50 Friday, September 21, 1984 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS JUST ASKING... QUALITY DRYCLEANING for your BETTER GARMENTS We own and operate our own plant Synagogue affiliation • Silks • Angora Sweaters 13 Mile and Orchard Lake (Westbrooke Shopping Center) 553-4850 FOR PICK UP & DELIVERY SERVICE ask for "JACK" •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • BIG DISCOUNTS SEIKO s$79usst SONY :QUARTZ WATCHES • 407"F sugg • • . •Phone ANSWERING • MACHINES • • • rit 644. • • CC 0 • • • IN Lr) • hi T • — fg rico • to • • C TV's $139 98 RCA TVS VIDEO RECORDERS POLAROID FILM $6.17 2-4-6 Hour RCA CI VD remi ■ • CO, u 11. ■ • WATCHMAN EUREKA VACS •CROSS A ncy •PENS -w/oOFF sugg. list •• • • • • • • I CI, co ers • FD20A ■••■•••■•■•1 NORELCO sugg. list ELECTRIC $41.95 SHAVERS NOW TRIPLE HEAD $2388 I I KODAK DISC FILM $1.89 VHS Video Tapes $599 • I nt VI 3 ✓ 0 • cc • a_ • U : c • • G E NERATORS OSCAR BRAUN'S FOR • • LINCOLN TOWERS SUITE 111 • 15075 W. Lincoln (10 1/2 Mile) OVERSEAS • 968-5858 • One Block Greenfield TRAVEL • Mon. Oyu Sat. 10-4 p.m. •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • East of ••••••• ATTENTION DADS & THEIR 5 or 6 YEAR OLDS!!! Joining "Me and My Dad" is your chance to do something special together. Meet with other Dads at each other's homes and: • Play games • Make projects • Enhance Jewish awareness • Attend an overnight • Laugh a lot "Strengthen together Me and My Dad Family unity makes me glad." Over fifty people participated in "Me and My Dad" last year. New groups will form in October. If you would like to be a part of this very special program, call the Jewish Community Center at 661-1000 and ask for Bruce Tabashneck or Carolyn Dangoor. SPECIAL ORIENTATION AT MAPLE/DRAKE J.C.C. Thursday, Oct. 4, 1984 at 7:30 P.M. Please R.S.V.P. many choices BY ELLYCE FIELD Special to The Jewish News Celebrating our 25th year Specializing In: . For several years my husband and I have discussed joining a synagogue. How should we choose a congregation? The High Holidays are fast ap- proaching. Many unaffiliated have made their decisions, hold holiday tickets and are now synagogue members. Yet according to Tom Wexelberg-Klousner, of the Jewish Welfare Federation, the unaffiliated families of the De- troit area remain approximately 50 percent. This is certainly not due to a lack of choice. The Detroit Jewish community boasts 34 congrega- tions, richly diverse in philos- ophy, location, size, congregant makeup and programs. Over half of these congrega- tions are Orthodox. Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg of Young Is- rael of Southfield explains this high degree of affiliation. "Or- thodox by itself carries a tone of total commitment," he says. While the majority of Orthodox synagogues are located in Oak Park, four are in Southfield, one in West Bloomfield and one in Farmington Hills. Rabbi Goldberg sees the Detroit Orthodox community as unique in its variety of philosophical movements, congregations, and dynamic "Baalei Tshuva" study groups. There is the Lubavitch movement with three locations, and the three-synagogue associa- tion of the Young Israel move- ment. At least seven small synagogues are located within a square-mile radius around 10 Mile and Greenfield. There are also groups centered around the educational institutions: Kollel (Institute of Advanced Talmudic Study), Akiva Hebrew Day School, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah and Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Detroit. Congregation sizes vary from over 500 families within the three Young Israel synagogues to under 100 or even several dozen in many of the smaller synagogues. Rabbi Goldberg also describes the dynamic "Baalei Tshuva" movement which has attracted hundreds of individuals. "Men and women are rediscovering their roots and spending much time studying and living tradi- tional Judaism." He suggests those interested in the "Baalei Tshuva" movement call Rabbi Jacobovitz, 968-4835. For more information on an individual Or- thodox synagogue, phone the Vaad Harabonim — the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater De- troit — 559-5005. Ask for Rabbi Chaskel Grubner, the director, or Rabbi Goldberg. Within the Conservative movement there is also a spec- trum of congregational size, loca- tion and degree of programming. Eleven congregations fan out across the Detroit metropolitan area. There is a congregation in Detroit, Trenton, Livonia and Farmington Hills. There are two congregations in West Bloom- field, two in Oak Park and three in Southfield. While Shaarey Zedek, with ap- proximately 1800 families and Adat Shalom, with approximately 1000 families, have the largest number of congregants, there are at least five other synagogues whose memberships range from 500-600 families. Those mid-size congregations are: Beth Abraham Hillel Moses, B'nai David, Beth