Joel Osteen from Houston's Lakewood Church earlier received a lot of flak over offering his megachurch as a shelter for Hurricane Harvey victims as some felt he wasn't fast enough. Perhaps to make up for it, Osteen and his wife Victoria have opened the doors of their church to help a displaced Jewish congregation.
Congregation Beth Yeshurun suffered from devastating flooding because of Hurricane Harvey, and it couldn't have come at a worse time since they were preparing for an important religious event. Thankfully, Lakewood Church posted on its website that the Osteens were more than happy to come to their aid.
"This came at an especially bad time for Beth Yeshurun as the Jewish High Holy Days, (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), are this week. Beth Yeshurun's leadership reached out to us and Pastors Joel & Victoria offered to help," the announcement read.
The congregation of Beth Yeshurun, which is located in the Meyerland section of Houston, already has a foot of water in its main sanctuary. "This is the first time in our congregation's history, since we moved to this site in 1962, that we took on water," Senior Rabbi David Rosen told KHOU-TV. "It wasn't just a room or a series of rooms. Every square inch of the temple flooded."
After the High Holy Days, the 2,000-member Beth Yeshurun plans to hold its service at a different Houston synagogue while their own "spiritual home" is being fixed and repaired.
Rosen said the aid of the Osteens really came at an opportune time, and they will always be grateful for the helping hand. "I cannot thank Joel Osteen enough for his sensitivity and his encouragement," Rosen said. "It's a reaffirmation of the beautiful spirit of collegiality and interfaith conversation we have here in Houston."
