Happy Chanukah - The Jewish Georgian

Happy Chanukah 

Jewish 

THE 

Georgian 

What’s Inside 

Volume 24, Number 1 Atlanta, Georgia NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2011 FREE 

Evening prayer in the ancient, 

holy city of Safed, Israel, where 

the spiritual meets the physical 

At the Top of the J 

Gail Luxenberg is the new 

executive director and chief 

executive officer of the 

Marcus Jewish Community 

Center of Atlanta. 

Page 22 

Gene Screen 

Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen 

makes screening for 19 inherited 

diseases accessible and 

affordable. 

Page 39 

New Distinguished 

Professorship 

Atlantans Babette and Jay 

Tanenbaum have established 

an endowed professorship in 

Jewish studies at the 

University of North Carolina 

at Chapel Hill. 

Page 18 

Service of 

Remembrance 

The annual Yom HaShoah 

observation at Greenwood 

Cemetery, one of the largest in 

the country, takes months of 

meticulous planning. 

By Ron Feiberg 

Page 9 

Defying Stereotypes 

An African-American basketball 

player with dual Israeli- 

U.S. citizenship, LaVon 

Mercer knows firsthand that 

people can’t be pigeonholed. 

By Ashley Rosenberg 

Page 44 

Jonathan Paz 

Thinking about 

Frieda 

She was talented and she was 

beautiful, but Frieda Socol will 

best be remembered for the 

way she brought people 

together. 

By Leon Socol 

Page 17

Page 2 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN November-December 2011 

On being human 

You and I belong to a species known as 

Homo sapiens, and, as such, we are 

described as human beings. This provides a 

descriptive, biological classification for us, 

which is useful for scientific purposes and 

delineates certain physical attributes. It is 

useful in defining what we are, but it does 

not address who we are. 

Abraham Joshua Heschel, in Who is 

man?, said, “Human being demands being 

human.” That deals with who we are. The 

problem we have is fulfilling that demand 

to be human. 

We seek knowledge but not understanding. 

We go to school to learn lessons 

rather than studying for the purpose of 

broadening our comprehension and perception. 

We focus on multiplying our possessions 

rather than developing our values. Is 

this what is demanded to be human? 

One of the characteristics of man is a 

heightened state of empathy, an ability to 

understand the feelings of others. In a normal 

person, this is a trait with which we are 

born. But as with all such matters, it must 

be cultivated, developed, and supported by 

the society in which we live. We must not 

let the desire for power, wealth, social 

THE 

Jewish Georgian 

The Jewish Georgian is published bimonthly by Eisenbot, Ltd. It is 

written for Atlantans and Georgians by Atlantans and Georgians. 

Publisher Marvin Botnick 

Co-Publisher Sam Appel 

Editor Marvin Botnick 

Managing Editor Marsha C. LaBeaume 

Assignment Editor Carolyn Gold 

Consulting Editor Gene Asher 

Associate Editor Barbara Schreiber 

Copy Editor Ray Tapley 

Assistant Copy Editor Arnold Friedman 

Makeup Editor Terri Christian 

Production Coordinator Terri Christian 

Designer David Gaudio 

Photographic Staff Allan Scher, Phil Slotin, Phil Shapiro, 

Jonathan Paz 

Graphic Art Consultant Karen Paz 

Columnist Gene Asher, Susan Asher 

Jonathan Barach, 

Janice Rothschild Blumberg, 

Marvin Botnick, 

Shirley Friedman, Carolyn Gold, 

Jonathan Goldstein, R.M. Grossblatt, 

George Jordan, Marice Katz, Balfoura, 

Friend Levine, Marsha Liebowitz, 

Howard Margol, Bubba Meisa, 

Erin O’Shinsky, Reg Regenstein, 

Susan Robinson, Stuart Rockoff, 

Roberta Scher, Jerry Schwartz, Leon Socol, 

Bill Sonenshine, Rabbi Reuven Stein, 

Cecile Waronker, Evie Wolfe 

Special Assignments Lyons Joel 

Advertising Anne Bender 

Ruby Grossblatt 

Rochelle Solomon 

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 ©2011 

BY 

Marvin 

Botnick 

Aprominence, and personal aggrandizement 

overpower and subvert this somewhat 

unique quality. This is not a buzzword, it, 

to a large extent, is what is demanded to be 

human. 

History is replete with the tragic tales 

of suffering and unconscionable atrocities 

visited on a group of people by other 

human beings. Maligning for personal benefit 

and the resulting harm disregards the 

basic human quality, and the classification 

of other people as something less than 

human beings goes against all moral principles. 

As Jews, we know of the tragedy visited 

on our people throughout the centuries 

when being human was stricken for the values 

of the human being characteristics. In 

addition, as humans, we know of the virulent 

inhumanity that has been visited on our 

fellow occupants of this world regardless 

of their ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, 

or color, and we seek to advocate for 

respect for life amongst all people. 

In Judaism, each human life sits atop 

the value pyramid. It is impossible for us to 

understand how other cultures do not 

understand this belief, and how people can 

view others in utilitarian terms as to the 

value that can be derived or lost from their 

existence. 

There is no way to put a commercial 

value on a life. We can understand the concept 

used in professional sports where talent 

is the basis for trading players by the 

teams based on perceived worth, but we do 

not accept this concept when it is applied to 

the freedom, dignity, and human rights of 

individuals. How else can you explain the 

swap by Israel of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli 

soldier who was never charged nor convicted 

of any crime and was ambushed and 

kidnapped by his former captives, for over 

1,000 convicted criminals, some of whom 

are guilty of the murder of innocent civilians? 

It is one thing to sit around and 

bemoan the failings of others and of society 

in general; it is entirely a different story 

to attempt to make a difference by your 

actions. We have been accused of using the 

Holocaust as a vehicle to obtain economic 

and political advantages, when, in fact, we 

have and continue to try to shine forth that 

proverbial “light unto the nations” to fulfill 

our moral and religious obligation to heal 

the world. 

How many people remember the 

Armenian Genocide in the last century, 

when it is estimated that between 

1,000,000 and 1,500,000 Armenians died at 

the hands of the Ottoman Turks; how many 

people remember the Cambodian Genocide 

in the last century, when an estimated 

1,400,000 to 2,200,000 Cambodians were 

massacred by the Khmer Rouge; and how 

many people remember that in 100 days in 

the last century an estimated 1,100,000 

people were massacred by the government 

in Rwanda? 

We rightly recall the 2,819 people who 

lost their lives on September 11, 2001, at 

the World Trade Center destruction, and we 

all were vividly reminded of the tragedy 

last month at the opening of the memorial. 

But it is necessary to actively and constantly 

remind the public of what such hatred 

and callus disregard for the lives of others, 

and how greed and ego-centered beliefs 

can cause such sorrow. This event certainly 

has had a major impact on all of us; however, 

in the catalogue of dastardly historical 

dates, December 7, 1941, probably has the 

dubious distinction of ranking higher on 

that odious scale and its impact and importance 

dims with the passing years. 

Empathy is a key ingredient in being 

human, but without awareness it is not in 

play. “Never Again” is a slogan that is in 

our lexicon, but too often it is used in the 

sense that Israel and the Jews will never 

again be subjected to a Holocaust. While 

this is an element, it also signifies our 

attempt to ensure that human beings remain 

humans; it is the amulet that we have crafted 

for all the people of the world to attempt 

to ward off yetzer hara, the evil inclination. 

Listen to the sound of the shofar. The 

world must hear the clarion call being 

made by the reminder of the lessons of the 

Holocaust. During the last 50 years, over 

5,000,000 people have been slaughtered, 

and yet we do not step up and demand an 

end. People are starving to death; people 

are being murdered because they are different; 

people are still being enslaved. 

“Human being demands being 

human.” 

Cover art: 

The original cover photography was 

created for The Jewish Georgian by 

Jonathan Paz, a native Atlantan, who 

just returned from studying in Israel 

for a year.

November-December 2011 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 3 

What’s 

HAPPENING 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FROM GOVER- 

NOR DEAL. Georgia Governor and Mrs. 

Nathan Deal were thoughtful enough to 

have sent New Year’s greetings to the 

Jewish community; his message is below: 

“To our Jewish friends who begin their celebration 

of Rosh Hashanah, the new year 

5772, at sundown, we offer our greeting: 

May you have a new year that brings 

Fulfillment and happiness, 

Health and prosperity. 

Georgians of all faiths join you in prayers 

for peace.” 

Governor and Mrs. Nathan Deal 

MAZEL TOV TO THE OLIMS. Ann and 

Max Olim are very excited that their son 

Matthew Benjamin is marrying the lovely 

Debra Sara Friedberg, in Philadelphia...and 

you gotta hear the creative way Matthew 

proposed to her, a story we have exclusively. 

Matthew surprised Debbie by cleverly 

arranging a fake conference with her bosses 

at the South Street seaport in New York 

City, where they are both living. As Ann 

tells the story, when Debbie arrived for the 

supposed meeting, she did not see her bosses, 

but there, by “coincidence,” was 

Matthew, who claimed he just happened to 

be there looking at an investment property. 

He invited her to join him and to come look 

at it, and he then led her to a private helicopter 

pad. “But I have an important meeting”, 

she said, to which Matthew replied, 

“No you don’t!” 

They ended up flying over New York 

City, and he proposed over the spot where 

they first met. Afterwards, they came back 

to Matthew’s apartment, where family 

members were waiting for a great celebration. 

Matthew shouldn’t have any trouble 

paying for the honeymoon—he was in the 

finals of the World Series of Poker a couple 

of years ago and won $50,000! Our pokerplaying 

friend Jerry Gordon, Matthew’s 

uncle, should take some lessons from him. 

Debra graduated from the University of 

Michigan with a BBA degree and also 

BY 

Reg 

Regenstein 

earned an MBA from the Columbia 

Business School at Columbia University. 

She is now a product manager for Merck. 

Matthew graduated from the 

University of Texas with a BBA degree and 

a masters of accounting. He is a director at 

MSD Capital, an investment firm in New 

York City. He is the grandson of Edith 

Gordon and the late Charles Gordon of 

Atlanta and the late Sadie and Milton Olim. 

We wish this power couple many years 

of happiness, health, and prosperity together. 

Debra Friedberg and Matthew Olim 

VIVE LA FRANCE....VIVE LA LIBERA- 

TION. You don’t have to travel to France 

for some of the best French crepes anywhere—just 

to Buckhead, where Rose 

Marie and Michel Knopfler prepare delicious 

crepes for their customers at La 

Triskell, 3833 Roswell Road. 

Located in the Tuxedo Atrium building, 

La T offers a variety of delectable dishes, 

many of them gluten free; and if you 

don’t see what you like on the menu, they’ll 

make it for you your way. 

There are the wonderful breakfast and 

lunch crepes: La Servannaise (tarragon 

mushrooms al la crème), La Seguin 

(creamy mountain goat cheese on a bed of 

spinach), La Savoyarde (a medley of goat 

cheese, brie, and Swiss), and La Pacifique 

(smoked salmon, cream cheese, lemon, and 

dill). 

And save some room for the dessert 

crepes: apricot, strawberry, raspberry 

chocolate, caramel, and more, plus wonderful 

salads and sandwiches. 

The modest and unassuming La T is a 

delightful place to have breakfast or lunch. 

Michel is descended from a Jewish family 

in Budapest. He lost half a dozen members 

of his family when the Germans deported 

almost half a million Hungarian Jews to 

Auschwitz in the summer of 1944. 

His French family has a proud and 

interesting history. His mother and father 

worked with the French resistance south of 

Paris during World War II, she, Jacqueline, 

as a courier, and he, Zoltan, organizing 

resistance activity. When his father left their 

home to work out of southern France, the 

Gestapo came calling on Jacqueline, wanting 

to know where her husband was. “Le 

salaud [bastard] abandoned me, leaving me 

with a child,” she lamented, apparently 

allaying the Germans’ suspicion of her. She 

was questioned harshly by the Germans 

several times, which so upset her, she fainted 

after each session. 

One night, returning from a mission 

delivering messages to the resistance, she 

was spotted by some drunken German soldiers, 

who fired upon her, but she fortunately 

got away. 

After the war, Rose Marie and her twin 

sister, Marie France, being not just gorgeous 

but talented as well, performed in the 

legendary Lido show in 25 countries. One 

newspaper review we saw raved about “the 

singing and dancing dolls from Paris who 

enthrall large audiences every night.” 

Now you can meet in person the still 

lovely and youthful Rose Marie, as well as 

Michel, and feast on their delicious fare 

right here in Buckhead. Check out their 

website, www.atlantafooddelivery.net, or 

call 404-814-8208. 

Bon appetit, mes amis! 

Rose Marie and Michel Knopfler 

PUPPY LOVE RESULTS IN WEDDING. 

We have been to weddings where the bride 

was a dog, and the groom had been in the 

doghouse, but this one was the real thing, a 

case of puppy love turning into an enduring 

commitment. The wedding between 

Stedman and Phoenix was a beautiful affair 

on The Terrace, at Loews Hotel Atlanta. It 

was even the subject of a front page 

“Lifestyle” section article in The Atlanta 

Journal-Constitution. 

As writer Gracie Bonds Staples put it, 

“Stedman looked dashing in his black 

Armani inspired tux as he took his 

place...and waited for his bride. Cameras 

flashed as they always do at weddings, and 

the 100 or so guests gushed as Phoenix 

strolled in, looking like royalty in a white 

toile and silver I See Spot gown and veil. 

“‘Oh there’s the bride,’ one of them 

exclaimed.” 

Both Stedman and Phoenix are rescue 

dogs, the animal companions, respectively, 

of Sarah Segal and Blair Berger. 

The mutts met at Sarah’s wonderful 

Atlanta Dog Spa in Midtown and from then 

on were inseparable. 

As the AJC story relates, “from the 

moment he laid eyes on her that spring 

night at his owner’s Atlanta Dog Spa, 

Stedman changed. Wherever Phoenix was, 

that’s where he was happiest. Segal and 

Berger began arranging play dates at their 

homes, in the park, wherever possible. 

Their love blossomed like flowers in 

spring.” 

Instead of a gift, they suggested that 

guests make a donation to Animal 

Defenders International (adinternational.org/adi_usa/), 

which rescues 

suffering circus animals across the globe. 

And every Halloween, Sarah hosts a 

Howl-O-Ween Spectacular at the spa, featuring 

great people, food, and drinks, and a 

costume contest put on by the guests and 

their dogs, with a professional photographer 

on hand to take portraits of the participants. 

What a spa! 

If you wanna treat your best friend to a 

day of fun and pleasure, as well as the possibility 

of meeting that Very Special 

Canine, you can reach the Atlanta Dog Spa 

at 404-879-1600, or visit www.atlantadogspa.com. 

Newlyweds Stedman and Phoenix 

SEYMOUR LAVINE RECEIVES PUR- 

PLE HEART AT 99. Happy 99th birthday to 

our friend, war hero Seymour Lavine, who 

is gearing up for his 

100th on Pearl 

Harbor Day, 

December 7, 2012. 

And just in time 

for his 99th, Seymour 

received his Purple 

Heart medal, almost 

70 years late, which 

will go well with his 

War hero 

Seymour Lavine 

turns 99 

Bronze Star, which 

he received earlier 

this year for his heroic 

actions in the jungles 

of the 

Philippines, fighting the Japanese, in World 

War II. 

JNF: WORKING TO PROTECT ISRAEL. 

One of the nice things about writing this 

column is that beautiful women who would 

not normally give us the time of day will 

actually talk to us if we will write about the 

project they are working on. 

See HAPPENING, page 4


Happening 

From page 3 

We had lunch 

the other day at 

Buckhead Diner with 

two of Atlanta’s 

loveliest, smartest, 

and most charming 

ladies, Jewish 

National Fund (JNF) 

Southeast Board 

Member Honey 

Workman and JNF 

Beth Gluck Southern Zone 

Director Beth Gluck. 

They told us all about the invaluable work 

the JNF is doing in preventing and dealing 

with water shortages, planting and preserving 

forests, helping farmers and communities, 

and protecting wilderness and wildlife. 

JNF may be up against its biggest challenge 

ever. 

For the last few years, Israel has been 

experiencing a severe drought that could 

eventually threaten its existence as we 

know it. 

In addition to its conservation, educational, 

and research initiatives, JNF has 

planted over 240 million trees, to conserve 

water, provide wildlife habitat, protect natural 

ecosystems, and beautify the land. 

JNF is proud that it has also “built over 

1,000 parks and recreational areas; educated 

students around the world about Israel; 

discovered new means of growing plants 

under arid conditions, bringing green to the 

desert; and built over 205 reservoirs and 

water recycling centers, increasing Israel’s 

water supply by 12 percent.” 

Here in Atlanta, JNF has recently 

named Native Atlantan Noah Pawliger as 

its Southeast Regional Campaign executive. 

A graduate of Woodward Academy 

and Georgia State University, he is a Camp 

Barney Medintz “lifer” and has led 14 

Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. Noah has 

extensive experience in working with nonprofit 

groups, most recently with New 

York’s iVolunteer, a visitation program that 

provides Holocaust survivors with companionship 

and assistance. 

For more info on the fine work being 

done by JNF, how you can get involved, 

and what you can do to help, visit 

www.jnf.org. 

ANOTHER HONOR FOR JAY STARK- 

MAN. As we go to press, we have just 

learned that Atlanta 

CPA Jay Starkman 

has been honored 

with yet another prestigious 

award. We 

have been writing 

about Jay for years, 

but it’s hard to keep 

up with all his accomplishments. 

Jay Starkman 

Now, he is the 

recipient of the 

American Institute of 

Certified Public Accountants’ 2011 Arthur 

J. Dixon Memorial Award, the highest 

award given by the accounting profession 

in the area of taxation. 

The author of a highly acclaimed and 

fascinating book on the history of taxes, 

The Sex of a Hippopotamus, Jay was also 

one of just two Atlantans named among the 

country’s top 50 people to represent you 

before the IRS. 

If you call the IRS about interest calculations 

for their tax assessments, they will 

direct you to Jay’s IRS Tax Interest 

Calculator at www.starkman.com. It’s the 

only free IRS tax Interest calculator available, 

and Jay is the only CPA who writes his 

own annual 1040 tax preparation program. 

Though he is too modest to admit it, 

Jay is one of the most brilliant people we 

have ever met and is very knowledgeable 

about Jewish law. He and his lovely wife, 

Leah, live in Toco Hill and attend Young 

Israel and Congregation Beth Jacob. 

PROFESSOR OF COMEDY JOSH HAR- 

RIS. Comedian Josh 

Harris has become so 

successful at doing 

stand-up, he is now 

giving comedy classes 

to aspiring and upand-coming 

comics. 

The veteran of 

TV One’s “Bill 

Bellamy’s Who’s Got 

Comic Josh Harris Jokes,” NBC’s “Stand 

Up for Diversity,” and Atlanta’s Funniest 

Person Competition offers an eight-week 

course of study, after which his students hit 

the stage to do the real thing. 

His first graduating class recently performed 

at Jerry Farber’s nightclub. Jerry 

said, “If comedy classes were football 

teams, Josh’s graduates would have been 

Super Bowl champions. In my 50 years of 

stand-up comedy and 30 years of seeing 

comedy class graduations, Josh’s comedy 

class was by far the funniest!” 

To sign up for Josh’s comedy classes, 

contact yourACT Studios at 404-499-4996. 

Or visit youract.net, click on the Adults tab, 

and go to Workshops & Intensives. 

Josh may have inherited some of his 

talent for performing from his journalist 

dad, TV correspondent and investigative 

reporter Art Harris, a veteran of CNN, 

“Nancy Grace,” “Inside Edition,” The 

Washington Post, and The Atlanta Journal- 

Constitution. 

CDC COO SHERRI BERGER. Dunwoody 

Jewish Mom Deborah Steinberg is really 

kvelling these days and could not be prouder 

of her daughter, Sherri A. Berger, who 

has been named chief operating officer at 

the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention here in Atlanta. 

As such, she is responsible for the 

overall operations of the CDC, including its 

entire 10,000 staff members, approximately 

5,000 contractors, and fiscal resources of 

$11 billion. 

In her fifteen years at CDC, she has 

accrued extensive leadership experience, 

including protecting the public from toxic 

substances, diseases caused by air pollution 

(such as asthma), and other threats to public 

health and the environment. 

Sherri grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, graduated 

from the University of Florida, and 

received her master of science in public 

health from the University of South Florida. 

She has been a volunteer with Jewish 

Family & Career Services and has a nineyear-old 

son, Jacob, who attends The Davis 

Academy. 

Protecting nature and the public is a 

tough job in these hard times, but we know 

Sherri is up to the task, and we wish her the 

best of luck. 

Deborah Steinberg, Sherri Berger 

and son Jacob 

GLASSMAKER AND ARTIST ANDREW 

POLLACK. We enjoyed seeing Andrew 

Jackson Pollack at the Sandy Springs 

Festival. Andrew is known for his beautiful, 

unique glass works made on a torch, which 

include jewelry, sculpture, and functional 

glass-like goblets. 

Andrew’s work is available at galleries 

across the U.S., including The Museum of 

Art and Design Shop, The Contemporary 

Jewish Museum, and The National 

Museum of American Jewish History. Each 

piece is a signed, one-of-a-kind work of art. 

Andrew grew up in Atlanta and attended 

Loyola University in New Orleans. 

Though predominately self-taught in glass, 

he has received numerous scholarships to 

prestigious centers. He took glassblowing 

classes at the New Orleans School of 

Glassworks and Printmaking Studios, one 

of the South’s largest non-profit educational 

facilities dedicated primarily to glass art. 

As a faculty member at the New Orleans 

School of Glass, Andrew was coordinator 

of the Lampworking Department for over 

ten years. 

Andrew has been sort of busy lately. 

He is working on a large installation at the 

New Orleans Jewish Community Center. 

And he and his lovely bride, Tiffany, have a 

seven-month-old baby girl, Rosy Ann. 

Andrew is the son of art aficionados 

Robin and Mark Pollack, from whom he 

learned his love of all things artistic. You 

can check out his work at andrewjacksonpollack.com. 

Andrew, Tiffany, and Rosy Ann 

Pollack 

HADASSAH SEEKS LIFE-CHANGING 

STORIES. Our favorite estate sale organizer, 

the tireless and terrific Judy Viness, is 

chairing Hadassah’s Centennial celebration. 

She tells us exclusively that they are looking 

for “real life stories about how 

Hadassah changed your life and what 

impact Hadassah has had.... Has it transformed 

you or a loved one in any significant 

way?” 

Hadassah is collecting the stories for a 

book to be called Thin Threads. The title 

refers to “a moment, event, setback, crossroads, 

or encounter that has connected you 

to a person, place, or opportunity that 

changed your life for the better.” It also 

refers to “decisions we make in our lives


that lead us to new insights, people, or possibilities, 

altering the course of our lives for 

the better.” 

Hadassah will accept stories through 

November. For details and to submit a 

story, visit hadassahstories.com. Visit 

thinthreads.com to read some sample stories. 

Ina Altman, VP Southeastern Region, 

Savannah; Paula Zucker, VP 

Southeastern Region, Atlanta; Judy 

Viness, VP Southeastern Region and 

Centennial Chair, Greater Atlanta 

Hadassah; Larry Warnick, and Ruthanne 

Warnick, President, Southeastern Region 

PHOTOGRAPHER BOBI DIMOND. 

Remember how beautiful professionally 

taken photographs 

used to be? 

Now, many people 

can hardly recall 

what these images 

looked like, with virtually 

unlimited numbers 

of digital and 

cell phone shots so 

readily available. 

Photographer 

Bobi Dimond 

But renowned 

Atlanta photographer 

Bobi Dimond won- 

ders, “How do you display digital photos 

around your home and pass them on to 

future generations, when they’re mainly on 

cell phones?” 

Bobi feels so strongly about preserving 

family pictures that she exclusively shoots 

her family portraits with film. And for charity 

auctions, she will donate a free portrait 

sitting with one 8x10 photo, which will last 

forever. 

If your charity wants a great gift item 

donated, call Bobi at 770-937-0007. 

Supporting the Multiple 

Myeloma Research Foundation 

Billy and Julie Levine invited friends 

to be their guest at a private screening of the 

movie Moneyball on September 23. The 

Levines hosted the event to heighten awareness 

of the fight against Multiple Myeloma 

and make people aware of the activities to 

fight this disease by the Multiple Myeloma 

Research Foundation. 

Julie and Billy Levine 

Below are just a few of the many 

guests who came to support Billy and Julie 

and enjoy a great movie 

Irene Mason, Henry Grady and Jenny 

McCartney 

Edye Summerfield, Karen Kerness, 

Susan Jacobson, Mark Jacobson, 

Rabbi Peter Berg and Rabbi Steven 

Rau 

Joel Lowenstein, Liz Levine, Miriam 

Botnick and Eric Robbins 

RENAISSANCE WOMAN ROCHELLE 

SOLOMON. At his new nightclub next to 

the Landmark Diner in Buckhead, comic 

Jerry Farber features a variety of amateur 

and up-and-coming talents. One of our 

favorites is the lovely and vivacious 

Rochelle Bari Solomon, who says, “I have 

been singing since the age of four in my 

garage. My curtains were my mother’s 

white sheets that were drying. Yes, I 

charged a penny or a nickel for my friends 

to come in.” Later, she was named “Female 

Singer of the Year” from the Entertainer’s 

Club of Jacksonville. 

A native of Florida, where she worked 

in the jewelry business, Rochelle has had an 

amazing career, much of it spent helping 

others. 

She has co-hosted a local television 

show and worked variously as a writer, producer, 

performer, and much more. Her 

many projects include the single’s guide 

Single Monthly; Rochelle’s Little Book of 

Clichés for Business, a guide to treating 

employees well; The Magical Flower, a 

story that was made into a well-received 

ballet by a local company; several children’s 

stories; the self-help book Soul 

Searching; a book on isometrics; and a 

cookbook. 

Rochelle received the Educator of the 

Year award from her local chapter of The 

American Diabetic Association and, most 

Rochelle Solomon 

important of all, received a special award 

from K & C Pet Rescue for raising funds 

for food and shelter for dogs, cats, and rabbits. 

Our kinda gal! 

Today, Rochelle spends much of her 

time volunteering to take elderly people on 

errands and, much to the delight of her 

audiences, singing at various locations 

around town. 

