AUGUST 10 • 2023 | 13 continued on page 14 I n a small neighborhood just down the road from Detroit’s famous Motown Museum, a group of young professionals are working to restore the area’s Jewish history. Northwest Goldberg may not be Detroit’s largest community — currently housing a population of just around 2,000 people — but a new nonprofit has a vision to change that. Mezuzah founders and married couple Jeremy Rosenberg, 24, and Menuchah Bluth, 25, who goes by Chella, sought out a new home in a Detroit neighborhood where other young Jewish individuals could see themselves living. Thanks to its walkability and proximity to landmarks like Henry Ford Hospital and the museum, Northwest Goldberg felt like a natural choice to purchase a home. “It’s important for people to visualize themselves, ” Bluth explains, “and to have a space that’s inviting. ” Rosenberg and Bluth previously organized Moishe Pod Detroit, a hub for young Jewish Detroiters to gather, share meals, enjoy social events and learn more about the city. Moishe Pod Detroit was stationed in their previous home in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood, where Rosenberg and Bluth opened their doors to the community. The goal was to teach young Jewish Detroiters all that was beautiful about Detroit, encouraging them to relocate to the city and build a home there. Now, Mezuzah, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is the next evolution of that mission. BRINGING MEZUZAH TO LIFE Mezuzah operates on a simple principle: to create a walkable, equitable and vibrant Jewish community in Northwest Goldberg and Detroit-at-large, where Rosenberg and Bluth are residents as of July. Although they’ve lived in Detroit for several years, Detroit isn’t a temporary stop before returning to the suburbs or leaving for a different city. Instead, Rosenberg and Bluth have firmly planted their roots — and their commitment to growing Jewish life in Detroit. “Mezuzah is our vehicle to continue doing what we’re already doing, but really grow the Jewish population of Northwest Goldberg and the City of Detroit, ” Rosenberg says. Yet, Bluth says their mission isn’t to transform Northwest Goldberg into a Jewish neighborhood, but to grow the Jewish community in a way that fits in comfortably alongside the existing neighborhood, which is a predominantly Black community. Many residents, like Daniel A. Washington, 29, founder and exxecutive director of NW Goldberg Cares, a community development corporation, are lifelong members of the Northwest Goldberg community. Some have even lived there for generations. Before formally starting Mezuzah, Rosenberg and Bluth received the blessing from NW Goldberg Cares, which has done extensive work incubating neighborhood businesses and creating a strong, family- friendly neighborhood. To date, NW Goldberg Cares has built five new public spaces, conducted a planning study, executed dozens of neighborhood events and is in the process of rehabbing three single-family homes. HISTORY OF NORTHWEST GOLDBERG As Mezuzah’s main partner, NW Goldberg Cares is supportive of a Jewish community in the growing neighborhood. “For me, it’s really about having another nonprofit in the Northwest Goldberg community that is working to acknowledge Chella Bluth and Jeremy Rosenberg relax in their newly refurbished home.