JPOD Charlotte

Season 2 Wrap Up: Covering a wide range of topics and people, all in all JPOD Charlotte Season 2 was a success.  And three personal pledges on how I plan to show up for racial inequities and injustices.   https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/main/jpod-clt/

Maya Lapidot-Boaz: Dedicated to all the Jewish Community Graduating Seniors - Maya Lapidot-Boaz spent her high school years as a BBYO leader and a Stand with Us Intern.  These experiences have shaped her Jewish Identity and led her to a big move after graduation. https://www.standwithus.com https://bbyo.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/news/2020/05/28/news/levine-jcc-reopening-update/

Elise Kosofsky When I see Elise walking towards me in the parking lot, I know she is probably going to ask me for something but I don’t mind because I know it’s for the greater good of our shared Jewish community.  Find out what makes Elise so good at “the ask”.    https://jewishcharlotte.org/covid-19 https://www.charlottejcc.org/news/2020/05/21/news/levine-jcc-summer-camp-2020-updates/

Mental Health with Stacy Brink: Stacy Brink, licensed psychologist and member of our Jewish Community,  answers all my questions about managing mental health during the ramification of a global pandemic.  She shares several tools to help ourselves and those around us navigate through our changing situations.   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) YouthLine: A teen crisis helpline with teen-2-teen support 1-877-968-8491 TEXT: teen2teen to 839863 Substance Abuse and Mental Health National Helpline 1-800-662-4357 (HELP) Greater CLT Hopeline (Domestic Violence & Prevention) 980-771-4673 https://jfscharlotte.org/events/

Shalom Park with Butch Rosen Butch Rosen, former Foundation of Shalom Park Executive Director, shares the history of Shalom Park from his perspective and the cooperation and compromise that has led to its success.     https://shalomcharlotte.com https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/a-conversation-with-lori-gottlieb

Mini-cast featuring Kara Culp: Kara Culp, Engagement Coordinator at the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, shares how she and her husband are juggling working from home and their two young children’s needs during the stay at home order.  Reclaimed family time is the highlight of her days.   charlottejcc.org   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqd9kd9Tp603yKnD8dIxG8A

Mini- Cast featuring Bob Jacobson:  Bob Jacobson, an avid-volunteer and home alone widow, shares how he has been spending his newly found free-time.  Silver linings include a clean house, items to donate and new neighbors.  https://jewishcharlotte.org/covid-19 https://www.charlottejcc.org    

Mini-Cast: Megan and Andy Harkavy Megan and Andy share their experience with the birth of their second child and Coronavirus NKU1, reminding us all to take precautions for our own health and those we love.    https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/about-us/jconnect/

Mini-Cast with Sherry Kornfeld Sherry Kornfeld, a Jewish Charlotte unicorn, shares her struggles and accomplishments in shifting, Early Bird Developmental Services, from an in person business to a tele-therapy model so they can continue to serve their clients during the coronavirus pandemic.    http://earlybirdonline.com https://jewishcharlotte.org

Mini Bagels in the Age of Coronavirus by Amy Lefkoff With permission from Amy, I share her story about caring for her aging parents in her home and the difficult decisions that need to be made to keep everyone healthy.   https://jfscharlotte.org/food-pantry-needs/

Mini-Cast with Randi Lan Inspired by a neighborhood FB post Randi Lan and her family, Charlotte Jewish community member for 15 years, did a mitzvah during this coronavirus situation.     https://jewishcharlotte.org/passover2020 https://jewishcharlotte.org/covid-19 https://www.hias.org/passover

Coronavirus, A Self-Indulgent Episode.    I share my truth about being home during this coronavirus pandemic and how much better the Jewish/Greater Community has sprung into action to get and stay connected.    https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/about-us/jconnect/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/about-us/staff-sustainability-effort/

Women’s Philanthropy Spring Event: Jill Halverstam and Lisa Strause-Levinson, the Women's Philanthropy Spring Event Co-Chairs, share with us how a simple invite or push can make a great impact on the community.   Celebrate Women’s Philanthropy and the Pearl Society with Founder of JewBelong, Archie Gottesman on March 31st, 7pm, Sam Lerner Center.  A minimum individual/family gift of $180 is required to attend this event.   https://events.idonate.com/wpspring https://jewishcharlotte.org/get-connected-/womens-philanthropy https://www.jewbelong.com ilana.toch@jewishcharlotte.org http://www.templekolamisc.org  

Summaries In Their Own Words: Rabbi Judy Schindler and Judy Seldin-Cohen summarize their book Recharging Judaism: How Civic Engagement is Good for Synagogues, Jews, and America https://www.judyschindler.com/books/ https://www.judyseldincohen.com https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/03/22/events/calm-your-mind/  

Judy Seldin-Cohen: The Impact of Volunteering Judy Seldin-Cohen shares two examples, Shalom Park Freedom School and A Way Home Housing Endowment, of how a group of passionate volunteers can really make an impact.  Finding the right place to volunteer for yourself makes it meaningful and worth fitting into a busy schedule.     https://www.judyseldincohen.com/about https://spfreedomschool.org https://www.fftc.org/AWayHome https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/03/15/events/community-garden-work-day/

Artist in Residence at Temple Israel Temple Israel is hosting its first ever Artist in Residence with Mordechai Rosenstein on March 5-8th.  There will be opportunities all weekend for the community to listen, paint and learn.  Rabbi Helene Kornsgold, Director of Congregational Education and Arial DiDonato, Director of Events and Programming both of Temple Israel are excited to welcome the community.   https://www.templeisraelnc.org/artist-in-residence-mordechai-rosenstein.html# http://rosensteinarts.com https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/03/08/events/community-purim-carnival/

Community Organizing 101 and 102 at Temple Beth El What is community organizing? Who would be interested? Why does this fit into Reform Judaism?  Rabbi Dusty Klass, Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth El answered all my questions and convinced me to put these two seminars on my calendar - March 4th and April 5th.    https://templebethel.org https://tbe.shulcloud.com/event/community-organizing-101-training.html https://tbe.shulcloud.com/event/community-organizing-1011.html https://spfreedomschool.org/get-involved/

Lunch and Learn at Temple Israel Rabbi Howard Siegel, Senior Interim Rabbi, inherited the lunch and learn series and has made it his own by exploring the writings of Rabbi Harold Kushner every second Thursday of the month at 11am since September.  He also discusses his role as Interim Rabbi and the introduction of an original program even though he is only here for a year or two.   https://www.templeisraelnc.org/event/lunch-n-learn--meet-eat-discover-4.html https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/02/09/events/tu-bishvat-plant-a-fig-tree/ https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/tubshvat-hebrew-cemetery-tree-planting-1563384174

The Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice Part 3: Donna Tarney In her role as Education Coordinator, Donna Tarney, provides Holocaust educational resources, hosts teacher workshops and guest speakers throughout the year for schools and community members.  By using the Holocaust as a backdrop to learn about our own current biases, teachers, students, professors and community members can explore ways to break down barriers in our communities and schools. https://www.stangreensponcenter.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/02/08/events/jewish-film-festival-teen-movie-night-film-and-falafel/      

Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice at Queen University of Charlotte Part 2: Talli Dippold From archiving survivor stories to humanizing the holocaust to providing education curriculum to partnering with community leaders they are bringing the lesson of the past into conversation with our present in order to intentionally shape a better future for students and the community at large. https://www.stangreensponcenter.org https://www.joinedineducation.org https://charlottejewishfilm.com

Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice at Queen University of Charlotte Part 1: Rabbi Judy Schindler Giving voice to the voiceless, and forming community partnerships to create positive change. Drawing on history to guide our way as we advocate for those who need a spark of hope to lead them out of despair.  https://www.stangreensponcenter.org https://www.judyschindler.com https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2020/01/16/events/eating-for-gut-health-environmental-food-sustainability/