Rochelle can be reached at 

rochelle2068@yahoo.com.


AICC seminar yields insights 

about U.S.-Israel business 

As the “Start Up Nation” has matured, 

the nature of U.S.-Israel business is growing 

and changing. This was the theme of the 

13th annual Professional Seminar, on 

August 25, which attracted almost 80 participants 

from the legal, accounting, real 

estate, and financial professions, as well as 

others who were hungry to gain insights 

into various aspects of U.S.-Israel business. 

Organized by the Professional 

Committee of the American-Israel Chamber 

of Commerce, SE Region (AICC), the seminar 

featured a variety of presentations, panels, 

case studies, and a luncheon keynote by 

The Trendlines Group CEO Todd Dollinger, 

one of Israel’s most successful and visionary 

entrepreneurs since moving to Israel in 

1990. As owner and operator of two Israeli 

government- licensed business incubators 

that focus on medical devices and cleantech, 

Dollinger shared his company’s mission 

to “create and develop businesses to 

improve the human condition.” Dollinger 

expressed his admiration for AICC and said 

Keynote speaker Todd Dollinger, 

CEO of The Trendlines Group 

that there is great potential for his portfolio 

companies, now totaling over 50, in the 

Southeastern U.S. Plans are being made to 

include Atlanta in a “road show” of several 

of these portfolio companies, which will 

visit five U.S. cities next spring to raise 

investment. 

The seminar also featured a presentation 

by Israel-based IT network management 

company Centerity Systems, with a 

panel of experts giving advice and insights; 

a case study of Arab-Israeli owned medical 

device company Alpha Omega, which has 

its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta; a case 

study of the acquisition of Atlanta-based 

security technology company Vumii by 

Israel-based Opgal; perspectives on funding 

early-stage Israeli companies, presented by 

Tel Aviv-based Fruition; and insights from 

Proctor & Gamble on how major corporations 

are scouting Israeli innovation, which 

is the rationale for the chamber’s new 

Corporations Initiative as introduced by 

The Coca-Cola Company’s Joel Neuman. 

Panelists for the Centerity presentation: 

(from left) Murray Bookman, 

Cisco Systems; Tal Cohen, 

Nestmetrics; Gilly Segal, Alston & 

Bird


Capitol Steps to perform at Golden Gala 

Famed Washington, D.C., comedy 

troupe The Capitol Steps will headline the 

biennial fundraiser for The William Breman 

Jewish Home, on Saturday evening, 

December 3, at the InterContinental 

Buckhead. Proceeds are specially designated 

to upgrade the facility of this historic 

elderly care center, in particular the auditorium, 

where special events are held. 

For event supporters, bolstering the 

Jewish home underscores the age-old Fifth 

Commandment—to honor one’s parents— 

and often resonates personally. 

“The William Breman Jewish Home 

became a place I cared about after I saw my 

own grandfather lying in a bed at The 

Jewish Home, when it was on 14th Street,” 

said Dulcy Rosenberg, who, with Jerry 

Horowitz, is one of the evening’s honorees. 

“He seemed so alone and helpless.... I knew 

at that moment that I needed to make a difference 

in the care of the elderly and disabled,” 

she said. 

The gala starts at 7:30 p.m., with the 

special performance by The Capitol Steps, 

at 8:00 p.m. 

“We are taught L’dor V’dor, which 

calls on each generation to transmit the val- 

ues of the 

previous one 

and help one 

another,” 

said co-honoree 

Jerry 

Horowitz. 

“We can best 

demonstrate 

this when we 

care for our 

parents as 

they did for 

us and as 

their parents 

did before 

them. 

“I worked to make our William 

Breman Jewish Home a great place, 

because every man and woman needing to 

be in a nursing home in our community 

should have the very best care until the end 

of their lives. My mother was blessed to 

have this kind of loving care.” 

The William Breman Jewish Home has 

been serving the community’s frail, elderly, 

and disabled since 1951. Originally located 

on 14th Street, it moved to a larger, new 

I remember Dr. Arnall Patz 

BY 

Carolyn 

Goodman Gold 

The Jewish Georgian’s mission has 

always been to highlight the contributions 

of Jewish citizens to their communities and 

to the state of Georgia. Never has there been 

a more outstanding contribution than that of 

Dr. Arnall Patz, a native of my old hometown, 

Elberton, Georgia, to his birthplace, 

his country, and to the world’s medical 

community. 

Arnall Patz, who died in 2010, was 

honored for his lifetime contribution to ophthalmology. 

He is credited with discovering 

that high oxygen levels can cause blindness 

in premature infants. His findings led to 

changes that saved the sight of countless 

babies. 

Dr. Patz was director of the Wilmer 

Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, and he was 

the recipient of a Presidential Medal of 

Freedom in 2004. He also received an 

Albert Lasker Award, “often called the 

‘American Nobel,’” according to Johns 

Hopkins Medicine magazine. 

Arnall was born in Elberton in 1920. 

The Johns Hopkins publication describes 

Elberton as “rural.” We didn’t consider it 

so, unless you count that the Patz family 

kept a cow in their backyard, a stone’s 

throw from downtown. 

He graduated from Emory University 

and Emory Medical School. After serving 

facility on 

Howell Mill 

Road in 

1971. In 

1999, the 

d o o r s 

opened on a 

new stateof-the-art 

facility on 

what is 

known as 

the Harry 

and Jeanette 

Weinberg 

campus, 

which provides 

residents with a cheerful, home-like 

environment. Rehabilitation therapy services 

are located in a fully equipped, newly 

renovated area overlooking the garden 

courtyard. 

The complex comprises The Home 

itself, a 96-bed Medicare- and Medicaidcertified 

facility specializing in long-term 

skilled nursing home care and short-term 

rehabilitative care; The Zaban Tower, 60 

senior apartments for independent and 

Dulcy Rosenberg Jerry Horowitz 

in World War II, he joined the eye clinic at 

Walter Reed Army Hospital and then began 

his residency at the District of Columbia 

General Hospital. 

I fondly remember his father, Mr. Sam 

Patz, joking that he just wanted to live long 

enough “to see Arnall finish school.” If Mr. 

Patz could only have known: Arnall went 

on to earn a master of liberal arts degree 

from Johns Hopkins University at age 78! 

Arnall’s observation of premature 

infants with severe loss of sight led him to 

suspect high levels of oxygen in their incubators. 

When he could not get funding for 

his research, he borrowed money from his 

brother Louis in Elberton. Louis Patz and 

his wife, Florette, later lost their lives in the 

1962 Orly plane crash, and their children 

were taken in to live with Arnall’s family. 

Dr. Patz was also known for the development 

of one of the first lasers used to 

treat diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular 

degeneration, and retina tearing. Among 

his many awards was the first Helen Keller 

Prize for Vision Research in 1994. 

Dr. Morton F. Goldberg, one of Patz’s 

protégés and his immediate successor as 

director of the Wilmer Eye Institute, called 

him “an exceptional colleague and friend, 

whom I consider to be one of the greatest 

ophthalmologists and greatest human 

beings in modern medicine. It was his passion, 

as well as his brilliance, that made him 

a great researcher and clinician, and most 

importantly, a mentor to all of us who 

learned and worked with him.” 

Emory Magazine also carried a tribute 

to Dr. Arnall Patz on his death. His mother, 

Sarah Patz, who was like a grandmother to 

me, and his father, Sam Patz, would have 

been so proud of their youngest son’s 

accomplishments. Elberton also should be 

assisted living; The Vi & Milton Weinstein 

Hospice, a Medicare-certified agency providing 

end-of-life care, as well as comfort 

and respite care through the Gesher 

Palliative Care Program; The Meyer Balser 

NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement 

Community), a community program funded 

by The Jewish Federation of Greater 

Atlanta that provides seniors with innovative 

activities and services so that they can 

continue to live independently and age in 

place; The Jewish Tower, a 200-unit senior 

citizen high-rise apartment building; and 

The Cohen Home, an assisted living facility 

in Alpharetta. 

The William Breman Jewish Home is 

dependent on charitable contributions to 

provide all residents with the best possible 

care, regardless of ability to pay. A beneficiary 

of the Jewish Federation of Greater 

Atlanta, The Home also has many individual 

and corporate supporters. 

For Golden Gala tickets and information, 

call Cindy Cassano or Carole Shovers, 

at the William Breman Jewish Home, 404- 

351-8410. 

proud to have had a world-renowned native 

who contributed so much to humanity 

through preserving “the gift of sight.”


A landmark synagogue in Brunswick looks to its future 

By Lindsey Adkison 

This article is reprinted from The 

Brunswick News, with permission. 

Dr. Mark Friedman gently placed the 

yarmulke on his head and opened the door 

of the synagogue. Stepping inside Temple 

Beth Tefilloh, his face beamed. 

“The synagogue was built in 1889 by a 

Jewish architect, Alfred S. Eichberg, the 

first Jewish architect in Georgia, and this 

was the first temple to be built by a Jewish 

architect in Georgia,” he said with obvious 

pride. 

“Although based in Savannah, 

Eichberg never built a temple in that city. 

Dr. Mark Friedman inside Temple 

Beth Tefilloh (photos: Bobby Haven) 

Our sanctuary was his first temple.” 

Walking down the long aisle, Friedman 

pointed out the structural appointments he 

knows so well. 

“This raised platform is called the 

bema. And there is our ark. It looks like an 

ark if you look at it from the side,” he said. 

Friedman opened the doors of the ark, 

the aron kodesh, or cabinet, that holds the 

temple’s greatest treasure—its hand-written 

Torahs, containing the Five Books of 

Moses, known in English as Genesis, 

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and 

Deuteronomy. 

Rabbi Sol Greenberg and Dr. Robert 

Miller, holding the Torah, prior to the 

Rosh Hashanah eve service 

“These are our Torahs. This scroll is 

about 150 years old. These other two are 

both 300 years old,” Friedman said. 

It’s clear that, while Friedman is familiar 

with the scrolls, he’s still very moved by 

their presence. 

“This one is 300 years old. It is made of 

deer skin,” he said, as he carefully unrolled 

it. “They were usually made with the skin of 

some kosher animal.” 

Most aspects of these particular scrolls 

remain shrouded in mystery. That’s even 

true for Friedman, who serves as the temple’s 

board president. 

“I do not know the exact history of our 

Torahs. We believe that one came from 

Czechoslovakia, one from Lithuania, one 

from the Ukraine, one from Poland and one 

from Russia,” he said. 

“Two of them are Holocaust torahs, 

having been given to us by survivors of the 

Holocaust. These are the two small Torahs 

that I refer to as the pogrom Torahs. How 

we got them, I do not know. If only they 

could talk, what a tale they could tell.” 

The majority of the Torahs were in 

Brunswick before Temple Beth Tefilloh was 

constructed. In fact, there has been a solid 

Jewish population in the area for centuries. 

“Then they met at private homes,” 

Friedman said. 

That was until 1886, when a group of 

21 Jewish families started building the 

house of worship on Egmont Street. The 

building is still an awe-inspiring beauty 

more than 100 years later. But, as with most 

things, time has taken a toll, and the building 

needs some structural repairs. 

Standing inside the sanctuary, 

Friedman points to the six pillars that provide 

the support for most of the building, 

including the temple’s tile roof. 

“The six piers hold up the upper clerestory 

(from which light enters the sanctuary). 

They have pillars of brick underneath the 

piers, and underneath that there is a crawl 

space beneath each of them. The brick, 

however, has sunk into the crawl space. The 

only thing that is holding up the piers is this 

thin pine floor,” he said. 

That’s not the only restoration challenge 

that the temple faces. Various pieces 

of wood have eroded. The tile roof, originally 

placed in 1903, is in desperate need of 

repair. Many of the stained-glass windows 

that decorate the temple have cracked with 

age. A sealant used to increase their durability 

had the unexpected effect of trapping 

heat, which makes the building less energy 

efficient. 

But the biggest concern for Friedman is 

the humidity level. Because the building 

doesn’t have a modern heating and air conditioning 

system, the humidity level in the 

sanctuary tops out at about 80 percent. That 

high level is dangerous for the precious 

Torahs in the sanctuary. 

How to donate 

Donations to the Temple Beth Tefilloh building fund can be mailed to Temple Beth 

Tefilloh, PO Box 602, Brunswick, GA 31521. Checks should be written to Temple 

Beth Tefilloh. 

“The Torahs are our biggest concern. 

For proper preservation, they need to be 

housed in an area with 46 to 49 percent 

humidity,” he said. 

The congregation is taking steps to renovate 

its beloved temple. Members developed 

a master plan to help them assess what 

needs to be done first. Friedman says the 

work should begin in late fall. 

“We’re going to work on the subsurface 

first. That should start before 

Thanksgiving. Then we will work on the 

roof, but we have to wait until Glynn 

Academy is out of school, because we’ll 

need a staging area in the parking lot area 

[shared with the school],” he said. 

All of the refurbishment will take a 

great deal of money. The temple board estimates 

that it will need $750,000 to complete 

all that needs to be done. Friedman 

concedes that it is a great challenge. 

“We’re still in a fundraising capacity,” 

he said. “The congregation has been very 

generous, and we have received donations 

from synagogues in Atlanta. One church on 

St. Simons Island sent us a check for 

$1,000.” 

Still, the temple needs more money. 

Friedman hopes that the community will 

rally to the cause. He points out that having 

a Jewish house of worship is important for 

community viability. 

“Our temple, which is alternatively 

referred to as a synagogue or shul, is the 

center of Jewish life in a community. 

Temple Beth Tefilloh is the only synagogue 

in a 70-mile radius. Many Jews will not 

move into an area unless there is a nearby 

synagogue they can worship in,” he said. 

“Our community has already benefited 

from having a Jewish population, in terms 

of the lawyers, doctors, businessmen, teachers, 

justices, and patrons of the arts we produce. 

It is necessary to have a thriving synagogue 

to have a vibrant Jewish community. 

So supporting our temple has the direct 

community benefit of attracting a very generous 

and creative population to our area.” 

On another level, Friedman hopes that 

individuals will see the historical significance 

that the structure brings to 

Brunswick. 

“We Americans are often accused of 

being enamored only with the new. We are 

often not respectful of our architectural heritage. 

The sanctuary of Temple Beth 

Tefilloh is a beautiful monument of the past. 

Contributing to its restoration is a sign of 

respect of our past. It is an architectural gem 

that deserves restoration,” he said.


One good reason to observe 

the High Holidays 

BY 

Ron 

Feinberg 

I received an e-mail solicitation recently 

and was just about to tap the delete button 

when I noticed it was from Yad Vashem, 

the world-class Holocaust Museum in 

Israel. They were asking for money and 

sharing a story. It’s a story worth repeating 

and remembering. 

Naftali Stern visited Yad Vashem on 

Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance 

Day, in 1978. He had a gift, a few pieces of 

crinkled paper filled with Hebrew prayers. 

It was a precious gift, something he had created 

years earlier, when the world had gone 

momentarily mad and a little light was 

needed to brighten the darkness. 

In the spring of 1944, Naftali, his wife, 

and four children were swallowed up by the 

Holocaust, arrested in their little village of 

Satu Mare, in Romania, and deported to 

Auschwitz. His family was murdered when 

they arrived at the Nazi death camp in 

Poland, and Naftali was shipped off to a 

forced labor camp in Germany. 

He was depressed and alone, each 

moment filled with memories of all that 

was lost. His world had become a nightmare—little 

food, no shelter, brutal guards, 

and backbreaking work digging tunnels and 

trenches around German fortifications. 

Surrounded by misery, a vague and distant 

memory took root in Naftali’s mind. 

The days were growing shorter, and there 

was a slight chill in the air. Something 

stirred inside his heart, and Naftali recalled 

that soon it would be Rosh Hashanah, the 

Jewish New Year. Many would have easily 

pushed that thought aside, buried it along 

with their families, neighbors, and villages. 

Naftali clung to the thought, a very 

small light in a very gray world. He sold a 

bit of the food he received one day for a 

pencil, sold a bit more and managed to purchase 

some sacks that had once held 

cement. He ripped the sacks into small 

squares then slowly began to write the 

entire Rosh Hashanah service. 

Perhaps it was simply something that 

was meant to be. If not, why then did the 

thugs running the labor camp allow Naftali 

and other inmates to hold a short service? It 

was Naftali, of course, the chazzan in his 

little village shul, who led services that holiday 

season, his sweet voice chanting the 

words he had scrawled from memory. 

For three decades—years after being 

liberated, starting a new family and immigrating 

to Israel—Naftali held onto his special 

mahzor, bringing it out on Rosh 

Hashanah to both mourn and celebrate his 

life and faith. Three months after he donated 

the document to Yad Vashem, Naftali 

died. 

It was okay. He knew that his special 

mahzor—timeworn and frayed, created 

with love for a people and faith—would be 

protected. Now, three decades later, it 

remains on display at the museum. 

“I pray,” he told Yad Vashem officials, 

“that each subsequent generation will stay 

true to their Jewish identity and be a link in 

a long chain.” 

It seems to me, if nothing else, simply 

sitting in shul will honor Naftali’s prayer. 

That’s a good thing. I’ll worry about figuring 

out the more cosmic issues next year. 

May we all be inscribed and sealed for a 

good year. 

AMERICA’S 

BEST 

CLEANERS TM 

4455 Roswell Road 

Atlanta, Georgia 30342 

404-255-4312 

www.presstine.com


JF&CS NEWS 

ROUND-THE-CLOCK TRANSPORTA- 

TION FOR TOCO HILLS NORC. Older 

adults who live in the Toco Hills 

Naturally Occurring Retirement 

Community (NORC) now have a new 

way to access low-cost, efficient transportation. 

Through a recently obtained 

transportation grant, the Toco Hills 

NORC has been able to introduce a series 

of transportation voucher programs for 

seniors. 

A program of the Aviv Older Adult 

Services—Tools for Aging division of 

Jewish Family & Career Services 

(JF&CS), the NORC has teamed up with 

Checker Taxi Cab Company to allow 

older adults to pay $5 for two $10 vouchers 

(a $20 value), which they may use for 

curb-to-curb taxi service 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week. Wheelchair-accessible taxis 

also are available, if booked in advance. 

This helps offset the cost of transportation, 

particularly at night, when transportation 

for seniors may be more difficult. 

In addition to the taxi vouchers, 

JF&CS provides a similar voucher service 

for its Alterman/JETS transportation 

program—a shuttle service that gives priority 

to medical appointments, primarily 

for the late morning and early afternoon. 

JF&CS also has a voucher program with- 

Karen Harvell 

in Legacy Home Care, allowing older 

adults to request a “transportation 

escort”—a certified nursing assistant who 

can accompany them for the duration of 

their trip. 

“These programs address an important 

need for older adults in the community 

and will provide an excellent means 

for them to stay active and to move past 

what may have been limitations to their 

independence,” says Karen Harvell, the 

Georgia NORC Initiative program manager 

at JF&CS. 

For more information, contact Jessica 

Wilson, Toco Hills NORC coordinator, at 

404-633-3033 or jwilson@jfcsatlanta.org. 

The Toco Hills NORC works to help 

fulfill social, emotional, and educational 

needs for older adults and create opportunities 

for them to engage their community 

and obtain access to a wide range of 

services. 

Seniors in East Point may participate 

in a reimbursement program for volunteer 

drivers through East Point NORC; contact 

Leslie Bridges, program coordinator, 

at 404-762-2094 or leslie.bridges@fultoncountyga.gov. 

In addition, the Meyer Balser NORC 

in North Buckhead has short-notice medical 

transportation vouchers and other 

transportation discounts available to eligible 

seniors; contact Anne Grabois- 

Davis at 404-355-5696, ext. 2222, or 

agdavis@meyerbalser.org.

November-December 2011 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 11

Page 12 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN November-December 2011





The Jews of Augusta, Part II 

BY 

Stuart 

Rockoff 

The late 19th century saw the arrival in 

Augusta of growing numbers of Jewish 

immigrants from Eastern Europe. A handful 

came from the town of Kobren, located in 

the Russian Pale. In 1889, five of these 

immigrant families in Augusta formed a 

small minyan in 1889 that met in Morris 

Steinberg’s apartment, located above his 

store. Steinberg had come to Augusta from 

Russia in 1886, when he was 23 years old. 

He became the leader of this small minyan, 

which adhered to Orthodox Judaism, in 

contrast to the Reform practices of Children 

of Israel. Soon, the group brought in a 

shochet, Abram Poliakoff, to supply them 

with kosher meat. The minyan grew quickly, 

reaching 100 Jews, many of whom were 

single men. 

As the minyan grew, divisions developed 

over Jewish practices. Some of the 

members did not keep their stores closed on 

Saturdays, which upset other members of 

the minyan. In 1890, a disgruntled faction 

broke away to form a new minyan, which 

they called the “Keep Saturday Society.” 

Soon after, Jake Edelstein, who had been 

one of the original founders of the 

Orthodox minyan, broke away to form yet 

another group. 

In 1891, these three competing groups 

merged to form Congregation Adas 

Yeshurun. Jacob Tanenbaum was the first 

president of the congregation, which initially 

met in a building on Market Street. The 

Orthodox congregation grew quickly, and, 

in 1895, it purchased land for a synagogue. 

Each of the sixty members pledged money 

to the building fund, and Adas Yeshurun 

soon built a modest synagogue for $1,800, 

which included classrooms and a mikvah in 

the basement. 

Despite having a new home, Augusta’s 

Orthodox Jews had not quelled all of their 

divisions. In 1902, Adas Yeshurun split 

over a dispute regarding the shochet. When 

the congregation hired a new kosher butcher, 

the old shochet, Abram Poliakoff, led a 

breakaway group that prayed together on 

Reynolds Street. After three years, the two 

groups reunited as Adas Yeshurun, employing 

both shochets. Both butchers were kept 

busy as Augusta’s population of Orthodox 

Jewish immigrants continued to grow. 

By 1907, about 500 Jews lived in the 

city. The Orthodox Adas Yeshurun had 65 

member households, while the Reform 

Children of Israel had only 42. In 1909, the 

women of Adas Yeshurun founded the 

Daughters of Israel, to raise funds for needy 

Jews. Later, the group focused its charitable 

efforts on the synagogue and Hebrew 

school. By 1915, Adas Yeshurun had outgrown 

its synagogue and purchased a former 

church on Ellis Street to use as its new 

home. True to its Orthodox practices, the 

congregation outfitted the old church with a 

balcony for female worshippers and a mikvah. 

The interior of Adas Yeshurun 

Over the years, the members of Adas 

Yeshurun made some cultural accommodations 

and religious innovations, while 

remaining true to Orthodox Judaism. In 

1930, the board, most of whom had been 

raised in the United States, voted to change 

the language of the annual meetings and 

minutes from Yiddish to English. Also, 

members were no longer satisfied with a 

hazzan/shochet as service leader and hired 

their first ordained rabbi, Henry 

Goldberger, in 1944. Rabbi Goldberger 

introduced some changes, including a 

Friday night service, a mixed-gender confirmation 

class, and a Sunday morning minyan 

club for post-bar mitzvah boys. Despite 

these innovations, the congregation 

remained committed to Orthodox Judaism, 

which was explicitly written into its 1949 

constitution. According to this constitution, 

“The Rabbi must be an ordained Orthodox 

Rabbi.” The congregation continued to hold 

minyans twice daily and still employed a 

shochet. 

Among the Orthodox shul’s leaders 

was Aaron 

Tanenbaum, who 

became one of the 

foremost Zionists in 

the South. Sixteenyear-old 

Tanenbaum 

left Poland for the 

United States in 1889 

to join his father, 

Jacob, who had settled 

Aaron 

Tanenbaum, 

ardent Zionist 

and longtime 

leader of Adas 

Yeshurun 

in Augusta after peddling 

for two years in 

Georgia. Aaron peddled, 

as well, during 

his first two years in 

Georgia, after which he 

and his father had 

enough money to bring 

over the rest of the family from Poland. 

In Poland, Aaron had been a Yeshiva 

student. While studying Talmud was a far 

cry from peddling in rural Georgia, Aaron 

continued his studies informally. 

Tanenbaum was an early, ardent Zionist, 

forming Augusta’s Lovers of Zion, the first 

Zionist organization in the Southeast, 

around the turn of the century. In 1901, 

Tanenbaum traveled as a delegate to the 

World Zionist Congress in London. Over 

the years, he attended several other Zionist 

conventions. Tanenbaum was unwilling to 

compromise his religious practices and 

decided to buy a dairy farm so he could 

more easily observe the Jewish Sabbath and 

other rituals. 

By 1907, Augusta had two Zionist 

societies: the Lovers of Zion and the 

Daughters of Zion. There was also a chapter 

of the Jewish Socialist-Territorialist 

Labor Party in Augusta, one of only two in 

the entire South at the time. 

While Tanenbaum worked as a dairy 

farmer, most other Augusta Jews remained 

concentrated in commercial trade. Jewishowned 

stores lined Broad Street in downtown 

Augusta. Brothers Jake and Charles 

Schneider owned a large department store 

in the first half of the 20th century. In 1894, 

Henry Simowitz and his large family left 

Hungary for the United States. After spending 

several years in Cincinnati, the family 

moved to Augusta, where Henry opened a 

clothing store. Henry and his wife, Annie, 

had eleven children; of their six sons, five 

Broad Street, where many of 

Augustaʼs Jews owned stores in the 

early 20th century 

remained in Augusta and owned a variety of 

businesses. Sam and Joe Simowitz opened 

the S&J Shoe Store; their younger brother, 

Bernard, later became a partner in the business. 

Harry Simowitz owned the Augusta 

Trading Company, while Louis owned a 

store that sold electric Victrolas. 

Although Augusta’s Jewish community 

remained divided into two different congregations, 

they came together in 1935 to create 

the Young Men’s Hebrew Association 

(YMHA). The founding meeting was held 

at Adas Yeshurun, though members of 

Children of Israel played a crucial role in its 

founding and success. One of these leaders 

was Nathan Jolles, a local attorney who had 

served as president of Adas Yeshurun and 

vice-president of Children of Israel. 

In 1935, the YMHA dedicated its first 

building on Greene Street, which became a 

social center and meeting place for the 

entire Augusta Jewish community, in addition 

to offering athletic and theatrical programs. 

Augusta Mayor Richard Allen took 

part in the building dedication. During 

World War II, the YMHA building was used 

as a USO club for Jewish soldiers stationed 

at nearby Camp Gordon. In the 1950s, the 

YMHA moved to a new property on Sibley 

Road and became known as the Jewish 

Community Center. Later, the JCC built a 

new facility on Weinberger Way. 

Originally known as the Young Menʼs 

Hebrew Association, the Jewish 

Community Center continues to 

serve the Augusta Jewish community 

today. 

This article is excerpted from the ISJL 

Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish 

Communities. Readers are invited to learn 

more about the history of Jewish communities 

by visiting www.isjl.org and looking 

under the History tab. The 

Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern 

Jewish Life (ISJL) considers the encyclopedia 

to be a work in progress; it encourages 

the public to contact Dr. Stuart Rockoff at 

Rockoff@isjl.org with additional information 

related to the history of Jewish communities 

in Georgia or other communities 

of the South. Throughout the thirteen-state 

Southern region of the United States, ISJL, 

an eleven-year-old grassroots organization, 

is dedicated to providing educational and 

rabbinic services, promoting a Jewish cultural 

presence, and documenting and preserving 

the rich history of the Southern 

Jewish experience. 

Next issue: The Jews of Augusta, Part 

III—The evolution of the Jewish Community: 

building, growing, and changing


Empty house...empty heart 

BY 

Leon 

Socol 

The white California brick bungalow 

in the Morningside section of Atlanta is still 

intact, with the same furnishings and décor 

it had when its mistress, Frieda Socol, 

passed away last month. Nothing has been 

changed in 

the hopes 

that my living 

in the 

midst of the 

home we 

shared for 

over 48 

y e a r s 

would ease 

t h e 

heartache 

of her not 

being here 

to continue 

our life 

together. 

Frieda 

wondered 

what people 

would 

say about 

her after she was gone. I think she knew 

they would expend all the superlatives in 

the dictionary and a few more never used. 

She definitely liked people and 

abounded in the joy of doing for others by 

using the many talents she possessed. As 

our own family grew and we had five 

grandchildren scattered from Canada to 

across the eastern United States, she wanted 

not only to keep in touch with them, but 

she didn’t want them to be strangers among 

themselves. So Frieda hit on an idea. She 

started a Monday blog from Bubbie, telling 

each of our grandchildren of the events that 

happened in Atlanta that week. The blog 

was only for the grandchildren, and they 

were encouraged to join in by updating 

their cousins about the events in their lives. 

It was so successful that the kids’ parents 

used to contact Frieda to find out what was 

going on with their offspring. 

Family was of the utmost importance 

to Frieda, and she did many things to keep 

our large extended brood together. One of 

the first things she did was start and maintain 

a cousin’s list that had addresses, phone 

numbers, and e-mails. It was a continual job 

keeping the list updated as it grew to over 

90 names. The list encouraged communication 

among cousins. 

Our house has a large finished basement 

room that has hosted annual familyand-friend 

Seders for over 50 people. At 

Hanukkah, it was the site of our annual 

party, complete with barbecue and tons of 

the most wonderful latkes you ever tasted. 

Naturally, there was a mountain of toys and 

gifts for all. 

Frieda’s endeavors didn’t stop with our 

family. She was dedicated to serving 

Congregation Shearith Israel in many, 

many ways. Her most notable contribution 

was her open and inviting welcome to every 

stranger who entered our synagogue. She 

put the likes of famous Washington hostess 

Perle Mesta to shame. Many of the sympathy 

cards we received mentioned that 

Frieda was the first warm welcoming person 

they met at the shul. 

She activated a “Golden Oldies” program 

at the 

synagogue 

for the seniors, 

which 

had such 

diversified 

events as 

tours of the 

e n t i r e 

Atlanta 

Beltline and 

a day tour 

of the Tellus 

Museum in 

Cartersville. 

At the end 

of these 

trips, enthu- 

Frieda and Leon with great granddaughter, 

Abbygale Groves 

siasticseniors would 

ask her about 

the next trip 

she would plan. 

Frieda and I used to walk daily in our 

neighborhood. She would use these walks 

to spot furniture and household discards 

that could be used in our annual synagogue 

yard sale. A worthy item seldom escaped 

her eye. She was active in neighborhood 

block parties and knew most everyone who 

lived in our area. 

With the onset of her illness, Frieda set 

survival goals for herself. She was an 

extraordinarily gifted seamstress and could 

sew or repair almost anything. When our 

older grandson got married last May at 

Camp Ramah in North Georgia, she decided 

to make a lasting contribution to the 

event by crafting a gorgeous chuppah that 

highlighted both the bride and groom. It 

was to become a lasting wedding gift to the 

newlyweds, one that hopefully will be used 

by generations to come. 

By the time our granddaughter in 

Canada gave birth to our two great granddaughters, 

Frieda was not allowed to fly. 

She hit on the idea of bringing the 

Canadians to Atlanta and have the babies 

receive their Hebrew names in our synagogue 

at a Shabbat ceremony, followed by 

a kiddush luncheon. The crowd was as large 

as many bar mitzvahs held there. 

In our 62 years of married life, Frieda 

and I traveled far and wide. We visited family 

on both sides in Israel. Frieda brought 

families in Israel together, just as she had 

done in the states. Travel wasn’t easy for 

Frieda, but she always soldiered through, as 

she did in all of her endeavors. 

She was a striking and beautiful 

woman, with genuine warmth and sincerity. 

In her early years, she worked as a showroom 

manager in both the Atlanta Gift and 

Apparel markets and cultivated many longterm 

friendships with her customers 

throughout the South. Her striking figure 

led to modeling swimsuits for a national 

line (Roxanne), and she put on fashion 

shows in many Southern cities. Always the 

planner, she would arrive at a show the day 

before, so she would be at her best the next 

day. 

The impact that Frieda Socol made on 

so many people was evident by the large 

crowd at her funeral, which was held at 

Congregation Shearith Israel. The main 

sanctuary wouldn’t hold the crowd, so the 

partition to the adjoining social hall was 

opened up. This normally occurs only during 

the High Holidays. She, of all people, 

would have kvelled over the size of this 

gathering. 

My family and I have been overwhelmed 

by the outpouring of affection and 

love we have received from hundreds of 

people throughout the world and their wishes 

for the family’s healing. I want to 

express to each and every one of you who 

knew my Georgia Peach how your cards, 

letters, and phone calls have sustained us. 

Our wish for each of you and your loved 

ones is that you be inscribed in the Book of 

Life for 5772 and blessed with a healthy 

and happy year ahead.


TDSA’s Boy Scout Troop 613 kicks off 

By R.M.Grossblatt 

“‘Be prepared’ is the motto of the Boy 

Scouts,” said Avraham Warga, 

Scoutmaster for Torah Day School’s 

Troop 613, right before a bucket of water 

was poured over his head. Since it was 

part of a skit at the bonfire kickoff for the 

new Boy Scout troop, Warga was prepared. 

Sitting at a safe distance from the 

bonfire, the boys laughed and asked for an 

encore. 

In some ways, Troop 613 is an encore 

of Congregation Beth Jacob’s Troop 5753, 

started by Scoutmaster Jan Siegelman 18 

years ago. Siegelman, in full Scoutmaster 

uniform, was present at the Sunday, 

August 28, kickoff, held on the campus of 

Yeshiva Or Yisrael. Also present were 

fathers and other men in the community, 

supporting TDSA’s Boy Scouting initiative. 

Aaron Windham was in charge of 

s’mores and drinks, sponsored by the 

Lynn family. Simcha MacGregor and Brad 

Cook performed a skit around the song 

“There’s a Hole in the Bucket.” And 

Rabbi Avraham Kanarek, principal of Or 

Yisrael, shared a campfire story. 

Aaron Windham, in charge of 

sʼmores 

Tanenbaums endow professorship in Jewish history and culture 

Babette and Jay Tanenbaum, of 

Atlanta, have established a new distinguished 

professorship in Jewish studies at 

the University of North Carolina at Chapel 

Hill, providing an endowment that will support 

a tenure-track faculty member who 

specializes in Jewish history and culture. 

“We are very grateful to Babette and Jay 

Tanenbaum for their support of Jewish 

studies at Carolina,” said Jonathan Hess, 

director of the Carolina Center for Jewish 

Studies. “Their support of our faculty will 

not only help us hire, or retain, an outstanding 

teacher and researcher, it will also have 

a lasting impact on Carolina’s future students.” 

Jay Tanenbaum, founder and president 

of Primus Capital LLC, a structured finance 

and investment company based in Atlanta, 

is former chair and current executive committee 

member of the Goldring/Woldenberg 

Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). 

Lawrence Stroll, whose sons received 

awards that evening, enumerated the benefits 

of joining the Boy Scouts, particularly 

the overnight summer camping experience. 

He listed water skiing, horseback 

riding, archery, and rafting as some of the 

offerings possible for next summer in the 

North Georgia mountains—only two 

hours from Toco Hill. “There are lots of 

skills to learn,” said Stroll, “and at camp, 

boys can earn merit badges.” 

Scoutmaster Jan Siegelman and 

Lawrence Stroll 

Rabbi Michael Alterman, TDSA 

teacher, presented merit badges to Hanoch 

Baruch Kayser; Eli, Tuvia, and Kalmen 

Warga; and Shimon and Zev Stroll. The 

recipients achieved proficiency in many 

areas, including canoeing, swimming, 

leatherwork, and art. 

“Using the Power of Fire, but Not 

Getting Burned” was the topic addressed 

by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, TDSA head of 

school. He equated the dangers of fire to 

the yetzer hara (evil inclination), emphasizing 

that the yetzer hara can be used for 

our benefit. “It gives us the possibility of 

choosing,” said Rabbi Hoff, which he 

“My work with ISJL has fueled my interest 

in preserving the legacy and history of Jews 

in the American South and in developing 

programs and opportunities for Jewish 

communities throughout the South,” said 

Tanenbaum. “Having a strong Jewish studies 

program at a leading public university 

that just happens to be in the South further 

strengthens this effort. It is my hope that 

our endowed chair helps Carolina continue 

to build its outstanding academic and community 

programs in Jewish studies.” 

Jay Tanenbaum’s great-grandfather 

immigrated from Sejny, Poland, to Dumas, 

Arkansas, in the 1890s, and three subsequent 

generations grew up in the small 

Southern town. Babette’s family similarly 

made its way from Alsace to Mandeville, 

Louisiana. “My family’s story is repeated in 

countless other families throughout the 

South. I think it’s important that Jews settled 

across the country and became an 

Rabbi Michael Alterman presents a 

merit badge. 

explained earns a person a reward when 

he makes a good choice. 

Before Michael Toddings, TDSA’s 

chief financial officer, drenched him with 

water, Head Scoutmaster Warga explained 

to the boys the importance of being prepared, 

using preparation for the evening’s 

bonfire as an example. First on the list, 

said Warga, was to set a date, time, and 

place and then apply for a permit. Also 

essential was securing a source of water to 

put out the fire. With Toddings holding up 

the hose of running water, Warga said, 

“We want to know that what we’re doing 

is right.” 

Doing what’s right is an underlying 

motto of the Boy Scouts of America. It’s 

an age-old organization that teaches skills 

and good values, along with fun. Since the 

important thread throughout the American 

tapestry,” added Tanenbaum. “We’re not 

alumni of Carolina, and we have no strong 

link to the campus, but when I learned of 

the Jewish studies program, I thought it was 

doing vital work in contributing to this 

ongoing study of the Jewish experience in 

the American South.” 

State funds provide basic faculty 

salaries for Carolina’s distinguished scholars, 

while permanent-endowed chair funds, 

created by philanthropic gifts, further support 

teaching and research. By creating a 

reliable source of annual support, endowed 

faculty chairs provide a powerful incentive 

to come to and stay at Carolina. This gift, in 

excess of $1 million, qualifies for a matching 

$500,000 grant from the State of North 

Carolina’s Distinguished Professors 

Endowment Trust Fund. 

Scoutmaster Avraham Warga gets 

drenched with a bucket of water! 

kickoff, members have hiked trails and 

learned the safe handling of firearms. 

Many more activities are planned 

throughout the year. 

For additional information, contact 

Mr. Warga at 404-806-1446. 

Jay Tanenbaum


Holocaust Learning Trunk 

Project hosted in Sandy Springs 

This fall, the Georgia Commission on the 

Holocaust chose Sandy Springs as a beneficiary 

of the unique and meaningful Holocaust 

Learning Trunk Project. 

The project is jointly sponsored by the 

Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, The 

Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against 

Germany, Inc., and the Georgia Department of 

Education. 

Thirty-three trunks filled with educational 

materials on the Holocaust and genocide are 

now making their way to middle schools 

across Georgia. Middle school teachers in all 

of Georgia’s 16 Regional Educational Service 

Agency (RESA) districts will use these trunks 

to teach about World War II, the Holocaust, 

and genocide. Students participating in this 

project will be able to express their social conscience, 

sensitivity, and appreciation for diversity; 

express respect for all people; and inspire 

teaching and learning for all humanity. The use 

of art and history unifies students of various 

backgrounds and beliefs, connecting them 

through their experiences learning about the 

Holocaust. 

Russel Weiskircher, vice chairman, 

Georgia Commission on the Holocaust; 

Viki Staley, acting executive director; 

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle; 

Michael Altman, chairman, Georgia 

Commission on the Holocaust; Steve 

Sutton, Holocaust Learning Trunk 

Project chairman; Joe T. Wood, Sr., 

treasurer, Georgia Commission on the 

Holocaust, with the trunk decorated by 

The Weber School 

On October 19, a viewing featuring a 

trunk decorated by art students from The 

Weber School took place at the “Anne Frank in 

the World” exhibit, at 5920 Roswell Road, 

Suite 209, in Sandy Springs. Other trunks were 

on public display at the exhibit throughout 

October and November. 

The trunk exteriors have been decorated 

by Metro Atlanta students to reflect the theme 

“What are the Lessons of the Holocaust?” 

Weber School students created a trunk design 

mimicking the appearance of a cattle car used 

by Nazis to transport victims to concentration 

camps. This trunk, along with one decorated 

by art students at Mount Vernon Presbyterian 

Upper School, in Sandy Springs, was presented 

on October 20 at South Hall Middle School, 

in Gainesville, for use in the RESA Pioneer 

District. Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, 

Representative Carl Rodgers, and Senator 

Butch Miller attended the presentation. 

Students looking through General 

Weiskircherʼs albums, which contain 

photos documenting Dachau 

during its liberation and aftermath 

The trunk decorated by the Mount Vernon 

Presbyterian students includes pictures of and 

quotes by Anne Frank. 

Students read quotes on the trunk decorated 

by Mount Vernon Presbyterian 

students 

The Georgia Commission on the 

Holocaust, the Georgia Public Library Service, 

and the Georgia Department of Education are 

working in concert to ensure the Holocaust 

Learning Trunk Project will foster positive 

character development and students’ understanding 

of the importance of good citizenship. 

A complete list of the schools and organizations 

involved in decorating the trunks, as 

well as an interactive map showing where 

trunks have been presented and where they are 

being used in classrooms, is available at 

www.holocaust.georgia.gov. Trunks have 

already been presented in Leesburg, 

Statesboro, and Vidalia. The remaining trunks 

will be presented to RESA districts through 

December of 2011.


Wake up and smell the cholent Secret Ingredient 

By Susan Robinson 

Let’s say that a young lady sidled up to 

you in shul. Let’s say that she then whispered 

these words in your ear, “Hmmmm! 

You smell like cholent.” How would you 

react? Would you be pleased or upset? 

Chances are, your response would depend 

on your relationship with cholent and with 

the young lady in question. 

The young lady was my granddaughter, 

and she did indeed tell me I smelled like 

cholent. I was confused for a few seconds, 

and not knowing what else to do, I simply 

responded, “Why, thank you so much.” I 

love my granddaughter, so of course I had 

to understand her comment in the best light 

possible. 

However, my granddaughter’s statement 

did make me wonder: Could this possibly 

be true, did I indeed smell like 

cholent? 

So, let’s define terms. What, exactly, is 

cholent? Cholent, as many of you know— 

and I must extend regrets to those of you 

don’t—is a stew prepared especially for 

Shabbos. It’s cooked on Friday, left in slow 

cooker or oven to stay hot overnight, and 

then served for Shabbos lunch. I prepare 

mine with meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, 

sweet potatoes, water, and spices. Over the 

years, I’ve adapted a standard recipe to 

include a variety of additional ingredients, 

which brings an element of art to the science 

of cooking. Sometimes, there are 

My twin grandchildren will celebrate 

their third birthdays soon. What an exciting 

Shabbos cholent 

raisins and dates in the mixture. At other 

times, I use Coca-Cola or beer, instead of 

water. Tomato sauce, ketchup, or barbeque 

sauce are all great to add a little bit of tang 

and color. 

But what about the aroma? Cholent, by 

its very definition, cooks for hours. Is it no 

wonder that the delectable smell of roasted 

meat and garlic permeates the entire house? 

Upon awakening on Shabbos morning, 

every person in the household (and perhaps 

a casual pedestrian on the street as well) is 

aware that there is a serious cholent a-brewing. 

This knowledge alone makes the long 

walk to shul—and the long hours spent 

there—so much more bearable. We know 

that in due time, we will be sitting down at 

the table for our hot bowl of cholent. 

Patience is a virtue, and it has its tasty 

rewards. 

But I was still surprised to be told that 

I smelled of cholent on that particular 

time for them! I recently celebrated a birthday, 

also. It was delightful, too. 

I do wonder where these years went. 

We look forward to being teens. Then we 

get excited about that 21st birthday. 

Quickly, we turn thirty, then forty, and so 

on. 

Age is actually only a number, when 

you think about it. They say today’s sixty is 

yesterday’s forty. Unless I look in the mir- 

Shabbos morning. Could it be that some 

garlic lingered on my hands from Friday 

afternoon? It didn’t seem possible, so the 

answer remained a mystery until the following 

week.... 

I was almost ready to leave the house 

for shul when I spritzed a drop of a juicebased 

moisturizer on my hands. Suddenly, I 

recalled my granddaughter’s comment 

about the cholent aroma. I took a look at the 

label on the aerosol can. One of the main 

ingredients was—can you guess?—carrot 

seed oil. So that persistent scent of cholent 

that my granddaughter has labeled as “a 

sprinkling of Nana,” was actually eau de 

carrot. Mystery solved. At any rate, I was 

pleased to learn that my granddaughter 

associated my very essence with cholent, 

and by extension, with Shabbos. 

Many years ago, we lived in an apartment 

building. A grad student, looking for a 

way to economize and simplify his life 

while finishing school, would occasionally 

knock on our door late on a Saturday night. 

Did we have any leftover cholent that we 

would like to donate to his worthy cause? 

He would collect cholent from several willing 

neighbors, mix it up in one big pot, and 

have a taste of Shabbos all week for supper. 

As much as I love cholent, I would not 

want to eat it every day. My carrot-juice 

“cologne,” however, is a scent that I sometimes 

like to savor in the middle of the 

week. It reminds me that Shabbos, with all 

its delights, is coming soon. I just need to 

hang in there a little while longer. 

Be grateful for the gift of life 

BY 

Cecile 

Waronker 

ror, I do not think about my age. I look at 

the beautiful Sara Alterman, Edith Gordon, 

and Lena Sisselman and wonder at these 

lovely women in their 90s. I used to love 

being around Bertha Hirsch, Minnie 

Kolodkin, and Bertha Rubin. These women 

all lived into their 90s and were delightful, 

smart, witty, 

charming, and 

fun to be 

around. That’s 

how I hope I 

will be. 

F r a n k 

Sinatra sang 

about being in 

the autumn of 

his life when 

he passed seventy. 

I love 

autumn. We 

should all just 

be healthy and 

current with 

our lives. 

Nobody likes 

to be around someone who laments about 

what should have or could have been. Just 

be thankful for what is. 

Cholent 

4 medium potatoes, cut into eighths 

1 sweet potato (or, as a neighborhood 

three-year-old likes to call it, “cholent 

plant”), cut into eighths 

3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 

3/4 pound flanken 

1/4 cup pearl barley (or 3/4 cup kasha 

for a gluten-free cholent) 

1/3 cup cholent beans (dry navy, kidney, 

pinto assortment), soaked 

overnight and drained) 

1 large onion, quartered 

A sprinkling of salt, pepper, paprika, 

garlic powder 

3 tablespoons ketchup or barbeque 

sauce 

3 eggs, raw, in shells (optional) 

1 roll kishka, store-bought, regular or 

gluten-free (optional) 

1/4 cup raisins (optional) 

1 cup water (or Coca Cola or beer—the 

not-so-secret ingredient!) 

Place ingredients in slow cooker on 

Friday morning. Cook on high for one 

hour, then switch to low. Serve the following 

day for Shabbos lunch. (The 

eggs, which become hard-boiled in the 

slow cooker, are served on a separate 

plate, peeled and sliced. The kishka can 

also be served on a separate plate, 

sliced.) 

I know how thankful I am for my wonderful 

family and friends. How blessed I 

am! I love telling grandchildren stories and 

marvel at them. Just talking to my twentyyear-old 

granddaughter on the telephone 

brings a smile to my face. She is sunshine to 

me. Showing off pictures of all five of my 

grandchildren brings me joy. My late husband 

used to say that if he had known 

grandchildren were so great, he would have 

skipped the children. 

They are 

our dividends. 

However, my 

children are special, 

too. 

There are things 

we can control 

and things we 

have to accept. 

That’s life, and 

how fortunate we 

are to celebrate it. 

We have just 

observed a New 

Year. May it be a 

healthy, happy, 

sweet, and prosperous 

one for us 

all. 

Put a smile on your face and a hop to 

your step, and celebrate life. Better than the 

alternative.


Markings: A few words of reflection and appreciation 

By Norman Zoller 

Nearly two years have passed since I 

began my term as president of the Board of 

Trustees of The Breman Jewish Heritage 

and Holocaust Museum. A number of programs, 

events, and people stand out that I 

will always remember. The Breman is 

blessed with some remarkable volunteers 

and staff. 

Several programs—some tried and 

true, some new—were particularly satisfying. 

First was the major fundraiser in 

February 2010 honoring Jewish military 

service members and veterans. The event, 

chaired by Spring Asher and Joyce 

Shlesinger, featured Jenny Levison (of 

Souper Jenny fame) and her fabulous 

troupe. Under Debbie Neese’s leadership, a 

special tribute journal also was produced. 

Called “In Service to Our Country: Jewish 

Contributions to Freedom,” it honors our 

family members and loved ones who have 

served in various branches of the armed 

forces. It became an instant heirloom. 

Spring Asher, Norman Zoller and 

Joyce Shlesinger 

During that evening, we also honored 

the public-spirited service and philanthropy 

of the Breman family, especially Elinor 

Angel Rosenberg Breman, who has faithfully 

carried on the legacy of her beloved 

husband, Bill. We remembered him, we 

honored them both, and we thanked The 

Breman and Rosenberg families for all they 

have done and continue to do for our community. 

Elinor and Bill Breman 

Elinor Breman with sons Jerry, John, 

and Philip Rosenberg 

About two years ago, Volunteer 

Museum Educator Manuela Bornstein, a 

Holocaust survivor from France, had a simple 

but powerful idea: to have Holocaust 

survivors tell their stories at Sunday afternoon 

gatherings at the museum. The program, 

“Bearing Witness,” has thus far featured 

18 survivors or second generation 

(2G) family members, and not only did they 

speak, but they also attracted a wealth of 

new members and believers in The Breman. 

Since the program’s beginning in December 

2009, the speakers have included Manuela, 

Tosia Schneider, 

Andre Kessler, Helen 

Spiegel, Herbert 

Kohn (who spoke at 

the 2010 Yom 

HaShoah observance 

at Greenwood 

Cemetery), Eugene 

Schoenfeld, Henry 

Lewin (2G), Stan 

Herbert Kohn 

Eva Baron 

Lefco (2G), Mariella 

Crea (2G), Benjamin 

Hirsch, Saba 

Silverman (2G), Erna 

Martino (2G), 

Murray Lynn, Henry 

Birnbrey, George 

Rishfeld, Penina 

Bowman, Eva Baron 

(who spoke at the 

2011 Yom HaShoah 

observance at 

G r e e n w o o d 

Cemetery), and Paula 

Gris. And more will follow them. 

A word that we’ve heard often in the 

past two years is “legacy,” and it has been 

defined in several ways. First was the establishment 

of the Holocaust Survivors Project 

under co-chairs Eve Goldstein and George 

Stern. Their committee took the initiative in 

producing high-quality, award-winning 

video recordings, as well as photographs of 

our survivors. In addition, they secured 

information from other museums that are 

also preserving the individual stories of 

Holocaust survivors and launched several 

other related projects. That committee has 

also taken the lead in conducting instructional 

programs on how to write one’s own 

ethical will, and another such program is 

scheduled for this fall. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention 

our superb archives. From all over 

Atlanta—indeed the Southeast—people 

have entrusted The Breman with many individual 

and family heirlooms. Some have 

been on display from time to time, but we 

safeguard all of them. We remain committed 

to protecting these treasures fully, and 

we welcome gifts that perpetuate the history 

and legacy of Jews in our community. 

Many thanks go to Sandy Berman, who 

loves our archives and has helped us to 

learn about and love them, too. 

Sandy Berman 

Yes, I did go to Mercer this summer, 

but I wanted to go to Emory and take a 

Spanish language course this fall. 

Both Mercer and Emory have 

numerous subjects from which to 

choose. These classes, called Senior 

University, are for people over 50. 

Emory has been doing this program for 

25 years. I am very impressed with the 

number of people who attend, and they 

are a great group. I was surprised to meet 

a gentleman who recently retired after 45 

years as the head of the theatre department 

at Duke University, in my hometown. 

Serving as president of The Breman 

has been an extraordinary honor for me. I 

want to recognize and thank the past presidents 

of our museum for their service: 

Thomas Asher, Laura Zaban Dinerman, 

Carole Goldberg, Valerie Needle, Jarvin 

Levison, and Margaret Weiller. Several others 

who are emeritus members have given 

their time, resources, wisdom, and service 

over the years. They are: Lois Blonder, 

Elinor Rosenberg Breman, Peter Fishman, 

Carol Breman Nemo, and Marlene 

Schwartz. 

Finally, I know that you join me in congratulating 

our new co-presidents, Spring 

Asher and Joyce Shlesinger. They have 

worked together in the past on many successful 

projects, including major development 

programs, and I know that they will 

bring new leadership, energy, ideas, and 

vision to our beloved museum. 

