January-February 2012 - The Jewish Georgian
January-February 2012 - The Jewish Georgian
January-February 2012 - The Jewish Georgian
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Page 4 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN <strong>January</strong>-<strong>February</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
Seek to understand, not parrot<br />
To me, words have almost a sacred<br />
quality. <strong>The</strong>y are the essence of interaction,<br />
and they are the vehicles by which we communicate,<br />
influence, and teach.<br />
Words are the ordnance of society.<br />
Normally, they are appended to other words<br />
to convey a message, and the resulting<br />
thought may have a lasting effect. Used<br />
properly and understood correctly in the<br />
context of the thought, this ordnance<br />
becomes a front-line element in the positive<br />
development of our world.<br />
Words, whether written or spoken, are<br />
utterances that are made for the purpose of<br />
being received by others. It is important that<br />
the messages being conveyed are clear and<br />
do the job, but the mirror action to the conveyance<br />
of the words is the hearing or reading<br />
of the message. Actually, it is the reception<br />
and not the speaking that is the purpose<br />
of verbalizing thoughts and concepts.<br />
Espousal of a position or concept,<br />
whether by an advocate or an interested<br />
party, does not necessarily validate the position.<br />
It is the processing by the recipient of<br />
the ideas and thoughts contained in the<br />
words that puts “meat on the bone.” Ideally,<br />
as objectively as possible, we should listen<br />
to the concept being conveyed for the pur-<br />
THE<br />
<strong>Jewish</strong> <strong>Georgian</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Jewish</strong> <strong>Georgian</strong> is published bimonthly by Eisenbot, Ltd. It is<br />
written for Atlantans and <strong>Georgian</strong>s by Atlantans and <strong>Georgian</strong>s.<br />
Publisher Marvin Botnick<br />
Co-Publisher Sam Appel<br />
Editor Marvin Botnick<br />
Managing Editor Marsha C. LaBeaume<br />
Assignment Editor Carolyn Gold<br />
Consulting Editor Gene Asher<br />
Associate Editor Barbara Schreiber<br />
Copy Editor Ray Tapley<br />
Assistant Copy Editor Arnold Friedman<br />
Makeup Editor Terri Christian<br />
Production Coordinator Terri Christian<br />
Designer David Gaudio<br />
Photographic Staff Allan Scher, Jonathan Paz<br />
Graphic Art Consultant Karen Paz<br />
Columnist Gene Asher, Jonathan Barach,<br />
Janice Rothschild Blumberg,<br />
Marvin Botnick, David Geffen,<br />
Carolyn Gold, Jonathan Goldstein,<br />
R.M. Grossblatt, Marice Katz,<br />
Balfoura Friend Levine,<br />
Marsha Liebowitz, Bubba Meisa,<br />
Erin O’Shinsky, Reg Regenstein,<br />
Susan Robinson, Stuart Rockoff,<br />
Roberta Scher, Jerry Schwartz, Leon Socol,<br />
Rabbi Reuven Stein, Cecile Waronker<br />
Special Assignments Lyons Joel<br />
Advertising Anne Bender<br />
Ruby Grossblatt<br />
Rochelle Solomon<br />
Editorial Advisory Board Members<br />
Sam Appel Rabbi Alvin Sugarman Sam Massell<br />
Jane Axelrod Albert Maslia William Rothschild<br />
Gil Bachman Michael H. Mescon Marilyn Shubin<br />
Asher Benator Paul Muldawer Doug Teper<br />
8495 Dunwoody Place, Suite 100<br />
Atlanta, GA 30350<br />
(404) 236-8911 • FAX (404) 236-8913<br />
jewishga@bellsouth.net<br />
www.jewishgeorgian.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Jewish</strong> <strong>Georgian</strong> ©<strong>2012</strong><br />
BY<br />
Marvin<br />
Botnick<br />
pose of learning and as a method of understanding,<br />
but not necessarily agreeing with,<br />
the thought and position being put forth.<br />
A basic question that society in general<br />
and each of us individually should ask is:<br />
“Do we read and converse to confirm or to<br />
learn?”<br />
I remember when I was taking a world<br />
history<br />
course in<br />
high school<br />
in the early<br />
50s, one of<br />
our assignments<br />
was<br />
to read the<br />
Communist<br />
Manifesto.<br />
While this<br />
was the height of the Cold War, the school<br />
had taken the position that for its students to<br />
understand the conflict, it was necessary to<br />
learn something of the system against which<br />
we were struggling, rather than blithely<br />
mouthing the buzzwords of the day in condemnation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> school, which was located in a<br />
small town of less than 3,000 people, had a<br />
rather extensive library of its own, but since<br />
in that facility there were only four copies of<br />
the Manifesto and there were many more<br />
students that were assigned the reading, getting<br />
a copy presented a problem. Right<br />
across the street from the school library was<br />
the township library, so I went over there to<br />
see if it had a copy I could check out. <strong>The</strong><br />
school was located not too far from Salem,<br />
Massachusetts, and the reaction I got to the<br />
request for the publication made me feel that<br />
I had been transported back to the late 1600s<br />
confronting a tribunal at the Salem witch trials.<br />
An understanding of the need to read to<br />
learn was not a concept to which they subscribed.<br />
I n<br />
Chapter 13 of<br />
Histories of<br />
Heresy in<br />
E a r l y<br />
Modern<br />
Europe, it is<br />
reported that,<br />
