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jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Global News, Philanthropy

Federation Women in Cuba

Federation Women Support Nutrition and Education in Cuba

Cuba’s Jewish population, once 15,000 strong, is now a tiny remnant estimated at about 1,100 people. Since the government lifted the ban on religious practice, they are thriving as a community, however they remain economically fragile. Like all Cubans, Jews live with food rationing and lack many basic resources. Milk, which has so many nutritional benefits, is a commodity in short supply and is only provided to children under the age of seven. That’s why, on their recent Federation and Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) mission to Cuba, Atlanta women took on the mitzvah of supporting a milk program and a Sunday school for Cuban Jewish children and teenagers. The Sunday school is held at El Patronato, Havana’s Jewish Community Center and Conservative synagogue. Children learn about Jewish holidays, and culture, study bible and learn Hebrew. Adults have classes at the nearby Sephardic Hebrew Center. “Cuba’s Jews are so vulnerable,” said Debbie Schafer, Director of Women’s Philanthropy. “The Atlanta women chose the milk project because they are mothers! It was a simple and satisfying way enhance the educational and nutritional needs of children and teens.”

In Cuba, the government provides 1 kg. of powdered milk per month per child through its ration stores. Thanks to the generosity of our Women’s Mission, extra powdered milk is now given to all Jewish students (under age 25) who attend classes at El Patronato, are enrolled in school during the week and do not have jobs. The same 1 kg. of milk is also given to the fourteen Sunday school teachers. In addition, all students — children, teens, youth and adults — are offered a glass of milk with their snack during a break in Sunday school.

This October 10-14, Federation and JDC are offering another Atlanta community mission to Cuba to shine a light on Jewish community needs. Like all JDC-sponsored trips, participants will also have opportunities to support ongoing projects in Cuba to make the lives of Cuban Jews better. Reservations are on a first-come-first-served basis. If you would like more information about the trip, please contact Staci Eichelbaum, Director of Philanthropy.

jewishatl
In Caring, Jewish Education Tax Credit, Jewish Journeys, People in Need, Philanthropy

ALEF Made Day School Possible

Educated and Empowered, Thanks to ALEF Fund

J. is a single parent and a survivor of domestic violence. She receives no financial support from her ex-husband, who was her abuser, and works very hard to make ends meet. One of the joys of her life is that her daughter is getting an incredible Jewish day school education at Atlanta Jewish Academy, thanks to scholarship support from ALEF Fund.

“When I moved back to Atlanta from out of state, I was pretty broken from my marriage,” she remembers. “As we looked at school options, I had concerns. Our zoned public school has an open campus and it worried me that someone could easily walk into the building off the street. When you’ve been in an abusive marriage you learn to be hyper vigilant and protective. I was thrilled to find a position at Atlanta Jewish Academy.  The school was everything I dreamed of for my daughter — amazing facilities, Hebrew language instruction, Jewish values, and great campus security, with gates and intercoms and a culture of vigilance. But the cost of tuition put it out of reach.  Then I heard about ALEF Fund.”

“When I learned about the ALEF Fund state tax credit, I opted in right away. “It makes me so happy to know that by participating in ALEF Fund I am paying it forward for others like me who depend on tuition help for Jewish schools. My small contribution helps fund substantial scholarships, so it feels like a win-win! I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it!”

“My daughter is thriving at her school and every day she teaches me something new about Judaism. We were at Six Flags recently and she heard a family speaking another language, which she recognized as Hebrew. She went right up to them and introduced herself in Hebrew! The father was so impressed with her language skills. I was blown away!”

“I was lucky to attend Hebrew Academy as a child in Atlanta. It gave me foundational Jewish literacy and taught me to read and write Hebrew. Now my daughter has surpassed me in her Jewish education. I am so grateful to ALEF Fund, for opening these doors for my daughter. Knowing that she is educated and empowered is everything to me!”

Georgia taxpayers have until December 31, 2019 to make a 2020 pledge to ALEF Fund and redirect a portion of their GA state taxes to become scholarships at 18 Jewish day schools, preschools and high schools. Questions? Contact Nicole Flom right away!

