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Sep 20 2021
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Jewish Atlanta: Built for Limmud

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Federation News

Ana and I attended Limmud Atlanta at Ramah Darom just before the High Holy Days. It was great to be back, and even in the midst of the Delta variant surge, we felt completely safe and had a spectacular time.

Did you know that there are 97 Limmud communities around the world? Most are one-day events held indoors. Limmud Atlanta is one of a handful of multi-day Limmuds held over Shabbat in a beautiful camp setting. Most Limmuds went virtual when the pandemic began, but Limmud Atlanta was committed to returning to an in-person event as soon as it was safe. This August we had the distinction of holding the first in-person Limmud in the Western Hemisphere since early 2020!

Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. Echoing the theme of our 2022 Community Campaign, “Built for This,” it’s clear to me Jewish Atlanta was also built for the diversity, volunteerism, innovation, and community building that is Limmud.

Diversity: Jewish Atlanta was built to create Limmud because we are a truly diverse Jewish community. Limmud deeply values all streams of Judaism and prioritizes intra-Jewish dialogue. Limmud core values require that every event meets the needs of people across the spectrum of Jewish observance. I will never forget the time a group from The Kehilla led the entire dining room in a rousing birkat ha mazon (blessing after a meal), or the many times we’ve debated Israeli politics with respect and civility. Intra-Jewish engagement is Limmud at its best.

Not only that, but Limmud is age and geographically-diverse. This year we welcomed folks from Knoxville, Augusta, Asheville, South Carolina, and Florida. It’s a place where toddlers, kids, teens, young adults, and older adults become a community together. With so much informal time to share meals and schmooze, it’s no surprise that that Limmud has led to marriages, babies, and lasting intergenerational friendships.

Volunteerism: Jewish Atlanta is blessed with incredible depth in volunteerism. So too, Limmud is a 100% volunteer-run event. Most presenters are unpaid. At Limmud titles like Rabbi, Doctor, and Professor are dropped. This non-hierarchical structure encourages people to show up and really take responsibility. Passionate, committed volunteers rise quickly within the organization.

Innovation: Atlanta is about learning, and it also prizes innovation. Sessions range from traditional text study to the truly offbeat. Limmud loves putting a Jewish spin on hiking, yoga, music, and culture. One beloved Limmud tradition is a post-Shabbat cigar and scotch gathering, held outdoors. This year we honored Limmud Atlanta’s first executive Director Naomi Rabkin, z”l, by bringing in an innovative Jewish farmer for a learning track on the shmitah year — its history and its relevance in modern times.

This year, fearlessly, Limmud Atlanta had multiple sessions on race, gender and Jewish identity, and the imperative to open doors across our institutions to Jews of color. These sessions were frequently raw and emotional. They tested us to live out our highest ideals and face our failings. I love that about Limmud too.

I urge you to open yourself up to the possibility of attending Limmud Atlanta next year. Limmud is one of those immersive Jewish places where all kinds of people, at all levels of understanding and experience, can find meaning together. It’s exactly what Federation has in mind with its Family Camp initiative, creating new ways to connect with other Jews and with Jewish tradition.

Limmud succeeds because it was built for all of us, by all of us.

Sep 10 2021
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Innovation JEDI Night

By Federation Innovation

“Justice, Justice, you shall pursue!” is a well-known, biblical instruction. However, it was only last year when “Justice” was first included alongside Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in corporate, educational, and other settings dedicated to enlightened values (see Dr. Kimberly A Truong’s “From DEI to JEDI” here). So, if “Justice” is so important that it needed to be repeated in a biblical commandment, why has it only recently returned to popular consciousness? I think there are two important considerations: 

  • Justice for all is an aspirational value because of America’s individualism and our complex modern society. It is important to note the active voice in “Justice, Justice, you shall pursue!” rings true millennia later. Then and now, we are pursuing Justice with the knowledge that we may never capture it. 
  • Last year was a tumultuous period of survival as we weathered (and continue to weather) a global pandemic while grappling with societal inequities that exposed “essential workers” and other marginalized communities. The shift from DEI to JEDI was urgent and necessary; I encourage you to click through Dr. Truong’s article referenced above for more context and nuance.  

