Chabad of Nashville celebrates Lag B’Omer

Friends of the Chabad of Nashville community celebrated Lag B’Omer with a beautiful outdoor celebration for children and adults from all walks of Nashville community. It was an event of true Jewish pride, celebrated in the spirit of Lag B’Omer camaraderie and friendship.

Dara Horn Discussed Antisemitism, Jewish Heritage, and Holocaust Education

MY REBBE, YOUR REBBE, OUR REBBE

Imagine if we could carry out the following experiment.

Writers of The Lost Ark June 2023

“Being faced with the reality of the horrific actions of the human species to each other and the earth, alongside our admirable advances in civilization over the centuries, I chose to express my personal notion of G*d in a poem, in hopes of expanding an optimistic perspective that does not preclude doubts or disasters.” Richard R. Forberg

Gun Control & Nashville’s Jewish Community

According to Everytown Research and Policy institute’s website, every year 1,385 people in Tennessee are killed by guns, with the state ranking number 29th in the country for gun law strength. They also report that the gun homicide rate in the U. S. is 26 times higher than in other developed countries. As of February, 59 percent of adults or someone they know has experienced gun violence. That statistic in Nashville is undoubtedly higher, in the wake of the Covenant School shooting in March when an emotionally disturbed former student killed six people with an automatic firearm, one of five purchased legally prior to the murders.

President’s Report: Mission to Israel Part 1

Jewish teens are gathering on Zoom to meet Palestinians

(JTA) — When Rep. Rashida Tlaib joined a Zoom with 40 teenagers, she soon found herself talking about the kinds of topics — academic and otherwise — that tend to take up their days.

Teen people of color are finding & building their own spaces in Jewish life

This article was produced as part of JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around the world to report on issues that affect their lives.

Jewish Community Celebrates Israel at 75 with Community Sing!

The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville hosted its first ever “Community Sing!” last month in celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday. Participants from all walks of life and all ages gathered to learn a special song composed by Israeli artist Matisyahu. The result is a planned music video recording of the event, to be streamed soon.

Legislative Update: Jewish Federations in TN to Receive Security Funding

Tennessee’s state legislature passed two bills this year that will help make the state’s Jewish communities safer. The success is the result of a joint effort by the four Jewish Federations representing Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga and the relationships the groups fostered with the state’s legislators. “We would not have seen these results without the combined efforts of all the Jewish Federations in the state,” says Leslie Kirby, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.

Dan Horwitz Named CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville

The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville announces that Rabbi Dan Horwitz will be its next CEO, beginning August 1, 2023. Dan brings extensive experience as a leader in innovative Jewish engagement, and as a charismatic Jewish educator, fundraiser, and non-profit executive.

Vanderbilt Hillel Thanks Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville Donors

Jewish Family Service: HEART OF THE MATTER

On March 27th, I was at an assisted living facility close to Covenant school when the Covenant School shooting occurred. The building went on lockdown and there was nothing to do but watch the emergency vehicles speed past and wait for news. I felt helpless.

Cumberland University, Lebanon Tennessee, Holds Yom Hashoah Remembrance

Joel Gordon, businessman, philanthropist and family man. dies at 94

Joel C. Gordon, 94, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather and devoted business and civic leader passed away peacefully at his home on March 30 surrounded by the love and presence of his family. He is survived by his wife, Bernice Weingart Gordon; their four children, Sherrie Gordon Eisenman (Alan), Robert A. Gordon (Julie), Frank E. Gordon (Gwen) and Gail Gordon Jacobs; 12 grandchildren, Kelly Eisenman Unger (Jacob), Tracy Eisenman Gagin (Eyal) and Ryan Eisenman- Zachary, Brian and Michael Gordon - Gavin, Cameron and Taylor Gordon - Matthew, Tyler and Morgan Jacobs; and four great grandchildren, Hudson, Graham and Elle Unger and Eden Gagin. Mr. Gordon took great delight in his large and close knit family. The 67-year partnership he shared with his wife Bernice was the loving platform for everything he accomplished over the years. The love, encouragement, nurturing and support they provided to each other brought out the best in them both.

B’nai Tzedek Update

What I learned from Tevye the Milkman

Local Federation Young Leader Visits Latvia, Hungary on Mission Trip

Erin Coleman, a member of the Jewish Federation of North America National Young Leadership Cabinet, traveled to Latvia and Hungary on a mission trip.

Nashville Jewish Food Festival Returns May 7

WES members help repair the world on Social Action Day

On Sunday, April 16, West End Synagogue members spread out across Nashville to work on community service projects. They included the Urban Farm at Glencliff High School that grows vegetables for the Nashville Food Project; Mill Ridge Garden, a Nashville Food Project garden; a Habitat for Humanity build; MNPS H.E.R.O. program, sorting donations for homeless students; Project C.U.R.E., sorting donated medical equipment and supplies for under resourced countries; and meal preparation for Room in the Inn’s downtown campus.