JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
Ground
Despite the threat
of rain, hundreds
gathered to break
ground at the
future site of
Temple Shir
Shalom.
Left: Rabbi Schwartz (center) and members of the
Shir Shalom groundbreaking committee.
Below: Jessica Erlich, Ashley Pudauick and Steve
Stein sell Shir Shalom shirts.
ith shovels and then champagne in hand, they met
on what could have been the muddiest corner in
West Bloomfield to break ground at Temple Shir
Shalom's future home.
On Sunday, close to 900 temple members gath-
ered at the corner of Orchard Lake and Walnut
Lake roads for a groundbreaking ceremony that
will move the congregation out of its current site
— an office building — to its new location next
year.
"It's a wonderful feeling to get to this point," said
Rabbi Dannel Schwartz. "Seeing the amount of
people there was a tremendous high. Digging in
the dirt makes us real, but having those people
there is what it's all about."
Dr. Eugene Rontal and his family have been
members of Temple Shir Shalom since its incep-
tion five years ago. Then, they were one of 30 fam-
ilies who belonged to the new congregation. Today,
membership is at 650 families.
"This is the culmination of a lot of effort and is a
tribute to the rabbi because he was able to bring
all these people together," Dr. Rontal said. "These
people joined because of Rabbi Schwartz, not be-
cause of a building."
The new temple will include classrooms, a 350-
seat sanctuary and a social hall that holds up to
1,200.
`Today, as we look forward to the High Holidays,
is symbolic," said Marilyn Habsburg, a member of
the groundbreaking committee. "All the rain we
had (early Sunday morning) was God's way of
cleansing the earth for us so we could put a shov-
el in for a fresh beginning."
Rabbi Schwartz said total building costs will run
between $4.5 and $4.8 million.
"This is a very exciting day," said Robert Fine-
man, who was the temple's first president. "It's
been a long pull. I'm glad for the rabbi, who worked
harder than anyone to make this happen."