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Foundation, Philanthropy, Young Leadership Division

A Focus on NextGen Philanthropy

Lindy and Norm Radow: Giving Thoughtfully and Strategically

For Lindy and Norman Radow, philanthropy is about gratitude, of course. But even more, it’s about making an impact and leaving a legacy that expresses their highest values. By establishing The Radow Family Foundation and a donor-advised fund at Atlanta Jewish Foundation, they sat down with their adult children and did the thoughtful work of hammering out mission and vision statements and articulating the four pillars that support their generosity. It reads:

“Inspired by Jewish tradition and values, the mission of the Radow Family Foundation is to help improve the world by investing in organizations that lift up individuals through impactful programming and needs-based initiatives. The focus of our giving is defined within these pillars: educational, communal, pro-Israel and the arts. Priority is given to those causes which help support the continuity of our Jewish people.

“We both grew up in pretty humble surroundings,” Norman says. “I lived in public housing in Brooklyn, in the same neighborhood as investment banker Lloyd Blankfein. I guess we both did okay as adults,” he laughs.

Lindy lived in Mexico City, Ohio, and Europe before coming to Atlanta. Here she built a successful career selling telecommunications products and only retired two years ago, largely to focus full time on philanthropy and Jewish community building.

A committed couple since 2007, Norman and Lindy have been married for just three years. Lindy’s decision to join the Jewish people only amplified and accelerated the Jewish dimensions of their philanthropy.

“Early in our relationship, Norman asked me to go to synagogue with him, and I did. I immediately felt comfortable at Congregation Etz Chaim and felt a natural pull to Judaism. I also came to love the peace of Shabbat and the cycle of the Jewish holidays. It was important for me to have a Jewish wedding, so I studied with Rabbi Shalom Lewis and in time I became the first person to immerse for conversion at MACoM, Atlanta’s non-denominational community mikvah which I helped found.”

As a couple, the Radows also feel deeply bound to Israel. When Norman’s son left Atlanta to join the Israel Defense Forces as a “lone soldier,” they became ardent supporters of Friends of the IDF. Norman’s son made Aliyah and is raising a family in Israel — now that they have become grandparents, they visit Israel even more often.

Passing the philanthropic torch to the next generation is a top priority. Norman and Lindy’s daughter, Lisa Rose Hurd and her husband Joe live in Sandy Springs and are officers in the Radow Family Foundation. Joe has joined the Innovation Committee at Federation and the whole family is involved in something new from Atlanta Jewish Foundation.  “They’ve launched the Jewish Foundation Forum, which gives a group of us who have family foundations, large-scale DAFs and supporting foundations, a way to gather and discuss community issues and trends in philanthropy,” Norman says. “We’ve seen that some of the ways we give that were once the holy grail of charity have all but disappeared  — think the March of Dimes. Now that polio has been eradicated, it seems less relevant. Our group is excited about new ways and new vehicles to support the Jewish people. We know that millennials give differently and are excited about organizations like OneTable, InterfaithFamily, Honeymoon Israel, and other organizations that provide fresh connections to the tradition.”

As sophisticated investors, the Radows see Atlanta Jewish Foundation as an essential tool for managing wealth and leaving a legacy. They want to see more and more people use AJF’s expertise. Norman is upbeat about the special philanthropic advantages of donor-advised funds. He funded his DAF with partnership interests in his projects, which allowed him to take tax deductions at market value. As his projects sold, the DAF was the beneficiary of the cash distributions.

“I love how our investment in AJF supports the whole Atlanta Jewish community. It amazes and humbles me that such a relatively small Jewish community has created so many institutions and such a robust infrastructure from camps, to synagogues, to day schools, the Jewish Home and more! It’s rare and wonderful to see the love and commitment of so many people combine to build our future.”

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Foundation, Philanthropy

Empowering Our Daughters

Taking Family Philanthropy To New Heights

A native of Long Island, New York, Valerie Weitzner grew up in a community with a strong Jewish presence and two hardworking parents. She noticed that her parents always made small philanthropic donations to charities that had personal meaning to them. This was the spark that ignited a lifelong path of philanthropy for Valerie — a value that she’s now passing on to her own children. Valerie and her husband Peter, whose mother was a Holocaust survivor, established the habit of giving early in their marriage and were committed to developing a strong Jewish identity for their children.

After moving to Atlanta, they became members of Temple Sinai. Eventually, both daughters, Gillian, now a high school senior, and Zoe, a college sophomore, attended religious school at Congregation Or Hadash. Valerie expressed that it was “very important to give our girls the Jewish education we never had access to growing up.” The family-centered approach to Jewish education at Congregation Or Hadash inspired Valerie to become a Bat Mitzvah along with her youngest daughter Gillian.

