Charlotte Jewish News March 2022

e Charlotte NEWS JEWISH

Connecting on Federation’s Super Sunday

Jewish Federation

Greater Charlotte’s Annual Campaign is well underway with close to $1.3 million in pledges from over 500 donors as of March

15. On the heels of the Main Event, the campaign team has been busy contacting donors to explain why this year’s $5 million campaign is special and why it is so important to achieve this goal.

This year, with a theme of “March Madness,” Super Sunday is on March 6. Approximately 100 volunteers will (safely) gather again in the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts to place more than hundreds calls in just six hours.

This year’s co-chairs for Super Sunday are Eliza Carney, Rebekah Rubenstein, and Kara Culp. They are the perfect choice to rally our volunteers to deliver Federation’s message of community and responsibility.

Kara expressed her enthusiasm about co-chairing this year’s event. “This community continues to enrich not only the lives of my family, but the greater Charlotte community and beyond. I feel privileged to work alongside two other amazing women on Super Sunday to help ensure we have a thriving Jewish community for years to come. It is an exciting time to be an active member in Jewish life in Charlotte, and I look forward to watching all the good work unfold with the support of our generous Charlotte community.”

While volunteers are connecting with donors, they are also connecting with each oth-

er, sharing and celebrating what the Jewish community and Jewish Federation mean to them. It is a fun and meaningful way for individuals who feel like they have gained so much to feel they can give back. Volunteers still have the opportunity to be a part of Super Sunday if they call the Federation office by March 1.

Eliza commented: “One of my favorite things about Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte is how it brings the community together and provides resources and opportunities that create countless moments for connection. Now more than ever, I’m thrilled to be a part of this year’s Super Sunday, yet another opportunity to bring our community together and work together to make moments like this possible.”

Reflecting on the importance of connections, Rebekah added, “Our gifts allow Federation to be the central organization that brings all of these agencies together to benefit our community and its members. Federation is the connector that builds a foundation that my family has benefitted from in almost every aspect of our lives, from preschool to day school to adult education.”

The impact Federation continues to make on Jewish life is more critical than ever. Each gift allows Federation to provide ongoing assistance to vital initiatives, resulting in a vibrant Jewish community. It will take everyone’s help to reach this year’s goal. Donors like you will be counted on to step up

during this important time in our Jewish lives, so when you receive a call on March 6 from a number you don’t recognize, don’t hesitate to pick up!

If you have not donated to the Annual Campaign before and are not on our call list, this is an important year for you to join our donors who participate each year, and whether this is your first time or you have donated in the past, you don’t have to wait for March 6. You can pledge online at jewishcharlotte.org, text “Pledge” to (704) 327-0354 or call the Federation office at (704) 9446757.

Charlotte Inaugural Jewish Book Festival

Get ready for a literary treat from the comfort of your home or in person! The inaugural Jewish Book Festival (March 22-27, 2022) will jazz up your spring evenings with fascinating authors from across the country.

The festival strives to reflect and showcase recent literature that revels in the lively and pivotal ideas stemming from the modern world and in the process expose our city and community to meaningful and captivating conversations about the written word in every shape and form.

Although the nucleus of the festival is Jewish themed, the speakers represent a diversity of experiences and cultures that transcends to the universal. The big themes emerge organically from the world around us, including the rise of antisemitism,

the formative place of the Holocaust in the Jewish experience, and the inspirational stories of resilience and triumph in the face of adversity.

Featured festival authors include Brad Aronson on opening night, author of the nonfiction best seller “HumanKind,” and Todd Parr, best-selling author

and illustrator of more than 50 books for children, for a PJ Library family event. Additional author appearances include Kristin Harmel, best-selling author of “The Book of Lost Names,” and winner of a 2020 Jewish Book Award. Max Gross brings us the haunting tale titled “The Lost Shtetl.”

A mix of in-person and livestreamed author events are available, with participants having the option to join virtually from home or attend limited-capacity viewing party events on Shalom Park. Participants will also have the option of purchasing a VIP Series Experience, which includes a series pass to all festival events and a signed copy of all featured books! Regular updates and ticket information can be found at www.jewishcharlotte. org.

From the Editor

Building Bridges With Books

If you haven’t read “The Book of V” by Anna Solomon, I highly recommend it. I was introduced to it last year when Federation’s Center for Jewish Education held its “Overbooked” monthly women’s book and author series. The book has one timely storyline that is at least loosely related to Purim, so I went to the Levine-Sklut Jewish Library to check it out to reread.

But when I asked whether a copy was available (it is, in case you’re wondering), one of the knowledgeable librarians, Jodi Cohen, recommended a new Jodi Picoult book titled “I Wish You Were Here,” which I took out instead. It’s Jodi Picoult’s 27th published book and my 10th to have read.

But I couldn’t stop thinking

about what it had been like to talk to Jodi through masks and plexiglass three feet high. I wondered whether the plexiglass would come down when the masks are finally retired — hopefully for good — or if they would become a permanent fixture in our society, like taking off our shoes at the airport — and that eventually no one would remember their origin. Jodi and I could hear each other, but I could feel the effort that went into having a conversation and connecting the way we once had before the masks, dividers, and tape on the floor marking distances of six feet became commonplace. The thought arose — how do we stay connected when everything seems to be designed to deliberately keep us separate?

Back to the other Jodi — the author — because as I turned the last page of “I Wish You Were Here,” I realized that books are more than a distraction or entertainment we engage in as a solitary activity. Books are powerful in their ability to connect us to one another.

“I Wish You Were Here” takes place in the present, with COVID as the backdrop for the exploration of universal themes of self-searching and identity, relationships, and resilience. I could see myself in the

Shabbat Candle Lighting Times

March 4 — 6:03 p.m.

March 11 — 6:09 p.m.

March 18 — 7:15 p.m.

March 25 — 7:21 p.m.

e Charlotte NEWS JEWISH

THE CHARLOTTE JEWISH NEWS

Shira Firestone, Editor

5007 Providence Road, Suite 112 Charlotte, NC 28226 (704) 944-6765

www.charlottejewishnews.org

charlottejewishnews@shalomcharlotte.org

The CJN does not assume responsibility for the quality of 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 of its employees.

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main character as if I were looking in a mirror. The way the author captures the fear, anxiety, and trauma of the pandemic is something we can all relate to, however that manifests for us individually. I found it easy to recognize and understand the characters and their struggles.

I returned the book to the library and exchanged it for another by the same author — “Small Great Things.” However, with this book, I became immediately aware that I was having a far different experience. Initially I didn’t recognize myself in the characters at all. The author draws an unlikely thread through characters completely unfamiliar to me. Here I was reading a book by a Jewish author about a Black labor and delivery nurse and a white skinhead who have experiences, realities, and struggles foreign to me.

As I continued to read, I was astounded at how deftly the author took my hand and led me into the characters’ worlds, fostering compassion for those individuals so seemingly different from me and revealing the ways in which I might see myself in them after all. I gained more than understanding and recognition — I gained empathy.

And that is the powerful potential that books have to connect us — by building and developing empathy. What makes books so powerful is exactly what also makes them so dangerous.

To those protecting a narrow worldview and seeking to control how others view the world, books are dangerous enough to ban — and even burn.

In 1933, university students in 34 university towns across Germany burned more than 25,000 books while students gave the Nazi salute. Heinrich Heine, a German poet of Jewish origin, famously wrote, “Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.”

Talli Dippold, director of the Holocaust Education Fellowship Program at the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center says, “In many genocides, the attempt to eliminate books is followed by an effort to eliminate their culture, heritage, history, and people. She continues, “You can’t hate people if you understand their struggle. And you can’t kill someone, you can’t hate.”

In the Levine-Sklut Library, you can find more than books by Jodi Picoult. A shelf there is dedicated

to banned books, including multiple copies of “Maus,” the book a school board in Tennessee recently unanimously voted to ban. It’s not just books about Jews or the Holocaust that are at risk but also books about race, gender, and sexuality. These are under attack as well.

It is essential for us to educate ourselves and others about those whose experiences differ from our own. Books provide that powerful path to empathy. They build bridges of connection so desperately needed — especially in this time of deep polarization. Words and ideas lead us to worlds previously unknown, and with that familiarity comes responsibility for our neighbors of humanity.

This year, CJE brings us another opportunity to discover authors representing a range of genres with its inaugural Jewish Book Festival. I hope you will join me in this literary exploration and participate in one or all of the events scheduled between March 22 and 27. See the ad on page article on page 4 and the articles on pp. 1-3 for more information.

Shira

Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte - Center for Jewish Education

Miss Debby’s Best-Loved Children’s Books

Todd Parr Is Visiting PJ Library

PJ Library Charlotte is excited to be bringing Todd Parr to Charlotte on March 26 as part of the Jewish Book Festival. Mr. Parr, who is visiting Charlotte virtually, will share some of his books, and attendees will participate in special Todd Parr craft activities.

Todd Parr is a three-time New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of more than 50 books for children, including “The Thankful Book,” “The Shalom Book,” “It’s Okay to Be Different,” “The Kindness Book,” and the recently released “Be Who You Are.” He has inspired and empowered children around the world with simple, hopeful, and powerful messages such as to be kind, love yourself, and be who you are, all set with vibrant images using eye-catching

Charlotte

primary colors. His books have received numerous awards and are available in nearly 20 languages. Todd’s books have won several awards, and his TV show, “ToddWorld,” was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Todd Parr is certainly one of my favorite children’s author/illustrators! The first time I picked up one of Mr. Parr’s books, I was immediately drawn in by his joyous use of primary colors as well as his unpretentious, accessible illustrations. I was truly smitten with Todd Parr when I discovered that almost every Todd Parr book shares a message of self-acceptance and inclusion.

I recently had the opportunity to interview him. Below are excerpts from our conversation: Your books are so bold and colorful; have you always loved expressing yourself through art?

Harold Grinspoon is the visionary, founder, and funder of PJ Library through the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Yes, ever since second grade. I have dyslexia (discovered later in life), but in school I was just labeled as slow. I had to repeat second grade once they found out I could not read. And instead of reading books, I found that my interest was tracing the outline to Snoopy. My first memories of this were drawing Snoopy for a contest when I was in second grade. It was Snoopy who made me realize my passion for art. How did you “grow up” to be an illustrator?

I’ve always loved to draw. As far as advice — be yourself, find your own style, and perfect

Center for Jewish Education Book Club Selections Featured at the Jewish Book Festival

Three of the books I’ve selected for the Center for Jewish Education (CJE) Book Club will come to life during the CJE Spring Book Festival when authors Max Gross, Kristin Harmel, and Lisa Scottoline join our community. If you’ve read their books, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about what inspired them to write their excellent novels, and if you’ve not read them, you’ll be eager to read their sweeping works of well-researched historical fiction.

On Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m., we’ll meet best-selling author Kristin Harmel. Early in her career, Harmel wrote romcoms and articles for “People” magazine. She wanted to write about World War II but was discouraged by her agent, so she changed agents, and in doing so, she has become one of today’s foremost writers of Holocaust and World War II historical fiction. “The Book of Lost Names” and “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” are must reads that reflect extensive research of true events. Both books offer an unusual perspective on the Holocaust and the people who risked their own lives to save Jews facing the evils of Nazism.

it. I developed my style by not holding myself back. I basically started painting on anything I could find. The best part of my job is helping others and basically setting my own schedule.

How did you become involved with PJ Library and Jewish books?

Several years ago, PJ Library optioned one of my books. It was “The Peace Book,” which became “The Shalom Book” for PJ Library. A few years after that, PJ Library asked me to create a special book for Harold Grinspoon’s* 80th birthday surprise party. “The Harold Book” was a hit, and Harold and I have been friends ever since. I created the “I Love Camp!” about Jewish camps for PJ Library as well.

Many of your books are about accepting every person despite their differences and accepting oneself. Judaism believes that each human be-

“The Book of Lost Names” was inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, about a young woman with a talent for forgery who helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis.

“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” is a coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis. This story was influenced by the true events, and in 2020, Kristin Harmel had the honor of interviewing Aron (Bell) Bielski who was one of the Jews who survived the Nazis by living in the forest.

On Sunday, March 27 at 7 p.m., Max Gross will join us. The author reimagines the shtetl in his ambitious debut novel “The Lost Shtetl,” which was the 2021 winner of the Jewish Book Council’s “Book Club Award.” Gross’s novel, which starts out like a Yiddish folktale in the tradition of both Isaac Bashevis Singer and Sholem Aleichem, centers around the

Polish shtetl of Kreskol, a tiny community hidden away in the deep woods, which we later learn has escaped the Holocaust and all aspects of modern life. When the two worlds collide, matters of assimilation, antisemitism, governmental bureaucracy, social class, economic choices, religion, survival, family ties, and love all bear down on the citizens of Kreskol. How will their new knowledge of the world affect the existence of the life they know? This book is a dream come true for book club discussions.

In an encore presentation, on Thursday, June 2, the CJE Book Festival will feature Lisa Scottoline, the “New York Times” best-selling author of 32 novels. There are an astonishing 30 million copies of her books in print in the United States, and her books have been published in 35 countries.

Best-selling author Chris Bohjalian described Scottoline’s latest novel, “Eternal,” as “a beautiful, heartbreaking, wrenching love story set in the

ing has a spark of the Divine in them. Do you have a goal for your messaging in children’s books?

Yes: to help other kids who were like me — struggling in all aspects of life and learning. I want to help others feel good about who they are, be confident and kind, and learn about differences.

Second World War. It’s alive with characters I cared about deeply, including the remarkable city of Rome, itself, and their courage in the face of Fascism.”

Unfolding over decades, “Eternal” is a tale of loyalty and loss, family and food, love and war, all set in one of the world’s most beautiful cities at its darkest moment. This moving novel and its three main characters Elizabetta, Marco, and Sandro will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of its readers.

I encourage you to mark your calendars to participate in the CJE Spring Book Festival featuring these remarkable authors: Kristin Harmel (March 24), Max Gross (March 27), and Lisa Scottoline (June 2). All presentations are at 7 p.m. and can be attended

in person or virtually. Tickets are available at www.jewishcharlotte.org.

Charlotte's Inaugural Jewish Book Festival

MARCH 22 | 7 PM

BRAD ARONSON: HumanKind

MARCH 23 | 7:30 PM

LIZA WIEMER: The Assignment

MARCH 24 | 7 PM

KRISTIN HARMEL: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

MARCH 26 | 4 PM

TODD PARR

MARCH 27 | 7 PM

MAX GROSS: The Lost Shtetl

JUNE 2 | 7 PM

LISA SCOTTOLINE: Eternal

Presenting Sponsor

Page Turner Sponsor

Foundation of Shalom Park Makes Improvements to Meeting and Event Venues

Notice something different? Foundation of Shalom Park is excited to announce that our carpet refresh project is now complete. If you have taken a stroll down Main Street of the Levine Jewish Community Center or taken a peek into any of the adjacent meeting rooms recently, you may have noticed something new!

Gorelick Hall, Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts, A110, A111, and the Foundation of Shalom Park boardroom all got a fresh, new carpeting treatment to start 2022.

