Temple Israel is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 5725 Walnut Lake Road, in West Bloomfield Township, Oakland County,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, in the United States. In 2008, Temple Israel was claimed to be among the largest Reform congregations in the United States. , the congregation claimed that it is the largest congregation in North America, and the official database of the Union for Reform Judaism reported that the congregation has 3,383 members.

History

The congregation was founded in 1941 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, in just 60 days before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From the initial meeting to the first High Holiday services led by founder Rabbi Leon Fram just two months later, approximately 600 members chose to join the new congregation. For nearly a decade, Temple Israel met in the Detroit Institute of Arts auditorium. In 1949, the congregation erected an

Art Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

-style temple designed by architect

William Kapp William Edward Kapp (August 20, 1891 in Toledo, Ohio, Toledo – 1969) was an American architect. He earned his architectural degree at the University of Pennsylvania. For the majority of his career, he worked for the firm Smith, Hinchman & Gryll ...

that officially opened in 1950 in the Palmer Park area of Detroit and remained the congregation's home for 30 years. Cantor Tullman was Temple Israel's first cantor until he died in 1960. Rabbi M. Robert Syme joined the Temple in 1953 to help meet the demands of the steadily growing congregation. The Temple moved to West Bloomfield in 1980, in a building located on Walnut Lake Road that was designed by the Bloomfield Hills architectural firm of TMP Associates, Inc. The original temple in the Palmer Park area has been occupied by the Word of Power Ministry, an

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, previously the Saint Paul Apostolic Temple Church, since 1989. The former synagogue building was included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as a contributing property that is part of Detroit's Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District, designated in 1983, with a boundary increase in 2015. The move to West Bloomfield brought significant growth and positive change. The Early Childhood Center (now named the Susan & Rabbi Harold Loss Early Childhood Center) and Tyner Religious schools were established, and the congregation grew. Temple Israel introduced new programs to help strengthen the bonds of Jewish community building. In 1995, the congregation was the first Reform congregation to open a mikveh. To modernize and address the growing congregation's needs, Temple Israel completed additional renovations to the Sanctuary in 2017. Temple Israel has since added a host of new technological advancements to make Temple easily accessible in the virtual world - including streaming services so members can participate in our services no matter where they are.

Current leadership

Temple Israel has a unique leadership model. Unlike most traditional multi-clergy synagogues, Temple Israel does not have a 'Senior Rabbi' atop the hierarchy. Each member of the clergy team is considered an equal. Rabbi Harold Loss is the longest-serving active member of the clergy team, joining Temple Israel in 1971. Rabbi Paul Yedwab joined him in 1986 and Rabbi Josh Bennett in 1995. Rabbi Marla Hornsten became the Temple's first female Rabbi in 2000, and Cantor Neil Michaels joined the clergy in 2002. Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny and Cantor Michael Smolash came on board in the summer of 2004, with Rabbi Jennifer Lader's arrival in 2012. The executive director of Temple Israel is Jason Plotkin, who began serving the congregation in June 2022. Plotkin is a former President of the Program & Engagement Professionals of Reform Judaism, a Senior Member of the National Association of Temple Administration (NATA) and serves on the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Israel (West Bloomfield, Michigan) 1941 establishments in Michigan 20th-century synagogues in the United States Art Moderne architecture Buildings and structures in Oakland County, Michigan Jewish organizations established in 1941 Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District Reform synagogues in Michigan Religious buildings and structures in Detroit Synagogues completed in 1950 Synagogues completed in 1980 Historic district contributing properties in Michigan