Old Bethpage synagogue welcomes Sikhs

When a Sikh temple in Plainview was shuttered in June by Town of Oyster Bay officials for code violations, it left the group with no place to worship.

Now the group has teamed up with an unusual partner so they can keep praying: a Reform Jewish synagogue in Old Bethpage that is offering its building to the Sikhs once a week.

So far, the groups say the arrangement is working out wonderfully and may lead to a deeper understanding of each other's religions.

"It's a blessing that we can help them," said Rabbi Michael S. Churgel of Temple Beth Elohim. "I think it's terrific. I would do it again in a heartbeat for whatever group needed it."

Surinder Singh Chawla, chairman of the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center in Plainview, the oldest Sikh temple on Long Island, said that he was "overwhelmed" when the synagogue offered its space a few weeks ago.

"I couldn't express my happiness," he said. "So many congregants were crying; they were so happy. They are very grateful they can get together and pray to God. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts."

The Sikhs gather at the synagogue on Sunday afternoons for about two hours, holding their prayer service in its social hall. As many as 200 of the faithful attend. The group didn't need or request the synagogue's sanctuary with its pews because Sikhs use open floor space to put down mats and sit as they pray.

The Sikh service doesn't interfere with most of the synagogue's religious services, which generally take place on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

The agreement grew out of an annual 9/11 memorial service organized in the area by religious leaders and attended for the first time this year by Sikh representatives. At a follow-up meeting, Chawla mentioned his congregation's predicament and the synagogue quickly stepped in.

The Sikh temple was shut down in late June by Oyster Bay officials, who said it was in violation of a variety of building codes, said town spokeswoman Phyllis Barry. Chawla said the temple is working with the town to try to resolve the issues.

The Sikhs will be permitted to use the synagogue through next month, and then both groups will assess whether to continue. Churgel said he did not expect it to be a problem if they need to stay.

Lending their space seemed like a natural move, said Churgel and Dan Naftol, the synagogue's president. When the Jewish congregation itself first formed a half-century ago, it started by meeting in a church.

Churgel said the Jews and the Sikhs hope to deepen their relationship by holding social and educational events together to help explain one another's religion to each other. "I'm really hopeful this will spark a wonderful relationship between our two communities," Churgel said.