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Interfaith Connection program at which
Shir Shalom's Rabbi Michael Moskowitz
offered a sampling of Jewish traditions
and teachings to interfaith families.
And Shir Shalom also boasts the
Carole and Henry Frank Interfaith
Garden, where non-Jewish members
may memorialize their relatives.
The higher visibility of the congrega-
tion on this subject is in part due to
Schwartz's activities. He has been active
with the Interfaith Connection since its
inception and is one of two Reform rab-
bis who sit on its steering committee.
Schwartz is also known outside of the
Jewish community for his interfaith
relations. Shir Shalom has a sister con-
gregation, Trinity Missionary Baptist
Church in Pontiac, and members of
both congregations frequently partici-
pate in joint activities. Schwartz also
recently traveled to Rome with
Detroit Bishop John Nienstedt to
meet with Pope John Paul II.
The result of the early member-
ship drive is a young membership
base. The average age of members is
40, and most have young children.
That is not to say that Shir
Shalom doesn't have its share of older
members. Schwartz, 52, said that
when the young families joined, their
parents and other relatives followed
them, creating a membership he calls
"shake and bakg,"
"When we started, we had a win-
dow in mind. We wanted people in
the ages of 30 to 42 with 2.2 children
whose average age was 9," he said.
"But then we had 28- to 47-year-olds
joining. Plus, we had the 68- to 80-
year-olds, because the parents joined
as well.
"We called for a parade of a cer-
tain type of people and we got every-
body," Schwartz said. "So, what do
you do? Tell them not to march? Of
course not."
As membership grew, so too did the
need for an additional rabbi. A search
committee interviewed several and nar-
rowed the field to one: Rabbi
Moskowitz, age 30. The young rabbi
was an instant hit with the younger
members of the temple and continues
to be.
• "The kids relate so well with Rabbi
Moskowitz. They are just drawn to
him," said Levine. "He was an excellent
addition."
But the building or lack thereof, was
a drawback. Even with 9,000 square feet
of rented space, the congregational lead-
ers realized that there would come a day
that they would need their own space, a
spiritual home of their own.
Leaders organized a building corn-
mittee and drew up plans to develop
land at the corner of Walnut Lake and
Orchard Lake roads. In late August
1994, ground was broken and a year
later hundreds of congregants and their
families marched the mile from the old
site to the new one in a huge dedication
ceremony.
While the congregation itself was
growing, it began making a name in the
general community, specifically in edu-
cation. After fiddling around with a few
plans, the congregation chucked the tra-
ditional twice-weekly Hebrew school
requirement for a once-weekly Sunday
school option. In doing so, the temple
began quietly last year when the first
pre-school class opened. Realizing that
many members were sending their chil-
dren to other area temples for nursery
school education, Shir Shalom launched
its own program, in part to help retain
current members while attracting new
ones.
"The key is in the education of the
children;" Simons said. They are the
future of our temple."
The congregation plans to expand
the pre-school in the fall. The program
aims to be the best in the area, integrat-
ing state-of-the- art educational tech-
niques and top-notch Jewish program-
ming.
Rabbi Schwartz in-r.
1988, peering through
the window of Shir
Shaloms first building
on Maple and Orchard
Lake roads.
education department, headed by
Mindy Nathan, recognized the needs of
the families — some blended, some sin-
gle-parent, most dual-career parents —
and the demands Hebrew school placed
upon them.
An adult education program also
blossomed, drawing hundreds for lec-
tures on subjects ranging from cultural
issues to straight text classes. One
unique program tied in with Oakland
Community College and provided cred-
it for classes like Introduction to
Judaism, a pre-conversion informational
class.
"We are in the business of making
Jews," said Schwartz. "Education is the
key to that."
The latest educational development
The building has room for an addi-
tion. Shaped like an unraveling Torah
scroll, it was designed to accommodate
a school wing, for which a capital cam-
paign will be kicked off as early as this
summer.
Many of Shir Shalom's original objec-
tives have been achieved before the 10th
anniversary. Membership continues to
grow toward the ultimate goal of 1,000
families and the school is perking along
and setting trends.
If you take a look at what we did in
10 years, it is astonishing," Schwartz
said. "We created a world. We created a
whole new genre. We rewrote the way
to create a congregation, a temple.
"I plan to stay at that congregation
until the day I die." ❑