Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, May 2023

Southern Jewish Life

May/June 2023

33 Issue 5

In today’s new climate, it’s nice to be able to work on a good story every now and then. This issue has a rare one — the establishment of a new congregation in our region. Longtime readers know that we have covered far more congregation closings than openings as small communities in isolated areas dwindle. New congregations, aside from a couple of short-lived breakaways, have been quite few.

In this issue, we visit the new Sea Shul in Seaside, a group of families that decided it was time to get together as a community and see just how many Jewish folks are in the area. We also explore how Seaside itself is part of Southern Jewish history, with roots in Birmingham and the Pizitz department store.

The Florida panhandle has been a growing area for the Jewish community. As we mention in the article, outside of Pensacola, pretty much every community is relatively recent. Over the past decade or so, Chabads have been added up and down the coast, and in Mobile. At this moment, Pensacola and Panama City Beach’s Chabads are working on new buildings, and at press time Mobile’s Chabad, which recently completed a mikvah, also announced it is in the process of acquiring a new building.

A recent Wall Street Journal piece wrote about retirees and snowbirds being priced out of South Florida and flocking to Baldwin County, Ala., across the bay from Mobile.

The New Orleans Jewish community continues its post-Katrina growth. Baton Rouge’s newly-unified congregation is in he midst of a massive renovation for its permanent facility. Birmingham continues its growth with the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a main draw. And Huntsville is seeing massive growth, with the hopes that some of that will include Jewish newcomers.

Southern Jewish Life is an independent Jewish periodical. Articles and columns do not necessarily reflect the views of any Jewish institutions, agencies or congregations in our region.

Brunch Saturday - Sunday, 11- 3pm

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday and $5 Margaritas

Wednesday: 50% off botttle wine and $6 Wings

Thursday: Ladies night: $3 off for Sushi, $4 House wine and $5 Mojito

Sunday: Sushi Special $11

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 JCC Maccabi games around the United States and Canada, I have logged many miles seeing how sports can be a vehicle to help build Jewish identity, especially in our young.

Southern Jewish Life

Yes, there are numerous small, historic communities that are dwindling or on their last handful of Jewish residents. But a look at Southern Jewish history shows that has always been the case — back in the first half of the 20th century there were communities that disappeared. Even further back — Claiborne, Ala., was gone by the late 1870s.

We’ll continue to tell that story, whichever form it takes.

I felt honored to come to Birmingham for the first time and fell in love with not just the city but the people. You have taken Southern hospitality to a new level with your kind and caring approach to the JCC Maccabi Games.

In this issue, we also have a glimpse of the new Alabama Holocaust Education Center. Next month, we will have coverage of the grand opening ceremony (or you can get an advance look online at sjlmag.com).

Led by the Sokol and Helds, your hard-working volunteers were wonderful. They partnered with your outstanding staff, led by Betzy Lynch, to make the 2017 JCC Maccabi games a huge hit. I want to take this opportunity as executive director of Maccabi USA to say thank you on behalf of everyone involved.

As with all of Jewish history, Southern Jewish history continues to change and evolve. Newcomers arrive, others leave. But all make their mark on the region, and remain part of the story.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com

ASSOCI ATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING

Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com

V.P SALES/MARKETING, NE W ORLEANS

Jeff Pizzo jeff@sjlmag.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com

I had just returned from the 20th World Maccabiah games in Israel with a U.S. delegation of over 1100, who joined 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries. Back in July the eyes of the entire Jewish world were on Jerusalem and the Maccabiah. This past month with 1000 athletes and coaches from around the world being in Birmingham, you became the focal point. Everyone from the Jewish community and the community at large, including a wonderful police force, are to be commended. These games will go down in history as being a seminal moment for the Jewish community as we build to the future by providing such wonderful Jewish memories.

SOCIAL/WEB Emily Baldwein connect@sjlmag.com

PHOTOGRAPHER- AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

On Charlottesville

Recently, I and thousands of others from North America and across the globe were woven into the fabric and experience of Israel. For 2023’s General Assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America didn’t take place solely in the halls of Tel Aviv’s Expo Center. It was purposefully scheduled over what is affectionately called the “Yoms” (Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzma-ut) to commemorate Israel’s Memorial Day and to celebrate Israel’s 75 years of Independence.

Editor’s Note: This reaction to the events in Charlottesville, written by Jeremy Newman, Master of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Theta Colony at Auburn University, was shared by AEPi National, which called it “very eloquent” and praised “our brothers at AEPi Theta Colony at Auburn University and… the leadership they display on their campus.”

After our opening ceremonies, plenaries and breakout sessions at the conference hall (the brief shouting match in the Rothman session did not overshadow the conference hall sessions nor dominate the conference, in spite of media attempts to portray it as such) we then ventured out among the people and across the country; the young, the seniors, the olim chadashim (new immigrants), the bereaved, the protestors, the supporters and most everyone and everything in between at high schools, homes, absorption centers and the like.

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

White supremacy has been a cancer on our country since its beginning, threatening its hopes, its values, and its better angels. The events that took place in Charlottesville represented the worst of this nation. Those who marched onto the streets with tiki torches and swastikas did so to provoke violence and fear. Those who marched onto the streets did so to profess an ideology that harkens back to a bleaker, more wretched time in our history. A time when men and women of many creeds, races, and religions were far from equal and far from safe in our own borders. A time where Americans lived under a constant cloud of racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The events that took place in Charlottesville served as a reminder of how painfully relevant these issues are today.

It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” We know our work is far from finished, but we know we will not move backwards.

We learned that as leaders in our communities we must continue to educate and to learn about what’s happening there, but we care deeply too about Sinat Chinam — baseless hatred. We care deeply about the unity of the Jewish people.

Media kit, rates available upon request

SUBSCRIPTIONS

We sang, we wept, we laughed, we learned, we talked, we danced, we celebrated and we came back with some key takeaways.

We certainly didn’t shy away from the subject of judicial reform and the Law of Return, but these subjects can’t be allowed to be the sum total of how we approach and think about Israel at 75. Israel is a work in progress and is a place of challenges. However, democracy is alive and well in Israel and there is so much more taking place there than what we see in the news.

When men and women, fully armed, take to the streets in droves with swastikas and other symbols of hate, it is a reminder of how relevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism are today. It is a wake-up call to the work that needs to be done to ensure a better, more welcoming country. But it should not come without a reflection on how far we’ve come.

The few days we spent there were an emotional roller coaster. To witness Israel on Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzma-ut is unparalleled and, in spite of my countless visits there, something I have experienced just twice in my life, but something I strongly recommend.

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

America was born a slave nation. A century into our history we engaged in a war in part to ensure we would not continue as one. We found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure the fair treatment of all peoples no matter their skin color. Although we’ve made great strides, it is a mission we’re still grappling with today.

I return concerned, yet beaming with pride at Israel and her accomplishments against overwhelming uncertainties. The road ahead is bumpy, the future somewhat foggy. But I have faith in our people’s resilience and determination. In the words of JFNA Chair Julie Platt, “Nothing is ever black and white, but it looks so great in blue and white.”

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 2023. 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.

We are 100 percent part of her story, completely intertwined with her story, and share her accomplishments and sorrows. We know that diversity brings value and that it can be very hard to be a Jew — but that it’s a great honor, too.

Auburn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi stands with the Jewish community of Charlottesville, and with the Jewish people around the country and around the 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

America was also born an immigrant country. As early as the pilgrims, many groups and families found in the country the opportunity to plant stakes, chase their future, and be themselves. Few were met with open

Happy 75th, Israel. Here’s to the next 75 and beyond.

Documenting this community, a community we are members of and active within, is our passion. We love what we do, and who we do it for.

Nothing is ever Black and White, but it looks so great in Blue and White

interesting bits & can’t miss events agenda

On May 17, members of the New Orleans Section of the National Council of Jewish Women went to Baton Rouge as part of their involvement in the Women on Wednesday program, which focuses on reproductive justice. They were advocating during the legislative session, along with 10,000 Women Louisiana and Lift Louisiana. The focus of advocacy for Women on Wednesday on May 17 was religious freedom. Touro Synagogue and Hadassah New Orleans also took part in advocacy, including Touro hosting a Reproductive Havdalah on May 13.

Greenwood’s Ilse Goldberg was Mississippi’s last Holocaust survivor

Ilse Goldberg, considered to be Mississippi’s last Holocaust survivor, died on April 4 in Greenwood.

Born in Reichenbach, Germany, she moved to Breslau at age nine. Soon after, Nazi restrictions on Jews were introduced in the region. In November 1938, the Nazis came to their home and took everything. The next morning, she awoke to Kristallnacht.

The day after Kristallnacht, her father was arrested and spent five weeks at Buchenwald. He was released because he had his discharge papers with him from when he fought for Germany in World War I. Still, he had to check in with the Gestapo every day.

The family was able to secure passage to Shanghai, where they were in a refugee camp. Roughly 20,000 European Jews escaped to Shanghai until Japan, which occupied the region in 1941, closed the area to further immigration and increased restrictions on the Jewish Ghetto. Goldberg enrolled in the American School, then after she graduated was hired by the American Joint Distribution Committee to teach homeless and underprivileged children.

In 1947, they were able to immigrate to the United States, thanks to a cousin in Memphis that they had never met. She started working for a film distributor, then met Greenwood native Ervin Goldberg. She moved to Greenwood in 1950 when they were married, becoming an integral part of Goldberg’s, a shoe store founded in 1921 by Morris Goldberg.

She is survived by her son, Michael Goldberg and his wife Gail M. Goldberg, and her son, Jerome Goldberg and his wife Jane Goldberg; and grandchildren, Dr. Richard Goldberg and his wife Rachel, Scott Goldberg and his wife Annie, Eric Goldberg and his wife Cassidy, and Erin Goldberg Bryant and her husband Baylor. She is also survived by 5 great-grandchildren, Walker, Jack, Madison, Emory, and Pierce Goldberg.

Services were held on April 10 at Ahavath Rayim in Greenwood, officiated by Rabbi Micah Greenstein, with a special blessing by Brother Jim

The Israel Scouts Friendship Caravan will be in the region this month. The Caravan is a traveling group of 10 Tzofim (Israeli Scouts) who travel across the U.S. every summer, sharing their lives through song, dance and story as they bring their unique blend of entertainment to children and adults of all ages. The Friends of Israel Scouts choose members of the Caravan based on their maturity, fluency in English and their talent in performing arts. They will be in Mobile on June 22, details to be announced. The Caravan will then go to New Orleans to participate in a preschool dinner at Gates of Prayer in Metairie at 5 p.m., then the 6:15 p.m. Shabbat service. They will also be at the June 24 Shabbat service at 10:30 a.m.

First-ever Alabama Jewish Culture and History Symposium planned

Registration is now open for the first-ever Alabama Jewish Culture and History Symposium, to be held on July 25 at Temple Beth Or in Montgomery.

Coordinated by the Alabama Folklife Association, the symposium is designed to connect communities, researchers and ideas to promote collaboration and exchange, with the ultimate

goal of strengthening the documentation and preservation of Jewish life in Alabama. It will include community and research project sharing, archives training, artifact documentation, live music, oral history and art exhibits, a Jewish book table, and open time for conversation.

The symposium will open at 9:30 a.m., with a community roundtable to share projects documenting Jewish life in Alabama. At 11:15 a.m., there will be a session on archiving — what to collect, where to collect it and how to preserve it, and what unexpected items are most likely to be valuable for future researchers.

After a kosher lunch, there will be a session at 1 p.m. for researchers to share discoveries and opportunities for partnerships and funding. After a musical performance by Dahlia Road from Auburn, there will be a session on next steps and takeaways from the symposium. The event is scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m.

There will also be oral history and art exhibits, book tables by the Jewish presses at the Universities of Alabama and Georgia, and a chance to document artifacts with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Registration is $5 and is available at AJCHS. eventbrite.com.

Jewish Family Service to celebrate 75 years of service in New Orleans

Seventy-five years ago, when the Jewish Children’s Home in New Orleans closed its doors, a new social service agency, Jewish Family Service, began.

Now the Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, the agency is celebrating its Platinum Jubilee anniversary with a brunch gala, “Decades of Service for the Decades Ahead: 75 Years of Jewish Family Service,” at The Ritz-Carlton on June 25 at 11:30 a.m.

The nonprofit agency was founded to help World War II refugees resettle in the United States. Today, the agency offers a variety of services, regardless of religion, such as affordable counseling, holistic case management, emergency financial assistance, youth refugee resettlement, adoption home studies, older adult services, free youth suicide prevention education, and services for survivors of human trafficking.

“Truly, our mission has not changed since 1948. We have only expanded our efforts,” said Debbie Pesses, JFS board president. “Our 75th anniversary gala is an opportunity for our community to honor the immense impact we have made in the lives of New Orleanians. All the work we have done is only possible because of community support. JFS is for and by the community.”

“We are a safety net not only for the Jewish community but for all vulnerable populations in our area,” said JFS Executive Director Roselle Ungar. “We are committed to helping stabilize lives, especially after crises such as Hurricanes Katrina, Laura, and Ida and the Covid-19 pandemic.” JFS often collaborates with other social service agencies and Jewish organizations, such as its progenitor, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

Pesses and Ungar anticipate the gala to be not just a fundraiser, but a reunion uniting generations of civic-minded community members. “We’re looking forward, looking for new leaders,” said Pesses. “This anniversary is about remembering how we got here, honoring what we’ve accomplished, and building for the future.”

The gala will support JFS programs and services. Individual tickets are $175, with patron levels starting at $250, up to one $25,000 presenting sponsor opportunity. More information is at jfsneworleans.org/75.

Republican governors mark Jewish Heritage Month

Every Republican governor in the country — 26 of them — signed a statement marking Jewish American Heritage Month, which is May.

“As public servants and governors, we support and recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month — and call for observance to celebrate the historical, economic and cultural impact of the Jewish-American people who have strengthened our communities and emboldened our nation throughout history,” they wrote

They added that they are proud the United States was the first to recognize Israel and noted the “unbreakable bond” between the two nations, “based upon shared values, ultimately leading to prosperous economic, educational and cultural partnerships.”

“We stand with our constituencies who oppose antisemitism, and we affirm the significance of Jewish-American contributions throughout U.S. history,” they added.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee reportedly led the drafting and signing of the statement. Both have articulated their support for Jews and Israel publicly on social media in the past.

The statement includes the signatures of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is a Democrat.

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans was awarded the 2022 Museum Exhibition of the Year Award by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The presentation was made at the LEH’s Bright Lights Award Gala on May 11 at Turner’s Hall in New Orleans.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have a farewell service and oneg honoring Rabbi Scott and Karen Colbert, June 23 at 7 p.m. Colbert served the congregation as interim rabbi, and will be succeeded by Rabbi PJ Schwartz.

The “Riding with the Rabbi” trilogy, produced by Yvette Hochberg and filmed in Montgomery’s Jewish community, will have one more community screening, June 11 at 3 p.m. at Temple Beth Or. The trilogy consists of the short films “Riding with the Rabbi,” “Oy to the World” and “The Sukkah.” The series is also available on a streaming channel at Xerbtv.com.

Emerald Coast Chabad will hold its next Chabad on 30A gathering on June 7 at 6:30 p.m. The Torah class and discussion will be hosted by Lori and Bill Askinazi. Contact Chabad to reserve.

The next Torah on Tap with Rabbi Joel Fleekop of Temple Beth El in Pensacola will be on June 6 at 5 p.m. at The Well. The discussion will be “Does Judaism Ban Drag Shows?”

The next film in the Israeli Movie Series at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center will be on June 5 at 2 p.m. “Maktub” is a comedy about two minor mobsters in Jerusalem who survive a bombing, and decide

continued on page 29

On the cover: A display in the lobby of the new Alabama Holocaust Education Center lists Holocaust survivors who lived in Alabama at some point following the war. The AHEC has identified 172 thus far.

They started Sea Shul down in Seaside

The 30-A corridor of planned beachside communities in Walton County has long been a popular destination for visitors from Jewish communities throughout the South. Now, a new congregation is being formed in Seaside to welcome visitors and serve the year-round and seasonal residents.

Sea Shul has been holding monthly programs as it continues to organize into a congregation.

Michelle Hayes Uhlfelder, interim director of Sea Shul, said the idea to start a synagogue has been discussed for years, “it just now has the right people at the right time.”

Since Walton County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, “we want to make sure we have an inclusive Jewish community available.”

For visitors, “we’re wanting to provide an opportunity for people who are visiting our area to have a second Jewish home, tap into services, have the ability to participate,” she added.

Along with the overall growth, the area’s Jewish population continues to increase as the panhandle becomes more popular.

As the son of Seaside founder Robert Davis, Micah Davis said he grew up as one of a handful of Jews in the area. In fact, when he was 11, the family moved to San Francisco and started managing Seaside remotely, partly to give him a Jewish education and a Bar Mitzvah.

Robert Davis noted that when his son was growing up during the town’s development, “the Steins and the Davises were the only Jews for miles.”

Micah Davis said “it did feel lonely at times,” and a lot of people were unfamiliar with Jews. When his being Jewish came up, “they don’t know what to do with that, what it means.”

Now back in Seaside, “We had this chapel space and I’d been wanting the experience of knowing more about Judaism,” he said. A close friend in Los Angeles would talk about her rabbi’s “learned and philosophical” speeches, and he wanted that kind of experience, but “it’s not easy to obtain here unless you drive 40 minutes, an

hour or longer in the summer.”

He and Uhlfelder started talking about organizing the Jewish community, and “it was her energy, enthusiasm and focus” that jump-started the process, he said.

Uhlfelder has been in Seaside for 15 years, and said when people move to the area, they are used to having their shul be within walking distance, or relatively close. In Seaside, one had to travel close to an hour to Panama City or the Fort Walton area.

Aside from Pensacola, most organized Jewish life in the panhandle is relatively recent. Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach was established in 1985. B’nai Israel in Panama City was formed in 1992, then Achdut Israel in 2004. Beth Israel launched as an Orthodox congregation in Destin in 2006, then became Chabad of the Emerald Coast in 2013. Chabads have since been established in Panama City Beach and Pensacola in 2018.

For the past year and a half, the Chabad in Destin has been hosting occasional gatherings along 30-A as well.

Last summer, Micah Davis and Uhlfelder started reaching out to others to see if there was interest in establishing a congregation, and organized a potluck dinner in July at Uhlfelder’s house. The initial email said to forward the invitation “to everyone you know,” Uhlfelder said. “We started to find people, and we were shocked at how many people were here.” About 50 attended the first gathering.

People started making connections, whether by age group or part of town, and the process began.

While Uhlfelder was working at Sundog Books last year, a woman noticed her Star of David necklace, and Uhlfelder told her that they were working on establishing a congregation. The woman remarked that her husband is a rabbi, and they were in town on vacation.

Rabbi Jonathan Crane from Atlanta “gave so kindly of his time” in advising them on how to establish a congregation, Uhlfelder said. He is the Scholar of Bioethics and Jewish Thought at the Emory University Center for Ethics.

In October, there was a second gathering at Micah Davis’ home, where

even more people showed up, and still more at a Chanukah celebration in December.

Starting in October, a founding committee was formed to develop a vision for the Jewish community of Seaside. Uhlfelder said they had one advantage immediately — places to meet, through the use of different buildings in Seaside, such as the chapel and assembly hall. “We just had to find everyone to put it together.”

They officially incorporated with the state in January, by which point about 30 families were involved. The name Sea Shul was chosen because “It was playful, it was fun, and it was also inclusive, and caught our area, Seaside, 30-A, the beach vibe… Simple, yet you could identify it if you were Jewish,” Uhlfelder explained.

They wanted to start holding services in addition to the dinners, so on March 3, the Shabbat evening before Purim, they held a brief Purim service in the chapel, then went to the assembly hall for dinner.

The big “coming out party” was their Passover Seder, which reached capacity at 70, including a large number of children. Crane, who coinci-

Seaside’s roots in Jewish Birmingham

While Seaside has been developed over the past 40 years, its history goes back to the 1940s in Birmingham’s Jewish community.

In 1946, Joseph Smolian purchased 80 acres of beachfront property by Seagrove Beach on the Florida panhandle for $8,000. Smolian was married to Bertha Pizitz, daughter of Louis Pizitz, who founded the Pizitz department store in 1899. In 1922, Smolian bought a share in the company, and served as secretary and vice president of the company.

Smolian planned to turn the property into a summer retreat for Pizitz employees, but Louis Pizitz wasn’t enamored with the idea. The Smolians would walk along the property every summer while vacationing at Seagrove Beach, though most people were skeptical about whether the property would amount to anything.

The Smolians were active in local philanthropy, supporting psychiatric medicine at the Medical College of Alabama, which later became the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 1959, they donated funds to construct the Smolian Psychiatric Center, and later donated their home for a faculty club, then the Smolian International House, which later moved and the new location was demolished in 2018 for a new dorm complex.

In the 1970s, Smolian’s grandson, Robert Davis, became an award-winning builder and developer in Miami. In 1978, Davis inherited the 80 acres from his grandfather, and started thinking of the small-town cottage model for the place where he went during family vacations in his childhood. The “New Urbanism” idea was to have a neighborhood where most everything one needed would be within walking distance.

He and his wife-to-be, Daryl, traveled the region for architectural inspiration, and visited small towns in Europe, developing a uniform style for the community.

In 1982, two houses were constructed — a sales office, and their residence, which doubled as a model home. They also established a Saturday open-air market.

It took some selling and some time, but the master plan was developed for the town, and now there are over 300 cottages, with a mix of seasonal and year-round residents. The town received even more attention when it was the setting for the film, “The Truman Show.”

dentally had already planned a vacation to the area, was tapped to lead the Seder, which was catered by Kosher Cajun in Metairie.

At the Seder, the congregation’s logo was unveiled — a Star of David formed by six fish, in a nod to the beach.

Robert Davis said that Uhlfelder and his son deserve a lot of credit for reaching out to other families and getting everyone together for dinners, “and eventually for services in the Seaside Chapel, and a spectacular Seder, presided over by a dynamic young rabbi. I am proud of them and amazed at their accomplishment.”

Aside from short-lived breakaway congregations, and the establishment of Chabad centers, the most recent other new congregations in the region were Beth Shalom in Auburn in 1989 and Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville in 1996. The Jewish Federation of Oxford was established in December 2015.

The organizing committee is consulting with rabbis on how to continue to grow the congregation and “launch us into the next phase,” Micah Davis said.

He said over the past year, every time it felt like they hit a roadblock and needed an extra push, “we found it… there’s a natural, unstoppable evolution and force that feels like this is meant to be.”

Sea Shul is now organizing a Mitzvah Day and working out details on membership for residents, part-timers and frequent visitors. They are also working out how to have regular services, likely relying on visiting rabbis and local talent, and what style of services would be the best fit. There are also the nuts and bolts of developing bylaws and a mission statement.

The congregation has also set up a Facebook page and an email list for those who are interested in their activities, and a website is being developed. Since Passover, there was a Mother’s Day potluck, and a Shavuot service planned.

“Everyone is excited about how to get involved,” Uhlfelder said.

