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Atlanta Jewish Community

Feb 26 2021
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The Treasure of Jewish Identity

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, PJ Library Atlanta
by Lynn Sapertstein

As “Grammy” to Jake, Harrison, and their baby cousin, Juniper “June” Graham, I am in my element. And when my husband Jan, or I are reading Jewish-themed PJ Library books with them, it’s pure gold!

In Atlanta, free PJ Library books are mailed monthly to more than 5,000 children. Our grandkids get excited when new books, tailored to their ages, arrive in the mail. When we read together, Jake will ask about Jewish things I did when I was a young girl, or when his mom was little. I love how Harrison will snuggle in as I read to him about Shabbat and how his eyes shine when we bless the challah.  

We tell stories. We ask questions. When Hanukkah comes and we light the menorah that Jake made, it all comes full circle. The books are a springboard for deeper conversations. 

Throughout the pandemic many of my friends were not been able to see their grandchildren. They used FaceTime and Zoom not just to chat, but to read PJ Library books with them! The books are fun and colorful, and you learn along with your grandkids. In families where one parent or grandparent is new to our faith, PJ Library books are a safe and comfortable way to learn and grow in observance. 

I’m firmly of the belief that if you want to have a grandchild who loves Jewish traditions, and who understands Jewish values, you must put in the effort. Grandparents have a unique opportunity to show that Jewish identity matters. When we model Jewish values and traditions, they endure beyond our generation, beyond our kids’ generation, down to the grandkids. That is incredibly powerful!

Through PJ Library books we also have an opportunity to model Jewish generosity. It costs $40 a year for each child to have a PJ Library subscription. While the books are mailed for free, the program is not self-sustaining. I’d love to see grandparents with grandkids in Atlanta (or even out of town), become champions for PJ Library by supporting it with their donations so that more families can share the treasure of our heritage. 

Feb 22 2021
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Rebecca Birch: An emerging leader for inclusion

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Jewish Abilities Atlanta, People in Need

Rebecca Birch, Assistant Tikvah Support Director at Camp Ramah Darom, has been selected as this year’s Robyn Berger Emerging Leader. The presentation of this award brings to a close Jewish Abilities Alliance’s month-long celebration of the Power of Inclusion, honoring 21 individuals who made an impact on inclusion in 2020. Ramah Darom’s Tikvah program supports campers with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, communication disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and other disabilities. Audra Kaplan, who directs the program says, “Our approach is that every counselor is an inclusion counselor, and Becky has made sure that each counselor felt equipped to support each of their campers. At camp, she designed and ran age-appropriate activities for each age group around topics of inclusion and acceptance.”

Becky’s decision to work professionally in this field is the direct result of her years at camp. At Ramah Darom she guided the expansion of support for campers in typical bunks and those who require a higher level of support. In summer 2019, Becky led the staff inclusion training and then in summer 2020, led the full staff training in preparation for Kayits Babayit (Summer at Home), a virtual program. “Becky has been an integral part of not only developing our model of inclusion support, but also in helping to transform our community,” Audra Kaplan adds. “Camp Ramah Darom is proud to recognize her as a true example of the power of inclusion!”

Feb 22 2021
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Jared Jay has something to say

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Jewish Abilities Atlanta, People in Need

Jared Jay is a nonverbal young man with autism, but his message is loud and clear when he uses his letter board. We asked Jared to share his thoughts for our Atlanta community during Jewish Disability, Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion month (JDAIM).

I am autistic. I am non-speaking but not non-thinking. I communicate by spelling on a letterboard. I am silent, but I am also not.

Belief is my family cornerstone. We are Jewish and I like Judaism because it gives me hope I can survive my challenges. A Jew is a survivor and we fight in the face of fear. Facing fear is what we do. Can I tell you why? In our past others have tried to silence us but they never prevail. History has tried to erase us but we are chosen to show the world how truth in the face of darkness always shines as a light. For me, my darkness is my silence and the way society acts about my disability. But my truth, my light, are my words. Sit in my silence and hear me speak.

In today’s world, people are afraid to silence their minds and because of that, fear overpowers them when they have an encounter with a silent person. As a silent Jew, I am here to illuminate a new way of being, seeing and living.

Respect. That’s my innermost wish for the world. I am feeling that with respect the world would care more about minorities. I hope that life will become more inclusive for others like me and not like me. I grieve for those who will stay silent without ever having the opportunity to express themselves. I am hopeful for the families who saw for the first time that the doctors who said we are not connected were dangerously wrong.

