P»0«2-THE NEWS^Miiy/im
Spotlighting Federation
Guest Editorial
Transportation For Elderly
When I came to Charlotte almost three, years
ago, people told me that transportation was the
biggest problem facing the elderly. After countless
hours of discussion and planning, a tentative solu
tion was worked out. There was only one problem
with it — the elderly did not see the problem in the
same way nor were they interested in making use
of available van time when it was offered. For lack
of interest, the project died.
What makes this such a shame is that we are now
getting requests for transportation which we are
incapable of handling. Many times volunteers can
help out, but how often can we ask the same people
to drive especially on the short notice required for
funeral services and other situations. Although
it’s always preferable to ride with a volunteer in
his or her car, we would be in big, big trouble if
those same volunteers could no longer drive. An
effective transportation service needs time to get
started. The community must be willing to allow
time for acceptance by the elderly of such a ser
vice, but the elderly must also be willing to make
use of it when it’s provided.
When you call and we are unable to provide a
ride for you, it isn’t because we don’t understand
the problem, it’s because we have no van. Hopeful
ly in the future this can be changed with the strong
support of our elderly population.
—L. Louis Albert, ACSW
Director of Social Services
Charlotte Jewish Federation
By Richard A. Klein
‘ What does your Federa
tion Executive Director do?
When you support the
Federation, the great percen
tage of your money goes
directly to Israel and local
charities and services. But
some also goes toward paid
professionals: An executive
director, secretary, book
keeper and a social services-
director. Except for the lat
ter, the Federation has been
sharing this staff with the
Foundation.
Our community expects a
lot from its part-time ex
ecutive director. In the past
year alone five new commit
tees have been created
within the Federation, and
the director is usually ex
pected to help guide each and
attend most, if not all of their
meetings.
The director is asked to
give primary attention to the
Federation’s fundraising
campaign. Little else can
succeed without a successful
annual drive because so
many agencies depend on it.
No month, week or day
passes without the director
giving some attention to a
present, past or future cam
paign.
Thus the director pays
close attention to activities
of national United Jewish
New ADL Regional Director Appointed
Ira Gissen has been ap
pointed as the new director
of the North Carolina and
Virginia Region of the Anti-
Defamation League of' B’nai
B’rith. A recognized,
published authority on
human rights programs, Mr.
Gissen joined ADL’s na
tional staff in 1972 as assis
tant director of the National
Discriminations Depart
ment, and became its direc
tor the following year.
Mr. Gissen began his
career in 1953 as assistant
director of Mayor’s Commis
sion on Group Relations in
Newark, New Jersey. Two
years later, he joined the
Community Affairs Depart
ment of the American Jewish
Committee as assistant
director for Chicago and
Milwaukee. Over the next
eight years, he was promoted
to AJC’s area director for
Cincinnati, Indianapolis and
Louisville and then became
director of education for the
New York metropolitan area.
In 1963, Mr. Gissen joined
the federal government’s
civil rights program. Three
years later, he was placed in
charge of the New York-New
Jersey Equal Opportunity
Office of the U.S. Depart
ment of Defense.
During the period im
mediately following the
assassination of the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., he
was on special assignment
with the Justice Depart
ment’s Community Rela
tions Service.
He then joined the U.S.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development as
Director of Equal Opportuni
ty for New England, New
York, New Jersey, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Three years later, he was
promoted to special assis
tant for community relations
for the region.
Mr. Gissen holds a
Bachelor’s degree from the
University of Kansas and a
Master’s degree from the
Center for Human Relations
THE CHARLOTTE lEWISH NEWS
Published monthly by:
Jewish Community Center
Harold Cohen. Director
Charlotte Jewish Federation
Foundation of Charlotte Jewish Community
Marvin Bienstock, Director
Charlotte Hebrew Academy
Eleanor Weinglass, Director
Editors Ann Langman & Rita Mond
Cartoonist Monroe Katz
Copy desdline the 6th of each month
P.O. Box 220188. Charlotte. N C. 28222
The appemraacm of advtrtiniag ia The Nwws doM not eooBtttute a kmahrutb
donentent.
