F

or 44 years, Sinai Hospital of Detroit was a core institution of the Jewish 
community and Metro Detroit’s health care network. The hospital evolved 
from the North End Clinic, which provided outpatient medical care to 
the Jewish community beginning in the 1920s. Sinai Hospital was established in 
1953, in part, because Jewish doctors had difficulty obtaining staff privileges at 
most local hospitals but also to provide kosher food and a Jewish atmosphere for 
Jewish patients.
Sinai was well-regarded for its medical care, education of many interns and res-
idents, and innovative medical research. But over the years, the health care field 
changed, making it difficult for smaller independent hospitals to thrive. In addi-
tion, most of Detroit’s Jewish community had moved from northwest Detroit, 
Sinai’s location, to nearby suburbs that had their own hospitals. 
In 1997 Sinai was sold to the Detroit Medical Center. As the acquisition was 

The Jewish Fund commemorates 25 years of 
improving community health.

Sinai Hospital’s 
Community 
Service Legacy

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

14 | APRIL 14 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY

Jewish Senior Life 
has received funding 
for programs such as 
Dor l’dor.

COURTESY OF THE JEWISH FUND

