metro »
Downtown Synagogue on what the congregation calls a “very robust
part-time basis” while continuing to serve part-time in Jackson until
next July, when she will become full time in Detroit.
Some of the new rabbis have had multifaceted careers. Ahuvia
holds two master’s degrees, in Judaic studies and journalism, from the
University of Michigan. Gutmann spent three years in banking and
marketing before starting rabbinical school. Brudney has worked as a
song leader and spiritual counselor. Kantor has been a chaplain and a
campus Hillel rabbi.
Brett Mountain
continued from page 10
HAPPY CONGREGATIONS
Dozens of community members served on the search committees aiming
to find the perfect fit for their congregations.
Temple Beth El’s search committee interviewed more than a dozen
practicing rabbis and 30 HUC-JIR seniors before choosing Brudney, said
Beth El President Jordon Wertheimer of Franklin. She “immediately
stood out to us as a rabbinic star in the making. Her enthusiasm for life,
Judaism and people of all backgrounds is tremendous.”
Several noted that the new rabbis’ first months have confirmed their
confidence that they made the right choice.
Shir Tikvah’s search committee worked for 10 months before set-
tling on Ahuvia. “In her first month as rabbi, Shir Tikvah members can
already see how what she brings to Congregation Shir Tikvah resembles
many of the great traits of Rabbi Arnie [Sleutelberg], while also present-
ing strengths that will lead the congregation into a new, meaningful and
exciting Jewish future,” said Shir Tikvah President Rich Spitzer of Troy.
“During the interview process at Temple Kol Ami, Rabbi Gutmann
kept impressing upon us the importance of congregational engagement
and, in his first month on the job, his outreach, which included a congre-
gational barbecue at his house, has already endeared him to the Kol Ami
family,” said Co-President Paul Gross of Farmington Hills.
“I didn’t grow up picturing myself as
a rabbi ... until I became a new mom.”
Brett Mountain
RABBIS WELCOME RABBIS
The community’s more seasoned rabbis are happy to have such an infu-
sion of new blood.
“We are thrilled to have so many new rabbis to the Metro Detroit area
this year,” said Rabbi Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel, president of the
Michigan Board of Rabbis. “They bring an energy and enthusiasm to the
community, with new ideas, new stories, a fresh perspective.
“It’s invigorating, like meeting a new friend or having a new chevruta
[study] partner who encourages you and challenges you in exciting
ways.”
Hornsten said the influx is a reflection of a revitalized and reinvented
city. “It is an exciting time to be a rabbi in Detroit,” she said.
Her Temple Israel colleague Harold Loss said the fact the area needs
additional rabbinic support is a good sign. Each of the new rabbis brings
unique skills and talents, he said, which will help make Detroit the finest
Jewish community in the country. Loss hosted a dinner for the new rab-
bis
Dan Horwitz, rabbi of The Well, a non-congregational Jewish outreach
effort, is one of the younger “senior” rabbis in town. He said the entire
community will benefit from the new rabbis’ enthusiasm and new ideas.
He noted that the new rabbis are incredibly lucky to be able to learn, as
he has, from the community’s more seasoned clergy.
“The new rabbis coming to our community don’t yet realize how fortu-
nate they are,” agreed Rabbi Steven Rubenstein of Congregation Beth Ahm
in West Bloomfield. “The Metro Detroit Jewish community is a wonder-
ful community, and their presence here is sure to strengthen us all.”
Rabbi Robert Gamer of Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park said,
“Whenever there are new rabbis, I think there is a general excitement
because they bring new ideas and new ways of doing things — not that the
ways of previous rabbis were not effective, but it is a change of pace.”
Aura Ahuvia, Congregation Shir Tikvah
Hometown: Milwaukee
Ordained: ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish
Renewal, 2014
Residence: Royal Oak
Married to Aaron Ahuvia; children Isaac,
22, and Jonah, 20
On becoming a rabbi: “I didn’t grow up picturing
myself as a rabbi — I had taken other paths and
hadn’t experienced a Judaism that I found personally
engaging until I became a brand new mom. As young
parents, my husband and I started attending CAJE
conferences, which brought us together with some of
the leading lights from all streams of Judaism.
“A second source of inspiration for me was picking
up the guitar, at first just to learn to lead tot Shabbat
for our young children. It was at a summer workshop
that I finally realized I had this entire repertoire of
music in my being, just waiting for expression. That
experience cracked open my heart in a way I had
never experienced before. I decided right then and
there — about 15 years ago — to master all the skills
that I could to do what I do today.”
On coming to Detroit: “I see the greatest chal-
lenges as those that face us all: How to live our iden-
tity as Jewish with pride, strength and vibrancy. This
is the generation that can do something of lasting
significance to secure and protect our world, and I’d
love to team up with like-minded folks to really make
a difference.”
Megan Brudney, Temple Beth El
Hometown: Athens, Ga.
Ordained: Hebrew Union College,
Los Angeles, 2016
Residence: Royal Oak
Single
On becoming a rabbi: “I grew up in a small Jewish
community where there was one Reform synagogue.
I was 16 when I went to my first NFTY event — a
regional convention in Orlando. There were four of
us, a huge turnout for our community. At first, I was
terrified at the size of the event and the manic energy
in the kids in the hotel. The first event was lunch;
we sat in tables in this giant ballroom and, from the
first notes of the motzi [blessing before meals], hear-
ing the voices of 300 teens together, my life changed.
Suddenly, I understood why I was there and saw
myself against the backdrop of Jewish history. How
did we all get there and how did we all know the
motzi, and how can such a simple little tune with its
ancient text pull us so profoundly together? Those are
the kinds of questions that continue to fascinate me.
“At Duke, I got involved with Hillel, started a
Reform group and learned to song lead. Today, music,
singing and playing the guitar are a big part of my
rabbinate.”
On coming to Detroit: “I am always amazed by the
deep roots many of our congregation have at Temple
Beth El and the Greater Detroit area. It jumps out
immediately that people are truly and fully invested
in this community: past, present and future.”
*
details
Vivian Henoch contributed to the rabbi bios. Her full story can be
seen at myjewishdetroit.org, where she is editor. John Hardwick of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit graciously contributed his
photos of the rabbis on the JN cover.
12 September 8 • 2016
“Music, singing and playing guitar
are a big part of my rabbinate.”