<![CDATA[AIC Dispatch]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.orghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHln!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F54fa463b-b1a9-43cf-8e7b-1d63d62705a4_1024x1024.pngAIC Dispatchhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.orgSubstackFri, 11 Sep 2026 16:53:38 GMT<![CDATA[Shana tova — and twenty-five years]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/shana-tova-and-twenty-five-yearshttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/shana-tova-and-twenty-five-yearsThu, 10 Sep 2026 15:55:38 GMTIn this issue: Twenty-five years since the eleventh of September, and this year it falls on Rosh Hashanah. Plus Rabbi Leo Dee in Atlanta on 22 October.

Shana tova.

Rosh Hashanah begins tomorrow night. Tomorrow is also the eleventh of September — twenty-five years. The two fall on the same day this year, and there is no graceful way to carry both at once, yet we must.

Let me tell you where I was.

I had just moved to Atlanta. My whole family was still in New York. The phone rang and somebody told me a plane had gone into the Twin Towers, and I said straight away: this is terrorism. They asked how I could possibly know that. I said nobody is dumb enough to fly a plane into a skyscraper. Moments later the second one hit, and the voice on the other end of the line said, oh my gosh, you're right.

Then I could not reach anybody. Every call to New York came back as that fast busy signal, over and over. People I love worked in those buildings. My father worked a few streets away. It was a day before I heard his voice — he had walked out through all of it and come home on a ferry.

And while I was still crying into a phone that would not connect, I started hearing it suggested on the news that Israel had something to do with it. I called the stations. I called them that day, in tears, because it was not true and somebody had to say so out loud.

I spent years in the corporate world afterwards, and every September we held the memorial. Now the memorial lands on our own holiday, and I keep turning it over. Is one of the worst days we know meant to be remembered on one of the happiest? I do not have an answer for that.

What I do have is a worry. Twenty-five years is long enough that people have started to forget what was behind that morning, and long enough that a great many of them have decided it could not happen to them. It happened to all of us. It can happen again. Twenty-five years ago should have been the wake-up call.

Our community pays for that every day, at every door. AIC has no building. Every evening we run happens in somebody else's — a shul, a church, a community center, schools etc. — and every one of them needs licensed armed security contracted for the night. That is simply part of what it costs to gather now. We would rather be spending it on the programming. We spend it because it is what keeps the doors open.

So we educate, we advocate, we empower, and we remember. That is the work, and it does not pause for a good year. It is what a good year is for.

And the year turns anyway. This year you filled the rooms. You brought neighbors to briefings they did not expect to care about. Some of you got on a plane to Israel when going was the harder choice. AIC is grassroots and all-volunteer, and none of it happens without the people reading this.

There is already an evening on the calendar for October, and it is below. We'd love for you to join us.

May you and your family be written and sealed for a good year, and may it be a sweeter one than the year behind it.

Shana tova u'metuka.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

In person · Free · Toco Hills

From Darkness to Light: Rabbi Leo Dee in Atlanta

Thu, Oct 22 · Doors 7:20 PM · Program 7:45 PM ET · Toco Hills

On 7 April 2023, Rabbi Leo Dee's wife Lucy and their daughters Maia (20) and Rina (15) were murdered in a terror attack in the Jordan Valley.

He has spent the years since talking to Jewish communities around the world about what a person does the next morning, and the morning after that. His book The Seven Facets of Healing is built around seven things Lucy used to name — family, friends, fitness, function, finance, fun and faith.

He is direct about the politics as well. Terror against innocent people gets condemned without qualification, and he has been sharp in public with journalists who blur the difference between a victim and a killer.

AIC hosts the evening with Congregation Beth Jacob, Congregation Ohr HaTorah and New Toco Shul. Free to attend, with an optional contribution at registration that covers the security costs of the night first. The address in Toco Hills is sent to you when you register.

Register

Every evening you come to, somebody built.

AIC is grassroots and all-volunteer. Nobody here draws a salary, so every visiting speaker, every briefing and every delegation happens because a person picked up a piece of the work and carried it.

We want to run more of it this year, and put more people in the room for each one. That takes volunteers — at the door on event nights, on social media, on the phone, on the setup and the cleanup nobody sees. Some of it is an hour a month.

Tell us what you are good at and how much time you actually have, and we will match you to something real instead of putting you on a list: atlantaisrael.org/volunteers.

Tell us where you fit

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A duck in Katzrin, and a shopkeeper who said keep it

Somebody went into a shop in Katzrin, up in the Golan, to buy a bottle of whiskey for Shabbat, and found a duck sitting on the bottle. The owner said someone had been hiding ducks around the shop, and told them to keep it.

They wrote in afterwards: “I love it and keep it in my car looking out over my travels.”

That is the whole Kosher Duck Revolution. Somebody leaves a duck somewhere in the world, a stranger finds it, and their day is better than it was ten seconds earlier. It has happened in Windsor, in Bangkok, in Athens, on an El Al snack tray. Send one into the new year with somebody at kosherduckrevolution.com.

Shop the Ducks

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Elul: what we are asking for before Rosh Hashanah]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/elul-what-we-are-asking-for-beforehttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/elul-what-we-are-asking-for-beforeSun, 23 Aug 2026 15:38:20 GMTIn this issue: Under three weeks to Rosh Hashanah — where AIC has been this year, and the two things we need to do more of it.

We are ten days into Elul. Rosh Hashanah is under three weeks out, and this month is where you take stock before anybody makes you.

So we have been taking stock. In March we hosted Bridges of Hope at Beth Shalom: a Persian Jewish vocalist, a Moroccan-born author, an Iranian-American comedian, a soul composer who runs the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, an Atlanta hip-hop producer, a Holocaust survivor, and a man who lived through the ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir. One stage, one night. This year we also put people in a room with Sami Steigmann and with Yirmiyahu Danzig. In July we sat with Arnold Roth and Tal Hartuv and listened to them make the case for two women nobody has answered for yet — that panel is up on the site and it is worth the hour. Since October 7 we have led five direct aid missions to Israel. Everyone who went paid their own way.

Most of what AIC does never happens in a room at all. We work with local, state and federal government, and with our own institutions, to get real security measures in place for Jewish Atlanta — and we take the same case to the same offices for Israel.

The threats are close to constant. They come by mail, by phone, in the DMs. We are undeterred.

None of that happened because AIC has a staff. There is no staff, and there never has been — not one paid person since AIC started in 2018. It happened because somebody took a night off and stood at a door, and because somebody else paid for the room.

What we want for 5787 is more of it, and more people in the room for it. That takes two things, and both of them are below. Hands, and money.

We would rather say that plainly now, in Elul, than dress it up in September.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Ten jobs are open. Two of them come first.

AIC is grassroots, all-volunteer, and self-funded. Nobody draws a salary, so every event evening, every visiting speaker and every delegation happens because somebody picked up a piece of the work.

We want to put on more of it this year, and more people in the room for it. Ten jobs are open. Two of them we need before the rest.

