As Passover is just days away, I want to take a few minutes and share some reflections. This year has been both challenging and rewarding in ways I could not have foreseen when we last opened our Haggadahs.
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Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations spent a whirlwind 48 hours in Nashville last month. In his first ever visit to Music City Erdan met with Tennessee governor Bill Lee, Nashville mayor John Cooper, as well as with Jewish community leaders. He spoke publicly at a dinner that included local business leaders, elected officials, and leaders in the greater Nashville community. The visit was sponsored by Delek Logistics Partners and hosted by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.
In the nearly twelve months since our group visited Poland and the Ukrainian refugees, of all the scenes we witnessed, one image keeps coming back to me. It’s the sight of a line of mothers with children and strollers waiting patiently to get food, clothing and supplies provided by Jewish communities all over the world.
After three years of virtual programs, the JCRC Social Justice Seder returns in person on Thursday, March 30 from 6-8pm at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. In celebration of being back together in person, we have invited African American Jewish writer, culinary historian, and author Michael Twitty as our guest for the evening. Koshersoul, the title of his book and the theme of the evening, represents the marriage of two distinctive culinary cultures, African American and Jewish, and we will incorporate some of his recipes in the Seder-style meal to be served during the program. We will also incorporate his “African American Seder Plate for Passover” in the center of each table for the family style meal.
January marks the time of year when we honor and celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After a hiatus due to the pandemic, MLK week events and march in Nashville will be back in person this year. JCRC will return to the tradition of providing transportation to the program so we can represent our community as we can stand in solidarity with the greater Nashville community to honor Dr. King’s legacy and tireless work on behalf of justice, equity, and nonviolence.
Dr. Mark Goldfarb is no stranger to the Nashville Jewish community. For 33 years, he lived and raised his family in town, and worked at St. Thomas Hospital. He was on the Board of the Gordon Jewish Community Center where he also coached his children’s sports teams, and he was a Board member at both The Temple and Vanderbilt Hillel. Now remarried, semi-retired, and living in Park City, Utah, the cardiologist says his years in Nashville, and the friendships he made, inspired him to make a lasting contribution to the future of the community. “Whenever I would enter the JCC and see the names Eugene and Madeline Pargh, and Joel and Bernice, I knew that someday I wanted to make a similar contribution. They were very special role models for me. They truly provided the infrastructure to ensure the vibrancy of the Nashville Jewish community,” he says.
Introducing the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville
