Southern Jewish Life, March 2026

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on a backdrop of glass from the shattered library windows. Full coverage, page 13. March 2026

Volume 36 Issue 1

Southern Jewish Life Staff

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With the proximity of Jackson’s Beth Israel to the Henry S. Jacobs Camp, and the congregation’s central role in Jewish life in Mississippi and in NFTY-Southern, the January 10 arson reverberated far beyond the city limits. The story quickly became national and international, with expressions of support, both moral and material, pouring in.

The congregation itself showed that nothing would slow them down. All activities continued as normal, if not in their usual spaces. It took an ice storm to dent the schedule.

It isn’t much of an exaggeration to say that many local churches were fighting each other for the opportunity to host Beth Israel. Synagogues around the region stepped forward to fill needs.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the head of the Reform movement, came to visit, and noted that at the Davos Economic Summit, he had spoken about Jackson at a panel on antisemitism, focusing on the positives of community response. The arsonist became barely mentioned, a hateful footnote to the displays of solidarity.

In short, the big story coming out of Jackson has been the support and love shown by the broader community toward the local Jewish community during a time of great loss. That should be the big takeaway.

But as we all know, whenever there is a story, one should never read the online comments.

Going on social media, it was easy to see examples of how the forces of unvarnished antisemitism have proliferated. Over the past few years especially, online trolls have become far more bold in their hate, and the “anti-Zionist not antisemitic” crowd has become more radical and outspoken. It has reached the point where a sports team can’t wish its Jewish fans a Happy Chanukah online without being inundated with “Free Palestine” and “genocidal baby killers” posts.

Expressions of Jewish-Christian solidarity are deluged with “there’s another $7,000” (for a false story that Israel pays online influencers $7,000 for each positive post) or quotes “exposing” what the “tiny hats” (Jews) supposedly are taught about Christians, citing presumed verses from the Talmud (which either don’t exist or are taken wildly out of context, and reported as if every word of the Talmud is seen as reflective of mainstream Jewish thought and practice today, instead of a collection of debates and hypotheticals).

Naturally, there were all manner of antisemitic conspiracy comments under stories about Beth Israel, including that the rabbi did it for the insurance payout. Never mind that rabbis have no

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financial stake in a synagogue’s facilities. Besides, the joke is on them, as technically, Beth Israel doesn’t have a rabbi. (They have a congregant who is in his first year as a rabbinical student, and given how he handled the weeks following the fire with professionalism, compassion and skill, his seminary really should go ahead and give him his ordination now, based on merit and experience. He can catch up on whatever book learning he needs later). Similarly, readers were urged to investigate what goes on in the basement, as who knows what nefarious deeds the Jews were up to down there. Again, joke’s on them… what basement?

Many people online hailed the arsonist as a hero, or said “he did nothing wrong.”

One can hope and pray that the lived experience in Jackson is where our society truly is. That the kindness and brotherhood shown in defiance of an individual’s hate is what prevails.

One can hope that the deluge of antisemitic rhetoric online indeed comes from foreign bots and not from actual people. But it isn’t looking great. Antisemitism has infected academia, echoing initiatives from the 1930s that we never would have suspected could resurface. The portrayal of Israel, and Jews in general, as oppressors and uniquely evil, spread with false charges, is providing the philosophical basis for justifying anything and everything that is done to us — a false image is built through which anything that happens “in response” to such imagined sins is deserved.

That influence was clearly seen in the lack of response and absence of compassion after October 7. And a new poll shows one factor — among Democrats, sympathies lie more with the Palestinians than with Israelis, 65 percent to 17 percent. Among Republicans, though, the figures are flipped and even stronger in Israel’s favor. Which is positive news, but…

The horseshoe theory returns, as in addition to the poison from the left, there is a resurgence of Jew-hate on the right because of figures like Tucker Qatarlson, Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes. A survey by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs last month showed 45 percent of Republicans under age 44 say that Jews pose a threat to the American way of life. That’s double the proportion of the older generation (which itself is way too high for comfort). And a disturbing proportion of young Republicans working in Washington are Fuentes fans.

But we do have allies. The good people of Jackson have showed us that.

We also spent several days recently at the National Religious Broadcasters convention, the trade show for evangelical media. Support for Israel was widespread, and once again there was an emphasis on enlisting churches to fight antisemitism and stand with the Jewish people. In the coming days we will have extensive coverage on our Israel InSight site.

At NRB, during the Israel Prayer Breakfast, the head of NRB had strong words regarding Carlson, saying his very short “visit” to Israel was understandable. “Satan can’t stand on holy ground.” No beating around the bush there.

These may not have been our traditional allies, but there has been a huge change in the Christian world in recent decades. It is crucial that we acknowledge that and engage with all those who reach out in genuine friendship.

We can — and will — disagree on many issues, such as access to abortion (since outright bans violate Jewish law on the mother’s life being the primary consideration), or the extent of Christian practice in public schools. But if we don’t engage, we will never understand each others’ perspectives and concerns, and our political system will continue to be polarized because it is so easy to other the unknown “them.”

May the spirit of Jackson prevail and become the dominant story, pushing aside the online trolls. And may we continue to embrace those who would embrace us in friendship. Long after Beth Israel is rebuilt, we must continue to strengthen those bonds and fight together against those who hate.

We have a long and uphill battle, and we need all the help we can get.

Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor

interesting bits & can’t miss events

While New Orleans has had Jewish Krewes marching for a couple decades, Mobile has begun to get in on the action, with the Mystical Society of Purim marching as part of the Joe Cain Parade. This year’s parade was held on Feb. 15, with about 15 marching behind the Purim scroll. They had seven for their inaugural parade last year. Among their throws were 42 painted bagels, in tribute to New Orleans’ Krewe du Jieux.

Florida’s oldest Jewish congregation planning 150th anniversary

Pensacola’s Temple Beth El holding celebration weekend in April, museum exhibit opens March 12

Florida’s oldest Jewish congregation is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Pensacola’s Temple Beth El is planning a weekend of celebration, April 17 to 19.

The weekend will focus on music through the years, with Cantor Richard Cohn, formerly director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music of the Hebrew Union College.

The congregation has partnered with the University of West Florida Historic Trust on an exhibit exploring the history and culture of Beth El and its role in Pensacola. There will be items from the congregation’s Judaica collection, the university’s archives and the Bear Family Foundation collection. The exhibit will open at the Pensacola Museum of Art on March 12 with an opening reception at 5 p.m. The exhibit will run through March 29, and move to Beth El, where it will be displayed through the celebration weekend.

There will be a celebratory oneg after the 7 p.m. service on April 17 and a luncheon following the April 18 service at 10 a.m. Both services will include Cantor Richard Cohn, former director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College.

That evening, the gala dinner, Havdalah and dance will be at the Pensacola Yacht Club.

