Thoughts of the Late Audrey Madans

By Ruth Goldberg

Do you remember seeing a bright red convertible with the top down and a woman with snow-white hair blowing in the breeze? That was the late Audrey Madans, who passed away on April 15, 2021. Born on December 14, 1931, in Malden, Massachusetts, Audrey still had a distinctive Boston accent. She married Jerome Madans in 1951, and they moved to Charlotte in 1959 with their children, Craig and Maxine. They joined Temple Israel, and in a short time, Audrey volunteered in Sisterhood and became its president. She joined the temple choir and enjoyed singing in it for 60 years. When women gained rights to fully participate in a minyan, Audrey

became a regular member of the Thursday morning minyan. She joined an adult B’nai Mitzvah class when in her late 60s, learned how to chant Torah and Haftarah portions, became a Bat Mitzvah, and did readings several times each year at Shabbat services.

Audrey attended Shabbat services regularly and was one of the first to arrive. She welcomed newcomers and invited them to sit with her. She visited the sick and home-bound through the years until COVID-19 prevented her from doing it. She lovingly performed Chevra Kadishah, preparing women for burial. She and friends made and delivered a shiva tray of food for the mourning family to eat after the funeral. In addition, Audrey arranged for a table of cake and coffee to be available after shiva minyans at the Temple.

Audrey was active in many organizations in the wider Jewish community. She was president of Charlotte Chapter of Hadassah, board member of Jewish Family Services, president of the Blumenthal Jewish Home for the Aged in Clemmons and Greensboro, North Carolina, BJH Foundation in Greensboro, and North Carolina Association of Jewish Women and Men.

In 1970, Audrey invited a group of women to her home to present the idea of starting a Women’s Division of United Jewish Appeal (UJA). Its purpose was to encourage women to give “plus dollars to Israel.” Several years later, the group became the Women’s Division of Charlotte Jewish Federation. Today the women are known as “Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte,” and they raise funds for Jews locally, in Israel, and around the world.

In his eulogy, Rabbi Michael Wolk quoted Audrey’s response to a question about what Temple Israel meant to her. In a 2019 interview, she said, “This is my home away from home. I do lots of things in this community, and have for 60 years, but the Temple is what keeps me grounded. When I need comforting, this is where I come”

That bright red convertible had a license plate: TI- M5.” Rabbi Wolk told us that TI stands for Temple Israel. “M5 needs more explanation. Audrey would gladly tell you that it stands for the five Jewish matriarchs. If you had the chutzpah to tell her that there were only four matriarchs, she would reply, “You haven’t met me yet.” She was not only an elder of the community, but played the role of a matriarch to so many. It is in this role of one of the Imahot that I will always think of Audrey.