Weekly Round Up: Susan J Goldberg and Joanie Plous Bayer Honorees Named

November 05, 2021

1 Kislev, 5782

Dear Friends–

Shabbat Shalom!

It’s hard to believe we are celebrating our first Shabbat of November and even harder to believe that I have the heat on in my house! You would think between my time in Chicago and Omaha I would be used to the fall chill, but I guess I’ve been spoiled by the beautiful, warm weather that normally graces our fair city.

This week I am thrilled to share some exciting news with the community. The honorees for the Susan J. Goldberg Distinguished Volunteer Awards and the Joanie Plous Bayer Young Leadership award have been chosen. We had many, many deserving nominees this year and it was hard for the committee to select just one for each award. I have had the pleasure of getting to know all of the nominees and we are so fortunate to have so many passionate leaders and volunteers in our community; they are what makes Birmingham such a special place.

In 2006, the Susan J. Goldberg Award was established in Susan's memory to recognize community volunteers who represent the qualities, commitment and traits Susan exemplified during her years of community work. Additionally, the honoree reflects significant leadership ability and a high level of volunteer involvement. They also are people who have made a broad and lasting impact on the Jewish community through their volunteer service. I am pleased to announce that this year’s honoree is David Sher.

Joanie Plous Bayer was an incredible young leader in our community. Although not from Birmingham, Joanie was involved in many activities in our community. Her dedication to Birmingham, Israel and the Jewish people inspired an entire generation. She was a recipient of the Federation Young Leadership Award and it was named in her honor when she passed away. The recipient must be 40 years of age or younger and proven to be an outstanding volunteer for the Birmingham Jewish Federation in addition to any of our other community agencies. I am pleased to inform you that this year’s honoree is Carlie Stein Sommerville.

A hearty Mazel Tov to David, Carlie and their families. The awards will be formally presented in person at The Birmingham Jewish Federation’s Annual Meeting on January 23, 2022, for honorees and board members and will be live-streamed from the sanctuary of Temple Beth-El for the entire community. Mark your calendars now! I look forward to having everyone tune in for these presentations along with our board installation and exciting news about the Federation’s strategic plan.

Wishing you all a restful Shabbat and a week of peace.

Danny

Community News

Oranges to Easels:

Journey of an Israeli Pioneer

By David Allon

Oak Tree Press Co.

This is a fascinating memoir about Mordecai Pickholz who arrives in Jaffa Palestine in 1935 at age 21, never to see his beloved parents again. Fluent in five languages, he becomes a pioneer, and during the 1940s goes on missions to Iraq, Iran, and the United States to assist in the formation of the Jewish State. Oranges to Easels is told by his son, who became a tenacious detective, and assembled a complex mosaic of sources, to understand the enigma of his own father.

Mordecai becomes a colorist expressionist in his 60s, which helps him deal with his struggles.

David Allon is the younger brother of Birmingham resident, Professor Michael Allon and his wife Amy Allon

Learn more about David Allon here!

Purchase his book here!

Upcoming Programming

The World's Largest Annual Summit

on Antisemitism and Hate

November 7-9

Program times are listed below

Learn More Here!

In honor of Veterans Day:

An Evening with

U.S. Representative Elaine Luria

Monday, November 8, 2021 at 7PM

RSVP Here!

Momentum: A Year Long Journey to Becoming Your Best Self

Learn more!

2021 Lion of Judah and

Pomegranate Event

Featuring Noa Tishby, Israeli-American Actress, Producer, Activist, and Author

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 6PM

*This is a program for the Lions of Judah

and Pomegranate Society giving levels.

RSVP Here!

SAVE THE DATE!

Courageous Conversation of Healing

November 16, 2021 at 7PM

The JCRC and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute are hosting a Courageous Conversation of Healing between Danny Cohn, BJF CEO, and DeJuana Thompson, BCRI President and CEO at 7:00 pm on November 16th.

Sherri Jackson of CBS42 will be moderating. The event will be streamed live on Facebook and a link will be available beginning in November - so stay tuned!

The aim of this program is to bring together our Jewish and Black communities - not only to understand the issues that are most concerning us, but to also listen to each other and heal. This honest dialogue will be just a first step towards more meaningful collaborations that will benefit both our communities, and as a result, our city as a whole.

For more information contact Joyce Shevin.

The Matzah Ball

December 2, 2021 at 8PM

Early Bird Tickets on Sale Here!

