Southern Jewish Life, New Orleans, March 2022 by Southern Jewish Life

Southern Jewish LifeLife Southern Jewish 3747 West Esplanade Ave. P.O. Box 130052 3rd Floor Birmingham, AL 35213 Metairie, LA 70002 Volume 32 Issue 3

March 2022

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NEW ORLEANS EDITION

Southern Jewish Life

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

A Flower for Hadar

Hadar Cohen will never marry, have children or comfort her parents in their old ages. She was a heroic, 19-year-old Border Policewoman stationed at the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem when she was murdered by terrorists, February 3rd of 2016. She and a partner had confronted two suspicious men and, in the ensuing gunfight, Hadar took down a bomb-laden terrorist. In the final seconds of her life, she also managed to save the life of her fellow Border Policewoman but gave up her life in doing so. No one can accurately estimate how many lives and injuries Hadar prevented by her heroic actions. The firm policy of Israelis is to not honor individuals who commit heroic acts. They say that every life is precious, every martyr is a hero. They cannot honor just one out of the thousands that they have lost in the long struggle to establish a homeland for all of us. When you travel around Israel, you’ll find almost no sites designated as tributes to individuals. It was truly astonishing when, two years ago, the City of Jerusalem decided to pay tribute to Hadar and another Policewoman, Hadas Malka, by putting their names on the steps down into the Damascus Gate. This has now been formally done and the Cohen family is comforted to know that in the memories of many thousands, worldwide, Hadar will not be forgotten. We should not forget either. Alongside the cup of wine for Eliyahu, the cup of water for Miriam and the seder plate, I ask you to pay tribute to her heroism by placing a single flower on your seder table in her name and telling her story to the attendees, particularly the children. In our home, we make this the 5th question, “Who was Hadar Cohen?” The flower is in her name but it represents all of those incredibly brave soldiers and civilians we have lost in Israel. We suggest that you use this poignant letter as a reading, in explanation of the inclusion of the flower on your Seder table. It was written by Jewish author Naomi Ragen as a tribute to the heroism of Hadar Cohen. https://www.naomiragen.com/my-dear-hadar/

May G-d bless you all and may G-d bless the State of Israel. The Conn Family, Birmingham Alabama

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

shalom y’all The late Paul Harvey used to refer to news about the news business as “shop talk.” Well, even though there is no shortage of topics to discuss (Palestinian activists trying to hijack sympathy for Ukraine, Amnesty International coming out as full-blown antisemitic, among many others), there is also a lot of shop talk to tell you about. First, the long-anticipated new magazine is here. Delayed for two years by Covid, the preview issue of Israel InSight is now available online and in print. The new magazine is primarily for Christian friends of Israel, but is written to be accessible to supporters of Israel from all backgrounds. We will be highlighting stories that aren’t routinely covered, about amazing things U.S. groups are doing in Israel, what Israel is doing around the world, tangible creative ways to support Israel, state initiatives to back Israel, and what is happening on college campuses. We will also highlight the revolution that has been taking place in relations between Christians and Jews, including many initiatives that the Jewish community needs to know about. For example, the National Religious Broadcasters convention isn’t usually on the radar of Jewish media. But this month was my fourth time attending. This year, the NRB board adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. The largest organization of evangelical Christian broadcasters made the fight against antisemitism a priority. Every year, there is a breakfast honoring Israel at NRB, and while the keynote speaker, Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, said it is usually an Israel pep rally, this year it was also to enlist Christians around the nation to fight antisemitism

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Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games I have had the honor of attending many Maccabi competitions around the world. From Israel to Australia to South America, Europe and the JCCaMaccabi games around theis United States and get their elected officials to adopt the promising student who interested in jourand Canada, I have logged many miles seeing how nalism, sports can be a vehicle to help build Jewish IHRA definition. who would have an internship with all identity, especially in our young. He said Christians who love Israel and love three of our publications. The student would the Jewish people must to know for actual work stories mutual interest, with I felt honored to come to get Birmingham the first timeon and fell inoflove with not just the cityguidJews, no You other agenda friendship. ” ance and level mentoring by kind Wright, but the“with people. have takenthan Southern hospitality to a new with your and myself, caring and While there are those who have a our Associate Editor Richard Friedman, who approach to the certainly JCC Maccabi Games. conversionary agenda, some of whom were worked at the Birmingham News before he Led by theinSokol and Expo, Helds,ityour were wonderful. They partnered exhibiting the NRB is byhard-working no means volunteers was the long-time director of the Birmingham with your outstanding staff, led by Betzy Lynch, to make the 2017 JCC Maccabi games a huge hit. universal, and the genuine love of so many Jewish Federation. IChristians, want to take this opportunity as executive director of Maccabi USA to say thank you on behalf without ulterior motives, is someWe feel this is a groundbreaking initiative ofthing everyone that isinvolved. slow to be recognized in much of that can become a national model for all the Jewish We’re here World to educate. I had just community. returned from the 20th Maccabiah gamesofinethnic Israel with a U.S. delegation of manner media, bringing different canwho readjoined our piece onJewish our new website, overYou 1100, 10,000 athletes from communities 80 countries. Back in July the eyeslearning of the entire together through more IsraelInSightMagazine.com subscribe Jewish world were on Jerusalem(and and the Maccabiah. This each past month about other. with 1000 athletes and there!), from and that piece alsobeing distributed by coaches around thewas world in Birmingham, youare became the focal point. We currently raising funds to provide a the international Jewish News Syndicate. stipend and underwrite associated costs, inEveryone from the Jewish community and the community at large, including a wonderful Second, over the last three years we have cluding participation in conferences and travel police force, are to be commended. These games will go down in history as being a seminal developed a relationship with the historic experiences. moment for the Jewish community as we build to the future by providing such wonderful Jewish Black weekly, the Birmingham Times. We get We welcome your thoughts about our two memories. together every so often (on Zoom, most re- new initatives, and let us know if you are interJed Margolis cently) and share stories that are of mutual in- ested in backing either (or both). Executive Director, Maccabi USA terest to both readerships. A few months ago, As we move past the Covid doldrums of the I was on an ethnic media panel with Birming- past two years, it is an exciting time of possiham Times Executive Editor Barnett Wright at supremacists bilities for our publications, we appreciate would like to seeand pushed back On Charlottesville Auburn University. youra continued into corner andsupport. made to feel lesser. We stand For the last year or so, our teams have been with and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, Editor’s Note: an This reactionnew to the eventstoinfurther developing exciting project who was there standing up to the face of this Charlottesville, written by Jeremy Newman, the relationship. We are working with Miles hate. Master of athe Alpha Epsilon Theta Colony College, Historically BlackPiCollege, to identify Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor We recognize the essence of the American at Auburn University, was shared by AEPi narrative as a two-century old struggle to rid National, which called it “very eloquent” and ourselves of such corners, and allow those in praised “our brothers at AEPi Theta Colony at them the seat at the table that they so deserve. Auburn University and… the leadership they It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the display on their campus.” Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with White supremacy has been a cancer on certain unalienable rights.” We know our work our country since its beginning, threatening is far from finished, but we know we will not its hopes, its values, and its better angels. move backwards. The events that took place in Charlottesville When men and women, fully armed, take represented the worst of this nation. Those to the streets in droves with swastikas and who marched onto the streets with tiki torches other symbols of hate, it is a reminder of how and swastikas did so to provoke violence and relevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism fear. Those who marched onto the streets did are today. It is a wake-up call to the work that so to profess an ideology that harkens back to needs to be done to ensure a better, more a bleaker, more wretched time in our history. welcoming country. But it should not come A time when men and women of many creeds, without a reflection on how far we’ve come. races, and religions were far from equal and far America was born a slave nation. A century from safe in our own borders. A time where into our history we engaged in a war in part Americans lived under a constant cloud of to ensure we would not continue as one. We racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The events that took place in Charlottesville served found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure as a reminder of how painfully relevant these thetreatment memberoflevel of $60no ormatter higher,their theAtfair all peoples issues are today. receive extended access to an skin color. Although we’ve made great strides, Auburn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi stands with the it is a mission we’re stillof grappling on-demand library PBS with today. Jewish community of Charlottesville, and

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with the Jewish people around the country and around thewyes.org/passport world. We also stand with the minorities who are targeted by the hate that was on display in Charlottesville. We stand with the minorities of whom these white 6 March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

programming, current America was alsoincluding born an immigrant and past seasons ofpilgrims, PBS shows, country. As early as the many groups and families found in the country the plus local documentaries opportunity to plant stakes, chase their future, by WYES. and cooking shows pproduced and be themselves. Few were met with open

January March2021 2022

Southern Jewish Life PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Friedman richard@sjlmag.com V.P. SALES/MARKETING, NEW ORLEANS Jeff Pizzo jeff@sjlmag.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com SOCIAL/WEB Emily Baldwein connect@sjlmag.com PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rivka Epstein, Louis Crawford, Tally Werthan, Stuart Derroff, Belle Freitag, Ted Gelber, E. Walter Katz, Doug Brook brookwrite.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213 2179 Highland Ave., Birmingham, AL 35205 205/870.7889 NEW ORLEANS OFFICE 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002 504/249-6875 TOLL-FREE 888/613.YALL(9255) ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to 205/870.7889 for Lee Green, lee@sjlmag.com Jeff Pizzo, jeff@sjlmag.com Media kit, rates available upon request SUBSCRIPTIONS It has always been our goal to provide a large-community quality publication to all communities of the South. To that end, our commitment includes mailing to every Jewish household in the region (AL, LA, MS, NW FL), without a subscription fee. Outside the area, subscriptions are $25/year, $40/two years. Subscribe via sjlmag.com, call 205/870.7889 or mail payment to the address above. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher. Views expressed in SJL are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. SJL makes no claims as to the Kashrut of its advertisers, and retains the right to refuse any advertisement.

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agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

On Feb. 25, B’nai Israel in Pensacola inaugurated monthly themed Shabbats with kosher dishes from around the world. The February dinner was Moroccan, with March being Persian dishes.

Louisiana’s Jewish Endowment Foundation tops $100 million in assets The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana announced that it has surpassed $100 million in total assets, according to preliminary 2021 year-end numbers that are still subject to audit. Executive Director Bobby Garon and Board President Morton Katz made the announcement on March 14, saying that despite Covid and the annual disbursements from donor and JEF funds, “our portfolio has benefited tremendously from our generous fundholders as well as a robust market.” They credit the ongoing generosity of community members, and especially the influence of Sandy Levy, who retired at the end of 2018 after serving as executive director for 27 years. They noted that much of the current success comes from those she cultivated during her time leading the agency. “We are both amazed and inspired by Sandy’s legacy in our community and can only hope that our work today will benefit our community for generations to come.” When Levy began her tenure, JEF assets were around $10 million. They were $60 million when she retired. The JEF was established in 1967 with assets of $100,000. The JEF serves as the community savings account and rainy-day fund. Income from assets can be used to benefit a wide range of charitable efforts in the community and worldwide. It became a literal rainy day fund following Katrina, when JEF funds were integral to community recovery. Over the past year, JEF has also helped with needs in response to Covid and Hurricane Ida. “Our partners at JEF have truly risen to the challenge of navigating both crisis and long-term planning alike, and we congratulate them on this incredible achievement,” said Jewish Federation CEO Arnie Fielkow and Jewish Federation Board Chair Brian Katz. The Foundation board recently adopted a new mission statement, that the agency “ensures a secure future and an enduring legacy by serving as an essential resource for Jewish and non-Jewish philanthropy.” JEF has a range of funds, from unrestricted to donor advised to designated. They also administer grant programs, the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience for first-time campers throughout the region, the RoseMary and Saul Brooks Fund for Jewish Youth Engagement for Jewish campers from small Louisiana communities, B’nai Maimonides funds for B’nai Mitzvah to establish, and a Young Philanthropist Program. In 2009, they established Create a Jewish Legacy, a partnership with

area agencies and synagogues to boost endowment funds by encouraging members to leave legacy gifts in their estates, or through other charitable arrangements. On April 24, JEF will hold its Annual Event at the Audubon Tea Room. Postponed from March 6 due to Omicron, the event will include the presentation of the Tzedakah Award to Joyce and Sidney Pulitzer, the Young Family Award for Professional Excellence to Charles (Rusty) Levy III, and the Helen A. Mervis Jewish Community Professional Award to Caitrin Gladow. The patron party will be at 6:30 p.m., and the dinner will be at 7 p.m.

