International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Jan. 27 is recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, the day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

In Buncombe County we strive for Equity at every turn. The 2025 Buncombe County Strategic Plan places equity as both a foundational focus area and a value. As we are witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitism around the world, it is more important than ever to recognize the critical lessons of Holocaust history as we commemorate the victims and honor the survivors. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Buncombe County and Western North Carolina have a rich history of Jewish People in the region. The first documented Jewish People arrived in Asheville, NC in the 1860’s. By 1905 the Jewish population of Asheville was estimated to be about 100. In 1940 the first Jewish Community Center in Western, NC opened in Asheville. In 1983 The Center for Jewish Studies was created at the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville) and the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies was founded at Appalachian State University in 2002 to develop new educational opportunities for students, teachers, and the community. In April 2013 the Asheville Jewish Community Center transferred its archives to the NC Collection. The collection, covering 1924 to the present, includes photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper articles, written histories, and publications such as newsletters, membership directories, a cookbook, and programs for various events (Jewish Community of Western North Carolina).

Much of these archives are available through the NC Collection website or through the Buncombe County Special Collections.

Watch the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s award-winning Stay Connected live series featuring special guest Tova Friedman, who will talk about surviving Auschwitz and the dangerous surge in antisemitism today. The episode airs live on Jan. 26, at 1 p.m., and will be available to watch on-demand afterward on the Museum’s YouTube page linked here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustmuseum. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Buncombe County offers the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers confidential and professional assistance to help resolve problems that are affecting employees and their families. This program is dedicated to assessment/referral/problem solving services to all Buncombe County employees including full and part-time, regular, grant funded and temp employees. For more information about the Employee Assistance Program, please visit the Employee Assistance Network linked here https://www.eannc.com/.

More information about the Buncombe County Equity and Human Rights Office is available at buncombecounty.org/equity. 

Employees and members of the community can file a discrimination complaint through the Equity and Human Rights website or by contacting the Non-Discrimination Coordinator at NDO@buncombecounty.org.

Residents have access to the Racial Equity Action Plan Dashboard.

 Sources: https://www.ushmm.org/remember/international-holocaust-remembrance-day

https://jcwnc.org/who-we-are/history/