On April 19, Rabbi Joel Fleekop, Chuck Kahn, Bill Zimmern and Ray Engel will lead a tour of Temple Beth El’s historic cemetery, which was founded in 1869

The congregation began in 1876, and the state’s first synagogue building was dedicated in 1878 on Chase Street, where a marker is currently displayed. The original building burned down in 1895 but was quickly rebuilt. After another fire in 1929, a larger Art Deco building, still used by the congregation, was built on Palafox in 1931.

In 1962, the congregation briefly was led by Paula Ackerman, the first woman to lead a Jewish congregation. A Pensacola native, she was the wife of Rabbi William Ackerman, who served Beth Israel in Meridian. When he died in 1950, the Meridian congregation asked her to become their leader. She did so, from 1951 to 1953, but refused the title of rabbi because she had not been ordained, at the time no seminaries ordained women. She reprised the role at Beth El for five months.

Anniversary events began in January, with Symphony Shabbat on Jan. 16, featuring a performance by Leonid Yanovskiy, Ramel Price and Cody Martin of the Pensacola Symphony. The highlight was three movements from the Bach Concerto for two violins and orchestra.

That evening marked more than the congregation’s anniversary — this year is the symphony’s 100th anniversary, and Yanovskiy’s 25th anniversary with the orchestra. It is also the 25th anniversary of Yanovskiy and his wife, Victoria Adamenko, being part of the congregation.

On Jan. 21, the Sisterhood held an anniversary lunch, with a program featuring past Sisterhood presidents, and a menu of recipes from the Sisterhood’s original cookbook.

New American Social Clubs celebrated at new MSJE exhibit

After World War II, many Holocaust survivors found themselves in New Orleans, trying to establish new lives. This month, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans is opening a new special exhibit, “Holocaust Survivors in a New Land: The New Americans Social Club of New Orleans.”

While the survivors were assisted when they arrived in New Orleans, it took time and effort for them to become acclimated in a community where nobody else could truly understand what they had endured. Throughout the region, Holocaust survivors established groups to help each other with the language, religious and social support, and political advocacy.

It was that sort of advocacy that led to the formation of the New Americans Social Club in 1961. That was the year of the Eichmann trial, which stirred up memories. Also that year, the American Nazi Party, under the leadership of George Lincoln Rockwell, went to New Orleans on a “hate ride” mocking the Freedom Riders.

On the New Orleans agenda for Rockwell’s group was a protest of the movie “Exodus,” which was showing in theaters nationwide. A group of survivors were ready for them, and the “welcome” included baseball bats. The Nazis were taken to jail, and the survivors established the club.

Another incident came in 1989, when Klansman and neo-Nazi David Duke was elected to the Louisiana Legislature. That June, an exhibit about the Holocaust was displayed at the State Capitol, and Duke showed up. Anne Levy, a survivor in New Orleans, saw him and confronted him. The confrontation and hasty exit by Duke was captured by the media, and the publicity, and Duke’s electoral success, prompted many New Americans members to speak out about their experiences, leading to the Southern Institute’s “Ten Stories of Holocaust Survivors in New Orleans.”

The exhibit will focus on the formation and activities of the New Americans Social Club in New Orleans, and how it is part of the nation’s immigration experience.

The exhibition features photographs, stories of individual survivors’ lives before, during and after the war, letters, and multimedia displays about the club’s gatherings.

There will be a members’ preview and opening reception on March 19. The exhibit opens to the public on March 20.

Southern Jewish Voices lineup set

Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center announced this season’s lineup for Southern Jewish Voices, a series of Jewish community oral history interviews done before an audience. A complimentary lunch is served at each session, and videos of the sessions are archived online.

The first session featured Holocaust survivor Jack Schniper. Schniper was born in a work camp in Ukraine during World War II. The series continued with Orly Henkin, director of Judaics and assistant head of school at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School.

On March 18 at noon, Jonathan Wiesen, professor of history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham specializing in modern Europe, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust, will be interviewed.

On April 15, longtime community professionals Sally and Richard Friedman will be interviewed. Sally was longtime director of the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, while Richard served as director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation and the Levite JCC.

The season concludes on May 20 with Michael Saag, associate dean for global health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and founder of the 1917 Clinic, a comprehensive AIDS treatment and research center at UAB.

Program celebrates 60 years of JewishCatholic relations after Nostra Aetate

In partnership with the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Behar Center for Jewish and Multicultural Affairs, there will be a program on “Nostra Aetate: Celebrating 60 Years of Jewish-Catholic Relations,” March 26 at 7 p.m. at Loyola University’s St. Charles room.

There will be music, light bites and two keynote speakers, Philip Cunningham and Rabbi David Sandmel. Registration is available on the website of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.

Cunningham is a Professor of Theology and director of the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books, most recently 2022’s “Maxims for Mutuality: Principles for Catholic Theology, Education, and Preaching about Jews and Judaism,” and dozens of articles or book chapters.

Sandmel is the board president of the International Council of Christians and Jews. He is the immediate past chair of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations. From 2014 to 2022, he was Director of Interreligious Engagement at ADL. At the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, he directed the publication of “Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity.”

AHEC holding Holocaust in Film series

The Alabama Holocaust Education Center presents its 13th annual Holocaust In Film Series at the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema in downtown Birmingham. The four films on the theme Rescue, Escape and Liberation will be screened at 6 p.m., and tickets are $10.

The series began with “My Name is Sara” and “Life is Beautiful.”

The March 10 documentary is “No Place on Earth.” Based on the memoir of Holocaust Survivor Esther Stermer, this documentary tells the shocking story of three Jewish families—38 people in total—who escaped the Nazis and survived the Holocaust by hiding in a cave in Ukraine.

Following the screening, and again on March 17, Michele Forman, a second-generation survivor, award-winning documentarian, and University of Alabama at Birmingham media studies professor, will lead a discussion.

The series concludes on March 17 with “Everything is Illuminated.”

The film follows Jonathan, whose grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, as he struggles to uncover his family’s history and learn the lessons this history has to teach him. As his journey unfolds, the story asks what escape or liberation truly means to those who survived the Holocaust yet remain haunted by memories of their trauma and immense losses.

Workshop on storytelling at LJCC

Author and artist Dara Kosberg will be in Birmingham for a creative workshop on “Honoring and Channeling Loss and Adversity,” and for a night of storytelling.

Kosberg, a grief and post-traumatic growth program director, will lead the free workshop on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Levite Jewish Community Center in partnership with Collat Jewish Family Services. The workshop will use flowers, leaves and natural materials to create mandalas to honor “what we’ve lost or lived through,” from loss of a loved one to personal challenges. Small personal items to incorporate into mandalas are welcome.

The storytelling on March 16 begins at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m., and dinner will be available for purchase from JJ’s Sandwich Shop. Kosberg’s story, “Homecoming,” is about her art studies in Australia when she gets the call that she has to come home for her dying mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship. Her story is about finding herself again after loss.

