YELLOW FEVER
Beth Jacob goes viral
with a campaign to
welcome newcomers
to High Holiday learner’s services. Page 6
YOUTH APPEAL
BIG BITES
Meet three people
leading new efforts
to engage with young
congregants at Reform
synagogues. Page 18
woodruffcreateATL.org
Sherry Habif’s catering recipes help her
son get a taste of the
restaurant business at
Oy! in Smyrna. Page 20
Atlanta
VOL. XC NO. 32
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
Post-Storm Surge
Jewish New Orleans thrives 10 years after Katrina
Main photo by Michael Jacobs; inset photo by Gil Rubman
After Hurricane Katrina and the floodwaters that followed drove away thousands of New Orleans’ Jewish residents, the future of the community was in doubt amid the devastation typified by Congregation Beth Israel, whose destroyed sanctuary in
the Lakeview neighborhood is shown at the end of December 2005, four months after the storm. But the celebration seen at
the opening of the new Beth Israel in Metairie in August 2012 (inset) reflects the community’s revival. Stories, Pages 22-25
JELF EDUCATION
Hawks CEO Steve Koonin
and a Georgia Tech loan
recipient help teach a
crowd of 315 the value of
the Jewish Educational
Loan Fund. Page 8
CHABAD GROWTH
A new Torah in Kennesaw
and a new student center for Georgia State and
Tech are the latest signs of
Chabad’s expanding community. Page 14
INSIDE
Simchas 3 Business 20
Calendar 4 Arts 26
Candle Lighting
4 Education 27
Remember When 6 Obituaries 28
Israel 9 Crossword 30
Opinion 10 Marketplace 31
AUGUST 28, 2015 | 13 ELUL, 5775
DeKalb
Schools Pass
Holiday Test
J
ewish public school parents in DeKalb
County declared victory Tuesday, Aug.
25, when Superintendent Stephen
Green announced a testing schedule that
eliminates High Holidays conflicts.
“It is a testament to the power of the
people — several concerned parents who
raised their voices and inspired a broader
community to take action,” parents group
Resolve DeKalb ITSB Testing posted on its
Facebook page. “We are delighted.”
DeKalb’s schedule for the Iowa Tests
of Basic Skills, used in identifying gifted
students, had included Sept. 15, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, and Sept. 23,
Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah’s first day
was the makeup date for another standardized test, the Cognitive Abilities Test.
Rich Litner, Alan Kitey and Shari
Magnus organized a parents meeting
Sunday, Aug. 23, at Congregation B’nai
Torah, Litner’s synagogue, with DeKalb
school board member Stan Jester and his
wife, county Commissioner Nancy Jester,
who offered support for the cause.
Parents launched a letter-writing
campaign, and rabbis including B’nai
Torah’s Joshua Heller and Temple Sinai’s
Ron Segal applied pressure.
“The revised school testing calendar
removes all conflicts with religious holidays while ensuring timely testing for
students,” Green said Aug. 25. ITBS testing now will occur three days before Rosh
Hashanah and three after. Yom Kippur is
one of four ITBS makeup dates.
The schedule does create a conflict
between the CogAT and Shemini Atzeret
and Simchat Torah. Cobb County has the
same problem with its ITBS testing and a
CogAT conflict with Sukkot Day 2. ■