"It had to be some place that they
would call a home," Schwartz said.
With a rabbi and a spiritual home,
the group began to think about a
name.
"Temple Israel" was taken and
"Temple Beth-anything" did not seem
like a good idea. But "Shir Shalom"
was showing some early favoritism.
"There is a mystical root to the
name. 'Sing a new song unto God,'"
said Schwartz. "The concept is that we
were singing a song of peace."
After incorporation papers were
drawn up, early
members began
recruiting their
friends and family
members, most of
whom came from
Temple Beth El.
Aided by media
attention, the group
grew rapidly, boast-
ing 300 members by
the time the inau-
gural services were
held on Aug. 8,
1988.
It started as a
warm summer day,
the kind organizers
hoped would be
amenable to holding
an outdoor service.
But the weather
changed; tornado
watches became warnings. As the
warning sirens wailed and a tornado
touch-down was reported, a sea of
people huddled in the basement of the
Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield to watch as a new temple
— one born of a tumultuous time, yet
named "song of peace" — was dedi-
cated.
"We thought only 100 people
would be there, but there was some-
thing like 300 people. The place was
overflowing," Mindlin said. "I cried
tears of joy."
Some speculated at the time that
the congregation would swallow up a
great number of Beth El congregants,
particularly the younger set. But
Schwartz, in an interview with a local
newspaper, put the situation into a
different light.
"It's a huge congregation with a
rich history. How does a butterfly hurt
an elephant?" Schwartz said.
Temple Beth El's membership turn-
Above: David
Levine, one of the
original chavurah
members who even-
tually formed Shir
Shalom.
Left: Steve Simons,
Shir Shalom'spresi-
dent, calls Rabbi
Schwartz a "terrific
human being."
bled to 1,200 in the years immediately
following Schwartz's departure, but
Schwartz insists the decline had noth-
ing to do with him or the founding of
his congregation. (Under the leader-
ship of Rabbis Daniel Syme and
David Castiglione, Temple Beth El's
membership is back up to 1,400 fami-
lies).
Within months of Shir Shalom's
establishment, the new congregation's
membership numbers showed no sign
of slowing. Drawn by his charisma,
charm and intellect, Schwartz's fans
from Beth El were ready to follow him
anywhere.
"That may have been the case ini-
tially," said Steve Simons, a long-
standing congregant who is now tern-
ple president. "He is a terrific human
being. People love him."
Others, including many who
joined after the congregation was
in existence, found comfort in
the fact that the congregation not
only allowed interfaith families
full membership benefits but also
sought them as members. An
early ad, featuring the convert
Ruth, proclaimed, "Ruth inter-
married, too. At Shir Shalom, we
would have made her part of the
family." Simons created the ad
with the intention of attracting
younger members, many of
whom were intermarrying.
Of Shir Shalom's 750-775
member families, interfaith fami-
lies comprise roughly 40 percent.
The commonly reported national
intermarriage rate is 52 percent.
Schwartz said the ads were less
of a marketing ploy and more in
keeping with the temple's mission
statement, which reads in part, "The
Temple should be a place where every
person, regardless of his or her back-
ground, status, affluence, age, etc., is
made to feel welcome, accepted and
comfortable. Each member of the con-
gregation must go out of his or her
way to help create this environment."
Said Schwartz, "We attempt to be a
very warm and welcoming place. That
was part of the mission. More and
more congregations are being more
welcoming to interfaith couples out of
self-defense. But for us, it was our
mission."
According to Sue Stettner, director
of Interfaith Connection, a program
of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, most congrega-
tions offer programs that integrate
interfaith families into the main-
stream.
But Shir Shalom has been the site
of community-wide forums on the
subject of interfaith families, such as
"A Taste of Judaism," a recently held
A Timeline
• 1974 — At 28, Rabbi Dannel
Schwartz arrives in town as the assis-
tant rabbi for Temple Beth El. He
had served in the same post at
Temple Israel in New Rochelle, N.Y.
• 1982 — Schwartz is promoted to
senior rabbi at TBE.
• June 1987 —TBE board members
vote to renew Schwartz's contract for
another year, with the last six
months of it a sabbatical.
In protest, some members leave
and begin a chavurah; others stay
and initiate a recall bid to remove
some members from the board.
• December 1987 — Schwartz
announces his immediate departure,
a month earlier than his sabbatical.
• March 1988 — A dinner held at
the Somerset Inn in Schwartz's honor
draws 550 people.
• April 1988 — Negotiations to
start a congregation commence
between Schwartz and chavurah
leaders.
• May 1988 — With 167 families to
start, Temple Shir Shalom is incorpo-
rated. Space in an office building is
converted to serve as the first official
worship site.
• August 1988 — Inaugural service
is held in the basement of the Jewish
Community Center, the same night
that a tornado touches down in the
area.
• August 1994 — After several years
of planning and fund raising, ground
is broken for a new building at the
corner of Orchard Lake and Walnut
Lake roads.
• July 1995 — Rabbi Michael
Moskowitz joins the temple staff.
• August 1995 — The congregation
walks from the former temple loca-
tion to its new building during dedi-
cation ceremonies.
• August 1997 — Pre-school opens.
• May 15-17, 1998* — A special
10-year anniversary celebration.