54 | SEPTEMBER 14 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
B
’nai Israel has been
bringing people
together for the
last 90 years. Today a tight-
knit community with some
30 regulars, they welcome
visitors and out-of-towners,
children and grandchildren,
and celebrate life’s milestones
in the framework of Jewish
expression and tradition.
It’s a synagogue that has
been through many iterations,
but it has always been known
for its warmth and optimism,
according to its members.
Faye Menczer of West
Bloomfield joined the shul
about three years ago when she
married her husband, Howard
Friedman. It’s unique because
it truly functions as a chavurah
(fellowship), she says. The
couple attends services every
Shabbat, and Menczer says
her knowledge of Judaism has
increased by going there.
“Everybody was so
welcoming to me. They were
so nice to me,” she says. “The
members are very close, but
it’s not cliquey; anybody who
comes into our shul, any
stranger is welcomed, is spoken
to, is made to feel comfortable.”
Members frequently rotate
through the bimah to read
Torah and lead services, she
says, based on what they know
already and new skills they
may choose to learn. “They’re
not just there for an aliyah.
Anyone who has the skill or
the knowledge is encouraged
to participate,” she says. “
And
that’s also very nice.”
Born and raised in
Metro Detroit, Menczer
has had several different
synagogue affiliations but
feels enthusiastic about her
current congregation, which
started in Pontiac, moved to
West Bloomfield, merged with
Shaarey Zedek and now resides
in Temple Kol Ami’s building.
Interestingly, she points out,
Temple Kol Ami and B’nai
Israel are both offshoots of the
same congregation in Pontiac,
Temple Beth Jacob. “We’ve
come full circle,” she says.
Offering what she calls
“traditional and, at the same
time, lighthearted” services,
B’nai Israel was possibly the
first synagogue in the area to
offer lunch after services, and
it also has the unique tradition
of inviting people to speak
about their loved ones on a
yahrtzeit, the anniversary of
their passing.
“I remember, I was so
surprised — it was my
brother’s yahrtzeit and so I was
saying kaddish for him, and
the rabbi, Mitch Parker, asked
me if I’d like to say a few words
about him, and that was really
a lovely thing,” she says. “I
never saw that in another shul.”
It’s a place where people feel
comfortable making jokes from
the bimah, she says, and there’s
a lot of laughter. “We take our
Judaism seriously, but we’re
also comfortable having fun.”
NEW BOOK PROJECT
With the Conservative-
affiliated congregation cele-
brating its 90th anniversary,
Menczer has taken on a book
project, publishing members’
personal histories on the
occasion in the form of stories,
Small West Bloomfield congregation celebrates
its milestone with a book project.
Happy 90th, B’nai Israel
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Geri Feigelson
and Rebecca
Tron riding a
camel
B’nai Israel meeting
in its new home in the
Temple Kol Ami building