Wanted: Koleynu

Newsletter Editor!

 After seven years (and 28 issues!) of writing and editing the Koleynu, I have decided it’s time to pass the pen to someone else. The Koleynu has been a labor of love for me, but at this point I need more time to focus on some other pursuits, especially my Human Resources consulting business. (For those who may not know, I do projects like advising managers on employee issues, teaching how to hire well, and writing job descriptions and employee handbooks.)

I have truly enjoyed producing the Koleynu. It’s been my pleasure to inform, educate, and share my opinions and views. Please consider a stint as editor, or perhaps becoming a member of a possible newsletter committee. Some of the tasks that have gone along with the newsletter, in addition to writing and editing items, include gathering information from other members (such as times for services and special events), taking photographs, updating the memorial and honoree columns, updating the mailing list, printing labels, coordinating the actual printing, and labeling, stamping and sealing the newsletters for mailing.

 Keep in mind, the Koleynu doesn’t need to look the same as it has in the past. New people might have new ideas and new approaches!  

If you’d like to volunteer, or have questions, please contact Leslie Chepenik, at (828) 877-5721. As this will be my last issue, please put your hand up quickly if you think you might be interested! I’ll be happy to help in the transition.

Break the Fast 

Following the closing Yom Kippur service we will hold a community Break the Fast on Oct. 9. Attendees are asked to bring a vegetarian or dairy dish (no red meat, poultry, or shellfish, but other fish is ok).

 To RSVP, please call Linda Steinfeld at (828) 877-6670. 

BJC Annual Member Meeting

 The BJC’s seventh annual member meeting will be held on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 at 7 p.m., before our Shabbat service.

 At our brief annual member meeting, we will vote for directors, review our financial status and conduct any other business brought up by the membership. You are considered a BJC member, with voting privileges, if you attend one service or meeting per year, and complete a Registry Form.

If you can’t attend, please complete a proxy (included in this Koleynu issue on Page 5) and give it to someone who will be in attendance, or mail it. This will help us to fulfill our bylaw requirements and protect our non-profit status.

This year, our slate of directors/officers is: 

Leslie Chepenik       President

Sybil Stuart              Secretary

Ken Wallston            Treasurer

Steve Butter             Vice President

Norman Bossert       Board Member

Nominations will be sought and accepted from the floor before a vote is held.

 Young Judaea Club Comes to Town

A new Young Judaea club will be started in Transylvania County in September. Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement

sponsored by Hadassah.  A new club for Western North Carolina’s Jewish youth will begin this September in Brevard. The club will have two separate meetings, one for third- through seventh-graders and another for eighth- through twelfth-graders. For more information, please contact the club’s advisor, Susan Greenberg, at (828) 877-6531 (home), (305) 281-8111 (cell), or youngjudaea.wnc@ gmail.com.

President’s Message      By Leslie Chepenik

 We welcome back our summer residents and invite you to join us for Shabbat services while you are here. We maintain a calendar of Oneg sponsors in our cabinet at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and on our website (www.brevardjewishcommunity.org), and we encourage you to volunteer to be a sponsor. You may sign up on the calendar or website, or phone Shelley Bossert at 884-7134, or me at 877-5721. We have missed you and look forward to getting reacquainted.

 We are fortunate to have Shelley Bossert maintain our website so that we can better inform our community of our activities Recently, our local charity Sharing House put out a plea for donations of food and money to assist them in their efforts in  aiding the less fortunate.    Some members suggested we make a contribution to their cause, and we voted and agreed to make a cash donation of $360.00.  I delivered the check along with an accompanying note explaining the Jewish tradition of donating money to charity in multiples of “chai” (which has a numeric value of 18), meaning “life” in Hebrew. We have since received a very appreciative letter not only thanking us for our donation, but for taking the time to explain our “gift of Life”.

 The Board of Directors, our spiritual leaders and I continue to welcome your suggestions, involvement, support and participation in the Brevard Jewish Community.

 Hard Lox Jewish Food Festival

 The Hard Lox Festival is Asheville’s annual celebration of Jewish food, history, music and customs. This year’s event will be held on Sunday, October 19, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Battery Park, which is adjacent to the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville. Visit www.hardlox.com for more information.

Norm Bossert to Run for School Board

 We all know Norman Bossert as one of BJC’s indispensable service leaders. But Norm is one busy guy! An educator for 34 years, Norm is also is one of ten candidates running for three available seats on Transylvania County’s Board of Education in the November election. Norm’s priorities include  increasing  

teacher and administrator retention and supplements. Norm was quoted in The Transylvania Times as saying, “The real question is how will we get teachers to choose and stay in this county. It will be by competing with other counties by offering them better or equal pay.”

 Norm would like to see the school system get a larger percentage of the county commissioners’ budget, and to develop a tighter relationship with Blue Ridge Community College. “They have a lot to offer a school system, and we can show our kids there’s other options for education and keep them in school.” He also supports board transparency, for parent and community involvement. “I would work especially hard to keep the county aware of what is going on with the school board because they have the right to know.”

