What's Inside - The Jewish Georgian

Jewish
THE
Georgian
Volume 22, Number 6 Atlanta, Georgia SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010 FREE
What’s Inside
A High Holy Day
Washington Street buzzed with excitement
on Selichos night in 1948.
By David Geffen
Page 30
Thoughts on Iraq
Jewish values can provide a context for
dealing with the stresses of war.
By Philip J. Botwinik,
as told to George Jordan
Page 16
The Vicarious
Traveler
Globe-trotting granddaughters provide
insights on other cultures via their travel
blogs.
By Leon Socol
Page 21
The Power of
Small Things
A tiny prayer book was the constant
companion of an anonymous soldier during
World War II.
By Balfoura Friend Levine
Page 15
Changing with
the Times
Once a community of merchants, Rome’s
thriving Jewish community is now home
to professionals.
By Dr. Stuart Rockoff
Page 10
Taking Care of Mom
Navigating the healthcare maze is a challenge
for caregivers.
By Ron Feinberg
Page 28
Atlanta Jewish Educational Alliance—a centennial celebration
By Marvin Botnick
At the beginning of the 20th century,
the Jewish population of Atlanta numbered
something slightly over 1,000, the majority
of whom were recent emigrants. It is difficult
for most of us to understand and appreciate
what it must have meant to this population
to acclimate to a new environment, a
new language, an unfamiliar social setting,
and a new culture.
While I grew up in Mississippi and not
in Atlanta, I am the product of parents who
would be numbered in the tally of emigrants.
I have always been in awe of how
my parents and the others who faced this
task met the challenge and moved them-
By Jill Lerner
See Centennial Celebration page 5
JNF National Conference will
draw eyes of world to Georgia
Georgia’s surging importance to the
worldwide Jewish community will be confirmed
in early October, when Atlanta welcomes
Israel’s leading politicians and
change agents—including the mayor of
Jerusalem and several cabinet ministers—
for a major conference on Israel.
From October 10-11, Atlanta will host
the Jewish National Fund’s 2010 National
Conference—the first time in the 109-yearhistory
of JNF that the organization’s most
important meeting will be held in Atlanta.
More than 600 attendees are expected from
throughout the country, including JNF
Child Holocaust survivors and families honor
heroic village in the French countryside
Betty Rose Blass with daughter
Naomi Blass (Photo courtesy of
Naomi Blass)
Wishing You a Healthy and Sweet 5771
“Those were the days, my friend”: Bobby Paller, Harry Maziar, Barbara Smith,
Sherry Maziar, and Caryl Paller are all smiles.
See JNF National Conference page 7
By Naomi Blass
“I thought they would come back.” My
mother glances at her hands, referring to her
parents, my grandparents. She is nearing
seventy, with gray hair trimmed in a bob
similar to the style popular in her childhood
of the 1940s. We are at Hearth in Sandy
Springs, eating a pizza dinner. With an impish
smile, she adds, “I hoped they would
find me. And bring me a doll in a baby carriage.
What did I know? There was a war.”
She waves her hand, dismissing the errant
See Survivors page 6
JNF Chairman Ronald Lauder and
Michael B. Oren, Israelʼs ambassador
to the United States
Legendary southern storyteller
Pat Conroy headlines the 19th
annual Book Festival of the
MJCCA. (photo: Steve Leimberg)
See page 38.

Page 2 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Judaism and the magic mirror
Who is not familiar with the story of
Snow White? I wonder how many people
have ever thought about the imagery of the
magic mirror in the story. Was the Brothers
Grimm presentation of this fairy tale just
some mindless fantasy, or is it possible that
its symbolism has practical application?
Think about it.
For me, this mirror does exist.
You cannot see this reflective surface
into which I gaze, nor can you hear any
sounds that flow between it and me because
it is housed in my inner-self. It is an astonishing
creation that is at my beck and call,
and I can ask it a question and get a meaningful
response.
I have had this mirror all of my life, but
this is the season that I make the most use
of it. Unlike the wicked queen in the Snow
White tale, I do not use the magic mirror for
self-aggrandizement; rather, I rely on it for
introspective accountings.
You can understand why this is the
time of the year that I really put the device
to work. In the modern parlance, you might
say that my magic mirror is programmed by
my Judaism; is soul-powered; and operates
on its own network. The original outline of
the basic program was cut into stone some
3,500 years ago and has been updated and
THE
Jewish Georgian
The Jewish Georgian is published bimonthly by Eisenbot, Ltd. It is
written for Atlantans and Georgians by Atlantans and Georgians.
Publisher Marvin Botnick
Co-Publisher Sam Appel
Editor Marvin Botnick
Managing Editor Marsha C. LaBeaume
Assignment Editor Carolyn Gold
Consulting Editor Gene Asher
Associate Editor Barbara Schreiber
Copy Editor Ray Tapley
Assistant Copy Editor Arnold Friedman
Makeup Editor Terri Christian
Production Coordinator Terri Christian
Designer David Gaudio
Medical Editor Morris E. Brown, M.D.
Photographic Staff Allan Scher, Phil Slotin, Phil Shapiro,
Jonathan Paz
Graphic Art Consultant Karen Paz
Columnist Gene Asher, Susan Asher
Jonathan Barach,
Janice Rothschild Blumberg,
Marvin Botnick, Suzi Brozman,
Shirley Friedman, Carolyn Gold,
Jonathan Goldstein, George Jordan,
Marice Katz, Balfoura Friend Levine,
Marsha Liebowitz, Howard Margol,
Bubba Meisa, Erin O’Shinsky,
Reg Regenstein, Susan Robinson
Roberta Scher, Jerry Schwartz, Leon Socol,
Bill Sonenshine, Rabbi Reuven Stein,
Cecile Waronker,
Evie Wolfe
Special Assignments Lyons Joel
Advertising Eileen Gold
Francine Lowe
Michael Pelot, VP OP
Bill Sonenshine
Editorial Advisory Board Members
Sam Appel Rabbi Alvin Sugarman Sam Massell
Jane Axelrod Albert Maslia William Rothschild
Gil Bachman Michael H. Mescon Marilyn Shubin
Asher Benator Paul Muldawer Doug Teper
8495 Dunwoody Place, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30350
(404) 236-8911 • FAX (404) 236-8913
jewishga@bellsouth.net
www.jewishgeorgian.com
The Jewish Georgian ©2010
BY
Marvin
Botnick
modified many times since then. It has no
glitches, confidentiality is assured, and
nothing contained or resulting from the program
can be construed as spam.
Just in case I may have overlooked a
self-evaluatingses-
sion with
my mirror,
Judaism
will not let
me hide
behind my
procrastination.
Once a
year I run head-on into the Days of Awe,
that ten-day period of time that begins with
Rosh Hashanah and runs through Yom
Kippur. It is the time when we are reminded
to keep focused on the moral imperatives
of our Judaism: a time to review and reinforce
what has been commanded of us. For
me, it is a time to confer with my mirror.
When I talk with my magic mirror, it
reminds me that this is the time for healing
relationships with the land, for reaching
accommodations with my fellow humans,
for arriving at peace with myself, and for
understanding my responsibility to God.
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning: the
day on which God created man. It marks a
start with all the attendant opportunities: the
onset of a period to refresh who and what
we are.
My magic mirror always reminds me
that I am responsible for recognizing my
missteps,
either by
Mirror, mirror in my inner soul
Awaken within me renewal of goals.
Make me face my errant ways
And guide my actions toward justice, I pray.
commission
or omission,
and of
my duty to
atone and
m a k e
amends for
my actions
and return,
teshuva, to a life of justice and righteousness.
We are required to redress any wrongs
we have done to the person harmed and
seek from that person forgiveness for our
misdeeds and aversive actions. And we are
commanded to look inwardly to recognize
the errors we have made against nature and
God and correct our ways. It is not just
mouthing the words of repentance, it is the
actions and corrective deeds that speak for
us. We seek a second chance.
It is symbolic that Yom Kippur, the
Day of Atonement, is the day on which
Moses descended from Mt. Sinai with the
second set of tablets containing the
Commandments, the first set of which had
been smashed by Moses when he saw the
people dancing around the golden calf. It
was only after Moses had returned to Mt.
Sinai and confessed to the sins of the people,
making supplications on their behalf,
that God forgave the transgressions. It was
by this act of contrition that the covenant
between God and the Israelites, the annulment
of which had resulted from their creation
of the golden calf, was re-established.
Mirror, mirror in my inner soul
Awaken within me renewal of goals.
Make me face my errant ways
And guide my actions toward justice,
I pray.
May 5771 be a year of tolerance,
understanding, and peace: and may we all
realize that the difference between right and
wrong is more than just not getting caught.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 3
What’s
HAPPENING
Happy Holidays, folks. We hope you
enjoy this issue’s column, which may be the
best one yet: The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution’s award-winning cartoonist
Mike Luckovich at The Breman; “The Man
Who saved Tel Aviv” and his Atlanta pal,
Marine Corps General Larry Taylor;
Ackerman Security’s Burt Kolker, The Real
Sandy Springs Locksmith; the Workmans’
new shooting range in Sandy Springs; a
great new photo by Bobi Dimond; Darryl
Cohen elected head of the group that produces
the Emmys; and so much more. Read
on.
MIKE LUCKOVICH AT THE BREMAN.
Pulitzer Prize-winning AJC editorial cartoonist
Mike Luckovich’s presentation at
The Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust
Museum was a huge success. Many people
were surprised to see that the tough-asnails,
no-holds-barred cartoonist, whose
razor-sharp pen can be lethal, is, in person,
a sweet, humble, witty, pretty nice guy.
Some 175 people turned out for the
Sunday event. The Breman’s Phyllis
Lazarus says, “Mike was terrific. Everyone
loved him.” Fortunately, former President
George W. Bush, his favorite target, was not
in the audience.
Mike has won more awards than we
have room to list. They include two Pulitzer
Prizes (1995 and 2006) National Headliner,
Sigma Delta Chi, Thomas Nast, and
Overseas Press Club awards. He is syndicated
in 150 newspapers, appears weekly in
the Sunday edition of The New York Times,
and is the most frequently reprinted cartoonist
in Newsweek.
By the way, if ever you see one of his
cartoons you really like, you can buy the
original drawing, inscribed by him, through
the AJC. Prints are also available.
Mike Luckovich and Breman
Museum members. Pictured: (from
left) Nat Tieman, Ed Feldstein, Mike
Luckovich, Judy Feldstein, and
Jeanette Tieman
THE MAN WHO SAVED TEL AVIV.
Eighty-nine-year-old Lou Lenart got that
title from his actions in 1948, fighting to
BY
Reg
Regenstein
prevent the fledgling state of Israel from
being wiped out by attacking Arab armies.
After serving heroically with the U.S.
Marine Corps in the Pacific in World War
II, where he flew a Corsair in missions
against the Japanese on Okinawa and the
Japanese mainland, Lenart helped smuggle
salvaged fighter planes past the British
blockade into Israel to defend the emerging
state from attack by its Arab neighbors.
In May of 1948, he landed in a
makeshift airfield, when the state was just a
week old, and a few days later was strafing
attacking Egyptian tanks that were making
their way up the coast towards Tel Aviv.
As Tom Tugend, of The Jewish
Telegraph Agency, recently reported,
“Some 10,000 Egyptians with tanks and
artillery were 16 miles south of Tel Aviv,
and, in a desperate move, Israel unleashed
its entire air force: four Czech-made
planes—a bastardized version of the
German Messerschmitt Me-109, whose 20
mm. cannons fired through the rotating propeller
blades in World War I fashion.
“The Egyptian troops, who had been
assured that the Israelis had no aircraft,
were so surprised and unnerved by the
attack that they halted their advance on Tel
Aviv.
“Among the four pilots manning the
planes, subsequently enshrined as the pioneer
fathers of the Israel Air Force were
Ezer Weizman, later president of the state,
and Lenart, the only living survivor among
the four.”
After the war, Lenart participated in
rescuing Iraqi Jews in an airlift to Israel,
was a pilot for El Al Airlines, and even produced
movies, including Iron Eagle and
Iron Eagle II, among others.
His daughter, Michal, followed in her
Original Israeli Air Force: (from left)
Lou Lenart, Giddy Lichtman, and
Modi Alon with D-107 fighter
father’s footsteps by serving in the Israel
Air Force.
An amazing legacy for the ten-year-old
farm boy named Lavos Lenovitz, who
arrived in the United States with a strange
accent from a small Hungarian village, having
lost 14 family members, who were
killed at Auschwitz.
MARINE GENERAL LARRY TAYLOR.
Coincidentally, Atlantan Larry Taylor sent
us a photo of himself with Lou Lenart at a
beachfront bar in Tel Aviv, with a group
from the Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs (www.jinsa.org). A board
member of JINSA, Larry is a retired major
general in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves,
a highly decorated veteran of the wars in
Vietnam and Laos, and recently returned
from a year in Iraq as a program manager
for Civilian Police International.
As a pilot with Marine Medium
Helicopter Squadrons in 1964 and ‘65, he
participated in combat operations in Santo
Domingo during the Dominican crisis of
‘65. By 1967 and ‘68, he was serving in
Laos and Vietnam as a pilot for the CIA-run
Air America, flying the H-34.
Returning to the U.S. in late ‘68, he
began his Marine Corps Reserve career flying
the H-34, the UH-1 Huey, and the AH-1
Cobra. His decorations include the
Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of
Merit, and the Air Medal. Once the most
senior Jewish Marine ever, Larry modestly
says, “As the grandson of Russian Jewish
immigrants to America, I regard my highest
honor is to hold the title ‘United States
Marine.’”
Semper fi, Larry, and thanks for your
service to our country.
Marine Corps General Larry Taylor
HOME ON THE RANGE. Cara Workman
and Robyn Workman Marzullo, the daughters
of Honey and Howard Workman, all
real estate entrepreneurs, love to do highcaliber
deals, but their latest venture is really
high powered. They have opened a shooting
range in Sandy Springs, at 8040
Roswell Road.
They tell us that “the state-of-the-art,
16-lane indoor shooting club and range
caters to law-enforcement officials, recreational
sportsmen, and novices interested in
learning how to protect themselves.
“The Sandy Springs Gun Club and
Range will be used by the Sandy Springs
Police Department—which currently must
send its officers out of town for weapons
training—in addition to being open to private
citizens.”
The range will even feature a “Ladies
Night” every Thursday, since women, more
than anyone else, need protection.
The range has a variety of guns you can
shoot, including legal, licensed machine
guns. Sounds like a good way for Howard
to intimidate his tenants who are late on
their rent. Visit www.sandyspringsshootingrange.com,
or call 770-394-GUNS (4867).
Sandy Springs Shooting Rangeʼs
Robyn Workman Marzullo (left) and
Cara Workman
SANDY SPRINGS LOCKSMITHS.
Security expert and longtime Ackerman
Security exec Burt Kolker is the owner of
an authentic, one-stop local shop for all
your home or business security needs. He
and his lovely wife, Susan, recently bought
The Real Sandy Springs Locksmiths,
where, Burt says, “A locksmith will answer
the phone directly, 24/7, no answering services
or voicemails, and will dispatch
trained, professional technicians who are
employees of long standing, and with a
small fleet of our own vans.”
Burt warns that some unscrupulous
operators have cloned his company’s name.
If you use online or print directories, you
might get one of these scammers. Play it
safe, and contact him directly at 404-256-
3780 or alarmit@bellsouth.net.
Susan and Burt Kolker
PHOTOGRAPHER BOBI DIMOND.
When she was in Florence, Italy, renowned
Atlanta photographer Bobi Dimond took a
photo of a couple kissing on the famed
Ponte Vecchio bridge, which she later
entered into an upcoming exhibition entitled
“Crossroads,” at Jill Celeste Gallery. To
See HAPPENING, page 4

Page 4 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Happening
From page 3
Photographer
Bobi Dimond
Bobi’s surprise,
the
exhibition
organizers
told her that
they are
using the
black-andw
h i t e ,
infrared shot
on the exhibitioninvitation.“Crossroads”
is
part of the month-long Atlanta Celebrates
Photography (ACP); Bobi was delighted to
learn that her image will also be included in
the ACP catalogue.
The exhibition opens with a reception,
October 1, 7:00-10:00 p.m., and continues
through October 31. Jill Celeste Gallery,
3212 W. Hill Street, off Oakview, shares
space with Palate Cafe and Bar, inside the
Old Scottish Rite Hospital, in Decatur’s
Oakhurst Village.
Ponte Vecchio by Bobi Dimond
DARRYL COHEN ELECTED HEAD OF
EMMY’S SPONSOR. Respected entertainment
and criminal defense attorney,
show business exec, and man-about-town
Darryl Cohen has just been elected chairman
of the National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences (NATAS). Based in New
York, this group of New York and
Hollywood celebrities puts on the Emmy
awards.
But his greatest achievement is that he
is sometimes seen around town with the
beautiful and brilliant, talented and delightful
Anne Titleman, one of our favorite people,
who has movie-star looks and a heart
of gold, especially for animals.
At the Emmys: Jeff Foxworthy and
Ann Titleman. Whereʼs Darryl?
JAY STARKMAN ON THE COVER.
Renowned Atlanta CPA Jay Starkman tells
us exclusively that he is featured on the
cover of the new CPA Magazine, starring in
the story, “IRS Representation Vital as
Audits Escalate.” We don’t like to brag or
say we told you so, but we wrote a year ago
that the accountant you needed if you had
tax problems was Jay, who had just been
named one of the nation’s top CPAs to represent
people before the IRS.
Jay was also recently quoted, yet
again, in The Wall Street Journal, describing
what a minefield it can be to set up
trusts and IRAs for kids.
A brilliant and skilled tax practitioner,
Jay is also the author of a fabulous recent
book, The Sex of a Hippopotamus. For
more by and about Jay, visit www.starkman.com.
Among Jay’s many honors, he was
named a FIVE STAR Best in Client
Satisfaction Wealth Manager in Atlanta
Magazine in 2008 and 2009. We suspect
Jay is going to be on the 2010 list when that
issue comes out in October. Just a hunch.
Jay Starkman on the cover of CPA
Magazine
PARADIES HELPS GULF CLEANUP.
The Atlanta-based, family-run airport
retailing firm, The Paradies Shops, is doing
its part to help clean up the disastrous oil
spill damaging the Gulf Coast. Paradies is
partnering with the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to sell a specially
designed T-shirt in Florida and
Louisiana, bearing the message “Save the
Gulf/Save the Earth.” This shirt is available
for $15, or $5 with a $20 purchase; proceeds
will be donated to NFWF cleanup
efforts in the Gulf.
To order a shirt, call 239-561-8096, or
e-mail info@theparadiesshops.com.
REAL ESTATE EXPERTS CREATE NEW
FIRM. It’s in our contract somewhere that
we have to have one of the Altermans in
our column. This issue, Michael A. bailed
us out just in time by joining forces with
two of Atlanta’s most respected real estate
families—the Taylors and the Halperns—
to launch an exciting new commercial real
estate brokerage firm.
Chuck Taylor, Marty Halpern, and
Michael Alterman’s HT Group LLC owns
more than 20 retail properties in the
Southeast,
including West
End Mall,
which is 97%
leased, even
though times
are tough. Their
new firm, HT
Group LLC
Brokerage
Services, will
provide the best
HT Groupʼs COO
Michael Alterman
in leasing
expertise to
s m a l l e r
investors, at
great savings in cost. “Being property owners
ourselves, we know how expensive it
can be to engage third-party companies,”
says Michael. “We can provide smaller
portfolio clients and individual, ‘mom-andpop’
clients with the ability to maximize
their assets with professional and aggressive
leasing and management practices. HT
Group Brokerage Services will offer a
refreshing and logical approach to fees,
which will be a nice change from the astronomical
fees being demanded by most
third-party providers today.”
SAVANNAH CONGREGATION CELE-
BRATES 277TH ANNIVERSARY.
Congratulations to Savannah’s
Congregation Mickve Israel on its 277th
anniversary, which it celebrated on
Saturday, July 17. It was in 1733 that a
boatload of Jews fleeing the Portuguese
Inquisition landed in the new colony of
Savannah. And when one of them, our
ancestor Dr. Samuel Nunez, saved the
colony from dying off from a strange fever
(probably malaria), the colonists allowed
the new arrivals to stay.
WHERE WAS ELENA KAGAN ON
CHRISTMAS DAY? To us, the high point
of Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings
was when the Supreme Court nominee was
asked about the Christmas Day bomber and
where she was on that day.
“Like all Jews,” she responded, “I was
probably at a Chinese restaurant.”

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 5
Centennial Celebration
From page 1
selves and their families into the mainstream of this great country.
They did not do this all by themselves; they were aided along the way by communal
efforts to make a home for them and their families. This past July, the Atlanta community
celebrated the 100th anniversary of such an effort: the Atlanta Jewish Educational
Alliance.
Founding publisher of The Jewish Georgian Gene Asher (right), a member
of the Alliance boxing program who went on to win the Georgia State Golden
Gloves lightweight championship, enjoys memories with Dick Wise.
The Alliance, the predecessor to the Marcus Jewish Community Center, gave the
Jewish community of Atlanta a place to meet, socialize, participate in athletic endeavors,
learn the language and customs, attend camps, and, in the modern parlance, network. It
was the vehicle that allowed its members the place to maintain their roots while giving a
structure to its youth.
“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda and
pretzel and beer”: Hymie and Sukey Shemaria, with Archie Merlin, recall
what the Alliance meant to them.
Was it important, and did it have meaning to the burgeoning Jewish community? Just
ask the approximately 400 celebrants that showed up at the MJCCA celebration of the
100th anniversary.
There were no pick-up sporting contests, but there were many stories and much reminiscing.
Instead of the foreign accents that must have been prevalent 100 years ago, the
conversation was flavored with Southern accents. As always, memories of youthful experiences
were embellished with a little imagination, and smiles and laughter were in abundance.
It takes an event like this to really appreciate and understand the lasting effect that this
endeavor had on the Jewish community. We have all aged and moved, but the lessons that
were learned and the friendships that were made so many years ago have not faded.
The good old days were really pretty good.