Comedian and storyteller Rebecca Rothman will also share “Gifted,” her story of how a surprise gift changed everything as she knew it, and how mysteries can be discovered while growing up. The program will be at the LJCC. Tickets are $20 and are available on the LJCC website.

More Stories Than Pages!

Among our recent stories on southernjewishlife.substack.com:

Rep. Phil Ensler, Alabama’s only Jewish legislator, running for lieutenant governor

Radical anti-Israel Republican James Fishback leads among young voters in Florida’s gubernatorial primary Atlanta Jewish Film Festival apologizes, vows to review processes after bringing on a student juror for this year’s festival who produced and posted anti-Israel and antisemitic videos

Birmingham-based group’s “friendshoring” plan to move pharma manufacturing from China to Abraham Accords countries moves forward with approval of FDA office in region

Federal appeals court allows Louisiana to display Ten Commandments posters in public schools as legal challenge works its way through the courts

Texas doubles its investment in Israel Bonds, to $280 million

North Carolina neo-Nazi gets five years for targeting Georgia Jewish leaders, including a rabbi formerly in Huntsville

A Jewish war hero was laid to rest in South Carolina 82 years after his deadly mission over China

Louisiana Sen. Cassidy questions New York Mayor Mamdani over his rescinding of executive orders on Israel and Jew-hatred

On Holocaust Memorial Day, a Jewish Congressman from Tennessee calls civilians killed by ICE “righteous among nations”

Rabbi Adam Wright of Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El leaving this summer for a Chicago pulpit

Nashville Jewish Community Center files suit against the neoNazi Goyim Defense League for last year’s attempted building invasion by one of their activists

Avoiding waste: LJCC starts Mitzvah Market

Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center is inaugurating a Mitzvah Market, a free community exchange, on March 29 from 1 to 5 p.m. The event will promote honoring resources and avoiding waste.

“Mitzvah Market is a simple idea with real impact,” says Zoe Weil, director of special projects. “By reusing and sharing what we already have, we’re supporting one another while reinforcing the values that define our community.”

In February, community members were asked to bring high-quality, likenew items. Mitzvah tickets are earned per donated item, with a maximum of five, to spend at the market. Others can earn tickets by bringing non-perishable food to benefit the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

At the Mitzvah Market, in addition to spending tickets on donated items, there will also be free service booths for jewelry cleaning, tech tips, sewing or mending, and resume reviews.

Israel’s Houston consulate limiting services

Israel’s consulate in Houston, which serves Louisiana and Arkansas, announced that starting January 20, it will not be offering any in-person consular services as the offices are being renovated. Anyone in the Houston consulate’s territory needing those services should make an appointment with the consulate in Atlanta.

While the Houston consulate will still be reachable by email and mail, many services are done in person. That includes issuing passports for a minor, notary services, some visas requiring an in-person visit, passports for adults who have not been in Israel for more than 10 years, newborn registration, a change of personal status or address, a name correction or change, the issuance of a first travel document at any age, or applications for a certificate of citizenship.

The renovations are expected to be completed by October.

Covering the Torah in Alexandria, from generation to generation

On Simchat Torah, Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria dedicated three new Torah covers. They were custom made by Custom Judaica in Arizona, to match the stained glass walls on each side of the congregation’s sanctuary.

Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburgh said three different families offered to fund the project, each paying for one of the Torah covers. While the covers were being made, Ginsburgh came across some old files, which included an insurance rider on the Torahs and the old Torah covers. “Would you believe that two of the three families that donated funds for these new Torah covers were the same families that donated over 60 years ago for the previous Torah covers?” she said.

She added, “I always say, ‘There are no coincidences’.”

Spend Shavuot, Memorial Day weekend at camp

LimmudFest holding five-day retreat at Ramah Darom

LimmudFest at Ramah Darom in Georgia is taking advantage of a calendar convergence to shift from its usual Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day weekend in May. This year, Shavuot begins on the evening of May 21, the Thursday leading into Memorial Day weekend. The result is a five-day holiday retreat of Jewish exploration, connection and joy, May 21 to 25.

Rabbi David Singer, CEO of Limmud North America, said he expects the timing will attract participants from across North America. “What could possibly be a better time to experience the joy of Jewish learning than Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the giving of the Torah?”

LimmudFest brings together hundreds of Jews from across the Southeast and beyond for five days and four nights of immersive learning, creative expression and communal celebration. With a participatory ethos at its core, the festival features dozens of workshops and discussions that span Torah study and text learning, art and music, performance, meditation and yoga, hiking and nature activities, and spirited conversations on contemporary Jewish life.

Attendees of all ages and backgrounds choose from a rich, multi-track schedule designed to nourish curiosity, deepen Jewish identity, and build relationships across generations and denominations. Whether discovering new insights in text study, exploring Jewish music and culture, practicing yoga at sunrise, or gathering for festive meals and late-night Shavuot learning, participants are invited to learn, share, teach, and celebrate together in community.

Rabbi David Wolpe, a featured presenter last year, said “LimmudFest is a festival of learning, community, music — and joy! A wonderful experience.”

Shabbat and Shavuot observance will include offerings for diverse practices and backgrounds. There will be opportunities for hiking, song and social time, multi-generational spaces and a Kids Camp.

Accommodations range from camp cabins and hotel rooms, to deluxe cottages and tent camping at what is often referred to as “Spa Ramah.”

Registration includes accommodations, all meals, snacks and beverages, and all activities. There are reduced rates for children.

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Touro Synagogue in New Orleans anJazz Fest Shabbat will be on April 24, with special guest artist

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Oron March 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed at the Goldring/Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus in Metairie, to reach out to community members for the Annual Campaign. Clerical volunteer roles are also available starting at 11 a.m., and for followup on

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El announced that Rabbi David Young will become the interim rabbi for the coming year. He is currently managing a synagogue merger in Pittsburgh. Jewish Endowment Foundation of will hold its annual event will be March 15 at The Higgins Hotel in New Orleans. There will be a patron reception at 10:30 a.m., followed by the brunch at 11:30 a.m. Maury Herman will receive the Tzedakah Award, and Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans Ceo Roselle Ungar will receive the Saundra K. Levy and Helen A. Mervis Jewish Community Professional Award. Tickets are $100, $85 for Atid, young adults up to age 40. Patron tickets are $250 and $500, tables range from $1,000 to $5,000.

The ice storm that paralyzed much of Mississippi in January led to the cancellation of a Tu B’Shevat Seder that was planned by the Jewish Federation of Oxford. Instead, the focus has turned to the large loss of trees in the storm. The Federation has been talking with church leaders and community organizers about planning an interfaith tree planting event this spring.

The Women of Reform Judaism Southeast District will have their convention in Tuscaloosa the weekend of March 13 to 15. Tuscaloosa’s Amy Ahmed will be installed as regional president, and the 7 p.m. service at Temple Emanu-El will be open to the community.

