OPEMm
EXODUS
P.O. Box 13369
Charlotte, NC 28270
Address Corrcctiorj
Requested
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage PAID
Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 1208
SO¥IET JEWRY RALLY
SEPT. 23
The Charlotte JEWISH ‘^NEWS
Vol. 12 No. 8
Chariotte, North Carolina
September 1990
’90 Federation Campaign Closes
’91 Campaign is Underway
Community Rally Will
Kick Off Operation Exodus
Emily Zimmern, president of
the Charlotte Jewish Federa
tion, announced to the Board of
Directors at its June meeting
that the 1990 Campaign has
officially closed at $1,241,712,
which is approximately a 1%
increase over last year’s cam
paign achievement.
Upon review of campaign
results throughout the country,
charitable dollars are more
difficult to raise. Charlotte joins
other Federations in belt-tight
ening and cost-reduction me
thods in order to set priorities
and allocate dollars to those
agencies and organizations that
the community deems their
services are critically needed in
our community’s and Israel’s
development.
Shelton Gorelick and Alan
Blumenthal, cochairs of the
Allocations Committee, an
nounced at the same time that
the committee recommends a
change in the allocations proce
dure from a pre-campaign allo
cating process to a prior year
process. This is a shift in Char
lotte’s allocating procedure to
methods that were used years
ago when the community allo
cates actual dollars it raises
based on campaign pledges from
the prior year. The Federation
leadership hopes that the com
munity will respond generously
as new programs are developed
and the needs are presented so
that Charlotte can continue to
be a pacesetting community-
minded spirit within the family
of Federations.
1991 Campaign
The 1991 Charlotte Jewish
Federation’s annual campaign
drive is officially underway. Meg
Goldstein, William Gorelick and
Dr. Jared Schwartz will be at the
helm of this year’s effort.
“199! will prove to be a
challenging year,” said Emily
Zimmem, “bwause we are mo
bilizing a two-line campaign
which will be raising fun^ for
the regular campaign, while at
the same time asking people to
make a contribution to Opera-
Federation Welcomes New Staff Associate
Pam Appelbaum, a newcomer
from Toronto, has assumed the
position of Staff Associate of the
Charlotte Jewish Federation.
Her staffing responsibilities
include the Women’s Division,
Leadership Development, Com
munity Relations Council and
Missions. She is also responsible
for the new Young Adults divi
sion of Federation and as a
young single, her rapport with
this group is a definite plus.
She stated that “as a newcom
er, my fint impressions of Char
lotte were in admiration of the
lush and the greenery. However,
as a Jewish newcomer, my first
impressions were in admiration
of the warm reception and the
vitality of the Jewish communi
ty. The attributes of the Char
lotte Jewish community have
certainly facilitated my adjust
ment.”
The most momentous event in
her life was making Aliyah to
Israel with her family in 1975,
at which time she enrolled in
high school there. As Olim
Chadashim from Canada, they
had the fortune to voluntarily
decide on making Aliyah. In
contrast, she says, “The Soviet
immigrants currently leaving the
Soviet Union in unprecedented
droves, do not have the good
fortune, as my family had, to
voluntarily decide to emigrate.
“Israel welcomed my family
with open arms. I commend the
Charlotte Jewish community’s
efforts on welcoming our new
comers, the Soviet families.”
In 1979, Pam returned to
Toronto, leaving her family in
Pam Appelbauiii
Israel, in order to continue her
education. She studied political
science and Judaic studies at the
University of Toronto and while
finishing her undergraduate
degree, she worked part time at
the Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce. Upon completion of
her degree she continued to work
full time as a securities officer,
an account supervisor, a market
ing officer and a teller.
Pam goes on to say the “the
turning point in my life was
when I realized that although I
enjoyed the human relations
aspect of banking, the banking
services per se were of no real
significance to me. At that point
I discovered that by focusing on
Jewish communal work, 1 could
combine my interpersonal skills
with my interest in the Jewish
communal work field.
“In order to pave the way, I
began to volunteer as a Youth
Advisor for the B’nai B’rith
See NEW pu%t 18
tion Exodus, the resettlement of
Soviet Jews in Charlotte and
Israel.”
The campaign provides the
Jewish community the opportu
nity to play a major role in
ensuring Jewish survival and
avoid duplicating strategic er
rors made during the 1930s.
With over 65,000 new Soviet
olim arriving in Israel since
January, dramatic increases are
projected for each month until
the end of the year, and with
continuing and ever increasing
needs unfolding in Charlotte, the
1991 Charlotte Jewish Federa
tion Campaign/ Operation Exo
dus Campaign takes on a mag
nitude not witnessed by Diaspo
ra Jewry in many, many years.
