Historic Church To Celebrate Easter Services At Synagogue
PARK SLOPE — The historic Old First Reformed Church of Brooklyn, still working to repair extensive ceiling damage in its sanctuary, will hold Easter services at Congregation Beth Elohim, continuing an unusually close relationship between the Dutch Reformed church and the neighboring synagogue two blocks away.
Old First, a landmark building with a congregation dating back to 1654, had to close its sanctuary last fall because of falling plaster, and its main space is still closed while work gets underway. Services have since been hold in a lower hall.
To accommodate the demand for extra space at Easter, Beth Elohim offered its main worship space for Easter Sunday, April 8, which happens to fall one day after the first day of Passover. At the Easter service, Cantor Josh Breitzer will sing a solo, and Associate Rabbi Carole Gould will chant the Isaiah lesson in Hebrew.