Vol. 40, No. 10
Cheshvan-Kislev 5779
November 2018
Fourth Annual Global Day of Jewish Learning Set for Sunday, November 11 Charlotte’s fourth Global Day of Jewish Learning will continue this year on Sunday, November 11. Organized by the Aleph Society and Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, the Global Day of Jewish Learning is an annual event where Jewish communities across the globe study a shared theme from a variety of perspectives rooted in Jewish texts. This year’s theme is: Extraordinary Passages – Texts and Travels. This year’s Global Day of Jewish Learning will feature two Israeli authors who will share their jouneys with our community. Aryeh Green, author of My Israel Trail: Finding Peace in the Promised Land will talk about his fascinating journey walking the land of Israel, his love for the land and the people, and his spiritual
transformation after this 42-day hike. In his book, God Is in the Crowd, financier and former Israeli combat pilot Tal Keinan reflects on a lifetime of varied experiences with his Jewish identity, providing a heartfelt, well-reasoned reflection on the Jewish people. Participants will also have the option to choose from a variety of workshops on extraordinary passages with local rabbis. Families with young children could embark on their own journey with PJ Library’s “Dinosaur’s Journey to Israel.” This year’s Global Day of Jewish Learning is spearheaded by
SAVE THE DATE
80th
ANNIVERSARY of
KRISTALLNACHT NIGHT of the BROKEN GLASS
COMMEMORATION
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 7 P.M. Temple Israel
the Center for Jewish Education. This program is supported by a Jewish Federation’s Impact and Innovation Grant and is in collaboration with multiple local Jewish Synagogues and organizations. For more information and reg-
istration visit: www.jewishcharlotte.org/gdjl. Y
Kristallnacht: 80th Anniversary Commemoration November 7, 7 PM at Temple Israel Eighty years ago, overnight November 9/10, 1938, Hitler’s war against the Jewish People began. That night, Nazi brown-shirted storm troopers, supported by local citizens rioted through the city streets of Germany and Austria. Their rampage damaged or destroyed Jewish homes, schools, businesses and synagogues. The broken glass strewn across Germany and Austria provided the appellation that has remained connected to that date - Kristallnacht - Night of Broken Glass. The destruction on that November night included 7,500 Jewish homes and businesses, 267 synagogues, 100 Jews had been murdered, and 30,000 men arrested and sent to concentration camps previously used for crimi-
nals who had broken the law. The night of violence and destruction marked the beginning of the Holocaust, Hitler’s plan to systematically eliminate the Jewish people. Suly Chenkin, survivor, educator, and member of Temple Israel, explains: “When the glass broke, shards blew everywhere and blinded people ….” She adds: “Our role is to bring the shards together again, l’taken et ha’olam, to repair the world and make it whole again.” Every five years, we gather to remember the fear and terror that afflicted the Jewish people until the end of the Nazis’ rule over Europe and Germany. The hatred which condemned our people under the Hitler regime still echoes throughout our
world and in the streets of our United States of America. The White Supremicists’ march on Charlottesville, VA, the recent desecration of App State’s Sukkah, the anti-semitic graffiti in the university’s tunnel, and the desecration of the JCC in Virginia prove that the hatred behind Kristallnacht still exists to threaten us and others who are the targets of blind, baseless hatred. The Kristallnacht Commemoration Committee and Temple Israel wish to thank Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte, the Butterfly Project, and the Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social justice for their collaboration and partnership.Y
Public Menorah Lightings for Chanukah SouthPark Mall – December 2 at 6 PM. See page 22. StoneCrest – December 3 at 5:30 PM. See page 19. Downtown Waxhaw – December 4 at 5:30 PM. See page 19.
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 2
JEWISH FEDERATION NEWS
Dear Readers, It seems like our Jewish community in the Charlotte area continues to grow with more Jewish organizations and more people moving here daily. As The Charlotte Jewish News expands to include all the new agencies and increases print production to include new subscribers, cost increases inevitably follow. To offset some costs, we’ve enlarged our online presence. Every edition can be accessed at our website, charlottejewishnews.org or issuu.com. Upcoming events are announced on our Facebook page (please follow us on Facebook!). But our core remains the readers of the hard copy, mailed monthly (except July) to any local Jewish person who wants it. There are many ways you can help The Charlotte Jewish News meet its needs. Our primary source of revenue is advertising. Please patronize our advertisers and let them know you saw their ad in The Charlotte Jewish News. Recommend advertising to your favorite retail and service establishments. Please also consider supporting us with a donation. Use the form below and return it to us in the return envelope conveniently included in this month’s edition. Please remember that there are agencies that would not be able to get their message to you without The Charlotte Jewish News. Anything you do to help is greatly appreciated by all.
Correction to Donor Listing. We apologize for the errors or omissions in the October CJN Men Theodore Herzl Society $5,000 - $9,999 Sandler, Bernie
Additional Donors to the Jewish Federation 2018 Annual Campaign as of October 8, 2018
Men
Shomrim (Guardians) $100 - $364 Safran, Joel
Chaverim (Friends) $1 - $99 Shporer, Alexander
Women
Ruby Lion of Judah $10,000 - $17,999 Zulman, Rosemary
$10,000
Lion of Judah $5,000 - $9,999 Goodman, Barbara
Pearl Society $80 - $1,799 Sandler, Carol
Family
King David Society $25,000 - $99,999 Zulman Family
$25,000
Menachem Begin Society $1,000 - $1,799
Todah Rabah!
Goodman, David and Barbara
Shabbat Candle Lighting for November 2018 Friday, November 2, 6:10 PM Friday, November 9, 5:03 PM Friday, November 16, 4:59 PM Friday, November 23, 4:55 PM Friday, November 30, 4:53 PM
The Charlotte Jewish News 5007 Providence Road, Suite 112 Charlotte, NC 28226 Phone
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Office 704-944-6765 email: charlottejewishnews@shalomcharlotte.org An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte Amy Krakovitz - Editor Advertising Sales Reps: Jodi Valenstein, 704-609-0950 or Pam Garrison, 704-906-7034 Art Director, Erin Bronkar ebronkar@carolina.rr.com
CJN Editorial Board Chair - Bob Davis Members: Bob Abel, Sara Abadi, David Delfiner, Ann Langman, Linda Levy, Elaine Millen, Andrew Rosen The CJN does not assume responsibility for the quality or kasruth of any product or service advertised. Publishing of a paid political advertisement does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, political party or position by this newspaper, the Federation or any employees. Published monthly except July An affliate of:
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Tributes to the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte thanks and acknowledges the following tributes made June 30, 2018 through October 8, 2018. In honor of Nicki Fisher By: Claire Renaldo
In memory of Bruce Feigeles By: Lauren, Jeremy, and Emma Sussman
In honor of Jason Pressberg By: Richard and Paula Klein
If you would like to make a Tribute to the Jewish Federation, please contact the Federation office at 704-944-6761.Y
CONTENTS
In memory of Alfred Lepow By: Jerry and Carole Sternstein
Federation News................................. pp. 2, 3
Youth Visions.................................. pp. 11, 12
Sue’s Book Shelf....................................... p. 4
Community News............................ pp. 13-15
Women’s News.......................................... p. 4
Synagogues/Cong................ pp. 18, 19, 22,23
Schools..................................................pp. 5-8
Jewish Community Center............ pp. 20, 21
Jewish Family Services.................. pp. 10, 11
Dining Out.............................................. p. 24
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Jewish Federation 2019 Campaign Chair Looks Ahead to an Exciting New Year
Risa Miller, 2019 Annual Campaign Chair, talks about her background, her involvement in the Charlotte Jewish community and her hopes for the upcoming year. CJN: What brought you to Charlotte originally? RISA MILLER: I had lived in the Northeast until the age of 30. At that time, I was ready to make a change. My husband David had an opportunity here; he’s from North Carolina originally and we had family in Charlotte. CJN: How did you get involved in the Jewish community and the Federation? RS: Stacy and Todd Gorelick introduced us to Charlotte’s Jewish community. They were already involved in Federation. Todd’s parents (Bill and Patty, z”l) had been very active and Stacy and Todd followed their example. David had also grown up in a household where Federation was an important of their philanthropic giving. I originally got involved as a leader of Shalom Y’all, an initiative to welcome newcomers to Charlotte by delivering baskets to their homes. We’d also give them tips on Jewish life in Charlotte and living in Charlotte generally. That’s how I first connected with the Jewish
Risa Miller community socially and philanthropically. CJN: Why are you talking on this role in the campaign? RS: I don’t know! [Laughs.] I feel that this is a great time to be involved with Federation. With our new Chief Development Officer Jason Pressberg, there is new energy around our campaign and the community growing in similar ways to how it did 15 years ago. Strategically, we’re finding ways
to utilize and thank our generous and aging donors while bringing in new talent. We’re succeeding in reaching millennials and getting younger people involved in our campaign. We need to do better at asking our older generations to pass along their wisdom on how to keep the Jewish community alive and thriving. CJN: What are you looking forward to in this year’s campaign? RS: Growth, primarily. I think a $4 million goal was an obvious one for 2018 after we raised $3.88 million in 2017. We have built momentum around making changes and continuing to grow our campaign to benefit every corner of Jewish Charlotte and allow our programs and partner agencies to continue to achieve even more. I’m excited to work with Federation’s new hires and many of the new and veteran volunteers with our campaign, without whom we could not achieve any of our goals. Y
Risa Miller Campaign Chair Stacy Gorelick Major Gifts Chair Board of Trustees Chair
Dale Polsky Women’s Philanthropy Chair Meredith Baumstein and Sara Kulbersh
Lion of Judah Co-Chairs
Melanie Rousso Brown and Debra Van Glish
Pomegranate Society Co-Chairs
Staci Mond and Elizabeth Ren
Pearl Society Co-Chairs
Marisa Zeibert, Jill Halverstam, Lisa Strause Levinson and Debbie Porter George Cronson and Zach Gerger
Women’s Philanthropy At-Large Committee
Gail Baron and Eliza Carney
CONNECT Team Captain
Lisa Strause Levinson
THANK Team Captain
Lisa Blau and Jason Tanenbaum
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 4 the meaning of art, Judaism, and his relationships with the women in his life. What intrigues and inflames Matt is the burning question “Why does his opportunist father want nothing to do with the return of this very valuable painting?” Memento Park, a well-written novel, is best appreciated for the psychological study of the complicated father and son relationship. The search for rightful ownership of art stolen by the Nazis continues today. The painting “Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin” painted in 1919 by Renoir was stolen by the Nazis in 1941 from the bank vault of Alfred Weinberger, a prominent art collector in pre-war Paris. On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, it was re-
Sue’s Book Shelf By Sue Littauer
During World War II, Nazi Germany led a systematic campaign to loot and plunder art from Jews and others in the occupied countries. Much of the stolen art was recovered by the Allies in the immediate aftermath of the war; however, thousands of valuable art pieces were not returned to their rightful owners or were never relocated. In the decades following the Holocaust, a concerted international effort was undertaken to identify Nazi plunder that still remains unaccounted for with the aim of ultimately returning the items to the rightful owners or their families. (Jewish virtual library) “Holocaust Restitution: Recovering Stolen Art” is an important theme of both Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese and Memento Park by Mark Sarvas. Stolen Beauty tells the story of Adele Bloch-Bauer (better known as the “Lady in Gold” in the paintings by Gustav Klimt), and her beloved
niece Maria Altmann. At first this glamorous, delicious novel which tells the story of Adele, is set in Vienna in the early 1900s; but continues in the voice of Maria during dark pre- and post-World War II. Those familiar with the movie Woman in Gold starring Helen Mirren will appreciate the rich history behind the famous painting, which was the center of a Supreme Court battle to return the painting to its rightful owners. Memento Park, a contemporary novel set in the United States, delves into the unsettling relationship between Matt Santos, a Hollywood actor, and his father, a Holocaust survivor living in New York. When Matt receives a call from the Australian consulate about a painting allegedly looted by Nazis from his father’s family in 1944 Budapest, his world is turned upside down. The discovery sends Matt on a journey of exploration of his previous unknown family history,
turned to Weinberger’s last remaining heir, his granddaughter Sylvie Sultizer, at a ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. CJE Book Club News: Stolen Beauty was the October selection for the CJE Book Club which meets the third Wednesday of each month from 10:30 AM–12 noon. Please note; however, that the book club will meet on the second Wednesday of November when we will discuss Faithful by Alice Hoffman. The Book of Separation by Tova Mirvis is the selection for our meeting on December 19. All are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact sueb.littauer@jewishcharlotte.org. Y
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CJE: NOVEMBER 2018 Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
The Center for Jewish Education (CJE) enhances community engagement, promotes lifelong Jewish learning, and creates pathways to Jewish identity. LIBRARY HOURS:
5
6
7
11
12
13
14
Once Upon a Storytime 1:15 PM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library Once Upon a Storytime 1:15 PM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library
Global Day of Jewish Learning
PJ Library Baby Storytime 11:00 AM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library
8
9
15
16
CJE Book Club 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 19
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PJ Library Baby Storytime 11:00 AM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library
PJ Library Baby Storytime 11:00 AM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library 22
No Storytime Today! 25
Friday 2
Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm; and Sunday, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
4
18
Thursday 1
29
Library Closed Today!
