In those first years, the chevra accomplished a number of notable feats. Bnei Akiva organized a choir to meet the Israeli Minister of Religion, Rabbi Maimon, at the Detroit airport. At the beginning of the second year, the chaverim undertook a project to collect toys to send to the new State of Israel, netting 800 pounds of equipment. Local rivalries with Hashomer Hatzair and Habonim Dror, who Bnei Akiva beat in a hotly contested softball game in 1952, began to develop. A thanksgiving football game was held against Bnei Akiva of Cleveland, resulting in a 6-6 tie. Rav Chaim Druckman also visited the ken (snif).

Meyer Segel described some of the events that occurred:
“We had so much fun. We practically lived in the lishka. We would go to Kensington, we went to Moshava Reunion, on a trip to Boblo, put on a play for Young Israel called “M’hodo v’ad Kush” and had an outing to Greenfield Village. We had tilboshot. The yeshiva was absolutely against Bnei Akiva and did whatever they could to destroy it. They even had spies who told them who was involved. Nonetheless, of the nine people in our graduating class, six were in Bnei Akiva.”
Although Bnei Akiva thrived for a period of close to a decade, as this group of chaverim graduated and left Detroit the organization stagnated and activities ceased.

‘60s-‘70s

When Moishe Westreich (Shevet Nitaim) arrived in Detroit in the 1966 for medical school, very little, if any, Bnei Akiva infrastructure still existed. Westreich revived the organization during his time at medical school. He ran the Tnua for three years, serving as madrich to a group that included the Bigman brothers. Activities at that time included tiyulim, sporting events and tochniyot on Shabbat. A Bnei Akiva minyan existed, though it had more Leviim than Yisraelim. Bnei Akiva helped run one of the first Yom HaAtzmaut activities in the Detroit community, organized by Bnei Akiva and sponsored by Mizrachi. As former Bnei Akivanik Hassi (Bigman) Brickman explained:
“Although my family was ‘Religious Zionist’ we had no idea before Moishe started Bnei Akiva that there was an organization for young people supporting this idea. I guess we were rather isolated in Detroit.”

Moishe Westreich was followed by three official Shlichim: Chaim Hopman, Shmuel Barchad, and Otniel Schneller (currently a Knesset member in the Kadima party), keeping Bnei Akiva strong into the ‘70s. Programming included events surrounding chagim, like a special Mesibat Chanuka and a Yom HaAtzmaut event, as well as peulot for Chevrayot Aleph and Bet every week. On Lag Ba’Omer Bnei Akiva would take trips to upper Michigan for a kumzitz. It was under Shmuel Barchad that events were first run in the new community of Southfield, where high schoolers remember cooking three Shabbat meals and running a long Shabbat program in the old Young Israel of Southfield caravans at the first ever Southfield shabbaton. Chaverim fondly remembered taking a trip in Canada to Belle River, a half-hour outside of Windsor, where there was a cabin owned by Detroit Federation. Two chaverim, Alan Steinmetz and Sarina Flatt, met there and eventually got married.

At that time an infrastructure of bogrim attending Wayne State University were instrumental in running the Tnua. One such member, Mark Goldenberg (Shevet Moriah, Mazkir Galil 5734) described it as a cadre of young people, a committed bunch, for whom Bnei Akiva was a great social outlet. He remembers one significant event:
“One of the highlights was a city-wide parade on Yom HaAtzmaut, where we had a Bnei Akiva float. The parade ended in Oak Park Park where there was a carnival and fair and we sold watermelon for Bnei Akiva.”
The lishka was at 9 Mile and Coolidge, along with the Hapoel Hamizrachi office.

Any history of Bnei Akiva of Detroit must necessarily include a section on what is arguably the most influential BA Detroit family of all, the Bigmans. Brothers David, Joel and Nathan, as well as older sister Hassi, shaped the organization for over a decade. (One other, second generation, Bigman - Michal Brickman - later served as Mazkirat Galil.) David Bigman, now Rabbi Bigman (Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiavat Hesder Maaleh Gilboa) learned at a right wing yeshiva in Detroit and ran Bnei Akiva in his spare time. Although this brought him into conflict with the administration of his Yeshiva, it was overlooked in light of his learning skills. Many chinuchi events were held at the time, such as a hike on Sukkot in which a primitive sukka was built. In addition, Bnei Akiva started a long tradition of having matza baking before Pesach as well as a pre-Pesach car wash. Members of Chevraya Aleph were issued a Chevraya Aleph Handbook and had to pass exams to become members. Youngest brother Nathan served as Mazkir Galil in 5737-8 and later as a Shaliach. As shaliach he worked with a young Mazkirat Galil, Annette (Ryba) Appel. Two of Nathan’s last chanichim were Rachel Karlin and Joey Selesny. Nathan also became the first of two Detroiters to serve as National head of Bnei Akiva. What all three Bigman brothers share in common is that their chanichim describe all three as having been “incredible.”

