The Charlotte Jewish News - May 2008 - Page 10
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Temple Or Olam (Formerly Havurat
Olam): Who We Are
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
CAROLINA MARKING DEVICES, INC.
PO BOX 32143 3405 S. TRYON ST.
CHARLOTTE, NC 28232-2143
TEL: 704-525-7600 FAX: 800-777-8619
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If you’re used to seeing the
news from Havurat Olam in this
space, you’ll notice that we have a
name change. Reflecting our
growth from a Havurah to a fully
operating Jewish congregation, we
polled our members for sugges
tions on a new name. The winning
name. Temple Or Olam, means
“light of (or to) the world.”
The next major step for our
congregation will be to secure our
own permanent location in
Cabarrus County. Our building
committee is hard at work, trudg
ing down muddy paths, examining
buildings, and debating over
bagels and lox. As we settle into a
new name, and, soon, we hope, a
new space, it’s reasonable to ask:
Who are we? What’s important to
us?
The core of Temple Or Olam is
community. A sense of community
permeates everything we do -
from the Friday services where
everyone really does know your
name, to the karaoke parties where
kids and adults (and one memo
rable gorilla) croon together with
out fear, knowing that they’re
among friends.
We value inclusiveness. Non-
Jewish spouses feel comfortable.
So do guests and friends of the
family. We welcome the gifts that
every member can bring from his
or her background. Our religious
leader, Barbara Thiede, takes spe
cial care to make our religious
services accessible and meaning
ful to everyone: Those raised
Havdalah hands.
Jewish, Jews by choice, and
“fnends and family” of Jews.
One of the first questions many
people ask about Temple Or Olam
is “What is the congregation’s
denomination?”
The answer: Jewish. We are one
of a growing number of congrega
tions throughout the United States
and Canada that have chosen not
to affiliate with any one denomi
nation. Why? We want to be free
to express our Jewishness in the
ways that are most meaningful to
our members, no matter what their
background. While we
honor and value the
importance of each
denomination, as the
only congregation in
Cabarrus County, we
want to be a place
where Jews of any
background can find
something familiar and
feel comfortable.
Our services restore
V
h
the spiritual vitality characteristic
of the Hassidic movement of pre
war Europe through our involved
and even exuberant prayer. We
engage in spirited Torah study. We
also believe, alongside the
Reconstruction movement, that
Judaism is an evolving religious
civilization. We do a lot of our
praying in Hebrew, as
Conservative Judaism does, and
we emphasize social action and
egalitarianism as Reform Judaism
does.
Dr. Thiede, who teaches at
UNC-Charlotte’s Department of
Religious Studies, is also studying
for rabbinic ordination with the
Alliance for Jewish Renewal,
whose faculty includes ordained
rabbis from every major Jewish
denomination. So our services
draw on the energy, musical vari
ety, and joyous spirit of Jewish
Renewal as well.
Maybe the best way to answer
the question of who we are is with
an invitation. Come and see for
yourself. Please join us for one of
our Friday evening services, and
we will make you feel at
Q home, and, .we hope,
^ help you begin your
Shabbat with the sweet
ness it deserves.
For more information,
please call 704-720-
7577, email us at
info@or-olam.org, or
visit our website at
www.or-olam.org. 4*
0
Interreligious Coordinating Council of
Israel Visits Charlotte
Temple Israel and the Jewish
Federation of Greater Charlotte
Community Relations Council
(CRC) welcome the Interreligious
Coordinating Council in Israel.
Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish, Director
of ICCI, Issa Jaber, Co-chairper
son of ICCI, and Reverend
Samuel Fanous will visit Charlotte
for the first time May 16, 17, and
18. “Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam all preach peace. Too often,
however, they are corrupted to
fuel hatred and violence. ICCI’s
mission is to harness the teachings
and values of the three monotheis
tic religions and transform them
into a source of reconciliation and
coexistence.” Friday evening’s 8
PM presentation will focus on the
historical background of the con
flict between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority from Oslo to
the present. Shabbat morning,
each guest will give a D’var Torah
from their religious background.
Shabbat afternoon, beginning at
3:30 PM, Temple Israel will wel
come representatives from Masjid
Ash Shaheed to study and share
with members of the Jewish
Community the views from ICCI’s
delegation. Sunday morning.
Temple Israel will share an hour of
study with ICCI at Providence
United Methodist Church.
The excitement is building as
we prepare for Shavuot and the
extraordinary annual experience
of Confirmation. Shavuot cele
brates the giving and receiving of
Torah at Mt. Sinai, a truly excep
tional moment in history that still
teaches the import and value of
each individual human being. As
we prepare to receive the gift of
Torah anew, so may our time with
ICCI, help us to appreciate the
value and power of the three
monotheistic religions and our
potential to lead the world towards
peaceful co-existence.
The Temple Israel Social Club, for active couples and singles,
invite you to join our social group.
Meet new people and en joy our interesting programs and
trips. For information call Janice Rosnei; 70^1-366-5631.
Watch for information on our next social occasion,
a play at the CPCC summer theatre.