The Lake Norman area’s Jewish congregations have chosen a name as they combine into a single group: Temple Kol Tikvah of Lake Norman.

Kol Tikvah is Hebrew for “voice of hope” and was adopted after a vote of community members, leaders said Tuesday. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Lake Norman’s two Jewish congregations – one Reform and one Conservative – emerged out of one group six years ago. Now they’re getting back together to form a single organization that leaders say will strengthen the Jewish community in the area. Read the full story

Rabbi Michael Shields of the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation notes on his Lake Norman Jewish Life blog today that the area’s Jewish community is flourishing these days. Yet despite growth, he writes, “we have maintained the intimacy that comes with a community focused congregation.” Read the full story

Rabbi Michael Shields of the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation leads the religious school students through a pep-rally parade, under the arms of the teachers, before the start of the 3rd annual Shalom Lake Norman Festival Ramsey Creek Park. (Gayle Shomer photo)

CORNELIUS – The 3rd annual Shalom Lake Norman Festival brought families and friends to Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius on Sunday. The day had music, food and fun for children and adults.

The festival was sponsored by the Jewish Council of Lake Norman, which consists of Beth Shalom of Lake Norman, Lake Norman Jewish Congregation, Congregation Emanuel of Statesville, Chavurah, and Hadassah, with support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. Read the full story

Manfred Katz told of surviving the Nazi Holocaust. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Holocaust survivor Manfred Katz rendered listeners at Davidson College silent Wednesday night as shared the story of losing his family and other terrifying memories of the Nazi persecution and extermination of Jews in the 1940s. His talk helped an audience of local Jews, college students, educators and residents to observe Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust remembrance day.

The event, at the Davidson College Union 900 Room, coincided with a national effort led by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., to promote Yom HaShoah and Holocaust awareness. (The official observance of Yom HaShoah is May 1.) Read the full story

A talk by Holocaust survivor Manfred Katz of Statesville and an opening for the traveling exhibit “Faces of Resistance: Women in the Holocaust” will be on the program Wednesday, April 20, when Davidson College hosts a “Yom HaShoah,” or “Holocaust Remembrance Day.” The events are free and open to the public. Read the full story

Cold in Cleveland!

Ah! February is here and Groundhog Day awaits our fancy on Wednesday.  Bet the folks in the Midwest and eastern seaboard are hoping the groundhog fails to see his shadow and winter ends soon!  (That is if Punxsutawney Phil can exit his Gobbler’s Knob burrow through the blowing snow expected in his neck of the woods!) Spending last weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, your correspondent can attest to the cold (morning temperatures in single digits) which keeps the residents behind closed doors until well into April.  Midwest weather never gives the icicles on the gutters and outdoor fixtures a chance to melt but rather just increases their length as the weeks of winter keep them in its grasp.  Let’s hear a round of applause for the milder temperatures of N.C.!

Around Davidson begins February with a wonderful story of romance from Rabbi Michael Shields.  In addition there are a few notes about an art opening for Herb Jackson, DavidsonNews.net connections and a chance to vote for an innovative health care video with a local connection. Read the full story

Inclusion Community has adopted the mandala, a Buddhist symbol, to convey its spirit of unity.

After a year of organizing, a new group called Inclusion Community makes its debut this Sunday, Oct. 3, offering what it calls “a safe place to experience God” for those turned off by traditional churches.

The Rev. Susan Heafner-Heun leads the group, and said about 30 founding members have been meeting for months under the generic label of “a new faith community” in Davidson. They’ve picked a name, designed a meeting format, and are now open to the wider community.

Read the full story