Buffalo-area synagogues merge to prevent financial crisis

(JTA) — Two synagogues in a suburb of Buffalo, New York, have voted to merge.

Members of Temple Sinai, which is Reconstructionist, and Temple Beth Am, which is Reform, voted Tuesday to approve the merger. The two Amherst, New York, synagogues had been negotiating for more than a year, according to The Buffalo News.

While neither synagogue is in a budget crisis, their boards felt that a merger was the best way to avoid future financial problems, the newspaper reported.

Some 12,000 Jews live in the Buffalo area, down from 25,000 in the 1970s.

The new synagogue will be called Temple Shir Shalom and will meet in Temple Beth Am’s current location. Temple Shir Shalom intends to remain affiliated with both the Reform and Reconstructionist movements.

Both synagogue boards approved the merger with a greater than two-thirds majority.