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The Charlotte
JE>VISH
Vol. 30, No. 7
Tamuz-Av 5768
August 2008
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chariotte
New Leadership Sparks Excitement at the Charlotte Torah Center
By Marcy Goldstein
“It’s like falling in love over
and over again. Learning and
teaching Torah touches the soul on
the deepest level and feels like
falling in love with a person. It’s
hard to describe,” explains Rabbi
Chanoch Oppenheim when asked
what he likes most about Judaism
and being a Rabbi. “While I feel
great after a workout, I feel infi
nitely greater after learning Torah.
My passion is to bring Jews to this
experience. My mission is to get
people involved because when
Jews really learn about the
mitzvot, learning becomes enjoy
able. I see it in people’s eyes when
they realize that Judaism makes
sense, that the Torah is not a pain
in the neck but rather a very big
gift.”
When speaking with Rabbi
Oppenheim, I am struck by his
enthusiasm for communicating
Judaism to Jews at all levels of
observance and from all the
denominations. Dan Peck,
President of the Charlotte Torah
Center, said that “the CTC family
is thrilled that Rabbi Oppenheim
will be leading the organization to
the next level of its growth.
Charlotte is truly blessed to wel
come a Rabbi with his back
ground, capabilities, and enthusi
asm.”
Raised in a non-observant
Jewish family in New York, Rabbi
Oppenheim traveled the
road to becoming observant
and thoroughly enjoys
teaching people at all stages
of spiritual growth. While
earning his B.A. in
Philosophy at Columbia
University, he went on the
Volunteers for Israel pro
gram; he lived on an army
base and picked fruit in the
fields of the Golan Heights.
During his stay in Israel, he
visited a yeshiva for the first
time. He returned to college
quasi-religious having real
ized that he had been dedi
cating himself to becoming
an intellectual but had given
almost no time to becoming
knowledgeable in Judaism.
At that point, his focus
shifted toward learning Torah.
Rabbi Oppenheim studied at
Kol Yaakov Torah Center in
Monsey, NY and completed the
bulk of his studies at Mir Yeshiva
Kollel in Jerusalem. In 1996 he
received smicha (rabbinical ordi
nation) from Rav Yitzchak Kulitz,
Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He also
trained in pedagogy and pastoral
psychology at Ohr LaGolah
Leadership Institute. His first
teaching job in 1996 was at
Yeshivat Shaarei Yerushalayim.
Three years later, he began teach
ing at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem.
He became a Senior Lecturer in
Rabbi Chanoch Oppenheim
Discovery Seminars and
Jerusalem Fellowships, a Gemora
(Talmud) Rebbi in the Beis
Midrash program, a Marriage
Education Counselor, and an
Advisor for madrichim (coun
selors) on Aish programs. His
teaching is imbued with an atti
tude derived from his years at Aish
HaTorah: “[to provide] opportuni
ties for Jews of all backgrounds to
discover the beauty and meaning
of their heritage in an atmosphere
of open inquiry and mutual
respect” (www.aish.com). He
started the Dallas Area Torah
Association community in Plano,
Tikva Charlotte Announces New Director
of Education
Tikva Charlotte is proud to
announce that Karen Marjercsik
will serve as the new Director of
Education. Tikva Charlotte is an
intimate religious school program
that serves Jewish children with
special needs. This successful
school, now beginning its fourth
year, is a collaborative program of
Temple Beth El and Temple Israel
and is designed to meet the reli
gious education needs for students
that need a more personalized
approach to classroom teaching.
Tikva Charlotte features a very
low teacher to student ratio that
allows each student to be taught in
a way that meets his or her indi
vidual needs. The program empha
sizes both Jewish Studies and
Hebrew, and in fact several stu
dents have successfully completed
their B’nai Mitzvah as part of the
program. Tikva Charlotte serves
children from K-12, and works
with parents, teachers, and outside
professionals to ensure the highest
standard of education for each stu
dent.
Karen Marjercsik, the new
Director of Education will bring
many years of experience and
expertise ta Tikva Charlotte.
Karen taught for 10 years in syna
gogues in Virginia and South
Carolina and worked with adults
with developmental disabilities.
Since moving to Charlotte in the
fall of 2006, Ms. Majercsik has
taken on several roles in the
Charlotte Jewish community.
Karen works for Jewish Family
Services as a clinician, career
counselor, and the Volunteen coor
dinator. In addition, she has taught
at the Consolidated Hebrew High
and has taught at Temple Beth El
as a B’nai Mitzvah tutor and the
Sheva class teacher.
Tikva Charlotte is currently
accepting registration for the
2008-2009 school year. If you
know of a child who could
benefit from this unique program
or if you have any questions,
please contact Karen Marjercsik at
krmajercsik@hotmail.com.
Making a difference for Jewish chil
dren with special needs, Karen
Majercsik has just accepted the posi
tion of Director of Tikva Charlotte.
Texas where he lived
before coming to
Charlotte.
Starting August 1, Rabbi
Oppenheim joins the CTC
with his wife, Sara, who is
also an accomplished and
learned Jewish leader. She
founded N-Aish-Ay, a
women’s organization that
offers educational pro
grams and social events for
wives of future rabbis, edu
cators, and other communi
ty leaders. Additionally,
she worked as a dating
coach for Aish HaTorah.
She is highly regarded as a
specialist in women’s inti
macy issues and has
received many referrals
from prominent Rabbis.
Rabbi Oppenheim has a clear
vision for the CTC’s growth; “My
dream is that it should be a com
munity where all Jews feel com
fortable. We should be able to
offer anything that someone needs
from learning Torah, to making
business connections, or helping
to fix a flat tire. When you have a
need and ask yourself, ‘Who do I
call?’ the answer should be ‘my
community.’” Growing a commu
nity like this begins with feeling
pride in Judaism. It starts with
education, which happens to be
this Rabbi’s first name. Literally.
“Chanoch” is etymologically
H r ff L "gTnr
Ibrah
related to the Hebrew word “chin-
uch” meaning “education.”
Clearly, he embodies the essence
of his name. He is a man filled
with the desire to educate himself
and others, both individually and
in community.
The CTC is thrilled to welcome
Rabbi Oppenheim, Sara, and their
children, Eliezer (21), Berel (19),
Chavi (16), Aaron (14), and
Yehuda (9). They are excited to
call the CTC, Shalom Park, and
Charlotte their new home. The
Rabbi is looking forward to work
ing with other organizations to
develop Charlotte’s flourishing
Jewish community. The CTC
invites you to see programs and
classes at www.charlottetorahcen-
ter.com. Come by to meet and
welcome the Oppenheims in per
son. ^
Marcy Goldstein, Ph.D., is an
adjunct lecturer in the Department
of Religious Studies at the
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte. She teaches courses on
Globalization and Intercultural
Relations with a focus on Asian
religions.
Also inside...
tew
Rabbi Ben Tzion and Rochel Groner come to
Charlotte to teach Torah Talmud and to direct the
Friendship Circle, an organization for Jewish children
with special needs. See page 7.