President of The Temple of the High Country Chuck Lieberman delivers an invocation at the beginning of the dedication Friday afternoon. The temple will be located off of King Street. Photo by Holt Menzies

by CHRISTOPHER CLARK
Intern News Reporter

Nearly 40 people involved in the Temple of the High Country Boone Jewish Community (BJC) met Friday evening in an empty lot behind Galileo’s Café on West King Street to dedicate the future construction site of the Schaefer Jewish Community Center.

Once built, the community center will be Boone’s first Jewish synagogue. 

“One day if all goes well, 400 truckloads of fill dirt are coming to this property; the land we see will be transformed and raised up high,” Chuck Lieberman, BJC president said. “Bulldozers will clatter around for days to create a site suitable for Jewish worship.”

While Lieberman spoke about the organization’s dreams for their synagogue, he also sought to temper the crowd’s expectations, reminding them a groundbreaking was still years of planning and fundraising ahead of them.

Also present at Friday’s dedication ceremony were Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer, owners of the Westglow Spa & Resort and heads of the Schaefer Foundation.

The Schaefer’s provided the $1 million donation with which the BJC was able to acquire the future site of their synagogue and community center.

The Schaefer’s also worked with architect Steven Price to design the future synagogue and community center building.

Jamie said the building is designed in the same style as those that make up the Appalachian State University campus, with brick walls and green roofing. 

A similar taste in architecture is not the only connection the BJC shares with Appalachian --a number of students are deeply involved with the BJC, such as Hillel, Appalachian’s Judaism club.

Hillel Treasurer Daniel A. Batiansila, senior psychology major and former Hillel president, has been involved in both Hillel and the BJC since his freshman year and believes it is vital to Jewish students at Appalachian.

“The temple provides us with a more Jewish outlet,” Batiansila said. “They provide services for us. If it weren’t for them we wouldn’t have that.”

Hillel members volunteer to help conduct Judaic religious services run by the BJC’s lay leaders in the lobby of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Fridays at 7 p.m., and in return, the BJC contributes to Hillel by hosting traditional chicken dinners for students.

They also hope to conduct an Israeli dance class for Hillel students to be led by Ruth Etkin, the BJC’s Ritual Chairperson.

BJC members hope once the synagogue and community center is built, the Jewish community in Boone will be able to attract a permanent rabbi, as well as have their own place to worship without needing to borrow space from local churches. 

Batiansila thinks the construction will affect students as well.

“I think the Temple will give prospective [Jewish] students more of an incentive to come here,” he said.

Junior advertising major Sarah I.C. Hostyk, who could be heard at the closing of Friday’s Temple dedication reciting Jewish prayer in unbroken Hebrew, also has strong ties to the BJC.

Hostyk feels the BJC and its members have been an essential part of her life in Boone and she encourages other Jewish students to get involved.

“The Temple community is our backbone as Jewish students, they are always there for us and helping us,” she said. “It is a great family of people, and I love it.”

Photo by Holt Menzies  |  The Appalachian

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