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Permit No. 1208
The Charlotte •TEWISH'NEWS
Vol. 7 No. 1
Charlotte, North Carolina
January, 1985
J€C Winter Class Schedule pages 10, 11
Outreach Exposes Serious Problems
Cooperative Effort Begun To Meet The Needs
If you, as a Jew, feel or have ever felt:
Less than personally welcome at a Temple—
uncomfortable, ignorant or even ashamed about your
level of Jewish knowledge—concerned about the feel
ings of families involved in inter-faith marriages,,,.
Then you should know that you are in the majority
among Jews in Charlotte. Moreover, this article and
those on pages 6 and 7 tell how the Temples, JCC,
Academy, Federation and Social Services are working
together to respond to your feelings. So, read on,
because it could change your life!
For the past six months a
quiet revolution has been go
ing on. It began with the start
ling discovery that 40% of
Charlotte’s Jews, some 800 in
dividuals, do not belong to any
of the Temples. In a commun
ity, which just nine years ago
could claim 85-95% affiliation
with Temples, this revelation
caused a considerable stir and
raised the key questions: Who
are the unaffiliated? Why
haven't they chosen to join?
To answer these questions
the Federation, in cooperation
with three Temples, Jewish
Conmiunity Center, Lubavitch
and the Hebrew Academy,
organized a special Outreach
Committee. Ruth Goldberg
was appointed chairperson
and the Committee was charg
ed with making contact with
the unaffiliated to not only un
cover the answers to these
questions but also to recom
mend programs and services
which could reverse this trend.
Months were spent design
ing a questionnaire-mailer aim
ed at both demographic data
and attitudes. The final form
was approved by all the par
ticipating institutions and the
mailer went out with a return
address showing “The Experi
ment in Jewish Community
Planning.’' Recipients were
told that this was an oppor
tunity to change the commun
ity. Considering the response,
they took fuD advantage of the
opportunity.
Some 135 responses were
received. The Committee
followed up with phone calls
and an additional 137
responses were obtained, mak
ing a total of 272 or 34% of all
the known unaffiliated. In ad
dition, the Committee asked
91 affiliated Temple leaders
and members to fill out the at-
titudinal questions so their
feelings and opinions could be
contrasted with those of the
unaffiliated.
The results were striking
and dramatic, and they will
change your life and the life of
the community!
In the various articles and
stories in this issue concerning
the results, you will read a pat
tern with which you can very
easily relate.. You will be
shocked at times and, hopeful
ly, feel warmed by other
information.
But, remember, the true bot
tom line will be your decision
to risk yourself in the plans,
programs and changes that
are coming. If you will accept
the personal challenge to grow
and become involved, then it
will all have been worth it.
Yes, it will have been worth it
for just YOU — the YOU who
is reading these words this
very minute.
JCC Pool Arrangements Made For Summer
The JCC is pleased to report
that they have reached ten
tative agreement with Idle-
wild Olympic Club (on Idlewild
Road approximately one mile
from Independence Blvd.) to
provide our members unre
stricted use of their pools. The
agreement would include ar-
*‘Kick Off’* For
Israel Bonds
Met **Goal*’
Over $190,000 in State of
Israel Bonds were purchased
in this year’s campaign, it was
announced by Sam Lerner,
Chairman of the Charlotte
Israel Bond Conunittee. The
campaign was kicked off with
an enthusiastically attended
dinner honoring Hugo and
Helga Rosenberger on Oc
tober 28, 1984.
At the dinner Morris Speiz-
man presented the Ben Gurion
Award to Mr, and Mrs. Rosen
berger on behalf of the Israel
Bond Organization. Wolf
Blitzer, Washington corres
pondent for the Jerusalem
Post, was the keynote speaker.
“At this time, when Israel is
beset with economic problems,
our Charlotte Jewish com
munity responded with its
traditionally generous sup
port," said Mr. Lemer. “Our
Israel Bond dollars helped
Israel achieve economic
(Continued on Page 17)
rangements covering the J’s
Day Camp and Swim Team
programs. In regard to the
Day Camp, there is a large
recreation room adjacent to
their pool which we could use
for a portion of the camp day.
While the “J" already has a
tennis agreement with Cedar
Forest Racquet Club, which
will be in effect until the new
courts are available, there is a
chance that “J” members may
also be able to utilize the ten
nis courts at Idlewild Olympic.
As many of you know, there
has been a great deal of uncer
tainty surrounding the open
ing date of the outdoor pools
at the new Center. The JCC,
recognizing the unpredictabil
ity of construction timetables,
explored with a number of
swim clubs the possibility of
Center members utilizing the
facilities of another club by
virtue of their “J" member
ship.
'Though a formal agreement
has yet to be signed and a
number of details still need to
be worked out, the JCC is con
fident that a satisfactory
agreement will be finalized in
the near future. Of course, if
the JCC pools are completed,
we will all be out at the new
site this summer.
Thank you Super Sunday Voluntaors: (L. to R.) F.
Rosen, L. Gerber and W. Rosen, cochairs; M. Schneer, JCC
Director; S. Scher, trainer; L. Binnick, cochair. For more on
this see page 14.
Work Has Begun On Educational>Recreational Facility
Visitors to the site are now
treated to a view of Laxton
Construction Company at
work building the Joint Edu-
cational-Recreational Facility.
While still in its earliest
stages, the work on the rest of
the sight, the outdoor
facilities, has greatly progress
ed. The forest of poles repre
senting the fences for the ten
nis courts are in place as are
the concrete edges to the
courts. 'The entrance from Pro
vidence Road has been widen
ed and the huge conduit pipe
has been set in place creating
a bridge crossed over by the
entrance road as it e^proaches
the parking area.
The p€u*king areas, them
selves, have seen considerable
changes. The concrete edges
to the roadways have been
poured and stand in place in
long arching rows.
For some, the most drama
tic development occurred
when tiny green shoots began
to sprout from the hay-cover
ed playing fields, but they
have gone dormant for the
winter. The running track, on
the other hand, is far from dor
mant. In fact, within a half
hour of its completion, the
Foundation staff was startled
to see it in use. One of the
neighbors, an avid jogger,
came trotting by waving a
cheery greeting as she started
out on another lap.
Perhaps the most eagerly
awaited progress is the com
pletion of Shalom Drive, off
Jefferson, leading to the Arm
strong House. Preliminary
work has already eased some
of the terrible mud problems,
but until it is totally surfaced,
getting to the offices in incle
ment weather wiU still be quite
an adventure.
In The News
Acadamy
3
Book Review
16
Bulletin Board
18
Calendar
19
Candlelighting
2
Classified 19
Editorials 2
Fadaratlon 8
JCC 9-12
Lubavitcher Rebbe 16
Special Features
Recipes
Social Services.
This 'n That
Women's Div....
World Beat
.19
. 5
. 5
.15
. 4
New Joint Adult Institute
Outreach to Unaffiliates
Social Services Job Applicants.
. 7
. 6
.17