For similar reasons, Equity for all is also an aspirational value. We lead with “JE” at the front of the JEDI acronym to signify their greater demand of our attention. In 2021, Diversity and Inclusion should be a celebrated and strong baseline that enables our community to do the more challenging work. 

If you embody a JEDI value(s), either as an organization or an individual, please consider responding to our Call for Presenters. The form will be open until end of day, Friday October 8. 

Any questions? Contact our Director of Innovation, Russell Gottschalk.

Aug 26 2021
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Facing Eternal Challenges

By Atlanta Jewish Community

By Rabbi Joshua Heller, Congregation B’nai Torah
For some, these High Holidays 5782 have elicited the response. “Oh no, not again!” — though I suppose that some feel that way about the holidays every year! We assumed that this year would be different from last year, and yet we are facing some of the same challenges again.

Our Biblical role models suffered the same repetition, and their experience may offer us some clarity. In every generation in Genesis, younger siblings earned the favor of their parents and the jealousy of their older siblings. Consider the rivalries of Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Leah and Rachel. Twice, Sarah was taken from her husband by a foreign king with ill intent, and then Rebecca suffered the same fate. On Rosh Hashanah, we read how both Sarah and Hannah struggled with infertility. Abraham went through a total of ten tests.

Scholars offer explanations for this phenomenon, from the literary to the mystical. As we enter 5782, I believe there is another lesson we can learn, which is that life continues to challenge us with the same tests until we pass. From year to year, we may encounter the same conflicts and obstacles in our personal development, our families, organizations, and workplaces. Those who battle addiction must fight that fight every day. It is true for our Jewish community and larger society as well. We face the same challenges of conflict and fragmentation that threatened us a year ago.

Those tests, as challenging as they are, offer an exceptional opportunity. The essence of repentance is that we are given the opportunity to “re-test” and to improve upon our answers to life’s questions. This is not only true for our Jewish nation or for our community, but for us as individuals. This year we have the opportunity to do better than we did last.

Aug 26 2021
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Shmitah Year: A Call to Change

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Federation News

 

When I joined Federation five years ago, Steve Rakitt, a past CEO of our Federation, congratulated me by sending a big, green plant. It thrived in my office until we left to work remotely, then it dramatically wilted and turned brown. I consigned it to our HR Director Jeanette Park, who spent months lovingly nursing it back to life. Today my plant is smaller, but thanks to Jeanette, it’s green and growing.

The plant’s comeback hints at one of the most revolutionary ideas in the history of humankind — the shmita or sabbatical year. Shmitah is the Torah’s commandment that humans take responsibility for the earth by letting the land lie fallow every seven years. A shmita year is also about justice — we are commanded to forgive all debts and let those who are hungry glean the grapes, olives, and crops that have not been harvested.

Rosh Hashanah 5782 ushers in a shmitah year and it has me thinking that for all the ways we have adapted and pivoted these past 18 months to survive the pandemic, what, if anything, have we done to truly change? This Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I believe that we stand at the brink of a major moral opportunity. There is no going back to normal. Everything around us has been disrupted and yet we cling to old habits, worn strategies, and puny expectations. A shmitah year, especially after a pandemic, is a reset, a moment to commit to radical change.

Let us use this brilliant opportunity, the shmitah year, to reevaluate our priorities and address them with fresh and bold thinking. It has never been more relevant or more urgent than right now.

 

 

Aug 19 2021
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Three Big Reasons to Give

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Federation News, PHILANTHROPY

The stunning success of the 2021 Community Campaign demonstrates to me that you, the Jewish community of Atlanta, are believers and builders. Your generosity is what propels us forward toward an even brighter collective future. It’s obvious to me that the Community Campaign is the very best vehicle for keeping that momentum going.

Last year’s Community Campaign closed with totals that exceeded our goals in every category, allowing us to amplify our impact. As our economy rebounds, I know we can do even better in 2022.

Federation is built to do big things. Here are my top three reasons to ask for your generous support for the 2022 Community Campaign:

1) Your support during COVID was magnificent. Jewish Atlanta deserves a pat on the back for how we met urgent needs during the pandemic, how we continue to come through COVID, and how we have learned from it. This kind of help is what Federation was built for and what a great community does.

