Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Isaac Agree Memorial Society was formed in 1921 by two of Agree’s sons and members of the Canvasser, Kaplan, Rosin and Zatkin families. Isaac Agree was a Russian immigrant who came to Detroit from New York in 1904. The first services were held in a home on Rosedale Court, four blocks north of Boston Boulevard near Brush Street. A move was made on September 18, 1927 to a remodeled home located on Rosedale between Woodward Avenue and John R Street, which served as a synagogue and school. The congregation moved locations several times, finally moving downtown in 1937, providing a synagogue for the large Jewish population living and working there.

In the 1940s, the affiliation was switched from Orthodox to Conservative and was renamed Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. In 1962, the congregation purchased the former Fintex clothing store on Griswold Street, a unique four-story triangular building with mid-century multicolor-block windows and a red entrance door. As the Jewish population migrated from the city, the synagogue’s membership diminished. In 2008, new board members were elected, and a revitalization effort began.

IADS offers religious classes, sponsors discussions and holiday events, and carries out social justice work like tending a community garden with an east side block club and providing Friday meals that are open to the public.