Two New Members Join Shalom b'Harim Board

Shalom b’Harim, the Jewish community of the North Georgia Mountains, has added two new members to its board of directors – Radhika Prabhakar, M.D., and Mark K. Bauman, Ph.D.

Prabhakar is originally from Georgia and feels grateful to be back home after many years away. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013 for work, where she met her husband, and the two returned to Georgia in 2024. She and her family have deeply enjoyed their time at Shalom b’Harim and are thankful for the warmth of the community and the gift of Jewish education.

Dr. Prabhakar practices internal medicine in Gainesville. She holds degrees from the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia and completed her residency at Harbor-UCLA in Torrance, Calif.

Bauman is a retired professor of history at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. He is the author or editor of 14 books, including a history of The Temple in Atlanta emphasizing social justice (2023). His collected essays, “A New Vision of Southern Jewish History” (2019), won the 2023 Southern Jewish Historical Society award as the best book in the field published during the previous four years. Mark is the founding and current editor of Southern Jewish History, an annual, peer-reviewed journal, and co-editor of the “Jews and Judaism; History and Culture” series published by the University of Alabama Press.

Shalom b’Harim presents Friday evening and/or Saturday morning services as well as High Holidays services and an annual Passover seder. It is oriented toward Reform/Conservative worship. There is a core membership of approximately 50 actively engaged members, with greater participation for holidays. Its spiritual leader is Rabbi Matan Peled.

It is committed to Tikkun Olam activities, including an ongoing partnership with Georgia Mountain Food Bank.