BUY ONLINE AND SAVE GeorgiaAquarium.org Atlanta WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM INSIDE VOL. XCI NO. 3 JANUARY 22, 2016 | 12 SHEVAT 5776 Calendar................................... 2 Candle Lighting ...................... 3 Israel ......................................... 9 Opinion .................................. 10 Education ............................... 13 Business .................................26 Food ........................................ 27 Arts ..........................................28 Obituaries ..............................29 Simchas ..................................29 Crossword .............................. 30 Marketplace .......................... 31 By R.M. Grossblatt T he Marcus Jewish Community Center is marking Tu B’Shevat by adding something new to its tra- ditional lineup of recreation, education, socialization and other services: a com- munity orchard. Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Ranger Robby Astrove, who has planted about 50 orchards the past six years and last year launched Fruit For- ward Orchards to put fruit trees through- out the Atlanta area, will help youths plant 15 fruit trees at the Marcus JCC’s Dunwoody campus at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, outside the Barbara and Sanford Orkin Teen House. Tu B’Shevat, the new year of the trees, is the next day. “We are very excited to be partner- ing with Fruit Forward and thrilled that they are donating trees to help the MJCC commemorate Tu B’Shevat,” said Cheri Lewis, public relations and communica- tions manager at the center. Astrove credited Jonathan Tescher of Farm to Table, the founder of Sparta Imperial Mushrooms, for a fundraising dinner at The Temple in December that supported orchard planting. He also gave credit to Georgia Interfaith Power & Light for helping to sponsor the event. GIPL calls the tree planting at the Marcus JCC “Georgia’s first faith-based orchard.” The small orchard will honor GIPL’s founding board members: the Rev. Woody Bartlett, Gary Harris, Marti Breen, Renee Kastanakis and Noah Levine. “It’s a meaningful way rather than a plaque to honor our founders for their vision and leadership,” said the Rev. Kate McGregor Mosley, the executive director of GIPL. The faith-based environmental group has helped over 500 congregations Tu B’Shevat to Be Fruitful for Marcus JCC become more aware of conservation and sustainability prac- tices, enabling them to reduce their ener- gy use and costs. Last March, GIPL award- ed Young Israel of Toco Hills the Gippy Award for Congrega- tion of the Year for the construction and sustainability of its new building. Now, McGregor Mosley said, GIPL is encouraging congregations and commu- nity centers to help solve the “food des- ert” problem by planting edibles. Food deserts are areas where peo- ple lack access in their neighborhoods to healthy, affordable food, especially fruits and vegetables. McGregor Mosley said GIPL supports the efforts of rabbis to bring more edible landscapes to their places of worship. “What if every congregation in At- lanta planted edibles?” she said. Although he recognizes that many faith communities have feeding pro- grams, Astrove supports GIPL’s efforts to solve the food desert problem. He said fruit trees surrounding places of worship “will last for decades and produce hun- dreds and hundreds of pounds of fruit effortlessly.” The 15 trees being planted at the Marcus JCC — a mix of apple, pear, per- simmon and plum trees — will need time to mature. “While the fruit trees offer beautifi- cation for the JCC campus, they will, over time, grow food for families,” GIPL’s ex- ecutive director said. According to orlah, a complex Jewish law, the fruit of trees shouldn’t be eaten for the first three years of growth. In tune with the sensitivity of this law, Astrove said that as an ecologist and arborist he has “learned so much about patience and waiting.” He added that planting trees is who he is as a person, connecting him to his culture, which thus gives him “another excuse to plant.” On eruv Tu B’Shevat, Astrove will show JCC teens how to plant fruit trees. He sees the youth service project as a rite of passage for them. One participant is planting fruit trees for his bar mitzvah project. “It’s hope for the future,” Astrove said. ■ The Rev. Kate McGregor Mosley leads GIPL. Photo by David R. Cohen Park Ranger Robby Astrove on Jan. 24 will help plant apple trees like this young one he’s pretending to take a bite out of at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. He says the tree will mature in about five years. For more about Ranger Robby, see Page 7. Inside: Education Special Section, Pages 13-25 DIGGING IN Organic gardening is part of the daily healthy rou- tine for Sunshine School preschoolers. Page 13 KING DAY Congregation B’nai Israel and The Temple welcome black preachers and their churches to help remember Martin Lu- ther King Jr. Pages 6, 10 GIVING LESSONS The 10th annual Balser Symposium is a chance for financial advisers to learn some new tricks and, more than that, an opportunity to develop a citywide culture of philanthropy. Page 26 ON BROADWAY The search for Atlanta’s best bagel is back, this time with the rare kosher entry from Broadway Cafe. Page 27 FOND FAREWELLS One East Cobb teen ends her year as USY president while another takes off for a semester in Israel. Pages 14, 15 DR. SCIENCE Torah Day School children learn natural wonders from a retired doc- tor who couldn’t stay away. Page 18
The Marcus Jewish Community Center is marking Tu B’Shevat by adding something new to its tra-
ditional lineup of recreation, education, socialization and other services: a com-munity orchard.
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Ranger Robby Astrove, who has planted about 50 orchards the past six years and last year launched Fruit For-ward Orchards to put fruit trees through-out the Atlanta area, will help youths plant 15 fruit trees at the Marcus JCC’s Dunwoody campus at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, outside the Barbara and Sanford Orkin Teen House. Tu B’Shevat, the new year of the trees, is the next day.
“We are very excited to be partner-ing with Fruit Forward and thrilled that they are donating trees to help the MJCC commemorate Tu B’Shevat,” said Cheri Lewis, public relations and communica-tions manager at the center.
Astrove credited Jonathan Tescher of Farm to Table, the founder of Sparta Imperial Mushrooms, for a fundraising dinner at The Temple in December that supported orchard planting. He also gave credit to Georgia Interfaith Power & Light for helping to sponsor the event.
GIPL calls the tree planting at the Marcus JCC “Georgia’s first faith-based orchard.”
The small orchard will honor GIPL’s founding board members: the Rev. Woody Bartlett, Gary Harris, Marti Breen, Renee Kastanakis and Noah Levine.
“It’s a meaningful way rather than a plaque to honor our founders for their vision and leadership,” said the Rev. Kate McGregor Mosley, the executive director of GIPL.
The faith-based environmental group has helped over 500 congregations
Tu B’Shevat to Be Fruitful for Marcus JCCbecome more aware of conservation and sustainability prac-tices, enabling them to reduce their ener-gy use and costs. Last March, GIPL award-ed Young Israel of Toco Hills the Gippy Award for Congrega-tion of the Year for the construction and sustainability of its new building.
Now, McGregor Mosley said, GIPL is encouraging congregations and commu-nity centers to help solve the “food des-ert” problem by planting edibles.
Food deserts are areas where peo-ple lack access in their neighborhoods to healthy, affordable food, especially fruits and vegetables. McGregor Mosley said GIPL supports the efforts of rabbis to bring more edible landscapes to their places of worship.
“What if every congregation in At-lanta planted edibles?” she said.
Although he recognizes that many faith communities have feeding pro-grams, Astrove supports GIPL’s efforts to solve the food desert problem. He said fruit trees surrounding places of worship “will last for decades and produce hun-dreds and hundreds of pounds of fruit effortlessly.”
The 15 trees being planted at the Marcus JCC — a mix of apple, pear, per-simmon and plum trees — will need time to mature.
“While the fruit trees offer beautifi-cation for the JCC campus, they will, over time, grow food for families,” GIPL’s ex-ecutive director said.
According to orlah, a complex Jewish law, the fruit of trees shouldn’t be eaten for the first three years of growth. In tune
with the sensitivity of this law, Astrove said that as an ecologist and arborist he has “learned so much about patience and waiting.”
He added that planting trees is who he is as a person, connecting him to his culture, which thus gives him “another excuse to plant.”
On eruv Tu B’Shevat, Astrove will show JCC teens how to plant fruit trees. He sees the youth service project as a rite of passage for them. One participant is planting fruit trees for his bar mitzvah project.
“It’s hope for the future,” Astrove said. ■
The Rev. Kate McGregor Mosley
leads GIPL.
Photo by David R. CohenPark Ranger Robby Astrove on Jan. 24
will help plant apple trees like this young one he’s pretending to take a bite out of at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain
Nature Preserve. He says the tree will mature in about five years. For more
about Ranger Robby, see Page 7.
Inside: Education Special Section, Pages 13-25DIGGING INOrganic gardening is part of the daily healthy rou-tine for Sunshine School preschoolers. Page 13
KING DAYCongregation B’nai Israel and The Temple welcome black preachers and their churches to help remember Martin Lu-ther King Jr. Pages 6, 10
GIVING LESSONSThe 10th annual Balser Symposium is a chance for financial advisers to learn some new tricks and, more than that, an opportunity to develop a citywide culture of philanthropy. Page 26
ON BROADWAYThe search for Atlanta’s best bagel is back, this time with the rare kosher entry from Broadway Cafe. Page 27
FOND FAREWELLSOne East Cobb teen ends her year as USY president while another takes off for a semester in Israel. Pages 14, 15
DR. SCIENCETorah Day School children learn natural wonders from a retired doc-tor who couldn’t stay away. Page 18
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THURSDAY, JAN. 21Book talk. Israeli journalist Eldad Beck, author of the new “Germany, at Odds,” speaks at 7 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon High-way, Sandy Springs. Admission is $5; www.ajcatlanta.org.
Addiction and recovery. Interfaith-Family/Atlanta, Moishe House De-catur, and Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA hold “Coffeehouse: Addictions and Other Loves” with live music, coffee and discussion at 7:30 p.m. at Moishe House, 211 Second Ave., Decatur. Free; www.facebook.com/events/1184315581597101.
SATURDAY, JAN. 23Guest chef. Avivit Priel Avichai, the chef-owner of Ouzeria in Tel Aviv, joins chef Todd Ginsberg at Yalla at Krog Street Market, 99 Krog St., Atlanta, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Details at www.facebook.com/events/214359632233513.
AA fundraiser. Ahavath Achim Syna-gogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, holds its Club 600 BBQ & Bourbon fundraiser with dancing and a silent auction at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $75; aasynagogue.org/giving-pay-ments/114153-2.html.
PAL fundraiser. Jewish Family & Ca-reer Services’ Volunteers in Action hosts Havinagala, a benefit for PAL, At-lanta’s only Jewish Big Brother/Big Sis-ter program, from 8 to 11 p.m. at Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Midtown. Tickets are $55 in advance or $60 at the door; www.havinagala.org.
SUNDAY, JAN. 24Tu B’Shevat planting. Trees Atlanta holds a planting from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighbor-hood, starting at Delano Drive and Rocky Ford Road. Free; register at form.jotform.com/53273964351964.
Israel Bonds brunch. Israel Defense Forces 1st Sgt. Izzy Ezagui is the speak-er, and Elise and Gary Meyer are the honorees at the bonds brunch at Con-gregation Or VeShalom, 1681 North Druid Hills Road, Brookhaven, at 10:30 a.m. The cost is $40; [email protected] or 404-857-1065.
Daffodil planting. Auschwitz survivor Thomas Buergenthal joins Am Yisrael Chai for a Daffodil Project planting at 12:30 p.m. at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., downtown. Free; bit.ly/23aA3hT.
Archaeology lecture. University of North Carolina professor Jodi Magness delivers a lecture on “Samson in Stone: New Discoveries in the Ancient Syna-gogue in Israel’s Galilee” at 3 p.m. in the Oxford Presentation Room of Em-ory University’s Oxford Road Building. Free; mesas.emory.edu/home.
“Pure vs. Degenerate.” A concert at 5 p.m. presented by the Atlanta Opera at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, explores the Nazi war on Jewish and other music by pairing accepted and banned pieces, along with commentary by two children of survivors, Atlanta Opera Music Direc-tor Arthur Fagan and Holocaust music scholar Laurence Sherr. A reception at 4 p.m. precedes the concert. Tickets are $49 for Breman members and $59 for nonmembers or $117 for the three-con-cert series ($147 for non-Breman mem-bers); thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.
Holocaust remembrance. One of the youngest Auschwitz survivors, Thomas Buergenthal, speaks at 7 p.m. at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, 7 Con-course Parkway, Sandy Springs, in Am Yisrael Chai’s Courage and Compas-sion event. An exhibit about Auschwitz opens at 5:30; people are encouraged to
arrive early to provide time for security checks. Free; RSVP is required at cour-ageandcompassion.eventbrite.com.
Jazz concert. The Turtle Island Quartet performs at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for JCC members and $35 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org/box-office or 678-812-4002.
MONDAY, JAN. 25Music workshop. The Turtle Island Quartet holds a workshop at 10 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, to help sixth-grad-ers through college students explore rhythm in classical and popular forms. Free with a ticket from the quartet’s Jan. 24 concert or $10 with a student ID; www.atlantajcc.org/boxoffice or 678-812-4002.
Teege lecture. Jennifer Teege, who dis-cussed her memoir, “My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me,” about her Nazi grandfather, at November’s Book Fes-tival of the Marcus JCC, speaks at 4:30 p.m. in the Oxford Presentation Room of Emory University’s Oxford Road Building. Free; [email protected].
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AGA is a participating provider for Medicare,Medicaid and most healthcare plans offered in Georgia.Send items for the calendar to [email protected].
Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.
College’s Daniel Gordis leads a discus-sion with Ann Lewis, a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, and Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Free-dom Coalition, at the AIPAC Atlanta Annual Event at the Cobb Galleria Cen-tre, 2 Gallery Parkway SE, Cumberland area, starting with a dessert reception at 6 p.m. Admission, open to donors of at least $1,800 to AIPAC’s annual cam-paign, is $50; 678-254-2634 or events.aipac.org/2016atlantaannual.
Free high school in Israel. Na’ale Elite Academy holds an info session about its high school program at 7 p.m. at Crema Espresso Gourmet, 2458 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody. Free; [email protected] or 561-236-0666.
