From Dublin to Detroit Elliman's Irish Luck BY CHARLOTTE HYAMS The leprechauns might have had something to do with Lou Elliman's coming to America to seek his for- tune; chances are he talked them into it. For no sooner had the tall, young Dublin lad observed his Bar Mitzvah than he was inform- ing his parents he would be off to the New World, if ye don't mind, take it or leave it. The years between that persist- ent boy of 14 and the 69-year-old president of Detroit's Elliman Steel Co. are the story of a self- made man, an Irish-American-Jew who makes no bones about his triple loyalties. The rebbe's highly seasoned dinner may have had something to do with the look on his face the next time Lou went to heder. "He wanted to kill us. 0' course, Robert had nothin' to do with it." Elliman and Briscoe went to the same national school, too. What he remembers best about St. Pe- ter's School was a thin bamboo cane. So, it was inevitable that this high-spirited boy would seek pas- tures greener than Ireland could offer. When a friend told Lou his relatives had sent him a ticket to America, Elliman decided he was going along. If St. Patrick's Day was a little quieter than usual Wednesday, it could be because Ellim an didn't join the parade; his friend Robert Briscoe, of Dublin lord mayoralty fame, didn't make it to Detroit this year. Ah, but two years ago, all the Fightin' Irish were out in front: Briscoe, Cavanagh, Elliman . . . There's a trace of the brogue left as Elliman recalls his child- hood in Ireland: "Every time something was happenin' in Dub- lin, it was in our home." Every time, that is, there was some- thing of Jewish interest. His father, Jacob Elliman M a x Elliman, a manufacturer, was a pioneer in the small Jewish community of 200 families. He introduced the Zionist ' movement to Ireland by 1900 and, as a friend of Theodor Herzl, rep- resented the Jewish population of Great Britain to the 1907 Zionist Congress at The Hague. Knowing well how the Irish love a bit of green, Jacob Max Elliman also planted the seeds of the Jew- ish National Fund before the turn of the century. Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog, who later became chief rabbi in Israel, spent his early years in the rabbinate in Dublin and knew the Ellimans well. Both father and mother came from a long line of Lithuanian scholars. Rina Elliman's brother, Rabbi Zussman Hodes, was chief r a b b i of Birmingham over 50 years. It was natural that some of this would rub off on their eight children. And so, logically, we would find Lou and his pal Robert Briscoe in heder, poring over the books in the rebbe's home. But— "Robert? Oh, he was a brilliant student," Elliman said. "Not like me; I played pranks on the reb- bitzin." He remembered (was there an Irish twinkle in his eye when he said it?) passing by the rebbitzin's kitchen door and smelling the un- mistakable smell of fish being filleted. And no rebbitzin to be seen ! Next to the gefilte fish stood a can of salt and a can of pepper. "There must have been a pound of each. I made a big hole in the fish and dumped it all in." Then what happened? "I ran." Dividend Is Declared by Rassco Plantations NEW YORK — Rassco Planta- tions Ltd., Tel Aviv, has declared a dividend for 1964 of 16.66 cents per share on its outstanding com- mon stock, payable April 30 to stockholders of record as of March 15, 1965. A dividend in the same amount was paid last year. The company is engaged in Is- rael in the planting, packing and marketing of citrus. It owns 3,000 dunams (750 acres) of citrus plantations. No amount of parental disap- proval could dissuade him, and in 1911 Lou Elliman set foot on Ellis Island. With no relatives to claim him, Elliman got his friend's family to back him up. They would see to it that he didn't become a drain on the American pocketbook. In the three months that he lived in New York, Elliman estimates he held 40 jobs. "I had a philosophy: either you work or you starve. I had to keep healthy because I had no one to care for me. And I had pride; I could never write home for help." So with a bit of silver he'd saved up ("If you earned $4 a week in those days, you could meet all your expenses with $3.75 and save a quarter a week. In four weeks, you could open a savings account") he went to Boston for another three months of odd jobs. And then he headed West. To Michigan. Elliman took up resi- dence at St. Antoine and Hancock, and he's been in Detroit ever since. (Now he lives at 660 Whitmore.) At age 15, Elliman answered an ad for work by the Detroit Vapor Stove Co. They wanted a man, so he knew he could get the job. He stayed there seven years. The stove business taught Elli- man something, and after a stint as a manufacturer's representative, he founded the Elliman Steel Co. afford to sit back and take it easy. That's why he keeps working hours to a minimum: 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (or later) daily. Elliman is never away from his business for long, but he does visit his native isle twice a year. Nor is Ireland ever far from his heart. When Detroit's Fr. Clement Kern asked Elliman to help raise funds for Corktown's Trinity Cath- olic Church, Elliman invited Bris- coe to town. The Dublin lord mayor addressed a party at the Sheraton-Cadillac Hotel — just a couple of Irishmen helping each other out. But Elliman's allegiances are not limited to Ireland. During the war, many family friends needed funds to escape from Europe. Elli- man lent money freely for the re- lief of his fellow Jews. "I figured they'd pay me back sometime." They did. His membership cards are le- gion: Temple Beth El, Standard Club, 100 Club, the Marco Polo Club of New York, Bnai Brith's Pisgah Lodge, Perfection Lodge of F.