No, that’s not a Purim costume, that really is her crown. Miss Louisiana USA, KT Scannell, visited Temple Shalom in Lafayette and played Vashti in the Purim Shpiel. A native of Denham Springs, she is a senior at Mississippi College. March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

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Created as a way to connect people and, in many cases, to raise funds for organizations, “Who Knows One?” was an online game show sensation. Now, the Micah Hart creation that combines Jewish geography and Six Degrees of Separation is going live, at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans on March 31. This version will be interactive, with many in attendance participating in the search for the Chosen One. The event starts with a schmooze and nosh at 7:15 p.m., followed by the game at 7:45 p.m. and a dessert reception at 9:15 p.m. This event is co-sponsored by Touro Synagogue, Temple Sinai, Gates of Prayer, the New Orleans JCC, Shir Chadash, Beth Israel, and JNOLA. Shir Chadash will hold “A Very English Tea with a New Orleans Flavor” to honor Rabbi Deborah Silver for her service to the congregation and the community, June 12 from 3 to 6 p.m. The Symphony Chorus of New Orleans will perform Haydn’s “The Creation,” March 27 at 2 p.m. at Temple Sinai. The program will feature Cantor Joel Colman, bass; soprano Joy Meade and tenor Robert Wagner, and a professional orchestra. General admission is $25, $20 for students, and preferred seating is available at $50 and $75. Tickets are available at symphonychorus.org. The next News and the Jews with Rabbi Katie Bauman of Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will be on April 6 at noon. The session will be via Zoom. On April 7 at 7 p.m., she will lead a session on Jewish Medical Ethics, in person and by Zoom. Temple Sinai in New Orleans will host Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Walt Handelsman at the Senior Outreach Luncheon, April 7 at noon. The lunch is free and open to those age 50 and up. Register by April 1. Will Samuels will be honored posthumously at the Southwest United Synagogue Youth Alumni Gala, March 27 at 8 p.m. over Zoom. Samuels was SWUSY director from 1996 to 2002. Also being honored is Maury Jacobs, who was Agudas Achim USY advisor in Austin from 2007 to 2011 and SWUSY director from 2011 to 2017. Donations will be allocated to SWUSY’s Richie Herskowitz Scholarship Fund and the SWUSY Regional Scholarship Fund. These funds provide needed financial aid to USYers to enable them to fully participate in regional and international programming. Registration is available at usy.org/swusyalumni. On April 12 at 6 p.m., Friends of the Cabildo in New Orleans will have “The Jews of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta” as part of its member lecture series. The presentation will be on Zoom and is free for members, $10 for non-members. The presentation is by Emily Ford and Barry Stiefel, who in 2012 published a book by the same name. Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will have a Zoom information session on “The Modern Approach to Genetic Testing” with JScreen, an organization that has an at-home test that checks for over 200 genetic diseases, including several prevalent in the Jewish community, so couples know what each partner is carrying and make informed reproductive decisions. They also do testing for cancer risks. The information session is March 30 at 7 p.m., and those attending will receive a discount code for testing kits.

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Meryl Zimmerman will lead a concert retelling of the Passover story for the next installment of NOLA Nights at Shir Chadash in Metairie. Songs of Freedom will be April 7 at 7:30 p.m., with snacks and drinks. Registration is $10. South Alabama writer Roy Hoffman just released his new novel, “The Promise of the Pelican,” about an 82-year-old attorney in Alabama who is a Holocaust survivor and takes up the cause of a young man from Honduras who is accused of a violent crime. He will be at Octavia Books in New Orleans on April 12 at 6 p.m.

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

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As “rabbi season” gets into full swing, the Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge has hired Rabbi Sarah Smiley to be the first leader of the newly-merged congregation, and Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El is welcoming Rabbi Steven Henkin. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Smiley is a veteran of URJ Goldman Union Camp and an alumna of Indiana University. She was ordained in 2010 and started her rabbinic career as rabbi of Ohio State University Hillel. She has since served congregations in Westfield, N.J., and Overland Park, Kans. Currently, she is treasurer of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Kansas City, on the CCAR convention planning committee and the Clergy Advocacy Board of Planned Parenthood. She will begin on July 1, accompanied by her husband, Rabbi Josh Leighton, and their daughter, Eliana. The Unified congregation officially merged on Jan. 1 after a multi-year process. Since the summer of 2020, the two congregations had interim rabbis in anticipation of the possible merger, with Rabbi Teri Appleby at Beth Shalom and Rabbi Batsheva Appel at B’nai Israel. Henkin is a Chicago native who went to the University of Minnesota. He pursued a master’s in Jewish studies at Emory University, and was ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles. He started as director of congregational learning at B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Md., then realized he preferred the pulpit life. In 2017, he became rabbi at Agudath Achim in Savannah, Ga. He will start at Beth-El in July, succeeding Interim Rabbi Hillel Norry. He will be accompanied by wife Orly, and children Dinah, who just had her Bat Mitzvah, and Noah. Searches continue at a few other congregations in the region. Rabbi Josh Pernick of Beth Israel in Metairie is leaving in early May to take a new position in New Haven, Conn. At Shir Chadash in Metairie, Rabbi Deborah Silver is leaving, and will be honored on June 12 with “A Very English Tea with a New Orleans Flavor.” And in Dothan, a rabbinic search is underway as Cantor Neil Schwartz will be stepping down this summer. Rabbi Eric Berk of Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville announced he will be taking the pulpit at Sha’aray Shalom in Hingham, Mass.

Shreveport scholar weekend rescheduled

The Shreveport scholar-in-residence weekend with Ben Zion (Benzy) Kogen has been rescheduled for the weekend of April 8. Coordinated by the Jewish Federation of North Louisiana and originally scheduled for January, the weekend was postponed during the Omicron outbreak. Founder and creator of “Your Shabbat Guest,” a program of enhanced Shabbat celebration, learning and growth, Kogen is a master educator who has devoted himself to the building of communities and the enhancement of Jewish life. He is a faculty member of the Melton School for Adult Jewish Studies, and serves in leadership with Camp Ramah in California. On April 8, he will speak on “Living up to the Image of God” at B’nai Zion at 6 p.m. On April 9, he will address “Using B’rakhot (Blessings) to navigate a closer relationship with God” during the 10 a.m. service at Agudath Achim, and hold a Lunch and Learn around 1 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. at Agudath Achim he will lead a session on the influence of the early rabbis on contemporary Jewish life. On April 10 at 10 a.m. there will be a family-friendly program, “Using the lens of memory to better understand Jewish history,” for grades 6 and up, at B’nai Zion. Members of B’nai Israel in Monroe have also been invited to participate in the weekend.

Looking Back and Leading Forward

New Orleans Section of National Council of Jewish Women celebrating 125 years of service By Barbara Kaplinsky and SJL staff Child advocacy and assisting students, greeting and helping immigrants, advocating for women’s issues and social justice, promoting volunteerism and voting, and simply having fun. That’s all in 45,655 days’ work for the New Orleans Section of the National Council of Jewish Women. The Section is celebrating its 125th anniversary with “Looking Back and Leading Forward with a Salute to Angel Ball” on April 9 at the Higgins Hotel. A patron’s party will begin at 6 p.m., with a signature drink. Dinner and dancing to the music of the Wise Guys will follow at 7 p.m. The gala pays homage to the Angel Balls, which were held for almost 40 years. Though the Angel Balls may now be a memory, one thing that hasn’t changed is the Section’s commitment to being a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who work to turn progressive ideals into action. President Gail Pesses said NCJW in New Orleans has lasted 125 years “because of the quality of its mission. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW-GNO strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children and families and by safeguarding individual rights and

freedoms.” The organization began with Hannah Solomon in Chicago, who then approached women in other communities to form their own Sections. New Orleans was one of the first, with 17 women forming the Section in 1897 and electing Hattie Wolff as the first president. Aside from innovative programming, the New Orleans Section would make its mark nationally as the only one to provide three national presidents — Ida Friend from 1926 to 1932, Gladys Cahn from 1955 to 1959 and Joan Bronk from 1990 to 1993. After starting off with giving housekeeping lessons to immigrants, in 1903 the New Orleans Section began awarding academic scholarships to Jewish children, a program that continues as the Irma Isaacson Scholarship Fund. Lunches and truancy support for public school children were provided and new immigrants were taught English. Helping children throughout the community has always been a priority of NCJW-GNO. During the war and early post-war years, NCJW-GNO volunteers were deeply involved with smoothing the way for the flood of refugees into this country. They met them at the docks, at all hours of the

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community day or night, providing them with food, lodging and transportation. According to past president Sara Stone (z”l), “Council” members met every boat. During these years, the Port and Dock Committee’s job was to greet Jewish passengers as they disembarked. They escorted them to the correct agency people, assisted them with luggage, interpreted for them and saw them into the cars that would drive them on to their next steps. Stone recalled that one had to be asked to be able to work the dock, “and the sights on the day of the ship’s arrival will remain with me always. I remember a row of women sitting on their suitcases. Like all the passengers, they wore layers and layers of clothes, but you could still see numbers from the concentration camps tattooed on their arms. Many looked older than they probably were. “Years later, when I volunteered at the Anne Frank exhibit in New Orleans, I discovered by chance the kind of impact our work had had on the people we served. Tours of the exhibit for school children included talks by Holocaust On the cover: The NCJW centennial streetcar, and the installation of Joan Bronk as Section president.

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

survivors, and I happened to overhear a talk by a woman who had come to New Orleans under the Displaced Persons Act. I walked into the room just as she was telling the children that after being processed on the dock, she was taken to the JCC where she was greeted by some “ladies” from the Council of Jewish Women who offered her food on tables covered with white cloths. ‘White tablecloths!’ the women said. She had not seen a sight like that in years — and had thought she never would again. It had meant her return to dignity. Those of us who worked with NCJW-GNO’s Service to the Foreign Born during those years never forgot the experience either. “This was our shining hour,” Stone said. During the 1940s, NCJW-GNO supplied funds and volunteers to the Charity Hospital Pediatric Recreation Program. It promoted child literacy through the “Magic Tree,” with its volunteer storytellers in public libraries. It then became a television show on WDSU in 1951, and evolved into “Let’s Tell a Story” which became the number one children’s show on the station, as well as one of the first shows broadcast in color. NCJW-GNO also tackled juvenile delinquency during World War II through its “Teen

The Magic Tree 1956, with Walter Isaacson, Margie Bissinger and Allan Bissinger Town” recreation program for area teenagers, which led to the formation of New Orleans Recreation Department. NCJW-GNO also established programs at the JCC for senior citizens. Project Learn provided adult literacy programs. Project Reach spon-

community sored a teacher’s aid program for neurologically challenged children. According to Celia Katz, who served as president from 1964 to 1966, they were most proud of the creation of Magicland, an enrichment experiment for disadvantaged preschoolers which served as a predecessor to Head Start. She also boasted of “Enduring Heritage,” a joint effort of NCJW-GNO, Hadassah and Brandeis in the field of Jewish Education. Julanne Isaacson, president of NCJW-GNO from 1958 to 1960 and executive director of Jewish Family Service for decades, credited NCJW-GNO with providing her the skills that served her well in later in her career. “New members were convinced to join NCJW-GNO based on acquiring new skills, learning about innovative ways of approaching social problems to find things that work, and its record of advocating for social justice,” Isaacson said. In the 1970s, NCJW-GNO provided a drop-in center for seniors, and information and referral services in five disadvantaged neighborhoods. Volunteers and funding were provided not only for counseling and job placement for people upon release from prison, but also temporary care for children threatened with abuse or neglect.

