Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue (USA)

Mayer Brothers go to America!

In December 2014, Gábor Mayer, the president of the foundation and his brother, András Mayer visited the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, Detroit, USA. They presented our documentary titled Tales of Teleki Square and the english version of The last prayer house at Teleki Square photo exhibition.

Detroit was the first station of a bigger project titled Network of shtiebels. We encountered similar communities in a variety of places. We have connected with such shtiebelach in Detroit, Scotland, Spain, Poland, France, Turkey. Most of these areas once nurtured a thriving Jewish life in the 20th century, as well, but not any more. These communities are too small for the local Jewish establishment to look after, as the establishment is already struggling to keep the large synagogues alive. Like the Teleki Tér Shtiebel, these communities mostly rely on a few dedicated persons, and as such, can be considered grassroots organisations in themselves. To our knowledge, no network exists that connects these mostly non-English speaking communities. Moreover, due to many factors, these communities are almost invisible to international networks. They do not have internationally educated leaders or anyone in the communities with any links to international Jewish organisations or international resources. They are too small to be heard. We believe this to be a needed network. If these communities were connected, they could help each other. We need to find other shtiebelach in other countries.

Learn more about Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue: http://downtownsynagogue.org

Photos by András Mayer and Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue