Congregation Shaarey Zedek

01 / The story of this place

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Congregation Shaarey Zedek, one of Detroit's oldest Jewish congregations, moved from the city to this striking modern building in suburban Southfield in 1961, designed by noted synagogue architect Percival Goodman and completed in 1962. Rabbi Morris Adler led the congregation through that move and into its new sanctuary, capping a long career as one of Detroit's most respected religious leaders. On February 12, 1966, during Shabbat services, a disturbed young congregant named Richard Wishnetsky walked onto the bimah, denounced the congregation, and shot Adler before turning the gun on himself; Adler died of his wounds days later. The tragedy shook Detroit's Jewish community deeply, but the congregation endured, and Shaarey Zedek remains an active synagogue in its Percival Goodman building today, still serving the community Adler helped build.

1. Congregation moved to this Percival Goodman-designed building in 1961–1962
2. Rabbi Morris Adler led the move and the congregation for decades
3. Adler was shot here during Shabbat services on February 12, 1966
4. One of the most significant works of postwar American synagogue architecture
5. Still an active congregation today