In our 99 years of existence, the Downtown Synagogue has seen its share of great leaders. Read Dr. Martin Herman's forward in our Siddur and you'll learn about the founding Isaac Agree Society, the visionaries who moved the synagogue to its current location, and those who breathed new life into IADS in the 21st century. Now, as we traverse unprecedented times, we need all sorts of leaders to roll up their sleeves and help further our mission. We need fundraisers for our operations and social media sharers of our many events. We need people willing to join a dialogue about what it means to be a place-based institution at a time of societal reflection on racial injustices, as well as people willing to sit on a committee that celebrates our centennial in 2021. To inspire you, I'd like to highlight four people who've answered the bell by becoming IADS Board Directors in 2020.

Emily Levine: Emily and her family have been a fixture at programs and services for years. Emily has led cooking demonstrations, attended services, won Purim costume contests, provided great feedback on our strategic direction, and is a founding family of Dor Hadash Hebrew School. Emily joined the Board about 9 months ago and recently became the chair of our Governance Committee.

Richard Wiener: Rick has been involved in the Downtown Synagogue in excess of 40 years, as a member, attendee (more frequently in recent years), and donor. Rick is eager to meld the diverse cultures among the community into a vision for IADS's future, and to use his fundraising skills to help raise funds for our operations and future building renovations.  

Andy Doctoroff: Andy is excited to serve on the board because it fuses and enhances his commitments to Judaism, the City of Detroit, and social and economic justice. Andy was attracted to the Downtown Synagogue because it is place-based and because it provides so many pathways to Jewish engagement. He will be dabbling in learning programs, toiling in the soil at Eden Garden, providing strategic guidance at board meetings, and deepening relationships with our community. When not focusing on the Downtown Synagogue, he will be serving as Michigan's point-person for the development of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.   

Carrie Reinis: Carrie began regularly attending the Downtown Synagogue almost 4 years ago while "soliciting" for Smoke Alarm installations for the Red Cross. Since then, she has come to see IADS as her "home". She enjoyed learning with Rabbi Silverman, attending Shabbat Services, participating in the Inter-faith Seder, and praying at High Holidays - both at the Holocaust Museum and now at the Bethel Transformation Center. She looks forward to building more relationships with our community and helping wherever she is most needed.

Let me reiterate, there are many pathways to leadership at the Downtown Synagogue. If you - or someone you know - is ready to take on a leadership roll, let us know!  

-Vadim Avshalumov, IADS Board President