May 7 - 13, 2021 | Iyar 25 - Sivan 2, 5781
Rabbi Silverman's Message

We Can’t Go Back

A lot of people are asking “When can we go back?” When can we go back to restaurants, to schools, to synagogues, but also, when can we go back to the way things were before March 2020? The answer to many of the questions about returning to institutions relies a great deal on when people get vaccinated. I am delighted that everyone in Michigan over 16, and soon everyone over 12, is eligible for a vaccine and getting to vaccination sites is increasingly easy.

But the question of when we can go back to “the way things were” is, for me, the wrong question. We can’t go back, and we shouldn’t. Yes, we can and should go back to visiting in person with relatives and friends and going to theaters and hosting dinner parties in our homes. But after a time in which over 580,000 Americans have died, and millions of people have lost loved ones, or lost their jobs, or their homes, or the time in school that they deeply needed, it would be not just impossible but immoral to act as if we can simply bracket all of that and “go back” to the way things were. 

We can only go forward.

We can go forward by allowing ourselves to mourn. We can go forward by recognizing that we need to care for our mental health and that of others. We can go forward by honoring the memories of those we lost when we live up to their highest ideals. We can go forward by really listening to one another, and listening carefully to the people who have struggled and suffered during this time. We can go forward by examining what structures and systems were unjust or inadequate in 2019 and how we can change them. We can go forward when we look at how some of the adjustments we made in the past year could actually serve us in the future.

I can’t wait for us to be together in person in the weeks and months to come.  I am grateful that we will collectively be able to process what this past year has meant. And when we do, I hope that we don’t try to go back to how things were. Let us envision the future we want as together we go forward.
Downtown Synagogue Zoom policy for services/programs
For increased security, we will no longer be sharing Zoom links for services and programs in our newsletter. We will be using a different Zoom link each week, and that link will be used for all services/events happening that weekend (Friday night Shabbat, Saturday morning Shabbat, Tot Shabbat, Havdallah, etc.). The new Zoom link will be posted weekly on our website at 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoons.

Additionally, if you are joining from a cell phone, please update your name so that we know to let you in.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding. We look forward to maintaining our community connection in these challenging times.

Virtual Shabbat Services Schedule
 
Friday, May 7th
5:00 p.m. - Kabbalat Shabbat Services
 
Saturday, May 8th
9:00 a.m. - Torah Study
10:00 a.m. - Tot Shabbat
10:00 a.m. - Detroit Partnership Shabbat with Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit

Please find the link to this week's services on our website.

Torah Portion- May 7th & May 8th: Leviticus 25:1-27:34

8th Annual Tikkun Leil Shavuot: A Night of Learning in Community
Sunday, May 16th
4:30 p.m. - Family Friendly Music with Gavri Yares (In-person, masked, socially distanced)
6:45 p.m. - Virtual sessions via Zoom
You and yours are invited to take part in a night of study, developing new skills, and being together in community. Virtual sessions this year include Jewish Gender and Queer studies, A quick guide to the structure of Jewish prayer, Nutrition for Healthy Hormones and a Happier You, Not-So-Private Property: Jewish Social Security Traditions, and much more!

Click here to register - Zoom link will be sent upon completion of registration

Shavuot Yizkor Service 
Tuesday, May 18, 9:00 a.m. 
Join us to make minyan in community, as we honor the memories of loved ones.

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.
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.
We are honored to be part of this year's Detroit Jewish Film Festival. The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue will be co-sponsoring the film A Crime On The Bayou in partnership with Barbara Nusbaum, Dale & Bruce Frankel, JCRC's Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity, and The Workers Circle - Michigan.

Tickets will go on sale this Sunday, May 2nd and are good for 24 hours from time of purchase. To receive one of the 25 complimentary tickets we are pleased to offer, click here.

  1. Enter code IADS at bottom of the page under "Special Price Code" to unlock the complimentary ticket option.
  2. A new ticket type called "Free 4+" will appear at the bottom of the page. 
  3. If the "Free 4+" ticket doesn't appear or there is no "Special Price Code" box, that means that your organization's complimentary tickets have all been used.
  4. Select the Free 4+ ticket and go through the order process. No money will be collected, but they need your information in order to send you the actual virtual ticket.
Mazel Tov!

Congratulations to our immediate past Board President Jodee Fishman Raines on being named the first COO of New Detroit Inc.! We wish you the best on this new chapter of your life. Your impact on our community has been, and will continue to be, invaluable.

To learn more about Jodee and her career, click here.
Welcome our newest IADS members

Ian Robinson & Jacqueline M. Putterman - welcome to our community!
Tributes

In memory of Dr. Dan Guyer by Rena and Larry Friedberg

In memory of Joyce Spiegel by Arlene Frank

In honor of a great tour of IADS by Andrea Nitzkin

In memory of Shirleymae Lane by Martin Herman
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.