TUESDAY, JAN. 26Opening night. The 16th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival opens with a screening of director Atom Egoyan’s “Remember” at 7:30 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Perform-ing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Cumberland area. Tickets are $18; ajff.org/film/remember or 678-701-6104. The festival continues through Feb. 17.
THURSDAY, JAN. 28Conexx women. Becky Blalock and Kris Robinson discuss taking chances in corporate America after dinner and networking at 5:30 p.m. at Signature FD, 1230 Peachtree St., Suite 1800, Mid-town. Admission is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers; www.conexx.org.
Cultural destruction lecture. Curator Melinda Hartwig and archaeologist Hilary Gopnik talk about historical preservation and the looting and de-struction of artifacts in the Middle East in a presentation called “It Isn’t Just ISIS” at 7:30 p.m. at Emory University’s Carlos Museum, 571 S. Kilgo Circle, At-lanta. Free; www.carlos.emory.edu.
SATURDAY, JAN. 30Poker tournament. The Sixth Point’s Recess SPIN holds a Texas no-limit hold’em tournament with light re-freshments at 7:30 p.m. at the Alpharet-ta home of Rich and Jaime Glazerman.
Entry is $20; RSVP by Jan. 27 at evite.me/SSsnpndEyA.
Open mic. Club-K, the Saturday night kosher hotspot at The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, holds an open-mic and jam session at 8 p.m. Free; www.thekehilla.org/club-k.
SUNDAY, JAN. 31Ski trip. The Congregation Beth Jacob Men’s Club leads a trip to the Cata-loochee Ski Area in North Carolina. Bus transportation leaves the Beth Ja-cob parking lot, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, at 5 a.m. and returns at 9 p.m. RSVP by Jan. 21. The cost is $99; [email protected] or www.bethjaco-batlanta.org/event/mens-ski-trip.html.
Parenting class. Ahavath Achim Syna-gogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buck-head, begins its three-session program aimed at first-time expectant parents, Bet Is for Baby, at 10:30 a.m. The pro-gram continues at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 7 and concludes with Shabbat lunch at 1 p.m. Feb. 13. Free; aasynagogue.org.
Read With the Rabbi. InterfaithFami-ly/Atlanta’s book club discusses “Faith-fully Feminist: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay” with Rabbi Malka Packer at 3 p.m. at Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. Free; www.facebook.com/events/179039702449438.
Inclusiveness reception. The Greater Atlanta Jewish Abilities Alliance holds the Power of One reception at 5 p.m. at the Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Mid-town, to honor those in local Jewish organizations who have made a differ-ence in including people with disabili-ties. Free; atlanta.fedweb.jewishfedera-tions.org/page/s/2016-power-of-one.
Embracing imperfection. Jewish Fam-ily & Career Services’ HAMSA program presents Rabbi Mark Borovitz for a discussion on addiction and recovery, “T’Shuvah as Judaism’s Antidote to Perfection,” at 5 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon High-way, Sandy Springs. Free; [email protected].
CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMESParshah Beshalach
Friday, Jan. 22, light candles at 5:40 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 23, Shabbat ends at 6:38 p.m.
Parshah YitroFriday, Jan. 29, light candles at 5:47 p.m.
Participants show strength, poise and posture with yoga’s “Wonder Woman” pose (above) to close the
sixth annual L’Chaim health program presented by Greater Atlanta Hadas-sah’s Ketura Group with Jewish Family & Career Services at the JF&CS offices in Dunwoody on Sunday, Jan. 10.
Belinda Ossip, a holistic health practitioner for the JF&CS Health Power Initiative who holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University, spoke about the importance of mindful eating and how the food we eat affects spirituality. She also stressed
the importance of connecting food to its source — the plants and animals that sustain us — and taking the time to prepare healthy foods and savoring meals with friends and family.
Many attendees participated in a yoga class led by Carol Berg, a yoga, meditation and pranayama practitio-ner and instructor. She said yoga im-proves the quality of life and promotes cardiovascular health. Debbi Dooley, a case manager for Aviv Older Adult Services at JF&CS, facilitated the group discussion, and Ketura’s Sheila Dalmat chaired the program. ■
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10 Years AgoJan. 20, 2006■ The Georgia Senate on Jan. 11 unanimously passed a religious freedom resolution introduced by Sen. Judson Hill, R-Cobb. The resolution is basically a recognition that the U.S. president each year proclaims Jan. 16 to be Religious Freedom Day, a tradition that began with the first President Bush in his final days in office in 1993. Jan. 16 is the anni-versary of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, in 1786.
■ The bat mitzvah ceremony of Alli Movsovitz of Atlanta, the daughter of Todd Edlin and Lori Movsovitz, was held Jan. 14 at Temple Sinai.
25 Years AgoJan. 18, 1991■ Some 125 students from Atlanta Jewish day schools gathered at Congregation Beth Jacob on Monday evening
to offer their prayers for the safety of the people of Israel in the event of war with Iraq. It was one response at local day schools and public schools to the approach of the Jan. 15 deadline for Iraq to pull out of Kuwait.
■ Sharon and Stuart Kirsch of Atlanta announce the birth of a son, Joshua Kalman, on Nov. 3.
50 Years AgoJan. 21, 1966■ The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith this week filed a complaint against the Cloister in Sea Island under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint to the U.S. Justice Department is the second the ADL has submitted against a major Southern resort hotel for “religious discrimination in violation of Title II” of the act. The Cloister is accused of “continuing practices of denying accommodations to Jews.”
■ Miss Betty Alterman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Alterman of Atlanta, became the bride of Alan Jeffry Lew, son of Dr. and Mrs. Isaiah Lew of Pleasantville, N.Y., on Dec. 26 at the Shearith Israel Synagogue.
Remember When
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By Vicki M. Leopold
Celebrations abound to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. around the time of his birthday
holiday each January. The focus is usu-ally on what the civil rights leader said and did and how he united the commu-nity to fight bigotry, hatred and unfair laws.
During Friday services Jan. 15 at Congregation B’nai Israel, one of King’s goals was realized.
Congregants from Flat Creek A.M.E. Church (the oldest black church in Fayetteville), the church’s pastor (who is also the newly elected mayor of Fayetteville), other clergy and com-munity representatives joined B’nai Israel members in worship. Two com-munities of different faiths and history thus came together, united in spirit, inspired by songs and focused on in-clusiveness.
Fayetteville’s first elected black mayor, the Rev. Ed Johnson, addressed the joint congregation of about 150 people, saying: “Congregation B’nai Is-rael is blessed with Rabbi (Rick) Harka-vy, who embodies the spirit of Martin Luther King.”
The mayor’s wife, Dr. Vanessa Johnson, joined the synagogue presi-dent, Sharon Hudgins, in lighting the Shabbat candles as the congregation chanted along.
Dr. Arlene Presser, a consultant to the U.S. Health and Human Ser-vices Department’s Office of Minority Health who is a member of B’nai Israel and black, spoke with conviction and passion about the need for inclusive-ness and community unity to fight in-justice.
She traced her maternal line to Ghana and noted that more than 120 countries have Jewish communities. “Jews in many hues,” she said.
Music can inspire and lift people in ways that words cannot. The syna-gogue choral group, Rhythm and Jews, and the church gospel choir, Voices of Inspiration, took turns singing and brought excitement and enthusiasm to the service. People in attendance said they felt a part of something important.
Rabbi Harkavy and the mayor, who attended B’nai Israel’s public Chanukah menorah lighting beneath the Fayetteville Christmas tree Dec. 6, agreed that the King Day service was just the first of several joint events for the two congregations. ■
B’nai Israel, Flat Creek Celebrate King’s Legacy
Photos by Vicki M. LeopoldBefore Shabbat, Dr. Vanessa Johnson
and B’nai Israel President Sharon Hudgins spend some time together.
Above: Dr. Arlene Presser is a member of Congregation B’nai
Israel. During the service she talked about “Jews in many hues.”
Below: Members of Congregation B’nai Torah practice for the King Day service.
Rabbi Rick Harkavy and the Rev. Ed Johnson, the mayor of Fayetteville, prepare for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day service.
A Tu B’Shevat tradition is the planting of a tree, but for DeKalb County Park Ranger
Robby Astrove, planting a tree is just another day in his life.
Dubbed the “Jewish Johnny App-leseed” by his friends, Astrove is on a mission to plant as many fruit trees in Georgia as he can. The past five years he has coordinated the Atlanta Lo-cal Food Initiative’s Orchard Project, which plants community fruit tree or-chards at schools, parks and other pub-lic spaces.
Since 2007, the man known as Ranger Robby estimates he has planted more than 1,000 trees in metro Atlanta.
“No one was growing fruit as a mission,” Astrove said. “Fruit trees are going to be the most productive, lon-gest-lived trees with the least amount of maintenance. It’s sustainable, and it’s what we need to be planting in cit-ies.”
He added, “The power of trees is strong.”
The easygoing Astrove came from South Florida eight years ago to work for the nonprofit Trees Atlanta (which is doing its annual Tu B’Shevat planting in the Kirkwood neighborhood Sunday morning, Jan. 24, the day before Tu B’Shevat). In 2009 he was volunteering as a surveyor at a county park when he heard about a park ranger position at Arabia Mountain.
He was unsure about the move but ultimately interviewed for and was of-fered the job.
“Park ranger wasn’t exactly in my professional trajectory,” Astrove said. “But I was really excited about it. All the stuff I do as park ranger I’d already been doing, and it just brought a lot of things together. Not only that, but this place is truly special. I don’t know how many people come to work and are in-spired every day.”
Most days, Ranger Robby can be found at his post at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. He leads hikes on Fridays and Sundays, teaches classes, and watches over the dozens of fruit trees he has planted in the 25-acre preserve.
An accomplished forager, he also volunteers with Concrete Jungle, an urban fruit-picking group that donates around 8,000 pounds of fruit each year
to homeless shelters and food banks in Atlanta.
On Sunday, Jan. 24, in observance of Tu B’Shevat, Astrove will oversee the planting of 15 fruit trees outside the Marcus Jewish Community Center teen house. Although admittedly more spiri-tual than observant these days, Astrove said he draws on his Reform Jewish up-bringing for inspiration in day-to-day endeavors.
“My sanctuary has become the outdoors,” he said. “Now this is my religion. There are certain things I do every day, like waking up to see the sunrise. That becomes the new ritual. Planting trees I got from the Jewish playbook. Every Tu B’Shevat I’m re-minded of that.”
Tu B’Shevat in Israel is the cel-ebration of the beginning of the fruit crop and marks a new year for trees. In Atlanta, however, the only fruit that blooms before the end of January is the Japanese apricot. Most other trees in Georgia don’t produce fruit until Feb-ruary or March at the earliest.
Despite the lack of tree-grown fruit in Atlanta at Tu B’Shevat, Astrove said the holiday at the end of January is the perfect time for planting.
“Tu B’Shevat will be a great time for the planting of trees here in Atlan-ta,” he said. “Harvesting fresh fruits for the seder? Maybe not. But every great Jewish holiday is accompanied by a great feast.”
If you have a yard with room for a few fruit trees, let Ranger Robby give you some advice: “Stop mowing, and start growing.” ■
Jewish Johnny AppleseedRanger Robby Astrove is on a mission to plant fruit trees
Take a Walk
Ranger Robby hosts hikes through the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve on Friday and Sunday mornings from 8 to 10. Visit arabiaalliance.org for more information.
Photo by David R. Cohen“My sanctuary has become the
outdoors,” says Ranger Robby Astrove, who says he is inspired each day when
he goes to work at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.
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LOCAL NEWS www.atlantajewishtimes.com
The annual Pinch Hitter Program, organized by Achim/Gate City B’nai B’rith Lodge 0144 and the
B’nai B’rith Center for Community Ac-tion, served 11 hospitals and assisted living facilities by supplying nearly 250 volunteers to fill in for Christian non-medical personnel on Christmas Day.
The Pinch Hitters brought cheer and ruach (spirit) to the facilities and strengthened the ties between the Jew-ish and general communities.
In its 34th year, the program add-ed Berman Commons in Dunwoody and the Sadie Mays Health and Reha-bilitation Center downtown. Volun-teers also staffed St. Joseph’s Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, the Veter-ans Affairs Medical Center, the William Breman Jewish Home, Sunrise Assisted Living, the Roswell Nursing and Re-habilitation Center, Insignia of Sandy Springs, and the Brookdale Big Creek and Dunwoody assisted living centers.
For more information about local B’nai B’rith activities, email President Karen Weinberg at [email protected] or Pinch Hitter Chairman Harry Lutz at [email protected].
Also in late December, about 50
Chamblee High School Junior ROTC ca-dets volunteered with Second Helpings Atlanta (secondhelpingsatlanta.org), started at Temple Sinai, to prepare and distribute bags of food and necessities.
“When the teens piled out of their cars at the corner of Peachtree and Pine, the hungry and homeless, many of whom were veterans, seemed to pour out of the woodwork,” said Eva Herr, the agency coordinator for SHA.
Herr, whose son Derek is in the Chamblee Junior ROTC unit, reached out to Lt. Col. Beverly Jones and the ca-dets about bagging shelf-stable foods and delivering them over the holidays.
The cadets prepared 100 bags contain-ing chunk chicken, dehydrated vegeta-bles, crackers, water, snacks and toilet-ries, plus 20 bags containing a holiday meal for a family of four, including a family pet. Every recipient also got a blanket from A Touch of Warmth.
SHA volunteers crisscross Atlanta daily, picking up nutritious food that would have ended up in the trash at res-taurants, corporate cafeterias, stores and schools and delivering it to shel-ters, food pantries and other partners. SHA rescued over 800,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, dairy products, meats and prepared foods in 2015. ■
Helping Hands at the Winter Holidays
Above: B’nai B’rith volunteers help William Breman Jewish Home residents make cards.
Left top: Pinch Hitter Gil Lyons helps in the kitchen at Brookdale Big Creek.
Left bottom: Pinch Hitter Jay Eidex helps in the ER at Emory Johns Creek Hospital.
Top: The Chamblee Junior ROTC cadets arrive at Peachtree and Pine streets in Atlanta to hand out food and blankets.
Middle: Chamblee High School cadets bag food for the homeless needy in December.
Bottom: In addition to their volunteer work, the Chamblee cadets put on
a demonstration of formations and close-order drill and sing cadences, leading to a tearful response from
some of the homeless veterans.
Stacey Rothberg was a sophomore at the University of Arizona in 2000 when she was diagnosed
with ulcerative colitis, a chronic and painful disease of the large intestine in which the lining of the colon becomes inflamed.
Now a mother of three girls and in remission from ulcerative colitis, Roth-berg will be recognized as the Volun-teer of the Year on Saturday night, Jan. 23, at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s 25th annual Torch Gala.
Inflammatory bowel disease, in-cluding Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is the general name for diseases that are characterized by inflamma-tion of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD affects an estimated 1.6 million Ameri-cans, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and is especially prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews.
The onset of the disease usually occurs in children and young adults.
Since her diagnosis, Rothberg has been hospitalized several times be-cause her symptoms became so severe.
Her doctors advised her to take medication, but Rothberg was allergic to many of the strong medications for
ulcerative colitis and suffered com-plications, including pancreatitis and hives.
“Learning how to manage UC and finding the medication that agreed with my body was challenging,” Roth-berg said. “For years I could only use prednisone because I was allergic to everything else. I had painful flare-ups during each of my three pregnancies, but during my third, my flare-up was so bad that I had to receive Remicade infusions, which is now my course of
treatment every eight weeks.”Rothberg said that while you’re in
remission, sometimes you can forget what it is like to have a flare-up, which can be debilitating, but she is involved with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to help people who are still suffering.
The foundation is the largest non-profit voluntary health agency dedicat-ed to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and to improving the quality of life of those affected.
“Having lived through UC and see-ing other families go through it as well made it an easy choice to get involved with CCFA,” Rothberg said. “For years our family has participated in CCFA’s three biggest annual fundraisers: the Take Steps Walk, the Golf Classic and the Torch Gala.”
The gala is the largest fundraiser of the year for the foundation’s Georgia Chapter. The goal is to raise $400,000,
with the proceeds going toward criti-cal research to better diagnose and ul-timately cure IBD. The gala includes a seated dinner, live music and dancing, a silent auction, and a raffle.
Marc Ratnowsky and Steven Goodman are co-chairing the gala. In addition to Rothberg, the honorees are Michael LeVine, Premier Physician of the Year, and Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, Corporate Citizen of the Year.
“As someone who has suffered for years with this disease, I recognize the importance of events like the CCFA gala to not only raise the much-needed funds for critical research and pro-grams, but also to promote awareness in the community about IBD,” Roth-berg said. “This event is a wonderful op-portunity for the community to come together and support CCFA, to find new treatments and hopefully one day a cure.” ■
Torch Gala to Honor Colitis Fighter Rothberg
What: Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America Torch Gala
Who: Co-chairs Marc Ratnowsky and Steven Goodman
Where: Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, 3434 Peachtree Road
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23
Tickets: $300; www.torchgala.com or 404-982-0616
Stacey and Mark Rothberg pose with their three daughters.
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ISRAEL NEWS
Flood aid for Scotland. Five volunteers from the IsraAid disaster relief team have finished their work in Leeds, England, and are helping residents of Aberdeen in Scotland. Parts of the city have been badly affected by storm-force winds and heavy rainfall, with rivers bursting their banks.
Rabies vaccine ready for U.S. Bio-tech firm Kamada in Ness Ziona has launched its KamRAB anti-rabies vac-cine in 10 countries, including Israel. Kamada will apply for a biologics li-cense from the Food and Drug Admin-istration, the last step before selling the vaccine in the United States.
Bedouin aid against terrorists. Mohammad Ka’abiyah, 25, a political science student at the University of Haifa, is one of around 1,700 Bedouin soldiers voluntarily serving in the Israel Defense Forces. “I am proud of being Bedouin, Arab, Muslim and Is-raeli,” he said. “I am also proud to fight in the Israeli army.”
More relevant commenting. Most of the comments you see about Internet articles are tucked at the bottom of the article. Startup Fidback, however, allows you to make comments next to the text to which you are referring, fa-cilitating a good online conversation.
A suitcase that follows you around. NUA Robotics has designed luggage that travels hands-free on flat surfaces. A camera sensor detects where you are, and an alarm deters theft.
Success for collagen wound treat-ment. CollPlant in Ness Ziona an-nounced positive final trial results for Vergenix FG, designed for the treat-ment of chronic, hard-to-heal wounds and surgical wounds. Four weeks after a single application, the average wound closure was 80 percent, and 45 percent of wounds were fully closed.
Blood test for Alzheimer’s. Biotech NeuroQuest, based in Misgav, is to begin clinical trials of its blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Human trials in Israel have proved 87 percent accurate. With blood tests, anything over 70 percent is considered medically significant.
More opportunities for the disabled. The Israeli government is establishing the first national employment center for the disabled. A new law prohibits banks from denying mortgages to
people with significant disabilities, such as ALS or autism.
Nonprofit supermarkets to help the poor. Israel’s first nonprofit supermar-ket co-op has opened in the southern city of Sderot, close to Gaza. Ten co-ops are planned to open each year, provid-ing a low-cost shopping alternative for the socio-economically challenged communities in Israel’s periphery.
Purifying Schweppes in Australia. Mapal Green Energy, based at Kib-butz Yagur, has signed its first major contract in Australia. The company will supply a system to clean up waste water from Schweppes factories throughout the country.
An inland seaside park. The city of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, roughly 25 miles from the Mediterranean, is building an artificial beach park with a wave pool, water installations and cafes. It will take three years to build.
Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsis-rael.blogspot.com and other news sources.
Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home
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If the State of the Union address accurately indi-cated President Barack Obama’s focus for his final year in office, Israel should get a clear message:
You’re on your own.The president’s speech stretched for more than
6,000 words. He found time to chastise and mock Re-publican presidential candidates, call for a noble if nonsensical “moon shot” to cure cancer, fret but not obsess about the instability in the Middle East, pre-maturely gloat about the diplomatic progress with Iran, boast about the drop in oil imports without cit-ing the No. 1 reason (the rapid growth in fracking to tap domestic oil and natural gas reserves), downplay the threat of Islamic State while denying that the ter-rorist organization has any connection to Islam, and accurately declare that the United States is the most powerful nation on Earth, and “it’s not even close.”
Obama used that phrase — “it’s not even close” — three times in rapid succession to emphasize the U.S. dominance as the world’s only superpower.
That’s three more times than he said “Israel.”To be sure, the president was under no obliga-
tion to mention the United States’ strongest ally in a region he pointed to as a center of global danger.
He didn’t mention Saudi Arabia or Egypt, Turkey or Libya, Jordan or Lebanon, Kuwait or any of the oth-er Arab emirates. He didn’t bring up the Palestinians or their quest for statehood.
The humanitarian disaster in Syria earned three mentions, just one of which had anything to do with ending the chaos and killing. The only reference to the refugee crisis Syria helped create came in an ef-fort to criticize the carpet-bombing strategy of Re-publican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
Even Iran, this administration’s signature for-eign policy achievement, received only two sentences.
Still, we shouldn’t ignore Obama’s message, one U.S. officials have sent since the fall: This president is done with Israel and its Palestinian problem.
There will be no 11th-hour push for peace as President Bill Clinton made before departing. Secre-tary of State John Kerry will not again throw himself into shuttle diplomacy to bring together hostile gov-ernments that want nothing to do with each other.
His carrot-and-stick efforts to play peacemaker between the Jordan and the Mediterranean have given Obama only political grief and done nothing to secure his legacy for the history books, which always tops the agenda in the eighth year of a presidency.
So until someone new enters the Oval Office in a year, Israel should expect nothing but the status quo from Washington. Despite the president’s decla-rations about this nation’s role as the world’s leader, the United States will neither take strong diplomatic stands in support of Israel (risking the anger of Eu-ropean allies needed to fight terrorism) nor abandon Israel and take up the Palestinian cause (risking the Democratic edge among Jewish voters and donors in November’s elections). Israel will receive continued military aid but not even meaningful words about the daily terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.
Only the Israelis and Palestinians can make the leap of faith toward a two-state solution and avoid suffering another year without peace or security. ■
It’s not often that a synagogue sermon centers on Skittles, but it did when the Rev. Raphael War-nock made his annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day
appearance at The Temple on Friday, Jan. 15.Warnock, the senior pastor at King’s church,
Ebenezer Baptist, was joined by many of his congre-gants and choir members in driving from the Sweet Auburn District to Midtown, just as Rabbi Peter Berg will lead many Temple members and singers on the reverse trip to Ebenezer Baptist for a shared Sunday service during Presidents Day weekend next month.
The connection between the congregations goes back at least to the 1950s and the friendship between King and Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, but it’s hard to imagine a closer relation-ship between the senior clergy of the two historic houses of worship than that enjoyed by Warnock and Rabbi Berg.
In welcoming Warnock home for his seventh King Day at The Temple, Rabbi Berg called him his teacher, his colleague and his friend and compli-mented his social activism, saying, “He never, ever shies away from courageous leadership.”
Warnock’s response: “Every Baptist preacher needs a rabbi, and Peter Berg is my rabbi.”
Rabbi Berg made the case that the moral issues underlying so many political debates must be ad-dressed by religious leaders, but if you don’t like poli-tics from the pulpit, The Temple was not the place to be during Warnock’s visit.
Still, he delivered entertainment with the politics. Warnock spoke for half an hour without producing fidgeting. He trained his Jewish audience in the call-and-response style of sermon, emphasiz-ing that he worried when his words were met with silence.
The Baptist minister said the gathering of black
Tom Janssen, The Netherlands
Our ViewIsrael All Alone
Skittle Lessons on King Dayand white, Jewish and Christian, was radical and revolutionary by itself, and the representation of a house of prayer for all people served as an answer to people “trying to rise to the highest office in the land by feeding the cancer of bigotry.”
Warnock skillfully wove modern social issues into references that would resonate with Jews.
He talked about Exodus as a demonstration that salvation comes from the broadening of communal space, expanded that idea to space to breathe, then noted that Eric Garner, a black man who died after being subjected to a police
chokehold in New York, called out “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Warnock added that Garner was being arrested for trying to sell individual cigarettes, but none of the same city’s Wall Street bankers involved in crippling the economy in 2008 went to prison.
Warnock referenced Protestant pastor Martin Niemoller’s famous litany about not responding when the Nazis came for the socialists and the trade unionists and the Jews, until they came for him “and there was no one left to speak for me.” Warnock added the Muslims and the immigrants.
He called on his audience, being on the inside, not to forget the people on the outside.
Warnock came around to the case of Trayvon Martin, but he didn’t concentrate on the killing or the trial. Instead, he focused on what Martin was carrying on his way home: a bag of Skittles.
Warnock praised the candy and said any child knows you don’t eat just one Skittle. You pour out a handful and consume a mix of fruity flavors at once. As the commercials say, you taste the rainbow.
Warnock found a lesson in those Skittles for all of us, from presidential candidates on down. ■
Does it matter that there are only two Jews in the Georgia General Assembly?
Does it matter that there are “only” 29 Jews in Congress?
How important is it that Jewish values are represented in legisla-tive bodies by actual Jews (regardless of their degree of observance)?
“Serving in the state legislature is consistent with Jewish values, which emphasize community engagement and repairing the world,” said David Adelman, a Democrat who left the state Senate when he became the U.S. ambassador to Singapore in 2010.
Certainly, values that Jews hold dear — and we may not agree on those values, and they may differ by political affiliation — have their advocates among non-Jews serving in state legis-latures or Congress.
Even at 1.3 percent of Georgia’s population, Jews are underrepresented among the General Assembly’s 180 House and 56 Senate members. The Jews under the Gold Dome this session are Rep. Michele Henson, D-Stone Mountain, and Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford.
Why so few?“It’s a great honor to serve in the
General Assembly and be the voice of your community in the legislative
body of the state, but by the same token it requires considerable sacri-fice,” said former Rep. Mike Jacobs, a Republican who now is a state judge in DeKalb County.
“The majority of Jews are left of center. With the GOP growth — when I came into office, it was a one-party state, Democrat; now it is one-party GOP — there are less opportunities for Democrats,” said Mitchell Kaye, another former House Republican.
There are some 200 Jews among the nation’s 5,400 state legislators, and two Jews among the nation’s gover-nors.
Meanwhile, the first Jew to win a statewide partisan race in Georgia still holds that office. Sam Olens, the former chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, was elected
attorney general in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.
Georgia Trend recently named Olens its Georgian of the Year, calling him “a man who clearly enjoys his job but might be expected to set his sights a bit higher.”
Looking to the 2018 election cycle, Olens told the magazine: “I do not have a plan. I may run for re-election. I may run for another office. I may not run at all. I honestly don’t know.”
On the national stage, Jews make up 2.1 percent of the population but ac-count for 4.4 percent of the U.S. House of Representatives and 10 percent of the U.S. Senate.
Five years ago Nathan Guttman wrote in The Forward, “The massive overrepresentation of Jews on Capitol Hill, long a source of pride for the community, has been shrinking in recent years and could drop in the coming election cycle from 41 to the mid-30s, a level last seen 15 years ago.”
That shrinkage has continued. In the 114th Congress, there are 19 Jews in the 435-member House and 10 in the 100-member Senate. By party affilia-tion, 28 are Democrats and just one a Republican.
Further decline is likely because Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep.
Steve Israel, D-N.Y., have announced their intention not to seek re-election this year.
