News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025
A trickling stream, a birdwatching wall, and a stage filled with musical instruments are but a few of the dreamy features of the Revere Montessori Preschool’s new outdoor playscape. Created to take advantage of the existing playground and surrounding topography, the outdoor space beckons both children and teachers to go out and explore. Esther Tiechtel, the school’s Director, says attention was paid to even the smallest detail to encourage learning. “The goal was to create a natural setting that would help with gross motor skills and imaginative play. A concrete artist created a creek that winds downhill to watch the water flow, there are tiny blue stones that look like sea glass, everything was considered.”
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last summer came fast and furiously. Many Afghans fled or were evacuated immediately, leaving on overcrowded planes, buses, and trains. But hundreds of thousands remain in the country, including those who worked in cooperation with the United States Army, workers for Non-Governmental Organizations, and others targeted by the Taliban as enemies. According to Ross Margulies, associate with the Nashville office of Foley Hoag, LLP, the situation is dire. And Margulies and other attorneys around the country have banded together to help. “When this first happened, I felt overwhelmed and powerless. This is a horrible situation,” he says, “But as time went on, I realized that as an attorney, there is something I can do.”
Jewish children's programming at Chabad of Nashville for Shabbat 5782 is off to a sweet start. Jewish storyteller, Jenny Nissenson, brings the weekly Parsha and Jewish Holidays to life through puppetry and song with Esther Tiechtel, in an engaging Shabbat service for young audiences. Teens are invited to take on leading roles in the Shabbat Kids programs.
The Eruv for the Bellevue area in West Nashville includes a large section of the Jewish community, and is in close proximity to the JCC, Akiva School and much of Jewish life in the area and includes affordable housing for families of all income levels. For more information contact Chabad of Nashville at 615-646-5750
On Erev Rosh Hashana, we opened our pulpit to listen to the emerging Jewish voices of the next generation. As they spoke, we listened, and we learned. We learned of the continued importance of inclusion and embrace of newcomers within the Jewish tent. We were reminded of the need not only for inclusion within our synagogue, but also, of the care and concern for those in need already within the walls of our congregation. And we were encouraged to remember the centrality and the significance of the security and survival of the Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, despite its conflicts and complications.
There is a story Noa Tishby tells about the moment she knew she had to write a book about Israel. A well-known Hollywood actress, upon learning Noa is Israeli, approached her to ask if her parents were upset she no longer wears a hijab. In fact, the incident was the culmination of many similar situations in which she found herself being asked to voice her opinions and explain about Israel. “Every time I was confronted or questioned about Israel, I was asked if there was a book that explains what the country is, how it came to be, in simple terms,” she says, “That book didn’t exist, so I decided to write it myself.” The result is Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. She describes it as a “step one,” a jumping off point to begin to understand the complexities of the country and the challenges it faces.
On my most recent trip to NYC I found myself daily indulging in a big way in Italian food and vegan ice cream…in ways that seemed comparable to Robert DeNiro preparing for his 60lb weight gain role in Raging Bull. While tripping out on the endless selection of fine NYC restaurants would seem somewhat normal while on vacation in the Big Apple, knowing myself, I realized a big portion of my diving into eating was due to unchecked emotions about my upcoming hip replacement surgery. I’ve never had major surgery, and never thought I would. Wrapping my head around it all seemed to be eating away at my nerves while I was eating my way through lemon pasta and Italian bread dipped in olive oil to cope.
The FBI is launching a nationwide effort to enlist the help of local communities in its efforts to educate and combat hate crimes. Hate crimes are part of the Civil Rights Division of the FBI and are its highest priority. Rich Bauer is the Supervisory Special Agent for the Nashville area. He says it is important to identify and report these crimes because they are so damaging to communities. “People look to the FBI to lead these investigations because they deal with threats of violence,” he says, “A hate crime is anything that physically threatens someone and must be motivated by bias against protected classes.” The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” Currently, Bauer says they are seeing an uptick in hate crimes against faith-based groups, Asian-Pacific Islanders and the Black community.
