Michigan
Where American innovation takes deep pride.
Lansing · Detroit · Dearborn
The Journey
In Michigan, we visited some great cities and smaller towns along the way.
In Lansing, we visited the State Capitol, continuing our journey through every capital in America. We then stopped at Impression 5 Science Center, where the girls had a great time experimenting, playing, and learning through all the hands-on exhibits.
From there, Michigan began to show us its many different personalities.
Detroit carries an enormous piece of the American story. Cars, factories, Motown, immigration, industry, decline, and reinvention all seem to live beside one another. This was the city that helped put America on wheels and changed the way the country moved.
At The Henry Ford Museum, there was simply so much to take in. We saw presidential cars, the chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, and the actual bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. American history suddenly became something physical, sitting right in front of us.
In Dearborn, we visited the Islamic Center of America, with its impressive golden dome and minarets. We met some wonderful Muslim Americans and spoke about culture, faith, and America. The girls had a great time learning about another religion and seeing how another American community lives its faith.
Then there was another Michigan entirely. The Great Lakes, beaches, forests, little towns, and stretches of coastline can make you forget that you are standing beside freshwater rather than an ocean.
That contrast is part of what makes Michigan so interesting. Industry, immigration, faith, cities, innovation, and incredible nature all somehow share the same state.
Jewish Michigan
In the Detroit area, we got to experience a vibrant Jewish community firsthand. We visited synagogues including Ahavas Olam and Young Israel, drove through established Jewish neighborhoods, and made sure to stop at Ess In Co. for some delicious kosher food.
Jewish Michigan has deep roots in Detroit. Temple Beth El was founded in 1850, making it the oldest active Jewish congregation in the state. As Detroit grew into an industrial powerhouse, Jewish immigrants grew with it, building businesses, synagogues, schools, charities, and neighborhoods of their own.
Today, much of Jewish life is centered in the Detroit suburbs, particularly Southfield, Oak Park, and West Bloomfield, with synagogues, yeshivos, kollelim, kosher establishments, and thriving communities.
For us, it did not feel like searching for traces of Jewish Michigan. It felt like being in a community very much alive.
What Stayed With Me
What stayed with me about Michigan was how much human innovation is possible.
Detroit helped put America on wheels. The museums were filled with inventions, machines, ideas, and moments when ordinary people changed the world.
But I also kept thinking about the people themselves.
On one trip, we spent time with Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, people whose families came from completely different parts of the world, and communities with very different cultures and traditions.
Yet all of them were building lives in the same place and contributing something of their own.
Different cultures, different faiths, different stories, but still one American family.
That felt very Michigan to me.
Have a story, an idea, or a reason to connect?
For editorial inquiries, media, speaking, collaborations, historical research, or simply a story you think I should know I'd be glad to hear from you.
Contact Dov