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The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2002 - Page 3 Of GiUJAIER CllARLCriTE Federation News Of GteEATER QlARLOrrE Federation Designates Funds to Help Jewish Causes in Charlotte and Abroad 2002 Beneficiary Agencies By Amy Krakovitz Montoni An elderly woman in Voronezh, Russia, will have Shabbat candles to light. A teenager in Charlotte will attend a “Mitzvot from A-Z” class at Hebrew High. A woman from Ethiopia will be able to start her own business in her new home in Israel. A teacher from Temple Israel Religious School will have access to the educational resources at CAJE. An Argentinean emigre in Kiryat Bialik will learn to speak Hebrew more fluently. A resident of the Blumenthal Jewish Home will rest comfort ably tonight. A student of Neve Michael will find comfort in a foster home with his siblings. All these things and more were made possible by you and your generous contribution to the 2001 Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. The more $2.3 million that the Charlotte Jewish community donated last year has been allocat ed here and abroad to help build and maintain Jewish continuity, and to protect the interests of the Jewish people in Charlotte, in the United States, in Israel, and in other countries. By far the largest portion of the money is kept here in the local community where everyone from the smallest preschoolers (benefi ciaries: the Charlotte Jewish Preschool and the Jewish Preschool on Sardis) to the elderly (beneficiary: Blumenthal Jewish Home) and everyone in between directly experiences your gifts to the Federation. Even within our local commu nity, agencies such as Loaves and Fishes and Crisis Assistance, as well as other Charlotte community agencies, receive grants from the Federation in order to continue their Gemilut Chasidim (acts of loving-kindness). Our community was able to designate a portion of the cam paign donations to Israel and Overseas to meet the needs of Jews in Israel and worldwide. A special Allocations Subcommit tee, chaired by Bobbi Bernstein, was formed to determine how these dollars should be spent. gogue was built in 1902. But the communist regime suppressed religious expression and for many generations, the Jews of Voronezh Art class at Hesed Nechama in Voronezh, Russia. Voronezh, Russia Voronezh in the Former Soviet Union is the official Russian sister city of Charlotte. In a lot of ways it even resembles Charlotte. Its population, 900,000, is close to that of the Charlotte area. And its Jewish population, 6,000 souls, is about the same percentage of the population at large as here in Charlotte. Voronezh is located just over 250 miles southeast of Moscow. The first Jewish citizens began arriving in Voronezh in the middle of the 19th century. Its first syna Celebrating Chanukah at Nechama in Voronezh, Russia. had no connection or knowledge of their traditions and heritage. But all that is changing now. In Voronezh, as in the rest of the FSU, there has been a reawaken ing interest in Judaism, as scores of Jews are seeking to discover their lost heritage. The growth of Jewish activities range from establishing religious schools to celebrating Jewish holidays to assisting the needy elderly. Of the 6,000 Jews in Veronezh, 1,500 are elderly and the vast majority of them are in need from the community. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an arm of the United Jewish Communities (UJC), helped open Hesed Nechama in 1998. This organization provides welfare ser vices to needy Jews in and around Voronezh. In the first ten months of 2001, Hesed Nechama gave out: almost 13,000 food packages; more than 9,000 hot meals at com munal dining halls; 28,000 hours of home care assistance; loans of medical equipment, medicines, and medical consultations. Hesed Nechama has begun a Sunday School program that has 60 students who are learning Hebrew, Jewish history and tradi tion. They get to leam about their heritage through dance, music, theater, and arts. As an agency under the umbrel la of UJC, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte is a perfect position to assist our sister city in the FSU so that Hesed Nechama can continue to provide medical programs and Jewish renewal pro grams with a gift of $110,000. Extended Vtpan in Kiryat Bialik We all can imagine how trau matic it must be to uproot your life and move not just to a new neighborhood, or a new city, or even a new state, but to move thousands of miles across the ocean to a new country. Even more difficult, particularly for adults, is learning a new lan guage. In Israel, the acclaimed Uipan (immersion) system to teach Hebrew has been success ful, but more so for younger people than for older. One request that our local delega tion heard during a Federation mission to Israel was from the Argentinean emigres in Kiryat Bialik. The adults among the immigrants said that if only they could attend the Uipan just a little bit longer, they would feel more comfortable in Israeli society. But the funds for granting them extended lessons in the Uipan did not exist at the time. That is why the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte created a new pro gram with $20,000 of your gener ously donated campaign funds to extend the Uipan in Kiryat Bialik for Argentinean Jews. This is an exciting program conceived and piloted by the pro fessional staff and lay leaders of the