For Boulder County’s Jewish community, a new synagogue aims to create fellowship and build community for years to come.

The synagogue in north Boulder is an opportunity for the Boulder Center for Judaism to expand its programming and reach. While the center has rented a synagogue space in the past, this new space gives the organization its own home.

“This was really a community project,” said Rabbi Pesach Scheiner with the Boulder Center for Judaism. “The Jewish community put this together. They supported it. They wanted to bring more programming, more Jewish events.”

The Boulder Center for Judaism will use the synagogue for Friday night meals, birthday celebrations and religious study groups, among other things. At roughly 3,000 square feet, the building also includes a kitchen and an outdoor patio.

“This is like a Jewish life center,” Rabbi Scheiner said.

On Sunday, a dedication ceremony will be held at the synagogue at 2 p.m. Between 150 and 200 people are expected to attend.

“People feel that this is a big milestone,” Scheiner said. “People are really excited about it. It’s not something that happens every day — a new building in a small Jewish community.”

The Boulder Center for Judaism has been providing education on the Jewish faith and its heritage throughout Boulder County for over 30 years. The center also hosts Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremonies on the Pearl Street Mall.

“In 30 years, you can have time to make a real impact on the community,” said Rabbi Scheiner’s wife, Chany Scheiner. “It’s exciting because, whatever we’ve done up until now, we can take it a notch higher. We have credibility that we’ve built over time.”

Getting to the building opening was a long journey, the Scheiners said. People involved in the building bought the property before the land was annexed into the city of Boulder. The synagogue is at 2810 Jay Road off of 28th Street.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Chany Scheiner said, people involved with the Boulder Center for Judaism got used to having small groups for meetings and events.

The warm, welcoming nature of the new synagogue will allow those intimate gatherings to continue.

“I think this is a beautiful space that lends itself to a lot of different things,” she said. “This has many different uses, and that will bring the community together.”

Mendy Scheiner, Pesach and Chany’s son, flew in from out of state to attend the ceremony. He helped raise money to build the synagogue, which he called a “perfect” space to accommodate the center’s growth.

“To see it come alive is beautiful,” Mendy Scheiner said. “It’s customized and built for exactly what the community needs.”