News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Sunday, June 15, 2025
The 2021/22 state legislative cycle ended with some big wins for the Jewish community. The success is the result of ramped up efforts by the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, in collaboration with the three other Jewish Federations in the state. Eric Stillman, CEO of The Jewish Federation, says, “Through a concerted collective effort by the Jewish Federations in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville, together with our professional lobbyists, we were able to make the case to the Administration and State Legislature of the urgency of these issues, especially given the sharp rise in antisemitism and antisemitic acts which are occurring.” The various pieces of legislation saw broad support from both chambers of the State Legislature. And according to Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson), involvement from the Jewish Federations was a key factor in gaining that support. “The engagement from the Jewish community was very important. The number one responsibility of our government is to provide a safe environment for our citizens,” he says. And on the House side, Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, credits the Jewish community’s leadership with making a direct impact. “The Jewish community has always had a voice, but this time they really led the effort. As soon as the bill was filed, my phone began to ring with other legislators offering support.”
On May 12 @ 7:00pm join the Disabilities Inclusion Committee for Let’s Talk About It, an online roundtable discussion about mental health wellness and awareness, featuring teen, young adult and adult speakers and a special guest. Look for more information about the program in The Observer and online.
This month represents a bit of a departure from my usual advice column where I answer reader’s letters. With all the conflict in the world right now, I felt it timely to talk about resolving conflict. When two people have a disagreement, either party (or both) can find it difficult to apologize. Making amends can be tough but it doesn’t have to be if you follow a few basic steps. Reading the steps is simple, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.
The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee hosted the entire community in its first Jewish Community Day event. The in-person event highlighted all of the congregations, agencies, organizations, and local groups under one big tent. There were interactive activities for all ages, a kids play area, plenty of food, and a lot of fun.
The hostage crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas earlier this year shined a light on the vulnerabilities that still exist for houses of worship. For Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake, it was a wakeup call that more needed to be done to secure synagogues, churches, mosques, and other faith-based locations. The result was the creation of a Faith-based Liaison, a position within the Police Department that works to bridge what he saw to be a gap in the community. Dr. Anita Herron is the new Faith-based Liaison. She says the most important part of the job is education. “The plan is to help teach local police what is needed to accommodate each faith group,” she says. To facilitate that education members of MNPD’s leadership meets each month with a different faith group. Recently, close to 60 members of the department met at the Gordon Jewish Community Center to listen and learn from Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee’s leaders. The gathering was attended by Police Department leaders at the Community Coordinator level and above, including Chief Drake. Long term, Dr. Herron says the hope is to build awareness among the entire department, “It will trickle down to the patrolmen. There are 600 square miles in Nashville, and we want to be transparent about what they see, and what our citizens see.”
By Michael Whitney, Barbara Moss, and Harry Perret
Shortly after the end of World War II, Holocaust survivors began using the term, “Never Again” as a rallying cry to bring world attention to the unprecedented horror they had witnessed, and against all odds, survived. The phrase continues to be used both particularly by the Jews to demand that the world never again be silent to attempts of genocide against the Jewish people, and universally to demand the end of such barbarism against any group. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author who came to be associated with the phrase, used it in the universal sense. “Never again becomes more than a slogan: It’s a prayer, a promise, a vow…never again the glorification of base, ugly, dark violence.”