The first is social media. AIC is on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube, and all four run off the same desk as everything else, so they get whatever is left at the end of the night. The job is turning what AIC already does into something people see: the evening that just happened, the speaker coming next, the panel worth an hour of somebody's Sunday. A few hours a week, from anywhere. If you already do this for a living, you will be faster at it than any of us.

The second is fundraising, and it decides how much of the rest we can do. We handle the grants; this half is sitting down with people you already know and making the ask. You would get a briefing pack before every conversation, so you never go in cold, and you never handle the money. What the money pays for is below.

There is a third we want filled at the same time, and it is the plainest job here. Somebody has to keep track of who offered to help, who is free when, and who is still waiting to hear back. Remote, email, a couple of hours a week. If you cannot stand a list going unanswered, that is the one — and it is the job that decides whether everything else here actually happens.

Two more are new, and neither one exists yet. We want a regular webinar series and a monthly book club over Zoom, and each needs somebody to own it: pick the subject, land the speaker or the author, run the hour. Whoever takes one builds it from nothing, which is either the best part or the worst part depending on who you are.

The rest is mostly hands, and mostly event-based: door and table at events, looking after a visiting speaker, carrying an invitation into your own synagogue or church, event photography, and helping prepare a delegation to Israel from here in Atlanta. An evening, a few times a season, counts.

Tell us where you fit

One ask, and it is the unglamorous one.

AIC is self-funded and nobody here draws a salary. What that buys you is an organization that spends almost everything it raises on the evening itself — the room, the speaker, the security at the door.

That last one is the part people do not expect. We have no building. Every event happens in a synagogue, a church, a community center or someone's living room, and every one of them needs licensed armed security contracted for the night. For an organization our size that is among the largest costs we carry, and it comes straight out of what would otherwise pay for the next evening. At the last one — four guards and an off-duty officer with a marked car out front — our director paid for it out of her own pocket.

Give before Rosh Hashanah

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

Send someone into the new year smiling

Somebody left a duck on a chair at Ben’s Kosher Deli in Riverhead, New York. Whoever found it wrote in the same day: “I found this adorable duck on my chair and I love it. Keeping it always.”

That is the whole idea. Ducks turned up this summer in Netanya and down on the Florida coast at Treasure Island too, and somebody left every one of them on purpose.

Rosh Hashanah is under three weeks out. A duck packs easily for a grandchild, a college kid, or a friend who could use a good year — and whoever gets it can hide it again and put their own pin on the map.

Shop the Ducks

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Twenty-five years since Sbarro]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/twenty-five-years-since-sbarrohttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/twenty-five-years-since-sbarroSun, 09 Aug 2026 14:32:34 GMTIn this issue: Twenty-five years since the Sbarro bombing. Two American women murdered, two killers free, two petitions to sign.

Twenty-five years ago today, a bomber walked into the Sbarro pizzeria at the corner of King George and Jaffa in Jerusalem. Sixteen people were murdered. The woman who guided him there chose that restaurant. She chose it because it was full of children. She has said so. Malki Roth was fifteen. She was an American citizen.

Last month I introduced Arnold Roth to our community on a Zoom call. He has spent twenty-five years trying to bring his daughter’s killer into an American courtroom. Ahlam Tamimi served eight years. She walked free in a hostage deal and has lived openly in Jordan since 2011, where she has hosted a television programme. Arnold has done this for twenty-five years without a courtroom, without an extradition, and mostly without company. That last part is the one we can do something about today.

She is one of twenty-two people on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. She is the only woman on it. There is a five-million-dollar reward on her head, an American indictment with her name on it, and an extradition treaty between the United States and Jordan that Jordan has not honoured.

Kristine Luken was an American too. A Christian, murdered on a hiking trail near Beit Shemesh in December 2010 by a man who confessed he killed her because he thought she was Jewish. He walked free in a hostage exchange last October. Her sister Kathleen and Tal Hartuv, who survived that attack with more than a dozen stab wounds, learned it from the news. Not from anyone official.

Two American women. One Jewish, one Christian. Both murdered for being taken for Jews. Both killers at liberty. Both families told nothing.

Tzedek, tzedek tirdof. Justice, justice shall you pursue. The verb is pursue. It does not say wait, and it does not say grieve quietly and hope somebody in Washington remembers. Twenty-five years is long enough to know that the pursuing is the whole of it.

Sign for Malki   Sign for Kristine

Two minutes for both signatures. Twenty-five years for Arnold. I do not think that is an unfair trade. Sign them, then send this to someone who does not know her name yet — that is how a name stays in front of the people who can act on it.

— Cheryl

]]><![CDATA[Justice Beyond Borders: watch the panel, and tell us how it landed]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/justice-beyond-borders-watch-thehttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/justice-beyond-borders-watch-theTue, 21 Jul 2026 16:47:54 GMTIn this issue: The full Justice Beyond Borders recording, both families' petitions, two minutes of your time, and a duck at Lake Lanier.

On July 16 we spent an evening on Zoom with two families and a survivor who have spent years putting a question to the United States government that it has not answered: why has no one stood trial in an American courtroom for murdering an American citizen?

Kathleen Luken read us what she had written about her identical twin Kristine — a Christian American murdered on a hiking trail near Beit Shemesh in December 2010. Tal Hartuv was walking beside Kristine, survived by playing dead, and learned from a news story that one of her attackers had walked free. Arnold Roth joined us at half past two in the morning from Jerusalem to speak about his daughter Malki, fifteen years old, one of sixteen people murdered at the Sbarro pizzeria in 2001. Mark Goldfeder spent his time on what would actually change any of it.

Near the end, Arnold said that for all our talk of linking arms, we are not in this together — that each of them goes home and sits alone with it at three in the morning. He is right, and I said so on the call. We are not all in this together. But I am here.

If there are no consequences, there is no reason for this nightmare to end. Americans should be protected by our government, and we need to hold them accountable.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director

Panel · Free to watch

Justice Beyond Borders: Americans Murdered by Terrorists and the Fight for Accountability

Recorded Thursday, July 16 · On Zoom

Co-hosted with the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel, whose executive director Maria Friedman opened the evening, and with our partner organizations. Cheryl Dorchinsky moderated; audience questions followed the panel.

Arnold Roth, father of Malki Roth z”l. Kathleen Luken, sister of Kristine Luken z”l. Tal Hartuv, who survived the attack that killed Kristine. Mark Goldfeder, constitutional attorney and rabbi, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center.

Kathleen, on the day her sister's killer was released: “Communicating with Tal and my family prior to the release would have given our families time to process the events that were unfolding, but sadly there was no communication.”

Mark Goldfeder, on why the law to act already exists: “Every instrument in the toolbox is named after somebody's dead child. Not a single one of them was the government's original idea.”

Watch the recording

Both families brought a petition to the call. Arnold was direct about what his is missing: “We have a petition. There are over 30,000 names on that petition. I wish that there were 30 million names.” He added that there is nothing political about it. Signatures are the one thing he cannot produce on his own.

Sign for Malki. Malki Roth was fifteen, an American citizen, when Ahlam Tamimi guided a bomber to the Sbarro pizzeria in August 2001 — a target Tamimi chose because it was full of children. Sixteen people were murdered. She served eight years, walked free in a hostage deal, and has lived openly in Jordan since 2011. She is one of twenty-two people on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list and the only woman among them, with a $5 million reward on her head. Tell the President and Secretary of State to press Jordan to honor its extradition treaty.

