continued from page 16
said of his bar mitzvah.
Now, decades later, he was thrilled and
honored to have the opportunity to follow
in his father’s footsteps, with his right-hand
man Zev Goldner, the Silberbergs, Bais
Chabad Administrator Rabbi Avraham
Wineberg and the team of mashgichim
(religious supervisors), professionals and
community members who lent their time,
expertise and opinions so that this mikvah
would be extra special.
“I’ve done lots of complicat-
ed projects and custom homes,
but this was something com-
pletely different,” Rogers said.
“Construction of a mikvah
does not come from a manual.
I had to use my yeshivah back-
ground and Talmudic under-
standing to define the details
of construction.”
It was a huge undertaking with many
challenges, but there was also a clear rever-
ence of the project.
Rabbi Wineberg marveled, “The feeling
of comradery, purpose and mission in their
work was beautiful and remarkable to see.
All the classic colorful descriptions and
language that one typically associates with
a construction site were absent despite the
backbreaking work that was at times nec-
essary.”
Indeed, everyone involved said that they
felt the energy of working toward a higher
purpose.
“I felt a tremendous sense of spirituality
through the entire process, like I was sur-
rounded by a bear hug,” Rogers said.
NAMES ON THE BUILDING
“Numerous donors came together to help
raise over three-quarters of a million dol-
lars,” said Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg, who
stressed that every donation, big or small,
was appreciated.
The Mikvah Center was sponsored by
the Walder Foundation of Chicago, headed
by Elizabeth (Shira Malka) Mallor-Walder,
who used to be a member of Bais Chabad
of West Bloomfield years ago, and her
husband, Dr. Yosef Walder.
The men’s mikvah was sponsored by the
William Davidson Foundation Director
Discretionary Philanthropic Fund in mem-
ory of Eli Saulson’s father, Saul.
“My father was always most relaxed in
water — first in Lake Huron where he
taught himself to swim and later in his
lap pool and hot tub,” said Eli Saulson.
“Since mikvahs are Judaism’s oldest pools,
it seemed like an appropriate way to honor
his memory.”
The Zekelman Family sponsored the
vessel mikvah where dishes or kitchenware
are immersed after they’re purchased and
before their first usage.
Mikvah USA, an
organization which helps fund
the building of mikvahs around
the world, sponsored the
women’s mikvah. With its own
rabbinic body and extremely
meticulous guidelines and
stringencies, Mikvah USA was
involved during every step of the planning
stages and construction.
WAITING FOR RAIN
The project ran through the COVID pan-
demic, which caused the price of construc-
tion materials to skyrocket, but, according
to Rabbi Silberberg senior, the timing also
had silver linings.
“The social hall where we usually enjoy
our Shabbos kiddush wasn’t being used.
It was just sitting there empty anyhow, so
there were no objections to cutting into it,
which we probably otherwise would have
had,” he said with a laugh.
Other things didn’t go as smoothly …
like the Michigan weather! Mikvah water
consists of pure rainwater, which falls
through an intricate system of pipes and
runs directly into the mikvah without being
collected in any way or touching a metal
surface.
The men’s mikvah is already functioning
because it was completed earlier. However,
since the Metro Detroit area hasn’t had
a significantly heavy rain in the last few
months, as of this writing the women’s mik-
ON THE COVER
OUR COMMUNITY
Rabbis Avraham Wineberg and Elimelech
Silberberg stand next to an otzar, a reservoir
for mikvah rainwater.
Eli Saulson shows the new men’s mikvah
dedicated in memory of his father, Saul
Shepsol Saulson.
Rabbi
Avraham
Wineberg
“NUMEROUS DONORS CAME TOGETHER
TO RAISE ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS
OF A MILLION DOLLARS.”
— RABBI ELIMELECH SILBERBERG
Eli Saulson
continued on page 20
18 | JUNE 15 • 2023