Page 2-THE NEWS*February, 1988
THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH NEWS
Published monthly by:
Charlotte Jewish Federation Michael L. Minkin, Director
Foundation of Charlotte Jewish Community &
Jewish Community Center Barry Hantman, Director
Charlotte Jewish Day School Berta Straz, Principal
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
The aw««raiic* «f MlvtrtUing in The Newt !••• n*t constitute a kMhrnth
«nd*r*«nent.
The President Speaks—
My Mission Statement
Editorial
Did You Get One Paper?...
Two Papers?... No Paper?
Confusion reigned everywhere last month concern
ing the delivery and in some cases the non-delivery
of The Charlotte Jewish News. The January issue was
mailed on Dec. 30, 1987 at the 1-85 U.S. Post Office
facilities, but that was the last we saw of them for
over two weeks. Investigations began one week after
the mailing, and though the postal inspectors
searched “every nook and cranny,” they were not
found. A couple of days after this. The Charlotte
Observer came out with an “expose” of the quanti
ty of mail, especially bulk mail, that was
“disappearing.”
On Jan. 13 we decided to do a “reprint” so as not
to disappoint our readers and our very patient adver
tisers. On that morning, I was informed that papers
were discovered in the Starmount/Montclair post of
fice (one of our smaller mailing zones) and it was
decided to wait an additional day to see if more would
be found. On Jan. 14, some appeared in Matthews....in
view of so few being found, a second run-off was done
on that day. On Jan. 15, these papers found their way
into your mail boxes (see, it can be done, delivery C£m
be made within a day!) But lo and behold, simul
taneously, some of you also received the “lost”
papers. The more observant of you probably noted
the “apology” in the second run-off plus a slight dif
ference in the composition of the paper. As of this
writing, many of the original copies of the paper have
never been found.
Something is very wrong at our post office! To have
several post office inspectors search for a mailing as
large as ours for over a week and come up with
nothing is mighty strange. And then well after two
weeks to suddenly begin to surface sporadically is
even stranger. This is worse than the old pony
express!
I appreciate all of your many concerns when you
do not receive the paper. By your calls to me, I at
least know how many of you look forward to reading
it. For this I am very grateful. However, I would ap
preciate it if each and every one of you would direct
your concerns, questions and complaints to the post
office. The more people who let them know how poor
our service is, the more action can be taken by their
staff.
Hopefully, we will never again experience anything
like this again. The Charlotte Jewish News is
generally mailed out on or about the first of every
month. If you do not receive it within a week, please
call the customer service division of the post office,
393-4418, and ask for Mr. Dean Chesser.
This issue, if it came late, could be due to getting
a week’s later start because of our big snowstorm in
January. Let us hope that the weather and the post
office will be more cooperative in the future. If you
do not receive a copy of the paper or wish an addi
tional copy for a friend, there are always extra copies
at the front desk at the Jewish Conununity Center.
Thank you all for your help and understanding.
—Rita Mond
By Bobbi Bernstein
President CJF
The mission of my tenure as
president of the Charlotte
Jewish Federation is to
develop a sense of community,
“Klal Yisrael,” in which unity
and participation are key to
fulfilling the financial and
human service needs of our
constituents both here and
abroad. It is our responsibili
ty to create a sense of common
purpose so that our concerns
can translate into effective ac
tion. We must transcend our
differences and build a sense
of community by developing a
pluralistic view of one another.
We can effectively function
only by consensus and we
must be guided at all times by
remembering the importance
of charity, social justice and
community. Vital to the
achievement of this mission is
the development of long-range
planning, the continuation of
building leadership and the
establishment of a sound fiscal
structure which will ensure
financial stability, continuity
and growth.
My first goal toward accom
plishing this mission is to have
full board participation. Each
member needs to share their
expertise by becoming in
volved in more than a periph
ery manner. In other words, I
expect each to carry a port
folio. It has been said that
what counts in Jewish life is
not so much what we profess
to believe, but what we do
about those beliefs. We have
an opportunity to express our
sense of Jewish identity
through a program of Jewish
action — not just through our
acts of tzedakah.