Beyond communal pride, does it matter that the number of Jews on Capitol Hill is declining?
How critical is a sizable Jewish presence to maintain social programs championed for decades by Jewish members of Congress? How critical is a sizable Jewish presence to maintain or increase U.S. foreign aid and other forms of support to Israel?
Jews have held elected office at all levels of government — from town councils and city halls to statehouses and Congress — save one.
As Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., was the first Jew on the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Now another Jewish senator, Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., is seeking to be his party’s standard-bearer in the 2016 election.
Does it matter that no Jew has oc-cupied that most important address in America: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.? ■
Dave Schechter is a veteran jour-nalist whose career includes writing and producing reports from Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
More Important Than Communal Pride?
The sun is warming my back, a cool breeze runs through my hair, and I daydream
about the transformation that awaits me a mere 24 hours ahead; tomorrow, I will volunteer to become a soldier in the Israel De-fense Forces.
I stare at the magnets plastered on the refrig-erator in my guest room on Kibbutz Be’eri, a community four kilometers (2½ miles) from the Gaza border, and I mistakenly read the directions for what to do in case of “Qassam rockets” as “Kessem rockets,” rockets of magic. Honestly, the latter seems more fitting.
It is hard to find a word to sum-marize the 4½ months since I made aliyah. It has been a whirlwind of emo-tions and experiences, but “magical” seems to sum them up.
Receiving my teudat zehut (Israeli identification card) has come to sym-bolize an invitation of opportunity: an opportunity to become a part of
our people’s 2,000-year dream and an opportunity to take a leap of faith
into the unknown and embrace all of the challenges and freedoms in a land whose desert and people bloom.
While 12 years of Jewish day school education worked to mold me into the person I am today, this move has taught me more about myself, my people, my country and the world than I could have ever imagined.
As our newsreels depict an Israel whose future is uncertain — a real-ity that seems inevitable — I come to know and integrate myself into a thriving, multicultural society.
Our day-to-day is not illustrated by the terror that floods our phone
notifications, but rather by the fleet-ing instances of magic that color the streets:
• The women on my train, one in a hijab, the other in a sheitl (wig), who laugh about their common workplace mishaps.
• The gentle elderly man, the one whose wrinkles mirror the cracks in the Jerusalem stone on which he has sown his journey’s seeds, who offers me a discount and a boyfriend in the same instant before he closes his shop for Shabbat.
• Adam, Yazin, Mikayl and Rivka, the Jewish and Arab children I tutor, who dream of a world where their friendship isn’t as rare as their reality.
Don’t be fooled. This transition hasn’t been all roses, and just as with any major decision, life has presented me with questions that have no an-swers. And yet, time and time again, I am reminded of the unique oppor-tunity I have to draw the lines rather than color them in, to be a protagonist in the story of this country’s ripe exis-
tence rather than a sideline spectator. As the atmosphere of Shabbat
descends upon this extraordinary place each Friday evening, I am once again invited to witness the miracle of a nation whose existence — no doubt challenging yet beautiful — defies all odds. ■
Adina Karpuj Bortz, the daughter of Congregation Or Hadash Rabbis Analia Bortz and Mario Karpuj, made aliyah from Sandy Springs in August. If you are considering aliyah, Nefesh B’Nefesh is holding a planning workshop at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Double-Tree Hotel, 2061 North Druid Hills Road, Atlanta; www.nbn.org.il/atlanta.
Write to UsThe Atlanta Jewish Times wel-
comes your letters in response to ar-ticles we run and in regard to issues of interest to our Jewish community. Send them to [email protected]. Include your city of residence and a phone number (not for publication).
Guest ColumnBy Adina Karpuj Bortz
4½ Months and Counting
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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOPINION
One Man’s ViewBy Eugen Schoenfeld
Shevat has come early this year. Back in the shtetl we referred to the month as ne brat, not a
brother, because the cold tempera-tures made any outdoor activities uncomfortable.
But when the 15th day of the month arrived, we became a little more cheerful. Most years, Purim was only four weeks off, and spring was not far away.
Tu B’Shevat chag l’ailanot: The 15th of Shevat is a holiday of the trees, the Jewish Arbor Day, the new year of the trees. Even though this holi-day is mentioned in the Talmud, it was not observed by the Chassidic commu-nity in Munkacs, my hometown.
Perhaps because this holiday was usurped by the Zionists, it was discarded by the Chassidim, who were against our dreams for a national home. To us, the Zionists, however, it was an important day. It was a day to support the aims of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL), the Jewish National Fund, and was devoted to the planting of trees in Israel.
In our home we had two pushkes,
the boxes in which we collected money for good causes. For my mother, whose father was an ardent follower of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the favorite charity was the organization representing Rabbi Meir, the miracle maker rabbi. Every Friday before candle lighting my
mother would drop the coins into the yellow pushke and stand before it with her eyes closed, beseeching G-d. She would call on the Master of the Uni-verse, cite all the problems for which she was seeking help and ask Rabbi Meir to intercede on her behalf.
The other pushke was blue and white with a map of Israel on the front. It was a collection box for the KKL, the fund that helped many of the chalutzim (Jewish pioneers) to establish kibbutzim.
For almost two millennia Jews were not allowed to own land, and
hence farming was not a trade com-mon to Jews. The KKL not only bought land and helped to establish various kibbutzim, but it also formed hachsha-rot. These were agricultural schools where future members of the kibbut-zim living in European countries were taught farming.
This fund was also used to refor-est Israel, a land denuded of trees and forests. I often looked at the pictures of new forests and the names of famous people for whom the forests were named.
It was the KKL that bought the Hulah region, a mosquito-infested swamp that was drained by the chalutzim, many of whom died from malaria. This land became Israel’s fertile farmland.
To me, the 15th day of Shevat was the celebration of Israel’s agriculture and its farmers.
We celebrated this day by eating fruits, part of the seven species of fruits and grains that represent Israel.
My Uncle Nathan, who was not only a Zionist, but also the most trav-eled one in the family and considered himself to be the most sophisticated and avant garde member of the family (he even had a vacation on the Black Sea), was designated as the purchaser
of the fruits, which today are easily acquired in any supermarket but in my youth were exotic delicacies.
The fruit that most represented modern Israel was the Jaffa orange, to which we added grapes, olives, dates and figs. By tradition Uncle Nathan also purchased “boxer,” a long, brown, dried fruit filled with seeds, and for added pleasure a coconut.
With a sense of the importance of the event, Uncle Nathan began the celebration by cracking the coconut, giving the assembled family a sip of the fluid and a piece of the fruit, followed by a few segments of orange and the other fruits.
To me, a young Zionist, these were the symbols of my dream of Israel. In a way I am sorry I no longer have the same sense of anticipation of some-thing exotic.
The fruits were symbolic of our yearning for a land and brought the annual hope for a miracle: a Jewish na-tional renaissance. Perhaps as an old man I am indulging in nostalgia for the youthful anticipation of the future. I am filled with envy of the young and somewhat agree with George Bernard Shaw: Youth is a wonderful thing; it is a shame to be wasted on the young. ■
Tu B’Shevat: A Dream of Israel
Letters To The EditorShame on the AJT
I am appalled at your local news report “Guilty Pleas in Bid Fraud” in the Jan. 15th issue of the Atlanta Jewish Times!
I have become used to the New York Times and other press slanting headlines that frequently present Jews and Israel in a bad light while rarely mentioning any other religious group. However, I expected more of a paper that purports to be supportive of our local Jewish community.
In the article you go out of your way (as I would expect from the NYT) to point out that one of the guilty peo-ple is Jewish and go further to state that “other Jewish real estate investors have pleaded guilty previously.” This serves no purpose other than to support a negative image of Jews and further anti-Semitism.
Mr. Eisenberg’s religion had noth-ing to do with his actions, and mention of his Judaism has no place in the re-port.
What religion was Paul Chen, the co-conspirator, and the other people who previously pleaded guilty? If this is of no importance, why was it so nec-essary to stress wrongdoing by Jewish real estate investors?
— Joseph Balaban, Atlanta
Thank You for Important Warning on Iran
I wanted to personally thank you for sharing Stephen M. Flatow’s piece “Message to Historians: Some Students Are Terrorists” (Jan. 8).
Mr. Flatow could not have been more accurate in his description of daily life in Israel and how we as Amer-icans take our security for granted. I enjoyed reading the piece and was heartbroken to discover that Alisa Fla-tow was murdered by an Iranian-spon-sored Palestinian attack.
As a Persian Jew myself, I am all too familiar with such stories, which is the main reason why my family and I left Iran for America. There are still so many stories such as Mr. Flatow’s that need to be shared, and the more we share, the greater the amount of aware-ness we bring.
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Center’s East Cobb preschool, housed at Temple Kol Emeth, features two sets of raised garden beds — one in the play-ground for preschoolers, the other in the playground for toddlers — where the children grow organic produce.
The gardens yield such herbs as basil, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and chives all year, plus seasonal fruits and vegeta-bles. Tomatoes, cucumbers, okra and strawberries are common in the sum-mer; lettuce, spinach, kale and carrots are among the colder-weather crops.
“The students are learning things in a real, hands-on way,” Sunshine School Director Raye Lynn Banks said. “For example, if a teacher has a lesson about plant nutrition, the students will get to directly apply this knowledge to their work that day in the garden.”
Banks said science teacher Stepha-nie Joseph deserves the credit for the gardens, which date back to 2012 and a small grant from Whole Foods.
The small gardens then became part of the Jewish Community Center Association of North America’s par-ticipation in the Discover CATCH (Co-ordinated Approach to Child Health) program, which combines classroom gardening and nutrition with physical activity and encourages healthy eating.
Banks said Discover CATCH incor-porates Jewish texts and takes inspira-tion from the Talmud’s prohibition on living in a city that lacks a physician and a garden.
The program also fits well with the gardens’ placement on the Sunshine School’s playgrounds. When children go outside to play, the plants are right there for them to tend to, as they do each day.
The gardens do not produce huge amounts, Banks said, but the fruits and vegetables become the core of meals supplemented by purchased food and help the children develop an apprecia-tion for where food comes from.
For example, the children grew a potato and tomatoes at the same time a few years ago, and they wound up mak-ing their own French fries and ketchup. Banks joked that it was probably the most expensive jar of ketchup ever.
“We are happy to be giving our stu-dents an early appreciation for healthy
Green Thumbs Grow At Sunshine School
foods,” she said.The preschool playground also
has a composting bin to produce soil for the gardens. Banks said the chil-dren know to save yard waste, banana peels and leftovers from the produce they grow to place into the composting bin, and they make sure to turn the bin when they’re outside.
She said Daron “Farmer D” Joffe praised the quality of the resulting or-ganic soil when he tested it.
Just being exposed to the healthy foods they grow is beneficial to the students. “The children love getting to eat the food they grow,” Banks said. “We encourage the children to at least try everything. If they think it is some-thing they will not like, we will tell them how much better it will taste be-cause they helped grow it, and this usu-ally persuades them to try things that are outside of their comfort zone.”
Parents appreciate the enthusiasm for healthy foods their preschoolers are bringing home. “One parent sent me a message on Facebook thanking me because her son tried and loved okra from the school’s vegetable garden, and he now asks for okra as a snack,” Banks said. “This is what the program is all about.” ■
What: Open house
Where: The Sunshine School, Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, East Cobb
When: 10:15 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22
Enrollment: Open enrollment for the 2016-17 school year begins Monday, Feb. 8.
Photos courtesy of the Sunshine SchoolAbove: Children attending the Sunshine
School make sure their crops get enough water, although that hasn’t been a big issue in recent months.Below: The Sunshine School pupils
East Cobb native Hailee Grey said her year as United Synagogue Youth’s international president
was hard but amazing and worthwhile.Grey, 18, completed her term dur-
ing the international USY convention in Baltimore in December.
“I think it was a great year. As hard as it was and as much time as it took, definitely while being a college stu-dent, was challenging, but it is some-thing that I would never trade. It was a great experience,” Grey said.
She lives in New York as a fresh-man at List College, the undergraduate school of Jewish Theological Seminary, and is in a joint program with Colum-bia University. She will earn two bach-elor’s degrees when she graduates.
Grey, who grew up at Congregation Etz Chaim, said one of her accomplish-ments as president was moving the date of the spring board convention, at-tended by all the international general board members and the regional presi-dents, from June to March so that \their projects could start earlier, allowing
for a more productive year. Grey hopes her successors continue with a March date to make a lasting difference.
Grey also helped initiate gender-
neutral bathrooms at USY’s 65th in-ternational convention in December. Teens identifying as transgender were given the opportunity to be housed with peers who share their identity.
Grey set a goal that she believes USY teens and the organization as a whole were able to carry through.
“One of my main goals this year was to prove that we, USY, are not just the future, but we are the present and have the ability to make change in our world today,” she said. “I think USYers really heard this message and went out in the community to be more, to follow their dreams and make their passions come to life.”
As immediate past president of USY, Grey serves on the general board. She will have the opportunity to com-plete some tasks that she had hoped to tackle as president, as well as reinforce initiatives she helped start.
Last fall Grey was invited to repre-sent USY in Israel at the Masorti Noam Olami convention, part of the Masorti movement, the worldwide organiza-tion of Conservative Judaism. Masorti operates teen organizations under the Noam name outside North America.
Grey said the delegates spoke many languages, so communicating was a challenge. But she said the week-end was productive and inspiring.
“To enable USYers and Noam teens to build relationships and everlasting friendships worldwide is something truly incredible, and I hope this project continues,” Grey said. “During my term as immediate past president on USY’s international general board, I hope to put efforts toward this project and help the international web of Conservative Judaism, and specifically the experi-ences of Conservative Jewish teenagers, really grow and form into something substantial that we can all learn from and enjoy for years to come.”
As with most leadership roles, her presidency taught her many lessons. Grey said she learned the importance of teamwork and supporting others.
