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