jewishatl, Author at Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta

Happiness from Helping Others

By Matt Bronfman, Federation Board Chair

On Purim, we celebrate by drinking, eating and making merry. According to the Talmud, this entire month of Adar is known to be an especially happy time. But sometimes, we each experience that it is difficult to find joy when the world seems to have so many problems. However, there is one almost sure-fire way to increase your chances of being happy.

Recent scientific research has shown that giving back is linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety, improved health, and a reduction of stress hormones. It doesn’t matter whether participants donated to charity or volunteered their time— regardless, researchers found an immediate positive impact. I recently had the privilege of hearing from one of the world’s leading philanthropists, Bernie Marcus, about his experiences as a giver. He spoke at our Grow a Legacy event about the incredible happiness that making a difference in other people’s lives had brought to him, personally.

So, for your own good, I urge you to donate your time, talent and/or treasure. You can peruse our website and look for a program that will fit your passions, or contact the Atlanta Jewish Foundation and learn how to set up an endowment for a local Jewish institution. I promise it will make your Adar a happier one!

jewishatl In Jewish Camp Initiative

Start a Campfire is Ending Soon!

They say that Jewish overnight camp is one of the three most effective vehicles for attracting and engaging young people in Jewish life. Kids who attend camp:

Feel a deep, personal, lifelong commitment to their Jewish identity, ownership of their Judaism and connection to Israel.
As adults, they tend to prioritize Jewish experiences and incorporate Jewish values and knowledge into their family life.
Are equipped with a greater sense of community, connectedness, competency and resilience.

You still have a chance to make a difference and ensure that kids from all over metro Atlanta can attend camp this summer—like Former Kid and current President and CEO of Federation, Eric M. Robbins!

Overnight camp gives kids lifelong connections to their Jewish community. And many children are only able to attend because of scholarships and grants. Please, donate now to ensure that Atlanta’s kids get to experience the magic of Jewish summer camp!

jewishatl In Atlanta Jewish Community

Combatting Food Insecurity in Atlanta

Federation is proud to join with other faith-based organizations from across Greater Atlanta to reduce the impact of food insecurity across our communities. In proud partnership with the Atlanta Food Bank, Federation invites you to join us Sunday, March 12th, at noon at the Home Depot Backyard in downtown Atlanta for the Hunger Walk—an afternoon of walking (or running!) for a good cause, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and more. When you register or donate, make sure to search for Team Feederation!

Our participation in the Food Bank’s Hunger Walk enables us to work in partnership, across the community, to make a difference in the lives of many. Last year, the Jewish community raised $81,878 for the Hunger Walk. A portion of these funds were allocated through the Atlanta Food Bank, and more than half was distributed by Federation to programs funding hunger and food-related causes in the Jewish community. In 2022, the money raised through the Hunger Walk supported 14 organizations including Kosher food programs, shelters, and food distribution programs.

In addition to the Hunger Walk, Federation also supports the Jewish Family & Career Services Kosher Food Pantry, which serves those experiencing food insecurity in our community.  So far in FY ‘23, through weekly, in-person distributions, the Kosher Food Pantry has served 801 Jewish Households and 1513 Jewish Individuals. Of these, 914 are seniors and 248 are children. 

Federation also works with Repair the World Atlanta, which partners with urban gardens across the city that address the need for healthy food in their neighborhoods. Their long-standing partner, Historic Westside Gardens, has empowered over 70 households to create and maintain their own gardens, providing direct access to fruits and vegetables. Atlanta Repair will be offering monthly opportunities, beginning Saturday, March 18, to volunteer in these community gardens. Atlanta Repair also partners with organizations such as Bagel Rescue and The Sandwich Project, which combat food waste by delivering bagels and sandwiches donated by local restaurants and cafes.

Federation is proud to support initiatives that combat food insecurity across Atlanta and the world. We hope you can join us at 12 pm on Sunday, March 12th, at the Home Depot Backyard for the Hunger Walk!

jewishatl In Gather Grants, Jewish Abilities Atlanta

Making (Accessible) Jewish Places

When Eleanor Pearlman heard about Gather Grants last fall, she knew she had to do something that involved kids. “I love working with kids, being around them,” she says. Gather Grants are an initiative of Federation’s Making Jewish Places, Next Gen, and PJ Library Atlanta that gives community members $180 microgrants in order to hold events in their neighborhoods and gather meaningfully. Immediately, Eleanor knew what she wanted to do.

