ott\ mgek ***'

The Little Shul That Could

Shomrey Emunah of Southfield is trying to keep pace
with the growing Orthodox community around it.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
Special to the Jewish News

I

t's a hot Shabbat morning, and
people are streaming into a tiny
building on Southfield Road,
north of 10 Mile. Young moth-
ers pushing baby strollers wait for the
light to change to cross to the west
side of the wide thoroughfare, then
scurry across to the shade of "Rabbi
Zachariash's shul."
Even the members of Shomrey
Emunah hesitate before remembering
the official name of their synagogue.
They're just used to calling it "Rabbi
Z's."
"Shomrey Emunah is viewed as
everyone's home away from home," said
Andy Weil, the effusive younger brother
of Rabbi Steven Weil, who heads one of
Shomrey Emunah's neighboring shuls,
Young Israel-Oak Park. Like many
Shomrey Emunah regulars who live in
the Southfield subdivision equidistant
from YIOP and Shomrey Emunah,
Weil and his young family hold dual
memberships at both synagogues.
As Oak Park properties get snapped
up by more and more religious fami-
lies and property values rise according-
ly, young couples are house-hunting in
Southfield and looking for an
Orthodox place to daven.
Moshe Rose, synagogue president,
said the infusion of younger members
stems from the abundance of afford-
able houses in surrounding neighbor-
hoods.
"Property values are going up
everywhere," he said. "You might get
more house for the dollar in our neck
of the woods — a house in walking
distance, a 2,700-square-foot colonial,
went for $216,000. I wouldn't say it's
cheaper; [rather,] it's an area that's up-
and-coming."
Shomrey Emunah must grow its
physical space to keep up with the
growth in membership, which num-
bers about 100 families. Rose said
notwithstanding zoning restrictions,
the congregation is talking about
expansion.

7/24
1998

22 Detroit Jewish News

Rabbi Zachariash is credited for Shomrey Emunah's "laid-back" ambience.

The bimah sits in the center of the
men's section. Every Shabbat morning,
the scent of steaming cholent hovers
in the air, as small children run
around in the small entryway. Long
paper-covered tables are always set for
kiddush in the women's section, which
makes it difficult for women to daven.
Zachariash and his congregants
agree that it's not the ideal scenario.
"We have to make do with the space
that we have," said the rabbi. "We are
limited, very limited, in our space, so
the [sanctuary] seating is not perma-
nent."
But Sarah Kornblum, a young
mother and lifelong congregant, does-
n't mind the squished seating in the
women's section; in fact, she hardly
notices it anymore. "It's always the
way it was; I'm used to it," she said.
Shomrey Emunah was established
in Detroit in the 1950s and then
moved to Southfield in 1972 under
the leadership of Rabbi Shaiall
Zachariash.
Originally, a few local Orthodox
families who lived within walking dis-

tance were drawn to Shomrey
Emunah. "Over the years," the rabbi
said, "we attracted people from all
kinds of backgrounds. Whether they
were Orthodox or not was immaterial;
they were drawn to the congregation
because it was nearby and it satisfied
their needs."
Margery Klausner, who lives
between Shomrey Emunah and Young
Israel, belongs solely to YIOP and is a
member of its board. But frequently
you'll find her on a Shabbat morning
at Shomrey Emunah, celebrating a
simcha with friends who are members
there.
"Shomrey Emunah or Young Israel,
those are two definitely viable mod-
ern-ish options," she said. "Shomrey
Emunah [is] always a very welcoming
place, they're always very, very busy.
It's nice to see a thriving shul."
Weil describes the congregational
makeup as "a mix of people who are
more established and then young, up-
and-coming people. We've seen an
incredible growth spurt over the last
two to three years. There's a nice

H group of young cou-
pies, and I think we'll
.E continue to see growth
--- in that segment of the
population."
Rose, a tax attorney
who grew up at
Shomrey Emunah, said
members are mostly
career professionals.
"The members of this
shul get along as a
community better than
I would imagine a lot
of other shuls do. The
word I'm looking for is
`haimish.' We have
comparatively little
politics."
He credits the rabbi, _
solely, for the laid-back
atmosphere. "He's
been in the communi-
ty a very long time, he
knows people, he's a
skillful rabbi when it
comes to breeding
these kinds of relationships. Rabbi
Zachariash is a popular rabbi, a very
affable type of rabbi," Rose said.
Originally from Los Angeles,
Zachariash came to Michigan from
Toledo, where he was a pulpit rabbi
until 1964. He relocated to the
Detroit area to teach at Yeshivah Beth
Yehudah, and two years later took the
helm of Shomrey Emunah in Detroit.
Zachariash received religious train-
ing at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath in
Brooklyn, N.Y., and later at the Ner
Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore.
He has four children; his one daughter
who lives in Michigan, Orah Jundef,
is the rebbetzin of Ohel Moed
Shomrey Emunah in West Bloomfield.
Admittedly cramped and crowded,
Shomrey Emunah is still a beloved
place in its members' eyes.
"Really, it's sort of an extension of
your family," Weil said. "It's a smaller
community; you get to know the peo-
ple really well. People tend to look out
and extend a helping hand to each
other."

❑