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Library Closed Today! 30
PJ Library Baby Storytime 11:00 AM Levine-Sklut Judaic Library
Special Event! Calling all families with children ages 2–8 join us for a morning of fun!
Mr. Ed from “Dakota and Friends” will bring his large, walking dinosaur puppets. Witness a baby T-Rex hatch from his egg! l Storywalk: Dinosaur Goes to Israel l Snack l
Sunday, November 11 10:45-11:30am
Poliakoff Pavilion at Camp Mindy at Shalom Park FREE – Limited Space Registration Required:www.jewishcharlotte.org/gdjl
Questions? Debby.Block@jewishcharlotte.org
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 5
Women’s News
Order Your 2019 Mah Jongg Card Now Through Hadassah and Help Your Friends Do It, Too Hadassah is once again making so easy to order your 2019 mah jongg card. 1. Include your email with your other personal information (name/address/phone number on a separate piece of paper, please) and you’ll receive an email confirmation of your order by February 1, 2019, direct from the National Mah Jongg League. 2. Make your check out to Hadassah. We process your order, but your card and newsletter come directly from the National Mah Jongg League. In return for
our help, the NMJL makes a donation to Hadassah. 3. Want to do something easy to benefit Hadassah? Be a table captain. Collect all the checks and personal info from your games. It’s still one envelope, one stamp, but you can insure that every player you know buys their card through Hadassah. So easy, but it makes such a difference. 4. You can order your card now. No need to wait for the Mah Jong League paperwork. Remember: Make your check
out to Hadassah and include name, address, telephone number, email address, card size, and number of cards on a separate piece of paper. Regular Print Card: $8; Large Print Card: $9 5. Two ways to order: Mark your order enveloper to Madeline Aron and drop off at the JCC front desk, or mail in to Madeline Aron, 4940 Hardison Road, Charlotte 28226. 6. Orders must be received by January 15, 2019.
School news
Thank You for Supporting CJP Through Its Annual Fund By Melanie Resnick, VP of Development, CJP Board of Directors As my family starts our final year at the Charlotte Jewish Preschool, we cannot help but continue to feel grateful that we are part of this wonderful kehillah, community. Four years ago, I walked in the door holding my reserved, quiet, little girl’s hand, excited, but not fulling realizing how special CJP and this community would become to my family. She excelled in kindergarten, showing the many values that CJP instilled through her education. Now, as our twin girls start their final year in the fours, I know first-hand that they will leave this year with a strong foundation of a Jewish identity and ready to enter kindergarten as engaged, curious, confident, and eager learners. As an educator, I find this extremely important. Our kids received an exceptional and well-rounded education that far exceeds the tuition that families pay.
Jewish Federation, none of this would be possible. Annual Fund is a way for us, as a community, to demonstrate our support for our preschool and community. As a member of our kehillah, we ask that you continue to support CJP as they continue to provide a top-notch Jewish education to the youngest in our community. We ask that you make a donation that is meaningful to you, as we set an example for our children and community in the spirit of Jewish generosity and giving. Last year we raised over $40,000. This year, I am confident we can continue to show our support for our children’s exceptional education and our community. Charlotte Jewish Preschool is setting the foundation for our youngest children’s future education. You entrusted them to develop knowledgeable, caring, giving, respectful, responsible, and self-confident children. As CJP instills in our children the value of Tikkun Olam, “repair the world,” we can help leave this (Continued on page 8)
The children have access to an outdoor learning garden and special science curriculum, open ended learning manipulatives, and a beautiful playground with various ways to explore and learn. They have teachers who have opportunities to continue to learn through attending NAEYC and Paradigm conferences, and then come back to share their learning with all staff. Without our Annual Fund dollars and the Greater Charlotte
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 6
Sukkot Brunch at Jewish Preschool on Sardis Sukkot Brunch and Family Fun Day, hosted by the JPS PTO was a special morning filled with activities and fun for all. Families joined together for brunch in the Sukkah and had the opportunity to shake the lulav and etrog. Afterwards we jumped in the bounce house, got our faces painted, did arts and crafts, and enjoyed more nosh. What better
way to spend a Sunday morning than joining together with school families to enjoy each other's company and participate in the special mitzvot of Sukkot? We'd like to thank our PTO Presidents, Sara Kulbersh and Kendall Covitz Nicholson for planning this event and making it possible. Y
Make Us Your Neighborhood School Come take a tour! Call 704.366-4558
CJDS SETS THE STANDARD FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATION BASED ON JEWISH BELIEFS
CJDSchool.org
Jewish Day School Is Good for Your Health By Mariashi Groner, director, CJDS The data is in. Attending a Jewish Day School can be good for your health. A new study from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds that kids and teens who are raised with religious or spiritual practices tend to have better health and mental health as they age. Interestingly, it wasn’t just about how much a person went to services; it was at least as much about how much they prayed or meditated in their own time. Those who prayed or meditated every day had more life satisfaction, were better able to process emotions, and were more forgiving compared to those who never prayed/meditated (Forbes 9/17/18) At CJDS, we don’t have to look too far for religious and spiritual opportunities to provide our children. Judaism and spirituality are infused in each student’s day-in the classrooms, the hallways and even the cafeteria. They learn that being Jewish is who they are. They experience it practically and mindfully and are proud of it. The results of the study come as no surprise to me. I have seen the effect of teaching Judaism to our students. I have seen students turn to their prayer book and prayers in times of discomfort and heartache. I have seen moments of delight when they recognize the chain of which they are a part. And I have experienced
the most beautiful expressions of joy when they appreciate the incredible gift of Judaism. I won’t deny that I sometimes see the opposite when it gets on their nerves, when they claim they don’t believe and it’s boring and they would rather do anything else. But, that’s children. Our job as adults is to steer and guide them towards experiences that will benefit them now and in the future. A parent told me a story about her son at camp where ten 11-year-old boys crowded around their counselor to play “Agree and Disagree.” The counselor would make a statement and the players who disagreed stepped forward. The counselor said, “I believe in God.” Two campers at this Jewish overnight camp stepped forward. Her son was upset and related the experience to his parents. “I feel so bad that they don’t believe in God,” the boy said. “How can that be? They are missing out on so much and they don’t have God to turn to. I tried to help them understand what God means to me. Thank you, for sending me to a Jewish school.” This boy believed in God and was comfortable and confident in expressing it. He valued his beliefs and found comfort in them. That strength of character is fundamental in a Jewish education, and not found elsewhere. That strength was evident when one of our graduates was begin-
ning a new large middle school. On the second day of school, he came down to the kitchen with a poster. When his mom asked what it was, he replied that he had to create a poster that described him. When he turned it around, she saw his Hebrew name in the middle of the board in large, dark Hebrew letters. She was a little nervous that the students at this school wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t recognize the language and possibly would result in some negative interactions. She asked him, “Are you sure you want to put that on the board? Maybe, you should make it smaller. Or, put it in the corner.” He looked at her in total surprise and said, “Why? That’s who I am!” This is what CJDS tries to accomplish. We want our graduates to understand that being Jewish is more than a birthright or a heritage, it is who they are. In a recent story, a graduate came running out of his 6th grade orientation and said, “I got assigned locker #613!” His mom didn’t understand his excitement until he added “I don’t need to write it down because I would never forget that there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah.” While it may seem small and somewhat trivial, it expresses a knowing of his Judaism in a real, internalized, connected way. CJDS students interpret the world around them as Jews, and this guides them in their decision-making, their priorities, and
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 7
in sustaining Jewish life in their communities. The internalization of each students’ Jewish identity is the reason I come to work everyday. Hearing our students’ thoughts, conclusions, successes, and the impact the school has on them is the most uplifting experience and one of the reasons, I think, I was put on this Earth. The early years are a defining time for a child, they provide the foundational values for decisions
that are made and goals that are reached. How fortunate are we that a Jewish Day School education has the fringe benefit of improved health.Y
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 8
Charlotte Jewish Preschool Annual Fund (Continued from page 5)
world a better place by raising children with these values. Thank you for helping support what make CJP the marvelous preschool it is. We are excited to work with you to raise the funds that give our children the exceptional education in a secure and loving environment that allows them to learn, grow, and connect. Y
Building a Foundation to LEARN. GROW. CONNECT. Thank you for your contributions. Donate online: www.charlottejewishpreschool.org “Support CJP” “Annual Fund”
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 9
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 10
Jewish Family Services The JFS Dreidel Drive Brings Bright Light to Eight Festive Nights Can you believe it’s November? It is hard to believe that Chanukah is less than a month away, and that we need to start prepar-
ing for an early holiday. How can it be that this year Chanukah is just the weekend after Thanksgiving? Time to start picking up
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those eight presents for the kids, pull out the menorah and make sure you have candles. While considered a minor holiday in Judaism, Chanukah has become one of our most celebrated family holidays. Filled with family traditions, it has become a time for family get-togethers, celebrations, gift giving, good food, and the famous chocolate “gelt.” The traditional lighting of the menorah has come to represent hope for the future, and a time of “miracles.” But for many in our community, just as with other family celebrations, Chanukah is a time of stress and anxiety. For some families, especially those who have more than one child, who can’t afford one gift, let alone eight gifts for several children, it becomes a very difficult time of year. Even for some of our seniors who hold fond memories from their younger years, Chanukah has become a difficult time of year. Being away from their family members, having lost spouses or no longer able to provide gifts to grandchildren this time of year brings angst instead of joy. And if they are alone, lighting the Menorah can be sad and depressing. At JFS we are committed to making every effort to ensure members of our community have the opportunity to experience the festive nature of Chanukah. With
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your support, our Pantry provides holiday treats, over annual Chanukah luncheon provides a festive celebration to 120 seniors in our community who otherwise would go without 120 and special menorah lightings take place throughout many of our community’s senior facilities. Probably most significant is our Jewish Family Services annual Dreidel Drive. The Dreidel Drive mobilizes our community to purchase gifts and ensure that everyone in our community has the opportunity for a celebratory holiday. Parents already struggling to make ends meet will not have to experience the stress of Chanukah gift giving, seniors without family are heartened that
they have not been forgotten and those who don’t have a menorah one are provided with one along with candles. For those who benefit from the Dreidel Drive, Chanukah in no longer a holiday filled with stress or loneliness but one of joy and celebration. Last year your contributions to the Dreidel Drive supplied us with over 200 gifts to distribute to our community. Here’s how it works: Life size menorahs are located at Charlotte Jewish Preschool, Temple Beth El, Temple Israel, and there is a menorah on the wall in the JCC. These Menorah’s host dreidels or stars, with the names and ages of members in our community who are in need of presents. To participate, all you have to do is: 1. Select 1, 2, or 3 dreidels or stars 2. Purchase the item/s listed 3. Bring the unwrapped gift to Jewish Family Services by November 26. We handle the rest. This year through a collaboration with Hebrew High School we’ve got the tape, wrapping paper, and ribbon covered, too. The JFS Dreidel Drive is just one more example of the wonderful generosity of our community. It’s Tzedakah at its finest. Pick a dreidel, purchase the item and give the gift of Jewish holiday memories to others. For more information about the Dredel Drive or if you know of someone in need contact Jewish Family Services at 704-3646594.Y
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5815 BLAKENEY PARK DR. I SUITE 100 I CHARLOTTE, NC 28277 To take advantage of the special pricing, patients must pay in full on Thursday, Nov. 8 or Friday, Nov. 9. Procedures may be scheduled on either of those days or at a later date. Patients may not buy additional product for future office visits. Not all products are available at all offices.
