The Charlotte Jewish News- June- July 2026- Page 16
Bearing Witness, Together
By Elizabeth Johnson
Recently, at the Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, the room filled slowly. More than 500 people took their seats, some greeting one another, others sitting quietly, holding the weight of why they came. By the time the program began it felt less like an event and more like a gathering with purpose.
This year’ s State of North Carolina Holocaust Remembrance, hosted for the 44th year by the North Carolina Council and Foundation on the Holocaust, was carefully structured, but it did not feel staged. In keeping with this year’ s theme“ Resilience Bearing Witness, Honoring Survival,” it unfolded the way memory does, in layers. A slideshow featuring the names of North Carolina Holocaust survivors, each one a reminder that history is not abstract. It belongs to people, to families, to lives that continue to ripple outward.
A violinist from the North Carolina Symphony played during the prelude, filling the space before words took over. It was the kind of detail that mattered more than it might seem. It slowed the room down. It asked people to be present.
The ceremony moved with intention. Maxine Senet, the chair of the Remembrance Day, stated,“ Resilience today calls on us to choose sympathy over apathy. To choose truth over convenience and courage over comfort.”
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a staunch supporter of Holocaust remembrance and education, placed commemoration in a broader civic frame, a signal that this is not only a Jewish responsibility but a shared one. He endowed Mike Abramson, chairman at North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, a prestigious award recognizing exceptional commitment to civic service.
Still, the most meaningful moments were not the most prominent ones. Students from Beth Meyer Religious School chorus sang“ We Remember Them,” their voices carrying words that have been spoken for decades, now landing differently in a room shaped by the present moment. A teacher from Pine Springs Preparatory Academy spoke, reinforcing something that feels increasingly urgent: that Holocaust education is not optional, and not distant.
At the center of the afternoon was Alex Kor. His presentation,“ Mom: I Will Tell Your Story” was exactly what it sounded like, a son stepping forward to carry what his mother, Eva Kor, survived. She and her twin sister, Miriam, endured Auschwitz and the experiments of Dr. Josef Mengele. It is a chronicle that has been told before, but never in quite the same way, because the person telling it matters.
Kor has spent years locating other survivors of those experiments, more than 120 of them, piecing together lives that might otherwise have remained scattered or lost. There is something continuous about that kind of work. It is not about a single speech or a single day. It is about staying with the story long enough to make sure it holds. He ended his remarks with“ Mom I hope you’ re proud of me.”
The candle lighting brought the room into focus. One by one, 10 individuals stepped forward. Each represented a different thread of memory. A daughter of an Auschwitz survivor. A son of parents who endured six concentration camps. A family that fled Ukraine to join the resistance. An Air Force veteran honoring the liberators. A refugee from Sudan, reminding the room that genocide is not confined to one history. There was no need to explain what it meant. The act itself did the work.
The program also made space for those in the audience who carry this history to their own families. Survivors and second, third and fourth generations were invited to come forward, to stand together as a poem was recited. It was a quiet shift, but an important one. Remembrance is no longer only about those who were there. It now lives in those who came after.
By the time the room settled into silent meditation and the familiar cadence of the Mourner’ s Kaddish, something had shifted. Not dramatically, not in a way that announced itself, but enough. You could feel it in the stillness.
Ending remarks were made by Laurie Schaffer, the Chair of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust. Speaking to the audience, she said,“ Holocaust education does not tell students what to think. It teaches them how to think critically, how to recognize bias, how to question misinformation, how to understand the consequences of choices and how to see the humanity in others.” She closed with Holocaust survivor, Gizella Abramson’ s famous words:“ Tag. You’ re it.”
The day honored Holocaust survivors, remembered those
who perished, and paid tribute to the soldiers who helped liberate Europe. These types of gatherings do not offer closure. What they do instead is ask people to show up, to listen, and to carry something with them when they leave.
As living memory of the Holocaust continues to fade with each passing year, this may be among the most important work being done today.“ Never again” is no longer a passive expression of remembrance, but an active call to education, witness, and responsibility.
For more information, contact Fred Valfer at Fmvalfer1 @ gmail. com.
Jewish Gymnast from Charlotte to Compete in NCAA Championships
By Michael Sudhalter University of Minnesota freshman gymnast Lacie Saltzmann practices her sport 4.5-6 hours per week, but she continues to make her Jewish faith and identity a priority.