Charlotte Jewish Film Festival 2020 The selection committee whittled the films down from over 200 to their top 16.   Jeff Turk, co-chair, previews the 2020 film festival.  Comedy, Documentary, Politics, Basketball, Food and more there is something for everyone this year.   https://charlottejewishfilm.com http://charlottejcc.libsyn.com/the-charlotte-jewish-film-festival https://www.joinedineducation.org http://charlottejcc.libsyn.com/joined-in-education-jie

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger - Director of International Relations and one of the founders of Roots and Shadi Abu Awwad - Founder of Roots Teen Group and United States Palestinian Representative share the work they do through face-to-face interactions, to build a pre-political movement of understanding, nonviolence, and transformation among Israelis and Palestinians, in a region fraught with anger, frustration and ignorance. https://www.friendsofroots.net https://www.facebook.com/friendsroots/ http://www.ravhanan.org https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/the-main-event-2020  

Hanukkah/Chanukah The only publicly celebrated Jewish holiday I can think of.  There are many ways to celebrate this year all over the Greater Charlotte area, from Lake Norman to Uptown to South Charlotte to Sun City to SC.  Light the candles, give a gift to JFS, teach your child's classroom and eat donuts.   http://www.charlottejewishnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/12-Dec-2019-Web.pdf https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/12/21/events/kids-night-in-the-j/ http://jfscharlotte.org

Tali de Groot: JPOD’s first personal interest story about a home grown Jewish millennial advocate. Having spent her whole childhood immersed in the NC Jewish Community, Tali left for college excited for a more diverse experience.  She found comfort in J Street, worked for J Street from August 2016 through November 2019 and recently moved to Texas to serve as Finance Director on a congressional campaign.   https://jstreet.org/j-street-u/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/12/08/events/ceramic-pottery-sale/

Bar MAXvah: Using a diy style program from the Society for Humanist Judaism as her guide, Emily shares her personal journey of planning a Bar Mitzvah with and for her son.  They benefited from and took advantage of the diverse Jewish Community here in Charlotte along the way.  https://shj.org

Cantor Shira Lissek Temple Israel's Cantor Lissek in partnership with Cantor Magda Fishman will perform Kavanah: The Heart and Soul of Barbara Streisand on December 15th.  She also shares her love of liturgical music every week on Shira with Shira. https://www.templeisraelnc.org/event/cantor-winter-concert-fundraiser-.html https://www.templeisraelnc.org/music-at-ti.html https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/11/28/events/turkey-trot/

Anti-Defamation League: ADL The ADL is focused on stopping the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.  The JCRC brought the ADL and its Words to Action to Charlotte in September for students, teachers, educator and Jewish Professionals. They also talked to professionals in greater charlotte about ways to address hate in our community. https://www.adl.org https://dc.adl.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/11/12/events/upstream-arts/ http://charlottejcc.libsyn.com/upstream-arts  

J Street J Street organizes and mobilizes pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people.  Amos Gil, Capital-South Regional Director, shares details about their work and why they visit communities like Charlotte.   https://jstreet.org laurel.grauer@jewishcharlotte.org http://pajamawalk.com

Israel Action Network: IAN IAN builds a strong base of support for Israel and counters delegitimization in the context of two states for two peoples. On Oct 23/24 they will be in Charlotte for leadership and community training as part of Charlotte JCRC’s effort to help the community have more meaningful conversation about Israel.  https://israelactionnetwork.org laurel.grauer@jewishcharlotte.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/11/03/events/2nd-annual-welcoming-the-stranger-to-the-table/  

Levine JCC Cultural Arts Fall Highlights:  Jeff Turk and Susan Cherin Gundersheim talk about Fall Flicks, Surviving Birkenau: the Dr. Susan Spatz story, Oct 26th and Crossing Delancey-An Evening With Peter Riegert, Oct 27th.   Plus, the Charlotte winner of the 2019 Jewish Playwriting Contest, the Sabbath Girl Performance, Nov 9th and 10th.       https://charlottejewishfilm.com https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/the-arts/performances-auditions/ https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/womens-philanthropy-day

