Our Temple

King Street Elevation

Rear Elevation

Our New Building Will Have

A lovely sanctuary for Shabbat and holiday services.
A home for ASU Hillel students.
The Schaefer Jewish Community Center.
The venue for the Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium on “Remembering the Holocaust.”
A meeting place for the Jewish Film Festival and Purim Festival.
A Religious school and Hebrew classes.
A Social Hall for Passover Seders, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Baby Namings, and other important Jewish life events.

Our Vision For the Future

The existence of the Temple of the High Country is expected to attract more Jewish families looking for a place to settle.
A home for ASU Hillel would encourage more Jewish students to the campus. All ASU students could attend cultural and educational events presented by Hillel.
The founding of the Temple should increase the popularity of the High Country as a year-round tourist destination.

History
In 1974, a small group of Jewish residents, from and around Boone, met and formed a congregation that was named the Boone Jewish Community. For many years, they held Friday night services in the homes of members and in meeting places at Appalachian State University.

Then, for many years, they were welcomed by the Unitarian Fellowship on Kings Street in Downtown Boone. Several years ago, the congregation moved to the welcoming St. Lukes Episcopal Church off Council Street in Downtown Boone. This group, which is now known as the Temple of The High Country is still worshiping there today.

For the past fourteen years, due to the large number of people attending the High Holiday Services on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we hold these services in yet another denominational welcoming space at St. Elizabeth of the High Country Catholic Church in Boone.

With the announcement in September 2008, that the generous donation of one million dollars from the Schaefer Foundation would allow us to start fundraising for a building of our own, it was decided, with a majority of congregational votes, to rename the Boone Jewish Community, the Temple of the High Country. The building would also become the home of the Schaefer Jewish Community Center in gratitude for the donation and fundraising efforts of Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer.

All that awaits us now, as we transition from the Boone Jewish Community to the Temple of the High Country is to get into our own new wonderful building “speedily” and “in our own day.”

Board of Directors
President – Chuck Lieberman
Vice President – Marla Gentile
Treasurer – Carol Gross
Secretary – Erika Siegel
Past President – Fred Kasten

Zodie Powers
Ruth Etkin
Neil Ramo
Naomi Marks
Cheryl Moretz
Jody Kasten

Committees
FUNDRAISING CHAIRS
Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer

Fundraising Committee
Marla Gentile
Judy and Michael Adler
Jane Pitt
Erika Siegel
Dr. Carol Schaffer
Brenda and Ira Abrams
Brenda Boozer
Denise Lovin
Ruth and Stan Etkin
Adrienne Finkel
Fran and Herb Gaynor
Dr. Mark and Marcia Grodin
Marilyn and Neil Ramo
Barry and Barbara Sugarman
Cheryl and Dennis Moretz
Renee and Murray Miller MD
Sally Breslauer
Steve Price AIA

Membership Chair
Zodie Powers

Ritual Chair
Ruth Etkin

Social Action Chair

Education Chair

Hospitality
Jody Kasten

Membership
Membership Chairperson, Zodi Powers zoshea@aol.com

Please join the Temple of the High Country. We need your support. Our dues are $125 a year and are payable to THC. Please click here to obtain a membership form.

Location
Boone is a lovely mountain community located near the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. The Jewish residents of Boone, as well as members of the Jewish faith living in the surrounding hills and valleys formed the Boone Jewish Community. The small core of these residents keep weekly services in a local church facility throughout the year. During the summer months the number of attendees at these services swells dramatically as residents of Florida, and other southern communities, escape the heat in the cool mountains. Boone is also the home of Appalachian State University. Members of Hillel, the organization of Jewish students on campus, have also become an integral part of our congregation. If you are visiting the area, come and join us at one of our services, or activities. Everyone is welcome.

Contact Us
Temple of the High Country
P.O. Box 2895, Boone, NC 28607
828-264-8364 or 828-264-5738

Join Email List
To join email list, contact Erika Siegel at elsqx4@charter.net