Changing Schedules Also launched in the 1970s was NCJW-GNO’s Moonlighters Program for working professionals who were unable to participate in daytime activities or volunteer during the day. The first president was Barbara Greenberg, from 1973 to 75. “When I went to my first meeting at the home of Jane Buchsbaum, I was impressed with the level of intelligence and commitment of the women and the professionalism of the organization,” Greenberg said.

New Orleans had the first such group in the country, so Greenberg was invited to travel the region and encourage them to start similar groups. According to Kathy Shepard, the most memorable experience of her Moonlighters presidency from 1990 to 1992 was a visit to a battered women’s shelter where Moonlighters worked to provide enrichment to the residents as well as a respite from their own childcare duties. On this night, the women were treated to makeovers. “The results went far beyond the ‘skin-deep’ outcome we expected,” Shepard said. “The increase in self-esteem by the women was visible as they spoke of their hopes and plans for the future.” One of the main contributions during Eddy Rosen’s presidency was the implementation of a priority study focus- Susan Tramontana, Fox 8 Defenders director, ing Section activities with Babs Isaacson and Lois Shepard on children and youth. According to Rosen, the community benefitted from numerous services that were established during this period. This included Parkway Partners Lifeline, seminars for grandparents, relocation of elderly residents of Delta Towers, participation in adolescent Girls Study and getting the “Zoomobile” on the road. Many NCJW-GNO programs have endured over the years, as they

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

community remain relevant and meet new community needs that fall within the Section’s mission and reflect its Jewish values. One of the most visible is FOX 8 Defenders. Established by Babs Isaacson in 1995, it started at WDSU-TV (Channel 6) as “6 On Your Side Problem Solvers.” In 2010, it migrated to Fox 8. Volunteers take calls from individuals with consumer problems that seem impossible to fix. The team then works on getting the situations resolved, weeding out fraud or just smoothing things that fall through bureaucratic cracks. The Section also partners with the New Orleans Family Justice Center, a coalition which works to end family violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking through prevention and a coordinated response. Support is also given to groups such as Girls on the Run, NOLA4WOMEN and Court Watch Nola.

Apocalypse

Southern Jewish Life Case In Point

Southern Jewish Life exists for one overarching purpose: To provide independent Jewish journalism to Jewish communities in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and NW Florida. Having such a publication keeps all of us better informed, more closely connected with one another and more deeply engaged. Our 31-year track record of award-winning reporting has demonstrated this time and time again. Our role in informing our communities about important issues was again highlighted through our coverage of the Nazi salute controversy at Birmingham’s Mountain Brook High School, which has a sizable number of Jewish students. We were out front, providing comprehensive coverage and staying on top of an evolving story, especially as some national outlets had misleading, oversimplified coverage. Our stories became widely circulated, both nationally and internationally, and to date our coverage of this saga has received more than 150,000 views. (That’s not a typo!) It is Southern Jewish Life’s coverage and the wide circulation of our stories that has played a role in what many hope will be serious introspection by the school system when it comes to diversity and, in particular, the discomfort many Jewish students have felt over the years. This is what independent journalism is all about and why it is important. As the issues facing our four state region become more complex, it is crucial that our magazine continues to thrive so that we can provide the kind of coverage the current times demand. You can help us by becoming a donor to Southern Jewish Life magazine. In addition to the revenue we receive from advertising, more and more individual donors have stepped forward to provide contributions that have allowed us not only to continue our work but to expand our efforts as we continue to provide the magazine free to Jewish households throughout the region. If you value our magazine and the role we play, please consider becoming a Southern Jewish Life supporter. To contribute send a check to SJL, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213, or go to https://sjlmag.com/contribute/ (Donations to Southern Jewish Life are not tax-deductible.) 14

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

In her second year as president, Shelley Farber guided NCJW-GNO through its most challenging time ever — a post Katrina apocalypse. “On August 29, 2005, our world as we knew it in New Orleans dramatically changed,” Farber said. “As I watched the city I love flood, I also worried about all the members of the Greater New Orleans Section and where and how they were doing.” Once certain areas of the city opened up, the NCJW-GNO financial secretary was able to retrieve the computers from the NCJW-GNO office. Email blasts were sent, as well as snail mail to find members scattered throughout the country. “The first of our services to open up was ‘Six on your Side’ (The precursor to Fox 8 Defenders) and was it ever needed,” Farber said. “With the help of modern technology, we held our first executive committee meeting in December 2005. A lot of the members had damage from Katrina but all truly stepped up to the plate for the benefit of the Section.” The hallmark of Susan Kierr’s presidency from 2015 to 2017 was intergenerational participation by bringing in young, vibrant future leaders. It relied on a leadership training program designed by Madalyn Schenk, called NCJW Way. An intensive yearlong seminar for women new to NCJW-GNO, it led to inspiring future board leaders who became staunch members of the public affairs efforts of NCJW-GNO. During the presidency of Barbara Kaplinsky from 2017 to 2019, the NCJW-GNO Public Affairs effort was fortified. This emphasis on social justice resulted in the formation of “Engaging New Voices and Voters,” a voter registration, education and turnout coalition, that to date has registered more than 10,000 new voters. During this period, NCJW-GNO actively supported the passage of a law that gave formerly incarcerated persons the right to register to vote, and the local Section was recognized with the national “Champions for Social Change” award. In April 2020, while Covid was spreading throughout New Orleans and the world, NCJW-GNO was forced to pivot to “Zoomland.” This new technology enabled NCJW-GNO to reach far beyond what it had traditionally been able to achieve. According to Susan Hess, who served as president from 2019 through 2021, NCJW-GNO initiated a series of monthly webinars around subjects such as antisemitism and feminism. “These Zoom presentations reached many hundreds of viewers around the world on topics such as traditional forms of antisemitism, blood libels, conspiracy theories, white supremacy, and Zionism as the new form of antisemitism,” Hess said. “Also using Zoom, we presented a Women’s Issues webinar series touching on the history of feminism, women’s health issues, and women and employment.” Pesses says that while she is delighted with all that has been accomplished over the past 125 years, NCJW-GNO is “not resting on its laurels.” “I look forward to what my term holds and to all that we will accomplish for the benefit of our community over the next 125 years,” she said.

community JCRS honors three MVPs at Jewish Roots of Sports gala Every sports league names Most Valuable Players, and three MVPs will be honored at the Jewish Roots of Sports gala held by Jewish Children’s Regional Service. At the March 27 gala, Gayle Baer, Alan Krilov and Mark Sands will be honored for their roles with the regional agency. The event will be at the Sheraton New Orleans at 6 p.m., and will also be available for streaming online. For well over two decades, Baer and Sands have co-chaired the JCRS Special Needs Committee. During this time, the committee evolved from funding children in residential placement, boarding schools, and psychiatric facilities to funding outpatient treatment and specialized educational settings for Jewish families and children dealing with developmental disabilities including autism, complex learning disorders, psychiatric and neurobehavioral problems, and medical issues requiring specialized care. Also since the mid-1990s, Krilov has been instrumental in conceiving and establishing outreach programs and services for JCRS clients that keep them in touch with the agency and their Jewish identities. Once Krilov conceptualized the needs of the children and youth served by JCRS, he initiated and began funding the JCRS Hanukkah Gift Program and additional holiday outreach programs for students and clients across the seven-state service region. He joined the JCRS Board in 1998 and since 2019, he has served as a JCRS vice president. A businessman by training, and for four decades a sales director with Mary Kay cosmetics, Krilov has been involved in many initiatives to make the Crescent City community a better place to live for everyone, along with serving the Jewish community on a local and national basis. For decades, Krilov has been an active member and supporter of Chabad, across Greater New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, as well as Congregation Beth Israel in Metairie. He has served on the board of Slater Torah Academy for 20 years, as a community Bikur Cholim volunteer for 10 years, and previously, 10 years on the Willowwood/Woldenberg Village board. A Memphis native, Baer did her undergraduate work at Stephen’s College in Columbia, Mo., and her master’s degree and Ph.D. at Auburn. In 1984, Baer began her professional career at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans as assistant director of inpatient services, answering consultations and working with children and families on a multidisciplinary rehabilitation unit for brain trauma and chronic illnesses. She moved into private practice in 1988. Currently, Baer is practicing in Metairie, specializing in treatment for anxiety, depression, ADHD, learning disorders and autism. Sands has been involved with JCRS since 1990. His training in pediatrics has been very relevant to his role on the Case Committee, now known as the Special Needs Committee. A native of Detroit, Sands attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate and received his medical training at Wayne State Univer-

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

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sity School of Medicine. He trained in pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, and completed his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine followed by his adult psychiatry residency. Since moving to New Orleans in 1988, he has served as director of consultation-liaison services and director of psychiatry at Children’s Hospital. For the past 25 years, Sands has been medical director of Mercy Family Center, retiring last year. For many years, he has consulted to Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, the counselors and staff at Jewish Community Day School, St. George’s Episcopal School and Holy Rosary Academy. He is a past president of the Louisiana Council of Child Psychiatry and a former member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Children. Ned Goldberg, JCRS executive director emeritus, will also be inducted into the JCRS Hall of Fame. In addition to honoring the MVPs, the evening will celebrate the great achievements of Jewish athletes and professionals from across the U.S. Sports celebrities such as Mississippi State University Athletic Director John Cohen, WNBA player and former president Donna Orender and Ed Hersh are participating in person, along with a special video message from MLB Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey, Jr., and video presentations by U.S. Olympian Kerri Strug, and pro basketball player and author Dan Grunfeld. The Gala, co-chaired by Barbara Kaplinsky, Carole Cukell Neff and Sue Singer, will also feature a seated three-course dinner, music, and a silent auction focused on sports memorabilia, once-in-a-lifetime vacations, and sporting experiences. All proceeds from the event will support the needs-based scholarship programs and services of JCRS for Jewish children throughout the Mid-South. Major sponsors include The Gayle Benson Automotive Family of Dealerships, the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and Mrs. Betty Kohn.

Bama Jewish Alumni Weekend planned for April 29

Registration is now open for the University of Alabama Jewish Alumni Weekend, April 29 to May 1. The weekend will begin on April 29 with a 5:30 p.m. Shabbat dinner at Bloom Hillel, followed by an opening reception at the Bryant Museum. On April 30, there will be an 8 a.m. breakfast at the President’s Mansion with President Stuart Bell. Morning options include a campus tour with Capstone Men and Women, campus updates in Ferguson Theater, or a private tour of campus facilities. The options will also be available in the afternoon. Lunch options include Lakeside, an alumni member lunch and tour of ZBT, and open houses at AEPi and SAM. The evening will include small group dinners “by the decades.” A late night event at the Wheelhouse Sports Pub starts at 8:30 p.m. A farewell brunch will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on May 1 at Bloom Hillel. Reservations are $100 per person, $175 per couple. Hotel blocks are available at Hotel Capstone, Comfort Inn and Suites, and Residence Inn. Several local families also have rentals available.

Do you have a business that could use more business?

