Our Beginning

In 1982, a small group of people desired to establish a Jewish community for those residing east of Woodward. In time, we selected as our name Congregation Shir Tikvah (Song of Hope), reflecting the strong roles that music and prayer, learning and laughter, faith and healing play in our community. Today, the Shir Tikvah family consists of members from the western edge of Oakland County to the eastern edge of Macomb County, and to the northern-and southern-most points of I-75. We built our building in 1998 located only one mile north of Somerset Mall in Troy.

Our Mission Statement

"Congregation Shir Tikvah is an innovative, yet traditional, friendly and inclusive congregation, valuing diversity, where all can seek G-d and strengthen spiritual, social, educational and cultural aspects of Jewish life. As a bridge between our membership, our community and the State of Israel, Shir Tikvah embraces our heritage, provides continuity and encourages the evolution of Judaism into the future."

We consider this a living document and it guides every decision we make. We believe everyone is made in G-d's image and we strive to respect the needs of all members.

Religious Orientation

Congregation Shir Tikvah is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism and is part of Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. “As a Reform-Renewal synagogue, Congregation Shir Tikvah is committed to the on-going study of the full range of mitzvoth (Jewish sacred obligations) and the expression of those mitzvoth as they are relevant to us as 21st century Jews. Moreover, the Shir Tikvah family is committed to welcoming all who desire to find a home with us: including intermarried couples, gays and lesbians, Jews-by-choice, Jews-by-birth, families, and singles.

Worship That Works

Reform Judaism magazine chose us as one of four exemplary congregations in their Spring 1997 issue.

Our Rabbis

Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg has served as our spiritual leader since 1988.  He inspires us with his music, comforts us with his counsel, and makes us laugh with his humor.  Rabbi Arnie uplifts our souls and touches our hearts

Rabbi Aaron Starr has served as our director of lifelong learning since 2004.  He loves to learn, and shares his passion for Jewish learning with adults and children alike.  Rabbi Aaron coordinates our award-winning adult-education program, and directs our Sam and Jean Frankel Family Education Program.  He is the author of A Taste of Hebrew, published by the URJ Press.

What We Offer

We offer a full range of programs and services for adults and children. These include traditional and modern observances of holidays and Shabbat, a professionally run Family Education Program, as well as adult education and social programs. Shir Tikvah also boasts other groups covering a wide array of interests such as a social action group, a Sisterhood, a book club, and a group for high school students that are affiliated with the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY). We also sponsor a Purim Carnival, Congregational Seder, Sukkot service at Rabbi Arnie’s home, Hanukkah festivities and a family oriented Labor Day weekend retreat.

Our Shabbat services are the focal point for our religious observances. We hold services every Friday night and Saturday morning. The structure of the service will vary to serve all needs. Once a month we have a congregational Shabbat dinner before services.

Our High Holyday services are deeply appreciated by our congregants. For these services we use The New Mahzor. We observe the first day of Rosh Hashanah at the Synagogue and the second day at a local park for a traditional "Tashlich" service. Family services are conducted on the afternoons of both the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. We conclude the Family service on Rosh Hashanah with apples and honey and the closing service of Yom Kippur with a Congregational Potluck break fast.

Recognizing that participation in life cycle events is an important part of Jewish family life; we have within Shir Tikvah all the resources for life cycle observances. Those include Brit Milah (bris), baby-naming, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, marriage, burial, and shiva.

Education

In September 1993 we founded our own Family Education Program. We take pride in our unique approach of involving students, teachers and parents in special activities on a regular basis throughout the school year. Our pre-school through third grade meets on Sunday mornings; fourth through sixth grades meets twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Sundays. The seventh grade through twelfth grade meets on Monday nights. The Family Education program especially seventh grade prepares our students for their B’nai Mitzvah celebration.

We also offer an adult component to our Family Education program with Hebrew classes and Judaic classes, and Torah study every Saturday morning at 8:45 AM. In addition Shir Tikvah offers a 15 session Introduction to Judaism class, as well as a number of other adult education opportunities.

Location

Congregation Shir Tikvah is located at 3900 Northfield Parkway, just south of Wattles between Coolidge and Crooks in Troy. After being in several temporary locations, we moved into our own new building in April 1998. The building is very versatile and can accommodate up to 600 people in theatre seating or 240 for sit-down banquet-style. We also have an outdoor sanctuary in the woods behind the main building. It can accommodate up to 150 people for services, weddings or meditation as weather permits.

Membership

Our synagogue is open to all. Membership rights are never denied or restricted based on financial circumstances. If there is a need for assistance on dues, it is simply a matter of discussing this with our Administrator. We feel strongly that finances, while essential for us to continue, are secondary to fulfilling our Mission Statement. Also, our non-Jewish spouses or partners are welcome and enjoy all membership privileges.

Communications

A monthly newsletter called the "Town Schrier" is mailed to all current & prospective members. The newsletter includes a wide range of articles from the Rabbis’ message, calendar of services and events to Board of Trustee notes. We also maintain an e-mail notification service.