Jewish Population by the Numbers

Where Did People Go?

Jews who came to Michigan spread out throughout the state, heading to places such as Hancock, Republic and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula and Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Petoskey, Alpena and Bad Axe in the Lower Peninsula. Many worked as peddlers and shopkeepers, with customers in rural areas, mining and lumber towns. Many of the early Jewish settlers in Detroit were German Jews, but the 1880s-1920s saw an infl ux of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Jewish Detroit by the Numbers

There were:

• 1,000 Jewish Detroiters in 1880 • 10,000 in 1910 • And 35,000 by 1920

They came for religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Flash forward!

As of 2018, there were some 71,750 Jews in Metro Detroit and 41 synagogues.

Today, Detroit has Jewish communities in Oak Park, Southfi eld, Huntington Woods, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfi eld, Bloomfi eld Hills, Detroit and beyond. There are lots of synagogues around the communities, religious day school systems, and places to buy kosher groceries and baked goods.

Discover More! Want to learn more about Jewish Detroit? These websites are a good starting point! • Jewish Historical Society of Michigan: www.jhsmichigan.org • Federation’s Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives: jewishdetroit.org/archives • Detroit Jewish News Foundation’s William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History: www.djnfoundation.org

Preschoolers at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield take part in a tashlich ritual at the temple’s pond.

ZEMAN’S FACEBOOK

Zeman’s

Bakery is the oldest kosher bakery in Metropolitan Detroit. It was established in 1927, making it 94 years old!