HOUSES OF WORSHIP

 

Although Rabbi David Lipper has been leading Temple Kol Tikvah since he arrived in July 2019, the area’s growing Jewish congregation was joined by members of the wider Davidson faith community as they celebrated his formal installation on Friday, February 21. 

Temple Kol Tikvah, located on South Street in Davidson, serves more than 200 families with 100-plus children in its religious school. On the Temple’s website, Rabbi Lipper writes that the opportunity to inspire and teach led him to become a rabbi.

“I believe that Judaism holds the answers to life’s deepest questions. I am passionate about my own spirituality and I try to foster the spiritual journey in both young and old. I believe that the synagogue is the pathway through which this spiritual connection is fostered. My greatest desire is to build sacred community,” he writes.

Friday night’s installation service followed the temple’s weekly Shabbat Service. During the installation service a variety of groups of the temple congregation read words about their interaction with the Rabbi. As these groups identified their connections, Rabbi Lipper sat at the front of the sanctuary holding the Torah. Ultimately the full congregation stood to outline their commitment to their new Rabbi. The pledge ended with the following words: “May our connection with you be characterized by mutual respect, kindness, and generosity. May we and you, Rabbi, become a blessing to each other. And let us say, Amen.”

Following the Rabbi’s response to these words spoken by the whole congregation, clergy from various houses of worship in the community came forward to stand with the Rabbi in shared blessing. Once the Torah was returned to the Ark, the following members of the community made brief remarks: Mayor Rusty Knox, Davidson College President Dr. Carol Quillen, Davidson College Chaplain Rev. Rob Spach, and Daniel Tobias – President of Temple Kol Tikvah.

Rabbi Lipper also serves Davidson College as Campus Rabbi, working with Jewish Student Union student leaders in implementing Jewish religious, cultural, and social programming. As a member of the Chaplains Office staff, he also works with colleagues to serve the diverse spiritual needs of the campus community.

Rabbi Lipper was ordained as a rabbi in 1988. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters, Rabbinics, from Hebrew Union College. Before joining the Temple Kol Tikvah community, served as an intentional interim rabbi in temples in Bellevue, Washington, Georgetown, Connecticut, Little Rock, Arkansas, and San Antonio, Texas. He has also been a rabbinic resource for numerous congregations across the nation.

“People need a spiritual home that nurtures them and guides them down sacred paths,” he writes. “That is what has brought me to Temple Kol Tikvah of Lake Norman, a congregation that embraces this idea, that has become a home to so many, and has opened its arms wide for all who need. We are a kaleidoscope of backgrounds and beliefs and through our combined lens, we embrace all the colors of the rainbow.”

News of Davidson joins the Lake Norman community in welcoming Rabbi Lipper to Temple Kol Tikvah.