Slope synagogue hosts Handel ‘Messiah’ sing-a-long to aid church repair
One year ago, the congregation of Park Slope’s Congregation Beth Elohim was given refuge in the sanctuary of neighboring Old First Reformed Church for Rosh Hashanah services while the ceiling of their synagogue was being repaired.
Imagine their astonishment when history seemed to repeat itself — moments before service ushering the Jewish New Year was to begin, huge chunks of plaster began to fall from the ceiling of the sanctuary of the historic church, which was built in 1891.
In September 2011, just 15 minutes before Rosh Hashanah services, large chunks of plaster began to fall from the ceiling at Old First Reformed Church. The plaster nearly hit Rabbi Andy Bachman in the head, prompting a sinking sense of déjà vu. Bachman and his congregation were holding services in the church because the ceiling of Beth Elohim had begun to collapse two years before.