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Atlanta Jewish Community

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.

 

Jul 30 2021
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Meet Our New Deputy Community Security Director

By Atlanta Jewish Community

Federation is excited to announce that Jimi Horne is our new Deputy Community Security Director. Jimi will work alongside Community Security Director Neil Rabinovitz, rounding out an exceptionally strong team working every day to protect our community of more than 125,000 people.  He joins us from the Charleston Jewish Federation where he served as the community’s Security and Emergency Management Consultant. Jimi is a Charleston native, with 25 years of paramedic experience, 28 years reserve military experience, and eight years combined law enforcement and security experience.  

As a paramedic, Jimi worked in various areas of the EMS industry including working in a high-volume county 911 system, supporting law enforcement special operations, as a critical care paramedic on ground and air ambulances, and as a safety coordinator/paramedic in the steel industry. Jimi left clinical practice to go into education, working in medical simulation, and health IT education. He was the program coordinator and clinical coordinator for a paramedic associate program.  

Jimi is also a Senior Master Sargent in the Air Force, currently serving as a Military Clinical Specialist assigned to Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command.  His previous assignment was as Superintendent of Aerospace Medicine overseeing the physical exam process for over 1,800 airmen.  

Jimi’s law enforcement and security background includes serving as a reserve deputy for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office where he engaged in general patrol and drug interdiction operations, and with the U.S. Air Force working in base security and law enforcement. 

He has also found the time to be an active volunteer in the Charleston Jewish community serving as security chair for both a local day school and his synagogue, and he was one of the founding members of the Charleston Jewish community’s security taskforce. Jimi holds a MEd in adult education from Strayer University and is currently writing his dissertation to complete a PhD in criminal justice from Walden University. 

You can contact Jimi at jhorne@jewishatlanta.org and Neil at nrabinovitz@jewishatlanta.org with any security questions or concerns. 

Jul 30 2021
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Yokneam’s “Shark Tank” Projects are Up and Running

By Atlanta Jewish Community, Global News

Inspired and influenced by years of financial support from the Atlanta and St. Louis Federations, Yokneam and Megiddo are taking bold steps to create their own fundraising infrastructure. The communities plan to launch the first–ever Yokneam Community Fund, providing a charitable giving platform for companies and individuals to financially support innovative local initiatives. The goal is to empower individuals and local businesses to take an active role as philanthropists, and to empower local groups to create their own programming. 

Here’s a rundown of community-driven projects that were recently green-lighted following a “Shark Tank” style competition. All are adding to the quality of life in our Partnership region.

  • Gaia Club for Upcycling — Gaia Club for Upcycling is a community club operated by volunteers that will create a “store” for second-hand clothes and accessories for children and babies, as well as subsidized social rental of large equipment, such as construction equipment, gardening, and camping. It will be run by volunteers and will also operate a social club to empower retired women.  
  • Shed Sherut — The Shed Serut will be a unique logistic basis for equipment such as paints and painting tools, gardening tools, work tools (for small repairs) and more. The Shed Sherut will be used and operated by Rikma’s Shnat Sherut (gap year) volunteers.  
  • Social Kitchen — Social Kitchen provides home-cooked meals and groceries for needy families. Families within the community cook and provide food to needy families whose condition has worsened with the pandemic and who are not currently receiving welfare support. 
  • Kibbutz Megiddo — During their Bar Mitzvah year, 12- and 13 year-olds are volunteering for a community social project in Kibbutz Megiddo. Taking an unused corner of the settlement, they will create a green corner to be used for both young and elderly members of the community. These age groups suffered from COVID-19 more than most of the others. For the elders, the isolation and loneliness took a toll on their mental and physical health, and this year four of the community members passed away. This corner will be a meeting place for the elderly members of the community, and at the same time this will be a place of interaction with youngsters who will volunteer there. In addition, a community vegetable garden will be added, where both age groups will work together, and the vegetables will be given to those in need in the community.  

Shomrei Hanachal (Guards of the Stream) — The COVID-19 crisis struck many people around the world, and especially young retirees who stopped almost all their activities and became socially disconnected. This project will help young retirees to see the possibilities in the crisis, to think outside the box, and to engage in groups that can enhance feeling of belonging, being meaningfully active and influential through inter-generation activity.

Jul 30 2021
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One Happy Family: The Einhorns Go to Camp

By Atlanta Jewish Community, Jewish Camp Initiative

With assistance from One Happy Camper incentive grants and Federation’s Jewish Camp Initiative scholarships, four out of five members of the Einhorn family, including Dad Ronnie, went to Ramah Darom this summer and had a blast. Cela was the family’s returning camper. The other Einhorn kids, Sam and Goldie, didn’t really know what to expect, but all had a sense that it would be a unique, shared family experience. It was!  

