Jewish Detroit

In 1762, Chapman Abraham became the first Jew to set foot in Detroit, and the Jewish community has played a significant role in Detroit’s history ever since. Sarah and Isaac Cozens formed the Beth El Society in 1850, when the census showed 51 Jewish adults living in Detroit. The cholera epidemic of 1854 claimed the life of the rabbi of Detroit’s only Jewish congregation. But the community continued to grow, and to serve. Two-hundred and ten Jewish soldiers from Michigan served in the Civil War-more than one per family.Jewish Detroit chronicles in photographs the history of this remarkable community in Detroit, from its growth within the city to its migration to the suburbs, from its battles against anti-Semitism at the hands of Henry Ford and others to celebrating its own heroes like Hank Greenberg, the all-star first baseman of the Detroit Tigers.