Dave Schechter
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Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt was confirmed on March 30 by the Senate to be the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. She is the second woman from Atlanta's Jewish community to get the position.
After battling leukemia, a Jewish woman experienced the severe shortage of blood in Atlanta firsthand and rallied a community to support the importance of donation. The result was surprising. Read here.
(OPINION) If an American Jew suggested what I am about to quote, they might be hauled into the court of Jewish opinion, excoriated in some quarters and lauded in others. But these are the thoughts of Israelis who, while grateful for U.S. aid, find in recent events reasons to reevaluate that part of the relationship.
Rebuked for linking COVID-19 measures to Jewish suffering at the Nazis’ hands, the controversial Georgia congresswoman was on the offensive the night of May 27. Other Republicans in the House, like minority leader Kevin McCarthy, publicly debunked her comparisons between mask mandates and proof of vaccination to the Holocaust.
Measured over the past five years or even this year alone, new Anti-Defamation League Study shows significant percentages of Jews suffered online harassment, in-person verbal attacks, or physical violence.
In the aftermath of horrific killings, a local Korean-American leader in Atlanta explained that he appreciated the empathy shown by the Jewish community. She claimed that the Jewish community paved the way for others in the area.
Incendiary rhetoric has made Georgia Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial figure among Jews not only in Georgia, but nationally. She vows not to back down from her anti-Semitic statements despite her many critics in and out of the Republican party.
(OPINION) After prominent racial justice discussions in 2020, Schechter amends his first column on the subject, “Are Jews White? It’s Complicated.” He says that as a White Jewish man, he does not understand the struggles of being Black in America — and works with the Temple in understanding and standing on the side of racial justice.
Georgia Tech released a statement that explicitly stated that forms of anti-Semitism, based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, would not be tolerated on or off-campus after a hateful act took place on campus last year, targeting a Jewish student’s faith.
The Temple in Atlanta, Ga. experienced a major cyberattack on Friday night, prohibiting viewers from reaching the MLK Day service collaborated with Ebenezer Baptist Church for over an hour. This act was assumably fueled by racism and anti-Semitism.
(OPINION) Support for Israel is at the heart of lobbying for Jewish votes by the Democratic and Republican candidates as the Senate runoffs near. Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock has proved to be “disappointing” for some Jewish voters in Georgia on the account that he may believe that Israel is an “apartheid state” according to past actions.
(OPINION) With mixed commentary about both Georgia runoff candidates, who is a Jew to believe? Who will win the Jewish — and majority Georgia — vote?
In a new study released by the AJC, a global Jewish advocacy group, researchers found that many Non-Orthodox Jews in America are leaning towards voting for Biden. This includes Conservative, Reformed and Secular Jewish Americans.
(OPINION) What potential does Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene have in the race for the House of Representatives? If elected, will she treat the entire Jewish population the same as she’s treated George Soros?
In a letter from prominent Orthodox Jews, leaders explain that their utmost law must be the Torah — not common law from partisan leaders today. As politics continue to become more partisan, how will Jews stay fixed on the ideals of the Torah, not certain political leaders?
Schools are working to be “COVID compliant,” as they find the best way to reopen safely for students. Jewish HomeLife will be providing COVID testing to all Jewish day schools and other programs in the Atlanta area.
As Jewish High Holy Days approach in September, rabbis are forced to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time of reflection on God’s judgement and redemption. “Do I really believe that God will choose to spare me from, and others will die by, fire, famine or COVID-19?” one rabbi asks.
Matt Lieberman, who is in the middle of a campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Georgia, is defending the racial content of his debut novel “Lucius.” Some have criticized the book by saying it presents a white savior narrative and uses racial slurs. Despite calls to drop out of the race, Lieberman is defending his campaign and his novel.
(OPINION) The hashtag #JewishPrivilege was trending on Twitter in the month of July. But are Jews privileged? Many of them in America are white or white-passing, but others emphasize the effect of Anti-Semitism on Jewish communities.
John Lewis, who died on Friday, played a large role in faith communities in Atlanta—such as with the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition formed in 1982. Jews in Atlanta remember his legacy.
The new law will increase the sentence given for a misdemeanor if the defendant acted with bias because of the victim’s race, sexual orientation or religion, among other factors. The office of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the governor “commends the General Assembly’s bipartisan work and will sign House Bill 426 [hate crimes bill] pending legal review.”
(OPINION) Atlanta rabbis who have been marching and speaking at protests consider such efforts an integral part of their work as spiritual leaders, and they acknowledge the role played by Rabbi Jacob Rothschild of The Temple and how his forceful sermons on civil rights helped lay the foundation for the path they walk today.
In the aftermath of the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville and Ahmaud Arbery near Brunswick, Georgia, segments of Atlanta’s Jewish community decried violence against African Americans and called for greater efforts to counter racism at the individual and institutional levels. The statements they issued struck common themes as well as differences reflecting how each views its mission.
(OPINION) When the Georgia legislature reconvenes in mid-June, there is a chance that a bill with enhanced penalties for bias or hate crimes will make its way to the governor. In the grand scope of things, putting a hate crimes law on the books in Georgia should be important on a level with, say, reopening massage and tattoo parlors, nail salons and bowling alleys.
As the pandemic alters summer plans and disrupts long-held traditions, the Jewish community in Georgia adapts camps and activities to the new reality.
For Holocaust survivors, including some who later lived under Communist rule, COVID-19 has brought a mixed bag of old traumas sparked anew, depression and anxiety, isolation and fear, but also reminders of the traits that sustained them through difficult periods in their lives.
(OPINION) After a candlelight Shabbat dinner over Zoom with his wife’s family, Dave Schechter finds hope and encouragement amid the global Coronavirus outbreak.
With restrictions on pubic gatherings due to COVID-19, Jewish life has had to adapt. While several religious gatherings have transferred to online formats, some rituals cannot go remote.
A bat mitzvah livestreamed, a growing virtual kaddish minyan to recite prayers and remember loved ones, a shivah service to mourn a death — digital tools are redefining what it means to be Jewish during a pandemic.
Atlanta Jewish organizations assess the Georgia Senate's stance in not voting a definition for antisemitism into state legislation, an issue that had already largely passed the House.