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The Charlotte Jewish News - January, 1998 - Page 2 My Voice . . . By Susan Kramer In November, / shared with you some of the lessons that life has been teaching me lately in the form of a reoccurrence of cancer. It’s a journey, really, and in response to so many requests, here’s another “traveler’s update. ” The stack of inspirational books by my bedside is slowly diminish ing. I’ve developed a skimming technique where I search for key words and read paragraphs here or there before committing myself to an entire volume. It’s the only way to get through the mountain of infor mation that has come my way since last September when my cancer reoccurred. What amazes me is how the infor mation that I’m supposed to get eventually sorts itself out and comes to me from several directions. Early on in my journey, Arthur and I decided that we would search out alternative treatments. Conventional medicine, in the voice of my former oncologist, offered only another course of chemotherapy with no guarantees. I’m not ready yet to put my body or my family through that again, so I started reading and talk ing to friends, searching, searching, searching. The very first thing I got was an article about a woman who had, against terrible odds, beat cancer in 1990 by following a modified vege tarian diet. Her doctor was Nicholas Gonzales in New York City. I read the article and was inspired by her story, but didn’t pursue what was then simply a name on a Xerox copy of an old magazine. Two months go by. Two months of reading, talking, searching, searching, searching. There’s a doc tor in Texas who has had promising results with a new drug; a retreat in California where Arthur and I could explore a mind-body-spirit approach; the mother of a fdend of my daughter who had had great suc cess with a macrobiotic diet. Finally last week we visited an internist who had been recommend ed by several sources as a doc who was open to and knowledgeable about dtemative choices. I dreaded going in to see one more doctor, to tell my story once again, and to hear one more time that he/she didn’t know or believe in anything but the traditional treatment of chemothera py that I was trying to avoid. I have found sometimes, that when I’m trying to explain to a new health care professional what exact ly it is we’re looking for, they look at me as if I’m speaking Martian. In fact, Arthur and I have gotten fairly good a sizing up a new doctor in the first five minutes — kind of like my skimming technique with the books. If I know more about the non-tradi- tional {^)proaches than Dr. X does — well, lets just say I don’t waste his time. But this doctor was different. He immediately knew what we were there for, and he cut to the chase with very little fanfare. If we were interested in pursuing alternative treatments, there was a doctor in New York City who had had remarkable success. His name was Dr. Gonzales. Now call me crazy, but I believe in symmetry. Coming full circle is one of my basic life philosophies. Or, as Arthur in fond of quoting, coincidence is just God’s way of remaining anonymous. I don’t think it was an accident that the first name I read turns out to be one of the more viable choices in my quest for a cure. I’m following my instincts here, but in the end what else do we really have but the instincts that God provides us? After several unsettling months, reams of reading material, hours of conversations with trusted friends and advisors, we feel we are finally starting on the right path. Maybe not — maybe this will just be another dead end. But every journey starts with a single step, and it fieels good to be getting the exercise. ^ Community program inspires teens to create endowments By Susan Jacobs NEW YORK (JTA) — Philanthropy now begins at the age of B’nai and B'not Mitzvah in a Massachusetts community. To encourage tzedakah, a recently launched fund-raising program is offering teenagers a way to make donations through small endowment funds. The program gives young people, “the thrill of being a philanthropist,” said Rob Katz, executive director of the Harold Grinspoon Supporting Foundation, one of the cosponsors of the endowment program. The B’nai Tzedek program, based in Springfield, Mass., enables each participating teenager to set up an endowment fund of $500. Teens are asked to designate $125 of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts for an endowment fund. The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Western Massachusetts, which co-sponsors the program, matches that amount and the Grinspoon Foundation con tributes $250. B’nai Tzedek participants are required to donate five percent of their endowment funds annually to a local Jewish charity of their choice. They and their parents are encour aged to contribute additional amounts to the principal over time to maintain the ^nd^balance. About a dozen teens — approxi mately 25 percent of the B'nai Mitzvah in western Massachusetts — have joined the program since it was launched earlier this year. B’nai Tzedek is “a way of getting young people excited about Jewish philanthropy and giving through endowments,” said Katz. The pro gram is intended to develop a life long habit of giving tzedakah. “In the long term, this will help build up endowment foundations,” said Katz. ‘The idea for B’nai Tzedek came from the Jewish Fund for Justice.” Youth Endowment Funds were created by the New York-based fund nearly 12 years ago to enable the family and friends of B’nai or B’not Mitzvah to contribute at least The Charlotte Jewish News 5007 Providence Road - Charlotte, NC 28226 Office Hours Tuesdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Thursdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Phone (voice man e/ter office hours) Office 366-5007 ext 268 FAX 704 365-4507 E-Mail: skramergvnetnet Internet access is provided to the CJN by Vnet Internet Access, Inc. A Publication of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte Marvin Goldberg-Executive Director Susen Kramer>Editor Actwirtlilnfl Coordbtalor: RHi Mond, 