 A New York native, Norm graduated from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a concentration in special education. He attained a master’s degree in school administration from Western Carolina University, and is currently the principal of Black Mountain Elementary School.

 Please support Norm when you vote this November!

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Editor’s Note: The above was excerpted from a July 21, 2008 Transylvania Times article.

Special Fourth of July Shabbat Service

By Leslie Chepenik

We had a unique Shabbat service on July 4th. Susan Greenberg, a new member, had agreed to plan and lead a creative special Fourth of July Shabbat service.

 We had our traditional readings and prayers, but Susan interspersed our service with information about American Jews and their contributions to American history. Dani Greenberg, Susan and Bennett’s daughter, recited the Emma Lazarus poem that’s engraved on the base of the Statue of Liberty, and Susan read George Washington’s famous letter to the Jews of Truro Synagogue reassuring them of our country’s tolerance and acceptance of all religions. We closed our service with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. Thanks to the Greenberg family for their contribution in helping to make the service one we will all remember.

Sukkot Celebration

This year, Sukkot begins at sundown on Tuesday, Oct. 14. We will celebrate Sukkot at our Shabbat evening service on Friday, Oct. 17.

Our Sukkah will be up from Sunday, Oct. 12 to Tuesday, Oct. 21, during which time you may feel free to decorate the Sukkah with cards, artwork, gourds, flowers or ornaments (preferably with strings or thin wires already attached, for easy placement), have a snack, or just enjoy standing in the Sukkah and thinking about those things for which you are grateful.

Marvin Barg, who coordinates Sukkah set-up, requests the following help:

Ø  Use of a vehicle to transport the Sukkah materials (pickup truck, van or SUV with 8-feet length of clear cargo space)

Ø  Several volunteers to help assemble the Sukkah on Oct. 12 (for about an hour)

Ø  One volunteer to help disassemble the Sukkah on Oct. 21 (less than one hour)

Ø  A storage place (basement, etc.) for the Sukkah materials when they are not in use (8-foot by 2-foot lattice sections and four cement blocks).

Please contact Marvin at

(828) 862-8980 if you can help!

Is the Fiddler Still on the Roof?

Randee Goodstadt-Evans, college instructor and Jewish history aficionado, will present the lecture “Is the Fiddler Still on the Roof?  Jewish History and Judaism”, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at noon, in Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College’s Ferguson Auditorium. The lecture is part of a Jewish Heritage Week sponsored by the college’s Diversity Committee. For more information, contact Michele Hathcock, head of A-B Tech’s Diversity Committee, at (828) 254-1921, ext. 203.

Land of Waterfalls Art Gallery

By Barbara Grossman

Kudos to Anita Goldschmidt on the opening of the Land of Waterfalls Art Gallery on Saturday, June 28^th.

The gallery, located at 10771  Greenville Highway in the Cedar  Mountain Business Park (around  the corner from the fire station  on Cascade Lake Road and near  the White Squirrel Outlet), is  owned and operated by an  artists’ co-operative made up of  local fine artists, each with a  unique talent.

The ten juried artists work in various media and subject matter, and plan to both work and teach on-site from the gallery/studio.

Anita specializes in many media including watercolor, acrylic, mixed media and oils. She and her fellow artists were thrilled with the response to the opening day, noting that more than 350 people attended.

She was especially pleased to welcome members of BJC, including Leslie and Ken Chepenik, Michele and Marvin Barg, Barbara and Paul Grossman, Susan Huter and two of her children, and Mal and Norma Wormser. The highlight for Anita, however, was seeing her dream of being part of an artists’ co-op, a dream her late husband, Paul, nurtured and helped her bring to fulfillment, becoming a reality.

For more information about the gallery, or to confirm the days and hours that Anita will be working in the studio, call (828) 883-3830.  You may also want to visit the gallery’s website at www.landofwaterfallsartgallery.com.

Koleynu - Our Voice                                                             August 2008                                                                 Page 5

Instructions for Proxy Form

If you can’t attend the BJC annual meeting on Sept. 26, please mail this proxy, or give it to someone who will be attending.

Memorial (Yizkor) Service Form

To have a family member or friend’s name mentioned during the Memorial Service, please complete this form and mail it to Norm Bossert as soon as possible.

Koleynu - Our Voice                                                             August 2008                                                                 Page 6

“It Gives Us Such Naches!”

• Phyllis Nesbitt was recognized by Brevard Academy at their annual awards ceremony in May 2008 for her contributions    as    an    “Art    to    Heart” volunteer. Phyllis met weekly with 4^th- and 5^th-graders to present and involve students in a variety of arts-related topics and activities. She was presented with a book signed by her students, in recognition of her efforts.

• Marvin Barg portrayed Mr. O. B. Abbott in Brevard Little Theatre’s production of the musical Radio Gals in August, 2008.