Studies at New York Univer
sity’s School of Education.
He did graduate work at Nor
thwestern University and
Rutgers University and doc
toral work at N.Y.C.
Mr. Gissen has appeared
as an expert witness before
committees of the United
States Congress, federal
regulatory agencies and
federal court; and has
represented ADL in
meetings with members of
the President’s Cabinet. He
has written widely on com
munity relations, minority
groups and public education;
he has conducted seminars
on equal opportunity for top
corporate executives, and
has lectured at many univer
sities.
He served as an elected
trustee and President of the
Board of Education in
Teaneck, New Jersey. He
also was National Chairman
of the Professional Staff
Association of ADL. In addi
tion, he has been a Vice-
President of the National
Association of Jewish Com
munity Relations Workers.
He also is on the Board of
Directors of the Center for
Holocaust and Genocide
Studies at Ramapo College,
New Jersey.
Mr. Gissen and his wife,
Linda, have three children.
JOG CLOSINGS
May 17 - Closes 5 p.m.
May 18 - Closed
May 19 - Opens 7 p.m.
aiL Of' r/4£/^
Appeal efforts and cam
paigns in other communities.
He creates his own ideas to
raise the goals.
In Charlotte’s 1983 efforts,
we had our third annual
Super Sunday — a one-day
marathon contacting the
community by phone. We
started our fly-ins, bringing
regional, national and inter
national figures to Charlotte
to help in the solicitation
process. The executive direc
tor was largely responsible
for the logistics of both ef
forts.
The creation of a campaign
team, starting with the
chairpersons of the general
campaign and major gifts,
takes many long hours of
preparation and planning.
The director provides
regular input and support to
give the lay solicitors the
tools they must have to make
the campaign move along
business-like.
While the director himself
may take pledge cards, with
well over 1000 solicitations to
be made, recorded and bill
ed, his time is best spent
overseeing the lay team and
the process.
The director is also ex
pected to be an informed,
well-prepared voice for the
Jewish community. He is in
regular communication
behind-the-scenes and before
the public in the newspapers,
on radio and television.
He advises and im
plements programs and
plans for committees involv
ing cash collections, budget
and finance, allocations,
long range planning, pubHc
relations, special events,
missions to Israel and com
munity relations.
Our executive director is
asked to provide regular con
sultation to the social ser
vices director we employ, the
social services committee,
our women’s campaign divi
sion and Jewish singles.
The director is the Federa
tion’s primary link to the
general community, in
cluding the presidents of ma
jor Jewish organizations, our
rabbis and educators, local
Jewish groups and non-
Jewish organizations—such
as United Way, UNCC, chur
ches and NCCJ.
The Federation Executive
Director is expected to keep
regular office hours at the
JCC. But he is also “on call”
for periodic breakfast
meetings, dinner meetings,
evening board and commit
tee meetings, out-of-town
conventions, weekend
retreats, temple functions,
and weekend campaign func
tions, such as Super Sunday.
With the expansion of the
Federation campaign, mov
ing from $500,000 toward $1
million, and with the
broadening Federation scope
into the community, the
Federation Executive Direc
tor literally belongs to all of
us.
In addition to support to
the community, he is asked
to supervise the staff—
making sure letters,
brochures, flyers and
statements are mailed.
Charlotte has come a long
way with its executive direc
tor and that person’s job
description. Within recent
memory, we had, none of the
above-mentioned commit
tees and a single office
worker who served as the
Federation secretary/book
keeper. But we were a
smaller community, with
fewer needs and a much
smaller campaign.
For information on how
you can become more active
in Federation activities,
please call our Federation
Executive Director, Marvin
Bienstock, at 366-0368—or
me at 542-1403 or 847-3547.
The Jewish
Calendar
CANDLELIGHTING
May 1-LagB’omer
May 6-8:13 p.m.
May 13 - 8:19 p.m.
May 17 - 8:22 p.m.
(Erev Shavuoth)
May 18 - 8:23 p.m.
(Shavuoth)
May 20 - 8:24 p.m.
May 27 - 8:29 p.m.