News

Around the Table: A Shavuot Recipe for Guava Queso Empanadas
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn For Shavuot this year, I wanted to shake things up and try something unique. I was first introduced to this unusual combination of flavors at a little place in Matthews called Go

Student to Student Program Aims to Stop Antisemitism Before It Begins
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Mary Eshet It is easy to become distressed about increasing trends of antisemitism, but difficult to answer the question, what can we do? For high school students Rosie Smolowitz and Max

Ceasefire Ends Israel-Gaza Conflict After Five Days of Fighting
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn bY Ben Sales (JTA) — Fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza ended after five days, as a ceasefire took effect and appeared to hold late Saturday night. Over the

Shalom Park Perspectives: Imagining the Future of Shalom Park
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On February 19, 2023, the Foundation of Shalom Park Board of Directors participated in a discussion titled Imagining the Future of Shalom Park. They reflected on the founding principles of why Shalom

When Harry Belafonte, Robert Schrader and Charlotte’s Visulite Theater Made History
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Amy Lefkof Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, who died on April 25, 2023 at the age of 96, broke racial barriers in the 1950s. One of those barriers

An Interview With Hanoch Piven: Artist-in-Residence
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Debby Block Hanoch Piven is an award-winning illustrator, educator, and advocate of creativity. As part of the celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte is proud to bring

Levine-Sklut Judaic Library Plans Redesign
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn National Library Week 2023, April 23-29, will be celebrated with the theme “There’s More to the Story.” First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of

Commemoration to Celebration
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ken Garfield Charlotte’s Jewish community will come together in late April to honor, on Yom Ha-Zikaron, those who gave their lives to establish and defend the State of Israel. We then

ADL Audit Finds Disturbing Increase in Antisemitic Incidents Reported in North Carolina in 2022
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Washington, D.C., March 23, 2023 ADL’s (the Anti-Defamation League) annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released today, shows disturbing levels of antisemitic incidents reported in North Carolina, with a 30 percent increase in

Holocaust Novel By Jodi Picoult Removed as Florida School District Purges Libraries To Comply With State Law
By Andrew Lapin Facebook Twitter LinkedIn March 14, 2023 (JTA) A Holocaust-themed novel by bestselling author Jodi Picoult was among dozens of books removed from a South Florida school district library’s circulation last month, in

Local School Recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Douglas Greene, JFGC Government and Public Affairs Associate, JCRC As the Government and Public Affairs Associate for the Jewish Federation of Greater (JFGC), making up part of the Jewish Community Relations

Federation Rocks Super Sunday
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s (JFGC) Annual Campaign is well underway after a very successful Main Event. Since the campaign kick-off, the campaign team has been busy contacting donors to explain that

The Oldest Copy of the Hebrew Bible Is Headed to Auction This Spring
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Jackie Hajdenberg (JTA) — The oldest complete copy of the Hebrew Bible as we know it today is about to go on sale — and it could well become the most expensive

“People Love Dead Jews” Author to Speak at Jewish Book Festival
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Noah Goldman, JFGC Israel & Global Jewry Associate “People Love Dead Jews.” This provocatively titled book by Dara Horn has won the National Jewish Book Award and was one of New

JuJu Chang Shares Inspiring Message at Main Event as Federation Launches Annual Campaign
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ken Garfield With faith and determination, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte launched its annual campaign to raise money for righteous causes, and raise voices against prejudice. The 2023 Main Event

13-Year-Old Palestinian Shoots 2 in Jerusalem as Violence Flares and Government Flexes
By Ron Kampeas January, 29, 2023 (JTA) — A 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded an Israeli man and his son outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls, police said, in one of multiple incidents over the

At Least 8 Dead in Shabbat Shooting Attack on Jerusalem Synagogue
Ron Kampeas This is a developing story. (JTA) January 27, 2023 A shooting attack on a synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Neve Yaakov killed at least eight people on Friday, a day after an

The NC Council on the Holocaust Presents “Antisemitism and the Denial & Distortion Movement in the United States” to NC Teachers
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Mike Abramson and Mitch Rifkin After listening to the late Susan Cernyak-Spatz, a Holocaust survivor and founding member of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, speak about her experiences in

2023 Charlotte Jewish Film Festival Exciting
Lineup and Two New Locations
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Susan Cherin The Levine Jewish Community Center’s popular Charlotte Jewish Film Festival (CJFF) is back for its 19th year from February 4 to 26, 2023. The All Festival Pass will be

Federation Launches 2023 Annual Campaign: “Now We Go Forward”
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Three years ago, a careful and thorough analysis of growing agency and community needs clarified the need to grow Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s (JFGC) Annual Campaign to $5 million. Last fall,

Fun Zone Grand Opening: A New Era of
Friendship and Inclusion
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn After years of planning, developing, and constructing, Friendship Circle is excited to announce and invite the community to the Grand Opening of its Inclusive Fun Zone. This 6,000 sq. ft. indoor play