She and her parents went to Kroger and Spicy Peach and bought candy and frosting. They split the materials up and created individual kits so neighborhood kids could make their own candy sukkahs. “Kids love candy,” Eleanor says, and she’s right. The children and parents who attended the gathering each got a bag with supplies, and Eleanor gave a talk about sukkot and its symbols: sukkahs, lulav and etrog. Then, she invited the kids to use their candy and make and decorate their own sukkahs. The families had a blast making and eating their sukkahs, and Eleanor facilitated the whole thing.

Relational Engagement Manager, Carla Birnbaum, was immediately impressed with Eleanor’s application for funding. “The Gather Grant program is meant to engage Jewish Atlanta in a meaningful and empowering way. Eleanor’s idea was both of those things and more. Her resourcefulness and enthusiasm surrounding this program is wonderful!”

Eleanor is a senior in high school, and in addition to being great with little ones, she’s also a woman with a disability.

“Sometimes adults don’t know how to talk to me. They might say ‘Oh, I’m so sorry you’re in a wheelchair.’ But I’m grateful for my wheelchair; my chair gives me freedom and independence.”

But kids aren’t intimidated. “Kids think my chair is neat and interesting, and they take it at face value.” It’s one of the reasons she loves being around children so much; they understand that people are unique.

February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), when Jewish organizations and communities worldwide work to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities. Organizations like Jewish Abilities Atlanta work all year to ensure that Jewish people with disabilities don’t miss out on any aspect of Jewish life, but not all Jews know about these resources.

In addition to being a wheelchair user, Eleanor also lives with a chronic illness. She sometimes has to miss classes due to appointments or hospitalizations, but says that her Jewish school has been extremely helpful and accommodating. They understand her needs as an individual, and work with her and her family to make sure she isn’t missing out.

Eleanor says, “I think it’s important for parents of kids with disabilities to do their research and find resources.” She says that parents shouldn’t assume that their kids can’t participate in activities like summer camp. Eleanor herself attended overnight Jewish summer camp at Camp Simcha Special every year that she was eligible except 2020, when camp was closed due to COVID.

Eleanor says she would love to do another Gather Grant. “For somebody who is disabled, it’s sometimes hard for me to go to other people’s houses to celebrate shabbat or other holidays—there might be stairs, or narrow hallways, or other inaccessible spaces. To bring people to my home, to my sukkah, is much easier and more relaxing.” The next round of Gather Grant applications opens on March 1 and will be themed around Israel’s 75th birthday.

JADAIM might be ending today, but we should focus all year on making Jewish Atlanta an accessible and inclusive place for all people.

jewishatl In Caring, Global News, People in Need

How Federation Supports Ethiopian Jews

During Black History Month, we celebrate and commemorate the history of the African diaspora. In the United States, we often think of this month through the lens of African Americans, but it’s important to recognize much of Black History does not involve the U.S. Indeed, there are Black Jews all over the world, and their history is our history. One of the largest and most well-known Black Jewish communities is from Ethiopia, and Federation supports initiatives that help Ethiopian Jews and amplify their stories.

The Beta Israel of Ethiopia are one of the oldest Jewish diaspora communities, in existence for over 1500 years. Across the centuries, this community has weathered poverty, persecution, war, and the threat of conversion. Many Ethiopian Jewish people have made Aliyah and now reside in Israel, having managed to escape the turmoil in their country of birth. But once in Israel, it can be difficult to assimilate.

Since the current war in Ethiopia began in 2020, a new wave of olim have come to live in Israel. The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) is one of Federation’s biggest partners, and they work closely with olim before they even leave Ethiopia. JAFI provides security on the ground in Ethiopia, pre-Aliyah medical and administrational preparation, and nutritional support programs in Addis Ababa and Gondar. Once in Israel, olim move into one of 15 absorption centers that cater to the cultural needs of Ethiopian immigrants and continue to receive Jewish Agency housing while they complete their absorption process. At JAFI centers, they receive comprehensive support services, Hebrew lessons, after-school academic enrichment for the children, opportunities for vocational training, and much more.

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta also works with our partner region in Israel, Yokneam-Meggido, on programs to help Ethiopian immigrants settle into their new communities once they leave JAFI housing. Funds from Federation go to initiatives to boost educational achievements among students, increase parent engagement in children’s schooling, connect children and teenagers to Community Center classes and youth movements, improve the quality of life for Amharic-speaking residents by closing language and cultural gaps, and detect developmental delays in young children, and much more.

