22 | JUNE 20 • 2024 
J
N

W

est Bloomfield’s 
B’nai Israel 
Synagogue is 
celebrating its 90th 
anniversary the weekend of 
June 28-30 with a series of 
special events. 
B’nai Israel will be hosting 
a visiting scholar-in-
residence for the weekend, 
Rabbi Paul Plotkin. Rabbi 
Plotkin was an 
active pulpit 
rabbi for over 40 
years, 33 of them 
at Temple Beth 
Am in South 
Florida. 
B’nai Israel 
will have their Friday night 
Kabbalat Shabbat, Saturday 
morning services and Sunday 
morning minyan as they 
normally do, with Rabbi 
Plotkin speaking on each 
day. 
Plotkin recently published 
a book titled Wisdom Grows 
in My Garden on the life 

lessons he has learned from 
gardening. He’ll be talking 
about the book on Sunday 
morning.
“Rabbi Plotkin is going 
to be wonderful to hear 
from. For anybody who likes 
gardening, who’s looking 
for some extra wisdom, this 
might be something they 
would enjoy hearing,” says 
Mechelle Bernard, who’s 
chairing the event and is on 
the B’nai Israel board. 
On Shabbat, after services, 
Rabbi Plotkin will be 
speaking about the future 
of liberal Judaism in North 
America in the next few 
generations. 
For lunch on Saturday and 
breakfast on Sunday, the 
congregation is catering it 
themselves. The weekend will 
end with a bang on Sunday 
evening, June 30, with B’nai 
Israel’s big 90th anniversary 
dinner. The Moroccan-style 
dinner will be catered by 

Chef Cari.
B’nai Israel will 
also be honoring 
Rabbi Mitch 
Parker during 
the weekend 
for all the work 
he does for the 
congregation. 
The synagogue started in 
Pontiac, then became part 
of Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek until they sold their 
old building. B’nai Israel 
then entered an arrangement 
with Temple Kol Ami and 
has been residing in TKA’s 
building ever since. 
The Conservative 
congregation is as tight-knit 
as can be. Some families 
have been involved for 
generations. 
 “It’s a wonderful group 
of people,” Bernard says. 
“It feels like an extended 
family. I always feel like I’m 
sitting down with a bunch of 
brothers and sisters, uncles 

and aunts. We’re catching 
up, seeing who’s doing what, 
pulling each other’s chains a 
little bit. 
“We’re looking forward to 
it, and we’re hoping other 
people see and hear about us 
and decide this is the place 
for them, too.” 
Cindy Victor, B’nai 
Israel’s president, joined the 
congregation in 1987. Victor 
says the values B’nai Israel’s 
founders had 90 years ago 
are alive and well today. 
“I can’t think of a better 
thing to do than to honor 
our 90th year with a blowout 
celebration. We’re inviting 
folks to join us.” 
B’nai Israel is expecting 
most of its congregants at 
the dinner and some out-of-
town guests as well. All the 
weekend festivities are free 
for non-members except the 
Sunday dinner, which is $36. 
For those interested, email 
cvictor@victorfirm.com. 

Rabbi Paul Plotkin will be scholar-in-residence 
for the celebratory weekend. 
B’nai Israel Turns 90! 

Rabbi Mitch 
Parker

Rabbi Paul 
Plotkin

DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

OUR COMMUNITY

A Purim meal at B’nai Israel
B’nai Israel’s Purim celebration