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Update Part 2: Israel and Building Relationships Laurel Grauer, Director of Community Relations and Israel Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte talks about educational programming that helps the Charlotte Jewish Community have more comfortable and informed conversation about Israel. laurel.grauer@jewishcharlotte.org https://jewishcharlotte.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/10/17/events/book-club-in-the-sukkah/

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Update Part 1: SchoolsLaurel Grauer, Director of Community Relations and Israel Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte talks about the rise in anti-Semitism in our schools and how the JCRC helps build relationships with administrators and staff to support our Jewish Community students and their families.   laurel.grauer@jewishcharlotte.org https://jewishcharlotte.org https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/hebrew-cemetery-annual-memorial-service-1545334190

Moishe House: With their East Coast Headquarters in Charlotte, Moishe House is what being Jewish in your 20s is all about. They provide a space for over 70,000 young adults around the world to create meaningful, welcoming Jewish communities for themselves and their peers. https://www.moishehouse.org https://www.moishehouse.org/find-a-house/charlotte-noda/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/the-arts/performances-auditions/

Ballantyne Jewish Center: The Ballantyne Jewish Center is dedicated to serving all Jews throughout Ballantyne and surrounding areas with Ahavat Yisrael –unconditional love and concern for every Jew, regardless of background and affiliation.  With unique programming, they offer Judaism with a smile and a home away from home for everyone who walks through their doors.    https://www.jewishballantyne.com www.cltmegachallah.com https://www.picatic.com/adlworkshop

Chabad of Charlotte Chabad of Charlotte exists to ensure the Jewish future of our community. Through authentic but loving educational and outreach programs, Chabad aims to touch and inspire every Jew in the Charlotte Metro Region.  Don't miss their Grandest Opening of the Epstein Family Chabad Center for Jewish Life on September 15th.  http://www.chabadnc.org https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/wp-kick-off more from Rabbi Groner https://www.onlifeandmeaning.com/podcast-episodes/yossi-groner  

Carolina Jews for Justice Greater Charlotte Chapter  - CJJ CharlotteCommitted to creating a just, fair, and compassionate Charlotte through combining advocacy and education to organize non-partisan Jewish voices in the Charlotte NC area.  “We build relationships where people help each other" infocjjcharlotte@gmail.com https://carolinajewsforjustice.org/cjj-charlotte https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaJewsForJustice/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/09/19/events/making-space-for-yourself-free-event/  

Hebrew High  Hebrew High reflects the vibrant energy of our Jewish teens by giving them a voice to explore their Judaism in a safe environment with passionate and skilled teachers who want to help our students make an impact on the world. Hebrew High is a supplementary Jewish program for students in grades 8-12, sponsored by Temple Beth El and Temple Israel, and open to ALL Jewish teens! https://www.hebrewhigh.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/09/04/events/jchats-with-author-steven-rogelberg/

Charlotte and Eastern Region BBYO BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences.  Charlotte is home to four BBYO Chapters, meeting every Tuesday evening during the school year, and the Eastern Region Office.  All Jewish teens in 9th – 12th grade are welcome to join Charlotte BBYO at our Big Splash Kickoff, Saturday, August 17th - 6:45-9:00pm Levine JCC pool. Cost $10 online, $15 at the door https://tinyurl.com/cltkickoff2019   https://bbyo.org/bbyo-near-you/regions/eastern-region https://bbyo.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/09/10/events/a-plastic-ocean-movie-screening/  

Camp SOAR Camp SOAR is a free three day camp for children and adults with special needs.  It provides a fun and memorable experience for special needs campers and the same memorable experience for the volunteers.  http://sonc.net/local-programs/mecklenburg-county/camp-soar/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/clientuploads/Camp/SOAR2019_brochure_visual_(1).pdf http://charlottejcc.libsyn.com  

The Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community.  Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community is the Nonprofit organization in the greater Charlotte region dedicated to raising and managing long-term charitable resources to sustain the quality of Jewish religion, life and culture by linking our donors' philanthropic intent with the needs of the community. https://www.fftc.org/fcjc http://charlottebookoflife.org/what.php http://events.carolinashealthcarefoundation.org/site/TR/Events/JCC2019?fr_id=2051&pg=entry https://prracemanagement.webconnex.com/LJCC2019

