Detroit.

Jews have lived in Detroit since 1762, when Montreal fur trader Chapman Abraham settled there. The Jewish population grew slowly until. 1880, when the city experienced an influx of Eastern Europeans fleeing pogroms. Within a 20-year period, the number of Jews jumped from 1,000 to 10,000. The community flourished during the 20th century, when Jewish leaders contributed to all facets of Detroit life--from music to business to architecture to sports. During the latter half of the 20th century, most of Detroit's Jews moved to the suburbs, now home to an estimated 96,000. Today, a new initiative, ComxrnmityNEXT, a project of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, aims to draw young Jews back into the Detroit area.

Each May, in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month--as proclaimed in 2006 Moment is proud to publish our guide highlighting Jewish history and culture in North America. This issue, we've selected three communities--Baltimore, Detroit and Vancouver--to launch our new Jewish Routes series, an ongoing feature highlighting cities across the continent with significant Jewish culture and history. We also showcase a selection of online Jewish communities. We thank our sponsor, JDate, for their support in kicking off this series.

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