The improvements to Gorelick Hall went even further, and all the walls were completely resurfaced. With these new modifications, the space has a new look for the first time in two decades. This is an exciting update, and we anxiously await the first events that will take place inside.

While this project was large in scale, it took only three weeks,

and most of our events still went on without too much interruption. Through creative maneuvering and the cooperation of many of the other Shalom Park Agencies, we were able to adapt and adjust based on the progress and accommodate everyone’s needs.

The refreshed meeting spaces are now available for rent. Whether it is a special life-cycle event or a business meeting, we have the right space for your needs.

The venues themselves are as unique and spectacular as the variety of organizations and families they will welcome each year. Each comes fully equipped with the latest technology and state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment for all your meeting or event needs.

Please contact Franki Clement, our new event and communications manager, at (704) 944-6727 or Fclement@shalomcharlotte.org for help with booking and planning your event.

Bridging North America and Israel: A Conversation With Nachman Shai

Jewish Federations of North America Staff

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai sat down for a wide-ranging interview last month with JFNA. Shai served as Director General of Federations’ office in Israel and Senior Vice President of UJC before being elected to the Knesset more than a decade ago, serving first as a member of the Kadima Party and then being re-elected as a member

of the Labor Party. In the interview, he discussed how Israel can improve its efforts to reach out to the North American Jewish community, especially to the members of the younger generation who feel less of a connection to the Jewish State. He also discussed his views on the controversy over prayer at the Kotel.

What do you think are the most important tools for connecting North American Jews,

particularly the younger generation, to Israel?

The best way is for them to visit the country through Taglit-Birthright, MASA, and other programs. If we can’t get them to come here, then let’s reach out to them wherever they are, especially on college campuses. We have at least three national organizations— Hillel, Chabad, and Olami—who are running programs on behalf of the Ministry of the Diaspora.

We haven’t done enough on the digital front, through what I call digital dialogue. It’s the most important challenge of my present position—not to lose the young generation, but to gain their confidence and attention, to bring them into the system either while they are in university or after graduation. That’s the best investment in the future of the North American Jewish community and even for the Jewish world as a whole.

Can you explain a bit more about what you think needs to be done in the digital or social media space?

One of the conclusions from last summer’s conflict with Hamas was that we weren’t doing enough in this space. I wasn’t yet a government minister—I was a visiting professor at Duke University—but I was watching it from a distance and I was very upset. They said that we “lost” the social media war. There is no reason why Israel can’t develop ideas, content and technologies to reach out to every target group in the world, including in North America. My students are totally dependent on their devices; if they don’t come to us, then we need to come to them. We may not always be able to convince them, but at least we can present them with the facts of whatever situation or crisis we’re dealing with. We are teaching Israeli culture, history, and, of course, how to combat antisemitism. We can help North American Jewish communities to prepare themselves for any kind of antisemitic attacks, whether verbal or physical.

You worked for a number of years as the head of the Federations’ Israel office and then you worked for the UJC, the predecessor organization to JFNA. What was the most important thing that you learned during that period?

I learned more than anything the strategic importance of the relationship between Israel and the North American Jewish community. I realized that we have to invest a lot on both ends. On the Israeli side, we need to form relationships with Israeli politicians and other leaders so that they can understand better the relationship between American Jewry and Israel. We have also led a number of delegations of members of the Israeli media to the United States. There’s a mix of arrogance and ignorance on both sides that we need to overcome to find better ways to communicate with each other.

What is the importance of Federations to your work in Israel?

Federations have been one of the key reasons for Israel’s success. It’s a glorious story of friendship and love between North America and Israel. In all of Jewish history, there has never been a success story like that of the Jews of North America. And we appreciate very much your continuing support—not just financial support, but political support as well. We need two-way communication, not just from North America to Israel, but from Israel to North America. We are asking not just what you are doing for us, but what we can do for you through our knowledge and know-how. I was the only government minister who visited Surfside after the building collapse. I delivered a message of sorrow and comfort. When we are in trouble, you come to help us, and when you experience dark days, we are there to extend our hand to you and say that we are together.

Do you have any information on when the Kotel compromise may be implemented?

There are growing political pressures on both sides to implement Netanyahu’s outline for the Kotel from [January of] 2016. It’s time to move forward. But what’s the best timing? It’s time to look at this and say, ‘Enough is enough’ and adopt this compromise. This is my position and I’m not a single voice in the government—I’m one of many who would like to see this coming soon.

Life Transitions for Adults 65+: A Closer Look at the Complexities and How Jewish Family Services Can Help

The silver tsunami, the gray wave, the silver wave — many of us have heard these less-than-flattering descriptions of the increasing number of senior adults as our general population ages. While these terms are considered ageist, they represent anxiety about some very real challenges that an increasing number of aging seniors are facing. For example, as people age, many life transitions occur that can affect our quality of life, including housing, income, transportation, health care, isolation, and the ability to perform daily functions. These transitions can be complex and challenging to navigate, and finding the most supportive resources for individual situations can also be difficult. Adults struggling with the transition can turn to Jewish Family Services (JFS) to be connected to a senior adult case manager. Case management for senior adults can include a variety of supportive services, such as providing assistance with medical referrals, securing appropriate housing, accessing transportation, connecting seniors to social opportunities, and addressing food insecurity.

The first step in the process is

for the case manager to complete a thorough life plan comprehensive assessment. This allows us to gain a full picture of the senior adult’s life situation, needs, and goals. Working collaboratively on this assessment to establish clear plans for addressing the identified areas of need can help the senior adult regain a sense of control. Often the senior adults who contact our agency are feeling overwhelmed by their circumstances and confused about what to do next. The case manager can help clarify tasks, prioritize, and has access to numerous resources to address the senior’s needs.

The number of senior adults seeking resources has grown significantly. The reason for this increase is twofold. First, as we approach the two-year mark of the pandemic onset, there is an increasing acceptance that it is OK to turn to agencies like Jewish Family Services for support. The second reason correlates with the increasing number of aging adults.

According to a 2020 report from the Administration for Community Living, “The older population is expected to continue to grow significantly in the future. Growth slowed somewhat during the 1990s because

of the relatively small number of babies born during the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the older population is beginning to burgeon again, as more than two-fifths (41%) of the ‘baby boom’ generation is now age 65 and older. The population age 65 and older increased from 39.6 million in 2009 to 54.1 million in 2019 (a 36% increase) and is projected to reach 94.7 million in 2060. By 2040, there will be about 80.8 million older persons, more than twice as many as in 2000.”

These nationwide trends are widespread and problematic here in Charlotte. Locally, one of the most difficult and discouraging needs for our aging population is the limited availability of affordable senior housing. For those independent senior adults on a limited fixed income, finding appropriate housing in the Charlotte area is nearly impossible. The average monthly Social Security check in just slightly over $1,400. A recent article in the Charlotte Observer identified that new data indicated that only 1% of apartment rentals in Mecklenburg County are under $1,000/month. With wait-lists for subsidized housing through our local housing authority currently lasting one to three

Jewish Family Services is saddened by the passing of one of our most ardent supporters, Norman Steinberger. Norman was funny, smart, supportive, sometimes outlandish, but mostly committed to helping those in need. Norman was the founder and supporter of the JFS Annual Senior Hanukkah luncheon and a passionate supporter and advocate for the JFS Food Pantry. Norman’s presence will be truly missed, but his legacy will live on through these JFS programs.

JFS Tributes January 2022

In appreciation of Sheryl

Gerrard

Vivian Bitensky

In appreciation of Pete and Michelle Smolowitz

Bob and Jan Marmor

Happy Birthday to Sandra

Levine

Paul and Lynn Edelstein

Happy Birthday to Sue

Worrel

Reid and Alex Worrel, Kyle and Nathalie Worrel

In memory of Harry Berzack

Leon and Jennifer Golynsky

Diane Rosenberg

In memory of Joel Dresner

Myron and Lynn Slutsky

In memory of Eleanor

Duval

Rose Atkinson

In memory of Jerre

Ashkenazi

Gary Silverstein

In memory of Leslie, the sister of Kelly Berick

Sandra Weinstein

In memory of the mother of Cindy Patterson

Sandra Weinstein

In memory of Pam Segal

Stanley Greenspon

In memory of Norman Steinberger

Benjamin and Susan

Aizenman

Ingrid, Dennis, and Riley

Blanton

Joel and Paulette Cohen

Irv and Dedee Cygler

Simon and Susan Estroff

Joe Freiberg

Leon and Jennifer Golynsky

years, it is almost impossible for senior adults to manage rent in addition to regular expenses like food, utilities, transportation, and medicine. Early in the pandemic there was some temporary relief with a moratorium on evictions, but that has ended, and more seniors are looking for emergency financial assistance to avoid eviction.

Another need for our local senior adults is socialization, something that became increasingly challenging as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Since the onset of the pandemic, many of us became skilled at virtual gatherings via Zoom, Google Teams, or even FaceTime. Senior adults who live alone, however, are experiencing isolation more than ever. Many social programs transitioned to online/virtual sessions, and seniors may not know how to access them or feel uncomfortable navigating this type of platform. Many of our senior adult clients do not even have computers or tablets or may not have access to internet. As the variants of the virus continue to impose limitations on socializing, these senior adults are finding themselves desolate and alone. Chronic loneliness and social isolation in older adults are serious pub-

lic health risks, putting seniors at risk for dementia and other serious medical conditions. Our case management team has addressed this issue over the course of the pandemic by helping our clients learn to navigate virtual platforms and by providing programs to educate, entertain, and offer a social opportunity for those who remain secluded at home.

Jewish Family Services offers case management to both Jewish and non-Jewish senior adults throughout the greater Charlotte community. If you are a senior adult who is struggling with any of these issues related to aging, reach out today to get connected to a senior engagement case manager and get the resources you need to start improving your quality of life. Call (704) 3646594 or email info@jfscharlotte. org.

JFS Volunteers & Donors January 2022

Lance Gordon

Mark Gordon

Toby Gordon

Linda Lesack

Samuel and Linda Levy

Jerome and Barbara Levin

Michael and Sue Littauer

Mark and Cindy McManus

Alan and Jan Raznick

Harold and Patricia Shapiro

Dianne Stegelmeyer

Robert and Maxine Stein

Perry and Sue Tannenbaum

Sharon Taubman

Susan Victor

Ron and Jan Wiener

Barnet and Harriet Weinstock

In memory of Roen Salem

Myron and Lynn Slutsky

Jerome and Barbara Levin

Volunteers: Marcia Arnholt, Mike Arnholt, Andrew Bernstein, Suzy Catennazo, Dan Coblenz, Jessica Cohen, Jonathan Collman, Andrea Cronson, Julie Dermack, Joni Deutsch, Sheryl Effren, Terri Fishman, Rachel Friedman, Meredith Gartner, Amanda Gitlitz, , Richard Goldsmith, Jennifer Golynsky, Gail Halverson, Rebecca Hockfield ,Oren Hubara, Bob Jacobson, Michael Kaplan, Jennifer Koss, Etti Krause, Elliot and Stephanie Krietman, Marcia Lampert, Adam Levy, Kim Levy, Adina Loewensteiner, Matt Luftglass, Gene Marx, Frada Mozenter, Beth Oxman, Barbara Rein, Nina Rose, Louis Sinkoe, Ken Stern, Lorin Stiefel, Ken Stern, Steve Teich, Gail Vogel, Amalia Warshenbrot, Susan Webber, Nancy Wielunski,

Jan Weiner, Amanda Zaidman

Hadassah Meal Preppies: Sharon Cavanaugh, Sara Friedman, Karen Futtersak, June Hirschmann, Johnson and Wales, Judy Kaufman, Penny Krieger, Andy McCleary, Helene Schillian, Marcia Stern, Lindsay Strasser, Elissa Vining

Shalom Green: Thank you to your volunteers who continue to plant and harvest produce for JFS.

Food Pantry Donations: To our generous community: thank you for continuing to donate to the food pantry. We continue to collect donations every other Wednesday at the portico entrance to the Blumenthal Center for Jewish Education Building on Shalom Park.

How To Find a Senior Living Community That Fits Your Needs

People across the U.S. are moving to senior living communities in Charlotte to take advantage of our temperate climate and Southern hospitality. Charlotte offers a robust market for senior living, and there are many options when considering what is best for you. The decision to leave your current home can be difficult and, at times, daunting, but moving to a senior living community is a change in your address, not a loss of lifestyle. A move should enable you to continue to focus on the things you enjoy most in life without the worry of home maintenance. By planning, you can realize the benefits of a lower-stress lifestyle, more fully enjoy the benefits of an active community, and potentially protect your financial assets. The move may actually provide you a higher quality of life as you age.

When making your plan, how do you choose between the myriad options to find the community that is right for you? Factors to consider are finances, health-care services, and what your life will look like day-to-day.

One of the most popular choices is a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), or more commonly known these days as a Life Plan Community. There are a variety of Life Plan models from which to choose. Each are represented in the Charlotte marketplace:

Type A (Life Care) requires a onetime, potentially refundable, entrance fee plus a monthly service fee. Residents typically pay a higher entrance fee and monthly fee. The benefit of Type A is that residents are given priority access to all levels of care within the community, and this care is offered with little/no monthly increase. The drawback is that residents pay up-front for healthcare services they may not need and supplement residents who do require these services.

Type B (Modified Life Care) requires a onetime, potentially refundable, entrance fee plus a monthly service fee. The entrance and monthly fees for Type B communities are usually less than those of Type A models. Should the resident require health-care services, these services are offered at reduced costs.

Type C (fee for service) typically does not require an entrance fee, or the fee is minimal compared with Type A and Type B. Residents pay monthly fees for meals, housekeeping, maintenance, transportation, and so on, but if assisted living or skilled nursing are required, the resident will pay the market rate for this care.

Another option that rarely re-

quires an entrance fee is a rental community. In these communities, residents sign a lease, typically a one-year term, and health care, if available, is offered at full market rates.

A third option in the Charlotte market is an equity ownership model in which residents own their home or condo. While health care is available, like rental or Type C communities, health care is typically offered at full market rates.

Life Plan Communities offer priority access to health care, and this is not available to those who live in their own homes. Typically, you cannot access these high-quality health-care services without being a resident in those communities. Type A and Type B communities offer long-term financial advantages to their residents by reducing overall outof-pocket health-care expenses. The advantage of Type C communities is that they usually offer priority access to health care to residents. Rental communities offer flexibility for those who may want to relocate closer to family without the process of an entrance fee refund.

The financial differences between communities may seem subtle, but over time, they become significant. Key drivers behind these differences are entrance fees; pre-payment of health-care costs (Types A and B); tax deductibility of healthcare pre-payment (Types A and B); and monthly fees. Type A, B, and C models may allow you to protect your assets through refundable deposits. Rental communities may not require a deposit but do not enable you to actively protect your assets and mitigate future health-care costs. While the equity option where you own your apartment may seem attractive in a booming real estate market, there is always a chance to lose money in a down market. In addition, there is often a sales commission for selling the property, and until the closing on the sale, you or your estate may remain responsible for the monthly maintenance fees.

Regardless of the economic model you select, understand the costs associated with vacating your residence before you sign on the dotted line. If you choose to move away, need to move into a health-care environment, or pass away, you or your heirs may be contractually obligated to continue paying the monthly service fee until the unit is occupied or equity is sold. Rental contracts may obligate you to continue monthly lease payments until the unit is re-leased or your lease expires. Consider additional and hidden costs: meal plans vary sig-

nificantly; one local community charges $75/month for parking, if available, and covered parking is an additional $50/month. Another community in Charlotte charges $36/hour for housekeeping. Not all communities offer complimentary transportation, or transportation is very limited.

Moving to a Life Plan Community is a way to help preserve your health and quality of life. As you age, you may require more assistance, and this is one of the principal reasons people choose to move to a Life Plan Community.

When choosing a community, you need to understand the differences between health-care costs and long-term benefits along with the potential tax benefits associated with each. Is the community for-profit or not-for prof-

it? The health-care offerings and quality of services of for-profit entities are more likely to change over time. In addition, it is important to gauge the limitations of the community, as they pertain to your self-determination. Who determines the level of care you require? If the community has authority to “act in the best interest of the resident,” then it may have the power to make health-care decisions on your behalf and determine level-of-care transfers. In several communities in Charlotte, the medical director makes that determination rather than you or your loved ones or physician. Numerous rental communities exist in Charlotte, and several new rental communities have opened over the past few years. Keep in mind that typical rent-

al communities usually do not offer a continuum of care and that you will have to relocate should you need additional care in the future. It is also common that any health-care offerings for rental communities are contracted out and not offered under the auspices of the community, so availability can be determined by the contract vendor.

Before making your plan, do your homework:

Consult with a financial planner to understand what you can afford and how to protect your assets.

Visit a variety of communities. Ask specific questions about the cost, quality, and accessibility of health-care offerings. Are support services and health care contracted out or managed from within?

Visit at different times of the day and ask to take part in activities that are important to you. Consider not only the types of activities offered but also the settings in which they are offered.

Ask about meals. Are multiple dining venues offered with different menus and settings? How many daily meals are included in your monthly fees?

When you visit, take note of the people around you in the hallways, dining rooms, and activity

(Continued on page 11)

It’s

Generations was conceived through a collaboration between

partners at Shalom Park and Aldersgate Life Plan Services Aldersgate will operate the community, bringing its 75 years of expertise in the aging services field.

For a limited time, Generations is offering a package of benefits

$250,000 to those who are ready to join our Genesis Club.

us today to learn more.

Generations

(Continued from page 9)

areas. Take in the décor, the ambiance, and the size of the community. Remind yourself that you may be living there and ask yourself: “Do I want to become a part of this community? How will I fit in? What is the relationship between this community and the surrounding neighborhood? Does this community support my values and offer opportunities for me to demonstrate those values?”

Inquire about the leadership and how long it has worked there. Meet the executive director and find out how accessible that person is to meeting with residents.

Be cautious of friends who try to influence you. While their experiences may be favorable, your needs and expectations will differ from theirs. (Incentives are often offered to residents who promote the community.)

Access the Continuing Care Retirement Communities Disclosure Statements in North Carolina at the North Carolina Department of Insurance website: www.ncdoi.gov/documents-disclosures.

Generations at Shalom Park is a Life Plan Community under development. Our Life Plan counselors are available to guide you through the many options in the senior living industry and are very familiar with the local options. It is never too soon to start investigating your options. Contact us to schedule a time to compare the options and what type of community might be best for you as you plan for the future. Contact Generations at (704) 532-5400 or go to www.generationsatshalompark.com

Anonymous* (6)

Ann and Bob Abel

Judy and Stan August

Amy Augustine

Jill and Craig Balick

Gail and John Baron

Sanford and Lois Benjamin

Brian and Glenda Bernhardt

Andrew Bernstein

Bobbi and Don Bernstein

Cary Bernstein and Alan Kronovet

Nancy and Sam Bernstein

Martin Birnbaum

Peter Martin Blair

Barry and Lisa Blau

Jill Blumenthal

Lee and Alan Blumenthal

Philip Blumenthal

Michael and Lenora Borchardt

David and Bonnie Bornstein

Justin Bregman and Diana Warth Bregman

Tracy and Larry Brown

Suly and Richard (OBM) Chenkin

Steven and Olivia Cohen

Wendy Williams Cohen (OBM)

Andrea and George Cronson

Arlene and Gary (OBM) Davis

Jill and Michael Dinerman

Paul and Lynn Edelstein

Legacy Donors

The following individuals/families are in the Book of Life Society and have granted us permission to share with you that Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte has been included as a beneficiary of their legacy gift.

David and Aleen Epstein

Barry and Mary Ellen Ezarsky

Stephanie and David Gitlin

Milton and Arlene Goldstein

Jennifer Cohen Golynsky and Leon Golynsky

Barbara Goodman

Michelle Goodman

Bill and Patty (OBM) Gorelick

Marcelle Gorelick

Todd and Stacy Miller Gorelick

Fay (OBM) and Dan (OBM) Green

Keith E. Greenspon

Stan Greenspon

Jodi and Josh Greenwald

Bonnie Hart

Stephanie Haynes

Joel Horwich

Christy and Andy Horwitz

Jonathan M. Howard

Donald L. and Susan Sachs Jacobs

Robert and Leola (OBM) Jacobson

Florence Kaufman Jaffa

Dana and Andrew Kapustin

Nancy and Robert Kipnis

Paula and Richard Klein

Lorrie and Barry Klemons and Family

Elise and Jaime Kosofsky

Sara and Jonathan Kulbersh

Alison and Mark Lerner

Eric and Susan Lerner

Gary and Donna Lerner

Harry and Gloria Lerner

Julie Lerner Levine

Barbara and Jerry Levin

Ross C. Levin

Leon and Sandra Levine

Ellis Levinson (OBM)

Holly and Hal Levinson

Sam and Linda Levy

Laura and Marc Lewin

Sue Littauer

Joshua and Adina Loewensteiner

Rose (OBM) and Abe (OBM) Luski

Audrey Madans (OBM)

Scott and Pamela Menaker

Laura Milgrim

Risa and David Miller

Edwin and Jill Newman

Richard J. Osborne

Marcelle and Allan Oxman

Wendy and Lee Pake

Brenda and Floyd Patten

Larry and Dale Polsky

Steven and Melissa Raphael

Andrew and Jennifer Rosen

Anita Rounds

Susan and Bernie Sandler

Marty and Elaine Schefflin

Mike (OBM) and Sara Schreibman

Larry Schwartz

Melvin Segal

Linda C. Seigel

Amy Jill Seitlin

Bobby and Stacey Selkin

Louis A. Sinkoe and H. Kevin Levine

Anne and Mike Sinsheimer

Lori and Eric Sklut

Ira and Stacey Slomka

Steve and Emily Snyder

Gary and Stephanie Starr

Robert and Maxine Stein

Joseph and Renee Steiner

Ken and Marcia Stern

Lisa Strause Levinson

Stephanie Townsend

Jeffrey and Karen Turk

Amy and Ross Udoff

David and Debra Van Glish

Judie and Michael Van Glish

Liz Wahls

Mark Weintraub

Elizabeth Star Winer

Kim and Sue Worrel

Robert (OBM) and Anne Yudell

Marisa and Joe Zeibert

Emily and Samuel Zimmern

William and Angela Zimmern

Mildred Zuckerman (OBM)

*Donors who wish to remain anonymous

OBM - Of Blessed Memory

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now: Everything ’90s Is New Again

Early in the summer of 2021, I went to pick up dinner at Chopt in the Arboretum on the way to temple to lead Shabbat services. While waiting in line, I did a double-take: there were two college-age young women in line ahead of me and, well, they could have been me and a friend from 25 years ago. Their outfits, from hairstyle to shoes, looked like they’d walked out of the pages of a Delia’s catalog from 1995.

heart. Now our teens wear flannels, baby doll dresses, and Doc Martens (actually, those never went out of style).

There is nothing new under the sun, as Kohelet reminds us. There is nothing new, only the way that each generation and each individual interprets that which exists, that which continues into the existence that is our lifetime. We know that this is true of Torah, whose never-changing letters we meet year after year yet are enriched because we each

edy of many of today’s shpiels may warrant a hearty knee-jerk laugh, but they also leave room for nervous laughter, recognizing how dark the story is and also laughter as stress relief, which we all need so desperately.

In this spirit of reinterpreting the old, with joy and with levity, Temple Beth El (TBE) is proud to present – “Reality Bits the Megilah: A ’90s Purim Shpiel.”

Dust off your flannels and crank up the Alanis Morisette.

You” on the bimah in front of your temple friends sounds like fun, please email me at CantorThomas@templebethel.org about opportunities to help on or off stage. There is room for absolutely everyone.

On Purim, we are meant to remember the challenges that Esther and her people faced, but also to experience joy as the Jews did in Esther 8:16: “The Jews enjoyed light and gladness, happiness and honor.” The four mitzvot of Purim include hearing

WEEKEND • APRIL 1-2, 2022 ISRAEL SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE

SHABBAT EVENING SERVICE | THE U.S ISRAELI RELATIONSHIP

Friday, April 1 at 7:30pm

Our Shabbat Evening Service will feature our 2022 Israel Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Ken Stein. In the first of three presentations over the course of the weekend, Dr. Stein will speak during services on, “The US-Israeli Relationship: From Truman to Trump: Changing Domestic and Regional Realities.” A Question-and-Answer session will follow the service during our Shabbat Oneg.

TORAH STUDY | THE MAKING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL

Saturday, April 2 at 9:00am

Our weekly Torah Study will spend this morning focused on more recent Jewish sources. As part of our Israel Scholar-in-Residence Weekend, Dr. Ken Stein will present, “The Making of the State of Israel to 1949: What do the Sources Tell Us about How the Zionists Did It?”

COMMUNITY & CONVERSATION | ARAB-ISRAELI NEGOTIATIONS

Saturday, April 2 at 7:00pm | Register by Tuesday, March 29

Come together to end Shabbat with an evening of community and conversation. We will recite the Havdalah blessings to mark the close of Shabbat over coffee and dessert. Our Israel Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Ken Stein, will lead us through a review of primary sources around the question, “Why did Arab-Israeli Negotiations Work in the 1970s But Cannot Succeed Today?” While sources will be projected during the presentation, attendees are also welcome to bring laptops or iPad to examine sources in depth. Everyone attending is required to follow Temple Beth El's COVID-19 Policies.

Temple Solel Pocket Prayer Quilt Challenge

Just as we hold on to the hope for those first signs of spring, including those blue Carolina skies, to get us through the winter – so too do we as individuals and communities need to hold on to hope to make it to the other side of the pandemic. Though some people are returning to their activities – traveling, going to stores, attending events, and meeting in person for services, many who may be more vulnerable are not. It’s understandable that each of us is uniquely affected by whom we’ve lost, how sick people in our circles have become, and even by peer pressure.

Everyday life continues, so what do we do as we hold on to that hope for the future? We can begin by setting some bite-sized goals. A goal can be as small as waving to someone or saying

set boundaries when speaking with others and to continue to speak positively about the future. It may look different from what we expected, but we can at least have hope that things will be better.

Make a list of three items that will make a difference in your week when they’re accomplished. It might include buying seeds to prepare for a cold-weather container garden. It might include emailing someone you haven’t heard from. Maybe take a class online in an area of interest. It might include something as simple as organizing one drawer or filling one bag with items to donate. Most donation centers have an outdoor drop off. We can all make a difference in someone else’s life and benefit at the same time.

Setting these modest goals can make a bigger difference than we might expect. For example, getting outside for even five minutes, noticing wildlife or beautiful plants, can feel like a much longer break and give us a reset. Search the words “Jap-

anese forest bath” and you will find something interesting. In the 1980s, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries created the term “shinrin-yoku” to encourage people to absorb surroundings of nature. This has made a huge difference in my own life — hearing the crunching of the leaves under my feet as I walk, feeling the texture of a tree, looking at the branches making intricate patterns like lace.

Have we considered giving in a different way this year, either financially or with our time? Recently I made a donation, and it gave me an encouraging

story to share. I had something really amazing happen after donating to a food bank run by the United Methodist Church in Indian Land, South Carolina. In its thank-you letter, the church included what it identified as a “pocket prayer quilt.” In this case, it had a cross in it and Christmas print, but it was a great idea and something we can modify for Judaism.

Our congregant quilt designer and seamstress, Helaine Yancey, and I jumped into action to design our own Jewish version of the pocket prayer quilt. We used Magen David fabric and placed a dove inside. The message has the words “Pocket Prayer Quilt –This was made especially for you to slip into your pocket or hold. Throughout the day, remember Adonai’s Ahava (God’s love) for you. The dove of peace represents shalom — peace — nothing missing, nothing broken.” Included is our temple logo and contact information.

When held, there is a “tangible” feeling and connection. We care about our members and sent

the pocket prayer quilts to them with their annual membership renewal and donation letter. We would be flattered if you decide to continue to copy the idea and pass along your own to others. Take the “Pocket Prayer Quilt Challenge” and come up with your own! It is a small thing we can do to continue to hold and share hope for our future.

Temple Solel holds regular Shabbat services at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays of each month via Zoom and hopes to resume services when appropriate at Belair UMC Family Life Center, 8095 Shelley Mullis Rd., Fort Mill, SC 29707. For more information about the High Holy Days, or guest speakers, see templesolelSC.org, write us at info@templesolelSC.org or call (803) 610-1707.

Joe Buchanan Coming to Temple Kol Ami

Some things are just worth waiting for! Patience, in the sense of trusting in G-d and letting things take their course, is one of the core teachings of the Torah. At Temple Kol Ami, we have patiently waited to reschedule nationally known Jewish recording artist Joe Buchanan for his artist-in-residence weekend with our congregation in Fort Mill. After our having to postpone his visit in March of 2020, the time has finally come!

Jewish Americana musician Joe Buchanan will bring his talents to Fort Mill on the weekend of April 1. A Jew by choice, Joe is a rising star in the Jewish music scene who has released two albums, including his most recent “Back from Babylon.” He will lead us in a musical Kabbalat Shabbat service and a Saturday night concert featuring his original music. As an added bonus, hometown favorite band The Ruach will be joining Joe for the Friday night service.

Texas born and Southern raised, Joe Buchanan makes country music that is steeped in Torah and the trials of the human spirit. He grew up struggling with religion and his place in the world until one day outside of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and 13 years into their marriage, his wife revealed that she was Jewish. An exploration of faith led the way home for the whole family and ultimately led to Joe’s debut album titled “Unbroken.”

Since his conversion, he has toured the country leading prayer, concerts, and workshops. Joe’s goal is to help connect us all and to hold the door for other seekers. A blend of Southern soul and country charm, his music is grounded in the belief that there is always more room at the table.

We are thrilled to welcome Joe to the bimah at Temple Kol Ami (Philadelphia United Methodist Church, 1691 SC-160, Fort Mill) on April 1 and 2, and you are invited to join us (masks are required in the sanctuary). All events are free and open to the public thanks to funding through the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. Please check our website at www.templekolamisc.org for start times.

We hope you will join us at Temple Kol Ami for any and all of our wonderful programming and bi-weekly Shabbat services.

If you live in York County or the South Charlotte area, Temple Kol Ami might be the place for you! We are a warm and inclusive Reform congregation comprising Jews from diverse backgrounds. Come find your Jewish home in our welcoming community. For more information, contact us at yorksynagogue@gmail.com

Purim at Chabad 5782

By Rabbi Shlomo Cohen, Congregation Ohr HaTorah Purim, the most joyous of Jewish holidays, is an opportune time to engage Jewish people of all ages and all walks of life. Purim at Chabad is always a time of great Jewish joy and a time to reveal the depth and meaning of Jewish survival, even in a time of crisis.

Purim, which falls this year on Thursday, March 17, has many elements of Jewish life that can engage young and old in the Purim story. It includes history, theology, wisdom, and four distinct activities associated with this monumental holiday.

The four unique Purim mitzvot include listening to the Megillah reading, sending ready-to-eat

food items to friends, giving gifts to the poor, and celebrating with a special Purim feast before the end of the day.

The festivities at Chabad will begin on Sunday March 13, 10:30 a.m. with a C-Kids special outside-the-box mystery scavenger hunt. Kids will follow their treasure maps and crack codes while learning about the Purim story. From Esther to Mordechai, from Haman to Achashverosh, the festivities will cover all the major personalities and events.

Chabad’s C-Kids presents Jewish education in a way that is completely, well, outside the box. “We’ve found that Jewish holidays are the best way to engage the next generation,”

says Rabbi Ben Tzion Groner of Chabad’s C-Kids. “Year after year, kids are fascinated by the story of Purim.” Along with learning the history, participants will have a chance to practice one of the four special Purim mitzvot! When kids complete their mission successfully, they will discover a key to open their boxes full of mishloach manot items. They will then transform their finds into a special Purim gift. Before heading home, kids will also create treasure maps of their own, keeping the fun and mystery of Purim alive.

Wednesday, March 16, is the fast of Esther. A complete Megillah reading will take place at the evening service at 8 p.m. An outdoor option will be available for Megillah reading. Hamantaschen and drinks will add to the festivities.

Thursday, March 17, Purim day will see a host of events at Chabad. The primary celebration will be a Purim dinner with the theme of “Purim in the Country.” Decor will include bales of hay, country Purim, banners, and staff dressed in overalls. The menu will include tasty kosher Southern fried chicken and biscuits. There will be additional Megillah readings in the morning and late afternoon.

The events are open to all in the community. The Purim dinner will have an entrance fee. For more information, please visit our website at chabadnc.org.

Our House. Your Home.

Lifelong Learning: THE BOOK OF ESTHER AS HISTORY & AS LITERATURE

Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.

With Purim right around the corner, Rabbi Wolk will be teaching a special class titled, “The Book of Esther as History and as Literature.” This sample class comes from the Melton School’s new course, Timeless Tales, Modern Sensibilities: A Deep Look at the Books of Esther and Ruth.

CELEBRATE PURIM with Temple Israel

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

5-5:30 P.M. – TORAH TOTS PROGRAM

5:30-6:15 P.M. – PIZZA DINNER

6:15-7:15 P.M. - MEGILLAH READING AND “THE MEGILLAH ACCORDING TO TAYLOR SWIFT”

7:15-7:30 P.M. - MA’ARIV

7:30 P.M.- ADULT DESSERT/BEVERAGE RECEPTION

World of Wordle Inspires a New Game: Jewdle

In yet another addition to the world of Wordle offshoots, an Australia-based Jewish community organization has created Jewdle — a distinctly Jewish version of the wildly popular online word game.

While versions of Wordle exist in other languages, including Hebrew and Yiddish, Jewdle offers words from English, Yiddish, Hebrew and Aramaic and is different in a few key ways. Unlike Wordle, which asks players to guess a five-letter word using codebreaker’s logic, Jewdle players have to guess six-letter Jewish words, increasing the game’s difficulty.

Jewdle also throws in a Jewish educational component, adding explanations and context once a player gets a word right.

“This seemed like a really

perfect way to create Jewish relevance within a very popular, secular context that so many people around the world are accessing right now,” Alon Meltzer, Director of Programs at the organization Shalom and the game’s creator, told J-Wire.

After joining the more than two million people who have started playing Wordle, Meltzer decided to make a Jewish-themed version, which came with a set of unique challenges.

“We decided to do six letters instead of five because of the phonetic differences in writing out many Hebrew and Yiddish words,” Meltzer explained. “You often need to use a ‘ch’ or ‘sch’ combination or an ‘ah’ suffix. Five letters was a bit too limiting.”

Jewdle can be played at https://www.jewdle.app

The High Cost of Trivializing the Holocaust in Current Events

The Holocaust is acknowledged by historians as the world’s most documented and comprehensive genocide. In fact, the term “genocide” was coined in 1943 by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin as a response to the crimes of Nazis and their collaborators. Yet references to the Holocaust are increasingly the default words of choice to describe general human misery, distress, hardship, and even minor inconveniences.

(For example, consider the popular use of the phrase “grammar Nazi.”)

The trivialized misuse of terms related to the Holocaust is not only absurd — but also dangerous. The Nazi objective was to create a government doctrine to annihilate an entire people from the world until not a single Jew remained alive. To imply otherwise minimizes the truth of the Holocaust and encourages continued antisemitism. This misuse in entertainment and politics, increasingly on display in recent years, underscores the importance of Holocaust education in our schools. The primary mission of the North Carolina Council on

the Holocaust is to educate North Carolina public school teachers and students about the facts and lessons learned from the Holocaust. These lessons center on tolerance, compassion, pluralism, anti-bullying, and an appreciation and respect for diversity. In addition, our mission is to ensure that the word Holocaust is not misused. We find this misuse in entertainment. Consider Seinfeld’s “soup Nazi,” whose only offense is the strict regimentation he demands of his customers, or Karen’s irreverent remark to “… act like Anne Frank and hide” in Will and Grace. In a recent Haaretz article, “The Cinematic Cheapening of the Holocaust,” Nathan Abrams explains, “As the Holocaust recedes further into the past, it is treated as an [sic] historical event for audiences and often stripped of the still-raw emotions and memories that accompany more recent tragedies. The current generation of Diaspora Jews, born half a century after the Holocaust ended, no longer have the personal connection to its stories. The stories, therefore, become part of the public domain, so to speak, and now Hollywood is using them as it pleases.”

In partisan politics, the Holo-

caust has become a favorite tool by both the left and the right, especially in recent years. “Those on the far right are more likely to outright deny the Holocaust or wish for it to happen again (sometimes in the same breath, ignoring the obvious contradiction). Those on the far left are more likely to claim that attention to the Holocaust obscures the suff ering of other minorities or equate the Jewish state, Israel, with Nazi Germany,” writes Phyllis Greenberg Heideman.

The far left calls for the cancellation of Holocaust teacher training and Holocaust observances by claiming the Holocaust is “inherently racist.” The far left uses the Holocaust to demonize Israel and to blatantly attack Jews and Judaism.

“COVID brought Holocaust trivialization to a summit,” says Dani Dayan, chairman of Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. National commentators like Robert F Kennedy, Jr. claim that people are worse off today because of government vaccine mandates than Anne Frank was, as at least she was safely hiding in an attic. The far right compares COVID vaccinations and government mandates to Nazi Germany’s

genocidal policies toward Jews and considers Dr. Anthony Fauci to be another Dr. Josef Mengele. The far right encourages people to wear the yellow Jewish star with “anti-vaxxer” written in the middle of the star.

The antidote to the rising antisemitism that both allows for and results from these trivializations is education. With its many programs and resources, The North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, organized under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, has worked to educate public school teachers and students about the Holocaust and how to fight antisemitism in schools.

The Holocaust Council is sponsoring a bus trip for 34 teachers to visit and study at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum this summer. Over the past year, the Holocaust Council presented 20 webinars available for all North Carolina public school teachers and six regional teacher workshops in remote areas of the state. The Holocaust Council’s speakers bureau sends educators, Holocaust survivors, and children of Holocaust survivors into schools and classrooms across the state. The Holocaust Council

is one of the handful of sponsors of the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Commemoration taking place in Charlotte this spring.

The Holocaust Council labored tirelessly for four years to pass the Holocaust Education Act in North Carolina. The Holocaust Education Act is a public mandate (codified by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Governor Cooper in the fall of 2021) to teach about the Holocaust in middle school and high school.

Former Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, states in a recent Washington Post opinion piece, “Words matter. They’re not weapons or violence, in the fatuous formulation one still occasionally hears these days. But some words are freighted with so much historical or emotional heft that their casual or imprecise use comes with a cost.” At the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, we believe that cost is too high to be allowed to go unaddressed.

To learn more about the work of the council and to sign up for the quarterly newsletter, contact Mike Abramson (chairman) at mabramson919@gmail.com.

The Greenspon Center Hosts Conversations and Reflections To Create Calm Amid the Storms

At the stroke of midnight December 31, 2021, we celebrated the beginning of a new year. We hoped that 2022 would be the year of positive changes. Perhaps COVID would recede into the background and we could then breathe a sigh of relief — without masks or that school would resume in person and stay that way. Maybe people would begin dialogues to repair the divisions of the last few years.

The first two weeks of January dispelled those hopes. COVID cases soared, and many schools delayed opening. Schools throughout the country discussed book bans and mask mandates. Radical groups, on both ends of the political spectrum, continued to ramp up their rhetoric. And in Colleyville, Texas, another antisemitic incident made headlines. When will bias and hatred in our country begin to subside? How do we remain hopeful in the midst of such chaos? What good can we do in the face of so much confusion?

Though we do not have all the answers, the Stan Greenspon Center believes in the power of good people working together to create spaces where all are welcome, respected, and heard. We work in the schools, educating about the Holocaust, human rights, and the fragility of democracy. We inform the community about the realities of antisemitism and provide tools to help dismantle stereotypes and conspiracy theories. We partner with other organizations, advocating to recognize and elevate the voices of the disenfranchised throughout Charlotte. We confront acts of antisemitism and hate whenever they occur. We lift our voice for justice through editorials, social media, and public speaking. But, most importantly, we gather with others to uplift and support one another, to remind one another that we are not alone.

We recently held a Casual Conversation of Healing and Hope to provide a time to reflect on the Colleyville hostage situation and the larger turmoil that surrounds us. The following are excerpts from some of those who shared their voices with us: Dr. Hadia Mubarak, assistant professor of religions at Queens, shared her thoughts about the effect of religious intolerance and acts of hate.

“As a Muslim, I join fellow Americans in condemning the outrageous act of terrorism against our Jewish brothers and sisters at the Beth El synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15, 2020.

In the last year, there has been a tragic increase in antisemitism with one in four American Jews reporting that they’ve experienced antisemitism during 2021, according to a report by the American Jewish Committee. This trend parallels the rise of Islamophobia in this country. For example, . . . in 2017, 61% of Muslim Americans reported experiencing discrimination, whereas 75% of Muslim women in the U.S. said they experienced racial discrimination . . . In addition to a rising level of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims, we know that there has been a long history of targeting Black churches in this country.

It is difficult to [recount these realities] without pausing for a moment of silence, without stopping to remember that behind each of these numbers, there are human beings . . . who are scared to reveal their religious identities in public lest they be targeted, discriminated against, or hated simply for being who they are.”

If you are interested in interfaith dialogue, please join us on September 11 for our “Sacred Threads: The Complex Tapestry of Interfaith Relations” workshop.

Queens University Professor Tommy Lopez spoke about the power of forgiveness. He explained how forgiving those who cause harm brings healing to the survivor and the community. He has seven tips to help us deal with some of the trauma we have encountered and help others. Here are a few:

“Learn as much as you can. Collect data and information about the traumatic event. Try to hear and see what is actually being communicated. Provide consistency, stability and

choice-making opportunities. Be there for the person who is suffering, angry, and hurting. Open avenues for conversation. Make this a priority. It will help you and your friends understand trauma triggers and move faster toward developing resilience and successful coping skills.”

The Greenspon Center is happy to set up a session for your group to explore all seven tips and discuss the impact of discrimination and bias in your

community.

Rabbi Judy Schindler, Sklut professor of Jewish studies at Queens, focused her message on healing. Her words summarize why the Greenspon Center is here and why we always invite you to join us in our work!

“Healing happens with presence. Healing happens with

prayers. And healing happens with education. We ask all of you to learn about antisemitism in its many forms, to teach about antisemitism, and to counter antisemitism along with all forms of hate so that together we can live and love and pray and raise our kids and rejoice in peace.”

Hadassah Welcomes New Leadership

We are excited to announce our new leadership! Gina Robins and Yvette Jacobson are the incoming co-presidents of the Hadassah Charlotte Metro Chapter.

Yvette moved to Charlotte in 2017 and joined Hadassah in 2020. She manages our chapter website and took the lead on the personal listing section of the 2022/5782 Directory. In her leadership message on our website, Yvette said, “We are so excited to work with the dedicated women in this organization. The support we offer to the State of Israel and the Charlotte community is vital, and we can’t wait to see how things play out!”

Gina has lived in Charlotte since 1989 and joined Hadassah as a life member in the mid2000s. Gina worked on the directory and is the editor of our monthly e-newsletter, Hadassah Highlights. Gina told the chapter, “I so look forward to working with our wonderful members and board in support of Hadassah’s mission to bring about positive change to enhance women’s health equity and to fight hate and antisemitism.”

We look forward to everything the Charlotte Metro chapter can accomplish with Gina and Yvette at the helm.

To note, Hadassah Highlights is the email newsletter of Hadassah events in our chapter and region. If you don’t receive Highlights and would like to subscribe, sign up at http://eepurl. com/hS5Zc5

In other news…

Purim Bingo and board installation have both been rescheduled for later this spring. Please check the Hadassah website for updates.

Celebrating Tu B’Shevat

Though our Tu B’Shevat seder was delayed two weeks due to the winter storm, our chapter finally celebrated the New Year of the Trees on Sunday, January 30. The theme was “G-d, Israel and Our Hearts.” Led and hosted by Helene Schilian, the participants learned about the Shivat Haminim, the seven species of foods native to Israel, and how eating them benefits our health. They enjoyed wine/juice, watching the color of their four cups turn from white to red, representing the changing seasons. They enjoyed foods with figs,

olives, dates, wheat, barley, and pomegranates. Participants also donated toward the mitzvah of planting trees in the Hadassah Shade Tree Garden at the Eshkol Resilience Center in Israel.

2022 Jewish Community Directory

Although the deadline for the print directory has passed, there is no deadline for the online app, as personal and business information can be changed by subscribers at any time. If you would like become a subscriber ($18), add or update your personal information in the online directory (free), place an online ad, or purchase a print directory (while supplies last), go to www. hadassahcltevents.org and click on the Directory link. If you have questions, email cltdirectorylisting@gmail.com or call (980) 553-1880.

Hadassah Sunshine Committee

In January, the “Hadassah Preppies” prepared 80 meals for Jewish Family Services and volunteered for a total of 75 hours. Those who receive the meals love them and are very appreciative of our efforts. If you can’t cook or bake, sup-

plies are always needed. Email Elissa Vining (svining@aol. com) for more information. Charlotte Metro loves to read!

BookTalk

Join us for BookTalk on Tuesday, March 22 and share your opinions about this month’s book, “The Song of the Jade Lily” by Kirsten Manning. BookTalk meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month. For more information and the Zoom link, email Karen (kfuttersak@ gmail.com) or Aileen (mom3aileen@msn.com)

Lake Norman also has a book club — Beverly’s Book Nook. The next meeting is Friday, March 11 to discuss Sue Eisenfeld’s “Wandering Dixie: Dispatches from the Lost Jewish South.” Meetings are the second Friday of the month at 1:30 via Zoom. RSVP at www. jewishcounciloflakenorman. org/book-club or email Beverly (h204choc@gmail.com).

Short Stories Discussion

Group reads stories by American authors along with stories translated from Yiddish or Hebrew. The next meeting is Friday, March 18 via Zoom. Meetings are held on the third Friday of the

month at 11:45 a.m., with future meetings on May 20 and June 17. (No meeting in April.) Contact Amalia (amaliaima@ATT.net ) for the stories. For more information, email Amalia or Linda Levy (levyollie@aol.com)

And now, some housekeeping matters…

Hadassah Charlotte Metro has a new mailing address: 5007 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC 28226. Please update your address book or contact list.

The next Hadassah Charlotte Metro board meeting is Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. All members are invited. Email hadassahclt@gmail.com to RSVP and receive the Zoom link.

For up-to-date Hadassah information, check our website (HadassahCLTevents.org), like our Facebook page (Hadassah CLT), follow us on Instagram (Hadassah Charlotte) or Twitter (@HadassahCLT), or send us an email at HadassahCLT@gmail. com

Women of Wisdom: Together for Books, Travel, and Crafts

If you took part in Women of Wisdom’s (W.O.W.) Book Club meeting on January 11, you found yourself discussing “The Nesting Dolls” with a minyan of women and the author, Alina Adams. It was a special treat to hear about Ms. Adams’ background, and how some of her own family’s stories made their way into the book’s details. As if speaking with the author wasn’t enough, she offered everyone at the discussion a personalized and signed book plate. I was so enthralled by the book that I read it completely in two days; it was hard to put down because the stories of the three generations of women were so compelling. Our next book club discussion will be on “Chasing Freedom” by Ella Miriam. In her book, the author takes us through her harrowing departure from the Soviet Union to her first sweet taste of freedom and Jewish self-discovery in Israel, and finally to her dream of being happy in America. Along the way, there are mishaps, struggles, and unlikely events with surprise twists. I

hope that you join us for our next book club — look for invitations soon.

One of W.O.W.’s purposes is to conduct heavily subsidized trips to Israel in collaboration with the international group, Momentum. On February 1 at 7 pm, W.O.W. held a gathering of women who found out what it was like to go on a trip with Momentum. “Our Night in Israel” provided answers and discussion about the purpose of the trip as well as what to expect. Many women who have gone on the trip shared their sweet, educational, and emotional experiences.

Have you been saving your corks? If not, don’t worry, thanks to generous contributors we have extra! On March 13 at 7 p.m., join us for our Purim 5782 event. Fran Dordick will lead us in a creative, fun evening using corks to create cork trivets, coasters, bulletin boards and table runners. We’ll also learn some interesting information about this very happy holiday. Please sign up for this event on our website.

For more information about W.O.W., please see our website at www.CharlotteWomenOfWisdom.com a nd follow W.O.W. Inspiring, Empowering and Connecting Jewish Women on Facebook. We are a nondenominational group for Jewish women to engage, learn, and connect. No synagogue affiliation is necessary, just an interest to learn more about our beautiful heritage!

Mental Health: How You Can Give Voice to the Silent Epidemic

I was just about halfway finished with the article I was writing for this month’s article on mental health when I saw the news that Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA and North Carolina attorney, died by suicide. I, like most everyone, was shocked. I mean here was this young, beautiful, accomplished professional woman who just three years ago was crowned “Miss USA.” By all accounts, she should have had everything in life to look forward to. Why would she take her own life?

I didn’t know Cheslie Kryst, never met her, and I would not assume to understand what challenges she may have been facing. What I do know is, on the surface, Cheslie Kryst represents thousands of members of our community who appear to be successful, thriving, and happy but who are really struggling with depression, anxiety, bi-polar, and other mental health issues. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults in our country experience mental illness each year, but only 46.2% of them actually access treatment. That means that 53.8% do not!

There are a number of reasons people with mental health issues don’t access treatment.

• Lack of resources, including financial/insurance, time, and transportation

• Fear of dealing with their emotions

• Misinformation regarding the treatment process

• Pride because they see treatment as a weakness

• Doubt about the effectiveness of therapy making a difference

However, the number one reason people with a mental health issue don’t access treatment is the “stigma” associated with accessing help. While mental health awareness has significantly increased as a result of public campaigns, including those with public personalities like athletes, performing artists, and others, there is still a pervasive negative perception regarding mental illness. A 2019 national poll from the American Psychiatric Association found that mental health stigma is still a major challenge in the workplace. About half of workers were concerned about discussing mental health issues at their jobs. More than one in three were concerned about retaliation or being fired if they sought mental health care. Educating the public that mental illness has a biological basis like any other illness is important to shift the stigma surrounding mental illness and of seeking treatment.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers some suggestions about what we can do as individuals to help reduce the stigma of mental illness:

• Talk openly about mental health, such as sharing on social media.

• Educate yourself and others — respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences.

• Be conscious of language – remind people that words matter.

• Encourage equality between physical and mental illness –

In Memory of Norman Steinberger May 8, 1934-January 10, 2022

To our friends,

Thank you so much for your warm and comforting condolences.

All your support — cards and calls, the memories you lovingly continue to share, as well as the generous donations in Norman's memory, highlight what a special person Norman was.

Your thoughtfulness holds a special place in my heart.

Fondly,

draw comparisons to how they would treat someone with cancer or diabetes.

• Show compassion for those with mental illness.

• Be honest about treatment –normalize mental health treatment, just like other health-care treatment.

• Let the media know when they are using stigmatizing language presenting stories of mental illness in a stigmatizing way.

And finally, and maybe most importantly, learn the signs that indicate someone might be struggling with a mental health issue and take the bold step to check in with them. Some of the most common “red flags” that someone might be experiencing a mental health issue include:

• Excessive worry or fear

• Excessive sadness

• Problems concentrating and learning

• Mood changes

• Increased irritability

• Avoidance of friends and social activities

• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy

• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite

• Changes in sex drive

• Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs

Manifestation of multiple physical ailments such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains” without a clear medical cause

If you recognize these signs in a family member, friend, or co-worker, don’t be afraid to ask if they are OK. It often just takes one person asking the question “Are You OK?” to help someone take that important step toward getting treatment and healing.

If you are having thoughts about suicide, call the suicide hotline at ( 800) 273-8255. If you need assistance in seeking mental health services, contact Jewish Family Services at (704) 364-6594.

Across

1. “Kid tested. Mother approved” cereal

4. ___ chag (day after yomtov)

9. Not full

14. 2010 health legislation, in brief

15. Some iPads

16. Former Israeli dough

17. Tax for actor Eugene?

19. Change

20. Secret hideaway

21. Furniture material

22. Words before “arms” or “the air”

23. Wharton’s “The ___ ___ Innocence”

25. Broadway show about a notable deli?

29. Ailment that makes things harder to pick up

31. “Giddyup!”

32. “Not ___ shabby!”

33. Wedding or Bar Mitzvah

36. Judaism doesn’t believe in it as a long-term punishment

37. Beach buds for gangster Bugsy?

42. “Ella Enchanted” star Hathaway

43. Like the crosswords in this publication

44. Conditions

45. See 67-Across

47. Common classes

51. Part of a gifted body part for singer Lisa?

55. One would become one in Israel instead of heading to

36-Across, perhaps

56. It’s delivered

57. 18 mgs. of iron, e.g.

59. Eve’s middle son

60. Local Israeli

62. Drink for Rabbi Berel?

64. Karen of the Indiana Jones films

65. Oil baron J. Paul

66. “Cancel” PC key

67. Water and 45-Across

68. Tribe the Igbo Jews claim to be descended from

69. Wino

Down

1. Chatan’s gal

2. 2002 animated film featuring a wayward mammoth

3. Marvel’s Charles with mental powers

4. Contacts online, for short

5. Agricultural tower

6. Quarterback ___ (throwing alternative)

7. Yitzchak’s 1-Down

8. BBYO alternative

9. Fly by

10. Do a take-off on

11. Vitamins for moms to be

12. Heavy weight

13. “Jan. 1 to now” period

18. It came way after 2-Down

22. Israeli gun

24. Colonial flute

26. A crowd, they say

27. Work at

28. What days are called on Mars in “The Martian”

30. New York Jets’ org., until 1969

34. A Houston baseball player

35. Israeli man?

36. Most recent Albus Dumbledore portrayer

37. Leave port

38. Data

39. Entire company on stage

40. Electric guitar go-with

41. Salon substances

45. Largest percentage of humans

46. Sick and tired?

48. 11-Down helps them arrive safely

49. Despite the contrary

50. Make a choice

52. Revealed, as one’s soul

53. 2010 Super Bowl MVP

Drew

54. First name behind 23Across

58. Payment to play

60. Diego preceder

61. Lager alternative

62. Org. for those creating scripts

63. Aleppo’s country: Abbr.

(Solution on page 35)

Green Burials Become More Common

The month of March climatically comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. A transition from cold to warm. From dormancy to vibrancy. From brown to green. A reawakening of Mother Nature after a winter hibernation. A “greening,” so to speak.

Green burials are the latest trend in the death and dying arena. More and more Americans are rejecting traditional funerals and burials that include expensive coffins, lots of flowers, embalming, and a number of other, oftentimes, expensive add-ons that pollute the earth and take up precious land. “Greeners” embrace a friendly environmental stewardship or conservation of the land.

According to a survey by the National Funeral Directors Association released in 2020, nearly 54% of Americans are considering a green burial, and 72% of cemeteries are reporting an increased demand. People who desire green burials want to be buried in a park, green area, or nature preserve. They desire to restore their own personal relationship with nature in the cycle of life and renewal. It is economical. It is natural. It is green. It is

calm. It is peaceful. It is meditative. It is biodegradable.

Those who think “green” desire to minimize negative environmental effects by forgoing concrete vaults, rethinking burial containers, and maintaining and protecting natural habitat. Their choices involve the limitation of waste, reduction of carbon footprint, and nourishment of the local ecosystem. Green burials negate the need for embalming chemicals and the extraneous non-biodegradable materials that conventional burials contaminate the earth with.

Some choose a green funeral because they are less expensive. Funeral costs vary from state to state and cemetery to cemetery. The national median cost of a funeral is about $8,500 according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Though green graves are comparably priced to the traditional grave, the savings of a green burial are significant.

Other greeners choose cremation as a way to nourish and save the land and as a way to save money. However, because of the the pH of cremated ashes, they create a carbon that doesn’t necessarily get absorbed into the soil for the good of the land. This carbon footprint has been

calculated to be the equivalent of a 500-mile car journey. A product called “Let Your Love Grow” mixed in with cremains restores the ashes to a more neutral pH, making it more absorbable into the soil, reducing the carbon footprint left behind. I’m not sure whether this mixture is “halachic” (according to Jewish Law), so if you’re Jewish and contemplating such a green burial, speak with your rabbi.

Perhaps the most personal reason of all for a green burial is because it simply “speaks to a person,” giving comfort in the idea of returning one’s body to nature. The extent of how green a burial can be is up to the individual. The burial can be as simple as wrapping the body in a cotton shroud before lowering it into the ground or involve a more complicated process that includes a memorial ceremony and burial in a conservation park (with or without a grave marker) where families can choose to plant a variety of plants, fl owers, and shrubs on the grave.

Although a current trend, a green burial is not an entirely new idea. The funeral traditions of many religions, such as Judaism and Islam, for example, align themselves with green

processes. In a traditional Jewish or Islamic burial, the body is rarely embalmed. It is dressed in a biodegradable white cotton/ muslin or linen shroud. Besides being easily biodegradable, the shroud makes each one of us appear equal in the eyes of our Creator. The body is traditionally buried in plain, non-chemicalor hardware- containing coffins or other such vessels, made of biodegradable pine, wicker, or cardboard. You can even choose to be buried without a coffin. There are no embalming chemicals. There’s no fancy clothing. There’s a oneness with the earth. A oneness between the body, the soul, the land, and the Creator. Death and life are two sides of the same coin. In my practice as a patient-senior-caregiver advocate and end-of-life death doula, I spend a lot of time discussing end-of-life planning with my clients. It is an integral part of the advocacy and end-of-life planning process. It is unique and deeply personal. It is never a pleasant topic. If you desire a green burial, you must plan for it. It won’t happen on its own. Talk to your family. Talk to your clergy. Talk with your preferred funeral home. Talk with your local cemetery.

The Charlotte Jewish community is blessed to have a most sanctified and beautiful Jewish cemetery as a final resting place. The cemetery is administrated by a volunteer Hebrew Cemetery Association and led by a fulltime cemetery director who are all Jewish and passionate about the cemetery and its legacy. If you are interested in a green burial, look no further than your own Hebrew Cemetery. For more info about the cemetery, contact Sandra Goldman at director@ hebrewcemetery.org or (704) 576-1859.

The Hebrew Cemetery joins with the community in remembering the names of those who have been buried at The Hebrew Cemetery in the month of January.

Rosy Berne

3‐2‐1929 ‐ 1‐4‐2022

N�man Steinberger 5‐8‐1934 ‐ 1‐10‐2022

Todd Sherrill

3‐15‐1969 ‐ 1‐16‐2022

Suzanne Jacobs

10‐10‐1943 ‐ 1‐17‐2022

Finding Connection and Life Through Death

(This article contains personal reflections about a unique and significant opportunity that fell into my life. The ideas are my own; I am not a Chevra Kadisha spokesperson.)

What does one do when confronted with a once in a lifetime opportunity but feels totally unequipped to do it? Recently I learned the answer: that one calls upon the support of those in their community.

It began with a call from Lorrie Klemens, head of the Chabad’s women’s Chevra Kadisha, burial society. This wonderful organization administers to all Jewish women regardless of synagogue affiliation, level of observance, or any other issue that might divide us. Chabad’s Chevra Kadisha, that I am a member of, is committed to the idea that every Jewish man and woman is entitled to a Jewish

burial. But Lorrie’s phone call was different than usual—due to winter vacation, COVID, and other reasons, the regular volunteers were not available. Lorrie asked if I would go to the funeral home by myself. Really? This mitzvah usually requires a team, how could I do it alone? But how could I refuse? I told Lorrie I would do it.

