North Carolina Newspapers

The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2015 - Page 2 JEWISH FEDERATION NEWS Trip to Israel Invigorates Local Federation Sue Littauer and Jeff Turk See Your Federation Dollars at Work By Sue Littauer As we prepared to board our flight to Tel Aviv on Saturday night, July 4, Jeff Turk and I watehed the fireworks in New York City from JFK Airport. What a great way to embark on our wonderful journey and the exeit- ing experienees that awaited us in Israel. Jeff and I started our trip with a visit to Hadera, our P2Gether eommunity. As a member of Fed eration’s Alloeations Committee, Jeff was eager to visit Fladera and the ageneies our Federation funds. We visited the Charlotte Good Deeds Store at an elementary sehool in Givat Olga, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Fladera. The value-based Good Deeds Store provides at-risk ehildren with tools to aehieve aeademie sueeess by rewarding them for learned behavior. Aeeording to the sehool prineipal Yael, “every penny donated makes my dreams eome true.” Jeff eould hardly pull himself away from the wonders of Teehn- oda, a seienee and teehnology based hands-on enriehment eenter for disadvantaged ehildren in Givat Olga and gifted students throughout Israel. Also in Givat Olga, we met Vietor and Vital at Aharai!, an ageney that prepares periphery students for full and meaningful army serviee and ae- tive adult lives. Beeause of Aharai!, Vietor and Vital, who were destined to beeome high sehool drop-outs, have made amazing strides toward fulfilling Shabbat and Holiday Candle Lighting for September 2015 Friday, September 4, 7:29 PM Friday, September 11, 7:19 PM Rosh HaShanah Eve, September 13, 7:16 PM 2nd Night of Rosh HaShanah, September 14, after 8:10 PM Friday, September 18, 7:09 PM Yom Kippur Eve, September 22, 7:02 PM Eriday, September 25, 6:59 PM Sukkot Eve, September 27, 6:56 PM 2nd Night of Sukkot, September 28, after 7:50 PM The Charlotte Jewish News 5007 Providence Road, Suite 112 Charlotte, NC 28226 Phone (voice mail after office hours) Office 704-944-6765 FAX 704-365-4507 email: charlottejewishnews@shalomcharlotte.org An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte Amy Krakovitz - Editor Advertising Sales Reps: Jodi Valenstein, 704-609-0950 or Scott Moskowitz, 704-906-2474 Art Director, Erin Bronkar ebronkar@carolina. rr. com CJN Editorial Board Chair - Bob Davis Members: Bob Abel, Evelyn Berger, David Delfiner, Ann Langman, Linda Levy The CJN does not assume responsibility for the quality or kasruth of any product or service advertised. Publishing of a paid political advertise ment does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, political party or position by this newspaper, the Federation or any employees. Published monthly except July An affliate of: /rTvi Jewish Federation OF GREATER CHARLOTTE David and Etti at Kibbutz Nir Oz. their dreams. Vital hopes to be eome a surgeon and Vietor’s goal is to beeome an offieer in the army and a member of the IDF’s elite unit. “In drugs and aleohol, there are no winners,” said Vietor. At the end of our long day in Fladera, we joined 53 dedieated Federation lay leaders and profes sionals from 17 eommunities on JFNA’s (Jewish Federations of North Ameriea) Campaigners’ Mission. Each day was packed with training workshops, educa tional sessions, visits to agencies funded by our Annual Campaign dollars, and meetings with men, women, and children who are the grateful recipients of our Federa tion’s generosity. We met new immigrants to Is rael from the Ukraine and from France. Ola is from Donetsk, a city in the Ukraine ravaged by war. Fie came to Israel one month prior to our visit and is learning Flebrew with other new immi grants at an absorption center in Ramleh. Terit, who experienced blatant anti-Semitism in Paris and immigrated to Israel from France five months previously, now works in the financial services in dustry in Tel Aviv. Both Ola and Terit were participants on Birthright Israel and re turned to Israel on MASA, both Federation-funded pro grams, before making Aliyah. Ron, a 26 year old engineer from Donetsk, had arrived in Israel only six days before we met. From these young men, we learned about the challenges of learning Flebrew, finding employment and getting set tled in their new country. All three left their countries to find a better life in Israel. When asked who pays for them to leave, they each re sponded, “You do.” The Jewish Federations’ overseas partner JAFI (The Jewish Agency for Is rael) has helped more than three million Jews from around the world make Aliyah to Israel, and has helped to integrate them into Israeli society. At the Bank Discount in the Flertzi-Lilenblum financial dis trict, we learned about modem Israel through the eyes of enter prising entrepreneurs Sharona Meushar, founder of Applicaster, and Yonaton Meiri, founder of Su- perFly.com and the young North American interns they employ. Many young adults who partici pated in Birthright yearn to return to Israel, and through Federation funded pro grams such as MASA and Onward Israel, they have returned to Israel to intern in these and other Israeli startups. At each of these stops and many others, we met Israelis who are over coming the challenges of poverty, assimilation, physical disabilities, cul tural and literacy barriers. At each stop, we learned how Federation-funded programs are offering at-risk pop ulations and people of all ages the skills, coping mechanisms, and tools to live productive lives. Jeff and I were also fortunate to learn first-hand about the after ef fects of last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. A briefing by an IDF spokesperson at Black Arrow vista overlooking Gaza, a visit with David and Etti at Kibbutz Nir Oz to find out how its residents coped each day, and a meeting with 29 year old Talli, whose seven and nine year old daughters are still traumatized by the sounds of tmcks going by and who con tinue to look for safe places to hide wherever they go, gave us a better understanding of the ways Israelis dealt with the terror of last summer’s war. It also made us proud of our Federation system which raised 28 million dollars in 62 days for Operation Protective Edge. Participating in JFNA’s Cam paigners Mission was an amazing experience. Not only did we learn so much about Federation to share with Federation lay and profes sional leaders, we also had the op portunity to share our trip with the warm and wonderful leaders who are Federation. To find out more about Federa tion, or to volunteer as a Federa tion campaigner and experience next year’s JFNA’s Campaigners Mission, please contact sue.lit- tauer@jewishcharlotte.org. ^ Sue Littauer (standing, center) and Jeff Turk (standing, 2nd from right) visit Aharai! Givat Olga. CONTENTS Federation News pp. 2,3 Synagogues/Congregations pp. 3-7 Jewish Family Services p. 8 Community News pp. 8,13-20 Federation Donor Listings pp. 9-12 Schools pp. 22-24 Women’s News p. 24 Youth Visions p. 24 Levine-Sklut Judaic Library p. 25 High Holidays pp. 26-31, 34-42 Jewish Community Center pp. 32, 33 Dining Out p. 43 I would like to make a contribution to demonstrate my support of The Charlotte Jewish News. Name Phone (... Address City State Enclosed In my check for $ $18.00 Basic Annual Subscription $25.00 Friend $50.00 Patron $100.00 Grand Patron Other .Zip.