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In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Jewish Abilities Atlanta

Atlanta Innovates Again: World’s First Inclusive Melton Program

The Florence Melton School is the largest adult Jewish learning program in the world. Atlanta’s Melton program, part of the Lisa F. Brill Institute for Jewish Learning at the MJCCA, has one of the largest enrollments in North America. So, leave it to Atlanta to pioneer the world’s first inclusive Melton class that brings adults with and without disabilities together to learn virtually.

The unique, inclusive, Melton curriculum, called Members of the Tribe (MOT) is in its second semester with an enrollment of 17 students. It has been hailed as a ground-breaking effort to break barriers in adult education. Discussions are underway with the Florence Melton School Institute at Hebrew University about replicating the local Atlanta adaptation of the curriculum worldwide.

“We would never have had this class without guidance and support from the Jewish Abilities Alliance of Atlanta (JAA),” said Talya Gorsetman, who runs adult learning at the MJCCA. “JAA introduced us to Jay Kessler who helped it. Even more crucially, JAA has guided us about the nuances of inclusive language and other best practices when working with people of diverse abilities. Our teachers have also been wonderful, and we are so proud that this curriculum is going global.”

As for Jay Kessler, this longtime Jewish advocate in Atlanta for people with disabilities is both a cheerleader and recruiter who attends every class. “When Talya Gorsetman first told me about the class, I knew it had the unique potential to connect people with disabilities to people without disabilities,” Kessler said. “Every time I attend class, I am inspired. Devorah Lowenstein, this semester’s teacher asked the class, ‘what’s precious to you?’ A student named Rachel Gray, who has Down syndrome said, ‘My soul is precious to me, because my soul teaches me how to talk to God.’  “The Rebbe himself couldn’t have said it better.”

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, People in Need

Ten Meaningful Weeks

With the understanding that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted our cities, Repair the World Atlanta launched a local cohort of Serve the Moment last fall. It offers a ten-week opportunity with a stipend for young adults to engage in critical racial justice work, tackle food insecurity, strengthen our education system, and combat social isolation, alongside contextual and Jewish learning. We’re honored to share reflections from two members of the Serve the Moment Corps, Justine Stiftel and Grace Parker, who were clearly changed and challenged during their service in Atlanta this spring.  

A fall cohort of Serve the Moment will soon be recruiting new members. To be put on the email list for the Fall 2021 application, please email servethemoment@werepair.org   

Justine Stiftel (They/Them):
“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it,” the famed quote from Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of the Fathers), came up frequently during my time as a Serve the Moment Corps Member through Repair the World. Indeed, the twenty young adults in our spring cohort could never have finished our work responding to the lasting economic and social effects of the pandemic. Nonetheless, we made plenty of headway repairing our communities and strengthening our connections to Judaism. 

I had the pleasure of being partnered with Second Helpings Atlanta, a non-profit redistributing surplus food to those in need. I revised and evaluated their contact system, improving communications with their food donors, partner agencies, and volunteers. I learned the serious impact that the pandemic had on food access in our city. Thirty to forty percent of the food produced in America ends up in landfills, while one in five children in Atlanta is food insecure. It was an honor to contribute to fixing this disconnect. 

At our cohort’s weekly calls, we reflected on our experiences with our different non-profits. We heard from Jewish leaders and non-profits across the metro, expanding our knowledge of the needs of the most vulnerable populations. As the program lined up with the seven weeks of the Omer, we often connected with the seven lower sefirot. 

In 10 meaningful weeks, Serve the Moment has enabled me to learn about my city, my career goals, and my Judaism.  

Grace Parker (She/Her):
If there’s one thing that I learned from this past year it is that even in the toughest of times, there is always a silver lining. For me, that silver lining has been my experience with Repair the World’s Serve the Moment program and my partner organization, Concrete Jungle, a local nonprofit working to address food insecurity. Through Serve the Moment, I was able to dedicate the extra time on my hands toward meaningful and impactful work during a period that felt overwhelmingly helpless and hopeless for so many, myself included.

Having just moved to Atlanta during the pandemic, I was also able to connect to my newfound community in a truly special way — meeting new people, seeing new places, and taking part in conversations I would not have been exposed to otherwise. I feel incredibly grateful for this program and the countless lessons it has granted me, from lessons in empathy to a deeper connection with Jewish community service to fresh perspectives on rectifying the injustices our world faces now more than ever. I did this program to serve others, but ultimately, with each smiling face receiving their weekly nutritious groceries, I was given the greatest gift of all. 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Jewish Camp Initiative

Loving Shabbat, Learning our Heritage

Lana Severinsky is one of PJ Library’s Russian Community Coordinators. It’s been her job to spread the word that generous tuition grants are available for kids from Russian speaking Jewish families (RSJ) to attend Jewish overnight camps this summer. The grants are made possible with the generous support of Genesis Philanthropy Group in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC).