Birmingham’s Collat Jewish Family Services is collaborating with several community groups on a panel discussion, “The Sandwich

continued on page 27 has closed its sanctuary for renovations starting Jan. 12, as scaffolding will fill the room. The interior of the dome will be repaired and repainted, lighting and wiring replaced, and the audio visual room relocated. The process is expected to take about six months, during which services will be held in the Hess Chapel and

Jackson’s Beth Israel defiant in the face of fire

After shocking arson, congregation emphasizes unity, Jewish pride and the general community’s response

Beth Israel in Jackson has a long rebuilding process ahead of it in the aftermath of the January 10 arson, but the congregation is determined to emerge stronger than ever, bolstered by the response of the greater Jackson community and the Jewish community around the world.

Zach Shemper, Beth Israel president, said “There is more beauty after more beauty” coming out of the response. “It keeps going. People keep reaching out. They want to help, they want to support.” Congregations and Jewish Federations across the country started fundraising drives for Beth Israel’s rebuilding.

“Especially in Jackson, Shemper said, “the whole city sees it as something that didn’t just happen to the Jews. It happened to Jackson.”

The fire began around 3 a.m. on Jan. 10 at the end of the building where the library and offices were housed. The library and lobby were completely destroyed, and the offices were severely damaged. Smoke and soot spread throughout the building, which also houses the offices of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. The Institute coordinates Jewish educational resources, cultural and rabbinic services to congregations in 13 states.

Two Torahs were housed in the library’s ark, and were destroyed. The five in the sanctuary were retrieved and rolled out on tables at Northminster Baptist Church. A scribe is evaluating their condition.

Another Torah, which survived the Holocaust, was undamaged. It was in a glass display case in the hallway.

The area that suffered the greatest damage was the same place where a Klansman had planted a bomb on Sept. 18, 1967. That blast damaged the library and the office of Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, whose home was bombed two months later.

Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, of Madison, was arrested and charged with setting the fire. He was initially charged in federal court with arson against a property involved in interstate commerce. On Jan. 20, he appeared in court with hands heavily bandaged for burns he suffered in setting the fire, and pleaded not guilty.

On Feb. 12, two more charges were added, “damaging or destroying religious real property because of the character of that property,” and the use of fire in commission of a federal felony. He remains in the Madison County Jail, awaiting a trial scheduled for April 6.

Editor’s Note: Over the weeks following the arson at Beth Israel, we have published numerous stories online. The story here is a small portion of what is available on our site. We encourage you to check out the rest of our stories, from the initial reaction, to the arrest and court proceedings, the first Shabbat afterward, the Jacobs Camp retreat, a profile of the arsonist, the reaction of a minister whose father invited Beth Israel to his church after the 1967 bombing, and much more. southernjewishlife.substack.com

If convicted, Pittman faces up to 50 years in prison. He also faces state charges of first-degree arson, with a hate crime enhancement. State penalties would be in addition to any federal penalties.

Quickly mobilizing

The evening before the fire, Beth Israel held its board installation during services, and the Shabbat morning service had already been cancelled. But religious school the next day went on as planned, albeit at a different location, and a far different lesson plan than had been scheduled.

Numerous churches offered their facilities to Beth Israel, but the decision was made to accept the offer of Northminster Baptist Church. Northminster Senior Pastor Scott Dickison said Northminster considers Beth Israel “as our closest friends in Jackson” since the church was founded in 1967 and was invited to use the previous Beth Israel building as its first home.

“We are grateful to be able to stand with them in this really difficult time,” Dickison said. “We told them they are welcome here for as long as would be helpful, and we mean that. But I think the main thing is just to know that they have a place.”

At the first Shabbat service after the fire, on January 16 at the church, Ben Russell, the spiritual leader of Beth Israel and a current rabbinical student, said the focus of the weekend would be the Bat Mitzvah of Tamar Sharp, “a weekend of continuing our Jewish life without any pause.” Nevertheless, with a sanctuary filled with Beth Israel members, as well

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The library at Beth Israel, the ark can be seen to the right. The fire blew out the windows.

as members of Northminster and representatives from several other area churches and Mayor John Horhn, some processing of the week needed to be done as a community.

During the weekend, there was an air of determination “not just to survive, but to thrive.”

Russell said “A few days ago, someone tried to wound us. Someone tried to destroy what we love. Someone tried to tell us that we do not belong in our own city. That being visibly Jewish is dangerous, that being proudly Jewish is a risk. That being a synagogue is an invitation for hatred. What they failed to understand is that we are not made of wood and paper and shelves. We are made of Torah, memory, community, stubborn love, and 3,000 years of defiance.”

He said “We are shaken, but we are not scared. We are wounded, but we are not weak. We are grieving, but we are not giving up. Not now, not ever.”

Though the Torah reading would be the next morning during the Bat Mitzvah ceremony, given that two Torahs were destroyed in the fire, Russell said “it is important for us to see the Torah in our midst” during that first evening service, and led a Torah procession through the church sanctuary, as congregants sang a succession of songs.

As the congregation’s five other Torahs in the sanctuary were damaged by smoke, Beth Israel is using a scroll from B’nai Israel in Hattiesburg. Before the scroll was “returned to the ark” — placed on a Torah stand and covered with a tallit — Shemper was holding it. Shemper, who has Hattiesburg roots, said that Torah is special to him because it was dedicated to his grandmother.

The prayer books that Beth Israel will be using for the near future also came from Hattiesburg and Temple Israel in Memphis. The reception after the service came mostly from members of Touro Synagogue in New Orleans — and included a hefty supply of king cake, which disappeared quickly.

The Shabbat morning service on Jan. 17 unfolded much as any adult Bat Mitzvah ceremony would, with barely any mention of the past week. At the conclusion of her d’var Torah, Sharp said two weeks earlier she had written “how lucky am I to be in one of my favorite places surrounded by my favorite people?

“So much has changed in the two weeks since I wrote those words… And yet today, I can say, how lucky am I, and how lucky is our congregation, to be welcomed by Northminster Church, to have a temporary home, as we rebuild and heal,” she said. “The greater Jackson community has been incredibly loving and supportive during this difficult time.”

In the interim

Current estimates are that the rebuilding of Beth Israel will be an 18 to 24 month process. Some optimistic projections are for the High Holidays continued on page 17

How and why?

Stephen Spencer Pittman is charged with arson in the Jan. 10 fire at Beth Israel, having bragged to his father about what he had done to “the synagogue of Satan.”

The Madison resident’s social media presence had been overwhelmingly Bible verses and baseball, as he played for Coahoma Community College in northwestern Mississippi, a mainly Black institution. He graduated from St. Joseph Catholic School.

