"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.