Davis said Sea Shul is a place for community members to “get together with people where there is an unspoken understanding, history and culture. For people living in cities, they take that for granted.” Also, the congregation’s presence will help educate the general community about Judaism.

Uhlfelder said Sea Shul would not have been possible without the support of the Davises, and the numerous community members “that are driven to make it happen and are willing to give their time and resources.”

ISJL Virtual Vacations rebranding Podcasts now available on major platforms

For the past three years, the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life has produced Virtual Vacations as a way to provide programming in the days of Covid. The series of podcasts is continuing, but with a new name.

Southern & Jewish is now available for download on major podcast platforms, as well as on the ISJL website.

The newest podcast, debuting on June 6, is “In Conversation: Lowen on Making Music in the Jewish South.” Lowen, born Emily Kopp, is a producer songwriter, and artist who grew up in south Florida as a Jewish daughter of a Colombian immigrant.

In college, Lowen opened for artists like Brandi Carlile, Marc Cohn, and Matchbox 20, while also also touring regionally and releasing music independently. She packed up the tour van to backpack around the world in 2016 with her now-wife, a trip that offered her a profound shift in perspective. She began creating music under the name Lowen, a nod to her mother’s maiden name and Jewish German ancestors, then made her debut with 2019’s “Only In My Dreams” EP, and the hit single “Just F—ing Let Me Love You.”

The podcast includes a discussion on her creative process, the ways Jewishness is reflected in her music, and her transition to life in Nashville.

Israel & Technion Partners In Innovation

Since the day it opened its doors in 1924, the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has been the cornerstone of Israel’s remarkable advancements in science, technology, and education.

Together, the Technion and Israel have forged a partnership to advance the nation’s global prominence and thriving high-tech economy.

As we approach the Technion Centennial next year, we honor Israel’s 75th anniversary today, and celebrate the bright future we are creating together through groundbreaking collaboration.

Mobile library hosts Holocaust exhibit, local Jewish history

Two exhibits will be at the Ben May Main Library in Mobile this month. From May 12 to June 22, the second floor will have a display of items documenting the history of Jewish life in Mobile. From May 15 to June 23, “Americans and the Holocaust” will be displayed.

The traveling exhibition from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has been touring 50 locations across the country, most recently at Troy University. The exhibit examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. This exhibition challenges the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded.

An opening reception was scheduled for May 21 at 2 p.m., featuring Ari Morgenstern and a virtual visit with a Holocaust survivor.

On June 6, there will be a panel coordinated by the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education, on how the persecution of Jews was understood in the 1930s and 1940s, and the American reaction to events in Europe. Alexandria Ruble, assistant professor of European history at Spring Hill College; David Meola, Fanny and Bert Meisler Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies and Director of Jewish and Holocaust Studies Minor Program at the University of South Alabama; and Dan Puckett, professor of history at Troy University, author of “In the Shadow of Hitler: Alabama Jews, the Second World War, and the Holocaust,” and chair of the Alabama Holocaust Commission, will be on the 6 p.m. panel, with Donald Berry of the Gulf Coast Center moderating.

On June 13 at 4 p.m. there will be a Book Wizards Book Club program for youth. There will be an Audiobook presentation on “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and an instructor from the Alabama Contemporary Art Center will lead a lesson on expressing emotion through art. Participants will create an art piece while listening to the Audiobook.

On June 20 at 3 p.m., there will be a graphic novel discussion for teens, with “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei. Free copies of the book will be available a month in advance.

At 6 p.m. on June 20, there will be a screening of “From Swastika to Jim Crow,” in partnership with the Mobile Area Jewish Federation. The film is about Jewish European professors who fled to the United States, only to be shut out of northern universities. Many of them wound up at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South, where they applied their experiences in Europe to the growing civil rights movement. A discussion will follow.

Chabad Baton Rouge establishes library

Chabad of Baton Rouge and Louisiana State University received a grant to start a reading and lending library for the community.

As part of the grant, Chabad is receiving about 250 books from leading publishers, for adults and children, and a list of titles is available on the Chabad website. There is also a “wish list” of titles for donation, along with other sponsorship opportunities.

“This is a wonderful addition for the Jewish students at LSU and everyone we serve,” said Rabbi Peretz Kazen.

Peaks and Valleys: Luria reflects on time in Congress, looks to future

A daughter. A wife. A mother. A proud Jewish woman.

An American Maritime Hero. A two-term Virginia Congresswoman. A true champion for her community and the nation.

“Isn’t that what every Jewish girl from Birmingham does?” Elaine Luria jokingly asked, recalling her atypical journey, while sitting in her Norfolk home, reflecting on her two tumultuous terms in Congress and talking about what may be in her future.

As she spoke, Luria, 47, carried herself with an air of humble confidence. Her language was steeped with unmistakable expressions of her legacies, both inherited and earned: a generous dose of Southern hospitality layered with nautical phrases through mentions of undercurrents and wavetops. At her epicenter, she has a heart for safeguarding America and a visceral affinity for caring for people and upholding moral standards.

Hanging in the background were naval portraits, artful reminders of exactly where ambition and determination can lead someone; her walls are a gallery of her patriotism. Included was a distinct, vintage “Merchant Marine” depiction perched above her shoulder, with a sailor grasping the helm of a ship and overhead the emboldened phrase “Let’s Finish the Job!” The image was another indication of her work not yet completed and the need for a champion. Luria’s endeavor to begin this work started when she was 17 years old, when she entered the U.S. Naval Academy.

Throughout her life, Luria assumed the role of champion in her various positions, but her impressive lineage laid the foundation.

Luria’s deep Alabama roots span four generations in Jasper and Birmingham, more specifically the suburb of Mountain Brook. She comes from a family of leaders: her great-grandfather helped spearhead the construction of Temple Emanu-El in Jasper, a vital affirmation of faith where there were relatively few Jewish people. Her mother, Michelle, held major roles in the Birmingham Jewish community. Her cousin, Ben Erdreich, served as a congressman representing Alabama’s

Sixth Congressional District for five terms.

Erdreich’s district was significantly redrawn, negatively impacting his chances of re-election in 1992, and foreshadowing what would ultimately become the same case for Luria. Elected as Democrats, their redrawn districts favored Republicans.

Peaks and Valleys

Luria’s Congressional debut came during a time of turbulence; she encountered exceptionally high peaks and exceptionally low valleys.

Despite this, collaboration between her Democratic caucus and Republicans across the aisle was a consistent goal throughout her terms.

Even before she was officially sworn in, she embarked on her first trip to Israel. The trip was organized by the American Israel Education Foundation as a bipartisan initiative. She and five other newly-elected representatives — two additional Democrats and three Republicans — traveled to learn more about the state of affairs and security challenges in the region.

After this trip, her voice crescendoed during both of her terms as she became one of the most outspoken allies of Israel — vouching to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship against other representatives, including some in her own party, who either disagreed or emphasized different priorities. In addition, in the face of antisemitism, Luria rebutted strongly, speaking out on the House floor with vigor and pride in her Judaism.

Luria made many contributions to the fight against antisemitism, including cosponsoring the Never Again Education Act with more than 300 other representatives, which was introduced to expand U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum education programming. Luria also cosponsored House Resolution 1525 condemning antisemitism by public figures, which was introduced in December 2020 and has yet to be passed.

“There was never a quiet moment in the four years that I served in Congress.”

Her first cohort of House members was pegged by the media as the “blue tsunami” because of the large influx of Democrats. This high was quickly plagued by a slew of uphill battles: the longest U.S. government shutdown; a mass shooting in Virginia Beach, which is in the district she represented, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her next term was similarly challenging. House Democrats across the country battled to keep their seats and only a few were successful. Although her race for a second term was hard-fought, Luria received another chance to continue advocating for her community and country.