Sign for Malki

Sign for Kristine. Kristine Luken was an American Christian, murdered near Beit Shemesh in December 2010. Ayad Fatafta confessed that he killed her because he thought she was Jewish. A 2017 FBI affidavit laid out the evidence for his arrest, and in October 2025 he walked free in the hostage exchange. Kristine's family and Tal learned it from the news, not from anyone official. Demand the United States issue the arrest warrant and pursue his extradition.

Sign for Kristine

Tell us how it landed. Two minutes, anonymous by default — what worked, what didn't, and who you want us to bring to the community next.

Share your feedback

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A duck at Lake Lanier

On July 5, a Quacker on a water and ice run pulled into a parking lot at Lake Lanier and found a kosher duck waiting. “Thanks for the smiles,” they wrote. From metro Atlanta to Newport to a bookshelf in the Boston Public Library, the ducks keep floating. If hate can go viral, why can't a little joy?

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Their killers walk free. Two petitions — and a panel this Thursday.]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/their-killers-walk-free-two-petitionshttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/their-killers-walk-free-two-petitionsTue, 14 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: Two American citizens murdered, their killers free — two petitions to sign, and a panel Thursday on Zoom.

Two American families. Two murders. Two killers who are not in prison. One lives openly in Jordan; the other walked free in a hostage exchange and vanished, and his victim’s family learned it from the news. Both families are still fighting, and this week you can stand with them — read both stories below, sign both petitions, and on Thursday, show up with us on Zoom.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Panel · Free · On Zoom

Justice Beyond Borders: Americans Murdered by Terrorists and the Fight for Accountability

Thursday, July 16 · 7:00 PM ET · Live on Zoom

With the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel and our partner organizations, we’ll sit down with the people who have lived inside this pattern for years. After the panel, we’ll open the floor to your questions.

Arnold Roth — Malki’s father, who has spent more than twenty years fighting to bring her killer from Jordan to American justice. Kathleen Luken — Kristine’s identical twin sister. Tal Hartuv — who survived the attack that killed Kristine. Mark Goldfeder — constitutional attorney and CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center.

Register for the Zoom link

Two American citizens, murdered — and their killers are free. Here is how you stand with their families today.

Sign for Malki. In August 2001, fifteen-year-old Malki Roth, an American citizen, was murdered at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem; Ahlam Tamimi chose that target because it was full of children. Tamimi served eight years, walked free in a hostage deal, and now lives openly in Jordan — the only woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, with a $5 million reward on her head, while Jordan refuses to honor a valid U.S. extradition treaty. Tell the Secretary of State to press Jordan to extradite her.

Sign for Malki

Sign for Kristine. In December 2010, Kristine Luken, an American Christian, was stabbed to death on a hiking trail near Beit Shemesh; her friend Tal Hartuv survived by playing dead. Ayad Fatafta confessed that he killed Kristine because he thought she was Jewish. A 2017 FBI affidavit laid out the evidence for his arrest, and the United States had claimed the case — but in October 2025 he walked free in the hostage exchange, and Kristine’s family and Tal were never told; they learned it from the news. Nine years on, the United States still has not issued the warrant, and his whereabouts are unknown. Demand the U.S. issue the arrest warrant and pursue his extradition.

Sign for Kristine

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A locked gate, and a duck in Newport

A Quacker in Newport, Rhode Island went to tour a landmark and found the gates locked. Then a kosher duck turned up — and the disappointment lifted. “It was a sign,” they wrote, “that all is good.” One small duck, hidden and found, turning a closed door into a smile. From cruise ships to city parks, the ducks keep floating. If hate can go viral, why can’t love?

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[She played dead to survive. Her attacker walked free — join us July 16.]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/she-played-dead-to-survive-her-attackerhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/she-played-dead-to-survive-her-attackerWed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: The night that started AIC, and the July 16 Zoom panel on Americans murdered by terrorists and the fight to bring their killers to account.

Before the Atlanta Israel Coalition had a name, it had a story I couldn't put down.

The very first thing I ever did for AIC was bring a woman named Tal Hartuv to a synagogue here in Atlanta. Two hundred of you filled Congregation Beth Jacob to hear her. Many of you met her that night as Kay Wilson. She told us how, on a hike outside Jerusalem, two Palestinian terrorists set upon her and her friend Kristine Luken, an American Christian. They stabbed Kristine to death. They tried to do the same to Tal. She lived only because she was willing to lie perfectly still under the blade until they walked away. That night is the reason this coalition exists.

Now I have to tell you what became of the man who did it. His name is Ayad Fatafta. An Israeli court sentenced him to 35 years for murdering Kristine and 20 more for trying to murder Tal. In 2017, an FBI affidavit laid out the evidence and made the case for his arrest — Kristine was an American, and the United States had claimed the case as its own. Then in October 2025, in the deal that traded more than 2,000 prisoners for some of the October 7th hostages, Fatafta walked out. He had served a fraction of his sentence.

No one called Kristine's family. No one called Tal. Tal wrote the petition now circulating for his extradition, and here is how she tells it:

“Neither Kristine Luken's family nor Tal Hartuv were notified of his release. [We] found out through the Internet… The man who confessed to murdering Kristine Luken because he ‘thought she was Jewish' remains at large — unindicted, unextradited, and apparently unforgotten only by those he harmed.”

He killed her because he thought she was Jewish. He is free. And nine years after the FBI made the case for his arrest, the United States still has not issued the warrant. Without a warrant, there is no arrest. Without an arrest, there is no extradition. Without extradition, there is no trial. The entire path to justice is jammed on the single move only the United States can make, and it hasn't made it.

That is why we are gathering on July 16, and why I'm asking you to join us. Eight years ago you showed up for Tal, and it started all of this. She is still here, still fighting, still asking the country that has the evidence to charge her attacker to finally act on it. On July 16, show up for her again. It's free, it's on Zoom, and every name on that registration list is one more signal to Washington that no one has forgotten Kristine Luken.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director

Panel · Free · On Zoom

Justice Beyond Borders: Americans Murdered by Terrorists and the Fight for Accountability

Thursday, July 16 · 7:00 PM ET · Live on Zoom

Cheryl hosts survivor Tal Hartuv alongside three people who carry this fight too:

Arnold Roth — his fifteen-year-old daughter Malki was murdered in the 2001 Sbarro bombing in Jerusalem. Her confessed killer walks free in Jordan, unrepentant, on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.

Kathleen Luken — Kristine's identical twin, who has spent fifteen years keeping her sister's name alive and holding America to its word.

Mark Goldfeder — constitutional attorney and head of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, on what the law actually lets us do when governments won't act.

You'll hear the families and the survivor in their own voices, and a lawyer who can show us where the pressure points are. Then the floor is yours for questions.

Reserve Your Spot

Cheryl asked; here is the ask made concrete. It takes a minute.