Here in Atlanta, Federation is proud to fund the work of the Atlanta Jews of Color Council (AJOCC) through our Innovation initiative. AJOCC aims to use the arts to drive belonging for Jews of Color in Atlanta. This year, AJOCC is hosting Jewish Ethiopian actors, producers, and filmmakers who are teaching and exhibiting their work in Atlanta. Shai Ferdo, an actor and filmmaker, is the star of Exodus 91, the film sponsored by Federation in this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. He is teaching as an adjunct at Clark Atlanta University this semester, and since arriving in Atlanta, he has spoken on a panel with the American Jewish Committee and given a talk at the Weber School about his experience as an Ethiopian Jew in Israel. Many Ethiopians who immigrate to Israel experience anti-Black discrimination, and he has spoken candidly about the need for Jews of Color to be recognized as fully Jewish in predominantly white-passing communities. AJOCC is sponsoring his stay in Atlanta, as well as other artists.

Black Jewish History is integral to the history of Judaism across the world; we cannot speak of Jewish history without speaking of the diversity within our global community.

jewishatl In Atlanta Jewish Community

Applications Are Open for Women’s Leadership Grants

The Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta (JWFA) is accepting applications for their new Women’s Leadership Grants. JWFA seeks to promote social change and creates positive opportunities for Jewish women and girls.

Grant proposals should come from programs and organizations that are promoting social change for Jewish women and girls. Applying organizations may request support for specific programs, or for general operating costs. JWFA seeks to fund projects that place an emphasis on sustainability, leveraged funding, and partnerships. Proposals should be for a one-year period beginning July 1, 2023 and finishing June 30, 2024.

Issue areas JFWA is interested in funding, through a gender and social change lens, include but are not limited to:

Economic empowerment
Leadership development
Gender-based violence prevention
Reproductive justice
Social justice and legal advocacy
Mental health
Mentoring

Applications are due by March 31, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Wasserman, CEO of JWFA, at rwasserman@jwfatlanta.org.

jewishatl In Jewish Camp Initiative

Let’s Start a Campfire!

Did you know that the Jewish Camp Initiative has been sending kids to Jewish overnight camp for 10 years? It’s true! And you can be part of that legacy. The Start a Campfire campaign is happening now, and any money you donate will be used for camper scholarships and grants this summer! Many kids in Atlanta would not be able to attend Jewish overnight camp without this support. Kids like Jaron (18) and Lexi (14) rely on it:

“Sending our children to Jewish summer camp was non-negotiable for our family. We did not go to Jewish overnight camp when we were young, and we wanted our children to take advantage of the many opportunities we have within the Atlanta Jewish community. At summer camp, everything comes together—it’s immersive, they meet people from all over. And best of all, they are outdoors all summer.

But when our oldest, Jaron, was getting close to camp age (at the time, a rising third grader) we were uncertain how we were going to pay for his tuition. We started doing research on ways to make it affordable. We filled out an application with Temple Emanu-El for a scholarship, and someone recommended Federation and the new Jewish Camp Initiative scholarships. And the rest is history.

Both Jaron and Lexi have attended Camp Coleman since the first summer each was eligible. They would not have been able to attend without the grants and scholarships, especially during the summers where we had both of them going—and we would never have wanted one to go and not the other.

This will be Jaron’s first summer as a counselor, and he is very excited to be on staff; he is ready to give back to the campers at Coleman from an adult perspective. Camp is a part of each of their identities—it’s a tradition, it’s what they do every summer, it’s what they can count on. They both have tight-knit friend groups they talk to and lean on throughout the year, even when they are not at camp.

Other parents, we want you to know: it does not have to be scary to ask for help. A grant or scholarship is an investment in your child, in their Judaism. You can reach out, there are plenty of resources.

You should care about camp even if your children are grown, or if you never had children, because the traditions of Judaism are passed down through camp. It is the chance to teach and model outside of the home. The values that camp instills are the same as at synagogue. Our children would never have had these opportunities without the Jewish Camp Initiative, and they have become better people because of it.”

-Paige and Evan Pearson

In the last 10 years, Jewish Atlantans helped raise over $30,000 annually during Start a Campfire (plus matching donations), which has helped provide over 5,200 camp scholarships and grants! To see more of the tremendous impact of Start a Campfire and the Jewish Camp Initiative, click here.

jewishatl In Jewish Abilities Atlanta

February is Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month

Did you know that nearly 20% of the population lives with a disability and/or a mental health condition? February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), and all month, Federation and RespectAbility will be amplifying the voices and experiences of people with disabilities.

The purpose of JDAIM is for Jewish communities across the world to raise awareness and champion the rights of all Jews to be accepted and included in all aspects of Jewish life. It is the perfect time of year to read and watch stories by Jewish artists with disabilities, and learn what civil right struggles are still happening today in the disability community.

Assumptions can be made that disabled people look a particular way, but it’s important not to jump to conclusions about a person’s disability status based on how they look. Disabilities can be apparent and non-apparent, and by making our communities more accessible and inclusive, everyone can belong.

