Local Jewish congregation in need of new home gets help from neighboring church

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — When a Jewish congregation in the northwest suburbs needed a new home, a neighboring church opened its doors.

Rabbi Maralee Gordon leads the McHenry County Jewish Congregation, which decided to sell its aging building in Crystal Lake because of rising maintenance costs as well as dwindling membership.

“We decided to sell the building, and there was an article about it in the local paper, the Northwest Herald , and two congregations reached out to us and said, ‘Come share our space,’” she said.

Gordon said one of those invitations came from Tree of Life, a Unitarian Universalist church in McHenry.

“It just was such a relief,” Gordon said. “It was so welcoming, but also we could see a path forward that was clearer than having to look at some space and convert it into a worship space. The interfaith interaction, I think, also appeals to all of us.”

Gordon said her congregation now has a brighter future, as well as the opportunity to worship with another faith community.

Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok