You don’t have to look for long at the young leaders in our community’s Jewish organizations before you find one who got their inspiration and their start in their “BBYO career,” as many BBYO alumni call it, from Ellen Goldstein, BBYO’s area

(JTA) — After weeks of fending off threats to their governing coalition, Israel’s top leaders have announced that they will instead seek to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and hold new elections

Eighteen months ago, the life I had known ended. Though my fantastic wife of more than 50 years suffered from Parkinson’s for a long while, her sudden passing was still completely unexpected. Fortunately, I had, and have, wonderful family and friend support. However, relatively quickly it hit me that virtually everyone with whom I had more than an incidental relationship was a couple. And while we could still have a connection, the dynamic had somehow changed. When some activity was being planned by one or another of my circles, I was no longer first on its mind. I felt I had to keep giving reminders that I wanted to be included. I recognized this was happening, but didn’t have an idea of what to do about it.

Dozens of leaders from Jewish Federations of North America on a delegation to accompany 180 Ethiopia olim to Israel Wednesday, following a special three-day mission in Ethiopia.

During the mission, the leaders met with community members awaiting aliyah in Gondar and Addis Ababa and visited sites of historical significance for Ethiopian Jewry. The leaders were joined by other officials from the Jewish Agency for Israel, Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), the WZO and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

(JTA)  May 19, 2022 — When his local Jewish magazine asked Rabbi Nick Renner earlier this year to explain how he decided to become a rabbi, he immediately attributed the decision to his hometown rabbi, Steven Sager.

New York, NY (May 4, 2022) — A group of students from the University of Florida (UF) arrived in Israel this Monday, marking the first of many Birthright Campus Trips this year. The contingent is one of 28 student groups arriving this week. A total of 14,000 students from nearly 900 universities and colleges in North America are expected to land in Israel in the coming weeks.

March 10, 2022 (JTA) – When it comes to antisemitism on social media, the algorithms governing the major platforms shoulder some of the blame for their reach. But the Anti-Defamation League hopes to fight the spread — by creating an algorithm of its own.
The Jewish civil rights group announced Tuesday that it has built a system called the Online Hate Index, describing it as the first tool ever developed to measure antisemitism on social media platforms. The program can sift through millions of posts quickly to detect antisemitic comments and aid in their removal.

Tara Spil, a local Jewish artist featured in the September 2021, Charlotte Jewish News, brought her talents to the Greater Charlotte area in a big way (literally — the piece is four feet tall) in April with her “Passover Egg” at the SHOUT Festival. When she saw the call to artists from SHOUT organizers for Easter eggs to adorn Romare Bearden Park during the festival, she knew Jewish culture and Passover needed to be represented.

Clergy and community leaders from across North Carolina will join together on Tuesday, April 12 at 2 pm online to launch the North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association (NCJCA).  This new organization of rabbis and cantors of various streams serving congregations, organizations, and the broader Jewish community of North Carolina will promote the interests of Judaism and the Jewish people in North Carolina and throughout the world, serve as a collective voice of the North Carolina Jewish clergy community with due regard for the autonomy of the individual clergy person, and support members in professional and personal growth. Congresswoman Kathy Manning and other North Carolina leaders will share words of congratulations.

The month of April is set aside each year to spread awareness about Parkinson’s, the neurodegenerative disease that affects seven to 10 million people globally. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, about one million people in the United States are living with Parkinson’s disease, which is more than the number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. This number is expected to rise to 1.2 million people by 2030.

Charlotte Jewish artist and Queens University professor, Mike Wirth, has been selected to present his artwork and ideas on Jewish Futurism at the 8th biennial annual Conney Conference on Jewish Arts, part of the Conney Project on Jewish Arts now in its 17th year. The national conference will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, from March 27 to 30. Mike will be presenting alongside nationally recognized Jewish creatives, curators, and academics.

(JTA) — The Oscars went on as usual Sunday night — although you wouldn’t know it from the morning-after conversation. A violent altercation between celebrities became the most-discussed moment of the evening (more on that below), and general reviews for the show itself were dismal, full of criticism for its slapdash presentation and pre-taping of several awards categories. But there were a few Jewish moments to be had in the three-and-a-half-hour evening.

(JTA) — Israel announced plans to set up a field hospital in western Ukraine as the Russian war against the country shows no sign of abating.

Jewish Federation of 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.

(JTA) — All of the posturing and fears and hypothesizing became reality early Thursday morning in Ukraine, as Russia launched a full-scale armed invasion by land and sea. Tens of thousands of Jews live in Ukraine, making it home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities — one with a complicated history, tainted by persecution and upheaval, that is tangibly affecting their response to the attack. Here’s a breakdown of who they are, where they live and what they are experiencing.

While confronting continuous operational challenges posed by the pandemic, the Foundation of Shalom Park (FSP) spent 2021 working on an issue of equal or perhaps greater long-term importance to the campus community, namely, establishing a common understanding and practice around principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

By Amy Lefkof
By chance, Temple Beth El (TBE) member Samantha Foodman’s husband, Adam, owns a huge truck. That truck proved critical to Foodman’s induction into the world of refugee resettlement. In late fall of 2021, TBE sent out an all-points bulletin to its congregants listing various ways to help Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency (CRRA), the local affiliate of HIAS (formerly, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), including a request for a truck to haul furniture to apartments for newly arrived Afghans. Enter Adam, Samantha, their three teenage boys, and a visiting house guest.

On December 2, 2021, for the first time in 21 months, the Levine Jewish Community Center (LJCC) Butterfly Project hosted an in-person workshop for 120 masked seventh-grade students from Weddington Middle School.

January 27, 2022 (JTA) — TikTok announced a slate of new features intended to reduce the spread of misinformation about the Holocaust shared on the platform and to direct users to trustworthy sources about the subject.

January 24, 2022 (JTA) — Israel’s cabinet approved a plan to plant 450,000 trees in the country’s cities to mitigate some effects of climate change by offering more shade and cooler temperatures.

The plan, which is predicted to cost about 2.25 billion shekels, or $716 million, will be carried out between now and 2040. The goal of the plan is for 70% of sidewalks to be shaded by trees.

On Saturday, January 15th, a gunman entered Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX, holding hostages who were there for Sabbath worship for much of the day.  We are grateful that all four hostages made it out safely, and thankful for law enforcement, first responders, and the security training that our partner Secure Community Network provided to this community.

In January of 1943, Irma Lauscher, a teacher at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, smuggled a tree into the camp so that the Jewish children imprisoned by the Nazis could celebrate Tu B’Shevat in a secret ceremony. The children used their water rations to nurture the sapling. 

(JTA) — Israel will lift its COVID-related travel ban on visitors from the United States, United Kingdom and several other countries for the first time since restrictions were put in place in November.

The North Carolina Council on the Holocaust is pleased to report the passage of the Holocaust Education Act. The Holocaust Act was part of the composite $25.9 billion state budget passed by both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Governor Cooper in November.

(JTA) — Israel announced Monday that it would reduce its restrictions on travel that were first put in place in November to delay the spread of the Omicron variant, but visitors from the United States are still barred from entering.

This year’s Main Event kicks off Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign with a milestone goal of $5 million. Co-chairs Ana Bonnheim and Lindsay Muns are excited to announce that they will welcome Nancy Spielberg as our featured speaker on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Please join us in person at Temple Israel or virtually as Nancy helps us celebrate the influence of Federation through personal anecdotes using stories of her own experiences.

(JTA) — Israel will likely begin administering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors, immunocompromised people, and healthcare workers in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

The move was recommended Tuesday by the panel of experts advising Israel’s government on the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been hinting at the possibility of a fourth shot and embraced the recommendation in a statement Tuesday.

(JTA) — Israel’s Health Ministry has recommended barring Israelis from traveling to the United States due to the outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant there.Over a dozen staff members of the Israeli Consulate in New York have tested positive, according to The Times of Israel.

(JTA) — The Golden Globes won’t be televised, but there will be Jewish honorees — among them two directors at different stages of their directing careers.
After numerous controversies have rattled the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — from a “culture of corruption” to not a single Black member — NBC decided it will not be airing the annual film and television awards show this year, and its future is unclear. But the association went ahead with announcing nominations Monday and plans to name winners Jan. 9.

Here’s what you need to know about the Jewish nominees for the 2022 Golden Globes.

Jewish Family Services (JFS) is thrilled to announce the first-ever honorees for Live, Laugh, Give 2022. “This year we have the esteemed pleasure of recognizing Kevin Levine and Louis Sinkoe for their many contributions to JFS, the Jewish community, and the Greater Charlotte community,” said Howard Olshansky, JFS executive director.

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn By Shira Hanau, November 14, 2021 (JTA) A watercolor painting by Vincent Van Gogh that was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish

Each year, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s (JFGC) Annual Campaign is critical to fulfilling its mission as community builder and convener, fundraiser and grantor, and sustainer of Jewish life and Jewish identity for Greater Charlotte and beyond. Each year the community’s generous donations enable Federation to meet the needs that sustain our community. And each year, leadership immediately begins the process of planning for the following year’s campaign.

