Ask any kid who is the hero of the Chanukah story and they will say Judah the Maccabee: the leader who waged war against the Greeks and became the hero of the story of Chanukah.
Chabad of Nashville to present the 180k Challenge Chabad of Nashville will be hosting a very exciting end-of-year fundraising campaign, “We. Belong. Together. – 180/180 Challenge,” which will kick off Dec. 6 at 10:00 AM, and will continue until Dec. 8 at 10:00 PM. If $180,000 is raised in 60 hours, it will be matched by $180,000 from several generous donors in Nashville. "Tzedakah (charity) is equal to all the other commandments combined." This meaningful fundraising campaign will provide the Nashville community with 60 hours of tremendous opportunity to support the influential and far-reaching work of Chabad of Nashville and the Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement. I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with every one of you through this column. I plan to travel, spend time with my family (especially my grandchildren), spend time in my kitchen perfecting the art of baking Challah, and make more Matzo Ball Soup to share with friends and family. I am hoping that Nashville will start an annual Matzo Ball Soup contest and I will be sure to return to enter my famous that would win the golden ladle.
This month, we are featuring Part 1 of Dr. Frank Boehm’s essay on love. For Frank, love is…well, it’s everything. To gain insights into how and why people fall in love and, more importantly, stay in love, he interviewed several couples. Each couple has its own unique story and perspective, but Frank learned some universal truths. In this first part, we share Frank’s thoughts on love, as well as his love story with his wife, Julie. Next month, we will present the others. And we are asking for you, dear reader in love, to share your love story with The Observer. Be brave, be vulnerable, and most of all, be loving. Send your submissions to Editor Barbara Dab at barbaradab@jewishnashville.org.
Early last month, Vanderbilt University made news when Vanderbilt Football’s defensive backs coach, Dan Jackson, posted to his Facebook page comments defending Ye’s, formerly known as Kanye West, antisemitic comments on Twitter. Jackson’s post was to his personal Facebook page but was captured by Stop Antisemitism, an organization that monitors and exposes antisemitism in the media. The post was reported in The Hustler, Vanderbilt University’s student newspaper, on November 4th. Later that evening, Jackson posted an apology on Twitter, taking “full responsibility.” The apology reads in part:
Recently I bought roses for my wife. There was no particular anniversary or birthday, just a slightly stressful beginning to the week, and so I stopped in Trader Joe’s after a long day of not being home to get some flowers.
A local group of clergy and community members, growing alarmed by reports of increased gun violence, is taking action and is calling on the greater Nashville community to join the effort. Tennessee Loves Children (TLC), a new initiative focused on addressing the needs of children and other community members dealing with violence-related trauma, is kicking off on November 2 at Belmont University. The program centers around the book Children Under Fire: A National Crisis, by John Woodrow Cox, and will begin with a community session with the author.
West End Synagogue has a reason to celebrate. The membership is growing. At the congregation’s Shabbat Service on Saturday, November 19, WES will honor new members and current members who have increased the synagogue’s family units to more than 400. Nashville’s population growth has fueled West End Synagogue’s growth, including several families with young children who have sought out the only Conservative Jewish congregation in Middle Tennessee.
Writers of the Lost Ark is made up of Temple members who love to write poems, prose, songs, and stories. The group meets once a month to discuss works in progress and get feedback, creative encouragement, and new ideas to write about. This month, members were given a choice of prompts to inspire them. WOTLA's Loretta Saff chose to incorporate in her work the line "What I Remember Most." Here's her poem!
