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The Charlotte Jewish News - April, 1998 - Page 2 Point of View Ecjch issu^ of the CJN features an article written by one of three tabbis active in the Ciiarlotte Community. I Ins \.ioiitli: I \ossi (iI(inor I uh.n iUh of \oilh C aroliiia Partnership and technology bring Israel ‘home’ for North Carolina high school students By Jodi Keyserling “Thank you for including me in this [cultural] partnership. I can not believe what a difference it has rruide to me. / hope that it affects the students as much as it has me. ” — Thelma Kastl, a teacher at Ashe County Career Center, a vocational high school. For most Americans, the prospect of living in Israel is dis tant and removed from their daily lives, but for many students in North Carolina, the challenges of living in the Middle East have adopted a more personal signifi cance. Technology and hard work have made it possible for high school students in Ashe County, North Carolina, to be linked in a cultural exchange with high school students hdfway across the world in Ramat HaStwon, Israel. Through a program called International School Partnering through Technology (ISPT), coor dinated by the North Carolina Center for International Understanding (NCCIU) and facilitated by the North Carolina- Israel Partnership (NCIP), high schools in North Carolina and Israel have been partnered with the goal of exposing students to new cultural norms. The ISPT program involves stu dents from both countries, ages 15 through 17, working together to complete a task developed by their teachers. The assignments can involve the use of e-mail, videoconferenc ing, interactive chats and the pro duction of World Wide Web pages if possible. Although the first tech nological exchanges were made only in mid-January, students have already been able to share much more than the information needed for the prescribed assignment; the road to greater friendship and understanding has been embarked on. The extent of this relationship was realized as recent events in the Middle East began to unfold. In response to an e-mail from Jodi Schenck, an English teacher at Rothberg High School in Israel, about fears that had been surfac ing in Israel over the possibility of an Iraqi scud attack on Tel Aviv, Thelma Kastl, a communications teacher and Jodi’s counterpart in North Carolina made the follow ing remarks: “I am stunned. I thought I had a grasp on what you might be going through, but aifter reading your e-mail I know that I do not. While I was in college I had to do a report on the history of Israel and follow it in the news for a semester. I felt very sorry for the Israeli people at the time. I still feel sorry, but now I also feel something more.I know you and your students. The things seem so much worse since I know people who are being affected by them. I am so sorry. We will continue to keep you in our prayers.” Currently, four schools in North Carolina are participating in the cultural exchange program with Israel. Due to the success of the program, the NCCIU is working to double the number of schools part nered with Israel next year. For the 1997-98 school year, ISPT has linked a total of 26 schools across North Carolina with 13 countries around the world to work on 29 different pro jects. ISPT is NCCIU’s newest pro gram. Its main goal is to prepare North Carolina students to be able to compete in today’s global mar ketplace. ISPT helps to achieve this goal by enabling students and teachers to interact directly through telecommunications tech nology with students and teachers from other countries. If you would like more information about ISPT, please call Diane Midness at the North Carolina Center for International Understanding at 919-733-4902. The North Carolina Partnership helped to facilitate the connection between North Carolina schools with those in Israel. NCIP is a model for state-based internation al relations and the only one of its kind in the United States. Rather than view the relation ship between North Carolina and Israel as purely economic, NCIP takes a more holistic approach. Programs range in scope from the one discussed above to cultural events, international speakers, and various economic forums. Many states have sought NCIP’s assis tance in the establishment of a similar program in their home state. If you have any additional questions about NCIP, please direct them to Merritt Mulman at 919-489-0676. * Hornets sign on as the ’98 Maccabi Games Diamond Sponsor (Continued from page 1) Vice President of Public Relations, Harold Kaufman said. “Being a 10-year member of Temple Israel here in Charlotte, I feel a sense of pride that we could help the JCC Maccabi Games grow. I was fortunate to attend the Maccabian Games in Israel in 1981 and experienced a similar exciting sporting event.” Did you know that the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets are one of a few professional sports teams that put the name of their host city on the front of their home and away jer seys? It is not a fashion statement. It has everything to do with com- munity-pride and a display of what ^e city of Charlotte means to all of the Hornets — ranging from the 250 part-time game-night employees all the way through to All-Star Glen Rice. “I have attended many Hornets events in which the team has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for many different chari ties. I have seen donations of canned foods, coats, toys, shoes and books,” Gold said. “The Hornets have proved to set the standard in our area in corporate involvement for charitable caus es.” « Tlie Charlotte Jewish News 5007 Providence Road - Charlotte, NC 28226 Office Hours Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 11;00AM - 3:00PM