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The Charlotte
JEWISH
Happy New Yearfrom the Jewish Federation of Greater Chariotte: Mann Cddberg,
executive director, Cary Bernstein, Amalia Wirshenbrot, Maria Uebermn and Amy Wem
Vol. 21 No. 8
Elul-Tishrei 5759/60
September 1999
New Community Day School Opens Doors
Federation Support Makes It All Possible
By Amy Krakovitz
On August 25, when the stu
dents arrived for the first day at
the Jewish Day School, every
thing appeared to be pretty much
the same to them. They may not
have noticed or cared that the
school’s name has changed to The
Charlotte Jewish Day School; they
certainly had no idea that there is
new governance for the school;
and by no means did they realize
that their school is being support
ed with a conunitment from the
Jewish Federation of Greater
Charlotte.
But changes, though subtle, are
possible at the school. And on the
level of governance, changes have
already occurred.
“These developments are a
longtime coming,” says Nancy
Kipnis, president of the new board
of directors of The Charlotte
Jewish Day School. “We’ve been
working on this since March of
1997 when the community demo
graphic study wa>? conducted,”
According to Sara Schreibman,
who headed the Federation task
force that created the community-
wide study, there was an entirely
separate study conducted that
focused on Jewish education and
Jewish day schools. “Parents of
preschoolers, day^ school students,
and those with cliildren up to the
age of eleven were selected for a
special questionnaire in addition
to the regular survey,” Schreibman
states. “We confirmed some of our
hypotheses about the community
and education: that we were grow
ing in enormous leaps and bounds
and that most parents would sup
port a Jewish community day
school if the existing Lubavitch
school were the roundation of the
new school.”
What resulted is a school, gov
erned by a new board of directors
that fully represents the Jewish
Mariashi Groner, director of the
Charlotte Jewish Day School
community of Charlotte. Lubavitch
of North Carolina will continue to
operate the Preschool on Sardis,
but will not operate the new
school.
Of the 24 members of the Board
of Directors, representatives come
from both synagogues, the
Chabad Lubavitch, and there is
even one unaffiliated person.
“There are 12 men and 12 women
on the board,” Kipnis says. “I am
really proud of this.”
The board has hired Mariashi
Groner to serve as director of the
school. “For now the curriculum is
the same as it has been in the
past,” Groner says. “Our secular
classes will remain academically
accelerated. Our school has
always been top caliber.” Her
assessment is demonstrated by the
fact that the students of Jewish
Day School have always per
formed in the 94th percentile or
better on standardized tests. “And
remember,” Groner continues,
“we don’t have any admissions
tests. We accept any Jewish stu
dent to this school. Our high test
scores come from children of
varying abilities.” These tacts are
a testimony to the excellence of
the school’s teachers and academ
ic program.
The students will continue to
learn Hebrew everyday. The
Hebrew program at the Day
School is intensive. Students read
Torah in Hebrew; they learn to
write Hebrew in cursive; they
study Rashi; and they are learning
Ulpan-style (the way new immi
grants are taught in Israel) conver
sational Hebrew from an Israeli
teacher. “In Torah study, we teach
basic Hebrew vocabulary and
grammar,” Groner explains. “But
our Israeli teacher will have these
children talking like sabras.”
That’s not to say that changes in
curriculum may not happen. They
may, but the board of directors is
waiting to have the current cur
riculum documented. Sandra
Epstein, an educational consultant
who has been involved with the
project from the beginning, is
working on documenting the cur
riculum, at which time the board
{Continued on pa^e 15)
The Committed Life
Inspirational Spiritual Leader Rebbetzin Jungreis Weaves
Timeless Torah Wisdom and Contemporary Parables into a
Dynamic Guide to Well-Being
On Monday, November 15,
1999 at 7:30 PM at Gorelick Hall
at the JCC, Rebbetzin Esther
Jungreis will share her stories and
lessons for living, as one of the
featured guests of Charlotte’s first
Jewish Community Cultural Arts
Festival.
“We are so pleased to bring
Rebbetzin Jungreis to Charlotte,”
remarked Jodi Valenstein, JCC
Chair for the Jewish Community
Cultural Arts Festival. “She has
spoken in over 1000 cities around
the world. She is so highly regard
ed and her latest book is so rele
vant to so many people within the
Charlotte community.”
