Congregation Beth Abraham was formally established by the filing of Articles of Association, May 10, 1892. A small devoted group first held services in a private home on Hastings near Winder in Detroit. In a few years, and with a membership of 50 families, its first synagogue was established on Winder Street, between Hastings and St. Antoine. The synagogue moved to Palmer, then to Linwood in 1932, and in 1954 to West Seven Mile Road. The synagogue moved to its present location in West Bloomfield in August of 1971.
In 1971, the 30 year old Congregation Beth Hillel and its 150 families joined Beth Abraham to become Beth Abraham Hillel. In 1975 a merger with Congregation Beth Moses was completed and Rabbi A. Irving Schnipper joined the spiritual staff and the joined congregations became Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses. In 2000, the name of the congregation was shortened to Congregation Beth Ahm.
Beth Abraham Hillel Moses has been blessed with inspiring leadership from the early days with Rabbi Judah Leven and 35 years with Rabbi Joseph Thumin, of blessed memory. Rabbi Halpern, was called to our pulpit in 1949 and continued the leadership that brought honor to our congregation as a Jewish spiritual center and a strong force for good in our community. Dr. Leopold Neuhaus and Rabbi Joel Litke served the former Beth Hillel. Cantor Shabtai Ackerman came to us from Israel in 1957 and in 1958 Cantor Israel C. Fuchs moved to Detroit from Israel and became our Associate Cantor and Choir Director, sharing his talent as a composer and conductor with our congregational family. In January of 1982, Rabbi Halpern, Cantor Ackerman and Cantor Fuchs retired with Emeritus Status and Rabbi Schnipper became the spiritual leader. In 1983, Cantor Ben-zion Lanxner, native of Israel and former resident of Belgium, became Hazzan. Rabbis Aaron Bergman and Charles Popky served the congregation until our current Rabbi, Steven Rubenstein, joined the congregation in 2005 as our mara d’atra.
January 18, 1983, was a night of tragedy for Beth Abraham Hillel Moses. That night, our beautiful sanctuary, social hall, lobby and front portion of our building were completely consumed by fire. But, with perseverance, loyalty and faith, we rebuilt, and our congregational family was again able to enjoy the wondrous privilege of worshipping in our newly reconstructed sanctuary for the High Holy days of 1984.
The congregation experienced another major milestone in its history with the launch of the Our Home - Our Future initiative in 2011. Thanks to the generosity of our members, this campaign produced funds needed to renovate the building and provide endowment funds to secure the future of the congregation.
Located on lovely wooded acres on Maple Road between Inkster and Middlebelt Roads, our synagogue is a landmark in the community. Here, young and old gather together to worship, study, celebrate family milestones, and facilitate social connections. Guests and visitors from all creeds and walks of life come to our synagogue regularly and are warmly welcomed, making Beth Ahm a house of prayer for all people.
Photo courtesy of Martin Rose
