Happy Chanukah - The Jewish Georgian

Page 18 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN November-December 2011
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