Page

Friday, November 19, 1943

THE JEWISH NEWS

Six

Congregational Activities

Personality Sketch

Morris Garvett-Humble
Servant of the Synagogue

A Salute to the President of Temple Israel on His 50th Birthday
by the Rabbi of the Reform Congregation He
Helped to Found on July 7, 1941

By RABBI LEON FRAM

EN rise to community leadership froM a variety

of

M directions. Some begin with Social Service, others
with fraternal organizations, still others with civic or political

activities.
Morris Garvett began his career of communal leadership
as an humble servant of the Synagogue. To the vindication

Thanksgiving
Rabbi Franklin
Gives Sermon at Day Service at
Beth El, Nov. 26 Shaarey Zedek

Rabbi Fram Talks
On Allied Nations
Poetry Next Week

Congregation Sharey Zedek
Dr. Glazer to Occupy Pulpit
will conduct a Thanksgiving Day
In Cleveland Temple
'service on Thursday morning,
Nov. 25, at 11 o'clock, in the
On That Week-End

Temple

.

Dr. Leo M. Franklin will
preach at the Sabbath Eve serv-
ices , of Temple Beth El on Fri-
day, Nov. 26, at 8:15. His topic
will be "Who Dares Give
Thanks Today?"
The musical program will be
rendered by the Temple Quar-
tet with Julius Chajes directing.
and Jason Tickton at the organ.
A social hour under the auspices
of the Sisterhood will follow the
services.
Dr. B. Benedict Glazer will
be at the Euclid Avenue Temple
in Cleveland on that week-end
occupying the pulpit of Dr. Bar-
nett R.. Brickner who is on a
government mission overseas.

Women's Sabbath League
Luncheon on Monday

MORRIS GARVETT
of the Synagogue as the central County Circuit Court. There fol-
institution . in Jewish life, he de- lowed a period of private prac-
voted his orderly mind, his tal- tice and then he became a mem-
ent for organization and his gift ber of the firm famed for its
of leadership.
communal leadership as well as
Therefore, when the expand- its distinguished law praatiCe,-L.-:
ing Jewish community of Detroit Levin, Levin, Garvett and Dill.
became ripe for the establish-
In 1919 he married Gladys
ment of a new Reform Congre- Warren. He was then president
.gatio,n, it had at hand, as if pre- of Pisgah Lodge, Bnai Brith. Mr.
destined for this sacred task, a Adolph Finsterwald, of blessed
leader trained . and experienced memory, was the vice-president
and with a long record of success and Rabbi Samuel Mayerberg,
in congregational administration. then of Temple Beth El and now
Heads New Congregation
Rabbi of 'Congregation Bnai Je-
His 50th birthday finds Morris huda of Kansas City, Mo., was
Garvett at . the head of a vast among the officers.
new communal enterprise—the
His Activities at Beth El
spiritual adventure of establish-
His preparation for congrega-
ing a great new Congregation tional leadership began with his
and School and erecting a sanc- activities at Temple Beth El, at
tuary to house its Services of that time the only Reform Con,
Worship and its educational and gregation in Detroit. He mani-
community activities.
fested keen interest in all the edu-
It is 'a project worthy of a man cational, social and recreational
at his prime.
functions of the modern syna-
Fortunately, he also arrives at gogue. An unusually gifted ama-
the half-century period of life teur in dramatic art, he was
in the prime of health as well as chosen president of the Tem-
in the prime of professional dis- ple Arts Society, an organization
tinction as a lawyer.. To their which functioned like a little the-
parental bliss, Morris and Gladys ater, producing programs of one-
Garvett have heard that their act plays at regular intervals. He
son, Charles, a staff sergeant took pleasure in acting as well
in the Air Corps at Pendelton as directing the business of the
Field, Ore., has been given leave organization.
to fly in from Oregon' to celebrate
Virtually every office in the
the happy event with his father Congregation sought Morris Gar-
and mother.
vett as its man. He was elected
Came to Detroit at 13
president of the Men's Club. He
Morris Garvett was born Nov. served as chairman of the Ceme-
22, 1893, in Pitssburgh, the son tery Board. He was appointed
of Elihu and Dora Mazer Gar- chairman of the Religious School
vett. He came to Detroit at the Board. After serving as vice-
age of 13. He attended Central president for five years, he was
High School, then studied, law elected president of Congrega-
at the Detroit College of Law tion Beth El in 1936. His presi-
following which he was admitted dency was one of the most fruit-
to the Bar. Adolph Sloman, of ful in the history of that Con-
blessed memory, one of Detroit's gregation.
most eminent lawyers, and his
Improved School
son Edmund M. Sloman, invited
It was under his leadership
the brilliant young attorney to that the new Memorial Park of
enter their 'office.
Congregation Beth El was pur-
After his apprenticeship with chased, the finances of the Con-
that renowned firm, Garvett en- gregation reorganized and the
tered the office of William Fried- position of Executive Secretary
man, now a Judge of the Wayne established. Recognizing the es-