Belonging is an essential human need, and everyone deserves to have their personal Jewish journey affirmed. It is vital that people with disabilities can access and thrive in Jewish spaces. JDAIM is an important time, but the need for accessibility and inclusion lasts the whole year round.

To learn how Federation supports people with disabilities all year long, please visit the Jewish Abilities Atlanta website.

jewishatl In Atlanta Jewish Community

Celebrating Black History Month in Jewish Spaces

By Victoria Raggs, Co-founding Executive Director of the Atlanta Jews of Color Council

Happy Black History Month! The Atlanta Jews of Color Council is extremely thankful to be in our third year as a grantee of the Federation’s Innovation Initiative. AJOCC is a Jewish, Women of Color-owned and -led 501c3 nonprofit organization which promotes opportunities that broaden understanding and appreciation of diverse Jewish ethnicities and nurtures multicultural interactions through the arts. Driving cultural change through arts-based strategy, we design and sustain collaborative learning experiences and creative processes that lead to expansive thinking, dialogue, and communal belonging. We invite the Jewish community, and beyond, into authentic and meaningful conversation designed to move the needle on how we all engage in the world with antiracism and compassion for others.

An important component to being Black Jewish women is that we have a very strong conviction for justice due to our experiences of antisemitism, sexism, and racism. It is a fight for our right to be seen in our fullest humanity every single day. In Jewish tradition, we are guided to live by the value of ometz lev, which translates to “courage”, but literally means “strength” or “heart-strength.” It takes courage for us in today’s world to strive toward G-d. For me, that looks like striving toward justice. Condemnation of violence, valuing of life, and respect for human dignity are rooted in our faith and spiritual traditions.

Nevertheless, Jews of Color, especially Black Jews, are regularly harmed in some Jewish spaces, even in organizations with the best intentions around welcoming and belonging. As a community, we must intentionally come together and advocate for justice in our world to create a future that’s whole. No culture or religion is full of people who look exactly the same, and Jews are no different. Together, we are a multiethnic, multicultural people who continue to build an evolving Jewish culture that includes a religion and a nation. Yet the normative view of a Jew in the U.S., both inside and outside the Jewish community, is an Ashkenazi Jew from Eastern Europe. The ways in which we teach our history have often left some people out of the full story. It brings credibility to us as a community when we accurately display the depth and range of who we are as a people.

Black History Month can be a catalyst to come to terms with the Black Jews among us. To those who want to be a true ally, here are a few actions you can take:

When people in marginalized groups tell you about bias or hardships they’re facing, believe them.
Center and uplift Black perspectives and voices—suggest them for opportunities, mention them on your social media, and hire them into positions of authority.
Call people in if they display problematic, discriminatory behavior or statements.
Use your privilege to speak where other people would be silenced.
Offer resources to empower, not to make dependent.
Celebrate the accomplishments of Black women.

Transformative change is possible, if all marginalized groups have a seat at the table—but not only by being included in our organizations; they must also be part of the leadership in deciding and creating policy. Our institutions should be committed to cultivating actions, not just statements, of a truly inclusive culture which aligns with our Jewish values of Teshuva and Tikkun Olam. Establishing clear and firm procedures and practices that center the humanity of all community members is one of the most impactful strategies for advancing racial equity & justice. Our liberation as humans is bound up together.

Let us all come together to honor Black History Month, because the achievements of Black people, inside our community and out, have contributed to our nation’s greatness, and are part of the collective story of America. We have come a long way toward inclusion in this country but there is still much work to do.

Should you wish to support the work of AJOCC, or join us for upcoming events, please visit our website or find us on social media.

jewishatl In People in Need

Give to Earthquake Relief in Turkey and Syria

Last week, Turkey and Syria were struck with a deadly earthquake, with a death toll above 11,000 and still rising. The Jewish community in Turkey has been hit hard; the president of the Antakya community, Saul Cenudioglu, and his wife, Fortuna, both perished, and the town’s synagogue was partially destroyed.

Federation’s core partners, the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), have had professionals on the ground since the earthquake hit. They have been supporting the Jewish community there and are also providing broader humanitarian assistance. Federation is also in close contact with the Israeli government and other organizations that are assisting in relief efforts.

Jewish Federations of North America has started a fund so that those who wish to provide emergency support may do so quickly and directly. Federation’s established committees for international emergency response will ensure that any funds received are directed immediately to the greatest needs.

This tragedy is a reminder of the importance of Federation’s global humanitarian network, which is supported through our annual campaign. The donations made to Federation’s Partners Fund ensure that we can spring into action the moment a crisis strikes.