Sign the petition for Kristine. Nine years after the FBI made the case for his arrest, the United States still has not issued the warrant. Demand it issue the warrant and pursue the extradition of Ayad Fatafta — the man who confessed to murdering Kristine Luken and tried to murder Tal Hartuv.

Sign the petition

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A duck on the jeep after trivia night

A Quacker in Peachtree Corners walked out of trivia night to find a kosher duck waiting on their jeep. “How cool!” they wrote — and that’s the whole idea. No occasion, no reason, just a small yellow duck turning an ordinary night into a smile. From city parks to parking lots, the ducks keep popping up. If hate can go viral, why can’t love?

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[The girl was 15. Her killer walks free.]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/the-girl-was-15-her-killer-walkshttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/the-girl-was-15-her-killer-walksWed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A July 16 Zoom panel with the families of Americans murdered by terrorists — and the constitutional lawyer fighting to bring the killers to justice.

In August 2001, a fifteen-year-old American girl named Malki Roth walked into a pizzeria in Jerusalem and never walked out. The woman who picked that pizzeria — because it was full of children — was caught, convicted, and sentenced to sixteen life terms.

She served eight years. A hostage deal set her free. She lives in Jordan today, openly, with no remorse, while the FBI lists her among its Most Wanted Terrorists and offers five million dollars for her arrest. Jordan will not hand her over.

Come, and bring someone with you. These families have carried this alone for a long time. The least we can do is show up and listen.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Panel · Free · On Zoom

Justice Beyond Borders: Americans Murdered by Terrorists and the Fight for Accountability

Thursday, July 16 · 7:00 PM ET · Live on Zoom · Free and open to all; audience Q&A follows

On Thursday, July 16, AIC, the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel, and a coalition of partner organizations are hosting an evening with the people who live with that injustice — and one lawyer determined to change it.

Arnold Roth is Malki's father. For more than twenty years he has fought to bring her killer to American justice.

Kathleen Luken is the identical twin of Kristine Luken, an American murdered on a hiking trail near Beit Shemesh in 2010. She stayed silent for thirteen years. What she finally said is hard to forget.

Tal Hartuv was hiking beside Kristine that afternoon. She was stabbed more than a dozen times and left for dead. She played dead, then walked over a kilometer through the forest, bound and bleeding, to get help. One of her attackers was released in the 2025 Gaza hostage deal — and she learned about it from the news.

Mark Goldfeder is a constitutional attorney and the head of the National Jewish Advocacy Center.

This is an honest conversation about the hardest question we face: hostage deals bring our people home, and they also send convicted murderers back onto the street. We are going to talk about what comes next — about extradition, about the American laws that already let families fight back, and about what accountability looks like when a government refuses to act.

Register for the Zoom link

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

Waiting in the parking lot at Lake Lanier

On a hot July ice run to Lake Lanier, a Quacker found a little kosher duck waiting in the parking lot. “Thanks for the smiles,” they wrote. One duck, one stranger’s brighter afternoon — a mitzvah that floats. From Georgia lakes to city sidewalks, the ducks keep drifting into view, one duck at a time.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Next week: Sami Steigmann in Atlanta]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/next-week-sami-steigmann-in-atlantahttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/next-week-sami-steigmann-in-atlantaWed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann speaks in Atlanta on Wednesday, May 13, with a Zoom evening for everyone else on Thursday, May 14.

Sami Steigmann speaks in Atlanta a week from tonight.

If you've been meaning to RSVP, this is the email. Seating at Chabad Israeli Center is limited, and we want everyone who's coming to have a seat. The room fills.

If you've sat with a survivor's testimony before, you know what that hour does. If you haven't yet, this is the one. Bring a friend, a teenager, a colleague who needs to hear it.

See you Wednesday.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director

Community event · Free · In person, Atlanta

An Evening with Sami Steigmann

Wednesday, May 13 · 7:30 PM · Chabad Israeli Center of Atlanta

Why we're hosting Sami: he is one of a small number of people still alive who were used as subjects of Nazi medical experimentation, and one of even fewer who travel the country talking about it. He has spoken to more than 250,000 people since 2008.

Survival, military service in Israel, and decades of public speaking give him a perspective on antisemitism, resilience, and moral courage that almost no one else can offer. He brings it without sentimentality and without polish — just the truth, told plainly.

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to be.” — Sami Steigmann

Free admission. Seating is limited.

RSVP for Atlanta

Community event · Free · On Zoom

An Evening with Sami Steigmann — On Zoom

Thursday, May 14 · 7:00 PM ET · On Zoom

Can't make it to Atlanta? Sami speaks again the next night on Zoom, hosted by AIC in partnership with Israel Brief and the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel. Open to anyone, anywhere.

Both events are free. The optional supporter ticket on each registration page funds the next one, and the one after that.

Register for the Zoom evening

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

An adorable duck between the shelves in Boston

A Quacker in Boston wasn’t even looking at the books when a kosher duck caught their eye between the shelves. “Thank you to whomever placed it there. Peace to all,” they wrote. A stranger’s kindness, hidden and found. From libraries to cruise ships, the good spreads — one duck at a time.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann is coming to Atlanta — May 13]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/holocaust-survivor-sami-steigmannhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/holocaust-survivor-sami-steigmannSun, 03 May 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: An in-person evening with Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann in Atlanta on May 13, plus a virtual evening on Zoom the next night with Israel Brief and the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel.

On Wednesday, May 13, AIC is hosting an evening with Sami Steigmann at the Chabad Israeli Center in Atlanta.

Bringing Sami to Atlanta matters to us right now. The fight against antisemitism is a daily practice. People who have lived through what Sami has lived through can tell us, with authority, what that practice looks like. He does not speak as a victim. He speaks as someone who decided what to do with his life and is asking the rest of us to decide what we'll do with ours.

Come if you're in town. Bring someone with you. Bring someone who hasn't heard a survivor speak in person — that window is closing every year, and Sami is still here, still on the road, still doing the work.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Founder & Executive Director

Community event · Free · In person, Atlanta

An Evening with Sami Steigmann — Holocaust Survivor and Motivational Speaker

Wednesday, May 13 · 7:30 PM · Chabad Israeli Center of Atlanta

Sami Steigmann is a globally renowned motivational speaker and a Holocaust survivor. Born in 1939 in what is now western Ukraine, he was imprisoned as a child in a Romanian labor camp in Transnistria and used as a subject of Nazi medical experimentation. A German farm woman who secretly smuggled him milk kept him alive.

He went on to serve in the Israeli Air Force, build a life in the United States, and — since 2008 — speak to more than 250,000 people about what he survived and what he chose to make of it.

Free admission. Seating is limited.

RSVP for Atlanta

Virtual event · Free · On Zoom

An Evening with Sami Steigmann — On Zoom

Thursday, May 14 · 7:00 PM ET · On Zoom

The next evening, AIC is hosting a second evening with Sami on Zoom, in partnership with Israel Brief and Rhode Island Coalition for Israel. Same speaker, same message, open to anyone — wherever you are.

Both events are free. If you'd like to support AIC's work bringing speakers like Sami to our community and beyond, there's an optional supporter ticket on each registration page. Every dollar goes back into programming.

