The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2015 - Page 9
Communiiv News
A Legacy of Giving: Bill Gorelick
“I’ve always had a love for
Charlotte and for the Jewish eom-
munity,” shares Bill Goreliek, one
of Shalom Park’s founders, a busi
nessman and a devoted philan
thropist. “I often say, the best
thing that ever happened to me
was that my parents moved to
Charlotte before I was bom.”
His parents, Annie and Israel
Goreliek, were ehildhood sweet
hearts in their shtetl in Russia dur
ing the pogroms. Bill’s parents
emigrated separately, and were
married in Guatemala, where his
father supplied people working in
the silver mines. After moving to
New York City, and then to
Gaffney, SC, his parents settled in
Charlotte, where they ran a shoe
store on E. Trade Street (where
Time Warner Arena stands today.)
“It takes an adventurous and
entrepreneurial spirit to go to a
eountry where you don’t know the
language,” says Bill. There were
75 Jewish families and one syna
gogue in Charlotte in 1933 when
Bill’s parents arrived with their
son, Shelton. Bill, born a year
later, would attend Elizabeth (Tra
ditional) Elementary, Alexander
Graham Junior High (where the
Dowd YMCA now stands), and
Central High. There were only
two Jews in his high sehool grad
uating elass of400. Bill studied at
Chapel Hill, and then transferred
to the University of Pennsylvania,
where he graduated with a degree
from Wharton Business Sehool.
Bill maintains that the values his
parents passed on were family
first, then edueation, and a strong
work ethie.
Bill met his b’shert, his destiny,
Patty, through mutual friends. Six
years his junior and studying at
Women’s College in Greensboro,
Patty tried to get Bill to date her
older friends, but Bill demurred.
He finally eonvineed her to go out
with him.
Bill suggests that b’shert also
deseribes the eonfluenee of events
that brought about Shalom Park.
In the early 1980s, Temple Israel
was seeking to move to the sub
urbs, Temple Beth El needed new
faeilities, the Hebrew Day Sehool
needed a permanent home, and
the Amity Club (the predeeessor
to the JCC) had just suffered a
Patty and Bill Goreliek
ealamitous fire.
Morris Speizman from Temple
Israel and Mark Bernstein from
Temple Beth El had a vision that,
as Bill puts it, “the Jewish eom-
munity should be together.” By
ehanee, Sam Lemer, in the apart
ment business, identified land ad-
jaeent to undeveloped land on
Providenee Road that Temple
Beth El already owned. On June
11, 1979, twenty-two Shalom
Park founders met at Leon
Levine’s offiees to unify support
for Shalom Park.
Herman Blumenthal, one of the
first major donors to Shalom Park,
asked Bill Goreliek to serve as the
Phase I Shalom Park Building
Chair. Bill, already aetive in eivie
and religious life, was helping to
grow CMC Finanee Group, a fam
ily business offering eonsumer
eredit when eredit eards were in
their infaney. With dozens of briek
and mortar offiees. Bill under
stood finanee and eonstmetion.
“There were a lot of politieal
obstaeles to founding Shalom
Park,” says Bill. “Organizations
were afraid of giving up their in-
dependenee. Some individuals
said we were trying to form a
ghetto. It took the strength of a
good team, pulling for the same
purpose, with the talent and finan-
eial wherewithal to get it done,”
explains Bill. “Don Dixon, a re
tired exeeutive from Arthur An
derson, is an ‘unsung hero’ who,
along with Mark Bernstein,
KareD YaDoMg, qd attorDeg
from WasbiDgtoD, DC, came to
Park Poad Books Id Charlotte to
promote her Dew collectioD of
essags, “Good Lack with That
TbiDg Yoa re DoiDg.” She read a
selectioD aboat sammers od the
beach Id North Caroliaa. The
hook is available at Park Poad
Books or OD AmazoD.
Foundation Of
Shalom Park
ir^ONWFCTINfi FAWII IFS • SUSTAINING TRAr>ITION
played a large part in building
eonsensus.”
Bill stayed engaged through
Phase II, when an additional
150,000 square feet was added in
the mid-1990s. Buteh Rosen, for
mer Exeeutive Direetor of the
Foundation of Shalom Park, re
marks, “Bill’s legaey to Shalom
Park will be his passionate input
about the look and feel of the
plaee.” Todd Goreliek, Bill’s eld
est son, eoneurs. “Dad feels a
deep sense of pride in what the
founders ereated, and wants to see
Shalom Park always shine.”
“Bill has been absolutely un
selfish with his time and energy,”
adds Harry Lemer, fellow Temple
Israel eongregant and Shalom
Park founder. “He never suggests
anything that he will not baek
100%. He has set a beautiful ex
ample for his own family and for
the Jewish eommunity.”
“Bill is ineredibly generous fi-
naneially, but also with his time
and ereativity. We all benefited
greatly from his devotion to
Shalom Park,” refieets Hal Levin
son, Building Co-Chair of Phase
II.
Today, the work of the Founda
tion of Shalom Park eontinues.
The Foundation maintains the fa
eilities (exeluding the temples)
and the grounds and provides se-
eurity for the entire Park. Through
their legaey giving. Bill and Patty
Goreliek are investing in the long
term sueeess of Shalom Park and
of other organizations integral to
our eommunity. “To go from here
to there, you need to put gas in the
tank,” quips Bill. On a more seri
ous note, he adds, “Aeross all gen
erations, we need to eome
together to sustain the future of
Shalom Park.”
We hope that, like Bill and
Patty Goreliek, your eommitment
to Shalom Park remains strong.
For more information about how
to make a legaey gift that will not
impaet your eurrent finanees,
please eontaet H. Kevin Levine,
Exeeutive Direetor, Foundation of
Shalom Park, 704-944-6840 or
hklevine@shalomeharlotte .org. ^
“One should accept the
tenth from whatever source
it proceeds.”
-Maimonides
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