90 years young from page 9

Session I: June 20 - July 8
Session III: July 23 - August 12

Session II: July 11 - July 22
Specialty Week: August 15 - 19

WITH ADAT SHALOM'S WARM, EXPERIENCED STAFF

2-MORNING PROGRAMS

3-MORNING PROGRAMS WITH SUPERVISED LUNCH

3-FULL-DAY PROGRAMS 5-FULL-DAY PROGRAMS

Water Play with Wading Pools
Crafts © Outdoor Adventures

SPECIAL VISITORS: Magicians, ponies,
story tellers, a Hebrew specialist, and more

Full day campers will be treated every afternoon
to specialists who will provide a variety of challenging
activities in music, sports and creative movement.

For more information, please contact Julie Eisman, Director
in the Mat Shalom Early Childhood Center office, 248-851-5105.

10 March 10 • 201i

The daily minyan is long gone and
the congregation has not had a rabbi
since the late Noah Gamze moved
away in 2001. Through the years, sev-
eral members of the clergy have served
the congregation, but now services are
lay-led.
A.J. Schostak, 23, of Beverly Hills
reads Torah and Roger Skully of Grosse
Pointe Park serves as cantorial solo-
ist. He and his wife, Sydney, are active
members.
Last September, Friday night services
were revived, now led by Goldenberg
and Noam Kimelman, 24, of Detroit.
Over the past two years, new initia-
tives have included the re-establish-
ment of a committee structure for
educational and social programming
and fundraising.
Also new is the Detroit Interfaith
Outreach Network, a monthly meeting
of interfaith leaders formed by Rabbi
Dorit Edut of Huntington Woods,
focusing on education, conflict resolu-
tion and arts and culture.
Edut first came to the synagogue to
help lead the Simchat Torah celebra-
tion in 2008.
"We actually took the Torahs outside
and paraded around the whole block,
singing and dancing:' she said. "I think
this was the first time in many years
that the people of the city of Detroit
saw hakafot (circuits with the Torah)
on their streets:'
She gave the High Holiday sermons
at last year's services and recently
began leading a Torah study before
Shabbat morning services, joined by
her husband, Shimon.
"Both of us are happy to volunteer to
support this growing congregation and
keep a Jewish presence alive and well
in the city of Detroit," she said.
A monthly lunch and learn program
is underway and a Jewish folk dance
class has begun. Educational program-
ming is in planning stages, including
a formal Hebrew class. Interactive
holiday celebrations include a Purim
megillah reading and party, and a
Passover seder that attracted 80 par-
ticipants last year.
For the past two years, the
Downtown Synagogue has joined
with Congregation Hava Nashira of
Farmington Hills for Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur services for 500-600
worshippers, held at area hotels.

Come On In
To showcase what they have to offer,
the congregation has held events, from
dance parties to those involving art,
music and screenings of Israeli and

local films.
"These are not fundraisers,"
Goldenberg said. "They are just to
bring people in and get them inter-
ested."
Having attended a few events,
Weitzer said, "I was enormously moved
by the uniqueness of the space and
community. The synagogue seemed to
be an incredibly rich and intentional
and unconventional place where folks
from a myriad of different observances
could gather. I love that there is a com-
mitment to working to make the syna-
gogue accessible to the community."
An organizer with the Campaign
for Justice in Detroit, Weitzer held a
community meeting in February at the
synagogue.
Not everyone new to the synagogue
is a 20-something. Robert Levi and
Sasha Roberts-Levi of Detroit were
recently drawn by new programming.
"The re-energizing and coming
back of so many young people who
are moving businesses and living in
Detroit is inspiring," Roberts-Levi
said. "We are very excited about the
upswing and commitment."
Mitchel Alexander, 44, first attended
the synagogue for Rosh Hashanah din-
ner in 2008.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see
about 25 people ranging in age from
their 20s to 70s:' he said. "It was a
vibrant and friendly crowd of people."
Richard Wiener of Williamstown
Township has been involved with the
congregation for 30 years.
"I am encouraged by the commit-
ment of the new board," he said. "The
younger members, in particular, are
very committed to the re-emergence
of the Downtown Synagogue as part
of the revitalization of Detroit. Their
commitment to both is very hearten-
ing and a good sign for both the syna-
gogue and the city."

Money Out, Money In
"The barebones budget to run the
synagogue and maintain at least a
minimal amount of programming is
$44,000," treasurer Alexander said.
"The 'core' revenue we can count on
each year is about $40,000. That rep-
resents membership dues, additional
contributions, mostly from members,
and funds raised from the (High
Holiday) Memorial Book."
Herman recalled, "In 2007, we were
in dire straits when a $50,000 chal-
lenge grant from the Kosin's Family
Foundation saved us and helped cover
operational costs for the next several
years."

90 years young on page 12