Page 6 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Survivors
From page 1
wishes of a child. “I was seven.”
Betty was seven when she arrived in
Atlanta in 1947 with her sister, Lucy
Carson, then aged sixteen. Together, they
had made the trans-Atlantic crossing from
Belgium. My mother, her sister, and a few
of her cousins had miraculously survived
the Holocaust.
When they arrived in Atlanta, they
spoke no English. Today, Betty is a special
assistant attorney general representing
Cobb County Department of Family and
Children Services. The quirk of fate that she
spends her days defending children, in light
of the fact that she was a protected child in
France, is not lost on her. Her sister and
cousins also moved to Atlanta and did well,
becoming successful business people,
mothers, and doctors.
What they lacked was information
about their childhood. What happened to
their parents after they were arrested? Why
did the people of Vicq, a village in Central
France, near Vichy, protect them? How did
they get into a children’s home and placed
into the clandestine organization that saved
their lives? How would they ever know?
Like Hansel and Gretel, Lucy left a
trail of breadcrumbs behind her. In 1985,
she traveled back to Vicq; she sent a flurry
of paperwork off to government offices in
Belgium; she went to Israel, submitting
documentation of their parents’ deportation
and murder in Auschwitz to the Yad Vashem
Memorial database. And, like a fairytale,
answers appeared when they were least
expected. This being real life, the answers
came not from a fairy godmother but in the
form of a simple request in the mail.
“Dear Madame,” the letter read, “For
four years, we have been doing research to
make out a list of the names of the people
who were deported from the Allier department,
whether they were arrested for political
reasons or persecuted because of their
religion..... We intend to have a memorial
erected with their names carved on it.... We
got your current address and e-mail address
from the Belgian authorities. We know your
parents had taken refuge in Vicq.... Your
father was arrested and sent to a camp for
foreign workers.... You yourself are a survivor.
Could you tell us about what happened
to you? Yours truly and respectfully,
Mr. Francois Demaegdt”
“Francois who?” Aunt Lucy laughed.
“I wasn’t going to answer, at least not right
away,” she told me over a breakfast of
scrambled eggs, bagels, and lox. We were
sitting at her kitchen table, amid a scattering
of family photographs and coffee. “How did
he find me? What if he’s a crazy person?
Who knows!” She threw her hands in the
air. “I needed to find out.”
A wiry man in his mid-sixties, Mr.
Demaegdt is the son of a Normandy farmer,
who, during the war, hid and sheltered
downed Allied airmen, working with the
Resistance to return them to England. The
Germans arrested his father, Raymond
Demaegdt, in Paris in 1943, sending him to
Dachau concentration camp. He survived.
Francois’ personal connection to the war
grew into his life’s passion.
As president of the Allier department’s
branch of Amis de la Fondation pour la
Memoire de la Deportation de l’Allier
(AFMD), Francois explained that the
AFMD’s purposes are multifaceted.
Working with archivists, local historians,
and survivors, it researches the lives of
deportees, as well as the role of the government
and villagers, widening the French
understanding of the deportation of resistants
and Jews to German concentration
camps. At the conclusion of a research project,
Mr. Demaegdt provides the information
at a local conference, furthering the
AFMD’s goal of education and fighting
anti-Semitism in the next generation.
“Young people are not really interested
in the deportation of resistants and Jews in
general, but if you explain to them that it
happened in their village, in their town, then
they become interested. The second part of
[AFMD’s research is] devoted to the Jewish
children who were saved thanks to Jewish
organizations such as the Œuvre de Secours
aux Enfants (L’OSE) in Broût-Vernet;
Catholic, Protestant, or nonreligious organizations;
or ordinary people.”
The Allier region is in Central France,
roughly a four-hour drive south from Paris.
The soil is dense and black, ideal for fields
of yellow rapeseed that patchwork it come
spring. But once beyond the pastoral beauty
of the place, the realization dawns that
this idyllic region was the beating heart of
German-occupied France.
The principal town of Allier is Vichy. If
you are Jewish or if you know your history,
your blood might go a little cold at the
sound of that name.
The French, though, through organizations
like AFMD, are uncovering
Resistance stories throughout the Allier
department, pulling stories of hope and generosity
out from underneath Vichy’s shadow.
Stories like Vicq’s.
Mr. Demaegdt’s research project provided
an example of local, non-violent
resistance on the part of the villagers of
Vicq, which was especially dangerous,
given their proximity to Vichy.
For almost two years, Vicq sheltered
our family. The adults worked as farm
hands, cooks, or tailors—replacement labor
for sons and fathers who were off to war.
Given the circumstances, all able-bodied
hands were necessary. Work permits were
routinely extended in order to keep the
adults in and around Vicq. The children
were enrolled in school. Although regularly
documented by the authorities, our family
lived and worked under their real names
until nearly the end of 1942.
And while it may not seem like active
resistance to the Vichy government, it was.
Work, a government-sanctioned means for
keeping our family out of the hands of the
Germans, was Vicq’s form of non-violent
opposition to Marshal Philippe Pétain, head
of the Vichy government. In part, it was
their religion and insistence on seeing our
family members as “people,” rather than as
Jews, that motivated their generous actions.
Some of the farmers were Protestants,
descended from Huguenots, who, in the
1940s, empathized with the Jewish position.
They knew what it was like to be persecuted.
Their pastors decried the sending
of Jews, and particularly the sending of
Jewish children, to concentration camps as
inhumane. The people of Vicq would do
what was within their power to help.
This included an unspoken relationship
with nearby Broût-Vernet, a village on
whose outskirts lies Château des Morelles,
a children’s home where five of the cousins
were schooled and/or sheltered during portions
of 1942 and 1943. In the 1940s, the
children’s home was known to the locals of
Broût-Vernet as “La Colonie.”
Château des Morelles was one of fourteen
children’s homes in the Southern
Occupied Zone specifically for observant
Jews. It was run by the L’OSE, a Jewish
organization formed in 1912. During World
War II, L’OSE members saved thousands of
Jewish children throughout Europe, maintaining
legal operations, as well as in 1943
creating a clandestine branch, the Garel
Network, which provided children with
false papers, non-Jewish identities, and foster
homes.
Here, Mr. Demaegdt insisted, it was
important to know that the Jewish children
were not hidden, that they were registered
by their given names. It was not until 1943
that the Jewish children of La Colonie were
entered into the Garel Network and given
false papers, the importance of which can
not be understated. Some of the cousins
remember their life-saving, non-Jewish
names and identities to this day.
This was war, and as such, little time
was spared on legal formalities. According
to Dominique Rotermund, L’OSE archivist,
custody was not awarded to the L’OSE or
the Garel Network via written documentation.
Rather, transfer of custody would have
been by verbal agreement. “As to how your
family, along with so many others,”
Rotermund added, “knew of OSE, the only
plausible answer is to say that there were
many offices and medical centers of OSE in
most of the French cities and that people
simply learnt about the other side of the
OSE’s mission from one another, as both
the danger and OSE’s action grew more and
more important.”
Unfortunately, the frequent government
census of Jews in villages like Vicq
and Broût-Vernet provided, as Mr.
Demaegdt pointed out, a “reservoir of
Jews” for the Germans when the roundups
occurred in late 1942 and 1943.
By late 1942, with my Aunt Lucy and
her cousins at La Colonie, my grandmother,
Machla Rosenblith, set about securing the
future of her youngest, Beatrice. My mother,
Betty, was two at the time and not old
enough for Château des Morelles.
Instead, my grandmother entered Betty

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 7
into the underground. To do so required
a dangerous train trip to Limoges,
where the exchange occurred on the
train platform, in the mix of those
departing and arriving for travel.
Preparing to re-board the train, my
grandmother was arrested; thankfully,
my mother’s delivery in the waiting
arms of a member of the underground
went unnoticed by the Gestapo.
Like so many others in our family,
my grandmother was sent to Auschwitz;
those who lost their lives to the German
war machine now have their names
inscribed on Vicq’s war memorial.
Resulting from the research efforts
of Mr. Demaegdt, sisters Lucy Carson
and Betty Blass and their four first
cousins—sisters Regine Rosefelder and
Suzanne Tibor, brothers Dr. Fred Rose
and Dr. Herb Rose—and cousin Frieda
Selowsky, traveled with forty members
of their families to Vicq, the small village
in central France that in 1940 sheltered
them and their parents, for the
memorial dedication ceremony.
The parade joined the community
together on the morning of May 8,
2010, where it seemed all were in attendance—young
and old, flag bearers and
local dignitaries filled the road to the
cemetery.
Among those present was Mrs.
Marie-Louise Petard, a child in 1940,
who recalled with clarity Regine, Lucy,
Herb, and Fred from all those years ago.
Additionally, Christophe Giraudet, the
grandson of Roger Giraudet, the farmer
who sheltered Herb, Fred, and their
mother, Helli, also attended the day’s
ceremonies. When asked why his grandfather
and others in the town helped the
Rose family, Christophe replied it was
JNF
From page 1
chairman Ronald Lauder and CEO
Russell Robinson.
During the conference, Nir Barkat,
mayor of Jerusalem and a rising political
Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat
his understanding from his grandfather
and father that “we did not see ‘Jew.’
What is this, ‘Jew’? We only saw people.”
As a tribute to the people of Vicq
from the families, a park bench with an
inscription was installed outside the
town hall. The inscription reads:
“Offered in gratitude to the inhabitants
of Vicq by the descendants of Herz
Dollmann, David Rosenbaum, Solomon
Rosenbluth, Berl and Machla
Rosenblith. Your heroism and your generosity
ensured the survival of the
descendants of our families during the
Second World War (1939-1945). May 8,
2010.”
Although Lucy and Herb had previously
traveled to Vicq in the mid-‘80s
and ‘90s, this trip was especially
poignant.
“This is really for the children. For
the grandchildren. So that they can
see,” said Lucy Carson. “And remember.”
Close-up of plaque memorializing
family members who were deported
and sent to Auschwitz (Photo courtesy
of Naomi Blass)
star in Israel, will lead a rally for the
Capital of the Jewish People.
Jewish National Fund is the caretaker
of the land in Israel, known by its
iconic “blue boxes,” which collected
money to purchase land that became part
of Israel and for planting more than 240
million trees in Israel.
Today, JNF—whose Southeast chapter,
based in Atlanta, is one of the fastestgrowing
in the entire organization—is
focused on the most important issues facing
the modern State: water, forestry and
ecology, security, education, and
research and development.
The JNF National Conference is
open to the public, and the entire
Southeast Jewish population is encouraged
to register and attend the two-day
event at the InterContinental Buckhead,
as well as the gala dinner at the Georgia
Aquarium.
Participants will receive high-level
briefings on the recent flotilla incident,
as well such topics as Iran, the water crisis
in the Middle East, the Israeli economy,
and anti-Israel sentiment on
American college campuses.
In addition to Barkat, confirmed
speakers include Uzi Landau, Israel’s
minister of National Infrastructure; Gilad
Vicq, France, May 8, 2010: The Rose cousins at the memorial for their family
members, joined by Francois Demaegdt. Pictured: (from left) Dr. Fred Rose, Dr.
Herb Rose, Frieda Selowsky, Betty Blass, Lucy Carson, Regine Rosenfelder,
Suzan Tibor, and Francois Demaegdt (Photo courtesy of Naomi Blass)
Raymon Bonnal presenting the
bench outside the town hall. The
event was attended by Channel 3,
French TV. (Photo courtesy of
Naomi Blass)
Uzi Landau, Israelʼs
minister of National
Infrastructure
Gilad Erdan, Israelʼs minister
of Environmental
Protection
Erdan, Israel’s
minister of
Environmental
Protection;
David Lehrer,
director of the
Arava Institute
f o r
Environmental
Studies; and
R u v i k
Danilovich,
mayor of
Be’er Sheva.
To win
hosting duties,
Atlanta bested
a competitivebidding
field
that included
Los Angeles,
New York,
Boston, and
Chicago,
among other
cities.
T h e
selection of
Atlanta speaks
to the growing
importance of
Close-up of bench plaque (Photo
courtesy of Naomi Blass)
Georgia and the Southeast to the entire
Jewish World. JNF Southeast, based in
Atlanta, is one of the fastest-growing
chapters in the national organization, and
Atlanta, home to approximately one percent
of the world’s Jewish population, is
an increasingly important market for
charitable funds for Israel.
For more information, or to register
for the JNF National Conference, call
404-236-8990, or visit www.jnf.org.

Page 8 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Life’s challenges translate
into a lifetime of giving
Debbie Shapiro, the Metro
Atlanta Chamber’s 2010 Small
Business Person of the Year, integrates
giving back into every aspect
of her life. Adversity has only
strengthened her long-time commitment
to helping others.
As a teenager, Debbi, her siblings,
and cousins participated in
events and open houses at the shelter
where her mentally
disabled
cousin, Charley,
worked and
played. This experience
gave her
insights and a
sense of responsibility
that, at that
time, were unusual
in the Jewish
community where
she was born and
raised, as well as
her larger community.
College presented
unique volunteeringopportunities
that Debbi
embraced, including
lots of weekends
working with
children at her
synagogue’s
Sunday school.
In 1982, Debbi married her college
sweetheart, Phillip Shapiro. But
within the first few years of marriage,
Phillip was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis. Debbi then became
involved with the state chapter of the
Multiple Sclerosis Society, promoting
awareness of MS and raising
funds. “Being involved helped me
learn more about the illness, as well
as support the cause.”
Less than a decade later, her
father was diagnosed with prostate
cancer, her brother admitted to being
addicted to drugs, and her mother
was diagnosed with breast cancer.
These events further motivated her to
become involved in promotion and
fundraising for organizations dealing
with the illnesses and issues affecting
her family. To this day, she provides
financial support to both her brother
and organizations that address drug
addiction.
In 1993, Debbi and Jon
Henderson started Henderson
Shapiro, a marketing support firm in
Roswell. The hallmark of their third
year in business was bringing on Jill
Peck; an associate at the time, she
was slated to become a partner. After
only a few years of the trio working
Debbi Shapiro
together, Jon was diagnosed with
colon cancer and, within six months,
had to leave the business. Now, in
addition to a sick husband, father,
and mother and a brother addicted to
drugs, she had to face losing her business
partner. “Jon was amazing, and I
truly miss him,” Debbi said. “I know
he would be thrilled to see what Jill
and I have created and how the business
has grown to
23 employees.”
Jill and Debbi
became business
partners, and giving
back to all of
the institutions,
associations, and
organizations
impacting family
and friends was
clearly part of
their plan. “I
remember how
inspiring it was to
hear Debbi’s idea
about forming an
outreach committee
within our
company,” Jill
said. “Debbi and I
took great pleasure
in helping
each team member
identify the charities
of their choice and creating a
company matching program to
encourage giving.” In addition, the
company has semi-annual charity
events, and community projects are
important team-building activities.
Such workplace initiatives are just a
few of the reasons Henderson Shapiro
was named to Working Mother magazine’s
25 Best Small Companies list.
“By supporting these causes, I am
supporting my family and friends in a
close and personal way,” Debbi said.
“But not all of my projects are specific
to my family and friends. For
instance, being a founding member of
my synagogue, Gesher L’Torah, is
sincerely for the greater good of others.
And having a Jewish business
partner allowed me to secure help
from Jill, as well as my Henderson
Shapiro team.
“I hope that being aware of what
is needed and giving to others is
instilled not just in my child, but in
the children I have regular contact
with,” she added.
Part of the Henderson Shapiro
succession plan includes creating a
foundation. Debbi and Jill hope it
will become part of their legacy not
only to their own children, Sam and
Carly, but to others as well.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 9
This jewelry store owner is a real gem
BY
Cecile
Waronker
Shortly after my husband, Billy, died, I
discovered that I had lost the stone from my
engagement ring. I was devastated—it was
not the monetary worth of the ring but the
sentiment involved that really caused the
loss to bother me. The insurance company
couldn’t have been nicer, but I had to deal
with it.
I shopped around, but then remembered
one of Billy’s friends from Grady
High School knew a diamond person, so I
called him. Billy’s friend called Ivan
Solomon from Solomon Brothers, and I
went to see him.
What a mensch! I cannot tell you how
wonderful Ivan was to me. He took care of
the situation. The stone was replaced and
the ring looked exactly as it had before. I
was pleased with the transaction. Ivan is so
unassuming and so nice. You can’t help but
feel confident and assured in his presence.
I was curious to know more about Ivan,
so I decided to go talk to him.
Ivan Solomon was born in Cape Town,
When you’re a tiny baby, your age is
measured in weeks. Between that and 20,
you recite it in half years. After that, you’re
just “in your” ‘30s, ‘40s, and so on. Finally,
you become “elderly.”
We were 11 1/2—far from the 14 you
had to be in order to escape the polio quarantine
imposed on our county. School was
closed, and all the children under 14 were
admonished to remain in their homes and
not congregate elsewhere. (Actually, there
were enough children at our home to constitute
a “Kalingregation.”)
For a day or two, we took it lightly, but
we soon realized that downtown was off
limits when, one afternoon, a group of us
were having our Cokes at the drugstore. Dr.
Burns came in and said, “Aren’t you young
ladies under 14?” We giggled that we were,
and he told us to hurry along home, which
we did as soon as our straws scraped bottom
with a screeching noise.
The lucky teenagers were allowed at
Sunday school and the picture show, but for
Ivan Solomon and his family at Adon and Tarynʼs wedding in South Africa
two years ago: (from left) Ari, Rayna, Adon, Taryn, Ivan, and Jaron
South Africa. He and his lovely wife,
Rayna, came to the United States in January
of 1979. They first came to New York,
where they lived for four years.
Ivan graduated as a certified gemologist
from the Gemological Institute of
America, in New York, and worked for a
wholesale diamond company on 46th Street
and 6th Avenue, in the heart of the Diamond
District.
Polio scare brought fear, excitement
BY
Shirley
Friedman
those of us who were Shirley Temple’s age,
solitaire was the only game in town. They
still called it infantile paralysis, because it
was thought to affect only the very young.
However, Franklin Roosevelt was already
president and was the disease’s most famous
victim after he reached maturity.
At first, we communicated by telephone,
letters, cards, Girl Scout signal
codes, telegrams, and notes delivered by
adults. Then, we became more daring and
started meeting each other secretly, just two
at a time. But we never crossed town, so
those who lived on one side of town saw
only their friends who lived on the same
side. It dawns on me now that I didn’t and
don’t know what the boys were doing for
entertainment, and, as 11 1/2-year-old girls,
we didn’t care.
We would go over to Mrs. Lord’s front
yard and swing in her covered, wooden tandem
swings. We used to take peanut butter
sandwiches down to our favorite little
bridge—named Shirine for Shirley and
Florine—sit down, hanging our legs over
the side, and talk for an hour or so.
We went to school on Saturday mornings
and part of the next summer to make up
for all the time lost. All of us were thankful
that we were spared, but very few people
remember the fright of the stolen fun times
we had during the dread epidemic that
Indian summer in the ‘30s.
Ivan and Rayna really didn’t like living
in New York, so, since Ivan had a large
wholesale customer base in the Southeast,
they decided to move to Atlanta. The
Atlanta airport was a large factor in their
decision, since Ivan’s work required a lot of
overseas travel. Ivan and Rayna didn’t
know what to expect of Atlanta but have
truly come to love it here. The only thing
they miss is being close to an ocean.
Ivan started Ivan Solomon Limited
Wholesale Company in 1982. His two
younger brothers, Howard and Anthony,
came to Atlanta from South Africa in 1988,
and the three of them started Solomon
Brothers Fine Jewelry. They have a wonderful
relationship and are still talking after
all these years.
Ivan and Rayna have been married for
thirty-three years and have three sons, all of
whom went to Greenfield Hebrew
Academy. Adon, the oldest, graduated from
Yeshiva Atlanta and the University of
Georgia and received his J.D. and MBA
degrees from Georgia State University; he
is an attorney. He and his wife, Taryn, were
married in South Africa, which is where she
is from, and they live here. Ari, the middle
son, graduated from The Weber School and
Indiana University and is in the music business;
he lives in Los Angeles and works for
Creative Artists Agency. Jaron, the
youngest, also graduated from Weber and is
a junior at the University of Georgia.
Family, Judaism, and community are
very important to Ivan and Rayna, who
have been members of Congregation Beth
Tefillah for twenty-three years.
Ivan is very laid back, honest, and not
overbearing. He is such a modest person. I
feel so lucky to have gotten to know this
true mensch.

Page 10 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
After experiencing highs and lows, Rome’s Jewish community is on the upswing
It’s unclear when the first Jews came to
Rome, Georgia. According to some local
histories, a man named Mordecai Myers
lived in Rome in 1833, and O.A. Myers
owned a newspaper in town in 1850, but
there is no evidence that these men were
Jewish.
By the time of the Civil War, a handful
of Jews had settled in Rome, including
Joseph J. Cohen, a native of Bremen, who
owned a store on Broad Street in the 1850s.
Cohen achieved rather quick success, owning
$4,000 in real estate by 1860. He also
had $30,000 in personal property, including
six slaves.
During the Civil War, Rome Jews like
Cohen identified with the Southern cause.
Several fought for the Confederacy, including
the Prussian-born Philip Cohen, who
was a successful 29-year-old merchant
when the war broke out. Jewish women in
Rome became active in the local Ladies Aid
Society, which made clothes and blankets
for the Southern soldiers. Rachel Cohen and
Susan Marks were among the Jewish members
of the society, which also nursed sick
and wounded soldiers.
Rome’s Jewish community suffered
from General William Tecumseh Sherman’s
occupation of the city, as several of their
businesses were burned by the Northern
army. David Meyerhardt, who owned a
storehouse on Broad Street, saw it
destroyed in the fires that engulfed the
downtown district.
Like Rome itself, the city’s Jewish
community rose from the ashes after the
war. By 1870, Jacob Cohen, Morris Marks,
and David Meyerhardt were still flourishing
merchants in Rome; in fact, the value of
their real estate holdings had increased significantly
during the turbulent decade.
After the war, Rome’s Jewish population
grew. Prussian-born Jacob Kuttner
moved to Rome from New York in 1871,
opening a dry-goods store. Kuttner’s sons,
Max and Sam, took over the business after
he died in 1905. His daughter, Hilda, married
a young Alsatian immigrant named
Isaac May, who had come to Rome in the
early 1880s from Muncie, Indiana, where
he had worked as a store clerk. May became
a dry-goods merchant in Rome and a leading
member of the local Jewish community.
In 1875, the growing number of Jews
in Rome, led by David Meyerhardt, organized
a congregation, Rodeph Sholom. Its
name, which means “Pursuers of Peace,”
was certainly salient in a region still working
to recover from the Civil War and
Reconstruction. Soon after, Jacob Cohen
donated land to the congregation on Mount
Aventine for use as a cemetery. Initially, the
group met in private homes, though, by
1890, they were meeting on the second
floor of the local Masonic Temple. The temple
would remain the home of Rodeph
Sholom for the next fifty years.
In the early 20th century, Rome began
to experience an influx of Jewish immigrants
from the Russian Empire. Jacob
Mendelson left Russia in 1896 and, by
BY
Stuart
Rockoff
Isaac May (photo courtesy ISJL)
1905, settled in Rome, where he opened a
dry-goods store. Two brothers, Pressley and
Joe Esserman, left Russia in 1891; by 1896,
they settled in Rome and opened
Esserman’s Store, which remained in business
for almost a century. After a few years
in business in Rome, the brothers were able
to bring over the rest of their family, including
their parents, David and Lena
Esserman, and four younger brothers, in
1898.
This wave of Jewish immigrants from
Eastern Europe pushed Rome’s Jewish population
from 104 in 1907 to a peak of 250 in
1919. Most were concentrated in retail
trade, and Jewish-owned businesses lined
the streets of Rome’s downtown. The community
was made up of large families; in
1922, almost 60 children were in the
Rodeph Sholom religious school.
David Esserman was a rabbi by training
and became the spiritual leader of
Rodeph Sholom until his death, in 1917. He
brought a Torah with him to Rome, which
was used by the congregation. Rodeph
Sholom was an Orthodox congregation,
with services exclusively in Hebrew,
although it did not have daily minyan services.
A few years after Rabbi Esserman died,
despite the small size of the congregation,
Rodeph Sholom was able to hire another
full-time rabbi, Morris Miller, who stayed
in Rome for six years. Although there were
a few years when the congregation did not
have a rabbi, Rodeph Sholom was largely
able to maintain a full-time rabbi until 1956.
By the 1930s, the congregation began
to discuss building a permanent synagogue,
which it had not done in the six decades of
its existence. In 1937, member Abe
Abramson, a farmer in nearby Adairsville,
Congregation Rodeph Sholom exterior (photo: Shelby Deeney)
Congregation Rodeph Sholom interior (photo: Shelby Deeney)
left a large bequest to Rodeph Sholom,
which became the foundation of a building
fund. The congregation purchased land on
East First Street. In March of 1938, they
dedicated a small, unassuming building on
the site, which cost $15,600, and could seat
200 people in its sanctuary. According to
the local newspaper, “It was the generous
support of the many friends…of Jewish,
Protestant, and Catholic faith that made
possible the erection of the house of worship.”
At the dedication, Rabbi Harry Epstein,
of Atlanta’s Conservative Ahavath Achim
Synagogue, led the service and was the
keynote speaker. The pastor of the local
First Baptist Church also spoke during the
dedication ceremony, as did the editor of the
local newspaper, who called the synagogue
a “splendid contribution to the moral and
spiritual progress of the city.”
During the 1930s and ‘40s, the congregation
was slowly moving toward Reform
Judaism. In 1931, Rodeph Sholom held its
first confirmation ceremony, with the assistance
of Rabbi Benjamin Parker, from
Chattanooga’s Reform congregation. A congregation
sisterhood was founded in 1937
and affiliated with the Reform National
Federation of Temple Sisterhoods. In 1950,
the congregation used the Reform Union
Prayer Book, but still held Rosh Hashanah
services for the traditional two days. The
See Rome’s Jewish Community page 15