Register for the virtual evening

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A pint, a sunset, and a duck in Newport

A Quacker in Newport, Rhode Island was enjoying a pint over a beautiful sunset when a little kosher duck turned up beside them. Nothing grand — just a good evening made a little brighter. From harbor towns to city parks, small joys keep floating: mitzvahs that float.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

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]]><![CDATA[AIC Around Town: Swarm night, Yom Ha'Atzmaut, and hosting Sami Steigmann]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/aic-around-town-swarm-night-yom-haatzmauthttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/aic-around-town-swarm-night-yom-haatzmautWed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: Fly the flag with AIC at Georgia Swarm's Multicultural Night, celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut at the Marcus JCC, and help host Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann across Georgia in May.

Spring is busy. Here's what AIC wants on your radar this month: a lacrosse game where we'll fly the flag, Israel's birthday in a Dunwoody park, and a Holocaust survivor coming to Georgia who needs hosts.

Show up where you can. Reach out if you can host Sami. And if you see one of us at any of these events, come say hello. Am Yisrael chai.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Table · Saturday, April 18 · Gas South Arena, Duluth

Georgia Swarm World Fest — first-ever Multicultural Night

The Georgia Swarm pro lacrosse team is hosting their first-ever Multicultural Night at Gas South Arena in Duluth, and AIC will be there with a table representing Israel and the Atlanta Jewish community alongside groups from across the metro. Pre-game on the lawn at 2:00 PM, AIC's table opens inside at 3:00 PM, and the game against the Rochester Knighthawks starts at 4:00 PM.

We know Saturdays are complicated for many in our community. If you can make it, please do — visibility matters, and a strong Israeli presence at a multicultural event with countries from around the world is exactly the kind of showing we want. Bring an Israeli flag, an American flag, or both, stop by our table, and we'll send you home with a free Kosher Duck.

Tickets through AIC's link start at $17.60. Get tickets here.

Celebration · Thursday, April 23 · Zaban Park, Dunwoody · Free

Yom Ha'Atzmaut at the Marcus JCC

The Marcus JCC is hosting a free Israel Independence Day Celebration at Zaban Park in Dunwoody, 5:00–7:00 PM. Music, crafts, games, face painting, and food available for purchase — family-friendly, free, and the kind of event that fills a park with the spirit of Israel right here in Atlanta.

No registration required. Bring the kids, bring the grandkids, bring a friend. AIC will see you there. Details at atlantajcc.org.

One ask this month:

Host Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann, May 11–14. AIC is bringing survivor and motivational speaker Sami Steigmann to Georgia for four days, and we're looking for organizations, schools, synagogues, churches, and community groups to host him for speaking engagements. Sami survived Nazi medical experiments and turned that survival into a life spent teaching resilience, courage, and the necessity of telling the story. His audiences — students, congregations, civic groups — leave changed.

If your organization, school, shul, church, or community group can host Sami for a talk between May 11 and May 14, reach out to cheryl@atlantaisrael.org. Spots are limited and the calendar is filling fast. More about Sami.

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A kosher duck at Swarm's international night

A kosher duck turned up at the Georgia Swarm's international night in Duluth — one more face of Jewish pride in a room full of the world. From arenas to airports, the ducks keep floating. Mitzvahs that float, one duck at a time.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

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]]><![CDATA[Before the Seder, a Thank You — and a Truth]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/before-the-seder-a-thank-you-andhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/before-the-seder-a-thank-you-andWed, 01 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A Passover note from Cheryl on Sunday's Bridges of Hope evening — the talent on that stage, an honest word about how AIC actually gets built, and a seder-night ask to help sustain the work.

Shalom, my friend,

Tonight we sit at the seder table and tell the oldest story we have — that we were slaves, that we chose freedom.

On Sunday night, we chose again, with an extraordinary event: Bridges of Hope — bringing together Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, Persians, Israelis, Americans, Canadians, and more, and flying some remarkable talent into Atlanta.

Ghazal Mizrahi sang in languages half the room had never heard and stopped every one of them cold. JoDavi — Joshua Washington — brought soul music from the deepest place a person can bring it. Mustapha Ezzarghani stood on a stage in a synagogue as a Moroccan Muslim and told the truth about what his world did to its Jews. Tehran Von Ghasri had us laughing so hard we forgot we had armed security at the door. Caleiv Jean performed music born from a path most people would never have the courage to take. George Rishfeld, at 86, stood up and reminded us why we can never stop telling the story. And Surinder Dhar spoke about what happens when the world looks away from ethnic cleansing — because he lived it.

We dedicated the evening to the memory of Olga Meshoe Washington, zichrona livracha — Joshua Washington's wife. Olga was a South African attorney, a Christian Zionist, and one of the most courageous voices for Israel and the Jewish people in the world. She spoke at the United Nations. She built bridges between Black South Africa and the Jewish state. She died in January of last year, leaving behind two young sons. Joshua was on that stage fifteen months later. He chose to be there. That tells you everything about the kind of people who were in the room Sunday night.

Now the part that's harder to write.

I am not writing this to complain. I am writing it because you should know: AIC has no endowment. We have no grants. We have no institutional patron. We have a core, committed group of volunteers. We have me, working full time without a salary since 2018, and a community that either shows up or doesn't. On Sunday night, the community showed up. The institutions did not.

The attendees were wowed, and it was clear: we build support for Israel and for Jews, from within our community and beyond it.

And while I'm being honest — none of this works without my husband Steven, who has been the sole breadwinner of this family while I do this work unpaid, and who has never made me stop. Our sons are in college. They have watched their mother run out the door at a moment's notice for eight years — to organize a rally, pick up a speaker from the airport, pull an event together with only hours to spare — and they show up for me every time. The mishegas is real. So is their support. I want them to know I see it.

The Haggadah tells us to search for chametz before Pesach — to find what is puffed up and hollow and remove it. There is institutional chametz in Jewish communal life: organizations that look impressive from the outside but are hollow when you need them, brands that swell with self-importance but produce nothing when a grassroots organization in Atlanta asks for help putting armed guards at the door of a synagogue so families can hear a Holocaust survivor speak.

But here is what I want you to carry into your seder tonight: the room was full anyway. The music was extraordinary. The stories were real. The security was there. This community — your community — made it happen without a single institutional hand on its back. That is not a failure. That is proof of what we are.

AIC is not going anywhere. There is more coming.

Tonight, tell the story. And when you get to the part where it says "in every generation they rise against us," remember that in every generation, someone rises to meet it. That was Sunday night.

Regardless of what you're celebrating, I hope you find this season one of hope, unity, and peace.

Chag Pesach sameach. Am Yisrael chai.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

AIC has no endowment, no grants, and no institutional patron. Sunday night happened because this community built it — the volunteers, the resources, the hands that show up. None of it happens by accident, and the work ahead needs you: not the next person, you.

This Pesach, rise up with us. Give. Your support funds the events, the speakers, and the armed security that let families gather safely to hear a Holocaust survivor speak. Give your generous support to AIC.