“[Martin]<br />
Luther’s<br />
translation of the Bible, indeed the very act<br />
of translating it establishes the true moment<br />
of rupture with the Catholic Church.” At that<br />
time, the Bible was almost universally written<br />
and read in Latin, which was a language<br />
of the Church but not used or understood by<br />
the general population. Luther’s translation<br />
into the language of the people now made it<br />
possible for the words and content to be<br />
A basic question that society in<br />
general and each of us individually<br />
should ask is: “Do we read and converse<br />
to confirm or to learn?”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Georgia Chapter of the Crohn’s &<br />
Colitis Foundation (CCFA) will present its<br />
21st Annual Torch Gala at the<br />
InterContinental Buckhead, in Atlanta, 7:00<br />
p.m., <strong>January</strong> 28. For the past 20 years, this<br />
dinner dance, which includes a silent auction<br />
and raffle, has been the largest single<br />
fundraiser of the year for the Georgia<br />
Chapter. With a mission to cure and prevent<br />
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis<br />
through research and to improve the quality<br />
of life of children and adults affected by<br />
these digestive diseases through education<br />
and support, the Torch Gala has raised over<br />
$5.1 million to date.<br />
Atlanta residents Ann and Jay Davis<br />
and their son, Richard, are the <strong>2012</strong> Torch<br />
Gala Citizens of the Year. <strong>The</strong> Davises are<br />
devoted fundraisers, volunteers, and advocates<br />
for CCFA. Over the years, they have<br />
joined planning committees, engaged in<br />
grassroots fundraising efforts, and participated<br />
in each special event and campaign.<br />
Recognizing the importance of<br />
research, the Davis family played an integral<br />
role in establishing the groundwork for<br />
the Human Gut Microbiome Initiative by<br />
being the first major donors to the project.<br />
Through this initiative, CCFA is able to<br />
empower more scientists to study the intes-<br />
tinal community of microbes, therefore furthering<br />
the accomplishments in the field of<br />
inflammatory bowel disease research.<br />
“It is an honor for our family to be chosen<br />
as CCFA’s Torch Gala Citizens of the<br />
Year,” says Jay Davis. “We consider the<br />
Georgia chapter part of our extended family,<br />
and we will continue to do what we can<br />
to further the advancement of research.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of<br />
America (CCFA) was founded in 1967 and<br />
is the only nonprofit voluntary health<br />
organization dedicated to finding a cure for<br />
digested by the individual rather than having<br />
to rely on directives of others. <strong>The</strong> individuals<br />
were now able to interpret for themselves<br />
the meaning and message of the text.<br />
Literacy, especially in the developed<br />
world, is common; however, the search for<br />
understanding does not seem to be as universal.<br />
Although we are inundated by untold<br />
missives and publications, many of us chose<br />
only to rely on those that support a position<br />
to which we already adhere. We seek validation,<br />
not insight and understanding.<br />
We are the inheritors of a rich tradition<br />
of study and learning, which has become<br />
almost an innate characteristic. <strong>The</strong> intense<br />
search for truths and meanings has consumed<br />
our people for centuries, and while it<br />
was originally directed primarily to religious<br />
issues, the format was continued into<br />
secular matters.<br />
But never has the average person been<br />
so overwhelmed with the flood of communiqués<br />
as has now become possible with the<br />
modern methods. For whatever reason, the<br />
communication revolution we are experiencing,<br />
which could grow to an impact level<br />
equal to the Industrial Revolution, has been<br />
conscripted by many as a tool to service personal<br />
goals. More so than ever, it is now<br />
imperative that we seek out all sides of an<br />
issue and not limit our perspective to<br />
sources that coalesce with others of a similar<br />
bent.<br />
Honor the impact of words; “Guard<br />
your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful<br />
speech” (Psalms 34:14); search for<br />
truths; seek understanding of issues and<br />
people, rather than questionable validation;<br />
and try to understand the true motivation of<br />
sources of “information.”<br />
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation presents 21st Annual Torch Gala<br />
Richard Davis (from left), Ann<br />
Davis, and Jay Davis<br />
Steve Goodman (from left), Katie<br />
Goodman, Richard Davis, Ann<br />
Davis, Jay Davis, Matt Lieberman,<br />
and Elizabeth Lieberman<br />
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two<br />
very painful and life-long digestive diseases.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no known cure for these<br />
intestinal diseases, which can have lifethreatening<br />
complications. Approximately<br />
1.5 million Americans are living with these<br />
diseases.<br />
Individual reservations for the Torch<br />
Gala begin at $300. Table sponsorships are<br />
available. To purchase tickets or for more<br />
information, contact CCFA Development<br />
Manager Amy Suiter at 404-982-0616 or<br />
asuiter@ccfa.org.