The Charlotte
JEWISH
NEWS
Vol. 48, No. 9 Tishrei- Cheshvan, 5787 October 2026
Make Your Mark: One Unique Touch at a Time
By Julie Loftis
Sometimes, the moment that changes someone’ s life doesn’ t look like much from the outside. It might be a phone call, a conversation, a bag of groceries, a ride to an appointment, or simply someone noticing a person who used to show up has suddenly stopped coming.
At Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte( JFS), these moments happen every day. And right now, more people in our community are turning to JFS for help.
JFS has seen a 34 % increase in children under 18 accessing therapy, a 53 % increase in the need for case management services, and a 50 % increase in new Food Pantry clients. Behind every percentage is a person, a family, or an older adult facing a very real challenge.
This fall, JFS is launching its
annual Family to Family Campaign with the theme“ Make Your Mark: One Unique Touch at a Time.” The theme reflects a simple truth: individual needs vary, and thoughtful care rarely takes just one form.
For one person, it may be a therapist who provides a safe place to process anxiety, trauma, grief, or the challenges of growing up. For another, it may be help putting food on the table during a difficult financial period. An older adult may need assistance navigating resources, reconnecting with the community, or simply having someone to talk to. A caregiver may require guidance while caring for a loved one.
JFS responds to these needs through four interconnected core competencies: emotional health and well-being, crisis response and assistance, senior engagement, and community programs and education. Together, these services create a network of support that can address an immediate concern while helping someone take the next step toward greater stability.
Consider Lila, a young person who came to JFS after experiencing severe abuse at home. Although she was physically safe, the trauma followed her. Anxiety, sleepless nights, confusion, and grief made adjusting to a new home difficult. Working with her JFS therapist, Lila began learning ways to manage her anxiety and process what she had experienced. Over time, she began to understand something every child deserves to hear: the abuse was never her fault.
For Rebekkah, a Holocaust survivor, the need looked different. When JFS staff noticed she had stopped participating in programs, they reached out. They learned that rising expenses and changes in government funding had affected her ability to afford in-home care and other necessities. JFS helped her access food assistance and in-home care resources and, importantly, reconnect with the people and activities she had been missing.
These stories demonstrate why flexibility matters. Effective care may take the form of professional counseling, access to critical resources, practical assistance or an opportunity to restore a sense of belonging.
A donation to Family to Family enables JFS to respond when someone needs a safe place to talk, assistance during a crisis, food to fill a bare pantry, companionship in a lonely moment or resources to move forward. These contributions sustain services for seniors and Holocaust survivors, provide food assistance to families experiencing hardship and ensure that professional counseling and community programs remain available as needs evolve.
No single person can solve every challenge facing a community. But each of us can make a difference in someone’ s life. One conversation. One meal. One phone call. One act of kindness. One unique touch at a time.
Together, those touchpoints become something much bigger: a community that notices, responds and stands with its neighbors when they need it most.
That is how we make our mark.
Scan the QR code to make your pledge.
NONPROFIT ORG U. S. POSTAGE PAID CHARLOTTE NC PERMIT # 1208 CHARLOTTE, NC
5007 Providence Road, Suite # 101 Charlotte, NC 28226 Change Service Requested
A New Center for Israel Takes Shape
By Jessica Goldfarb For years, Israel has been woven throughout Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’ s( JFGC) work. Our community has celebrated Yom Ha’ atzmaut, gathered for Yom HaZikaron, welcomed Israeli speakers and cultural programs, built a long-standing relationship with Hadera, and traveled to Israel together. Now, JFGC is building on that history with a more intentional approach to how Jewish Charlotte connects with Israel.
After years of planning and investment, JFGC is officially launching its Israel Center for the community. With a launch celebration, a new director, missions planned for 2027, and expanded programming on the horizon, the Israel Center is moving from vision to reality.
Made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Irving Bienstock and the Sue Worrel Israel Center Endowment Fund, the initiative brings JFGC’ s existing Israel programming together with an expanding range of new experiences centered on Israel’ s people, culture, language, and history. The Israel Center connects you to the people, culture, and experiences of the Jewish homeland.
The community will get its first taste of what lies ahead on Nov. 19 with an Israel Center kickoff event that is equal parts celebration and conversation. The evening will begin with Israeli food and music before award-winning journalist and author Matti Friedman takes the stage for an engaging look at Israel beyond the lens of media and storytelling. Drawing on his experience as a journalist in Israel, Friedman will explore how stories about Israel take shape and the authentic Israel beyond the headlines.
The Israel Center is also entering this new phase with dedicated leadership. Toby Siegal has been named Israel Center Director, returning to a community he already knows from his previous time in Charlotte as an Israeli Shaliach.
He brings firsthand experience connecting Israeli and American Jewish communities and, in his new role, will help shape the Israel Center’ s programming, strengthen relationships with Israel, coordinate efforts across the community, and develop new avenues for engagement.
Some of those new avenues will lead directly to Israel. JFGC already has two missions
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