AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein stood at the pulpit of Amherst Community Church on Friday, leading his Shir Shalom congregation in a special Shabbat service, marking their return to where their Jewish community first began.
This wasn't just any Friday night service. For the first time since the 1950s, the synagogue held Shabbat at the Christian church where their predecessor congregation, Temple Beth Am, was founded in 1955.
"It just feels so special to be back in this original place," Lazarus-Klein said.
The reunion came about through the research of Marta Herzbrun, who attends both the church and synagogue. Herzbrun goes to Amherst Community Church but also attends Shir Shalom because her husband is Jewish.
While researching the temple's history, she discovered the co

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