•••

Detroit Jewish Community
History Is Traced Back to 1867

By IRVING I. KATZ
Executive Secretary of Temple Beth El

In 1887 Detroit had a popula-
a
tion of about
60,000, including
about 400 Jews. Temple Beth El,
organized in 1850 as an orthodox
congregation,' was reform for
some years, meeting in the Riv-
ard Street' Synagogue, its first
house of worship. Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, founded in 1861
as a split from Beth El when
the latter indtroduced a mixed
choir and mixed seating, was

•

J. Workum, < their soil-in-law,
prominent
who was later
resident of Detroit and served as
President of Beth El from 1866-
1868, served in the . Confederate
Army during the Civil War.

In 1865, Isaac _Hart moved
to Detroit where he became a
prominent member a the
Jewish community and joined
Temple Beth El in 1874. He
died here on Jan. 13, 1890, and
his wife on March 15, 1906.
Both were interred in "SectiOn
North F of Woodmere Ceme-
tery. Mrs. Sidney Silberman of
Detroit is a granddaughter of
the Harts. Miss Blanche J.
Hart, for many years the effi-
cient superintendent of the
United Jewish Charities of
Detroit, the predecessor of the
Jewish Welfare Federation,
was also a granddaughter of
the Harts. • Miss Hart, who re-
sided for some years in
Rochester, N. Y., died a few
weeks ago and was interred in
the family lot in Woodmere
Cemetery.
The text of Isaac Hart's letter

.

is as follows:

Feb. 14, 1861
Rev. Isaac Leeser
Phi la.
My dear friend:—
I rejoice to learn of your safe return
ISAAC HART
and I trust with renewed vigor and
located in a modest structure on strength.
I have just read this month's
Congress and St. Antoine Occident—disappointed. I fully anticipated
to react your full account of places visited,
Streets.
their Synagogues, Progress, numbers and
In addition to the two congre- C. It would prove interesting to your
None regretted the sudden loss of
gations, the small Jewish com- readers.
that pions good woman Mrs. Osterman
t
munity of Detroit had the fol- I Peace „to her Soul) than myself and none
r
rejoice at n hernot
fo getting
Pisgah more
lowing organizations:
cannot but congratu-
worthy in her W ill.
lateer guryieoauft and I dotbt not you will find it
Lodge No. 34 B of the ganize d in ro
or.. Itapresu me your income is not
Ord.r Bnal Br itt (organized
enable you to keep a large
1857), Ladies' Society for the bank account toeny nour credit.
year.
I
have
nowresided
here nearly two
h
Support of Hebrew Widows and
either
d her Congregation .
-
chi
Orphans in the State of Michi-
mu
a chobject
Polish
Milaln
a
gn
.
g
I
and The e a
mixing with its worshippers.
styhebim
(organized in
gar (or
here ers.
in
arae
m
w
bu
a
atlere
you
You may
1 arly known as the "Frauen my situation you
act t the same.
best
medrii
a
ete.
and
kindest
and
My •
Montefiore Lodge No. My
Ve-r *
t
frienirs (friends
words
with
fi li the
) ' Order Free Sons of Is- . e actions) a arn
Vey in
12 e ot"
ag.gue.
entthno mycon
hosts
R
agogue.
bI
alle
organized
in
1864),
Michi-
t
reel (
isn
vn
intio e w
id"
tors are
aerfortnte Syn webawthille the others Iivsk
gan i_<odge No. 1 of the Order not to
and from m
es
rn'
care
I
have
sne
at
ntfimt
I know.
Keshe 6r7 Shel Barzel (organized their to Synagogue
G and
nvd the e S e r v ie
not
gr.
In 18 ), Ch evrath Kadishah w what
tae Portuguese
s.hi
admire.
others for
and l3ikur Cholim (Burial of the 4.iziiecteer above
i ...e v
ReirvyardtaSt. Synagogue' : yr. e
Yid Sick Visiting) Society Epstine. of
ted
y an. He
er
a:, h a n e s. e
Shebat alteenrnatelm
(organized
in 1867), Detroit So- preaches
is well attended.
n
p
y
p
s
islaa
ctl a b Club (a dramatic and social
C
y oratory
le has that
mal`iig , '.1 !s
'e
or
ds
in
s and
ni l frequently
wrd
6 a re
ien
ut. organized in 1867) and Po- =leers feel hi s w
tears at the
la Club (a club devoted to strength of his inspiring words. es
The Polish
They
literature and chess playing, X yLaargil:t isric,fal;Ilryea Teeri: deIrsTh
r I itav:n1
.
organized in 1866 or 1867 by family unite with myself in kind regards.
With your friend
Rabbi Elias Eppstein).
Isaac Hart.
The Leeser Collection, at
We have formed
form cl a Social Club of about
dramatic
a atc. performances,
m em , be
erasa—,ecratr s.dra
Dropsie College in Philadel-
perform-
lectures
phia, contains an interesting
ances in English and one in German by
the members, their wives and sisters was
letter written in 1867 by Isaac
played equal to any stage.

