THE JEWISH NEWS-3 tecture and his triumphs in steel beauty that he perhaps above all
'The Soul of Our City'
Friday, July 13, 1951
Spiritual Notes in Lives of
Eminent Jewish Detroiters
By MALCOLM W. BINGAY
Editorial Director, Detroit. Free Press
At the turn of the Twentieth Century Rabbi Leo M.
Franklin of beloved memory preached a sermon entitled
"The Soul of the City."
It sounded a keynote for the Detroit that was then
world, famous as "the city beautiful," and left a profound
impression upon all citizens of culture and spiritual insight.
MALCOLM W. BINGAY
That . was before Detroit be-
came , the great mechanized
metropolis, for the automotive
giant was still nascent. Temple
Beth El in its older home on
Woodward Avenue was then a
part of that portion of our com-
munity called "Piety Hill," for
many. : hurches of many denomi-
nations graced beautiful old
WopOward with its great shade
trees and fine residences.
But Dr. Franklin seemed on
that day to have the vision
of , the new city that was to be
for he spoke as a prophet.
There wets much talk among
our civic boosters about a
"Bigger Detroit." The Rabbi
quietly explained that mere
size was no achievement, that
materialistic triumphs were
not the true index of a city's
character.
That deep spiritual note was
one of warning and others
caught the meaning of his vision.
And so it has been in the half
century that has followed, for
the great Jewish community of
our city—now among the seven
largest • in America—has had
many among its leaders who
have pioneered in every worthy
civic, cultural and spiritual im-
pulse of Detroit.
AMOng these was David W.
Simons, brilliant jurist, who
Served not only in our Com-
mon Council as a tremendous
moral force when morals were
at low ebb in our City Hall,
but was also one of the leaders
in the organization of our now
famous City Charter. At that
time, too, there was David E.
Heineman who did so much to
cultivate among our people a
love of' and an understanding
Of art. He, too, served as both
councilman and as City Con-
trail& and helped cleanse the
City Hall of its corruptions.
And in philanthrophy and all
other worthy efforts there was
dear, gentle, self-effacing Fred
BUtzel.
I name these few for my
space is necessarily limited and
to name more might bring upon
me the embarrasments of miss-
ing some among the many.
But there are two upon whom
I would like especially to dwell
because of my deep and lifelong
friendships with them as I look
back over the years I have spent
in "my own home town" with
the celebration of our 250th an-
niversary.
One, of course, was Judge
• Harry B. Keidan, whose quid-
'ance was of God and who nev-
er made a move in all his
brilliant career of public serv-
ice without that. understand-
ing. As the years rolled on and
the hair of his great leonine
head turned gray, he became
a pillar of moral strength in
Detroit—sought by people of
every creed and race for
guidance in their hours of
despair.
•
It has been said of Lincoln
and Alfred E. Smith that as
they rose above their fellow
mortals . in stature from mean
beginnings, they sensed that the
people had faith in them, that
it was their destiny to give
guidance and comfort. And thus
it was with Harry B. Keidan, the
most modest man I have ever
known in public life.
He did not build with stone
and steel but we of Detroit will
never know the power of his
purpose in the creation of the
intangible values of a city "not
made with hands."
I watched him ftom the start
of his career until his tragic
death and I can testify that
never in all those years did he
ever ask anything for himself.
His wide interests in everything
that was clean and fine seemed
at times—especially during the
bitter days of the banks' closing
—to make his great heart the
pulse of our town.
And then there was Albert
Kahn, not only one of the
great builders of Detroit but
one of the great builders of
the world. For he had the high
vision to understand that men
who labor spend most of their
waking hours in factories. He
proved to all industrialists
that clean fine buildings with
proper ventilation and good
working conditions in a d e
healthier and happier citizens,
and — incidentally — increas-
ed production and profits.
As I have said in my history
of Detroit, "Detroit is My Own
Home Town," "the face of the
earth was his canvas." Albert
Kahn had the soul of an artist,
a poet and a musician. But art
was his firit love—the joy of
making the world .more beauti-
ful.
His father, a teacher and
scholar, was a refugee from
Germany in the revolution of
'49. He began here with a push-
cart. His wife worked as a wait-
ress at the Union Depot until
they could get a start. Little Al-
bert curried horses to earn
enough to gain an education in
art. He dreamed of being a great
painter.
Then the tragedy when his
gentle teacher, Julius Melchers,
another fugitive from the Hoh-
enzollern wrath, explained to
that he was color blind! So
he turned his magnificient ener-
gies and high vision into archi-
and stone are his heroic monu-
ments in Detroit.
But his fame spread through-
out tht world and he had show-
ered upon him every honor that
can be granted such an artist.
He built all three of our
Detroit newspaper buildings.
He built the great General
Motors and Fisher Buildings.
the Detroit Athletic club and
—above all for exquisite art-
istry—the William L. Clemens
Historical Library at Ann
Arbor.
But as the fine humanitarian,
he understood the need of a vit-
al blending of beauty and utility.
So it was that he was called up-
on to build all of Henry Ford's
important plants, all of General
Motors in the same proportion,
and all of Chrysler's.
He was not only a leader in
the arts but in every worthy
civic activity for he so loved
others understood the message
of Rabbi Franklin in the long
ago : the need to awaken and to
keep forever shining, "The Soul
of Our City."
Judge Harry B. Keidan
Playfield Dedicated
The Playfield in tribute to
the memory of Judge Harry B.
Keidan was dedicated Thursday
evening on Lawton and Roches-
ter—opposite the Shaarey Ze-
dek. Mayor Cobo, Judge Jayne,
Parks and Recreation Commis-
sion President Mrs. Walter
O'Hair were the speakers. The
late Judge Keidan's son, Fred
Hannan K e i d a n, unveiled a
plaque in his father's honor. The
Shaarey Zedek Boy Scouts took
Part in the flag raising cere-
mony.
FINEST FURNITURE
AND LOWEST PRICES
IN DETROIT
years ago in this building 00
The J. L. Hudson Company was
born. Detroit was then a bustling community of 117,000 souls where horse care
.C>
-
clanged down the streets, and the horse and buggy made traffic problems.
as the very latest in bicycles.
The "High Ordinary" was coming into its own
made merry on
Happy picnickers
which the city had just purchased for
Much has happened to our city since that day, and still Detroit is a
an amusement park.
growing metropolis, proud of its residential areas,
its schools, parks and
pii 000
industries.
0 fi
0000 0
00u °D EM)
‘Cji...."11 0[10
111000 0D
gfig
rib? I;11
gum
viElo
too°
IIv
v
11;
5.5
er.
Hudson's is oroutd to have been a part
250 eventful years, and we look to the future in.eager anticipation
of this community for 70 of Detroit's
of ever greater achievements
NHE J. LQ HUDSON
COMPANY
\IF/