Vol. 32, No. 9 Tishrei-Cheshvan 5771 October 2010
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chariotte
Charlotte Jewish Day School Wins
Half a Million Dollars
Community Galvanizes to
Help School Win Kohl’s
Cares Facebook Contest
Cheering for the win.
By Gale Osborne
The entire Charlotte communi
ty was rocked at 12:59 AM on
September 4, when Charlotte
Jewish Day School finished 13th
in the Kohl’s Cares Facebook con
test. This was no small feat and
nothing less than a miracle for
CJDS, the entire Jewish communi
ty and the greater Charlotte popu
lation. We all won, and we all
should cherish this moment. The
award of $500,000 will be felt
across the city, not just at Shalom
Park and the victory is so much
more than could have ever been
imagined.
The real triumph for Charlotte
and our Jewish community has
nothing to do with the money.
Truly the school community will
never be the same. What started as
a small band of committed parents
and staff grew to ownership by the
entire community. School parents
began working ten hour days mak
ing calls, working at South Park
mall, soliciting votes in their
neighborhoods. Everyone in the
Jewish community was inundated
with e-mails and urgent messages
from the Day School and their
friends urging them to vote and to
tell their friends to vote.
The community answered in
ways we could have never
dreamed. The JCC, Ohr HaTorah,
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the Jewish Federation, Temple
Israel and Temple Beth El, all
answered our call to action and
quickly adopted our campaign as
their own. They spread the mes
sage to vote in e-mails, on their
Web pages, in their bulletins and
in their sermons. The community
became galvanized and the force
was one that could successfully
challenge the much larger cities of
New York, Los Angeles and
Miami. Suddenly, the cry from
community members was “How
are we doing?” not “ How are you
doing?” This subtle but dramatic
change was the energy and com
mitment that kept CJDS in the top
20 throughout the campaign. The
Charlotte Jewish community once
again demonsfrated the might and
will of the Jewish people and the
importance of community.
As the campaign progressed,
our volunteer force expanded. Our
alumni, who turned out in droves
just before leaving for college,
along with dozens of teen volun
teers from BBYO, united to make
our two teen vote-a thons success
ful. Grandparents volunteered at
colleges, sometimes holding the
students’ place in line at food ven
dors so that the students could cast
their vote for CJDS. Alumni and
past parents volunteered for hours
at SouthPark Mall, at the
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Epicenfre and at the Atrium to ask
for votes. Every morning we
launched an army of volunteers in
groups of eight to ten people to
different sites across the state,
from CPCC to UNC Charlotte to
Greensboro to Chapel Hill. The
commitment and determination of
this army demonstrated what his
tory has taught us about the
Jewish people and our will. The
passion and belief came from the
heart. The message and commit
ment to Jewish education was
clear and resounding.
Throughout the campaign we
held steady around the twefth
position. However, in the final
days, our position bounced from
seventh to 20th. Every day was
planned out, but the last
Wednesday of the contest every
thing failed - technology didn’t
work, air cards weren’t strong
enough, large gatherings didn’t
materialize. I can’t even begin to
explain the feeling of seeing the
school listed in the 20th position
against schools from much larger
cities. Everyone at Shalom Park
and across the Jewish community
knows because we all gasped that
morning when we looked at the
rankings. The kids knew when
they came to school that to win we
needed everyone’s participation.
Our army grew. Our parents
answered the requests for volun
teers in ways we have never seen.
Droves of parents marched out of
the school committed to work at a
university, mall, afrium, or other
entertainment venue until closing
or expulsion. There was no other
option but to climb our way to a
more secure position vote by vote.
The next day was a gift of per
fection. Everything worked and
people voted. In fact we had our
best day, recording more than
23,000 votes. When the campaign
ended we finished with 143,300
votes from more than 28,600 peo
ple.
This year our school’s motto is
“One Torah We Share.” The
Jewish people look to the Torah
for guidance inspiration and direc
tion. As a community we are
reminded of our history and rich
heritage in the miracles of God
and the positive power of a Jewish
community working together.
Thank you Jewish community,
you did it. ^
October is Domestic Violence Prevention Month
Shalom Bayit-NC Trains Twelve
Volunteers to Be Community “Friends”
When you ’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going
right..
Almost a year ago, a few small
voices became one loud statement
when almost every Jewish agency
in Greater Charlotte acknowl
edged that domestic abuse hap
pens in our homes and we were
going to do something about it.
With funding from the Jewish
Federation and Temple Beth El,
coordination by Shalom Bayit and
Jewish Family Services, experts
were brought in to train clergy and
help evaluate public awareness.
Another part of the initiative
was the creation of the “Friends”
program, a group of volunteers
who are trained to support victims,
helping them to overcome their
isolation and validating their expe
rience; to educate, offering infor
mation and resources, and helping
victims realize their potential; to
advocate in the community so that
our “friend” and all who are
abused find help and justice in
agencies, legal systems, and with
in our own Jewish family.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest
night..
Twelve women answered the
call. Twelve women decided that
being available to victims of
domestic abuse was an important
calling for them. They underwent
extensive training to become one-
on-one “Friends” for victims and
survivors of domestic abuse and
their children in our Jewish com
munity. Each of them is trained in
domestic abuse, how to speak to
abused people, how to be support
ive and help them explore options,
and how to find information and
resources.
But what is it that made them
respond to this need? What kind of
person volunteers to be put in the
middle of such a sensitive situa
tion? Really, they are people just
like you and me.
“I read about the program in
The Charlotte Jewish News,” says
Rachel (names have been changed
to protect the identity of the
Friends). “It really struck a chord
with me.” As a nurse and lactation
consultant, she often confronted
these kinds of problems in a pro
fessional capacity. “We’re given a
gift by God of being here on this
planet, and I believe it’s our
responsibility to give back.”
“It sparked my interest,” says
Serida. “It suits my nature.” She
was particularly drawn to the legal
aspects of the volunteer work and
hopes to continue to frain as a
(Continued on page 23)