IN MEMORY OF Arlene Karp to Bill Burton and family, Edward Karp, Mike Karp and family, Steven Karp and family from Paul and Lynn Edelstein, Paul Musler Joel Soren to Gennifer Friedman and family from David and Debbie Block Alfred Lepow to Steve and Linda Lepow from Paul and Lynn Edelstein, Steven and Susan Meyer, Gary Silverstein Roger Ackerman to Steven and Polly Menaker from Paula S. Musler
IN HONOR OF Lori Jackowitz’s new endeavors from Steven and Susan Meyer Leo Benjamin to Michael and Heidi Rotberg from Alan and Madeline Aron WISHING A FULL AND SPEEDY RECOVERY TO Tammy Seigel from Steven and Susan Meyer MAZEL TOV ON Your retirement to Kenneth Stern from Paul and Claire PuttermanY
JFS Monthly Volunteers and Donors September 2018
Volunteers: Ana Bonheim, James Bryan, Suzy Catenazzo, Dan Coblenz, Joelle Cohn, Sheryl Effern, Maggie Fogel, Mel Frank, Rob Friedman, Marc Gentile, Dave Gerrard, Neil Golub,
Jennifer Golynsky, Ofer and Oren Hubara, Bob Jacobson, Brooks Jaffa, Eric Lerner, Gary Lerner, Kim Levy, Matt Luftglass, Harriet Meetz, Moishe House Staff, Frada Mozenter, Maayan Peleg,
Barbara Rein, Stefanie Rose, Jenny Rosenthal, Harry Rubenstein, Linda Safir, Louis Sinkoe, Mason Sklut, Harry Sparks, Maegan and Robin Tabak, Liz Wahls, Amalia Warshenbrot, Jan Weiner, Dori
Youth Visions Local Jewish Teen Sells School Supplies to Fight Gun Violence
Jules Oringel is a junior at Providence High School who has made it her mission to end gun violence in America after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. This summer, she founded Return Home Supplies, a school supply brand that donates the majority of its profits to organizations such as March For Our Lives and Everytown For Gun Safety who are leading the
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 11 Whitman, Nancy Wielunski Meal Prep by Circle of Generous Hearts: Cathy Bogus, Ellen Bottner, Sharon Cavanaugh, Gladys Cherny, Sara Friedman, Dona and Burt Greenspon, June Hirschmann, Judy and Steve Kaufman, Penny Krieger, Shelley Leibman
Food Pantry Donations: Marvin Barman, Dan Coblenz, Meg Goldstein and Matt Luftglass Robby McGinley, Marcel Oxman, Dave Solganik, Hebrew High, Temple Beth El and Temple Israel Congregants, Shalom Park Community Garden Y
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Dream Home Today. Your Home Tomorrow. Jules Oringel, 3rd from left, and her friends sell Return Home Supplies to support gun control initiatives.
gan to take action in hopes of making positive change. Oringel planned and led the walkout at Providence High School, marched on Washington, and continues to stay involved in the These Return Home Supplies are available at www. upcoming midterm returnhomesupplies.com. elections by registering voters and workfight for a safer America and for ing on political campaigns. But it common sense gun legislation. still wasn’t enough for this local The brand’s mission is to ensure teen. Over the summer, Oringel deevery student and teacher “return cided to start her own social enhome” from school each day. Many of Oringel’s closest terprise, Return Home Supplies. friends from URJ Camp Coleman The company currently sells were inside the school building water bottles, pencil pouches, during the Marjory Stoneman folders, and stickers with various Douglas shooting in Parkland, FL. messages that spark conversaDuring the massacre she and her tions surrounding gun violence camp friends were texting back prevention. The brand is planning to launch an additional product line in the coming months. Return Home Supplies sells online and at a number of events, both locally and nationally. The organization has partnered with March For Our Lives at various rallies to speak out, sell their school supplies, and connect with the leaders of the moveJules, right, with fellow BBGer selling Return ment. Student leadHome Supplies. ers from across the country have been inand forth with concerns, words of spired by Return Home Supplies’ encouragement, updates, and lov- mission and are using their school ing messages. The next morning, products, including the student she learned that not all members founders of March For Our Lives of the Camp Coleman community in Parkland. Oringel says her orhad survived. Alyssa Alhadeff, a ganization is planning to attend fellow camper, had been shot and many more events in North Carkilled in her English class along olina and beyond. Please consider following Rewith 16 other innocent victims. Following this tragedy, Oringel turn Home Supplies on social struggled to overcome the trauma media – Instagram and Facebook and anxiety she felt as a result of are @returnhomesupplies. Twitthe massacre. Over time, she be- ter is :@rhs_org. To learn more
about the many ways you can support Return Home Supplies and its mission, visit www.returnhomesupplies.com and help Oringel ensure that every teacher and student is able to RETURN HOME.Y
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 12
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What Is Happening on a Wednesday Night at Hebrew High? Have you ever wondered what exactly happens on any given Wednesday at Hebrew High? Below is a sampling of some of the amazing electives that our 8th – 10th graders get to choose. The first trimester (September – November) theme is “Through a Jewish Lens”: Shiru Ladonai Shir Chadash: Sing Unto God a New Song In this elective, students explore music through a Jewish lens. Each class will have a different focus including music in prayer (and how that can be controversial), discussions of music in our texts, music that has come from our texts, Jewish music and its pop culture importance, and secular Jewish musicians. This class is a great choice if you are an aspiring song leader, love music, or are curious about how music plays into some of our shared history. Madrichim Workshop: Becoming a Jewish Classroom Leader The Madrichim Workshop introduces first-year madrichim to classroom management, lesson planning, age appropriate activ-
hind what make the most famous of our stories science fun. Each week, students will discuss some of the most important moments in our ancient Jewish history and perform an experiment to coincide with the idea. We don’t know about you, but we feel my inner Albert Einstein and Rabbi Hillel coming out. A Jewish Charlotte We live in Charlotte, we worship in Charlotte. But do we know all there is to know about Judaism in the Queen City? This class will explore the Queen City’s Jewish history and how it evolved into our Jewish present. We will explore all of the city’s synagogues, the Hebrew Cemetery, and the hidden Jewish treasures of our fine city. Cooking Through a Jewish Lens Come and learn how make traditional Jewish recipes that have been passed on L’Dor V’ Dor throughout the centuries from our Jewish ancestors. We will learn the basics of Kashrut while learning how to make traditional Ashkenazi Jewish foods such as challah, babka, bagels, mandelbrot,
technique used where small dots of color are used to create an image. Each student will create their own piece of dotted art using different sizes and various tools to dot their way through their individual creation. We will be reproducing an original piece of art by Wassily Kandinsky, known for his abstract art which the Nazi’s confiscated during the war. The finished project will unveil a mural created from each student’s artwork, bringing together each student’s unique perspective into one piece of art. Science and Torah From Ancient through Medieval to Modern Times, Jews have been on the forefront of Science; questioning, analyzing, and discovering the physical laws that shape the fabric of our world. From the brilliant to the bizarre, we will use discussion, hands on activities, and experiments
This year’s Hebrew High students, from 8th to 12th grade.
ities, learning styles, and most importantly: how to be a good role model using a Jewish lens to discuss character traits and behaviors. The class culminates in a “make your own lesson plan” project that is always fun and educational. The Torah Mad Science Experiment You never knew science and Judaism go together, did you? Come and explore the ideas be-
rugelach, blintzes, apple cake and more. This class is sure to be an eye opener as well as a tummy pleaser. LOL: The Culture of Jewish Humor What do Jon Stewart, the Three Stooges, Joan Rivers, and Jerry Seinfeld have in common? They are all Jewish comedians. Jewish humor has a flavor all its own and is deeply rooted in Jewish culture. In LOL, we will explore what it is that makes Jewish humor funny, where it comes from, and how it developed from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to making all Americans laugh today. Mural of Dots Pointillism, or dotted art, is a
to explore the evolution of such scientific fields as medicine and psychology. My Jewish Home (Land) From your bedroom wall to the Wall From your hometown to space travel From your great-grandparents' homeland to yours There's no place like home! Join this interactive and eye-opening class to discover how you define belonging and shalom-home. Through lively debate, discussion, and design with an opportunity for creative art, writing, and presentation, refine your Jewish concept of home.Y
“We all love the same children, weep the same tears, hate the same enmity, and pray for reconciliation. Peace has no borders.” - Yitzchak Rabin in a 1995 interview while visiting New York City.
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 13
Community News
Cemetery President’s Annual Message By Mike Littauer, president, Hebrew Cemetery Association If the old adage that “hell have no fury like a woman” is true, then Florence did not disappoint. Fortunately and due to good planning, we did not incur any damage to the Cemetery. It was a difficult decision to cancel the Annual Memorial Service, however the safety of our family and friends always takes precedence over an event, even one as important and meaningful as our Annual Memorial Service. Due to scheduling difficulties we will not be able to conduct that service this year and look forward to seeing you all in 2019. What follows is the President’s message I was to give at that service edited to comply with the space requirements of the CJN: 2018 has been a busy and productive year for the Hebrew Cemetery Association. With your support we have been able to begin to position ourselves for the future by bringing our back office operations into the 21st century. We continually look for ways to make our Cemetery more effi-
cient and to take advantage of the talent and passion of those I am proud to serve with on the Cemetery Board of Directors. To that end we reorganized our Board of Directors in to four working committees that are focused on four key areas of our Cemetery business, each with their own chair - Building and Grounds, Robert Valenstein; Finance and Technology, Barry Blau; Outreach and Events, Brian Yesowitch; and Executive Committee and Ritual, Mike Littauer. This has given us both the focus and productivity we needed to manage the Cemetery and stay productive 365 days a year. In January, we contracted to move our manual systems to a cloud based system that will make our operations more efficient and provide our community with an electronic interface that will access to plot locations, family histories, community history, personal accounts, and other essential information. On the business side it will give us better control over many aspects of our grounds management, our
membership lists, management reporting, and accounting. We have been working closely with our partner CIMS since January and will begin moving to this system in the 4th quarter of this year. This is and continues to be a monumental effort and task and I want to take a moment to thank Barry Blau and our entire Finance and Technology committee for their extraordinary work on this project. We have initiated a “redo” of the HCA website. Long overdue, we are in the process of finalizing our wish list and working with a new website design company to make our site user friendly, relevant, and a “go to” for current Cemetery information and events. Again, many thanks to our Finance and Technology committee for their hard work on this much needed project. Since the completion of our memorial building many in our community have preferred to have their funeral service at the Cemetery. The Mindy Ellen Levine Chapel was designed to seat 50 people comfortably and
we have had situations where the congregation has exceeded the capacity of the room. In September, we completed the installation of a closed circuit TV and sound system in the adjoining Gorelick Gathering room so up to 125 congregants may be seated and participate in the service comfortably. I want to take a moment to thank our Legacy Members. Your gift and commitment to our Cemetery is greatly appreciated and helps ensure we will be there for our community in perpetuity. I also want to thank our Board of Directors and volunteers whose dedication and passion inspire me every day. And thank you to Sandra Goldman, our Director, Robert Taylor our Groundskeeper, and Arlene Lott our Administra-
tive Assistant for their dedication and commitment to our Jewish Community 24/7, 365 days a year. Mark Twain once said that “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.” I think that sums up 2018 for our Cemetery team pretty well. May the new year bring you, your families, and your friends good health, happiness, and peace.Y
The Ruach Keeps Spreading the Joy of Judaism The Ruach, Charlotte’s only band playing modern Jewish music, continues its mission of spreading the joy of Judaism through new Jewish musical experiences that are meant to create and maintain personal connections and inspire and engage people to embrace the religion and all that it has to offer. After hosting The Rosh Hashanah Experience on September 10, the Ruach travelled to Raleigh on Friday, September 28 to provide Temple Beth Shalom with The Ruach Shabbat Experience. The congregation sang, clapped, and let the spirit move them. Lisa Turkel of Raleigh had this to say about The Experience, “If Fleetwood Mac were to lead a Shabbat service, this is what it would be like; it was amazing and uplifting.” Her friend, Linda Green Bradley from Durham, chimed in, “It made my heart sing.” Temple Beth Shalom’s Director of Religious School, Lynn Calnek, beamed, “I’m over the moon about having had The Ruach here at our Temple tonight for Shabbat. Everyone was saying that they didn’t want The Experience to end. The energy of the evening was phenomenal. We will definitely have The Ruach back soon.” On October 21, The Ruach was the headliner at the Greensboro Jewish Festival at Temple Emanuel. The band played two half-hour sets, each set containing music from both their first CD – The Ruach: Real. Jewish. Rock, as well as from their untitled, upcoming CD. One of the new songs, “Adonai S’fatai” (“Open Up My Mouth”) really got the crowd up and out of their seats. Here’s how Dan Ruda, The Ruach’s bassist
Joe Buchanan
and backup vocalist describes the song, “It takes the Hebrew words of the original liturgy, adds in some English translation and interpretation, and puts all of that to music that is a cross between funk, rap, and classic rock. It really is a great groove with a lot of spirituality! If it doesn’t get you going, nothing will.” Back again in Charlotte, on October 26 the band took The Ruach Shabbat Experience to a new venue: Heist Brewery in NoDa. Franklin Kaunitz, the band’s regular violin player was unavailable to play for The Experience so the band invited professional fiddler, Tom Eure, to sit in. His bluegrass style added an country flavor to The Ruach’s music. Tom plays guitar, as well, and during the time of personal reflection played the very moving song “How Did We Use Our Time,” from his album, With Grateful Heart.