The Campaign Cabinet and
community leadership have de
cided that this year’s effort will
reach out to the entire commu
nity by officially kicking off the
Campaign this November.
Hundreds of men and women
will be asking the Charlotte
Jewish community tt> make two
pledges simultaneously. The first
pledge will be for the regular
campaign to fulfill the needs of
our local, national and overseas
constituent agencies. Above and
beyond the regular needs, the
workforce will be soliciting
commitments to Operation Ex
odus.
Knowing this is a tremendous
challenge, the community will
experience several unique events
designed to give momentum and
needed energies to the regular
campaign. On the heels of the
Sept. 23 Rally for Soviet Jewry,
the community will be called on
Sunday, October 7 for a special
Operation Exodus phonathon
prior to the regular campaign.
Callers, gathered in Gorelick
Hall, will reach out to Charlotte
to discuss this present day Ex
odus and to ask everyone to
consider a gift of a minimum of
100% of their 1990 regular
campaign pledge. This Opera-
See CAMPAIGN page 5
-In the News-
Adult Institute 18
Calendar 28
Classifieds 28
Dining Out 22-25
Editorials 2
Eng./Marria^ 21
Family Services 3
Federation 6-8
JCC 9-13
Lubavitch 16-17
Organizations 20
Temples 26-27
This'n That 19
Worid Beat 4
Sptctol F—tur>s
“Being 16 & a Soviet Jew”... 15
Kkte' Page 14
FAU XC CLASSES 9 ^
The Charlotte Coalition for
the Resettlement of Soviet Jews
will hold a community rally
celebrating the official kick off
of Operation Exodus on Sun
day, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in
Gorelick Hall at Shalom Park.
Special guest speaker will be
Rabbi Leonid Feldman, an
extremely articulate personality,
who completely captivated his
audience when he appeared in
Charlotte a couple of years ago.
Take this opportunity also to
meet and welcome our new
families from the USSR. Also
share a special thank you to all
those who have worked to make
Operation Exodus the success it
is.
Members of The Coalition
will be holding small pre-rally
get-togethers with their friends
and then coming to the rally.
This is a wonderful opportunity
for others to do the same with
family, friends and neighbors.
The rally is open to the entire
Charlotte community. Join in
solidarity behind Operation
Exodusf
Rabbi Leonid Feldman
Rabbi Leonid Feldman,
CLAL Associate and the rabbi
of Temple Emanu-El of Palm
Beach, Florida, was ordained in
May, 1987 at the Jewish Theo
logical Seminary as the first
Soviet-born Conservative rabbi.
Rabbi Feldman has lectured
nationally and internationally
for the past six years on Soviet
Jewry, human rights, and Juda-
mt.
Rabbi Feldman
ism. He has also served as a
scholar for the Brandeis-Bardin
Institute in California, and the
Wexner Foundation in Ohio,
and as Director of Programs for
Soviet Emigres for the Federa
tion in Los Angeles, and the
Joint Distribution Committee in
Rome, Italy.
Rabbi Feldman has a Bache
lor’s degree in Rabbinics from
the University of Judaism, a
Master’s in education from the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem,
and a Master's in Physics and
Theater Arts from Kishinev
State University in the USSR.
Rabbi Feldman’s varied and
unusual life and educational
experiences and background in
a Marxist society enable him to
teach and lecture on Judaism
with a passion and perspective
that is unique and exhilarating.
He is a dynamic and exciting
speaker and is well on his way
to becoming a new and impor
tant figure in American Jewish
life.
Phil’s Chai Party Fetes Seniors
Senior* eqjoyinf tbdr “special afteraoon.’
On August 5, Phil Levine of
Phil’s Deli treated approximate
ly 130 senior citizens to a delight
ful afternoon. Beginning at I p.m.,
a lovely dairy lunch was served
in Gorelick Hall at Shalom Park
and everyone received a gift
from Marcia Stern’s basket.
These were donated by Mike and
Teri Kane.
The group comprised of
members of the Charlotte Jewish
community and the OWLS
(older, wiser, livelier seniors) of
St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church,
were entertained until 4 p.m. by
a comic-magician and a tap
dance rendition by Phil’s niece,
Rebecca Levine.
Many door prizes were
awarded to those in attendance.
The lovely gifts were donated by
Coplon’s, Design 41, Bush Sta
tioners, Brownlee Jewelers,
Schrum’s Gulf Station. Mann
Travels, the Monds, and A1
See CHAI page 19