“A leader is not always someone who is always in the front of a room, but someone who is there to back up your ideas, back up your board and back up whoever needs to be in the front of the room,” she said. “Giving my support to anyone who needs it at that point was something that I found to be really important.” ■
Grey Completes Year of Effecting Change at USY
Photos by Jackson Krule for USYAbove: Hailee Grey and fellow USY board members Micah Cowan (left) and Eli Krule join the 2015 USY international convention co-chairs, Aaron Albuck and
Samara Wyant, in an opening skit Dec. 27 at the convention in Baltimore.Below left: Hailee Grey delivers her outgoing presidential address
to over 700 hundred teens Dec. 28 in Baltimore.Below right: Hailee Grey poses with Rabbi David Levy, the director of teen learning for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, after her farewell speech in Baltimore.
One innovative event Hailee Grey participated in during her pres-idency was the Coalition of Jew-
ish Teens, a gathering of leaders from all of the national Jewish youth move-ments held in Atlanta last February in connection with the international con-ventions of BBYO and NFTY.
Grey helped present a united dec-laration that BBYO, NFTY, USY, the Orthodox Union’s NCSY and Young Ju-daea would strive to work together to ensure a strong Jewish future.
“The goal behind the Coalition of Jewish Teens is something that is really important and that every Jewish teen needs to be involved in something,” Grey said. “Finding Judaism on your
own, as a teenager, is really important. They’re still in the beginning phases of the coalition, and I hope it gets off to where it is making a lasting impact.”
Elyse Goldberg, a spokeswoman for BBYO, said the nondenominational youth movement will welcome rep-resentatives from the other organiza-tions at its international convention in Baltimore next month. “While there currently isn’t a full-fledged program planned for the group … they will be taking part in various pieces of the IC programming to continue the goal of working together toward a united, strong Jewish future,” Goldberg said.
Grey said it will be up to the 2016 officers to participate in Baltimore. ■
Coalition Still Developing
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Carlie Ladinsky, a junior at Wal-ton High School in East Cobb, is leaving soon to spend the
spring semester at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel on a fellowship granted through Jewish National Fund’s Southeast Region.
I can finally say that I am going to Israel. As an Impact fellow, I will attend the AMHSI spring semester with high school students from North America and across the globe in just a few days.
We will study our core curriculum and an inten-sive review of Israel and 4,000 years of Jewish history. During the next four months I will have an opportunity to experience Gadna, a weeklong basic training course for Israeli youth; em-bark on a four-day hiking adventure from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee; and travel to Poland to learn about the Holocaust’s destruc-tive impact.
Only a few days in anticipa-tion can drag on for what feels like a lifetime, yet they seem to be only a matter of seconds when I am reluctant to leave my friends and family. I have realized that it is actually a blessing in disguise that saying goodbye is so difficult; I am reminded that I am sur-rounded by amazing friends to wish me a safe and happy farewell.
Although bittersweet, my leaving is not the end to these friendships. It is a new, eye-opening beginning to my short accumulation of life, and I can undergo a transformation knowing that my friends will be there, arms open, when I return home.
Receiving this scholarship has made me believe that I am capable in spite of any obstacles. Limits can al-ways be added later, but casting a wide net reels in opportunities that other-wise seemed impossible to reach. I am eternally appreciative to JNF and the Shirlye Kaufman Birnbrey Alexander Muss High School in Israel Impact Fel-lowship Program for considering my potential rather than the hindrances that obstruct my path to success. That path is now clearer than ever.
Yes, I am sad and nervous to leave; those feelings are inevitable when traveling 6,000 miles. However, I am evermore excited to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors.
I am excited to watch as more than 50 unfamiliar faces turn into the faces of my closest peers.
I am excited to learn more than my typical studies; I am excited to
learn outside a standard classroom environment.
I am excited to gain a sense of belonging.
I am excited to discover how Isra-el, while in a state of conflict, remains optimistic in its values. I am excited to have those same values instilled in me.
Traveling to Israel is a privilege, but studying there as a fellow changes this trip from a vacation to a genuine involvement. I feel like I have earned my place in the beautiful state of the Jewish people. I thank JNF once again for its generosity.
This, to me, is not just a schol-arship or a grant. Scholarships are payments awarded on the basis of academics and ability, and while a fellowship does offer financial support for academic qualifications, it also includes a commitment. A fellowship seeks out potential, a potential that
separates the students who will earn the money and the students who will do well with the money.
So I am thankful that JNF, the Shirlye Kaufman Birnbrey AMHSI Impact Fellowship Program and the Jewish community as whole sought out my potential. I will live up to the expectation and fulfill my commit-
Israel Semester Offers Chance of a Lifetime
Top left: John Connell helps send Carlie Ladinsky off in style at a farewell
party before her semester in Israel.Top right: The party takes a musical turn
with Ross Brill and Carlie Ladinsky singing a duet under the close watch of
Rannah Ansari and John Connell.Bottom left: The pre-Israel farewell party
includes (back row, from left) Emily West, Olivia Woodman, Chris Dymanus, Kenny
Chian and Benjamin Ladinsky and (front row, from left) Mallorie Melendez,
Elizabeth Courtney, Allison Weber, Carlie Ladinsky, Ross Brill, Chandler
Deaver and Srija Tummalapally.
Guest ColumnBy Carlie Ladinsky
ment to contribute from across the world and back at home.
I hope to write about my expe-riences as a teenager in Israel, and I hope to assure other high school students that it is quite possible to maintain the rigor of Advanced Place-ment classes even while experiencing the opportunity of a lifetime in the Holy Land. ■
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What happens when you are ready to buy a house? Probably you look at a
picture of the house. Maybe you see the house online. Would you plunk down $200,000 to $400,000 without ever seeing the house and finding out about the neighborhood, the schools, the synagogues and the supermarkets within so many miles?
Just think about the time spent on buying a car. Some individuals go from dealership to dealership.
The problem is that some students don’t spend as much time research-ing colleges as they might spend someday looking over a house or car. True, there are students who put in a great deal of time researching colleges, and some families explore colleges in detail. After all, we are talking about a $200,000 investment, regardless of whether the family or financial aid pays the bill.
But many families don’t inves-tigate colleges to any appreciable degree. The name is the game.
When should one visit colleges?
The summer is a good time because the student is not in school and does not miss class, and for some parents it is easier to get away. There is a disadvantage as well because the usual undergraduates are not on campus.
Preliminary visits can be followed up by more intensive visits when stu-dents narrow down their acceptances.
A visit should have two major
objectives: an interview and a tour of the school. Interest in a college is an important factor from the point of view of the admissions office.
I know of one school in a major city where the following might occur. A student in that city doesn’t attend an informational tour of the college during the final two years of high school. The college will note that fact in the student’s folder, and that could seal a disappointing admissions deci-
sion. The college’s attitude is that the student wasn’t interested in us, so why should we be interested in the student?
If a student from California doesn’t visit a college in New York, no harm done. The college is not next door. The college understands.
Should a student visit a college alone? With parents? With a friend? That may be a family decision.
Going with a parent or parents has advantages. Parents may notice things the student doesn’t see. Because the parents will be the ones footing the eventual college costs, they too would like to see what they are buying. And the student and parents can have more of a discussion because both have visited the same institution.
What about a friend? Not a bad idea, but beware. What if you follow the advice of your friend more often than not, and your friend points out everything he or she doesn’t like about the college? Will you put down the college because your friend feels that way? The friend’s assessment might be correct for the friend but not for you.
Colleges have tours on a regular basis. Student tour guides work for the
admissions office. Don’t judge 2,000 to 20,000 students on the basis of one student you happen not to adore. On one visit, a student told me about language used by the tour guide that was not appreciated.
Don’t be on your cellphone on the tour. That is not proper etiquette.
While your guide is giving you the college tour, you might notice some unmentioned things about the campus. How friendly are the students who walk past you? What notices are on the bulletin boards? In the library, what are the students doing? Taking out books? Studying in the stacks? Just relaxing?
Pick up the student newspaper. Perhaps chat for a moment with a student. If you see a campus police officer, ask about the crime rate on campus or nearby.
Don’t expect the tour guide to tout burglaries and more. Once while visiting a campus and hearing how safe it was all the time, I picked up the student newspaper and read about a recent crime on that campus.
Are students using the student union? Where are the most popular
hangouts? Are you seeing the best dormitory there as the model room? Does the school not want to show you where you may reside?
Are the athletic facilities nearby? Is the campus walkable, or do you need to take a bus to get around?
Think of all the things you want to see before your visit. After the tour, you can seek out the places that you wanted to see but that were not pointed out on the tour or where you would want to spend more time.
When on tour, notice the upkeep of the buildings. Look for construction, computer availability and the size of classrooms. Keep your eyes open and look around. Stay near your tour guide because if you lag behind, you might not hear what the guide has to tell you.
Visit the buildings appropriate to your major. Don’t expect the tour to cover every building. Where is Hillel? Does it have its own building? No, the tour guide is not going to stop at Hillel.
Visit Hillel to find out about Jew-ish life on campus. Make an appoint-ment with the Hillel director or one of the Hillel staff. If you keep kosher, take a look at the dining facility. How many meals per week? Is kosher food on the dining plan? Does it cost extra? Fresh food or airline-type meals?
Where are the Shabbat services you would desire to attend? How often are services provided? Do all students, regardless of which service they at-tend, eat together at a Shabbat meal?
You may want to explore Chabad. This organization is on many cam-puses and keeps growing.
If a college offers individual interviews, go for it. But be prepared. Know the college, its offerings, its extracurricular activities and its phi-losophy. Have questions ready for the interviewer.
Don’t ask how many fraternities and sororities are on campus; that question only proves that you can’t read because it is easy to find the answer. If your question is anything in the Greek realm, ask whether the fra-ternities and sororities control social life on campus.
Ask intelligent questions, show-ing the interviewer that you are an intelligent person. In my educational consulting practice, we prepare for those interviews because there are only a few times you can give a subjective picture of yourself and sell yourself. (The other major time is the essay.) Let’s hope your recommenders do not just state your extracurricular activities, which the college can read on your application.
After a college visit, record your
impressions of your time on campus. Keep a list of the positives and nega-tives. This list will help when you com-pare colleges before making a decision as to where you want to enroll.
When visiting a college, ask whether you may sit in on a class, meet a professor in a field of interest, talk to students, and not only walk on the campus, but check out the college’s neighborhood. Use goseecampus.com to help plan your visits.
Thinking about visiting colleges? Perhaps you have already started your trips, or maybe you should start. ■
Dr. Mark Fisher is a college and career consultant at Fisher Educational Consultants (www.fishereductional-consultants.com) and a consultant for the College Planning Institute (www.GotoCPI.com).
Honored for ActionPhoto by Jackson Krule for USY
Avi Lyons (left) and Joel Rittenberg, members of Congregation Etz Chaim’s Sababa USY chapter, hold certificates recognizing their chapter as a nominee for Chapter of the Year and as the international chapter winner for excellence in social action and tikkun olam (repairing the world) during United Synagogue Youth’s international
convention in Baltimore at the end of December. During the convention Jacq Flash of Atlanta was inducted into USY’s Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society, recognizing
her commitment to the study of Torah, prayer and acts of lovingkindness.
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By R.M. Grossblatt
“I see Dr. Science!” yells a second-grader in a parked school bus.
“There he is!” yells another boy, spotting his science teacher walk-ing out the door to greet his class at the Fernbank Science Center. The students seem almost as excited to see their sci-ence teacher as to tour the center and visit the planetarium.
Dr. Alan Feingold, a retired in-ternist affectionately known as “Dr. Science” by the students at Torah Day School of Atlanta, does more than ar-range trips for his students. He pro-vides a curriculum that encourages the children to love science.
In the learning cottage near the field at TDSA, Dr. Science has two rooms. One room, his lab, is filled wall to wall with materials such as a color-ful rock collection, animal skeletons, a huge fish tank and artifacts from vol-canoes he has visited. In the adjacent room, where two dozen chairs are set up at worktables, the walls and display tables are bare.
Feingold believes that students learn best without distractions, so the classroom next to the lab has no post-ers or displays. But plenty of learning happens in both rooms.
“The biggest thing I teach is how to think,” he said.
As a member of Torah Day School’s board, Feingold knew the school want-ed more science education for its el-ementary students, but he didn’t know he was going to provide it.
In November 2006, his daughter-in-law asked him to help celebrate his grandson’s birthday at the school. He brought dry ice and presented a sci-ence magic show for second-grade boys. Enchanted, the second-graders
asked whether he was coming the next week. With the permission of their classroom teacher, Theresa Burns, he began coming every week.
His wife, Marilyn, an artist, asked how he could teach his grandson in second grade and not the one in first grade. She then asked how he could do this for the boys and not the girls.
Once he was teaching the first- and second-grade boys and girls, Fein-gold asked himself how he could leave out the third- and fourth-graders. Soon he was wheeling a suitcase filled with science materials around the halls of Torah Day School.
The school liked his lessons so much that it welcomed him to the fac-ulty and gave him his own classroom. “Where I am now (behind the main building) is a little further away,” he said, “but it’s a lot more room, so I can set up better demonstrations for my lessons.”
In the bare room, before his dem-onstrations begin, Feingold projects pictures from his computer onto a huge screen and asks students to identify what they see. He’s training the chil-
dren to use observation skills and logic to classify things. He said they love the approach because it’s like a game.
Outside school, Dr. Science enjoys gardening. Every spring first-, second- and third-graders take a field trip to his garden.
“One day a year, it’s my outside classroom,” he said. He teaches the children how plants grow, how seeds form and how “habitats differ from one place to another.”
While the children grow their own vegetables in TDSA’s organic gar-den under the direction of Hadassah Ezoory, a university-trained horticul-turist, students in the lower grades learn the basic science of plants from Feingold.
At least one period a week, the gen-eral studies teachers for kindergarten through fourth grade bring their stu-dents for science. Feingold integrates math and social studies into his lessons and tries to make every class exciting.