I am proud that I am one of the revolutionaries.

Feb 11 2021
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Gap Year in Israel: An Incredible Option for Pre College Students

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Global News, Jewish Journeys

What if your high school student didn’t go to college right after high school? Taking a year-long break, or “gap year” in Israel between high school and college is growing in popularity for pre-college Jewish teens. And what if your student even got a scholarship to go?!

Now JumpSpark, in partnership with The Zalik Foundation, has received funding to award 30 lucky students with a $10,000 – $15,000 scholarship that supports an in-person gap year in Israel. At a time when for many, the college experience is a virtual one, The Atlanta Israel Gap Year Scholarship guarantees actual experiences!  

When students take a gap year in Israel they live and interact with their peers. It’s an international communal living and growth experience that instills independence, maturity, and opportunities to travel and serve, while building life-long connections to lsrael. There are many exciting gap year options to choose from, so read on to learn about the Israel program that’s right for your student!

JumpSpark’s new Atlanta Israel Gap Year Scholarship provides generous support for ten pre-approved and diverse gap year programs. Explore the desert, volunteer on a kibbutz, visit high-tech startups, engage in meaningful social action, and connect with thousands of years of Jewish life in Israel.   

Join us for a series of information sessions on each of the gap year programs eligible for the Atlanta Israel Gap Year Scholarship. The diverse participating gap year programs span a range of focus areas, cities, and religious affiliations. There’s an Israel gap year experience for everyone and we can help you identify the one that’s right for you. 

To help in this process, JumpSpark will have a day dedicated to learning about each program, meeting the staff, and hearing from current and past teen and parent participants. See the dates below and learn more about which program might be a good fit. Find scholarship applications here.  

Upcoming Atlanta Israel Gap Year Information Sessions:
 

FEB. 17, 2021 | Bina Gap Year › 

FEB. 21, 2021 | Aardvark › 

FEB. 23, 2021 | Masa Israel Journey: Why Choose a Gap Year › 

FEB. 24, 2021 | Nativ › 

FEB. 28, 2021 | Young Judaea Year Course › 

MAR. 3, 2021 |Shinshinim IL › 

Feb 11 2021
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Men’s Journey to Israel

By Atlanta Jewish Community, Global News, Jewish Journeys

November 7-13, 2021 | Israel
This November, take an unforgettable Jewish Journey to Israel!
On this trip you will take a deep dive into local Israeli life, politics, food, and culture, and go beyond the typical tourist path.
Perfect for both first-time and veteran travelers. Learn more and sign up. 

Some trip highlights* include:  

  • Meet some of Israel’s leading entrepreneurs. 
  • Rappel down the old city walls of Jerusalem for a unique view  
  • Visit the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the goods crossing at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, where the borders of Gaza and Israel meet 
  • Dinner at Blue Sky restaurant with Chef Meir Adoni, one of Israel’s leading chefs 
  • More highlights to come… 

*itinerary subject to change  

We continue to monitor COVID-19 and will only proceed with the trip if it is safe for all participants.
For now, we have high hopes we will all be able to be together in Israel this upcoming November. 

Men’s Journey Chairs: David Fisher, Joel Marks, Brian Seitz, Stuart Shapiro, Mark Silberman 

Make your deposit today to reserve your spot on the bus. Deposits are refundable until August 21, 2021. 

Suggested donation: $1,800+ | Price: $4,140 double occupancy or +$1,290 single occupancy 

Questions? Contact Dakota Penza. 

Feb 10 2021
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Jewish Camps Ready to Support Camper Mental Health

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, Jewish Camp Initiative

Jewish Camps Ready to Support Camper Mental Health
by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez, Jewish Camp Initiative Manager

The coming summer is a critical moment for addressing child and adolescent mental health. After nearly a year of living with uncertainty, fear, and separation, many kids are exhibiting signs of anxiety and depression. The safe return to summer camp for 2021 requires planning not only for physical health and safety, but also for campers’ mental health. While kids can’t wait to reconnect in person, without screens, we also know that the pandemic has had a deep impact on their mental health.

Camps across the country are prioritizing having trained mental health providers on their campuses this summer to support the as yet unknown needs of campers. “We are experiencing a world-wide shared trauma experience,” Jill Goldstein Smith, Senior Program Manager at Foundation for Jewish Camp reminds us. “Camp provides a bubble of sorts, but it is also a safe space to be vulnerable – which is where the growth happens.”