I am grateful to be a part of The 

Breman and look forward to seeing it grow. 

Adventures in Spanish 

BY 

Marice 

Katz 

I enjoyed the sessions at Mercer and 

am enjoying my Spanish class at Emory. 

At the first class, the professor was 10 

minutes late. When she arrived, everyone 

got tickled, because I called out to 

her, “Habla usted Español?” She wanted 

to know if I was Spanish. She is very 

qualified, and she told us the best way to 

learn a language is to say the words over 

and over again. 

The reason I selected Spanish is 

because, when I was in high school and 

took a year of the language, I loved it and 

had always wanted to learn more of it. 

The Hispanic population in America is 

so large, I am sure I will find it useful to 

speak Spanish. Also, I am going on a 

cruise to the Caribbean in November— 

surely I can practice there. 

It seems sort of strange to be back in 

college, but it is fun. Maybe my next 

endeavor will be learning to speak 

Hebrew. Hope so.


JSU NEWS 

OFF TO A GREAT START. The Jewish 

Student Union (JSU) started off its 4th year 

with 1,300+ members at 16 Atlanta-area 

high schools. For all of these teens, the JSU 

serves as a fun, comfortable home base, 

where they can celebrate and explore their 

Judaism. For many, the JSU represents the 

first time they’ve done anything Jewish in 

their lives; for others, it serves to reestablish 

the connection to Judaism that they’ve lost 

since their bar or bat mitzvahs. 

All JSU members, especially the club 

leaders, learn about their heritage and get 

involved at school and around the community. 

Rabbi Chaim Neiditch goes to every 

JSU club to run activities before and after 

school and during lunch hours. Rabbi 

Neiditch uses fun, hands-on activities such 

as Shofar blowing, making Hebrew name 

bracelets, challah braiding, and making 

Seder plates to introduce teens 

to Jewish holidays and traditions. The activities, 

all of which are free to attend, attract 

teens who are eager to “do something 

Jewish” with their friends. 

Extracurricular, citywide events, such 

Rivka Jacobs, president of West 

Forsyth JSU, and Rabbi Chaim 

Neiditch at the schoolʼs inaugural 

club meeting. 

After an extensive nationwide 

search, the Governance Board of the 

Marcus Jewish Community Center of 

Atlanta (MJCCA) is pleased to announce 

the appointment of Gail Luxenberg as its 

new executive director and chief executive 

officer. She will begin her new role 

December 1, 2011, replacing Howard 

Hyman, who has been the interim CEO 

for the past 15 months. Hyman will 

rejoin the MJCCA’s Governance Board 

after stepping down from his current 

position. 

Governance Board Chairman David 

Levy said, “For the last four years, the 

MJCCA has accomplished a remarkable 

turn-around, reducing its debt to an 

acceptable level and improving its operations, 

while providing more outstanding 

programming to the Atlanta Jewish 

as weekend retreats, community service 

projects, and the annual Festival of Lights 

Ball and Purim Masquerade Bash, typically 

draw upwards of 250 teens, who inevitably 

walk away with memories of having had 

exciting Jewish experiences. 

FOUR NEW CLUBS. This year, four new 

JSU clubs debuted in the greater Atlanta 

area, at Lassiter High School, Marietta (Co- 

Presidents: Alec Rush and Jake Glickman); 

Dunwoody High School, Dunwoody 

(President: Adam Rudy); West Forsyth 

High School, Cumming (President: Rivka 

Jacobs); and Milton High School, Milton 

(President: Chloe Myles). 

In just four years, the JSU has become 

the largest Jewish youth organization in the 

South. Its growth is particularly evident at 

four high schools, where a record number 

of teens signed up this year: Riverwood 

(152 members), Chattahoochee (136 members), 

Northview (131 members), and Johns 

Creek (124 members). 

A SWEET NEW YEAR. During the High 

Holiday season, over 600 teens got into the 

Jewish New Year spirit at exciting events at 

JSU clubs across Atlanta. The traditional 

dipping of an apple in honey to ensure a 

sweet New Year was taken to a whole new 

level, as teens dipped their apples into melted 

caramel and then rolled them in a vast 

array of candies. 

While the events centered on making 

these treats, Rabbi Chaim Neiditch infused 

the activities with meaning, teaching the 

teens about the deeper meaning of Rosh 

Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The concept of 

Tshuva (repentance) was discussed, with 

many teens making New Year’s resolutions 

to improve and grow spiritually. 

Community. We believe that Gail is the 

leader who will take 

our Center to an 

even higher level of 

performance we all 

want for our community. 

We look 

forward to welcoming 

her.” 

Luxenberg 

holds a bachelor of 

arts in Middle 

Eastern studies 

from the University 

of Chicago and an 

MBA in marketing 

and organizational 

behavior from the 

same institution. She brings both business 

and non-profit experience to her 

Abby and Ryan enjoy making 

caramel apples for Rosh Hashanah 

at Alpharetta High School. 

CELEBRATING SUKKOT. After a spirited 

High Holiday season, there was plenty of 

fun to be had at JSU high school clubs in 

greater Atlanta. Over 400 teens took part in 

sessions dedicated to hands-on learning 

about Sukkot, a holiday that abounds with 

many special traditions and rituals, such as 

the building of sukkahs and the shaking of 

the four species: lulav, etrog, hadas, and 

arava. 

Noah Goldstein shakes the lulav and 

etrog at Dunwoody High School. 

new position and is well-equipped to lead 

the MJCCA. Most 

recently, she served 

as executive director 

of the Jewish 

Vocational Service in 

Chicago, IL, where 

she introduced new 

programs and revitalized 

the 126-year-old 

affiliated agency of 

the Jewish 

Federation of 

Metropolitan 

Chicago. Previously, 

as executive director 

of the Midwest 

Region of American 

Friends of the Hebrew University, 

Luxenberg significantly increased the 

Each club activity revolved around a 

discussion in which participants learned 

about the meaning behind the Sukkot rituals; 

complemented by biblical sources, the 

discussions were led by Rabbi Chaim 

Neiditch. Teens then enjoyed a “sweet” arts 

and crafts educational experience, competing 

to build the best sukkah out of gingerbread, 

marshmallow fluff, and candies. 

Many of the teens followed up on these 

activities by taking the four species and 

shaking them during JSU meetings on Chol 

HaMoed Sukkot. 

Gina Karseboom and Adam Segal 

build gingerbread sukkahs at 

Riverwood High School. 

Leslie Apseloff and Rebecca 

Friedman build gingerbread sukkahs 

at Dunwoody High School. 

Gail Luxenberg takes the helm of Marcus JCC 

Gail Luxenberg 

visibility and fundraising efforts of the 

organization. Her accomplishments have 

been recognized by the Harvard Business 

School and the women’s division of the 

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 

Chicago. She looks forward to joining 

her parents and sisters in Atlanta.




Behind the scenes at The Breman 

By Janice Rothschild Blumberg 

Yes, I knew the Breman Museum was a 

huge asset to 

Atlanta and 

now to the 

e n t i r e 

Southeast. 

What I didn’t 

know until I 

signed up for 

its docent 

training program 

was the 

extent to 

which the 

museum benefits 

everyone, 

Jews and non- 

Jews, locals 

and foreigners 

from many 

countries—even military trainees from 

South America, hundreds of whom, each 

year, travel over a hundred miles from Fort 

Benning to learn about the Holocaust at The 

By David M. Rosenberg 

The office is like most 

any other you might 

encounter: a wooden desk, 

fluorescent lighting, a nice 

pen set, and a few chairs. 

The walls are adorned with 

photographs, plaques, and 

certificates. The bookshelves 

are filled with 

more of the same. One picture, 

of a fair-haired young 

man and a striking brunette 

woman, rests underneath a 

University of Georgia 

desktop lamp. “That’s one 

of my favorite pictures,” he 

will tell you with a gravelly 

voice. “She really is a 

beauty.” He always seems 

careful to refer to his 

beloved bride in the present 

tense. 

The room is ordinary. The man who 

has occupied this office for almost a half 

Breman. Their story is so awesome that it 

requires a separate issue all its own. Stay 

tuned. 

When 

the 2011 

docent training 

course 

began in 

August, a 

group of 13 

signed up, 

committing 

to 10 sessions 

of 2 

1/2 hours 

each, plus 

observation 

of at least 

six tours 

guided by 

experienced 

docents in 

both the Holocaust and the Heritage galleries, 

much reading, and a challenging test. 

When Breman Director of Education 

Lili Kshensky Baxter asked each of us our 

Breman visitors are guided by a trained docent 

Happy Chanukah 

Jewish 

THE 

Georgian 

century is anything but. If you were to ask 

Judge Aaron Cohn to provide a selfassessment, 

it would be simple and direct: 

motivation for making such a commitment, 

many replied that they wanted to express 

their gratitude for having escaped the 

Holocaust by helping educate others, so as 

to ensure that it would never be repeated. 

Some were children or grandchildren of survivors, 

some were converts to Judaism who 

sought a deeper understanding of the Jewish 

experience, and some are retired professionals 

who seek to continue serving the public. 

Aaron Cohn, Judge Emeritus 

Aaron and Janet Ann Cohn: “Thatʼs one of my favorite pictures. 

She really is a beauty.” 

Lili Kshensky Baxter 

See BREMAN, page 28 

a man who loves family, country, and 

community. Cohn represents 

the essence of greatness; and if 

you’ve ever had the good fortune 

to spend a moment with 

the man, you would know it, 

because you’ve seen it. 

Judge Aaron Cohn has 

lived an extraordinary life. 

What has made it so incredible, 

in my estimation, is that all he 

has achieved and accomplished 

was done by simply following 

his heart and doing right by 

others. 

Aaron Cohn is the son 

of immigrant parents, Sam and 

Etta Cohen, who left Russia in 

1920 in search of a better way 

of life, “materially, spiritually, 

and personally.” Sam and Etta 

raised a wonderful family and 

instilled in their children a sense 

of community, religion, charity, 

The CEO has left. 

Long live the CEO 

MEMO TO: Michael Horowitz 

Chief Executive Officer/President 

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta 

The first radio station in the South 

was located in Atlanta and selected the 

call sign WSB, an acronym that stands 

for “Welcome South, Brother.” Its name 

represents the spirit of Atlanta, and, Mr. 

Horowitz, when you drive past the station, 

which is located several blocks from 

your office, know that this greeting is 

meant for you from the entire Jewish 

community of Georgia. Just as the station 

operates on a 50,000-watt, clear-channel 

license that goes out unimpeded all over 

the country, so too does our greeting to 

you. 

The Jewish Georgian 

(On behalf of the 

Jewish community of 

Greater Atlanta) 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After an intensive nine-month 

search and vetting process, the Jewish 

Federation of Greater Atlanta selected 

Michael Horowitz of Detroit, Michigan, 

as its main man, 

its CEO and 

president. 

B o a r d 

Chair Robert 

Arogeti stated 

that, “After 

n i n e 

months of 

diligent 

search 

and hundreds 

of 

hours of 

volunteer 

Michael Horowitz 

effort, I am pleased that our Board of 

Trustees has approved the selection of a 

tremendously qualified candidate.” 

Jews have been citizens of Atlanta 

since its founding and have been active 

participants in the development of the 

embryonic town to the metropolis into 

which it has evolved. As the Jewish population 

grew, so did its communal organizations, 

which provided the necessary 

structure for the support of the religious 

See AARON COHN, page 29 See HOROWITZ, page 28



BUSINESS BITS 

By Marsha Liebowitz 

BEST AND BRIGHTEST. Michael Merlin, 

a senior vice president and family wealth 

director at the Merlin Wealth Management 

Group of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, 

has been selected for Georgia Trend magazine’s 

“40 under 40” 

list, which showcases 

young achievers 

in business, government, 

politics, education, 

and nonprofits. 

Merlin advises 

leaders, entrepreneurs, 

and generations 

of family 

wealth in Atlanta. In 

2009, he was award- 

Michael Merlin 

ed a top advisor 

award by Registered 

Rep magazine and oversees assets approximating 

$750 million. Merlin was recently 

named the Southeastern Regional board 

chair of the Anti-Defamation League 

(ADL) received ADL’s prestigious Daniel 

Ginsburg Leadership Award in March. 

FEDERATION NEWS 

Jewish Federation leads the way 

in endowment development 

For the second year in a row, Jewish 

Federation of Greater Atlanta won the 

Community Endowment Excellence 

Award presented by Jewish Federations of 

North America (JFNA). This award recognizes 

community performance measured 

by attainment of lifetime contributions and 

investment returns as a percentage of yearend 

endowment assets. 

One of the major contributing factors 

to Atlanta’s success is Create a Jewish 

Legacy (CJL), an endowment development 

program that Federation leads on behalf of 

the entire community. CJL promotes the 

message that all of us, regardless of age, 

wealth, or affiliation, have the ability to 

make a difference for future Jewish generations. 

Together, Federation and 27 partner 

organizations are building a strong, vibrant 

community, now and in the future, with 

bequests for permanent endowments. 

Steve Merlin, chair of Planned Giving 

& Endowment at Federation during the 

time period this award recognizes, attributes 

the success to “the visionary leadership 

of our professional staff and the 

enthusiastic participation of our communi- 

PARTNER. Birnbrey, Minsk, Minsk & 

Perlin LLC, 

Certified Public 

Accountants, has 

announced that 

Michael S. Aronin, 

who joined the firm 

in 2002 as a senior 

manager, has been 

named a partner of 

the firm. Atlanta 

native Aronin is a 

graduate of Georgia 

Michael S. Aronin 

Tech and received a 

masters of taxation 

from Georgia State University. He currently 

resides in Marietta with his wife, Nikki, 

and their two children, Matthew and Emily. 

The family belongs to Temple Sinai. The 

firm is located at 1801 Peachtree Street, 

N.E., Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30309; 404- 

355-3870; Fax 404-355-7371; www.bmmcpa.com. 

BMM&P has been in the practice 

of accounting and auditing since 1946. 

MAGNETIC. Refrigerators in Israel have 

recently become colorful photo galleries 

ty partners in the Create a Jewish Legacy 

program. Together, we have changed the 

culture of legacy giving in our community. 

Our success has become a model for others 

to emulate. We, as a community, are very 

proud of what has been accomplished over 

the last two years.” 

For the Jewish community, CJL has 

identified 528 future legacy gifts, worth 

approximately $75 million, from over 250 

families and trained almost 100 professional 

advisors. 

Phyllis Silverstein, vice president of 

Planned Giving & Endowment at 

Federation, says, “This award is a testament 

to the hard work and level of partnership 

achieved by our lay leadership, our 

colleagues, and professional advisors in 

the community. We are passionate about 

our work and hope to continue to serve the 

community by helping donors create a permanent 

legacy that transmits their values 

and traditions to the next generation.” 

To learn more about Create a Jewish 

Legacy, visit 

www.atlantajewishlegacy.org. 

displaying magnetized candid photos taken 

at simchas. Now, Atlanta native Andrew 

Levison and Roey Shoshan, of Israel, have 

introduced Mag-nificent, high-quality magnetized 

photographic mementos, to the 

Atlanta party scene. They have already provided 

these small treasures to guests at a 

BBYO Alumni event, birthday parties, 

sorority events, and bat mitzvahs. Unlike 

the staged photo keepsakes that require 

party guests to stand in line, Mag-nificent 

photographers take candid shots while 

guests enjoy themselves, and the magnets 

are ready within minutes. For information, 

call 404-396-6977 or visit www.mag-nificent.com. 

HOW TO PARTY. Cathy Schwartz has 

been helping Atlanta 

families with their 

simchas for 10 

years, first with 

another company 

and now with her 

own business, 

Atlanta Fever 

Entertainment. 

Cathy, along with 

emcee and business 

Cathy Schwartz 

partner Mello, has 

provided hundreds 

of Atlanta area fami- 

lies with DJs and entertainment for weddings, 

bar and bat mitzvahs, and corporate 

Federation receives $15,000 from 

Wells Fargo to help seniors age in place 

Many metro Atlanta seniors will have a 

better quality of life, thanks to a $15,000 

grant from Wells Fargo. This grant will 

help expand and strengthen the Georgia 

Naturally Occurring Retirement 

Communities (NORC) initiative, which 

helps older adults continue living at home, 

safely and with true quality of life, for as 

long as possible. The grant will focus on 

making home modifications that will make 

it easier for seniors to live at home. 

Since it began in 2003, the Georgia 

NORC initiative has helped more than 

2,435 seniors of all faiths in Atlanta and 

other parts of Georgia to lead safe, independent 

lives of quality and dignity at 

home. NORC now serves a total of five 

communities in Georgia, including four in 

metro Atlanta (one of which is self-suffi- 

and social events. Atlanta Fever 

Entertainment also gives back to the community, 

working pro bono for Camp 

Independence for The National Kidney 

Foundation, Camp Oasis for The Crohn’s 

and Colitis Foundation, DeKalb County 

Schools’ Special Needs Prom, and other 

projects. For details, visit 

www.atlantafeverent.com. 

ROSENBERG AT CAMP JUDAEA. Tom 

Rosenberg is the new executive director of 

Camp Judaea, Hendersonville, North 

Carolina. For 21 

years, Rosenberg 

has been a camp 

director at Blue Star 

Camps. He is past 

national treasurer of 

the American Camp 

Association (ACA), 

past board president 

and treasurer of 

ACA Southeastern, 

Tom Rosenberg 

and founding board 

member of the North 

Carolina Youth 

Camp Association. He holds an MBA with 

distinction from the Marshall School of 

Business, University of Southern 

California, and a BS in management from 

the AB Freeman School of Business, 

Tulane University. 

cient and not managed by the NORC partnership) 

and one in Savannah’s Ardsley 

Park neighborhood. The Georgia NORC 

initiative addresses an urgent need: according 

to the Atlanta Regional Commission, 

the number of people aged 65 and older in 

the 28-county metropolitan statistical area 

grew by 44% between 2000 and 2010. 

NORC is the result of a collaborative 

community partnership that is led by the 

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta 

(JFGA). In addition to JFGA, the NORC 

partners include but are not limited to: 

Atlanta Regional Commission; Jewish 

Family & Career Services (Atlanta); Fulton 

County Office of Aging (Atlanta); Senior 

Citizens, Inc. (Savannah); Georgia Institute 

of Technology (Atlanta); and The William 

Breman Jewish Home (Atlanta).


Breman 

From page 25 

With more than a hundred dedicated 

volunteers already in place, including 45 

experienced and committed tour guides, 

one might ask why The Breman needs so 

many more. Director of Visitor Services 

Judi Ayal answers by showing us her fastfilling 

schedule of group tours. 

More than 20,000 people visit the galleries 

each year. They come from public and 

private schools in many states, churches 

and synagogues, universities and theological 

schools, retirement communities, and 

numerous other institutions. It is not unusual 

to receive groups of fifty or more, which 

require several docents, because visitors 

must be divided into smaller groups in order 

to view the galleries effectively and hear the 

explanations. They come primarily to see 

the Holocaust gallery, which requires crucial 

background information for most visitors 

to understand what they are seeing. For 

this, The Breman provides speakers who are 

themselves survivors or children of survivors 

and thus are able to give gripping 

personal accounts of what happened in the 

Holocaust—in Spanish, if necessary, as is 

required for the soldiers from South 

America. Polish and French speakers are 

also available, if needed. 

Special traveling exhibits attract many 

visitors. Focused largely on young viewers, 

the current one, “Torn From Home: My Life 

As a Refugee,” tells the story of refugee 

children in today’s world and offers intriguing 

opportunities for interaction. The 

Breman created a local component for this 

exhibition, about Jewish children who came 

to Georgia as refugees during the 

Holocaust; it includes a wonderful video 

exploring the experience of Holocaust survivors 

Benjamin Hirsch, Henry Birnbrey, 

and others. The exhibit will be on display at 

the Breman until January 8, 2012. 

Benjamin Hirsch 

Experienced docents cherish nuggets 

of joy that emerge unexpectedly, especially 

when leading schoolchildren through the 

galleries. Longtime docent Shirley 

Brickman tells of one little boy who showed 

a determined disregard for what he was 

about to see. Attempting to befriend him, 

she learned that his mother had disapproved 

of the class field trip to the museum, and he 

was there very much against his will. 

Shirley put her arm around him and told 

him to stick close to her, assuring him that 

he would not have to say anything or do 

anything that he didn’t want to do. Soon, he 

was deeply absorbed in what the survivor 

speaker was saying. When the speaker finished, 

the child ran up to him and, taking off 

his T-shirt, asked the speaker to sign it. The 

man and the boy exchanged big hugs, and, 

when they parted, the boy said this was a 

day he would never forget. 

Students tour The Breman 

I chanced upon a happy encounter of 

my own, albeit of a very different nature. 

Arriving early one evening to shadow a tour 

as part of my docent training, I learned from 

Judi Ayal that there was already a tour in 

progress: High school students from 

Greater Atlanta Christian School, in 

Norcross, who came to see the Heritage 

exhibit about Atlanta Jewish history as 

preparation for their forthcoming production 

of Alfred Uhry’s play, Last Night of 

Ballyhoo. When I mentioned that I had 

attended Ballyhoo, she insisted upon taking 

me into the gallery to meet the students and 

give them a firsthand account of what it was 

like. “Was that really the way parents introduced 

their daughters to guys they might 

marry?” someone asked. That stunned me, 

but when I thought about it, I had to admit 

it was probably so, although we certainly 

weren’t aware of it at the time. 

Busy as the galleries are, they are only 

one aspect of the museum. Many institutions 

near and far request that The Breman 

come to them by sending a speaker to deliver 

a lecture about the Holocaust. Last year, 

volunteers willing to travel filled over 50 

such assignments, some of which were in 

town, but others as far away as Alabama. 

What you don’t see at a good museum 

is usually far greater than what you see, certainly 

more than can be displayed at any 

one time. Breman Archivist Sandra Berman 

presides over a state-of-the-art preservation 

facility, housing documents as well as arti- 

facts detailing the Jewish experience not 

only in Atlanta, but throughout Georgia and 

beyond. Spring Asher, who with Joyce 

Shlesinger co-chairs The Breman board of 

directors, tells of coming into the archives 

one day to find a Harvard professor studying 

there. The visitor told Spring that she 

had done the research there for her doctoral 

dissertation about Hebrew orphans’ homes, 

because The Breman was the best source in 

America for information on that subject. 

This is a major aspect of the museum’s 

function. It deserves an article of its own, so 

stay tuned for more information about this, 

as well as about the Spanish-speaking soldiers. 

With a treasure trove of Jewish culture 

spreading understanding 

to such a wide and 

diverse audience, The 

Breman should be on the 

tongues and support 

agenda of the entire 

Jewish community. It 

deserves our thanks and 

proud acclaim, expressed 

materially insofar as pos- 

Sandra Berman 

sible. Membership is a 

Horowitz 

From page 25 

and cultural well being of our community. 

But we have never looked only 

inward; we have harkened to our teachings 

and taken to heart the principles of 

our traditions, one of which is found in 

Pirkei Avot, “Do not separate yourself 

from the community.” 

One such agency is the Jewish 

Federation of Greater Atlanta, which has 

been a beacon and resource to the betterment 

of the needs of the population, both 

Jewish and non-Jewish. When the 

Community Chest, the predecessor to the 

United Way, was organized in Atlanta, 

The Federation of Jewish Charities, the 

predecessor to the Jewish Federation of 

Greater Atlanta, was a charter member of 

that organization. And that relationship 

between the Jewish community and the 

total community has grown even greater 

with so many of our organizations providing 

needed social and medical services 

to all of the Atlanta population, regardless 

of their social, religious, or ethnic 

background. 

The impact of any organization is 

dependent on its members and its leadership. 

Without an understanding and the 

constant guidance of dedicated people, no 

organization will flourish. Atlanta has 

been fortunate to have attracted such 

leadership, and, as Jack Halpern, chair of 

the search committee, said, “Our committee 

worked hard to ensure that the future 

of this organization would be in good 

hands, and we are confident that Michael 

will be successful in this role.” 

Horowitz brings the unique marriage 

of a successful businessman with a person 

who volunteered his time, knowledge, 

and efforts to Jewish communal 

Spring Asher and Joyce Shlesinger 

place where almost anyone can begin— 

check out The Breman’s website, www.thebreman.org, 

for more information. As a 

start, why not treat yourself and someone 

you love to an afternoon at the museum? It 

will be a Hanukkah gift that keeps on giving. 

services. He is no stranger to the 

Federation model, having served as board 

chair of the Jewish Federation of 

Metropolitan Detroit and member of its 

Executive Committee. He founded the 

Israel and Overseas Committee, chaired 

the Jewish Academy of Metropolitan 

Detroit/Jewish Community Center 

Implementation Committee, served on 

the board of the Michigan Region of the 

Anti-Defamation League, and was on the 

Executive Committee of Detroit Friends 

of Bar-Illan University. 

As Horowitz said: “My journey to 

Atlanta was unusual and unforeseen. 

Spending my entire life in the Detroit, 

Michigan, area, and being engaged extensively 

in Jewish philanthropy as a volunteer 

for most of my adult life, I never 

imagined that I would have the opportunity 

to convert a passionate avocation 

into a special and meaningful vocation as 

a leader of one of the great Jewish communities 

in America.” 

Not only do we get an exciting new 

leader, but, as an added bonus, we get his 

wife, Barbara, who is currently the Chair 

of Women’s Philanthropy for the Detroit 

Federation and will be joining her husband 

in Atlanta later this fall. They have a 

familiarity with the Atlanta area, having 

had two of their children attend Emory 

University, one of whom currently lives 

here. 

Thanks go out to Eliot Arnovitz, a 

past president of the Jewish Federation of 

Greater Atlanta, who undertook the job of 

interim CEO during the search, and who 

made sure that the JFGA continued its 

commitment to the community. Thanks 

also go out to the staff and volunteers 

who make things happen.


Aaron Cohn 

From page 25 

and duty. Their middle child, Aaron, took 

those lessons and uses them as the road map 

to guide his actions every day of his life. 

Judge Cohn is a proud citizen of 

Columbus, Georgia. As dear to his heart as 

Columbus is, I would venture to opine that 

Athens, Georgia, is equally as important. 

Cohn was a graduate of the University of 

Georgia in 1936 and received his law 

degree from Georgia in 1938. He also was a 

member and captain of the university tennis 

team. A great athlete and scholar, Cohn was 

the embodiment of what the University of 

Georgia continues to symbolize today. 

