Fire up the latkes
Dec. 11 (21 Kislev 5786)
❓The December Dilemma is upon us. With parents and grandparents trying to create holiday magic, some families are wrestling with which holiday traditions to include.
🍟 Speaking of holidays, our list of Chanukah events has grown since last week. See below.
🎀 Does your family wrap gifts? Some don’t! I have a pile of presents taking up precious real estate in my home office, and I just can’t bring myself to wrap them all. Maybe this Spotify playlist will provide motivation.
🎥 Lastly, we apologize for an error in last week’s calendar. See “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen” at the Tara Theatre tonight, Dec. 11.
🕎 Happy Chanukah!
Y’alla,
Logan
Former hostages visit Atlanta
🎗️ Benjamin Anthony of the MirYam Institute (pictured, left) spoke with former Israeli hostages Evyatar David (middle) and Guy Gilboa-Dalal (right) about their harrowing capture by Hamas terrorists from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023. The men detailed their resilience in captivity until their release more than two years later on Dec. 4 at the Atlanta Jewish Academy.
Celebrate the Season with Wonder at Fernbank Museum
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MEMBERSHIP
🎁 Looking for the perfect gift?
Something that sparks joy, incites hugs, induces smiles, and warms the heart? Share a year of exploration with a Fernbank Membership—unlimited daytime general admission to exhibits, films, and nature adventures.
🌲 Members enjoy 75 acres of outdoor fun in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, plus three floors of hands-on science exhibits indoors. Seasonal activities, canopy walks, and nature play areas await.
And don’t forget: Fernbank is unveiling new museum experiences over the next two years, starting with Our Place in the Cosmos in late 2025.
✨ Look for our Holiday 2025 sale running Dec. 18-25, 2025.
Chanukah calendar
Sunday, Dec. 14
🛍️ Chanukah market at Congregation Bet Haverim.
🔨 Menorah workshop with Chabad Intown at The Home Depot.
🎨 Music, lunch, and artists’ market at Shearith Israel.
🌟 Glow Strong family celebration at MJCCA.
💡 Chanukah festival and menorah lighting at Vinings Jubilee.
🀄 Majongg-ukah at Or Hadash in Sandy Springs.
☮️ Inclusive Chanukah party at AA.
Monday, Dec. 15
🔥 Menorah lighting on Tucker Town Green.
🕯️ Gelt drop and menorah lighting at Brawner Hall in Smyrna.
Tuesday, Dec. 16
⚾ Chanukah at The Battery.
Wednesday, Dec. 17
🥙 Hanukkah at Halidom food hall with Liz Rose and Joe Alterman.
🍷 Three-course Chanukah dinners begin at The General Muir.
📕 “Hanukkah Hippity Hop” with author Barbara Kimmel.
Thursday, Dec. 18
🌮 Cinco de Hanukkah taco and nacho buffet at Morty’s Meat & Supply in Dunwoody.
5️⃣ The Fifth Night food event with celebrity chefs and The Spring.
🌈 Queer Latke Party with SOJOURN.
Saturday, Dec. 20
💃🏽 Hanukkah, solstice, havdalah ecstatic dance with Tish and Mackenzie Wren.
Sunday, Dec. 21
🔦 Ponce City Market menorah lighting.
Monday, Dec. 22
🎅🏽 Holiday-themed dinners begin at The General Muir.
Neraneneh season begins
🎺 Neranenah, the cultural event series with roots in Jewish culture and musical traditions, is announcing the 2025‑26 lineup with award‑winning musicians and Broadway talent.
🎶 The first performance is Thursday, Dec. 11. See Ada Pasternak and The Pasternak Family in a rare performance by the entire family, whose journey from religious persecution in Moscow to artistic acclaim in the U.S. shapes their global-infused, Russian-Jewish sound.
🎼 On Saturday, Jan. 17, Former “Wicked” star Jonah Platt brings a mix of Broadway vocals, candid storytelling, and reflections on identity. The last installment is on Thursday, May 7 when Broadway star Julie Benko appears with Jason Yeager, an award-winning pianist and Berklee professor, for an intimate evening blending jazz, theatre, and contemporary song.
He used to think Jewish athletes were a punchline; now, he wants to help them get a proper paycheck
✈️ My favorite joke in the 1980 comedy Airplane! is, by the standards of a movie featuring a glue-inhaling Lloyd Bridges and an inflatable toy autopilot, one of its subtler gags. A passenger asks a flight attendant for some light reading; in return, she receives a pocket-sized leaflet of “famous Jewish sports legends.”
🧢 The vicious canard (just kidding, we’ve been called worse) that the so-called people of the book are ill-at-ease on the court or the gridiron contains a kernel of truth, of course. There’s a reason nearly all Jews know the names Koufax and Spitz — there are few other Jewish sports stars to choose from.
➡ Read the full story on the Forward.
Be a mensch
🙌🏾 Volunteer opportunities abound in the Jewish community. Here are some ways to get involved.
🌭 Pinch Hitters is still accepting volunteers for Dec. 25. Sign up is required.
👩🏼🎨 JF&CS Family Mitzvah Day is planned for Sunday, Jan. 18. Children and adults will work together on projects to serve the community. Registration is required.
🚚 Drivers are needed to make food deliveries across metro Atlanta to those unable to visit the kosher food pantry at JF&CS. Must be at least 21 years old and have registered vehicle, current driver’s license, and auto insurance. Click here to apply.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🫱🏻🫲🏼 Dec. 17:“Light Through the Darkness” is the story of a Holocaust and Oct. 7 survivor.
🧘🏽♀️ Dec. 18: Drop-in Jewish meditation.
🥔 Dec. 19:Light Shabbat candles and eat latkes.
🕯️ Light shabbat candles this week at 5:11 p.m.
🗓️ The next holiday is Chanukah starting at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 14.
🕎 Light the candles. Share the latkes. Or Hadash invites you and your family to a joyful Hanukkah Kabbalat Shabbat on December 19 with candle lighting at 5:15, a family latke dinner, and bring-your-own-hanukiyah fun. Come early! RSVP today!
Before you go
👩🏼🍳 On Thursday, Dec. 18, The Spring is bringing the heat (and the light) to Chanukah with local chefs Todd Ginsberg and Tal Baum who will join forces with rising Bukharian star Liat Tzionov. Expect a taste of the Jewish diaspora from Ashkenazi to Sephardic to Central Asian delicacies.
👯 This isn’t your Bubbe’s Hanukah party (although she’s invited and will have the time of her life). Get tickets.