The Charlotte
JEWISH
Vol. 42, No. 8
Tishrei 5781-Cheshvan 5781
October 2020
Levine JCC
Needs You Back!
I n the pre-COVID-19 world
of March 13th, we woke up
and started our day like any
other, with plans to come to the
Levine Jewish Community Cen
ter (LJCC). Whether we were
coming for a morning swim in
the pool, to work out in the Da
vid Silverman Fitness Center,
or play tennis with friends, our
plan was to come to the J. We
came not only to participate in
the program of choice, we came
because of our relationships
with our community. Because
of the commitment of our mem
bers and the dedication of our
staff, the LJCC was thriving.
and you could feel the energy.
Within hours of receiving
word that the LJCC would need
to temporarily suspend our op
erations, we launched JConnect,
our online platform, which has
delivered more than 500 pro
grams, attended by thousands
of LJCC members, community
members, and family members
across the country. You can now
build community whenever,
wherever, and with whomever
you want — take a yoga class
when it fits your schedule or at
tend the excellent LJCC Cultur
al Arts programs from the com
fort of your couch.
Jewish Federation
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
Federation Announces
Record Breaking Campaign
Go to page 17 for details and
recognition of our donors.
During the mandated sus
pension of our operations and
phased reopening, we have not
wavered from our Mission: To
enrich lives and build relation
ships, through quality Jewish
experiences.
When we resumed operations
two months later, albeit with
some modifications, that energy
returned and along with it, the
smiles on our faces. Our com
munity was exactly what we
all needed. Since then, we have
safely and successfully resumed
nearly every program, service,
and class. Our Tennis Facilities
are thriving, our Aquatics Com
plex is filled with the laughter of
families, and our Group Fitness,
Weight Training, JFORCE, Pi-
lates, & Personal Training pro
grams are operating both out
side and inside!
Through every challenge, we
have remained steadfast in our
commitment to the most vulner
able members of our communi
ty. Our Oasis Senior program
continues to make bi-weekly
meal deliveries to seniors who
are isolated and live alone,
to date delivering over 2,500
meals, in partnership with local
ly owned businesses, FS Food
Group, Phil’s Deli, Izzy’s Ca
tering, and Foster-Caviness, and
made possible by a COVID Re
sponse Fund Grant (United Way
of the Central Carolinas/The
Foundation of the Carolinas).
Our Kosher BBQ continues its
work to eradicate Children’s
Plunger, funding thousands of
meals to those in increasing
need. Our Butterfly Project
continues to educate children
about what happens when gov
ernments and individuals fail to
stand up to injustice, something
of which we are reminded daily.
Summer 2020 may have been
different, but Camp Mindy con
tinued to meet the needs of our
community, serving over 200
campers, and will continue year-
round with Camp Mindy 365, a
program that will combine the
best parts of Camp with online
learning support for school-age
families.
COVID-19 has changed the
LJCC, but not all of these
changes are positive ones. Due
to the precipitous loss of mem
bers who canceled or froze
their memberships, the LJCC
will incur a financial loss in the
millions of dollars. In order to
sustain the J, over 40 staff posi
tions were eliminated. The staff
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