Aaron Cohn enlisted in the United 

States Army and was stationed at Camp 

Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. The Army was 

determined, due to his education, to send 

Aaron into the JAG corps. But Cohn had 

other ideas and was insistent about being a 

member of a fighting unit. An accomplished 

horseman, Cohn became a member of the 

3rd Cavalry. He was at the Battle of the 

Bulge and was instrumental in the eventual 

liberation of one of the most diabolical Nazi 

concentration camps, in Ebensee, Austria. 

Cohn reached the rank of colonel and, 

upon returning to the practice of law in 

Columbus, continued to serve in the 

Reserves. He was a practicing attorney in 

Columbus until 1965, when he began his 

service as a juvenile and family court judge. 

Realizing that he could not give his 

optimum attention to the justice system and 

the Army, Cohn chose to focus his efforts 

on those he felt needed his assistance 

most—children. For almost 50 years, Cohn 

exercised his sense of justice, discipline, 

The judge and his court—his children: 

(front) Judge Cohn and Leslie 

Cohn; (back) Gail Cohn and Jane 

Kulbersh 

and compassion. In addition to discipline, 

he sought to instill pride and self-respect in 

those who had drifted off course. With all of 

the awards and accolades bestowed upon 

Aaron Cohn, one might be surprised by 

what he finds to be his greatest reward. “I 

love going out to lunch or to dinner and 

having someone approach me that I do not 

necessarily recognize,” he says with a 

smile. “Then they will say, ‘Hey Judge 

Cohn, you remember me? I came before 

you in court, and you told me I needed to 

straighten up and do right, or you’d have to 

send me out to the ranch. I can’t thank you 

enough for pointing me in the right direction.’” 

Judge Aaron Cohn, surrounded by family, 

friends, and colleagues, stepped down 

after 46 years of service to the juvenile justice 

system and retired as the oldest and 

longest-presiding juvenile court judge in the 

United States. A retirement ceremony was 

held for Judge Cohn on September 27, 

Edelstein was a lifelong leader 

BY 

Gene 

Asher 

Asher Leon Edelstein, one of the 

greatest basketball players old Atlanta 

Boys’ High School ever had and one of 

the first Jewish boys to receive a basketball 

grant-in-aid to attend Georgia Tech, 

is the subject of The Book of Asher, by 

Sonia Usatch-Kuhn of Fuguay-Varina, 

outside Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Although he grew up in Atlanta, 

Asher lived most of his life in Raleigh, 

where he was a star salesman for DeWitt 

Chemical Company and Zep 

Manufacturing Company. 

But Usatch-Kuhn writes that he was 

more than an athlete and star sales rep— 

he was the pillar of the Jewish community, 

a role model for all human beings, and 

an avid amateur golfer. She writes, “He 

was the most fun-loving, outrageously 

funny, over-indulgent grandparent any 

kid could hope for.” 

Asher was a vital part of Beth Meyer 

Synagogue, where he was involved in 

many facets of congregational life, 

including serving as president and, for 

more than twenty years, a tutor at the 

religious school. Usatch-Kuhn writes, 

“Asher was a mentor as well as a mensch.” 

In her book, 67 people share their 

stories, telling of the influence Asher had 

on their lives and how much they loved 

and appreciated him. 

Asher died in May of 2010. 

Although he was the first “Dead 

Eye” Edelstein, Asher had a brother, 

Ben, also known as “Dead Eye.” On the 

basketball courts, both Edelsteins would 

look in one direction and shoot in another 

direction. They seldom missed. 

I had the pleasure of seeing both 

Edelsteins play high school basketball— 

Asher in the late ‘30s and Ben in the 

‘40s. I haven’t seen a more accurate 

shooter since. 

The judge and his jury—his grandchildren: 

(front) Seth Cohn, Judge 

Cohn, and Leslie Lipson; (back) Al 

Cohn, David Rosenberg, Howie 

Rosenberg, and Eliot Rosenberg 

2011, at the Columbus Convention Center. 

Not one for much fanfare, Cohn thanked the 

crowd for their participation and kind 

words. When it was over, he quietly 

announced he had to get back to work. 

Judge Aaron Cohn can still be found at 

the Government Center or speaking to 

young military troops at Fort Benning or 

addressing police and sheriff’s officers or 

spending time at the National Infantry 

Museum. At 95 years young, Cohn still considers 

his 69-year marriage to Janet Ann 

Cohn to be one of his greatest accomplishments. 

He freely admits that nothing he has 

done over the last 70+ years would have 

been possible without the love and support 

of his family. 

The Honorable Judge Julia 

Lumpkin, president of the 

Columbus Bar Association, and 

Judge Cohn confer on a major legal 

matter: How does he stay so active? 

So, as Judge Cohn sits back in his 

recliner, wearing his grey shirt with the 

word “ARMY” across the chest, watching 

his beloved Bulldogs for another football 

season, I can only sit and watch him in awe. 

In awe of the man he is, in awe of the sacrifices 

he’s made, in awe of all his good 

deeds, in awe of his greatness, in awe of his 

humility, and in awe of the fact that I am 

blessed to call him my grandfather. 

“A hundred years from now, it will not 

matter what kind of car I drove, what kind 

of house I lived in, how much money I had 

in the bank…but the world may be a better 

place because I made a difference in the life 

of a child.”— Forest Witcraft (on the desk 

of Judge Aaron Cohn)


An inspirational and innovative bat mitzvah 

By David Geffen 

This article is dedicated to our cousins Bev 

and Marc Lewyn on this milestone in their 

lives. 

A delightful, bright young Atlantan 

who is funny, kind, a budding writer, and 

most enthusiastic about her Judaism, transformed 

the local scene in a most unusual 

way for the Sukkot holiday this year. 

It all began during the early part of 

September. Sarah Bena Lewyn, the daughter 

of Bev and Marc Lewyn, sent invitations 

to family and friends in Atlanta, other North 

American cities, and Israel, asking them to 

attend her bat mitzvah, to be held during 

Sukkot. However, the invitation Sarah 

designed was unlike one most people had 

ever seen. 

Sarah Lewyn at the entrance of the 

Lewyn family Sukkah the night of her 

bat mitzvah celebration (photo: 

Barry J Taratoot Photography) 

The Lewyn family Sukkah on the 

night of Sarahʼs bat mitzvah celebration 

(photo: Barry J Taratoot 

Photography) 

She wrote: “I wondered if you might 

consider doing something for me instead of 

giving me a present. Every bar or bat mitzvah 

child studies and learns. I am doing the 

same, but I’d rather my bat mitzvah be 

about more than just me.” 

Then Sarah let her invitees know what 

she would like from each of them. “What 

I’d really love is if my bat mitzvah could be 

motivation for all of you to learn and be 

inspired too. That way my bat mitzvah 

could make a difference in your life and not 

just in mine.” Now Sarah’s big question: 

“Would you please consider learning something 

or taking on a new mitzvah instead of 

buying me a present?” 

Several years ago, in the book 

Becoming a Bat Mitzvah: A Treasury of 

Stories by Arnine Cumsky Weiss, of 

Scranton, Pennsylvania, the foreword suggested 

how diverse the possibilities for this 

Jewish milestone event can be. 

A noted educator, Cheryl Magen, wrote 

the following: “Judaism sees the emergence 

of a young woman as cause for celebration 

and ceremony and calls it Bat Mitzvah. 

Because Bat Mitzvah is a relatively modern 

addition to Jewish ritual observance, it has 

no specific religious guidelines, and each 

family and daughter can create something 

new and different to mark acceptance into 

Jewish adulthood.” 

This additional point by Magen focuses 

on what appears to have inspired Sarah 

and her family. “Bat Mitzvah is a time for 

each family to dedicate itself to continued 

Jewish education and involvement.... The 

Bat Mitzvah herself will now be ready to 

embark on a lifelong journey of Judaism 

that is rich in tradition, by continual learning 

and by participating in meaningful projects 

for her synagogue and her community.” 

Clearly, it was this spirit of bat mitzvah that 

animated Sarah in her recent celebration. 

Professor Jonathan Sarna, preeminent 

American Jewish historian, added this comment 

when he heard about the contents of 

Sarah’s bat mitzvah invitation. “I have not 

seen a request for Jewish commitment in a 

Bat Mitzvah invitation. Hope the idea 

catches fire!” 

From where did this idea of asking people 

to study, to be active Jewishly in place 

of gift giving, emanate? First and foremost, 

this concept developed out of conversations 

that Sarah had with her spiritual leader, 

Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Beth Jacob. Then 

Sarah worked very closely with her tutor, 

Debra Shaffer Seeman. She also received 

great support from her parents, Bev and 

Marc Lewyn, and her three sisters. Her four 

grandparents, Resanne and Dr. Earl 

Saltzman, of Houston, Texas, and Esther 

and Bert Lewyn, of Atlanta, played a role, 

as did her teachers at The Greenfield 

Hebrew Academy. I think that there is a little 

more here that winds its way into Sarah’s 

roots. She may not have been totally aware 

of it, but it has existed in her spiritual 

metabolism for almost two hundred years. 

Sarah’s great great grandmother Gitel 

Rabinowitz had ten children. One was 

Batya Levin, the grandmother of Sarah’s 

Atlanta grandfather, Bert Lewyn. Because I 

am in this mix as well, I know that Sarah’s 

great grandmother Batya was an extraordi- 

nary woman in Kovno, Lithuania, with a 

thorough knowledge of Yiddishkeit and 

with a great love for Jewish law matching 

that of her husband, David Levin. Both 

were killed in the Holocaust. The Atlanta 

Jewish community welcomed another of 

Gitel’s daughters, Sarah Hene Geffen, 100 

years ago. She left an amazing record here 

of teaching, leading, and caring along with 

her husband, Rabbi Tobias Geffen. Sarah 

Lewyn is named after three people; one of 

them is her ancestor, Sarah Hene Geffen. 

Gitel Rabinowitz on the porch of 

Rabbi and Mrs. Geffenʼs home on 

Hunter Street, early 1920s. A very 

independent woman, she traveled 

between the United States and 

Kovno, Lithuania, from 1895-1914. 

(from Geffen Collection, MARBL- 

Woodruff Library, Emory University) 

So for Sarah just to breathe means that 

the oxygen that animates her—and for those 

who know her, she is very animated—is 

filled with the excitement of the present, but 

also contains Jewish wonders of her past. 

Hence, we realize that when Sarah offered 

some ideas to take the place of a gift, it 

meant a great deal to her. Following are a 

few of the suggestions from her invitation. 

“You could read a Jewish book.” Sarah 

offered to send a list of her family’s favorite 

Jewish books and then said, “I’d love to 

know your favorites too.” 

“You could bring something Jewish 

into part of your life where it might not be 

now.” Sarah explained that you could make 

a Jewish website, such as Aish.com or 

Chabad.com, your home page. By doing 

that, she noted you might come across articles 

that previously you would have missed. 

Sarah offered varied possibilities: “You 

could take on a mitzvah or a Jewish activity, 

even one that takes only a few minutes a 

week...calling two of your family members 

or friends on Friday afternoon and wishing 

them a Good Shabbas or Shabbat Shalom; 

lighting Shabbas candles on Friday night or 

saying the blessings before you eat; reading 

a Jewish bedtime story to your child on 

Friday night instead of reading another kind 

of book; saying the Shema when you go to 

bed at night or saying Modeh Ani when you 

wake up in the morning so you will feel 

grateful to Hashem that you woke up for 

another day.” Additional suggestions 

included “putting change in the tzedakah 

box” and “not participating in gossip.” 

Yes, Sarah provided all her guests, 

young and old, with inspirational challenges, 

but challenges that could add a new 

dimension to their lives. 

The responses to Sarah’s unusual invitation 

have been quite fascinating: “ I will 

go to shul more often.” “I will say Shema 

twice a day.” “I will put change in a 

tzedakah box every evening.” “I will discuss 

the weekly Torah parsha at the 

Shabbos table every week.” Another person 

wrote that he would call his grandparents 

every Friday to wish them a good Shabbas 

and to catch up on the week. In the Atlanta 

community, there are “Don’t Complain” 

bracelets circulated by the Jewish Women’s 

Renaissance Project, so one individual 

wrote, “I will wear one of these bracelets in 

your honor Sarah.” A lovely thought stated, 

“I will invite to my Shabbos table people 

whom I haven’t before—the lonely, the single, 

the forgotten.” 

There were some with a personal ring. 

“I was very moved by your Bat Mitzvah 

invitation. I have decided to read the book 

your grandfather and mother wrote, On the 

Run in Nazi Berlin.” Another said, “I began 

reading the book entitled, To Begin Again, 

written by the first female rabbi ordained in 

California.” Another wrote, “I will be volunteering 

at Project Open Hand.” 

The following was most meaningful: “I 

just wanted you to know, Sarah, that your 

Bat Mitzvah letter has had a huge impact on 

me already. I carefully read your suggestions 

and decided I would take on one that 

was personally very challenging. I decided 

that I would try to stop myself from participating 

in gossip. Sarah, it is amazing how 

many times a day I think of you and your 

Bat Mitzvah wish, as I am confronted with 

the possibility of sharing or engaging in 

gossip. While I have always enjoyed entertaining 

friends with stories, gossip is not the 

way to fulfill that objective. You have had 

such a positive impact on my life, and I 

hope your wish will continue to make me 

grow as a person.” 

Cheryl Magen, cited earlier, has also 

written: “Becoming Bat Mitzvah is a bold 

statement of a young woman’s individual 

commitment to God and the commandments...it 

is a religious transition that will 

hopefully inspire her to pursue a life filled 

with Jewish learning.... Each Bat Mitzvah 

can have her own specially crafted entrance 

into Jewish adulthood.” That is what Sarah 

achieved in the meaningful bat mitzvah that 

she fashioned with the advice and guidance 

of her rabbi, her tutor, family, and teachers. 

Some of the Jewish DNA that Sarah 

was born with can be traced in Atlanta itself 

beginning 100 years ago. When Rabbi 

Tobias Geffen became the spiritual leader 

of Shearith Israel in 1911, he recognized the 

need for proper Jewish education for the 

young people of his congregation. A book 

he used for instruction in those early years 

in Atlanta was the Magil Linear Siddur,


printed in Philadelphia in 1906. On each 

page of the siddur, columns of Hebrew 

prayers are side-by-side with columns of 

English translation. In the opening section 

of the siddur are three pictures of a young 

man putting on tefillin in the U.S.A. in the 

early twentieth century. 

A young man learns how to put on 

tefillin (from the Joseph Magil 

Siddur, Philadelphia, 1906, collection 

of David Geffen) 

Via his determination in the years before 

World War I, he put together a school that not 

only trained young men for bar mitzvah, but 

twelve of his students went on to become rabbis 

in the United States. One question was 

always raised: What about the girls? 

The rabbi did teach his own daughters, 

and those basic patterns of Judaism he imparted 

to them have replicated themselves in the 

family, in successive generations in the United 

States and Israel. However, his wife, Sarah 

Hene, is to be thanked for not letting her husband 

skip over the girls. Initially, she had sessions 

for congregational women via the sisterhood 

she created. 

Rabbi Tobias and Sarah Hene Geffen 

celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, 

1948 

My cousin, Jane Wilensky Ravid, has 

written about her grandmother: “In 1916, the 

Rebbetzin Geffen invited her friends and 

neighbors to her home on Hunter Street for the 

first meeting of the Ladies Society of 

Congregation Shearith Israel. Dues of $1.20 

were collected, and from these proceeds, the 

Ladies Society maintained an independent 

mikveh for the entire Jewish community and 

saw to it that needy Jewish families received 

help in a quite genteel fashion. She was the 

first president and then worked with subsequent 

leaders from the Zimmerman, Auerbach, 

and Goncher families.” 

Mrs. Geffen believed deeply in education 

of all types, as those who remember her will 

recall. Ultimately, in the ‘20s, Shearith Israel, 

with the encouragement of both the rabbi and 

Sarah Hene, developed a wide-ranging 

Hebrew school led by the rabbi’s son, Samuel 

Geffen, in which boys and girls received a 

solid Jewish education. In fact, Sarah’s grandmother 

Esther Sloan Lewyn was a student at 

that school. 

Sarah’s bat mitzvah, especially during the 

holiday of Sukkot, was an important statement 

for her, but through the requests listed in her 

invitation, she inspired many people to add a 

new dimension to their Judaism. 

When the guests attended Sarah’s bat 

mitzvah, Saturday night, Chol HaMoed 

Sukkot, October 15, in her family’s Sukkah, 

each received a booklet prepared by Sarah. 

“You are about to enter the world of Sukkot— 

Sarah style,” she wrote. Along with a printout 

of the responses to her request for Jewish commitment, 

Sarah shared words of Torah based 

on her studies of sources in the Torah, Mishna, 

Halacha, and Jewish philosophy, along with 

Sukkot stories that she had written for her simcha. 

Booklets created by Sarah Bena Lewyn 

(photo: Barry J Taratoot Photography) 

The excitement and charm of Sarah’s 

tales took us to the desert to experience the 

first Sukkot. Then, the kindness of a loving 

family to an orphan provided us a literary 

vehicle to learn about another aspect of the 

holiday. In the third tale, Sarah focused on a 

boy who finds that Sukkot has a “split identity 

similar to a double agent.” The final story provides 

a symbolic “holiday lift,” as we learn 

why it is permissible to build one sukkah on 

top of another, “two-tiered” as Sarah wrote. 

The final question we might ask, as have 

all of us who are survivors in one way or 

another of the terrible Holocaust of the ‘30s 

and ‘40s: Why are we here? In Sarah’s case, 

the answer has become somewhat clearer 

since her Jerusalem cousin, Professor Dov 

Levin, discovered a letter from his grandfather, 

Sarah’s great-grandfather David Levin, to 

Rabbi Tobias Geffen in Atlanta, in 1914. Levin 

was concerned about two sons, one living in 

Lodz, Poland, the other in Berlin. The Berlin 

son, Leopold, was Sarah’s great-grandfather. 

The two men, one in Atlanta and the other in 

Kovno, knew that the only person who could 

help was Gitel Rabinowitz, their mother-in- 

law. We are not privy as to what she did, but 

she saved both of her grandsons during World 

War I. 

The other two participants in Sarah’s historical 

being were Sarah Hene and Rabbi 

Geffen. From 1936, they tried to get Leopold, 

his wife, Johanna Wolf, and their son, Bert, out 

of Berlin. Sadly, they did not succeed in saving 

the parents. However, in 1949, when his 

great uncle and aunt here in Atlanta located 

Bert in a displaced persons camp in Germany, 

they acted as his sponsor so he could become 

a resident of Atlanta. Bert married Esther 

Sloan, and they have created a family, of 

which Sarah is a vibrant part. 

As she became bat mitzvah, Sarah carried 

with her the blessing of her ancestors. “Sarah, 

your caring heart is like the etrog, you stand 

straight and tall like the lulav, you see deeply 

with eyes symbolized by the hadasim, and 

your words found in the aravot are a pleasure 

to our ears. May God bless you in all the years 

to come.” 

The Lewyn family: Marc, Bev, 

Alexandra, Sarah, Rachel, and 

Rebecca, front (photo: Barry J 

Taratoot Photography) 

Atlanta grandparents, Bert and Esther 

Lewyn with Sarah Lewyn, center 

(photo: Barry J Taratoot Photography) 

Houston grandparents, Resanne and 

Earl Saltzman with Sarah Lewyn, center 

(photo: Barry J Taratoot 

Photography)


By Belle Klavonsky 

MASTERING MATH. Torah Day School 

of Atlanta 3rd-grade girls received their 

new GO Math! books from their teacher, 

Mrs. Bev Bolnick. The curriculum associated 

with these new books is designed to help 

students achieve fluency, speed, and confidence 

with grade-level concepts. 

OF DICE AND DEER. At TDSA, 6th-grade 

science students, under the direction of Ms. 

Christine Hippeli, are using dice to simulate 

changing deer populations under varying 

environments. The results vary depending 

on whether there are no predators and the 

deer have enough resources, which results 

in a growing population, or resources are 

limited, which results in the death of portions 

of the deer population. 

MAKING MAPS. The 6th-grade boys 

intently focus on a project creating maps 

with Mrs. Rhoda Gleicher, TDSA’s middle 

school social studies teacher. 

DEAR READERS. At TDSA, 1st-grade 

students enjoy DEAR (Drop Everything 

and Read) time. There is no doubt this 1stgrade 

student enjoys reading. 

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD. The 7thgrade 

TDSA boys performed an exciting 

and engaging science experiment. 

HOW DOES THEIR GARDEN GROW? 

Dr. Alan Feingold and his after-school science 

class harvested cherry tomatoes, eggplant, 

and okra pods for seeds, as well as a 

variety of herbs in the TDSA Garden. 

LETTERS OF APPRECIATION. Davis 

Academy students in every grade—from 

Mechina: Kindergarten Prep to 8th grade— 

made over 500 Thanksgiving greeting cards 

that will be sent to U.S. soldiers overseas. 

The effort was coordinated as part of a project 

of radio station Q100 (The Bert Show), 

which is collecting 400,000 holiday cards 

for troops. Pictured: (from left) Stuart 

Cohen, 2nd grade; Ariella Lewis, Mechina; 

Margo Kaye, 2nd grade; and Ryan Gold, 

5th grade 

CHAMPIONS. For the fourth time in six 

years, The Davis Academy Cross Country 

boys took first, making the Davis Lions 

back-to-back-to-back MAAC Champions, 

in what was one of the hardest-fought competitions 

in recent memory. And for the 

sixth year straight, Davis girls took second 

place—no small feat considering the tough 

competition. Two Davis boys and two 

Davis girls placed in the top ten individually. 

Pictured: (from left) 6th-graders Hannah 

Ripans, Sophia Charanis, Tallia Spitzler, 

and Mollie Schwarz. 

M(APP) IT! Technology at Davis is just one 

other way to learn important skills and 

expand knowledge. Davis 1st-grade students 

Jessica Lewis and Reese Baker (pictured) 

use touch-pad technology to explore 

maps. On this particular day, their entire 

class rotated among app stations that 

involved science, language arts, Judaics, 

and geography. Each group spent 10 minutes 

at each station and had a blast learning 

how to create words, rotate gears, match 

Judaic symbols, and explore maps. 

MEETING A NOBEL LAUREATE. On 

October 4, a group of Davis Academy 

Middle School students had a rare opportunity 

to meet with a Nobel Laureate, Israeli 

biochemist Aaron Ciechanover (pictured, 

on left) at Georgia Tech. The Davis students 

asked great questions, including some in 

Hebrew. Afterward, they toured labs and 

tried out prototypes of some amazing technology. 

BACK TO NATURE. Davis Academy 3rdgraders 

enjoyed a beautiful fall day on a 

field trip to the Chattachoochee Nature 

Center, where they learned about local ecology 

and animals. Pictured: (from left) 

Nicholas West, Derek Coffsky, and Will 

Hopkins get to know a corn snake. 

A CLOSER LOOK. Mastering fundamental 

scientific skills, Davis Academy 4thgraders 

spent a lab learning all about microscopes, 

including how to use one and knowing 

its parts. Pictured: Gabi Lewis (left) and 

Rachel Wolchok have made a drawing indicating 

all the parts of a microscope and prepare 

to view slides. 

EPSTEIN KNESSET. The Epstein Middle 

School had its annual elections, in which


students voted to form the 2011-2012 

Knesset. This year’s middle school governing 

body is a responsible and talented group 

of individuals who will be involved in 

organizing and implementing student 

fundraising efforts. Pictured: (from left, 

back row) Ilene Tuck, 7th-grade vice president; 

Melanie Gelernter, administrative secretary; 

Gregory Fish, 8th-grade vice president; 

Abby Blum, president; and Jake 

Bardack, recording secretary; (front row) 

Sloan Wyatt, public relations; Avi 

Botwinick, treasurer; and Robyn Salzberg, 

6th-grade vice president 

EPSTEIN ALUMNUS GETS SOLO AT 

HARVARD. Alex Miller (pictured), Epstein 

Class of ’07 and currently a student at 

Harvard University, was recently inducted 

into the Harvard Din & Tonics, an a cappella 

group established in 1979. Alex also successfully 

auditioned for a solo part. He 

credits his years performing in musicals and 

Shiriyah at Epstein with helping him 

achieve this honor. 

EPSTEIN FEATURED IN GUIDEBOOK. 

The Epstein School is featured as one of the 

“Best Private Schools on the Planet,” in the 

Sandy Springs/Perimeter Guidebook, a forward 

thinking resource guide that is distributed 

to residents, businesses, and governmental 

agencies. This magazine-style guide 

is sponsored by the Sandy Springs 

Perimeter Chamber of Commerce and 

showcases the best that Sandy Springs has 

to offer. The article mentions the high caliber 

of Epstein students, the unparalleled 

bilingual education, and the school’s 2011 

Duke TIP Qualifiers, Technology State 

Champions, and MAAC League 

Champions. Four Epstein students placed in 

the top three at the State Level Competition 

of the 2011 Georgia Educational 

Technology Fair. Pictured: (from left) Sarah 

Peljovich, Jack Schneider, Olivia Fox, and 

Yoel Alperin. 

2012 TORAH. This year, The Epstein 

School is celebrating a yearlong project, the 

2012 Torah, in which students will receive 

a new Torah for the school, fulfill a mitzvah, 

and learn how and why a Torah is written. 

At the school’s recent Torah Talk and 

Technology Tours, grandparents met and 

viewed samples from Rabbi Mordechai 

Danneman (pictured), the Sofer who is 

writing the 2012 Torah. They also saw the 

21st-century learning environment in the 

school’s computer labs. Jacqueline Granath, 

who has five grandchildren at Epstein, was 

impressed with Rabbi Danneman’s Torah 

discussion and scribe demonstration. 

STUDENT SUMMIT. On September 20, 

Greenfield Hebrew Academy hosted a student 

AIPAC summit. GHA, Weber, Torah 

Day School of Atlanta, Davis, Yeshiva 

Atlanta, and Epstein each sent five delegates 

to the summit, which also included 

representatives from AIPAC and the Day 

School Council. Political consultant and 

GHA Class of 1983 Alumnus George 

Birnbaum started the program with a presentation 

on the U.N. resolution; then, each 

school prepared a presentation on his discussion. 