Advertise in Southern Jewish Life Call Lee Green, (205) 870-7889 In New Orleans, Call Jeff Pizzo, (504) 432-2561 16

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

Shabbat 1000

It’s like an intimate family Shabbat — if your family has over 1,000 cousins. On Feb. 11, Tulane Chabad hosted the largest Shabbat dinner in the state, the annual Shabbat 1000, with the goal of attracting at least 1,000 students to the LBC Quad. Students volunteered as table leaders, and with a wide range of pre-event planning, including challah making and delivering everything to the Quad.

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NewSouth Books also tells the region’s Jewish stories By Richard Friedman

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

Montgomery’s Suzanne La Rosa loves a good story. So it’s only fitting that her life is a story unto itself. After all, it’s not often that you meet an Italian Catholic woman, who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in New York City, and who would wind up moving to the Deep South to co-found a mission-driven publishing company, NewSouth Books, that, among its offerings, would feature a series of Jewish-themed books for adults and children. In fact, it was that New York upbringing in the 1960s and 1970s that instilled in La Rosa an appreciation for Jews and Judaism that has played a role in her publishing career. “I grew up in a Jewish world in New York City — a Jewish community where my closest friends were Jews. So these stories resonate with me,” she explained. Photo courtesy Montgomery Advertiser “At NewSouth Books we’ve published Suzanne La Rosa and Randall books that conjure up for me many peo- Williams. ple I knew who were first generation Jews and we’ve shared stories that reflect their culture and language. As I read the words of those books I am carried back immediately to my growing up years.” La Rosa, who uses Jewish terms such as “mitzvah” and “shul” and “shlemiel” so naturally that you tend to forget she’s not Jewish, speaks with passion and pride regarding NewSouth’s commitment to tell Jewish stories.

Diverse Array In a recent Zoom chat, this warm and engaging transplant rattled off a diverse array of Jewishly significant books that the Montgomery-based publishing company has produced. Publishing such books fits perfectly with the mission of the company La Rosa co-founded 22 years ago with her partner in business and life, Alabama native Randall Williams. “We are interested in telling the stories

community of others, particularly those who have been marginalized or whose voices have been scattered,” said La Rosa. “Our mission is to publish books that foster awareness of racial, ethnic, religious and political identities. We look for books that ultimately address topics relevant to these goals,” she added. “Part of the rationale for us publishing Jewish-themed books is that these stories, particularly in the South, have not been adequately told.” Though NewSouth publishes nationally and has readers from all regions of the country and beyond, the South is the company’s primary marketplace. As a result of NewSouth’s Jewish offerings and her familiarity and comfort with the Jewish community, La Rosa and NewSouth have become well-connected in the Jewish world. The widely-acclaimed PJ Library initiative, which provides free age-appropriate Jewish books to Jewish children, has sent out NewSouth’s books over the years. La Rosa also has brought NewSouth authors to JCCs, Federations, synagogues and other Jewish venues.

Some NewSouth Jewish titles Here are some of NewSouth’s adult and children’s books with Jewish themes, with summaries taken from New South’s descriptions: “L’Chaim and Lamentations” by Craig Darch. This is a collection of seven, richly layered stories that tackle not only the question of what it means to be Jewish but also what it means to be human, exploring universal themes of companionship and loneliness, faith and perseverance. “From Brooklyn to the Olympics: The Hall of Fame Career of Auburn University Track Coach Mel Rosen” by Craig Darch. This book follows legendary Auburn University track coach Mel Rosen from the streets of Brooklyn during the 1930s and ‘40s to his selection as head coach for United States track and field for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. “Matzo Frogs” by Sally Rosenthal. When kind-hearted Minnie spills the matzo ball soup she was making for Shabbat dinner, the frogs who live in a nearby pond spring into action. They decide to save Minnie’s Shabbat by making a new pot of soup while she is out — a mitzvah from one neighbor to another. “Alef-Bet: A Hebrew Alphabet Book” by Michelle Edwards. This book is a child’s introduction to modern Hebrew; but more than that, it is a joyous portrait of a very special family. Its heroine, Gabi, shares in the activities of five-year-olds everywhere; she dances, she pretends, she dresses up, she helps with the baby. “Chicken Man” by Michelle Edwards. Rody is in charge of the chicken coop on the kibbutz where he lives in Israel’s Jezreel Valley. He loves his job so much and makes the work seem so delightful that everyone wants a chance to tend the brood. “Shlemiel Crooks” by Anna Olswanger. This is a charming folktale story about Reb Elias and the thieves who try to steal his Passover wine. Based on a true story, Shlemiel Crooks is an imaginative introduction for young children to the history of Passover. “Greenhorn” by Anna Olswanger. This is a story of a young Holocaust survivor who arrives at a New York yeshiva in 1946 where he will study and live. His only possession is a small box that he never lets out of his sight. “Golemito” by Ilan Stavans. This is the story of how a couple of Jewish boys in Mexico City confront bullying by creating a Golem, the mythical creature of Jewish folklore.

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community Her company’s Jewish-themed books sell well, according to LaRosa, and often well-received by readers who aren’t Jewish because of the universal messages they convey.

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

La Rosa was asked how she and Williams determine which books to publish. “We get a lot of submissions, books with Jewish content and others. The process of selecting a book to publish has become intuitive. I guess you can say we’ve developed an educated eye,” La Rosa explained. “We can spot the ones where the proposal is intrinsically interesting, the voice is strong, the writer has good credentials, and the overall presentation is superior to what we typically receive. We are always looking for that one — it’s like cream rising to the top.” NewSouth also is the publisher of the recent book “Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies, and Unsung White Allies” by Birmingham’s T. K. Thorne. The fascinating book recounts the significant and multi-faceted ways that Birmingham’s small Jewish community helped advance the cause of civil rights for African-Americans. Thorne, who is Jewish, described La Rosa and Williams as “passionate professionals who want to give the world important, overlooked and meaningful stories.”

NewSouth author roars for Maus When Anna Olswanger learned that the book “Maus” had been banned by the McMinn County Board of Education in Tennessee, she decided to make her own Holocaust novel for children, “Greenhorn,” available as a Goodreads giveaway. Olswanger hopes that her book “will find its way into the hands of young readers who may never have heard of the Holocaust, or even met a Jew,” she explains. As a native Tennessean, this offer has special meaning for her. While Thorne’s comment captures the essence of NewSouth Books, the publishing house also, of course, is a business striving to be profitable. In that regard it is succeeding. “We have been on sound financial footing for 5 to 10 years,” said La Rosa. “I am not worried about keeping the lights on. We pay our authors and put money back into the business.” She and Williams also have become wealthy — not financially, but in another sense. “We have become wealthy in terms of relationships — these are real signs of success. It comes down to our relationships with our authors. We value these people who are interesting, talented, and have something to say.”

An Official Publication of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans

THE

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by Southern Jewish Life belong solely to the publisher. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of any other person; or the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, its constituent and beneficiary agencies, or any other entity.

JEWISH NEWSLETTER March 2022 | Adar II 5782

Vol. XVII No. 1

We can’t wait to see you.

The Jewish Federation’s favorite non-Jewish holiday of the year is fast approaching - GiveNOLA Day is Tuesday, May 3rd. Our goal for 2022 is to raise $200,000 to ensure our ability to fulfill Federation’s mission of growing and sustaining our community. Right now you’re probably thinking, “Okay, so what do can I do to help?” We’re so glad you asked! Here are some ideas:

• • • •

Connect with friends and family and ask them to make a donation on the Federation’s GiveNOLA Day page. Share our GiveNOLA Day posts on social media. And most importantly, we’re hoping you will also participate as a Federation donor that day - but because we also know that life is busy, to make an early donation between April 19 and May 2, you can access GiveNOLA.org and check out as usual. If you would like to make a distribution from your donor advised fund at the Jewish Endowment Foundation, please contact Bobby Garon at bobby@jefno.org no later than May 3rd (and then please email Sherri Tarr immediately at sherritarr@jewishnola.com to let her know you have made the distribution request, and Sherri will be in touch to explain the process directly). If you have a donor advised fund at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, you can request a distribution until April 22, 2022.

We are also excited to announce an in-person, outdoors, and FREE event celebrating GiveNOLA Day and our community. JNOLA, JNEXT, and JP NOLA are partnering with the Federation’s Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families and Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs for an event at the Zony Mash Beer Project, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. featuring live music from our friends, Big in the 90’s. Questions? Reach out to Kassie Cosgrove, our Chief Development Officer, at kassie@jewishnola.com. March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans is excited to announce a unique mission to Israel from July 12-18, 2022. We have been unable to visit Israel for the past two years how great is it that we get to return this summer? In preparation for this long overdue trip, we have planned a meaningful, educational, and historical itinerary. If you book by April 10 and use the code SABABA, you’ll receive a $500 discount off the total trip cost this code is exclusive to members of the Greater New Orleans Jewish community and eligible only for the Explore Israel track. Highlights of the Explore Israel Track include: • • • • •

Private meeting at the official residence of the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog Wine tasting at the Tishbi Winery Fun and educational lunch at Levinsky Market Explore the City of David and visit the Tower of David Museum Dialogue with Anat Hoffman about “Women of the Wall”

March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

Participants will also enjoy an exclusive opportunity to attend the Opening Ceremonies of the Maccabiah Games, the third largest sporting event in the world. You’ll also be joined by representatives from the state government of Louisiana.

The land cost for the Explore Israel track before the discount is $5,499, and after the SABABA discount is only $4,999. This is fully refundable in the event that Israel closes its borders due to COVID-19. This cost is per person based on double occupancy in a hotel room, and includes all tips and meals, except for Saturday night dinner. The single occupancy upcharge is $1,400. This price does not include airfare, and participants will be responsible for arranging, confirming, and payment of their own international flights. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans has teamed up with Gil Travel/Kenes Tours and their partners in RoamRight Insurance to learn more about the benefits of travel insurance in today’s reality especially those that are particularly relevant as we emerge from the pandemic. Please join us for this important webinar scheduled for Wednesday, March 30 at 1:30 p.m. CT. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLSdsjkmnTIl3FNKM0Gu2DtW6LD7sr2YakaobVaseyDX_C4X-ag/viewform

Learn more and register now at louisianatoisrael.com. Questions? Contact Sherri Tarr at sherritarr@jewishnola.com for information about the Explore Israel track, and Aaron Bloch at aaron@jewishnola.com for information about the business and innovations tracks:

Medicine, Biotechnology, & Healthcare Energy & Sustainability Transportation, Maritime, Cybersecurity & Innovation The mission will include visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and industry specific places of interest for each of the three business tracks. The delegation will be comprised of approximately 100 business, community, educational and government leaders. Mission sponsors include Jones Walker, LLP as the Title Sponsor, NFP, Ochsner Health, Tulane University, the World Trade Center New Orleans, the New Orleans Business Alliance, GNO Inc., Louisiana Economic Development, and the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust.

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

GREATER NEW ORLEANS JEWISH COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE WORKERS TAKE HOME MEAL PROGRAM

14 weeks. 5 hospitals. 8,520 meals served.

Stefanie & Michael Allweiss Anonymous Anshe Sfard Synagogue Philip & Suzanne Bennett Sandy & Sarah Cohen Mark Effron & Rochelle Adler Effron Rachel Fertel Errol & Adrien Genet Heather Glass Jeff & Charlene Gubitz Deborah Gurt Edward & Joelle Halpern John & Amy Gainsburgh Haspel Steven Jacobson Mark & Barbara Kaplinsky Richard & Pat Latner Seth Linfield Julie Wise Oreck Karen Remer Toni Weiss & Gary Remer Morris & Mary Ciccarello Rosenzweig Carolyn Scofield Sue & Harold Singer Stephen & Carolyn Sontheimer Donna & Hans Sternberg Art & Martie Waterman Marc Weiss Robert & Marie Wolf Stanley & Naomi Yavneh Klos 24 March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

DID YOU KNOW?

