Welcome to Temple of the High Country

Welcome to the homepage of the Temple of the High Country. Our congregation has begun to embark on an exciting journey in creating our own spiritual home in the mountains.

For the past thirty  years, our Jewish population has been served by the Boone Jewish Community. Friday night services are at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and High Holiday Services are held at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church. Although we are deeply appreciative of the facilities offered us by our Christian neighbors, it is time to have a place of our own.

The Temple of the High Country has been needed for a long time. We have been a congregation without a home. There is a small but growing year-round Jewish Community that becomes much larger from May through October as our seasonal residents enjoy the coolness and beauty of the mountains.

Our Mission
The Temple of the High Country, a Reform Congregation will be located in downtown Boone, close to Appalachian State University. It will be a stop on the route of AppalCart, Boone’s free public transportation system. Its accessibility makes it an ideal location for residents, faculty and students. The congregation will encompass many surrounding communities, including Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Jefferson, Lenoir, Linville Ridge, Newland, Pineola, Seven Devils, Sugar Mountain and Valle Crucis. There will be ample parking. Boone is a central point for Watauga, Avery, Ashe, Wilkes, and Caldwell Counties.

The Temple of the High Country/ Schaefer Jewish Community Center will house events enjoyed by  Hillel, which is the ASU campus Jewish organization, Jewish symposiums, film festivals and community events. Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer have generously contributed $1,000,000 as the “seed money” to make this happen. The land has been purchased, architectural and site plans have been drawn and with the help of many other generous supporters, we will realize our dream to have our own place of worship and fellowship.

We want to welcome everyone. The time is right. The time is now. We invite you to join us in Making Another Miracle Happen - our Temple of the High Country.