Ups and downs
April 3 (5 Nisan Adar 5785)
Two steps forward:
🗣️ During a 24-hour long speech on the floor of the US Senate, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) proclaimed, “Hineni” (I am here).
Booker later told Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) “I’m grateful that we were founders of the Black-Jewish Caucus. … The Juneteenth seder’s coming up.”
One step back:
🎗️ In an interview with three released hostages, “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl asked Keith Siegle if Hamas starved him because the captors were out of food. Stahl is Jewish.
“They were beating me and starving me,” Siegel said.
Stahl followed up: “Do you think they starved you because they just didn’t have food?”
Siegel recounted: “No, I think they starved me, and they would often eat in front of me and not offer me food.”
And, a new low?
😡 Texas Rep. Keith Self sparked outrage during a congressional hearing on alleged censorship by quoting Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, drawing sharp criticism from Democratic colleagues.
⭐ This week we’re bringing you positive Jewish news from Atlanta – from Intown mahjong events to Passover with restauranteur Tal Baum. If you’re following the antisemitism laws in Sandy Springs, we have an update on that, too. As always, thanks for reading.
Y’alla,Logan
✡️ Your K-5th grader can connect with Jewish friends and culture after the school day ends at JKG Afternoon Community! Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Morningside, and Decatur locations. Transportation from nearby schools. Attend 1-5 days a week. You pick the days! Sign up now for the 2025-2026 school year. SPONSOR MESSAGE
JenChan’s Mahjong Mondays
🀄️ Since its inception six years ago, JenChan’s, a quirky little restaurant in Atlanta’s Cabbagetown neighborhood, has been about one thing: bringing people together to eat supper.
“We just feel very strongly about how sentimental it is to sit together and eat,” Emily Chan said, who co-owns JenChan’s with her wife, Jen. “I think it’s a salve for all the world’s problems.”
Walk into JenChan’s and you’re met with an eclectic menu that includes Chinese burritos, Mexican pizza, and Mongolian beef cheesesteak.
And every other Monday, JenChan’s hosts mahjong, an ancient Chinese game enjoying a resurgence in cities like Atlanta.
↪️ Read more from Katie Burkholder on what makes JenChan’s stand out.
RELATED:
🤦🏻♀️ The National Mahjong League issued a statement this week, apologizing for the mistake in both the large format and standard sized 2025 cards. NML said they will resend the correct version in the next few weeks.
Sip, Savor, and Support: The Tasting Experience
SPONSORED BY JF&CS
🍷 Jewish Family & Career Services invites you to sip, savor, and support at The Tasting Experience on May 1st! Join JF&CS for an unforgettable night featuring Atlanta’s finest tastes and spirits from top chefs and distributors, along with a silent auction.
Tal Baum’s lamb shoulder
🍽️ Owner of several restaurants — including Rina on the Beltline — Israeli-born Tal Baum prefers lamb to brisket at Passover. And she shared her recipe with Y’alla.
The key to Baum’s lamb shoulder recipe is finding grass-fed lamb. While the recipe is fairly simple to follow, when cooking the lamb in lemon sauce for hours, “deep flavors develop, and the outcome is so much more than the sum of the ingredients.”
“Springtime is the time of year when you eat fresh produce, and you have a lot of artichokes, peas, fava beans, spring garlic, and chives. All those really go well with lamb, and it’s a pretty traditional dish to serve for Passover back in Israel,” Baum said.
Passover giving
💕 The Maos Chitim Fund of Atlanta ensures every Jewish family can celebrate Passover with pride and dignity. On Sunday, March 30, JF&CS volunteers distributed financial and food assistance to over 530 households consisting of nearly 1,000 individuals.
🫶🏼 Donate to the Maos Chitim Fund to help with next Passover.
Sandy Springs sets free speech buffer zones
📍 Sandy Springs City Council approved three new ordinances that city attorney Dan Lee said would give the police department a greater ability to protect First Amendment rights.
The ordinances ban the overnight door-to-door soliciting and canvassing, and require a buffer zone for entrances to private property, Lee said.
Sandy Springs used draft ordinances developed by the Anti-Defamation League to create its own ordinances. But council members, local residents, and the ACLU of Georgia said the ordinances may violate First Amendment rights and may lead to legal challenges.
🧑🏼💻 Reporter Bob Pepalis has the whole story here.
Passover treats for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
🐝 Jamie Hardy Brooker is the genius behind Jack & Mae, a small business that caters to the students at Georgia Tech. Her custom baskets for every holiday and occasion bring themed treats at times when students need it the most – finals, Valentine’s Day, and even Passover.
The Passover basket includes Better Goods dark chocolate covered almonds, Benton’s coconut macaroons (two plain and two chocolate dipped), Manischewitz fruit flavored candy slices, and an 8-inch plush frog. The sender can include a personal message, and Brooker and her team take a photo of the student at pick up. (Proof of life is always nice for parents and grandparents of college kids.)
Brooker started the company in 2024 to offer care packages, gifts, and services with a loving touch, meeting the needs of the Yellow Jacket community. The company is named after her Yellow Jackets, Jack and Katherine “Mae.”
🌊 The deadline to order a Passover basket is April 10.
U.S. tariffs on Israeli imports
📌 President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed sweeping global tariffs, including a 17% tariff on Israeli imports, a move that could raise prices on some kosher food and Judaica.
The tariffs could impact the prices you see on products made in Israel — some that you might expect (hummus, Bamba, things made by Osem), but also others you may not: Many flavors of the Nespresso pods I use are made in Israel. Israel is also a major exporter of technology and medical supplies.
➡ Go deeper with the full story on the Forward.
Look & Listen
🏀 Three of the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball coaches are Jewish: Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Duke’s Jon Scheyer, and Florida’s Todd Golden —marking an historic moment in March Madness.
⁉️ Why are college students afraid to define antisemitism?
🍑 Nova Music Festival and Oct. 7 survivor Mazal Tazazo was honored by the Georgia House of Representatives with a resolution commending her “remarkable strength, resilience, and perseverance in the face of adversity.”
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What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🎗️ April 3: Yom HaShoah with 3GATL and YLD at the Breman.
👶🏽 April 5: PJ Library Tot Shabbat Intown for kids 0-5.
📖 April 5: Tot Shabbat in Sandy Springs with Passover story time.
🧑🧑🧒 April 9: You + 2 with young leaders from Sharaka. Register.
💼 April 10: JBusiness meets in Buckhead.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Passover. It begins at sundown on Saturday, April 12.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 7:42 p.m.
🗓️ 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 warmth, learning, and community. Learn more!
Thank you for your service
🇮🇱 The Georgia House of Representatives honored Anat Sultan-Dadon for her work as Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern US as her term nears the end.
Your moment of zen
🧘🏼♀️ Rough Draft publisher Keith Pepper snapped this photo of the sun setting in Tel Aviv Thursday afternoon.