The Charlotte Jewish News - June-July 2013 - Page 12
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CRRA Reunites Russian Jewish Family
By Ellen Dubin
The last time she saw her father
and brother was at her mother’s
funeral three years ago. Evelina
(“Eva”) had been told her
mother’s murder was a hate erime
eommitted by thugs due to the
family’s Jewish religion. It was
only a few months after Eva had
eontaeted the Carolina Refugee
Resettlement Ageney (CRRA) to
find out if she eould apply to bring
both parents and her brother to the
US. Not yet eligible for eitizen-
ship herself, Eva and her husband
David met with Ellen Dubin, Ex-
eeutive Direetor of CRRA. Dubin
suggested she file an Affidavit of
Relationship (AOR) under the
Lautenberg Amendment. As the
paperwork got under way, Lauten
berg was not renewed by Con
gress and no Jews or other
perseeuted religious minorities
eould eome to the US from either
the Former Soviet Union (FSU),
or Iran. HIAS, CRRA’s national
offiee, held the papers. Eva’s fa
ther suffered one stroke, then an
other, then a third as he anxiously
awaited to be reunited with his
daughter and live in a soeiety that
eelebrates freedom of religion.
Eventually Congress permitted a
short window for Lautenberg ap-
plieations and HIAS began to pro-
eeed with the AOR. There had
been delay after delay and finally,
the family was told that they
would travel to the US as refugees
and be reunited in Charlotte.
It has been a long and arduous
proeess, but CRRA has been with
Eva and her family throughout.
Front:
right:
Naomi
Eva, her father Ilya,
and brother David
are at last reunited.
They were able to
see her daughter,
Naomi, who is now
eleven, and her son,
Jaeob who is about to
eelebrate his third
birthday. They had
never met Jaeob be
fore, as he was only
two months old
when his grandmother was killed.
When the family arrived, they
stayed with Eva and her family
temporarily, as all awaited the
availability of a nearby first floor
apartment. CRRA is helping to set
up the apartment near Eva’s home
ineluding furniture, furnishings,
and food. When a refugee family
arrives, CRRA helps them apply
for their soeial seeurity eards, ae-
eess soeial serviees, enroll in Eng
lish as Seeond Language elasses,
enroll sehool aged ehildren in
sehool and provide them with ease
management serviees for up to
three months. CRRA is appealing
to the Jewish eommunity for help
with this family. Sinee Eva’s re
settlement, Ilya suffered three
strokes after his wife’s homieide,
it is questionable if he will be able
to work in the near future. Eva’s
brother, David has eerebral palsy
and epilepsy and as a result is both
mentally and physieally ehal-
lenged. Neither physieal therapy
nor speeial edueation elasses were
available to him in Russia.
CRRA is looking for funding to
help support Ilya and David.
David. Rear, left to
Eva, Jacob, Ilya,
David should start to
reeeive Supplemen
tal Seeurity Ineome
(SSI) in a few
months; until then
the father and son
will reeeive a eom-
bined welfare eheek
of only $362.00 per
month, eertainly not
enough to pay rent,
utilities and other
very basie neeessi-
ties. Volunteers will be needed to
take them to medieal appoint
ments, as CRRA expeets there to
be many during the first few
months they are in the U.S. The
family requests a wheelehair (the
one in the photo is very old and
heavy, making it diffieult for
Eva’s father to manage), a blood
pressure gauge, bed side eom-
mode, and grab bars for the bath
room.
Additional volunteers and tax
deduetable donations, both finan-
eial and in-kind are needed for
this family as well as the 300
other people resettled by CRRA
eaeh year. Finaneial eontributions
earmarked for this family should
read “Melamed” on the memo
line. For more information, please
eontaet the CRRA offiee at
704-535-8803, eall Dottie Shat-
tuek, the volunteer and donations
eoordinator at 980-228-1020 or
stop by the offiee at 5007 Mon
roe Rd. Charlotte, NC 28205.
You ean also eontaet Ellen Dubin
at ellen.dubin@earolina-
refugee.org. ^
Lifelong Friends - Friendships Made at
the J That Have Lasted over the Years
Waddell & Reed, Inc.
Member SIPC
By Lauren Abeles
When I moved here six years
ago from a small town in New
England that had a relatively large
Jewish population, I wasn’t sure if
Charlotte, NC, was a plaee where
I would feel eomfortable raising
my kids Jewish. When my realtor
brought me over to see the JCC, I
knew instantly that my family and
I eould live and thrive in Char
lotte. I eould see that we would
have a plaee to meet and eonneet
with other Jewish families.
Shortly after joining, my kids met
other Jewish ehildren in their very
first JCC sports elass with Coaeh
Dan and Coaeh Stephanie. Sinee
their first sports elass they have
eontinued to be with many of the
same kids at eamp, soeeer and
basketball teams. Teen Couneil
Meetings, and tennis programs.
Laura Orland met her elose
friends, Kaitlin Laxer and Raehel
Friek, when they were all three
years old at the Levine JCC pool
the summer she moved to Char
lotte. Their parents beeame
friends, too, and they all shared
holidays and travelled together on
vaeations. She has fond memories
of eheerleading for her brother’s
basketball games at the J and at
tending Purim Carnivals, Teen
Camp, and joining the same
BBYO ehapter. Now in eollege,
the three still eonsider themselves
BFFs. Laura says it is easy to stay
friends sinee they share a bond
from a young age.
The girls also grew up with
family friends Zaehary Maniloff,
When they were young: Keith Orland,
Zachary Maniloff, Jared and Jason
Stier, Rachel Frick and others.
Adam Levinson, Jake Sinsheimer,
and Raehel’s brother Erie Friek as
well. The boys also met eaeh other
when they were three-four years
old. They played sports at the J,
went to Camp Mindy in the sum
mers, and later attended the Mae-
eabi games together. They
partieipated in BBYO, played in
terfaith basketball, and worked
out in the J Fitness Room.
“There is no doubt the JCC
played a major role in ereating
friendships that not only wouldn’t
have been formed in the first
plaee, but have been maintained
over 15-18 years,” says Jake Sin
sheimer
Zaehary Maniloff also made
many lasting friendships through
the J. He met some of his elosest
friends at the Charlotte Jewish
Presehool. Other friends he met
through J sports, Jammin’ at the J,
and years later they all went on a
Birthright Israel trip together.
Even though they went to differ
ent sehools throughout the years,
the friends still get together during
the summer and sehool breaks for
basketball games and working out
at the J’s Fitness Center. Zaehary
is spending this summer in Man
hattan with three of his elose
friends from Charlotte: Erie Friek,
Adam Levinson, and Laura Or
land. They are all fortunate to
have job internships through
(Continued on page 18)
Rachel Frick, Laura Orland, and Kaitlyn Laxer: pictured left, in preschool;
pictured right, today.