Rabbi Roundtable: Oct. 31, 2026
The AJT's monthly feature bringing spiritual leaders together from across all denominations and Jewish Atlanta.
In partnership with the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, the AJT’s monthly Rabbi Roundtable brings together spiritual leaders from across Atlanta representing each denomination.
Rabbi Elana Perry
Atlanta’s Jewish educational landscape thrives when we view every setting as part of a family’s broader journey. Every program brings distinct strengths, and no single organization can, or should, do it all alone. Day schools build a deep foundation in Hebrew, text, and tradition. Synagogue schools anchor learning in congregational life and foster intergenerational relationships. Summer camps offer immersive environments where Shabbat, independence, and lifelong friendships flourish. Youth groups empower teens to take ownership and lead, while after-school programs like Jewish Kids Groups seamlessly weave Jewish values, creative hands-on learning, and community into daily routines.
These experiences naturally reinforce each other when children carry ideas across settings, whether a school debate resurfaces at a youth group retreat or a camp melody enlivens a synagogue service. Beyond sharing families, our local Jewish organizations strengthen our community by sharing educational approaches: schools can adopt the joyful, experiential energy of informal programs, while informal spaces can draw on the textual depth of classroom learning. And when parents are welcomed not merely as drivers or schedulers, but as genuine partners, Jewish life extends meaningfully into the home.
I think we fall short when we place the burden on families to connect these dots on their own. Too often, educators operate in silos, unaware of what students experience in other settings, or hesitant to actively guide families toward their next step with another local institution. Stronger collaboration means learning alongside educators from other settings, helping families find their next meaningful connection, and making sure families of every background feel welcomed and valued. Rather than making every program look identical, our goal should be seamless continuity; a connected ecosystem of high-quality experiences that together help Atlanta families build vibrant Jewish lives.
Rabbi Jonathon Adler
In the Talmud, the Rabbis teach us that all Israel is responsible for one another. (BT Shevuot 39a) In Atlanta, many different parts of our community take responsibility for educating and raising our children. We work every day to build a community of children who look out for each other and become dear friends. Pre-school friends grow through religious schools, day schools, camps, and youth groups, and many remain close when they head off to college. We have an active USY group along with teens who belong to BBYO. Our network of resources for our youth is helping them embody this value.
Students are doing a beautiful job of valuing our community’s network of Jewish institutions, building strong friendships. Often, students are torn about missing a religious school classmate’s bat mitzvah so they can go to another synagogue and attend the bar mitzvah of a friend from Ramah Darom or Camp Barney Medintz.
Organizations also work to ensure we’re all looking out for one another. My colleagues and I are frequently invited to participate in programs at various day schools and to visit, even to teach, at summer camps.
But there’s always more we could be doing, which is why at Etz Chaim, we constantly find new ways to connect so we can more deeply engage with Jewish Atlanta’s vast resources for young people.
During Sukkot, for example, we honored the day school students in our community and their families. A parent and a seventh-grade student led our davening; others contributed throughout the service.
We’re building educational opportunities for our teens to learn together with students from other local synagogues. When our students learn together about Judaism and Israel, when they develop more Jewish friendships, they exemplify our sages’ teaching. They become people who truly take responsibility for one another.
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch
In over three decades of working with Jewish teenagers in Atlanta, one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is how much the old youth-group rivalries have faded. Back then, affiliated teenagers argued over which youth group was better. Most were fiercely loyal to their own group and wouldn’t dream of joining another.
What a difference today. At JSU, we meet thousands of teens each year from schools, synagogues, and youth programs across Atlanta. It’s not unusual to find a teenager involved in three or four Jewish programs at once, despite juggling AP classes, sports, jobs, and college applications. I love seeing that.
Where do we struggle? In the handoffs. The eighth grader leaving day school for public high school. The student finishing Hebrew school. The camper coming home in July excited about an incredible summer, but unsure where to go next. Each organization often does an outstanding job. The challenge is helping each teenager find their next meaningful Jewish connection.
Over the years, JSU has partnered with Atlanta’s Jewish high schools, numerous Hebrew schools, and dozens of other organizations. Sometimes we bring partners into our programs; other times we develop programs together, with each contributing what it does best. These partnerships create opportunities none of us could provide alone. We don’t need every organization to do everything. We need to recognize one another’s strengths and help teenagers find the programs that are right for them.
For me, the goal isn’t to keep a teenager in JSU forever. It’s to help that teenager in JSU forever. It’s to help that teenager build a Jewish connection that lasts. The more we work together, the more opportunities we create for teenagers to find their place in Jewish life. And ultimately, that’s what matters most.
About the Rabbis:
Rabbi Elana Perry, Reform
Rabbi Elana Perry is Jewish Kids Group’s Chief Program Officer, leading JKG’s full program ecosystem that drives joyful, immersive Jewish learning across local and national sites. Prior to joining JKG, Rabbi Perry served as Vice President of Jewish Education at Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, where she oversaw a broad education portfolio spanning supplemental Jewish education, day schools, and early childhood, and supported a robust network of 20-plus education directors. Rabbi Perry has also participated in a variety of professional development programs, including the M² Institute’s Senior Educator Cohort in Experiential Jewish Education and the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute, an intensive program focused on the professional development of Jewish educators.
Rabbi Jonathon Adler, Conservative
Rabbi Jonathon Adler was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2024 and is proud to serve as a rabbi at Congregation Etz Chaim. Prior to entering the rabbinate, he worked for over 20 years as a concierge at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. His interests include knitting and needlework, and he loves baking challah on Friday afternoons. He currently resides along with his two cats in Marietta, a short distance from his mother’s childhood home of Rome, Georgia. Rabbi Adler serves on the Board of Directors of SOJOURN, The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch, Orthodox
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch is the Executive Director and founder of the Jewish Student Union of Atlanta and is in his 30th year working with Jewish teens across the greater Atlanta area. He previously ran Atlanta’s Jewish Teen Center, served as regional director for NCSY Southern Region and Atlanta Region, and served on the Presidential Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. He is the winner of the Marcus Foundation and Jewish Federation’s, “Shark Tank.” He has been named to Atlanta Jewish Times’ 40 Under 40, founded the JSU GO Israel Adventure program for Jewish high school students, and recently testified in front of the Georgia Senate to help pass GA HB-30, the state’s first Antisemitism Hate Crime Bill.