The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2011 - Page 2
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JEWISH FEDERATION NEWS
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By Mor Green, community
shlicha
“Go out from your country,
your relatives, and your father s
household to the land that I will
show you. ” (Genesis 12:1- 2).
In December 2010, I took a
group of 39 Jewish students
from ages 18-22 to an NC Hillel
Birthright trip to Israel. Unlike
other trips that I have ever taken
as a native Israeli, I got to expe
rience Israel through my stu
dents ’ eyes. I want to thank the
Jewish Federation and The
Leon Levine Foundation for giv
ing the students and me the gift
of the ten-day trip. I have asked
two students to share their expe
rience with you:
My name is Amy Fine. I’m
21 years old, from Charlotte,
and a junior at Appalachian
State University. Taglit-
Birthright Israel was the trip of a
lifetime. It was filled with beau
tiful sights, amazing food, fun
activities and lots of learning. In
just ten days I got to see more
than I could’ve imagined, all the
while, learning about Israel’s
rich history, culture, and gov
ernment. We hiked up moun
tains and tasted wine in the
Golan Heights, floated in the
Dead Sea, rode camels in the
desert, shopped in Tel Aviv, and
prayed at the Kotel in
Jerusalem, and those are just a
few of the activities we partici
pated in. Of course, this trip
wasn’t just about seeing all the
tourist sites, it was also about
becoming closer with Judaism.
I’ve always known that Israel is
a holy place for the Jews, but I
didn’t get to feel the true con
nection until I took this trip.
Sitting in the very room where
Israel became an independent
nation and a Jewish state was
mind-blowing and leaning my
head against the Western Wall to
pray, like so many of my ances
tors had done before me, provid
ed a feeling I can’t even begin to
explain. Looking out over the
old city of Jerusalem, walking
through the National Cemetery
on Mt. Herzl, and feeling the
wind blow against my face as
Ohad, our amazing tour guide,
told a story about the strength of
the Jewish people on Masada
were just a few of the moments
that lead me to find my place in
our homeland. Perhaps my
favorite part of the whole trip
was getting to share in the cele
bration of the B’nai Mitzvah of
six of my new friends. Watching
them being called to the Torah
as young adults made me proud
er to be Jewish than ever before.
However, I didn’t just make
new friends on this trip, I
expanded my family. Between
the great staff and my fellow
“Birthrighters” I am thrilled to
say that I now have 42 new fam
ily members who will always be
close to my heart. Ten days just
wasn’t long enough.
Special thanks
to The Leon
Levine
Foundation
My name is Drew Daniller-
Varghese and I was bom and
raised in Austin, Texas. I am a
junior at Davidson College —
the reason I was eligible for this
Shabbat Candle Lighting
FOR Febuary 2011
Friday, February 4, 5:36 PM
Friday, February 11, 5:43 PM
Friday, February 18, 5:50 PM
Friday, February 25, 5:56 PM
JEWISH^
FEDE^RATIONS
OF nSFATFH CHAHtOTTF
The Charlotte Jewish News
5007 Providence Road, Suite 112
Charlotte, NC 28226
Phone
{voice mail after office hours)
Office 704-944-6765
FAX 704-365-4507
email:
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Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
Amy Krakovitz - Editor
Advertising Sales Reps:
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CJN Editorial Board
Chair - Bob Davis
Members: Bob Abel, Evelyn Berger, Jeff Epstein,
Ann Langman, Linda Levy
The CJN does not assume responsibility for the quality or kasruth of any product or
service advertised. Publishing of a paid political advertisement does not constitute an
endorsement of any candidate, political party or position by this newspaper, the
Federation or any employees.
Published monthly except July
trip. I was raised in a
relatively traditional
Jewish home, Shabbat
dinner at the grand
parents every Friday,
summer camps at the
JCC, had my Bar
Mitzvah, and just
recently ended my
second and final term
as President of
Davidson’s Hillel. My
point is I was not lack
ing in my Jewish
identification or expo
sure. It was important,
yes, but not necessari
ly any greater than my
identity as an athlete
or a student.
My trip to Israel changed
that.
I have never felt so closely
connected to any people as I did
to my Taglit-Birthright group,
including our eight Israeli sol
diers and our trip leaders. The
best analogy I can make was
that it felt similar to being a
member of a successful athletic
team. I felt a powerful trust and
bond with my group as a whole.
I know part of the connection
was discovering Israel together.
Yet, it is difficult to translate
into words this feeling of mutu
al discovery. Maybe it was the
group’s first Kabbalat Shabbat
together on top of a cliff on
Kibbutz Manara, where I felt a
wave of emotion that I could not
hope to explain. Maybe it was
listening to the faltering voice of
Ellay while she bravely told us
the story of her friend who lost
his life in the line of duty. Or
when I felt the reassuring hands
placed on my back when I could
not keep my composure in Yad
Vashem, watching video footage
taken by the American soldiers
who liberated Auschwitz. It was
all of these moments and more.
It was the power of touching
history at the Kotel, or laughing
our way through another lunch
The December 2010 Taglit-Brithright group from Charlotte.
of shwarma, or acting like a
proud parent while snapping
pictures of our group’s six mem
bers who decided to become
B’nai Mitzvah. And many of the
six who decided to become
bar/bat mitzvahed repeated the
same refrain — that they could
not have imagined any other
group of people to share their
day and moment with them. By
the end of our trip, our group
had become one family.
And so I return to my first
thought: Thank You. Thank you
for allowing me to explore an
amazing country with a superb
and unique blend of people.
Thank you to The Leon Levine
Foundation for introducing me
to a new branch of my family
tree. ^
JEWISH^
FEDE^RAT10N§
OF GREATER CHAHLOTTE
Local, Global, Eternal
Attention All Charlotte Teens
This Will Change Your
Life
This 2011 summer, join teens
from all over the Southeastern
US for an incredible trip to
Israel through Federation’s
Partnership 2000 program. For
two weeks, travel to Israel and
meet peers from our sister city,
Hadera-Eiron. During that trip
you will stay in their homes,
travel the whole country, volun
teer, go sightseeing, and leam
about the history and leadership
and culture that make our
homeland such an incredible
place. Then, bring your Israeli
friends back to Charlotte to stay
in your home for two weeks
while the party continues.
While in Charlotte you will vol
unteer all over the city, tour
parts of Charlotte and the
Southeast, and participate in
leadership training programs.
The experience not only looks
terrific on your college resume,
but will truly change your life.
For more information, please
contact Mor Green or Sarah
Ferrin at the Jewish Federation
(704-944-6757). ^
CONTENTS
Jewish Community Center
pp. 22, 23
Federation News
PP- 2-3
Levine-Sklut Judaic Library...
p. 24
Community News
pp. 4-11
Dining Out
p. 25
Women’s Page
pp. 11,12
Youth
...pp. 26, 28, 30
Schools
pp. 12-15
Mazel Tov
p. 29
Synagogues and Congregation
pp. 16-18
Travel
p. 30
Jewish Family Services
pp. 20, 21
Op-Ed
p. 31
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