Our Mission

 

The principal mission of the Downtown Synagogue is to serve as a beacon for the entire Jewish community of Metropolitan Detroit by maintaining an egalitarian synagogue, rooted in Jewish tradition and affirming of pluralistic practice, in downtown Detroit. It encourages intergenerational engagement and promotes broad-based participation by offering a wide range of programming and acting as a conduit for Jewish activity in the city. It is committed to supporting the revitalization of Detroit; and assuring accessibility to all. 

 
 

Our Blog

Featured
Rabbi Silverman's Yom Kippur Sermon 5785
Rabbi Silverman's Yom Kippur Sermon 5785

One of my favorite poems at times like these is by Lea Goldberg, 

a 20th century Israeli Hebrew poet. She begins:

הַיָּרֹק הַיּוֹם יָרֹק מְאֹד.

וְהָאָפֹר הַיּוֹם אָפֹר מְאֹד

“The Day After” by Lea Goldberg

The green is very green today.

The gray is very gray today

There’s a little black, but no white in the city,

What is stormy is very stormy today

And the past, today, is very past.

And there’s a little future, but there’s no present in the air.

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Rabbi Silverman's Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5785
Rabbi Silverman's Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5785

5784 was a year filled with joy. We celebrated b’nei mitzvah, including three in our renovated building. We welcomed new babies. We danced at weddings. We marked anniversaries and birthdays and long-awaited retirements. We sang on rooftops–or at least I did–and laughed at  jokes. We hugged old friends and smiled at new ones.

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IADS Library: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization
IADS Library: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization

Jews have a long-standing love affair with anthologies. It started with Tanach, an amazing anthology of narrative, history, poetry, prophecy, and much more. And then it continued across the centuries.

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Photos From our Events

OUR VALUES

ACTION • HUMILITY • PLACE-BASED • COURAGE TO LEARN & HAVE DIALOGUE • KEHILA/ABUNDANCE • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION • KINDNESS & COMPASSION • INTEGRATING RITUAL & ACTION

Thank you to the following foundations for their generous support of our work and mission to serve Jewish Detroit.

Norman and Esther Allan Foundation • Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation • William Davidson Foundation • Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation • Gilbert Family Foundation • The Jewish Fund • D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation • Donald R. and Esther Simon Family Foundation • Ben Teitel Fund