There’s always something happening in the Hostess City. Stay in the know about upcoming events and the latest information with our periodic News & Notes.
Upcoming Events
Savannah Jewish Federation to host the Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival
Who: The Savannah Jewish Federation
When: Feb. 21 through March 10
Where: Various locations
What: The Savannah Jewish Federation (SJF) is hosting the third annual Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival. This year, almost all of the events are free and all events are open to the public. Donations are welcome. Kicking off the festival is an opening reception and Q&A led by Hadassah Southeast Regional President, Paula Zucker and featuring Guest of Honor, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Jill Steinberg. The Savannah premiere of Bella! which chronicles the pioneering political career of the New York powerhouse congresswoman Bella Abzug will follow. This evening is being sponsored by the Savannah Chapter of Hadassah and open to the public.
Three documentary films will be shown during the festival including Bella!, Remembering Gene Wilder a touching tribute and look into the life of this beloved award-winning actor, comic, director, producer, singer-songwriter, author and screenwriter, and The Catskills which features a trove of lost-and-found archival footage into the storied mountain getaway north of New York City that inspired films like “Dirty Dancing” and served as the playground and refuge for Jewish immigrants for generations.
The weekly Food for Thought lunch series will include a special visit from Savannah Music Festival’s Executive Director, Gene Dobbs Bradford, on Thursday February 22nd. Melinda Hofstetter will discuss the work, travels and photography of her father, Seymour Hofstetter, in West Africa in 1976 on Feb. 29. Please contact 912-355-8111 to reserve a seat.
Sunday, Feb. 25, renowned Historian Brendan Murphy will speak about the history of anti-semitism and will emphasize the dangers of prejudice in society and the importance of Holocaust education. Murphy, of Marist School in Atlanta states “Holocaust education is a humanizing endeavor, a journey through the past that helps us reconsider how we understand ourselves as human beings. It’s a subject that should engage the heart, help develop better judgment and teach empathy.” This lecture is free and open to the community.
Janet Langhart Cohen’s play Anne and Emmett will be performed at the Jewish Educational Alliance on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 4 at 3 p.m. This powerful production is thoughtfully led by director Joanna Walchuk, who guides an imaginary conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till in Memory, a place that isolates them from the cruelty they experienced during their lives. Not only will the play be performed at the JEA, but will also be performed at St. Matthews Episcopal Church on Feb. 28 and First Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, March 6. Admission is free for all performances and donations are welcome. Visit SJF’s website savj.org for a full calendar of events.
Down by the Riverside with Master Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste
Who: Master Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste
When: Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6 p.m.
Where: District Live, 400 W River St.
What: The stories that hail from the Gullah/Geechee people from Coastal Georgia and South Carolina are as deep and enduring as the Savannah River. Master Storyteller Lillian Grant-Baptiste will use the art of storytelling to tell the powerful, yet at times, poignant stories of theGullah/Geechee people. Savannah is in the middle of the Gullah/Geechee Corridor, and is rich with significant historical happenings, and Grant-Baptiste will soulfully and skillfully highlight and bring to life specific events from Savannah’s history. The performance will be brimming over with creative and artistic expressions, expressions like African drumming, poetry, and the singing of soulful and melodic songs from the African American tradition. The audience will be both mesmerized and riveted by the magic and movement of the performance and will be on the edge of their seats, longing for more.
Local Updates
Historic Savannah Foundation hires preservation leader Ellie Isaacs as Director of Preservation and Historic Properties
Historic Savannah Foundation – a leading nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to saving the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future – recently named Ellie Isaacs as the organization’s new Director of Preservation and Historic Properties.
Isaacs brings 10 years of preservation experience to her new position and is responsible for overseeing Historic Savannah Foundation’s acclaimed preservation initiatives, including the Preservation Easement Program and Revolving Fund, which raises private money to purchase endangered historic properties, sells them to preservation-minded buyers and repeats the cycle. She will lead the organization’s efforts to save and adaptively use historic buildings by working in partnership with the City of Savannah, Chatham County government, neighborhood associations, property owners and developers.
“Ellie embodies the spirit of Historic Savannah Foundation’s seven original female founders and carries their commitment to preservation forward in exciting ways,” said Sue Adler, President and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation. “We believe her passion, expertise and leadership will usher in a new era of historic preservation in Savannah.”
Prior to joining Historic Savannah Foundation, Isaacs served as a Partner at Landmark Preservation Consulting in Savannah, Ga. She also worked as a historic preservation specialist for an award-winning architecture firm in Savannah, Lominack Kolman Smith Architects, where she focused on research, preservation tax credit applications, conditions assessments and historic resource surveys. She meets the Professional Qualifications for Architectural History by the Secretary of the Interior.
Earlier in her career, Isaacs worked in Hot Springs, Ark. as a historic preservationist and designer for a local architecture firm, Taylor Kempkes Architects. Her most notable project involved co-designing and managing the state and federal preservation tax credit application process for The Waters Hotel, located in the 1913 Thompson Building designed by George Mann. The $7 million dollar project won the 2017 Preserve Arkansas Preservation Award for Excellence in Preservation through Rehabilitation in the commercial category. While completing this award-winning project, Isaacs broke barriers as the youngest commissioner on the Hot Springs Historic District Commission.
Isaacs previously served as the Chair of the Savannah Historic District Board of Review and was a board member for more than five years. She also served as a member of the Historic Savannah Foundation’s Architectural Review Committee for three years, reviewing projects prior to their submission to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Isaacs earned a B.F.A. in Historic Preservation with minors in Architectural History and Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). During her time as a student at SCAD, Isaacs was notably the only historic preservation undergraduate student to present at the 2014 National Trust for Historic Preservation’s PastForward Conference in Savannah. She also served as a student intern for the Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and co-authored a National Register District Nomination for Carver Village. Isaacs was also a summer intern for Historic Savannah Foundation, completing easement inspections two years in a row.