“We have an amazing community in Atlanta. I’ve made friends with so many smart, warm and generous women and families in the community here,” Valerie said. Those connections have led to mission trips abroad, board involvement, and philanthropic opportunities for their entire family.

Over the years, the Weitzners have used their Donor-Advised Fund to make charitable donations to a far-reaching list of organizations, including AIPAC, Atlanta Scholars Kollel, Alzheimer’s Association, Birthright, Congregation Or Hadash, Friends of the IDF, Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF), Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Planned Parenthood, Temple Sinai, the Zaban Couples Center, and many others. And they’ve kept their girls in the loop every step of the way.

Just before Hanukkah last year, Valerie was inspired to give her daughters Donor-Advised Funds to manage on their own. “Peter and I have laid the groundwork for our girls to take philanthropy into their own hands and enjoy seeing them become engaged,” Valerie said. Recently, Peter and Zoe met in Washington, D.C. to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference together. The Weitzners have taken their daughters on two trips to Israel, and Zoe will travel with a group of summer camp friends to Israel on Birthright this summer.  It’s a source of pride to see all their years of charitable giving, volunteerism and community involvement being reflected in their daughters’ philanthropic priorities.

“We chose DAFs for the girls because it captures all donations in one place and makes tracking charitable gifts simpler for all of us,” said Valerie. The option to see fund balances and recommend grants online will make it easy for Gillian and Zoe to manage their philanthropic involvement and take it to the next level.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Foundation, Philanthropy

Making an Impact Around the Kitchen Table

How Michael and Caren Merlin share their love of philanthropic giving with their children

Growing up in Atlanta, in the Briarcliff/Lavista and Dunwoody neighborhoods, Michael Merlin was raised with philanthropy, as he puts it, “in my family DNA.” Passed down from his grandparents to his parents and then to him – l’dor v’dor – he was surrounded by examples of commitment to helping the Jewish community here thrive. 

What this looked like: His dad served as president of Shearith Israel, his mom was active with the Jewish day school he attended, Hebrew Academy, and his grandmother was a regular volunteer with the Mizrachi Women at the JCC.

 “Giving back is something that is innate to the Jewish ethic and Jewish identity,” Michael said. “It’s the reason Caren and I feel so passionately about Jewish education and Jewish day school—because they teach you about Tikkun Olam from a very early age.”

No surprise then that Michael and his wife Caren, a board member and Vice President of the Epstein School, have instilled their own children with an ethos of helping others, starting when they were just tots. And when the Merlin family gathers around the kitchen table, they frequently discuss how to give strategically through their Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) with Atlanta Jewish Foundation (AJF).

Their sons, 15-year-old Jonathan and 12-year-old Ryan, are especially precocious when it comes to philanthropy. Michael can remember one winter when six-year-old Jonathan asked what Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) did. The youngster had been watching his parents spending lots of time there as volunteers, and it had piqued the kindergartner’s curiosity.

“They help people,” Michael recalls explaining. “They feed hungry people and clothe homeless people.”

Because it was so cold outside, Jonathan left and returned with a $5 bill and instructed Michael and Caren to give that money to JF&CS. Michael proudly recalls his small son explaining: “Because it’s cold out, I want to keep people warm.”

Fast forward almost a decade, and both boys still feel strongly about addressing homelessness in Atlanta – frequently hosting lunch drives for the Zaban Paradies Center.  Jonathan, a freshman at Pace Academy, and Ryan, a 6th grader at the Epstein School, have also broadened their philanthropic involvement as they’ve gotten older. 

 Jonathan is leading a fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has raised to date over $157,000.  He and Caren also serve as members of the Sandy Springs Chapter of the Young Men’s Service League.  Additionally, Jonathan has been nominated for citizenship award at Pace, where he also serves as an ambassador to prospective students.

Ryan is especially passionate about environmental stewardship, and will no doubt be addressing his concerns in this area with his upcoming bar mitzvah project.

Together, the Merlin family gives to around 15-16 charities a year through their DAF, each voicing and validating the causes that are nearest and dearest to their hearts, framed within their DAF’s mission and purpose statement.

These causes include The Epstein School, University of Haifa (Judaics Studies Teacher Exchange Program), Congregation B’nai Torah, the ML4 Foundation, JF&CS, Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, Emory Winship Cancer Center, and many, many more.

