page 2-THE NEWS-April 1979
THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH NEWS
Published monthly by:
Charlotte Jewish Federation
and
Jewish Community Center
Marvin Bienstock, Director
Charlotte Hebrew Academy
Rabbi Sanford Tucker^ Director
Editor:
Ann Langman
Co-editor:
Rita Mond
International News: Marta Garelik
Feature Writers:
Muriel Levitt
Saul Brenner
Sara Schreibman
Staff:
Renee Sutker
Fran Burg
Copy deadline the 8th of each month
P.O. Box #220188
Charlotte, N.C. 28222
Random Thoughts On This and That...
Guest Editorial
Some years ago I happened into a supermarket in New York and
there confronting me was a magniticent pyramid of Passover Mat*
zos, gay in yellow and soft blues, pastel and red lettering. And I
could not help thinking: Who ever would have thought it? The
"bread of affliction” packaged with such careful, hygienic splendor.
Bread of affliction? Egg Matzo, whole wheat matzo, safllower
matzo (for the perpetual dieters), all “delicious to the taste,
nourishing with add^ vitamin riches (vitamins kosher I’pesach, of
course). What a far cry from the old dry-as-dust matzo, burned about
the edges, hard, tooth-filling, d real ordeal for the digestive tract.
And what a mount of chicken fat or chopped liver it took to make the
matzo palatable! Still, it was the “bread of affliction”, and Jews
have to afflict themselves with matzo on Pesach. Do not misunders
tand, the less attractive and tasy the matzo, the more delicious
everything else by comparison. How unthinking to distract one’s
enjoyment of gefilte fish or chicken soup through the use of delec
table matzo.
^d we are grateful to God that we may celebrate our Seders rich
ly and in security. Far be it from us to stand in the way of matzo
progress in this jet-propelled age. I understand that the first Jewish
astronaut will be equipped with a matzo paste packed in a squeeze
tube so that his orbital Seder will be complete. (I don’t know how
they will solve the matzo-ball problem or keep the “afikoman’-from
floating away into space.)
Be it as it may, the forms of matzo may vary with technological
progress, but Passover is here to stay. When before in human
history has man more desperately needed to be reminded that his ul
timate problem is human freedom - freedom from hunger, from in
dignity, from injustice, freedom from the tyranny of inertia,
freedom from bias and prejudice, freedom from confusion between
means and ends in human life? Down the shattering generations
our people have recited the Haggadah and jolted their memories
with thoughts of persecution past and present. What a source of
strength and inspiration for the Marranos to conduct the Seder
clandestinely amidst the monstrous inflictions of the church. How
many murderous blood libels were heaped upon our ancestors on
Passover - infamous charges that the blood of gentile children was
used in baking matzo. Down the Middle Ages enterprising artisans
manufactured pictures and wax statues of Jews performing ritual
murders to collect blood for matzo. As late as 1952 a bishop in
Austria refused to have these horrible objects removed from his
churches on the grounds that “the Jews had not yet proved that
they never did such things.”
It was only natural that the Nazi regime utilized the blood libel
fantasy, and it is well that we and the civilized world remind
ourselves that we are not so distant from barbarity - that “it” can
happen here or anywhere as soon as men forget the message of
Passover.
To you and yours go warm wishes for a joyous Pesach.
-Rabbi Harold Krantzler
MAIL BOX
To the Editor:
ITiank, you for sending me
the Charlotte Jewish
News at the Jevi^ish Week
in New York. I’d be grateful if
you could also send it to me at
the Jewish Digest editorial
office, 3459 Frederick Street,
Oceanside, N.Y. 11572.
The paper looks very
promising.
I’d be grateful if you would
please insert the address of
McNally and Loften,
publisher of the book of The
Jews of Charlotte, and mail
it. With many thanks.
Sincerely,
BERNARD POSTAL,
editor Jewish Digest
by Muriel Levitt
And now I’d like to tell you
about my Grandmother. She
was a very special lady, was my
Grandma. Short, rotund, with
laughing azure eyes set in a
beautifully complexioned face,
plus a frothy topping of curly
white hair - that was my Grand
ma. Her cheerful smile reflected
an outgoing personality that
beamed love in every direction.
Unbelievable as it seems.
Grandma was betrothed to
Grandpa at the age of fourteen
(he was nineteen), and she saw
him for the first time when the
“shadchen” made the match.
The second time they met was
under the chupah when she was
fifteen. Although this sounds
shocking today, it was not at all
unusual in nineteenth century
Europe. However, I must con
fess that a more unlikely couple
were never mated. He was a
penurious introvert, a perennial
scholar, while she was a
generous party girl who loved
the good life in particular and
all people in general. Yet despite
such vivid differences, together
they begat ten children, two of
whom survive today.
Although some of the
grandchildren wanted to con
verse with Grandma in Yiddish,
she never would. A “Yenkee”
she had become and
“American” she would speak.
She tried mightily, but ended up
butchering the English
language in her own special
style.
When you were firm and un
wavering on any subject.
Grandma would caution, “Don’t
be stubby!” She was very fond of
Arthur Godfrey and Joe Di
Mag^o (don’t ask me why since
she knew little about television
and even less about baseball)
and referred to them as Arty
Gottleib and Joe Di Magical. To
impress you with the verity of
any story she told, she would be
admonished that “Da true is da
true.” Often she would chase us
out of her tiny kitchen by say
ing, “Aveck, aveck, too many
cooks spoil da bro!”
Grandma was awed by higher
education and particularly by
my husband’s profession which
she did hot understand at all.
