844 days
Jan. 29 (11 Shevat 5786)
🎗️ Right off the bat, let’s take a moment to recognize that the body of Ran Gvili, 24, has been returned to Israel and laid to rest. Gvili was the last hostage to be returned. He was killed on Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas brutally attacked Israel. Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin have shed their symbols of war after 844 days.
🚫 I’m unimpressed by Kanye “Ye” West’s latest apology because it’s been more than a decade of his repeated public antisemitic meltdowns. Get a new shtick.
🌳 Looking for a list of Tu B’Shvat celebrations? In honor of the trees, try these sustainability tips.
🗞️ Read on for Jewish sports, Girls Girls Club, and local events and opportunities.
Y’alla,
Logan
💙 The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has supported every major IBD research breakthrough. Who do you know with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis? Give today and support them through our Torch Gala on Sat., Feb. 7. SPONSOR MESSAGE
‘I’m a Girl’s Girl’ to celebrate friendship
👩🏻🤝👩🏽 Nashira, a program to promote friendship, trust, and support among high school girls, is holding its first community event on Thursday, Feb. 5 featuring Izzi Friedman, founder of Girls Girls Club in New York City, and singer/songwriter Hannah Zale. “I’m a Girl’s Girl” will start at 7 p.m.
Girlies ages 12+ and their moms (or adult female role models) are invited to enjoy sweets and sushi, journaling led by Friedman, and a short concert by Zale at the Weber School’s black box theatre.
Debbie Derby created Nashira after her daughter, Ashira Rabinowitz, died unexpectedly in December 2023. Ashira was a 20-year-old Florida State University student and belonged to Delta Gamma sorority. She had a large circle of friends who loved her deeply.
“There’s an enormous need in the teen girl community to promote strong connections and positivity,” Derby told Rough Draft.
Now in its pilot year, Nashira leaders are adjusting the curriculum and programming as they learn the needs and wants of participants. In the future, Derby said Nashira will incorporate college women mentors, increase its presence in middle school, and strengthen efforts to reach elementary students with books on kindness, confidence, friendship, and gratitude.
💛 Tickets for I’m a Girl’s Girl are still on sale.
Celebrate Israel’s 78th Independence Day!
SPONSORED BY JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA
✡️ Join Jewish National Fund-USA‘s Women for Israel as we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, by highlighting the life-changing work we are doing to rebuild and reimagine a stronger Israel.
From housing to healthcare to job creation, every project we undertake creates circles of impact that enrich individuals, strengthen families, empower communities, and uplift entire regions across Israel’s underserved North and South. Learn how you can support these amazing initiatives in honor of Israel’s 78th birthday with the incredible women who help secure the future of the Jewish homeland.
➞ RSVP at jnf.org/atlwfi.
JCRC legislative breakfast
👩🏻⚖️ On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta (JCRC) will bring together legislators and journalists for a discussion of key issues facing the Georgia General Assembly with a Jewish lens.
Peach Politics is an annual legislative breakfast and advocacy program, designed to provide insight into Georgia’s political landscape and foster informed civic engagement within the Jewish community. It is held at Coverdell Legislative Office Building, 18 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, Ga. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m., followed by a panel discussion from 8 to 9 a.m.
State Rep. Esther Panitch and other legislators plan to discuss health care, the state budget, and education. The agenda will include anti-hunger, pro-nutrition policies, JCRC’s primary focus this year.
Orthodox Jewish groups have been quiet about ICE. This Minneapolis rabbi wasn’t.
❓ When the heads of major Jewish denominations co-signed a letter last week criticizing “in the strongest possible terms” the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, Orthodox Judaism was conspicuously absent. Neither the Orthodox Union nor Agudath Israel of America has commented on the mass deployment of ICE and Border Patrol officers to the city.
🧊 There was, however, at least one Orthodox rabbi willing to criticize ICE in public. Rabbi Max Davis, who leads the Minneapolis Modern Orthodox synagogue Darchei Noam Congregation, was one of 49 Jewish leaders to sign a Jan. 16 letter from the Minnesota Rabbinical Association, which said ICE was “wreaking havoc across our state” and which resolved to “bear witness and make a difference.”
📰 Read the full story on the Forward.
🫶 The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has fueled every major IBD breakthrough. Think of someone you love living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Honor them by giving today and supporting our Torch Gala on Sat., Feb. 7. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Look & Listen
🎸 See local singer/songwriter Adam Klein on Feb. 6 when he opens for Nigel Wearne at the cozy, intimate wine bar Commune in Avondale Estates.
⚾ Alex Bregman, who had opted out of his three-year, $120 million deal with Boston, has signed a five-year, $175 million pact with the Cubs, the second-largest contract ever signed by a Jewish ballplayer, behind Max Fried’s $218 million contract in 2024.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🥞 Feb. 1:Her Brunch Club at Mitzvah House.
🀄 Feb. 2: Join Mahjong Monday at 1 p.m.
💻 Feb. 4: Three-part teen series begins via Zoom.
👦🏼 Feb. 7: Tot Shabbat at Or Hadash.
🔬 Feb. 8:Young women in STEM Fair at AJA.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Tu B’Shevat on Feb. 1.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 5:48 p.m.
✨ Gather your littles for Tot Shabbat at Or Hadash! Join us Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. for joyful, kid-friendly Shabbat fun, then stay for a delicious kiddush lunch and connect with other families. RSVP here and come meet your people!
We remember
🎗️ In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27, we remember the six million Jewish people who were systematically targeted, gathered, and murdered.