By Melanie Davis

The Boone Jewish Community, also known as the Temple of the High Country, has finalized the purchase of property to build Watauga County’s first synagogue.

It doesn’t look like much now, but Boone Jewish Community president Chuck Lieberman hopes the site on West King Street in Boone will soon house the town’s only synagogue. Photo by Mark Mitchell

According to the organization’s president Chuck Lieberman, the synagogue plans were put into motion in April 2008 when the Schaefer Foundation donated $1 million toward the acquisition of land and construction.

On Feb. 20, the BJC closed on 2.05 acres of property on West King Street near Poplar Grove Connector Road. Lieberman said BJC bought the land for $548,000. The property contains a trout stream, wetland area, flood plain and has an overhead power line right of way attached to it, thus limiting development. However, Lieberman said he is confident the land is adequate. The architect has determined approximately a one half acre building footprint and an equal area for parking. The Schaefer Foundation, under the director of Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer, also provided the services of architect Steven Carter Price.

The $1 million gift allowed for the purchase of the land and will cover site preparations. Fundraising within the organization is currently underway to supplement the cost of the building and the parking area. An exact date to begin construction has not been set.

The BJC consists of approximately 120 current members, many of whom do not live full-time in the High Country. In order to adopt the purchase, Lieberman said a conference call was held with members dialing in from all over the country. A roll-call vote was taken and members approved the purchase by a 40-7 majority.

The West King Street location was chosen to better accommodate Appalachian State University’s Jewish students, Lieberman said.

Bonnie Schaefer echoed his statement in a Yom Kippur holiday speech. “A home of our own would encourage even more Jewish students to come to the area and make it more comfortable for the Jewish students that are already here,” she said.

“The modern Boone Jewish Community has existed for 30 years,” Lieberman said. “During that time, we have met in basements, living rooms, church social halls and currently meet in the foyer of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Councill Street [in Boone].”

Over the years, the BJC has held 20 bat and bar mitzvah celebrations, a ceremony for Jewish teens recognizing religious maturity.

“We look forward to a place where we can have weddings, baby namings, bar and bat mitzvahs, confirmations, and other events,” Schaefer said. “Looking to the future, this is not just for ourselves. It is a tribute to our ancestors and a gift to new generations.”

For more information about the BJC, call (828) 264-8364.