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

Sharing is caring, in Atlanta

A kosher duck passed along in Atlanta — one small kindness handed to a stranger. That is the whole revolution: joy you can hold and give away. If hate can go viral, why can't love?

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

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]]><![CDATA[Bridges of Hope: seven voices, one Dunwoody stage, Sunday night]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-seven-voices-onehttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-seven-voices-oneSun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A note on the fire that must not go out, and your invitation to Bridges of Hope — seven artists and advocates on one stage in Dunwoody this Sunday.

Shavua tov. This week's Torah portion returns to fire — the perpetual flame on the altar that the Torah insists shall not go out, and the priest who had to show up every single morning to clear the ashes and lay the wood so it wouldn't. It is a portion about people who tend fires nobody asked them to tend.

Tomorrow night, seven of those people take a stage in Dunwoody. A Persian Jewish singer who has performed at hostage-family events since October 7. A Moroccan Muslim who made a video asking the Arab world where its Jews went. A soul musician who runs the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel. An Iranian-African American comedian. A hip-hop producer from Haiti who became an Orthodox Jew. A Holocaust survivor who has spent decades making sure people know what happened. A Kashmiri Hindu activist who survived ethnic cleansing and now fights for minority rights worldwide.

None of them had to be here. Every one of them chose it. This is a room full of those people, and I would like you to be in it. Come choose it with us.

Lo tikhbeh.

Concert · In person · Tickets from $18

Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow

Sunday, March 29, 2026 · Doors 6:30 PM, concert 7:00 PM ET · Dunwoody, GA

Seven artists and advocates from across faiths, continents, and backgrounds share one stage for an evening of music and solidarity with Israel. Tickets start at $18.

Get Your Tickets

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A duck under the Chagall windows

A kosher duck found beneath the Chagall windows in Jerusalem — light meeting light. From synagogues to city parks, the ducks keep floating. Mitzvahs that float.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Bridges of Hope is this Sunday — seats are going]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-is-this-sunday-seatshttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-is-this-sunday-seatsFri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: Bridges of Hope brings seven performers and speakers from four continents to one stage in Dunwoody this Sunday evening.

This Sunday evening, seven performers and speakers from across cultures, faiths, and continents take one stage in Dunwoody. A Persian Jewish vocalist. A soul artist who tours from Harlem to Jerusalem. A Moroccan author who challenged the Arab world to confront its erasure of Jewish communities. An Iranian-African American comedian. A hip-hop producer who found his way to Orthodox Judaism. A Holocaust survivor. A Kashmiri Hindu human rights activist.

This is Bridges of Hope — one heart, one community, one Israel. Seats are going. Will we see you there?

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Concert & Speakers · Ticketed · In Dunwoody

Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow

Sunday, March 29, 2026 · VIP Reception 6:00 PM · Doors 6:30 PM · Concert 7:00 PM · Dunwoody, GA

An evening of music and testimony — seven performers and speakers from four continents, on one stage.

General Admission $18 · Student $8 · VIP $108.

Get Your Tickets

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A kosher duck at a Dunwoody festival

A kosher duck spotted at a festival in Dunwoody — a little Jewish joy in the middle of the crowd. From festivals to city parks, the ducks keep popping up, one duck at a time.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

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]]><![CDATA[Bridges of Hope: an evening of music and solidarity, March 29 in Dunwoody]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-an-evening-of-musichttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-an-evening-of-musicMon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A note from Cheryl on why she wants you at Bridges of Hope, plus the full lineup, schedule, and ticket levels for the March 29 concert in Dunwoody.

On Sunday evening, March 29, we're hosting Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow in Dunwoody — and I want you there.

We've pulled together a lineup of artists and voices you won't find on one stage anywhere else. Everyone stepping up to that microphone brings a different background and something of their own to share. None of them had to show up for this. They all chose to.

Bring someone you love. This is going to be a night people talk about.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Concert · Live Music & Voices · Dunwoody, GA

Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow

Sunday, March 29, 2026 · VIP 6 PM, Concert 7 PM ET · Dunwoody, GA

An evening of music, comedy, and testimony from artists and advocates who chose to stand together for Israel:

Ghazal Mizrahi — a Persian Jewish world-music vocalist who sings in multiple languages and was recently named a Women of Achievement honoree.

JoDavi (Joshua Washington) — soul composer, recording artist, and Executive Director of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, whose album Zion has toured from Harlem to Jerusalem.

Mustapha Ezzarghani — Moroccan-born author of Arab Identity Syndrome and founder of the Moroccan-Israeli Friendship Association, whose "Where Are Your Jews?" video pressed the Arab world to confront the erasure of its Jewish communities.

Tehran Von Ghasri — an Iranian-African American comedian and Laugh Factory regular who performs in English and Farsi.

Caleiv Jean — an Atlanta-based hip-hop producer whose path from the rap industry to Orthodox Judaism has drawn audiences across social media.

George Rishfeld — a Holocaust survivor, saved as a child by a Catholic family during the war, and a longtime educator.

Surinder Dhar — a human rights activist and survivor of the 1990s ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir, who co-leads global advocacy through HAHRI and HinduPACT.

General Admission $18 · Students $8 · VIP Experience $108, which adds the 6 PM meet-and-greet, kosher bites, and priority seating. Sponsorships from $180 to $5,000.

Get Your Tickets

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A little cute duck in Atlanta

A little kosher duck, found in Atlanta — a small surprise that made someone's day. One duck, one smile. From Atlanta to Tel Aviv, mitzvahs that float.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[A night like no other: Bridges of Hope, March 29 in Dunwoody]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/a-night-like-no-other-bridges-ofhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/a-night-like-no-other-bridges-ofThu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A note from Cheryl and the full lineup for Bridges of Hope — three artists from three worlds on one Dunwoody stage, March 29.

For two years, I've watched our community ask one question more than any other: who stands with us? On March 29, the answer walks onto a stage in Dunwoody.

We're bringing three artists to Atlanta — a Persian Jewish vocalist, a Black soul composer, and a Moroccan Muslim author. Every one of them comes from a different world. None of them had to be here. They all chose to stand with Israel, and with us.

This is going to be a night people talk about. Bring the friend who's been asking what they can do — and I hope you'll be there.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Concert · In person · Dunwoody, GA

Bridges of Hope

Sunday, March 29 · Doors 6:30 PM · Concert 7:00 PM · Dunwoody, GA

Three artists, three different worlds, one stage.

Ghazal Mizrahi — a Persian Jewish world-music vocalist who sings in multiple languages and has performed at rallies and hostage-family events since October 7. She was recently named a Women of Achievement honoree in New York.

JoDavi (Joshua Washington) — a soul composer and recording artist who has opened for India Arie and Anthony Hamilton, and whose album Zion has toured from Harlem to Jerusalem. He is Executive Director of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel.

Mustapha Ezzarghani — a Moroccan Muslim author and founder of the Moroccan-Israeli Friendship Association, whose viral "Where Are Your Jews?" video challenged the Arab world to confront the erasure of its Jewish communities.

General admission $18 · students $8 · VIP experience $108. The VIP meet-and-greet at 6:00 PM includes kosher bites, conversation with the artists, and priority seating.

Get Your Tickets

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A kosher duck bringing joy to all faiths

A kosher duck bringing joy across faiths in Atlanta — which is the whole point: Jewish pride that invites everyone in. From cruise ships to city parks, the ducks keep floating.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Bridges of Hope: an evening of music and unity — Sunday, March 29]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-an-evening-of-music-904https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/bridges-of-hope-an-evening-of-music-904Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A Bridges of Hope concert on Sunday, March 29 in Dunwoody — music, unity, and how to reserve your seat.

On Sunday, March 29, we invite you to an evening of music, unity, and inspiration in Dunwoody. Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow brings together internationally acclaimed performers Ghazal Mizrahi and JoDavi — artists whose work bridges cultures, faiths, and communities.

This evening celebrates what connects us: resilience, shared humanity, and the power of community. Reserve your seat, bring someone with you, and we hope to see you there.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Concert · Dunwoody, GA

Bridges of Hope: Standing Together for a Better Tomorrow

Sunday, March 29 · VIP Meet & Greet 6:00 PM · Concert 7:00 PM ET · Dunwoody, GA

Internationally acclaimed performers Ghazal Mizrahi and JoDavi take the stage for an evening built around resilience, shared humanity, and the power of community. The VIP Meet & Greet opens at 6:00 PM; the concert begins at 7:00 PM.

General Admission $18 · VIP Experience $108. Student tickets are available.

Get Tickets

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A duck marching in the Israeli Day Parade

A kosher duck marching in the Israeli Day Parade in New York — Jewish pride, out loud and in the street. From parades to city parks, the ducks keep floating. Mitzvahs that float.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Standing firm: a message from Cheryl, plus March 1 programs]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/standing-firm-a-message-from-cherylhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/standing-firm-a-message-from-cherylWed, 18 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A message from Cheryl on standing firm — plus a March 1 lecture with Gil Hoffman on media and Israel, the Atlanta Jewish Life Festival, and 36% off Israel Brief for AIC friends.

Shalom,

These are not easy weeks for Israel — or for Jewish communities here at home.

The headlines are loud. The narratives are often distorted. The conversations are often heated. Many of us are facing difficult questions in our workplaces, schools, and civic spaces.

This is precisely why the Atlanta Israel Coalition exists.

We were founded to bring principled, informed, and steady leadership into moments like this. When media coverage is incomplete, we provide context. When misinformation spreads, we provide education. When our community feels unsettled, we convene and strengthen it.

In the weeks ahead, we are continuing that work.

On Sunday, March 1, we welcome Gil Hoffman — Executive Director of Honest Reporting and longtime chief political correspondent for The Jerusalem Post — for a lecture at Congregation Etz Chaim. His perspective, shaped by 25 years covering Israeli and Palestinian leadership, offers rare insight into media, politics, and the Middle East. Headlines shape perception, and thoughtful analysis matters more than ever.

That same day, we are a proud community partner of the Atlanta Jewish Life Festival at the Georgia Aquarium. Large, joyful gatherings are essential. When tension runs high, visible, confident Jewish celebration is a form of resilience.

Beyond traditional programming, our Kosher Duck Revolution keeps growing as a creative expression of Jewish pride and connection. What began as a simple act of kindness has become a movement — small symbols traveling into classrooms, synagogues, churches, missions, and everyday spaces, sparking conversations where they might not otherwise happen.

AIC friends can also receive 36% off their first year of Israel Brief, a trusted source of analysis that cuts through the noise and keeps conversations grounded in fact.

These efforts may look different on the surface — a policy lecture, a community festival, a duck drop, a news partnership — but they share a common purpose: strengthening informed, resilient Jewish life.

We are not interested in noise. We are interested in impact.

In the months ahead, AIC will keep convening serious conversations, supporting humanitarian efforts, expanding national and international engagement, and building partnerships rooted in democratic values and shared responsibility.

Your presence, your engagement, and your partnership matter.

Together, we remain steady. Together, we remain informed. Together, we stand with Israel.

With conviction and gratitude,

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Lecture · Congregation Etz Chaim

An Insider's Look at Media & the Middle East

Sunday, March 1 · Congregation Etz Chaim

Gil Hoffman — Executive Director of Honest Reporting and longtime chief political correspondent for The Jerusalem Post — on how media narratives shape public understanding of Israel and the region. His perspective is shaped by 25 years covering Israeli and Palestinian leadership.

Register for the lecture

Festival · Georgia Aquarium

Atlanta Jewish Life Festival 2026 — Through the Decades

Sunday, March 1 · Georgia Aquarium

Live music, full aquarium access, community partners, and a free Kids Zone — a joyful, multi-generational celebration of Jewish Atlanta. AIC is a proud community partner.

Get festival tickets

Two ways to stand with us this month.

Donate & make a difference.

Support Hearts United — Boots on the Ground and help Israel rebuild now.

Donate

AIC Friends offer — 36% off Israel Brief.

Access reliable, thoughtful reporting and analysis through our partner offer: 36% off your first year of Israel Brief.

Claim the AIC offer

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A kosher duck in Times Square

A kosher duck in Times Square — a small, bright act of Jewish pride in the middle of the crossroads of the world. If hate can go viral, why can't love?

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[Yirmiyahu Danzig in Atlanta — a free community evening, Feb 11]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/yirmiyahu-danzig-in-atlanta-a-freehttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/yirmiyahu-danzig-in-atlanta-a-freeSun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A free evening of learning and conversation with Unpacked educator Yirmiyahu Danzig, Wednesday, February 11 at Chabad of Buckhead.

One Heart. One Community. One Israel. That's the spirit I want to carry into Wednesday, February 11, and I hope you'll be in the room with us.

Jewish identity, Israel, and antisemitism are debated loudly right now, and often carelessly. AIC is bringing Yirmiyahu Danzig to Atlanta for an evening of learning and honest conversation, grounded in history, lived experience, and a genuine commitment to dialogue. It's free, and I'd love to see you there.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Free Event · Registration Required

An Evening with Yirmiyahu Danzig

Wednesday, February 11 · 7:00–8:30 PM · Chabad of Buckhead, 133 E Wesley Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

Yirmiyahu Danzig is an educator and speaker for Unpacked. He brings a grounded, thoughtful perspective on Jewish identity, Israel, and antisemitism — rooted in history, lived experience, and a genuine commitment to dialogue.

The evening covers Jewish identity and diversity; the 'other' Jewish histories; Israel, diaspora, and belonging; antisemitism and today's discourse; and Jewish continuity in a complex world.

The event is free, but registration is required. Optional donations help support future AIC programming.

Register Now

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A very special duck in Georgia

A kosher duck turned up in Georgia — 'very special,' the finder wrote, and that is exactly it: a small surprise that made someone's day. One duck, one smile, one duck at a time.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

]]><![CDATA[From Israel on New Year's Day]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/from-israel-on-new-years-dayhttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/from-israel-on-new-years-dayThu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A New Year's dispatch from the AIC delegation in Israel — the Nova site and car graveyard, supply runs and cookouts for IDF troops along the Gaza fence, Sheba Medical Center, and the educational work we're carrying home.

