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July 3 (7 Tamuz 5785)
🇺🇸 Before we begin celebrating the birth of the US, let’s take a moment to reflect on important and tragic Jewish news.
This week, Karen Diamond, the 82-year-old victim of a June 1 firebombing in Boulder, CO, succumbed to her injuries. Diamond was part of a pro-Israel demonstration when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who is now facing two counts of murder, tossed two Molotov cocktails at the group.
Atlanta Israel Coalition has announced an 11-day relief mission starting July 14. “Hearts United, Boots on the Ground” is an effort to send volunteers to deliver aid to impacted communities across Israel, providing shelter, rebuilding schools, and supporting IDF personnel, according to a press release. AIC’s Uriel Zehavi called on financial supporters: “This isn’t abstract help – it’s direct, immediate, and profoundly necessary.”
🤩 Meanwhile, at home, we will eat kosher hot dogs and thick slices of watermelon, watch neighborhood fireworks, and stay up late with friends and family. Enjoy the holiday weekend.
As always, thanks for reading and Y’alla,
Logan
Fireside chat
👩🏼🏫 On Tuesday, July 8 at 7 p.m. in Alpharetta, local and national leaders will come together for “Building Bridges: Jewish-Christian Relations in Atlanta.”
Exploring how the Jewish and Christian communities can foster deeper connections and work collaboratively toward a more united society, speakers include:
- Rabbi Hirshy Menkowicz, North Fulton Chabad
- Mary Karp, director of Christian engagement at Stand With Us
- Anna Shteingart, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeast US
- Pastor Randy Schlichting, Metro Atlanta Seminary
A canopy worth protecting—Atlanta’s beauty is rooted in its trees
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Legacy of Leo Frank
⚖️ The Breman and Atlanta History Center are pairing up to present “Legacy of a Lynching” about why the Leo Frank case is still relevant at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 10.
Longtime WABE radio host Lois Reitzes will moderate a panel discussion with Hon. Roy E. Barnes, former governor of Georgia; Sandy Berman, Breman archivist; Matthew H. Bernstein, film professor and author; and Steve Oney, author.
Oney and Bernstein will be signing books after the panel.
Frank was a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta in 1913 when he was accused and convicted of the murder of young Mary Phagan. His trial, deeply influenced by public opinion, prejudice, and unreliable testimony, led to a controversial conviction. After his death sentence was commuted to life in prison, a mob kidnapped and lynched Frank in 1915. The case remains one of the most infamous lynchings in U.S. history.
📰 The suggested donation for non-members is $12. Get tickets.
Dothan, Alabama, paid Jews to move there. What happened next?
✡️ Jews in Dothan, Alabama – a peanut-farming hub with a deeply Christian identity and a population smaller than Yonkers – made an audacious offer in 2009: up to $50,000 for Jewish families willing to move there and join its Reform synagogue.
Alarmed by the shrinking membership at Temple Emanu-El, the only synagogue within 100 miles and one with roots stretching back nearly a century, Larry Blumberg, a local hotel magnate and lifelong member, feared the congregation his grandparents Hyman and Esther helped found would disappear.
For Rabbi Lynne Goldsmith, who led the synagogue from 2007 to 2017, the experiment was both heartening and humbling. “I think it was a very positive thing for the Dothan Jewish community,” Goldsmith said. “It certainly opened up the eyes of people in Dothan.”
➡ Read the full story on the Forward.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🍖 July 4: Kabbalat Shabbat and BBQ.
👧🏽 July 5: Tot Shabbat with Rabbi Lauren and friends.
🎆 July 5: BYO picnic with fireworks in Johns Creek.
🎲 July 7: Learn to play mahjong.
☀️ July 10: Summer Torah Tour begins.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Tisha B’Av on Aug. 2.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 8:33 p.m.
☀️📖 Or Hadash Summer Torah Tour kicks off July 10! Join Dr. Amy each Thursday in July for Torah, community, and conversation at local spots. No prep needed—just come connect. Details here. Lehitra’ot – See you soon.
Before you go …
💦 Lior Zaltzman, deputy managing editor of Kveller, says we are all in for a summer full of schvitzing.
🌡️ Read more here.