54 | OCTOBER 13 • 2022
W
hen the Ira
Kaufman Chapel
was established in
1941, it was Detroit’s second
Jewish funeral home. The first
was the Detroit Jewish Free
Burial Association, now the
Hebrew Memorial Chapel, a
nonprofit established in 1916
that continues to serve the com-
munity.
The Jewish community was
expanding, and founder Ira
Kaufman “saw a need” and
turned a house at Dexter and
Edison in Detroit into a funer-
al home, according to David
Techner, funeral director at the
Ira Kaufman Chapel. An adver-
tisement in the first edition of
the Jewish News states that “Ira
Kaufman, Funeral Director,
is ready to serve the Jewish
community with beauty, under-
standing and dignity, conform-
ing to our Jewish customs and
practices.
”
Herbert Kaufman soon
joined his father. From the
beginning, the Kaufmans were
committed to personalized
attention, answering the phone
themselves, even for late-night
calls, rather than relying on an
answering service.
By 1959, Ira Kaufman was
considering a new location for
the funeral home because of
studies that showed that the
Jewish community was moving
north and west from Detroit.
He wanted to offer convenient
access and engaged a profes-
sional to find a location that
made sense for the future.
The result was a building on
Nine Mile Road in Southfield,
which was completed in 1961.
With three acres and a very
large parking lot, Techner
thinks that people appreciate
the building, which is close to
three freeways and accessible
to both west side and east side
Jewish cemeteries.
David Techner met Herb
Kaufman in 1965 when he was
a 14-year-old visiting Kaufman’s
daughter Ilene. As the chapel
had nine funerals scheduled for
the following Monday, Kaufman
asked him if he had a suit and
would be willing to help out.
He agreed — the start of a part-
time job and eventual career.
Later Techner and Ilene
Kaufman married and Techner
joined the Ira Kaufman Chapel
on a full-time basis. He received
a funeral director’s license in
1974 and is a past president of
the Michigan Funeral Directors
Association. Ira Kaufman died
in 1962 and Herb Kaufman
died in 2018.
While core components of
Jewish funerals remain the
same, some changes have
occurred, according to Techner.
“People are bringing their
family members home to die,
”
he says, while in the past funer-
al staff often went to Sinai or
Providence hospitals.
“The biggest single change
that I wouldn’t have predicted is
cremation,
” Techner says. About
10 to 12 percent of their funer-
als now include cremation. “
A
lot of people don’t want a grave
and want ashes spread on a
specific space. We had one man
who wanted his ashes spread in
a certain space. The family was
very grateful. It’s their funeral.
”
COVID didn’t change how
they handle funerals, but masks
are required. “People like the
comfort of that,
” Techner says.
An increasing number of
funerals are held at grave
side because “the community
likes the one-stop aspect,
” he
explains. “We’re happy to be
inclusive and give people what
they want.
”
Techner is proud of their
record-keeping system that
maintains family histories and
strong connections with local
cemeteries. Josh Tobias, who
has a background in financial
services, joined the Ira Kaufman
Chapel in 2010.
The fourth generation of the
Kaufman family, Chad Techner,
David’s son, worked part-time
at the Kaufman Chapel during
high school and later returned
after college.
“Being able to be helpful to
people in a time of need has
always been something I’ve
been drawn to,
” he explains.
He considers his role there as
another form of support for the
community, along with his vol-
unteer work for the nonprofit
Metro Food Rescue Service,
which he founded.
“We’re flexible. We’re happy
to be inclusive and give people
what they want. We’re here to
serve the families,
” Techner
says.
Ira Kaufman Chapel has served the
community for more than 80 years.
Comfort in
Times of Grief
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
BUSINESS
LONGTIME BUSINESSES
David Techner (rear),
Josh Tobias, (front left),
and Chad Techner
If you know of a local Jewish-
owned for-profit business that
has been in operation for 60
or more years, contact: Jackie
Headapohl at jheadpohl@
thejewishnews.com.