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the wandering jew

Back After Almost 30 Years …

I’ve found the future of Jewish Detroit.

L

churches. We were now
et’s start with a little backstory.
“Metropolitan” Detroiters.
“Detroit” is the answer I
Detroit proper was a city
always give when asked where
struggling to keep its head Joshua at the Downtown Synagogue
I’m from. Maybe I imagine claim-
above water and recover
ing, for a fleeting moment, vicari-
from a good lashing by
ously but completely undeserved, a
ing architecture and areas I never
deindustrialization, siphoning of fed-
romanticized “street cred,” conjured
imagined existed. One thing I also
eral funds, systemic racism
up by its reputation as a tough
noticed in these erstwhile Jewish
and the aforementioned
urban city. I know the follow-
’hoods was that, although there were
white flight, which killed
up question will inevitably be,
new street lights, the nerot tamid were
schools, decimated employ- gone.
“Detroit, really?” compelling me
ment opportunities, and fed
to explain the truth, that I actu-
Just around the same time I was
homelessness, crime and
ally hail from the suburbs and,
resigning myself to the conclusion
poverty.
during my adolescence, visited
that there were no Jews left in Detroit
Today, in this, the
Downtown Detroit maybe as
proper, the Detroit News landed on my
umpteenth revitalization
many times as I can count on
kitchen counter with the headline,
Joshua Lewis
attempt, add to that more
the totality of my manicured
“Detroit Synagogue Gets First Rabbi
Berg
municipal corruption and
digits. I still say I’m from
in 16 Years.” The almost century-
blunt force trauma from
Detroit. But, most Jewish Metro
old Downtown Synagogue, the last
inept state and now federal
Detroiters claim our city with
remaining actively Jewish structural
government. But, the pic-
pride ... from a distance.
presence Downtown, at long last,
ture is not entirely bleak. Detroit and
Like most Detroit Jews of my
hired a permanent rabbi. The brilliant
Detroiters are fighters and, against
generation, I grew up in the ’70s
Rabbi Ariana Silverman was now the
great odds, I see positive changes and
and ’80s in Oakland County, farther
sole resident rabbi with a permanent
signs of hope that this could be “the”
from Downtown than Jews living
pulpit Downtown. Where there is a
recovery.
in Windsor, Canada, eh? Returning
rabbi, there must be Jews.
now, both the Big D and the Big D 2
One of the first days back, my mom
Were these the trailblazers of
(Detroit Diaspora) are much the same drove us Downtown to see the pride
our Detroit Jewish future of which
of the city, Shinola. The area around
and also very different. I have fond
I speak? I wasn’t sure, but it engen-
it revealed plenty of new retail shops,
memories of visiting the RenCen and
dered and motivated a more in-depth
restaurants and urban blight reimag-
Greektown, proud to call Detroit my
search.
ined as rustic millennial hip. I was
home. I also remember the distant
My search commenced where all
impressed but hesitant. Although I
guilt I felt as I read, from the comfort
searches logically begin, Google. This
of my suburban home, about Coleman hoped it brought jobs and money to
brought up the erudite Lila Corwin
the city, somehow it felt wrong that
Young’s curfew, established after
Berman and her book, Metropolitan
most native Downtowners could likely Jews: Politics, Race and Religion in
countless arsons lit one Devil’s Night,
blackening the city and its reputation. afford nothing actually sold there.
Postwar Detroit. I located it in the
Gentrification, privatization and
My Detroit and my Jewish relation-
JCC of Metro Detroit, where I already
ship to it were very different than that capitalism can catalyze some good
knew I would have my first sighting
change but are certainly not panacea
of my grandparents’ generation when
of the not-so-elusive current Yidus
and, left unfettered, can divide more
“urban” was as synonymous with
Detroitus in their natural habitat …
than they integrate (is my political
“Jew” as it is with “black” today. It
West Bloomfield.
wasn’t my parents’ relationship either. slip showing?). What truly inspired
Driving out there, breathing the
me, however, was the fact that a
Mom and Dad moved out of the city
rarified air of upward mobility born
month before I arrived, all of Detroit’s of hard work and white privilege, my
but could still recall specific neigh-
streets finally had streetlights. All of
borhoods and landmarks populated
suspicions were confirmed that find-
them. Maybe we were finally seeing
by Jews: the original Dexter Davison,
ing Jewish Detroit would take me
the light!
Boston-Edison, Palmer Woods,
quite far from Detroit proper. I was
On the way home, my mom drove
Mumford High School and Zukin’s
a full 25 miles and at least a genera-
us through the old Jewish neighbor-
ice cream parlor. They continued to
tion or two away from the first Jewish
hoods and talked about where she
struggle with the guilt of white flight,
neighborhood down by the river, what
grew up and lived as a young adult.
or Hebrew hegira, in their case.
used to be Hastings Street.
I was shocked, not by the state of
By the time I came of age, Jewish
Over the next few weeks, I net-
things, but by the fact that, at age 46, I worked, toured, attended, partied,
Detroiters no longer slept in the city.
had never seen any of this! Living here fundraised, gala-ed, invoked, celebrat-
We were living large in the suburbs,
as a youth, my Detroit Jewish subcon- ed, Shabbaton-ed, group meditated,
building large homes and attending
sciously racist suburban self imagined spiel-ed, and kibitzed, collecting
contemporary, largely tent-shaped
that below 8 Mile Road lay the 7th,
places of worship. Our hearts were
enough material to write a third testa-
not mile road, but circle of hell.
still tethered to the city but, physi-
ment. I finally found it, the future of
Yes, urban blight did still abound,
cally, the coops we flew were now
Jewish Detroit … to be revealed in my
but I was now seeing the most amaz-
abandoned, or else converted
next column. •

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jn

April 20 • 2017

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