OCTOBER 17 • 2019 | 15
S
ome have lived there for decades, others
for just a few months. Some grew up in
Detroit, others moved from elsewhere.
They range in age from 29 to 70; some are
first-time parents and others have grand-
children. They are Orthodox, Conservative,
Reform/Renewal, Humanist and non-denom-
inational. One raises backyard chickens. Some
lead congregations, others hold administrative
positions at congregations or in the commu-
nity.
In short, there’
s not much these 12 men and
women have in common except they are rabbis
— and they live in Huntington Woods.
That’
s not completely surprising, given that
the tiny southeast Oakland County city — it’
s
less than 1.5 square miles in area — hosts one
of the fastest-growing Jewish populations in
Michigan. The 2018 Detroit Jewish Population
Study conducted by the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit showed 1,575 Jewish
households in “the Woods,
” more than double
the 720-household total shown in the 2005
population study. Today, two out of three
households in Huntington Woods are Jewish
homes.
If the 12 have anything in common, it’
s that
they like the city’
s small size, the sidewalks and
relatively small lots that make it walkable. They
like the neighborhood elementary school and
other communal resources, the big trees and
the houses that aren’
t cookie-cutter copies of
each other.
Some were friends before they became
neighbors. Rabbi Ari Witkin’
s in-laws, Steve
and Janice Traison, were close friends with
Rabbi Dan Horwitz’
s parents, Gina and JN
Publisher Arthur Horwitz, so the two West
Bloomfield families saw each other often and
the two rabbis became friends.
Others have developed close working
relationships. Rabbi Asher Lopatin’
s con-
gregation, Kehillat Etz Chayim, is located in
Congregation Beth Shalom’
s Oak Park build-
ing. Lopatin and Beth Shalom’
s rabbi, Robert
Gamer, along with Temple Emanu-El’
s Rabbi
Matthew Zerwekh, who lives in Ferndale, have
held several joint programs, including study
sessions on Shavuot and Tashlich services at a
home in Oak Park on Rosh Hashanah.
Here’
s a brief look at the rabbis of
Huntington Woods, in alphabetical order.
continued on page 16
Rabbis Dorit Edut, Robert
Gamer, Miriam Jerris, Dan
Horiwitz, Ari Witkin and
Asher Z. Lopatin gathered in
Horwitz’
s back yard.
PHOTOS BY JERRY ZOLYNSKY