His most recent post on X before the fire was a link for One Purpose, which is a site for “Scripture-backed fitness. Brotherhood accountability. Life-expectancy maxxing.” The site starts with the Hebrew four-letter name for God, with “Build Your Temple For His Glory.”

The site is filled with Hebrew terms and touts “Biblical eating patterns, fasting, and walking with God” that enabled the patriarchs to live for centuries. The subscription-based site belonged to Pittman.

In the affidavit, FBI Special Agent Nicholas Amiano reported that Pittman’s father had contacted the FBI to report that his son confessed to the crime. The confession was corroborated by Life360 map data from Pittman’s phone, showing him at Beth Israel as the fire broke out, along with simultaneous text messages to his father, and burns later seen on Pittman’s body.

Early on Jan. 10, Pittman traveled from his home in Madison County and stopped at Mac’s Gas in Ridgeland. There, he apparently removed the license plate from his truck, then went to Beth Israel. He texted his father a photo of the back of the building, along with “there’s a furnace in the back,” “Btw my plate is off,” “hoodie is on,” and “they have the best cameras.”

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Video footage from security cameras inside the building show him pouring accelerant from a gas can in the lobby area, splashing it against the walls and on a sofa.

When his father pleaded with him to return home, Pittman said he was due for a homerun, and “I did my research.”

Later in the morning, he texted from a different phone, saying “other phone mia not coming back going to Apple Store today.” He had lost his phone during the arson.

Pittman’s father observed burns on his ankles, hands and face and confronted him about what happened. The affidavit states he told his father that he broke a window at Beth Israel, using an ax, went inside and lit it on fire. “Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.” He said he targeted the building because it had “Jewish ties.”

His father had his mother take him to the hospital for his burns because he was afraid to alert authorities in his son’s presence. FBI Special Agent Ariel Williams said that in interviews with Pittman’s parents, they said they were considering locking their bedroom door at night out of fear of his recent behavior, that when he came home for winter break, they noticed his personality had changed .

Williams also said that friends and associates she interviewed heard Pittman talking about his desire to burn a synagogue, including one who heard him say it on Jan. 9.

That evening, the FBI, Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Pittman. He admitted starting the fire in the building, which he referred to as “the synagogue of Satan.” He also said he caught himself on fire during the act, and said his missing cell phone was in the building, along with the lighter he used. The FBI recovered the phone, a congregant came across the lighter.

Pittman had his initial court appearance remotely from his hospital bed during the afternoon of Jan. 12. Federal Magistrate Judge Andrew Harris asked Pittman if he understood his rights, and Pittman responded that he did, adding “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The exterior outside the library was charred

in September 2027.

Services continue to be held at Northminster Baptist Church, with weekly Havdalah at the Holocaust memorial behind Beth Israel, weather permitting. Religious school takes place next door at Revive School.

On Feb. 22, Beth Israel celebrated the arrival of a new Torah, the gift of an anonymous member of Gates of Prayer in Metairie. The Louisiana congregation brought a delegation to take part in the celebration at Fairview Inn.

A new office has been set up on Woodlands Parkway in Ridgeland, with some functions being held there, such as the Purim megillah reading.

The congregation held a few listening sessions to get feedback from congregants on what is needed and desired in the revamped building. Meanwhile, community organizations continue to express their support.

The Fogelman Jewish Family Service in Memphis offered mental health support to the community.

On Feb. 17, Galloway United Methodist Church did a community fundraiser for Beth Israel at its Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feast, collecting donations at the door. The Chaminade Music Club was presenting a Concert of Hope and Healing, Great Jewish Sacred Music in support of Beth Israel, on March 4 at St. Andrews Cathedral.

The Feb. 27 Shabbat service was followed by an oneg sponsored by St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Monsignor Elvin Sunds in attendance.

On March 28, the Spring Fling Invitational pickleball tournament at Liberty Park will benfit Beth Israel and the Little Light House preschool. Michele Schipper, CEO of the Institute nd a past president of Beth Israel, said many who have reached out know that it will be a longterm process, and “are so wise to say you may be overwhelmed and don’t yet know what you need. Keep us in mind. Keep us on the list. We’ll check back in later. And that’s also incredibly helpful.”

A group from Los Angeles that brought teens to Jackson for a visit three years ago reached out, ISJL Director of Programs Shira Muroff said. Many in Los Angeles know about losing things to fire, after the recent wildfires that ravaged their neighborhoods. They have provided

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advice as to what helped them through.

Experts are still examining the building to assess the extent of structural damage. Shemper said “the renovations could include everything except the exterior walls,” but it will take time to assess how much of the interior is salvageable. “We’ve got a great group around us” working on the building.

Beth Israel will take the opportunity to make a few upgrades to the building, such as skylights in the windowless sanctuary, having an accessible bimah and expanding the library.

“It’s going to be a beautiful building when it is done,” Shemper said, “but what makes a beautiful synagogue is not the building itself, it’s the Jews inside.”

While contributions have poured in from around the world and are being held in a dedicated account, and the insurance claim is still being processed, the congregation will likely still need to hold a capital campaign for the rebuilding.

Shemper said he has been surprised at what he has heard about the cost of construction. Being in the scrap business, “I’m in the business of tearing buildings down, not building them up.”

Institute also affected

In a recent program about Beth Israel, organized by the Southern Jewish Historical Society, Schipper said the Institute has a long relationship with the congregation, with so many of their staff being members or having active roles. The congregation partnered on the Institute’s education program, and the Institute’s rabbi stepped in when Beth Israel was without a rabbi.

In 2021, the Institute moved into spaces at Beth Israel left vacant by the

closing of the congregation’s preschool.

Schipper said that after the fire, there was a decision to keep the focus on the congregation and its rebuilding fund, and step back before seeking support for the Institute. “We would love support, of course,” she said. On Feb. 25, they had their annual Giving Day, and they will have opportunities for communities in the region to come together, such as the annual Southern and Jewish conference, scheduled for June 21 to 23 in Charlotte.

While there was a layer of soot on the surfaces in their office, ruining their equipment, most of the archival materials were in preservation boxes. Professional smoke remediation companies have been working on the archives, much of which had been digitized.

The congregation’s archives had been moved to the Institute; had they still been in the office, they would have been lost forever, just like the historical items that had been displayed in the lobby.

Schipper said archival experts have reached out, for when the Institute is ready to make long-term decisions about the archives.

Home away from home

On Jan. 31, the gates of Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, half an hour from Jackson, opened for a regional gathering in support of Beth Israel. Musician Dan Nichols and URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs were on hand for the weekend as participants from several communities in the region made a journey of support. Another 30 were supposed to come down from Memphis, but the roads were still impassable from the ice

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storm the previous weekend.

Nichols and Rabbi Katie Bauman of Touro Synagogue in New Orleans led the service, and Rabbi Joel Fleekop of Temple Beth El in Pensacola did the Torah reading.

