Jewish Life in Western North Carolina

The collection spans the years from 1891-1977. The material in the collection includes various temple activities, minutes of meetings, photographs, membership lists, service bulletins, and the plans for construction of the temple and religious school. It also includes papers relating to the Board of Trustees of the Congregation (minutes, annual reports and correspondence); the correspondence of Rabbis Unger (1951-1961), Bloom and Funston; the activities of the Temple Sisterhood and Brotherhood (minutes, correspondence and assorted papers).

Collection contains personal papers, letters of correspondence, some in Yiddish, telegrams and congratulatory letters for community service and personal achievement. Correspondence related to the Louis Blomberg family businesses and related Jewish businesses in Asheville, N.C. Note "Blomberg" is used interchangeably with  "Blumberg" in many early documents

Collection contains photographs of the S.I. Blomberg family home and early family pictures.  S.I. Blomberg owned the Asheville department store The Leader. Note "Blomberg" is used interchangeably with  "Blumberg" in many early documents.

The small Jewish community in Asheville, NC talked for years about documenting the stories of families who witnessed, escaped, and survived the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. In June, 1999 the Center for Diversity Education, a non-profit working to increase the way diversity is covered in schools, began the necessary research. The goal of the project was to create a traveling exhibit for area middle and high schools that would enhance the grade level objectives in the NC Standard Course of Study. The project would use the model of Facing History and Ourselves, focusing on Eyewitness testimony, Primary Source Documents and individual Student Research along with visual images to learn about history. 

Joseph Dave was the founder of Dave Steel Company, Inc. Asheville, North Carolina. The Joseph Dave papers are related to the creation of Dave Steel Company, Inc. and to Joseph Dave's personal life and that of his immediate family. Documents, letters, photographs, ephemera, newspaper clippings, biographies, and architectural details related to Dave's long career as a civil engineer are included in the papers. The small body of work represented in this donation is the foundation for a proposed later donation that will represent the scope and scale of Joseph Dave and his family's many contributions to the built environment and to the social and economic well-being of Asheville, NC through the years. 

The Family Store Project: A History of Jewish Businesses, 1880-1990, a 12-panel exhibit displayed in a variety of locations in downtown Asheville in the fall of 2006 by History @ Hand.

Finkelstein talks about his experience working in the pawn shop that he inherited from his father. He shares some interesting anecdotes about his customers. He discusses the Depression, and the effects that it had on businesses and people.  Mr. Finkelstein talks about his partner, June Bassett, who kept the business running quite efficiently while he served in the military. Mr. Bassett became sole owner upon Mr. Finkelstein's retirement. A brother of Bassett is the present owner.
Finkelstein talks about his involvement with the Lions Club, in which he has been active since 1930. He played piano in the Asheville Lion's Club band called the Sanctimonious Seven. He was instrumental in the organization of the Buncombe County Shrine Club.  He also outlines his involvement with the Jewish Aid Society, the Jewish Community Center, and both of Asheville's Synagogues.  He was the president of one synagogue and vice president of the other.
He discusses changes that he has seen in the area over time, and describes his current activities and interests.  Much of this interview consists of discussions about the operation of his business, and the people with whom he came in daily contact. There are several anecdotes about Asheville, its environs, and inhabitants.

A collection of material related to the lives of members of the Lipinsky family of North Carolina.

Vertical Files

Part of the Congregation Beth Ha Tephila collection at UNCA and prepared for the fiftieth anniversary of the Congregation in Asheville, NC in 1941. This 36 page booklet contains and anniversary message from the Rabbi, a history of the Congregation, a program for the fiftieth anniversary Sabbath Service and the Banquet, a look to the future of the Congregation,  and a list of membership in 1941.
 

A collection containing the personal papers, business items, newspaper clippings, publications, and photographs from Ada and Lou Pollock. Also included are many of the Jewish cemetery records, duplicated from the original bound version held by the Pollock family. The materials in the collection relate to the Asheville years of the family. 

Personal papers and awards of Asheville optometrist and civic leader Samuel Robinson. A leader in environmental issues, he was active in the Carolina Mountain Club and the Boy Scouts of America. He worked to recognize George Masa's work with the Great Smoky Mountains and to name one of the peaks for Masa, a local photographer, and founding member of the Carolina Mountain Club. The collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, awards, correspondence, essays, speeches, and a personal diary.

A collection of material related to the lives of members of the Rosen family of North Carolina

A collection of material related to the lives of members of the Schandler family of North Carolina. 

A collection of material related to the lives of members of the Schochet family, Asheville, North Carolina. 

A collection of material related to the life of Sol Schulman, entrepreneur and businessman in Sylva, NC.