Lana’s eight-year-old daughter Vera received an RSJ Camp Access grant and is “beyond excited” go to Camp Coleman in just a few weeks! “My wish for Vera is that camp gives her a sense of the larger Jewish community. She has some Jewish kids in her class, but I want her to understand Jewish peoplehood — what it is to have Shabbat with all your friends, to sing and dance, and feel pride in being Jewish.” 

Elina Brager came to Atlanta from the former Soviet Union 30 years ago at age 18. Opportunities to experience Jewish religion and culture were extremely limited in Russia and there was no such thing as Jewish camp when she was growing up. “Going to camp was just not something Jewish families did. Now the most important thing for me and my family is that we learn our Jewish heritage and celebrate it. That’s why my daughter Naomi is a student at The Epstein School and why we wanted her to go to Ramah Darom the summer before the pandemic. Camp tuition has increased, so this grant makes it possible for Naomi to return.”  

“Naomi really grew at camp. She matured. She felt the joy of being Jewish. Her world expanded. I could see how connected she felt to her friends, to Jewish culture. We are so grateful that she’ll be able to go back to camp this summer.” 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Philanthropy

5/28 – A Day for Menstrual Equity

The average length of a menstruating person’s period is five days. The average length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days. Those numbers inspired advocates around the world, and our own Women’s Philanthropy activists, to declare Menstrual Equity Day on 5/28.

Providing menstrual supplies to Atlantans who cannot afford them has been a major focus of Women’s Philanthropy for more than a year. Through Project Dignity, our women have engaged friends, families, and Jewish teens from JumpSpark to collect and distribute more than 100,000 menstrual supplies across Atlanta. Lori Peljovich, who helps lead the initiative says, “It’s been a great hands-on way to have an impact during the pandemic because much of the shopping can be done online. I’ve been so impressed by the women of our community when asked to step up and engage.”

“Project Dignity has been so successful that we’ve been able to partner with a number of organizations in our community to expand our reach,” Peljovich said. “We were overwhelmed by the response, and we will try to do collection drives twice a year in order to keep increasing our distribution to those in need.” To get involved contact: Yael Sherman, Director of Women’s Philanthropy, ysherman@jewishatlanta.org

Some surprising facts about menstruation equity:

  • In her lifetime, a woman will spend approximately 3,500 days (equivalent to almost 10 years) menstruating.
  • Approximately 70 percent of women use tampons and may use 11,000-15,000 in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 10 college students in the U.S—a relatively privileged group—experience period poverty, which has clear ties to stress-related mental health.
  • In a 2019 study of low-income women, almost two-thirds of respondents reported not being able to afford the products they needed in the last year.
  • According to a 2019 study, 1 in 5 teens in the U.S. could not afford period products, and 1 in 4 have missed class because they did not have access to pads or tampons.
  • In the state of Georgia, we have Georgia STOMP (Stop Tax on Menstrual Products), working in the legislature to eliminate the 4 percent state tax on items necessary to manage periods. Georgia STOMP has over 15,000 members and helped to introduce HB 8, which has yet to pass.

According to NY Rep. Carolyn Maloney, 2021 ushered in major policy reforms for menstrual equity around the world. New Year’s Day marked the end of the tampon tax in England —the culmination of a seven-year organizing campaign. Scotland made history as the first nation to mandate free period products to anyone in need.

Here in the United States, there have been notable advances, too. Back in March, when Congress passed the CARES Act, it included a long-sought provision: reclassification of menstrual products as qualified medical expenses, meaning they now can be purchased with pre-tax dollars via employee health savings and flexible spending accounts.

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In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Philanthropy

Our Board Co-Chairs Look Back

Lisa Galanti Rabinowitz and Lori Kagan Schwarz are ending a year of purpose and partnership as Co-Chairs of the Federation Board of Trustees. To say that they could not have imagined the challenges they would face together is an understatement at best. These talented women handled their roles with grace, grit, and flexibility in a time of unique stress and community need. We asked Lisa and Lori to reflect on their year of leadership below. We hope you will join us (virtually) at the 115th Annual Meeting, when we’ll thank them formally, for the love and commitment that carried all of us through this extraordinary year.

