Vol. 33, No. 1
Tevet-Shevat 5771
January 2011
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chariotte
A Home Away from Home, the Levine JCC Celebrates Its
25th Anniversary
“What does the Levine JCC
mean to you?” This question
was posed to Levine JCC
members in a video that pre
miered at the 2010 Annual
Meeting. The answers were
surprisingly consistent...com
munity, connection, belong
ing, and family.
This year those traditions
continue as the Sandra and
Leon Levine Jewish
Community Center celebrates
its 25th anniversary. In the
spring of 1986, the Levine
JCC opened its doors on
Shalom Park. When the Amity
Club, the forbearer of today’s
LJCC located in Cotswold, was
destroyed by fire in August 1983,
community leaders developed
plans for a new community center
off Providence Road. The result
was what many refer to as their
“home away from home.”
At a recent gathering, a found
ing Levine JCC member, Harry
Lerner, urged the
community never
to forget “the
Levine JCC’s cru
cial contribution to
our families and
that it is ‘the core
of our Jewish lives
here in Charlotte.’”
Raising his daugh
ter here inspired
Harry to help cre
ate a “place called
home in which we
can all take tremen
dous pride.”
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And thanks to 25 years of com
munity support, that won’t be
changing anytime soon. The year
2010 was a tremendous one for the
Levine JCC. Camp Mindy, the
Levine JCC’s premier summer
day camp, created fun, friendship
(Continued on page 30)
Anne Sinsheimer teaches a small group
Pilates sessions that create strength and
flexibilty through specific controlled move
ments.
That pride continues in the
hearts of many families. Stacey
Slomka, who grew up in Charlotte
and returned in 2004, shared in the
recent video, “1 marvel every time
1 see my kids walk in and know
that they have a place to go, where
they are safe, where there are
friends, where there’s just the
warmth and haimish that the J
offers.”
Leon and Sandra Levine's cornerstone gift of $550,000 to the 2011 Annual Campaign
kick starts the Jewish Federation's effort to raise $2,950,000 on behalf of our Jewish
community at home and around the world.
The Levine Challenge: Ihe Leon Levine Foundation has also pledged an
additional $50,000 if we reach our $2,950,000 campaign goal!
Leon and Sandra Levine know what being Jewish feels like. Whatever being
Jewish means to you, chances are the Annual Campaign makes much of what
you care about happen. Please consider a new or increased gift and help our
community meet The Levine Challenge!
It's what being
Jewish
2011 Campaign: It's What Being Jewish Feels Like
www.jewishcharlotte.org
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FEDERATION^
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
Dennis Prager to Headline Federation
2011 Main Event
Kate Vassallo, Ian Briggs, and Elissa Levine give a
thumbs up for the Levine JCC’s new program, JForce.
Fitness professionals encourage and challenge partici
pants every step of the way.
“What’s Your ‘Ish’?” What
makes you feel Jewish? That’s the
question being asked to campaign
ers, board members and donors
alike as we gear up for the 2011
Annual Campaign.
“It’s What Being Jewish Feels
Like” is the theme of the 2011
Federation Annual Campaign and
the responses have been as varied
as Kiddush And Knishes, Tikkun
01am, Family, A Strong Sense Of
Community, Jewish Geography
and even brisket.
No matter what makes you feel
Jewish, you’ll have the opportuni
ty to get involved this year with a
wide variety of Federation events
and initiatives that will pique your
interest.
The most widely attended cam
paign event of the season is The
Main Event which will be held on
Thursday, February 24 at 7:30 PM
at Temple Israel. Co-Chairs Gale
Osborne and Rich Osborne have
assembled an amazing Steering
Committee to help promote this
year’s event “An Evening with
Dennis Prager.”
Dennis Prager is one of
America’s most widely respected
radio talk show hosts, columnists,
authors and speakers. He has been
broadcasting 25 years in Los
Angeles, and nationally for the
last ten. He has lectured in 45
states, nine of Canada’s ten
provinces, and on six continents.
He is a Jewish theologian who
regular speaks at both Christian
and Jewish institutions and has
recorded over 300 CDs of biblical
commentary.
Called by Toastmasters “one of
America’s five best speakers,”
Dennis Prager is one of America’s
most respected thinkers. As New
York Times columnist David
Brooks wrote in a column,
“Dennis Prager is intelligent 99%
of the time.” The Los Angeles
Times described him as “an amaz
ingly gifted man and moralist
whose mission in life has been
crystallized - ‘to get people
obsessed with what is right and
wrong.’”
Dennis Prager is the author of
four books. His first book. The
Nine Questions People Ask about
Judaism, co-written with Rabbi
Joseph Telushkin, has been trans
lated into nearly a dozen lan
guages and is one of the two or
three most widely used introduc
tions to Judaism in the English
language.
Dennis Prager
During Mr Prager’s talk which
will focus on Jewish Identity, you
will be sure to ponder what makes
you feel Jewish.
Tickets are $36 and can be pur
chased online at www.jewishchar-
lotte.org or by phone 704-944-
6757. A dessert reception and
book signing will follow the pro
gram.
To leam more about the Main
Event or any Federation’s events
or initiatives, please contact the
Federation office. ^
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