During his remarks, Jacobs — no known familial relation to the camp — spoke of how, in the week’s Torah portion, the Israelites were engaged in a battle, and as long as Moses had his arms raised, the Israelites prevailed. But naturally, Moses tired, and when his arms went down, so did the effectiveness of the Israelites. So others held Moses’ arms up. He had Shemper, Russell and Jacobs Camp Director Anna Herman come up to the front and hold their arms up, then had volunteers come up to support the arms of the three, as a show of community support as they navigate the coming months.

Herman noted that among those in attendance were non-Jewish families who had children that attended Dream Street at the camp, the NFTY program to give camp experiences to children with physical disabilities. They wanted to show their support for the congregation, she said.

Telling the Story

The story of Beth Israel traveled far and wide. At the Jacobs Camp event, Jacobs said he had just been at the Davos Economic Summit in Switzerland, where there had not been a scheduled discussion of antisemitism until Michal Herzog, wife of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, wondered publicly how there could not be such a discussion on the calendar.

Jacobs found himself on the quickly-convened panel, and spoke about Jackson. “I told that story because I want people to know not only that that painful, traumatic thing had happened yet again. I wanted also to show what happened with the faith communities of Jackson in response. Wanted them to know that in the world where after October 7th, we think nobody cares about us, nobody’s there for us. The story of Beth Israel, the story we saw last night, we’ll see it tomorrow, this is actually a set of relationships that were built and sustained over time.”

Shemper also traveled to tell the story. The weekend of Jan. 23, he spoke at Shabbat services at historic Central Synagogue in New York, and at Palm Beach Synagogue in Florida. Both congregations were among the many that reached out to Beth Israel.

Central Synagogue had raised a substantial donation for Beth Israel, partly because it knows the impact of a fire, having been displaced for three years following a fire in 1998. Upon learning of the fundraising, on Jan. 20 Shemper asked Jacobs to reach out to Central Synagogue Rabbi Angela Buchdahl on the congregation’s behalf. It didn’t take long for Buchdahl to call Shemper and invite him to speak in New York.

Shemper said it was “a little overwhelming” to be at Central Synagogue where there were more Jews than in the entire state of Mississippi. The next morning, he was speaking to the modern Orthodox congregation in Palm Beach.

He also spent time on Capitol Hill, advocating for increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and advancing the Pray Safe Act. Coordinated by the Anti-Defamation League, he had numerous meetings, including with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the ranking members of the House and Senate Homeland Security committees, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, and members of the House Bipartisan Task Force to Counter Antisemitism.

Shemper said the Grant Program helped pay for the security cameras Beth Israel had, but the grant did not cover the full cost, and there are many other congregations who need similar grants.

Shemper said the entire experience following the fire has “made me even more proud to be a Jew.” He now sports a kipah all the time.

As he said in his message at Central Synagogue, “now might be the most challenging time to be a Jew in America. But now is certainly the time when it is incumbent upon us to stand straight, stand tall, and stand proud of our being Jewish.”

Southern Jewish Education

Having a few friends over for Shabbat dinner

Tulane Chabad sets record at now misnamed Shabbat 1000, as Bama holds first Shabbat at Bryant-Denny

History was made on two campuses in the region as Chabads hosted Shabbat dinners for students on a massive scale.

At Tulane, the Shabbat 1000 that has taken place for several years is becoming increasingly misnamed — almost 2,000 students showed up for the Feb. 6 dinner on the Quad.

That same evening, a ways up Interstate 59,

the holy land of college football, Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama, was the site of the first Mega Shabbat Dinner by the university’s Chabad, with 240 students and friends taking part in an event space in the northern end zone.

Before the dinner, participants relaxed in the end zone seats as the evening’s logo was on the huge video screens. Big Al showed up for the festivities, and student Ben Sigal assisted numerous students in putting on tefillin.

Rabbi Kussi Lipskier said history was being made, and the Mega Shabbat dinner will be an annual event.

“Instead of cheering for a team on a field, we are here because we belong to a team that is far older, far deeper, and far holier. And that’s saying something” in that stadium.

“Stadiums are built to hold thousands of people who come to feel part

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of something bigger than themselves,” he said. “That is exactly why we’re here. Because Shabbat is the original gathering, the original community, the original place where we remember that we belong to something bigger than ourselves.”

He tied the event to the week’s Torah portion, where the Israelites were gathered at Mount Sinai, “the first-ever Jewish stadium gathering.”

University President Peter Mohler invoked Chabad’s tagline, “Roll Tide with Jewish Pride” in opening his remarks. “I hope everyone feels welcome, and I hope everyone continues to feel welcome. University of Alabama is a special place… because we’re a family.”

At Tulane, which has a much larger Jewish student population, the turnout represented over half of the Jewish students at Tulane, according to Rabbi Mendel Rivkin. “Hundreds of boys laying Tefillin and hundreds of girls lighting candles before Shabbat,” he said. “Two thousand Tulane students celebrating Shabbat together, leaving with their Jewish identity strengthened and empowered.”

Jewish Life in Maroon and White

Founded in 2010, Hillel at Mississippi State is the center for Jewish life in Starkville. Recent activities include Shabbat services at the Chapel of Memories or at B’nai Israel in Columbus, Dreidels on the Drill Field, Bagel Night and a PowerPoint party.

The executive board recently met with University President Mark Keenum to discuss Jewish life on campus.

Among campus landmarks are the Leveck Animal Research Center, named for Henry Leveck, who retired in 1969 after 40 years at the university, and serving as director of the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station; and the Henry Meyer Media Center, which was named in honor of the longtime journalism teacher in 2003.

Additionally, the legendary voice of Mississippi State football, who urged listeners to “wrap it in maroon and white” with each victory, was Jack Cristil, who also often served as lay leader at B’nai Israel in Tupelo.

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Creating Jewish community at Bama

By Lee J. Green

The Tide is high as Jewish student enrollment and participation continues to be on the rise at the University of Alabama.

“At Hillel, we’re always working with the students to focus on what they want out of their experience here and what activities that are important to them,” said Alabama Hillel Executive Director Lisa Besnoy. “Sometimes that might be a big holiday celebration or something simple like a Sunday bagel brunch that can help them to refresh and get ready for the week.”

This past fall was brimming with activity and opportunity. The students coordinated a Panhellenic Challah Bake. They’ve had craft nights, charcuterie board making, Shabbat dinners, mah jongg, football tailgates, and parents’ weekend in early October, High Holy Days and Chanukah celebrations.

For this year, they also have the first Israel fellow/shaliach the University has ever had. Guy Korbin has helped coordinate several learning activities, including Café Ivrit — an Israeli mixology class.

Besnoy said Korbin “will be a part of our big community-wide events we’re planning this spring, including ‘Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate’ as part of our Yom Hashoah events in April, and our celebrations of Israel’s birthday.” A Birthright Israel trip is planned for the summer.

