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The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 23, No. 3
Adar-Nisan 5761
March 2001
Federation Avenues: Creating
Opportunities for Jewish Involvement
If you are looking to add mean
ing to your life, to create more tex
ture in your routine, and to meet
others in your age group with sim
ilar interests, then all signs point to
Federation Avenues. The Jewish
Federation of Greater Charlotte is
sponsoring Federation Avenues, a
volunteer fair for newcomers, to be
held on Tuesday, March 27, 2001.
All newcomers in our community
are invited to the program, which
will be held at 7:00 PM in
Gorelick Hall at the Jewish
Community Center.
“All agencies and organizations
have been invited to participate in
this first time event. We receive
many calls from people asking
how they can get involved,”
according to program co-chair Jeff
Epstein.
“We think this is a great way for
newcomers to meet each other and
The Bernstein Leadership
Group-Class III Invites BLG
Alumni to Hear Gil Mann
Of GfeEAim Charlottf.
to learn more about Jewish life in
Charlotte,” said event co-chairs
Risa Miller and Wendy Petricoff.
“This will be a very informal
evening where people introduce
themselves, have a chance to chat,
enjoy refreshments and wine, and
learn more about our agencies and
organizations.”
After the program, a list of vol
unteer opportunities will be com
piled and shared with people
wanting to get involved. The list
ing will be available in the
Federation Office. For more infor
mation or to RSVP for the event,
please call the Jewish Federation
at 944-6757.
Fifth Annual Alice Tate Lecture to
Feature Professor Igor Dukhan
Professor Igor Dukhan, First
Vice-Rector of the International
Institute of Humanities, of the
Belarusian State University,
Minsk, Belarus, is coming to
Charlotte to deliver the fifth annu
al Alice Tate Lectures in Judaic
Studies. Prof Dukhan is also co
founder and professor of the
Jewish University of Belarus, and
President of the International
Center of Culture, Arts and
Communications, both of Minsk.
Prof Dukhan is an expert on
Eastern European art, and has lec
tured in Eastern Europe and
Jerusalem.
On Sunday, April 1, 2001, at
7:30 PM, in Gorelick Hall,
Professor Dukhan will speak and
show slides on “The Art of the
Jewish Avant-garde versus Russian
and Soviet Art (from Lizzitsky
and Chagall to lofan).” On
Monday, April 2, 2001, at 7:30
PM, he will speak at the
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte, on “Time in Jewish
Avant-garde Art.” Both lectures
are free and open to the public.
The Alice Tate Lectures in
Judaic Studies are supported by
the Office of the President of
UNC-Charlotte, as well as by the
Jewish Community Center of
Charlotte. In less than five years
the series has established itself as
one of the most distinguished lec
ture series in Charlotte. Last year.
Professor Susannah Heschel of
Dartmouth College spoke at the
JCC, where she presented person
al reflections on the life and work
of her father. Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel. At UNC-
Chariotte, she delivered a lecture
on her latest research, a book on
the dejudaization of Jesus in the
Igor Dukhan
theology and churches of
Protestant Christianity of pre-
World War II Nazi Germany. The
year before, in 1999, Professor
Roald Hoffinan, of Cornell
University, 1988 Nobel Prize
Laureate in Chemistry, presented
his reflections on the relations
between science and Jewish tradi
tion. Earlier profound and stimu
lating Alice Tate Lectures in
Judaic Studies were given, in
1998, by Prof. Michael Berger, of
Emory University, and, in 1997,
by Prof. David Biale, of the
Graduate Theological Union,
Berkeley. Don’t miss this year’s
lectures by Professor Igor Dukhan.
“I have heard Professor Dukhan
speak, both in Minsk and in
Jerusalem,” says Professor
Richard Cohen of UNC-Charlotte,
“and we are fortunate to be able to
hear him speak right here at home
in Charlotte. Professor Dukhan,
besides being a Jewish educator in
Minsk and fine human being, is
extremely knowledgeable about
Marc Chagall, Eastern European
Jewish art, and about modern and
contemporary art in general.”
The Alice Tate Lectures in
Judaic Studies are named after
Charlotte' native Alice Tate (1916-
1987), whose generous contribu
tions to the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte created
the Frank Porter Graham
Professorship in Black Studies,
and the Isaac Swift Distinguished
Professorship in Judaic Studies,
held by Professor Richard A.
Cohen.
On Sunday, March 18, 2001,
7:30 PM at Temple Israel, we have
a very special person coming to
Charlotte for the Bernstein
Leadership Group III, Gil Mann.
