Welcome to Agudas Israel Sisterhood where you enjoy the camaraderie of good friends, fun events, and informative programs. As a Sisterhood member, you are part of a caring, committed and compassionate group of women who come together in friendship to serve and support each other, Agudas Israel and our Hendersonville community. To get in touch, please email us.

To join us, please complete this application.

Current Board 2024 – 2026: 

• Immediate Past Co-Presidents: Kish Jarmon, Karen Murray
• Treasurer: Phyllis Bentley
• Membership Secretary: Marlene Wiener
• Recording Secretary: Sue Hassett
• Corresponding Secretary: Vicky Lieber

Trustees:

• Deb Abel
• Melanie Baxt
• Frieda Hodes
• Joan Kershner
• Lynn Lewis
• Sheryl Solomon

Recent and Upcoming Activities

• May 20, 2025 — Annual Meeting & Lunch
• March 23, 2025 — Trivia Happy Hour
• February 18, 2025 — Game Day
• January 21, 2025 — Fashion Accessories Swap
• December 17, 2024 — Annual Chanukkah Party

Past activities include: 

• Fashion Shows
• Lunch at Flat Rock Playhouse’s Leiman Garden of Remembrance
• Sisterhood Shabbat Service
• Sisterhood Soup & Salad Lunches

Annual Meeting & Lunch

Sisterhood’s Annual Meeting & Lunch is set for May 20 from 12noon to 1:30p.m. in the Agudas Israel Social Hall. Sisterhood members are invited to bring their lunch – coffee, tea, water and light desserts will be provided. RSVP by May 16.

The Brotherhood offers the opportunity to expand one’s circle of friends, to get involved in Jewish affairs, to increase our membership and presence in the Jewish and non-Jewish community, and to contribute to our Congregation.

Agudas Israel Brotherhood is an adjunct of the synagogue. Our purpose is to contribute to the running of our synagogue and assist our organization by setting up the social hall for synagogue functions. Our members supply manpower for our High Holiday services by handling parking, security, and ushering during the services.

The Brotherhood hosts weekly “Romeo” (Retired Old Men Eating Out) lunches at area restaurants. We sponsor fundraising events, host annual summer and fall picnics plus other social activities on the synagogue’s grounds or at the homes of some of our congregants. We work with our Sisterhood to host joint social events, are experts at building Sukkahs, and assist our Cantor as requested.

Membership is open to all dues-paying congregants. Membership is $35 per year. Breakfast meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month where we fill up on Nova salmon, bagels, cream cheese, herring, and more. A modest fee is charged for this lavish breakfast.

Caring Committee

The Caring Committee is here to support our congregants in time of need such as bereavement and illness. We aim to maintain contact with members in need through phone calls and visits. We are available to help with picking up prescriptions, groceries, or providing meals in times of bereavement or illness. Please let us know how we can help you. You can contact the Committee by emailing Sue Hassett, Chairperson at or calling her at 256-580-2312.

Membership Committee 

The purpose of the Membership Committee is to increase membership by attracting new members and by retaining existing members.

To achieve this we have identified the following objectives:

• Membership Service. Identify the needs of members and recommend approaches to meet those needs.
• Keeping Membership Informed.
• Welcoming New Members.
• Identifying Member and Nonmember Needs and Perceptions.

The Committee conducts regular outreach to existing members, working to ensure that all our members feel welcome, connected and heard. 

We hold regular member events during the year, such as the Post Passover Pizza Party, Tailgate Wine and Cheese, and other social programs to keep members connected.

The Committee reaches out to new and prospective members to introduce them to all that Agudas Israel has to offer and to help them feel welcome. Among other efforts, we hold a Prospective Members Brunch each year.

Upcoming & Recent Activities – Looking forward to seeing you at these events!

• February 4, 2024 at 12:30pm — Annual Winter Warmup in the Social Hall. Click here for details
• May 5, 2024 at 12 noon — Celebrate post-Passover with Pizza in the Park. Details here.

Committee members meet on a regular basis for business, and also to have an enjoyable time. We currently meet on the third Thursday of each month.

For more information on membership and committee activities, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office or to our membership co-chairs, Jay Naparstek or Nancy Weintraub.

Committee Members

• Jay Naparstek, Co-chair
• Nancy Weintraub, Co-chair
• Sue Hassett
• Lynn Lewis

Fundraising Committee 

The mission of this committee is to devise and execute unusual and fun events for the congregation and the community. These events not only raise money for the general funds, but they also create awareness of Agudas in the community and create venues for the congregation to come together and enjoy each other’s company.

In the recent past, this committee has organized two “Art in the Lot” events with over 20 local artists selling their creations in our parking lot. This festive event has brought hundreds of community members to our beautiful facility and provided local artists with a place to showcase their wares. During Covid, we created a program called “The Giving Tree” where congregants donated items of value that they no longer needed or wanted, which were sold and converted to general funds. 

We have also sponsored a destination themed Silent Auction “Oh, The Places You Will Go!” with donated items including condo vacations, catered dinners and local merchant gift certificates. We raised money and we also went places! 

Our Centennial Gala to celebrate our 100th anniversary in Hendersonville included a multimedia historical retrospective of our past and our goals for the future of Agudas. Not only that, but we celebrated with a sit-down dinner reprising a homemade Jewish cuisine reminiscent of our founding year of 1922.

We invite you to participate in this creative and fun committee as we continue to raise awareness of Agudas Israel in Hendersonville and come together as community in a festive environment. Come join us as we explore the ways in which we can have a profitable great time!

Post Passover Pizza in the Park

After the holiday, we will be coming together for a Pizza in the Park party on Sunday, May 5 at 11:30 a.m. at The Park at Flat Rock. This get-together is free to Agudas members. Nonmember guests are $10 each. See details here.

Caring for the world and our local community are vital elements of our work with others at Agudas Israel. 

We have numerous mitzvot opportunities in which Agudas Israel members can participate in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) while helping those in need in our community.

For the High Holy Days, our congregation organizes an annual Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur Food Drive. Since the inception of the drive 13 years ago, we have donated more than 20,000 pounds of food and other non-perishables to the Interfaith Assistance Ministries to aid in the battle to eliminate hunger in Henderson County. Congregants provide items such as dried beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruit and vegetables, canned meat, fish and chicken, peanut butter and jelly and other non-perishable items. In addition, we collect basic household items such as toilet tissue, paper towels, and disposable diapers. In the 2023 High Holiday Food Drive, 915 pounds of items were collected and donated to the Interfaith Assistance Ministry, making a much needed difference for people in our area.

At our most recent Mitzvah Day held on May 21, 2023, a wide variety of items were donated to support those in need. Won’t you join us in repairing the world?

Remember a loved one or mark a special time to celebrate with the gift of a tree planted in Israel. Trees are available through the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Trees for Israel at this link.

In the Community

On January 15, 2024, Agudas Israel Congregation will join with area churches and community agencies to celebrate the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, NC will host a large community gathering to bag dried pinto beans and enriched white rice for the Storehouse. The literal ton of food St. James sends over helps our food-insecure neighbors tremendously. We will gather at noon in the Parish Hall at St. James for a short service in honor of Dr. King. Jr. Following the service, we will work together bagging the hundreds of pounds of donated food.

Agudas News & Updates

In The News

Agudas Israel was featured in a Spectrum News 1 story about the Yarn Blooming initiative by STEAP (Storytelling, Education & Art Programs), aiming to bring the city’s diverse communities together through knitting. Agudas Israel Sisterhood brought their knitting and crocheting talents to decorate “Communi-Trees” by the Depot on Maple Street in Hendersonville. Watch the video about the Yarn Blooming project and why it’s vital for Agudas Israel to be an integral part of our community. 

Weekly Updates

To make sure our members know what is happening at Agudas, a Weekly Newsletter is emailed every Sunday. It includes a weekly calendar, a link to a monthly calendar, news about current and upcoming events, and important messages from our Rabbi and congregational leaders.
Newsletter

Chai Lites, a monthly / bimonthly long-format newsletter was published in prior years.

Read back issues:

Sept – Oct 2022

July – August 2022

June 2022

May 2022

April 2022

Feb-Mar 2022

Special Events
We’ve had a wonderful time celebrating our Centennial in 2022!