Joel Bigman describes some events that he and David organized:
“Once we did a complicated treasure hunt in Southfield, near the library and municipal buildings. I was hiding an envelope with a clue when a policeman came running out, wanting to know what I was doing. I guess I looked pretty suspicious. I also recall doing an educational treasure hunt at the zoo, together with my brother David. The clues had to do with the animals in the zoo. Some of the tochniyot included a bonfire or kumzitz afterwards. There was also an indoor kumzitz, which you accomplished by lighting a few candles on the floor and sitting around them.”

It was at this time that one of the major institutions of Bnei Akiva of Detroit, ninth grade shevet weekend, first became an established tradition. Kids from Chicago, Cleveland and Toronto began to come to Detroit yearly to receive their shevet name in a tradition that has persisted until today, even through the leaner years. This represents one of the longest standing traditions of Bnei Akiva of the United States and Canada.

Under the leadership of the Bigmans and Shlichim Barchad and Schneller, a new wave of Madrichim grew up in Bnei Akiva of Detroit. Nonetheless, Bnei Akiva remained a small, tight-knit group who clung fervently to their identity as an idealistic youth movement. Madrichim at that time proudly remember the weekly “Tilboshet Thursday,” when chaverim would wear their blue tilboshot to Akiva Hebrew Day School. The Shlichim would invite chaverim over to their house for falafel and Israeli salad. A new emphasis on hadracha led to seminars and circle games, in addition to the apple picking, road rallies, scavenger hunts and the ever impressive Progressive Luncheon held every Shmini Atzeret for Chevraya Bet. One memorable Chanuka play, a spoof on Grease, included such songs as “Hebrew School Dropout,” “Go Menora,” and “Chanuka Nights.” On Shavuot Bnei Akiva would host all-night learning, where the Zionist teachers “dared to give more fanatic shiurim about Israel.” Other active madrichim at that time were Donna Zwas (Shevet Ariel), Shani (Shcreiber) Bechofer (Shevet HaYovel), Sara Ryba and Ruth (Snow) Kroll.

‘80s-‘90s

In the late Seventies and early Eighties, Bnei Akiva of Detroit once again hit a slow down, similar to what happened at the end of the Fifties. Shaliach Otniel Schneller returned to Israel due to lack of funds and high school madrichim, this time without strong support of college-aged bogrim, were forced to fend for themselves. In 1986 things were at a low until David Mandelbaum began reorganizing the Tnua. However, it was not until 1987, when recently married Annette (Ryba) Appel returned with her husband Benny that Bnei Akiva of Detroit truly began to regain its stature. She explained:
“My all time favorite madrich, Alan Silverman, came in once for a weekend when I was already after high school and planning to return to Israel on Aliya. He confronted me, saying that Bnei Akiva gave me so much - chevra-wise, zionistically speaking, religiously speaking - that I should stay and give back to the Tnua. I don’t know if you will believe me but I remembered his words all my life. About five years later, married with two kids, we were asked to come to Detroit on Shlichut. I then said to myself - this is my payback time to give back to the Tnua. And I am proud to say that we went back Detroit and tried to rebuild a foundation for Bnei Akiva again. All of the ideals, religious standards, and creative educational ideas were rooted in my years in Bnei Akiva and Camp Stone while I was growing up. Even to this date, when I work with kids, I use a lot of the same tochniot as the ones I participated in as a child (how many times can a person cross a lake as a maa’pil???) The themes repeat themselves, but there are always new generations of kids out there….”

Indeed the Appels rebuilt the Tnua, training such notables as second-generation madrichim Joey Selesny (Mazkir Galil 5748) and Susie Schlussel, as well as Gabi Albert, Rachel Karlin and future Rosh Moshava of Camp Stone Elli Schreiber. (The only other female Rosh Mosh in the history of Stone, Estee (Eisenberg) Fleischmann, is also a Detroiter.)

