The only congregationally owned synagogue in Detroit proper.

Isaac Agree was an immigrant from Russia who arrived in Detroit in 1904. In his honor, two of Agrees sons, along with four other families created the Isaac Agree Memorial Society in 1921. It was a socially conscious Orthodox organization with no membership fees. Initially the congregation met in a private home in Detroit’s North End which was the city’s center of Jewish life. For several decades the synagogue moved among different venues, finally moving downtown in 1937.

The switch from Orthodox to Conservative came in the 1940s and the name Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue was adopted. In 1962 its current home was purchased from the Fintex Men’s Clothing store. As of 2016 it is the only congregationally owned synagogue building in Detroit proper that is still used as a synagogue.

As stated on the synagogue’s website “The Downtown Synagogue envisions itself as a broadly inclusive, responsive, and welcoming institution, one in which all are encouraged to discover and explore Judaism in a safe and welcoming environment. It offers a venue for contemplating the many facets of Judaism, historically and contemporaneously. It provides a hub for meaningful engagement and collective action in support of the Jewish community as well as the general community of Metropolitan Detroit.”