However she told her friends'
proudly that her ainekle was
marrying “a chemiseh - nisht a
pharmiseh but a chemiseh.” My
news articles and columns made
me a writer to everyone else but
to Grandma I was the “paper
schreiber.”
Any happy event gave her an
excuse for celebration. If you
were leaving on an extended
trip, it was very probable that
Grandma would say goodbye
with a “welfare party” in your
honor.
When meeting a stranger she
would flash that disarming
smile and say, “Mine name is
Rachel Richman, but you may
call me Rae.” She was really
something.
Beauty salons were unknown
to her and I was fully ^own
before I realized that her silvery
hair was helped along by a
weekly application of laundry
bluing in the rinse water.
Grandma was vain about her
person and we loved her for it.
Money was scarce but she
always made kitchen magic on
a minimal allowance. To put it
succinctly, her life with Grand
pa was no bed of roses. Such dis
similar personalities created
many problems but they
remained together, disagreeing
all along the way. When society
became more liberal and after
some sixty years of marriage,
she astounded us by admitting
that she was contemplating
divorce. Her reason was, “He’s
not mine type!” Needless to say,
nothing every came of it.
Eventually it was obvious
that she was failing, but to us
she seemed ageless and in
destructible. At the age of 88
Grandma passed away after
having been married an incredi
ble 73 years. Early in the mor
ning on the day she died she had
baked challah and made gefilte
fish. Her delicacies were con
sumed during the shiva period,
and we wept collectively know
ing that these would be her last
culinary .masterpieces.
And Grandpa? Well, he was
93 when Grandma left ils and he
survived her by four more years.
Up until his very last day he
attended shul regularly and also
pursued his trade as a custom
tailor. We visited her very often
since he was extremely indepen
dent and insisted on living
alone. Although their lone life
together was turbulent, I am cer
tain that her presence was miss
ed.
My Grandmother left us a
legacy of love, laughter and
kindness. We think and speak of
her constantly which surely
means that her life was well
spent, and I know with a cer
tainty that the things she said
and did 'will long be
remembered.'
Lubavitch Coyec Carojina,^^
To the Editor:
It is hard to express how
touched 1 have been by the
many expressions of concern
shown by the members of this
community during my mother’s
(Bertha Wand) recent illness
and since her passing. The calls,
notes, cards from friends; Rabbi
Rocklin’s call to me in New
Jersey midst the complications
of his trip to Israel; Marvin
Bienstock and Use Bergen’s
beautiful handling of the Chai
group’s meaningful memorial to
my mother were just some of the
things that helped comfort us at
this time.
In these few years that we
have been in Charlotte we have
truly found a warm and caring
Jewish community.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
BETTY W. JAP'FE
by Rabbi
Yossef Groner
Two weeks before Purim, my
cousin Shalom Ber Baumgarten
and I loaded a car full of Purim
kits to distribute in the
Carolinas. I am a Lubavitcher
Chassid from the Crown
Heights section of Brooklyn,
N.Y. and have visited the
Carolinas since the summer of
1977. On this trip, I visited
Charlotte for the seventh time.
Most of the times I have come
with my cousin.
Our purpose in coming is to
further the mitzvah campaign
that was initiated in 1974 by
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneer-
son, the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Shlita. We strive that every Jew
should be aware of and practice
ten essential mitzvot of
Judaism: (1) Ahavat Yisrael -
the love of every Jew for his
fellow Jew; (2) a good Jewish
education; (3) the study of Torah
every day; (4) tefillin; (5)
mezuzah; (6) tzedka - charity; (7)
the ownership of basic Jewish
books; (8) lighting Shabbat
candles by all girls three and
over; (9) eating kosher food; and
(10) family purity.
‘ The Purim kits we brought to
the Carolinas on our recent trip
contained a hamantasch and
candies, the minimum required
to perform the mitzvah of
mishloach manot - sending a
gift of foods to a firiend, and two
coins to give to the poor and a
card that informed the recipient
how to observe the mitzvot of
Purim. We distributed the kits in
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill,
Greensboro, High Point, Clem
mons, Columbia, Spartanburg,
and Charlotte.
In Charlotte, we held music
and dramatic programs at the
Hebrew Academy and Temple
Israel afternoon school. We also
spoke and presented a song at
Temple Israel on Shabbat. On
our walk to the synagogue on
Shabbat, we were passed by
motorists and joggers who had
probably never seen a Chassid
in dark suit, hat and beard,
strolling the sidewalks of their
city. Joggers said “hello” to us
as they ran by. Cars slowed
down to look.
Also in Charlotte, we visited
the homes of a number of Jews
and met with Marvin Bienstock
at the Jewish Community
(Denter for over two hours. We '
were received cordially both by
old friends and by new people.
I am impressed with the
possibilities of the growth of
Jewish involvement in
Charlotte. The Hebrew
Academy is growing and the
children show great interest in
Judaism. A Shabbat afternoon
study group under Rabbi Tucker
has been formed. Attendance in
Temple Israel on Shabbat mor
ning is higher than when I first
came to Charlotte. And young
Jewish families whom I have
met ask more positive questions
about Judaism. I find it exciting
each time I visit Charlotte and
look forward to coming again.
Although there are no perma-
nent representatives of
Lubavitch in North Carolina,
Lubavitch represeritatives are
active in Richmond, Atlanta,
Charleston, Nashville, New
Orleans, Birmingham, and in
many cities in Florida.
.. In
Sk, my mk%u4f