Professionals at our Jewish camps, both day and overnight, know how much kids need and want to be back at camp with their peers, and are ready to meet them where they are. Yet in order to do so, they need partnership and input from parents. Danielle Steinhart, LCSW, Director of Camper Care at URJ Camp Coleman says, “When parents provide complete information about their child, it helps us do our job better. Parents know their child’s strengths and challenges better than we do when they initially arrive at camp. Camp staff can set them up for their greatest success when we have this insight. This partnership is critical for each child’s positive camp experience.”

Feb 05 2021
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Jewish Community’s 2021 Legislative Priorities

By Atlanta Jewish Community

Did you know that Federation champions Jewish community needs in the Georgia State Legislature? Working with our partners, we coordinate the community’s government relations and lobbying activities. Rusty Paul, our legislative advocate, helps advance our agenda in the legislature. Federation also monitors Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) public policy efforts and participates in multiple forums at the Federal level including representation on the Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) Disability and Health and Long-term Care Committees, as well as participation in Jewish Ability Advocacy Day in Washington DC.

Read on to learn about Jewish Community priority issues for the 2021 Legislative Session.

Bold indicates new priority for 2021

  1. PRIORITY ISSUES
  • Medicaid reimbursement rates for the William Bremen Home based on current year cost reports (ongoing, but reimbursement rates were updated in 2014).
  • Medicaid preservation and expansion. Increase the number of Georgians with access to health insurance and healthcare.
  • Protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and create a Georgia work credit.
  • Create uniform start and stop dates for public schools across counties since truncated summer schedules are negatively affecting camp enrollment and ability to hire staff. This will help camps have certainty about the summer vacation window available to them.
  • Focus on adding resources for Federation affiliate agencies to fulfill their mission.
  • Legislation pertaining to protection against hate crimes and religious liberty – strengthen existing GA code to include International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, reference anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
  • Protect “Money Follows the Person” with disabilities allowing for options for community-based services and alternatives to institutional settings
  • Support Gracie’s Law which advocates to end organ transplant discrimination against people with disabilities.
  1. COALITION ISSUES
  • Rewrite language of Paycheck Protection Program reimbursement form to be relevant and appropriate for nonprofit organizations.

Aging and Disabilities

  • Support Unlock the Waiting List agenda including increases in “slots” (people) to be served under Medicaid waivers (intellectual/developmental disabilities, independent care for people with physical disabilities), expansion of Grant in Aid Family Support Services and update the multiple-year funding plan for waiver slots as well as non-Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, and Community Care Services Program.
  • Increase funding for “Exceptional Rate” waivers and improve utilization approval process for those with needs beyond what waivers typically pay, and/or monitor changes to waiver rates (such as tiered rates, per capita rates, and block grants) and advocate for maximum benefits to clients and providers.
  • Increase in developmental disability service provider reimbursement for day services and supported employment.
  • Urge the state to use discretionary capacity to continue the availability of Medicaid retainer payments and to extend Medicaid’s time-limited, emergency response waivers for home- and community-based services (HCBS), known as 1915(c) Appendix K waivers, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. See whatever latitude the State has to allow providers of disability community and home-based services to receive the same level of funding as the pre-COVID amounts. Virtual programming equivalence can be used as the basis for this flexibility.
  • Increase in nursing home provider reimbursement.
  • Support legislation allowing children who have IEP in Pre-K to move to private school for kindergarten.
  • Work to strengthen workforce development solutions for the critical shortage of qualified direct support professionals.
  • Address the burden of multiplicative regulatory oversight of intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) supports, and Georgia’s years-long waiting list for I/DD support funding.

 III. ISSUES TO BE MONITORED

Aging and Disabilities

  • Support assisted living level of long-term care and better enforcement of regulations, reporting of abuse, access to information regarding violations, and other quality indicators at assisted living facilities.
  • Protect legislation pertaining to establishing interstate partnerships for special needs trusts (Able Accounts).
  • Affordable housing and home repair for older adults.