I immediately reached out to an international Women’s Chevra Kadisha WhatsApp community I am part of. Although I have never met most of these women, we have participated in Zoom meetings and WhatsApp groups for the past two years. I needed to be at the funeral home in an hour; I felt like a medic who has suddenly been called to emergency surgery and puts out an SOS for others to help under less-than-ideal conditions — advice, guidance, anything.

I only had 45 minutes at most

until I would need to know what I was doing, and my mind was racing.

Then the floodgates began to open. My Jewish sisters across the country responded within minutes and in some cases within seconds — texts, phone calls, and voice messages started pouring in. They understood me and were there to guide and encourage me. Some women told me that although they couldn’t physically be there to help me, they would recite Tehillim and pray for my success and that I would find at least one other woman to help me. Some women were at work but put down everything to instruct me on what I needed to know under the circumstances. They told me to call if I needed help or to facetime with them.

I began to cry at this outpouring of love and concern. All of a sudden, I realized I was not alone. When I got into the

Holocaust Survivor Rosy Berne Laid to Rest by Members of Both Jewish and Muslim Communities

of Charlotte’s Hebrew Cemetery, had overseen and attended funerals involving interfaith families before. But on January 5, 2022, Goldman was struck by how the burial of 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Rosy Berne (née Ebstein) brought together an unlikely assemblage of people in a way that unified and built bridges between cultures. For it was Rosy’s only child, Ava Eid, a practicing Muslim whose Egyptian-born father, Abdelaziz Eid, died in 2015, who made sure that her mother received an Orthodox Jewish burial. To that end, Rabbi Yoseph Groner, rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Ohr HaTorah and founder and director of the Chabad of Charlotte, led the funeral. And a Chabad minyan, which was composed of several Israelis, was joined by 20 Egyptian, Syrian, and Palestinian mourners, friends of Rosy, her daughter, Ava, and her son-inlaw, Hassan Aris. The peace and interfaith solidarity at Rosy’s funeral were a far cry from the fear and antisemitism that consumed her childhood.

Escaping to Milan

Young Rosy Ebstein, who had just turned nine, and her older sister, Ursula, 12, fled with their parents from Germany to Italy on April 1, 1938. Even though their mother, Paula, was hesitant

to leave their life in Berlin, their father, Josef, a furrier, had seen the writing on the wall and knew their lives were in peril. According to Rosy’s niece Jenifer Heidi Feig, Ursula would often say that she and her sister Rosy were given life twice: once when they were born, and then again when their father took them out of Germany. After Kristallnacht on November 9, 1938, their grandmother Natalie joined them in their apartment in Milan where Josef was working once again as a furrier. What might have helped

car, I had been anxious and felt overwhelmed, but by the time I arrived at the funeral home, I walked in with confidence and knowledge that I could do it.

A word about the deceased. She was a Holocaust survivor who had married an Egyptian man. The deceased’s daughter, Ava, raised Muslim by her father and married to a Syrian Muslim man, felt strongly that her mother receive a Jewish burial. Through a series of phone calls between cousins and a rabbi in Florida, her family was led to Rabbi Yossi Groner, of Congregation Ohr HaTorah.

The situation I found myself in was unusual. Ava, a lovely and regal woman, wanted to know how she could help prepare for her mother’s burial. Normally a child does not participate in a parent’s burial, but these were

unusual circumstances. She was unfamiliar with Jewish customs; together we performed the ritual of taharah – the washing, purification, and dressing of the dead. Ava and I shared some meaningful conversations and she shared with me the story of her mother’s life. The experience of preparing a Holocaust survivor, knowing what her fate would otherwise have been, was profound.

In a brief period of 24 hours, a death brought deep meaning and connections to my life: my Jewish Chevra Kadisha sisters provided me overwhelming support and guidance so that I could carry out the ritual of Taharah with the Muslim daughter of the deceased, a Holocaust survivor. A death created a sacred moment in life for all of us.

save the girls’ lives was that in 1939, their parents sent them to a summer camp in Lugano, a village in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland; two months later, the girls returned to Milan speaking almost perfect Italian.

Italy institutes anti-Jewish laws

After Italy began instituting a series of anti-Jewish laws in 1940, Josef was arrested, along with other foreign Jews, and sent to Ferramonti, an Italian concentration camp for Jews in south-

(Continued on page 26)

ern Italy. Meanwhile, the women in the family were arrested and sent to “free internment” in Offida, a small town where every day they had to check in at the police station but were otherwise free to come and go. There in the capital of handmade lace, young Rosy learned the craft, and she and her sister grew very fond of the Italian people. Eventually, though, the women were sent to the same camp that Josef was in, where they were assigned a family barrack. Rosy fainted dai-

ly from hunger, but at least the guards did not treat them badly.

The family remained at the concentration camp from December 1940 to September 1941, during which time Rosy’s grandmother, a diabetic, died because insulin wasn’t available . Then, according to Rosy’s niece, Jenifer, through some intervention by the Vatican, some Jewish families were disbursed to small towns. Rosy’s family was sent to the small town of Villanterio, outside of Milan, where they

were assigned an apartment and once again lived under free internment.

Italian underground and fake identification papers

Although Italy surrendered to the Allies on September 5, 1943, the Germans invaded Northern Italy, where Rosy’s family lived, and immediately arrested Jews. A compassionate Italian police chief warned Rosy’s family that he was under orders to arrest Jews the next day, so the family escaped that night, found their

Mohs

way to the Italian underground, and the girls were issued fake identification papers. Rosy became Caterina Rossetti; her sister, Angelica Santini.

Shortly thereafter, Rosy and her sister were hidden in two convents until they were later reunited with their parents. The underground then managed to put the family into four separate sleeping quarters; they met at a fifth place for meals. The girls spent their days out on the street walking with books, passing as non-Jewish Italian students.

The Liberation of Italy

In May 1945, Italy was liberated. Rosy remembered army trucks coming into the Piazza Corvetto, in the northern port city of Genova, with not only American and English soldiers but also Jewish soldiers from British-controlled Palestine. Soon after the war was over, an American soldier noticing a Star of David necklace around Rosy’s neck asked, “Bist a Yid?” to which she replied, “Ja.” Looking for Jewish people to give food to, the soldier had Rosy accompany him to his base, and together they brought food back to her family’s apartment. During her 1995 interview with the Shoah Foundation, Rosy still remembered Sidney, the soldier from Long Island who had brought them so much joy.

Rosy’s Marriage to Abdelaziz Eid

After the war and a brief stint in Providence, Rhode Island, the Ebstein family settled in New York City. In 1963, following her divorce from her first husband, she married Abdelaziz Eid, who had a Ph.D. in international marketing and management. In 1969, their daughter, Ava, was born. Ava learned to speak Arabic when she visited her father’s family in Cairo during the summers, and by the time she had

reached middle school, she was leaning toward Islam. In college at Chapel Hill, Ava met her future husband Hassan, a Syrian. Although Rosy and Abdelaziz divorced (her third husband was Max Berne), she remained close to him and sometimes went by the name Rosy Eid Berne.

Rosy’s closeness to her sister, Ursula

As they grew older, both Rosy and her sister, Ursula, moved from New York to Florida and lived near each other. Rosy was proud to be Jewish, although the trauma of the war never left her; her sister Ursula, an advocate for Holocaust survivors, devoted her life to helping survivors with German restitution claims.

Rosy moves to Charlotte

For the last seven years of her life, as she became increasingly frail, Rosy lived with her daughter, Ava, in Ballantyne. Ava brought Rosy to Shalom Park to play cards with others at the JCC’s Oasis senior enrichment program, and together they attended Yom HaShoah memorial evenings. As Sheryl Gerrard, senior engagement manager at Jewish Family Services (JFS) recalled, “As an identified member of our local Holocaust survivor community, Rosy received outreach and support from JFS to ensure that she lived with dignity and comfort in her final years. JFS staff engaged Rosy with individual visits, delivered holiday gift bags, assisted with securing in-home care, and offered both in-person and virtual opportunities for her to connect socially with her peers.”

The sisters die within three days of each other

On New Year’s Eve 2022, Ursula said, “I wish my sister were here.” On New Year’s day, Ursula passed away. When Rosy died three days later, Ava called Kelly Feig, Ursula’s granddaughter, and asked for help finding a rabbi to conduct a Jewish funeral for Kelly’s “Tante Rosy.” Kelly contacted her Chabad rabbi in Florida who put her in contact

Rosy Berne

(Continued from page 26)

with Rabbi Groner in Charlotte. Kelly explained to Rabbi Groner that Rosy was a Jewish Holocaust survivor who had married an Egyptian man and that their child was a practicing Muslim.

The similarity between Jewish and Muslim funeral customs

Cousins Kelly and Ava were surprised to discover how similar the funeral customs were for both Muslims and Jews. The Jewish ritual of taharah, normally done by a hevra kadisha, is the washing, purification, and dressing of the dead — the ultimate act of tzeddakah. It corresponds to the Muslim ritual of taharah. Sara Oppenheim of the Charlotte Torah Center and Ava washed and dressed Rosy’s body, with the assistance of Ava’s best friend, a member of the Muslim community. And then Rosy’s body was wrapped in a simple shroud for burial (akin to a burial in Israel) and not in a coffin. Oppenheim shared with Ava that just as Rosy had birthed Ava into this physical world, so Ava now had the opportunity to birth her mother into the world of souls.

The mourners at the funeral

Although Ursula’s family was

sitting shiva in Florida, they (and relatives of both Ava’s father and husband) were able to watch Rosy’s funeral via livestream through the Hebrew Cemetery Association of Charlotte’s Facebook page. Rabbi Groner conducted the service in Hebrew and English, Ava delivered the eulogy, and a Muslim friend read a poem Rosy had written.

According to Goldman, “Rabbi Groner then handed Ava a small bag of earth from Israel, which she scattered over the grave — a reminder that the body goes back to the dust of the earth from where it originated from and a sign of the importance of the land of Israel to Jews.” Then Ava, along with her husband, Hassan, and the rest of the mourners, came forward to throw three shovelfuls of dirt into the grave. They were shown the Jewish custom of holding the scoop of the shovel facing down instead of up for the first shovelful of dirt to show reluctance. Afterward, the Chabad minyan completed the shoveling. But perhaps the most touching moment was when Rosy’s only grandchild came forward to throw three shovelfuls of earth — a grandson aptly named Adam.

Rosy Berne’s full-length interview can be found at the USC Shoah Foundation online visual history archive, https://vhaonline.usc.edu/login

According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Only 6 to 11% of Europe’s prewar Jewish population of children

survived as compared with 33% of the adults. Among the small number of European Jewish children still alive at the end of the Holocaust, thousands had survived because they were hidden.

With identities disguised, and often physically concealed from the outside world, these youngsters faced constant fear, dilemmas, and danger.”

Education and Youth

Our “Specials” Make Us Special

When we give a tour of the Charlotte Jewish Preschool (CJP) to prospective families, we are often asked, “What makes your school stand out from other early childhood education centers?” We explain that in addition to our unique location at Shalom Park, which offers us access to various resources, our 50 highly qualified educators, and low teacher-to-student ratios, the special classes we offer our students set us apart. Each day our students get out of their classroom and attend a special class that stimulates their senses and encourages whole-child learning.

Ms. Bobbie Mabe is our science specialist, and she teaches Growth through Gardening. Ms. Bobbie uses our lush outdoor learning garden with natural resources such as our bean tent and vegetable garden and sitting areas for students, including our gazebo and small picnic tables. Her lessons always tie in with an upcoming Jewish holiday or a Judaic value. For example, when the students were learning about

Hanukkah, Ms. Bobbie helped them melt the wax of Hanukkah candles to create a hand salve, and students got to pick mint leaves from the garden to add scent to their salve!

Mr. Caleb Seidler, the youth and camp associate at the Levine Jewish Community Center, is our music specialist. Mr. Caleb brings his guitar with him to teach our students preschool favorites, but music education doesn’t end there. He also teaches them songs that enforce Hebrew and Judaic values and brings instruments to teach music concepts. One crowd favorite among students are the rhythm sticks, which students joyfully tap together as Mr. Caleb teaches about keeping a rhythm.

Ms. Debby Block, program coordinator for the Jewish Federation’s Center for Jewish Education, is a distinguished storyteller adept at bringing books to life. Using songs, felt boards, puppets, and more, Ms. Debby instills a love of reading for our youngest students at CJP. When our students start the 3s program, Ms. Debby begins to teach them

about the library and how to use it, allowing our 3s and Pre-K students to check out books each month.

Our energetic students need multiple ways to exercise their large muscle groups and flex their gross motor skills, so aside from going outside to the playground daily (and twice daily for full-day students!) our classes participate in gross motor once a week. We have special rooms designated with developmentally appropriate equipment for students to explore. Teachers

incorporate their themes into the activities that they organize and encourage students to jump, run, climb, and, most importantly, play!

Shabbat is the most important and holy day of the week, and even though Shabbat falls when we are out of school (Friday evening to Saturday evening), we model the observance with our students every Friday morning. In the past we have been able to gather the entire school together to sing Shabbat favorites, and at the height of COVID, we shifted to an online platform. Teachers have been creating individual Shabbat celebrations in their classrooms, and recently we experimented with having one age level at a time celebrate Shabbat in person with Ms. Patty. Although we continue to explore the safest ways to bring the ruach (spirit) of Shabbat to CJP, one thing is certain: our students never want to miss an opportunity to eat challah or drink grape juice!

CJP is a special place for all of our students, staff, and families. Our creative and nurturing teachers enjoy planning imaginative

lessons for their students and enhancing those experiences with our Specials classes. To register for the 2022-2023 school year or for more information on our program, please visit our (new!) website: www.charlottejewishpreschool.org or call us at (704) 944-6776.

Celebrating Judaism With Hands-On Experiences

It has been a busy few months at Jewish Preschool on Sardis (JPS), and lots has happened!

Recently, we learned about the life of Avraham and Sara, after which we celebrated the “wedding” of Yitzchak and Rivka. The students experienced a badeken (the groom places the veil on his bride), chuppah ceremony (marriage canopy), dancing, and a festive meal. The children were dressed up and enjoyed each part of the wedding while learning

about its meaning. We made lots of wonderful memories and took plenty of photos.

We typically celebrate Grandparent’s Day at this time of year as well and wanted to include our grandparents, even though gathering in person was not yet an option. Tu B’Shevat was the perfect opportunity, providing us with a theme that relates to us all and specifically celebrates our Jewish roots. Many grandparents

joined us from around the U.S. and Israel and got to enjoy our Tu B’Shevat presentation and join with us in activities we had mailed out prior to the event. Each child had a turn to speak with their grandparents, which was definitely a highlight! It is part of our mission at JPS to include families in our program, and we so enjoyed the opportunity to do so, albeit virtually.

