Holocaust Institute Teaches 20 Teachers
Above: Joining the Summer Institute on Teaching the Holocaust Class of 2016 are Hershel Greenblat, a Holocaust survivor and speaker; Liliane Baxter, the director of the Weinberg Center; Sheryl Ochayon of the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem; and Renee Kaplan, a museum educator for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Twenty educators from Georgia and Alabama participated in the 25th annual Summer Institute on Teaching the Holocaust from June 6 to 10 at the Breman Museum’s Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education.
The week of in-depth seminars gives teachers the tools and experience to understand and teach the Holocaust. The program includes daily meetings with Holocaust survivors and instruction by educators from such top institutions as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies.
The Class of 2016 consists of Pam Axley, Riverside Elementary School, Suwanee; Nicole Barth, South Forsyth High School, Cumming; Erin Beacham, Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region, Buckhead; Shannon Cruttenden, Woodstock High School; Vonda Davenport, Meadowcreek Elementary, Norcross; Lynn Day, Glenn C. Jones Middle School, Buford; Tiffany Fannin, South Cobb High School, Austell; Trish Friederichsen, East Cobb Christian School, Marietta; Ida Jackson, Greensboro Elementary School; Jessie Karr, Artios Academy of South Atlanta; Michelle Kellum, Waresboro Elementary School, Waycross; Ernie Lee, Windsor Forest High School, Savannah; Linda Legros, Independence High School, Alpharetta; Monica Little, Arabia Mountain High School, Lithonia; Carina Nieto, Georgia State University, Atlanta; Jennifer Rossuck, Randolph School, Huntsville, Ala.; Rachel Smith, Mount de Sales Academy, Macon; Angie Thompson, Alma Bryant High School, Irvington, Ala.; Carla Wilson, Artios Academies of South Atlanta; and Linda Wyatt, Woodward Academy, College Park.
Doman Wins Physics Silver
Westminster Schools salutatorian Joshua Doman has earned his second consecutive silver medal in the competition among more than 4,000 top U.S. high school students to win places on the U.S. Physics Team for the International Physics Olympiad.
The competition, organized by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics, administers one test to winnow the students to fewer than 250 semifinalists nationwide, then a second test to pick medalists and ultimately the national team.
By earning a silver medal, Doman placed among the top 105 students in the nation.
Now that he has graduated from Westminster, Doman will attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in the fall. He is also enrolled in the Jerome Fisher Management and Technology Program, through which he will link a Wharton business degree with an engineering degree in computer science from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Hadassah Celebrates Students, History
Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s 25th annual Marian F. Perling Hadassah Chesed Student Awards honored 20 Atlanta-area Jewish teens Sunday, May 15, at Congregation Or VeShalom.
The awards recognize outstanding students for their love for Israel, concern for fellow Jews, respect for Jewish culture and fellow humans, and good academic standing.
The students contributed to the secular and Jewish communities through such organizations as Trees Atlanta, the Zaban Couples Shelter, Rebecca’s Tent, Project Linus, the William Breman Jewish Home, Berman Commons, the Girl Scouts and Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
As a tribute to Hadassah’s centennial in Atlanta, the program also shined a light on the more than 450 Chesed Award alumni. Phyllis Cohen, who originated the awards program, said, “In reaching out to track what the previous recipients might be doing, we found that most had stayed committed to causes and fields that allowed them to continue helping others and make a difference.”
Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s president, Paula Zucker, quoted Henrietta Szold, Hadassah’s founder, who, when asked how she would like to be portrayed, said, “Make my eyes look to the future.”
“It is exactly what we see in the young people being honored by the Chesed Awards — that we can have hope for a wonderful future,” Zucker said.
The 2016 award winners are Judah Means, Ahavath Achim Synagogue; Aidyn Levin, Atlanta Jewish Academy Middle School; Oryah Bunder, AJA Upper School; Mira Mutnick, Congregation Beth Shalom; Alyssa Bruck, Congregation Dor Tamid; Chase Flagel, Congregation Etz Chaim; Joel Pozin, Congregation Gesher L’Torah; Noa Benveniste, Congregation Or Hadash; Felix Fisch, Congregation Or VeShalom; Lianna Slomka, Congregation Shearith Israel; Ruthie Feldman, Temima High School; Sloan Salinas, Temple Beth Tikvah; Jessica Hankin, Temple Emanu-El; Morasha Winokur, Temple Kehillat Chaim; Hailey Kessler, Temple Sinai; Mya Artzi, Davis Academy; Elaine Berger, Epstein School; Carolyn Capelouto, The Temple; David Medof, Weber School; and Leah Lipskier, Torah Day School.
Israeli Artists Coming to Emory, Kennesaw
The Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists Program plans to bring 14 Israeli artists next school year to serve residencies at top U.S. universities, including Kennesaw State University and Emory University.
The program is an initiative of the Israel Institute, a Washington-based academic institute that enhances the study of modern Israel by bringing Israeli filmmakers, choreographers, musicians, writers and visual artists to universities and other cultural organizations in North America.
The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, which has a major office at Atlantic Station, founded the program in 2008.
“What makes the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist Program unique and so effective is that it allows members of the host community and the visiting artists to connect in a variety of settings, from formal to informal, over a significant period of time, rather than the more traditional one-off experience,” said Marge Goldwater, the program’s director. “As we look back on the last eight years, we see that the success of the residencies has prompted host institutions to find ways to bring Israeli cultural leaders to their communities after the Schusterman artist has left.”
The program “is the bridge between the Israel Institute’s academic and cultural programming. These visiting artists provide more than just classes that teach skills; these artists provide a window into the heart of Israel,” said Ariel Roth, the executive director of the Israel Institute.
Kennesaw State’s resident artist is choreographer Ella Ben-Aharon, who is scheduled to spend Aug. 10 to Dec. 10 here.
Ben-Aharon has a particular interest in multidisciplinary collaboration with such fields as architecture and video. Her work has been presented in Israel, Europe, Brazil and the United States. She is on the faculty of the Jerusalem Academy of Dance and Music and has been a guest teacher at American universities.
Emory’s resident artist, filmmaker Nitzan Gilady, will be in Atlanta for the spring semester from Jan. 4 to May 5. Gilady’s first feature, “The Wedding Doll,” was a hit at this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival after winning two 2015 Israeli Academy Awards.
His documentaries on subjects from the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem to a group of Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian actors have won him 13 international awards.
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