OUR COMMUNITY
A
fter 58 years at the
Ira Kaufman Chapel,
David Techner, 71,
has decided it’s time for a
change. “It’s time. I’ve been
doing this a long time. It’s
time for a change for the chap-
el and for me,” he explains.
Techner will now be Ira
Kaufman’s Funeral Director
Emeritus, continuing to work
onsite and at some funerals
but not personally handling
all the chapel’s 24/7 opera-
tions and funeral arrange-
ments. Co-owner Josh Tobias,
48, who has worked at Ira
Kaufman Chapel since 2010,
will take on more responsibili-
ties with this transition.
Both are committed to
maintaining the philosophy
of Ira Kaufman, who found-
ed the chapel at Dexter and
Edison in Detroit in 1941.
From the beginning, Kaufman
focused on personalized ser-
vice to families in accordance
with Jewish burial traditions.
His son Herbert later joined
his father and, in 1961, the Ira
Kaufman Chapel moved to a
new building on Nine Mile
Road in Southfield, its current
location.
Techner began working at
the funeral chapel through
his friendship with Ilene,
Herbert’s daughter. On a
Thanksgiving weekend,
Techner, then 14, came to
pick Ilene up for a date. Herb
Kaufman asked if he had a
dark suit and would be will-
ing to help out at the funeral
home that weekend when
nine funerals were scheduled.
That experience developed
into a part-time job and then
a career at the Ira Kaufman
Chapel.
Ilene and David later mar-
ried. He became a licensed
funeral director in 1974 and
is a past president of the
Michigan Funeral Directors
Association.
As a teenager, Ilene Techner
worked part-time at Ira
Kaufman Chapel, answering
the phone and writing yahrzeit
notices. However, she chose a
different occupation — own-
ing and operating a construc-
tion company. Their son,
Chad, is a chapel staff member
and followed the tradition of
working there part-time when
he was still a student.
“I think it’s time for David
to relax and enjoy life but
he’s not disappearing,” Ilene
Techner says. The couple has
children and grandchildren
David Techner shifts to emeritus
status at Ira Kaufman Chapel.
Ira Kaufman
Chapel Plans
Leadership
Transition
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
24 | JUNE 15 • 2023
David Techner and Josh Tobias