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conducted by Rabbi Isaac Epstein, accompa-
nied by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, a founder of
Hebrew Union College (1875) and the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations (now
the Union for Reform Judaism). TBI was
one of 34 founding members, and the con-
gregation has valued its membership in the
Reform movement throughout its history.
CELEBRATION TIME
Temple B’nai Israel kicked off its series of
anniversary events with “Celebrating 150
Years in Kalamazoo: A Community Concert”
on Dec. 3, 2015, at First Baptist Church in
downtown Kalamazoo.
The concert featured three virtuoso musi-
cians: Diana Cohen, violinist and former
concertmaster of the Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra, is now concertmaster of the
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra; her father,
Franklin Cohen, is the former principal
clarinetist of the Cleveland Orchestra (1976-
2015); and Roman Rabinovich, who won the
2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano
Master Competition, and in the spring of
2014 toured the United States with the Haifa
Orchestra. He debuted at age 10 with the
Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta.
On Friday, June 10, Rabbi Matt led an
erev Shabbat service reflecting the history
of Reform liturgy, featuring selections from
the four Reform prayer books that have been
used by TBI and the Reform Movement
over the years. Western Michigan University
music professor Carl Ratner served as canto-
rial soloist, and an ensemble of TBI members
offered additional special music.
Temple Beth El of Battle Creek (Reform)
and Congregation of Moses of Kalamazoo
(Conservative) joined TBI for the service, as
did representatives of the Interfaith Strategy
for Advocacy and Action in the Community
(ISAAC), a local social justice coalition of
which TBI is a founding member.
On Saturday evening, June 11, the congre-
gation celebrated its anniversary family-style
with an outdoor picnic.
Unveiled during the weekend, a newly
updated congregational history booklet was
available to all TBI members. Edited by long-
time member Raye Ziring with help from a
team of TBI historians, the booklet contains
details of the congregation’s founding in 1866
through the present day.
To help TBI celebrate, a local craft brew-
ery, Arcadia Ales, worked with TBI member
Steve Bertman to brew a limited edition
commemorative beer. Golden Promise
Sesquicentenni-ALE is a lightly hopped
golden ale with rye. The bottle label features
TBI’s 150th anniversary logo as well as the
congregation’s rainbow Tree of Life logo. Not
available for sale, the special brew was avail-
able at the picnic and in six-packs and cases
as a thank-you for those who donated to TBI.
The congregation’s milestone anniversary
did not go unnoticed in the Kalamazoo com-
munity. Through a collaboration with the
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, TBI member
20 August 4 • 2016
TBI presidents past and present: Sue Odom, Henry Winter, Ellen Winter, Joan Hawxhurst and Raye Ziring join Rabbi Matt at the
Kalamazoo City Commission before accepting a proclamation honoring TBI’s 150th anniversary.
Henry Winter served as guest curator of a
wonderful collection of historical artifacts
representing TBI’s 150 years in Kalamazoo.
Items on public display beginning in mid-
May included a Holy Bible presented to the
congregation by the confirmation class of
1893, an antique prayer book, a Torah cover
and wrap, and a Ner Tamid (eternal light)
salvaged from the original South Street
Temple.
Winter offered a presentation at the
museum on TBI’s early history, including
additional photos of the congregation’s origi-
nal buildings and historic maps showing
their locations in downtown Kalamazoo.
The collection of TBI artifacts was on display
through July.
TBI TODAY
In recent history, Temple B’nai Israel has
counted on the religious leadership of stu-
dent rabbis and part-time clergy shared with
another congregation in the region. After
a successful “Leap of Faith” fundraising
campaign, Rabbi Matt Zerwekh, a teacher
in TBI’s religious school while an under-
graduate at WMU before heading to rabbinic
school, was hired in 2014 as the congrega-
tion’s first full-time rabbi since 1969.
Under his leadership, the congregation’s
membership has grown by 20 percent,
and 60 percent of TBI’s members have
found ways to be meaningfully involved.
Attendance at services has grown. The con-
gregation has added Shabbat morning learn-
ing services (Minyan Milamed), and religious
school enrollment has grown substantially.
The congregation’s current building,
while owned debt-free thanks to a generous
bequest received in 1992, is lacking physi-
cal space to accommodate the increasingly
vibrant TBI community. Challenges include
Congregants Randy Lubratich, Jen Goudie and Colleen Thebert-Wright dance to outdoor
music at the 150th anniversary picnic.
insufficient classroom space and kitchen
facilities; and infrastructure (bathrooms,
heating and cooling, etc.) at the building is
overdue for upgrades.
TBI is also challenged because, as a whole,
the Reform Jewish community in Kalamazoo
is economically diverse, and an endowment
has never been developed. There are few
local large donors to rely on to help the con-
gregation fund the future.
As it has been before and will no doubt
be again in the future, Temple B’nai Israel
is at a crossroads this anniversary year. The
congregation has opportunities to ensure its
long-term sustainability and to enliven the
region’s Jewish community by working more
closely with its Jewish neighbors.
TBI will start its second 150 years by
bringing together the congregation’s religious
school with that of the local Conservative
synagogue, the Congregation of Moses, to
create a unified Jewish educational program
for all Jewish children in Kalamazoo. The
congregation is exploring the possibility of
creating a single campus for Kalamazoo’s
Jewish institutions and is looking for ways to
connect with and support other smaller con-
gregations across West Michigan.
For 150 years, Temple B’nai Israel has
been part of the fabric of Kalamazoo, and the
congregation prides itself on its welcoming,
open atmosphere and its commitment to
acceptance, equality, sharing and communi-
ty. TBI members looks forward to continuing
to contribute to the vibrancy of the region’s
Jewish community far into the future.
*
For more about Temple B’nai Israel, go to
templebnaiisrael.com or call (269) 342-9170. For more
about supporting the congregation’s efforts, contact TBI
President Joan Hawxhurst at (269) 352-1759 or email
joan.hawxhurst@kzoo.edu.