14 March 28 • 2019 jn jews d in the programming, city parks and library. Visiting neighboring communities, they enjoy Oak Park’ s “great city pool and great parks” and Ferndale for “city festi- vals throughout the summer. ” MANY SYNAGOGUES “The Woodward corridor has always been an attraction, ” said 34-year Realtor Judy Palmer, who works under the umbrella of RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham. A Ferndale resident for 35 years, she grew up in Oak Park. Palmer said newer synagogues opening in the inner-ring Detroit suburbs are another draw, noting that the Orthodox congregation Woodward Avenue Shul in Royal Oak is also close to Huntington Woods and “families can walk to Jewish Ferndale on Pinecrest Street. ” OAK PARK Oak Park remains pop- ular with 8,810 Jews living in 2,550 house- holds. Combined with Huntington Woods, the population study found 35 percent of Jewish households had children under age 17 at home. Unique among Woodward corridor cities that might offer only one or two shuls, Oak Park is home to multiple synagogues catering to all streams of Judaism. They include Young Israel of Oak Park (Orthodox), Temple Emanu-El (Reform), Congregation Beth Shalom (Conservative), Aish Detroit and Kehillat Etz Chaim (Modern Orthodox), the latter renting space from Beth Shalom. Recently hired young rabbis with fam- ilies are Rabbi Matthew Zerwekh, who returned last year to lead Emanu-El, his home synagogue, and Rabbi Shaya Katz, who officially becomes spiritual leader at Young Israel in July. “The vast majority of our new younger mem- bers are coming from Huntington Woods and Oak Park, ” said Beth Shalom Rabbi Robert Gamer, “but we also get them from other cities on the Woodward cor- ridor, including Berkley, Ferndale, Royal Oak and Birmingham. ” Pearl Schwartz, 6, frequently visits Beth Shalom, where her father, Aaron Schwartz, 43, is secretary on the syna- gogue board. He works as a document controller at Ghafari Associates in Dearborn. Her mother, Rachel (Zerwekh) Schwartz, 36, is a postpartum doula and a teaching assistant at Emanu- El’ s Early Childhood Center. Aaron and Rachel, who grew up in Metro Detroit, found their Oak Park continued from page 13 Block Family: Ilana and Adam and children Talia, 6, Judah, 4, and baby Shira. Brittany Feldman loves the feel of Ferndale. continued on page 16 Child and Youth Education Noted for its flexible year-round programming, the Temple Emanu-El Early Childhood Center’ s “infant program is the only one in this community based in a Jewish tem- ple,” said Director Eileen Brand. The temple and Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS) offer Yachad religious school, meeting Sunday morning at Emanu-El and Wednesday afternoon at CBS. “Having the joint religious school gives us a critical mass that neither of us had previously,” said CBS Rabbi Robert Gamer. “The fact that we have a really good school and an outstanding educator [in director Abi Taylor Abt] is what is driving the growth. Also, the fact that we celebrate and honor the traditions of both communi- ties is something that people find attractive.” Jackie and Joey Yashinsky with their daughter Elizabeth, 1 “We look forward to the opportunities that may come with a multi-commu- nity planning grant with Berkley and Huntington Woods,” said Oak Park Mayor Marian McClellan. She was referring to a joint appli- cation submitted by Oak Park, Berkley and Huntington Woods that resulted in a SEMCOG grant last summer. The cities are teaming up to collectively improve the 11 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway corridors. As reported on the Oak Park city website, “The study looked at Coolidge from 12 Mile to Nine Mile and 11 Mile from Greenfield to Woodward. It reviewed the traffic analysis to deter- mine if a “road diet” (lane reduction) was possible in any section of these roads as well as adding bike lanes. The study also took a look at opportunities to add green infrastructure to reduce the amount of water runoff and finally analyzed the connections and cross- walks between these communities to identify additional opportunities for safe crosswalks.” Beside the bike lanes, Oak Park will be offering pocket parks, a dog park, a bike repair shelter and more. Open houses held in the three cities gave residents a chance to discuss the potential plans for infrastructure improvements. Multi-community Planning Grant