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The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2010 - Page 14 Hebrew Cemetery By Lorrie Klemons, publicity The crocuses will soon be in bloom and the trae essence of springtime with all of its glory and splendor lies just around the cor ner. For those of us lucky enough to be around year after year, we know that this cycle of life repeats itself on an on-going annual basis. Mother Nature is a divinely inspired miracle. Life, in and of itself, is a divinely inspired mira cle. How one leads that life is a choice. Living a life that matters is a choice. Living a Jewish life is a choice. On March 29, Jews around the world will sit down to the first Seder as the seven- or eight-day celebration of Passover com mences. This, too, is a choice we make, whether or not we celebrate our liberation as slaves from the land of Egypt. Whether or not we choose to participate in the Jewish traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation for the past 3300 years since receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. When we were slaves, we had no choices and in a sense, that TCrXXVtA/ r I. DAVI D'SATQ The Village at South Park Two Doors Down From Crate K^arrel 4310 Sharon Road - Suite T-09 704-364-6543 ^ 2dDVTlie Hchbr)' Cumpuy. MERSHFY'S. KJS-SES, iIk KlSSrSwnpiif^ iHiwisffvd rHiifill conlifur!i(ir>n VHt p4itri± li«nK7. Vrnld TMwekrv Iiwuk- -Mode in C^iu. davidsltd.com RECEIVE A FREE TIN OF HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE KISSES WITH PURCHASE SUPPLY LIMITED HERSHEH Licensed Product Avatlable in C1o1d and Diamonds or in STerllng Silver. Summit place with Summit Place! OF SOUTHPARK NOW LEASING - Call or come by today! Summit Place of SouthPark has been transformed into one of Charlotte’s premier Assisted Living and Memory Care communities. With luxuries like housekeeping plus a caring staff available around the clock, you’ll be tickled pink with Summit Place and all it has to offer. Visit Summit Place today and see what has everyone talking. Studio or 1 Bedroom Apartments, Full Social 8c Activities Calendar, and Much More! Summit Place of SouthPark Assisted Living & Memory Care Community 2101 Runnymede Lane, Charlotte, NC 28209 • 704.525.5508 BRf.T .T . SENIOR LIVING www.SummitPlaceof Southpark.com A A DIVISION OF BELL PAKTNEKS made life easier for us. It isn’t always easy to make the right choices. Everyone has different needs. Everyone has different goals. Everyone has a different belief system and a different level of observance of their Judaism. What does matter is that we main tain the basic Jewish values of Torah, Prayer and Acts of Loving Kindness. What matters is that we never forget that we were slaves in a foreign land and that we were liberated through Divine interven tion. We did not become a Jewish people until we assembled at the foot of Mt. Sinai and received the Ten Commandments and the Torah. Up until that time we did not know what celebrating the Sabbath meant. We did not know what it meant to keep kosher or to observe the laws of monogamy. We didn’t know what it meant to be an ethical person. Mt. Sinai was the beginning of our people hood and it is that which we celebrate during Passover At this beautiful season of the year, please consider becoming part of the people hood of the 600+ families that are members of the Hebrew Cemetery. Your tax deductible annual dues of $72 will help maintain a dignified and sanctified resting place for all those who precede us in eternal life. If you would like to make a donation to memorialize a loved one or to help fund the Norman Steinberger Funeral Assistance Fund, send your check payable to the Hebrew Cemetery to 4229 Peggy Lane, Charlotte, NC 28227. For more information about membership benefits, graves, prepaid funeral costs, endowments, and/or including the cemetery in your estate plan ning, contact Cemetery Director, Sandra Goldman at 704-576-1859 or 704-944-6854 or director@ hebrewcemetery.org. ^ The Jewish Traveler By Maxine Silverstein Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands This past December, my hus band Gary and I took a real vaca tion. We do so much traveling for our business (Mann Travels), that it was a wonderful treat to go on a relaxing ten-night cruise on the Ruby Princess out of Fort Lauderdale. It was during Hanukkah and we were fortunate to have Hanukkah services nightly on our cruise. The first night of Hanukkah, there were over 300 passengers at this service. The ship’s staff even made homemade latkes, which was a special treat. It was great to celebrate Hanukkah at sea. Our first port of call was Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Island. It had been quite a few years since we had visited this busy city. What a fun place - interesting sightsee ing, great shopping and wonderful restaurants - in only 32 square miles with a population of 56,000 inhabitants. During the First World War, the United States bought the Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold. In the 1950, St. Thomas became a tourist mecca and enjoys this status today. It was an easy walk from our port in Saint Thomas to visit the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas at 16 A&B Crystal Gade. Jews first began to settle on the island in 1655 when it was ruled by Denmark. They were mainly traders in sugarcane, rum and Maxine Silverstein visits the Hebrew Congregtion of St. Thomas. Gary Silverstein with Rabbi Moch. molasses. One of the first Jews in the Virgin Islands was Gabriel Milan, whom King Christian of Denmark sent in 1864 to be gover nor He was the first of three Jews who have served as governors. In 1796, the Jews of St. Thomas founded this congregation. Only nine Jewish families belonged to the congregation in 1801, but by 1803 it had increased to 22, with arrivals from England, France, and Curacao. The present building was constructed in 1833. It was amazing to think we were visiting the oldest synagogue in continuous use under the American flag. With only two exceptions - Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and a major restoration in 1999-2000 - this has been a dedi cated synagogue structure holding services since 1833. This beautiful temple, declared a National Historic Landmark, is an architec tural and historical gem in the middle of the Caribbean. The syn agogue was built in the Sephardic style, since its original congre gants migrated as a result of the Spanish Inquisition. In keeping with this style, the seating permits congregants to face one another instead of seating theater-style. Also the bimah is opposite the Ark in which the synagogue’s six torahs are housed. The sand on the floor is a remnant of the days of the Marranos, Jews who, during the Spanish Inquisition, were forced to convert to Christianity, but secretly continued to practice Judaism. Since practicing Judaism was punishable by death, they met (Continued on page 26)
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