Saltzmann, who was born in Dallas but grew up in Charlotte until she was 11, led the Gophers to a fourth place finish at the NCAA Women’ s Gymnastics Championships in April, Fort Worth, Texas. It was their best finish since 1974.
Saltzmann was an NCAA Championship First Team All-American on Bars with a score of 9.8375.
Saltzmann, who turns 18 on June 28, completed high school a year early to enroll at Minnesota. She chose the school partly because of its large Jewish population.
“ I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like I had a community outside of gymnastics and school,” Saltzmann said.
Saltzmann regularly attends Shabbat services at Chabad U of M at The Rohr Center for Jewish Life. She attended a Chabad seder on the first night of Passover, before her team had to travel to Oregon for the NCAA regionals the next day.
She became a bat mitzvah at Masada National Park in Israel during COVID-19.“ We visited the Western Wall, and there was almost nobody there, and we floated in the Dead Sea,” Saltzmann said.“ To have all of these experiences in Israel was so special.”
Two years ago, Saltzmann competed in the Maccabi Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“ It was very special to be there with so many Jewish athletes,” Saltzmann said.“ We know we’ re all rooted in similar values and raised the same way. I didn’ t grow up surrounded by Jewish athletes, so being on a team with so many great gymnasts was so pivotal to me.”
The daughter of Michelle Spak, an attorney and Duke Energy executive, and Dr. Rob Saltzmann of Charlotte Ear, Nose & Throat Associates, Saltzmann started in competitive gymnastics at age 6, in Charlotte.
“ I had too much energy when I was younger, so my mom put me in a bunch of different sports,” Saltzmann said.“ I did soccer, dance and tennis. I actually did basketball, which is quite comical considering I am 5-feet tall. I started doing gymnastics, which I fell in love with, and the rest is kind of history. I couldn’ t be more grateful to be here right now.”
When Saltzmann was 11 years old in middle school, she began looking for competitive gymnastics clubs. She found Texas Dreams Gymnastics in the Dallas area where she was coached by Olympic medalist Kim Zmeskal.
Saltzmann’ s parents couldn’ t relocate to North Texas due to work obligations, so she moved there at age 11 with her dog, Lila. With the help of nannies and family friends, the Saltzmanns made it work, and the parents visited regularly.
Initially, there was a school at the gym, but then, COVID-19 hit, and Saltzmann’ s schooling went remote. She said the asynchronous online school prepared her for college classes.
She trained at Texas Dreams 30 hours per week, only taking Sundays off. She had a chance to do some tutoring, along with baking. She also remembers trying different restaurants in the Dallas area.
Saltzmann is glad that both her parents and Zmeskal were there to watch her at the NCAA Gymnastics.“ Kim was such a huge part of my growth as a gymnast,” Saltzmann said.“ Everything she taught me is stuff I carry with me today. She used to say‘ make it beautiful’ and that sticks with me today.”
At 17, Saltzmann was one of the youngest gymnasts in the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, but graduating a semester early has become a growing trend. She’ s expected to compete in both the floor and bars events at the championships, but next year, she hopes to do all four events. In a March 15 victory over Illinois, Iowa and Northern Illinois, Saltzman finished with a career-best 9.925 on the floor.
“ I just love going out and performing on floor, and being in the leadoff position,” Saltzmann said.“ I remember watching the championships on television last year, and I knew I wanted to be here doing what I love with the Minnesota Gophers. We set reaching nationals as a goal at our team retreat in September. I’ m really enjoying it with this amazing group of girls.”
Saltzmann has competed in every meet this season and earned Big 10 Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honors in January, after recording a career-best 9.9 on the bars at Nebraska.
Going to a college with a large Jewish population was a“ non-negotiable” for Saltzmann. Her other must haves were a family atmosphere on the team and a strong academic program. Saltzmann is double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Psychology with the goal of becoming a patent attorney after she completes law school at
Northwestern University, north of Chicago. She also hopes to earn a Master’ s of Business Administration.
When Saltzmann started in competitive gymnastics, she had the goal of reaching the Olympics. She’ s now focused on being as successful as possible during her college career and then moving on to other life goals.
“ I had a fracture in my tibia, and during the months when I was recovering, I learned that I’ m so much more than the sport. This situation forced me to find my identity beyond gymnastics and what I want to do with my life,” Saltzmann said.
Lacie Saltzmann.