1850 : Michigan First Jewish Congregation Established

On September 22, 1850, 25 German Jewish families, who had arrived at Detroit from the New York area, formally organized the Beth El Society and became Michigan’s first Jewish congregation. The members met initially in a private house, then a room over a downtown store before purchasing an old French Methodist church in Downtown Detroit.

Sources:

September/October 2014 Michigan History magazine

Mich-Again’s Day