Texas church hosts services for synagogue damaged by arson

When a synagogue in Austin, Texas, was left without a place to hold its high holy days services after its building was damaged in an arson attack, an Episcopal church stepped up to offer its sanctuary. In hosting the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for Congregation Beth Israel over the last two weeks, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church was living up to the scripture passage inscribed on the outside of the building, said Katie Wright, rector.

“A house of prayer for all people,” the plaque reads—a quote from Isaiah 56:7.

The high holidays, the holiest time of the year in Judaism, include Rosh Hashanah—the celebration of the new year in the Hebrew calendar—and Yom Kippur, the somber Day of Atonement marked by fasting and prayer. Synagogues typically see the highest attendance of the year during this 10-day period.