In addition to playing for The Ruach Shabbat Experience itself, the band has a goal of bringing other Jewish artists to Charlotte a few times a year. Said Peter Levinson, lead guitarist and spokesperson for The Ruach, “There is a lot of new Jewish music out there and we want people here in Charlotte to have an opportunity to experience it.” With this in mind, on November 9, The Ruach will be hosting Joe Buchanan at The Rabbit Hole in Plaza Midwood in what will be an unforgettable evening. Joe is one of the biggest names in new Jewish music today and calls his music, “Jewish Americana.” He is a Jew by choice and weaves the story of his spiritual journey to Judaism into his music. He will be leading a Shabbat Experience that he designed and with music he wrote. Through his music he will share his very moving and compelling story. Admission to The Shabbat Experience featuring Joe Buchanan is free but due to the size of The Rabbit Hole only 150 tickets will be available. To keep up with The Ruach, like them on Facebook /theruachband, and follow the band on Instagram @the.ruach.new.jewish.music and Twitter @TheRuachSpirit. And, if you’d like to get on their email distribution list, send an email to the.ruach.band@ gmail.com.Y
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 14
JCRI’s Refugee Dinner
When the Stranger Becomes Your Neighbor, Fellow Citizen, Friend how consistent low ceiling working towards immigration reThe Jewish Community numbers erode the U.S. form. Refugee Initiative (JCRI) Theresa Matheny, from Refinfrastructure for refugee held its Welcoming the ugee Support Services (RSS), resettlement. Stranger to the Table kickRabbi Judy Schindler, explained RSS’s Fruitful Friend off dinner for National Director of the Stan Green- program which pairs local refuRefugee Shabbat 2018 on spon Center for Peace and gees with American families. At October 7 at Temple Israel. Social Justice, whose fam- almost every table that evening, a The dinner, made possible ily was assisted by HIAS Jewish Fruitful Friend family sat by an Impact and Innovawhen they arrived at Ellis next to their refugee family. Peter tion grant of the Jewish Island in 1938, appealed Hindel, a member of Temple Beth Federation of Greater Charto the Jewish communi- El, and Basher Mansour, a Syrilotte, was sold out with ty’s collective conscience an refugee whose torture left him nearly 140 people in attenPeter Hindel, member of Temple Beth El, and Syrian by recalling how Jews on wheelchair-bound, were one pair dance. Temple Israel’s sukkah refugee Basher Mansour and his mother Ezhour Al board the St. Louis, filled who came to the stage. Mansour with Holocaust refugees, explained his arduous journey had been disassembled the Sokkari morning of October 7. Yet that ugees in attendance, JCRI mem- were turned away, and 254 of from Syria to a Jordanian refugee evening, Rabbi Murray Ezring, ber David Cohen explained how those passengers were murdered camp to the U.S. He said he loves standing in front of a packed net proceeds from the evening on their return to Europe. She Peter and Linda Hindel like famiLeon and Sandra Levine Social would help these refugees pay warned: “Xenophobia is danger- ly and credited Peter with getting ous and will impact not only our him needed physical therapy. Hall, used his invocation to ex- down their relocation expenses. Marsha Hirsh, Director of plain to the audience of refugees Keynote speaker, Merrill Zack, foreign neighbors, but all of us.” Citing the book she co-au- Carolina Refugee Resettlement from Iraq, Afghanistan, thored with Judy Seldin-Cohen, Agency (CRRA), HIAS’s local and Syria, seated beRecharging Judaism, Rabbi affiliate, spoke how refugees beside members of the Schindler laid out a ladder of come contributors to our commuJewish community, that civic engagement for helping nity. Since 1996, Charlotte has Sukkot is a joyous holrefugees, encouraging members welcomed over 10,000 refugees iday where, under temthrough the assistance porary fragile dwellof CRRA and Catholic ings, we remember that Charities. Hirsch pointwe are the children and ed out how refugee descendants of refuresettlement is a pubgees, and that makes us lic-private partnership love each other and all that requires hours of people and be aware of volunteerism and local our sacred obligations Fruitful Friend Zanib Rashid, a Kurdish refugee from Iraq, with Amy Lefkof, co-chair of JCRI. donations of clothes towards the stranger. and household items. Before the servThe end result: “That ing of a Middle-Eastern dinner, HIAS Senior Director of Comstranger becomes your Amy Lefkof, Co-Chair of JCRI, munity Engagement, explained introduced two refugee couples: how current United States immi- Jewish Community Refugee Initiative program for neighbor and eventually your fellow citizen” a Jewish couple from the former gration and refugee policies are Welcoming the Stranger to the Table dinner. and “they also become Soviet Union who were resettled causing pain to refugees overseas in the United States in 1991 by and asylees at our southern bor- of the audience to step up some- your friend.” The evening concluded with HIAS (founded as the Hebrew der. Despite the fact that current where on the ladder: volunteering Immigrant Aid Society), and refugee numbers surpass even with local refugee organizations, Temple Beth El’s Rabbi Asher a young Kurdish couple from those of post WWII, Zack an- educating themselves by reading Knight explaining why the Torah Northern Iraq, resettled in 2014 nounced that for fiscal year 2019, articles on immigration policy, portion Lech L’cha “Go, move in Charlotte by HIAS’s local af- President Trump set the refugee donating to help with resettle- from here” was chosen for Nafiliate Carolina Refugee Resettle- admissions goal at an all-time ment costs, advocating by call- tional Refugee Shabbat. Not only ment Agency. The audience was low of 30,000 refugees. She noted ing elected officials or a letter to did Abraham and Sarah “set out told HIAS asks us to join them in that this number is just a ceiling; the editor, organizing by work- on a journey that took them from helping today’s refugees, not be- the goal in FY 2018 was 45,000, ing with agencies trying to raise the land that they had known to cause the refugees are Jewish, but but less than half that number the refugee admissions ceiling, an unfamiliar land and a new fubecause we are. To help those ref- was admitted. Zack explained and joining a national movement ture,” but one midrash explains
If you were unable to attend the refugee dinner, but would like more information about refugee issues, or would like to volunteer or make a donation to one of the organizations that were represented at the dinner, here is the contact info: Stan Greenspon Center for Peach and Social Justice: www.stangreensponcenter.org Refugee Support Services: www.refugeesupportservices.org Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency: www.carolinrefugee.org HIAS: www.hias.org/getinvolved Jewish Community Refugee Initiative: www.charlottejcri.org; alefkof@carolina. rr.com
that the reason Abraham left his father’s home was because “he was dissatisfied with the world he saw around him.” Employing Rabbi Jonathan Sack’s phrase “sacred discontent” to describe the impetus for Abraham’s journey “a protest that the world is not as it ought to be,” Rabbi Knight urged the audience to “Go, move from here; being complacent is not an option.” Together, former refugees and members of the Jewish community left, perhaps walking, as Rabbi Knight urged, “towards the world as it should be, a world of wholeness and holiness, a world of promise and possibility.”Y
Photos courtesy of Lawonna Daves.
Moishe House: WE ARE 2018! By Rachel Southmayd, Moishe House Communications Manager There are a lot of people out there who like to talk about what millennials don’t do. We don’t participate in organized Jewish life, we don’t take on leadership roles in our communities, we don’t give philanthropically of our time or our money. All due respect to those people, but they’ve clearly never heard of Moishe House, especially not Moishe House’s annual WE ARE campaign. More than 300 days of the year, Moishe House residents and Moishe House Without Walls (MHWOW) hosts work to create the most interesting and engaging Jewish programming for their peers. Meanwhile, a team of Moishe House staff and lay leaders work to identify and maintain relationships with federations, foundations, and individual donors who believe in the young adults all over the world who are creating their own Jewish communities.
But for six weeks of the year we flip that script. We ask Moishe House residents, community members, and MHWOW hosts to think of all of the time and money that Moishe House has invested in them over the course of the year and make a meaningful gift to the organization. We ask them to support their own houses and MHWOW and show that they believe in the mission and vision of Moishe House – Jewish young adults taking charge and leading the way in developing incredible, rich, unique communities – just as much as any other donor. WE ARE matters not because of the dollars raised, although we have a goal of $110,000 in 2018, but because of the number of peo-
ple who come together to make it happen. We had more than 1,900 donations last year, from far-flung places all over the world. The vast majority of them are 20-somethings, or their friends and family members. The people who run and attend Moishe House programs are the same people who are donating. We believe in these people and every year during WE ARE, they show that they believe in us. And we couldn’t be more grateful. The 2018 WE ARE campaign launched on October 3. Be part of Moishe House’s largest single fundraising campaign yet by visiting www.moishehouse. org/weare.Y
When hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina, many people were left without resources. In order to get kosher food to the Jewish community, Bentzion Groner enlisted the help of a helicopter pilot he knew and had food delivered to the Chabad. Here he is seen packing some of the boxes before the flight took off. Photo courtesy Rabbi Yossi Groner.
Security Is Everyone’s Job There are over 1,100 different events on Shalom Park each year. Foundation of Shalom Park security officers and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers are the first responders on Shalom Park. At least one officer is at every single event held at Shalom Park. Security is there when the fire alarm goes off, when EMS is called, when you drop or pick-up your children from school or camp, when motion alarms ring at 3 AM in the morning, when our seniors need a ride from their car to the Jewish Community Center, when we ask for help when our car does not start, and when Shalom Park employees receive active shooter training. They open Shalom Park gates before the sun rises and close them long after sun has set; 365 days a year. Everyone wants more security and safety. They want their families safe at work, school, play, and Temple. The need to protect individuals and property has always existed, but has become more relevant and ever more expensive as the threat level in the country continues to climb. Following a detailed analysis of our needs, in 2017 security officer presence was increased by 68%, and significant additional technology was added to our overall security presence. This investment, combined with a 10% increase in CMPD pay in 2018 has resulted in an 80% increase in our overall security costs over the past two years. Ensuring we have the right amount of security and CMPD presence on Shalom Park is the responsibility of the Foundation of Shalom Park, which funds its budget primarily through the rent charged to the Levine JCC, Temple Israel, Temple Beth El, and all of the other Shalom Park tenants. The increasing levels of security we need to keep the park adequately protected have not been fully covered by increasing rents. We estimate that we must raise at least $160,000 in 2019 to maintain our current level of security. As in prior years, to help defray the increased costs, in November the Foundation will be approaching the broader Charlotte Jewish community with a personal appeal on behalf of all of the park tenants. In 2017, this appeal raised $83,000, a significant increase from prior years. Unfortunately, even at this level we were forced to reach into our security reserve funds, which are now nearly gone. To avoid push-
Security Challenge at Shalom Park
* Increase in activities at Shalom Park * Concerns over safety locally and globally increase
* Rise in security labor costs by 80% in two years * Security Fund campaign has begun to offset the security costs for Shalom Park tenants
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 15 safety of Shalom Park. Security is everyone’s job. We are urgently asking for your support of a generous donation to the Shalom
Park Security Fund. The Foundation of Shalom Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that owns and manages
the properties and facilities for the organizations located on the central campus of Shalom Park.Y
NOW BOOKING FOR 2019 & 2020
ing the additional costs onto the Shalom Park tenants, whose budgets are already strained, we will again be asking you to contribute directly to our security budget. Security at Shalom Park is essential to keeping our community safe and vibrant. All community stakeholders have an important role in ensuring the continued
704.556.8322 Park Road
704.542.4242 Blakeney
704.541.0943 Arboretum
704.892.9020 Lake Norman
Support a Security Vehicle Lease * Demonstrate your company’s security commitment to Shalom Park * Sponsor a three-year lease for a security vehicle * Contact Terri Beattie, 704-944-6840
How You Can Keep Shalom Park Safe – Donate to the Security Fund
* Automatic monthly donation (one year) -$83.33/ month *Contact: Karen Roode at 704-944-6841 *Email Karen: Kroode@ shalomcharlotte.org * Mail a check – Security Fund, Foundation of Shalom Park, 5007 Providence Rd., Suite 120, Charlotte, NC 28226 * Donate online – www. shalomcharlotte.org
Brian Meltsner, David Swimmer, and Craig Katzman
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 16
Traditional in design, innovative in implementation. This is the Latin way.
Join Us for an Open House TK/Kindergarten October 5, 2018 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Upper School October 12, 2018 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Register at CharlotteLatin.org/admissions
Charlotte Latin School was founded in 1970 to create an inclusive environment where academic excellence is encouraged, leadership is cultivated, liberal arts are valued and phonics-based reading is essential. We have educated thousands of students in the importance of learning, citizenship, service to others, hard work and Honor Above All.
