On September 2, 1911, nine Hungarian Jewish men organized a new synagogue to continue their European
traditions. Though one short of the ten men required to hold services, they went forward and named
the shul “Bait Eliyahu,” in honor of Elias Einzig, a highly respected member of the congregation.
The congregation met in rented quarters and a small home, and its membership increased to seventy families.
In 1917, the growing congregation decided to erect its first permanent home, at the corner of Garfield
and Beaubien in Detroit. Short of funds, Mr. Einzig offered to sell the name of the congregation to the
highest bidder. The sons of Moshe Gunsberg raised the most money, and renamed the shul “B’nai Moshe,”
the Sons of Moshe.
In 1929, after 12 short years in our first home, we moved to a new building at Dexter and Lawrence,
in northwest Detroit. We continued our growth by merging with the Detroit Hungarian Hebrew Congregation in 1934.
By 1959, many of our members had moved to the suburbs, and so did B’nai Moshe, worshipping at a structure
at Ten Mile and Kenosha in Oak Park. In July 1992, we moved into our current home in West Bloomfield,
adding a school wing in 1997.