After a successful three few years as Shlichim, the Appels returned to Kibbutz in Israel. They were replaced for a short period by Rabbi Avi Batt, and then shortly thereafter by Jay and Renaana Wolff, Shlichei Pnim from New York. Jay and Renaana continued to strengthen Bnei Akiva of Detroit, training one of the most successful classes of madrichim that included Jamie Pearlberg, Danny Yolkut, Ben Beres, Yossi Ziffer (Mazkir 5753) and Rivky (Schramm) Krestt (Mazkira 5751-2). The Wolffs began another long-standing Detroit tradition in 1991 when they initiated the Yom Yerushalayim Dinner. It was intended as an opportunity to showcase the talents of the chanichim in front of their parents, to thank madrichim for their work during the year, and to celebrate an occasion many in the Jewish community were taking for granted - the unification of our united, democratic and eternal capital of the Jewish people. Jay and Renaana built connections with the surrounding glilim. Explains Renaana:
“We felt it important that not only were kids in Oak Park lining up for mifkad each Shababt but that so were hundreds of thousands throughout the world. That made shabbatonim to Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland very important even if only renting a van for five kids.”
One of the most often-recalled activities of this period was Renaana’s baking chug. Another unique activity at that time was Chug Exercise, run by Jay. Yossi Ziffer recalls some other events:
“Among the most unusual/bizarre were a scavenger hunt in the airport, in which madrichim dressed up in costumes and hid throughout the airport ( I was dressed as a Catholic priest); a protest that we held against US policies vis a vis Israel; accompanying Rabbi Avi Weiss to a political rally for Pat Buchanan, at which Rabbi Weiss stood up with protest placards and was forcibly removed from the event; plus a lot of the usual activities, like a Chanuka carnival and field trips.”
Those who learned from Jay and Renaana felt that they learned to value Israel, to emphasize Shmirat mitzvot and torah study, and the importance of being involved in the community and working for ideals.

Following the Wolffs departure in 1993, a third young couple took over as Shlichei Pnim. Rachel (Karlin) and Rashi Kuhr arrived in the summer of 1993 and continued to lead a now-strong Tnua. They kept up many of the traditions that Rachel had participated in under the Appels and initiated a new core group of madrichim, including Estee (Eisenberg) Fleischmann (who served with distinction as National Head of Bnei Akiva), Michal Brickman, Azriel Chelst, Josh Skarf, Adina Newman, Irvin Schlussel and Shira Teger, all of whom later served as mazkirei galil. Rachel described one of the aspects that she successfully tried to emphasize in Bnei Akiva:
“There’s a certain sense of community it give you, that you’re responsible for the kids younger than you, no matter how old you are. I don’t think I’d ever have felt that way as a teenager without Bnei Akiva. It also gave me a sense that Detroit is where you’re from, you got a lot from it, and ought to give back. As an adult I tried to teach that. Another thing is a feeling that as Detroit and the community became more right wing and unzionst as the years went by, we felt as the sole source of inspiration that anyone in this desert of Detroit is able to get Zionism…In high school there was no Zionist sentiment in Detroit, except Bnei Akiva and the old guys at Oak Woods who had some sense of Mizrachi. When we were there, there was no Yom Haazmaut activity, no one wanted to celebrate at all. Yom Yerushalayim was the only time that as a community, people recognized Israel.”
Rashi and Rachel inaugurated the first snif in West Bloomfield by holding a hadracha shabbaton there in September 1993. Their legacy was an empowerment felt by all their disciples. Estee (Eisenberg) Fleischmann puts it succinctly:
“Part of it is that I remember feelings of organizing things and feeling incredibly successful afterwards. That to me is why Bnei Akiva is so useful, it empowers people in high school to feel like they can change the world, rather than just letting adults do it.”
Often-recalled events from that time include Shevet Weekends, a sleepover at Sleeping Bear dunes, a hadracha shabbaton in Chicago involving a rainy basketball game that ended with a confrontation with the police, trips to Niagara Falls, and the annual Pesach trip to see a play in Toronto.

2000

The departure of Rachel and Rashi in 1996 marked the start of another period of decline in Bnei Akiva of Detroit. Shlichim Amir and Sarit Cohen arrived for one short year and succeeded in generating enthusiasm in young chaverim such as Ari Teger, Mikey Skoczylas, Devora Cohen, Elisheva Weiss, and Ronnie Eisenberg. However, with their departure in 1997, Bnei Akiva found itself once again relying solely on high school madrichim. This added new significance to the position of Mazkir Galil, who now had to serve at a young age as the driving force of the Tnua. Josh Skarf (Shevet Emuna) was the first to serve in this newly defined role, and was able to transition Bnei Akiva from a mindset of Shilchim to one of high school leaders. He continued his involvement during four years while learning at University of Michigan from 2000-4, and started a snif in Ann Arbor along with Adam Soclof (Shevet Oz). Skarf was succeeded in 5759 by Adina (Newman) Shraig and Irvin Schlussel, (Shevet Shalem) who in turn handed the position over to Shira Teger (Shevet Neriya) in 5760. This mazkir-dominated period was mostly concerned with perpetuating the Bnei Akiva of Rashi and Rachel, maintaining such events as Apple Picking, Ninth Grade Shevet Weekend, and the Yom Yerushalayim Dinner. One recent tradition began in 5761 by Mazkir Galil Ellie Rothstein (Shevet HaTekuma) was an annual paintball trip during Sukkot. Talia Schostak (Shevet Yechi-Am) served as the last Mazkirat Galil of this era in 5762.

