The Community Business: Historic Jewish Businesses in Asheville, North Carolina (2009)

Undergraduate: Naomi Barlaz

Faculty Advisor: Marcie Cohen-Ferris
Department: History

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Asheville, North Carolina has a rich history of Jewish merchants who were integral members of the community. Using oral histories collected by History@Hand, a local history organization, and the Special Collections Library at the UNC-Asheville I documented the effect of Jewish entrepreneurship on the Asheville community during the 1900's. I focused my research on the impact of religion on the relationship between Jewish entrepreneurs and the citizens of Asheville. I found that Asheville Jews were part of a vibrant Jewish community that included both Conservative and Reform congregations and opportunities to socialize with other Jewish families were abundant. Their relationship with the non-Jewish community was sociable and welcoming. Though anti-semitism was commonplace in the South, Jewish shop owners in Asheville experienced anti-semitism from individuals rather than from groups. The response of the Jewish community to Asheville’s African American population and the civil rights movement was mixed. Some Jews took a stand by hiring African Americans in their shops, attributing their equal treatment of blacks and whites to their religious values, but most Asheville Jews did not take an active part in the movement. This summer I was also able to get to know the current Jewish population. While the active Jewish population is largely elderly, the base of a strong Jewish community is still evident and worthy of study as a unique city in the context of Southern Jewish History.