“He showed us a picture of the skeleton of a giant turtle,” second-grader Yaakov Estreicher said. “It was cool!” Afterward, the second-graders examined the bones of smaller turtles and other animals that came from the laboratory.
Many of the items in the lab came from Feingold’s travels. Family mem-bers also help. Home from New York, his daughter Sharon (whose voice can be heard in the train at Hartsfield-Jack-son Atlanta International Airport) was walking with her mother when she spotted a log covered in fungi. That’s now one of the interesting items in her father’s lab.
Students also bring in whatever they find, such as worms and insects.
Before every Jewish holiday, the Limudei Kodesh (Judaic studies) teach-
ers bring their students to Feingold for extra classes. Those classes include students in middle school, who take science regularly in the main building with teacher Christine Castle.
“We have a top-rate science pro-gram,” said Rabbi Joshua Einzig, the TDSA head of school, who appreciates that Feingold knows how to integrate science with the other disciplines, in-cluding Judaics. “He’s passionate about his work.”
For Rosh Hashanah, Dr. Science teaches how to differentiate between antlers and the horns that can be made into shofars. For Sukkot, he introduces the seven agricultural species that grow in Israel. On Chanukah, Dr. Sci-ence demonstrates how candles and oil lamps work.
Before Pesach, he teaches about the Nile River and how wheat grows, and for the younger children he shows what the plagues, such as darkness, hail and locusts, might have been like.
In November, before the school held the dedication of a new Torah, Feingold taught how parchment and Torah ink are made.
It takes much dedication for some-one to prepare lessons challenging students, but Feingold said he loves sci-ence and also wants the children to love it. “I only teach material that’s fun,” he said, explaining that he couldn’t pos-sibly teach them everything they need to know in science. “I want them to be learning because they want to learn, because they find it interesting.”
In the bare room, his students fo-cus on his presentation or the screen to learn concepts instead of memoriz-ing facts. Feingold believes that if stu-dents know how to use concepts and logic and apply their own creativity, they can solve problems. “That’s a skill they’ll never forget.”
Just as Dr. Science is a teacher they’re likely never to forget. ■
TDSA’s ‘Dr. Science’Alan Feingold teaches students how to think
Top: Alan Feingold’s lab includes this fungi-covered log his daughter Sharon found.
Bottom: Alan Feingold keeps his classroom free of distractions.
Alan Feingold teaches the differences between antlers (left), which can’t become shofars, and horns, which can.
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By Vicki M. Leopold
Samuel Brody Ellis, 15, a member of Boy Scout Troop 175 in Peachtree City, is working on an Eagle Scout
project for Congregation B’nai Israel. His Star of David tile mosaic at the
Fayetteville synagogue will cover about 30 square feet in a 100-square-foot gar-den. The star will depict the seven days of creation and have at its center a de-sign of two Shabbat candlesticks.
An Eagle Scout project marks the attainment of the highest order of Boy Scouts. As a Boy Scouts of America publication puts it, one must “plan, de-velop, and give leadership to a service project for any religious organization or any school or community.”
A sophomore at McIntosh High, Samuel has lived in Fayette County for 13 years. His father, Ralph, a Delta Air Lines pilot, was an Eagle Scout, and his grandfather loved scouting.
Samuel shows intensity, intelli-gence and sincerity. He is an excellent student who participates in debate team, leads youth services at B’nai Is-rael and writes satiric poetry. He loves competitive debate and hates injustice.
He credits the development of his character to growing up Jewish amid a Christian majority and to his family’s active role in B’nai Israel. Standing by his Jewish convictions has helped make him who he is, Samuel said.
His mother, Angie, the administra-tor at B’nai Israel, tells anyone how spe-cial Samuel is to her and her husband.
After their first child was born, they were told they might not be able to have another.
After hearing the story of Hannah during a reading of the Book of Samuel one Rosh Hashanah, the Ellises looked
at each other and agreed that if Angie became pregnant, they would name the child Samuel. Shortly afterward, she found out she was pregnant.
For that reason, they consider Samuel a miracle. (His middle name, Brody, honors a World War II fighter pilot his grandfather admired.)
At McIntosh, Samuel is one of six Jewish students. He has learned in school and in Scouts that people are ac-commodating if they understand about
Judaism. Sometimes kids feel awkward asking their questions, but Samuel tries to put them at ease and welcomes opportunities to educate others about the Jewish faith, history and culture.
Samuel started in a troop in Al-pharetta because the local troops met on Friday evenings. His dad finally found Troop 175, which in roughly 30 years has had 174 Eagle Scouts.
When Samuel joined, he learned that troop leaders and members took their praying seriously: They opened and closed meetings with Christian prayers. Samuel would excuse himself.
Once he understood Samuel’s situ-ation, the scoutmaster, Col. Jeff Shafer, developed a more inclusive prayer so Samuel could participate.
Samuel conceived of his Eagle Scout project while attending a Union for Reform Judaism camp, Kalsman, in Arlington, Wash. In the middle of a large garden was an amazing Star of David mosaic. Over the summer the kids ate lunch and played games in the garden and around the star. Samuel thought it would be wonderful to bring the star to his congregation in Georgia.
He proposed the idea in June and
Scout Ellis Shines as B’nai Israel Star
OVS Scout ShabbatFor Scouting’s 106th anniversa-
ry, Boy Scout Troop 73 will ob-serve Scout Shabbat by partici-
pating in Shabbat services Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9:30 a.m. at Congregation Or VeShalom in Brookhaven.
Troop 73 will observe its 66th anniversary under Scoutmaster Jo-siah Benator, who will be marking his 81st anniversary in Scouting. During its 66 years, Troop 73 has seen 50 Scouts earn Eagle rank.
All Scouts and former Scouts are invited to attend the service. ■
received approval. He contacted the camp to get dimensions and photos. He began executing the project in August and enlisted the help of four to eight Scouts for each work session. Samuel’s role is to plan and direct the job.
The team had to level the land, build forms and lay concrete. He calcu-lated that eight cement bags would suf-fice, only to discover that he needed 20.
Home Depot contributed materi-als to get the project started. Now he needs money to buy the mosaic tiles. (Email [email protected] if you’re interested in donating.)
“It will take some time to get the donations and the tile, but hopefully not too long,” Samuel said about finish-ing the project. “I want to complete this in time to be the 175th Eagle Scout of Troop 175. How cool would that be?” ■
Samuel Ellis is a few mosaic tiles away from achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
Fellow Boy Scouts help create the concrete Star of David for the project
at Congregation B’nai Israel.
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Atlanta Jewish Academy held its annual Junior High Science Fair in mid-December, with 66 proj-
ects examined by 14 judges. “All our judges told me that they
were very impressed by the quality of the students’ work,” said AJA Junior High science teacher Suzanne Sears, who coordinated the science fair. “Judges who have participated in our science fair before and know what to expect thought our students had taken a step forward with their projects.”
The overall winners, Gabriel Weiss for the seventh grade and Ari Slomka for the eighth grade, advanced to the Fulton County Regional Science & En-gineering Fair, being held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22 and 23.
Gabriel’s project, “Good Vibra-tions,” tested whether the length of a rubber band affects the length of time it vibrates. Because he’s a musician, the project was a natural fit.
“I liked the fact that we had the freedom to do what we wanted and could bring our own creativity into the project,” he said.
Ari’s project, “Ori-Dynamics in Ac-tion,” investigated how surface area af-
fects drag. Ari made different types of origami stars to determine whether the surface area affects the distance a star travels when thrown. The project gave Ari his second overall win in the AJA Junior High Science Fair.
One of Sears’ judges was not like the others: AJA Upper School junior Shaun Regenbaum, whose entry in the 2015 Junior Breakthrough Challenge, a video explaining the mathemati-cal concept of infinitesimals, finished among the top 15 worldwide.
“Shaun was a positive, enthusias-tic judge who understood what makes a quality experiment,” Sears said. “He
made sure that the younger students fully grasped the concepts.”
In addition to the overall winners, AJA named three winners each for sev-enth and eighth grades.
For seventh grade:• First place — Matthew Minsk,
“Batting or Pitching: Which Is More Enriching?” Matthew analyzed Ma-jor League Baseball data to determine whether a team’s batting average or earned-run average is more closely correlated to games won. He chose the project based on his passion for base-ball and his fondness for math and someday hopes to use his discoveries in
the front office of a major-league team.• Second place — Wade Rabinow-
itz, “Rise, Rise as Fast as You Can.” Wade examined the heights of muf-fins baked with different rising agents. Wade loves to bake and disproved her initial assumption that yeast would be the most effective leavening agent.
• Third place — Shayna Shapiro, “You’re in for a Ride.” Shayna tested how the size of a marble affects the time it takes to travel through a roller-coaster track. “I really like physics,” she said, “so even though I was nervous about speaking to the judges, I enjoyed having the chance to show them my project and tell them how I did it.”
For eighth grade:• First place — Zach Mainzer, “Un-
der the Dirty, Polluted Sea.” Zach test-ed how different road surfaces affect water fleas’ vitality. Zach had always done baseball-related projects. “I still love baseball,” he said, “but I wanted a project where the variables were easier to control and with more experimenta-tion.”
• Second place — Eitan Linsider, “Mega-Magnets.” Eitan examined the strengths of different types of magnets. He also tested how the strength of the magnets changes when they are heated or cooled.
• Third place — Sophie Steinberg, “It’s TIME for Chocolate.” Sophie found the relationship between the melting point and the amount of cocoa powder in chocolate. ■
AJA Scientists Play Ball, Get Baking
Top: Ari Slomka is a two-time overall winner of the AJA Junior High Science Fair.
Middle: A project involving the melting of different types of
marshmallows draws an observer.Bottom: Students check out a project
involving silk ties and the dyeing of eggs.
The AJA Junior High Science Fair winners are (from left) Ari Slomka, Eitan Linsider, Zach Mainzer, Sophie Steinberg, Wade Rabinowitz,
Shayna Shapiro, Matthew Minsk and Gabriel Weiss.
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Six months after welcoming its first class of preschoolers, the Ahava Early Learning Center at Aha-vath Achim Synagogue celebrated the grand opening of its renovated facility with a ribbon cutting Wednesday, Jan. 6. Before opening the new facility on the site of the former Epstein School pre-
school, Ahava operated out of the Buckhead synagogue’s basement. Now that renovations and remodels are complete on the Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool, the space boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, an art studio with a kiln room, and a 19,200-square-foot outdoor classroom with a climbing wall, amphitheater and greenhouse. ■
Photos by David R. Cohen (except as otherwise noted)A: Excited parents watch as Ahava pupils
cut the ribbon on the new facility.B: Past AA President Philip Siegel, who started and
drove the process of bringing a preschool back to the synagogue, steps in to finish the cutting job.
C: Pointing toward the new facility, AA Executive Director Manuel Mesa praises the work and patience
of all involved with the preschool project.D: Photo courtesy of Ahavath Achim Children at
Ahava have adjusted quickly to the new facilities at the site of the former Epstein preschool.
E & F: The outdoor classroom includes a greenhouse and a climbing wall.
G: A playground tunnel is just the right size for one girl.
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Take the time to explore our website.
In a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Epstein School preschoolers and their teachers marched with grievance signs through the halls of the Sandy Springs day school Friday, Jan. 15, in a nonviolent protest. Head of School Da-
vid Abusch-Magder met with the children to resolve their grievances peacefully and respectfully. He declared a day without naps and with more Lego time, and everyone agreed to use only kind words. ■
Trinity School will host the Spot-light on Art Artists Market from Feb. 1 to 6.
The 35th anniversary show will feature more than 350 artists on 6,000 square feet of display space, with works priced from $5 to $15,000.
Daily admission to the gallery is free, as are two special “meet the art-ists” evenings: opening night from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 1 and Cocktails & Canvases from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 5. The market also is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 2 to 4, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 5, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 6.
The school is at 4301 Northside Parkway in Buckhead.
Artists must be invited to partici-pate in the show, and their styles in-clude contemporary, realism, impres-sionism, folk, sculpture and jewelry. A full list of the artists is available at www.spotlightonart.com.
“As the largest artists market in the Southeast, there is truly something for every art lover at Spotlight on Art,”
said Sarah Williams, who is chairing this year’s Spotlight on Art. “With the help and hard work of more than 200 volunteers, Trinity School transforms its walls into 6,000 square feet of in-credible gallery space. Whether you are a casual observer, art aficionado, an emerging artist looking for inspiration or a seasoned talent, a walk through the Spotlight on Art Artists Market will expand anyone’s understanding of the amazing world of art.”
Spotlight on Art proceeds support Trinity School, which runs from age 3 through sixth grade, in areas such as student financial aid and continuing teacher education. The sixth-grade class dedicates a portion of the pro-ceeds to a charitable organization se-lected each fall.
The winter celebration of art con-cludes with a gala Saturday night, Feb. 13, at 6:30 at American Spirit Works, 199 Armour Drive, Buckhead. Tickets are $175 and are available through www.spotlightonart.com. ■
Trinity Art Market Highlights February
Photos by Coleen Lou, the Epstein SchoolTop: Pre-kindergartner Lexi Poline makes the case to Epstein Head of School
David Abusch-Magder that everyone should use only kind words.Lower left: Head of School David Abusch-Magder meets with preschoolers in a
Martin Luther King Jr. Day demonstration of the power of peaceful protest.Lower right: Epstein School preschoolers air their grievances.
A Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta grant is helping educa-tional outreach organization
JCrafts Georgia launch two of its most elaborate, expensive projects yet: the Great Kosher Chocolate Factory and the Havdalah Workshop.
“I think the Jewish community is going to be thrilled to have these,” said Rabbi Levi Mentz, who heads JCrafts under the auspices of Chabad of Geor-gia. “Kids will be engaged in learning like never before.”
