Posted on September 29th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Community News.
Women’s Professional Network…forging relationships, building community
invites the community to
Art, Heart and Soul
A special program combining
The Butterfly Project and “Books, Blankets and Bears”
Thursday, October 25, 2012, 6-7:30 p.m.
Participate in The Butterfly Project, a poignant and interactive tribute to the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. The simple act of painting a butterfly represents each child’s spirit and has taken on a life of its own.
The Books, Blankets and Bears Project is done in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and as an extension of the Women’s Professional Network’s Shalom Bayit/NC initiative, they will be contributing books, blankets and bears to the Battered Women’s Shelter. Over the last year we collected cellphones for the shelter. They are still needed, so consider giving your cast-offs and replacements, as well. Bring your items to an upcoming Havurat Tikvah event or service or take them to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s office located at Shalom Park, 5007 Providence Rd.
To make a reservation by Oct. 18 or for more information, contact Sue Littauer at 704.944.6758, sue.littauer@jewishcharlotte.org or visit jewishcharlotte.org.
The Women’s Professional Network presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte offers women the opportunity to engage socially and connect with a cause. The Network meets 5 times each year and is open to all professional women who contribute a minimum of $180 to the Annual Campaign.
Posted on September 29th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Reflections.
W-r-r ack! I backed into the parked car and dented it in three places. The lady came slowly, deliberately, collecting her thoughts.
She didn’t talk at first, but just looked at my disheveled and hungry self. It was Yom Kippur. I wanted to go home and rest until break-fast. I was weary. All apologies.
She said: “Where are we? This is a church.”
I said: “A parking lot. I’ll pay. Here’s my insurance. My name. My number — (just don’t yell).”
She: “You’re wearing purple, the color of the gods. How beautiful!”
Huh?
Me: “Does the car go? Try it.”
She did, and drove away, but not before handing me a feather. An angel passing, for what is a feather if not a sign of an angel passing?
“Thank you for denting my car, for passing by, for crossing wings.” she said.
“Remember me.” I will.
Sharon Kugelmass
Yom Kippur . Tishrei 5773
Posted on June 4th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Reconstructionist News.
On June 3 a Plenum was held across the globe where delegates overwhelmingly voted to approve the restructuring of the movement by unifying the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF) and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC).
RRC will now begin running programs formerly offered by JRF, said Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz. He went on to say that he looked forward to the “creative possibilities before us, now that we’ve brought together our training of tomorrow’s rabbis and our administration of services we offer the community today.”
The changes were immediate. A new board is in the process of being formed and should be filled as quickly as possible to assure that all services will be met relative to both congregations and clergy.
The movement will launch a new website by August to reflect all of the changes. The current site may be reached at jrg.org. Once the changeover is made, it will be jewishrecon.org. Additionally, more information will be made available in August with regard to program offerings.
Answers to questions regarding the restructuring may be found at RRC.edu.
Posted on April 15th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Reconstructionist News.
A new interactive annual report has been posted online from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College which includes a number of interesting stories.
The piece may be enlightening to those who are unfamiliar with the composition of the movement.
To view this document, visit rrc.edu/2012AR/.
Posted on April 6th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Community News.
Davidson College is currently engaged in panel discussions on the Holocaust across the area and has invited the community to attend one organized by the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library at Gorelick Hall, 5007 Providence Rd., on May 7 at 7 p.m.
This comes in the aftermath of a research trip to various memorials in Germany and Poland during Spring break. Students researchers are facilitating the discussion panels as part of their coursework.
Dr.Thomas Pegelow Kaplan from the Department of History and author of “The Language of Nazi Genocide” and Dr. Scott Denham from the Department of German Studies and editor of the book series “Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies” led the European trip. Full access to the archives at various institution were made available to the students. This included the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, the Memorial Site of the House of the Wannsee Conference and the Volkswagen Corporation in Wolfsburg.
The students presented their preliminary findings at the prestigious Friedrich Meinecke Institute at the Free University of Berlin and at the Sosnowiec campus of Silesian University. They also had the opportunity to met with Polish and German scholars, students, members of the Jewish community, politicians, a former Hitler Youth member and a rescuer, as well as Righteous Among the Nations.
The presentations include new work on the Auschwitz orchestras, female slave labor at the city of the KdF (“Kraft durch Freude” or Strength through Joy, now known as the Volkswagen Beetle) car (Wolfsburg) and the Jewish exhibitions at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial in the German Democratic Republic and the united Germany.
