S H A B B AT / The Sabbath
The weekly Shabbat observance begins at sundown
each Friday evening with the lighting of candles at
home and a synagogue service called Kabbalat
Shabbat.
Friday night observances at home often include a
festive dinner that begins by reciting the Kiddush,
the prayer over wine, and HaMotzi, the prayer over
challa (egg bread). Saturday observances for
Shabbat include services, a festive luncheon and an
afternoon of rest. A light third meal, called seuda
shilishit(pronounced "sooda shillysheet"), also is
traditional.
Shabbat concludes on Saturday night with the
Havdala (separation) ceremony. Spices, a special
braided candle and wine are used in this Sabbath
closing ceremony.

ROSH CHODESH/ First Day Of The New Month
Rosh Chodesh means "head of the month." It is
noted by reciting special prayers during the regular
Shabbat services, including Hallel, a series of
psalms.
Tradition tells us that because women did not
participate in the sin of the Golden Calf in the
wilderness, they were given Rosh Chodesh as a
gift. For this reason, women's study sessions and
prayer groups often meet on Rosh Chodesh.

ROSH HASHANAH/Jewish New Year
Rosh HaShana (Tishrei 1-2) begins a 10-day period
of repentance that lasts through Yom Kippur.
The shofar, usually a ram's horn, is blown during
services. Home observances include festive meals
with traditional foods, such as a round loaf of challa

and apples dipped in honey, symbolizing wholeness
and sweetness for the new year.
New Year's greeting cards often are sent to
friends and family. On the first day of Rosh
HaShana, it is traditional to drop breadcrumbs into
a river or pond as symbols of "casting away our
sins." This ceremony is called tashlich.

TZOM GEDALIAH/ Fast of Gedaliah
This minor fast day (Tishrei 3) recalls the slaying of
Gedaliah, who the Babylonians appointed governor
of Judah after they captured Jerusalem in 586
B.C.E. He and his aides were killed by another Jew,
Ishmael Nethaniah, who sought disunity and disrup-
tion. Some see this holiday as a paradigm for the
Jewish community today, when it is often marked
by strife and disunity within.

THE DETROIT JEWISH HISTORIC TIMELINE

ome historical milestones in the
Detroit Jewish experience are
hichlichted here. They represent
events and trends that had lastinc impact.
For more information, refer to "The
Jews of Detroit" by Robert Rockaway and
"Harmony & Dissonance: Voices of Jewish
Identity in Detroit, '1914-1967" by Sidney
Bolkosky. Both books form the basis for
this timeline with additional help from
Heidi Christein, director of the Leonard N.
Simons Jewish Community Archives; the
Temple Beth El archives; Judith Levin
Cantor, past president of the Jewish
Historical Society of Vichigan; and David
Gad-Harf and Allan Gale of the Jewish
Community Council.

1850: BET EL SOCIETY, THE
FIRST JEWISH CONGREGATION
IN MICHIGAN, IS FORMED.

S

Suzanne Chessler

34 • SOURCEBOOK 2 0 0 2 • JN

1850s AND
JEWS BEGIN
TO ESTABLISH SIGNIFICANT
BUSINESSES AND ENTER CIVIC
AND POLITICAL OFFICES.

!1881: INFLUX OF
EASTERN
EUROPEAN JEWS
BEGINS.

1857: B'NAI B'RITH
ORGANIZES FIRST
LOCAL CHAPTER.

1762: FIRST-
KNOWN JEWISH
SETTLER ARRIVES IN
DETROIT AND, OVER
THE DECADES, IS
FOLLOWED MOSTLY
BY GERMAN JEWISH
IMMIGRANTS.

1380: DETROIT'S
JEWISH
POPULATION
REACHES 1,000.

1861: SHAAREY
ZEDEK SOCIETY
IS ESTABLISHED.

1869: DETROIT'S FIRST CENTRALIZED
PHILANTHROPIC AGENCY IS FORMED:
THE GENTLEMEN'S HEBREW RELIEF
SOCIETY.

1889: THE
CENTRAL
CONFERENCE
OF AMERICAN
RABBIS IS
FOUNDED IN
DETROIT.