Vol. 40, No. 11
Kislev-Tevet 5779
December 2018
JCRC Speaker Lecture Series Presents: “Defining
Antisemitism and Why It Matters”
Please join the Jewish Fed
eration’s Commnnity Relations
Conncil on Thnrsday, Jannary
17, 2019 when the JCRC Speak
er Lectnre Series presents: “De
fining Antisemitism and Why It
Matters,” a conversation with
Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wi-
esenthal Fonndation at 7:30 PM
in the Sam Lemer Center for the
Cnltnral Arts at Shalom Park.
In wake of the deadly attack
on Pittsbnrgh’s Tree of Life Syn-
agogne, we will hear from the
world’s leading expert on the his
tory and modem manifestations
of Antisemitism and Holocanst
deiuals. Join ns as Weitzman
shares how he and his colleagnes
worked for years to create a glob
ally recogiuzed definition of An
tisemitism as a means to combat
hate worldwide.
Anthor of several books and
essay on Antisemitism and Ho
locanst deiual, Mark Weitzman
is the Director of Government
Affairs for the Simon Wiesen-
thal Center and the Chief Rep
resentative of the Center to the
United Nations in New York. He
is a member of the official US
delegation to the International
Holocanst Remembrance Anthor-
ity (IHRA) where he chaired the
Committee on Antisemitism and
Holocanst Deiual. He spearhead
ed IHRA’s recent adoption of the
Working Definition of Antisemi
tism, which is the first definition
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Comrnijnity
Reiatioris
Council
Mark Weitzman
of Antisemitism with any formal
status. He also was the lead author
of IHRA’s Working Definition of
Holocaust Denial and Distortion,
which was later adopted by 31 of
IHRA’s member countries.
The event is free and open to
the community, but reservations
are requested at www.jewishchar-
lotte.org.
For more information, please
contact Laurel Grauer, Director
of Community Relations & Israel
Affairs, laurel. grauer@jewish-
charlotte.org or 704-944-6751.*:*
Closed Doors Don’t Equal Closed Hearts
Shalom Park was built 35
years ago to be an open park-like
campus. No gates, no access con
trol systems no concrete bollards
and no buzzers to open the doors.
It was meant to be a welcoming
home to the Jewish communi
ty and for that matter, the entire
Charlotte community.
The Foundation of Shalom
Park has been improving its se
curity protocols. Following sev
eral security threats in 2017, our
security procedures were again
strengthened and our spending
was significantly exceeded. To
day, we are again revisiting our
security protocols in the after-
math of the October 27 shooting
at the Tree of Life Synagogue in
Pittsburgh.
Each time we revisit our secu-
Mike Philbeck
rity procedures, we need to also
revisit the balance between safety
and security with the desire to be
welcoming. We also need to con
sider what is possible within the
confines of our existing budget.
“We understand that the Sha-
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lorn Park community feels vul
nerable. Everyone wants open
access to all the wonderful pro
grams, buildings and park spac
es that the campus has to offer
- it’s a tough dilemma,” says Jill
Dinerman, chairperson of the
Foundation of Shalom Park Se
curity Committee. Jewish leaders
everywhere across the country
are asking themselves - how do
we strike the proper balance be
tween protecting our community
and creating a welcoming place?
For the Jewish community, this
debate is not new, but the Tree
of Life Synagogue attack has
brought the issue to the surface.
For many synagogues around
the country having locked doors,
law enforcement presence during
services, a Director of Security,
active shooter drills, and security
committees will be new. But this
is not the case at Shalom Park. To
a large extent, these measures are
already in place.
In October, the Foundation of
Shalom Park received the max
imum grant award, $150,000,
from Department of Homeland
Security for the Nonprofit Securi
ty Grant Program - for Urban Ar
eas. Although this funding cannot
be used for security guard or law
enforcement costs, it can be used
for security training and physical
security enhancements. The new
Director of Safety and Security,
Michael Philbeck, has plans to
use the grant for physical security
hardening, congregant training of
both Temple Beth El and Temple
Israel, Shalom Park incident re
sponse training and establishment
of on- and off-site command cen
ters. “2019 will be the year of
training,” he said at the Temple
Israel Board of Directors meeting
on November 6.
Emergencies can happen any
where and at any time. The very
nature of an emergency is unpre
dictable and can change in scope
and impact. Being prepared and
planning ahead is critical to pro
tecting lives, the environment,
and property. The primary rea
son for the Foundation of Sha
lom Park’s focus on emergency
and incident response training is
to develop a higher level of pre
paredness.
The Foundation of Shalom
Park has the responsibility for
balancing the need to provide
a secure and safe environment
with the desire to create an open
and welcoming atmosphere for
the thousands of people who vis
it the park every day. Given the
elevated threat level, they need
to raise at least at $160,000 this
year. They can only do this with
your donation to the Security
Campaign.
The Foundation of Shalom
Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
agency that owns and manages
the properties and facilities for
most of the organizations that are
located on the central campus of
Shalom Park, which includes:
How You Can Keep
Shalom Park Safe
Donate to the Security
Campaign
*Automatic monthly
donation (one-year -
$83.33/month
*Contact: Karen Roode
at 704-944-6841
*Email Karen:
Kroode@shalomchar-
lotte.org
*Mail a check - Security
Fund, Foundation of
Shalom Park, 5007
Providence Rd., Suite 120,
Charlotte, NC 28116
*Donate online -
vwwv.shalomcharlotte.org.
Temple Israel, Temple Beth El,
the Levine Jewish Communi
ty Center, Jewish Federation of
Greater Charlotte, Jewish Family
Services, Temple Israel Religious
School, Temple Beth El Reli
gious School, Consolidated High
School of Jewish Studies, Char
lotte Jewish Preschool, Charlotte
Jewish Day School, Center for
Jewish Education, Moishe House,
Hebrew Cemetery Association,
B’nai Brith Youth Organization,
and the Charlotte Jewish News.
For more information, contact
Terri Beattie, Executive Direc
tor, Foundation of Shalom Park
-704-944-6840.*:*
What’s happening in
Charlotte for Chanukah?
See the full calendar of
events on page 16.