The Charlotte Jewish News- November 2026- Page 12
A Legacy for the Jewish Life They Helped Build
By Samantha Kowert
What we choose to leave behind says something about the future we hope to make possible. And for generations of Jewish families, that decision has meant sustaining the institutions that give communal life its structure: synagogues, schools, cultural organizations, social services as well as the gathering places where Jewish identity is learned, practiced and passed forward.
Since 2012, more than 1,026 legacy commitments have been made to help ensure that Jewish life in Charlotte remains vibrant and strong for generations to come. The Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community( FCJC) helps individuals and families turn that desire into a lasting legacy. Through its Create Your Jewish Legacy initiative, FCJC works with donors and community organizations to encourage and facilitate legacy gifts that will provide enduring support for the Jewish causes and organizations donors care about most.
More than 440 individuals and families who have made legacy commitments are recognized in Charlotte’ s Book of Life, which celebrates not only their generosity, but also the personal stories, experiences and values that inspired their commitments.
Among the newest members of this growing community of legacy donors are Slade Goldstein and Stacey Simms, whose story demonstrates how one family can help shape the future of Jewish Charlotte. Since arriving in Charlotte in 1999, they have been major contributors to Jewish life in the Charlotte region. Slade currently serves as Board President for Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.
Slade Goldstein and Stacey Simms
We both grew up in New York, connected to Jewish life in different but meaningful ways.
I grew up in Utica in a wonderfully diverse home. My father was an Orthodox Jew, and my mother was a Roman Catholic Italian who remained a practicing Catholic throughout her life. Together, they agreed to raise their children Jewish. My mom never converted but was very involved in our Reform congregation and the broader Jewish community. My brothers and I attended religious school, celebrated our bar mitzvahs, were confirmed, and spent summers at Jewish camp.
Stacey grew up in Yorktown
Heights in a traditional Reform Jewish home. She attended religious school, became a bat mitzvah, participated in Jewish youth activities, and has fond memories of visiting her grandparents in Brooklyn and spending time at the YMHA. Those experiences helped shape her Jewish identity and connection to community.
We met working at a television station in Utica. Stacey was an anchor, and I was the production manager. As Stacey likes to tell the story, she often saw my name in the credits and joked,“ I’ ve met a lot of Goldsteins, but I’ ve never met a Slade.” We started dating and were married in 1998.
The following year, we moved to Charlotte when Stacey joined WBTV. We became members of Temple Beth El and, after moving to Davidson in 2003, affiliated with Temple Israel, whose rabbis were serving the growing Jewish population in the Lake Norman area.
As our family grew, it became clear that we needed a Jewish community closer to home. We wanted our children to grow up with strong Jewish values, traditions and friendships. Many families were asking the same question: What are we going to do about Jewish life for our children?
We became one of a handful of founding families of the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation,
which eventually became Temple Kol Tikvah in 2008. In 2012, we celebrated another milestone when the congregation moved into its own building in Davidson.
Our legacy gift reflects our desire to ensure that future generations will always have opportunities to connect Jewishly, just as our family has. We have chosen to support both Temple Kol Tikvah and Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte because each has been essential to the Jewish life our family has found here.
We helped create something meaningful here. Through our legacy gift, we hope to help ensure that Jewish life in Lake Norman, at Shalom Park and throughout greater Charlotte continues to thrive for generations to come.
To learn how you can Create Your Jewish Legacy and add your story to the Book of Life, contact Samantha Kowert skowert @ charlottejewishfoundation. org or 704-973- 4544.
Slade Goldstein and his wife, Stacey Simms