main synagogue
Rabbi Morris Adler will preach
on the subject "Taking a Census
of Our Blessings." Dr. A. M.
Hershman will conduct the serv-
ice. Cantor Jacob H. Sonenklar
will officiate. All are welcome.
Announcing this annual serv-
ice, Congregation Shaarey Zedek
officers stated:
"It is the particular genius of
America that the various re-
ligious grOups are asked to ex-
press their thanks on this national
holiday, each in the accents of
their own faith and tradition. A
Jewish service of thanksgiving
will give voice to our national
American festival, in terms of
our own liturgy and song."

Israel Congregation
To Honor Garvett After
Services This Friday

Beth Tefilo Free
Of Debt, to Burn
Mortgage Sunday

"The Poetry of the United Na-
tions" will be the theme of Rabbi
Leon Fram's Thanksgiving ser-
mon at the Sabbath Eve services
of Temple Israel, Friday night,
Nov. 26, at 8:30, in the Lecture
Hall of the Detroit Institute of
Arts.
This Friday night, Rabbi Fram
delivers the third in his series of
sermons on Jewish Folklore un-
der the title, "Legends of the
Sabbath." After the service, a
reception will be held in the
Romanesque Hall to honor Mor-
ris Garvett, founding president
of the congregation, on his 50th
birthday. Members of the Con-
gregation and friends of Mr. and
Mrs. Garvett are invited to greet
them on this happy occasion.
A feature of the service Nov.
26 will the the interpretative
readings by Rabbi Fram of some
of the great English, Polish,
Dutch, Scandinavian, Jewish and
American poetry. He has chosen
as the representative American
war -inspired. poetry selections
from Stephen Vincent Benet's fi-
nal poetic work, "Western . Star."
Karl W. Haas will accompany
the Rabbi's readings, with organ
obligato. .
The service will be followed
by a Thanksgiving social hour,
sponsored 'by Temple Israel Sis-
terhood, in the Romanesque Hall.
The Young People's Club of
Temple Israel will sponsor the
youth symposium after the
Service.
Rabbi Frain has been appoint-
ed chairman of the Committee
on Schools for the Commission
on Jewish Education. He suc-
ceeds Rabbi William Rosenau of
Baltimore who was Rabbi Fram's
teacher in his preparations for
the Rabbinate. Rabbi Rosenau is
now Rabbi Emeritus of the
Eutaw Place Temple in Balti-
more.

