THE JEWISH NEWS
UP FRONT
Three
Jewish
Amigos
Preserving The Past
Left: St. Paul
A.M.E. Zion
Church now
boasts 2,000
members.
Left inset: When
Congregation
B'nai Moshe was
first completed,
there was no
school wing.
Below: Unable to
find a seat during
High Holidays,
children would
line the steps to
the balcony until
ushers chased
them away.
Congregation B'nai Moshe's former home
to be designated a historic district.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
enee Gunsberg remem-
bers how the dying sum-
mer's last hot gusts would
blow through the stained
glass windows on yontif in her
shul at Dexter and Lawrence in
Detroit.
She also recalls how the base-
ment of the old synagogue built
by Congregation B'nai Moshe
was so cold year round that a trip
to the bathroom would often war-
rant a sweater.
"The heating was never right
in that building," she said.
That building, left behind al-
most 40 years ago when the con-
gregation made its move to Oak
Park, will soon be the only syna-
gogue in Detroit to have a sepa-
rate historic designation from the
city. The honor will most likely
be bestowed upon the building by
the end of the year.
"We're looking to have this
complete within the next few
months," said Deborah Goldstein,
historic designation supervisory
specialist for the city of Detroit.
She added that city historic
districts bear no markers but car-
ry restrictions on future devel-
opment of the facilities.
Other synagogues with his-
toric designation have been
a part of larger districts, Ms.
Goldstein said. One of Tern-
ple Beth El's former homes,
Wayne State University's
Bonstelle Theater, is a part
of the city's Brush Park his-
toric district; another Beth El
home, now a church, is a part of
the national landmark district
commemorating old Woodward
Avenue houses of worship.
"This is the only individual
building that was a synagogue to
have historic designation," she
said.
Members of the St. Paul
A.M.E. Zion Church, the new
owners of the building, pushed
for the historic designation, filing
a petition with the Detroit City
Council earlier this year. The pro-
posed district will include the
building, a school addition and
the surrounding parking lot and
sidewalks.
The designation brings public
recognition to the church build-
ing. Restrictions on historic prop-
erties ensures that the structure
will remain intact for future gen-
erations to enjoy.
The neoclassical building, de-
signed by the firm of Payne and
Kohner, still contains the carved
wooden benches and stained
glass windows containing Stars
of David. Modifications, such as
the addition of some stained glass
windows bearing Christian sym-
bols and an altar where the
bimah and ark once stood, were
added by the building's owners
in the days after the sale of the
structure.
"We kept those [Jewish] items
because our beginnings as Chris-
tians are rooted in the Old Tes-
tament," said Bishop William
Hilliard, the retired pastor who
led the African Methodist Epis-
copal congregation at the time of
the property's purchase for
$250,000. "We Christianized it a
bit but not completely."
The church is now the spiri-
tual home to 2,000 members who
hold services every day. A reli-
gious school operates in the
school wing on weekends; during
PAST page 37
PHOTOS BY BILL HANSEN
This Week's Top Stories
A trio of Hillel
students hosts
a shared
b'nai mitzvah party
at the JCC.
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
STAFF WRITER
Originally, the party was slat-
t may not have been one
child's special party. But the ed for Joe Dumars Field House,
three Hillel Day School class- says Cheri Dworkis, mother of
mates who shared their bar 13-year-old Hannah. But they
mitzvah celebration knew they could do the same games with a
could do more with pooled re- kosher caterer at the JCC.
"They're bored al-
sources.
`The emphasis at Hil- Above: The three ready with these par-
lel is unquestionably on amigos: Hannah ties," says Mrs. Dworkis.
Dworkis, David
"Instead of having two in
the service," says Helene
Feldman and
a row out at Joe Du-
Koenig, whose son Michael
Koenig.
mars, [we figured] let's
Michael, 13, shared his
do one. [At first] the kids
party with David Feld-
Below: Playing
man, 12, and Hannah giant Twister are were not so excited about
Dworkis, 13. "They are Jessica Sherman, it — they wanted their
very conscientious about Rachel Lubetsky own special party. [But
and Danielle
eventually] they all
attending each other's
Superstine.
agreed to it."
service, even though they
David Feldman says
read from the Torah at Standing at rear is
Sara Luger.
his shared party was
school the Thursday be-
fun. "I felt very good that
fore their bar mitzvah at
the traditional morning minyan." day to know that I was doing a
The trio's party was held in very fun thing with two people
the Rosenberg Complex at the that I like a lot."
The biggest advantage to shar-
Maple-Drake Jewish Communi-
ty Center on Sunday, May 18. ing the party, say the parents,
With a "Three Amigos" theme, was that "we could do a little
the three provided their friends more. It still costs a lot of mon-
with kosher submarine sand- ey, but we were able to do a lit-
wiches, laser tag, a giant inflat- tle more because we were
able slide, Velcro challenge, sharing the cost," Mrs. Dworkis
bungee run, a giant game of says.
The koenigs' other two chil-
Twister, basketball, a showing of
the movie The Three Amigos,
AMIGOS page 32
football toss and more.
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