2) You have helped us build one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in North America. We are the home of world-class partner agencies. We have a growing Jewish population, attracting young people after college and older adults who are moving to join their adult children. Our demographics have attracted innovative national initiatives to locate in our city:  Repair the World, OneTable, Honeymoon Israel, 18Doors, and B’chol Lashon are all thriving here.

3) Our tradition teaches over and over again that being a part of a community means supporting that community. This is the price we pay for the privilege of living in a community that has our back. It’s that basic. Please make your gift today and see all the ways you can channel your support to the things you care about most.

Aug 18 2021
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Built to Serve: Campaign 2022

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, PHILANTHROPY

It’s a privilege to volunteer on the 2022 Community Campaign, to serve with Debbie Kuniansky, Chair, and a team of hundreds of volunteers and professionals. My reasons for volunteering bring to mind a story from my years as a camper at Camp Barney Medintz in the foothills of the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia. I attended a campout with my cabinmates and counselor. After dinner, we pitched our tents and went to sleep. After sleeping for some time, I suddenly woke my counselor up and asked, “What do you see?”

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he said, “I see the majesty of God’s creation in the stars and moon, the wonder of nature and miracles of life in the mountains and streams around us.” I responded, “Our tent is gone.” This story reminds me that we need to keep one eye focused on the possibilities, the big ideas and a second eye on the essentials – security, safety, shelter, and caring for one another. With all the challenges in the world, we cannot be so consumed that we focus only on ourselves and on today. Because without planning for the future, our children and children’s children will ask, “What did we do when it was our time to act?” Even worse, they might say, “Why did you not act when you could or should have?”

As a parent of children who graduated from one of our community’s amazing Jewish day schools, I marvel at the depth of their Judaism – the way they honor Shabbat, how they engage in deeds of loving kindness, and their pride in Jewishness. Unlike their Marano ancestors who practiced their Judaism in secret, they live rich Jewish lives. Together with Israel, Jews in North America comprise 90% of world Jewry. We are living in the Golden Age of Jewish life. How do we express that Judaism? By taking care of those less fortunate than us, building on the foundation that our parents and the many generations before them built for us. Together we can do this. We are built for this! Please join us in the 2022 Community Campaign, because we cannot do it without you. Not only for tomorrow but now, today.

Aug 11 2021
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Propel Grantees – FY22

By Federation Innovation

PROPEL FY22 RENEWAL GRANTS:

Agewell: AgeWell Atlanta is a collaboration between Jewish Home Life, Jewish Family & Career Services, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.  With one call, you will be connected to an Information & Referral Specialist who will assist you with accessing programs and services provided by our partner agencies and other community partners.

Be’chol Lashon: Atlanta’s Jewish community is diverse and becoming increasingly more so but our legacy institutions struggle to address this demographic. Also, as a Southern city, Atlanta has a complex history with regard to race. We propose bringing Be’chol Lashon’s diversity training workshops and educational resources to create greater awareness of racial and ethnic diversity in Atlanta’s Jewish Community. The goal is to provide the tools for organizations to fulfill their mission of being more inclusive. Diverse trainers will facilitate community conversations about race and identity in a Jewish context, followed up by personal consultations with each organization.

Career Up Now: At Career Up Now we believe in the power of Jewish women and are dedicated to gender equity and balance. Our Women of Wisdom programs center upon the intersection of career advancement and shared Jewish wisdom. Women of Wisdom is a local community where young women explore Jewish values and career advancement with community and industry leaders. The community focuses on women’s empowerment, with Jewish women community and industry leaders serving as role models. By encouraging the formation of organic mentorships and soulful connections, we offer access and opportunities for emerging Jewish women professionals to engage intergenerationally with women industry leaders for to advance each other and repair the world.

Jewish Education Collaborative: The Jewish Education Collaborative works to advance compelling part-time Jewish education. How can we engage more children and families in meaningful Jewish learning that will help them to thrive in the world? How can we explore new models that respond to the needs of modern families? How can we make Atlanta a thrilling model for collaboration and innovation in Jewish education?

Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM): TOM (Tikkun Olam Maker) at Georgia Tech (GT) is part of TOM Global: a movement of communities that creates and disseminates affordable solutions to neglected challenges of people living with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor. In partnership with JF&CS, TOM at GT will identify need-knowers in the Atlanta community to participate in a Spring 2021 Makeathon event. Over 75 GT students will participate in maker teams to create a prototype for their need-knower to take home. The prototypes will be inexpensive to make, and open source, so that others in the TOM Global community can benefit as well.

