The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2012 - Page 30
It Takes a Village
Starting an organization is no
easy task. Even more diffieult is a
non-profit without any money.
Now, make that a Temple and it
gets even more eomplieated. For
Temple Kol Ami it took the help
of many to help our eongregation
to grow. As a Jewish eongregation
we had needs for partieular ritual
items. Without money it is diffi
eult to get what is needed. Our
members stepped forward to give
us what we needed. Some with
donations of money, other with
items and a few with their hands.
Gail Danberg hold the Torah
Mantel quilted by Helaine
Yancey.
One sueh member whose hands
have sparked beauty is Flelaine
Yaneey, an aeeomplished quilt
artist also known as the “Quilt
Maven.” Seeing the needs of
Temple Kol Ami Flelaine got to
work. The first item that she made
was a Bima eover. The eover was
designed not only to be a plaee
that we eould rest our Torah but,
also as a symbol of the who we
are. Kol Ami meaning “All My
People” is repre
sented by the fig
ures holding eaeh
other’s hands. The
eover was a eollab-
oration of not only
design, but design
ers. It was quilted
by Flelaine and
embellished with
Swarovsky erystals
by Eleanor Wirth,
renowned bead
artist and Temple member. As
Flelaine eontinued to attend serv-
iees in our borrowed spaee she
realized our need for an eternal
light. Flaving a light installed was
not an option so, she began work
on another quilt to give us a sym-
bolie light. The quilt with its bril
liant flame sits visible for all to see
at the head of all of our serviees.
The designs did not stop there.
Items to embellish and weleome
all to our serviees eontinued. A
wonderful wall hanging designed
with a person holding a Torah and
the word Shalom greets everyone
as they walk through the door. For
eandle lighting a eolorful quilt was
made with the Shabbat blessing
printed in the eenter. As High
Holidays approaehed it was real
ized that we did not have a proper
Torah Mantel. Again, Helaine got
to work. She designed a Mantel
that signified the beauty and bril-
lianee of our new eongregation.
Helaine has also made art quilt
hangings that were sold to help
raise money for the eongregation.
Making art quilts has been a pas
The Bima cover.
sion of hers for
many years. She has
made them for
fundraisers and has
been eommissioned
to make them for
speeial oeeasions,
sueh as weddings
and baby births. It
has been a wonder
ful gift to have sueh
talent in our eongre
gation. We feel hon
ored to have her work adorn our
walls and our eongregation. Please
join us for Friday night serviees
and see the all of the wonderful
work that Helaine has ereated.
Temple Kol Ami has serviees the
first and third Friday night of the
month at 7 PM. Our serviees are
held at Unity Presbyterian, 303
Tom Hall Street, Fort Mill, SC in
the Historie Sanetuary. Contaet us
at yorksynagogue@gmail.eom
with any questions.^
High Holiday Services at
Ohr HaTorah Focuses on
the Spirituality of High
Holidays
The Shalom quilt.
High Holiday serviee at Ohr
HaTorah is a journey of the soul to
the inner dimension of the Jewish
experienee. The two days of Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur eneap-
sulate the entire year and they
present an exeeptional opportunity
to bond with God and with eaeh
other in a meaningful and spiritual
manner.
For people who are searehing to
delve into the deeper meaning of
the High Holidays and seek to
toueh the Divine will find the Ohr
HaTorah experienee truly reward
ing. The High Holiday serviee is
in a sense a learning aetivity as
Rabbi Yossi Groner provides short
and sueeinet eommentaries on the
liturgy and expounds on the mys-
tieal signifieanee of many of the
rituals observed on Rosh
Hashanah.
The mood at the synagogue
refleets the spirituality of the Holy
Days and it helps shape the total
experienee. A major eomponent of
the High Holiday experienee is the
melodious and emotion filled
voiee of Rabbi Binyomin Weiss
who leads the serviees with pas
sion and feeling.
Ohr HaTorah is a weleoming
synagogue whieh helps eongre-
gants form friendships and exeels
with its joyous and uplifting serv
iee. One of the unique advantages
at Ohr HaTorah is that it allows for
worshippers to engage in their
prayers at their own paee and to
genuinely eonneet to God in a
meaningful and deep manner.
It is a moving seene when the
moment of sounding the Shofar.
The bima is surrounded with ehil-
dren of all ages. The Torahs are
held firmly and the erowd of wor
shippers is foeused and eoneen-
trating on the power of the
moment. It is at this time that wor
shippers sense the signifieanee of
the day for at this moment they
feel as if they surge upwards
towards the heavens and enter the
inner domain of God. The Shofar
serviee envelops young and old as
their voiees penetrate the heavens
and together with the delieate
sound of the Shofar they are faee
to faee with God.
Yom Kippur at Ohr HaTorah
one ean sense the saeredness of
(Continued on page 31)
d.o ngrega t i o n
OKr MaTorah
a prcftct (ij t H hjvirrJi nj Vofi fr CtffOftitii
Ages 1-PreK
Full day &
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Special friendships
made daily!
LEARN
GROW
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Charlotte Jewish
Preschool
Now enrolling for Fall!
Located on Shalom Park
5007 Providence Road, Charlotte NC 28226
info@cJpkids.org • www.cj'pkids.org
704-944-6777
CJP\^partn^rShlfl^Beth Levine Jewish Community Center^