News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026
It has been several weeks since the East Champlain Tower collapsed in Surfside, Florida. It has been several weeks of anxiety, heartfelt prayers, and an unending wait hoping to finally hear some good news. Families have been waiting to hear the outcome of the search and recovery effort. I personally know a family that lost both of their parents, in this most horrific building collapse in Surfside, Florida. There was a young couple who signed a lease for a condo in that very building on Wednesday, the day before the building collapsed. Thankfully they hadn’t yet moved in, although tragically his parents are still among the missing.
Chabad of Nashville will be offering a new B’nai Mitzvah program this fall, with a wide variety of options to prepare Jewish children for this auspicious day.
Have out of town guest coming to visit you? Not up to cooking dinner? Need a kosher meal to go? Not to worry.
I’ll never forget the day my mom was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. From her hospital bed in NYC she called and told me the dreadful news. I quietly and quickly bought a ticket and flew up to the city the next morning. I went straight from the airport to her hospital room. I remember walking in and seeing my mom sitting up in bed in her silk Donna Karan robe, make up, and hair all combed and in place. What struck me most though, and has never left me, was the absolute way her eyes lit up when I surprisingly walked in the room. To this day, I realized there are few people, if any, whose eyes light up, the way my mom’s did that day, when I walk in a room. To tell you the truth, I noticed, most times people don’t even bother to look up at all. Which lead me to think about unconditional love and Aunt Tootsie.
Daniel Hoffman welcomed as new Head of Judaic Studies at Jewish Middle School of Nashville
Bake Challah with Hadassah in advance of the High Holidays. On Sunday, August 29, Hadassah Board member Emily Smachetti will teach Challah baking at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Recipe and ingredients will be provided in advance so you can bake along with Emily. RSVP @ imemilyr@gmail.com.
Tucked onto a leafy avenue in the trendy East Nashville neighborhood, sits the newest addition to Nashville’s Jewish community. Moishe House provides home-based Jewish experiences specifically aimed at young adults looking for community in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Moishe House Nashville, which is home to Becca Groner, Shea Northfield and Rose Capin, recently held a housewarming party and kicked its programming with a Feminist Book Club Brunch. There will be a formal Mezuzah hanging ceremony in the fall, but for now, check out this sneak peek into life in MoHo Nashville.
Eric Stillman is CEO of The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee
The recent results of the Pew Study of American Jewish Community shared the astounding conclusion that the number of, “Nones,” those Jews who claim no religious affiliation or identity, is increasing in number, particularly among the younger demographic slice of our Jewish communities.
In the wake of the catastrophic condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee provided $1,000 in aid to the Miami’s Jewish community to assist victims and families of victims. The donation was distributed from The Federation’s Disaster Relief Fund and went directly to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Eric Stillman, CEO of The Jewish Federation, says the Fund was created specifically to address these types of events and that the donation reflects the greater mission of The Federation. “The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee responded immediately to the tragic situation in south Florida with an emergency disaster donation to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation because we care for Jews in need, just as other Federations provided emergency assistance to the Nashville Jewish community when tornadoes struck here in early March 2020.” The Surfside neighborhood is described as a tight knit one and is home to close to 5,000 Jews. It includes several kosher restaurants, synagogues and a kosher grocery store. To date, approximately 100 people are confirmed dead, many of them Jewish, and recovery efforts are continuing.
Eric Stillman, CEO of The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, is joining the 2021/22 Leadership Nashville class. Stillman joins 43 other executives who represent a diverse cross section of Nashville’s civic life. Now in its 44th year, Leadership Nashville seeks to provide local leaders with a three dimensional view of the city and its growth potential. Through a series classes and hands-on visits participants gain unique insights into areas impacting Nashville, such as government, criminal justice, education, social services, the arts and more. Stillman says, “I feel honored to have been selected for the Leadership Nashville class of 2021-2022. I know my participation will deepen my knowledge of the broader general community in Nashville.”
The recent crisis in Israel, combined with the spike in domestic antisemitic activity, sparked concerns among local clergy and lay leaders who are urging Nashville’s organized Jewish community to create both a centralized process for reporting incidents and a unified response to address them. The Task Force on Israel and Domestic Antisemitism, created by The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, aims to build on the work of the Jewish Community Relations Security, and Planning Committees with a multi-faceted approach to outreach and streamlining avenues for community engagement. The Task Force includes a diverse group of individuals from throughout the local Jewish community, many of whom have not already been involved in The Federation. Leslie Kirby, Task Force Chair, says they are working on two specific fronts, “We are working hard to provide educational resources, working with the educators at the local synagogues as well as Akiva to meet needs around Israel and antisemitism education; and we are working to address communal needs, providing resources and programming for adults.”
