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One Year Later
Six rabbis share thoughts about congregants,
Jewish Detroit and new ideas.
BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
W
ith more than a year
under their belts,
Metro Detroit’s six
new congregational rabbis have
adjusted to their synagogues
or temples and the feeling is
unanimous: They’re thrilled to
be here.
For two of the new rabbis, the
year brought family milestones
as well as professional ones.
Brent Gutmann of Temple Kol
Ami in West Bloomfield and
his wife, Jill, welcomed their
third daughter, Lyla, on Jan. 3.
Yonatan Dahlen of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield met
and married Meredith Cohen,
daughter of longtime members
Linda and Ron Cohen.
“I also picked up an amazing
family as part of the package
deal,” said Dahlen, who grew up
in Sioux City, Iowa. “The joke in
the synagogue since the High
Holidays has been, ‘How can
we wish Rabbi Dahlen a shanah
tovah? How’s he going to top
last year?’”
Rabbi Megan Brudney said she
made the right choice coming
to Temple Beth El in Bloomfield
Township.
“When I interviewed here I
knew it was the right fit, but I
can’t believe how many times
it was confirmed over my first
year,” she said.
Rabbi Aura Ahuvia of
Congregation Shir Tikvah in
Troy said mutual trust and
admiration with the congrega-
tion seemed to grow through-
out the year. “I’ve found myself
admiring their kindness, their
thoughtfulness, their humor and
Rabbi Aura Ahuvia of Congregation Shir Tikvah teaches
about Sukkot in the synagogue sukkah.
continued on page 26
ABOVE: A montage of new rabbinic faces graced our cover last fall. One year later, we
check in with, clockwise from top left, Rabbis Yonatan Dahlen, Ariana Silverman, Brent
Gutmann, Aura Ahuvia, Shalom Kantor and Megan Brudney.
24
December 7 • 2017
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Rabbi Megan Brudney of Temple Beth El, center, at a
barbecue Shabbat