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 11

Page 12 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Safe and sound in the Sukkah
By Susan Robinson
“A place for everything and everything
in its place,” was the motto of Mrs.
Huber, 4th-grade teacher extraordinaire. It
made sense, and I duly sought to comply. I
kept my papers, crayons, and pencils neatly
stowed away in my desk, all in perfect
formation.
So when the Jewish month of Elul
arrives and the fall holidays are near, I
keep this motto in mind. I make lists: groceries,
menus, cleaning, and guests. When
I’m organized, I can rest easy. I’m in control.
One bright and early Sukkot morning
many years ago, I re-checked my Yom Tov
menu. All the food had been prepared,
plated, and covered in the fridge.
Vegetable soup was bubbling away in the
crock-pot. The table was set, the children
dressed in their Yom Tov finery. Before
leaving for shul, I finished one last
detail—placing the challah on the table in
the Sukkah. Being organized is so important.
Arriving home after shul with our
company, we trooped to the backyard,
ready for our Sukkot meal. Kiddush was
set up; we were ready. But where was the
challah? Had I not put it out? We didn’t see
it anywhere. We looked throughout the
Sukkah and then searched the kitchen.
Finally, one of the children found the chal-
lah in the garden. Apparently, a squirrel or
other wild animal had grabbed the challah
off the table, gnawed off a piece, and then
abandoned it near the tomato vines and the
last of the summer cucumbers. Not to
worry, we quickly went to Plan B and
made HaMotzie on matzoh and rolls.
The evening meal was reserved for
family only—a casual supper of pasta,
meatballs, Italian bread, and salad. We ate,
sang, and told stories. The children shared
D’vrei Torah, some thoughts about Sukkot
that they had learned at school. After
Birkat HaMazon, it was time for bed. My
husband and I went from bedroom to bedroom,
saying goodnight to each child.
Within minutes, we realized that our
younger son was missing. The older children
joined us in the search, checking the
bathroom and closets. We looked in any
place that seemed logical or even illogical—you
never know with a four-year-old
boy. Could he possibly be playing a trick
on us? Was he intentionally hiding? We
looked under the beds, behind the couch,
all the usual hide-and-seek spots.
Then we went to the last place we had
seen him—the Sukkah, now totally
enveloped in darkness. And there he was,
curled up and sound asleep under the table.
With all the chatter earlier in the evening,
we had never noticed that he had fallen
asleep at the table and slipped off his chair
onto the grass. We lifted him up, carried
him inside, and put him to bed. He woke
up the next morning, none the wiser about
the previous evening’s misadventure.
All’s well that ends well. A lot can go
wrong even with all the planning and list
preparing. I had come to find out that I’m
not as organized as I had thought. I had
made plans, and the plans had gone awry.
I wasn’t in control of the situation after all.
Lost challah and a lost child had proven
this to be so.
Sukkot teaches us to live without the
comforts of our homes. We eat (and some-
Ready for our Sukkot supper
times sleep) in a simple dwelling.
Sometimes it’s too hot, sometimes too
cold. At times, we have to fend off bees,
mosquitoes, and the occasional squirrel.
And yet, this is not a loss. We have the
security of fulfilling a mitzvah, dwelling
in a makeshift abode that represents our
total dependence on HaShem. We are not
in control. Events happen that we cannot
foresee, yet the presence of HaShem
remains our true comfort.
Chag Samayach—a happy and meaningful
Yom Tov to all!

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 13
High Holiday memories
The year was 1946. I was a freshman
at the University of Miami, and I couldn’t
wait to see the Miami football team in
action.
The Miami Hurricanes were new on
the big-time football scene. The year
before, they made it to the Orange Bowl.
Although they lost to Auburn, they uncovered
a super speedster named Al Hudson.
Hudson made a more than 50-yard touchdown
run. The Hurricanes were so deep in
talent in ‘46, Hudson couldn’t make the
starting lineup.
Those ‘46 Hurricanes were really
something. They won their season opener
40-something to nothing and followed
that up with a 35-7 victory.
And now the big moment—a home
game against power-laden North Carolina.
It was the year of Charlie (Choo Choo)
Justice and Art Weiner, two of the biggest
stars ever to come out of Carolina.
The game was billed as the battle of
the century. I couldn’t wait, but there was
a big dilemma for me. The game was on
Friday night, Yom Kippur Eve. I had
never missed a Yom Kippur service—not
since I was six years old, when I attended
services with my dad.
What to do? Do I go to the game, or
do I go to temple? As much as I wanted to
see the battle of giants, I opted for temple.
I was trying to follow the service in
the old Union Prayer Book, but it was a
BY
Gene
Asher
struggle, especially during the sermon.
The rabbi spoke about attendance—however,
I was thinking not of attendance, but
what was going on in the Orange Bowl.
And then, out of the blue, the rabbi
said, “The only time of the year when the
temple is filled is tonight, the highest holy
day of the year—and even tonight, some
of the people who should be here are sitting
in the Orange Bowl, watching Miami
play North Carolina. And those same people
are seeing North Carolina lead, 14-0,
at the half.”
I don’t know how he got the score at
the pulpit, but he did. And I was certainly
glad I went to temple and not the Orange
Bowl. North Carolina won, 20-7.

Page 14 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Big Splash 2010 benefits the Marcus Autism Center
Big Splash 2010 will take place at
the Georgia Aquarium, Saturday,
November 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The signature fundraiser benefiting
Marcus Autism Center, this year’s blacktie
event will have a spectacular feature:
the private premiere viewing of the
Georgia Aquarium’s new Dolphin
Exhibit.
Big Splash attendees will enjoy private
access to the entire aquarium, cocktails,
food by Wolfgang Puck, entertainment,
and a live auction. The Patron
Party for Big Splash 2010, sponsored by
Wilmington Trust and Cooper-Atlanta
Transportation Services, Inc., will be
held at the home of Arthur and Stephanie
Blank. Space is limited.
“We could not be more proud and
excited to bring Atlantans this opportunity
to support families with autism in such
a spectacular way,” said Co-chair Caryl
Paller. She and Co-chair London Andes
also co-chaired the extremely successful
Big Splash 2005, which was a pre-opening
gala for the Georgia Aquarium.
Big Splash 2010 will honor Billi and
Bernie Marcus for their commitment to
improving lives of children and families
impacted by autism. “To honor the significant
accomplishments of Billi and
Bernie Marcus, who founded both
Marcus Autism Center and The Georgia
Aquarium, is a true joy,” said Paller.
———
Since its founding, Marcus Autism
Center has helped children with autism
make dramatic strides. Five years ago,
Sandy Springs residents Janel and Jason
Schwartz noticed their 2-year-old daughter,
Perri, was having challenges with
language development. With a range of
questions and emotions, they took her to
Marcus Autism Center, where she was
diagnosed with autism.
After her diagnosis, she was enrolled
in early intervention services to improve
her skills in communication, behavior,
and social interaction. With the help of
the experts at the center, Perri, now 7, is
in second grade at the AMIT Community
School on the campus of the Alfred and
Adele Davis Academy in Atlanta.
“With the help of the center’s developmental
pediatrician, our family has
seen new possibilities in the bright future
she has ahead of her,” Janel Schwartz
said. “Atlanta is fortunate to have a place
that’s truly committed to improving the
lives of children with autism.”
Autism is the fastest growing developmental
disability in the United States,
affecting one in 100 children nationally—and
one in 98 in Georgia. As a notfor-profit
organization, Marcus Autism
Big Splash 2010 Co-chairs Caryl
Paller (left) and London Andes at the
Georgia Aquarium
Center relies on community support to
provide high-quality care to children
affected by autism and related disorders.
All proceeds from Big Splash benefit
It is all about the children - Marcus
Autism Center Executive Director
Don Mueller (left) and Bernie Marcus
Marcus Autism Center.
Marcus Autism Center treats more
than 3,600 children a year. It receives
generous philanthropic support from
community leaders and funding from
local and state governments, and its staff
of highly trained pediatric professionals
is supported by research grants from the
National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
———
For more Big Splash 2010 information
and tickets, contact Jennifer
McDonald at 404-785-9486 or
Jennifer.McDonald@choa.org.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 15
Rome’s Jewish Community
From page 10
congregation voted to limit Rosh Hashanah
observance to one day in 1965.
In 1955, the congregation officially
joined the Reform Union of American
Hebrew Congregations. Some members
were upset at the change, and at least one
quit the congregation. But Rodeph Sholom
ultimately benefited from the affiliation, as
it was now able to bring down student rabbis
from the Reform seminary, Hebrew
Union College. From 1956 to 1995,
Rodeph Sholom received regular visits
from HUC rabbinic students. In 1966,
Rodeph Sholom continued its movement
away from traditional Judaism, when
members voted to stop maintaining a
kosher kitchen in the synagogue—though
they agreed “no hog meat would be
brought into the kitchen.”
Over the years, Rome Jews have
become important leaders in the larger
community. Isaac May spent several years
on the city council in the 1910s and ‘20s.
Perhaps the most prominent member
of the Jewish community was Max
Meyerhardt. Born in Prussia in 1855, Max
came to Rome with his parents, David and
Esther, as a young boy. Max became a
prominent local lawyer and served as a city
judge from 1879 to 1891. Meyerhardt was
a fierce advocate for public education and
helped to found the Rome public school
system in 1884; he served on the Rome
School Board for 25 years. He was also
dedicated to the idea of public libraries and
was a founder of the local Young Men’s
Library Association. Meyerhardt was also
very active in the Masons and spent seven
years as the Grand Worshipful Master of
Masonry for the entire state of Georgia.
Max Meyerhardt was also a leader of
the Rome Jewish community. His passion
In the palm of my hand, I hold a
little book—only 3” x 5”, covered in
olive-drab canvas, and yellowed with
age. One of a half million such books
printed in 1941, its cover bears this
text: Prayer Book, Abridged for Jews
in the Armed Forces of the United
States. National Jewish Welfare
Board, 220 Fifth Avenue, New York
City.
As we prepare for our High Holy
Days of 2010, so far from World War
II and the 1940s, I think of the young
men and women who might have carried
this little treasure in their uniform
shirt pockets.
My father, Jacob Friend, was
stuck in the Philippines on business
during the dreadful years of that seemingly
endless war. My mother and I
were in Japanese-occupied Shanghai
and heard from my father only a time
Max Meyerhardt (photo courtesy
ISJL)
for education inspired him to found
Rodeph Sholom’s religious school, which
he ran for almost fifty years. During World
War I, Meyerhardt led the campaign for
Jewish war relief in Europe, using the
social connections he gained through the
Masons to raise money from non-Jews
across the state.
Around the time of World War II,
Rome increasingly attracted industry,
including carpet factories and a rayon
plant. Charles Heyman, who had started as
an office boy at the Fox Manufacturing
Company in Atlanta in 1920, eventually
bought the company and moved its operations
to Rome in 1936. The company manufactured
furniture that was sold in stores
around the country. His son Lyons Heyman
joined the company as one of thirty traveling
salesmen in 1948 and later became
president in 1965. He sold the company in
1980.
During the Civil Rights era, some
Rome Jews worked to achieve the peaceful
BY
Balfoura Friend
Levine
or two, through the Red Cross.
As soon as he could, my father
sent me this prayer book, which was
probably given to him by an American
G.I. I think of some young man (since
most who fought in the war were just
out of high school) opening his prayer
book while thinking of his family, who
were reading the same words, reciting
the Shema, and observing Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur in the
warmth and safety of their stateside
homes and synagogues.
I imagine this little book bringing
hope and comfort to the lonely boy, far
integration of the city. Jule Levin had come
to Rome in 1940 and married Rose
Esserman. He worked at Esserman’s
Department Store, which was the first store
in downtown Rome that employed black
salespeople to wait on both white and black
customers. Levin was president of the
Rome Chamber of Commerce when black
activists began holding sit-ins and protesting
segregation at the city’s downtown
stores. He worked to convince other business
owners that integration was in their
best interest, so Rome could avoid the violence
that plagued other Southern cities.
During a series of lunch counter sit-ins by
local black students in 1963, Levin helped
to negotiate a peaceful settlement. His
wife, Rose, was active in the Georgia
Council on Human Relations, a pro-Civil
Rights organization, and fought against
public school closings during the struggle
over integration.
To honor her parents’ commitment to
building a more just society, Ann Levin and
her husband, Larry Beeferman, created the
Rose Esserman Levin and Jule Gordon
Levin Fund for Social Justice in 1993. The
fund gives an award each year to the high
school senior in Rome whose actions best
exemplify the ideal of social justice.
For much of the twentieth century,
most Rome Jews engaged in retail trade.
Esserman’s Department Store remained a
fixture on Broad Street; a cousin, Joseph
Esserman, owned the Lad & Lassie children’s
clothing store. Isadore Levenson
owned The Vogue, a ladies dress store.
Louis Gavant, who moved to Rome from
Atlanta in 1939, opened the National
Jewelry and Loan Company. But by the
1980s, many of these businesses had started
to close. Esserman’s store finally closed
around 1990, just short of its 100th
anniversary.
These trends took their toll on Rome’s
Jewish community, which shrank from 200
away from home, not knowing if or
when he’d ever see his folks again.
Perhaps some chaplain, leaning over a
wounded boy, would read from that
same prayer book, from the chapter
titled “Confession on a Death Bed.”
I think how good it would have
been then if the troops had computers
with e-mail or even phones for making
long-distance calls. Occasional letters
from home were all the lonely troops
could look forward to during mail call.
I want to thank each and every
person reading this column who
fought for America and its allies, who
were brave, though scared, and even
scarred in that horrible war. To y’all
who served, my appreciation for my
life in this wonderful country—this
Goldeneh Medina.
God Bless America.
Jews in 1937 to fewer than 100 by the end
of the 1970s. Rodeph Sholom had 46 member
families in 1966; by 1979, there were
only 33 members, and the congregation
struggled to meet the expense of a student
rabbi. By the early 1970s, only four children
were in the religious school, and
Rodeph Sholom seemed to be a congregation
headed for extinction.
Despite these challenges, Rodeph
Sholom has thrived in recent decades, as an
influx of Jewish professionals has helped
offset the disappearance of the town’s
Jewish merchants. One of the earliest was
Murray Stein, a dentist, who came to Rome
in 1951 and quickly became a leader of the
local Jewish community. In recent decades,
increasing numbers of Jewish professionals
have come to work at Rome’s growing
medical center or to teach at Berry College.
This small wave of Jewish professionals
has bolstered the congregation. In 1995,
it began hiring part-time rabbis from
Atlanta who lead services once a month. In
2008, the congregation undertook a
$350,000 building renovation. While
Rodeph Sholom remains small, with 35
member families, it is a vibrant congregation
with an active religious school.
Readers can learn more about the history
of Jewish communities in Georgia by
visiting the Encyclopedia of Southern
Jewish Communities found at
www.isjl.org. The Goldring/Woldenberg
Institute of Southern Jewish Life considers
the encyclopedia to be a work in progress
and invites the public to contact Dr. Stuart
Rockoff at Rockoff@isjl.org with additional
information related to the history of
Jews in Georgia or other parts of the
South.
Dr. Stuart Rockoff is director of the history
department at the Goldring/Woldenberg
Institute of Southern Jewish Life.
A little prayer book has traveled far
My prayer book

Page 16 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Serving in Iraq offers rare opportunity to explore Jewish values
By Philip J. Botwinik, as told to George
Jordan
As a reservist called to active duty,
Major Phil Botwinik of Dunwoody served
in Iraq as a Judge Advocate General
(JAG) from May 2005 to May 2006. Major
Botwinik has served over ten years in the
National Guard. I had the privilege of
interviewing him. Following are some of
his observations about his experiences
there and his thoughts about military service.
–George Jordan
Joining the service was important for
me. I wanted to honor those who served
before me, as well as support and defend
the concepts of life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness. I had numerous relatives
who served in the military: great uncles in
World War II, relatives in Vietnam, and
others who served on active duty. Also, I
wanted to honor my family, and I wanted
to help make a difference in this world.
The idea of making a difference was
impressed upon me early by some outstanding
mentors. One of these was Judge
Meyer Warshawsky. He was once asked by
a writer, “How are you going to be judged,
since you have spent your lifetime prosecuting
and judging others?” He replied, “I
am Jewish, and I believe on judgment day,
I will be judged on how I have treated my
fellow men.” Judge Warshawsky, a Marine
during WW II, taught me as a lawyer it is
all right to disagree, but not to be disagreeable.
So when I embarked on my legal
career in Georgia, I began looking for
ways to serve in the military. For me,
being a lawyer meant helping people, making
a difference, and giving folks finality
with their challenges.
In late 1999, I became a commissioned
officer with the Georgia Army
National Guard as a reservist. I was a
Georgia licensed attorney, but I had to
attend a Judge Advocate Officer Basic
Course for about four weeks in Virginia.
After that, I was qualified to represent soldiers
at boards or hearings. My initial
duties were to support the Army Guard
with annual legal briefings, provide wills
and power of attorney documents, and
assist with pre-deployment soldier readiness.
In June 2000, I did my first annual
training in the field at Fort Stewart,
Georgia. As a reservist, I am required to
complete 15 days of annual training per
year and work two days per month. This
training, which often involves basic soldier
skills, normal JAG functions, and
JAG operational training with a battle
staff, is done to make sure that when we do
go to places like Iraq or Afghanistan, we
are able to function in a unit and defend
ourselves.
In September of 2004, I volunteered to
go on active duty for special work
(ADSW) with the 48th Brigade Combat
Team in Macon, Georgia, to prepare for an
activation and deployment overseas. I
know this is counter to the service axiom
“never volunteer.” I was the officer in
charge of the JAG section trying to build
an 11-person team. I wanted to get up to
speed quickly and fully prepare the section
and myself for the combat tour. For the
first few months, my job was, in part, helping
make sure we built up our team. My
ADSW was three months, followed by 21
months of active. My actual “boots on the
ground” in the Middle East was 12
months.
I n
December
2004, as the
lead JAG for
my 4,000-person
unit, I was
required to
attend a 7-10
day predeployment
site survey
(PDSS) in
Kuwait/Iraq.
Our brigade
leaders had a
one-week
“train up” to
learn the things
we needed to
know before
going on the
PDSS in a
combat zone.
In Baghdad, I
received onthe-job
training
on how units
handle claims,
accompanying
paralegals from
an active duty brigade to observe how they
received, evaluated, and paid claims in
Iraq, consistent with their culture.
Major Phil Botwinik
IRAQI CULTURE. When I went to Iraq, I
knew a little bit of the language. We had
general cultural awareness classes, and I
had been given pamphlets with basic
phrases or key words. During my year in
Iraq, I was fortunate to meet and work with
several Iraqi interpreters. Many were
Iraqi-Americans who volunteered to help
the U.S. military for patriotic reasons. Iraq
is a complex society, and cultural understanding
was critical.
On convoys, we would meet smiling,
happy children. One day, a soldier showed
a young child how to care for her broken
toe by bandaging it to the healthy ones,
because without shoes or medical treatment,
it was not healing properly. I think
we had a very positive impact in Iraq.
I had some interaction with Englishspeaking
Iraqi lawyers who represented
claimants for property damage and personal
injuries. At a luncheon with about 20
lawyers in Scania, near Babylon, we had a
pleasant discussion about mutual goals,
each party’s role, and how the lawyers
wanted their clients to get fair value for
damaged property. The claims process was
important, because it gave people finality.
While paying claims, the paralegals would
say, “I speak to you from my head and
from my heart; I am sorry for your inconvenience,
I am sorry for your loss.” It was
more than money, it was acknowledging
the loss and treating people honorably.
INFRASTRUCTURE. Our brigade had
engineering assets and a civil affairs section,
so we focused
on helping with
infrastructure. As a
JAG, I reviewed
some of the contracts
for projects executed
by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
There was great
emphasis on repairs
or improving what
was not working. I
believe that our
group made tremendous
strides with
infrastructure
improvements.
For the seven
months my unit was
in the Baghdad area,
my higher headquarters
was Third
Infantry Division,
also known as “Rock
of the Marne.” This
unit had an outstanding
JAG office, run
by a full-bird
colonel. During one
of our regular meetings,
a local lawyer
and a judge talked with us about the state
of the Iraqi judicial system. We learned
about how the legal process was improving,
and courthouses were being built
where needed. We were taught that each
JAG, paralegal, and unit was part of something
much more important than each individual.
We were helping restore justice,
peace, and the rule of law in a country that
had been missing key pieces of a fair, neutral,
and impartial judicial system. One
improvement was that judges no longer
feared for their lives. Our work during one
of the elections was making things better;
hopefully, Iraq and the region would have
brighter days ahead.
One month before leaving, I was
asked to take the role of brigade prosecutor.
I traveled by plane and helicopter to
the international zone, where I stayed at
the U.S. Embassy. I assisted two soldiers
before they testified against two Iraqi
criminal detainees, who were found with a
huge cache of weapons. We traveled under
armed guard from the embassy to the Iraqi
courts. While waiting to be moved into the
courtroom, we were coincidentally visited
by the U.S. Department of Justice attaché
to Iraq while he was giving a tour. It was
inspiring to know lawyers at every level
were trying to do their part to improve
conditions for the Iraqi people. When we
were walked to the courtroom, there were
armed guards everywhere. In the courtroom
everyone was Iraqi—the prosecutor,
criminal defense attorney, judge, and, of
course, interpreters. Everyone was under
armed guard. The preliminary hearing was
to determine whether these two Iraqis
should be bound over to the higher criminal
court system in Iraq. They were. The
Iraqi judicial system appeared to be
improving in 2006.
JUDAISM. Rabbi Julie Schwartz, a former
Navy chaplain now at Temple Emanu-El in
Dunwoody, invited me to services during
my train-up period. She called me to the
bimah and handed me her original Prayer
Book for Jewish Personnel in the Armed
Forces of the United States. Her copy was
probably over 20 years old. After completing
the prayer to keep me safe and protect
my family while I was away, she gave it to
me and said, “This is my prayer book. I am
giving it to you to take with you to Iraq to
use and to keep you safe. And when you
come back, you return it to me.” Her gesture
and words were very comforting. The
prayer book went with me wherever I went
overseas. My family and I returned it to
her after I came home.
When I was at Fort Stewart, Rabbi
Adam Singer, of Congregation Bnai Brith
Jacob, in Savannah, found out that we had
two very observant Jewish soldiers from
Chicago. He visited the three of us weekly
for about five months. He not only invited
us to his shul, but welcomed us into his
home for a holiday dinner before we were
deployed. Both Rabbi Schwartz and Rabbi
Singer taught me that when service members
are out doing their job, they are doing
G_d’s work. This core belief gave me solace,
strength, and courage during my
deployment’s most difficult challenges.
When I was at Camp Stryker, near
Baghdad, in June and July of 2005, I had
no regular or meaningful connection with
Judaism. The brigade had numerous chaplains,
but they were meeting the spiritual
needs of other service members. When I
heard that a group of Jewish service members
was meeting weekly at a nearby
camp, I followed up with my chaplains,
did some research, and obtained authorization
to attend. These services, followed by
a dinner, were at Camp Victory, about a
30-minute Humvee drive from my camp.
These Friday nights were very meaningful
for me. People from all walks of life
throughout the U.S. became friends—doctors,
cooks, analysts, logisticians, regular
soldiers—we met, talked, and supported
each other.
There were usually about 12-15 service
members. Some met on Saturday
nights to watch movies or TV. Two individuals
embarked on formal Jewish education
to better themselves. Halfway during
my time overseas, our rabbi sent an e-mail