Ronnie Einhorn, who is a teacher at The Epstein School, had the pleasure of seeing each of his kids blossom at camp every day and also experienced personal and professional growth coming to Ramah Darom as a seasoned teacher and learning to be a camp educator from his colleagues. “Each week seeing the community coming together for Kabbalat Shabbat and ending Shabbat in an explosion at Havdalah, was a thrill,” he said.  

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, working mom Heidi Einhorn held down the fort at home and delighted in the happy reports she got from Ronnie and the kids. “Their favorite parts of camp were all over the place,” Heidi said. “The lake! The pool! Rikkudiah (an all-camp dance performance)! For me, having all of them come home so independent and grateful to be together again, was a joy.” 

For Cela, the Einhorn’s oldest child and a returning camper, being back at camp felt both like meeting new people and also like they hadn’t been apart at all. Meanwhile, her younger brother Sam was planning to only go to camp for two weeks, but stayed for four because, in addition to the activities he loved, he knew he would, “be so happy with all [his] friends and grow up with them.” Camp helped them connect not only to their friends but also to Judaism. Cela shared that she will be using many of the camp tunes from tefillot (prayers) in her Bat Mitzvah this coming year. 

Neither Heidi nor Ronnie Einhorn attended overnight camp as kids, but they made a commitment early in their relationship to build their family on a foundation of Judaism and Jewish community. “We’re so grateful to have rich relationships with Congregation Shearith Israel, Jewish Kids Groups, Intown Hebrew School, Federation, and so many other organizations in Atlanta. The fact that each of them recognizes the impact of camp on Jewish identity tells it all. Seeing the lifelong relationships coming out of camp would be enough, but our kids come home choosing our Camp Ramah playlist on Spotify, choosing after-dinner rikkud (dance shows) over screens, ‘accidentally’ referring to things by their Hebrew names, confirming that we are seeing the theory in practice!” 

Jul 22 2021
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ATL’s Moishe House Without Walls

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, NextGen Atlanta

We’ve shared stories in Fed5 about Atlanta’s four Moishe Houses (MH) where young adults live together and create meaningful, welcoming Jewish communities for themselves and their peers. Atlanta currently has Moishe Houses in Toco Hills, Virginia Highland, Buckhead, and a house for Russian-speaking Jewish (RSJ) young adults in Brookhaven.  

But Moishe House also impacts Atlanta through a growing network of Moishe House Without Walls (MHWOW) hosts. Here, individual hosts create Jewish experiences with support from the Moishe House organization. MHWOW hosts decide who they want to invite, where they want to host, what they want to explore in Judaism, and when they want to gather. Activities can range from Friday night Shabbat dinners, holidays, learning events, and cultural celebrations. 

In addition to MHWOW hosts in Intown Atlanta and inside the perimeter, we also now have three new MHWOW hosts in Kennesaw, Smyrna, and Cumming, thanks to the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Making Jewish Places (MJP) microgrants initiative.  

Each host serves a different demographic and has a unique vision for their monthly MHWOW programming. programming. Additionally, an existing MHWOW host relocated from Los Angeles to Cumming in March 2021 and has been leading programming and building community.   

One host wrote about the vibrant and inclusive community she aims to create with ongoing MH support: “I want to engage with Jewish young professionals who are looking for a relaxed community of their peers. I am targeting those who may not feel comfortable joining a larger organization but want to socialize with a smaller group of friendly faces. My programming ideas are centered around the Jewish holidays, especially the lesser-known ones like Tu B’Shevat (terrarium making!), Shavuot (ice cream sundae bar!), or Tu B’Av (Galentine’s games!). For the more well-known holidays, we’ll try Sushi in the Sukkah, an interactive Seder on Passover, hamantaschen baking on Purim, a latke exchange on Hannukah, and themed Shabbat dinners.   

“My goal is to create a small but deeply connected group of open–minded friends, who enjoy fun activities and celebrate Jewish holidays in a way that is meaningful to us, and to give back to our larger community through volunteering time/money.”   

In May, MHWOW host Zach Givarz took eight participants on a Shabbat weekend in the mountains. The group celebrated the beauty and love of Shabbat through food and celebrations.  

A group of women gathered, led by MHWOW host Leah Berryhill, to celebrate Shavuot and the spring harvest with roses and rosé wine. The participants made flower arrangements and took time to enjoy and connect safely outside at a local community park.  

MHWOW host Shira Colsky hosted an ice cream party with nine friends in honor of Shavuot. They discussed the history of this less-known Jewish holiday and enjoyed various homemade ice cream flavors! 

