Charlotte Viewpoint - Archive No. 3 - Dec. 16, 2023

Letter from the Founder This is a time of year when we gather with friends and family and express gratitude for all that is good. We seek peace and renewal for the year ahead. And yet the headlines are fraught with division and conflict, both here and abroad.  The human experience is much about darkness and light. In 2012, we asked Rabbi Yossi Groner for his thoughts about core issues facing the Charlotte region as part of our Critical Issues series. Rabbi Groner is rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Charlotte and is director of the Lubavitch Jewish educational organization in the Carolinas. He is the founder and director of the Charlotte Chabad House, which serves as a Jewish educational resource and outreach center for the Charlotte metro area. As we expected, we received a timeless essay on the importance of bridging divides that is more resonant than ever.  In this issue, you’ll read a guest essay by Rabbi Groner on invisible fences in our community. .You’ll also read an essay by Matt Majors on architecture and music, a review on a classic long-lost film by Sam Shapiro, a story about a baby and a dog by Ben Ferguson, and see an artist gallery by Antoine Williams. In addition, as always in this newsletter, you’ll see links to four of our PDF magazines that showcase Op-Eds, photography, art, and poetry from past years.  Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, Mark Peres Charlotte Viewpoint Founder The Charlotte Center Founder & Executive Director From the Archive Photo by Chabad of Charlotte Who Is Wise? March 1, 2012 by Rabbi Yossi Groner On a recent Saturday the phone rang in the early morning at my daughter’s home in South Charlotte.  As Orthodox Sabbath observers we do not answer the phone on Saturday nor do we drive a car or use any electronic devices in observance of the holy day.  (Unless in a case of a life threatening emergency when these restrictions are suspended). The phone went unanswered as my daughter and family were enjoying the Sabbath morning as a family, prior to meeting up with us at our synagogue, which is within walking distance of their home. A half hour after the phone rang there was a knock on the door. In walked a friendly telephone service man who said that he was the one who had called. My daughter explained that she is Jewish and that today, Saturday was our Sabbath and we do not answer the phone on the Sabbath. The friendly service man had a bewildered look on his face and in his nice southern drawl said: “Did they change the seventh day from Sunday to Saturday?” This story is instructive, as it speaks to an issue that I have faced often in my 31 years in here Charlotte: the invisible fence that separates us. Keep Reading City Life From 2011: Architecture and Music: A Duet by Matt Majors Have you ever wondered what inspires a musician to write, compose or play his or her song? One can draw inspiration from many things. A flower or serene pasture may influence some. A child’s innocent laughter or the face of a true love may provide another’s muse. And still others might find musical movement in a traumatic experience such as lost love or the death of someone close. For many, however, musical inspiration flows from architectural surroundings. Read the Story Arts & Culture From 2016: American Version of M Returns by Sam Shapiro On Thursday, March 10,  at 8 p.m., Turner Classics will show, possibly for the last time, a film virtually unseen and unavailable for over 60 years: M. I’m not referring, of course, to the 1931 German version of M, an early masterwork of the sound era and milestone in world cinema. Directed by Fritz Lang, the original M is an astonishingly detailed depiction of organized crime, a subject Lang had explored earlier in such silent classics as Spies (1928) and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922).  Read the Story Fiction & Poetry From 2010: Animal by Ben Ferguson She was pretty sure that he didn’t love her. Love was a big emotion for such a small body, but for those first nine months she felt at least something reflected back at her as she rubbed her swollen belly in the bathroom mirror. Tiny fingers traced their way along her innards like a fish following a hand against the side of its bowl. Occasionally the baby would lean close to the wall, breathe hot and trace out a message to its mother in the steam.  Read the Story Artist Gallery From 2011: Antoine Williams by Antoine Williams Antoine Williams is a local artist and designer born and raised in North Carolina. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2003. Since then he has exhibited work at universities and galleries around North Carolina. Antoine has art in The Mint Museum of Art, UNC Charlotte permanent collection, and in the homes of various collectors. He also volunteers as an art teacher with afterschool programs. You can visit his website at www.rawgoods.org. View the Gallery Read Past Issues August 2009 Issue November 2008 Issue July 2007 Issue November 2005 Issue About Charlotte Viewpoint Charlotte Viewpoint is a magazine about the city and culture of the Charlotte region that ran from 2003-2016. Charlotte Viewpoint published civic and cultural commentary and programmed events about Charlotte for engaged citizens to nurture creative capital, elevate civic discourse and promote intellectual and artistic excellence in the Charlotte region. Read More charlotteviewpoint.org brought to you by: You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the The Charlotte Center newsletter. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. We invite you to share this newsletter with a friend. Sign up for this newsletter here. Design by Maddy Stevens Charlotte Viewpoint has been archived by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room for its historical significance.