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The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 22 No. 6
lyar-Sivan-Tammuz 5760
June-July 2000
Just a Little
More to Set a
New Record!
Federation Campaign
2000 Tops $2 Million
“We are moving towards anoth
er record,” remarked Eric Sklut,
the 2000 Federation Annual
Campaign Chair, at a recent gath
ering. “There are many appeals
currently in the community, all
important, but our community
understands the needs and has
responded once again to the
Federation.”
Currently, the total is
$2,029,411, and the campaign is
expected to end June 2. Funds
raised in the campaign are used to
meet the needs of Jews in
Charlotte, Israel and in 60 coun
tries around the world.
Eric went on to say how the
campaign serves as a wonderful
instrument to build the communi
ty. “I became the Campaign Chair
late, but have realized how impor
tant the campaign is to the future
of the conmiunity, and how
pleased I am to be involved.” ^
First Plea of Not Guilty Entered
by Iranian Jew
By Michael J. Jordan
NEW YORK (JTA) — Six of
the seven Iranian Jews who have
gone before Iran’s Revolutionary
Court have “confessed” to spying
for Israel.
The first plea of not guilty came
May 8, as 31-year-old Farzad
Kashi, a religion teacher, told the
judge he did not pass sensitive
material to the Mossad, Israel’s
foreign intelligence agency.
Earlier in the day, Kashi’s
brother, Faramarz, 35, reportedly
admitted he was guilty of such
activities.
American advocates for the
accused, however, remain
adamant that the allegations
against all 13 of the Iranian Jews
on trial are unfounded. They
maintain that the hearings are a
scripted political show trial.
That Farzad Kashi pleaded
innocent was either part of the
script or perhaps a small act of
defiance, said Malcolm Hoenlein,
executive vice chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations.
“It means Farzad didn’t bend to
the pressures being applied,” said
Hoenlein, who has closely moni
tored the hearings.
Advocates like Hoenlein have a
new concern: that the string of
admissions which were broadcast
on state television, along with
pleas for forgiveness and leniency,
may be provoking persecution of
the community of 25,000 Jews.
There are signs that many
Iranians are reacting negatively to
the aired confessions.
Media reports from Iran state
that Jews, even Jewish children,
are now experiencing harassment
on the streets, in the workplace
and in the schools. There are
reports of anti-Jewish graffiti and
fears of an economic boycott of
Jewish-owned shops.
One Jewish woman, the wife of
one of the suspects, reportedly
pleaded with photographers out
side the courtroom to not take her
photo.
“I work at a health clinic, I
don't want any problems,” she
said. “I don’t want people pointing
fingers at.me.”
Of GtaAFER Qiaruotte
For more articles and an opinion on the situation
with the “Iran 13,” please turn to page 32.
Orchestrated Arrests Rabbis’ Way of
Showing Solidarity with “Iran 13”
By Michael J. Jordan
NEW YORK (JTA) — It’s not
every day that eight rabbis break
the law en masse.
Yet, because quiet diplomacy,
public condemnation and prayer
vigils have yielded dubious results
- the apparent show trial of 13
Iranian Jews accused of spying for
Israel continues — a group of New
York City rabbis felt they needed to
take more drastic measures.
Led by the activist Rabbi Avi
Weiss, eight rabbis and two lay
leaders draped in tefillin plunked
themselves down before midday
Manhattan traffic on Wednesday.
Within minutes, the protesters,
singing and praying, got what they
wanted. The two dozen police
officers standing by politely
whisked them into a large patrol
wagon, and traffic moved on.
The site for this act of civil dis
obedience was chosen because it
sits in the shadow of the 11th floor
offices of the Iranian mission to
the United Nations.
“It’s so different to be arrested
here in New York, in a free coun
try,” Weiss, president of the
Coalition for Jewish Concerns,
Amcha, told a crowd of 70 cm’ so
supporters before leading his
troops into the street. “But in this
tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny way, we are
expressing our solidarity with our
brethren who are suffering in
Iran.”
For the arrested rabbis — who
included Orthodox, Conservative
and Reform spiritual leaders —
this was perhaps the loudest way
they could make their frustration
heard.
“The American Jewish commu
nity remained silent during the
Holocaust, and that certainly did
n’t work,” Rabbi Mordechai
Mordachowitz told the crowd.
“We have six million reasons to
never to be silent again!”
This isn’t the first time Weiss,
55, has been behind bars.
He said his initiation came in
1969, under very similar circum
stances. Nine Jews in Iraq were
accused of spying, confessed —
presumably under duress — and
were hanged in a Baghdad square.
Weiss was later arrested on
numerous occasions for protesting
the treatment of Jews in the Soviet
Union.
Last year in Poland, he scaled a
fence at the Auschwitz concentra
tion camp to protest the planting
of hundreds of crosses by activist
Polish Catholics.
