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The Chai Center led a women’s mission to Israel in February.

BLOOMFIELD ROOTS
Though Muller has been rabbi of the
BBCC for just over a year, the story of the
congregation started more than 30 years
ago when Bloomfield Hills resident Eileen
Borsand wanted to incorporate more
Jewish practices into her life.
Although she and her husband, Jerry,
had grown up with a strong Jewish iden-
tity — they were married at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek — they now lived just
north of Quarton Road in Bloomfield
Hills, an area that is home to many Jews
but few Jewish institutions. One thing she
really wanted to do was attend Shabbat
services regularly without having to
drive.
So Borsand started her own congrega-
tion in 1985. She and her family rounded
up the quorum needed for a minyan —
some from the neighborhood and some
further away — and held weekly services
in her home. Rabbi Moshe Polter led the
congregation for a number of years in
its early stages. Since then, the Borsands
have remained the driving force behind
the congregation.
About 20 years ago, the Borsands
rented space in the Birmingham
Masonic Lodge on Woodward Avenue
between Quarton and Lone Pine roads
in Bloomfield Hills. The BBCC has been
meeting there ever since. In February
2015, the tiny congregation found itself
without a spiritual leader. Friends told

20 September 29 • 2016

the Borsands about Muller, saying they
thought he could develop and imple-
ment a unique vision for the commu-
nity. He started shortly before the High
Holidays last year. Since then, Muller has
brought new visibility and vitality to the
Birmingham-Bloomfield Chai Center.

GROWING CONGREGATION
When Muller started at BBCC, he was
determined to keep the traditional
Shabbat minyans going but also to
develop programs and classes that would
be relevant to the broader Jewish com-
munity.
In addition to Muller’s popular classes,
during the past year the congregation has
held many successful programs, including
a Chanukah party, a lively Purim party
that attracted more than 80 people, a
Friday night Shabbaton attended by more
than 70, an art show, as well as programs
for Shavuot and Tisha b’Av.
In February, the BBCC led a group of
12 women, ages 45-60, on a trip to Israel.
Since their return, Lisa Cohen, who
served as a madricha (group leader) on
the trip, has organized a monthly cook-
ing session for the group. Led by Rachaeli
Muller, the rabbi’s wife, they enjoy a dvar
Torah, a nice dinner and then pack up the
unique dishes they cook for the Mushka
Perel Lunch Program, which provides
kosher food for families with children in
local hospitals.

Synagogue founders Jerry and Eileen Borsand

The group was very excited when the
BBCC recently brought in David Sussman,
the well-liked tour guide from their Israel
trip. At the Birmingham 8 Theatre, he
shared his inspiring story of survival as
a soldier in the Second Lebanon War —
first to about 20 teens and then to a gen-
eral audience of about 100 participants
later in the evening.
Muller, 40, grew up in New York. He
was a congregational rabbi in Canada
for several years and came to the Detroit
area nine years ago to work as the edu-
cational director for Partners in Torah,
an adult education program now known
as Partners Detroit. He also directed the
Kindness Project, an initiative of the
Jewish Community Center and Partners
that provided ways to enrich people’s lives
with the practices of kindness in Jewish
tradition.
The rabbi and Rachaeli are proud par-
ents of five daughters and one son. Their
home in Birmingham is about a 10-min-
ute walk from the BBCC.
Muller also directs the Jewish Values
Institute and has brought its teachings to
an array of venues, such as Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, Temple Kol Ami, the
Max M. Fisher Federation Building and
Schechter Wealth offices in Birmingham.

WHAT’S NEXT?
Muller says his current goal is to position
the BBCC as a dynamic, attractive and rel-

evant place for meaningful Jewish life in
the community. Many people see this goal
beginning to become a reality already.
Marc Cohen of Birmingham said, “The
BBCC provides a wonderful opportu-
nity for the fast-growing Birmingham-
Bloomfield Jewish community to experi-
ence quality Jewish culture and learning
with an energetic and thoughtful rabbi
who eloquently relates our Torah phi-
losophies to the realities of today’s chal-
lenges.”
Since Muller started last year, more
than 300 people have studied with him,
and more than 150 people, new to the
Chai Center, attended other programs at
the BBCC. He credits the extraordinary
commitment of Jerry Borsand, BBCC
president, and the rest of the shul’s lay
leadership for its success.
Muller and the Borsands recognize that
the BBCC has outgrown its rented home
in the Birmingham Masonic Lodge. They
are looking for a larger building in the
area that can be the congregation’s perma-
nent home.
Meanwhile, they will continue to
strengthen and expand the program
where they are.
“Many people are checking out the Chai
Center and finding something they were
looking for,” said Muller.
“One of my main goals is to make
everyone, regardless of background, feel
as comfortable as possible.”

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