News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026
As part of an ongoing effort to engage and educate communities across the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is expanding its Community Engagement Councils (CEC) and The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is now a part of that effort. Adam Bronstone, Director of Planning and Israel Partnerships for The Federation, will represent the local Jewish community on the council. “I am excited about the experience,” he says, “But most important, is the fact that they wanted to include us and to deepen the relationship with us.” The Council meets regularly and includes representatives from across the state. Doug Korneski, FBI Special Agent in Charge in the Memphis Field Office, says, “The Council helps improve the lines of communication between the FBI and the community. It is an opportunity to share what is going on in law enforcement and what we are concerned about.”
At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee launched a local antisemitism reporting form in an ongoing effort to assist families and community members in addressing and responding to incidents of antisemitism, specifically those that occur in school settings.* We have already received eight reports representing three different school districts, with incidents at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. These reports have a consistent theme in which the Jewish student is confronted by a classmate with some form of Nazi imagery, Heil Hitler salute, swastikas drawn on desks, and other Nazi related threats and harassment.
Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee seeks an engaging, dynamic, sociable and motivated professional for a part-time position as the Engagement Associate. The Associate will focus on increasing the organization’s engagement with Newcomers and under-engaged people in the Jewish community, to execute engagement programs, and work with community members on creating opportunities for people in the community to connect with each other.
This past summer, on August 14th, 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, killing over 2,200 people. Over 12,000 people were injured, and 130,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. This disaster struck at a time when Haiti was already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, unparalleled economic hardship, and social and political unrest following the assassination of Haiti’s president in July. Haiti’s hospitals were quickly overwhelmed, and people were not able to get the medical care they desperately needed.
Faith-based organizations are often among the first responders to help refugees fleeing their home during war and political upheaval, and the current crisis in Afghanistan is no exception. Perhaps it is because of the over 30 references in the Torah, also referred to as the Old Testament in Christian tradition, to “welcoming the stranger.” We Jews know only too well the pain, fear, and confusion of fleeing our homeland in search of a new more peaceful, secure, and hopeful future for ourselves and our children. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) which helped welcome, support and acculturate many of our ancestors, now has a religiously diverse staff and network working to resettle refuges of all faiths from around the globe.
The ongoing COVID19 pandemic means big changes for local Jewish day schools, and The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee’s Human Services Relief Matching Fund is there to help. Resources from the fund are providing Akiva School and Jewish Middle School adapt to create safer, healthier learning environments for their students. Eric Stillman, CEO of The Jewish Federation, says, “Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee earned a matching gift from the Jewish Federations of North America’s Human Service Relief Matching Fund specifically to assist local Jewish organizations faced with extra costs because of the pandemic. When Akiva School and Jewish Middle School learned of the opportunity to apply for funding through our Federation, both schools were able to identify specifically those additional expenses which they are facing this academic year as a result of COVID. We are proud to partner with Akiva and JMS to help the schools provide a safe and meaningful learning environment for their students.”
At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, we launched a tool to help community members report local incidents of antisemitism, primarily designed for use by parents and students experiencing issues of antisemitism in school settings. This form, created through the efforts of JCRC members and concerned parents, is available on the Jewish Federation website: Israel & Antisemitism | Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee (jewishnashville.org)
