IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER WORLD
We have heard about Gen X, the Greatest generation, and Gen Z, but do you know about the Sandwich generation?” The Sandwich Generation is the “caught in the middle,” generation who have living parents and children. More specifically, the term often refers to middle-aged people who support both their parents and their children, whether financially, physically, or emotionally. Is this you? If so, you are far from alone. Multigenerational needs have become even more pressing during the Covid-19 pandemic, with record numbers of adult children moving back home and with elderly parents needing new forms of care. Moms in the Sandwich generation, ages 35-54, feel more stress than any other age group as they balance the demanding, delicate acts of caring for growing children and their aging parents, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2007 Stress in America survey. "It’s not surprising that so many people in that age group are experiencing stress,” says psychologist Katherine Nordal, PhD, executive director for professional practice, American Psychological Association. “The worry of your parents’ health, and your children’s well-being as well as the financial concern of putting kids through college and saving for your own retirement is a lot to handle.”
In August, CNN aired an hour- long program on antisemitism narrated by Dana Bash. The program’s subject interested me and so I looked forward to its showing. Unfortunately, it was quite weak in its content and dealt exclusively with video presentations of Jews being beaten or killed, swastikas painted on Jewish buildings, and verbal abuse hurled at Jewish individuals. The hour was filled with well- known images on the subject with little mention of the root causes of antisemitism or what could be done about it. The show did mention that antisemitism was on the rise in America as well as around the world, however, it did little else to help the viewer understand the basic causes of the problem.
In 1951, the American writer Ray Bradbury published a short story called “The Fog Horn.” It told the story of two guys working at a remote lighthouse in Lonesome Bay. As the night came in and the fog began to thicken, the workers added to the lighthouse the use of a horn to guide the possible ships around.
Shanah Tova! I hope you all are enjoying a meaningful and satisfying holiday season. As we turn the Jewish calendar to a new year, it is also a time of reflection. The past couple of years have challenged our community, and ourselves, like none other in my memory. We have all learned to adapt to new ways of living, some of which we might let go of and some we might hang onto. Personally, I plan to hang onto my weekly Zoom visits with dear friends from our hometown of Los Angeles, my newfound love for sourdough baking, and an appreciation of the great outdoors, just to name a few. I hope to let go of an addiction to old sitcoms (maybe), a hyper-focus on my adult children’s lives (right, as if!), and a load of fear and anxiety (absolutely!).
The Belmont University Initiative for Jewish Engagement program continues to develop relationships between Nashville’s Jewish and Christian communities. The initiative, now heading into its second year, is offering a full slate of lectures, workshops, book groups, and hands on travel experiences. According to Rabbi Mark Schiftan, who has been a leader in the effort, “When it comes to fostering a deeper understanding of Jewish tradition in the Christian community, there has been a vacuum, and Belmont wants to fill that space with ongoing engagement. This is my passion, and I can think of no higher academic offering from our Jewish community.”
The Ken Burns documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust, debuted at the end of September, and the Gordon JCC hosted a preview on September 14. As with all of Mr. Burns’ work, the documentary is meticulously researched, and contextualized within the bigger story of our nation’s complicated history related to immigration, racism, and discrimination. It begins with historic records and video of notable American public and private sector leaders and the shocking lengths they were willing to go to bar certain immigrant and refugee populations from tarnishing the white protestant ideal they hoped to protect, including open and blatant antisemitic views. These views were ultimately at the heart of decisions to maintain quotas, and the refusal to allow greater numbers of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany be afforded safety in the United States.
It is often said that the best defense is a good offense. No one wants to plan for divorce, and yet, the best way to protect your assets through a divorce is to begin preparing today. Whether you have been blessed with a large inheritance passed down for generations or are in the initial stages of accumulating a few personal items, there is no better time to plan than now.
Most college students spend their summers working in entry level jobs or internships, hanging out at the beach or pool, or getting ahead by taking some classes. None of those things interested Eli Kirith. The rising sophomore at American University wanted to do something different, so he did the unexpected, he took his mom’s idea and ran with it. “I wanted to feel useful and productive doing something good to help people,” he says. His mom, Leslie Kirby who is the President of The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, recently returned from a Federation sponsored mission trip to Poland filled with stories about the refugees feeling war-torn Ukraine. Many of the refugees are Jewish, but most are not. When Eli heard her stories his first response was, “Can we go?” And so, they hatched a plan.
Correction: In the August issue of The Observer, the JCRC column titled Am I Still a Citizen? was mistakenly labeled as an Opinion. In fact, the column written by Deborah Oleshansky, JCRC Director of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, represents the views of the entire JCRC and its leadership.
The recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, shifting access to reproductive health care to the control of state legislatures, has already caused fear, confusion, and heartache. JCRC has and will continue to provide educational programs to help us all understand and respond to the difficult situations that result from our state trigger law.
What a terrible first half of the year in the stock market. The S&P 500 closed out the first six months of the year down nearly 21%—the steepest first-half loss seen in more than 50 years. Some of the contributing factors include skyrocketing inflation, supply chain issues, the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates and the Ukraine war. While many investors are wondering what to do, the old adage remains, “buy low, sell high,” this is an opportunity to be buying!
As previously reported, three Nashville area Jewish teens participated in The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Southeastern Consortium Hadera-Eiron Partnership2Gether trip to Israel. This was the first time the annual trip included teens from Nashville who spent a memorable two weeks touring and learning with their counterparts in Israel. Our local participants were: Noah Spigel, Benjamin Yazdian, and Jonah Hirt. Each one was asked to answer questions about their experiences, and to share their reflections. Below are their answers in their own words:
