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.

Community Listings May 23

Community Listings

Traveling Humbly with Our God: Micah Teens Resume Annual Trips

As the 5783 school year draws to a close, I am reflecting on the power of perspective that only travel can provide for our students. After the long pause of the pandemic, we finally hit the road again, returning to New York and Washington D.C. with our high schoolers, and to Whitwell, TN and Montgomery, AL with our 7th and 8th graders.

Camp Davis Director Andrew Fishman Travels to Israel for JAFI Training

Last month I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Israel for the very first time in my life. For many years, I had planned on attending Birthright with my best friend Jake, and for many years, our plans fell through for one reason or another. It seemed like a stroke of fate when I learned that I was eligible for a trip to Israel as a summer camp professional to represent Camp Davis and Nashville at the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)’s annual shlichim training.

The Nashville Jewish Book Series Concludes Its 2023 Season This Month

The Nashville Jewish Book Series 2023 season is coming to an end, but we still have one more in-person and one more virtual event to close the series.

Tennessee Legislature Signs Resolution Honoring Israel at 75

Members of Tennessee’s legislature, community leaders, and clergy, joined Israel’s Consul General to the Southeastern United States in celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday. Led by Senator Mark Pody (TN-17), the event included prayers, the blowing of a shofar, the singing of Hatikvah and The Star Spangled Banner. Israel’s Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon shared historic insights about the development of the Jewish state. “When U.S President Harry Truman first recognized the creation of the Jewish state, five percent of our people lived there. Today, 47 percent of our people now live in Israel.” She highlighted Israel’s leadership as a technology hub, “Israel is the start-up nation. We are second only to the Silicon Valley.”

AKIVA AND JMS STUDENTS VISIT WASHINGTON

Twenty students from Akiva and the Jewish Middle School spent three days in March visiting the nation’s capital, exploring the vibrant landmarks, monuments, and museums of Washington, D.C. During their trip students toured both the White House and Capitol, visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, took an underground tour of the labs at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and enjoyed a night tour of the National Monuments and Memorials. Adding to the inherent charm of D.C., the trip also landed right in the middle of the famed cherry blossom season, and students had the opportunity to take in the myriad of pink blossoms enveloping the Tidal Basin and National Monuments.

Mayoral Candidate Forum Will Focus on Affordable Housing & Transportation

Affordable housing and transportation are among the most pressing issues facing Metropolitan Nashville. The Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable will present a mayoral candidate forum in which the candidates will be asked to present their plans for tackling these issues. The forum will be on Thursday, June 1, from 7-9 p.m., at West End Synagogue. Co-sponsors include The Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee; the Social Justice Committees of Congregation Micah, The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom, Congregation Sherith Israel and West End Synagogue; The West Nashville Clergy Group; and AMAC (The American Muslim Advisory Committee).

Jewish Federation Celebrates Israel at 75 with Three Community Events

Israel is just about to turn 75 years old, and The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville is celebrating the occasion with three fun, community wide events.