Window To The Past
Stained-glass relic is congregation's
prized possession.
WENDY ROSE BICE
Special to the Jewish News
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58
•
relfigt
n 1913, the first wor-
shippers of the
Orthodox congrega-
tion, Mogen
Abraham, entered their
newly built synagogue on
Farnsworth Avenue between
St. Antoine and Beaubien. A
pair of elegant stained-glass
windows overlooking the
street at both ends of the
upper floor complemented
the simple furnishings inside.
By 1939, the congrega-
tion had left the area and the
building was sold to Mt.
Olive Baptist Church. Then,
in 1977, Detroit City
Council President Carl Levin
learned that the old shul was
scheduled to be demolished.
At the time, he and a small
band of fellow Detroiters
The stained-
glass window
Judy and Ira Harris and Toby Citrin of Ann
dates from
Arbor, were in the process of forming
1913 and had
Congregation T'Chiyah, the city's first
been in Mogen
Reconstructionist congregation.
Abraham syn-
Arrangements were made to purchase what
agogue on
was left of Mogen Abraham: oak pews, four
Farnsworth
chandeliers, some bricks and a school bell. The
Avenue.
group noticed the stained-glass windows, never
thinking they could acquire them.
Soon after, while driving down the freeway, Levin spotted a
truck. On the back of that truck lay a large stained-glass window,
a Star of David clearly visible. "Somehow, I got the guy in the
truck to pull over," recalled Levin, now a longtime U.S. senator.
"He was planning to sell the window for the lead. I pulled out
my wallet and bought it from him on the spot."
Although broken and cracked, the window was in good
enough shape to be repaired and was resting comfortably in
T'chiyah's home, the St. Mary's Community Center in
Greektown. A short time later, a church fire badly damaged the
window and the members of T'chiyah worried that their treasure
was lost.
A stained-glass artisan restored the window, taking three years
to complete the painstaking process. When finished, it looked
better than ever.
Today, the remaining window stands, framed in oak, at the
center of the Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit's new
home, The Sibley House adjacent to the Christ. Church of
Detroit on Jefferson Avenue. Member Alan Schenk of Detroit
arranged for the framing and added a border of burgundy
stained-glass inscribed with the names of Judaism's mothers
and fathers. Like the window itself, this long journey has left a
grand legacy.
❑
2003
."4*ON:A•
Congregation President Matthew Schenk and his father, Alan Schenk, both of Detroit, eel at
home in the synagogue's new downtown location.
school," said teacher Lisa Gayle of Detroit.
"By modeling this behavior, we are showing
the children the importance of Judaism in
our lives and in the community."
Separated from the Bloomfields and Oak
Park by a gulf of freeways,.
RCD members, most of
whom live within the city,
often feel forgotten — left
out of discussions of Jewish
issues affecting the city and
the suburbs. With so few
members, the congregation
also struggles financially and
organizationally. The kids
feel they have little in com-
mon with their suburban
peers.
"It can be challenging,"
admitted Schenk, who has
been president since the con-
A Communal Bond
gregation's founding. Yet,
Shabbat services, typically
when they gather together,
held once a month, are led by
the sacrifices and the strug-
Wooden pews date back to
various congregants. Each
gles are easily forgotten.
1913 Mogen Abraham
service becomes unique to the
After the Shabbat service,
building.
family, or leader.
the congregants gather in
At this first service of 2003,
their tiny, but cozy social
Deborah Rose and her daugh-
hall, reciting Ha Motzi (blessing over
ter, Anna Richardson of Keego Harbor, offi- bread) and sharing a challah, some wine
ciate over a mixture of prayer and song.
and grape juice. An observer might think
Instead of a sermon, Anna spearheads a dis-
this is just one large family. In a way, they
cussion of the meaning of God's name. The
are — a family brought together by faith
conversation is easy; ideas flow without the
and their Detroit roots. ❑
need for microphones.
On Sundays, the religious school con-
venes, usually with all nine students in
The Reconstructionist Congregation of
attendance. Three devoted teachers, each a
Detroit is planning an open house to
member of the congregation, guide students
celebrate its new location at 967 E.
through their Hebrew lessons, teaching
Jefferson Ave. For more information, call
them the rituals, traditions and history.
(313) 393-1818.
"The adults in this congregation take
ownership of the services, of the Sunday
participants in the building of the Jewish
future.
Reconstructionist congregations, of
which there are four in Michigan, "continu-
ally debate and evaluate how to be Jewish
within a secular society," said
Schenk. "We keep thinking of
ways to make the practice of
our religion more meaningful
on a personal level."
Much of that meaning
comes from their dedication
to Detroit Jewish history.
Spiritually, however, members
find the connectivity and
commitment of the member-
ship to each other and to their
congregation provides a deep-
er satisfaction.