Soper
Sonday
Janoarv 15
1989
Charlotte, NC 28211
Address Carrection
Requested
Non-Profit Organizaticn
BULK RATE
U.S. Postage PAID
Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 1208
The Charlotte ^JEWISH ^TMEWS
Vol. 11 No. 1
Charlotte, North Carolina
January 1989
JCC Gala Winners
To Vacation in France
Special Fund Has Been Established
In Honor and Memory of Ellis Berlin
Phil Joffe, chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee
of the Jewish Community
Center, has announced fi
nalized plans for its most
important fund raising
event of the year, the Annual
Gala & Dinner Dance.
This year’s “Gala,” to be
held Saturday, February 4,
at 8:30 p.m., at Shalom Park,
features a wide variety of
music for all ages from top
40 to beach to easy listening
by the five piece band “Wall-
street,” a wonderful “home-
cooked” dinner prepared by
the catering services of
Susan and Hy Bruck, and a
fabulous Grand Prize of a
French vacation entirely
arranged for by Maxine and
Gary Silverstein (Mann
Travels).
“Wallstreet,” an extreme
ly popular group throughout
the community, includes two
talented female vocalists.
The group performs an ideal
blend of listening and danc
ing music.
Sue and Hy Bruck, who
have been catering Char
lotte events for years, plan
hors d’oeuvres and a dinner
buffet which will be scrump>-
tious, satisfying and deli
ciously memorable. “The
community will get exactly
what it’s been asking for and
that’s food everyone loves
and plenty of it!,” com
mented a planning commit
tee member.
The Grand Prize has been
carefully arranged by Mann
Travels. This year’s winners
will spend eight days and
seven nights in France: four
nights in Paris at the world
famous Maxim’s De Paris
overlooking the Champs
Elysees and three nights
visiting the French country
side while staying at the
Chateaux Du Bas Breau in
the scenic town of Barbizon.
Included in this unbelieva
ble vacation package for two
is a Hertz rental car and,
while in Paris, dinner at the
internationally acclaimed
Maxim’s Restaurant, plus
round-trip, non-stop air
travel with American Air
lines.
The Grand Prize to Paris
is just one of the more than
$8,000 in prizes which will be
awarded during the Gala.
Committee cochairwo
man, Evelyn Berger, re
marked that “...we are plan
ning the Gala, our major
annual fund raising event,
in response to requests from
the community. We believe
that we have be«n creative
in our approach to the even
ing, from the dinner and
musical entertainment to
the exciting array of prizes.
We are essentially giving the
community what they want
in a semi-formal evening
and we hope that this most
important event is widely
supported; it truly deserves
to be.”
“It’s such an exciting
departure from the events of
the past that we are expect
ing to see many new people
come to this year’s Gala,”
said Paula Musler who is
also serving as a committee
cochairwoman.
The Jewish Community
Center has set a goal of
raising $18,000 so that
senior citizens, youth and
Judaica programs will be
adequately funded for 1989.
“It is extremely important
that the JCC be able to take
care of the needs of all its
people,” said Barry Hant-
man, executive director of
the Jewish Community Cen
ter. This fund raiser ^1 be
the major event of 1989.
Tickets are $125 per couple
for the semi-formal Gala.
Miles Levine, chairman of
ticket sales, indicated that
the limited number of tickets
for the evening are now
available for purchase. For
further information call the
JCC, 366-5007.
By Sandy Berlin
A new fund has been
established under the auspi
ces of Jewish Family Servi
ces which can provide direct
assistance or loans for Jews
in need of these services. The
fund is being named in
honor of Ellis Berlin as a
memorial to his work in this
area of Tzedakah.
In November, during a
chat with Bobbi Bernstein
and Mike Minkin, the sub
ject of an assistance fund for
Jews in financial need was
discussed. It was the feeling
of the Federation Executive
Committee that such a fund
should exist. I was also
thrilled to learn that the
fund would be named in
honor of my father as a
memorial. The actual name
is the “Ezra Fund” — Ezra
meaning “help.” It is a plea
sure for my family and me
to begin this endeavor by
making the initial contribu
tions.
