The Charlotte Jewish News - May 2013 - Page 13
Now is the Time
ByJeffBierer, FCJC Board
Chair
We have all heard the saying,
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every aetivity
under the heavens.” In my years
on the Foundation for the Char
lotte Jewish Community (FCJC)
board I have seen the need for sus
tainable funding for our syna
gogues and Jewish ageneies
beeome elearer, along with a
growing understanding of the role
legaey giving must play in solving
this funding ehallenge. It is elear
to me that now is the time to ad
dress our eommunity’s long term
funding ehallenge s and that now
is the time for all of us to think
about the legaey we want to leave.
I have had the privilege of par-
tieipating as a board member of
the Levine Jewish Community
Center and Temple Beth El at dif
ferent times in my 18 years here
in Charlotte. And I’m fairly eer-
JeffBierer
tain that the
budget ehallenges
I observed every
single year were
just as eommonly
experieneed at
Temple Israel, our
sehools, the Hebrew Cemetery
and throughout our Jewish agen
eies. Every year we are eollee-
tively faeed with how to fund the
very things our families want.
Every year eaeh of us hears the
eall to eontribute more to the Jew
ish organizations that mean so
mueh to our families.
Believing the time is Now for
addressing the long term funding
ehallenge, FCJC stepped up to de
velop and lead the Create Your
Jewish Legaey (CJL) initiative.
While probably not as well known
or understood as some of our Jew
ish organizations, FCJC saw the
need to move beyond its more ree-
ognizable role of investing and
administering Jewish ageney en
dowments. Over the last 18
months we’ve researehed other
sueeessful legaey initiatives
aeross the eountry, reeeived eriti-
eal grants to fund our own CJL
initiative, and organized our syn
agogues, sehools. Federation, and
other Jewish ageneies to begin
having legaey eonversations.
While perhaps still not a house
hold name, FCJC is a partner to
eaeh of the Charlotte Jewish agen
eies most important to you. To
gether we’re edueating our
eommunity about the need and
ease of supporting our eherished
Jewish organizations after we die,
just as we have in our lifetimes. It
ean be as simple as listing your
desired ageney, synagogue, or the
Federation as an additional bene-
fieiary on your life insuranee or
IRA, and does not impaet your
eurrent giving.
As I step down as president of
the FCJC board, I refleet on how
FCJC has grown to meet the needs
Legacy Spotlight
Glenda and Brian Bernhardt are among the
125 current members of our community who
have created legacy gifts to support its future.
Please take the time to read their story and
thank them for their generosity. It is our hope
that you will be inspired and encouraged to
think about how you can create your own Jew
ish legacy
By Glenda and Brian Bernhardt
Judaism and Jewish eommunity are at the
heart of the way we live our lives. Our paths to
this destination, however, were very different.
Brian grew up in Charlotte and although he at
tended the Hebrew Aeademy, swam at the old
Jewish Community Center on Sharon Amity
Road, and had his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Israel
in Dilworth, he was not otherwise engaged in
the Jewish eommunity. Glenda, on the other
hand, grew up a Rabbi’s daughter in Hunting-
ton, WV, was aetive in loeal youth groups, at
tended Jewish summer eamp, and later served
as eampus Hillel leader at Ohio Wesleyan Uni
versity.
When we met in Ann Arbor, Glenda was in
terning at the Ann Arbor Jewish Federation
while studying Jewish eommunal serviee at the
University of Miehigan Sehool of Soeial Work.
Brian had only reeently begun volunteering at
the Ann Arbor Federation, and then only as a
way to meet new friends. Eventually, however,
Brian’s involvement with the Federation led to
a trip to Israel and ultimately to a deeper eom-
mitment to the Jewish eommunity. Glenda’s
baekground and graduate work helped her begin
her eareer as a Jewish professional, working for
Hillel and then the Federation.
In 2009, we moved to Charlotte so that our
ehildren eould grow up eloser to family. From
day one, the Charlotte Jewish eommunity em-
braeed us and we have tried to do the same in
return, finding great joy as aetive members of
the Jewish eommunity. As our family has
grown, we have found that our involvement in
the Jewish eommunity has influeneed our deei-
sion to ineorporate Jewish ethies and values into
our daily family life, so that our ehildren will
not only grow up Jewish, but Jewishly as well.
Surrounded by a loving family, a vibrant Jewish
eommunity, and a wonderful group of friends
who have a shared passion for Israel, Judaism,
and Jewish eommunity, we are exeited about all
the Jewish opportunities that exist for us and for
our ehildren.
Our Create Your Jewish Legaey gifts are an
extension of our belief in the strength of the
Charlotte Jewish eommunity and our hopes for
the future of our ehildren. We want to help en
sure that the Charlotte Jewish eommunity sur
vives and thrives not only for us, but for our
ehildren and our ehildren’s ehildren. Although
we are a younger family, our deeision to leave
legaey gifts was easy. We hope that other fami
lies will follow our lead. ^
of our Jewish eommunity. I’ve
seen the dedieation of our lay
leaders and professional staff as
they searehed for and found a path
to help all our Jewish ageneies
move eloser to long-term finaneial
health and stability. And I am al
ways exeited to hear about board
members and volunteers at our
Jewish ageneies stepping up with
their own bequests and asking
others about the legaey they want
to leave in Charlotte.
What started as a whisper is
gaining its voiee, and surely will
beeome a loud and sueeessful eall
to aetion to seeure the future of
our Jewish eommunity. ^
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