Learn more about MHWOW in our area, email: withoutwalls@moishehouse.org 

Jul 16 2021
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Mazel Tov to Cherie Aviv: AFP’s Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, PHILANTHROPY

When the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Atlanta Chapter hosts its 39th annual National Philanthropy Day event on November 4, 2021, Jewish Atlanta can take justifiable pride that Cherie Aviv will be honored as Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year. 

Cherie Aviv is a fiercely dedicated and effective fundraiser with a longtime interest in the arts, and a deep passion for social services in the Jewish community, older adults, clients with disabilities, and meeting the needs of our region’s Holocaust survivors. Her fundraising efforts and remarkable collaborative initiatives have raised more than $10 million to date to benefit people across the greater Atlanta community and beyond.

In 2016, after assessing the needs of Atlanta’s Holocaust survivors, Cherie spearheaded the partnership between Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS), Jewish HomeLife, Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), The Breman Museum, Eternal Life-Hemshech, and Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta that created the Holocaust Survivors Support Fund (HSSF). Through Cherie’s efforts, the fund has raised just under $3 million, engaged more than 600 donors, and had a transformational impact on the lives of more than 135 Holocaust survivors annually.  

On behalf of Federation, Karen Botnick Paz nominated Aviv for the AFP award. In her nomination, Karen paints a rich picture of Cherie’s busy life. “It’s 5:30 a.m. and Cherie Aviv is quietly reading before she takes a morning run. Juggling up to four books at a time keeps her mind engaged, while running allows time for thinking. These hobbies provide a healthy balance to her full-time volunteer schedule which runs the gamut from fundraising, creating special moments, outreach, and hands-on activities.  

Cherie applies this same discipline and determination to everything she undertakes. Terri Bonoff, CEO JF&CS said, “Cherie’s approach is to respond to community needs with urgency and innovation. This was evident with the 2014 JF&CS Capital Campaign to Complete the Campus where the campaign raised $6.6 million, exceeding the goal by $1.5 million. Cherie co-chaired with John Perlman and made the matching lead gift.  

Miriam Friedman, an MJCCA professional shared, “Cherie co-led a team of 15+ volunteer and staff solicitors and helped to construct the campaign framework from marketing materials to campaign structure and reporting, to board solicitations and grant writing. Cherie’s project management savvy kept the team on track and motivated, exceeding the campaign goal by over $1.5 million.”   

Mark Silberman, past Board Chair of Federation said, “Cherie has no peer when it comes to fundraising. Absolutely the best I have seen.” 

While serving as Vice President of Development at Jewish HomeLife, Cherie increased their annual campaign by 25%. From 2014-2016, as Co-Chair of Jewish Family & Career Services Capital Campaign, she helped secure $6.6 million. In 2018, she and her husband Gary chaired a record-setting Community of Caring luncheon, which raised $500,000. 

Cherie is not only generous with her time and expertise, she is personally generous, though her giving is often anonymous. Supporting letters for the AFP award provide story after story of her dedication and generosity and her engaging collaborative style.  

Tammi Parker, a friend, and volunteer observes, “Cherie is the ultimate player/coach. She creates the experience for the volunteer, makes it look easy and doable, and fills in any gaps that the volunteer is not able to cover.”  Terri Bonoff added, “On one occasion, I joined 20 volunteers to make rugelach to give to survivors, caregivers, or clients with disabilities. These volunteer baking events are quite inspiring and there are waiting lists to join.” 

One thing is for certain, what Cherie has done for the Atlanta community and beyond is priceless. Her impact is everywhere. JF&CS can provide comprehensive support services for any senior in the Atlanta community through Aviv Older Adult Services. Jewish HomeLife is well known throughout Atlanta for its high quality of care at Aviv Rehabilitation Center. Thousands of older adults are cheered by birthday cards through Aviv Celebrations. Cancer patients feel the warmth through fleece blankets while going through chemotherapy delivered through her efforts. She has shared that she has more new projects in the works.   

Thank you, Cherie, for the abundance of wisdom, persistence, and chesed you bring to philanthropy. You have lifted countless lives! 

Jul 09 2021
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Atlanta Leads the Way in Hebrew Language Instruction

By Atlanta Jewish Community, Jewish Education Collaborative

Atlanta innovates again! The Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC) is excited to announce that for the 2021-22 academic year, four Atlanta synagogue schools are piloting The Atlanta Hebrew Connection – an exciting community online program for Hebrew language learning. The Atlanta Hebrew Connection focuses on teaching students to decode Hebrew, learn prayers, and  understand their meaning. It offers small classes, flexible scheduling, and excellent instruction right at home. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Temple Kol Emeth, Congregation Shearith Israel, and Temple Sinai have all signed on to the program, created by Shalom Learning, a nationally renowned education organization. 