The satisfaction of her victory was momentary and eclipsed by the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Luria, who witnessed the attack, saw that day as a pivotal moment in American history. She would later be asked to serve on the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Attack, an assignment that would propel her to the national forefront.

Serving on the committee had a profound impact on Luria, who as a young naval officer and later a Member of Congress, had twice taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Sworn to protect America against enemies, both foreign and domestic, Luria knew this was a moment to step forward on behalf of her country.

Members of the committee had their lives threatened; Luria and two other Jewish members received antisemitic hate mail. During this time, Luria called on her Jewish faith for sustenance and guidance. “My faith has been something that has been an important thread through my entire professional career.”

One scene was particularly painful to her: the man who wore the “Camp Auschwitz: Work Brings Freedom” hoodie was from Newport

“There was never a quiet moment in the four years that I served in Congress”

News, Va., which was in Luria’s district.

She was determined to hold those responsible for the Jan. 6 attack accountable. “I never abandoned that attempt, but it was difficult.”

Although serving on the committee was extremely stressful and intense, the experience didn’t compare to supervising the operation of eight nuclear reactors on an aircraft carrier, something she did as a naval officer.

When asked what she learned about herself through her work on the Jan. 6th Committee, she noted, “It reinforced my strong convictions about what’s right and that there is a truth that’s absolute.”

Pressing On

Even after losing a bid for her third term, Luria pressed on and worked incessantly until the very last day of her expiring term, until the very last moment.

As that term concluded, Luria secured more than $18.5 million for multiple projects in her district. The Eastern Shore Post reported that Luria said, “These… projects will create good-paying jobs, support local government, improve infrastructure, combat climate change, spur economic development, and lead to further growth and opportunities throughout Hampton Roads. Community Project Funding projects are good government at work that improves the lives of Coastal Virginians.”

Even though no longer in Congress, her odyssey continues. Luria still leads a busy and impactful life. She established a state Political Action Committee to support Virginia Democrats seeking office; she began a fellowship at Georgetown University where she teaches at the Institute of Politics and Public Service, and, most importantly, she says, she is preparing for her daughter to start high school.

Another goal is advocating for a strong alliance between Jewish Americans and Black Americans. As a result, she is working with current Members of Congress to create a congressional initiative to further this partnership.

Her efforts are inspired by her ties to Birmingham and her awareness of the relationship between the Black and Jewish communities during the Civil Rights Movement. She recalled her mother sharing stories about growing up in Birmingham and, specifically, about Temple Emanu-El’s Rabbi Milton Grafman — an outspoken Civil Rights supporter — and his sermon in 1963 on Rosh Hashanah which addressed the tragic bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, and admonished his congregation for not doing more to help the Black community.

Even though Luria moved away, had a remarkable naval career and achieved national political prominence, the Birmingham Jewish community remains close to her heart.

“I am very proud of where I come from and the community that I grew up in. What I learned and the place I’m from has really shaped how I view the world and influenced how I pursued my work, both as an officer in the Navy and as a Member of Congress. Ultimately, where I’m from and who I am is defined by growing up in Birmingham and being part of the Jewish community in Birmingham.”

As she explores new horizons and pursues other ventures, the question of whether Elaine Luria will run for office again remains unanswered. “I’m leaving the door open,” she said with a grin.

Keila Lawrence, a graduate of Miles College, an HBCU in Fairfield, AL, works for Clyde Group, a public relations and public affairs agency in Washington. She is a contributing writer to Southern Jewish Life.

New Alabama Holocaust Education Center focusing on local connections to teach the history

Because 6 million is a difficult number to conceptualize, the new Alabama Holocaust Education Center headquarters in Birmingham is focusing on a much smaller group.

While teaching about the overall horrors of the Holocaust, the new center and museum highlights the stories of Holocaust survivors who made their way to Alabama and established a new life for themselves.

The new center will be dedicated at 10 a.m. on May 22 in the former Discovery School space at Temple Emanu-El.

Zoe Weil, director of educational engagement at the center, said the new space demonstrates how “Holocaust history is Alabama history,” and by focusing on the local stories, it brings home events that happened thousands of miles away.

Thus far, the AHEC has documented over 170 Holocaust survivors who were in Alabama at some point following the war.

At a mezuzah hanging on April 23, the center’s new facility was named in memory of Phyllis Weinstein, who was instrumental in the center’s establishment.

David Silverstein, AHEC president, said “Phyllis was an extraordinary person. She made such an impact on this community,” and had a passion for education, especially teaching about the Holocaust.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council was formed in 1980, and in 1983 Alabama Governor George Wallace began a state Holocaust Advisory Committee, which coordinated the first Alabama commemoration in 1984 at the governor’s mansion. The event has been held every year since then, this year at the State Archives Building.

In 1999, after lobbying by Weinstein, the committee became the Alabama Holocaust

Commission through an act of the state legislature, and it is currently chaired by Dan Puckett, a history professor at Troy University. Weinstein chaired the commission for over a decade.

Through Weinstein’s efforts, the BHEC was created as a regional branch of the commission in 2002 after the annual commemoration was held in Birmingham that year. She was founding president, serving until 2016, when she said “at upcoming age 96, I think it is time.” She died in January 2021, two days after her 100th birthday.

Bayer Properties provided space for BHEC at its building, but in 2019 the company announced that it would be relocating, which meant that BHEC needed to find a home. They developed a concept for a new space and started looking around for a new headquarters, including several locations in downtown Birmingham.

in March 2020, as the Covid pandemic shut everything down, Temple Emanu-El decided that rather than temporarily close its Discovery School, it would close the preschool completely. The committee looked at the space where the school had been, and decided that their plan would work in that space. They signed a longterm lease with Emanu-El for the space.

“We started construction and we had not raised the first dollar,” Silverstein said. “But the community stepped up and acknowledged the work we do is so important.”

Silverstein said that when they decided on the Emanu-El space, they visited with Weinstein, because “we couldn’t start this project unless Phyllis blessed it… we had to get the blessing of the queen.”

He added, “I don’t know if she really believed we could pull this off.”

Lynn Raviv, Weinstein’s daughter, referenced her mother’s words at the 2012 L’Chaim gala, the first major fundraiser for the center, where

Weinstein was the honoree. She “expressed the hope that the Alabama survivors’ stories would be housed in a local museum along with the (‘Darkness Into Life’) exhibit and their library and other memorabilia.

“This became the dream of many,” Raviv said.

She said the family was “deeply moved and grateful,” for the naming of the center. “I know how mother felt about being honored. Honoring her was in helping others.”

When asked about her interest in Holocaust education, Weinstein would simply reply “it needed to be remembered.” Raviv said that honoring the survivors “gave her energy and direction.”

The agency’s name was changed in 2022 from the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center, to reflect how its activities go far beyond just the Birmingham area.

The center trains teachers on how to incorporate lessons from the Holocaust into their classrooms. Over 1,600 teachers have attended group training sessions, and some have been selected to go on national or international seminars. Over 100,000 students statewide have been reached through the teacher trainings.

The center has also coordinated school visits by area Holocaust survivors, or more recently, children of the survivors. The center also coordinates public talks and a “Holocaust in Film” movie series.

Inside the New Space

The lobby has a map of Europe with the pre-war Jewish populations of each country, and how many of them were murdered in the Holocaust.

There is also a display of photos of Alabama’s Holocaust survivors. Weil said the lobby is meant to “turn statistics into people and portray that life wasn’t so different than what your life is like.”

She noted that many students who visit will have very little knowledge about Jews, so part of the lobby exhibit is Judaica items from the collection of Werner Knurr, who fled Aurich, Germany, in 1938 at age 3 after a friendly policeman tipped off the family that his father was set to be arrested.

The Knurrs made their way to Baton Rouge, where his father, Erich Knurr, worked for his sister’s husband, Erich Sternberg. Erich Knurr wanted to go back to podiatry, and could not take the examination in Louisiana because of the language barrier. He was arrested for practicing without a license, then found Alabama was the closest of the three states that did not require an examination for a license. After making connections at Agudath Israel in Montgomery, the family moved there.