Hillel will also be hosting a Purim party, first and second night Seders, basketball tailgates as well as the continued weekly Shabbat dinners and bagel brunches.

It is estimated that more than 1,000 Jewish students attend the University, and Besnoy said that for some big community events and celebrations, they’ve had more than 300 participants.

“It’s important to provide our students with meaningful interactions and to create a real community here,” she said. “Our students are looking for a place they can feel at home.”

Southern Jewish Education

Auburn Hillel continues expanding

By Lee J. Green

Not only is the Auburn University athletic department approaching having a minyan, but in their Jewish student population, involvement continue to soar like a (War) Eagle.

Auburn Director of Hillel Nora Patterson said she credits a supportive Auburn administration and active involvement from Athletic Director John Cohen, current basketball head coach Steven Pearl and former coach/current athletics department ambassador Bruce Pearl with fostering the growth in Jewish student activity.

“We really have grown quite a bit in just the few years that I have been here… and we’ve seen some record participation this past fall,” said Patterson. “Our email list keeps on growing and we had more than 100 students at the Pearls’ Chanukah party.”

Just a week later, Patterson and Hillel Co-President Courtney Kaplan were invited to the Governor’s mansion for the menorah lighting event, hosted by Governor Kay Ivey.

“Our students have also taken on the responsibility of being ambassadors in the greater university and Auburn community,” she said. “They are working with other student groups on philanthropy projects and all that they do provide a welcoming environment for incoming (Jewish) freshmen.”

Hillel led 18 events this past fall, double what they did in the spring. She said they coordinated an Oct. 7 memorial at Auburn and led part of the program at the screening of the “October 8” documentary at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center on Oct. 5.

Other activities included High Holy Days services, a couple of tailgates, hosting Jewish high school basketball players from across the country connected with Athletes for Israel, and a “Jewsgiving” at Patterson’s house.

Patterson said they kicked off the spring semester with a Bagels with Bruce event, at which they got to meet Israel’s Consul General to the Southeast, Eitan Weiss.

They are planning a few basketball and baseball tailgates. “We’ve also begun to plan an event on Being a Young Jewish Leader in America today. We also hope to collaborate with Guy Kobrin, the shaliach at the University of Alabama, on our Israel Independence Day event.”

And once again they will coordinate a Passover Seder with Temple Beth Shalom. Patterson said they are in discussions with the Temple about a possible permanent space for Hillel.

“We’ve got some big things that we hope that we can announce in the coming months,” she said. “It’s all a part of everything we can do to make the most welcoming environment possible for Jewish students. This is their home.”

Additionally, Yoni Amram is working to re-establish the Auburn chapter of Students Supporting Israel.

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Rutsky also plays volleyball and is involved in the Junior United Nations group at Springs.

Another organization at Springs she looks to get involved with is the Jew Crew, the Jewish student organization. The Jew Crew partners with Chabad to have a sukkah on campus each fall, and served kosher pizza to the students. After the arson at Beth Israel in Jackson, the Jew Crew organized a book drive as the congregation’s library was among the demolished areas.

Many Mondays, Jew Crew President Eli Brook speaks about upcoming Jewish holidays or other current issues at the weekly student Town Hall meeting.

Founded in 1952, Indian Springs School “fosters a love of learning and creativity and an ethic of participatory citizenship.” The independent school is located on a 350-acre campus just south of Birmingham, with day students from the area and boarding students from several states and countries.

continued from page 12

Generation: Caring for Kids while Supporting Aging Parents,” March 18 at 6 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Panelists include Pam Leonard, director of the CJFS CARES Respite Care and facilitator of the Caregiver Support Group; Beverly Thorn, professor emerita of psychology at the University of Alabama and author of “Before I Lose My Own Mind,” financial advisor Marshall Rathmell; and caregiver Julia Marx.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will hold its annual gala, Pop into Art, on April 12 at the JAMNOLA Art Center. The event, emceed by New Orleans Saints Play-By-Play Announcer Mark Romig, will begin at 5 p.m. with interactive JAMNOLA museum exhibits, a local artist painting the gala live, and an open bar. Jane and Billy Sizeler will be honored, and there will be a live auction and raffle prizes. An after-party at 6:30 p.m. for patrons and sponsors will feature The Crescent Circus, and guided tours of JAMNOLA. Bright and bold cocktail attire encouraged. Tickets start at $118, $54 for ages 30 and under. Patron levels start at $300.

It was such a hit the first time, Gates of Prayer Sisterhood is doing another Funraiser with unlimited play at Adventure Quest Laser Tag in Harahan, March 19 from 4 to 9 p.m., with unlimited play for $25 per person plus tax.

The Sea Shul on 30A Sisterhood and Mensch Club will have a weekend exploring the Jewish history and culture of New Orleans, April 10 to 12.

Tupelo’s B’nai Israel will hold Shabbat Across America on March 13 at 6 p.m.

Beth Israel in Metairie will take part in Shabbat Across America, with a 6:30 p.m. service on March 13, followed by a dinner with guest speaker Ilana Horwitz, assistant professor of Jewish studies at Tulane University and the Fields-Rayant Chair in Contemporary Jewish Life. She will speak on “Why Jewish Institutions Matter.”

Shmirah is the Jewish tradition of having someone in the community watch over the body of a deceased person until burial, with quiet presence and prayer. Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will have an informational meeting about the practice, and the formation of a community Shmirah committee, on March 15 at 4 p.m. It is open to the entire Jewish community. No prior experience is needed, and guidance will be provided.

The next Shabbat Halicha hike for Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will be on March 28 at 10 a.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

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Hadassah New Orleans will have a Zoom presentation, “Chagall, Hadassah and the Spiritual Legacy,” with historian Vivian Jacobson. She has lectured about Chagall since 1978, and worked with him on major international projects during the last 11 years of his life. The program is online on March 18 at 7 p.m.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge will have its next Geaux to Shul event on March 25 at 6 p.m., with a basic line dancing class. All ages are welcome.

The Hadassah Southern Region board meeting will be held in Birmingham on March 21 and 22. Kimmie Schulman, National Hadassah Board Chair of Engagement for Evolve: The Next Generation, and national donor experience chair, will be the weekend’s guest. Chapter Women of the Year will be honored, and the new regional board will be installed.

Author and media personality Zibby Owens will explore modern Jewish identity, creativity, and the power of storytelling, in conversation with acclaimed film and television producer Meryl Poster, in “On Being Jewish Now,” the next installment of the Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Series. A book signing will follow, presented in partnership with Octavia Books. The event on March 12 at 2 p.m. at the Uptown Jewish Community Center in New Orleans is free and open to the community.

