Congregation Beth Israel is an independent, traditional egaliterian synagogue located at 229 Murdock Avenue in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1899 as Bikur Cholim, it was an Orthodox breakaway from Asheville's existing synagogue. It hired its first full-time rabbi in 1909, opened a religious school in 1911, and acquired its first synagogue building, which burnt down in 1916, in 1913.The congregation completed its second building in 1924, affiliated with Conservative Judaism in 1949, and changed its name to Beth Israel in 1950. It completed construction of its current building in 1969.Robert Cabelli joined as rabbi in 2006. he was the rabbi, and the president was Marc Penansky.Early historySignificant Jewish immigration to Asheville, North Carolina began in 1880, when the railroad link to Asheville was completed. The community founded Asheville's oldest synagogue, Beth HaTephila, as a "conservative" congregation in 1891, before the Conservative movement was formally founded. By 1899, however, some members of the Jewish community felt Beth HaTephila was not traditional enough, and eight of them founded Bikur Cholim as an Orthodox alternative. Bikur cholim is Hebrew for "visitation of the sick"; the name was used in recognition of the many people who came to Asheville to recuperate from tuberculosis.
