Jeanne and Marshall Rauch discuss the Jewish experience during the twentieth century in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, mainly in Gastonia and Bessemer City. A native of Gaston County, Mrs. Rauch remembers her parents' civic participation and involvement in building the first synagogue in Gastonia, Temple Emanuel. They address the limitations and challenges that small-town Jewish communities like theirs face, such as proscribed services and the financial strain temple maintenance places on small congregations. Mr. Rauch proposes building a closer relationship between the larger temples in Charlotte and smaller ones in surrounding towns to help financially sustain smaller synagogues. Moreover, Mrs. Rauch talks about prominent Jewish families in early Gastonia, and the couple talks about their own family and its Jewish traditions.