JGA July-August 09 - The Jewish Georgian

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Page 14 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN July-August 2009 MJCCA NEWS continued from page 7 AUTHOR, AUTHOR. A page from the Book Festival of the MJCCA, a series of year-round author events, recently welcomed Larry King and Gene Wilder to the Zaban Park campus. On May 31, CNN talk show legend Larry King discussed and signed his latest memoir, My Remarkable Journey. For a half-century, the world’s most influential figures have been telling King their stories. In My Remarkable Journey, King shares his story, from his humble roots in Depression-era Brooklyn to the heights of celebrity as host of “CNN’s Larry King Live.” King writes candidly about the many luminaries he has interviewed in the fifty years since his first broadcast. Among them are Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama; political and cultural leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malcolm X, and the Dalai Lama; entertainers Frank Sinatra, Oprah Winfrey, Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul McCartney, Jane Fonda, Bono, and Madonna; and noted athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Pete Rose. Larry King, pictured with his wife, Shawn, signs copies of his new book, My Remarkable Journey. (Photo: Chris Savas Photography) ——— On June 28, actor, screenwriter, comedic genius, and author Gene Wilder discussed and signed copies of his second novel, The Woman Who Wouldn’t. Wilder’s novel has been praised as “poignant and whimsically romantic,” by Publisher’s Weekly. According to The Boston Globe, “The story exudes the same sweetness that characterizes his screen persona.” Gene Wilder won the hearts of a standing-room-only audience (Photo: Chris Savas Photography) From page 1 Celebrating the 2009 Harris Jacobs Dream Run To the Community: “Runners to your mark, get set, go!!” Those are the words my family and I love to hear.... The 16th annual Harris Jacobs Dream Run was a huge success, thanks to the efforts of the fabulous HJDR committee, volunteers, the wonderful MJCCA staff, and the many participants who ran and walked this fun race. Harris would be thrilled with this exciting yearly event in his memory...I’m excited as we have another extremely hard working and helpful member of the HJDR committee...the weather man! We truly appreciate all your efforts, and we look forward to seeing you again next year on the first Sunday in June. Most sincerely, Kitty Jacobs and Family Sophie Hirsh Srochi hosts fun and thought-provoking field trips, play groups, and birthday parties throughout the year. For information about field trip packages, contact discoverymuseum@atlantajcc.org. The Sophie Hirsh Srochi Jewish Discovery Museum is located at the MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Hours are Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Friday, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. For additional information, contact Kitty Jacobs pictured with her two daughters, Faye Kent (left) and Marsha Freudenberg (right) under a portrait of Harris Jacobs following this year’s successful Harris Jacobs Dream Run, Sunday, June 7. (Photo: Victor Rachael Photography) Sophie Knapp (Photo: Cyndi Sterne) Cyndi Sterne at 678-812-4171 or cyndi.sterne@atlantajcc.org, or visit www.atlantajcc.org.
July-August 2009 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 15 Jewish Denial, Jewish Recovery W hen you get together with your friends, we bet the biggest topic of conversation is the economy. Everywhere we go people are talking about friends and family whose lives have been tragically impacted by job loss. The current jobless rate (as of May) in Georgia is 9.2%. Why wouldn’t we want to talk about it? In any room, almost 1 in 10 people are out of work. We all talk about who’s out of work, and how we can help them. ALCOHOL & DRUG ABUSE IMPACTS AS MANY JEWS AS JOBLESSNESS Does the topic of alcohol or drug abuse come up in the same conversation? We bet not often. Did you know the incidence of alcoholism and substance abuse is as pervasive as unemployment? Ten percent of U.S. adults have alcohol and substance-abuse problems. The general assumption about substance abuse among Jews is, “Not in my house!” We assume our ethical values, Jewish mores and religious beliefs prevent substance abuse from impacting us. Not true! The reality is that alcohol and drug abuse knows no demographic, racial or religious bounds. Studies of drug abuse and alcoholism within the Jewish community show that substance abuse in the Jewish BY Mark & Weinstein Jeff Diamond community is 12% in New York and an estimated 10% in the Seattle. It’s here, too. In any room of Jews, 1 in 10 is suffering from substance abuse in Atlanta’s Jewish community. Yet, our Jewish brethren rarely speak openly about helping our friends, colleagues, and family nearly as easily or often as joblessness. A common cliché is that alcoholism is “a disease of denial.” The Atlanta Jewish community is denying this problem. We’ve got our head in the sand! It’s a problem we firmly feel needs to be addressed as openly as possible. Imagine, if we come to terms with the problem, speak openly about it, and come together as a community, we could help close to 10,000 Jews suffering from alcohol and substance abuse right here in Fulton County! FAITH-BASED RECOVERY Recently, there has developed a radical new way of helping Jews work through their substance-abuse problems that has proven dramatically effective — “Faithbased recovery houses,” such as the Jewish Recovery Houses (JRH) in Baltimore. A recovery house is a home for people in the early stages of recovery from addiction. Unlike halfway houses, which are “selfgoverned” by their residents, recovery houses are managed independently by a set of working rules and parameters that are developed by professional therapists and recovery counselors. House of Hope, a Jewish Recovery House in Baltimore The focus at JRH is to help people learn how to foster a normal, productive life - learning basic life skills that many of us take for granted, like holding down a job, managing household chores, lighting shabbos candles, and how to interact with the world around them. “Before I came here, I really didn’t know how to live on my own,” said Rachel, a current JRH “graduating” resident moving into her own house. “The focus on avoiding idle time, simplified my life. Now, I have a car, insurance, and a bank account. JRH taught me how to take responsibility and be accountable for managing my life.” The rigorous expectations of residents at JRH include documented attendance to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Residents must get a job or attend school. They have to pay rent and they have to adhere to house rules pertaining to random testing, visitation, chores and curfews. What is unique, since uniqueness can’t be measured in degrees at JRH, is that the “residents” are all Jewish. Addiction is a disease of isolation. So, any method of helping people with addiction connect with other addicts is critical to the success of recovery. JRH accepts this premise, and its residents’ similarities are based on their Jewish backgrounds, upbringing, belief systems and sensibilities. So, they are more able to offer and accept support to and from each other. Brett Goldenberg, a JRH chemical- See DENIAL, page 16
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