After a long road looking for a place to put down roots, a Jewish community in one Northwest Arkansas town finally has a place of worship.
The story begins with an unlikely friendship that led to a one-of-a-kind synagogue, in Washington County.
Temple Shalom's grand opening marks a major victory for Fayetteville's small Jewish community. Since 1981, the congregation has been struggling to establish their own place of worship.
Project Building Manager Jeremy Hess is also a member of Fayetteville's Jewish congregation. He reflects on one of the struggles along the way. "It was a disappointing day when we had to rescind our petition for the Butterfly House." Yet, Hess wasn't about to give up. "Being originally from New York, I probably would have given those people what we call the Bronx cheer, which is "phhbt!" That's because two years ago, Hess put his confidence in the motto of a Muslim contractor: where there's a will, there's a way. Contractor Fadil Bayyari holds that motto: "there is a will on the part of the Jewish congregation to have a place of worship, and we find a way to make it happen."
Bayyari saw the Jewish congregation's struggle, and offered to help them build a synagogue at no charge. "Learning to trust, and building on that trust, can get you anywhere you want to go." As they built, a friendship grew. Bayyari goes on to say, "you put that fear aside, you build on that trust, and you continue to spread the work."
And the work paid off. After almost three decades striving for a synagogue, Fayetteville's Jewish community finally has a home, called Temple Shalom. Hess says, "I knew that we would find a way, and the first piece of the puzzle was Fadil stepping into the picture, and then all the pieces just sort of fell into place."
This weekend marked a standing-room only dedication, and Hess and Bayyari are excited. Together they shout: "and we are done! And dedicated! We did it! We did it!"
The building is now complete, but Bayyari and Hess agree: their work is not. Bayyari says, "the work's just starting again. I think we can continue to send this message over across the water in the Holy Land."
As their own interfaith friendship grows, Hess and Bayyari say they hope Temple Shalom is a place where different religions can mingle, as well.
Bayyari's offer saved about $250,000, but the congregation is still raising funds to pay for the project.
The temple's grand opening also marked the start of Hanukkah, the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights.
For more information on Temple Shalom, log on to http://atempleofpeace.com/
The story begins with an unlikely friendship that led to a one-of-a-kind synagogue, in Washington County.
Temple Shalom's grand opening marks a major victory for Fayetteville's small Jewish community. Since 1981, the congregation has been struggling to establish their own place of worship.
Project Building Manager Jeremy Hess is also a member of Fayetteville's Jewish congregation. He reflects on one of the struggles along the way. "It was a disappointing day when we had to rescind our petition for the Butterfly House." Yet, Hess wasn't about to give up. "Being originally from New York, I probably would have given those people what we call the Bronx cheer, which is "phhbt!" That's because two years ago, Hess put his confidence in the motto of a Muslim contractor: where there's a will, there's a way. Contractor Fadil Bayyari holds that motto: "there is a will on the part of the Jewish congregation to have a place of worship, and we find a way to make it happen."
Bayyari saw the Jewish congregation's struggle, and offered to help them build a synagogue at no charge. "Learning to trust, and building on that trust, can get you anywhere you want to go." As they built, a friendship grew. Bayyari goes on to say, "you put that fear aside, you build on that trust, and you continue to spread the work."
And the work paid off. After almost three decades striving for a synagogue, Fayetteville's Jewish community finally has a home, called Temple Shalom. Hess says, "I knew that we would find a way, and the first piece of the puzzle was Fadil stepping into the picture, and then all the pieces just sort of fell into place."
This weekend marked a standing-room only dedication, and Hess and Bayyari are excited. Together they shout: "and we are done! And dedicated! We did it! We did it!"
The building is now complete, but Bayyari and Hess agree: their work is not. Bayyari says, "the work's just starting again. I think we can continue to send this message over across the water in the Holy Land."
As their own interfaith friendship grows, Hess and Bayyari say they hope Temple Shalom is a place where different religions can mingle, as well.
Bayyari's offer saved about $250,000, but the congregation is still raising funds to pay for the project.
The temple's grand opening also marked the start of Hanukkah, the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights.
For more information on Temple Shalom, log on to http://atempleofpeace.com/