The Mikvah at Temple Israel Temple Israel's Mikvah is open to anyone in the community for monthly woman visits, spiritual healing, conversions, and marriage transitions.  Rabbi Ezring shares traditions on the use of mikvah and his own story of being a Rabbi.   https://www.templeisraelnc.org/temple-israel-mikvah.html https://www.templeisraelnc.org/event/rabbi-ezring-retirement-celebration-weekend.html https://friendshipcirclenc.org/onething/

Live, Laugh, Give benefiting Jewish Family Services: Orny Adams headlines this years Live, Laugh, Give Comedy Night benefitting Jewish Family Services, for all the social services they provide for our Jewish Community.   http://jfscharlotte.org/llg2019/ https://www.ornyadams.com https://www.jewishcounciloflakenorman.org/deliday

Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration Program Rabbi Murray Ezring shares the importance of the Jewish Community Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Commemoration Program on May 5th at Temple Israel from 4-5pm.  https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/yom-hashoah-community https://www.facebook.com/events/408358286671500/ http://spfreedomschool.org https://www.tickettailor.com/events/shalomparkfreedomschool/236079    

JCC Maccabi Games: Jewish Charlotte area youth (ages 13-16) can participate in their favorite sport or art this summer in Detroit, Aug 4-9th, at the JCC Maccabi Games - the second largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world.  For more information email stephanie.garner@charlottejcc.org https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/youth-family/teens-middle-high-school/ http://www.jccmaccabigames.org https://shalomgreenclt.org/community-garden

LJCC Sports Specialty Camps: Offering 5 additional weeks of specialty sports camps the LJCC has a little of something for every young sports player.  Stephanie Garner, Director of Sports, shares the details about camp and the regular season sports programs. https://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/camp/sports-tennis-camps/ https://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/04/27/events/farm-to-table-dinner/

Rock Steady Boxing at the Levine JCC: In Rock Steady Boxing, Parkinson’s disease is the opponent.  Jenny Crow and Suzanne DiOrio share their journey of being Rock Steady Coaches and the impact it has made in their clients lives and their own.   http://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/fitness/rock-steady-boxing/ https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/wp-spring-event

The 13th Annual Sam Strause LJCC Invitational Golf Tournament: On April 15th, members and supporters of the LJCC will come together, for a day go golf, to celebrate the life and legacy of Sam Strause and raise funds to benefit the Levine JCC Oasis senior enrichment program.       http://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/04/15/events/13th-annual-golf-tournament/ http://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/04/07/events/mindfulness/

Upstream Arts: Upstream Arts is returning for its third residency, April 1-5th, to change mindsets about ability and disability and activate and amplify the voice and choice of individuals with disabilities in our charlotte community.   http://www.charlottejcc.org/clientuploads/ARTS/UpstreamArts_flyer_Apr2019.pdf https://www.upstreamarts.org http://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/03/31/events/hemp-what-s-the-hype/  

3rd Annual Charlotte Jewish Playwriting Contest: Don’t miss this opportunity to see a different side of theatre and vote on your favorite play.   Susan Cherin Gundersheim shares the history and importance of this program and Dusty Klass shares her reading committee experience and why she loves this program.    http://www.charlottejcc.org/webpage-directory/the-arts/performances-auditions/ http://www.charlottejcc.org/clientuploads/Events%20Attachments/FoodTour_flyer.pdf    

Community Purim Carnival: On March 17th our Jewish community comes tog ether to celebrate Purim with storytelling, Kosher lunch, games, prizes, shopping, moon bounces and more. This community collaboration is a family favorite and brings out everyone in the community young and young at heart. http://www.charlottejcc.org/events/2019/03/17/events/community-purim-carnival/ https://jewishcharlotte.org/community-calendar/community-wide-purim-carnival-2019 Chabad YP - https://www.facebook.com/events/253679345545022/?active_tab=about Hamantash Bake - https://www.facebook.com/events/530332060796364/