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Permit No. 1208
The Charlotte “JEWISH =NEWS
Vol. 8 No. 3 Charlotte, North Carolina March, 1986
Shalom Parkis Opening Set For May 18
One of two entrances to Leon & Sandra Levine Jewish Community
Center Building. To the left and rt, joined by the bridge, are portions
of Blumenthal Jewish Education Building.
Seen across the kiddie pool & outdoor pool complex are the Leon &
Sandra Levine JCC Building (R) and the Blumenthal Jewish Education
Building (L).
Efforts Continue To Reach $l Million
In *86 Federation Campaign
The long anticipated open
ing of Shalom Park has been
set for Sunday, May 18. This
announcement by the Foimda-
tion and its President, Mark
Bernstein, culminated the
years of planning and the
months of building activity on
the Providence Road site.
The May 18 date wiU be the
first of two major openings.
On that date the ribbon will be
cut and the facilities will open
for use by the members of the
participating institutions and
the community-at-large. In
September, a Dedication
Weekend wiU mark the formal
Outreach Update:
More than 70 individual and
family responses were receiv
ed by Charlotte’s three tem
ples to their outreach offer of
a 6-month membership for
long standing unaffiliated
Jewish community residents.
The various membership
chairs and special Outreach
Committees have been busily
at work planning and carrying
out special programs and ac
tivities for these “new”
members. Each of the temples
reports outstanding success
and a wonderful sense of com
munity and caring.
While the approaches to
outreach have varied from
temple to temple, the intention
and the results have been the
same — to make these new
members feel wanted and com
fortable as part of the temple
family. Individual invitations
to attend services, clsisses, etc.
have been coupled with pair
ing new and old families.
Social events and family
events have brought together
the new and the old members
for hours of getting to know
one another.
The 70 responses cover more
than 300 adults and children.
Ruth Goldberg, Federation
Outreach Chair, and Bill
Ashendorf, Foundation Out
reach Chair, are extremely
pleased with the results.
Goldberg began the project in
the faU of 1984 with a survey
of the attitudes on temple
membership of the unaffili
ated.
“One third of those without
temple membership respond
ed," said Goldberg, “and their
major desire was to feel
wanted and welcome. The res
ponse to the free 6-month
members and to the warm,
personal outreach being
beginning of the first full year
in the facility.
Alan Blumenthal, Founda
tion Chair for the two events,
reports that the May 18 date
is designed to be a festive
afternoon which will show off
the Jewish Education and
Community Center and the
outdoor facilities. The planned
formal ceremonies will be brief
and punctuated by a series of
“spectacular” moments.
While these moments are a
closely guarded secret, they
are reported to involve hun
dreds of individuals and a
number of “firsts.”
displayed by each of the
temples proves that those
original survey results were
right.”
The Outreach Conmiittee of
Federation and the Founda
tion Outreach Task Force will
continue to seek ways to
enable individuals and families
to feel wanted, welcome and
comfortable in the temples
and the other Jewish institu
tions and organizations.
After the mezuzah is affixed
and the ribbon cut, the next
several hours will offer those
who attend a chance to see the
facilities in action. The Leon
and Sandra Levine Jewish
Community Center Building
will bustle with sample classes
and demonstrations both in
doors and out. The Blumen
thal Education Building wiU
feature a carnival of booths
designed to provide fun, learn
ing and prizes as participants
of all ages move from room to
room.
Self-guided tours wiU be
assisted by Information Sta
tions at strategic points. In
the central multi-purpose
room, an Information Center
will provide displays from all
the institutions and organiza
tions of the Jewish com*,
munity.
While many of the plans are
in place, a number of additonal
exciting ideas are still under
exploration. Blumenthal re
ports that these will be reveal
ed in both the Charlotte
Jewish News and in mailings
to the conmiunity.
The September Dedication
Weekend will be highlighted
by a community-wide event as
well as a black tie dinner.
With an all time record of
$962,000, the 1986 Federa-
tion/UJA Campaign is the
largest in the history of the
Charlotte Jewish community.
It represents an increase of
20% over the 1985 Campaign.
The Women’s Division,
chaired by Emily Zimmern
and Vicki Hopkins, raised
$96,000 for a whopping 33%
increase!
Ron Katz, overall 1986 Cam
paign Chair and new Federa
tion President, attributed the
success to the combined fac
tors of hard work and com
munity response to the open
ing of Shalom Park.
“Our conmiunity is on the
edge of a new era,” said Katz,
“and every one of us realizes
that it will take dedication and
commitment to make that era
a success. The Jews of
Charlotte have proved that
they are willing to make that
commitment.”
More than 100 workers par
ticipated in the divisions and
programs of the campaign,
which began back in Septem
ber ’85. Each month saw a
combination of events and
ongoing solicitations cul
minating in Super Sunday and
both Women’s and Men’s Ma
jor Gifts Dinners.
The 1986 Campaign incor
porated a new concept in set
ting goals and in allocations.
In August ’85, the major local
recipient institutions prepared
£uid submitted their 1986 bud
get needs. These were review
ed by the Allocations Commit
tee under the chairmanship of
Don Bernstein. The goal for
the ’86 Campaign was set
based on these evaluations.
In e£u-ly January, the Alloca
tions Committee met again
and, based on the achieve
ments of the Campaign, made
specific recommendations to
the Board for 1986 Alloca
tions. These recommendations
were heard and approved by
the Federation Board.
In an unusual step, the
Board felt that it was impor
tant to raise as much as possi
ble of the additional funds
necessary to reach the original
goal. Letters and phone calls
to those already pledged pro
duced an additional $17,000.
This effort to reach the $1
million mark still goes on.
“In the next issue of the
Charlotte Jewish News we ex
pect to report that we have
reached that $1 million marK.
We have every confidence in
the continued support of our
outstanding community.”
Communlty-Wida Young ChlldrMi*s Shabbat Sorvlea:
Joshua Blumenthal “studies” Torah at Temple Beth EL For story
and more photos see page 12. Photo/Roger Meyers
Many Accept 6 Month
Temple Memberships