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

