Vol. 43, No. 7
Av-Elul, 5781
August 2021
Jewish Family Services Live, Laugh, Give Comedy Night Raises More Than $90,000 bers of our community have exhibited resilience throughout the pandemic, with a renewed sense of energy, hope, and possibility. Partnering with our community, JFS has responded to the changing environment, breaking down old barriers and gaining stride and momentum in the aftermath of the pandemic, through the use of telehealth services and online presentations and workshops to name a few. The monies raised from Live, Laugh, Give and the Family to
Family Campaign, along with tributes and generous donations throughout the year, will help ensure JFS continues to provide the support our community has come to depend on. JFS has been instrumental in responding to our community’s needs, especially during the pandemic. During the pandemic, JFS was able to implement its continuum of services as an “agency without walls,” responding to an increase in needs and providing support to our community traumatized by the impact of the pandemic. During this time: • JFS distributed almost $20,000 to those financially impacted by the pandemic for things like rent, mortgage and utilities. • JFS distributed more than
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400 holiday gift bags to seniors and pantry clients, including those delivered by volunteers to individuals that were isolated during quarantine. JFS met the needs of individuals with food insecu-
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rity with more than a 50% increase in pantry services. JFS provided more than 16 virtual programs to seniors, keeping them engaged and connected to the community (Continued on page 3)
Most Jews Won’t Set Foot In a Synagogue; That’s Why Rabbis Need to Think Like Entrepreneurs
5007 Providence Road, Suite #112 Charlotte, NC 28226 Change Service Requested
By Julie Loftis On June 6 more than 300 registered attendees logged on to Jewish Family Services’ (JFS) first-ever virtual Live, Laugh, Give fundraising event. The headliner, John Heffron, did not disappoint with his one-liners and jokes. According to Howard Olshansky, executive director for JFS, “We had no idea what to expect with a virtual event. We are so moved that once again our community opened their hearts, and the event raised over $90,000 to support our services.” A special thank you to our major sponsors, Kim and Adam Levy, Izzy’s Catering, Gary and Jodi Michel and Pinnacle Bank; to our event co-chairs, Andrea Cronson and Adina Loewensteiner; and to the many others who donated their time, talents, and gifts. Sponsors were treated to a special virtual meet and greet with Heffron and a delicious meal catered by Best Impressions and delivered by volunteers. Next month JFS kicks off its Family to Family Annual Campaign, accounting for close to a quarter of the total annual budget. The Family to Family Campaign will focus on “Reimagining a Stronger Community.” Mem-
By Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein June 15, 2021 (JTA) On March 13, nearly a year to the day after Temple Beth El of Charlotte, North Carolina, closed due to COVID-19, Rabbi Dusty Klass gathered the congregation’s 900 households for a shared — albeit remote — Jewish experience. Unable to gather her community for worship, Klass and her colleagues, including operations manager Nathalie Friedlander, invented something new: Challah Day. Volunteers baked over 900 challot, and others delivered them to the doorstep of every household in the community to enjoy over a Shabbat meal. Even those who rarely attend synagogue participated. New volunteers took leadership roles; people of different ages and stages initiated new relationships; those who felt only a distant connection to the community and to Jewish practice reported a sense of belonging. Klass was one of thousands of pulpit rabbis who amid the pandemic quickly became rabbinic entre-
preneurs — and in the process kindled new energy in her Jewish community. “I don’t know what to say except that the worst misfortune isn’t only misfortunes,” says the Rev. John Ames, a character in Marilynne Robinson’s novel “Gilead.” These words are true of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the rabbinate. Our clergy have now spent more than a year adapting their leadership to reach beyond their synagogue walls, serving those who couldn’t show up. Misfortune may have fully emptied our sanctuaries, but the pandemic was merely an acceleration of a trend. The 2021 Pew Study of American Jews demonstrated that even before the pandemic, 52% of American Jews reported attending synagogue “seldom or never.” Without a synagogue, most do not have a relationship with a good rabbi. Yet more than half of these “non-attenders” reported “other ways of expressing their Jewishness” through, as Pew confirmed, “holidays, food choices, cultural connections or life milestones.” (Continued on page 3)
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