Volodymyr Zelensky Named Time’s “Person of the Year”
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn (JTA) December 8, 2022 — Volodymyr Zelensky, the Jewish president of Ukraine, was named Time’s “person of the year” on Wednesday for galvanizing “the world in a way we haven’t seen in

Jewish Family Services To Honor Eric and Susan Lerner at Live Laugh Give 2023
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Julie Loftis, JFS Marketing Specialist By Julie Loftis, JFS Marketing SpecialistCo-chairs, Adina Loewensteiner and Andrew Bernstein, are excited to announce the honorees for Live Laugh Give 2023. “This year we are

‘Silence Is Complicity’: Biden Calls on Political Leaders to Denounce Antisemitism, Not Platform It
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) December 2, 2022 — President Joe Biden, reacting after the latest station in Kanye West’s dolorous journey, explained that Hitler was bad and the Holocaust was real

Emmy Award-Winning JuJu Chang Featured at Federation’s Main Event
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s 2023 Main Event will take place on Thursday, January 19 at 7 p.m. at Temple Israel. Co-chairs David and Julie Sheffer are excited to announce that we

A Jewish Group’s Tip Led to Arrest of Suspects Who Wanted to “Shoot up a Synagogue”
By Jacob Henry Facebook Twitter LinkedIn (New York Jewish Week) November 21, 2022 — A tip from a Jewish security organization helped lead to the arrest of two suspects Saturday in connection with online threats

Jewish Social Singles of the Carolinas Off to a Great Start
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Roy Weinberger and Robin Spivock Jewish Social Singles of the Carolinas was organized six months ago to offer individuals over the age of 45 who were born Jewish, converted to Judaism,

Josh Shapiro, Democrat Who Made His Jewishness a Campaign Focus, Wins Pennsylvania Governor’s Race
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Andrew Lapin (JTA) — Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who openly embraced his Jewish faith on the campaign trail and called his opponent out for his connections to antisemitic supporters, has won

Josh Shapiro, Democrat Who Made His Jewishness a Campaign Focus, Wins Pennsylvania Governor’s Race
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Andrew Lapin November 9, 2022 (JTA) — Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who openly embraced his Jewish faith on the campaign trail and called his opponent out for his connections to antisemitic

Lapid Concedes to Netanyahu, Prepares to Hand Over Reins of Government
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ron Kampeas November 3, 2022 (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called his rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to concede this week’s election as most of the votes were

A New Chapter for the Charlotte Jewish Archives
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s (JFGC) Center for Jewish Education (CJE) is pleased to announce that the archives of the Charlotte Jewish community, housed at the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library since 2005, are

Adidas Breaks Ties With Kanye West Amid Mounting Pressure Over His Antisemitic Comments
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Philissa Cramer (JTA) — The athletic wear company Adidas is ending its relationship with Kanye West, days after the rapper boasted that he could “literally say antisemitic s— and they cannot

Did You Enter a Jewish Building, Event or Program This Year? You Probably Unknowingly Benefited From This Institution.
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Larry Luxner When Jewish summer camps unexpectedly had to cancel their summer programs two years ago after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and before vaccines became available, they faced sudden financial ruin.

FCJC Awards the Inaugural Donald H. Bernstein Distinguished Service Award to Michael Marsicano
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community (FCJC) has established the Donald H. Bernstein Distinguished Service Award to honor its first board chair, Don Bernstein,

Biden To Host First-Ever White House Rosh Hashanah Party
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) President Joe Biden is bringing a Jewish High Holiday celebration to the White House for the first time. His White House is hosting a Rosh Hashanah reception

North Carolina Council on the Holocaust Sponsors NC Teachers on Transformative Trip
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Charlotte Jewish News September 2022 In mid-July, a group of North Carolina educators spent time together in Washington, D.C., inquiring, sharing, learning, and building community. When they arrived, though tired,

Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet Leader Whose Reforms Included Letting Jews Leave For Israel, Dies at 91
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn By Ron Kampeas (JTA ) August 30, 2022 Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader whose reforms, including allowing massive numbers of Jews to emigrate to Israel, changed his country and the world, died

Shalom Park Building Renovations: Behind the Scenes, on the Roof, Under the Ground
By Terri Beattie, Foundation of Shalom Park Executive Director All the agencies at Shalom Park rely on Foundation of Shalom Park (FSP) facilities as they strive to fulfill their missions and remain economically sustainable. Often

Ellen Goldstein Retires From BBYO After 24 Years
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
Shalom Park Building Renovations: Behind the Scenes, on the Roof, Under the Ground
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn By Terri Beattie, Foundation of Shalom Park Executive Director All the agencies at Shalom Park rely on Foundation of Shalom Park (FSP) facilities

Volunteers Knit 15,000 Blankets for Hospitalized Children
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn By Sara Schreibman, Yours Truly Needlepoint Volunteer Lynn Edelstein received all-too-familiar phone calls last week from area children’s hospitals. They needed more than

Israel Headed to 5th Elections Since 2019 After Leaders Concede Collapse of Governing Coalition
(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

A New Community for Jewish Singles
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.

