s crowning moment was
in the Georgia state tournament, when he not
only scored 20 points but also blocked a number of shots.
Irving “Boogie” Boorstein played only
when he was home from the yeshiva in
Baltimore where he studied. His set shot was
superb; he could steal bases without any indication whatsoever; and he was a wonderful
wide receiver long before that term was used.
Charles Firestone got most of the height
in his family and used it to good advantage in
softball and basketball. His older brother,
Stanford, was a terrific basketball player. As I
watched all these people—as well as others I
have not mentioned—I wondered what I could
do.
First off, my father was a southpaw—a
leftie—so I thought that he could not teach me
too much. His left-handedness and my righthandedness turned out to be heaven-sent. He
had an old glove from the teens, southpaw of
course, but he made me use it while he and I
practiced throwing. After a few weeks, I could
catch and pitch pretty well. Then, with my
own glove, I moved on to the shul, where I
practiced my batting and got into shape.
By age 10, I was ready for the shul
league. I was always stuck in the short outfield, but I did make a few nice grabs. My hitting picked up—mostly singles, but at least I
was in the lineup.
The big concern was always the fence at
the end of the outfield, which marked someone
else’s property. Of course, hitting the ball over
the fence was a home run. The problem was
how to retrieve the ball. Different people performed this function with skill and finesse.
One day, someone hit the ball over the fence
when I was playing.
“David, climb under the fence and get the
ball.”
“Why me?” I cried out. “Surely another
person can do it better and quicker.”
“Just because you are the rabbi’s grandkid, you think that you are special, someone
said.”
What could I do? I slid under the fence,
got the ball, and threw it back.
“Kid, what are you doing in my backyard?” a woman shouted from her back porch.
“This is private property, not for Jewboys like
you. I am coming out to give you a whipping.”
Luckily, I was able to get back under the fence
before she came out there. Was I scared1 That
was the only time I ever got the ball.
As I gravitated from playing behind the
shul to playing on a real field, I realized that I
had a talent in softball. I discovered that my
right throwing arm was really strong, so I was
able to make the teams in the Boy Scouts, in
AZA. and later in the college fraternity as an
outfielder. I challenged many runners to take
an extra base on my arm, and, usually, I was
able to throw them out. My hitting was never
that consistent. I was too slow to steal bases,
but my arm was like a rocket.
Stan Silverman, our AZA softball coach,
once told me, “You have studied a lot of Torah
to have a throwing arm that strong. I knew that
your grandfather could teach, but I never knew
he taught baseball, too.”
I did not make the traveling squads for
any sport, but I enjoyed the competition and
the camaraderie that I found on the Atlanta
playing fields in my younger years. When I
look at my children and grandchildren and
focus on all the sports they have played in
Israel, I am really proud of them. They have a
joyful sense of sporting enthusiasm.
Page 40
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
MISH MASH
By Erin O’Shinskey
NEW BOARD. The new board members of
the Peach State Stitchers, Atlanta Chapter, of
The Pomegranate Guild of Judaic
Needlework, are: Jacqueline Granath, president; Debbie Taratoot, corresponding secretary; Vilma Arensen, recording secretary;
Luci Sunshine, treasurer; committee chairs
Roberta Gross and Susan Big (membership),
Pamela Rishfeld and June Schwartz (program), Judy Berman (newsletter), Gail
Sklosky (community relations), Barbara
Flexner and Barbara Rucket (field trips), Judy
Sternberg (stitch-ins), Flora Rosefsky (publicity), Arlette Berlin and Carol Katz (tzedakah),
Margie Steiner (website); and Brenda
Bookman, Rina Wolfe, and Harriet Zoller,
members at large.
Outgoing Peach State Stitchers president Barbara Flexner (left) and newly
installed chapter president Jacqueline
Granath hold painted ceramic pomegranates on which their names, along
with other past chapter presidents, are
inscribed
“BUTTERFLY,” HERE AND IN RUSSIA.
Atlanta’s famed Boy Choir, under the direction of Maestro Fletcher Wolfe, has returned
from St. Petersburg, Russia, where it presented, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” The
music was written by Cantor Charles
Davidson to the poems of the Jewish children
who were imprisoned by the Nazis during the
Second World War in Teresianstadt,
Czechoslovakia. Of the 15,000 children
interned, only 150 survived. The choir has
performed this work of hope and despair to
The Atlanta Boy Choir at its recent
performance of “I Never Saw
Another Butterfly,” at The Temple
audiences worldwide for almost a half century and recently gave a performance at The
Temple, with Mira Hirsch narrating.
AWARD WINNERS. This year’s Lee Haertel
Award went to Nathan Cohen and Jason
Zarge. The award is given annually to the 12year-old Sandy Springs Youth Sports National
League player (or players) who displays
excellence on the playing field, in addition to
exhibiting utmost sportsmanship, citizenship,
and scholarship. Lee Haertel was a tireless
worker who donated freely of his time and talents to make SSYS a tremendous baseball
program for all. He served as a coach, manager, and president of the league. He was
beloved by all who knew him and was a role
model for all.
Jason Zarge (left) and Nate Cohen
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN HONORED. On May
18, Israeli Major-General (Ret.) Isaac BenIsrael, Georgia State Representative and
House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, and
living members of the Tuskegee Airmen laid a
wreath on the tomb of WWII comrade and
Atlanta native 1st Lt. Walter D.
