Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue

08/21/2026

🎉2 DAYS to go until our favorite day of the year!!! RSVP for the Block Party by 3pm today: https://downtownsynagogue.shulcloud.com/form/blockparty
Walk-in registration will be available on Sunday. See you on the 23rd at 11am! 🎉

08/14/2026

This makes our hearts happy 🩵 Join in on the rest of our Mindfulness & Service Elul Series with Repair The World Detroit for more opportunities to give back to our community!

08/12/2026

Thanks to the Detroit Jewish News for this sweet recap of our celebration of Rabbi Ariana Silverman's 10-year anniversary at IADS! We’re grateful for Rabbi Silverman’s decade of leadership, learning, and building community downtown. 💙

Shabbat services at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue on July 25 were a celebration of the 10th anniversary of its rabbi, Ariana Silverman.

08/03/2026

We love having Gesher JOIN interns at the Samantha Woll Center for Jewish Detroit! Such a great way to partner with our friends at Adamah, Repair the World, and Mezuzah, and add some capacity to our small teams over the summer. Special thanks to our intern Lillie for all her help!

07/31/2026

Registration is open for our 5th annual Block Party! We’re thrilled to officially launch The Sam, a new platform for Jewish connection, creativity, and culture, inspired by the legacy of Samantha Woll z”l. Come experience a new art exhibition “Annotations,” and feel the energy of a community leading with curiosity, joy, and bold purpose. Enjoy food, live music, and fun for all ages! This event is free and open to the Metro Detroit Jewish community and friends. RSVP here: downtownsynagogue.org/blockparty

07/27/2026

A Message from Rabbi Silverman:
Thank you to everyone who made my 10th anniversary celebration so special–thank you for all of the myriad preparations, for the thoughtful notes, for the donations, for the beautiful speeches, for my gorgeous gift, to those who were there on Saturday and those who sent messages of congratulations. It has been a privilege to be your rabbi for the past ten years and I am so grateful for all that you have taught me.

As I said on Saturday, it is remarkable that when the Torah repeats the Ten Commandments in the book of Deuteronomy, the commandment for keeping Shabbat is different from what appears in the book of Exodus. Our tradition continues to grow and evolve even within the Torah text. So, too, our community continues to grow and evolve and I am thankful for each of you. May we go from strength to strength!

*Special thank you to Yevgeniya Gazman for these beautiful photos!!*

07/23/2026

The Sam is on the cover of this week's Detroit Jewish News! Thank you to the JN team for the feature, and to everyone helping build this community platform rooted in curiosity, joy, and connection, inspired by Sam's effervescent spirit. Click below to read the full story.

The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue is launching The Sam — a new platform for arts and culture, bold ideas and civic life.

07/20/2026

Rabbi Silverman's 10th anniversary at IADS is coming up this Shabbat! Join us on Saturday, July 25th for a special Shabbat morning service beginning at 10:30am, followed by a festive Kiddush lunch. For those near and far, you can share in the celebration by writing Rabbi Silverman a congratulatory note! Submit your message here: https://forms.gle/xp3KUNgrAyWCuKnD6

06/26/2026

As we head into the last Shabbat of Pride Month, we're grateful to share these wise words from Rabbi Silverman. Shabbat Shalom and happy Pride, Detroit!

One of the most famous parts of this week’s double Torah portion, Chukat-Balak, are the words spoken by Balaam, who was hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites but instead says, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!” These words – Mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov, Miskenotecha, Yisrael – have become part of our Shabbat liturgy, often sung at the very beginning of our morning service. As a prayer leader, I often enjoy their resonance as I look out at the beauty of the community that sits in the pews, ready to celebrate Shabbat together.

But as we reach the end of this month, I have been thinking about the beauty of the homes and households that make up our community as a whole. As we have celebrated Pride Month, I have been touched by the gorgeous diversity of our congregation–the various configurations of sacred households, many composed of LGBTQ+ individuals and families who are proud of who they are. Whether you plan to be at the Schmear the Love Brunch on Sunday in celebration of Pride Month, or have celebrated in other ways, I hope this has been a time of affirmation and love.

Balaam concludes his speech by saying “Blessed are they who bless you, Accursed are they who curse you!” and I want to echo these words as well to our LGBTQ+ community members. May you be blessed with love and joy and may you go from strength to strength. And may you know that our congregation is blessed that you are a part of our congregational family.

For more details or to register for Schmear the Love: A Pride Month Brunch, visit: https://jlive.app/events/15797

05/28/2026

We celebrated Shavuot with 120 people last Thursday night!! In partnership with Congregation T'chiyah, we hosted 15 sessions with opportunities for immersive learning and hands-on creative experiences. It was such a joy to learn from our community members and celebrate this special holiday together, and the delicious cheesecake was the cherry on top!