To learn more about the trip, visit www.davidsonian.com/news/holocaust-seminar-spends-spring-break-abroad-1.2718798.
Talli Dippold, library director, and Rachael Levine, director of community relations and Israeli affairs of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte are acting as liaisons between the school and Shalom Park.
Although attendance is free, it is suggested that material presented may not be suitable for children.
For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Pegelow Kaplan at 704-894-2284.
Posted on April 1st, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Community News.
Violins of Hope will make it’s Carolina appearance between April 9-24 at various venues across Charlotte. This initiative is a joint partnership with Queens University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as cultural institutions from the area.
Included are exhibits with poetry and artwork created by the camp’s children. The exhibits, along with film screenings, lectures and concerts are held at a various locations.
Featured are 18 violins that were recovered from the Holocaust. None of these “lost children” have been assembled and played together in the Western Hemisphere until now. They are being used in a series of programs that explore the instruments’ extraordinary stories.
Amnon Weinstein, a master violinmaker from Israel, has been the person responsible for recovering these instruments, including restoring them to playing condition so they could be shared with audiences.
For more information, full schedules and more, visit violinsofhopecharlotte.com.
Posted on February 23rd, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Havurah News.
Havurat Tikvah is actively engaged in ongoing Tzedakah projects to benefit the community.
Currently, we are engaged in making blankets for Project Linus, collecting necessary items for Urban Ministries, as well as gathering used cellphones for Shalom Bayit-NC. We also hold regular drives for Jewish Family Services to augment their food and personal care pantries.
Join a “sewing bee” at one of our host homes to put together and create wonderful blankets for Project Linus. The national organization, with the help of hundreds of chapters and groups like ours, make, collect and distribute these handmade creations to seriously ill children and children who are in crisis or who have experienced trauma. To learn more about Project Linus, visit projectlinus.org.
Urban Ministry provides for the homeless by being a day center for those who may otherwise not have a place to gather to receive support, have a hot meal and have access to professional care needs as they arise. The center is also home to Room in the Inn, which provides overnight shelter during the winter months. We are happy to be able to assist Avondale Presyterian Church with their ongoing support of this important project. Currently, we are collecting seasonal clothes, eye glasses, toiletries and canned food. To learn more about Urban Ministry, visit urbanministrycenter.org.
Another recipient of our Tzedakah projects is Shalom Bayit-NC. They provide necessary support and education for those who experience domestic violence within the Jewish community. Right now, we are collecting old, used and unwanted cell phones which are reprogrammed to call 911. To learn more about Shalom Bayit-NC, visit shalombayit-nc.org.
Consider bringing requested items to services when you come or to any of our other programs throughout the year. Our social action committee will graciously deliver them to their ultimate destination.
Todah rabah (thank you) to everyone who continues to support these worthy endeavors.
Posted on February 19th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Havurah News.
As comic book superheroes flood movie theaters and generate billions of dollars in profits for media conglomerates, it’s worth remembering the characters’ humble beginnings as products of fly-by-night publishers in a junk medium — and as the creations of artists and writers who were overwhelmingly Jewish.
Superman and Captain America might not look Jewish, but both characters (and many others like them) were created by first-generation American Jews who infused their work with their own fantasies of assimilation and transformation.
Learn about this important aspect of Jewish and American cultural history in a series of talks by Michael Kobre, a professor of literature at Queens University of Charlotte, sponsored by Havurat Tikvah and Queens’ Hillel chapter.
The first talk, “Aliens, Immigrants, and Secret Identities,” will take place at 7:30 on March 24, and the second talk, on the contemporary comics masterpiece Maus by Art Spiegelman, will take place on April 14 at 7:30. Both talks will be held in Ketner Auditorium in the Sykes Learning Center on the Queens Campus and are free and open to the public.
Posted on February 19th, 2012 by siteadmin. Categorized: Havurah News.
We’re excited to announce that we’ve updated our online presence and have launched our new and improved website for our visitor’s viewing pleasure. We are now using a WordPress format that will make updating and publishing easier. This was made possible by a team of dedicated folks who helped to bring content to you that is informative and relevant. Enjoy!
Posted on December 13th, 2011 by siteadmin. Categorized: Havurah News.
On a regular basis, we’ll post stories on our members or congregation that you’ll see here first, along with items about us from other publications and news sources. Additionally, you’ll also see news content that you may find helpful from a variety of resources to further expand and enrich your experience with us. We hope that you’ll enjoy our site and will visit often.
Shalom!