CharlotteLatin.org | 704.846.7207
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 17
“Whenever I’m in trouble, I pray. And since I’m always in trouble, there is not a day when I don’t pray. In many cases I get the answer even before I pray. The belief that man can do what he wants, without God, is as far as the North Pole. I don’t think religion should be connected with dogma or revelation. Since He’s a silent God, He talks in deeds, in events, and we have to learn this language. The belief in God is as necessary as [eating]. Whatever you call Him nature or higher power - doesn’t matter. The power that takes care of you, and the farthest star, all this is God.” --Isaac Bashevis Singerin Israel Shenker, Coat of Many Colors
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charitable giving. We have such confidence
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in the FCJC team that we moved our fund from a commercial provider.” -Stacey and Ira Slomka
Call Phil Warshauer or Nancy Kipnis to learn more. www.charlottejewishfoundation.org | 704.973.4544
Caring for a family member with mild to moderate dementia? Join them at the JMemory Café!
Meets twice every month:
2nd & 4th Thursdays 10am–12pm Weinberg Senior Center
The LJCC Member and the family member with dementia attend the Café together.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED To register, or for questions: Contact Jill Lipson, Director of Senior and Adult Services: 704-944-6792 LIMITED SPACE! Registration is required and begins one week prior
to each Café until capacity has been reached. Please be sure to make every effort to attend the JMemory Café once you register, as spots are limited and your absence after reservervation prevents another family from attending. Thank you!
charlottejcc.org A light breakfast will be served at each Café, sponsored by:
Socialize, meet new friends, engage in activities together, and just have fun. The purpose of JMemory Café is to: • Provide opportunity for regular social engagement & discussion • Create an environment that is relaxed, safe, and non-judgmental • Inspire new friendships and peer support • Provide a break from normal routines • Enjoy music, art, and other programming
JMemory Café is funded (in part) with a grant from:
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 18
&
SYNAGOGUES CONGREGATIONS November Happenings at Temple Kol Ami
Temple Kol Ami of Fort Mill, SC is blessed to have rabbinical leadership to help us explore our sacred texts, stimulate our intellect, officiate at life cycles, and educate our youth. Rabbi Ana Bonnheim has been a wonderful spiritual mentor at both our Friday night Shabbat services as well as with our TKA Religious School students on Sundays. Rabbi Bonnheim will next be with us on December 7 to lead us in a special Chanukah Shabbat. Temple Kol Ami is also very lucky to have another amazing
rabbi who has visited with us in the past, Rabbi Bruce Aft of Congregation Adat Reyim in Springfield, VA. Rabbi Aft will return to Temple Kol Ami on November 2 for Kabbalat Shabbat service and will also lead us in Torah study on November 3. Rabbi Aft brings a passion for Jewish learning and is extremely engaging with all demographics. For more information about this special weekend, please check our website at www. templekolamisc.org. Also in November, Temple Kol Ami looks forward to our 3rd An-
nual Friendsgiving Shabbat. This has become a wonderful tradition at TKA, a time to break bread together as a community and give thanks together for the many blessings we have, both in our secular and religious lives. After a short Shabbat service, we enjoy a delicious potluck meal that rivals any traditional family Thanksgiving dinner. Check our website for more information, and drop us an e-mail at yorksynagogue@gmail. com if you would like to join uswe definitely have room for you at our table.
Rabbi Ana Bonnheim
of each month in the beautiful sanctuary of Philadelphia United Methodist Church, 1691 SC-160 in Fort Mill. Y
Rabbi Klirs Shares Gratitude On November 18 from 2:304:30 PM, Havurat Tikvah will welcome Rabbi Tracy Klirs who will present a study session on Jewish Approaches to Gratitude at the Brenner home located at 3327 Mountainbrook Rd. The program comes at a time of appreciation prior to the observance of Thanksgiving and will include ways that Jews display and express gratitude during their lifetime. Rabbi Klirs served as associate rabbi at Temple Israel from 20162018 and as its education director from 2012-2016. She also was a part-time support staff person for the congregation, delivering pastoral care and leading daily minyanim, Shabbat services, and life cycle events as needed. Kosher snacks will be provided by attendees. All items should carry a hechsher in keeping with chavurah food preparation customs, and in keeping with the Brenners wishes as they observe
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If you live in York County or the Ballantyne area, Temple Kol Ami might be the place for you. We are a warm and inclusive Reform congregation comprised of Jews from diverse backgrounds. Feel free to join us at a Shabbat service the first and third Fridays
Rabbi Tracy Klirs
kashrut. The community is welcome to attend. Those who wish to join in the study session are required to RSVP to admin@havurattikvah. org with the number of individuals attending. Acknowledgement will be sent to respondents to confirm a seat at the event. Space is limited. The congregation is in the planning stages of its Chanukah celebration slated for Dec. 9. See next month’s Charlotte Jewish News or check out Havurat Tikvah’s website for details. Monthly minyan services continue on the third Wednesday of the month. Information on times and locations are on the congregational website’s calendar. Havurat Tikvah is a warm, supportive and nurturing Jewish Reconstructionist congregation
with Shabbat services and a full spectrum of holiday observances, as well as religious educational options for both adults and children. We are a diverse group of families, singles, and Jewish and interfaith couples who participate in projects that promote social justice. We value and depend upon member participation and leadership for our religious services, spiritual growth, and governance. Havurat Tikvah is an affiliate of Reconstructing Judaism. For more information on upcoming services, programs, membership or other queries, call 980-225-5330, write to Havurat Tikvah, P.O. Box 12684, Charlotte, NC 28220, email membership@havurattikvah.org or visit havurattikvah.org. Havurat Tikvah is also on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/havurattikvah/.Y
“I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.” – Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Senator Joe Biden, in June 1982, who threatened to cut off US aid to Israel
Temple Solel Reflects on the High Holy Days Temple Solel, located in Fort Mill, SC is a member of the URJ. Our home is in the Community Room of St. Philip Neri Church; however, Rosh Hashanah began with a Children’s Service the morning of September 9 at kid-friendly Blooming Einsteins. The children and parents helped us start the Jewish New Year off by participating in a short lesson taught by Ashley Fox followed by Julia Fox blowing the shofar. With help, the children created paper-plate shofars they could blow themselves and a colorful apple stamp project. It was such a fun, noisy, yet meaningful experience filled with friends and guests.
Statesboro, GA, just a few hours away from Plains. I said to my husband, Roy, ‘Jimmy Carter is getting on in years. He is already in his 80s and before he dies I’d like to attend one of his Bible Study classes.’ “It took one month for the FBI to check our applications. We received our tickets and packed for the weekend. The secret service men stood outside the church, with earpieces and a wire down the back of their jackets just like in the movies. “About 50 of us entered the church and were greeted by daughter Amy’s former fourth grade teacher whose job it now was to organize the visitors, seat
Wendy Weinberger
from the Northeast like we were, but some came from as far away as Hawaii. One family was visiting from Australia. “Then the President got down to business and began his Bible Study class. He said: ‘Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Bethlehem, but for some reason when Jesus was twelve, and the age of twelve is stressed in the Bible, the family took a trip to Nazareth. But the Bible doesn’t tell us why. Why do you think this was?’ the President asked. “Hands went up in the audience and President Carter gave everyone a chance to answer his question. ‘Because Joseph couldn’t get work in Bethlehem,’
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 19
with the visitor. Several possibilities were suggested. He encouraged everyone by saying there was no right or wrong answer. He ended each short discussion by saying: ‘So you can see that might certainly have been a possibility.’ “Then I, yours truly, sitting an arms-length away from President Carter, put up my hand and when asked the question I said: ‘Perhaps Mary and Joseph were taking Jesus to Nazareth to prepare him for his Bar Mitzvah.’ “The crowd was silent. No one in this class had ever heard the term Bar Mitzvah before. Smiling while looking directly at me President Carter said, ‘That could very well be.’ Then turning to the class he continued: ‘Let me explain. In the Hebrew faith at the age of 13 a young Jewish boy has his Bar Mitzvah. It is a rite of passage into manhood. He has to study an assigned portion of the Five Books of Moses in order to present it to the congregation at a weekly service. Preparation for this rite of passage can take as long as a year. The Bar Mitzvah boy must be able to answer any questions his elders and the rabbi have for him about his portion.’ “Though President Carter knew what a Bar Mitzvah was, nobody else in the room had
Yom Kippur Services at Carolina Orchards
This year we held special Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur Day Services and break-the-fast at the magnificent ballroom of the Grove at Carolina Orchards. Below is an excerpt from the special Yom Kippur talk given by Temple Solel member, Wendy Weinberger, who shared a special experience and words of wisdom with us. We think you will enjoy it too. “When Jimmy Carter left the Presidency in 1981, one of the many things he decided he would get back to was teaching a Bible Study class once a month at the Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, GA,” Wendy began. “Twenty five years later, in the fall of 2006, we were living in
us, and tell us what the procedures would be. She definitely had her list of rules and you could hear the sternness in her voice which scared me even as an adult. It was hard for me to believe I was within hand shaking distance of this humble man who had been our 39th President. “Roy and I chose to sit in the second row. I do not know if we were the first Jews to attend Jimmy’s Bible Study class, but I’m pretty sure we were the only Jews there that Sunday. “After welcoming the group and thanking us for coming, one of the first things Jimmy Carter asked each of us was where we were from. The crowd was from all parts of the U.S. No one was
CGI Ballantyne Winter Camp After our fifth incredible and successful summer with more than 100 campers, CGI Ballantyne is back and offering an amazing Winter Camp experience for your children. With activities, games, exciting Jewish themes, daily trips, crafts, and much more, your children will have a blast every single day. Our handpicked staff are experienced, energetic and fun-loving camp counselors, who love working with children. A special thank you to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte for their support. Monday through Friday, December 24-28 9 AM-3:30 PM; Extended care available upon request. For children ages 3-11. Children will be split by age:
Preschool, K - 3rd, 4th - 6th Pricing per child: Register for one day or for the entire week. $55 a day or $225 for the week (Includes a hot kosher lunch and snacks.) To register, or for more information contact Leah Levin, Leah@JewishBallantyne.com or 704-246-8881 or visit our website, www.CGIBallantyne.com.Y
SAVE THE DATE Kids Mega Challah Bake Monday, January 21
Children with their shofarim was one answer. ‘They might have been visiting family,’ was another response. He rushed no one and took each comment very seriously. Often he had a dialogue
ever heard those Hebrew words. Nearly everyone in that room had learned something new that day. The way President Carter smiled at me and nodded his approval,
he made me feel he was surprised to hear this answer ‘to prepare for his Bar Mitzvah’ from someone in this non-scholarly Bible Study setting. “By my simply introducing the Hebrew words Bar Mitzvah to some 50 gentiles I had exposed them to something new. Hebrew words, Judaism, the rite of passage, and Bar Mitzvah would get them to connect the fact that there were Jews at the time of Jesus. In fact some might even have realized only then that Jesus himself was a Jew. At the Bible Study class we had done a little in helping to bring strangers together, by passing along a new idea and a little understanding that we have more in common than we realize. “Today on this Holiest of days, Yom Kippur, we need to remember the importance of keeping our minds open to new thoughts and ideas. Even though we might all come from different backgrounds and religions most of us want similar things - a good life for our children and health and happiness for our loved ones, even for strangers. Judaism instructs us to pursue Tikkun Olam, to repair the world, and here at Temple Solel many of us act towards that worthy goal. In the coming year let us continue, and hopefully expand those efforts, so that we can honestly say we have contributed to peace and harmony in our communities.” Do take a look at our website www.TempleSolelSC.org or call us at 803-619-9707. We hope you’ll consider visiting us for our regular services, which meet on the second and fourth Fridays of each month at 7 PM at St. Philip Neri Church in Fort Mill. Our next service will be on November 9. We’d love to see you there. Y
Light an Ice Menorah at StoneCrest Join us for an unbelievable experience and help us light a giant Ice Menorah at StoneCrest. Bring your family and friends for an amazing Chanukah night including games, activities, crafts, hot drinks, doughnuts, and latkes. Monday, December 3 at 5:30 PM.
The Fountains Plaza at StoneCrest Shopping Center Children’s activities will begin at 5 PM This event is free. Visit www.JewishBallantyne. com for more details.Y
Waxhaw Menorah Lighting Join us for our fourth annual Menorah Lighting in Waxhaw. Tuesday, December 4 at 5:30 PM. Downtown Waxhaw, E. North Main St. at the Overhead Bridge. 5:30 PM Menorah Lighting This event is open to the community free of charge.
For more info, visit www.JewishBallantyne.comY
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 20
November 2018
November Holiday Hours
7 weeks – 7 years old Children will enjoy a nurturing environment to explore and have fun with crafts and activities, while parents workout. Mon-Fri AM.................... 8am-1pm Mon-Thu PM .............4pm-7:30pm Saturday ...................... 12pm-3pm Sunday ......................8:30am-2pm Per Hour: M/$4.50
Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center 5007 Providence Road | Charlotte, NC 28226 704-366-5007 | charlottejcc.org | facebook.com/levinejcc
Thursday, November 22 – Thanksgiving 7am–1pm Friday, November 23 – Day after Thanksgiving 5:30am–5pm
For Holiday Hours & Schedules please visit our website at charlottejcc.org
THANKSGIVING TURKEY
5K or 1.5 Mile • Family Event
Thursday, November 22 8:15 am M/Free NM/$10
NM/ $5.50
Grades K-5th A great, supervised space for your elementary age child to have fun and hang out with friends, while you workout! Sundays, 8:30am–1pm Location: Check with LJCC Customer Service M/$2/hour NM/$5.50 per hour
Reservations Required! 704-366-5007, or visit LJCC Customer Service.
32nd LEVINE JCC ANNUAL MEETING at the The Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center Tuesday, December 11, 2018 7:00pm Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts
LJCC Department Directory Please contact us you have questions! Membership Susan Lerner 704-944-6741 susan.lerner@charlottejcc.org Early Childhood Patty Torcellini 704-944-6891 patty.torcellini@charlottejcc.org K-5th Grade Programs Mitch Ormand 704-944-6733 mitch.ormand@charlottejcc.org Adults & Seniors/Oasis Jill Lipson 704-944-6792 jill.lipson@charlottejcc.org Sports Stephanie Garner 704-944-6743 stephanie.garner@charlottejcc.org Aquatics / Swim Team Joshua Steinberger 704-944-6746 joshua.steinberger@charlottejcc.org LJCC Tennis / CRUSH Greg O’Connor 704-944-6748 gregory.oconnor@charlottejcc.org Visual/Performing Arts Susan Gundersheim 704-944-6778 susan.gundersheim@charlottejcc.org J-Childcare Amie Gray 704-944-6726 amie.gray@charlottejcc.org Social Action Julie Rizzo 704-944-6730 julie.rizzo@charlottejcc.org www.charlottejcc.org
•
• Election of Officers & Directors • Awards Recognizing the Contributions of Volunteers 704-944-6724 • geneva.boxer@charlottejcc.org
704-366-5007 Pricing Codes:
M=Member
B=Benefactor
NM=Non-Member
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 21
Early Childhood
Teens
Adults
PlayPlay! Theatre: wee
Teen Community Service Program
Discovery Art Series
Grades 6-8 Looking to do something meaningful this Veterans Day? Write personal letters of appreciation to U.S. Troops. Listen to NC Senator Jeff Jackson talk about the impact such letters have on troops serving away from their families or Make fleece tie blankets for patients on the rehabilitation unit at Levine Children’s Children’s Hospital. Register at LJCC Customer Service Desk 704-366-5007. Monday, November 12 • 10am–12:30pm Levine JCC, Room A111
Come learn the healing benefits of art from Artist Eileen Schwartz through engaging art experiences. Bring your enthusiasm and desire to explore your unique imagination and creativity. All supplies included.Register by November 2nd at 12pm. Wednesday, November 7 – Art for the Soul 6:30-7:45pm Weinberg Senior Center
Ages birth - 3 years old Life’s greatest gifts can come in the smallest packages. Take time to enjoy a moment with your smallest, and, together, experience a story about being little. What does a “wee” one have to give? Even newborns are welcome at PlayPlay! Theatre productions. Thursday, Nov 29 • 10am Friday, Nov 30 • 10am Saturday, Dec 1 • 4pm Sunday, Dec 2 • 10am Gorelick Hall at Shalom Park $10 per ticket - Purchase tickets at charlottejcc.org/ culturalarts or call 704-366-5007
M/$7
NM/$12 julie.rizzo@charlottejcc.org or michelle.rusgo@charlottejcc.org
M/$25 NM/$30
sharri.benjamin@charlottejcc.org
The Power of Aging Discover and uncover the basic physical, emotional, cultural, and social needs which the aging experience challenges you with on a daily basis. Life can be exciting, purposeful and meaningful! Meets once per month on Tuesdays. Tuesday, November 13 – Making the Most of Every Day 9:15–10:15am FSP Board Room sharri.benjamin@charlottejcc.org
SHIIP Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program
Free Medicare Counseling Available year round! Please call Senior & Adult Director Jill Lipson at 704-944-6792 for information
like us!
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facebook.com/levinejcc
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 22
50+ Car Menorah Parade to Kickoff Chanukah Celebrations There will be a 50+ Car Menorah Parade on the first night of Chanukah, Sunday, December 2, leaving from Chabad’s campus on Sardis Road around 4 PM. Giant orange menorahs will be mounted on top of cars. Music drones will play Chanukah music hovering above the parade. Our parade will also feature a Friendship Circle limousine. The parade will con-
clude at Southpark Mall for the giant menorah lighting. This is an incredible opportunity for your children to display their Jewish pride with exciting, fun-filled activities. Light up the Charlotte night with the spirit of Chanukah. For more info and to rent a car menorah visit www.ChabadNC.org/Parade.Y
Live from Chabad, It’s Saturday Night! Rabbi Binyomin Weiss at Chabad is known for many qualities. His melodious moving voice has been a staple at citywide Chanukah celebrations, High Holidays at Ohr HaTorah, community rallies, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and unfortunately even funerals. Many kosher symbols on food products produced in the Carolinas are thanks to his careful supervision. But his captivating storytelling is what we all love most. Just ask any CJDS student or bar mitzvah boy who studied under his care.
Well, now it’s your turn to be inspired. Tune in every Saturday night to Chabad of Charlotte’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/ OhrHaTorah) shortly after Shabbat and enjoy a five minute story that will change your perspective on just about everything. See ya there!Y
Rabbi Binyomin Weiss
Giant Menorah Lighting and Contest at SouthPark Mall This Chanukah, Chabad of Charlotte invites the entire Jewish community, once again, to usher in the Chanukah holiday with a spectacular menorah lighting at SouthPark Mall. This exciting event will take place on Sunday, December 2, which is the first night of Chanukah. The Chanukah festivities begin at 5:30 PM and will feature entertaining activities for the children. Traditional Chanukah treats will be served free of charge, along with lively Jewish music. The giant menorah will be lit at 6 PM and there will be lots of fanfare. The blessings and other traditional Chanukah songs will be sung. This year's event will feature an exciting menorah/dreidel contest. Both adults and children are invited to participate and create your own menorah and/or dreidel which will be displayed at the event. Please note that the eight candles of the menorah should be arranged in a straight line, not set in a semicircle, and of equal height (not some randomly higher than others). Please bring your entries to Chabad (6619 Sardis Road) before November 30. The entries will be put on display at SouthPark Mall. Judges will se-
lect the winners and prizes will be awarded for several different categories. The public venue for the menorah lighting is considered an important aspect of Chanukah. One of the primary reasons for lighting the menorah is to publicize the miracles of Chanukah the miracle of the limited supply of olive oil which lasted for eight days in the Holy Temple and the miracle of the great victory of the Maccabees over their oppressors. For more information, please contact Chabad of Charlotte at 704-366-3984, visit chabadnc. org, or e-mail: info@chabadnc.org. Y
Meditation’s Surprising Ties to Our Religious Practice By Adam Bernstein In an attempt to divine some order from mid-life chaos, I recently turned to meditation. The loss of my parents, a health scare, and other issues were catalysts, and a supportive sibling facilitated with the gift of a subscription for an iPhone app called “Ananda.” Most mornings I’ll drag myself out of bed, don headphones, and listen in the pre-dawn darkness to a 15-minute guided meditation led by Deepak Chopra, prolific adherent of New Age thought and practice, over a music track of soothing guitar, nature sounds, or other-worldly electronic music and/or singing. Meditation takes practice. Sadly, I remain a rank amateur. With concentration and luck, there might be 30 seconds of each session when the outside world is pushed aside and I am alone, free floating between conscious and unconscious realms, unburdened by monkey-brained thinking about daily life or broader existential concerns. A brief period of mindfulness may be as much as I can achieve in any given day, but even a few seconds are worth the effort. During a recent session and while failing to reach a mindful state, it occurred to me how similar meditation is to prayer. Indeed, one could argue that meditation is a form of prayer, and vice versa. It turns out there is a long-standing, natural connection between meditation and Jewish religious practice. References to meditative practice are common in texts throughout Jewish histo-
Adam Bernstein
ry. The Talmud describes a group of pious men in ancient times who would meditate for an hour before and after prayer, as a way to elevate their spiritual experience. In “The Meditation Mitzvah” on tricycle.com, a website dedicated to exploring Buddhism and its broader cultural ties, writer Jon Shorr examines this relationship and its modern resurgence in the Reform movement. Until relatively recently, cultural influences obscured the relevance of meditation in their faith from Reform Jews, according to Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. “The Reform movement rebelled against the trappings and practices of traditional eastern European Judaism when it took hold in the United States in the 19th century,” she tells Shorr. “(T)he German formality and intellectualism
of early Reform Judaism rejected more soulful practices. And … because so many Orthodox rabbis who taught meditative practices died in the Holocaust, those more soulful aspects of Judaism were lost and are only now being rediscovered.” Today, incorporating meditation and mindfulness into religious practice is “becoming commonplace” among American Jewish congregations, to positive effect, Shorr writes. At Temple Beth El, you may witness this phenomenon up close. The temple provided a meditation room and special readings during the interlude between morning and afternoon services on Yom Kippur. On Friday nights, our clergy often leads congregants in preparing for Shabbat worship using meditative techniques such as closing eyes, taking deep, cleansing breaths, and visualizing peaceful settings. The idea of Shabbat epitomizes the inherent connections between Jewish religious and meditative practice. “People feel like they can’t keep up. Trying to do everything faster is not the answer; it just exhausts,” Rabbi Dana Saroken of Congregation Beth El in Baltimore tells Shorr. “Meditation… and other mindful practices are ways for people to create space in their lives in order to be present. God gave us Shabbat to provide, at least for one day, the opportunity to be a human being and not a human doing.” Achieving mindfulness for me is marked by feeling physically lighter, almost weightless. This is
no coincidence. Shedding worldly concerns lightens the spiritual load and brings about a sense of peace, itself a sacred ideal in Judaic thought and liturgy. The Yom Kippur special readings included this teaching from Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: Great is peace; peace is to the world as leaven is to dough. And thus we learn: peace is not passivity; a state of restful inertia. Peace is the fermenting energy, the source of creative and expansive growth. When there is peace in the world, human talents may blossom and all are enriched. When there is peace in a family, all members may grow to fulfill their potential. When there is peace in our soul, we are free to express all the gifts within us.
These lines speak to the enabling power of peace for Jews. The peace achieved through mindfulness yields clarity to make important decisions, set priorities, maximize personal potential and build community. On my continuing spiritual journey, trying meditation somehow landed me on an ancient road back to Judaism. Y Adam Bernstein is a past board president and life-long congregant at Temple Beth El.
