Page 2-THE NEWS-January, 1985
THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH NEWS
Published monthly by:
Charlotte Jewish Federation
Foundation of Charlotte Jewish Community
Marvin Bienstock, Director
Jewish Community Center Charlotte Hebrew Academy
Martin Schneer, Director Eleanor Weirtglass, Director
Editor. Rita Mond
Advertising. Blanche Yarus, mgr.
Barbara ZeUckson
Staff. Doris Edelstein. Monroe Katz,
L. Edward Sizemore, Ethel Burstein
Copy deadline the lOfh of each month
P.O. Box 220188, Charlotte. N.C. 28222
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Editorial
Jm. 4 - 5:07 p.m.
Jan. 11 - 5:13 p.m.
Jan. 18 - 5:20 p.m.
Jan. 25 - 5:27 p.m.
Feb. 1 • 5:34 p.m.
Feb. 8 - 5:41 p.m.
From the DesK of Marty Schneer
—JCC Executive Director
Israel Students
Need Our Help
Though we complain about the economy here, the
cost of living constantly on the rise, college tuitions
increasing each year, textile and other plants closing,
we are still very fortunate compared to the situations
in other countries.
As we are aware, in Israel the inflation is
phenomenal. Naturally, therefore, Israel's university
students sire feeling the effects of the nation’s
economic crisis. Students are paying more in tuition
($850 this year, up 21.4 percent since last year),
laboratory fees, books, rent (dormitory and off-
cemipus apartments). Most are older, army veterans
who must support themselves and young families
despite record living costs. Few part-time jobs are
av£iilable. Most parents Eire hard-pressed and cannot
help.
At Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, the budget
has been cut to $30 million from $40 million last year,
50 professors and 55 administrators will be fired and
pay cuts will reach 25 percent. Hebrew University's
Medical School reports many reseeu-chers seek posi
tions outside Israel — where latest equipment is
avedlable — and may never return. Bar-Ilan and Haifa
Universities, Weitzmzmn Institute of Science, Tech-
nion Institute (the main source of Israeli engineers),
£ind Tel Aviv University (280 faculty laid off in past
two years), also are all absorbing severe reductions that
affect every student.
In the past ten years, enrollment in the seven ma
jor universities has increased by 30 percent, to 65,000,
but the number of professors has declined by three
percent. And, since 1974, the overall public share of
annual university operating budgets has been reduc
ed to $220 million, down 28 percent. Demand is
substantial on the Jewish agency's strained $65
million education budget, which mainly comes from
the UJA/Community Campedgn.
It costs $5,700 on average ($11,500 in science) to
provide a year’s education for each student. Our aid
is vital if the people of Israel are to compete suc
cessfully in high-technology and other fields; main
tain their qualitative edge in the region; develop their
intellectual and cultural life; convince their brightest
students to remain in Israel; and reinvigorate their
pioneer spirit.
We will thrill to Israel’s achievements tomorrow
only if we help today. Every Jew in our community must
recognize the need to send cash now to our
UJA/Charlotte Jewish Federation.
Candlelighting-
(Standard Time) .
Those of you who read my
colunm regularly know that I
have been talking about the
Center’s efforts to rent pool
' facilities almost every month
since September. I am thrilled
to report that we have finally
succeeded in making tentative
swim arrangements with the
Idlewild Olympic Swim and
Racquet Club. Details of the
proposed swim plan can be
found on page one.
In our excitement over these
developments, we have not
lost sight of the fact that steps
must be taken to limit any
inconvenience to our
members. We are confident,
based on our preliminary
discussions with Idlewild
Olympic Club, that they will
cooperate fully and do
whatever they can to make our
members feel comfortable and
welcome. Of course, we would
all prefer to be in our facility
this summer and there still is
a remote possibility that this
might occur. However, we
must have an alternate plan
that protects the membership.
I think we would all agree
that we are quite fortunate in
Charlotte to have had the
foresight and determination to
join together and build a
multi-purpose campus for the
entire Jewish commumty. The
realities of the construction
and planning process have dic
tated that facilities may not be
available within the time
frame we anticipated. I submit
that whatever limited incon
venience we may suffer is but
a small price to pay for the
complete building package
that we, as a community, have
contracted for.
We are optimistic about our
tentative agreement with the
Idlewild Olympic Club, and we
fully expect to have an ex
cellent relationship with their
management and members.
We have had tremendous sup
port from our members during
this difficult transition pro
cess, and I know I speak for
the entire board of the JCC in
thanking you for your con
tinued support.
***
In an effort to make JCC
programming more responsive
to the needs of the member
ship we are planning to con
duct a survey within the next
few months. Survey pro-
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SUPPORT
SCHOOL
TEACHtRS
*
Letters to the Editor
Correcting Misconception
On Hebrew Calendar
First of all, I would like to
thank you for a job well done.
I think the paper is infor
mative and enlightening. I
would just like to comment on
one article that you had
published in your December
issue which had expressed
concern about the year 3031
being without the festival
Chanukah. The su-ticle states
“The phenomenon occurs*
because of a flaw in the
Hebrew calendar which has
existed for approximately the
last 1500 years.” I would like
to (^rrect a misconception
about the Hebrew calendar.
The present Hebrew calen
dar was (H-ganized by the great
sage, Hillel Hazaken. The
calculation was based on the
lunar and solar cycle up to the
Hebrew year 6000 which cor
responds with the secular year
2239. In the past, the months
were designated by actual
sightings of the moon by two
competent witnesses who
would then testify in the Beth
Din. Then, based on the
testimony of the witnesses the
Jews would start the new
month. Since the “sanhedrin”
(supreme beth din) was
dismantled during the expul
sion of Jews from Israel, we
have been following the calen
dar organized by Hillel.
The reason the Hebrew
calendar was calculate only
until the Hebrew year 6000 is
because it is the Jewish belief
that by that year, Moshiach
will have arrived and the
system of sanctifying the
moon by sightings will be
restored.
Let me conclude that it is
our hope and prayer and con
viction that Moshiach will
come speedily in our days and
NOW!
— Rabbi Yoseph Groner
cedures will include random
telephone sampling and mail
ed questionnaires. In addition,
the JCC still lacks many
membership applications due
to last year’s fire. We request
that members who do not have
applications on file, please
return them when received
with this year’s billing.
***
The JCC, together with
Jewish Social Service, will in
itiate this year’s family life
education program in Febru
ary. Two separate issues of
great importance to the
Jewish community will be ad
dressed. A three-part-series for
adult children of aged parents
will focus on the emotional,
physiological and support
needs of families when they
approach this complex and
often difficult stage of their
lives. Our second joint venture
is an outgrowth of the Federa
tion’s survey to the unaf
filiated. A significant number
of respondents requested a
support group for interfaith
couples and we have decided
to organize such a group to
ease this potential family
crisis and to help make their
affiliation in the Jewish com
munity more comfortable and
satisfactory.
***
The JCC phase-in process
continues to illicit the kind of
candid and open dialogue that
we had hoped for. I have at
tended a number of phase-in
committee meetings and have
been impressed by the en
thusiastic and thorough
leadership of our chairpeople.
The phase-in committees
and respective persons are:
HOUSE POLICY-BUILD
ING MAINTENANCE, Ben
Jaffa; PUBLIC RELATIONS
& PUBLICITY, Louise Bern
stein; FOOD & SNACK BAR,
Paula Musler; PERSONNEL,
Hal Levinson; BUDGET,
Larry Gerber; MEMBER
SHIP, Barry Kaye; FUND
RAISING, Brenda Meltsner;
INDIVIDUAL/TEAM
SPORTS, Alan Rosenberg and
Larry Segal; YOUTH
SPORTS, Marshall Rosenfeld;
AQUATICS, Larry Widis;
FITNESS, Jonathan Breg-
man and Nancy Segal;
HEALTH CLUB, Milt Tager;
CHILD CARE, Ellen Gold
stein; TEEN/TWEEN, Jill
Rudick; CHILDREN, Terri
Cathcart; CAMP, Stephanie
Ansaldo; FAMILY, Barbara
Zelickson; ADULT, Sandra
Gunn; PERFORMING
ARTS, Walter Marx; FINE
ARTS, Florence Jaffa;
ADULT EDUCATION, Al
Lubin.
We have been particularly
excited about the contribu
tions of various new people we
have been able to involve in
the phase-in process.