An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte
Vol. 39, No. 10
Cheshvan-Kislev 5778
November 2017
United States and Israel: Through the Eyes of the Ambassador
The 2018 Main Event with Daniei Shapiro, U.S. Ambassador to israei (2011-2017)
Co-chairs Risa Miller and Jeff
Turk, invite you to join them at the
Federation’s 2018 Main Event on
Sunday, December 3 at 7:30 PM
at Temple Israel featuring Ambas
sador Daniel Shapiro. The Main
Event is the Jewish Federation’s
most widely attended event of the
campaign season and part of our
Israel @70 festivities. (See page
4.)
Serving in the Obama Admin
istration for eight years. Ambassa
dor Daniel Shapiro — heralded as
“a pioneer of public diplomacy”
and highly sought-after for his
shrewd insights into regional af
fairs — won praise from leaders
of both the U.S. and Israel for his
deft management of bilateral rela
tions during a period marked
by challenges.
As Ambassador to Israel from
Dan Shapiro
July 2011 until the
end of the Obama
Administration,
Shapiro skillfully
navigated U.S.-Israel
relations during Is-
raeli-Palestinian
peace negotiations,
the Iran nuclear
agreement, regional
instability, and peri
ods of significant bi
lateral tension and
disagreement. A fluent Hebrew
speaker, his time as Ambassador
was marked by seamlessly com
bining his tremendous knowledge
and experience with unprece
dented levels of engagement with
Israel’s diverse communities. The
Tablet Magazine once wrote,
Shapiro “won over Israelis across
the political spectrum through de
Israel (a) 70
Ancient Beauty. Modern Spirit.
Join us as we mark 70 years of statehood by exploring
Israel’s extraordinary people, culture, history, and
politics. Speakers, performers, artists, and celebrations
will showcase the complexity and diversity of
contemporary Israel in a series of programs designed
to entertain, educate, and inspire. We look forward to
celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday with you! See page 4
for an Israel @ 70 event snapshot.
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termined outreach and
his demonstrable con
cern and care for
the Jewish state.”
Among Ambassador
Shapiro’s other accom
plishments were negoti
ating the $38 billion
Memorandum of Un
derstanding for U.S.
military aid to Israel
and 40% growth in
U.S.-Israel trade.
Shapiro’s time as Ambassador
followed a diverse career involv
ing over 20 years in senior foreign
policy and national security posi
tions in the United States govern
ment, including as the Senior
Director for the Middle East and
North Africa at the National Secu
rity Council.
Currently, Shapiro is the Dis
tinguished Visiting F ellow at Tel
Aviv University’s Institute of
National Security Studies, where
he remains in-demand by both
Israeli and U.S. media outlets for
his remarkable breadth of in
sights. From his current vantage
point in Israel, Shapiro is uniquely
qualified to give a behind-the-
scenes account of U.S.-Israel
relations under the current Admin
istration, Israeli-Palestinian talks,
and negotiations surrounding the
Iran nuclear deal.
Main Event tickets are $36
each and are available online at
www.jewishcharlotte.org or by
phone at 704-944-6757.
Goodness is not a single act.
It’s the sum of many parts. Which
is why Federation is always at
work, powering the Jewish com
munity in ways you might not
think of, in places you’d never
suspect. We’re there in times of
crisis, sowing the seeds of hope.
We’re there in quiet moments that
transform lives and strengthen our
legacy. Right now, thousands of
people need us in a multitude of
ways. This is your moment to
help. Join us at the Main Event,
and be the start of something pow-
Jewish Federation
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
erful. You will also have the op
portunity to make your pledge to
the 2018 Annual Campaign.
For more information about the
Main Event, please contact the
Federation office at 704-944-6757
or info@jewishcharlotte.org.
The mission of the Jewish Fed
eration of Greater Charlotte is to
raise and distribute funds to sup
port and enrich the lives of Jews
locally, nationally, in Israel and
worldwide. Through education,
planning and community building,
the Federation s mission ensures
that Jewish values, goals, tradi
tions and connections are pre
served for current and future
generations. ^
Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event
Israel Fashion and Jewelry
Thursday, November 16, Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts
Daniel Sahalo
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Join the Jewish Federation’s
Women’s Philanthropy for an ex
traordinary evening celebrating
fashion, women, and
Israel.
We will be joined
by Sharon Tal, Head
Designer of luxury Is
raeli fashion house,
Maskit, and Daniel
Sahalo, Marketing
and Sales Manager
for Megemeria Jew
elry.
Megemeria
Megemeria means
genesis in Amharic,
the traditional lan
guage of Ethiopia. The Megeme
ria School of Jewelry and Art
provides its students - Ethiopian
immigrants to Israel - with a
bright, new beginning in life,
through professional training and
advancement, as well as employ
ment opportunities. Sahalo will
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^ WOMEN’sH
'iS#'PHILANTHROPY
share the incredible Megemeria
story through moving photo
graphs and the unique jewelry line
which shares the
journey of longing,
renewal and yearn
ing. Daniel himself
was part of one of
Israel’s greatest ab
sorption initiatives,
“Operation Moses:
the saving of the
Ethiopian Jewish
community,” mak
ing the long and
dangerous journey
of Megemeria on foot from north
ern Ethiopia to Is
rael with his family as a
five-year-old child in 1984.
Maskit
Once described as “Is
raeli as falafel,” Maskit was
launched in 1954 by Ruth
Dayan, the first wife of the
late Israeli Defense Force
General and politician
Moshe Dayan. A strong pro
ponent of women’s empow
erment, Dayan initially
established Maskit as a
means to create jobs for
more than 2,000 new immi
grants while preserving the
skills, ethnic crafts and cul
ture of the diverse communities
living in the modem State of Is
rael.
At its zenith in the 1960s,
Maskit became a fashion phenom
enon. Recognized for its signature
desert cloaks, flowing Bedouin-
styled tunics and rich embroi
dered embellishments, Maskit
became one of the country’s first
popular imports, its products cre
ated for highbrow worldly tastes
and officially gifted by presidents
and prime ministers to global
leaders and diplomats visiting Is
rael.
After many years of success
and international recognition,
(Continued on page 2)
Ruth Dayan and Sharon Tal of Maskit.
Photo courtesy of Baruch Rafic.