"We wanted to create a space that honors our history while opening our doors even wider."
– Rachel Rudman, Executive Director, Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
Discretionary Grant - Detroit, MI (December 2025) —On a sunny afternoon in downtown Detroit, light filters through a mosaic of stained glass, casting a kaleidoscope of color across the floor of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. The century-old building, once dimmed by time and disrepair, now glows again with life.
For generations, the synagogue has been part of the city’s fabric, a place where people gather to celebrate, reflect and connect. Now, after a major restoration supported in part by the Walters Family Foundation, it stands renewed: both a cherished historic landmark and a thriving hub for community life.
“We wanted to create a space that honors our history while opening our doors even wider,” said Rachel Rudman, Executive Director of the synagogue. “Today, our building serves not only as a place of worship, but as a hub for community and connection in Detroit.”
That vision came to life through a multi-year, $7 million renovation that transformed the building from a single-purpose religious space into a flexible, welcoming home for the city’s growing Jewish population and its friends and partners. The project doubled the synagogue’s usable space and included a new kitchen, children’s area, coworking spaces, conference rooms and a large flexible event hall, all designed to make the building a place where people come together in countless ways.
A Walters Family Foundation discretionary grant helped bring the project’s final phase to completion. Through the synagogue’s “Window Is Still Open” campaign, the grant supported the creation of a new rooftop deck: a 360-degree gathering space that captures both the skyline and the spirit of Detroit.
The rooftop project required significant structural and design work, including new steel support beams, perimeter railings, deck flooring, lighting, electrical and water systems. It also extended the building’s elevator shaft, making the deck fully accessible for all visitors.
“The roof deck wasn’t just an add-on,” Rudman said. “It was the finishing touch – the place where all the work, all the effort and all the dreams came together.”
Today, the rooftop has become a favorite spot for celebrations, cultural programs and community events. It can accommodate about 50 people: intimate enough for connection, yet open enough to feel expansive. “You can see the skyline, the murals, the whole city,” Rudman said. “It’s become a place where people connect with each other and with Detroit itself.”
The transformation of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue is more than a renovation, it’s a reflection of a broader movement. After decades in which many Jewish families moved from the city to the suburbs, a new generation is returning, eager to reconnect with Detroit’s history and energy. The synagogue, once one of more than 50 within the city limits and now the only one that remains, stands as a bridge between those past and future communities.
“It was an investment in Jewish Detroit: an investment in creating a beautiful space where the Jewish community and our friends can feel at home right in the heart of the city,” Rudman said. “It represents the best of who we are: open, inclusive and deeply connected to the place we call home.”
From its glowing sanctuary to its open-air rooftop, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue once again radiates light and warmth. What was once a dream is now a living, breathing community space.
“For us,” Rudman said, “this wasn’t just about preserving history. It was about keeping it alive.”
Discretionary grants are by invitation only.