The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 34, No. 5
lyar-Sivan 5772
May 2012
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
Jewish Federation Annual Meeting
Guest Speaker, Jerry Silverman,
President and CEO of JFNA
The Annual Meeting of the
Jewish Federation of Greater
Charlotte will take plaee on
Monday, May 14 at 7 PM in the
Sam Lemer Center for Cultural
Arts at Shalom Park. Please join
us to honor Outgoing President,
Sam Bernstein and weleome
Ineoming President, Alan
Kronovet.
During the Annual Meeting, the
2012-2013 slate of offieers and
Board of Trustees will be present
ed, and an eleetion will be held.
SLATE OF OFFICERS & TRUSTEES AS NOMINATED BY
THE BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE OF THE
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
NOMINATED AS OFFICERS FOR 2012-2013
President
Vice-President
Vice-President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
Past President
Aian Kronovet
Hoiiy Levinson
Stacy Goreiick
Lisa Biau
Brad Winer
Larry Schwartz
Sam Bernstein
BOARD MEMBERS — TERM ENDING 2013
Amy Augustine Elise Kosofsky*
Rich Osborne Jason Spiegler*
BOARD MEMBERS — TERM ENDING 2014
Steve Cohen Jill Dinerman*
Alec Natt* Stacey Slomka
BOARD MEMBERS — TERM ENDING 2015
Tracy Brown* Nancy Kipnis*
Brad Rabinowitz* Mark Weintraub*
CONSTITUENT AGENCY DESIGNEES: George Cronson, Jonathan Howard & Harry Sparks
PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEES: Harry Lerner& David S. Miller
BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE - Todd Goreiick, Chair
Jeffrey Bierer, David Epstein, Mark Lerner, Scott Menaker, Wendy Petricoff & Stacey Slomka
*Nominees
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Jerry Silverman
Anyone contributing at least $36
to the Annual Campaign is consid
ered a voting member.
Special guest speaker will be
Jerry Silverman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of the
Jewish Federations of North
America (JFNA). Silverman is a
longtime leader in the North
American Jewish community and
a former corporate executive with
more than 25 years of experience
at companies including Levis and
Stride Rite.
He joined JFNA in September
2009, after serving as president of
the Foundation for Jewish Camp,
the only non-profit national organ
ization dedicated to raising aware
ness and support of non-profit
Jewish resident camps, where he
oversaw a major expansion. The
Jewish Federations of North
America represents 157 Jewish
federations and 400 Network
communities, which raise and dis
tribute more than $3 billion annu
ally for social welfare, social serv
ices, and educational needs for
Jews in the United States, in
Israel, and around the world.
Silverman will speak about
“Possibilities and Opportunities of
Our Jewish Community in the
Next Decade.”
We look forward to seeing you
on May 14th. For more informa
tion, please call the Federation
office at 704-944-6757.^
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Outgoing president
Sam Bernstein
It’s Not Just Tay-Sachs
There are now tests for more
than 25 diseases of concern to
people of Jewish heritage. The
Jewish Genetic Disease
Consortium (JGDC), a New York
based organization, urges couples
with one grandparent of Jewish
heritage to be screened prior to
beginning a family. The JGDC
consists of geneticists, physicians,
rabbis and families who have been
affected by one of the genetic dis
ease. It was created in 2005 and
gives one voice to many that share
the common goal of increasing
awareness and carrier screening
for genetic diseases found more
frequently in the Jewish popula
tion.
For decades, it has been com
mon for Jews to be to be tested for
Tay-Sachs, a degenerative disease
that is usually fatal by the age of
four. However, many other disor
ders that are found in the Jewish
community are less known, but
just as devastating.
There are different genetic con
cerns for people of Ashkenazi
Jewish background (Germany or
Eastern Europe), and persons of
Sephardic or Mizrahi Jewish
background (Mediterranean,
Iran/Persia, or Middle East).
There are currently 19 diseases for
which Ashkenazi Jews can be
screened. Screening for Sephardic
or Mizrahi Jews is dependent on
country of origin and requires
consultation with a genetic coun
selor. These diseases are autoso
mal recessive, which means that
both parents must be carriers of
the same disease to have an affect
ed child. If they are both carriers,
each pregnancy has a 25% chance
that their child will be affected
with that disease. Carrier status
can be passed down through many
generations without anyone being
aware.
The JGDC recommends
screening prior to conception as
this affords the couple many more
options. Genetic screening panels
are now affordable and often cov
ered by insurance. These diseases
can now be prevented through
preimplantation genetic diagnosis
(PGD).
(Continued on page 23)
Program Schedule May 17:
•N
8-9 AM Grand Rounds CMC Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology. “Jewish Genetic Diseases: A Changing Paradigm,”
open to the entire Charlotte medical community. Speaker
Rebecca S. Usadi, MD CMC Center for Reproductive
Endocrinology and Infertility
10:30-11:30 AM - Couples Aware Clergy Training
Program, LJCC Boardroom. Kosher coffee and pastries.
7-8:30 PM - Community Talk “It’s Not Just Tay-Sachs: What
You Need to Know about Jewish Genetics” - LJCC Goreiick
Hall. Panel discussion with physicians, genetics counselor, and
medical geneticist. Moderated by Shari Ungerleider, Program
coordinator, JGDC. Open to public. Kosher dessert and coffee
served.
This program is presented with the assistance and support of
the Levine Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services,
the Charlotte Chapter of Hadassah, CMC Women’s Institute,
and the Jewish Genetic Disease Consortium.
V,
Incoming president
Alan Kronovet
Special features in this issue ...
Celebrate Rabbi Murray Ezring’s 18 years at
Temple Israel, see page 21.
Op-Ed Page: The Vote on Amendment One,
see page 27.