Moving
Eastward
Young Jewish Detroiters are fi
nding the
good life in the Woodward corridor.
jews d
in
the
on the cover
T
he “nostalgic lifestyle” of Huntington
Woods was a factor when Ilana and
Adam Block, both professionals, chose
the inner-ring Detroit suburb for their home
seven years ago.
“
At the time we purchased our home, both
of us were working in Downtown Detroit so
the location was a major consideration for us,
”
Ilana said, adding that Huntington Woods
appealed to them as they noticed
“people walking to the parks
and riding bikes on the
sidewalks, and kids playing
outside together with their
neighbors.
”
Both 34, Ilana is an attor-
ney originally from West
Bloomfield while Adam hails from
Cleveland and is chief investment officer
at Beartown Capital Management LLC. The
Blocks and their children, Talia, 6, Judah, 4,
and infant Shira, are members of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
The Woodward corridor communities of
Oakland County, from Nine Mile to 13 Mile
roads, are home to a growing population of
Jewish young adults age 40 and under, accord-
ing to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit’
s 2018 Jewish Population Study. West
Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills
and Southfield still represent the core (80 per-
cent) of the Metro Detroit Jewish community
— also including Oak Park — but the demo-
graphic has been shifting southeast since the
last survey was conducted in 2005.
The new population study recorded 7,581
Jews living in 2,836 households in the four
communities of Huntington Woods, Berkley,
Ferndale and Royal Oak alone. That’
s com-
pared to 3,341 Jews living in 1,320 house-
holds in 2005. Birmingham, also touching
Woodward, is gaining traction, too. Fourteen
percent of Detroit Jewish households, 4 percent
higher than in 2005, live within the study’
s
grouping of Birmingham with Bloomfield and
Franklin.
With a total Jewish population of 71,750,
Metro Detroit is currently the 26th largest
Jewish community in the U.S., down from No.
21 in 2005, and similar in size to Las Vegas and
Dallas, according to demographer Ira Sheskin,
who conducts similar studies for select Jewish
communities across the U.S.
Long-established cities along the Woodward
corridor offer an urban lifestyle with many
of the amenities and Jewish institutions their
younger residents seek. Yet progress continues.
Economic development projects now under
way or being developed are designed to make
life even better for city dwellers and visitors.
HUNTINGTON WOODS
Jackie and Joey Yashinsky never consid-
ered making their home anywhere else but
Huntington Woods.
“We were drawn to the city because of
its location. Everything is just 20 minutes
away,
” said Jackie, 29. She
is Tamarack Camps’
teen and fami-
ly programs coordinator. Joey, 35, writes for
multiple publications. They are both Michigan
State University graduates and members of
Congregation B’
nai Moshe in West Bloomfield.
“We appreciate how friendly the neighbors
are and having sidewalks,
” she said. “There are
tons of young Jewish families in the neighbor-
hood, too, which will be great for Elizabeth
[their 1-year-old daughter] to grow up in. We
were also happy to live close to Joey’
s grand-
mother, who lives just minutes away in Oak
Park.
”
The appeal of Huntington Woods is unde-
niable, going from 720 to 1,575 Jewish house-
holds since 2005. Indeed, last year’
s survey
noted that two out of every three households,
or 65 percent, are Jewish. The statistic rep-
resents much growth for a city that once wasn’
t
very welcoming to Jews.
ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Huntington
Woods
12 March 28 • 2019
jn