Phone fvD^ maH affer office hours) Office 366-5007 ext 268 FAX 704-365^7 e-mail: scannon^netnet A Publication of the J«¥fiah Faderation of Qraater Charlotte Marvin Goldberg, Executive Director Suzanrie Cannon, intarim Editor Advertising Coordinalon RHi Mond, 366-6632 Advertising Sales Rap: Shari Naman, 841*1674 CJN Executive Board Co-Chain • Bob Abel - Bob Davis Members; Evelyn Berger. Suzanne Cannon, Ann Langman,* Linda Levy, Dr. SaKvyn Spangenthal Th« CJN doM not aMurM rMponstNMy tor the quattty or kasrutti of any product or tarvto* adwti—d. PubaiNng of ■ paid poMcal a*wti8«ment doos not ccirutitula an andommart of any candMaia. poWicai party or position by frtis nawapaper, tw FedarMDn or any amtioyeee. Layout Design by Erin H. Bronkar Pubtished monthty except July Copy deedilna ie ttw let of ttie month pracoding ntontfi of issue Deadline for the May issue IS Passover — A Prayer for Redemption Passover celebrates the Israelite Exodus from ancient B^pt 3,300 years ago. The Exodus is monumental in Judaism as itled to the eventu^ emancipation of the Israelites and is n^^utled as the birth of Judaism. The long p^od of bondage the Israelites endured as slaves in Egypt is likened to birth pangs. The bifdi of Judaism occurred in a miraculous manna: and reached fidfiUment when tihe new nitti(Mi entered the land of Israel. This was the Land chosen by G-d and promised to the Jewish Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jac(^, as the land that dieir descendants, the Israelites, wotdd inherit foiev- er. The redempticMi of Passover was nm (Nily to achieve (Aysical freedom, it was for ^iritual liboittion as well. Ait^ kiaviiig Egypt, tlte Jews headed to Mount Sinai, whore ttiey received tl^ Tcxtdi from G-d throu^ Moses. Thoe, in the Sinai desot, diey made an everlasting commitment to G-d to keq> his Torah and its commandments. It was only after receiving t^ Torah that tfiey were instructed to journey to the land of Israel. Once Israel became the Jewish homeland, it gave tl^m a sense of belonging. The land was their G-4 given eternal inheritance, as was the Torah. They buih the Holy Temple in Jerusalem for vt/or- ship and settled the land and brou^t it to prospoity. On Passovo* night, we tell the stc»y of the Exodus in its full detail. The Seder contains much tradition, education and ritual. The central dieme of the holiday is the celeln^tion of freedom and redemption. As we recite in the Haggadah, (Passover book), if not fcM- this night, we and our children might still have been slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. The symbols and rituals of the Passovor Seder reflect the pas sion Jews have fw freedom. Israel is very much on the mind of Jews during Passover, as both have come to symbolize freedom £uid independence. During the thousands of years of exile, Jews clung with ^th to the hope of returning to the Land of Milk and Honey. The v^ thought of Israel gave Jews hope that someday G-d would gatlier the oppressed and suffering Jews from tiie Diaqxnti and bring them home to the Land of Israel. Even during the Holocaust, many Jews recited the **Ani Ma’amin,” a proclamation of faith in the final redemption and the ultimate return of Jews to Israel. Although the final reden^)tion through Moshiach (Messiah) has not yet arrived, nevertheless, Israel has become a place of the ing^ering of the exiles. In just the past few years, we have seen a massive emigration of East European and Ethiopian Jews who have left behind persecution and despair and are making tl^ir new home in Israel. American and Western Jews suppnt Israel since it is hcnne and thus a safe haven fcM* Jews fleeing ^>pression and persecution. This year on Passover, Jews v^l have much to ponder, as the sense of security in Israel has been shattered in recent years by acts of terrorism in the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This is a stmggle for the very soul of the land. To make Jews feel unsafe in their own homeland is to further distance the hc^)es and aspira tions of Jews worldwide for over 2,000 years. Israel needs to take strong defensive measures to restore the sense of security to its people. We need to realize that “peace through strength” is what will woik in the Middle East. Pe^ in this case is the notion that there will be zero tolerance for terror ism. On the first night of Passover, families will gather in Charlotte and the wOTld over to celebrate freedom and redemption. Our hearts will go out in prayer to our fnends and family in Israel. We will eat matzo and drink four cups of wine and recount the jour ney of our ancestors from bondage to fireedom. We will praise G-d for our good fortunes. But most of all, we will pray for true and everlasting peace in the Holy Land that can only be delivered by G-d with the coming of Moshiach (Messiah). O Our thanks to Susan Kramer By Marvin A. Goldberg, on behalf of the CJN Editorial Board Saying good-bye to someone you do not want to say good-bye to is very difficult. At the last CJN Editorial Board meeting, Susan Kramer, our outgoing editor, was presented with a gift. It was a sterling silver heart necklace with Hebrew letters on it that ^pell rhni — meaning iifc ” Susan was (kcply appre- t^iaiive ni ihiv and immedi ately put it on. We hope she will wear it every day as she moves on to the next stage of her life. Susan was an outstanding edi tor of the CJN and she still has many chapters of her life to write. We wish her the best, and Susan, this is for you from all of us on the Editorial Board of the Charlotte Jewish News; L'Chatm! — ‘"to life!”
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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April 1, 1998, edition 1
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