The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 34, No. 8
Elul-Tishrei 5772/3
September 2012
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
Joined In Education Sponsors Three-Days
of Anti-Bullying Programs
Lee Hirschy Director of the film **Bullyy ” to Keynote Event
What do an eight-year-old girl,
a 17-year-old boy and a 68-year-
old grandmother have in eom-
mon?
They all ean be bullies and they
all ean be bullied.
Unlike the earieatures of 50
years ago, bullies don’t eonform
to any partieular size or gender,
nor do they limit their prowess to
the playground. Buses, shopping
malls, parties, and the internet all
qualify.
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And although most people
don’t need a formal definition,
Allan L. Beane, Ph.D., and author
of the “A Mini-guide for Parents,”
defines bullying as “when a per-
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son or group of people hurts,
embarrasses, or frightens
another person on purpose
over and over again.”
Aeeording to the
Ameriean Soeiety for the
Prevention of Cruelty to
Children (ASPCC), eaeh
sehool day, nearly 160,000
students skip sehool for fear
of physieal and verbal abuse
from their peers. “Many
more attend sehool in a
ehronie state of anxiety and
depression,” the website says, and
“it’s reported that six out of 10
Ameriean youth witness bullying
at least onee a day.
Elka Bernstein, direetor of CJP
is exeited to be eo-hosting this
program, “Bullying has beeome
an issue at younger and younger
ages; we hope that by shining a
light on this problem, we ean set
new standards for ehildren in their
interaetions with others.”
Lee Hirseh, direetor of the erit-
ieally aeelaimed “Bully,” will
speak at Knight Theater Tuesday,
January 15, using dozens of elips
from the movie to take the audi-
enee on his journey. On
Wednesday, January 16, a day
long symposium, “Stand up to
Bullying” will feature several
Lee Hirseh
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Also Inside:
The High
Holy Days
Five local
rabbis present
their view of
our Days of
Awe,
See pages 31-35
Meet Our New Shlicha,
Roni Amitai
nationally reeog-
nized speakers and
workshops targeted
to different age
groups, as well as
additional separate
programs for teaeh-
ers, parents, and
administrators.
Mariashi Groner,
direetor of CJDS
hopes that “parents
and edueators will
learn to identify the differenees
between true bullying versus
developmentally typieal ehild-
hood interaetions and how to
address eaeh ease.”
JIE, a non-profit eollaborative
effort of Charlotte Jewish Day
Sehool, the Jewish Presehool on
Sardis and Charlotte Jewish
Presehool, ereates synergy
between three institutions, their
professionals and their volunteers
and demonstrates that organiza
tions with a eommon goal ean
work eooperatively to bring
greater opportunities to the eom-
munity.
For more information, eontaet
JIE at www.joinedinedueation.org
or eall Gale Osborne at 704-366-
4558.^
About fifty years ago, a small
12-year old boy and his family,
who had only just made
aliya to Israel from the
Soviet Union were
taken to live in Kiryat
Gat. Twenty years later,
a young girl from
Australia, who had only
eome for a few weeks to
volunteer in Kibbutz
Hazerim, deeided to
make aliya.
That is the story of
my parents who met in
Israel as students and
only 10 days after meet
ing, deeided to marry. And so, my
story begins - Roni Amitai, your
new Israel emissary, the daughter
of Janet and Zvika.
Hello! My name is Roni
Amitai, and I am the new shlieha,
or eommunity emissary, for
Charlotte. I was bom and grew up
in Mevasseret Zion, a eommunity
just outside of Jerasalem over
looking the main road to Tel Aviv.
I have two older brothers - Gilad
and Matan - both of whom served
in elite units of the IDF and who
are now ereating their own fami
lies. My father has an insuranee
brokerage eompany and my moth
er owns a Re/Max real-estate fran-
ehise. However, if you ask them
who they are and not what they
do, my mother would answer that
she has a degree in arehaeology
and is a soeial aetivist and my
father would say that he is a poet
and a professional wine-lover.
They have always been aetive in
their town striving to make a eon-
tribution to their eommunity as
well as being aetive members of
the synagogue for Progressive
Judaism where I was ealled to the
Torah.
It was only natural that I too
would look to make a personal
eontribution and so I volunteered
for Magen David Adorn for three
years while in high sehool, after
whieh I was reemited to the army
as a non-eommissioned offieer in
the Casualty Unit. My job was to
be a liaison between the army and
injured soldiers and bereaved
families. As a natural eontinuation
of my army serviee, my ehoiee for
aeademie studies was Community
Soeial Work and I am now proud
to be a graduate of The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem. My prae-
tieal training brought me together
with the disabled in the Gilo
Roni Amitai
neighborhood of Jerusalem to ere-
ate and guide a leadership group
of people with speeial
needs. The group’s
aim was to improve
aeeessibility in their
suburb both physieally
and soeially. Together
with a steering eom-
mittee and volunteers
within the epilepsy
eommunity, I also
worked in the Israel
Epilepsy Assoeiation
in eharge of advoeaey
and promoting the
National Awareness
Week. At the loeal high sehool, I
moderated workshops designed to
prepare students to eope with their
fortheoming army serviee and
personal dilemmas.
My real passion is working
with people to help empower
them. I believe that now is the
time to begin to develop the spiri
tual assets of the Jewish people
and the State of Israel by finding
the eonneetion between the two
through eommunity work. Only
by understanding our mutual story
ean we preserve Jewish eulture in
its various shades.
I am looking forward to getting
to know eaeh and every one of
you and working together to ere-
ate a speeial eonneetion. I know
that the Charlotte Jewish eommu
nity is a strong and prosperous
eommunity, whieh eontributes to
itself as well as to its surroundings
and believes that the eonneetion to
the State of Israel is the essential
and eentral souree for the eontin-
ued existenee of both.
The shaliach program is funded
by the Jewish Federation of
Greater Charlotte and is a pro
gram of the Jewish Agency for
Israel (JAFI). The shlicha serves
as an emissary from Israel, repre
senting her country and educating
our community on Israel and
Zionism. If you are interested in
asking Roni to join you for a pro
gram in your community, please
contact the Jewish Federation at
704-944-6757 or email shali-
ach@jewishcharlotte.org. ^
lEWISH^
FEDFRATION*^
OF GFIEATEFI CHAHLOTTE