PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — A Port Charlotte Temple provides a new home to a smaller congregation in North Port.
Temple Shalom allows Temple Beth El to use their sanctuary for their Saturday morning services.
This comes after Temple Beth El saw a decline in membership, which made it difficult for them to have a facility to worship in.
“They were in a building and that lease got lost and then they were in a storefront and that got lost," Judith Migdol, Temple Shalom President, said.
Migdol said the two congregations spoke and decided that Temple Shalom was a perfect place for them to worship at.
Temple Shalom will also house their sacred pieces.
“A place where their Ark which is where they keep their Torah risk different than ours, their books," she said.
An ark is a place where the Torah scrolls are housed. Each congregation has its own and now Temple Shalom houses two different arks.
Migdol said the congregations are now family.
“You know this is our home. This is where we all come together," she said.
The two congregations hope to have combined programs and encourage one another to attend each other's services.