“It is clear to me that having a Jewish education helped us instill a culture of giving back in our boys,” Michael said. With that foundation the Merlin Family had many fun and rewarding conversations in setting their philanthropic priorities together. “When I asked my kids about their three highest priorities, they said homelessness, Israel, education,” Michael 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Federation Innovation, Innovation, People in Need, Philanthropy

Mental Health Responder Toolkit

Imagine if more people re-thought mental illness as a quest for mental and spiritual wellness. Imagine if more people had the tools to understand, support, and overcome the shame, stigma, and challenges of substance abuse. Now, with support from a Federation Innovation Propel grant, Atlanta-based Blue Dove Foundation is moving in exactly that direction, addressing issues of mental illness and substance abuse through a compassionate Jewish lens. Blue Dove works locally and beyond to educate, equip, and ignite our Jewish community with tools to understand mental illness and substance abuse and connect them with the right local resources, such as professionals from JFC&S. They are in the midst of creating a Mental Health Toolkit packed with resources and written by local rabbis and health professionals, to increase understanding and extend hands of healing.

Blue Dove’s Toolkit begins by articulating Jewish mental health values and defines the key issues that individuals and families struggle with. For example, the concept of b’tzelem elohim — to be created in the divine image — suggests that any conversation about mental wellness must begin with a foundation of dignity and respect. This can counter the shame of illness and the tendency to hide from conversations around mental health.

Or, refuah shleimah — healing and wholeness. Judaism recognizes that healing is not just physical; it is holistic. When we pray the misheberach for healing, we pray for refuat hanefesh v’refuat haguf, a healing of spirit and of body. The Jewish emphasis is also on healing, not on curing. Even when mental illness is under control, healing and a return to wholeness are in order. We see healing as a process, one that has many components and may be a lifelong journey.

The Toolkit will also provide a comprehensive list of local resources to recognize, respond, and set people on the road to healing.  The hope is that people will become more comfortable talking openly about mental health, mental wellness, and illness. Learn more at Blue Dove Foundation.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Federation Innovation, Innovation, Philanthropy

Tradition Kitchens

Julia Levy’s Tradition Kitchens’ Hands-on Learning Programs

At Hanukkah, when the latkes sizzle, Tradition Kitchens celebrates both the classics and the modern — the gluten free, Southern sweet potato with leek latkes and organic pepper jelly garnish from Ivy Rose Farm, a family venture with Jewish roots.

This is our first Hanukkah with Tradition Kitchens, our mother-daughter start-up transforming kitchens into classrooms to connect cultures, generations and neighborhoods. By empowering home chefs and restaurateurs to teach family recipes with history, we host pop-up affordable cooking classes around Atlanta, from intown to the suburbs.

When we think of food, we think of family. This year, we’ve been learning our Jewish Atlanta family’s favorite foods and the stories behind them — Noodle Kugel with Leslie Kalick Wolfe’s mother’s recipe, Challah with Sara Franco, Molly’s Mandel Bread with Michele Glazer Hirsh and Jennifer Glazer Malkin —to name just a few. And we’ve been welcomed into the Federation family as PROPEL Innovation grantees with a cohort, coach, ecosystem of Jewish organizations across the city, mentors, workshops with Zingerman’s Deli and so much more.

Along the way, we’ve discovered a treasure trove of Atlanta Jewish recipes — some scribbled down between friends and others recorded in beautiful cookbooks by The Breman Museum and Congregation Or Ve Shalom. We strive to elevate the foods that have thrived for generations and put Atlanta on the Jewish food map while also discovering the home chefs whose delicious dishes should be shared. Our goal is to create community through our gatherings and build upon it organically.

As you sit down for a Hanukkah holiday meal — whether it’s with family or friends — our winter wish is simply to ask about the story behind the food. And if you’re inspired by what you discover, as we have been, send the story our way and nominate the home cook to teach. We hope to sample old and new culinary traditions with you in 2020.

