Reflections
June 19 (23 Sivan 5785)
🇮🇱 Like all of you, we are glued to coverage of the tensions between Israel and Iran, checking in with friends and family who are directly impacted.
We’ve heard about so many members of the Atlanta Jewish community who are angry, scared, and disappointed to be canceling summer trips to Israel. Seniors who brought just enough medication for a trip, not knowing their time away would be extended. High school students who have been anticipating a life-changing Israeli experience with their camp friends. One woman sent me a message that she’s trying to celebrate her birthday, despite being stuck in Israel with her family. And there are countless others scrambling to revise their plans.
✍🏼 Some Atlantans have recently returned from Israel, thankful to make the trip during a safe window of time. Rabbi Peter Berg from The Temple shared the following note: “Thank you for all of the inquiries and messages of concern about our Temple solidarity mission in Israel. The group has returned home. Throughout this trip we have remained safe and in good spirits, while honored to be in solidarity is Israel, and look forward to sharing our experiences with our community.”
🏃🏽♀️ Dozens of Atlanta athletes were supposed to attend the Maccabiah Games, which has been postponed for now.
🛄 For now, we hope everyone stays safe and comes home soon.
Y’alla,
Logan and the Y’alla team
☀️ Sometimes the best summer moments are the quiet ones — rocking on a porch swing, listening to the water lap against the dock, or feeling the warmth of the sun on your face with nowhere to be. At Lake Oconee, relaxation isn’t just encouraged — it’s part of the lifestyle. Find your reason to linger longer this summer at Lake Oconee. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Business briefs
📌 Several big transitions were announced in the business community this week. Alan Goodman is stepping down after 10 years as president and CEO of the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce.
💼 Karen Isenberg Jones has been appointed as executive director of Georgia Solidarity Network, leaving the Consul of Israel to the Southeast.
👏🏽 And Jay Cranman (pictured) will transition to CEO of JF&CS in mid-August after nearly a decade as CEO of Hands On Atlanta, co-founded by Elise Eplan and Kent Alexander.
Mythic creatures meet modern art!
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MUSEUM
✨ Step into a world where mythology and art collide! “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles“ brings vibrant, hybrid animal sculptures to life in Fernbank’s WildWoods.
These whimsical sculptures blend Zapotec culture and contemporary art, each representing spirit guides tied to personality and destiny. Designed by renowned Oaxacan artists, this exhibit offers a soulful journey through indigenous culture, identity, and the natural world.
➡ Open now through August 3 with special after-hours viewings on select nights. Don’t miss this magical experience!
Support the troops in Israel
💝 Send support packages through the Jewish National Fund.
🤝 Donate to Friends of the IDF.
📝 Write a letter to a soldier.
Be a Mensch
👨🍳 Cook and deliver dinner: The Z-H Independent Living Program has six houses that 26 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities call home. By preparing meals, volunteers support the around-the-clock staff and cultivation of a cozy home environment.
Volunteers will make meals for two independent living homes (two entrees, sides, and desserts). Cook the meals in your home, deliver to JF&CS in Dunwoody, and receive a $25 Kroger gift card. Kids can help! Sign up here.
As Israel attacks, what is life like for Jews in Iran?
✡️ Iran is an Islamic state known for its hostility to Israel. The country is also home to a longstanding Jewish community, with at least a dozen active synagogues in the capital city of Tehran, mikvahs, kosher butchers, a Jewish library, and even a Jewish newspaper.
As Israel and Iran exchange missile attacks, what explains this contradiction between seemingly robust Iranian Jewish life and the mass exodus of Jews from the country after 1979?
➡ Read more on the Forward.
☀️ Sometimes the best summer moments are the quiet ones — rocking on a porch swing, listening to the water lap against the dock, or feeling the warmth of the sun on your face with nowhere to be. At Lake Oconee, relaxation isn’t just encouraged — it’s part of the lifestyle. Find your reason to linger longer this summer at Lake Oconee. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Look & Listen
😡 NYC Mayor Eric Adams goes beyond the pale.
📺 Watch this video by WSJ reporter Shayndi Raice, Logan’s former colleague, on life with three kids in an underground bunker.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
✂️ June 22: Crafting and community at Or Hadash.
🪵 June 24: Torah in the woods.
🧘🏼♀️ June 26: Jewish mindfulness meditation with Rabbi Lauren.
🍩 June 29: PJ Library’s Donuts with Daddy.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Tisha B’Av on Aug. 2.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 8:33 p.m.
🔎 Looking for real connection and lasting meaning through Jewish life? Or Hadash is a home for joyful Judaism, sacred community, and purposeful living. Rooted in tradition, open to all. Let’s build something meaningful together. 🌐 Learn more.
Before you go
🍓 Today is Juneteenth. It’s a celebration of freedom for enslaved Africans in the United States. Check out this explainer of Juneteenth published by Global Jews. The site promotes the intersection of cultures across the world and Judaism.