Gil Mann is one of United Jewish
Communities (UJC) most popular
speakers. He speaks about Jewish
continuity, intermarriage, assimi
lation and being Jewish today. His
presentations are engaging, seri
ous and humorous. They are based
on what Jews told him in focus
groups and interviews for his book
and in his work for America
Online. Gil’s work is based on
what American Jews on the street
have to say — giving voice to their
concerns while providing thought
provoking and meaningful
responses to the issues they raise.
Since 1992 when he retired
from his business, Gil has worked
pro bono on his book, speaking
engagements, America Online and
as a full time volunteer in the
Jewish community. In the Jewish
community, he is currently an offi
cer and member of the Executive
Committee and Board of the
Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
He is the Chair of the Federation
Continuity and Identity
Department. He has chaired the
Federation’s Mission Statement
Committee and Market Research
Committee. He has organized and
led two experimental Federation
young couples missions to Israel
in 1992 and 1993. In 1991 and
1992, he chaired the Federation’s
Young Men’s Division. Outside of
Federation, he’s been a Vice
President of the Minneapolis JCC
and has chaired the Minneapolis
Jewish Day School’s New
Building Committee.
He co-founded (with his wife
Debbie) their business J3
Learning, Inc in 1983. J3 grew
from the couple’s basement to
become one of the country’s lead-
Gil Mann
ing producer of PC training mate
rials, developing alliances with
among others, Microsoft, Intel and
Lotus. Today J3 employs 130 peo
ple worldwide. The company was
acquired in July 1996 by a divi
sion of Dunn and Bradstreet. His
responsibilities at the company
have given him extensive experi
ence with national marketing, ven
ture capital financing and rapid
business growth and management.
Prior to that he was a TV news
producer with the Minneapolis/St.
Paul ABC Television Affiliate,
KSTP, for four years. He has also
been a member of the board of
Gourmet Express, Inc. and U.S.
Investors Limited — an Israeli
Investment fund. In addition, he is
a Little League coach.
For more information, please
contact Mamie Moskowitz,
Director of Program Develop
ment, at 944-6764 or email her at
mmoskowitz @ shalomcharlotte.org.
You Can Make A Difference:
Now Is The Time!
Of GbEATER CHARLOrrE
Jewish Federation Calendar of Events
CV QUiAItR OlARUTfTP-
Thursday, March 22: 3rd Annual
Spring Lecture, Tova Mirvis, author
of The Ladies Auxiliary, 7:30 PM at
Temple Beth El. Dinner with author
prior to the event for donors of
$1200+, 6 PM.
Tuesday, March 27; Federation
Avenues, 7:00 PM, Gorelick Hall.
An event to introduce Charlotte
newcomers to volunteer opportuni
ties in our community.
Tuesday, April 3; Passover Dessert
Demonstration with cookbook
author Penny Eisenberg, 7:30 PM,
at her home.
Sunday, April 22: Super Sunday.
Tuesday, April 24: Terrific Tuesday.
Thursday, April 26: Tremendous
Thursday.
Monday, April 30: JFGC Annual
Meeting, 7:45 PM in Gorelick Hall.
May 2001: Panel Discussion,
Charlotte Jewish History, Location
& Date TBA.
May 6 & 7: Southeast Region
Women’s Conference. Unlock your
spirituality with other Jewish
women from across the region.
Surround yourself in southern hos
pitality, Savannah, Georgia style.
For more information on any of
these events, please call the
Federation office at 944-6757.
Inside this issue ...
The Main Event with Alan Dershowitz p. 7
Federation’s Campaign Kickoff was a Great Success
Solidarity Missions to Israel pp. 24-25
Rabbi Jim Bennett Represented Charlotte in a UJC Mission to Israel
Purim (and a bissel Passover) pp. 28-32
The happpiest holiday and how it leads into the next one
Federation Page
page
4
Lubavitch of North Carolina ...
page
9
Temple Israel
page
10
Charlotte Jewish Preschool ....
page
11
Women’s Events
page
11
Temple Beth El
page
12
Jewish Family Services
page
13
Jewish Traveler
page
14
Speizman Jewish Library
page
15
Charlotte Jewish Day School .. .
page
16
CAJE
page
17
Jewish Community Center ....
. . . .pages
22-23
Mazel Tov
page
26
Youth Visions
page
33
Dining Out page
... .pages
34-36
The Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte
2001 Campaign
has reached
$1,968,259.68
Help us help Jews in
Charlotte, in the U.S., in
Israel and all over the world.
Please consider making your
pledge when called upon.