Rebbetzin Jungreis - her title is
an honorific for a Rabbi’s wife - is
the author of The Committed Life:
Principles for Good Living from
Our Timeless Past. The popular
book is a guide to Torah values
and a manual for their application
to our daily lives.
According to Rebbetzin
Jungreis, “The Committed Life”
may be what the public needs in
today’s fast and oftentimes con
fusing world. The book encour
ages inuospection and will make
readers look inside and ask,
“Where am I? Who am I? Where
is my life going?’ She teaches
with Torah and stories. Her stories
are about people she has met
through the years - stories that
touch the heart and impart a mes-
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
sage. “These are issues that con
cern everyone. It’s about inviting
God into your life."
Praise for the book has come
from all corners. John Gray,
author of Men are From Mars,
Women are From Venus, says, “In
an age where most of us have for
gotten what’s tmly important The
Committed Life instills a renewed
passion to reconnect to the values
that really matter. This book
affected me deeply and I highly
recommend it to people of all
faiths.”
“This is one of the most touching
and inspiring boolcs I’ve ever read,”
according to Dr. Laura Schlesinger,
prominent talk-radlio host.
Rebbetzin Estl^« Jungreis is a
living example of the Torah’s
teachings that are the backbone of
her book. Born into a Rabbinical
dynasty with roots in the King
David era, and then deported in
early childhood to the Bergen-
Belsen concentration camp in
Germany where most of her
extended family was killed,
Jungreis refused to give herself
over to despair or bitterness.
Instead, buoyed by her heritage
and unflagging faith, she has made
it her life’s work to share with oth
ers her belief in hope, goodness,
and the humanistic teachings of
the Torah.
In The Committed Life Jungreis
helps others find emotional fulfill
ment in a heartfelt collection of
modern anecdotes and ancient
parables that address such issues
as divorce, addiction, child-rear
ing and making the most of our
time. The Committed Life is a
mosaic of courage, humility,
integrity, and wisdom born of the
terrible tfagedies and infinite joys
of her own remarkable life. “It
was a commitment to reach out
that impelled me to write this
book,” she says, “and if just one
person overcomes his fears, ban
ishes anger and jealousy from his
heart; if just one person learns to
appreciate the preciousness of
time and become a wiser parent, a
more devoted child, it will have
been worthwhile.”
f Continued on page 16)
JCC’s Israel Connection
Program Opens with Segev’s
“Barak to the Future”
Ilan Segev, Consul of Israel in
Atlanta, will be speaking in
Charlotte on September 14, 7:30
PM at the JCC. “Barak to the
Future” is the first of a series of
programs, the Israel Connection,
designed to establish a link
between our community and
Israel. Segev will be sharing his
thoughts on Israel’s new leader
Ehud Barak; where he will take
the county as we head into the
Twenty First Century. This pro
gram is free and open to the com
munity.
Consul Segev was born in Israel
in 1970. He received his
Bachelor’s degree in Economics
and Far East Studies from the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Following his service as an
Officer in the Israel Defense
Forces and his education, Segev
joined the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and served as Cadet until
1996. His first mission was as the
Deputy Head of Mission in the
Trade Representative Office in
Doha, Qatar. Since July of 1988,
Consul Segev has been stationed
at the Consulate General of Israel
in Atlanta as the State of Israel’s
second highest ranking diplomat
to the southeastern United States.
The Israel Connection is being
introduced in response to individ
uals who have participated in the
Federation’s Bernstein Leadership
Han Segev. consul of Israel to the
Southeast US.
Program and/or the JCC’s Board
and Leadership Education
Seminars and want to maintain or
establish a connection to Israel.
“Our Jewish identity, who we are
in Charlotte, is connected to our
knowledge and ties to Israel.
Learning some Hebrew, tasting
Israeli foods, keeping up with the
government in Israel are just a few
things that will define who we
are,” says Anne Sinsheimer. Every
month, there will be an opportuni
ty to connect.
Charlotteans, can experience
“Jerusalem from the Air,” in the
Speizman Galleries at the JCC
during the month of September.
This photographic exhibit presents
{Continued on page 16)
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Also inside ...
Temple Beth El
.. .page
18
Youth Visions
.. .page
20
Women’s Events
. page
21
CAm
• page
22
Lubavitch of North Carolina ..
•• page
23
Teniple Israel
.. page
24
Jewish Family Services . ..
• pages
25
Jewisli Community Cenicf
pages
26-27
Dining (>11! page
pages
28-30
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Campaign Reaches
$21 Million Mark!
See Page 5