Baby it’s cold outside
Feb. 5 (18 Shevat)
⛄ Cold weather means film festivals and awards shows. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival runs Feb. 18 – March 3. Catch the opening film “Once Upon My Mother” at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Feb. 18. The festival lineup includes 49 feature films and 16 shorts, and tickets are now on sale.
🚑 Have you been watching The Pitt, a medical drama that takes place inside a Pittsburgh emergency department? Jewish actor Noah Wylie felt it was crucial to address the 2019 shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in S2 E3. It’s streaming on HBO Max now.
👮🏼 A North Carolina man was sentenced this week for sending antisemitic threats to Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch, among others.
🗞️ Read on for more Jewish news, like what happened to a well-established fundraiser run by Jewish volunteers – and why it hasn’t come back this year.
Y’alla,
Logan
No Roses for Roe
🌹 A major Atlanta fundraiser to benefit Planned Parenthood Southeast (PPSE), an affiliate of the national organization that advocates for women’s reproductive and health rights, has been suspended without clear reason.
Since 2016, Roses for Roe has been organized by a group of Jewish volunteers to support PPSE. At the 10-year anniversary event in January 2025, Roses for Roe raised around $300,000. It’s been held at The Temple in Midtown Atlanta for years.
Now, volunteers and Planned Parenthood staff are declining to discuss why the 2026 event has not been planned.
“Planned Parenthood Southeast remains focused on patient care and advancing its mission. After reviewing timing and organizational capacity amid a challenging external environment, the decision was made to postpone the Roses for Roe event,” Tangela Parker, PPSE senior vice president, wrote in a statement to Rough Draft.
❓Roses for Roe co-founder Samanatha Schoenbaum and event chair Jennifer Babbit Bodner said the event is being postponed “due to a myriad of reasons” without further explanation.
PPSE, which advocates for women’s healthcare in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, has made headlines for turnover and turmoil in the leadership.
A date has not been set for a future fundraiser. A save the date was sent via email in October, but former PPSE staff member Tony Kearney who worked on Roses for Roe for six years said the fundraiser never entered the planning stage.
“I feel like there were no plans in place to actually have it. … It’s been in the making since before the new year that they weren’t going to do it,” Kearney said.
📌 Read more about PPSE’s legal trouble.
Explore Israel Together
SPONSORED BY JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA
✈️ Experience the spirit of Israel on this unforgettable journey with your Atlanta community! From the vibrant streets of Tel Aviv to the breathtaking views of the Negev, this immersive tour will go far beyond the usual sights.
You’ll get a personal look at the resilience, unity, and rebuilding of communities across Northern and Southern Israel following October 7. Meet the people whose strength and spirit continue to shape the nation’s future. Don’t miss your opportunity to deepen your connection to Israel’s people, culture, and story.
➞ Register at jnf.org/atlcommunity.
Repro Shabbat
📅 Hundreds of congregations nationwide will observe Repro Shabbat 2026 on Feb. 13-14 based on Parshat Mishpatim, which references Judaism’s approach to reproductive health, rights, and justice. Here’s what’s happening locally:
🖊️ 60+ clergy members have signed the Rabbis for Repro pledge.
💬 AA synagogue and National Jewish Women’s Council are holding discussions with leaders from National Jewish Council of Women, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, and the Georgia House of Representatives.
🗣️ Catch Rabbi Peter Berg’s d’var Torah at The Temple.
📖 Join Or Hadash’s discussion on Jewish teachings related to abortion.
📜 Rabbi Ron Siege will lead Temple Sinai in a Torah study.
Happy Tu B’Shvat
🌳 More than 100 people gathered on Feb. 4 at The Temple for a Tu B’Shvat seder with Adamah and The Spring. Rebekka Goldsmith of Congregation Bet Haverim and Ori Salzberg of Congregation Shearith Israel led the musical program, while speakers from Adamah informed the audience on climate change.
RELATED
🌿 Due to freezing temps last weekend, a tree planting with Adamah and Trees Atlanta has been moved to Sunday, Feb. 8. Volunteers are needed.
Jews who support Israel often do not identify as ‘Zionists,’ new JFNA survey finds
🇮🇱 Only one-third of American Jews say they identify as Zionist, even as nearly nine in 10 say they support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and Democratic state, according to a new survey conducted by Jewish Federations of North America.
The findings of the survey reveal that American Jews do not have a mutually agreed-upon definition of Zionism.
For example, about 80% of anti-Zionist Jews say “supporting whatever actions Israel takes” is a tenet of Zionism, while only about 15% of self-identified Zionists share the belief, according to the survey.
➡ Read the full story on the Forward.
Look & Listen
🍾 NBA Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas is launching a new collection of luxury kosher champagne. Thomas, who is not Jewish, is a two-time NBA champ and 12-time All-Star.
🍲 Souper Jenny’s fundraiser Soupfest, benefitting the Zadie Project, is planned for March 1. Get tickets.
👩🏼🏫 ADL has launched Decode & Disrupt, an online toolkit to help educators and caregivers to evaluate the materials used to explore Jewish identity, Israel, antisemitism and the Holocaust in classrooms.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🧢 Feb. 7:OH Dads is fatherhood, Torah, and real talk.
🍺 Feb. 11: Bayit Ba’Beltline holds Torah study at New Realm.
🎭 Feb. 15:Broadway Sideways at The Breman.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Purim on March 2.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 5:55 p.m.
🎶 What a week. We recommend challah. Join Or Hadash next Fri., Feb. 13 for Musical Kabbalat Shabbat services and a delicious community dinner. Unwind, connect, and welcome Shabbat together. Details and RSVP.
💙 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
We remember
🎗️ Longtime Atlanta resident Ann Tourial passed away on Feb. 1 after a short battle with cancer. She was 63. Annie was born in West Palm Beach, FL, and attended the University of Florida before moving to Atlanta in 1986.
She married Danny Tourial in 1988, and together they raised two sons, Greg (Lizzie) and Ryan (Natasha), and were longtime members of Congregation Or VeShalom.
Annie was an integral part of the large Toruial extended family. She served as PTA president at Riverwood High School and as president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee.
✡️ Read more at Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care.