5007 Providence Road
Charlotte. NC 28226
Address Correction Requested
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 1208
The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 17 No. 5
May 1995
“Sometime this year the
Task Force will
recommend a new
organizational structure
for our community, one
which will free Federation
to focus on its primary
missions and place the
responsibility for managing
Shalom Park with the
organizations responsible
for its primary uses: the
two temples and the JCC.**
In this, my first monthly com
munication as President of
Federation, I want to do two
things. First, I want to thank those
who have served our community
through Federation; secondly, I
want to apprise you of the status
of some key community initia
tives.
My predecessors, Harry
Lerner and Shelton Gorelick,
sought to satisfy the needs of our
community through the organiza
tions and resources available dur
ing the last three years. They
oversaw substantial increases in
support for Jewish Family Ser
vices, JCC and Jewish educational
programming at a time when cam
paign increased only modestly.
Dan Lepow and his staff woik^
diligently to support these efforts.
Much remains to be done, but
even as we continue, we need to
thank those who so capably and
selflessly have led us tliis far.
Restructuring
We must restructure the orga-
liization of Shalom Park. Four
years ago the partners in Shalom
Park- Temple Beth El, Temple Is
rael, the JCC, the Foundation and
the Federation- decided there was
no longer a need for a separate or
ganization to own and manage
Rich Otbome
Federation President
Shalom Park. The Foundation,
which was created to perform
these functions, was merged into
Federation. This reorganization
has proved unsuccessful.
Federation must serve as a
community fund-raiser, planner,
facilitator and mediator. It cannot
effectively focus on those key mis
sions if it simultaneously is land
lord and enforcer of the Joint
Venture Agreement that created
Shalom Park.
Mark Bernstein is chairing
a Restructuring Task Force. Serv
ing with Marie on that Task Force
are Bob Abel, Mickey Aberman,
Sam Bernstein, Gene Daumit,
Harry Lemer, Norman Levin,
Hal Levinson, David Miller,
Mitch Rifkin, Butch Rosen, Eric
Sklut and me. Sometime this year
the Task Force will recommend a
new organizational structure for
our community, one which will
free Federation to focus on its pri
mary missions and place the re
sponsibility for managing Shalom
Park with the organizations re
sponsible for its primary uses: the
two temples and the JCC.
Financial Needs
The growth in the Jewish
community in Charlotte mirrors
the dramatic growth in Charlotte
as a whole. This is a blessing, as
so many of the great, traditional
Jewish communities in our nation
are declining; but it also represents
a challenge, for this growth strains
the resources of all of our organi
zations. We must increase the
funds available to organizations
providing vital services.
Our first resource in funding
these needs is our annual cam
paign. We tentatively have set a
goal of raising $2 million dollars
a year within five years. This re
quires annual increases of about
10%. We have great leadership in
undertaking the first steps toward
that goal; Bill Gorelick will chair
and Jill Newman will co-chair our
annual campaign in 1996.
Community Planning
The most pressing need in our
community to^y is the need for
a plan. We don’t need a rigid docu
ment that tries to dictate who does
what, when. We do need a forum
in which all parts of the Jewish
community can examine current
and future needs and develop a
common sense of goals and pri
orities. Lynne Sheffer is chairing
this critical mission. Lynne is
seeking to build a team with rep
resentatives from every part of tte
Jewish community. This team will
develop and implement a process
that wUl provide everyone oppor
tunities to participate, learn and
contribute as together we deter
mine how best to move to the end
of this decade and into the next.
I speak for the entire Board
of Federation in expressing our
honor and pride that the commu
nity has entrusted us with impor
tant responsibilities during the
forthcoming year. We commit our
best efforts and count on your con
tinued support and participation so
that Federation can play its role
in guiding the further growth and
prosperity of the Jewish commu
nity in Charlotte.
Rich Osborne,
President
Jewish Federation of
Greater Charlotte
Should Jews Fear The
Conservative Victory?
June & July Issues
will be combined.
Deadline for
submitting material is
May 10th.
/ \
Inside the CJN
JFS
4
Organizations.
.... 6
Tmh Naw» —.
12
JCC..
14
J
By Arthur Heitzberg
Jewish neo-conservatives
have been busy for years urging
the Jews to move to the Repub
lican Party, and predicting that
they would, 'fhis did not hap
pen in the “national referen
dum” which Newt Gingrich
called on the steps of the capi-
tol. The Jewish voters heard his
call to vote against liberalism
and they spumed it.
What explains this persis
tent anomaly? Why do Jews
continue to vote with the poor?
Two conventional explanations
have been offered. TTie first is
that Jews remember when they
were poor and continue to have
sympathy for Americans who
still are. But this does not ex
plain the fact that while few of
their children and grandchildren
have any personal memory of
grinding poverty, the large ma
jority of these younger genera
tions also vote consistently for
liberal candidates and the liberal
agenda.
The second explanation is
that Jewish voters are motivated
by a biblical compassion for the
weak and defenseless. This ar
gument is not entirely convinc
ing. Christian Americans read
and study the same Bible, but
that has not inhibited the major
ity of them from rallying behind
those who are trying make lib
eralism into a dirty word.
Neo-conservatives have
been telling Jews for years that
their self-interest dictates that
they vote their pocketbooks, just
as other Americans of their eco
nomic class do. The vast major
ity of Jews has rejected this
argument, understanding that
the basic interest of Jews is
bound up with peace in society.
During a recent visit to Israel, Vice PraektentAI Gore (0 met Moshe
Rh^n(r), JNF world chiiniisn, who presented hkn with s JNFtree
certiflcele and sepling. In Gore's honor, 1,000 tress were pisnted In
Independence outside Jerusalefn
Arthur Heflzberg, professor
emeritus of Religion st
Dtrtmouth, Is now visiting
professor of the HumenWes st
Nsw York University.
By Marshal! S. Breger
Jewish oi^anizations defend
their commitment to liberal ide
ology on two bases; first, they
argue that political liberalism is
demanded by Jewish values;
second, they suggest that they
must support liberal positions to
create the coalitions that often
support Jewish concerns. It is
time for the Jewish conununity
to reevaluate both those propo
sitions. Unless Jewish conunu-
nal organizations rethink what
constitutes Jewish public policy,
they are in danger of becoming
marginalized in the coming pub
lic policy debates.
What the conservative elec
tion victory means is a new
found focus on personal
accountability rather than state
largesse in addressing social
problems.
There is considerable irony
in the Jewish communal agen
cies* apparent commitment to
statist solutions. Few organized
communities are as philan
thropic as American Jewry and
few have our rich skein of me
diating institutions. We raise
hundreds of millions of dollars
annually to fund important so
cial services to feed the hungry,
heal the sick, shelter the elderly
and rescue captive Jewish com
munities. A worldview that is
spurred by private philanthropy
is one congenial to Jewish folk
ways and in keeping with Jew
ish law. It is, therefore,
perplexing that the Jewish com
munity has so vigorously cham
pioned government-driven
welfare programs.The obsessive
defense of affirmative action
and quotas by liberal Jewish or
ganizations does a great disser
vice to the Jewish community.
Itorshsn Breger Is ssnlor
feHow st ths Herttsge Founds-
tlon In Washington, D.C, end s
visiting professor st the
Cohanbus School of Lot,
CsthoHc University of Amsrica.