The Charlotte Jewish News - December 2023 - Page 6
Unity Shabbat: An Evening of Prayer, Solidarity, and Hope By Amy Lefkof Surrounded by his family, the bar mitzvah boy Ethan Spiegler lit the Shabbat candles on Friday, Oct. 27 at Temple Israel and recited the familiar blessing. However, what was painfully different about this Shabbat was that the bar mitzvah boy wore a blue ribbon on his lapel, and in the center of the bimah stood a fully set Shabbat table surrounded by empty chairs, including a baby’s high chair, modeled after a Tel Aviv public exhibit featuring place settings for the missing hostages. This was the backdrop for a Unity Shabbat for Israel: An Evening of Prayer, Solidarity, and Hope, during which congregants from Temple Beth El and Temple Israel came together to heal, to hope, and to stand in unity with Israel. This Unity Shabbat was just one of many such gatherings in the community, coordinated and supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, exemplifying the spirit of togetherness that transcends individual congregations. On this night, members of the Jewish community, regardless of their usual place of worship or level of observance, joined
together, weaving a tapestry of connection. At Temple Israel, Rabbi Michael Wolk and Cantor Shira Lissek shared the bimah with Temple Beth El’s Senior Rabbi Asher Knight and Rabbi Emerita Judy Schindler, who voiced what everyone in the Jewish community was feeling since Hamas’ horrific raid on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and took more than 220 hostages: “Three weeks ago this Shabbat, our Jewish world was turned upside down in a way that it will never, in our lifetime, be the same.” Many other congregations and Jewish organizations in the area, all with the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, participated in a Unity Shabbat, often accompanied by a dinner, with the universal theme of sol- An empty shabbat table, representing hostages taken on Oct. 7, on the bimah at idarity, but with their own im- Temple Israel during the Unity Shabbat held by Temple Israel and Temple Beth El print. Chabad of Charlotte had more than 250 attendees, including was the attendance of many from for peace, including Rick Recht’s “The Hope” and Elana Jagoda’s individuals born and raised in Charlotte Torah Center. In the Fellowship Hall of version of “Oseh Shalom.” FedIsrael, who heard Tair Guidice’s moving speech on the resilience Trinity Presbyterian Church that eration’s Israel and global Jewry of Israel and the Jewish people. displayed the flag of Israel, The associate, Noah Goldman, spoke In another show of shared unity Ruach Community sang prayers about supporting the Jewish
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Federations of North America (JFNA) 2023 Israel Emergency Fund. Rabbi Rachel Smookler draped in an Israeli flag, led a prayer for those held captive while expressing her bewilderment at the “upside-down world” in which we live “where people who usually are on the side of democratic, peaceful communities are flooding the streets and social media with support for savage terrorists” so that Jewish children say to their parents that “due to silence of friends since Oct. 7” they understand now “how the Holocaust happened.” Congregants at Temple Kol Tikvah in Lake Norman recited Israeli poetry and prayers for peace, and an open mic allowed congregants to share their connection with Israel, while Rabbi David Jaffe led into Hatikvah by noting “if we can make a difference, there is still hope.” In Rock Hill, at lay-led Temple Solel, the special service focused on peace and unity both with Israel and Jews locally. Counting guests and others on Zoom, member Dale Rivers calculated that their headcount, which in(Continued on page 7 )
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