Children and Families

  • Find ways to increase access to mental health services for children and youth.
  • Monitor ALEF educational tax credit funding for challenges to current funding structure.
  • Changes in early childhood service delivery such as teacher qualifications, staff to child ratio, and health regulations and changes in camping regulations.
  • Year around schooling/later start of school year.
Feb 05 2021
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Physically Apart, But Not Alone

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING

On March 13, 2020, JF&CS’s IndependenceWORKS Day Program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities made the decision to close its doors “until further notice” for the safety of our clients and staff.

Later that week, I remember having a conversation with my supervisor. In a very serious tone, she explained there was a real possibility that we might not reopen until a vaccine became viable. At this point in time no one was really talking about a vaccine, and many still looked at the virus as just a cousin of the flu. I still figured we would be back up and running prior to a vaccine. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Almost a year later, IndependenceWORKS is not open, but it is not accurate to say we are closed either. In our words, we are virtual. Our program operates during our typical hours and offers many of the same activities that we previously offered. The only glaring difference is that our clients are on Zoom signing in from the safety of their homes. Each morning our team of wonderful Direct Support Professionals (DSP) begin their day calling various program participants just to check in and say hello. Next up, everyone signs into Zoom for the first activity of the day. We are all greeted with laughter and smiles.

Isolation and separation are draining states we’ve all encountered during the pandemic. But they are far too familiar to many with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who have frequently been overlooked and excluded, even in pre-pandemic times.

You can actually feel the warm glow of friendship and camaraderie radiating through the screen. Throughout the day you will see activities like virtual field trips, history lessons, group discussions, exercise, and even dance parties. We’ve also been able to engage with the community through the utilization of volunteers. On Tuesdays, a local actor logs on to lead us in our Story Jam hour, and twice a month we see a fabulous volunteer group called the Artist Collective who leads our art lessons.

I’m sure you’ve caught on by now that my job is a lot of fun. I supervise an incredibly creative team of DSPs who could not have done a better job of pivoting on the fly as our programming switched from in-person to virtual. This team makes mundane subjects, like safety lessons or hygiene, something truly enjoyable for our clients. While we may seem like a group of professional goofballs when we get ultra-competitive during online Bingo or when we strut our stuff for a virtual fashion show, there is a deeper and more serious reason for our virtual programing— we’re focused on combatting those two scary words, isolation and separation.

Inclusion is always on the forefront of disability advocates’ minds. How do we ensure that the voices of people with disabilities voices are heard? How do we ensure that people with disabilities are a part of their community? How do we ensure they know that they are not alone? These are all questions that we constantly asked ourselves before the pandemic. Now this aspect of quarantine has added an even larger obstacle to the topic of inclusion. With our clients unable to attend our program, the virtual activities we offer are not just fun, they are necessary to prevent many from feeling isolated and cut off from the world they previously knew.

Many other programs similar to IndependenceWORKS made the pivot to virtual programming over the last year. To all of them, I say “kudos!” Inclusive programming is something we should continuously strive for, pandemic or not. I’m proud to be aligned with many other fantastic programs that continue to pivot together and ensure that no one in our community has to the do this alone.

Feb 03 2021
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Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money

By Atlanta Jewish Community, Atlanta Jewish Foundation

Ron Lieber is a financial journalist who not only talks the talk, also walks the walk about family philanthropy. His keynote address at last week’s 15th Annual Balser Symposium underscored something many high net-worth families know to be true — raising generous kids cannot be left to chance. It requires real intention to teach and to model philanthropic giving. Too few families know how.

Lieber learned it early. He was a Jewish kid from Chicago whose middle-class family experienced a series of big financial setbacks. His parents divorced. Then, one parent lost their job. Suddenly there wasn’t an adequate income stream to send three children to private school. Fortunately, his private school literally passed the hat to raise tuition assistance for Ron and his siblings. “It was the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me,” he says.  When it was time to apply for college, a savvy financial counselor shared tricks and tips that got Ron into Amherst College. That education, in turn, led to a journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Ron never forgot the people who helped him along the way.

So, when his 3-year-old daughter asked out of the blue, “Daddy, why don’t we have a summer house?” Lieber realized he had work to do.

Kids aren’t born spoiled, Ron Lieber asserts. They’re made that way. Parents can seize teachable moments simply by sharing their own family stories about gratitude. In Lieber’s case it went beyond his own scholarship story. His daughter didn’t know the story of her own grandmother, who helped create a breast cancer research foundation. Or that his wife’s mother was a Holocaust survivor whose family got on its feet in America with help from refugee aid organizations. Those family stories illustrate philanthropy in a deeply personal way. Once she knew that story, Ron’s daughter got up in front of 1,500 people at a charity dinner and made the ask for her grandma’s breast cancer foundation. “She killed it,” he says.

