The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2015 - Page 10
The Hebrew Cemetery and TreesCharlotte Collaborate
on Tu BiShevat Tree Planting
f /
By Brian Yesowitch, president,
Hebrew Cemetery Association
The Hebrew Cemetery Assoei-
ation invites the entire Jewish
eommunity to join our Tu BiShe
vat Celebration on Sunday Febru
ary 8, 1:30-3:30 PM, rain or shine,
at the Hebrew Cemetery at 1801
Statesville Avenue, Charlotte, NC
28206. During this event, we will
plant 40 trees. Our eommunity’s
elergy will lead us in prayer and
teaeh us about the mitzvot assoei-
ated with Tu BiShevat, the New
Year for trees. The event is ehild
friendly but please dress appropri
ately for outdoor weather. Follow
ing the planting and aetivities,
tours will be available for those
who wish to learn more about our
eommunity’s oldest Jewish insti
tution, as well as tour the new Me
morial Building or view our
Blumenthal Memorial Garden.
The Tu BiShevat tree planting
event is a eollaboration between
the Hebrew Cemetery Assoeiation
and TreesCharlotte. Sandra Gold
man is the Direetor of HCA, and
Tammy Seigel is the Programs
Direetor of TreesCharlotte. If
you would like more information
about the event, you may
eontaet Goldman at: direetor@he-
Your Connection To The
Jewish Community
0
Group
REAITOR*
Jeremy Ordan Matti Ordan Reider
704.609.9300 704.904.7250
Jeremy.Ordan@AllenTate.com
Matti.Ordan@AlIenTate.com
TheOrdanReiderGroup.com
In the Blumenthal garden.
brewcemetery.org or me at
byshalomch@gmail.com.
Our Association is very proud
of the natural beauty experienced
at the Hebrew Cemetery. The
planning and execution of a land
scaping plan has been carefully
stewarded by our Association
Board for nearly 30 years. Many
in the community believe it is the
legacy of the Blumenthal family
that is responsible for integrating
nature seamlessly into the Jewish
experience one receives whether
at Shalom Park, the Hebrew
Cemetery or even when groups
spend weekends at Wildacres Re
treat. Herman Blumenthal be
lieved it was important “to blend
the graces of modem life with the
beauty of the wilderness.”
I recently spoke with Board
Member Jill Blumenthal who had
these recollections of her grand
parents Herman and Anita Blu
menthal. “Grandma and Grandpa
were both very committed to sup
porting the local community, but
Grandpa especially felt it was im
portant to have a Jewish cemetery
in Charlotte. Grandpa also en
fnsurance for Home, Auto, Business and Life.
“My father, Harry, founded Swimmer Insurance Agency over 60 years ago offering
security to the community and helping families through times of trouble. Today, we con
tinue that tradition of service with everything we do. We will be there for every mile
stone, every hardship and every transition your family or business experiences.”
- DAVID SWIMMER
Swimmer
Insurance
Agency
725 Providence Rd
Charlotte. NC 28207
704.333.6694
WWW.swimmerinsurance.com
joyed being outside, whether
he was walking his dogs in
his neighborhood or enjoying
the beauty of the North Car
olina mountains.”
It is that love of nature and
the Hebrew Cemetery of
Charlotte that inspired the
Blumenthal family to leave a
legacy endowment specifi
cally for the beautification of
the Cemetery grounds. Those
wishes and that love of nature
expressed by Herman, Anita,
and their family continue to
inspire our Association lead
ership today.
Over the past three
years, our Building and
Grounds Committee, led
by Bill Gorelick and
Kevin Levine, has worked
to not only make the
grounds functional - to ac
commodate an additional
1500 graves that will serve
the funeral needs of our di
verse Jewish community -
but also to make the
grounds rich with natural
beauty. With the guidance of De-
Signia Landscaping, Gorelick and
Levine executed a natural plan
that is both colorful and beautiful,
with different visual and sensual
experiences provided to visitors in
every season. All of this has been
accomplished while adhering to
the Jewish laws and traditions re
garding cemeteries.
February is also Jewish Film
Festival time in Charlotte. Your
Charlotte Hebrew Cemetery Asso
ciation is proud to be the Commu
nity Partner presenting Run Boy
Run at Temple Israel on Wednes
day, February 18 at 7:15 PM. This
film, directed by Oscar-winner
Pepe Danquart, and based on the
best-selling novel by Israeli author
Uri Orlev, depicts the true story of
a Polish boy escaping the Warsaw
ghetto and his adventures. The
film won the Audience Award in
2014 in the Jewish Film Festivals
Hebrew Cemetery
0l Greater Chaffotts
in Boston, Dallas, and Los Ange
les.
We’re nearing the end of our
second year of the Grinspoon
Foundation Challenge for the Cre
ate Your Jewish Legacy Cam
paign. We met our first year goal,
but need your help to achieve our
goal for year two. The paperwork
is very easy to fill out - and if you
have already made your CJL com
mitment, it’s easy to add the
The Memorial Building. Photo courtesy Brian
Yesowitch.
Cemetery to your beneficiary
plan. You may contact the Foun
dation for the Charlotte Jewish
Community directly at 704-973-
4554 or you may contact Sandra
to make your plans known.
We hope you will join us for
the Tu BiShevat Celebration on
Sunday February 8, but if you’re
unable, please take some time
soon to experience the natural
beauty of our Hebrew Cemetery
for yourself
Membership in the Hebrew
Cemetery Association is afford
able at $72 annually. Members get
significant discounts when they
pre-plan their funerals. For more
information about membership or
funeral preplanning, please con
tact our director, Sandra Goldman,
at director@hebrewcemetery.org
or 704-576-1859 for more infor
mation. ^
Moishe House Events for
February
Moishe House is a nonprofit or
ganization dedicated to promoting
community among Jewish young
adults in their twenties and early
thirties. Moishe House looks to fill
the void that often exists after
graduating college and prior to
“settling down.” The organization,
with 73 houses in 17 countries,
brings together groups of three to
five Jewish adults who live to
gether and plan local programs,
both home-based and external, for
other young Jewish adults.
Moishe House Charlotte began
in August 2013 and has hosted
over 90 events ranging from serv
ice projects to social events to
Jewish learning and more. Diana
Warth, Elana Congress, Audrey
e-
Singer, and Danielle Soowal, live
in the house. Next month we will
grow to five as Matt Hirschl
moves in. We are always taking
applications for new residents.
Please contact us if you are inter
ested.
And now, for our events for the
month of: February
1. Shabbat Dinner - Friday,
February 6 at 7:30 PM (Moishe
House)
Come wind down from your
week at the Moishe House for a
fun Shabbat dinner. Chicken
matzo ball soup will be provided.
We ask that you bring something
to share to supplement the meal.
The festivities will kick off at
7:30.
2. Pool Night - Thursday,
February 19 from 7:30-9:30
PM (Rack’Em Pub and Billard,
Matthews)
Chalk up your cues and join
the Moishe House for an
G'
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