Stories @ CSI

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One of the highlights of the year in our community is summer camp. This year, Shearith Israel sent over 70 kids to nearly 15 summer camps all around the country. Once again, our Shearith Israel campers were sent a small package with games, activities, and a letter from their Shearith Israel family. On Sunday, June 23, Rabbi David and Sharon Graetz traveled to visit campers at Ramah Darom for their annual Rabbi/Educator visitor day. Campers and staff were excited to share their highlights of the summer so far as well as share in a small oneg (sweet snack) after lunch. One camper shared with Rabbi David, "This has been the best summer so far!" The following day, Rabbi David and Sharon visited campers at Camp Barney Medintz. It was both Rabbi David and Sharon's first time visiting Camp Barney. With a warm welcome from campers and staff, Rabbi David and Sharon loved seeing the Shearith Israel campers cheering at the top of their lungs in the dining room and running around having the time of their lives. One Shearith member who was on staff said, "Even though it has been a hot and exhausting summer, it has been such a joy to be back in my happy place!" Shearith Israel is blessed to be partners with so many incredible summer camps and look forward to many future summer camp visits for years to come!

Shearith’s Sisterhood partnered with the National Council of Jewish Women for its annual Mother's Day "Pop-Up" Jewelry Stores at Title I elementary schools on Monday, May 6th. Donated items were available for children at Briar Vista Elementary School to choose to give as a present to their special person on Mother's Day. Sisterhood and CSI members who tutor students at the school volunteered at the event.

For many years, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has held a Mother's Day "Shopping Spree" for students at the Title 1 schools where they have a tutoring program. As Board members at NCJW, Merle suggested to Sara that this might be a good project for Shearith Israel to take on for the school, where Sara coordinates the tutoring program. Jen Heller, Adina Rudisch, and Amy Trotz from Sisterhood were contacted, and the idea was off and running this spring. All of Shearith Israel became involved. A box in the lobby was filled with pieces of jewelry, as if by little fairies. The Pop-Up Shop, held in the Media Room at Briar Vista Elementary, was a fantastic experience for both the kids and the volunteers who were lucky enough to be there.

Co-organizer Merle Hoch shared some brief thoughts on the experience: "It's fun to see the reaction from the kids and the teachers when they first enter the room, and the many happy smiling faces when they leave with their special gift. We all left the school that day with very full hearts."

On Sunday, March 10, CSI members participated in the 40th Annual Hunger Walk Run. Members Nancy Gorod and Ronnie & Howard Zandman walked together with Rabbi Helfand.

Rabbi Helfand reported that Shearith Israel raised $3,477 total. The Hunger Walk Run benefits a specific number of charities from which participants choose, as well as “broader, community-wide hunger relief efforts.” Shearith’s proceeds will go to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, which states on its website that “funds raised through the Hunger Walk Run helped support 14 organizations last year, including Kosher food programs, shelters and food distribution programs. TODA RABA (תודה רבה).” The money raised will help provide relief for the 1 in 12 neighbors facing hunger in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. 

Nancy shared her experience: “I was happy to join the team and walk together with Rabbi Helfand and Rabbi Elizabeth Breit from B'nai Torah. Although attendance was lower than in previous years, there was a strong sense of community and festivities as the Atlanta Hunger Walk is celebrating its 40th year.”

Dr. Eric Goldstein spoke in the latest installment of Emory@Shearith on two topics of Jewish history. The first was "The Shetl: An Anatomy" (Feb. 7). Drawing on archival research into a Lithuanian town, Goldstein offered concrete historical details about an often nostalgic and misunderstood topic. His discussion was based on his most recent research. Goldstein, an Associate Professor of History at Emory University, then based a series of lectures (Feb. 14, 21, and 28) around his research for his book The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity (Princeton, 2006). He conveyed much of what has happened in this area of scholarly inquiry in the last fifteen years.

The Emory@Shearith series originated more than a decade ago but received a reboot this past year. Though not an Emory-Shearith collaboration per se, the series features Emory scholars in Jewish Studies and related fields who are connected with our congregation comprised, in organizer Sara Duke’s words, of “people who love to learn.”

