News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
This month represents a bit of a departure from my usual advice column where I answer reader’s letters. With all the conflict in the world right now, I felt it timely to talk about resolving conflict. When two people have a disagreement, either party (or both) can find it difficult to apologize. Making amends can be tough but it doesn’t have to be if you follow a few basic steps. Reading the steps is simple, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.
In honor of the Festival of Passover Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel from Chabad of Nashville met with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and shared a gift of Hand Made Shmurah Matzah from the Holy Land of Israel. Governor Lee also signed a special proclamation designating Tuesday, April 12, as Education and Sharing Day USA, in honor of the birthday of the Rebbe of Blessed Memory.
Recently, we read on Shabbat about the laws of kashrut, and we learned of the two characteristics which render creatures of the sea Kosher. It is stated in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 11, “These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales.”
The Janet Levine March Gallery and the JLMG2 gallery will feature the work of The Nashville Artist Guild. Aptly dubbed, “The Athens of the South,” Nashville continues to grow as a center for both visual and performing arts. In fact, it would be appropriate to say that Nashville is currently exploding as a center for the arts. Prior to 1950 there was no cohesive arts organization in the city to promote art or art education. In 1950 two art teachers from Vanderbilt University, one from Ward-Belmont and another from the University of Tennessee Extension School brought together some of their students with other local professional artists and created a new and unique organization. Thirty artists were accepted and the new group was called The Nashville Artist Guild.
The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee hosted the entire community in its first Jewish Community Day event. The in-person event highlighted all of the congregations, agencies, organizations, and local groups under one big tent. There were interactive activities for all ages, a kids play area, plenty of food, and a lot of fun.
The hostage crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas earlier this year shined a light on the vulnerabilities that still exist for houses of worship. For Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake, it was a wakeup call that more needed to be done to secure synagogues, churches, mosques, and other faith-based locations. The result was the creation of a Faith-based Liaison, a position within the Police Department that works to bridge what he saw to be a gap in the community. Dr. Anita Herron is the new Faith-based Liaison. She says the most important part of the job is education. “The plan is to help teach local police what is needed to accommodate each faith group,” she says. To facilitate that education members of MNPD’s leadership meets each month with a different faith group. Recently, close to 60 members of the department met at the Gordon Jewish Community Center to listen and learn from Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee’s leaders. The gathering was attended by Police Department leaders at the Community Coordinator level and above, including Chief Drake. Long term, Dr. Herron says the hope is to build awareness among the entire department, “It will trickle down to the patrolmen. There are 600 square miles in Nashville, and we want to be transparent about what they see, and what our citizens see.”
