The Jewish Observer
News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community | Sunday, June 15, 2025
The Jewish Observer
Federation Features
The Jewish Observer

Donors Make the Difference

Three quarters of a million dollars. That is the amount received during the past six years by the fourteen local Jewish organizations participating in the LIFE & LEGACY™ program.






The Jewish Observer

Legislative Update: Jewish Federations in TN to Receive Security Funding

Tennessee’s state legislature passed two bills this year that will help make the state’s Jewish communities safer. The success is the result of a joint effort by the four Jewish Federations representing Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga and the relationships the groups fostered with the state’s legislators. “We would not have seen these results without the combined efforts of all the Jewish Federations in the state,” says Leslie Kirby, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.


Horwitz

Dan Horwitz Named CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville

The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville announces that Rabbi Dan Horwitz will be its next CEO, beginning August 1, 2023. Dan brings extensive experience as a leader in innovative Jewish engagement, and as a charismatic Jewish educator, fundraiser, and non-profit executive.




observer%2520%25282%2529

People Love Dead Jews: Author Dara Horn to Speak about Antisemitism

In her provocatively titled book, People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present, author Dara Horn delves into the notion that the world prefers stories about Jewish tragedy, like the Holocaust, rather than addressing the very real and current rise of antisemitism. “The central problem the book is exploring is the role dead Jews play in a wider society’s imagination,” says Horn.





The Jewish Observer

Editor's Note April 2023

As Passover is just days away, I want to take a few minutes and share some reflections. This year has been both challenging and rewarding in ways I could not have foreseen when we last opened our Haggadahs.


The Jewish Observer

Israel Fly-in

In Israel, Leslie Kirby, President of Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, shares concern for divisions that judicial reform debate is causing in Israel & among Jews worldwide





Delek%25204%2520Large

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Makes His 1st Visit to Nashville

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations spent a whirlwind 48 hours in Nashville last month. In his first ever visit to Music City Erdan met with Tennessee governor Bill Lee, Nashville mayor John Cooper, as well as with Jewish community leaders. He spoke publicly at a dinner that included local business leaders, elected officials, and leaders in the greater Nashville community. The visit was sponsored by Delek Logistics Partners and hosted by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville.