The Charlotte
JEWISH
NEWS
Vol. 48, No. 6 Sivan- Av 5786 June-July 2026
Moving the Goalposts: Slade Goldstein Begins His Term as Board President
By Jessica Goldfarb
For Slade Goldstein, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’ s future is tied closely to a simple idea: Jewish community cannot stay still while the community itself continues to grow. That perspective shaped many of the themes in Slade’ s remarks as he officially stepped into the role of board president during Federation’ s annual meeting on May 18.
As Board President, Slade will help guide the vision, priorities, and strategic direction of Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte alongside Federation’ s professional leadership and board of trustees. Together, the Board helps oversee the organization’ s work supporting Jewish life across greater Charlotte through philanthropy, community building, education, advocacy, security initiatives, and connections to Israel and global Jewry.
For Slade, the role is also deeply personal.
Long before stepping into Federation leadership, Slade was part of a small group of families working to create stronger Jewish life in the Lake Norman area after he and his wife moved there in 1999. What began as a grassroots effort eventually grew into Temple Kol Tikvah, a thriving congregation that today serves hundreds of people and families north of Charlotte.
Reflecting on those early years, Slade described the effort as“ this wacky idea of creating
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Slade Goldstein, new Board President, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
community where we lived.”
Slade credits Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte as an essential partner in helping communities outside of Charlotte’ s traditional center of Jewish life grow and succeed.“ Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte and its leaders at the time recognized that the community was in fact becoming greater, and took the risk to not only say it out loud, but to act and invest in the future of Jewish Charlotte,” he said.“ I can say with certainty that the lake community does not exist in its current form without Federation and its steadfast commitment to enriching Jewish lives.”
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That experience now guides Slade’ s priorities as board president.
While emphasizing the continued importance of Shalom Park as a center of Jewish life, Slade believes the community has reached a moment where it must continue expanding its
By Elizabeth Johnson
Long before conversations turn to philanthropy, legacy giving, or endowment strategy, they often begin somewhere far more personal: around a kitchen table crowded with family, in the familiar rhythm of holiday traditions, or in the quiet realization that the institutions shaping Jewish life today will one day shape the lives of our children.
For Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community’ s( FCJC) new Vice President of Philanthropy, Samantha Kowert, the work is not simply about fundraising. It is about relationships, memory, trust, and helping a community preserve the values and spaces it hopes will endure for generations to come.
You’ re stepping into a role centered on legacy. When you hear that word, what does it reach. He pointed to the growth of the greater Charlotte region and the increasing number of Jewish families choosing to live throughout surrounding communities.
“ For me the future seems clear,” Slade said.“ I believe it is time to move the goalposts.”
mean to you personally and not just professionally? When I reflect on the word, legacy, it resonates with a great deal of power for me. It’ s taking actions today that will have a lasting impact and live on long after I’ m gone. Namely, how my children and my children’ s children will remember what mattered to us.
My grandmother used to say,“ life is not a dress rehearsal.” We only get to live this life once. So, when we find the things that bring us joy or fill our cup, you lean in and do what you can to lift it up. This is what legacy is also about, preserving the things that we care about so it can serve future generations to come.
Your background led you here. Which parts of your professional experience have most prepared you for this role and where do you see yourself
Slade described Shalom Park as“ one of the most successful experiments in modern American Jewish history,” crediting the vision and collaboration of earlier community leaders who invested in creating a centralized Jewish campus decades ago. He noted that the success of that model now creates an opportunity and responsibility to strengthen Jewish life across the broader region.
Looking ahead, Slade’ s priorities center on continuing to build Jewish connection, strengthening community infrastructure, and ensuring Jewish life remains accessible and vibrant for families wherever they choose to live throughout greater Charlotte.
“ I hope with your help, we can seize this moment,” Slade said,“ and make greater Charlotte the best place in America for Jews when they are looking to relocate.”
FCJC: A New Steward for the Stories Still Being Written
building something new? It’ s been a great honor to serve many institutions and their missions throughout my career. Through those roles, I helped raise funds for important programs and realized just how deeply I value work rooted in service to the community. Whether it’ s supporting the arts, land conservation, or access to education for all, I have repeatedly found myself connecting with many different community-facing initiatives and always wondering,“ how can I do more?”
I’ ve also spent years building relationships with other leaders and nonprofits doing work that I really admire. Oftentimes, these connections open doors for me to support or partner in other ways. This is why the role with FCJC really spoke to me. I am
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