AUGUST 11 • 2022 | 21

A nearly 450 family/member 
unit synagogue, Beth Israel has 
an active conversion/intro to 
Judaism program, which has 
become a special feature of the 
congregation. Caine sometimes 
works with 12 to 15 students 
a year.
The congregation has lec-
tures and classes all the time, 
usually led by experts in their 
field.
“This year, we’re going to be 
doing a lot with the mental and 
spiritual health of teenagers, 
given what I really feel is prob-
ably an unequaled impact the 
pandemic has had on them,” 
Caine said. 
Caine describes Beth Israel 
as having two religious schools. 
“We started the Hebrew Day 
School of Ann Arbor and 
about half of our kids go there,” 
he said. “We have a very special 
relationship with them. The 
other half of our children go to 
our own Hebrew school, Beth 
Israel Religious School. So, I 
feel like we’re a congregation of 
two schools that between them 
provide amazing opportuni-
ties for Jewish families in Ann 

Arbor.”
Beth Israel is a synagogue 
that produces a lot of rabbis, 
which Caine attributes to its 
highly participatory nature. 
“When you join us, we have 
free training. We’ll train you 
to learn Hebrew and lead any 
part of the service you like. We 
just had someone convert and 
I said their next step is to lead 
services,” Caine said. 
“We presently have three 
children who grew up here 
who are now in rabbinical 
school, and one who just got 
ordained and has his own syn-
agogue. I think it’s special that 
anyone can walk in at any stage 
of life and be trained to partici-
pate — and quickly.”
Through its Social Action 

Committee, Beth Israel is 
active in the social justice 
sphere.
“We have several special 
Shabbats we do every year, so 
when things come up, wheth-
er it’s about voting rights or 
refugees, we bring in speakers 
and commit a service to it,” 
Caine said. “The other thing 
is we have reading groups 
around anti-racism, about 
incarceration issues. Anything 
that comes up, we’ll read it and 
talk about it. Sometimes that 
translates into action but often 
it’s about activating people 
through awareness.”
Beth Israel is also Hazon-
certified. “We have a Hazon 
sustainability seal, which is 
not easy to get, and you have 

to earn. We’re always pursuing 
environmentalist ideas,” Caine 
said. 
Caine describes Beth Israel 
congregants as well-read 
individuals who take Judaism 
and Jewish tradition seri-
ously. Being in a university 
town, Beth Israel sees a large 
University of Michigan popula-
tion in its congregant base. 
“If you accidentally lost a 
kippah, you’re likely for it to 
be returned to you by either 
someone who’s involved in 
Michigan medicine or some-
one who’s involved in teaching 
or administration at the uni-
versity,” he said.
On Saturdays, you’ll find a 
massive Shabbat community at 
Beth Israel with a highly touted 
kosher lunch. On a non-pan-
demic Saturday morning, you’ll 
find more than 100-120 people 
congregating — something 
Rabbi Caine is proud of. 
Considering its long history 
in Ann Arbor, Caine said, “To 
me, Beth Israel has been the 
mother of Judaism and the 
Jewish community in Ann 
Arbor for over 100 years.” 

Inside the sanctuary

PHOTOS COURTESY BETH ISREAEL CONGREGATION

