MAY 7 • 2020 | 39

Service Well Beyond the Call of Duty

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
O

fficially, the name of
the striking, stone-ex-
terior property on
Southfield Road near 10 Mile
is Congregation Shomrey
Emunah. But for nearly 50
years, it has been referred to
as “Rabbi Zachariash’
s shul,
”
in reference to the spiritual
leader who gathered a con-
gregation by making phone
calls and meeting neighbors.
Rabbi Shaiall Zachariash,

of Lakewood, N.J., died of
COVID-19 on April 26, 2020,
at the age of 87.
“He was an incredibly
self-sufficient man,
” said his
daughter Orah Jundef. “When
he was 10, his parents made
the sacrifice to send him from
their home in Los Angeles
to Yeshiva Torah Vodaath in
Brooklyn. At around age 15,
he became a sofer (scribe) and
was a walking encyclopedia.
”
He was also a teacher, a
mohel (circumciser), shochet
(ritual slaughterer), baal koreh
(Torah reader), baal tefilah
(prayer leader) and served as
head of the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis of Greater
Detroit.
“For his congregants, he
was a marriage counselor and
helped them make important
life decisions,
” Orah Jundef
said. “He was hands-on, not
just spiritually but in practical
matters. He was a one-man
show. Not a jack-of-all-
trades, but a master. He took
every opportunity to make
a difference and seize every
moment.
”
After studying at Ner
Israel Rabbinical College in
Baltimore, Rabbi Zachariash
served congregations in

New York,
New Jersey
and Ohio.
He brought
his family to
Michigan in
1964 so his
children could
attend Yeshiva
Beth Yehudah, where he also
taught for 25 years.
In 1966, he became the
rabbi of Shomrey Emunah in
Detroit. When many mem-
bers moved out of the city, he
stayed, picking up those who
needed a ride to weekday
services.
At the same time, he
also worked to start a
new Shomrey Emunah in
Southfield. “In the freezing
winter, he would stay in our
Detroit home for Shabbos
dinner and shul and, at seven
the next morning, would walk
to Southfield for minyan in
the basement of the house of
Alice and Marvin Berlin, two
of the synagogue founders,
”
Orah Jundef said.
When there were not
enough members to make
a minyan at the Detroit
synagogue, the Zachariash
family moved to Southfield.
There, the rabbi held services
in the living room and
dining room of the family’
s
new home until 1972, when
the building currently used
for the congregation was
constructed.
When the rabbi’
s wife
became ill several years
ago, he moved with her to
Lakewood, to be near medical
care. “He always said, ‘
You
should honor your wife more
than yourself,
” Orah Jundef

said.
The Zachariashs’
grandson,
Rabbi Levi Jundef, now serves
the congregation.
In 1986, Rabbi Zachariash
established a second
synagogue, Ohel Moed of
Shomrey Emunah in West
Bloomfield, pioneered and
developed by Orah Jundef
and her husband, Rabbi Eli
Meyer Jundef, who serves
as its spiritual leader. Rabbi
Zachariash also made sure
there was a mikvah (ritual
bath) built on the synagogue
grounds.
Orah Jundef says her
father was a living example
of everything he asked others
to do. “He was never in it
for himself. He was such a
community person and my
mother shared him with
everyone else. When someone
called the house and he wasn’
t
home, she would always say,
‘
Did you try the shul first?’
”
Rabbi Zachariash was
the cherished father of
Rivkah (Rabbi Avraham)
Schwartz, Orah (Rabbi
Eli Meyer) Jundef, Avigail
(Rabbi Eli) Teichman and
Rabbi Avrohom Baruch
(Chana) Zachariash; brother
of Yekusiel Zachariash and
Chana Gartenhaus. He is also
survived by grandchildren
and great-grandchildren.
Rabbi Zachariash was the
beloved husband of the late
Brachah Zachariash.
Contributions may be
made to Congregation
Shomrey Emunah, 25451
Southfield Road, Southfield,
MI 48075.
Interment took place in
Israel.

Rabbi Shaiall
Zachariash

Davison area of Detroit. He
graduated from Central High
School in 1939.
After going on his first date
with Lillian on New Year’
s Eve
1941 and escorting her to the
Central Prom of 1942, they
married in 1944 and started
on their incredible journey
together, raising their family
in the Green Acres neighbor-
hood in Detroit and later in
Southfield. Their life together
was filled with family, fun and
hard work.
As the sole proprietor of
Inkster Linoleum for 39 years,
he sought balance in his life.
He could be found at the
Fisher Theater as an annual
subscription holder, at the JCC
playing volleyball or on many
fields in Metro Detroit playing
pick-up softball on Sundays
well into his 80s. He loved
jazz, baseball, a solid meal, the
Schvitz and a good cigar.
Mr. Meisner often said that
he did not want a eulogy at
his funeral; “Just play Benny
Goodman.”
He was beloved by those he
encountered and was a source
of calm and good feeling
for his friends and extended
family. With his easy-going
presence, he was a father fig-
ure to many who needed his
watchful eye and caring dispo-
sition. His positive demeanor,
fun-loving manner and gentle
style will continue to be in
many hearts forever.
Mr. Meisner was the
devoted father of David
(Pamela) Meisner, Rebecca
(Bob Beskangy) Meisner,
Deborah (Leonard) Weiss,
Matthew (Madi) Meisner,
Joseph (Gerry) Meisner and
Benjamin (Risa) Meisner;
loving grandfather of Meryl
(Hector Chen) Meisner, Harry,
Louie, Nathan, Herbert, Ivan

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