A Year of Love and Blessing

By Lisa Galanti Rabinowitz

By Lisa Galanti Rabinowitz
A year ago I eagerly anticipated connecting in person with Jewish Atlanta’s people, agencies, and organizations. Instead, we faced a wicked curveball. Specifically, the best-of-times responsibility, honor, and privilege to serve as Co-Chair of the Federation Board of Trustees collided with the worst of times as we isolated at home with disease, death, and uncertainty swirling mercilessly.
Yet, Federation could waste no time. The only path forward was to move in concert and with resilience to ensure the health and well-being of our Jewish people and 100+ Jewish Atlanta organizations.
Blessed with a communal cocoon and Federation’s sacred mission “To care for, connect, and strengthen Jewish communities throughout metro Atlanta, Israel, and the world,” the Zoom-Zoom of life took hold. Computer screens adorned with faces of servant leaders in little squares mobilized as indomitable sparkplugs to plow forward exuberantly and forcefully to do good and to do right. In return, and with transcendent spirit, YOU, our Jewish community, gave generously with time, wisdom, and wealth to care for, connect, and strengthen Jewish community.
Through the worst of times together Jewish Atlanta brought powerful grit, passionate purpose, and unyielding dedication every single day. Together we worked with resolve, ingenuity, and heart – united in the optimistic quest to thrive in the face of difficulty, as we have for centuries. And it was, therefore, the best of times.
While we begin to put this past year’s test of will behind us, let us also heartily celebrate with immense respect, abiding love, and great blessing how our Jewish Atlanta and Federation embody a conjoined heartbeat that keeps on giving. Here’s to continued good to come, even amidst life’s ever-present ebbs and flows. Onward and upward we grow together!

Inspired by Our Stories

By Lori Kagan Schwarz

By Lori Kagan Schwarz
I am a bit of a data geek. It’s not the numbers per se that fascinate me; it’s the Federation stories behind them that reveal the character and promise of our community. In a year when the world felt like it was spinning out of control, the stories from across our Atlanta Jewish community were all the motivation I needed.

The $4.3 million raised for Federation’s Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund tells a tale of donors who came together with warp speed to care for seniors in solitude, struggling families, over-burdened Jewish institutions, and those in need of food and basic necessities.

A record of nearly 1,000 camp scholarships were awarded this year speaks to the magic of Jewish overnight camp and our community’s commitment to making camp affordable for so many.

Behind the seven Shinshinim who still came to Atlanta overcoming all of the COVID restrictions is a story about the unbelievably inspiring Israeli high school graduates taking a gap year in Atlanta before military service. Working long days in our day schools and synagogues, with our youth groups, and in our camps, the Shinshinim infuse our community with their passion and love for Israel.

These stories, and especially the people behind them — the volunteers, professionals, communal leaders, and donors — fill me with gratitude and hope.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Jewish Journeys, People in Need

Day School Seniors Reflect on an Abnormal Year

Federation extends warm congratulations to all of our high school graduates and also acknowledges that this has been a difficult year for them. The pandemic required students to deal with a hybrid of virtual and in-person learning. Many felt deprived of the beloved rituals that come with senior year. Social distance protocols kept friends apart. We asked Gabe Weiss, a senior at Atlanta Jewish Academy, and Lili Stadler, who is graduating from The Weber School, to share what they experienced this year, what they missed, and where they are headed next. 

Lili Stadler, The Weber School:
Last March, I was a junior in high school dealing with an insane course load, the stress of taking the SAT, and was soon to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Now, I have overcome both of my mental illnesses, gotten into every college I applied to, and am going to Georgia Tech, my dream school next year. Being a senior amidst a global pandemic has meant a lot of things to me: it has taught me to appreciate the small things in life, such as the feeling of hugging my grandmother and catching up over a home-cooked meal, but most importantly, it has taught me to let go of the things I cannot control and make the most of what I have.  

Every year, the seniors at Weber go on a month-long trip to Israel; however, this year, we did not. The trip is an opportunity to finish our high school years with a culmination of everything we have learned about friendship, Judaism, and Israel. Although there is a place in my heart that yearns to have had that experience, my friends and I have made up for it in different ways. We lost our trip to Israel, but we remain thankful for the memories we did get to make together at school and on the weekends. Being apart from one another for so long has taught us to appreciate the moments we have together before college. 

