the Jewish bserver Sound of Many Waters inside: 9 Nashville artists featured in P2G exhibition of Jewish director in town U.S.-Israeli works on display at GJCC in November to discuss documentary By CHARLES BERNSEN about her emergence rt has always been a primary way for Kim from “racial closet” 6 Phillips to express her Jewish identity. She learned the Jewish folk tradition of Holocaust seminar provides papercut art while in Jerusalem years ago important lessons for and uses the technique to create visual Nashville police recruits 7 interpretations of sacred Jewish texts. ASo when local artists were invited to submit proposals for an exhibition of Israeli and American work focusing on NowGen News & Notes: the theme of water and Judaism, “I immediately thought of Mitzvah Madness, Psalm 137 – ‘By the rivers of Babylon we sat’ – and the Rosh Bash and more 10 sense of longing that Jews in the diaspora feel even today,” Phillips said. Lots of special events The piece she created is part of Sound of Many Waters, a special exhibition featuring works by 34 visual at The Temple this month 17 artists from Jewish communities in the Partnership2Gether Southeast consortium and its partner region in Israel, Regular features Hadera-Eiron. The exhibition will be on display from Nov. Opinion 19 4-28 in the Gordon Jewish Community Center’s Janet The Rabbis’ Corner 19 March Levine Gallery. A free public reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17. Lifecycles 21 “Sound of Many Waters epitomizes the mission of Nashville artist Sharon Charney’s acrylic painting “Across the Around the town 22 Partnership2Gether, which is to foster vital, creative rela- Water” is part of the Sound of Many Waters Exhibition on dis- play at the Gordon Jewish Community Center in November. The tionships between professionals here and in Israel,” said exhibition is a Parntership2Gether collaborative project by 34 TRAVLE & LEISURE Leslie J. Klein, the exhibition’s American co-chair and artists from the Hadera-Eiron region of Israel and the nine ISSUE PAGE 11 Continued on page 3 Jewish communities in the P2G Southeast consortium. Local rabbis’ Nashville delegation panel will return in Eastern Europe at Global Day of Jewish Learning this month ast year’s rabbinic panel discussion was so well received that it is being reprised at Nashville’s Global Day of Jewish LLearning event on Sunday, Nov. 16. This year’s panel will consist of five local rabbis and the The discussion will again be moderated by Mark S. Freedman, executive director www.jewishobservernashville.org of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the local Global Day sponsor. A Publication of “I’m happy to take part in the panel discussion with my colleagues here in Nashville,” said Rabbi Joshua Kullock of West End Synagogue. “It’s Early in their two-week “roots” mission to Eastern Europe last month, members of certainly something that you don't see the Nashville delegation paid a somber visit to the Birkenau death camp, where they happening so often around the coun- took part in a memorial service near the the infamous ramp where Jews arriving at try and the rest of the world. It’s great Auschwitz-Birkenau complex were either selected for immediate death in the gas www.jewishnashville.org chambers or sent to labor camp, where most were later murdered. The trip included to see that our city is an example of a visits to Warsaw and Krakow in Poland as well as Budapest, Hungary and Prague, community that embraces differences VOL.79 NO. 11 Czech Republic. Some members of the delegation extended their trip to visit Berlin. and is willing to celebrate them. November 2014 The Observer will have more about the trip in its December issue. Continued on page 5 8 Cheshvan - 8 Kislev 5775 Redesign makes Federation website easier to use s its name indicates, www.jewishnashville.org is the place to go for information about all things Jewish. Thanks to a redesign, the website of Athe Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is also easier to use. Aside from information about the Federation itself – its staff and leader- ship, its impact and ongoing initiatives such as NowGen Nashville, Partnership2Gether and Community Relations Committee – the redesigned website provides two comprehensive and searchable databases. One is a directory that includes basic contact information and links to virtually every Jewish agency and institution in the Nashville area, plus a number of regional and national organizations.The website also is home to a community calendar The redesigned website of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee remains a portal to all things Jewish. that includes events big and small. It is now searchable by day, week, month or key word. Think Globally. Learn Locally. In addition, you can find dozens pho- tos from recent Federation events and links to local Jewish news from The Jewish Observer of Nashville or breaking national and international stories by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The redesign has made the website more useful and easier to navigate,” said Naomi Sedek, the Federation’s campaign and missions director, who was in charge of the redesign. c Melton adult Register online at www.jewishnashville.org/global-day Jewish education classes begin this fall at CSI Theme: Heroes and Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book he Florence Melton Date: Sunday, November 16, 2014 School has returned to Schedule: Cost: $5 per person Nashville. 10:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m. (for cost of lunch) This fall a 10-week Opening learning session with Pardes Location: Vanderbilt Hillel Melton course – Genesis Scholar Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield (Baby-sitting and senior 1: From Adam to TAbraham – is being taught by Daniella transportation available) 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Pressner from 7:15-8:45 p.m. on Lunch and Thursdays at Congregation Sherith Community Rabbis Panel Discussion Israel. The first class was on Oct. 30, but 1:10-2:10 p.m. late signups are welcomed. Breakout Sessions I To register for the Starting on Feb. 5, Rabbi Aaron Global Day of Jewish Finkelstein will be offering another 2:20-3:20 p.m. Melton course called Israeli Breakout Sessions II Learning, please contact Barbara Schwarcz at Literature: A Window to Israeli (Breakout sessions are led by (615) 354-1630 or Society. It also will meet on Thursday from 7:15-8:45 p.m. community Jewish educators) [email protected], or visit Both are open to the entire commu- 3:45-5:15 p.m. nity, and the first 20 students to apply Maccabeats Concert www.jewishnashville.org. will receive a $50 subsidy following com- (Complimentary admission to all pletion of the course courtesy of the Global Day participants) Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. For more information Presented by the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and to register online go to in cooperation with: Akiva School, B’nai Brith Social Unit, B’nai http://www.meltonschool.org/locations/i Brith Maimonides Lodge #46, BBYO, Chabad Jewish Student n-north-america/30-north-america/474- Center at Vanderbilt University, Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, nashville-tn. Congregation Micah, Congregation Sherith Israel, Get Connected, The Florence Melton School of Gordon Jewish Community Center and the GJCC Early Learning Center, Hadassah Nashville Chapter, Jewish Family Service, JMingle, Jewish Learning is the largest pluralistic NCJW Nashville Chapter, NowGen, PJ Library, The Temple-Congregation adult Jewish education program in the Ohabai Sholom, Vanderbilt Hillel, and West End Synagogue. world. It consists of an international net- work of community-based schools offer- The Global Day of Jewish Learning in Nashville is generously underwritten by ing adults the opportunity to acquire Libby and Moshe Werthan to support the participation of Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield Jewish literacy in an open, trans-denom- of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. inational and intellectually stimulating environment. c 2 November 2014 The Observer Sound of Many Waters Continued from page 1 grazing on a barren Jerusalem hillside,” one of nineNashville artists whose work said Rosen, a lawyer and photographer will be on display. who has photographed a variety of sub- P2G is an initiative of the Jewish jects and animals on all seven conti- Agency for Israel and the Jewish nents. “I figured why not reverse the sub- Federations of North America linking ject Sound of Many Waters, so I submit- regions in Israel with Jewish communi- ted the photo with the title, “Looking for ties around the world as a way of Water On A Jerusalem Hillside.” strengthening their sense of peoplehood. In addition to Klein, Phillips, Graff Over the past 12 years, P2G has fostered and Rosen, works from other Nashville collaborative exchanges between high artists in the exhibition are a mixed school students, firefighters, teachers media piece by Carrie Mills, an acrylic and medical professionals in Hadera- and water color painting with gold and Eiron and their peers in Nashville and silver leaf Frances Allen, acrylic paint- the other eight cities that make up the ings by Jerry Klein and Sharon Charney Southeast consortium and Hadera-Eiron. “Peace beside the Kenneret,” an oil painting and an oil painting by Linda Schlanger. Klein said it made sense to bring by Lorna Graff As the organizers had hoped, the artists into the process “because our sis- Ezekiel that describes the voice of God as works in Sound of Many Waters vary in ter region, Hadera-Eiron, is so rich in “the sound of many waters.” Artists from both style and content. For instance, artistic talent.” Working with Israeli throughout the U.S.