David & Aleen Epstein
Aleen and I were born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a city with approximately 5,000 Jewish residents. Life revolved around Jewish youth activities at our synagogue and the YMHA, now known as our Jewish Community Center. Our parents actively supported Scranton’s local Jewish community agencies and national service organizations, including B’nai Brith and Hadassah. After the birth of the State of Israel, our parents became even more involved and Aleen’s parents located relatives from Europe to bring them to the United States. These experiences left an indelible impression on our lives.
After college, law school and a few years in government employment in Washington, DC, we returned to Scranton to raise our family and reconnected with the Jewish community. Aleen held leadership positions in our synagogue, serving as Chair of the Board of Education, and was very active in Hadassah and the Jewish Federation. The Federation became the central address of the local Jewish community and I served as a director, as an officer, and eventually as president, in addition to serving on the Boards of our synagogue and the Jewish Home for the Elderly.
In 1997, Aleen and I felt a need to be closer to our children and moved to Charlotte. The vitality of the Jewish community impressed us. In addition to the long-standing involvement and philanthropy of the major families, we were struck by the large number of young Jewish adults committed to their Judaism and giving of their time and money. We were inspired and wanted to be part of this community. We embraced Charlotte, becoming active with the Jewish Federation, the Charlotte Jewish Day School, and Jewish Family Services, while continuing our commitment to both the local Hadassah chapter and to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
Our desire is for Charlotte’s vibrant Jewish community to continue to thrive. We have been fortunate and have given back to the community with our time, annual gifts and by establishing endowments. We believe endowments are crucial to the long term preservation and maintenance of Charlotte’s Jewish community as well as the State of Israel and the worldwide Jewish community.
We continually strive, through our words and deeds, to create an atmosphere that will inspire our children and grandchildren to continue our family’s tradition of Tzedakah and Tikun Olam and our devotion to the State of Israel.
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