Today is Yom HaShoah
April 24 (26 Nisan Adar 5785) – This morning, I participated in the 36th annual global Yom HaShoah commemoration — Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day — at the Jewish Federation building in Midtown.
🎗️ Readers stood at a microphone, continuously calling each Holocaust victim’s name, birthplace, age, and the year and location of their death. Some of us held it together at the mic. Several of us did not, me included. It was both somber and sobering.
✡️ Atlantans will mark Yom HaShoah with the 60th annual community-wide Holocaust commemoration on Sunday, April 27 at Greenwood Cemetery in southwest Atlanta, but there are other ways, too. Give to the Holocaust Survivor Support Fund. Listen to reflective family members tell their stories at a 3G event. Engage with Am Yisrael Chai, an organization that delivers impactful Holocaust education and genocide awareness.
This weekend, thousands of people will participate in the March of the Living, walking along the train tracks between Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.
💛 Take a moment of silence. Do what you can. It’s not just about one day on the calendar, it’s a lifetime of education.
Y’alla,
Logan
🏫 Thinking about Jewish learning for your child? Want more family time in one place? Or Hadash’s Shabbat morning experiential children’s program offers both! Attend our April 26 Open House to experience the warmth, learning, and community. Learn more! SPONSOR MESSAGE
White Rose honoree
🤍 Israel Consul General Sultan-Dadon and Linda Selig, founder of the White Rose Society, presented Dr. Mike Hobbs, president of Georgia Highlands College, with an award for his support of Israel and the Jewish people on April 21.
The White Rose Society was founded by Jewish leaders in response to the horrors of Oct. 7 and the subsequent rise in global antisemitism, recognizing individuals who demonstrate moral courage.
The award ceremony was held at GHC’s campus in Cartersville. Gov. Brian Kemp sent a letter of congratulations to Hobbs, while the mayors of both Rome and Cartersville presented Hobbs with proclamations in his honor.
Pictured above: White Rose Society founder Linda Selig, White Rose Society executive director Julie Rau, Professor Dr. Mike Hobbs, Consul General Sultan-Dadon, Rome City Comissioner Randy Quick, Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini, and Georgia State Rep. Matthew Gambill.
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!
Volunteer with BBYO
🫶🏼 On Sunday, April 27, Atlanta teens will join others from across the globe in J-Serve, the annual day of Jewish teen service. Coordinated locally by the MJCCA, this event brings together all area Jewish youth organizations for a citywide day of service, giving teens in grades 6 to 12 the chance to give back, earn community service hours, and make a tangible impact.
Four service projects are taking place:
✔️ Cooking for a Cause (Rebecca’s Tent and JFCS)
✔️ Fighting Hunger (Bagel Rescue)
✔️ River Clean Up (Adamah ATL)
✔️ Gardening Project (Jewish HomeLife)
➡ BBYO membership is not required. Sign up to participate.
Every day is Earth Day
🌎 Adamah ATL is part of a national organization aimed at bringing sustainable practices and environmentalism to Jewish people, and they’re still celebrating Earth Day with events in April and May.
On Saturday, April 26, Adamah is hosting an interfaith Earth Day dinner in Decatur. On Sunday, April 27, make pickles at “Fermenting Change” with Joanna Kobylivker and Dena Schusterman at 7 p.m. at Chabad Intown. And on Saturday, May 10, birdwatchers will love the interfaith Shabbat bird walk and outdoor service.
👉🏼 Learn more about Adamah’s events.
Closing the chapter on 18Doors Atlanta
😢 In an email this week, 18Doors Chief Programming Officer Adam Pollack wrote that “Due to a change in local funding, 18Doors will no longer be able to maintain the Atlanta Director position. As a result, Rabbi Malka Packer-Monroe’s last day was on April 15.”
Rabbi Malka was with the organization for 10 years. 18Doors is a non-profit organization that supports interfaith couples and families.
“Our commitment to creating a community of belonging in the Atlanta area remains strong. We will continue this important work through training and consulting local Jewish organizational leaders, including the launch of our first Atlanta B’Yachad cohort in August,” the email read.
🚪 Visit the 18Doors website here.
Will the next pope be good for the Jews?
✝️ It’s hard to guess what direction the Catholic church might go after the death of Pope Francis Monday morning. Francis was a liberalizing changemaker in the church, speaking out — sometimes very sharply — about climate change, immigration and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
The incoming pope’s politics on antisemitism and the Middle East might play a big role. The lists of likely candidates feature several cardinals who have made their name by speaking out about antisemitism, or through their involvement in Middle Eastern politics — topics Francis was also outspoken on, criticizing the destruction in Gaza and cautioning the world against antisemitism, including in his final papal address on Easter Sunday.
➡ Read the full story on the Forward.
Look & Listen
🪧 Emory students are reliving last year’s protest and arrests.
🎤 Sharon Osbourne has strong opinions about Kneecap’s performance art at Coachella.
🎨 Artist and former hostage Andrei Kozlov exhibits his art in NYC.
🍷 JF&CS presents The Tasting Experience. An evening of wine and spirits, delicious food from your ATL favorites, and a chance to make an impact in our community. Join us May 1st at The Stave Room. Get tickets here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🌏 April 26: Interfaith Havdalah and Earth Day dinner in Decatur.
🤣 April 27: Rob Kutner’s witty take on Jewish history.
🏓 April 27: Pickleball round robin at the JCC.
🎗️ April 29: Yom HaZikaron at AA.
👧🏻 May 3: Tot Shabbat in Sandy Springs.
✡️ Today is the Jewish holiday of Yom HaShoah.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 7:59 p.m.
🗓️ History and harmony! Join us Sunday, April 27, for a morning of laughs with Emmy-winner Rob Kutner’s witty take on Jewish history and an evening of soul-stirring song from The Mamalehs. Two can’t-miss events. Join us – bring a friend!
We remember the Shoah
🎗️ Child Holocaust survivor Barry Seidel read names of those who were murdered in the Holocaust today, April 24, at the Jewish Federation of Atlanta. He remembered his own family members who were killed at Auschwitz.
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