These presentations reflected a 

solid understanding of the main issue at 

stake: resolutions in the U.N. don’t take into 

account Israel’s safety concerns; only negotiations 

do. Pictured: GHA students prepare 

their presentation with Rabbi Buckman 

(left) 

SHOFAR FACTORY. On September 14, 

GHA parents and students crafted their own 

Shofars for Rosh Hashanah. According to 

Jewish history, the sound of a Shofar 

accompanied G-d’s giving of the Torah to 

the ancient Hebrews at the foot of Mount 

Sinai. Jewish tradition states that the 

Messianic Era will be ushered in with the 

sounding of the great Shofar. Shofar 

Factory visitors (pictured) learned what criteria 

an animal’s horn must meet in order to 

qualify as a genuine Shofar. Then they 

sawed, drilled, sanded, shellacked, and polished 

their own Shofars and learned how to 

sound the traditional notes. 

YAD B’YAD CELEBRATION. GHA’s 7thgrade 

class had its first Yad B’Yad 

Celebration, on October 26. Yad B’Yad 

(“hand in hand”) is a group of students who 

have recently celebrated bar or bat mitzvahs. 

In lieu of gifts to each other, these students 

(pictured) donate to various charities, 

which they select after conducting research 

and presenting information to the entire 

group. After this year’s donations, Yad 

B’Yad will have given approximately 

$132,000 in its 13 years of existence. This 

program gives students an opportunity to 

choose an organization that is close to their 

hearts. 

PRAYING FOR GILAD. GHA was privileged 

to be part of a worldwide congregation 

that prayed for the well being and 

release of Gilad Shalit. The assembled 

group (pictured) was a unique Tzibur (gathering) 

consisting of 80 schools of various 

denominations from across the U.S. and 

Canada, a school in Argentina, a group in 

the Netherlands, and Yeshivot and seminaries 

in Israel. The teleconferenced service 

included tehillim (psalms), comments from 

Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of 

London and Elie Wiesel, and appreciation 

expressed by Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father. 

THIS I BELIEVE. Weber sophomore Josh 

Cohen (pictured), had his freshman “This I 

Believe” essay chosen for publication on 

the “This I Believe” website. Founded in 

2004, “This I Believe” is an international 

organization that encourages and inspires 

youths and adults worldwide to write and 

share essays describing their core values. 

Under the direction of English teacher Sam 

Bradford, Josh’s essay was chosen from 

thousands submitted for publication. Many 

AP Literature teachers use “This I Believe” 

in tandem with college essay writing, so it 

is possible that Josh’s essay may be used in 

these classes as an example. 

FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP. Fall brought 

another impressive athletic season for the 

Weber Rams. Boys Soccer was the region 

runner-up and state semi-finalist for the 

second year in a row. Varsity Volleyball was 

region champion for the second year in a 

row, and senior Allison Fuhrman (pictured) 

was selected as a state GISA all-star and 

competed in South Carolina against a team 

of SC all-stars; JV Volleyball posted its best 

record in school history. The Cross Country 

Boys team placed third in the region, qualifying 

for state, while the Girls team was the 

region runner up and also qualified for 

state. 

NATIONAL MERIT SEMI-FINALIST. 

Weber senior David Nelwan (pictured) has 

qualified to enter the 2012 National Merit 

Scholarship Program and receive semifinalist 

recognition. As a semifinalist, David has 

the opportunity to continue in the program 

and compete for National Merit 

Scholarships worth more than $36 million. 

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents 

less than one percent of U.S. high 

school seniors. To ensure that academically 

talented young people from all parts of the 

United States are included in this talent 

pool, semifinalists are designated on a state 

representational basis and are the highestscoring 

entrants in each state.


My beautiful tapestry 

BY 

By Jonathan Barach 

Balfoura Friend 

Levine 

L e t 

me tell you 

about my beautiful 

tapestry...at least as I visualize 

this magnificent work of art that no one can 

see or feel, not even I. 

When I was born in Shanghai, China, I 

was given a blank piece of canvas and two 

colored threads—one of my mother’s and 

the other of my father’s. My mother’s was 

probably a pale lilac silk, much like the 

color of her favorite flower, the pansy, and 

probably smelling like her best perfume, 

Miguet (Lily of the Valley), shpritzed on 

the handkerchief tucked into her bosom. 

Papa’s thread was probably of a coarse 

worsted wool, such as his suits were made 

from and which I used to say were so itchy 

when I sat on his lap. 

There were probably a few stitches 

there already, but faded soon after, of my 

grandparents who died in Russia when I 

COMPANY J DEBUTS. Company J 

kicks off its inaugural season with The 

Producers, December 8-18, directed by 

Producing Artistic Director Brian 

Kimmel. Tickets are $12-$28. Housed in 

the Morris & Rae Frank Theatre at the 

Marcus Jewish Community Center of 

Atlanta (MJCCA), this new company 

will feature theatrical offerings for audiences 

of all ages and provide a nurturing 

was a baby, and none of whom I met. 

Very soon, there were more and different 

threads, of 

other colors, 

entering my 

tapestry. My 

childhood friends: 

little timid stitches 

of our rabbi 

and rebbitzen 

neighbors’ two 

daughters, both overshadowed 

by their parents’ larger and 

stronger communal status; 

there was my friend Dora, her 

vibrant colored thread just moving like the 

tornado she was, and how steadily her 

stitches plowed their way over the decades 

throughout my tapestry; my other friend, 

Marge, with whom we played in the park as 

kiddies—her vibrant color, probably a 

bright red, such as the Spaniard she was, 

has danced in and out of the canvas for the 

past sixty-plus years as well. A bright velvet 

thread like that of my darling Anita’s sang 

its way into the brocade, only to be cut 

short, just like her life, in the midst of so 

many other bright hues. And those lovely 

threads of my parents, after almost half a 

century of my life’s tapestry—these, too, 

were cut short. 

Thought You’d Like To Know 

environment for theater artists to train 

and develop their creative potential. For 

details, visit www.atlantajcc.org/companyj. 

Single tickets and 2011-2012 season 

subscriptions are on sale now. Discounts 

are available for students, seniors, 

groups, and MJCCA members. To purchase 

tickets, call 678-812-4002, or visit 

www.atlantajcc.org. 

BIDDING FOR GOOD. The Amit 

Program’s online auction, Bidding for 

Life in the United States, in 1947, really 

added a host of new colors, those of new 

friends and classmates at the University of 

Georgia...and even now, most of these 

threads keep resurfacing in my tapestry, as 

I see alumni at the Ahavath Achim 

Synagogue, at the Marcus Jewish 

Community Center of Atlanta. In fact, I 

find more threads from fellow members of 

Hadassah, ORT, B’nai B’rith, City of Hope, 

and most recently, the newest batch of 

vibrant and interesting colors of my 

Russian immigrants. 

In the meantime, more lovely threads 

came into the tapestry...my husband Hans 

Mayer and our children, Sandy, Ronnie, 

and Laurie, all wove their enchanting 

threads into my now expanding tapestry. 

(And I now adore the bright colors of my 

grandchildren, Erica, Scott, and Tommy.) 

Of course, there are lots of new threads of 

my new friends and neighbors from 

Hawkinsville, Georgia, where we lived. 

Many years ago, Hans’ thread was cut 

short in the prime of his life, and later, 

when I married Bernie Dudman, his and his 

children’s colored threads enhanced the 

vivid patterns of the tapestry. Soon Bernie’s 

enchanting and bright strokes were cut 

short as well. And fifteen years ago, Nate 

Levine brought his light and bold colors 

into my artwork, when his and his family’s 

brightly colored threads entered my tapestry, 

too. Recently, his majestic stitches 

came to an abrupt halt and disappeared 

Good, is November 30-December 11. For 

details, visit amitatlanta.org, or contact 

Karen Paz at 404-961-9963 or 

kpaz@amitatlanta.org. 

CAFE EUROPA. Café Europa is a 

monthly social gathering for Holocaust 

survivors, organized by Jewish Family & 

Career Services (JF&CS) and funded by 

The Conference on Jewish Material 

Claims Against Germany. The next Café 

Europa is December 5, 11:00 a.m., at 

Congregation Beth Jacob. This is the 

group’s 3rd annual Chanukah celebration; 

it will also include members of the 

JF&CS Café Vstrecha group, for Russian 

survivors. The 4th-grade choir at The 

Epstein School will perform. For more 

information about Café Europa or 

JF&CS Holocaust Survivor Services, 

contact Amy E. Neuman at 770-677- 

9382 or aneuman@jfcs-atlanta.org. 

HANUKAH BAZAAR. Or VeShalom’s 

36th Annual Hanukah Bazaar is 

December 11, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. The 

day features Mediterranean cuisine, 

including hand-made delicacies and pastries 

packaged to go; handcrafted jewelry, 

pottery, art, gifts, and Judaica; face 

painting and an outdoor moonwalk; gently 

used books; and, new this year, a 

from my brocade as well. 

Every two years, we hold an Old China 

Hands reunion—those of us born and raised 

in China. Over a thousand people come 

from all over the world, all joyously hugging, 

kissing, and reminiscing about old 

times, of our Camelot that is no more. Well, 

my tapestry really comes alive then...all the 

tiny stitches that entered my canvas when I 

was a child in Shanghai, and most of which 

have been unseen for almost half a century, 

suddenly come to life in a burst of color, in 

bright patterns, exquisite lights and marvelous 

textures, then fade back into the tapestry. 

In another two years, all the stitches 

will dance their way across the canvas 

again. 

I am in the last quarter of my work of 

art, and the canvas is full of stitches of 

every kind, inching their way across my 

magnificent brocade. Sometimes I lose a 

thread or two, but I pray to the Almighty to 

keep filling my tapestry with threads of 

family and friends to the end of my days. 

If I happen to be in your tapestry, I 

hope I have a steady, bright little thread, 

just weaving in and out of your individual 

and very beautiful work of art. Why don’t 

you sit back some time and imagine your 

very own tapestry of life. Think of all the 

brilliant threads that represent all the very 

special people in your life. You will be truly 

amazed. 

God bless America. 

silent auction. Come for lunch and stay 

for dinner featuring kosher Sephardic 

cuisine. Congregation Or VeShalom is 

located at 1681 North Druid Hills Road. 

Free overflow parking is available across 

the street at Cross Keys High School. 

Admission is $2.50 for adults and children. 

For more information, call 404- 

633-1737. 

VODKA & LATKES. Vodka & Latkes, 

the Marcus Jewish Community Center of 

Atlanta’s (MJCCA) Young Adult 

Chanukah Party, is December 15, 7:00- 

11:00 p.m., at Shout. Admission is 

$10/members, $15/non-members. For 

more information, contact Zoe Fox at 

zoe.fox@atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3982. 

STEAK NIGHT. Join the men of 

Congregation Ariel for a fun filled 

evening of scotch, cigars, and steak, on 

December 18. Drinks will be served at 

6:00 p.m., followed by a steak dinner. All 

proceeds benefit Ariel Youth 

Programming. Admission is $65 per person. 

Sponsorships are available and volunteers 

are needed. Contact the shul 

office at 770-390-9071 or 

shuloffice@congariel.org. 

HAVINAGALA. Havinagala, the annual 

fundraiser for JF&CS’ PAL Program, is 

January 28, 8:00-midnight, at the Defoor 

Center. Buy tickets now and save; the 

November Ticket Special is $40 and 

includes an open bar. For details, visit 

Havinagala.org.

November-December 2011 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — KASHER LIVING Page 35 

lent addition to a cookbook library. Brisket will improve your life.” Give yourself 

or someone this book and a kosher 

brisket! 

Kosher Affairs 

Kosher Affairs 

By Roberta Scher 

BY 

Roberta 

Scher 

In the spirit of the approaching holiday 

of Chanukah, I would like to shine some 

light on several subjects. 

It’s the season for frying, so let’s talk oil 

and margarine. Several readers have contacted 

me with their concern that Fleischmann’s 

parve margarine is difficult to find in the 

Atlanta area. My reply: Although 

Fleischmann’s is a classic and a longtime 

favorite of kosher cooks, I have switched 

brands and now use Earth Balance. The reason? 

Earth Balance is a versatile, parve, 

healthful “natural spread.” I use it for all of 

my dairy-free baking, cooking, sautéing, and 

spreading. 

These margarines, officially labeled 

“spreads,” are based on a blend of expellerpressed 

oils developed and patented by 

researchers at Brandeis University. They are 

100% natural, rich in Omega 3s, and are free 

of GMOs, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and 

artificial ingredients. Each is made with one 

or more oils, including palm fruit, soy, 

canola, and olive. 

I use two different types of Earth 

Balance spreads. For spreading, I like the 

original, which is in a round gold tub. For 

baking and frying, I use the Natural 

Shortening sticks, which come in a green 

package. Earth Balance is available at Whole 

Foods and Return to Eden, and I have spotted 

it at Kroger and Publix as well. For more 

information, visit Earthbalance.com. 

And now, to oil. Except for those times 

when I deep-fry such foods as chicken, fish, 

French fries, and yes, potato latkes in vegetable 

or canola oil, I use extra-virgin olive 

oil for almost everything. But be aware that 

all “EVOO” is not the same. I try to buy single-source 

olive oil, such as Italian or 

Spanish oil, instead of blends from various 

countries. Read the source labels, and keep 

in mind that most rabbis agree that plain 

cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil is kosher, 

even without certification. Both Costco and 

Sam’s Club offer single-source, value-priced 

store brands. 

GADGETS FOR GIFTING OR KEEPING 

For my website Koshereye.com and for 

this column, I have had the pleasure of interviewing 

chefs and cookbook authors, both 

kosher-focused and not. I always ask them 

which kitchen gadgets are their “go-to” 

favorites. Here are a few of their recent suggestions, 

along with mine: 

• Microplane grater: This is high on many 

lists. This little gadget moved from the tool 

shed to the kitchen and is now available in 

several grating sizes. It can be used to grate 

many foods, including cheese, fruits, vegetables, 

and chocolate. If you gift it, be sure to 

include some chocolate! 

• Trigger scoops: I have these in several 

sizes. While perfect for scooping ice cream, 

they are just as useful for easy release of 

cookie dough, meatballs, and, yes, latke batter. 

• Food processor: Kitchen royalty. Almost 

every chef puts this accessory at the top of 

the list, and Cuisinart is the brand of choice. 

If you would like to add to your food processor 

“repertoire,” I recommend purchasing 

The New Food Processor Bible by cooking 

instructor/lecturer Norene Gilletz. She presents 

600 kosher recipes that use a food 

processor. I refer to this book all the time and 

highly recommend it. 

• The Spider: I first saw this on a Martha 

Stewart show; this is the best strainer for 

soup, pasta, and more. I have both a small 

and a large size. 

• Bodum travel press coffee maker: I recently 

received this as a gift. It’s a coffee press 

and a travel mug all in one. I use mine all the 

time. 

• Sodastream: A new model of this home 

seltzer maker was recently introduced; the 

soda bottles are now dishwasher-safe. 

Carbonator refills are available at Bed, Bath 

& Beyond. (Remember to use your coupon!) 

FAVORITE NEW COOKBOOKS 

I recently “read” (yes, as I’ve mentioned 

previously, I read them as if they were novels) 

three new cookbooks, which I can recommend: 

• Plenty (Chronicle Books) is a gorgeous volume 

of 120 recipes by Israeli-born London 

restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi. For vegetarians 

or those wanting to eat more vegetables, 

this book is a must. Some of the recipes are 

simple, familiar, and easy for everyday 

preparation. Some include a long list of 

ingredients, including some unfamiliar to 

me. (I will be heading to the Farmer’s 

Market to investigate.) I think that this book 

is an exemplar of its type—including the fabulous 

photos—and that it would be an excel- 

• Kosher Revolution (Kyle Books) shares 

“new techniques and great recipes for unlimited 

kosher cooking.” This book, by Geila 

Hocherman and Arthur Boehm, is based on 

the principle that all recipes can be translated 

to kosher through the innovative use of 

ingredients. “Kosher is a set of rules, not a 

cuisine.” The authors dip into their creative 

culinary toolbox to share international 

recipes converted to kosher. In addition to 

the collection of contemporary and classic 

recipes, I like the ingredient exchange guide 

and cooking technique tips found throughout. 

• The Brisket Book: A Love Story with 

Recipes by Stephanie Pierson (Andrews 

McMeel) had me smiling all the way 

through—starting 

with the 

steer (I thought 

it was a cow) 

on the cover. 

The author has 

a sense of 

humor as she 

shares serious 

and useful tips, 

stories, jokes, 

and anecdotes 

about brisket. 

She then provides brisket recipes by chefs, 

cookbook authors, cowboys, pit masters, and 

home cooks. In the words of the author, 

“Some foods will improve your meal, your 

mood, your day, your buttered noodles. 

————— 

Here are some favorite new locally available 

kosher products: 

• Tnuva Goat Cheese (Sam’s Club) 

• Osem Israeli Pearl Couscous Original 

Flavor (Available at Costco in bulk bags) 

• Angie’s Kettle Corn (parve)—suggested by 

my friends Janie and Gennye. I don’t know 

whether to thank them or blame them. I am 

totally addicted! (Costco) 

————— 

Atlanta’s kosher community now has a 

“Candy Shoppe” located inside Steve 

Gilmer’s Kosher Gourmet. Candies, chocolates, 

nuts, and dried fruits are available individually, 

by flavor, or arranged for gifting in 

candy trays. Along with the parve pastries 

already offered by Bernie the Baker, this 

sounds like a one-stop sweet shop! 

————— 

Have you been to Judaica 

Corner/Chosen Treasures lately? You should 

go. In addition to the large kosher cookbook 

collection, Judaica, and religious items, I 

love their new disposable tableware, especially 

the disposable silver-look Kiddush 

See KOSHER AFFAIRS, page 36

Page 36 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — KA 

Kosher Korner 

The Atlanta Kashruth Commission is 

now publishing a Kosher Guide to Atlanta. 

The guide, which will have listings of kosher 

symbols, establishments, caterers, wines and 

liquors, ice cream facilities, and more, is free 

with AKC membership. Visit 

kosheratlanta.org for details, or call 404-634- 

4063. 

Here is an excerpt from the guide’s fish page: 

There are two considerations to be concerned 

about when purchasing raw fish. 

One needs to establish that the fish is of a 

kosher variety. One cannot simply go by the 

name a store uses for a particular fish and 

assume it is a kosher variety. 

All kosher fish must have kaskeses, a 

type of scale. Not all types of scales on a fish 

are considered kaskeses. The scale must be a 

From page 35 

BY 

Rabbi Reuven 

Stein 

type that can be removed from the fish without 

ripping the skin. It is not necessary to 

check for a fin, because all fish that have 

scales have fins. One only needs to see one 

scale. It’s virtually impossible to tell a kosher 

fish from a non-kosher fish once all the skin 

has been removed. (Salmon is one possible 

exception, because of its unique color, but the 

AKC policy is to accept fish, even salmon, 

only if a scale is visible.) There are kosher fish 

lists available from crcweb.org and 

kashrut.com. The lists are not totally accurate 

for the South, as names of fish may differ 

Kosher Affairs RECIPES 

cups, which match the disposable silverlook 

flatware I purchased at Sam’s. These 

items are dishwasher safe—perfect for a 

holiday crowd! 

Visit www.KosherEye.com, and “see 

all that’s new in kosher.” Visit often, sign up 

for our newsletter, and share your thoughts. 

Tweet with us at twitter.com/koshereye, and 

“Like” us on Facebook.com/KosherEye. 

What’s cooking? Email 

kosheraffairs@gmail.com. This column is 

meant to provide the reader with current 

trends and developments in the kosher marketplace 

and lifestyle. Since standards of 

kashruth certification vary, check with the 

AKC or your local kashruth authority to 

confirm reliability. 

Leek Fritters 

(Or shall we say leek latkes?) 

Adapted from Plenty 

by Yotam Ottolenghi 

This recipe has many ingredients, but the batter 

is easily assembled. Makes 8 fritters. 

3 leeks (1 lb. trimmed weight) 

5 shallots, finely chopped 

2/3 cup olive oil 

1 red chili, seeded and sliced 

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped 

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 egg white 

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon self-rising flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 egg 

2/3 cup milk 

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Cut the leeks into 1” thick rounds; rinse 

and dry. Sauté leeks and shallots in a pan with 

half the oil until soft, about 15 minutes. 

Transfer to a bowl, and add chili, parsley, 

spices, sugar, and salt. Let cool. 

Whisk egg white to soft peaks and fold it 

into vegetables. 

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, 

egg, milk, and butter to form a batter. 

Gently mix this into the egg white and vegetable 

mixture. 

Warm two tablespoons of oil in a frying 

pan over medium heat. Spoon or scoop about 

half the mixture into the pan to make four large 

fritters; fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden 

and crisp. Drain fritters on paper towels. 

Repeat, adding oil as needed, until the mixture 

is used up. 

Serve warm with the sauce (recipe below) 

on the side, if desired. 

Parve version: Use parve soy or rice milk, and 

parve margarine 

SHER LIVING November-December 2011 

from region to region. 

The next concern with purchasing raw 

fish is that the kosher status may have been 

compromised by the use of non-kosher knives 

and cutting boards. If one is buying the fish 

whole, it can be purchased anywhere. This is 

true even if the fish was previously gutted. 

Even though a non-kosher knife might have 

been used to gut the fish, the knife will not 

have come in contact with the edible part of 

the fish and would not affect the fish’s kosher 

status. 

If fish with a hechsher is unavailable: 

One can bring one’s own knife and oversee 

a non-kosher facility cutting kosher fish 

on clean paper, making sure the fish is not 

compromised by the facility’s knives or equipment. 

One can have a non-kosher facility do a 

special cleaning of the knife it will use, to 

remove all fish oil and fat. First, the knife 

should be sanitized, and then the consumer 

should inspect the knife to ensure that it is 

totally clean, and there is no oiliness on the 

side of the knife. Then, after having the facility 

put the fish on clear paper, the consumer 

Fitter Sauce 

1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup sour cream 

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoons salt 

1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped 

2 cups coriander leaves, chopped 

Put all ingredients into the bowl of a food 

processor. Process until uniform green, then set 

aside. 

For parve sauce, substitute 1 cup soy based 

parve sour cream for both yogurt and dairy sour 

cream. 

—————- 

Surimi Crab Cakes 

with Red Pepper Mayonnaise 

Adapted from Kosher Revolution by Geila 

Hocherman and Arthur Boehm 

Serves 4-6 as a starter. 

1 12-ounce package kosher surimi crab sticks* 

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

1 large egg, beaten 

1 teaspoon mustard 

1/4 cup scallions 

1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

3/4 cup panko crumbs 

1/3 cup canola or grapeseed oil 

In a medium bowl, combine the first ten 

ingredients. Form four 3-inch patties and transfer 

to flat dish. Spread panko in another dish, 

and coat patties on both sides. Return patties to 

first dish, and refrigerate a few hours or 

overnight. 

Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium heat, 

add patties, and sauté, turning once until golden 

brown. Drain on paper towels; serve warm with 

red pepper mayonnaise (recipe below) on the 

side. 

should supervise the cutting of the kosher fish. 

After the fish is cut with a non-kosher 

knife under the consumer’s supervision and 

brought home, it should be thoroughly 

washed, and any cut surfaces should be thoroughly 

scraped with a kosher knife’s edge. 

All sushi requires kosher certification. 

The four kosher Krogers and Toco Hill Publix 

have kosher sushi. 

Recently, there has been a concern about 

worm infestation in certain varieties of fish. 

One should check with one’s rabbi for further 

information. 

Pre-cut raw fresh fish with a hechsher is 

available at the four kosher Krogers, Toco Hill 

Publix, and two Whole Foods stores. 

Consumers should look for the AKC kosher 

symbol on the fish package. Large orders of 

fish for caterers can be arranged through 

Inland Seafood, 404-350-5850. 

Rabbi Reuven Stein is director of supervision 

for the Atlanta Kashruth Commission, a nonprofit 

organization dedicated to promoting 

kashruth through education, research, and 

supervision. 

Red Pepper Mayonnaise 

In processor, blend 2 peeled and seeded 

roasted red peppers and 1 cup mayonnaise until 

smooth. 

* Kosher surimi is available at Toco Hill 

Kroger, Publix, and Kosher Gourmet 

—————- 

Temple Emanu-El Brisket 

Adapted from The Brisket Book by 

Stephanie Pierson 

This brisket is a classic! Serves about 8. 

1 4-5 pound beef brisket 

2 teaspoons garlic powder 

1 teaspoon paprika 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths 

2 14–ounce cans jellied cranberry sauce, sliced 

Sprinkle both sides of the brisket with garlic 

powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Tightly 

cover the brisket with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 

for 2 days. 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Unwrap 

the brisket, place it in a roasting pan, and roast 

for 20 minutes on each side. 

Remove the pan from the oven and 

decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. Place 

the onions under and around the brisket, then 

cover the top of the meat with the cranberry 

sauce slices. Tightly cover the pan with heavyduty 

aluminum foil, and cook until fork-tender, 

about 3 hours. 

Remove the pan from the oven and allow 

the brisket to cool. 

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, trim 

the fat, and slice the meat against the grain to 

the desired thickness. Return the slices to the 

pan, overlapping them at an angle so that you 

can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. Cover 

the pan with foil, and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, remove any congealed fat 

from the top of the sauce. Heat the brisket, covered, 

at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then, 

uncovered, for another 20 to 30 minutes, until 

hot and the sauce has reduced a bit. Serve with 

the sauce.

November-December 2011 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — KASHER LIVING Page 37 

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. 

THE MOUTH MAY GIVE THE 

ANSWER. The potential of health applications 

in the regenerative capabilities of 

stem cells is an area of scientific research 

that is the focus of much interest and discussion. 

The research, however, is complicated 

by certain religious, moral, and safety 

considerations in the use of the potent 

embryonic stem cells. 

Since stem cells derived from adults 

have presented certain limitations, there is 

a constant investigation of sources for 

these cells from sources other than 

embryos. Researchers at Tel Aviv 

University may have identified such a 

source. 

Professor Sandu Pitaru, of Tel Aviv 

University’s Goldschleger School of 

Dental Medicine, says science’s answer 

could be found in our mouths. 

Recognizing that stem cells of oral 

mucosa, the membrane that lines the 

inside of our mouths, do not seem to age 

along with the rest of our bodies, Professor 

Pitaru and his associates have turned their 

attention to this area of the body to seek 

answers. 

