The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2015 - Page 6
JEWISH FEDERATION NEWS
Josh Rubin’s Plumbing, LLC
LICENSED - BONDED - INSURED
COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL
Layouts for slabs - Rough-in and Finish
Water Heater Repairs and Replacement
Kitchen/Bath Remodeling
Toilets, Tubs, Faucets, Sink, and Disposal
Repairs/Replacement
~ 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE -
NC State Lie. #29197 SC State Lie. #M 110508
704-517-4918
Larry Horowitz, CLU, ChFC
Financial
5950 Fairview Road, Suite 608
Charlotte, NC 28210
(704) 556-9982, Fax (704) 369-2918
www.L2financial.com
Helping in the CREATION, PRESERVATION &
DISTRIBUTION of your Estate
Securities and investment Advisory Services
offered through H. Beck, inc.
Member FtNRA, StPC.
H. Beck, inc. and Financiai are not affiiiated.
HandricH
®ACURA
CHARLOTTE
16 Years Serving the
Greater Charlotte
Area
Please contact me
for all of your
automotive needs.
DAVID ROSENBAUM
704-563-7800
6824 E Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28227
www.HENDRICKACURA.com
~Y\r\e Retakor* wH:li -Experience
an JK nowleJ^e ^r’ud:ea otj
ifeiv
PROPERTY Virgins
Wit^
c7cnet
|=[ o m e ^-blnCZ^^cliei.com
■Buyer’s * • Rplooation nQoa
Jewish Federation Honors Past
Presidents at 75th Anniversary and
Main Event
The Jewish Federation eele-
brated 75 years of living gener
ously on Thursday, Deeember 11,
during its 2015 Main Event held
at the Knight Theater at the
Levine Center for the Arts.
Federation’s past presidents
were honored for their leadership
and serviee:
Bob Abel
Bobbi Bernstein
Sam Bernstein
Herman Blnmentbal*
ID Blnmentbal*
Bill Gorelick
Shelton Gorelick*
Todd Gorelick
Stan Greenspon
Ron Katz
Richard Klein
Alan Kronovet
Harry Lerner
Sidney Levin*
Alvin E. Levine
David Nabow*
Jill Newman
Rich Osborne
Jay Schrader*
Sara Schreibman
Stanley Slesinger*
Morris Speizman*
Panl Stewart*
Emily Zimmern
*of blessed memory
Between 1939 and 2014, many
historie events shaped the growth
of both the Jewish eommunity and
the Federation’s Annual Cam
paign. Mueh of that rieh history
ean be gleaned from the following
memories shared by our past pres
idents:
Bob Abel:
* Keeping an eye on my wateh
and promising myself that I would
never ever quote Harry Lemer...
”Is there anything else that anyone
would like to add to the diseus-
sion?”
* Working with Sue and Sue,
Mamie, Leigh Anne, Tair, Emily,
Susan, Jodi and Vieki.. .it was the
best team I have ever had the op
portunity to work with in all my
non-profit aetivities
* Watehing the talented
“young” guys that I had worked
with over the years sueh as Todd
Goreliek, Sam Bernstein, and
Alan Kronovet (I was his AZA ad
visor) step up and provide the
eommunity with great leadership
Bobbi Bernstein:
The most signifieant thing
about my presidency was the fact
that 25 years ago, I was honored
to become the first WOMAN
president in the history of the
Charlotte Jewish Federation.
I broke through the “glass ceil
ing” and made it easier, I hope, for
other women to follow. There was
some resistance, but overall it was
a fantastic experience. I loved my
two years as president. In those
years, the federation was much
more volunteer driven, so I took a
very “hands on” approach, and we
made a real effort to attract and
engage as many new people as we
could. It was an exciting time and
one of the most rewarding experi
ences of my life.
Sam Bernstein:
During my time as President I
was extremely proud to lead a
Board of Directors and profes
sional staff consisting of excited
and engaged people that took a
long term view of what our Fed
eration could be. To that end we
spent many hours in meetings de
veloping a strategic plan that
would guide us into the future.
Bill Gorelick:
When I reflect back on my
tenure as Federation president,
one of the most meaningful
achievements was the creation of
a community day school, now
known as the Charlotte Jewish
Day School. Although the process
was difficult and complex, the end
result was the establishment of a
fiT
pPJfrptTWUlTT
r#
Julie
704.256,7536
Julie @J ulielocke.com
community entity that would edu
cate and inspire young Jews and
their families for generations to
come. A successful day school is
critical to any vibrant Jewish com
munity, and the spirit of collabo
ration and cooperation required to
create CJDS represents our com
munity’s and Federation’s com
mitment to the health and
well-being of our community. I
was proud to take a leadership
role in this impactful endeavor.
Stan Greenspon:
I remember telling our Execu
tive Director, Marvin Bienstock
that I would direct our meetings -
not him!
Actually, he was an excellent
partner and during my administra
tion we hired a part time social
worker to lead Jewish Family
Services, started The Charlotte
Jewish News, and began the
process of assimilating Jewish
families from the former Soviet
Union.
Serving as president of Federa
tion was a maturing and unforget
table process for me- -there were
good and funny times! My prede
cessor and good friend Harry
Lemer worked very diligently to
keep costs low. At the end of each
meeting, he would even collect
paper clips and notebook paper
and return them to the Federation
office to save money.
Richard Klein:
During my term of office we
set a $1 million campaign goal for
the first time! We came close and
in just a few years we reached that
milestone.
I was the last president to be
“annointed”.. ..in the “old days,”
we were simply advised by the
board that we were next in line.
One of my goals as president was
to create a leadership succession
plan whereby the presidents who
followed me would actually be
elected. And that process contin
ued. I was also president when the
JCC on Sharon-Amity Road was
torched and burned to the ground.
Federation meetings were held in
several different locations until we
finally had a home on the grounds
of Shalom Park in the old Arm
strong House.
Alan Kronovet:
While there are many memo
ries over the last eight years, the
times when Cary and I discussed
most often with passion and inten
sity, ways to foster greater com
munity engagement with the
Federation are what stand out
most in my mind. During our
eight years in leadership roles
with Federation, we reflected on
the mission of the Federation,
brainstormed wild ideas and ways
to achieve the best outcome for
the community.
Harry Lerner:
When I came into the Federa
tion over 50 years ago, tzedakah
was collected and distributed by
Ellis Berlin through his Pawn
(Continued on page 10)