By Rabbi Lexi Erdheim
Over the past few years, many of us have felt something shift around us. Antisemitic rhetoric and incidents are rising, and the impact is real. Conversations feel more delicate. Trust feels thinner. Sometimes a single headline, a stray comment, or a post online is enough to make us tense up or pull back.
Those reactions are understandable because they’ re a natural part of being human. But they can also leave us feeling isolated or discouraged. Jewish tradition, though, keeps nudging us toward something deeper. It reminds us that fear may demand a response, but it doesn’ t have to decide our future. Again and again, we’ re called back to courage, curiosity, and connection.
This year at Temple Beth El, we’ re choosing to take that call seriously. And we’ re choosing to do it in a very Jewish way: by gathering around our tables. Share Shabbat is our commitment to meeting fear not by
shrinking, but by widening our circle.
Share Shabbat is our initiative to extend the warmth and connection embodied in the practice of Shabbat into the wider Charlotte community. At its core is a simple question: What might happen if we opened our homes, our hearts, and our sacred spaces to our non-Jewish neighbors?
What if our neighbors, colleagues and friends tasted challah fresh from our kitchen, heard the familiar strain of“ Shalom Aleichem,” or stood in front of an open ark seeing a Torah up close for the first time?
Shabbat has always been our weekly reset, the moment we breathe deeply and remember who we are. It’ s where we slow down enough to truly notice one another. It’ s where we remember that every person is more than their political opinions or assumptions. Through Share Shabbat, we’ re offering this gift outward. A Joyful Beginning On Oct. 24, we held our Share Shabbat Launch. Eighty people showed up— families, longtime members, newer faces— all coming together to celebrate Shabbat and dream about what this project could become.
After blessings and introductions, everyone sat down to a beautifully set Shabbat dinner( yes, we really did take out the good tablecloths and the nice plates). Conversation prompts helped spark new connections between people who might never have crossed paths in the synagogue. And then something lovely happened: folks leaned in. Stories flowed. Laughter echoed. You could feel the room warm with energy and purpose. People were ready. Why This Matters in Charlotte
Charlotte, is a city rich with religious life. With more than
3,000 churches in our region, the Jewish community makes up a very small slice of the landscape at just about. 5 % of population. That means most folks have never experienced Jewish ritual or learned firsthand what Judaism teaches.
In a moment when misunderstanding can quickly harden into suspicion, sharing a meal becomes an act of healing. When someone is welcomed to a Shabbat table where they hear blessings, taste wine and challah, and feel the warmth of a Jewish home, stereotypes fade, and genuine curiosity takes their place. Connection becomes possible.
We may not be able to change every headline or every conversation online, but we can create moments that remind people, and ourselves, of our shared humanity.
The Charlotte Jewish News- Janurary 2026- Page 9
From Isolation to Invitation: Introducing Share Shabbat
Andrea Seidler( left) and Temple Beth El President A-J Secrist( right) share a celebratory high-five
Our Goal: 540 Invitations At Temple: Bring a friend, its strongest when it’ s lived with This year, our goal is to welcome 540 non-Jewish neighbors vices. Help them experience ity.
neighbor, or coworker to ser- openness, warmth, and generos-
into Shabbat experiences. The Jewish life in a warm, accessible This year, may we open our number 540 is not by accident way. And consider visiting their doors a little wider. May we fill— it’ s the numerical value of faith community too— mutual our tables until there’ s no room the word Yisrael in gematria. It hospitality matters. left for loneliness. May we build feels fitting that our goal is rooted in identity, community, and vite churches, schools, and orgary the community, and perhaps
In the community: Help us in- bridges sturdy enough to car-
the possibility of transformation. nizations to tour the synagogue, even the world, toward deeper Imagine the ripple effects: learn about Jewish holidays, and trust and understanding.
• 540 neighbors who can engage in honest dialogue. say,“ I’ ve been welcomed at a At home: Open your table and Shabbat table.” your heart. Host a Shabbat dinner for friends, neighbors, or col-
• 540 people who have heard Jewish prayer, held a siddur, or learned why we bless equip you with blessings, conleagues who aren’ t Jewish. We’ ll wine and bread.
versation prompts, and tips to
• 540 relationships built help everyone feel comfortable. not on assumptions, but on Visit www. templebethel. org / friendship. shareshabbat to learn more and
This is the social fabric we get involved. hope to weave— one home, one Choosing Connection table, one Shabbat at a time. Share Shabbat is an act of
How to Participate hope. It’ s our way of refusing There are many ways to join to let fear shrink our world. It’ s us: a reminder that Jewish life is at