An article in Israel21c quoted Pitrau 

as saying, “Wounds in the oral mucosa 

heal by regeneration, which means that the 

tissue reverts completely back to its original 

state.” The article added: “Professor 

Pitaru set out to determine if oral mucosa 

could be a source for young, fetal-like 

stem cells with this unique healing ability. 

Even when obtained from an older patient, 

he says, these stem cells still have properties 

of young or primitive stem cells – 

which have a high capacity to be transformed 

into different tissues.” 

WEIZMAN INSTITUTE IS THE TOPS. 

The Scientist, a monthly magazine of life 

science, recently published its annual survey 

of the “best places to work in academia.” 

At the top of the list for those institutions 

located outside of the United States 

was the Weizman Institute of Science in 

Rehovot, Israel. 

See YOU NEED TO KNOW, page 40

Page 38 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — KASHER LIVING November-December 2011


Communities’ wishes inspire a moving 9/11 program 

By Sara Silverman 

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of 

Southern Jewish Life’s (ISJL) nine education 

fellows returned to their Jackson, 

Mississippi, office with a lot of work to do, 

after visiting 77 communities from Texas to 

Virginia throughout the summer. 

Several communities made the same 

request, arising from the fact that the 10th 

anniversary of 9/11 would, for many of 

them, fall on the first day of Sunday school: 

They asked for an all-school program that 

would commemorate 9/11, not only for the 

children, but for the larger community, too. 

In response, our team of education fellows, 

ISJL Education Director Rachel Stern 

and Associate Director Jordan Magidson, 

did what we do best. In our “think tank,” we 

gathered together to discuss the overarching 

goals of the program and how we could turn 

these goals into an experiential learning 

opportunity for all. 

As a group, we felt as though it was our 

challenge to not only observe with our students 

the yartzheit of this horrific event but 

to also teach them about what happened, as 

many of them were not born in 2001 or 

were too young to remember. We set our 

sights on age-appropriate lessons that 

would allow every student to walk away 

with a sense of pride in our country, while 

learning about the Jewish value of remembrance 

(zachor). It was important for us to 

do this in a way that placed the students’ 

focus on peace, rather than terror. 

As our discussion unfolded, each member 

of our department took a section of the 

program to write and bring to life. This collaboration 

led to a final product that was 

In the past, parents had no way of 

knowing if they were carriers of a genetic 

disease that could threaten the health and 

life of their children—until it was too late 

and a child became sick. For Jewish individuals 

of Central and Eastern European 

descent, the potential danger is particularly 

great, since one in five Ashkenazi Jews is a 

carrier of at least one of 19 different genetic 

diseases, many of which strike in childhood 

and can lead to an early death. 

Today, with advances in the field of 

genetics, scientists have identified the gene 

mutations that cause these 19 inherited diseases, 

enabling healthy individuals who are 

screened before pregnancy to know whether 

their children may be at risk. 

Making screening widely available and 

affordable to potential carriers is the mission 

of Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen (AJGS), 

a project funded by The Marcus Foundation 

and managed by the Victor Center for 

Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases, 

Albert Einstein Medical Center, in 

then sent out to each of our 77 communities, 

to use on the Sunday of 9/11. 

The 60-90 minute all-school program 

begins with a short interactive history lesson, 

in which teachers, parents, or older students 

stand before the group and show photographs 

and read aloud information about 

the events of 9/11. After gaining some 

insight into what happened on that day, the 

students move into stations. At these stations, 

they learn about the significance of 

the yartzheit candle and decorate their own; 

learn about the importance of memorials 

and create their own by tracing the outline 

of the Twin Towers and writing their own 

prayer for peace within the tracing; write 

letters to emergency workers in their community; 

and discuss the value of courage 

and create their own courage awards. 

Finally, the students come back together 

and light their yartzheit candles, while 

observing a moment of silence or singing 

Oseh Shalom to conclude their day of 

remembrance. 

On September 12, our e-mail inboxes 

were filled with positive feedback and photos 

from a variety of communities throughout 

our region, including several from 

Georgia. 

Sha’arey Israel, in Macon, responded, 

“We loved this 9/11 program—it was amazing!” 

The students’ artwork from the lesson 

was displayed on bulletin boards throughout 

the synagogue. 

Rodeph Sholom Congregation, in 

Rome, used the program to create an intimate 

day of commemoration, with their 

four students and three teachers in attendance. 

Everyone was able to take part in 

each activity, while learning about the 

Philadelphia. AJGS is dedicated to preventing 

Jewish genetic diseases through highquality 

and accessible education, affordable 

screening, and counseling. 

AJGS was founded by Atlanta couple 

Caroline and Randy Gold, whose daughter, 

Eden, was born in 2008 with mucolipidosis 

type 4 (ML4), a progressive and debilitating 

neurological disorder beginning in infancy 

with symptoms including muscle weakness, 

intellectual disabilities, and retinal degeneration. 

Individuals with this disease often 

have shortened life spans. 

Students from McAllen, Texas, participating 

in the ISJL 9/11 program. 

importance of the day with the help of pictures, 

stories, and a moment of silence. 

As an education fellow, I found it 

extremely gratifying to be a part of writing 

such a meaningful program for congregations 

of all sizes and students of all ages. 

Meeting the needs of a few of our congregations 

has produced shared wisdom for all 

of our schools. 

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of 

Southern Jewish Life believes that all 

Jewish children, no matter where they live, 

are entitled to an excellent Jewish education. 

Even in those communities that are 

lucky enough to have Jewish professionals, 

synagogue religious schools are often run 

by an all-volunteer staff consisting of parents 

or other laypeople. These dedicated 

teachers, who typically have very busy 

lives, give their weekends over to teaching 

religious school. They come with enthusiasm 

and commitment, and often work without 

any professional support, in many 

instances with limited Judaic background or 

pedagogical training of their own. 

The ISJL Education Curriculum is a 

The Golds were screened before the 

birth of their son, who is two years older 

than Eden. At the time of their screening, 

there were 16 preventable Jewish genetic 

diseases identified for testing. 

Unfortunately, Caroline was screened for 

only eight diseases and Randy for two. The 

Gold’s thought they did the right thing by 

being tested pre-conception. However, no 

one told them there were then 16 genetic 

diseases for which Ashkenazi Jews should 

Student from McAllen, Texas, writing 

a letter to emergency workers in 

the community 

ISJL Education Fellow Claire 

Solomon works with students from 

Shaʼarey Israel and Beth Israel, in 

Macon. 

spiraled body of knowledge, in which students 

revisit key content areas with 

increased sophistication as they progress 

through the curriculum, grade level by 

grade level. Currently, in Georgia, congregations 

in Rome, Macon, Fayetteville, 

Columbus, Brunswick, Atlanta, and 

Augusta participate as ISJL Education 

Partners to achieve the goal of Jewish literacy 

for their children. For more information, 

contact Rachel Stern, MAJE/MAJCS, 

ISJL Director of Education at 

rstern@isjl.org. 

Sara Silverman is an ISJL education fellow. 

Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen can identify carriers of genetic diseases 

Natanel and Eden Gold Randy, Natanel, Eden, and Caroline 

Gold 

be screened. No one told them that they 

should be screened before every subsequent 

pregnancy, since tests for additional diseases 

are added as they become available. 

Eden now receives 15 hours of therapy 

a week. She has been in and out of doctors’ 

offices her entire life, with surgeries as early 

as eight months. She is progressing, but 

doctors say most children with ML4 never 

walk or talk, have a maximum mental 

capacity of 18 months, go blind by age 

twelve, and die in early adulthood. All parents 

want to watch their children grow and 

live healthy lives, but that may not be possible 

for Eden’s parents. 

According to Caroline and Randy 

Gold, “We have made Eden’s story public, 

because we want to save other families 

from suffering this preventable tragedy. No 

one thinks this can happen to them, but it 

happened to us, right here in Atlanta. If 

See GENE SCREEN, page 41


MISH MASH 

By Erin O’Shinskey 

ISJL HONORED. The Goldring/Woldenberg 

Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) has 

been named a Standard Bearer by Slingshot 

‘11-‘12, a resource guide for Jewish innovation. 

For seven years, Slingshot has featured the 

50 most innovative 

Jewish projects in 

North America. 

Ten organizations 

that have made the 

list at least five 

times are now 

identified as 

Standard Bearers; 

they are recognized 

as leaders 

within the commu- 

Macy B. Hart 

ISJL President 

nity and mentors to 

other organizations. 

Slingshot is 

used by philanthropists, volunteers, not-forprofit 

executives, and program participants to 

identify path-finding and trailblazing organizations 

grappling with concerns in Jewish life, 

such as identity, community, and tradition. 

A SPECIAL BAR MITZVAH. On October 28, 

The Temple hosted a special bar mitzvah ceremony 

for Benjamin Faber, who has mitochondrial 

myopathy. The ceremony involved assisted 

communication devices and the participation 

of Faber’s fellow students to help him 

through the event. Two hundred teens from 

across the southeastern United States attended 

the bar mitzvah before embarking on a weekend 

of learning about inclusion in Judaism. 

Benjamin has been a student at The Temple’s 

Breman Religious School since he was in prekindergarten 

and has benefited from The 

Temple’s commitment to creating a fully inclusive 

learning environment for all of its students. 

JEWISH HOME WINS NATIONAL AWARD. 

The William Bremen Jewish Home received 

You Need To Know 

From page 37 

The facility, which is located on a 

150,000-square-meter, landscaped campus, 

consists of 100 buildings. This is the 

ninth annual survey, and the ranking is 

based on responses received by the magazine 

from thousands of researchers in 

institutions around the world. In the nine 

years that the survey has been taken, this is 

the third time that the institution has come 

in number one. 

NEW CLASSROOMS AND TECHNOL- 

OGY TOOLS FOR EAST JERUSALEM. 

“We cannot countenance a situation in 

which Jerusalem pupils have no class- 

My InnerView’s Excellence in Action award, 

honoring The Home’s commitment to superior 

customer satisfaction. The award recognizes 

U.S. providers that performed in the top 10 percent 

of nursing homes out of nearly 5,500 

which participated in a 2010 customer satisfaction 

survey. The Home’s success can be traced 

to the Culture Change project, which began in 

1995 when the present Home was in its design 

phase; beautiful rooms and amenities, consistent 

staff assignments, and abundant food 

choices empower the residents and make their 

lives more enjoyable. 

GRANTS FOR CAMPERS. Thanks to a generous 

anonymous grant from a metro Atlanta 

foundation, campers who have never attended 

a Jewish overnight camp but have experienced 

a secular overnight camp are eligible for a onetime 

$1,000 grant to be used toward Camp 

Barney Medintz tuition this summer. The grant 

is available to campers registered for two or 

four weeks. For more information, contact the 

Camp Barney Medintz office at 770-395-2554 

or summer@campbarney.org. To learn more 

about Camp Barney Medintz, visit www.campbarney.org. 

PANIM HONORED. The BBYO Panim 

Institute has been named one of the nation’s 50 

most innovative Jewish nonprofits in Slingshot 

‘11-‘12. Panim was chosen for the third time by 

a panel of 36 foundation professionals from 

across North America. Organizations are 

selected from among hundreds of nominees, 

and finalists are chosen based on their strength 

in innovation, impact, leadership, and organizational 

efficiency. Since joining BBYO in 

2009, Panim has been addressing teens’ interest 

in serving and improving their communities in 

sophisticated ways. Through BBYO, Panim 

has engaged, inspired, and trained more than 

30,000 teens and 1,000 Jewish professionals 

and educators. 

MAZEL TOV. Max Sweeting, a 7th-grader at 

The Amit Gar’inim School, recently was called 

rooms, roads or basic infrastructures,” 

says Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat. 

Since taking office in 2008, Mayor 

Barkat has prioritized the upgrading of the 

educational structure in East Jerusalem. 

When the students and teachers in these 

Arab neighborhoods began this school 

year, they did so amidst new and refurbished 

classrooms, computers, and sports 

facilities costing millions of dollars. 

Approximately 200 classrooms have been 

built, and an additional 285 classrooms are 

either in the planning stage or under construction. 

Along with the improvement of the 

physical facilities, programs for gifted students, 

and additional kindergarten classrooms 

have been added, including a new 

room for special-needs education. 

to the Torah as a bar mitzvah. For his mitzvah 

project, Max held a walk to raise money the 

Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which was started 

by the NASCAR champion to helping children, 

families, and communities in need. 

Parents Jill and Seth Zimmerman, Max 

Sweeting, and Maxʼs Garʼinim Hebrew 

teacher, Zippora Rainisch 

COOL SCHOOL. The Amit Program is competing 

in My School’s Cool, a community program. 

Competing schools will earn prizes 

based on points they accumulate; the school 

with the most points will win $10,000. To help 

Amit earn points, every time you make a purchase 

at Perimeter Mall, visit Guest Services 

and have your receipt logged, stamped, and 

validated for The Amit Program, or drop off 

receipts at the Amit office, 6255 Barfield Road, 

Suite 100. The program runs through May 

2012. For details, contact 

info@amitatlanta.org, or call 404-961-9966. 

THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE. On October 

6, Kilpatrick Townsend presented 

Navigating the Legal Landscape: An 

Evening with Deborah Epstein Henry. 

Henry is the author of LAW & 

REORDER: Legal Industry Solutions for 

Restructure, Retention, Promotion & 

Work/Life Balance (American Bar 

Association, 2010). Pictured: (from left) 

Deborah Epstein Henry, president of 

Flex-Time Lawyers; Diane Prucino, 

Kilpatrick Townsend co-managing partner; 

Kristine Wellman, general counsel 

for ING Direct USA; Robert Schapiro, 

interim dean of Emory University 

School of Law; and Melissa Long, 

WXIA-TV news anchor. (Photo: Zach 

Porter Photography) 

BEYOND POLITICS. Ronda Robinson spoke 

about her book Beyond Politics: Inspirational 

People of Israel at the November 9 meeting of 

the Mt. Scopus group of Greater Atlanta 

Hadassah. Robinson, a public health analyst for 

the CDC and an award-winning writer and editor 

who has lived in Israel, proudly holds dual 

American-Israeli citizenship. She is also a life 

member of Hadassah, which is celebrating its 

centennial anniversary this year. 

BAKING FOR HADASSAH. The Mt. Scopus 

Group of Greater Atlanta Hadassah presented 

“Secrets of Sephardic Baking” on November 6. 

Proceeds from this event went to Hadassah’s 

life-saving work and research at the two 

Hadassah Hospitals in Jerusalem. 

RABBI GREENE RECOGNIZED. The 

Central Conference of American Rabbis 

(CCAR) has recognized Rabbi Fred Greene of 

Temple Beth Tikvah for engaging in rigorous 

sustained continuing education by participating 

in CCAR’s intensive Keter Torah program during 

the past year. The program recognizes indepth 

study in Jewish text and Judaic studies; 

counseling and practical rabbinics; worship, 

spirituality, and ritual; congregation dynamics 

and leadership; and education and religious 

action pursued by rabbis in community based 

organizations and congregational settings. This 

program affords rabbis the resources for 

responding to the Reform rabbinate’s challenges 

and opportunities in the 21st century. 

CAFE EUROPA. On September 26, Jewish 

Georgian publisher Marvin Botnick spoke 

about his experiences in the newspaper business 

to a group of Holocaust survivors at their 

monthly social gathering, Café Europa. 

Participants also received honey cakes and 

cards for the Jewish holidays prepared by 

Epstein School 5th-graders. Café Europa, 

organized by Jewish Family & Career Services 

and funded by The Conference on Jewish 

Material Claims Against Germany, features a 

speaker or performer and a catered kosher 

lunch. For more information about Café 

Europa or JF&CS Holocaust Survivor 

Services, contact Amy E. Neuman at 770-677- 

9382 or aneuman@jfcs-atlanta.org. 

Marvin Botnick and Matilda Stein 

OPENING LUNCHEON. The Atlanta 

Chapter of the Brandeis National 

Committee held its opening luncheon 

on September 12, at 103 West. Guest 

Speaker was Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, 

professor at Emory University, and 

author of The Eichmann Trial. Pictured: 

(from left) Co-President Melissa 

Rosenbloum; Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt; 

Co-President Rhonda Bercoon; and 

Vice President of Arrangements Barbie 

Perlmutter. 

See MISHMASH, page 42


Gene Screen 

From page 39 

every prospective Jewish parent has one 

simple blood test, we can make sure Eden’s 

story does not happen again.” 

Touched by their story, Atlanta philanthropist 

Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The 

Home Depot and head of The Marcus 

Foundation, funded Atlanta Jewish Gene 

Screen, in partnership 

with the Victor 

Center, to help 

ensure healthy children 

for the Jews of 

Atlanta. AJGS provides 

community 

and office screenings 

and counseling 

and educates healthcare 

professionals, 

clergy, and individuals 

on the need for 

pre-conception 

screening with a 

simple blood test for 

all 19 genetic diseases. 

Individuals of every ethnic group may 

be carriers of recessive genetic diseases. 

But they have no way of knowing other 

than by giving birth to an affected child or 

being tested, since their own health is not 

affected, and they may not have a family 

history of these diseases. However, Jews of 

Eastern and Central Europe carry a high 

risk for passing along any of the 19 identified 

and often life-threatening diseases to 

their offspring. These diseases range from 

the familiar Tay-Sachs to lesser-known diseases, 

such as Walker-Warburg syndrome 

and nemaline myopathy. Many of these diseases 

are fatal, all are incurable, and only a 

few have limited treatment. 

According to Karen Grinzaid, genetic 

counselor/research coordinator of the 

Department of Human Genetics at Emory 

School of Medicine, 

“Every hereditary trait 

in a child—from eye 

color to height—is 

influenced by the genes 

that are passed from 

parent to child. If both 

parents are carriers for 

the same abnormal 

gene, there is a 25 percent 

chance with each 

pregnancy for a genetic 

disease to occur. That 

said, Ashkenazi Jews 

are at the highest risk 

of any ethnic group for 

carrying any of these 

19 recessive genetic diseases.” 

A simple blood test is all that is necessary 

to screen for the current Jewish genetic 

disease panel of 19, and all at-risk individuals, 

including interfaith couples, should 

be screened, with the Jewish partner being 

screened first. Couples should be screened 

prior to each pregnancy, since with 

advances in testing, the list of known genetic 

diseases for which screening is available 

is constantly being expanded. 

Recently, a new free interactive Gene 

Screen app was made available for anyone, 

Jewish or non-Jewish, who wants to learn 

about genetic diseases and their recessive 

inheritance patterns. It can be downloaded 

from iTunes to any iPhone or iPad device. 

Produced by Dolan DNA Lab in partnership 

with the Victor Center and funded by 

The Marcus Foundation, the Gene Screen 

app was developed as a learning tool with a 

“prevalence calculator” to determine carrier 

frequencies of 28 specific diseases and an 

ancestry map that allows users to zoom, 

scroll, or tap to discover which genetic diseases 

are more common in the regions from 

which their ancestors came. 

On November 13, a community-wide 

screening was conducted at the Marcus 

Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 

Zaban Park. Upcoming screenings are 

January 22, 2012, at Temple Koth Emeth; 

February 26 and 27, 2012, at The Temple; 

March 25, 2012, at Congregation Or 

Hadash; and April 29, at Young Israel of 

Toco Hills. For registration and other information, 

visit www.atlantajewishgenescreen.org. 

To ask experts about genetic 

diseases and how they can be prevented, 

visit www.jewishgeneticanswers.org. 

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Book Festival of the MJCCA features top authors 

The 20th Edition of the Book Festival 

of the MJCCA, one of the South’s premier 

cultural events, runs through November 20. 

A highlight of Atlanta’s literary calendar 

and one of the most prominent and well 

known in the country, the Book Festival of 

the MJCCA presents more than 40 of the 

year’s best and brightest authors in a variety 

of forums. Before the festival ends, more 

than 10,000 visitors will have enjoyed 

engaging speaker programs, author meetand-greets, 

book signings, panel discussions, 

and more. Most events are taking 

place at the Marcus Jewish Community 

Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, 

Dunwoody. 

This year’s lineup features Pulitzer 

Prize-winning, bestselling authors; rising 

literary voices; television and film stars; 

humorists; journalists; historians; novelists; 

and scholars. 

The remaining events on the schedule are: 

• November 15, 6:30 p.m. 

Deborah Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial: A 

Chronicle of the Holocaust 

Dr. Lipstadt offers a compelling reassessment 

of The Eichmann Trial. 

(Non-Member: $16/Member: $11) 


Charles Fox, Killing Me Softly: My Life in 

Music 

MISHMASH 

From page 40 

FAMOUS JEWISH WOMEN YOUʼVE 

NEVER HEARD OF. On September 14, 

the Ketura Group of Greater Atlanta 

Hadassah held its opening meeting at 

Summerʼs Landing Mt. Vernon. Barbara 

Ellison Rosenblit, who serves on the 

Board of the Jewish Womenʼs Archives, 

spoke and conducted an interactive 

discussion documenting the accomplishments 

of Jewish American women. 

Their many contributions to society are 

chronicled on the online archives at 

www.jwa.org. Pictured: (from left) Co- 

President Sheila Dalmat, Barbara 

Rosenblit, and Co-President Sybil 

Ginsburg 

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING. On 

November 1, Stability Pilates & Physical 

Fox recounts his development as a musician 

and composer of the song “Killing Me 

Softly,” the theme from “The Love Boat,” 

and many more popular tunes, describing 

the cornerstone events of his musical and 

personal life. 


• November 16, 12:00 noon 

Panel discussion with Greg Dawson and 

Alyson Richman 

Greg Dawson, Hiding in the Spotlight: A 

Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival 

This book tells the story of Dawson’s mother, 

who changed her identity and survived 

the Holocaust performing for the Nazis. 

Alyson Richman, The Lost Wife 

The Lost Wife explores the power of first 

love, the resilience of the human spirit, and 

the strength of memory. 



Jane Gross in conversation with CNN 

Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth 

Cohen 

Jane Gross, A Bittersweet Season: Caring 

for our Aging Parents—and Ourselves 

New York Times journalist Jane Gross 

weaves the experience of a parent with 

health problems with a resource for keeping 

your family strong. 


Therapy presented a free nutritional seminar 

featuring Julie Taube, MS, RD, LD, at its 

Roswell Road studio, in Sandy Springs. The 

seminar provided healthy eating tips and 

recipes that can be used during the upcoming 

holiday season. Snacks were provided by Café 

Sunflower, Breadwinner Café, and Sally’s 

Bakery. Stability Pilates and Physical Therapy 

provides Pilates group, mat, and one-on-one 

classes, as well as quality, safe, and therapeutic 

exercise and rehab in a warm and welcoming 

environment. 

Julie Taube 

A FAMILY CHRONI- 

CLE. Larry 

Freudenberg’s Ordinary 

Jews in an Extraordinary 

World, Freudenberg 

Family Scrapbook, and 

Freudenberg Family 

Genealogy are available 

online at Amazon and 

Barnes & Noble. 

• November 17, 10:30 a.m. 

Melissa Fay Greene, No Biking in the 

House without a 

Helmet 

With four biological 

children and five adoptive 

ones, Greene captures 

her unique family’s 

shared delight in 

one another’s differences. 

(Free to the 

Community) 

• November 17, 12:00 noon 

Alice Hoffman, The Dovekeepers 

An Oprah Book Club author, Hoffman 

weaves a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily 

bold women, all keeping secrets 

about who they really are. 



Dyan Cannon, Dear Cary: My Life with 

Cary Grant 

With unparalleled 

honesty, award-winning 

film and television 

actress Dyan 

Cannon shares the 

heartwarming and 

heartbreaking story 

of her magical 

romance and stormy 

Freudenberg’s family on his mother’s side was 

one of the first Jewish families in the new 

world. His father and grandparents escaped 

Nazi Germany in 1939; they immigrated to 

Charleston, and his father served in the United 

States Army, retiring from the reserves as a full 

colonel. Grandmother Margot S. Freudenberg, 

age 104, was Charleston’s only physical therapist 

for many years and became one of the 

city’s most honored citizens. 

HOLIDAY TRIBUTE CARDS. In lieu of holiday 

gifts, individuals and companies can show 

friends, family, and clients that they are committed 

to bettering the community through 

Jewish Family & Career Services’ Holiday 

Tribute Program. Make a donation supporting 

JF&CS, and it will send customized holiday 

cards with your company logo or your name. 

Choose from various designs, including 

Season’s Greetings, Christmas and Chanukah. 

Visit ytfl.org/HolidayTributes for more information, 

or contact Susan Metz at 770-6779329 

or smetz@jfcs-atlanta.org. 

marriage to screen legend Cary Grant. 


• November 20,10:00 a.m. 

At Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian 

Hills Parkway, Marietta 

Leonard Felder, Here I Am: Using Spiritual 

Wisdom to Become More Present, Centered, 

and Available for Life 

In Here I Am, Dr. Felder expresses how 

much of his personal growth came from the 

world of Jewish spirituality. 

(Free to the Community) 


Regis Philbin, How I Got This Way 

The iconic host of one 

of television’s most 

enduring talk shows, 

“Live! with Regis and 

Kelly,” Regis Philbin 

will make his first 

appearance at the Book 

Festival of the 

MJCCA. 

(Non-Member: 

$22/Member: 

$15/Premier Seating: $50) 

For more information or to purchase 

tickets, call the MJCCA Box Office at 678- 

812-4005, or visit www.atlantajcc.org. 

Always the teacherʼs pet, Paul 

Muldawer is still trying to improve his 

grade with his former teacher at Hoke 

Smith Junior High School, Eloise 

Beerman.


Israeli folk dancing is becoming an Atlanta tradition 

By Celia Gilner 

Who is that graceful dancer with the 

long strides and clearly defined movements, 

described as “having youthful enthusiasm 

that infects everyone around you”? It is 

Meliss Jakubovic Bachar. 

FROM GENERATION 

TO GENERATION 

Meliss began dancing as a seven-yearold, 

when she accompanied her mother, 

Jacki Jacoby Smith, to her Israeli folk dance 

sessions. She still speaks with frustration 

about the year without Israeli dancing, when 

her mother broke her toe, and Meliss was too 

young to drive. 

Meliss enjoyed the forty- to sixty-yearolds 

in her dance classes as a teen but was 

unsuccessful in getting her young friends 

involved. She was a talented and eager student. 

