In 1993 the Evelyn Hirsch Israel Travel Loan Fund was established by her husband Henry to make low interest loans to people desiring to travel to Israel.
In 1994 the Ahronheim Speaker Fund was established in memory of Heinz and Edith by their children.
Rabbis at Temple Beth Israel have served as the Jewish Chaplain at Southern Michigan Prison at Jackson since the time of Rabbi Shapiro in 1957. That was around the same time the chapel in the main complex was built, funded with the help of the infamous Jewish "Purple Gang" of the Detroit area. The Chapel has an Ark, Torah, Ritual Objects including prayer shawls donated over the years, and comes with a fully equipped Jewish Library. The first Seders were held in the 1940's. Seders from mid 1950's through the 1970's were catered from the Raleigh House in Detroit with sometimes over 100 people attending, including State dignitaries. Many Temple Beth Israel congregants have regularly visited Prison services over the years. Our Sisterhood has been providing a Passover Seder Dinner at the prison since the 1970's.