Community Programs

Teacher Workshop: Visual Echoes –

Holocaust Photography in Teaching and Research

Monday, November 8 @ 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Birmingham Holocaust Education Center

This workshop will be an interactive discussion of Holocaust photography, highlighting the specific challenges and advantages that these sources pose to the teacher, researcher, and student.

Presented by Dr. Valerie Hébert, an associate professor of history and interdisciplinary studies at Lakehead University Orillia in Ontario, Canada, where she teaches on modern European history, Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and the photography of human rights violations and international conflict.

Online registration required. (Maximum participants, 40)

– Open to Alabama teachers in grades 6-12.

– Two (2) hours of CEU credit available

Teachers must attend both online sessions & complete a post-workshop evaluation to be eligible for credits.

An Evening with Representative Elaine Luria; Birmingham Native, Naval Veteran,

Congresswoman from Virginia

Monday, November 8 @ 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

JCRC and Jewish War Veteran Post #608

Join the JCRC and Jewish War Veterans Post #608 for a virtual evening with Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia. Rep. Luria is a naval veteran and native daughter of our Birmingham Jewish community.

Kristallnacht Commemorative Lecture: On the Knife’s Edge: Resisting the Holocaust from within the SS –

The Story of Kurt Gerstein

Tuesday, November 9 @ 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Birmingham Holocaust Education Center

Kristallnacht Commemorative Lecture – Dr. Valerie Hébert

This presentation tells the story of Kurt Gerstein, an SS officer, who was a committed & outspoken opponent of the Nazi Regime, and his unique path of resistance, emphasizing the contradictions & mysteries of this enigmatic man.

On November 9-10, 1938, Nazi leaders unleashed a series of pogroms (organized massacre) against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) because of the shattered glass that littered the streets after the vandalism and destruction. Thousands of Jewish homes and businesses were ransacked, hundreds of synagogues were burned, and hundreds were murdered. Police records also document a high number of rapes and suicides. Additionally, 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and deported to concentration camps. The events of Kristallnacht represented one of the most important turning points in National Socialist antisemitic policy. This lecture series, co-sponsored by the BHEC and UAB, seeks to explore current research on the events of the Holocaust.

Lunchtime Torah Study

Wednesday, November 10 @ 12:00 PM-1:00 PM

Temple Emanu-El

This Torah study meets via Zoom and will cover that week’s Torah portion. All levels welcome.

BJF Women’s Philanthropy –

LOJ and POM Program With Noa Tishby

Wednesday, November 10 @ 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Women's Philanthropy

BJF Women’s Philanthropy – LOJ and POM Program

With Noa Tishby

*This is a program for the Lions of Judah and Pomegranate Society giving levels.

RSVP here!

My Jewish Year Book + Holiday Club

Wednesday, November 10 @ 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Temple Beth-El

Are you looking to engage with the Jewish holidays in new and creative ways? Are you interested in developing a deeper understanding of the Jewish calendar? Would you like a group of people to learn, observe, and celebrate with for this coming year? Are you busy, but would still love to be in a book club?

Over the course of the year (September 2021-September 2022) this group will be reading My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew by Abigail Pogrebin, learning about Jewish holidays and celebrating them together. This group is open to all levels of holiday knowledge and experience!

RSVP to Margaret at mnorman@templebeth-el.net to participate.

Beit Midrash: Subversive Sequels in the Bible

Thursday, November 11 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Temple Beth-El

Rabbi Norry’s virtual Beit Midrash will focus on Judy Klitzner’s book Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other. Each class will focus on a chapter of this book. The book will not be required, though students are encouraged to read along!

Join here!

Temple Beth-EL Sisterhood Bake Sale

Sunday, November 14 @ 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Temple Beth-El

Drive by pick up

CJFS Senior Grocery Delivery

Sunday, November 14 @ 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

CJFS

Senior Grocery Delivery

TravelStorys Launch Event: Jewish Birmingham and Civil Rights with TBE and TEE

Sunday, November 14 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El

Join us for a “soft launch” of the Beth El Civil Rights Experiences’ Jewish Birmingham + Civil Rights audio tour! For our “soft launch” event we’ll be previewing the first five stops of the tour, which will be complete Fall 2022. And we’ll be partnering with Temple Emanu-El, so that we can enjoy engaging with our history as a whole Birmingham Jewish community.

You must register for a timed slot to attend and plan to arrive at that time. We will be putting participants in groups to embark on this self-guided audio tour together. This tour will take place in downtown Birmingham and the walking route is approximately 1.5 miles round trip. Participants who register will receive a map, arrival information and detailed instructions about accessing the audio tour before the event.