366*6632 AdwHsing Salat Rap: Shirl Naman, 64M674 CJN Executive Board CoOhairs • Bob Abal - Bob Oavts Memfaen: Evetyn Berger, Suzanne Cannon, Ann Langman, Linda Lavy, Dr. Sefwyn Spango^hal TTw CJN doM not asaum* rMponiK)Wy lor tw quaMy or luaruti of any product or aer>4oe advefSeed. Publahing of ■ paid pomcd adv«niM(?tenl does not oonsfltui* an mntonmmt of any candWali. poMoai party or portton t>y tris newspapar, tw ^ada^iSoo or a^y anipto^fcea- Layout Daaijn by Erin K Bronkar PiAiished monthly except Jufy Copy daednne ia the 5th of the month preceding month of iesue $1,000 to establish a fund in the name of the young person. The young participants choose which organizations fighting pover ty that are supported by the Jewish Fund for Justice to give money from their endowments. When they turn 21, the balance is transferred to the fund or converted into a Family Endowment Fund. Some 80 young people are currently participating in the program. Another organization, Mazon, which supports groups combating hunger, encourages teens to con tribute 3 percent of the cost of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration to Mazon. Sometimes they choose to donate 10 percent of the money they receive as gifts or ask friends and family to donate to Mazon instead of receiving gifts. ‘The significance of meaning of this rite of passage is sometimes lost,” said Beth Edelson, associate director of the Jewish Fund for Justice. “Contributions to charitable organizations and community ser vice projects have become a popular way of infusing meaning into the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies,” she added. O Article deadline for February issue is January 1 Point of View Each issue of the CJN features an article written by one-of three rabbis active in the Charlotte Community. ////s \Joiitli: Kiibbi CiroiuT I uba\ itch of \orth C .iroliiiii Jewish Survival of the fittest Our community .has recently completed a demopaphic study of the Jewish population in ChvlottB. The reason for the study is quite obvious, as the community continues to ffow, we need to toow what it looks like and v^here it is headed. Chariotte is fortunate to be a growing conunimity. IVo major Victors are the main cause of the [^nomenal growth. Hie number of children bom each year, (to which we, the Groners, can claim our share, with our ten children, nine of whom were bom in Charlotte). Second, tlie rapid influx of new Jewish families into Charlotte, which has caus^ our ccHnmuniQ^ to more tfiM double in the last fifteen years. When a community experiences growth, it tends to be confident and optimistic about its ftituie stab^ty. Gro'^ jnesents the com munity many new p(^bilities and of^xntunitles. Hie problem however is, while we may be over ciMifident, we may hot see the various pitfalls and underlying pnril hiding behind the nice veneer of our fabulous growth. ' If we look to the national scene, we find thitf many Jewish lead- ers are v^ conconed about tiie decline of the Judaism in America. Books written witii titles like The Vanishing American Jew (Alan Dorshowitz) and Faidi cmt Fiear (Elliot Abrams) make the case, that unless we take drastic action now we will see a further decline in Jews and Judaism in Amoica. Both writers point to the lack of quality Jewish lifb as the main reason for the decline. This is not to be confused with quality of life in general, which is steadily rising. It is tile shocking level of Jewish illiteracy we see in our generation, they candidly say, tiiat prevents many Jews from experiencing a meaningful Jewish life. The above is furth^ illustrated by a hum(Mous but sad tale. A leader was once asked what he thin^ is a bigger problem in his conununity, ignwance or apathy, to which he replied, **I don’t know and I don’t care!” Ignorance leads to apathy. In sin^>le terms, the lack of quality education contributes to the fiallout of Judaism. Many Jews become uninvolved or simply tune out of religion. If we are serious about Jewish survival we need to raise a gen eration that will know what it means to be Jewish and care to maintain it In OTder to reverse tte national treiKl of apathy and assimilation, te£un effort is required on the part of the community. This eff^ involves adults, children and conununity leadersh^. We need to {dace value on Jewish learning, and respect it at least as much as se^ar acactemics. As a community, we should provide substantive Jevmh learning qpportunities for aJl ages. We are fortunate that we have the Jewish Day School in Charlotte, which has produced a higher level of learning and involvement in our community. That is only a start We need to reach out to adults as well as children and funiish them with qual ity educational programming that will inspire further learning and growth. We just celebrated tiie festival of Qianukah. Each night we added a candle. Although we fully observed the mitzvah on the first night with one candle, we must add a second candle on the second night in order to comply with tiie Chanukah observance. The same is true on each night of Oianukah; we kindle an addi tional candle each successive night of Chanukah. The lesson of Chanukah lilies to Jewish education as well. Each individual Jewish soul which has been brought closer to Judaism is an additional candle that has been kindled. Let Charlotte set an example for the rest of the country, by working together as lamplighters. We can do so by not being caught up in politicsd wHriwinds. Rath^ we should }ocA at the issues of education in a pure and practical nuuum which win only serve to enhance the level of Judaism in the commumty. ^ I would like to make a contribution to demonstrate my sup port of The Charlotte Jewish News. Name Phone ( Address Grty Enclosed in my check for $ .) .State. .Zip I I I; L $18.00 Basic Annual Subscription $25.00 Friend $50.00 Patron $100.00 Grand Patron Other Mall to: The Charlotts Jowfah Newa Voluntary Subscription App—I 5007 Provktorica Road Charlotte, Nc 28226
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1998, edition 1
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