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.