(JTA) — Israel will bar all non-citizens from entering the country for at least two weeks due to concern about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The travel ban begins Sunday night at midnight.

(JTA) — Thanksgiving seems to have all the right ingredients for a holiday that most American Jews can embrace: It doesn’t fall on Shabbat, its roots and message are nonsectarian, and its only real ritual is a multi-course meal. 

 One of the first images of “The Shrink Next Door,” the limited series premiering Friday on Apple TV+, is of a smiling man wearing a huge kippah, chatting at a party in the Hamptons. 

A perfect storm: a pandemic, a shortage of low-income rental housing, and the arrival of evacuated Afghans needing a place of refuge. In the coming months, Charlotte will be one of six North Carolina cities to resettle Afghans, many of whom are coming under the umbrella of “humanitarian parole” rather than with refugee or SIV status. And many of these Afghans at the time of lease signing will be unable to show proof of income three times the rent and will have no credit history and no social security number.

When a massive earthquake struck Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, on August 11th, Jewish Federations, working through the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), mounted an immediate, large-scale humanitarian effort to save lives, heal the injured, and rebuild homes.

A well-planned and implemented security program and well-trained security team are critical to the health and vitality of any Jewish community of any size. But for a large, multi-building campus like Shalom Park, the challenges, efforts, and cost are greater than with most. A 54-acre campus that serves as the center of Jewish life in Greater Charlotte, Shalom Park is the largest Jewish communal environment in the country.

(JTA) — The World Series is upon us, and there are likely more Jewish players in this year’s edition than there have been in decades. The American League champion Houston Astros, who ousted Chaim Bloom’s Boston Red Sox last week, feature star slugger Alex Bregman. The National League champion Atlanta Braves boast an impressive duo of Jewish players: pitcher Max Fried and outfielder Joc Pederson.

A grand Jewish holiday concert will be held on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, November 28, at Symphony Park in SouthPark. The internationally popular California group 8th Day will be performing with a spectacular song and music festival that will lift your spirits and ignite your soul.

The theme of this Hanukkah concert is Jewish Unity and Pride, Celebrating the Light of Hanukkah.

In the late 1930s, Jewish clarinetist and jazz bandleader Benny Goodman, known as the King of Swing, invited two Black musicians — Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton — to play in his orchestra.

It was a watershed moment that marked the beginning of the end of racial segregation in the music business in America.

On August 22, Moishe House, the world’s leader in engaging Jewish young adults around the world, recognized the achievements of its global community builders during their annual resident training conference, currently dubbed CouchCon because of its virtual nature for the second year in a row.

The Pajama Walk on November 14 is a community walk to raise awareness and funds for Friendship Circle and ZABS Place, two local nonprofits that help children and young adults with special needs and special talents

In a first-of-its kind-partnership, JCC Association of North America and the BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness (BBYO-CAW), with support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, will collaborate to assess and support mental, emotional, and social health among adolescents. The pilot initiative comes as

This July 28 will mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the 1951 International Refugee Convention, which is the key legal document (along with its 1967 Protocol) that defines a refugee as a person with a well-founded fear of persecution “because of reasons of race, religion, national origin

A Dutch museum will compensate the rightful owners of a Nazi-looted painting the government said it could keep because displaying it would benefit the public interest. Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle has agreed to give $240,000 to the descendants of Jewish Holocaust victims who under duress sold the 1635 painting

Members of the Moishe House community welcomed the opening of Moishe Pod Charlotte-South End and celebrated the ongoing community building of Moishe House Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 11 with a spirited panel discussion on the importance of belonging and the benefits of connecting with others with a shared identity.

By Karen Knoble Generations at Shalom Park is an exciting project bringing an adult living community inside the vibrant multigenerational setting of Shalom Park. “Generations” references an important Jewish value — L’Dor V’Dor (from Generation

The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte recently committed funds to sponsor six local educators to travel to Israel this summer to teach English in its partnership region of Hadera as part of TALMA, the Israel

By Sandra Goldman, Hebrew Cemetery Executive Director After a year of being locked down and locked in, our country has slowly opened up again. Pleasant weather means being able to spend more time outside, and

By Lorrie Klemons The Zohar states, “That which constitutes a real person is the soul, the rest being only garments which cover the inner essence. When people depart this earth, they put off their outer