V

adim Avshulamov moved to Downtown 
Detroit after finishing grad school in 2012. 
One Friday night, “after a difficult day,” 
he happened upon the Isaac Agree Downtown 
Synagogue (IADS) on Griswold Street and walked 
in.
Knowing not a soul, “I was asked to lead 
the Maariv service during Kabbalat Shabbat,” 
Avshulamov said. His immediate impression was 
that “IADS is a very inclusive community.” 
Avshalumov quickly plugged into synagogue life 
and completes his three-year term as IADS president 
in December. 
Celebrating its centennial (100 years of existence) 
during Chanukah, IADS is a congregation with a 
decidedly youthful demographic. The current 404 
affiliated families include 612 adults and 97 children. 

By comparison, IADS counted just 286 families 
as members in 2014-2015.
Not so long ago, when IADS was struggling 
to stay solvent, young Jewish adults started 
moving into Detroit.
“These were young people looking for Jewish 
experiences, spirituality, and finding it at the 
Downtown Synagogue,” Avshulamov said. An 
attraction for some members, he added, is that 
“we are a ‘post-denominational’ synagogue, 
not affiliated with any particular stream of 
Judaism.”

IADS HISTORY
Synagogue founders and brothers, Nathan and 
Charles Agree, however, were Orthodox Jews. 
They honored their recently deceased father 

10 | DECEMBER 9 • 2021 

100 
Years
100 
Years

IN MOTOWN

OUR COMMUNITY

Downtown Synagogue celebrates centennial 
and plans to enhance its future. 

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Synagogue namesake Isaac 
Agree himself

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IADS