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation, Innovation, Philanthropy

Propel Grant Recipients

Drum Roll, Please: Propel Grant Winners Announced!
Federation Innovation received an impressive 45 proposals for its PROPEL Innovation Grant and has just announced ten awards ranging from $10K-$25K, totaling in a community investment of almost $200K. PROPEL’s goal is to help launch transformative, creative and scalable projects that reimagine Jewish life in Atlanta. Representatives from Federation’s Innovation and Community Planning & Impact Committees reviewed the applications and invited a select number of applicants for interviews. We’re so proud to share and celebrate with you next year’s class of Jewish Atlanta Changemakers! Meet the 10 projects funded:

  • Hillel Georgia Tech – TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers)
    Engaging Georgia Tech and the larger Jewish community, TOM aims to innovate assistive devices for those with disabilities through a three-day makeathon. The goal is to partner need-knowers (with a disability) and makers to help develop innovative solutions.
  • AgeWell Atlanta – Information and Referral Concierge
    Atlanta is home to one of the fastest growing senior communities in the country. Most older adults prefer to stay in their own homes as they age, which increases the need for a coordinated system of care. This grant will enable AgeWell Atlanta to respond by creating a centralized concierge, which older adults and caregivers can access a coordinated continuum of services supporting maximum wellness, wherever they reside.
  • OneTable Atlanta – Atlanta Fellow
    Atlanta-based OneTable Field Fellow will empower underserved populations in building their own Jewish community, focusing on engaging Jewishly underserved demographic areas and niche populations (e.g., Jews of Color, LGBTQ, etc.).
  • Congregation Bet Haverim – Community Rabbi
    Moving beyond the concept of membership as the sole “access card” to communal engagement and rabbinic support, the community rabbi will provide life cycle and other rabbinic services to the larger community.
  • Moishe House
    Expanding the scope of Moishe House’s successful programs by supporting the addition of a 4th house in a brand new part of Atlanta, with the primary intent to serve underserved adults in Great Atlanta.
  • Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta – JCC on Wheels
    Weekly JCC programming brought to various geographic areas throughout Metro Atlanta with a JCC RV. Recreational, social, and cultural programming “delivered to you” and not constrained by bricks and mortar of existing Jewish spaces.
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Jewish Education Director’s Council & Atlanta Rabbinical Association – Reimagining Jewish Education
    This initiative leverages teachers as catalysts for change and empowers them to use innovative methods and create user-centric educational opportunities with support from nationally acclaimed educational institutions.
  • Tradition Kitchen
    An entrepreneurial venture, making kitchens into Jewish spaces around Atlanta through Jewish cooking classes in community members’ homes, taught by locals ranging from bubbes to famous chefs.
  • The Blue Dove Foundation – Mental Health Responder Toolkit
    Comprehensive project addressing mental health and substance abuse issues through a toolkit and training sessions for organizational leaders and Jewish camps to serve as “mental health first responders.”
  • Repair the World – Solidarity Through Service
    Seeking to address the fractured political climate and high income disparity in Atlanta, this initiative seeks to build consistent and meaningful volunteer and service experiences. Repair will offer community trainings and a robust workshop series for Jewish community partners who serve a broad array of populations, reaching out beyond Repair’s core work serving Millennials.
jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Federation Innovation, Gather Grants, Innovation, People in Need, Philanthropy, Young Leadership Division

MLK Shabbat Suppers Celebrate Diversity & Dialogue

For Jews and their loved ones, Shabbat dinner is far more than a meal. It’s a weekly platform for holiness, hospitality, peace, and plenty of conversation. With that in mind, Federation awarded a Bloom Innovation seed grant to several organizations who collaborated on ways to use MLK weekend as a moment to turn Shabbat dinners into opportunities for dialogue and understanding.

On the Friday preceding Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 144 individuals across Atlanta showed up for an “MLK Shabbat Supper,” a guided dinner and discussion to honor Dr. King made possible by the collaborative efforts of Repair the World Atlanta, OneTable, the American Jewish Committee, Hands On Atlanta, and Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. There were ten simultaneous MLK Shabbat Suppers throughout the city, in neighborhoods ranging from Sandy Springs to the Westside. The religiously, racially, and gender-diverse group of hosts came from among the lay leadership of Jewish community partners including the above organizations, as well as Jewish Family and Career Services, Moishe House, and The Schusterman Family Foundation.

Participants at the dinners enjoyed a meal while diving into a discussion guide filled with thought-provoking quotes and questions from a Jewish perspective about civil rights, racial justice, and other issues of importance to Atlanta. Feel free to download the guide.

As OneTable Atlanta Hub Manager – Shira Hahn- put it, “By joining together at the table, we work towards creating new traditions that foster authentic and thoughtful engagement across difference to recognize our past and ideate a better future. Moving forward we will continue to build solidarity and greater understanding within the Jewish community and with all Atlantans.”

For those interested in further opportunities for service and dialogue, join Repair the World and partners for an anti-human trafficking event on January 27 and cooking for the Nicholas House family shelter on February 22; details and registration here.

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