“I recently sat down with Sheriff Quentin Miller, one of our outstanding public servants and community leaders, who’s proposed a very promising solution to this problem — and it’s sitting right under our noses.”
Author: Jerry Sternberg
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Passing the torch: A Jew in Asheville
“Another watershed moment in the evolution of Jewish social acceptance came in 1992, when the Biltmore Forest Country Club accepted its first Jewish member.”
Changing minds: A Jew in Asheville
“I knew he was a member of the Asheville Country Club. So, seizing the moment while we were waiting in the car, I raised the delicate issue of the club’s deliberate exclusion of Jews.”
High times in the ’70s: A Jew in Asheville
“For the next 24 hours, we had armed agents guarding the gate and the driveway, and lookouts toting automatic weapons were posted on the roof.”
The turbulent ’60s: A Jew in Asheville
“Meanwhile, despite the new respect that worldwide Jewry received after the war, antisemitism continued to rear its ugly head in Asheville, as demonstrated by two stories that community members shared with me.”
Fighting back: A Jew in Asheville
“Non-Jewish friends and even people I hardly knew were saying things like ‘I didn’t know Jews would fight’ and ‘You guys really kicked those guys’ ass.’”
The more things (don’t) change: A Jew in Asheville
“Many of those who were interested in joining were community leaders, prominent in both business and philanthropy. These folks met all the qualifications for membership but were denied acceptance solely because they were Jewish — an obvious attempt to keep Jews in their place.”
No admittance: A Jew in Asheville
“In addition to emotional pain and suffering, selective membership based on race, color or religion can result in egregious restraint of trade.”
The Moshe Cohen laws: A Jew in Asheville
“There were also what I call the ‘Moshe Cohen laws,’ which were designed to marginalize members of the Jewish community and similarly minimize social interaction.”
The many faces of prejudice: A Jew in Asheville
“Both Jews and Blacks suffered due to white Christian bigotry, and this led to a certain amount of bonding.”
The cultural divide: A Jew in Asheville
“There were three distinct cultures in the Asheville I grew up in, and describing the dynamics and relationships among them is difficult.”
The war years: A Jew in Asheville
“I rushed to the window in time to see one of my classmates from school throw a trash can through our front door, shouting ‘Jew! Jew! Jew!’”
A Jew in Asheville: The Gospel According to Jerry
“Even as a young boy, I was aware that the intensity of local prejudice against Jews was increasing exponentially as the Nazi threat to the European Jews escalated.”
Bad news, good news: The Gospel According to Jerry
“The African American community, in cooperation with UNC Asheville, has established a charter school, the P.E.A.K. Academy, which is specifically designed and staffed to give poor Black and other minority children a fair shot at a quality education.”
Supreme Court decision highlights right-wing sexual hypocrisy
‘Why should women be the ones who pay the price for an unwanted biological mishap?”
Want affordable housing? Get real
“Until the professed advocates of affordable housing and assistance for the homeless get off their BUTS and honestly attack these issues, nothing significant will happen.”
Ode to the River Queen: The Gospel According to Jerry
“She rode into town on her white steed. And immediately found this silver serpent slithering slowly through the valley, passing the city and sorely in need.”
Hey, Grandpa: The Gospel According to Jerry
“They’re just trying to teach us the truth about America and our local history.”
Overcoming obstacles: The Gospel According to Jerry
“Hopefully, all the dedication, caring, support and love nurtured by the Arthur Edington Center will help these wonderful youngsters survive the racism, crime, drugs and poverty that they encounter almost daily and go on to become professionals, businesspeople and/or social and community workers.”
From bigotry to advocacy: The Gospel According to Jerry
“To be honest, it was those very acts of civil disobedience — the lunch counter sit-ins by dignified young Black people, the reasoned speeches of Martin Luther King and the angry voice of Malcolm X — that gradually opened my eyes.”
How much has Asheville really changed? The Gospel According to Jerry
“I remember when the old passenger rail depot, now a restaurant, had a segregated waiting room.”
