32 | OCTOBER 31 • 2019 

T

he Jewish new year 
began sweetly for 
Rabbi Menachem and 
Chana Caytak and their baby 
daughter, Chaya Mushka. 
They launched the opening 
of Michigan’
s new Chabad 
center in Troy with a festive 
Rosh Hashanah dinner with 
35 local guests who had long 
believed they were the only 
Jews in the neighborhood. 
The Caytaks’
 dedication 
to building a Jewish com-
munity in unexpected places 
was instilled in them since 
childhood. Chana, 21, is the 
daughter of Bassie and Rabbi 
Levi Shemtov, founders of 
the Friendship Circle of West 
Bloomfield. Menachem, 23, is 
the son of a Chabad rabbi in 
Ottawa. His parents supervise 
Jewish adult and children’
s 
libraries and a preschool. 
They have been raised to 
instill a love of Judaism in all 
Jews no matter where they 
live or their level of obser-
vance. Many of Chabad’
s 
rabbi and rebbetzin teams, 
numbering in the thousands, 
may live in remote corners of 
the country and may reside 
far from their families or a 
prominently Jewish neigh-
borhood. Chana said she is 
very fortunate to live just 45 
minutes away from her fami-
ly in West Bloomfield. 
“My wife and I watched 

and learned from the exam-
ples of our parents, who 
have spent their lives giv-
ing to and serving others,” 
Menachem said. “Like other 
young couples, we always 
knew we wanted to open a 
Chabad center somewhere in 
the world.”
In planning to open the 
Chabad Jewish Center in 
Troy, which started last 
spring, Menachem said they 
did some of their research, 
by using the Detroit 
Federation’
s 2018 Jewish 
population study. It identi-
fied approximately 531 peo-
ple who identify as Jewish 
in 221 households in the 
Troy-Rochester Hills area. 
Many in this population have 
little to no affiliation with a 
Jewish institution, according 
to Menachem.
“We are finding there are 
numbers of Jews who are not 
affiliated but are interested 
in being part of a commu-
nity, to participate in Jewish 
holiday celebrations for their 
kids,” he said.
“Many feel they live too far 
[from synagogues in other 
parts of Metro Detroit]. 
Chabad centers create a local 
place for those to celebrate 
their Jewish heritage. Our 
goal is to bring Jews togeth-
er, to reach out until we 
have a connection to every 

Jew. The Rebbe [Menachem 
Schneerson] taught us, there 
is no such thing as an insig-
nificant Jew.”
Chana said, “Our goal is 
not to make every Jew reli-
gious, but to help them learn 
about Judaism, do one more 
mitzvah and connect them 
with their Jewish commu-
nity.”
As they scouted the area 
while living with Chana’
s 
family in West Bloomfield, 
Chana baked challot as she 
cared for Chaya. Menachem 
trekked to Troy daily to 
hand-deliver the challot and 
chat with their soon-to-be 
neighbors. 
“Menachem recently 
delivered a challah to a 
woman who had just gotten 

off the phone with a friend 
from Florida who told her 
a Chabad (center) had just 
opened near her,” Chana 
said. “Now she’
s overjoyed to 
learn she will be able to go to 
a Chabad center in Troy. 
“People were so excited, 
not just because we will be 
nearby, but the fact they 
thought they were the only 
Jewish people around.”
Within the first few weeks of 
moving into their Troy home, 
the Caytaks hosted Shabbat 
dinners and greeted more local 
Jews. They planned to build a 
sukkah and have some events 
with Congregation Shir Tikvah 
of Troy. 

For details about the Chabad Jewish 
Center and upcoming events, 
email rabbi@jewishtroy.com.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Chabad 
Center of Troy

Couple used population study to 
fi
 nd best location for their outreach.

Jews in the D

 
Rabbi Menachem 
and Chana Caytak 
with their daughter 
Chaya Mushka

COURTESY CAYTAK FAMILY