Trybal Gatherings: Trybal’s core program is a 4-day, 3-night camp experience that provides a socially Jewish environment for millennials to have fun, connect with new people, and plug into a dynamic Jewish community during a purposeful Shabbat retreat. This retreat is designed to serve as a grassroots entry point to Jewish communal life. Our partnership model is designed to create mutual value and lead to sustainability for local supporters/partners. With tens of thousands of Birthright and camp alumni in the region, Trybal represents a major opportunity for Jewish millennial engagement.

 

 

PROPEL FY22 NEW GRANTS:

Owned and led by Jewish women of color, Atlanta Jews of Color Council (AJOCC) is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering a more equitable community. AJOCC has set an ambitious mission to drive actionable institutional change by amplifying the local voices of historically marginalized and underrepresented Jews of Color.  Its core belief is that local JOC should have agency in the planning and operations of their local community.  AJOCC advocates for racial equity in hiring, multicultural inclusion, and local leadership. Through intentional programming, it also builds welcoming, affirming spaces where members and co-conspirators develop a deeper connection to Judaism and Jewish community.

The Esther and Herbert Taylor Oral History Collection, housed in archives at The Breman Museum, consists of more than 1,000 interviews that document Jewish life in Georgia and Alabama. This invaluable community asset is currently undergoing a 21st century update that is exponentially increasing access. Nearly 200 interviews have been cataloged in Aviary, a state-of-the-art online platform for oral history description, which displays media alongside a timestamped, annotated transcript and index. With support from the Innovation fund, The Breman will continue growing this archive with dozens of more interviews cataloged and new oral history interviews captured as well.

The Jewish community is at high risk for certain hereditary cancers. Genetic testing and counseling give people information and medical options that play a key role in cancer prevention. This JScreen initiative focuses on educating the Atlanta Jewish community about their risks and the importance of testing. The goal is to help our community reimagine a life where no one has to say, “if only I had known about my cancer risk.” JScreen will help people access the testing they need to live longer, healthier lives.

Founded by Rabbi Ariel Wolpe, Ma’alot is a relational and spiritual community open to anyone and built with those it will serve. Ma’alot brings authentic, intimate, experiential Jewish experiences inviting people to bring their whole selves and leaving nothing outside the door.

During the pandemic last year, leaders at PJ Library noticed a drop-off in virtual engagement due to “zoom fatigue.” Families expressed that they were less likely to “do Jewish” because they were overwhelmed by the effects of COVID-19. So the PJ team pivoted by launching a first-ever grant cycle to empower parents to create meaningful holiday events that fit their Jewish, social, and safety needs. It was a hit with more demand than the funding pool can supply. Fed Inno’s Propel grant will enable hundreds of families to create their own Jewish experiences with like-minded peers.

Political Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT) seeks to inspire a new generation of Blacks and Jews to lead active, engaged, and empowered lives. PLOT participants will convene over a 6-week period to meet each other, identify issues of bigotry, and engage in courageous conversations to build future alliances to fight racism and antisemitism through public policy, advocacy, and activism.

Aug 06 2021
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Moving Ambitious Ideas Forward

By Federation News

As difficult as the past year and a half has been, Federation has not lost momentum or abandoned the ambitious ideas that define us as a Philanthropic and Community Champion. I am excited to tell you that we are going full speed ahead, and that many of the things we dreamed about which were on the shelf are being dusted off. Exciting initiatives are moving forward.

Israel Travel | Federation’s November 2021 Men’s Journey to Israel is already sold out. Hillel’s popular Onward program of Israel internships is in full swing. Federation NextGen’s 40-Under-40 Journey to Israel is planning a trip, and we’ve just announced the 2023 Community Journey to Israel — our first community trip since 2014. It will be open to anyone over age 18 and is timed to coincide with Israel’s 75th birthday.

Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC) | Our work to transform the quality of Jewish education in our synagogue schools continues through the Jewish Education Collaborative. JEC is doing bold work at Congregation Or Hadash to reimagine bar/bat mitzvah. New models for family education are launching at Temple Sinai, Temple Kol Emeth, and Temple Beth Tikvah. Busy families at five local synagogues won’t be battling traffic for midweek Hebrew next year They’ll be part of a proven new Hebrew curriculum, the Atlanta Hebrew Connection, where learning is done from home.

Gap Year Programs in Israel | With generous funding from The Zalik Foundation, JumpSpark helped Atlanta teens explore gap year options. Twenty-five students from fifteen different Atlanta high schools have accepted scholarships of $10,000 – $15,000 for the gap year program that suits them best. The experience is intended to amplify Israel education and develop a cadre of students who will enter college campuses with a strong connection to and knowledge of Israel.

1440 Spring Street: A Center for Jewish Life | We’re still talking about establishing 1440 Spring Street as Atlanta’s Intown Center for Jewish Life. It will be a gathering place for Jewish entrepreneurs and innovative nonprofits, with space for recreation, cultural experiences, learning and more. Imagine a multi-use theater, rooftop event facility, and conference center for lifecycle events, speakers and meetings, plus a reimagined Breman Cultural Center.

Toco Hills Housing Initiative | Exploration on the feasibility of building apartments for older adults in Toco Hills continues. This was the inspiration of Betty Minsk, z”l, who noted that many older adults in Toco Hills were not downsizing because there were no affordable, right-sized housing options in the neighborhood. Along with this, young families are also being priced out of starter homes. We will keep you updated.

Family Camp | We recently submitted a proposal seeking support for the creation of weekend and week-long family camp retreat programs. Family camp is a transformational education model at a time when people crave informal ways to connect with Jewish tradition. The immersive qualities of overnight camp give Jewish families fun new ways to do, feel, and be Jewish together. These programs could begin as soon as next summer!

Tuition Assistance for Jewish Professionals | Starting next school year, full-time Jewish professionals, clergy, and educators are eligible to receive up to a 50 percent tuition reduction if their children are currently enrolled or have been accepted to an accredited Jewish high school in Atlanta. Funding comes from a consortium of community foundations who support day school education and want to elevate our Jewish community as a destination for top professional talent.

One Happy Camper Scholarships | The pent-up demand for Jewish overnight camp has been off the charts. This summer we opened doors for more than 1,000 kids to have a Jewish camp experience!  Ongoing fundraising for camp, along with the Start a Campfire campaign, topped $750,000. Families who received grants and scholarships in 2020 were able to use them

Aug 05 2021
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The Good We Do Behind the Scenes

By Atlanta Jewish Community, PHILANTHROPY

by Matt Bronfman, Board Chair

I am constantly amazed by the good Federation does. Last year between the Campaign, the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, and other giving programs, we helped infuse roughly $53 million into the community. Many of our efforts are high-visibility programs that people can see and participate in. But much of our work is indirect, from providing community-wide security to supporting innovation and community planning with our partner agencies. That is why to me, Federation reminds me of the BASF commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s:  We don’t make a lot of the products you buy or use, we make them better.

I continue to be inspired by so many things that happen because of Federation, whether through funding, direct programming, or just the connections we foster. Here are just a few that impressed me recently:

  • Federation’s AgeWell Atlanta platform offers customized resources for older adults, plus an amazing calendar packed with 18-20 programs a week to engage them. Get on the AgeWell mailing list for upcoming events.
  • Through Federation’s funding of Moishe House and our Making Jewish Places initiative, programming has expanded beyond the four residential houses to impact young adults in Kennesaw, Smyrna, and Cumming “without walls.” Read about it here.
  • Federation’s education initiative, the Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC), continues to transform the face of supplementary Jewish education in our city. Read about Atlanta Hebrew Connection, a new online Hebrew language pilot program starting this fall.
  • Federation and JF&CS have become partners in KAVOD SHEF, a funding initiative to help meet the home care needs of Holocaust survivors in Georgia and the Southeast. It will supplement Claims Conference funding and the impactful work of the Holocaust Survivor Support Fund (HSSF) improving the lives of survivors who need assistance.
  • I love how we connected these two: Rabbi Micah Lapidus of The Davis Academy met Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, the liaison for our partnership region in Yokneam and Megiddo, Israel. Their work to build bridges between Atlanta and Israeli students led to a deep interpersonal connection over their shared love of Jewish music. It led to the production of this beautiful song.

 

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