The Charlotte Jewish News- June- July 2026- Page 23
The Quiet Work of Building Community
By Elizabeth Johnson
There are people in a community whose impact is not measured by a title, but by the accumulation of years, relationships, and the pivotal moments most people never see. And for more than four decades in Charlotte, Sara Schreibman has been one of those individuals.
She arrived in the 1970s, when Charlotte was still a point on the map one could understand at a single glance. Uptown was not yet a destination. Tryon Street was lined with diagonal parking spots. The Jewish community, like the city itself, was smaller, more contained, still becoming what it is today. And Sara has had a front-row seat for that change.
In 1988, while working at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, she found herself in the middle of one of the city’ s defining moments. George Shinn was bringing an NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, to the Queen City and everyone was preparing to celebrate.
On a Thursday, the Chamber’ s president came to her with a request: the announcement was coming, and could she organize a ticker-tape parade. Three days later, she had orchestrated an event so grand it would take Charlotte by storm.
She went to the Federal Reserve to secure shredded dollar bills. Volunteers dropped them from open windows across uptown. City leaf blowers pushed the paper through the streets, turning the anticipation into something the city could distinctly feel. The exhilarating thrill was palpable.
That strategic ability to step in and“ make it happen” has become a trademarked thread throughout her professional path. She smiles simply when asked about it.“ I’ ve been very lucky with my career,” she said.“ The right places at the right time. I truly believe that.”
She began in education, first in Nebraska, then at a Jewish Day School in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was one of the curriculum designers. Math education, she notes, was the only real route available when she was in university. She says it matter-of-factly, but it reflects a pattern that would define her trajectory. Namely, meeting what was in front of her and making something of it. That instinct carried into her work at Shalom Park.
A visit to The Levine JCC led, unexpectedly, to the role of Children’ s Programming Director. It was not an opportunity most people would point to as a turning point, but for her, it was an entry into a Jewish community as both a professional as well as a volunteer. And it was a space she would go on to help shape for decades. To this day, children still pass her office, a subtle albeit poignant reminder of how long she has been part of their world.
Her work expanded over time, eventually leading her to Temple Beth El, where she served as executive director for 12 years under Rabbi Judy Schindler. During that time, she helped
Sara with her grandchildren Asher, Mayer and Sadie Pearl
lead a $ 10 million campaign. It required discipline, but more than that, it required trust built over years, through relationships that extended far beyond a single initiative.
Sara’ s years at Shalom Park extended far beyond day-to-day leadership. Through her involvement with the Foundation of Shalom Park and her three years as president of Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, she has enjoyed a front-row seat guiding the campus and community into what they are today.
More recently, her dynamic journey brought her to one of the community’ s most meaningful and quietly important spaces, the Hebrew Cemetery of Greater Charlotte. She stepped into the role during COVID-19, at a time when grief was often experienced in isolation. She took the cemetery records comprising decades of family files home with her and began putting everything in order. It was detailed work, but it was also deeply personal.
Given her long history in Charlotte, many of the families she encountered in her work were not strangers. They were people she had known across decades, through life cycles, celebrations, and loss.“ It means something different when you know the families,” she said. She leaves this role with a deep respect for what the cemetery represents and the responsibility it holds for Charlotte’ s Jewish community.
Now, she is turning her full attention to something new, a role she has already begun to step into. The opportunity came the way many things in her life have. She was attending her great-nephew’ s bar mitzvah in Woodstock, Vermont, when a conversation at kiddush shifted her next chapter. The synagogue president, sitting beside her, asked who she was and why she was there. When she shared her background, he asked, smiling with eagerness, if she wanted a job.
Later that day, she introduced herself to the rabbi, thanking her for a lovely service and sharing her work with Rabbi Judy Schindler. The rabbi, too, offered her a job. The conversation continued. Not long after, she said yes. In her next chapter, she will serve as executive director, bringing with her decades of experience and a steady understanding of what it means to build, nurture as well as sustain a vibrant community.
To call this moment“ the end of an era” is true, but only in the most literal sense. She is stepping away from Charlotte’ s Jewish professional landscape, but the impact of her work does not leave with her. It remains in the institutions she has helped shape, in the families she has supported, and in the countless moments when she stepped in to make something happen. And, as has been true throughout her career, she is once again exactly where she needs to be.
An Open Letter to Those Dreaming of the Court, the Field, and the Classroom
By Tamar Kopilevich
Growing up in Israel, my dream was simple and singular. I told my mother when I was 12 years old that I would play Division 1( D1) sports in the USA. I promised her I would be the best at what I do. At this time, I lived in a bubble of warmth, unaware that not everyone in the world views us with that same kindness. I didn’ t know then that my journey wouldn’ t just be about points on a scoreboard, but about
Tamar Kopilevich my Jewish and Israeli identities.
At 20 years old, I began playing for a remote junior college in Wyoming. I was a world away from home, and for many of my professors and peers, I was the first Israeli they had ever met. What was“ obvious” to me – my history, my faith, my perspective – was a completely new language to them. I found myself becoming a bridge. I realized that when you lead with an open heart, people respond with a genuine desire to learn. I wasn’ t just“ Tamar the basketball player”; I was a window into a world they had only seen on the news. Then came October 7. I was a sophomore, terrified of how the world would shift around me. I was blessed to have a sympathetic roommate to lean on, but I worried about the community outside our door. A day later, my coach pulled me into his office. He didn’ t talk about plays or practice. He looked at me and said,“ Everything you need, just let me know. I’ m here for you.” That moment changed me. It taught me that while there
is darkness, there are good people everywhere, if you have the courage to find them.
When it came time to sign with the D1 team at Queens University of Charlotte, my priorities had matured. In my first recruiting meeting, I didn’ t ask about the facility or the roster. I asked my coach,“ How does this school protect and accommodate Jewish and Israeli students?” I needed to know that my identity would be guarded as fiercely as my jersey. I found that peace of mind in North Carolina, surrounded by a community that doesn’ t just tolerate who I am but stands with me.
To those of you coming next, remember this: When we represent Israel on the global stage, we are more than athletes. We are ambassadors. We are agents of our nation. When people look at us, they see our country. I bring that pride into every room I enter. I am not shy about who I am. Whether I am giving a presentation to my teammates on sports culture in Israel or sharing our most painful or meaningful
moments, I invite them to see the truth of our lives.
My journey as a student-athlete has been deeply enriched by my role as a StandWithUs( SWU) Emerson Fellow. This fellowship has shown me that there are always ways to represent and educate others about Israel, even amid a demanding training schedule. It has given me the tools to turn my platform into a purpose, proving that our influence stretches far beyond the court.
I believe there is always room for improvement in how the world sees us, but that starts with us. If you have the platform of a student-athlete, use it. There is nothing to fear or be ashamed of. Surround yourself with people who challenge you to be better on the court and who respect the person you are off it.
My Jewish identity is an unbreakable part of me – it is a fire that no one can put out. We are one, and we never back down. Be proud of your roots, play with your whole heart, and remember that you are never alone on this journey.