OCTOBER 27 • 2022 | 25

the school year. For now, TBI has 
contracted cantorial soloist Gabrielle 
Pescador. 
During the school year, TBI offers 
monthly Shabbat services and Torah 
study. TBI always has community 
events throughout the year, including a 
community breaking of the fast, com-
munity seder and many events around 
the holidays.
The Temple B’nai Israel Religious 
School meets on alternate Sundays 
during the regular school year. Classes 
are taught by parent volunteers. While 
Friday night services are open to the 
entire community, Jewish and oth-
erwise, TBI does have a membership 
program.
TBI members are wide-ranging with 
many families being “year-rounders” 
and most of the “summer-only” folks 
being retirees.
The temple is currently expanding 
and trying to reach out to the many 
unaffiliated Jews who have homes in 

northern Michigan. 
TBI is a Kulano (all of us) synagogue, 
with the Anti-Defamation League pro-
viding its programming. TBI partici-
pates in community outreach, includ-
ing visiting seventh-graders in the local 
middle school every year — talking 
about Judaism and the culture of 
Judaism to let kids and families know 
there are Jews in that part of the state. 
“I think, in this day and age, it’s real-
ly important for the Jewish community 
to be at the forefront of the whole 

community,” Meyerson said. 
TBI had been an all-volunteer con-
gregation up until this summer, when 
they hired their first part-time admin-
istrator.
“The reason we’ve been around for 
so long is because of the strength of 
the volunteers and the commitment of 
everybody who’s willing to help out,” 
Meyerson said. “That’s the nature of 
these small, rural congregations. The 
ties and relationships that have been 
built here are really special.” 

ABOVE: Stained glass at TBI. RIGHT: Tree 
of Life artwork at TBI. FACING PAGE: 
Petoskey’s Temple B’nai Israel sanctuary.

