News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The United States Supreme Court made the unprecedented move in late June to take away the federal right to abortion granted 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade. In its majority opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Samuel Alito said, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives…The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.” The functional result of the Dobbs decision will be to place the legislation of abortion squarely in the hands of the states. And while some states will continue to keep abortion legal, others, including Tennessee, have trigger laws that will quickly make abortion illegal in any case.
Three years ago, I left everything I knew and went on a plane to Nashville. Never imagined that I would stay here for 3 incredible years, meet the most amazing people, and have the most meaningful time of my life!
The Work of Lauren Karp, Kelley Schmitt Rice, and Camp Davis Art.
We raise money, we give money away. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that phrase this past year, I’m not sure we’d need an annual campaign!
Akiva and the Jewish Middle School were proud to host commencement ceremonies for their respective graduating classes of 2022. Students and families had the opportunity to reflect on their time at school and celebrate their many accomplishments. Congratulations to both schools' graduates. Mazel Tov on your achievements and best wishes on your next adventure!
By Rachel Clark, Gordon JCC Marketing Director
East Side Tribe Shabbat will be hosting their monthly Shabbat on July 29th from 6:30-8:30 pm. All are welcome to join, regardless of where they live! Please email eastsidetribenasville@gmail.com to RSVP and for details!
Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee 2022 Annual Meeting
Building off the Shavuot tradition of Torah study, the Tennessee chapter of Never Again hosted a text study that included both traditional and secular texts related to immigration. Never Again is a national, Jewish-led organization that mobilizes around immigration justice and works to dismantle the deportation system. Never Again Tennessee has been active for over two years and has worked both at the national and local levels to address immigrant rights.
We seem to be living in interesting times, which can be interpreted as either a curse or a blessing depending on your perspective. Only time will tell how the eyes of history will view the current events confronting us. We are struggling through the grief of consecutive mass murders committed by 18-year-old young men using military assault weapons – one at a grocery store in Buffalo NY and one at an elementary school in Uvalde TX. We are awaiting a ruling by the US Supreme Court that could potentially change the health, privacy, self-determination, and well-being of women across our country. We are experiencing an uncertain economy and levels of inflation not seen in over 40 years. We are witness to public hearings presenting evidence that our faith and trust in our system of free and fair elections may have been deliberately undermined and damaged by those at the highest level of government. And we are continuing to witness the elaborate and relentless propaganda campaign designed to wreak havoc and sow distrust of all future elections.