Charlotte Jewish Day School Alumni Reconnecting and Giving Back

At the beginning of this school year, I began to write my college application essays. Over and over, I was asked, “What has built your character?” It seemed like a pretty heavy question for an 18-year-old, but for me, the answer was simple. I immediately thought back to the Charlotte Jewish Day School (CJDS), where I spent 5th grade developing my moral compass. I have carried these Jewish values of compassion, determination, and

a love for learning throughout my high school career. After featuring CJDS in numerous essays, I wanted to find a way to express my gratitude and re-involve myself with CJDS. I thought it would be exciting to lead programs for the fifth-grade class with my sister, Sasha Levine.

Sasha and I are both part of an organization called StandWithUs (SWU), a group that fights antisemitism and educates others about Israel. We are tasked with running programs and inform-

ing our community about these issues. After talking with our regional coordinator at SWU, we decided to create a four-program series to teach the fifth graders about various Israeli topics. Mariashi Groner, the principal at CJDS, graciously agreed to let us come in and teach a lesson every Thursday during this past January.

For our first program, Sasha and I decided to start with a brief history of Israel. We discussed everything from the destruction of the Second Temple to the founding of Tel Aviv. Our next two classes covered Israel’s unique environmental challenges and the innovations and technology developed to overcome those challenges. During the innovations program, the fifth graders designed their own product that would improve their lives at CJDS. Their creative solutions ranged from a 3-D printer that could instantly print any book to a drone that delivered immediate personal assistance. Finally, we explored Israeli foods through an interactive presentation in which we tried various Israeli snacks,

such as Bamba and halva. The series concluded with a Jeopardy-style game that reviewed all the information we had covered in the last four weeks.

My strong sense of identity has come from the Judaic studies, secular education, and nurturing teachers that CJDS provided. I feel so lucky to have attended CJDS, and I have loved reconnecting with my former teachers and the new students. The friendships I made during

those six years are lifelong. The values I learned provide a solid foundation for me to build upon as I continue my education. I hope this program inspires the fifth graders just as CJDS inspired me.

WHY CHOOSE CHARLOTTE JEWISH DAY SCHOOL?

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT! HERE ARE WHAT SOME OF OUR CJDS PARENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT US:

CJDS is one of the greatest gifts our family has ever had and I would recommend to anyone to come check out the school and see for yourself what an unbelievable asset the school is for our city.

- Matt, Kindergarten

CJDS’s investment in its teachers and faculty, and the endless attention to the individual student results in exceptional academic success.

- Carolyn, Kindergarten and 4th

All aspects of Judaism were woven into the fabric of their everyday education; the girls did not even notice that they were building character while learning about science, social studies and music.

- Jill and Michael, 3rd and 5th

I have experienced a true partnership with CJDS teachers, administrators and staff built on mutual respect and love for my children – this partnership has been a gift.

- Heather, 2nd, 5th and 7th

704.366.4558

Youth Involvement in Charlotte Jewish Community

Some might think that because Charlotte is such a small Jewish community, there are not many options for Jewish teens to get involved in the community and Jewish life. But that is not the case in Charlotte. Many different opportunities for teens to get involved with exist, including Hebrew High, BBYO, NFTY, USY, CTEEN, Club Z, being a madrich/a at your temple, and so much more! Emily Schenkel, a 10th grader who attends Queens Grant Charter school, shares her post-Bat Mitzvah engagement story below:

I grew up in Hebrew school, going to services, and celebrating holidays to the fullest. But until you’ve reached the sixth or seventh grade there, you have no real knowledge about what happens after your Bar or Bat Mitzvah. I just thought my education and Jewish friendships would come to an automatic end. It is amazing and mind blowing once you hear about all the different opportunities and choices you have to become involved. There are Jewish educational experiences, leadership opportunities, organizations to simply have fun with friends who are just like you, and so many other opportunities available.

I have been enrolled in Hebrew High since the eighth grade. Hebrew High is on Wednesday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The night begins with having dinner together with friends followed by taking just one class. You can choose from many different class options. A few examples are:

Prayer Playlist — A class to learn about the music and prayers we have in our prayer book and how we connect to them. Students who took this class had the chance to build their own personal playlist of Jewish and non-Jewish music that helps them connect to prayer.

Jewish Trivia and Scavenger Hunts — A six-week game that explores Jewish history, culture, sports, entertainment, and all things Israel through trivia and an active scavenger hunt game.

Israel: In Our Hears and On Our Campuses — a class about the history of Israel, understanding the concept of Zionism, and Israel’s founding and its rela-

tionship with its neighbors and with the American Jewish community. The class also talked about how Israel is portrayed in the media and in relationship to other social justice movements. Finally, this class helped prepare teens to have discussions about Israel on a college campus.

Traditional Jewish cooking — a class where students get a chance to make traditional Jewish recipes that have been passed on L’dor v’dor (from generation to generation). Students were able to make things like babka, challah, mandel bread, falafel, and hummus!

I’m currently making videos and taking photos for the Hebrew High Instagram to get more followers (check us out @HebrewHighNC!). Hebrew High is amazing, but what would make it better is if two or three more students were involved.

Another group that I am involved in is BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth Organization) The chapter I am in (Ohavim BBG #418) has my full heart and has been my home — no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I officially joined February 4, 2021. Ever since then, my life has been filled with my BBGs and my having the times of our lives. I knew I was home for sure on induction night. I was surrounded by all my best friends encouraging me to join

the best thing I have ever known. BBYO provides a safe space to meet new friends and a lot of opportunities for leadership experiences. My most favorite Ohavim memory is the first program I led, “Color Wars with a Twist.” We took personality tests that would give you a color at the end of it. Each color is associated with a

set of your true personality traits. Then we had many challenges such as “BBG Trivia,” “Find Your Leader In Hiding,” and our favorite — “Capture the Flag.” If I didn’t have Ohavim and my BBGs in my life, I would not be who I am today.

I encourage all my peers to embrace their religion and to

Where Families Come Together

continue past the point of becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Go out of your comfort zone. Be you. If you want to learn more about Hebrew High, please contact Megan Harkavy at mharkavy@hebrewhigh.org . She will also be able to connect you with the other teen professional in the Charlotte Jewish community.

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

For more information, contact: Pamela.Haythe@hilton.com

Charlotte BBYO: Busy With Programming, Board Elections, and Convention

Charlotte BBYO has had a busy winter with lots of chapter programming, including a workshop on healthy relationships, a Tu B’Shevat celebration, observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, game show quizzes, and more. The Charlotte chapters also recently held spring chapter board elections. The new board members are actively planning the remainder of

the chapter events for this year.

More than 30 Charlotte teens have just returned from attending International Convention 2022 “Back Together in Baltimore” in person over President’s Day weekend. International Convention brings together the Jewish community’s top leaders, educators, and philanthropists from around the world. Teens had the opportunity to hear from inspiring speakers, serve the local

community, celebrate Shabbat, learn together, and enjoy musical performances.

Our final convention of the 2021-2022 programming year will be here soon. Mark your calendar for Spring Convention on April 1-3, 2022. Teen leaders are working with regional staff to plan a great event for their peers.

March is BBYO Advisor Appreciation Month. Many of our advisors enjoyed their time in BBYO so much that they volunteer their time to mentor teens as a way to give back to the organization that molded their futures. Advisors often talk about how rewarding it is to empower members to do their best and help them develop new leadership skills. Charlotte BBYO is grateful to these young professionals for all they do for our teens, and we greatly appreciate that they

are willing to give their time to be positive role models. If you would like to volunteer as advisor for BBYO, please contact Heather Mirman at hmirman@ bbyo.org for more information.

Around the Table: Warm Up in Winter With a Kid- Friendly Shabbat Dinner

Personal Injury Law Firm

This is the time of year when many of us officially enter the winter blahs. Holidays are long gone, and Spring is still aways off. One of the ways my friends and I spice things up in March is with a casual, kid-friendly Shabbat dinner at one of our houses. It’s a wonderful way to end the work/school week and give everyone a chance to shift into a more relaxed, weekend mindset. It also gives us a chance to bring a little Jewish spirit to the long months between holidays. The little ones get sugar drunk on Kedem grape juice, and the adults enjoy their kiddush. When we really want to lay on the Yiddishkeit, we have even been known to boil up a frozen gefilte fish with spicy horseradish (if you think you don’t like gefilte fish but haven’t tried the frozen kind, you should!) but usually we stick to family-friendly staples

like this Arroz con pollo from my friend Rosie David. Rosie grew up in Costa Rica and loves to bring Latin American flavors into her cooking. The kids love this combination of garlicky rice and chicken, and one big pot can easily feed a crowd. When the sun finally sets on Friday, we all enjoy the company and the food, but just as important, we know that our kids will remember these Shabbat dinners for years to come.

Arroz con pollo (from Rosie David)

• 1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced.

• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice

• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots

• 2 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 diced onion

• 1 diced bell pepper

• 1 bunch finely chopped cilantro

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 cups chicken stock

• Salt and pepper

• Chopped parsley at the end, optional

Season chicken with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder and marinade at least two hours.

In a large, heavy-bottom pot, brown the chicken till golden, but not cooked through. Remove and set aside. In the same oil, cook onions, garlic, peppers,

etc. and all seasoning. Cook until nicely incorporated and fragrant (about 10 minutes on medium high heat). Add rice and sauté for a couple of mins. Then add chicken broth and add peas and carrots. Mix together gently and add the chicken on top of that. When it comes to a boil, cover with lid and then heat to low. Let cook for 25 minutes on low—DO NOT LIFT LID! After 25 minutes, let it rest another 5 before serving. Top with some chopped parsley for presentation. Serve with a citrusy tomato avocado salad, bright greens, or roasted vegetables.

Education and Youth

BBYO continued

Friendship: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

We are all familiar with the struggles, loneliness, and the uncertainty of not knowing when this pandemic will end. However, combatting loneliness and lack of friendship has always been our mission.

Friendship Circle is designed to foster lasting and meaningful friendships between typically developing teens, “Teen Friends,” and children, teens, and young adults with special talents, “Special Friends.”

How do we do this, you may ask?

Friendship Circle offers innovative and exciting programs for Special Friends and Teen Friends to participate in together.

Programs are based on the interests of our friends and inclusive of all five senses. Lexi, one of our friends, said that she really liked birthday circle “… because we made cupcakes and baked.” Another friend, Luke, said making friendship bracelets was one

of his favorite activities. “I liked to pick the colors and talking with my friends. Yoga was good too. I liked yoga to stretch, and it made my body feel good.” He went on to say, “Doing Yoga is a way to do things on my own, at my own pace but with my friends.”

Whether it is yoga, baking at birthday circle, or making friendship bracelets, Friendship Circle’s programs encourage an atmosphere of inclusion where everyone is equal, provide a broad range of activities, and most importantly encourage true and lasting friendships!

Friendship Circle is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. To learn more, visit Friendshipcirclenc.org

Bal Tashchit and Beyond: Shalom Green O�ers New Youth Programs

Though climate change affects everyone, we will leave the Earth to today’s children and to future generations. As the effects of climate change intensify with each passing year, more young people are joining the movement for positive change.

The power of the youth climate movement is undeniable. Most of us have heard of Greta Thunberg, one of the foremost spokespeople in the fight against climate change. In August 2018, at the age of 15, she sat outside Swedish Parliament every school day of the three weeks leading up to the Swedish election, demanding urgent action on climate — and Fridays for Future

was born. What started with one person, Fridays for Future climate strikes have since engaged 16 million people in 218 countries globally. Thunberg has received three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for climate activism and was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019. Her actions have inspired interviews, films, and books.

It is quite clear that young people are valuable contributors to climate action. Motivated by Thunberg , the youth in action around the globe, and the caring, daring young people in our own lives, Shalom Green is excited to launch two new programs aimed at youth environmental education and activism in 2022.

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Shalom Green Sprouts is a monthly meetup for students ages 8-11 and their siblings featuring one hour of action for young environmentalists. Each month, participants will meet with community and environmental experts to learn how they can make a difference. From increasing biodiversity to reducing waste, Shalom Green will host fun, hands-on activities that will help youngsters heal the world.

All events will take place on Sundays from 2 to 3 p.m. and will be held in the Shalom Park Community Garden. Our kickoff event will be held on March 20, and the theme will be “Be Green!” Participants will learn about ways they can save the planet, sign the Shalom Green Pledge, and decorate an eco-ideas notebook to take home. Future event themes include protecting pollinators, global citizenship, and local foodways. Events are free, but space is limited, participants must register in advance. Sibling participants under eight must be accompanied by an adult. Visit www.shalomgreenclt. org to learn more.

Shalom Green REgeneration is a self-paced program for teens ages 12-18. Over the course of this eight-part program, student participants will work under the guidance of the Shalom Park Community Garden coordinator to learn about the importance of environmental stewardship and advocacy. Participants will research and implement an environmentally based service project that addresses a need within the community. To express interest in this program, visit www. shalomgreenclt.org/education

With the launch of these programs, Shalom Green hopes to inspire and engage the next generation of doers, thinkers, agents of change, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Every country, every school, every friend group, every family, and every community needs an outspoken environmental activist to motivate change for greater good.

Jewish tradition teaches the importance of caring for the environment, for we must act as partners in preserving creation. If you are interested in supporting Shalom Green or have ideas for educational programming, please contact us at info@shalomgreenCLT.org. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ShalomGreen_CLT and visit our website at www.shalomgreenCLT.org

Newspaper archives are a treasure trove of collective memories, providing a snapshot of our history. The following is from March, 1991 To read the whole issue or other issues of CJN, visit the archives at https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/charlotte-jewish-newscharlotte-nc/.

Campaign Update: Financial Support for Israel

Currently, the 1991 Regular Campaign is at $914,000.

The 1991 Federation goal of $1,366,200 is based on a 10% increase over last year’s campaign pledges. As the crisis in the Gulf War continues, our role in supporting Israel becomes more critical. The costs for social programs in Israel are threatened because of the war. It is our responsibility to pay for the ongoing costs of rural develoment, Youth Aliyah, and the absorption of Soviet and Ethiopian immigrants in Israel.

In conjunction with the Regular Campaign, the Charlotte Jewish community is responding favorably with a commitment to the resettlement of Soviet Jews. It is expected that we will surpass the Operation Exodous goal

of one million dollars. During January, 12,730 Soveit Jews made Aliyah. At present, approximately 60,000 Soviet Jews hold invitation that allows them to apply for exit visas for Israel. Special suport groups are being developed to assist immigrants with security procedures during Scud missle attacks.

The Charlotte Jewish Federation has planned cash mobilation efforts to expidite payments to Israel. United Jewish Appeal is asking all Federations to accelerate cash payments as the current cash needs are overwhelming. The Charlotte Jewish community’s allotment is $630,000, which represents unpaid pledges to the Regular Campaign and Operation Exodous.

Super Sunday, February 3, was a resounding success in Charlotte. In total, $40,000 was raised that day for the 1991 Federation Regular Campaign and Operation Exodous. Most noteworthy were the number of new gifts attained. Alongside the fundraising componenet of Super Sunday, vounteers had a lot of fun. Prizes were distributed to volunteers who secured increased pledges and new gifts. The prizes included such items as All Star tickets, gift certificates, and jewelry. In addition training was available to all phone solicitors, highlighted by slides of the constinutent Jewish agencies and Israel.

