On The Upswing

A new rabbi, strong lay leadership and a thriving nursery school set the stage for a rejuvenated Beth Ahm.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter

I

t takes a remarkably optimistic congregation not
to admit defeat when they have no rabbi or can-
tor, declining membership and no youth group
or religious school.
But faced with this quandary, members of the
Conservative, egalitarian Congregation Beth Ahm
instead pooled their strength and resources in a for-
ward-thinking manner.
After forging past the obstacle of no clergy by
becoming temporarily a member-led synagogue, they
then tackled other problems by instituting school ini-
tiatives; including the voice of the congregation's
youth in their planning; creating a new formula for
Shabbat morning services; and hiring a frill-time
rabbi.
"We came together and have stayed together very
strongly," said synagogue President Robert Steingold
of Bloomfield Hills, who last week was elected to his
second one-year term. "We found we had a very
strong core who are making decisions together and
working hard toward building a future."
"Even without a rabbi, we never considered leav-
ing Beth Ahm," said Dr. Jeffrey Weinfeld of West
Bloomfield, who joined the congregation seven years
ago with his wife, Nancy, and sons Jordan, now 11,
and Ethan, 10. "One of the most important things to
us about our synagogue is the warm and welcoming
environment and the connection we have with fellow
congregants."
Dr. Weinfeld is very excited about the hiring of
Rabbi Steven Rubenstein, who begins Aug. 1, but
says he has enjoyed attending Shabbat services led by
members of the congregation.
"We have a lot of lay members who are
very capable of leading our services," he
said. "And that was a big, big plus in our
minds.
"We've had our struggles, but we stuck
it out. A core of families also stayed who
are regular congregants who are dedicated and come
to synagogue every Shabbat, whether or not there is a
bar mitzvah — and whether or not there is a rabbi.
But with the addition of our new rabbi, we feel
strongly we are on our way to coming out of this in a
really positive way." -

Rabbi Steven Rubenstein and synagogue President Robert Steingold

Bloomfield congregation from 1991 until 2000. The
once 750-family member congregation has been
reduced to its current 310 families.
"But the positive ideas being implemented — like
bringing back our religious school, adding a develop-
mental kindergarten and a youth group,
and forging forward with our new rabbi —
just shows what a positive, warm, support-
ive congregation can achieve," said Tessa
Goldberg, Beth Ahm's executive director.
Added Steingold. "We have a strong,
dedicated group, including longtime mem-
ber Irving Nusbaum [of Franklin], who has
stepped into leadership roles and has been involved
in long-term planning of the syn-
agogue."
Steingold said successful fund-
raising also helped keep the syna-
gogue going. "We have raised a
lot of money from our congre-
gants who have been very gener-
ous and steadfast," he said.
Along with private donations,
Rabbi Bergman
Beth Ahm has continued to raise

SPE CIAL
REP ORT

Downs And Ups

Ten years of gradual decline in membership at
Beth Ahm were accelerated after the departure of
Rabbi Aaron Bergman, who served the West

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2005

50

funds through an annual dinner-dance and a Purim
carnival.
"We've been able to do tons of renovations recent-
ly," Goldberg said. "Our parking lot was just resur-
faced, and we're having work done in the four houses
the synagogue owns for clergy and guests." Also new
are the Kahan Memorial Room, the Jacobson Clergy
Suite and the Tauber Chapel.
"We may have had our problems, but we've had
them in a beautiful place," Goldberg said. Long-
range planning — including educational and finan-
cial goals — that began during the service of the
most recent rabbi, Charles Popky, who left last sum-
mer, are on hold but will continue when the new
rabbi is settled in.

Innovative Solution

After the departure of Rabbi Popky, who served Beth
Ahm from 2000-2004, there was discussion of hiring
an interim rabbi for a year.
Instead, Steingold approached Rabbi Aaron
Bergman, the synagogue's popular former rabbi who
is now director of Jewish Studies at the Jewish