S

en. Carl Levin’s Jewish 
roots developed during 
his Detroit childhood, 
growing up in a home with par-
ents who were strong Zionists; 
his mother was very active in 
Hadassah. The family attended 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek and 
Carl went to Central High School, 
which had a great number of 
Jewish students.
“His most Jewish connection 
was that he lived tikkun olam 
every day of his life with every 
bone of his body,
” 
says Eugene Driker, 
a prominent lawyer 
and former chair 
of the Board of 
Governors at Wayne 
State University. 
Driker and his wife, 
Elaine, became 
friends with Sen. Levin and his 
wife, Barbara, when the two fam-
ilies moved to Detroit’s Green 
Acres neighborhood 56 years ago. 
“Sen. Levin was a strong sup-
porter of Israel, but he had his own 
ideas about what support for Israel 
should look like,
” says Driker. “He 
supported the Iran nuclear accord 
and parted company with AIPAC 
over its opposition.
”
Driker remembers that Sen. 
Levin initiated an economic 
development project between 

Israelis and Arabs living in Gaza 
and the West Bank. A small 
group of businessmen, including 
some Detroiters, met regularly to 
build business connections across 
borders. After the deadly violence 
of the Second Intifada, however, 
the project was shelved.
“It was indicative of his char-
acter to reach for the stars in 
creative ways to create peace and 
harmony,
” Driker says.
“Sen. Levin was always con-
cerned about the underdog and 
always an advocate for under-
served populations,
” says Bob 
Aronson, former CEO of the 
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit. “He was concerned about 
social justice, which is a big part 
of Jewish values.
”
Sen. Levin and his brother, for-
mer Rep. Sander Levin, were hon-
ored by the Jewish Theological 
Seminary with its Eternal Light 
Award in 2010 for their impact 
on the Jewish community.
Sen. Levin was also very com-
mitted to Detroit. The Levins 
were founding members of 
Detroit’s Congregation T’
chiyah 
— the first new Jewish congre-
gation in the city for many years 
— when it was established more 
than 40 years ago. A small group 
of Jewish Detroiters had been 
gathering for monthly Jewish 

observances, says Judy Harris, a 
Detroiter. Sen. Levin contacted 
her about creating a more formal 
organization.
“We had a committee that 
developed guiding princi-
ples, and Carl Levin brought 
a lot of insight into the pro-
cess. Many Reconstructionist 
principles were brought into 
T’chiyah, which affiliated with 
the Reconstructionist move-
ment during the mid-1980s. 
Reconstructionist Judaism is par-
ticipatory, inclusive and egalitar-
ian,” explains Harris, who served 
as T’chiyah’s first president.
The congregation met initial-
ly on the third floor of the St. 
Mary’s Church school building 
in Greektown. When the first 
two floors were unused, the 
building was kept locked. Harris 
remembers that Levin provided 
a bell that was tied to a rope so 
that congregants who wanted 
entry could communicate that 
they were outside to be let in.
T’
chiyah eventually split into 
suburban and city congregations. 

The Levins continued to attend 
T’
chiyah after the congregation 
moved to Oakland County, 
but then shifted to the new 
Reconstructionist Congregation 
of Detroit, which remains in 
the city. According to Matthew 
Schenk, its president, the Levins 
participated in some of the con-
gregation’s holiday services via 
Zoom during the pandemic. 
“Carl Levin was a natural 
Jewish leader,
” Aronson says. 
“He had that aura 
and personality to 
be a Jewish leader. 
He commanded 
respect. He was a 
humble man who 
had a calming influ-
ence with a sense of 
humor and warmth. 
He was incorruptible.
“He was always there for the 
Jewish community. If Federation 
asked him to do something, be on 
a panel or speak, he would always 
participate. I remember him 
speaking after the 9-11 attacks. He 
was an extraordinary man.
” 

A Proud Jewish Detroiter 
Focused on Tikkun Olam

Eugene 
Driker

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

16 | AUGUST 12 • 2021 

THE PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE
SEN. CARL LEVIN

“WE HONOR THE MEMORY OF SEN. CARL LEVIN, A BELOVED MEMBER OF OUR LOCAL 

JEWISH COMMUNITY. THROUGHOUT HIS HISTORIC CAREER, SEN. LEVIN TIRELESSLY 

ADVOCATED FOR THE WELL-BEING OF ALL MICHIGANDERS. A TRUE STATESMAN, SEN. 

LEVIN WAS ALSO A GREAT FRIEND TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL. HE WILL BE REMEMBERED 

FOR HIS INTEGRITY AND COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A BETTER SOCIETY.”

MATTHEW B. LESTER, PRESIDENT, JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
DENNIS S. BERNARD, PRESIDENT, UNITED JEWISH FOUNDATION
STEVEN INGBER, CEO, JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

Bob 
Aronson

Mary Freeman and Andy 
Levin; Syma Echeandia, 
then-president of 
Congregation T’chiyah; 
Sander Levin; and 
Barbara and Carl Levin 
at a benefit dinner for 
the synagogue in 2013