Northern Michigan Jewish Community Unites to Build New Chabad Center

Dennis Wiand was driving past the Leelanau Curling Club one early December evening when he noticed something unusual. “I happened to see a car in the parking lot that had a menorah strapped to the top of it,” Wiand, 73, told Lubavitch.com. “Then I saw a gentleman dressed in more Orthodox attire walk out of the building, and I asked him, ‘is that your car?’”

“He said, ‘yes; are you Jewish?’”

It was the third night of Chanukah, and the newly-created Chabad of Traverse City, led by Rabbi Leibel and Chaya Shemtov, was hosting a men’s curling night event. And so Dennis Wiand met a rabbi nearly a half-century his junior.

For Wiand, it was the start of a connection he had long lacked. 

“My mother was Jewish. But she was treated very poorly growing up because of her Jewish background, so she more or less kept it under wraps,” he said. “It wasn’t till I was 12 that I knew my family was Jewish. My Judaism was something I always felt I was a bit deprived of.”

Some time later, Dennis Wiand faced a serious health problem, and Rabbi Shemtov suggested they make the trip to the Ohel, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s resting place. They spent Shabbat praying and farbrenging in the synagogue adjacent to the Ohel, and Dennis took a Jewish name for himself: Dovid Leib. Not long afterwards, Dennis bought himself a pair of tefillin.. 

Not long after the Shemtovs moved to Traverse City, they embarked on an ambitious campaign to purchase and open a Chabad House to serve North Michigan’s Jewish residents–who number roughly 1,000. The community, excited by this development, was willing to pitch in—financially and otherwise—to create the new center.

Funds were raised locally for the down payment on a centrally-located property, with Mr. Peter Sander‘s commitment serving as a cornerstone of the capital campaign to cover the building’s financing. The building was in need of significant renovation. That was where the Traverse City Jewish community really stepped up. Local physician Derek Grossman did much of the interior carpentry work, assisted by groups of community members who gathered to paint and spruce up the Chabad House.

“Almost every aspect of the renovation was done by volunteers from the community,” Rabbi Shemtov said. “It was beautiful to see how everyone got together to bring the Chabad House into being.”

The new Sander Chabad Jewish Community Center was celebrated at a community event on August 25. Community members spoke about their connection and investment in building the new center, and about their excitement for the opportunities it will afford.

“The dedication is bringing this community together in a place that we know is dedicated to our faith; a place we can always go if we need anything, whether it’s the kosher food mart, the library for reading, the gift shop—I’ve never had that,” said Judy Levin, who has lived in Traverse City for 31 years. “There are so many people who have donated, who have given their time. I’m very proud of all of that.”

“When I found out that Rabbi Leibel and Chaya had moved close to where I lived, it was the most joyous day. I was so happy to have them and the Chabad House,” Levin said. “Both he and Chaya are so focused on helping the community that it makes me so happy. I’m so proud of everything they’ve done.”