The Jewish Observer
News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community | Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025
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Shine a Light

November 22

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. 

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Chabad of Nashville to present the 100k Challenge

November 22

Chabad of Nashville will be hosting a very exciting year-end fundraising campaign, “We. Belong. Together. –100/100 Challenge” which will kick off Tuesday, December 7th, at 12:00 PM, and will continue until Thursday, December 9, at 2:00 PM.  If $100,000 is raised in 50 hours, it will be matched by $100,000 from several generous matchers in Nashville.    "Tzedakah (charity) is equal to all the other commandments combined." This meaningful fundraising campaign will provide the Nashville community with 50 hours of tremendous opportunity to support the influential and far-reaching work of Chabad of Nashville and the Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool. 

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A Just Community at JMS

November 22

Inspired by his time on a kibbutz, psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg pioneered the field of cognitive development theory and moral education. Combining democratic and collectivist values, Kohlberg established a Center for Moral Education at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and promoted a “Just Community” approach to education. This approach is two-fold: direct-participatory democracy and a unified commitment to building community. At the Jewish Middle School, the idea that students can work in both a democratic and ethical manner is present in all aspects of student life.  

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Jewish Federation: Be a Part of the Team

November 19

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.

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On Generosity

November 19

Among the many different challenges facing contemporary American Judaism, I believe that our biggest threat is related to what we know as Jewish literacy. It is true that antisemitism is on the rise and that assimilation is growing as well. Although we live probably in the best of times to be Jewish and to explore, embrace and expand on our Jewish practice and knowledge, we also live in a world that competes for our relentless attention and, as a consequence of that, we sometimes fail at finding the time to bump up our personal learning. 

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Update on Federation Aid to Haiti

November 19

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.  

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