Jewish from Manhattan wanting to move- will we fit in? (Charlotte: houses, schools)

[Weez747]

We are Jewish from Manhattan thinking about relocating to Charlotte. My friend who went to UNC (shes Catholic) told me that I might feel uncomfortable as a Jew in Charlotte. I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island with a ton of Jews, but would like to get away from EVERYONE being Jewish. I'm not hoping that Charlotte has areas that are ALL Jewish like the area I was raised in, but I would like to know that there are plenty of Jews in the community. Is there a nice Jewish life in Charlotte, and when it's time for me to have kids, will they feel accepted? If they exist, which areas are "more Jewish?" We are looking for homes in the 500-700k range. Thanks!!!

[south.charlotte&union]

Hey there,
We are Jewish -- we moved from Plainview (Long Island) to Charlotte in 1998. As a realtor, I am not permitted to say if there are areas that are Jewish or not. What I can say is that Shalom Park is the center of Jewish life in Charlotte -- it is set up like a campus and houses both the reformed and conservative temples as well as the JCC, both temple religious schools and the Jewish Day School. People that are observant often live close to Shalom Park so they can walk to services. What I have found (moving from a largely Jewish area to one where Jews are the minority) is that I feel the Jewish community here is very tight knit -- perhaps because we are a minority, but maybe also because there is a real center of Jewish culture. We absolutely love it here, and my children are proud of their religion and heritage. I have found it extremely accepting. Again this is my opinion

Let me know if I can assist you with your relocation, or any other questions you might have -- I would be happy to help!

[friendnc]

Ditto to south.charlotte&union's post. I am a devout Christian and my boys have played in several basketball camps/games at the Jewish Community Center. It's a very beautiful campus. You would be accepted here (not sure why your friend said otherwise). The Charlotte area is a mostly Christian community (I've lived here all of my life of 41 years), but really accepting of anyone. That's the beauty of this area. No one feels they have to hide or compromise their beliefs, yet most everyone gets along very well here and feels they don't always have to agree in order to love and care for one another. Come on down. We'd love to have you guys!!!

[WorldTraveller]

I don't think you'll find any trouble in Charlotte. It's a fairly superficial sort of place so you could be a flaming qu€€r and no one would say anything to your face. I live close to the Jewish Community Center and it's a lovely area.

[mm34b]

Charlotte's Jewish History - http://www.jewishcharlotte.org/conte...rticleID=27748

[carolinajack]

weez you could become very tolerant in charlotte, we have more than just catholic and jews in charlotte and real tolerance is to get along with people you dont actually have alot in common.

you would be welcomed in Charlotte as long as you dont have the Manhattan chip on shoulder that thinks every place should be just like manhattan and the center of the world is NYC

its not

[alice_61]

mm34b,
Thanks for the link to a very interesting history!

[Charlotte ePro]

Originally Posted by Weez747

We are Jewish from Manhattan thinking about relocating to Charlotte. My friend who went to UNC (shes Catholic) told me that I might feel uncomfortable as a Jew in Charlotte. I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island with a ton of Jews, but would like to get away from EVERYONE being Jewish. I'm not hoping that Charlotte has areas that are ALL Jewish like the area I was raised in, but I would like to know that there are plenty of Jews in the community. Is there a nice Jewish life in Charlotte, and when it's time for me to have kids, will they feel accepted? If they exist, which areas are "more Jewish?" We are looking for homes in the 500-700k range. Thanks!!!

I think Charlotte will be a nice fit for you. There is quite a bit of diversity in Charlotte and you and your children should have no difficulty with acceptance or "fitting in".

I believe what your friend intended to say was, "Charlotte as a city is heavily influenced by the Fundamentalist Christian element due to it's conservative history." This means you may notice weird laws/statutes that were implemented for no other reason than to appease the Christian majority. Like with any community, you will find extremists here like Flip Benham who fronts the christian hate group "Operation Save America" but I promise they are in the minority.

[mjshields18]

There is a Jewish community with a full time rabbi based in Davidson. It's called the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation. Lake Norman Jewish Congregation - Our mission is to meet the religious, educational, social and life cycle needs of the Jewish community of Lake Norman, attentive to families' individual needs. is there website.

[bandibadji]

Originally Posted by Weez747

We are Jewish from Manhattan thinking about relocating to Charlotte. My friend who went to UNC (shes Catholic) told me that I might feel uncomfortable as a Jew in Charlotte. I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island with a ton of Jews, but would like to get away from EVERYONE being Jewish. I'm not hoping that Charlotte has areas that are ALL Jewish like the area I was raised in, but I would like to know that there are plenty of Jews in the community. Is there a nice Jewish life in Charlotte, and when it's time for me to have kids, will they feel accepted? If they exist, which areas are "more Jewish?" We are looking for homes in the 500-700k range. Thanks!!!

This is a question that we hear way "too" often on this thread. Of course you will fit in if you are 1. friendly, 2. not expect everyone and everything to be just like it was from where you came, and 3. keep a positive attitude and look for the good things that abound. You are talking about moving to Charlotte, not Munich. I can't imagine why your friend would think that you would feel uncomfortable unless you are not willing to assimilate with a population that is mostly non-Jewish. You will have absolute no problem with people accepting you as you will likely find that nobody will really care what you are. There are lots of everything in Charlotte. You will not be special.