Gabe Weiss, Atlanta Jewish Academy:
I chose to study remotely for my senior year due to a family health situation. As someone who’s mostly introverted, I initially looked forward to staying remote. However, losing out on the excitement of senior year felt worse than I expected. Missing events such as leading Battle of the Classes, giving a senior talk at the end of school, and even missing some privileges, such as having an exclusive senior lounge, really affected me. I realized that I will never have the opportunity to experience these privileges again.  

Most importantly, I missed being able to interact with my classmates, both close friends and mere acquaintances. I know that there will be so few times that I will get to see them all again after we graduate. Additionally, learning became so much more difficult. At home, I often get distracted, have internet issues, or have a lack of motivation due to everything feeling the same and there being no distinction between school life and home life. The coronavirus situation has proven the old Yiddish phrase “Man plans, God laughs.” I may have been looking forward to experiencing being a senior in high school, but it was not destined for me. Next year I am attending the joint program between List College (JTS) and Columbia University. 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Gather Grants, Jewish Journeys

Looking ahead to the Shmita Year

By: Joanna Kobylivker  

Community Organizer, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light 

The Jewish Climate Action Network of Georgia (JCAN GA) is a newly formed chapter of the Massachusetts based Jewish Climate Action Network. We began as a small but concerned group of Jewish community members who came together to raise awareness and create solutions around climate change.  Our diverse group represents several congregations, from spiritual leaders to climate scientists to moms and dads who simply want an earth for future generations to enjoy. We strongly believe the Atlanta Jewish community has a unique opportunity to be part of the solution. 

Our specific mission is to promote environmental stewardship though Jewish community building. By coming together, we can: 

  • Inspire and mobilize Jewish communities to take leadership and participate in bold climate campaigns and reduce carbon footprints. 
  • Develop and provide infrastructural, informational, and educational resources to any and all Jewish groups: synagogues, community centers, day schools, camps, youth groups, parent groups, all of us.  

How will we do this? By working with strong community partnerships both in Atlanta and around the country who are already doing this important work. We are very excited to announce a partnership with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) with where I will be serving as a dedicated staff member, to Joanna Kobylivker, who will engage with our Jewish community.  

When will this work begin? It’s already started! JCAN GA members have already held several virtual events through partnerships with Repair the World, Limmud Atlanta and Southeast, and various congregations.  

Much more is to come with the upcoming Shimta year.  The Shmita Year is part of a cycle analogous to the weekly Sabbath but taking place once every seven years as opposed to every seven days. Also known as the Year of Release, Shmita invites each of us to re-examine our relationship with the earth, with the Divine, and with one another. In the Shmita year, we rest alongside the land; we share the abundance of our landscapes as equals with one another and with the wild creatures; money is deemphasized; and debts are released.  

As a community, we are setting intentions and goals for how we will bring Shmita values to life in the form of environmental sustainability. Caring for our earth is part of being Jewish.  From the great philosopher Maimonides to the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, we are taught and reminded in countless texts of our duty to honor this beautiful earth that G-d created. We say prayers, celebrate holidays, and are always encouraged to be humble and grateful for what we have been given. We can demonstrate that gratitude by protecting the earth, and there is no greater time than now.  

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring

Thou Shalt Eat Ice Cream! (And Other Shavuot Observances)

This year the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (literally, the festival of weeks) which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, falls on May 17-18.  We wanted to give our readers a heads up on what Shavuot means and how you might observe it here in Atlanta. 

What’s it all about? Shavuot falls seven weeks after Passover at the end of the counting of the Omer. In biblical times, Shavuot was one of three pilgrimage festivals in which all the Jewish men would go to Jerusalem and bring their first fruits (usually grain) as offerings to God. Today, we celebrate Shavuot by going to synagogue to hear the recitation of the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ruth. Check the websites of individual synagogues to see what they have planned for Shavuot this year. 

Holiday Highlights & Traditions: Many people invite friends for festive meals of dairy foods which evoke the nourishment of the Torah as “mother’s milk.” Blintzes filled with cheese are the quintessential Ashkenazi Shavuot treat. Some Sephardi Jews serve flaky cheese-filled pastries called bourekas. 

  • Monday, May 17, join the Chabad Intown Community for Thou Shalt Eat Ice Cream, an outdoors ice cream party. Gather at Chabad Intown on the BeltLine (outdoors) at 5:30 pm to hear the Ten Commandments followed by ice cream, snacks, and a light dinner for the kids! This event is free of charge. RSVP here. 

Stay Up Late & Learn: Many people follow the custom of staying up all night to study Torah texts, including mystical tractates of the Zohar where the tradition of midnight study comes from.  

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