Health and wellness
Thursday, May 7 (19 Iyar 5786)
☮️ Blue Dove, an Atlanta-based Jewish mental health nonprofit, reminded me that May is Mental Health Month. Below, read an essay from former executive director Gabby Spatt about her family’s ups and downs, and what she’s learned about mental health.
⚽ During the month of “Mayhem” – tournaments, travel, final exams, graduation, and Mother’s Day – many moms are just trying to strike a balance. Here are some tips.
📆 If you haven’t made Mother’s Day plans, we have great options that go beyond brunch. Kirkwood is doing it up!
❤️ As always, thanks for reading.
Y’alla,
Logan
Quiet the silence of mental health
🤫 In the Jewish community, talking about mental health and substance abuse can be taboo.
Mental health advocate and volunteer Gabby Spatt explains that the Jewish community needs to talk more about mental health. “We, as a community, need to quiet the silence that surrounds the issues of substance abuse and mental health overall,” Spatt said.
In an emotional personal essay about her sister Sari’s life and death, Spatt wrote: “I have taken every opportunity I could to make a difference in an area that needs so much work. I immediately started volunteering. It helped me with my grieving process. Being involved and trying to make change happen is the only way I know.”
The Blue Dove Foundation is holding a storytelling event about addiction and recovery on Wednesday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m.
👉🏼 Tap into Jewish mental health resources.
Support Georgia grievers at our Mourning Glory Gala
SPONSORED BY KATE’S CLUB
💛 Want to honor grieving families?
Did you know that one in 10 kids in Georgia will be bereaved by the age of 18? And that number doubles by the time someone turns 25.
When we lose someone, we all just want someone on our team. You can be on the same team as Georgia’s grievers by attending the 2026 Mourning Glory Gala, which benefits the kids, families and young adults of Kate’s Club.
💙 Saturday, May 9. The Stave Room. Will you be there? Get your tickets now!
Gardens feed neighbors in need
Researching this article about community gardens led me to Adamah, which led me to Robert Wittenstein. He’s the brains and brawn behind Temple Emanu-El’s Garden Isaiah.
Twenty-one years after its establishment, Garden Isaiah donates between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of food per year to the Community Assistance Center, about two miles from the synagogue. It doesn’t get more local than that.
♻️ Looking to make a local impact? Check out Adamah’s next event at Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM).
Her body has been unidentified for decades. Her Ashkenazi DNA may explain why
Editor’s note: This article details a violent crime.
🧬 Murder investigators in Arizona are encountering a stubborn obstacle to solving a decades-old cold case involving an unidentified dead body: The woman’s Ashkenazi Jewish DNA.
In 1989, an unclothed dead body was found on the side of a highway in northwest Arizona. The woman was never identified, though small details offered clues about her life: red nail polish on her fingers and toes, faux diamond stud earrings, and a handmade floral blouse found under a nearby tree.
In 2021, authorities reopened the case and uploaded the woman’s DNA profile to genetic databases available to law enforcement, hoping for a breakthrough. Instead, they hit a wall. The victim was 96% Ashkenazi Jewish, which made it extremely difficult to trace her ancestry and locate family members, officials said.
📰 Read the full story on the Forward.
🚤 No classic summer is complete without a little time on the lake, and at Lake Oconee, there are countless ways to make a splash. Whether you’re cruising the shoreline on a pontoon boat, tubing behind a ski boat, or paddling out in a kayak, the water is where summer memories are made. SPONSOR MESSAGE
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🎵 May 8: Havdalah and Song Circle at Or Hadash.
👶🏽 May 10: Dads and kids take over Sababa’s Burgers.
🇮🇱 May 13: Discuss “Happy New Years” by Maya Arad.
💻 May 14: JTech presents “The Direction of Atlanta’s Startup Ecosystem.”
🎤 May 13: Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann speaks.
⁉️ May 17: Interfaith trivia night in Edgewood.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Shavuot on May 21.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 8:09 p.m.
🎶 Where there is song, there is prayer. Don’t miss Havdalah and Song Circle at Or Hadash this Saturday, May 9 at 8 PM—an evening of music, reflection, and community. All are welcome. Details and RSVP on our calendar.
Before you go
📅 Save the date, Thursday, June 11, for the annual fundraiser to benefit Rebecca’s Tent: Spiegel Women’s Shelter at Shearith Israel.
Hosted by the Atlanta Woman’s Club, the event will showcase the work accomplished at the women’s shelter for more than 40 years. Located at Shearith Israel, Rebecca’s Tent supports women experiencing homelessness in Atlanta.
