Page 2-THE NEWS-May. 1986
THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH NEWS
Published monthly by:
Charlotte Jewish Federation Marvin Bienstock. Director
Foundation of Charlotte Jewish Community
Jewish Community Center Stan Swig, Interim Director
N.C. Hebrew Academy Berta Straz, Interim Director
Lubavitch of N.C Rabbi Yossi Groner, Director
Editor Rita Mond
Advertising Blanche Yarus
Copy deadline the 10th of each month
P.O. Box 13369, Charlotte, N.C. 28211
Til* m9p»mrmm«» mt •dv«rtisi*g in Tht N«ws tf*M mmt a kashnith
Too Much structure?
Editorial
A Dream Becomes A Reality
In August ’79 the CJN announced that a “group of
public-minded citizens has been working on a plan
which would afford an opportunity to Temples Beth El
and Israel, the Jewish Community Center, the Hebrew
Academy and the Federation to relocate their facilities
on a 41-acre tract of land on Providence Road.”
We’ve come a long way since that time...acquired ad
ditional tracts of land from Beth El and adjacent land
owned by others...many, many meetings held by the in
stitutions, “wish-lists” gathered at series of meetuigs
(“wishdays”). The Foundation of the Charlotte Jewish
Community, Inc. was formed and in Feb. ’81, Marvin
Bienstock became its executive director.
On Labor Day Weekend ’81, representatives of the
five institutions had a retreat at Wildacres. This paper
reported that “the retreat may one day be remembered
as the real turning point in the years-long effort to
establish on one tract of land the new homes for the
institutions.” And indeed it was!
April 24,1982: the JCC was the first to sign the Joint
Venture Agreements. Three days later, the Academj'^
did the same zind within a month the Temples also voted
“YES”.
By July '82, the Foundation campaign had reached
$2,774,000! The town heard the slogan: “Together we
will...” Each month the pledge money escalated...and
each month the CJN featured the “growth of bricks”.
By Feb. ’83, the Foundation Drive topped $4.2 million
and it was “Together we are...” In late August we were
devastated by the total destruction by fire of the JCC.
Now we reedly had to speed along! The Foundation’s
historic groundbreaking took place on Dec. 11, 1983.
May 18,1986 is a proud day for the Jewish communi
ty and for the city of Charlotte. On that day, Shalom
Park will become a reality...“Together we have!”
This issue is dedicated to the opening of this
monumental project. As editor, I have had the oppor
tunity of being a part of this endeavor since its begin
ning. Much time and effort have gone into this edi
tion and its souvenir supplement, highlighting the
development of Shalom Park and the people who
made it possible. Read and enjoy!
— Rita Mond
By Rabbi Marc Wilson
Temple Israel
Why do so many Jews not
affiliate with synagogues? The
question is of great contem
porary concern among rabbis
and involved laypeople.
Countless thousands of words
have been written on the
subject.
Listening to the non
affiliated themselves, one
hears a myriad of answers,
many of which have great
validity, many of which are lit
tle more than feeble, self-
perpetuating excuses.
As a "synagogue person,"
one of the most engaging
reasons I hear for not af
filiating is that our
synagogues are “too struc
tured” or “too institutionaliz
ed." It is an indictment worth
examining.
Let the record show at the
outset that I, personally, have
never been one to blindly de
fend the state of the American
synagogue, right-or-wrong,
uber alles. To the contrary, it
leaves much to be desired.
The more I talk with my col
leagues, read synagogue
bulletins, and observe the
workings of my own congrega
tion and others, however, the
more convinced I am that the
charge that our synagogues
are a “turn off" because they
are too structured and institu
tionalized is largely a myth, an
unjustified slur.
If anything, I have found
our synagogues to be overly
sensitive to depersonalization
and the unchecked growth of
red-tape and bureaucracy.
Synagogue decision-making
has become increasingly
democratic. Boards and com
mittees are more and more
representative of congrega
tional cross-sections and are
oriented to the fulfillment of
necessary tasks, not self
proliferation. Major matters of
concern are invariably
brought before meetings of an
entire congregation, at which
point, frankly, our primary
concern is not over-institu
tionalization, but the threat of
mob rule.
Even in the better establish
ed congregations, money and
“the old guard" do not speak
with the arbitrary, autocratic
voice that many detractors
would like us to believe. And,
anyone who thinks that rabbis
simply railroad their agendas
.
\ 'il»'
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SlMONi-CON\[ im MV imSE
On Xh6 Issues **** By IraGissen,Va/NC Director ADL
Insults
Following the election of
Virginia’s first black Lieuten
ant Governor and first female
Attorney General, the eupho
ria generated by those mile
stones was shattered by anti-
Semitic comments in the
Virginia General Assembly.
