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The Charlotte Jewish News - June-July 2011 - Page 12 Shavuot at Temple Or Olam After the joy of Passover, the ealendar takes us to the eelebra- tion of the next great event in Jewish history, the reeeiving of Torah at Sinai. Although Shavuot was initially an agrieultural holi day eelebrating the first fruits, later tradition also aligns it with the giving of Torah. Rabbi Arthur Waskow attributes this allianee to the rabbis’ sense that Torah repre sented a eontaet point with God, that Sinai was the moment of mar riage between God and Israel in whieh the Torah was the eontraet, the ketubah, of the eovenant. One aneient writing, not ineluded in the Tanakh, even holds that Shavuot is observed on the same date that God affirmed His eovenants with both Noah and Abraham. For the rabbis, it was as impor tant for everyone to stand at Sinai as it was for everyone to eseape slavery in Egypt — for only if everyone stands at Sinai ean the Torah be heard anew in every generation. Indeed, it is partly in this eontext of “everyone standing at Sinai” that we read the book of Ruth during Shavuot. Not only does the book take plaee during the time of the barley harvest, but Ruth is depieted as aeeepting Torah in her own way. In keeping with this tradition, this year, members of our eongregation will be engaging in an intensive study of the Book of Ruth with the rabbi. Although the origin of the praetiee of eating dairy on Shavuot is attributed to various eauses, it is eertain that our study session will be aeeompanied by an indulgenee in eheeseeake, blintzes and other goodies. Who knows — perhaps Naomi first learned to love Ruth beeause she made the best noodle kugel in the family? Temple Or Olam is an inde pendent, egalitarian eongregation that serves Cabarrus eounty and parts of Meeklenburg eounty (ineluding University City, Davidson, and Huntersville). For information on our serviees or other eongregational aetivities, please visit our website, www.or- olam.org and subseribe to our mailing list. You ean also email us at info@or-olam.org, or eall 704- 720-7577. « Charlotte Area’s Newest Congregation Begins Second Year Jewish Family SERVICES Mitzvah Baskets created by JFS Zachary Strawser, Rachel Strawser, Rachel Cohen, Maddy Gorelick, Joey Kelso, Sophie Levinson, Rachel Fellman MONTHLY DONATIONS AND TRIB UTES TO JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 25 In Mareh and April, Hadassah provided 140 meals for JFS to distribute. Those who made this possible are: Barbara Abrams, Susan Aizenman, Madeline Aron, Catby Bogus, Ellen Bottner, Sbaron Cavanaugh, Helene Cullen, Gloria Feibus, Zelma Fink, Sandy Hoagland, Karen Kantrowitz, Judy Kaufmann, Penny Krieger, Malka Me-Zehav, Sharel Persin, Phyllis Romaine, Jenny Sperry, Gabby Starr, Hagit Stav and Joyce Stoll. P Swimmer Insurance Agency We’ve been protecting the Charlotte Jewish community EOR OVER 57 YEARS. We offer aU lines of insurance including Commercial, Homeowners, Auto and Life. Call us today to learn about our personalized insurance programs to meet your needs. Harry Swimmer • David Swimmer Craig Katzman • Brian Meltsner 725 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28207 | 704.333.6694 | swimmerinsurance.com The Charlotte area’s newest eongregation. Temple Kol Ami, enters its seeond year amid high expeetations and great hopes for the future. Temple Kol Ami, eur- rently has members from Fort Mill, Indian Land, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, York, Roek Hill, and the Steele Creek area of Charlotte. Temple Kol Ami began its see ond year with its first annual gen eral membership meeting on May 22. After meeting at St. Philip Neri Catholie Chureh for the past nine months the eongregation moved to Unity Presbyterian Chureh at 303 Tom Hall Street in Fort Mill for all of its aetivities starting with a Shabbat serviee on May 20. Unity Chureh reeently built a new sanetuary and invited Temple Kol Ami to use their old historie sanetuary whieh was built in the 1880s and is now on the National register of historie plaees. Temple Kol Ami will be able to worship there on a regular basis, store materials, hold meetings, and pro vide religious edueation for both ehildren and adults on the premis es. Temple Kol Ami, founded in an area just south of Charlotte where the size of the Jewish population was totally unknown, has had a very sueeessful first year under the leadership of Jonathan Shaw, one of the founding members and eur- rent eongregation President. The first major ehallenge the new eongregation faeed was pro viding High Holiday serviees within just months after the eon gregation was formed. It was elear to the leadership there was s defi nite need for the eongregation when attendanee for Yom Kippur topped 100. Also during the first year, they eelebrated Sukkot and Simehat Torah, and held their first fundraiser, “An Evening at the Shuk” at the Levine Museum of the New South. They have also worked within the eommunity by making food donations to the Fort Mill Care Center and partieipating in a loeal Habitat for Humanity build. Temple Kol Ami whieh holds Shabbat serviees the first and third Fridays of eaeh month is an unaf filiated, traditional Jewish eongre gation that weleomes those from all walks of Jewish life