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 17
telling us that one of our Friday night
attendees, Sgt. Eric Allen, had been blown
up in a Humvee. The young man, a cook
from Arizona, was married with two young
kids. He was activated just when his time
in the U.S. Army Reserve was about to run
out. An assigned driver in a military police
unit, he told us his missions were dangerous.
His death was a deep blow for our
minyan.
The group gave us a lot of strength
and encouragement to get through the
week. It helped me be a better person as I
helped others with their problems 10-12
hours a day, 6+ days a week, for months on
end. It deepened my appreciation for being
Jewish. When we got together, I felt like it
was about us as a Jewish group and trying
to honor the memory of our friend—that
Judaism was about moving forward every
day in a positive direction, regardless of
what happened the day before. Even
though my brigade experienced over 30
deaths in our one year overseas and there
were injuries, I had to remain focused on
my job, helping leaders or soldiers with
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival set for major expansion
In response to audience demand, Atlanta
Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) has announced a
dramatic expansion.
The 11th Annual AJFF will be held
February 8-27, 2011. This increase from 12 to
20 days allows AJFF to reach a larger audience,
exhibit additional films, offer more repeat
screenings of popular titles, and decompress
what is currently a densely packed schedule.
The shift to February
and away from the
winter holidays also
offers AJFF organizers
an extended period
of time in which to
plan and promote festival
programming
for the benefit of
attendees.
Besides extending
the dates, AJFF is
adding a major new
venue: GTC (Georgia
Theatre Company)
Merchants Walk 12
Cinema, in Marietta.
With GTC hosting
screenings at its East
Cobb multiplex,
AJFF will serve a
new and emergent
demographic. The
East Cobb venue
complements the
existing AJFF locations: Regal Cinemas
Atlantic Station Stadium 16, Lefont Sandy
Springs, and Regal Cinemas Medlock Crossing
Stadium 18. Details regarding the festival
schedule, programming, and ticket sales will be
announced at a future date.
AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank
explained the changes: “After record attendance
at our 10th anniversary festival, we recognized
the time had come to scale up AJFF for
a new decade. This expansion of dates and venues
will translate to richer programming,
Kenny Blank
legal issues.
In both the Clayton and DeKalb
County courthouses, there are memorials
bearing this inscription: “To those who
fight for it, life has a flavor the protected
never know.” Whenever I read about service
members who have died or been
severely injured, I am honored and humbled
by their service to our country. Now
that I have served in uniform and in a combat
zone, I feel a fellowship or connection
with others who have worn a uniform. I
hope that the citizens of America realize
that service members sacrifice so much for
our freedom.
ON PATIENCE. The average American
may not fully understand today’s service
men and women. I would ask them for
their patience. It takes time and patience to
improve situations that are complicated.
Please have patience with service members
who have served in a combat zone and
those that serve here.
increased access, and an improved festival
experience for our patrons.”
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is the
largest film festival in Atlanta and second
largest Jewish film festival in the United States.
More than 20,000 moviegoers attended the
10th Annual AJFF in January 2010. Another
1,500 patrons attended the AJFF Gala Concert
commemorating the festival’s 10th anniversary,
a first-of-its-kind
concert by the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra of
film scores from Jewishthemed
Hollywood classics.
Atlanta Jewish
Film Festival, a cinematic
examination of Jewish
life, culture, and history,
is produced by the
American Jewish
Committee, the country’s
oldest human relations
organization, to support
its mission of “building
bridges of understanding”
across community
lines. AJFF features an
international showcase of
some 50 narrative and
documentary films that
represent a diverse mix
of genres and subjects.
Film screenings are supplemented
by guest speakers to provide a
dynamic forum for audience dialogue with
filmmakers, academics, authors, and other
expert panelists. Since its founding in 2000,
AJFF has achieved robust growth in attendance,
audience diversity, community visibility,
quality of programming, and sponsor participation.
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is a
non-profit event, made possible with the generous
support of corporate, foundation, government,
and individual sponsors. For more information,
visit www.ajff.org.
IRAQI ATTITUDES. A rabbi told me
about a Jewish company-grade officer who
was “boots on the ground” in a village for
a year. Everyone in the village got to know,
like, and respect him. When it came time
to leave Iraq, he decided he owed it to himself
to tell the villagers that he was Jewish,
because for a year he had been their friend
and protector. A certain percentage of the
people said, “We don’t care that you are
Jewish. You are our friend. You treated us
nicely, you treated us fairly.” But another
percentage withdrew from him. They saw
him differently. This taught me that no
matter where we go, no matter what we do,
we cannot change certain cultural aspects
of a society.
The opinions or conclusions expressed in
this article are not those of the Department
of Defense, the U.S. Army, the Army
National Guard, the Georgia Army
National Guard, the Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, or any other governmental
or non-governmental agency.
It’s My Party, Inc.
Full Service Event Planning
weddings • bar/bat mitzvah • corporate
Sharon Fisher
275 Spalding Springs Lane
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
itsmypartyinc@hotmail.com
tel. 770.395.1094
cell 678.637.2030
fax 770.396.8844

Page 18 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Schwartz on Sports
I got a call from my friend, Eddie Ullman,
telling me to reserve July 15 to come hear
Ed Jackel speak at the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA).
Eddie coordinates speakers for Edgewise, a
weekly meeting at which prominent
Atlantans speak on their area of expertise.
I’ve attended many of these sessions,
even spoke at one, and always found them
to be interesting and informative. They’ve
had comedian Jerry Farber, who talked
about his wrestling career at North Carolina
and told other humorous stories; Mike
Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution editorial cartoonist; Jay
Bookman, AJC editorial writer; Fred
Broder, motivational speaker; and Rick
Blue, psychologist and author. There have
been other religious, civic, political, sports,
and financial leaders and personalities—a
wonderful variety.
And now, local Jewish sports icon Ed
Jackel was
going to
speak. Eddie
said he was
calling a
number of
the guys who
knew Ed
from his
days at the
Peachtree
JCC. I never
had an
opportunity
to talk with
Ed at length
about his
many experiences—including
being a champion fourwall
handball player and an SEC basketball
official—so, I looked forward to hearing
him. It was also good to see Howie
Frushtick, George Wise, Mel Gorwitz, Alan
Karp, Donald “Moose” Miller, and Jerry
Stein in attendance.
Ed didn’t disappoint us! Here was a
90+-year-old man, still looking fit and
healthy, talking about his work experience,
Army service in World War II, his championship
four-wall handball play, and officiating
high school and SEC basketball. He’s
had quite a varied and interesting lifetime
of experiences. After graduating from New
York University with bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in physical education, Ed
came to Atlanta in the late ‘40s as director
of Camp Rutledge. He went on to become
athletic director at the Jewish Education
Alliance and the new Jewish Community
Center on Peachtree Street.
He told the story about the swimming
pool at the new AJCC, which wasn’t very
large. Ed thought a larger pool was needed,
so he talked to Otto Orkin, after whom the
pool was named, and persuaded him to provide
the funding for a much larger facility,
which was one of the nicest at that time in
Atlanta.
Donald “Moose” Miller was Ed’s
BY
Jerry
Schwartz
assistant in the late ‘50s, before Moose
went into the service. Moose brought up the
time the JCC got a new trampoline, and neither
he nor Ed had any experience on the
trampoline or teaching others. So, it was
definitely on-the-job training and “flying by
the seat of your pants.”
Moose also mentioned Dan Kennerly,
who was the football coach and athletics
director at O’Keefe High School and also
moonlighted at the JCC and worked with
Ed. Dan served in Italy during World War II
and was part of a special ski unit that operated
in the mountains. Dan was a quiet guy,
but you
could sense
the strength
and character
beneath
his quiet
exterior.
E d
served during
World
War II in
Patton’s
T h i r d
Army. He
won a
Silver Star
and Purple
Heart,
which are proudly displayed in his apartment
at The Jewish Tower. Ed said that the
Silver Star is the one thing of which he is
most proud. He even wrote a book about his
experiences, The Lucky Infantryman, and is
still collecting royalties on it.
Ed’s neighbor at The Jewish Tower,
Howie Frushtick, who was Ed’s assistant at
the JCC in the late ‘50s, talked about the
time they took a novice woman’s volleyball
team from the JCC to a city tournament and
won it.
Ed had been an assistant basketball
coach at Georgia Tech when Wack Hyder
coached there; he talked about some of the
great players like Roger Kaiser. It was some
coincidence, because I’ve played with
Roger Kaiser in the National Senior Games
and shared that with Ed. He asked me if
Roger could still shoot as well, and I said
that Roger hadn’t lost his touch.
Ed was an SEC basketball official and
said he first knew of Hal Krafchick when
Hal was playing for the Georgia Bulldogs
in the late ‘50s. You didn’t see too many
Jewish ballplayers at Georgia at that time.
Hal later became the athletics director at the
Peachtree JCC.
Ed closed out his talk by emphasizing
the importance of exercise. He said, “Do
whatever you can, and you will feel better
Old friends share memories at the Jewish
Community Center. Pictured: (from left) Eddie
Ullman, Ed Jackel, Howie Frushtick, and Jerry Stein
longer.” He’s written approximately 30 articles
for Jewish publications emphasizing
the benefits of exercise. And at 90+, Ed
Jackel is a wonderful example of that philosophy.
SPORTS BROADCASTING CAMP. Last
year, our good friend Sandra Hartman told
us about a sports broadcasting camp at
Emory University that her grandson, Ethan,
was attending. This year, our grandson,
Seth Cohen, attended the same camp.
Seth is 12 years old, and he is a sports
fanatic, not only playing tennis, flag football,
basketball, and ping-pong, but following
the games as a spectator and fan. He is
particularly knowledgeable about college
and professional football, having participated
in a number of fantasy football leagues.
In fact, with one Internet group, he was the
commissioner. I asked him if the other players
knew how young he was, and he said it
didn’t matter.
So, this camp sounded like a wonderful
opportunity for Seth to learn more about the
broadcasting side of sports. Seth likes to
talk sports, is very current, and has a good
sense of humor, so I thought he’d enjoy the
camp. I looked over the schedule and saw
that it had a full week of interesting activities,
including a press conference with
Falcons offensive lineman Justin Blalock;
opportunities to meet with WSB Sports
Director Zach Klein, NFL player and Sirius
XM Sports Talk radio host Daniel Wilcox,
and 680 The Fan talk show host John
Kincaid; attend a Braves game, where they
would do play-by-play announcing from
the stands; and tour the Georgia Dome.
Since I was the designated carpooler, I
took along my camera, talked with the
counselor, and talked to Seth daily about
During my first years in Atlanta, I
would quite often go to High Holiday
services by myself. I did not know that
many people, and, at the time, did not
have any family living here. I started
thinking about this recently because—can
you believe it?—the holidays are almost
here.
The truth is that I felt very, very
lonely during that period of time. Even
though I often still go to The Temple by
myself during the year, it is different now,
because I know so many people—sometimes,
I go alone by choice. But that is
another story.
Anyway, the point I want to make is
that The Temple is doing something so
thoughtful and kind, that I wanted to tell
you about it. I called there recently,
because my nephew is coming here for
the holidays from California, and I wanted
to be sure The Temple was going to
Seth Cohen getting ready for a day
of sports broadcasting.
the activities. (It’s a long ride to Emory
from Alpharetta and back.) I learned that
the camp started in 2002 in Philadelphia,
and this was its third year at Emory
University. Of the 61 campers, 38 were
from Georgia, and the rest came from all
over the United States. Seth had a great
time at camp. He particularly liked meeting
with the sports announcers and athletes. He
even got to touch the Super Bowl ring of
ex-Tampa Bay Buc’s player Daniel Wilcox.
So, watch out, Steak Shapiro, Zack
Klein, and Matt Chernoff, because in about
ten years, Seth Cohen may be going after
your job.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this edition.
Until next time, drive for the bucket
and score.
To be or not to be alone
BY
Marice
Katz
send my ticket, plus the extra one they
had been sending for several years. I
never knew why they did that until I
called and was told The Temple sends an
extra ticket to single people, so that, if
they wish, they will not have to attend
alone. A friend or relative or whoever can
use the extra ticket. It really is a good
feeling to be with friends and family on
the holidays.
Because the holidays are so early this
year, the weather is sure to be warm.
There will also be a warm spot in my
heart for The Temple’s extra ticket.
A happy and healthy New Year to all.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 19
BUSINESS BITS
By Marsha Liebowitz
BOARDWALK BURGERS. Michael J.
Coles, founder of Great American Cookie
Co. and former chief executive of Caribou
Coffee, has bought into Boardwalk
Investment Group LLC, which owns the
master franchise agreement for Boardwalk
Fresh Burgers & Fries restaurants in
Georgia and plans to build more than 50
Boardwalk restaurants statewide. Coles,
who is very active in both the Jewish community
in Atlanta and the general community,
including a major commitment to
Georgia education, is CEO, and Tony
Ratliff is chief operating officer and president.
The first location is now open in
Sandy Springs, at 5975 Roswell Road.
Telephone 404-256-4513.
Tony Ratliff (second from left) and
Michael Coles (third from left) present
a check for Boardwalkʼs first
dayʼs receipts to Susannah Kidwell,
clinical director of Rehabilitation
Services at Childrenʼs Healthcare,
and Shelton Stevens, senior development
officer with Childrenʼs
Sports Network at Childrenʼs
Healthcare.
KLEIN ELECTED. Linda A. Klein, managing
shareholder of Baker, Donelson,
Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz’s Georgia
offices, was
elected chair of
the American
B a r
Association’s
(ABA) House
of Delegates.
Her recognitions
include
the American
B a r
Foundation’s
2010 Fellows
Linda A. Klein
Outstanding
State Chair
A w a r d ;
YWCA Academy of Women Achievers
(2009); the ABA’s Margaret Brent
Achievement Award (2004); Atlanta
Magazine’s Georgia Super Lawyer, Top 50
Women Lawyers in Georgia (annually since
2004); The Best Lawyers in America; Who’s
Who in America; and Chambers. In June
1997, she became the State Bar of
Georgia’s first and only woman president.
NEW CONSUL GENERAL. Opher Aviran
is the new Israeli consul general to the
Southeast. Consul General Aviran’s most
recent position was head of the bureau for
personnel training and development at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in
Jerusalem. He previously served as senior
foreign policy advisor to the IDF and director
of the MFA’s Department of Jordanian,
Syrian, and Lebanese Affairs. He has served
overseas in the Israeli embassies of
Australia, the Netherlands, and Burma.
Aviran will oversee the Consulate General
of Israel’s operations throughout the region,
which includes Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Tennessee.
NEW AT BETH SHALOM. Loli Gross has
been named
executive
director of
Congregation
Beth Shalom.
This newly
created position
reflects
the congregation’scommitment
to growth
and desire to
better serve its
Loli Gross
congregants
and the greater
community.
Gross is the former director of Member
Services for the Marcus Jewish Community
Center of Atlanta.
COOKIE QUEEN. The Atlanta Journal -
Constitution honored Ali’s Cookies as the
best cookies in Atlanta in its Best of the Big
A competition. Ali’s was selected from a
final field of five nominees. Ali’s Cookies
has been making gourmet cookies, cookie
cakes, and cupcakes in Marietta since 1980
and has seen explosive growth over the past
two years. Ali’s Cookies are certified
kosher and are under the strict supervision
of the Atlanta Kashruth Commission. The
recipes have been handed down and perfected
over the past 30 years.
Aliʼs Cookies
Delta adding seats on flights to Israel
Delta Air Lines is increasing passenger
capacity between Israel and the
United States by nearly 39 percent with
the addition of Boeing 747-400 aircraft
on its nonstop Tel Aviv-New York route.
The 747 replaces a smaller 767-300ER
aircraft and complements daily nonstop
777-200ER service to Atlanta.
Since entering the Tel Aviv market in
2006, Delta has carried more than
870,000 customers between Israel and
the United States. With the added seats
on the New York route, Delta will offer
more nonstop capacity between the
United States and Israel than any of its
U.S.-based competitors.
“Israel is an important market for
Delta, and the additional seats will provide
our business and leisure customers
with more options when flying to the
United States, as well as boost inbound
business and tourism,” said Perry
Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice president–Europe,
Middle East, and Africa.
The upgraded aircraft also will
expand cargo opportunities to freight
forwarders and cargo shippers.
“By operating the Boeing 747 air-
craft, we are able to double our cargo
offering between Israel and the United
States,” said Esty Herskowicz, Delta’s
Israel sales manager. “Our daily New
York flight will provide our customers
with 12 tons of additional cargo and the
convenience of being able to ship their
exports to more than 45 connecting destinations.”
Delta will offer glatt kosher meal
selections to customers flying to and
from Israel. Passengers traveling in
Delta’s BusinessElite cabin on either the
747 or 777 aircraft will enjoy 60 inches
of legroom and a five-course menu created
by celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein.
Delta’s nonstop flights between Tel
Aviv and New York-JFK and Tel Aviv
and Atlanta are available for booking via
travel agents or at www.delta.com.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE PROMOTES
BUSINESS WITH ISRAEL. Tom Glaser,
president of the American Israel Chamber
of Commerce, Southeast Region (AICC),
coordinated the International Issues Forum
at the annual convention of the American
Chamber of Commerce Executives
Association. This year’s convention,
August 4-7, in Milwaukee, was attended by
over one thousand chamber of commerce
executives. With over thirty years’ chamber
of commerce management experience and
almost nineteen years since founding and
serving as president of the AICC, Glaser
was chosen by the convention planning
committee to assemble a panel highlighting
Israel as an international economic development
target.
BNKJ CONSULTING. Accounting firm
Babush, Neiman, Kornman & Johnson has
formed BNKJ
Consulting to
help companies
take
advantage of
economic
incentives and
minimize indirect
state and
municipal
taxes. Frank
Lewandowski
Frank Lewandowski
will lead
B N K J
Consulting as
director of tax. The areas of tax he will lead
are business/economic incentives, property
taxes (real and personal), unemployment
tax, unclaimed property, and sales and use
tax. Lewandowski earned his bachelor’s
degree in accounting at New York
University. He is a member of the
Committee on State Taxation, the Institute
for Professionals in Taxation, and the
International and Georgia Association of
Assessing Officers.
Perry Cantarutti

