Dave Schechter

Atlanta

Journalist/writer. Author: "A Life of the Party" (published October 2024). Husband. Father. Soccer fan. Retweets are not endorsements.

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Articles

Meanwhile, in Gaza

3 days ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

In January 1991, I returned to CNN’s national desk in Atlanta after a six-week relief stint as a producer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where the network had established an outpost during Operation Desert Shield. Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military had invaded Kuwait the previous August, prompting fears that he might next covet Saudi Arabia’s oil fields.
Fear, Panic & Anxiety from ‘Sounds that Startle’

2 weeks ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

Lilach Kipnis’ experience counseling children suffering from the trauma of war would have been valuable in the weeks and months after Oct. 7, 2023. Two years earlier, Kipnis had published “Shirat Ha-trigger” (Poem of the Trigger), a slim, illustrated volume about how children cope with sounds — such as the blasts from rockets, mortars, and other devices launched into Israel from Gaza — that spark feelings of fear, panic, and anxiety.
A Report from Dave’s Garden

1 month ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

From Where I SitOpinion The kiwi plant has fallen, a victim of its own appetite. The raspberries and blueberries rejoice.
Trump at 100 Days Divides Jewish Atlanta

1 month ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

Opinions in Jewish Atlanta about the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency — a milestone marked on April 30 — tend to mirror those the AJT reported on after he had been in office for 30 days. The torrent of executive orders and policy changes may have eased somewhat, but almost daily there is news that either delights or disgusts, the reaction depending on one’s political persuasion.
Jewish Atlanta's Views on Trump at 100 Days

1 month ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

Opinions in Jewish Atlanta about the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency — a milestone marked on April 30 — tend to mirror those the AJT reported on after he had been in office for 30 days. The torrent of executive orders and policy changes may have eased somewhat, but almost daily there is news that either delights or disgusts, the reaction depending on one’s political persuasion.
Memorial Ceremony Exposes a ‘Chasm’

1 month ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

I have heard the following from Jewish friends in recent months: There is so much happening in this country, I just don’t have the bandwidth to invest in Israel. I get that. There is much of critical importance happening at home. I nonetheless was surprised when a friend told me that he was losing interest in Israel, so great was his frustration over the war in Gaza, the hostage ordeal, and other issues.
Looking Back while Looking Forward

1 month ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

Some years ago, I carried a video camera as my father narrated a tour of the New York he knew growing up. New York was his city (and the Yankees his team), no matter living in Chicago for nearly 60 years. As a young man, I felt no burning desire to be in New York. I found the city intimidating, in the abstract and when I visited.
Life in a ‘Narrow Place’

2 months ago | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

In a three-hour period on a recent Sunday afternoon, we had reason to celebrate and mourn. The original plan called for us to fly on the Saturday to Miami, where my wife would attend a Sunday “ladies lunch” for her soon-to-be 80-year-old aunt, while I hung out with her uncle, one of my favorite members of the family. But on Friday afternoon, we received a call from the son of long-time friends, informing us that his mother had succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
Another Seder, Another Empty Chair

Mar 26, 2025 | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

As I prepare the Haggadah for this year’s Seder — an annual cut-and-paste project that covers the basics while introducing new pages and dropping others — I’m considering Passovers past. The headline on my column a year ago read, “Leave an Empty Chair at Your Seder Table.” Below that was a sub-head that said: “Passover will not be a ‘chag sameach,’ a happy holiday, for the families of those killed on Oct.
‘Years of Joy and Light — Now Extinguished.’ - Atlanta Jewish Times

Mar 12, 2025 | atlantajewishtimes.com | Dave Schechter

Ohad Yahalomi was one of four murdered hostages whose bodies Hamas returned on Feb. 27. “It has been a devastating day,” said Danielle Kapp Cohen, a freelance writer and editor in East Cobb, who has made it her mission to support Yahalomi’s family. I wrote about Cohen’s efforts in this space last April. Through her mother’s sister, who made Aliyah 60 years ago, Cohen has three first cousins in Israel.