The Charlotte
Vol. 32, No. 5 lyar-Sivan 5770 May 2010
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chariotte
The Margit and Peter Simon Tennis Pavillion Dedication Ceremony
The Margit and Peter Simon
Tennis Pavilion Dedication
Ceremony was held at the Levine
Jewish Community Center on
March 13. Mr. Peter Simon, a res
ident of New York City, has made
this possible through a generous
donation inspired by his great
affection for the Jewish communi
ty of Charlotte. The Tennis
Pavilion is currently under con
struction and is scheduled to be
completed by this summer. This
spectacular addition to the Levine
JCC facility will provide specta
tor seating for tournaments
such as the newly established
Margit & Peter Simon Tennis
Championship. It will also be a
venue for a variety of social
events.
Mr. Peter Simon, 92, has fre
quently visited his family here in
Charlotte and has come to view
the city as his “second home.” Mr.
Simon, through his nephew Mark
Peter Simon accepts an engraved tray from Phil
Berman, CEO of the Levine JCC.
Lemer, contacted Philip Berman
for suggestions as to how he could
demonstrate his appreciation for
the Charlotte Jewish community.
Since Mr Simon and his late wife,
Margit, had been avid tennis play
ers the idea of building a tennis
pavilion held great appeal.
Peter Simon was in Charlotte
on March 13 to attend
the Bar Mitzvah of Sean
Lerner, the son of
Alyson and Mark Lemer
and grandson of Lynn
and Paul Edelstein. The
Levine JCC viewed this
as the perfect opportuni
ty to honor Mr. Simon at
a Dedication Ceremony
and Reception, which
was attended by his fam
ily and friends. Also in
attendance were Levine
JCC staff members, var
ious Directors of the
LJCC Board, members
Tennis Committee along
some of our tennis players
of the
with
and program participants
Levine JCC CEO Philip
Berman, on behalf of the Levine
Jewish Community Center,
expressed gratitude for Mr.
Simon’s generosity and presented
him with an engraved memento of
i .
the occasion. In his
remarks, Phil noted
that Mr. Simon’s
love for tennis
began in his native
Berlin and that he
continued to play
until very recently.
The trophy for the
Margit and Peter
Simon Tennis
Championship was
unveiled. It will (L-R) Jennifer Simon, Peter Simon Jr., Mark Lerner,
remain on display at Tolchen, Gary Lerner, Peter Simon, Eric Lerner,
the LJCC to be Lynn Edelstein, Paul Edelstein, Shlomo Rosenberg,
inscribed with the Julie Levine.
names of future
tournament winners.
Eric Lemer spoke briefly of his
uncle’s warmth, humor, generosi
ty and love for Charlotte. Mr.
Simon took a few moments to
share his feelings of appreciation
for the “wonderful and over
whelming recognition that has
been bestowed upon me.” Mr.
Simon went on to say that he “has
been honored to be a part of the
Charlotte Jewish Community by
extension” that he and looks for
ward to being here even more
often. ^
DrumsForCures Presents drumSTRONG on May 15-16
Now that dramSTRONG, the
annual dram-a-thon that raises
money for pediatric cancer causes,
has become an annual event in
Charlotte, it should come as no
surprise that communities around
the globe are planning to join the
beat. While the 28-hour local
event unfolds (noon on May 15
through 4 PM on May 16), people
will be dramming in at least 46
other cities in 12 countries to raise
money for the same charities.
Scott and Carola Swimmer
began their marathon dramming
event as a result of their son
Mason’s brash with cancer as a
teenager. The first event, a 24-
hour dram-a-thon, was recorded
in the Guinness Book of World
Records in addition to raising
money for pediatric cancer Each
year, the Swimmers have
increased the length of the event
by one hour, making this year’s
2 8-hour event another contender
for a world record.
But dramming for a world
record is really not the focus of the
event. Raising money for pediatric
cancer is. And how do they do it?
Each drammer who participates in
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the continuous dramming will
take pledges or make dona
tions for the length of time
they dram. Funds raised can
be designated for any pedi
atric cancer cause, but local
funds that are designated
for the Levine Children’s
Hospital will be matched in
full by the Leon Levine
Foundation.
The weekend event is full
of more fun and music than
just continuous drumming.
There are many guest dram-
mers, some who are scheduled in
advance (Jim Donovan of Rusted
Root; Jeff Sipe, a well-known
Scott, Mason, Toby and Carola
Swimmer.
Kids of all ages can particpate in drumming.
drammer who has played with
Leftover Salmon, Col. Bruce
Hampton, Keller Williams, Susan
Tedeschi and others), some who
show up spontaneously. There is
also a Health Fair with more than
40 exhibitors in the health and
wellness fields.
How drumSTRONG Works
First register (www.
drumSTRONG.org). Then, if
inclined, join or form a team
(teams can raise more awareness
and money). Next, talk to every- ^
body you know about supporting
you in your efforts by sponsoring
your hourly dramming (e.g., $20
per hour x 5 hours x 10 team
members = $1,000!).
The idea is to do two things at
once: raise money to help eradi
cate cancer AND be part of a
record breaking dramming event.
There are prizes for some of
the drummers (longest
dramming, etc.) but the real
reward is the ultimate goal
of helping young people
with cancer and their fami
lies.
DramSTRONG will take
place again at Misty
Meadows Farms, 455
Providence Rd. S., Waxhaw.
To register, to sponsor, to
donate or to volunteer, visit
www.dramstrong.org. ^
ALSO INSIDE...
Shavuot and a first
haircut on Lag
B’omer...
See page 26