Achim, Beth Shalom and B'nai Moshe. Beth Issac of Trenton and the Livonia Jewish Congregation are both small congregations with under 100 families. B'nai Israel of West Bloomfield counts approx- imately 160 families. The Downtown Synagogue has a membership of over 500 indi- viduals who live or work in the downtown area. Five of the congregations oper- ate their own Sunday School pro- grams. Among them: Beth Ab- raham Hillel Moses, Beth Shalom, Livonia Jewish Congre- gation, Shaarey Zedek and Tren- ton's Beth Issac. Four congrega- tions — Adat Shalom, Beth Achim, B'nai Israel and B'nai Three congregations also operate their own nursery schools and offer tuition reductions for mem- bers. They are Temple Beth El, Temple Israel and Temple Emanu-El. Programming within the Re- form congregations is dependent on congregational size and makeup. While several congrega- tions are known for their musical programs and choirs, others offer well-attended senior citizen pro- grams, promote social action or have active youth groups. Those interested in the Reform movement may phone Fish, 851- 2555. Jews with a strong sense of Jewish identity who do not feel comfortable within the three branches of traditional Judaism might be interested in calling the Birmingham Temple, a Humanis- tic congregation, 477-1410. Helen Forman, a temple member, ex- plains that Humanistic Judaism celebrates life cycle events and holidays but with a different ap- proach. "Jewish identity is estab- lished through a person's own Ellyce Field is a freelance feeling or choice. We do not rely on writer living in the Detroit a supernatural authority." The area. She welcomes your Birmingham Temple also has its questions about services or own Sunday school. - activities sponsored by Typically, there is a big rush•to Jewish communal join a synagogue right before the High Holidays, before a special organizations. Send them event such as a Bar Mitzvah or to "Just Asking," The wedding or when children become Jewish News, 17515 W. Sunday school age. Nine Mile Rd., Suite 865, Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum, Southfield, MI 48075. president of the Synagogue Coun- cil of the Jewish Community Council and rabbi of B'nai Moshe, Moshe — have a United Hebrew School branch operating in their explains that this "betokens a cer- tain misunderstanding of school wing. Three Conservative Judaism." He adds, "We tend to synagogues run their own nur- think of Judaism in terms of ritu- als, formal requirements, or life- sery school programs and give tui- cycle events. The synagogue, in tion credit to families who are actuality, represents a way of life, congregation members. They are a way to sum up Jewish experi- Adat Shalom, Beth Abraham ence and allow us to live out life's Hillel Moses and Shaarey Zedek. important values." For information regarding in- Traditionally, a synagogue has dividual congregations, Leonard Baron, president of the United three separate functions. It is a Synagogue Council of Greater De- "Bet Midrash," a House of Study; troit, suggests turning to the a "Bet Knesset," a House of As- northwest phone directory's yel- sembly; and a 'Bet T'fillah," a low pages under "synagogues." House of Prayer. Rabbi Rosen- He urges those aligned with the baum sees the synagogue as the center of Jewish life, the "center of Conservative movement to "call each synagogue individually, Jewish identity." Each synagogue, with its varied com- meet with the synagogue's execu- mittees and specialized interest tive director, attend several pro- grams and, of course, attend sev- groups, is a community in itself and offers an individual the eral Shabbat servicees." Stephen Fish, president of the opportunity to invest his life with Metropolitan Detroit Federation meaning. Present and future needs of Reform Synagogues, feels that each of the area's six Reform con- should be determined and explored with representatives of a gregations "offer an excellent ap- proach to Reform Judaism in its prospective synagogue before joining. Be sure to include the fol- own way." The six Reform congregations lowing: vary greatly in size. The two • Am I comfortable with the largest, with between 1600-1900 Shabbat services? Are they member families, are Temple casual, or formal? Are there chil- Beth El and Temple Israel. Tem- dren's services? Is there a super- ple Emanu-El is mid-sized at 650 vised room for small children? families, Temple Kol Ami has ap- • Am I comfortable with the proximately 300 families, and clergy? Temple Beth Jacob of Pontiac has • Is the weekly worship several hundred. The newest Re- schedule convenient? form congregation, the Troy • What types of programs are Jewish Congregation, has approx- available for children, teenagers, imately 70 families. singles, young couples, retired in Each temple operates and dividuals.? ho,- =es its own Sunday school. • Is there an on-site Hebrew