Page 20 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
AMERICA’S
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4455 Roswell Road
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The Blumberg Report
This is the time of year when we Jews
are called upon to reflect, to assess our lives,
past and present, in order to improve them
for the future. I see much that needs improving
in me, as well as in the world at large,
and sadly wonder how many more Days of
Atonement will be needed before any
improvement takes place.
To start with self-improvement, I
opened the “old-old” Reform prayer book
(Gates of Repentance, 1978) and turned to
the al chet section of the Yom Kippur morning
service, where it leads us to ask forgiveness
for our sins, here categorized as failures
of truth, failures of justice, and failures of
love. In each of these, we repeat the belief
that we are actually praying to the Almighty
within ourselves—i.e., change will come
not from a miracle, but from our own determined
effort. That’s a challenge that one is
tempted to dodge.
I couldn’t get past failures of truth without
a painful acknowledgment of relevance
both to personal and to national issues as I
see them. The four points in the liturgy that
impressed me most were: 1) distortion of
facts to fit our theories; 2) pretending emotions
we do not feel; 3) denying responsibility
for our own misfortune; and 4) condemning
others for faults we tolerate in ourselves.
On the personal level, the latter two
are relatively easy to overcome. Most of us
achieve that during the growing-up process.
It’s called maturity.
Not so with pretending unfelt emotions.
Here, we are dealing with hypocrisy, very
often mitigated by circumstances that present
a worse alternative than pretense, such
as hurting someone’s feelings or compromising
a confidence. In those cases, there
are no easy answers. Faced with a delicate
balance, we respond with a “little white lie.”
Supposedly, that’s OK if we use it only
when necessary.
Fitting facts to suit our theories resonates
most with me, possibly because it’s a
fault that I deal with daily in myself as a historian.
History is detective work, past tense,
and I suppose that the same rules apply to
both disciplines. Selectivity is a no-no. All
sources of evidence must be explored, all
results examined and weighed honestly.
This becomes increasingly difficult along
the way because of our natural tendency to
form opinions. Objectivity is demanded. On
the personal level, that is difficult, but
doable.
Informed objectivity is vastly more difficult
on public issues. How do we know
that we have all the facts necessary to form
an educated opinion? Even receiving news
from a variety of media doesn’t guarantee
full or balanced knowledge of it. We can
only hope that our lawmakers and other officials
who do have maximum access to the
facts refrain from the sin of distorting them
to fit partisan theories or personal agendas.
As I write this, I realize that I am
attempting to do exactly that which I identified
above as a failure of truth—not exactly
distorting facts, but searching for examples
BY Janice Rothschild
Blumberg
of public wrongs long ago acknowledged,
but prevailing still. With the latest news of
racial profiling in mind, my thoughts turned
immediately to the sermons of my late husband,
Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, who in
the 1950s and 1960s never let pass an
opportunity to speak out against racial injustice.
Because the Civil Rights Act of 1964
largely redressed the specific issues of
which the rabbi spoke, I could not truthfully
bend his words on that subject to fit today’s
deplorable ongoing racial discrimination. I
did, however, detect High Holy Day admonitions
against other failures that threaten us
today. In “A Love Affair With Life,” delivered
on Rosh Hashanah 1964, as many of us
debated an upcoming national election, he
spoke of: “...those who believe that a coalition
of minorities has stolen this country
from them and has betrayed it to its enemies.
It offers simple answers to complex problems...
“We face...a challenge to our way of
life, to the future of our country, to the principles
of American democracy. I am...mightily
concerned with the slow attrition of our
ideals and the gradual altering of our
goals....”
Does it sound familiar? Maybe a little
frightening.
And how about this one, spoken on the
eve of yet another national election? It was
Rosh Hashanah 1968, and he was attacking
hypocrisy, saying that we suffered from
“psychic schizophrenia,” and that there was
a huge gulf between what we believed and
what we did: “We believe in ethics, but its
absence in the business world has become a
national scandal.... We maintain that we’re a
nonviolent people, but advocate the right of
every man to own a gun.... We preach
morality—but we don’t practice it. There’s
nothing wrong with our values. The trouble
is that we don’t really mean it when we set
them up as our goals.”
Today, we even celebrate them, as witnessed
recently in a Broadway theater featuring
the musical Enron. Granted, New
Yorkers rejected it, and the show closed
after a very short run, but there could have
been many reasons for its failure, other than
conscience nausea. It came to America after
great success in London. (Perhaps this has to
do with national pride, but I don’t think that
our theatergoers would appreciate a similar
musical about BP.)
These are some of the ongoing problems
I will ponder this year when I recite the
al chet. And yes, I will also seek atonement
for having tweaked the rabbi’s words to fit
my theory. (Some things never change.)
Have a good and peaceful New Year.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 21
Travel blogs chronicle adventures
This year, I have traveled around the
world, albeit vicariously. Two of our granddaughters
have spent or are spending time
abroad, expanding their educations. Earlier
this year, our granddaughter Chelsea Socol
left her Toronto, Canada, home for
Australia, to earn a teacher’s certificate in
elementary education. She enrolled in the
University of Wollongong, located on the
coast of New South Wales, near Sydney, the
capital. The one-year course includes academic
courses and actual experience in
teaching young students.
Chelsea after climbing up Mount
Koscuiszko, the tallest mountain in
Australia
Chelsea is a real outdoors girl who will
brave any adventure. She and her roommate
have traveled throughout Australia, visiting
cities and shores throughout the vast continent.
At the end of her recent semester, she
was offered the opportunity to spend several
weeks teaching in the Fiji Islands. Below
is her own account of her time there.
I have been teaching for a week and a
half and have one more week. I am in a
Hindi school and have 21 students in class
7. The students are 11 and 12 year olds.
They are amazing! The school has no
resources, so it’s quite a challenge, but I
loved every minute.
When we first arrived, we spent three
days on Bounty Island in the Manamucas,
team building with 21 other students who
were also invited to the teaching program.
It was beautiful, and I did real hardcore
snorkeling for the first time. It was so cool!
I saw reef sharks, starfish, eel, clown fish,
tons of coral, and many other wonders of
the sea. I took many photos and also saw a
crate snake. It’s the world’s most deadly sea
snake! CRAZY!
We moved over to the mainland, to
Lautoka, where we did our teaching and
had a sevu sevu, a ceremony welcoming us
into society, and drank karva (a beverage
that’s so intense it numbs the mouth). We
met all our students and taught for a few
days.
The next weekend, we went to Octopus
BY
Leon
Socol
Island, near the Waya Island in the
Yasawas. We stayed in a hut, but everything
was outdoors. The restaurant even had
sand on the ground. We thoroughly
explored the island and went to a local village,
where we were invited for church. It
was a very interesting experience.
The next week was spent back on the
mainland teaching. It was an experience in
itself. All the children in the world are the
same, but these kids seemed to have such a
respect for learning. They realized it was a
privilege to attend school, and we were
proud to teach them.
On the next weekend, we went to
another island in the south of the
Manamucas, called Musket Grove. It was a
different setting for our snorkeling, because
we were in the middle of the ocean. We also
got to visit another village and their school.
It was shocking, but the island village
school was nicer than any of the mainland
schools, and the kids spoke better English,
too.
Chelsea with girls from her class
after making pottery from earth and
water
After another week of teaching,
Chelsea and her roommate returned to their
own school and had a three-week break
before the next term began. They rented a
van and made a camping trip to various
parts of Australia. Chelsea will finish her
studies in the fall and then return to Canada
to pursue a teaching career.
—————
In my last article for The Jewish
Georgian, I wrote about the adventures of
another granddaughter, Robin Socol. She
spent a school term in Morocco, studying
Arabic language. When she finished her
school term, she embarked on a journey
into the Sahara Desert. Her account of this
adventure follows:
It’s a bit ambitious to try to describe
the immense, overwhelming beauty of the
Sahara Desert, but I hope my blog will give
you an idea of why these were five of the
most incredible days of my life.
I had no idea of how diverse the landscape
would be during our three-day drive
from Marrakech to Merzouga. It had
snowed in May, only the second time in history.
We admired the snow-capped mountains
and green valleys. We visited several
kasbahs along the way, which are fortified
cities where families continue to live today.
After several days of travel, the landscape
began to flatten and dry out, but we didn’t
see a grain of sand until we arrived in
Merzouga.
When you say desert, you think of
camels. Actually we were paired up with
one-humped dromedaries, tethered together
to form a terrifying caravan. I confessed my
crippling fear of heights to our guide,
Khatar, the way you sheepishly tell your
doctor an embarrassing symptom. But I’m
glad I did, because he gave me beautiful,
docile Owen (as I named him), who, by all
accounts, had the best head of camel hair of
the bunch. Owen and I took a while to find
our groove together, but when we did, for
those few precious moments, we were in
perfect synchronization. My turban protected
me from the sun and sand, though not
from my friend Rachel’s camel, Harold,
who sneezed/spat on me three times in succession.
This was camel karma, though,
because Owen did spit on a friend four
times and try to eat her clothes.
Robin with guide Khatar
Robin wrapped in desert headgear
for protection
See Travel Blogs, page 22
Semester in
Morocco a
life-changing
experience
By Robin Socol
Before I embarked on my semester
of study in Morocco this past January,
my destination was a complete mystery
to me. Though I researched the various
cultural aspects of the country—food
being of critical importance, of course,
but also language, demographics,
economy, and education—I lived in
great anticipation of acquiring a true
sense of Morocco when I finally
arrived.
How would I adjust to Moroccan
society? How would I relate to my host
family? Was this the right decision for
me? Sitting at my computer in
December, I could never have imagined
the boundless rewards of my decision
to study in Morocco. It is only
now, one month after my return to the
States, that I can truly begin to explain
why traveling to Morocco was the single
greatest choice I have made in my
life.
I want to return to the sense that I
mentioned before. For me, in Morocco,
having a sense of my new home meant
knowing what scents to anticipate during
different times of day (alternately
fish or fresh pancakes near my house)
or mastering the complicated taxi system
(grand taxis take six passengers in
a standard sedan!), or knowing where
to find the best Friday couscous (at a
restaurant that had neither a name nor a
menu). Knowing Morocco meant
anticipating flagrant traffic violations
from crazed drivers of cars, mopeds,
and donkey carts, while still relying on
the kindness of strangers and knowing
it would never, ever fail me. And writing
this now, six months after I departed
for my semester abroad, that very
sense of Morocco is what keeps me
deeply connected to the country, keeps
those words and phrases of Moroccan
Arabic peppering my thoughts, and
keeps me longing to return to such an
incredible time in my life, a time in
which being fearless simply meant
opening my heart to wonderful people
I met at every turn.
But Morocco didn’t change my
life because of food, or language, or
religion. I think Morocco changed my
life because it gave me the opportunity
to enter a community as a total outsider
and observe the very same things that
See Morocco, page 22

Page 22 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Operation Isaiah marks its 20th year
Yom Kippur, which begins Friday,
September 17, is one of the most solemn
periods in the Jewish calendar. This year,
thousands of Jewish children, adults, and
elders from various denominations across
metro Atlanta will unite to further the call of
Isaiah—to share bread with the hungry—by
donating nonperishable foods to the Atlanta
Community Food Bank (ACFB) during the
20th anniversary Operation Isaiah food
drive.
Ahavath Achim Synagogue founded
Operation Isaiah in 1990. Since then, it has
evolved to become a citywide annual
opportunity for Atlanta’s Jewish residents
to unite and continue a spirit of giving and
sacrifice. With almost every Jewish congregation
and school in the metro area participating,
Operation Isaiah has now grown
into one of the area’s largest food drives,
bringing in more than 623,000 pounds of
food. Last year’s drive brought in over
43,000 pounds.
Travel Blogs
From page 21
Our dromedary ride concluded at the
largest, pinkest sand dunes I have ever seen.
A movie was being shot not more than 200
feet from us, but I couldn’t even be curious
about that, because I was enraptured by
what was in front of me. After we dismounted
(Owen was a real gentleman), a few of us
embarked on a difficult climb to the very
highest dune, from which you could see
miles and miles of dunes stretching out in
one direction and the mountains that separate
Morocco from Algeria in the other. Our
dromedary guides took us “Berber skiing,”
which is when you get pulled by your feet
down a steep dune and then have to crawl
back up. I was the first, but not the only, victim.
Morocco
From page 21
make us all human, only miles and miles
away from my home. Even in today’s globalized
world, and even attending a school
that ranks international relations as its
most popular major, sometimes it seems
impossible to sift through the weight of
conflict in the world that we read about
every day. But Morocco—my Moroccan
friends and adopted family in particular—
made me feel like this world is a manageable
place for anyone who is open-minded
and willing to learn. For me, that meant
discarding a few preconceived notions I
wasn’t even aware I had and giving myself
completely to cultural immersion.
And as I learned, cultural immersion
doesn’t just mean speaking the language as
much as possible. Cultural immersion
Bill Bolling, executive director of the
Atlanta Community Food Bank and
Rabbi Neil Sandler, Ahavath Achim
“The Operation Isaiah food drive is a
tremendous gift to our community,” said
Bill Bolling, ACFB’s executive director and
founder. “Distribution to our partner agen-
Owen, Robinʼs “Ship of the Desert,”
proved to be a loving mode of transport.
We rode our dromedaries back to the
tent camp just as night was falling, and I
don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything
quite as peaceful as the desert at night.
meant shedding my judgments and opening
my eyes to the beauty in the Moroccan
lifestyle, despite its contradictions to my
own social mores.
Did I love every single thing about
Morocco, every moment I spent there?
Absolutely not. There were plenty of days
when I went to bed with the sound of children
still kicking a soccer ball against my
house. After a man followed me for four
blocks on my walk home, I wished I could
be back in North Carolina, nestled in the
safety of my own room, with nothing but
the peaceful chirping of crickets in my ear.
I think that’s an important point to make,
because it has taken a month of actually
being home to fully process my feelings—
both fond and less pleasant—about
Morocco. But because of my time in
Morocco—and experiences both positive
and negative—my desire to push myself is
infinitely stronger, because now there is so
cies was up 33% this past fiscal year, and
efforts like this help us meet the continued
increase in demand.”
Families and individuals begin their
Yom Kippur fasts by donating bags of nonperishable
foods to the ACFB. Collected
foods are then distributed by the ACFB to
more than 700 partner nonprofit organiza-
Ahavath Achim members drop off
their food donations
The only lights anywhere were fires from
nomad tents or very distant headlights. I
got so comfortable with Owen that I even
tucked one leg on top of his saddle, which
was the ultimate statement of trust.
Back at camp, we ate a Saharan
tagine of beef, eggs, peas, and carrots, and
then settled down to watch our guides perform
a Gnawa-style concert. They had so
much joy, sitting together on the floor with
their drums, singing at full volume in front
of complete strangers. We danced for some
time and then made our way to a nearby
dune to take in the stars. And though the
whole day had been cloudy (fortunately for
us, out on the dunes), a pocket of clear sky
had opened above our camp, and we just
lay there, enjoying the tranquility until we
fell asleep.
The people with whom I shared this
much more I know I can do. And I find
myself smiling more, all the time, because
I know that a small gesture can open the
door to an unexpected friendship.
I would like to close by telling you
about the last great friend I made in
Morocco, during our five-day tour of the
Sahara Desert at the end of my trip. Sayeed
was our wonderful guide, a Bedouin from
the Merzouga region in southeastern
Morocco. At age twenty-six, he had never
been to school before, but through his job
in the tourism sector, he came to speak
excellent English. Former clients introduced
him to the music of his favorite
artist, Tracy Chapman, yet before we met
and cooked dinner for him, he had never
eaten pasta. Our last night in Ouarzazate,
Sayeed told me that his father passed away
when he was only four years old, and, for
his entire life, Sayeed’s mother had been
struggling just to survive the difficult work
tions in 38 North Georgia counties, to help
feed children, elderly citizens, and working
poor families who otherwise might go hungry.
This year, Operation Isaiah falls during
Hunger Action Month, a national call-toaction
sponsored by more than 200 Feeding
America food banks across the country,
including the ACFB.
ACFB began operating in 1979 in a
small space at St. Luke’s Church and now
distributes over 20 million pounds of food
and grocery products each year from a
129,600-square-foot facility in northwest
Atlanta. ACFB leads seven distinct projects
that reinforce its mission to fight hunger by
engaging, educating, and empowering the
community: Atlanta Prosperity Campaign,
Atlanta’s Table, Community Gardens,
Hunger 101, Hunger Walk/Run, Kids In
Need, and Product Rescue Center.
For information on Operation Isaiah,
contact James Johnson at 404-892-9822,
ext. 1227.
experience far and away made it what it
was. Our guides, Said and Ali, should
probably receive a medal for managing to
shuttle me around hairpin mountain turns
without making me sick (much). They
accommodated our every need (most of
them bladder-related) and showed us
incredible warmth. As for my friends, suffice
to say that I can’t imagine having
ended the semester in the company of anyone
else.
Robin has returned to Tufts University
to start her senior year. Our family was
treated to a great time of adventure through
the written accounts of our granddaughters.
It was just as thrilling as having made
those trips ourselves.
of a nomad. Sayeed is trying to save
enough money to move his mother and sisters
to a small house in a village so they
can rest comfortably after struggling for so
long. Sayeed’s generous spirit, warm personality,
and unfailing commitment to
family led me to remember him as the
embodiment of everything I loved about
Morocco and its people. And my friendship
with Sayeed, which I hope will continue
well into the future, symbolizes
everything I might have missed had I foregone
the opportunity to study in Morocco.
Because you can’t feel human warmth
from a textbook, you can’t comprehend the
beauty of the Sahara Desert from a photograph,
and you can’t understand true hospitality
until a shop owner invites you,
after just two minutes of conversation, to
his home for tea. These are the feelings and
memories I know will remain with me for
many years to come.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 23

Page 24 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 25
Jewish
THE
Georgian
Many people are familiar with
Margaret Bourke-White, an icon in the
world of photojournalism, but few have
ever heard of brave Polish photographer
Faye Schulman. And everyone knows the
legend of Robin Hood, but not many know
about the heroic Tuvia Bielski. In “Against
All Odds,” the special exhibition opening at
The Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust
Museum on September 19, this “sin of
omission” in the collective consciousness of
recent history will be corrected. The
remarkable stories of Schulman and Bielski
will come to life in a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive
exhibition about the Jewish partisans
who escaped into the forests of
Eastern Europe during the Holocaust, rescuing
thousands of Jews in their fight against
the Nazis. “Against All Odds” runs through
January 3, 2011.
This two-part exhibition combines
“Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime
Photographs of Jewish Partisan Faye
Schulman,” originated by the Jewish
Partisan Educational Foundation in San
Jake Ehrenreich
(photo: Charlotte Nation)
Wishing You a Healthy and Sweet 5771
‘Against All Odds’ brings together two
important shows at The Breman
Francisco, and “Courage and Compassion:
The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers,” created
by the Florida Holocaust Museum.
“Against All Odds” is timed to fall during
Sukkot, a reminder of the biblical
Israelites’ 40 years of living in temporary
dwellings during the Exodus. Both the holiday
and the exhibition celebrate the strength
of the Jewish spirit, the resilience of the
Jewish people, and appreciation of life during
incomprehensible times.
PICTURES OF RESISTANCE
Faye Schulman was born to a large
family on November 28, 1919, in Lenin,
Poland. She learned photography from her
brother.
On August 14, 1942, the Germans
killed 1,850 Jews from the Lenin ghetto,
including Faye’s parents, sisters, and
younger brother. They spared only 26 people
that day, among them Faye, for her photography
talents. The Germans ordered
Faye to develop their photographs of the
Center Theatre will present A Jew Grows
in Brooklyn, a spirited musical comedy about
the search for identity and meaning, October 7-
24, in the Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, at the
Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta
(MJCCA). This inspiring hit show broke
records on Broadway and has played to soldout
audiences and standing ovations across
North America.
Acclaimed author-performer Jake
Ehrenreich, accompanied by four singersmusicians,
takes his audience on a rollercoaster
journey, following his life as a baby boomer
in 1960s Brooklyn, to his entertainment career
in the Catskills, and then to Broadway. Critics
have lauded this production as “dazzlingly
funny, touching” (The New York Times),
“shamelessly enjoyable”
(NewYorkTheatre.com), and more.
Jake Ehrenreich is an accomplished musician,
actor, playwright, singer, and comedian.
In addition to spending the last few years starring
in A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, he adapted
the play into a book by the same title, which
was published by the original Chicken Soup for
massacre. Secretly, she also made copies for
herself.
Faye Schulman with her husband,
Morris, and her brothers, near Minsk,
Fall 1944 (Photo courtesy of the
Jewish Partisan Educational
Foundation)
See The Breman, page 27
A Jew Grows in Brooklyn at Center Theatre
the Soul publishers in April 2010. Like the
play, the book deals with his search for identity
as an American-born child of Holocaust
survivors.
Ehrenreich performed on Broadway in
Dancin’, Barnum, and They’re Playing Our
Song. He toured internationally as Ringo in
Beatlemania and has appeared on daytime TV
in “Ryan’s Hope” and “As the World Turns.”
He was the featured vocalist and emcee at New
York’s Rainbow Room and has performed with
such diverse artists as Richie Havens, Gregg
Allman, Whitney Houston, Tito Puente, and
Jay Leno. He has recently begun filming “The
Jake Ehrenreich Show,” a morning television
show with Fox entertainment reporter Rachel
Leigh. Additionally, a documentary-based
show, slated for PBS, is in the works.
Tickets for A Jew Grows in Brooklyn are
$17-$38; student, senior, and MJCCA member
discounts are available. Seating is reserved.
Purchase tickets at the Center Theatre Box
Office, 678-812-4002, or visit
www.CenterTheatreAtlanta.org.
Not a storybook
marriage, but a
compelling story
By Carolyn Gold
Nine Lives of a Marriage—
A Curious Journey
By Eva Friedlander,
ºwith Mickey Goodman
www.ninelivesofamarriage.com
My doctor husband used to say,
“The war never ends for some people.”
He was referring to those with war
injuries such as amputations. Now, with
the appearance of many memoirs by
Holocaust survivors, we see the evidence
of injuries other than physical.
It is fortunate for us that these
books are being written. For those of us
whose parents and grandparents immigrated
to America either before or just
after World War I, we are made to realize,
again, how
lucky we were.
Reading
memoirs such as
E v a
Friedlander’s
just published
Nine Lives of
a Marriage—
A Curious
Journey, we
feel the
myriad
ramifications
of
World War II
on the human psyche.
Knowing Eva personally, I marvel
after reading her life story that she is
the kind, intelligent, caring person that
she is today.
The book starts out in her native
Hungary, where teenager Eva and her
mother have started a secretarial business
in order to earn a living. Her father
has left to live with his mistress.
Eva meets the handsome and brilliant
George Friedlander, who comes to
her as a customer. They both recount
their wartime experiences. George was
See Book Review, page 27

Page 26 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 27
The Breman
From page 25
During a partisan raid, Faye fled to the
forests and joined a partisan group made
mostly of escaped Soviet Red Army POWs.
She was accepted because her brother-inlaw
had been a doctor, and the group was
desperate for anyone who knew anything
about medicine. Faye served the group as a
nurse from September 1942 to July 1944,
even though she had no previous medical
experience. The camp’s doctor was a veterinarian.
During the next two years, Faye took
over a hundred photographs, developing the
medium-format negatives under blankets
and making sun prints during the day. On
missions, Faye buried the camera and tripod
to keep them safe. Her photos show a rare
side of partisan activity.
“I want people to know that there was
resistance. Jews did not go like sheep to the
slaughter. I was a photographer. I have pictures.
I have proof.” She is the only known
Jewish partisan photographer.
Today, Faye lives in Toronto, Canada.
She has two children and six grandchildren.
COURAGE AND COMPASSION
“Courage and Compassion” showcases
the Bielski brothers’ story with many original
artifacts and videos.
In 1941, the Nazis initiated their murderous
campaign against the Jews of
Belarus. Three brothers, Tuvia, Asael, and
Zus Bielski, refused to become victims and
courageously fought back. They escaped to
the forest and began rescuing relatives,
friends, and complete strangers. Because of
their compassion, over 1,200 Jews survived
the Holocaust.
Book Review
From page 25
interred in three Nazi labor camps. During
the bombing of Budapest, Eva and her
mother lived with strangers in a cellar,
where the one delicacy she had was fresh
horsemeat. George later became a prisoner
of the Communists and suffered horrible
interrogations and beatings.
The story, which is written like a novel
and very well done, follows the next phase
of their lives in Rome. It describes their
romance and their ingenuity in finding
work for survival. These were happy days
for the newly married couple.
Finally, they get their dreamed-of visas
to the United States and manage to arrive in
Atlanta, via the Port of New Orleans.
George’s skill as a chemist provides the
income that helps them establish a home
Tuvia Bielski during his service in the
Polish Army (Courtesy of Ruth
Bielski Ehrreich, Michael Bielski,
Robert Bielsky, and the Tuvia and
Lilka Bielski Family Foundation)
The major motion picture Defiance,
starring Daniel Craig (the current
James Bond) as Tuvia Bielski and Liev
Schreiber as Zus Bielski, will be
screened on opening day, September
19, at 2:00 p.m. The following Sunday,
September 26, Sharon Rennert, of Los
Angeles, will speak about her inprogress
documentary about the Jewish
partisans. The first grandchild of Tuvia
Bielski, she will also discuss her personal
connection to the Bielski brothers.
Visit www.thebreman.org for upto-date
information regarding special
programs and events, including a film
series planned during the run of
“Against All Odds.”
and, eventually, a family. Eva’s skill with
antiques and art leads her to interesting
careers at Rich’s and the Atlanta Decorative
Art Center. However, George’s narcissism
and need for attention results in several
affairs, one of which complicates their lives
for more than 45 years.
The reader will marvel at the honesty
and compassion Eva Friedlander shows for
her mother, who remains in Hungary, and
her children growing up in Atlanta; her
ability to deal with financial failure as well
as success; and, finally, her devotion to an
unfaithful but terminally ill, husband—who
still awakens screaming from wartime
nightmares.
Nine Lives of a Marriage—A Curious
Journey is a tour de force of true stories,
life problems, and marital history that
reveals much about human psychology, the
will to survive, doing right, and, ultimately,
love.
PURPLE STRIDE
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will have its annual Purple
Stride Fun Walk/Run, Saturday, November 13, at Perimeter Mall.
Registration is at 8:00 a.m. Registration, volunteer, and donation information
can be found at www.purplestride.org. Event co-chairs are
Beth Berger and Nancy Freedman. Pictured: the family of Susan
Jacobson Goldberg walked in her memory at least yearʼs ʻPanCanʼ
event; from left, Robin Goldberg (daughter), Marc Goldberg (son),
Jennifer Freedman (niece), Nancy Freedman (sister), Betty Jacobson
(mother), and Edward Goldberg (husband). Susan died from pancreatic
cancer in 2005.
MIDAS OF SANDY SPRINGS
Pictured (back row): Reed Bell, Chris Adams, Patty Conway,
Mark Ritzer, Mike Doherty. (Front row): Jessie Swieter,
Damien Gordon, George Hall, Les Walker, Mark Hoover
We service all your vehicle needs
Exhaust Brakes Tires Alignment Air Conditioning
All Factory Scheduled Maintenance Programs
for All Vehicles
404-255-7272
6560 Roswell Road
100 Yards South of Abernathy - Next to Taco Bell

Page 28 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
A caregiver’s journal
By Ron Feinberg
My mother is trudging down the long
road of dementia. It’s an ordeal that many
have faced, a problem for both those afflicted
and their families dealing with the myriad
of problems that are part of this disease.
One of the greatest hurdles, ironically,
comes from the bizarre system of medical
care that’s been created in this country. It’s
a system that provides remarkable care for
all sorts of mundane and catastrophic situations—broken
limbs and sore throats, heart
disease and cancer. But the healthcare community
seems to still be stumbling around
in the dark ages when it comes to treating
any form of dementia.
The problem—and I’m speaking now
from experience—is that when patients
grow old and lose the ability to pay close
attention to their care, they and their caregivers
fall into a bottomless pit, filled with
an assortment of doctors—primary care
physicians, neurologists, and psychiatrists—physician
assistants, and physical
therapists, all making suggestions and all
passing the buck.
My guess is that people and caregivers
dealing with any sort of chronic ailment
probably face the same issues. The problem
isn’t the disease but the number of healthcare
workers involved in treating ongoing
ailments and diseases and the archaic system
of communication that remains at the
heart of our medical community.
In the last year or so, my mom has
gone from living in her own condo, taking
half a dozen different medications, and following
the advice and instruction of one
doctor—her primary care physician—to
now living in the “memory care” ward of an
assisted living facility. Today, she takes 14
different pills—meds for blood pressure,
cholesterol, depression, and insomnia; pills
to boost her appetite and quiet tremors and
hallucinations. Another half-dozen pills are
prescribed for use as needed for aches and
pains, stomach upset, and anxiety. She has
a neurologist, two psychiatrists, physician
assistants, and physical therapists. I’ve lost
count of the number of nurses and aides
responsible for her care.
At first blush, all this attention might
seem to be a good thing, something to celebrate
and not condemn. There’s only one
problem—these people don’t talk with one
another, and there is no central database
where information is stored and updated.
It’s up to me, my brothers, and other caregivers
to make sure instructions are passed
along correctly, that aides charged with
handling meds are doing so correctly, that
the orders of one physician countermanding
the orders and prescriptions of another are
correct and carried out. This is absolute
madness!
But there is a bit of good news. Today
started out badly, very badly. It ended on an
optimistic note.
My brother and I met at Mom’s assisted
living facility to pick her up for another
appointment, this one with yet another
physician assistant at the geriatric hospital
where she has been treated several times. In
the last few weeks, Mom’s condition has
worsened significantly—she’s no longer
able to walk, feed herself, or take care of
any of her personal needs. She is lethargic,
speaks only if prodded, and is now showing
signs of Parkinson’s, one of the nasty little
side effects of the form of dementia (it’s
called Lewy body) that she’s battling.
So what’s the good news? The physician
assistant seemed to be more shocked
by Mom’s condition than either my brother
or me and set about finding out what in the
world has been going on with her care. She
pretty quickly announced that it was clear
Donors offer matching grant
for PJ Library through JFGA
Local couple Mark and Linda
Silberman wanted to help PJ Library
reach more families in metro Atlanta, so
they decided to provide a matching grant.
“We want to take the program and
expand it and make it even stronger, bigger,
and better,” Silberman said of his
family’s commitment to the PJ Library.
PJ Library helps children learn about
Jewish traditions so they will connect
with their heritage.
The Silbermans’ matching grant
helps increase the number of high-quality,
age-appropriate books available to metro
Atlanta children. The grant provides a
50% match for all gifts of at least
$1,200—the equivalent of 10 PJ Library
subscriptions—over two years. (While PJ
Library is and will remain free, each subscription
is valued at $120.)
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation,
in Massachusetts, created PJ Library to
encourage fun, educational bedtime reading.
The program is funded nationally in
partnership with local philanthropists and
organizations.
In Atlanta, the Jewish Federation of
Greater Atlanta partners with the Marcus
Foundation to offer enrollment to Jewish
families. As one of 125+ participating
communities across the country, Atlanta
has more than 55,000 subscribers to the
program.
“This is all about the beginning of a
Jewish life. The books offer a soft, nonthreatening
way to engage Jews and pro-
In the beginning: Helen Feinberg,
now 87 and suffering with dementia,
was ready to face the world when
this photo was taken her senior year
of high school, in the late 1930s.
Mom was overmedicated and dehydrated.
She studied the med info on file at the hospital
and consulted with the folder I brought
along, which details recent visits and med
changes. She then repeated the line I’ve
heard so often from physicians and other
healthcare workers in recent months: “This
is what we’re going to do now.”
But unlike her colleagues, after making
several changes and suggestions, this physician
assistant detailed a plan of action—
new meds, plans to contact the med nurse at
Mom’s assisted living facility, notes to care
workers about the importance of hydration
and the need to monitor Mom, as old meds
are stopped and news ones are started.
Most startling and refreshing is I just
got off the phone with the physician assistant.
She called me! The details aren’t real-
vide bonding moments
between parents and
their children,”
Silberman said.
A long-range goal
is to increase the number
of children in the
program from 50 percent
to 65 percent of the
community, Silberman
said. “We also want to
find more Jews who are
currently unaffiliated and offer PJ Library
services to their families. We feel it is a
great way to get people interested and
engaged in Judaism.”
The Silbermans have lived in metro
Atlanta for 20 years. Silberman is CFO
ly important—it’s the fact that she took the
time to touch base with me about a topic
she thought important regarding Mom’s
care. She then added that if Mom doesn’t
perk up in the next couple of days, I should
give her a call, and there are some additional
tests that she’d like to order.
It was about then that I recalled something
she had said in a sort of absentminded
way while looking over my mother’s
chart earlier in the day. “If this was my
mom, I’d certainly be concerned about her
care.” It was just a little break in the professional
façade, a bit of empathy that
hopefully means we might have stumbled
upon someone special.
To be sure, there will be additional
challenges in the coming weeks and
months. But I’ll grab hold of help and hope
anywhere I can find it. And on this day, it
seems we were handed a small gift that just
might lighten the dark road my mom is navigating.
Brightening the road even further are
recent reports suggesting that many doctors
and other healthcare professionals are
attempting to find creative ways to reach
one another with information about
patients. Additionally, efforts are being
made by the government to make it significantly
easier to access such information.
Mention the word government and you
just know there will be bureaucratic hurdles
to overcome in the years ahead—but it
seems a paradigm shift is in the making
and, hopefully, all of us will profit from
such changes in the future.
Ron Feinberg is a veteran journalist who
has worked for daily newspapers across the
Southeastern United States, most recently
The Atlanta Constitution, and now specializes
in topics of Jewish interest. He can be
reached at ronfeinberg@bellsouth.net. His
blog, This&That, can be found at norgrebnief.blogspot.com.
PJ Library helps children connect with their heritage
and vice president of RefrigiWear, a protective
clothing manufacturing company
based in Dahlonega. He and his wife live
in Alpharetta. They are the proud grandparents
of their first granddaughter, who,
at 11 months, inspires their continued
commitment to Jewish education.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 29
Thought you’d like to know
By Jonathan Barach
HIGH HOLIDAYS. High Holiday
Community Services begin Wednesday
evening, September 8, at Shema Yisrael—
The Open Synagogue. Two different services—Reform/Jewish
Renewal and Traditional
—will be offered at one location. Reform
services will be led by Bob Bahr and Cantor
Herb Cole, Traditional services by Eugen
Schoenfeld and Cantor Jeffrey Cohen.
Everyone is invited. Tickets can be printed at
www.shemaweb.org. For more information,
call 404-943-1100 or visit www.shemaweb.org.
Shema Yisrael also holds services
every Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m., at
Jewish Family & Career Services, 4549
Chamblee-Dunwoody Road.
AMIT SUNDAY SCHOOL. In most congregational
schools, the curriculum becomes
more involved in 3rd and 4th grade. While
many students with learning/behavioral disabilities
can be accommodated with additional
supports, a few find it increasingly difficult
to participate. For these children, in
4th-8th grade, Amit has re-opened its multiage
Sunday School. The curriculum includes
Hebrew, Tanach, lifecyle events, Israel, and
holidays. The class will meet Sundays, 9:45-
11:45 a.m., beginning September 12, at the
Amit office, 6255 Barfield Road, Suite 100.
The fee is $500 per year. For enrollment and
additional information, call 404-961-9966,
or e-mail info@amitatlanta.org.
LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE.
Oglethorpe University is offering non-credit
courses this fall in French, Hebrew, Biblical
Hebrew, Japanese, Italian, Mandarin
Chinese, Spanish, and Greek. The courses,
taught by experienced teachers and linguists,
begin the week of September 13. The 90minute
classes meet in the evenings, once a
week for eight weeks. Each course will focus
on conversational language. The cost is $150
per course. To register, visit www.oglethorpe.edu,
and type “noncredit” in the search
bar, or call Rose Cunningham at 404-634-
8016.
LUNCH AND LEARN. Join those 50+ at
the Lunch and Learn Programs of PALS, on
Mondays, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., September
13-November 1, at Dunwoody Baptist
Church. Offerings include: The Fitness Club,
Three Cups of Tea, The Ruthless One:
Bobby Kennedy, Great Decisions, Bridge,
Senior Scams, Alzheimer’s Disease, The
Arts World, Persons and Events that Helped
Shape Our Country, Spanish, Robust and
Resilient Aging, The Last Brother: Ted
Kennedy, and Mahjongg. In addition, catered
lunches are available with reservations. For a
brochure, call PALS at 770-698-0801.
ANSEL ADAMS AT BOOTH. The Booth
Western Art Museum presents “Ansel
Adams: A Legacy,” September 25, 2010-
February 20, 2011. The works in this exhibi-
tion, originally printed by Adams himself in
his California darkroom, were given to his
organization, The Friends of Photography,
and initially exhibited in China. The Booth
Museum exhibition will showcase these
works in the intimate scale Adams intended
and will also include educational components
unique to the museum. For more information
about the exhibition and related
events, call 770-387-1300, or visit
www.boothmuseum.org.
RAISING JEWISH CHILDREN IN
INTERFAITH FAMILIES. Pathways: The
Interfaith Family Network of Greater Atlanta
is presenting a series of classes: Building
Blocks, September 25, 10:00 a.m.-12:00
noon, Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta (MJCCA) Zaban Park and The
Temple; The Grandparents Circle, October
12, 7:15-9:15 p.m., Ahavath Achim
Synagogue; and The Mothers Circle,
October 15, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, MJCCA
Zaban Park. Onsite childcare is available at
Zaban Park. Pre-registration is required for
these free programs. For further information
and to register, go to www.pathwaysatlanta.org,
or call Rachelle at 678-812-4161.
COWBOY SYMPOSIUM. The Booth
Western Art Museum will host the 8th
Annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival &
Symposium, October 21-24. Scheduled
events include concerts by Riders in the Sky,
gunfight reenactments, children’s activities,
living history encampments, Native
American dancing, and more. The four-day
event will take place at the Booth Western
Art Museum and the Grand Theatre, both
located in historic downtown Cartersville,
Georgia. For a complete schedule, visit
www.boothmuseum.org, or call 770-387-
1300.
GAUCHER CONFERENCE. The National
Gaucher Foundation will hold its 2010
Conference in Atlanta, November 6-8, at the
Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel &
Conference Center. The conference is open
to everyone within the Gaucher community.
Visit www.gaucherdisease.org, and click on
the Gaucher Conference icon on the homepage
for complete conference information,
agenda, sponsorships, and program ads.
READ ALL ABOUT IT. The 2010 Book
Festival of the MJCCA is November 6-20. A
highlight of Atlanta’s literary calendar for 19
years, the festival presents dozens of the
year’s best and brightest authors in a variety
of forums. Festivalgoers will enjoy speaker
programs, author meet-and-greets, book
signings, panel discussions, The PJ Library
Storytelling Festival, the annual Esther G.
Levine Community Read, the Stern Lecture,
and more. Many programs are free. For
information, a complete schedule, and tickets,
visit atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, or contact
Bonnie Brodsky at 678-812-3984 or
bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
PROMOTING COMMUNITY HARMO-
NY. The 2010 Abe Goldstein Community of
Respect Dinner is November 18, 6:00 p.m.,
at the St. Regis Hotel. ADL will present the
Abe Goldstein Human Relations Award to
Carol Cooper and the Stuart Lewengrub
Torch of Liberty Award to Michael Garrett.
For over 97 years, the Anti-Defamation
League has been creating greater harmony in
the world. The ADL Southeast Region will
honor two individuals who have played
major roles in helping to create that harmony
in Atlanta. Tickets are $300 each ($200 each
for persons under age 35); sponsorships start
at $1,200. Call 404-262-3470 for more information.
AMY’S HOLIDAY PARTY. In 1995, Amy
Sacks Zeide donated part of her bat mitzvah
money to host a small party for homeless
children. Amy’s Holiday Party has since
blossomed into an annual event, in which
300+ teen volunteers organize a party for
nearly 600 homeless, refugee, and orphaned
children. This year’s party is December 12,
at the Holiday Inn Capitol Center. Amy, now
27, has started the non-profit Creating
Connected Communities, whose mission
both includes and extends beyond the party.
For information or to make a donation, visit
www.amysholidayparty.org, or contact Tara
Kornblum at
director@amysholidayparty.org or 404-532-
9515.

Page 30 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Remembering the Days of Awe
By David Geffen
There were three large columns in the
front, all lit up for this evening. The light
“Avinu Malkenu, Avinu Malkenu”—
reflected on the passing cars. The
the words and their melody carry me
Washington Street streetcar line stopped
back to the Yamim Noraim (High
near the shul, and the passengers looked
Holidays) of my youth in Atlanta,
at the building in wonderment.
Georgia. In 1948, the spring of the year
When my father and I passed
had been filled with the excitement
through Shearith Israel’s large wooden
linked to the creation of the State of
doors, we saw two tables with plates of
Israel. My zayde, Rabbi Tobias Geffen,
money, along with tickets for the High
z’l, spoke at his shul, Shearith Israel, on
Holidays. “Louis, come on over and sit
the Shabbat of May 15, about Medinat
down,” Abe Auerbach, the congregation
Yisrael, the first day of our new nation.
president, called out. “You have the list
“We turn to God in thanksgiving for
of the members, which we need so the
a Jewish homeland for our people. So
seats can be assigned.” Before and after
many of our dear ones in Europe were
World War II, my father was shul secre-
massacred by the tyrant. Here in America
tary, in addition to doing all of the legal
and here in Atlanta, we were fortunate
work pro bono. My father quickly sat
that the war did not make its way to our
down, opened the big ledger that he
shores. Sadly, members of our congrega-
brought from home, and went to work. I,
tion and our community were killed
of course, went to play with my friends.
fighting for freedom.
People came in and bought their tick-
“On this day, the Haftorah we have David Geffen and his father, Louis Geffen, Washington Street, Atlanta, 1943. ets. They also put money in the plates—
read from the Navi Amos reminded us When this photograph was taken, the elder Geffen was on leave as a U.S. pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and a
that the Sukkah of our people, Eretz Army judge advocate.
few bills—for yeshivos, for arme leit—
Yisrael, has risen again. May it never be
destroyed. We hope and pray that the new
land will be filled with Torah. God watch
over our sisters and brothers and bring
comfort to those who have suffered so,
but now have a chance for a new life.
Together we recite the Sheheyanu blessing—Sheheyanu,
Vikeemanu, Vehigianu,
Lazman Hazeh. Amen.”
Now September had arrived and the
excitement related to the Yamim Noraim
was upon us. “Dad,” I said to my father,
Louis, “can I stay up for Selichos services?
I will be 10 in November. Bring me
with you.”
“Well, David, I will see how school
starts out for you, and then I will decide.”
I looked at my mother, Anna, longingly,
but I did not receive any reaction. My
mother was not a Selichos devotee.
A few days before Selichos, my
father told me that I could accompany
him, but, he warned, “You better stay
awake.” I knew that Albert Tuck, my best
friend, would be coming and maybe
some other boys. Whenever the boys in
the shul got together, we played in the
back part of the building, the Beis
Medrash. That section at Shearith Israel
was constructed in 1929, and the davening
and the learning went on there until
the main sanctuary was completed in
1930.
Since the Beis Medrash had its own
shul, we held Junior Congregation there
on Shabbas, under the direction of Rabbi
Hyman Friedman, z’l. Friedman, who
came to Atlanta in 1943, was a lively man
who had grown up in the Young Israel
movement in New York. He possessed
wonderful memories, which he passed on
to us as a part of the davening. Some carried
his teachings to various parts of the
U.S. and to Israel. Some stayed in
Atlanta. Leon Tuck put it this way:
“Rabbi Friedman captured my spirit as a
teenager and changed my entire life. The
synagogue has been my home because of
the davening and learning that he imparted
to me.”
On that Selichos night in 1948, what
I recall initially was the walk to the synagogue
with my father. Washington
Street was then the only locale in Atlanta
where a goodly number of Jews resided,
possibly close to 2,000 people, young
and old. We lived in the 700 block of
Washington Street, my grandparents at
593 Washington; the shul was at 500
Washington.
That Saturday night, the street was
abuzz. Not that only Jews lived there, but
it seemed that night the sidewalks were
bursting with Yidden—unsere leit. At the
main intersection, Georgia Avenue and
Washington Street, you could smell the
challah baking for yomtov at Manhattan
Bakery, along with the lekach—honey
cake—and, once in a while, teiglach.
Since Shabbas was over, the ovens at
the bakery had been fired up, and people
lined the sidewalk on Georgia Avenue,
waiting to buy their baked goods. Since
Rosh Hashanah was still a few days
away, people were still buying rye and
pumpernickel breads. I have heard at
times that Mr. Novack, the baker, made
bagels. My father and I took a good
schmeck—smell—and moved on.
At the next corner on Washington
Street was Kaufman’s Kosher Chickens;
close by was Max Siegel’s Deli. At 10:30
p.m., both were filled with customers.
“Louie,” Bessie Kaufman called to my
father, “when are you coming to pick up
Anna’s order?” “Bessie, I will be in
tomorrow morning—make sure it is
ready.” Wondrous smells floated out into
the night air. We passed by Siegel’s
quickly and went on to the next corner.
At Crumbley and Washington, one
could see Piedmont Hospital, my place of
birth. Even at night, as my father walked
on the sidewalk, I played my game of
jumping from stoop to stoop. We were
now accompanied by 20 or so men heading
to the shul. At the corner of
Richardson and Washington, we crossed
over and stopped at Stein’s Butcher
Shop, where my father said hello to one
of his clients, Ben Stein. He and his wife
were busy selling fleish—meat—of all
types. In those days, there were still a
number of Shochetim in Atlanta, who
killed kosher meat two or three times a
week. Kosher meat was still all fresh,
which is what the people wanted. Stein’s
was one of four kosher meat markets at
the time. We passed the store, a little
house where I once sliced my arm
severely, and then we were at Shearith
Israel.
The little shul, as it was known, had
been at this particular location for 18
years. When Rabbi Geffen first arrived
there in 1910, the shul was located on
Hunter Street (now MLK drive), down
the block from the State Capitol. The
Eastern European Jewish community was
concentrated in that area, led by Ahavath
Achim, the big shul, on Gilmer Street. In
1921, the AA moved to Washington
Street.
Shearith Israel was having financial
problems and could not move. Then, a
leader of the “Deitscher Yidden,” Harold
Hirsch, z’l, saved the day. The property at
500 Washington Street was bought in
1928; first, the Beis Medrash was constructed,
then the sanctuary. This
1930 note in the Southern Israelite captured
the spirit of the shul: “The small but
determined group at Shearith Israel finished
their new building. The rich
Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, The
Temple, is still waiting around to finish
its structure on Peachtree Street.”
I can still see that building today.
the poor—in the United States and Israel.
Some people also made contributions for
shul. We now know that Rabbi Geffen
regularly forwarded contributions of $10
and $20 taken from these collection
plates to help institutions all over the
world. He kept meticulous records of the
amount and locale where every contribution
was sent.
What do I recall about first Selichos
service? Maybe 75 men and 25 women
were present. The men sat in the center of
the main sanctuary; the women were on
the raised sides. My grandfather and
Rabbi Friedman were in their white kittels
sitting on the bema next to the aron
kodesh. The chazzan, in for a tryout,
wore his white robe and davened from
the center bema. My friends and I played
inside and outside. We played catch a bit,
then my father came and got me. “David,
you wanted to be here for Selichos, I
strongly suggest that you come inside.”
I did not learn too much that night,
but I now know that Selichos has several
musical highlights. One is the repetition
of the words “Hashem Hashem”—words
found in the Torah right after the incident
of the golden calf. The Chazzan recited
these words five or six times. The Ritual
Committee members seemed to like his
voice and his nusach, so he would probably
daven for the Yamim Noraim.
My eyes were closing fast. I was trying
to stay awake. I could no longer follow
the words in the Selichos book,
though my father kept pointing at them.
There was one melody I knew. Where
was it? Where was Avinu Malkenu?
Would I make it to that point? Then the
ark opened. Avinu Malkenu started. Next
thing I knew, my father was waking me
up to walk home.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 31
MISH MASH
By Erin O’Shinskey
KOGON IS NEW MARKETING CHAIR.
Michael Kogon, founder and CEO of
Definition 6,
has been
appointed the
2010-11 marketing
chair for
the Jewish
Federation of
Greater Atlanta
(JFGA). In his
previous
Federation
position,
Michael Kogon
Kogon worked
with the Young
Leadership
Council to engage Jewish young adults by
creating social, business, cultural, and educational
programs. Kogon is a Leadership
Atlanta alumnus. He serves on the boards of
Federation and the American Israel Policy
Advisory Committee, where is he a
National Leadership Network member.
Kogon lives in Sandy Springs with his wife,
Laurie, and daughters Eve and Leah May.
JUDAIC ART. Flora Rosefsky, of Decatur,
is the new board president of the American
Guild of Judaic Art, a national not-for-prof-
Flora Rosefsky
it membership organization. Other members
of the 2010-12 Board of Directors are:
Vice President Claude Riedel
(Minneapolis), Secretary Beth K. Haber
(Poughkeepsie), Treasurer Ellen Filreis
(Atlanta), Past President Mark Levin, AIA
(Baltimore), and Administrator Mary Linda
Schwarzbart (Knoxville). Guild members
include artists, galleries, collectors and
retailers of Judaica, writers, educators,
appraisers, museum curators, conservators,
lecturers, and others personally or professionally
involved in the field.
HOW WAR IS REPORTED. On August 22,
The Breman Museum presented “From
Teletype to Twitter,” a special event to mark
the close of the acclaimed exhibition “Dr.
Seuss Goes to War...and More.” Special
guest Andy Fisher, president of Cox
Television from 2001-08, spoke on how
changes in media, including 24-hour news
coverage, embedded reporters, and
WikiLeaks, have changed the way wars are
defined and fought. Pictured from the
event:
Debbie Neese (from left), Macy
Moret, and George and Margie Stern
Norman Zoller (from left), Spring
Asher, Andy Fisher, and Joyce
Shlesinger
IZENSON ELECTED BETH SHALOM
PRESIDENT. Serving on Congregation
Beth Shalom’s
new Executive
Board are
David Izenson,
president; Stan
Schwartz, vice
president of
Development;
Don Cohen,
vice president
o f
Administration;
Marsha Fish,
vice president
David Izenson
of Ritual; Jenny
Kerven, vice
president of
Membership; Jeff Nagle, treasurer; Edyd
Nechman, vice president of Education; and
Ruth Schultz, recording secretary.
COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN. JFGA
launched its 104th annual fundraising campaign
September 1. With the theme “The
Good We Do Is Up To You,” the campaign
funds three focus areas: Jewish identity and
continuity; vulnerable populations; and
Israel and overseas. Last year, despite the
difficult economy, the campaign raised
$15.35 million—a drop of only two percent—to
be allocated to Federation’s partner
organizations. Community Campaign
2011 runs until June 30, 2011. For more
information, visit www.JewishAtlanta.org.
MONTAG ON SKYLAND TRAIL
BOARD. Jackie Montag has been elected to
the Board of Directors of Skyland Trail, the
nationally acclaimed treatment center for
adults recovering from mental illness. Ms.
Montag is former board chair of the Atlanta
History Center and past president of The
Temple. She currently serves on the
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Board of
Trustees, the Friends of Trinity School
board, the Georgia Academy board, and the
Advisory Board of the Atlanta Girls School.
Ms. Montag oversees business development
for the investment counseling and
management firm A. Montag & Associates,
founded by her husband, Anthony Montag.
MITZVAH DAY. On August 12, 38 JFGA
staff members participated in Federation’s
3rd Annual All-Staff Mitzvah Day. They
delivered Shalom Baby baskets, made
meals for those in need at Project Open
Hand, participated in activities such as
bingo at The Cohen Home, taught jobs
skills to adults with developmental disabilities
through a Jewish Family & Career
Services program, did yard work for NORC
participants, and spent time with the residents
at the Weinstein Center at the Marcus
Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. All of
these programs are associated with
Federation’s affiliate agencies or outcome
partners.
Mitzvah Day Bingo: Kym Treadwell
(left) and Erica Rabhan
At JF&CS: (bottom, from left, in
white) Steve Rakitt, Sheila Cohen
Katz, Amanda Abrams, and Nona
Galbreath; (top, from left) Johnny
Solis, Miriam Friedman, and Jessica
Segal
Mitzvah Day yard work: (from left, in
white) Cindy Weik, Susan Moray, and
Jim Lockhart
Mitzvah Day with Project Open Hand:
(back, from left) Lisa Katz and (third
from left) Carli Haber; (front) Staci
Zemlak
See MISHMASH, page 32

