???? Earth Day

Honoring Israel 

Thursday, April 16 (29 Nisan 5786) 

 It’s the month of Yoms. Yom Hashoah has just passed and Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut are on the horizon. 

 On Monday, April 20, the Israel Consul General to the Southeast is hosting Yom HaZikaron, a memorial service for the fallen soldiers of Israel. And up next, Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is being celebrated at the MJCCA, the Jewish National Fund women’s luncheon, and Shabbat for Israel. 

 Earth Day is also coming up on April 22. Read below about Adamah‘s events to bring attention to climate action. 

As always, thanks for reading!

Y’alla, 
Logan

Earth Day with Adamah 

 Earth Day was first created by Sen. Gaylord Nelson in 1970 to force environmentalism onto the national agenda. Twenty million Americans demonstrated in different U.S. cities, and Congress authorized the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Adamah, a national Jewish environmental organization with a strong Atlanta hub, is holding two Earth Day 2026 events. 

 First up is the Peachtree Creek Greenway clean up on Sunday, April 19 from 2-4 p.m. You’ll get your steps in as you join volunteers to wander the shady banks of the creek to collect trash. Sign up to help. 

 Next, Adamah is hosting an Earth Day dinner on Thursday, April 22, with The Spring at Trees Atlanta, 825 Warner Street SW, Atlanta, GA, 30310. The farm-to-table dinner is being prepared by the Daily Chew’s Julia Kesler Imerman, mixed with inspiring Jewish learning that brings together food, tradition, and community. Seats are still available. 

An Evening to Savor: The Tasting Experience Returns April 30

SPONSORED BY JEWISH FAMILY & CAREER SERVICES

On April 30 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., JF&CS’ The Tasting Experience transforms The Stave Room into a vibrant celebration of Atlanta’s culinary scene and community spirit. Move through an atmosphere of warm light and lively conversation, sample standout dishes and perfectly paired drinks, reconnect with friends and meet new faces across generations.

Featuring more than 20 of the city’s top restaurants and beverage partners, the evening offers global flavors, curated cocktails, and a dynamic silent auction.

This event carries deeper purpose – every ticket supports JF&CS’ Intellectual & Developmental Disability Services, strengthening lives and community alike.

➞ Learn more and purchase tickets here.

All that jazz

Spring is shaping up to be very entertaining. Catch these Jewish acts before they leave town. 

 Sunday, April 19: Nancy Gaddy brings cabaret to Hapeville with “What’s Going On: Tunes for Turbulent Times” at the Academy Theatre. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $20 in advance.  

 Sunday, April 19: Enjoy the Joe Alterman Trio inspired by “Fiddler on the Roof” at 3 p.m. Get tickets before the show sells out. 

 Sunday, May 3: “Convergence” combines the history and sounds of African American spirituals and Jewish Eastern Europe music at the First Congregational Church in Atlanta at 3 p.m. Tickets are free. 

 Thursday, May 7: Husband-and-wife team Julie Benko and Jason Yeager team up at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Benko, known for her role as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl,” will lead with story and song as Yeager tickles the ivories. Tickets are still available. 

 Thursday, May 7: British comedian Zach Margs performs at City Winery at Ponce City Market in Atlanta. Menachem Silverstein and Erez Safar join him on stage. Buy tickets here. 

 Sunday, June 7: Atlanta’s Flying Carpet Theatre Company debuts “Bacharach at The Breman” as performers tell the life story of composer, songwriter, and pianist Burt Bacharach with classics “Walk on By” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.” Get tickets today.

This national park would honor a Jewish philanthropist – if Republicans get on board

 President Donald Trump this week called for sweeping budget cuts to the National Park Service and in January for the removal of slavery-related exhibits he said portray American history in a “woke manner.” 

Yet a campaign to establish a national historic park honoring Julius Rosenwald — the Jewish philanthropist who funded schools for rural Black communities during the Jim Crow era — is pressing ahead. 

Rosenwald dropped out of high school at 16 to pursue the family clothing business. In 1895, he invested $37,500 in Sears, Roebuck & Company — a decision that would ultimately make him one of the wealthiest men in the United States in the early 20th century.  

After meeting Booker T. Washington, the formerly enslaved founder of the Tuskegee Institute, Rosenwald helped to fund nearly 5,000 schools for Black students across 15 states. By 1928, one in three Black students in the rural South attended a Rosenwald school. Alumni of Rosenwald schools include Rep. John Lewis, poet Maya Angelou, and civil rights activist Medgar Evers.  

 Read the full story on The Forward.

Look & Listen

 Amanda Peet is telling her story about breast cancer and her dying parents. The star of “Your Friends and Neighbors” (S2 out now on Apple TV) was interviewed by NPR’s Terry Gross and penned this New Yorker article. 

 Hampshire College is closing in Massachusetts, but the Yiddish Book Center will remain. 

What’s doin’ around town

SPONSORED BY CONGREGATION OR HADASH

 April 19: Rosh Hodesh mother-daughter experience. 

 April 22: Virtual meeting on life balance as a grandparent. 

 April 26: Guided tour of Oakland Cemetery through a Jewish lens.

April 29: Cultivating hope in challenging times. 

 June 11: Rebecca’s Tent fundraiser in midtown Atlanta.  

The next Jewish holiday is Yom HaZikaron on April 20.  

Light Shabbat candles this week at 7:52 p.m. 

 Step out of your week and into Shabbat with Or Hadash. Craving energy or a deeper exhale? Join a musical Kabbalat Shabbat and joyful Yom Ha’atzmaut dinner Friday, or Shabbat Hadasha, a soulful, contemplative/learning service Saturday morning. Come connect—details here.

Join the Dunwoody Nature Center for our 20th annual Monarchs & Margaritas, a fundraising evening under the stars with dinner, cocktails, live music, and nature-inspired fun. Support environmental education while exploring our new Wildcat Creek Learning Lab and boardwalk. SPONSOR MESSAGE

We remember

Temple Sinai Rabbi Emeritus Philip N. Kranz, 83, died on April 12. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Weston Kranz, his daughters Rebecca Kranz Friedman (Keven) and Abigail Kranz Ornstein (Bob), four grandchildren, and many others who loved him. 

Proudly hailing from Ohio, Kranz actively served the Atlanta community from 1980 to 2006, when he became rabbi emeritus. “He helped shape the soul of Temple Sinai with incomparable wisdom, compassion, humility, and devotion, and the loss we feel is immense,” a synagogue statement said. 

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