Werner Knurr was drafted into the U.S. Air Force in 1961, ironically protecting Berlin from the Soviets. He then became a radiologist, retiring to Colorado after practicing in Pennsylvania and Florida.

The main exhibition area features exhibits expanded from the “Darkness to Life” project. The exhibit tells the stories of 20 Alabamians who survived the Holocaust, through the modern-day photographs of Becky Seitel and paintings by Mitzi Levin portraying their pre-war stories.

The exhibit debuted in 2007, and a traveling version has been exhibited in venues throughout the state.

Much of the installation is flexible, for the possibility of travelling exhibits or additional temporary installations.

Cathy Friedman, vice president of development, said “when I saw ‘Darkness Into Life’ displayed in the new beautiful AHEC, I felt like our remarkable survivors were finally at home.”

The corridor to the library contains two installations. One has the Kaddish and the book “And Every Single One Was Someone” on a pedestal. The book, released in 2013, was designed to give a sense of the number 6 million, by printing the word “Jew” 6 million times — 4800 times on each of 1250 pages.

The second installation salutes Alabamians who were liberators of concentration camps. John Harbert, co-founder of Harbert Construc-

CJFS CARES Respite Is Growing!

tion, was 23 when he was part of a unit that liberated Mittelbau-Dora. J. George Mitnick, from Jasper’s Jewish community, was in a unit that liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of Buchenwald.

The installation also includes a Violin of Hope, a violin that was restored by Amnon Weinstein — no relation to Phyllis Weinstein — in Tel Aviv. The violins in the collection belonged to Jewish musicians, some of whom survived the Holocaust and some of whom were murdered. Many were played by the musicians in the concentration camps, or compelled to play for German officers.

In 2018, there was a series of Violins of Hope events in Birmingham, culminating in a historic concert at civil rights landmark Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Sallie Downs, who co-organized the Birmingham events, had asked the Weinsteins to consider loaning the AHEC one of the violins, and they agreed. The violin that was chosen was one dedicated to the 500,000 Jewish soldiers who fought in the Red Army during World War II.

The 8,000-square-foot space also includes a conference room for educational presentations and other events, AHEC offices and an expanded library, one of the largest Holocaust-related libraries in the region.

Silverstein said the new center will help AHEC “be more accessible to the public as it furthers its mission of educating the people of Alabama about the impact of extremism and the lived experience of antisemitism.”

He said that with the current rise in antisemitism, “this issue is not going away,” and that the dwindling number of survivors makes it even more important to share their stories.

intercultural joy

It was inspirational and inspiring, intriguing and illuminating.

Tsvey Brider, a unique blend of African American and Jewish culture, put on a wonderful concert at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El on April 22, one that the racially mixed audience clearly enjoyed.

Though the performers sang in three different languages — Hebrew, Yiddish and English — their universal message of inter-cultural joy and friendship transcended any translation barriers.

Even if you were not familiar with a particular language being spoken or sung while the artists were performing, you were still able to enjoy the powerful music and grasp the concepts of what they were singing about.

You could feel the passion they had not only for their music but also for the unique relationship and respect they have for each other.

Beth-El hosted these performers in an “Artists in Residence” weekend which culminated with a community concert on April 22, at the end of the Sabbath.

Tsvey Brider which is Yiddish, translates to “Two Brothers” — and that’s exactly how this performing duo came across as they lifted the sanctuary with a distinct blend of traditional Jewish music and African American spirituals.

The event drew a diverse audience from the community to experience the power of music and its ability to bring people together through a unique artistic type of music merging cultures, people and experiences.

Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell and Dmitri Gaskin make up the duo. Russell is an African American Jew who grew up in California and developed an interest in opera as a child.

Gaskin is a highly awarded and respected accordion player specializing in Klezmer music. As a duo they’ve received awards including winning “Yiddisher Idol.”

The event kicked off with light refreshments and Kosher appetizers following a Havdalah service.

Havdalah was an impactful way to begin, a beautiful, intimate and uplifting service that marks the start of the new week. It is a way of worship that not only lifted Jewish hearts but also was uplifting for non-Jewish people in the audience. It was a perfect spiritual and musical backdrop for the start of the concert.

There were people in attendance who had never encountered Jewish music. For them, it was a new cultural experience that gave them an appreciation of Judaism, its culture and, by being there, the beauty of a Jewish sanctuary.

A fun moment that especially enlivened the crowd happened when performer Russell, in a playful way, waded into the crowd to dance with

Oliver will warm your heart and make you smile.

Available at Book Nook by Rocky Heights in Homewood, or www.maryannefreeman.com

WE DELIVER IN ABOUT AN HOUR!

His true story teaches us the Jewish values of uniqueness, respect and kindness.

Oliver never dreamed about having a wheelchair. He showed his people it wasn’t going to slow him down.

some of the women while Gaskin, an incredibly versatile musician, played an upbeat solo on his accordion. You could tell the ladies were loving it!

The duo’s music was a powerful reminder of the diversity of Jewish culture and the wide array of communities where Jews had lived, while also underscoring the enduring power of African American spirituals. The evening was a bonding of the two communities, while embracing a broad cross-section of people of all faiths and backgrounds.

The Artists in Residence weekend was a true celebration of the diversity and richness of human culture, and a testament to the power of music to unite and inspire people from all walks of life.

Kiara Dunlap, a recent graduate of Miles College, an HBCU in Fairfield, AL, interned jointly with Southern Jewish Life and the Birmingham Times, which serves the city’s Black community. She has focused on stories of interest to both communities.

Roskin takes cantorial position in Charlotte

Cantor Jessica Roskin will be the interim cantor at Temple Beth El in Charlotte, N.C., this coming year.

The 850-family congregation made the announcement on May 5 in an email from President Alan Kronovet, Rabbi Asher Knight and COO Jonathan Friedman. They said Roskin “will focus on supporting our B’nei Mitzvah program, leading Shabbat and Holiday services with our clergy team, and offering pastoral care.”

In late January, Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas, who has served the congregation for 20 years, announced that she was stepping down to become the placement director for the American Conference of Cantors, a position that will enable her to remain in Charlotte.

Because hiring season was well underway, the search committee decided to focus on an interim cantor for the coming year, and launch a search for a permanent successor next year.

This past year, Roskin has been visiting cantor at Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville, visiting monthly on weeks when the interim rabbi, Scott Colbert, was not there. She was previously cantor at Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham until September 2019.

Beth El’s associate rabbi is Lexi Erdheim, who moved to Charlotte last summer after serving Gates of Prayer in Metairie as rabbinic intern, then as assistant rabbi after her ordination in 2019. She also had spent two summers as director of Jewish life at the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica.

The congregation also recently welcomed Rachel Glazer as assistant director of youth education and engagement. Glazer had spent the previous seven years in Jackson with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, starting in community engagement but most recently as assistant director of education, and as religious school administrator for Beth Israel. She will also be on staff at Camp Coleman in Georgia during the summer.

Former KI building becomes temp library

The former Knesseth Israel building in Birmingham is now the temporary home to the O’Neal Library. The library in Crestline has been closed since a pipe burst in the fire suppression system on May 5. While most of the books were not affected, flooring was ruined and there was additional water damage in the basement, necessitating the closing of the branch as mitigation activities take place.

O’Neal on Overton will be open from June 1 to July 27 with limited services, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Last July, the Mountain Brook Fire Department bought the KI building, which had been on the market for years. The congregation now meets in the congregation-owned rabbi’s house around the corner.

The library will use the space “thanks to the cooperative spirit of City leadership and the Fire Department,” said Library Director Lindsy Gardner.

summer travel

an annual SJL special section

Beau Rivage a winning vacation getaway on the Gulf

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino offers access to the best blues (Gulf-water fishing) and greens (its Fallen Oak golf course) to go with its Las Vegas-style gaming and entertainment.

