“WOW”

What an amazing feeling it is to experience your own child becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah! Last month, Amy and I joined with all of those who have had this great privilege, and we are overwhelmed. With gratitude to all the members of the congregation who shared with our family and friends to celebrate this milestone in Abigail's life, we can now reflect on the occasion, bask in the afterglow, and look forward to future simchas. We are truly thankful to the congregation for helping to make this Shabbat a special one for us and our family.

I have always known that a Bar or Bat Mitzvah was a powerful moment in the life of a child and family. Still, nothing can prepare you for the profound sense of awe you feel, looking up at your own child, standing on the bimah, leading the community in prayer and in study of Torah. I have been a part of nearly 1000 B'nai Mitzvah services, yet never has the moment spoken so clearly to me. As I gazed through tear-filled eyes at my daughter, I sat in the congregation with my wife and family, surrounded by relatives and friends who had gathered to share this moment in our lives. Before our very eyes, it seemed, Abby was transformed from our little girl into a poised, confident young woman, whose voice led us in prayer and whose presence helped us to sense God in our midst. I wanted this magical moment to never end.

The service did end, however, and was followed by a weekend of celebration. As Shabbat came to a close, we had the chance to laugh, and cry, and dance and catch up with the people who mean the most to us in the world. I found myself, throughout the weekend, to be playing the role not of the rabbi, but of the proud dad, who was overwhelmed with the power of the moment again and again.

As the weekend came to an end, as we took the last relatives and friends to the airport, and as we began the long process of recovering from the anxiety and exhaustion of all the preparations, we also could appreciate the tremendous joy we have felt. Smiles remained on our faces throughout the days and weeks to come. Our hearts remain filled to the brim.

Over the years, I have disparaged the excesses of B'nai Mitzvah celebrations, and sung the praises of the spiritual and religious moments of this life cycle moment. Having now experienced all this for myself, though, I have a newfound understanding and sensitivity for all that comes with this package of emotion. The excesses of celebration, when tempered with the joy and meaning of the Shabbat of worship and study, are all part of this transition. No Bar or Bat Mitzvah will ever be quite the same to me again!

Our oldest daughter is now a Bat Mitzvah, a daughter of the commandments of Jewish tradition. Amy and I pray that her life will continue to be filled with blessings. Ours is full of such blessings, in part because she is a part of it!

"Put the Unity Back in Jewish Community"

When I first heard about Shalom Park, I was amazed. What a concept! A Jewish community that is united in its physical facilities, and cooperative in its ventures, pooling resources and working together. Ten years later, I continue to be amazed and impressed by all Shalom Park is and allows us to do. Nothing more symbolizes this unity than the upcoming "One for All Ball," a history making community fundraising event that will benefit Temple Beth El, Temple Israel and the Jewish Community Center. Each of us is able to make a remarkable difference in insuring the financial stability of our Jewish community by joining in this wonderful event planned for September. Each of us ought to feel obligated to do our part to participate and give generously to this remarkable cause.

This amazing and unprecedented event will bring us together as one Jewish community as never before. We will honor Lori and Eric Sklut for their remarkable generosity to the Jewish community by awarding them an honor in memory of Herman Blumenthal, of blessed memory. We will spend an evening together celebrating what unites us as Jews, and what makes the Charlotte Jewish community special.

In keeping with their pace-setting acts of Tzedakah, the Sklut family has challenged the community in a remarkable manner by agreeing to match, dollar-for-dollar, every dollar donated to the "One for All Ball." This means that every contribution we make will be doubled! This unbelievable act of generosity tells us each that we, too, must do our very best to contribute all we can to this event. Every member of the Jewish community must participate, and every one of us must follow their example in supporting the institutions at the center of Jewish life.

Please respond generously by contributing to this one and only fundraising event of the year sponsored by the synagogues and the JCC. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

James M. Bennett, Rabbi