A Nashville synagogue has offered its facility as a venue for a Planned Parenthood event after a JCC backed out of an agreement to host.
Congregation Ohabai Sholom, also known as The Temple, reached out to Planned Parenthood of Middle & East Tennessee after learning of the Gordon Jewish Community Center’s cancellation of the Oct. 1 event, the Tennessean newspaper reported on Sept. 21. The JCC is believed to have pulled out due to pressure from members.
Ohabai Sholom Rabbi Shana Mackler said that her 750-family congregation is “proud to open our doors for Planned Parenthood to hold their fundraiser here.” Founded in 1851, Ohabai Sholom is Nashville’s oldest synagogue and has the city’s largest congregation.
Nashville’s Jewish population is estimated at 8,000 to 10,000, Mackler said. Noting that many of her congregants are Planned Parenthood supporters, she said several individual members of the Jewish community had also offered space to the organization.
The JCC was not the first venue to back out of leasing space for Planned Parenthood’s fundraiser, Mackler said, noting that the event originally had been scheduled to take place at a local food bank.
Jeff Teague, the executive director of Planned Parenthood of Middle & East Tennessee, told the Tennessean, “The Temple was very generous in offering us the space there.
“We’ve always really appreciated and enjoyed really strong support from the Jewish community here in Nashville,” he added. “I think this is a demonstration of that. There were a lot of people who were upset by what the JCC did. And so we’ve just had a really strong outpouring of support from not just the Jewish community, but the entire community in general.” — jta