“We’re happy to help guests and groups plan a weekend stay tailored to their interests,” said Beau Rivage Vice President of Hospitality Murat Akan. “There is much to do at the resort and across the Biloxi area — everything from an active day of fishing or golfing to relaxing at the spa.”

For golfers, the resort offers exclusive access to the Tom Fazio-designed Fallen Oak course, nestled on the edge of the De Soto National Forest. Golf Digest rates Fallen Oak as Mississippi’s top course and Golfweek ranks it number two in its national ranking of Best Casino Courses.

The Coast is considered a sportsman’s paradise, with more than 200 species of fish up for grabs in the Gulf of Mexico, with several fishing charters available.

For those who prefer “indoor gaming,” Beau Rivage offers world-class gaming and entertainment. The newly upgraded BetMGM Book Bar and Grill features 100 HDTVs showing sports action. It’s located on the resort’s 85,000-square-foot gaming floor that’s home to more than 1,400 slot machines, 80 table games and 15 poker tables.

Akan said MGM Resorts International invested $100 million into the resort over the past couple of years, including $55 million in a major remodel of the resort’s 1,740 guest rooms and suites.

“We’ve added a lot of smart technologies to the room and enhanced the amenities,” he said. The focus on the aesthetic at the resort includes a “Gulf Coast feel with elements of Las Vegas.”

Director of Communications Mary Cracchiolo said in-house dining options at Beau Rivage include 12 restaurants and four bars/lounges where live entertainment is performed nightly.

Its newest “elevated dining experience” is Salt and Ivy. ARIA Las Vegas’ popular dining hot spot comes to south Mississippi with an enhanced menu of Coastal-inspired dishes, a classic New Orleans cocktail menu and themed dinner nights.

Cracchiolo said headline acts perform in the 1,550-seat Beau Rivage Theatre, with the world-famous Jabbawockeez taking the stage in July. The AAA Four-Diamond resort also boasts a tropical pool, retail promenade and the region’s only Topgolf Swing Suite.

For those who want to end a day of play with a relaxing spa treatment, the resort offers The Spa at Beau Rivage. The Spa includes 14 massage rooms; five facial treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art fitness facility.

The Spa, ranked number nine on Spas of America’s 2022 Top 100 U.S.

Spas listing, recently began offering CBD oil and Himalayan salt stone massages to its services.

Akan said for those traveling to the area, they also recommend a visit to the John C. Stennis NASA Space Center and charter boat trips to the barrier islands. Visitors can also enjoy a Biloxi Shrimping Trip, Ship Island Excursions, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, the Mardi Gras Museum, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, and Historic Biloxi Tour Train.

“We have all the amenities, services and gaming of a top-flight Las Vegas resort, but we have a couple of things Las Vegas doesn’t offer — beautiful beaches and 300 years of history,” he said.

Visit history at Vulcan Park and Museum

Visiting Vulcan Park and Museum offers a sense of traveling back in time while honoring progress in the Magic City.

The world’s largest cast iron statue celebrates his 119th birthday on June 4. To celebrate, Vulcan Park and Museum is holding its biggest Birthday Bash ever atop Red Mountain.

The party — from noon until 4 p.m. — will feature performances by Clog Wild Cloggers, special demonstrations, a Game Zone, food trucks, drink, moonwalks, face painting as well as visits from Miss Alabama, Spiderman and of course the Iron Man himself.

Admission to the event is $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 5 to 12, free for children four and under. It includes all activities and access to Vulcan Museum, Vulcan’s observation tower and the new Linn-Henley Gallery exhibit, “Birmingham’s Middle Eastern Community: Celebrating Life and Liturgy.”

Then one month later, Alabama’s largest fireworks celebration will light up the skies with Thunder on the Mountain.

This summer, Vulcan Park and Museum is participating in the Blue Star Museums Initiative, providing free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

For those who want to discover Birmingham, Vulcan hosts monthly historical walking tours, with a complete schedule at www.visitvulcan.com

Saturday)

3519 Severn, Metairie • (504) 888-2010

ONE STOP

Deciding to Leave a Job… And Then What?

KOSHER FOOD SHOPPING

Take Out — Catering — Outdoor Dining

Sushi and Fried Chicken Fridays

‘Denise’, who is in her 40s, had worked with the same company for more than a decade. She had always considered herself fortunate to work in a supportive professional environment, where she was well compensated and performed work that had a positive impact on others. She had believed it highly likely she would remain with the same organization for her entire career.

Open Mondays-Thursdays, 10am-7pm; Fridays and Sundays 10am-3pm

Outside the New Orleans Area? We Will Ship Your Order To You!

But lately, the office culture, and even its focus, had begun to change. The parts of her job she had found most meaningful, and most valuable, were no longer a priority. In the wake of recent personnel changes, she no longer felt a personal and professional bond with colleagues.

‘Denise’ pursued counseling at CJFS because she wanted to process these changes and consider how she should move forward. Could she leave the company she had put so much into for so long? Should she attempt to find a new job in her field? Or even pursue a major career change?

We hear a lot about the way the pandemic has changed the work environment. For some greater flexibility and remote work are a great fit for their lifestyle. For others, the lack of structure and disconnection from colleagues lowers productivity and creativity and impacts morale.

For ‘Denise’, the very philosophy that had grounded her to her organization was shifting. Through counseling, she ultimately concluded that her job no longer fulfilled her needs.

She had always felt great loyalty to her colleagues and the organization where she worked. But in counseling, I helped her see that loyalty does not always mean staying. She was not, as she feared, “letting her co-workers down.” After all, she was still doing a great job. Her role at work had always been a central part of her identity. It is not “disloyal” to set boundaries and recognize when our own needs are not being met. Through counseling ‘Denise’ realized that she had a responsibility to herself as well as to her employer.

For most people, deciding whether to leave a job that isn’t “perfect” requires thoughtfulness and introspection. After all, what in life is perfect? We need to weigh job security, or financial security, against personal satisfaction.

As she began to assess her options, we explored the various scenarios she might encounter in a job search:

Was she willing to move for a new position in her field?

Could she take a cut in salary?

If she could not find a job within her field that felt meaningful and met her other needs, what other career directions might be options?

In counseling, I worked with ‘Denise’ to develop the tools to explore these issues and found clarity regarding what was most important to her. She felt empowered to put her own needs over the expectations of her colleagues, friends and loved ones.

She ultimately decided that her top priority was working for an organization within her field whose purpose and values matched her own — even if it meant she had to move to find it!

Counseling from CJFS is confidential, and it is often covered by insurance. To learn more, visit https://cjfsbham.org/our-mission/professional-counseling/, email jfs@cjfsbham.org or call (205) 879-3438.

Have what she’s having, at deli exhibit in Houston

A notable exhibit might make the viewer hungry for more. This one more likely will just make viewers hungry.

The popular exhibit “I’ll Have What She’s Having: The Jewish Deli” is on display at the Holocaust Museum Houston.

Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, the exhibit explores how American Jews imported traditions, adapted culture and built community through the experience of food.

In addition to showing how Jewish deli forged an entirely new, quintessentially American cuisine by combining Central and Eastern European dishes with ingredients abundantly available in the United States, the exhibition traces the larger arc of the Jewish experience in the United States during the 20th century. Neon signs, menus, advertisements, fixtures, historical footage, film and television clips and artifacts illuminate how delicatessens evolved from specialty stores catering to immigrant populations into the beloved national institutions they are today.

They are also, in many cases, vanishing. In the 1930s, when delis served as community meeting places, there were over 1500 delis in New York City. Now there are about 20, and the delis of today have had to adapt to changing times — and often, a largely non-Jewish clientele.

