The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2015 - Page 11
Blumenthal Memorial Garden Offers Peaceful
Sanctuary for Hebrew Cemetery Visitors
By Brian Yesowitch, Board Presi
dent, Hebrew Cemetery Associa
tion
Psalm 115 includes the verse:
“Ha-shamayim, shamayim
L’Adonai vha-aretz natan livney
adam.” “As for the heavens, the
heavens belong to the Lord, but
the earth is given to mankind.”
This verse is recited several times
during year as a part of the Hallel
“praise” prayers. We at the He
brew Cemetery Association have
been working diligently to ensure
that the earth our cemetery inhab
its will always be a dignified final
resting place for Charlotte area
Jews. Through the generosity of
concerned families like the Blu
menthal family, along with count
less volunteer hours by groups
ranging from the Federation’s
Bernstein Leadership Group, the
area temples, and others, our
cemetery has become a beauti
fully landscaped institution of
which the entire community can
be proud.
One tradition associated with
Jewish cemeteries is that flowers
are not permitted. In the Charlotte
Hebrew Cemetery, we have be
come very creative with attractive
grasses, flowering bushes, and
trees with a great deal of color and
fragrance. The Blumenthal Me
morial Garden was completed last
Monkey grass bed beneath the river oak.
Stained glass hosta.
fall, so this summer is the first op
portunity to experience the beauty
of this generous gift to the com
munity by one of its most philan
thropic families. The Blumenthal
Garden project was planned and
executed by DeSignia Landscap
ing in Charlotte with input and in
structions about Jewish tradition
from our community’s outstand
ing rabbis, along with leadership
provided by Grounds Chairman
Bill Gorelick and his committee.
The Blumenthal Memorial Gar
den, in its first phase, connects
five beds of beautiful and fragrant
landscaping. It was designed to
present a different experience to
visitors in each of the four sea
sons.
When one enters the Blumen
thal Memorial Garden, in any sea-
son, there is color
and fragrance. The
Little Leaf Shrubs
(buxus microphylla)
will grow over the
years to form a
hedgerow. The trees
in this garden include
a Deodore Cedar,
River Birch trees
(also called paper
birch - because of its
paper like bark) and
Kousa Dogwoods.
Another eye catcher in the garden
is the bed of pink blooming grass
commonly known as Muhley
grass. Visitors have likened its
unique beauty to “pink clouds.”
Also flowering in August are our
Knockout Rose bushes. Our
Japanese iris plants flowered in
the spring, but the leaves are the
main attraction. The garden’s
Crepe Myrtle was an existing tree
in our cemetery. It will also flower
in late August. The Kaleidoscope
Abelia plants beneath the Crepe
Myrtle have contrasting colors in
their stems, flowers, and leaves.
They also attract butterflies.
The other beds include Forest
Pansy, Azaleas, heavenly bamboo,
hydrangeas, all coming together to
add beauty, fragrance, and peace
to the cemetery visitors’ experi
ences. There is so much to share
about the natural improvements
the cemetery has added. The best
way to experience and enjoy its
beauty is to go and visit the ceme
tery during our normal operating
hours. We have had several groups
arrange tours with our director,
Sandra Goldman. They are avail
able on request for your temple,
garden club, mah-jongg group, or
other organization.
Please mark your calendar for
Sunday, September 20 at 10:30
The New Cub Scout Adventure Begins at
the Levine JCC
The Cub Scout Program
has been redesigned to be
more “appealing, exciting,
and culturally relevant to
today’s youth and families.”
The five objectives are char
acter development, partici
patory citizenship, personal
fitness, outdoor skills, and
leadership. The focus is on
learning by doing.
The advancement pro
gram has been simplified to
maximize fun and personal
involvement. To reach the
ranks of Tiger, Wolf, and
Bear, boys will complete
seven “adventures” for
which they will receive “adven
ture” belt loops. They earn “ad
venture” pins to reach Webelos
and Arrow of Light ranks. Cub
Scouting is for boys from first
through fifth grades, and is fam
ily-oriented at each step along the
trail.
Why join Cub Scouting at the
JCC, as opposed to a unit near
your home or one that recruits at
your child’s school? Those may
work fine, but be aware that most
Packs meet at local churches, not
at the school where the initial con
tact is made. This occasionally
presents unanticipated obstacles.
Most church-sponsored units are
excellent and attempt to accom
modate diversity among their
Scouts. However, some sponsors
perceive Scouting as an extension
of their ministry, and situations
arise which are awkward for the
boys and their families. Consider
Cub Scouts at Shalom Park, where
AM for our Annual Memorial
Service on the cemetery grounds.
Last year, the service was led by
twelve clergy members represent
ing seven area congregations. All
are welcome.
Membership to our Hebrew
Cemetery Association is an af
fordable $72 annually. It always
pays to pre-plan your funeral ex
penses. Contact our Director, San
dra Goldman, to receive
information on plot availability
and pricing.
Additionally, our community
supports needy individuals with
reduced cemetery fees during
their time of loss. You can make a
contribution of any amount to the
Steinberger Funeral Assistance
Fund on our website www.he-
brewcemetery.org or by contact
ing our Director Sandra Goldman
at 704-576-1859 or director@he-
brewcemetery.org. Don’t forget to
“like” our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/Hebrew-
(Hebrew Cemetery
d Greats' Charioiie
Cemetery. Our Throwback Thurs
day posts have gotten so popular;
they will be featured in the Sep
tember issue of Charlotte Maga
zine.
“The heavens belong to the
Lord, but the earth is given to
mankind.” In the spirit of the
Psalm, I would suggest that the
cemetery belongs to you. Please
consider making a legacy commit
ment to our Hebrew Cemetery
through the Create Your Jewish
Legacy program. It is a very sim
ple process and we can help you
add the Cemetery Association to
your legacy and estate plan. Visi
tors are welcome in all four sea
sons at our Hebrew Cemetery. I
hope learning about the Blumen
thal Memorial Garden has given
you a reason to visit soon. ^
your child already goes
to camp, already has
friends, etc.
Scouting has been ab
sent from the J for sev
eral years, and we would
like to fix that. To make
this a successful effort,
we need a sufficient
number of boys in the
various grade levels to
have viable numbers (4-
10 boys per den/grade).
Meetings are normally
once a week, usually
from 4-5:30 Sunday afi
temoons. Leadership is
shared by parents, with
excellent support and training
provided by volunteers and pro
fessionals in the Charlotte com
munity. It would be especially
beneficial if you talked to your
son’s friends and plan on doing
this as a group.
For more information, please
call David Lintz at 704-451-4411
or email dlintz43@gmail.com and
join us for an informational meet
ing at Camp Mindy on Thursday,
August 27, from 7-8:30 PM.^
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