Hadassah Directory: A Time Capsule of Charlotte Jewish History?

While working on this year’s Hadassah Charlotte Metro Jewish Community Directory, I spoke with Judy Kaufmann, our unofficial chapter historian. Judy mentioned that the first directory was published in 1947, which makes this the 75th anniversary of Hadassah Charlotte directories.

Marci Goldberg, directory committee co-chair and chapter past president, found a copy of the 1947 directory, titled “Telephone Directory,” and dated 5708 and 1947-48, in the archives of the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library at the JCC. The directory was published before Israel became a state on May 14, 1948. Even though the Hadassah members were women, most names listed were their husbands’. Phone numbers were listed with five digits, not the area code plus seven digits we use today. And the directory was done on a typewriter, not on a computer with the multiple fonts and type sizes of modern day.

Given the upcoming Purim holiday, the selfless public health work of our medical professionals during this pandemic, and the current wave of antisemitism and assault on Zionism, I thought this look back to the 1947 directory

would be a thoughtful reminder of our Charlotte Jewish history.

From the first page of the 1947 directory …

THE DREAM AND THE REALITY

Thirty-five years ago in New York City, twelve Jewish women banded together during the holiday of Purim under the leadership of Henrietta Szold.

To symbolize their goal to help free Palestine of disease and to rejuvenate the ancient homeland through the return of the Jewish people, they took the name of Hadassah, the Hebrew name of heroic Queen Esther. Their motton (sic): “The healing of my people,” came from Jeremiah. Their purpose was: “To foster Zionist ideals through education in America and to begin public health work and the training of nurses in Palestine.”

TODAY there are 200,000 members of Hadassah with chapters in 47 states.

Hadassah will continue to take a proud share in the miraculous transformation of the new-old Holy Land. Hadassah will continue to be a standard-maker and pace-setter in all fields where it is now engaged: hospitalization, public health, child welfare, recreation, land reclamation and the rescue and rehabilitation of refugee youth.

For the people of Palestine, for the masses from D. P. [Displaced Persons] Camps in Europe who hope to join them, for Jews wherever they live, Zionism is the beacon of a new future. Palestine as a free Jewish Commonwealth will restore to the Jews, as a people, the dignity and honor of a free nation in the family of free nations.

Volodymyr Zelensky Was

a Jewish

Comedian: Now

the World’s Eyes Are on Him

Four years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was an actor on the humorous Ukrainian TV show “Servant of the People,” starring as an unlikely president of the Eastern European country.

Now, he is at the center of the continent’s most significant conflict since World War II, framing himself as a possible martyr on the world stage.

“This might be the last time you see me alive,” he reportedly told European Union leaders on a call about steps the bloc was considering to try to stop Russia’s advances throughout Ukraine.

On Friday, he was equally blunt about his situation as Russian troops attacked the capital Kyiv: the “the enemy has identified me as the No. 1 target,” he said in a video message, and his family is the No. 2 target.

But a video of Zelensky and his team defiantly announcing they are staying in Kyiv circulated widely on Friday, as supporters around the world characterized him as a beacon of honor in an age of leaders only interested in preserving their own status.

“We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine,” Zelensky said. He later batted down an evacuation offer from the United States.

Over the course of a few years, Zelensky — who is the first-ever Jewish president of Ukraine, a country with a long and complicated Jewish history — has quickly become one of the most consequential and prominent

Jewish world leaders in recent decades. And given his nonpolitical roots, one of the unlikeliest.

Furthermore, questions about his Jewishness have exploded into the international consciousness: Has his Jewish background put him — or his fellow Ukrainian Jews — in more danger? Has it contributed to the conflict in any way? And why is Russian Vladimir Putin suggesting that he is a Nazi?

Zelensky was born in a Russian-speaking area of eastern Ukraine to Jewish parents, a mother who was an engineer and a father who is a computer scientist. His father’s father, Semyon, served in the Soviet Red Army during World War II; Semyon’s father and brothers were all murdered in the Holocaust.

“He survived World War II contributing to the victory over Nazism and hateful ideology. Two years after the war, his son was born. And his grandson was born 31 years after. Forty years later, his grandson became president. And today he stands before you,” Zelensky said in a speech during a January 2020 presidential trip to Israel, where he appeared with then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After high school, Zelensky earned a scholarship to study in Israel on the strength of his English scores but turned it down because his father did not want him to go, according to an interview he gave in 2018. Instead, he studied law but ultimately became a successful comedian, joining a popular comedy group

that performed across the former Soviet Union. Along the way, he married a high school classmate, with whom he has two children, a 17-year-old daughter and a nineyear-old son.

By the time Zelensky joined the “Servant of the People” series in 2015, he was one of Ukraine’s most famous pop culture figures.

Zelensky has not elaborated on the details of his Jewish upbringing, or his religiosity, but he also hasn’t shied away from expressing an occasional message of Jewish pride and a strong sense of solidarity with Israel. And that Jewish identity has been repeatedly seized on by enemies and rivals, and celebrated by Jewish supporters around the world.

Ukraine is “one of the few

countries that elected a Jewish president,” Oksana Markarova, the Ukraine ambassador to the United States, told the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry in a webinar on Friday. “I mean, he is Ukrainian in all of his heart, but he’s also Jewish.”

In 2019, several Ukrainian Jews told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that they were proud to see their country — after its history of anti-Jewish pogroms and Soviet-era persecution — elect a Jewish president.

But many were also worried that if he failed to follow through on the many ambitious promises that boosted him to a sweeping electoral victory — reforming a corrupt political system, standing up to Russia, restoring general confidence in government —

that angry citizens could blame his Jewishness.

“When Zelensky fails, they will think of him as the Jew and take revenge against the Jews,” said Yevgeniy Romenovich, a Kyiv resident, said at the time.

This fear from local Jews has persisted into the early days of the Russian invasion. The senior researcher at the Museum of the Holocaust in Odessa, a city that was over a third Jewish in the 19th century, told The New York Times he was worried that antisemitism would be “unleashed by the chaos of war.”

In a bizarre complication to the narrative, Putin has repeatedly said that his military operation is an attempt to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.

“How can I be a Nazi?” Zelensky said Thursday, without specifically mentioning his Jewishness. “Explain it to my grandfather, who went through the entire war in the infantry of the Soviet army, and died a colonel in an independent Ukraine.”

In a letter to the United Nations last weekend, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. wrote that intelligence suggests Russia could target “religious and ethnic minorities,” along with anti-Putin activists and other groups, in the aftermath of an invasion. That prompted some to speculate whether that could include Ukrainian Jews.

Other historical figures whose Jewishness featured large in their national leadership include Ben-

(Continued on next page)

I’ve Listened to Racism Without Challenging It: After Being Taken Hostage in Colleyville, I’ll Never Let That Happen Again

If I have learned anything over the past month, it is that racist tropes are not harmless words. They must be actively and consistently challenged.

You know them and so do I. The racist tropes peddled about Jewish people are plentiful. What you may not know is that antisemitic tropes caused my friends and me to be held hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.

Our Shabbat morning service on Jan. 15 began normally. I had just sat down after the morning Amidah. Within a few seconds, I heard that unmistakable sound of an automatic pistol chambering a bullet. A man we invited into the synagogue on that cold

morning so he could warm up was screaming. He waved his gun at us and threatened to blow us up with a bomb.

Without turning around, I picked up my phone from the chair next to me, dialed 911, and returned it, screen side down, to the chair. I stood up and faced our attacker. I slowly moved so that I was in line with an exit. Many of you saw the headlines and are aware of the terror that unfolded over the next 11 hours. One of us was released after about six hours; the other three, including Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and me, escaped by running out a side door five hours after that. We were fortunate. This man wasn’t like the attackers in Pittsburgh, Poway or Paris. Instead of a hate-filled white supremacist

who wanted to kill as many Jews as possible, our attacker had a specific demand. He wanted to free a person being held in a U.S. federal correction center. And he thought we could get that done.

“Jews pull all the strings. Jews control the banks. Jews control the media. Jews control the government,” he repeatedly told us.

He demanded we get the “chief rabbi of the United States” on the phone. Both Rabbi Cytron-Walker and I explained that, unlike the U.K. where our attacker was from, there is no head rabbi in the United States – not that a chief rabbi would have that kind of power in the first place.

Our attacker frequently told us not to worry because President Biden and former President Trump would listen to his

demands rather than allow even one Jew to get hurt. He had clearly bathed in racist tropes about my community.

People who say “sticks and stones may break my bones,

but words will never hurt me” do not know what Jewish people live with on a day-to-day basis. They do not understand

Hamantaschen with Ganache and Salted Caramel

Purim is a holiday of upside downs, masquerades, and the unexpected. On Purim we celebrate the success of Esther and Mordecai’s subversion of evil Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. The observance of Purim involves costumes, gifts to friends, donations to the poor, and festive meals. The most traditional Purim food — the hamantaschen — is typically a cookie filled with fruit preserves or poppy seeds. So as a celebration of surprise and new takes on old favorites, here is a recipe for savory hamantaschen.

These hamantaschen are like little savory tartlets, perfect as an appetizer at your festive Purim meal or for a snack just about any time.

Ingredients

pinch of pepper

(optional garnish) course sea salt

1 egg

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled pinch of sugar

pinch of salt

3 onions, chopped

1 Tablespoon butter or oil

1 cup butter, chopped into 1 inch sqares

Colleyville

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what other marginalized communities live with either. Words have caused, and will continue to cause, harm. And those little throw-away tropes that we all endure may be the most damaging because, when repeated often enough, people begin to believe them.

When not addressed directly, racist tropes make all of us bystanders to hatred and participants in another’s suffering. We expect them from the skinheads, and we hope good people will ignore them. We roll our eyes as our friend winces and apologizes for the crazy older relative whom everyone accepts is a racist. We live in a society where we hold onto the premise that racists are the minority. We say nothing because we don’t want to bring attention to ourselves or to the comments. Sometimes we even tell ourselves that “we are stronger than those who hate us.” We very well may be. But that doesn’t mean that the actions of the hateful should be coddled or tolerated.

I say “we” because up until recently, I didn’t speak up either.

3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (about 3 twigs, stripped)

2 cups white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Make pastry:

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and herbs. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender or two knives, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. Pour in 1/4 cup of water and mix until large clumps form (if you need it, you can slowly add the other 1/4 cup of water). Pat the clumps into two balls but be careful not to overwork the dough. Put the dough in the refrigerator and chill for one hour. Keep your flour on hand for the rolling out portion of the hamantaschen making. In the meantime, make the filling.

Make the filling:

Melt butter or heat oil in a heavy skillet and cook the onion

with the pinches of salt and sugar. Begin at medium high heat to get a bit of color, then lower the heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Once your onions are caramelized you can set them aside until your dough is ready. Once they come to room temperature, mix them with your egg and feta cheese and a bit of pepper. Set the filling aside.

Roll out one of the balls (if you’re new to rolling out dough, keep in mind that you want everything to stay as cold as possible and that adding flour prevents your dough from sticking to surfaces…you can always brush off the extra). Press out rounds using cups with about a 3 inch diameter. Place a 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each one, and then pinch up 3 points to make a triangle. Repeat with the other ball of dough. Arrange on your baking sheets and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the hamantaschen have a nice golden brown hue.

Printed with permission by My Jewish Learning. For more great recipes visit: https://www. myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/

Watch: How To Make Hamantaschen

Volodymyr Zelensky

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jamin Disraeli, the 19th-century British prime minister who was faced unrelenting antisemitism. So did Leon Blum, who faced antisemitic animus in his preWorld War II stints as French prime minister, and whose brief term post-war was seen as a step forward for France’s coming to terms with its Nazi collaborationism.

of the vote, his approval rating had plummeted to close to 30%.

The current war is not Zelensky’s first experience as the center of international attention — not long after being elected, he found himself ensnared in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment scandal, thanks to an infamous White House phone call.

But racist tropes do not automatically dissipate. They must be challenged consistently and vigorously.

How many of us have been taught that if we ignore the taunt and do not engage the bully the bully will go away? That didn’t work in elementary school; it will not work now. Words matter. Words influence. Repeated racist tropes dehumanize. Unchallenged words signal acceptance.

As I reflect on how to challenge hatred, here are several things I am committing to do:

First, question what I hear, in the moment and on the spot. I will do better about asking, “Did I hear you correctly? What did you just say?” By making the speakers repeat what they say, I believe we can force them to acknowledge their words and confront social norms. It also empowers others to speak out as well.

Second, inform the individual that their comment is unacceptable. I will do better about sharing in the moment something like, “Statements like that are not acceptable here.” I do not

believe it is helpful to call the speaker a racist or antisemitic because I do not want people to shut down and not hear what I am saying.

And third, respond to the trope with truth and appeal to the speaker’s sense of right and wrong. I might share, “Both the Fascists and the Communists used antisemitic tropes as propaganda. They needed a scapegoat to blame for their failings. Don’t follow in their footsteps.”

Will that approach keep the attacker out of the next synagogue or Black church, or from stalking another Asian-American woman? Probably not. But if we don’t challenge racist tropes, we have no hope they’ll ever stop. Far too many people will be threatened and harmed, and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Lila Corwin Berman, a professor of Jewish history at Temple University in Philadelphia, said questions of loyalty can assail Jewish leaders in times of crisis. She recalled Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, who faced pressure from some Republicans who wondered if he could be impartial during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and from some American Jews who feared Kissinger was distancing himself from Israel because of those pressures.

“He came under pressure for essentially not showing the right kind of reverence or respect for Israel that I think some members of the Jewish community wanted him to,” Berman said.

It was typical of the same tensions, she said, that a decade or so earlier had assailed John F. Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic president. The question of loyalty, she said, “gets asked of leaders who are assigned or marked as belonging to a group that is somehow not quite the center of whatever the country is.”

That topic is acutely relevant in Ukraine, a post-Soviet republic with a large population of hypernationalists. Zelensky has toed a line between projecting a strong patriotic front against Russia, and working to delicately stand up to the nationalists who seek to honor former Nazi collaborationists, through statues, marches and other tributes.

It may have proven too difficult to pull off — after winning the 2019 election with over 70%

Jonathan Sarna, a professor at Brandeis University and one of the foremost historians on Jewish history, said that whatever the outcome, Zelensky could end up in a pretty singular place in the history books.

“We’ve had political figures who are deeply aligned with the Jewish community and use that as a jumping off point for political power. And then we’ve had political figures who happen to be Jewish, but don’t hide that fact. And he falls, I think, in the second category, but it’s not such a long list, and it’s certainly not that not long in Eastern Europe,” he said.

“Assuming things continue, we’ll be able to look with pride on a leader who identifies as a Jew and who has been able to articulate a kind of moral stance, and in the face of aggression, and who certainly never hid the fact that he was Jewish but instead takes pride in it,” he added.

And if he’s killed by Russian troops?

“Of course, if he’s martyred — and there are certainly reports that there are agents of the Russian regime who would like either to capture or assassinate him — I think his Jewishness will certainly be noted,” Sarna said.

Ron Kampeas contributed reporting.