Pets need your help
Animal Medical Hospital (AMH), 2832 Monroe Rd., is holding a pet food drive through partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.
The hospital said they are participating in this effort because recently, there has been an increase of animals surrendered and euthanized due to owners not being able to afford food.
AMH’s goal is to raise 500 pounds of food by Dec. 18.
“Providing food for these pets can save their life and keep them in the arms of their loved ones,” they said.
They are asking its team members, clients and the community to donate unopened dog and cat food (wet or dry). Red bin receptacles are located in their front lobby. Toys, treats and leashes are also being accepted. All items will be donated to non-profit shelters, rescue groups, foster pet homes and pet owners facing financial difficulties.
AMH is appreciative of any support they receive for this worthy cause.
For more information, visit animalmedical.net.
Museum shares Torah details
Saul Schiffman helps to find a passage in the Torah. He is assisted by a museum staff member.
The Torah, like the Morroccan one at the North Carolina Museum of Art, contains the five books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, written on parchment made from the skins of a kosher animal, such as a deer, goat, cow etc.,” Saul Schiffman, a friend of the Judaic Art Gallery at the North Carolina Museum of Art said. “The skin is soaked, stretched and scraped to create a smooth light colored writing surface. Over the centuries a scroll can darken to a brown color as has this one here and most of the fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls.”
Schiffman recently shared information about how a Torah is prepared, written and maintained.
He explained that a scribe (sofer) copies the scroll onto the parchment word for word being careful not to make any mistakes. If a mistake is made it must be corrected, otherwise the scroll is not ritually pure. He added that the scribe spends years in training to be qualified to write sacred texts. It takes about a year to write one Torah scroll, including the work of the scribes and checking the text by other scribes. Texts written by scribes do not simply include the Torah, but also a mezuzah (affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes), phylacteries (tefillin) worn during weekday morning prayers and megillot (such as the Book of Esther).
“In the Museum’s Judaic Art Gallery, we roll the Torah scroll to a different section about twice every year. The portion chosen either coincides with a ritual performed by Jews during the same time of the year or a text of general interest. For 2013, during the first half of the year, the scroll was turned to the priestly benediction (Numbers 6:23-27) recited by the Rabbi and/or cohanim (descendants of Aaron) during Jewish religious services. This same blessing is also recited at most Christian church services around the world,” he shared. This particular scroll was made of soft deerskin and is fragile. It has to be handled with care. The museum’s staff have to wear gloves when handling this artifact.
During the remainder of 2013-14, the scroll was turned to the portion recanting the death and burial of Abraham. Schiffman said that the significance of this short portion was that “even though Isaac and Ishmael may not have been close to each other, they came together to bury their father showing reverence and respect (Genesis 25: 1-10).”
The Torah, housed in a silver Sephardic case, is on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art’s Judaic Art Gallery.
For more information, visit ncartmuseum.org.
To Honor and Comfort: Panel to Discuss Jewish Choices In End-of-Life Planning
Havurat Tikvah is sponsoring a panel discussion, “To Honor and Comfort: A Jewish Response to Death and Grief,” on Jan. 12, 2014, 4 p.m., at Avondale Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall, 2821 Park Road, home to Havurat Tikvah.
It’s the one certain event most people avoid planning for: the death of a family member or oneself. Adding to that reluctance, one might not know enough about Jewish funeral and mourning practices or who to turn to for help in making decisions.
Led by three experienced professionals, attendees will be able to expand their knowledge base about Jewish customs and practices surrounding end-of-life issues.
Rabbi Jonathan Freirich, associate rabbi at Temple Beth El and a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, will give an overview of traditional laws and customs regarding death and bereavement, as well as liberal Jewish practices. Both communal and individual obligations will be considered.
Sandra Goldman, director of the Hebrew Cemetery Association of Greater Charlotte, will talk about traditional grave sites and new options at the historic cemetery, including the nearly-completed chapel/memorial building.
Joel Blady, who is Jewish and a funeral director at Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, will cover funeral home services that enable families to observe Jewish practices.
A question and answer session will follow the panel’s presentations. All attending are invited to refreshments immediately afterward.
The program is free and Charlotte’s Jewish community, including unaffiliated Jews, is invited to attend.
Parking is available in the church lot off Lilac Road.
Teen aids schools
Brooke Feinglass is doing her part in providing support to her mother’s native land.
This industrious sophomore in the IB program at Myers Park High School is gathering school supplies for donation to public schools in the Central American country of Hondurus. During a time of research, she discovered that the educational system in that country was below standard. The main reason for this is due to the lack of school supplies.
So, Feinglass is collecting anything that a school-aged person would need to become more successful. She is looking for notebooks, paper, pencils, etc., and will donate them to the school system in Hondurus when she has completed her contributions’ gathering.
For more information or to make arrangements for supply pickup, email bjfeind1@gmail.com.