52 Friday, March 18, 1983

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

WHAT'S IM Detroit Dental M*A*S*H Opened Synagogue
fl MAME?
frVERYTHIMG!

By ALLAN BLUSTEIN

of David, that probably last
saw duty during the French
This is a story about three and Indian War. Un-
Detroit Jews (well . . . actu-
daunted, this intrepid trio
ally two plus an ex-
decided to resurrect it into a
Chicagoan but who quibbles
shul once more where per-
about such things?) who sonnel of the Jewish faith
woke up one fine Army day
could come to daven and
and found themselves as- shmooz with their fellow
signed to Governor's Island, Jews.
New York City, back in the
With a little cajoling and
1960s.
some exquisite dental work
Nobody Sells Diamonds For Less And We Prove It!
Two were brash, intense on the post commander,
young dental officers while
The Diamond People For Over 50 years
these Army dentists pulled
OUZ
the third was a quiet, unas- it off (out)! From that day
CO 30555 SOUTHFIELD RD CONGRESS BLDG t100
suming, somewhat naive on, Fort Jay boasted its very
IONE BLOCK SOUTH OF 13 MILE ROA01
rabbi. There was a Jewish own military shul (Nusach
chapel on the island, com- Reconservidox),' complete
PHONE 645-9200 •
plete with identifying Star with Sabbath and holiday
worship services.
Not to be outdone, the
three wives, Sybil,
Joanne and Judy,
founded the first Bnai
Detroit of New York
Sisiterhood which
planned and held
numerous social and
religious functions. Even
a heder of sorts for the
kids was started cul-
minating in several Bar
Welcome to the Alexander Home. A warm, personal home set in
and Bat Mitzvas. The
the middle of a residential neighborhood. Serving those who need
high point, of course, was
the bris of the son of our
private care.
vice president and
Joanne, which in the
For 26 years, we have been caring. Meeting the needs of families
father's immortal words
and individuals, at every level of care, for short or long-term stays.
"came off beautifully."
Congregational policy on
For the best through caring, contact .. .
dues proved to be a drawing
card . . . there weren't any!
The dental officers elected
themselves (nobody else
wanted the jobs) president
and vice president by
unanimous vote (the ballot-
718 W. Fourth Street, Royal Oak, Michigan 48067 (313) 545-0571
ing taking place in the den-
tal clinic before each voter's
4, i ■
appointment).
The rabbi, though as-
signed to the First Army
chaplain's office as adminis-
trative chaplain, was inter-
viewed in "the chair" by the
vice president, then
"drafted" into the vacant
pulpit of Bnai Detroit of
New York City.
Since they were "all
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
heart," the shul's officers
6600 W. MAPLE RD./WEST BLOOMFIELD/(313) 661-1000
promised the rabbi full med-
ical and dental coverage for
his family and himself (the
One. Trial Membership
shul had an angel named
per 12-month period
Uncle Sam).
From its humble be-
ginning of only six adult
30-DAY TRIAL Jews and a wild assort-
of kids, Cong. Bnai
MEMBERSHIP ment
Detroit waxed into a
thriving synagogue con-
sisting of Jews of all
shapes, sizes and persua-
sions. It was not all a bed
of roses however.
Limited
The shul's officers often
gdped that getting furni-
Memberships
ture, supplies and other
Available
items for the shul was like
"pulli,ng teeth." At its
' Men's-and Women's Health Clubs
zenith, the shul member-
ship reached a grand total of
25 families and 10 enlisted
During the month of MARCH
personnel which the de-
-A4f- ti,
ntists had "flushed" out on
the JCC is offering a
the island.
Each Jew of course
wanted the shul to go the
way of his individual reli-
gious leaning.
Finally after a knock-
per
person
down-drag-em-out fight of a
For more information
meeting, the board of trus-
177.,
tees voted to designate the
contact the Membership
'111114-
Fort Jay shul with a unique
-
kind of Judaism — i.e.
Office, 661-1000
heimish!
ext. 166, 167
Sadly (as with all good
things) the shul was forced

Chaplain, Sinai Hospital

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As naive as he ever was,
the rabbi of the story, failed
to get back to the Midwest
until some 16 years later

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when he finally said "yes" to
Michigan. Yes, you guessed
it: he is now the chaplain at
Sinai Hospital of (Bnai) De-
troit.

to close its doors again. The
rabbi was shipped out far
beyond the Brooklyn Bridge
into the U.S. Army Chap-
lain School at Fort Hamil-
ton while the post comman-
der tasted sweet revenge
against the young dentists
and their sovereign state of
Michigan. He had them
shipped back to Motown,
U.S.A. There is however, a
happy ending to this tale
after all.
Those two exciting and
brilliant shul pioneers
soon became an out-
standing oral surgeon
named Shel Mintz and a
rollicking root canal
engineer, known far and
(open) wide as Arnold

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