Traverse City's Jewish Community Holds a Sacred Gem Its 135-year-old synagogue is the oldest in the state of Michigan
By Ross Boissoneau It might be small in numbers, but Traverse City’s Jewish congregation is rich in history. One needs to look no further than the white frame building with gable roof ends it calls home. It is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the state, opening its doors in 1886. Its inception dates back a year prior, when the town’s early Jewish settlers formed Congregation Beth El. They came from Eastern Europe, largely from Russia and Poland. Ellen Fivenson, a member of the local congregation, said the rampant pogroms — i.e., organized massacres against Jewish people — the occurred in Russia and Eastern Europe during the 1880s and 1890s propelled the migration of a multitude of Jewish families to the United States that that time. A number of those that initially settled downstate then came north, eking out a living by selling pots and pans to the booming lumber camps. For those that put down roots Up North, a place to practice their faith was deemed essential, not only by the Jewish people who called Traverse City home but also Perry Hannah, oft considered the father of Traverse City, who supported numerous civic and religious efforts and donated the land upon which a synagogue could be built. “Perry Hannah was such an amazing visionary,” says Fivenson. “He donated land to the Congregational Church, the county building — across the street was the Salvation Army church when I came here in 1970.” Temple Beth El was completed and formally dedicated in March of 1886. Among its founding trustees were local leaders Julius Steinberg, Julius Levinson, and Solomon Yalomstein. All were important in the fostering of the Jewish community Up North, and Steinberg, in particular, is
among the titans of Traverse City's history. He built the city’s second opera house above his mercantile business. The store remained in the Steinberg family for over 50 years, closing in 1922 as the J.H. Steinberg Store. Steinberg’s Grand Opera House opened in 1894 at a cost of $60,000 and boasted a seating capacity of 700–800. It included a 32-by-45-foot stage, a 19-by-36-foot proscenium, and eight dressing rooms. It was illuminated by 400 electric globe lights. When a state law disallowed the showing of moving pictures in second-floor buildings, Steinberg built the Lyric Theater next door. Heavily damaged by fires, the Lyric was rebuilt twice, and the structure is still standing — though not currently in use since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic — as Traverse City’s State Theatre. Steinberg’s Opera House did not get a second or third chance like its neighboring Lyric; it was destroyed in a fire in 1963 and never rebuilt. Unlike many of Traverse City’s early buildings, its synagogue has withstood the test of time. The exterior of the building looks today much as it did more than a century ago, except for an addition on the back allowing for handicap access. The addition did enclose one of the original stained-glass windows — a Star of David donated by Julius Steinberg — but it's still visible inside the synagogue. The interior has seen more sigificant changes over the years. Longtime member Terry Tarnow said the pot-bellied stove originally used for heat in the sanctuary was moved out many years ago. In the 1960s, the sanctuary's wooden seats were replaced with plush cut-velvet chairs. The basement was converted into a multi-purpose room, and the mikvah and fireplace were removed to accommodate a kitchenette and bathroom. A mikvah, it’s interesting to note, is a pool
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of water in which, historically, observant Jewish women would enter each month, exactly seven days after their menstrual cycle. The tradition is thought to be linked to ancient Israelites’ tradition of immersing themselves in a mikvah before entering Jerusalem’s Holy Temple; in more recent history, non-pregnant congregants would dip into the pool as a symbolic gesture of readying themselves for the potential of pregnancy, bringing forth new life, that following month. Another part of the synagogue was designated for women and their children only; a large upper balcony on the second floor. In 1972 it was converted to an apartment for the rabbi, though the structure’s lone bathroom remained two
Clockwise from top left: Michael Tarnow and Governor Milliken unveil the historical marker. Al Belfour, Rabbi David Hachen from Cincinnati, Julius Belfour and Ellen Fivenson during the dedication. Memorabilia displayed in the synagogue. Pic of Rabbi Sleutelberg photo courtesy of Mitya Ku.
floors down in the basement. The synagogue was designated a State Historic Building in 1977 and hosted a celebration in October of that year to dedicate the marker placed outside the building declaring its official status. ThenGovernor William G. Milliken presided at the ceremony. Another celebration took place on the occasion of its centennial.
