The Charlotte Jewish News - May 2002 - Page 21
Lubavitch of North Carolina
B”H
A Wedding at The
Jewish Preschool on
Sardis
This is to formally announce
the marriage of the letter Q and the
letter U. The ceremony and formal
reception took place at the gor
geous Jewish Preschool on Sardis
with all 4-year-olds in attendance.
After the beautiful traditional
Jewish wedding, with a chupah
and lively dancing, the children
sat down and had refreshments
prepared by 4-year-old chefs. The
refreshments consisted of apple
juice and pineapple upside down
cake, which was
enjoyed by all. For
your enjoyment,
below are the wed
ding vows that were
recited.
“I, Q, promise to
always go first to make the ‘qu’
sound with 'u.’ I will not be afraid
or quiet with Tf beside me.
Together we can make words like
quack, quilt, and quartz.”
“I, U, promise to always be
At the wedding of “Q” and “U. ”
beside Q when Q wants me to, so
we can make the ‘qu’ sound.
Together we can make words like
quarter, quick, and queen.” ^
New Torah Inaugurated
A fascinating moment in the
history of the Charlotte Jewish
community took place in early
spring as a scribe began to etch the
first words of the Torah on a new
parchment. The new parchment
will eventually become part of a
new Torah that is being written for
the Jewish community in
Charlotte.
Over 50 sponsors of the Torah
gathered at the home of Boaz and
Tali Ramon on the evening of
April 14 to experience the new
beginning in an auspicious and
elegant manner. It began with a
reception where people joined for
L’Chaim and delicious hors d’oeu-
vres.
At the appointed hour, the
scribe stepped forward and
explained the process of writing a
Torah. Using props and actual
skins and parchment, Rabbi
Yehuda Clapman revealed his skill
in this awesome age-old task of
hand manufacturing a Torah scroll
from formation to completion.
Rabbi Clapman displayed the
actual parchment to be used for
the Torah and in the presence of
all the guests began to write the
first paragraph of Torah. Rabbi
Clapman’s skill in Hebrew callig
raphy was truly amazing. There
Rabbi Clapman begins to write the
Torah on clean parchment.
was silence in the room as the
mood reflected the holiness of the
moment.
As a thank-you to the sponsors
of Torah books and Torah por
tions, Rabbi Clapman presented
customized certificates indicating
the particular book or portion ded
icated by the sponsors with their
Hebrew names inscribed in
Hebrew calligraphy.
Each of the Torah books has
been sponsored for a dedication of
$18,000 per book. The sponsors
are Boaz and Tali Ramon, Michael
and Jody Molinari, Jerry Segal,
Raiuy Day Trike Ride
The Jewish Preschool on Sardis
held its second annual Trike-A-
Thon on May 3 one of the rainiest
days this Spring. It didn’t matter.
Four-year-olds on the inside track.
The parents, teachers, and admin
istrators in charge put their heads
together and turned the hallways
into an indoor track. Perhaps the
reason everyone decided to carry
on is that the event was such a
smashing success last year that
they had to do it again, rain or
shine.
The Trike-A-Thon is a
fundraiser, an education, and a fun
way to get exercise. As a mitzvah,
children donated new toys to the
children’s wing of a local hospital.
Family and friends who “spon
sored” their tricycle rides did so
with a donation to the Preschool.
Officer Friendly came to the 2s,
3s, 4s, and TK classes to speak
about road safety. He spoke about
traffic signs and the importance of
wearing a bike helmet. Police offi
cers even rode along with the first
group of riders, who braved the
grey weather to use the beautifully
painted outdoor course before it
rained.
Although the children received
a safety coloring book and police
badge from the officer, the cutest
keepsake of the day was their
“trike license.” A parent fashioned
oversized photo IDs, complete
with eye and hair color, and expi
ration date, for each child.
After riding, each group of chil
dren played and moved to music
provided by the local Disney radio
station, 1140 AM. Many parents
showed up to cheer on the children
as they rode, turned, stopped, and
took breaks to fill up with gas in
the hallways. A big thanks goes
out to all the people who helped
make the event another big suc
cess, rain or shine. ^
The Lemer Family in memory of
Sam Lerner, and Drs. Eric and
Judy Laxer. In addition, 28 of the
54 Torah portions have been dedi
cated for $1,800 per portion.
Many in the community have been
dedicating verses, words and let
ters for this special communal
project.
Rabbi Yossi Groner, who
launched this project, gave the ini
tial introduction to the evening.
“We live in extraordinary times
for Jews and for freedom, and
when writing a Torah we bring a
new measure of peace to the
world.” He added, “We hope that
everyone in the community will
join us in this auspicious project
and have at least a verse or letter
in the Torah.”
Lubavitch of North Carolina
plans to mail a brochure to the
entire community, explaining this
monumental project and inviting
everyone to join in this campaign.
There will be several events
throughout the year that will give
everyone an opportunity to see the
scribe in action as he visits
Charlotte and continues to write
the Torah.
The Torah should be completed
by May 2003. There will be a
major event to welcome the Torah
at the Lubavitch Educational
Center on Sardis Road.
Rabbi Clapman lives in New
York and has been featured on
Public Radio. In addition, Rabbi
Clapman was the main character
in a book published by KTAV on
how to write a Torah. In this book,
there is an extensive photo display
of Rabbi Clapman at work in his
Crown Heights studio. O
Lag B’Omer Draws
Hundreds to Ohr HaTorah
Event
They came by the hundreds to
celebrate a holiday that is mostly
known in Israel - Lag B’Omer.
This day marks the passing of one
of Jewish history’s greatest lead
ers, Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai, who lived in
the Mishnaic era in the
Galilee in northern
Israel.
This day also marks
the ending of a deadly
plague that struck
down many of Rabbi
Akiva’s disciples. On
this day the emphasis
is on love, friendship,
and camaraderie,
which caused an end
to the plague.
Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai was the ulti
mate spiritualist who
saw God in every
aspect of creation. As the barbaric
Romans oppressed Israel, he alone
stood up to them, not in a military
way, but rather in a defiance that
encouraged Jews to follow the
ways of the Torah rather then the
immoral ways of Rome. The
Rabbi hid in the mountains of the
Galilee with his son for many
years, thus the tradition of going
outdoors on Lag B’Omer and
enjoying a family picnic with
friends.
That is what so many Charlotte
families did on Tuesday, April 30
at the Lubavitch Educational
Center on Sardis Road. They
enjoyed a kosher barbecue with all
the trimmings. Lots of people
camped out with blankets or just
Crowds enjoying Lag B 'Omer celebration at Ohr
HaTorah with magic show by "Razzle Dazzle. ”
sat around on the grass.
Rabbi Yossi Groner introduced
a group of children who led the
crowd in the recitation of twelve
verses selected from the Torah. He
also spoke of a time of unity with
Jews in Israel.
The children at the picnic were
entertained by “Razzle Dazzle”
and his magic show. ^
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