THE
Jewish
OBSERVER www.jewishobservernashville.org
Vol. 90 No. 4
APRIL 2025 1 Nisan - 2 Iyyar 5785
Tennessee and Israel Forge Stronger Bonds with Historic Bipartisan Caucus By BARBARA DAB
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n an historic bipartisan move, the Tennessee Legislature last month agreed to create a Tennessee/Israel caucus designed to strengthen and further build upon their relationship. State representative Scott Cepicky (TN-District 64), one of the sponsors of the caucus bill welcomed the move and said the move was a big step forward for the state, “We will be able to do great things for the state of Tennessee and the people of Israel. This caucus will allow leaders more than 6,000 miles apart to strengthen political ties and promote economic growth through bilateral trade and investment opportunities that will help foster an environment of educational collaboration and cultural understanding.” At a reception following the creation of the caucus in the senate chamber, Rabbi Saul Strosberg of Congregation Sherith Israel gave opening remarks. He reiterated President Ronald Reagan’s remarks, emphasizing the United States’
longstanding commitment to and friendship with the state of Israel. “The value of a connection between us and the people of Israel is even more essential today and we are grateful for the opportunities that the Tennessee-Israel Legislative Caucus will provide to strengthen and enhance
this important relationship.” Israel’s Consul General for the Southeast Region, Anat Sultan-Dadon was present, and, in her remarks, she said establishment of the caucus reflects the unique friendship between the two states and noted that the relationship has been
cultivated over decades. “Israeli companies have collaborated with Tennessee business fostering innovation and technological advancements. In the academic realm our universities and research institutions have engaged in meaningful Continued on page 23
Tennessee Jewish Communities Strengthen Security Amid Rising Antisemitism By BARBARA DAB
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ccording to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents have soared to over 300% since October 7, 2023. But even prior to that date, Jewish communities throughout Tennessee experienced increasing antisemitic incidents in the form of fliers and Nazi grafitti. For the past several years, the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, along with the Jewish communities of Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Memphis have successfully pushed for increased security funding for houses of worship. The funding has grown from $500,000 to $750,000, and this year, there is a proposal to increase the funding to $1.3 million. These efforts began in 2018 when Rabbi Mark Schiftan, then head rabbi at The Temple, convened a meeting of Jewish community leaders. “I thought this was the primary issue the Federation should be taking the lead on in our comA Publication of the
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munity,” says Schiftan, “The most important issue is keeping Jewish lives safe.” Schiftan says his concerns for the safety of local institutions came in the wake of the Tree of Life mass shooting in Pittsburgh. “That didn’t happen in Los Angeles, or New York, it happened right in the middle of the country. It was a recognition that all these facilities were going to have to arm in a very different way.” Those early meetings and efforts to provide security funding came before federal homeland security grants and state level house of worship grants. Schiftan says his intention was for the Federation to include the funding in its annual campaign, rather than creating a special security campaign. “This could be a useful tool for the relevance of the Federation, but it shouldn’t be a separate campaign. It should be something the Federation is just doing.” Following that meeting, Steve Hirsch who was the president of From Moscow to Music City: Ada Pasternak’s Journey of Resilience, Music, and Advocacy, page 8
Federation at that time, said the decision was made to follow Schiftan’s proposal. “We made a commitment to the community by saying the first $200,000 of the annual campaign is going to go to local security. And we did it without cutting back too much on other grants, whether it be Israel or overseas.” From that point, Hirsch says the effort was made to also take advantage of federal security programs. At that time, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program was administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “They were making dollars available for nonprofits for upgrading the security of facilities,” he says. What began as a federal allocation of $90 million was eventually increased to $180 million, and then Hirsch says it peaked at $300 million. He says the increases were due in part to lobbying efforts by the Jewish Federations of North America. Hirsch created a security commitStarting the Day with Purpose: The JMS Morning Minyan Experience, page 11
tee, with Lori Fishel as the first chair. Fishel says the first order of business was to include the Secure Community Network, an organization created in 2003 to provide security consulting to Jewish Federations around the country. “They visited all the organizations in Nashville, like Akiva, Hillel, JCC, and all the congregations. They just did a deep dive into the needs at each location.” This type of visit is typical for SCN. The organization has been engaged in Nashville many times to help coordinate with the Federation on security issues, with law enforcement at the state and local level, as well as with federal partners. The idea is to identify areas that need improvement. And since the federal program only provided grants for hardening facilities, it soon became apparent that increases in security personnel were also necessary. Hirsch says eventually the state of Tennessee created Continued on page 22 D.I.Y. & Home Improvement Special Section, page 25