The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2012 - Page 23
Save the Date
Friday, May 25 and Saturday, May 26
Help Celebrate Rabbi Murray Ezring’s 18th
Anniversary with Temple Israel
There will be a special Shabbat Dinner, Guest
Speakers, Shabbat Kiddush and a Tribute Journal.
We look forward to celebrating 18 years and many
more with Rabbi Murray Ezring, his family and our
Jewish Community. Look for more information in
the coming weeks.
Chabad Ballantyne
Shabbat Dinner - Southern
Style
Join us with your family for a
delicious Shabbat dinner -
Southern style (non-fried options,
too). As our community continues
to grow this is a fabulous opportu
nity to see old friends and make
new ones. During services and at
certain times during the meal, we
will have a special simultaneous
children’s program to keep your
little ones entertained while you
enjoy discussions with Rabbi
Yisrael Levin.
Friday, February 10 at The
Springhill Suites in Ballantyne,
12325 Johnston Rd.
Shabbat evening services com
plete with songs and explanations
will begin at 6 PM.
Dinner will begin at 6:30 PM.
You are welcome to come at
either time.
$15 a person or $45 a family.
For more info or to RSVP,
email info@JewishBallantyne.
com or call 704-246-8881 or visit
our website www .Jewish
Ballantyne.com.
Pre-Purim Fun and
Hamentaschen for Kids
Give your kids some Purim fun
a week early. Make your own
hamentaschen, hear awesome
Purim stories, play Purim activi
ties, and make a Purim craft all in
one hour. A great way to learn
more about the holiday of Purim
and hang out with other Jewish
kids.
Monday, February 27
5:30-6:30 PM at Chabad of
Ballantyne, 11408 Snap finger Dr.
Preschool age - 5th grade
(groups will be split by age); $10
a child - parents are welcome to
stay. Free for our Hebrew School
students.
For more info or to RSVP,
email info@JewishBallantyne.
com or call 704-246-8881 or visit
our website www. Jewish
Ballantyne.com.
Save the date: Purim in Africa
(party and dinner), Thursday,
March 8 at the South Charlotte
Banquet Center. ^
Temple Or Olam Member Profile: Leta
By Angela Hodges
We often hear about what a
congregation is doing or how they
are celebrating, but it is, after all,
the people who make the congre
gation what it is. To this end, we
spend our column inches this
month profiling Leta VanArsdale,
one of the many small rays of sun
shine who call our temple home.
I interviewed Leta over the
phone on a Friday night just
before Shabbat. She’ll be bat
mitzvah in a couple of years, and
right now she’s finding her place
in our small congregation—
exploring all the things that are
possible and figuring out what
appeals to her.
I admit, Leta is a joy for me.
Last year, when I taught her
beginning Hebrew class, I caught
a glimpse of a younger version of
myself. She is a learner, that one.
She wants to know what there is to
know: “I like when the rabbi asks
a question and I know the answer
even when the adults don’t,” she
admits shyly, her voice soft and
smiling on the other end of the
phone. I tell her I understand, and
I do — it’s a good feeling to have
the right answer, even if you
aren’t always the person with your
hand in the air. Leta’s hand, in my
experience, is not raised any more
than average, and I think that says
a lot about who she is as a person.
There is a kindness there, an
awareness of other people that
usually only comes with age and
experience; although she might
know more than her share of right
answers, she never takes up more
than her share of space.
“I really like our temple
because we always play music,”
Leta says, “Everyone gets to play
something if they want to, and
some people go up and perform.”
In fact, our congregation is small
enough that the adults Leta knows
best (outside her parents, of
course) are the same ones that she
sees up front on Friday nights. A
couple of times, she’s been up
there, too. “I get nervous when
I’m gonna have to perform,” she
says, “but then I have fun when
I’m up there doing it.” The truth
is, she handles herself like a pro
and she shines when she sings—
we’d like to see much more of her.
Toward the end of our inter
view, I asked Leta if she thought
she would continue to use the
Hebrew she had learned (and
would learn) leading up to her bat
mitzvah. “You know when we
stretch out the Torah during
Simchat Torah?” she asked. “It
would be cool if I could read it
then, or any other time. I’d like to
know what it says for myself with
no one telling me.” And suddenly,
knowing this child as I do, I was
inspired to ask something else —
“Hey Leta,” I said, “you’ve heard
people ‘sing’ Torah, right? It has
its own kind of notes written in
around the words, and it’s not very
hard to learn.”
The excitement in her reply
was palpable. “Are you kid
ding?!” she asked.
I grinned, though she couldn’t
^ O
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Leta
see me through the phone; it
seems we inadvertently stumbled
on the next thing Leta would like
to learn. And it’s a good thing,
since her bat mitzvah is coming
up.
Temple Or Olam is a Jewish
Renewal community that serves
Cabarrus county and parts of
Mecklenburg county (including
University City, Davidson, and
Huntersville). We encourage
heartfelt, easy access to all things
Jewish. For more information,
please visit our website at
www.or-olam.org and subscribe to
our mailing list. You can also
email us at info@or-olam.org, or
call 704-720-7577.^
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