DETROIT Planning Commission Approves Shir Shalom SUSAN GRANT Staff Writer D espite concerns over parking and traffic, the West Bloomfield Township Planning Com- mission voted 5-3 May 14 to approve Temple Shir Shalom's request to build a synagogue on the southeast corner of Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake roads. Commissioners gave their approval based on Shir Shalom's agreement to pro- vide shuttle bus service for members parking at West Bloomfield High School and _ Doherty Elementary School during High Holy Day ser- vices as well as police to direct synagogue traffic. Temple officials also agreed to pay for passing and ac- celeration lanes and "No Parking" signs along Pontiac Temple Sells Building To Local Church SUSAN GRANT Staff Writer L eaders at Temple Beth Jacob of Pontiac have known since December that the congregation would have to close its doors. After all, membership at Oakland County's oldest Reform congregation had steadily declined in recent years, said Judy Schwartz, the temple's co-president. The temple's membership, which once numbered more than 200 families during its 68-year history, has shrunk to 60 families. As the numbers decreased, it became progressively harder to fill the temple's leadership roles, Mrs. Schwartz said. And last year, Rabbi Richard Weiss announced his retirement and was named rabbi emeritus. Still, Mrs. Schwartz and her co-president, Barbara Schrier, could not avoid a sense of sadness when they recently signed papers sell- ing the temple building to the New Greater Way Mis- sionary Baptist Church. "My co-president and I sat at the closing and our eyes were getting misty," Mrs. Schwartz said. "The seller is supposed to be happy be- cause they're getting the money, but we felt nostalgia and sadness at the closing." They took comfort in the knowledge it will continue to be used as a religious building, she said. The tem- ple will hold a final service June 7 before turning over the Pontiac building and the rabbi's parsonage in Bloom- field Hills to the Baptist church June 15, Mrs. Schwartz said. She would not reveal how much money the Pontiac- based church paid for the building. However, she ex- 14 FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1991 pects the money from the sale to be donated to one or more Jewish charities. Although the congregation is disbanding, "we're trying to stay together as much as possible," she said. "Some of our members who have families at other temples will go there, but the bulk of our congregation wants to stay together." But Beth Jacob members have not decided which con- gregation they will join, Mrs. Schwartz said. Temple members are also in the process of distributing the congregation's artifacts and furnishings. The con- gregation hopes to take two of its four Torah scrolls, as well as other mementos col- lected since the temple was established in 1923, to its new home. "We've had many requests for our Torahs," she said. "We're considering each re- quest. We have already decided to loan one to the Hillel at the University of Michigan. We also had a re- quest from the synagogue in Minsk for our Torah covers." Reform temples in Florida, Ohio and as far away as Hong Kong have asked for the congregation's Torahs, she said. Most of the furnishings will be divided between Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield and Temple Shir Tikvah in Troy, she said. In the meantime, con- gregation members are preparing for the final June 7 service. Former and cur- rent temple members are in- vited. The service will feature three speakers from different generations talk- ing about their memories of Beth Jacob. "We hope to make it a celebration," Mrs. Schwartz said. "We want it to be a happy occasion." ❑ Walnut Lake Road. Other conditions include addi- tional landscaping. The site plan will now be sent to the West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees which will make the final decision. No date has been set. "We were pleased," said David Levine, Shir Shalom president, who was among the temple members celebrating the victory after the vote was announced. The approval came after three months of delays as neighbors and commis- sioners expressed concerns that the congregation will add traffic to the congested area. To help alleviate those fears, township attorney Gary Dovre had, at the re- quest of commissioners, drafted two motions detail- ing 19 conditions of ap- proval. But Norman Hyman, Shir Shalom's attorney, argued many of those condi- tions were too restrictive. The conditions had included asking the temple's archi- tects, Neumann Smith and Associates, to draw con- tingency site plans to be used if traffic and parking became chronic problems. "With all due respect to Mr. Dovre, this is another example of creative draf- ting," Mr. Hyman said. "You are asking the syn- agogue to now go to the ex- pense of paying its experts to draft multiple site plans which may not be used for a year or two from now. I must say I am astounded." Commissioners agreed with Mr. Hyman, but were still skeptical about parking problems, especially on the High Holy Days. Commission chairman Donald Dresselhouse, who voted against the proposal, feared plans to shuttle con- gregants from the Doherty Elementary School and West Bloomfield High School parking lots would set a poor precedent. "I'm concerned we maybe painting ourselves into a corner," said Mr. Dresselhouse, wor- ried businesses would come to the township and ask for off-site parking. Mr. Hyman countered that a proposal to add more park- ing to the temple's 183-space lot by building an underground drainage system would be cost pro- hibitive and the synagogue still would not have enough spaces for the High Holy Days. "Everyone agrees on the High Holy Days there will be a problem. That's a given," he said. The township should not ask synagogues or churches to build parking lots for those few popular days, said commissioner Peter Pek- kala, who along with com- missioners John Hartwig, Fred Rowe, William Dot- terrer and Anne Jardon, voted in favor of the pro- posal. "We don't require that of anyone else," Mr. Pekkala said. But nearby residents re- main concerned about the possibility of additional traffic and were unhappy with the commissioners' decision. They vowed to con- tinue their fight when the plans go before the township board. ❑ B'nai Moshe To Make Decision ALAN HITSKY Associate Editor C ongreatio'n B'nai Moshe held an infor- mational meeting for its members Thursday eve- ning, and its board will vote May 23 on starting construc- tion on a new synagogue building in West Bloomfield. Thursday's meeting was scheduled to include a discussion of financing the new building, a display of final plans for the building, and an update on merger discussions. B'nai Moshe President Sharlene Ungar said the congregation has had preliminary talks with several Detroit area Conser- vative synagogues, but no merger is expected. "I believe we will build this building ourselves," Mrs. Ungar said, "but the board will have the final say next week." The congregation has ap- plied for and expects to receive a building permit from West Bloomfield Township in a few weeks. ❑ Jewish Ensemble Theater Wins Free Press Awards The two-year-old Jewish Ensemble Theatre was recog- nized at the Detroit Free Press' annual theatre awards presentation with seven no- minations, including Best Play. JET tied with the Attic Theatre for the most nomina- tions. New York actor Sol Frieder was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Rosen By Any Other Name by Israel Horovitz, presented by JET in December. The play described a Canadian family's reaction to anti-Semitism during World War II as the son prepared for his bar mitzvah. Mr. Frieder also stars in JET's current production, Cantorial by Ira Levin, a com- edy about a haunted syna- gogue-turned-condo and its yuppie owners. The run of Cantorial has been extended through May 26. Another Free Press award winner was cited for her work on several JET productions. Edith Bookstein, who receiv- ed a special design award for her costume work at several theaters, designed the cos- tumes for six of JET's seven productions, including last season's The Man in the Glass Booth and this season's Bitter Friends. A Rosen By Any Other Name received several nominations, including one for Tony Dobrowolski, who played the father, as Best Supporting Actor. Evelyn Or- bach, JET's artistic director, was nominated as Best Director. JET's first production of the season, The Merchant by Ar- nold Wesker, received two nominations: David Fox as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Antonio nd Nicolas Calanni as Best Director. Another Best Supporting Actor nomination went to Robert Grossman, who played the rabbi in Bitter Friends, a drama, loosely based on the Jonathan Pollard spy case. The Detroit Free Press theater awards nominees and award winners were selected by Detroit Free Press theater critic Lawrence DeVine and Free Press critic Martin F. Kohn.