We will begin this session in the 1760s with the arrival of the first Jews to Michigan and follow the growth of the Detroit Jewish community from the 1840’s up to the 1950’s. Using slides and film, and pausing as needed for questions and comments, we will touch on the obstacles and opportunities the Jewish community faced and surmounted, why Jews came to the area and where they settled. Along the way, participants will learn of and share stories about the area’s first synagogues and Jewish institutions, visit old neighborhoods and meet some of Detroit’s Jewish heroes.