In spring 2020, as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jewish Federation launched a Health Care Take Home Meal Program, which supported our community’s kosher businesses while providing 6,600 meals to health care workers at five hospitals across the Greater New Orleans area. With the Delta variant surge in 2021, the program was revived. We are grateful for the donors who made this possible. 2020 2021 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2021 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 & 2021 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020

Jewish Family Service 2022 Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program For the past 36 years, generous donors like you helped ensure that everyone in our community had access to a Seder during Passover. Now, in the 37th year of the Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program, we are asking you to help us again. Mental health, mobility, and financial challenges should never keep a member of our Jewish community from the Seder table. Say Hineni, Here I Am, and help vulnerable members of our community, like Lori* and Hannah*, find their seats at the table.

There’s room for everyone at the Seder table Seder is usually a quiet affair for Daniel* and Diane*. They use the worn Haggadah their parents bought in the late 1950s. They celebrate in the house their parents bought in 1963. Sometimes a cousin will join them, but, usually, it’s just Daniel and Diane. That’s how they like it. Daniel was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder when he was a toddler. Born less than 2 years after her brother, Diane is her brother’s fiercest advocate and closest friend. “He can be sassy, but he has a wicked sense of humor,” she laughs. Daniel can read and write at a fourth-grade level. Diane became a nurse to help care for her brother. “College was so hard!” she remembers. “My parents made me live on campus for the first year. They wanted me to feel like I could go off and do things on my own, but I stayed here. I wanted to stay with Daniel.” In June of 2021, Diane was diagnosed with cancer. Our community rallied to help. JFS took on both siblings as case management and counseling clients. They now have in-home nursing care while Diane recovers. This is the first year she and Daniel will celebrate Seder with your help. “I can’t believe I won’t be cooking dinner this year, but I’m glad I don’t have to!” laughs Diane. “It’s really such a relief to have this incredible service.” Donors like you are ensuring that everyone in our community, especially people like Daniel and Diane, has a seat at the Seder table. Answer the call for Passover 2022 and donate to the Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program. There’s room for everyone at the Seder table. *We use pseudonyms to protect client privacy.

Donate to the Bruce Levy Memorial JFS Passover Food Basket Program: Mail: 3300 W. Esplanade Ave. S., Suite 603 Metairie, LA 70002 Note “PFB” in the memo Online: jfsneworleans.org/donate

Phone: (504) 831-8475

JFS Accepts All Medicaid Plans JFS accepts all five Medicaid plans. JFS also accepts Medicare, along with other insurance policies for Counseling Services: Aetna, United Healthcare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield PPO & HMO, Blue Connect, Gilsbar, and Tricare. We also accept sliding scale based on household income. Counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups is a core community service of JFS. Licensed behavioral health professionals provide guidance and support on how to cope with interpersonal and family problems. Appointments are available. To make an appointment, call (504) 831-8475. March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

Jewish Endowment Foundation Endow Your Annual Campaign Gift:

It’s Never Too Soon to Create Your Jewish Legacy Your Annual Campaign pledge is an important part of supporting the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and its constituent agencies — the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Community Day School and Tulane Hillel — as well as other significant organizations and projects in our Jewish community. But did you know that you can continue to support our community for future generations by creating a Lion of Judah Endowment (LOJE) Fund or a Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) Fund at the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana?

Lion of Judah Endowment

Establishing a Lion of Judah Endowment allows a woman to endow her annual gift to Federation in perpetuity. Through simple, innovative steps, an endowed gift is within the reach of any woman regardless of age. A LOJE is created by establishing and with minimally $105,000 in your name, ensuring the perpetuation of your Lion of Judah level annual campaign gift. The commitment can be made during your lifetime or through your estate.

Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment

Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment is a permanent fund established by a man. Like a LOJE commitment, a PACE Fund creates a lasting legacy that will continue to make an annual gift to the campaign in perpetuity. A PACE gift can also be established during or after your lifetime.

Ways to Endow Your Gift

Establish a LOJE or PACE Fund with a gift or through legacy. Your fund can be created using almost any type of asset or gift plan, including bequests, life insurance, cash, or appreciated assets (common stock, small business interests, real estate, or bonds). We will invest your gift, ensuring that the income produced supports an Annual Campaign gift in your name each year. Your fund becomes a permanent resource for the Jewish community.

How to Create Your LOJE or PACE

Whatever your estate planning and tax objectives may be, a LOJE or a PACE Fund can be designed to match your financial circumstances and achieve your philanthropic and estate planning goals. You may want to make an outright gift or use a variety of vehicles, some of which may provide you with an immediate tax benefit and some of which can provide your estate with considerable tax benefits without the requirement that you contribute during your lifetime. A bequest in your will: This allows you to retain use of your assets during your lifetime. It is also deductible in determining the amount of your estate subject to estate taxes. Life Insurance Policy: This is one of the easiest and most popular ways to create an endowment. You can obtain significant tax benefits by naming JEF as the owner and beneficiary of a new or existing policy. Charitable Remainder Trust: With a charitable remainder trust, you can provide lifetime income for one or more beneficiaries and leave the remainder to your endowment fund at JEF. IRA or Pension Funds: If you have a substantial amount in a retirement fund and are in a high bracket for income and estate taxes, designating an endowment fund at JEF as the beneficiary can provide significant tax savings for your heirs. The LOJE and PACE are symbols of your commitment to the Jewish community — your gift will support, sustain, and build Jewish life in perpetuity. By endowing your gift, you are ensuring that the community you have supported so generously during your lifetime continues for generations to come. For more information on these easy and impactful ways to leave a legacy, contact Bobby Garon (bobby@jefno.org) or Debbie Berins (debbie@jefno.org) at (504) 524-4559. JEF does not provide tax advice. We encourage you to consult with your tax advisor to receive optimal tax advantages and guidance.

Tulane Hillel Beginning in the summer of 2021, Julia Mattis, Tulane Hillel’s Director of Programming and Innovation, launched the Portrait Identity Project through a series of portraits and interviews of young Jewish adults. This project is an ongoing exploration of students and their constantly evolving Jewish identities and will trace the shifts in customs, practices, value systems, and students’ conception of how their Jewish identities changes (or not) over time. This photo series serves as a platform to share, discover and document the stories of Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26, creating representation that otherwise does not exist and allowing students to tap into the powerful and transformational tool of self-reflection. The Portrait Identity Project empowers the subject to reflect on how their personal experiences have shaped their identity, to reconsider past perceptions, and to broaden the definition of what it looks like to be a young Jewish adult during this time in America. It also helps underrepresented Jews feel seen and accepted, to embrace the fact that identity is multifacetJulia Mattis ed and intersectional, and to transcend definitions of what a 26

March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

Jewish Community Center Register Today for JCC Summer Camp Are you looking for an awesome summer camp? The Uptown JCC still has openings in Sports Camp for boys and girls entering grades 3-5. The Metairie location has availability in its general day camp for ages three-years-old through grade 6, though some weeks are filling quickly. Families will receive an ‘early bird discount’ if they register by March 15 for camp Uptown or by April 1 in Metairie. Summer is a special time for children to change their routine, expand their social circle, and advance swimming skills. The J’s dedicated and caring staff ensures that campers have opportunities to explore their interests, discover new ones, and develop meaningful friendships.

Learn more at nojcc.org/camp. Take advantage of the discount and secure a spot for your child today!

Be A Lifeguard!

Coming Events

Lifeguarding is a great summer job. Get certified this spring in the JCC’s two-day Shallow Water Lifeguarding class so that you are eligible to work this summer. Participants will gain the entry-level skills they need to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies in shallow water up to 5-feet deep and to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services personnel take over. Taught part in the water and part online, this blended learning course required 18 hrs. of in-person instruction and 7.5 hours online. In person instruction will be offered April 2-3 and again April 23-24. Participants do not need to be JCC members, but must be at least 15 years old.

Thursday, April 7 – The Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Series presents a screening of “Asia,” the award-winning Israeli film starring Shira Haas as a rebellious teen dealing with a progressive illness and a fraught relationship with her free-spirited mother. Thursday, April 28 – Presented on Yom HaShoah, this year’s community Holocaust memorial program features local Holocaust Survivors — and sisters — Anne Levy and Lila Millen, who will share their moving story. Wednesday, May 4 – Celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut with the delicious flavors of Israel and a live concert by Gilad Paz and members of TLV, the premier Israeli music cover band in the U.S. Tuesday, May 10 – Rabbi David Goldstein comes to the J to discuss his novel, “Samurai Rabbi.” Thursday, May 12 – The Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Series presents the award-winning film “Here We Are,” a tender drama about a protective father’s road trip with his autistic son and the anguish of separation.

For additional details and to register, visit nojcc.org/lifeguardcertifications.

Last Chance to Join Team NOLA Come have a blast at the largest Jewish youth event in the world, the JCC Maccabi Games, which will be held July 31-August 5 in San Diego. Teens will participate in athletic activities, and then come together for social events, community service and fun. Athletes ages 1316 can compete in either individual or group sports. Team sports include baseball, basket-

ball, e-sports, flag football, ice hockey, soccer and volleyball. Individual athletic activities include competitive dance, golf, tennis, swimming and table tennis. To learn more about how your teen can be part of Team NOLA, the New Orleans delegation, please visit nojcc.org/maccabi or contact Neal Alsop, Uptown Sports Director, at (504) 897-0143 or neal@nojcc.org.

“stereotypical Jew” is or is not. And, the audience viewing the portraits and accompanying narratives gain an opportunity to reflect on their perceptions of Jewish identity — both their own and others. Rachel Bondy, a member of Tulane Jewish Leaders, Tulane Hillel’s leadership development cohort, has become an integral member of the community and an active participant in the Portrait Identity Project. Rachel is a current senior from New York, cares deeply about politics and social justice, and has headed programming anywhere from our Vote Forward Letter Writing Campaign to our popular Shop for Good Art Markets. “Growing up I experienced a lot of internal confusion about where I fit in. I remembered that when I was young, my mom said to me, ‘Rachel, you’re a lot of things, but you’re 100% Jewish,’ and that became the spoke of my journey to figure out who I was. But that only really worked Rachel Bondy

because my head rabbi, Angela, is also half Korean. And before that point, I honestly felt pretty rejected by the Jews around me and the Jewish community… Once I realized that my identities can coexist without detracting from one another… I could fully embrace that I was a lot of things and 100% Jewish, and that’s what made me special.” - Rachel Bondy, ‘22 The plan is for this project to culminate in a public gallery reception at The Goldie & Morris Mintz Center for Jewish Life on Campus at 912 Broadway St. Additionally, we are building a website to catalog and share these individuals’ stories. This digital platform will allow us to share broadly and continue the project over time. This body of work is ongoing and by no means a complete representation of all people who embrace “Jewish” as a part of their identity. We look forward to inviting the community to stop by and check out what makes our community so special! Questions? Please reach out to Julia Mattis at jmattis@tulane.edu. To stay up to date on all things Tulane Hillel, visit us online at tulanehillel.org, facebook.com/ tuhillel, or follow us on Instagram @tuhillel. March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

Jewish Community Day School Family Fun Fest 2022! For the first time since 2020, JCDS Family Fun Fest, a beloved school tradition, returned! Families gathered on Bart Field for an afternoon that included a little something for everyone. Many children joined JCDS Art Teacher Abby Wetsman at the watercolor painting station in the sukkah. Children used captured rainwater and colorful paints to create beautiful canvases. The rainwater was collected in containers just like the Green Light New Orleans rain barrels JCDS students had painted for TuB’Shvat based on their study of cypress trees. Other activities included racing through an awesome obstacle course (JCC and Terrance Perkins), searching for each piece of a treasure hunt (PJ Library), and making

oobleck at the STEAM table (Chaviva Sands). Everyone also loved hanging out with our friends from Jacobs Camp who handed out really cool swag! It was a special, sunshine-filled day, and we are so glad so many families could join in the fun! A big thank you to our Admissions Director Serena Deutch for organizing our first wholly JCDS-sponsored, fully in-person community event in two years! A special thanks to our parent volunteers, too: Emily and Evan Dvorin, Abby Gaunt, and Lauren Gerber.

Mishloach Manot Ribbon Challenge

Let Them Eat Uga

When JCDS Development Director Tiffany Cotlar called JCDS Board Member (and math genius extraordinaire) Rochelle Adler Effron to figure out how many yards of ribbon she would need to order from Amazon for this year’s Mishloach Manot, Ms. Rochelle didn’t hesitate to jump on a contest opportunity for JCDS fifth and sixth graders. After all, she is a math tutor!

In Hebrew last month, HaMorah Hemda’s second graders learned the Hebrew vocabulary words for winter clothing items and different body parts. Students combined the knowledge of this vocabulary in an ITaLAM activity with a cute story about eesh hasheleg (the snowman).

Ms. Rochelle reached out to Ms. Eliza, and the challenge was on! Students did excellent work in determining the precise quantity of ribbon which would be needed for 150 Purim boxes (6”x6”x4”). Their total ribbon recommendation reflected a strong understanding of the difference between theoretical results and practical needs for the real world.

They also took the vocabulary test on the letter ayin which completed their workbook. For the letter ayin, they learned the word uga (cake). Why not celebrate finishing the workbook with some uga (cake)? They ended up with pai (pie), actually. Kosher pie was easier to find quickly than kosher cake.

Yasher Koach to the winners Benny D. and Emma W.! Ms. Rochelle hand-delivered special prizes to the winning JCDS mathematicians!

In-Person Book Fair Returns This year’s JCDS (in-person) Book Fair 2022 was the best year ever! Book sales shattered all previous records, which means the school was able to buy many books for classroom libraries and the Berenson Learning Lab library collection — not to mention all of the books brought home for personal collections! The rewards from the fair will fund even more purchases, which means even more reading, learning, discovery, and excitement. The best part was seeing all of the students light up as they walked into the fair, made their wish lists, and then chose their final selections. The school community is thankful to everyone who supported the fair, which supports students’ reading and JCDS. 28

March 2022 • The Jewish Newsletter

HaMorah Hemda did explain that in a bakery, pie is called pai, but at home it is usually referred to as uga. The students didn’t seem to mind the pai; they were just happy to have sweet, delicious dessert!

community

ADL resumes Torch of Liberty events Rabbi Edward Cohn and Michael Smith are honorees After a three-year Covid hiatus, the Anti-Defamation League’s South Central region will honor Rabbi Edward Cohn and Michael Smith with the A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award, and will celebrate Jill Israel for her distinguished service to the region. “Words cannot adequately convey the profound, positive impact that Rabbi Cohn and Michael Smith have made to the betterment of our community,” said Irving Warshauer, ADL South Central regional board chair. “We are privileged to honor these leaders, both of whom embody ADL’s mission to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” The cocktail reception will be on May 11 at 6 p.m., at the home of Calvin and Frances Fayard, Jr. The event is not a seated dinner. ADL policy is that those attending in-person events must be fully vaccinated. After Cohn arrived in New Orleans to become senior rabbi at Temple Sinai in 1987, he reestablished the Human Relations Committee, motivated by the rabbis in his hometown advocating for equal justice in the 1960s. He made social and prophetic justice a central component of his rabbinate. He served as the New Orleans HRC Chair for 5 years, then vice chair for several years, and thereafter agreed to remain ex-officio on the board. During his tenure, the HRC was responsible for moving the Liberty Monument, taking on sexual harassment in the workplace and racial discrimination in the community, and promoting LGBTQ+ rights. He chaired the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial Project, is a past president of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis and served as an ethics consultant for MSNBC. In 2014 Cohn was honored with the Urban League’s Living Legend From top: Rabbi Edward Award and the Weiss Award from the Na- Cohn, Michael Smith and tional Conference of Christians and Jews. Jill Israel In 2001 he became just the third Jewish board member of the historic HBCU Xavier University of New Orleans in almost a century. Since retiring in 2016, he has been rabbi emeritus at Sinai and serves B’nai Israel in Hattiesburg. As general manager for Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, Smith uses his expertise in the hospitality and tourism industry to personally support myriad diversity and inclusion initiatives and mentor a diverse team of executives and associates who he encourages to make an impact in the community they serve. His civic engagement includes LGBTQ+ advocacy, arts and culture, education, and religious programming. Smith’s work with the UNCF helped to raise more than $10 million, keeping more than 1,400 students in school and ensuring uninterrupted education to the students of Xavier and Dillard universities. After receiving an honorary doctorate from Dillard University, he concluded 2017 as the Jay A. Pritzker Award recipient, attaining the title of “Hyatt Hotels

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community General Manager of the Year.” In 2018, he made his debut as co-executive producer for the Emmy-winning documentary, “Making 300: Celebrating New Orleans Icon Leah Chase.” In 2019, he received the prestigious Loving Cup Award, which has been awarded since 1901 to men and women who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material reward. The ADL office stated that Israel is being honored for her “leadership and commitment to ADL’s mission year after year as a champion and driver for the delivery of critical anti-bias and anti-bullying educational programming, as well as the work helping to solidify the Region’s financial well-being.” She started serving on the regional board in 2007, and was instrumental in creating ADL’s thirteen-year partnership with Entergy, which has provided anti-bias tools and resources to hundreds of thousands of students and educators throughout the South Central Region. She has served as Unity Through Understanding Day co-chair and Education Committee co-chair, is currently co-chair of the Development Committee, and a member of the Region’s Executive Committee, the National Commission, and ADL’s Global Advisory Council. She is a past recipient of ADL’s Barney Mintz Leadership Award. Israel is incoming chair of the Touro Infirmary Governing Board, treasurer of the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, coordinator for Project Reyacha at Touro Synagogue. In 2020, she was the co-recipient of Avodah’s Partners in Justice Award and the recipient of Touro Synagogue’s Shep Shushan Award. “We are thrilled to bring our community back together for the first time since 2019 to celebrate the far-reaching impact both Rabbi Cohn and Michael Smith have had on our community,” says Lindsay Friedmann, ADL South Central regional director. “We are deeply indebted to Jill Israel for her longstanding commitment to ensuring that ADL’s work is felt throughout our three-state region.” The Torch of Liberty Award was established in 1967, and in 1995 was named for A.I. Botnick, who headed the ADL regional office for 28 years, including during the civil rights era, when he was on the Ku Klux Klan’s hit list. Reservations start at $250, with several sponsorship levels available. At the event, Bob Brickman and Sandy Levy will present the award to Rabbi Edward Cohn. Chris Robertson and Joel Vilmenay will present the award to Michael Smith. Tickets are available at www.adl.org/botnicktorch or by contacting the regional ADL office at new-orleans@adl.org or (504) 780-5602.

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Progress is being made at the Oscar J. Tolmas Louisiana Community Mikvah (above), as the project’s mikvah consultant was on hand on March 14 to oversee the pouring of concrete for the well that will hold the rain water that gets mixed with tap water to create living waters for immersion. The mikvah is intended for the entire community. The mikvah’s board members represent the Conservative, Chabad, Orthodox and Reform congregations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The mikvah is being constructed in a freestanding building behind Shir Chadash in Metairie. Fundraising for the $1 million project is ongoing, and contributions to the project are made through the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana. The plan is to have the mikvah completed this summer. Meanwhile, in Mobile, the new mikvah at Chabad of Mobile (right) underwent its inspection on March 8, and is now approved. Rainwater is already being collected for use. March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

community Avodah announces this year’s Partners in Justice honorees Jazz brunch will be May 15 at Touro Synagogue

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

Avodah New Orleans will honor MarkAlain Dery, Arnie Fielkow and Simone Levine at their annual Partners in Justice Jazz Brunch, May 15 at 11 a.m. at Touro Synagogue. The annual celebration and fundraiser honors individuals “who emulate our vision of a community in which members devote themselves to building a more just world.” Each year, Avodah brings about 10 to 12 young Jewish adults from around the country to a communal living space, and they are paired to work with local agencies that fight poverty and injustice. In addition to New Orleans, Avodah has houses in Washington, Chicago, New York and San Diego, and Justice Fellowships in Chicago and Kansas City. A large percentage of the New Orleans corps members wind up staying in the area after their year of service is completed. The New Orleans home was established in 2008, with corps members initially working on Katrina recovery. Déry is the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases and Chief Innovation Officer at Access Health Louisiana, the most extensive Medicaid-providing clinic system in the state. He has been at the forefront of the Covid pandemic, serving as the medical director of the country’s first public Covid testing site. He was on Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s Covid Public Health Commission, doing weekly reviews of medical literature and presenting them to the mayor’s office. He has also been a medical responder following Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2014 Sierra Leone Ebola outbreak. Dery founded 102.3FM WHIV-LP, a radio station devoted to human rights and social justice, and has a daily 10-minute podcast, NoiseFilter, giving Covid updates with a social, economic and racial justice focus. Fielkow has been CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans since 2017, emphasizing partnerships with other community organizations. Among those accomplishments has been the development of two relations centers, the Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs, and the Sherry and Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families. Before his Federation tenure, Fielkow was executive vice president of the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2005. After Katrina, he ran for City Council, becoming president and overseeing efforts to rebuild the city. He then became the president and CEO of the National Basketball Retired Players Association before returning to New Orleans to take the Federation role. Levine recently joined reform prosecutor Jason Williams’ office to prosecute some of the most serious violent offenses in the city. Before that, she ran Court Watch NOLA, a group that ensured transparency, ethics compliance, and constitutional rights in the Orleans Parish Criminal Courts. She was Deputy Police Monitor under Independent Police Monitor Susan Hutson, and before that practiced criminal defense for 10 years. She has served as the criminal justice counsel for two state legislative houses as well as serving as an adjunct law professor at both Loyola Law School and the John Jay College for Criminal Justice. Levine has been awarded the National Association of Civilian Oversight over Law Enforcement’s Contribution to Oversight Award, the New Orleans City Business’ Leadership in Law Award, Tulane University’s Social Justice and Advocacy Award, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Law’s Elihu Burrit Prize. Tickets are $100, $40 for those under age 36. Sponsor levels start at $250. A virtual option will be available.

Repairs to Metairie eruv completed Campaign raising funds for project, maintenance The completion of the New Orleans eruv last July was a mixed blessing for Shabbat-observant families in the area. Because one may not carry items outside of their private domains into public areas, such as streets and sidewalks, on Shabbat, an eruv makes a wall around a neighborhood to make it one large private space, enabling one to carry things, push baby strollers and so forth. The long-awaited eruv encircling Uptown was approved last July — but an examination done at the same time showed that the 10-year-old eruv in Metairie encircling the Jewish institutions along West Esplanade and the surrounding neighborhoods was no longer kosher. Figuring out what to do about it and making the necessary repairs would take until early February, at which time the Metairie eruv was deemed kosher again. In a webinar on Feb. 3, Rabbi Stephen Belsky explained what happened, and the lengthy process needed to reestablish the eruv. To turn a neighborhood of private homes into one large private space, Belsky explained, it is necessary to turn it into “one big happy family with a shared courtyard” by putting some kind of fence or wall around it. A wall has doorways and windows, so “the minimum theoretical structure that could count as a wall to surround the neighborhood is the form of a doorway,” two vertical elements with a horizontal element over it, he said. “The key to making an eruv in the sense of a perimeter is using this minimal structure of a wall to surround the area.” That perimeter must completely surround the area, without any gaps. Much of the Metairie eruv had used levees as a wall, especially on the

lakeside boundary, because “the levee is literally a wall.” Rabbi Josh Pernick of Beth Israel said reconfiguring the eruv “has been an extended process.” Fortunately for the city, but unfortunately for the eruv, there has been recent work to shore up the levees. Now, the slope of the levees is too shallow to serve as a wall, because “it has to have a minimum slope or steepness, and it doesn’t have that.” An entirely new route had to be established for the northern boundary. After determining that the levee repairs made them no longer usable for the eruv, “Belsky came in to chart out a route for the northern boundary and then the entire boundary when we realized there were problems beyond the northern boundary,” Pernick said. Metairie has a lot of existing infrastructure to use as an eruv, Belsky said, from fences around individual homes to the wall along Interstate 10. Where there isn’t such a structure, “other structures can be walls if you look at them in the right way.” Utility poles with power lines on top can be viewed as a series of doors. If poles in a series have the wire running directly over the top of the poles, “you have a series of archways, a series of door frames.” But when the wires aren’t directly over, “then we have to do work.” If

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

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community the wire runs along the side of the pole, a grey conduit — basically a PVC pipe — is attached to the pole, directly underneath the wire. About 150 30-foot conduits were used in the project. Naturally, all this requires coordination — and permission — from utility companies. Belsky said that when power lines are installed, it isn’t done with an eye on making things easy to establish an eruv. In cases where lines are held a few feet to the side of a pole, the grey conduits have to be bent so they met up directly underneath the wire. That was another issue with the Metairie eruv. Because of soil settling, many utility poles lean over time, and that has led to many spots of the old eruv being out of alignment between the wire and the conduits. “West Esplanade is pretty complicated because utility poles lean over to an unfortunate degree,” he said, too far over to serve as a vertical structure for an eruv. In areas where there are no power lines to use, “we have to use our own wire,” Belsky said. With the assistance of Entergy, they went around putting up string attached to the top of conduits. Even fishing line is acceptable, Belsky said. Much of the eruv near Girard Playground uses this method. Belsky said the northeastern section was one of the most complicated to do, and there is a lot of zig-zagging because the utility lines run north and south, and there isn’t east-west infrastructure to parallel the lake. At first, they weren’t sure they could come up with a solution that would include Shir Chadash and the Goldring/Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus. Because of various issues, there are a few Shabbat-observant households next to but not inside the eruv. In some cases, one side of a street is

within the eruv while the other side is out. Permission was needed not just from utility companies. When a household fence was being used, or if a new wire had to be strung along someone’s property, they needed to ask the homeowners for permission. Most were fine with it, but not everyone. Pernick said they tried to minimize the number of people they asked for permission. He noted that Entergy was very supportive, as was Jefferson Parish Councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken, who “understands eruv and wants there to be an eruv here.” Pernick said “Mikvah and eruv are two core infrastructures for Jewish communities to function,” so when it was determined that repairs were needed for the eruv, Beth Israel decided that it would front the expense of the repairs. “We wanted to move this project forward without delaying for reasons like that,” he said. Beth Israel President Harold Pesses said “we consider this to be the Metairie community eruv… It’s not just a Beth Israel project.” The project cost about $20,000 in materials, labor, truck and lift rental, and the installation is a two-person job. A fundraising campaign is underway, and Pernick said they would like to see households in the eruv contribute a minimum of $180, though “every bit helps.” While $20,000 “is a significant amount,” he noted that Atlanta has been reconstructing its eruv, at a cost of $100,000. The Atlanta eruv was deemed kosher on Feb. 4, with a ceremony at the junction in front of Pig-N-Chik BBQ. In addition to the fundraising, Beth Israel is coordinating volunteers to check the eruv for gaps or breaks before each Shabbat and holiday. The bottom line is that Metairie “is a place where you can live as an observant family,” Pernick said.

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

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community

NECHAMA continues Ida response

Groups from the National Council of Synagogue Youth have been among those assisting NECHAMA Jewish Response to Disaster in its efforts following Hurricane Ida. They set up a long-term response in partnership with International Orthodox Christian Charities, with support from Jewish Federations of North America and United Way of St. Charles. Based in St. Charles Parish, they have coordinated 421 volunteers and over 4,200 hours of volunteer time, assisting 65 homeowners with clearing damage and debris.

ISJL Virtual Vacations gets Miss. honor The Jackson-based Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life was honored at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society in Hattiesburg on March 10 and 11, receiving an Award of Merit for the ISJL Virtual Vacation series of webinars. The Mississippi Historical Society, founded in 1858, encourages outstanding work in interpreting, teaching, and preserving Mississippi history. Several episodes of the ISJL Virtual Vacation have highlighted the complicated and important stories of Mississippi’s past, always striving to add nuance and depth to these historic explorations. Led by ISJL Director of Heritage and Interpretation Nora Katz, the interactive digital events feature museums, historic sites, scholars, chefs, and more from across the South. The series was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. All episodes of the series are available on the ISJL’s webpage at www.isjl. org/virtual-vacation. “I am deeply honored by this vote of confidence from my colleagues at the Mississippi Historical Society,” says Katz, who continues to produce new episodes. “The ISJL Virtual Vacation has been a meaningful way for the ISJL to connect our regional and national audience to Mississippi’s rich Jewish history, and I look forward to continuing to share nuanced and engaging Mississippi stories in future episodes.”

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community Continuing to March in Selma

YOU'LL FIND MORE THAN A COLLEGE ON

the hilltop YOU’LL FIND A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY.

BSC

Photo courtesy Rabbi Scott Kramer

Birmingham-Southern College

bsc.edu

Historical echoes: Rev. William Barber II holds a Torah while standing with Susannah Heschel and Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee on March 6, commemorating “Bloody Sunday” in 1965. Behind them are Rabbi Scott Kramer of Agudath IsraelEtz Ahayem in Montgomery, who brought the scroll from his congregation, and Rabbi Danny Wise. At the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, father of Susannah Heschel, marched with Martin Luther King, and Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath carried a Torah. Also at the event were Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz.

Atlanta agency handles claims for Holocaust survivor home care in region A report by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the organization that annually negotiates with Germany for Holocaust reparations, estimates that just 50,000 Holocaust survivors remain in the United States. The report also shows that most of the survivors reside in New York, Florida and California, according to a spokesman for the agency, often referred to as the Claims Conference. Jewish Family and Career Services in Atlanta estimates that more than 300 survivors live in Georgia, most in the Atlanta area, according to Amy Neuman, program manager of Holocaust Survivor Services, Aviv Older Adult Services for JF&CS. The Claims Conference this year is allocating $2.1 million to support the myriad services that JF&CS provides for survivors in the Atlanta area, which include home care, house cleaning, meal delivery, transportation, medical equipment and adult daycare, along with help paying for medical and dental care and prescriptions. JF&CS also will receive $1.9 million to pay home care claims in a 10-state region where it manages grant programs for the Claims Conference. The region includes Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and sections of Florida and Texas. The Claims Conference announced March 2 that $720 million was being allocated to 300 social welfare organizations globally. In 2021, $653 million was allocated globally. JF&CS has been a recipient for a decade or more. 38

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

New Orleans

Bywater Brew Pub

Spring Dining Guide

3000 Royal Street (at Montegut) (504) 766-8118

M Bistro

Southern Jewish Life

921 Canal Street, New Orleans inside the Ritz-Carlton

A full-scale brewery, bar and restaurant serving Cajun/ Vietnamese/Gastropub food. Locally owned and operated by Nahum Laventhal, our space also features art from local artists!

M bistro’s menu is an indigenous approach to the preparation of the finest meats, seafood and produce from growers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

Kosher Cajun

Galatoire’s

3519 Severn Avenue, Metairie (504) 888-2010

209 Bourbon Street (504) 525-2021

Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery has authentic New York specialties — all Kosher certified. Enjoy classic eats like Reubens and matzah ball soup, plus kosher grocery staples too.

The grand dame of New Orleans’ time-honored restaurants, Galatoire’s is a 106-year-old, James Beard award winning restaurant located in the heart of the French Quarter.

Acropolis on Freret

Galatoire’s 33 Bar and Steak

4510 Freret Street (504) 309-0069

Acropolis On Freret features only the best, freshest and most authentic dishes from the Mediterranean region. Our newest menu item, the Falafel Burger! This burger is made up of a falafel cake and packed with flavor.

215 Bourbon St. (504) 335-3932

The premier destination in the Vieux Carré for enjoying the finest cocktails and traditional steakhouse fare. Galatoire’s “33” Bar & Steak is New Orleans’ next great tradition in a restored historic building that begins a new chapter in Galatoire’s storied history. March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

Southern Jewish Life

Spring Dining Guide

L’Auberge Baton Rouge

777 L’Auberge Ave. Baton Rouge lbatonrouge.com

Homewood Classic Wine Co. 1831 28th Avenue So., Ste 110, (205) 871-9463

Limitless flavors await at L’Auberge Baton Rouge. Choose from our four dining experiences to satisfy your cravings — Red Lotus, 18 Steak, Bon Temps Buffet, and Stadium Sports Bar and Grill.

A wine retail shop and wine bar in the heart of Homewood, with wines from all over the world and at all price points. Wine tastings held every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and come see the new outdoor patio.

Karam’s

Taj India

715 18th Street North, Birmingham (205) 538-5084

2226 Highland Avenue, Birmingham (205) 939-3805

Birmingham’s first Halal restaurant, serving a range of authentic Mediterranean classics and American staples, including baba ganoush, falafel, hummus, shwarma, specialty sandwiches and lamb dishes.

Taj India, Birmingham’s original Tandoori Grill and Curry House, will remain in its current location near Beth-El and Emanu-El, serving authentic Indian dishes with a lunch buffet and extensive dinner menu.

Juniper

Bistro V

3811 Clairmont Avenue South, Birmingham (205) 777-3112

Let the party be gin at Juniper, serving craft cocktails and innovative plates, many of which are vegan, in a cozy and elegant space. The lush outdoor courtyard is reminiscent of Victorian gin palaces. 40

Baton Rouge, Birmingham

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

521 Montgomery Highway, Vestavia (205) 823-1505

Located in Vestavia, Bistro V serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with a menu that includes fresh seafood and local and organic meats and vegetables, much of it with a New Orleans nod.

community Jazz Fest Shabbat returns with James Andrews and the Crescent City Allstars The walls of the sanctuary at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will echo once again with the sounds of Jazz Fest Shabbat. The 29th edition of the Touro tradition will take place during the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service on April 29, featuring James Andrews and the Crescent City Allstars. They will be joined by the Panorama Jazz Band, Touro Choir and Cantor Kevin Margolius. A native of Treme, Andrews is a trumpeter and vocalist who got his start in the Treme Brass Band, Olympia Brass Band and the New Birth Brass Band before forming the Crescent City Allstars. In 1998, he released “Satchmo of the Ghetto,” featuring Dr. John and produced by Allen Toussaint, who has also been a featured artist at Jazz Fest Shabbat. Andrews was one of the first musicians to return to New Orleans after Katrina, playing in Jackson Square with his brother, Trombone Shorty, 17 days after the flood. He was featured in several episodes of the HBO series “Treme.” They also have live albums from recent Jazz Fest performances. The service is free and open to the community, backed by Jazz Fest Shabbat patrons and community partners. Patron levels start at $185, or $160 before April 6. Ages 2 to 12 are $50. There is a patron concert and dinner before the service, with patrons receiving preferred seating during the service. Higher levels have incentives such as the Jazz Fest kippah, autographed poster, and a meet-and-greet with Andrews. Jazz Fest Shabbat, held on the first Shabbat of Jazz Fest unless it coincides with Passover, began in 1991 and has developed a national following, with a different musical guest each year. Last year, unable to hold a Jazz Fest Shabbat in person, Touro released an album of favorites from throughout the years, featuring previous Jazz Fest Shabbat artists, “Celebrate! 30 Years of Shabbat Joy.” The CD is still available.