Family of Entertainers Enters Israel

(International Soundphoto)

World's largest midget family, the Owitch brothers and
sisters, smile at an immigration camp near Haifa, Israel. They
spent several years at the Nazis' Auschwitz concentration camp.
They were used for medical experiments. They returned to
their native Romania, then went to Israel as entertainers. From
left: Paulina, Elizabeth, Frida, Markus, Avraham, Franzisca,
and Rosika.

Jewish Annual
Reviews Events of
Preceding Year

THE AMERICAN JEWISH YEAR
BOOK, 5709 (194849), Volume 50. Pre-
pared by the Staff of the American
Jewish Committee tinder the direction of
Harry Schneiderman and Morris Fine,
editors. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publi-
cation Society of America, 1949. 876
pages.

A Book Review by Salo W.
Baron, Professor of Jewish His-
tory, Literature, and Institu-
tions; Columbia University.
The latest volume of The
American Jewish Year Book
(Volume 50, 1948-49) follows in
the 50-year old tradition of fur-
nishing a comprehensive and
reliable report of Jewish life
during the preceding year. In
addition to a review of the
events of the year, The Year
Book continues to present direc-
tories and statistics, as well as
articles on subjects of broader
interest.
This year ► he—special articles
consist of Oicar and Mary F.
Handlin's study, "A Century of
Jewish Immigration to the
United States", and Harry
Schneiderman's survey of The
Year Book proper on the occas-
ion of its present jubilee.
Especially noteworthy is the
application by the Handlins of
newer techniques and approach-
es to the study of social history.
The immigrants are here seen
as a group, not as a mere con-
glomeration of individuals.
Among the reviews of the
year in America the articles on
"Communal Welfare" by H. L.
Hart of Detroit to Rev. Isaac
Lurie, "Education," by Uriah Z.
Leeser, the well known rabbi
Engelman, `Religion," by Joshua
`Jerry Goes to Camp' ;
of Philadelphia, wherein Hart
Trachtenberg and "Palestine in
makes mention of the two con- Good Camping Advice
the United Nations and the
gregations then , existing in
United States" by - Louis ShUb
Detroit.
Excellent help for campers, are particularly succinct and
Isaac Hart was born July 30,
1815, in Portsmouth, England. and especially for camp direc- well-written.
His parents were Alexander Hart tors, is offered by Albert M.
22 THE JEWISH N EWS
...and Elizabeth Moses. At an early Brown, executive director of the
Friday, June 3. 1949
age. Isaac Hart came to Cincin- Jewish Community Center of
nati. 0., when that city had a
handfu l of Jews,
all from Eng- Toledo, in his latest book, "Jerry
-
land. He then moved to New Goes to Camp: A Story for
Orleans, La., where he married, Campers and Counselors and
in 1838, Julia Cohen, daughter of Parents," just off the press of
Benjamin Cohen and Rachel the Bloch Publishing Co., New
Shennon, natives of ,London, York. The foreword was written
England. Hart became active in by Prof. Henry M. Busch of West-
Congregation Shangarai Chesed, ern Reserve University's social
the first Jewish Congregation of science 'division and a pioneer
New Orleans organized in 1828, in camping programming in. this
and a friendship developed be- couptry. The illustrations are by
tween him and Rabbi James K. Miles M. Silverman.
Written for the benefit of
Gutheirn who came from Cin-
cinnati in 1849 to assume the parents,. counselors, directors
ministry of Shangarai Chesed, and campers, this little volume
a post he held for four years. offers a day to day picture of
Hart was active in the first Bnai camp activities through a series
Brith Lodge of New Orleans, of letters from a small boy to
,Hebrew Benevolent Society, La- his parents. A wek-by-week de-
- dies' Hebrew Benevolent Society, scription of activities explores
Hebrew Foreign Missions Society the entire field of camp life. It re-
and the Jewish WidoWs and Or- veals that the author, whose ex-
phans Home. When Edward periences date back to the 1920s,
Kanter, founder of Detroit's is well qualified to deal with the
German-American Bank, landed subject and that he is fully in-
in New Orleans penniless in the formed about camping and the
1840s, he was helped by the He- reactions of children to camp
brew Benevolent Society of life.
which Isaac Hart. was an active
member. During the yellow Sidney Stanley in Israel
TEL AVIV— (JTA) —More than
fever epidemic of 1853, Hart did
heroic work in alleviating the 3,000 immigrants from Germany
suffering of the afflicted. Major arrived at Haifa aboard the
Alexander Hart (later a promi- Israeli steamship, S.S. Atzmauth.
nent resident of Norfolk, Va.). Among the .passengers on the
Sidney A. Hart (later a prom- vessel was Sidney Stanley, a key
inen,t resident of Grand Rapids figure in recent allegations of
and Detroit) sons at Mr. and corruption in British Govern-
Mrs. Isaac Hart and David ment circles.

Import licenses for goods val-
ued at about $60,000,000 have
been issued by the Israeli Min-
istry of Trade and Industry dur-
ing the period from Jan. 1, 1949,
to March 25, 1949.

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SERVICES
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4

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