Kenneth Schorr Retires: A Lifelong Commitment to Legal Aid and the War Against Poverty
On April 26, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls presented the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award to Kenneth Schorr at his Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy (“The Advocacy Center”) retirement celebration for exemplary service to the state. This followed on the heels of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Justice Center in 2020, recognizing Schorr “for his decades of leadership in legal services, as he tirelessly defended the interests of underrepresented North Carolinians.”

Ethiopian Aliyah Resumes
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.

Remembering Rabbi Steven Sager, a “Leader, Mentor, Poet’ in North Carolina and Beyond
(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.

First 2022 Birthright Campus Trips Arrive in Israel
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.

ADL Develops Algorithm To Track Antisemitism on Social Media
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.

Local Artist, Tara Spil, Creates Passover Egg for Charlotte’s SHOUT Festival
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 Launch North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association
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.

April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Jewish Family Services and the LJCC Support Patients and Caregivers
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.

Local Artist, Mike Wirth, To Present at Conney Conference on Jewish Arts
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.

Oscars 2022: The Most Memorable Jewish Moments
(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.

Israel Is Setting Up a $6.4M Field Hospital in Western Ukraine
(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.

Connecting on Federation’s Super Sunday
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.

Who Are Ukraine’s Jews, and How Is Russia’s Invasion Affecting Them?
(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.

Foundation of Shalom Park Task Group Focuses on Diversity and Equity
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).

What Now for the Afghans Who Have Arrived in Charlotte?
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.

The Levine Jewish Community Center Butterfly Project Is Flying Again
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.

TikTok Adds New Features To Direct Users to Reliable Information on the Holocaust
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.

Israel To Plant 450,000 Trees in Cities in Effort To counter Effects of Climate Change
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.

Urge Congress to Double Funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
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.

A Tree That Survived the Holocaust Finds a New Life in New York City
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.

Israel to Allow US Visitors Back in for the First Time Since November
(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.

North Carolina General Assembly Passes Holocaust Education Act
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.

Israel to Reduce Travel Restrictions but US Travelers Still Barred
(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.

Nancy Spielberg Featured at Main Event as Federation Kicks Off 2022 Annual Campaign
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.

Israel Will Likely Administer a 4th Dose of Coronavirus Vaccine to Seniors, Immunocompromised and Healthcare Workers
(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.

Israel May Bar Travel to United States as NY Consulate Staff Walloped by Latest COVID Wave
(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.

Steven Spielberg, Tracee Ellis Ross Among Jewish Golden Globes nominees for 2022
(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 to Honor Kevin Levine and Louis Sinkoe at Live, Laugh, Give 2022
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.

Van Gogh Painting Stolen from Rothschild by Nazis Sells for Over Than $35 million, Breaking Record
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

Federation Announces Milestone $5,000,000 2022 Annual Campaign Goal
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.

Tourists Will Be Barred from Traveling to Israel for Two Weeks as the Country Monitors Omicron Variant
(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.

How Thanksgiving Helped Jews Carve Out a Piece of the American Story
(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.

The Real Jewish Story Behind the Will Ferrell-Paul Rudd Series “The Shrink Next Door”
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.

JCRI’s 4th Annual Welcoming the Stranger to the Table Will Focus on Local Afghan Resettlement
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.

Jewish Federations Respond to Haiti Disaster
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.

Behind the Badge of Shalom Park Security: Security Fund Supports Comprehensive Program
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.

3 Jewish Baseball Players Could Make or Break the 2021 World Series
(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.

Grand Outdoor Concert Celebrating Unity and Light on the First Night of Hanukkah
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.

Black and Jewish Americans Unite to Talk About Fighting Antisemitism and All That Jazz
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.

Moishe House Celebrates Importance of Flexibility in Global Community Building With Second Virtual Training Conference
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.

Pajama Walk at Freedom Park to Support Friendship Circle and ZABS Place
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

LJCC One of Five Selected to Partner with BBYO to Address Adolescent Health
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

No Act is More American or More Jewish Than Welcoming the Stranger
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

Dutch Museum Will Pay $240K to Owners of Nazi-Looted Painting It Won’t Return
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

Moishe House Officially Welcomes a New Pod to South End with a Virtual Mezuzah Hanging
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.

What’s Next for Generations at Shalom Park
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

Charlotte Educators Teaching in Israel
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

Jonathan Rintel Discovers Deep Family Roots
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

Hebrew Cemetery Association’s Memorial Service
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