Community

Sisterhood

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 download and complete this application. Email the completed application form to [email protected], or mail it to Agudas Israel Sisterhood or drop it off at the synagogue with your check made payable to Agudas Israel Sisterhood.

Current Board 2022 – 2023: 

  • Co-Presidents: Kish Jarmon, Karen Murray
  • Vice Presidents: Nancy Holstein, Sue Kopel
  • Treasurer: Phyllis Bentley
  • Membership Secretary: Marlene Wiener
  • Recording Secretary: Lynn Lewis
  • Corresponding Secretary: Vicky Lieber

Trustees:

  • Deb Abel
  • Melanie Baxt
  • Frieda Hodes
  • Joan Kershner
  • Barbara MacLachlan

Recent and Upcoming Activities

Past activities include: 

  • Lunch at Flat Rock Playhouse’s Leiman Garden of Remembrance
  • Sisterhood Shabbat Services
  • Sisterhood Soup & Salad Lunches
  • Pardee Foundation Speakers 

Brotherhood

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

Agudas Israel Brotherhood is an adjunct of the Synagogue. Our purpose is to assist our organization by setting up the social hall for synagogue functions. Our members supply man power for our High Holiday Services by handling parking and ushering during the services.

Members work with our Sisterhood to host joint social events as well as these functions: The Brotherhood hosts weekly “Romeo” (Retired Old Men Eating Out) lunches at area restaurants, sponsor the annual Summer Bar-B-Q either on the synagogue’s grounds or at the homes of some of our congregants. We are experts at building Sukkas and assist our Rabbi as requested.

Membership is open to all dues-paying congregants. Membership is $35 per year. Breakfast meetings are held on the 4th Sunday each month where we fill up on Nova Salmon, bagels, cream cheese, herring, and more. A modest fee is charged for this lavish breakfast.

Committees

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!

  • April 16, 2023 at 12 noon — Celebrate post-Passover with Pizza in the Park at Flat Rock. See flyer for details

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 contact Membership Committee Chair Jay Naparstek by email here.

Committee Members

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

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!

Our work with others

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

We have monthly mitzvot opportunities, the most recent ones you can see here. Our next Mitzvah Day is set for May 21, 2023. Won’t you join us in repairing the world?

Trees for Israel

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 16, 2023, we joined with area churches and community agencies to celebrate the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, NC hosted a large community gathering to bag dried beans and rice for the Storehouse. The literal ton of food St. James sent over helps our food-insecure neighbors tremendously. We gathered at noon in the Parish Hall at St. James for a short presentation of Dr. King’s life work; then, we bagged the many 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 of Rabbi Rachael Jackson as she talks 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!