June 4 - June 10, 2021 | Sivan 24 - 30, 5781
Rabbi Silverman's message

In this week’s Torah portion, Shlach L’cha, Moses sends twelve scouts into the Promised Land so they can give a report on what the Israelites can anticipate when they arrive. Upon the scouts’ return, only two of them give a positive assessment while the other ten paint a picture of impossibility. The Israelites panic and God’s frustration with them results in the punishment that the Israelites must wander in the desert until the vast majority of them die, and it will be the next generation that gets to enter the Promised Land.

Some scholars have suggested that Moses set the scouts up for failure. When he sends them off, he charges them to report on whether “the people who dwell in it strong or weak, few or many? Is the country in which they dwell good or bad? Are the towns they live in open or fortified? Is the soil rich or poor? Is it wooded or not?...”

They are all binary questions. The people must only be strong or weak, the country either good or bad. When assessing the land the scouts were attempting to put what they saw in only one of two boxes, rather than recognizing the nuance and diversity of the world in which we live.

June is Pride Month. It is a time in which we affirm that seeing the world in binaries can be destructive to each of us individually and to our community as a whole. We affirm that not every human being has a gender identity that is either male or female, or is attracted exclusively to men or to women, or has a body that looks one way or another.  We affirm that not every family can be put in a box, and that love is, well, love, in all of its beautiful diversity and complexity.

And it calls upon us to act. Because if we don’t keep focused on where we need to go, confident in our strength and committed to our hope, we will never get there. Fortunately, we have a powerful opportunity to do so. We can work to support the Equality Act. Currently, federal law does not explicitly prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, federal funding, education, credit, and jury selection based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. If you live in Michigan, regardless of which political party you support (which, by the way, is often posed as a binary), you can thank Senators Stabenow and Peters for being cosponsors of the Equality Act. And then contact everyone you know outside of Michigan to ask their senators to do the same.

As we read this week’s Torah portion, and bemoan the fate of our spiritual ancestors, let’s affirm our commitment in this generation to see the world differently. Let’s not keep wandering in the desert. Let’s move forward.

Virtual Shabbat Services Schedule
 
Friday, June 4th
5:00 p.m. - Kabbalat Shabbat Service
 
Saturday, June 5th
9:00 a.m. - Torah Study
10:00 a.m. - Mincha

Please find the link to this week's services at 4:30 p.m. on Friday's on our website.

Torah Portion- June 4th & June 5th: Numbers 13:1−15:41

Juneteenth Havdalah & Discussion
Saturday, June 19th, 8:00 p.m.
We invite you to join us for a discussion on the history and importance of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, led by Pastor Aramis Hinds and Rabbi Ariana Silverman.

Check-ins with Rabbi Silverman
Many of us need a little extra support and care these days. Please reach out to Rabbi Silverman to schedule a personal check-in.
If you need help setting up Zoom technology, please email us and we will walk you through it.
Welcome new IADS members!

Welcome Joely Reznik! We look forward to having you be a part of our Downtown Synagogue community.
Tributes

In honor of Dr. Larry Kaplan by Rachel and Vadim Avshalumov
In honor of the 37th Anniversary of Rina and Slava Avshalumov by Rachel and Vadim Avshalumov
In memory of Ulysses C. Hinds by IADS Board and Staff
In memory of Andrea Sachse Hurwitz by IADS Board and Staff
In memory of Udo Salk by IADS Board and Staff
In memory of Dr. Daniel Guyer by Dr. Martin Herman
Outdoor Shabbats with the Downtown Synagogue

As we enter into warmer months and see our community getting vaccinated against COVID-19, we are excited to announce our series of Outdoor Shabbat services! We look forward to coming back together, safely, as we worship with our beloved community.

We would love to have members of the Downtown Synagogue community open their backyards to host an Outdoor Shabbat on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. If you are interested in hosting a Shabbat in your backyard, or want to learn more, please reach out to Nicole.
Celebrating 100 Years of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue

In December of 1921, Charles and Nathan Agree, along with the Canvasser, Kaplan, Rosin and Zatkin families, announced the founding of the Isaac Agree Memorial Society. The society was named in honor of their father, a Russian immigrant who came to Detroit in 1904. The society held its first services in a home on Rosedale Court and, as they say, the rest is history.

As the growing congregation in the heart of Detroit looks forward to celebrating its 100 years serving the community, we are looking for your stories. Did your Grandfather come to services at IADS? Was your brother’s Bar Mitzvah in the sanctuary above Kosin’s? Did you blow the Shofar at High Holy Day services at the Veteran’s Memorial Building? What about the Hanukkah celebrations and epic dance parties, have you been to any of those? We want to hear about your or your family’s connection to the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue over the years and how we have been a part of your lives.

In addition to the stories, we are also hoping to grow our collection of archival materials, so we’d love any photographs or other memorabilia that you’d like to share. Stories, video and digital photographs can be submitted here. If you have questions or would like to submit physical items, please contact the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue at 313.324.8006.
The staff and board of the Downtown Synagogue is thinking of ways to support our community's needs right now. If you or a loved one needs help, please let us know- we will endeavor to connect you to services or help you directly. Please reach out to Rabbi Silverman with resource inquiries.

In addition, we are aware of the following community resources:
 
  • Jewish Federation: Please visit the Jewish Federation Coronavirus community resource page which includes support for meal delivery, emergency loans for small businesses, and mental health support. 

  • City of Detroit: Please visit the City of Detroit's website to learn more about the free meal program/food resources, unemployment benefits, water restart plan, and what actions and precautions are currently being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

  • City of Detroit COVID-19 Vaccine Information: Check your eligibility and schedule your covid-19 vaccine through this resource. Eligible groups will be added to this page as additional vaccine becomes available.

Call for Mi Shebeirach
During our Shabbat morning worship, we read the names of people in our community who are in need of healing. As we invoke God's blessing, we also become more aware of the people who could use a little extra care. Please let us know if you would like us to read the name of a loved one.