as well as interfaith eouples and those redis- eovering their faith. For additional information about Temple Kol Ami, visit their website at www.kolamitemple.eom or email them at yorksyna- gogue@gmail. eom. ^ ^Jewish Family Ser vices ^ Crisis/Case Management and Community Resources JFS is the foeal point for addressing the soeial serviee needs of the Charlotte Jewish Community and is eommitted to preserving and strengthening the quality of life for individuals and families. Through Case Management, JFS helps others help themselves by providing vital support to our eommunity mem bers at eritieal stages in their lives. Working direetly with individuals and families from all walks of life who are experieneing finaneial erisis, JFS offers advoeaey, refer rals, outreaeh, and emergeney finaneial assistanee with the goal of developing effeetive long-term solutions. Our programs work eol- laboratively and seamlessly with one another. Darey Alban is a Case Manager with JFS. The main role of the JFS ease manager is to assist those in need with long-term finaneial res olution. Darey is a Lieensed Clinieal Soeial Worker with a Masters in Soeial Work. In her role as a Case Manager, Darey helps individuals and families to beeome self suffieient and aeeess finaneial and eommunity resourees. She may assist with applying for food stamps, lower eost housing, low eost medieal assistanee, budgeting and finan eial assistanee, just to name a few. She eollaborates direetly with Crisis Assistanee Ministries whieh allows her to eomplete finaneial applieations, when appropriate, so that our elients do not have to trav el to the Crisis Assistanee loeation. JFS provides the following Case Management Serviees: Food Pantry - JFS provides non-perishable food, personal eare items and other neeessities to help individuals and families through tough times until independenee is re-established. JFS food pantry reeipients leave with more than just groeeries - they leave with a feeling that the eommunity eares about them and they are not alone. In addition, elients faeing medieal or other limitations may benefit from home eooked meals donated by loeal volunteers. Financial Assistance - JFS manages the Community Tzedakah Fund, a speeial fund made available through the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. Finaneial distress ean eut aeross all soeioeeonomie levels and ages. The inereased unemployment rate and eost of living - food, gas, housing, eleetrieity, and other neeessities - ean result in the need for help. Through the Community Tzedakah Fund, JFS is able to pro vide assistanee to members of the Jewish Community who qualify for assistanee. Jewish Experience Fund (Camp Scholarships) - The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s Jewish Experienee Fund promotes Jewish identity building among our Jewish youth through Jewish eamping, eommu nity building, leadership develop ment and informal edueational opportunities. All seholarships are needs based and requires the eom- pletion of paperwork. Please direet all inquiries to the JFS offiee at 704-364-6594. Jewish Education Loan Eund - The Jewish Edueational Loan Fund grants interest-free loans to Jewish students from Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina and Virginia for post-seeondary study at aeeredited institutions. JELF’s loans are “last dollar” - they supply the final funds that a student needs to attend sehool. Applieations for interest-free loans for post-seeondary eduea tion (eollege, graduate sehool, voeational and professional eours- es) are available to Jewish stu dents. For more information, visit the JELF website at www.jelf org, email info@jelf.org, or eall 770- 396-3080. Charlotte Jewish Preschool Scholarships- Over the last sever al years, the Charlotte Jewish Presehool utilized the serviees of the JFS Case Manager to evaluate eonstituents’ needs and to make reeommendations regarding avail able seholarship funds. Through this proeess, the JFS ease manager is able to make referrals and ree ommendations for both finaneial and eommunity resourees. Dues Abatement - Last spring, both Temple Beth El and Temple Israel engaged the serviees of the JFS Case Manager to provide this serviee to make deeisions regard ing dues abatement and religious sehool finaneial assistanee. In this way JFS helps maximize the resourees of the entire Jewish Community by applying a eonsis- tent approaeh to evaluating indi vidual seholarship needs. Hebrew Cemetery - On behalf of the Hebrew Cemetery Assoeiation, the JFS ease manager meets with individuals and fami lies to assess finaneial need for those unable to pay full priee to bury a loved one. Please eontaet the Hebrew Cemetery Assoeiation for additional information at 704- 576-1859. It is important to eontaet JFS before finaneial situations beeome a erisis. Make an appointment to speak with a ease manager before your finaneial diffieulties deepen so that you ean be given the resourees and tools to get baek on traek. Community Resource List Jewish Family Services - 704-364-6594 Charlotte Mecklenburg Department of Social Services - 704-336-3150 MeckLINK - 24 hour mental health - 704-336-6404 (Continued on page 15)
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 1, 2011, edition 1
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