&A.M. (life member), Moslem Temple Consistory and Shrine, Board of Commerce, Variety Club. Today, the firm, which deals in steel warehousing, jobbing and processing, does a major part of its business with the auto industry. Elliman, as pres- ident and sole owner, could well ADL Files 1st Charge of Religious Bias Under Civil Rights Act of '64 NEW YORK (JTA) — The first complaint under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, charging religious — instead of racial — discrimination, was filed in Washington at the De- partment of Justice by the Anti- Defamation League of Bnai Brith. Arnold Forster, general counsel of the ADL, alleged that The Breakers Hotel, at Palm Beach, Fla., is guilty of violating the new law by refusing to reserve rooms sought by applicants whose names seemed Jewish. Among the prohibitions in Title II of the Civil Rights Act, hotels, among other enterprises serving the public, are forbidden to discriminate against anyone, not only on racial grounds but also on grounds of religion. Forster, demanding that the De- partment of Justice start a civil action against The Breakers, de- clared that the ADL had six sets of letters, requesting accommoda- tions, sent to the hotel by an equal number of persons with "non- Jewish" names and with "Jewish" names. In each instance, the complaint declared, the "non-Jews" were given reservations, while those with "Jewish names" were told there was no room and referred to other hotels. In this practice, Forster stated, the hotel was "adhering to its con- sistent practice of denying accom- modations to Jews," noting that The Breakers had been listed by the ADL in the past as an estab- lishment discriminating against Jews. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 6—Friday, March 19, 1965 While his own education was limited, Elliman in obviously proud of life memberships as Friends of Brandeis and Yeshi- vah universities. ( T h e y e v e n dressed him in cap and gown as a sponsor for the Yeshivah University convocation this month). He also contributes to the University of Detroit. Elliman admits that he has little time for organizational work, "but I never turn down any cause." Sinai Hospital has a room named for Elliman's father; the JNF has received funds for a forest to be dedicated in honor of his parents this fall. It will be his first trip to Israel. When Elliman and his wife, the former Molly Marks Lieberman, visit Ireland again this June, there will be close to 100 relatives to visit. (One of them, a cousin, also named Lou Elliman, has carried on the film industry nurtured in its early days in Ireland by the Elliman family. A couple of Bur- tons, Richard and Elizabeth, are currently filming at one of Elli- man's Dublin studios.) How does the dauntless Dublin- er plan to visit 100 relatives scat- tered throughout the British Isles in a span of a few weeks? It was a silly question perhaps, but Elliman, who owns the very block that holds the restaurant where we met, answered it only as he could: "Oh, I'll put 'em all up in the London Savoy for a week. Saves a lot o' trouble." Eshkol Denies Independence Day Parade Shifted From Capital Because of Pressure JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel's the status of Jerusalem as the Parliament rebuffed motions by capital" where Independence Day the Herut and Liberal parties parades have been held in the charging that the government past, and will be held in the fu- yielded to "external pressure" in ture. shifting the annual Independence He did not refer to a letter from Day parade from Jerusalem to former Premier David Ben-Gurion, Tel Aviv. addressed to Cabinet members. In Premier Levi Eshkol asserted that letter, Ben-Gurion reportedly there had not been any such pres- v o i c e d "disappointment a n d sure, and stressed that the matter shame" over the decision not to had not been mentioned in his re- hold the 1965 parade in Jerusalem. cent talks with Averell Harriman, president Johnson's special envoy. The defeated motions also called for restoration of the Jerusalem APPLICATIONS FOR site for the parade. MORTGAGES VA or FHA The Premier said the reason for the Tel Aviv choice was to enable hundreds of thousands to watch the parade. He added that only a small part of Israel's ground and air power would be displayed. He said a state ceremony would be held in Jerusalem which would include a military display and added that "nothing can affect ARE NOW BEING TAKEN On New or Existing Homes QUICK SERVICE Phone Us Today FRANKLIN MORTGAGE CORP. Approved FHA Mortgagee 915 First National Bldg., Det. 26 WO 3-4890 Great West Life Guarantees your Income! 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Problems of assimilation and intermarriage in the U.S. and the world over—Rabbi Isaac Stollman, Hon. Chairman R.Z.A. 3. A report on Soviet Jewry — Rabbi Dr. Bernard Poupko. Rabbi D. Staysky, 4. The future of the Yeshiva Day School movement in America Chairman Vaad Hapoel, Ohio Valley. 1st Session — Lunch and Program-12 Noon to 3 p.m. 2nd Session—Program-3 p.m. to 5 p.m. For Registration Call DI 1-0708 Since the untimely passing of our dearly beloved leader IRVING W. SCHLUSSEL, the conference will be dedicated to his blessed memory.