JCrafts is known for holiday-relat-ed mobile programming, such as a sho-far factory at Rosh Hashanah, a mat-zah factory at Passover, an olive press for Chanukah and a mobile sukkah for Sukkot. The latest creations, which should be built and ready for rollout in March, are even more elaborate.
The chocolate factory costs more than $10,000, Rabbi Mentz said, fea-tures a backdrop 10 feet high and 20 feet long, and can serve 35 participants at a time. The factory starts with grind-ing cocoa beans and ends with kosher
chocolate bars or, for Chanukah, choc-olate menorahs.
The Havdalah program teaches about Shabbat traditions while pro-ducing intertwined Havdalah candles.
Both factories are appropriate for anyone from age 4 to adult. The script for the program behind the factory changes to remain age-appropriate.
The mobile factories are available to any Jewish organization and can be incorporated into events, Rabbi Mentz said. JCrafts comes in 90 minutes be-fore the start and sets up everything.
It was the interaction with orga-nizations across the community that helped JCrafts win one of four Jewish Continuity Innovation Fund Grants
that Federation handed out in Decem-ber, the fourth cycle of grants under the fund. Federation disburses up to $30,000 a year from the innovation fund to startup nonprofits that have operated in Atlanta for five years or less.
The grants, usually $2,000 to $6,000, aim to support Jewish educa-tion, Jewish communal engagement or Jewish leadership development.
In addition to JCrafts, December’s winners were Creating Connected Communities, the organization that grew out of Amy’s Holiday Party to support teens in helping the needy and becoming community leaders; In the City Camp, an intown Jewish day camp
for ages 5 to 14; and Honeymoon Israel, a national organization that subsidizes group trips to Israel for newlyweds.
JCrafts won over the grant com-mittee with reports showing that it served more than 5,500 participants at 33 organizations in a year, Rabbi Mentz said, joking, “They couldn’t even name 33 Jewish organizations.”
Rabbi Mentz said he and a Chabad colleague in Maryland are piloting the JCrafts concept and working together on ideas such as the two new work-shops. His own ties to the entertain-ment industry, from growing up in Bel Air, Calif., also have helped.
Now JCrafts is spreading across the country, with the vision of having JCrafts programming available to ev-ery Jewish group. The sole purpose of JCrafts, Rabbi Mentz said, is to serve other Jewish organizations, usually by enhancing the educational efforts of preschools, day schools, religious schools and youth groups.
“If we’re all doing the same thing, trying to do the same goal,” he said, “why not work together to make some-thing amazing? If we put all our re-sources together, we come out with a great product.” ■
JCrafts Expands Into Chocolate, Candle Factories
JCrafts is adding two offerings to its programming, the Great Kosher Chocolate Factory and the Havdalah Workshop.
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EDUCATION
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta drew about 50 people to Stars and Strikes in Sandy Springs for a teen expo highlighting Jewish summer pro-grams. Federation’s Atlanta Jewish Camp initiative (atlantajewishcamp.org)
offers financial aid for many camp programs, as well as a concierge service to help connect teens to the right programs. The following camps and programs partici-pated in the expo, according to Samantha Tanenbaum, Federation’s community camp ambassador: Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Coleman; URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech; URJ 6 Points Sports Academy; Etgar 36; Jewish Student Union; Camp Zeke; High School in Israel; Camp Ramah Darom; Camp Living Wonders; American Jewish Society for Service; Young Judaea; Creating Connected Communities’ Teen Leadership Program; Adamah Adventures; Camp Barney Medintz; Marcus Jewish Community Center day camps; JCC programs; and BBYO Passport. ■
A Summer SamplerPhotos courtesy of Federation
Chabad of North Fulton’s monthly Middle School Havdalah Club held a game night and ask-the-rabbi session with Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz on Saturday night, Jan. 9. The next session at the synagogue at 10180 Jones Bridge Road
on the Alpharetta-Johns Creek line will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. ■
Saturday Night GamingPhotos courtesy of Chabad of North Fulton
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EDUCATION
5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30327www.templesinaiatlanta.org
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of our programs from ages 12 months throughTransitional Kindergarten. We offer small classes,
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focus on academics through play.
For more information or to schedule a tour of the preschool, please call 404.255.6200.
About 25 children ages 10 to 15 are piloting a new phase in a 20-year-old effort to spur con-
versations and creativity around Jew-ish family history.
The My Family Story program also represents a new level of collaboration between the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum and Beit Hatfutsot, the Mu-seum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
“It was beshert,” said Shula Bahat, the CEO of Beit Hatfutsot of America, a support organization for the museum. She said she was meeting with the Bre-man when she got a phone call about a $10,000 Covenant Foundation grant to move beyond day schools.
“The idea is to expose the program to kids who may not go to regular Jew-ish learning programs,” Bahat said. The Breman is first to test the program, and three other U.S. institutions will follow.
My Family Story celebrated its 20th anniversary last summer, Bahat said. It began in Latin America and has spread around the world, reaching the United States about four years ago.
Working with 150 institutions, the program involves as many as 25,000 students a year, Bahat said, and touches several times as many people because parents, grandparents and sib-lings share in the experience.
“My dream is to see it in every Jew-ish learning center,” Bahat said.
My Family Story has individual and collective benefits, according to Bahat and Ghila Sanders, the Breman community engagement manager who is working on the pilot project.
Participants learn where they come from, then create individual art projects that represent their family sto-ries. Hundreds of those works are sub-mitted to Beit Hatfutsot for an annual competition, and dozens of winners make the trip to the museum. Gathered together, the projects tell a bigger story about the history of the Jewish people.
That story is universal, Bahat said. “That’s why I think it’s such a powerful program.”
The plan is to submit two of the Atlanta projects to the competition, but the version of the program here has differences. The students are working with a creative writing teacher, Evelyn Walsh, on a written piece that is new to My Family Story, as is the collective
project the par-ticipants will pro-duce beyond their individual works.
Sanders said the Breman is excited not only about this year, but also about the long-term fu-ture of My Family Story in Atlanta. “This is an oppor-tunity to bring in families from lots
of different parts of the Jewish commu-nity, including the unaffiliated. They’re all parts of the mosaic Beit Hatfutsot is putting together.”
Over the course of six gatherings that began Jan. 10 and will conclude April 17 with a showcase of the proj-ects, the students will learn how to think like anthropologists, how to con-duct interviews, how to label artifacts, and how to tell stories with words and images, including videos. The students also will spend hours at home between those sessions to talk to relatives, ex-plore photos and documents, and look for items that represent them.
Artist Karin Mervis will guide them through their art projects, but Bahat emphasized that the creativity comes from the youths.
The pilot involves Jeremy Katz, the director of the Breman’s Cuba Family Archives, and Aaron Berger, the Bre-man’s executive director. The Breman is working with Congregation Shearith Israel, chosen as a partner because of its location, educational programs and experience with My Family Story in the religious school a few years ago.
“We’re really thrilled to be partner-ing with Beit Hatfutsot on this project because it brings together everything the Breman is all about,” Sanders said.
The program’s second session is Sunday, Jan. 31, and Sanders said in-terested families can still get involved by contacting her at [email protected] or 678-222-3700. Children who missed the first session will likely get a crash course to catch up.
“It’s an unbelievable responsibil-ity on the part of Beit Hatfutsot and for that matter the Breman,” Bahat said, “but it’s a responsibility that we gladly undertake because we know that we can make a difference.” ■
Never-Ending StoryBreman helps students weave their pieces of the Jewish tapestry
Shula Bahat sees My Family Story as part
of Beit Hatfutsot’s expansion beyond a physical museum.
The Balser Symposium might not seem exciting: St. Louis lawyer Lawrence Brody will discuss in-
surance in charitable planning.But the program Friday morning,
Jan. 29, for professional financial advis-ers is more than a chance to learn about the sophisticated ways the wealthy can integrate life insurance as an asset into estate planning and philanthropy.
It’s also a chance for the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the Commu-nity Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s newly renamed Atlanta Jew-ish Foundation to pave the way for the
growth of local philanthropy.“As much wealth as Atlanta has,
it’s not as philanthropic as, say, the Bay Area,” said Itai Tsur, senior director of the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, which until this month was Federation’s Planned Giving and Endowment unit. “There’s just no history of really big philanthropy. We hope, with advisers’ help, to push people in that direction.”
Those professional advisers, such
as estate planners, tax lawyers and money managers, are the target audi-ence for the Balser Symposium, which in its 10th year is expected to draw 200 to 250 people. The symposium draws a consistent crowd each year because ad-visers know they will hear good speak-ers and can count on the event to fall at the same time each year, Tsur said.
The three large charitable organi-zations behind the symposium want to educate those advisers on the means and value of giving money to nonprof-its and how donors can maximize the impact of their gifts, said Brent Eden, Balser’s chair. “How do we get people to change their minds and give more?”
“For us, it’s a numbers game: The more people we can expose to these
ideas and kind of reinforce the need to talk about them, the better off all of the nonprofits in town will be,” Tsur said.
He said the three organizations are not competing for donations. “Our competition is consumerism. As Alicia Philipp, the head of the Community Foundation, once said, it’s that third cruise around the world that a wealthy donor chooses to take instead of learn-ing about their own philanthropic in-terests and funding them.”
People get hooked on philanthro-py, Tsur said, when they see the impact on causes they care about. “It provides that sense of satisfaction that a new car would, but for a longer time,” he said. “It’s completely selfish, which is fine.”
The Balser brand has long includ-ed Erev Balser, a smaller, less formal dinner and discussion with the guest speaker the night before. Now the symposium organizers are adding the Balser Philanthropic Advisers Commit-tee, or BPAC, a giving circle for a select group of perhaps 50 advisers.
Those who participate will pool money for donations, learn the criteria and follow the process the Atlanta Jew-ish Foundation uses to assess nonprof-its, and decide which organizations receive contributions. BPAC will have a different theme each year, to be an-nounced at the symposium.
“We hope they’ll enjoy the process … and discuss with their clients their own philanthropic giving,” Tsur said.
Eden said BPAC appears to be unique in the nation, just as the sympo-sium itself is. “As far as we know, there is not another educational symposium or event for financial professional ad-visers in the country that is presented by a collaboration of multiple major nonprofit organizations like this.”
He said that collaboration reflects well on the three organizations and on symposium founder Jack Balser.
The 10th annual symposium will include a presentation to Balser. Tsur said the cost of a big-name speaker was prohibitive for three nonprofits fo-cused on financial planning and giving.
But Brody is well known in his area of expertise, and with the right speaker, even life insurance can be en-tertaining. “If it’s interesting to him,” Tsur said of Eden, “it’s interesting to our target audience.” ■
Balser Event Builds Philanthropic Culture
What: Erev Balser
Where: Selig Center, 1440 Spring St., Midtown
When: 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28
Cost: $25; JewishAtlanta.org/balser
What: 10th annual Balser Symposium
Who: Estate planner Lawrence Brody
Where: Georgia Tech Global Learning Center, 84 Fifth St., Midtown
When: 7:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29
Cost: $50, including parking; JewishAtlanta.org/balser
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www.atlantajewishtimes.comFOOD
MariettaList Price: $110,000
Top 1% of Coldwell Banker InternationallyCertified Negotiator, Luxury, New Homes
and Corporate Relocation Specialist#1 Sales Associate in Sandy Springs Office
Voted Favorite Jewish Realtor in AJT,Best of Jewish Atlanta
Ever since the new Broadway Cafe opened in mid-July, the restau-rant has fed many a kosher-con-
scious bagel fanatic in the Toco Hills area. In this edition of Better Know a Bagel, we take a look at how its bagels stack up to Atlanta’s best.
As the only kosher restaurant in Atlanta to offer a full breakfast, Broad-way Cafe had to be the next stop in my bagel-and-schmear-filled odyssey.
AtmosphereWith stylish wood-paneled walls,
an inviting front counter, and tasty menu items such as falafel, baked ziti and an array of gourmet pizzas, it’s no wonder that Broadway has become a hangout for those in Toco Hills. Locat-ed across the street from the original Broadway Cafe on Briarcliff Road, the new spot somehow has both a modern vibe and a classic feel. Visit Broadway at lunchtime on a Wednesday and you might even witness an AJT editorial meeting in progress.
Verdict: 5/5 bagels
BagelsBroadway Cafe isn’t strictly a
bagel bakery, but it does make tradi-tional, New York-style, kettle-boiled bagels that live up to their namesake. They boast a soft interior with a not-too-crispy coating. Broadway’s bagels lose points, however, on their top-pings, which are too large and a little
bit overcooked. Still, the wide variety of doughy discs, including chocolate chip, blueberry, onion and cinnamon raisin, should satisfy any bagel lover’s craving.
Verdict: 4/5 bagels
SpreadsFrom veggie schmear to white-
fish, lox and PB&J, Broadway offers plenty of options for topping your bagel. Make sure to try the elegantly presented sliced Nova platter, which includes fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and a plentiful portion of lox. The cream cheese is a bit dense and tough to spread, however, so Broadway misses out on a perfect score here. The menu includes other kosher breakfast staples, including lox, eggs and onions; French toast; and breakfast pastries baked in house.
Verdict: 4/5 bagels
OverallAlthough the new Broadway Cafe
Better Know a Bagel: Broadway Cafe
is not a devoted bagel deli, a visit to the restaurant is not complete without try-ing one of its bagels. Great atmosphere and food and a friendly staff are a suc-cessful recipe for this 6-month-old es-tablishment managed by Avi Alzadeh. I highly recommend a morning visit for coffee and breakfast.
Verdict: 4/5 bagels ■
Next time: Brooklyn Water Bagel
Previous Ratings• Brooklyn Bagel Bakery & Deli: 5/5• Art’s Bagels & More: 4.5/5• Bagelicious: 4/5• Soho Bakery and Deli: 4/5• Goldberg’s Bagel Co.: 4/5• The General Muir: 3.5/5
Photos by David R. CohenA visit to Broadway Cafe is not complete
without the sliced Nova platter.
