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Shared Memories of Beth Aaron

Although I went to Hebrew school at Adas Shalom, some blocks east, I became bar-mitzva at Beth Aaron, where my parents were members, in the fall of 1955. It was close to where we lived, at Curtis and Ilene. The main sanctuary had just undergone a dramatic renovation, with walls leaning inward to simulate--what? a tent? I remember well how, to my wonderment, this strange construction materialized week by week.

Visiting there a few years ago, when the sexton of the Christian congregation then occupying the building graciously showed me around, I was pleased to see that that unusual feature had remained unchanged. Up Wyoming Ave. from the shul, I remember a Workmen's Circle (Arbeiter Ring) center. There was also a branch of the Dexter-Davidson Supermarket. A new Jewish community center was going up around that time, I believe, not far away, on Meyers Rd. A burgeoning of Jewish life that came and went.

Mike Swirsky 2022

I have the doors to the Aron Hakodesh from Beth Aaron  hanging on a wall in my basement.   If you know of someone that would appreciate them I would gladly pass them on.   Thank You. My brother and I had our  bar Mitzvahs at Beth Aaron.
MF

I attended Sunday School at Beth Aaron until I was 12 years old in 1952. Rabbi Gorelick never forgot a face and even when I went to weddings and Bar Mitzvahs years later, he recognized me and greeted me by name. His daughter Elisheva was my age and had a Bat Mitzvah, an unheard of ceremony for girls at that time (at least in Detroit.)
- Sue

The synagogue was but one o two blocks north of the fabulous mumford high school of the mid -1950's -1960's fame on wyoming. I had to walk by the synagogue to meet the "dexter bus" of the dsr ( detroit street railways) which used to travel i believe from the northwest side of detroit on outer drive at least to greenfield adjoining the sinai hospital area & then thru curtis and then wind its way down into the center city of detroit via dexter past many of these shuls. I travelled to mumford via the busline during 1956-1957.

The building and adjacent educational center was not as impressive to the exterior sitting nearly right on the curb of wyoming, a very busy & narrow street. My wife judy & i were married there in the sanctuary in 1963. The sanctuary immediately adjoined the vinyl or asphalt checkboard appearing tiled social hall, separated by i believe a folding heavy vinyl like doorway thruwhich my bride entered the sanctuary to ultimately join me in marriage.

There were i believe heavy glass exterior doors which lead to the street level by several shallow very broad steps. The entry area was the most attractive part of the external appearance, but better appreciated from across the street due to the proximity of the sanctuary to the street.
-Max

I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah at Beth Aaron in 1960. My three brothers were also bar mitzvahed there. I remember Rabbi Gorelick's booming voice, and was surprised when I ran into him years later to find that in fact, he was a short, soft spoken gentleman. Although it had been 35 years, he remembered me by name.
- Steve

I attended Beth Aaron Religious School from 1956 - 1965. My grandmother also attended Adat Shalom on Curtis. I was married in Temple Israel.
- Judy