Happy New Year. We're writing on New Year's Day from Israel — a short update, sent between meetings, because the days here move quickly and the work cannot wait.

We want you to know how this happens. We are all volunteers, and we pay our own costs. The supplies you donated came over not only in our own bags but in the checked bags of people in our networks who had flights planned and room to help. We do this deliberately, so that what you give goes directly to mission-critical costs.

Thank you for the funds. Thank you for the supplies. Thank you for trusting us to use both well. Your support is here — on the ground, in use.

We enter the new year with open eyes and open hearts: grief that does not disappear, resolve that does not fade, and laughter that does not quiet. May the coming months bring healing where it is needed, courage where it is demanded, and the strength to keep choosing life and love.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

From the Nova site to the Gaza fence

Since our last update, we traveled to the car graveyard and then to the Nova site. All but one of us had been there before; even so, it did not soften the time we spent there. We joined a minyan for prayers on site — a moving experience. At the car graveyard near the Nova site, the ambulance we stood beside had been struck on October 7. Hamas murdered eighteen people inside.

From there we went to Shuva Junction, where we distributed supplies and restocked what they had run out of: first aid kits, electrolytes, protein bars, and much more. Practical, needed work.

The next day we spent with Shlomi's food truck. For hours we prepared food, then handed out falafel, schnitzel, shakshuka pita sandwiches, and kosher ducks to IDF troops along the Gaza fence. This is still an active war zone, and our presence was appreciated by those fighting on the ground. Over and over we were told they feel forgotten, that they feel the world's hate bearing down on them.

Again and again, the soldiers asked for the kosher ducks. You might think they're a little silly and whimsical, and you'd be right — but you could hear them squeaking as we drove off to the next checkpoint. Soldiers laughed and smiled. Some seemed to laugh for the first time in days. They told us of the joy it brought them, and how they can't wait to get home to their families to share it. Many asked for extras to give to their kids.

That evening the weather finally broke and we held the rescheduled BBQ. Heavy rain the day before had turned the access roads to deep mud, so civilian vehicles couldn't reach the original base, and the unit there was ultimately sent out on a mission. We moved instead to a secure base along the Green Line. The soldiers we cooked for had not had a single BBQ in more than two years of war. Not once. They operate constantly, with enormous responsibility, and hearing how long they had gone without that kind of support stayed with us. We grilled sausages, hamburgers, and smoked brisket, and set full tables with salads and vegetarian options. We talked. We stayed. We gave them your support.

Yesterday was a different kind of day. We received an IDF briefing that will directly inform AIC's educational work. We met with Hillel Fuld to discuss collaboration. Then we went to Sheba Medical Center, where we met wounded soldiers, delivered requested care packages, and brought adult LEGO kits — they were gone quickly as the wounded warriors clamored for them. That night we visited J17, a kosher vegan restaurant that regularly feeds troops, hostage families, and Nova survivors; we came to support their work, and we rang in the new year quietly.

Today is New Year's Day. We have meetings scheduled and a visit planned to bring children's toys to hospitalized kids. Some of us fly back to the United States tomorrow. The work of AIC continues — educational programming will come out of this trip, along with relationships, clarity, and responsibility we intend to carry home.

Help us carry this work forward

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A surprise duck in an Israeli break room

A kosher duck surfaced in an Israeli break room in Ramat Gan — a little joy waiting between shifts. From Atlanta to Israel, the ducks keep floating. Mitzvahs that float.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

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]]><![CDATA[From Israel: the work continues]]>https://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/from-israel-the-work-continueshttps://dispatch.atlantaisrael.org/p/from-israel-the-work-continuesSun, 28 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMTIn this issue: A dispatch from Cheryl in Israel: a BBQ for lone soldiers at the Michael Levin base, Shabbat conversations with authors and activists, the Golan under rocket fire, and a year-end ask to fund tomorrow's BBQ for soldiers in Judea and Samaria.

Another quick update from Israel. The pace has not slowed, and that's a good thing. We're sharing this briefly because our time here is spent doing the work, not documenting it — but we want you to feel connected to what your support makes possible.

If you'd like to see more photos and short videos from along the way, we're posting them on the Atlanta Israel Coalition Facebook page, where it's easiest to share in real time.

— Cheryl Dorchinsky, Executive Director

Notes from the road: lone soldiers, Shabbat, and the Golan

Lone soldiers: presence matters

We hosted a BBQ for lone soldiers at the Michael Levin base in honor of Rose Lubin z”l. “Hosted” might be too strong a word — they didn't let us do much cooking. But that turned out to be the point.

We provided the food and supplies and then helped where we could, but mostly we spent time. We shared meals, listened, and passed along the support of this community. That mattered — to seasoned special forces and medics, and to brand-new lone soldiers who were getting their buzz cuts on the spot before reporting for training. Seeing them about to step into service, without family nearby, made clear why we were there.

Your support was felt. Quietly. Directly.

Community, dialogue, and Shabbat

The following day, we visited the peace village and Abu Ghosh, then prepared for Shabbat.

We spent Shabbat with Tal Hartuv and Alon Penzel, an author whose writing grapples honestly with the barbaric attack of October 7. These weren't formal meetings. They were conversations — the kind that shape programming worth bringing back to Atlanta.

The Golan: industry, security, and reality

Today took us north to the Golan Heights. We toured the Naot factory at Kibbutz Neot Mordechai and learned how local industry continues even under rocket fire. From there, we visited a Druze village on Mount Hermon, met with the mayor, toured the community, and explored possibilities for partnership and programming.

We also visited the Golan Regional Council, where the deputy mayor walked us through the region's security realities and emergency operations center. It was direct, practical, and unsentimental.

The day ended with a visit to a Golan-based paratrooper and drone reservist unit. We delivered sweatshirts to help with the cold, shared a meal, toured parts of the base, and received a briefing on their operations.

What's next — and how you can help

Tomorrow we shift our base from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, then head out to host another BBQ with Binyamin's BBQ Brigade on an IDF base in Judea and Samaria. The soldiers there are doing daily security operations to protect the heartland. This BBQ, like the last, is funded by this community.

This is where I'll be direct. Atlanta Israel Coalition is entirely volunteer-run. We are covering our own costs to be here. Every dollar donated goes directly to supporting Israelis — food, supplies, presence, and programming — not to us.

If you are able, we would be grateful if you would consider making a year-end donation to support tomorrow's BBQ, our ongoing work here, and the programs we are building to bring back to you in Atlanta. We have met extraordinary people on this trip — leaders, thinkers, and practitioners — and we want to bring them to our community. Let's make that happen together.

Thank you for staying with us, for trusting us, and for standing with Israel in practical, meaningful ways. We'll keep sharing as we're able, and once we're home, we promise to slow down and tell the full story.

MITZVAHS THAT FLOAT

A hidden duck at Magen David Adom

A kosher duck hidden for someone to find at Magen David Adom in Tel Aviv — joy tucked in where the work is hardest. From city parks to first-responder stations, the ducks keep popping up.

See the sightings map

Jewish joy, weekly

Read all columns →

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