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Thinking about our Jewish community as an interdependent ecosystem of organizations, synagogues, schools, and purpose-driven nonprofits — not just a landscape dotted with independent Jewish organizations — was one of the important realignments that came out of The Front Porch initiative that reimagined Jewish Atlanta. Since that time, Federation has been convening quarterly meetings of our Atlanta Jewish Ecosystem to share resources and approach issues in a collaborative manner. It has yielded some strong partnerships and insights, especially during the pandemic.

Rich Walter, who leads Federation’s Community Planning and Impact team, believes the meetings have been very productive. “The last year has amplified the importance of coming together as a community of organizations, both professionals and lay leaders. Through our ecosystem, we have engaged a broad number of people to explore issues that we all face as a community, regardless of our individual affiliations. These have included disability inclusion, health and safety, and mental health. The ecosystem is more than a gathering place for sharing ideas, building trust, and developing relationships across the system. It leads to more collaboration and stronger communal approaches to the challenges and opportunities we all face,” Walter said. 

For example, Jewish Family and Career Services worked in collaboration with Federation to create a self–care survey, assessing Jewish community needs as a result of COVID-19. The survey closed last week with more than 500 respondents! The April 20 Ecosystem meeting will focus on responding to the mental health needs of our constituents, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Preliminary findings of the community survey will be presented and attendees will engage in facilitated breakout conversation to discuss how to best address the needs identified in the survey. This will be an opportunity to learn more about how organizations can build mental health resilience into future programming and discuss opportunities for community wide mental health initiatives. 

We’ll be sharing the results of the self-care survey more widely and the Ecosystem’s ideas about how to respond to the challenges that surface.  

What is charoset, you ask? Charoset is one of the six ritual foods found on the Passover Seder plate. It’s a paste-like mixture of fruits, nuts, and sweet wine or honey, symbolic of the mortar used by the Israelite slaves when they laid bricks for Pharaoh’s monuments. Sometimes charoset is mounded up on the Seder plate in the shape of Pharoah’s pyramids! 

Charoset is also a food that reflects the diversity and creativity of our people. So, make this the year to expand your palate beyond classic Ashkenazi charoset made with nuts, apples, and wine. There’s a big wide world of charoset recipes to try, and we’re excited to share a few delicious variations with you.  

1. From the Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda comes a banana and peanut charoset.
2. From innovative Atlanta cook Joel Silverman, comes a fruit charoset spiked with miso! 
3. From the Persian tradition, a richly spiced charoset made with apricots, dates, pomegranate molasses, and more. 

Tziporah Sizomu’s Ugandan Charoset
This recipe comes from Tziporah Sizomu, the wife of the chief Rabbi of Uganda. As a leader in the Abayudaya community, Tziporah is responsible for the Shabbat and holiday meals, including the Passover Seder, that brings the Abayudaya together as a community. Thanks to Be’chol Lashon for sharing this content. 

Ingredients
2 cups roasted peanuts (Cashews or another nut or seed may be substituted if allergic to peanuts. Also, peanuts are legumes and some Jews do not eat them during Passover.)
1 apple, chopped fine
1 banana, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sweet wine 

Instructions
Chop the nuts or seeds by hand or grind in a blender and place in a medium-sized bowl. Rural Ugandans use a mortar and pestle. They don’t have blenders as very few have electricity. Nuts or seeds can also be chopped by putting in a sturdy plastic bag and pounded with a hammer or similar tool. Mix with the chopped apples and bananas. Add wine and mix well. 

Joel Silverman’s Miso & Fruit Charoset
Our friend Joel Silverman says, “The best charoset-inspired thing I’ve ever made is this: I took a seven-fruit cooked charoset from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen and cooked it with a sweet white miso that I made myself. The miso added an umami roundness that was mind-blowing. I made the miso from scratch from koji, rice, and soybeans, but any store bought light and sweet miso would work. I especially love Marukome Boy Koji Miso, which they sell at H Mart.”[Note that miso is made from soybeans and rice. These ingredients are considered kitniyot,which many Jews avoid on Passover.] This recipe is adapted from “The Jewish Holiday Kitchen” by Joan Nathan,1988. The original does not have miso.

Ingredients
8 oz unsweetened coconut
8 oz chopped walnuts or almonds
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
8 oz raisins
8 oz dried apples
8 oz dried prunes
8 oz dried apricots
8 oz dried pears
4 oz cherry jam
a little sweet red wine
2 tablespoons Marukome Boy Koji Miso or another sweet light miso

Instructions
Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. When it is cohesive, stir in the miso until it is incorporated and cook five more minutes.  Add jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill.
Yield: 5 cups 

Classic Persian Charoset 

Ingredients
3 dried figs
3 pitted dates
6 dried apricots
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
﷟HYPERLINK “https://amzn.to/31E7pwn”2 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios + more for garnish
2 tablespoons roughly chopped almonds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons fruit juice just in case mixture is too dry
Dried rose petals for garnish (optional) 

Instructions
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until evenly incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop all the ingredients finely and stir to combine. 

A group of grateful and generous Atlanta donors have joined together to express their appreciation for the talents and contributions of our Jewish community professionals. These funders are passionate about Jewish education and have chosen to say a collective “thank you” by offering Atlanta full-time professionals working at eligible Jewish nonprofits, up to 50 percent off tuition at these SACS or SAIS accredited Jewish high schools — Atlanta Jewish Academy; The Weber School; and Temima, The Richard & Jean Katz High School for Girls.  

“As funders, and as parents, we believe the high school years are formative. It’s when teens begin to grapple with identity, forge life-lasting friendships, and explore the relevance of Judaism and Jewish values to their lives,” said Helen and David Zalik of the Zalik Foundation. “We’re thrilled that more and more families are discovering the benefits of Jewish day school education and we hope this incentive will have the multiplier effect of encouraging more families to choose a Jewish high school for their kids.”

Attracting top talent to Atlanta’s Jewish nonprofits is another priority for the funders behind the Jewish Community High School Tuition Grant. They view the tuition reduction incentive as a strong recruitment and retention tool for Jewish professionals across our organizations. “It’s a professional perquisite that is really a win-win-win. The children benefit from the formative Jewish education. The professionals benefit from the savings. And the schools have an opportunity to both increase enrollment and redirect some potential dollars into quality enhancements,” Helen Zalik said. 

The up to 50 percent tuition reduction is guaranteed for the full duration of the child’s attendance at any participating, SACS or SAIS accredited Atlanta Jewish high school. There is no income cap. Continuation of this program beyond the initial cohort of students will be based on continued community support. The funders hope to help expand this model to other cities nationwide. 

For the 2021-2022 school year, students must apply to and earn acceptance to one of the participating, SACS or SAIS accredited Jewish high schools — Atlanta Jewish Academy; The Weber School; or Temima, The Richard & Jean Katz High School for Girls. If at least one parent is a full-time Jewish professional or educator, then the child may be eligible to receive the Jewish Professional High School Tuition Grant.  

To begin the application process, contact: 

Atlanta Jewish Academy 
Erica Gal, Director of Admissions, egal@atljewishacademy.org, 678-298-5377 

Temima, The Richard & Jean Katz High School for Girls 
Lora Fruchtman, School Administrator, lfruchtman@temima.org,  404-315-0507 x 104 

The Weber School 
Ms. Rise Arkin, Director of Admissions risearkin@weberschool.org | 404-917-2500 x 117