“They asked Rabbi Levi Yitzchak: ‘Why is the first page number missing in all the tractates of the Babylonian Talmud? Why does each begin with the second [the number bet]?’ He replied: ‘However much a man may learn, he should always remember that he has not even gotten to the first page.’” --Martin Buber, Tales of Hasidim
Bal Tashchit and Beyond
Winterizing Your Garden Now that fall is coming to an end, it’s time to start thinking about winterizing your garden. How you achieve this is dependent on the type of garden and the amount of effort you want to devote to it over the winter months. Here are some basic tips for winterizing most ornamental and vegetable gardens. No matter what type of garden you have, you will want to remove any invasive plants and weeds. Make sure to remove any dead or dying foliage since it will be a winter incubator for garden pests. Add an extra layer of mulch around the base of your shrubs and trees to give the roots an extra layer of warmth and be sure to give them a deep soak before the first freeze. For newly planted shrubs and trees, you may want to think about covering them in the event of snow or ice. For your veggie garden, you will want to remove all of your summer plants, taking extra care to get as much of any diseased and pest infested plant material as possible. If you choose to, you can simply leave the beds empty until next year's spring planting or you can plant cold weather crops like kale, arugula, snow peas, lettuce, and beets. You can generally grow these through the winter as long as you cover the plants when the temperature falls below freezing. If you have irrigation system, turn off the water
during the winter and water a few times per week by hand. Remember that every garden is different and this is just a general overview of how to winterize your garden. If you are unsure of how to prepare a particular plant for the winter, it is always a good idea to ask your local nursery or simply research it online. The more you know about the plants in your garden, the better able you will be to love and nurture it. If you have an idea for an article, please email info@shalomgreenCLT.org If you are interested in learning more about Shalom Green, visit our website at www.shalomgreenCLT.org. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.Y
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 23
“Lest I slight any creature, I must also mention the domestic animals, the beasts, and the birds from whom I have learned. Job said long ago (35:11): ‘Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven?’ Some of what I have learned from them I have written in my books, but I fear that I have not learned as much as I should have done, for when I hear a dog bark, or a bird twitter, or a cock crow, I do not know whether they are thanking me for all I have told of them or calling me to account.” --from S. J. Agnon’s speech on receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, in Judaism and Vegetarianism, ed. Richard H. Schwartz
Overflowing
with Gratitude! Todah Rabah
or f l u f k Than
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l Annual Fund Don u f r e d n o ors! o ur w
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 24
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Writer A.J. Jacobs Traveled Thousands of Miles to Thank Everyone Who Had a Hand in His Morning Coffee By Cindy Sher (JUF News via JTA) — Author A.J. Jacobs has encouraged his three sons to be grateful for all they have. He and his wife urge them to write thank-you notes, to thank the bus driver - even thank their household robot Alexa for weather forecasts. Jacobs, who is Jewish, sometimes says a prayer of thanksgiving with his family at the dinner table in appreciation of those who helped get food to their plates. But not too long ago, Jacobs’ son Zane raised an observation to his dad. “You know these people can’t hear you, right?” he asked. Zane’s remark got Jacobs thinking. Indeed, those people could not hear him. So the Manhattan-based humorist and writer set out on a quest to thank everyone who plays a role in making his morning coffee possible. He chose coffee because it was a more manageable undertaking than an entire meal - and he “can’t live without” his java. Jacobs chronicles the journey in his new book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey (TED Books), which comes out November 13 in conjunction with a TED Talk that he delivered on the same topic. During his quest, which took him from a farm in Colombia to a steel plant in Indiana, he discovered how interconnected the world is. So many more people than he could have imagined contribute to his morning cup of coffee. Obviously there are baris-
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Where Families Come Together w Featuring 124 beautifully decorated guest rooms and suites conveniently located in Phillips Place w Complimentary amenities include: Hot breakfast, internet access, transportation to Shalom Park w Hospitality Suite w Great Room: Special rates available for Friday night dinner Photo courtesy of ArtShots Photography
For more information, contact: Erin.Dennis@hilton.com Hampton Inn & Suites SouthPark at Phillips Place, Charlotte, NC 28210 7043195700 www.hamptonsouthpark.com
A.J. Jacobs, right, at the roastery where they roast his local coffee: the Joe Coffee Company in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is pictured with the plant’s roaster and taster. (Courtesy of Jacobs)
tas and farmers, but also unsung heroes like artists (think coffee lid and sleeve designer), chemists, biologists, truckers, and miners. “I went around the world and thanked everyone I could find,” he said, “because they reminded me there are so many people who help with every little thing in our lives and we take them for granted.” All told, Jacobs said he thanked 1,000 people for his cup of coffee — and actually could have thanked way more. Along the way, he learned that gratitude isn’t just a nice gesture for the recipient — scientific research show it’s healthy for the thanker, too. A study in Scientific American found that gratitude is the single best predictor of well-being and good relationships. Psychological research shows that gratitude can lift depression, improve our diet, help heart patients recover quicker, and lead to overall greater kindness and happiness. Before the quest, Jacobs said, his default mood was usually grumpiness. The adventure helped him change his mindset. “I believe that genetically or culturally my default is negative — more a Larry David than Tom Hanks way of looking at the world. It’s fun to watch on TV but not necessarily fun to live,” he said. And Jacobs is certainly not alone — people are genetically programmed, evolutionary psychologists say, to focus on what goes wrong in daily life because
it was a matter of survival back in Paleolithic times. But the result today is modern-day anxiety — a so-called “deficit mindset” — that’s no longer helpful, said Jacobs. To the contrary, “it’s inspiring and energizing to focus on the hundreds of things that go right every day instead of the three or four that go wrong,” he said. Jewish teachings can help us move the needle on gratitude. In research for his book — as well as for his past best-seller, The Year of Living Biblically, in which Jacobs embarked on a quest to live according to every precept in the Bible for a year — he learned that much wisdom on gratitude comes from Judaism. “To be Jewish is to be thankful,” one rabbi told Jacobs. In fact, the very word “Jew,” derived from the tribe of Judah, means thanksgiving. We as Jews deliver prayers of thanks from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. There is a catchphrase in Judaism that Jacobs learned during his research called “creed before deed.” At first, Jacobs said it was hard to feel gratitude, but if he went through the motions of acting with compassion and gratitude, eventually he would feel them. “One of the best ways to go about life is to ‘fake it til you feel it,’ and it’s an extremely Jewish way to live,” he said. “If you act a certain way and follow the mitzvot, your mind will eventually catch up.”Y
“When you need a physician, esteem him a god. When he has brought you out of danger, you conside him a king. When you have been cured, he becomes human like you. When he send you the bill, you think him a devil.” --Jedadiah Ben Abraham Bedersi
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 25
KRISTALLNACHT NIGHT of BROKEN GLASS
Torah Tots Friday, November 9 TORAH TOTS SHABBAT DINNER (5:30 p.m.) & SERVICE (6:15 p.m.) Sunday, November 18 TORAH TOTS HANUKKAH BAKING CLASS (9:30 a.m.) To register, visit templeisraelnc.org. YOUTH MAHAR: CHOCOLATE BAR IN A CAR (ALL 3rd-5th Grades) Sunday, November 4 (12:15-2 p.m.) Learn about where chocolate comes from, how to make it and, most importantly, how to create a delicious treat! Cost: $12/ TI-Y Members; $18/ Non-Members. Register at templeisraelnc.org by Tuesday, October 30.
80
th
ANNIVERSARY
COMMEMORATION
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GIVE BACK AND GIVE THANKS SCAVENGER HUNT Sunday, November 11 (10:30 a.m.) Location: Harris Teeter - Morrocroft Join us as we “Give Back and Give Thanks” this holiday season by collecting food donations for a local non-profit organization. For more information or to RSVP, email torahontapclt@gmail.com.
NOVEMBER 7, 2018 – 7 P.M. Temple Israel The Kristallnacht Commemoration Committee thanks Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte, The Butterfly Project, and the Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice for their partnership and collaboration.
WOMEN of TEMPLE ISRAEL (WOTI) WOMEN OF TEMPLE ISRAEL PRESENT: NOSH, COOK & KIBBITZ Thursday, November 29 (7 p.m.) For the second gathering of our Nosh, Cook & Kibbitz holiday series, we will celebrate the cuisine of Hanukkah! To register, visit templeisraelnc.org. events
SOCIAL CLUB SOCIAL CLUB: ANNUAL HANUKKAH LUNCHEON Sunday, December 9 (12:30 p.m.) Join us for our annual Hanukkah luncheon, where our own Cantor Shira Lissek will entertain us with a special Hanukkah musical program. Deadline to RSVP: November 30. For more information, please call Ruth Goldberg, (704) 366-8903. SOCIAL ACTION
HANUKKAH CELEBRATION & DANCE Friday, December 8 (6:15 p.m.) Everyone (all ages) is welcome as we celebrate Hanukkah with a delicious dinner & dance! The evening begins with Havdallah and the lighting of the 7th Hanukkah candle. We will enjoy a delectable buffet dinner followed by a DJ’d dance party and dessert. For additional details and/ or to RSVP, visit templeisraelnc.org.
MEN’S SHELTER OF CHARLOTTE (Statesville Ave.) Sunday, November 18, 2018 (Sunday before Thanksgiving)
We’ll be cooking dinner at Temple Israel then serving dinner at the shelter. To volunteer, please contact Jonathan Berger (jbergertisa@gmail.com or 704-995-1732). THE ROSE ROOM - Women Of Temple Israel GIFT SHOP
GIFT SHOP HOURS
Sunday: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday - 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Special appointments outside normal business hours are available. Please contact Tess Berger (704) 488-3842, Shellie Barer (516) 375-4708 or Cindy Jennes (704) 443-7643.
Senior Rabbi Search Congregational Forum SAVE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DATES
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 (11 a.m.) TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18 (6:15 p.m.) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 (7:45 p.m.) Proceeds support Temple Israel, Women of Temple Israel, Temple Israel Youth Programs, and Social Action Initiatives.
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 26
Savor the Season with Libyan Jewish Pumpkin Spread By Emily Paster (The Nosher via JTA) – Autumn is upon us. I know because my Instagram feed is full of decorative gourds and pumpkin spice lattes. But as much as Americans truly love pumpkin, we are sometimes guilty of typecasting this nutritious vegetable as sweet and forget that pumpkin has a savory side, too. Happily, Sephardic cuisine abounds with savory pumpkin dishes to remind us of this fall vegetable’s versatility. My favorite of these is chershi karaa, a tangy, spicy pumpkin spread created by Libyan Jews and now a favorite among Israelis. Chershi (sometimes spelled chirshi or tershi) are spicy, highly flavored condiments or dips that are typically served as part of mezze, the spread of hot and cold dishes that precede the main meal in the Middle East and North Africa. Pumpkin chershi is among the most famous. I first learned about pumpkin chershi when I attended an event hosted by the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. The event featured leading Israeli food personality Gil Hovav making some traditional Sephardic dishes from his childhood, one of which was pumpkin chershi. One taste of Hovav’s savory, spicy chershi and I was hooked. As is often the case in Jewish cuisine, there are many ways to make pumpkin chershi. In his dish, for example, Hovav mixes pumpkin with carrot and potato.
garlic, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and stir to combine. Cook just till garlic begins to turn golden. Add pumpkin, harissa, and honey; stir to combine. Cook gently, just till pumpkin is warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Dip should be tangy and spicy. Serve with Greek yogurt and warmed pita, or as a garnish for couscous. Serves 6-8.Y
Others use only pumpkin. But everyone seems to agree that chershi karaa should be spicy and tangy, with lots of garlic and lemon juice. One of the best things about pumpkin chershi is how easy it is to make. Using canned pumpkin puree, this recipe comes together in a few minutes. The only ingredient you might not have on hand is the harissa, but these days it’s easy to find at the grocery store. (Hovav argues that powdered caraway seed is essential to chershi, but I have seen plenty of recipes without it, and since few Americans have this spice in their pantries, I omitted it.) My goal with this pumpkin chershi recipe was to create a nice balance of sweetness, heat and acid. I guarantee that it will change how you think about pumpkin. How best to eat it? Chershi makes a fantastic dip alongside some warm pita with
a dollop of cool yogurt on top. But don’t stop there. Chershi also works as a sandwich spread, and it has traditionally been eaten as a garnish for couscous. This fall, take a break from pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice lattes and make something new and especially Jewish with pumpkin. Note: The spread will keep in the refrigerator for a week. Ingredients: 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 7 cloves garlic, minced 1 t. cumin 1/2 t. smoked paprika Pinch red pepper flakes 2 c. pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) 3 T. harissa 1 T. honey Juice of one lemon Directions: Heat the olive oil in a med. saucepan over med. heat. Add the
Emily Paster writes the widely admired blog West of the Loop, primarily about food but with forays into parenting and family life. She is the co-founder of the Chicago Food Swap and is a national leader in the growing food swap movement (community get-togethers where handmade foods are bartered and exchanged. She is the author of the book “Food Swap.” [Storey 2016].)
“A woman who eats meat and drinks wine [during pregnancy] will have healthy children. One who eats eggs will have children with large eyes. One who eats fish will have charming children. One who eats parsley will have exceptionally handsome children. One who eats coriander will have fleshy children. One who eats etrog will have frangrant children. “King Shapur’s daughter, whose mother had eaten etrog [while pregnant with her], used to be lifted in front of her father to provide his favorite perfume.” --Chaim Nachman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, Book of Legends
AGES 5+ PRESENTS
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater Based on the Hans Christian Anderson story and the Disney film.
December 8-9 • December 15-16 Saturdays: 2pm & 7pm • Sundays: 2pm Gorelick Hall at Shalom Park Tickets $12 (advance)/$15 (at the door) Purchase Tickets Online at charlottejcc.org/culturalarts
Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center 5007 Providence Rd, Charlotte | 704.366.5007 | charlottejcc.org
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 27
Community Wide Free Event Community Wide Free Event
GLOBAL DAY OF GLOBAL DAY OF JEWISH LEARNING JEWISH LEARNING
A worldwide For one day, cultural communities event to around celebrate theour world shared will heritage. share A worldwide cultural event to celebrate our shared heritage. Jewish dialogue and exploration, Welcome Breakfast celebrating all that unites us.
