For Richard Hess, moving to North Carolina has helped rediscover his Jewish faith. Hanukkah, a celebration of eight nights, has now become a time to rededicate his life to the Jewish faith, his family, and friends.
Asheville’s Jewish community, long objects of prejudice, became a group tolerated by representatives of the city’s elite. It happened chiefly by their association with Zebulon Vance, being viewed as superior to African Americans, and efforts to memorialize Vance initiated by influential Jews such as Solomon Lipinsky.