20 | APRIL 21 • 2022
SYNAGOGUE SPOTLIGHT
C
ongregation Beth Shalom is a
smaller congregation nestled
in southeast Oakland County
where, according to Rabbi Robert
Gamer, people get the opportunity to
know each other.
“CBS is a warm, welcoming space
where Jews can gather to be them-
selves to pray, study and interact with
a broad spectrum of people in the
Jewish community,” Gamer said.
CBS, a Conservative/Masorti con-
gregation, is also highly participatory.
Members take active roles in every
aspect of their services.
“People make Beth Shalom spe-
cial,” Gamer said. “The members are
welcoming and kind. Children are
always welcome in the sanctuary and
welcome on the bimah throughout
services.”
CBS was the first Conservative
congregation in suburban Oakland
County. The shul was founded in the
early 1950s by residents of Huntington
Woods and Oak Park who walked
door-to-door asking if people would
like to start a new shul. They began
meeting in people’s basements until
the first stage of the building, still CBS’
only location, was completed in 1957.
In the beginning, a combination
social hall/sanctuary served the con-
gregation’s needs until the sanctuary,
chapel and offices were added in
1965. The unique sanctuary, designed
by synagogue architect Percival
Goodman, permits more than 500
people to sit within 35 feet or 11 rows
of the bimah. A classroom wing was
added in 1998.
Kehillat Etz Chayim, a Modern
Orthodox congregation formed in
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DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN VICAR
Congregation Beth Shalom
Continues to Innovate
As a pioneering Conservative congregation in Oakland County,
Beth Shalom builds on a rich, seven-decade history.
The exterior of CBS
The sanctuary