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Isaacs was the 2023 alumni mentor for Preservation Design students at SCAD and previously served as a Historic Savannah Foundation volunteer.
Resilient Coastal Georgia announces 2024 Steering Committee
Resilient Coastal Georgia has announced its Steering Committee leadership for 2024. The regional group that aims to build resilience and a trauma-informed community across coastal counties will be co-chaired by Holly Whitfield, executive director, Deep Center; and Lizann Roberts, executive director, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition.
The announcement was made at the organization’s bi-monthly Steering Committee meeting, held on February 12 at the Gateway Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Savannah.
A subset of the statewide organization Resilient Georgia, Resilient Coastal Georgia was formed in 2022 to support mental health system change and policies for children, youth and families in the Savannah area affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The local organization is an initiative of the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition and works with community partners to provide training sessions for groups and individuals who work directly with children and youth and hosts mental wellness and trust-building events and spaces for young people.
For example, during 2023, the organization hosted a day of fun-filled activities for the students and staff of Savannah High School of Liberal Studies and Savannah Early College High School, after providing a continuous level of support to the school in the aftermath of a school shooter hoax in November 2022. The group also organized a “Touch the Truck” event for kindergarteners at the Early Learning Center at Henderson E. Formey School as part of a training program to build trust in first responders from a young age. Community partner Loop it up Savannah also set up 15 Mindfulness zones at nine elementary, three middle and one high school along with two early learning centers. The group additionally distributed 1650 Resilient Coastal Georgia backpacks and resource kits to individuals and families throughout the community and completed 165 Handle with Care referrals in Chatham County.
The following Steering Committee co-chairs were also announced at the meeting: Kate Blair, executive director of Brightside Child and Family Advocacy; and Lydia McCrary, Deputy Chief of Chatham EMS will lead the Judicial and First Responder Work Group; Tameka Tribble of Parent University, and Dr. Kim Jackson-Allen of SCCPSS will co-chair the In School Work Group; and Lee Robbins, of the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire; and Raquel Tucker, of the YMCA of the Coastal Empire, will co-chair the of Out of School Work Group.
The organization also recognized its leadership team: Molly Lieberman, executive director, Loop It Up Savannah, Core Team, Steering Committee and co-chair School Work Group; Maureen McFadden, LCSW Core Team, McFadden Therapy and Consulting Services, LLC, Core Team; Lizann Roberts, M.A. C.C., executive director Core Team, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, Inc., Chatham Family Connection Collaborative; Vira Salzburn, program director, Safety & Resilience Programs Core Team, Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council.
Additionally, the entirety of the Steering Committee was commended for their commitment and service to the organization: Alisa Leckie/Georgia Southern University; Alisha Markle/Chatham County Juvenile Court; Antonio “Tony” Murphy/Chatham County Park and Rec; Beatriz Severson/Community Volunteer; Becky Lehto/YMCA; Christina Temple/Overcoming by Faith Church; Christy Smith/Live Oaks Public Library; Eric Mason/Greenbriar Children’s Center; Freya Huffman/DEI Administrator for Chatham County; Gena Taylor/Greenbriar Children’s Center; Jaqueline Awe, Savannah State University; Jessica Matthewson/Gateway Community Service Board; Jill Cheeks/ Mediation Center; John Bush/Office Neighborhood Safety; Julie Cavanaugh/Savannah Police Department; Kate Blair/Brightside Advocacy; Kimberly Jackson-Allen/SCCPSS; Lee Robbins/The Mediation Center; Lisa Brewer/Ga Family Connection – Region 12; Lisa; Colbert/Chatham County Superior Court; Lydia McCrary/Chatham EMS; Maureen McFadden/McFadden Therapy and Consulting, LLC; Maya Jinks/Chatham County Juvenile Court; Molly Lieberman/Loop It Up; Phylicia Anderson/Gateway Community Service Board; Raquel Tucker/YMCA; Tameka Tribble/Parent University; Tara Jones/Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition; Vira Salzburn/Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council; Yolanda Rivera-Caudill/Pediatrician.
Seimitsu, Corp. hires business leader Mark Cribbs to aid expansion for TrueConnX Home
Seimitsu, Corp., a Savannah-based Broadband Service Provider (BSP), has hired business leader Mark Cribbs as the director of TrueConnX Home, Seimitsu’s Fiber To The Home (FTTH) initiative. His role will help lead expansion in residential areas as the company celebrates 40 years of being a leading internet and Wi-Fi service provider for the Savannah business community.
“It is truly a blessing to be a part of Seimitsu and all that we do for our clients and our community,” Cribbs said. “My first experience with Seimitsu was as a client over 30 years ago, and even then Sam Cook and his team were focused on being the leaders in innovation, service delivery, exceptional customer service and community involvement.
A 1991 graduate of Georgia Southern University, Cribbs has over 30 years of experience driving success and improvement in the organization leadership, technology, account management and finance and accounting sectors. Cribbs also has extensive experience in the MSP, staffing, manufacturing and intermodal logistics industries.
His leadership aided in the acquisition of Wholesome Foods, Inc., a Daytona-based organic sugar company, by Savannah Foods, Inc. He was also a leader in the creation of CORBAK Office Technology Solutions, a Savannah MSP providing IT/VOIP services and HR/Payroll services.
Cribbs’ role as a leader not only applies to work but to community sports as well. He’s a head coach for the Forest City Gun Club Juniors and the Calvary Day School Clay Target Team. Along with clay target shooting, he also enjoys boating, fishing and hunting.
This article appears in Connect Savannah I February 2024.