On February 3, Congregation Shearith Israel observed Sisterhood Shabbat. The 2024 theme, “And We Gather,” celebrated the 60+ women and girls leading services, as they read in Parashat Yitro how the Israelites gathered at the base of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. This occasion was punctuated by many joyous recitations of the shehecheyanu prayer, highlighting the welcoming aspect of this Shabbat, and the diversity of women at Shearith Israel.

The Congregation also honored HIAS Refugee Shabbat with a D’var Torah from Paedia Mixon, CEO of New American Pathways, with whom we've partnered in our Shearith Israel for Good refugee efforts.

The Sisterhood Shabbat service can be viewed on YouTube here.

To celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and continue CSI’s work engaging with the communities of which we are a part, congregants volunteered their time, resources, and thoughts around Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King emphasized the goal of a “beloved community”: “the creation of a society” in which we “live together” as brothers and sisters. Thanks to CSI volunteers for their participation and to Saul Crumpton, Laurel Brodkorb, and Susan Baker for organizing these events.

Here’s a summary of what happened, and information on how to continue the work!

On Friday, January 12, 10 CSI members volunteered at Intown Cares, preparing the organization for their Saturday food pantry, where hundreds of food insecure neighbors come each week. Volunteers unloaded 6 palettes from the Atlanta Community Food Bank and organized food rescued from local grocery stores and donated by individuals. CSI was one of the organizations to found Intown Cares in 2009.

On Sunday, September 10, alongside the annual JF&CS Mitzvah Day, Shearith Israel rallied together for a community-wide day of service. Members young and old participated in projects to bring holiday cheer to seniors, support food insecure families and intown community members experiencing homelessness and comfort to pets in animal shelters. 

Machaneh Shai students in pre-K, K, 1st and 2nd grade made 45 cheerful cards and packed 30 comfort bags for Intown Cares, a local nonprofit with a mission to prevent and reverse homelessness and hunger in Intown Atlanta. (Fun fact - Shearith Israel was one of the faith-based organizations that helped launch Intown Cares in 2010!) 

Thanks to a Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Innovation Grant, students in 3rd, 4th & 5th grade worked with Bagel Rescue, a non-profit organization supporting hunger relief in the metro Atlanta area by connecting restaurants with excess food - specifically bagels - to neighbors in need. More than 300 bagel sandwiches were distributed to food insecure people living intown (via one of Bagel Rescue's street outreach partners). 

Finally, Machaneh Shai 6th and 7th graders partnered with Sisterhood volunteers and the Shearith Israel Green Team to give new life to trash - foam mattresses (popular at sleepaway camps!) destined for the landfill. With expert leadership from a local nonprofit, Scraplanta, Shearith Israel Sisterhood and Green Team volunteers helped out to make 23 pet beds for Paws Atlanta, a local animal shelter.  

Outside of Machaneh Shai, three other community-wide projects offered opportunities for service. 

Volunteers packed more than 100 bags of shelf-stable food for local food insecure elementary students as part of our Backpack Buddies program! 

In Shearith Israel’s kitchen, young professional volunteers (21 - 40 year olds) baked honey cake and assembled Rosh Hashanah gift bags for JF&CS' One Good Deed program, which matches older adults with volunteers for friendships, connections, and companionship. 

And finally, the Shearith Israel community gathered together with other intown synagogues and Adamah ATL to clean up Peachtree Creek Greenway in a Reverse Tashlich action. Volunteers hauled more than 3,000 pounds of trash from the green space.

Thank you to all the families who helped make our first day of Machaneh Shai a great one this past weekend! It was beautiful to gather as one Machaneh Shai community to celebrate Havdalah and kick off the year. Students enjoyed connecting with old friends and making new ones. Each class created a class brit, covenant, setting intentional expectations for the year. We explored Rosh Hashanah by exploring symbols through drama and art. Check out photos from our morning here. 

Highlight on Pre-K and K:

We learned about the Jewish value of haveirut, friendship. Each student shared one way they can be a good friend and drew self-portraits for our Haveirut Friendship Wall. Everyone left with at least one friend in the class. 

