An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte
Vol. 37, No. 2
Tevet-Adar 5775
February 2015
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte 2015 Campaign
“It’s the People That Make Us Succesful!”
Dale Polsky and Adrienne Gossett take a selfie
with a pledge card.
According to 2015 Campaign
Chair Alison Lerner, “Our 2015
Campaign is off to a great start be
cause the Charlotte Jewish com
munity is blessed with great
leadership!”
Julie Lemer Levine and
Cary Bernstein chaired a
successful and fabulous
Main Event which empha
sized that “our history is
only our beginning!” The
event honored our past
Presidents and celebrated
Federation’s 75th anniver
sary. We also unveiled a
new logo and website to
help create a strong visual
identity and raise greater
public support to usher in
the next generation of Federation.
That night we closed 144 cards re
flecting a 10% card-for-card in
crease. Plus, we met the $25,000
Main Event Match from two of
our community’s greatest leaders
and role models Lori and
Eric Skint.
Additionally, we are
thrilled to announce that
The Leon Levine Founda
tion has made a cornerstone
gift of $685,000 to the An
nual Campaign. Philanthro
pists Sandra and Leon
Levine are leading by ex
ample and demonstrating to
all of us how to live gener
ously. An end-of-campaign
matching gift from the
Levines will help us reach
our goal of $3,700,000. More in
formation will follow.
A dynamic Campaign Team of
dedicated leaders is off and run
ning. Campaign Team Captains
A selfie by Sue Littauer and Kevin Levine.
Fhe
tew
Gail Baron, Risa Miller, and
David Van Glish hope you will
say “yes” when one of their team
members calls you to meet
“face-to-face” and asks you to
take a “selfie” during your meet
ing. Our campaign team wants to
know your Jewish story. What
motivates you to give? What can
we do better and what questions
do you have for us?
Plus, we hope you’ll consider
becoming a campaign leader by
joining one of our affinity groups
for 2015:
* Major Gifts: $10,000 or more
per household
* Lion of Judah: $5,000 or
more to the Women’s Campaign
* Pomegranate Society: $1,800
or more to the Women’s Cam
paign
* Ben-Gurion Society: $1,000-1-
per household for young adults up
to age 45
* Impact365: $365-i-per house
hold for young adults up to age 45
Campaign Leadership Team
members, Tracy Brown, Adrienne
Gossett, Dale Polsky, Jill Halver-
stam, Stacey Schanzlin, Zack
Schwartz, and Julie Sheffer lead
our affinity groups.
Under the guidance of Stacy
Gorelick, 2014 Campaign Chair, a
isli Federation
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
Alison and Mark Lerner selfie.
new Community Campaign is un
derway for 2015. During the “30
Day Community Campaign”
which takes place from January
25-February 25, local Jewish
agencies will be given the oppor
tunity to secure new gifts for the
Federation Annual Campaign, and
in so doing earn additional funds
for their agency. If you’ve never
made a gift to the Federation An
nual Campaign, or it’s been two
years or more since your last gift.
you can help both the Annual
Campaign and the local Jewish
agency that approaches you by
making a pledge for 2015. For
more information, please contact
Elbe Kunkes, Community Cam
paign Manager, at the Federation
office: 704-944-6757.
Alison Lemer thanks the entire
community for their participation
in this year’s campaign. “The
2015 Campaign will be a huge
success due to the amazing lead
ership of each member of our
2015 Campaign Team, to the hard
work of each of our dedicated so
licitors and to the generosity and
commitment of each and every
one of our donors!” ^
Sue Balick selfie.
Wear orange on
February 10 to
support our
teens.
See more on
page 11.
Charlotte Jewish Film Festival 2015
Value Added Programming is a Big Draw
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How has the Charlotte Jewish
Film Festival continued its amaz
ing growth? Why are more and
more people attending each sea
son when there are options to stay
at home and stream movies right
to their TV? It’s not just the great
film selections - it’s the entire so
cial and cultural experience of
coming to a community event that
is drawing record crowds from
Ballantyne to Shalom Park to
Lake Norman.
As Issac Zablocki, Director of
Film Programs at the JCC in Man
hattan wrote in The Huffington
Post:
“... the major value of film fes
tivals is to keep alive the commu
nal experience of film viewing
and for that a festival needs to en
tice the audience with something
special.... They are not just com
ing for the film; they are coming
for the full experience of some-
Aviv Regev will be on hand at the
screening of "Beneath the Helmet” on
February 19.
thing they would not get at home
- a conversation, a reception, an
interaction.”
These value added programs
are a big reason why an astound
ing 98% of those that attended last
year, indicated in a survey that
they would attend again this year.
There are two recent examples
of how small, value added pro
gramming ideas have expanded
the reach and audience of the
CJFF.
Mondays at Lake Norman
started as a simple side bar event
with the showing of a film on
some folding chairs at Davidson
College several years ago. The ex
perience created so much excite
ment that the CJFF and the Jewish
Council of Lake Norman realized
that the community wanted more.
Mondays at Lake Norman was
bom and has become an integral
part of the CJFF schedule. Fans
now have the opportunity to at
tend three films at the Regal Birk-
dale Stadium 16 (February 16,
February 23, and March 2) and
(Continued on page 27)