18 | FEBRUARY 27 • 2020 Her family grew up at Temple Israel, where her great-grandparents were founding members. Through her hus- band, they’ re connected with The Shul. But not everyone these days is choos- ing to engage with Judaism through such classic routes, she noted. “ A lot of people my age haven’ t con- nected the same way, ” she said. “So, we need some other way to connect us because we’ re looking for people of a similar stage of life to connect with Jewishly. ” Megan Topper joined the Facebook group about four years ago when she had her first child. Over the years, it’ d been a place to search for doctors and get recommendations — and then she used it to find a house. It was 2018 when she saw a post by someone whose neighbor was selling their home in a West Bloomfield neighborhood she’ d been interested in. “I saw the post and figured it couldn’ t hurt to check it out, ” she said. “We literally sat down for coffee and bought their house. ” The mom who wrote the post lives across the street. Meanwhile, Barr, who has also found a sense of camaraderie in Jewish Moms Of Metro Detroit, said being part of the group has built her com- munity. For example, once when she responded to a post by a woman look- ing for maternity clothes, she wound up with a playdate. “She pulled into my driveway and it was late summer, ” Barr recalled. “My daughter was playing in a kiddie pool on our front lawn, so her son runs out of the car and jumps into the pool. ” Years later, the families are still friends. Working full time and living in Bloomfield Hills, while the other fam- ily lives in Commerce, Barr said she’ s not sure they would have met other- wise. “It’ s kind of a spur-of-the-mo- ment chance meeting, and we formed a really nice friendship, ” she said. Barr said she appreciates that Jewsish Moms Of Metro Detroit is always only a tap away, but also wishes she could meet more of the moms in person. “The same moms I talk to in the group, I’ d love to be able to sit down with them and go out for coffee, but the reality is that everyone is trying to fit so much in Monday through Sunday, ” she said. “When it’ s not possible to have that face-to-face interaction, this is really a great starting point — it’ s convenient, it’ s quick, and it’ s sort of 24/7. ” Local Jewish Facebook Groups Gain Traction Moms aren’ t the only ones finding their communi- ties online. Growing Facebook groups exist around topics such as Detroit’ s Jewish history, area events, food and memories. Detroit Jewish History, which has some 4,700 members, started small but has expanded to include Jewish Detroiters from all over the country, who use it as a place to connect and share memories. Larry Gunsberg of Northville, a fourth-gener- ation Detroiter, said he enjoys taking part in the community that is emerging and, in many cases, reconnecting via the group. His brother, who lives in Chicago, listed a bunch of pizza places from the 1960s. “It generated literally hundreds of responses, and debate going back and forth about who made the best pizza and why,” he recalled. Conversations pop up around pictures, neighbor- hoods and more, he said. “I would say this particular page has generated and really opened up this whole source of memory and information that people have been carrying around with them their entire adult lives, and gives them the opportunity to share this with their friends, neighbors and relatives.” Fred Cislo of Wyandotte, who until recently was an admin for the group, said its membership has exploded in the last several months. “People want their children and grandchildren to see the memories,” he said. “They want them to learn what Jewish Detroit was like and what value it still has — that there are things in Detroit for people to be interested in.” Marty Babayov of Southfield is a moderator on Facebook for Jewish Detroit, which has some 1,600 members, with a few hundred waiting for approval. The group, with members from across the Jewish spectrum, helps people stay tied to the Jewish com- munity, even if they aren’ t otherwise affiliated. “The idea is to give them a connection into the communi- ty — maybe they’ ll see a Chanukah event and pop by,” Babayov said. Jewish Facebookers of Metro Detroit describes itself as “a place for Jews of all backgrounds to meet and Shmuz.” It currently has 252 members. Groups like Jewish Moms Of Metro Detroit sometimes have so much going on that specific discussions lead to spinoff where conversations can continue unencumbered. These include Free Exchange-Jewish Moms & Ladies of Metro Detroit, Jewish Moms of Metro Detroit Swap and JMoms Do Weight Watchers. ERIN KIRKLAND continued from page 16 This motto is perfect for the Jewish Moms Of Metro Detroit Facebook group. Jews in the D