Ellis Berlin was bom in
1912 in Greer, South Carol
ina. My grandparents, both
of whom were bom in Riga,
Latvia, were peddlers and
did most of their business in
South Carolina. In 1926,
they moved with their six
children to Charlotte and
opened a new and used clo
thing store on East Trade
Street. Dad graduated from
Central High School in 1930
just as the Depression hit —
Temple Israel’s Scholar-in-Residence
Weekend Features Daniel Schorr
Daniel Schorr, senior
news analyst for National
Public Radio, will make two
presentations during Tem
ple Israel’s Scholar-in-
Residence weekend, Jan. 28-
29. Schorr will speak on
“America in the Post-
Reagan World” following
the Havdalah Service and
dinner at Temple Israel on
Saturday evening, Jan. 28.
Havdalah will begin at 6:15
p.m.
Schorr’s topic will be
“America, Israel and the
Middle East in the Post-
Reagan World” when he
speaks at 10 a.m. on Sunday
morning at Shalom Park in
Gorelick Hall. The entire
community is invited to both
events.
Although Schorr has
Daniel Schorr
covered national and inter
national news since 1946, he
is probably best known for
his coverage of the Senate
Watergate hearings, which
earned him three Emmy
Awards. He unexpectedly
found himself part of his
See SCHORR page 7
he went straight to work at
the store. Having enough to
eat and a good place to live
was a fine accomplishment
during the 1930s, and Dad
often expressed his thank
fulness that this- was the
case with him and his fam
ily. During the 1950s the
store was changed over to a
pawn shop, and this is where
Dad worked right up until
March, 1985, when he
passed away.
The other members of the
faunily include my mother,
Lena Berlin, my brother,
Barry Berlin of Stirling,
New Jersey, his wife, Susan,
and their two beautiful boys,
Aaron and David.
I believe Dad would have
been proud, yet slightly
embarrassed, by this honor.
He was a background
worker in our community
and went about his charita
ble undertakings in a quiet
way. In the years before
Jewish Family Services, any
request for assistance was
approved by three members
of the community after
reviewing the circumstan
ces. For many years Dad
was one of these men. His
community work also in
volved many meetings and
decisions on behalf of Tem
ple Israel as a longtime
Ellis Berlin
member of its board. In my
mind, however. Dad’s finest
volunteerism came in the
form of his work with the
Hebrew Cemetery. He served
several years as President of
this organization and
through that office helped
many Jewish families
through the hours of their
darkest and most desperate
times.
Writing this article causes
me to lovingly recall many
fine attributes of my father,
including a keen sense of
humor, fairness in business
and all dealings, and com
passion and concern for his
fellow man. My family and
I strive to learn from Dad’s
example and work for Tze
dakah. Thank you for this
honor.
Israel Art Show and Sale
Comes to Shalom Park
On Saturday and Sunday,
January 22 and 23, Ruth
Fredman, well known art
connoisseur and historian,
brings her unique Collector’s
Corner from St. Louis to
Shalom Park. Sponsored by
the Visual Arts Committee
of the Foundation with the
assistance of the Jewish
Community Center, this
extensive show and sale
includes original oils, col
lages and papercuts as well
as a variety of lithographs,
serigraphs and woodcuts by
such internationally ac
claimed artists as Heinz
Seelig, Yehudit Shador,
David Sharir and Yaacov
Agam. Sculpture, jewelry
and fibers, some by the noted
artist Caiman Shemi, are
also included. The collection
includes something for eve
ryone, from fifty dollar
reproductions to thousand
dollar originals.
This exciting weekend
event will be previewed on
Saturday evening, Jan. 21 at
a cocktail reception firom 6-
9 p.m. All are welcome to
attend this special preview.
On Sunday, Jan. 22, the
exhibition will be open to the
public from 9:30 a.m.-5:30
p.m. All profits will go to the
Foundation; purchases may
be paid by cash, check, Mas
tercard or Visa. Also on Sun
day at 2 p.m. Ms. Fredman,
who has lived and traveled
extensively in Israel to
amass this large and beau
tiful collection, will present
a lecture and slide show.
The Visual Arts Commit
tee is proud to make avail
able to the community one
of the most comprehensive
collections of contemporary
Israeli art in the country. We
hone that you will take
advantage of this rare
opportunity.
For further information
call: Ethel Gordon, 366-0527
or Louise Bernstein, 366-
3894.
In This Issue
Calendar
Ediloriais
Federation
20
2
5-6
Organizaliona
Temples
This ’n That
18
JCC
Winter Programs
Happy Birthday
"CJN”
Lubavilch
16
World Beat
4
P. 12-15
Page 11