Reminiscences on a Passover in 1917
a
ti
have stood up to fully replace
By DANIEL L. TICKTON
The lament, "Eicho Yoshvo that era.
It was the time when there
Bodod,” is 'quite appropriate
when remembering Hastings was a Jewish theater in Detroit,
Street of 1917. Oh, how she when the People's, Arcade and
"sits solitary," bereft of what Medbu:ry. theaters presented the
was the cream of the local Jew- old Yiddish classics and also the
ish crop. Once familiar sounds Jewish equivalent of then popu-
and senses are gone. No others lar vaudeville.
Passover Greetings to -
Our Friends and Customers
a
Famous for All Chinese Native Food.
Specializing in American Food _
Real Cantonese Family Dinners
Carry Out. Service
TO 8-7551
322 W. McNICHOLS
Passover Greetings
Jersey-Rosebud Creamery
Wholesale and Home Delivery — Milk & Cream
WA 1-2015
6431 EAST PALMER
Holiday Best Wishes
ROBERT LAURIE
Wholesale Beef and Boneless Cuts
2852 Eighteenth
A. M. KIDDER & CO.
Then there were the saloons,
not peculiarly Jewish, of course,
Complete Investment and Brokerage Service
but when Passover rolled
Established 1865
around, the bars in our neigh-
Members New York Stock Exchange and Other Security
borhood — Goldberg's, Stern's,
Levy's and Sidney Frank's—
'and Commodity Exchanges
were shut up tight.
600 GRISWOLD ST. (Ground Floor)
WO 3-4320
Passover brought many
changes to the community.
The barber shops (Citrin's,
Lichtenstein's, Kutt's) picked
Passover Greetings
up much business. People
waiting to get shaves, to trim
their beards, not only to look
nice for the Passover, but also
to be prepared for the S'firah
Wilford Ballantyne - Norman Laskowsky
—no-haircut period..
Neighborhood groceries were •
•
Ferndale, Michigan
stocked with necessities and
delicacies for Passover. Stein-
berg's Market, Cooper's, Nathan
Cash's, Shurgin Brothers were
loaded with piles of Matzo
Happy Passover
boxes, nnts, candies, the usual
fruits and vegetables. And when
you bought horseradish for the
Seder, it didn't come in bottles.
You bought the raw vegetable,
and it was ground up for you
right on the spot. It couldn't
18 . 218 James Couzens Hwy., Detroit 35, Mich.
be any fresher.
Among the shoeshine boys,
Diamond 1-1077
who always shined to music
coming from the phonograph,
it was understood that , the
faster, the louder, the nicer
Sincerest. Holiday Wishes
the music,* the better the
shine. So all day long and far
•
into the night, the street was
- flooded with over-loud treat-
ments of the popular music of
the day — "Dardenella" and
"How Dry I Am"—as business
314 Fox Building
picked up for the holiday.
At the - bakeries, business was
as usual, even though the Lod-
zer, the Warsaw, Rosen's and
practically all other bakeries
Sincere Holiday Greetings
would soon be producing no
more "Chometz" for the dura.
tion of Passover.
Business at Binyomin the
Blacksmith's, at Able Gross's
Harness Shop -and at the feed-
store was declining. The ap-
proaching holiday had nothing
625 Lafayette Bldg.
WOodward 1-5630
to do with it. Horses were on
the way out. Income tax had
• 11
been around for four years, but
the bill was counted in pennies
Best Wishes to Our Friends and Patrons
and dollars—not hundreds of
For a Joyous Passover Season
dollars. Personal exemptions
were $3,000 instead of the pres-
e.nt $600.
In 191.7, the first day of Pass-
Weatherstripping and Coulking
over fell on Shabbos.
