A Pennsylvania synagogue opened its doors to a local church. A ‘deeply profound’ partnership ensued

By Denali Sagner, The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA — Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky and Reverend Adam Hearlson seem like they’ve been friends forever.

Witkovsky, 41, is the senior rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El (TBH-BE), a Conservative movement synagogue in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Hearlson, 44, is the pastor at Overbrook Presbyterian Church (OPC), in Philadelphia.

Sitting in the basement of an Abington senior center after a meeting of Montgomery County faith leaders in mid-October, the two finished each other’s sentences as they told the story of the collaboration between their two congregations, one that began after a fire destroyed OPC’s sanctuary in 2024.

While the collaboration began as a logistical favor, Witkovsky and Hearlson say it has grown into something “deeply profound.”