20 | NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 

B

ay City’s Temple Beth Israel is part 
of a tri-city Jewish community, 
along with Saginaw and Midland, 
that’s existed since the late 18th and early 
19th centuries when Jews followed the 
centers of the lumber industry. 
Like many Jewish communities, the 
Bay City Jewish community was once far 
more densely populated but has shrunk 
over time due to aging demographics and 
people moving away. In the mid-1900s, 
the city played host to three synagogues. 
In 1960, Temple Israel was formed as a 
Conservative congregation, near the time 
the current building went up. 
The community has had multiple 
longtime rabbis, including Rabbi Jossef 
Kratzenstein for around 20 years until 
the early 1970s and Rabbi Robert Scott, 
who served all three of the tri-cities for 
more than a decade until the turn of the 

century. 
In 2010, Bay City’s Temple Israel 
merged with Saginaw’s Congregation 
Beth El and became a Reform congrega-
tion in the process. The merger led to the 
name change: Temple Beth Israel.
About a year ago, TBI sold the Saginaw 
building, which they used as a second-
ary building long after the merger. The 
number of people attending the Saginaw 
building had decreased over the years 
and, along with the effects of the pan-
demic, it was no longer sustainable to 
keep it.
Two rabbis — Dorit Edut and Ari 
Witkin — jointly serve the congregation. 
Each comes from the Detroit area once a 
month from September until June. Edut 
was TBI’s part-time rabbi twice a month 
from 2006 to 2010 and returned to them 
three years ago. 

She says Bay City as a 
whole has seen a revival of 
sorts in the last decade, with 
a redone waterfront and new 
“Uptown Bay City’’ area with 
restaurants, condo/apartment 
complexes and a hotel. Bay 
City has also become a desti-
nation for weddings and similar events. 
With the city’s revival, a number of new 
neighbors have come knocking on TBI’s 
doors. 
“We’ve been attracting quite a few new 
members lately, especially people who 
want to convert,” Edut said. “I have a class 
right now that had three conversions over 
the summer and five more in the wait-
ing. It’s hopeful that the congregation is 
reviving because we’re getting some new 
blood, which is nice.”
About 70 member units call TBI home. 

In 2010, Bay City’s Temple Israel merged with Saginaw’s 
Congregation Beth El to become Temple Beth Israel. 

Bay City’s Temple Beth Israel 
is a “Hidden Gem”

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Rabbi Dorit 
Edut

The Temple Beth Israel sanctuary
OUR COMMUNITY
SYNAGOGUE SPOTLIGHT

