Vote early (but not often)
Thursday, Oct. 15 (4 Heshvan 5787) — With record numbers of Georgians going to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, I’m back on my voting soapbox. Find early voting locations here.
🇮🇱 Israel’s elections – expected to be pivotal – will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Below we’ve compiled ways to participate, whether you’re just learning about the candidates, watching the results come in or waiting for the aftermath. Remember, Israel is seven hours ahead of Atlanta.
✍🏼 Locally, JF&CS CEO Jay Cranman left the organization abruptly last week. Amanda LaKier, who was the chief advancement officer, has stepped in as interim CEO. LaKier did not respond for comment.
👋🏽 There’s a new face at American Jewish Committee. Sharon Goldman spoke with Rough Draft about leaving Jerusalem for the tree-lined streets of Atlanta, and what she hopes to accomplish as Atlanta’s regional director.
👓 Keep reading for news on Jewish edibles, tikkun olam and mental health.
Y’alla,
Logan
🕯️ As the sun sets over Atlanta, the past comes alive. Now in its 20th year, history, theatre, and Halloween thrills converge at Oakland Cemetery for Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours tonight, Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, and 22-25 from 5-11 p.m. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Israel election guide
🌍 Unlike the U.S. electoral system, Israelis vote for party lists rather than individuals. Members of the Knesset are elected through proportional representation with the entire state treated as one electoral district, according to Jewish Community Relations Council.
🗳️ At least 10 of the 38 party lists on the ballot are likely to win seats in the 120-member Knesset. It’s the first election since Oct. 7, 2023, and the first since national demonstrations earlier in 2023 for (and against) a judicial overhaul.
Attend
1️⃣ At Emory Hillel, JCRC is holding a watch party from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. You don’t need to know anything about the Israeli system or politics: Experts will provide commentary and answer questions. Breakout sessions will discuss how Israelis vote and form a government.
The event is free for Emory students and $18 for guests. Space is limited. Registration is required.
2️⃣ On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the night after Israel’s election, American-Israeli journalist Yaakov Katz will explain what happened, what it means and what’s next. Learn how to interpret the results and how the outcome could change Israel’s approach to Iran, its regional alliances and its relationship with the United States.
Read
3️⃣ Uriel Zehavi gives his opinion on candidates, platforms, current election issues and what to keep an eye on.
4️⃣ The Times of Israel found that Israelis living abroad are flying back to vote.
Watch
5️⃣ On a recent episode of “Waiting for 61,” hosts Ami Eden and Ruth Eglash discuss how the coalition-building process that follows the vote matters as much as the vote itself. With the top parties polling at around 22 seats each, this election will be decided in the negotiations that come after.
Have you HERD?
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM
🐘 Fall at Fernbank Museum is packed with science, nature, and discovery. From fall leaves in Fernbank Forest to the new Elephants exhibit, it’s a great time to visit.
➞ Check out our fall events, 3D films, exhibits and more at our website.
Breaking down mental health stigma
🧠 Sheila Jutan and Debra Shaffer Seeman are the founding directors of Hineni Toco Hills Mental Health Initiative, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to mental health education and stigma reduction within the Orthodox Jewish community. Based in Toco Hills, Hineni is open to the broader Atlanta Jewish community.
On Monday, Oct. 26, Hineni is screening “BrainStorm: Transforming the Bipolar Landscape” at the Tara Theatre. The documentary combines lived experiences with medical insight to explore diagnosis, treatment, stigma and the possibility of living a healthy, fulfilling life with bipolar disorder.
🎞️ Stay for a Q&A with filmmaker Bonnie Waltch, author Sara Schley and Atlanta board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Eric Fier. The event is aimed at age 16+.
Mayor Daniel Biss to speak at J Street
📝 J Street’s annual meeting on Oct. 26 will feature Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss, the grandson of Holocaust survivors who found himself in the middle of a heated debate over the future of the Jewish community and the U.S.-Israel relationship in spring. He will be joined by top J Street leaders, Ilan Goldenberg and Tali deGroot.
Expect a candid conversation about J Street’s role in this deeply divided moment, priorities ahead of the U.S. and Israel elections, the stakes for American democracy and the divisions shaping both the Democratic Party and the American Jewish community.
🕯️ As the sun sets over Atlanta, the past comes alive. Now in its 20th year, history, theatre, and Halloween thrills converge at Oakland Cemetery for Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours tonight, Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, and 22-25 from 5-11 p.m.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
‘It’s not easy being a Jewish weed brand’: Tokin’ Jew faces uncertain future despite explosive growth
🍭 For the past several years, Jewish cannabis company Tokin’ Jew has offered a little something to take the edge off just about every Jewish occasion.
High Holidays have you feeling stressed? Try “High, Honey,” the company’s THC-infused honey stick. Passover Seder dragging on a little too long? An edible called “4 Cups,” the first officially certified kosher-for-Passover THC gummy, will help get you through it.
🍫 Now the company that brought the world cannabis-infused chocolate Hanukkah gelt and THC-laced hamantaschen is facing a decidedly less festive future. In a couple months, the products responsible for the majority of its business will no longer be legal due to a change in federal law.
It’s not just Tokin’ Jew. The new restrictions, set to take effect in December, threaten to upend a multibillion dollar e-commerce industry that has flourished for nearly a decade.
➡ Read the full story on the Forward.
Look & Listen
🎭 Broadway is buzzing about “Here There Are Blueberries” written by Moises Kaufmann, coming to Actor’s Express in spring 2027. Curators at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum receive an old album full of World War II-era photographs in 2007 depicting daily life from one of the most lethal concentration camps. The museum curators unravel the truth behind the images in this multimedia play.
🎭 Two Jewish Atlantans are overseeing the music and sound at the Alliance Theatre’s newest show, “Like Father.” Go see the coming-of-age musical with a true crime twist with music direction by Adam Beskind and sound by Tamir Eplan-Frankel.
What’s doin’ around town
SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH
🖼️ Oct. 20: Rabbi Adina Allen and Emory Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Jordan Braunig on “The Place of All Possibility.”
⛅ Oct. 22: The morning after Oct. 7 with Rabbi Leo Dee.
🕊️ Oct. 22: “After Auschwitz: Jewish Belief in the Age of Genocide.”
😆 Oct. 24: Join Jewish comedians at Belly Laughs with the Surrogacy Foundation.
✡️ The next Jewish holiday is Chanukah, which begins at sundown on Dec. 4.
🕯️ Light Shabbat candles this week at 6:46 p.m.
🗓️ Looking for a Jewish community where you can bring your whole self? At Or Hadash, explore ancient texts, join a sci-fi book club, discover meditation and play mahjong. Find your people, spark your curiosity and come as you are.
Before you go
☮️ Repair the World marked 1 million acts of service and learning at a national gathering in Atlanta (pictured) this week, Oct. 13-14. Repair’s staff, donors and community leaders met at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to recognize Atlanta’s role in helping grow Jewish service locally and nationally.
Coming soon: Join Repair the World Atlanta and Five Points Farm for a community service project on Nov. 8.
