The
Charlotte
Jewish
NEWS
Non-Profit UrRsniuiUon
BULK RATE .
U.S. i^iHtage FAIt>
Charlotte, N. C.
Permit No. 1208
VOL. 1 NO. 10
Charlotte, North Carolina
November, 1979
Charlotteans Attend White House Briefing
By Gail Green
A special briefing at the White
House and by the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC), publishers of the
Near East Report, were parts
of the Southern Seaboard
Region of Hadassah’s board
meeting attended by Gail (Mrs.
Ekl) Green, Alice (Mrs. Sam)
Schreiber and Judi (Mrs.
f Leonard) Strause October 3-4 in
Washington. (Jail Green is
president of the Charlotte
Chapter of Hadassah; Alice
Schreiber is president of the
Devorah Group; and Judi
Strause serves on the board as
parliamentarian for the Region.
The White House briefing was
conducted by Ambassador Wat
T. Cluverius, Director of the Of
fice of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria,
and Iraq for the State Depart
ment; and Ekiward Sanders,
Academy Best
Kindergarten
In Town
On November 8th, an. infor-
presented at the N.C. Hebrew
Academy, 1006 Sardis Lane, at 8
p.m. The staff of the Academy
will discuss the outstandingidn-
dergarten curriculum in detail.
Also discussed will be special
aspects of the Academy’s ex
cellent upper school curriculum.
All interested parents of
children who will be entering
kindergarten in the fall of 1980
and also those with elementary
school aged children are urged
to attend. Come and find out
what the Hebrew Academy has
to offer that makes it the best
school in town.
Applications for kinder-
garten through the sixth
grade are now being accept
ed for the school year 1980-
81. For application forms or
more information please
contact Rabbi Sanford
Tucker at the Academy (366-
6390) or Sue Brodsky,
recruitment chairman, at
364-5609.
In The
News
Women’s Division -
Federation
page 4
Why 1 Teach
at the Academy .
page 4
Political Issues -
Lecture Series
page 6
What*8 Inside
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs 9
Bulletin Board 8
Candlelighting 2
Classified 9
Community Calendar 9
Editorials 2
JCC Happenings 6-7
Random Thoughts 3
riiis ’n That 4
Senior Advisor to President
Carter.
Their remarks revealed that
“peace process” is very much a
part of the White House
vocabulary. Our government
feds that the progress of'the
peace treaty is proceeding accor
ding to schedule, and is especial
ly encouraged by the growth of
personal relationships as
between Sadat and Begin. The
administration feels that
Sadat’s position is very, secure
— that his policies are very pop
ular with both the people and
the army of Egypt.. It will be es
sential, however, for other par
ties (Jordanians, Palestinians,
etc.) to be drawn into the peace
process if it is to succeed, thus
accomplishing the “comprehen
sive settlement” so desired by
this government. Despite the
lack of success in this area to
date, the White House is confi
dent that others, with the excep
tion of the Syrians, will be
drawn into the negotiations
within the next two years.
Ambassador Cluverius ex
pressed the belief that ninety
per cent of the Palestinians sym
bolically identify with the PLO,
even though they do not agree
with its policies, and that much
progress toward peace could be
made if the PLO could become a
political, rather than a military
factor.
Mr. Sanders, in response to
questions from the eighty
women present, assured the
group that the administration,
as part of President Carter’s
commitment to human rights,
. closely monitors the situation of
the J[ewish people in Iran and
Russia. The Iranian Jews are at
present' believed to be in no
danger. Although our govern
ment is receiving “mixed
signals” regarding an official
anti-semitic campaign by Rus
sian government, it is en
couraged by the July and
August emigration figures, the
highest ever.
The AIPAC briefing was a
brilliant, incisive review of
American-Israeli relations by
Aaron Rosenbaum, Etirector of
Research. Mr. Rosenbaum
repeatedly strjessed that the
time has come for the United
States government to define our
national policy and protect our
national interests. Our
arguments in favor of support
for Israel should be that it is in
our nation’s best interest to do
so. Ihis is the fundamental con
cern that we, as American Jews,
must stress.
He described the peace treaty
CHECKSI
and the Iranian Revolution as
“earthquakes” happening in
the Middle E^ast year, neither
effectively used by this country
to act more decisively. Rosen
baum criticized the ambiguous
policies of this government, say
ing that they create confusion
and encourage exploitation.
The Iranian revolution, which
he defined as a people’s revolu
tion against a totalitarian
regime, is having a “ripple”
effect, throughout the Middle
East iand is closely watched by
neighboring governments, none
of whomi with the.exception of
Israel, are democracies.
'Rie signing of the peace trea
ty, he felt, polarized the Arab
world and showed the limits of
Arab .moderation. In view of
.this, he, questioned the ad-
(Continued on Page 91)'
Sally (Mrs. Robert) Schrader, chairperson of the Russian
Resettlement Program, and Marvin Bienstock, executive
director of the Charlotte Jewish Federation, are reviewing
a check for $2000 recently received as part of a federally
funded grant to assist in the resettlement of Soviet Jews.
Because of its long and outstanding work in this field,
Charlotte’s application for grant assistance was readily ap
proved. This grant enables Charlotte to settle greater
numbers of Soviet Jews at substantially lowered costs.
Since October 1,1978,12 new arrivals have been processed.
In the year beginning October 1,1979 it is hoped that 20 in
dividuals will be brought into our community.
An Afternoon of the Arts
Miss Bessie Fagan of th« CHAI group (rt.) presents Use
(Mrs. Fred) Bergen of the JCC Board of Directors with a
check for $1462 for the Building Fund. This is the proceeds
from the CHAI (senior adults) annuiil t'affle. Prizes for this
year were an afghan created by MrsV ^Ivia Sadoff and a
painting by Beverly Howard. Miss Fagan has completed her
second year as chairperson for this project, r >
Did You Know?
Closed For Yom ^Kippur
A concert of Spanish guitar
music by Jose Beato will
highlight a festive art display to
be held on Sunday, December
2nd from 2 to 5 p.m. at the JCC.
Paintings by members of CHAI
and ceramics by C!athy and
Patrick Seiderman will be
featured.
([^thy and Pat are well known
ceramists in the Clharlotte area.
Cathy is also well known at the
JCC where she has instructed
children’s classes in ceramics
for over a year. She also taught
at the JCC’s day camp this past
summer. The Seidermans will
be displaying and selling their
full range of ceramics. Noted for
their fine quality, exquisite
colors and outstanding crafts
manship, Cathy and Pat’s
booth at this year’s “Festival in
the Park” was filled with spec
tators and buyers. A complete
new collection of ceramics is
now being crafted in time for the
JCC show and just in time for
C^hanukah. Part of the proceeds
from the ceramic sale \^1 go to
pay for new ceramic equipment
for the “J.”
The afternoon will also
feature the paintings and
drawings of the members of
CHAI, the JCC Senior Adult
Group, Beginnmg four years
ago a group of more than a
dozen CHAI members have
studied art under the teaching of
professors from CPCC. In that
time they have spent countless
hours perfecting their talents,
and the products of their labors
(d^ntinued on Page 10)
North Carolina has become
the first, and only, state in the
country to declare Yom Kippur a
legal holiday. A bill to make
Yom Kippur a legal holiday was
introduced into the state
legislature by Representative
Ted Kaplan and unanimously
passed in February, ratified in
■ April and signed by the state’s
governor.
Speaking for his brother, who
was travelling dn business, Hal
Kaplan told the Baltimore
Jewish Times that the bill was
worded to make Yom Kippur a
state legal holiday so that
“teachers and state employees
have the option of calling in to
work and saying they are going
to take the day off a s a legal holi
day in the state. Their time and
pay is not docked. They don’t
have to take the day off as a sick
day.”
However, he added, “the state
does not close down on Yom Kip
pur.” North Carolina has two
other religious holidays which
by law .are state holidays:
Christmas Day and Easter
Monday. These two holidays,
have ‘*long been recognized as
state legal holidays,” Mr.
Kaplan said. **When my brother
introduced the bill regarding
Yom Kippur, he was told it was
the first bill like it iii 80 years.”
Mr. Kaplan estimated that the
new law would affect perhaps
1000 people in the state,
teachers and state employees
who are Jewish.
Ted Kaplan is the represen
tative to' the North Carolina
legislature from Forsyth 0>un
ty, which includes Winston
l^lem and its environs. A
Democrat, he is now in his se
cond term as a representative.