Weiss and New York police are
so accustomed to civil disobedi
ence that the whole event was
orchestrated ahead of time.
Police were notified of the
protest, and the group marched to
a prearranged location, safely
behind blue police barricades.
Weiss and his comrades were also
aware of how many hours they
may have to serve in jail — any
where from twelve to 72 hours.
Such protest is obviously not
for everyone.
“I don’t have the courage to do
what these courageous rabbis are
doing,” said one young rabbi who
was among the crowd.
Weiss himself concedes that
such action is only “a last resort.”
“To me, violating the law is a
very serious matter, and is more
difficult for me to do the older I
get,” said Weiss, whose arrest this
time was observed by three of his
seven young grandchildren.
“But American Jews have yet to
learn a fundamental lesson: the
more you speak out, the more you
are iMX)tect^.” O
Federation Helps Record
Number of Teens Travel to
Israel in Summer 2000
Federation's Teen Israel Experience
Supports 20 Charlotte Teens This Year
By Amy Krakovitz
“It’s every Jew’s homeland, no
matter where you live,” says
Benjamin Kwesldn, a rising senior
at ftovidence High School who
will be going to Israel, as well as
Eastern Europe, with BBYO.
Benjamin is just one of the many
teenagers scheduled to go to Israel
this summer from Charlotte with
many different programs and
youth groups. His trip, and those
of 19 other area teenagers, is
being supported by
Federation’s annual Teen
Israel Experience.
Phillip Brodsky, who will
be attending Alexander Muss
High School in Israel this
summer, sees this trip as ful
fillment of a long-held dream.
“I attended Camp Judea fen:
four years,” he explains, “and
everyone there always said
how great it was to visit
Israel....Because I’ll be going
to school there. I’ll have an
opportunity to learn more
ab^t the history and get a
better understanding of what I see
while I’m there.” Students at
Alexander Muss High School earn
school credits that can be trans
ferred to their regular high school
records. Joining Phillip at
Alexander Muss this summer,
with the help of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Charlotte,
are Michael Borresen, Sara Bryan,
Matthew Gordan, Jordan
Klemons, David Krusch, Jessica
Levine, and Aaron Weiner.
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization
is also sending a large number of
teens from Charlotte to Israel.
“This is the largest number of kids
from Charlotte to go to Israel on
BBYO sponsored trips,” says
Ellen Goldstein, Regional
Director of BBYO. “They are-
going on diverse trips, including
Eastern Europe, France, adventure
trips, and more.... I hope they
bring back a love for Israel to the
rest of the community and instill a
desire to see Israel in the people
who haven’t been there.”
In addition to Ben Kweskin,
other BBYO’ers visiting Israel
this summer with the support of
the Teen Israel Experience
include: Scott Friend, Mitchell
Gartner, Adam Goldfarb, Rachel
Orange, and Michael Osborn.
Another local organization that
is sending a large group of kids is
Young Judaea, the American
Zionist youth group. “This is just a
natural prpgression for me,” says
Emily Rotberg, who is president
of the local Young Judaea chapter.
“1 hope to meet lots of new people
(1200 YJ’ers will be in Israel this
summer), get to know Israel, and
heigten my leadership skills.”
Emily is especially excited about
her trip, as she is signed up to go
on an archaeological dig while in
Sara Bryan and Phillip Brodsky are going to
the Alexander Muss High School in Israel
this summer thanks to your pledge to the
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.
Israel. Other Charlotte YJ’ers that
have benefited from Federation’s
Teen Israel Experience are Daniel
Block, Mark Sussman and Aaron
Wroblewski.
Amanda Raflo’s
Experience trip i
(without the cat).
Israel
NFTY
Federation Page
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CAJE
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10
Women’s Events
page
11
Temple Israel
.. .page
12
Charlotte Jewish Pre.s£hool ....
page
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Temple Beth El
page
14
Lubavttch of Nnrth Carolina . . .
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15
Jewish Family Scrvtc^^
page
16
Spcj?man Jewish Lihrarv
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Youth VisH»ns
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The National Federation of
Temple Youth, the Reform move
ment’s youth group, also has a
summer trip to Israel. Federation
hHs extended its support to
Amanda Raflo to go to Israel this
summer. “I hope to leam more
about Judaism,” Amanda says. “1
want to get more in touch with my
Jewish identity. And maybe I can
encourage others to go to Israel.”
Natalie Sterling, a rising 9th
grader, is going to Israel with
“Metrowest Goes Israel.”
It is your campaign contribu
tions to the Jewish Federation of
f Continued on page 4 i
‘ A 0 « » » » r
Campaign Surpasses
$25 Million Mark!
See Pages 6 & 7
MAKE YOUR
PLEDGE TODAY!