jews d
in
the
FRANKLIN ARCHIVES/TEMPLE BETH EL
continued from page 12
JAMIE FELDMAN
cence is there despite the dis-
repair and fallen plaster. I was
thrilled to have my camera in
hand to capture the splendor.”
A HOUSE OF HEALING
ABOVE: The ornate ceiling
needs restoration.
TOP: The interior of the
old Temple Beth El today,
as a Jewish group holds
Shabbat services.
INSET: Beth El interior
during the 1920s.
“Entering the building
brought a flood of memories
and emotions,” said Jamie
Feldman of Southfield, a
photographer and one of the
service participants. “Walking
through the halls and into the
sanctuary, the beauty reached
way beyond what I remem-
bered as a child. The magnifi-
Pastor Aramis Hinds of Breakers
Covenant
Church
International
is also quite
taken with the
old temple.
He describes
the sanctuary
Rev. Aramis Hinds as “holy” and
“peaceful” and
says he has
“fallen in love” with the space.
While his church holds week-
ly Sunday services in an adja-
cent auditorium, restoration
plans include keeping Jewish
symbols intact and preserving
imagery painted on the walls
and ceiling around the sanctu-
ary. There will also be displays
honoring Metro Detroit’s Jewish
heritage, along with ongoing
Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan tours and more.
“We see this building as a
community center that houses
our church along with other
community programming,”
Hinds says. “I can see lectures
taking place in here, concerts,
graduations, musicals. I see this
place as a house of healing for
everybody and for me — that’s
the vision.”
When Hinds first approached
the building at the corner of
Woodward and Gladstone, he
was struck by the words embla-
zoned on the outer wall: “My
House Shall Be Called a House
of Prayer for All People.”
“When I saw that,” he recalls,
“I said this is going to be a place
of reconciliation.”
While it is in need of signifi-
cant repairs, the 55,000-square-
foot structure is already serving
the community. The building
features numerous classrooms,
offices, a large kitchen, social
hall and more. Several organiza-
tions utilize the space, including
a youth performing arts guild, a
computer-learning center and
a resource center for homeless
youth. Lodging is also provided
for volunteers and organizations
that take part in local commu-
nity service projects.
A SACRED TASK
Restoring the temple is a “mas-
sive task and a sacred task,”
says Rabbi Ariana Silverman
of Detroit’s only active, free-
standing synagogue, the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue on
Griswold. Silverman also serves
on the Bethel Community
Transformation Center board
of directors. She has lived in
Detroit for
seven years.
“We need
money to
rebuild both
the building
and to rebuild
relationships,”
she says.
Rabbi Ariana
If the
Silverman
Kickstarter
campaign is
successful, initial funds will be
used to repair the sanctuary
roof and an elevator, renovate
restrooms, cover maintenance
and operating costs, and retain
an architecture firm special-
izing in historic building pres-
ervation.
Later, the building will be
renovated in four phases: the
sanctuary, social hall and gym-
nasium, auditorium and com-
munity center. Reconstructing
relationships may be a more
complicated process.
“I think a lot about the his-
tory of the Jews in the city and
about our future,” Silverman
JOHN HARDWICK
Emblazoned on the outer wall:
“My House Shall Be Called a
House of Prayer for All People.”
continued on page 16
14
April 13 • 2017
jn