UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies will host a screening of the feature-length documentary film "Shalom Y’All" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at UNCA’s Humanities Lecture Hall. A talk by director Brian Bain and producer Susan Levitas will follow. The film, which focuses on the Jewish experience in the American South, is free and open to the public.

"Shalom Y’All" chronicles the travels of Bain, a third generation Southern Jew in search of his cultural roots. As he journeys across the South in an old Cadillac, Bain takes the viewer 4,200 miles through Delta flatlands, coastal lowcountry, mountain passes, suburban subdivisions and sprawling sunbelt cities. Along the way, he discovers a vibrant regional culture that blends the Old World with the New South.

The film highlights the people Bain meets during his travels, including an African-American Jewish police chief, a Gold Gloves boxer and a kosher butcher. The film also includes two segments that feature the family of Asheville’s Carol Deutsch as well as a cameo appearance by her husband Robert, an Asheville attorney. The first segment documents a Passover Seder at the Atlanta home of Carol’s sister, Judy Kogon. The Seder is actually held in a three-car garage that has been made over for the event, complete with art on the walls, carpets on the floor and a Passover kitchen. Robert makes a dramatic appearance as Moses, prepared to lead the 50 guests to the promised land. The second segment takes a heart-warming look at the weekly mahjong game hosted by Carol’s mother, Helen Cohen, who also lives in Atlanta.

"Shalom Y’All" has been screened in San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston and at the High Museum in Atlanta. "We can always tell when the film is shown, because we get calls from friends saying they’ve seen our family," Carol said. "I’m thrilled the film is coming to Asheville."

The program is made possible in part by a grant from Cinematique.

For more information, call UNCA’s Center for Jewish Studies at 828/251-6576.