As a seventeen-year-old, Meliss 

became the youngest Israeli folk dance 

instructor in the United States. 

Israeli folk dance session (photo: 

Leon Balaban) 

Meliss graduated from The Epstein 

School in 1996, and, in the tradition of l’dor 

v’dor, she went back to Epstein to teach 

Israeli dancing, which she has done for the 

past twelve years. Meliss also teaches at 

most of the Jewish day schools in Atlanta 

and at many simchas, including bar and bat 

mitzvah parties. 

Her passion to have younger participants 

perform was fulfilled when she founded 

the Atlanta-based high school performing 

group Nitzanim (Hebrew for flower buds). 

There are now fourteen girls in Nitzanim. 

Eleven have returned from last year, and 

three have been in Nitzanim for all four years 

of high school. The dance troupe performed 

on August 14, 2011, at the World Congress 

Center. For seven years, Nitzanim has been 

the only Israeli dance group from the South 

to perform in the Israeli Folk Dance Festival 

of Boston. 

Nitzanim performing at the Americans 

United with Israel rally (photo: Cohen 

Photographic Art) 

Meliss’s very first dance teacher, Debbie 

Kroll, has two daughters, Yaz and Lital, who 

joined Nitzanim when they were in high 

school and continue to dance at the 

Wednesday dance session for adults. Yaz 

taught dance at Camp Barney Medintz and 

currently leads Israeli dance sessions at her 

college. Like Yaz, many former members of 

Nitzanim have gone on to teach Israeli folk 

dancing. Meliss is proud of her son Shai’s 

dance performances; she has promised he 

can attend the Wednesday adult dance session 

when he turns seven and hopes he will 

become her dance partner. Along with his 

younger brother, Ilan, Shai is immersed in 

Israeli folk songs and dances daily. 

A PORTAL TO JUDAISM AND ISRAEL 

A major goal of Meliss’s organization, 

Rikud Atlanta, is to create excitement about 

Israeli folk dancing, which enhances her students’ 

Jewish identity and connection to 

Israel. Sandra Cuttler, one of the dancers, 

describes it as a “portal to Judaism through 

dance.” She finds it “invigorating, life 

enriching, and constantly evolving. I’m 

praying with my feet.” 

Israeli dancing provides a space and 

time to let off steam. Meliss notices that she 

sometimes dances her best after an especially 

stressful day. 

Israeli folk dancing (photo: Leon 

Balaban) 

GETTING INVOLVED 

Meliss teaches adult Israeli dance classes 

at B’nai Torah, where she gratefully 

acknowledges she has “found a home with a 

wooden dance floor.” The Wednesday night 

dance sessions include teenagers and adults 

from as far away as Athens, with a wide 

range of ages up to an 86-year-old woman 

who has danced for forty years. 

Israelis who never danced in Israel and 

others not affiliated with a synagogue find 

their way to the dance sessions. It becomes a 

way for them to connect: to Judaism with 

lyrics from the Torah, to the Jewish community, 

to Jewish holidays and events in Israel 

expressed in the songs and dances Meliss 

chooses to celebrate at appropriate times. 

Every Wednesday, a 6:30-7:00 p.m. 

beginner’s session and a 7:00-7:40 p.m. 

intermediate session are taught by Avital 

Landman, followed by advanced circle and 

line dances from 7:40-9:30 p.m. and an intermediate-to-advanced 

couples session from 

9:30-10:00 p.m. with Meliss. Israeli folk 

dancers from all over the world who visit 

Atlanta often show up at the Wednesday 

night sessions at B’nai Torah. Participants 

pay per session and can come any time. 

When asked why people keep returning 

to her dance sessions, Meliss cites her 

emphasis on tailoring classes to each age 

group and teaching via clear movement and 

instruction. She is able to see what each individual 

needs by moving around the circle 

and standing in front of the person asking a 

question. Meliss learned to speak modern 

Hebrew by volunteering to translate songs 

for hebrewsongs.com. She can sing every 

single song as she dances and calls steps by 

name, rhythm, and counts. 

She participated in a questionnaire from 

Mona Goldstein, a friend and dance instructor 

in Washington, D.C., who is writing a 

dance instructors’ manual, and she is anxious 

to read it. To pique her students’ interest, she 

has theme nights when she serves food from 

a particular country whose dance steps have 

been incorporated into Israeli folk dancing. 

One night, she had food from Yemen, 

Yemenite decorations, and an artist who 

painted henna tattoos. For Persian night, she 

surprised her students by having a belly 

dancer teach, rather than perform for them. 

FOR EVERY SONG A DANCE 

From its socialistic roots in pre-state 

Israel, where the pioneers of the 1930s and 

1940s danced barefoot on the ground, holding 

hands or clasping arms, Israeli folk dancing 

has become a worldwide phenomenon. 

Dance was emphasized as a way to promote 

a distinctly Israeli culture and to unite a 

diverse multi-language immigrant population. 

Today, when a popular Israeli song 

comes out, a choreographer can register with 

the Irgun Hamadrichim and create a dance 

for it. It becomes the official dance for that 

song. There has been an explosion of creativity, 

and today there are over 7,000 choreographed 

Israeli dances. With today’s technology, 

a dance can be disseminated through 

youtube, websites, DVDs, and CDs very 

quickly in thirty-two countries. As soon as a 

song is played, each person is able to know 

the dance for that particular song. 

Dance camps and dance festivals are 

ways to connect with other Israeli folk 

dancers. Israeli culture is brought to the 

world in a positive, healthy, and social way. 

These events have become so popular 

that dancers plan their vacations around the 

dance sessions in a particular city. In Tel 

Aviv, Israel, for example, on Thursday 

nights, famed choreographer Gadi Bitton 

attracts 1,500 people. Meliss’ “all-time 

favorite” is Beit Dani, in Tel Aviv, on Sunday 

nights, with Dudu Barzilay. On July 12-14, 

2011, the yearly Israeli Dance Festival, in 

Karmiel, attracted the best Israeli dance 

instructors and 10,000 dancers from all over 

the world. 

Meliss Jakubovic Bachar and Dudu 

Barzilay (photo: Alex Huber 

Professional Photography) 

To read more and get involved in Israeli 

folk dancing, check out Meliss’ website, 

www.rikudatlanta.com; the Israeli Folk 

Dancers Association website, 

www.harokdim.org/indexENG.php; 

www.rokdim.co.il; and 

www.israelidances.com.


LaVon Mercer bridges countries, religions, and cultures 

BY 

By Ashley Rosenberg 

Ashley 

Rosenberg 

LaVon Mercer is a unique person. He’s 

a son, a brother, a dad, a basketball player, a 

U.S. citizen, an Israeli citizen, a solider in 

the Israeli Army—and once, he was even an 

honorary TEP brother at the University of 

Georgia. 

Mercer had a very bumpy ride on the 

road to success, but through it all, he did all 

he could to reach his goals. 

At 13, Mercer was living with his 

grandmother while his mother was in New 

York. Although he was quite young, a lot of 

people, especially his family, depended on 

him to get things done. Mercer’s grandmother 

did not want him playing sports, but 

as a rebellious kid, he decided he would 

play basketball regardless of what she wanted. 

Since his grandmother didn’t approve of 

him playing, she made him walk nine to 10 

miles to practice and back, hoping he would 

quit. 

He didn’t. 

In high school, his basketball coach, 

Len West, took special interest in him. West 

bought Mercer his first pair of real tennis 

shoes; ever since, West has had a big influ- 

World War II ended over six decades 

ago, and the dark and vicious efforts of the 

Nazis to rid the world of Jews came to a 

halt. Their demonic work stunned and horrified 

the international community, and the 

Holocaust has yet to fade from memory. 

Each year, the international Jewish 

community comes together to remember the 

victims of the Holocaust: the men, women, 

and children murdered by the Nazis in 

killings fields and death camps across 

Europe. It’s a ritual that plays out in the 

spring on Yom HaShoah. In 2012, the holiday 

will fall on Thursday, April 19. 

In Atlanta, the victims will be recalled 

and memorialized during a program the 

Sunday after Yom HaShoah—April 22, 

beginning at 11:30 a.m.—in front of the 

Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood 

Cemetery. It’s a program that has drawn 

thousands of area residents to the memorial, 

ence on Mercer and the path he has chosen. 

After high school, Mercer signed with and 

was given a scholarship to the University of 

Georgia, where he was greeted with the 

family he never 

really had. 

Mercer said 

that the diversity 

that was 

forced upon the 

university 

helped shape 

the state of 

Georgia itself, 

setting an 

example in the 

effort to 

achieve equality 

and rights for 

African- 

Americans. 

Following 

college ball, 

Mercer was 

drafted by the 

San Antonio Spurs in the third round. “The 

NBA is like a business. They want a 

Mercedes, and I was a Kia, so they sent me 

off to Europe to learn the fundamentals of 

the game,” he said. 

After playing overseas, he realized he 

liked the game much better because it wasn’t 

so restricted, and each player was able to 

do whatever he wanted on the court. For 

example, a center could have his chance at 

the 3-point line, instead of only staying 

a euphonic blend of chiseled stone and soaring 

torches, since it was dedicated in 1965 

during the first official Yom HaShoah service 

in the city. 

Goldie Bertone will be chairing the 

2012 Service of Remembrance, one of the 

largest events in the U.S., sponsored by 

Eternal-Life Hemshech (an organization of 

Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and 

people dedicated to commemorating the Six 

million Jewish victims of the Holocaust), 

down in the paint. 

When he went to Europe, Mercer was 

asked to play for the Israeli team, where he 

spent most of his professional years. After 

living in 

Israel for a 

while, he 

became an 

Israeli citizen, 

serving 

in the Israeli 

Army for 

two years. 

He enjoyed 

participating 

in the 

IDF because 

he was able 

to become 

closer to the 

citizens, as 

well as have 

a better 

understanding 

of people 

who are fighting for their beliefs. 

When asked what he enjoys about 

Israel and its citizens, he explained that 

“many people in the United States can’t sing 

‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ when randomly 

asked, but every single Israeli knows the 

country’s anthem by heart and sings it with 

pride.” 

Even at UGA, his best friends were 

Jewish, and he ended up being named honorary 

brother in a Jewish fraternity. 

LaVon Mercer 

the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, 

and the William Breman Jewish Heritage 

and Holocaust Museum. 

Bertone, Sandra Craine, and Sally 

Levine, co-vice chairs of the event, and a 

group of volunteers from across the city’s 

Jewish community have already begun planning 

the program. It’s a massive undertaking. 

Young adults need to be recruited to 

handle traffic and security and to serve as 

greeters and escorts; appropriate music and 

choirs selected; torch lighters picked; readings 

prepared; and a keynote speaker identified. 

“There are lots of little details,” Bertone 

says. “But they are all important, and the 

success of each year’s program is because of 

the good work of all our volunteers.” 

Although the details have yet to be 

finalized, the 2012 program will focus on 

the role of rescuers, a theme still being 

developed by the United States Holocaust 

Memorial Museum. 

The plan will be to highlight the amazing 

stories of ordinary people who risked 

their lives to save others from the Nazi war 

machine. These special people were a 

diverse group—diplomats, farmers, priests, 

office workers, and others. They were all 

Since Mercer was well known around 

Israel, no one saw anything weird about a 6’ 

10” African-American Israeli. The Israelis 

became Mercer’s brothers and sisters, and 

he now has as many friends in Israel as he 

does in the U.S. Both at UGA and in Israel, 

Mercer was able to defy being stereotyped, 

and he showed people that no matter one’s 

color or religion, we are all the same. 

After returning to the states, Mercer 

coached women’s basketball at a university. 

He soon realized that youth and attitudes 

have changed, and people don’t have the 

same passion and drive to play as they did 

years ago. 

Today, he speaks to many people 

around the nation, telling them about his 

journey and his passion for Israel. He has 

three kids and continues to travel back and 

forth between the states and Israel, as well 

as practicing both Christianity and Judaism. 

It’s not often that people find a man, 6’ 

10”, African-American, and born and raised 

a Christian, who will fight for and immerse 

himself in a different country and a completely 

different religion. But maybe that’s 

what Jewish people need in order to realize 

how beautiful and righteous their home 

country really is and not take something 

unique for granted. Mercer has changed 

Israelis outlook on people of different races, 

just as they wish to make an impression on 

him and the world and change the stereotype 

that has blanketed Israel and its people. 

Mercer can be contacted at 

lavonmercer.org. 

Planning for Yom HaShoah Save the date 

BY 

Ron 

Feinberg 

Annual Day of Remembrance 

memorial service has drawn thousands 

of area residents to 

Greenwood Cemetery in south 

Atlanta each spring since the event 

began in the mid-1960s 

If you’d like to remember the victims 

of the Holocaust, honor the survivors, 

pray for the martyrs, and 

salute the heroes, then plan on attending 

Atlanta’s annual Yom HaShoah 

observance, on Sunday, April 22, 

2012, at Greenwood Cemetery. For 

additional information, contact Dr. 

Lili Baxter at 404-870-1872 or 

LBaxter@thebreman.org. 

courageous, and many died in their heroic 

efforts. 

Nationally, well known rescuers will be 

remembered and memorialized—Raoul 

Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler, American 

rescuer Varian Fry, and Miep Gies, who 

helped hide Anne Frank and her family. 

Locally, rescuers, victims, and survivors 

will be remembered and memorialized. 

“It’s a time each year when we can join 

together as a community,” Bertone says, “a 

special moment when we can collectively 

stand and pledge ‘Never again.’” 

Ron Feinberg is a veteran journalist who 

has worked for daily newspapers across the 

southeastern United States. He now specializes 

on topics of Jewish interest and can be 

reached at ronfeinberg@bellsouth.net.


Schwartz on Sports 

BY 

Jerry 

Schwartz 

BASKETBALL BUNCH AT LUNCH. The 

second get-together of the Basketball Bunch at 

Lunch was held at Sweet Tomatoes in 

Dunwoody, on July 25. In attendance were 20 

guys who played basketball at the Atlanta 

Jewish Community Center (AJCC) in the ‘60s, 

‘70s, and ‘80s—twice as many as last year. If 

we keep this up, we’re going to need a much 

larger room. 

It was great seeing everyone. I hadn’t seen 

Ed Hoopes in probably 30 years, and he was 

one of my “Where Are They Now” guys. I 

found out that he’s been living in Buckhead for 

the last 40 years and just recently retired as a 

stockbroker. He’s kept up with what’s going on 

through Jerry Finkelstein, one of the last players 

who had a two-hand set shot. Jerry was also 

attending for the first time; I’m hoping he can 

bring brothers Milton and Bruce for the next 

get-together. Ed, one of the few non-Jewish 

guys who played at the J, said he’s read some 

of my columns in The Jewish Georgian. I told 

him that, next to “Moose” Miller, he was the 

best passer in the league, and when you went 

back door, you knew he was going to get you 

the ball. 

Ed Jackel was also in attendance. I saw 

him last year when he made a presentation to 

the Edge Wise group at the Marcus Jewish 

Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) about 

his experiences as an athlete, soldier during 

World War II, and an athletic director at the 

AJCC. Jon Miller, a great defensive player and 

competitor, was also there; I informed him that, 

at age 64, he was the youngest in the group. He 

still looked like he could lace up his sneakers 

and play four quarters. 

It was great seeing Sam Appel, co-publisher 

of The Jewish Georgian and the person 

who asked me ten years ago to write this column. 

I’m still waiting for my first check. Sam 

also holds the distinction of being the first player 

ever to have a technical foul called on him 

before the game actually started. 

Sam told me that Lenny Levey, who now 

lives in Chicago, was sorry he could not attend. 

Lenny was a member of our Bulldog team and 

played in the city league. He was New York 

tough. I remember him going into the bleachers 

at Grady High, fighting an opposing player. 

Ray Taratoot, longtime player, coach, and 

referee, was there, as was Norman Greenberg. 

I remember Norman as a softball captain, 

catcher, and long-ball hitter, but couldn’t 

remember him on the basketball court. It didn’t 

matter; it was good seeing him after 30 years. 

Willie Green, the all-time “Mr. Hustle” in basketball, 

softball, and tennis, was there. The last 

time I saw Martin Cohen was when our sons 

were wrestling in a state tournament back in 

the late ‘80s. Martin was a captain, player, and 

referee in the AJCC basketball league. Leonard 

Sherman brought Marty Berger, who was 

recovering from a recent stroke, and it was 

good seeing Marty doing so well. 

The person most missed was Hal 

Krafchick, longtime athletics director at the 

JCC, who died on July 5. I felt that we should 

have symbolically left a chair for him at the 

table. Both Donald “Moose” Miller and Steve 

Gruenhut had some nice things to say about 

Hal and the plans to keep his memory alive. 

Every guy there could have told a Hal story. 

My favorite was when a center all-star team 

played a team from the Atlanta Falcons in 

1968. Their team included Tommy Nobis, Ken 

Reaves, Randy Johnson, and Tommy 

McDonald. Hal was officiating the game and 

called a foul against the intense, super-competitive 

McDonald. He ran over to Hal and picked 

him up, put him on his shoulders and did about 

three or four airplane spins before putting him 

down. Hal staggered around the court, and the 

crowd loved it. It probably was the first time 

I’d ever seen Hal in an athletic contest where 

he wasn’t in control. 

Thanks go to Stan Sobel, the unofficial 

league historian, and Steve Gruenhut, the 

perennial captain and commissioner, for once 

again organizing the lunch. The fellowship was 

great, the stories were flowing with embellishment 

and exaggeration, and we agreed that we 

need to make this more than a once-a-year 

occasion. 

The greatest power hitter 

BY 

Gene 

Asher 

This article could not have been written 

without the help of my friend Emmett 

W. Wright, Jr. It was Wright who sent me 

the original Jerusalem Post story. 

So here goes the Gene Asher version: 

Quick, now, who was baseball’s greatest 

power hitter? 

Was it Babe Ruth? Was it Hank Aaron? 

Was it Hank Greenberg? 

Actually, it was none of these. It was 

Lipman (like Dr. Brad) Pike, who played 

for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1866 and 

blasted six home runs, five of them consecutively, 

in one game against the 

Philadelphia Alerts. 

Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg may have 

been the Jewish star of the ‘40s, but Pike 

was the “Hammerin’ Hebrew” in the 1870s. 

He led the National Association (later 

called the National League) in the 1870s. 

He played every position on the team and 

later managed in the league. 

READY TO EAT. Willie Green (from 

left), Eddie Ullman, Ed Hoopes, Ed 

Jackel, Donald Miller, Howie 

Frushtick, Allan Carp, Steve 

Gruenhut, and Jon Miller 

PICK-UP BASKETBALL AT SHIRLEY 

BLUMENTHAL. I’ve just crossed another 

thing off my bucket list. For some reason or 

another, I had never visited the JCC at Shirley 

Blumenthal Park. I don’t know why; from my 

house in Alpharetta, it’s just a slightly longer 

drive there than to Zaban Park. Once the basketball 

league starts playing at Zaban, the 

Sunday morning pick-up games are cancelled, 

so I decided to try Shirley Blumenthal. I wasn’t 

disappointed. The competition is good, the 

guys friendly, and, since they play to only 

seven baskets, the games are faster. Basically, 

things are the same—a bunch of Jewish guys of 

varying abilities getting together for a Sunday 

morning workout. Of course, there are still 

arguments about foul calls and who touched 

the ball last before it went out of bounds. Also, 

you will not see anybody dunking the ball. 

I saw a lot of familiar faces there, guys I 

have played with in the MJCCA leagues, both 

at the Peachtree center and Zaban Park. David 

Cohen can still shoot the ball and plays a great 

all-around game. Barry Shapiro is in great 

shape and still plays hard at both ends of the 

court. He told me that he’s playing in an adult 

lacrosse league and enjoying it. Just don’t forget 

to wear your helmet, Barry. 

Lloyd Marbach is still going full speed. 

Bryan Wulz, a perennial first-round pick in the 

Adult Basketball League, is still shooting his 

flying jumper with deadly accuracy. Bruce and 

Ryan Friedrich reminded me that I played with 

their father, Bernie. I remember Ryan and 

Bruce as youngsters, when Bernie brought 

them to softball and basketball games. Barry 

Katz can still shoot his long-range and post-up 

jump shot, and David Seligman has his hook 

shot and sets a good pick. I saw Jonathan Agin 

He was born May 25, 1845, in 

Brooklyn, New York. 

For all his power hitting, he was paid 

the enormous sum of $20 a week. He 

picked up his first bat after his bar mitzvah. 

He died of heart disease at age 48. 

He deserves to be in the Baseball Hall 

of Fame. Nobody before or since has come 

WHO HAS THE NEXT STORY? 

Martin Cohen (from left), Ray 

Taratoot, Norman Greenberg, Jerry 

Finkelstein, and Sam Appel; (front) 

Allan Carp 

a day earlier at Zaban Park, and now here he 

was at Shirley Blumenthal. 

I hope to continue to play there as an alternative 

to Zaban and get to know some of the 

other guys. 

PICKLEBALL. If you’ve ever played 

PickleBall at the MJCCA, you know that the 

set consists of a net with the poles fitted into 

two yellow sand-filled bases. Each base weighs 

about 40 pounds. Somehow, two bases disappeared 

from the center and couldn’t be found. 

We looked everywhere, as did the security and 

custodial staff. Now, who would want to steal 

two-40 pound yellow bases? I could just imagine 

the thief trying to cart these things out to his 

car. Maybe, somewhere in Dunwoody, there’s a 

PickleBall game going on courtesy of the 

MJCCA. 

Luckily, we have Ken Lester, one of the 

organizers of the sport at the J. Ken had already 

bought a set for The Weber School, and he 

bought a second set of official PickleBall 

equipment for the MJCCA. Thanks, Ken, for 

your generosity. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Longtime softball and 

basketball player Brian Wertheim celebrated 

his 60th birthday in September. Brian, one of 

the all-time nice guys, carries on a conversation 

with you during the game and is a great sport. 

Keep working on that left-hand/right-hand 

drill I showed you and practicing that accurate 

3-point shot. I hope to see you on the court for 

many more years. 

Hope you enjoyed the column. Until next 

time, “drive for the bucket and score.” 

close to matching his home-run record. 

And, although he is not a Georgian and 

therefore does not meet the requirements 

for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Ron 

Blomberg, baseball’s first designated hitter 

and a former New York Yankees star, does. 

He has long been overdue for admittance to 

the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.


What the release of Gilad Shalit means to Israel 

By Omer Dar 

Gilad Shalit, 25, is now free. After 

Gilad spent almost five and a half long 

years in Palestinian captivity, Hamas and 

Israel struck a deal on October 11 that 

allowed him to come back home. 

As an Israeli studying in Atlanta, I have 

been asked many times about the price 

Israel is willing to pay to release one soldier. 

The price that Israel paid for Gilad 

seems unreasonable: 1,027 terrorists for 

one soldier. Among the 1,027 Palestinian 

terrorists are hundreds of convicted murderers 

responsible for the death of more than 

1,000 Israelis. There are many arguments 

for and against the deal; however, I want to 

focus on the Jewish aspect of the deal and 

explain it through the lens of our roots. 

Pidyon Shvuyim (redemption of prisoners) 

is considered one of the most important 

commandments in the halacha (Jewish 

law). There are countless examples 

throughout Jewish history of fulfilling this 

commandment and releasing Jewish prisoners. 

Israel, the only Jewish state, was established 

on those Jewish values. The Israel 

Defense Forces (IDF) and other security 

organizations devote much of their 

resources to tracking POWs and kidnapped 

civilians. 

In Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976, the 

Gilad Shalit salutes Prime Minister 

Benjamin Netanyahu 

whole world was astonished by the heroic 

action of the IDF, when troops of Israel’s 

elite unit stormed Entebbe’s airport terminal, 

2,500 miles away from Israel, to release 

those who were kidnapped by Palestinian 

and German terrorists. 

Eighteen years later, the same unit 

attempted and failed to release the kidnapped 

soldier Nachson Vaxman from a 

house in Bir Nabala, just a few miles from 

his parents’ home in Jerusalem. One of the 

elite unit soldiers, Nir Poraz, was killed in 

that operation. 

There are other examples that indicate 

the price Israel is willing to pay for the 

return of its soldiers or civilians. In the 

Jibril agreement (1985), 1,150 Palestinians 

were exchanged for three Israeli soldiers. In 

the Tenenbaum agreement (2004), an Israeli 

Prime Minister Netanyahu, Gilad 

Shalit and his father, Noam Shalit 

civilian and the three bodies of soldiers 

were exchanged for over 400 Arab prisoners. 

The only case that wasn’t solved and is 

still an open wound in Israeli society is the 

case of Ron Arad. A weapon-systems officer, 

Arad was on a mission in Lebanon with 

fellow pilot Yishai Aviram when a system 

failure caused both to eject the aircraft. 

Aviram was rescued a few hours after the 

incident, while Arad was captured by Amal, 

a Shia militia. During the years Arad was in 

captivity, few pictures were received, and 

all efforts to release him failed. He is now 

widely presumed dead, and the location of 

his grave is unknown. 

The trauma of Ron Arad was tearing 

apart Israeli society. One of the core values 

of Israel and the Israeli Army is that you 

never give up on your fellow soldiers and 

will pay almost any price to bring them 

home, alive or dead. 

When Gilad was kidnapped, Israelis 

were not willing to accept another case like 

Ron Arad. Gilad became the son of all families, 

and the concern for his well-being 

spanned the political spectrum. Enormous 

pressure was put on the government, and 

civilians went to the streets to protest its 

inaction. Although many fear the aftermath 

of a deal between Israel and Hamas, a 

greater value stands in front of their eyes: 

the unconditional dedication of Israel as a 

Jewish country to its civilians and soldiers. 

Throughout their history, Jews and Israelis 

have had much experience with hard times. 

It is certain that the release of the 

Palestinian terrorists will bring a new wave 

of bloodshed; hoever, it is the essence of 

our strength as a society and a nation that 

will keep us united, strong, and undefeatable. 

Our enemies think that they won the 

negotiation and exposed our weakness, but 

they don’t realize that the release of Gilad 

Shalit only symbolizes our dedication to our 

community and our strength as Jews. They 

can’t and don’t understand that Jews have 

survived because they hold Kol Yisrael 

Haverim (All Jews are friends) as their core 

value, and that is what will ensure our survival 

as a society for generations to come.

Happy Chanukah - The Jewish Georgian

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