My second goal is to reac-
f On second thought
i fhis name sounds
V loo Israeli
%
Letters to the Editor
Senator Helms Sends Message
This letter was sent to Rabbi
Groner in response to an invita
tion to the Lubavitch 7th anniver
sary dinner.
Dear Rabbi:
Doubtless you may recall
Tevye’s song from “Fiddler on
the Roof”, “If I Were a Rich
Man.” Well, frankly, I’ve
never really aspired to be a
rich man, in the financial
sense, but G-d has richly blessed
me with good friends such as
yourself.
I do wish, however, that I
had the ability to be with you
good folks as you celebrate
Chanukah. Instead, I must
p£iraphrase a heartfelt prayer
— “Next year in Charlotte”,
G-d willing.
As you commemorate the
ancient traditions of the
Festival of Lights, I hope you
know how much your faithful
ness is a beacon of hope to all
G-d-fearing believers. This is a
special time, a holy season for
Christians and for Jews. In an
age of unbelief, may the can
dles of the true Light continue
to permeate the darkness so
the lost may find the Way.
You are in my prayers, as I
know dear friend, that I, most
gratefully, am in yours.
Sincerely,
Jesse Helms
We encourage our readers’ view
points. Letters should be submitted
typewritten and double-spaced and
signed. Plecise include your address
and phone number. We reserve the
right to edit.
Jewish Calendar
Candlelighting
Feb.
3 - Tu B’Shvat
Mar. 2 - Fast of Esther
Feb.
5 - 5:36 p.m.
Mar. 3 - Purim ' u'll -
Feb.
12 - 5:43 p.m.
Mar. 4 - 6:03 p.m. A A
Feb.
19 - 5:50 p.m.
IShushan Purim) J T
Feb.
26 - 5:57 p.m.
Mar. 11 -6:09 p.m.
tivate the Federation commit
tees which I believe are viable
and vited to meet the needs of
this community. It is critical
that we form an active and ar
ticulate Community Relations
Committee in view of what’s
happening in Israel and the
harsh response of world opi
nion. I have already men
tioned the importance of long
range planning — we must
begin to think about en
dowments — and the whole
issue of Jewish education is
critical to the future of
ourselves and our children. I
challenge anyone to tell me
they can find nothing of in
terest in the important tasks
for Federation.
My third goal is to revitalize
the Presidents’ Council. I
believe there is a need for
greater communication and
cooperation among the many
Jewish organizations in this
community. Only by working
together and establishing
trust for one another, can we
really begin to build commu
nity.
My fourth god is the com
puterization of the Federation
office. Based on the auditor’s
recommendation, we must
function on a professional level
designed to increase efficiency
and accuracy. We are no
longer a “mom and pop”
organization. We are a million
dollar plus business and we
need to function as such.
My fifth go£d is to evaluate
our Federation Campaign with
an eye to i;^structuring it. In
order to continue to meet our
financial obligations both here
emd abroad, we must develop
new strategies for fund rais
ing. Our giving base needs to
increase by at least 20% and
to accomplish that, we need an
army of solicitors. We must
also look at developing other
sources of revenue, such as en
dowment funds, corporate
gifts and/or United Way.
My sixth goal is to continue
to remind the CJF boeird and
the community that we are a
part of a greater Jewish fami
ly. Our destiny is forever
linked with the health and well
being of our brothers and
sisters in Israel and around
the world. We can not push
aside the issues and concerns
that face them. We must stay
abreast of the problems that
arise and the solutions that
are proposed. We must be
aware of our history and never
forget our commitment to
Jewish survival. It is up to us
to see to it that what we have
built in Charlotte is more than
beautiful bricks and mortar.
Our legacy will be that we
have helped to fill Shalom
Park with Jews who are proud
of who they are, have a sense
of identity and purpose, and
believe strongly in the future
of the Jewish people.
In short, it’s a monumental
task. I have already spoken to
the executive board and have
been assured of their coopera
tion. Now I am asking for all
your support. In my view, it is
an honor and a responsibility
to serve on the Federation
Board. I know that I’m going
to work very hard to be a
president you will be proud of.
I look forward to an exciting
and challenging year. Thank
you.