An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Charlotte
^
'' X
Vol. 35, No. 5
lyar-Sivan 5773
May 2013
JEWISH^
FEDE^RATION^
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE.
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.
TOGETHER
JEWISH FEDERATION 2013 CAMPAIGN COUNTDOWN HAS DEGUN.
^ Can We Count on You?
^ Al^iev^d ij^eased gifts will be matched Dollar for Dollar!
^ Make your pledge today and help us secure
The Leon Levine Foundation promise of an additional^SHSIM
HERE’S HOW:
www.jewishcharlotte.org
704.944.6757
DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS
A MONTH OF FULL DAY
CHILDCARE AT THE
CHARLOTTE JEWISH
PRESCHOOL
3rd Annual JFS Friends 5K
and One Mile Fun Run - May 12.
Save $5 off registration with the
code on page 5.
It Takes a Congregation to
Chronicle 70 Years
ON ‘3110iyVHO
8021. #lll/\iy3d
aivd 39visod s n
ais idSdd
pe)senbey eojAjes ebueqQ
9ZZ8Z ON ‘9HO|JBMo
3U#9)!ns ‘Peoy eouepjAOJd Z009
By Amy Lefkof
Temple Beth El has been a spir
itual home to Reform Jews
throughout its 70-year history, no
matter the size or loeation of its
physieal home: from Hotel Char
lotte on West Trade Street where
TBE was offieially organized on
New Year’s Day 1943, to a loft
above Dowtins’ Groeery Store at
the interseetion of Kings and
Morehead, to the first temple
building on Providenee Road
where the 1948 groundbreaking
oeeurred shortly after Israel’s In-
dependenee Day, to the eurrent
temple building with its Jerusalem
stone faeade at Shalom Park.
Just as it takes a village to raise
a ehild, it takes a eongregation to
reeount TBE’s 70-year history.
There were many artifaets in
the Charlotte Jewish Arehives of
the Levine-Sklut Judaie Library
and Resouree Center, ineluding
an amusing Charlotte Observer
headline unearthed by librarians
Jean Moats and Paula Brown an-
nouneing the imminent formation
of Charlotte’s first “Reformed He
brew Chureh” (see photo). There
were TBE yearbooks ranging
from 1956-1973. A weathered
anonymous serapbook from 1968-
1976 yielded newspaper artieles
about elergy and eongregants,
snippets of sermons, photos, and
sisterhood programs. Walter and
Elizabeth Klein’s Treasures of
Temple Beth El eolleetion eon-
tained metieulously labeled pho
tos and doeuments. Long-time
eongregants, sueh as Gladys Lav-
itan, Franees and Ron Liss, and
the Kleins, were interviewed, and
several other eongregants helped
identify faees in old photos of re
ligious sehool elasses, Wildaeres’
retreats, and Sisterhood events.
The seven deeades of TBE’s
rieh history have been pietorially
eaptured on seven vertieal banners
that graee TBE’s foyer. The first
banner (1943-1953) features
founder Arthur Goodman, Sr.,
Joan Gottheimer being honored
as the first Sisterhood President,
the tenth anniversary program
( At:.- toarlciBt Bunteii
RCFORMED HEBREW CHURCH 1$ CRGANSZED IN CHARLOnE
If
TEMPLE
BETH EL
featuring the original temple
building, a group photo of Temple
Beth El’s Saturday Night Supper
Club, an early photo of Anita and
Herman Blumenthal, and the 1948
groundbreaking photo featuring
famed author and eivil rights ad-
voeate Harry Golden (who served
as Board Seeretary, Sunday
Sehool teaeher, and author of our
first Constitution and by-laws).
Later banners highlight soeial
justiee aeeomplishments sueh as
our first Habitat for Humanity
house and TBE’s aetive support of
Sterling Elementary and the
Shalom Park Freedom Sehool, as
(Continued on page 11)