News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
East Side Tribe Shabbat will be hosting their monthly Shabbat on July 29th from 6:30-8:30 pm. All are welcome to join, regardless of where they live! Please email eastsidetribenasville@gmail.com to RSVP and for details!
Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee 2022 Annual Meeting
Building off the Shavuot tradition of Torah study, the Tennessee chapter of Never Again hosted a text study that included both traditional and secular texts related to immigration. Never Again is a national, Jewish-led organization that mobilizes around immigration justice and works to dismantle the deportation system. Never Again Tennessee has been active for over two years and has worked both at the national and local levels to address immigrant rights.
We seem to be living in interesting times, which can be interpreted as either a curse or a blessing depending on your perspective. Only time will tell how the eyes of history will view the current events confronting us. We are struggling through the grief of consecutive mass murders committed by 18-year-old young men using military assault weapons – one at a grocery store in Buffalo NY and one at an elementary school in Uvalde TX. We are awaiting a ruling by the US Supreme Court that could potentially change the health, privacy, self-determination, and well-being of women across our country. We are experiencing an uncertain economy and levels of inflation not seen in over 40 years. We are witness to public hearings presenting evidence that our faith and trust in our system of free and fair elections may have been deliberately undermined and damaged by those at the highest level of government. And we are continuing to witness the elaborate and relentless propaganda campaign designed to wreak havoc and sow distrust of all future elections.
One day, my phone rang. “Is this Chabad?” “Yes,” I replied. “My name is Lisa from New York. A friend of mine is driving through Nashville and her car won’t start.”
Vanderbilt’s Tikkun Olam Makers Creates Solutions to Everyday Problems for People with Disabilities
Hello friends. I hope you all are enjoying the start of summer and looking forward to the longer days and hopefully, a vacation. As of this writing, I am preparing to attend my first in-person American Jewish Press Association conference, to be held in Atlanta. Fingers crossed my flights remain on schedule!
The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee plans to distribute over two million dollars in grants to both local and overseas organizations, individuals, congregations, and partners for the 2022/23 fiscal year. This year’s grants are reflective of the growth of the local community, and a successful Annual Campaign. Eric Stillman, CEO of the Jewish Federation, says, “With increased dollars available to distribute in this year’s Grants cycle, the Federation was able to put even greater emphasis on outreach and engagement beyond our geographic core, with interfaith couples and families, and those who are in their 20’s and 30’s.”