The exhibit opened in Houston on May 5 and will be displayed through Aug. 13. It originally was on display at Skirball last summer, then went to the New York Historical Society. After finishing in Houston, it will be at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center from Oct. 22 to next April.

Skirball curators Cate Thurston and Laura Mart, and food and immigration historian Lara Rabinovitch, started researching the exhibit in

2018 at Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles. In February 2019, they traveled to New York City for further research… and sampling at some of the oldest delis in the country. Additional stops included Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Ziggy Gruber, owner of Houston’s famous Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, hopes visitors will then be inspired to nosh at his establishment. He contributed many items for the exhibit, including the original Kenny & Ziggy’s neon sign and menu.

The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., staying open until 8 p.m. Thursdays; and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

u Construction Damage / Defect assessments

u Cost estimation, which may include replacement or reproduction cost estimates

u Narrative presentations and reports with inspection findings and conclusions

u Code Interpretation

u Expert witness testimony for depositions, mediations and settlement conferences, and arbitrations and trials

Chicken Tinga

Ingredients:

½ lb. chicken

3 tomatoes

½ white onion

3 garlic cloves

1 pint water (or chicken broth)

Instructions:

Boil chicken to shred. Boil tomatoes, then blend with ¼ onion, 2 garlic cloves to make puree.

Sauté 3 oz. olive oil with other ¼ white onion and chopped garlic clove. Add the boiled, shredded chicken and add puree for 5 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Best with nacho chips, crispy taco shells, rice or on salad. Serves four people.

Rojo celebrates community, gives back

Rojo, a staple in the Highland Park neighborhood of Birmingham for more than 20 years, prides itself on not just having great food and a friendly environment, but also giving back to the community.

u Expert opinion on residential construction, design/construction defects, building envelope evaluation, and means and methods assessment

u Pre-case evaluations

u Site inspections

u Litigation support

u Case analysis

“Our food, people and atmosphere are great,” said Clark Lopez, who opened the Latin and American restaurant in 2002. “But our foundation is being a part of the community and giving back.”

Almost every Tuesday, and some other days as well, they work with a different organization to help them promote their cause, with 10 percent of all sales going to the organization.

In April, one of those events benefitted the Alabama Holocaust Education Center, which opens this month at Temple Emanu-El. Lopez’ wife, Rachael, is the curator for the AHEC.

The Daffodils fundraiser commemorated the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which inspired other Jewish armed resistance movements. The daffodil is used to commemorate the uprising because on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Marek Edelman placed daffodils at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw, Poland.

Every month, Rojo also features a different artist or consortium on the walls of their side event room. Lopez said they are also planning some open-mic events to provide a platform for musicians and poets.

“We think of Rojo as a place you can go to relax, be entertained and taking a little vacation,” he said.

With the spring and warmer temperatures, Rojo has taken down its patio walls and added some items to its extensive menu.

>> Rear Pew

continued from page 30

Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?”

He answered, “On account of the forty, I will restrict it.”

Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”

He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will restrict it.”

And Abraham said, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?”

He answered, “On account of the twenty, I will restrict it.”

Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?”

And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will restrict it.”

But He saw only one, Abraham’s nephew Lot. And Abraham, amid his grief, and despite any thoughts or prayers, would live every day wondering when his own number might be up.

Doug Brook contends that the impressive recoil when firing an Uzi is outweighed by the horrific recoil of a bystander shot with one. Self-evident. For more satirical satire, listen to the (STILL!) FIVE-star rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast at anchor.fm/rearpewmirror or on any major podcast platform. For past columns, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/.

>> Rojo

continued from page 28

“One of our chefs came up with this recipe for a dish he used to make all the time for his family – Chicken Tinga. We recently added it (on top of nachos or salad) and it has been very popular,” said Lopez, adding that in the spring they also bring back their Basil Chicken Salad. “One day, we may even start a menu of favorites from our chefs and employees.”

Rojo’s menu includes a Latin side — with kosher-style items including summer burritos, Mediterranean quesadillas and grilled mahi mahi tacos — and an American side including Beyond Burgers, chicken tenders and pan-seared tilapia.

They also have a gluten-free menu. “We’re also happy to customize anything to make it kosher-style,” said Lopez. “We’re well-equipped to work with our friends who have special dietary requests.”

Rojo offers local craft beers, wine and some of their own custom cocktails as well. “We enjoy being creative and giving our customers something they can’t get anywhere else,” he said.

Rojo is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday with brunch served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekend. They can accommodate 100 people outside and about 45 inside the main restaurant area as well as 45 in the side room.

>> Agenda

continued from page 8

to change their ways by making visitors’ prayers at the Western Wall come true.

Emerald Coast Chabad will have a Unity Shabbat Dinner on June 16 at 6:30 p.m.

The next Shabbat Hilicha for Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will be on June 10, meeting at the Frankfurt Drive entrance to Red Mountain Park at 10 a.m.

The North Louisiana Jewish Federation will hold its annual meeting on June 11 at 6 p.m., with dinner at Antonio’s in Shreveport. The event is free to anyone who has contributed at least $100 to the Federation since the last annual meeting. Guest speaker is Emma Storm Herr from the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.

The Doubt and Discovery group at Beth Israel in Jackson will have an Ask the Rabbi session with Rabbi Joseph Rosen, June 27 at 7 p.m. at the Finkelberg home. Space is limited, reservations are necessary.

Favorite Treatments for Spring

Build-aMembership

Enjoy McWane Science Center all year round with a personalized membership that includes free admission, free parking, & other discounts!

To learn more about becoming a member at McWane Science Center, visit mcwane.org/become-a-member or call (205) 714-8220

A Well-Regulated Mishnah

In the beginning, the Big G empowered humans with the ability to control their destiny. Possible side effects include controlling not just their own, but each other’s destinies as well.

Soon after this divine empowerment for all four members of humankind, Cain killed Abel. In doing so, Cain wiped out 25 percent of the population in one attack. Further, Cain controlling his own destiny in this manner took away Abel’s control of his own destiny.

Perhaps it was Abel’s destiny for Cain to determine Abel’s destiny for him. But that would mean Abel never had control of his own destiny. Unless control of one’s own destiny requires being at all times (somehow) prepared to not be killed. Just in case.

Regardless, this murderous moment was a unique anomaly of human behavior. Many such unique anomalies continued through the generations, until “don’t kill” made number six on the first Top Ten list to be accessed via tablet from the cloud.

That’s all the Commandment says. Don’t kill. No elaboration. No disclaimer. No qualification. Just say no.

There’s an Amendment, from a slightly less divine yet just-as-formalistically-written source, that says “the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.”

(Some contend the world would be a better place if just two vowels were switched, so that the right to bare arms shall not be infringed. In the words of Tevye, “may the Lord smite me with it, and may I never recover!”)

That’s not all the Amendment says. “The right to bear arms shall not be infringed.” But it’s preceded with “A well-regulated militia, necessary for the security of a free state…” Elaboration. Disclaimer. Qualification.

It’s all in the same, single sentence. This truth is self-evident. So, the arms are to relate to a well-regulated militia. And the arms are to be part of the security of a free state.

Who controls your destiny?

The opposite of it would be an absence of regulation, and the enabling of a threat to security. In synagogues. In malls. In schools. In more places than fit this space’s 700-word limit. And counting…

Fortunately, of necessity to the security of a free state, the recently-discovered ancient book of Donteronomy presents a pivotal, somewhat recognizable dialogue.

Abraham stepped forward before the LORD and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous for the wicked?

“What if there are fifty righteous killed at once in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place’s future despite the fifty righteous ones who died there?

“Far be it from You to do such a thing — to let die the righteous by the wicked, just so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous killed within an act of violence, on their account I will spare the whole place by restricting the tools involved, for none should wield such a power over life and death that approaches Mine own.”

Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord — though I am but dust and ashes — suppose the fifty righteous killed lack five. Will You restrict the arsenal for the lack of five?”

He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will restrict it.”

continued on previous page