Federation is thrilled to announce that Jack Halpern will be the recipient of the 2024 Lifetime of Achievement Award!
Jack’s dedication to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta for nearly four decades, coupled with his leadership roles and transformative initiatives throughout our community, makes him a most deserving recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His impactful contributions extend to The Epstein School, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, and the Southeast Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, where he has demonstrated unwavering commitment and received prestigious honors. Jack’s advocacy for social justice through the Anti-Defamation League underscores his remarkable legacy of service.
Jack’s award will be given at the Annual Meeting on Monday, June 3 at 7 pm at Temple Sinai. (Registration information to come soon). We look forward to celebrating with Jack and Jewish ATL!
Grow a Legacy, which took place on Thursday, February 29th at Ahavath Achim Synagogue, was a huge success! With 180 people in attendance, it was a wonderful gathering in celebration of our community’s commitment to philanthropy, legacy giving, and a commitment to a thriving Jewish Atlanta. The evening’s speakers, Ted Blum, Jenny Levison, and Mike Leven, all shared heartfelt stories of their childhoods and parents, and how their upbringing influenced their philanthropic visions. The program, which was Emceed by the hilarious local comedian, Amanda Marks, left everyone feeling inspired, uplifted, and confident in our Jewish community’s future.
Since October 7th, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has stood as a beacon of strength and compassion both for Israel and our local community. Our fundraising initiatives have been nothing short of remarkable, raising millions locally and contributing to a national effort to address urgent needs in Israel.
Though our work is ongoing, we have produced a digital Israel Emergency Campaign Impact Report that memorializes what our community has done together since October 7th. It is a true testament to our community’s collective strength, resilience, commitment, and hope, and makes us even more proud to be a part of Jewish ATL.
CLICK HERE to Read our Israel Emergency Impact Report!
Federation’s Interfaith Family Director, Doug Konkel and Rabbi Elizabeth Breit of B’nai Torah recently attended a two-day training in Seattle to learn about the Reset & Refresh program. Reset & Refresh was developed in 2018 by Rabbi Samuel Klein of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle as an ancillary program for applicants to Honeymoon Israel, a federation partner program that brings young couples from our city to Israel as a catalyst for building a lifelong Jewish community. This unique program is intended for multi-faith couples to bond as they learn the spiritual, aesthetic, and ritualistic foundations of Shabbat through seven dinner sessions spread over two months. We are excited that Atlanta was chosen along with Portland, Austin and Buffalo to pilot the program in our respective cities and along with Atlanta’s Honeymoon Israel program, look forward to launching later this spring.
Federation’s Chair of the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, Steven Cadranel will receive Hillel’s of Georgia Billi & Bernie Marcus Visionary Award. This award is presented to a community member who has demonstrated a strong commitment to Jewish life in Georgia, dedication to students on campus, and shown philanthropic support to Hillels of Georgia to increase the organization’s capacity and grow the number of Georgia’s Jewish college students who have meaningful Jewish experiences.
With acts of antisemitism on the rise across Georgia and the nation, Hillels of Georgia is shining a spotlight on Steven Cadranel, a true visionary and advocate for Israel and Jewish life in Georgia. His enduring support of Hillels of Georgia has been instrumental in the organization’s continued ability to serve generations of Jewish students in a time when it is most needed.
Steven Cadranel has made a wide and lasting impact in the Jewish community of Georgia and beyond. With the presentation of the Billi & Bernie Marcus Visionary Award, we celebrate Steven’s extraordinary contributions and honor his legacy, an inspiration to us all. Mazel tov, Steven!
