Virtual Event: History and Highballs — Missing History: Jewish Life in Western North Carolina

Jews in Appalachia? Who knew? Little has been documented about the Jewish history of western North Carolina, yet clues are all around us. Jews could be found in many towns including Brevard, Hendersonville, Statesville, Asheville, Rosman, Boone, Blowing Rock, Franklin, Sylva, Little Switzerland, Valle Crucis, Marion, Canton, Bryson City, Robbinsville, and Waynesville. Why did they come? How did they get here? What did they do in these mountains? What remains so long after they are gone? Join us for the answers to some of these questions in this virtual event. Register online; an email containing the Zoom link will be sent to all registrants an hour and a half before the program begins.

Sharon Fahrer moved to Asheville in 1996 partly because of its rich history and architecture. People drawn to Asheville often reinvent themselves. Sharon is a recovered environmental planner turned history geek armed with a BA in geography from Clark University and a master of urban planning from Wayne State University. She began to document Asheville’s Jewish history with Jan Schochet in 2003 to capture the memories of people who knew Asheville’s downtown in its prime and to better understand her adopted home.