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JCC modifies mask policy

On March 3, the New Orleans Jewish Community Center Uptown modified its mask policy for those who are fully vaccinated, after the mask mandate was lifted. The current vaccination policy remains in place: Individuals who have not been vaccinated are required to wear masks at all times and must show proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR or antigen test within the last 72 hours to enter the facility. While masks are optional in the fitness areas, they are still required at the front end of the building in shared common areas (lobbies, hallways, elevators and stairs) and in nursery school classrooms due to the presence of children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. Additionally, masks are required on the basketball court and by the indoor pool when children are present.

MSJE hosts David Lowe program The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans will host a conversation with David Lowe, author of “Touched with Fire: Morris B. Abram and the Battle against Racial and Religious Discrimination.” Lowe will discuss the life and legacy of Georgia-born and raised civil rights lawyer Morris B. Abram. This fascinating biography was awarded the National Jewish Book Award. There will be a book signing following the presentation, which will be on April 3 at 3 p.m. The event will also be available on Zoom.

Order or Pick them up today at both locations! 750 Martin Behrman Ave Metairie • 504-833-3716

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Villeresflowers.com March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

community Remembering Gary Cohen through tennis, Hadassah By Lee J. Green

SUPPORT QUALITY, INDEPENDENT, ORIGINAL SOUTHERN JEWISH JOURNALISM Visit supportSJL.com to contribute

Tennis, Israel, Hadassah and helping others have played very important roles for the Cohen family. Mindy Cohen said they knew a perfect way to honor Gary Cohen’s memory would be to bring everything together for a special event. On May 1, Pinetree Country Club in Birmingham will host The Gary Cohen Memorial Tennis Mixer, benefitting Hadassah Medical Organization. “Tennis has always been a big part of our lives,” said Cohen. “Gary played in college (at Rutgers University) and he has taught tennis. This was a lifelong passion of his. Our sons Jared and Seth played club at the University of Alabama. It was something we shared together… along with our Zionism. We thought this would be a fun way to honor his memory and to help Hadassah help others in need.” The mixer costs $50 to enter and includes tennis play for all levels, cardio tennis, box lunches, cocktails and prizes. Donations can also be made to Hadassah, with the proceeds raised going toward the purchase of orthopedic supplies for Hadassah Hospital. Gary’s brother, Brad, was an orthopedic surgeon in south Florida. Gary was a doctor who specialized in rehabilitative medicine for the VA Hospital in Tuscaloosa. They both were among the victims of the tragic Champlain Towers collapse near Miami Beach last June. Their great aunt and uncle played prominent roles with Hadassah and Israel. Herman Shulman was an attorney who was involved in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Rebecca was a nurse who would go on to become Hadassah’s national president. Their son, Paul, was credited with starting the Israeli Navy. “Gary and I met on an airplane going to Israel in 1986,” said Mindy. “We were both on the same tour” when Gary was in medical school and she was in graduate school. “We’ve traveled over there several times and Seth competed in the World Maccabiah Games a few years ago.” She will be working the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer, and Hadassah Hospital will honor the Cohen brothers by including their names on a memorial wall. Mindy Cohen is a past president of Hadassah Birmingham and the current vice president in charge of programming. She also serves as an area vice president of the regional Hadassah board. Those participating in the Gary Cohen Memorial Tennis Mixer are asked to register by April 22. “Players and fans are welcome. You can come out to support the cause and have a good time, even if you don’t play tennis,” she said. “It is our hope that this can become an annual event.”

Virtual Vacation explores musical theatre The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s next Virtual Vacation will explore what is Southern and Jewish about contemporary musical theatre. On March 29 at 11 a.m., there will be an online conversation with Tatiana Wechsler, a musical theatre actor and Yiddish performer with roots in Atlanta. She is the first woman to play the role of Curly in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!,” and she will be making her Broadway debut in the new musical “Mr. Saturday Night” starring Billy Crystal. The program will include a discussion about growing up Jewish in Atlanta, the role of musical theatre in Wechsler’s life, and the importance of celebrating Black and Jewish joy through song. The program will be on the ISJL Facebook page, then on demand on the Virtual Vacation website. 42

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

counselor’s corner National Social Worker Month 2022 By Fran Dinehart, LCSW

“One person caring for another is one of life’s blessings.”

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4510 Freret Street • (504) 309.0069

www.AcropolisOnFreret.com 44

March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

Happy Social Worker month to everybody! March is not only Women’s History Month, but National Social Workers Month as well. According to a 2017 study from George Washington University, 83 percent of social workers are women! While Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans offers a variety of services to our community, social work is a major part of our mission. Over 30 percent of our staff are social workers who help a variety of community members thrive and access the resources they need. First, let’s talk about what social workers do. Identify people and communities in need of help Assess clients’ needs, situations, strengths and support networks to determine their goals Help clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, divorce, or unemployment Research, refer and advocate for community resources, such as food stamps, childcare, and healthcare to assist and improve a client’s well-being Respond to crisis situations such as child abuse and mental health emergencies Follow up with clients to ensure that their situations have improved Maintain case files and records Develop and evaluate programs and services to ensure that basic client needs are met Provide psychotherapy services For more information on social workers’ duties, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All social workers are bound by the social work code of ethics: The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s dual focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living. Helping people access resources is a significant portion of a social worker’s job. Often, we’re helping people identify programs they are eligible for and enrolling them to receive services. One of the reasons I’m proud to work at Jewish Family Service is that we accept Medicaid and Medicare as well as an income-based sliding scale fee pay structure. Many mental health organizations do not offer this level of access to mental healthcare for low-income and/or uninsured individuals. It is essential that everyone have access to mental healthcare, no matter their financial status. Part of our job as social workers is to meet our clients where they are, and JFS accepting income-based fees and most insurers is one way we serve our clients by meeting them at their starting point. JFS is also a flexible whole-person environment for both staff and clients. I personally see six to seven clients per day for individual counseling, and I am fortunate to be able to take Fridays off. I am better able to continued from page 45

community >> Rear Pew

continued from page 46

On St. Purim’s Day, during the chanting of the Book of Esther, not only is Haman’s name drowned out by noise, everything in the neighborhood is drowned out by the annual parade for St. Patrick. St. Purim’s Day can seem overwhelming for some. However, once one recovers from the double hangover caused by the double mitzvah of double drinking on St. Purim’s Day, there is still nearly a month before everyone’s together again, this time breaking matzah and painting Seder Eggs on this year’s next non-annual crossover: Passover Sunday.

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Doug Brook’s culinary skills would make producing green Hamentaschen easy, but that’s the basis of CDC restrictions in his kitchen and not specific to St Purim’s Day. For almost several more laughs, listen to the five-star rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast at anchor.fm/rearpewmirror or on any major podcast platform. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/ rearpewmirror. For past columns, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/.

Gates of Prayer hosting JWV World War I exhibit The “Jews During World War I” exhibit makes its way to Gates of Prayer in Metairie for an April 24 program hosted by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America’s Ben Katz Post 580. On loan from the National Museum of American Jewish Military, the eight-panel exhibit explores topics including Jewish immigration and military service during this era. In January, it was displayed at Temple Sinai in New Orleans. Everyone is invited to the Post’s meeting at 10 a.m. on April 24. Kenneth Hoffman, director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, will talk about the many ways community members can help capture Jewish American servicemembers’ experiences for history’s sake.

>> Social Worker

Federico’s FAMILY FLORIST

815 Focis Street Metairie, LA 70005 504.837.6400 flowers@federicosflorist.com Larry Federico, Owner/President

Kenny Thone, Co-Owner/Vice President

continued from page 44

serve my clients when my mental health is prioritized as well.

Challenges ahead While social work is growing in popularity, there are many challenges for our field. It is very difficult for people to connect with mental health services in the New Orleans area. The economic forces behind this are complex. Medicaid compensates at a significantly lower rate than other insurances. Social work internships are typically unpaid, leading to new social workers coming out of school with more pressure to focus on the more financially rewarding aspects of the field. A core value of social work is competence. We are continually striving to develop and enhance our professional expertise. Continuing education can be very expensive, compounding financial challenges. Luckily, JFS supports our staff through case presentations or hearing from an expert on a special area of counseling or social work at clinical staff meetings. Social work is a major bulwark against suffering in our community. Social workers are community caretakers. Their work is high-impact and difficult. This month, reach out to a social worker you know and celebrate their hard work and dedication to helping and healing our communities.

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rear pew mirror • doug brook

St. Purim’s Day

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March 2022 • Southern Jewish Life

In the latest sign of divine “everyone better start getting along, don’t make me come down there,” this March 17 brings a crossover holiday so rare that nary a mention has been found in the Talmud, nor come out of the Vatican. Granted, Purim and St. Patrick’s Day combined still represent only part of the world’s populace, but everyone learning how to get along (again?) has to start somewhere. As Nick Saban would probably not bother telling you, there’s no such thing as a 20-point touchdown. Purim and St. Patrick’s Day are an unexpectedly well-aligned merger, more so than many institutional conglomerates. So, for anyone who can’t tell their Mordechai from Mardi Gras, on St. Purim’s Day there’s no need to. St. Purim’s Day brings together the best of both bashes, into a mega-festival that could shut down many bars and liquor stores due to running out of inventory. A rabbi in the Talmud, Rava, famously said that on Purim one’s supposed to drink until they can no longer tell the difference between Mordechai (the good guy) and Haman (the bad guy). Unlike contemporary society where people’s inability to tell the difference between who’s good and bad leads many to drink. Similar to Rava’s ruling, St. Patrick’s Day is a one-day break from Lent’s restriction on alcohol, letting observers drink as if they’re only partway through foregoing it for 40 days and 40 nights. (Because they are.) Why all the celebrating? St. Purim’s Day celebrates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland along with the not killing of all the Jews in Persia. Specifically, it honors both the day St. Patrick died and the day after Haman’s plot to wipe out the Jews in Persia was itself wiped out. Both events happened in the fifth century – C.E. and B.C.E., respectively. St. Purim’s Day owes much to Roman roots. St. Patrick was Romano-British. The onset of costumes and Baking green general masquerade on Purim is often connected to Carnival — a pre-Lent hamantaschen occurrence which started in Rome and through more of Europe. Bead as two drinking spread collectors today might recognize this holidays collide tradition in one of its modern manifestations: Mardi Gras. Speaking of costumes, on all other Purim nights people wear all manner of costumes and masks. But on St. Purim’s Day night, people wear masquerade attire in various shades of green. St Purim’s Day features three-cornered Hamantaschen which are made green, and such that the corners appear to be the shape of clover leaves. It’s said that Queen Esther was a vegetarian while in the king’s palace, so she could keep kosher while there, and so some eat a vegetarian diet this one time each year in her honor. March 17 is the one day during Lent where eating meat is allowed, to whatever extent people abstained from it for Lent. So, regarding St. Purim’s Day, Rav Shrodinger says that one should both abstain from eating meat and, at the same time, indulge in eating meat. St. Purim’s Day has two primary symbols based on the number three. The shamrock has three leaves, and Hamantaschen has three corners. A shamrock is often worn in one’s hat, and Hamantaschen is an homage to the notoriously unfashionable hat worn by Haman. Contrary to popular rumor, which originated later in this sentence, St. Purim’s Day is not a day for eating shamrocks or wearing Hamantaschen. continued on previous page