As much a part of every
908
PHILLIPS
Clawson, Michigan
neighborhood as its permanent
Lincoln 3-9650
fixtures was the local "Shabbos
Goy." He was any non-Jew who
lived in the neighborhood, and
upon whom the Orthodox Jew-
ish families depended to stoke
Happy Passover to Our Friends and Patrons
the ofurnace, bank the stove,
open or close the lights. This
person was usually the paper-
boy, who took on these duties
in addition* to his route. For
Distributors of Alside Baked Enamel
these services, an extra guar-
' ter was usually added to the
15470 Schaefer
VE 8-1017
amount paid for the week's pa-
pers.
Our Shabbos-Goy (and paper-
■
■
■
b oy) was Tony. Th at was the
only name we knew him by—
Tony. He was reliable and punc
Happy Passover To Our Friends and Patrons
I
tual.
Our illusions of having found
were
aPerfect Shabboover.
Go
shattered that Pass
When the people in the neigh-
borhood came home from Shul
ELgin 6 9380
after combination Shabbos and j 19481 TEN MILE ROAD
Passover services, they found
■
■
■
■
■
their houses as cold as the brisk
15 degrees outside. They waited
for Tony to show up and put
coal on the fire. They waited
Happy Passover to Our Friends and Patrons
in vain. Tony did not show up.
So with hot tempers and cold
houses, the people observed - the
seder, bundled up in their win-
Jerry Peacock, Prap.
ter coats.
On the second day of Pass-
14801 W. 7 Mile at Lauder
over; Sunday, Tony showed up
with the Sunday paper. When
VE 5-9666
the irate citizens fairly breathed
fire at him, he felt called upon
to explain. His explanation cost
him four newspaper subscrip-
tions and all his Shabbos-serv-
Passover Greetings
ices clients. The Baal-Kriah was
the only one who thought it
funny. I can still see him stand-
ing there, stroking his . long,
snow-white beard and laughing
Fuel and Stove Oil for Your Comfort
fit to bust as Tony explained,
"My darn old Zade. He made
12950 Evergreen
VE 8-5800
me come to shul with him and
sit through the long seder."
OPTICAL CENTER
KOW KOW INN
ra
Holiday Greetings
TA 5-7580
PHILIP KRAMER AGENCY
KARP AGENCY, INC.
.
11111 11 111 .,
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Best Wishes For A Happy
Passover to OUT Friends and Patrons
BLAINE SANITARY MEAT MARKET
26035 COOLIDGE, Oak Park
or 1.11 ■ 110.1111111.0 ■ ••0 ■ 11111.11 ■ 1.0111!15 41111141 ■ 11W
LI 7-4124
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SAUL KATZ
CONSTRUCTION CO,
.11 O O OOOO 1111 • All ..$1 • PI
Holiday Greetings
SANDY'S ELECTRIC SHOP
Power Electric Wiring - Fixtures
All Types of Repairing
15437 WESTBROOK
KE 1-1566
THE WEATHERSEAL COMPANY
11 r
Holiday Good Wishes
GIL-BARRY CO.
Plumbing & Heating.
Sales and Service
•
Qty &
State
Licensed
•
16815 Wyoming
-AVENUE
•
Master
Plumbers
•
UN 4-7757
ALUMINUM SIDING SUPPLY CO.
-< / 4.1.111.1110.1.041111111114,1111111. 4 4111111141
Passover Greetings
A. A. JIG GRINDING CO.
Contour Specialists
Tools - Dies - Jigs - Fixtures and Gages
8233 Livernois
1 114111111.0 411111111, 0 .11119.0 SIM 04111•141.1•1•M•111•11-0.1•11.11.1.1.11111M1-1141111•11111M.1.1111 111..IMINT11111 111
BROTHERS HEATING CO.
-
TE 4-7631
(1.1111.04=1.04111111111, 11411111011•1•111,0 .M111.0•111111
Passover Greetings
WEBB WASTE COMPANY
565 Superior
TE 1-8702
- Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday
To Our Friends and Patrons
PERRY DRY WALL CO.
13831 Livernois
C,.
WE 3-9321
11.111111.0•111•1141-111•11, 11: 41.1.11 111•11.•
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SUPERIOR SHELL SERVICE
Austin Oil Corporation
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