The Charlotte Jewish News - June-July 2014 - Page 8
0
Yvonne Amato
Yvonne Amato is among the
228 individuals and families in
our community who have created
legacy gifts to support its future.
Please take the time to read her
story and thank her for her gen-
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By Yvonne Amato
My father taught me the impor-
tanee of staying eoimeeted to Jew
ish life. After emigrating from
Eastern Europe, he met my
mother in South Afriea, where she
was born. He never spoke about
life in Europe or his family, who
were all lost in the Holoeaust. At
a young age, I oeeasionally at
tended shul on Shabbat by myself
and my mother began lighting
eandles. When a shul was built in
our neighborhood, we attended as
a family for High Holidays.
I was married in 1967 and we
moved to Zambia. Eighteen
months later, we moved to Rhode
sia (now Zimbabwe) to be with
his family. We beeame involved in
the Jewish eommunity serving on
14 different eommittees and
adopted a daughter and son. In
1986, following eomplieations
from surgery, my husband passed
away. The previous year we had
spent six weeks traveling through
out the United States and Canada
visiting relatives on both sides of
the family who we had stayed
eonneeted to through letters. They
had all immigrated to North
Ameriea and our plan was to join
them. In Deeember of 1986, with
little money, my two young ehil-
dren and I moved to Hartford, CT
where we eonneeted to its Jewish
eommunity.
In 1991, with my son in eol-
lege, my daughter and I moved to
San Diego to be eloser to him. San
Diego had a huge South Afriean
Jewish eommunity and I worked
for the Jewish Federation and
Jewish Family Serviees. I also met
Ivan, a reeent widower, who also
grew up in Johannesburg. We did
n’t know eaeh other in South
Afriea but we did have mutual
friends. We married in 1995.1 was
very blessed to share my life with
him, his three ehildren and two of
my own. In 1999, we joined my
daughter and her family in Char
lotte. In 2008, Ivan passed away
after suffering from Parkinson’s.
Life provides us with ehal-
lenges and enriehes us with bless
ings. The relationships with my
ehildren and my grandehildren are
truly blessings. Another is the
ability to leave a legaey gift. I
never thought someone like me
had the ability to leave a gift to
support future generations, but I
have learned that we all ean. That
knowledge and the ereation of my
legaey gift have been a life ehang-
ing experienee. It has allowed me
to feel like a truly eonneeted
member of our Jewish eommu-
nity.^
Create
"ou^ewish
Le^ac^
Our Jewish Community’s
Newest Legacy Donors
The following individuals/fam-
ilies have reeently informed our
eommunity, through Foundation
for the Charlotte Jewish Commu
nity (FCJC) or one of the ten
Create Your Jewish Legaey eom
munity partners, that they have
ereated a legaey gift to support the
future of Charlotte’s Jewish eom
munity. Some are ereating legaey
gifts for the first time while others
have added new organizations to
their previously ereated legaey
plans. There are now 230 individ-
uals/families throughout our Jew
ish eommunity who have ineluded
a loeal Jewish organization in
their legaey plans ereating 440
unique legaeies. We thank our
newest legaey donors and wel-
eome them into our eommunity’s
Book of Life Soeiety. ^
Anonymous
Amy Augustine
Jill and Craig Balick
Melissa and Steve Raphael
Raenea Siegel
Albert Rogat
Create
’^ou^ewish
d