Highlight on Seventh Grade:

We dove into our first unit of the year, discussing what it means to be a Jewish adult and what it means to have a Jewish soul. 

Shearith Israel staff and others present received an unusual visitor recently in the form of a red-tailed hawk. (Or, as it is more commonly known, Buteo jamaicensis.) The hawk remained by the entrance on an extremely hot day for a prolonged period of time. It later flew to the Courtyard, where it spent time sprawled out on a bench and standing beside the doorway. Rabbi Kaiman posted photos on Facebook and an amusing thread of comments ensued, such as: "... a bird of pray", "When is minyan?", "Is it interested in membership?", "Is he watching you like a hawk?", "Did s/he get asked to join a committee?", "Looking to convert?"

In a show of community and support fitting to CSI, members offered suggestions for caring for the hawk and recommended a few animal rehabilitation organizations to contact. Thanks to community friend Ilana Schafer, a veterinary epidemiologist at the CDC, we connected with a rehabber in the neighborhood who came by to take and care for the special visitor.

Shearith Israelites headed to the mountains of north Georgia in early May for our much anticipated annual retreat at Ramah Darom! Aviva Berman & Ezra Billinkoff shared some words about this special weekend:  

We were delighted to attend our second CSI member retreat… this time actually as members! It was a terrific opportunity to be out in nature, spend time with fellow members, and continue building kehillah together. As new members it’s especially valuable for us and our young kids to come together. It was an incredibly well thought out and programmed weekend. Everything went smoothly, notwithstanding one of our children falling into the lake. Kol hakavod and todah rabah to Rabbi David and everyone involved in the planning and execution. 

Rabbi Kaiman and members of the CSI community are enjoying the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta's 2023 Community Journey to Israel celebrating the 75th birthday of the Jewish State! The itinerary features curated tours highlighting the many facets of Israeli life and the opportunity to experience Israel alongside the broader Atlanta Jewish community. The photo above is just part of the CSI contingent on their first morning together in Tel Aviv.  

Nearly 100 women from around Atlanta gathered at Shearith Israel just before Pesach 2023 / 5783 to take part in the 5th annual Community Women’s Seder. The Seder was organized by the National Council of Jewish Women Atlanta Section, Congregation Shearith Israel and Ma’alot. Led by Ma’alot’s Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe, the Seder explored the theme “Dayenu! It is enough! Dayenu? Or is it?”

The original Haggadah drew from many sources collected over the decade. Participants lifted up the stories of five Sheros: Miriam, Yohcheved (mother of Moses, Miriam and Aaron), Batya (Pharaoh’s daughter) and the midwives who refused Pharaoh’s orders, Shifra and Puah. Each Shero took significant, important risks to save lives during the Exodus story - each of them playing a critical role in the work toward liberation. Beautiful melodies, stories and poetry written and curated by women carried participants through the Seder. 

The beautiful Haggadah offered new interpretations of familiar parts of the Seder - the Four Questions reimagined (when will people stop thinking it’s only important for girls - and not boys - to learn about Jewish women’s history?); the Four Children (the four daughters - including the wicked daughter who dares to challenge the simplistic answers she has been given); and the plagues (kinim - homelessness that forces so many to live in filth and degradation and dever - the pollution in our environment). 

Each of the blessings, recited in the feminine form, expressed gratitude for the symbols of the holiday - and showcased Sephardic, Ashkenazi and modern traditions.

All who had the opportunity to experience this incredible Community Women’s Seder will undoubtedly enter into this year’s Passover with new rituals and much to consider.

Congregation Shearith Israel is thrilled to welcome our new Executive Director, Genea Moore, to the community. Genea was most recently the Executive Director of Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, New York. She began her career, and journey to conversion, as a clergy assistant at Port Washington’s The Community Synagogue. Genea then spent 10 years at New York City’s Central Synagogue learning and growing professionally under the mentorship of the Executive Director. You can learn more about Genea in the following 2020 article published by USCJ: “For This Woman of Color, An Early Career Move Led Her to a Life of Judaism” and Genea’s personal account of her journey “It’s My Anniversary.”

