News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Friday, Nov. 22, 2024
In a cheerful and enthusiastic End of the Year Closing Ceremony on Sunday, May 7th West End Synagogue’s Beit Miriam student, Abi Kullock was presented with the 2023 Simon and Alven Ghertner Award for Excellence in Hebrew.
Three quarters of a million dollars. That is the amount received during the past six years by the fourteen local Jewish organizations participating in the LIFE & LEGACY™ program.
I spent my early childhood in California where Jewish culture is part of everyday life. It is all around you wherever you go. Jewish delis and bagel stores are common fixtures. I remember in December store windows would be decorated with menorahs next to Christmas trees. I was confident and supported in my religion and never felt out of place.
The Kehillah Award, formerly known as the Ralph Shepard Award, is given annually to a Jewish Nashville high school senior who exemplifies the characteristics of outstanding Jewish youth. This year’s finalists are Andrew Biller, son of Daniel and Tara and Biller, and Lily Marger, daughter of Brian and Victoria Marger.
I have often pondered the question of what constitutes a religious person and have never felt satisfied with the responses I have heard others give when asked this very personal question. This question usually comes up when someone inquiries about another’s religius affiliation and the response is frequently, “I am Jewish and a member of our Temple, but I really do not believe I am a religious person.” Other common responses include, “I am more of a spiritual person than a religious one,” and, “I am more a secular Jew than a religious one.” So, the big question, is what exactly one has to do to consider themselves a religious person
Zangwill, Israel. The Melting-Pot (1909). Available free via The Gutenberg Project at gutenberg.org.
Top row: L to R: Boaz Woolf, Olivia Schwartz, Patricia Froshin, Hannah Froshin, Emma Goldberg, Andrew Biller, Bottom row L to R: Lilly Lapidus, Gavin Schwartz, Max Mittelberg, Alexander AverbuchNashville BBYO teens attended the Delta Region Spring Convention in Memphis April 21-23. The teens enjoyed ...