local Charlotte Federation. P2K Hadera Eiron and Neve Michael Our Partnership 2000 relation ship with Hadera Eiron continues and the Federation has allocated $33,820 to the region. Of that, $2,025 has been designated for Neve Michael, a children’s home for abused and neglected children in the area. Neve Michael is not an institu tion, it is a residential home for children at risk — a warm and car ing environment for over 250 chil dren aged three to 18 who cannot stay with their biological families. The synagogue at Neve Michael. These children come from all over Israel. They are the victims of neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and many have been wit ness to acts of violence. At Neve Michael, children can grow, leam and enjoy better, hap pier and healthier lives than they would otherwise be exposed to. All the children are raised in family units by a married couple with their own children. Everyone lives together in a loving family atmosphere. Siblings can stay together. The on-site elementary school, under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Education, is open to both Neve Michael and local Hadera-Eiron children, where the two groups leam together. There is even a special class for youngsters who find attending school diffi cult. Special day care facilities are open until 7:00 PM. Neve Michael is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to take in little ones at a moment’s notice. “Like flowers,” they say at Neve Michael, “children need to be nurtured to grow straight and tall. We at Neve Michael are dedi cated to doing just that.... And we serve the best chicken soup in Israel.” (Continued on page 6) Of GteEATER Qiarlotte Anti-Defamation League, a his toric organization stressing human rights issues 1.000 Blumenthal Jewish Home, nurs ing ciMQ services in a dignified setting 15,000 BhiaiB^rith Youth Organization, a youth-led, worldwide organization, promot ing Jewish identity and personal growth 11,5(X) Carolina Agency for Jewish Education, provides a variety of Jewish educational sei-vices throughout the Carolinas .12,600 Charlotte Community Agencies: Chaiiotte Clergy Association, Charlotte Emergency Housing, Community Link, Crisis Assistance, Mecklenburg Ministries, and Loaves and Fishes 3,200 Charlotte Jewish Day School, a quality K-5 day school 105,000 Charlotte Jewish News, a monthly publication providing local, national and international news and features 2,000 Charlotte Jewish Preschool, a quality preschool educational program and full day childcare facility , 13,500 Community Tzedakah Fund, emergency loans for needy local families 20,000 Consolidated High School of Jewish Studies, an enriched aca demic program for Charlotte-area youth 4,910 Education Subsidies, provide support for the religious school programs of Temple Beth El, Temple Israel, and Congregation Or HaTorah 20,569 Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, the commu nity endowment fund 2,500 Hebrew Cemetery, provides dig nified services for indigent com munity members 5,000 Israel and Overseas, meets the needs of Jews in Israel and worldwide through United Jewish Communities 682,725 As a community Charlotte has designated part of our overseas allocation to support: the social services needs and Jewish renewal programs for our sister city of Voronezh in the Former Soviet Union ^ Hadera-Eiron, our partner ship community in Israel an extended uipan (Hebrew course) for adults in Kiryat Bialik, a haven for Argentinean Jews ^ an entrepreneurial training program for Ethiopian women Neve Michael, a group hcmte for abused children in Hadera Jewish Community Center, enriches Jewish lives through cultural, educational, and athletic programming 383.819 Jewish Education Loan Fund, provides scholaiships for Charlotte college-bound students 3,250 Jewish Family Services, profes sional counseling and family edu cation programs 150.500 Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. Federation's local expenses, including program, campaign, operations, Bernstein Leadership, Shalom Y’all, the Jewish Women's Network. YAD (Young Adult Division), and community special events 536,186 Missions to Israel, provide mis sion subsidies for community members 15,000 North Carolina Hillel, cultural, religious and social programs for college students throughout the state 12,000 Preschool on Sardis, a quality preschool educational programs 10,000 Shalom Park Rent Subsidies, JCC, Temple Beth El, Temple Israel, Charlotte Jewish Preschool 227,575 Speizinan Jewish Library, serves Jewish educational institutions and the community at large 18,150 Teens to Israel and birthright israel, provides scholarships for teens and young adults traveling to Israel on recognized programs 9,767 Total 2002 Allocations, $2,265,751 YOUR “RESULTS” SPECIALIST ANN LANGMAN "Serving your real estate needs since 1972" Multi Million Dollar Producer 6618 Fairview Rd. Charlotte, NC 28210 704-364-6400(0) 704-841-7273 (H) Toll Free 1-888-364-6401 ext. 240 Scott Gorelick speaking at Kiryat Bialik last summer. N reenspon & Associates »Inc. • Individual Life, Disability & Health Insurance > Long Term Care Insurance ' Group Medical, Life & Retirement Programs > Estate & Personal Financial Planning • Voluntary Employee Benefit Programs Keith Greenspon Stan Greenspon 125 Cottage Place Phone:704-376-7434 Fax: 704-342-3855 visit us at www.greenspon.com
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