Special thanks to the search committee led by Nancy Green and Randy Gorod, and including Robin Deutsch Edwards, Heidi Einhorn, Mitch Green, Rabbi Kaiman, Robbie Medwed, Sarah Popowski, and Rachel Silverman for all of their dedication during the process of finding our next professional leader. The onboarding committee, Board and staff will be organizing lots of opportunities for our members and the Greater Atlanta Jewish community to get to know Genea - and for Genea to meet the amazing Shearith Israel community. 

Before Genea starts on March 20, we sat down to ask her to share a little bit about herself:

Can you please tell us a little bit about your family, your career path and your journey to Judaism?

I come from a big but small family. I’m number five of seven and we’re all really tight. We have a sibling conference call every weekday morning as we all head into work.

My career path is as surprising to me as it probably is to many others. I was in school studying to work in media/broadcasting but needed a job, I answered an ad to be an administrative assistant for a Rabbi and the rest is literally history!

My journey to Judaism began when my mother passed away and I decided that I wasn’t happy going to church anymore but knew that I needed a relationship with G-d. I am so happy with my choice.

What are you most excited about as you join the Shearith Israel community?

I am most excited about working in a place where I don’t know anyone and that every relationship will be forged organically. I’m equally excited about working with a new and amazing team of professionals that I will learn from and teach.

What are you looking forward to doing as you settle into your new home in Atlanta?

I’m looking forward to doing just that, making my new living quarters “a home”!

Seven question speed round!

Favorite Oneg food? Rainbow cookies 

First concert? DMX

Favorite sports teams? Boston Celtics

Best place you’ve ever traveled? Jamaica

Beach or mountains? Beach

Favorite type of music? R&B

Favorite Jewish holiday or tradition? Pesach

This Sunday, February 12, Shearith Israel celebrated the World Wide Wrap, an national program to promote use of tallit and tefillin organized by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FMJC).  Forty-five of us joined together in morning prayers, many first-time users of tefillin.  Machaneh Shai fifth graders were there, many with their parents.

Rabbi David Helfand led the prayers and explained that tefillin help us to achieve balance in our lives by ‘supporting’ our weaker arms, while reminding us to think of the mitzvot.

Following prayers, the group enjoyed a “wrapped” breakfast prepared by the Shearith Israel Men’s Club.

Inspired by an FJMC video, “The Ties that Bind,” in 2000 more than one hundred men and women gathered for a Shacharit service in Charlotte, North Carolina with extra tefillin pairs to teach newcomers. Word spread and by the next year, the World Wide Wrap was born.  This year, 3,758 daveners at 148 synagogues in the US and Canada participated in the World Wide Wrap, as did the Women of the Wall in Jerusalem.

Learn more about the mitzvah of tefillin from the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism.

On January 16, 2023 the evening of MLK Day, Congregation Shearith Israel became both the concert stage and the "recording studio" for an extraordinary performance of new Jewish music by composer/singer Eliana Light. Along with an incredibly talented group of handpicked musicians — many from Atlanta — Light led us, the audience, and her band, in a series of songs that were recorded right inside our sanctuary! The result will be Light's newest album of original music. 

Light has a magical way of connecting people through song, illuminating the brilliance of our texts and traditions. On this thrilling evening we learned new melodies to familiar liturgical texts, belted out a new take on the Passover song Dayenu, hummed haunting niggunim, and sent a collective message of prayer and intention skyward. 

Eliana Light long had a dream to record an album with the participation of a live audience, and CSI delivered. We boldly and bravely learned her melodies and magical words, and joined our voices together! Deepest thanks to our own Ori Salzberg for producing and filming the live recording session. Also to our homegrown Atlanta musicians, Drew Cohen, Bonnie Levine, Michael Levine, Sammy Rosenbaum, and Ariel Wolpe, joined by Coleen Dieker, Chava Mirel, and Sam Rotenberg. 

Souls were touched. Voices were raised to the heavens. We can't wait to hear the final album. Equally exciting — you can help support the production of the album by being a funder! Click HERE to contribute.