Other tangible techniques Lieber discussed: Create a Generosity Jar for coins where very young children can see money collected and then donate it, preferably in person, to something they care about. Teach philanthropic budgeting with 100 Beans. Tell your kids that each bean equals $100 and show them where and how YOU decide what each charity will receive. Then give them a few beans of their own to allocate to things they care about.

Lieber told of a Jewish day school where parents created a policy that instead of individual bar and bat mitzvah gifts, students put money into a single pot and then decided what charities were deserving. “They pooled $25,000 in the first year,” Lieber said. “Suddenly charities started pitching the kids with grant proposals. They became foundation trustees!”

Start to schedule a formal discussion with your children and grandchildren and introduce them to your philanthropic decision-making process. Let them participate as they mature. Show what you’re giving and why! Lieber’s advice can have profound results and can help create the next generation of givers, right in your own family.

Feb 02 2021
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Atlanta’s Sober Spiritual Community

By Atlanta Jewish Community, CARING, NextGen Atlanta

Food and booze are omnipresent in Jewish life, marking most holidays and every Shabbat. How should we, along with Jews in recovery, and their loved ones, approach the ubiquity of alcohol, even when it is part of sanctifying our observances? And with Purim coming, how can we make a holiday where getting drunk is actually encouraged, a safe and holy experience for everyone?

“We definitely need more healthy places for Jews and other people in recovery,” says Marc Pimsler, a founder of Sober Shabbat events in Atlanta. His pivotal moment of commitment to recovery happened in 2004 at Congregation Kol Emeth during the high holy days. Today, with a decade of sobriety under his belt, Marc knows how precarious the road to recovery can be.  “I think a lot about the challenges of leading a sober Jewish life. Purim is the holiday that exemplifies the addict’s dilemma. It’s all about hiding, putting on a show. My substance abuse was a kind of pageantry, finding a way to numb myself, take away the pain by creating a disguise. Like Esther, I was hiding my authentic self.”

Rabbi Malka Packer-Monroe, Director of InterfaithFamily Atlanta,­ and Mandy Wright, Program Manager of JF&CS’s HAMSA program (Helping Atlantans Manage Substance Abuse), have been partnering to create sober spiritual options. Rabbi Packer-Monroe speaks to the special challenges of Purim: “According to Jewish law, those who identify as Jewish are supposed to become so inebriated on Purim that they don’t know the difference between Mordechai and Haman. There is a teaching that we are to get so drunk that we experience everything as G-d. Good and evil are both part of G-d’s world and we should experience them as one.”

“The irony is that for people in recovery from addiction, it is drinking and drugging and using other substances that blocks them from their connection to a Higher Power. Using substances was their way to check out and not be present with the “Mystery.” One way to the Source of Life for many people is through quiet meditation and spiritual community.  We’re creating places for Jews and their loved ones to celebrate in spaces where there is no alcohol. We would like to support Jewish organizations and institutions who are hosting Sober Purim experiences for adults.”

Taking their lead from InterfaithFamily and HAMSA, more and more organizations in Jewish Atlanta are adjusting their practices. This year’s Purim Off Ponce event will not be fully dry, but there will be a signature non-alcoholic drink served, crafted by a mixologist who caters to sober events.  Other Jewish events are featuring “mocktails” and other alcohol-free options. There have been national Birthright Israel trips for people in recovery. It’s also possible to host a virtual sober shabbat through OneTable Atlanta and OneTable offers a guide to creating a OneTable sober Shabbat.

HAMSA’s Mandy Wright says, “We want to push our community to shift the culture around drinking by offering fun, appealing, non-alcoholic alternatives either in place of, or in conjunction with, the traditional alcoholic offerings at fundraisers, celebrations, and more.”

“And remember, the word ‘sober’ doesn’t just refer to alcohol. Sobriety is for all people in recovery, whether from trauma, abuse, mental illness, or substance abuse. For years I thanked G-d for alcohol and drugs. They saved me from killing myself. But now, I’m married and in the first healthy relationship of my life. My husband Ashley is a Christian whose depth of spirit is amazing. He re-inspires me every day to cherish Judaism and stay on a healthy path.” says Marc Pimsler.

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