Page 32 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
MISHMASH
From page 31
25 YEARS. The Orthotics and Prosthetics
program at Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta recently celebrated 25 years of providing
leading-edge care to children. The
program addresses the needs of children
and teenagers with conditions that require
orthotic or prosthetic intervention, including
traumatic brain injury, burns, neurological
disorders, limb deficiency and limb
sparing, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, scoliosis,
and plagiocephaly. Donna Hyland,
president and CEO of Children’s, congratulated
staff and presented the group with a
commemorative plaque to mark the occasion.
Childrenʼs Healthcare of Atlanta
Orthotics and Prosthetics program
staff: (front, from left) Aaron Smith,
Brian Giavedoni, Childrenʼs
President and CEO Donna Hyland,
and Rege Dillahunty; (middle, from
left) Amy Chepeleff, Lynn Cathey,
Dennis Fredette, Ed Barber, and
Tonya Coleman; (back, from left)
Larry Mortensen, Paul Martin, Robin
Cavender, Erika Larson, David
Foreman, and Karl Barner
Dr. Leonardo Leiderman, Chief
Economic Advisor to Bank
Hapoalim, Israelʼs largest bank,
keynoted the American-Israel
Chamber of Commerceʼs 14th
Annual Professional Seminar held in
Atlanta on August 26. This was a
timely seminar for legal, accounting,
financial, and real estate professionals
to better serve their client companies
pursuing business interests
in the Southeast and Israel.
You need to know...
During the last 60 years, meter for
meter, person for person, no other nation
has done more for the betterment of the
health, economic, and technological
advancement of the world population than
Israel. It is a story, although critically
important, that is not heralded and largely
remains unknown. We plan to present some
of these unbelievable accomplishments in
an attempt to disseminate the heart and
soul of what and who Israel really is.
HELPING CLEAN UP THE GULF OIL
SPILL. Professors Eugene Rosenberg and
Eliora Ron of Tel Aviv University have
developed a technique using naturally
occurring, oil-munching bacteria grown in
their lab as a means to clean and restore
hard-to-reach contaminated oil pockets that
result from oil mixing with sand and organic
matter. Rosenberg and Ron, through their
research with a naturally occurring variety
of sea-borne bacteria that digests oil, have
increased the bacteria’s capacity to ingest
oil together, and they have developed methods
of growing the bacteria. With these
refinements, the scientists have delivered a
solution that can clean up the residual oil
that can't be removed by mechanical
means.
The bulk removal of the oil through
sucking up surface oil pools and containment
are important and necessary immediate
first-step actions but do not address the
smaller amounts of oil left behind. It is this
Two weeks before Mother’s Day,
Stacey Flamm rode six hours on an indoor
cycle in memory of her mother. She joined
200 others who cycled 100 virtual miles at
the 7th Annual Ovarian Cycle, a fitness
fundraiser that raised $160,000 to fund
research and create awareness of this silent
killer.
To date, Ovarian Cycle has contributed
more than $645,000 to The Ovarian Cancer
Research Fund, The Ovarian Cancer
Institute (at Georgia Tech), and The Norma
Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation.
This year, the organization is active in five
cities: Atlanta; Birmingham; Boulder and
Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and
Tallahassee.
“We want to find a reliable screening
test to save lives,” says Donna Narducci,
Ovarian Cycle’s director. At present, there
is only the CA-125 blood test, which frequently
results in false positives. Most
women do not see a specialist until their
disease is in stage III or IV, according to Dr.
Benedict Benigno, co-director of the
Ovarian Cancer Institute at Georgia Tech.
That’s what happened to Debbie
Flamm. It took quite a while to diagnose,
because the symptoms were vague. First,
BY
Marvin
Botnick
residual small percentage that is not easily
removed from sand and water that lingers
under rocks and forms a thin film on the
water’s surface. It is this remaining contamination
that can have the greatest longterm
ecological impact, and it is this problem
that Rosenberg’s and Ron’s technique
can address.
And the best part about this is that it
works. The process has been used successfully
on a spill on the coast of Haifa, so it is
not theory.
ANOTHER KIND OF FLOTILLA. In July
of this year, the view of the sea from Haifa
was dominated by a sight of boats from all
over the world. While what was happening
there were intense encounters, there was no
spotlight focused on Israel. You see, peaceful
competition does not warrant the same
interest as orchestrated conflict: It was the
2010 International 420 Class World Sailing
Championships and the 2010 International
420 Class Ladies World Sailing
Championships.
And, yes, Turkey was there. It is
encouraging to realize that what is played
she went to a gastroenterologist. A
colonoscopy led to a gynecologist’s visit
and a hysterectomy. Despite having setbacks
and cancer treatments, Debbie kept
fighting. An avid runner, when she couldn’t
run the Peachtree, she walked. She even
rafted down the Colorado River for a week
with her extended family, interrupting her
treatment to camp out nightly along the
Grand Canyon.
Stacey’s mom died December 14,
2003, after a three-year battle against ovarian
cancer. Stacey was just 16, her brother,
Elliot, 13. His bar mitzvah was actually
moved up to accommodate his mother’s ill-
out from a political position does not
always reflect the entire picture. Even
though the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish ship
that was in the military conflict while trying
to break the Gaza blockade, is still
anchored in an adjacent Israeli port, the top
coach of Turkey’s sailing team is Linor
Kliger, a 28-year-old Israeli, who, in addition
to this job, trains the Israeli women
windsurfers.
Amazing, but true.
THE SHADOWS KNOWS. If your computer
is sick and needs fixing, how can you
do it without giving it a full-system overhaul?
The SHADOWS knows.
Onn Shehory of Israel’s IBM Haifa
facility proposed a project to the European
Union’s 6th Framework Program, a technology
initiative that invests in promising
international endeavors, to develop SHAD-
OWS, an acronym for a “Self Healing
Approach for Developing cOmplex
softWare Systems.” The idea was to develop
a program that would react with problems
in the system software as the human
body behaves when there is an illness. The
project was funded, and Shehory, who, with
his team in Israel, heads up the lead team,
works on the project in conjunction with
other scientists from eight European Union
countries.
Work is continuing on this project. To
paraphrase a passage from the Christian
Bible: “Computer—heal thyself.”
Flamm cycles 100 miles for Mom
Stacey Flamm and Ellen Fruchtman
ness. “We really didn’t know if she’d be
around by the time his birthday rolled
around,” recalls Stacey.
In the fall, Stacey will teach 3rd grade
at Pace Academy, just like her mother, who
was an elementary school teacher all her
adult life. A University of Georgia graduate,
she previously worked part-time for the
Cobb County Board of Education and substituted
at Pace. Elliot is a sophomore at
Gainesville College.
“I wanted to participate in Ovarian
Cycle as a way of remembering my mother
and her devotion to her students, family,
and friends,” says Stacey. Debbie Flamm
won prestigious teaching awards, and her
classroom always reflected her boundless
energy and creativity.
Apparently, those traits were passed to
her daughter. “I always loved to draw and
thought I would pursue art as a career, but I
remember how much my mother loved
teaching and the joy it gave her, so I
majored in elementary education instead.”
Ovarian Cycle was founded in 2004 by
fitness trainer Bethany Diamond, one of
Debbie Flamm’s closest friends. For information
on participating or making a donation,
visit www.ovariancycle.org.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 33
Kosher Korner
THE AUGUST 2010 KOSHER WITH-
OUT A SYMBOL LIST
When shopping, it is always better
to purchase items with reliable kosher
supervision, if they are available. Some
items may require additional checking for
insect infestation.
The following items are currently
and generally assumed kosher (when there
are no other additional additives) and can
be purchased without bearing a kosher
symbol. This list is subject to change.
FOOD ITEMS:
Applesauce—unflavored only
Baking powder
Baking soda
Barley
Beans—dry
Beer—domestic, unflavored
Buckwheat (kasha)
Carob powder
Cocoa—plain
Coconut
Coffee—plain or decaf, with no flavors
Cornstarch, corn grits, corn syrup, cornmeal,
and corn powder
Couscous, unseasoned and uncooked
Dextrose
Edamame
Eggs—raw, whole, and non-processed;
however they should be checked for blood
spots.
Farina—raw
Flaxseed
Flour—without enzymes
Food additives—citric acid, EDTA, high
fructose corn syrup, potassium sorbate,
riboflavin, sorbitol, sodium benzoate, sodium
bisulfate, sodium citrate, sulfur dioxide
Food colors—F.D. & C. colors with propylene
glycol
Fruits, canned—without added flavors, colors,
and grape juice. (Note: Fruit cocktail
needs reliable kosher supervision as it contains
non-kosher carmine, a natural color
derived from beetles.)
Fruits, dried—apricots, dates, figs (sliced,
diced, or whole), peaches, nectarines,
pears, prunes, and domestic raisins are
acceptable without certification when no
additional flavors or oils are listed.
Fruits, frozen—without added flavors or
coloring. (Some berries require special
checking for infestation.)
Ginger
Honey
Juices, fresh or frozen—100% orange,
apple, grapefruit, pineapple, and lemon.
(Tomato and grape juices need supervision.)
Maple syrup—mass-produced. Private
farms need to be checked individually for
use of animal fat in production.
Milk—In the U.S. and Canada, Vitamilk,
buttermilk, and chocolate milk need supervision.
BY
Rabbi Reuven
Stein
Molasses
Nuts, raw—with no oil or additives (some
contain gelatin), unflavored, including
blanched almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts,
macadamia nuts, pecans, and walnuts. Dry
roasted nuts require certification.
Oats—unflavored
Oat bran
Olive oil—100% extra-virgin
Polenta—non-processed, unseasoned
Popcorn kernels
Quinoa
Rice—white or brown, including converted
or parboiled, no seasonings added. Arborio,
basmati, sushi rice, and other varieties are
acceptable without added flavorings.
Seltzer—plain, non-flavored
Soy grits
Spices—ground, chopped, powdered, or
whole allspice, anise, basil, bay leaf, black
pepper, caraway, cardamom, chervil,
chives, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander,
cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, ginger,
lemongrass, mace, marjoram, nutmeg,
oregano, parsley, peppercorns (any color),
rosemary, saffron, sage, salt, savory,
sesame seed (raw only), tarragon, thyme,
turmeric, and white pepper. Spice blends
require certification; fresh spices may have
insect infestations.
Sugar—brown, cane or confectionery, powdered
Tea—plain, orange pekoe, unflavored (regular
and decaf)
Tofu—without additives
Vegetables, frozen—excluding artichoke,
asparagus, and Brussels sprouts, which
require special checking for infestation.
(Supervision is preferred for broccoli and
spinach.)
Vegetables, pre-washed and/or precut packaged—broccoli
slaw, carrots, celery,
coleslaw, onions, and potatoes acceptable,
but may require checking.
Water—unflavored
NON-FOOD ITEMS:
Aluminum foil and foil pans
Baking or parchment paper—silicon-type is
acceptable. Quilan-based may contain animal
fat and requires certification.
Cupcake holders
Dental floss
Lipstick, lip balm—some authorities prefer
those without glycerin.
Oven cleaner
Plastic bags and wraps
Toothpaste, mouthwash—some kosher
authorities prefer those without glycerin.
(Breath spray and breath sticks require cer-
See Kosher Korner, page 37

Page 34 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
Kosher Affairs
As we approach the New Year, the
kitchen takes on an even greater importance
in most Jewish homes. What a perfect time
to update with the newest, most efficient
gadgets and appliances. An organized, wellstocked
kitchen will certainly help to shorten
cooking time and make keeping kosher a
bit easier.
M a n y
kosher
homes
have two
(or more)
complete
sets of
kitchenware,cook-
KosherKeeper container pack
ware, and
culinary
gadgets—one for dairy
and one for meat. (Some
homes even have three
or four sets—an additional
set for Passover
and one for parve.)
Several manufacturers
have recognized this
growing market and
stepped up their selection
to provide more
BY
Kosher containers from Judaica Corner
Roberta
Scher
products for the kosher cook.
Along these lines, I have
recently found a number of colorcoded
items, most marked with
the words dairy, meat, and parve.
These include dishwasher- and
oven-safe labels, metal pan tags,
silicone spatulas, kitchen gloves,
vegetable peelers, sink strainers,
cutting boards, scrubbers, sheet
pans, utility knives, collapsible
colanders, and tongs.
One of my
favorite new finds
is from a company
c a l l e d
KosherKeepers
(www.kosherkeepers.com).
These
color-coded;
labeled (dairy,
meat, parve); dishwasher-
and freezer-safe
storage
containers—in various sizes—seal well,
make kosher mix-ups almost impossible,
and are manufactured in the U.S.
Most of these items are available locally
at Judaica Corner/Chosen Treasures.
There is also a large selection of kosherfriendly
cookware at
www.thekoshercook.com. Treat yourself, or
consider a basket of kitchen gadgets for
your New Year host.
A HONEY OF A GEORGIA COMPANY.
Savannah Bee Company has introduced
some new items this year, including the
honey pump, a great, no-drip power pump
that fits most of the company’s 12-ounce
honey jars. The company is also offering a
honey pot—a decorative honey keeper for
the table.
For orders, or if you want a “honey” of
an education, visit www.savannahbee.com,
and learn about all the different varieties of
this healthful, natural sweetener—so appropriate
on the Rosh Hashanah table. By the
way, coat your spoon, ladle, or honey dipper
with cooking spray, and the honey will slide
right off.
AN OLD KITCHEN FRIEND. Many long
relationships, such as a marriage or friendship—are
often taken for granted—comfortable,
pleasing, just a great fit. I find
myself in this situation with a long-term
kitchen staple, an item that I always have on
hand, a product that has attained the status
of a classic in my kosher kitchen. In its 8ounce
container, it is there at the ready for
me to thaw, pour, and whip. When it first
came out, it was a groundbreaking product—developed
and available long before
the terms lactose-free, dairy-free, glutenfree,
vegan, and parve became trendy.
So, what am I talking about? None
other than parve RichWhip Non-Dairy
Whip Topping. I always have a container in
my freezer and know it is there when I need
it. I use it for cakes, pies, toppings, and even
parve ice cream. And, it is especially helpful
during the holiday season. Yes, readers,
RichWhip and I go back many years, and it
looks like we have a long future together as
well.
GLENDALE FARM GRAPE JUICE.
Glendale Farm is located on a hillside near
Seneca Lake, in the town of Burdett, in
Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region.
Its grape juice is made from certified organically
grown grapes and is OU kosher. Each
year’s vintage reflects the unique character
of the particular growing season. It is a simple
product, blended from several types of
New York grapes, such as Concord,
Catawba, Delaware, and Niagara, minimally
flash-pasteurized and as pure as grape
juice can be—no sulfites, concentrates,
water, additives, chemicals, or sweeteners.
Even the bottle is special—Glendale Farm
Grape Juice is packaged in decorative glass
bottles for both environmental and health
reasons. Drink to the New Year with this
healthful, organic product. It is available at
Return to Eden and several Whole Foods
stores.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 35
Glendale Farm Grape Juice
—————
During Rosh Hashanah, along with the
well-known apples and honey, many other
symbolic foods appear on holiday tables.
An excellent discussion of these foods can
be found at
www.aish.com/h/hh/rh/48955406.html.
Here are a few tidbits from that site:
• We dip apples in honey or sugar to signify
our wish for a sweet New Year. And we
eat different vegetables whose names
allude to the good.
• We eat carrots (in Yiddish, “mehren,” also
meaning “increase”) and ask the Almighty
for our merits to increase.
• We eat leeks (in Aramaic, “karasai,” also
meaning “to cut off”) and ask G-d to cut off
our enemies.
• We eat beets (in Aramaic, “silka,” also
meaning “remove and pray”) that our
adversaries be removed.
• We eat dates (in Aramaic, “tamrai”) and
ask G-d that our enemies be consumed
(“yetamu”).
• We eat gourds such as pumpkin and
squash (in Aramaic, “kara,” also meaning
“tear” or “proclaim”) and ask the Almighty
to tear our sentences and proclaim our merits.
• We eat pomegranates and ask that our
merits should be as numerous as the seeds
of a pomegranate.
• We eat fish heads with a request to be
fruitful and multiply like fish. (Some use
gefilte fish for this symbol.)
• We eat (or at least mention) the head of a
sheep, with the wish that the Jewish people
should be the leaders (heads) of nations.
—————
May Rosh Hashanah 5771 usher in a
year of sweetness, spiritual renewal, and
peace for the Jewish people—and for all
good people—everywhere.
What’s cooking? Email kosheraffairs@gmail.com.
This column is meant to provide the
reader with current trends and developments
in the kosher marketplace. Since
standards of kashruth certification vary,
check with the AKC or your local kashruth
authority to confirm reliability. For the latest
in kosher, visit www.KosherEye.com.
Honey Spritzer
Adapted from Savannah Bee Company
1 ounce Savannah Bee Company Tea
Honey
Juice of one lemon or lime
3-4 fresh mint leaves
2 ounces water, warm
Ice
Cold sparkling water
Pour Tea Honey into a tall glass. Pour
the warm water over the honey, and stir to
dissolve. Add lemon or lime juice, and
stir.
Drop the mint into the glass, and
crush with the back of a spoon or a muddler
to release the oil.
Fill the glass with ice and sparkling
water. Garnish with a slice of citrus and
an additional sprig of mint.
Optional: Add some rum, and you
have a honey of a Mojito!
—————
Recipes
Friend us on Facebook! Follow us on
Twitter!
Serves 8-10
Chicken with Duck Sauce
By Roberta Scher
2 chickens, cut into eighths
Spice rub (1 teaspoon each minced garlic,
paprika, and black pepper)
1 jar of sweet and sour duck sauce
1 can of peach slices, drained
Cover chicken all over with spice
rub. Let marinate in refrigerator for a few
hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place
chickens in a roasting pan.
Cover, and bake for 45 minutes.
Uncover, pour on sauce, and continue
baking another 30 minutes, basting
occasionally until golden brown.
Remove from oven, place fruit on
top, and bake 5 more minutes.
Serve with warm rice or rice pilaf.
See RECIPES, page 37

Page 36 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 37
Recipes
From page 35
Fanny Richter Schneidkraut’s
No Noodle Apple Kugel
A family heirloom recipe*
3 lbs. peeled and thinly sliced (1/4”)
apples
3 eggs
2 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups orange juice
Pinch of salt
1 cup flour
Topping:
2 cups parve graham crackers crumbs
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 9” x 13” pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, then add
sugar, juice, salt, and flour. Mix until well
combined. Add apples to batter, and mix
until apples are well coated. Pour mixture
into prepared pan.
Mix cinnamon with crumbs. Pour
over apple mixture.
Bake for about 1 hour, until toothpick
comes out clean.
*Please send us your family heirloom
recipes. We’d love to share them with our
readers.
—————
Easy Apple “Dump” Cake (parve)
3 lbs. apples, peeled
2 cups light brown sugar
1 parve yellow cake mix, such as Duncan
Hines
1 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped glazed nuts, such as
Emerald brand (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Old favorites
Because you asked, we are reprinting
two recipes.
—————
Black-Eyed Pea Three-Bean Salad With
Olives
Serves 15
Most Goya and Eden Brand beans
are certified kosher.
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 15-16 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 15-16 ounce can garbanzo beans
(chickpeas), drained
1 15-16 ounce can black-eyed peas,
drained
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)
1 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
1/2 cup chopped red onion
kosher bacon bits
Whisk first 4 ingredients in large
bowl to blend. Add all remaining ingredients
and toss to blend. Season with salt
and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least
3 hours and up to one day. Top with
bacon bits just before serving.
——
Simanim (Good Omen) Salad
Serves 10
This is a colorful salad incorporating
many of the significant symbols to which
we refer on Rosh Hashanah. (See article.)
Salad:
Bagged fancy lettuces (romaine, butter,
etc.) and spinach, enough for 10
1/2 cup raw peeled pumpkin seeds
4 red and golden delicious apples, peeled
and chunked
1/2 cup chopped dates
juice of a pomegranate (1/2 cup, or as
much as can be easily squeezed—no
seeds) or 1/2 cup of bottled pomegranate
juice
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 jar of freshly roasted sliced beets,
drained
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced leek, white part only
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic
Mix salad ingredients and make
dressing; combine just before serving.
Optional: add the fruit of you choice
and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Core and peel apples. Cut each apple
into about 6-8 pieces, and put in pan. Top
with brown sugar, and swirl over low
flame until sugar is melted and apples are
somewhat coated.
Drain and put apples into a baking
dish. Cover and bake about 30 minutes to
soften.
(Apples can be cooled and frozen in
plastic zipper bags at this point. Defrost
and drain before continuing recipe.)
Lower oven temperature to 325
degrees. Spread apples evenly over bottom
of 9” x 13” pan. Sprinkle box of cake mix
on top of apples. Pour melted margarine
evenly on top. Sprinkle coconut and
chopped nuts, and press in gently with the
back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hour.
Serve warm. Top with parve vanilla
soy ice cream or parve RichWhip.
—————
Easy as Pie Chocolate Frozen Cookie Pie
(parve)
Approximately 15 vanilla cream-filled
chocolate sandwich cookies
1 8 oz. container of defrosted RichWhip
1 chocolate pie crust
Crush the cookies in a food processor.
Combine unwhipped RichWhip and
crushed cookies, and pour the mixture into
a pie crust. Freeze.
Optional: Whip another 8 oz. container
of RichWhip, add 3 tablespoons of
kosher chocolate liqueur, such as
Binyamina or Godiva, and refrigerate. Just
before serving, spread chilled whipped
topping on the pie.
You can easily change this recipe by
using different flavors of the cookies, pie
crust, and liqueur.
CORRECTION: The correct email address for FuegoMundo, Atlanta’s new Latinstyle
kosher catering option, is masha@fuegomundo.com. FuegoMundo’s catering is
kosher if prepared in an AKC-approved kosher catering facility and supervised by the
AKC.
Kosher Korner
From page 33
tification.)
Silver polish
Steel wool—plain (Soap pads require certification.)
ALERTS AND INFORMATION
The 24-pack of Snapple (20-ounce
plastic bottles), made by Snapple Beverage
Corporation, has been incorrectly labeled
OK pareve. The pack contains three flavors:
the fruit punch flavor is not kosher; the
other two flavors, which bear an OK, are
kosher.
Some Jell-O Strawberry
Cheesecake Snacks recently produced by
Kraft Foods were incorrectly labeled with
an OK-D. This product contains gelatin and
should not be used.
An AKC caterer is looking for a
mashgiach. Please contact the Atlanta
Kashruth Commission office, 404-634-
4063, for more information.
Below are clarifications regarding
some local establishments:
• Summer’s Landing (formerly Edenbrook)
is under the supervision of Mr. Fred
Glusman.
• The Cohen Home, which is now owned
and managed by The William Breman
Jewish Home, is not a kosher facility.
• While Fuego Mundo and Goldberg’s
Bagel Company and Deli are both nonkosher
restaurants and non-kosher caterers,
there are some synagogues under AKC or
Chabad that will allow a non-kosher caterer
on approval to cater in their facilities under
supervision. This does not mean that the
caterer is a kosher caterer.
• Yogli Mogli stores have some kosher
products in their facilities, but the stores are
not kosher approved, and they have nonkosher
items.

