shul called Beth Eliyahu. In 1928, its
first building was constructed in
Detroit. A school wing was added in
1951.
B'nai Moshe, under Rabbi Moses
Lehrman, became Conservative in
1948, a phenomenon typical of syna-
gogues redefining themselves after the
war, Pachter said. In 1959, the congre-
gation moved to Oak Park.
When the congregation relocated to
West Bloomfield, membership sky-
rocketed — from 275 families to 425
the first year. Membership is now at
550.
Some B'nai David members
switched to B'nai Moshe, as the future
of their shul became uncertain. And
some drifted back to B'nai David.
Pachter said B'nai Moshe gained
about 30 families formerly affiliated
with B'nai David.
Jodi and Rob Weinfeld selected
B'nai Moshe after "shui-shopping."
Jodi grew up at B'nai David, Rob at
Beth Achim.
"Every Saturday we went to a dif-
ferent congregation on a plain old
Shabbat — no aufruf, no bris, no bar
mitzvah — just to see the atmos-
phere," said Jodi. At B'nai Moshe, the
people were "very, very friendly, open
arms, trying to do a lot of stuff with
their education program. We knew it
The new Congregation B'nai Moshe building in West Bloomfield was designed by Neumann Smith architects.
was a priority to them, [and it was] for
us, too." They have two young chil-
gregation than we were 10 years ago"
dren.
was
a
sense
that
B'nai
Moshe
was
a
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
But, she added, "We didn't want to
when members moved west, he added.
place
whose
future
was
uncertain,"
Staff Writer
just pick something that fit what we
The move brought in a new crop of
said Pachter, who came to B'nai
members, many of whom were attract- needed today and that we'd outgrow
Moshe from Adat Shalom Synagogue
n a typical Shabbat morning
tomorrow; we wanted it to be a life-
ed by the school. The synagogue's
in 1992.
at Congregation B'nai
long process of growing, both with the
school-age
population
has
grown
sig-
The 1988 school merger was an
Moshe, sunlight streams
shul and trying to have a voice in
nificantly
—
from
about
50
families
administrative decision under the aus-
through the windows above
what was done, too. We
pices of United Hebrew
the Ark. Congregants chant the week's
didn't want to be one in
Schools,
which
decided
it
parsha, usher in young families and
a million. We wanted a
wasn't
cost-effective
to
run
a
longtime members and take their reg-
mix of old traditions
school
with
so
few
students,
ular seats.
and new voices."
Pachter said.
The Conservative shul has made a
Since they joined
The congregation negoti-
careful, slow transition from Oak Park
three
years ago, the
ated the sale of its building
to West Bloomfield in six years. With
Weinfelds
have seen a
on 10 Mile Road to the Jew-
the addition of a school wing that
lot
more
young
families
ish
Federation
of
Metropoli-
opened last spring, B'nai Moshe is try-
come
in.
Geography
tan
Detroit
(which
sold
it
to
ing to meet the needs of older mem-
and the addition of the
Bais Yaakov School for Girls),
bers while attracting new ones from
school wing certainly
and
broke
ground
on
Drake
the young families who live nearby.
helped, "but I think
Road, south of Maple.
Rabbi Elliot Pachter said the mem-
everybody could find
Marc Sussman, ritual corn-
bership, which has doubled since the
something
there.
People always said
with
children
in
grades
K-8
to
about
mittee chair, has been attending B'nai
move, is "a healthy mixture" of ages.
hello,
you
could
get
behind the scenes
150
families
who
participate
in
B'nai
Moshe
since
he
was
a
child;
his
family
But that wasn't always the case. Before
...
it's
very
open
to
new
people," Jodi
Moshe's
educational
program.
Some
grew
up
just
blocks
from
the
Oak
B'nai Moshe moved to West Bloom-
member
families
send
their
children
to
said.
Park
building.
field, its membership had either aged
But while B'nai Moshe seems to
Hillel Day School or other venues for
"I live in Huntington Woods now,
or affiliated elsewhere.
have
made up for the members it lost
religious
education.
but
it's
always
been
my
place,
my
shul.
"Children of members had moved
when
it moved to West Bloomfield,
B'nai
Moshe's
story
begins
in
1911,
I'm very at ease with what goes on
out this way, we lost the Hebrew
attracting
singles remains a challenge,
when
a
group
of
Hungarian
Jews
there, the informal air," Sussman said.
school branch (in 1988, when it
according
to one active member.
formed
what
was
then
an
Orthodox
Yet, "We are a much different con-
merged with Beth Achim), and there

0

Despite its growth
Congregation ffnai M oshe
is not resting on its la urels.

4/24
1998

28