We welcome and invite you to share your memories of Detroit's former synagogues and Jewish sites.
Email your memories to us » and we will add them to the site. *PLEASE* be sure to cite the name of the synagogue or site.

I was a student at Yeshiva Ben Yehuda between 1956-1960 before moving to New York. I totally lost contact with the 8 girls in my class as we moved very quickly. Although I married I never changed my last name so if anyone remembers me from that time please look me up in Facebook or Linked In and say hello. I remember getting a great education and when I moved to NY and went to public school; I was so bored for the first couple of year in NY as the curriculum was way behind the Yeshiva teachings – even though ½ the day was on Jewish studies.

Giselle Reischer

The building in the picture was, as others have pointed out, Yeshiva Beth Yehuda. The closer building was the original structure, containing the prayer chapel in the far portion of the building and classrooms, (6 or 7 as I recall) and office areas in the nearer side. I attended the 2 hour after-school sessions from around 1943 until 1948, when I lived across the street on Cortland.

Like one of your earlier correspondents, I attended MacCulloch Elementary, Durfee Intermediate and Central High Schools. Also Wayne (later State) and U of D. The only other detail I can add to the YBY story is that the large school building at the far aspect of the photo was not part of the original site. That space was an open playground where some of the teachers (rabbis) would fungo out softballs to us as we waited along the Sturtevant side of the field...and more than one baseball sailed through the windows of the dental office on Sturtevant facing the site!

I have been following your site for about a year and I must congratulate you on perhaps one of the best sites on the web. It is warm, friendly, informative and wonderfully organized. The memories it has elicited are priceless and the spirit of the participants is more than admirable. Please keep up the excellent work.
- Hal

Yes. the closer building is the shul Mogen Avrohom.

The further building, YBY, was one of the first day schools outside NY. It's building was so impressive in its' day that it was featured on the stationary of Torah Umesorah for a time.
- PK

The picture of the Yeshiva Beth Yehuda is in fact the Yeshiva Beth Yehuda Building. The large 3 story one was the Girls school building and the newer addition circa late 1950's. The smaller one had a dual function as the boys school building and the Mogen Avrom Synagogue. the two organizations continue to have a symbiotic relationship till today.
There is an individual who has many pictures and an expertise on many of these synagogues.
- Maury.

Yes, it is the Yeshiva - I attended it from around 1940 to 1945 (prior to that we attended the B'nai Moshe) when my Zaida became a member. He was William (Wolf) Mitnick and owned the grocery store on Dexter (east side), between Richton and Cortland (they also lived in an apartment on Richton and Dexter). I was Bar Mitzvahed there on June 2, 1945, and attended the day school briefly in the Fall of 45.
- Mitch R

The closer building is the shul Mogen Avrohom. The further building, YBY, was one of the first day schools outside NY. It's building was so impressive in its' day that it was featured on the stationary of Torah Umesorah for a time.
- PK

It is the old Yeshiva Beth Yehuda. I attended classes there and resided close by in an apartment on the corner of Richton and Dexter.
- Arleen

The building you have identified as UHS Dexter [I had identified this as United Hebrew School on Dexter-LB], I believe is the former Yeshiva Beth Yehuda. My brothers attended Day School there and I went to the Beth Jacob Girls School, across the street and above Grunt's Grocery Store.

I also attended the UHS School on Lawton between Tyler and Davison. Perhaps you have confused the two sites.

Have you found evidence of an old synagogue on the corner of Lee Place east of 12th street. It was the Polishe Shul (in Yiddish) Polish Synagogue.

Thank you for assembling this wonderful website. I'm a native Detroiter and went to Thirkell Elementary, MacCulloch Elementary, Durfee Jr. High and Central High School. I also commuted to Wayne State University. Additionally I substituted as an elementary school teacher in Detroit as well as taught at MacCulloch. Therefore I am truly enjoying this exploration.
- Elaine

This was the original site of Yeshiva Beth Yehuda, it was never a UHS site.
- Ruthe