A•membership luncheon of the
Women's League for • Sabbath'
Observance will be addressed on
Monday, at 12:30 p. m., at
Pereira's Hall, Dexter and Bos-
ton, by Rabbi Louis Kaufman of Dinner This Sunday for the
Nashville, Tenn. Important de-
Membership of Syna-
velopments in the movement to
encourage Sabbath observance
gogue Built in 1924
will be reported upon at this
meeting.
William - Sandler, president of
Congregation Beth Tefilo Eman-
sential, role of Jewish education uel, has announced that the - syna,
in the future of American Jewry, gogue at Taylor and Woodrow
he gave the best of his talents' to Wilson, built in 1924, is now
the improvement and enhance- completely free of debt.
ment of the Religious School.
Morris Dorn is chairman of a
He was especially interested special committe which has ar-
in the program of Adult Educa- ranged a festive dinner for the
tion in Judaism which the writer membership for this Sunday eve-
had established upon his coming ning, at which time the mortgage
to Detroit. Because of his sympa- will be burned. Other members
thy with this project of adult of the committee are: Jacob
education, Beth El College of Shevitz, vice president; Morris
Jewish Studies expanded under Schneider, chairman of the board;
Mr. Garvett's presidency until it president of the, congregation;
became the largest and the most Abraham Berris, treasurer; Sam-
famous institution of its kind in uel Fishman, secretary; A. Bar-
the United States and in Canada. nett, Abraham Hoptmari, S. Le-
Under the impetus of the success vine, Morris Levitt.
of the program of Adult Educa-
Eli .- Lightstone, one of the
tion in Detroit, similar programs founders and a former president Sam Bernstein Elected
were established in the Temples of Emanuel Synagogue, will be
of many cities throughout the toastmaster at Sunday evening's Beth Itzchock President
land.
function. Cantor Hyman Schul-
. Congregation Beth Itzchock of
No man can rise to such emi- singer is arranging the musical
nence in one department of Jew- program. Rabbis Joseph Eiseninan 3836 Fischer Ave., at a special
ish life without being summoned and Max J. Wohlgelernter, spiri- meeting on Nov. 9, elected the
for a variety of other responsi- tual heads of Beth Tefilo Eman- following officers: Samuel Bern ,
bilities. Mr. Garvett sits on the uel, will talk on the significance stein, president; Nathan Rosin,
Board of the Detroit Service of this occasion as a milestone in vice-president; Harry Taub, sec-
retary; Isidore Rosenthal, trea-
Group, the Detroit -Round Table the history of Detroit Jewry.
surer.
Of Catholics, Jews and Protes-
A Thanksgiving party will be
tants; and the Jewish Vocational
ADDITIONAL SYNAGOGUE
held at the synagogue this Sun,
Service Bureau. He is a former
day evening.
NEWS ON PAGE 13
officer of the Franklin Hills
Cduntry Club. The Jewish Com-
munity Council has elected him
viCe-president and 'he is chair-
man of its important Arbitration
Committee.
It WaS,* therefore, a communal
Chicago Boulevard at Lawton
and congregational leader, train-
ed in the school of successful ex-
perience, who presided over the
DR. A. M. HERSHMAN, Rabbi
meeting at the Book-Cadillac Ho-
tel on July 7, 1941, which found-
RABBI MORRIS ADLER, Associate Rabbi
ed the new Temple Israel and
called upon the writer of this
article to serve as its Rabbi.
Under the direction of Morris
Garvett, the new Congregation
enjoyed a miraculously rapid
growth. A month after the found-
ing meeting took place, Temple
Israel was already one of the
largest congregations in America.
At the last annual meeting of the
November 25, 1943 — 11 a. m.
Congregation, Mr. Garvett was
able to announce that a site for
a building had been purchased
in northwest Detroit, at Merton
Road, Manderson Road and Al-
will Preach on
wyne Lane.
The dedication of the • new
"TAKING A CENSUS OF OUR BLESSINGS"
building, for which Temple Is-
rael is now gathering funds and
which it hopes to erect at the end
Cantor Jacob H. Sonenklar will Officiate.
of the war, will be a fitting crown
Service will be concluded at 12:10 p .m.
to the communal achievements
o: Morris Garvett, who began as
a humble servant in the House
of God and rose to be the foun-
der of a new Congregation in Is-

Congregation Shaarey Zedek

Thanksgiving
Day Service

RABBI ADLER

ALL ARE WELCOME!

rael.