The first took place during
conference on a bill to require
banks to notify credit-card
customers that interest would
be charged on purchases if the
monthly bill was not paid. In
discussion of what heading
should be placed on the notice,
Delegate George P. Beard, Jr.,
R-Culpeper, suggested “A
Star of David” because the
sponsor was Jewish.
Two days later this affront
was matched and surpassed
by the intemperate words of
the General Assembly’s most
influential senator. Regarded
as the second most powerful
elected official in Virginia,
Senator Edward E. Willey, D-
Richmond, Chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee,
was peeved at a reporter
divulging an obscenity he us
ed in a private conversation
referring to the Chairman of
the House Finance Commit*
tee. Senator Willey expressed
his anger to a group of
reporters. To convey his wrath
£md dislike of the reporter who
had quoted him, he character
ized him as “that little Jew
boy." Ironically the reporter
was not Jewish.
Senator Elliot S. Schewel, D-
Lynchburg, (one of four Jew
ish members of the Virginia
General Assembly) took the
floor to criticize his fellow
legislators for making “deris
ive, vulgar, highly offensive
religious slurs.’’ In his speech.
Senator Schewel divulged that
Senator William E. Fears, D-
Accomack, made a remark in
the Senate cloakroom that he
was not going on the floor dur
ing a prayer because a rabbi
might be making it.
Acting immediately upon
the first report of the crack
regarding the Star of David, a
letter from the Anti-Defama-
tion League was delivered to
Delegate Beard which read in
part: “The Star of David,
which was the butt of your
joke, occupies a unique posi
tion in Jewish history. It is a
symbol intimately associated
with our faith. It is also a sym
bol which Hitler decreed that
£ill Jews must wear in all coun
tries under Nazi control so
that they could be more read
ily identified and persecuted."
The ADL letter pointed out:
“While your intent may have
been to introduce levity into a
serious discussion, your choice
of humor was ill advised and
offensive.”
ADL’s letter was reported in
newspapers throughout
Virginia, in the Washington
Post and on radio and TV.
In his response, Delegate
Besird wrote: “The way it was
reported in the press made it
appegu- that I was insensitive
and prejudiced. I want to
assure you that it is not so and
I apologize to all who were of
fended by what I intended to
be a supportive friendly
private remark to a colleague.
My choice of words was and is
certainly most unfc»’tunate. I
am attempting to inform all
that I can to make this heart-
(Cont’d on page 3|
through, needs only eavesdrop
on our rabbinical “shoptalk”
to hear us bemoaning the
roadblocks our balabatim so
often throw up in the way of
our plans.
Classes, service groups and
worship have become in
creasingly participatory. From
what I observe, creating a
milieu of interpersonal
warmth and fellowship is a
top-priority matter for our
congregations.
Contrary to the well-worn
canard, no congregation I
know of will disenfranchise or
refuse membership to a family
in financial straits, nor will
they publicly parade them
around like circus freaks. If
anything, synagogues are
more adept at “let’s make a
deal” than Monty Hall.
Synagogue insiders know how
frequently we “get taken" by
a less-than-honest congregant
in comparison to the rare occa
sions when someone is unwit
tingly given a financial hassle.
A final thought about
money: so often we speak of it
like a dread disease. Properly
directed, it can be our best
friend. Without it, we could
not cool or heat or light our
place of worship, be it the
sanctuary of the Temple or
someone’s living room. We
could not buy chalk or books
or desks or a roof over our
heads to educate and “turn
on" our young and not-so-
young. We could not engage
rabbis who would be on 24
hour call to affiliates and non
affiliates, who also request/
demand the rabbi’s service
and would scream bloody
murder if they were handed an
invoice “for services
rendered."
We speak of “structure” as
though it were some sort of a
superimposed boogie man
rather than a blessing that
enables us to realize our hopes
and aspirations. It leads me to
wonder what those who are
turned off by synagogue struc
ture and institutionalization
would replace it with. Smaller,
less formal, more intimate
groups? Fine. But, beware:
Every bag of beans that goes
into the cholent costs money.
Every necessary decision will
force leadership to emerge.
Some, if not all, demands for
skilled Judeiic input will re
quire professional assistance,
£md the demands will escalate.
The equitable apportionment
of aliyot will ultimately
become a committee decision.
The education of your young
will call for requirements and
standards. Before you know it,
you, too, will have eill the in
stitutionalization and struc
ture you can handle. And then
others will be “turned off” by
you as you now are by us.
Even anarchists ultimately
form societies, collect dues and
elect officers.
The American synagogue is
far from Utopia, our local
synagogues included. But, the
charge that the very structure
that keeps our synagogues
viable is a “turn off" to Jewish
life is largely unjustified. It is
a feeble dodge used by those
who would substitute for it
commitment that might be a
mile wide, but only a quarter
of an inch deep. For all that is
wrong, this is one guilt trip we
need not buy into.