Walk For Israel Draws Hundreds to Temple Shir Shalom

The weather outside Sunday afternoon was "pure Michigan" — 40 degrees and a steady downpour. However, inside the reform synagogue on the corner of Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake Road, a series of speakers and the atmosphere transported the crowd to Israel.

About 500 Jewish people and non-Jews alike came together for the fifth annual to celebrate the 63nd anniversary of the birth of the modern nation-state of Israel with lunch and a march around West Bloomfield. Those who braved the weather started at the temple and went south on Orchard Lake Road to before crossing the street and returning.

Organizers and visitors agreed that the walk’s purpose exemplified the support for the state of Israel in West Bloomfield. “I’ve been to Israel and it’s a beautiful country," said U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, who is known in the Jewish community for a 2000 visit to Israel as a state senator. "More special than the physical beauty is the warmth and hospitality of the people.”

Students from the served as volunteers of the event, which, they said, affirmed their faith and studies of Israeli history.

"I love seeing people who come up and tell me that they support Israel. It puts a smile on my face," said FJA senior Omer Oppenheim, 17, of West Bloomfield.

Visit West Bloomfield Patch for an in-depth story from the Walk for Israel Sunday evening.