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The Atlanta Jewish Music Festival (fresh off announcing its 2016 lineup) and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (fresh off opening ticket sales to the general public) held a preview party Thursday night, Jan. 14, with the American Jew-
ish Committee’s ACCESS young-professional group, Marcus Jewish Community Center Young Adults and GrapeVine Atlanta at Aisle 5. ■
By Leah R. Harrison
“Time to Say Goodbye” is a coming-of-age farce about a love-struck 12-year-old Ger-
man Jewish boy caught in the middle of a conflict between his mild-mannered, increasingly observant father and his estranged, tantalizing fiction-writer mother.
At issue is whether Simon Grun-berg will be circumcised before becom-ing a bar mitzvah.
Appropriately setting the tone, the action opens with the shenani-gans of Simon and his two instigating best-friend sidekicks. Events quickly turn on the arrival of the traditional community’s new female rabbi, with whom Simon quickly, and his father apparently subsequently, becomes en-amored.
After deducing that “we are in love with the same woman,” Simon embarks on a well-considered if not ill-advised campaign, declaring to his father: “Love isn’t fair.”
The ensuing action will at times make you laugh, at times make you
Photos by Andrew Levison, Mag-nificentTop: Abraham Miller, Taylor McGlamery, AJMF Executive Director
Russell Gottschalk, Karen Jones and Ryan BaillLower left: Lauren Light and GrapeVine’s Tommy Bledsoe
Lower right: Christian Hill takes the mic while DJ Mike Zarin handles the sound in the background.
Festival Jump-Start
Cut to the Chase: Time To Say All Right Already
cringe, and at times make you cross your legs.
In the end Simon decides to give it all in ways you can only imagine.
Maximilian Ehrenreich as young Simon steals the show with an utterly believable performance. Transitioning from cute and naive to willful and de-termined, Ehrenreich as Simon does a convincing job of showing that love at any age can cloud your vision and im-pair your judgment.
The audience is granted another reward as Simon reaches his bar mitz-vah celebration with a newfound ap-preciation and level of maturity com-mensurate with the occasion.
Although director Viviane An-dereggen flirts with the line between humorous and distasteful, sometimes crossing over to gratuitous and even unnecessary, “Time to Say Goodbye” emerges as a clever, entertaining and lighthearted ride that is worth taking.
(At press time, tickets were avail-able for Atlanta Jewish Film Festival screenings Jan. 29 at Merchants Walk, Jan. 31 at SCADshow and Feb. 5 at Atlan-tic Station.) ■
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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOBITUARIES
SIMCHAS
EngagementShovers-Doar
Carole and Andy Shovers of Atlanta announce the engagement of their son, Tim, and Kira Doar, daughter of David Doar and Marjorie Klein of Bethesda, Md.
Tim is a producer and reporter at Red Zebra Broadcasting, ESPN 980, in Rockville, Md. He also co-hosts a show on SportsTalk 570. Tim received his undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin. He is the grandson of the late Charlotte and Arthur Adler, who lived in Oma-ha, Neb., and the late Ruth and Iman Shovers, who lived in Racine, Wis.
Kira received her bachelor’s degree in interna-tional relations and Middle East studies from Tufts
University and her master’s degree in Middle East studies from the George Wash-ington University. She is a development associate at the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse in Rockville. Kira is the granddaughter of Lila Klein and the late Harold Klein of Delray Beach, Fla., and the late Josiah Withers and Ruth Doar, who lived in Greensboro, N.C.
A July 3 wedding is planned in Washington, D.C.
Barbara Linde70, Minneapolis
Barbara Joan Linde, 70, died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Minneapolis.Barbara was born in Detroit. She graduated from Wayne State University in
Detroit and married in 1967. She put her energy into teaching elementary school, designing jewelry and other creative pursuits, working as her husband’s office manager, teaching reading to children with emotional and behavioral disorders, doing volunteer work, and raising two daughters. She loved cooking, mahjongg, reading and travel and embarked on the adventure of moving to Minneapolis af-ter retirement to live near her daughters. She was a member of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., and Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, Dr. Martin S. Linde. She is survived by daughter Dr. Jennifer Linde and her husband, Julian Bernick; daughter Melissa Linde and her fiancé, Mike Wilson; beloved granddaughter Ha-zel Martin Wilson; brother Dr. Ronald Gelb and sister-in-law Adele; in-laws Mari-lynn and Maynard Flusty and Drs. Harold Linde and Marilyn Allen; and nieces, nephews and dear friends across the country.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Optage Hospice through the Presbyterian Homes Foundation, 2845 Hamline Ave. N, Roseville, MN 55113, or to the University of Minnesota Medical Center through the Univer-sity of Minnesota Foundation, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455-2010 (give.umn.edu). Graveside services were held Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Arrangements by Sandy Springs Chapel Funeral Directors.
Elizabeth Weinberg92, Louisville, Ky.
Elizabeth Shaikun Weinberg, 92, died Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, at Baptist Health in Louisville, Ky.
She was a native of Greensburg, Ky., born April 6, 1923, to the late Eugenia Lerner and Edward Shaikun. She graduated from Greensburg High School, at-tended Indiana University and received her master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
Elizabeth was a teacher and taught business and was co-owner of the Plaza Shop clothing store in Madison, Ind. She was an avid reader, loved bridge, en-joyed movies and spent many hours researching her family genealogy. She was a
member of Keneseth Israel Congregation in Louisville, the KI Sisterhood, Hadas-sah, the National Council of Jewish Women’s Louisville Section, the Indiana Jew-ish Historical Society, the Jefferson County, Ind., Historical Society and Tri Kappa of Madison, Ind. She served as past president of the League of Women Voters and authored three Jewish historical books about Madison.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 41 years, Jerry Weinberg; a daughter, Esmin Weinberg; siblings Dena Wirklich, Sandra Zelony and Lester Shaikun; and a niece, Robin Shaikun.
She is survived by children Danny Weinberg (Sally), James Weinberg (Mindy) of Atlanta, and Ilean Rowe (Lewis); a sister, Dolores Levy; a brother, Arnold Shai-kun (Ellen); sister-in-law Joan Weinberg Wolf (Walter Jr.) of Indianapolis; grand-sons Evan, Adam, Zach, Schuyler, Jake and Reese; and several cousins, nieces and nephews, including Laya Shaikun, Gail Spielman and Sam Zelony, all of Atlanta.
The family would like to send a special thank-you to her caregivers with Vis-iting Angels, Sharon Murphy, Amy Owens, Edythe Giles and Andy Block.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to the donor’s favorite charity.
Death NoticesGertrude Baumwald, 93, of Miami, mother of Shirley Glickman, Marilyn
Baumwald and Larry Baumwald, on Jan. 6.Rabbi Mayer Baruch Dudovitz, 80, of Chicago, brother of Temple Sinai
member David Dudovitz, on Jan. 6.Adrienne Felicciardi, 76, of Boynton Beach, Fla., mother of Temple Kol
Emeth member Michael Tempel, on Dec. 21.Lawrence Freilich, 85, of Atlanta, father of Helaine Freilich Parham and Deb-
bie Bingham, on Jan. 6.Klavdiya Kreslavskaya of Atlanta on Jan. 6.Irene Pearson, mother of Congregation Beth Shalom member Dan Cohn, on
Jan. 9.Sue Robinson of Baltimore, sister of Temple Sinai member Harriet Berlin,
on Dec. 23.Eleazar Sondervan, 76, of Atlanta, husband of Maryke Sondervan and father
of Sofia Sondervan and Richard Sondervan, on Jan. 16.
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www.atlantajewishtimes.comOBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSINGCLOSING THOUGHTS
Most people don’t look at their refrigerators for inspiration or guidance, but I do.
I’m not talking about what’s inside. Hardly anything is inspiring about almond milk, yogurt, fruits or vegetables. Actually, when produce languishes and ends up in the garbage or I trash leftovers after ignoring them too long, my refrigerator gives me guilt. There’s noth-ing inspiring about guilt.
But the outside of the refrigerator, a stainless-steel door that serves as a perfect bulletin board, provides me with precepts and ideas to remember. In addition to photographs of my grand-children, there are dozens of quota-tions on magnets or postcards.
“Life is short, take the scenic route,” reads one magnet. Next to it is the reminder “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
Some of the quotations are philo-sophical, others psychological.
“Worry is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere” is one of my favorites. If you had access to my psy-chological genealogy chart, you would see I was conditioned by a long line of worriers. It’s useful to have a tangible reminder about how counterproduc-tive worrying is.
I think an invitation to a Jewish event contained a surprising and pro-vocative sentence. “It’s a mitzvah to be happy” was written in beautiful callig-raphy. I had never studied mitzvot, so it surprised me that in Judaism, being happy was a spiritual directive.
Happiness is about one’s frame of mind and attitude. I wondered, if happiness counted as a mitzvah, whether the source of that happiness was material.
As a teenager, I longed to drive a convertible. I told my parents I wanted a convertible as a 16th birthday pres-ent. My parents could not afford to get me a car, so I was surprised when my mother agreed to grant my wish.
When she handed me a small white box on my birthday, I imagined the key was inside. I opened the box to find a small gold charm of a convert-ible car. I gritted my teeth, felt disap-pointed and promised myself that someday I would get a convertible.
My desire to drive a sporty con-vertible remained a dormant fantasy for decades, but I loved doing research on new cars and often went to auto
Happy Refrigeratordealers to test-drive new models. Even-tually I fulfilled my old dream.
When I drove my red Toyota Celi-ca convertible off the dealer’s lot, I was giddy with excitement, exuberance and happiness. Like my old adolescent self, I wanted to honk and shout to anyone who noticed, “Look at me.”
I called my friend Saundra, gush-
ing about my convertible.“It’s great to hear how excited you
are, but what you’re feeling isn’t going to last. True happiness has to come from inside you, Arlene, not from what car you’re driving.”
Over time I discovered she was right. The happiness I experienced from my new car began to wane. It became simply a means of transporta-tion; it didn’t make me happy.
I did some research into happi-ness and found a study that followed 268 Harvard graduates for 75 years. The researchers wanted to determine what it takes to live a happy life.
They found that the source of happiness was not driving a particular car or having a high IQ, which most Harvard graduates had. It wasn’t about being rich or famous.
The most important factor in be-ing happy was love.
The Beatles, who sang, “All you need is love,” knew something it took Harvard researcher 75 years to determine. A loving family and close friends were the sources of happiness.
I was fortunate to have a loving, supportive husband, wonderful chil-dren, and lots of friends. I didn’t focus on all I had to be grateful for. When friends told me how lucky I was, I’d shrug my shoulders with the realiza-tion I took my blessings for granted.
If I wanted to fulfill the mitzvah to be happy, I had to change my per-spective. I began keeping a gratitude journal, and every day I cataloged at least three things I was grateful for.
The journal is too bulky to post on my refrigerator, so I wrote myself a message that I placed on my refrig-erator so I wouldn’t forget what was important. “Gratitude is the source of happiness. Count your blessings. Be happy.” ■
ACROSS1. Faith in G-d and Torah, to many Jews8. Was punished in gan15. Unlike drilling in the Mediterranean16. Joining the army at 18, e.g.17. Had a siyum18. Title for Moses?19. “___ sher!” (“Bivadai!”)20. What is won in the Knesset22. “As it glared ___ the river’s waves” Emma Lazarus23. Opening for Annie Leibovitz25. Airer of Noah Wyle’s “Falling Skies”26. Jake Gyllenhaal is considered one27. Middle, to Rabbi Sacks29. Schmatta32. Musician Rotenberg33. Poor crossword solver’s need34. Like one who is visited, hopefully35. 34-Across, e.g.36. What would be hanging from this puzzle if it were a garment39. Snakes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”43. The ADL, e.g.44. Sakharov of Jerusalem’s Sakharov Gardens49. Nationality of Ambassador to Israel Jakr Boon-Long50. Studio founded by David Sarnoff51. Family or Orthodox52. Actor Glen on Benioff’s “Game of Thrones”53. ___ in Uriah55. Shawarma rod56. It can help you get around Isr.57. What Goldberg might call his shoulder muscles60. Operation Solomon
locale: Abbr.61. Some tosses from Cy Young winner Steve Stone63. Fancy car destroyed in Michael Bay’s “The Rock”67. Home of the El Ghriba Synagogue68. Jerusalem Post fees69. Shot locale for Paul Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson70. Gets back on a good derech
DOWN1. Building locale for a macher2. Haman, perhaps3. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, billionaire dubbed the Russian ___4. Rehovot need?5. Kind of joke attempted by Borat6. Before, to Lazarus7. Many a cab in Israel8. Hillel, for one9. Indian tourist locale that sounds like a recently unearthed fortress in Jerusalem10. Chalav Yisrael source11. Rahab ran one12. They played “Spiderwebs” in Tel Aviv in 199713. Nationality of some in the southwest corner of the Old City14. A makolet might be one21. Make 36-Across24. Yehuda ha-Nasi and King George: Abbr.25. ISIS creates it26. “The Mirror ___ Two Faces” (Streisand film)28. Official at Bloomfield Stadium, for
short30. Medit. land31. Makes like the face of Moses37. Be a nudnik38. Cat that would be of no use in Eilat39. Olmert was caught in one40. Get back on a good derech41. Chaver, in Sicily42. Reason for a sacrifice45. Tim Whatley on “Seinfeld,” e.g.46. Says the Amidah, like a chazan47. East African country whose president went to Israel for medical treatment in 199348. Words of introduction for Yuri Foreman54. Comparable to an animal that epitomizes tref57. Jon Stewart reported behind one58. New York county that’s home to a kosher animal city59. Test before Cardozo62. Hoffman quirk in “Rain Man”64. Address ending for YU65. Education basics, in grammar school but not gan66. Did the Jerusalem Marathon
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