Watching and waiting
Oct. 1 (9 Tishri 5786)
🗣️ Heading into the Day of Atonement, we are watching as the world responds to President Donald J. Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Israel and Gaza.
🎙️ Last week, Y’alla reported on the Jewish Auburn basketball coach who was considering a political career. This week, it’s ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum who may leave the sports network to run for U.S. Senate.
🚛 Closer to home, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is officially leaving Midtown for Sandy Springs. The organization has been holding events at The Dupree, 6120 Powers Ferry Road in Sandy Springs, since the summer.
🎗️ The community will commemorate the second anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023 on Sunday, Oct. 5. Register here.
👓 Thanks for reading, and may you have an easy fast.
Y’alla,
Logan
💡 Smart investment in infrastructure means more than building substations or installing new technology. It also means making sure there are skilled people to do the work. Learn how Georgia Power’s support of programs like Construction Ready is helping ensure that when opportunity comes, Georgians are ready to step forward.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Torah Day School turns 40
🏫 Torah Day School of Atlanta, an Orthodox Jewish school with students from kindergarten to eighth grade, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. TDSA has reached historic milestones: paying off its mortgage and owning its building outright, surpassing $1.1 million in endowment funds, and launching a comprehensive campaign to strengthen both its long-term future.
TDSA Director of Development Marcy Kalnitz, said the school’s early years focused on growing enrollment, building a strong foundation, and serving the community’s urgent needs. Today TDSA has funds to support science, STEAM, technology, and Torah study.
👏🏼 A $700,000 endowment dedicated to teacher excellence ensures that TDSA “can recruit, retain, and support fantastic educators year after year,” Kalnitz said.
See the world differently at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
✨ Discover photography reimagined — Photography’s New Vision showcases radical approaches that changed the course of photography.
➞ On view through Jan. 4, 2026.
Celebrating Sukkot
Sukkot begins on Monday, Oct. 6 at sundown and ends on Monday, Oct. 13. Send us your sukkah photos!
📍 Oct. 5: Family-friendly Sukkot salad workshop with Chef Tal Baum.
📍Oct. 5: Build a sukkah with Ma’alot.
📍 Oct. 9: Sukkot Celebration at the MJCCA with kosher food and live music.
📍 Oct. 9: Snakes in the sukkah with Ma’alot.
📍 Oct. 9-12: Sisters in the Sukkah hosted by the JWC Atlanta.
📍 Oct. 10: Free Sukkot dinner and outdoor programming for 20s and 30s.
📍 Oct. 12: Fall Sukkot Festival at Shearith Israel with activities, a farm stand, and live music.
📍 Oct. 12: Chabad Intown Sukkot festival.
Interfaith river clean up
💡 Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, Adamah Atlanta, and the Ismaili communitytackled water pollution on Sunday, Sept. 28 – the 20th anniversary of World Rivers Day.
GIPL is committed to engaging faith communities to organize, implement, and advocate on issues of climate change, environmental justice, and community resilience.
🚯 Volunteers at Mason Mill Park in Decatur collected at least 250 pounds of trash.
Andrew Cuomo nabs endorsement from Jewish groups after Eric Adams drops out of NYC mayoral race
⚖️ Cuomo has positioned himself squarely against Mamdani on Israel, saying that he believes Mamdani is “pro-Hamas.” In November 2024, before he entered the Democratic primary, Cuomo joined the legal team defending Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the International Criminal Court issued his arrest warrant. Cuomo has laughed off Mamdani’s plan to arrest Netanyahu if he steps foot in New York. But he distanced himself from Netanyahu earlier this month, saying, “I never stood with Bibi.”
Fighting antisemitism has been a central part of Cuomo’s campaign.
🗞️ Read the full story on the Forward.
🍾 Enjoy an unforgettable evening under the stars in Chastain Park’s Secret Garden for Dine Chastain. Featuring signature dishes from some of Atlanta’s top chefs, live music, and community spirit—all to support keeping Chastain Park clean, safe, and green. Join us this Friday, Oct. 3.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Look & Listen
👪🏼“One Big Happy” is a movie about a family on the verge of a mitzvah meltdown.
⁉️ Can Trump’s plan work? Michael Oren from The Free Press posits the answer.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🎲 Oct. 5: Texas Hold Em’ in Dunwoody.
🏳️🌈 Oct. 10: Pride Shabbat with SOJOURN.
🀄 Oct. 13: Monday Mah Jongg at 1 p.m.
💫 Did the High Holidays stir your heart? Don’t let the spark fade. Join us at Or Hadash—Tot Shabbat, Sukkot gatherings, Shabbat dinners—each gathering a chance for joy, connection, and belonging. Pick one new thing to light up your year!
On this day
⛺ On Oct. 1, 1997, author Anita Diamant published her first work of fiction, “The Red Tent.” The novel reimagines the Biblical stories of matriarchs Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel, and it broadens the story of Dina. “The Red Tent” has been reprinted multiple times in paperback, and foreign editions are available in 20 countries worldwide.