Westmoreland, at South View Cemetery.
Major General Ben-Israel was in Atlanta to
speak at the Georgia International Law
Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) 20th
Anniversary Gala and brief Georgia law
enforcement agency heads on security matters. Lt. Westmoreland graduated from
Tuskegee Army Flying School (Class 43-G),
on July 28, 1943. On October 13, 1944, he
was killed in combat.
LUNCH WITH THE GIRLS. Members of
Mount Scopus Group of Greater Atlanta
Hadassah recently enjoyed a fabulous kosher
lunch at the Argentinian grill restaurant,
FuegoMundo, 5590 Roswell Road, Sandy
Springs. On the first Monday of every month,
Fuego Mundo will donate 10% of the cus-
tomer’s lunch or dinner bill to Greater Atlanta
Hadassah; obtain a coupon from
Atlanta.hadassah.org. For more information
about this “fun”raiser, contact Edie Barr, at
404-325-0340. Pictured (from left) are Edie
Barr, Jody Franco, Regine Rosenfelder, Pearl
Schaikewitz, Marilyn Perling, and Shoshana
Kagan
NEW CONFIRMATION CLASS. Reform
Jewish Congregation Ner Tamid, of West
Cobb, now offers confirmation classes, which
are guided by Rabbi Tom Liebschutz and
Reuven Milikovsky. In addition, the
Religious School holds classes for children,
from pre-K through b’nai mitzvah.
Confirmation Class, for those grades 8-12,
will be held in Acworth, beginning August 26.
Congregation membership is not required in
the first year of enrollment. Need-based
scholarships are available for those who qualify. For more information, e-mail [email protected], visit www.mynertamid.org, or call 678-264-8575.
OFFICERS INSTALLED. The Mt. Scopus
Group of Greater Atlanta Hadassah had its
closing luncheon and installation of officers,
May 20, at the Selig Center. Toby Parker, past
group president of Mt. Scopus and past president of Greater Atlanta Hadassah, installed
the board. Pictured: (from left) Marilyn
Perling, co-president; Susan Berkowitz, copresident; Toby Parker; Loretta Bernstein,
corresponding secretary; Baily Olim, recording secretary; Sally Rosenberg, treasurer;
Edie Barr, co-VP fundraising; Sarah
Silverman (with baby Leora), co-VP fundraising; Regine Rosenfelder, co-VP membership;
Suzan Tibor, VP programming; and Lois
Cohen, VP education. Not pictured: Julia
Alvo, co-VP membership
BRANDEIS OFFICERS. The Atlanta
Chapter of the Brandeis National Committee
held its closing luncheon and installation of
2012-2013 officers, May 9, at the McCormick
& Schmidt’s Perimeter location. Guest speaker was Tammy Stokes, of West Coast
Rhonda Bercoon, outgoing co-president (from left); Joyce Natbony,
2012-2013
president;
Melissa
Rosenbloum, outgoing co-president
July-August 2012
Workout, whose topic was “Being the Best
You at Any Age.” Joyce Natbony was
installed as the 2012-2013 president.
Immediate past-presidents are Melissa
Rosenbloum and Rhonda Bercoon. The Helen
M. Goldstein Volunteer of the Year Award
was presented to Barbie Perlmutter.
HAVERIM SCOUTS. Haverim, the only
Jewish Girl Scout Service Unit in the USA, in
conjunction with the Jewish War Veterans
Post 112, placed flags on Jewish veteran’s
graves in Greenwood Cemetery on May 20.
Other major programs this year were a singalong at The Bremen Museum, camping at
Pine Acres, Girl Scout Shabbat services, and a
Bridging Ceremony at Congregation Or
Hadash. Troops meet at The Epstein School,
Greenfield Hebrew Academy, Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta, and
Congregation Beth Shalom. For information
about joining or forming a new troop, contact
Sheila Mills, [email protected], or
Judy Glassman, [email protected].
TASTE OF TOCO. On Sunday, June 3, the
Mt. Scopus Group of Greater Atlanta
Hadassah held its first annual “A Taste of
Toco,” during which the group toured four
special homes in Toco Hill. Event sponsor
Whole Foods Market, at Briarcliff and
LaVista Roads, provided snacks and coupons
for all who attended. The money from this
fundraiser goes to support medical research at
the state-of-the-art Hadassah hospitals in
Jerusalem, Israel. For more information about
Hadassah and upcoming events, contact
Susan Berkowitz, 404-622-9601, or Marilyn
Perling, 404-294-1613, or email [email protected].
Mt. Scopus members (from left) Evi
Resnick, Barbara Fisher (house tour
co-chair), Edie Barr (house tour cochair), Shirlee Kaplan, and Sally
Rosenberg
GIVE BLOOD, SAVE A LIFE. Every summer, there is an increased need for blood
donations. Right now, all blood types, especially types O negative and positive, B negative, and A negative, are needed to help ensure
a sufficient blood supply for patients. Visit
redcrossblood.org and enter your zip code to
find a blood drive or blood donation center.
The Red Cross hosts numerous drives daily in
the Atlanta area and has six blood donation
centers in metro Atlanta. Appointments can be
made online or by calling 1-800-RED
CROSS.
July-August 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
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July-August 2012
July-August 2012
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
July-August 2012