Welcome to CBI!

We're Asheville's only independent egalitarian Jewish community. More than 100 years old, we’re rediscovering ourselves every day. We love pot-lucks, swapping stories and kids in the sanctuary. Sometimes we sing off key. We learn and laugh together, celebrate and care for each other. Interested in joining?   Click here.

Philosophy

at CBI


with Ken Vallario
Mondays, 6:30pm
Details


 

 

SENSEational

Shabbat


 Join us on
Saturday, March 25, 9:30am
for a Shabbat experience of
motion and song in nature.

Details

Torah on Tap

Sunday, March 26, 4pm

Wedge Brewery

Next to 12 Bones on Foundy Street

Details here.

 

One Light

Brunch Gala
Honoring Caren Kessler,
Jay & Marlene Jacoby


Sunday, May 28, 11:00am

Pre-registration required 
Details

Multimedia

Artist Retreat


with Patty Pape at CBI
Sunday, June 6-8
Details


 

 

Friday Night

Kabbalat Shabbat

& Potluck 


 Friday, April 14, 6:00pm
Join Josefa Briant for services
followed by a vegetarian potluck.


Friday Noon

Study Group


 Join Jay Jacoby
Fridays at noon
on Zoom only.
Details here

Kiddush

For Breakfast 


Saturday, May 13, 9:30am
Rabbi Mitch will lead a 
learning session at 9:30am
followed by abbreviated
services at 10:15am.

CBI 3rd Annual

Golf Classic


Friday, June 16, 10am
at Cummings Cove Golf
and Country Club

Details and RSVP here

 

Havdalah Art Club

Original Art Work by Tikva Wolf
Each Saturday at 6pm

Rabbi Mitch Levine

Rabbi Mitch Levine:  Office phone (828) 252-9024, email rabbi@bethisraelnc.org
CBI is thrilled to have Rabbi Mitchell Levine as our spiritual leader. Rabbi Levine started on July 1, 2021.  He and his wife Alison, also a Jewish educator by profession, moved to Asheville from Columbus, Ohio. Rabbi Levine has had a rich and diverse career as both a pulpit rabbi and Jewish educator. Born and raised in Raleigh, Rabbi Levine most recently served as Rabbi of Agudas Achim in Bexley Ohio, a position he held for 10 years. Prior to that, he served as the Rabbi at Beth Sholom in Providence, RI where he also served as rabbinic associate at Brown University Hillel and taught at the Providence Hebrew Day School and New England Academy of Torah High School. In addition, he has studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Learning, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Harvard Jewish Theological Seminary, the reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and was a Fellow at the Day School Leadership Training Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary. 

"I deeply appreciate the empowerment and support I feel from the CBI leadership to forge our own path, one that is consistent and true to our family without being led to feel like our Judaism is lacking." - Ali Climo

This is Us

We're a blended family. Old and young, Jews by birth and Jews by choice; from L.A., Miami, Atlanta and Brooklyn - London, Johannesburg and places with names too hard to pronounce. We celebrate together: single moms and newly retired couples, inter-faith and inter-racial families. And all of us - observant, secular and agnostic - find common ground in community.

"For the first time in my life, I find myself yearning to go to shul."  - Rochelle Reich

This is what we're up to...

This is what we're talking about...

Mar
24
Fri
Online Friday Noon Study Group
Mar 24 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Online Friday Noon Study Group

Friday Noon Study Group  March 17  12-1

Last Friday, we continued our discussion of the Epistle of James with a look at Chapter 1:22-27 and Chapter 2.  In the concluding verses of the first chapter, James advises us to “look into the perfect law [later called the “royal law,” the law of compassion] and to be not only hearers (who may forget) but “doers who act.”  James clearly seems to be emphasizing the importance of action here–caring for widows and orphans, keeping oneself “unstained”–as opposed to simply proclaiming one’s faith.  Our group spent some time discussing some of the ways we can act–rather than just paying lip-service to action.
Chapter 2 of the Epistle opens with a caution about judging people based on their wealth, advice that harkens back to the suggestion  in Matthew suggesting that the poor shall be heirs to the Godly Kingdom.  The heart of this chapter then focuses on the significance of performing good works to go along with any declarations of faith.  According to James, “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead,” that faith is “brought to completion by the works,” and that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”  Our group spent a good amount of time talking about how various denominations have chosen to unpack these statements:
  • Some Christian denominations believe in a doctrine of salvation by faith alone (sola fide):  “we are accounted righteous before God . . . by faith and not for our work or deservings (Book of Common Prayer).  Salvation comes by faith in Christ alone.
  • Some denominations believe that good works are an inevitable consequence of good works; they are evidence of true faith.  “Faith, given time and opportunity, will result in good works” (United Methodist Doctrine).  The suggestion here is that faith and good works should be perceived as a single unit.   
  • Within Judaism, there is a concept that good works precede faith:  when receiving the Torah at Sinai, the Israelites said, “We will act and we will hear” (i.e., understand/believe).  Right belief may lead to right action, but right action is ultimately more important.
Needless to say, our discussion last week was quite rich.
This Friday, we will probably conclude our study of James’ Epistle of James with a consideration of Chapters 3-5. These are shorter chapters, but we won’t rush through our discussion and if we need an extra week to conclude we will take it.
Our discussion group meets via Zoom every Friday from 12-1 (see the CBI web site or Weekly Announcements for a Zoom link).  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous Friday study group sessions. 
Starting on April 7, the Friday Noon Study Group will begin discussion on a new topic:  Rabbi David Cooper’s God Is A Verb:  Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism. This book may be purchased through a variety of internet resources.  Stay tuned to this web site for more details in the weeks to come.
 
