been for them. Marty [Herman] is the one
individual keeping it all running together
in a coherent direction. Without his self-
less service for these many years, even the
recent success would not be possible."
Committee members discuss final arrangements for the Downtown Synagogue's 90th anniversary celebration.
floor has an office, library and social
room. The lower level houses a kosher
kitchen.
When membership dwindled and build-
ing repairs and maintenance mounted,
there was talk of selling the building or
sharing space with the Reconstructionist
Congregation of Detroit, also in the city.
And, in the 1990s, even a plan to pay
homeless Jews a small stipend to partici-
pate in a minyan failed after an exodus of
Jewish businesses and residents took away
members.
But not all left. The synagogue remained
the spiritual home to a small but steadfast
congregation. Even into the early 2000s,
they strained but continued to provide
Shabbat services, holiday celebrations and
religious study.
And, in 2008, they were joined by a
group entirely new to the Downtown
Synagogue.
A New Effort
The Detroit Action Committee (DAC)
came together to brainstorm ideas to help
revitalize the congregation and fundraise
for building renovations. They hoped the
synagogue would become a home base for
people returning to the city.
The group included both Jewish and
non-Jewish professionals and students as
well as patrons and staff of Cafe D'Mongo
next door to the synagogue, where early
committee meetings took place during off
hours.
DAC member Oren Goldenberg, 27, a
filmmaker, lives within walking distance
of the synagogue, but had no idea it was
there.
"The lights were always out, so I didn't
know anything was going on in the build-
ing," he said. "Now, the first thing I do
when I go inside is turn on all the lights so
everyone knows we're here."
The committee included Detroiters
Mitchel Alexander, Leor Barak, Kate Bush,
Ben Chodoroff, DaVid Powell, Courtney
Smith, Lydia Thomas and the late Dr.
Kathryne Lindberg.
"There was a clash between the long-
time members and the committee, which
I interpret as a breakdown in communica-
tion," Herman said.
"Some thought the young group just
wanted to use the building and didn't
care about the congregation. This is a
Conservative egalitarian synagogue and
it turned out they are all committed to
maintaining that. Still, there were a lot
of hard feelings, and we lost some board
members!"
The New Board
At the 2008 annual membership meeting,
several DAC members were voted onto the
board.
"Some old board members remained for
a while, but eventually left:' said Herman,
81. "DaVid Powell and I are the only long-
time members; the younger members,
eager and committed, I affectionately refer
to as urban pioneers."
Herman, a retired Wayne State
University professor of humanities,
became involved in 1989 after attending to
say Kaddish for his parents.
Other synagogue officers include Powell,
vice president; Alexander, treasurer; and
Barak, secretary. Board members are Jay
Bassin, Jon Koller, Daniel Robin, Bush,
Goldenberg and Smith, all of Detroit;
Susan Tulupman of West Bloomfield;
immediate past president Louis Antonino,
now of New Mexico; and Carter Agree of
Canton, a great-grandson of Isaac Agree.
"The credit for the wonderful things
going on at the synagogue goes to a group
of very hard-working and passionate mem-
bers',' Carter Agree said. "The current board
has taken the synagogue to new places.
I am not sure what form the synagogue
would have today if they had not stepped
in. They work on bringing programming
into the facility and to make it an active
place more than just once a week."
He expresses regret about the departure
of the "old board" who, he said, held the
congregation together in the late '90s and
early 2000s.
"There would have been no organiza-
tion in 2008 for this board to run had it not
Inside The Building
The Downtown Synagogue is the only
synagogue in the city of Detroit to have
its own building. The Reconstructionist
Congregation of Detroit meets in rented
space.
For now, the building's third and fourth
floors are vacant.
"The synagogue is a large tent that can
accommodate a lot of things',' Herman
said. With renovations and repairs, pos-
sible uses would focus on those that would
bring in income.
"One hope is to use it for offices for
Jewish organizations like Jewish Funds for
Justice or Avodah, which share our mis-
sion," Goldenberg said.
There is also talk of creating a youth
center for teens from both the city and the
suburbs to congregate and to learn about
the Jewish history of Detroit.
Already there is a connection with sub-
urban youth who originally came to the
synagogue through J-Serve Detroit, which
gathers teens for projects of tikkun olam
(repairing the world).
After volunteers came to paint and
make minor repairs to the building in
2009, a relationship formed with BBYO's
Greenberg AZA chapter, whose members
continue to spend one Sunday each month
helping out there, overseen by Bassin.
Services And More
"Just a couple of years ago, we had only
about eight or 10 regulars at our Shabbat
services:' Herman said. For the past year
or two, more than the 10 individuals
required for a minyan have participated
on a weekly basis. The service has been
egalitarian since 1984.
90 years young on page 10
Isaac Agree: educator, philanthropist
March 10 g 2011
9