NOVEMBER 17 • 2022 | 31

Rabbi Arnie and
Tarnow remained close,
and after retiring from
Shir Tikvah, an agreement
was made to return to his
roots. Rabbi Arnie visits
once, sometimes twice a
month.
“I still love being a
rabbi and doing what rab-
bis do, but I didn’t want to do it full-time
anymore,” he said. “This is the perfect
semi-retirement pulpit for me at this point
in my life.”
Beth Shalom offers monthly or twice a
month services, corresponding to the rab-
bi’s schedule. Saturday night events often
take place on those weekends, including
Sukkot and Simchat Torah celebrations,
a community Chanukah party and com-
munity seder. Movie nights, Havdalah and
guest speaker events also take place. The
congregation’s religious school, run with
the help of parents, consists of about 10
kids.
A member of the community for half a
century, Tarnow has seen “moving north”

as something people increasingly want to
do.
“We seem to be in a real upswing. I’ve
served on the board on and off for prob-
ably 40 years, and right now what I’m
seeing is more than half the board are
people who have moved here within the
last three, four years. We’re having a whole
new surge of energy.”
Tarnow says the congregation is made
up of about 50 member units, more than
100 people total. Members are drawn from
a 50-to-60-mile radius and include singles,
couples and families with children.
“Members’ willingness to be involved
and to keep the congregation going makes
it really special,” she said.
The congregation is well supported by
the general community, Tarnow says, a
fact on display at a candlelight vigil after
the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue
shooting in 2018.
“People from all over the community
came,” Tarnow said. “We see support from
around the community, and I think that’s
really important.”
Seeing how the community has evolved

over many decades, Rabbi Arnie believes
the congregation is integral to the area.
“It’s grown substantially as has the entire
Grand Traverse region,” he said. “It’s excit-
ing. I think people are seeing the Grand
Traverse region as a viable place for Jews
to live and have a Jewish congregation.”

Rabbi Arnie
Sleutelberg

A Chanukah
party

Member Ken
Newbury gave
a program on
golems.

A Purim party
from several
years ago

“Yid Vicious”
concert