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Th0 Charlotte Jewish News - January, 1996 - Page 11 \ Point of View Each issue of the CJN wili feature an artlcie written by one of the three rabbis active In theCharlotte community. Rabbi James M. Bennett Temple Beth El With the secular new year comes a renewed sense of com mitment to self-improvement. Who among us has not been tempted to add our own “New Year’s Resolutions" to those of fered by so many of our friends and neighbors? While we as Jews are particularly encouraged to do our New Year’s introspection, ’’teshuvah,” during the High Holy Days, there is something very Jewish about striving for teshuvah throughout the year. Such teshuvah includes repen tance, but includes personal growth, reflection, and change as well. We of the Jewish commu nity of Charlotte are proud of the tremendous sense of unity en gendered by Shalom Park. We share so much as a community, and our strength and success are in large part due to the coopera tive venture embarked upon by those visionaries who created and built our buildings and in stitutions. The flourishing Jew ish community we ei\joy today is the direct result of their efforts. But we must recognize the need for continued growth and vision as well, and therein lies the need for some individual and communal “teshuvah.” Recently, Rabbi Ezring and I taught and led the Post-con- firmation class in an “Ask the Rabbis” session. Among the questions asked was “Why is there so much division within our Jewish community?” Our an swer reflected both of our con victions that Charlotte is a uniquely united Jewish commu nity. Shalom Park and other joint community programs and activi ties reflect this spirit of coopera tion. Still, in the time I have served in this community, I have heard numerous examples of prejudice within our Jewish community. Cruel and mean- spirited comments from one part of the community aimed at an other are common. Sarcasm, jokes and inferences of superi ority or authenticity are ex amples of such attitudes. Com parisons or criticisms of one part of the community’s observance or non-observance of Jewish ritual, attitude towards intermar riage or conversion, or commit ment to Jewish continuity are frequent. Worst of all, peiiiaps, is that many of us in the com munity simply do not under stand the beliefs and practices of the other members of our own Jewish community. Few mem bers of this community can truly explain what each of the Jewish movements represented in Charlotte truly stand for, and fewer still recognize the need for a mutual conunitment to K’lal Israel. It is time for teshuvah on this and niany other fronts. We need opportunities not simply to play together and celebrate to gether. We also need to be will ing to admit that we can learn more about each other as Jews. We need to learn to accept that while we may not agree with each other, we can still co-exist and affirm each other as legiti mate expressions of the Jewish spirit. We need to air the differ ences between us, and to cel ebrate our common vision. Our ancestors knew and understood this when they taught that “All of the people of Israel are re sponsible one for the other.” May we, too, recognize our joint responsibility for each other and for our common dreams for our world. MANAGERS SPECIAL 1995 UNCX>1N TOWN CARS AS LOW AS AS LOW AS 1995 SABLE AS LOW AS SAM JOHNSON LiNCOLN MERCURY 535 7810 S/OI lAST INDiri NDINC I BIVD.. MAKIOTTf , N( Open House Set For Camp Camp Barney Medintz, summer resident camp of The Atlanta Jewish Community Cen ter, will present an exciting musi cal slide production in Charlotte on Thursday, January 25,1996, at 7:00 P.M.. at the Charlotte Jew ish Community Center. Jim Mittenthal, M. S. W., Camp Director, will meet with new and returning families, an swer questions pertaining to the 1996 summer season, and provide applications for registration. Camp Barney Medintz is lo cated in the North Georgia Appala chian Mountains on over 500 acres of forests, lakes and streams just 75 miles from Atlanta. According to Mr. Mittenthal, the setting facilitates dozens of ex citing and unusual activities, includ ing water-skiing, sailing, canoeing, leaping off “The Blob,” horseback riding, campouts, whitewater raft ing, tubing, theater, tennis, all land/ court sports, videography, crafts, music, Israeli culture, mountain biking, swimming, and a series of high-adventure rock climbing, rapelling and rope courses. For more information, those interested may call the Camp of fice at (770) 396-3250, or the CBM Charlotte parent represen tative, Susan Jacobs at (704) 364- 1922. Gas Furnace Safety Check ‘To ensure your family’s safety your furnace should be check^ before the heating season.” Dewey Jenldns, Owner •All Major Brands Air Conditioners, Gas Furnaces •Same Day Service • Estimates Cheerfully Given • Instant Credit Available MoRnsJEHKms CO. Sales>Sen/ioe&lnstalUOonSlncet^ 357-0484 ‘So Dependable You Can Set Your Thermostat By Us’ Camp Barney Medintz "'Our Summer Place” since 1963 Camp Barney Medintz ...Where more and more kids from CHARLOTTE are swimming, horseback riding, climbing, skiing, sculpting, acting, volleying, boating and blobbing each summer! For a 1996 application or more information on the most exciting camping adventure of your life, call the Camp Barney Medintz office, (770) 396-3250; or CBM Parent Representative Susan Jacobs, (704) 364-1922. •PRESENTATION* DATE: Thursday, January 25, 1996 TIME: 7:00 pm PLACE: Charlotte Jewish Community Center 5007 Providence Road (704) 366-5007 operated by the Atlanta Jewish ComnHjr>ity Center: Accredited by the Anoerican Caniping Association
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1996, edition 1
11
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