APRIL 22 • 2021 | 23
F
our Jewish Detroit orga-
nizations are teaming
up to create an interac-
tive community event for Lag
b’Omer on Thursday, April 29.
Hillel of Metro Detroit
(HMD), Chabad in the D,
NextGen Detroit and The Well
are coming together to create
an event for Lag b’Omer in an
elevated camp-style evening of
bonfires, food, archery, lanyard
and tie dyeing, arts and crafts,
as well as a bar for 21+ guests.
The evening will be held
entirely outdoors at Chabad in
the D’s house in Detroit, socially
distant and kept to 50 people.
For those who can’t partake in
person, a Lag b’Omer kit for
at-home bonfires will be pro-
vided as well as a Zoom link to
join remotely.
“It’s a collaborative event,
”
said Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh of
The Well. “We worked together
to figure out how we could safe-
ly gather outside with outdoor
activities in a space that could
handle it.
”
HMD spearheaded and
organized the event and got the
other organizations on board.
“We wanted to get some
of our community organiza-
tions together to celebrate Lag
b’Omer in-person, outdoors,
safe and physically distant,
”
said Brittany Begun, associate
director of HMD. “Now that the
weather is getting nice, we want
to be able to celebrate together.
“I hope our four organiza-
tions coming together shows
the community that we’re here
to support one another during
a time of need and celebration
and to create something that
can be safe during this time,
”
she added.
Begun said the virtual expe-
rience will mirror the in-person
event.
A coupon code is available for
HMD students to get 50% off
the event. They can reach out to
Begun at brittany@hillel-detroit.
org for more details.
Rabbi Yisrael Pinson of
Chabad in the D, who is hosting
the event, says two major fac-
tors led to an increase in capaci-
ty compared to prior events i.
“We feel like between the
weather and the fact we have a
high rate of vaccination, we can
accommodate a few more peo-
ple,
” Pinson said. “Until now,
we were limiting ourselves to 25
people for outdoors, but now
we’re probably going to have
around 50 people.
”
The event takes place
Thursday, April 29, at 8 p.m.
Cost is $10 for one person and
$18 for couples, along with $5
to attend at home with the vir-
tual option.
Those interested can sign up
on the JFMD website:
jewishdetroit.org/event/
lag-bomer-bash.
Lag
b’Omer
Blast!
DANNY SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
Downtown Synagogue Seeks Memories
In December of 1921,
Charles and Nathan Agree,
along with the Canvasser,
Kaplan, Rosin and Zatkin
families, announced the
founding of the Isaac Agree
Memorial Society. The soci-
ety was named in honor of
their father, a Russian immi-
grant who came to Detroit
in 1904. The society held its
first services in a home on
Rosedale Court and, as they
say, the rest is history.
As the growing congre-
gation at the Isaac Agree
Downtown Synagogue
(IADS) in the heart of Detroit
looks forward to celebrating
its 100 years serving the com-
munity, it wants your stories.
Did your grandfather come
to services at IADS? Was
your brother’s bar mitzvah in
the sanctuary above Kosin’s?
Did you blow the shofar at
High Holy Day services at the
Veteran’s Memorial Building?
What about the Chanukah
celebrations and epic dance
parties, have you been to any
of those?
IADS wants to hear about
your or your family’s connec-
tion to the synagogue over
the years and how it has been
a part of your lives. They’d
also like to grow their col-
lection of archival materials,
including photographs and
other memorabilia.
Stories, video and digital
photographs can be submit-
ted at https://tinyurl.com/
p46pkysc. If you have ques-
tions or would like to sub-
mit physical items, contact
the Isaac Agree Downtown
Synagogue at (313) 324-
8006.
B’nai Israel Hires Full-Time Rabbi
B’nai Israel Synagogue of
West Bloomfield has hired
Rabbi Michael Gilboa as
its full-time rabbi.
Gilboa received his M.A.
in rabbinic studies and
his ordination from the
Ziegler School of Rabbinic
Studies, American Jewish
University of Los Angeles.
He has served as the rabbi
of Ahavath Achim Hebrew
Congregation in Wichita,
Kan., and Congregation Beth
Jacob in Fresno, Calif. He is
the founding rabbi of “The
Footpath,
” a community
conversion program started in
partnership with Anshe Emet
Synagogue in Chicago, which
now continues online.
Gilboa will join the B’nai
Israel community on May 1,
along with his wife, Emily, and
three children.
The congregation has
expressed its appreciation
to Rabbi Mitch Parker for
serving as its rabbi since 2016.
Parker, a longtime member
and teacher at B’nai Israel, will
continue in those roles, as well
as his practice as a clinical child
psychologist. His leadership was
especially meaningful to the
shul during the challenges of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rabbi Michael Gilboa and family.