Welcome Breakfast ContinentalSpeaker, Keynote Justice Richard Bernstein Keynote Speaker, Justice Tal Richard Bernstein Keynote Speakers: Keinan and Aryeh Green PJ Library ActivityAuthors PJ Library Activity PJ Library Activity Jewish Adult Learning & Cultural Arts Workshops Jewish Learning & Cultural Arts Workshops Jewish Adult Learning Lunch &Adult Tikkun OlamWorkshops Projects Lunch & Tikkun Olam Lunch babysitting Free (mustProjects register in advance) Free babysitting (must register in advance) Free babysitting (must register in advance) For details and registration visit, www.jewishcharlotte.org/GDJL Fordetails detailsand andregistration registrationvisit, visit,www.jewishcharlotte.org/GDJL www.jewishcharlotte.org/GDJL For
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, November 12 November 11 12 November 8:30am – 1pm 8:30am – 1pm 9am – 2pm Shalom Park Shalom Park Shalom Park All events are free Allevents eventsare arefree free All
This program is supported by a JFGC Impact &isInnovation This program supported Grant. by a JFGC Impact & Innovation Grant. In partnership with numerous Charlotte In partnership with Jewish organizations. numerous Charlotte Jewish organizations.
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 28
Always a warm welcome. An inclusive and dynamic Reform Jewish congregation
WORSHIP
•
More than 1,200 families strong
COMMUNITY
Celebrating Shabbat First Fridays 5:30 pm SongFest 6:00 pm Family Shabbat Evening Service 8:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service All other Fridays 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service Saturdays 11:00 am Shabbat Morning Service Please check www.templebethel.org for weekly service times and details.
Congregational Shabbat Service Saturday, Nov. 17 at 11:00 am
Join us for a lively and warm celebration with active participation from our temple family including teen band and teen vocal ensemble. Service is preceded by featured Questions of Faith study with Rabbi Asher Knight at 9:00 am and brunch at 10:15 am. To learn more or RSVP for brunch, visit www.templebethel.org.
LEARNING Questions of Faith with Rabbi Asher Knight
Monthly on Congregational Shabbat Saturdays at 9:00 am
Our youngest Temple Beth El Religious School students learn how to blow a shofar with Rabbi Knight. Photo credit: Jenna Dalli
Join us for these events in November: Global Day of Jewish Learning–Extraordinary Passages: Texts and Travels Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8:30 am, Shalom Park (RSVP) Brotherhood & Sisterhood Brunch Sunday, Nov. 18 at 10:00 am, Temple Beth El (RSVP)
Join Rabbi Knight in exploring Jewish tradition and contemporary thought on questions raised by the meeting of faith, reason, history, and our lived modern experience.
Discovered Traditions is your Chanukah Headquarters! We have everything you could want to make your celebration meaningful, special and fun.
Learn to Read Hebrew
Wednesdays starting Nov. 28 at 7:00 pm Learning to Read Hebrew is a great way to become more connected to services and prayers. Join us for a thorough beginning Hebrew class that will teach decoding and reading Hebrew. (RSVP)
Discovered Traditions is open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Wednesday and Friday, before and after Friday night services, and on Religious School Sundays. Proceeds support the Temple Beth El Religious School.
Stay up to date with everything at Temple Beth El – follow us on Facebook and visit our website.
5101 Providence Road | Charlotte, NC 28226 | 704.366.1948 | templebethel.org
TBE_Charlotte Jewish News NOV.indd 1
10/17/18 5:18 PM
The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 29
Rapper Drake Has His Own Brand of Jewishness By Maya Mirsky San Francisco (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) — Drake has held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for most of this year. The Canadian rapper and singer during his career has set or matched records owned by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston, and Paul McCartney. In 2014, Rolling Stone called Drake “the biggest Jewish rapper since the Beastie Boys.” Now he’s just one of the biggest rappers of all. For pop culture watchers, he’s a slippery enigma who changes roles and even accents from song to song, all the while keeping his place on top of the charts. And for Jews, he’s an anomaly, dominating a genre that isn’t exactly known as a Jewish milieu. “It’s still not ‘cool’ to be a Jewish hip-hop artist,” Bay Area DJ Maxwell Alegria said. Drake, 31, is known for his down-tempo music, at times sensitive lyrics and a mischievous sense of humor. He broke onto the music scene in 2009 with So Far Gone, which had a single that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard chart. His most recent album, Scorpion, is an even bigger hit — all 25 songs appear in the top 100 chart — and has spawned at least one viral meme. By any measure, Drake is an unusual Jewish celebrity. He was born Aubrey Drake Graham and grew up in Toronto. His father was African-Ameri-
can, a professional drummer from Tennessee, but Drake was raised primarily by his white Jewish mother, a grade-school teacher. According to earlier interviews, he went to a public high school that was largely Jewish but felt he didn’t fit in and was the target of racist remarks, including “shvartze.” “I didn’t have the worst time, but I did have a hard time. I was always the last kid to get the invite to the party,” he told Rolling Stone in 2014. At 15, however, his life changed when he was cast on Degrassi: The Next Generation, a Canadian teen TV drama he was on for six years. (He would return to graduate from high school.) Drake also told the magazine that he’s “proud to be Jewish.” He occasionally posts Instagram photos of Passover and Chanukah gatherings, and told Rolling Stone that “I celebrate holidays with my family.” Still, his Jewishness is not widely known among his many fans, like Leila Pifko. “They probably — hmm, I’m not sure,” mused Pifko, a senior at Jewish Community High School of the Bay. “I’m honestly not sure. I feel like they might? Some people might know.” While public musings over his ethnicity are not uncommon on internet forums, few fans apparently ask Google if he’s Jewish — it doesn’t even come up as one of the top 10 search results for the query “Is Drake …?”
Drake at a soccer game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, July 20, 2017. (Aaron M. Sprecher/AFP/Getty Images)
Some of his fans, though, are definitely in on it. “Jewish men in particular really know Drake is Jewish — and love that,” said Alex Fraknoi, a San Francisco-based Jewish rapper. It’s not that his Jewishness is a secret. Drake played up his Judaism in a 2014 skit on Saturday Night Live, doing a satiricial re-enactment of his bar mitzvah in a wig and kippah, rapping “I’m black and Jewish/it’s a mitzvah” over a klezmer clarinet. Bar mitzvahs seem to be a theme for Drake. Not only did he have a bar mitzvah himself, but in 2017 he threw a bar mitzvah-themed birthday party. In 2012, he released a music video for his song “HYFR” that purported to be a “re-bar mitzvah”
that showed Drake rapping and praying in a Miami synagogue in front of family friends and music friends. There’s also a post-bar mitzvah “party” that gets wild, with guests chugging Manischewitz and rapper Lil Wayne joyfully smashing a skateboard into a table. That kind of self-referential playfulness makes Drake a hero to a certain crowd. “I would definitely say that it definitely makes me more proud as a Jew,” said Pifko, who like Drake has Canadian roots. But Drake identifies as black, while the few other Jewish rappers who have found a degree of fame are uniformly white. The Beastie Boys, the multiplatinum trio of Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovitz, argu-
ably is the other most famous, topping the charts at the height of their popularity. But there’s a major drop after that. The list usually includes Matisyahu, who gained fame for performing in Hasidic garb (he has since shaved his beard). Asked about Drake in 2012, Matisyahu said, “He’s Jewish, but he’s not representing Judaism. He happens to be Jewish, just like Bob Dylan happens to be Jewish.” The only other non-white Jewish rapper of note is Shyne, the son of the prime minister of Belize and a former protege of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Shyne found Judaism while in prison and now lives an Orthodox life as Moses Levi. He has dissed Drake as “an actor from Canada.” Jewish hip-hop has traditionally leaned heavily on parody, according to Judah Cohen, a professor of musicology and Jewish studies at Indiana University who wrote a 2009 academic article on the subject. Lil Dicky is a prime example. Even the Beastie Boys originally posed dripping in gold chains in a satire of bling-focused gangsta rap. According to Cohen, that kind of parody attracts attention by creating a pairing — Jews, or at least the socially prevalent idea of Jews, and rap — that in itself is humorous by virtue of its unlikelihood. But Drake is not parodying the hip-hop ethos — he is embracing it. His success as a rapper and R&B singer, genres rooted in Af(Continued on page 30)
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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2018 - Page 30
Drake Has His Own Brand of Jewishness (Continued from page 29)
rican-American culture, is as a black artist. He’s a Jew of color, but it’s not his primary public image. That brings up some tricky navigating of identity. “He might have had to codeswitch into his blackness instead of away from his blackness because of how he was raised,” speculated Satya Sheftel-Gomes, 17, a high school junior in New York City and a longtime camper with San Francisco’s Be’chol Lashon, an advocacy group for Jews of color. Sheftel-Gomes is black and Jewish and does not deny that it’s nice to have a famous artist out there who is like her in that way. “It’s great for me!” she said, laughing. For one thing, the teen has a great riposte for those who say they have never heard of anyone else with an identity like hers. “I’m like, yes you have, you definitely have, because Drake is black and Jewish,” she said. Sheftel-Gomes, however, believes Drake is less a representative of a specific identity and
more someone who uses his Jewishness and blackness as tools to increase his audience. She calls him a “racially ambiguous, religiously atheist rapper who makes good music for everyone.” “He only really identifies parts of himself when it is appropriate to his popularity,” she said. Sheftel-Gomes doesn’t judge him for that — after all, fame means appealing to a wide range of people. “I think the reason he’s such a pop star is his ability to do that,” she said. Cohen agreed. “It’s been interesting to see how Drake has been presenting himself,” the musicologist said. Cohen, who sometimes discusses Drake in his classes on Jewish popular music, said successful pop artists are always concerned about maintaining their mass appeal. “People look to celebrities to reflect who they are,” he said, “to realize an idealized version of themselves.” But Cohen said the need for a
superstar to appeal to a wide audience is, for rappers, at odds with the heightened demand to be “authentic.” “That’s one of the big debates you’ll see in hip-hop,” he said. That means Drake’s ability to straddle his identities, from a former bar mitzvah kid to a hard street rapper, doesn’t always work. “‘Started from the bottom’ … but he’s a Jewish kid from the suburbs!” said Fraknoi, referring to one of Drake’s biggest hits, in which he raps, “Say I never struggled, wasn’t hungry, yeah, I doubt it.” Fraknoi is a 24-year-old white rapper who performs as Frak. He is San Francisco-born, went to the Brandeis School and has been rapping since he was a teen. “I have a complicated relationship with Drake,” Fraknoi said. But “I definitely respect him musically and as a rapper.” Fraknoi, who participates in rap battles in which authenticity is prized and is open about his Jewish background, finds
Drake’s eliding of identity a little “cringe-worthy.” “And many times it’s inauthentic to his upbringing,” he said. Alegria is Jewish and Filipino and has been working bar and bat mitzvahs in the Bay Area since he was 14 (he’s now 31, the same age as Drake). He’s familiar with assumptions of what a Jew looks like. “A lot of people see me and don’t necessarily think that I’m Jewish,” he said. Nor does Alegria think most casual hip-hop listeners know that Drake is Jewish. “He talks about it very rarely, I’d say,” Alegria said. “In his music he doesn’t go around exactly parading it.” Fraknoi said the same. “I don’t think he’s that open about it in his music,” Fraknoi said. “And he doesn’t do interviews.” (Drake is press shy and does few interviews; J. requested one but was denied.) The 2012 “HYFR” video could be called Drake’s most Jewish statement to date, although it was controversial. “I’m proud — a proud young
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Jewish boy,” Drake said in a “making of” video for “HYFR.” “When I had a bar mitzvah back in the day, my mom didn’t really have that much money. I told myself that if I ever got rich, I would throw myself a re-bar mitzvah. That’s the concept of the video.” Filmed in and outside Miami’s Reform Temple Israel, the video, which includes plenty of explicit words, shows Drake at the bimah in a kippah with a rabbi reading the Torah and kissing the fringe of his tallit. The party that follows (not filmed in the sanctuary itself) becomes hilariously raucous. There’s a pan shot of iconic Jewish food, and Drake is lifted into the air in a chair while chanting the (also explicit) chorus lyrics. Candles are lit and a cake is shown, and later smashed, in front of a large Star of David. The synagogue leadership at first defended the decision to let Drake film there, but later tempered their position, telling JTA that the lyrics of the song — which has nothing to do with Judaism but includes stories of Drake’s sexual conquests — was not consistent with the temple’s values. The director of the video, however, said the shoot was respectful. Perhaps for his Jewish fans Drake doesn’t have to embrace his roots any more than he already does, or talk publicly about his Jewishness to prove himself. Maybe what he’s done is enough to be inspiring. “I’ll bet the answer is ‘yes’ to that,” Fraknoi said. “He doesn’t even have to do anything. He [just] has to be Jewish and famous.”Y
“I cannot tell you how much I like to play for people. Would you believe it - sometimes when I sit down to practice and there is no one else in the room, I have to stifle an impulse to ring for the elevator man to offer him money to come in and hear me.” --Artur Rubinstein
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