Page 38 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
MJCCA NEWS
40+ authors, two epic weeks
The 19th annual Book Festival of the
MJCCA is November 6-20. A highlight of
Atlanta’s literary calendar, the festival
presents dozens of the year’s best authors
in a variety of forums. Festivalgoers will
enjoy engaging speaker programs, author
meet-and-greets, book signings, panel discussions,
the PJ Library Storytelling
Festival, the annual Esther G. Levine
Community Read, the Stern Lecture, and
more.
This year’s lineup features Pulitzer
Prize-winners,bestselling
authors, rising
literary
voices, television
and
film stars,
humorists,
journalists,
historians,
novelists,
scholars, and
more.
Pat Conroy
(Photo: Steve Leimberg)
T h e
four keynote
speakers are
beloved American storyteller Pat Conroy
(My Reading Life), music legend Neil
NEW PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM
COORDINATOR BRINGS NEW PRO-
GRAMMING. Kim Sucan is the new preschool
curriculum coordinator for the
Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta (MJCCA). Sucan’s expertise lies in
curriculum development, emergent curriculum,
and differentiated instruction.
One of Sucan’s priorities, Baby Sign
Language, is a program that childcare professionals
and parents have started using to
communicate with preverbal, hearing
infants. While infants and toddlers have a
desire to communicate their needs and wishes,
they lack the ability to do so clearly
because the production of speech lags
behind cognitive ability in the first months
and years of life. However, since hand–eye
coordination develops sooner than acquisition
of verbal skills, infants can learn simple
signs for common words.
The MJCCA has recently incorporated
Baby Sign Language into its preschool curriculum
for the infants and ones classes.
Sign2me presenter Polly Raike came to the
MJCCA to train teachers. According to her,
the three signs that are the best to introduce
first are eat, more, and milk; other signs that
can be introduced later include gentle, sleep,
hug, play, I’m cold, or something hurts.
“In our sign language training, Polly
taught our educators that they can introduce
Sedaka (Waking Up Is Hard to Do), bestselling
cookbook author—and wife of
comedian Jerry Seinfeld—Jessica Seinfeld
(Double Delicious), and author and televi-
Kim Sucan
sign language at 6-7 months and continue
using it until the baby begins talking,” says
Sucan. “There are countless benefits to
introducing Baby Sign Language to a preschool
program. Signing in a childcare setting
allows caregivers to model effective
communication, encourage conflict resolution,
and help children to communicate with
each other. Furthermore, in signing classrooms,
teachers report there are fewer
instances of biting, hitting, and screaming,
because children are less frustrated.”
Originally from New Orleans, Sucan
has been in Atlanta for 22 years. She
received both her undergraduate and graduate
degrees in early childhood education
from Emory. She brings to the MJCCA
extensive experience in the education field,
as well as knowledge of curriculum devel-
sion personality Adam Richman (America
the Edible). Other notable authors include
New York Times bestselling authors Yann
Martel (Beatrice and Virgil); Sara Gruen
(Ape House); Rita Cosby (Quiet Hero:
Secrets from My Father’s Past), and
Wendy Mogel, Ph.D. (The Blessing of a B
Minus).
In addition, local book clubs are invited
to become Book Festival Insiders and
enjoy discounts on selected titles from
Barnes & Noble, receive complimentary
2010 Authors (as of press date):
Kai Bird, Crossing Mandelbaum Gate:
Coming of Age Between the Arabs and
Israelis, 1956–1978
Thanassis Cambanis, A Privilege to Die:
Inside Hezbollah’s Legions and Their
Endless War Against Israel
Elizabeth Cohen, The Empowered Patient
Dave Cohen, Matzoh Balls and Baseballs
Rita Cosby, Quiet Hero: Secrets from My
Father’s Past
Pat Conroy, My Reading Life
Robert Coram, Brute: The Life of Victor
Krulak, U.S. Marine
Mordechai Dzikansky, Terrorist Cop: The
NYPD Jewish Cop Who Traveled the World
to Stop Terrorism
Sue Fishkoff, Kosher Nation: Why More
and More of America’s Food Answers to a
Higher Authority
Martin Fletcher, Walking Israel: A
Personal Search for the Soul of a Nation
Nancy Garfinkel and Andrea Israel, The
Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and
Friendship
Todd Gitlin, The Chosen Peoples: America,
Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election
Nehemia Gordon & Keith Johnson, A
Prayer to Our Father: Hebrew Origins of
the Lord’s Prayer
Sara Gruen, Ape House*
Sam Hoffman, Old Jews Telling Jokes:
5000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-
Kosher Laughs
Jessica Jiji, Sweet Dates in Basra*
Marice Katz, Little Slices of My Life
David Kessler, The End of Overeating
Nicole Krauss, Great House*
Gregory Levey, How to Make Peace in the
Middle East in 6 Months or Less Without
Leaving Your Apartment
Laurie Ann Levin, God, The Universe and
Where I Fit In
Gal Luft & Anne Korin, Turning Oil Into
Salt
Yann Martel, Beatrice and Virgil*
Wendy Mogel, Blessing of a B Minus
opment, business development, and how to
provide top quality customer service. Prior
to accepting the position of curriculum coordinator,
Sucan was employed for 13 years in
DeKalb County as a Kindergarten lead
teacher and a supervisor of student teachers.
Additional new and enhanced MJCCA
Preschool programs include:
• Infants and babies (6 weeks-12 months):
sensory art, music, storytelling, curiosity &
exploration, and introduction to Judaics.
• 1-2 years: dramatic arts, intro to preschool
garden, creative movement, language development,
numbers play, health & wellness,
Judaics, and values/ethics-based programs.
• 3-4 years: Zoo-phonics, Handwriting
Without Tears, theatre, indoor swim, science,
computer play, An Ethical Start, preschool
garden, physical education, Judaic
studies, and Ready, Set, Go…to
Kindergarten!
• New in Fall 2010: new art room, preschool
library, and parent education center.
MJCCA Preschools enjoy accreditation
by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC),
which is awarded to less than 5% of all
preschools in Georgia; offer flexible options,
including full- and half-day programs and 2-
, 3-, and 5-day programs; and are staffed by
nurturing, highly trained teachers. For additional
information, call 678-812-3800, or
tickets to selected events (certain restrictions
apply), and have their books autographed
at the author event.
The majority of the Book Festival
events will be held at the MJCCA-Zaban
Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.
Many programs are free.
For information, complete Book
Festival schedule, complete author list, and
tickets (on sale in mid-September), visit
atlantajcc.org/bookfestival, or contact
Bonnie Brodsky at 678-812-3984 or bookfestival@atlantajcc.org.
Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, My Little Red
Book*
Naomi Ragen, The Tenth Song*
Adam Richman, America the Edible
Rebecca Rosen, Spirited
Cathleen Schine, The Three Weissmanns of
Westport
David Schmahmann, Empire Settings*
Neil Sedaka, Waking Up is Hard to Do
Jessica Seinfeld, Double Delicious: Good,
Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives
Judith Shulevitz, The Sabbath World:
Glimpses of a Different Order of Time*
Joseph Skibell, A Curable Romantic
Justin Spizman, Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever
Give Up
Jeff Stepakoff, Fireworks Over Toccoa
Yale Strom, Dave Tarras: The King of
Klezmer
Joseph Telushkin, Hillel: If Not Now,
When?
Judith Viorst, Unexpectedly Eighty: And
Other Adaptations
* Denotes Book Club picks
visit www.atlantajcc.org.
CEO RESIGNS, INTERIM CEO
APPOINTED. Michael D. Wise has
resigned as CEO of the MJCCA, effective
August 31. Wise began his tenure as CEO in
April 2007, at a time when the MJCCA was
experiencing financial difficulties. He has
been instrumental in working with the
MJCCA Governance and Advisory Boards
and their officers to move the agency toward
financial stability.
During Wise’s tenure as CEO, the
MJCCA experienced significant growth in
many areas. A new strategic plan is in place,
summer camps and preschools are thriving,
and membership is growing. The MJCCA
has dedicated the Abe Besser Holocaust
Memorial Garden and the Barbara and Ed
Mendel Splash Park, as well as a state-ofthe-art
gymnastics facility. This past May,
the MJCCA hosted the JCCs of North
America Biennial Convention.
During the national search for the next
CEO, Howard Hyman, past MJCCA president
and current vice chair of the
Governance Board, will serve as interim
CEO. Hyman will work with the current
senior executive management team to
ensure a smooth transition and continued
growth and success.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 39
JF&CS NEWS
THE GIVING GARDEN. Thanks to an
enthusiastic collection of volunteers and
staff, Jewish Family & Career Services
(JF&CS) is launching the JF&CS Giving
Garden. After consults from Farmer D
(Daron Joffe), a garden site was identified
and vegetables selected for the first plantings;
initial garden prep and planting took
place in August. The fruits—or vegetables—of
these labors will be given to
JF&CS clients in need.
JF&CS is looking for volunteers and
tools to help make the garden grow.
Upcoming opportunities include fence
The JF&CS Giving Garden
building on October 3 and creating scarecrows
on October 17. RSVP to volunteer@jfcs-atlanta.org.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM LEGACY
HOME CARE. What happens when your
elderly mother, who lives out of state, calls
to say she fell and is in excruciating pain?
Or your father, who lives in Atlanta, is being
released from rehab and needs additional
care at home? Or maybe your brother calls,
because he needs help caring for your parents.
A few weeks ago, “Peggy” got a phone
call from her mother in Atlanta, who had
fallen out of bed and hurt her arm. A neighbor
had taken her to the doctor. Nothing was
broken, but Peggy’s mother was afraid to be
left alone. Peggy, who lives in Delaware,
called Legacy Home Care, a program of
JF&CS’ Aviv Older Adults Services-Tools
for Aging division. A Legacy caregiver was
able to stay with her mother and help while
she recovered from her fall.
“It isn’t easy for an older adult who
wants to be on her own to accept help from
a caregiver,” said Peggy, who was relieved
to know her mom was taken care of when
she could not be here. “Anyone who has
been through this can understand the feel-
ing.”
Legacy Home Care, which hears about
situations like these every day, understands
how important it is for an older adult to
retain a sense of independence and how difficult
it is to accept outside help. It takes
time for everyone to make the transition—
not just the older adult, but spouses and
children as well.
Cathy Strmac, Legacy Home Care
program manager, with Bertha Kritz,
Legacy Home Care client
When adults visit their parents, they
may notice some red flags—things that are
not quite right. This often happens during
holiday visits. It’s important to take notice
of these, because they can be warning signs
of a situation that needs to be addressed.
Here are just a few examples:
* Their home was always neat and clean,
and now it’s full of clutter and unwashed
dishes.
* Their clothes are dirty, and they have
worn the same outfit for three days.
* There is outdated and spoiled food in the
refrigerator.
* Their pill bottles are empty—or are full,
but have old dates on them.
* Their bills are past due.
* There is confusion or a constant repetition
of stories that wasn’t there before.
In such a situation, Legacy Home Care
can help. Whatever the need, Legacy offers
a continuum of non-medical homecare,
including personal care, homemaker services,
companion services, and transportation.
In addition, Legacy is part of a full-service
agency that offers geriatric case management,
counseling in the home, and other
supportive programs for caregivers. Legacy
strives to support the independence and dignity
of its clients in every way. For more
information, contact Legacy Home Care at
770-677-9497 or legacy@jfcs-atlanta.org.

Page 40 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
By Belle Klavonsky
OFF TO A GREAT START. In the first few
weeks of school, Weber students have
reunited with old friends, made new
friends, and become acclimated to their
classes. Students attended their first
Hakhel—an all-school gathering unique to
Weber—and began Tefillah (prayer)
groups, with a variety of options available,
including both liturgical and theme-based
services. Pictured: 9th-grader Josh Cohen
and 10th-grader Michael Whitesides
LIFELONG LEARNERS. Weber teachers
are dedicated to creating successful classrooms
and making learning relevant to students.
This summer, many faculty members
participated in programs that furthered their
abilities and interests. Dean of Student Life
and the Arts Noah Hartman completed a
16-month fellowship for Jewish day school
administrators, sponsored by Jewish
Theological Seminary and the Avi Chai
Foundation. Social studies teacher Mitch
White attended a two-week residential program
offered through the Klingenstein
Institute at Columbia Teacher’s College for
early career independent school teachers.
English teacher Sam Bradford attended a
three-day workshop hosted by the
Westminster Schools Center for Teaching.
PEER LEADERSHIP. Peer Leadership at
Weber is an orientation and transition program
that welcomes new students and
makes them feel comfortable throughout
their first year. Acting upon the belief that
students can help other students succeed,
Weber’s peer leaders are motivators, leaders,
and mentors who guide new students
and help them discover what it takes to be
successful at Weber. Pictured: 10th-grader
Eran Barel (left) and 12th-grader Ben
Grinzaid
REDEEMING CAPTIVES. Gilad Shalit
has been held for more than four years by
Hamas, who demand the release of 1,000
Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in
exchange for his release. Greenfield
Hebrew Academy Middle School students
learned about the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim
(redeeming captives); they helped
fulfill this mitzvah by writing Rosh
Hashanah messages to Gilad as part of a
worldwide campaign to force the UN and
the International Committee of the Red
Cross to deliver Rosh Hashanah and birthday
cards to Gilad and pressure them to
work hard for his freedom. Pictured: Tova
Asher and Miriam Goodfriend
INQUIRING MINDS. GHA 7th-grade science
students spent their first week of
school establishing their roles as scientific
investigators by practicing methods of scientific
inquiry. Students rotated through
stations, following a specified procedure
and observing small phenomena. At each
station, students were asked to describe
their observations and provide inferences.
This lab laid the foundation for their science
course, one in which inquiry-based
activities are used as a vehicle for learning.
Pictured: Brett Feldman, Seth Kessel, and
Jacob Euster
EXPLORING LIGHT. GHA’s Infant and
Toddler Village has a new light table. As
part of a program inspired by the Reggio
educational philosophy, children are
engaged in the discovery and exploration of
light and shadows. Teachers invite children
to experiment with colored transparent
manipulates, and the children can be heard
exclaiming, “All mine are red!” “Mine are
yellow!” Pictured: Heather Grant, Noa
Levin, and Rory Lipson
THE SHOFAR FACTORY VISITS GHA.
Chabad’s Shofar Factory visited GHA’s 1st
graders (pictured) to teach them how a shofar
is made and why we blow the shofar at
Rosh Hashanah. Students also learned
which animals are kosher to use for making
a shofar. Students watched shofars being
drilled, and then each one received a shofar
to sand and shellac and finally blow.
GHA FACULTY RAP. One of GHA’s new
teachers this year is Ori Salzberg, who is
heading up the Lower School Music program.
He is famous for his Bible Raps.
During the first faculty meeting of the year,
he worked with the faculty (pictured) to
produce a rap using the school’s mission
statement. This fun and productive teambuilding
activity brought out the closet rappers
on GHA’s staff. The video, “GHA
Neighborhood,” is available on Youtube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_oxKWCF
U0A.
GHA ON FACEBOOK. GHA’s Early
Childhood Department has a new Facebook
page (pictured), where educators dialogue
with the school’s parents and grandparents,
sharing and commenting on photographs,
links, curricular updates, and invitations to
school events. Early Childhood Director
Anna Hartman says that Facebook is a useful
tool, because it mirrors the school’s values
of collaboration, dialogue, relationships,
and an interactive home-school partnership.
FOCUSING ON BRIGHT KIDS. Kicking
off a year of professional development for
Davis Academy faculty that will focus on
better serving bright and gifted children,
psychologist Judy Wolman (pictured)
spoke to Davis Academy teachers during a
busy week before school began.
SNEAK A PEAK. Joshua Forman and his
mom, Jodi Forman, (pictured) got a preview
of Joshua’s 1st-grade classroom during
Sneak A Peek morning at The Davis
Academy on August 13, the Friday before
school began.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 41
NOT SHY. Students in Ms. Kendrick’s 6thgrade
theater class at The Davis Academy
clown around on the first day of the 2010-
11 school year. Pictured: (from left) Emily
Kurzweil, Rachel Fisher, Jodi Gottlieb,
Willie Lieberman, and Olivia Wolf
A WARM WELCOME BACK. Davis
Academy Associate Head of School Amy
Shafron greets new Kindergarten student
Ryan Hoppenfeld on the first morning of
school, August 16. Ryan and his twin sister,
Alexa, are 2nd-year Davis students, having
“graduated” from the school’s Mechina:
Kindergarten Prep class last year.
SHABBAT ROCK. Jewish musician Rick
Recht capped off The Davis Academy’s
first week of school on a high note. Recht
spent the entire day at Davis on August 20,
where (shown here) he brought energy and
inspiration to the school’s first Lower
School Kabbalat Shabbat service of the
year. Later, Recht sang and jammed with
Davis Middle School students, concluding
the day with a rousing Middle School
Kabbalat Shabbat.
A TASTY LAB. Davis Academy 8thgraders
Alex Moncayo and Carly Edlin
(pictured) get busy on their first science lab
of the year—making ice cream. According
to Middle School science teacher Barry
Asher, this tasty lab was designed to get
students familiar with good lab techniques.
It was a delicious end to the first week of
school.
EDUCATIONAL ODYSSEYS. Epstein
Middle School Odysseys are intense
enrichment mini-classes developed with
student input. The Dissection Odyssey
piqued the interest of Ilana Ander (pictured),
daughter of Doctors Douglas S.
Ander and Jessica C. Arluck. Ilana is interested
in neuroscience, but chose the
Dissection Odyssey to better understand
her parents’ work and expand her knowledge
of living creatures. Some examples of
Odyssey courses being offered this year are
Music and Technology, Robotics, Stock
Market Simulation, Whose Line Epstein
(improv), Epstein Live, Jewelry Making,
Survival Skills, Documentary Film
Making, and Home Economics.
LEARNING TO LEAD. Nili Leadership
Epstein, a one-year program created to
ensure a continuous pool of future leaders,
has started its fifth year. Invited participants
learn about Epstein’s mission, strategic
plan, and the school’s workings, including
budgeting and effective communication.
Nili Leadership Epstein 2010-11 is cochaired
by Mindy Binderman and Sam
Dressler. Last year’s participants are: (top,
from left) Jennifer Tourial, Kevin Van de
Grift, Arlene Tauber, Dan Berger, Michael
Kornheiser, Nicole Zitron, Darrin
Friedrich, Sam Dressler, and Amy Fox;
(bottom, from left) Anat Granath, Cindy
Burstiner, Elisa Prager, Devorah Shaw, and
Susan Lalli. Not pictured: Matt Bronfman
WE ARE EPSTEIN. As a young couple,
the Zusmans—Ula, originally from South
Africa, and Michael, from Australia—settled
in the Savannah area to oversee their
family furniture business, Kwalu. In 2006,
they decided to relocate in order to find the
best school for their growing family. After
touring Solomon Schechter schools in five
cities, they knew immediately that The
Epstein School was their school of choice.
Not only did they move their family and
company headquarters, but the company’s
founders, Merle and David Horwitz, Ula’s
parents, and her brother’s family followed.
Pictured: Ziv, Michael, Noa, Ula, and Liv
Zusman
ANNUAL FUND. Each year at the Epstein
School, parents, teachers, grandparents,
and friends impact the lives of students by
contributing to the Annual Fund. This year,
the Annual Fund is co-chaired by Bryan
Lewis and Kevin Van de Grift (pictured).
The fund enables the school to enhance
facilities, purchase cutting-edge technologies
such as ActivBoards and netbooks, and
provide professional development for
teachers. Every dollar makes a difference.
To make a gift to The Epstein School, contact
Shira Hudson, director of Annual
Giving, at 404-250-5649, or donate at
www.espteinatlanta.org.
WELCOME BACK. The Epstein School
welcomed new and returning students to
another year of fun and learning. This year,
the school has launched the “We Are
Epstein” campaign, which will highlight
personal Epstein stories and all the amazing
things going on at school. Epstein students,
family, and alumni who are interested in
sharing their personal, touching, exciting,
or funny “Epstein stories” with the community
are encouraged to contact Director of
Communications & Marketing Coleen Lou
at clou@epsteinatlanta.org. Pictured:
Epstein mom and PTO Co-President
Rochelle Capes with her children, Aidan
Capes (left) and Chloe Capes (right)
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Page 42 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010
JELF awards education loans
The Jewish Educational Loan Fund
(JELF) has awarded more than $478,800 in
interest-free loans to 123 Jewish students
throughout the Southeast for the 2010-11
academic year. Students and families in the
greater Atlanta area received $130,000 in
JELF loans.
While JELF currently administers just
over $3 million in outstanding loans, it has
maintained its impressive 98 percent repayment
rate. As students repay their loans,
JELF uses those payments to make new
loans, creating a circle of tzedakah.
Applications for the 2011-12 academic year
will be available at www.jelf.org in
February 2011.
JELF, a non-profit organization based
in Atlanta, grants interest-free loans to
Jewish students from communities in
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina, and Virginia for post-secondary
study at accredited institutions. JELF loans
are “last dollar,” meaning they supply the
final funds that a student needs to attend
school. These loans can be used for study at
a college or university, graduate school, or
professional/vocational school that leads to
a degree or certificate.
Before JELF loans are awarded, students
must demonstrate that they have
sought funding through other sources,
including loans, scholarships, and grants,
and have come up short in meeting their
needs. Students also must maintain a minimum
grade-point average to continue to
receive loan proceeds.
For additional information, contact
JELF Executive Director Lara Dorfman at
770-396-3080, or visit www.jelf.org.

September-October 2010 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 43

Page 44 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN September-October 2010