Real Charlotte: A Jewish man on what it’s like living in the Bible Belt during the holidays

Real Charlotte is a weekly series highlighting everyday humans that live in Charlotte. The people are what make this place special. Through this series, we hope to show you the successes, struggles, goals and dreams of Charlotteans.

“In most big cities there’s a Jewish population but I did not know how vibrant and large the Jewish population was in Charlotte before I got here. … I don’t think a lot of people realize that it’s one of the largest Jewish communities in the South. … I’ve gotten to know some leaders involved in the Jewish community and they’re always willing to reach out, invite me over to holiday meals but not really force it on me so I can sort of take them up on their offers if I want to but don’t really feel like its being forced down my throat. Something that I feel like I have been very pleasantly surprised with (is) how warm our community is, both being a large Southern city but also sort of a historical warm welcoming Jewish community, which I ignorantly was not fully aware of before I got here.”

– Eli Kahn, Community Programs & Civic Leadership Associate at Foundation For The Carolinas

Photo: Sallie Funderburk

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Real Charlotte: A Jewish man on what it’s like living in the Bible Belt during the holidays."