“Another watershed moment in the evolution of Jewish social acceptance came in 1992, when the Biltmore Forest Country Club accepted its first Jewish member.”
![](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Jerry-Sternberg-2019-cropped-330x331.png)
“Another watershed moment in the evolution of Jewish social acceptance came in 1992, when the Biltmore Forest Country Club accepted its first Jewish member.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.’”
“In addition to emotional pain and suffering, selective membership based on race, color or religion can result in egregious restraint of trade.”
“I want to encourage all my Asheville friends who have been disparaging downtown to please come back. It’s beautiful and clean, and you need to be part of all this.”
“It shouldn’t have to be that way, but antisemitism is constantly rearing its ugly head, even in liberal Asheville.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Xpress readers and writers share their own true tales of adventure — from unexpected encounters with nature to wild career rides and more.
“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.”
“I remember when the old passenger rail depot, now a restaurant, had a segregated waiting room.”
“When governing ourselves, listen to both sides of the argument and take your stand, but remember, efficient government is like walking in a culvert. There is plenty of room on both sides, but the water flows the smoothest in the center.”
“You cannot practice racism and bigotry and still call yourself a ‘patriot.'”
“I could give you a litany of racial injustice incidents that I’ve personally observed over the years.”
“There are some pronounced similarities between World War II and the current pandemic.”
“These efforts are not about forcing people out of their cars or sacrificing traffic efficiency, but better balancing our transportation infrastructure to make Asheville safer for all residents and visitors — including pedestrians and cyclists.”
“Thank God for Jerry Sternberg! Mr. Sternberg, you are a commonsense breath of fresh air in our murky world.”
How did Xpress readers process all the local news and changes this year? Here’s a look at the topics that generated the most commentaries, letters to the editor and online comments in Xpress in 2019.