 
 
 

      

 

 

 

 

 
 

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Mar
25
Sat
Saturday Morning In-Person and Online Services
Mar 25 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Join us for Shabbat morning services in-person or via Zoom every Saturday morning at 9:30am.

Masks and social distancing are still required for all services that are likely to include singing and chanting.
Masks and social distancing are optional for all smaller, non-singing/chanting gatherings for fully vaccinated individuals.
Unvaccinated adults should always wear a mask.
Beginning with Saturday July 3rd, we will return to holding Shabbat morning services every Shabbat.  You will still be required to register in advance to attend services in the event that contract tracing should become necessary.  You can register online through the Wednesday weekly eblast.  If you’d like to receive the weekly eblast, click here.

Join the Zoom service by going to Our Virtual Community page here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

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Sensing Shabbat @ CBI
Mar 25 @ 9:30 am – 10:20 am

SENSEational Shabbat Mornings

9:30-10:20am outdoors on 3/25, 4/29, and 5/27
Connecting with Shabbat through movement and nature, song and kehila (community).  Led by congregants Sarah Eisenstein and Tikvah Wolf

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Havdalah Ritual & Intuitive Creative Artwork @ CBI
Mar 25 @ 6:00 pm
Havdalah Ritual & Intuitive Creative Artwork @ CBI | Asheville | North Carolina | United States

Join us every Saturday at 6pm for havdalah ritual followed by intuitive artwork creation! The individual and collaborative pieces we make together will be part of a Shavuot art display on our “collective revelation” this Spring. Bring your own art supplies/project or just show up! !

Organized by Tikva Wolf (text her with questions: 919-5-TIKVAH).

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Mar
26
Sun
Torah on Tap @ CBI
Mar 26 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Torah on Tap:


Sunday January 29, 4-5:30pm

 Wedge Brewery next to 12 Bones on Foundy Street

 We’ll meet upstairs in the Mezzanine room. Unfortunately, this space is not handicap accessible.

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Mar
27
Mon
Philosophy at CBI
Mar 27 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Artist and philosopher Ken Vallario will be facilitating philosophy sessions at CBI on

Mondays, 6:30pm

As the world grows in complexity, philosophy is a great way for people to grapple with the big questions in a collaborative way.

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Mar
31
Fri
Online Friday Noon Study Group
Mar 31 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Online Friday Noon Study Group

Friday Noon Study Group  March 17  12-1

Last Friday, we continued our discussion of the Epistle of James with a look at Chapter 1:22-27 and Chapter 2.  In the concluding verses of the first chapter, James advises us to “look into the perfect law [later called the “royal law,” the law of compassion] and to be not only hearers (who may forget) but “doers who act.”  James clearly seems to be emphasizing the importance of action here–caring for widows and orphans, keeping oneself “unstained”–as opposed to simply proclaiming one’s faith.  Our group spent some time discussing some of the ways we can act–rather than just paying lip-service to action.
Chapter 2 of the Epistle opens with a caution about judging people based on their wealth, advice that harkens back to the suggestion  in Matthew suggesting that the poor shall be heirs to the Godly Kingdom.  The heart of this chapter then focuses on the significance of performing good works to go along with any declarations of faith.  According to James, “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead,” that faith is “brought to completion by the works,” and that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”  Our group spent a good amount of time talking about how various denominations have chosen to unpack these statements:
  • Some Christian denominations believe in a doctrine of salvation by faith alone (sola fide):  “we are accounted righteous before God . . . by faith and not for our work or deservings (Book of Common Prayer).  Salvation comes by faith in Christ alone.
  • Some denominations believe that good works are an inevitable consequence of good works; they are evidence of true faith.  “Faith, given time and opportunity, will result in good works” (United Methodist Doctrine).  The suggestion here is that faith and good works should be perceived as a single unit.   
  • Within Judaism, there is a concept that good works precede faith:  when receiving the Torah at Sinai, the Israelites said, “We will act and we will hear” (i.e., understand/believe).  Right belief may lead to right action, but right action is ultimately more important.
Needless to say, our discussion last week was quite rich.
This Friday, we will probably conclude our study of James’ Epistle of James with a consideration of Chapters 3-5. These are shorter chapters, but we won’t rush through our discussion and if we need an extra week to conclude we will take it.
Our discussion group meets via Zoom every Friday from 12-1 (see the CBI web site or Weekly Announcements for a Zoom link).  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous Friday study group sessions. 
Starting on April 7, the Friday Noon Study Group will begin discussion on a new topic:  Rabbi David Cooper’s God Is A Verb:  Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism. This book may be purchased through a variety of internet resources.  Stay tuned to this web site for more details in the weeks to come.
 
 
 
 

      

 

 

 

 

 
 

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"CBI nurtures my spiritual life, especially the Shabbos experience - the participatory services and the Kiddush luncheon, which allows us to visit and get to know each other." – Jimi Moore