The Future

5762 marked the first year of a brand new development in Bnei Akiva of Detroit. Rather than rely only on the mazkir galil, Bnei Akiva initiated a new program whereby a regional shaliach was brought in to manage the affairs in Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and Toronto. This was actually the same method adopted when shaliach Otniel Schneller left in the 1970s, but this time it is proving to be much more successful. Under the guidance of the first such shaliach, Ilan Frydman, Bnei Akiva of Detroit enjoyed a slight rebounded in the years 5763-4, also thanks to strong leadership from Mazkirot Galil Elana Rothstein, Rachel Cohen, and Brittney Kohn (Shevet Komemiyut).

Although Bnei Akiva of Detroit has had, and continues to feel, ups and downs through the years, it is clear from seeing the number of people influenced deeply by its activities that it is a most precious commodity in the community. In the words of one of the very first chanichim of BA Detroit, Jack Zwick, in 1952:
“Let us hope that Detroit will always continue on ... Let Detroit be a Ken (snif) whose name alone will draw many chevra into Bnei Akiva.”

• “I’m in Israel now because of Bnei Akiva” Natan Aviezer

• “I grew up believing that moving to Israel was the natural, obvious thing to do, and I of course did it. This was mostly due to Bnei Akiva.” Joel Bigman

• “I don’t know if you can imagine five teenagers standing on the corner of Coolidge and 10 mile with an Israeli flag as tons of cars drove by, probably thinking we were crazy.” Annette (Ryba) Appel

• “I was going to Beis Yakov and my parents are very Young Israel people, so I think it always stuck with me that being different makes the world go round, and being different is okay. That’s what I took away from it the most.” Debbie (Schramm) Werther

• “BA is the reason I’m a Zionist, 100% Bnei Akiva, not through my parents and not through the school. In hindsight it was all Bnei Akiva.” Gabi Albert

• “While our formal education was clearly rooted in pro-Israel ideology, Bnei Akiva's focus on Israel was on a much more emotional and passionate plane than that of the classroom setting. Given the natural tendencies of high school students to develop strong feelings on "issues," Bnei Akiva did a commendable job of channeling such natural passions in the direction of Zionism and Israel.” Yossi Ziffer

• “I loved the aspect of being a madricha and being involved with the kids and being able to integrate the games. That’s when I discovered what informal education is about, and I for sure use that today as a classroom teacher.” Estee (Eisenberg) Fleischmann

• “They taught me that being a good person is essential for a Jew and that loving Israel is very important.” Danielle Weiss

• “I have to say that at least on a theoretical level, they gave me a love for the land. An understanding of what Israel means and is about. They may have pushed me in the right direction even. However I think that their most important contribution was to teach me how to be a ben-adam.” Shlomo Winkler

• “Zionism is more than a belief; it’s a way of life. I learned to organize rallies, to go to Israel. Bnei Akiva/Zionism isn’t just for middle and high school kids; its a way of life - you live it. The events of the time played a role - we were taught to rally, and I organized one in high school with the other youth movements in Detroit. It was the lessons that I took and then actualized.” Mikey Skoczylas

• “I learned that it is important to be a good role model for the kids you work with when you are with them and not, because they are always watching you and that my madrichim taught me the true meaning of Bnei Akiva by living life in that way and not just putting on a show.” Rachel Cohen

(The information presented in this synopsis was gathered as part of a project on Oral History for the University of Michigan School of Architecture. The project was intended to show the transition of mesora from one generation of madrichim to the next. This history is the summation of over 40 pages of notes from 75 interviews with members of Bnei Akiva of Detroit during the past 50+ years. It is, to the best of my knowledge, entirely true. If, however, you know of something to be factually incorrect, please contact me and I will be happy to correct it (including spelling of names.) If you were involved with Bnei Akiva of Detroit in the past and would like to be interviewed either in person, on email, or over the phone, please email me at jskarf@yahoo.com. Likewise if you have photographs of interest that you are willing to donate to our archive. (We will scan them for you.) Lastly, if for some reason you are mentioned in this history and would like to be removed, contact me and I will willingly (though sadly) remove your name from the history.

-Josh Skarf)