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‘Rabbi For The Future’

Shir Shalom’s “Rabbi Daniel” to be celebrated on his 10th year.

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

Rabbi Daniel Schwartz admits there
was initially some confusion because
his name is so similar to that of his
colleague, Rabbi Dannel Schwartz. He
credits his administrative assistant, who
was able to avoid mix-ups, and likes to
tease Moskowitz that he is surrounded
by Rabbis Schwartz. Most of the congre-
gants refer to him as “Rabbi Daniel.”
Schwartz, 39, grew up in St. Louis
and got his undergraduate degree from
Oberlin College. In his senior year at
HUC-JIR, he met Shir Shalom’s leaders
at a Union for Reform Judaism conven-
tion in Houston; soon afterwards he
was hired as a rabbinic intern. He led
services once a month and on the High
Holidays.
“When he wasn’t at temple, people
started asking, ‘Where’s the new rabbi?’”
said Moskowitz. “That’s what we needed
to make happen. He would be the rabbi
for our future, for our kids.”
Those who know him best cite
Schwartz’s energy and enthusiasm.
On his third official day on the job, he
took a group of temple teens to Israel.
“He hadn’t even set up his office yet,”
Moskowitz said.
“Rabbi Daniel works well with con-
gregants of all ages and makes
everyone feel welcome,” said the
temple’s president, Josh Sherbin
of Bloomfield Hills. “He has a
thoughtful mindset and joyful
sense of humor, and he really
lives the ethos of tikkun olam
(repairing the world). He’s very
relationship-based.”
Schwartz has been a mainstay
of the temple’s “Tikkun-Olam-a-
thon,” a Sunday in January when
many of the temple’s families
engage in a social action proj-
Rabbis Daniel Schwartz, Dannel Schwartz and Michael
ect, and he works with a group

hen Daniel Schwartz came
to Temple Shir Shalom in
West Bloomfield as a rabbinic
intern, both he and the congregation
knew their relationship was bashert —
meant to be.
The following year, after Schwartz
was ordained at Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion in
Cincinnati, he moved right into a posi-
tion at the 1,000-member Reform con-
gregation in West Bloomfield.
He joined Rabbi Dannel Schwartz,
who founded the temple in 1988, and
Rabbi Michael Moskowitz, who has
been there since 1995.
Next weekend, Temple Shir Shalom
will celebrate Daniel Schwartz’s mile-
stone with “Rabbi Daniel’s Israel
Odyssey 10th Anniversary Celebration.”
The festivities start Friday evening,
March 9, with a special Shabbat service
at the temple. On Saturday night, there
will be a gala soiree with cocktails, din-
ner, live music and more. The celebra-
tion will end Sunday morning with
a tribute to the rabbi at Shoresh, the
temple’s religious school. The temple
is also publishing a tribute book in the
rabbi’s honor.

Moskowitz

Rabbi Daniel and Elana Schwartz with Jenna and Avi

that volunteers at a shelter in Detroit.
He helped restructure the school cur-
riculum to make it more camp-like. He
also started the temple’s annual Chicken
Soup Cook-Off, with amateur and pro-
fessional chefs competing in several cat-
egories. Leftover soup is donated to area
soup kitchens.
Moskowitz said Schwartz has become
a true partner and a close friend who
“without a doubt has made me a better
rabbi, but even more, has made me a
better person.”
Andre Douville, the temple’s execu-
tive director, said Shwartz is “very sin-
cere and kind.” It’s a testament to Shir
Shalom, he added, that both Schwartz
and Moskowitz have been there since
they were ordained. For many rabbis,
that first pulpit is a stepping-stone to a
larger or more prestigious congregation.

Rabbi Daniel was introduced to
his wife, the former Elana Averbuch,
by people from the temple and from
the Fleischman Residence, where she
worked at the time. They married in
2014 and have two children, Jenna, 3,
and Avi, 2. The rabbi regards Detroit
as home and says some of his closest
friends are Shir Shalom members.
Schwartz has ambitious plans for
the future, including an adult mission
to Israel and a family camp experi-
ence. He’ll also be closely involved in a
building plan that will allow the temple
to house its Shoresh religious school,
which now meets in another building. •

Tickets for the March 10 gala dinner are $118 and
can be purchased on the temple’s website, www.
shirshalom.org. Reservations must be made by
March 1.

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