Online Hebrew makes sense for busy families who have had to carpool their kids to Hebrew school in Atlanta traffic. Synagogue school educators have collaborated on the new program with guidance from the Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC). Rabbi Elana Perry, Director of JEC says, “We’ve found that compared to in-person Hebrew instruction, children learn Hebrew just as effectively, if not better, in an online setting.”   

Key components of the Atlanta Hebrew Connection include: 

  • Synchronous, small group learning sessions (3-5 students in each) 
  • Excellent curriculum and instruction methods 
  • Top-quality teachers 
  • Social connections among students from different congregations and/or parts of the community 
  • Choosing a class time that works best for your family 
  • NOT having to battle Atlanta traffic in the middle of the week!
Jul 09 2021
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What We Learned About COVID Safety

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING

Making Jewish Atlanta Safe Again 
By Jeffrey A. Gopen, Chief Operating Officer Jewish HomeLife 

In May, the CDC reported 84% of US adults 65+ have gotten at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 71.9% have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Cases in nursing homes as of June have dropped to less than one per thousand from a high of 31 per thousand in December 2020. 

As much as this pandemic cost our organization financially, emotionally, and physically, Jewish HomeLife continues to support community-wide efforts to make Jewish Atlanta safe again. With over 85% of our staff and 95% of our residents vaccinated across all our residential communities, the vaccine, along with our other safety measures, has allowed us to achieve nearly full immunity. Consistent with our mission, we want to help Jewish Atlanta get there as well. 

Jewish HomeLife can now take our expertise and once again share it with you. We are the only senior care organization in Atlanta with the ability to self-vaccinate any new residents, staff, and families on demand. As a new vaccination site, we intend to assist our community partners. From preschools and camps to shuls and schools, Jewish HomeLife can help everyone in our community return to normalcy. This allows us to continue our mission of getting to 100% vaccination rates for our residents, clients, patients, and staff. 

Thanks to Federation and generous community support, Jewish HomeLife was able to spare no expense to protect our own residents and staff while offering access and expertise to Jewish organizations throughout Atlanta. When personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply, Jewish HomeLife provided access to our own strained supply chain so shuls and schools could safely set up their new virtual models.  

When access to testing was a challenge, our ability to move mountains with our local lab once again afforded access to synagogues, day schools, camps, and other Jewish organizations to provide fast and accurate testing so they could reopen safely. Most recently, after months of waiting for our application to be processed, Jewish HomeLife finally received federal approval to administer vaccines.  

I am in my third decade of serving the aging, first as a physical therapist, then as a nursing home administrator, operations director, and now in my fourth year as Chief Operating Officer of Jewish HomeLife. As a clinician and a business leader, the most important aspect of what we do is staying true to our mission – supporting all stages of The Aging Journey. Our community can be proud that its support of its own Jewish senior care organization makes us all safer. 

Jun 30 2021
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They Clicked from the First Phone Call

By AgeWell Atlanta, Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, NextGen Atlanta

Brian M., who lives near the JF&CS office in Dunwoody, stopped in at the beginning of the pandemic and asked how he might be of help. He filled out a volunteer application and was directed to Vivienne Kurland, Program Coordinator of One Good Deed, JF&CS’ friendly visitor program supporting older adults. 

His timing was terrific. One Good Deed was quickly pivoting to a Phone Friend Program connecting volunteers with older adults who were at heightened risk of loneliness and isolation due to COVID-19 guidelines. 

Sharon Spiegelman, One Good Deed’s Program Manager, and her partner Vivienne Kurland, had a match in mind. They had met with a man named Leonard shortly before the pandemic and had a good feeling about Brian and Leonard being a great match.  

To quote Brian, “This was a friendship that clicked from the first call!”   

The pair quickly established a close bond around a common interest — sports. “We’d recap what happened in sports, with no judgments, no matter what teams we root for.” After a FaceTime call, Leonard said, “I get a vicarious thrill out of hearing what you’re doing at your job.”  

As soon as both Brian and Leonard were both fully vaccinated, they arranged to meet. Brian had previously said on a FaceTime call, “I look forward to the day when it’s safe enough to meet in person.” 

Now it’s happening! So far, the pair have enjoyed lunch together and a tour of Tucker, where Leonard lives. Brian reciprocated with an incredible treat for Leonard who had not been to a baseball game in four years — he got tickets to a Braves game, and they sat right behind the dugout, where both enjoyed complimentary food and beverages! 

Learn more about supporting an older adult through One Good Deed. We also celebrate Sharon Spiegelman who is retiring from the program she managed and sustained for more than 15 years. Thank you, Sharon! 

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