The Jewish Federation of Central Alabama will have its Annual Campaign Event on March 29 at 2 p.m., at the home of Owen Aronov. Chabads along the Gulf Coast are facilitating weekly deliveries from

Kosher Central, a South Florida kosher grocery store that serves numerous communities in the Southeast. Starting Feb. 17, there will be Tuesday deliveries at Chabad in Panama City Beach, Destin, Pensacola and Mobile. The weekly deadline to order is Sunday at noon. Minimum order is $150. There is a code, New15, for $15 off the first three orders.

You Belong in Birmingham is launching a monthly Jews and Brews gathering for those in their 20s and 30s. The gatherings will be on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. The next session is March 24 at UpDown, April 14 at Trim Tab, May 19 at Avondale Brewing, June 16 at True Story Brewing, July 14 at MayaWell, and Aug. 17 at Carrigan’s Public House.

Chabad of Pensacola is introducing a weekly BBQ and Torah discussions for Young Pensacola Jews, Thursdays at 8 p.m. A weekly women’s Zumba class is starting on Thursdays at 1 p.m. in February, led by Christa Rosen.

The Youth Theater at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center will perform “Seussical Jr.,” as the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos. Horton must protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers while guarding an abandoned egg that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Performances are March 5 to 8, and March 12 to 15. Tickets are $10, $18 for Theater Supporters, and sponsorships are available.

The Chabad of Baton Rouge Women will have a Judaic clay art event on March 17 at 6 p.m., hosted by Liya Kukuy. There will be a discussion about elated living, and a crafting experience. Reservations are $25, sponsorship is $36.

community

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have a Very Klezmer Havdalah on March 21 at 6 p.m., featuring the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, open to the community.

B’nai Israel in Pensacola will have a St. Patrick’s Day corned beef sandwich lunch, March 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The $20 package includes a sandwich, chips, pickle and cookie. Only 500 sandwiches will be available, and orders are being taken.

JP Nola and Temple Sinai will have their annual LGBTQ+ Seder on April 6 at 6 p.m. at Temple Sinai. Reservations are $20.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will celebrate the second anniversary of Love Pray Eat, a monthly interactive Shabbat morning service and catered lunch, March 14 at 10 a.m.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have its 2026 fundraiser dinner at Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos, April 12 from 4 to 8 p.m., for dine in or takeout. Must present the fundraising flyer when ordering, and have a second copy if ordering drinks separately at the bar.

Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center announced that the Jewish Food and Culture Fest will be on April 26.

The South Central region of the Anti-Defamation League, which serves Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, will have its annual A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award event on May 14 at The Josephine. Honorees will be Cathy and Charles Glaser, and Jones Walker LLP.

Kesher, the Jewish community teen experience in Birmingham, will have a panel discussion, “Israeli Voices: Identity, Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism,” for grades 11 and 12, on March 15 at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth-El. Speakers are Tzlil McDonald and Ortal Resnick, and Jonathan Wiesen will moderate. Limited spaces available for community members, registration required

The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Temple Beth-El will present Israeli tour guide Julian Resnick, who has led numerous Birmingham groups, on March 30 at 6:30 p.m. Location given upon registration. He will speak on “Israel: My longest love affair, beyond current affairs, looking back on 50 years of life in Israel.”

Bubbie’s STEM Kitchen will have a Candy Seder on March 15 at 10 a.m. at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center, for ages 2 to pre-K and their parents. The program is run by the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, with PJ Library.

>> Rear Pew Mirror continued from page 30

“Would not this additional Adar alignment be affected by the creature’s observation, or lack thereof? That is, if the calendar predetermines the existence of a second Adar — thus pushing Purim and Passover later into the solar spring season — if the creature sees not its shadow meaning that spring is nigh, would not this additional Adar need to be removed?”

Rav Celphon then exceeded his original plan, sticking his neck into new territory, asking, “what if the marmot in question is discovered to be vampiric, and is thus entirely incapable of casting a shadow?”

At this point, the rabbis realized that sometimes it is less desirable to have more questions than answers. Nevertheless, they did not take the time to resolve all these issues given, because their wives reminded them that they still needed to dismantle their sukkahs.

Thus, the oversight and elaboration of the marmot’s meteorological mission was entrusted, in perpetuity, to the esteemed Punxsutawnski family.

Doug Brook is honored to be the receiver of the wisdom from Rav Telphon. To acquire both Rear Pew Mirror books, read other past columns, or listen to the Rear Pew Mirror podcast, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/

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Sincerely,

Stephen Sontheimer & Billy Henry

Mishnah Marmitah (Tractate Groundhog)

From deep inside the recently discovered Talmud tractate Bava Gump…

The Sages once said, “This is the Mishnah of the Marmot.

“On the day exactly six weeks after the shortest day of the year, a heretofore hibernating marmot silently conveys the will of the Almighty Big G related to how that year’s change of seasons is ordained.

“After the morning prayers, this hog of the ground shall emerge from its underground unconsciousness. If he sees his shadow, he shall retreat, thus prophesying six more weeks of winter. If he sees not his shadow, the start of spring is nigh.”

Rav Telphon, the Great Communicator, true to his rabbinic calling, saw an opportunity for debate. He asked, “how long without seeing its shadow constitutes not seeing its shadow? Surely, after an hour or more passes, it could see its shadow for only the first time?

“Conversely, what if it fails to emerge from the ground at all? Additionally, how much of its body must emerge from the ground before it retreats into the ground after seeing its shadow? That is, must it entirely emerge, or merely a majority of its body?

“What’s more, what if it emerges from the ground, quickly retreats, but then emerges again?”

In response, Rav Telphon was told to slow down and ask one question at a time. But he was seldom one capable of putting his questions on hold.

He further asked, “What if this hog of the ground has poor eyesight? And how would we know the quality of its vision so we could trust its determination?

“Are there any other factors that could impact the creature’s ability to accurately discern the seasonal change as ordained by the Almighty Big G?”

At this point, mysteriously, Rav Telphon disconnected from this line of inquiry and never again exchanged thoughts on the topic.

Years later, another rabbi decided to answer the call. Rav Telphon’s successor, Rav Celphon, the Untethered Communicator, often expanded on his father’s rabbinic discourse.

On this point, Rav Celphon said, “the answer is in the supervision of the creature during, and even prior to, its hibernation.”

He elaborated, “Much like the constant supervision of the wheat from which to make matzah for Passover, the creature must be monitored to ensure its ability and worthiness to deliver this divine forecast.

“To ensure the creature’s hibernation is undisturbed, its eyesight must be confirmed before hibernation. Further, its hibernation must begin within four weeks of the end of Simchat Torah. There must be rabbinic supervision of its activities prior to hibernation, such as ingestion of food sufficient to preserve it throughout the hibernation period.”

Rav Celphon then expanded the range of his coverage, asking, “how long must the creature wait after eating meat before seeing its shadow? How long after eating dairy?”

He then raised a practical, calendrical matter. “Seven out of every 19 years is predetermined to be a leap year, in which an additional month of Adar is inserted before the existing month of Adar, to keep the seasons aligned.