the Jewish bserver Volunteers urged to engage in Shana Tova “Jewish conversations” as Federation’s 5775 2015 annual campaign gets underway By CHARLES BERNSEN hat’s your Jewish story?” Linda A. Hurwitz asked the 70 or so vol- unteers who had Wassembled last month at the Gordon Jewish Community for the kickoff of the 2015 annual campaign of the Complete congregational Jewish Federation of Nashville and High Holy Day schedules 17 Middle Tennessee. For Hurwitz, it was that moment some 40 years ago when she saw a young Russian girl who looked remarkably like her arriving in New Jersey, one of the thousands of Jews who, through the efforts of other Jews An animated Linda Hurwitz makes a point to Federation board member Janet around the world, were allowed to Weismark, captain of team Sabada. PHOTOS BY CHARLES BERNSEN emigrate from the old Soviet Union to the United States and Israel. nside: “I was 15, and I realized that if Soi long Hadar; my grandparents had stayed in Russia welcome Liron 3 and hers had not, it could have been her watching me step off that plane,” Matisyahu to play she said. That realization implanted a seed that grew into a decades-long Vanderbilt on Sept. 9 8 commitment to the worldwide Jewish community. Nashville “lone solider” Hurwitz, who is now national blogging about her IDF campaign chairman for the Jewish Federations of North America, was in experiences 11 Nashville to run a workshop for a corps of volunteers who will play a GJCC’s Blue J Café crucial role in the local Federation’s returns on Sept. 13 12 effort to reach its campaign goal of Campaign Chair Ted Mayden and Campaign Director Naomi Sedek meet briefly with $2.5 million. Their job is to make the team captains before Hurwitz’s workshop. Regular features personal, face-to-face appeals to about 440 donors whose annual gifts “She was so excited. We jumped ly from a mission to Israel, where Campaign Trail 4 range from $1,000 to more than up and hugged each other and did a Hurwitz had engaged him in just such Opinion 26 $100,000 and who are expected to little dance right there in the coffee a conversation and helped him clari- The Rabbis’ Corner 27 account for about 80 percent of the shop,” Hurwitz said. “A year later, she fy his own “Jewish story.” total contributions. sent me an invitation to her daugh- “Everyone here has a great Letter to the Editor 27 The key, she told them, is to ter’s wedding … She said, ‘You were Jewish story to tell,” said Mayden. Lifecycles 29 think of these appeals not as solicita- part of one milestone in my life, and “And conveying that story for the Around the town 30 tions – a word she doesn’t like to use I want you to be at the others.’” benefit of the Jewish people here and – but rather as “Jewish conversations” Hurwitz told the group that a around the world is a great honor.” in which both they and the potential Jewish conversation is successful if This marks the third year in donor can make a new friend, share the prospective donor feels good which volunteers, or ambassadors, their Jewish stories and learn more about what the Federation does, have been divided into teams of 10 www.jewishobservernashville.org about themselves and the Jewish understands the importance of the with names like Iron Dome, Nash community. annual campaign and, most impor- Mitzvah and Sababa (Hebrew for A Publication of “We’re not just raising money,” tant, feels good about his or her gift – “cool”) for a friendly competition she said. “We’re also building rela- regardless of what it is. For that to dubbed The Kehilah Cup Challenge. tionships and raising Jews.” happen, the each conversation must Each ambassador has been assigned She recounted her Jewish con- be not only personal but also unique four or five prospective donors. The versation with an acquaintance who, and genuine. teams score points for getting in-per- noticing Hurwitz’s Lion of Judah pin, “Our mission does not have to be son conversations with donors, per- revealed her longtime desire to awkward; it can be a joyous opportu- suading donors to increase their sup- www.jewishnashville.org become a Lion of Judah and then nity,” she said. port, taking photos of donors for the decided spontaneously to make the In his remarks to the volunteers, Federation Hall of Fame and securing financial commitment to the annual VOL.79 NO. 9 Nashville Campaign Chair Ted new gifts of $1,000 or more. The campaign to do so. Mayden said he had returned recent- Continued on page 6 September 2014 6 Elul 5774 - 6 Tishrei 5775 SWEEMAYYOURNEWYEARBEGOODAND 2 September 2014 The Observer New shlicha aims to be a “living bridge” between Israel and Nashville’s Jewish community By CHARLES BERNSEN and Nashville’s Jewish community. “I sincerely believe in the impor- t was natural that Liron tance of strengthening the relationship Liron Finkelstein Finkelstein would be interested in between Israel and Jewish communities Age: 30 the Jewish Agency for Israel’s pro- around the world – and our accountabil- gram that sends shlichim – Israeli ity and responsibility for one another – Hometown: Kiryat Ata (near Haifa) emissaries – to serve in Jewish through education, personal experience communities around the world. and personal relationships.” Family: Parents (Aharon and Batsheva) made IAfter all, the program dovetails quite Finkelstein has some experience in Aliyah from Rumania in the early 1960s. He’s a neatly with her own aspirations as young fostering such personal relationships watchmaker and she’s a teacher. Older sister is a Israeli adult – serving her country and its between Israelis and U.S. Jews. During manager in a bank, younger sister is a teacher. citizens, promoting its culture, and her five-year stint in the Israeli Defense Occupation: Lawyer strengthening its ties to Jewish commu- Forces, she volunteered in an IDF dele- nities outside Israel. gation that met with young American Education: Haifa Univeristy (law degree and mas- “I strongly believe in the Jewish adults visiting Israel through the Taglit- ter’s in international relations) Agency’s goals and work,” said Birthright program. Later she was the Finkelstein, who in August began a two- officer in charge of a four-member dele- Community service experience: Administrator for year stint as the shlicha in Nashville. “I gation from her IDF unit that visited Liron Finkelstein Haifa University’s Perach Tutorial Program, vol- also want to continue serving my coun- Gainesville, FL as part of the Parallel unteer in Halev program providing legal services try as I have been doing for most of my Lives program that establishes relation- for the poor, worked with teenage dropouts at day center run by ELEM – Youth adult life with a great sense of responsi- ships among young American Jews and in Distress in Israel and with intellectually and developmentally disabled adults bility, commitment and a deep connec- their counterparts serving in the Israeli and children at the Akim Association, tutored children 3-6 years old taken from tion to its culture, history and existence. military. homes under court order. Finkelstein, 30, is a lawyer from In Nashville, her goal is quite sim- In her spare time: “I have always appreciated a good book or a movie, spending Kiryat Ata who recently completed an ple: “To bring my true self and to share time with my family and friends over a cup of coffee, traveling and listening to internship with the criminal department my life experiences from Israel. I would concerts.” of the Haifa District Attorney’s Office. like for more people to know even more As shlicha, she will be working for about Israel, but first I would like to lis- the Jewish Federation of Nashville and ten carefully and learn. I would like to volunteers when they visited Israel and flicted that she won’t be available for Middle Tennessee. get to know the kind and warm people has talked with others on the phone. reserve service – she is a casualty notifi- “I’m thrilled Liron has joined our who are the mosaic stones of this “After meeting some of the cation officer – if need be. community,” said Abbie Wolf, the [Nashville] community I am fortunate to wonderful people I will be working with “It’s not supposed to be easy to Federations’s community relations work with.” and with everything I have heard and leave my family, friends and country,” director. “She is bright, accomplished, Aside from her trip to Florida with read, I can definitely say I am very excit- she said. “On the other hand . these and eager to bring her love of Israel to the IDF delegation, Finkelstein has been ed,” she said. “I feel I can do great work circumstances make me remember why I all of us. to the United States once before – on a here and also enjoy the culture and life chose this path in the first place. I leave I know everyone will join me in wel- cross-country vacation tour with three of in Nashville. Israel on my way to Nashville with a coming her.” her best friends that took her to places Although Hamas rockets were great sense of excitement. I think of the In taking over from Hadar like New York City, Washington D.C. no longer falling on Israel and the fight- importance of this shlichut . and I know Moskovitz, who returned to Israel last and Las Vegas. ing in Gaza had ended before her depar- that wherever I go, I take Israel with me.