OUR COMMUNITY
A
fter two years serving Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills, Rabbi Dan Horwitz will be
departing the congregation to assume the
role of chief executive officer of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Nashville and of its
accompanying Foundation
starting Aug. 1.
Before joining Adat Shalom,
“Rabbi Dan” served as the
CEO of the Alper JCC in
Miami and was the founding
director of The Well. Due
to his work with The Well,
Horwitz was selected by The
Forward as one of the most inspiring rabbis
in North America.
Before founding The Well, Horwitz
served in several professional roles, includ-
ing as the rabbi and director of immersive
learning for Moishe House, heading the
Jewish education department, and as a rabbi
at Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy.
Horwitz says the past two years have been
special, as Adat Shalom is an incredibly spe-
cial place.
“The people who comprise the congre-
gation are wonderful,
” Horwitz said. “
And
the clergy team I had the privilege of being
a part of with Rabbi Bergman, Hazzan
Gross, Rabbi Nosanwisch and also with the
executive director, Michael Wolf, there’s no
question it was a dream team.
”
Horwitz grew up in the Metro Detroit
Jewish community so many Adat Shalom
congregants have known him since he was a
little kid. Horwitz says it was special to not
only rekindle those relationships, but also to
build deep, meaningful relationships with so
many other folks in the congregation.
“Having the opportunity to build upon
the established foundation there and to pilot
new things, do lots of out-of-the-box young
family-type things, it was great,
” Horwitz
said. “I love the spirit there, which is basi-
cally if you want to try something, let’s try
something. It’s one of the things that most
attracted me to jump at the opportunity in
the first place.
”
There are no immediate plans to hire
another rabbi, per a synagogue statement.
“Our Adat Shalom family is grateful for
all the wonderful things that Rabbi Horwitz
has contributed to our synagogue these
past two years and is glad he is continuing
to work on behalf of the Jewish people,
”
said synagogue president Joyce Berlin
Weingarten.
Now transitioning into this new role
and moving to Nashville, Horwitz says it’s
not something he was actively looking for
or seeking, per se.
But Nashville, at the moment, is a city
that’s booming in many ways, including as
a destination for people who are building
their lives. It’s a young, growing, intrigu-
ing community — not to mention cultur-
ally very interesting — and as Nashville
has grown, so has the Jewish community
there.
There was interest in finding some-
one who would be able to, among many
things, help weave in all of the transplants
who have moved to Nashville in recent
years. Horwitz is up to the task.
“Finding ways to connect with folks,
weave them into community, help them
find their people to do Jewish and life with
and to inspire them to then invest in the
community they’re benefiting from is kind
of what I do best,
” Horwitz said. “It’ll put
me in a position hopefully to continue to do
really good things for the Jewish people, in
Nashville and Israel and around the world,
to grow my own skill sets and to grow with
a growing community.
”
The move is understandably bittersweet
for Horwitz, his wife, Miriam, and their
three kids, having so many folks here who
they love and care about. At the same time,
the opportunity to dive in and help shape,
build and cultivate community in an emerg-
ing market is a fantastic opportunity.
“Everything that I am, and everything
that I do in the world, has been shaped
courtesy of being a product of this com-
munity. My successes anywhere are Metro
Detroit Jewish community successes,
”
Horwitz said. “I’m eternally grateful for the
way I’ve been supported by this community,
and I hope to make everybody here proud.
”
In addition to his exciting new job,
Horwitz has written a book sharing the
lessons learned from building The Well.
The book, due out next month, is called
Just Jewish: How to Engage Millennials and
Build a Vibrant Jewish Future. Pre-order
now at www.benyehudapress.com/books/
just-jewish.
Rabbi Dan Horwitz says goodbye to Adat Shalom.
Nashville-Bound
“EVERYTHING I AM, AND EVERYTHING I DO IN
THE WORLD, HAS BEEN SHAPED COURTESY OF
BEING A PRODUCT OF THIS COMMUNITY.”
— RABBI DAN HORWITZ
Rabbi Dan
Horwitz
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
28 | JULY 27 • 2023